Development of low-grade waste heat recovery using lead-free pyroelectric Ba(Zr,Ti)O3

国立大学法人長岡技術科学大学博士（工学）Articledoctoral thesi

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Response surface methodology for optimization studies of hydro-distillation of essential oil from pixie mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) peels

Essential oil extraction technique from mandarin pixie peels by hydro-distillation is optimized by respon-se surface methodology (RSM). Mathematical techniques were used in experimental design to evaluate the impacts of factors that affect the extraction process and improve the yield of the extraction process. A central mixed design based on infl uencing variables such as water ratio (3–5 mL/g), temperature (110–130° C) and extraction time (90–150 min) was adopted with essential oil yield as the target func-tion. Correlation analysis of the mathematical regression model showed that the quadratic polynomial model can be used to optimize hydro-distillation of pixie mandarin oil. The results showed that under the optimum extraction conditions, the highest quantity of essential oils was achieved (7.28 mL/100 g materials). In terms of statistical analysis, the signifi cance levels (p-value 0.9). The chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, revealing the dominance of limonene content (97.667%), which implies that the essential oil of pixie mandarin could be an alternative source of limonene

Improvement of Power Recovery by Applying a Multi-Pulse Electric Field in the Thermoelectric Cycle Power Generation Process with Pyroelectric Materials

Nanogenerator energy harvesting technologies that transform thermal energies into electricity may help address the growing need for green power. Therefore, this research aims to increase power generation by combining waste heat with pyroelectric nanogenerators as a sustainable energy source. Under optimal conditions, an external multi-pulse electric field can be utilized to generate power using thermoelectric cycle power generation. The greatest power may be gathered by applying various pulses of the external electric field at temperature changes on the surface of the pyroelectric materials. To generate pyroelectric power, a C9 BZT sample was used, and the lowest temperature difference for accomplishing this was 20 °C, with all measurements made on a sample with a lower limit of 120 °C. The maximum generation density was 0.104 mJ/cm2°CkV for a pulse width of 10 ms and 20 pulses of a low voltage (250 V/mm) input electric field. A multi-pulse electric field with low input voltage increases the power generation performance ratio (η) with the pulse count. At the largest number of pulses, the greatest η value for 250 V/mm was 7.834. Finally, it was determined that the developed pyroelectric power generation system may be more effective if a low-voltage, multi-pulse electric field is used

The fear of public speaking in Vietnamese pedagogy freshmen

Fear of public speaking, also known as Glossophobia which is defined as a form of social phobia leading to severely discourage speaking publicly owing to the dread of being ashamed or losing the respect of other people. The recent study used the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety scale including 34 items to survey 374 pedagogy freshmen. The sample consisted of 374 students of which 144 students studying Social Science (38.5%), 140 students studying Natural Science (37.4%), and 90 students studying Educational Science (24.1%) of which were 86 males (23%) and 288 females (77%). The main finding of this study was that a large number of pedagogy freshmen suffered fear of public speaking. Besides, the result found that the difference between the three groups of majors in the levels of glossophobia just very slightly missed the significance level. Educational Science students suffered most public speaking anxiety in three groups of majors. To become professional educators in the future, pedagogy freshmen have to cultivate and self-improve speaking publicly skill which is one of the most essential and crucial soft skills. Additionally, the presentation skill is one of the compulsory academic activities and criteria for evaluation of the university of education. These findings contribute to developing courses aiming to reduce student’s public speaking anxiety and improve their presentation skill. Besides, educators could create an education curriculum that is most suitable for freshmen and not causes much pressure leading to their anxiety

Facile Preparation Method of TiO₂/Activated Carbon for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

The development of nanocomposite photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity, cost-effectiveness, a simple preparation process, and scalability for practical applications is of great interest. In this study, nanocomposites of TiO2 Degussa P25 nanoparticles/activated carbon (TiO2/AC) were prepared at various mass ratios of (4:1), (3:2), (2:3), and (1:4) by a facile process involving manual mechanical pounding, ultrasonic-assisted mixing in an ethanol solution, paper filtration, and mild thermal annealing. The characterization methods included XRD, SEM-EDS, Raman, FTIR, XPS, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The effects of TiO2/AC mass ratios on the structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties were systematically studied in comparison with bare TiO2 and bare AC. TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited dominant anatase and minor rutile phases and a crystallite size of approximately 21 nm, while AC had XRD peaks of graphite and carbon and a crystallite size of 49 nm. The composites exhibited tight decoration of TiO2 nanoparticles on micron-/submicron AC particles, and uniform TiO2/AC composites were obtained, as evidenced by the uniform distribution of Ti, O, and C in an EDS mapping. Moreover, Raman spectra show the typical vibration modes of anatase TiO2 (e.g., E1g(1), B1g(1), Eg(3)) and carbon materials with D and G bands. The TiO2/AC with (4:1), (3:2), and (2:3) possessed higher reaction rate constants (k) in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) than that of either TiO2 or AC. Among the investigated materials, TiO2/AC = 4:1 achieved the highest photocatalytic activity with a high k of 55.2 × 10−3 min−1 and an MB removal efficiency of 96.6% after 30 min of treatment under UV-Vis irradiation (120 mW/cm2). The enhanced photocatalytic activity for TiO2/AC is due to the synergistic effect of the high adsorption capability of AC and the high photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Furthermore, TiO2/AC promotes the separation of photoexcited electron/hole (e−/h+) pairs to reduce their recombination rate and thus enhance photocatalytic activity. The optimal TiO2/AC composite with a mass ratio of 4/1 is suggested for treating industrial or household wastewater with organic pollutants

Evaluation of a liquid biopsy protocol using ultra-deep massive parallel sequencing for detecting and quantifying circulation tumor DNA in colorectal cancer patients

The identification and quantification of actionable mutations are critical for guiding targeted therapy and monitoring drug response in colorectal cancer. Liquid biopsy (LB) based on plasma cell-free DNA analysis has emerged as a non-invasive approach with many clinical advantages over conventional tissue sampling. Here, we developed a LB protocol using ultra-deep massive parallel sequencing and validated its clinical performance for detection and quantification of actionable mutations in three major driver genes ( and ). The assay showed a 92% concordance for mutation detection between plasma and paired tissues and great reliability in quantification of variant allele frequency

Twelve-Month Outcomes of the AFFINITY Trial of Fluoxetine for Functional Recovery After Acute Stroke: AFFINITY Trial Steering Committee on Behalf of the AFFINITY Trial Collaboration

Background and Purpose: The AFFINITY trial (Assessment of Fluoxetine in Stroke Recovery) reported that oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and seizures. After trial medication was ceased at 6 months, survivors were followed to 12 months post-randomization. This preplanned secondary analysis aimed to determine any sustained or delayed effects of fluoxetine at 12 months post-randomization. Methods: AFFINITY was a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults (n=1280) with a clinical diagnosis of stroke in the previous 2 to 15 days and persisting neurological deficit who were recruited at 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (4), and Vietnam (10) between 2013 and 2019. Participants were randomized to oral fluoxetine 20 mg once daily (n=642) or matching placebo (n=638) for 6 months and followed until 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome was function, measured by the modified Rankin Scale, at 6 months. Secondary outcomes for these analyses included measures of the modified Rankin Scale, mood, cognition, overall health status, fatigue, health-related quality of life, and safety at 12 months. Results: Adherence to trial medication was for a mean 167 (SD 48) days and similar between randomized groups. At 12 months, the distribution of modified Rankin Scale categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.76–1.14]; P =0.46). Compared with placebo, patients allocated fluoxetine had fewer recurrent ischemic strokes (14 [2.18%] versus 29 [4.55%]; P =0.02), and no longer had significantly more falls (27 [4.21%] versus 15 [2.35%]; P =0.08), bone fractures (23 [3.58%] versus 11 [1.72%]; P =0.05), or seizures (11 [1.71%] versus 8 [1.25%]; P =0.64) at 12 months. Conclusions: Fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke had no delayed or sustained effect on functional outcome, falls, bone fractures, or seizures at 12 months poststroke. The lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke in the fluoxetine group is most likely a chance finding. REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/ ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000774921