Evaluation of drinking ease relative to the opening diameter and beverage type of aluminum beverage bottles

金沢大学理工研究域機械工学系This paper investigates the effects of different bottle opening sizes (28, 33, and 38 mm in diameter) and beverage types (e.g. green tea, carbonated beverages) on the drinking satisfaction of consumers, in order to enhance their comfort levels when drinking from aluminum beverage bottles. A survey of 120 Japanese subjects was conducted, and the 33 mm opening size emerged as the most preferred, irrespective of beverage type. The factor analysis results of the questionnaire show that drinking satisfaction is primarily affected by two common factors: the volume of flow from the bottle to the mouth and the adjustability of the flow. The results of the three-dimensional fluid-dynamics analysis indicate that differences in beverage type could influence what consumers regard as an appropriate flow. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Finite element analysis applied to ergonomic design of 2-piece aluminum beverage cans and bottles

金沢大学理工研究域機械工学系This paper has introduced the finite element analysis (FEA) into the ergonomie design to evaluate the human feelings numerically and objectively, and then into the optimization design of beverage containers considering human factors. In the design of the end of can (the lid of can), experiments and the FEA of indenting vertically the fingertip pulp by a probe and the tab of end have been done to observe force responses and to study feelings in the fingertip. A numerical simulation of finger lifting the tab for opening the can has also been performed, and discomfort in the fingertip has been evaluated numerically to present the finger-accessibility of the tab. The comparison of finger-accessibility between two kinds of tab ring shape designs showed that the tab that may have a larger contact area with the finger is better. In the design of beverage bottles served hot drinks, the FEA of tactile sensation of heat has been performed to evaluate numerically the touch feeling of the finger when holding the hot bottle. The numerical simulations of embossing process have also been performed to evaluate the formability of various rib-shape designs. The optimum design has then been done considering the hot touch feeling as well as the metal sheet formability. Copyright © 2007 by ASME

Evaluation method of drinking ease for aluminum beverage bottles

金沢大学理工研究域機械工学系This paper has investigated effects of the bottle opening size on drinking feelings in order to improve the comfort level of consumers when drinking directly from the opening of aluminum bottle. A survey over 120 subjects has been performed based on a drinking test using three kinds of bottles with opening diameters of 28, 33 and 38 mm, respectively. Two questionnaires have been conducted. Statistical analysis results of Questionnaire 1 have shown that 33-mm opening is best for adult consumers with no matter the type of contents, gender and the mouth size. The factor analysis results of Questionnaire 2 based on Kansei Engineering have shown that drinking feeling is affected by two common factors, which considered as the flow from the bottle to the mouth and the flow adjustability. Moreover, the fluid-dynamics analysis model has been developed to simulate the bottled liquid in a drinking action consisting of survey results and experimental observations of consumers\u27 drinking actions. Numerical simulations have been performed to understand how consumers control the flow during the drinking actions. It is found that the consumers usually try to realize the ideal and preferable condition by adjusting the inclination angle of the bottle. Copyright © 2007 by ASME

Thinning minimization for forming aluminum beverage can end shells

Forming simulations of the can end shell have been implemented based on both of the axisymmetric model and three-dimensional models, for a better understanding of the forming process. The comparison shows that the simulation results agree reasonably well with the experimental observations of the actual forming process. The influence of the loads applied to tools, the clearance between tools, the shape of the tool profile and the position of tools have been investigated, based on the axisymmetric model to save computational time. The design optimization method based on the numerical simulations have been applied to search the optimum design points, in order to reduce the thinning subjected to the constraints of the geometric shape of the shell and the suppression of wrinkles. The optimization results show that the thinning can be improved up to 4% by optimizing the forming route, adjusting the clearance and the load, and modifying the tool shape. © 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved

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

Successful Transcatheter Arterial Embolization to Control Intratumoral Hemorrhage in Clear-Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney

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