The effects of acoustic flow and mechanical flow on the sonochemical efficiency in a rectangular sonochemical reactor

Visualization of cavitation behavior in a rectangular sonochemical reactor at 490 kHz was carried out by a laser sheet technique and the distribution of liquid flow was measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter. The pattern of liquid flow and distribution of acoustic pressure of the rectangular sonochemical reactor were investigated as a function of the input power from 10 to 50 W. The liquid moved upward above the transducer at every power. As increasing the input power, the random flow out side the cylindrical part above the transducer changed into the convective one and the region of the visualized standing wave which was formed in the cylindrical part changed with the input power. The position showing the sonochemical luminescence exists inside or near the region where the standing wave was visualized. Introduction of a stirrer resulted in disturbance of liquid flow and expanded the position showing the sonochemical luminescence, but the luminescence intensity was weakened. The sonochemical efficiency was enhanced by about twice by introduction of the stirrer. From these results, we discussed the effects of liquid flow on sonochemical efficiency with and without a stirrer.     

Femtosecond Polarization Switching in the Crystal of a [CrCo] Dinuclear Complex

Capability to control macroscopic molecular properties with external stimuli offers the possibility to exploit molecules as switching devices of various types. However, application of such molecular‐level switching has often been limited by its speed and thus efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate ultrafast, photoinduced polarization switching in the crystal of a [CrCo] dinuclear complex by ultrafast pump–probe spectroscopy in the visible and mid‐infrared regions. The photoinduced polarization switching was found to have a time constant of 280 fs, which makes the [CrCo] complex crystal the fastest polarization‐switching material realized using the metastable state. Moreover, the pump–probe data in the visible region reveal the pronounced appearance of coherent nuclear wavepacket motion with a frequency as low as 22 cm^?1, which we attribute to a lattice vibrational mode. The pronounced non‐Condon effect for its resonance Raman enhancement implies that this mode couples the relevant electronic states, thereby facilitating the ultrafast polarization switching.     

Selective transalkylation of polynuclear aromatics over solid acid catalysts

A selective transalkylation technique in the linear position of polynuclear aromatics, including biphenyl and related polynuclear aromatics, naphthalene, and dibenzofuran, is reviewed in comparison with the shape-selective alkylation over zeolite catalysts. Steric hindrance and electron density at the substitution sites of polynuclear aromatics are two influential factors for the selectivity.     

Comparison between the traction and pressure-imposed boundary conditions in finite element flow analysis

A formulation is developed to impose pressure-prescribed boundary conditions in the penalty finite element method. Some numerical experiments for the Poiseuille flow problem are performed to compare it with the conventional traction-prescribed boundary condition. Also the incorrectness of the traction-free outlet boundary condition for contained-flows is studied with explanatory numerical examples. Discussion is focused on the inlet and outlet boundary conditions to simulate fully developed flows. Finally, the three-dimensional flow in a bifurcated pipe is analysed with the proposed formulation.     

The photobase generator nifedipine as a novel matrix for the detection of polyphenols in matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI‐MS) is widely used for the detection and analysis of ionizable compounds. However, the method has less potential for the analysis of neutral compounds, such as polyphenols, owing to their lack of favorable proton‐attachment or ‐removal groups. In this study, we reported for the first time that nifedipine (2,6‐dimethyl‐3,5‐dicarbomethoxy‐4‐(2‐nitrophenyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine), which is a strong photobase generator commonly used in polymerization, can abstract protons from neutral compounds in negative mode‐MALDI experiments. When nifedipine (5 mg/ml) was used as a matrix reagent, the limit of detection (LOD) for epigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate (EGCG) was determined to be 100 fmol/spot, which constitutes >50‐fold improvement compared to the LOD obtained when trans‐3‐indoleacrylic acid, a matrix reagent previously reported for polyphenol detection, was used. Of the dihydropyridines investigated, only nifedipine facilitated the detection of EGCG, suggesting that the nitrosophenyl pyridine derivative of nifedipine formed by photoreduction under laser irradiation at 355 nm plays a crucial role in detecting polyphenols in negative mode. Reduced MS detection of 5‐O‐methylnaringenin indicated that nifedipine may preferably remove a proton from the 5‐position OH group in the A ring of the flavonoid skeleton. The significant MS detection by nifedipine was extensively observed for polyphenols including flavones, flavonones, chalcones, stilbenoids and phenolic acids. In conclusion, nifedipine can act as a novel matrix for improving polyphenol detection by MALDI‐MS in negative mode. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Feasibility of a Newly Developed Local Network System for Cardiac Rehabilitation (the CR-GNet) in Disease Management and Physical Fitness after Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective: To examine the Cardiac Rehabilitation Gifu Network (CR-GNet) feasibility in managing diseases and assisting patients in attaining physical fitness, and its impact on long-term outcomes after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: In this prospective observational study, we enrolled 47 patients with ACS registered in the CR-GNet between February 2016 and September 2019. 37, 29, and 21 patients underwent follow-up assessments for exercise capacity (peak oxygen uptake) at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after discharge, respectively. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were compared with controls not registered in the CR-GNet. Results: The coronary risk factors, except blood pressure, improved at 3 and 6 months, and 1 year after discharge. These risk factors in each patient significantly reduced from 2.9 at admission to 1.6, 1.4, and 1.9 at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after discharge (p<0.05), respectively. Peak oxygen uptake was significantly higher at 3 months (17.5±4.9 ml/kg/min), 6 months (17.9±5.1 ml/kg/min), and 1 year (17.5±5.5 ml/kg/min) after discharge than that at discharge (14.7±3.6 ml/kg/min) (p<0.05). During follow-up, there was no significant difference; MACE did not occur in any patients in the CR-GNet but occurred in controls. Conclusion: CR-GNet is a feasible option for the long-term management of ACS patients.     

Three-Dimensional Two-Temperature Modeling of Ar Loop-Type Inductively Coupled Thermal Plasma for Surface Modification

In this paper, numerical calculations were made for Ar loop-type inductively coupled thermal plasma (loop-ICTP). The loop-ICTP was developed originally by the authors’ group for rapid surface modification of large areas. Loop-ICTP is sustained with a unique three-dimensional (3D) configuration inside a circular loop quartz tube and on the substrate. A 3D and two-temperature thermofluid thermal plasma model was adopted for this calculation. Mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations were solved using a Maxwell equation for vector potential, an electron energy transport equation, and Saha’s equation in the 3D space. Results indicate that Ar loop-ICTP can be sustained and formed in the loop tube and also on the substrate. Moreover, the heavy particle temperatures reaches 1800–2000 K, whereas the electron temperature is about 10,000 K. Loop size effects on the gas temperature and gas flow field were also investigated using the developed model. Results show that adoption of a larger loop tube can be expected to improve the plasma uniformity on the substrate when applied to rapid surface modification.

     

Nanotransfer of the polythiophene molecular alignment onto the step-bunched vicinal Si(111) substrate

A poly(3-dodecylthiophene-2,5-diyl) film having in-plane anisotropic molecular arrangement was successfully fabricated by transferring its Langmuir-Blodgett film onto a step-bunched Si(111) substrate. Polarized near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure measurements revealed that the polythiophene main chains are preferentially orientated along periodic facet/terrace nanostructures on the step-bunched substrate, whereas less anisotropy was found on a flat substrate. The step-bunched Si substrate has been proved to be effective for controlling the in-plane molecular arrangement in the polymer thin film.     

Application of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to the measurement of local temperature in solutions under optical trapping condition

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was applied to the quantitative evaluation of the local heating in small domains <1 microm in solutions under the laser trapping condition in the presence of a near-infrared (NIR) laser beam at 1064 nm. On the basis of the translational diffusion coefficient of fluorescent molecules obtained by FCS, the relationship between temperature rise and the incident NIR laser power, DeltaT/DeltaP, were determined to be 62 +/- 6, 49 +/- 7, and 23 +/- 1 deg K/W in ethylene glycol, ethanol, and water, respectively, while no remarkable temperature increase was observed for deuterated water. The value of DeltaT/DeltaP linearly increased as a function of alpha/lambda (alpha is the extinction coefficient of solvent at the wavelength and lambda is the thermal conductivity of the medium). The validity and the applicability of the present method for the measurement of the local temperature increase were discussed by comparing the present results with previous ones by other various methods.