Simulation of a System of Product Knowledge Based on Catalog-Assisted Design

Conceptual models for catalog-assisted design are developed to improve semantic modeling in the automation of design problems and the extraction of knowledge from engineering documents. The conceptual models are presented graphically.     

Effect of different fibres on texture,rheological and sensory properties of acid casein processed cheese sauces

The objective of this study was the evaluation of different fibres (bamboo, acacia, potato or citrus) addition on texture, rheological and sensory properties of acid casein processed cheese sauces. Fibres used in production of sauces had an impact on the texture, viscosity, viscoelastic and sensory properties. The largest increase in viscosity was observed in products with addition of potato fibre, which have good water holding and adsorption capacity. Processed cheese sauce with the addition of citrus fibre was characterised by the highest values in general, and the increase of this feature in the tested samples was regular. Adhesiveness was the highest in products with 1% addition of every fibre. The lowest values of viscosity single shear, G′ and G″ moduli, among all tested, had sauces with acacia fibre. Moreover, they had the most thin liquid consistency, which was different from preferred one.     

CO2 laser-assisted preparation of transparent Eu2Ti2O7 thin films

We present a laser-assisted preparation of transparent europium-titanate Eu₂Ti₂O₇ thin films with tailored structural and optical properties. We have evaluated the effects of the irradiation time on the structural and the optical properties of the films. This approach allows the preparation of nanocrystalline crack-free films and micro patterns. The amorphous thin films were prepared by a sol-gel method. The films were annealed by a CO₂ laser beam for various time intervals. The laser irradiation induced a crystallization process that resulted in the formation of Eu₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals. The nanocrystals regularly grew with increasing irradiation time reaching the size from 25?nm to 45?nm. A film of a thickness 480?nm exhibited an optical transmission of 91.9% that is close to the maximal theoretical limit. The film's refractive index at 632?nm was 2.26. A micrometric pattern was prepared by a direct laser writing followed by a wet chemical etching. Feasibility of the demonstrated approach, together with the high film's quality, and europium-titanate chemical resistivity open up many opportunities for advanced applications. The approach can be used for a preparation of protective coatings and integrated photonic devices such as planar optical waveguides and couplers.     

Nb modified structural,magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of double perovskite Ba2FeMo1−xNbxO6

A systematic study focusing on the effect of Niobium (Nb) doping on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Ba₂FeMoO₆ samples is presented here. The samples of interest Ba₂FeMo_1?xNb_xO₆ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) were prepared using the solid state reaction method and were confirmed to possess a cubic structure with Fm-3m space group using the X-ray diffraction analysis and Rietveld refinement. A second order of ferromagnetic phase transition was recorded in both the pure as well as the Nb doped samples using the temperature dependent magnetization and Arrott plots analysis. The pristine Ba₂FeMoO₆ (BFMO) sample indicated a spontaneous magnetization (34.6 emu/g at 100 K) with a relatively sharp magnetic transition at the Curie temperature (T_C) of 315 K as compared to the doped samples. A magnetic entropy change of 0.93 Jkg^?1K^?1 at an applied magnetic field of 2.5 T was measured for the pure BFMO sample. The doped BFMO samples with Mo partially substituted by Nb however, were observed to effectively modify the T_C accompanied by a decrease in magnetization. The results investigated in this work suggest that the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the BFMO can be tailored by controlled Nb doping which is of significant importance in order to realize the numerous potential applications of the material in the magnetic refrigeration technology.     

Humidifier disinfectant and use characteristics associated with lung injury in Korea

Since around the year 2000, hundreds of people in Korea have developed humidifier disinfectant‐associated lung injury (HDLI). We collected all HD exposure‐related information from the field investigations into the locations in which the 1199 registered patients had used HD. Among the people who registered, 38% (1st round = 214, 2nd = 73, 3rd = 166) were confirmed as HDLI patients. Children aged under eight years old made up the highest proportion of HDLI cases (N = 279, 62%), followed by pregnant women (N = 31, 7%). One hundred thirty‐three (29%) of the confirmed HDLI patients died. Fifty‐seven percent of HDLI patients (N = 259) developed HDLI after <1 year of HD use. The number of HDLI patients who used only the Oxy Saksak HD brand was found to be 176 (39%), followed by the brands Cefu (N = 27, 6%) and Aekyung (N = 22, 5%). HD products containing only polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG‐P) were the most frequently used among HDLI patients (N = 234, 52%), followed by oligo (2‐(2‐ethoxy)ethoxyethyl) guanidinium (PGH) (N = 27, 6%) and a mixture of chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) (N = 26, 6%). The average PHMG‐P inhalation level estimated from the patient group classified as suffering lung injury definitely associated with HD use was 145.1 μg/m³ (N = 91, SD = 395.1 μg/m³), higher than levels estimated from both the probable and possible HDLI patient groups. In conclusion, HD exposure‐related variables, including type of HD brand and estimated inhalation HD level, were associated with the risk of HDLI.     

Simple validated method for simultaneous determination of deoxynivalenol,nivalenol, and their 3-β-D-glucosides in baby formula and Korean rice wine via HPLC-UV with immunoaffinity cleanup

A simple and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of major type B trichothecene mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV), along with their 3-β-d-glucosides (DON-3-glucoside (DON3G) and NIV-3-glucoside (NIV3G)) in baby formula and Korean rice wine was validated in the present study. The method was based on immunoaffinity cleanup followed by analysis using an HPLC-UV technique. The method was validated in-house for two matrices as follows: linearity (R² > 0.99) was established in the range of 20–1000 μg kg^–1; accuracy (expressed as recovery) ranged from 78.7 to 106.5% for all the analytes; good intermediate precision (relative standard deviation < 12%), and adequate detection and quantitation limits (< 4.4 and < 13.3 μg kg^–1, respectively) were achieved. Furthermore, the estimated measurement expanded uncertainty was determined to be 4–24%. The validated method was successfully applied to the analysis of 31 baby formulas and Korean rice wines marketed in Korea.     

Suppressing Ion Migration across Perovskite Grain Boundaries by Polymer Additives

Passivation of organometal halide perovskites with polar molecules has been recently demonstrated to improve the photovoltaic device efficiency and stability. However, the mechanism is still elusive. Here, it is found that both polymers with large and small dipole moment of 3.7 D and 0.6 D have negligible defect passivation effect on the MAPbI₃ perovskite films as evidenced by photothermal deflection spectroscopy. The photovoltaic devices with and without the polymer additives also have comparable power conversion efficiencies around 19%. However, devices with the additives have noticeable improvement in stability under continuous light irradiation. It is found that although the initial mobile ion concentrations are comparable in both devices with and without the additives, the additives can strongly suppress the ion migration during the device operation. This contributes to the significantly enhanced electrical-field stress tolerance of the perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). The PVSCs with polymer additives can operate up to −2 V reverse voltage bias which is much larger than the breakdown voltage of −0.5 V that has been commonly observed. This study provides insight into the role of additives in perovskites and the corresponding device degradation mechanism.     

Patent data based search framework for IT R&D employees for convergence technology

Scientometrics - As technology convergence is attracting increasing attention, many companies pay attention to human resources planning for the convergence R&amp;D. This study proposes a...     

E7766, a Macrocycle-Bridged Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) Agonist with Potent Pan-Genotypic Activity

A strategy for creating potent and pan-genotypic stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonists is described. Locking a bioactive U-shaped conformation of cyclic dinucleotides by introducing a transannular macrocyclic bridge between the nucleic acid bases leads to a topologically novel macrocycle-bridged STING agonist (MBSA). In addition to substantially enhanced potency, the newly designed MBSAs, exemplified by clinical candidate E7766 , exhibit broad pan-genotypic activity in all major human STING variants. E7766 is shown to have potent antitumor activity with long lasting immune memory response in a mouse liver metastatic tumor model. Two complementary stereoselective synthetic routes to E7766 are also described.