Reactive Air Aluminization

Ferritic stainless steels and other alloys are of great interest to SOFC developers for applications such as interconnects, cell frames, and balance of plant components. While these alloys offer significant advantages (e.g., low material and manufacturing cost, high thermal conductivity, and high temperature oxidation resistance), there are challenges which can hinder their utilization in SOFC systems; these challenges include Cr volatility and reactivity with glass seals. To overcome these challenges, protective coatings and surface treatments for the alloys are under development. In particular, aluminization of alloy surfaces offers the potential for mitigating both evaporation of Cr from the alloy surface and reaction of alloy constituents with glass seals. Commercial aluminization processes are available to SOFC developers, but they tend to be costly due to their use of exotic raw materials and/or processing conditions. As an alternative, PNNL has developed Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA), which offers a low-cost, simpler alternative to conventional aluminization methods

Experimental review of the performances of protective coatings for interconnects in solid oxide fuel cells

Ferritic stainless steel interconnects are used in solid oxide fuel cells; however, coatings are required to improve their performance. Although several types of coatings have been proposed, they have been scarcely investigated under similar conditions. This study compares the characteristics of uncoated Crofer 22 APU and eight different coatings on Crofer 22 APU for up to 3000\ua0h at 800\ua0\ub0C. The coatings were deposited at various research laboratories around the world, and the experiments were performed at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Cross-sections of the samples were analysed using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The (Co,Mn)-based coated steels showed more than 50-fold lower chromium evaporation and at least 3 times thinner Cr2O3 scale thickness compared to uncoated steel. The coated steel samples showed lower area-specific resistance (ASR) values than the uncoated steel after 3000\ua0h of exposure, irrespective of the coating thickness, composition and deposition method

Interplay of Hydrogen Sulfide and Nitric Oxide on the Pacemaker Activity of Interstitial Cells of Cajal from Mouse Small Intestine

We studied whether nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have an interaction on the pacemaker activities of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) from the mouse small intestine. The actions of NO and H2S on pacemaker activities were investigated by using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique and intracellular Ca2+ analysis at 30℃ in cultured mouse ICC. Exogenously applied (±)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), an NO donor, or sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS), a donor of H2S, showed no influence on pacemaker activity (potentials and currents) in ICC at low concentrations (10 µM SNAP and 100 µM NaHS), but SNAP or NaHS completely inhibited pacemaker amplitude and pacemaker frequency with increases in the resting currents in the outward direction at high concentrations (SNAP 100 µM and NaHS 1 mM). Co-treatment with 10 µM SNAP plus 100 µM NaHS also inhibited pacemaker amplitude and pacemaker frequency with increases in the resting currents in the outward direction. ODQ, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, or glibenclamide, an ATP-sensitive K+ channel inhibitor, blocked the SNAP+NaHS-induced inhibition of pacemaker currents in ICC. Also, we found that SNAP+NaHS inhibited the spontaneous intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) oscillations in cultured ICC. In conclusion, this study describes the enhanced inhibitory effects of NO plus H2S on ICC in the mouse small intestine. NO+H2S inhibited the pacemaker activity of ICC by modulating intracellular Ca2+. These results may be evidence of a physiological interaction of NO and H2S in ICC for modulating gastrointestinal motility

Screening of Brain Metastasis with Limited Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): Clinical Implications of Using Limited Brain MRI During Initial Staging for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for early screening for brain metastases (BM) can improve quality of life, survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study group comprised 183 patients newly diagnosed with NSCLC. All patients underwent limited brain MRI and routine workups. The control group comprised 131 patients with NSCLC who underwent limited brain MRI only if they had neurologic symptoms. The incidence of BM was 20.8% (38/183) in the study group and 4.6% (6/131) in the control group. The rate of upstaging based on the MRI data was 13.5% (15/111) overall and 15.9% (11/69) in patients that had been considered initially to be resectable surgically. There was no significant difference in survival outcome between the groups. Patients who had BM alone had a greater overall survival time (49 weeks) than those who had multiple systemic metastases (27 weeks; p=0.0307). In conclusions, limited brain MRI appears to be a useful, cost-effective method to screen for BM at the time of initial staging. And it may facilitate timely treatment of patients with NSCLC and improve their survival and quality of life

The factors associated with longitudinal changes in liver stiffness in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Background/AimsLiver stiffness (LS) as assessed by transient elastography (TE) can change longitudinally in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The aim of this study was to identify the factors that improve LS.MethodsBetween April 2007 and December 2012, 151 patients with CHB who underwent two TE procedures with an interval of about 2 years were enrolled. Ninety-six of the 151 patients were treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues [the antiviral therapy (+) group], while the remaining 55 patients were not [the antiviral therapy (-) group]. The two groups of patients were stratified according to whether they exhibited an improvement or a deterioration in LS during the study period (defined as an LS change of ≤0 or >0 kPa, respectively, over a 1-year period), and their data were compared.ResultsNo differences were observed between the antiviral therapy (+) and (-) groups with respect to either their clinical characteristics or their initial LS. The observed LS improvement was significantly greater in the antiviral therapy (+) group than in the antiviral therapy (-) group (-3.0 vs. 0.98 kPa, P=0.011). In the antiviral therapy (+) group, the initial LS was higher in the LS improvement group (n=63) than in the LS deterioration group (n=33; 7.9 vs. 4.8 kPa, P<0.001). However, there were no differences in any other clinical characteristic. In the antiviral therapy (-) group, the initial LS was also higher in the LS improvement group (n=29) than in the LS deterioration group (n=26; 8.3 vs. 6.5 kPa, P=0.021), with no differences in any other clinical characteristic.ConclusionsA higher initial LS was the only factor associated with LS improvement in patients with CHB in this study

Reactive Air Aluminization

Ferritic stainless steels and other alloys are of great interest to SOFC developers for applications such as interconnects, cell frames, and balance of plant components. While these alloys offer significant advantages (e.g., low material and manufacturing cost, high thermal conductivity, and high temperature oxidation resistance), there are challenges which can hinder their utilization in SOFC systems; these challenges include Cr volatility and reactivity with glass seals. To overcome these challenges, protective coatings and surface treatments for the alloys are under development. In particular, aluminization of alloy surfaces offers the potential for mitigating both evaporation of Cr from the alloy surface and reaction of alloy constituents with glass seals. Commercial aluminization processes are available to SOFC developers, but they tend to be costly due to their use of exotic raw materials and/or processing conditions. As an alternative, PNNL has developed Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA), which offers a low-cost, simpler alternative to conventional aluminization methods

Proximity Warning and Excavator Control System for Prevention of Collision Accidents

Construction is a hazardous industry in which accidents occur frequently. Occupational accidents at construction sites are a serious public health issue in Korea. Construction site conditions often create dangerous situations by requiring workers and heavy equipment to work in close proximity to each other. In 2015, approximately 11% (46) of the 437 occupational fatalities in the construction industry in Korea resulted from workers colliding with objects or equipment. In this paper, we present a proximity warning system developed to address this issue and enhance safety at construction sites. The proposed technology functions in real time to alert workers and equipment operators of hazardous proximity situations. Also, when the radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor detects an approaching worker, the main board instantly shuts down the excavator for the prevention of accident. This system contains an RFID tag, RFID reader, alarm device, camera, a display device (the Around View Monitor), and excavator control technology. A field test demonstrated successful performance of the proposed system. It is widely applicable in small construction fields alongside excavators and other equipment because this system does not require additional communication infrastructure, such as servers