Formation and structure of titanium alkyl phosphates

Titanium alkyl phosphates (TiAP) synthesized by the reactions of Ti(SO(4))(2) with monohexyl, monooctyl, and monodecyl phosphates in aqueous media were characterized by various means. The XRD patterns of TiAP showed a strong diffraction peak and two weak ones below 2theta=15 degrees. The TiAP particle prepared using octyl phosphate gave rise to the lattice patterns having uniform alternating spacings of ca. 0.7 and ca. 2.0 nm. When treated at 900 degrees C, TiAP crystallized as TiP(2)O(7). The chemical formula could be shown as (ROPO(3))(2)Ti.0.44H(2)O. These facts suggest that the TiAP is composed of a multilayer alternating bimolecular layer of alkyl phosphates and hydrated titanium phosphate phase. Alkyl groups in the layers were removed by outgassing above 300 degrees C to give the materials having mesopores with a diameter of ca. 2 nm.     

Rheological properties of reversible thermo-setting in situ gelling solutions with the methylcellulose–polyethylene glycol–citric acid ternary system

Colloid and Polymer Science - The composition of vehicle on the reversible sol-gel transition temperature in a ternary system made up of methylcellulose (MC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and citric...     

Optimal harvesting policy of an inland fishery resource under incomplete information

A new mathematical model for finding the optimal harvesting policy of an inland fishery resource under incomplete information is proposed in this paper. The model is based on a stochastic control formalism in a regime‐switching environment. The incompleteness of information is due to uncertainties involved in the body growth rate of the fishery resource: a key biological parameter. Finding the most cost‐effective harvesting policy of the fishery resource ultimately reduces to solving a terminal and boundary value problem of a Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equation: a nonlinear and degenerate parabolic partial differential equation. A simple finite difference scheme for solving the equation is then presented, which turns out to be convergent and generates numerical solutions that comply with certain theoretical upper and lower bounds. The model is finally applied to the management of Plecoglossus altivelis, a major inland fishery resource in Japan. The regime switching in this case is due to the temporal dynamics of benthic algae, the main food of the fish. Model parameter values are identified from field measurement results in 2017. Our computational results clearly show the dependence of the optimal harvesting policy on the river environmental and biological conditions. The proposed model would serve as a mathematical tool for fishery resource management under uncertainties.     

An arrayed-window microfluidic device for observation of mixed nanoparticles with an X-ray free-electron laser

Optical Review - A microfluidic device was developed for coherent diffraction imaging using an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL-CDI). Liquid samples, which are separately packed in reservoirs of the...     

Single chain distribution analysis near a substrate using a combined method of three-dimensional imaging and SCF simulation

The effect of preferential wetting of one of the constituent block chains and corresponding block copolymer morphologies to a carbon substrate is studied from a molecular level. The single chain distribution of the block copolymer was estimated as a function of the distance from the substrate by a combined method of transmission electron microtomography (TEMT) and self-consistent field (SCF) simulation. The former provides three-dimensional (3D) morphological information of cylindrical microdomains near the surface, while the latter utilizes the 3D morphology to quantitatively determine the interaction between the block chains and substrate, which is further used to estimate the single chain distribution of one of the block chains, i.e., the subchain, of the matrix. It was found that the subchains in the vicinity of the wetting layer are substantially compressed, while the radius of gyration of the subchain at a distance L (L is the interlayer distance of the cylindrical microdomains from the substrate) has already reached the same value as that in the bulk, indicating that the propagation of the surface interaction is limited to one layer. The methodology developed in this study can be used not only to estimate the surface effect on polymer chains for a variety of different surfaces, but also to provide a means to understand complicated block copolymer morphologies from a molecular level.     

Supernova neutrino nucleosynthesis of light elements with neutrino oscillations

Light element synthesis in supernovae through neutrino-nucleus interactions, i.e., the v process, is affected by neutrino oscillations in the supernova environment. There is a resonance of 13-mixing in the O/C layer, which increases the rates of charged-current -process reactions in the outer He-rich layer. The yields of 7Li and 11B increase by about a factor of 1.9 and 1.3, respectively, for a normal mass hierarchy and an adiabatic 13-mixing resonance, compared to those without neutrino oscillations. In the case of an inverted mass hierarchy and a nonadiabatic 13-mixing resonance, the increase in the 7Li and 11B yields is much smaller. Observations of the 7Li/11B ratio in stars showing signs of supernova enrichment could thus provide a unique test of neutrino oscillations and constrain their parameters and the mass hierarchy.     

Retroperitoneal ancient schwannoma presenting as an adrenal incidentaloma: CT and MR findings

A 35-year-old woman was referred to our institution for additional examinations to evaluate bilateral suprarenal masses incidentally found on abdominal ultrasonographic images obtained during an annual medical health checkup. Our computed tomographic scans showed bilateral and well-circumscribed low-density suprarenal masses, while MRI revealed the tumors to be heterogeneous with low intensity on T₁-weighted images and high intensity on T₂-weighted images. A laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed under the suspicion of a malignant tumor, such as a malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Pathologic findings indicated a retroperitoneal ancient schwannoma of two histologic types: Antoni A and Antoni B. We considered that elucidation of the characteristic features of a schwannoma would provide helpful preoperative information for diagnosis.