Silica removal from Mokai, New Zealand, geothermal brine by treatment with lime and a cationic precipitant

Preliminary experiments using two chemicals (CaO, a quicklime, and a cationic nitrogen-bearing precipitant, EC-004) to remove silica from geothermal brine were undertaken at the Mokai geothermal plant, New Zealand. The brine was mixed with the reagent (CaO or EC-004). The reaction was studied from the start of the experiment (NRT, 0 min, no retaining time) and after 15 min (15RT) at 90 °C. The concentration of silica in the brine was initially 954 mg/l, and decreased linearly with increasing reagent concentration. When CaO is added, the silica concentration at 15RT was 200 mg/l lower than at NRT and became almost zero on addition of 1.5 g/l. In contrast, when EC-004 is added, the total silica concentration nearly reaches the solubility of amorphous silica at 90 °C. In order to prevent silica scaling in Mokai brines cooled to 90 °C, the CaO and EC-004 added should be individually adjusted to 0.5 g/l and 80 mg/l, respectively.     

Thickness estimation of interface films formed on Li1−xCoO2 electrodes by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Solid electrolyte interface (SEI) films formed on Li_1−xCoO₂ electrodes were observed with hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HX-PES). This paper particularly focuses on film thickness estimation using HX-PES with theoretical calculation. The validity of the calculation was proven by experiments using model SEI films. The native film formed on a LiCoO₂ composite electrode was estimated to be LiF with its thickness of 5 nm. Formation of Co (II) species on top of LiCoO₂ was also indicated. Storage of the electrode at 60 °C brought about considerable film growth (30-40 nm) with carbonate compounds formation. SEI film changes during charging of the LiCoO₂ electrode were also examined. The main component in the film was deduced to be LiF or a kind of fluorite, with its thickness decreased during charging. The SEI formation mechanisms are also elucidated.     

Metastatic Voyage of Ovarian Cancer Cells in Ascites with the Assistance of Various Cellular Components

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy and has a unique metastatic route using ascites, known as the transcoelomic root. However, studies on ascites and contained cellular components have not yet been sufficiently clarified. In this review, we focus on the significance of accumulating ascites, contained EOC cells in the form of spheroids, and interaction with non-malignant host cells. To become resistant against anoikis, EOC cells form spheroids in ascites, where epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition stimulated by transforming growth factor-β can be a key pathway. As spheroids form, EOC cells are also gaining the ability to attach and invade the peritoneum to induce intraperitoneal metastasis, as well as resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Recently, accumulating evidence suggests that EOC spheroids in ascites are composed of not only cancer cells, but also non-malignant cells existing with higher abundance than EOC cells in ascites, including macrophages, mesothelial cells, and lymphocytes. Moreover, hetero-cellular spheroids are demonstrated to form more aggregated spheroids and have higher adhesion ability for the mesothelial layer. To improve the poor prognosis, we need to elucidate the mechanisms of spheroid formation and interactions with non-malignant cells in ascites that are a unique tumor microenvironment for EOC.     

Clinical features and characteristics of paranasal sinus effusion in allergic sinusitis

Paraproteins or monoclonal proteins are the result of clonal B-cell or plasma cell proliferation of a malignant, premalignant or non-malignant nature. Monoclonal proteins may consist of intact immunoglobulin molecules or of heavy or light chains only. Depending on their rate of production and/or secretion they may accumulate in the serum and/or urine of patients. Their presence in the circulation may remain silent, as in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), or may lead to clinical syndromes such as Hyperviscosity, Acrocyanosis, Cold hemagglutination, hemolysis and hemorrhagic manifestations. Their tissue deposition may be localized, with the kidney being the most frequent target as in Myeloma Cast Nephropathy or systemic, as in AL amyloidosis where heart, liver, nerves, tongue are usual targets, in addition to the kidneys.     

Adjunctive Application of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy in Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment: A Review of Literature

Periodontal disease is caused by dental plaque biofilms, and the removal of these biofilms from the root surface of teeth plays a central part in its treatment. The conventional treatment for periodontal disease fails to remove periodontal infection in a subset of cases, such as those with complicated root morphology. Adjunctive antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been proposed as an additional treatment for this infectious disease. Many periodontal pathogenic bacteria are susceptible to low-power lasers in the presence of dyes, such as methylene blue, toluidine blue O, malachite green, and indocyanine green. aPDT uses these light-activated photosensitizer that is incorporated selectively by bacteria and absorbs a low-power laser/light with an appropriate wavelength to induce singlet oxygen and free radicals, which are toxic to bacteria. While this technique has been evaluated by many clinical studies, some systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported controversial results about the benefits of aPDT for periodontal treatment. In the light of these previous reports, the aim of this review is to provide comprehensive information about aPDT and help extend knowledge of advanced laser therapy.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of fenofibric acid and reduced fenofibric acid in human blood, plasma and urine

In this study, a very reliable HPLC method was developed for the determination of fenofibric acid and reduced fenofibric acid in the biological samples described as follows. After addition of the internal standard solution and 0.5 M HCl to the biological sample, fenofibric acid, reduced fenofibric acid and the internal standard were extracted with a mixed solvent of n-hexane and ethyl acetate (90:10) from the mixture. The acids were back-extracted from the organic phase with 0.1 M Na2HPO4 and then re-extracted from the aqueous phase with a mixed solution of n-hexane and ethyl acetate (95:5) after addition of 0.5 M HCl. The organic phase was evaporated to dryness under the vacuum. The residue was dissolved in MeOH and diluted with distilled water. An aliquot of the resulting solution was injected on the HPLC. High reproducibility was observed in this HPLC method (C.V.% less than 4%). Moreover it was confirmed that the conjugates in the urine could be hydrolyzed by incubation at 37 degrees C for 18 h after addition of 400 IU of beta-glucuronidase.     

Prioritizing the weights of hydrogen energy technologies in the sector of the hydrogen economy by using a fuzzy AHP approach

KIER, government supported research institute, establishes a long-term strategic energy technology development roadmap essentially with selection and specialization of energy technology R&D and for Korea's national security. In this paper, we establish a strategic hydrogen energy technology roadmap taking economic impact, commercial potential, inner capacity, and technical spin-off into account. We suggest a methodology to prioritize the relative weights of hydrogen energy technologies of hydrogen energy technology roadmap (ETRM) as we allocate R&D budget effectively using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which reflects the vagueness of human thoughts instead of crisp numbers efficiently. In the sector of the hydrogen ETRM which is composed of 6 hydrogen energy technologies, PEMFC technology is the most preferred and technology (0.29), followed by DEFC tech (0.28), SOFC tech (0.24), Hydrogen separation & storage tech (0.10), and Hydrogen production tech (0.09).