Organic–inorganic nanomatrix structure and properties of related naturally occurring rubbery macromolecules

The outstanding mechanical properties of soft materials i.e. natural rubber are partly due to the organic–inorganic nanomatrix structure because numerous organic microparticles are dispersed in a small amount of an inorganic nanomatrix composed of inorganic nanoparticles and organic macromolecules. Here we form an organic–inorganic nanomatrix using graft-copolymerization of a vinyl monomer with an inorganic oxide precursor onto natural rubber particles with an average diameter of 1 μm dispersed in water. The inorganic oxide precursor is converted into inorganic oxide nanoparticles through hydrolysis and condensation, forming chemical linkages between natural rubber microparticles and inorganic oxide nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that the organic–inorganic nanomatrix is densely filled with inorganic oxide nanoparticles and the natural rubber microparticles are dispersed in the nanomatrix. This nanomatrix composite realizes both energetic elasticity and entropic elasticity of a soft material, opening a novel field of building block chemistry with respect to a pair of organic microparticles and inorganic nanoparticles.     

Controlled radical polymerization with polyolefin macroinitiator: a convenient and versatile approach to polyolefin-based block and graft copolymers

This paper introduces the new synthetic methodology of polyolefin-based block and graft copolymers with polar segments [e.g., polystyrene and poly(meth)acrylates]. Various brominated polyolefins were prepared by bromination of polyolefins with N-bromosuccinimide. The resulting brominated polyolefins were able to initiate the controlled radical polymerization of polar monomers, such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, styrene and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, using a CuBr/N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine catalyst system, leading to a variety of polyolefin-based copolymers with a different content of the corresponding polar segment. Because of the accessible synthesis of polyolefin macroinitiators, this synthetic methodology is expected to result in the preparation of a wide range of polyolefin-based block and graft copolymers.     

Optimal operation of cogeneration system coordinated by aggregator for providing the demand and supply regulation capacity

Recent growth of renewable energy generations with natural variability, such as photovoltaic generation and wind turbine generation, would make the demand and supply control in a whole power system more difficult, and therefore, alternatives for demand and supply regulation resources would be required. The authors focus on cogeneration system (CGS) as one of regulation resources. In order to procure adequate volume of regulation capability, an aggregator coordinates a number of CGSs efficiently and flexibly considering the wide variety of electricity/thermal demands of CGS owners. This paper proposes a novel optimal operation strategy of CGS coordinated by the aggregator considering the energy balance and operation cost of individual CGS owner. This paper also demonstrates the availability of CGSs for regulation capability by numerical case studies in which the actual consumption profile is employed.     

Resinification Behavior of Regenerated Feather Keratin Powder

A preliminary study was performed on the resinification behavior of regenerated feather keratin powder by changing the sintering conditions, and the thermal and mechanical properties for the obtained resin were investigated. It was confirmed that the molding at 140°C was enough to complete the resinification. The resin obtained was amorphous and its glass transition temperature could be raised to 93°C. In addition, the hardness of the resin could be increased from 20–25 HV to 90 HV by leaving the as-sintered compact resin in ambient air at room temperature for 133 days. Crosslinking agents that work even at room temperature seem to be synthesized during the molding.     

Dietary exposure to acrylamide in a group of Japanese adults based on 24-hour duplicate diet samples

Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen and known human neurotoxin that can be generated in food through heating. Using a mathematical modelling approach, our previous study estimated long-term average dietary exposure to acrylamide in the Japanese people; however, the validity of these estimates remained unknown. Here, we aimed to obtain a more accurate estimate of acrylamide exposure that would reflect the usual practice of heat processing and consumption of foods in the population. We collected duplicate diet samples and dietary records during 24 h from a group of Japanese adults. A total of 110 duplicate diet samples were analysed for acrylamide by LC-MS/MS. Data from individual dietary records were used to examine the association between dietary acrylamide exposure and consumption of selected food groups (e.g., coffee, tea, confectioneries, and vegetables prepared at high temperature [deep-frying, stir-frying, sautéing, and baking]). Of the 110 homogenised diet samples, 108 contained detectable levels of acrylamide. Dietary exposure to acrylamide ranged from 8 to 1582 ng/kg body weight (bw)/day, with the mean value of 215 ng/kg-bw/day and median value of 143 ng/kg-bw/day. This mean value was higher than the value we previously estimated for Japanese adults using a mathematical approach. Multiple linear regression analysis showed log dietary acrylamide exposure was significantly associated with consumption of coffee and vegetables prepared at high temperature during 24-hr of sampling (adj. R² = 0.250, p < 0.001). We revealed significant difference in dietary acrylamide exposure between participants who had coffee and vegetables prepared at high temperature (median, 169 ng/kg-bw/day; range, 35–1224 ng/kg-bw/day, n = 42) and those who had none of them (median, 75 ng/kg-bw/day; range, 8–311 ng/kg-bw/day, n = 15) (Steel-Dwass test, p < 0.05).     

Diphenyl Carbonate Synthesis by Homogeneous Pd Electrocatalyst

Electrochemical carbonylation of phenol with CO to diphenyl carbonate (DPC) using Pd electrocatalyst was studied at P(CO) = 1 atm and room temperature. Electrochemical carbonylation was conducted by galvanostatic electrolysis at 1 mA in electrolyte solutions containing phenol, sodium phenoxide and CH₃CN. It was found that electrochemical carbonylation by Pd was promoted by using 1,3-dimesitylimidazol-2-ylidene (IMes) ligand of a N-heterocyclic carbene. The current efficiency of DPC increased more than 3.4 times using the IMes ligand. The maximum current efficiency of DPC formation was 45 %.     

Analysis of Energy Saving and Environmental Characteristics of Electric Vehicles in Regionally Disaggregated World Energy Model

This paper investigates the impact of an extensive introduction of electric vehicles (EV) and plug‐in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) into the global energy system by 2050. The significant growth of automobile ownership in emerging countries is likely to increase world oil demand and the associated carbon dioxide emissions. In order to address these energy, security, and environmental concerns, the deployment of clean energy vehicles, such as EV and PHEV, is expected to play a crucial role due to their high fuel efficiency. Consequently, we develop both a global energy system model and a world vehicle penetration model, which can explicitly analyze the impact of EV introduction into the seasonal daily electric load curve, with consideration of the specific electricity charging profile through 2050. The simulation results confirm that EV deployment contributes to energy conservation, because oil demand reduction outstrips the growth in electricity demand and the associated fuel input into the power generation mix. Concerning carbon dioxide abatement, the magnitude of the impact relies on the carbon intensity of the power generation mix. If the intensity is low enough to guarantee a carbon mitigation effect due to EV fuel saving, emissions reduction is well assured. It should be noted, however, that in regions with high carbon intensity in the power generation mix, carbon emissions per mileage of EVs is almost equivalent to that of efficient gasoline vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, and the figure for PHEV is slightly higher than for hybrid vehicles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(4): 20–36, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22373     

Expression of Human DNAJ (Heat Shock Protein-40) B3 in Humanized UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 Mice

The human DNAJB3 gene encodes a DNAJ (Heat shock protein 40; Hsp40) homolog, subfamily B, member 3 chaperone protein (DNAJB3), which can be down-regulated in disease conditions, as observed in decreased expression of DNAJB3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of obese patients. Recently, humanized UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1 mice (hUGT1 mice) were developed, in which the introduced human UGT1 gene contained a gene encoding human DNAJB3. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of human DNAJB3 mRNA in hUGT1 mice. Among the examined tissues, the testis had the highest expression of human DNAJB3 mRNA, while the lowest expression was observed in the liver. We found that the pattern of tissue-specific expression of mouse Dnajb3 in hUGT1 mice was very similar to that of human DNAJB3. We further demonstrated that the expression of human DNAJB3 in the liver was significantly reduced in high-fat-diet-fed hUGT1 mice compared to the expression level in the control mice, indicating that the expression of human DNAJB3 in hUGT1 mice could be similarly regulated in disease conditions such as obesity. Humanized UGT1 mice might therefore be useful to investigate the physiological role of human DNAJB3 in vivo.     

Solid-state recycling of aluminium alloy swarf through cold profile extrusion and cold rolling

In this study, the possibility of solid-state recycling of aluminium alloy machining swarf using cold extrusion and a subsequent cold rolling process is investigated. Cast Al-Si alloy swarf was cold compacted into billets and successfully profile-extruded into square bars with a rectangular cross-sectional aspect ratio of 1:1.8 under an extrusion ratio of 4 or more. After annealing, the extruded bars underwent multi-pass cold rolling into 1-mm thick strips with a total rolling reduction of 85%. Optical microscopy demonstrated that in material recycled using only an extrusion process, coarse residual voids existed in regions where insufficient plastic strain was introduced, causing a visible expansion of the material during heat treatment. However, uniaxial tensile tests showed that extrusion-recycled material had a higher mechanical strength than the original aluminium alloy, implying sufficient bonding among the individual pieces of machining swarf. It was also found that the strength and density of material recycled through extrusion and an additional rolling process were superior to material recycled using extrusion only. Moreover, it was observed that the ductility of the recycled materials was inferior to that of the original aluminium alloy.