109 research outputs found
Removal of Pb(II) from water using keratin colloidal solution obtained from wool
The aim of this study is to investigate the use of keratin colloidal solution, which was obtained from wool, for the removal of Pb(II) from water. The addition of keratin colloidal solution (15 g L-1, 0.30 mL) to a Pb(II) solution (1.0 mM, 0.90 mL, pH 5.0) resulted in the formation and precipitation of a Pb-keratin aggregate. Measurement of the Pb(II) and protein concentrations in the supernatant solution revealed that 88 and 99 % of the Pb(II) and keratin protein were removed from the solution, respectively. The maximum Pb(II) uptake capacity of keratin in the colloidal solution was 43.3 mg g(-1). In addition, the Pb-keratin aggregate was easily decomposed via the addition of nitric acid, which enabled the recovery of Pb(II). However, aggregation did not occur in solutions with Pb(II) concentrations below 0.10 mM. Therefore, we used a keratin colloidal solution encapsulated in a dialysis cellulose tube to remove Pb(II) from 0.10 mM solutions, which enabled the removal of 95 % of the Pb(II). From these results, we conclude that keratin colloidal solution is useful for the treatment of water polluted with Pb(II).ArticleENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH. 20(9):6531-6538 (2013)journal articl
In silico case studies of compliant robots: AMARSI deliverable 3.3
In the deliverable 3.2 we presented how the morphological computing ap-
proach can significantly facilitate the control strategy in several scenarios,
e.g. quadruped locomotion, bipedal locomotion and reaching. In particular,
the Kitty experimental platform is an example of the use of morphological
computation to allow quadruped locomotion. In this deliverable we continue
with the simulation studies on the application of the different morphological
computation strategies to control a robotic system
DNC/HNC Ratio of Massive Clumps in Early Evolutionary Stages of High-Mass Star Formation
We have observed the HN13C J=1-0 and DNC J=1-0 lines toward 18 massive
clumps, including infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and high-mass protostellar
objects (HMPOs), by using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. We
have found that the HN13C emission is stronger than the DNC emission toward all
the observed sources. The averaged DNC/HNC ratio is indeed lower toward the
observed high-mass sources (0.009\pm0.005) than toward the low-mass starless
and star-forming cores (0.06). The kinetic temperature derived from the NH3 (J,
K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) line intensities is higher toward the observed high-mass
sources than toward the low-mass cores. However the DNC/HNC ratio of some IRDCs
involving the Spitzer 24 {\mu}m sources is found to be lower than that of
HMPOs, although the kinetic temperature of the IRDCs is lower than that of the
HMPOs. This implies that the DNC/HNC ratio does not depend only on the current
kinetic temperature. With the aid of chemical model simulations, we discuss how
the DNC/HNC ratio decreases after the birth of protostars. We suggest that the
DNC/HNC ratio in star-forming cores depends on the physical conditions and
history in their starless-core phase, such as its duration time and the gas
kinetic temperature.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures, accepted to Ap
The Kiloparsec-scale Neutral Atomic Carbon Outflow in the Nearby Type-2 Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068: Evidence for Negative AGN Feedback
Active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback is postulated as a key mechanism for
regulating star formation within galaxies. Studying the physical properties of
the outflowing gas from AGN is thus crucial for understanding the co-evolution
of galaxies and supermassive black holes. Here we report 55 pc resolution ALMA
neutral atomic carbon [CI] observations toward the central
1 kpc of the nearby type-2 Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068, supplemented by 55 pc
resolution CO() observations. We find that [CI] emission within
the central kpc is strongly enhanced by a factor of 5 compared to the
typical [CI]/CO intensity ratio of 0.2 for nearby starburst galaxies (in
units of brightness temperature). The most [CI]-enhanced gas (ratio 1)
exhibits a kpc-scale elongated structure centered at the AGN that matches the
known biconical ionized gas outflow entraining molecular gas in the disk. A
truncated, decelerating bicone model explains well the kinematics of the
elongated structure, indicating that the [CI] enhancement is predominantly
driven by the interaction between the ISM in the disk and the highly inclined
ionized gas outflow (which is likely driven by the radio jet). Our results
strongly favor the "CO dissociation scenario" rather than the "in-situ C
formation" one which prefers a perfect bicone geometry. We suggest that the
high [CI]/CO intensity ratio gas in NGC 1068 directly traces ISM in the disk
that is currently dissociated and entrained by the jet and the outflow, i.e.,
the "negative" effect of the AGN feedback.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journal Letter
TSUJI Kunio et Paris : Le Cours à l\u27Université Paris III <La littérature des ïnjas (anachorètes)>
TSUJI Kunio adorait Paris. Son premier séjour à Paris pour ses études s\u27est déroulé d\u27octobre 1957 à janvier 1961. Après ses multiples allers-retours, il a fini par poser un pied-à-terre pour sa femme et pour lui-même rue Descartes, où une plaque nous rappelle sa présence. Toutefois, pendant longtemps, il était visiteur et non résident. C\u27était en 1980 que la situation a changé ; il a fait des conférences sur l\u27introduction à la culture japonaise à l\u27Université Paris X. Il a ainsi commencé à dans la société française. Il a entrepris d\u27expliquer aux étudiants français avec leur langue rationnelle, le système culturel japonais irrationnel. Encouragé par cette expérience d\u27enseignement bien réussie, en 1984 il a donné de nouveau des cours de littérature japonaise à l\u27Université Paris III dans l\u27UFR japonais, ayant pour titre :. Il est fort possible qu\u27il avait déjà une conception, même très vague, de son roman Saïgyô Kaden(Les arcanes de Saïgyô)qu\u27il commencerait à rédiger en 1991. Depuis l\u27antiquité, les Japonais sont très sensibles à la nature et aux saisons. Leur sensibilité littéraire s\u27était développé sous forme de poésie lyrique. Saïgyô et Bashô (le dernier est parti en voyage pour suivre la trace du premier) sont, d\u27après TSUJI, deux poètes les plus représentatifs de cette sensibilité japonaise pour la nature et les saisons. Ils ont tous deux adopté le mode de vie d\u27. Dans cet article, nous avons reproduit son cours à l\u27Université Paris III à partir des notes bilingues franco-japonais (manuscrit autographe ou dactylographié) que conserve le Musée de l\u27Université Gakushuin
Differences among epitopes recognized by neutralizing antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination
SARS-CoV-2 has gradually acquired amino acid substitutions in its S protein that reduce the potency of neutralizing antibodies, leading to decreased vaccine efficacy. Here, we attempted to obtain mutant viruses by passaging SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of plasma samples from convalescent patients or vaccinees to determine which amino acid substitutions affect the antigenicity of SARS-CoV-2. Several amino acid substitutions in the S2 region, as well as the N-terminal domain (NTD) and receptor-binding domain (RBD), affected the neutralization potency of plasma samples collected from vaccinees, indicating that amino acid substitutions in the S2 region as well as those in the NTD and RBD affect neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies. Furthermore, the neutralizing potency of vaccinee plasma samples against mutant viruses we obtained or circulating viruses differed among individuals. These findings suggest that genetic backgrounds of vaccinees influence the recognition of neutralizing epitopes
Near Infrared Imaging Survey of Bok Globules: Density Structure
On the basis of near-infrared imaging observations, we derived visual
extinction (Av) distribution toward ten Bok globules through measurements of
both the color excess (E_{H-K}) and the stellar density at J, H, and Ks (star
count). Radial column density profiles for each globule were analyzed with the
Bonnor-Ebert sphere model. Using the data of our ten globules and four globules
in the literature, we investigated the stability of globules on the basis of
xi_max, which characterizes the Bonnor-Ebert sphere as well as the stability of
the equilibrium state against the gravitational collapse. We found that more
than half of starless globules are located near the critical state (xi_max =
6.5 +/- 2). Thus, we suggest that a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere
characterizes the typical density structure of starless globules. Remaining
starless globules show clearly unstable states (xi_max > 10). Since unstable
equilibrium states are not long maintained, we expect that these globules are
on the way to gravitational collapse or that they are stabilized by non-thermal
support. It was also found that all the star-forming globules show unstable
solutions of xi_max >10, which is consistent with the fact that they have
started gravitational collapse. We investigated the evolution of a collapsing
gas sphere whose initial condition is a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere. We
found that the column density profiles of the collapsing sphere mimic those of
the static Bonnor-Ebert spheres in unstable equilibrium. The collapsing gas
sphere resembles marginally unstable Bonnor-Ebert spheres for a long time. We
found that the frequency distribution of xi_max for the observed starless
globules is consistent with that from model calculations of the collapsing
sphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. 39 pages in
preprint format, including 10 figures. The version with higher resolution
figures can be obtained at the following site
(http://alma.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~kandori/preprint/
Gender, Family Background, and Academic Aspirations : A Study on Inequality in Access to University in Japan
- …