Effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of mesoporous materials prepared by the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite

This paper describes the effects of calcining conditions of kaolinite on pore structures of the porous materials obtained from the selective leaching of calcined kaolinite using KOH solution. Mesoporous -Al₂O₃ was the predominant crystalline phase in the samples calcined in the temperature range between 950°C and 1050°C for 24 h. The mean specific surface area of these samples was approximately 250 m² · g^–1 and the mean total pore volume was approximately 0.8 ml · g^–1. The pore size distribution curves of these samples showed a sharp peak at around 2–3 nm pore radius. This peak was sharper for the sample calcined at 1000°C for 24 h. On the other hand, the pore sizes of the sample calcined at 1100°C for 24 h increased abruptly to 10–20 nm and this change corresponded to the formation of mullite in the sample. The pore sizes of the samples calcined at 1100°C varied with calcining time. The specific surface area and total pore volume decreased, the longer the calcining time of the samples, and this was correlated with an increase in the amount of mullite in the samples.     

Stromal CCL5 Promotes Breast Cancer Progression by Interacting with CCR3 in Tumor Cells

Chemokines secreted from stromal cells have important roles for interactions with carcinoma cells and regulating tumor progression. C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 5 is expressed in various types of stromal cells and associated with tumor progression, interacting with C-C chemokine receptor (CCR) 1, 3 and 5 expressed in tumor cells. However, the expression on CCL5 and its receptors have so far not been well-examined in human breast carcinoma tissues. We therefore immunolocalized CCL5, as well as CCR1, 3 and 5, in 111 human breast carcinoma tissues and correlated them with clinicopathological characteristics. Stromal CCL5 immunoreactivity was significantly correlated with the aggressive phenotype of breast carcinomas. Importantly, this tendency was observed especially in the CCR3-positive group. Furthermore, the risk of recurrence was significantly higher in the patients with breast carcinomas positive for CCL5 and CCR3 but negative for CCR1 and CCR5, as compared with other patients. In summary, the CCL5-CCR3 axis might contribute to a worse prognosis in breast cancer patients, and these findings will contribute to a better understanding of the significance of the CCL5/CCRs axis in breast carcinoma microenvironment.     

Highly Transparent Lu-α-SiAlON

Novel Lu-α-SiAlON ceramics were produced by hot pressing mixtures of Si₃N₄, Lu₂O₃, AlN, and Al₂O₃ at 1950°C for 2 h in a nitrogen atmosphere. The resultant SiAlON was fully dense and possessed a uniform, equiaxed microstructure with a grain size of ∼1 μm, which resulted in a high hardness of >19 GPa. In addition to high hardness, the sample showed very high optical transparency in the visible light region, with >70% transmission at higher wavelengths. This high transparency was attributed to the uniform, dense microstructure and lack of residual grain-boundary phase.     

Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Si3N4/Carbon Fiber Composites with Aligned Microstructure Produced by a Seeding and Extrusion Method

Si₃N₄/carbon fiber composites have been produced with and without seeding by an extrusion and sintering process. In both cases the carbon fibers were aligned along the direction of extrusion, but the Si₃N₄ grains were only aligned in the seeded material. The mechanical properties of the specimens showed anisotropy with respect to the grain alignment, with both strength and toughness being highest in the direction parallel to the extruding direction. In this direction the seeded specimen, where both the Si₃N₄ grains and the carbon fibers were aligned, showed both higher fracture toughness and higher fracture strength than the nonseeded specimen where only the fibers were aligned.     

紫外线杀菌的原理和最新应用

1紫外线杀菌的原理介绍 1.1紫外线杀菌原理 紫外线用于消毒、杀菌已经很多年了,细菌的细胞中含有细菌的遗传信息核酸DNA和RNA,当核酸被紫外线照射时会大量地吸收紫外光,从而就会在体内形成一部分的间二氮杂苯(主要构成为蛋白酶)和间二氮杂苯的异构体.这种物质会使细菌自身的新陈代谢机能出现障碍,并且会导致细菌的遗传性出现问题,而持续的紫外线照射,最后就会导致因为上述原因所造成的细菌群体的死亡.此外,紫外光除了杀菌的用途外,也可用于让微生物降低自身的"活动性",有些细菌在可见光的照射下是比较活跃的,我们称之为"光恢复"特性,也就是说,在波长为300～500nm的可见光下,细菌自身有一种光恢复酶素会让细菌种群变得很活跃,自身会大量繁殖.所以,当需要控制这种细菌的数量及种群时,则可以考虑用微弱的紫外线进行照射,将细菌的数量控制在一定范围之内.     

Development of lateral displacement sensor for real‐time detection of structural damage

We have developed a novel sensor that enables us to measure the relative story displacement of a building structure in real time. This lateral displacement sensor (LDS) is composed of a light‐emitting diode (LED) array, which is fixed on the ceiling, and a position‐sensitive detector (PSD) unit, which is placed on the floor. We optimized the LDS to achieve high accuracy in lateral displacement measurement. The accuracy was evaluated to be 60 µm by conducting shaking table tests. Two LDSs were implemented in an actual building equipped with an active variable stiffness (AVS) system, and the building was vibrated with seismic waveforms by an exciter placed on the rooftop. The seismic displacement of the second floor relative to the first floor was measured using the LDS. Furthermore, the inclination angle of the second floor could be measured using the LDS during the seismic vibration. Using the AVS system, we realized the residual displacement of the second floor without inducing damage to the building, and succeeded in real‐time residual displacement measurement for the first time. These results indicate that the LDS is useful for the health diagnosis of a building structure. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Channel Models for Medical Implant Communication

Information regarding the propagation media is typically gathered by conducting physical experiments, measuring and processing the corresponding data to obtain channel characteristics. When this propagation media is human body, for example in case of medical implants, then this approach might not be practical. In this paper, an immersive visualization environment is presented, which is used as a scientific instrument that gives us the ability to observe RF propagation from medical implants inside a human body. This virtual environment allows for more natural interaction between experts with different backgrounds, such as engineering and medical sciences. Here, we show how this platform has been used to determine channel models for medical implant communication systems.     

An autonomous distributed control method based on tie‐set graph theory in future grid

In future power grids where electricity flows bidirectionally, the essential problem is to maximize the total efficiency of distributed energy resources. In complicated and large‐scale systems such as modern power distribution networks, maximizing the efficiency of the entire system as a whole is extremely difficult. To solve the global optimization problem of such a complex network, this paper proposes an efficient distributed control method for future grid on the basis of tie‐set graph theory, where a tie‐set is a set of all the edges in a loop of a graph. On the basis of tie‐set graph theory, global optimization of an entire network can be realized as a result of local optimization in μ‐dimensional liner vector space, where μ is the nullity of the underlying graph of a power network. Although each tie‐set has its limited local information, an entire network is gradually optimized in an orderly manner because of the theoretical basis of a tie‐set graph. Simulation results of several thousand‐node networks demonstrate balanced allocation of dispersed energy resources and thus effectiveness of the proposed method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Efficacy of Chemical Mimicry by Aphid Predators Depends on Aphid-Learning by Ants

Chemical mimicry is an effective strategy when signal receivers recognize and discriminate models by relying on chemical cues. Some aphid enemies mimic the cuticular chemicals of aphids through various means thus avoiding detection and attack by aphid-tending ants. However, because ants have been reported to learn the chemical signatures of aphids in order to distinguish the aphids, the efficacy of chemical mimicry is predicted to depend on the experience of the ants that had tended aphids. The present study tested this hypothesis using two predator species: larvae of the green lacewing Mallada desjardinsi, and larvae of the ladybeetle Scymnus posticalis. Lacewing larvae carry the carcasses of aphids on which they have preyed upon their backs, and these function via chemical camouflage to reduce the aggressiveness of aphid-tending ants toward the larvae. Ladybeetle larvae reportedly produce a covering of wax structures, and their chemicals appear to attenuate ant aggression. We examined whether the behavior of the ant Tetramorium tsushimae toward these predators changed depending on their aphid-tending experience. Ants moderated their aggressiveness toward both predators when they had previously tended aphids, indicating that chemical mimicry by both aphid predators is dependent on previous experience of the ants in tending aphids. Chemical mimicry by the predators of ant-tended aphids is therefore considered to exploit learning-dependent aphid recognition systems of ants.     

Super‐reflective color LCD with PDLC technology

Abstract— A novel reflective color LCD without polarizers has been developed using a PDLC film and a retro‐reflector. Bright color images including moving images are achievable with ambient light. This novel LCD will enable the new application area of electronic paper.