Size-Controlled Preparation of Polyethylene Nanoplastic Particles by Nanoprecipitation and Insights into the Underlying Mechanisms.

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous in the environment, and nanoplastics (<1 μm) are of growing concern as they pose more health risks than larger particles. However, because of a lack of appropriate model particles, studies examining the risks of polyolefin nanoplastics are very limited, despite the prevalence of these plastics in the environment. Although nanoprecipitation using organic solvents is a promising method for preparing model nanoplastic particles of polyolefins, there are currently no methods for controlling the particle size.

Pressure-induced evolution in the durability of nickel-metal hydride batteries under high-current charge.

We found that an AAA-type battery (min. 750 mAh) pressurized with Ar or N at pressures of up to 5 MPa exhibited a significant durability enhancement even under high-current conditions. As an example of a charge-discharge cycle test at 3 amperes, the residual ratio of capacity at atmospheric pressure decreased to approximately 90% of the standard capacity before 50 cycles.

Kinetic Modelling of Electroless Nickel-Phosphorus Plating under High Pressure.

In electroless nickel-phosphorus plating (ENPP), growth of the plated layer under high pressure was found to be faster than under ambient pressure. To quantitatively elucidate the effect of high pressure on the mechanism of the ENPP reaction, we propose a kinetic model that takes into account both mass transfer and reaction of the chemical species present in the plating solution. We solved the mass balance equations between the chemical species to calculate the transient changes in the thickness of the plated layer as well as the concentrations of the chemical species in the plating solution.

Simple solvatochromic spectroscopic quantification of long-chain fatty acids for biological toxicity assay in biogas plants.

Oily organic waste is a promising feedstock for anaerobic co-digestion. Free long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) produced from lipids can inhibit methanogenic consortia, so optimal control of LCFA concentration is the key to successful operation of co-digestion. Most LCFAs are present in the solid phase, making them difficult to be detected and monitored.

Dual-fuel production from restaurant grease trap waste: bio-fuel oil extraction and anaerobic methane production from the post-extracted residue.

An effective way for restaurant grease trap waste (GTW) treatment to generate fuel oil and methane by the combination of physiological and biological processes was investigated. The heat-driven extraction could provide a high purity oil equivalent to an A-grade fuel oil of Japanese industrial standard with 81-93 wt% of extraction efficiency. A post-extracted residue was treated as an anaerobic digestion feedstock, and however, an inhibitory effect of long chain fatty acid (LCFA) was still a barrier for high-rate digestion.

Fast charging of lead-acid batteries enabled by high-pressure crystallization.

Lead-acid batteries were electrically charged and discharged more quickly under high pressures than under atmospheric pressure due to high-pressure crystallization induced by the former condition. High-pressure crystallization can generate extremely small crystals with large supersaturation and small mass transfer rates. Crystals of PbSO4 on the electrodes were observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the crystals became smaller when the operative pressure increased, even when faster charging was carried out.

The TRK-fused gene is mutated in hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement.

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominant involvement (HMSN-P) is an autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by widespread fasciculations, proximal-predominant muscle weakness, and atrophy followed by distal sensory involvement. To date, large families affected by HMSN-P have been reported from two different regions in Japan. Linkage and haplotype analyses of two previously reported families and two new families with the use of high-density SNP arrays further defined the minimum candidate region of 3.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 infection activates the unfolded protein response in MDBK cells, leading to apoptosis.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVDV-2) strains are divided into cytopathic and non-cytopathic biotypes based on the ablity to induce cytopathic effects in cultured cells. The mechanism of cytopathogenicity of BVDV-2 is not well understood. We examined cytopathogenesis in MDBK cells resulting from BVDV-2 infections by microscopic examinations and microarray analysis.

Effects of chelating reagents on colonial appearance of Paenibacillus alvei isolated from canine oral cavity.

A bacterial strain isolated from the oral cavity of a healthy dog revealed an unusual colony formation in nebular appearance on agar plates. The isolated bacterial strain was Gram-positive, spore-forming rod with peritrichous flagella, and grown under aerobic conditions, but unable to grow at 45 degrees C. The strain was tentatively classified as Paenibacillus alvei according to the biochemical properties and the 16S rRNA gene sequence.

Coronary plaque stabilization followed by Color Code Plaque analysis with 64-slice multidetector row computed tomography.

A 61-year-old woman with hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus was referred to hospital for the evaluation of chest pain at rest. Eccentric 50% stenosis in the proximal right coronary artery was detected by 64-slice multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT). The plaque morphology was considered as soft by Color Code Plaque (CCP) analysis.

Determination of physicochemical properties of tetrabromobisphenol A.

Aqueous solubility (Sw), 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow), and vapor pressure of the nonionic form of 2,2',6,6'-tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol (tetrabromobisphenol A or TBBP-A) were measured. From this, enthalpies of solution and vaporization were estimated. Furthermore, enthalpy of fusion and melting point were measured to estimate subcooled liquid vapor pressure, the infinite dilution activity coefficient, and Henry's law constant.

New concept of solute distribution around a diffusive crystal-solution interface of a binary Lennard-Jones mixture from the viewpoint of molecular dynamics.

Directional crystallization from a binary mixture was performed by pseudo-NpT ensemble molecular dynamics. The initial crystal phase having a face-centered-cubic (fcc) structure grew toward the whole cell according to the temperature gradient in the universal cell. The growing crystal phase was not planar even though the solute molecules grew in two-dimensional coordinates because the solvent molecules disturbed the crystallization of the solute molecules at the diffusive crystal-solution interface.

Refinement of a locus for autosomal dominant hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominancy (HMSN-P) and genetic heterogeneity.

Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal dominancy (HMSN-P) is an adult-onset peripheral neurodegenerative disorder which has been reported only in the Okinawa Islands, Japan. The disease locus of "Okinawa-type" HMSN-P has been previously mapped to 3q13.1, with all affected individuals sharing an identical haplotype around the locus, suggesting that the undiscovered causative mutation in HMSN-P originated from a single founder.

Physicochemical properties of selected polybrominated diphenyl ethers and extension of the UNIFAC model to brominated aromatic compounds.

The aqueous solubilities (S(w)) at various temperatures from 283 K to 308 K and 1-octanol/water partition coefficients (K(ow)) for four polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs: 4,4'-dibromodiphenyl ether (BDE-15), 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), 2,2',4,4',5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153)) were measured by the generator column method. The S(w) and K(ow) data revealed the effect of bromine substitution and basic structure on S(w) and K(ow). To estimate the infinite dilution activity coefficients (gamma(i)(w,infinity)) of the PBDEs in water from the S(w) data, enthalpies of fusion and melting points for those compounds were measured with a differential scanning calorimeter.

Noninvasive assessment of coronary stents in patients by 16-slice computed tomography.

Background: The usefulness of thin-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) has been highly expected to assess the lumens of coronary artery stents. We evaluated the usefulness of 16-slice MDCT to assess the in-stent lumen after coronary artery stenting.

Methods: In 42 consecutive patients after coronary artery stenting, retrospective ECG-gated CT-angiography using 16-slice MDCT (0.

Ability for visualization, reasons for nonassessable image, and diagnostic accuracy of 16-slice multidetector row helical computed tomography for the assessment of the entire coronary arteries.

It was demonstrated that 16-slice multidetector row helical computed tomography may permit more accurate assessment of entire coronary arteries, with a low rate of arteries unable to be evaluated. The detection of coronary artery stenoses with this modality was applicable to assessable segments.

Water solubility and partitioning behavior of brominated phenols.

The water solubility (Sw) in the temperature range from 283 to 308 K and 1-octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow) for the nonionic form of brominated phenols (BPhs) of varying bromine content (4-bromophenol, 2,4-dibromophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, and pentabromophenol) were measured by the generator-column or shake-flask method and by the high-performance liquid chromatography method, respectively. The temperature dependence of Sw, namely enthalpy of solution (deltaHsolution), was calculated using the van't Hoff Equation. To determine the activity coefficients in water (gammaw) of BPhs from the Sw data, enthalpy of fusion (deltaHfusion) and melting point (Tm) were measured by a differential scanning calorimetry method.

Prediction of physico-chemical properties for PCs/DFs using the UNIFAC model with an alternative approximation for group assignment.

The original-type UNIFAC model was used to predict the environmentally important physico-chemical properties of PCDDs/DFs, such as aqueous solubility, Henry's law constant, and 1-octanol/water partition coefficient, through the UNIFAC-derived infinite dilution activity coefficient. In this application, we suggest an alternative approximation that the aromatic ether group AC-O in PCDD/DF molecules is replaced with the aliphatic ether group CH-O, because the AC-O group is not available in the conventional UNIFAC model. With this approximation, the ability of the UNIFAC model to predict those properties was examined by comparing with experimental data.

Novel Phenomena of Crystallization and Emulsification of Hydrophobic Solute in Aqueous Solution.

Emulsification of lauric acid in an aqueous ethanol solution including lauric acid solute has been observed during cooling before crystallization of lauric acid occurs. The nature of two different solubility curves was explained for the system of lauric acid and aqueous ethanol solution. The mutual solubility of the two liquid phases controls emulsification; the solid solubility of lauric acid controls crystallization.