Determination of charge transfer and recombination dynamics in perovskite solar cells

Wydział FizykiNiniejsza rozprawa doktorska jest oparta na serii siedmiu oryginalnych publikacji naukowych skupionych na dynamice transportu ładunków w perowskitowych ogniwach słonecznych, które opublikowane zostały w następujących czasopismach: Chemistry of Materials, Applied Materials and Interfaces, Chemistry-A European Journal, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, RSC Advances, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics i Synthetic Metals. Głównymi celami prezentowanej rozprawy było: zbadanie dynamiki transportu elektronów oraz dziur w różnych mieszankach perowskitowych; zbadanie wpływu warunków, w których są przygotowane warstwy, na działanie ogniw słonecznych; zbadanie wpływu różnych materiałów selektywnie transportujących dziury lub elektrony na transport ładunku w ogniwie (włączając te w normalnej jak i odwróconej konfiguracji) oraz korelacja parametrów makroskopowych ogniwa perowskitowego z dynamiką ultraszybkich procesów. Zaprezentowane w niniejszej rozprawie doktorskiej badania przyczyniły się do zrozumienia transportu ładunków w perowskitowych ogniwach słonecznych oraz mogą pomóc w zrozumieniu i dalszym rozwoju nieemisyjnych źródeł energii elektrycznej.The presented thesis is based on a series of seven original papers, focused on charge transport dynamics in the perovskite solar cells, published in the following journals: Chemistry of Materials, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Chemistry-A European Journal, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, RSC Advances, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics and Synthetic Metals. The undertaken research work was aimed at characterization of the electron and hole dynamics in different composition perovskite material, determination of the effects of preparation conditions on solar cells operation, evaluation of the influence of different hole or electron transporting materials (including those in normal and inverted configuration) on the charge transfer in perovskite solar cells, and the correlation of the macroscopic parameters of the solar cells with ultrafast processes dynamics. The presented work contributed to understanding of charge transport in perovskite solar cells and might help to understand and further develop non-carbon-emissive electric current sources.The National Science Centre Poland (Narodowe Centrum Nauki) financial support under project number 2016/23/N/ST5/00070 (2017 – 2021) the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego) under project “Diamentowy Grant” number DIA2016 001946 (2017 – 2022

Family under the infl uence of a disease as a stressor

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationIllness, especially sudden and chronic, is not a problem just a sick person. Experiencing the whole family and it is always an event the entire family system. This can cause signifi cant changes in its structure and functioning. There are restrictions normal activities, family or professional. Followed by the need to take new actions related to submission to the healthcare system. The disease requires learning new unknown function, especially nursing. It also causes the abandonment of certain goals in life, or to modify them. There is no doubt that the demands placed on the family adaptation to the disease are an important source of stress

Activity of beavers as an ecological factor that affects the benthos of small rivers - a case study in the Żylica River (Poland)

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) has a greater impact on local ecosystems than other herbivores, and the affected area exceeds the range of its presence. Its activity may change or create new habitats by modifying the availability of the biotic and abiotic resources available not only to beavers, but also to other groups of animals. Our aim was to study how beaver activity affects the benthos composition in a small river and in a beaver pond. The way in which beavers function in the case of small rivers has received little attention. The study showed a lower density of benthos above the dam (beaver pond - 1467 ind./m2) compared to the river (3147 ind./m2). Below the dam, the diversity of Trichoptera and Coleoptera was greater, while Diptera were more abundant in the beaver pond. Betidae were a constant component in the benthos assemblages and were most abundant in the beaver pond. Collectors-gatherers and predators were the most numerous in the beaver pond. Decreasing percentages of collectors-gatherers were observed with an increased abundance of collectors-filterers and shredders in the river. All of the ratio values except the P/T FFG (Predators to total of all other groups) were lower in the beaver pond compared to the river. The % EPT (Ephemeroptera Plecoptera and Trichoptera) was also greater in the beaver pond. Small differences in the physicochemical properties of the water and organic matter content in the bottom sediments were found both above and below the beaver dam

Humor appreciation in 10-year-olds: the influence of affective disposition towards cartoon protagonists and their status in dominance hierarchy

Badanie miało charakter eksploracyjny. Jego celem było sprawdzenie przewidywań dyspozycyjnej teorii humoru. W badaniu wzięło udział 34 uczniów klasy IV szkoły podstawowej. Składało się ono z dwóch etapów. W pierwszej fazie przeprowadzono badanie socjometryczne w celu ustalenia relacji sympatii i antypatii między poszczególnymi członkami grupy. W fazie drugiej badanym prezentowano zestaw dowcipów, z których połowa przedstawiała dziecko poniżające dorosłego, a połowa dorosłego poniżającego dziecko. W jednej grupie badanych dziecko występujące w dowcipie utożsamiano z łubianym, a w drugiej - z nie łubianym kolegą osoby badanej. Następnie dzieci były proszone o ocenę zabawności dowcipu. Za najbardziej zabawną badani uznali sytuację, w której dorosły poniżał dziecko łubiane. Mniej zabawne w ich ocenie były sytuacje, gdy dziecko łubiane poniżało dorosłego, dalej - gdy dziecko nielubiane poniżało dorosłego. Najmniej zabawna okazała się sytuacja, gdy dorosły poniżał dziecko nielubiane. Ponadto dowcipy, w których występowały dzieci łubiane, były oceniane jako znacząco bardziej zabawne, niż dowcipy, których bohaterami były dzieci nielubiane, niezależnie od tego czy były one ofiarami czy prześladowcami

The sexuality and the quality of life of women examined to 18 months and 5 years after the surgery on the mastectomy – comparative analysis

Publikacja recenzowana / Peer-reviewed publicationAim. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the disease (breast cancer) and treatment on sexuality patients after mastectomy as part of the project „Sexuality women after mastectomy,” N N404 165640. Materials and methods. Examined were 120 women, fi rstly 18 months and then again 5 years after radical mastectomy. To investigate their sexual satisfaction and quality of life, self-prepared surveys and standardized questionnaires such as HADS, SQoL-F, QLQBR23 and QLQ-C30 were used. Results. On the basis of these studies it has been shown that breast cancer aff ects the sexuality and the quality of life of women both 18 months and fi ve years after radical mastectomy. The sexuality of women 18 months after the surgery has been defi ned as less severe than that in the case of women fi ve years after the surgery. Both groups of women agreed that the most important aspect to them is the emotional contact. A similar level of perceived anxiety and depression have been found among the respondents

Enrichment of maternal diet with conjugated linoleic acids influences desaturases activity and fatty acids profile in livers and hepatic microsomes of the offspring with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a] antracene- induces mammary tumors

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of diet supplementation of pregnant and breastfeeding female Sprague-Dawley rats with conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) on the Δ6- and Δ5-desaturase activity in hepatic microsomes as well as on fatty acids profile and lipids peroxidation in liver and hepatic microsomes of the progeny with chemically induced mammary tumors. Rats were divided into two groups with different diet supplementation (vegetable oil (which did not contain CLA) or CLA). Their female offspring was divided within these groups into two subgroups: (1) ñ fed the same diet as mothers (K1 ñ oil, O1 ñ CLA), and (2) ñ fed the standard fodder (K2, O2). At 50th day of life, the progeny obtained carcinogenic agent (7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene). Higher supply of CLA in diet of mothers resulted in lower susceptibility to chemically induced mammary tumors in their offspring (p = 0.0322). It also influenced the fatty acids profile in livers and in hepatic microsomes, especially polyunsaturated n3 and n6 fatty acids. CLA inhibited the activity of the desaturases, which confirmed that CLA can reduce the level of arachidonic acid directly, reducing linoleic acid content in membranes, or indirectly, through the regulation of its metabolism. We were unable to confirm or deny the antioxidative properties of CLA. Our results indicate that the higher supply of CLA in mothersí diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding causes their incorporation into tissues of children, changes the efficiency of fatty acids metabolism and exerts health-promoting effect in their adult life reducing the breast cancer risk

Lifestyle and the risk of acute coronary event: a retrospective study of patients after myocardial infarction

IntroductionUnhealthy lifestyle behaviours that may contribute to the development of disorders leading to MI include consuming foods with a high glycaemic load and excessive supply of saturated fats, especially trans fats. Limiting the consumption of simple and refined carbohydrates, such as sweets, sweet drinks, white bread, or white pasta, has a positive effect on the lipid profile by lowering the concentration of triglycerides. Eliminating simple sugars, especially fructose, prevents the deposition of visceral adipose tissue.Materials and methodsThe study included 116 patients of the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases in Zabrze (SCCS; Poland), with their average age being 59.45 ± 11.54 years, staying in the SCCS due to MI, from March to November 2022. The comprehensive assessment of diet quality included 72 patients: 15 women and 57 men. The research tool was the KomPAN questionnaire for examining dietary views and habits, developed by the Committee on Human Nutrition Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences, evaluating the diet in the year preceding the study. The following three indicators were used to assess the diet quality: pro-Healthy Diet Index (pHDI), non-Healthy Diet Index (nHDI) and Diet Quality Index (DQI).ResultsMost patients ate white wheat bread several times a day (39.66% of patients, with a higher percentage in men than in women – 42.35% vs. 32.26%), and white rice, fine-ground groats and pasta once a week (40.52% of patients, including 41.17% of men and 38.71% of women). Legume seeds were predominantly eaten 1–3 times a month (51.73% of responses, with comparable percentages of men and women, i.e., 51.76% vs. 51.62%), vegetables several times a week (42.25% of responses, including more women than men, i.e., 54.84% vs. 37.64%), and fruit once a day (40.52% of responses, including more men than women: 45.89% vs. 25.81%).ConclusionThe results of our assessment of individual behaviours of the whole group may indicate errors in the diet. The value of the pro-Healthy Diet Index appears to confirm this fact, while the non-Healthy Diet Index and Diet Quality Index values do not clearly demonstrate its potential adverse impact on health. These limitations of our study may be due to differences in the size of the study population and the size of the population included in the comprehensive diet assessment. Therefore, it seems necessary to conduct further research

The Drunk Utilitarian Revisited: Does Alcohol Really Increase Utilitarianism in Moral Judgment?

The “drunk utilitarian” phenomenon suggests that people are more likely to accept harm for the greater good when they are under the influence of alcohol. This phenomenon conflicts with the ideas that (1) acceptance of pro-sacrificial harm requires inhibitory control of automatic emotional responses to the idea of causing harm and (2) alcohol impairs inhibitory control. The current preregistered experiment aimed to provide deeper insights into the effects of alcohol on moral judgments by using a formal modeling approach to disentangle three factors in moral dilemma judgments and by distinguishing between instrumental harm and impartial beneficence as two distinct dimensions of utilitarian psychology. Despite the use of a substantially larger sample and higher doses of alcohol compared to the ones in prior studies, alcohol had no significant effect on moral judgments. The results pose a challenge to the idea that alcohol increases utilitarianism in moral judgments

Przezustna miotomia endoskopowa (POEM) — nowy standard w leczeniu achalazji?

Achalazja, czyli kurcz wpustu, jest rzadką przewlekłą, czynnościową chorobą polegającą na wzmożonym ciśnieniu dolnego zwieracza przełyku, jego upośledzonej relaksacji i utracie prawidłowej perystaltyki przełyku. Objawia się dysfagią, bólem w klatce piersiowej, regurgitacją oraz wtórną do tych objawów utratą masy ciała. Diagnostyka achalazji opiera się na kontrastowym badaniu przełyku oraz manometrii wysokiej rozdzielczości. Na podstawie tego ostatniego badania wyróżniono trzy typy achalazji, a także inne typy zaburzeń czynnościowych przełyku. Do niedawna „złotym standardem” w leczeniu achalazji była miotomia laparoskopowa z fundoplikacją. Inne stosowane metody to rozszerzanie pneumatyczne balonami o dużych średnicach lub, w wybranych przypadkach, iniekcje toksyny botulinowej w okolicę dolnego zwieracza przełyku. Nową metodą leczenia achalazji jest przezustna miotomia endoskopowa (POEM). Cechuje się ona mniejszą inwazyjnością oraz podobną skutecznością i profilem bezpieczeństwa co miotomia laparoskopowa. Dzięki tym zaletom technika POEM rozpowszechniła się w ostatnich latach w wielu ośrodkach klinicznych na świecie i w niedługiej przyszłości może stać się metodą z wyboru w leczeniu achalazji