Passivation of a Metal Contact with a Tunneling Layer

AbstractThe potential of contact passivation for increasing cell performance is indicated by several results reported in the literature. However, scant characterization of the tunneling layers used for that purpose has been reported. In this paper, contact passivation is investigated by insertion of an ultra-thin AlOx layer between an n-type emitter and a Ti/Pd/Ag contact. By using a 1.5nm thick layer, an increase of the minority carrier lifetime by a factor of 2.7 is achieved. Since current-voltage measurements indicate that an ohmic behavior is conserved for AlOx layers as thick as 1.5nm, a 1.5nm AlOx layer is found to be a candidate of choice for contact passivation

Games for health for children - current status and needed research

Videogames for health (G4H) offer exciting, innovative, potentially highly effective methods for increasing knowledge, delivering persuasive messages, changing behaviors, and influencing health outcomes. Although early outcome results are promising, additional research is needed to determine the game design and behavior change procedures that best promote G4H effectiveness and to identify and minimize possible adverse effects. Guidelines for ideal use of different types of G4H by children and adolescents should be elucidated to enhance effectiveness and minimize adverse effects. G4H stakeholders include organizational implementers, policy makers, players and their families, researchers, designers, retailers, and publishers. All stakeholders should be involved in G4H development and have a voice in setting goals to capitalize on their insights to enhance effectiveness and use of the game. In the future, multiple targeted G4H should be available to meet a population's diverse health needs in developmentally appropriate ways. Substantial, consistent, and sophisticated research with appropriate levels of funding is needed to realize the benefits of G4H

Comparison of probabilistic approaches to estimate the initial bacterial levels as a start in exposure assessment: Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef as an example

The initial contamination of food products with pathogens is an important risk factor in microbial risk assessments. This factor contains variability and uncertainty that can be calculated from various available monitoring results. When performing dedicated quantitative risk assessments, different methods can be chosen to transform the data into probability distribution functions. This paper describes methods for the quantification of data for the initial level of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef. The initial contamination is estimated by expert opinion, using a slaughterhouse model and directly from available monitoring data. Two fundamentally different statistical methods are described and applied to the data: an uncertainty approach and a variability approach. This study compares and discusses these methods with the aim of giving insight to the different choices that can be made in order to estimate the initial level as a starting point in exposure assessments. Copyright © 2008 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Water quality management in the Netherlands: Contribution to the Dutch-Japanese workshops on the treatment of municipal waste water

This paper describes water management in the Netherlands with an emphasis on water quality aspects. First some features of the country are presented, underlining the importance of water and indicating the need for international cooperation on water quality matters. In the third paragraph, the water management structure is discussed, such as relevant laws and authorities, management instruments (planning, licensing) and funding methods. More detailed information is provided on water use and purification. Paragraph four addresses the main problems in water quality management like eutrophication, micropollutants and sediments. Finally some conclusions are drawn. Water quantity and quality management are interrelated strongly in the Netherlands, resulting in the adoption of policies aiming at integrated water management, considering water systems as a whole, including quantity, sediments, banks, physical, chemical and biological characteristics.Water ManagementCivil Engineering and Geoscience

Door teken overgedragen infectieziekten in Nederland: meer dan de ziekte van Lyme alleen

De bekendste en meest voorkomende door teken overgedragen aandoening is de ziekte van Lyme. Een minder bekende en minder voorkomende ziekte is teken-encefalitis, een ziekte waarvan sinds 2016 duidelijk is dat jaarlijks enkele mensen deze in Nederland oplopen. Teken kunnen verschillende andere micro-organismen met zich mee dragen, waaronder Anaplasma-, Babesia- en Rickettsia-soorten en een ‘relapsing fever’ Borrelia. Dit artikel beschrijft de epidemiologie en symptomen van infecties met door teken overgedragen micro-organismen in Nederland en de beschikbare diagnostiek. Ondanks dat in teken micro-organismen, anders dan Lyme-spirocheten, relatief vaak worden gevonden, zijn slechts weinig tot geen casus beschreven. Dit kan meerdere oorzaken hebben. Om meer inzicht in deze oorzaken te krijgen en om de diagnostiek te verbeteren, is een studie gestart om te onderzoeken hoe vaak deze microorganismen voorkomen bij patiënten met koorts na een tekenbeet. Daarnaast kan een verhoogde bewustwording bij artsen en arts-microbiologen van andere door teken overgedragen infectieziekten ook leiden tot de identificatie van meer patiënten. Dit kan bijdragen aan een betere inschatting van de maatschappelijke en klinische impact van de verschillende door teken overgedragen aandoeningen in Nederland

Adolescents' Views on Active and Non-Active Videogames: A Focus Group Study

OBJECTIVE: Active games require whole-body movement and may be an innovative tool to substitute sedentary pastime with more active time and may therefore contribute to adolescents' health. To inform strategies aimed at reducing sedentary behavior by replacing non-active with active gaming, perceptions and context of active and non-active gaming are explored. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Six focus groups were conducted with adolescents 12-16 years old representing a range of education levels. A semistructured question route was used containing questions about perceptions and the context of gaming. RESULTS: The adolescents had positive attitudes toward active gaming, especially the social interactive aspect, which was greatly appreciated. A substantial number of adolescents enjoyed non-active games more than active ones, mainly because of better game controls and more diversity in non-active games. Active games were primarily played when there was a social gathering. Few game-related rules and restrictions at home were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Given the positive attitudes of adolescents and the limited restrictions for gaming at home, active videogames may potentially be used in a home setting as a tool to reduce sedentary behavior. However, to make active games as appealing as non-active games, attention should be paid to the quality, diversity, and sustainability of active games, as these aspects are currently inferior to those of traditional non-active games

Two Cases of Borrelia miyamotoi Meningitis, Sweden, 2018

We report 2 human cases of Borrelia miyamotoi disease diagnosed in Sweden, including 1 case of meningitis in an apparently immunocompetent patient. The diagnoses were confirmed by 3 different independent PCR assays and DNA sequencing from cerebrospinal fluid, supplemented by serologic analyses

Door teken overgedragen infectieziekten in Nederland: meer dan de ziekte van Lyme alleen

De bekendste en meest voorkomende door teken overgedragen aandoening is de ziekte van Lyme. Een minder bekende en minder voorkomende ziekte is teken-encefalitis, een ziekte waarvan sinds 2016 duidelijk is dat jaarlijks enkele mensen deze in Nederland oplopen. Teken kunnen verschillende andere micro-organismen met zich mee dragen, waaronder Anaplasma-, Babesia- en Rickettsia-soorten en een ‘relapsing fever’ Borrelia. Dit artikel beschrijft de epidemiologie en symptomen van infecties met door teken overgedragen micro-organismen in Nederland en de beschikbare diagnostiek. Ondanks dat in teken micro-organismen, anders dan Lyme-spirocheten, relatief vaak worden gevonden, zijn slechts weinig tot geen casus beschreven. Dit kan meerdere oorzaken hebben. Om meer inzicht in deze oorzaken te krijgen en om de diagnostiek te verbeteren, is een studie gestart om te onderzoeken hoe vaak deze microorganismen voorkomen bij patiënten met koorts na een tekenbeet. Daarnaast kan een verhoogde bewustwording bij artsen en arts-microbiologen van andere door teken overgedragen infectieziekten ook leiden tot de identificatie van meer patiënten. Dit kan bijdragen aan een betere inschatting van de maatschappelijke en klinische impact van de verschillende door teken overgedragen aandoeningen in Nederland