Rutile TiO2 films as electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cell

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method and deposited on ITO-coated glass substrates. The effects of different heat treatment annealing temperatures on the phase composition of TiO2 films and its effect on the optical band gap, morphological, structural as well as using these layers in P3HT:PCBM-based organic solar cell were examined. The results show the presence of rutile phases in the TiO2 films which were heat-treated for 2 h at different temperatures (200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C). The optical properties of the TiO2 films have altered by temperature with a slight decrease in the transmittance intensity in the visible region with increasing the temperature. The optical band gap values were found to be in the range of 3.28–3.59 eV for the forbidden direct electronic transition and 3.40–3.79 eV for the allowed direct transition. TiO2 layers were used as electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cells and resulted in a power conversion efficiency of 1.59% with short circuit current density of 6.64 mA cm−2 for TiO2 layer heat-treated at 600 °C

Design and Performance Investigation of a Solar- Powered Biological Greywater Treatment System in the Iraqi Climate

     أدت الزيادة في عدد السكان إلى زيادة في استهلاك المياه. يبحث العمل الحالي في أداء نظام معالجة المياه الرمادية الذي يعمل بالطاقة الشمسية لإعادة التدوير لأغراض الري، ستخدم لتقليل كمية المياه الرمادية المهدرة وتقليل استهلاك الكهرباء وتقليل تكاليف إنشاء محطات معالجة المياه على نطاق واسع. يستهلك النظام حوالي 3814 واط في الساعة ويوفر معالجة للمياه حوالي 1.4 متر مكعب في اليوم. تم تصميم النظام المقترح لتطبيق المباني السكنية والمكتبية والحكومية. أجريت الاختبارات على أحد مباني وزارة العلوم والتكنولوجيا في بغداد. تم إجراء تحليلات اختبار عينات المياه المخبرية لقياس COD ، BOD5 ،TDS ، NH4 ، NO3-TN ، TOC ، TSS ، الأس الهيدروجيني ومحتوى الزيت والشحوم وفقًا للمعايير العراقية. أظهرت نتائج الاختبار انخفاضًا كبيرًا في قيم BOD5 و COD للقراءات كل 15 يومًا ولمدة 5 أشهر بمعدل إزالة أكثر من 90٪ وكذلك ملاحظة قيم TOC بإزالة حوالي 80٪ ، وهذا يشير إلى نتائج أثبتت الاختبارات المعملية نجاح عملية المعالجة. قسم البحث إلى قسمين، نظري وعملي. يتضمن الأسلوب النظري اختيار نوع وحجم المعدات والأدوات المطلوبة لنظام المعالجة. بينما يغطي الجانب العملي تنفيذ نظام مقياس مختبري لنظام المعالجة المقترح وإجراء التجارب والتحليلات المختبرية  لعينات المياه الرمادية..            The increase in population resulted in an increase in the consumption of water. The present work investigates the performance of a recycling solar- powered greywater treatment system for the purposes of irrigation, used to reduce the amount of waste grey water and reduce electricity consumption and reduce the costs of constructing large scale water treatment plants. The system consumes about 3814W per hour and provides water treatment about 1.4 m3 per day. The proposed system is designed to    residential, office and governmental buildings application. Tests are conducted in an office building at the Ministry of Science and Technology site in Baghdad. Laboratorial water samples testing analyses are conducted for measuring the COD, BOD5, TDS, NH4, NO3-TN, TOC, TSS, pH and oil and grease content according to the Iraqi standards. Test results revealed a huge decrease in the values of BOD5 and COD for readings for every15 days and for a period of 5 months by removing rate more than 90% and also noting the values of TOC by removing about 80%, this indicates that the results of Laboratory testing have proved the success of the treatment process.  The research is divided into two parts, theoretical and practical. The theoretical one includes choosing the type and size of the equipment and the required tools for the treatment system. While the practical one covers implementing a laboratory-scale system for the proposed treatment system and conducting experiments and laboratory analyses of greywater samples. Top of For

Thin films of unsubstituted and fluorinated palladium phthalocyanines: structure and sensor response toward ammonia and hydrogen

In the present work, we study and compare the structure and sensing properties of thin films of unsubstituted palladium phthalocyanine (PdPc) and hexadecafluorosubstituted palladium phthalocyanine (PdPcF16). Thin films of PdPc and PdPcF16 were obtained by the method of organic molecular beam deposition and their structure was studied using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques. The electrical sensor response of PdPc films toward ammonia and hydrogen was investigated and compared with that of PdPcF16 films. The nature of interaction between the phthalocyanines films and some gaseous analyte molecules has been clarified using Quantum chemical (DFT) calculations

Effect of fluorosubstitution on the structure of single crystals, Effect of fluorosubstitution on the structure of single crystals,thin films and spectral properties of palladium phthalocyanines

In this work, the crystalline structure of single crystals grown by vacuum sublimation of unsubstituted palladium phthalocyanines (PdPc), its tetrafluorinated (PdPcF4) and hexadecafluorinated (PdPcF16) derivatives have been investigated using X-ray diffraction measurements. Two crystalline phases have been identified for PdPc; the molecules in both phases crystallize in stacks with herringbone arrangement in the monoclinic space groups (C2/c for -PdPc; P21/n for -PdPc). Both PdPcF4 and PdPcF16 crystallize in the triclinic P-1 space group, forming stacks of molecules in columnar arrangement with molecules in adjacent columns are aligned parallel to one another. X-ray diffraction measurements have also been used to elucidate the structural features and molecular orientation of thin films of PdPc, PdPcF4 and PdPcF16, grown by organic molecular beam deposition at different substrate temperatures. The effect of fluorosubstitution on UV-visible optical absorption and vibrational spectra of palladium phthalocyanine derivatives is also discussed

Study of the sensor response of spun metal phthalocyanine films to volatile organic vapors using surface plasmon resonance

tIn this work, thin films of chloroaluminium phthalocyanine (ClAlPc), fluoroaluminium phthalocyanine(FAlPc) and fluorochromium phthalocyanine (FCrPc), which are insoluble in conventional solvents, weredeposited by spin coating of their solutions in trifluoroacetic acid. The sensing response of these filmsversus acetic acid, three alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol) and three amines (methylamine, dimethy-lamine, trimethylamine) have been investigated using surface plasmon resonance as the sensing method.It has been shown that the sensor response of the investigated films decreases in the following order:acetic acid > alcohols > amines. The optical changes as monitored by SPR method have been used in con-junction with Fick’s second law of diffusion to determine the diffusion coefficients of analyte vapor duringthe films’ swelling process. The obtained results showed that the diffusion coefficients and the swellingcharacteristics of the films are dependent on the functional group of the phthalocyanine molecule andthe molecular size of the analyte

Thin films of fluorinated 3d-metal phthalocyanines as chemical sensors of ammonia: an optical spectroscopy study

A comparative study of the sensor response toward gaseous ammonia of hexadecafluorinated 3d-metal phthalocyanine (MPcF16, MCu(II), Co(II), Zn(II), Ni(II)) thin films was performed using complementary experimental (viz., surface plasmon resonance, SPR, and IR absorption spectroscopy) along with theoretical (density functional theory calculations, DFT) techniques. SPR measurements revealed changes of both thickness and optical parameters (refraction indices and extinction coefficients) of the MPcF16 films caused by adsorption of NH3. The MPcF16 species studied exhibited the following order of sensor response: ZnPcF16>CoPcF16≥CuPcF16>NiPcF16. A good correlation was found between the DFT calculated (B3LYP/6-311++G(2df,p)) binding energies, experimentally measured shift of the selected IR bands, and the optical sensor response. Apart from this, we performed a detailed assignment of all intense..

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication