EuFe2_2As2_2 under high pressure: an antiferromagnetic bulk superconductor

We report the ac magnetic susceptibility $\chi_{ac}$ and resistivity $\rho$ measurements of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ under high pressure $P$. By observing nearly 100% superconducting shielding and zero resistivity at $P$ = 28 kbar, we establish that $P$-induced superconductivity occurs at $T_c \sim$~30 K in EuFe$_2$As$_2$. $\rho$ shows an anomalous nearly linear temperature dependence from room temperature down to $T_c$ at the same $P$. $\chi_{ac}$ indicates that an antiferromagnetic order of Eu$^{2+}$ moments with $T_N \sim$~20 K persists in the superconducting phase. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field is also determined.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Vol. 78 No.

Ascaris Lumbricoides Egg Detection from Digital Microscopic Fecal Sample Images

Diseases caused by intestinal parasite are alarming especially caused by AscarisLumbricoides. An efficient technique to detect existence of parasite automatically in fecal sample is vital. Therefore, this research is focus on detecting AscarisLumbricoides in fecal sample images by using digital image processing technique. There are four novel steps proposed in the detection process which are boundary detection, midpoint determination, radius distance calculation and parasite detection. The results generated are 100% precision and recall of 73%. This proves that this technique is a success

Microbial fuel cells using mixed cultures of wastewater for electricity generation

Fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal) are the main resources for generating electricity. However, they have been major contributors to environmental problems. One potential alternative to explore is the use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which generate electricity using microorganisms. MFCs uses catalytic reactions activated by microorganisms to convert energy preserved in the chemical bonds between organic molecules into electrical energy. MFC has the ability to generate electricity during the wastewater treatment process while simultaneously treating the pollutants. This study investigated the potential of using different types of mixed cultures (raw sewage, mixed liquor from the aeration tank & return waste activated sludge) from an activated sludge treatment plant in MFCs for electricity generation and pollutant removals (COD & total kjeldahl nitrogen, TKN). The MFC in this study was designed as a dual-chambered system, in which the chambers were separated by a NafionTM membrane using a mixed culture of wastewater as a biocatalyst. The maximum power density generated using activated sludge was 9.053 mW/cm2, with 26.8% COD removal and 40% TKN removal. It is demonstrated that MFC offers great potential to optimize power generation using mixed cultures of wastewater

Pengecaman awal komuniti bakteria sel bahan api mikrob dalam air sisa kumbahan

Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan jenis bakteria yang hadir di dalam air sisa kumbahan yang dapat membantu menghasilkan tenaga elektrik dan pada masa yang sama dapat menyingkirkan kandungan karbon dan nitrogen. Kaedah pengesanan kumpulan bakteria yang digunakan adalah teknik penghibridan in situ berpendarfluor (FISH) manakala kaedah tindak balas berantai polimerase (PCR) untuk mengenalpasti bakteria tersebut. Penentuan ciri biokimia menggunakan BIOLOG GEN III MICROPLATE™ turut digunakan. Bakteria yang didapati daripada air sisa dikultur dan ditulenkan di atas agar zat makanan untuk menentukan ciri-ciri morfologi koloni bakteria tersebut. Berdasarkan pencirian koloni dan pewarnaan Gram, sebanyak 21 pencilan telah diperolehi daripada tiga lokasi sampel air sisa kumbahan daripada loji rawatan enap cemar teraktif (enam koloni air sisa mentah; sebelas koloni tangki pengudaraan; empat koloni tangki kitaran enap cemar teraktif). Penentuan awal daripada ketiga-tiga kaedah yang dijalankan tidak dapat memberikan padanan yang tepat dengan hanya mencatatkan kehadiran bakteria pengoksida ammonia (FISH) dan Kurthia Gibsoni (BIOLOG) di dalam sampel tangki pengudaraan; bakteria Bacillus sp (PCR) dan Bacillus Pseudomycoides (BIOLOG) di dalam sampel kitaran enap cemar teraktif. Ketumpatan kuasa maksimum yang diperoleh daripada sampel kitaran enap cemar teraktif adalah 9.053 mW/cm2 dengan tahap penyingkiran COD dan jumlah nitrogen adalah (TKN) masing-masing 26.8% dan 40%

Aluminium corrosion inhibition using benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDH)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to study the inhibitory activity of benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDH) on aluminium corrosion in hydrochloric acid 1 M HCl. Design/methodology/approach - The inhibitive effect of PMDH towards the corrosion of aluminium in 1 M HCl solution is studied by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, polarization curves (LSV) and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The effect of inhibitor concentration and temperature against inhibitor action is investigated. Findings - In the presence of inhibitor (PMDH), the corrosion resistance of aluminium is improved and the corrosion rate and corrosion current are reduced, therefore the inhibition efficiency and polarization resistance are increased. With increasing temperature and decreasing inhibitor concentrations, the rate of aluminium corrosion increased. The surfactant acts as mixed type inhibitor and obeys a Langmuir isotherm. Originality/value - The results shown in this paper are an insight to the understanding of the corrosion resistance and electrochemical behaviour of aluminium for future industrial applications and development. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

The mapping and ordering of fragments of SV40 DNA produced by restriction endonucleases

SV40 DNA is cleaved by the Eco RII and Hae restriction endonucleases to give rise to two different sets of 16 fragments each. These fragments have been ordered by analysis of the products of redigestion of one set of fragments with another restriction enzyme. The cleavage sites have been precisely mapped based on length measurements of the products of each cleavage. This provides a convenient group of small DNA fragments suitable for sequence analysis investigation of the transcripts present in infected cells, or construction of deletion substitution variants of the virus

The nucleotide sequence preceding an RNA polymerase initiation site on SV40 DNA. Part 1. The sequence of the late strand transcript

The nucleotide sequence of the transcript of the “late” strand of the region of SV40 DNA preceding the preferred initiation site for Escherichia coli RNA polymerase has been determined to be U-G-U-A-A-C-C-A-U-U-A-U-A-A-G-C-U-G-C-A-A-U-A-A-A-C-A-A-G-U-U-A-A-C-A-A-C-A-A-C-A-A-U-U-G-Cp. Hemophilus influenza restriction endonuclease cleaves this region 30 nucleotides (base pairs) before the site of initiation of RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in oral carcinogenesis - a preliminary report

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the catalytic subunit of telomerase, is strongly associated with telomerase activity implicated in cellular immortalization and tumorigenesis. In situ detection of hTERT will aid in determining the localization of telomerase positive cells. The aim of this study was to detect hTERT protein expression in multistep oral carcinogenesis using paraffin embedded tissue samples, and to study the relationship of hTERT expression with different histological stages in oral carcinogenesis. Normal (n=4), hyperplastic (n=4), dysplastic (n=4) and neoplastic (n=10) oral epithelia representing different histological stages in oral carcinogenesis were included in the study. hTERT protein detection was done by immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique. Nuclear staining intensities were noted and the hTERT-labelling index was determined. Dysplastic and neoplastic oral epithelia showed an increased percentage of hTERT positive cells (Grade 4: >50 positive staining nuclei) with intense staining in the basal, parabasal and superficial layers of the epithelia, unlike normal oral mucosa which showed intense staining only in the basal and parabasal cell layers, which are the normal proliferative progenitor compartments. hTERT protein expression was elevated with the corresponding advancement of the histological stages of oral carcinogenesis, from normal to hyperplasia to dysplasia to carcinoma. There seems to be an upregulation of hTERT protein expression during the progression of oral cancer, therefore, this may indicate the feasibility of IHC detection of hTERT protein in oral carcinogenesis as a potential diagnostic or prognostic marker