Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology

The practical implementation of an anode-free lithium-metal battery with promising high capacity is hampered by dendrite formation and low coulombic efficiency. Most notably, these challenges stem from non-uniform lithium plating and unstable SEI layer formation on the bare copper electrode. Herein, we revealed the homogeneous deposition of lithium and effective suppression of dendrite formation using a copper electrode coated with a polyethylene oxide (PEO) film in an electrolyte comprising 1 M LiTFSI, DME/DOL (1/1, v/v) and 2 wt% LiNO3. More importantly, the PEO film coating promoted the formation of a thin and robust SEI layer film by hosting lithium and regulating the inevitable reaction of lithium with the electrolyte. The modified electrode exhibited stable cycling of lithium with an average coulombic efficiency of ∼100% over 200 cycles and low voltage hysteresis (∼30 mV) at a current density of 0.5 mA cm-2. Moreover, we tested the anode-free battery experimentally by integrating it with an LiFePO4 cathode into a full-cell configuration (Cu@PEO/LiFePO4). The new cell demonstrated stable cycling with an average coulombic efficiency of 98.6% and capacity retention of 30% in the 200th cycle at a rate of 0.2C. These impressive enhancements in cycle life and capacity retention result from the synergy of the PEO film coating, high electrode-electrolyte interface compatibility, stable polar oligomer formation from the reduction of 1,3-dioxolane and the generation of SEI-stabilizing nitrite and nitride upon lithium nitrate reduction. Our result opens up a new route to realize anode-free batteries by modifying the copper anode with PEO to achieve ever more demanding yet safe interfacial chemistry and control of dendrite formation.

The will to circumvent capacity fading, Li dendrite formation, and low coulombic efficiency in anode-free Li-metal batteries (AFLMBs) requires a radical change in the science underpinning new materials discovery, battery design, and understanding electrode interfaces. Herein, a Cu current collector formed with ultrathin multilayer graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was used as an artificial layer to stabilize the electrode interface and sandwich-deposited Li with Cu. A multilayer graphene film's superior strength, chemical stability, and flexibility make it an excellent choice to modify a Cu electrode. Fabricating an anode bigger than the cathode improved the alignment of the electrodes during assembly, minimizing interfacial stress. Here, 19 mm electrodes when paired with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode (mass loading: ∼12 mg cm-2) delivered the first-cycle discharge capacities of 147 and 151 mA h g-1 for bare and multilayer-graphene-protected electrodes, respectively, which could alleviate the big hurdle (initial capacity loss) in anode-free batteries. After 100 round-trip cycles, bare Cu and multilayer-graphene-protected electrodes retained ∼46 and ∼61% of their initial capacities, respectively, in an ether-based electrolyte at the rate of 0.1 C.

Fine and coarse fractions of PM10 (PM2.5 and PM2.5–10, respectively) were collected from January 2003 to December 2007 at an urban Bangkok site (Chatuchak district) and a suburban site (Klongha district, Pathumthani) in Thailand. The filter samples were analyzed for mass, black carbon, and up to 28 elements were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis and Particle–Induced X–ray Emission (PIXE). The long–term database shows that PM mass at the urban area had higher mass, black carbon, and some elements than the one at the suburban area. Furthermore, it is found that mass and elemental concentrations were generally elevated in the coarse fractions whereas black carbon was the major content in fine fractions. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and multiple linear regression were applied to investigate for PM source fingerprints and apportionment. Source contributions and wind direction influence were also examined by use of conditional probability function (CPF) and potential source contribution function (PSCF). The PMF results indicated that major sources contributed to coarse fractions were soil, construction, whereas traffic and biomass burning were the major sources for fine fractions. CPF and PSCF models assisted in determining of the potential locations and/or the preferred pathways of these possible sources.

The present study addresses the differential expression of Spirulina platensis proteins detected during cold-induced stress, analyzed at the subcellular level. In performing differential expression analysis, the results revealed upregulated proteins in every subcellular fraction, including two-component response systems, DNA repair, molecular chaperones, stress-induced proteins and proteins involved in other biological processes such as secretion systems and nitrogen assimilation. The chlorophyll biosynthetic proteins, protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase and ChlI, had unique expression patterns as detected in the thylakoid membrane; the levels of these proteins immediately decreased during the first 45 min of low-temperature exposure. In contrast, their expression levels significantly increased after low-temperature exposure, indicating the relevance of the chlorophyll biosynthesis in Spirulina in response to low-temperature stress in the light condition. In addition, this is the first report in which genome-based protein identification in S. platensis by peptide mass fingerprinting was performed using the database derived from the unpublished Spirulina genome sequence.

This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the effects of functional 2D nanomaterials on the electrochemical sensing performance of SPE-based portable sensors for the rapid, accurate, and on-site determination of CAP in food samples.

To investigate UVB DNA damage response in higher plants, we used a genetic screen to isolate Arabidopsis thaliana mutants that are hypersensitive to UVB irradiation, and isolated a UVB-sensitive mutant, termed suv2 (for sensitive to UV 2) that also displayed hypersensitivity to gamma-radiation and hydroxyurea. This phenotype is reminiscent of the Arabidopsis DNA damage-response mutant atr. The suv2 mutation was mapped to the bottom of chromosome 5, and contains an insertion in an unknown gene annotated as MRA19.1. RT-PCR analysis with specific primers to MRA19.1 detected a transcript consisting of 12 exons. The transcript is predicted to encode a 646 amino acid protein that contains a coiled-coil domain and two instances of predicted PIKK target sequences within the N-terminal region. Fusion proteins consisting of the predicted MRA19.1 and DNA-binding or activation domain of yeast transcription factor GAL4 interacted with each other in a yeast two-hybrid system, suggesting that the proteins form a homodimer. Expression of CYCB1;1:GUS gene, which encodes a labile cyclin:GUS fusion protein to monitor mitotic activity by GUS activity, was weaker in the suv2 plant after gamma-irradiation than in the wild-type plants and was similar to that in the atr plants, suggesting that the suv2 mutant is defective in cell-cycle arrest in response to DNA damage. Overall, these results suggest that the gene disrupted in the suv2 mutant encodes an Arabidopsis homologue of the ATR-interacting protein ATRIP.

Hemoglobin Constant Spring (Hb CS) is a hemoglobin variant with an elongated alpha-globin chain secondary to a chain termination mutation. The diagnosis of HbCS by electrophoresis is difficult because it is present in very low amounts in the red cells of heterozygotes. Selective enzymatic amplification of the alpha 2-globin gene and allele-specific hybridization for Hb CS gene provided accurate diagnosis of Hb Constant Spring. We have used this approach to detect the alpha cs mutation in the cord blood that contained all four alpha-globin genes but had Hb Bart on electrophoresis. The alpha cs mutation was found in six subjects whose Hb Bart levels were 3.0, 3.2, 3.7, 4.0, 4.9, and 9.8%. The latter also had -alpha mutation on the other chromosome, giving rise to the genotype alpha cs alpha/-alpha, which produced high Hb Bart. The gene frequency for alpha cs in the Thai calculated from a total of 406 cord blood studied in Bangkok was found to be approximately 0.008.

Fructose consumption by Americans has increased markedly, whereas Ca(2+) intake has decreased below recommended levels. Because fructose metabolism decreases enterocyte ATP concentrations, we tested the hypothesis that luminal fructose acutely reduces active, diet-inducible Ca(2+) transport in the small intestine. We confirmed that the decrease in ATP concentrations was indeed greater in fructose- compared with glucose-incubated mucosal homogenates from wild-type and was prevented in fructose-incubated homogenates from ketohexokinase (KHK)(-/-) mice. We then induced active Ca(2+) transport by chronically feeding wild-type, fructose transporter glucose transporter 5 (GLUT5)(-/-), as well as KHK(-/-) mice a low Ca(2+) diet and measured transepithelial Ca(2+) transport in everted duodenal sacs incubated in solutions containing glucose, fructose, or their nonmetabolizable analogs. The diet-induced increase in active Ca(2+) transport was proportional to dramatic increases in expression of the Ca(2+)-selective channel transient receptor potential vanilloid family calcium channel 6 as well as of the Ca(2+)-binding protein 9k (CaBP9k) but not that of the voltage-dependent L-type channel Ca(v)1.3. Crypt-villus distribution of CaBP9k seems heterogeneous, but low Ca(2+) diets induce expression in more cells. In contrast, KHK distribution is homogeneous, suggesting that fructose metabolism can occur in all enterocytes. Diet-induced Ca(2+) transport was not enhanced by addition of the enterocyte fuel glutamine and was always greater in sacs of wild-type, GLUT5(-/-), and KHK(-/-) mice incubated with fructose or nonmetabolizable sugars than those incubated with glucose. Thus duodenal Ca(2+) transport is not affected by fructose and enterocyte ATP concentrations but instead may decrease with glucose metabolism, as Ca(2+) transport remains high with 3-O-methylglucose that is also transported by sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 but cannot be metabolized.

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate nutritional programming of carbohydrate metabolism in Nile tilapia. Early nutritional intervention stimulus was achieved by feeding fry with high-protein/low-carbohydrate (HP/LC) or low-protein/high-carbohydrate (LP/HC) diet since first feeding for 4 weeks, and the effect of nutritional stimulus on carbohydrate and its related metabolism was evaluated through the adult stage. Our findings indicated that at week 1, LP/HC diet-fed fry had lower levels of mRNA for genes coding gluconeogenesis and amino acid catabolism and higher levels of hk 2 ( P < 0⋅05). As expected, in adult tilapia, although LP/HC diet-fed fish had poorer growth (end of stimulus), the fish showed compensatory growth. There were permanent effects of early high-carbohydrate (HC) intake on several parameters, including (1) modulating hepatic composition, (2) increased muscle glycogen, (3) lower levels of enzymes involved in amino acid catabolism and (4) higher levels of glycolytic enzymes in glycolysis. Finally, HP/LC diet- and LP/HC diet-fed fish were challenged with different dietary carbohydrate levels. Irrespective of challenging diets, the early HC stimulus had significant effects on adult tilapia by (1) promoting utilisation of glucose, which had protein-sparing effects for better growth, (2) inducting lipogenesis and (3) decreasing amino acid catabolism. Taken together, for the first time, we demonstrated that early HC feeding was effective for positive nutritional programming of metabolism in Nile tilapia (an omnivorous fish). It led to the improvement of growth performance in adult fish associated with early feeding, which is linked to a better ability to use glucose, to induce lipogenesis, and to suppress amino acid catabolism.

The lifetime of a cast-resin transformer mainly depends on the condition of insulation material. Partial discharge (PD) is an important reason for insulation deterioration in cast-resin transformers. Identifying the position of PD is very necessary for damage assessment while the transformer is still operating, and the transformer is covered by housing. This paper proposes the investigation of a cast-resin transformer using an AE sensor and HFCT sensor to specify the precise source of PD. In this study, four AE sensors were used to find PD sources, and the high-frequency current transducer (HFCT) technique was used to identify the PD source and the criteria level. The experiment, in the first two parts, identified the possibility of PD, which includes the position of PD. The final part of the experiment verified the position of the PD source of a cast-resin transformer and confirmed the inspection results. AE and HFCT sensors can be used to detect the location of PD sources, confirming the position of the PD source by sensor detection. In addition, the evident partial discharge picture on the insulator surface of high voltage side. The process successfully and accurately identifies and locates the PD source.

In 2016, the Thai government established a new Act, the Nuclear Energy for Peace Act. As a result, various regulations, requirements, and guidelines regarding radioactive waste (RW) management were established under the Act. The waste management activities conducted by the waste operator were carefully reviewed and demonstrated regulatory compliance. The operator can deal with the waste that currently exists. However, to maintain continuity for the safe and sustainable management of the waste, it is necessary to overcome various challenges, such as the decommissioning of the disused facilities that will be released from regulatory control. The contaminated metals require special attention, because they are increasing rapidly. The use of melting treatment technology and the monitoring of the radioactive contamination in materials might be a solution to reduce the quantities of these metals. The presence of cesium-137 (Cs-137) contaminated dust from steel production factories is a concern due to the large volume. No decision on the management of the dust has been made. However, researchers are now carrying out experiments to determine methods to deal with it. In addition, the operator should consider important issues, such as the development of an additional storage facility to support the decommissioning of waste and the dust waste, and the reuse and recycling of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS). This paper will discuss the aspects of waste disposal, the strategic plans that deal with the challenges, and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs).

as dual crosslinking agents. Rheological studies indicate the formation of a strong gel found to be injectable and exhibit rapid self-healing (within 10 min). The hydrogels also exhibited a high degree of swelling, suggesting potential as wound dressings since the absorption of large amounts of wound exudate, and optimum moisture levels, lead to accelerated wound healing. Andrographolide, an anti-inflammatory natural product is used to fabricate silver nanoparticles, which are characterized and composited with the fabricated hydrogels to imbue them with anti-microbial activity. The nanoparticle/hydrogel composites exhibit activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Burkholderia pseudomallei, the pathogen that causes melioidosis, a serious but neglected disease affecting southeast Asia and northern Australia. Finally, the nanoparticle/hydrogel composites are shown to enhance wound closure in animal models compared to the hydrogel alone, confirming that these hydrogel composites hold great potential in the biomedical field.

Abstract This study examined the weekly water vapour isotopic composition (δ 18 O v ) in Thailand. The water vapour was cryogenically collected from eight sites across the country. Two observational samples were collected over one 24‐h period each week (a daytime and a night‐time sample), from September 2013 to September 2014. The primary aim was to investigate the environmental factors influencing water vapour isotopes. The results revealed differences in water vapour isotopic values between day and night samples. Three periods of depleted δ 18 O v were associated with large‐scale convective systems in September, December, and May. The statistical relationship between the climate variables and water vapour isotopes indicated that the amount of precipitation and relative humidity were the primary controls on both diurnal and seasonal isotopic variability. The temperature did not affect the δ 18 O v , mainly because the atmospheric processes are a function of vertical convection rather than temperature in tropical regions. The water vapour deuterium excess ( d‐ excess) showed greater variability in 2013 than in 2014. The d ‐excess variation reflected the differences in convection occurring in the day and night. In addition, the vapour phase data were combined with the local meteoric water line to identify the local water vapour line and the interaction between the isotopic composition of water vapour and liquid water. The water vapour isotopic patterns paralleled the precipitation isotopes on rainy days because of equilibrium isotopic exchange. Water vapour and precipitation were isotopically similar under low humidity but showed greater differences from each other under wetter conditions. The study results provide insight into water vapour isotopic characteristics in tropical regions and constrain the role of large‐scale atmospheric processes relative to isotopic variability of water vapour in Thailand and nearby countries.

Abstract This study evaluates the historical coastal change and development along the eastern coastline of the Upper Gulf of Thailand between 1953 and 2019 based on a series of aerial photographs and satellite images. Long‐term (~70 years) and short‐term (~10 years) shoreline movement rates were analysed using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS). Results of this analysis indicate that the shoreline along the western coast (WBK) of the Bang Pakong River mouth has undergone severe coastal degradation, with a land loss of about 980 ha over the last seven decades. Meanwhile, the eastern coastline (EBK) has developed continuously over this time span, resulting in a land growth of about 552 ha. Based on historical shorelines recorded since 1954, the shoreline recession along the WBK coast accelerated over five decades. The average shoreline change rate reached approximately −9 m/year in 2002 and is shown to be related to land subsidence, which was due to groundwater withdrawals. The WBK coastline stabilized in 2009 and became an accretionary coast after 2016 due to the introduction of engineered coastal protection measures. In addition, the construction of major dams on the Chao Phraya and Bang Pakong rivers did not result in severe shoreline recession along the WBK coast. A significant reduction in sediment supply to the coastal zone due to damming was not observed. In contrast, the EBK coastline has advanced continuously since 1953, with average growth rates between 0.5 and 7.6 m/year over 50 years as a result of increased riverine sediment supply. Our results also indicate that mangrove deforestation was not a major factor causing shoreline retreat, and mangrove reforestation was not a successful coastal protection approach in this coast.

The newly developed Cs2LiYCl6:Ce crystal with 7Li-enrichment (CLYC7) scintillators had been utilized as a key component in a compact neutron emission spectrometer (CNES) at the Large Helical Device (LHD). The CNES was employed to enhance understanding the slowing-down process of neutral-beam-injected energetic beam deuterons by measuring the Doppler broadening of beam-driven deuterium-deuterium neutrons. In order to assess the detection capabilities in fusion neutron spectroscopy and to gain understanding into the energy spectrum at various neutron energies, a understanding of the response function of the detector across a wide neutron energy range is essential. Therefore, before implementing the CNES at the LHD, the detector was tested at high-performance neutron source facilities to evaluate its response to both thermal and fast neutrons. The detector exhibited excellent pulse shape discrimination properties. However, it also exhibited complexity through the 35Cl(n,p)35S and 35Cl(n,α)32P reactions in the fast neutron measurement. To emphasize the accuracy and reliability of the detector’s response, particularly in the fast neutron energy range, Monte Carlo N-Particle transport simulations were employed. In order to validate the experimental results against the calculations, an energy-dependent quenching factor was determined. This analysis provided a clear understanding of the CLYC7 scintillation detector and its potential in the context of fusion neutron spectroscopy for applications in the LHD and future fusion devices.

We propose a novel method, based on the two-pass z-buffer algorithm, to calculate shadows with sufficient precision and efficiency for rendering a daytime landscape with solar penumbrae. The feature of the proposed method is that the precision of the shadows can be preserved to be superior than that of any visible surface by using the appropriate number of plural shadow buffers; it gives a fairly satisfactory trade-off between computation time and quality of shadows. By using the shadow buffers, before calculating solar illuminance we can divide visible surfaces into three types of fragments, that is, bright regions, umbra regions, and the remaining penumbra regions. Thus, we can efficiently render a daytime landscape with sufficient precision of penumbrae because the algorithm can set the calculation points of solar illuminance variably, with their number depending on the type of region they belong to.

Abstract We examine how import processing time, which is one of the major obstacles in international trade, affects export patterns at the establishment level. Investigating the effect of such time costs on export patterns reveals how smoothness or sluggishness in operations at one stage affects all stages in an international production network. We first discuss the effects of import processing time on exports, export shipment frequency and exports per shipment from a theoretical standpoint. We employ highly detailed customs data for Thailand from 2007 to 2011 to empirically investigate our theoretical predictions. Import processing time is measured using the difference between the dates on which import shipments arrive in ports and when they were released from the container yard. Results suggest that longer import processing times reduce total exports, particularly as a result of decreasing export frequency; this testifies to the importance of time costs in international trade. It is also revealed that negative effects of import processing time on exports per shipment appear in some specific instances, such as in the case of sea transportation. These results imply that the time spent in one stage has significant effects on both upstream and downstream stages in international production networks.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a new indicator derived from reticulocyte hemoglobin (Ret-He) content and red blood cell (RBC) indices for screening for iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in an area in whch thalassemia is prevalent. METHODS: Blood specimens from 304 women aged between 18 and 30 years residing in northeast Thailand were collected and measured for RBC and reticulocyte parameters. Iron deficiency was diagnosed when a participant had a serum ferritin level of less than 15 ng per mL. Thalassemia genotypes were defined by hemoglobin (Hb) and DNA analyses. RESULTS: Of the total participants, 25% had iron deficiency (ID) and 50% carried the thalassemia gene. Various mathematical formulas were established and analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The formula derived from Ret-He: (Ret-He/RDW-SD) × 10, was the best predictor for identifying ID among participants (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.812). Further testing of this indicator among individuals with positive thalassemia-screening results revealed stronger performance with an AUC of 0.874. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the formula derived from Ret-He might be applicable for screening ID in areas in which thalassemia is prevalent.

Cross flow microfiltration with in-line flocculation reduces the fouling of membranes thus leading to high quality product water. A detailed experimental study conducted with an artificial suspension (particle size distribution similar to that of surface water) revealed that the filtration rate can be increased by several times by adopting in-line flocculation. In-line flocculation-microfiltration is therefore an attractive technique to reduce internal clogging while improving the permeate flux significantly. A detailed ultrafiltration (UF) study was conducted with biologically treated sewage effluent with pretreatment by flocculation and powdered activated carbon adsorption. The TOC removal by the NTR 7410 UF membrane alone was 43.6%. The TOC removal increased significantly by the use of pretreatment: 69.3% by flocculation and 91% by flocculation followed by adsorption. The organic colloidal portion (between 3,500 dalton and 0.45 microm) in the biologically treated effluent was removed up to more than 65% by the pretreatment of flocculation. The molecular weight of the biologically treated effluent ranged from 250 to about 3,573 dalton with the highest fraction in the range of 250-845 dalton. By the incorporation of pretreatment, the majority of both large and small molecular weight organic matter was removed. This hybrid system led to practically no filtration flux decline in membrane filtration.

The first phytochemical investigation of the twigs of Phaeanthus lucidus Oliv. resulted in the isolation and identification of four undescribed alkaloids, including two aporphine dimers, phaeanthuslucidines A and B, a hybrid of aristolactam-aporphine, phaeanthuslucidine C, and a C– N linked aporphine dimer, phaeanthuslucidine D, together with two known compounds. Their structures were determined by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data , and by comparison of their spectroscopic and physical data with previous reports. Phaeanthuslucidines A–C and bidebiline E were analysed and resolved by chiral HPLC to yield the ( R a ) and ( S a ) atropisomers , whose absolute configurations were respectively determined by ECD calculations. Phaeanthuslucidines A and B, bidebiline E, and lanuginosine showed α -glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC 50 values in the range of 6.7–29.2 μM. Moreover, molecular docking simulations of α -glucosidase inhibition of active compounds were studied. Phaeanthuslucidines A−D, undescribed dimeric aporphine alkaloids, and two known aporphine alkaloids were isolated from the twig extract of Phaeanthus lucidus Oliv . Phaeanthuslucidines A and B, bidebiline E, and lanuginosine showed α -glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC 50 values in the range of 6.7–29.2 μM. • Four undescribed dimeric aporphine alkaloids were isolated from Phaeanthus lucidus. • Phaeanthuslucidine C was a hybrid of aristolactam-aporphine. • Phaeanthuslucidine D had an N -aryl linkage of a dimeric aporphine alkaloid. • Aporphine alkaloid dimers were successful resolved by chiral-phase HPLC . • Four aporphine alkaloids showed significant α -glucosidase inhibitory activities.