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Solar photocatalytic fuel cell using CdS–TiO2 photoanode and air-breathing cathode for wastewater treatment and simultaneous electricity production
No full textSolar photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) is a promising technology for environmental-friendly wastewater treatment and simultaneous production of electricity. In this study, PFC was enhanced by using CdS quantum-dot-sensitized TiO2 nanorod array deposited onto FTO glass as effective photoanode. Moreover, gas diffusion electrode was employed to improve oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode. The material characterization shows that an array of 1.2-μm TiO2 nanorods is decorated with 10-nm CdS quantum dots, which significantly improve solar light harvesting ability. The results of the PFC performance study indicate that light irradiation, acetic acid concentration, electrolyte pH and conductivity have significant influence on the short-circuit current and maximum power density. When the PFC operates at the optimum pH of 4.6, the short-circuit current and maximum power density are 1.79 mA/cm2 and 1134 mW/cm2, respectively. It is found that increasing the electrolyte conductivity is an effective approach to improve the PFC performance. The highest short-circuit current of 5.1 mA/cm2 and maximum power density of 3980 mW/cm2 are obtained with electrolyte having a conductivity of 63.1-mS/cm. In addition, the test results of various pure and practical organic substances in PFC further suggest that it is feasible to use sunlight as a driving force to clean up wastewater with simultaneous electricity production
Professional guide to water seepage investigation, diagnosis, testing & reporting in residential buildings
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An in vitro study of Sanchi (Panax pseudoginseng) for its DNA protective effect
No full textPanax pseudoginseng (Shachi) are well known for their antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to explore Sanchi extracts, potential protection of human cellular DNA from oxidative challenge induced by hydrogen peroxide in vitro. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Shachi were incubated with human lymphocytes from 1×10-2% to 1×10-7% (w/v) for 30 mins. Pre-treated cells were then stressed with 50 μM hydrogen peroxide. Washed cells were subjected to the standard and the lysed cell comet assays. Results showed that water extracts of Sanchi at specific concentrations were able to diminish human DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide in both standard and lysed cell comet assays. No effect was observed in ethanolic extract. More pronounced protective effect in lysed cell comet assay model implied cell membrane limited the availability of active ingredients of Sanchi to nucleus
SEM image of Candida albicans biofilms on plastic coupons
No full textCandida is a genus of human fungal opportunistic pathogens implicated in localized infections of the oral mucosa, and oral colonization has been associated with pneumonia [1] and sepsis [2]. Candida is the fourth leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients [3]. Approximately 80% of infections are associated with biofilm formation, and Candida in biofilms demonstrate increased resistance to antifungal therapies [4,5]. Fungal biofilms were prepared on custom-made, pre-sterilized coupons. An inoculum of Candida albicans was transferred onto the coupons and incubated for 1.5 h at 37oC with agitation. After the adhesion phase, the coupons were washed twice, fresh YNB medium added, and further incubated for 24 h at 37oC. Thereafter, the coupons were washed twice and placed in 1% osmium tetroxide for 1 h. Samples were subsequently washed with distilled water, dehydrated in a series of ethanol solutions (70% for 10 min, 95% for 10 min and 100% for 20 min), and air-dried overnight in a desiccator prior to sputter coating with gold (JFC1 100; JEOL). The surface topographies of the C. albicans biofilms were viewed with a scanning electron microscope (Philip XL30CP)
Higher education in Macau: Challenges, dilemmas, and prospects
No full textMacau, one of the smallest territories in Asia with a population of only 0.6 million istransforming its higher education system unobtrusively after its sovereignty was returned to China in1999. The Basic Law states that Macau is authorised to exercise a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049. In recent years, Macau’s higher education system has undergone many significant changes with a speed and pattern never seen before in any other small territories in the world. Thisdevelopment has generated a significant amount of new human and social capital for Macau andenhanced its overall competitiveness in the region
Evaluating students\u27 correlation graphing capability using SOLO taxonomy
No full textMany students often fail to accomplish correlation graphing tasks beyond scatterplot construction. This hinders students’ capability of performing subsequent regression modelling tasks. Hence, a qualitative analysis of students’ correlation graphing capability should be performed in order to identify which parts of correlation graphing they cannot fully grasp so as to be reinforced. To perform the analysis, an assessment instrument, the SOLO taxonomy of correlation graphing capability was derived from the SOLO taxonomy of Biggs and Collis (1982) consisting of five levels of achievement: Prestructural, Unistructural, Multistructural, Relational and Extended Abstract. A random sample of twenty-three students studying in tertiary level was drawn to attempt seven questions on an individual basis in a test that was conducted in a computing laboratory. Questions 1-2, 3-5 and 6-7 were used to evaluate how much students understand the given data regarding relations between variables, statistical relations between variables and functional relations between variables respectively. After the SOLO analysis has been performed, the findings reveal information about which tasks students cannot accomplish and why they cannot accomplish. These findings therefore should be able to inform teachers especially novices to think how to structure the teaching and learning activities and enhance students’ understanding of specific areas in correlation graphing they cannot fully grasp
Design for the ingenuity of ageing: new roles of designers in democratic innovation
No full textInspired by concepts from the Participatory Design discourse such as the idea of design process as Things (Ehn 2008 and Binder et al 2011) and the concept of agonistic democracy (Bjorgvinsson et al, 2010), we have engaged a community of over 7000 retired academics who are actively ageing on their university campus in China through a variety of methods since 2011. We call this a reflexive ethnographic study with these ingenious older people and it focuses on how they designed their lives, the Ingenuity of Ageing. A research team composed of design researchers and a sociologist; we have investigated how designers accomplish infrastructuring and the mobilisation of participation in design. From our intensive interaction with this ingenious group, we found important new roles for designers as triggers/activists. Regarding the ways of deliberating people’s value in design processes, we employed Ricoeur’s ideas of utopia and ideology as the key concept guiding the design of our ongoing experiment, the Scientist Study. This study engages a community of retired scientists who are actively exploring possibilities in their third age, on their university campus in China. After building trust based on a one-year engagement, we have revisited the situation to refine how participation should work with the critical task of designers, i.e. transfer people’s ingenuity into insights for democratic innovation that could improve lives for our future selves
最高明的中醫就是您自己: 養生湯水篇
No full text再高明的中醫，都不能只見你幾面就完全了解你的體質，亦不能天天陪着你，處處提點你。事實上，最能每時每刻觀察你，理解你，設法保護你的人，也就是你自己。 中醫給你不錯的養生保健和治療的建議，但求診者必須具備基本的中醫知識才能做到有效溝通：一方面曉得表達身體狀況，另方面能準確理解中醫的意見，有效實踐才能充分發揮中醫的效用。 此書以《最高明的中醫 就是你自己》作為藍本，重新編訂為「養生湯水篇」，載有超過40個湯譜，能有效治理按體質分型的都市常病。本書從小毛病說起，如感冒、咳嗽、腹瀉等，到以性別分型的經痛和脫髮，至慢性疾病如高血壓、糖尿病等，足夠照顧每個家庭所需。 作者以淺白的日常用語解釋中醫學的理念，教你在日常生活中運用中醫思維，保養身心健康