Next-generation technology starts with iodine
Tatsuo Kaiho in Iodine Made Simple, 2017
As concerns grow over global warming caused by burning fossil fuels and the safety of nuclear power generation, expectations for photovoltaic cells which use the inexhaustible energy of the sun have increased. In particular, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) have gained attention as low-cost, next-generation solar cells due to their simple structure, inexpensive materials, and manufacturing process. In 1991, Professor Gratzel of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, developed DSSC comprised of electrodes where a ruthenium metal complex is adsorbed to porous titanium oxide, iodine-based electrolytic solution, and platinum counter electrodes. This triggered active research worldwide, and now, improvements have been led to a conversion efficiency exceeding 11% [59a,b].
Introduction: Investigative tools *
Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse in Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
These ambitious goals are designed to produce the complementary and interlinked objectives of human health protection and improvement through the reduction of microbial and toxic hazards from water and the parallel protection of aquatic ecosystems. This is also essential to the delivery of sustainable ecosystem services which are vital for societies worldwide requiring: (i) assimilation and purification of pollutants; (ii) flood protection; (iii) maintenance of biodiversity; and (iv) sufficient quantity of clean water for industrial processes including cooling, irrigation of crops and hydro-power generation.
Outdoor Emissions
William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel in Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 4, 2017
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a product of incomplete combustion. Its main sources are combustion processes from vehicles, heating, coal-fired power generation, and biomass burning.78 Carbon monoxide is produced in larger amounts if combustion is not efficient (i.e., a poorly tuned engine), in colder weather or at high altitudes.79 Carbon monoxide has an atmospheric half-life of 1–2 months and can also travel for thousands of kilometers away from its source98 just as ozone can.
Bipedal hopping as a new measure to detect subtle sensorimotor impairment in people with multiple sclerosis
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2022
Megan C. Kirkland, Katie P. Wadden, Michelle Ploughman
Power consists of two components that are important contributors to hopping performance: muscle strength and speed of contraction. Propelling the body forward while simultaneously lifting both feet off the ground requires concentric contraction of the hip extensors, knee extensors, and ankle plantar flexors [90]. Coordination of contraction and amount of work performed at each joint is dependent on the depth of countermovement (eccentric phase), with deep countermovement placing greater reliance on hip extensor contraction and shorter requiring greater work from ankle plantar flexors [144]. Lifting the entire body weight from the ground requires greater strength than gait [145]. Speed of muscle contraction is also an important constituent of power generation. Using EMG, kinematic, and kinetic data, Aeles et al. demonstrated that the stretch-shortening cycle at the level of the joint (rapid countermovement), medial gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit, and tendon (series-elastic element) were key components in driving quicker contraction speeds and thus more power for a hop [146]. Type II muscle fibers are important for producing this type of quick power burst [147]. Reduction in power, either by weakness or slow contraction speed, is measurable through the BHT as a shorter hop length. Hop length can be measured on an instrumented walkway such as the Protokinetic Walkway (Havertown, PA) as the distance from the midline of the feet to the midline of the subsequent hop, corrected for height (Figure 1). In people with MS, Kirkland et al. showed that people with mild MS had shorter hop lengths than control subjects [37].
Funding for radiation research: past, present and future
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2019
Kunwoo Cho, Tatsuhiko Imaoka, Dmitry Klokov, Tatjana Paunesku, Sisko Salomaa, Mandy Birschwilks, Simon Bouffler, Antone L. Brooks, Tom K. Hei, Toshiyasu Iwasaki, Tetsuya Ono, Kazuo Sakai, Andrzej Wojcik, Gayle E. Woloschak, Yutaka Yamada, Nobuyuki Hamada
A sustainable human society, climate and environment all depend on reliable and clean energy production. It has been suggested that nuclear power generation appears to be indispensable for low carbon future on Earth. The radiation protection system, therefore, needs to evolve from the current hypothesis-based system (e.g. the use of a linear-non-threshold hypothesis) to a more knowledge-based system. Generation of such knowledge should be the goal of future studies in low-dose radiation biology. Public perception of radiation is also a psychosocial factor that requires scientific understanding. Following these needs, in 2018, the COG initiated a strategic research program on low-dose research and public perception of low-dose risks. This program will be undertaken in collaboration between the CNL, the Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina Centre for the Study of Science and Innovation Policy (CSIP) Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and the University of Ottawa. The initial budget of the program is CAD > 1 M, which is also open to additional funding and collaborations.
Correlation Between Air Quality Index and Tear Film Lipid Layer Thickness: Comparison Between Patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome and with Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Published in Current Eye Research, 2023
He Wang, Hui Jia, Jiaxin Han, Zhaowei Zhang, Xiaoyue Yin, Ning Mu, Yanan Zhu, Mingxin Li
According to the changing trend of AQI, the degree of air pollution in Xuzhou has obvious seasonality. The air pollution in winter and spring is heavier, and the air pollution in summer and autumn is relatively light. Judging from the absolute value of AQI, the number of weeks with AQI lower than 100 at the excellent/good level accounts for about half of the whole year. This seasonal variation of atmospheric pollutant concentrations is basically consistent with that reported by Sha et al.37 in Xuzhou from 2016 to 2019. Xuzhou is a traditional heavy industry base with abundant coal reserves, it is also one of the areas with serious air pollution in China. Thermal power generation is widely used for heating in winter, in addition, winter and spring are often less windy and humid, which is not conducive to the diffusion of air pollutants, which may explain the seasonal variation of AQI.
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