Multi-layered hydrogenated p-type microcrystalline silicon windows for a-Si:H thin film solar cells on opaque substrates

Lee, Y.J.,Lee, S.H.,Schropp, R.E.I.,Lee, K.S.,Lim, J.W.,Yun, S.J. Pergamon Press 2016 International journal of hydrogen energy Vol.41 No.15

<P>The effects of multi-layered p-type microcrystalline (mu c-) Si:H windows on the performance of substrate-type amorphous Si:H thin film solar cells on opaque substrates were investigated. The results were well explained in terms of H-2-plasma-induced damage (HPID) at the p/i-interface and the near-interface region of the light-absorbing layer. The mu c-Si:H was deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition in a H-2-rich atmosphere. A high microcrystalline volume fraction was obtained with a high H-2 dilution ratio, which can cause considerable HPID. Cell efficiency was enhanced with a multi-layered p-type mu c-Si:H composed of films with low and high crystalline volume fraction, compared to cells with single-layered mu c-Si:H. In the multi-layered p-type mu c-Si:H, the low crystalline film was placed on an i-Si:H layer to reduce HPID. The present work demonstrated that HPID was reduced at the p/i-interface and the near-interface region of the light-absorbing layer, and that the quality of the p-type mu c-Si:H needs to be a significant consideration to achieve high efficiency. Copyright (C) 2016, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</P>

Selection for Duration of Fertility and Mule Duck White Plumage Colour in a Synthetic Strain of Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

H.C. Liu,J.F. Huang,S.R. Lee,H.L. Liu,C.H. Hsieh,C.W. Huang,M.C. Huang,C. Tai,J.P. Poivey,R. Rouvier,Y.S. Cheng 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.5

A synthetic strain of ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) was developed by introducing genes for long duration of fertility to be used as mother of mule ducklings and a seven-generation selection experiment was conducted to increase the number of fertile eggs after a single artificial insemination (AI) with pooled Muscovy semen. Reciprocal crossbreeding between Brown Tsaiya LRI-2 (with long duration of fertility) and Pekin L-201 (with white plumage mule ducklings) ducks produced the G0. Then G1 were intercrossed to produce G2 and so on for the following generations. Each female duck was inseminated 3 times, at 26, 29, and 32 weeks of age. The eggs were collected for 14 days from day 2 after AI. Individual data regarding the number of incubated eggs (Ie), the number of fertile eggs at candling at day 7 of incubation (F), the total number of dead embryos (M), the maximum duration of fertility (Dm) and the number of hatched mule ducklings (H) with plumage colour were recorded. The selection criterion was the breeding values of the best linear unbiased prediction animal model for F. The results show high percentage of exhibited heterosis in G2 for traits to improve (19.1% for F and 12.9% for H); F with a value of 5.92 (vs 3.74 in the Pekin L-201) was improved in the G2. Heritabilities were found to be low for Ie (h2 = 0.07±0.03) and M (h2 = 0.07±0.01), moderately low for Dm (h2 = 0.13±0.02), of medium values for H (h2 = 0.20±0.03) and F (h2 = 0.23±0.03). High and favourable genetic correlations existed between F and Dm (rg = 0.93), between F and H (rg = 0.97) and between Dm and H (rg = 0.90). The selection experiment showed a positive trend for phenotypic values of F (6.38 fertile eggs in G10 of synthetic strain vs 5.59 eggs in G4, and 3.74 eggs in Pekin L-201), with correlated response for increasing H (5.73 ducklings in G10 vs 4.86 in G4, and 3.09 ducklings in Pekin L-201) and maximum duration of the fertile period without increasing the embryo mortality rate. The average predicted genetic response for F was 40% of genetic standard deviation per generation of selection. The mule ducklings’ feather colour also was improved. It was concluded that this study provided results for a better understanding of the genetics of the duration of fertility traits in the common female duck bred for mule and that the selection of a synthetic strain was effective method of improvement.

Effect of Anodic Gas Compositions on the Overpotential in a Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

Lee C.G.,Kim D.H.,Hong S.W.,Park S.H.,Lim H.C. The Korean Electrochemical Society 2006 한국전기화학회지 Vol.9 No.2

Anodic overpotential has been investigated with gas composition changes in a $100cm^2$ class molten carbonate fuel cell. The overpotential was measured with steady state polarization, reactant gas addition (RA), inert gas step addition (ISA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods at different anodic inlet gas compositions, i.e., $H_2:CO_2:H_2O=0.69:0.17:0.14\;atm\;and\;H_2:CO_2:H_2O=0.33:0.33:0.33\;atm$, at a fixed $H_2$ flow rate. The results demonstrate that the anodic overpotential decreases with increasing $CO_2\;and\;H_2O$ flow rates, indicating the anode reaction is a gas-phase mass-transfer control process of the reactant species, $H_2,\;CO_2,\;and\;H_2O$. It was also found that the mass-transfer resistance due to the $H_2$ species slightly increases at higher $CO_2\;and\;H_2O$ flow rates. EIS showed reduction of the lower frequency semi-circle with increasing $H_2O\;and\;CO_2$ flow rate without affecting the high frequency semi-circle.

Coumarins reduce biofilm formation and the virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Lee, J.H.,Kim, Y.G.,Cho, H.S.,Ryu, S.Y.,Cho, M.H.,Lee, J. G. Fischer 2014 Phytomedicine Vol.21 No.8

E. coli O157:H7 is the most common cause of hemorrhagic colitis, and no effective therapy exists for E. coli O157:H7 infection. Biofilm formation is closely related to E. coli O157:H7 infection and constitutes a mechanism of antimicrobial resistance. Hence, the antibiofilm or antivirulence approach provides an alternative to antibiotic strategies. Coumarin and its derivatives have a broad range of biological effects, and in this study, the antibiofilm activities of nine coumarins were investigated against E. coli O157:H7. Coumarin or umbelliferone at 50μg/ml was found to inhibit biofilm E. coli O157:H7 formation by more than 80% without affecting bacterial growth. Transcriptional analysis showed that coumarins repressed curli genes and motility genes in E. coli O157:H7, and these findings were in-line with observed reductions in fimbriae production, swarming motility, and biofilm formation. In addition, esculetin repressed Shiga-like toxin gene stx2 in E. coli O157:H7 and attenuated its virulence in vivo in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. These findings show that coumarins have potential use in antivirulence strategies against persistent E. coli O157:H7 infection.

On the zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) membrane for hydrogen separation from simulated biomass-derived syngas

Yin, H.,Lee, T.,Choi, J.,Yip, A.C.K. Elsevier 2016 Microporous and mesoporous materials Vol.233 No.-

<P>Hydrogen separation from biomass-derived syngas is a critical step in the utilization of gasification technology. Compared with the traditional methods, membrane technology provides an effective and low-cost solution for adjusting the gas composition and collecting H-2 in syngas environments. In this study, a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)-based membrane, which is a potential candidate for H-2 separation from biomass-derived syngas, was successfully fabricated through the seeded (secondary) growth method and the subsequent post-treatments. The prepared ZIF-8 membrane exhibited a modest H-2 separation performance for H-2/CO2 and H-2/CO, with separation factors of 4.95 and 6.08, respectively, and a H-2 permeance of 7.81 x 10(-8) mol m(-2) s(-1) Pa-1 at 200 degrees C in the simulated biomass-derived syngas environments (H-2/CO2/CO) with the presence of steam. In particular, the H-2/CO2 and H-2/CO separation factors were increased by 36% and 97%, respectively, with respect to those obtained through bare supports. Despite the promising H2 perm-selectivity, the H-2/CO2 and H-2/CO separation factors of ZIF-8 membranes at 200 degrees C under water-containing syngas environments were maintained up to 10 h but the longer exposure led to the gradual degradation and eventual reduction toward those of bare supports after 15 h seemingly due to the water-involved membrane degradation. This study provides the availability and limitation of ZIF-8 membranes for H-2 separations in stimulated biomass-derived syngas environments. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</P>

A multi-virus detectable microfluidic electrochemical immunosensor for simultaneous detection of H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9 virus using ZnO nanorods for sensitivity enhancement

Han, J.H.,Lee, D.,Chew, C.H.C.,Kim, T.,Pak, J.J. Elsevier Sequoia 2016 Sensors and actuators. B Chemical Vol.228 No.-

This paper describes a multi-detectable and nano-flow immunosensor based on ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown on the inner surface of PDMS sensor region for sensing H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9 influenza viruses simultaneously using electrochemical method. Nanostructured ZnO NRs with a high isoelectric point (IEP ~9.5) tend to interact electrostatically with proteins with lower IEP such as H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9 antibodies. ZnO NRs were hydrothermally grown on the upper inner surface of the nano-flow PDMS sensor region. The forementioned three influenza viruses were successfully detected from three separate sensing regions by measuring the oxidation current of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugated on capture antibody of those influenza viruses when proper potential was applied. The proposed immunosensors were evaluated using 1pg/ml, 10pg/ml, 100pg/ml, 1ng/ml, and 10ng/ml of H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9 antigens by amperometry. These immunosensors showed high selectivity toward H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9, which was successfully confirmed by distinguishing the target virus individually from a mixture of three virus antigens. A low limit of detection was demonstrated by detecting as low as 1pg/ml of each virus and it is believed that this was possible by enhancing the sensitivity with the ZnO NRs grown on the PDMS surface in the sensing region. The steady-state oxidation current output linearly increased with respect to the logarithm of the H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9 virus concentrations in the range of 1-10ng/ml.

Experimental infection of mandarin duck with highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N8 and H5N1) viruses

Kang, H.M.,Lee, E.K.,Song, B.M.,Heo, G.B.,Jung, J.,Jang, I.,Bae, Y.C.,Jung, S.C.,Lee, Y.J. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co 2017 Veterinary microbiology Vol.198 No.-

<P>A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 virus was first detected in poultry and wild birds in South Korea in January 2014. Here, we determined the pathogenicity and transmissibility of three different clades of 1-15 viruses in mandarin ducks to examine the potential for wild bird infection. H5N8 (Glade 2.3.4.4) replicated more efficiently in the upper and lower respiratory tract of mandarin ducks than two previously identified H5N1 virus clades (clades 2.2 and 2.3.2.1). However, none of the mandarin ducks infected with H5N8 and H5N1 viruses showed severe clinical signs or mortality, and gross lesions were only observed in a few tissues. Viral replication and shedding were greater in H5N8-infected ducks than in H5N1-infected ducks. Recovery of all viruses from control duck in contact with infected ducks indicated that the highly pathogenic H5 viruses spread horizontally through contact. Taken together, these results suggest that H5N8 viruses spread efficiently in mandarin ducks. Further studies of pathogenicity in wild birds are required to examine possible long-distance dissemination via migration routes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

Effect of pre-annealing on the phase formation and efficiency of CZTS solar cell prepared by sulfurization of Zn/(Cu,Sn) precursor with H₂S gas

Lee, J.H.,Choi, H.J.,Kim, W.M.,Jeong, J.H.,Park, J.K. Association for Applied Solar Energy ; Elsevier Sc 2016 SOLAR ENERGY -PHOENIX ARIZONA THEN NEW YORK- Vol.136 No.-

The effect of pre-annealing on the phase formation behavior and efficiency of CZTS thin film solar cell prepared by sulfurization of sputtered Zn/(Cu,Sn) metal precursor with H<SUB>2</SUB>S gas was investigated. Precursor with stacking structure of Zn/(Cu,Sn) was deposited by sputtering of Cu, Zn, and Sn metal targets. The depth profile of metal elements and cell efficiency of the sulfurized CZTS films with H<SUB>2</SUB>S were observed to be critically dependent on the pre-annealing conditions. For the CZTS film prepared by sulfurization in N<SUB>2</SUB>-5vol.% H<SUB>2</SUB>S at 550<SUP>o</SUP>C after pre-annealing at 350<SUP>o</SUP>C in Ar, segregation of SnS phase at the surface region was observed to be pronounced. When the pre-annealing was performed at 350<SUP>o</SUP>C in N<SUB>2</SUB>-5vol.% H<SUB>2</SUB>S, however, uniform depth profile of metal elements with a small amount of CuS phase was observed. The CuS phase was disappeared with increase in the pre-annealing temperature in N<SUB>2</SUB>-5vol.% H<SUB>2</SUB>S. The phase formation behavior influenced by pre-annealing condition was observed to affect solar cell performance of the CZTS thin film synthesized at 550<SUP>o</SUP>C in N<SUB>2</SUB>-5vol.% H<SUB>2</SUB>S. In contrast to the CZTS thin film prepared with pre-annealing at 350<SUP>o</SUP>C in Ar showing bad efficiency (~0.93%), the CZTS solar cells fabricated with pre-annealing at 450<SUP>o</SUP>C in H<SUB>2</SUB>S shows higher efficiency of 3.04%. By the optimization of Zn layer thickness, solar cell efficiency of 4.40% was obtained in the CZTS thin film prepared with pre-annealing at 450<SUP>o</SUP>C in N<SUB>2</SUB>-5vol.% H<SUB>2</SUB>S. This phenomenon was due to the change in the secondary phase formation behavior during sulfurization of the Zn/(Cu,Sn) metal precursor with various pre-annealing conditions.

돼지 H-FABP 유전자의 다형성 및 경제 형질과의 연관성 구명

최봉환,김태헌,이지웅,조용민,이혜영,조병욱,정일정 한국동물자원과학회 2003 한국축산학회지 Vol.45 No.5

The purpose of this study was to detect association between genetic variation and economic trait in the porcine heart type fatty acid-binding protein gene as a candidate gene for the traits related with growth and meat quality in pigs. The H-FABP is a 15-kDa protein expressed in several tissues with high demand for fat metabolism such as cardiac and skeletal muscle and lactating mammary gland. H-FABP is small intracellular protein involved in fatty acid transport from the plasma membrane to the site of β-oxidation and/or triacylglycerol or phospholipid synthesis. In this study, H-FABP PCR-RFLP was performed in F_(2) population composed of 214 individuals form an intercross between Korean Native Boars and Landrace sows. PCR products form tow primer sets within H-FABP gene were amplified in 850bp and 700bp. Digestion of PCR products with the restriction digestion enzymes HaeⅢ and Hinf Ⅰ, revealed fragment length polymorphisms(RFL. Ps). The genotype frequencies from H-FABP/HaeⅢ was .29 for genotype DD, .53 for genotype Dd, and .15 for genotype dd, respectively. The genotype frequencies of HH, Hh, and hh from H-FABP(hinf Ⅰ was .38, .41, and .20, respectively, in the population.Relationships between their genotypes and economic traits were estimated. In H-FABP/HaeⅢ locus, there were specific genotypes(Dd and dd) associated with economic traits such as body weight. In H-FABP/Hinf Ⅰ Iocus, Genotypes of HH and Hh associated with growth traits such as body weights at 5, 12, and 30 week of age (p<.05 or p<.001) and back fat thickness, body fat including abdominal and trimmed fat (p<.001) and intramuscular fat(p<.05). The 'H'allele was positivecly associated with gaining of body weight and fatness deposition. In conclusion, a significant association of the H-FABP gene from its genetic variation was found on body weight, intramuscular fat and backfat thickness.

Evaluation of the zoonotic potential of a novel reassortant H1N2 swine influenza virus with gene constellation derived from multiple viral sources

Lee, J.H.,Pascua, P.N.Q.,Decano, A.G.,Kim, S.M.,Park, S.J.,Kwon, H.I.,Kim, E.H.,Kim, Y.I.,Kim, H.,Kim, S.Y.,Song, M.S.,Jang, H.K.,Park, B.K.,Choi, Y.K. Elsevier Science 2015 INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION Vol.34 No.-

In 2011-2012, contemporary North American-like H3N2 swine influenza viruses (SIVs) possessing the 2009 pandemic H1N1 matrix gene (H3N2pM-like virus) were detected in domestic pigs of South Korea where H1N2 SIV strains are endemic. More recently, we isolated novel reassortant H1N2 SIVs bearing the Eurasian avian-like swine H1-like hemagglutinin and Korean swine H1N2-like neuraminidase in the internal gene backbone of the H3N2pM-like virus. In the present study, we clearly provide evidence on the genetic origins of the novel H1N2 SIVs virus through genetic and phylogenetic analyses. In vitro studies demonstrated that, in comparison with a pre-existing 2012 Korean H1N2 SIV [A/swine/Korea/CY03-1½012 (CY03-1½012)], the 2013 novel reassortant H1N2 isolate [A/swine/Korea/CY0423/2013 (CY0423-12/2013)] replicated more efficiently in differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial cells. The CY0423-12/2013 virus induced higher viral titers than the CY03-1½012 virus in the lungs and nasal turbinates of infected mice and nasal wash samples of ferrets. Moreover, the 2013 H1N2 reassortant, but not the intact 2012 H1N2 virus, was transmissible to naive contact ferrets via respiratory-droplets. Noting that the viral precursors have the ability to infect humans, our findings highlight the potential threat of a novel reassortant H1N2 SIV to public health and underscore the need to further strengthen influenza surveillance strategies worldwide, including swine populations.