Highly conductive p-type nanocrystalline silicon films deposited by RF-PECVD using silane and trimethylboron mixtures at high pressure

In this paper we present a study of boron-doped nc-Si:H films prepared by PECVD at high depositionpressure (>4 mbar), high plasma power and low substrate temperature (7 (U cm)1) andhigh optical band gap (>1.7 eV). Modeling of ellipsometry spectra reveals that the film growth mechanismshould proceed through a sub-surface layer mechanism that leads to silicon crystallization.The obtained films are very good candidates for application in amorphous and nanocrystalline siliconsolar cells as a p-type window layer.Peer reviewe

Modulating Inflammation in Monocytes Using Capillary Fiber Organic Electronic Ion Pumps

An organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) delivers ions and drugs from a source, through a charge selective membrane, to a target upon an electric bias. Miniaturization of this technology is crucial and will provide several advantages, ranging from better spatiotemporal control of delivery to reduced invasiveness for implanted OEIPs. To miniaturize OEIPs, new configurations have been developed based on glass capillary fibers filled with an anion exchange membrane (AEM). Fiber capillary OEIPs can be easily implanted in proximity to targeted cells and tissues. Herein, the efficacy of such a fiber capillary OEIP for modulation of inflammation in human monocytes is demonstrated. The devices are located on inflammatory monocytes and local delivery of salicylic acid (SA) is initiated. Highly localized SA delivery results in a significant decrease in cytokine (tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6) levels after lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The findings-the first use of such capillary OEIPs in mammalian cells or systems-demonstrate the utility of the technology for optimizing transport and delivery of different therapeutic substances at low concentrations, with the benefit of local and controlled administration that limits the adverse effect of oral/systemic drug delivery.Funding Agencies|Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research [RIT15-0119]; Advanced Functional Materials SFO-Center at Linkoping University; International Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Advanced Functional Materials, Linkopings Universitet; Onnesjo Foundation; Knut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationKnut &amp; Alice Wallenberg Foundation</p

Microplat project : development status

In the first few months of the project the CENIMAT partner concentrate their work in the optimization of the microfabrication in SU-8, to make masters for PDMS microchannels and grooves for insertion of optical fibers. SU-8, a negative photoresist, is one of the most used materials in the fabrication of microfluidics, mainly due to its transparency, mechanical, chemical and thermal stability. However, SU-8 is very sensitive to process parameters and the high aspect ratio features are difficult to obtain duo to large internal SU-8 stress that may lead to SU-8 peeling. In the optimization process we were able to fabricate high aspect ratio narrow structures (~ 10µm) with high vertical side-walls (130µm) necessary to insert the fibers and fabricate focusing lenses. The FSCOSD partner in conjunction with CENIMAT concentrated their efforts in the design of detection chamber, which involves optical lenses microfabricated in SU-8. The distances curvature and dimensions of the optical detection chamber play a crucial role in the detection process, so a careful planning and modeling was necessary. This process is now is the step of mask design for photo lithography. The IPC major concern in this initial part of the project was related with conceiving design that allows evaluating the mixing of the fluids inside the channels. Once the channels are microfabricated the mixing will the evaluated through Fluorescent Microscopy.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Development of microfluidic devices for biosensors

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Developing Kalanchoë blossfeldiana as a resource for comparatively studying C3 and crassulacean acid metabolism

&lt;p&gt;Reviewer Link&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt

Developing Kalanchoë blossfeldiana as a resource for comparatively studying C3 and crassulacean acid metabolism tissues

Reviewer Lin

Sequencing complex plants on a budget: The development of <em>Kalancho\ueb blossfeldiana</em> as a C₃, CAM comparative tool

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Plants, People, Planet published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of New Phytologist Foundation. Societal Impact Statement: Research efforts in plant biology have often been focused on sequenced and well-studied ‘model’ organisms. Despite the advent of relatively inexpensive genome sequencing, most plant taxonomic groups are underrepresented, with few species that ‘represent’ the diversity of whole genera. This study describes an economical guide to sequencing a non-model organism, which may be useful in reducing the cost of sequencing more species within genera and across plant life. This method was used to develop Kalancho\ueb blossfeldiana as a resource for comparing C3 and the water-conserving mode of photosynthesis known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) within the same plant. Summary: Despite the increasing number of well-studied plant species with well-annotated genomes across plant life, there are few densely sampled genera with more than a couple of genome sequences representing the diversity of whole genera. Here, we develop an economic approach to full-genome sequencing that could be used to sequence many species within a genus. We made use of the Nanopore rapid sequencing kit to assist in plant genome assembly, dramatically reducing the cost. Here we applied this method to cost-effectively develop genomic resources for Kalancho\ueb blossfeldiana, a commercially important ornamental, in which Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), a water-conserving mode of photosynthesis can be induced. We present a physiological and biochemical characterisation of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana with its nuclear and chloroplastic genome and a comparative C3, CAM dusk transcriptome. We apply this approach to a complex tetraploid genome, making use of a relative species for chromosomal scaffolding to reduce assembly ploidy, we provide a resource for future gene expression studies. We highlight its limitations, e.g. the need for deeper sequencing to accurately resolve genome structure and haplotypes without using a relative species for scaffolding. The study demonstrates the merits of K. blossfeldiana as a comparative system for studying C3 and CAM within a plant and has identified substantial changes in the dusk transcriptome between young C3 and mature CAM K. blossfeldiana leaves in response to age-induced CAM, and shows that in the absence of abiotic stress, CAM induction still involves the engagement of drought and abscisic acid (ABA) response pathways