MingDao University

About: MingDao University is a education organization based out in Bitou, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Coating. The organization has 557 authors who have published 903 publications receiving 17915 citations.

Characterization and corrosion resistance of TiZr coating on SS304 stainless steel using cathodic arc evaporation techniques

Abstract: In this study, an alternating titanium and zirconium (TiZr) nano-composite layer is deposited on a SS304 stainless steel surface to improve the corrosion resistance of bare SS304 in an acid environment with and without F ions as well as in a NaCl salt solution using cathodic arc evaporation techniques. The microstructures of this TiZr coating are studied and correlated with corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance of a TiN/ZrN coating, which has an alternating titanium nitride/zirconium nitride (TiN/ZrN) multilayer, is compared with the corrosion resistance of the TiZr coating. The results show that the TiZr coating (layer thickness of 3.66 μm) has a nano-composite structure consisting of alternating Ti and Zr layers with a hexagonal closest-packed (hcp) arrangement. The corrosion rates of SS304 coated with a TiZr layer are much lower than those of uncoated SS304 in H 2 SO 4 with and without F ions as well as in the NaCl salt solution. Additionally, the corrosion resistance of our TiZr coating is better than that of TiN/ZrN, CrN, TiN, TiN/CrN and CrN/Ti coatings and a bulk Ti 25 Zr 75 alloy. The excellent corrosion resistance of the TiZr coating is attributed to the alternating Ti and Zr nano-composite structure with an hcp arrangement, which provides an effective impediment to active corrosive ions during anodic dissolution. Furthermore, the TiZr coating has lower interfacial contact resistance than the SS304, even after corrosion in H 2 SO 4 with F ions, and it offers less surface resistance than the TiN/ZrN coating. This makes the TiZr coating a better protective coating for SS304 bipolar plates.

Degradation of mitochondrial DNA in cryoprotectant-treated hard coral (Echinopora spp.) oocytes.

Abstract: A critical step for successful cryopreservation is to determine the optimal cryoprotectant treatment that can provide protective effects against cryoinjury during freezing and with minimal toxicity. Most cryoprotectants have chemical and osmotic effects when used at high concentrations. Cryoprotectants can damage coral mitochondrial distributions and membrane potentials, which results in reduced ATP production. As mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes for components of the electron transport chain (ETC) and plays a critical role in ATP synthesis capacity, we determined the effects of cryoprotectants on mtDNA in hard coral (Echinopora spp.) oocytes using quantitative real-time PCR. Our results showed that an insult from a cryoprotectant may be compensated for by the genetic defense mechanisms of these cells. Methanol was found to have the least effect on coral oocytes with regard to their energy status. A single oocyte without cryoprotectant treatment produced an average of 4,220,645 ± 169,990 mtDNA copies, which was greater than that in mammals. However, relatively lower mtDNA copy numbers (<2,000,000) were observed when oocytes were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), propylene glycol (PG), ethylene glycol (EG), or glycerol at a concentration of 3 M for 20 min. These results provide direct evidence that hard coral (Echinopora spp.) oocytes are extremely susceptible to cryoprotectants and support the concerns with regard to the adverse effects of cryoprotectants.

Application of Cost- Benefit Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis to Evaluate the Municipal Solid Waste Management Projects in Metro Manila

Abstract: Based on consultations with a municipal solid waste management (MSW) expert group, this study elucidates how governmental officials can solve the problems surrounding municipal solid waste management in Metropolitan-Manila. A crucial related issue is how the expert group can better evaluate MSW solutions and select favorable ones better evaluate and select a favorable MSW solution using a series of criteria. MSW solution selection is a multi-criteria decision-making problem, which requires considering numerous complex criteria. The study applies cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to determine the benefits and cost / input and output technical efficiency of alternative projects, which affords financial data information that evaluators can use for economic decision-making regarding MSW projects. Results of this study suggest that the thermal process technology is less efficient than resource recovery using DEA. Nevertheless, the net benefits of resource recovery exceed those of the thermal process technology by CBA.