Japanese Families Queuing Up In Train Station at Post-War

Queuing is a good tradition and reflects how discipline is a country. However, one of the saddest thing of 2011 is that infinite queuing becomes so much often in Japan, especially after the earthquake and tsunami disaster in March 11th.

A commonsense of Japanese people about abundance of materials ruins after that devastating disaster happened. People had to line up in hundred meters of line as early as midnight the night before to get supplies like toilet paper and gasoline as a severe shortage happened aftermath.

Aftermath Queuing Causes

In the middle of March, queues at petrol stations of up to two miles were seen in many places in East Japan, especially in Tohoku areas, the worst-hit areas. Due to the earthquake, some big oil refineries must be temporarily shut down as their standard operating procedure, and as a result, logistic network was down.

However, the case is different for daily supplies. The acute shortages are not caused by the consumption. Actually they are not out of stock. Factories in various regions operates as usual, and the stock is still sufficient in the warehouses. But a sudden high demand aftermath in the retailers (e.g. convenient stores), and there are people who want to save larger amount of supplies anticipating next earthquake, those actions result the acute shortage. Some people just queued in front of shops which even clearly  written “Closed”

massive queues for fuel in sendai

Queuing in front of Convenient Store in Sendai

You can check out some other pictures showing this kind of sad queues HERE

We especially my country, Indonesia, should learn from the Japanese. Amidst the heartbreaking devastation in Japan, social solidarity and discipline seems to be especially strong in Japan.  Long queues, but quiet and orderly. Without scrambling, without fighting, they just “automatically” form a line and queue patiently.

Queuing for an iPhone!

Beside sad queuing due to daily supplies shortage, in year 2011 there is a fun queuing in japan because of Apple’s new gadget, iPhone 4S. Japan was among the first countries to see the release of Apple’s new iPhone 4S, with fans queuing for up to 80 hours to be first in line. Recently I found a page showing some photos describing how Japanese people are crazy of the new iPhone 4S! Click HERE!!

Now we don’t need to write down on graph paper as high school teachers always ask student do that at math class.

Let’s check some examples. Enter cos(pi*x) * x^2 in the google searching bar, and you will find:

Here I found in the internet a geeky stuff that you may find interesting. Perhaps this could be a way a geek ask a woman for a date

The above graph can be plotted using the following mathematical expression: (sqrt(cos(x))cos(200 x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(9-x^2), -sqrt(9-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5

Or try this awesome plotting by googling:

1.5sqrt(-abs(abs(x)-1)*abs(3-abs(x))/((abs(x)-1)*(3-abs(x))))(1+abs(abs(x)-3)/(abs(x)-3))sqrt(1-(x/7)^2)+(4.5+0.75(abs(x-.5)+abs(x+.5))-2.75(abs(x-.75)+abs(x+.75)))(1+abs(1-abs(x))/(1-abs(x))),-3sqrt(1-(x/7)^2)sqrt(abs(abs(x)-4)/(abs(x)-4)),abs(x/2)-0.0913722(x^2)-3+sqrt(1-(abs(abs(x)-2)-1)^2),(2.71052+(1.5-.5abs(x))-1.35526sqrt(4-(abs(x)-1)^2))sqrt(abs(abs(x)-1)/(abs(x)-1))

and see the result! *click zoom out button if not properly appears*

Some typical topics in process system engineering

During the early era of development of chemical engineering science, PSE mostly discuss about

1. Process design and analysis
2. Process control
3. Process operation

However, as we deal with complex systems, the topics is not limited to area of chemicals manufacture. There are many process system engineering researchers who broaden their topics to environmental problems, and microreactors. What a PSE researchers do probably can be briefly described in this picture.

PSE in Japanese Universities

In Japan, PSE is developed mostly in chemicals related companies and universities which have Chemical Engineering Department. Companies, especially the big ones usually have manufacturing technology research center, as a part of R&D. However the results they produced are kept unpublished.  That is why there is a gap between what actually happens in the manufacturing floor and researches in universities.

There are many PSE related research groups (laboratory) in Japanese universities, and each of the have their own color and specialty. Some of them deals with process control (Kyoto Univ, Tokyo Inst. of Tech, TUAT), Life Cycle Assessment considered process design (Tokyo University), Biosystem related (Osaka Univ, but not chemical eng. dept), etc. Due to their specialty, at many occasions people from companies come and have a consultation to to them related to problems happens in the manufacturing scene. At this kind of occasions, cooperation between PSE researchers in Universities and in Universities built.

無茶で、計画性のない人生の歩み方であることはわかっている。でもこの一年間、時間的に余裕があっても、精神的に余裕はなかった。就職活動のとき、毎晩毎晩面接の練習やら自己分析だの企業研究だの、といったことで成績が悪くなったほど忙しかった。それで、大学院の受験を決意してからは図書館を通い、もっぱら受験勉強に夢中だった。どうなるかわからない就職活動とどうなるかわからない他大学院の受験勉強は心を疲れさせた。まあ、私が精神的に未熟であることの証拠とも言えよう。

今でも、大学院から内定が出ても奨学金をもらう保証はまだないが、手がないわけではないととうとう思うようになった。文部科学省奨学金の延長にも望みはあるし、延長できなくても、実際入学したら奨学金はもらえる。その上、バイトまでしてもいい、先輩がただって助けてくれるといってたから、修士までは絶対に進もうと現時点の結論だ。そう思うことで、不思議なことに心は安らいできた。

だがその安らぎはずっと存在するものではない、卒研が忙しくなったときにはもうなくなるかもしれない。今こそ、これからのこと、つまり人生設計を考えるんだ。なぜ考えるかというと、きちんと学部生のときから計画する先輩となんとなく過ごしてきた先輩を比べると、頭のよさの面ではあまり違わないが、生活安定性、地位、自分の夢の達成度などの面では偉く違うのがわかった。現時点では私の最終的な結論は出ていないが、幾つかの選択肢はわかったし、エンジニアリング業界で活躍することを通じて世界に貢献しようという夢は変わりないのだ。

A feasible and industrially successful method to solve such system is the use of phase transfer agents, which transfer reactive anions from the aqueous or solid phase into the organic phase, where the reaction occurs. And this 40 years since first mentioned in some early patents, Phase Transfer Catalysis (PTC) has proved to be a very important means of transcending phase barriers in heterogeneous systems. And Starks, with his first publication “Quaternary Ammonium Salts as Phase Transfer Catalysts” and his book published in 1978, “Phase Transfer Catalysis: I Heterogeneous Reactions Involving Anion Transfer by Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts” is believed to have coined the phrase phase transfer catalysis.

It is estimated by Starks in 1994 that Phase Transfer Catalysis has been used in as many as 500 commercial processes, with wide ranging applications in the pharmaceuticals, agro-based chemicals, and polymer science. The reason is that PTC finds applications in primarily nucleophilic substitution reactions and in reactions in the presence of bases involving the deprotonation of weakly acidic organic compounds. Reactions which could be carried out by PTC include redox, polymerizations, synthesis of carbenes, addition reactions, condensations and so on, which are often part of a multistep synthesis process for fine chemicals manufacture.

Despites thousands of publications on the chemistry and the applications of PTC, comprehensive kinetic study and mathematical modeling of the PTC reactions is still lacking. That’s why, my research for my final project will be an attempt to review the kinetic studies and mathematical modeling of PTC system using a reaction model described below.

The PT catalyst (Q) used in above reaction is Polyethylene glycol, which is despite its rather low reactivity compared to common PT catalyst Ammonium Salts, Polyethylene glycol is proven to be low price and not poisonous, which is suitable to designing of continuous type of reactors.

Lately, after I finished my internship period in Chiyoda, somehow, it changed my frame of mind. Before I join that internship program, in somewhere in my head, I wanted to be a researcher, work in a remote research center (but still in Japan). But during the internship, I know from seniors working at Chiyoda about  fact that many of research done by professors in universities, even in Japan, end up as archived research documents, without any follow up. I mean, there are only a few research topics would be applied in industry. If it’s about Indonesia, then I won’t deny for that. But We are talking about Japan, man!!!Furthermore, it can be said no career for researchers. The highest position they can pursue is head of research center. Meanwhile, if you work in Japanese companies, you’ll have a great chance to go to mid-level manager, or even board member, regardless your status as a foreigner.

Perhaps you’ll say I’m wrong, I am capitalist, but I’m telling you just  the facts.

In Japan, unlike US, Europe and Australia, there is no coursework degree, so students must do research, and fulfill their professor ambition of publishing papers as many as possible. If capitalist is described as “Mata Duitan” (Indonesian word, means “dollar eyed”), we may say many professors in japan are “Mata Paper-an” (paper-eyed). But it can’t be helped. I’m already entering this kind of environment, so what I have to do is just taking advantage from them, learn to think logically, learn to do assignments responsibly, learn to do presentation periodically, and learn many things else.

Prepare from Now –A Book Review

My ambition to enter “wild” Japanese industry, made me want to enrich my understanding about industry in Japan. That reminded myself, that in 4^th semester, I attended a class called 日本事情第4（Topics on Japan IV）, by Professor Sachio Hirose. FYI, before entering Tokyo Tech as a professor, he used to be an executive director of one of chemical company giants in japan. Textbook used in the class, was given out free of charge, was authored by himself, and the title is 「新しい企業の動向に強くなれ―理系留学生のための社会人入門―」or can be translated literally as “Be Strong at Industry New Trend –Introduction Guidance to Enter Working Society for Science-Engineering Int’l Students-”

Even it has been more than 6 month since I got credit from that class, I’m still reading it. The book teaches me many things. I feel this book as an advice collection presented by director of a big company. It’s kinda hard to explain everything explained in this book, but I can say that this book is now one of my life manual (人生マニュアル) in Japan. Everytime I want brief explanation about current trend of Japanese industry, the condition of labor in japan, or when I write a curriculum vitae and I don’t have idea what should I write in some columns, I refer to this book. Good answers for interview, ideas for humanity class reports etc. are also often figured out when I read the book. When I talked with my Japanese friends about some contents of this book, they often say they don’t know about the matter. The book also contains many tips if you want to enter Japanese industry, and how to prepare your professional personality. In a word, I really recommend this book for everyone, especially international students majoring at engineering who is able to read literatures written in Japanese. And for students of Tokyo Tech, especially undergraduate students, I highly recommend you guys to take Professor Hirose Sachio’s class. He’ll really inspire you ^^

To me, seven eleven is the most accessible convenient store, because there is one shop on the ground floor of the building my classes always take place. Lately I found a channel which contains some old but interesting TV commercials of 7-eleven, a widely spread convenient store in Japan. I really thank to one Youtube user who uploaded these videos. If you understand Japanese (even a bit), or you live in japan, you will feel the messages hiding in these commercials. And for you who are still beginning to learn japanese, it’s recommended to remember simple daily conversation in the script of those commercial. Most of them promotes 7-eleven as a friendly and familiar convenient store. I like them because they explain us about finding happiness in little things and how to appreciate them.

1. Fukuro he o-ire simashou ka (May I put them in plastics bag?)

2. ￥777

3. Nikuman

4. Hiso-hiso

5. Yuuki (courage)

6. Genki

7. Purpose: Seeking for Mood

In the middle of Ramadhan (and also middle of summer) this year, to earn one credit in my university department, for 10 days, I have joined an internship program held by one of Japanese engineering giants CHIYODA CORPORATION, Japan. It’s an engineering consultancy which offers the complete range of process plant engineering and design solutions to both domestic & international clients in sectors critical to economic growth – Petroleum refining, Petrochemicals, Chemicals, Fertilizers, Oil & Gas and LNG & LPG. Actually many of Indonesian LNG and Petroleum Plants, was built by Chiyoda. Their main clients are petroleum and chemicals companies, so I’m not sure everyone knows about this company ^_^

I did my internship program located in Chiyoda’s head office in Tsurumi, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 30 minutes by from Tokyo downtown. And most of the time I worked at Chiyoda in the ‘Petroleum-Petrochemical Process Design Center’. I worked among many Process Engineers, one profession who I want to be sometime.

Assignments

My training, as the good news, was somehow in accordance with my study in Tokyo Tech. Mainly there are 3 big assignments: Simulation plus optimization of a distillation column using Pro/II ( a process simulator software), then total head calculation of pumps, and the last assignments was distillation column’s tray rating.

The simulation isn’t really a new thing for me because I’m already quite familiar with HYSYS, one commercial process simulator. I also had to thank my lecturer in Tokyo Tech. Although I don’t really like the way he teach, his teaching had been useful for my internship first assignment. However, the rest two assignment were completely new thing for me. I just understand the Bernoulli Law, and Fanning Equations, and it need more than 1 workday (9:00~17:36) to get the meaning of the second assignment (about pump). And the same thing happened when the senpai (the real engineers worked there) gave me the tray rating assignment, which using the principle of vapor~liquid equilibrium. But thanks to the senpai, they have struggled to make me understand, even their explanation isn’t that good. And –alhamdulillah—All of the assignments (plus some additional assignment) have been accomplished on time.

People

Honestly, the people there aren’t really that good to me, but I just keep thinking positively. Perhaps they are in a busy period, or probably that is because I didn’t proactively greet and have a chat with them. But once, they invited me to a social gathering (懇親会) in an ethnic restaurant. I said ok because I thought it is a restaurant, not a bar or a drinking spot (居酒屋) so it’s ok for me, a muslim to join. But in practice, they drank beer and alcohol so much. I couldn’t count how many glasses they had ordered. They started mumbling about their bosses, about the project they are facing. At that time I just order some juice and squash, and I answer when they asked about myself, my country, and my religion. Only one thing I could take advantage from that gathering: On the next day, I felt to be admitted as one of them. Some of them talked to me as if I was their friend. Sigh.. Until now, I can’t say, my action to accept their invitation to that gathering is right or wrong.

But I still feel grateful

Overall, It was really good experience for me. I could enrich my understanding to many things: My major in the university, Chemical Engineering in Japan, and off course, Japanese people and their culture. I hope I could do one or two more internship program in another chemical engineering related companies, not only in Japan but also around the world. Bismillah ^^

Figure 1 Coba anda ingat-ingat, kapan bulan terlihat berbeda dari ini?

Tapi kali ini bukan itu yang akan saya ceritakan. Saya hanya ingin kita sama-sama mengingat bahwa manusia pun tidak jauh berbeda dari bulan. Kita memiliki dua wajah. Wajah yang di depan yang selalu kita perlihatkan, dan satu lagi wajah yang selalu kita tutup rapat-rapat.

Mengenai hal itu, saya pernah mendengar sebuah cerita tragis. Bukan cerita tentang orang Indonesia, jadi Anda tidak perlu menebak siapa orangnya. Ada sebuah universitas di jepang yang mewajibkan mahasiswanya tinggal di asrama dalam kampus. Untuk universitas di Jepang, sistem ini adalah sistem yang sangat jarang. Umumnya, asrama hanya disediakan untuk segelintir siswa yang punya alas an kuat untuk diperbolehkan tinggal di asrama, seperti berprestasi, kurang mampu, atau mahasiswa asing.

Dampak dari sistem asrama itu, salah satunya adalah sangat mudah untuk membuat teman baik. Ya jelas saja lah. Saling bertengkar dengan teman sekamar yang harus tinggal di satu ruangan selama bertahun-tahun, sama dengan menyiksa diri sendiri. Alkisah, ada dua orang mahasiswa putri yang, dari luar kelihatan sangat akrab. Di kantin selalu makan bersama, di kampus, di kereta, intinya hampir setiap kali orang melihat, mereka selalu berdua.

Tak jarang– sebut saja– A menitip uang pada B untuk membelikan sesuatu untuk A sendiri, dan begitu juga sebaliknya. Katanya, pernah juga beberapa kali si-A meminta tolong pada B untuk mengambilkan uang di ATM, dengan kartu ATM milik A. Siapapun yang melihat, mereka berdua adalah sahabat sejati.

Sampai pada suatu saat, A mengaku kehilangan kartu ATM nya. Kalau saja dia ingat di mana dan kapan dia menghilangkan, tentu tidak ada masalah. Bertanya pada B, teman sejatinya itu pun bilang tidak tahu apa-apa.

“Untungnya” yang hilang saat itu adalah kartu ATM dan bukan uang tunai, jadi A bisa langsung melacak ke bank untuk menyetop kartu ATM nya. Tapi sayangnya sesampainya di bank, sekalipun kartunya bisa disetop, seluruh uang di rekeningnya sudah dalam keadaan dicairkan. Lemaslah lutut A.

Namun “Untungnya” lagi, di semua mesin ATM di Jepang dipasang security camera yang menangkap siapapun yang berada di depannya. Karena jangka waktu sejak penarikan terakhir hingga saat A melapor ke bank tidak terpaut lama, rekaman saat penarikan terakhir masih belum terhapus.

Usut punya usut, siapakah yang terakhir menarik seluruh uang A? Tak lain tak bukan, sang sahabat sejati, B lah yang tertangkap rekaman security camera.

A menerima shock yang luar biasa. Tak hanya karena uangnya yang diambil sahabatnya, tapi wajah yang dia lihat di rekaman security camera itu jauh berbeda dari wajah ramah sahabatnya selama bertahun-tahun itu. Raut wajah yang dingin.

Saya sendiri ketika mendengar cerita ini, merasa merinding, betapa menyeramkannya “dual nature” dari manusia itu. Tapi karena memang “nature”, saya agak ragu apa ada orang yang betul-betul HANYA menampakkan isi hatinya. Kalau ada, mungkin dia bisa naik awan kintoun seperti Son Goku di cerita Dragon Ball. Saya yakin di setiap orang ada hal yang disembunyikan pada siapapun, bahkan buku hariannya sendiri. Tapi inilah ciri yang menarik dari manusia, yang membuat mereka berbeda dari hewan.

Lha terus, apa yang harus kita perbuat? Apakah kita harus berperilaku seperti polisi yang berprinsip “Jika tidak ingin dikhianati, curigailah semua orang hingga orang yang paling tidak ingin kau curigai?” Kalau begitu, nantinya akan bertentangan dengan salah satu prinsip:

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, jauhilah kebanyakan dari prasangka, sesungguhnya sebagian prasangka itu adalah dosa dan janganlah kamu mencari-cari kesalahan orang lain dan janganlah sebahagian kamu menggunjing sebahagian yang lain. Sukakah salah seorang di antara kamu memakan daging saudaranya yang sudah mati? Maka tentulah kamu merasa jijik kepadanya. Dan bertakwalah kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Penerima Taubat lagi Maha Penyayang”. (QS. Al Hujurat : 12)

Hmmm, berarti kita dihadapi pada “dual nature” yang baru, yaitu kepercayaan dan kecurigaan. Tapi sepertinya saya tak akan membahas lebih jauh. Ustadz-ustadz dan orang-orang bijak yang ada di sekitar anda mungkin memiliki jawaban yang lebih membuat anda mengangguk-angguk.

By the way, saya adalah orang kesekian yang mendengar cerita di atas, jadi walaupun inti dan hikmah ceritanya sama, mungkin detil cerita di atas sudah agak menyeleweng dari redaksi aslinya.

Prinsip dansa itulah yang membuat Yves Chauvin (Prancis), Robert H. Grubbs, dan Richard Schrock (keduanya dari AS) mendapatkan hadiah Nobel tahun 2005. Reaksi metatesis, yang sebenarnya sudah ditemukan sejak tahun 1950 namun mekanismenya masih tidak diketahui itu, dengan kegigihan 3 orang kimiawan tadi akhirnya terungkap jelas.

Reaksi metatesis yang terjadi pada ikatan ganda karbon (olefin) sendiri sebenarnya sederhana (Gb. 1)

Gb. 1 Reaksi Metathesis

Kalau kita lihat sisi kiri reaksi, kita lihat R1 berada di masing-masing senyawa. Tapi di sisi kanan (produk), R1, kedua-duanya menempel di satu produk saja, sedang yang lain tidak memiliki R1 sama sekali. Itulah reaksi metatesis pada olefin.

Mekanismenya, atau dikenal sebagai mekanisme Chauvin adalah seperti berikut (Gb. 2 baca dari kanan-kiri). Pada awal reaksi, karben logam bergabung dengan alkena membentuk cincin beranggotakan empat atom (3 karbon, 1 logam M), yang masing-masing memiliki ikatan tunggal. Kemudian ikatan itu putus, dan jadilah alkena dan karben logam yang baru (lihat letak R1 berpindah! ). Karben logam yang baru itu bereaksi dengan alkena awal, sekali lagi membentuk cincin 4 anggota. Cincin itu pecah lagi, dan dihasilkanlah alkena dengan 2 R1, dan karben logam semula. Karena karben logam semula dihasilkan lagi pada akhir reaksi, kita sebut dia sebagai katalis.

Mekanisme Chauvin untuk Reaksi Metathesis

Mekanisme Chauvin ini dianalogikan sebagai mekanisme pertukaran partner dansa (Gb. 3). Awalnya ada pasangan alkena, dan ada pasangan katalis. Mereka berempat bergabung, untuk sementara berdansa bersama, lalu saling berpisah, masing-masing berdansa dengan partner yang baru.

Analogi Pertukaran Pasangan Reaksi Metathesis

Bagi anda yang tak tertarik dengan bidang kimia, penjelasan di atas mungkin membuat anda bosan. Saya pun tidak jauh berbeda. Ilmu kimia, terutama kimia organik sering membuat orang yang tadinya suka kimia jadi kehilangan semangat. Tapi tahun lalu universitas yang saya tumpangi, Tokyo Tech kedatangan salah satu penemu mekanisme ini, yaitu Professor Grubbs (Gb. 4). Mendengarkan kuliah langsung dari penemu reaksi ini membuat saya tak pernah kehilangan semangat belajar kimia organik. Saya yakin para pembaca juga punya “penyemangat” masing-masing ^_^

Penulis (kanan) bersama Prof. Grubbs dan Yose Fachmi, senior penulis di Titech

Tetap semangat!!!