Approach from physicochemical aspects in membrane filtration

In membrane filtration, solution environment factors such as pH and solvent density are important in controlling the filtration rate and the rejection of the particles and/or the macromolecules. The filtration rate and the rejection in membrane filtration have been investigated from physicochemical aspects. It was shown that the properties of the filter cake formed on the membrane surface play a vital role in determining the filtration rate in mem-brane filtration. It was clearly demonstrated that such filtration behaviors as the filtration rate and the rejection are highly dependent on the electrical nature of the particles and/or the macromolecules. Furthermore, it was shown that the solvent density ρ has a large effect on the steady filtration rate in upward ultrafiltration.     

Effects of heated seats in vehicles on thermal comfort during the initial warm-up period

Eight subjects participated in a subjective experiment of eight conditions to investigate the effects of heated seats in vehicles on skin temperature, thermal sensation and thermal comfort during the initial warm-up period. The experimental conditions were designed as a combination of air temperature in the test room (5, 10, 15, or 20 °C) and heated seat (on/off). The heated seat was effective for improving thermal comfort during the initial warm-up period when air temperature was lower than 15 °C. Use of heated seats prevented decreases in or increased toe skin temperature. Heated seats also increased foot thermal sensation at 15 and 20 °C. Optimal thermal sensation in contact with the seat was higher when air temperature was lower. Optimal skin temperature in contact with the seat back was higher than that with the seat cushion. Moreover, these optimal skin temperatures were higher when air temperature was lower.     

Direct Reprogramming and Induction of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Differentiate into iPS-Derived Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells in 3D Culture

Intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases are common spinal disorders that cause neck or back pain in the presence or absence of an underlying neurological disorder. IVD diseases develop on the basis of degeneration, and there are no established treatments for degeneration. IVD diseases may therefore represent a candidate for the application of regenerative medicine, potentially employing normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) induced to differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Here, we used a three-dimensional culture system to demonstrate that ectopic expression of MYC, KLF4, NOTO, SOX5, SOX6, and SOX9 in NHDFs generated NP-like cells, detected using Safranin-O staining. Quantitative PCR, microarray analysis, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed that the induced NP cells exhibited a fully differentiated phenotype. These findings may significantly contribute to the development of effective strategies for treating IVD diseases.     

Ion beam modification of TiO2 films prepared by Cat-CVD for solar cell

The effects of nitrogen ion bombardment on TiO₂ films prepared by the Cat-CVD method have been studied to improve the optical and electrical properties of the material for use in Si thin film solar cells. The refractive index n and the dark conductivity of the TiO₂ film increased with irradiation time. The refractive index n of the TiO₂ film was changed from 2.1 to 2.4 and the electrical conductivity was improved from 3.4 × 10^− 2 to 1.2 × 10^− 1 S/cm by the irradiation. These results are due to the formation of Ti-N bonds and oxygen vacancies in the film.     

Stopping cross-section and energy straggling of protons in SiC obtained by nuclear resonant reaction of protons with 12C and 28Si

In order to evaluate stopping cross-section and energy straggling of protons in compound material SiC and its constituents C and Si, resonant backscattering spectra have been measured using proton beams in an energy range 4.9–6.1 MeV per a 100 keV step. We have observed two sharp nuclear resonances at proton energies of 4.808 MeV by ¹²C and 4.879 MeV by ²⁸Si. By systematic analyses of the resonance peak profiles, i.e., energy shift of the peak position and broadening of the peak width, the values of the stopping cross-section and the energy straggling have been deduced to be compared with SRIM-2006 and Bohr’s prediction.     

Proposal for a benchmark model of a laminated iron core and a large‐scale and highly accurate magnetic analysis

This paper describes a benchmark model proposed for the clarification of the characteristic of various methods for modeling the laminated iron core. In order to obtain a reference solution of the benchmark model, a large‐scale nonlinear magnetostatic field analysis with a mesh fine enough to represent the microscopic structure of the laminated iron core is carried out by using the hybrid finite element–boundary element (FE‐BE) method combined with the fast multipole method (FMM) based on diagonal forms for translation operators. The computational costs and accuracy of two kinds of homogenization methods are discussed, comparing them with the reference solution. As a consequence, it is verified that the homogenization methods can analyze magnetic fields in laminated iron core within acceptable computational costs. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 170(1): 26–35, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20809     

Ionic liquid enables simple and rapid sample preparation of human culturing cells for scanning electron microscope analysis

Ionic liquid is a kind of salt that stays in a molten state even at room temperature. It does not vaporize at all in vacuum and facilitates electrical conductivity to the sample surfaces for observations with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In this study, we used an ionic liquid in SEM for the first time to observe fixed human culture cells. The condition for the cell culture using wrapping sheets and SEM settings were varied to elucidate the optimized protocol. Compared to samples prepared by the conventional way, the ionic liquid‐treatment of samples gave SEM images of the cellular ultra structures in more detail, enabling observation of microvilli that made bridges between separated cells. In addition, the ionic liquid treatment is less time consuming as well as less laborious compared with the conventional way that includes dehydration, drying, and conductivity treatments. Totally, we concluded the ionic liquid is a useful reagent for SEM sample preparation. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Frequency dependence of of MOS capacitors

The frequency dependence of ΔV/Δ(C⁻²) of an MOS capacitor, which plays an important role in determining the semiconductor doping profile, is studied theoretically and experimentally. Useful expressions relating the measurable quantities to the doping profile are derived systematically. It is shown how interface states and majority carriers influence the frequency dependence of ΔV/Δ(C⁻²) and give rise to errors in profile determinations. The techniques of measuring the various types of the frequency dependence of ΔV/Δ(C⁻²) are also described.     

An experimental evaluation of spatial distribution for deeply penetrating protons in carbon material

The peak profile of the 4.8-MeV resonance by the ¹²C(p,p)¹²C reaction in backscattering geometry has been analyzed to examine two kinds of stragglings of proton, i.e. the depth straggling in the incoming path and the energy loss straggling in the outgoing path. The analysis, which is combined with existing theoretical treatments for the stopping process and the energy loss straggling, has made it possible to deduce the penetration depth and its spread at the resonance position in carbon materials. The present method, as a new tool for direct inspection of ion beams inside target material, is explained in detail.     

Determination of the amounts of free arachidonic acid in resident and activated rabbit alveolar macrophages by fluorometric high performance liquid chromatography

An improved method of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed for the separation and quantitation of low levels of free fatty acids as they occur in mammalian tissues. The fatty acid analysis is based on the esterification of the carboxylic group with 9-anthryldiazomethane (ADAM). HPLC separation and fluorescence measurement of fatty acid ADAM esters allow the determination of pmole amounts of fatty acids. The amounts of free fatty acids of resident and activated alveolar macrophages were determined by the fluorometric HPLC method. There were approximately 2 μg/10⁶ cells of free fatty acids. In resident macrophages, free 20∶4 was a minor component (0.8% of total free fatty acids), while significant amounts of 20∶4 were found in the total glycerophospholipids, representing 16.6% of the total fatty acids. A marked increase in amounts of 20∶4 (8 times) occurred in activated macrophages stimulated for 1 hr with opsonized zymosan. Small but significant increases (1.5 times) also occurred in other fatty acids. These results show that the release reaction of fatty acids was not selective for 20∶4 in alveolar macrophages after the challenge with opsonized zymosan.