Preface
The present thesis is the record of the studies on the artificial gill, which have been carried out under the directions of Professor Kiyotaka Sakai and Assistant Professor Fukasi Kohori, Department of Chemical Engineering, Waseda University, during 1999-2005. In the present thesis, several efficient artificial gills were designed and developed by various approaches based on chemical and biomedical engineering. These artificial gills are feasible to transfer oxygen from water to air at a high transfer rate, and they also enable the supply of high partial pressure of oxygen to air, which is sufficient for human respiration. These artificial gills are applicable to various fields, such as scuba diving, sea rescue, sea investigation, seabed factory, seabed amusement park, and seabed habitation. Therefore, the results of this thesis would be useful for expanding the various fields of underwater activity, and in realizing the dream of living under water. The works in the present thesis are accomplished with cooperation of many coworkers.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Kiyotaka Sakai and Dr.
Fukasi Kohori for their valuable suggestions, discussions and encouragements.
They have given me expert knowledge on chemical and biomedical engineering.
I am also grateful to Dr. Akira Hirata, Dr. Izumi Hirasawa and Dr.
Satoshi Tsuneda, Waseda University for their constructive comments.
I am grateful to Dr. Hiroyuki Nishide and Dr. Hiromi Shinohara for their valuable advice.
I am grateful to several researchers in the fields of chemical and biomedical engineering, Dr. Akihiro C. Yamashita, Shonan Institute of
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Technology, Dr. Toshiyuki Kanamori, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Dr. Seiichi Mochizuki, Kawasaki Medical School, Dr. Ryo Yoshida, The University of Tokyo and Dr. Yasuo Yoshimi, Shibaura Institute of Technology, for their valuable comments and discussion.
I am much indebted to Dr. Noriaki Matsuda, Rice University for his advice and guidance. He gave me expert knowledge on artificial gill, blood oxygenator, characteristics of hemoglobin, etc.
I am deeply grateful to Mr. Katsumi Hara, Mr. Yasunori Shimizu, Ms.
Urara Hasegawa, Mr. Naoki Narisawa, Mr. Syusi Asano, Ms. Yuki Totani, Mr.
Hiroyasu Karube, Mr. Tomohiro Miyake and Mr. Masashi Okuoka for their assistance in the experiments and many valuable discussions. I also wish to thank Ms. Sachiko Abdel Aziz, Ms. Keiko Tosano and all the members of Sakai-Kohori Laboratory for continual encouragement.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my parents for their generous mind to me.
KENICHI NAGASE
Sakai-Kohori Laboratory Waseda University
February, 2005
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