BackgroundStem cell characteristics are an important feature of human cancer cells and play a major role in the therapy resistance of tumours. Strategies to target cancer stem cells...Full Text Available
Transformed Drosophila Kc cell lines, resistant to methotrexate, an inhibitor of de novo purine and pyrimidine synthesis, have been obtained by calcium phosphate transfection of plasmids containing...Full Text Available
In Staphylococcus aureus, a pronounced shift in position of the acriflavin resistance locus was observed when gene order was determined by marker frequency analysis of cells of various ages. In young cells (2-hour culture), acriflavin resistance was mappe...
E. coli HB101 cells transformed to tetracycline resistance with the plasmids pMB9 or pBR322 display a 10/sup 5/-10/sup 6/-fold lower plating efficiency on agar containing 440 ..mu..M CdCl/sub 2/ than nontransformed cells. When DNA is inserted into the BamH1 site of the plasmid tet gene, or when DNA spanning the BamH1 site is deleted, tetracycline resistance and cadmium hypersensitivity are both lost. In contrast, insertion of DNA into the ampicillin resistance gene does not affect cadmium hypersensitivity.
To test the effect of humidity on the radiation resistance of Deinococcus radiodurans, air-dried cells were irradiated with germicidal 254?nm UV, and simulated environmental UV or ?-radiation and survival was compared to cells in suspension. It was observed that desiccated cells exhibited higher levels of resistance than cells in suspension toward UV or ?-radiation as well as after 85?C heat shock. It was also shown that low relative humidity improves survival during long-term storage of desiccated D. radiodurans cells. It can be concluded that periods or environments in which cells exist in a dehydrated state are beneficial for D. radiodurans? survival exposed to various other stresses.
Bone marrow is one of the most radiosensitive organs. Irradiation causes a marked decrease in the total number of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. The reticular meshwork structure of marrow stromal cells, however, is relatively resistant to irradiation. Unimpaired stromal cell structure has been thought to be a prerequisite for the repopulation of hematopoietic cells during recovery from the effects of irradiation. The reticular framework is maintained by cell adhesion apparatuses such as gap junctions. The in vitro radiobiologic survival values of a cloned stromal cell line, H-1/A, were studied (n = 1.8, D0 = 138 cGy). Radiation doses of up to 4000 cGy had no detectable effects on the production of colony-stimulating factor 1. H-1/A cells communicate with each other via gap junctions as determined by the ...
Bone marrow is one of the most radiosensitive organs. Irradiation causes a marked decrease in the total number of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. The reticular meshwork structure of marrow stromal cells, however, is relatively resistant to irradiation. Unimpaired stromal cell structure has been thought to be a prerequisite for the repopulation of hematopoietic cells during recovery from the effects of irradiation. The reticular framework is maintained by cell adhesion apparatuses such as gap junctions. The in vitro radiobiologic survival values of a cloned stromal cell line, H-1/A, were studied (n = 1.8, D0 = 138 cGy). Radiation doses of up to 4000 cGy had no detectable effects on the production of colony-stimulating factor 1. H-1/A cells communicate with each other via gap junctions as determined by the ...
A comparison of the loss mechanisms in screen-printed solar cells relative to buried contact cells and cells with photolithography-defined contacts is presented in this paper. Model calculations show that emitter recombination accounts for about 0.5% absolute efficiency loss in conventional screen-printed cells with low-sheet-resistance emitters. Ohmic contact to high-sheet-resistance emitters by screen-printing has been investigated to regain this efficiency loss. Our work shows that good quality ohmic contacts to high sheet-resistance emitters can be achieved if the glass frit chemistry and Ag particle size are carefully tailored. The melting characteristics of the glass frit determine the firing scheme suitable for low contact resistance and high fill factors. In addition, small to regular Ag particles were found to ...
BACKGROUNDProtocadherin-PC (PCDH-PC) expression is upregulated in apoptosis-resistant sublines of the LNCaP human prostate cancer (CaP) cell line. Here, we assess...Full Text Available
Laser assisted solar cell metallization processing which is a one step process is examined. The potential advantages of laser disposition techniques for photovoltaic systems are: a high resolution, no photolithography, clean and contamination free, in-situ sintering, and low contact resistance.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) results from insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction, in the setting of hyperglucagonemia. Glucagon is a 29 amino acid peptide hormone, which is secreted from...Full Text Available
BackgroundCancer stem cells (CSCs) have increased resistance to cancer chemotherapy. They can be enriched as drug-surviving CSCs (D-CSCs) by growth with chemotherapeutic drugs, and/or...Full Text Available
BackgroundMalaria resistance by the sickle cell trait (genotype HbAS) has served as the prime example of genetic selection for over half a century. Nevertheless, the mechanism...Full Text Available
Cells of the terrestrial plant species bromegrass (Bromus inermis L.) are not naturally adapted to withstand the hydrostatic pressures encountered in aquatic environments. However,...Full Text Available
Summary.? It is widely believed that hepatocellular cancer (HCC), especially HBV associated HCC, is highly resistant to chemotherapy. To investigate the molecular influence of HBx protein on multidrug resistance (MDR) in HCC and the potential role of the NF-?B pathway in this process. We established HBx-expressing cells by liposome-mediated transfection of the HBx into the HepG2 cell line. We found that HBx expression in HCC cells induces drug resistance against multiple drugs, a significantly lower apoptosis ratio in HepG2-HBx and HepG2.2.15 cells, compared with HepG2 and HepG2-3.1 cells (P?HCC cells were downregulated by IMD-0354 treatment, which is the NF-?B pathway inhibitor. Taken together, these results suggest that HBx protein might be one of the causes for the occurrence of MDR in HCC, and ...
We report herein that trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is oncogenic and mediates anti-estrogen resistance in human mammary carcinoma. Forced expression of TFF3 in mammary carcinoma cells increased cell proliferation...Full Text Available
Hematopoietic stem cells are resistant to HIV-1 infection. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) p21Waf1/Cip1/Sdi1 (p21), a known regulator...Full Text Available
The radiosensitivity of spermatogonial stem cells of C3H/HeHx101/H F[sub 1] hybrid mice was determined by counting undifferentiated spermatogonia at 10 days after X-irradiation. During the spermatogenic cycle, differences in radiosensitivity were found, which were correlated with the proliferative activity of the spermatogonial stem cells. In stage VIII[sub irr], during quiescence, the spermatogonial stem cells were most radiosensitive with a D[sub 0] of 1.4 Gy. In stages XI[sub irr]-V[sub irr], when the cells were proliferatively active, the D[sub 0] was about 2.6 Gy. Based on the D[sub 0] values for sensitive and resistant spermatogonia and on the D[sub 0] for the total population, a ratio of 45:55% of sensitive to resistant spermatogonial stem cells was estimated for cell killing. When the present data were compared ...
Resistance and tolerance are two types of host defense mechanisms that increase fitness in response to fungi. Several genetic polymorphisms in pattern recognition receptors, most remarkably Toll-like receptors (TLRs), have been described to influence resistance and tolerance to aspergillosis in distinct clinical settings. TLRs on dendritic cells pivotally contribute in determining the balance between immunopathology and protective immunity to the fungus. Epithelial cells also contribute to this balance via selected TLRs converging on indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Studies in experimental hematopoietic transplantation confirmed the dichotomy of pathways leading to resistance and tolerance to the fungus providing new insights on the relative contribution of the hematopoietic/nonhematopoi...
The geometrical and chemical effects of cerium (Ce) addition to Ni-Cr anode electrode in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) were investigated by measuring the fractal dimensions and wettability of four types of anode electrode with Ce added up to 5 wt.%. In addition, their cell performances were investigated through a single cell operation test and their results were explained based on the wettability of the anode electrodes. The addition of Ce to the anode electrode increased the fractal dimensions and wettabilities of the electrodes. Despite the even larger electrical resistivity of Ce compared to that of Ni and Cr, the electrical resistances of the Ce-added anode electrodes were slightly increased with increasing level of Ce addition. This might be ascribed to the greater wettability of the Ce-added anode electrode that enhanced the cell performance. ...
Heat transfer through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is a key process in the design and operation of a PEM fuel cell. The analysis of this process requires the determination of the effective thermal conductivity as well as the thermal contact resistance between the GDL and adjacent surfaces/layers. The Part 1 companion paper describes an experimental procedure and a test bed devised to allow separation of the effective thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance, and presents measurements under a range of static compressive loads. In practice, during operation of a fuel cell stack, the compressive load on the GDL changes. In the present study, experiments are performed on Toray carbon papers with 78% porosity and 5% PTFE under a cyclic compressive load. Results show a significant hy...
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr2N, CrN, TiN, V2N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of proton exchange membrane (PEM) single-cell fuel cell studies of stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided developmental Fe-20Cr-4V weight percent (wt.%) and commercial type 2205 stainless steel alloy foils. The single-cell fuel cell behavior of the stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided material was compared to as-stamped (no surface treatment) 904L, 2205, and Fe-20Cr-4V stainless steel alloy foils and machined graphite of similar flow field design. The best fuel cell behavior among the alloys was exhibited...
Lithium metal-polymer electrolyte batteries with improved utilisation of the active material at a moderate-low temperature (65degC) were realised. Low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, MW=2000) was used as the lithium-ion conductive matrix in the composite cathode. The cathode active material was crystalline V{sub 2}O{sub 5}. A blend of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, MW=4x10{sup 6}) and PEG was used as a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE). The transport properties of the SPE were evaluated at various temperatures. A specific conductivity as high as 1.0x10{sup -4} S cm{sup -1} was calculated at 45degC. The temperature dependence of the interfacial resistances between lithium/SPE and cathode material/PEG was evaluated. The lithium/SPE interfacial resistance decreases linearly with the temperature. The charge transfer resistance between cathode material and PEG reaches a minimum at 60degC and it does not decrease with a ...
Interkingdom signaling is established in the gastrointestinal tract in that human hormones trigger responses in bacteria; here, we show that the corollary is true, that a specific bacterial signal,...Full Text Available
Mycolic acids are key cell wall components for the survival, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance of the human tubercle bacillus. Although it was thought that Mycobacterium tuberculosis...Full Text Available
BackgroundAurora kinases play an essential role in orchestrating chromosome alignment, segregation and cytokinesis during mitotic progression, with both aurora-A and B frequently...Full Text Available
The phenomenon of antibiotic resistance has created a need for the development of novel antibiotic classes with non-classical cellular targets. Unfortunately, target-based drug discovery against...Full Text Available
Unless relaxation of the stringent response is achieved, all nongrowing bacteria rapidly develop resistance to autolysis induced by a variety of agents, including all classes of cell wall synthesis...Full Text Available
BackgroundMultidrug resistance (MDR) is a major obstacle in cancer treatment and is often the result of overexpression of the drug efflux protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), as a consequence...Full Text Available
The biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of various materials for use as sacrificial anodes in in vivo hybrid fuel cells were studied. Aluminium, zinc, and magnesium alloy AZ31B were studied, and the results are discussed.
A comparative study has been carried out of the growth of two lines of Datura innoxia (Mill.) cells, designated DI-6 and NR1, their resistance to chlorate, and their ability to assimilate...Full Text Available
BackgroundAdipokines, e.g. TNFα, IL-6 and leptin increase insulin resistance, and consequent hyperinsulinaemia influences breast cancer progression. Beside its mitogenic...Full Text Available
A critical element of a retinal prosthesis is the stimulating electrode array, which is placed in close proximity to the retina. It is via this retinal-electrode interface that a retinal prosthesis electrically stimulates nerve cells to produce the perception of light. The impedance load seen by the current driver consists of the tissue resistance and the complex electrode impedance. The results in this paper show that the tissue resistance of the retina is significantly greater than that of the vitreous humor in the eye. Circuit models of the electrode-retina interface are used to parameterize the different contributors to the overall impedance.
pT181 is a naturally-occurring 4437 basepair (bp) plasmid isolated from Staphylococcus aureus which encodes inducible resistance to tetracycline (Tc). The DNA sequence data has identified three open reading frames (ORFs). The largest ORF B, has been found to be responsible for the Tc resistance phenotype of pT181. Since most Tc resistance systems appear to be regulated by an effector protein and a repressor protein, several Bal 31 deletion mutants of pT181 were constructed and analyzed in an effort to identify the elements involved in Tc resistance. Two transcomplementing groups of mutants were identified within the tet gene. The mechanism of Tc resistance was studied by assaying the accumulation of (7-/sup 3/H) Tc by Tc sensitive cells, and uninduced and induced pT181-containing cells. A sharp decrease in accumulation of the drug after an ...
Thyroid cancer is the most frequently diagnosed endocrine cancer and causes more deaths than all other endocrine cancers combined. Research findings support the concept that a subpopulation of thyroid cancer cells displays properties characteristic of stem cells. These putative cancer-forming entities drive tumorigenesis as a result of their dual ability to undergo self-renewal and to differentiate into various types of cancer cells; they also mediate metastasis and are resistant to the effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This Review discusses the cellular origin of thyroid cancer and the properties of the thyroid cancer stem cell niche. The article critically evaluates the methods used to identify molecular markers expressed by thyroid-cancer-initiating cells and outlines prosp...
Nitridation of Cr-bearing alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant CrN or Cr2N base surfaces of interest for a range of electrochemical devices, including fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of exploratory studies of the nitridation of commercially available, high Cr (30-35wt%) Ni-Cr alloys and a ferritic high Cr (29wt%) stainless steel for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. A high degree of corrosion resistance in sulfuric acid solutions designed to simulate bipolar plate conditions and low ICR values were achieved. Oxygen impurities in the nitriding environment were observed to play a significant role in the nitrided surface structures that formed, with detrimental effect...
Heat transfer through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is a key process in the design and operation of a PEM fuel cell. The analysis of this process requires determination of the effective thermal conductivity as well as the thermal contact resistance associated with the interface between the GDL and adjacent surfaces/layers. In the present study, a custom-made test bed that allows the separation of effective thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance in GDLs under vacuum and ambient conditions is described. Measurements under varying compressive loads are performed using Toray carbon paper samples with a porosity of 78% for a range of thicknesses. The measurements are complemented by compact analytical models that achieve good agreement with experimental data. A key finding is that ...
High-quality solar cells have been fabricated by utilizing localized argon-ion laser decomposition of silver neodecanoate spun onto diffused silicon substrates and subsequent electroplating. Early adhesion problems during electroplating have been carefully studied and finally solved using a novel coating procedure. The laser-metallized solar cells have been characterized using lighted and dark current-voltage measurements and compared with baseline cells metallized using standard photolithographic procedures. Non-AR-coated cell efficiencies ranging from 10 to over 11% have been obtained for the laser-metallized cells, comparable with the best baseline cells. The laser-metallized cells have 30 to 40% lower series resistance than the unsintered baseline cells, indicating that in-situ sintering takes ...
Heat transfer through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is a key process in the design and operation of a PEM fuel cell. The analysis of this process requires determination of the effective thermal conductivity as well as the thermal contact resistance associated with the interface between the GDL and adjacent surfaces/layers. In the present study, a custom-made test bed that allows the separation of effective thermal conductivity and thermal contact resistance in GDLs under vacuum and ambient conditions is described. Measurements under varying compressive loads are performed using Toray carbon paper samples with a porosity of 78% for a range of thicknesses. The measurements are complemented by compact analytical models that achieve good agreement with experimental data. A key finding is that thermal contact resistance is the dominant component of the total thermal resistance; ...
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr2N, CrN, TiN, V2N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of scale-up studies to determine the feasibility of extending the nitridation approach to thin 0.1mm stainless steel alloy foils for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Developmental Fe-20Cr-4V alloy and type 2205 stainless steel foils were treated by pre-oxidation and nitridation to form low-ICR, corrosion-resistant surfaces. As-treated Fe-20Cr-4V foil exhibited target (low) ICR values, whereas 2205 foil suffered from run-to-run variation in ICR values, ranging up to 2x the...
In t(15;17) acute promyelocytic leukemia, all-trans retinoic acid (RA) induces leukemic cell maturation in vitro and remission in acute promyelocytic leukemia patients, but in vivo treatments invariably...Full Text Available
The conductivity of the membrane is a limiting factor for the efficiency and power density of PEFCs. Because this conductivity is strongly dependent on the membrane hydration, water management is an important aspect of PEFC optimisation. Single cell model experiments were made in order to determine the in-plane hydration of a Nafion{sup R} membrane under fuel cell conditions as function of the gas humidities. (author) 4 fig., 3 refs.
Water transport in the ionomeric membrane, typically Nafion{reg_sign}, has profound influence on the performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, in terms of internal resistance and overall water balance. In this work, high resolution neutron imaging of the Nafion{reg_sign} membrane is presented in order to measure water content and through-plane gradients in situ under disparate temperature and humidification conditions.
Sodium-ion-conducting glasses are considered a promising alternative to the ceramic electrolytes. The glass upon which the most development work has been done is a sodium borate glass, which has an ionic resistivity of about 2 x 10/sup 4/ #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C. Because of its high resistivity, cells using this borate glass require thousands of hollow glass fibers, each about 80 micrometers outer diameter (15 micrometer wall). In spite of its greater complexity, the cell with the glass electrolyte is of interest because of its potential for lower cost and higher power than the cell with ceramic electrolyte. Recently, silicate glasses of lower resistivity have been proposed for this application. These include: a soda-alumina-silica glass (900 #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C), a soda-zirconia-magnesia-silica glass (700 #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C), and a soda-zirconia-silica glass ...
Abstract A fabrication process for Emitter-Wrap-Through solar cells on monocrystalline material with high quality gap passivation by wet thermal silicon dioxide is investigated. Masking and structuring steps are performed by screen-printing technology. Via-holes are created by an industrially applicable high-speed laser drilling process. The cell structure features a selective emitter structure fabricated in a single high temperature step: a highly doped emitter at the via-holes and the rear side, allowing for a low via-hole resistivity as well as a low resistivity contact to screen-printed pastes, and a moderately doped front side emitter exhibiting high quantum efficiency in the low wavelength range. Therefore a novel approach is applied depositing either doped or undoped PECVD silicon d...
Nitridation of Cr-bearing alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant CrN or Cr{sub 2}N base surfaces of interest for a range of electrochemical devices, including fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of exploratory studies of the nitridation of commercially available, high Cr (30-35 wt%) Ni-Cr alloys and a ferritic high Cr (29 wt%) stainless steel for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. A high degree of corrosion resistance in sulfuric acid solutions designed to simulate bipolar plate conditions and low ICR values were achieved. Oxygen impurities in the nitriding environment were observed to play a significant role in the nitrided surface structures that formed, with detrimental effects for the Ni-Cr base alloys, but beneficial effects for the stainless steel alloy. ...
Nitridation of Cr-bearing alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically- conductive and corrosion-resistant CrN or Cr2N base surfaces of interest for a range of electrochemical devices, including fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of exploratory studies of the nitridation of two high Cr (30-35 wt%) commercially available Ni-Cr alloys and a ferritic high Cr (29 wt.%) stainless steel for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. A high degree of corrosion resistance in sulfuric acid solutions designed to simulate bipolar plate conditions and low ICR values were achieved via nitridation. Oxygen impurities in the nitriding environment were observed to play a significant role in the nitrided surface structures that formed, with detrimental effects for the Ni-Cr base alloys, but beneficial effects for the stainless ...
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are useful tools for the delivery of hydrophilic bioactive molecules, such as peptides, proteins, and oligonucleotides, across the cell membrane. To realize the delivery of therapeutic macromolecules by CPPs, the CPPs are required to show resistance to protease and no cytotoxicity. In order to produce potent non-toxic and protease-resistant CPPs with high cellular uptake, we designed an amphipathic helix peptide using ?-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib, U) and named it MAP(Aib). In the MAP(Aib) molecule, five Aib residues are aligned on the hydrophobic face of the helix and five lysine (K) residues are aligned on the hydrophilic face. MAP(Aib) showed potent resistance to trypsin and pronase compared with MAP, an amphipathic helix peptide formed by usual amino acids. Fluorescein-labeled MAP(Aib) efficiently traversed the A549 cell ...
A new lens was installed in the laser; the laser power was lowered and solar cells were made at different power levels. The concentration of the silver neodecanoate solution was changed to reduce linewidth. A cell fabrication run was completed using low-resistivity float-zone silicon. Experiments were initiated to investigate the use of titanium organometallic film, which not only forms an AR coating with a 400/sup 0/C hard bake, but may also help in bypassing front-metal evaporation because of high-reactivity of Ti with silicon. Progress in these areas is discussed.
Abstract The treatment of advanced colorectal cancer with 5-fluorouracil has two major problems: development of tumor resistance and toxicity toward normal tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible advantages of combining 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with resveratrol (trans-3, 4prime, 5-trihydroxystilbene) for treating HT-29 and SW-620 colorectal carcinoma cell lines. Since combined treatment using 5-FU with resveratrol resulted in a significant decrease in long-term cell survival, we investigated the possible basis of this synergistic interaction at a molecular level, focusing on oxidative stress as a possible mediator of cell death. Resveratrol established interactions with the mitochondria of cancer cells and induced an imbalance in cellular antioxidant activities, leading...
A general model for the analysis of metal-semiconductor solar cells is presented. The model takes into account the cell optical properties, carrier recombination effects, semiconductor minority-carrier properties, series resistance, cell thickness, and active surface area. Numerical methods are used to solve the appropriate continuity equations and hence compute the photocurrent density under AMO conditions. The operation of the model is demonstrated using p- and n-type Si and GaAs with Au being taken as the barrier metal. Calculations are presented showing the effect on solar energy conversion efficiency of surface recombination velocity, barrier height, minority-carrier lifetime, barrier metal thickness, collecting grid configuration, and cell thickness. A comparison of practical and computed data for the Au/n-GaAs system yields good agreement. (AIP)
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr{sub 2}N, CrN, TiN, V{sub 2}N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of proton exchange membrane (PEM) single-cell fuel cell studies of stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided developmental Fe-20Cr-4V weight percent (wt.%) and commercial type 2205 stainless steel alloy foils. The single-cell fuel cell behavior of the stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided material was compared to as-stamped (no surface treatment) 904L, 2205, and Fe-20Cr-4V stainless steel alloy foils and machined graphite of similar flow field design. The best fuel cell behavior among the alloys was exhibited by the ...
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr{sub 2}N, CrN, TiN, V{sub 2}N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of proton exchange membrane (PEM) single-cell fuel cell studies of stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided developmental Fe-20Cr-4V weight percent (wt.%) and commercial type 2205 stainless steel alloy foils. The single-cell fuel cell behavior of the stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided material was compared to as-stamped (no surface treatment) 904L, 2205, and Fe-20Cr-4V stainless steel alloy foils and machined graphite of similar flow field design. The best fuel cell behavior among the alloys was exhibited by the ...
A critical element of a retinal prosthesis is the stimulating electrode array, which is placed in close proximity to the retina. It is via this retinal-electrode interface that a retinal prosthesis electrically stimulates nerve cells to produce the perception of light. The impedance load seen by the current driver consists of the tissue resistance and the complex electrode impedance. The results in this paper show that the tissue resistance of the retina is significantly greater than that of the vitreous humor in the eye. Circuit models of the electrode-retina interface are used to parameterize the different contributors to the overall impedance. PMID:17325413
Water transport in conifers occurs through single-celled tracheids that are connected to one another via intertracheid pit membranes. These membranes have two components: the porous margo, which allows water to pass through the membrane, and the impermeable torus, which functions to isolate gas-filled tracheids. During drought, tracheids can become air filled and thus hydraulically dysfunctional, a result of air entering through the pit membrane and nucleating cavitation in the water column. What are the hydraulic tradeoffs associated with cavitation resistance at the pit level, and how do they vary within the structural components of the intertracheid pit? To address these questions, we examined pit structure in 15 species of Cupressaceae exhibiting a broad range of cavitation resistances. Across species, cavitation resistance was most closely correlated to the ratio of the torus to pit aperture ...
The function of selenium in an organism is mediated mostly by selenoproteins including glutathione peroxidase. Glutathione peroxidase is a potent anti-oxidative enzyme, scavenging a variety of peroxides. The green alga Scenedesmus quadricauda was used to investigate the relationship between the toxicity of selenium and the glutathione peroxidase activity. Selenium resistant strains SeIV and SeVI were synchronized and grown in high concentrations of Se (selenite or selenate). As a measure of selenium toxicity the EC50 values were determined. During growth of the untreated wild type, glutathione peroxidase activity increased slightly and then declined gradually until the end of the cell cycle. A similar pattern was observed in untreated resistant strains and when resistant strains were grown...
The major goal of this contract is to define fine grid lines using laser-assisted metallization and to demonstrate the fabrication of high-efficiency cells using this process. During this period a solar cell run was completed using low-resistivity float-zone silicon. Grid lines were written by spinning silver neodecanoate solution after the Ti-Pd evaporation. This run produced cell efficiencies as high as 11.2% prior to antireflection coating and 16.6% after the AR coating. Open-circuit voltage was approx.604 mV and short-circuit current density was approx.35 mA/cmS.
Normal human foreskin keratinocytes cotransfected with the neomycin resistance gene and recombinant human papillomavirus (HPV) DNAs (types 16, 18, 31, and 33) that have a high or moderate association with cervical malignancy acquired immortality and contained integrated and transcriptionally active viral genomes. Only transcripts from the intact E6 and E7 genes were detected in at least one cell line, suggesting that one or both of these genes are responsible for immortalization. Recombinant HPV DNAs with low or no oncogenic potential for cervical cancer (HPV1a, -5, -6b, and -11) induced small G418-resistant colonies that senesced as did the nontransfected cells. These colonies contained only episomal virus DNA; therefore, integration of HPV sequences is important for immortalization of keratinocytes. This study suggests that the virus-encoded immortalization function contributes to the pathogenesis of ...
Heavily doped emitters with low saturation current density are of particular interest for selective emitter solar cells. These emitters can be obtained by laser doping through the phosphosilicate glass layer formed after thermal diffusion from POCl3 gas. The experimental results show that in contrast to purely POCl3 furnace-diffused emitters, the saturation current density of laser-doped emitters does not increase linearly as sheet resistance decreases, but rather features two distinct regimes. In one of these regimes, the saturation current density is found to decrease as the sheet resistance decreases, reaching values lower than those of furnace emitters. This peculiar behaviour was explained by both qualitative analysis and numerical simulations.
Encapsulation of technetium-99m sestamibi ({sup 99m}Tc-MIBI) in polyethyleneglycol-liposomes ({sup 99m}Tc-MIBI-PEG-liposomes) could extend the duration of its circulation in blood and alter its biodistribution, enabling its concentration in tumours to be increased. An original method to encapsulate {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI in PEG-liposomes is described. The {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI-PEG-liposomes were compared with free {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI with respect to (a) tumour availability (b) ability to distinguish between chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistantcells and (c) uptake ratio in tumour imaging. PEG-liposomal systems composed of distearoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol/PEG{sub 2000}-distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine and lissamine-rhodamine B-labelled liposomes were used. The encapsulation of {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI in liposomes was achieved using the K{sup +} diffusion potential method. We compared the uptake of free versus encapsulated {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI by sensitive ...
Conditioned medium from Sertoli cells, prepared from testes of 20-day-old rats, contains component(s) that inhibit the incorporation of (3H)-thymidine into DNA of peritubular myoid cells (PMC) and inhibit the proliferation of PMC. These components are trypsin-resistant, heat-stable compounds having a molecular weight less than 30,000. The active inhibitory components in Sertoli cell conditioned medium are inactivated by treatment with heparinase, but not by treatment with hyaluronidase or chondroitin sulfate lyases. Addition of heparin or heparan sulfate results in inhibition of DNA synthesis by PMC in a dose-dependent manner, whereas other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) examined (hyaluronic acid, keratan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate) have no detectable effects. Heparin and heparan sulfate are unique among GAGs tested in inhibiting the characteristic multilayer growth pattern of PMC following the ...
Radioadapted chicken embryo cells (X-irradiation in ovo with 10 cGy at the 14th day of development with priming periods of 24 h) were treated in vitro by challenge doses of 14 different DNA- and/or chromatin-interactive agents, including X-rays. A decrease in the cellular damage, as measured by scheduled DNA synthesis, was only observed with X-irradiation. Sedimentation of nucleoids as well as viscosity of alkaline lysates from ethidium bromide (0.35-400 {mu}g/ml)-, vovobiocin (125-1800 {mu}g/ml)-, and hyperthermia (30 min at 43 and 45 )-treated cells suggest a higher tendency of radioadapted cells to undergo positive DNA supercoiling. When DNA from adapted and non-adapted chicken embryo cells was used as substrate, neither its digestion by DNase I nor the inhibition of DNase I activity by various DNA-interactive agents was changed in primed cells. From the previous investigations ...
A tk{sup +/-} mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line, designated 1G2, has been created in which one allele of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene was inactivated by targeted homologous recombination. This line is an analog of the mouse lymphoma tk{sup +/-} L5178Y cell line, which is used widely to assess the mutagenicity of chemical agents. Treatment of 1G2 cells with the alkylating agent N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) resulted in a dose-related increase in tribluorothymidine-resistant colonies. Mutant frequencies of 152 and 296 per 10{sup 6} cells were determined for 0.1 and 0.3 mg/ml doses of ENU, compared with a spontaneous mutant frequency of 15 per 10{sup 6} cells. The data indicate that tk{sup +/-} 1G2 ES cells may be useful for the creation of a transgenic mouse model for assessing in vivo mutation using an endogenous autosomal gene. 45 refs., 2 ...
Inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is an appealing method for decreasing the immunoresistance and augmenting T cell-mediated immunotherapy. A major impediment to this strategy is the impact of conventional PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors on T cell function. In particular, rapamycin, is a well-known immunosuppressant that can decrease the activity of the PI3K/mTOR pathway in tumor cells, but also has a profound inhibitory effect on T cells. Here we show that Honokiol, a natural dietary product isolated from an extract of seed cones from Magnolia grandiflora, can decrease PI3K/mTOR pathway-mediated immunoresistance of glioma, breast and prostate cancer cell lines, without affecting critical proinflammatory T cell functions. Specifically, we show that at doses sufficient to down-regulate levels of phospho-S6 ...
IL-4-induced Stat6 signaling is active in a variety of cell types and plays a role in cell proliferation/growth and resistance to apoptosis. Using EMSA, we identified differential IL-4/Stat6 activities in colorectal cancer cell lines, HT-29 being active Stat6"h"i"g"h phenotype and Caco-2 being defective Stat6"n"u"l"l phenotype, respectively. Active Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells exhibited resistance to apoptosis by flowcytometry and aggressive metastasis by Transwell assay compared with defective Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells. Comparing one another using RT-PCR, Stat6"h"i"g"h HT-29 cells expressed more mRNA of anti-apoptotic and pro-metastatic genes Survivin, MDM2, and TMPRSS4, while Stat6"n"u"l"l Caco-2 cells expressed more mRNA of pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic genes BAX, CAV1, and P53, respectively. ...
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr{sub 2}N, CrN, TiN, V{sub 2}N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of scale-up studies to determine the feasibility of extending the nitridation approach to thin 0.1 mm stainless steel alloy foils for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Developmental Fe-20Cr-4V alloy and type 2205 stainless steel foils were treated by pre-oxidation and nitridation to form low-ICR, corrosion-resistant surfaces. As-treated Fe-20Cr-4V foil exhibited target (low) ICR values, whereas 2205 foil suffered from run-to-run variation in ICR values, ranging up to 2 x the target value. Pre-oxidized and nitrided surface structure examination revealed ...
Radiation chimeras in the early phase after bone marrow transplantation are a good model to study the efficiency of the body's nonspecific defense system represented by macrophages (M phi), polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), and NK cells. These cell types are present in large numbers in spleen and liver at that time, whereas the specific immune system represented by T and B cells is functionally deficient. We previously reported enhanced activities in vitro of M phi (and PMN) from recipient animals in an early phase after allogeneic bone marrow transfer. We here demonstrate that these activities result in enhanced spontaneous resistance against Listeria monocytogenes in vivo: CFU of L. monocytogenes in spleen and liver 48 h after infection were about 1 or 2 to 4 log steps less than in untreated control mice of donor or host haplotype. This enhanced resistance ...
The activation of nuclear factor-kappa B1 (NFκB1) in cancer cells may confer resistance to ionizing radiation (IR). To enhance the therapeutic efficiency of IR in lung cancer, we screened for...Full Text Available
BackgroundAs EBV-associated gastric cancer has unique features that are different from EBV (-) gastric cancer, EBV is considered to have a key role in gastric carcinogenesis. It...Full Text Available
BaZr_0_._1Ce_0_._7Y_0_._2O_3_-_#delta# (BZCY7) exhibits adequate proton conductivity as well as sufficient chemical and thermal stability over a wide range of SOFC operating conditions, while layered GdBa_0_._5Sr_0_._5Co_2O_5_+_#delta# (GBSC) perovskite deposited on a doped ceria electrolyte demonstrates advanced electrochemical properties. This research fully takes advantage of these advanced properties and develops novel protonic ceramic membrane fuel cells (PCMFCs) of Ni-BZCY7|BZCY7|GBSC. The results show that the open-circuit potential of 1.003 V, maximum power density of 430 mW cm"-"2, and a low polarization resistance of the electrodes of 0.08 #OMEGA# cm"2 are achieved at 700 "oC. With temperature increases, the total cellresistance decreases, among which electrolyte resistance becomes increasingly dominant over polarization resistance. The results also ...
The current investigation attempted to confirm the beneficial actions of a chemically characterized Radix Astragali decoction (AM-W) against type 2 diabetic (T2D) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Using a case/control...Full Text Available
The heat resistance of spores of Bacillus subtilis formed at 30°C was enhanced by pretreatment at 48°C for 30 min, 60 min into sporulation, for all four strains examined....Full Text Available
A dense and supersaturated nitrogen layer with higher conductivity is obtained on the surface of austenitic stainless steel 304L by the low temperature plasma nitriding. The effect of plasma nitriding on the corrosion behavior and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) for the austenitic stainless steel 304L was investigated in 0.05M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}+2ppm F{sup -} simulating proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) environment using electrochemical and electric resistance measurements. The experiment results show that the stable passive film is formed after the potentiostatic polarization at the specified anodic or cathodic potentials under PEMFC operation condition, and the plasma nitriding improves slightly the corrosion resistance and decreases markedly the ICR of 304L. The ICR of the plasma nitrided 304L increases after the potentiostatic polarizations for 4h, and lower than 100m{omega}cm{sup 2} at ...
In this work, the effects of substrate temperature that was changed from 100 to 500 "oC on the structural, chemical and electrical properties of carbon films, prepared by direct current magnetron sputtering technique, on 316L stainless steel as bipolar plate had been investigated. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to study the structure and the morphology of the deposited films, respectively. The corrosion resistance and the electrical resistivity were carried out by using corrosion tests and four point-probe technique. The results show that the carbon films change the structure from amorphous to graphite-like by increasing temperatures. At the temperatures higher than 300 "oC, the holes and porosities are formed on the film indicating a decrease of film quality. According to our results, corrosion resistance and electrical properties are depended strongly on the substrate temperature.
GaInP solar cell interfaces were characterized by admittance spectroscopy. Admittance spectroscopy is shown to be sensitive to the band structure at the heterojunction interfaces. In particular, a correlation between activation energy of the capacitance step in a capacitance versus temperature plot and effective potential barrier for majority carriers is demonstrated, indicating a new method for the determination of potential barriers at heterointerfaces. Using this technique, the effective potential barrier for holes at the p-Al_0_._5_3In_0_._4_7P/p-GaAs interface is found to be equal to 0.6 eV. Effects of interface defects and spreading resistance in the emitter of solar cells are illustrated and discussed.
This invention relates to the production method of composite electrode substrate for fuel cell. An impermeable material is used for edge sealant. The sealant is put in the clearance between two electrodes consisting of porous carbon material via thermoplastic resin sheet, and heated while being pressed. This production method increases the adherence between the porous carbon bodies and reduces the contact resistivity at the joint interface. Consequently, it becomes possible to produce the composite electrode for fuel cell without separator, resulting in simplification of assembly work, weight reduction, and downsizing. The preferable porous carbon body is made from shrinkage-treated fiber. After sheet forming, the thermosetting resin is impregnated, and then it is burnt to carbonization. Or mixed sheet of rayon and acrylic fiber is laminated to be heated and pressed without impregnating the resin. The pressed resin is then ...
HT-29 human colon tumor cells growing as spheroids have been evaluated as a model system for measuring the response of human colon tumor cell to antineoplastic agents. HT-29 cells have been capacity to form spheroids up to 1 mm or more in diameter when grown in spinner culture. The multicellular HT-29 spheroids develop hypoxic centers reflecting the cellular conditions found in human cancer treatment, i.e., nutritionally deficient hypoxic cells that are felt to be a significant source of both radiation and chemotherapy clinical treatment failures. Spheroids of increasing size were radiated and then dispersed into single cells for colony survival assay. Compared with irradiated single cell suspensions, the spheroid cells demonstrated a significant increase in radioresistance. Growing spheroids developed a complex radiation survival curve ...
Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steels can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically-conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surfaces (Cr2N, CrN, TiN, V2N, VN, etc) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents the results of scale up studies to determine the feasibility of extending the nitridation approach to thin 0.1 mm stainless steel alloy foils for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. A major emphasis was placed on selection of alloy foil composition and nitidation conditions potentially capable of meeting the stringent cost goals for automotive PEMFC applications. Developmental Fe-20Cr-4V alloy and type 2205 stainless steel foils were treated by pre-oxidation and nitridation to form low-ICR, corrosion-resistant surfaces. Promising behavior was observed under simulated aggressive anode- and ...
Three new phases with compositions, LaSr_2FeTiO_7, NdSr_2FeTiO_7 and GdSr_2FeTiO_7, were prepared by the traditional ceramic method. Lazy-Pulverix analysis of the X-ray diffraction data suggests that the phases crystallize in the RP-type (n = 2) structure in the space group, I4/mmm. The cell dimensions along the c-axis decrease with decrease in size of the rare earth ions. Electrical resistivity, as a function of temperature, shows that the materials are insulators and the resistivity decreases with decrease in the size of the rare earth ion, which is attributed to increase in the three-dimensional character. (author)
Plasma nitriding was applied to improve the surface performance of titanium bipolar plate. XRD and SEM results showed a titanium nitride layer was formed after nitridation. In comparison with pure titanium, the interfacial contact resistance of plasma nitrided titanium was reduced to some extent by the nitridation treatment. However, high corrosion current was observed under electrochemical tests in 0.5 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} + 5 ppm HF. Both the electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance of the surface of plasma nitriding titanium did not reach the level of graphite. Some more improvements are expected in the plasma nitriding process or another surface modification on pure titanium. (author)
A wood-polymer composite has been produced by impregnating the wood with the monomer and subsequently polymerizing it by exposure to a gamma radiation source. To compare the improvement in creep deformation of the wood due to the polymer impregnation, a nonlinear Norton-Bailey isothermal mathematical function has been used to model the bending creep deformation of the wood-polymer composites. Results show that the impregnation significantly improves the creep resistance of the wood. The maximum creep resistance is obtained when the amount of polymer impregnation exceeds about 30%. An interfacial interaction between the wood cell wall and the polymer could explain the creep deformation improvement, as well as the maximum impregnation level beyond which little improvement occurs. The results indicate that polymer impregnation is a viable method for improving the poor creep properties of wood. (author).
We describe the analysis of forward mutations induced in the tetracycline resistance gene of the plasmid pBR322 by directing the reaction of the carcinogen N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-AcO-AAF) to a small restriction fragment (BamHI, SalI) that is located in the proximal part of the antibiotic-resistance gene. Mutant plasmids obtained both in wild type and excision repair deficient (uvrA) bacterial cells are compared. Preliminary data showing the distribution of the -AAF adducts along this restriction fragments are discussed in relation to the observed spectrum of mutations. 20 references, 4 figures.
Wood polymer composite (WPC) specimens were produced by impregnating a tropical wood with methyl methacrylate and subsequently polymerised by ..gamma..-irradiation. Beam specimens of varying weight percentages of polymer were then subjected to a three point bend creep test under a constant load condition, for 250, 300 and 350 N. A Norton-Bailey (power law) mathematical model was used to describe the creep behavior, with the creep components determined by a nonlinear regression analysis. Significant creep improvements were obtained from the composite specimens as compared to the untreated wood specimens. Results indicated that maximum creep resistance is obtained when the amount of polymer loading exceeded 30%. An interfacial interaction between the polymer and the wood cell wall was used to account for the behavior of the increase in the creep resistance.
We studied whether plasma-etching techniques can use standard screen-printed gridlines as etch masks to form self-aligned, patterned-emitter profiles on multicrystalline-silicon (mc-Si) cells from Solarex. We conducted an investigation of plasma deposition and etching processes on full-size mc-Si cells processed in commercial production lines, so that any improvements obtained would be immediately relevant to the PV industry. This investigation determined that reactive ion etching (RIE) is compatible with using standard, commercial, screen-printed gridlines as etch masks to form self-aligned, selectively doped emitter profiles. This process results in reduced gridline contact resistance when followed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) treatments, an undamaged emitter surface easily passivated by plasma-nitride, and a less heavily doped emitter between gridlines for reduced emitter recombination. This ...
The layered PrBaCo_2O_5_+_#delta# (PBCO) perovskite oxides were synthesized by modified Pechini method and investigated as a cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on a stable and easily sintered perovskite oxide BaCe_0_._5Zr_0_._3Y_0_._1_6Zn_0_._0_4O_3_-_#delta# (BCZYZ) as electrolyte. The fabricated single cell of NiO-BCZYZ/BCZYZ (#approx#20 #mu#m)/PBCO was operated from 550 to 700 "oC with humidified hydrogen (#approx#5% H_2O) as fuel and the static air as oxidant. The BCZYZ perovskite electrolyte was completely dense after sintered at 1250 "oC for 5 h, lower than that without zinc dopant about 150 "oC. A high open-circuit potential of 1.007 V, a peak power density of 361 mW cm"-"2, and a low polarization resistance of the electrodes of 0.12 #OMEGA# cm"2 was achieved at 700 "oC. The ratio of polarization resistance to total cellresistance ...
The layered GdBa_0_._5Sr_0_._5Co_2O_5_+_#delta# (GBSC) perovskite oxides are synthesized by modified Pechini method and investigated as a novel cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on a stable perovskite oxide BaCe_0_._5Zr_0_._3Y_0_._1_6Zn_0_._0_4O_3_-_#delta# (BCZYZ) as electrolyte. The fabricated single cells of NiO-BCZYZ/BCZYZ (#approx#20 #mu#m)/GBSC (#approx#20 #mu#m) were operated from 550 to 700 "oC with humidified hydrogen (#approx#5% H_2O) as fuel. The BCZYZ perovskite electrolyte was completely dense after sintered at 1250 "oC for 5 h, lower than that without zinc dopant about 150 "oC. An open circuit voltage of 1.009 V and a maximal power density of 0.35 W cm"-"2 were achieved at 700 "oC. The interfacial polarization resistance was as low as 1.46, 0.45, 0.25 and 0.15 #OMEGA# cm"2 at 550, 600, 650 and 700 "oC, respectively. The ratio of polarization resistance to total ...
In mice, coat pigmentation requires a stem cell (SC) system in which the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of melanocytes (MCs) are regulated by microenvironments in hair follicles (HFs). In vitro systems are required to analyze the behavior of single melanocyte stem cells (MCSCs) and their potential to form SC systems in vivo. We describe here an experimental system for the isolation, self-renewal, and differentiation of MCSCs, as well as an in vivo reconstitution assay for assessing their potential. Using Dct(tm1(Cre)Bee)/CAG-CAT-GFP mice, we show that, in the presence of stem cell factor and basic fibroblast growth factor and the XB2 feeder cell line, purified MCSCs can undergo clonogenic proliferation, resulting in c-Kit(low) side scatter(low) cells. In culture, these cells maintain their capacity to differentiate and reconstitute an MCSC system ...
Elevated fatty acid levels have been thought to contribute to insulin resistance. Repression of the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) gene as well as impaired GLUT4 translocation may be a mediator for fatty acid-induced insulin resistance. This study was initiated to determine whether palmitate treatment repressed GLUT4 expression, whether glucose/fatty acid metabolism influenced palmitate-induced GLUT4 gene repression (PIGR), and whether attempts to prevent PIGR restored palmitate-induced impairment of glucose uptake (PIIGU) in C2 myotubes. Not only stimulators of fatty acid oxidation, such as bezafibrate, AICAR, and TOFA, but also TCA cycle substrates, such as pyruvate, leucine/glutamine, and ?-ketoisocaproate/monomethyl succinate, significantly prevented PIGR. In particular, supplementing with pyruvate through methyl pyruvate resulted in nearly complete prevention of PIIGU, whereas palmitate treatment reduced the intracellular pyruvate level. ...
Chromium electroplated AISI 316L stainless steel was nitrided using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) for application in the bipolar plate of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). A continuous and thin chromium nitride layer was formed at the surface of the samples after ICP nitriding for 2 h at 400 C. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) and corrosion resistance in simulated PEMFC operating conditions were higher than the required values, while they varied with the applied dc bias voltage during the nitriding process. The ICR value decreased with an increase in bias voltage. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that all of the nitrided samples had excellent corrosion resistance with a current density of {proportional_to}10{sup -7} A cm{sup -2} at the cathode. It was also found that the oxygen content at the surface was not increased after the corrosion test. X-ray ...
This report summarizes the results of research conducted during the sixteen month continuation of a program to develop rechargeable zinc-air batteries for electric vehicles. The zinc-air technology under development incorporates a metal foam substrate for the zinc electrode, with flow of electrolyte through the foam during battery operation. In this ``soluble`` zinc electrode the zincate discharge product dissolves completely in the electrolyte stream. Cycle testing at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, where the electrode was invented, and at MATSI showed that this approach avoids the zinc electrode shape change phenomenon. Further, electrolyte flow has been shown to be necessary to achieve significant cycle life (> 25 cycles) in this open system. Without it, water loss through the oxygen electrode results in high-resistance failure of the cell. The Phase I program, which focused entirely on the zinc electrode, elucidated the conditions ...
This report summarizes the results of research conducted during the sixteen month continuation of a program to develop rechargeable zinc-air batteries for electric vehicles. The zinc-air technology under development incorporates a metal foam substrate for the zinc electrode, with flow of electrolyte through the foam during battery operation. In this soluble'' zinc electrode the zincate discharge product dissolves completely in the electrolyte stream. Cycle testing at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, where the electrode was invented, and at MATSI showed that this approach avoids the zinc electrode shape change phenomenon. Further, electrolyte flow has been shown to be necessary to achieve significant cycle life (> 25 cycles) in this open system. Without it, water loss through the oxygen electrode results in high-resistance failure of the cell. The Phase I program, which focused entirely on the zinc electrode, elucidated the ...
This study is devoted to the formation of high-low-level-doped selective emitter for crystalline silicon solar cells for photovoltaic application. We report here the formation of porous silicon under chemical reaction condition. The chemical mixture containing hydrofluoric and nitric acid, with de-ionized water, was used to make porous on the half of the silicon surface of size 125 x 125 cm. Porous and non-porous areas each share half of the whole silicon surface. H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}:methanol gives the best deposited layer with acceptable adherence and uniformity on the non-porous and porous areas of the silicon surface to get high- and low-level-doped regions. The volume concentration of H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} does not exceed 10% of the total volume emulsion. Phosphoric acid was used as an n-type doping source to make emitter for silicon solar cells. The measured emitter sheet resistances at the high- and low-level-doped regions ...
Objective: To study the effects of minocycline hydrochloride (MINO) on the formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining-positive multinucleated osteoclast-like cells in mouse bone marrow cells (BMCs) treated with 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 or soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-@kB ligand (s-RANKL). Materials and methods: Mouse BMCs were cultured in alpha-modified minimum essential medium containing foetal calf serum (10%) and tetracyclines (2.5, 5 and 10@mM), such as MINO, tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OXT) or doxycycline (DOXY) in the presence of 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 (10nM) or s-RANKL (20ng/ml) for 7 days, and the number of TRAP staining-positive osteoclast-like cells was counted. In RNA isolated from BMCs treated with 1@a,25(OH)"2D"3 or s-R...
Bulk nanocrystalline pure iron rods were fabricated by the equal channel angular pressure (ECAP) technique up to eight passes. The microstructure and grain size distribution, natural immersion and electrochemical corrosion in simulated body fluid, cellular responses and hemocompatibility were investigated in this study. The results indicate that nanocrystalline pure iron after severe plastic deformation (SPD) would sustain durable span duration and exhibit much stronger corrosion resistance than that of the microcrystalline pure iron. The interaction of different cell lines reveals that the nanocrystalline pure iron stimulates better proliferation of fibroblast cells and preferable promotion of endothelialization, while inhibits effectively the viability of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The burst of red cells and adhesion of the platelets were also substantially suppressed ...
We describe the isolation and genetic characterization of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced mutations in the phage P22 mnt repressor gene cloned in plasmid pBR322. Mutations in the mnt repressor gene or its operator on this plasmid, pPY98, confer a tetracycline resistance phenotype, whereas the wild-type plasmid confers tetracycline sensitivity. Cells carrying pPY98 were briefly exposed to MNNG to give 20 to 40% survival and a 50- to 100-fold increase in tetracycline-resistantcells. DNA sequence analysis showed that 29 to 30 MNNG-induced mutations were GC-to-AT transitions and one was an AT-to-GC transition. About 80% of the mutations are in three hotspots. This mutation spectrum is consistent with the proposed mechanism of mutagenic action of MNNG, which involves mispairing of an alkylated base, O/sup 6/-methylguanine. The mnt gene may be a useful target for determining ...
Environmental arsenic is a world-wide health issue, making it imperative for us to understand mechanisms of metalloid uptake and detoxification. The predominant intracellular form is the highly mephitic arsenite, which is detoxified by removal from cytosol. What prevents arsenite toxicity as it diffuses through cytosol to efflux systems? Although intracellular copper is regulated by metallochaperones, no chaperones involved in conferring resistance to other metals have been identified. In this article, we report identification of an arsenic chaperone, ArsD, encoded by the arsRDABC operon of Escherichia coli. ArsD transfers trivalent metalloids to ArsA, the catalytic subunit of an As(III)/Sb(III) efflux pump. Interaction with ArsD increases the affinity of ArsA for arsenite, thus increasing its ATPase activity at lower concentrations of arsenite and enhancing the rate of arsenite extrusion. Cells are consequently resistant ...
Gas nitridation has shown excellent promise to form dense, electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant Cr-nitride surface layers on Ni-Cr base alloys for use as proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Due to the high cost of nickel, Fe-base bipolar plate alloys are needed to meet the cost targets for many PEMFC applications. Unfortunately, nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys typically leads to internal Cr-nitride precipitation rather than the desired protective surface nitride layer formation, due to the high permeability of nitrogen in these alloys. This paper reports the finding that it is possible to form a continuous, protective Cr-nitride (CrN and Cr2N) surface layer through nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys. The key to form a protective Cr...
Abstract Hybrid power plants consisting of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a gas turbine show high electrical efficiencies, however require pressurisation of the SOFC to several bar. This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the pressure influence on SOFC performance and durability. A two-dimensional elementary kinetic model is used to predict the performance of a single cell in the pressure range of 1-20-bar. The influence of pressure on thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, porous electrode diffusion, channel transport and efficiency is assessed. It was found that polarisation resistance decreases with increasing pressure due to increased diffusion through porous electrodes and a higher electrode surface coverage with reactant species. Furthermore, open-circuit voltage increases...
ABSTRACT: Metabolomic analysis will provide the next large set of clues to further our understanding of human health and disease. A recent study has elucidated the significant differences in the metabolomes of adipocytes, serum and an adipocyte cell line after activation of two nuclear receptors, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ?/? (PPAR?/?) and PPAR?. These findings hold great promise for explaining fundamental differences in the mechanisms of PPAR agonists and for identifying targets for the treatment of diabetes.See related research article: http://genomebiology.com/2011/12/8/R75. PMID:21861850
This thesis deals with the evaluation of Solar Grade Silicon (SoG-Si) purified by different techniques, and also the fabrication and characterization of high efficiency and advanced bifacial solar cells. In the beginning of Chapter 1, various SoG-Si production methods relevant for this work are qualitatively described. The three feedstock materials used in this work are from the Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR) process, metallurgical feedstock-I and feedstock-II process. In metallurgical feedstock-I, the lifetime of the minority charge carriers in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) samples at the grain boundaries are found to be higher than the grains themselves possibly due to lower resistivities in the grain boundaries. The efficiency of the best solar cell obtained using the mc-Si metallurgical feedstock-I is 16.1%. It has been identified that the fast light induced degradation, whose magnitude is lower than that of a reference ...
Among the most promising technological alternatives for the development of photovoltaic modules and cells of a low cost, good energetic conversion and feasibility for mass production, polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells deposited directly on a transparent substrate are currently being considered the best. We have developed in our laboratory a PECVD reactor capable of producing the deposition of amorphous hydrogenated silicon at rates of above 2 nm/seg, allowing a significant production per line on the plant. Discharge gas is silane, to which diborane or phosphine is added so as to form the cell. Basically, work is done on a structure of cell type TCO/n+/p-/p+/M, which has 2 {mu}m of total thickness. Schott AF-37 glass is used as a substrate, for their ability to withstand temperatures of up to 800 C. The amorphous cell is subsequently annealed at gradual temperatures of ...
The performance of two-cell planar solid oxide fuel cell stacks using coal syngas, with and without hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), was studied. All cells were tested at 850 C with a constant current load of 15.2 A (current density of 0.22 A cm{sup -2} per cell) and 30% fuel utilization. The H{sub 2}S injection immediately and significantly affected the power degradation of the stack system regardless of the carrier fuel. Results for the test with only H{sub 2} and N{sub 2} in the presence of H{sub 2}S (119-120 ppm) indicated that the power decay and area-specific resistance (ASR) degradation values were lower than those for the tests where simulated syngas containing CO and increased water content was used. The results indicate that contact points in the stack contributed to the power degradation of the system. Other factors, including contamination from the upstream fuel gas tubing, ...
Protonic ceramic membrane fuel cells (PCMFCs) based on proton-conducting electrolytes have attracted much attention because of many advantages, such as low activation energy and high energy efficiency. A stable, easily sintered perovskite oxide BaCe_0_._5Zr_0_._3Y_0_._1_6Zn_0_._0_4O_3_-_#delta# (BCZYZ) as electrolyte for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with Sm_0_._5Sr_0_._5CoO_3_-_#delta# (SSC) composite cathode is investigated. By fabricating thin membrane BCZYZ electrolyte (#approx#20 #mu#m) synthesized by a modified Pechini method on NiO-BCZYZ anode support, PCMFCs are assembled and tested by selecting SSC perovskite cathode with high mixed ionic and electronic conductivities. An open-circuit potential of 1.015 V, a maximal power density of 528 mW cm"-"2, and a low polarization resistance of the electrodes of 0.15 #OMEGA# cm"2 is achieved at 700 "oC. The results indicate that BCZYZ proton-conducting ...
An electrolyte for high voltage lithium metal anode cells must simultaneously satisfy at least the following requirements; (i) high cycling efficiency on the lithium metal anode; (ii) higher oxidation potential than the charging voltage, and (iii) high specific conductivity. We have examined various electrolytes for lithium metal anode cells using a high voltage cathode, LiMn{sub 1.9}Co{sub 0.1}O{sub 4}. Of the electrolytes resistant to high voltage that we used, a system containing 60 to 90 vol.% of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) mixed with ethylene carbonate (EC) and 1.0 M lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF{sub 6}) provided the best cycling efficiency on a lithium metal anode, as well as a high specific conductivity around 10 mS cm{sup -1} at 20 C. (orig.)
We have constructed a 27-kDa hTERT C-terminal polypeptide (hTERTC27) devoid of domains required for telomerase activity and demonstrated that it is capable of nuclear translocation/telomere-end targeting. Here we showed that expression of a low level of hTERTC27 renders hTERT positive HeLa cells sensitive to H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress and subsequent cell senescence. The senescence-associated gene, the cyclin/cdk inhibitor p21(Waf1), was up-regulated. This occurs without changing the expression of endogenous hTERT, causing significant telomere shortening or inhibiting telomerase activity. Results from this study suggest for the first time that in addition to telomerase activity, the C-terminus of hTERT also plays a role in hTERT-mediated cellular resistance to oxidative stress. PMID:12565825
Proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells, incorporating BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3-? (BZCY) electrolyte, NiO-BZCY anode, and Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3-?-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-? (SSC-SDC) cathode, were successfully fabricated by a combined co-pressing and printing technique after a one-step co-firing process at 1100, 1150, or 1200 oC. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results revealed that the co-firing temperature significantly affected not only the density of the electrolyte membrane but the grain size and porosity of the electrodes. Influences of the co-firing temperature on the electrochemical performances of the single cells were also studied in detail. Using wet hydrogen (2% H2O) as the fuel and static air as the oxidant, the cell co-fired at 1150 oC showed the highest maximum power density (PDmax) of 552 and 370 mW cm-2 at 700 and 650 oC, respectively, while the one co-fired at 1100 oC showed the highest PDmax of 276 and 170 mWcm-2 at 600 and ...
An investigation was conducted into alternative techniques for zinc and electrolyte regeneration and reuse in the refuelable zinc/air battery that was developed by LLNL and previously tested on a moving electric bus using cut wire. Mossy zinc was electrodeposited onto a bipolar array of inclined Ni plates with an energy consumption of 1.8 kWh/kg. Using a H{sub 2}-depolarized anode, zinc was deposited at 0.6 V (0.8 kA/m{sup 2}); the open circuit voltage was 0.45 V. Three types of fuel pellets were tested and compared with results for 0.75 mm cut wire: spheres produced in a spouted bed (UCB); coarse powder produced by gas-atomization (Noranda); and irregular pellets produced by chopping 1-mm plates of compacted zinc fines (Eagle-Picher, Inc.). All three types transported within the cell. The coarse powder fed continuously from hopper to cell, as did the compacted pellets (< 0.83 mm). Large particles (> 0.83 mm; Eagle-Picher and UCB) ...
Gas nitridation has shown excellent promise to form dense, electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant Cr-nitride surface layers on Ni-Cr base alloys for use as proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Due to the high cost of nickel, Fe-base bipolar plate alloys are needed to meet the cost targets for many PEMFC applications. Unfortunately, nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys typically leads to internal Cr-nitride precipitation rather than the desired protective surface nitride layer formation, due to the high permeability of nitrogen in these alloys. This paper reports the finding that it is possible to form a continuous, protective Cr-nitride (CrN and Cr{sub 2}N) surface layer through nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys. The key to form a protective Cr-nitride surface layer was found to be the initial formation of oxide during nitridation, which prevented the internal nitridation typically observed ...
Gas nitridation has shown excellent promise to form dense, electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant Cr-nitride surface layers on Ni-Cr base alloys for use as proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Due to the high cost of nickel, Fe-base bipolar plate alloys are needed to meet the cost targets for many PEMFC applications. Unfortunately, nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys typically leads to internal Cr-nitride precipitation rather than the desired protective surface nitride layer formation, due to the high permeability of nitrogen in these alloys. This paper reports the finding that it is possible to form a continuous, protective Cr-nitride (CrN and Cr{sub 2}N) surface layer through nitridation of Fe-base stainless steel alloys. The key to form a protective Cr-nitride surface layer was found to be the initial formation of oxide during nitridation, which prevented the internal nitridation typically observed ...
Chromium nitride/Cr coating has been deposited on surface of 316L stainless steel to improve conductivity and corrosion resistance by physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology. Electrochemical behaviors of the chromium nitride/Cr coated 316L stainless steel are investigated in 0.05 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}+2 ppm F{sup -} simulating proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) environments, and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) are measured before and after potentiostatic polarization at anodic and cathodic operation potentials for PEMFC. The chromium nitride/Cr coated 316L stainless steel exhibits improved corrosion resistance and better stability of passive film either in the simulated anodic or cathodic environment. In comparison to 316L stainless steel with air-formed oxide film, the ICR between the chromium nitride/Cr coated 316L stainless steel and carbon paper is about 30 m{omega} cm{sup 2} that is ...
Purpose/Objective: The role of programmed cell death (apoptosis) as a cellular response to cancer therapy such as radiation or chemotherapy is the subject of much study, and manipulation of the apoptotic response in tumor cells may be valuable in the treatment of a variety of cancers. Both p53 dependent and independent apoptotic pathways have been identified; p53 is mutated in at least 50 % of human cancers and a majority of radiation resistant tumors contain p53 mutations. This study is designed to examine the induction of programmed cell death in a human colon carcinoma cell line that possesses two mutated p53 alleles. Ionizing radiation alone, or in combination with the chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), were used to elicit the apoptotic response. This study will focus on whether these treatments can induce a significant apoptotic response in cells ...
We have investigated the effect of plasma nitriding and plasma nitrocarburizing on the microstructure and properties of electroplated chromium. Plasma nitriding and plasma nitrocarburizing are applied to 15-100 [mu]m thick electroplated hard chromium coatings to increase both the wear and the corrosion resistance. The properties of the plasma-modified hard chromium layers are characterized by measuring the wear resistance with a Taber wear tester and the corrosion resistance with a salt spray fog test. Cyclic voltammetry is performed in a standard electrochemical cell using a 0.5 M H[sub 2]SO[sub 4] solution acidified to pH 0.3. The compound layer after plasma nitriding consists of CrN and Cr[sub 2]N with a maximum hardness of about 1100 HK[sub 0.01]. After plasma nitrocarburizing, Cr[sub 3]C[sub 2] and Cr[sub 7]C[sub 3] are formed. After plasma nitrocarburizing, the maximum hardness is increased up to ...
Microbes have been isolated and identified from spent nuclear fuel storage pools at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Included among these are Corynebacterium aquaticum, Pseudomonas putida, Comamonas acidovorans, Gluconobacter cerinus, Micrococcus diversus, Rhodococcus rhodochrous, and two strains of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). We examined the sensitivity of these microbes to a variety of total exposures of radiation generated by a 6-MeV linear accelerator (LINAC). The advantage of using a LINAC is that it provides a relatively quick screen of radiation tolerance. In the first set of experiments, we exposed each of the aforementioned microbes along with four additional microbes, pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, Escherchia coli, and Deinococcus radiodurans to exposures of 5 x 10{sup 3} and 6 x 10{sup 4} rad. All microbial specimens withstood the lower exposure with little or no reduction in cell population. Upon ...
Emerging evidence suggests that E3 ligases play critical roles in diverse biological processes, including innate immune responses in plants. However, the mechanism of the E3 ligase involvement in plant innate immunity is unclear. We report that a rice gene, OsBBI1, encoding a RING finger protein with E3 ligase activity, mediates broad-spectrum disease resistance. The expression of OsBBI1 was induced by rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, as well as chemical inducers, benzothiadiazole and salicylic acid. Biochemical analysis revealed that OsBBI1 protein possesses E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. Genetic analysis revealed that the loss of OsBBI1 function in a Tos17-insertion line increased susceptibility, while the overexpression of OsBBI1 in transgenic plants conferred enhanced resi...
Ethanol is generally toxic to microorganisms, and intracellular and extracellular accumulation of ethanol inhibits cell growth and metabolism. In this study, pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc) and alcohol dehydrogenase (adhB) were cloned into pET-32a vector and then introduced into E. coli BL21 to produce ethanol. Heat shock genes (BEM1 and SOD2) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae were inserted into recombinant ethanolic E. coli using pET28_a vector to improve ethanol shock resistance. Three different strains were constructed: Ethanolic E. coli (adhB and pdc genes inserted using pET32_a vector), BEM1 gene-inserted E. coli (BEM1 inserted using pET_28a), and SOD2-inserted E. coli (SOD2 inserted using pET28_a). Construction of these three different strains allowed comparison of the functions of these he...
Carbon supported catalysts can lose their activity over a period of time due to the sintering of the nanometer-sized catalyst particles. The sintering of metal clusters on carbon supports can occur due to the weak interaction between the metal and the support and also due to the corrosion of carbon, especially in fuel cell electrocatalysts. The sintering may be reduced by increasing the interaction between the metal and the support and also by increasing the corrosion resistance of carbon supports. In an effort to mitigate the growth of the nanoparticles, carbon-substituted boron defects were introduced in the carbon lattice. The interaction between the Pt nanoparticles on the pure and boron-doped carbon supports was examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicate that the interaction between the Pt nanoparticles and the boron-doped carbon support was slightly stronger than the interaction between the Pt ...
The corrosion resistance of steel-reinforced mortar specimens made from alinite cement was investigated using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) specimens as reference. The specimens were prepared and exposed in three different environments: continuous exposure in tap water, interrupted exposure in tap water, and interrupted exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution. The steel weight loss and the half cell potential were measured vs. exposure time, up to the age of 12 months. Pore solution extraction and analysis and porosity determination were also performed. In continuous exposure in tap water, alinite cement provided adequate protection against corrosion. In interrupted exposure in tap water, a higher corrosion was observed for alinite cement compared to OPC. In the case of interrupted exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution, the simultaneous action of free chlorides and oxygen resulted in the depassivation of steel reinforcing bars in alinite and Portland cement ...
This dissertation is concerned with the development, experimental diagnostics and mathematical modelling and simulation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC). The central themes throughout this thesis are the closely interlinked phenomena of mass and charge transfer. In the face of developing a PEFC system for vehicle propulsion these phenomena are scrutinized on a broad range of relevant scales. Starting from the material related level of the membrane and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) we turn to length scales, where structural features of the cell additionally come into play. These are the scale of flow channels and ribs, the single cell and the cell stack followed by the cell, stack, and system development for an automotive power train. In Chapter 3 selected fundamental material models and properties, respectively, are explored that are crucial for the mathematical modelling ...
Because resistance to new insecticides may develop rapidly and cross resistance is often encountered, even between insecticides of different classes, there is a continual demand for the development...Full Text Available
Since the last review of the problem of insecticide-resistance was presented in this journal at the beginning of 1958, resistance has been discovered in 16 new species, and in at least 14 species both...Full Text Available
We have observed significant differences in the response to ionizing radiation of two closely related human cell lines, and now compare the effects on these lines of both low and intermediate LET radiation. Compared to TK6, WTK1 has an enhanced X-ray survival, and is also more resistant to cell killing by {alpha}-particles. The hprt locus is more mutable in WTK1 than in TK6 by both X-rays and {alpha}-particles. WTK1 is also more mutable by {alpha}-particles than by X-rays at the hprt locus. X-ray-induced mutation at the heterozygous tk locus in WTK1 is about 25 fold higher than in TK6, while {alpha}-particle-induced mutation is nearly 50 fold higher at this locus. Also, the slowly growing tk- mutants, which comprise the majority of spontaneous and X-ray-induced tk- mutants of TK6, were not induced significantly by {alpha}-particles. Previously, we showed that TK6 has a reduced capacity for recombination compared with WTK1, ...
A new type of zinc electrode is matched with new bifunctional air electrodes to produce a zinc-air battery of a novel design. The zinc electrode is a flow-thru type made from copper foam-metal. The air electrode uses corrosion resistant carbon black as a high area support for a highly dispersed spinel oxide electrocatalyst. The battery design employs flowing electrolyte, 12 M KOH saturated or supersaturated with zincate. Single cells as large as 200 cm{sup 2} (1/5 EV design scale) having a capacity of 20 AH have been tested with C/4--C/16 constant current cycling. More extensive and realistic life cycle testing was done with 2 Ah cells, including the Simplified Federal Urban Driving Schedule (SFUDS) cycle. This testing has confirmed that these cells can provide the necessary transient power response required for urban EV applications. The cells achieved an average of 72 SFUDS ...
We report the fabrication and characterization of glucose-tolerant Raney-platinum cathodes for oxygen reduction in potentially implantable glucose fuel. Fabricated by extraction of aluminum from 1mm thin platinum-aluminum bi-layers annealed at 300^oC, the novel cathodes show excellent resistance against hydrolytic and oxidative attack. This renders them superior over previous cathodes fabricated from hydrogel-bound catalyst particles. Annealing times of 60, 120, and 240min result in approximately 400-550nm thin porous films (roughness factors ~100-150), which contain platinum and aluminum in a ratio of ~9:1. Aluminum release during electrode operation can be expected to have no significant effect on physiological normal levels, which promises good biocompatibility. Annealing time has a dis...
This paper describes how hydrogen transport affects the severity of hydrogen embrittlement in 300 M and AerMet100 ultra high strength steels. Slow strain rate tests were carried out on specimens coated with electrodeposited cadmium and aluminium-based SermeTel 1140/962. Hydrogen diffusivities were measured using two-cell permeation and galvanostatic charging methods and values of 8.0 x 10{sup -8} and 1.0 x 10{sup -9} cm{sup 2} s{sup -1} were obtained for 300 M and AerMet100, respectively. A two-dimensional diffusion model was used to predict the hydrogen distributions in the SSR specimens at the time of failure. The superior embrittlement resistance of AerMet100 was attributed to reverted austenite forming around martensite laths during tempering.
An organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) was compounded with polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) in a twin-screw extruder. The organoclay PBT nanocomposites were then injection molded by conventional and microcellular methods. Nitrogen was used as the blowing agent. The effect of organoclay content, organoclay size (8 and 35mm), and speed of the screw (80 and 100rpm) on the mechanical and thermal properties were investigated. The results showed that when the MMT content was 1.0wt.%, the nanocomposites have maximum tensile strength, wear resistance, and cell density. Moreover, the larger the particle size, the greater the tensile strength. The screw speed during compounding also affected the mechanical strength. The higher speed of the screw increased the tensile strength of the nanocompo...
Abstract NorUDCA (24 norursodeoxycholic acid), the C23 homolog of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), showed remarkable therapeutic effects in cholestatic Mdr2 (Abcb4) (multidrug resistance protein 2/ATP binding cassette b4) knockout mice with sclerosing/fibrosing cholangitis. In contrast to UDCA, norUDCA is inefficiently conjugated in human and rodent liver, and conjugation has been discussed as a key step for the anticholestatic action of UDCA in cholestasis. We compared the choleretic, anticholestatic, and antiapoptotic properties of unconjugated and taurine conjugated UDCA (C24) and norUDCA (C23) in isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) and in natrium/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (Ntcp) transfected human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. Taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) was used to induce a predomi...
A composition and method for encapsulating a photovoltaic device which minimizes discoloration of the encapsulant. The composition includes an ethylene-vinyl acetate encapsulant, a curing agent, an optional ultraviolet light stabilizer, and/or an optional antioxidant. The curing agent is preferably 1,1-di-(t-butylperoxy)-3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane; the ultraviolet light stabilizer is bis-(N-octyloxy-tetramethyl) piperidinyl sebacate and the antioxidant is selected from the group consisting of tris (2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite, tetrakis methylene (3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate) methane, octadecyl 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate, and 2,2'-ethylidene bis(4,6-di-t-butylphenyl) fluorophosponite. The composition is applied to a solar cell then cured. The cured product contains a minimal concentration of curing-generated chromophores and resists UV-induced degradation.
Ethnobotanical and chemotaxonomical studies for antiparasitic activity of Colombian Annonaceae were carried out. In vitro antiprotozoal activity of 36 extracts obtained from six different species was determined against promastigotes of three Leishmania species, epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and both chloroquine sensitive (F32) and resistant (W2) Plasmodium falciparum. Cytotoxic activity was evaluated in U-937 cells. Active extracts were selected according their selectivity index (SI). Extracts from Annona muricata, Rollinia exsucca, Rollinia pittieri and Xylopia aromatica were active against Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi showing IC50 values lower than 25mg/ml. Hexane extract from Rollinia pittieri leaves was the most selective against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. (IS=...
The project has been developing Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ)-Alumina Composites as an electrolyte of a self-support type planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) from the following points of view: a path of alumina particles with high thermal conductivity can be designed as an electrolyte sheet; there are some possibilities that the electrolyte can be enhanced in mechanical strength. As previously reported, these composite materials have higher mechanical strength and better thermal shock resistance than those of YSZ. These composites containing 0-30 wt% of Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] were measured by AC impedance method at temperatures of 250-1,000[degree]C. Electrical conductivities of 8YSZ without Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] and a composite consisting of 80 wt% YSZ and 20 wt%Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] as sintered samples were 1.2 x 10[sup -1]S/cm and 1.0 x 10[sup -1]S/cm respectively at 1,000[degree]C. The composite containing 20 wt% of Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] is the most ...
The effects of gas diffusion layer's (GDL's) anisotropic bending stiffness on the degradation behavior of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells have been investigated under freezing conditions. We have prepared GDL sheet samples such that the higher stiffness direction of GDL roll is aligned with the major flow field direction of a metallic bipolar plate at angles of 0^o (parallel: '0^o GDL') and 90^o (perpendicular: '90^o GDL'). The I-V performances before and after 1000 temperature cycles between -10 and 1 ^oC of 90^o GDL stack are higher than those of 0^o GDL stack, and the voltages of 90^o GDL stack are decreased slower than those of 0^o GDL stack, indicating a higher durability of 90^o GDL stack. Furthermore, the values and increasing rates of high-frequency resistance of 90^o GDL s...
The malM locus of Streptococcus pneumoniae was cloned into one of the two PstI sites of the multicopy S. pneumoniae plasmid pMV158. To eliminate chromosomal transformants in the simultaneous selection for tetracycline resistance (coded by pMV158) and maltose utilization, the host cells contained a chromosomal deletion of the mal gene cluster. Two clones were isolated; one with a 3.3 kb insert (pLS70) which behaved like wild type with respect to maltose utilization, and another with a 2.9 kb insert (pLS69) which behaved as though it contained a down promoter mutation. Preliminary mapping of these clones by restriction analysis placed the 0.4kb deletion on a HindIII fragment in the interior of the chromosomal insert. The recombinant plasmids were able to transform over 50% of a recipient population to Mal/sup +/. Enzyme measurements of the clones indicated an overproduction of amylomaltase, constituting up to 10% of the total cellular protein, ...
The rice blast resistance (R) gene Pi-ta mediates gene-for-gene resistance against strains of the fungus Magnaporthe grisea that express avirulent...Full Text Available
Objective: To investigate the mechanism of carbapenem resistance and the occurrence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants qnr and aac(6′)-Ib-cr...Full Text Available
The emergence of bacterial antibiotic resistance is a growing problem, yet the variables that influence the rate of emergence of resistance are not well understood. In a microfluidic device designed to mimic naturally occurring bacterial niches, resistance of Escherichia coli to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin developed within 10 hours. Resistance emerged with as few as 100 bacteria in the initial inoculation. Whole-genome sequencing of the resistant organisms revealed that four functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms attained fixation. Knowledge about the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance in the heterogeneous conditions within the mammalian body may be helpful in understanding the emergence of drug resistance during cancer chemotherapy. PMID:21940899
Statoil is operating an increasing number of offshore and onshore pipelines in the North Sea area and elsewhere. Cathodic protection is a significant part of the corrosion management for these lines and we have collected a significant amount of experience with respect to design and operation of the systems. This paper deals with our comprehensive program for the onshore cathodic protection systems and the various challenges in different countries with respect to technical matters, such as operating conditions and different terrain. Generally, the systems are based on automatically controlled rectifier systems with a wide range of current drainage and very comprehensive monitoring of potentials and current flowing. The use of coupons, polarisation cells and buried reference cells are essential, as well as the use of intensive measurements along the route. The use of online monitoring of selected test posts and all rectifier units is considered ...
Thin film solar cells and solar cell testing - photovoltaic cells, radiation damage to cadmium sulfide solar cells, and airplane testing of solar cells
Abstract The term -stem cell- most commonly refers to embryonic stem cells, particularly in the lay media; however, it also describes other cell types. A stem cell represents a cell of multi-lineage potential with the ability for self-renewal. It is now clear that the plasticity and immortality of a given stem cell will depend on what type of stem cell it is, whether an embryonic stem cell, a fetal-placental stem cell or an adult stem cell. Stem cells offer great promise as cell-based therapies for the future. With evolving technology, much of the socio-political debate regarding stem cells can now be avoided.
We carried out a feeding study in rats aimed at extending our aboservations of contaminant-induced immunosuppression in harbour seals. Two herring batches were freeze-dried, supplemented and fed to female adult PVG rats for a period of 4 1/2 months. Daily contaminant intakes of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) toxic equivalents (TEQ) were estimated to be 0.3 ng/kg body weight and 1.6 ng/kg in the Atlantic and Baltic groups, respectively. At the end of the feeding experiment, no contaminant-related changes in spleen CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} cellularity, natural killer cell activity, or mitogen-induced proliferative responses of thymus or spleen cells could be detected. However, total thymocyte numbers and thymus CD{sub 4}{sup +}/CD{sub 8}{sup +} ratios were reduced in the Baltic group. A novel model was established to assess the specific T-cell response to rat cytomegalovirus (RCMV). When applied to the ...
Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) are multipotent progenitor cells that have transient immunomodulatory properties on Natural Killer (NK) cells, Dendritic Cells (DC), and T cells. This...Full Text Available
Bloodstream infection by highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), is a growing clinical problem that increasingly defies medical intervention....Full Text Available
Twelve Salmonella typhimurium strains resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins were isolated from cases of gastroenteritis during 1996 to 1998 in Russia, Hungary, and Greece. Resistance...Full Text Available
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study determined risk factors for the recovery of piperacillin-tazobactam-resistant P. aeruginosa...Full Text Available
To determine who resists sexual assault and what happens, data were examined from a probability sample of 3,132 adult community residents of Los Angeles, California. Seventy-five per cent of the respondents...Full Text Available
Purpose of reviewPhysicians, researchers and policy makers must understand the myriad consequences of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) within...Full Text Available
Pyrethroid insecticides have been extensively used in China and worldwide for public health pest control. Accurate resistance monitoring is essential to guide the rational use of insecticides and resistance...Full Text Available
The direct detection of pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is sufficiently difficult that many laboratories do not attempt it. Most pyrazinamide resistance is caused...Full Text Available
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem among nosocomial bacteria. Risk factors for the recovery of ceftriaxone-resistant (CRCF) or -susceptible (CSCF) Citrobacter freundii...Full Text Available
Longitudinal electrical resistances have been measured on 2-centimeter segments of corn (Zea mays L.) roots, cut at varying distances from the root apex. The segment resistances vary...Full Text Available
In methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the methicillin resistance gene mecA is localized within a large chromosomal region which is absent in the methicillin-susceptible...Full Text Available
The antibiotic resistance patterns of gram-negative fecal bacteria from pigs in three herds with different histories of antibiotic exposure were examined. In general, smaller proportions of antibiotic-resistant...Full Text Available
...visible damage. (k) Corrosion resistance. Each metal part of a...evidence of salt-spray corrosion resistance equal to or greater than...sample of test metal must show corrosion resistance equal to or better than...
Tripartite efflux systems are responsible for the export of toxins across both the inner and outer membranes of Gram negative bacteria. Previous work has indicated that EmrAB-TolC from Escherichia coli is such a tripartite system, comprised of EmrB an MFS transporter, EmrA, a membrane fusion protein and TolC, an outer membrane channel. The whole complex is predicted to form a continuous channel allowing direct export from the cytoplasm to the exterior of the cell. Little is known, however, about the interactions between the individual components of this system. Reconstitution of EmrA + EmrB resulted in co-elution of the two proteins from a gel filtration column indicating formation of the EmrAB complex. Electron microscopic single particle analysis of the reconstituted EmrAB complex revealed the presence of particles approximately 240 x 140 A, likely to correspond to two EmrAB dimers in a back-to-back arrangement, suggesting the dimeric EmrAB form is the ...
Sm"1"."8Ce"0"."2CuO"4-xCe"0"."9Gd"0"."1O"1"."9"5 (SCC-xCGO, x=0-12vol.%) composite cathodes supported on Ce"0"."9Gd"0"."1O"1"."9"5 (CGO) electrolyte are studied for applications in IT-SOFCs. Results show that Sm"1"."8Ce"0"."2CuO"4 material is chemically compatible with Ce"0"."9Gd"0"."1O"1"."9"5 at 1000^oC. The composite electrode exhibits optimum microstructure and forms good contact with the electrolyte after sintering at 1000^oC for 4h. The polarization resistance (R"p) reduces to the minimum value of 0.17@Wcm^2 at 750^oC in air for SCC-CGO06 composite cathode. The relationship between R"p and oxygen partial pressure indicates that the reaction rate-limiting step is the surface diffusion of the dissociative adsorbed oxygen on the composite cathode.
To examine and evaluate the predominant and common etiologic agent(s) of urinary tract infection (UTI) in Sukkur city and to determine their current antibiotic susceptibility/resistance trends. Nine hundred sixty six patients out of 1430 abnormal urine reports (showing significant abnormalities such as protein, pus, red cells) were asked to give second sample. The urine samples were examined by both urine test strip (Combur 10 Test, Roche) and microscopically (wet preparation) followed by culture and sensitivity. The culture sensitivity was done on urine samples of which bacterial numbers were estimated as more than 105CFU. The study was conducted at Safeway Diagnostic and Research Laboratory Sukkur and the Department of Microbiology, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Sindh from March 2001 to March 2003. Eight hundred fifty-two (88.2%) showed Escherichia spp followed by Klebsiella spp (6.9%) and proteus spp (4.9%). These showed 95%, 90%, ...
Ethidium bromide (EB) and ultraviolet light (UV) in combination are known to produce a synergistic induction of 'petite' mutants in yeast. Two other agents were combined with EB, 3-Carbethoxypsoralene (3 CPs) activated by 365 nm light or #gamma# rays. EB in combination with 3 CPs also resulted in an enhanced production of 'petite' mutants. After the photoaddition of 3 CPs in exponential phase cells, recovery of the 'petite' mutation during dark liquid holding was inhibited by the presence of EB producing an enhanced number of 'petite' mutants. The behavior of mitochondrial antibiotic resistance markers after individual and combined treatments with EB and 3 CPs indicates a random loss of markers after EB and a preferential loss of a certain region for the 3 CPs photoaddition. The combination of the two agents leads to an additivity of total drug marker losses rather than a synergistic loss. The combination of EB with #gamma# rays produced no ...
Proof-of-principle experiments are reported for a new concept in electrically rechargeable zinc-air battery. The zinc electrode is a porous flow-thru type using a copper foam metal substrate with zinc deposition onto the foam metal from concentrated zincate electrolyte (as used in zinc-slurry type batteries). The bifunctional air electrode employs low-cost materials, being fabricated entirely from carbon-based precursors and small amounts of nickel and/or cobalt oxide. Corrosion measurements on the graphite materials in the air electrode indicate sufficient corrosion resistance for 8000 h life on charge. A prototype single cell was constructed having 1.5 Ah capacity producing 1.2 V discharge -2.0 charge at the three hour rate and has produced stable voltages for more than 150 cycles. Based on the 1.5 Ah prototype characteristics, design calculations for a 32 kWh battery project an energy density of about 110 Wh/kg, peak power density of 140 ...
A novel bioelectrochemical membrane reactor (BEMR), which takes advantage of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and microbial fuel cells (MFC), is developed for wastewater treatment and energy recovery. In this system, stainless steel mesh with biofilm formed on it serves as both the cathode and the filtration material. Oxygen reduction reactions are effectively catalyzed by the microorganisms attached on the mesh. The effluent turbidity from the BEMR system was low during most of the operation period, and the chemical oxygen demand and NH(4)(+)-N removal efficiencies averaged 92.4% and 95.6%, respectively. With an increase in hydraulic retention time and a decrease in loading rate, the system performance was enhanced. In this BEMR process, a maximum power density of 4.35 W/m(3) and a current density of 18.32 A/m(3) were obtained at a hydraulic retention time of 150 min and external resister of 100 ?. The Coulombic efficiency was 8.2%. Though the ...
The strategies employed by oral streptococci to resist the inimical influences of acidification reflect the diverse and dynamic niches of the human mouth. All of the oral streptococci are capable of rapid degradation of sugar to acidic end-products. As a result, the pH value of their immediate environment can plummet to levels where glycolysis and growth cease. At this point, the approaches for survival in acid separate the organisms. Streptococcus mutans, for example, relies on its F-ATPase, to protect itself from acidification by pumping protons out of the cells. S. salivarius responds by degrading urea to ammonia and S. sanguis produces ammonia by arginolysis. The mechanisms by which these organisms regulate their particular escape route are now being explored experimentally. The picture that emerges is that the acid-adaptive regulatory mechanisms of the oral streptococci differ markedly from those employed by Gram-negative bacteria. What ...
Motivation: Automatic recognition of cell identities is critical for quantitative measurement, targeting and manipulation of cells of model animals at single-cell resolution. It has been...Full Text Available
BackgroundXMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) is the first known example of an exogenous gammaretrovirus that can infect humans. A limited number of reports suggest that XMRV is intrinsically resistant to many of the antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV-1 infection, but is sensitive to a small subset of these inhibitors. In the present study, we used a novel marker transfer assay to directly compare the antiviral drug sensitivities of XMRV and HIV-1 under identical conditions in the same host cell type.ResultsWe extend the findings of previous studies by showing that, in addition to AZT and tenofovir, XMRV and HIV-1 are equally sensitive to AZddA (3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxyadenosine), AZddG (3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxyguanosine) and adefovir. These results indicate that specific 3'-azido or acyclic nucleoside analog inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) also block XMRV infection with comparable efficacy in vitro. Our data ...
This thesis deals with the special electronic properties of the transition-metal aluminides. Following quasicrystals and their approximants it is shown that even materials with small elementary cells exhibit the same surprising effects. So among the transition-metal aluminides also semi-metallic and semiconducting compounds exist, although if they consist of classic-metallic components like Fe, Al, or Cr. These properties are furthermore coupled with a deep pseusogap respectively gap in the density of states and strongly covalent bonds. Bonds are described in this thesis by two eseential properties. First by the bond charge and second by the energetic effect of the bond. It results that in the caes of semiconducting transition-metal aluminides both a saturation of certain bonds and a bond-antibond alteration in the Fermi level is present. By the analysis of the near-order in form of the so-calles coordination polyeders it has been succeeded to establish a simple ...
DBA/2J (DBA) mice are susceptible to audiogenic seizures (ASs) in an age-dependent manner. Anion transport as measured by radioiodide uptake was determined in thyroid gland, salivary gland, skeletal muscle, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, brainstem, and CSF from these mice at various ages. Anion transport was also determined in C57BL/6J(C57) mice, an AS-resistant strain. In thyroid, DBA mice had an enhanced ability to concentrate iodide at 21 days of age when they have maximal AS susceptibility, as compared with the same-aged C57 mice. This difference in thyroid function was less marked at 40 days of age, when DBA mice are less AS susceptible, and was absent at 110 days of age, when DBA mice are AS resistant. In brain, differences in iodide uptake were also noted between these two strains of mice at 21 days of age. DBA mice had an increased concentration of iodide in CSF, an indication that they have a defect in the transport of iodide out of the ...
Cathodic arc deposition is an established and industrially applied technique for the formation of nitrides (e.g. TiN); it can also be used for metal oxide thin film formation. A cathodic arc plasma source with the desired cathode material is operated in an oxygen atmosphere of appropriate pressure, and metal oxides of various stoichiometric composition can be formed on different substrates. We report here on a series of experiments on metal oxide formation by cathodic arc deposition for different applications. Black copper oxide has been deposited on accelerator components to increase the radiative heat transfer between the parts. Various metal oxides such as tungsten oxide, niobium oxide, nickel oxide and vanadium oxide have been deposited on ITO glass to form electrochromic films for window applications. Optical waveguide structures can be formed by refractive index variation using oxide multilayers. We have synthesized multilayers of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub ...
Four 10 MW, highly-stabilized power supply modules have been installed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, FL, to energize water-cooled, resistive, high-field research magnets. The power supply modules achieve a long term current stability if 10 ppM over a 12 h period with a short term ripple and noise variation of <10 ppM over a time period of one cycle. The power supply modules can operate independently, feeding four separate magnets, or two, three or four modules can operate in parallel. Each power supply module consists of a 12.5 kV vacuum circuit breaker, two three-winding, step-down transformers, a 24-pulse rectifier with interphase reactors, and a passive and an active filter. Two different transformer tap settings allow rated dc supply output voltages of 400 and 500 V. The rated current of a supply module is 17 kA and each supply module has a one-hour overload capability of 20 kA. The isolated output terminals of each power ...
The author reviews the growth of the insecticide-resistance problem throughout the world during the period between July 1956 and November 1957, and the developments in research on the subject during...Full Text Available
The development of several DDT-resistant strains of Anopheles atroparvus is described. They were selected by larval treatment only (RL), selection of larval and adult females (RLAF),...Full Text Available
Summary: The increasing emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has resulted in the increased...Full Text Available
In order to provide a rational basis for the development of new insecticides, a thorough understanding of resistance mechanisms is necessary and this presupposes a detailed knowledge of the normal...Full Text Available
A strain of Pseudomonas syringae was recently identified as the cause of a new foliar blight of impatiens. The bacterium was resistant to copper compounds, which are used on a variety...Full Text Available
Individual strains of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae vary in their ability to produce toxins, nucleate ice, and resist antimicrobial compounds. These phenotypes...Full Text Available
Hard Nano-Strutural Coatings Resistant to the Extreme Conditions of Chemical, Abrasive and High Energy Media for Thermonuclear Power, Oil and Gas and Chemical Industries
In this work we conducted both in vitro and in vivo experiments to examine the development and mechanisms of erythromycin (Ery) resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter...Full Text Available
The mechanism of resistance to DDT was investigated in Culex mosquitos to ascertain whether it was associated with detoxication to DDE as in houseflies and Aedes aegypti....Full Text Available
We compared the incidence of nasopharyngeal colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the serotypes causing mucosal and invasive diseases, and the antibiotic resistance of these strains...Full Text Available
Staphylococcus aureus isolates and 2 USA300 ATCC type strains for susceptibility to bacitracin and neomycin contained in over-the-counter antibacterial ointments. Resistance to...
Introduction:The purpose of this study was to utilize an in vitro biofilm model of subgingival plaque to investigate resistances in subgingival biofilm...Full Text Available
The high cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) poses a significant challenges to their commercial uptake. The bipolar plates connect the anode and cathodes of cells and separate the reactant gases, and are the most expensive components in PEMFCs. Although stainless steel can be used as a low-cost alternative in bipolar plate construction, steel is prone to electrochemical corrosion in the highly acidic PEMFC operation process. This study examined the polarization curves and ICR as a function of compaction force of a high Cr and Ni austenitic stainless steel in an environment simulating the bipolar plate under PEMFC operating conditions. The 3-electrode system consisted of a platinum (Pt) sheet, a saturated calomel electrode with a Luggin capillary contract with the used solution and the work electrode. All polarization curves were measured in a solution of H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} in order to simulate the aggressive PEMFC environment. ...
The electrochemical dissolution behaviour of armco-iron and of the steels C15, C45, C60 and 100Cr6 in concentrated sodium chloride media has been investigated. Anodic metal dissolution experiments have been carried out using the flow channel cell (parallel plate reactor), the rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) and the capillary cell. The microstructure of the steel has been varied through variation of carbon content and heat treatment (e.g. soft annealed with globular carbides or pearlitic). Current-efficiency values have been obtained by gravimetric measurements in the current-density range from i=5 to 60 A/cm{sup 2}. For the soft annealed steels, the divalent ferrite dissolution in combination with electroless cementite removal dominates. For the pearlitic steels, the occurrence of oxygen evolution electronically conductive metal carbides or trivalent ferrite dissolution, depending on the current density applied, was detected. Microstructure ...
The high temperature abrasive wear resistant of the composites with different Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} volume fractions, particle coating and size were investigated and the failure action of composites under different conditions at high temperature was analyzed. The results showed that the high temperature abrasive wear resistant of composite with Ni coating and wide size and 39% volume fraction of particle is the best among all composites examined. (orig.)
The temperature rise induced by shock compression of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was determined from measurements of the electrical resistivity of embedded copper foils. The temperature of the copper was determined from the observed foil resistance and known values of the change in copper resistivity with temperature and shock compression. Temperature values obtained over a stress range from 0.9 to 6.0 GPa are in good agreement with thermocouple measurements reported previously.
We present the first results from tests of a MICROMEGAS detector manufactured using the so-called "bulk" technology and having a resistive cathode mesh instead of the conventional metallic one. This detector operates as usual MICROMEGAS, but in the case of sparks, which may appear at high gas gains, the resistive mesh reduces their current and makes the sparks harmless. This approach could be complementary to the ongoing efforts of various groups to develop spark-protected MICROMEGAS with resistive anode planes.
We studied telomeric DNA in leukemic cells as well as in normal T cells, B cells, monocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. No marked differences were...Full Text Available
We quantified the resistance levels of transgenic rice plants, expressing Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) in chloroplasts and mitochondria, to PROTOX inhibitors, acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon. We also determined whether active oxygen species-scavenging enzymes are involved in the resistance mechanism of transgenic rice. The transgenic rice line M4 was about >200-fold more resistant to oxyfluorfen than the wild-type (WT). M4 was also resistant to acifluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon, but did not show multiple resistance to imazapyr and paraquat, which have different target sites. Acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon reduced the chlorophyll content in leaves of WT, but had minimal or no effect on M4. The...
Data processing method was studied for mise-a-la-masse survey. Mise-a-la-masse method using wells as current sources measures resultant ground surface potential difference, and detects underground local resistivity anomaly. To extract resistivity anomaly largely different from surroundings, the anomaly is extracted as difference between the estimated value of regular resistivity structure (background) and potential difference or apparent resistivity. The following three approximations were attempted to estimate the background: the theoretical equation assuming isotropic homogeneous resistivity structure, that assuming horizontal multi-layered structure and the exponential function of distance from linear electrode for apparent resistivity, and these were compared with each other by numerical model experiment. The data processing method which determines the ...
In this article, a continuous stabilization process was used to make flame resistant fibers from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. The effect of the stabilization time and the stretching process during the stabilization process on the physical properties and flammability of the resultant flame resistant fibers was studied. Increased drawing of PAN fibers during the continuous stabilization process was found to decrease the diameter and increase the tensile strength in the resultant flame resistant fibers. These fibers also had higher density. There were no absolute relationships seen between flame-resistance and the formation of stable ladder polymers, density, and oxygen content. ((orig.))
Recent data on resistance of modern corrosion-resistant austenitic-ferritic steels to different types of corrosion are generalized. It is shown that these steels are characterized by high resistance to general corrosion in acid, alkali, chloride and other solutions, are not inclined to intercrystalline, pitting and crevice corrosion and are noted for high resistance to corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue. All this is combined with technological and economical effectiveness. It is advisible to use these steels instead of highly-alloyed and expensive steels and alloys in chemical, power and other industries. 59 refs.; 2 tabs.
Corrosion testings of model alloys, corresponding by chemical composition to simple and complex-alloyed #gamma#- and #gamma#'-phases of nickel heat-resistant alloys are conducted in sodium sulfate and chloride melts. It is ascertained that heat resistant nickel alloys containing over 50 % of hardening #gamma#'-phase, are subject to disastrous sulfide corrosion (SC). Resistance against SC alloys containing below 50 % of #gamma#'-phase is determined by the resistance of #gamma#-solid solution. 10 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.
We have investigated the properties of nerve cell precursors in hydra by analyzing the differentiation and proliferation capacity of interstitial cells in the peduncle of Hydra oligactis, which is a region of active nerve cell differentiation. Our results indicate that about 50% of the interstitial cells in the peduncle can grow rapidly and also give rise to nematocyte precursors when transplanted into a gastric environment. If these cells were committed nerve cell precursors, one would not expect them to differentiate into nematocytes nor to proliferate apparently without limit. Therefore we conclude that cycling interstitial cells in peduncles are not intermediates in the nerve cell differentiation pathway but are stem cells. The remaining interstitial cells in the peduncle are ...
A silicon solar cell assembly comprising a large, thin silicon solar cell bonded to a metal mount for use when there exists a mismatch in the thermal expansivities of the device and the mount.
Experiments were designed to elucidate whether or not the irradiated bone marrow cells receive any stimulation for the self-replication and differentiation from normal 'stromal' cell colonies in the bone marrow cell culture in vitro. When irradiated or unirradiated bone marrow cells were overlaid on the normal adherent cell colonies, the proliferation of haemopoietic stem cells was supported, the degree of the stimulation depending on the starting cellular concentration. There was, however, no significant changes in the concentration of either CFUs or CFUc regardless of the dose of irradiation on the bone marrow cells overlaid. This was a great contrast to the dose-dependent decrease of CFUs or CFUc within the culture in which both the stem cells and stromal cells were ...
Ethane oxidation was studied in ethane-grown resting cells (mycelia) of an Acremonium sp. and in cell-free preparations of such mycelia. From resting cell experiments evidence was found for a pathway...Full Text Available
In most adult tissues there reside pools of stem and progenitor cells inside specialized microenvironments referred to as niches. The niche protects the stem cells from inappropriate expansion...Full Text Available
... Fuel Cell Technologies Equipment on Environmental Expert Find and compare a variety of fuel cell technologies equipment on the world's largest environmental industry portal. View ...
Purpose.There is a paucity of neuron replacement studies for retinal ganglion cells. Given the complex phenotype of these neurons, replacement of ganglion cells may be impossible....Full Text Available
Cell cultures were prepared from lung tumors occurring in beagles following exposure to inhaled plutonium. Morphologic and growth characteristics of two of these cell lines are described.
We report the isolation of adherent, clonogenic, fibroblast-like cells with osteogenic and adipogenic potential from the blood of four mammalian species. These cells phenotypically resemble but are...Full Text Available
Zirconium is a transition element located along with sister elements titanium and hafnium in Group IVB of the periodic table. It is grayish white metal, with a density somewhat less than carbon steel. Zirconium is the ninth most common metallic element in the earth's crust, and is more abundant than zinc, lead, nickel, or even copper. Zirconium is exceptionally resistant to corrosion by many common acids and alkalis. It is resistant to most organic acids, such as formic, acetic, lactic, and oxalic acids. It also has a high resistance to localized forms of corrosion, such as pitting, crevice corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking. Its corrosion resistance is caused by the formation of a dense, tenaciously adherent, chemically inert oxide film on the surface. This oxide film protects the base metal from both chemical and mechanical attack at temperatures up to about 400 C (750 F). This article describes ...
The direct injection of steam into a water pool is a method of heat transfer used in many process industries. The amount of research in this area however is limited to the nuclear industry, with applications relating to reactor cooling systems. Electrical resistance tomography (ERT), a low cost, non-invasive and which has high temporal resolution characteristics, can be used as a visualization tool for the resistivity distribution for the steam injection into water pool such as IRWST. In this paper, three dimensional resistivity distribution of the process is obtained through ERT using iterative Gauss-Newton method. Numerical experiments are performed by assuming different resistive objects in the water pool. Numerical results show that ERT is successful in estimating the resistivity distribution for the injection of steam in the water pool
Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida are parasitic root cyst nematodes of potato (PCN), which significantly reduce yield and quality. The genetics and available molecular markers should make resistance to nematodes an excellent candidate for marker assisted selection. The study presents results of testing the suitability of known molecular markers for detection of resistance in a set of cultivars. We revealed some inconsistencies in genealogical data of the cultivars and showed inconsistent usefulness in detecting resistant cultivars. The marker TG689 was identified in almost all cultivars resistant to G. rostochiensis and together with other markers was used for verifying the resistance in a group of breeding lines. The marker TG689 was the most effective. However, the efficiency...
BACKGROUND: Glyphosate resistance has been confirmed in 58 populations of Lolium rigidum (Gaud.), a major weed of crops in southern Australia. Extensive use of glyphosate in conjunction with minimal soil disturbance has been identified as high risk for resistance to that herbicide. Land managers need a simple method for rapid assessment of the risk of resistance occurring as a result of past and proposed future management practices. Modelled on risk assessment nomographs, a simple calculator for indicating the risk of evolved glyphosate resistance in L. rigidum is described.RESULTS: The calculator uses the generations since first use and the frequency of use of glyphosate in combination with historical cultivation levels as critical factors for determining the risk of glyphosate resistance...
Effects of cell concentrations on the survival and repopulation of haemopoietic stem cells after irradiation were studied in the long-term culture of mouse bone marrow cells in vitro. No difference was observed in the survival of the stem cells among cultures in which 0 - 10/sup 7/ cells were re-inoculated on the adherent cell colonies in the culture flask. Stem cells showed a significant proliferation within 1 week and the number of the stem cells exceeded the control in 3 weeks after irradiation in the cultures with less than 10/sup 6/ re-inoculated cells per flask. In contrast, there was a considerable delay in the onset of stem cell proliferation after irradiation in the culture with 10/sup 7/ cells per flask. Based on these results, a possibility that a ...
SummaryIn vivo tumor cell migration through integrin-dependent pathways is key to the metastatic behavior of malignant cells. Using quantitative in vivo...Full Text Available
Terminal differentiation of many vascular cells involves cell wall changes. Cells first elongate their primary wall, then lay down a lignified secondary wall, which is often followed by digestion of...Full Text Available
For proper tissue morphogenesis, cell divisions and cell fate decisions must be tightly and coordinately regulated. One elegant way to accomplish this is to couple them with asymmetric cell divisions....Full Text Available
Totipotent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into every cell type. Renewal of totipotent stem cells in the germline and cellular differentiation during early embryogenesis rely upon posttranscriptional...Full Text Available
We have established a cartilaginous fish cell line [Squalus acanthias embryo cell line (SAE)], a mesenchymal stem cell line derived from the embryo of an elasmobranch, the spiny dogfish...Full Text Available
AIM: To isolate and identify the biological characteristics of human colon cancer stem cells (SW1116 cells) and further study their proteome.METHODS: SW1116 cells were isolated and cultured with...Full Text Available
Interleukin 2 (IL-2) and B-cell growth factors I and II (BCGF I and BCGF II) are lymphokines produced by T cells that play a major role in T- and B-cell cooperation. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from...Full Text Available
Normal cells, both in vivo and in vitro, become quiescent after serial cell proliferation. During this process, cells can develop immortality with genomic instability,...Full Text Available
Endothelial cells and mural cells (smooth muscle cells, pericytes, or fibroblasts) are known to communicate with one another. Their interactions not only serve to support fully functional blood...Full Text Available
BackgroundAs the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle, satellite cells are activated by extracellular cues associated with local damage. Once activated, satellite cells will re-enter...Full Text Available
Craniofacial injuries require a variety of different cell types to repopulate areas of bone, cartilage, tendon, and fat. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) provide a multipotent cell source for tissue...Full Text Available
We describe the lethal, recessive accelerated-cell-death11 Arabidopsis mutant (acd11). Cell death in acd11 exhibits characteristics of animal apoptosis...Full Text Available
Somatic cell nuclear transfer or therapeutic cloning has provided great hope for stem cell-based therapies. However therapeutic cloning has been experiencing both ethical and technical difficulties....Full Text Available
Background:Stem cells can differentiate into multiple cell types, and therefore can be used for cellular therapies, including tissue repair. However, the participation of stem cells...Full Text Available
It has been postulated that thrombin binds to endothelial cells through, at least in part, cell surface glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate, which could serve as antithrombin cofactor on the...Full Text Available
Hematopoietic stem cells replenish all the cells of the blood throughout the lifetime of an animal. Although thousands of stem cells reside in the bone marrow, only a few contribute to blood production...Full Text Available
In the growing chloronema cell suspension cultures of the moss Funaria hygrometrica Hedw., activities of several enzymes have been found to be cell-density-dependent. Cyclic nucleotide...Full Text Available
In preimplantation mouse development, the first cell lineages to be established are the trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass. TE possesses epithelial features, including apical-basal cell polarity...Full Text Available
...false Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research Presidential Documents ...2009 Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research Memorandum for the Heads...scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human...
We have developed a cell-mediated mutagenesis assay in which cells with the appropriate markers for mutagenesis are co-cultivated with either lethally irradiated rodent embryonic cells that can metabolize carcinogenic hydrocarbons or with primary rat liver cells that can metabolize chemicals carcinogenic to the liver. During co-cultivation, the reactive metabolites of the procarcinogen appear to be transmitted to the mutable cells and induce mutations in them. Assays of this type make it possible to demonstrate a relationship between carcinogenic potency of the chemicals and their ability to induce mutations in mammalian cells. In addition, by simultaneously comparing the frequencies of transformation and mutation induced in normal diploid hamster cells by benzo(a)pyrene (BP) and one of its metabolites, it is possible to estimate the genetic ...
...Basic Information | Fuel Cells & Vehicles | US EPA This web page provides basic information on EPA's Fuel Cells & Vehicles web site ...including the chemical composition of fuel cell technology, how it works, descriptions of the various types of fuel cells , their availability and ... background,electrochemical,hydrogen,fuel cell,fuel cell vehicle,fuel reformer,performace,improved fuel economy,increased engine efficiency,lower emissions,zero emissions,availablity,fuel cell types,diagram,Proton ...Exchange Membrane,PEM Basic Information | Fuel Cells & Vehicles | US EPA background,electrochemical,hydrogen,fuel cell,fuel cell vehicle,fuel reformer,performace,improved fuel economy,...
The properties of cast basalt and alumina are examined. The ways in which these materials have been used in applications in coal preparation plants, for example in bunker and pipe linings where abrasion and corrosion resistant materials are required, are discussed.
To make the surface composites with hard ceramics particles is an effective means for satisfying the request for the wear-resistance of the casting products. Covering casting is a general method for forming the composites by adding the adhesive into ceramics particles. However, due to the using of adhesive, pore and intermediate are easy to generate, and it is one of the reasons making the wear-resistance unstable. In the present study, it is attempted to form the wear-resistant composite layer by dispersing cast tungsten carbide (CTC) particles on the surface of wear-resistant 7 mass% Mn steel without using adhesives. Subsequently, the experiments on the wear-resistance of the obtained surface composites under several wear conditions are carried out. It is revealed by the results thereof that 7 mass% Mn steel surface composites with CTC particles have the ...
HIV-1 nonsubtype B variants account for the majority of HIV infections worldwide. Drug resistance in individuals who have never undergone antiretroviral therapy can lead to early failure and...Full Text Available
By isomorphous replacement of silicon by phosphorus the authors have synthesized crystalline aluminosilicophosphates with structures of the zeolites type A and faujasite. They determine the adsorption capacity of specimens treated at 575-1275/sup 0/K. They show that the thermal stability and acid resistance of aluminosilicophosphates depend on the quantity of phosphorus in their structure.
Sugarcane rusts, brown (caused by Puccinia melanocephala) and orange (caused by P. kuehnii), are agronomically important diseases in Florida. Cultivar resistance is the best means of managing these diseases. Unfortunately, natural infection of brown rust is not always efficient in determining resist...
A copper-resistant strain (09906) of Pseudomonas fluorescens that was isolated from a citrus grove soil is being investigated as a biological control agent for Phytophthora root rot. Since citrus grove...Full Text Available
The resistance to destruction of spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger occluded in crystals of calcium carbonate and exposed to ethylene oxide and moist and dry heat...Full Text Available
The pyrethroid knockdown resistance gene (kdr) has become widespread in Anopheles gambiae in West Africa. A trial to test the continuing efficacy of insecticide-treated...Full Text Available
We have evaluated the performance of two rapid, low-cost methods for the detection of ofloxacin (OFX) resistance with 95 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from countries with high...Full Text Available
Resistance (R) protein mediated recognition of pathogen avirulence effectors triggers signaling that induces a very robust form of species-specific immunity in plants. The soybean Rpg1-b protein mediates...Full Text Available
The evolution of drug resistant bacteria is a severe public health problem, both in hospitals and in the community. Currently, some countries aim at concentrating highly specialized services in large...Full Text Available
Link to USGS home page Results of Electrical Resistivity Data Collected near the Town of Guernsey, Platte County, Wyoming By Robert R. McDougal, Jared D. Abraham, and Robert J....
A 42% (70 of 167 isolates) incidence of resistance to 20 micrograms of trimethoprim per ml was found among clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from two hospitals. A specific trimethoprim...Full Text Available
Aluminium (Al3+) toxicity is the primary factor limiting crop production on acidic soils worldwide. In addition to an application of lime for soil amelioration, Al3+ resistant plant varieties have been deployed to raise productivity on such hostile soils. This has been possible due to the exploita...
Purpose:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are commonly classified as hospital-acquired (HA) or community-acquired (CA). Typical HA-MRSA...Full Text Available
Cross-resistance to cefoxitin (FOX), chloramphenicol (CMP), and quinolones (nalidixic acid [NAL]) related to a putative efflux system overexpression has recently been reported for Klebsiella...Full Text Available
Tetracycline-resistant Lactococcus lactis strains originally isolated from Polish raw milk were analyzed for the ability to transfer their antibiotic resistance genes in vitro, using...Full Text Available
Infection due to multidrug resistance pathogens is difficult to manage due to bacterial virulence factors and because of a relatively limited choice of antimicrobial agents. Thus, it is imperative to...Full Text Available
Although cross-resistance in houseflies to the organophosphates has eliminated numerous potentially useful compounds from field use, the ”subgroup” specificity of this phenomenon has...Full Text Available
Juvenile hormone analog (JHA) insecticides are relatively nontoxic to vertebrates and offer effective control of certain insect pests. Recent reports of resistance in whiteflies and mosquitoes demonstrate...Full Text Available
The development of azole resistance in Candida albicans is most problematic in patients with AIDS who receive long courses of drug for therapy or prevention of oral candidiasis. Recently,...Full Text Available
Insulin resistance in skeletal muscle is a key phenotype associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) for which the molecular mediators remain unclear. We therefore conducted an expression analysis of human...Full Text Available
The presence of highly heat-resistant spores of Bacillus sporothermodurans in ultrahigh-temperature or sterilized consumer milk has emerged as an important item in the dairy industry....Full Text Available
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) constitute a key antibiotic-resistance mechanism affecting Gram-negative bacteria, and also an excellent model for studying evolution in real time. A shift in...Full Text Available
We compared MRSA Select to mannitol-salt agar with 8 μg/ml cefoxitin for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from 6,199 clinical...Full Text Available
The aim of this study was to evaluate a nitrate reductase assay (NRA) performed on smear-positive sputa for the direct detection of rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis....Full Text Available
Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) has been used extensively to detect genetic variation. We used this method to detect and identify Yersinia pestis KIM5 ciprofloxacin-resistant...Full Text Available
Cracking resistance and metal damage are considered in relation to structural state for steam-pipe fittings during use. An approximate scheme is given for estimating the maximum permissible operating time in the plastic state in relation to the depth of an observed crack-type defect.
BackgroundThe emergence of plasmid-mediated carbapenemases, such as NDM-1 in Enterobacteriaceae is a major public health issue. Since they mediate resistance to...Full Text Available
BackgroundOne virulence property of Borrelia burgdorferi is its resistance to innate immunity, in particular to complement-mediated killing. Serum-resistant B....Full Text Available
Objective:To estimate the prevalence of insulin resistant syndrome (IRS) among newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes and to test their validity against two indices...Full Text Available
The emergence of Escherichia coli that produce extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and are multidrug resistant (MDR) poses antibiotic management problems....Full Text Available
Arsenic is one of the most important global environmental pollutants. Here we show that the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 contains an arsenic and antimony resistance...Full Text Available
BackgroundMany commercial banana varieties lack sources of resistance to pests and diseases, as a consequence of sterility and narrow genetic background. Fertile wild relatives,...Full Text Available
Experimental data are reported on the micro-irregularities of resistivity in longitudinal and transverse specimens of germanium 0.5 to 0.8 mm in thickness and 25 to 40 mm in width. These data are correlated with the conditions of growth of the crystals. (16 refs).
Acquired resistance to the action of insulin to stimulate glucose transport in skeletal muscle is associated with obesity and promotes the development of type 2 diabetes. In skeletal muscle,...Full Text Available
Adipocyte death has been reported in both obese humans and rodents. However, its role in metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation associated with obesity...Full Text Available
Reciprocal mass crosses and back-crosses were performed between two homogeneous strains of the housefly (Musca domestica L.), representing the extremes in susceptibility and resistance...Full Text Available
Plumbagin is found in many herbal plants and inhibits the growth of various bacteria. Escherichia coli strains are relatively resistant to this drug. The mechanism of resistance is...Full Text Available
BackgroundInsecticide-based methods represent the most effective means of blocking the transmission of vector borne diseases. However, insecticide resistance poses a serious threat...Full Text Available
A general model for wakefield-generated instabilities in linear accelerators, originally developed for cumulative beam breakup [1], is applied to the resistive wall instability. The general solution for various bunch charge distributions and application to various accelerator configurations are presented.
Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined. A new batch of solar cells was processed using the laser decomposition of spun-on silver neodecanoate to metallize cells. Decomposition of silver neodecanoate was carried out at different laser powers on different cells on a given wafer to determine whether this would have any effect on cell performance. Solar cells which were written with laser powers of 5 to 8 watts, gave excellent results with cell efficiencies in the range of 14 to 16%.
... nent to the design and construction of metal-semiconductor solar cells, in that both the photovoltage and the efficiency of metal-semiconductor cells ...
Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is a model environmental organism that possesses diverse respiratory capacities, including the ability to reduce soluble Cr(VI) to sparingly soluble, less toxic Cr(III). Effective bioremediation of Cr-contaminated sites requires knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and regulation of heavy metal resistance and biotransformation by dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria. Towards this goal, our ERSP-funded work is focused on the identification and functional analysis of genes/proteins comprising the response pathways for chromate detoxification and/or reduction. Previous transcriptomic profiling and whole-cell proteomic analyses implicated the involvement of a functionally undefined DNA-binding response regulator (SO2426) and a putative azoreductase (SO3585) in the chromate stress response of MR-1. Here we describe a detailed functional analysis of SO2426 and SO3585 in order to begin to understand the role of these ...
Laser surface alloying with gaseous nitrogen was utilized to improve the wear resistance of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Wear-resistant composite coatings reinforced by hard TiN dendrites were produced 'in-situ' on a substrate of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The hardness and wear resistance of the laser alloyed coating under two-body abrasive and block-on-ring full-sliding wear conditions were significantly enhanced. (orig.)
Study results on long-term thermal and corrosion resistance of packs with electro-insulation layer of aluminium nitride are presented. Structural changes of nitride ceramics and contact zones between metal and ceramics are considered. It is shown that multilayer metallo-ceramic packs, manufactured by gas-phase technology have high electro- and thermophysical properties, high thermal and corrosion resistance relative to cesium vapor, vacuum density as well as high thermo-resistance. 8 refs., 4 figs.
17-4PH stainless steel was modified by direct current (DC) plasma nitriding and titanium nitride film duplex treatment in this study. The microstructure, wear resistance and corrosion resistance were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), pin-on-disk tribological test and polarization experiment. The results revealed that the DC plasma nitriding pretreatment was in favor of improving properties of titanium nitride film. The corrosion resistance and wear resistance of duplex treatment specimen was more superior to that of only coated titanium nitride film.
17-4PH stainless steel was modified by direct current (DC) plasma nitriding and titanium nitride film duplex treatment in this study. The microstructure, wear resistance and corrosion resistance were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), pin-on-disk tribological test and polarization experiment. The results revealed that the DC plasma nitriding pretreatment was in favor of improving properties of titanium nitride film. The corrosion resistance and wear resistance of duplex treatment specimen was more superior to that of only coated titanium nitride film.
The preparation by sputtering of artificial metallic superlattices is described, as are the results of x-ray structural determinations. Tunneling and resistivity measurements on these materials are reported.
Milstar picture Milstar is a series of advanced US military communications satellites designed to provide global jam-resistant communications for military users. ...
We show that the eigenvalue equations describing a cylindrical ideal magnetophydrodynamicsw (MHD) plasma interacting with a thin resistive wall can be put into the standard mathematical form: ??? = ??? ?. This is accomplished by using a finite element basis for the plasma, and by adding an extra degree of freedom corresponding to the electrical current in the thin wall. The standard form allows the use of linear eigenvalue solvers, without additional interations, to compute the complete spectrum of plasma modes in the presence of a surrounding restrictive wall at arbitrary separation. We show that our method recovers standard results in the limits of (1) an infinitely resistive wall (no wall), and (2) a zero resistance wall (ideal wall).
The objective of this animation is to develop a QTL mapping population for locating and characterizing the genes responsible for resistance to tan spot disease of wheat.
Resistance of ALLOY 800 as a PWR/SG tubings to IGC/IGSCC and Ni, Co release into high temperature water was evaluated as compared with ALLOYs 600 and 690. The study to improve the resistance to IGSCC and general corrosion was also made. From the results, ALLOY 800 was evaluated to be the most reliable among the high Ni alloys tested. In addition, the alloy would obtain further reliability in IGSCC and general corrosion resistance by the combined addition of Ti and Nb, and the prior oxidation treatments, respectively. (author).
... and pathogen transmission. Because the ultimate object of stem cell research is cell-based clinical therapy, hES cells should ... 4%) Supported by grants (SC12021 and SC11012) from Stem Cell Research...
DescriptionThis project investigates in silico the interactive consequences of breeding for parasite resistance and nutritional environment on livestock productivity. The thesis of the work is that conflicting evidence regarding the consequences of breeding for parasite resistance arises from the failure to consider the interactions between host genetics and nutritional environment. Starting with a framework that accounts for the consequences of host nutrition on the development of parasitism, we will (1 [continued...
Megasphaera elsdenii is a lactate-fermenting, obligately anaerobic bacterium commonly present in the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, including humans. Swine M. elsdenii strains were previously shown to have high levels of tetracycline resistance (MIC = 64->256 micro g/ml) and to carry mosaic (re...
Biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance is influenced by multiple factors. We demonstrated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa tssC1, a gene implicated in type VI secretion (T6S), is important for resistance of biofilms to a subset of antibiotics. We showed that tssC1 expression is induced in biofilms and confirmed that tssC1 is required for T6S. PMID:21784934
The pitting corrosion resistance of three different types of stainless steel implanted with silicon is investigated using the potentiokinetic polarization technique. The specimens are tested in 3% NaCl and 0.1 N HCl solutions. Silicon ion implantation inhibits pitting corrosion of the steels in both aqueous media. The corrosion resistance depends on the silicon dose. Post implantation annealing only slightly alters the localized corrosion. (author).
Resistance exercise has been widely reported to have positive rehabilitation effects for patients with neuromuscular and orthopaedic conditions. This paper presents an optimal design of magneto-rheological fluid dampers for variable resistance exercise devices. Adaptive controls for regulating the resistive force or torque of the device as well as the joint motion are presented. The device provides both isometric and isokinetic strength training for various human joints.
A composition of matter to treat particles entrained in flue gas, is described comprising: a caustic liquid used to adjust resistivity of the entrained particles; and inert particulate matter supporting the caustic liquid for inhibiting chemical action of the caustic liquid until used to adjust the resistivity of the entrained particles, the inert particulate matter supporting sufficient caustic liquid to adjust the resistivity of the entrained particles.
The electrical resistivity at low temperatures (T = 10 to 90 K) of the lithium isotopes /sup 6/Li and /sup 7/Li and of an isotopic mixture /sup 7 +6/Li has been studied. The specimens contained a small amount of chemical impurities. An appreciable difference was observed in the temperature dependence of the resistivity produced both by deformation of the phonon spectrum, related to the change in isotopic composition, and by the presence of chemical impurities making the nonequilibrium part of the electron distribution function more isotropic.
A nationwide antimicrobial resistance surveillance has been conducted since 1997 in Korea. In this study, susceptibility test data generated in 2004 by KONSAR group hospitals were analyzed and compared...Full Text Available
The method of the present invention comprises a step of previously coating a positive type resist on the surface of equipment, a step of solidifying the coated positive type resist and a step of bringing the coated equipment to circumstances for use and cleaning the positive type resist. With such procedures, the amount of radioactive materials deposited on the equipment can be reduced, and redeposition of nuclides on the surface to be cleaned can be prevented. (T.M.)
The effects of dilute impurity doping on charge-density wave (CDW) structures and gaps in NbSe{sub 3} 1T-TaS{sub 2} and 2H-NbSe{sub 2} have been studied by using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating at 4.2 K. In Fe doped samples of NbSe{sub 3} the STM spectroscopy measurements indicate that the added impurities can significantly shift the CDW energy gaps. In NbSe{sub 3}, Fe reduces both CDW gaps by 25-30%, and produces changes in the conductance structure relative to the pure material. The images of Fe{sub 0.01}NbSe{sub 3} show that all three surface chains in the unit cell still carry a strong CDW modulation with no evident disorder. However, a change in the relative amplitudes of the high and low temperature CDWs is detected. The effects of Co and Ni impurities on the gaps in NbSe{sub 3} have also been studied. While Co increases both by 25-30%, Ni increases only the high temperature gap with the low temperature gap remaining essentially unchanged. In ...
Plutonium and minor actinides produced as by-products of the UO_2 nuclear cycle could be considered as waste or energy source depending on the strategy selected in the nuclear energy programme. Considering Pu and Minor Actinides as a source, they can be burned in existing water reactor for diminishing the radiotoxicity of the spent fuel, it is necessary to use 'inactive' materials as matrix like ThO_2. ThO_2 matrix has demonstrated its Pu burning efficiency and higher corrosion resistance than UO_2. Uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel efficiency is low because the presence of U in MOX results in the creation of some new Pu under irradiation. The dissolution behaviour of irradiated (Th,Pu)O_2 pellets with burn-up of 38.8 MWd/kg Th has been studied in carbonated (20 mM HCO_3"-), deionised and granite ground water solution in a hot cell. The dissolution behaviour of Th, Pu, U and Np was studied in order to find out whether radionuclides ...
The metabolic actions of GH can be divided into acute (insulin-like) and chronic (lipolytic/anti-insulin). The insulin-like actions of GH are most readily elicited in GH-deficient animals as GH induces resistance to its own insulin-like action. Like GH, PGF stimulates growth and cross-reacts with anti-hGH antibodies. Independent experiments were conducted comparing the direct actions of PGF to insulin or hGH in vitro. Insulin-like effects were determined by the ability of PGF, insulin or hGH to stimulate (U-/sup 14/C)glucose metabolism in epidydimal fat pads from normal rats and by inhibition of epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Direct stimulation of lipolysis was used as anti-insulin activity. To determine if PGF competes for insulin or GH receptors, adipocytes (3 x 10/sup 5/ cells/ml) were incubated with either (/sup 125/I)insulin or (/sup 125/I)hGH +/- PGF, +/- insulin or +/- hGH. PGF stimulated glucose oxidation and /sup 14/C-incorporation ...
The metabolic actions of GH can be divided into acute (insulin-like) and chronic (lipolytic/anti-insulin). The insulin-like actions of GH are most readily elicited in GH-deficient animals as GH induces resistance to its own insulin-like action. Like GH, PGF stimulates growth and cross-reacts with anti-hGH antibodies. Independent experiments were conducted comparing the direct actions of PGF to insulin or hGH in vitro. Insulin-like effects were determined by the ability of PGF, insulin or hGH to stimulate [U-"1"4C]glucose metabolism in epidydimal fat pads from normal rats and by inhibition of epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Direct stimulation of lipolysis was used as anti-insulin activity. To determine if PGF competes for insulin or GH receptors, adipocytes (3 x 10"5 cells/ml) were incubated with either ["1"2"5I]insulin or ["1"2"5I]hGH +/- PGF, +/- insulin or +/- hGH. PGF stimulated glucose oxidation and "1"4C-incorporation into lipids. ...
Purpose: The predictive potential of tumor cell kinetic parameters may be improved when they are studied in relation to other microenvironmental parameters. The purpose of this investigation was to quantitatively categorize human tumor samples according to proliferation patterns. Second, it was examined whether these characteristics are retained after xenotransplantation. Methods and Materials: Fifty tumor samples from head-and-neck cancer patients were immunohistochemically stained for Ki-67 and vessels. Also, parts of the samples were transplanted into nude mice. Tumors were categorized according to previously described patterns of proliferation. Vascular and proliferation patterns were analyzed using an image processing system. Results: The 50 tumors were categorized into four patterns of proliferation by visual assessment: marginal (6), intermediate (10), random (21), and mixed (12). One tumor could not be classified. These patterns were quantified by ...
By means of an audio frequency plasma polymerisation ultra-thin gradient plasma polymer layers were deposited on zinc and zinc-coated iron. The aim was to generate an interfacial polymeric layer which bonds to an oxidised metal as well as to a subsequently applied organic coating and acts as an interfacial barrier layer for ions and water. Surface modifications were done in an in situ plasma cell with infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). The zinc surface was first activated by an oxygen plasma to provide a freshly oxidised and contamination free oxide surface. The intermediate stages of the surface reactions could be revealed. Carbon dioxide molecules as oxidation products adsorbed on the growing zinc oxide and were desorbed at a later stage. An organosilicon plasma polymer was deposited directly on top of the oxide layer from a hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) plasma. Afterwards a cyclohexene (CHEX)/hexamethyldisilane co-plasma polymer was deposited. The ...
An axisymmetric plasma screw pinch is an axisymmetric column of ionized gaseous plasma radially confined by forces from axial and azimuthal currents driven in the plasma and its surroundings. This dissertation is a contribution to detailed, high resolution computer simulation of dynamic plasma screw pinches in 2-d {ital rz}-coordinates. The simulation algorithm combines electron fluid and particle-in-cell (PIC) ion models to represent the plasma in a hybrid fashion. The plasma is assumed to be quasineutral; along with the Darwin approximation to the Maxwell equations, this implies application of Ampere`s law without displacement current. Electron inertia is assumed negligible so that advective terms in the electron momentum equation are ignored. Electrons and ions have separate scalar temperatures, and a scalar plasma electrical resistivity is assumed. Altemating-direction-implicit (ADI) methods are used to advance the electron fluid drift ...
Little clinical evidence has been provided to show the minimization of radiation resistance of tumors using high linear energy transfer radiation. We therefore investigated the radiobiological and molecular pathological aspects of carbon beam therapy. A total of 27 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix were treated using a carbon beam and 50 control patients with SCC of the cervix using a photon beam. The expression of Ki-67, p53, and p27 proteins before radiotherapy and 5 and 15 days after therapy initiation were investigated using immunohistochemistry. Similar changes were observed in Ki-67 labeling index (LI) and p53 LI during carbon and photon beam therapies. However, for carbon beam therapy, the mean p27 LI significantly decreased from 25.2% before treatment to 18.6% on the 5th day after treatment initiation, followed by a significant increase to 36.1% on the 15th day. In contrast, for photon beam therapy, the p27 LI ...
A unique feature of cyanobacteria genomes is the abundance of genes that code for hypothetical proteins containing tandem pentapeptide repeats approximately described by the consensus motif A(N/D)LXX. To date, the structures of two pentapeptide-repeat proteins (PRPs) have been determined, with the tandem pentapeptide-repeat sequences observed to adopt a novel type of right-handed quadrilateral ?-helix, or Rfr-fold, in both structures. One structure, Mycobacterium tuberculosis MfpA, is a 183-residue protein that contains 30 consecutive pentapeptide repeats and appears to offer antibiotic resistance by acting as a DNA mimic. The other structure, Cyanothece 51142 Rfr32, is a 167-residue protein that contains 21 consecutive pentapeptide repeats. The function of Rfr32, like the other 35 hypothetical PRPs identified in the genome of Cyanothece, is unknown. In an effort to understand the role of PRPs in cyanobacteria and to better characterize the structural properties of ...
Abstract Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which infects not only B cells, but also T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, is associated with multiple lymphoid malignancies. Recently, the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib was reported to induce apoptosis of EBV-transformed B cells. We evaluated the killing effect of this proteasome inhibitor on EBV-associated T lymphoma cells and NK lymphoma cells. First, we found that bortezomib treatment decreased the viability of multiple T and NK cell lines. No significant difference was observed between EBV-positive and EBV-negative cell lines. The decreased viability in response to bortezomib treatment was abrogated by a pan-caspase inhibitor. The induction of apoptosis was confirmed by flow cytometric assessment of annexin V staining. Additionally, cleavage o...
Resistive switching memory is a very promising technology for emerging nonvolatile memory applications. Generally, the switching behavior is triggered by a sweep or pulse voltage. In this paper, a charged capacitor is proposed to be used as the external electrical source to program a resistive switching element. From theoretical analyses based on a set behavior model, the capacitor approach can program the device efficiently. Compared with sweep or pulse mode, capacitor driving method can greatly reduce over-programming after the set event, and thus improve the resistance uniformity. The experimental results performed on Cu/ZrO2:Cu/Pt device support this conclusion quite well. The proposed methodology has great value for achieving a reliable resistive switching, which is important for high...
This paper presents the first report of multiple anthelmintic resistance in the gastrointestinal nematodes of goats and its possible contributory factors in an irrigated area (Pakistan). A total of 18 privately owned Beetal goat flocks were selected in order to determine the anthelmintic resistance against commonly used anthelmintics. Forty to 48 animals from each flock were selected according to their weight and egg count. The three anthelmintics viz., oxfendazole, levamisole and ivermectin, were given to three groups at manufacturer's recommended dose while one group was kept as untreated control. Anthelmintic resistance was determined through faecal egg count reduction and egg hatch tests while assessment of the contributory factors of anthelmintic resistance was measured through the ru...
The present invention concerns a method of evaluating corrosion resistance of a zirconium alloy easily and in a short period of time. An anode polarization curve of the zirconium alloy is measured to obtain an anode polarization curve expressed by logarithm. The curve is converted to a potential-current density curve expressed by absolute values. The peak area in the curve of the converted potential-current density is indicated by numerical values. Further, the corrosion resistance of the zirconium alloy is evaluated based on the peak area converted into the numerical values as a reference. This method is based on the finding that the peak area has a close relation with nodular corrosion resistance, and the corrosion resistance can be judged with respect to a specific zircaloy-2. (T.M.).
This study compares two series of solvents for application in aluminum electrolytic capacitors: ethylene glycol (EG) and water mixtures, and ethylene glycol and 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF4) ionic liquid (IL) mixtures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were carried out with a previously anodized aluminum disk electrode. Comparative measurements of solution resistance, polarization resistance, AC capacitance, and passive current were made. The results show that EG?IL mixtures with low amounts of IL (10% IL?90% EG v/v) have a low solution resistance. Low values of solution resistance, high values of polarization resistance, small passive current, and uniform capacitance of anodized aluminum in EG?IL mixtures are favorable properties of ...
Examining the relationship between biodiversity and functional stability (resistance and resilience) of activated sludge bacterial communities following disturbance is an important first step towards developing strategies for the design of robust biological wastewater treatment systems. This study investigates the relationship between functional resistance and biodiversity of dominant bacterial taxa by subjecting activated sludge samples, with different levels of biodiversity, to toxic shock loading with cupric sulfate (Cu[II]), 3,5-dichlorophenol (3,5-DCP), or 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). Respirometric batch experiments were performed to determine the functional resistance of activated sludge bacterial community to the three toxicants. Functional resistance was estimated as the 30?min IC50 or th...
Soil electrical resistivity is perhaps the only soil parameter that is used by geologists and geotechnical engineers to explore the subsurface characteristics at a power plant site and also used by civil and electrical engineers as input to their design. A properly designed and executed field electrical resistivity survey is one method of examining the subsurface profile. The same program can provide information about the corrosion potential of the soil that can play a major role in determining the protection needed for buried steel piping and pile foundations. At the same time, the soil conductivity interpreted from the results of the resistivity testing is an integral part of the design of the electrical grounding system for the plant. This paper describes soil electrical resistivity, test procedures to estimate resistivity values, and how these values can best be used to obtain ...
In order to identify cells of maternal origin in CVS cultures, tissue from 1st trimester abortions were cultivated and the cultures stained in situ for X-chromatin. Convoluted cells and maternal fibroblasts were found to be positive. By chromosome analysis of cultures from 105 diagnostic placenta biopsies, obtained by the transabdominal route, metaphases of maternal origin were found in nine cases. In eight of these cases colonies of convoluted cells were observed. We conclude that convoluted cells are of maternal origin and are a reliable marker for maternal cell contamination in CVS cultures.
An assay system for the stem cell that colonizes the thymus and differentiates into T cells was developed, and by using this assay system the existence of two subpopulations of stem cells for T cell lineage was clarified. Part-body-shielded and 900-R-irradiated C57BL/6 (H-2b, Thy-1.2) recipient mice, which do not require the transfer of pluripotent stem cells for their survival, were transferred with cells from B10 X Thy-1.1 (H-2b, Thy-1.1) donor mice. The reconstitution of the recipient's thymus lymphocytes was accomplished by stem cells in the donor cells and those spared in the shielded portion of the recipient that competitively colonize the thymus. Thus, the stem cell activity of donor cells can be evaluated by determining the proportion of donor-type (Thy-1.1+) ...
Understanding prostate stem cells may provide insight into the origin of prostate cancer. Primary cells have been cultured from human prostate tissue but they usually survive only 15-20 population doublings before undergoing senescence. We report here that RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells, a clonal cell line from hTERT-immortalized primary non-malignant tissue-derived human prostate epithelial cell line (RC170N/h), retain multipotent stem cell properties. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells expressed a human embryonic stem cell marker, Oct-4, and potential prostate epithelial stem cell markers, CD133, integrin #alpha#2#beta#1"h"i and CD44. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells proliferated in KGM and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 5 #mu#g/ml insulin (DMEM + 10% FBS + Ins.) ...
The herbicide atrazine is a known immunotoxicant and an inhibitor of human natural killer (NK) cell lytic function. The precise changes in NK cell lytic function following atrazine exposure have not been fully elucidated. The current study identifies the point at which atrazine exerts its affect on the stepwise process of human NK cell-mediated lyses of the K562 target cell line. Using intracellular staining of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, it was determined that a 24-h in vitro exposure to atrazine did not decrease the level of NK cell lytic proteins granzyme A, granzyme B or perforin. Thus, it was hypothesized that atrazine exposure was inhibiting the ability of the NK cells to bind to the target cell and subsequently inhibit the release of lytic protein from the NK cell. To test t...
Introduction: Haploidentical transplantation, with extensive T cell depletion to prevent GvHD, is associated with a high incidence of infection-related deaths. The key challenge is to improve immune recovery with allogeneic donor T cells without triggering GvHD. As T regulatory cells (Tregs) controlled GvHD in pre-clinical studies, the present study evaluated the impact of an infusion of donor CD4/CD25 + Tregs, followed by an inoculum of donor mature T cells (Tcons) and positively immunoselected CD34 + cells in the setting of haploidentical stem cell transplantation. Patients and methods: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled in this study (22 AML; 5 ALL; 1 NHL). All received immunoselected Tregs (CliniMACS, Miltenyi Biotec) followed by positively immunoselected CD34 + cells together with Tc...
The presence of a high number of activated T cells in the bloodstream and spontaneous proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro are striking characteristics of human T-cell leukemia...Full Text Available
The article is the second part of a review dealing with latest developments in the area of solar cell technologies and application. Physical principles, design and efficiency as well as advantages and disadvantages of GaAs- and CdS-solar cells are described. Power generation solar cell systems with voltage converters, combined solar cell/solar collector systems and thermoelectric solar systems are presented in the second part of the article.
The herbicide atrazine is a known immunotoxicant and an inhibitor of human natural killer (NK) cell lytic function. The precise changes in NK cell lytic function following atrazine exposure have not been fully elucidated. The current study identifies the point at which atrazine exerts its affect on the stepwise process of human NK cell-mediated lyses of the K562 target cell line. Using intracellular staining of human peripheral blood lymphocytes, it was determined that a 24-h in vitro exposure to atrazine did not decrease the level of NK cell lytic proteins granzyme A, granzyme B or perforin. Thus, it was hypothesized that atrazine exposure was inhibiting the ability of the NK cells to bind to the target cell and subsequently inhibit the release of lytic protein from the NK cell. To test this hypothesis, flow cytometry ...
Cell therapy is a promising novel option for treatment of cardiovascular disease. Because the role of bone marrow-derived circulating progenitor cells (BM-CPCs) after cell therapy is less clear, we...Full Text Available
PCD (programmed cell death) in plants presents important morphological and biochemical differences compared with apoptosis in animal cells. This raises the question of whether PCD arose independently...Full Text Available
Although human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), the role of viral gene expression in the progression to and maintenance of the...Full Text Available
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a retrovirus related to human T-cell leukemia virus types 1 and 2, can induce persistent nonneoplastic expansion of the CD5+ B-cell population, termed...Full Text Available
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is expected as a new power generation source. The development of SOFC is being conducted by CRIEPI, and so far several reports of the reults were presented. This report examines materials of SOFC. For the purpose, cells were made using some of typical materials and manufacturing processes, and cell performance tests were carried out.
The effect of phosphorus on the corrosion resistance of Al-bronzes is studied in detail in this work. A literature review showed that there are a lot of things known about the microstructure and the mechanical properties of Al-bronzes. In spite of their corrosion resistance the corrosion properties and the structure of the protective oxide films of Al-bronzes were seldom a matter of interest. Systematic studies of the influence of different alloying elements on the oxide film and the corrosion properties are rare. Therefore, it is not possible to predict the corrosion resistance of Al-bronzes, made by alloying particular elements. The high corrosion resistance of the new alloy CuAl_2_0P_1 was the reason to investigate the influence of phosphorus on the corrosion properties of Al-bronzes in more detail. A systematic study of the microstructure and the corrosion properties of Cu, CuP_x, CuAl_2_0 and ...
The PVSCAN is an instrument designed to characterize silicon solar cell materials and devices. It performs a host of measurements that yield spatial maps of dislocation density, grain distribution, reflectance, and photoresponses from near-junction and the bulk of a solar cell.
The penetration by moxifloxacin of human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMN]) and tissue-cultured epithelial cells (McCoy cells) was evaluated by a fluorometric assay. At...Full Text Available
There is ample evidence suggesting that superantigens may act as a triggering factor in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated whether superantigen could activate T cells in...Full Text Available
SUMMARYThe cytolytic activity of natural killer (NK) cells is regulated by inhibitory receptors that detect the absence of self molecules on target cells. Structural studies of...Full Text Available
The proliferation of stem cell research, conflated with its ethical and moral implications, has led governments to attempt regulation of both the science and funding of stem cells. Due to a diversity...Full Text Available
Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into virtually any cell in the body, and may have the potential to treat medical conditions such as diabetes and Parkinsons disease. On August 9, 2001, President Bush announced that for the first time feder...
Background: In North America and Europe, 80% of invasive skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma while 20% are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In contrast, African studies reveal a preponderance...Full Text Available
BackgroundSpindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is a rare microscopic type of cancer of the mouth and oropharynx. Although SpCC is thought to arise from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), it...Full Text Available
This paper describes a radiation shield verification survey of a large hot cell at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). The following aspects of the shield test are discussed: description of the FFTF; description of the hot cell; the test procedures; radiation protection, and the test results.
... from Dr. Austin Smith of the Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinburgh) was modified from the CGR8 ... to thank Dr. Austin Smith, the Institute for Stem Cell Research, University of Edinbu...
Human myeloid-lineage cells are refractory to HIV-1 infection. The Vpx proteins from HIV-2 and sooty mangabey SIV render these cells permissive to HIV-1 infection through proteasomal degradation of...Full Text Available
Most genetic changes that promote tumorigenesis involve dysregulation of G1 cell cycle progression. A key regulatory site in G1 is a growth factor–dependent restriction point (R) where cells...Full Text Available
Target of rapamycin (TOR) kinases control cell growth through two functionally distinct multiprotein complexes. TOR complex 1 (TORC1) controls temporal cell growth and is sensitive to rapamycin, whereas...Full Text Available
... based, disease treatment remains promising, the emphasis for stem cell research from the biomedical research community is clear, and ... diagnosis as a novel source of embryos for stem cell research. Repr...
The cells of the endosperm of castor bean seeds (Ricinus communis) undergo programmed cell death during germination, after their oil and protein reserves have been mobilized. Nuclear...Full Text Available
Placental and placental-like alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) levels in the culture media of 87 cell lines of neoplastic and 'normal' origin were measured by a conventional immunosorbent enzymatic assay...Full Text Available
The rate and capacity for chloroform (CF) and trichloroethylene (TCE) transformation by a mixed methanotrophic culture of resting cells (no exogenous energy source) and formate-fed cells were measured....Full Text Available
A new method is described for continuously measuring cell turgor pressure (P), hydraulic conductivity (Lp), and volumetric elastic modulus (ε) in higher plant cells, using a pressure...Full Text Available
PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of ophthalmic abnormalities in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome) and T-cell lymphoma involving the skin and...Full Text Available
Neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP, CD10) is a cell-surface enzyme expressed by prostatic epithelial cells that cleaves and inactivates neuropeptides implicated in the growth of androgen-independent prostate...Full Text Available
The primary aim of this study was to develop a model system that uses epidermal cells (keratinocytes and accessory pigmented cells) cultured on a reconstituted basement membrane biomatrix for use in...Full Text Available
Amorphous silicon solar cells have been shown to have efficiencies which degrade as a result of long exposure to light. Annealing such cells in air at a temperature of about 200.degree. C. for at least 30 minutes restores their efficiency.
Special red cells were found on the adaxial surface of tertiary pulvini of Mimosa pudica and experiments performed to determine the origin and function of these cells. Using anatomical...Full Text Available
Red cell transfusions are associated with the development of acute lung injury in the critically ill. Recent evidence suggests that storage induced alterations of the red blood cell (RBC) collectively...Full Text Available
Adhesion of Spirogyra (tentatively, Spirogyra fluviatilis) cells to glass is described. The cells of an algal filament can adhere to a substrate only when they are...Full Text Available
Many patients who undergo hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) present with anemia and have received red blood cell transfusions before HCT. As a result, iron overload is frequent and appears...Full Text Available
Understanding the interactions between herpesviruses and their host cells and also the interactions between neoplastically transformed cells and the host immune system is fundamental to understanding...Full Text Available
Stem cells of the human prostate gland have not yet been identified utilizing a structural biomarker. We have discovered a new prostatic epithelial cell phenotype-expressing cytokeratin 6a (Ck6a+...Full Text Available
BackgroundStem cells divide to reproduce themselves and produce differentiated progeny. A fundamental problem in human biology has been the inability to measure how often stem cells...Full Text Available
... is known as "reproductive cloning." The Link to Stem Cell Research Stem cell research and research cloning are closely linked. Scientists in ... to arrive at a position on cloning and stem cell research. Many nations, including the UK, China, and South ...
Although most self-reactive T cells are eliminated in the thymus, mechanisms to inactivate or control T cells specific for extrathymic antigens are required and exist in the periphery. By investigating...Full Text Available
The glycolipid content of human non-seminomatous germ cell tumour cell lines correlates with their differentiation lineage. To analyse whether this reflects the situation in primary tumours, we studied...Full Text Available
One of the major decisions that germ cells make during their development is whether to differentiate into oocytes or sperm. In mice, the germ cells’ decision to develop as male or female depends...Full Text Available
DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 17 different individuals infected with human T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II) was successfully amplified by the polymerase chain reaction...Full Text Available
It Peripheral blood progenitor enriched CD34+ cells (PBPC) are rather often used as stem cell background in cancer patients following high dose therapy. Keeping in mind that precursor dendritic cells (DCs) originate from haematopoietic progenitor cells, purified CD34+ cells might also serve as starting cells for ex-vivo production of DC. The aim of the present study is to develop a clinical grade procedure for ex-vivo production of DC derived from enriched CD34+ cells. Various concentrations of CD34+ cells were grown in gas-permeable Teflon bags with different serum-free and serum-containing media supplemented with GM-CSF, IL-4, TNF-a, SCF, Flt-3L and INF-a. Serum-free CellGroSCGM medium for 7 days followed by CellGroDC medium in 7 days gave equal results as serum-containing ...
Metastatic testicular germ cell tumours are cured in approximately 85% of patients using cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. Patients who fail to respond have a poor prognosis, and there is a...Full Text Available
The first cell lineage specification in mouse embryo development is the formation of trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. This article is to review and discuss the...Full Text Available
Zygotes of fucoid algae have long been studied as a paradigm for cell polarity. Polarity is established early in the first cell cycle and is then expressed as localized growth and invariant cell division....Full Text Available
Naturally occurring and contaminant ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic particles have been found within or near cells, and might allow pulsed magnetic fields to create transient cell membrane opening ("pores")....Full Text Available
BackgroundClara cell protein (CC16), the main secretory product of bronchiolar Clara cells, plays an important protective role in the respiratory tract against oxidative stress and...Full Text Available
... ions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cell Culture Culture of NT2/D1 cells was carried out as described previously (18, 19). NT2 cells were plated at a density of 2. ... ...
BackgroundPerfluorocarbons (PFC) are used to improve gas exchange in diseased lungs. PFC have been shown to affect various cell types. Thus, effects on alveolar type II (ATII) cells...Full Text Available
1. Paired or single recordings of paraventricular and/or supraoptic oxytocin cells at the beginning of suckling in urethane-anaesthetized rats enabled us to study cell recruitment and compare the characteristics...Full Text Available
Reaggregated cells from 6- to 8-day-old mouse cerebella have been used to raise antibodies in rabbits. The interaction of these antibodies with cerebellar cell surface components was assessed by cytotoxicity...Full Text Available
Cells have an internal compass that enables them to move along shallow chemical gradients. As amoeboid cells migrate, signaling events such as Ras and PI3K activation occur spontaneously on pseudopodia....Full Text Available
The cell types involved in the cellular immune response were studied with the GVH in vitro as a test system. Comparison of the activities of cells of different lymphoid organs in the...Full Text Available
Species differences in lifespan have been attributed to cellular survival during various stressors, designated here as ‘cell resilience’. In primary fibroblast cultures, cell...Full Text Available
Stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders require accurate delivery of the transplanted cells to the sites of damage. Numerous studies have established that fluid injections to the hippocampus...Full Text Available
We review the application of C. elegans as a model system to understand key aspects of stem cell biology. The only bona fide stem cells in C. elegans...Full Text Available
One of the main obstacles encountered when trying to culture human seminoma (SE) cells in vitro is massive degeneration of the tumour cells. We investigated whether dissociation of tumour tissue, to...Full Text Available
SummaryFor mammalian somatic cells the importance of microtubule cytoskeleton integrity in interphase cell cycle progression is uncertain. The loss, diminishment, or stabilization...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND--Interstitial lung diseases are characterised by the recruitment of mononuclear cells to disease sites where maturation occurs and activation products, including lysozyme (LZM), are released....Full Text Available
BackgroundA fundamental requirement for the exploitation of embryonic stem (ES) cells in regenerative medicine is the ability to reproducibly derive sufficient numbers of cells of...Full Text Available
Cultured mouse or human embryonic stem (ES) cells provide access to all of the genes required to elaborate the fundamental components and physiological systems of a mammalian cell. Chemical or insertional...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThe goal of the study was to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of a novel syndrome of marked hyperglucagonemia and pancreatic α cell hyperplasia...Full Text Available
Fate maps are generated by marking and tracking cells in vivo to determine how progenitors contribute to specific structures and cell types in developing and adult tissue. An advance in this...Full Text Available
Specific {sup 32}P-labeled DNA probes were prepared and used to evaluate the distribution of tetracycline resistance determinants carried by gram-negative enteric bacteria isolated from pigs in 3 swine herds with different histories of antibiotic exposure. Plasmid DNA, ranging in size from 2.1 to 186 Kb, was observed in over 84% of 114 isolates studied. Two of 78 tetracycline resistant strains did not harbor plasmids. The DNA probes were isolated from plasmids pSL18, pRT29/Tn10, pBR322 and pSL106, respectively, and they represented class A, B, C and D tetracycline resistance determinants. Hybridization conditions using 0.5X SSPE at 65{degrees}C minimize cross-hybridization between the different class of tetracycline resistance genes. Cross-hybridization between class A and class C determinants could be distinguished by simultaneous comparison of the intensity of their hybridization signals. Plasmids ...
This paper states the concept of a heat-resistant structure of the HOPE airframe having a 10 ton weight when lifting off and also the research situation of heat-resistant structural materials. To study the structure, established are design conditions for lift-off, reentry to the atmosphere and landing. As to the load condition, the load at the time of lift-off is most critical. Relating to the temperature environment condition, thermal analysis is made of the time when a HOPE is on the orbit (low-temperature range) and reenters the atmosphere (high-temperature range), when the temperature environment is critical. The analysis shows that the temrerature environment is in a {minus}80-1700{degree}C (range). The heat-resistant structural materials are developed so as to meet these conditions. The paper describes distribution of the airframe surface temperature by aerodynamic heating at the reentry, conceptual figures of the ...
The corrosion resistance of zircaloy is affected by conditions of heat treatment in the manufacturing steps to be formed into a final product as a structural material. In the manufacturing method of the present invention, a Zr alloy controlled to contain Sn: 0.8 to 1.2wt%, Fe: 0.17 to 0.28wt%, Cr: 0.05 to 0.15wt%, Ni: 0.04 to 0.10wt%, Nb: 0.01 to 0.09wt%, oxygen: 1,000 to 1,500ppm and Si, an Si impurity at a concentration of 120ppm or less and balance of Zr is melted into a cast piece, to which #beta# hardening is applied. Then, rolling and annealing treatment are applied so that the total heat input amount to the material: #SIGMA#Ai ranges from 1 x 10"-"1"9 to 1 x 10"-"1"7. With such procedures, a Zr alloy structural material for a reactor core having excellent homogeneous corrosion resistance and hydrogen absorption resistance for a long period of time while having a sufficient strength can be obtained even in a case ...
Because of their austenitic-ferritic microstructures, duplex stainless steels offer a good combination of mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. However, heat treatments can lower the mechanical strength of these stainless steels as well as render them susceptible to intergranular corrosion (IGC) and pitting corrosion. In this study, a low-carbon (0.02%) duplex stainless steel is subjected to various heat treatments at 450 to 950 C for 30 min to 10 h. The heat-treated samples than undergo ASTM IGC and pitting corrosion tests, and the results are correlated with the microstructures obtained after each heat treatment. In the absence of Cr_2_3C_6 precipitation, #sigma#-phase precipitates render this duplex stainless steel susceptible to IGC and pitting corrosion. Even submicroscopic #sigma#-phase precipitates are deleterious for IGC resistance. Longer-duration heat treatments (at 750 to 850 C) induce chromium diffusion to replenish the ...
In response to a heat shock, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes a large increase in its resistance to heat and, by the induction of its recombinational DNA repair capacity, a corresponding increase in resistance to radiation. Yeast which lack mitochondrial DNA, mitochondria-controlled protein synthetic apparatus, aerobic respiration, and electron transport (rho/sup 0/ strain) were used to assess the role of O/sub 2/, mitochondria, and oxidative processes controlled by mitochondria in the induction of these resistances. We have found that rho/sup 0/ yeast grown and heat shocked in either the presence or absence of O/sub 2/ are capable of developing both radiation and heat resistance. We conclude that neither the stress signal nor its cellular consequences of induced heat and radiation resistance are directly dependent on O/sub 2/, mitochondrial DNA, or ...
It may result in acute radiation syndrome after body is exposed to ionizing radiation. The one of long-term effects of irradiation injury is leukemia. The bone marrow cells (BMC) transplantation including stem cells is the only effective therapy for acute radiation syndrome patients. Recently, with the advancement of stem cell research that the stem cells have multipotential and can convert each other, it may supply the new stem source for the irradiation injury patients. At the same time with the further research of radioprotective reagents, the hematopoietic stem cells proliferation after irradiation injury is promoted
In the last two years, rapid progress has been made in the energy conversion efficiencies of GaAs solar cells fabricated from molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) material. The efficiencies of cells fabricated from MBE material are now comparable with those fabricated from metal-organic chemical vapor deposition material, even for cells of dimension 2 cmx4 cm. This paper reviews the progress in MBE cell efficiencies. Also discussed is the role oval defects play in GaAs diode and solar cell performance. (orig.).
As concern regarding global environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect and acid rain has increased, so too has the demand for commercially viable solar cells as a clean energy source. Interest in amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells has been particularly high, due to their low cost. Technological developments in the field of a-Si solar cells are discussed from the viewpoints of fabrication process, materials, and cell structures. Various applications and systems that take advantage of the a-Si solar cell are then introduced. Finally, future prospects are mentioned
Transdifferentiation of an individual's own cells into functional differentiated cells to replace an organ's lost function would be a personalized approach to therapeutics. In this two part series, we will describe the progress toward establishing functional transdifferentiated adrenal cortical cells. In this article (Part 2), we describe the disorders of the adrenal cortex, therefore establishing why there is the need for personalized cell-based therapy for individuals with these disorders. We then present our pilot studies of cell transdifferentiation toward an adrenal cortical fate using genes described in the first article of this pair (Part 1).
In this contract, Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The tasks comprising these investigations are outlined. Four new batches of solar cells were processed, in addition to several test runs on wafers, using the laser decomposition of spun-on silver neodecanoate to metallize cells. Decomposition of silver neodecanoate was carried out at different laser powers on different cells on a given wafer to determine whether this would have any effect on cell performance. A one watt laser power gave an electroplated linewidth of 50 microns , while at 8 watts the line width was 90 microns.
We report on multijunction GaInP/GaAs photovoltaic cells with total-area efficiencies of 29.5% at one-sun concentration and air mass (AM) 1.5 global and 25.7% one-sun, AM0. These values represent the highest efficiencies achieved by any solar cell under these illumination conditions. Three key areas in this technology are identified and discussed: the grid design, front surface passivation of the top cell, and bottom surface passivation of both cells. Aspects of cell design related to its operation under different solar spectra and under concentration are also discussed.
The theory for the general case of solar cells operating inside integrating cavity receivers is established. This is applied to the particular case of different configurations of silicon and GaAs cells. The results of the analysis show that a composite system of silicon and GaAs cells manufactured using relatively simple technology could reach an efficiency of 34%. The optimal configuration is that in which the GaAs cells are placed in the directly illuminated area of the receiver and the silicon cells are placed in the indirectly illuminated area of the receiver. (orig.).
Methods of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the microstructure of dispersion-strengthened Cu-Al2O3 nanocomposites obtained by the method of simultaneous deposition of Cu and Al2O3 from the vapor phase. The effect of the size of particles of the oxide (Al2O3) and of their content on the electrical resistance of the composite has been considered. The results obtained make it possible to suppose that the main structural factor that determines the electrical resistance of the composite are nanodispersed particles of Al2O3 with a size of less than 20 nm.
A discussion of some of the difficulties with previous analyses of the resistivity of A-15 compounds is given. Precise high-temperature data on ..cap alpha..-particle- and electron-damaged Nb/sub 3/Ge and Nb/sub 3/Sn samples with different defect concentrations are presented here and analyzed in a simple way with use of a phenomenological model based on the idea that the ideal resistivity must approach some limiting value in the regime where the mean free path becomes comparable to the interatomic spacing.
The results have been presented of DC polarization and exposure investigations of alloy steels used as construction materials in flue gas desulphurization installations. on the base of analysis of composition of investigated steels and results of polarization studies, conditions have been discussed in which the pitting resistance equivalent (PRE) should be used. Among tested steels the significantly highest resistance to pitting corrosion is exhibited by 654SMO steel, classified as the super austenitic grade. (author). 14 refs, 3 figs, 2 tabs.
The resistance of six tropical hardwoods to fungal degradation by two wild-type strains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium Burdsall was investigated using vermiculite burial and wood-block weight loss techniques. Radiation-induced wood-polymer composites (WPC), based on two hardwoods Ramin and Rubberwood with methyl methacrylate, were prepared, and samples were also exposed to the wood-rotting fungus. A significant improvement in resistance to fungal decay was observed in the WPC. Scanning-electron micrographs of the two woods and their composites after fungal degradation are presented and discussed.
The results obtained from the magnetization, specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements on a polycrystalline sample of Pr_2Pd_3Si_5 are reported. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility at low field (0.01 T) exhibits pronounced anomaly below 7 K due to antiferromagnetic ordering. The electrical resistivity and specific heat data also exhibit sharp transition at 6.6 K evidencing the onset of antiferromagnetic order. A fit to the electrical resistivity data below 6 K suggests the presence of an energy gap in magnon spectrum in the ordered state. (author)
The damage induced by low-temperature proton irradiation in amorphous Pd/sub 80/Si/sub 20/ prepared by ion implantation is studied via electrical resistivity measurements. Our experimental results concerning the initial damage rate and the resistivity saturation are compared to the results obtained for electron and high energy /sup 16/O irradiation of amorphous Pd/sub 80/Si/sub 20/ quenched from the melt. The resistivity curve is analyzed in terms of irradiation-induced point defects.
The influence of microalloying vanadium or titanium on improving the corrosion resistance of mild steel in saturated calcium hydroxide solution was investigated. Potential-time, potentiodynamic polarization, and impedance measurement techniques were employed. The corrosion products have been examined by infrared and X-ray diffraction analysis and by scanning electron microscopy. It has been shown that the grain refining, due to microalloying, plays an important role in enhancing the corrosion resistance of steel. Scales of calcite and iron oxides on top of a protective oxide are formed on the investigated steels.
The automatic interpretation of apparent resistivity curves from horizontally layered earth models is carried out by the curve-fitting method in three steps: (1) the observed VES data are interpolated at equidistant points of electrode separations on the logarithmic scale by using the cubic spline function, (2) the layer parameters which are resistivities and depths are predicted from the sampled apparent resistivity values by SALS system program and (3) the theoretical VES curves from the models are calculated by Ghosh's linear filter method using the Zhody's computer program. Two soundings taken over Takenoyu geothermal area were chosen to test the procedures of the automatic interpretation.
Glabridin, an active constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra roots, was found to be active against both yeast and filamentous fungi. Glabridin also showed resistance modifying activity against drug resistant mutants of Candida albicans at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 31.25-250 g/mL. Although the compound was reported earlier to be active against Candida albicans, but this is the first report of its activity against drug resistant mutants. Copyright Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new highly alloyed (Cr, Mo, W, N) super austenitic grade has been developed. This grade offers high mechanical properties combined with excellent corrosion resistance in chloride acid media. This grade is particularly designed for applications in chloride, oxidizing acid media encountered in the chemical, transportation, pollution control, offshore and pulp and paper industries. Mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and weldability of this grade are presented and compared to that of other stainless steels and nickel base alloys.
pletely new PW fuel cell model had to be developed for CINDA. Several ...... following linear equation, which is used in the SINDA fuel cell model: ...
ObjectiveTo achieve osteochondral regeneration utilizing transplantation of cartilage-lineage cells and adequate scaffolds, it is essential to characterize the behavior of transplanted...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe evolution of eukaryotic cells is widely agreed to have proceeded through a series of endosymbiotic events between larger cells and proteobacteria or cyanobacteria,...Full Text Available
The molecular structure, chemical properties, and biological function of the xyloglucan polysaccharide isolated from cell walls of suspension-cultured sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)...Full Text Available
The most advanced frontier of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is represented by the use of an HLA-partially matched relative as donor. In this type of transplantation, donor-derived natural killer (NK) cells, which are alloreactive towardtoward recipient cells, significantly contribute to the eradication of leukemia blasts. Alloreactive NK cells may also kill host dendritic cells and T lymphocytes, thus preventing graft-versus-host disease and graft rejection, respectively. Sophisticated strategies of adoptive infusion of T-cell lines/clones specific for the most life-threatening pathogens (namely cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Aspergillus and Adenovirus) have been envisaged, and successfully tested in a few pilot trials, to protect the recipient in the...
Gene expression is a fundamentally stochastic process, with randomness in transcription and translation leading to significant cell-to-cell variations in mRNA and protein levels. This variation...Full Text Available
Conditions were found in which Chlamydomonas reinhardi exhibits a circadian alteration of its cell surface, measured as ability to stick to glass. Under these same conditions the cells...Full Text Available
To examine the possibility that mast cells have a central role in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 20 patients with this disease were studied with the aim of seeking evidence for mast...Full Text Available
Regulatory T cells are proposed to play a central role in the maintenance of immunological tolerance in the periphery, and studies in many animal models demonstrate their capacity to inhibit inflammatory...Full Text Available
Diverse cell polarity networks require positive feedback for locally amplifying distributions of signalling molecules at the plasma membrane1. Additional...Full Text Available
Morphological, Electrophysiological and Behavioral Investigations of the Nervous Tissue Developed from the Embryonic Matrix Zone Cells of the Dorsolateral Walls of Lateral Ventricles, Implanted into the Lesioned Regions of the Adult Rat's Brain
Jun 10, 2011 ... The PSSC is a picosatellite designed to test the space environment by providing a testbed to gather data on new solar cell technologies.
The present volume on modeling of batteries and fuel cells discusses the significance of the effectiveness factor for flooded porous electrodes, active pore distribution spectroscopy for characterizing porous battery electrodes, the agglomerate model for porous electrodes, and dynamic-performance measurements of battery cells for electric vehicles and other applications. Attention is given to mathematical modeling of a primary zinc/air battery, mathematical modeling of Grace Li-TiS2 cells, modeling of electrocrystallization processes in battery systems, and rotating disk electrode studies in molten Li/K carbonate eutectic. Topics addressed include the variability of nickel oxide cathode dissolution in molten carbonate fuel cells, water transport properties of fuel cell ionomers, modeling water content effects in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, and computer ...
Many mutations associated with retinal degeneration lead to the production of misfolded proteins by cells of the retina. Emerging evidence suggests that these abnormal proteins cause cell death...Full Text Available
Methods for improving the sensitivity of scintillation cells for radon concentration measurements were studied with emphasis on improving light collection efficiency. This allows the length and hence the volume of the cell to be increased. Variables studied were choice of scintillator material, its method of application and thickness, length of cell, cell material, type and configuration of reflectors, choice of photomultipliers, and factors affecting background. Response from various areas of the cell surface was studied with an alpha source and with radon filling. Coating the window with phosphor was found to be counter-productive. The optimum results obtained were with the inside of the cell (other than the window) covered with a thick layer of ZnS(Ag), or with a thick layer of reflective material coated with a thin layer of phosphor. With it, a 10 cm ...
Methods for improving the sensitivity of scintillation cells for radon concentration measurements were studied with emphasis on improving light collection efficiency. This allows the length and hence the volume of the cell to be increased. Variables studied were choice of scintillator material, its method of application and thickness, length of cell, cell material, type and configuration of reflectors, choice of photomultipliers, and factors affecting background. Response from various areas of the cell surface was studied with an alphy source and with radon filling. Coating the window with phosphor was found to be counter-productive. The optimum results obtained were with the inside of the cell (other than the window) covered with a thick layer of ZnS(Ag), or with a thick layer of reflective material coated with a thin layer of phosphor. With it, a 10 cm ...
Proliferating cells have been immunophenotypically characterized in lymph node and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples obtained from patients with active and inactive sarcoidosis with the cell-cycle-related...Full Text Available
Erythrocytes serve as reservoirs for cis- and trans-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). Incubation of rat red blood cells (RBCs) with cis- and...Full Text Available
PASTICCINO (PAS) genes are required for coordinated cell division and differentiation during plant development. In loss-of-function pas mutants,...Full Text Available
PurposeTo analyze the expression of apoptosis and cell proliferation molecules in pterygium tissues of Chinese patients.MethodsThirty-three pterygia...Full Text Available
Substantially genetically stable continuous human cell lines derived from normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) and processes for making and using the same. In a preferred embodiment, the cell lines are derived by treating normal human mammary epithelial tissue with a chemical carcinogen such as benzo(a)pyrene. The novel cell lines serve as useful substrates for elucidating the potential effects of a number of toxins, carcinogens and mutagens as well as of the addition of exogenous genetic material. The autogenic parent cells from which the cell lines are derived serve as convenient control samples for testing. The cell lines are not neoplastically transformed, although they have acquired several properties which distinguish them from their normal progenitors. 2 tabs.
... with the loosening of Bush-era restrictions on stem cell research, a move that was widely hailed by the ... The first two explore the contentious debate over stem cell research. Using a series of intervie...
Cancer, by definition, is a proliferative disease. The fundamental scientific issue explored at the international symposium "Cell Proliferation and Chemical Carcinogenesis" was the impact of chemically...Full Text Available
Cells of the mononuclear phagocyte lineage have the capability to adhere to and fuse with each other and to differentiate into osteoclasts and giant cells. To investigate the macrophage adhesion/fusion...Full Text Available
Abstract: In many biological processes heterogeneity within clonal cell populations is an important issue. One of the most striking examples is a population of cancer cells in which after a common, identical death signal some cells die whereas others survive. The reason for this heterogeneity is intrinsic and extrinsic noise. In this paper we present a mechanistic multi-scale modeling framework for cell populations, in which the dynamics of every individual cell is captured by a parameter dependent stochastic differential equation (SDE). Heterogeneity among individual cells is accounted for by differences in parameter values, modeling extrinsic influences. Based on the statistical properties of the extrinsic noise and the SDE model for the individual cell, a partial differential equation (...
May 31, 2011 ... A Theoretical Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Model for System Controls and Stability Design AUTHOR(S): Kopasakis, George; Brinson, Thomas; Credle, ...