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Electric field calculations have been improved in Japan. In the charge simulation method, disc charges have been introduced as fictitious charges. The method of conformal representation was also applied to the charge simulation method. The surface charge method was considered to be useful for various types of dielectrics. However, its application has been extended by simulating the surface charge density by means of Chebyshev polynomials. Curved-surface triangular and rectangular elements were also introduced in three-dimensional application of the surface charge method. The finite-element method is applied to the electric field including resistance, the ion flow field and the combination method. The electric field at a triple junction, where an electrode and two dielectrics meet at one point, has been investigated and the details of the electric field near the triple junction has been made clear.

Nuclear power generation is now one of the most important technologies in the energy supply in Japan. The operational experience of nuclear power plants for more than 20 years in Japan has shown that water chemistry is a key technology for safer and more economical operation of nuclear power plants. Extensive efforts have been made in the field of water chemistry to achieve the targets of radiation field control, to keep the integrities of piping and fuel elements and to reduce the radioactive waste generation. This paper briefly describes the present status of Japanese water chemistry technology with the main emphasis placed on BWRs.

The gastrointestinal tract is known to be rich in neural systems, among which afferent neurons are reported to exhibit protective actions. We tested whether an endogenous neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), can prevent gastric mucosal injury elicited by ethanol and enhance healing of acetic acid-induced ulcer using CGRP knockout mice (CGRP(-/-)).The stomach was perfused with 1.6 mmol/L capsaicin or 1 mol/L NaCl, and gastric mucosal injury elicited by 50% ethanol was estimated. Levels of CGRP in the perfusate were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Gastric ulcers were induced by serosal application of absolute acetic acid.Capsaicin inhibited injured area dose-dependently. Fifty percent ethanol containing capsaicin immediately increased intragastric levels of CGRP in wild-type (WT) mice, although 50% ethanol alone did not. The protective action of capsaicin against ethanol was completely abolished in CGRP(-/-). Preperfusion with 1 mol/L NaCl increased CGRP release and reduced mucosal damage during ethanol perfusion. However, 1 mol/L NaCl was not effective in CGRP(-/-). Healing of ulcer elicited by acetic acid in CGRP(-/-) mice was markedly delayed, compared with that in WT. In WT, granulation tissues were formed at the base of ulcers, and substantial neovascularization was induced, whereas those were poor in CGRP(-/-). Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor was more markedly reduced in CGRP(-/-) than in WT.CGRP has a preventive action on gastric mucosal injury and a proangiogenic activity to enhance ulcer healing. These results indicate that the CGRP-dependent pathway is a good target for regulating gastric mucosal protection and maintaining gastric mucosal integrity.

This study aims to propose a new process design, simulation, and techno-economic analysis of an integrated process plant that produces glucose and furfural from palm oil empty fruit bunches (EFB). In this work, an Aspen Plus-based simulation has been established to develop a process flow diagram of co-production of glucose and furfural along with the mass and energy balances. The plant's economics are analyzed by calculating the fixed capital income (FCI), operating costs, and working capital. In contrast, profitability is determined using cumulative cash flow (CCF), net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). The findings show that the production capacity of 10 kilotons per year (ktpy) of glucose and 4.96 ktpy of furfural with a purity of 98.21 and 99.54%-weight, respectively, was achieved in this study. The FCI is calculated as United States Dollar (USD) 20.80 million, while the working and operating expenses are calculated as USD 3.74 million and USD 16.93 million, respectively. This project achieves USD 7.65 million NPV with a positive IRR of 14.25% and a return on investment (ROI) of 22.06%. The present work successfully develops a profitable integrated process plant that is established with future upscaling parameters and key cost drivers. The findings provided in this work offer a platform and motivation for future research on integrated plants in the food, environment, and energy nexus with the co-location principle.

Abstract Recently, there has been attractive attention over the defect-engineering where the optimum extent of oxygen deficiency has been considered as an effective route towards enhancing the solar-driven water oxidation photocurrent. In this study, a nanoplate-like tungsten oxide with dual oxygen and tungsten vacancies (WO3-x) was successfully fabricated on tungsten foil by acid-mediated hydrothermal treatment to highly improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of WO3-x photoanode. Thermal annealing at 550 °C in air led to an oxygen deficient surface with a sub-stoichiometric by phase transformation from orthorhombic WO3·.nH2O to γ-monoclinic. However, the optimum number of oxygen vacancies in WO3-x fabricated at 2 h (W-2 h) with compact, porous and uniform nanoplate film that provide a large surface area for efficient charge collecting capability, caused an enhanced photocurrent density of 4.12 mA/cm2 (41.2 mA/W) at 1.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl, as compared to W-3 h (2.59 mA/cm2, or 25.9 mA/W) and W-30 min (1.79 mA/cm2 or 17.9 mA/W). Finally, local variations in dual oxygen and tungsten vacancies and in the electronic band structure of a WO3-x thin film was analyzed with ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS).

Abstract A range-adjusted measure (RAM) of efficiency, as recently developed in data envelopment analysis (DEA), is used to evaluate the performance of entities that supply water services in Japan. Its robustness properties are tested and pointed up for uses in improved accountability, and are further pointed up in terms of the potential for help in conducting performance and efficiency audits. The results from DEA are also joined with the Mann–Whitney rank order statistic to show how the two techniques may be jointly used in addressing issues of general policy. The Kanto Region and Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan are used for an illustration.

Dry air has been introduced to gas-insulated switchgears as an environmentally friendly insulation medium for SF 6 gas. Since its insulation strength is about onethird of SF 6 gas, to grasp the insulation properties of highly pressurized dry air is necessary to apply dry air insulation to further high voltage equipments. In this paper, to consider smaller products and higher voltage ratings, insulation properties in highly pressurized dry air was investigated. Especially, pressure dependence, surface roughness dependence and the effect of surface processes were investigated.