696 research outputs found

    Effects of Humidity on the Electro-Optical-Thermal Characteristics of High-Power LEDs

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    LEDs are subjected to environments with high moisture in many applications. In this paper, the experiments reveal photometric and colorimetric degradation at high humidity. Corresponding spectral power analysis and parameter extraction indicate that the flip-chip bonded LED samples show accelerated chip failure compared to the conventionally bonded samples. The chip-related failure induces greater heat accumulation, which correlates with the increase in heating power observed in the package. However, the temperature rise and thermal resistance for the flip-chip bonded LEDs do not increase substantially as compared to the conventionally bonded LEDs. This is because the junction temperature can be reduced with a flip-chip die-bonding configuration where the heat generated in the LED chip is dissipated effectively onto the AlN substrate, thereby reducing the increase in temperature rise and thermal resistance. The experimental results are supported by evaluation of the derivative structure functions. In addition, as the thermal resistance of the LED package varies with different humidity levels, there is a need to specify the conditions of humidity in data sheets as LED manufacturers routinely specify a universal thermal resistance value under a fixed operating condition

    Lhermitte's Sign Developing after IMRT for Head and Neck Cancer

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    Background. Lhermitte's sign (LS) is a benign form of myelopathy with neck flexion producing an unpleasant electric-shock sensation radiating down the extremities. Although rare, it can occur after head and neck radiotherapy. Results. We report a case of Lhermitte's developing after curative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for a patient with locoregionally advanced oropharyngeal cancer. IMRT delivers a conformal dose of radiation in head and neck cancer resulting in a gradient of radiation dose throughout the spinal cord. Using IMRT, more dose is delivered to the anterior spinal cord than the posterior cord. Conclusions. Lhermitte's sign can develop after IMRT for head and neck cancer. We propose an anterior spinal cord structure, the spinothalamic tract to be the target of IMRT-caused LS

    Key global challenges and opportunities for scaling up upcycling businesses in the world: Interpretive structural modelling workshop preliminary analysis

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    Upcycling is one promising approach to extending the lifetimes of products, components, and materials by utilising a variety of material processes and innovations to turn waste products and materials into products of higher quality or value than the compositional elements. Upcycling increases resource efficiency and reduces solid waste and industrial energy consumption. It creates new job opportunities for businesses and reduces costs for materials. Despite such benefits, however, upcycling remains a niche practice. Moving from a niche to a mainstream practice (or scaling-up) could realise the full potential of upcycling. Understanding interrelated and self-reinforcing challenges in the global upcycling value chain is critical for scaling up global upcycling businesses. As existing studies of upcycling are mostly industry and country-specific, the factors impacting upcycling success across industries and countries still need to be discovered, making it difficult to establish which challenges can be prioritised in effectively scaling up upcycling businesses internationally. This study aimed to identify critical global challenges and opportunities for scaling up upcycling businesses worldwide. We organised two online workshops with nine international experts in upcycling, utilising Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). The preliminary analysis of the ISM workshop results showed that all global challenges and opportunities are interlinked and that key opportunities reflect key challenges, with the first priority intervention suggested as ‘involving citizens in upcycling initiatives or events’ followed by ‘improving material provision’

    Intestinal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability in Plasmodium chabaudi AS infected mice

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    Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly associated with acute Plasmodium spp infection. Malaria-associated enteritis may provide an opportunity for enteric pathogens to breach the intestinal mucosa, resulting in life-threatening systemic infections. Methods: To investigate whether intestinal pathology also occurs during infection with a murine model of mild and resolving malaria, C57BL/6J mice were inoculated with recently mosquito-transmitted Plasmodium chabaudi AS. At schizogony, intestinal tissues were collected for quantification and localisation of immune mediators and malaria parasites, by PCR and immunohistochemistry. Inflammatory proteins were measured in plasma and faeces and intestinal permeability was assessed by FITC-dextran translocation after oral administration. Results: Parasitaemia peaked at approx. 1.5% at day 9 and resolved by day 14, with mice experiencing significant and transient anaemia but no weight loss. Plasma IFNγ, TNFα and IL10 were significantly elevated during peak infection and quantitative RT-PCR of the intestine revealed a significant increase in transcripts for ifng and cxcl10. Histological analysis revealed parasites within blood vessels of both the submucosa and intestinal villi and evidence of mild crypt hyperplasia. In faeces, concentrations of the inflammatory marker lactoferrin were significantly raised on days 9 and 11 and FITC-dextran was detected in plasma on days 7 to 14. At day 11, plasma FITC-dextran concentration was significantly positively correlated with peripheral parasitemia and faecal lactoferrin concentration. Conclusions: In summary, using a relevant, attenuated model of malaria, we have found that acute infection is associated with intestinal inflammation and increased intestinal permeability. This model can now be used to explore the mechanisms of parasite-induced intestinal inflammation and to assess the impact of increased intestinal permeability on translocation of enteropathogens

    Segmentation and Scene Content in Moving Images

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    The problem of scene content in moving images was brought by Aralia. The goal in this study group was to consider two problems. The first was image segmentation and the second is the context of the scene. These problems were explored in different areas, namely the Bayesian approach to image segmentation, shadow detection, shape recognition and background separation

    Genetic Model to Study the Co-Morbid Phenotypes of Increased Alcohol Intake and Prior Stress-Induced Enhanced Fear Memory

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    Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex illness, frequently co-morbid with depression, caused by both genetics, and the environment. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), which also co-occurs with depression, is often co-morbid with PTSD. To date, very few genes have been identified for PTSD and even less for PTSD comorbidity with AUD, likely because of the phenotypic heterogeneity seen in humans, combined with each gene playing a relatively small role in disease predisposition. In the current study, we investigated whether a genetic model of depression-like behavior, further developed from the depression model Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat, is a suitable vehicle to uncover the genetics of co-morbidity between PTSD and AUD. The by-now inbred WKY More Immobile (WMI) and the WKY Less Immobile (WLI) rats were generated from the WKY via bidirectional selective breeding using the forced swim test, a measure of despair-like behavior, as the functional selector. The colonies of the WMIs that show despair-like behavior and the control strain showing less or no despair-like behavior, the WLI, are maintained with strict inbreeding over 40 generations to date. WMIs of both sexes intrinsically self-administer more alcohol than WLIs. Alcohol self-administration is increased in the WMIs without sucrose fading, water deprivation or any prior stress, mimicking the increased voluntary alcohol-consumption of subjects with AUD. Prior Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning (SEFL) is a model of PTSD. WMI males, but not females, show increased SEFL after acute restraint stress in the context-dependent fear conditioning paradigm, a sexually dimorphic pattern similar to human data. Plasma corticosterone differences between stressed and not-stressed WLI and WMI male and female animals immediately prior to fear conditioning predict SEFL results. These data demonstrate that the WMI male and its genetically close, but behaviorally divergent control the WLI male, would be suitable for investigating the underlying genetic basis of comorbidity between SEFL and alcohol self-administration

    Gravitational-wave Electromagnetic Counterpart Korean Observatory (GECKO): GECKO Follow-up Observation of GW190425

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    One of the keys to the success of multimessenger astronomy is the rapid identification of the electromagnetic wave counterpart, kilonova (KN), of the gravitational-wave (GW) event. Despite its importance, it is hard to find a KN associated with a GW event, due to a poorly constrained GW localization map and numerous signals that could be confused as a KN. Here, we present the Gravitational-wave Electromagnetic wave Counterpart Korean Observatory (GECKO) project, the GECKO observation of GW190425, and prospects of GECKO in the fourth observing run (O4) of the GW detectors. We outline our follow-up observation strategies during O3. In particular, we describe our galaxy-targeted observation criteria that prioritize based on galaxy properties. Armed with this strategy, we performed an optical and/or near-infrared follow-up observation of GW190425, the first binary neutron star merger event during the O3 run. Despite a vast localization area of 7460 deg^2, we observed 621 host galaxy candidates, corresponding to 29.5% of the scores we assigned, with most of them observed within the first 3 days of the GW event. Ten transients were discovered during this search, including a new transient with a host galaxy. No plausible KN was found, but we were still able to constrain the properties of potential KNe using upper limits. The GECKO observation demonstrates that GECKO can possibly uncover a GW170817-like KN at a distance less than 200 Mpc if the localization area is of the order of hundreds of square degrees, providing a bright prospect for the identification of GW electromagnetic wave counterparts during the O4 run.Comment: 35 pages, 19 figures Accepted for publication in Ap
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