Collection efficiency of liquid‐based samplers for fungi in indoor air

This study assessed the collection efficiency (CE) of two popularly used sampling devices (BioSampler and Coriolis sampler) for fungal aerosols. Phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) supplemented with or without surfactant (Tween‐20, Tween‐80, or Triton X‐100) and antifoam agent was prepared and used as collection liquids. The agar impactor (BioStage) was simultaneously operated with liquid‐based samplers to collect fungi from seven sites located at a university building, public library, and animal farming. Fungal concentrations determined by liquid samplers were divided by those by BioStage, and the ratio values represented CE. Results indicate that the CE of BioSampler was superior to that of Coriolis (P = 0.0001) and the PBS containing surfactant collected fungi better than that without surfactant (P < 0.0001), whereas antifoam agent showed no influence (P = 0.8). Moreover, fungal concentrations determined by BioSampler with surfactant‐added PBS were statistically indifferent from those by BioStage (P > 0.05) with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.81‐0.83 (P < 0.01). In addition to sampler and collection liquid, sampling location was also identified as a significant CE factor (P = 0.006), implying potential influences by fungal genera in the studied fields. Overall, BioSampler with surfactant‐supplemented PBS (eg, Triton X‐100) is recommended considering the great CE and compatibility with a variety of analytical assays.     

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/poly(ethylene glycol‐co‐1,3/1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate)/clay nanocomposites: Mechanical properties,optical transparency,and barrier properties

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/clay, PET/poly(ethylene glycol‐co‐1,3/1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalate) (PETG), and PET/PETG/clay nanocomposites were fabricated using the twin‐screw extrusion technique. The spherulitic morphologies, thermomechanical, mechanical, and gas‐barrier properties, as well as the effect of clay on the transparency of the resulting nanocomposites were identified. The clay induced the heterogeneous nucleation of the nanocomposites during the cold crystallization process, thereby increasing the crystallinities and melting temperatures of the resulting nanocomposites. The incorporation of clay increased the storage moduli, Young's moduli, impact strengths, and barrier properties of the PET, PETG, and PET/PETG blend. Regarding the optical transparency, the inclusion of clay can make the crystallizable PET matrix crystalline opaque. However, the amorphous PETG maintained its transparency. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39869.     

Microstructure and characterization of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber scaffolds filled with graphene nanosheets

Graphene nanosheets (GNSs) have attracted significant scientific attention because of their remarkable features, including exceptional electron transport, excellent mechanical properties, high surface area, and antibacterial functions. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solutions filled with GNSs were prepared for electrospinning, and their spinnability was correlated with their solution properties. The effects of GNS addition on solution rheology and conductivity were investigated. The as‐spun fibers were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed the effects of GNS on the microstructure, morphology, and crystallization properties of PVA/GNS composite nanofibers. The addition of GNSs in PVA solution increased the viscosity and conductivity of the solution. The electrospun fiber diameter of the PVA/GNS composite nanofiber was smaller than that of neat PVA nanofiber. GNSs were not only embedded at the fibers but also formed protrusions on the fibers. In addition, the crystallinity of PVA/GNS fiber decreased with higher GNS content. The possible application of PVA/GNS fibers in tissue engineering was also evaluated. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41891.     

Preparation and characterization of methoxy‐poly(ethylene glycol) side chain grafted onto chitosan as a wound dressing film

Chitosan has received extensive attention as a biomedical material; however, the poor solubility of chitosan is the major limiting factor in its utilization. In this study, chitosan‐based biomaterials with improved aqueous solubility were synthesized. Two molecular weights (750 Da and 2000 Da) of methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) were grafted onto chitosan (mPEG‐g‐chitosan) to form a ～100‐μm‐thick plastic film as a wound dressing. The chemical structures of the mPEG‐g‐chitosan copolymers were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the thermal properties were characterized using thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Their microstructures were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The other properties were analyzed via the swelling ratio, tensile strength, elongation, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR). Biocompatibility evaluations through biodegradability, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial effect studies were also performed. The obtained mPEG‐g‐chitosan copolymers were soluble in slightly acidic aqueous solutions (pH～6.5) at a concentration of 10 wt %. The optimal mPEG‐g‐chitosan hydrogels had swelling ratios greater than 100% and WVTRs greater than 2000 g/m²/day. Their performance against Staphylococcus aureus will be subjected to further improvements with respect to medical applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42340.     

Wall effects on separation of flow past a circular cylinder

Abstract

The nature of the flow past a circular cylinder has been a classical problem, raising many questions concerning the various wake phenomena that have been observed. This study focused on the critical Reynolds number for the onset of the recirculation region for a flow restricted in a channel. The influence of the bounded walls is examined. The trend is that larger critical Reynolds numbers are accomplished with larger values of blockage ratio (defined as the ratio of cylinder diameter to the channel width). Furthermore, as the blockage ratio tends to zero, the trend seems to imply that the critical Reynolds number approaches the experimental value for flows in an unbounded domain.     

Dynamic dispatching rule-pairs for multitasking workers in JIT production systems

The concept of multitasking workers plays a major role in the success of Just-inTime (JIT) implementation. One key element of a JIT system is its ability to use multitasking workers to react to unbalanced workloads where the bottleneck location changes from period to period. In addition to existing rule-pairs (when to move and where to move), this study develops eight new dynamic dispatching rule-pairs especially for assigning multitasking workers within a JIT production environment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of these rule-pairs using object-oriented discrete-event simulation and response surface methodology.     

The PPG Physiological Signal for Heart Rate Variability Analysis

The photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor can be applied to measure the situation and function of human blood circulation. The PPG sensor is not only existed the characteristics of simple, convenient and low price but also easy non-invasive to measure physiological signal. The advantage of PPG signal is easy to measure from various sensing location. The physiological information of the clinical detection method is broadly implemented for such type. In this paper, we utilize “the green LED reflective” PPG sensor to capture physiological signals operated in static and exercise modes. Therefore, we adopted the short-term measurement in 5 min. Those captured signals are divided into five segments and 1 min for each segment. We calculated heart beats per minute and heart rate variability (HRV) operated in time domain analysis criteria. The related theory of short-time Fourier transform (STFT) combined with power spectral density (PSD) is implemented for finding HRV in frequency domain analysis. Then, we derived random process theory and the autocorrelation function which are verified the PPG measurement is stationary process or not. In the future experiment, we can compare the 24 h data with the previous results. Consequently, we apply the physical health status monitoring of long-term and short-term modes to observe subject varies of HRV and ANS after listening music concurrently.     

Digital rights management system with user privacy,usage transparency,and superdistribution support

In the modern world, digital content has been massively produced, distributed, and consumed by human beings; consequently, how to protect the rights and benefits of content consumers, producers, and distributors has become a crucial issue. One promising solution is to design a full‐fledged digital rights management (DRM) system. In this study we introduce a new design on the digital rights management system providing user privacy, usage transparency, and superdistribution. A comprehensive set of DRM processing functions and corresponding mechanisms are developed in our system to support various business process requirements. Superdistribution support is embedded in our system design. A prototype is implemented to verify our system design. To protect consumer privacy, a temporary identity is generated for each consumer using the KryptoKnight protocol. Elliptic curve cryptography‐based encryption scheme is adopted for messages transmitted among servers and client over an unsecure communication channel. For usage transparency, a user‐friendly DRM client package (software) is introduced in the proposed DRM system to achieve content protection and support user convenience in usage.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Sampling Tube Geometry on Soft Clayey Sample Quality Evaluated by Nondestructive Methods

Sample disturbance caused by difference in sampling tube geometry was evaluated by two nondestructive methods: the measurement of the residual effective stress (p_r') by ceramic disc; and the use of the bender element to ascertain the shear wave velocity (V_s), and thus the maximum shear modulus (G_BE). Samples were measured under atmosphere, i.e., not under confined stress conditions. The soil samples were obtained from two sources: reconstituted Kasaoka clay prepared in the laboratory, and at the test site at Takuhoku, Hokkaido, Japan. Samplers with different geometrical designs, referring to the Japanese standard stationary piston sampler, were used for the model ground and field sampling. The geometrical effects of the sampling tube, for example, the thickness of the tube wall, the edge angle, and the existence of a piston were carefully examined. The quality of the samples taken with different samplers was evaluated by p_r' and G_BE, values which were normalized by the in situ vertical effective stress (σ'_vo) and G_f measured by the seismic cone test in the field. It was found from these studies that p_r'/σ'_vo and G_BE/G_f vary considerably due to the geometry of the sampler, with the edge angle of sampling tubes being the most important feature in obtaining high quality samples. The wall thickness, and thus, the area ratio of the sampler is not critical to the sample quality if the edge angle is sharp enough. The existence of the piston does not significantly influence the sample quality in field samples. Furthermore, the correlation between G_BE and p_r' was also investigated, and it was found that the two parameters are strongly dependent.