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Depto. de Química Analítica, Fac. de Ciencias Químicas, TRUE, pub

Analysis of bone marrow aspirates (BMA) is an essential step in the diagnosis of hematological disorders. This analysis is usually performed based on visual examination of the samples under a conventional optical microscope, which involves a labor-intensive process, limited by clinical experience and subject to high observer variability. In this work, we present a comprehensive digital system that enables BMA analysis for cell type counting and differentiation in an efficient and objective manner. This system not only provides an accessible and simple method to digitize, store and analyze BMA samples remotely, but is also supported by an artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline that accelerates the differential cell counting (DCC) process and reduces inter-observer variability. It has been designed to integrate AI algorithms with the daily clinical routine and can be used in any regular hospital workflow., Horizon 2020, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Sociedad Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia, Comunidad de Madrid, Depto. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Fac. de Farmacia, FALSE, inpress

The concept awareness, proposed years ago to study contexts of interaction and processes of identity between nursing care personnel and dying patients, may form a methodological and theoretical basis to study ageism. Moreover, awareness is proposed here to be revisited as a core category referring to basic social processes and discursive axes underling various phenomena such as racism, sexism, or ageism. My aim in this article is a retrospective research storytelling circa the case of aging immigrants as people who have experienced multiple minority discrimination. A discourse and grounded theory analysis were used to reanalyze a selection of qualitative material gathered over the course of two sets of research projects on xenophobia (2006–2012) and multiple discrimination (2013–2019). Becoming aware of ageism in the case of aging immigrants and the researcher himself serves as an exercise of methodological, self-reflexive, qualitative, and embodied enquiry for a better understanding of sociological ageism., Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, grant number CSO2016-75946-R, Depto. de Sociología: Metodología y Teoría, Fac. de Ciencias Políticas y Sociología, TRUE, pub

A study of the factors influencing waste sorting behaviours is crucial to assess the current urban waste management schemes and to determine additional, appropriate policies to put in place. While there exist many theoretical considerations on which factors determine the Sorted Municipal Solid Waste Collection (SMSWC) rates, these are sometimes ambiguous, and firm empirical confirmation is often lacking. The present study estimates econometric models based on a comprehensive set of longitudinal data for all 945 Catalonian municipalities from 2000 to 2019. We demonstrate and quantify geographic, demographic, socioeconomic, and policy design determinants of the SMSWC rates at a municipal level. New insights are obtained on the effects of geographic conditions, unemployment, and foreign population on waste management behaviours, sometimes in direct contradiction with earlier theoretical expectations. The empirical evidence suggests that active waste collection policies can serve to increase the rate of sorted waste collection rapidly enough to achieve the recycling goals set by the European Union legislation and the Spanish Waste Law. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of considering demographic trends and differences in waste sorting behaviour between social groups when tackling waste management issues. The main qualitative results are expected to be valid beyond the concrete case of Catalonia., Depto. de Economía Financiera y Actuarial y Estadística, Fac. de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, TRUE, pub

Governmigration 976197, Depto. de Ciencia Política y de la Administración, Fac. de Ciencias Políticas y Sociología, FALSE, pub

El 2 de mayo de 2022, el Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos decidió el caso Shurtleff v. Boston, una sentencia sobre libertad de expresión que resulta de interés para quienes siguen el pulso de la actualidad judicial americana, pero que curiosamente ha pasado desapercibida por los motivos que luego detallaré. En la decisión se dan cita diversas cuestiones relacionadas con la libertad religiosa, la libertad de expresión, la separación Iglesia-Estado y, por supuesto, la no discriminación., Depto. de Derecho Internacional, Eclesiástico y Filosofía del Derecho, Fac. de Derecho, FALSE, pub

von Mag. Philip Küther, LL.B., Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 2022

The Department of the Navy’s continued progression from time-based maintenance into condition-based maintenance plus (CBM+) shows the importance of increasing operational availability (Ao) across fleet weapon systems. This capstone uses the concept of digital efficiency from a digital twin (DT) combined with a three-dimensional (3D) direct metal laser melting printer as the physical host on board a surface vessel. The DT provides an agnostic conduit for combining model-based systems engineering with a digital analysis for real-time prognostic health monitoring while improving predictive maintenance. With the DT at the forefront of prioritized research and development, the 3D printer combines the value of additive manufacturing with complex systems in dynamic shipboard environments. To demonstrate that the DT possesses parallel abilities for improving both the physical host’s Ao and end-goal mission, this capstone develops a DT architecture and a high-level model. The model focuses on specific printer components (deionized [DI] water level, DI water conductivity, air filters, and laser motor drive system) to demonstrate the DT’s inherent effectiveness towards CBM+. To embody the system of systems analysis for printer suitability and performance, more components should be evaluated and combined with the ship’s environment data. Additionally, this capstone recommends the use of DTs as a nexus into more complex weapon systems while using a deeper level of design of experiment., Outstanding Thesis, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Commander, United States Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Civilian, Department of the Navy, Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Tsutsui, M., Yokota, K., He, Y., Kawai, T., Ionic Signal Amplification of DNA in a Nanopore. Small Methods 2022, 6, 2200761, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202200761. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., Ionic signal amplification is a key challenge for single-molecule analyses by solid-state nanopore sensing. Here, a permittivity gradient approach for amplifying ionic blockade characteristics of DNA in a nanofluidic channel is reported. The transmembrane ionic current response is found to change substantially through modifying the liquid permittivity at one side of a pore with an organic solvent. Imposing positive liquid permittivity gradients with respect to the direction of DNA electrophoresis, this study observes the resistive ionic signals to become larger due to the varying contributions of molecular counterions. On the contrary, negative gradients render adverse effects causing conductive ionic current pulses upon polynucleotide translocations. Most importantly, both the positive and negative gradients are demonstrated to be capable of amplifying the ionic signals by an order of magnitude with a 1.3-fold difference in the transmembrane liquid dielectric constants. This phenomenon allows a novel way to enhance the single-molecule sensitivity of nanopore sensing that may be useful in analyzing secondary structures and genome sequence of DNA by ionic current measurements.

For an arbitrary negative Schwarzian unimodal map with non-flat critical point, we establish the level-2 Large Deviation Principle (LDP) for empirical distributions. We also give an example of a multimodal map for which the level-2 LDP does not hold.

An elliptic curve may be immersed in P^{N-1} as a degree N curve using level N structure. In the case where N is odd, there are well known classical results dating back to Bianchi and Klein. In this paper we study the case of even N in some detail. In particular, over the complex number field, we define an immersion using suitably chosen theta functions, and study the quadratic equations satisfied by them.

To reduce skin irritation and allergic symptoms caused by long-term mask use, we produced a mask with a filter effect by laminating nanofibers on habutae silk fabric, a specialty of Japan’s Fukui Prefecture, using the electrospinning method. We investigated the filter characteristics of silk fabrics with different weave structures (habutae, flat crepe, and twill). We found that woven fabrics alone could not sufficiently block particles finer than 1 µm, even when the fabric layers were overlapped. Therefore, we had a nanofiber filter layer fabricated on the surface of habutae fabric by the electrospinning method at a weight of 1 g/m2 . The nanofibers removed more than 94% of 0.3 µm-particles, which are similar to the size of virus particles. However, the nanofiber layer was so dense that it caused an increase in pressure drop, so we made the nanofiber layer thinner and fabricated the filter on the surface of the habutae fabric at 0.5 g/m2 . A three-dimensional mask consisting of two woven fabrics, one with a nanofiber layer on the inside and the other with a normal woven fabric without a nanofiber layer on the outside, was fabricated and tested on 95 subjects. The subjects reported that the nanofiber habutae masks were more comfortable than nonwoven masks.Moreover, the silk woven masks did not cause allergic symptoms such as skin irritation., source:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/23/7391

Commingled yarns consisting of thermoplastic nylon fibers and carbon fibers can be usedto produce superior carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) by applying fiber spreading technology after commingling. In this study, we examined whether spread commingled carbon fiber/nylon fiber yarns could reduce the impregnation distance, as there are few reports on this.From this study, the following are revealed. The impregnation speed of the nylon resin on the carbon fiber was very fast, less than 1 min. As the molding time increased, the tensile strength and tensile fracture strain slightly decreased, and the nylon resin deteriorated. The effects of molding time on flexural strength, flexural modulus, and flexural fracture strain were negligible. From the cross-sectional observation conducted to confirm the impregnation state of the matrix resin, no voids were observed in the molded products, regardless of molding time or molding pressure, indicating that resin impregnation into the carbon fiber bundle of the spread commingled yarn fabric was completed at a molding pressure of 5 MPa and a molding time of 5 min., source:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/19/3206

We demonstrate the potential of a novel self-expandable biliary stent comprised of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel with anisotropic swelling behavior and endoscopic deliverability in vivo, using a porcine stent model. The mechanism underlying the anisotropic swelling behavior and endoscopic deliverability (i.e., flexibility) was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), evaluation of the water content and swelling ratio, and three-point bending tests. The in vivo experiment using a porcine stent model indicated that the tube-shaped PVA hydrogel could effectively expand the biliary tract, without disturbing bile flow. SEM and SAXS showed that PVA hydrogels prepared by drying under extension showed structural orientation along the extension axis, leading to anisotropic swelling. The water content of the PVA hydrogel was found to be crucial for maintaining flexibility as well as endoscopic deliverability. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the novel concept of using a hydrogel stent as a self-expandable biliary stent., source:https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2022/tb/d2tb00104g

We developed a new illumination method called the simultaneous illumination method. This method does not require synchronization between light sources and sensor signals, which drastically simplifies the instrumentation. As a proof-of-concept, we applied this method to an oceanographic fluorometer. In principle, using this method, one can easily increase the number of characterized emission wavelengths by mounting optical sensors for as many emission wavelengths as needed. Our fluorometer has two emission-wavelength channels and twelve excitation wavelengths. The aim of this prototype is to demonstrate a viable in situ N-channel emission fluorometer with multiple wavelengths of excitation, which has not been previously realized., source:https://opg.optica.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-19-11-10063&id=213729#articleBody

Nanofibrous nonwoven fabrics have attracted attention as porous adsorbents with high specific surface areas for the safe and efficient treatment of spilled organic dyes and petroleum. For this purpose, a method of fabricating porous nanofibers with high specific surface areas would be highly beneficial. In this study, the phase separation in nanofibers electrospun from blended solutions of immiscible polymers [poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)] was investigated. The removal of PVP as a sacrificial polymer afforded the imprinting of mesopores (40–70 nm) in the PS nanofibers. The effects of solution composition (PS/PVP in N,N-dimethylformamide) on the structure formation in the fibers were investigated. The nanofibers thus obtained could selectively adsorb low-molecular-weight hydrophobic dyes, such as Nile Red and Oil Red O. Thus, it is expected that the combined approach of electrospinning of immiscible polymer blends and phase separation-induced patterning can be applied to the fabrication of functional nanofibers for diverse applications., source:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c01798?fig=abs1&ref=pdf

Terahertz emission from ferromagnetic/non-magnetic spintronic heterostructures had been demonstrated as pump wavelength-independent. We report, however, the pump wavelength dependence of terahertz emission from an optimized Fe/Pt spintronic bilayer on MgO substrate. Maximum terahertz generation per total pump power was observed in the 1200- to 1800-nm pump wavelength range, and a marked decrease in the terahertz emission efficiency beyond 2500 nm (pump photon energies <0.5 eV) suggests a ∼0.35-eV threshold pump photon energy for effective spintronic terahertz emission. The inferred threshold is supported by previous theoretical results on the onset energy of significant spin-filtering at the Fe-Pt interface, and confirmed by Fe/Pt electronic structure calculations in this present work. The results of terahertz time-domain emission spectroscopy show the sensitivity of spintronic terahertz emission to both the optical absorptance of the heterostructure and the energy-dependent spin transport, as dictated by the properties of the metallic thin films., source:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004222008872

Axonemal dynein ATPases direct ciliary and flagellar beating via adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis. The modulatory effect of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) on flagellar beating is not fully understood. Here, we describe a deficiency of cilia and flagella associated protein 45 (CFAP45) in humans and mice that presents a motile ciliopathy featuring situs inversus totalis and asthenospermia. CFAP45-deficient cilia and flagella show normal morphology and axonemal ultrastructure. Proteomic profiling links CFAP45 to an axonemal module including dynein ATPases and adenylate kinase as well as CFAP52, whose mutations cause a similar ciliopathy. CFAP45 binds AMP in vitro, consistent with structural modelling that identifies an AMP-binding interface between CFAP45 and AK8. Microtubule sliding of dyskinetic sperm from Cfap45−/− mice is rescued with the addition of either AMP or ADP with ATP, compared to ATP alone. We propose that CFAP45 supports mammalian ciliary and flagellar beating via an adenine nucleotide homeostasis module., source:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-19113-0#rightslink

A long-term station blackout accident of a BWR is analysed using TRAC-BF1, and the calculated results are compared with the observed data at the unit 2 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The RCIC is assumed to be actuated, and the reactor pressure and the liquid level in the core are found to be stable and the dry well pressure increases gradually. The effects of leakage and heat release from the containment are discussed. The reactor pressure increases to the SRV set point and the liquid level and the dry well pressure decrease after the termination of RCIC. The calculated results are in good agreement with the observed data, and the thermal–hydraulic transient of unit 2 reactor is shown to be simulated well., source:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030645491200196X?via%3Dihub

It is essential to improve computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis accuracy to estimate thermal flow in a containment vessel during a severe accident. Previous studies pointed out the importance of the initial and boundary conditions on the analysis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of initial and boundary conditions by numerical analysis of natural convection experiments. A density stratification layer was initially formed, and natural convection was induced by the external cooling of the vessel. Mixing by natural convection eroded the density stratification. We applied the RANS model with dynamic turbulent Schmidt number model. We used the measured temperature and gas concentration as the boundary and initial conditions. The erosion velocity did not change much with the initial gas distribution. The temperature boundary condition of small internal structures significantly influenced the fluid temperature distribution, and we evaluated this influence of the small internal structure quantitatively., source:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306454921007441?via%3Dihub

Light-responsive regulation of ciliary motility is known to be conducted through modulation of dyneins, but the mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we report a novel subunit of the two-headed f/I1 inner arm dynein, named DYBLUP, in animal spermatozoa and a unicellular green alga. This subunit contains a BLUF (sensors of blue light using FAD) domain that appears to directly modulate dynein activity in response to light. DYBLUP (dynein-associated BLUF protein) mediates the connection between the f/I1 motor domain and the tether complex that links the motor to the doublet microtubule. Chlamydomonas lacking the DYBLUP ortholog shows both positive and negative phototaxis but becomes acclimated and attracted to high-intensity blue light. These results suggest a mechanism to avoid toxic strong light via direct photoregulation of dyneins., source:https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf3621

For estimating thermal flow in a nuclear reactor during an accident accurately, it is important to improve the accuracy of computational fluid dynamics simulations. The temperature and flow velocity are not homogeneous and have large variations in a reactor containment vessel because of its very large volume. In addition, Kelm’s work pointed out that the influence of variations of initial and boundary conditions was important. Therefore, it is necessary to set the initial and boundary conditions taking into account the variations of these physical quantities. However, it is a difficult subject to set such complicated initial and boundary conditions. Then, we can obtain realistic initial and boundary conditions and an accurate flow field by data assimilation, and we can improve the accuracy of the simulation result. In this study, we applied data assimilation by a local ensemble transform Kalman filter to a simulation of natural convection behavior in density stratification, and we performed a twin model experiment. We succeeded in estimating the flow fields and improving the simulation accuracy by the data assimilation, even if we applied the boundary condition with error for the true condition., source:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/7/7/237

This paper describes an experimental investigation of natural convection driven by outer surface cooling in the presence of density stratification consisting of an air and helium (as mimic gas of hydrogen) gas mixture in an enclosed vessel. The unique cooling system of the Containment InteGral effects Measurement Apparatus (CIGMA) is used, and findings reveal that the cooling location relative to the stratification plays an important role in determining the interaction behavior of the heat and mass transfer in the enclosed vessel. When the cooling region is narrower than the stratification thickness, the density-stratified region expands to the lower part while decreasing in concentration (stratification dissolution). When the cooling region is wider than the stratification thickness, the stratification is gradually eroded from the bottom with decreasing layer thickness (stratification breakup). This knowledge is useful for understanding the interaction behavior of heat and mass transfer during severe accidents in nuclear power plants., source:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030645492100668X?via%3Dihub

Many thermohydraulic issues about the safety of light water reactors are related to complicated two-phase flow phenomena. In these phenomena, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis using the volume of fluid (VOF) method causes numerical diffusion generated by the first-order upwind scheme used in the convection term of the volume fraction equation. Thus, in this study, we focused on an interface compression (IC) method for such a VOF approach; this technique prevents numerical diffusion issues and maintains boundedness and conservation with negative diffusion.First, on a sufficiently high mesh resolution and without the IC method, the validation process was considered by comparing the amplitude growth of the interfacial wave between a two-dimensional gas sheet and a quiescent liquid using the linear theory. The disturbance growth rates were consistent with the linear theory, and the validation process was considered appropriate. Then, this validation process confirmed the effects of the IC method on numerical diffusion, and we derived the optimum value of the IC coefficient, which is the parameter that controls the numerical diffusion., source:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/6/2/80

The voltammetry of hydrogen ion is revisited quantitatively at a thin wire platinum electrode at scan rates less than 8 V s−1 in the context of the amount of adsorption and the negative capacitance. The first reduction wave was attributed to the reduction of adsorbed hydrogen ion, which is inconsistent with the Volmer step. The second one was composed of the partially-diffusion control current and the negatively capacitive current associated with the redox reaction. The capacitance causes the potential shift at high scan rates owing to the relaxation of the electric field for the faradaic reactions., source:https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ac593d/meta

The amount of anodically dissolved charge of silver by linear sweep stripping voltammetry has been observed to be smaller than that of the potentiostatically deposited charge. The imbalance in the charge is opposite to the participation in the double-layer capacitance. This can be explained in terms of the negative capacitive current, which is caused by dipoles of generated redox charge (Ag+ ) with counterions (NO3 −). Lower concentrations of counterions may suppress the capacitance to retain the equality of the charge. This prediction is examined in this work by the oxidation of silver film at various concentrations of NO3 − by anodic stripping voltammetry. The capacitance decreased with a decrease in the salt concentrations less than 0.05 mol dm−3 . Low concentrations of salts prevent loss of the anodic charge in electroanalysis. This dependence was related with the lifespan of generated silver nitrate dipoles and is described theoretically., source:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3293/3/3/27

Mutations caused by ion beams have been well-studied in plants, including ornamental flowers, rice, and algae. It has been shown that ion beams have several significantly interesting features, such as a high biological effect and unique mutation spectrum, which is in contrast to low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation such as gamma rays. In this study, the effects of double strand breaks and 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) caused by ion-beam irradiation were examined. We irradiated repair-gene-inactive strains rad52, ogg1, and msh2 using carbon ion beams, analyzed the lethality and mutagenicity, and characterized the mutations. High-LET carbon ion-beam radiation was found to cause oxidative base damage, such as 8-oxodG, which can lead to mutations. The present observations suggested that nucleotide incorporation of oxidative damage gave only a limited effect on cell viability and genome fidelity. The ion-beam mutations occurred predominantly in 5′-ACA-3′ sequences, and we detected a hotspot at around +79 to +98 in URA3 in wild-type and mutant lines, suggesting the presence of a mutation-susceptible region. View Full-Text, source:https://www.mdpi.com/2412-382X/3/3/14

Voltage vs. time curves of double layer capacitances (DLCs) by current-controlled charge and discharge steps have been recognized to be composed of triangular waves. They are deviated slightly from triangles from the viewpoint of the time dependence or the constant phase element of the DLC. In order to evaluate the deviation, we measured DLCs of a platinum (Pt) electrode in KCl solution by current-control. Each time-voltage curve was convex rather a line, and was followed by the power law. Even if the time dependence was subtracted from each curve, the enhancement of the DLC was noticeable with an increase in the time well as the voltage. It can be attributed to the electric field effect, in which dipoles of solvents are oriented on an electrode so strongly that the DLC may be increased. The field dependence can be justified with the kinetic theory of interacting dipoles of solvents on an electrode through the observed linearity of the logarithmic DLC with the net voltage. This concept was applied to a commercially available super-capacitor to demonstrate a significant contribution of the field effect. View Full-Text, source:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3293/1/2/15

Background: Evaluation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-strand break is important to elucidate the biological effect of ionizing radiations. The conventional methods for DNA-strandbreak evaluation have been achieved by Agarose gel electrophoresis and others using an electrical property of DNAs. Such kinds of DNA-strand break evaluation systems can estimate DNAstrand break, according to a molecular weight of DNAs. However, the conventional method needs pre-treatment of the sample and a relatively long period for analysis. They do not have enough sensitivity to detect the strand break products in the low-dose region.Materials and Methods: The sample is water, methanol and plasmid DNA solution. The plasmid DNA pUC118 was multiplied by using Escherichia coli JM109 competent cells. The resonance frequency and Q-value were measured by means of microwave dielectric absorptionspectroscopy. When a sample is located at a center of the electric field, resonance curve of the frequency that existed as a standing wave is disturbed. As a result, the perturbation effect to perform a resonance with different frequency is adopted.Results and Discussion: The resonance frequency shifted to higher frequency with an increase in a concentration of methanol as the model of the biological material, and the Q-value decreased. The absorption peak in microwave power spectrum of the double-strand break plasmid DNA shifted from the non-damaged plasmid DNA. Moreover, the sharpness of absorption peak changed resulting in change in Q-value. We confirmed that a resonance frequency shifted to higher frequency with an increase in concentration of the plasmid DNA.Conclusion: We developed a new technique for an evaluation of DNA damage. In this paper,we report the evaluation method of DNA damage using microwave dielectric absorption spectroscopy., source:https://www.jrpr.org/journal/view.php?doi=10.14407/jrpr.2016.41.4.339

Variations of the double layer capacitances (DLCs) at a platinum electrode with concentrations and kinds of salts in aqueous solutions were examined in the context of facilitating orientation of solvent dipoles. With an increase in ionic concentrations, the DLCs increased by ca. a half and then kept constant at concentrations over 1 mol dm−3. This increase was classically explained in terms of the Gouy–Chapman (GC) equation combined with the Stern model. Unfortunately, measured DLCs were neither satisfied with the Stern model nor the GC theory. Our model suggests that salts destroy hydrogen bonds at the electrode–solution interface to orient water dipoles toward the external electric field. A degree of the orientation depends on the interaction energy between the salt ion and a water dipole. The statistical mechanic calculation allowed us to derive an equation for the DLC as a function of salt concentration and the interaction energy. The equation took the Langmuir-type in the relation with the concentration. The interaction energy was obtained for eight kinds of salts. The energy showed a linear relation with the interaction energy of ion–solvent for viscosity, called the B-coefficient. View Full-Text, source:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3293/2/4/39

A simple electrode reaction provides negative values of the double layer (DL) capacitance because a dipole of electrochemically generated charge coupled with the imaged charge on the electrode is oriented in the direction opposite to that of solvent. Some properties such as dependence of the capacitive values on the dc potentials, the frequency dependence, and localization of the redox charge are herein discussed in order to comprehend the negative capacitance. The redox species used are a ferrocenyl derivative, hexaammineruthenium, and hexachloroiridium, of which heterogeneous reaction rates are so fast that the faradaic currents should be controlled by diffusion or the Warburg impedance. The observed ac current can be represented by a simple sum of the diffusion-controlled current and the DL charging current by solvent and that by the redox species. Subtraction of the observed imaginary part of the admittance from the real one eliminates the diffusion contribution to extract the charging admittance. This admittance takes negative values at dc potentials near the standard redox potential. It is formulated by the dipole of the redox charge paired with the mirror-imaged charge. The negative capacitance has frequency dispersion similar to the conventional DL capacitance. A pseudocapacitor has enhanced cooperatively the charge from the sum of individual DL charge and the redox charge, but this advantage is open to discussion., source:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b03335

We are political beings, our behaviours shaped by values connected to our political beliefs. As tourism teachers and researchers, we need to be aware of these values because their influence extends beyond our lives, into the lives of students we interact with in the classroom; researchers we connect with through our publications; and, ultimately, the nature and impact of tourism. Various factors determine political values, but all are linked by one theme: if unexamined, they can lead to “disvalues”, negatively affecting the marginalised of our communities, including Indigenous populations. That’s why we need to address them in our classrooms.

The stability of optical beats in a chaotically oscillating laser is compared to that of a free-running continuous-wave laser using a highly efficient plasmonic photomixer. Using a chaotically oscillating laser diode, stable optical beats are observed over an operation current range of 60-90 mA. The optical spectra are stable even with frequent mode hopping. In contrast, optical beats in a free-running continuous-wave laser are not stable compared to those of a chaotically oscillating laser, because of intermittent hopping of the laser modes. The high stability of chaotically oscillating lasers makes these lasers promising candidates for optical pump sources in terahertz time-domain spectroscopy systems., source:https://opg.optica.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-28-17-24833&id=434277

Lithium cobalt oxide powders have been prepared via the solid-state reaction method at lower temperatures (650 and 750°C) and in a shorter time (2 h). The eutectic effects of LiOH· H2O and Li2CO3 salts on the formation of LiCoO2 was investigated. The effects of the molar ratio of LiOH·H2O to Li2CO3, the sintering temperature and the molar ratio of Li/Co on the physicochemical properties of LiCoO2 powders were examined, especially, by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and charge-discharge cycling tests. LiCoO2 prepared at 750°C and 2 h with a molar ratio (9:1) between these of LiOH·H2O and Li2CO3 showed the best electrochemical properties (discharge capacity 98.3 mAhg−1 and capacity retention 80.7% after 50 cycles at 1C)., source:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21870764.2018.1523105

A Ni(OH)2 surface was fluorinated at 25 °C using F2 gas for 1 h under absolute pressure of 6.67 kPa. Some fluorides and oxyfluorides were detected only on the Ni(OH)2 particle surface, although most Ni(OH)2 remained inside of the particles. Fluorine-introduced NiO (NiO(F)) was obtained by heating the surface-fluorinated Ni(OH)2. After sintering at 750 °C for 6 h, the NiO(F) crystal size and surface area were, respectively, 0.6 times smaller and 4.7 times larger than those of NiO obtained from untreated Ni(OH)2. LiNiO2 samples were prepared via reaction between NiO(F) and Li2CO3 at 700 °C for 20 h and 30 h, respectively (LiNiO2 (20 h, F) and LiNiO2 (30 h, F)). The density of LiNiO2 (30 h, F) was 4.697, which was larger than the 4.556 of LiNiO2 prepared from NiO and Li2CO3 under the same conditions. The discharge capacity of LiNiO2 (30 h, F) was 202 mAh g−1, whereas the LiNiO2 prepared under the same condition from NiO and Li2CO3 was 172 mAh g−1. The discharge capacity of LiNiO2 as a cathode of LIB might be improved by introducing fluorine to its preparation process between NiO and Li2CO3., source:https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/electrochemistry/89/3/89_20-65151/_article

This study aims at evaluating the corrosion rate at the first stage of stress corrosion cracking by a numerical simulation. The stress corrosion cracking starts with a pitting corrosion which appears from a damaged portion of passive film induced by plastic deformation. From micromechanical standpoint, the stress and strain are concentrated around the grain boundaries due to the heterogeneity of micro-structures; therefore, the plastic slip occurs mainly around the grain boundaries and generates a fresh surface without passive film. This produces a microcell and affects the macroscopic polarization curve. We obtained this polarization curve of stainless steel from the open-circuit tensile tests associated with the microscopic electrostatic simulations. Moreover, this paper shows the two-dimensional formulation for coupling analysis of elastic stress and electrolytic potential. Both fields are solved by the boundary element method with the discontinuous quadratic element. The strain-dependent polarization curve is used as a nonlinear boundary condition of the potential problem. First, the elastic problem is solved to obtain the surface strain which governs the polarization curve on the surface. Next, the potential prob- lem is solved to obtain the current density on the surface which determines the corrosion rate. Since each node has two corrosion rates in different directions coming from the neighbouring elements, we average these two rates and directions, so as to conserve the volumetric reduction rate unchanged. After moving the nodes as a result of corrosion during the time step, we return to the stress analysis and iterate this procedure during the interested period of time. We demonstrate a corrosion pit growth from a small hemi-elliptic surface defect and show the availability of the proposed method., source:https://www.witpress.com/elibrary/cmem-volumes/9/1/2750

This study describes the reverse of the well-known double layer effects on charge transfer kinetics in the relationship between a cause and an effect. The reversible redox reaction of a ferrocenyl derivative decreased the capacitive values of the double layer impedance up to negative values, corresponding to an inductive component. This observation was disclosed by the subtraction of the real admittance from the imaginary admittance, which can extract the net double layer capacitance from the Warburg impedance. The inductance-like behavior is caused due to two reasons: (i) the double layer capacitance in the polarized potential domain is determined by the low concentrations of the fieldoriented solvent dipoles that are considered as the conventionally employed redox concentrations and (ii) the double layer capacitance is caused by the orientation of the dipoles in the same direction as that of the electric field, whereas the redox reaction generates charge in the direction opposite to the field. The faradaic effect was demonstrated via the ac-impedance data obtained for the ferrocenyl compound in a KCl solution in the unpolarized potential domain between1 Hz and 3 kHz frequency. The negative admittance was proportional to the frequency. The theory of negative capacitance was presented by combining the mirror-image surface charge with the Nernst equation., source:https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/ra/c7ra01770g

The classical Poincaré conjecture that every homotopy 3-sphere is diffeomorphic to the 3-sphere is proved by G. Perelman by solving Thurston’s program on geometrizations of 3-manifolds. A new confirmation of this conjecture is given by combining R. H. Bing’s result on this conjecture with Smooth Unknotting Conjecture for an S^2-link and Smooth 4D Poincaré Conjecture.

The proof of uniqueness of an orthogonal 2-handle pair on a surface-link is given from the viewpoint of a normal form of 2-handle core disks. A version to an immersed orthogonal 2-handle pair on a surface-link is also observed.