Effect of operating factors on liquid–liquid mass transfer and dispersion pattern of sedimentary liquid in a mechanically stirred vessel

Liquid–liquid dispersion and mass transfer were investigated in mechanically stirred vessels without baffles by changing operation factors such as an impeller rotation speed, off-bottom clearance, volumetric liquid ratio, etc. The dispersion regime was categorized into five groups: the sedimentary liquid was kept at the vessel bottom (I), partially elevated without any collision (II), partially dispersed by colliding with the impeller bottom (III), both liquids were partially dispersed by collisions with impeller blades (III’), and the sedimentary liquid was completely dispersed (IV). The dispersion switched to I → II → III → IV with the increasing rotation speed and decreasing off-bottom clearance. The liquid–liquid mass transfer rate was significantly enhanced with the collision of the sedimentary liquid with the impeller bottom, and subsequently increased with the increasing rotation speed, volumetric liquid ratio, and vessel diameter and with the decreasing off-bottom clearance. A multiple regression analysis method was applied to determine the mass transfer rates of III and III’.     

Characterization of endogenous enzymes of milled rice and its application to rice cooking

The relationship between the activities of endogenous enzymes in milled rice and accumulation of chemical components in the rice grains during cooking was investigated. Maltose and soluble starch were optimally hydrolyzed around 60 °C by both crude extracts and purified α-glucosidases of milled rice. Gelatinization onset temperature of rice flour was determined to be 63 °C with DSC analysis under usual cooking condition. Hydrolytic activities on carbohydrates and proteolytic activities of milled rice were enhanced at pH 5 compared to pH 7 at the range of 4–80 °C. When rice was cooked at pH 5, glucose and amino acids highly accumulated with soaking for 16 h before heating. We propose a new method of cooking with prolonged soaking at acidic pH, which is effective for increasing the amounts of chemical components in cooked rice.     

Powdered formulation of liquid oil terpenoid included in cyclodextrins for chemical stabilization and improved handling

Teprenone (Tp) is a widely used pharmaceutically active ingredient in terpene anti-ulcer agents. We investigated Tp and cyclodextrin (CD) complexes for the objective of forming stable Tp powders. Tp was combined with each CD at a molar ratio of 1:2, kneaded together while adding an appropriate amount of water, then dried under reduced pressure and lightly milled into a powder to produce a kneaded mixture (KM). Powder X-ray diffraction of KM containing Tp and β- and γ-CD revealed new diffraction peaks. On infrared spectroscopy, the peak near 1718 cm^?1 corresponding to the carbonyl group of Tp had shifted to around 1701 cm^?1. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy showed signs of inhibited molecular mobility of Tp, which is liquid at room temperature, confirming that Tp had formed complexes with β- and γ-CD. Photostability analysis of Tp showed improved stability in the order of γ-CD > β-CD ? α-CD.     

Structural changes in carbon aerogels with high temperature treatment

The structural change of carbon aerogels at high temperatures up to 2800°C has been investigated. Change in microtexture of fine particles, which constitute carbon aerogels derived from phenolic resin, was of a typical non-graphitized carbon. The microporosity decreased with an increase of heat-treatment temperature, and disappeared at 2000°C. The mesoporosity still remained even after heat-treatment up to 2800°C, though 50% of mesopore volume was lost because of the fusion of the particles with the change of carbon microtexture.     

Modelling and prediction of phyto- and zooplankton dynamics in Lake Kasumigaura by artificial neural networks

An artificial neural network model was developed for Lake Kasumigaura to predict timing and magnitudes for chlorophyll a, five species of blue-green algae and three zooplankton groups. The model was trained by 8 years of limnological time series and validated by two independent years. The validation showed the potential of neural networks as predictive tools for highly non-linear phenomena such as blue-green algal blooms in freshwater lakes.     

Analysis of small-world networks with high broadcast speed

Given a network where each element has a small number of connected elements, the randomization of connections with small probabilities results in networks with a high broadcast speed. Such networks belong to the class of so-called small-world networks. Analyses indicate that broadcast to all elements of the network is fundamentally different from the average transmission speed. Networks with 10% randomness give the fastest broadcast speeds with no dependence on the position of the initial transmission source. This work was presented in part at the Sixth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Tokyo, January 15–17, 2001     

Formation Process of Super-Water-Repellent Al2O3 Coating Films with High Transparency by the Sol–Gel Method

Alumina thin films with a roughness of 20 to 50 nm were formed by immersing porous alumina gel films prepared by the sol-gel method in boiling water. When hydrolyzed fluoroalkyltrimethoxysilane was coated on the alumina films, the contact angle for water was increased with an increase of immersion time, and immersion for 30 s was long enough to give super-water-repellency and high transparency; the contact angle for water of the film was 165° and the transmittance for the visible light was higher than 92%. It was found that the surface of the alumina gel films immersed in boiling water consisted of boehmite crystals. It was shown that the existence of air in the hydrophobic pores on the surface caused the super-water-repellency.     

EXAFS speciation and phytoavailability of Pb in a contaminated soil amended with compost and gypsum

Due to unregulated uses of lead pellets for hunting purposes in Japan, soils and sediments in some river basins and wetlands have become highly contaminated with Pb. Deterioration of natural vegetation has occurred sporadically in these areas, and therefore revegetation is needed for ecological restoration. The objectives of the present study were to assess the effects of surface applications of compost and gypsum amendments on Pb availability to a watercress plant (Nasturtium officinale W.T. Aiton) and molecular-scale speciation of Pb in soil solid phases. The compost and gypsum amendments significantly decreased dissolved Pb and Sb in pore water. The concentration of Pb in aboveground plant tissues was 190 mg kg^− 1 in the control soil and was reduced to < 20 mg kg^− 1 in the compost and gypsum-amended soils. The concentration of Sb in plants grown in the control soil was 13 mg kg^− 1, whereas that in the soils receiving compost and gypsum decreased below detectable levels. Redox potential was higher in vegetated soils (ave. 349 mV) than in the unvegetated soils (ave. 99 mV) due to oxygen introduced by plant roots. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy illustrated that Pb occurred as Pb sorbed on birnessite and/or ferrihydrite (Pb-Mn/Fe, ~ 60%) and Pb sorbed on organic matter (Pb-org, ~ 15%), and galena (PbS, ~ 10%) in the vegetated and unvegetated control soils. The compost amendment increased the proportion of Pb-org by 2-fold than in the control soils. The amended soils with plant growth decreased the proportion of Pb-Mn/Fe phases by half of that without plant growth. Galena and anglesite (PbSO₄) were not detected in compost-amended soils and even in gypsum-amended soils since a significant soil reduction to anoxic levels did not occur in the entire soil. The present study indicated that, under flooded conditions, surface applications of compost and gypsum amendments reduced plant Pb uptake from the Pb contaminated soil.     

Temperature dependency of bound water of cellulose studied by a high-resolution NMR spectrometer

The widths at half-value of high-resolution NMR spectra of bound water of cellulose were studied in relation to the temperature change. Two points were made clear: First, the amount of bound water of the cellulose sample can be pointed out with higher accuracy the lower the temperature of the measurement. Second, it is possible to determine in a simple manner the boundary temperature T_c at which water molecules become bound by the cellulose. T_c is characteristic of the cellulose sample of a given water content and corresponds to the glass transition temperature of the water-containing sample. The measurements appear to be readily applicable to other hydrophilic polymers.