The research on anti-reflection (AR) optical thin film has long sought to obtain high-performance reflection and transmission properties in photovoltaic and photonic devices. The study of multi-layer ...AR (M-AR) film with low- and high-refractive-index materials is essential to increase the selective transmittance and reflectance at visible light wavelengths. However, M-AR film exhibits low substrate adhesion and slow deposition rates. We developed a DC pulse sputter system incorporating an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source of high density to obtain high-quality M-AR film. Six-layer AR optical thin film was simulated using SiOx as a low-refractive-index material and NbOx as a high-refractive-index material. The multi-layer AR film based on SiOx and NbOx (M-SiNb) was fabricated using DC pulse sputtering which incorporated an ICP source. M-SiNb film exhibited better properties than the optical simulation results at 550 nm (transmittance: 99.19%, reflectance: 0.87%). Similarly, the M-SiNb film fabricated using the ICP source had high transmittance and reflectance in the visible light region and excellent adhesion to the substrate notwithstanding the various mechanical tests it was subjected to. Consequently, the development of the DC pulse sputter system included the ICP source, and this study represents important research in the field of optical film.
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of activities known as “placemaking”. Placemaking has been pioneered in the United States, and the “Do It Yourself Checklist” evaluation items ...proposed by PPS (Project for Public Spaces), a NPO based in NY, are widely recognized. No existing studies have evaluated spaces using the “Do It Yourself Checklist”. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to confirm the effectiveness of this item as a tool for space evaluation in Japanese public spaces. As a result of the study, some items were not validated as spatial assessment items in Japanese cities.
Abstract Context Assessment of cancer-related fatigue is currently based on patient-reported outcomes. We asked whether objective assessments such as muscle strength and nutritional markers can be ...used as surrogate measures of cancer-related fatigue. Objective We examined the association among three fatigue scales, muscle strength, and nutritional markers in patients with advanced cancer. Methods In this prospective study, we enrolled hospitalized cancer patients who had been seen in palliative care consultation at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We assessed fatigue with use of three fatigue scales—the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30)—and determined their association with objective assessments, including handgrip strength, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), lean body mass, phase angle, and albumin. Spearman’s correlation test was used to assess associations. Results Among 222 patients, the mean age was 55 years; 59% were female. The median overall survival was 106 days. The total BFI score had weak association with handgrip strength (ρ = -0.18, P = 0.007) and no association with the remaining objective measures. ESAS fatigue and EORTC fatigue showed similar findings. Total BFI had moderate to strong association with ESAS (ρ = 0.54, P < 0.0001) and EORTC (ρ = 0.60, P < 0.0001) fatigue. Conclusion Our study showed that subjective assessment of fatigue based on patient-reported outcomes correlates only weakly with muscle strength and nutritional markers; thus, patient-reported outcomes remain the gold standard for fatigue assessment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The National Hansen’s Disease Sanatoria in Japan are unique in its composition because they needed housing for patients who were isolated from society, a quarantine facility for patients, and a ...medical facility for their treatment. A sanatorium was like a village where patients of different ages and with various symptoms lived together. This study examined the process of transition from the "village" for isolated patients to the final abode from the perspective of the formation process of patient housing, and approaches changes in housing supply plan and maintenance plan not only of individual houses but also of the entire facility.
The Single Site Order (SSO)-a policy restricting staff from working at multiple long-term care (LTC) homes-was mandated by the Public Health Agency of Canada to control the spread of COVID-19 in LTC ...homes, where nearly 70% of COVID-19-related deaths in Canada occurred. This mixed methods study assesses the impact of the SSO on LTC residents in British Columbia. Interviews were conducted (residents (n = 6), family members (n = 9), staff (n = 18), and leadership (n = 10) from long-term care homes (n = 4)) and analyzed using thematic analysis. Administrative data were collected between April 2019 and March 2020 and between April 2020 and March 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and data visualization. Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated and demonstrated that staffing challenges became worse during the implementation of the SSO, resulting in the mental and physical health deterioration of LTC residents. Qualitative data demonstrated decreased time for personalized and proactive care, increased communication challenges, and increased loneliness and isolation. Quantitative data showed a decline in activities of daily living, increased antipsychotic medication use, pressure ulcers, behavioural symptoms, and an increase in falls. Addressing staff workload and staffing shortages during SSO-related policy implementation is essential to avoid resident health deterioration.
고분자전해질 연료전지에서 고분자 막과 전극의 철 이온 오염 및 산 세척 효과 유동근; Donggeun Yoo; 박민정 ...
Korean Chemical Engineering Research(HWAHAK KONGHAK), 60(1),
02/2022, Volume:
60, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
고분자전해질 연료전지 (PEMFC) 장기 사용과정에서 스택요소의 부식 및 공급 가스의 오염에 의해 막전극 합체 (MEA)의 화학적 열화가 발생한다. 본 연구에서는 화학적으로 열화된 MEA를 산 세척해서 성능을 회복시킬 수 있는지 연구하였다. 철 이온을 오염시키고 황산 수용액으로 세척하여 PEMFC 셀에서 성능을 측정해 비교했다. 0.5 ppm의 철 이온 ...오염에 의해 약 25%의 성능 감소가 있었고 0.15 M 황산 세척에 의해 97.1% 성능회복이 가능했다. 고분자 막의 철 이온 오염에 의해 막 저항이 증가했고, 저농도 황산 수용액 세척에 의해 전극 촉매의 손실을 최소화하면서 막에서 철 이온을 세척함으로써 이온전도도가 회복되었다. PEMFC MEA의 화학적 오염에 의한 내구성 감소를 산 세척에 의해 해결할 수 있는 가능성을 확인하였다.
In the process of long-term use of PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells), chemical degradation of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) occurs due to corrosion of stack elements and contamination of supply gas. In this study, we investigated whether chemically degraded MEA can be recovered by acid washing. The performance was measured and compared in a PEMFC cell after contamination with iron ions and washing with an aqueous sulfuric acid solution. The performance was reduced by about 25% by 0.5 ppm iron ion contamination, and 97.1% performance recovery was possible by washing of 0.15 M sulfuric acid. The membrane resistance was increased due to iron ion contamination of the polymer membrane, and the ionic conductivity was restored by washing the iron ions from the membrane while minimizing the loss of the electrode catalyst by washing with a low-concentration sulfuric acid aqueous solution. The possibility of solving the decrease in durability caused by chemical contamination of PEMFC MEA by the acid washing was confirmed.
In this paper, we propose wavelet-based procedures to identify the difference between images, including portraits and handwriting. The proposed methods are based on a novel combination of multiscale ...methods with a regularization technique. The multiscale method extracts the local characteristics of an image, and the distinct features are obtained through the regularized regression of the local characteristics. The regularized regression approach copes with the high-dimensional problem to build the relation between the local characteristics. Lytle and Yang (2006) introduced the detection method of forged handwriting via wavelets and summary statistics. We expand the scope of their method to the general image and significantly improve the results. We demonstrate the promising empirical evidence of the proposed method through various experiments.
This letter proposes a new algorithm, termed bidimensional statistical empirical mode decomposition (BSEMD) that adopts a smoothing procedure instead of an interpolation when constructing 2-D upper ...and lower envelopes. For this purpose, we investigate the sifting process effect of conventional bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) on the decomposition results, and propose a modified BEMD via the smoothing sifting process coupling with a new identification method of 2-D local extrema. Furthermore, theoretical rationale for smoothing sifting is investigated.
The Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich (HWW) syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly that is characterized by the triad of uterus didelphys, obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis. It is often ...diagnosed in patient with pelvic or abdominal pain during puberty. Treatment is basically resection of obstructed vaginal septum by surgical approach. We describe two case of HWW syndrome, one is a neonate who was diagnosed as hydronephrosis and pelvic mass in postnatal ultrasonography, and the other is a 13-year-old girl with abdominal pain.
Background:
The primary objective of this study was to analyze the cross-reactivity of antidrug antibodies to reference adalimumab (ADL) and SB5 (adalimumab biosimilar) in patients with inflammatory ...bowel disease (IBD) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods:
Sera from patients with IBD and RA with or without antibodies to adalimumab (ATA+ or ATA–, respectively) were tested for cross-reactivity with SB5 and ADL. Functional inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-α binding was measured. Sera from patients with antibodies to reference infliximab (ATI+) were examined for cross-reactivity to SB5. Sera were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
All 30 anti-ADL ATA+ sera from patients with IBD and all 4 anti-SB5 ATA+ sera from patients with RA were cross-reactive with ADL and SB5 (range of mean concentrations: IBD, 20.99–21.31 μg/ml; RA, 16.46–17.48 μg/ml). In general, there was no significant difference between mean ATA titers. A strong correlation was detected in all ATA+ samples (rho = 0.997 to >0.999; p < 0.001 each). However, ATA– sera were not reactive to either ADL or SB5. anti-ADL ATA+ sera similarly neutralized functional activity of ADL and SB5; no functional inhibition was observed with ATA– sera. ATI+ sera did not cross-react with SB5.
Conclusions:
ADL and SB5 show cross-immunogenicity in sera from patients with IBD or RA, supporting shared immune-dominant epitopes. ATI+ sera did not cross-react with SB5, suggesting different immunogenic epitopes between infliximab and SB5.
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