External Flow of an Acoustically Levitated Droplet

One of the major recent advances for experiments in containerless processing is acoustic levitation. Although there are a lot of previous studies for acoustic levitation, characteristic of external flow of an acoustically levitated droplet is not experimentally examined enough. In this study, external flow field has been observed by using high speed camera and Particle Image Velocimetry. In the case of any levitated droplet at a velocity antinode of standing wave, toroidal vortex are generated around levitated droplet. It is found that toroidal vortex around a levitated droplet is strongly affected by viscosity of levitated samples and input voltage. In terms of water droplet, as input voltage is decreased, location of toroidal vortex is moved from bottom to top of levitated samples.     

Thermochromism in an organic crystal based on the coexistence of sigma- and pi-dimers

Transition-metal complexes and organic radical molecules can be used to make electric conductors and ferromagnets, the optical properties of which can be controlled by changing temperature and are used as molecular switches and sensors. Whereas a number of organic radicals in solution show temperature-dependent optical properties, such behaviour in crystalline forms is more rare. Here, we show a fully reversible continuous thermochromism with a unique mechanism in purely organic crystals of diazaphenalenyl radical. This behaviour is based on changes in the diazaphenalenyl dimers coexisting in the crystal. From the X-ray crystal structure analyses and temperature-dependent visible spectra, we conclude the presence of a thermal equilibrium between sigma-bonded and pi-bonded dimers, which are separated by 2.62(6) kcal mol(-1). This conclusion is supported by room-temperature electron spin resonance spectra of the solid, which showed signals that are attributable to a thermally accessible triplet state of the pi-dimer structure. This proves the coexistence of two dimers of different bonding natures in the crystal, causing it to demonstrate thermometer-like behaviour.     

The Influence of Dry-Milled Wood Flour on The Physical Properties of Wood Flour/Polypropylene Composites

In this study, we evaluated the influence of wood flour (particle size: <90 μm) on the physical properties of wood flour/polypropylene (PP) composites. Wood flour was obtained by dry ball-milling of forest-thinning material at a rotary speed of 250 rpm for 1, 2, 4, and 8 h. The milled wood flour was filtered using a 90 μm sieve. The water content of the wood flour was adjusted to 5, 10, or 20 wt%. Composite properties, including mechanical properties, water absorption, and thermal expansion, were evaluated at wood flour loadings of 40 wt%. When wood flour with 5 wt% water content was milled for 2 and 4 h, the resulting wood flour was granular rather than fibrous; flocculation of the fine particles was observed for milling times exceeding 4 h. This morphological change in the wood flour reduced its influence on the physical properties of the composites, although some positive influences were observed on the molding properties of the composite, such as an increase in compound fluidity. Milled wood flour with 10 wt% or 20 wt% water content was fibrous. Scanning electron microscopy observation of milled wood flour with 10 wt% water content revealed partial surface fibrillation at widths of tens to hundreds of nanometers. The addition of wood flour with nanoscale surface fibrils to PP composites positively influenced the properties of the composite, resulting in a decrease in the linear coefficient of thermal expansion in the flow direction.     

Chemical Expansion and Change in Lattice Constant of Y‐Doped BaZrO3 by Hydration/Dehydration Reaction and Final Heat‐Treating Temperature

Knowledge of thermal behavior of electrolyte is important for fuel cell fabrication. In this study, using high‐temperature X‐ray diffraction analysis (HT‐XRD) and thermo‐mechanical analysis (TMA), a systematic investigation of lattice constants was performed on Y‐doped BaZrO₃, which is a promising candidate for electrolyte in protonic ceramic fuel cells. The results revealed that a chemical expansion was observed between 300°C and 450°C during the heating process in HT‐XRD, and was attributed to the dehydration of BZY. Furthermore, it was found that the lattice constants of the samples doped with Y, Sm, Eu, and Dy were larger for the ones finally heat‐treated at 1600°C for sintering than those heat‐treated at 1300°C for synthesizing. The similar behavior was not observed in Sc‐doped samples.     

Esterolyses of p-nitrophenyl esters catalyzed by dialkylaminopyridines attached to polyorganosiloxane

Summary The present study describes the preparation of polyorganosiloxanes containing dialkylaminopyridines in their side chains (POS-DAAPs) and the use of them as catalysts for esterolyses of p-nitrophenyl esters of CH₃(CH₂) _n COOH (n=0–5). The POS-DAAPs (4, 5) were prepared from poly[(3-chlorocarbonylpropyl)methylsiloxane] (PCCPMS, 1) and two pyridine derivatives, such as 4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)methylamino]pyridine (HEMAP, 2) and 4-[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperidino]pyridine (HEPP, 3). Pyridyl groups of POS-DAAPs 4 and 5 were partially quaternized with dimethylsulfate (6, 7) in order to carry out esterolysis in homogenious systems. The esterolyses were examined in methanol/tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane-hydrochloric acid buffer solution (vol. ratio 2/1, pH of buffer solution: 7.5) and analyzed following Michaelis-Menten like kinetics. The second-order rate constants (k ₂/K _m) of the esterolyses catalyzed by POSs 6 and 7 were 22–38 fold values of those catalyzed by the corresponding monomolecular catalysts 2 and 3. In addition, the effects of POSs were discussed from the kinetic, thermodynamic, and activation parameters.     

Plasticity of Mouse Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid: Modulation by Diet and Age

Decreases in brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been associated with losses in brain function leading to an interest in the conditions which lead to such brain decreases, and such variables as age. Also of relevance would be the rate of repletion of DHA when the n-3 dietary deficiency is reversed. This experiment describes dietary deficiency in n-3 fatty acids induced in weanling (3 week) and young adult (7 week) mice. There was an immediate and continuous loss of brain DHA with similar rates in the two age groups. Serum DHA declined more rapidly in younger animals with respect to similarly treated adults. Brain and serum docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-6) increased more rapidly and to higher levels in the younger animals. A second experiment determined the rates of normalization of brain fatty acid profiles when alpha-linolenic acid was added to the diets of n-3 deficient mice. Brain DHA recovery occurred at a faster rate (half-time, T _1/2 = 1.4 weeks) when begun at weaning relative to young adult mice (T _1/2 = 3.5 weeks). Correspondingly, brain DPAn-6 recovered faster in the younger animals; the adult group had a half-time of more than twice that of the 3-week old group. This study therefore demonstrates that the young adult mouse brain DHA is somewhat plastic and can be partially depleted via a low n-3 fatty acid diet and subsequently restored when dietary n-3 fatty acids are repleted. Relevance of these findings for human nutrition is discussed.     

Increased Water Resistance of Bamboo Flour/Polyethylene Composites

Abstract

To improve the water resistance of bamboo flour/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites, the effects of plastic content, coupling agents, and the addition of micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) on formulations were studied, and their rheological and mechanical properties were evaluated. The composites were prepared by injecting molding with a basic composition of equivalent amounts of bamboo flour and HDPE, and the melting fluidity of the compounds, tensile strength, and tensile modulus of the composites were determined. An increase in water resistance was detected in all three tests. By increasing the plastic content, negative effects such as a decreased tensile modulus were observed. When evaluating the compatibility between bamboo flour and plastic using coupling agents and MFC addition, positive effects were noted for water resistance, melting fluidity, and tensile modulus. We also confirmed that the procedure used to increase the compatibility between bamboo flour and plastic could easily be used for industrial applications by changing the coupling agents. Overall, a novel positive property (increased tensile modulus) and an increased water resistance were observed after MFC addition.     

Involvement of sensory neurons in bone defect repair in rats

We investigated bone repair in sensory-denervated rats, compared with controls, to elucidate the involvement of sensory neurons. Nine-week-old male Wistar rats received subcutaneous injections of capsaicin to denervate sensory neurons. Rats treated with the same amount of vehicle served as controls. A standardized bone defect was created on the parietal bone. We measured the amount of repaired bone with quantitative radiographic analysis and the mRNA expressions of osteocalcin and cathepsin K with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Quantitative radiographic analysis showed that the standard deviations and coefficients of variation for the amount of repaired bone were much higher in the capsaicin-treated group than in the control group at any time point, which means that larger individual differences in the amount of repaired bone were found in capsaicin-treated rats than controls. Furthermore, radiographs showed radiolucency in pre-existing bone surrounding the standardized defect only in the capsaicin-treated group, and histological observation demonstrated some multinuclear cells corresponding to the radiolucent area. Real-time PCR indicated that there was no significant difference in the mRNA expression levels of osteocalcin and cathepsin K between the control group and the capsaicin-treated group. These results suggest that capsaicin-induced sensory denervation affects the bone defect repair.     

Beam expanding fiber using thermal diffusion of the dopant

A beam-expanding fiber (BEF) for embedding optical devices has been fabricated by utilizing thermally induced Ge diffusion in silica single-mode fibers (SMFs). The preparation of fiber samples and their heat treatment is described, and the effect of heat on Ge dopant distribution and diffusion is discussed. Modal-intensity distributions were studied and found to confirm the broadening of the modal field distribution after heat treatment of the fiber. Localized heat treatment to obtain BEFs is considered, and device characteristics are discussed. The BEF can arbitrarily change the spot size of a propagating mode without changing the normalized frequency