Influence of plasma treatment on CNT absorption of cotton fabric and its electrical conductivity and antibacterial activity

In this study, effect of plasma pretreatment on the absorption of carboxilated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of cotton fabrics was investigated. Treated samples were characterised using a Raman spectrophotometer. Also, the morphological properties of samples were studied using a scanning electron microscope. Electrical resistance and interactions between CNTs and plasma-treated cotton functional groups at the surface were also evaluated. Antibacterial activity of cotton fabric when modified by low temperature plasma and stabilised with CNTs was also investigated. Results showed a uniform coating of CNTs on the plasma-treated cotton fabric and it was found that the plasma treatment is effective on improving CNTs absorption by cotton fabric. Generally, cotton fabric characterisation, such as antibacterial activity and electrical conductivity, after plasma treatment and loading CNT are improved.     

A Strategy to Produce High Efficiency,High Stability Perovskite Solar Cells Using Functionalized Ionic Liquid‐Dopants

Functionalized imidazolium iodide salts (ionic liquids) modified with ? CH₂? CH?CH₂, ? CH₂C?CH, or ? CH₂C?N groups are applied as dopants in the synthesis of CH₃NH₃PbI₃‐type perovskites together with a fumigation step. Notably, a solar cell device prepared from the perovskite film doped with the salt containing the ? CH₂? CH?CH₂ side‐chain has a power conversion efficiency of 19.21%, which is the highest efficiency reported for perovskite solar cells involving a fumigation step. However, doping with the imidazolium salts with the ? CH₂C?CH and ? CH₂C?N groups result in perovskite layers that lead to solar cell devices with similar or lower power conversion efficiencies than the dopant‐free cell.     

Current Distribution and Nonlinearity of Open-Ends and Gaps in Superconducting Microstrip Structures

Superconducting devices are known to produce nonlinear effects. In planar structures, these nonlinearities depend on the current distribution on the strip, which definitely depends on the structure of device. This paper used a numerical method based on 3D-FEM to obtain the current distribution in the open-ends and gaps in the superconducting microstrip structures. This is used to present the nonlinear distributed circuit modeling of these discontinuities and its impact on the nonlinear phenomenon. This nonlinear circuit model is used in the Harmonic Balance (HB) method to analyze nonlinearity in the superconducting microwave devices. Therefore, this simple accurate enough nonlinear circuit model is warmly welcomed to retire the seemingly inevitable use of time- and memory-consuming numerical techniques for nonlinear analysis of discontinuities in superconducting microwave structures. As an example, we analyze a microstrip superconducting end-coupled band pass filter (BPF). These results are very useful for optimizing the resonators of the superconducting microwave filters in order to minimize its nonlinear distortions.     

N ‐acetylcysteine–PLGA nano‐conjugate: effects on cellular toxicity and uptake of gadopentate dimeglumine

Gadolinium as a contrast agent in MRI technique combined with DTPA causes contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) which can reduce by usage of antioxidants such as N‐acetyl cysteine by increasing the membrane''s permeability leads to lower cytotoxicity. In this study, N ‐acetyl cysteine‐PLGA Nano‐conjugate was synthesized according to stoichiometric rules of molar ratios andafter assessment by FTIR, NMR spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging was combined with Magnevist® (gadopentetate dimeglumine) and its effects on the renal cells were evaluated. MTT [3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide] and cellular uptake assays have indicated relatively significant toxicity of magnevist (P  < 0.05) on three cell lines including HEK293, MCF7 and L929 compared to other synthesized ligands that shown no toxicity. Moreover, systemic evaluation has shown no notable changes of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine in kidney of mice. In consequence, antioxidant effect was increased as well as the renal toxicity of the contrast agent reduced at the cell level. As a result, PLGA‐NAC nano‐conjugate can be a promising choice for decreasing the magnevist toxicity for treatment and prevention of CIN and will be able to open a new horizon to research on reduction of toxicity of contrast agents by using nanoparticles.Inspec keywords: blood, toxicology, nanofabrication, cellular biophysics, biomedical materials, nanoparticles, chromatography, cancer, biodegradable materials, biomedical MRI, kidney, pH, nanomedicine, patient treatment, diseases, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectraOther keywords: cellular toxicity, gadopentate dimeglumine, contrast agent, magnetic resonance imaging technique, diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, contrast‐induced nephropathy, nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, stoichiometric rules, molar ratios, dimethyl sulphoxide solution, chromatography techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy imaging, Magnevist®, gadopentetate dimeglumine, renal cells, MTT cytotoxicity, human embryonic kidney‐293, L929 cell lines, in vitro conditions, cellular uptake assays, Magnevist uptake, antioxidant effect, renal toxicity, cell level, PLGA nanocarrier, acetylcysteine nanoconjugate, Magnevist toxicity, N‐acetylcysteine–PLGA nano‐conjugate, N‐acetyl cysteine‐poly‐lactic‐co‐glycolic acid nanoconjugate     

Toward an understanding of the impact of production pressure on safety performance in construction operations

It is not unusual to observe that actual schedule and quality performances are different from planned performances (e.g., schedule delay and rework) during a construction project. Such differences often result in production pressure (e.g., being pressed to work faster). Previous studies demonstrated that such production pressure negatively affects safety performance. However, the process by which production pressure influences safety performance, and to what extent, has not been fully investigated. As a result, the impact of production pressure has not been incorporated much into safety management in practice. In an effort to address this issue, this paper examines how production pressure relates to safety performance over time by identifying their feedback processes. A conceptual causal loop diagram is created to identify the relationship between schedule and quality performances (e.g., schedule delays and rework) and the components related to a safety program (e.g., workers’ perceptions of safety, safety training, safety supervision, and crew size). A case study is then experimentally undertaken to investigate this relationship with accident occurrence with the use of data collected from a construction site; the case study is used to build a System Dynamics (SD) model. The SD model, then, is validated through inequality statistics analysis. Sensitivity analysis and statistical screening techniques further permit an evaluation of the impact of the managerial components on accident occurrence. The results of the case study indicate that schedule delays and rework are the critical factors affecting accident occurrence for the monitored project.     

Electrocatalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles supported on novel functionalized reduced graphene oxide-chitosan for methanol electrooxidation

Here, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a modified Hummers’ method and was functionalized with 1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride (MV) accompanied by chitosan (CH) to prepare a novel MV-RGO-CH support. Pt/MV-RGO-CH catalyst was prepared by immobilization of the Pt nanoparticles on MV-RGO-CH support. The microstructure and morphology of the prepared catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The electrocatalytic activity of Pt/MV-RGO-CH catalyst was investigated for methanol electrooxidation through cyclic voltammetry (CV), CO_ads stripping voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The effects of some experimental factors for methanol electrooxidation such as methanol concentration, scan rate and temperature were studied at the prepared catalyst. Durability of the catalyst was also investigated. Comparing the catalytic activity of the Pt/MV-RGO-CH nanocatalyst with Pt/CH and Pt/MV-RGO catalysts indicated that Pt/MV-RGO-CH has a very good catalytic activity for methanol electrooxidation.     

Non-isothermal aging of a high-Zn-containing Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy: microstructure and mechanical properties

The non-isothermal aging behaviour of a newly developed Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy containing 17?wt-% Zn was investigated. Hardness and shear punch tests demonstrated that during non-isothermal aging, the mechanical properties of the alloy first increased and then decreased. The best properties were obtained in a sample which was non-isothermally aged upto 250°C with heating rate of 20°C?min^?1, due to the presence of η′/η (MgZn₂) phases. This was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetery. After homogenisation, residual eutectic phases remained at triple junctions or in a spherical form. During aging, these phases transformed into rodlike S (Al₂CuMg)-phase at 400°C, with sizes ranging from 50 to 250?nm. The precipitation sequence in this high-Zn alloy was similar to that for conventional Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys.     

An experimental study on the tensile properties of atmospheric ice

The intrinsic problem of formation and accumulation of atmospheric ice on structures, such as power electric transmission lines and communication equipment, has in recent years resurrected much interest. However, the mechanical properties of the accreted atmospheric ice are not abundantly recognized and, therefore, analytical modeling of circumstantial material is not conceivable. For this purpose, an experimental investigation into the mechanical behavior of atmospheric ice in uniaxial tension has been conducted using conditions generally favorable to brittle fracture and microcracking. The atmospheric ice is grown from supercooled water droplets impinging on an aluminum cylinder rotating at 1 rpm in the test section of the closed-loop wind tunnel. Ice tensile strength was measured as a function of test temperature varying from − 5 to − 15 °C, wind speed during accumulation varying from 10 to 20 m/s, and strain rate ranging from 2.22 × 10^− 6 to 1.67 × 10^− 3 s^− 1. The details of specimen preparation, testing procedure and strength test results are discussed. The fracture mechanism for atmospheric ice is also discussed, and the test results are compared with data reported by previous investigators. A mathematical model was developed using Minitab-15 software to predict the effect of ice accumulation conditions on the tensile strength. Detailed analysis indicates that the interaction coefficients of these variables do not appear to contribute significantly to the tensile strength of atmospheric ice.     

Characterization and amino acid sequence of the OXY-2 group beta-lactamase of pI 5.7 isolated from aztreonam-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca strain HB60

EPA's Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS) and later documents provide guidance for estimating exposures received from suburban and agricultural activity patterns and lifestyles. However, these methods are not suitable for typical tribal communities whose members pursue, at least in part, traditional lifestyles. These lifestyles are derived from a long association with all of the resources in a particular region. We interviewed 35 members of a Columbia River Basin tribe to develop a lifestyle-based subsistence exposure scenario that represents a midrange exposure that a traditional tribal member would receive. This scenario provides a way to partially satisfy Executive Order 12,898 on environmental justice, which requires a specific evaluation of impacts from federal actions to peoples with subsistence diets. Because a subsistence diet is only a portion of what is important to a traditional lifestyle, we also used information obtained from the interviews to identify parameters for evaluating impacts to environmental and sociocultural quality of life.     

High-speed techniques for estimating t1, t2, and density images

This work presents methods for estimating relaxation times T1 and T2 and proton density using a real time digital video processor. This device performs each mathematical step of the fitting algorithms in one video frame interval (1/30 s). Two-point fits of T1 and T2 may be generated in approximately 15 video frame intervals or about 0.5 s; generation of a T2 image from four acquired images requires about 30 video frame intervals or about 1 s. The hardware is common to many commercial MR scanners and requires no array processor. Such high-speed techniques can expedite the clinical use of computed images and facilitate the implementation of image synthesis.