Charged ultrafiltration membrane for permeation of proteins

Polyacrylonitrile-g-poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) was synthesized photochemically and quaternized. The positively charged membranes made from the quaternized graftcopolymer showed high ultrafiltration rate for water by adding poly(vinyl alcohol) to casting solution and washing it out after the casting. In buffered saline solution, the permeability of the membranes was very small at pH below isoelectric point of albumin but increased markedly at higher pH. On the other hand, the permeability for γ-globulin was very small and did not show any pH dependence.     

Numerical simulation of tip leakage vortex effect on hydrogen-combustion flow around 3D turbine blade

In these years, a lot of environmental problems such as air pollution and exhaustion of fossil fuels have been discussed intensively. In our laboratory, a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system has been researched as an alternative to conventional systems. A hydrogen-fueled propulsion system is expected to have higher power, lighter weight and lower emissions. However, for the practical use, there exist many problems that must be overcome. Considering these backgrounds, jet engines with hydrogen-fueled combustion within a turbine blade passage have been studied. Although some studies have been made on injecting and burning hydrogen fuel from a stator surface, little is known about the interaction between a tip leakage vortex near the suction side of a rotor tip and hydrogen-fueled combustion. The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of the tip leakage vortex on the characteristics of the 3-dimensional flow field with hydrogen-fueled combustion within a turbine blade passage. Reynolds-averaged compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved with incorporating a k-ε turbulence and a reduced chemical mechanism models. Using the computational results, the 3-dimensional turbulent flow field with chemical reactions is numerically visualized, and the three-dimensional turbulent flow fields with hydrogen combustion and the structure of the tip leakage vortex are investigated.     

Dielectric spectroscopy of metal nanoparticle doped liquid crystal displays exhibiting frequency modulation response

Twisted nematic liquid crystal displays (TN-LCDs), doped with the nanoparticles of metal, such as Pd, Ag, or Ag-Pd, which are protected with ligand molecules, such as nematic liquid crystal, exhibit a frequency modulation (FM) electro-optical (EO) response with short response time of milliseconds (ms) or sub-ms order together with the ordinary rms voltage response. These devices are called FM/AM-TN-LCDs; they are distinct from the ordinary LCDs featured by the amplitude modulation (AM) response. The phenomena of the FM/AM LCDs may be attributed to the dielectric dispersion of a heterogeneous dielectric medium known as the Maxwell-Wagner effect. It is experimentally shown that the frequency range spreads from several tens hertz to several tens kilohertz and the spectrum is more or less centered about the dielectric relaxation frequency. We formulated a theory based on an equivalent circuit model to evaluate the dielectric relaxation frequency and the dielectric strengths; and we succeeded in explaining the dependence of the dielectric relaxation frequency on the concentration of nanoparticles and the their dielectric and electrical properties, whereas conventional theories based on electromagnetic theory are unable to explain this concentration dependence. This paper reports on the experimental results of the EO effects and the dielectric spectroscopy including the dielectric relaxation times and the dielectric strengths of nematic liquid crystal, 5CB (4-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl), doped with the metal nanoparticles of I'd alone and Ag-Pd composite; and discusses how the observed dielectric relaxation frequency or dielectric relaxation time depend on the concentration of the doped nanoparticles and also their electrical and dielectric properties.     

Growth of single-phase Cu(In,Al)Se2 photoabsorbing films by selenization using diethylselenide

Selenization growth of purely single-phase, polycrystalline CuIn_1 − xAl_xSe₂ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.26) alloy films was demonstrated using a less-hazardous metal-organic selenide, diethylselenide [(C₂H₅)₂Se: DESe], by simple thermal annealing of metal precursor. Approximately 2.0 µm thick alloy films exhibited X-ray diffraction peaks originating exclusively from the chalcopyrite structure. Transitions seen in the low temperature photoluminescence spectra were attributed to characteristic donor-acceptor pair emissions of the state-of-the-art CuIn_1 − xAl_xSe₂ photoabsorbing layers.     

Optimized Energy‐Saving Speed Profile in Linear‐Motor Railway System

The most striking characteristic of linear‐motor railway system is that the structure consists of a primary and secondary linear induction motor (LIM). The primary side of the LIM is installed in a rolling stock, and the secondary side of LIM is installed on the track. The magnetic attractive vertical force produced by the LIM increases the running resistance since this force is in the same direction as the gravitational force due to which rolling stocks gain weight virtually from the track side of view. In addition, the efficiency of the LIM has different characteristics of efficiency compared with the rotary motor. Previous studies have focused on the design method of LIM to improve motor efficiency and decrease energy consumption. However, it is a well‐known fact that this kind of approach requires hardware renewal which requests large amount of investments. The purpose of this study is to analyze these characteristics of LIM effects and design the optimal speed profile to minimize the energy consumption as a linear‐motor railway system. This smart and economic energy‐saving approach is based on the optimization of speed profiles of the linear‐motor railway system using dynamic programming.     

Self‐Degradable Lipid‐Like Materials Based on “Hydrolysis accelerated by the intra‐Particle Enrichment of Reactant (HyPER)” for Messenger RNA Delivery

RNA‐based therapeutics is a promising approach for curing intractable diseases by manipulating various cellular functions. For eliciting RNA (i.e., mRNA and siRNA) functions successfully, the RNA in the extracellular space must be protected and it must be delivered to the cytoplasm. In this study, the development of a self‐degradable lipid‐like material that functions to accelerate the collapse of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and the release of RNA into cytoplasm is reported. The self‐degradability is based on a unique reaction “Hydrolysis accelerated by intra‐Particle Enrichment of Reactant (HyPER).” In this reaction, a disulfide bond and a phenyl ester are essential structural components: concentrated hydrophobic thiols that are produced by the cleavage of the disulfide bonds in the LNPs drive an intraparticle nucleophilic attack to the phenyl ester linker, which results in further degradation. An oleic acid‐scaffold lipid‐like material that mounts all of these units (ssPalmO‐Phe) shows superior transfection efficiency to nondegradable or conventional materials. The insertion of the aromatic ring is unexpectedly revealed to contribute to the enhancement of endosomal escape. Since the intracellular trafficking is a sequential process that includes cellular uptake, endosomal escape, the release of mRNA, and translation, the improvement in each process synergistically enhances the gene expression.     

Narrow‐gap field‐sequential TN‐LCD with and without nanoparticle doping

Abstract— The fabrication and demonstration of field‐sequential‐color (FSC) LCDs using modules of narrow‐gap twisted‐nematic (NTN) LCDs with and without doping of newly synthesized PγCyD‐ZrO² nanoparticles is reported. Two types of FSC‐LCDs are demonstrated: one is a direct multiplexed NTN‐LCD and the other is TFT driven. The advantages of FSC‐LCDs include their high legibility even under direct sunlight, and the mechanism for the doping of nanoparticles in LCDs is discussed.     

Optical and physical characterization of SiO2-x-Althin-film polarizer on x-cut LiNbO3 substrate

For the purpose of a mechanical evaluation of a metal-cladding polarizer, a precise characterization of SiO_2-x-Al thin-film succession fabricated on a LiNbO₃ substrate was made as well as an experimental optimization of the SiO_2-x-Al polarizer for the Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguide. A 10-nm-thick SiO_2-x was selected as the optimized underlay of a SiO_2-x-Al polarizer for the Ti:LiNbO₃ waveguide using a wavelength of λ=1.55 μm. Results of scratch testing show that the adhesive strength of SiO_2-x-Al films was almost the same level as that of Ti-Au films on a thick SiO₂ layer, commonly used for metallic underlay of Au-plated electrodes. From observing SiO_2-x -Al film using a transmission electron microscope, it was confirmed that the 10-nm-thick SiO_2-x underlay stratified well without serious thickness fluctuation     

Experimental research on the light-extinction type detectors

In Japan, several thousands of detectors are used in large buildings to protect them from fire. But, to our embarrassment, they are apt to give false alarms. From the results of statistical investigations on twelve buildings, it was confirmed that the light-scattering type is much less likely to give a false alarm than the ionization-chamber type. But, the light-scattering type has a demerit: it is less sensitive to black smoke. Hence, hope was placed on the development of light-extinction type detectors, which would, in theory, be sufficiently sensitive to black smoke.Fortunately, two models of this type were recently developed. One of them uses an infrared light-emitting diode (LED), and the other a visible-light LED. Their sensitivity for several kinds of smoke was measured in a wind tunnel and compared with conventional smoke detectors. From the result of the experiments, it was concluded that both the light-extinction type detectors tested have enough sensitivity for black smoke, and moreover, the detector using visible light has a sensitivity which is the same for every kind of smoke used in the experiments.     

A Three‐Position Swing Electromagnetic Actuator with an Integrated Eddy Current Brake for Suppression of the Operating Time and Improvement of the Stopping Accuracy

A closed‐loop control system is commonly used in electromagnetic actuators to ensure operating performance. However, this system frequently leads to high costs. We developed a swing electromagnetic actuator with an integrated eddy current brake to reduce the operating time and improve the stopping accuracy. The developed actuator is a three‐position cylindrical actuator moving within a ±120º angle without closed‐loop control. The rotor is composed of a bulk and thin metal laminations and the stator has three sets of pairs of coils. The rotor is stopped at an intermediate position by magnetic force generated by the coils. This paper describes the electromagnetic design and its evaluation by using an FEM simulation to predict its operating characteristics and measure its performance on a test bench. The superiority of our actuator design is verified by comparing these measurements. The operating time is reduced to one‐sixth of that of a laminated rotor and the over travel is compressed to zero. In addition, this actuator has the advantage that it is electrically robust against variations in the power supply.