Electrochemical and optical studies on photoactive BiVO4-TiO2/poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene assemblies in gel electrolyte: Role of inorganic/organic interfaces in surface functionalization

Inorganic/organic interface assemblies were created from poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythio­phene (PEDOT) interfaced with amorphous BiVO4 and with BiVO4-TiO2. Electrochemical cells-based thermoplastic gel electrolytes containing KI/I2 were used to study the photoelectrochemical behavior of the Inorganic/organic interface electrodes. Optical studies show that doping BiVO4 with TiO2 narrowed the optical band gap to allow more absorption in the visible region and increases solar energy conversion. Evidence for both direct and indirect band gaps was observed. Refractive index data indicates that BiVO4 and BiVO4/TiO2 obey the anomalous dispassion multiple-oscillator model. Chronoampero­metry of these assemblies shows the phenomena of dark current, which correlates to the presence of random electron/hole generation in the depletion layer. PEDOT enhances the photoactivity of BiVO4 only. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies indicated that both kinetic and diffusional control at high and low frequencies, respectively. Furthermore, studies show that as frequency increases, the conductivity increases due to dispersion and charge carrier hopping. All photoactivity outcomes were reproducible

Important Factors on Sidewalks with Vendor Activities Based on Pedestrian Perception by Gender and Age

This paper presents an investigation of important factors relating sidewalk performance based on pedestrian perceptions by gender and age. Exploratory factor analysis technique and reliability test of the variables are performed on 45 items of sidewalk current condition in order to extract dimensions of pedestrian perceptions in Jakarta and Bangkok. Based on age, male respondents reveals that eight factors are identified as important on sidewalk performance, and labeled on the basis of the attributed covered as sidewalk interaction, comfort, space availability, safety, vendor problems, walking path, vendor regulation, and vendor's attraction. On the other hand, the first seven factors are similarly stated by female respondents. Grouped by age, young respondents reveal nine factors are considered important and arbitrarily named as comfort, sidewalk interaction, safety, vendor's attraction, vendor problems, vendor regulation, walking path, space availability, and sidewalk condition. The presence of vendors are often deemed as obstruction for walking flow, but their activities should be accommodated by establishing policies and management to accept high performance of the sidewalks and to support the city's economy

Application of a New Bio-Formulation of Chaetomium Cupreum for Biocontrol of Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides Causing Coffee Anthracnose on Arabica Variety in Laos

The anthracnose pathogen was isolated from coffee leave and bean symptoms. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic data confirmed the species as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The pathogenicity of the isolate was also confirmed by detached leaf method which inoculated the virulent isolate into coffee leaves. The crude extracts with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol solvents from Chaetomium cupreum CC3003 resulted significantly inhibited C. gloeosporioides that the ED50 values of 13, 11 and 28 ppm, respectively. The bioactive substances of C. cupreum CC3003 expressed antifungal activity against C. gloeosporioides as can be seen in the abnormal appearance of spores. A powder bio-formulation of C. cupreum significantly resulted to reduce anthracnose disease of 54.77 %. The application of nano-rotiorinol, nano-trichotoxin and a spore suspension of C. cupreum reduced anthracnose incidence of 46.23, 42.71 and 18.59 %, respectively while the inoculated control had high anthracnose disease. The application of bio-formulation of C. cupreum in powder form, nano-rotiorinol, and nano-trichotoxin to reduce coffee anthracnose was reported for the first time in Lao PDR

Biological Control of Brown Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Curvularia Lunata and Field Application Method on Rice Variety IR66 in Cambodia

Curvularia lunata was found to cause a serious rice brown leaf spot in Cambodia. This is the first report of brown leaf spot on rice in Cambodia. All isolates were tested for pathogenicity. Dual culture antagonistic tests showed that Chaetomium cupreum inhibited sporulation of C. lunata when compared to the control. In a pot experiment, C. cupreum significantly reduced the incidence of brown leaf spot caused by C. lunata. After application of a spore suspension of C. cupreum, Chaetomium-biofungicide and chemical fungicide (tebuconazole) to rice seedlings inoculated with C. lunata, the disease was reduced by 68.79 %, 75.80 % and 72.41 %, respectively. In a field trial, the chemical method gave the best results in all plant parameters, followed by the good agricultural practice (GAP) and organic methods. The chemical method gave the highest panicle/plant, panicle length, panicle weight, grain weight/plant which were different from the GAP and organic methods. The chemical method also gave the best results in filled grain panicle-1, unfilled grain panicle-1, grain weight plot-1, dry hay weight plot-1, biomass weight plot-1 and harvest index, and was significantly better than the GAP and organic methods

Mean Drift Length During a Semi Wave of the CW Radio-Frequency Field

In this work we study mean drift length during a semi wave of the CW radiofrequency field the behavior of the diffusion particles in the pure Helium gas whose plays important role in production of the lam ps such as glow lamps and gas lasers through the calculation of the transport parameters which are w, μ, and D by solving numerically transport equation and feeding it to computer program which is construction to calculate the following parameters: E/P300, S, DN, Dp, n, c , l, w, a, SE, (fn1P), (fn1P)-1, w/p and p/w for energy ranges 0.121´10-18 £ E/N £ 0.303 ´10-16 V.cm2 at temperature 300°K. These parameters represented as functions for their variables whose shows a good agreement with experimental and theoretical data

The role of death-associated protein 3 in apoptosis, anoikis and human cancer

Death-associated protein 3 (DAP3) is a molecule with a significant role in the control of both apoptosis and anoikis. Apoptosis is the predominant type of programmed cell death (PCD) which may occur in response to irreparable damage to DNA, or in response to induction by inflammatory cells. Anoikis is subset of apoptosis which occurs in epithelial cells in response to detachment from the surrounding matrix. Both apoptosis and anoikis are of interest in the context of carcinogenesis. In this review, we shall discuss apoptosis and anoikis, and the recent literature regarding the role of DAP3 in both these pathways

Diagnosing delirium in elderly Thai patients: Utilization of the CAM algorithm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Delirium is a common illness among elderly hospitalized patients. However, under-recognition of the condition by non-psychiatrically trained personnel is prevalent. This study investigated the performance of family physicians when detecting delirum in elderly hospitalized Thai patients using the Thai version of the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) algorithm.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A Thai version of the CAM algorithm was developed, and three experienced Thai family physicians were trained in its use. The diagnosis of delirium was also carried out by four fully qualified psychiatrists using DSM-IV TR criteria, which can be considered the gold standard. Sixty-six elderly patients were assessed with MMSE Thai 2002, in order to evaluate whether they had dementia upon admission. Within three days of admission, each patient was interviewed separately by a psychiatrist using DSM-IV TR, and a family physician using the Thai version of the CAM algorithm, with both sets of interviewers diagnosing for delirium.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CAM algorithm tool, as used by family physicians, demonstrated a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 100.0%, with a PPV of 100.0% and an NPV of 90.6%. Interrater agreement between the family physicians and the psychiatrists was good (Cohen's Kappa = 0.91, p < 0.0001). The mean of the time the family physicians spent using CAM algorithm was significantly briefer than that of the psychiatrists using DSM-IV TR.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Family physicians performed well when diagnosing delirium in elderly hospitalized Thai patients using the Thai version of the CAM algorithm, showing that this measurement tool is suitable for use by non-psychiatrically trained personnel, being short, quick, and easy to administer. However, proper training on use of the algorithm is required.</p

The status of GEO 600

The GEO 600 laser interferometer with 600m armlength is part of a worldwide network of gravitational wave detectors. GEO 600 is unique in having advanced multiple pendulum suspensions with a monolithic last stage and in employing a signal recycled optical design. This paper describes the recent commissioning of the interferometer and its operation in signal recycled mode

Search for gravitational wave bursts in LIGO's third science run

We report on a search for gravitational wave bursts in data from the three LIGO interferometric detectors during their third science run. The search targets subsecond bursts in the frequency range 100-1100 Hz for which no waveform model is assumed, and has a sensitivity in terms of the root-sum-square (rss) strain amplitude of hrss ~ 10^{-20} / sqrt(Hz). No gravitational wave signals were detected in the 8 days of analyzed data.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Amaldi-6 conference proceedings to be published in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Improving the sensitivity to gravitational-wave sources by modifying the input-output optics of advanced interferometers

We study frequency dependent (FD) input-output schemes for signal-recycling interferometers, the baseline design of Advanced LIGO and the current configuration of GEO 600. Complementary to a recent proposal by Harms et al. to use FD input squeezing and ordinary homodyne detection, we explore a scheme which uses ordinary squeezed vacuum, but FD readout. Both schemes, which are sub-optimal among all possible input-output schemes, provide a global noise suppression by the power squeeze factor, while being realizable by using detuned Fabry-Perot cavities as input/output filters. At high frequencies, the two schemes are shown to be equivalent, while at low frequencies our scheme gives better performance than that of Harms et al., and is nearly fully optimal. We then study the sensitivity improvement achievable by these schemes in Advanced LIGO era (with 30-m filter cavities and current estimates of filter-mirror losses and thermal noise), for neutron star binary inspirals, and for narrowband GW sources such as low-mass X-ray binaries and known radio pulsars. Optical losses are shown to be a major obstacle for the actual implementation of these techniques in Advanced LIGO. On time scales of third-generation interferometers, like EURO/LIGO-III (~2012), with kilometer-scale filter cavities, a signal-recycling interferometer with the FD readout scheme explored in this paper can have performances comparable to existing proposals. [abridged]Comment: Figs. 9 and 12 corrected; Appendix added for narrowband data analysi