Improving performance of lead halide perovskites solar cells (PSC) by nanoparticles (NPs) with localized surface-plasmon resonances is one of the most actively developing direction in modern ...photovoltaics. For this purpose, we propose to use simple and cheap way for NPs fabrication based on laser ablation of gold target in liquid, which can be added in any layer of PSC. By using these NPs we improve CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) perovskite-based solar cells performance from 17.7 to 18.6% via the increase of fill factor and voltage at zero current. The chosen concentration of Au NPs in the devices does not raise parasitic absorption, whereas the external quantum efficiency grows in all working distance of PCS. The proposed method can be simply implemented for PSCs with various compositions and architectures.
Microfinance has become a staple of modern development policy as a means to facilitate anything from gender equality to growth. It can facilitate the sharing of health-related information among ...parents, promote the bargaining power of women in the household, aid in the development of important health-related infrastructure, and help households smooth consumption in the wake of unexpected economic shocks. Using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (1993–2000), we find that the presence of microfinance institutions in communities significantly improves the health of children.
► New hybrid materials, containing 99.5% PANI and 0.5% filler, were developed. ► Conductive and insulating fillers led to hybrids with similar conductivity to PANI. ► Both hybrids showed up to 50% ...enhancement in wear resistance compared to PANI. ► A 0.5% of filler leads up to 10% increment in glass transition temperature. ► Conductivity dependence with reaction time does not change for PANI hybrids.
Hybrid materials were developed via in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline in presence of 0.5wt% of nano-/micro-particles. Polymerization was carried out in hydrochloric acid (HCl) medium. Four types of particles were used (aluminum powder 140mesh, carbon nanotubes and quartz dust in two sizes, 400 and 140mesh). Polyaniline and hybrid materials were characterized by spectroscopic techniques (UV–Vis, FT-IR), thermal analyses (TGA, DSC), morphological studies (FE-SEM); electrical conductivity and wear resistance measurements.
The most promising hybrids were obtained by the incorporation of aluminum (140mesh) or quartz 400mesh powders. In both cases, electrical conductivity was similar to the one measured for PANI but up to 40% higher wear resistance.
The technique of High Dose Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (HDR-IORT) consists in the delivery of irradiation immediately following the removal of a cancerous mass, where the same incision is used ...to direct the radiation to the tumour bed. Given its particular characteristics, IORT requires dose measurements that are different from those requested in external radiotherapy treatments. The main reason lies in the fact that in this case a single high dose must be delivered to a target volume whose extension and depths will be determined directly during the operation. Since the possibility of devising a treatment plan using a TPS (Treatment Planning System) is not available, it is necessary to know the physical and geometric characteristics of the beam. Defining the physical characteristics of the beam entails both measuring the delivered dose and defining (monitoring) procedures. In any case a much higher dose will be released than occurs with conventional external accelerators. The ionization chamber recommended by the standard protocols for radiotherapy cannot be used because of the ion recombination inside the gas. In this work we propose the use of a calorimetric phantom, the Dosiort, to measure the beam properties. We describe the main characteristics and some preliminary results of the Dosiort System, which is proposed within the framework of a research project of the INFN (Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics). The set-up is a solid phantom of density approaching 1 g/cm 3 with sensitive layers of scintillating fibres at fixed a position in a calorimetric configuration for the containment of electrons of energy 4-12 MeV. The prototype will be able to define the physical and geometrical characteristics of the electron beam (energy, isotropy, homogeneity, etc) and to measure the parameters needed to select the energy, the intensity and the Monitor Units (MU) for the exposition: Percentage Depth Dose; Beam profiles; Isodose curves; Values of dose for MU.
BPD is a chronic respiratory disease in premature infants, leading to impaired lung development and greater risk of developing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Lung sections were analysed for ...alveolar size and number, for perivascular collagen by Masson Trichrome (as a marker of fibrosis), and for а-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) and endothelin receptor-A (ETa) expression by immunohistochemistry (as markers of increased contraction).
Edible films made with gellan (deacylated) gum to carry
l-(+)-ascorbic acid (AA) were formulated either in mixture with gellan acylated form or by addition of calcium ion. AA-stability and the ...subsequent non-enzymatic browning (NEB) development were evaluated during storage at 33.3%, 57.7% or 75.2% relative humidity and 25
°C. Presence of acyl-side chains in the gellan backbone led to a less rigid macromolecular network of the polymer mixture, which allowed lowering glycerol content, obtaining higher AA retention and lower NEB development with adequate mechanical characteristics of films. Otherwise, additional calcium presence in deacylated gellan film slowed down the browning development at the highest relative humidity of storage (75.2%). In general, it was observed an accelerating effect of local moisture mainly on non enzymic browning reactions, as well as the compromise of the film water content in plasticization of the polymeric networks when stored at 33.3% or 57.7% relative humidity.
We performed the polymerization of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATA), an insulator material, in acidic aqueous solution with ammonium persulfate, as oxidant agent. The new material, conveniently doped, ...turned out to be a semiconductor tetramer. The characterization was carried out using physical and spectroscopic techniques (elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy,
1H NMR,
13C NMR and mass spectra). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that this oligomer enhances thermal stability of starting material. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the synthesized oligomer (OATA) was 3.1
×
10
−4
S
cm
−1.
The kinetic polymerization was analyzed by UV–vis spectroscopy, taking into account the pH dependence, monomer–oxidant ratio and monomer concentration. A possible polymerization mechanism was proposed.
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