Cying for Me, Cying for Us: Relational Dialectics in a Korean Social Network Site

This study employs a relational dialectics approach to gain insights into the nature of relational communication via Cyworld , a Korean social network site. Qualitative analysis of in-depth interview data from 49 users suggests that Cyworld users routinely negotiate multiple dialectical tensions that are created within the online world, transferred from face-to-face contexts, or imposed by interpersonal principles that relate to Korea's collectivistic culture. The interviewees experienced a new relational dialectic of interpersonal relations versus self-relation, analogous to Baxter and Montgomery's (1996) connection-autonomy contradiction. Their responses suggest that Cyworld's design features and functions encourage users to transcend the high-context communication of Korean culture by offering an alternative channel for elaborate and emotional communication, which fosters the reframing of relational issues offline. Cy-Ilchons (online buddies) virtually extend the Korean cultural concept of blood ties, called yons, in ways that intensify the openness-closedness contradiction at early stages of relationship formation.     

Parasitic Bipolar Junction Transistors in a Floating-Gate MOSFET for Fluorescence Detection

In this letter, we examined whether the parasitic bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) in the MOSFET fabricated by the standard CMOS process can play a role as a fluorescence detector. To suppress the action of two vertical parasitic BJTs, the gate and n-well were tied in the parasitic BJTs, and the body node was connected to the drain. The proposed device was compared with the inherent and the parasitic diodes in the MOSFET. It had 100 times higher photocurrents than the diodes in the MOSFET. In addition, it was applied for the detection of the fluorescent signal, and could detect near 10 nM of Alexa 546. Therefore, CMOS-process-compatible parasitic BJTs can be used as a photodetector in an integrated fluorescence detector.     

Thermal stratification and reactor piping integrity

Thermal stratification, cycling, and striping phenomena have drawn much attention recently because of the incidents at several nuclear plants that raised significant safety concerns. The concerns due to these phenomena relate to thermal fatigue in branch pipes connected to the main coolant piping. Nuclear utility industry is addressing the issue with the aim to understand the mechanisms that lead to fatigue in nominally stagnant piping systems near the reactor coolant piping. Two key results from this effort are described in this paper. First, tests to investigate the interaction between the main coolant piping and the stagnant attached lines by turbulence penetration are described and a working correlation is obtained. Turbulence penetration into unisolable lines, or the transport of turbulence into stagnant piping from the reactor coolant system (RCS) line, represents a mechanism for carrying hot RCS water into regions filled with cold water. The possibility of stratification of the two fluids (and the resultant thermal stresses) is the reason for developing an understanding of the turbulence penetration process. Secondly, results of an evaluation to develop a loading definition for thermal striping are included. Based on this testing several important conclusions relating to fatigue in nominally static reactor coolant systems are reached.     

Effects of Sc2O3 and MgO passivation layerson the output power of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The low temperature (100°C) deposition of Sc₂O₃ or MgO layers is found to significantly increase the output power of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. At 4 GHz, there was a better than 3 dB increase in output power of 0.5×100 μm² HEMTs for both types of oxide passivation layers. Both Sc₂ O₃ and MgO produced larger output power increases at 4 GHz than conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) SiN_x passivation which typically showed ⩽2 dB increase on the same types of devices. The HEMT gain also in general remained linear over a wider input power range with the Sc₂O₃ or MgO passivation. These films appear promising for reducing the effects of surface states on the DC and RF performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs     

UPEC 2002 Preview

Exposure to pollutants in the air over a long period of time slowly degrades aluminum stranded conductors steel reinforced (ACSR) of overhead transmission lines. Presently, a large number of ACSR conductors have exceeded their forecast useful life. Therefore, it is required to assess the condition of most conductors to determine an economic maintenance schedule. This paper describes a method for evaluating the current condition of aged conductors based on dominant factors such as years in service, environment index, and conductor configuration. The paper presents a diagnostic tool with a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to predict the deterioration degree corresponding to the lifetime of aged conductors based on experts' knowledge. This system can be used as an effective guide to perform nondestructive diagnosis and maintenance of old ACSR conductors.     

Fluidised pellet bed bioreactor: a promising technology for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse.

A pilot-scale fluidised pellet bed (FPB) bioreactor, which combines chemical coagulation, biological degradation, particle pelletisation and separation in one unit, was applied for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse. As a result of rational use of inorganic coagulant and organic polymer and moderate mechanical agitation, spherical particles were generated in the upflow column and a well-fluidised bed was formed. With a continuous supply of dissolved oxygen through a recycling loop, an aerobic condition was kept in the bottom section of the FPB column. Under such conditions the pellets in the FPB column showed the following characteristics: (1) compact structure and high density; (2) rich in microorganisms; and (3) high MLSS and MLVSS concentrations. Therefore, the FPB bioreactor achieved more than 90% removal of SS, COD, BOD and TP from raw domestic wastewater within a total hydraulic retention time (HRT) of only about 30 minutes. It also showed nitrification and denitrification ability and the TN removal could be about 50% as the recycling ratio was increased to 1:1. The treated water quality is generally competitive with the secondary effluent from a conventional activated sludge process. With these advantages the FPB bioreactor is recommendable as a compact system for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse.     

Relation between hardness and compressive strength of polymer concrete

Experimental studies were made of the influence of mixing and casting techniques and of curing time upon the compressive strength and hardness of methyl methacrylate based polymer concrete. The Rockwell K and F scales were found to be suitable for the hardness determinations. Over a wide range of hardness and strength values, the average compressive strength (f_c) varied linearly with the average hardness (R_K) according to the relation f_c (psi) = 560 R_K - 12000, irrespective of casting and curing variables. The weaker materials exhibited greater variations in hardness. Hardness testing is found to provide a meaningful and convenient method for evaluating the quality of polymer concrete.     

A new alloy design concept for austenitic stainless steel with tungsten modification for bipolar plate application in PEMFC

The feasibility of a new alloy design concept utilizing the principle of ‘tungsten bronze effect’ is critically evaluated for the development of metallic bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). An austenitic stainless steel (ASS) is modified with W and La to improve the stability of the passive film in an acidic environment as well as to reduce the contact resistance by the tungsten bronze effect. The experimental ASS containing W and La was evaluated in a simulated PEMFC environment of H₃PO₄ and H₂SO₄ solutions at 80 °C, and the electrical property was evaluated by performing a contact resistance test. The test results show that the ASS modified with W and La has good passive film stability for corrosion resistance and low contact resistance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis clearly suggests the possibility of the tungsten bronze effect from the change in valency state of W⁶⁺ to W⁵⁺ in the passive film formed on the modified ASS. The feasibility of a new alloy design concept utilizing the ‘tungsten bronze effect’ is well demonstrated; however, more study is highly required for the development of metallic bipolar plates of PEMFC.     

Establishment of human parotid pleomorphic adenoma cells in culture: morphological and biochemical characterization

This study reports the establishment of alpha-amylase-producing human parotid pleomorphic adenoma cell lines (2HP and 2HP1) which have been maintained in culture for over 1 yr. The procedures required preparation of cellular clumps from tumor tissue and plating them on plasma clot or precoated dishes. During the initial phase of growth they required modified MCDB-153 medium without serum. When cells showed signs of degeneration they were changed to MCDB-153 medium containing first 2% and then 10% heat inactivated fetal bovine serum. Although cells grew well in MCDB-153 containing 10% serum, the epithelial cell morphology was not distinct. Therefore, the growth and morphology of cells grown in MCDB-10% serum were compared with those in RPMI growth medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and F12 containing 10% agammaglobulin newborn bovine serum. Although the growth of cells was a little slower in F12 medium than those in MCDB and RPMI, the epithelial cell morphology was maintained better than in other growth media. The cells of 2HP and 2HP1 produce low levels of alpha-amylase and relatively high levels of alpha-amylase mRNAs of 1176 and 702 bp and contain neurofilament-160, a neuronal-specific marker. The cells of 2HP1 are tumorigenic when tested in athymic mice, but the cells of 2HP are not. The establishment of amylase-producing human parotid adenoma cell lines of different characteristics in culture provides a new opportunity to study the mechanisms of differentiation and transformation, and regulation of alpha-amylase in these cells.