Ammonia production using iron nitride and water as hydrogen source under mild temperature and pressure

Ammonia generation was studied in the reaction between water and nitrogen-containing iron at 323 K and atmospheric pressure. Similar to metallic Fe, the interstitial compound Fe₃N reduced water through Fe oxidation to produce hydrogen gas, while the N combined with atomic hydrogen to produce ammonia as a byproduct. The addition of carbon dioxide to this system accelerated the reaction with concomitant consumption of carbon dioxide. The promoted ammonia production upon addition of carbon dioxide can be attributed to the generation of atomic hydrogen from the redox reaction of carbonic acid and Fe, as well as removal of used Fe from the reaction system through the formation of a soluble carbonato complex. When carbonate was added to the reaction system, the production rates of ammonia and hydrogen increased further. The results here confirmed that ammonia can be synthesized from iron nitride under mild conditions by utilizing carbon dioxide.     

Molecular Targeted Therapy for the Bone Loss Secondary to Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis Using Medications for Osteoporosis: A Literature Review

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis can cause severe osteolytic and destructive lesions in the spine. Elderly or immunocompromised individuals are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases; specifically, infections in the spine can impair the ability of the spine to support the trunk, causing patients to be bedridden, which can also severely affect the physical condition of patients. Although treatments for osteoporosis have been well studied, treatments for bone loss secondary to infection remain to be elucidated because they have pathological manifestations that are similar to but distinct from those of osteoporosis. Recently, we encountered a patient with severely osteolytic pyogenic spondylodiscitis who was treated with romosozumab and exhibited enhanced bone formation. Romosozumab stimulated canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling, causing robust bone formation and the inhibition of bone resorption, which exceeded the bone loss secondary to infection. Bone loss due to infections involves the suppression of osteoblastogenesis by osteoblast apoptosis, which is induced by the nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, and osteoclastogenesis with the receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand-receptor combination and subsequent activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 and c-Fos. In this study, we review and discuss the molecular mechanisms of bone loss secondary to infection and analyze the efficacy of the medications for osteoporosis, focusing on romosozumab, teriparatide, denosumab, and bisphosphonates, in treating this pathological condition.     

Contribution of metal vapor mass at periphery part of pulsed arc to electromagnetic force in weld pool

The arc welding has been used in various welding methods because it is inexpensive and high in strength after welding. However, it is a problem that accidents such as collapse of the bridge occur because of the welding defects. The welding of low cost and high productivity is required without the welding defects. The pulsed TIG welding is inexpensive and capable of high‐quality welding. The electromagnetic force contributing to penetration changes because the transient response of arc temperature and iron vapor generated from anode occurs. However, the analysis of pulsed TIG welding with metal vapor has been elucidated only metal vapor concentration near anode with transient phenomenon and heat flux. Thus, the theoretical elucidation of penetration depth with control factor has not been researched. In this paper, the contribution of metal vapor mass at the periphery part of pulsed arc to the electromagnetic force in the weld pool is elucidated. As a result, the iron vapor mass at periphery part decreased with increasing the frequency. The iron vapor was stagnated at axial center within one cycle. The electromagnetic force to the penetration depth direction in weld pool increased at axial center. Therefore, the metal vapor mass at periphery part plays an important role for the electromagnetic force increment at axial center.     

Phase diagrams calculated for Fe-rich Fe-Si-Co and Fe-Si-Al ordering alloy systems

Theoretical analysis based on the calculation of phase diagrams was employed for Fe-Si-Co and Fe-Si-Al ordering systems to clarify the necessity for the occurrence of phase separation in Fe-base ternary ordering systems. The free energy of Fe-base ternary ordering alloys where B2 and D0₃ ordered structures are formed is evaluated statistically using a pairwise interaction approximation up to second nearest neighbours, taking into account not only the atomic interaction but also the magnetic interaction, based on the Bragg-Williams-Gorsky model. The calculated phase diagrams are consistent with the experimentally obtained ones. The phase diagram calculation in this work is useful to predict the equilibrium states of the ternary ordering systems. The phase separation in ordering alloys is caused by the contribution of excess free energies due to ordering. The influences of ferromagnetism on the two-phase regions are also demonstrated.     

A transceiver PIC for bidirectional optical communication fabricated by bandgap energy controlled selective MOVPE

A transceiver PIC consisting of a DFB-LD, a receiver PD and a Y-shaped branch waveguides is realized by in-plane bandgap energy controlled selective MOVPE. Both active and passive core layers are formed in one step selective growth, and complicated fabrication procedure is no longer required. More than 1 mW fiber coupled power and 7 GHz receiver bandwidth are obtained. The modulation and detection operations at 500 Mb/s are successfully demonstrated.     

Enhancement by ganglioside GT1b of annexin I phosphorylation in bovine mammary gland in the presence of phosphatidylserine and Ca2+

Ganglioside GT1b and, to a lesser extent, GD3, enhanced phosphorylation of a 36 kDa protein (the substrate of protein kinase C) in the particulate fraction from bovine mammary gland. Sialic acids, asialogangliosides, and GM3 were without effect, and GD1a conversely inhibited phosphorylation of the 36 kDa protein. The enhanced phosphorylation by GT1b required the simultaneous presence of phosphatidylserine (PS) and Ca²⁺. The 36 kDa protein reacted with anti-annexin I in Western blot analysis. Addition of purified annexin I to the reaction mixture containing the particulate fraction increased the extent of phosphorylated 36 kDa protein, and the phosphorylation was further enhanced by GT1b. The enhanced phosphorylation of annexin I by GT1b was also dependent on PS and Ca²⁺. When annexin I was phosphorylated by purified protein kinase C, GT1b inhibited the annexin I phosphorylation. Addition of epidermal growth factor or insulin to the particulate fraction had little effect on the enhancement. These results suggest that an enzyme or enzymes other than protein kinase C, epidermal growth factor receptor kinase, or insulin receptor kinase is responsible for the GT1b- and GD3-enhanced phosphorylation of annexin I in the presence of PS and Ca²⁺.