Prediction of spread, pressure distribution and roll force in ring rolling process using rigid–plastic finite element method

The ring rolling process involves 3D non-steady flow and continuous change of radius and thickness of the ring workpiece. In this study, a commercial FEM-code that is especially tailored to ring rolling process, SHAPE-RR™, is used to predict spread, pressure distribution and roll force in plain and T-shaped ring rolling processes. Two cases of plain and T-shaped rings are, respectively, simulated for the prediction of side spread by changing feed-rate and groove factor. Plain ring rolling is simulated for the prediction of pressure distribution and roll force. Compared with earlier experimental works, the results of simulations show good quantitative agreements. It is concluded that the solution tool can be utilized in design and analysis of ring products, process, and tooling and equipment.     

Organic binder‐free cathode using FeS2‐MWCNTs composite for thermal batteries

FeS₂ ‐ MWCNTs (Multi‐Walled Carbon NanoTubes) composite without using an organic binder was used as a thin cathode for thermal batteries. A thin cathode with FeS₂ ‐ MWCNTs composite exhibited good mechanical strength without an organic binder. A discharge evaluation of the thin cathode with FeS₂ ‐ MWCNTs composite revealed a discharge capacity 2.3 times that of the pellet type cathode and 1.13 times that of a thin cathode with an organic binder. In addition, the single battery applying a thin cathode with FeS₂ ‐ MWCNTs composite showed a lower total polarization than when applying an organic binder. These results showed that FeS₂ ‐ MWCNTs composite is suitable as a thin cathode for thermal batteries.     

Ultrathin polyaniline film coated on an indium–tin oxide cell-based chip for study of anticancer effect

Polyaniline emeraldine base (EB) coated indium–tin oxide (ITO) electrode was prepared for the construction of a cell-based chip. Ultrathin polyaniline PANI film on an ITO was electroactive at neutral pH without co-deposition of an acidic counterion. HeLa cells were cultured on a PANI/ITO substrate and utilized to assess the biological toxicity of anticancer drugs. Cell growth, cell viability and drug-related cell toxicity were evaluated by a cyclic voltammetry (CV) method under a neutral pH. We demonstrated the functionality of a PANI coated ITO electrode for use as a cell chip and found that PANI was a good surface for the HeLa cells to grow without any significant morphological changes.     

Preparation of Environmentally Friendly Amino Acid‐Based Anionic Surfactants and Characterization of Their Interfacial Properties for Detergent Products Formulation

In this study, 2 types of amino acid‐based biosurfactants such as potassium cocoyl glycinate (CGK) and sodium cocoyl glycinate (CGN) were synthesized from coconut oil. Their chemical structures were identified using FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies. Characterization of their interfacial properties has shown that both CGK and CGN surfactants are surface‐active and effective in reducing interfacial free energy. Washing test results indicated relatively good detergency compared with surfactants commonly employed in detergent applications. From environmental compatibility tests, both CGK and CGN are found to be readily biodegradable, nontoxic, nonirritating, and very mild. In particular, the CGK surfactant was found to be more efficient in reducing interfacial free energy since a larger number of CGK molecules are preferentially adsorbed at the air–water interface due to higher hydrophobicity and larger mobility of CGK than CGN, indicating possible uses in detergent applications.     

Fabrication of gold nanoparticle modified ITO substrate to detect beta-amyloid using surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the deposition of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in neurons. The Abeta peptide is a key molecule in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and an important marker for early diagnosis. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has recently been attracting keen interest in various fields such as for biosensors or immunoassays. In this study, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were electrochemically deposited on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate at different heights. Abeta antibodies were immobilized on the Au-NP-coated ITO substrate, after which the interactions between the antigen and the antibody were determined via SERS spectroscopy. The SERS responses were strongest at the Au NP array height of 91 nm, with a good linear relationship that corresponded to the change in the concentration of the antigen. This Au-NP-array-mediated SERS can be applied with a highly sensitive immunodetection biosensor.     

Development of real-time PCR based molecular markers for two medicinal herb Artemisia species A. capillaris and A. iwayomogi

Food Science and Biotechnology - Artemisia capillaris and Artemisia iwayomogi are well-known herbal medicines which are used as hepatotherapeutic drugs. These two herbal species can be confused...     

Development and application of DNA markers to detect adulteration with Scopolia japonica in the medicinal herb Atractylodes lancea

Food Science and Biotechnology - Atractylodes lancea rhizomes are commonly consumed in east Asia as traditional medical herbs. However, in Korea, because of their morphological similarity, A....     

A wavelet-based two-stage near-lossless coder.

In this paper, we present a two-stage near-lossless compression scheme. It belongs to the class of "lossy plus residual coding" and consists of a wavelet-based lossy layer followed by arithmetic coding of the quantized residual to guarantee a given L(infinity) error bound in the pixel domain. We focus on the selection of the optimum bit rate for the lossy layer to achieve the minimum total bit rate. Unlike other similar lossy plus lossless approaches using a wavelet-based lossy layer, the proposed method does not require iteration of decoding and inverse discrete wavelet transform in succession to locate the optimum bit rate. We propose a simple method to estimate the optimal bit rate, with a theoretical justification based on the critical rate argument from the rate-distortion theory and the independence of the residual error.     

Effects of probiotic yoghurt on symptoms and intestinal microbiota in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of probiotic yoghurt Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) in the treatment of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Eighty‐three IBS patients yielded data to be analysed from this 9‐week, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind and randomized trial. The patients consumed either a LGG‐containing probiotic yoghurt (treatment group; n = 44) or a placebo (n = 39) twice daily for 6 weeks. The results indicate that this probiotic yoghurt was effective in alleviating some IBS symptoms and resulted in slight changes in certain gut microbiota. Probiotic yoghurt may represent a treatment for some gastrointestinal disorders.