Investigation of electrical properties for cantilever-based piezoelectric energy harvester

In the present era, the renewable sources of energy, e.g., piezoelectric materials are in great demand. They play a vital role in the field of micro-electromechanical systems, e.g., sensors and actuators. The cantilever-based piezoelectric energy harvesters are very popular because of their high performance and utilization. In this research-work, an energy harvester model based on a cantilever beam with bimorph PZT-5A, having a substrate layer of structural steel, was presented. The proposed energy scavenging system, designed in COMSOL Multiphysics, was applied to analyze the electrical output as a function of excitation frequencies, load resistances and accelerations. Analytical modeling was employed to measure the output voltage and power under pre-defined conditions of acceleration and load resistance. Experimentation was also performed to determine the relationship between independent and output parameters. Energy harvester is capable of producing the maximum power of 1.16 mW at a resonant frequency of 71 Hz under 1g acceleration, having load resistance of 12 k Omega. It was observed that acceleration and output power are directly proportional to each other. Moreover, the investigation conveys that the experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical results. The maximum error obtained between the experimental and numerical investigation was found to equal 4.3%

Baseline study in environmental risk assessment: Escalating need for computer models to be whole-system approach

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Accepted author version posted online: 12 Dec 2016Despite landfills having the potential to pollute the environment both during their operation and long after they have ceased to receive waste, they remain a dominant waste management option, particularly in the UK. In order to combat the environmental pollution caused by landfills, risk analysis is increasingly being employed through computer models. However, for a risk analysis process to be successful, its foundation has to be well established through a baseline study. This paper aims to identify knowledge gaps in software packages regarding environmental risk assessments in general, and especially those that have been developed specifically for landfills and landfill leachate. The research establishes that there is no holistic computer model for the baseline study of landfills, which risk assessors can use to conduct risk analyses specifically for landfill leachate. This paper also describes a number of factors and features that should be added to the baseline study system in order to render it more integrated—thereby enhancing quantitative risk analysis, and subsequently environmental risk management.The authors acknowledge the financial support of Dundee City Council in this project. We are additionally grateful for the discussion and help received from Mr Peter Goldie of the Environment & Consumer Protection Department, Dundee City Council. The support from Dr I. M. Spence (Consultant Environmental Geologist, Scotland), and colleagues at the University of Abertay Dundee, including Dr Kehinde O. K. Oduyemi and Mr Phillip Jenkins is also highly 39 appreciated. It must be noted that concepts and ideas presented in this article by the authors do not necessarily represent views that of their respective employer organization

Preliminary nitrite, nitrate and colour analysis of Malaysian edible bird’s nest

AbstractThe high nitrite content in edible bird’s nests is a major concern to the local swiftlet industry. It lowers the price of the edible bird’s nests and it brings severe health hazards to consumers and farmers. This research investigated the nitrite and nitrate contents of eight types of local edible bird’s nests by using ion chromatography system and evaluating its colour using the CIE system in L∗a∗b∗ parameters. The nitrite content obtained ranged from 5.7μg/g for the house nests to 843.8μg/g for the cave nests. The nitrate content for the house and cave nests was 98.2μg/g and 36,999.4μg/g, respectively. The cave nests with darker and redder colour had higher nitrite and nitrate contents than the brighter and more yellow house nests. This likely suggests that the nitrite and nitrate contents have correlations with edible bird’s nests colour. Correlations studies suggested that the nitrite content had high correlations with colour parameters, L∗a∗b∗ of edible bird’s nests at significant level of P<0.10. These findings suggest that edible bird’s nests’ colour may be a useful indicator for measuring nitrite and nitrate contaminations

Towards Comprehensive Computational Representations of Arabic Multiword Expressions

A successful computational treatment of multiword expressions (MWEs) in natural languages leads to a robust NLP system which considers the long-standing problem of language ambiguity caused primarily by this complex linguistic phenomenon. The first step in addressing this challenge is building an extensive reliable MWEs language resource LR with comprehensive computational representations across all linguistic levels. This forms the cornerstone in understanding the heterogeneous linguistic behaviour of MWEs in their various manifestations. This paper presents a detailed framework for computational representations of Arabic MWEs (ArMWEs) across all linguistic levels based on the state-of-the-art lexical mark-up framework (LMF) with the necessary modifications to suit the distinctive properties of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). This work forms part of a larger project that aims to develop a comprehensive computational lexicon of ArMWEs for NLP and language pedagogy LP (JOMAL project)

GLAST: Understanding the High Energy Gamma-Ray Sky

We discuss the ability of the GLAST Large Area Telescope (LAT) to identify, resolve, and study the high energy gamma-ray sky. Compared to previous instruments the telescope will have greatly improved sensitivity and ability to localize gamma-ray point sources. The ability to resolve the location and identity of EGRET unidentified sources is described. We summarize the current knowledge of the high energy gamma-ray sky and discuss the astrophysics of known and some prospective classes of gamma-ray emitters. In addition, we also describe the potential of GLAST to resolve old puzzles and to discover new classes of sources.Comment: To appear in Cosmic Gamma Ray Sources, Kluwer ASSL Series, Edited by K.S. Cheng and G.E. Romer

A HER2 selective theranostic agent for surgical resection guidance and photodynamic therapy

In many cancers early intervention involves surgical resection of small localised tumour masses. Inadequate resection leads to recurrence whereas overzealous treatment can lead to organ damage. This work describes production of a HER2 targeting antibody Fab fragment dual conjugated to achieve both real time near-infrared fluorescent imaging and photodynamic therapy. The use of fluorescence emission from a NIR-dye could be used to guide resection of tumour bulk, for example during endoscopic diagnosis for oesophago-gastric adenocarcinoma, this would then be followed by activation of the photodynamic therapeutic agent to destroy untreated localised areas of cancer infiltration and tumour infiltrated lymph nodes. This theranostic agent was prepared from the Fab fragment of trastuzumab initially by functional disulfide re-bridging and site-specific click reaction of a NIR-dye. This was followed by further reaction with a novel pre-activated form of the photosensitiser chlorin e6 with the exposed fragments' lysine residues. Specific binding of the theranostic agent was observed in vitro with a HER2 positive cell line and cellular near-infrared fluorescence was observed with flow cytometry. Specific photo-activity of the conjugates when exposed to laser light was observed with HER2 positive but not HER2 negative cell lines in vitro, this selectivity was not seen with the unconjugated drug. This theranostic agent demonstrates that two different photo-active functions can be coupled to the same antibody fragment with little interference to their independent activities

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins initiate cell death and extracellular matrix remodeling in the mammary gland

We have demonstrated that insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) production by mammary epithelial cells increases dramatically during forced involution of the mammary gland in rats, mice and pigs. We proposed that growth hormone (GH) increases the survival factor IGF-I, whilst prolactin (PRL) enhances the effects of GH by decreasing the concentration of IGFBP-5, which would otherwise inhibit the actions of IGFs. To demonstrate a causal relationship between IGFBP-5 and cell death, we created transgenic mice expressing IGFBP-5, specifically, in the mammary gland. DNA content in the mammary glands of transgenic mice was decreased as early as day 10 of pregnancy. Mammary cell number and milk synthesis were both decreased by approximately 50% during the first 10 days of lactation. The concentrations of the pro-apoptotic molecule caspase-3 was increased in transgenic animals whilst the concentrations of two pro-survival molecules Bcl-2 and Bcl-x were both decreased. In order to examine whether IGFBP-5 acts by inhibiting the survival effect of IGF-I, we examined IGF receptor- and Akt-phoshorylation and showed that both were inhibited. These studies also indicated that the effects of IGFBP-5 could be mediated in part by IGF-independent effects involving potential interactions with components of the extracellular matrix involved in tissue remodeling, such as components of the plasminogen system, and the matrix metallo-proteinases (MMPs). Mammary development was normalised in transgenic mice by R3-IGF-I, an analogue of IGF-I which binds weakly to IGFBPs, although milk production was only partially restored. In contrast, treatment with prolactin was able to inhibit early involutionary processes in normal mice but was unable to prevent this in mice over-expressing IGFBP-5, although it was able to inhibit activation of MMPs. Thus, IGFBP-5 can simultaneously inhibit IGF action and activate the plasminogen system thereby coordinating cell death and tissue remodeling processes. The ability to separate these properties, using mutant IGFBPs, is currently under investigatio

Metarhizium brunneum Blastospore Pathogenesis in Aedes aegypti Larvae: Attack on Several Fronts Accelerates Mortality

Aedes aegypti is the vector of a wide range of diseases (e.g. yellow fever, dengue, Chikungunya and Zika) which impact on over half the world's population. Entomopathogenic fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana have been found to be highly efficacious in killing mosquito larvae but only now are the underlying mechanisms for pathogenesis being elucidated. Recently it was shown that conidia of M. anisopliae caused stress induced mortality in Ae. aegypti larvae, a different mode of pathogenicity to that normally seen in terrestrial hosts. Blastospores constitute a different form of inoculum produced by this fungus when cultured in liquid media and although blastospores are generally considered to be more virulent than conidia no evidence has been presented to explain why. In our study, using a range of biochemical, molecular and microscopy methods, the infection process of Metarhizium brunneum (formerly M. anisopliae) ARSEF 4556 blastospores was investigated. It appears that the blastospores, unlike conidia, readily adhere to and penetrate mosquito larval cuticle. The blastospores are readily ingested by the larvae but unlike the conidia are able infect the insect through the gut and rapidly invade the haemocoel. The fact that pathogenicity related genes were upregulated in blastospores exposed to larvae prior to invasion, suggests the fungus was detecting host derived cues. Similarly, immune and defence genes were upregulated in the host prior to infection suggesting mosquitoes were also able to detect pathogen-derived cues. The hydrophilic blastospores produce copious mucilage, which probably facilitates adhesion to the host but do not appear to depend on production of Pr1, a cuticle degrading subtilisin protease, for penetration since protease inhibitors did not significantly alter blastospore virulence. The fact the blastospores have multiple routes of entry (cuticle and gut) may explain why this form of the inoculum killed Ae. aegypti larvae in a relatively short time (12-24hrs), significantly quicker than when larvae were exposed to conidia. This study shows that selecting the appropriate form of inoculum is important for efficacious control of disease vectors such as Ae. aegypti

Production, purification and partial characterization of lipase from Trichoderma Viride

A new strain of lipolytic Trichoderma viride was isolated from the soil on a selective mediumthat contained olive oil as the only source of carbon and energy. The isolated strain was cultivated for lipase production in shake flasks at 30±1oC and the fermentation pattern was studied. The maximum extracellular lipase activity of 7.3 U/mL and the maximum intracellularactivity of 320 U/g mycelium were noted after 48 h. Although maximum fungal biomass was present at 13.6 g/L at 60 h but highest specific growth rate was observed between 6 and 18 h.The extracellular lipase present in the broth was purified 134-folds with an overall yield of 46% through purification procedure of ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange and gelpermeation chromatography. The Km value of the purified enzyme for triolein hydrolysis was found to be 1.229 m.mole/L

Upregulation of mucin glycoprotein MUC1 in the progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma and therapeutic potential with a targeted photoactive antibody-drug conjugate

BACKGROUND: Mucin glycoprotein 1 (MUC1) is a glycosylated transmembrane protein on epithelial cells. We investigate MUC1 as a therapeutic target in Barrett's epithelium (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) and provide proof of concept for a light based therapy targeting MUC1. RESULTS: MUC1 was present in 21% and 30% of significantly enriched pathways comparing BE and EA to squamous epithelium respectively. MUC1 gene expression was x2.3 and x2.2 higher in BE (p=<0.001) and EA (p=0.03). MUC1 immunohistochemical expression increased during progression to EA and followed tumor invasion. HuHMFG1 based photosensitive antibody drug conjugates (ADC) showed cell internalization, MUC1 selective and light-dependent cytotoxicity (p=0.0006) and superior toxicity over photosensitizer alone (p=0.0022). METHODS: Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) evaluated pathways during BE and EA development and quantified MUC1 gene expression. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry evaluated the anti-MUC1 antibody HuHMFG1 in esophageal cells of varying pathological grade. Confocal microscopy examined HuHMFG1 internalization and HuHMFG1 ADCs were created to deliver a MUC1 targeted phototoxic payload. CONCLUSIONS: MUC1 is a promising target in EA. Molecular and light based targeting of MUC1 with a photosensitive ADC is effective in vitro and after development may enable treatment of locoregional tumors endoscopically