Enhancement of dielectric barrier layer properties by sol-gel and PECVD stacks

Thin-film PV modules grown on flexible, light weight, thermally stable and low cost substrates such as stainless steel foil, are an attractive product for solar market applications. When metal foils are used as substrate, it is essential to deposit a dielectric barrier layer to isolate electrically and chemically the thin-film solar cells front the substrate. In this work, SiOx stacks deposited on ‘rough’ stainless steel by a combination of a new sol-gel formulation and a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) deposition step are reported as a suitable dielectric barrier layer candidate. Using these SiOx multilayers, a smooth and homogeneous film was achieved. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that back contact of the solar cell (based on Molybdenum) is not affected by the presence of the barrier layer. Moreover, according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) measurements, this approach led to excellent barrier layer properties against the diffusion of impurities from the stainless steel. A complete electrical characterization of these dielectric barrier layers was also carried out showing good electrical insulation.European Union RFSR-CT-2014-0001

Automated Design of Salient Object Detection Algorithms with Brain Programming

Despite recent improvements in computer vision, artificial visual systems' design is still daunting since an explanation of visual computing algorithms remains elusive. Salient object detection is one problem that is still open due to the difficulty of understanding the brain's inner workings. Progress on this research area follows the traditional path of hand-made designs using neuroscience knowledge. In recent years two different approaches based on genetic programming appear to enhance their technique. One follows the idea of combining previous hand-made methods through genetic programming and fuzzy logic. The other approach consists of improving the inner computational structures of basic hand-made models through artificial evolution. This research work proposes expanding the artificial dorsal stream using a recent proposal to solve salient object detection problems. This approach uses the benefits of the two main aspects of this research area: fixation prediction and detection of salient objects. We decided to apply the fusion of visual saliency and image segmentation algorithms as a template. The proposed methodology discovers several critical structures in the template through artificial evolution. We present results on a benchmark designed by experts with outstanding results in comparison with the state-of-the-art.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figure

Calcium-dependent oligomerization of CAR proteins at cell membrane modulates ABA signaling

[EN] Regulation of ion transport in plants is essential for cell function. Abiotic stress unbalances cell ion homeostasis, and plants tend to readjust it, regulating membrane transporters and channels. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the second messenger Ca2+ are central in such processes, as they are involved in the regulation of protein kinases and phosphatases that control ion transport activity in response to environmental stimuli. The identification and characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of ABA and Ca2+ signaling pathways on membrane function are central and could provide opportunities for crop improvement. The C2-domain ABA-related (CAR) family of small proteins is involved in the Ca2+-dependent recruitment of the pyrabactin resistance 1/PYR1like (PYR/PYL) ABA receptors to the membrane. However, to fully understand CAR function, it is necessary to define a molecular mechanism that integrates Ca2+ sensing, membrane interaction, and the recognition of the PYR/PYL interacting partners. We present structural and biochemical data showing that CARs are peripheral membrane proteins that functionally cluster on the membrane and generate strong positive membrane curvature in a Ca2+-dependent manner. These features represent a mechanism for the generation, stabilization, and/or specific recognition of membrane discontinuities. Such structures may act as signaling platforms involved in the recruitment of PYR/PYL receptors and other signaling components involved in cell responses to stress.A.A. and J.A.M. thank the European Syncrotron Radiation Facility and EMBL for access to the synchrotron radiation source. This work was funded by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) Grants BFU2014-59796-R (to A.A.), BFU2011-28184-C02 (to M.J.S.-B.), and BIO2014-52537-R (to P.L.R.) and Comunidad de Madrid Grant S2010/BMD-2457 (to A.A and M.M.). M.J.S.-B. is supported by Ramon y Cajal Contract RYC-2008-03449 from MINECO and M.D. by a fellowship from Senacyt-Ifarhu. Access to the High Throughput Crystallization facility at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Grenoble was supported by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme through the Protein Production Platform project (P-CUBE) Grant 227764.Diaz, M.; Sanchez-Barrena, MJ.; Gonzalez Rubio, JM.; Rodríguez Solovey, LN.; Fernández, D.; Antoni-Alandes, R.; Yunta, C.... (2016). Calcium-dependent oligomerization of CAR proteins at cell membrane modulates ABA signaling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113(3):E396-E405. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1512779113SE396E4051133Serrano, R., & Rodriguez-Navarro, A. (2001). 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Activation of the plasma membrane Na/H antiporter Salt-Overly-Sensitive 1 (SOS1) by phosphorylation of an auto-inhibitory C-terminal domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(6), 2611-2616. doi:10.1073/pnas.1018921108Núñez-Ramírez, R., Sánchez-Barrena, M. J., Villalta, I., Vega, J. F., Pardo, J. M., Quintero, F. J., … Albert, A. (2012). Structural Insights on the Plant Salt-Overly-Sensitive 1 (SOS1) Na+/H+ Antiporter. Journal of Molecular Biology, 424(5), 283-294. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2012.09.015Ohta, M., Guo, Y., Halfter, U., & Zhu, J.-K. (2003). A novel domain in the protein kinase SOS2 mediates interaction with the protein phosphatase 2C ABI2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(20), 11771-11776. doi:10.1073/pnas.2034853100Xu, J., Li, H.-D., Chen, L.-Q., Wang, Y., Liu, L.-L., He, L., & Wu, W.-H. (2006). A Protein Kinase, Interacting with Two Calcineurin B-like Proteins, Regulates K+ Transporter AKT1 in Arabidopsis. Cell, 125(7), 1347-1360. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2006.06.011Geiger, D., Scherzer, S., Mumm, P., Marten, I., Ache, P., Matschi, S., … Hedrich, R. (2010). Guard cell anion channel SLAC1 is regulated by CDPK protein kinases with distinct Ca2+affinities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(17), 8023-8028. doi:10.1073/pnas.0912030107Brandt, B., Brodsky, D. E., Xue, S., Negi, J., Iba, K., Kangasjarvi, J., … Schroeder, J. I. (2012). Reconstitution of abscisic acid activation of SLAC1 anion channel by CPK6 and OST1 kinases and branched ABI1 PP2C phosphatase action. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(26), 10593-10598. doi:10.1073/pnas.1116590109Rodriguez, L., Gonzalez-Guzman, M., Diaz, M., Rodrigues, A., Izquierdo-Garcia, A. C., Peirats-Llobet, M., … Rodriguez, P. L. (2014). C2-Domain Abscisic Acid-Related Proteins Mediate the Interaction of PYR/PYL/RCAR Abscisic Acid Receptors with the Plasma Membrane and Regulate Abscisic Acid Sensitivity in Arabidopsis. 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The single-subunit RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase RSL1 targets PYL4 and PYR1 ABA receptors in plasma membrane to modulate abscisic acid signaling. The Plant Journal, 80(6), 1057-1071. doi:10.1111/tpj.12708Larsen, J. B., Jensen, M. B., Bhatia, V. K., Pedersen, S. L., Bjørnholm, T., Iversen, L., … Stamou, D. (2015). Membrane curvature enables N-Ras lipid anchor sorting to liquid-ordered membrane phases. Nature Chemical Biology, 11(3), 192-194. doi:10.1038/nchembio.1733Demir, F., Horntrich, C., Blachutzik, J. O., Scherzer, S., Reinders, Y., Kierszniowska, S., … Kreuzer, I. (2013). Arabidopsis nanodomain-delimited ABA signaling pathway regulates the anion channel SLAH3. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(20), 8296-8301. doi:10.1073/pnas.1211667110Guerrero-Valero, M., Ferrer-Orta, C., Querol-Audi, J., Marin-Vicente, C., Fita, I., Gomez-Fernandez, J. C., … Corbalan-Garcia, S. (2009). 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Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe