The photoluminescence (PL) intensities of Li-Ta-Ti-O:Mn⁴⁺ red phosphors were successfully improved under various oxygen partial pressures in an air-pressure control atmosphere furnace (APF). The Mn phosphors were synthesized using an APF and a conventional electric furnace (EF) with the composition formula Li_1.33Ta_0.67Ti_0.33O₃ as the host material. The effects of oxygen partial pressure on the Mn⁴⁺ ratio and crystal structure for the PL intensity were investigated. As a result, the PL intensity was enhanced under high oxygen partial pressure, showing about 2.6 times higher than the phosphor synthesized by EF.

Alginate capsules for encapsulating probiotics were synthesized under mild conditions without using harmful chemicals. When alginate capsules were synthesized using glucono-δ-lactone while suppressing the rapid pH drop of the inner water phase, it was possible to encapsulate living lactic acid bacteria. It was also found that coating the alginate capsule surface with chitosan improved the protective effect of the encapsulated lactic acid bacteria. Furthermore, culturing the encapsulated bacteria inside the capsules increased the number of living bacteria to meet the minimum recommended level for probiotic effect. Finally, we demonstrated that almost all encapsulated bacteria were released within 60 minutes in simulated intestinal fluid. From the above, it was suggested that the chitosan-coated alginate capsules synthesized in this study can be used as capsules for encapsulating probiotics.

SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a single-stranded RNA virus which causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). SARS-CoV-2 invade a human airway epithelium cell through binding of its Spike (S)-protein to ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2). Approved anti-inflammatory drugs and a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor underdevelopment for other disease were repositioned for the COVID-19 treatment. Furthermore, neutralization antibodies targeting the S-protein and antiviral drugs of RdRp or 3CL protease inhibitors were newly developed within only 3 years. The innovations of the drug discovery and development, including regulation, realized the rapid release of drugs to the market.

Comminution process is widely used in industry to produce fine particles. We developed a mathematical model of comminution in order to analyze particle size reduction in an impact pulverizer. In our model, it is assumed that parameter a, which represents particle breakage modes, depends on both impact velocity and size of the particles. To obtain that dependence, particle-size distribution was measured experimentally before and after the breakage using a jet-mill. We implemented the mathematical model into the simulation based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete phase model (DPM). It was confirmed that the simulation results coincide with the experimental ones in a rotary mill. Therefore, we conclude that it is important to consider the dependence of impact velocity as well as particle size on the breakage modes.

In various fields, most raw materials are in a granular state: their bulk properties are therefore of interest. The discrete element method (DEM) is frequently used to determine these properties. As numerous particles can be simulated by DEM, and particle shapes affect bulk properties, effective modeling of realistic particle shapes is required. In this study, two types of DEM simulations were compared: one using real ore particle shape, and one using particle shape computed by spherical harmonic-based principal component analysis. We confirmed the latter to successfully reproduce the bulk properties (repose angle, porosity, and coordination number) of the former.