Solution-processed bilayer photovoltaic devices with nematic liquid crystals

The cross-linking of polymerisable liquid crystalline semiconductors is a promising approach to solution-processable, multilayer, organic photovoltaics. Here we demonstrate an organic bilayer photovoltaic with an insoluble electron-donating layer formed by cross-linking a nematic reactive mesogen. We investigate a range of perylene diimide (PDI) materials, some of which are liquid crystalline, as the overlying electron acceptor layer. We find that carrier mobility of the acceptor materials is enhanced by liquid crystallinity and that mobility limits the performance of photovoltaic devices. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis

On the ability of perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) bioaccumulation by two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from PFAS‐contaminated environmental matrices

PFASs (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are highly fluorinated, aliphatic, synthetic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability as well as unique amphiphilic properties which make them ingredients in a range of industrial processes. PFASs have attracted consideration due to their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency in the environment. Recently, attention has begun to be addressed to shorter‐chain PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], apparently less toxic to and more easily eliminated from lab animals. However, short‐chain PFASs represent end‐products from the transformation of fluorotelomers whose biotic breakdown reactions have not been identified to date. This means that such emergent pollutants will tend to accumulate and persist in ecosystems. Since we are just learning about the interaction between short‐chain PFASs and microorganisms, this study reports on the response to PFHxS of two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from environmental matrices contaminated by PFASs. The PFHxS bioaccumulation potential of these strains was unveiled by exploiting different physiological conditions as either axenic or mixed cultures under alkanothrofic settings. Moreover, electron microscopy revealed nonorthodox features of the bacterial cells, as a consequence of the stress caused by both organic solvents and PFHxS in the culturing substrate

On the Ability of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) Bioaccumulation by Two Pseudomonas sp. Strains Isolated from PFAS-Contaminated Environmental Matrices

PFASs (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are highly fluorinated, aliphatic, synthetic compounds with high thermal and chemical stability as well as unique amphiphilic properties which make them ingredients in a range of industrial processes. PFASs have attracted consideration due to their persistence, toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency in the environment. Recently, attention has begun to be addressed to shorter-chain PFASs, such as perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], apparently less toxic to and more easily eliminated from lab animals. However, short-chain PFASs represent end-products from the transformation of fluorotelomers whose biotic breakdown reactions have not been identified to date. This means that such emergent pollutants will tend to accumulate and persist in ecosystems. Since we are just learning about the interaction between short-chain PFASs and microorganisms, this study reports on the response to PFHxS of two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from environmental matrices contaminated by PFASs. The PFHxS bioaccumulation potential of these strains was unveiled by exploiting different physiological conditions as either axenic or mixed cultures under alkanothrofic settings. Moreover, electron microscopy revealed nonorthodox features of the bacterial cells, as a consequence of the stress caused by both organic solvents and PFHxS in the culturing substrate

Dynamic multilateral markets

We study dynamic multilateral markets, in which players' payoffs result from intra-coalitional bargaining. The latter is modeled as the ultimatum game with exogenous (time-invariant) recognition probabilities and unanimity acceptance rule. Players in agreeing coalitions leave the market and are replaced by their replicas, which keeps the pool of market participants constant over time. In this infinite game, we establish payoff uniqueness of stationary equilibria and the emergence of endogenous cooperation structures when traders experience some degree of (heterogeneous) bargaining frictions. When we focus on market games with different player types, we derive, under mild conditions, an explicit formula for each type's equilibrium payoff as the market frictions vanish

Analysing the homogeneity of air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation and wind data series using ‘Climatol’ and meteorological metadata

Errors are inherent in all measurement activity, and meteorology is no exception. Homogenization of climatological series to eliminate disturbances often contained in them, due to changes in the conditions of observations, is a mandatory process to increase the reliability of studies of climate variability derived from their analysis. The “Climatol” R package is devoted to the problem of homogenizing climatological data series in order to remove the perturbations produced e.g. by changes in the conditions of observation or in the nearby environment, to allow the series to reflect the climatic variations. As it is known, changes in the location of meteorological observatories, changes in instrumentation (from classic equipment to automated sensors) or in shelters intended to protect sensors from solar radiation, or even changes in the environment (land uses, new constructions, etc.) are alterations that can not be attributed to changes in the climate. Such information regarding this changes are known as “metadata”. In this paper the “Climatol” method was used for air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation and wind daily data homogenization for the period since 1961 till 2015 at Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Satu Mare and Vlădeasa 1800 meteorological stations. With the help of metadata, the results were validated and changes in statistical parameters of meteorological data string were identified, for the analysed meteorological parameters, due to the relocation of the meteorological platforms, changes of the meteorological equipment and changes of the measuring methodology

Precision Mass Measurements of 129-131Cd and Their Impact on Stellar Nucleosynthesis via the Rapid Neutron Capture Process

Masses adjacent to the classical waiting-point nuclide 130Cd have been measured by using the Penning- trap spectrometer ISOLTRAP at ISOLDE/CERN. We find a significant deviation of over 400 keV from earlier values evaluated by using nuclear beta-decay data. The new measurements show the reduction of the N = 82 shell gap below the doubly magic 132Sn. The nucleosynthesis associated with the ejected wind from type-II supernovae as well as from compact object binary mergers is studied, by using state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulations. We find a consistent and direct impact of the newly measured masses on the calculated abundances in the A = 128 - 132 region and a reduction of the uncertainties from the precision mass input data

PNEPs, NEPs for context free parsing: Application to natural language processing

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02478-8_59Proceedings of 10th International Work-Conference on Artificial Neural Networks, IWANN 2009, Salamanca, Spain.This work tests the suitability of NEPs to parse languages. We propose PNEP, a simple extension to NEP, and a procedure to translate a grammar into a PNEP that recognizes the same language. These parsers based on NEPs do not impose any additional constrain to the structure of the grammar, which can contain all kinds of recursive, lambda or ambiguous rules. This flexibility makes this procedure specially suited for Natural Languge Processing (NLP). In a first proof with a simplified English grammar, we got a performance (a linear time complexity) similar to that of the most popular syntactic parsers in the NLP area (Early and its derivatives). All the possible derivations for ambiguous grammars were generatedThis work was partially supported by MEC, project TIN2008-02081/TIN and by DGUI CAM/UAM, project CCG08-UAM/TIC-4425

Probing the N = 32 shell closure below the magic proton number Z = 20: Mass measurements of the exotic isotopes 52,53K

The recently confirmed neutron-shell closure at N = 32 has been investigated for the first time below the magic proton number Z = 20 with mass measurements of the exotic isotopes 52,53K, the latter being the shortest-lived nuclide investigated at the online mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. The resulting two-neutron separation energies reveal a 3 MeV shell gap at N = 32, slightly lower than for 52Ca, highlighting the doubly-magic nature of this nuclide. Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Boguliubov and ab initio Gorkov-Green function calculations are challenged by the new measurements but reproduce qualitatively the observed shell effect.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure