Advanced RO element obtained by new membrane and channel material

Introduction Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are regarded as the most powerful tools to solve global water problems, since they make it possible to supply high-grade water with low cost and low energy consumption. RO membrane technologies have made great progress in last 50 years. However, still more improvement of membrane performance is required to achieve lower energy consumption and higher water quality in seawater, brackish water, and tap water desalination field. Toray has made efforts to elucidate dynamics of water molecules during water permeation process using neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulation. Utilizing these results, new RO membranes with high water permeability was developed based on advanced molecular design of cross-linked polyamide pore structure. In addition, Toray created a new permeate channel material of element with low water flow resistance that enhanced water flux of the new RO membrane element. Material and Method Polyamide RO membranes were fabricated by interfacial polymerization of aromatic amines and carboxylic acid chlorides. Protuberance and pore structures of the polyamide RO membranes were analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. (Figure 1) Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Antioxidant Activity of Intramolecularly Hydrogen Bonded 2-Aminophenol

The antioxidant activities of five classes of 2-aminophenol (model compound) and 2-aminophenols with substituent at the phenyl ring were studied in the oxidation of tetralin induced by an azo-initiator at 61℃. 2-Aminophenols with electron-donating groups at the 4-position exhibited higher antioxidant activity than that of the model compound. However, introduction of the methoxy group at the 4-position reduced the antioxidant activity by 8 % that of the model compound. 2-Aminophenols with electron-donating groups at the 5-position have little effect on the antioxidant activity. 2-Aminophenols with electron-donating groups at both the 4- and 6-positions showed remarkable antioxidant activity. These results were discussed in terms of the hydrogen bonding effect and bond dissociation energies of the O-H and NH-H bonds

Software Defined Media: Virtualization of Audio-Visual Services

Internet-native audio-visual services are witnessing rapid development. Among these services, object-based audio-visual services are gaining importance. In 2014, we established the Software Defined Media (SDM) consortium to target new research areas and markets involving object-based digital media and Internet-by-design audio-visual environments. In this paper, we introduce the SDM architecture that virtualizes networked audio-visual services along with the development of smart buildings and smart cities using Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smart building facilities. Moreover, we design the SDM architecture as a layered architecture to promote the development of innovative applications on the basis of rapid advancements in software-defined networking (SDN). Then, we implement a prototype system based on the architecture, present the system at an exhibition, and provide it as an SDM API to application developers at hackathons. Various types of applications are developed using the API at these events. An evaluation of SDM API access shows that the prototype SDM platform effectively provides 3D audio reproducibility and interactiveness for SDM applications.Comment: IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC2017), Paris, France, 21-25 May 201

Emulsifying Characteristics of Gelatin Hydrolysate from Tilapia Skin Covalently Attached with N-hydroxysuccinimide Esters of Fatty Acids

This study aims to combine two modification methods, namely enzymatic hydrolysis and covalent attachment with hydrophobic groups, to increase the emulsifying properties of gelatin. The experiment was conducted by using a completely randomized design with three replicates. Enzymatic hydrolysis of gelatin resulted in higher contents of free amino groups, which could be attached to hydrophobic groups. Gelatin hydrolysates covalently attached with the N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of C14:0 and C18:0 fatty acids at a molar ratio of 3.0 showed high emulsifying activity but low stability. Among the samples obtained, gelatin hydrolysate covalently attached with C18:0 at a molar ratio of 3.0 revealed the highest emulsifying activity; however, this sample cannot be considered the best emulsifier among the samples because of its low stability

The Calcium and Voltage Clocks in Sinoatrial Node Automaticity

Recent evidence indicates that the voltage (cyclic activation and deactivation of membrane ion channels) and Ca2+ clocks (rhythmic spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release) jointly regulate sinoatrial node (SAN) automaticity. Since the intact SAN is a heterogeneous structure that includes multiple different cell types interacting with each other, the relative importance of the voltage and Ca2+ clocks for pacemaking may be variable in different regions of the SAN. Recently, we performed optical mapping in isolated and Langendorff-perfused canine right atria. We mapped the intracellular calcium (Cai) and membrane potentials of the intact SAN simultaneously. Using previously described criteria of the timing of the late diastolic Cai elevation (LDCAE) relative to the action potential upstroke to detect Ca2+ clock activity, we demonstrated that the sinus rate increased and the leading pacemaker shifted to the superior SAN with the robust LDCAE during β-adrenergic stimulation. We also showed that the LDCAE was caused by spontaneous diastolic SR Ca2+ release and was closely related with heart rate changes. We conclude that the Ca2+ and voltage clocks work synergistically to generate SAN automaticity