Skew simulation of a paper transferred by rubber rollers in printers

A skew of a paper transferred by rubber rollers in printers is simulated by FEM software. Effects of an imbalance of preload, an imbalance distribution of coefficient of friction and a front tension on the paper skew are investigated and how to determine the skew direction are shown. A simulation model is composed of a feed roller, a preload roller and a paper. The feed roller is rotated forcibly by a certain degree at every calculation step and a deformation, displacement and strain of the paper and rollers are calculated. A series of calculation results is shown as a motion simulation. The results show that the paper skews to the smaller preload side, to the smaller coefficient of friction side, or to the opposite side of the front tension. Further, effects of a skew prevention guide plate is simulated.     

Use of external conduit impairs liver function in patients with biliary atresia

An external conduit (stoma) for patients with biliary atresia has been used to prevent postoperative cholangitis. Thirty-two patients with biliary atresia who had hepatic portoenterostomies with external conduits were studied retrospectively with respect to frequency and severity of postoperative cholangitis or stoma bleeding. Changes in their liver enzyme levels, and total bilirubin (TB) levels were measured before and after closure of the stoma. Cholangitis was observed in 20 patients (62.5%), and major hemorrhage from the stoma site was seen in 14 patients (43.8%) prior to closure. Levels of liver enzymes such as glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) improved significantly within 1 month after closure of the stoma, and remained low thereafter. The TB concentration was the only liver function that did not change significantly following closure. In summary, the authors do not recommend an external conduit in patients with biliary atresia because it is not an effective way of reducing the incidence of postoperative cholangitis, and it may be deleterious to liver function.     

Preparation and characterization of membranes with positively charged main chain from polyethylenimine

A membrane, which has positively charged groups in the polymer main chain, was prepared from polyethylenimine by crosslinking and successive alkylation. Dibromoalkane was used as a crosslinking agent. The crosslinked membrane was alkylated using methyl iodide under several conditions. Elemental and ICP emission analyses were introduced to measure the rates of alkylation and quaternization. From the membrane potential measurement, the effective charge density was estimated. The highest value was about 1.0 M, which was obtained by a prolonged alkylation time. This value was larger than that of some commercial ion exchange membranes. The effective charge density, which was obtained by the last alkylation procedure, was 10 times larger than that of the former one, though the rate of quaternizing increased by less than a factor of two. This implies that the activity constant in the membrane increased when the charge density is increased. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A simplified cascade current‐source inverter interconnected to a single‐phase three‐wire distribution system and its application to electric energy storage systems with batteries

A novel current source inverter system interconnected to the single‐phase grid is proposed. It has the same construction as the conventional three‐phase current source inverter that is interconnected to the single‐phase three‐wire distribution system. Though the proposed circuit has no output transformer, it can be equivalently performed as the single‐phase double cascade inverter by diverting the pole transformer in the utility system. By controlling the appropriate scheme, the output currents can be obtained as the five‐level waveforms and their distortions can be decreased sufficiently. It is applied to the interactive electric energy storage system with batteries and the basic discharging characteristics are discussed experimentally. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 150(2): 50–61, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10380     

Energy and spectral dynamics in decaying compressible turbulence

The statistical properties of decaying compressible turbulence are investigated by direct numerical simulations of flow in a periodic cube. Starting with fully developed turbulence for various microscale Reynolds numbersR , rms Mach numbersM, and small- and large-scale compressive ratiosr _CS andr _CL , we find that the kinetic energy exhibits an exponential decay in time. Interactions between the compressive and rotational components of kinetic energy are weaker than self-interactions of the respective components. The energy spectrum of rotational component obeys the same Kolmogorov similarity law as for incompressible turbulence and forced compressible turbulence. The form of the energy spectrum of the compressive component, on the other hand, depends strongly onM. As the turbulence decays freely,R andM decrease in time butr _CS andr _CL tend to some universal values.     

Fibrous support for immobilization of enzymes

A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fiber support incorporating various aminoacetal functional groups has been developed for immobilizing enzymes. The aminated PVA fiber seems to adsorb enzymes with electrostatic force of attraction; thus the immobilization procedure is simple. By the use of this fiber having immobilized enzymes, the reaction between enzymes and substrates is nearly independent of the size of subtstrates. This newly developed type of fiber, which is formed by a mass superfine fibers (SFF), each measuring 1 μm or less in diameter, permits much more increased surface area than the conventional enzyme immobilization supports. Our studies of the properties of the fiber for immobilization of enzymes show the following results: (1) SFF has a greater ability for the immobilization of invertase than ordinary fibers; (2) dimethyl-aminated SFF has the best performance for the immobilization of invertase. From these results, it is concluded that the dimethyl-aminated SFF is an excellent support for the immobilization of invertase.     

Graft copolymerization of styrene onto cellulose acetate p-nitrobenzoate by chain transfer reaction

Styrene was grafted onto cellulose acetate p-nitrobenzoate (CANB) by chain transfer reaction of growing polymer radicals to the pendant nitro groups of CANB. A copolymer with a branch for every 17.2 nitro groups was obtained. This result indicates that the pendant aromatic nitro group is more effective in obtaining a graft copolymer by radical mechanism than pendant double bond on the trunk polymer previously reported, where graft copolymers with a branch for several hundred of double bonds are produced.     

Radiation-induced graft copolymerization of mixtures of styrene and n-butyl acrylate onto cellulose and cellulose triacetate

Mixtures of styrene and n-butyl acrylate of various compositions were grafted onto cellulose and cellulose triacetate fibers preirradiated with γ-rays at 0°C in air. Monomer reactivity ratios of the grafted copolymers were found to be different from those of the nongrafted copolymers or those of AIBN-initiated copolymers. The active species initiating the graft copolymerization were trapped radicals for cellulose and peroxides for cellulose triacetate. Kinetic investigations of the graft copolymerization of styrene onto preirradiated cellulose triacetate fibers were also carried out, and it was found that the kinetic scheme for radical polymerization is also applicable to graft copolymerization in a heterogeneous system.     

Potential bile acid metabolites. 24. An efficient synthesis of carboxyl-linked glucosides and their chemical properties

A facile and efficient synthesis of the carboxyl-linked glucosides of bile acids is described. Direct esterification of unprotected bile acids with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-d-glucopyranose in pyridine in the presence of 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as a coupling agent afforded a mixture of the α- and β-anomers (ca. 1∶3) of the 1-O-acyl-d-glucoside benzyl ethers of bile acids, which was separated effectively on a C₁₈ reversedphase chromatography column (isolated yields of α- and β-anomers are 4–9% and 12–19%, respectively). Subsequent hydrogenolysis of the α- and β-acyl glucoside benzyl ethers on a 10% Pd−C catalyst in acetic acid/methanol/EtOAc (1∶2∶2, by vol) at 35°C under atmospheric pressure gave the corresponding free esters in good yields (79–89%). Chemical specificities such as facile hydrolysis and transesterification of the acyl glucosides in various solvents were also discussed.     

Effect of reaction kinetics of polymer electrolyte on the ion‐conductive behavior for poly(oligo oxyethylene methacrylate)–LiTFSI mixtures

The effect of the reaction kinetics on the ionic conductivity for a comblike‐type polyether (MEO) electrolyte with lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) was characterized by DSC, complex impedance measurements, and ¹H pulse NMR spectroscopy. The ionic conductivity of these electrolytes was affected by the reaction condition of the methacrylate monomer and revealed by the glass transition temperature (T_g), spin–spin relaxation time (T₂), steric effects of the terminal groups, and the number of charge carriers indicated by the VTF kinetic parameter. In this system, the electrolytes prepared by the reaction heating rate of 10°C/min of MEO–H and 15°C/min of MEO–CH₃ showed maximum ionic conductivity, σ_i, two to three times higher in magnitude than that of the σ_i of the others at room temperature. As experimental results, the reaction kinetic rate affected the degree of conversion, the ionic conductivity, and the relaxation behaviors of polyether electrolytes. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2149–2156, 2003