Device optimization Based on Electrical and Optical Simulation of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) Aluminium Based Microacavity Organic Light Emitting Diode (MOLED)

OLED has emerged as a potential candidate for applications in display devices due to its prominent advantages in size, brightness and wide viewing angle. Following our previous work, where optical analysis of the OLED has been documented1 we present in this work detailed examination optical and electrical analysis of the performance of an OLEDs based on two organic layers: N,N'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine (NPB) as the hole transport layer and tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium (Alq3) as the emitting layer, and two metallic mirrors. Our optical model fully takes into account dispersion in glass substrate, organic layers as well as the dispersion in metal contacts/mirrors. Influence of the incoherent transparent glass substrate is also accounted for. Two metal contacts Ag and Cu have been considered for anode and cathode respectively. For the hole transport layer NPB was used. The OLED structure is examined as a function of: thickness of the organic layers, and position of the hole transport layer/Alq3 interface. In order to obtain better agreement with EL experimental data, electrical models was developed in conjunction with the existing optical model to facilitate accurate optimisation of the OLED structure. The electrical model developed considers the metal contact as Schottky contact, the carrier mobility is taken to be field dependent with the Poole-Frenkel-like form and Langevin recombination model is used. The carrier transport was simulated using one-dimensional time-independent drift-diffusion model using device simulation software ATLAS.2 Finally, the optimised devices were fabricated and characterised and experimental and calculated optical emission spectra were compared together with results obtained from electrical transport model

Revealing copper contamination at the Penang industrial area by using Malaysian mussel watch approach.

Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Fe, Pb and Zn were determined in the four different parts of soft tissues and shells of Perna viridis collected from 6 geographical sites in the Straits of Malacca in 2005. All the 6 metal concentrations except for Cu were considered low and comparable to those reported in the literature. The Cu concentrations found in the Penang population was found to be extremely elevated and exceeding the ranges for most reported studies as well as safety guidelines, which may be derived from a variety of industrial activities at Penang industrial area. Therefore, the consumption of mussels collected from the intertidal water adjacent to Penang Industrial Area should be given a special caution since human consumption on the mussels could pose toxicological risk of Cu. The present study showed that the Penang coastal water was receiving industrial effluents as a point source of Cu pollution as indicated by the elevated concentration of Cu in the different soft tissues of P. viridis

Electrical and Optical Simulation of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) Aluminium-Based Microcavity Organic Light Emitting Diode (MOLED)

A detailed examination of the emitted radiation spectrum from tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq) based OLEDs on optical and electrical models have been presented. The OLED structure is examined as a function of choice of anode material and position of the NPB/Alq interface. The simulation results have been compared to those obtained from experiments, showing good agreement in both electrical and optical characteristics. The enhancement in light emission by aligning antinode of the stand wave pattern with effective carrier recombination region has been observed

Modelling of atmospheric boundary layer: Generation of shear.

Roughness length, z0 and friction velocity, u* are the defining parameters of wind log profile that must be matched in wind tunnel simulation. To fully understand the role of these parameters, the basics and review from the primitive equations and its relation to the logarithmic profile obtained for wind tunnel conditions were discussed. The problem of roughness, although well known, still needs to be addressed more rigorously especially when determining values of z0 and u* from wind tunnel data and their relation to the roughness element geometry. A review of classic literature and new published material were carried out, focusing on the applicability to wind tunnel modelling

Six-minute walk distance after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with medical therapy in ischaemic cardiomyopathy

Background: In patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction, coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) may decrease mortality, but it is not known whether CABG improves functional capacity. Objective: To determine whether CABG compared with medical therapy alone (MED) increases 6 min walk distance in patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction and coronary artery disease amenable to revascularisation. Methods: The Surgical Treatment in Ischemic Heart disease trial randomised 1212 patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction to CABG or MED. A 6 min walk distance test was performed both at baseline and at least one follow-up assessment at 4, 12, 24 and/or 36 months in 409 patients randomised to CABG and 466 to MED. Change in 6 min walk distance between baseline and follow-up were compared by treatment allocation. Results: 6 min walk distance at baseline for CABG was mean 340±117 m and for MED 339±118 m. Change in walk distance from baseline was similar for CABG and MED groups at 4 months (mean +38 vs +28 m), 12 months (+47 vs +36 m), 24 months (+31 vs +34 m) and 36 months (−7 vs +7 m), P>0.10 for all. Change in walk distance between CABG and MED groups over all assessments was also similar after adjusting for covariates and imputation for missing values (+8 m, 95% CI −7 to 23 m, P=0.29). Results were consistent for subgroups defined by angina, New York Heart Association class ≥3, left ventricular ejection fraction, baseline walk distance and geographic region. Conclusion: In patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction CABG compared with MED alone is known to reduce mortality but is unlikely to result in a clinically significant improvement in functional capacity

Cavity Design and Optimization for Organic Microcavity OLEDs

We report on detailed simulations of the emission from microcavity OLEDs consisting of widely used organic materials, n,N'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N'-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB) as a hole transport layer and tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) as emitting and electron transporting layer. The thick silver film was considered as a top mirror, while silver or copper films on quartz substrate were considered as bottom mirrors. The electroluminescence emission spectra, electric field distribution inside the device, carrier density and recombination rate were calculated as a function of the position of the emission layer, i.e. interface between NPB and Alq3. In order to achieve optimum emission from a microcavity OLED, it is necessary to align the position of the recombination region with the antinode of the standing wave inside the cavity. Once the optimum structure has been determined, the microcavity OLED devices were fabricated and characterized. The experimental results have been compared to the simulations and the influence of the emission region width and position on the performance of microcavity OLEDs was discussed

Joint testing of genotypic and gene-environment interaction identified novel association for BMP4 with non-syndromic CL/P in an Asian population using data from an International Cleft Consortium

Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is a common disorder with complex etiology. The Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 gene (BMP4) has been considered a prime candidate gene with evidence accumulated from animal experimental studies, human linkage studies, as well as candidate gene association studies. The aim of the current study is to test for linkage and association between BMP4 and NSCL/P that could be missed in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) when genotypic (G) main effects alone were considered.We performed the analysis considering G and interactions with multiple maternal environmental exposures using additive conditional logistic regression models in 895 Asian and 681 European complete NSCL/P trios. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that passed the quality control criteria among 122 genotyped and 25 imputed single nucleotide variants in and around the gene were used in analysis. Selected maternal environmental exposures during 3 months prior to and through the first trimester of pregnancy included any personal tobacco smoking, any environmental tobacco smoke in home, work place or any nearby places, any alcohol consumption and any use of multivitamin supplements. A novel significant association held for rs7156227 among Asian NSCL/P and non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) trios after Bonferroni correction which was not seen when G main effects alone were considered in either allelic or genotypic transmission disequilibrium tests. Odds ratios for carrying one copy of the minor allele without maternal exposure to any of the four environmental exposures were 0.58 (95%CI = 0.44, 0.75) and 0.54 (95%CI = 0.40, 0.73) for Asian NSCL/P and NSCLP trios, respectively. The Bonferroni P values corrected for the total number of 117 tested SNPs were 0.0051 (asymptotic P = 4.39*10(-5)) and 0.0065 (asymptotic P = 5.54*10(-5)), accordingly. In European trios, no significant association was seen for any SNPs after Bonferroni corrections for the total number of 120 tested SNPs.Our findings add evidence from GWAS to support the role of BMP4 in susceptibility to NSCL/P originally identified in linkage and candidate gene association studies

A BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS FOR PROFICIENT AND LESS-PROFICIENT SUBJECTS FOR SOCCER HEADING

Soccer is one of the most popular sports and is played and watched by millions of people around the world. In heading the players intentionally strike the ball using his head; therefore it is essential to instruct them in a proper manner how to do it optimally. Our results showed that lower and upper body had a significant difference between the proficient and less proficient subjects. For upper body kinematics, the proficient subjects exerted lesser elbow angles (47.8" (1.9) than the less-proficient (58.7"(3.5)). In the case of lower bdy kinetics, the proficient subjects exerted greater ankle moment (l.g(O.2) NmlKg) than less proficient subjects (1.5(0.3)Nm/Kg). With the results obtained it became possible to create particular training programs on how to perform a skill better and therefore result in an improvement of their ability

Towards pain-free diagnosis of skin diseases through multiplexed microneedles: biomarker extraction and detection using a highly sensitive blotting method

Immunodiagnostic microneedles provide a novel way to extract protein biomarkers from the skin in a minimally invasive manner for analysis in vitro. The technology could overcome challenges in biomarker analysis specifically in solid tissue, which currently often involves invasive biopsies. This study describes the development of a multiplex immunodiagnostic device incorporating mechanisms to detect multiple antigens simultaneously, as well as internal assay controls for result validation. A novel detection method is also proposed. It enables signal detection specifically at microneedle tips and therefore may aid the construction of depth profiles of skin biomarkers. The detection method can be coupled with computerised densitometry for signal quantitation. The antigen specificity, sensitivity and functional stability of the device were assessed against a number of model biomarkers. Detection and analysis of endogenous antigens (interleukins 1α and 6) from the skin using the device was demonstrated. The results were verified using conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The detection limit of the microneedle device, at ≤10 pg/mL, was at least comparable to conventional plate-based solid-phase enzyme immunoassays