LaBGeO5 single crystals in glass and second-harmonic generation

Flower-shaped crystals with diameters of 100–200 μm consisting of LaBGeO₅ (LBGO) single crystals similar to petals were observed in the interior of transparent LBGO surface-crystallized glasses. Each flower-shaped crystal was radially grown from the surface of the included bubbles. A more intense second-harmonic generation was observed from the LBGO crystallized glasses with the flower-shaped LBGO single crystals compared to the samples without such crystals based on the Maker fringe technique and second-harmonic (SH) generation microscopy. The SH intensity for the flower-shaped LBGO single crystals monotonically decreased with increasing temperature up to 350 °C, less than the Curie temperature reported so far (530 °C). It is considered that the internal compressive stress induced by the difference in the thermal expansion between the LBGO single crystal and the corresponding glass affect the ferroelectric property of the flower-shaped LBGO single crystals in glass.     

Work-time optimal k-merge algorithms on the PRAM

For 2⩽k⩽n, the k-merge problem is to merge a collection of ksorted sequences of total length n into a new sorted sequence. The k-merge problem is fundamental as it provides a common generalization of both merging and sorting. The main contribution of this work is to give simple and intuitive work-time optimal algorithms for the k-merge problem on three PRAM models, thus settling the status of the k-merge problem. We first prove that Ω(n log k) work is required to solve the k-merge problem on the PRAM models. We then show that the EREW-PRAM and both the CREW-PRAM and the CRCW require Ω(log n) time and Ω(log log n+log k) time, respectively, provided that the amount of work is bounded by O(n log k). Our first k-merge algorithm runs in Θ(log n) time and performs Θ(n log k) work on the EREW-PRAM. Finally, we design a work-time optimal CREW-PRAM k-merge algorithm that runs in Θ(log log n+log k) time and performs Θ(n log k) work. This latter algorithm is also work-time optimal on the CREW-PRAM model. Our algorithms completely settle the status of the k-merge problem on the three main PRAM models     

HSPF Simulation of Runoff and Sediment Loads in the Upper Changjiang River Basin, China

To evaluate the performance of a computer model simulating runoff and sediment load in the upper region of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) basin over a relatively short time interval, including examining the applicability of the input precipitation data generated from global circulation models and satellite data, we used a spatially distributed model, HSPF with the International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) precipitation data for 1987 and 1988 as input data. The Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (R2) for 5-day average streamflow was 0.94 in the calibration period and 0.95 in the verification period for the whole upper region. Moreover, the model simulated the 5-day average streamflow well in each main tributary, as shown by R2 values of 0.46–0.96, except that it underestimated the peak flow rates during the flood season over 2 years by up to 71% in Tuojiang and 61% in Jialingjiang. The model simulated the 5-day concentrations of suspended solids (SS) fairly well in the headwaters and upper regions of the Jinshajiang, Yalongjiang, and Minjiang watersheds, as shown by R2 values of 0.31–0.65. In the other regions, however, the model underestimated the SS load by up to 72%, and rarely simulated the fluctuation of SS concentration in each river channel during the flood season. These errors led to the underestimation of sediment runoff volume from the whole upper region during the flood season, as shown by the ratio of the simulated sediment load to the observed data at Yichang: 0.69 in the calibration period and 0.68 in the verification period. The ISLSCP precipitation tended to be more frequent and less intense than the measured precipitation. This was probably the main reason why the HSPF did not perform well in all regions at all times.     

The Atmospheric Scanning Electron Microscope with open sample space observes dynamic phenomena in liquid or gas

Although conventional electron microscopy (EM) requires samples to be in vacuum, most chemical and physical reactions occur in liquid or gas. The Atmospheric Scanning Electron Microscope (ASEM) can observe dynamic phenomena in liquid or gas under atmospheric pressure in real time. An electron-permeable window made of pressure-resistant 100 nm-thick silicon nitride (SiN) film, set into the bottom of the open ASEM sample dish, allows an electron beam to be projected from underneath the sample. A detector positioned below captures backscattered electrons. Using the ASEM, we observed the radiation-induced self-organization process of particles, as well as phenomena accompanying volume change, including evaporation-induced crystallization. Using the electrochemical ASEM dish, we observed tree-like electrochemical depositions on the cathode. In silver nitrate solution, we observed silver depositions near the cathode forming incidental internal voids. The heated ASEM dish allowed observation of patterns of contrast in melting and solidifying solder. Finally, to demonstrate its applicability for monitoring and control of industrial processes, silver paste and solder paste were examined at high throughput. High resolution, imaging speed, flexibility, adaptability, and ease of use facilitate the observation of previously difficult-to-image phenomena, and make the ASEM applicable to various fields.     

Improvement of lysozyme recovery method from the precipitate of protein-anionic surfactant complexes

A new protein separation process using a surfactant and a polar organic solvent consists of a precipitation step and a recovery step. In the precipitation step, a protein-surfactant complex is precipitated from an aqueous solution, when an ionic surfactant, sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT), is added to an aqueous solution, including protein (lysozyme). In the recovery step, the precipitate is dissolved in a polar organic solvent, such as acetone, and the protein is recovered as precipitates when a very small amount of salt solution was added to remove surfactants from the protein-surfactant complex. However, the details of the protein recovery step from precipitate have not been studied yet. In this study, the improvement of the protein recovery step was examined from the viewpoint of a recovery ratio of protein and a remaining ratio of surfactant. The optimum NaCl concentration in the feed for the protein recovery was in the range of 0.05–0.2 kmol/m³. As the NaCl concentration in the feed increased to more than 0.2 kmol/m³, the precipitation ratio decreased due to the electrostatic screening effect of NaCl. It was found that the addition of a very small amount of NaCl solution to acetone was unnecessary when NaCl was included in the feed lysozyme solution. On the other hand, as the NaCl concentration decreased to less than 0.05 kmol/m³, the precipitation ratio was decreased due to the low re-precipitation of protein by the addition of a small amount of NaCl solution in acetone. In the case of the feed containing no salt, the desired NaCl concentration added to acetone was in the range above 0.2 kmol/m³. In addition, the most suitable volume ratio of acetone to feed was found to be 0.2.     

Some Notes on Stability Problems of Probabilistic Automata

Abstract

The behavior of a probabilistic automaton is essentially characterized by products of matrices selected from a given finite set of stochastic matrices. It is of interest to know under what conditions these matrix products are stable against perturbations of the entries in the matrices.     

Accelerated Discovery of Potent Bioactive anti-TNFα Aptamers by Microbead-Assisted Capillary Electrophoresis (MACE)-SELEX

Dysregulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, causes several diseases, making it an important therapeutic target. Here, we identified a novel DNA aptamer against human TNFα using in vitro selection, which included a high exclusion pressure process against non-binding and weak binders through microbead-assisted capillary electrophoresis (MACE) in only three rounds. Among the 15 most enriched aptamers, Apt14 exhibited the highest inhibitory activity for the interaction between TNFα and its cognate receptor in mouse L929 cells. For further improving the bioactivity of the aptamer, dimerization programed by hybridization was evaluated, resulting in the Apt14 dimer exhibited a twofold higher binding affinity and stronger inhibition compared to the monomer counterpart. Rapid identification of bioactive aptamers using MACE in combination with facile dimerization by hybridization accelerates the discovery of novel bioactive aptamers, paving the way toward replacing current monoclonal antibody therapy with the less expensive and non-immunogenic aptamer therapy.     

An Investigation of Capacitors for Flying Capacitor Converters

Multilevel converters can essentially reduce harmonics even when their switching frequency is low. Among the various topologies of the multilevel converters, flying capacitor converters are considered to be promising converters for realizing high power density. However, the main circuit of the flying capacitor converters has many capacitors. Therefore, in this study, the volume of the capacitors in the flying capacitor converters is determined by taking into consideration the allowable ripple voltage and temperature rise in the capacitor. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(4): 81–91, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22361     

The isothermal conductivity improvement in zirconia-based ceramics under 24 GHz microwave heating

Abstract Under 24-GHz millimetre-wave irradiation heating ionic conductivity of zirconia base ceramics was up to 20 times higher than that of a conventionally-heated sample at the same temperature of 400 °C. The degree of enhancement could be altered by changing the stabilising atom from Y to Yb. Enhancement of ionic conduction was prominent in the setup condition of larger self-heating ratio and larger MMW absorbing materials. The isothermal improvement of ionic conductivity under MMW irradiation would be ascribed to the non-thermal effect.     

Impact of Serum Chemerin Levels on Liver Functional Reserves and Platelet Counts in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Obesity-related metabolic abnormalities, including adipokine imbalance and chronic inflammation, are involved in liver carcinogenesis. Chemerin, a novel adipokine, plays a critical role in adipogenesis, energy metabolism, and inflammation. We evaluated the impact of serum chemerin levels on liver functional reserves in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and on the recurrence and prognosis of HCC. This study included 44 patients with any stage of HCC who underwent curative treatment at Gifu Municipal Hospital (Gifu, Japan) between 2006 and 2007. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Serum albumin levels (Pearson’s correlation coefficient; r = 0.3110, p = 0.0399), platelet counts (r = 0.4159, p = 0.0050), and prothrombin times (r = 0.3775, p = 0.0115) were significantly correlated with serum chemerin levels in patients with HCC, and they were inversely correlated with Child-Pugh scores (r = −0.3732, p = 0.0126), serum alanine aminotransferase levels (r = −0.3864, p = 0.0105), and total bilirubin levels (r = −0.4023, p = 0.0068). Among these variables, a multiple comparison test identified that platelet counts and total bilirubin levels were associated with serum chemerin levels (p < 0.0083). No significant correlation was found between serum chemerin levels and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.3691) or overall survival (p = 0.7916). In HCC patients, serum chemerin concentrations were correlated with liver functional reserves and platelet counts, but not with recurrence or prognosis.