Tandem Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on TCO-less Back Contact Bottom Electrodes

Mechanically stacked and series connected tandem dye sensitized solar cells (T-DSSCs) are fabricated in novel architectures. The architecture consist of TCO tandem DSSCs stacked with TCO-less back contact DSSCs as bottom electrodes (TCO-less tandem DSSCs). Resulting TCO-less tandem DSSCs architecture finds its usefulness in efficient photon harvesting due to improved light transmission and enhanced photons reaching to the bottom electrodes. The fabricated tandem performance was verified with visible light harvesting model dyes D131 and N719 as a proof of concept and provided the photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.06% under simulated condition. Introduction of panchromatic photon harvesting by utilizing near infrared light absorbing Si-phthalocyanine dye in combination with the modified tandem DSSC architecture led to enhancement in the PCE up to 7.19%.India-Japan Expert Group Meeting on Biomolecular Electronics & Organic Nanotechnology for Environment Preservation (IJEGMBE 2015), December 23-26, 2015, Fukuoka, Japa

Examining the positioning of pillows on an air mattress-Evaluation of muscle stiffness in the upper limbs and thorax and subjectivesymptoms-

本研究は枕のあて方の違いならびに同一の枕のあて方による臥床開始時と臥床開始 30 分後の上肢・胸部の筋の硬さと自覚症状の違いを比較し、エアマットレス臥床時に最適な枕のあて方を明らかにすることを目的とした。　20 歳代の健康成人 10 名を対象とし、準実験研究を行った。操作変数は枕のあて方3 種類（肩口まで、耳孔まで、枕なし）とし、観察変数は大胸筋・上腕二頭筋・上腕三頭筋・総指伸筋における筋の硬さおよび自覚症状とした。筋の硬さとしてエラストグラフィを用いて Strain ratio を算出した。自覚症状として頭部から腰部の疲労感、苦痛の程度等を 5 段階で評価した。対象者はエアマットレス上で仰臥位となり、臥床開始時と 30 分後にデータを収集した。　臥床開始時の上腕二頭筋の硬さは、肩口まで、耳孔までが枕なしと比較して有意に低値であり、総指伸筋の硬さは、耳孔までが肩口まで、枕なしと比較して有意に低値であった。臥床開始時の苦痛の程度は肩口までが耳孔までと比較して有意に低値であり、首の痛み・痺れ・疲労感は臥床開始時、30 分後ともに耳孔までが肩口まで、枕なしと比較して有意に高値であった。臥床開始 30 分後には、全ての枕のあて方で開始時よりも自覚症状の点数が増加していた。以上より、肩口までがエアマットレス臥床時の枕のあて方として望ましいことが明らかとなった。また、看護師は臥床時間が 30 分間であっても苦痛が増強することを念頭に置き、ケアを行う必要がある。This study was performed to examine stiffness of the muscles of the upper limbs and thorax and subjective symptoms immediately and 30 minutes after positioning of pillows on an air mattress.　Ten healthy subjects participated in the study. We examined the effects of three pillow positions （around the shoulders, by one ear, and no pillow） on subjective evaluation of pectoralis major, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and musculus extensor digitorum stiffness. Muscle stiffness was measured as strain ratio determined by elastography with a diagnostic ultrasound imaging system. The subjective symptoms evaluated were the degrees of fatigue, pain, hypesthesia and a feeling of shear of the pillow, and others. The subjects lay in the supine position on an air mattress, and data were collected after 0 and 30 minutes. 　At the initial time point, the stiffness of the biceps brachii was significantly lower when pillows were placed around the shoulders or at one ear than when there was no pillow. The stiffness in the musculus extensor digitorum at 0 minutes was significantly lower when pillows were placed at one ear than when placed around the shoulders or when no pillow was used. However, the degrees of neck fatigue, pain, and hypesthesia at 0 and 30 minutes was higher when the pillow was placed at the ear compared with other positions; the degree of distress at 0 minutes was also significantly higher when the pillow was placed at the ear than when placed around the shoulders. The degree of subjective symptoms was higher in all positions after 30 minutes compared to the initial time point. 　Based on these results, it is recommended to place pillows around the shoulders when lying on an air mattress. Nurses should consider the fatigue of patients lying on an air mattress for at least 30 minutes

Neuropathology and cognitive dysfunction after early hypoglycaemia

Hypoglycaemia is the most common metabolic problem in neonatal medicine, occurring during the first days of life and usually resolving within the same time frame. However, some neonates and infants experience severe and recurrent episodes of hypoglycaemia, the most common aetiologies being congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) and ketotic hypoglycaemia (KH). Children with CHI are at risk of lasting brain injury, while children with KH are considered to be protected from adverse sequelae owing to the presence of ketone bodies during hypoglycaemia. This thesis investigated the neuropsychological and neuroimaging profiles of these two patient groups in neurologically normal school-aged children. Thirty-one patients with CHI and twenty-one patients with KH participated in the study alongside a cohort of healthy controls. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests revealed specific impairments in attention and motor skills in both patient groups, with additional impairments observed in children with CHI. Automated and manual measurements of subcortical volumes, as well as whole brain analyses (voxel based morphometry and tract based spatial statistics) were conducted. Compared to controls, patients with CHI have reduced volume of subcortical structures, as well as extensive white matter volume loss (accompanied by decreased intracranial volume) and reduced white matter integrity across the entire brain. Patients with KH did not significantly differ from controls on any brain measures, but the only significant difference between patient groups was in thalamic and intracranial volumes. Integrity of subcortical structures and white matter was found to be predictive of scores in memory, motor skills and attention. This study is the first to show the extent of brain abnormality as a result of CHI in neurologically normal children. Furthermore, the finding that both patient groups share a similar cognitive profile refutes the notion that children with KH are protected from adverse sequelae. The implications of these findings are discussed

Fabrication of Electron Passes in Nano-TiO₂ Layer by High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel Method for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Necking among titania nanoparticles in porous titania layers of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) was carried out by the collision of nanoparticles in a very fast gas flow of more than 1000–1500 m/s. where the substrate was held in an ambient atmosphere. The rapid gas flow was obtained by a high velocity oxy-fuel method (HVOF) operated at an intermediate temperature. The photovoltaic performance of a cell prepared by the HVOF method was slightly lower than that of DSCs fabricated by a conventional method involving coating-baking processes. The slightly low efficiency was explained by the small dye load and slightly lower electron diffusion coefficient in a porous titania layer. The time needed for fabricating a nanoporous titania layer (10 ×10 cm2) by the HVOF method was only a few minutes and was extremely shortened from the 2 h needed in the case of conventional coating and heating processes, which demonstrates that the HVOF method is useful for necking titania nanoparticles within an extremely short time. </jats:p

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Consisting of 3D-Electrodes—A Review: Aiming at High Efficiency From the View Point of Light Harvesting and Charge Collection

Directions to high efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) are reviewed in terms of light harvesting and charge collection. Three dimensional DSCs characterized by a double dye layer electrode, a floating electrode, and a fiber type electrode are proposed. The potentiality of each structure was discussed by using each model cell. Transparent conductive layerless electrodes were the key structures in these cells. Fabrication processes and fundamental performances are reported. Finally, it is concluded that dyes having high photoconversion efficiency in the near IR and IR regions are essential for realizing these tandem and hybrid cells.</jats:p

MOESM2 of Metabolic engineering of the 2-ketobutyrate biosynthetic pathway for 1-propanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Additional file 2. Double deletion of metabolic pathways competing with 1-propanol production in YPH499