Fusion and molecular aspects of liposomal nanocarriers incorporated with isoprenoids

The present study was conducted to investigate whether typical isoprenyl compounds (TICs) can control liposomal fusion reactions through changes in the physical properties of membranes. The fusion capabilities of TIC-incorporated liposomes were characterized by measuring the 13C spin-lattice relaxation times (13CT1) and the gel permeation chromatogram (GPC) patterns. The 13CT1 relaxivities of some of these TIC-liposomes were remarkably enhanced at 27 degrees C. The highest 13CT1 value obtained was for the beta-carotene-liposome, which ruptured, and was attributed to the highest membrane fusion reactivity. The other TIC-liposomes incorporated with alpha-tocopherol, canthaxanthin, or coenzyme Q10 also induced significant fusion and did not rupture in comparison with the beta-carotene-liposome. These results show that the incorporations of TICs into lipid bilayers are useful to control liposomal nanocarriers for suitable membrane packing and advantageous phase separation, which could affect membrane-related processes.     

ESR studies of the effect of zeolite structures on motional dynamics of NO2

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used to study the effect of zeolite structure on the motional dynamics of NO₂ adsorbed on the zeolites. The temperature-dependent ESR spectral line shapes were quantitatively analyzed using the slow-motion ESR theory. It was observed that the motional dynamics of NO₂ is strongly dependent on the structure of the zeolite (Beta-type, ZSM-5, mordenite, L-type and ferrierite zeolites). The following important observations were made. (1) In zeolites with similar channel structures, the diffusion rate of NO₂ is proportional to the channel size, and the order of the diffusion rates is Beta-type>ZSM-5>ferrierite and L-type>mordenite. (2) The diffusion of NO₂ is faster in the zeolites with multi-dimensional channels (Beta-type, ZSM-5 and ferrierite) than that in those with uni-dimensional channels (L-type and mordenite).     

Pollution control of actual flue gas using pulsed power at a thermal power plant

There are several important environmental problems in the world. One of them is acid rain caused by combustion flue gases from thermal power plants, factories, and automobiles. Different kinds of gas discharges, such as surface discharge, dc and ac corona discharge, silent discharge, and electron beam controlled discharge, have been studied for the removal of NO_x and SO₂ from flue gases. The recent development of repetitive pulsed power generators gives the pulsed steamer corona discharges a chance of success in the removal of NO_x and SO₂. In this paper, the experimental results of NO_x and SO₂ removal by a repetitive pulse power generator are described. The actual flue gas at a thermal power plant was used. It is shown that about 90% of the NO was removed at a flow rate of 0.8 liters/min and a repetition rate of 7 pps. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 134(4): 28–35, 2001     

Propagation characteristics of impulse creepage discharge in perfluorocarbon liquid

In this paper, the propagation characteristics of a creepage discharge on the surface of a solid insulator with a back electrode in perfluorocarbon liquid under an impulse voltage application are investigated. The propagation process is observed in detail by means of a high‐speed schlieren optical technique, and simultaneously waveforms of a current and a charge are also measured. Consequently, the polarity effect of the streamer propagation and the positive streamer which propagates stepwise can be seen. The latter is concurrent with the sparse current pulse which corresponds to the charge step‐variation. These results are compared with ones obtained in transformer oil. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 131(4): 19–28, 2000     

Dependence of railgun operation on current rise time

Railguns are facilities to accelerate projectiles up to several kilometers per second by electromagnetic force generated by driving current. Worldwide, a variety of current waveforms are used in railgun systems. This paper describes the dependence of railgun operation on the rise rate of the driving current. The use of the exploding wire as an opening switch makes it possible to change the rise time of the driving current. A secondary arc is likely to appear and the erosion on a rail surface is more severe when current with a short rise time is used. According to the nondimensional railgun simulation, current with a short rise time heats up the plasma so fast that many particles ablated from the bore surface, which seem to be the cause of the secondary arc, increase rapidly in the early phase of acceleration. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 129(3): 17–28, 1999     

Radiation‐initiated graft polymerization of methylmethacrylate onto poly(tetrafluoroethylene): Characterization by 1H‐NMR

A broad‐line ¹H‐NMR study was carried out to examine the local structure of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) grafted onto Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). The NMR spectra were observed for three different samples with 1.0, 5.4, and 7.0 wt % PMMA over the temperature range from 150 to 380 K. With the help of selectively deuterated PMMA (PMMA‐d₅ and PMMA‐d₈)‐grafted samples, the NMR spectra were analyzed in terms of two components—a Gaussian (G) component, and a Lorentzian (L) component. Based on the second moments (〈ΔH²〉) analysis, the L and G components were attributed to the ¹H–¹H dipolar interactions within one CH₃ group and the interactions of CH₃ groups that are closely located in aggregated PMMA chains. Combining the results with the temperature dependence of 〈ΔH²〉 and the angular resolved XPS, the location and rotational motion of PMMA grafted onto PTFE are discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1386–1394, 1999     

Microstructure and transport properties of [0 0 1]-tilt bicrystal grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductor,cobalt-doped BaFe2As2

Relationships between microstructure and transport properties of bicrystal grain boundary (BGB) junctions were studied in cobalt-doped BaFe₂As₂ (BaFe₂As₂:Co) epitaxial films grown on [0 0 1]-tilt bicrystal substrates of MgO and (La, Sr)(Al, Ta)O₃ with misorientation angles θ_GB = 3–45°. The θ_GB of BaFe₂As₂:Co BGBs were exactly transferred from those of the bicrystal substrates. No segregation of impurities was detected at the BGB junction interfaces, and the chemical compositions of the BGBs were uniform and the same as those in the bulk film regions. A transition from a strongly-coupled GB behavior to a weak-link behavior was observed in current density–voltage characteristics under self-field around θ_GB ～ 9°. The critical current density decreased from (1.2–1.6) × 10⁶ A/cm² of the intragrain transport to (0.7–1.1) × 10⁵ A/cm² of θ_GB = 45° because supercurrent becomes more governed by Josephson current with increasing θ_GB.     

Effects of Some Light Alloying Elements on the Oxidation Behavior of Fe and Ni-Cr Based Alloys During Air Plasma Spraying

The oxidation behavior of iron binary powders with addition of Si (1, 4 wt.%) and B (1, 3 wt.%) and that of a Ni-Cr based alloy powder with Si (4.3 wt.%), B (3.0 wt.%), and C (0.8 wt.%) additions during atmosphere plasma spray (APS) have been investigated. Analysis of the chemical composition and phases of oxides in the captured in-flight particles and deposited coatings was carried out. The results show that the addition of Si and B to iron effectively reduced the oxygen contents in the coatings, especially during the in-flight period at higher particles temperature. Ni-Cr based alloy powder with Si, B, and C additions reduced the oxidation of the base alloys significantly. Preferential oxidation and subsequent vaporization of Si, B, and C from the surface of the sprayed particles are believed to play a major role in controlling oxidation in the APS process.     

Waves in a rotating elastic solid

Wave propagation in a uniformly rotating elastic solid is discussed based on displacement equations in a moving frame. The time-harmonic Green’s dyadic for a point body force is obtained in closed form. It is reconfirmed that two quasi dilatational and shear waves are coupled to each other, and the deformation decomposition into the dilatation and rotation is not possible for the rotating solid. Further, it is also confirmed that the velocity of the Rayleigh surface wave depends not only on the rotational velocity but also on its direction and that the Rayleigh wave vanishes when the rotational velocity approaches the Rayleigh wave velocity of the immovable solid.     

Development of a grout database for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed a grout database (GDB) comprising the latest technical data of grout materials relevant to the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW). Currently, only newly developed grout materials of low pH cements, superfine spherical silica and colloidal silica, which are expected to provide a target pH ≤ 11 leachate, are included in the GDB. Case examples from on-site works and laboratory-based tests that have been published in the literature have been used to add construction and material details to the GDB. The GDB is available online (https://groutdb.jaea.go.jp/grout/ [in Japanese]) for registered users to obtain and provide data of grout technology. Furthermore, the GDB can be used to correlate requirements of mechanical, physical, and/or chemical properties of a grout material to specifically address concerns over safety assessment, material and injection method development, and/or prediction of grout penetration.