Photodecomposition of Bil3 films

The effect of illumination on the transmittance and the structure of Bil₃ films was investigated. Photoexcitation was found to induce structural variation and decomposition of the films into metallic bismuth and free iodine. Moreover, measurements of the electrical conductivity during heating show thermal decomposition of the films and it was found that the temperature of decomposition depends on the thickness of the film.     

Metabolomic Evidence for Peroxisomal Dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic and debilitating disease characterized by unexplained physical fatigue, cognitive and sensory dysfunction, sleeping disturbances, orthostatic intolerance, and gastrointestinal problems. People with ME/CFS often report a prodrome consistent with infections. Using regression, Bayesian and enrichment analyses, we conducted targeted and untargeted metabolomic analysis of plasma from 106 ME/CFS cases and 91 frequency-matched healthy controls. Subjects in the ME/CFS group had significantly decreased levels of plasmalogens and phospholipid ethers (p < 0.001), phosphatidylcholines (p < 0.001) and sphingomyelins (p < 0.001), and elevated levels of dicarboxylic acids (p = 0.013). Using machine learning algorithms, we were able to differentiate ME/CFS or subgroups of ME/CFS from controls with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values up to 0.873. Our findings provide the first metabolomic evidence of peroxisomal dysfunction, and are consistent with dysregulation of lipid remodeling and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. These findings, if validated in other cohorts, could provide new insights into the pathogenesis of ME/CFS and highlight the potential use of the plasma metabolome as a source of biomarkers for the disease.     

Transport Properties of K_xV_2O_5·nH_2O Nanocrystalline Films

Five different compositions of K x V 2 O 5 ·nH 2 O(where x=0.00,0.0017,0.0049,0.0064 and 0.0091 mol) were prepared by the sol-gel process.Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power were measured parallel to the substrate surface in the temperature range of 300-480 K.The electrical conductivity showed that all samples were semiconductors and that conductivity increased with increasing K content.The conductivity of the present system was primarily determined by hopping carrier mobility.The carrier density was evaluated as well.The conduction was confirmed to obey non-adiabatic small polaron hopping.The thermoelectric power or Seebeck effect,increased with increasing K ions content.The results obtained indicated that an n-type semiconducting behavior within the temperature range was investigated.     

Maximal functional capacity in patients with endomyocardial fibrosis

We evaluated objectively the cardiocirculatory dysfunction of patients with EMF, and related the functional class (FC-NYHA) to the data obtained by analysis of maximal functional capacity. We studied 55 subjects, divided into three groups: group 1 (G1) 21 (38.1%) normal persons, group 2 (G2) seven (12.7%) patients with EMF who were in FC I or II, and group 3 (G3) 27 (49%) patients in FC III or IV. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and O2 pulse index (PO2max) were obtained using a Beckman computerized gas analyser. The mean values were significantly different among the three groups. We conclude that the greater the clinical impairment, the greater the alterations that occur in the indices of cardiac function.     

Heating and cooling energy demand and related emissions of the German residential building stock under climate change

The housing sector is a major consumer of energy. Studies on the future energy demand under climate change which also take into account future changes of the building stock, renovation measures and heating systems are still lacking. We provide the first analysis of the combined effect of these four influencing factors on the future energy demand for room conditioning of residential buildings and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Germany until 2060. We show that the heating energy demand will decrease substantially in the future. This shift will mainly depend on the number of renovated buildings and climate change scenarios and only slightly on demographic changes. The future cooling energy demand will remain low in the future unless the amount of air conditioners strongly increases. As a strong change in the German energy mix is not expected, the future GHG emissions caused by heating will mainly depend on the energy demand for future heating.     

Separation between the different fluxes scattered by art glazes: explanation of the special color saturation

In a previous paper, the special visual appearance of art glazes was explained using the auxiliary function method (AFM) for solving the radiative transfer equation. Glazes are made of low concentrated colored scattering centers embedded in a transparent medium and the artist modulates the color by varying the number of glaze layers. A simple model of glazes and the new solving method have both been validated by comparison between flux measurements and modeling. The color of art glazes is analyzed here, and the study shows a spectacular maximum of saturation (purity) of the color that is never reached, to the best of our knowledge, with other techniques, such as pigment mixtures. This phenomenon is explained once more using the AFM that allows separation of the different contributions to the scattered fluxes. It is then shown that, on the one hand, single scattering never induces a maximum of saturation. On the other hand, multiple scattering has a typical increasing and decreasing behavior with an increasing number of glaze layers and thus participates to the maximum of saturation, just as the scattering by the diffuse base layer. A comparison between glazes and pigment mixtures, where the proportion of colored pigments with white pigments varies instead of the number of layers, shows that this maximum of saturation is much smaller with the second technique. To the best of our knowledge, we present a new development of the AFM that allows separation of the different origins of light scattering. We also show that it is possible to determine the optical properties of the scattering centers and of the base layer to create the required visual effect of a scattering medium.     

Influence of absorbed dose and deep traps on thermoluminescence response: a numerical simulation

Numerical simulations based on standard rate equations are carried out to study the dependence of the thermoluminescence (TL) response on the absorbed dose. The model, which includes thermally stimulated exoelectronic emission (TSEE), uses three electron traps--two active and one thermally disconnected (TD)--and one deep hole trap acting as a recombination centre. After instantaneous creation of a given dose of electron-hole pairs, one first follows isothermal recombination and trap filling before simulating the TL readout. Influence of TD traps and specific effects due to trap saturation are illustrated. A systematic study of the TL response is performed in wide ranges of the determining parameters. The dose dependence is found to be quadratic, linear or intermediate according to their relative values. Results are explained in terms of recombination-trapping competition, trap occupancy and in relation with the presence of TSEE.     

Crossflow microfiltration for the cold stabilization of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) extract

In this study, roselle extract was cold sterilized by crossflow microfiltration. At laboratory scale the optimal operating conditions at volumetric reduction ratio (VRR) 1 cannot be generalized when VRR is greater than 1. Indeed, at VRR 1 the optimal transmembrane pressure was 2.5 bar with a permeate flux of 185 L h⁻¹ m⁻², while at VRR 20 optimal pressure was 3.7 bar with a permeate flux of 95 L h⁻¹ m⁻². A simple model that allowed to represent the effect of VRR and transmembrane pressure on the permeate flux was adjusted with the experiments done at laboratory scale. This model used to predict the permeate flux using a semi-industrial pilot scale equipment gave a good match between the experimental and calculated performances. Permeate was collected aseptically and stored at 4, 20 and 37 °C for 90 days. A roselle extract storage at 4 and 20 °C was appropriate for consumption after a 3 month shelf life.