Enhancement of the Passive Direct Methanol Fuel Cells Performance by Modification of the Cathode Microporous Layer Using Carbon Nanofibers

Mass transfer is a key parameter affecting the performance of the passive direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), which work under natural convection. In this study, effect of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) addition to the cathode microporous layer (MPL) on the performance of the passive DMFCs was investigated. The results indicated that CNFs content has a significant influence on both of the mass transport and the electrochemical surface area (ECSA). Interestingly, addition of the CNFs (20 wt.%) leads to increase the power density of the passive DMFC to 160% compared to pristine carbon black MPL. At low current density, the CNFs content has no influence on the performance, while at high current density the maximum performance can be obtained at 20 wt.% CNFs then the performance decreases with further increase in the CNFs content. Although the highest catalyst utilization is observed at 40 wt.% CNFs, a maximum power density of 36 mW cm^–2 can be obtained at 20 wt.% CNFs and this is related to the significant effect of the mass transfer resistance under the passive operation conditions. Overall, addition of CNFs to the MPL can be considered an effective strategy to modify the passive DMFCs performance.     

The Impact of Duodenal Mucosal Vulnerability in the Development of Epigastric Pain Syndrome in Functional Dyspepsia

An unidentified cause of functional dyspepsia (FD) is closely associated with medication resistance. Acid suppression is a traditional and preferential method for the treatment of FD, but the efficacy of this treatment varies between epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) and postprandial syndrome (PDS): it is efficient in the former but not much in the latter. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), a surrogate of mucosal barrier function, was measured under pH 3 and pH 5 acidic conditions using duodenal biopsy specimens obtained from the patients with EPS and PDS and asymptomatic healthy controls. The infiltration of inflammatory cells to the duodenal mucosa was accessed by immunohistochemical analysis. The duodenal mucosal TEER in EPS patients was decreased by exposure to the acidic solution compared to that of the controls and the PDS patients. The decrease in TEER of the EPS patients was observed even under pH 5 weak acidic condition and was correlated to degree of the epigastric pain. Moreover, the duodenal mucosa of EPS patients presented an increase in mast cells and plasma cells that expressed Ig-E. Duodenal mucosal vulnerability to acid is likely to develop EPS.     

Freeze-dried solid foams prepared from carbon nanotube aqueous suspension: Application to gas diffusion layers of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Freeze-dried macroporous solid foams were prepared from the multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) aqueous suspensions dispersed by chitosan. Thin film shaped CNT solid foams were prepared, and applied to the gas diffusion layers (GDLs) of a laboratory scale proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). It was demonstrated that the prepared carbon foams in this study were useful to a fuel cell GDL material. The prepared cell performances were fairly comparable to the cell prepared with conventional carbon paper for GDL material. The microstructures of the prepared carbon foams were found to affect on the PEMFC performances. It was suggested that the interconnected carbon networks formed during the freezing step closely link to the cell performances. Hence, the defection of the interconnected microstructure lead degradation of the GDL quality. The impedance measurement made clear that the prepared foam materials were also advantageous for reducing the ohmic resistance in PEMFC assembly. The kinetic resistance values and the thermal conductive characteristics suggested that the freezing process would also control the degree of overlaps among single CNTs in a freeze-dried bulk that influenced on the electrochemical properties.     

Determination of Ring-OSF Position in Czochralski Silicon Single Crystals by Numerical Analysis of Distribution of Grown-in Defects

A numerical analysis technique that incorporates Voronkov's model were examined and used to estimate the distribution of defects during crystal growth. By comparisons of the distribution of the density of LSTD and the position of R-OSF in non-nitrogen-doped (non-N-doped) and nitrogen-doped (N-doped) silicon crystals, it is found that the results of the numerical analyses agree with practically evaluated data. The observations suggest that the R-OSF nucleus is a VO2 complex that is formed by bonds between oxygen atoms and residual vacancies consumed during the formation of void defects. This suggests that Voronkov's model can be used to accurately predict the generation and growth of defects in silicon crystals. This numerical analysis technique was also found to be an effective method of estimating the distribution of defects in silicon crystals during crystal growth.     

Calculation of Age-Replacement with Weibull Failure Times

An age-replacement policy with Weibull failure times is considered. It is troublesome to compute an optimum replacement time numerically. Upper and lower bounds of an optimum time are given in simple terms of replacement costs and parameters of a Weibull distribution. A numerical example shows that the approximation can be used when the ratio of the replacement cost for a failed unit to that for a nonfailed unit is large. The approximation is best when the optimum age of replacement is small.     

Laser Mode Partition Noise Evaluation for Optical Fiber Transmission

An evaluation of the influence of mode partition noise on error rate performance in a high bit rate optical fiber transmission system is presented. First, it is experimentally clarified that the intensity in each longitudinal mode of a laser diode fluctuates, although the intensity for the total mode is constant. It is also established that this fluctuation causes degradation of the error rate performance after transmission through a long optical fiber. The fluctuation is named "mode partition noise." Next a simple model for the fluctuation is proposed. The characteristics of the fluctuation are discussed on the basis of this model. Optical waveform fluctuation is found to be introduced by mode partition noise in the course of transmission through a long despersive transmission medium. This optical waveform fluctuation and its frequency spectrum are calculated. Finally, the error rate performance is evaluated and specifications required for a laser spectrum to attain a given repeater spacing are clarified.     

An improved method of embedding data into pictures by modulomasking

An improved scheme using vertical block allocation to embed data in industrial-quality monochrome analog pictures by modulo masking is investigated. The video signal on each scan line is sampled, and a data bit is inserted into a block of three pels by a scrambling of the luminance level of only one pel in the block. The performance of the system is compared to that of a conventional system. The number of data bits embedded in an image for the proposed system is about 1.3 times as large as that of the conventional system. In addition, the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) of the recovered image in the proposed system is increased by about 3-4 dB     

High density packaging technology ultra thin package & new tab package

As electronic devices become more highly integrated, the demand for small, high pin count packages has been increasing. We have developed two new types of IC packages in response to this demand. One is an ultra thin small outline package (TSOP) which has been reduced in size from the standard SOP and the other, which uses Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) technology, is a super thin, high pin count TAB in cap (T.I.C.) package. In this paper, we present these packages and their features along with the technologies used to improve package reliability and TAB. Thin packages are vulnerable to high humidity exposure, especially after heat shock.1 The following items were therefore investigated in order to improve humidity resistance: (1) The molding compound thermal stress, (2) Water absorption into the molding compound and its effect on package cracking during solder dipping, (3) Chip attach pad area and its affect on package cracking, (4) Adhesion between molding resin and chip attach pad and its affect on humidity resistance. With the improvements made as a result of these investigations, the reliability of the new thin packages is similar to that of the standard thicker plastic packages.     

On a Cumulative Damage Model with N Different Components

A cumulative damage model with n different components is considered. The joint distribution of the total amounts of damage to n components, the distribution of the time to failure, and the failure rate are derived. The noncumulative damage model is also discussed.