Effect of Substrate Temperature on the Thermoelectric Properties of the Sb 2

The antimony-telluride (Sb2Te3) thermoelectric thin films were prepared on SiO2/Si substrates by thermal evaporation method. The substrate temperature that ranged from room temperature to 150°C was adopted to deposit the Sb2Te3 thin films. The effects of substrate temperature on the microstructures and thermoelectric properties of the Sb2Te3 thin films were investigated. The crystal structure and surface morphology of the Sb2Te3 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction analyses and field emission scanning electron microscope observation. The RT-deposited Sb2Te3 thin films showed the amorphous phase. Te and Sb2Te3 phases were coexisted in the Sb2Te3-based thin films as the substrate temperature was higher than room temperature. The average grain sizes of the Sb2Te3-based thin films were 39 nm, 45 nm, 62 nm, 84 nm, and 108 nm, as the substrate temperatures were 50°C, 75°C, 100°C, 125°C, and 150°C, respectively. The Seebeck coefficients, electrical conductivity, and power factor were measured at room temperature; we had found that they were critically dependent on the substrate temperature

Post-activation Performance Enhancement after a Bout of Accentuated Eccentric Loading in Collegiate Male Volleyball Players

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefit of post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) after accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) compared to traditional resistance loading (TR). Sixteen male volleyball athletes were divided in AEL and TR group. AEL group performed 3 sets of 4 repetitions (eccentric: 105% of concentric 1RM, concentric: 80% of concentric 1RM) of half squat, and TR group performed 3 sets of 5 repetitions (eccentric & concentric: 85% of 1RM). Countermovement jump (CMJ), spike jump (SPJ), isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), and muscle soreness test were administered before (Pre) exercise, and 10 min (10-min), 24 h (24-h), and 48 h (48-h) after exercise. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Peak force and rate of development (RFD) of IMTP in AEL group were significantly greater (p 0.05) groups x time. AEL seemed capable to maintain force production in IMTP, but not in CMJ and SPJ. It is recommended the use of accentuated eccentric loading protocols to overcome the fatigue

Design and Implementation of a Simulator for Photovoltaic Modules

Proposed in this paper is the development of a photovoltaic module simulator, one capable of running an output characteristic simulation under normal operation according to various electrical parameters specified and exhibiting multiple advantages of being low cost, small sized, and easy to implement. In comparison with commercial simulation tools, Pspice and Solar Pro, the simulator developed demonstrates a comparable I-V as well as a P-V output characteristic curve. In addition, a series-parallel configuration of individual modules constitutes a photovoltaic module array, which turns into a photovoltaic power generation system with an integrated power conditioner

Application of Multiple Sensors in Monitoring Land Subsidence in Central Taiwan

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchive

The Design and Implementation of the Defender Cloud on TWAREN Backbone

Defender Cloud is a cloud based backbone network defending system having full scope over the whole backbone network. Rather than detecting suspicious network activities on a local area network, it collects and integrates the flow data from all connecting members and all entrances of a backbone network. After analyzing by a proposed cloud based distributed processing model, the corresponding defensive reaction can be carried out in a global basis. Thus its protection can cover the whole network, even including member institutions without their own firewall. This paper illustrates the design, verification and future perspective of the Defender Cloud, with an emphasis on the distributed processing of the flow data

Topical application of marine briarane-type diterpenes effectively inhibits 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced inflammation and dermatitis in murine skin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Skin is the largest organ in the body, and is directly exposed to extrinsic assaults. As such, the skin plays a central role in host defense and the cutaneous immune system is able to elicit specific local inflammatory and systemic immune responses against harmful stimuli. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) can stimulate acute and chronic inflammation and tumor promotion in skin. TPA-induced dermatitis is thus a useful <it>in vivo </it>pharmacological platform for drug discovery. In this study, the inhibitory effect of briarane-type diterpenes (BrDs) from marine coral <it>Briareum excavatum </it>on TPA-induced dermatitis and dendritic cell (DC) function was explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Evans blue dye exudation was used to determine vascular permeability. H&E-stained skin section was used to determine the formation of edema in mouse abdominal skin. We also used immunohistochemistry staining and western blot assays to evaluate the activation of specific inflammation makers and key mediators of signaling pathway in the mouse skin. Furthermore, mouse bone marrow DCs were used to determine the relationship between the chemical structure of BrDs and their regulation of DC function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BrD1 remarkably suppressed TPA-induced vascular permeability and edema in skin. At the biochemical level, BrD1 inhibited TPA-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and matrix metalloproteinase-9, the key indicators of cutaneous inflammation. This inhibition was apparently mediated by interference with the Akt/NF-κB-mediated signaling network. BrD1 also inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 expression in LPS-stimulated BMDCs. The 8, 17-epoxide of BrDs played a crucial role in the inhibition of IL-6 expression, and replacement of the C-12 hydroxyl group with longer esters in BrDs gradually decreased this inhibitory activity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that BrDs warrant further investigation as natural immunomodulatory agents for control of inflammatory skin diseases.</p

Phenome-wide analysis of Taiwan Biobank reveals novel glycemia-related loci and genetic risks for diabetes

To explore the complex genetic architecture of common diseases and traits, we conducted comprehensive PheWAS of ten diseases and 34 quantitative traits in the community-based Taiwan Biobank (TWB). We identified 995 significantly associated loci with 135 novel loci specific to Taiwanese population. Further analyses highlighted the genetic pleiotropy of loci related to complex disease and associated quantitative traits. Extensive analysis on glycaemic phenotypes (T2D, fasting glucose and Hb