I-129 Waste form Using Bi-Zn-P-Oxide Glass

AbstractI-129 is a problematic nuclide generated from the recycling of spent fuel by pyroprocess. Gaseous form of radiogenic iodine is trapped by using silver exchanged zeolite (AgX) at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). We developed the low melting temperature glass system based on Bi2O3-P2O5 composition. Various additives were added to modify glass properties. We found that ingots containing AgI are formed with ZnO, CaCO3, MgO, and Na2CO3 at around 600°C. Analysis of microstructure and chemical durability revealed that AgI was encapsulated by glass matrix and formation of AgI compound is meaningful in fabricating iodine waste form

Effects of Acupuncture on Alzheimer’s Disease in Animal-Based Research

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and severe functional deficits in the brain. The pathogenesis and treatment of AD remain topics of investigation and significant global socioeconomic issues. The effect of complementary medicine has been investigated in managing AD. Acupuncture, a form of therapy practiced for more than 3000 years, has shown positive effects on several neurological disorders including AD. Animal studies have evaluated the specific utility and neuropathological mechanisms addressed by acupoint manipulation; however, no study has summarized the relationships among different acupoints and their therapeutic effects in the context of AD. Therefore, we reviewed the effects of acupuncture at different acupoints in animal models of AD. In general, acupuncture produced therapeutic benefits in rodent models of AD. Studies demonstrate the utility of GV20 as a valuable acupoint for electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture. GV20 stimulation suppresses Aβ generation, improves glucose metabolism, and attenuates neuropathological features in various disease models. However, a lack of sufficient evidence in preclinical and clinical studies makes these results controversial. Additional studies are required to confirm the exact utility of specific acupoints in clinically managing AD

Particulate counter electrode system for enhanced light harvesting in dye-sensitized solar cells

A particulate counter electrode with photo scattering and redox catalytic properties is applied to dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in order to improve photo conversion efficiency and simplify the assembly process. Our particulate counter electrode acts as both a photo reflecting layer and a catalyst for reduction of electrolyte. The reflective and catalytic properties of the electrode are investigated through optical and electrochemical analysis, respectively. A short circuit current density enhancement is observed in the DSSCs without the need to add an additional reflecting layer to the electrode. This leads to a simplified assembly process. (C) 2013 Optical Society of Americ

Prediction of novel synthetic pathways for the production of desired chemicals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There have been several methods developed for the prediction of synthetic metabolic pathways leading to the production of desired chemicals. In these approaches, novel pathways were predicted based on chemical structure changes, enzymatic information, and/or reaction mechanisms, but the approaches generating a huge number of predicted results are difficult to be applied to real experiments. Also, some of these methods focus on specific pathways, and thus are limited to expansion to the whole metabolism.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, we propose a system framework employing a retrosynthesis model with a prioritization scoring algorithm. This new strategy allows deducing the novel promising pathways for the synthesis of a desired chemical together with information on enzymes involved based on structural changes and reaction mechanisms present in the system database. The prioritization scoring algorithm employing Tanimoto coefficient and group contribution method allows examination of structurally qualified pathways to recognize which pathway is more appropriate. In addition, new concepts of binding site covalence, estimation of pathway distance and organism specificity were taken into account to identify the best synthetic pathway. Parameters of these factors can be evolutionarily optimized when a newly proven synthetic pathway is registered. As the proofs of concept, the novel synthetic pathways for the production of isobutanol, 3-hydroxypropionate, and butyryl-CoA were predicted. The prediction shows a high reliability, in which experimentally verified synthetic pathways were listed within the top 0.089% of the identified pathway candidates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>It is expected that the system framework developed in this study would be useful for the <it>in silico </it>design of novel metabolic pathways to be employed for the efficient production of chemicals, fuels and materials.</p

Application of the Virtual Fields Method to determine dynamic properties at intermediate strain rates

Crash analysis simulation is now very important in automotive industry to assess automotive crashworthiness and safety. In order to acquire reliable crash simulation results, precise material behaviors at intermediate strain rates should be used as input data. To determine the stress-strain curves at various strain rates, the number of expensive and complicated experiments is large. The present study aims at determining the stress-strain curves of sheet metals at various strain rates from a single dynamic experiment. A new type of high speed tensile tester for sheet metal specimens was built and high speed tensile tests were carried out. Full-field heterogeneous strain fields were measured by a digital image correlation technique using a highspeed camera. The load data was acquired from strain gauges attached to the elastic deformation region on the specimen. Then, an inverse identification scheme with a rate dependent hardening law was applied to retrieve dynamic parameters. The stress-strain curves of advanced high strength steel at intermediate strain rates (100 /s - 300 /s) were successfully obtained from a single experiment.11Ysciescopu