A routine for measuring synergy in university–industry–government relations: mutual information as a Triple-Helix and Quadruple-Helix indicator

Mutual information in three (or more) dimensions can be considered as a Triple-Helix indicator of possible synergy in university–industry–government relations. An open-source routine th4.exe makes the computation of this indicator interactively available at the internet, and thus applicable to large sets of data. Th4.exe computes all probabilistic entropies and mutual information in two, three, and, if available in the data, four dimensions among, for example, classes such as geographical addresses (cities, regions), technological codes (e.g. OECD’s NACE codes), and size categories; or, alternatively, among institutional addresses (academic, industrial, public sector) in document sets. The relations between the Triple-Helix indicator—as an indicator of synergy—and the Triple-Helix model that specifies the possibility of feedback by an overlay of communications, are also discussed.     

Analysis on the effect of operating conditions on electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to formic acid

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to HCOOH was performed on a Sn electrode using a proton exchange membrane-embedded electrolysis cell. The effects of reaction conditions such as catholyte and anolyte types, reduction potential, catholyte pH, and reaction temperature on the amount of HCOOH and its faradaic efficiency were investigated. Four different electrolytes (KOH, KHCO₃, KCl, KHSO₄) were chosen as the candidate catholyte and anolyte; the most suitable electrolyte was chosen by monitoring the amount of HCOOH and faradaic efficiency. The effect of the pH of the selected catholyte on the conversion of CO₂ to HCOOH was also investigated. In addition, the reaction temperature was varied and its effect was studied. From the observations made, we determined the optimal reaction conditions for the production of HCOOH via the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ by a systematic approach.     

Enhancement of lipid productivity by ethyl methane sulfonate-mediated random mutagenesis and proteomic analysis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Microalgae-derived biomass has been considered as the most promising candidate for next generation biofuel due to its sustainability and biodegradability. In this study, microalgal strain Chlamydmonas reinhardtii was randomly mutagenized by using a chemical mutagen, ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) to create mutants showing enhanced lipid production. We identified three random mutants that displayed high lipid production in the screening using Nile red staining. Among those, mutant #128 was selected as candidate for further studies. Our flow cytometry and confocal microscopy analysis revealed that mutant #128 contains larger and more abundant lipid bodies than that of wild-type. Moreover, mutant #128 showed 1.4-fold increased fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content compared to wild-type under nitrogen depleted condition. In addition, mutant #128 grew faster and accumulated more biomass, resulting in high lipid production. 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF analysis used for gene targeting revealed that β-subunit of mitochondrial ATP Synthase and two-component response regulator PilR may be involved in enhanced characteristics of mutant #128. These results show the possibilities of EMS mediated random mutagenesis in generation of mutants to produce high amount of lipid as well as further study for molecular mechanism of mutants.     

Design of a bubble collecting section in a high speed water tunnel for ventilated supercavitation experiments

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - The main objective of the present study is to design a bubble collecting section for use in ventilated supercavitation experiments. The large amounts...     

A joint normalcy index to evaluate patients with gait pathologies in the functional aspects of joint mobility

Gait analysis using 3D motion capture systems provides joint kinematic and kinetic analysis results such as joint relative angles and moments that can be use used to evaluate the degrees of pathological gait patterns. However, the complex data produced using these 3D motion capture systems can only analyzed by experts, because the gait analysis is highly coupled to the kinematics of each joint. Therefore, several Several previous studies using gait analysis have relied on the data compression technique to represent gait deviation from the average normal profiles as a single value. Even though it is important to evaluate gait pathologies at the joint level, all these previous studies have just used a single value to evaluate the pathological gait pattern. Using just one variable for evaluation of a gait is limited in terms of determining which joint movement patterns are getting better during rehabilitation. Therefore, in this study, a method suitable for evaluating gait deviation during a gait was developed to provide three indices for the hip, knee and ankle joints. In addition, to validate the proposed method in clinical cases, experimental tests were conducted on thirty thirty-six normal walkers and six patients with cerebral palsy. Furthermore, to validate the proposed method in regards to rehabilitation, experimental tests were conducted on three classified walking groups with imposed ankle equinus constraints. The JNI for the hip joint, knee joint and ankle were 8.78 (±3.70), 2.92 (±3.25) and 8.79 (±4.38), respectively, in the normal walking group. However, these values were significantly different for the pathological walking group with cerebral palsy. The JNI of the hip joint, knee joint and ankle joint were 203.73 (±171.59), 81.23 (±52.13) and 248.39 (±149.99), respectively, for this group. There were also differences between any two of the three classified groups with imposed ankle equinus constraints. In particular, the JNI of the ankle joint was statistically different at the p<0.01 level, and this parameter clearly increased as the degree of the imposed ankle equinus was increased. These results demonstrate that the proposed JNI can be used as a scalar factor to evaluate the angular deviation of each joint in normal and patient groups. In addition, this approach can be adapted to evaluate rehabilitation and pre/post surgery.     

Green and gold kiwifruit peel ethanol extracts potentiate pentobarbital-induced sleep in mice via a GABAergic mechanism

Kiwifruit is one of the most popular fruits worldwide, and it has various biological properties, including antioxidant, anti-allergic, and cardiovascular protective effects. The peel of kiwifruit, which is a by-product of processing, is a good source of flavonoids; however, its bioactivity has not been widely investigated. In this study, we evaluated the hypnotic effects of green (GRPE, Actinidia deliciosa) and gold (GOPE, Actinidia chinensis) kiwifruit peel ethanol extracts and their solvent fractions, and the possible underlying mechanisms. Oral GRPE and GOPE administration (125–1000 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent decrease in sleep latency and an increase in sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice. Among three different solvent fractions of GRPE and GOPE, ethyl acetate (EA) fractions had the greatest effect on sleep duration at 250 mg/kg. The total flavonoid contents of solvent fractions were proportional to sleep duration. Like diazepam (a GABA_A–benzodiazepine (BZD) receptor agonist), the hypnotic effects of GRPE, GOPE, and their EA fractions were fully inhibited by flumazenil (a GABA_A–BZD receptor antagonist). These results suggest that potentiation effects of GRPE and GOPE on pentobarbital-induced sleep in mice may be modulated by a GABAergic mechanism.     

Antioxidant activity of cyanidins isolated from Ogapy (Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus) fruits in U937 macrophages

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are continuously produced in aerobic organisms. Overproduction of ROS is known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and hypertension. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) play critical roles on the removal of excess ROS. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidant activity of cyanidins from ogapy (Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus, ADA) fruits against oxidative stress in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-pretreated U937 macrophages, and explored the plausibility of the therapeutic effect of cyanidins on atherosclerosis. As a result, H₂O₂ generation and lipid peroxidation induced by H₂O₂-pretreatment was decreased by the treatment of cyanidins in U937 macrophages. In addition, increased activity of SOD and CAT was shown in H₂O₂-pretreated cells when treated with cyanidins. Overall, the results obtained in this study showed that cyanidin 3-galactoside and cyanidin 3-lathyroside from ADA fruits could protect macrophages against the damaging effects of H₂O₂ treatment.     

Evaluating the strengths of thick aluminum-to-aluminum joints with different adhesive lengths and thicknesses

Composite joints are often the weakest elements in composite structures. In this paper, we propose a modified version of the damage zone theory based on the yield strain ratio. We use this framework to predict failure loads for various adhesive joints. Thick aluminum-to-aluminum joint specimens with eight different adhesive lengths and four adhesive thicknesses were manufactured and tested. The strengths of different adhesive lengths could be predicted to within 15.4% using the damage zone ratio method. In addition, the strengths of joints that feature different adhesive thicknesses were predicted to within 16.3% using the damage zone ratio method.