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Introduction: Hypoxia due to sinus obstruction is a major pathogenic mechanism leading to sinusitis. The objective of the current study is to define the electrophysiologic characteristics of hypoxia in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Cystic fibrosis bronchoepithelial cells expressing wild‐type cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and human sinonasal epithelial cells were exposed to 1% or atmospheric O2 for 24 h. Time‐dependent production of cytoplasmic free radicals was measured. Cells were subjected to Ussing chamber and patch clamp technique where CFTR currents were recorded in whole‐cell and cell‐attached mode for single channel studies. Indices of mucociliary transport (MCT) were measured using micro‐optical coherence tomography. In a rabbit hypoxic maxillary sinus model, tissue oxygenation, relative mRNA expression of HIF‐1α, pH, sinus potential difference (SPD), and MCT were determined. Results: Ussing chamber (p < 0.05), whole‐cell (p < 0.001), and single channel patch‐clamp (p < 0.0001) showed significant inhibition of Cl− currents in hypoxic cells. Cytoplasmic free radicals showed time‐dependent elevation peaking at 4 h (p < 0.0001). Airway surface liquid (p < 0.0001), periciliary liquid (p < 0.001), and MCT (p < 0.01) were diminished. Co‐incubation with the free radical scavenger glutathione negated the impact of hypoxia on single channel currents and MCT markers. In sinusitis rabbits, mucosa exhibited low tissue oxygenation (p < 0.0001), increased HIF1α mRNA (p < 0.05), reduced pH (p < 0.01), and decreased MCT (p < 0.001). SPD measurements demonstrated markedly diminished transepithelial Cl− transport (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Hypoxia induces severe CFTR dysfunction via free radical production causing reduced MCT in vitro and in vivo. Improved oxygenation is critical to reducing the impact of persistent mucociliary dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work examines the features of light sources influence simulating solar illumination with different spectral composition with a ratio of blue : green : red ranges of 11 : 35 : 54% (AFI-3000), 19 : 38 : 43% (AFI-4000), and 25 : 38 : 37% (AFI-5000) on morphometric, biochemical, photosynthetic, and electrogenic parameters of small radish (Raphanus sativus L.) for photoculture of the 'Peterburgskiy fioletovyy'cultivar. The conducted studies revealed a significant increase in the yield of roots (3.45 kg/m2 for 28 days of growing season), dry matter content up to 8.9% and photosynthetic pigments, reduction in the amount of nitrates to 1206 mg/kg in radish plants illuminated with AFI-5000 spectrum lamps, close to solar radiation at noon. In this variant, an increase in the coefficients of the effective quantum photochemical yield of the PS II photosystem Y (II) = 0.206, photochemical qP = 0.304, and nonphotochemical qN = 0.415 of fluorescence quenching was observed as well as a high generation of potential difference up to 532 mV in the root environment compared to AFI-3000, simulating the light of the sun near the horizon, under which illumination a high proportion of light scattering by the leaf was observed (R800 = 1.716), and AFI-4000 with a spectrum close to morning light. The AFI-4000 option showed the worst result: increased unregulated excitation energy losses Y (NO) = 0.712 and light transmission by the leaf surface of 7.5%. The use of the AFI-5000 light source contributed to obtaining higher indicators characterizing both the yield of plant products and the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus and the intensity of electrogenic processes in the root environment, which makes it possible to recommend a lamp of this type for growing root crops under light culture conditions. This positive effect is likely due to the presence in the spectrum of a greater proportion of blue light, which affects the development of the root system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the relationship between cancer and electric potential has been studied for a long time, there are few published studies regarding this relationship. There is an electric potential difference between cancer and normal tissue, which disappears during chemotherapy. Furthermore, this electric potential difference increases in fast-growing cancers. Conversely, cancer may develop around abnormal electric potential differences in the body. These abnormal charges and electric potentials in the body can be removed by simply hugging a live tree growing in the ground. Alternatively, a tree growing in the ground and a conductive mat may be connected by conductors at several points, and a person may sleep on the conductive mat to dispel these charges. Humans and apes are genetically similar, and as apes live in trees, humans may be less likely to develop cancer if they are potentially balanced with trees growing on the ground.

Graphical abstract In papers of the piezoelectric coating/substrate system under smooth spherical contact (DOI: 10.1177/1081 286519 865773), conical contact (DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2019.08.031), and cylinder flat head contact (DOI: 10.1007/s11012-019-01085-1), Green's function method has been applied to solve the problem of piezoelectric friction contact. We deduced the analytical expression of piezoelectric coating structure, which is expressed by elementary functions. The numerical results highlight the best thickness to maintain a higher potential difference and a critical potential difference. This study has guiding significance for the future research and analysis of friction signals in intelligent manufacturing, such as piezoelectric tactile sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work is to investigate the effect of Er on mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of 6061 alloys. The tensile strength and corrosion resistance of the 6061 alloys first enhanced and then declined synergistically with the increase of Er content. Microstructure analysis revealed that the morphology, composition, and potential of secondary phases changed significantly as Er content changed. When the Er content is 0.6 wt%, the needle-like β-AlFeSi phases transformed into the granular AlFeSiEr phases, which led to an increase in the tensile strength of the 6061 alloys. At the same time, compared with the acicular β-AlFeSi phases, the granular AlFeSiEr phases own a lower potential difference with α-Al, which weakened the corrosion of the micro-galvanic couples. However, as the Er content is higher than 0.6 wt%, the granular AlFeSiEr phases changed to block-shaped, which can adversely affect the tensile strength and corrosion resistance of the 6061 alloys. EIS results show that, compared with the acicular β-AlFeSi phases, the 6061 alloys with granular AlFeSiEr phases form more uniform oxide films and exhibit better corrosion resistance. This study indicates that through appropriate Er addition, the synergistic enhancement of tensile strength and corrosion resistance of the 6061 alloys can be obtained, which is of great significance for the strengthening and long-term service of aluminum alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization of the electrochemical exfoliation of graphene oxide synthesis was investigated in this report using varying potentials. Graphite from waste lithium-ion batteries was used as the electrodes for the DC (direct current) electrochemical set-up. Electric potentials of 7.5 V, 12 V, and 15 V were applied for 225 minutes using 0.2M H2SO4 as the electrolyte. The characterization of the produced graphene oxide was done using Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) attached to the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results obtained showed that both the rate of graphene oxide yield and the C/O ratio increased correspondingly with the increase in electric potential. However, the structure of graphene oxide produced at 7.5 V was of superior quality compared to others produced at higher potentials with regards to the crystallite lattice characteristics such as defects, lateral dimensions, thickness, and the number of graphene layers. Consequently, tailor-made graphene oxide properties (and yield) for target applications may be achieved using the electrochemical exfoliation method via the choice of the electric potential.

BACKGROUND The redox potential is a quantitative indicator of the mixed redox potential of all substances in a system, which reflects the relative strength of the redox capacity of the whole system. It is of great significance to delineate the uranium enrichment horizon. The redox potential of sandstone-type uranium deposits controls the geochemical behavior of uranium and other variable valence elements, and is of great significance for accurately delineating uranium-enriched horizons. The potential difference method is used to measure the redox capacity of the sample by means of the oxidant solution, and the magnitude of the potential difference can accurately reflect the reducing ability of the reducing components in the sandstone-type uranium ore sample. OBJECTIVES To compare the two methods for the determination of the redox potential (ΔEh) of sandstone-type uranium ores. METHODS ΔEh of sandstone-type uranium ores was determined by two potential drop methods using potassium dichromate and potassium permanganate as oxidants. The effects of the solution medium concentration, oxidant concentration, equilibrium potential time, sample immersion time, and solid-liquid ratio of sample to oxidant solution on the determination of ΔEh were systematically studied. According to the optimal conditions of the two methods, 8 sandstone-type uranium samples were measured. RESULTS The ΔEh of the potassium dichromate method was between 15mV and 118mV, and the relative standard deviation was between 2.50% and 7.44%. The ΔEh of the potassium permanganate method was between 45mV and 89mV, with the relative standard deviation of 0.89%-1.42%. The two methods had significant consistency in determining the relative level of ΔEh of 8 sandstone-type uranium ore samples, and the correlation coefficient was 0.9882. CONCLUSIONS The ΔEh of the potassium dichromate potential drop method is more dispersed with a large range, and the difference in reducing ability between samples can be identified more intuitively. The ΔEh of the potassium permanganate potential drop method is more stable. The ΔEh values of sandstone-type uranium deposits measured by two potential drop methods can be used for the division of redox zoning.

The potential difference between positive and negative ions was utilized to improve the homogenized dispersion of nanoscale Al2O3 whiskers in Mg matrix composites. The Mg powders were decorated with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (C18H29NaO3S, SDBS) and were introduced to the cathode group on their surface. The Al2O3 whiskers were modified by the cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (C19H42BrN, CTAB) and were featured in the anode group. The suitable contents of CTAB and SDBS, the application atmosphere, and the type of solvents were investigated. Dispersion results showed that adding 2wt% SDBS into Mg powders and adding 2wt% CTAB into Al2O3 whiskers promoted the formation of more uniformly mixed composite powders, compared to those of conventional ball milling via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Meanwhile, the calculated results derived from first-principle calculations also demonstrated the stronger cohesion between Al2O3 whisker reinforcements and Mg matrix than undecorated composite powders. After preparation by powder metallurgy, the morphology, grain size, hardness, and standard deviation coefficient of composites were analyzed to evaluate the dispersed efficiency. The results indicated that the modification of homogenized dispersed Al2O3 whiskers in composites contributed to the refinement of 26% in grain size and the improvement of 20% in hardness compared with pure Mg, and the reduction of 32.5% in the standard deviation coefficient of hardness compared with the ball-milling sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ascertain the influencing factors and rules of the inner corrosion on the insulating joint unprotected side of the buried pipelines, a model of the buried pipeline’s insulating joint protected side and unprotected side cathodic protection system was established using the BEASY software with the help of the coupling calculation method for finite element and boundary element. The influences of different internal dielectric conductivity, potential difference between the protected side and the unprotected side as well as the damage rate of the inner coating on the internal corrosion of the unprotected side of the insulating joint were studied by numerical simulations, and the influence laws of various factors on the internal corrosion of the non - protected side of the insulating joint were analyzed with the help of analytical method. Results showed that the main factors affecting the internal corrosion of the unprotected side of the insulating joint were potential difference between the protected side and unprotected side, dielectric conductivity and the damage rate of the internal coating on the unprotected side. Furthermore, the corrosion rate was proportional to the potential difference between the protected side and the unprotected side, and to the dielectric conductivity, and were inversely proportional to the damage rate of the inner coating on the non - protected side.

Designing electrode materials for aqueous battery-type supercapacitors to extend the operating voltage window remains a significant challenge to increase the energy density of aqueous supercapacitors. In this work, a directional electrodeposition method without any additives was employed to deposit α-Co(OH) 2 onto a porous copper (PCu) current collector substrate, which involves the fabrication of a supercapacitor electrode material with a cross-linked network structure named α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900. The potential difference between copper and cobalt facilitated the formation of a larger interlayer spacing for α-Co(OH) 2. In addition, crystals of α-Co(OH) 2 with different orientations exert stress on one another, leading to lattice distortion and vacancy formation. The morphology and microstructure of materials were analyzed through techniques such as SEM, HRTEM, XRD, and XPS, confirming the validity of the experimental design. This defect-rich, large interlayer spacing structure facilitates ion intercalation and deintercalation during the charge-discharge process, thereby expanding the operating voltage window. In a three-electrode system, α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 exhibited a potential range from −0.45 V to 0.55 V and demonstrated an areal capacitance of 2580 mF cm−2 and specific capacitance of 600 A g−1 at 2 mA cm−2. The α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 was used as the cathode material and commercial reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was used as the anode material in an asymmetric supercapacitor, and the ASC device exhibited an areal capacitance of 295.3 mF cm−2 and a specific capacitance of 87.89 F g−1. Notably, it retained a high energy density of 0.12 mW h cm−2 (35.27 Wh kg−1) at a power density of 1.7 mW cm−2 (505.95 W kg−1). This method established α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 as a promising supercapacitor electrode material, providing a viable strategy for designing and fabricating functional electrode materials. ● The α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 electrode is fabricated by electrodeposition. ● The synthesis of α-Co(OH) 2 on the PCu is induced through the potential difference between Co and Cu. ● The α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 features large interlayer spacing structure with rich-defects. ● The α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 exhibited areal capacitance of 2580 mF cm−2 and specific capacitance of 600 F g−1 at 2 mA cm−2. ● In a three-electrode system, α-Co(OH) 2 @PCu900 exhibited potential range from −0.45 V to 0.55 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the electron-mediated persulfate activation reaction, oxidation efficiency and interference resistance present a challenging contradiction. Addressing this issue requires an exploration of methods to regulate the redox potential of reactants and finding a delicate balance between high efficiency and immunity to interference. However, achieving precise potential regulation remains a significant challenge. By loading CoPc onto CNTs with varying diameters, composite structures with distinct levels of curvature in the reaction sites were engineered. The progressively increasing curved strain created a volcano-like redox potential in the catalyst, resulting in a corresponding pollutants removal effect. Investigation of the electronic structure revealed that this trend shift was attributed to the broadening of π band, impacting its electron transfer proclivity and elevating the redox potential. Additionally, the augmented overlap area of the π orbitals of CNT and Co expedited electron transfer between them, escalating the reaction rate. The system demonstrates the capability to finely adjust the redox potential of catalyst-PS* while exhibiting robust resistance to interference from other substances, indicating the prospective utility of CNT-based catalysts in continuous water treatment devices to alleviate ecological risks linked to pollutants. [Display omitted] • Regulating the redox potential of catalyst-PS* through curved strain. • The broadening of π band elevated the redox potential. • The overlap of d orbital accelerated the electron transfer. • This strategy balances the contradiction between oxidation and anti-interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buck converter is a unidirectional DC-DC power converter that primarily steps down potential difference (PD) of the power bank of batteries or supercapacitors. Electric vehicles usually operate on higher voltage ranging from 45 to 72 volts. However, the electrical accessories of automobiles such as horns, trafficators, radio/players and brake or parking lights were designed to operate on 12 V DC voltage. This necessitates the use of buck converter for stepping down the voltage values to 12 volts. Nonetheless, replacing the converter when the need arises is indeed financially challenging, thus, in such a situation, the vehicles are mostly operated during the day time. Herein, we designed a buck converter using Proteus software and then constructed it with the aim of stepping down the voltage values to 12 volts at a reduced price. The design materials and the construction components used are readily available in most of the electronics shops. An outstanding performance was achieved and results indicated that the designed converter is suitable for use in electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosion resistance of machined surface and its correlation with surface roughness have been the important concerns for sustainability of the final products. However, the pitting corrosion of laser-cladded Fe–Cr–Ni layers by turning exhibits susceptibility to surface roughness characteristics. In present study, the generation mechanism of pitting susceptibility by turning and the effect of burnishing on decreasing the pitting susceptibility were explored. To this end, a theoretical model of the potential difference between roughness peaks and valleys was established with considering the functional parameters of the surface roughness. Then, the correlations between the potential difference and pitting characteristics including pitting depth, width and area were analyzed in order to reveal the generation mechanism of pitting susceptibility. The occurrence of pitting corrosion could be predicted by the local potential difference, which was higher at the location where pitting corrosion would occur while lower where pitting corrosion did not occur. Finally, the influence of each functional parameter of surface roughness on the potential difference was analyzed using the proposed model, with which the machining schematics were discussed. On the basis of this research, it was expected to improve the corrosion resistance of the claddings by turning and subsequent burnishing process chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pt‐doped proton exchange membranes (PEMs) can effectively reduce oxygen permeation and thus enhance the durability of PEM, which have been widely employed in fuel cell. However, until now, no study related to the oxygen permeation capability of Pt‐doped PEM during actual operation has been reported. In this article, the oxygen permeation of Pt‐doped PEM under fuel cell operation is analyzed by the embedded microelectrode method. The test results show that the anode/cathode pressure difference is the main influencing factor for the oxygen permeation of the PEM: the oxygen permeation behavior of the Pt‐free PEM exists and gradually decreases with an increase in the anode/cathode pressure difference, and the oxygen permeation behavior of the PEM disappears when the pressure difference exceeds 60 kPa. Due to the presence of Pt nanoparticles, the Pt‐doped PEM exhibits negligible oxygen permeation in the anode/cathode pressure difference from −100 kPa to 100 kPa and demonstrates excellent oxygen consumption ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The redox potential is a quantitative indicator of the mixed redox potential of all substances in a system, which reflects the relative strength of the redox capacity of the whole system. It is of great significance to delineate the uranium enrichment horizon. The redox potential of sandstone - type uranium deposits controls the geochemical behavior of uranium and other variable valence elements, and is of great significance for accurately delineating uranium-enriched horizons. The potential difference method is used to measure the redox capacity of the sample by means of the oxidant solution, and the magnitude of the potential difference can accurately reflect the reducing ability of the reducing components in the sandstone-type uranium ore sample. OBJECTIVES: To compare the two methods for the determination of the redox potential (ΔEh) of sandstone-type uranium ores. METHODS: ΔEh of sandstone-type uranium ores was determined by two potential drop methods using potassium dichromate and potassium permanganate as oxidants. The effects of the solution medium concentration, oxidant concentration, equilibrium potential time, sample immersion time, and solid - liquid ratio of sample to oxidant solution on the determination of ΔEh were systematically studied. According to the optimal conditions of the two methods, 8 sandstone-type uranium samples were measured. RESULTS: The ΔEh of the potassium dichromate method was between 15mV and 118mV, and the relative standard deviation was between 2. 50% and 7. 44%. The ΔEh of the potassium permanganate method was between 45mV and 89mV, with the relative standard deviation of 0. 89% - 1. 42%. The two methods had significant consistency in determining the relative level of ΔEh of 8 sandstone-type uranium ore samples, and the correlation coefficient was 0. 9882. CONCLUSIONS: The ΔEh of the potassium dichromate potential drop method is more dispersed with a large range, and the difference in reducing ability between samples can be identified more intuitively. The ΔEh of the potassium permanganate potential drop method is more stable. The ΔEh values of sandstone-type uranium deposits measured by two potential drop methods can be used for the division of redox zoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel lithium manganese oxide, LiMn2O4 coated with V2O5 layer (labeled as LMO‐VO) has been developed and its electrochemical performances as cathode material for lithium‐ion batteries has been evaluated at high cut‐off voltage (>4.5 V vs. Li/Li+) and compared with pristine LiMn2O4 (labeled as LMO). The crystal structure investigations show that LMO‐VO has longer Li–O bond length for fast Li‐ion diffusion kinetic process. The scanning electron microscopy results indicate that LMO‐VO has finer particles and the V2O5 layer has been successfully coated on the LMO surface uniformly. The highly conductive V2O5 coating layer enhances the ionic conductivity of the LMO cathode, as evidenced by the significant drop of Rct value from the Nyquist plot. Under high operating voltage, the cell employed with coated LMO shows exceptional cycling performance in capacity retention and potential difference. After 300 cycles, the capacity retention per cycle has been boosted from 99.90% to 99.94% by adopting the V2O5 coating layer. In addition, surface coating with V2O5 stabilizes the potential difference at very minimal change for a longer period. This convincingly proves that the V2O5 coating layer not only protects against hydrofluoric acid (HF) attack and greatly restrains the increase of cell polarization at high voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of macro-cell corrosion, cathodic steels and anodic steels were cast in two separated concrete blocks and were connected and disconnected by lead wires to simulate the macro-cell corrosion and micro-cell corrosion. By changing the chloride ion content in the concrete blocks, the cathodic steels and anodic steels show different electro chemical parameters. By analyzing the relationships between the corrosion potential, macro-cell potential difference, macro-cell current density and the macro-cell polarization ratio, the influence of electrochemical parameters of steels on the macro-cell corrosion current and control mode was clarified, and the transformation boundary of the macro-cell corrosion control mode when the are a ratio of cathodic steels to anodic steels is 1 was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect the equipment in a building struck directly by lightning, surge protective devices (SPDs) are installed between the neutral line and ground lines at the power utility substation of a TT system. In this case, when operating the SPD, the wiring system of the low-voltage distribution line will be a TN system. Although the overvoltage between these lines at the power utility substation can be limited during SPD operation, an overvoltage between these lines is induced at each floor distribution board connected thereafter. Here, we analyzed this overvoltage in the VSTL electromagnetic analysis software. The overvoltage was found to largely depend on the loop impedance of the wirings as the lightning current flowed from the structure to the protective ground line. The most effective solution was separating the ground lines from the power supply lines connected to the distribution boards of each floor with another electric pipe shaft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formalism is proposed that combines information on the Seebeck thermoelectric effect in highly conductive media and the Soret process associated with thermodiffusion in neutral solutions. The reasons for the two-stage development of the Seebeck effect for stabilized colloidal electrolytes are discussed. At the "initial stage," the case in hand is the phenomena of thermal diffusion in the intrinsic (stabilizing) electrolyte. The next, "secondary stage" occurs with the beginning of noticeable thermodiffusive displacement of low-mobility colloids. The reasons for the two-stage development of the Seebeck effect for stabilized colloidal electrolytes are discussed. At the "initial stage," the case in hand is the phenomena of thermal diffusion in the intrinsic (stabilizing) electrolyte. The next, "secondary stage" occurs with the beginning of noticeable thermodiffusive displacement of low-mobility colloids. The similarity between the formal properties of the Seebeck effect in dilute electrolytes in the presence of a temperature gradient in solution and the Hall effect in a weakly doped semiconductor perturbed by crossed magnetic and electric fields is elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the formation ofbubbles in a gas–liquid system taking into account the potential difference.The electrical conductivity of the fluid is determined depending on theconcentration of the electrolyte and, accordingly, the electrostatic field thatoccurs when the fluid flows. The effect of the electrostatic field on the bubbleformation dynamics has shown that the radius of the gas bubbles and thedynamics of its expansion, formed by the pressure difference, can be regulatedby the potential difference parameter. Depending on the electrolytic concentration,the electric conductivity of the liquid and, accordingly, the electrostatic fieldarising from friction in fluid are determined. The effect of the electrostaticfield on the dynamics of the bubble formation has shown that the radius ofgas bubbles and expansion dynamics formed by the pressure drop can beregulated by the potential difference parameter. It is presented that one of themain factors affecting the flow of two-phase fluids is the nature of the liquidphase and the concentration of electrolyte added. The results of regulation ofthe bubble formation dynamics in the gas–liquid system via the electrostaticfield and a number of physical parameters can be applied in the oil and gasindustry, chemical processes, biomechanics.

Abstract We propose a conductively coupled terahertz metallic metamaterial exhibiting analog of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), in which the bright and dark mode antennae interact via surface currents rather than near-field coupling. Aluminum foil, which is very cheap and often used in food package, is used to fabricate our metamaterials. Thus, our metamaterials are also flexible metamaterials. In our design, aluminum bar resonators and aluminum split ring resonators (SRRs) are connected (rather than separated) in the form of a fork-shaped structure. We conduct a numerical simulation and an experiment to analyze the mechanism of the proposed metamaterial. The surface current due to LSP resonance (bright mode) flows along different paths, and a potential difference is generated at the split gaps of the SRRs. Thus, an LC resonance (dark mode) is induced, and the bright mode is suppressed, resulting in EIT. The EIT-like phenomenon exhibited by the metamaterial is induced by surface conducting currents, which may provide new ideas for the design of EIT metamaterials. Moreover, the process of fabricating microstructures on flexible substrates can provide a reference for producing flexible microstructures in the future.

Background: Epithelial ion transport regulates hydration of airway mucosal surfaces, and thus promotes effective mucociliary clearance (MCC). Decreased transepithelial Cl− transport may contribute to epithelial dysfunction by abrogating MCC and increasing mucus viscosity in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The objective of the current study is to evaluate Cl− channel transport properties from cultures of human sinonasal epithelia. Methods: Human sinonasal epithelia (HSNE) from patients undergoing sinus surgery were cultured at an air-liquid interface to confluence and full differentiation. The epithelial monolayers were mounted in Ussing Chambers to investigate pharmacological manipulation of ion transport. Epithelial Na+ channel (via Amiloride), CFTR (via forskolin), and Ca2+-activated Cl− channel (CaCC, via UTP) transport were investigated among three different patient groups: Control, CRS and CRS with polyposis. CFTR mRNA levels were evaluated with quantitative RT-PCR. Results: HSNE cultures from 18 patients (Control = 9, CRS = 6, CRS with polyposis = 3) were evaluated in 142 experiments. Summary data from the 18 patients demonstrated that stimulated CFTR-mediated anion transport (Δ ISC) was significantly lower with CRS (7.58+/−2.24 µA/cm2) compared to control (25.86+/−3.44 µA/cm2) and CRS with polyposis (20.16+/−4.0 µA/cm2) (p = 0.004). No statistically significant difference was found for CaCC anion transport between groups (p = 0.39). Significantly decreased mRNA (relative expression) was noted in CRS cultures (CRS = 40.83+/−1.76 vs. control = 116.2+/−24.27, p = 0.03). Conclusions: A substantial decrease in the Cl− secretory capacity of HSNE monolayers was demonstrated in CRS subjects. Data suggest that CFTR may contribute more to abnormal ion transport in CRS than CaCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the mechanism by which a lightning strike generates overvoltage at a building's distribution board. We analyzed the overvoltage using Virtual Surge Test Lab (VSTL) electromagnetic analysis software and constructed a simplified mathematical model for calculating the overvoltage. The results confirmed that the overvoltage generated at the distribution board is not affected by the arrangement of the ground wires. The overvoltage is instead dominated by the potential difference between the ground electrodes, which is determined by the potential distribution in the surrounding ground. The overvoltage was calculated by the potential interferometry at steady state of the ground potential distribution. The calculated results of the overvoltages differed within ±10% from the analyzed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized corrosion behavior of Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloys was investigated in a naturally aerated 0.6 M NaCl solution by in situ observations and electrochemical techniques. The combined roles of Ag and Mg in affecting the corrosion resistance of Al-Cu alloys were observed using electron probe microanalysis and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy. Results prove that Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy exhibits a weaker susceptibility to pitting attack than Al-Cu alloy. Such difference is ascribed to Ag and Mg atoms dissolved in Al matrix that increase the potential of the Al matrix, resulting in a smaller potential difference between the Al2Cu particles and Al matrix, that is, a weaker galvanic corrosion couple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical calculations of the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the difference of electric potentials at the output of an elastic spherical converter with internal filling were obtained. Vacuum, helium and water were used as the internal filler. Mathematically the operation of the specified oscillatory system is described using the state equations for piezoceramics, which linearly relate components of mechanical stresses, deformations, electrical tensions and induction; the equations of motion of a thin shell involving equations of Cauchy ratios which are connecting components of the strain tensor and the displacement vector; equations of forced electrostatics. The output electrical signal of the investigated spherical receiving transducer with a fully electrode surface is determined by the centrally symmetric component of the stressstrain state of the piezoceramic shell. It is established that the oscillatory system is characterized by the presence of a basic resonance of zero mode and an additional position whose position depends on the electrical load and the characteristics of the aggregate. It is shown that the presence of a filler makes it difficult to match the resistance of the converter with the input resistance of the receiving path and leads to a decrease in the width of its working strip. The resonance is no longer accompanied by antiresonance, as in the case of air or helium filling. Since helium is very similar to air in its characteristics, the frequency response is similar to the frequency response of air. The resonance region accompanied by antiresonance almost coincides in frequency, and the local extremum of the frequency response in the low-frequency region is as weak as in the case of filling the converter with air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition effect of sodium N -lauroyl sarcosinate and zinc sulfate on the galvanic corrosion between carbon steel and stainless steel in 1% NaCl solution was investigated. The results of electrochemical measurements revealed that anodic and cathodic inhibitors inhibited galvanic corrosion by reducing the potential difference between the electrodes in two different ways. The values of corrosion potential and corrosion resistance of carbon steel increased after adding sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate. In contrast, corrosion potential of stainless steel was shifted to the more negative region after adding zinc sulfate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were applied to investigate the chemical compositions and morphologies of the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an improved wideband single‐π model for on‐chip spiral inductors based on the independent tested ground PADs (ITGPs). For the ITGP, the input and output ground PADs are not connected together that introduces potential difference between the input and output ground PADs. However, the conventional inductor models are suitable for the ground PADs being connected together; they usually ignore the input and output potential difference and failed to achieve high model accuracy for the ITGP structure. To develop an accurate model for ITGP, the potential difference between input and output ground PADs is analyzed in this paper, and then the lumped‐parameter resistor‐capacitor network is used to characterize it. To validate the proposed model, the test structures were fabricated by 0.18‐μm CMOS technology and measured up to 67 GHz. Compared with the conventional model, the calculation results of the proposed model agree the measurement results better. Furthermore, the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of proposed model are less than 0.025. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary test incorporates intensifying the weak signal within the noisy environment. The OTA configuration is all around used to evacuate the glint commotion. The execution of the ECG enhancer can be enhanced by three-arrange operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) utilizing nanometer CMOS advancements with doping input transistor measuring, device coordinating and filtration process. This three phase configuration has a few favorable circumstances, for example, current part, source degeneration to expand the linearity of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mechanism model of carbon fiber electrode for detecting the ocean electric field is estab¬lished. Based on the proposed model, the stability of potential difference between carbon fiber electrodes is improved and its settling time is shorten by the parallel discharge resistances at both ends of signal am¬plifier. An uniform electric field was established to evaluate the influences of different parallel resistances on the detection performance of carbon fiber electrodes. The results show that the smaller the input resist¬ance is, the smaller the potential difference is, and the faster the self-noise settling is. The settling time of potential difference between electrodes is not greater than 2 h, the potential difference after settling is not greater than 0. 1 mV, and the self-noise level is in the range of 2 - 5 nV/ */liz at 1 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simultaneous bioleaching process to extract nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese from polymetallic nodule and low-grade nickel sulfide ore by using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is proposed in this study. Thermodynamic investigations and potential analysis showed that the selective leaching of Ni, Co, Cu, Mn is feasible. The electrochemical measurements reveal that A. ferrooxidans increases the potential difference between nodule anode and sulfide cathode. A. ferrooxidans leads to the negative shift of corrosion potential and the increment in electron release of the sulfur-containing substance, and accelerates the electron transfer and exchange current density in the nodule digestion. Under the optimal conditions, in the presence of A. ferrooxidans the final pregnant solution contained 0.86 g Ni/L, 56 mg Co/L, 0.62 g Cu/L, and 5.81 g Mn/L with the improvement of 5.1%, 4.1%, 5.9% and 4.9% referring to operation with sterile solution. The leaching rate of Ni, Cu, Co and Mn increases respectively by a factor of 0.17, 0.48, 0.10, and 0.093 in the A. ferrooxidans and Fe(III) medium relative to the Fe(III) alone, with a mean of 0.91, 0.70, 0.34 and 0.45 to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The selective removal of ions by an electrochemical process is a promising approach to enable various water‐treatment applications such as water softening or heavy‐metal removal. Ion intercalation materials have been investigated for their intrinsic ability to prefer one specific ion over others, showing a preference for (small) monovalent ions over multivalent species. In this work, we present a fundamentally different approach: tunable ion selectivity not by modifying the electrode material, but by changing the operational voltage. We used titanium disulfide, which shows distinctly different potentials for the intercalation of different cations and formed binder‐free composite electrodes with carbon nanotubes. Capitalizing on this potential difference, we demonstrated controllable cation selectivity by online monitoring the effluent stream during electrochemical operation by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry of aqueous 50 m m CsCl and MgCl2. We obtained a molar selectivity of Mg2+ over Cs+ of 31 (strong Mg preference) in the potential range between −396 mV and −220 mV versus Ag/AgCl. By adjusting the operational potential window from −219 mV to +26 mV versus Ag/AgCl, Cs+ was preferred over Mg2+ by 1.7 times (Cs preference). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-sized metal oxides have gained widespread interest because of their multifarious applications in catalysis, energy storage, semiconductors, and nanomedicine. Though many viable solution-based techniques for the preparation of nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported, meeting efficiency and scalability requirements remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the generalized and facile method to yield metal oxide NPs that exploit bulk metal particulates. Based on a galvanic reaction, the interface between bulk metal powder and oxidized carbonaceous material transforms metals in to oxide/hydroxide NPs on the carbonaceous surface, owing to the resulting potential difference. This preparation procedure uses a solution-based synthesis technique, which is relatively straightforward, eco-friendly, scalable, inexpensive, and can be easily executed for a variety of metals; for instance, we demonstrated this approach for Zn, Ni, Co, Sn and Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical clustering with data field can find clusters with various shape and filter the noises in data set without input parameters. However, its clustering process is complex and cannot effectively deal with complex and high dimensional data. In this paper, a novel clustering algorithm is proposed by differencing potential (DP) of data field. The potential difference specifies the nearest object which has high potential as the aggregation direction, and the data distance is used to divide the global data set into local multiple clusters. Simultaneously, noises are identified effectively in the light of the potential of data field. Experimental results on eight popular data sets and a facial image data set indicate that the proposed method outperforms existing clustering algorithms for dealing with data set with high dimensions and distribution in complex shape, as well as noise identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study proposes a method for measuring the electrical properties of orange juice by using two magnetic fluxes with the same frequency (or synchronous magnetic fluxes) at 400–700 Hz. The juice was passed through two spiral glass tubes, which formed the secondary coils of the transformer with different connection modes. Five measurement points ( a , b , o , − a , and − b ) were arranged at different terminals of the two coils to evaluate output voltages ( U − aa , U oa , U − bb , and U ob ) under the fluxes. Control parameters included the excitation voltage ( U P ), frequency, and phase difference. Results indicated that the output voltage of the juice increased linearly with increasing excitation voltage at all points. In-phase output voltages were higher than reverse-phase output voltages. The value for λ − aa ( U − aa / U P ) remained stable as the excitation voltage increased. In addition, different physicochemical properties of orange juice caused a change in the output voltages, which was consistent with Ohm's law . Soluble solids content and U − bb were linearly correlated, showing R 2 values at 0.875 and a root-mean-square error of 0.702 Brix° at 20 V and 700 Hz. The method showed potential for the rapid determination of the quality of liquid foods by using magnetic flux-induced electrical parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]