Molecular Design and Synthesis of a Novel Substrate for Assaying Lysozyme Activity

A novel substrate {Galβ1,4GlcNAcβ1,4GlcNAc-β-pNP [Gal(GlcNAc)₂-β-pNP]} for assaying lysozyme activity has been designed using docking simulations and enzymatic synthesis via β-1,4-galactosyltransferase-mediated transglycosylation from UDP-Gal as the donor to (GlcNAc)₂-β-pNP as the acceptor. Hydrolysis of the synthesized Gal(GlcNAc)₂-β-pNP and related compounds using hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) demonstrated that the substrate was specifically cleaved to Gal(GlcNAc)₂ and p-nitrophenol (pNP). A combination of kinetic studies and docking simulation was further conducted to elucidate the mode of substrate binding. The results demonstrate that Gal(GlcNAc)₂-β-pNP selectively binds to a subsite of lysozyme to liberate the Gal(GlcNAc)₂ and pNP products. The work therefore describes a new colorimetric method for quantifying lysozyme on the basis of the determination of pNP liberated from the substrate.     

Material performance of age-hardened beryllium–copper alloy,CDA-C17200, in a high-pressure,gaseous hydrogen environment

In order to develop safer and more energy-efficient, hydrogen pre-cooling systems for use in hydrogen refueling stations, it is necessary to identify a high-strength metallic material with greater thermal conductivity and lower susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement, as compared with ordinary, stable austenitic stainless steels. To accomplish this task, the hydrogen compatibility of a precipitation-hardened, high-strength, copper-based alloy was investigated by slow-strain-rate tensile (SSRT), fatigue-life, fatigue-crack-growth (FCG) and fracture toughness tests in 115-MPa hydrogen gas at room temperature. The hydrogen solubility and diffusivity of the alloy were also determined. The hydrogen solubility of the alloy was two or three orders of magnitude lower than that of austenitic stainless steels. The alloy also demonstrated absolutely no hydrogen-induced degradation of its strength properties, a factor which could contribute to the reduction of costs related to the construction and maintenance of hydrogen refueling stations, owing to the downsizing and improved cooling performance of the pre-cooling systems.     

Oxygen-enhanced water gas shift on ceria-supported Pd–Cu and Pt–Cu bimetallic catalysts

Aiming at enhancing H₂ production in water gas shift (WGS) for fuel cell application, a small amount of oxygen was added to WGS reaction toward oxygen-enhanced water gas shift (OWGS) on ceria-supported bimetallic Pd–Cu and Pt–Cu catalysts. Both CO conversion and H₂ yield were found to increase by the oxygen addition. The remarkable enhancement of H₂ production by O₂ addition in short contact time was attributed to the enhanced shift reaction, rather than the oxidation of CO on catalyst surface. The strong dependence of H₂ production rate on CO concentration in OWGS kinetic study suggested O₂ lowers the CO surface coverage. It was proposed that O₂ breaks down the domain structure of chemisorbed CO into smaller domains to increase the chance for coreactant (H₂O) to participate in the reaction and the heat of exothermic surface reaction helping to enhance WGS kinetics. Pt–Cu and Pd–Cu bimetallic catalysts were found to be superior to monometallic catalysts for both CO conversion and H₂ production for OWGS at 300 °C or lower, while the superiority of bimetallic catalysts was not as pronounced in WGS. These catalytic properties were correlated with the structure of the bimetallic catalysts. EXAFS spectra indicated that Cu forms alloys with Pt and with Pd. TPR demonstrated the strong interaction between the two metals causing the reduction temperature of Cu to decrease upon Pd or Pt addition. The transient pulse desorption rate of CO₂ from Pd–Cu supported on CeO₂ is faster than that of Pd, suggesting the presence of Cu in Pd–Cu facilitate CO₂ desorption from Pd catalyst. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of CeO₂ in the bimetallic catalysts indicates that Cu is much less pyrophoric in the bimetallic catalysts due to lower O₂ uptake compared to monometallic Cu. These significant changes in structure and electronic properties of the bimetallic catalysts are the result of highly dispersed Pt or Pd in the Cu nanoparticles.     

Nanoscale fracture analysis by atomic force microscopy of EPDM rubber due to high-pressure hydrogen decompression

The relationship between internal fracture due to high-pressure hydrogen decompression and microstructure of ethylene–propylene–diene–methylene linkage (EPDM) rubber was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Nanoscale line-like structures were observed in an unexposed specimen, and their number and length increased with hydrogen exposure. This result implies that the structure of the unfilled EPDM rubber is inhomogeneous at a nanoscale level, and nanoscale fracture caused by the bubbles that are formed from dissolved hydrogen molecules after decompression occurs even though no cracks are observed by optical microscopy. Since this nanoscale fracture occurred at a threshold tearing energy lower than that obtained from static crack growth tests of macroscopic cracks (T _s,th), it is supposed that nanoscale structures that fractured at a lower threshold tearing energy (T _nano,th) than T _s,th existed in the rubber matrix, and these low-strength structures were the origin of the nanoscale fracture. From these results, it is inferred that the fracture of the EPDM rubber by high-pressure hydrogen decompression consists of two fracture processes that differ in terms of size scale, i.e., bubble formation at a submicrometer level and crack initiation at a micrometer level. The hydrogen pressures at bubble formation and crack initiation were also estimated by assuming two threshold tearing energies, T _nano,th for the bubble formation and T _s,th for the crack initiation, in terms of fracture mechanics. As a result, the experimental hydrogen pressures were successfully estimated.     

Evaluation of cost reduction potential for 1 kW class SOFC stack production: Implications for SOFC technology scenario

Recently, a commercial version of a residential solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system with a flat tubular cell has been developed. However, the system cost still remains very high, which is a barrier to its widespread use. In this study, the potential for cost reductions in SOFC stack production was investigated in order to contribute to the viability of the widespread use of such residential SOFC systems in future. A cost analysis of 700 W SOFC stack production based on a process integration modeling was conducted. The present bottom–up approach enabled us to perform a sensitivity analysis with a variety of parameters in terms of cell design, the production process and cell performance. This allowed us to investigate the effects of these factors on the production cost, thereby revealing the quantitative impact of each technological improvement on the cost reduction potential. The present analysis also revealed innovation pathways which could result in technology scenarios where residential SOFC systems could reach a break-even point in comparison with the baseload electricity cost. The analysis of the cost reduction potential presented here provides a useful viewpoint for developing a research strategy for state-of-the-art SOFC technology.     

Fatigue limit of carbon and CrMo steels as a small fatigue crack threshold in high-pressure hydrogen gas

The fatigue limit properties of a carbon steel and a low-alloy CrMo steel were investigated via fully-reversed tension-compression tests, using smooth specimens in air and in 115-MPa hydrogen gas. With respect to the CrMo steel, specimens with sharp notches were also tested in order to investigate the threshold behavior of small cracks. The obtained SN data inferred that the fatigue limit was not negatively affected by hydrogen in either of the steels. Observation of fatigue cracks in the unbroken specimens revealed that non-propagating cracks can exist even in 115-MPa hydrogen gas, and that the crack growth threshold is not degraded by hydrogen. The experimental results provide justification for the fatigue limit design of components that are to be exposed to high-pressure hydrogen gas.     

Evaluation of energy saving and CO2 emission reduction technologies in energy supply and end‐use sectors using a global energy model

Assessments of global warming mitigation technologies are important for achieving the Kyoto target and planning post‐Kyoto regimes. Regional differences in energy resources, growth in energy consumption, current technology diffusions, etc., should be considered in the assessments. A global energy systems model, DNE21+, with high regional resolution had treated the energy supply sectors in a bottom‐up fashion and the end‐use sectors in a top‐down fashion, which was expressed by using long‐term price elasticity. However, the assessments of technological options in the end‐use sectors are currently more important, particularly for the near and middle terms. In order to evaluate the technological options not only in the energy supply sectors but also in the end‐use sectors for energy savings and CO₂ emission reductions, DNE21+ has been modified for treating two energy‐intensive end‐use sectors, i.e. steel and cement sectors, in the bottom‐up fashion. The results reveal that the cost‐effective global CO₂ emission reductions in 2030 for stabilizing the atmospheric CO₂ concentration at 550 ppmv in comparison with that in the reference case would be approximately 68 MtC/yr and almost zero in the steel and cement sectors, respectively. The cost‐effective options include next‐generation coke ovens and coke dry quenching (CDQ) in the steel sector. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dynamic Alignment of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Pulsed Magnetic Fields

We have used linear dichroism spectroscopy to measure the dynamic alignment of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) in pulsed magnetic fields up to 55 T. We make use of the fact that SWNTs absorb light only when the electric-field vector is oriented parallel to the tube axis. SWNTs thus produce a polarization dependent change of the optical transmission, that permits precise measurements of their orientation. In order to distinguish the influence of different mechanisms governing the alignment such as the external magnetic field, Brownian motion or the tube length, we have systematically varied parameters such as the viscosity of the aqueous solution and the sample temperature.     

Contribution to carrier densities of the oxygen vacancy in a low-resistivity tin-doped indium oxide film by the hot-cathode plasma sputtering method

In order to clarify the contribution to carrier density by oxygen vacancies in tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films prepared on glass substrates by the hot-cathode plasma sputtering method, we have investigated the effect of annealing on the electrical properties of an ITO film with a resistivity of 1.0 × 10^− 4 Ω cm. A drastic decrease in carrier density from 2.0 × 10²¹ to 0.88 × 10²¹ cm^− 3 was found with gradual increase in the Hall mobility from 29 to 35 cm² V^− 1 s^− 1 for repeated annealing cycles, when the ITO film was exposed for one hour to 400 °C oxygen gas at atmospheric pressure. The results indicate that the contribution of oxygen vacancies to carrier density was ca. 1.12 × 10²¹ cm^− 3 for the ITO film with an overall carrier density of 2.0 × 10²¹ cm^− 3.     

焦炭过滤床电炉粉尘捕集特性的模拟研究

以超细二氧化硅微粒为模拟粉尘,研究了在冷态焦炭过滤床条件下的电炉粉尘捕集特性：即在固定床的实验条件下,当气流速度一定时,平衡状态下静态捕集量在过滤床纵轴方向上的分布状态变化较小;当焦炭颗粒以一定速度下移时,随粉尘供给速率的增大,整体的静态捕集量也随之增加,从上部到下部静态捕集量呈渐增趋势。本实验条件下,在综合考虑捕集量、捕集速率和捕集效率的基础上,气流速度应小于0.65 m/s。