Effect of preparation process of microfibrillated cellulose-reinforced polypropylene upon dispersion and mechanical properties

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) was prepared via two engineering approaches: disintegration of the pulp by a bead mill followed by a melt-compounding process with PP (B-MFC-reinforced PP); and disintegration of the pulp mixed with PP by a twin screw extruder followed by a melt-compounding process (T-MFC-reinforced PP). The effects that the engineering process and the microfibrillation of the pulp had upon the dispersion and mechanical properties were investigated through tensile tests, rheological analysis and X-ray computed tomography. The bead-milling method enabled a uniform microfibrillation of the pulp to under 100 nm, which corresponded to a surface area of 133–146 m²/g for the pulp, found by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The T-MFC-reinforced PP with 30 wt% MFC content exhibited a tensile modulus of 5.3 GPa and a strength of 85 MPa, whereas the B-MFC-reinforced PP composites with the same content of MFC exhibited values of 4.1 GPa and 59.6 MPa, respectively. Rheological analysis revealed that the complex viscosity and storage modulus at 170 °C of T-MFC-reinforced PP with 30 wt% MFC content are 5–7 and 5–8 times higher than that of B-MFC-reinforced PP, respectively. This indicated that T-MFC was more dispersed in the PP than B-MFC. Therefore, T-MFC produced a more rigid interconnected network in the matrix during the melting state than B-MFC.     

A Near-Infrared Dye That Undergoes Multiple Interconversions through Acid–Base Equilibrium and Reversible Redox Processes

A near-infrared (NIR) polymethine dye ( 1 ), consisting of a cyclohepta[1,2-b;4,3-b′]dithiophene and two phenol moieties, was synthesized. This dye exhibited pH-responsive changes in its photophysical properties due to a two-step acid–base equilibrium that produced a protonated cation ( 1H⁺ ) and an anion ( 1⁻ ). While 1H⁺ showed an intense fluorescence in the red region of the visible spectrum, 1⁻ exhibited a strong absorption in the NIR region. The tropylium ion character in 1H⁺ induces high pK_a1 and pK_a2 values for 1 . Moreover, a stable radical ( 1^. ) was prepared, which showed a NIR absorption band with a maximum at circa 1600 nm. The cyclic voltammogram of 1^. revealed a two-step reversible redox process that produced 1⁻ and the cation 1⁺ , which is different from 1H⁺ . These redox processes accompany drastic electrochromic changes in the vis–NIR region. Overall, 1 is susceptible to multiple interconversions between five forms, due to the multifaceted character of the cycloheptadithiophene skeleton.     

Continuous orbit equivalence,flow equivalence of Markov shifts and circle actions on Cuntz–Krieger algebras

We will study circle actions on Cuntz–Krieger algebras trivially acting on its canonical maximal abelian \(C^*\)-subalgebras from the view points of continuous orbit equivalence of one-sided topological Markov shifts and flow equivalence of two-sided topological Markov shifts.     

Mapping of the primary mannose binding site of pradimicin A

Pradimicin A (PRM-A) is an actinomycete-derived antibiotic with the lectin-like property of being able to recognize D-mannopyranoside (Man) in the presence of Ca(2+) ion. PRM-A and its derivatives have been attracting a great deal of attention as the only family of natural carbohydrate receptors with nonpeptidic skeleton and, more recently, as conceptually novel drug candidates for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Despite its scientific interest and potential therapeutic importance, understanding how PRM-A recognizes Man has been severely limited. Conventional interaction analysis of PRM-A with Man in solution has been frustrated by aggregation of PRM-A and the three-component equilibrium consisting of the [PRM-A(2)/Ca(2+)], [PRM-A(2)/Ca(2+)/Man(2)], [PRM-A(2)/Ca(2+)/Man(4)] complexes, and their mixed oligomers. In this Article, we demonstrate the interaction analysis of PRM-A with methyl α-D-mannopyranoside (Man-OMe) in the solid state, which benefits from aggregate-forming propensity of PRM-A and eliminates the problem associated with the complicated equilibrium in solution. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis and coprecipitation experiments revealed that the primary Man binding of PRM-A is markedly tighter than the secondary one, leading to preparation of the solid aggregate solely composed of the [PRM-A(2)/Ca(2+)/Man-OMe(2)] complex. The simple 1:1 complexes of biosynthetically (13)C-enriched PRM-As and [(13)C(6)]Man-OMe facilitated the analysis of the primary Man binding of PRM-A by two-dimensional dipolar-assisted rotational resonance (2D-DARR), which clearly identified that the cavity consisted of D-alanine moiety and ABC rings of PRM-A is the Man binding site. Interestingly, the proposed Man binding site of PRM-A seems to resemble the typical architecture of artificial carbohydrate receptors.     

Mn(III)-initiated facile oxygenation of heterocyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds

The Mn(III)-initiated aerobic oxidation of heterocyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, such as 4-alkyl-1,2-diphenylpyrazolidine-3,5-diones, 1,3-dialkylpyrrolidine-2,4-diones, 3-alkyl-1,5-dimethylbarbituric acids, and 3-butyl-4-hydroxy-2-quinolinone gave excellent to good yields of the corresponding hydroperoxides, which were gradually degraded by exposure to the metal initiator after the reaction to afford the corresponding alcohols. The synthesis of 30 heterocyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, the corresponding hydroperoxides and the 10 alcohols, their characterization, and the limitations of the procedure are described. In addition, the mechanism of the hydroperoxidation and the redox decomposition of the hydroperoxides are discussed.     

All-Fiber Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer Using a Pair of Fiber Grating Couplers

A new all-fiber optical add-drop multiplexer (ADM) using a pair of fiber grating couplers (FGCs) was proposed and first demonstrated. It was theoretically and experimentally shown that both drop and add efficiencies could be maximized in the proposed ADM. It was also clarified that the crosstalk between dropped and added signals could be improved in the proposed ADM compared with that in the single FGC. Drop and add operations in the ADM for 3-channel WDM signals with 1.6 nm wavelength spacing were confirmed. The ADM with signal amplification ability, which consists of a pair of FGCs, an EDF, and a pump-LD, was proposed and demonstrated. It was confirmed that the dropped and transmitted optical signals could be amplified in the ADM, and would be able to expand fiber routing spans.     

Sound-producing sand in Japan: major element composition and its minerals determined by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence.

The major element composition, including two kinds of clay minerals and moisture content of sound-producing sand are reported for the first time. Sand from 33 beaches in Japan has been found to make sound. Ten sound-producing beaches were selected to compare with silent beach sand. Both sound-producing sand and silent beach sand are mostly composed of quartz and feldspar. The range of SiO2 content of sound-producing sand is not different from silent sand samples. This indicates that a high quartz content is not necessary to produce sound, although more than 60 weight percent of quartz is necessary. One silent sand recovered its sound after a 3.5 percent HNO3 treatment. Also, a small portion of clay minerals was found. A clean grain surface is a necessary factor for sand to produce sound. Illite was found in all silent sand samples.     

Synthetic studies on quassinoids: a stereoselective construction of the picrasane skeleton

12β-Hydroxypicrasan-3-one, a compound having the correct relative stereochemistry of all the six ring-juncture chiral centers of the picrasane skeleton, was synthesized from a known tricyclic compound, using the orthoester Claisen rearrangement and lead tetraacetate oxidation as key reactions.     

Separation of aromatic substances from aqueous solutions using a reverse osmosis technique with thin,dense cellulose acetate membranes

Investigations were made of the water flux rate and rejection characteristics of aromatic substances in aqueous solutions using a thin, dense cellulose acetate membrane in reverse osmosis experiments. The aromatic substances used were phenol, aniline, hydroquinone and p-chlorophenol. The permeate became more enriched in aromatic compounds as compared to the feed solution as the water content of the membrane increased. By considering both the effects of pressure on the chemical potential of a component and the contribution of viscous flow to the overall transport of that component in the hydrated membrane, a theoretical relationship was developed to predict the negative solute rejection of the membrane. Based on this proposed theory, the permeability coefficients of water and organic solute were estimated from experimental solute rejection data, including negative values. The permeability coefficients of components were in good agreement with previously established correlations in measurements of partition and diffusion coefficients.