Chitosan as a suitable host for sustainable plasticized nanocomposite sodium ion conducting polymer electrolyte in EDLC applications: Structural, ion transport and electrochemical studies.

The challenge in front of EDLC device is their low energy density compared to their battery counter parts. In the current study, a green plasticized nanocomposite sodium ion conducting polymer blend electrolytes (PNSPBE) was developed by incorporating plasticized Chitosan (CS) blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), doped with NaBr salt with various concentration of CaTiO3 nanoparticles. The most optimized PNSPBE film was subsequently utilized in an EDLC device to evaluate its effectiveness both as an electrolyte and a separator. Structural and morphological changes were assessed using XRD and SEM techniques. The PNSPBE film demonstrated a peak ionic conductivity of 9.76×10-5 S/cm, as determined through EIS analysis. The dielectric and AC studies provided further confirmation of structural modifications within the sample. Both TNM and LSV analyses affirmed the suitability of the prepared electrolyte for energy device applications, evidenced by its adequate ion transference number and an electrochemical potential window of 2.86 V. Electrochemical properties were assessed via CV and GCD techniques, confirming non-Faradaic ion storage, indicated by the rectangular CV pattern at low scan rates. The parameters associated with the designed EDLC device including specific capacitance, ESR, power density (1950 W/kg) and energy density (12.3 Wh/kg) were determined over 1000 cycles.

Development of Allison scanner to measure transverse emittance at low energy beam transport of rare-isotope accelerator complex for ON-line experiments.

The Rare-isotope Accelerator complex for ON-line experiments is a heavy-ion accelerator facility that accelerates a stable or rare isotope beam up to 400 kW with an energy of 200 MeV/u. Various heavy-ion beams are generated from the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source, with an energy of 10 keV/u and separated according to A/Q at the first dipole magnet (DM). To measure beam transverse emittance at the Low Energy Beam Transport section, two Allison scanners are installed behind the DM for the X and Y directions. It consist of a servo motor for driving, a Faraday cup for current measurement, deflection plates, and electronic device. The measurable range of beam angle in of the Allison scanner is determined by the structure of the deflection plate and designed based on mathematical calculations. Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is adopted to integrate and control a variety of devices. To control the complex measurement sequence of the Allison scanner, an EPICS sequencer module was used. Normalized emittance is calculated by python code with Pyepics module using phase space distribution data. In this paper, we present the detailed design of the Allison scanner, the configuration of the control system, and the experimental results using an Ar9+ 30 µA beam.

Development of a filtered AXUV diode array for X-pinch soft x-ray spectra in the energy range of 1-10 keV.

We develop a filtered absolute extreme ultraviolet (AXUV) diode array to measure the time evolution of the soft x-ray spectrum in the energy range of 1-10 keV. AXUV-HS5, the detector, has a fast rise time of 0.7 ns, a wide energy detection range, and high accessibility. We use Geant4 simulations to design an appropriate filter set for flat-and-sharp virtual channels (VCs), where a filter with no spectral edge removes large tails of the response curves. A Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) method, sensitive to the expected spectral function, is improved to reliably generate a continuous radiation spectrum, by utilizing spectral information from the least-squares (LS) method that reconstructs a discrete spectrum with low spectral resolution directly from the VCs. We test the filtered AXUV diode array on an X-pinch device with a peak current of 140 kA at Seoul National University; the array with ten channels is installed in a vacuum chamber. For a two-wire 40 µm stainless steel X-pinch, x-ray power, radiation temperature, and the reconstructed x-ray spectrum are obtained from the filtered AXUV diode array by the combined LS-LM method.

A modular X-pinch device for versatile X-pinch experiments at Seoul National University.

This paper describes an X-pinch device recently developed at Seoul National University (SNU). The SNU X-pinch device is designed and fabricated to accommodate various diagnostics as well as conduct versatile experiments. It is easy to change the capacitance of the pulse generator because the capacitor bank has a modular design without insulation oil or gas. This allows us to perform a variety of experiments with a wide capacitance range from 80 to 800 nF. The operating voltage of the SNU X-pinch device is controlled from 20 to 100 kV by adjusting the gas pressure inside a triggered spark-gap switch. Triggering of the spark-gap switch is synchronized with the operation of a pulsed laser to diagnose the X-pinch plasma at the proper time. A large vacuum chamber precisely machined from an aluminum mono-block is attached to the top of the pulse generator. It is designed to accommodate not only various X-pinch loads but also various diagnostic apparatus such as optical components. Initial experiments with the SNU X-pinch device have successfully generated x rays with wires of various materials and sizes. The device will be used not only to explore the dynamics of X-pinch plasmas but also as a test stand for diagnostics of high-energy-density plasmas.

Data analysis scheme for correcting general misalignments of an optics configuration for a voltage measurement system based on the Pockels electro-optic effect.

Having a sub-ns response time and not requiring physical contacts to the measurement points, a voltage measurement system based on the Pockels electro-optic effect, referred to as a PE (Pockels effect)-based voltmeter, is widely used for pulsed high voltage devices such as accelerators and X-pinch systems. To correct for the misalignment of a Pockels cell and the transmittance ratio of a beam splitter, a polar-coordinate-based data analysis scheme has been proposed. This scheme also overcomes a limitation on the measurable range of a PE-based voltmeter without ambiguity and can measure the half-wave voltage of a Pockels cell. We present an improved polar-coordinate-based data analysis scheme using an ellipse fitting method, which can correct for misalignments of all the optics components of a PE-based voltmeter while keeping the advantages of the previous scheme. We show the results of the improved data analysis scheme for measuring a slowly modulated voltage up to approximately 5 kV in about 30 s and a pulsed high voltage up to 7 kV with a rise time of less than 20 ns.

Development of Polymer Blends Based on PVA:POZ with Low Dielectric Constant for Microelectronic Applications.

There is a huge request for the development of low dielectric constant polymeric materials for microelectronic applications. In thisstudy, polymer blends based on PVA:POZ with low dielectric constant has been fabricated. The results of XRD indicate that crystalline domain is enhanced at higher POZ concentration. Brilliant phases between spherulitesare attributed to the enhanced crystalline domains at high POZ content. White portions are appeared in SEM images on the surface of PVA:POZ blends. From EDX analysis, these leaked portions are referred to the POZ material. The number and sizes of the white portions were also found to increase with increasing the POZ content. Using electrical equivalent circuits (EEC), electrical impedance plots (Z″ vs Z') are fitted for all the samples. The results of impedance study illustrated that the resistivity of the samples increases with increasing POZ concentration. From dielectric measurements, dielectric constant was found to decrease with the introduction of more POZ into the PVA polymer. It is found to be about 1.68 at 40 wt.% POZ. Insulating materials with low dielectric constant (ε' < 2) are found to be important in the electronics manufacturing, owing to decrease in crosstalk, resistance-capacitance time delay and power dissipation in high-density circuits. Therefore, further investigations concerning the dielectric constant and impedance for all the samples are also carried out. The real and imaginary parts of electric modulus are studied, where minimizing of electrode polarization can be achieved.

Post-exposure prophylaxis for Middle East respiratory syndrome in healthcare workers.

An effective post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) strategy may limit the spread of infection. However, there is no consensus regarding PEP for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. This study assessed the efficacy of ribavirin and lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP for healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to patients with severe MERS-CoV pre-isolation pneumonia. The safety of the PEP regimen was assessed. HCWs with high-risk exposure to MERS-CoV pre-isolation pneumonia were retrospectively enrolled. HCWs who received PEP therapy were classified into the PEP group. PEP therapy was associated with a 40% decrease in the risk of infection. There were no severe adverse events during PEP therapy.

Large-scale interaction effects reveal missing heritability in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Genetic susceptibility factors behind psychiatric disorders typically contribute small effects individually. A possible explanation for the missing heritability is that the effects of common variants are not only polygenic but also non-additive, appearing only when interactions within large groups are taken into account. Here, we tested this hypothesis for schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) disease risks, and identified genetic factors shared with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When considered independently, few single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reached genome-wide significance. In contrast, when SNPs were selected in groups (containing up to thousands each) and the collective effects of all interactions were estimated, the association strength for SZ/BP rose dramatically with a combined sample size of 7187 cases and 8309 controls. We identified a large number of genes and pathways whose association was significant only when interaction effects were included. The gene with highest association was CSMD1, which encodes a negative regulator of complement activation. Pathways for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis exhibited strong association in multiple contexts. Taken together, highly associated pathways suggested a pathogenesis mechanism where maternal immune activation causes disruption of neurogenesis (compounded by impaired cell cycle, DNA repair and neuronal migration) and deficits in cortical interneurons, leading to symptoms triggered by synaptic pruning. Increased risks arise from GAG deficiencies causing complement activation and excessive microglial action. Analysis of PTSD data sets suggested an etiology common to SZ/BP: interneuron deficiency can also lead to impaired control of fear responses triggered by trauma. We additionally found PTSD risk factors affecting synaptic plasticity and fatty acid signaling, consistent with the fear extinction model. Our results suggest that much of the missing heritability of psychiatric disorders resides in non-additive interaction effects.

Surveillance of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (CoV) infection in healthcare workers after contact with confirmed MERS patients: incidence and risk factors of MERS-CoV seropositivity.

Given the mode of transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), healthcare workers (HCWs) in contact with MERS patients are expected to be at risk of MERS infections. We evaluated the prevalence of MERS coronavirus (CoV) immunoglobulin (Ig) G in HCWs exposed to MERS patients and calculated the incidence of MERS-affected cases in HCWs. We enrolled HCWs from hospitals where confirmed MERS patients had visited. Serum was collected 4 to 6 weeks after the last contact with a confirmed MERS patient. We performed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen for the presence of MERS-CoV IgG and an indirect immunofluorescence test (IIFT) to confirm MERS-CoV IgG. We used a questionnaire to collect information regarding the exposure. We calculated the incidence of MERS-affected cases by dividing the sum of PCR-confirmed and serology-confirmed cases by the number of exposed HCWs in participating hospitals. In total, 1169 HCWs in 31 hospitals had contact with 114 MERS patients, and among the HCWs, 15 were PCR-confirmed MERS cases in study hospitals. Serologic analysis was performed for 737 participants. ELISA was positive in five participants and borderline for seven. IIFT was positive for two (0.3%) of these 12 participants. Among the participants who did not use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), seropositivity was 0.7% (2/294) compared to 0% (0/443) in cases with appropriate PPE use. The incidence of MERS infection in HCWs was 1.5% (17/1169). The seroprevalence of MERS-CoV IgG among HCWs was higher among participants who did not use appropriate PPE.

Vibrational studies of flexible solid polymer electrolyte based on PCL-EC incorporated with proton conducting NH4SCN.

A flexible solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) system based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), a FDA approved non-toxic and biodegradable material in the effort to lower environmental impact was prepared. Ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN) and ethylene carbonate (EC) were incorporated as the source of charge carriers and plasticizing agent, respectively. When 50 wt.% of ethylene carbonate (EC) was added to PCL-NH4SCN system, the conductivity increased by two orders from of 3.94 × 10(-7) Scm(-1) to 3.82 × 10(-5) Scm(-1). Molecular vibrational analysis via infrared spectroscopy had been carried out to study the interaction between EC, PCL and NH4SCN. The relative percentage of free ions, ion pairs and ion aggregates was calculated quantitatively by deconvoluting the SCN(-) stretching mode (2030-2090 cm(-1)). This study provides fundamental insight on how EC influences the free ion dissociation rate and ion mobility. The findings are also in good agreement to conductivity, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction results. High dielectric constant value (89.8) of EC had made it an effective ion dissociation agent to dissociate both ion pairs and ion aggregates, thus contributing to higher number density of free ions. The incorporation of EC had made the polymer chains more flexible in expanding amorphous domain. This will facilitate the coupling synergy between ionic motion and polymer segmental motion. Possible new pathway through EC-NH4(+) complex sites for ions to migrate with shorter distance has been anticipated. This implies an easier ion migration route from one complex site to another.

Deduction of edge electron density with multiply charged ions in ORNL volume-type electron cyclotron resonance ion source.

The electron densities in the argon plasmas of the ORNL 6 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source with a flat central magnetic field have been deduced from the ion branches of the electric probe current-voltage curves measured in the edge region of the plasmas. To overcome the difficulties due to unknown velocities of multiply charged ions at the sheath edge, a modified generalized Bohm criterion for the ion sheath velocity is introduced and the mean velocity of all ionic charge states at the sheath edge is assumed to be equal to the sound velocity of the system of particles. The calculated electron densities and temperatures for different plasmas optimized for four charge state distributions are discussed.

The growth mechanism for silicon oxide nanowires synthesized from an Au nanoparticle/polyimide/Si thin film stack.

During pyrolysis of polyimide (PI) thin film, amorphous silicon oxide nanowires (SiO(x)NWs) were produced on a large scale through heat treatment of an Au nanoparticle/PI/Si thin film stack at 1000 °C. It was shown that carbonization of the PI film preceded the nucleation of the SiO(x)NWs. The formation of the SiO(x)NWs was sustained by the oxygen derived from carbonization of the polyimide thin film while Si was provided from the substrate. Au nanoparticles promoted the SiO(x)NW growth by inducing localized melting of the Si substrate and by catalyzing the nanowire growth.

Enhancing flexible fiber filter (3FM) performance using in-line coagulation.

A new packing for deep bed filtration using Flexible Fibers has been proposed and developed on a very large scale for tertiary treatment of wastewater. The purpose of this study is to check the possibility of using this technology for the production of drinking water from surface water. In this study, the feasibility of the fiber filter application on water treatment was examined and the removal efficiency of fiber filter was improved using an in-line coagulant injection method. The experiments were carried out at pilot scale. The filter was packed with bundles of polyamide fibers with a bed porosity of 93%. Nak-dong River was used as the filter influent water and alum, PSOM, and PAC were used as the coagulants. The coagulants were injected by the in-line injection method. Small dosages (1-5 mg/L) of the polymeric coagulants (PSOM and PAC) showed an increase of removal efficiency compared to the operation without coagulants. Specifically, 1 mg/L of PAC showed the longest filtration time. Considering filtration time, filtrate quality, and filtered volume, the filtration velocity of 120 m/hr was chosen as an optimum value. For long-term operations, the effluent quality was 0.4 NTU and the removal efficiency was stable for the given optimum conditions.

beta-lapachone induces growth inhibition and apoptosis in bladder cancer cells by modulation of Bcl-2 family and activation of caspases.

AIM: To study in vitro the molecular mechanism of apoptosis caused by beta-lapachone, a quinone obtained from the bark of the lapacho tree (Tabebuia avellanedae). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on human bladder carcinoma T24 cell line. Determination of cell viability was done using trypan blue exclusion method, apoptosis quantitative estimation - by DAPI staining and agarose gel electrophoresis for DNA fragmentation. Flow cytometry analysis, RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, colorimetric assay of caspase activity were applied as well. RESULTS: It was found that in micromolar range of concentrations beta-lapachone inhibited the viability of T24 cells by inducing apoptosis, which could be proved by formation of apoptotic bodies and DNA fragmentation. Treatment of T24 cells with beta-lapachone resulted in a down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and up-regulation of Bax expression. beta-lapachone-induced apoptosis was also associated with activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, inhibition of IAP expression, and degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, phospholipase C-gamma1 and beta-catenin proteins. At the same time Fas and FasL levels were inhibited upon treatment with beta-lapachone in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: beta-lapachone-induced apoptosis in T24 cells is mediated, at least in part, by the mitochondrial-signaling pathway.

Parameter sensitivity analysis for activated sludge models No. 1 and 3 combined with one-dimensional settling model.

The aim of this study was to suggest a sensitivity analysis technique that can reliably predict effluent quality and minimize calibration efforts without being seriously affected by influent composition and parameter uncertainty in the activated sludge models No. 1 (ASM1) and No. 3 (ASM3) with a settling model. The parameter sensitivities for ASM1 and ASM3 were analyzed by three techniques such as SVM-Slope, RVM-SlopeMA, and RVM-AreaCRF. The settling model parameters were also considered. The selected highly sensitive parameters were estimated with a genetic algorithm, and the simulation results were compared as deltaEQ. For ASM1, the SVM-Slope technique proved to be an acceptable approach because it identified consistent sensitive parameter sets and presented smaller deltaEQ under every tested condition. For ASM3, no technique identified consistently sensitive parameters under different conditions. This phenomenon was regarded as the reflection of the high sensitivity of the ASM3 parameters. But it should be noted that the SVM-Slope technique presented reliable deltaEQ under every influent condition. Moreover, it was the simplest and easiest methodology for coding and quantification among those tested. Therefore, it was concluded that the SVM-Slope technique could be a reasonable approach for both ASM1 and ASM3.

Practical approach to parameter estimation for ASM3+ bio-P module applied to five-stage step-feed EBPR process.

Various parameter optimization approaches to a five-stage step-feed EBPR process modeled using the ASM3+bio-P module were examined. Five stoichiometric (Y(STO,NO), Y(H,O2, Y(H,NO,) Y(PAO,O2), Y(PO4)) and seven kinetic parameters (k(STO), eta(NO), b(H), mu(max),PAO, q(PHA), q(PP), mu(max),A) were estimated. The optimization approaches could be classified based on the data sources (batch experiments or CSTR operation data) and the number of target variables used in calculating the objective function. Optimized parameter values obtained by each approach were validated with CSTR operation data that were not used for parameter optimization. The results showed that the parameter optimization only with batch experimental results could not be directly applied to CSTR operation data. ASM3 + bio-P module parameters could be finely optimized only with CSTR operation data when sufficient target variables for objective function calculation were applied. When the number of target variables was increased, prediction performance was significantly improved. Once optimized, the model was able to predict the characteristic features of the five-stage step-feed process; namely, a high PAO yield, fast PAO growth, fast X(pp) storage, slow X(STO) and X(PHA) storage.

Rule-based fuzzy inference system for estimating the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load to a sequencing batch reactor.

A fuzzy inference system using sensor measurements was developed to estimate the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. The sensors measured ORP, DO and pH. The sensor profiles had a close relationship with the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. To confirm this operational knowledge for constructing a rule set, a correlation analysis was conducted. The results showed that a rule generation method based only on operational knowledge did not generate a sufficiently accurate relationship between sensor measurements and target variables. To compensate for this defect, a decision tree algorithm was used as a standardized method for rule generation. Given a set of inputs, this algorithm was used to determine the output variables. However, the generated rules could not estimate the continuous influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load. Fuzzified rules and the fuzzy inference system were developed to overcome this problem. The fuzzy inference system estimated the influent COD/N ratio and ammonia load quite well. When these results were compared to the results from a predictive polynomial neural network model, the fuzzy inference system was more stable.

Analytical theory of the stochastic dynamics of the power stroke in nonprocessive motor proteins.

Statistical distributions of the structural states of individual molecules of nonprocessive motor complexes such as actomyosins are examined theoretically by considering a two-state stochastic model coupled by chemical reactions along the reaction coordinate representing the internal conformational states of the motor. The use of a conformational reaction coordinate allows for the approximation of taking the rate constants as local in their dependence on the reaction coordinate, and yields a simple analytic solution of the stationary states. The approximation is also tested against numerical solutions with a nonlocal form of rate constants. The theory is well-suited for computational treatments based on atomic structures of protein constituents using free energy molecular dynamics simulations. With empirical sets of free energy functions, stationary distributions of forces exerted by a motor head compare well with known experimental data.

Immunohistochemical expression of galectin-3 in canine mammary tumours.

Galectin-3, an endogenous beta-galactoside-binding protein, plays a significant role in cell growth, cell activation, and cell to extracellular matrix interactions. To define the role of galectin-3 in canine mammary tumours, its expression was determined in mammary samples by immunohistochemical methods. In adjacent normal mammary glands, distant from the neoplasm, mammary epithelial cells showed little or no expression of galectin-3. In the majority of adenomas, the neoplastic cells showed moderate to strong galectin-3 immunoreactivity, but in the majority of adenocarcinomas such immunoreactivity was weak. These results suggest that the progression of canine mammary tumours is associated with low galectin-3 expression.

Treatment of strong nitrogen swine wastewater in a full-scale sequencing batch reactor.

Treatment of swine wastewater containing strong nitrogen was attempted in a full-scale SBR. The strongest swine wastewater was discharged from a slurry-type barn and called swine-slurry wastewater (SSW). Slightly weaker wastewater was produced from a scraper-type barn and called swine-urine wastewater (SUW). TCOD, NH4+-N and TSS in raw SSW were 23,000-72,000 mg/L, 3,500-6,000 mg/L and 17,000-50,000 mg/L, respectively. A whole cycle of SBR consists of 4 sub-cycles with anoxic period of 1 hr and aerobic period of 3 hr. The maximum loading rates of both digested-SSW and SUW were similar to 0.22 kg NH4+-N/m3/day whereas the maximum loading rates of raw SSW was up to 0.35 TN/m3/day on keeping the effluent quality of 60 TN mg/l. The VFAs portion of SCOD in raw SSW was about more than 60%. The VFAs in SUW and digested-SSW were about 22% and 15%, respectively. NH4+-N and PO4(3-)-P in SSW were removed efficiently compared to those in digested-SSW and DUW because SSW had high a C/N ratio and readily biodegradable organic. High concentration of organic was useful to enhance denitrification and P uptake. Also the amount of external carbon for denitrification was reduced to 5% and 10% of those for digested-SSW and SUW.