A multi-walled carbon nanotube/polymer actuator that surpasses the performance of a single-walled carbon nanotube/polymer actuator

Actuators were developed using activated and non-activated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)–ionic liquid (IL) gel electrodes and compared to a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based actuator with respect to the electrochemical and electromechanical properties. The activated MWCNT–COOH/polymer actuator surpassed the SWCNT/polymer actuator in terms of the generated strain.     

Isotopomer analysis of production and consumption mechanisms of N2O and CH4 in an advanced wastewater treatment system

Wastewater treatment processes are believed to be anthropogenic sources of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and methane (CH(4)). However, few studies have examined the mechanisms and controlling factors in production of these greenhouse gases in complex bacterial systems. To elucidate production and consumption mechanisms of N(2)O and CH(4) in microbial consortia during wastewater treatment and to characterize human waste sources, we measured their concentrations and isotopomer ratios (elemental isotope ratios and site-specific N isotope ratios in asymmetric molecules of NNO) in water and gas samples collected by an advanced treatment system in Tokyo. Although the estimated emissions of N(2)O and CH(4) from the system were found to be lower than those from the typical treatment systems reported before, water in biological reaction tanks was supersaturated with both gases. The concentration of N(2)O, produced mainly by nitrifier-denitrification as indicated by isotopomer ratios, was highest in the oxic tank (ca. 4000% saturation). The dissolved CH(4) concentration was highest in in-flow water (ca. 3000% saturation). It decreased gradually during treatment. Its carbon isotope ratio indicated that the decrease resulted from bacterial CH(4) oxidation and that microbial CH(4) production can occur in anaerobic and settling tanks.     

Preparation of Cu-Ni Film Resistors with Low Resistivity and Low TCR

Thin film resistors with low TCR and low electric resistivity were prepared from phosphorus free Cu-Ni alloy obtained by electroless and electrolytic deposition with heat treatment at low temperature.     

Indentation deformation and fracture of densified silicate glass

The Vickers hardness and Vickers indentation morphology were investigated on a predensified sodium trisilicate glass and the results were compared with those of undensified glass. By densification, the hardness increased, and well developed radial cracks appeared from four corners of the Vickers indentation, while surface flaws became less noticeable.     

Preparation and Optical Properties of Transparent Glass-Ceramics Containing Cobalt(ll) Ions

Transparent glass-ceramics containing ZnAl₂O₄:Co²⁺ and LiGa₅O₈:Co²⁺ crystallites have been prepared by heat treatment of glasses in the zinc aluminosilicate and lithium gallate silicate systems, respectively. Crystalline LiGa₅O₈ was already precipitated in an as-prepared specimen, while ZnAl₂O₄:Co²⁺ precipitated from the glass upon heat treatment. The crystallite size varies from about 5 to 20 nm with increasing heat treatment temperature for both systems, and glass-ceramics containing crystallites of less than about 10 nm are transparent. The low-temperature optical absorption and emission spectra are compared with those of single crystals, indicating that almost all of the Co²⁺ ions replace Zn²⁺ ions in the ZnAl₂O₄ system, while some of the Co²⁺ ions are incorporated into the LiGa₃O₈ system, although the amount of Co²⁺ which remains in the glass matrix is rather large in the latter system.     

Experiment and modelling of cantilever-based electromagnetic energy harvester driven by direct impact of spherical ball

Microsystem Technologies - We carried out a numerical analysis and an experimental investigation of the nonlinear resonance characteristics of an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester driven...     

Histological features of the vomeronasal organ in the giraffe,Giraffa camelopardalis

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) that preferentially detects species‐specific substances is diverse among animal species, and its morphological properties seem to reflect the ecological features of animals. This histological study of two female reticulated giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) found that the VNO is developed in giraffes. The lateral and medial regions of the vomeronasal lumen were covered with sensory and nonsensory epithelia, respectively. The vomeronasal glands were positive for periodic acid‐Schiff and alcian blue (pH 2.5) stains. The VNO comprises several large veins like others in the order Cetartiodactyla, suggesting that these veins function in a pumping mechanism in this order. In addition, numerous thin‐walled vessels located immediately beneath the epithelia covering the lumen entirely surrounded the vomeronasal lumen. This sponge‐like structure might function as a specific secondary pump in giraffes.     

Doubly oriented β-form films of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

PVDF sheets, rapidly quenched, were (1) two-step transversely stretched at various temperatures and (2) stretched at various temperatures, rolled at room temperature and then annealed. The orientation patterns of the β-form crystal (which contains the polar b-axis) in these films were analysed on the basis of X-ray diffraction photographs taken with flat and cylindrical cameras. In the case of (1), when both of the two-step transversely stretching temperatures were below 100°C, a doubly oriented film with the plar b-axis oriented parallel to the film surface was obtained. In the case of (2), when the stretching temperature was below 100°C, the sheets then rolled without annealing, another doubly oriented film with the polar b-axis preferentially oriented at 30° to the film surface was obtained. On the other hand, when these films were annealed above 100°C, or the stretching temperatures were above 100°C, orientation patterns in which the polar b-axis was partially rotated through 60° were obtained. The orientation mechanisms of these films are discussed using the measurements of the lattice spacings of the β-form crystal.