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Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is considered a promising material in energy storage systems, and is thus drawing considerable attention. However, the relatively low conductivity of bulk MoS2 has been a threat for practical applications. This study developed a simple and scalable fabrication method of few-layer MoS2 sheets embedded in a nanoporous graphene film (NGF) as a high capacitance active material. Transfer of MoS2/NGF onto a flexible substrate followed by plotter cutting produced a highly efficient micro-supercapacitor with superior flexibility, mechanical stability, and great potential for applications in wearable electronics. Notably, MoS2/NGF-based mSC revealed a high volumetric capacitance of 55 F cm−3 and 82.2% of capacitance retention after 20 000 cycles, which are superior to the reported data for solid-state micro-supercapacitors. With these performances, the flexible MoS2/NGF mSC exhibited an ultrahigh energy density of 7.64 mW h cm−3 and power density of 9.96 W cm−3 in a H3PO4 gel polymer electrolyte. The high volumetric capacitance and energy/power densities of MoS2/NGF as micro-supercapacitor electrodes are due to direct growth of ultra-thin MoS2 onto the interconnected 3D nanoporous graphene film with extended active sites and good conductivity. The MoS2/NGF mSC integrated on the skin efficiently powered a light emitting diode and strain sensors. This work suggests a meaningful way to realize film type MoS2 active materials in flexible micro-supercapacitors for wearable applications.

The electrochemical behavior of CsI in LiCl molten salt was investigated to identify its impact on the electrolytic oxide reduction of oxide-phase spent nuclear fuels by combined electrolysis and cyclic voltammetry experiments of LiCl-CsI in comparison with LiCl, LiCl-CsCl, and LiCl-LiI. It was found that Cs+ ions were hardly involved in the cathode reaction, and reduction of Li+ ions occurred dominantly in the cathode. In contrast, incorporation of I− ions induced low-potential anode reaction compared with the I− ion-free cases. Such additional electrochemical reaction resulted in the generation of I2 and/or ICl gases, which would increase a process burden for treating 129I with exceptionally long lifetime. In this respect, separating CsI from spent nuclear fuel before the electrolytic oxide reduction is recommended for the purpose of efficient waste management.

To measure the electromagnetic properties of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) in the X-band, 1-port measurements were performed using a lens horn antenna in a free-space measurement system. Free-space 1-port calibration with translations of the position of the reflector regarding the characteristics of the focused beam lens horn antenna was applied. The intrinsic impedance and complex permittivity of the SFRC were obtained from the measured reflection characteristics. The steel fiber content increased and the electromagnetic properties of the SFRC gradually changed from a dielectric to a conductor, even in very low frequencies compared to the plasma frequencies of general metal, which are optical frequencies. This is considered to be the plasmon effect of the metallic structure formed by the steel fiber. This result is applicable for analyses of the electromagnetic phenomenon of large structures with fiber content.

WHO recommends participatory learning and action cycles with women’s groups as a cost-effective strategy to reduce neonatal deaths. Coverage is a determinant of intervention effectiveness, but little is known about why cost-effectiveness estimates vary significantly. This article reanalyses primary cost data from six trials in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malawi to describe resource use, explore reasons for differences in costs and cost-effectiveness ratios, and model the cost of scale-up. Primary cost data were collated, and costing methods harmonized. Effectiveness was extracted from a meta-analysis and converted to neonatal life-years saved. Cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated from the provider perspective compared with current practice. Associations between unit costs and cost-effectiveness ratios with coverage, scale and intensity were explored. Scale-up costs and outcomes were modelled using local unit costs and the meta-analysis effect estimate for neonatal mortality. Results were expressed in 2016 international dollars. The average cost was $203 (range: $61–$537) per live birth. Start-up costs were large, and spending on staff was the main cost component. The cost per neonatal life-year saved ranged from $135 to $1627. The intervention was highly cost-effective when using income-based thresholds. Variation in cost-effectiveness across trials was strongly correlated with costs. Removing discounting of costs and life-years substantially reduced all cost-effectiveness ratios. The cost of rolling out the intervention to rural populations ranges from 1.2% to 6.3% of government health expenditure in the four countries. Our analyses demonstrate the challenges faced by economic evaluations of community-based interventions evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial design. Our results confirm that women’s groups are a cost-effective and potentially affordable strategy for improving birth outcomes among rural populations.

This study aims to investigate the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and steel fibers on the electrical conductivity and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) of a high-performance, fiber-reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC). The electrical conductivity of the 100 MPa HPFRCC with 0.30% MWCNT was 0.093 S/cm and that of the 180 MPa HPFRCC with 0.35% MWCNT and 2.0% steel fiber was 0.0173 S/cm. At 2.0% steel fiber and 0.3% MWCNT contents, the electromagnetic SE values of the HPFRCC were 45.8 dB (horizontal) and 42.1 dB (vertical), which are slightly higher than 37.9 dB (horizontal) at 2.0% steel fiber content or 39.2 dB (horizontal) at 0.3% MWCNT content. The incorporation of steel fibers by 3.0 vol. % did not result in any electrical percolation path in the HPFRCC at the micro level; thus, a high electrical conductivity could not be achieved. At the macro level, the proper dispersion of the steel fibers into the HPFRCC helped reflect and absorb the electromagnetic waves, increasing the electromagnetic SE. The incorporation of steel fibers helped improve the electromagnetic SE regardless of the formation of percolation paths, whereas the incorporation of MWCNTs helped improve the electromagnetic SE only under the condition that percolation paths were formed in the cement matrix.

Background: hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia are common in preterm infants and have been associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Interventions to reduce risk associated with these exposures are particularly challenging due to the infrequent measurement of blood glucose concentrations, with the potential of causing more harm instead of improving outcomes for these infants. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is widely used in adults and children with diabetes to improve glucose control, but has not been approved for use in neonates. The REACT trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CGM in preterm infants requiring intensive care. Methods: this international, open-label, randomised controlled trial was done in 13 neonatal intensive care units in the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. Infants were included if they were within 24 h of birth, had a birthweight of 1200 g or less, had a gestational age up to 33 weeks plus 6 days, and had parental written informed consent. Infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to real-time CGM or standard care (with masked CGM for comparison) using a central web randomisation system, stratified by recruiting centre and gestational age (Findings: between July 4, 2016, and Jan 27, 2019, 182 infants were enrolled, 180 of whom were randomly assigned (85 to real-time CGM, 95 to standard care). 70 infants in the real-time CGM intervention group and 85 in the standard care group had CGM data and were included in the primary analysis. Compared with infants in the standard care group, infants managed using CGM had more time in the 2·6–10 mmol/L glucose concentration target range (mean proportion of time 84% [SD 22] vs 94% [11]; adjusted mean difference 8·9% [95% CI 3·4–14·4]), equivalent to 13 h (95% CI 5–21). More infants in the standard care group were exposed to at least one episode of sensor glucose concentration of less than 2·6 mmol/L for more than 1 h than those in the intervention group (13 [15%] of 85 vs four [6%] of 70). There were no serious adverse events related to the use of the device or episodes of infection. Interpretation: real-time CGM can reduce exposure to prolonged or severe hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. Further studies using CGM are required to determine optimal glucose targets, strategies to obtain them, and the potential effect on long-term health outcomes. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Efficacy and Mechanisms Evaluation Programme.

Pyroprocessing uses various molten salts during electrochemical unit processes. Reaction products after the electrochemical processes must contain a significant amount of residual salts to be separated. Vacuum distillation is a common method to separate the residual salts; however, its high operation temperature may cause side reactions. In this study, a simple rotation technique using centrifugal force was suggested to separate the residual salts from the reaction products at relatively low temperature compared to the distillation technique. When a reaction product container with porous wall rotates inside a vessel heated above the melting point of the residual salt, the residual salt in the liquid phase is separated through centrifugal force. It was shown that the LiNO3-Al2O3 mixture can be separated by this technique to leave solid Al2O3 inside the container, with a separation efficiency of 99.4%. Keywords: Pyroprocessing, Molten salt, Salt separation, Liquid-solid separation, Centrifugal force

Fine-grained materials possess great industrial significance as they have exceptional strength, ductility, and superplastic formability. However, the poor thermal stability of these materials leads to an excessive grain growth and property deterioration during welding. In this regard, friction stir welding (FSW) is considered as a potential candidate for the welding of fine-grained materials as it is a solid-state welding process with a lower process temperature. In this work, the microstructure development in the stir zone of a fine-grained Ti-6Al-4V alloy during FSW was investigated. The microstructure, misorientation distribution and crystallography of the base metal and stir zone were characterized using the electron backscatter diffraction technique to explain the microstructural evolution. The microstructure of different layers of stir zone composed of either fine α + β lamellar structure or fine equiaxed α and β grains or the mixture of both. The combination of heating/cooling induced α/β phase transformations and plastic deformation induced continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) was responsible for such microstructural developments in the stir zone. Homogeneous misorientation increase in low angle boundaries was found as the dominant mechanism of CDRX in the stir zone of fine-grained Ti-6Al-4V during FSW. The hardness measurement confirmed the absence any plausible softening though there was a little grain coarsening in the top layer of the stir zone.

The present study aims to understand the relationship between flowability and electrical properties of cement composites with mechanical dispersion of carbon nanotube (CNT) and to establish a guideline of mix proportioning for the CNT/cement composites with suitable workability and high electrical conductivity. In this study, mixtures composed of different mix proportions and CNT types were designed, and their flow diameter, electrical resistivity, basic mechanical properties in terms of strength and elastic modulus, and microscopic morphology were measured and evaluated. Intuitive and simple modeling was performed to quantitatively assess the effect of CNT dispersibility on conductivity. The results indicated that the flowability and resistivity of cement composites were significantly affected by the dispersibility of CNTs.

This study investigates the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) with single and hybrid steel fibers. To do this, three different types of steel fibers, i.e., hooked, twisted, and straight fibers, were considered, and a UHPFRC commercially available in North America was used as a comparison. To suggest a low-cost UHPFRC exhibiting the best flexural performance, test data and cost of fibers were analyzed based on a literature review. Test results indicate that straight steel fibers provide the best flexural performance, including strength, deflection capacity, energy absorption capacity, and cracking behavior, compared with hooked and twisted fibers, especially when many fibers (2% by volume) were incorporated. Hybrid reinforcement (hooked + straight fibers) efficiently improved the flexural performance of the UHPFRC with single hooked fibers, but the twisted + straight fibers were less effective than the UHPFRC with single twisted fibers. The optimum UHPFRCs contained 2 vol% single straight steel fibers (l f /d f of 19.5/0.2) or hybrid 0.5 vol% long (l f /d f of 30/0.3) and 1.5 vol% medium-length (l f /d f of 19.5/0.2) straight steel fibers; they showed better flexural strength and cost effectiveness than other types of UHPFRCs.

Ion exchange is a ubiquitous phenomenon central to wide industrial applications, ranging from traditional (bio)chemical separation to the emerging chimie douce synthesis of materials with metastable structure for batteries and other energy applications. The exchange process is complex, involving substitution and transport of different ions under non-equilibrium conditions, and thus difficult to probe, leaving a gap in mechanistic understanding of kinetic exchange pathways toward final products. Herein, we report in situ tracking kinetic pathways of Li+/Na+ substitution during solvothermal ion-exchange synthesis of LixNa1.5–xVOPO4F0.5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5), a promising multi-Li polyanionic cathode for batteries. The real-time observation, corroborated by first-principles calculations, reveals a selective replacement of Na+ by Li+, leading to peculiar Na+/Li+/vacancy orderings in the intermediates. Contradicting the traditional belief of facile topotactic substitution via solid solution reaction, an abrupt two-phas...

We report vacuum-free transfer-printing of silver nanowire (AgNW) network film as a top electrode of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) using conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) interfacial layer. AgNW network is delivered from a donor substrate to the desired area of the devices through an elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold stamp. The application of CPE layer with an appropriate thickness on the surface of AgNW and light-emitting polymer (LEP) films provides not only good adhesion between the organic and metal layers but also lowering of the work-function of AgNW electrode for better electron injection at LEP/AgNW interface. PLEDs with laminated AgNW top electrode at the optimized condition show the maximum device efficiencies of 3.81 cd A−1 and 2.99 lm W−1 at 4 V, which are comparable to those of PLEDs with Al cathode.

This study investigates the implications of fiber hybridization on the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). To do this, we considered three straight steel fibers with different lengths, lf, of 13 mm (short), 19.5 mm (medium-length), and 30 mm (long) at various volume fractions. Test results indicated that the hybrid use of long and medium-length fibers effectively improved the flexural performance in terms of post-cracking strength, deflection capacity, toughness, and cracking behavior, whereas the hybrid use of long and short fibers generally decreased the performance. To verify this observation, a micromechanical analysis was performed for obtaining the fiber bridging curve, which most significantly influences the post-cracking properties. The hybrid use of long and short (or medium-length) fibers provided negative synergy values in toughness due to several detrimental effects. The complementary energy in the fiber bridging curve increased with an increase in the fiber length, so that an increase in the proportion of short (or medium-length) fiber clearly decreased the complementary energy. Based on a proposed equation for the relationship between the normalized modulus of rupture and the fiber reinforcing index, we found that it is possible to produce deflection-hardening behavior of UHPC with straight steel fibers when the fiber reinforcing index is higher than 0.5.

Vertically aligned iron oxide nanowire arrays were successfully synthesized via a cost-efficient maskless top-down approach. High density nanowires are formed by simple oxygen reactive ion etching of an iron-containing polymer film without any artificial mask. Highly crystalline hematite nanowires with a diameter of 38–45 nm and a high aspect ratio of 131 are uniformly produced over large areas after calcination. The high density graphene/magnetite nanostructure created by pyrolyzing iron oxide/organic nanowires with three-dimensional morphology provided highly enhanced Raman scattering with an enhancement factor of up to 7.0 × 104 due to trapping of the absorbed light in the three-dimensional graphene forest. Our maskless top-down approach to fabricate iron oxide nanowires offers unique advantages of a solution-based process to easily overcome the limit in the morphology and substrate-dependent properties of nanowire synthesis. This technique may have excellent practical potential as a simple, rapid, and reproducible process for the fabrication of high density and high aspect ratio iron oxide nanowires that are useful in various applications.

Objective Evaluating effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ‘Families for Health V2′ (FFH) compared with usual care (UC).\ud \ud Design Multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) (investigators blinded, families unblinded) and economic evaluation. Stratified randomisation by family; target of 120 families.\ud \ud Setting Three National Health Service Primary Care Trusts in West Midlands, England.\ud \ud Participants Overweight or obese (≥91st or ≥98th centile body mass index (BMI)) children aged 6–11 years and their parents/carers, recruited March 2012–February 2014.\ud \ud Interventions FFH; a 10-week community-based family programme addressing parenting, lifestyle change and social and emotional development. UC; usual support for childhood obesity at each site.\ud \ud Main outcome measures Primary outcomes were 12-months change in children's BMI z-score and incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained (QALY). Secondary outcomes included changes in children's physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and quality of life, parents' BMI and mental well-being, family eating/activity, parent-child relationships and parenting style.\ud \ud Results 115 families (128 children) were randomised to FFH (n=56) or UC (n=59). There was no significant difference in BMI z-score 12-months change (0.114, 95% CI −0.001 to 0.229, p=0.053; p=0.026 in favour of UC with missing value multiple imputation). One secondary outcome, change in children's waist z-score, was significantly different between groups in favour of UC (0.15, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.29). Economic evaluation showed that mean costs were significantly higher for FFH than UC (£998 vs £548, p

This study aimed to investigate the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and steel fibers on the AC impedance and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) of a high-performance, fiber-reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC). The electrical conductivity of the 100 MPa HPFRCC with 0.30% MWCNT was 0.093 S/cm and that of the 180 MPa HPFRCC with 0.4% MWCNT and 2.0% steel fiber was 0.10 S/cm. At 2.0% steel fiber and 0.3% MWCNT contents, the electromagnetic SE values of the HPFRCC were 45.8 dB (horizontal) and 42.1 dB (vertical), which are slightly higher than that (37.9 dB (horizontal)) of 2.0% steel fiber content and that (39.2 dB (horizontal)) of 0.3% MWCNT content. The incorporation of steel fibers did not result in any electrical percolation path in the HPFRCC at the micro level, therefore, a high electrical conductivity could not be achieved. At the macro level, the proper dispersion of the steel fibers into the HPFRCC helped reflect and absorb the electromagnetic waves, increasing the electromagnetic SE. The incorporation of steel fibers helped improve the electromagnetic SE regardless of the formation of percolation paths, whereas the incorporation of MWCNTs helped improve the electromagnetic SE only when percolation paths were formed in the cement matrix.

This study evaluated the efficiency of the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water via adsorption isotherm and kinetic experiments on two composite mineral adsorbents, CMA1 and CMA2. The developed CMA1 (zeolite with clinoptilolite of over 20 weight percent and feldspar of ~10 percent, with Portland cement) and CMA2 (zeolite with feldspar of over 15 weight percent and ~9 percent clinoptilolite, with Portland cement) were applied to remove Cu, Cd, and Pb ions. Based on the adsorption isotherm and kinetic experiments, the adsorbents CMA1 and CMA2 exhibited high removal efficiency for Cu, Cd, and Pb ions in solution compared to other adsorbents. In the adsorption kinetic experiment, CMA2 demonstrated better adsorption than CMA1 with the same initial concentration and reaction time, and Cu, Cd, and Pb ions almost reached equilibrium within 180 min for both CMA1 and CMA2. The results of the adsorption kinetic experiments with pseudo-first-order (PFO) and pseudo-second-order (PSO) models indicated that the PSO model was more suitable than the PFO model. Comparing the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models, the former showed a very slightly higher correlation coefficient (r2) than the latter, indicating that the two models can both be applied to heavy metal solutions on a spherical monolayer surface with a weak heterogeneity of the surface. Additionally, the adsorbents CMA1 and CMA2 demonstrated different removal abilities depending on which heavy metals were used.

The significance of electromagnetic interference shielding is being increasingly emphasized in the construction field due to information security violation. This study investigated the mechanical performance, electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composite (HPFRCC) produced by incorporating carbon fibers. The carbon fibers were added to the HPFRCC at 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 vol %. The electrical resistivity of the HPFRCC was measured by alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) methods and the shielding effectiveness was measured in the shielding room in accordance with MIL-STD-188-125. The test results showed that the AC resistivity of the HPFRCC mixed with carbon fibers was strongly associated with the applied voltage. For measuring the real resistivity of the HPFRCC, the applied voltage should be more than the minimum voltage required for the current to pass through the electrical path in the cement matrix if the carbon fiber content exceeds the percolation thread (greater than 0.8% here). The compressive strength decreased with increase in the carbon fiber content owing to the reduced slump flow and resultant less compaction effect of HPFRCC. The relative permittivity results indicates that the shielding mechanism of the HPFRCC is likely to be electromagnetic reflection rather than electromagnetic absorption by the carbon fibers. It also clearly showed that the dominant factor affecting electromagnetic shielding of the HPFRCC is the amount of carbon fibers rather than the electrical conductivity resulting from continuous connection of carbon fibers.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has attracted immense attention in recent years due to its simple energy efficient and eco-friendly desalination process. In capacitive deionization research, limited scale of fabrication for active materials and improving desalination efficiency have been the major challenges. Herein, micro-meso-macroporous three-dimensional graphene (MMM-3DG) with a high surface area (1492.8 m2 g−1) was fabricated in gram-scale production (>1.0 g per one time) as an effective active material for CDI. MMM-3DG exhibited a high electrosorption capacity (9.37 mg g−1) and a fast electrosorption rate (2.79 mg g−1 min−1). Furthermore, MMM-3DG delivered an outstanding rate constant value of 0.071 by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and thus low energy consumption value per desalinating ion (33.17 kJ mol−1) during the adsorption process.

The fabrication of high-quality crystalline germanium thin films (GeTF) on an amorphous SiO2 layer is crucial for the realization of high performance-, low cost III-V solar cells used in many applications. Herein, we report the growth of a high-quality crystalline GeTF on SiO2/Si substrates using an ultra-vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV-CVD) method. GeTF was grown on the SiO2 layer using a two-step growth and multi-annealing processes. The fabrication method involved the deposition of a 1st seeding layer, annealing, and deposition of a 2nd main layer followed by three times of cyclic annealing. The crystallization of the seeding layer having a thickness of less than 10 nm could be ascribed to the evolution of polycrystalline structures in the main layer. The cyclic annealing performed after the deposition of the main layer is also found to be crucial for the formation of single crystalline, high-quality Ge films on SiO2 substrates with direction. The cyclic annealing results in a further reduction of the defects, thereby threading dislocations significantly to a density of ~ 5.311 × 107 cm−2. Electrical measurements using the van der Pauw method revealed that the GeTF exhibits p-type characteristics and a high mobility of 360.10 cm2/Vs at room temperature.

The discovery of graphene has triggered immense interest in two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. However, the 2D growth of several layerstructured crystals such as graphene, MoS2, and black phosphorus is difficult and limited. Here, we report the gas-phase 2D growth of germanium (Ge) with a cubic structure to form Ge nanosheets (GeNSs) using the chemical vapor deposition method. Our investigation revealed that a diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) environment is essential for the 2D growth of Ge that induces a dendritic growth in the direction and suppresses the growth in the [111] direction. The growth behavior was similar to the 2D growth of silicon reported previously. Thus, it can be concluded that a DLA environment is essential for the 2D growth of cubic structured materials. The electron density and mobility of GeNSs were found to be 1.3 × 1015 cm−3 and 792 cm2/Vs, respectively, and their resistivity varied with the intensity of light.

The direct tensile stress versus strain responses of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concretes (UHPFRCs) at high strain rates (10–150 s −1 ) were investigated using an improved strain energy frame impact machine. The high strain rates (>100 s −1 ) were achieved by increasing the capacity of the hydraulic jack and coupler and changing the diameter and material of the energy frame. The use of a titanium energy frame (diameter of 30 mm) increased the impact speed. As the strain rate was increased from 0.000333 to 170 s −1 , the post-cracking strength of the UHPFRCs containing 2% straight steel fibers increased from 16.5 to 47.1 MPa.

In this study, we compared the physical and chemical properties evaluation for each size in the SUS316L metal powder produced by water atomization and gas atomization. and we analyzed the experimental data in order to find the basis of a suitable metal powder (SUS316L) for DED (Direct Energy Deposition) processing. Also it evaluated the properties of each layered surface and cross section according to the number of deposition and deposition speed. In the result of optical microscopy measurements, the metal powder by water atomization was the crack generated between the deposition layer, the deposition layer was poor quality. However, metal powder by gas atomization was obtained a relatively good deposition results than metal powder by water atomization.

As a process improvement, the distillation and recovery of the salts used in UO2 electrolytic reduction is required. The basic characteristics of the distillation of a LiCl–Li2O electrolyte containing UO2 pellets were investigated. UO2 pellets were immersed in LiCl–Li2O (1.0 wt%) and the mixture was subjected to distillation at 930–740 °C under Ar gas at atmospheric pressure. The residual salt consisted of Li2O, whereas the distilled salt was identified as only LiCl. Due to the rapid heat transfer between the evaporator and the receiver, the successful distillation of LiCl at atmospheric pressure was achieved.

In this study, the feasibility of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was investigated for use as a ceramic material, which can be commonly used for both electrolytic reduction and electrorefining. First, the stability of YSZ in salts for electrolytic reduction and electrorefining was examined. Then, its stability was demonstrated by a series of pyroprocessing tests, such as electrolytic reduction, LiCl distillation, electrorefining, and LiCl KCl distillation, using a single stainless steel wire mesh basket containing fuel and YSZ. A single basket was used by its transportation from one test to subsequent tests without the requirements for unloading.

The demand for environmental consideration is on the increase in civil engineering. This study focuses on the development of technology to reduce the use of carbonate cement and improve its performance by using a silicate mineral and hardening agents, and presents the test results for the demonstrative evaluation of the properties of the raw material. Highly active feldspar was used as a binder to augment the bonding of the carbonate cement, and their change in strength was observed after test piece construction with the addition of soluble hardening agent. The uniaxial compression strength of the test piece of the general Portland cement with the addition of 0.5% soluble hardening agent, showed an increase by 33% and that of the test piece of cement with the addition of 70% substituted with feldspar increased by 28%. The strength of viscous soil; classified as soft ground, showed an increase of a maximum of 1.7 times when it was mixed with cement and solidifier depending on the curing period. These tests confirmed that a soluble solidifier is effective for improving the strength of a cement binder and that the highly active feldspar can be used as a binder.

This study explored the feasibility of rinsing a metallic fuel in a separate LiCl salt as a new alternative to salt distillation, aimed to dilute Li and Li2O in the residual oxide reduction (OR) salt of the fuel and then supply the fuel for electrorefining. The rinsed metallic fuel was conducted by simply immersing the fuel in a LiCl salt at 650 °C. During the immersion, the residual OR salt in the fuel was dissolved, and Li2O and Li generated during the OR of the fuel were diluted. Li and Li2O dissolved in LiCl were successfully consumed by chemically reacting with ZrO2 immersed in the salt. Even after the metallic fuel was rinsed in a common LiCl salt, the Li-Li2O concentration in the salt was maintained at the initial concentration before the rinsing owing to the use of ZrO2. Moreover, the Li-Li2O in the fuel was significantly diluted during the rinsing.

Background There is growing interest in the provision of parenting support to substance misusing parents. Methods This pragmatic, multi-center randomized controlled trial compared an intensive one-to-one parenting program (Parents under Pressure, PuP) with Treatment as Usual (TAU) in the UK. Parents were engaged in community-based substance misuse services and were primary caregivers of children less than 2.5 years of age. The primary outcome was child abuse potential, and secondary outcomes included measures of parental emotional regulation assessed at baseline, 6 and 12-months. A prospective economic evaluation was also conducted. Results Of 127 eligible parents, 115 met the inclusion criteria, and subsequently parents were randomly assigned to receive PuP (n = 48) or TAU (n = 52). Child abuse potential was significantly improved in those receiving the PuP program while those in TAU showed a deterioration across time in both intent-to-treat (p Conclusions Up to one-third of substance dependent parents of children under 3-years of age can be supported to improve their parenting, using a modular, one-to-one parenting program. Further research is needed.

Solar desalination via thermal evaporation of seawater is one of the most promising technologies for addressing the serious problem of global water scarcity because it does not require additional supporting energy other than infinite solar energy for generating clean water. However, low efficiency and a large amount of heat loss are considered critical limitations of solar desalination technology. The combination of mesoporous three-dimensional graphene networks (3DGNs) with a high solar absorption property and water-transporting wood pieces with a thermal insulation property has exhibited greatly enhanced solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency. 3DGN deposited on a wood piece provides an outstanding value of solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency, about 91.8%, under 1 sun illumination and excellent desalination efficiency of 5 orders salinity decrement. The mass-producible 3DGN enriched with many mesopores efficiently releases the vapors from an enormous area of the surface by heat localization on the top surface of the wood piece. Because the efficient solar desalination device made by 3DGN on the wood piece is highly scalable and inexpensive, it could serve as one of the main sources for the worldwide supply of purified water achieved via earth-abundant materials without an extra supporting energy source.

The platinum anode for the electrolytic reduction process is generally surrounded by a nonporous ceramic shroud with an open bottom to offer a path for O2 gas produced on the anode surface and prevent the corrosion of the electrolytic reducer. However, the O 2- ions generated from the cathode are transported only in a limited fashion through the open bottom of the anode shroud because the nonporous shroud hinders the transport of the O 2- ions to the anode surface, which leads to a decrease in the current density and an increase in the operation time of the process. In the present study, we demonstrate the electrolytic reduction of 1 kg-uranium oxide (UO2) using the porous shroud to investigate its long-term stability. The UO2 with the size of 1~4 mm and the den

To investigate the effect of the reinforcement ratio on the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) beams under impact loading, a total of four large-sized (200 × 270 × 2900 mm) beams were fabricated and tested using a drop-weight impact test machine. The incident kinetic energy and impact velocity were 4.2 kJ and 5.6 m/s, respectively. A higher reinforcement ratio exhibited lower maximum and residual deflections and better deflection recovery. The test results also indicate that the maximum crack width at a certain drop stage decreased with the reinforcement ratio. A nonlinear analytical model for predicting the impact behavior of a UHPFRC beam was developed using multi-layer sectional analysis and single-degree-of-freedom analysis, and the model was verified through comparison with the experimental results.

The importance of public infrastructures' protection against crash or blast loads has been emerging issue as structures are becoming bigger and population densities in downtown cities are growing up. However, there exists no sufficient study which considers the developments of protective building materials, that are essential for protective design and construction. To assess the protection performance and the applicability as protective materials of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites(HPFRCC), this study performed the impact tests with 40 mm gas-gun propelled projectile crash machine. From this study, it has observed that both high compressive strength of cement matrix and fiber reinforcement are beneficial for the improvement of impact resistance.

The use of a single stainless steel (STS) wire mesh basket as the fuel containment material for a series of pyroprocessing steps has been studied. The use of a single basket minimizes fuel loss and was enabled by transporting and using the basket containing the fuel from one test to the next without unloading it. The series of tests consisted of electrolytic reduction, LiCl distillation, electrorefining, LiCl–KCl distillation, and finally a second electrolytic reduction and a subsequent LiCl distillation step. While the electrolytic reduction of UO 2 was conducted in a LiCl–Li 2 O molten salt electrolyte at 650 °C using the STS wire mesh basket as the cathode, the electrorefining was carried out in a LiCl–KCl–UCl 3 molten salt electrolyte at 500 °C, using the STS wire mesh basket as the anode. During the salt (LiCl and LiCl–KCl) distillation processes, the product of electrolytic reduction/electrorefining in the basket, which included metallic U and residual salts, was distilled at 850 °C under vacuum. The electrolytic reduction, electrorefining, and salt distillation processes were successfully demonstrated with the use of a single STS wire mesh basket through the entire cycle. However, an unstable intermetallic U–Fe layer was observed between the reduction product and the STS basket, when a cross section of the basket was studied after the salt distillation steps. The influence of the U–Fe layer on the electrolysis steps needs to be studied further in order to understand and quantify the lifetime of a single STS wire mesh basket during pyroprocessing.

Recovery of metallic uranium has been achieved by electrolytic reduction of uranium oxide in a molten LiCl–Li2O electrolyte at 650 °C, followed by the removal of the residual salt by vacuum distillation at 850 °C. Four types of stainless steel mesh baskets, with various mesh sizes (325, 1,400 and 2,300 meshes) and either three or five ply layers, were used both as cathodes and to contain the reduced product in the distillation stage. The recovered uranium had a metal fraction greater than 98.8 % and contained no residual salt.

Background Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem. Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) is a new intervention for young, expectant mothers implemented successfully in pilot studies. This study was designed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of gFNP in reducing risk factors for maltreatment with a potentially vulnerable population. Methods A multi-site, randomized controlled, parallel-arm trial and prospective economic evaluation was conducted, with allocation via remote randomization (minimization by site, maternal age group) to gFNP or usual care. Participants were expectant mothers aged below 20 years with at least one live birth, or aged 20–24 years with no live births and with low educational qualifications. Data from maternal interviews at baseline and when infants were 2, 6 and 12 months, and video-recording at 12 months, were collected by researchers blind to allocation. Cost information came from weekly logs completed by gFNP family nurses and other service delivery data reported by participants. Primary outcomes measured at 12 months were parenting attitudes (Adult-Adolescent Parenting Index, AAPI-2) and maternal sensitivity (CARE Index). The economic evaluation was conducted from a UK NHS and personal social services perspective with cost-effectiveness expressed in terms of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. The main analyses were intention-to-treat with additional complier average causal effects (CACE) analyses. Results Between August 2013 and September 2014, 492 names of potential participants were received of whom 319 were eligible and 166 agreed to take part, 99 randomly assigned to receive gFNP and 67 to usual care. There were no between-arm differences in AAPI-2 total (7 · 5/10 in both, SE 0.1), difference adjusted for baseline, site and maternal age group 0 · 06 (95% CI − 0 · 15 to 0 · 28, p = 0 · 59) or CARE Index (intervention 4 · 0 (SE 0 · 3); control 4 · 7 (SE 0 · 4); difference adjusted for site and maternal age group − 0 · 68 (95% CI − 1 · 62 to 0 · 16, p = 0 · 25) scores. The probability that gFNP is cost-effective based on the QALY measure did not exceed 3%. Conclusions The trial did not support gFNP as a means of reducing the risk of child maltreatment in this population but slow recruitment adversely affected group size and consequently delivery of the intervention. Trial registration ISRCTN78814904. Registered on 17 May 2013. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2259-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundFamily Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a home-based nurse home-visiting programme to support vulnerable parents. Group Family Nurse Partnership (gFNP) has similar aims and materials and was demonstrated to be feasible in implementation evaluations.ObjectivesTo determine whether or not gFNP, compared with usual care, could reduce risk factors for maltreatment in a vulnerable group and be cost-effective.DesignA multisite randomised controlled parallel-group trial and prospective economic evaluation, with eligible women allocated (minimised by site and maternal age group) to gFNP or usual care.SettingCommunity locations in the UK.ParticipantsExpectant mothers aged InterventionForty-four sessions of gFNP (14 during pregnancy and 30 in the first 12 months after birth) were offered to groups of between 8 and 12 women with similar expected delivery dates (the difference between the earliest and latest expected delivery date ranged from 8 to 10 weeks depending on the group) by two family nurses (FNs), one of whom had notified her intention to practise as a midwife.Main outcome measuresParenting was assessed by a self-report measure of parenting opinions, the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory Version 2 (AAPI-2), and an objective measure of maternal sensitivity, the CARE-Index. Cost-effectiveness was primarily expressed in terms of incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained.Data sourcesInterviews with participants at baseline and when infants were aged 2, 6 and 12 months. Cost information from nurse weekly logs and other service delivery data.ResultsIn total, 166 women were enrolled (99 to the intervention group and 67 to the control group). Adjusting for site and maternal age group, the intention-to-treat analysis found no effect of gFNP on either of the primary outcomes. AAPI-2 total was 7.5/10 [standard error (SE) 0.1] in both arms [difference also adjusted for baseline 0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.15 to 0.28;p = 0.50]. CARE-Index maternal sensitivity mean: intervention 4.0 (SE 0.3); control 4.7 (SE 0.4) (difference –0.76, 95% CI –1.67 to 0.13;p = 0.21). The sensitivity analyses supported the primary analyses. The probability that the gFNP intervention was cost-effective based on the QALY measure did not exceed 3%. However, in terms ofchangein AAPI-2 score (baseline to 12 months), the probability that gFNP was cost-effective reached 25.1%. A separate discrete choice experiment highlighted the value placed by both pregnant women and members of the general population on non-health outcomes that were not included in the QALY metric.LimitationsSlow recruitment resulted in smaller than ideal group sizes. In some cases, few or no sessions took place owing to low initial group size, and small groups may have contributed to attrition from the intervention. Exposure to gFNP sessions was below maximum for most group members, with only 58 of the 97 intervention participants receiving any sessions; FNs were experienced with FNP but were mainly new to delivering gFNP.ConclusionsThe trial does not support the delivery of gFNP as a means of reducing the risk of child abuse or neglect in this population.Future workA randomised controlled trial with modified eligibility to enable first-time mothers aged Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN78814904.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full inPublic Health Research; Vol. 5, No. 9. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

In this study, the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is examined as a function of fiber length and volume fraction. Straight steel fiber with three different lengths (l(f)) of 13, 19.5, and 30 mm and four different volume fractions (v(f)) of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% are considered. Test results show that post-cracking flexural properties of UHPFRC, such as flexural strength, deflection capacity, toughness, and cracking behavior, improve with increasing fiber length and volume fraction, while first-cracking properties are not significantly influenced by fiber length and volume fraction. A 0.5 vol % reduction of steel fiber content relative to commercial UHPFRC can be achieved without deterioration of flexural performance by replacing short fibers (l(f) of 13 mm) with longer fibers (l(f) of 19.5 mm and 30 mm).

A liquid Sb anode was investigated in this study to evaluate its ability to promote the electrolytic reduction of UO2. The liquid Sb anode consumed O2− ions to convert UO2 into metallic U during electrolytic reduction in an LiCl–Li2O electrolyte at 650 °C. However, simultaneous electroplating of Sb at the cathode prohibited the complete conversion, leaving residual UO2.

This study investigates the effects of the compressive strength and area ratio of coarse aggregate of concrete for offshore construction on the erosion depth. To evaluate the erosion resistance of concrete, test was performed according to ASTM C 1138 using a plain mix with design strength of 30 MPa using only Portland cement and five other mixes including different quantities of fly ash and blast furnace slag. The test results showed that the erosion depth is influenced not only by the compressive strength but also by the area ratio of coarse aggregate.

This study performed compressive, tensile and restrained shrinkage tests to find out the optimized mixture including shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) and expansive admixture (EA) enabling to reduce the shrinkage of Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC). The test results showed that the mixture using 1% of SRA and 7.5% of EA satisfied the design strength criterion despite of slight loss in the compressive and tensile strengths. In addition, this mixture exhibited the lowest restrained shrinkage strain by offsetting the quick setting and delaying the development of the restrained shrinkage stress.

Since the discovery of graphene, growth of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has greatly attracted attention. However, spontaneous growth of atomic two-dimensional (2D) materials is limitedly permitted for several layered-structure crystals, such as graphene, MoS2, and h-BN, and otherwise it is notoriously difficult. Here we report the gas-phase 2D growth of silicon (Si), that is cubic in symmetry, via dendritic growth and an interdendritic filling mechanism and to form Si nanosheets (SiNSs) of 1 to 13 nm in thickness. Thin SiNSs show strong thickness-dependent photoluminescence in visible range including red, green, and blue (RGB) emissions with the associated band gap energies ranging from 1.6 to 3.2 eV; these emission energies were greater than those from Si quantum dots (SiQDs) of the similar sizes. We also demonstrated that electrically driven white, as well as blue, emission in a conventional organic light-emitting diode (OLED) geometry with the SiNS assembly as the active emitting layers. Tunable light emissions in visible range in our observations suggest practical implications for novel 2D Si nanophotonics.

This study investigated the effects of reinforcing bar type and reinforcement ratio on the restrained shrinkage behaviors of ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), including autogenous shrinkage stress, degree of restraint, and cracking potential. In addition, the influence of the type and embedment length of reinforcing bars on the bond behavior of UHPFRC was evaluated by performing pullout test. Three different reinforcing bars (deformed steel bar, round steel bar, and GFRP bar) were investigated in the restrained shrinkage and pullout tests. The GFRP bar exhibited the best performance in relation to the autogenous shrinkage stress, degree of restraint, and cracking potential because of its low stiffness. The highest bond strength was obtained for the deformed steel bar, and the bar yielding was observed when the bar embedment length of lb = 2db was used. The round steel bar exhibited the poorest behaviors for both of the restrained shrinkage and pullout.

This paper presents a capacitive readout circuit for tri-axes microaccelerometer with sub-fF offset calibration capability. A charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) with correlated double sampling (CDS) and digital to equivalent capacitance converter (DECC) is proposed. The DECC is implemented using 10-bit DAC, charge transfer switches, and a chargestoring capacitor. The DECC circuit can realize the equivalent capacitance of sub-fF range with a smaller area and higher accuracy than previous offset cancelling circuit using series-connected capacitor arrays. The readout circuit and MEMS sensing element are integrated in a single package. The supply voltage and the current consumption of analog blocks are 3.3 V and 230 μA, respectively. The sensitivities of tri-axes are measured to be 3.87 mg/LSB, 3.87 mg/LSB and 3.90 mg/LSB, respectively. The offset calibration which is controlled by 10-bit DECC has a resolution of 12.4 LSB per step with high linearity. The noise levels of tri-axes are 349 μg/√Hz, 341 μg/√Hz and 411 μg/√Hz, respectively.

This study aimed to investigate the potential use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are an innovative construction material preferred by many researchers. Long-term microstructure enhancement and on-site application are major reasons to conduct research on CNT-cement composites, thus, a study on mechanical properties as well as the thermal conductivity of CNT-cement composites was carried out. As the CNT content increased, the thermal conductivity of CNT-cement composites was also enhanced. In addition, a couple of microstructure analyses such as isothermal calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis and SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) for observing hydration reaction rate and types of hydration products were conducted to establish the advantage of CNT use in cement composites. Strength development of CNT-cement composites at early ages was slow, although eventually CNTs containing water developed equivalent level of strengths at last as internal curing effects.

We fabricated anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells using decalcomania paper. To investigate the changes in thickness of the component layer and electrical properties in a unit cell, the number of layers of cathodes and the electrolyte decalcomania paper is changed. As a result, the thickness of the electrolyte and cathode layer regularly increases with an increase in the number of decalcomania papers attached. In addition, when only one electrolyte decalcomania paper is attached to an anode support, a tight and dense 8 μm electrolyte layer is obtained. A unit cell with a cathode thickness of 120 μm to which decalcomania paper is attached nine times is shown to have an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.08 V and a maximum power density (MPD) of 902 mW cm−2 at 800 °C.

A series of Mn compound were prepared by seed-assisted method. The seed used in this reaction was man- ufactured by calcination of MnCO3 at various temperatures and effects of the calcination temperature on seed-assisted reaction were investigated. With increase of the calcination temperature, CMD (γ-MnO2) was recovered after seed- assisted reactions. LMO used as cathode active material in the Li-ion batteries were synthesized from Mn source obtained in the seed-assisted reaction and the electrochemical properties (rate capability, cycle life performance and spe- cific capacity) of the LMO were investigated. The LMO synthesized from the CMD which is obtained by the reaction with seed prepared by calcination of MnCO3 more than 350 o C shown good electrochemical properties.

In order to investigate the combined effect of expansive and shrinkage-reducing admixtures on shrinkage and mechanical properties of ultra high performance fiber-reinforced concrete, a series of experiments including three types of shrinkage tests, compressive and flexural tests, and penetration-resistance test were performed. Test results showed that about 51–53% of free shrinkage and 35–49% of restrained steel strains were reduced by adding 1% shrinkage-reducing admixture along with 7.5% expansive admixture with slight change of strength. Elastic stress, residual interface pressure and degree of restraint from ring specimens were also significantly reduced by using expansive and shrinkage-reducing admixtures. Although the elastic stress of the ring specimen without expansive and shrinkage-reducing admixtures was higher than the tensile strength, no shrinkage crack was observed for all test specimens due to the relaxation effect.

The hydrophobicity of a dragonfly’s wing originates from the naturally occurring nano-structure on its surface. The nano-structure on a dragonfly’s wing consists of an array of nano-sized pillars, 100 nm in diameter. We re-create this hydrophobicity on various substrates, such as Si, glass, curved acrylic polymer, and flexible PET film, by replicating the nano-structure using UV curable nano-imprint lithography (NIL) and PDMS molding. The success of the nano-structure duplication was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrophobicity was measured by water-based contact angle measurements. The water contact angle of the replica made of UV cured polymer was 135° ± 2°, which was slightly lower than that of the original dragonfly’s wing (145° ± 2°), but much higher than that of the UV cured polymer surface without any nano-sized pillars (80°). The hydrophobicity was further improved by applying a coating of Teflon-like material.

In order to evaluate the restrained shrinkage behavior of ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), ring-tests with three different wall thicknesses and two different diameters of inner steel ring were performed. Partially exposed free shrinkage and tensile tests were carried out simultaneously to assess the theoretical elastic stress, stress relaxation, degree of restraint and potential for cracking in the concrete. Test results indicated that the UHPFRC ring specimen with a thicker steel ring demonstrated a faster theoretical cracking time, higher stress relaxation and degree of restraint than that of a thinner steel ring, whereas those factors were rarely affected by the diameter of the inner steel ring. About 39–65 % of the theoretical elastic stress was relaxed by the sustained interface pressure. Since the actual residual tensile stress of all specimens was less than the tensile strength, the computed cracking potential varied from 0.43 to 0.7, and thus no shrinkage crack was observed. Finally, the degree of restraint provided a linear relationship with the ratio of steel and concrete wall thickness.