Composites of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are important materials to utilize the optical properties of CQDs in diverse applications including photoluminescence-based sensing and LED phosphors. Combining pre-prepared CQDs with a polymeric matrix usually causes changes in the optical properties of CQDs due to unavoidable aggregation. Recently, the preparation of composites based on in-situ formed CQDs has been debated to overcome the aggregation limits of the conventional mixing methods. Herein, we have demonstrated the synthesis of homogeneous CQDs composites by simple thermal annealing blends of aluminum hydroxide (AlOH), citric acid (CA), and urea (URA). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed the formation of individual CQDs with a diameter of about 2–9 nm dispersed homogeneously over the AlOH matrix. The composites have a broad excitation band centered at about 360 nm and exhibit excitation-dependent photoluminescence which was similar to that of hydrothermally synthesized CQDs from CA and URA. The photoluminescent intensity of the composite was stable to UV irradiation and responded selectively to Cu(II) ion demonstrating its potential application in Cu(II) sensing.

This study demonstrates that low processing rate for producing polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber is a critical to obtain a homogeneous radial microstructure with high resistance to oxidation, thereby resulting in their improved mechanical strength. The dry-jet wet spun PAN organic fibers were processed (e.g., stabilized and then carbonized) utilizing two different rates; one is 1.6 times longer than the other. The effect of processing rate on the microstructural evolutions of carbon fibers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy after slow etching in air, as well as Raman mapping after graphitization. The rapidly processed fiber exhibited the multilayered radial structure, which is caused by the radial direction stretching of the extrusion in the spinning. In case of the slowly processed fiber, the layered radial structure formed in the spinning process was changed into a more homogeneous radial microstructure. The slowly processed fibers showed higher oxidation resistance, higher mechanical properties, and higher crystallinity than the rapidly processed one. Raman mapping confirmed that the microstructure developed during spinning was sustained even though fiber was thermally treated up to 2800 °C.

The ion-beam irradiated lanthanum zinc oxide (LZO) films were conducted as liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer to achieve uniform and homogeneous alignment of LC molecules. Polarized optical microscopy and the pre-tilt angle measurements revealed the alignment characteristics of LC molecules on the LZO film surface. Physical characteristics of the LZO film surface were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy. The strong ion-beam irradiation on the LZO film changed surface rougher than before and induced physical anisotropic characteristics. Chemical composition of the LZO film was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and it was revealed that the ion-beam irradiation induced the breakage of the metal-oxide bonds. Due to this, anisotropic dipole moment which related with van der Waals force between LC molecules and alignment layer was induced. Because of this, LC molecules were anchored to the LZO film surface to achieve uniform LC alignment. Collecting the capacitance-voltage curve, residual DC of the LC cell with the LZO films was measured and it was verified that the LC cell with the LZO film had a nearly zero residual DC. Therefore, the ion-beam irradiated LZO film is an efficient method as an LC alignment layer

In this paper, the experimental study and finite elements analysis were conducted on homogeneous and dissimilar metals single lap-shear bonded joints to investigate the factor that affect the joint failure load. It was found that factors which have the significant effects on the failure load of the joint was stiffness of the adherends. And from experimental results, it can be confirmed that the failure load increases linearly with overlap length increases. And the failure load of dissimilar metal joints is approximately 1KN(10 ～17%) larger than homogeneous metal joints. In order to confirm this phenomenon, the stress distribution and strain distribution of the specimens were analyzed through the finite element analysis. The difference between homogeneous metals joints and dissimilar metals joints is that stress and strain in adhesive are concentrated at the end of the overlap zone close to aluminium which has lower rigidity than aluminium in case of dissimilar metals joints. From high rigidity of steel, the stress concentration in bonds are decreased and it cause increase of the failure strength at dissimilar metal joints.

In this study, a relatively effective process is used to sterilize Escherichia coli on the surface of micro-sized calcium citrate powder using nitrogen and argon as process gases in a low-temperature vacuum plasma treatment. The purpose of this study is to confirm and to introduce the effectiveness of homogeneous surface treatment for the sterilization of fine inorganic powder by the rotatable low-temperature RF plasma system designed by ourselves. The results of the test using 3M petrifilm showed that there were no remarkable spots in the case of the surface of plasma treated powder, whereas the untreated powder showed many blue spots, which indicating that the E. coli was alive. After 5 days, in the same samples, the blue spots were seen to be larger and darker than before, while the plasma-treated powder showed no changes. The results from FE-SEM analysis showed that the E. coli was damaged and/or destroyed by reactive species generated in the plasma space, resulting in the E. coli being sterilized. Furthermore, the sterilization effects according to the selected parameters (N2 and Ar; flow rate 30 and 50 sccm) adapted in this study were mutually similar, regardless of such different process parameters, and this indicates that homogeneous treatment of powder surfaces could be more effective than conventional methods. Therefore, the plasma apparatus used in this study may be a practical method to use in a powerful sterilization process in powder-type food.

PURPOSES: This study has been conducted to determine a homogeneous segment and integration to improve the efficiency of short-term traffic count. We have also attempted to reduce the traffic monitoring budget. METHODS: Based on the statistical approach, a homogeneous segment in the same road section is determined. Statistical analysis using t-test, mean difference, and correlation coefficient are carried out for 10-year-long (2004-2013) short-term count traffic data and the MAPE of fresh data (2014) are evaluated. The correlation coefficient represents a trend in traffic count, while the mean difference and t-score represent an average traffic count. RESULTS : The statistical analysis suggests that the number of target segments varies with the criteria. The correlation coefficient of more than 30% of the adjacent segment is higher than 0.8. A mean difference of 36.2% and t-score of 19.5% for adjacent segments are below 20% and 2.8, respectively. According to the effectiveness analysis, the integration criteria of the mean difference have a higher effect as compared to the t-score criteria. Thus, the mean difference represents a traffic volume similarity. CONCLUSIONS : The integration of 47 road segments from 882 adjacent road segments indicate 8.87% of MAPE, which is within an acceptable range. It can reduce the traffic monitoring budget and increase the count to improve an accuracy of traffic volume estimation.

Nematic liquid crystal (NLC) alignment effects on SiOF layers via ion-beam(IB) irradiation for four types of incident energy were successfully studied. The effect of fluorine addition on silicon oxide film properties as a function of SiOF₄/O₂gas flow ration was investigated. The SiOF thin film exhibits good chemical and the thermal stability of the SiOF thin film were sustained as function of the NLC alignment until 200℃. Also, the response-time characteristics of aligned LCD based on SiOF film were studied.

Purpose : To evaluate the effectiveness of a silicone device used to obtain homogeneous fat suppression during 3T MRI scans of the foot. Materials and Methods : 38 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Fat saturated, T2-weighted, fast spin-echo images were acquired. The scanning was repeated in the pre- (group A) and post- (group B) application of the device. Signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR) were calculated and compared in the four regions of interest (ROIs). ROI 1 and 2 were selected from toe-side bone and soft tissue, while ROI 3 and 4 were selected from proximal bone and soft tissue. Qualitative analysis using a four-point scale was performed for three categories. The categories are as follows: the overall image quality, homogeneity of the first phalange and metatarsal bone. Results : The SNR and CNR in ROI 1 and 2 were significantly higher in group A than in group B (SNR; P < .001, CNR; P < .001), and there were no significant difference in ROI 3 and 4. The qualitative score of the overall fat suppression in group B was significantly higher than that in group A (P < .001). Homogeneity of the first phalange in group B was also significantly higher than that in group A (P < .001). On the other hand, the homogeneity of the metatarsal bone was not significantly different in the two groups. Conclusion : The use of a silicone device provides homogeneous fat suppression in 3T MRI of the foot and can significantly improve image quality.

폴리스티렌계 음이온교환막은 제조가 쉽고 공정이 간단한 장점을 갖고 있으나 막의 취성이 높아 내구성이 떨어지 는 단점을 가지고 있다. 이를 보완하여 유연하고 우수한 내구성을 갖는 막을 만들기 위해 acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber를 첨 가제로 사용하여 음이온교환막을 제조하였다. 다양한 조성의 vinylbenzylchloride와 styrene, divinylbenzene, acrylonitrile- butadiene rubber 그리고 benzoyl peroxide로 이루어진 단량체 용액을 지지체인 직물 형태의 지지체인 poly(propylene)위 에 캐스팅 후 열중합 가교시킨 다음 trimethylamine과 acetone을 이용하여 음이온 교환기(-N+(CH3)3)를 함유하는 복합막을 제 조하였다. 음이온 교환막 제조시 첨가제의 함량에 따른 막의 성능을 평가하여 최적화 비율을 찾고, 단량체의 함량을 변화하여 함수율, 이온교환용량(IEC) 및 전기저항 값을 측정하였다. 그 결과 최적화 비율로 제조된 막들은 아스톰사의 상용화 음이온 교환막(AMX)보다 높은 IEC와 낮은 전기저항 값을 나타내는 동시에 유연성과 내구성이 우수한 막이 만들어진 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

Solar cells exhibit different power outputs in different climates. In this study, the temperature dependence of open-circuit voltage(V-oc), short-circuit current(I-sc), fill factor(FF) and the efficiency of screen-printed single-crystal silicon solar cells were studied. One group was fabricated with homogeneously-doped emitters and another group was fabricated with selectively-doped emitters. While varying the temperature (25, 40, 60 and 80˚C), the current-voltage characteristics of the cells were measured and the leakage currents extracted from the current-voltage curve. As the temperature increased, both the homogeneously-doped and selectively-doped emitters showed a slight increase in I-sc and a rapid degradation of V-oc. The FF and efficiency also decreased as temperature increased in both groups. The temperature coefficient for each factor was calculated. From the current-voltage curve, we found that the main cause of V-oc degradation was an increase in the intrinsic carrier concentration. The temperature coefficients of the two groups were compared, leading to the idea that structural effects could also affect the temperature dependence of current-voltage characteristics.

The present study proposes the various hypothesis tests and interval estimations for homogeneous and heterogeneous populations in the continuous and discrete process. These results can be used to complement the QC story 15 steps for quality improvement circle and DMAIC processes for six sigma innovation.

Silver particles were synthesized from silver nitrate by homogeneous precipitation and chemical reduction methods involving the intermediate silver cyanate. The obtained silver particles were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET. Urea which could prevent the agglomeration of the reduced silver particles was used as a homogeneous precipitator. The spherical silver particles with average particle diameter of 100 nm were obtained under the optimum reaction conditions. The optimum synthetic conditions were found as follows: reaction temperature , reaction time 60 min, concentration of silver nitrate mol, urea mol, and sodium citrate mol. The phase of obtained silver particles was crystalline state and the silver particles were relatively dense, which had the surface area of .

본 논문에서는 초기값을 갖는 비동질 반무한 평면문제를 비례경계유한요소법으로 해석하기 위하여 무한요소를 이 해석법에 도입하였다. 초기값을 갖는 반무한 평면의 자유면은 비례경계좌표계의 원주방향의 좌표를 이용하여 모델링하였고 무한요소는 이 자유면이 나타내는 무한한 영역을 모사하기 위해 사용되었다. 반무한 평면의 물성치(탄성계수)에 대한 초기값은 비례중심의 위치와 비례경계좌표계에서의 반지름 멱함수를 이용하여 나타내었다. 사상형 무한요소를 사용하여 일관된 정식화가 가능하였고, 제안된 해석법에 대한 적용성과 성능을 두 수치예제를 통하여 보였다.

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)/SnO2 nano-composite (MSC) for the anode electrode of a Li-ion battery was prepared using a homogeneous precipitation method with SnCl2 precursors in the presence of MWNT. XRD results indicate that when annealed in Ar at 400˚C, Sn6O4(OH)4 was fully converted to SnO2 phases. TEM observations showed that most of the SnO2 nanoparticles were deposited directly on the outside surface of the MWNT. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode showed higher specific capacities than a MWNT and better cycleability than a nano-SnO2 electrode. The electrochemical performance of the MSC electrode improved because the MWNT in the MSC electrode absorbed the mechanical stress induced from a volume change during alloying and de-alloying reactions with lithium, leading to an increase in the electrical conductivity of the composite material.

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation embryo and have the capacity to differentiate into various types of cells in the body. Hence, these cells may potentially be an indefinite source of cells for cell therapy in various degenerative diseases including neuronal disorders. For clinical applications of human ES cells, directed differentiation of these cells would be necessary. The objective of this study is to develop the culture condition for the expansion of neural precursor cells derived from human ES cells. Human ES cells were able to differentiate into neural precursor cells upon a stepwise culture condition. Neural precursor cells were propagated up to 5000-fold in cell numbers over 12-week period of culture and evaluated for their characteristics. Expressions of sox1 and pax6 transcripts were dramatically up-regulated along the differentiation stages by RT-PCR analysis. In contrast, expressions of oct4 and nanog transcripts were completely disappeared in neural precursor cells. Expressions of nestin, pax6 and sox1 were also confirmed in neural precursor cells by immunocytochemical analysis. Upon differentiation, the expanded neural precursor cells differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. In immunocytochemical analysis, expressions of type III β-tubulin and MAP2ab were observed. Presence of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were also confirmed by expressions of GFAP and O4, respectively. Results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of long-term expansion of human ES cell-derived neural precursor cells in vitro, which can be a potential source of the cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.