A Suspended Nanogap Formed by Field-Induced Atomically Sharp Tips

A sub-nanometer scale suspended gap (nanogap) defined by electric field-induced atomically sharp metallic tips is presented. A strong local electric field (\u3e109 V=m) across micro/nanomachined tips facing each other causes the metal ion migration in the form of dendrite-like growth at the cathode. The nanogap is fully isolated from the substrate eliminating growth mechanisms that involve substrate interactions. The proposed mechanism of ion transportation is verified using real-time imaging of the metal ion transportation using an in situ biasing in transmission electron microscope (TEM). The configuration of the micro/nanomachined suspended tips allows nanostructure growth of a wide variety of materials including metals, metal-oxides, and polymers. VC 2012 American Institute of Physics

DPRS transformer - Dynamic pressure resistant system - Part I

In general, a transformer is designed and manufactured to operate under normal conditions. However, unexpected fault events occur due to various reasons in real-life substations. When such events do occur, an electric arc inside a transformer vaporizes the insulating oil, leading to a generation of very high expansion pressure. Once this pressure exceeds the designed threshold, the tank is then compromised, and oil starts to leak, becoming a potential cause of fire or explosion. DPRS (Dynamic Pressure Resistant System) transformer has been developed to cope with such unexpected events. In general, a PRD (Pressure Relief Device) is installed on a transformer to stabilize the pressure inside the tank. However, it requires a certain amount of time for this device to operate. DPRS transformer is designed to withstand the immediate pressure increase without severely damaging the tank (severe enough to cause an oil leak) until the PRD starts operating. Although not as much as to cause a leak, the tank will still be deformed as a result of the pressure increase. Then, insulating oil expanded by the arc is emitted safely through a designated path as the PRD starts to operate. DPRS transformer does not require additional equipment to prevent damage to the tank and is also capable of preventing fire while maintaining a similar configuration to common transformers. Due to these merits, the global demand for DPRS transformers is steadily increasing. In this article, the DPRS transformer tank design procedure and tank deformation prediction technology are presented. Additionally, a brief introduction to the explosion-proof performance verification test is addressed

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the β-Cell Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency by β-cell failure. Even if the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of β-cell failure are still under investigation, recent increasing genetic, experimental, and clinical evidence indicate that hyperactivation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) to counteract metabolic stresses is closely related to β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis. Signaling pathways of the UPR are “a double-edged sword” that can promote adaptation or apoptosis depending on the nature of the ER stress condition. In this paper, we summarized our current understanding of the mechanisms and components related to ER stress in the β-cell pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes

Effects of child pick-up behavior on emergency evacuations

The child pick-up behavior of parents during an emergency can cause heavy traffic congestion and failing to evacuate an affected area successfully. In this study, we analyzed the effect of child pick-up behavior using, as an example, a nuclear power plant accident caused by an earthquake, which is a typical no-notice emergency. A quake was assumed to occur near the Shin-Kori nuclear power plant in Ulsan, Korea, resulting in a nuclear power plant accident. An agent-based dynamic simulation model using VISSIM was employed to conduct sensitivity analyses with different child pick-up rates. The results confirmed that parents are a major cause of congestion and a vulnerable class in an emergency evacuation. The child pick-up behavior caused significant traffic congestion, and parents who pick up their children showed a higher evacuation failure rate

High-resolution analysis of condition-specific regulatory modules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A novel approach for identifying condition-specific regulatory modules in yeast reveals functionally distinct coregulated submodules

Functional Characterization of Siberian Wild Rye Grass \u3cem\u3eEsHSP 16.9\u3c/em\u3e Gene Conferring Diverse Stress Tolerance in Prokaryotic Cells

Siberian wild rye (Elymus sibiricus L.) is a perennial, caespitose, and self-pollinating grass indigenous to Northern Asia and also is widely distributed from Northern Europe to Japan. The plant shows strong environmental adaptability with tolerance to drought and cold; thus, it is often used as forage resources (Yan et al., 2007). Environmental stresses caused by global warming are acknowledged to be as a serious issue in agriculture due to reductions of crop productivity (Ahuja et al., 2010). Genetic natural breeding of Siberian wild rye would potentially increase the productivity of forage crops; however, genetic studies on this grass have yet to be conducted. Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are the well characterized stress inducible proteins playing as molecular chaperones in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. We have also identified two differently localized small Hsps: rice chloroplastic and alfalfa mitochondrial Hsps confer tolerance to oxidative and heat stresses in tall fescue and to salinity and arsenic stresses in E. coli, tobacco, and tall fescue, respectively (Lee et al., 2012a; Lee et al., 2012b). Here, we cloned the small Hsp16.9 gene from various heat stress-induced fragments in Siberian wild rye using differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis. We examined the mRNA expression of EsHsp16.9, in vitro molecular chaperone activity and in vivo stress tolerance by using a prokaryotic system against diverse environmental stresse

Mouse Homologue of the Schizophrenia Susceptibility Gene ZNF804A as a Target of Hoxc8

Using a ChIP-cloning technique, we identified a Zinc finger protein 804a (Zfp804a) as one of the putative Hoxc8 downstream target genes. We confirmed binding of Hoxc8 to an intronic region of Zfp804a by ChIP-PCR in F9 cells as well as in mouse embryos. Hoxc8 upregulated Zfp804a mRNA levels and augmented minimal promoter activity in vitro. In E11.5 mouse embryos, Zfp804a and Hoxc8 were coexpressed. Recent genome-wide studies identified Zfp804a (or ZNF804A in humans) as a plausible marker for schizophrenia, leading us to hypothesize that this embryogenic regulatory control might also exert influence in development of complex traits such as psychosis

Violet-light spontaneous and stimulated emission from ultrathin In-rich InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We investigated the spontaneous and stimulated emission properties of violet-light-emitting ultrathin In-rich InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with indium content of 60%-70%. The Stokes shift was smaller than that of In-poor InGaN MQWs, and the emission peak position at 3.196 eV was kept constant with increasing pumping power, indicating negligible quantum confined Stark effect in ultrathin In-rich InGaN MQWs despite of high indium content. Optically pumped stimulated emission performed at room temperature was observed at 3.21 eV, the high-energy side of spontaneous emission, when the pumping power density exceeds ???31 kW/ cm2.open6

Growth characteristics and productivity of cold-tolerant “Kowinearly” Italian ryegrass in the northern part of South Korea

The objective of this research is to evaluate differences in growth characteristics and productivity between Kowinearly and Florida 80 Italian ryegrass varieties in regions with severely cold winters. This research was carried out in Suwon (in central South Korea) and Yonchun (in northern South Korea) during the 2002 2006 growing seasons. Kowinearly is a diploid variety with green leaf colour and a semi prostrate growth habit in autumn and a semi-erect one in spring. There were differences among the varieties in terms of cold tolerance, heading date, and forage yield in Yonchun. The winter field survival of Kowinearly was 85%, while that of Florida 80 was 43%. The dry matter yield of Kowinearly in Yonchun was 9,662 kg/ha, which was 31% more than that of Florida 80. In Suwon, the heading date of Kowinearly was May 7, which was 2 days later than that of Florida 80. In Yonchun, Kowinearly’s heading date was May 12, 1 day earlier than that of Florida 80. These results indicate that Kowinearly has good cold tolerance, and that in spring, it starts growth earlier than Florida 80, because of its higher cold tolerance.Keywords: Italian ryegrass, Kowinearly, cold tolerance, new variety, forage cro