A health management algorithm for composite train carbody based on FEM/FBG hybrid method

In this study, a health management program for a composite train carbody was developed using the acquired strain distributions from fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor arrays. To determine appropriate locations for the FBG sensors, a finite element analysis (FEA) was executed. In this FEA, a FE model of the Korean tilting train (TTX) was used as a representative composite carbody train. The FEA results of various derailment situations and high speed operation on curved track were used as the database of each deformation case. In the last step, the health management program was produced using LabVIEW software. In this post-processing algorithm, the method of least squares was used to determine the difference between the FEA results and the acquired strains. This program shows the estimated deformations and plots of the acquired strains, as well as displaying an emergency indicator when necessary, all through post-processing of the strains. Finally, this FEM/FBG hybrid method was verified by several simulations using the reproductive sensor data.     

Degradation behavior of Ni-YSZ anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) as a function of H2S concentration

This study investigated the effect of H₂S concentration (5, 10 and 50 ppm) on the degradation and performance of Ni-YSZ anode supported solid oxide fuel cells. When supplied with hydrogen fuel containing H₂S, the cell voltage dropped rapidly, and with increasing H₂S concentration, voltage drop % increased (due to higher sulfur coverage on the Ni surface) and saturated more rapidly. A high concentration (50 ppm) of H₂S led to an additional, slow rate voltage loss. In all cases, cell performance did not completely recover even after being supplied with H₂S-free hydrogen fuel, because of the incomplete desorption of sulfur from the Ni surface. After the performance tests, nickel sulfides were detected on the Ni surface by Raman spectra, which were produced by the reaction of the remaining adsorbed sulfur with Ni during the cooling process. This indicates that the formation of nickel sulfides was not responsible for the secondary voltage drop. SEM/EDS analyses combined with FIB revealed that the reason for the additional 2^nd drop was Ni oxidation; at a high sulfur coverage ratio (50 ppm), the outer layer of the Ni particle was oxidized by oxygen ions transported from the electrolyte. This indicates that H₂S concentration as well as current density is a critical factor for Ni oxidation, and gives rise to the second voltage drop (irreversible cell degradation). The present work showed that the degradation behavior and phenomenon can differ significantly depending on the concentration of H₂S, i.e., permanent changes may or may not occur on the anode (such as Ni oxidation) depending upon H₂S concentration.     

CdS-sensitized TiO2 in phenazopyridine photo-degradation: Catalyst efficiency,stability and feasibility assessment

Mineralization of phenazopyridine, 1, in water, under solar-simulator radiation was efficiently achieved using nanoparticle CdS-sensitized rutile TiO₂, TiO₂/CdS, 2, as photo-catalysts. Despite that, 2 showed two main drawbacks. Firstly, the system was difficult to recover by simple filtration, and demanded centrifugation. Secondly, the sensitizer CdS showed relatively high tendency to leach out hazardous Cd²⁺ ions under photo-degradation reaction conditions. In an attempt to solve out such difficulties, 2 was supported onto sand surface. The sand/TiO₂/CdS system, 3, was easier to recover but showed slightly lower catalytic activity compared to 2. On the other hand, the support failed to prevent leaching of Cd²⁺. This indicates limited future applicability of CdS-sensitized TiO₂ photo-catalyst systems, in solar-based water purification strategies, unless leaching out tendency is completely prevented.     

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...     

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.