ChloroKB:a web-application for the integration of knowledge related to chloroplast metabolic network.

International audienceHigher plants, as autotrophic organisms, are effective sources of molecules. They hold great promise for metabolic engineering, but the behavior of plant metabolism at the network level is still incompletely described. Although structural models (stoichiometry matrices) and pathway databases are extremely useful, they cannot describe the complexity of the metabolic context and new tools are required to visually represent integrated biocurated knowledge for use by both humans and computers.Here, we describe ChloroKB, a web-application (http://chlorokb.fr/) for visual exploration and analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana metabolic network in the chloroplast and related cellular pathways. The network was manually reconstructed through extensive biocuration to provide transparent traceability of experimental data. Proteins and metabolites were placed in their biological context (spatial distribution within cells, connectivity in the network, participation in supramolecular complexes, regulatory interactions) using CellDesigner software. The network contains 1147 reviewed proteins (559 localized exclusively in plastids, 68 in at least one additional compartment and 520 outside the plastid); 122 proteins awaiting biochemical/genetic characterization; and 228 proteins for which genes have not yet been identified. The visual presentation is intuitive and browsing is fluid, providing instant access to graphical representation of integrated processes and to a wealth of refined qualitative and quantitative data.ChloroKB will be a significant support for structural and quantitative kinetic modeling, for biological reasoning, when comparing novel data to established knowledge, for computer analyses, and for educational purposes. ChloroKB will be enhanced by continuous updates following contributions from plant researchers

Round-Robin Studies on Roll-Processed ITO-free Organic Tandem Solar Cells Combined with Inter-Laboratory Stability Studies

Roll-processed, indium tin oxide (ITO)-free, flexible, organic tandem solar cells and modules have been realized and used in round-robin studies as well as in parallel inter-laboratory stability studies. The tandem cells/modules show no significant difference in comparison to their single-junction counterparts and the use of round-robin studies as a consensus tool for evaluation of organic solar cell parameters is judged just as viable for the tandem solar cells as for single-junction devices. The inter-laboratory stability studies were conducted according to testing protocols ISOS-D-2, ISOS-D-3, and ISOS-L-2, and in spite of a much more complicated architecture the organic tandem solar cells show no significant difference in stability in comparison to their single-junction counterparts

Scalable, ambient atmosphere roll-to-roll manufacture of encapsulated large area, flexible organic tandem solar cell modules

Inline printing and coating methods have been demonstrated to enable a high technical yield of fully roll-to-roll processed polymer tandem solar cell modules. We demonstrate generality by employing different material sets and also describe how the ink systems must be carefully co-developed in order to reach the ambitious objective of a fully printed and coated 14-layer flexible tandem solar cell stack. The roll-to-roll methodologies involved are flexographic printing, rotary screen printing, slot-die coating, X-ray scattering, electrical testing and UV-lamination. Their combination enables the manufacture of completely functional devices in exceptionally high yields. Critical to the ink and process development is a carefully chosen technology transfer to industry method where first a roll coater is employed enabling contactless stack build up, followed by a small roll-to-roll coater fitted to an X-ray machine enabling in situ studies of wet ink deposition and drying mechanisms, ultimately elucidating how a robust inline processed recombination layer is key to a high technical yield. Finally, the transfer to full roll-to-roll processing is demonstrated