11,755 research outputs found

    Increased cell efficiency in InGaAs thin film solar cells with dielectric and metal back reflectors

    Get PDF
    Compound single junction and multijunction solar cells enable very high photovoltaic efficiencies by virtue of employing different band gap materials in seriesconnected tandem cells to access the full solar spectrum. Researchers focused on improving the electrical properties of solar cells by optimizing the material growth conditions, however relatively little work to date has been devoted to light trapping and enhanced absorption in III-V compound solar cells using back reflectors. We studied absorption enhancement in InGaAs and InGaAsP thin film solar cells by means of numerical modeling. Flat dielectric and metal back reflectors that might be introduced into the solar cell via wafer-bonding, epitaxial lift-off or deposition techniques have been shown to increase the short circuit current and the photovoltaic efficiency of solar cells

    Fisher matrix forecasts for astrophysical tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant

    Full text link
    We use Fisher Matrix analysis techniques to forecast the cosmological impact of astrophysical tests of the stability of the fine-structure constant to be carried out by the forthcoming ESPRESSO spectrograph at the VLT (due for commissioning in late 2017), as well by the planned high-resolution spectrograph (currently in Phase A) for the European Extremely Large Telescope. Assuming a fiducial model without α\alpha variations, we show that ESPRESSO can improve current bounds on the E\"{o}tv\"{o}s parameter---which quantifies Weak Equivalence Principle violations---by up to two orders of magnitude, leading to stronger bounds than those expected from the ongoing tests with the MICROSCOPE satellite, while constraints from the E-ELT should be competitive with those of the proposed STEP satellite. Should an α\alpha variation be detected, these measurements will further constrain cosmological parameters, being particularly sensitive to the dynamics of dark energy.Comment: Phys. Lett. B (in press

    A ViolĂȘncia no Local de Trabalho em InstituiçÔes de SaĂșde: Um Estudo MonocĂȘntrico sobre Causas, ConsequĂȘncias e EstratĂ©gias de Prevenção

    Get PDF
    Introduction: Workplace violence is one of the main risk factors in the professional world. Healthcare workers are at higher risk when compared to other sectors. Our study aimed to characterize physical and verbal violence in a public hospital and to define occupational health prevention and surveillance strategies. Material and Methods: Single center observational cross-sectional study, carried amongst healthcare workers in a public hospital in Lisbon. A qualitative survey was carried out through six in-depth interviews. A quantitative survey was carried through questionnaires delivered to 32 workers. A significance level of 5% was accepted in the assessment of statistical differences. The Mann-Whitney test and the Fisher’s exact test were used to calculate p values. Results: The main results are: (1) 41 violence incidents were reported in the quantitative phase; (2) 5/21 [23.81%] victims notified the incident to the occupational health department; (3) 18/21 [85.71%] victims reported a permanent state of hypervigilance; (4) 22/28 [78.57%] participants self-reported poor or no familiarity with internal reporting procedures; (5) 24/28 [85.71%] participants believed it is possible to minimize workplace violence. Discussion: Workplace violence is favored by unrestricted access to working areas, absence of security guards and police officers or scarce intervention. The low notification rate contributes to organizational lack of action. The state of hypervigilance reported in our study reflects the negative effects of threatening occupational stressors on mental health. Conclusion: Our results show that workplace violence is a relevant risk factor that significantly impacts workers’ health in a noxious manner, deserving a tailored occupational health approach whose priority areas and strategies have been determined.Introdução: A violĂȘncia no local de trabalho Ă© um dos principais fatores de risco no mundo do trabalho. Os trabalhadores da saĂșde apresentam um risco superior. O nosso estudo teve como objetivo caracterizar a violĂȘncia fĂ­sica e verbal num hospital pĂșblico e definir estratĂ©gias de prevenção e vigilĂąncia em saĂșde ocupacional. Material e MĂ©todos: Estudo observacional transversal monocĂȘntrico, conduzido num hospital pĂșblico em Lisboa com trabalhadores da saĂșde. Foi realizado um inquĂ©rito qualitativo com entrevistas em profundidade a seis trabalhadores e um inquĂ©rito quantitativo com questionĂĄrios a 32 trabalhadores. Aceitou-se um nĂ­vel de significĂąncia de 5% na avaliação das diferenças estatĂ­sticas. O teste de Mann-Whitney e o teste exato de Fisher foram usados para calcular os valores de p. Resultados: Os principais resultados sĂŁo: (1) 41 episĂłdios reportados na fase quantitativa; (2) 5/21 [23,81%] vĂ­timas notificaram o incidente; (3) 18/21 [85.71%] vĂ­timas reportaram estados de hipervigilĂąncia permanente; (4) 22/28 [78,57%] participantes nĂŁo conheciam ou conheciam mal os procedimentos de notificação; (5) 24/28 [85,71%] consideravam possĂ­vel minimizar o problema. DiscussĂŁo: A violĂȘncia Ă© favorecida pelo acesso livre Ă s zonas de trabalho, ausĂȘncia de agentes de segurança e polĂ­cia ou falta da respetiva intervenção. A baixa notificação contribui para a ausĂȘncia de medidas organizacionais. O estado de hipervigilĂąncia relatado reflete o efeito prejudicial da exposição a fontes de stress e ameaça. ConclusĂŁo: A violĂȘncia no local de trabalho Ă© um fator de risco relevante, com impacto negativo na saĂșde dos trabalhadores e merece uma abordagem individualizada no Ăąmbito da saĂșde ocupacional, cujas ĂĄreas e estratĂ©gias prioritĂĄrias foram definidas neste estudo. Palavras-chave: Fatores de Risco Profissionais; Prevenção; SaĂșde Ocupacional; Trabalhadores da SaĂșde; ViolĂȘncia no Local de trabalho.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
    • 

    corecore