Chronic Loss of Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Affects Motivational Aspects of Feeding in the Rat

Current epidemic obesity levels apply great medical and financial pressure to the strenuous economy of obesity-prone cultures, and neuropeptides involved in body weight regulation are regarded as attractive targets for a possible treatment of obesity in humans. The lateral hypothalamus and the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) form a hypothalamic-limbic neuropeptide feeding circuit mediated by Melanin-Concentrating Hormone (MCH). MCH promotes feeding behavior via MCH receptor-1 (MCH1R) in the AcbSh, although this relationship has not been fully characterized. Given the AcbSh mediates reinforcing properties of food, we hypothesized that MCH modulates motivational aspects of feeding

Novel amorphous silicon solar cell using a manufacturing procedure with a temporary superstrate

\u3cp\u3eWe developed a novel temporary-superstrate concept for SnO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e/p-i-n amorphous silicon solar cells. This concept combines roll-to-roll manufacturability, the utilization of light scattering, the conductive properties of SnO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e:F, and the possibility of monolithic series connection. To this purpose, the deposition of high quality textured SnO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e:F layers on aluminum foil has been developed using APCVD. Layers have been obtained with a transmission of 80% and a sheet resistance of 12 Ω/□. After definition of the entire p-i-n cell structure including the back contact, the cell is laminated with a permanent carrier foil. By removing the aluminum foil, light can enter the cell through the textured TCO layer. A wide variety of transparent encapsulants can be used to finalize the (flexible or preshaped) product. Preliminary cells made according to this scheme have an efficiency of 6%.\u3c/p\u3