Deposition of carbon films by electrolysis of a water-ethylene glycol solution

An attempt was made to deposit carbon films by electrolysis of a water-ethylene glycol solution. Carbon plate and an n-type silicon substrate were dipped in the solution and a high d.c. potential was negatively applied on the silicon substrate. Some deposits were observed in the region between the boiling point curve and the line approximately 50 °C below and parallel to the boiling point, when electrolysis was carried out at 1 kV for 6 h. For higher potentials of 1.4–2.0 kV and longer electrolysis of 12 h, some samples showed a broad X-ray diffraction peak and Raman peaks, corresponding to graphitic carbon.     

Model for the potential barrier depth along the grain boundaries of an ultrathin tin dioxide gas sensor

A potential barrier model along the grain boundaries in ultrathin tin dioxide (SnO₂) gas sensors is presented. It is assumed that the negatively charged oxygens are adsorbed only on the grain boundaries. The potential barrier depth is expressed as functions of grain size, donor concentration and surface coverage of adsorbed oxygen ions at the boundaries. A direct consequence is that the conduction electrons are effectively confined in a grain when the film thickness becomes smaller than a critical value. This indicates a drastic increase in resistivity with decreasing film thickness in air, and thus an occurrence of an extremely high gas sensitivity.     

The isothermal conductivity improvement in zirconia-based ceramics under 24 GHz microwave heating

Abstract Under 24-GHz millimetre-wave irradiation heating ionic conductivity of zirconia base ceramics was up to 20 times higher than that of a conventionally-heated sample at the same temperature of 400 °C. The degree of enhancement could be altered by changing the stabilising atom from Y to Yb. Enhancement of ionic conduction was prominent in the setup condition of larger self-heating ratio and larger MMW absorbing materials. The isothermal improvement of ionic conductivity under MMW irradiation would be ascribed to the non-thermal effect.     

Reduction of Vibration in Concentrated Winding Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor by Means of Skew Effects of Rotor

Global warming and the problem of successfully incorporating environmental safeguards are promoting the need for a more power‐efficient motor. Therefore, as a driving source, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) with concentrated winding are widely used in a variety of fields. However, a PMSM with a concentrated winding generates more vibration than one with a distributed winding because of the radial electromagnetic force. This paper describes the effect of a new skewed rotor on the characteristics of a concentrated winding PMSM. We investigated this effect by three‐dimensional finite element method (3D FEM) analysis and measurement. We also demonstrate that the proposed rotor is effective in reducing the radial electromagnetic force without decreasing motor efficiency. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 187(2): 33–43, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22400     

Circulating Organ-Specific MicroRNAs Serve as Biomarkers in Organ-Specific Diseases: Implications for Organ Allo- and Xeno-Transplantation

Different cell types possess different miRNA expression profiles, and cell/tissue/organ-specific miRNAs (or profiles) indicate different diseases. Circulating miRNA is either actively secreted by living cells or passively released during cell death. Circulating cell/tissue/organ-specific miRNA may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for allo- or xeno-transplantation to monitor organ survival and immune rejection. In this review, we summarize the proof of concept that circulating organ-specific miRNAs serve as non-invasive biomarkers for a wide spectrum of clinical organ-specific manifestations such as liver-related disease, heart-related disease, kidney-related disease, and lung-related disease. Furthermore, we summarize how circulating organ-specific miRNAs may have advantages over conventional methods for monitoring immune rejection in organ transplantation. Finally, we discuss the implications and challenges of applying miRNA to monitor organ survival and immune rejection in allo- or xeno-transplantation.     

Mechano-electrochemistry of a passive surface using an in situ micro-indentation test

Depassivation–repassivation of iron surfaces in boric–borate solutions were investigated by using the micro-indentation test. A pair of current peaks due to repair of the passive film following rupture of the film were observed during a series of indenter drives, i.e., loading and unloading of the indenter. The shape of the current peak depended on environmental conditions (conductivity and pH of the solution) and substrate conditions (mechanical processing history, alloyed element) as well as indentation conditions (repetition, maximum depth, and maximum load). Plastic deformation of the surface was accompanied by surface depassivation, while no depassivation occurred during the elastic deformation, indicating that the passive film on iron has a ductile property. The solution conditions did not affect the scale of depassivation but affected the rate of repassivation. Dislocations in the substrate made surface depassivation difficult but enhanced reactivity during the repassivation. The test also revealed that type-312L stainless steel has high corrosion resistance in a concentrated NaCl solution.     

Development of rapid hygrothermal pasteurization using saturated water vapor

We developed a novel rapid hygrothermal pasteurization (RHP) method using saturated water vapor with a dew point of 100 °C. In the present study, the effects of RHP on microbiological quality and quality attributes such as color changes, firmness and ascorbic acid content on many fresh-cut fruits and vegetables (cabbage, cucumber, carrot, cherry tomato, bell pepper, strawberry, pineapple and melon) were investigated. The RHP was performed within a second by free-falling samples through a cylindrical processing chamber filled with steam. The RHP resulted in a 0.7–2.0 log order reduction in the numbers of naturally inoculated mesophilic bacteria. Furthermore, the RHP induced no significant changes in color and firmness of samples, except on the leafy vegetable, cabbage. Ascorbic acid was also retained approximately 80% and above. These results indicate that the RHP is a clean and effective method for decontaminating mesophilic bacteria on fresh fruits and vegetables with minimal changes in quality.Industrial relevanceIn fresh-cut industry, an effective and risk-free decontamination technology is required for use in place of a conventional method, washing by chlorine that can produce carcinogenic chlorinated by-products. In this study, the rapid hygrothermal pasteurization (RHP) method using saturated water vapor was invented and their ability for applying minimal processing was evaluated. The results showed that RHP, without using chemicals, can reduce microorganism load and preserve quality attributes in many kinds of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Therefore, RHP could be used as a novel method, which can be generally applicable to fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in the food industry.     

Imaging of a single atomic column in silicon grain boundary

Atomic resolution high voltage electron microscopy was applied in investigations of the atomic structure of [112] sigma3 CSL grain boundary of silicon. Images of the grain boundary, viewed in the < 110 > direction, showed two types of dark spots. One type was rod shaped, which represented an atomic pair aligned in the < 111 > direction. The other was a small round spot, which represented a single atomic column in the grain boundary. The atomic structure of [112] sigma3 CSL grain boundary was directly shown from the atomic-structure image.