Flexible Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cells with over 10% efficiency and methods of enlarging the cell area

For kesterite copper zinc tin sulfide/selenide (CZTSSe) solar cells to enter the market, in addition to efficiency improvements, the technological capability to produce flexible and large-area modules with homogeneous properties is necessary. Here, we report a greater than 10% efficiency for a cell area of approximately 0.5 cm2 and a greater than 8% efficiency for a cell area larger than 2 cm2 of certified flexible CZTSSe solar cells. By designing a thin and multi-layered precursor structure, the formation of defects and defect clusters, particularly tin-related donor defects, is controlled, and the open circuit voltage value is enhanced. Using statistical analysis, we verify that the cell-to-cell and within-cell uniformity characteristics are improved. This study reports the highest efficiency so far for flexible CZTSSe solar cells with small and large areas. These results also present methods for improving the efficiency and enlarging the cell area. © 2019, The Author(s).1

Molecular diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis by multi-gene target sequencing in Korea: matching with osmotic fragility test and presence of spherocyte

Background Current diagnostic tests for hereditary spherocytosis (HS) focus on the detection of hemolysis or indirectly assessing defects of membrane protein, whereas direct methods to detect protein defects are complicated and difficult to implement. In the present study, we investigated the patterns of genetic variation associated with HS among patients clinically diagnosed with HS. Methods Multi-gene targeted sequencing of 43 genes (17 RBC membrane protein-encoding genes, 20 RBC enzyme-encoding genes, and six additional genes for the differential diagnosis) was performed using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Results Among 59 patients with HS, 50 (84.7%) had one or more significant variants in a RBC membrane protein-encoding genes. A total of 54 significant variants including 46 novel mutations were detected in six RBC membrane protein-encoding genes, with the highest number of variants found in SPTB (n = 28), and followed by ANK1 (n = 19), SLC4A1 (n = 3), SPTA1 (n = 2), EPB41 (n = 1), and EPB42 (n = 1). Concurrent mutations of genes encoding RBC enzymes (ALDOB, GAPDH, and GSR) were detected in three patients. UGT1A1 mutations were present in 24 patients (40.7%). Positive rate of osmotic fragility test was 86.8% among patients harboring HS-related gene mutations. Conclusions This constitutes the first large-scaled genetic study of Korean patients with HS. We demonstrated that multi-gene target sequencing is sensitive and feasible that can be used as a powerful tool for diagnosing HS. Considering the discrepancies of clinical and molecular diagnoses of HS, our findings suggest that molecular genetic analysis is required for accurate diagnosis of HS.Support was provided by: the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (NRF-2017R1A2A1A17069780) http://www.nrf.re.kr/

Cognitive Rehabilitation of Adaptive Behavior in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

Objectives. Negative behavioral problems often occur following the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders and have an overall impact on the affected children, specifically in terms of their social developmental level. In children, social development behavior has been shown to spontaneously mature over time with the cognitive therapy intervention effects. This study performed a meta-analysis to provide a statistical synopsis of the available evidence of social development behavioral changes following cognitive therapy in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods. Data was collected from two online search engines, including EBSCOhost and PubMed, from January 1, 2006, to August 31, 2016, using the terms “cognition,” “cognitive function,” and “disease including neurodevelopmental disorder with DSM-5.” Two assessors searched the literature using independent inclusion criteria and evaluated the quality of results using the Jadad score. Six articles were chosen using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program (version 2.0). Results. Six articles reporting randomized controlled trial studies were included. The effective scores for improving adaptive behavior following cognitive therapy in children with neurodevelopmental disorder were 0.64. The effective score of adaptive behavior was significant in this study (p<0.05). The results showed no significant statistical heterogeneity and publication bias. Conclusions. The findings of the meta-analysis suggest that cognitive interventions are effective at improving adaptive behavior associated with neurodevelopmental disorders

Tactile Perception for Stroke Induce Changes in Electroencephalography

Objective/Background: Tactile perception is a basic way to obtain and evaluate information about an object. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of tactile perception on brain activation using two different tactile explorations, passive and active touches, in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Methods: Twenty patients who were diagnosed with stroke (8 right brain damaged, 12 left brain damaged) participated in this study. The tactile perception was conducted using passive and active explorations in a sitting position. To determine the neurological changes in the brain, this study measured the brain waves of the participants using electroencephalography (EEG). Results: The relative power of the sensory motor rhythm on the right prefrontal lobe and right parietal lobe was significantly greater during the active tactile exploration compared to the relative power during the passive exploration in the left damaged hemisphere. Most of the measured brain areas showed nonsignificantly higher relative power of the sensory motor rhythm during the active tactile exploration, regardless of which hemisphere was damaged. Conclusion: The results of this study provided a neurophysiological evidence on tactile perception in individuals with chronic stroke. Occupational therapists should consider an active tactile exploration as a useful modality on occupational performance in rehabilitation training