Effect of Small-molecule Sensitizer on the Performance of Polymer Solar Cell

For improving optical absorption of organic solar cells, a small-molecule sensitizer, as a third material, is usually incorporated into binary solar cell system. In many cases, light harvesting can be improved but on the expense of charge carrier mobility of the solar cells. This obstacle can be addressed through the understanding solar cell physics. In the present work, we try to deeply understand the physics of the long-chain polymer solar cell composed of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), as a donor polymer, and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), as an acceptor molecule. This understanding can be acquired through the effect of coumarin 6 dye (C6), as a small-molecule sensitizer, on optical absorption and photocurrent of the most common solar cell. From optical spectroscopy we found that, the C6 dye, as a small molecule, did not vary conjugation length of the long-chain polymer in the P3HT: PCBM: C6 solar cell. This was indicated from (1) unchanged vibronic structure of the P3HT after adding C6 dye and from (2) matching in the wavelength between absorption peaks of both pristine C6 and P3HT after adding C6 dye into blend. From photocurrent spectroscopy we found that, the incorporation of C6 dye, as a sensitizer, into P3HT: PCBM binary contributed to photocurrent and formed an additional charge carrier generation site through the C6: PCBM combination, which was individually found among with P3HT: PCBM combination in the same solar cell. In the same time, the C6 dye, as a shortchain molecule, restricted the transport of charge carriers generated by P3HT as a result of low hole mobility of the C6 short-chain molecules. Through the present study, the incorporation of a small-molecule sensitizer into polymer solar cell may acquire better understanding for the performance of the most common P3HT: PCBM solar cell.Keywords: Polymer Solar Cells; Device Physics; P3HT: PCBM Solar Cell

Effect of Small-molecule Sensitizer on the Performance of Polymer Solar Cell

For improving optical absorption of organic solar cells, a small-molecule sensitizer, as a third material, is usually incorporated into binary solar cell system. In many cases, light harvesting can be improved but on the expense of charge carrier mobility of the solar cells. This obstacle can be addressed through the understanding solar cell physics. In the present work, we try to deeply understand the physics of the long-chain polymer solar cell composed of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), as a donor polymer, and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), as an acceptor molecule. This understanding can be acquired through the effect of coumarin 6 dye (C6), as a small-molecule sensitizer, on optical absorption and photocurrent of the most common solar cell. From optical spectroscopy we found that, the C6 dye, as a small molecule, did not vary conjugation length of the long-chain polymer in the P3HT: PCBM: C6 solar cell. This was indicated from (1) unchanged vibronic structure of the P3HT after adding C6 dye and from (2) matching in the wavelength between absorption peaks of both pristine C6 and P3HT after adding C6 dye into blend. From photocurrent spectroscopy we found that, the incorporation of C6 dye, as a sensitizer, into P3HT: PCBM binary contributed to photocurrent and formed an additional charge carrier generation site through the C6: PCBM combination, which was individually found among with P3HT: PCBM combination in the same solar cell. In the same time, the C6 dye, as a short chain molecule, restricted the transport of charge carriers generated by P3HT as a result of low hole mobility of the C6 short-chain molecules. Through the present study, the incorporation of a small-molecule sensitizer into polymer solar cell may acquire better understanding for the performance of the most common P3HT: PCBM solar cell

Hydro power and turbine systems reviews

Hydropower energy is one of the most suitable and efficient source of renewable energy which depends on more than century of experience for this issue. The power capacity and facility are two criteria required for the classification of hydropower plant. The first one consists of five technologies: dammed reservoir, run of river, pumped storage, in stream technology and new technology gravitational vortex. The other one is classified according to power scale is Large, Small, Mini, Micro and Pico Hydropower. Nowadays most of rural areas in developed and developing countries use the hydropower plant for producing electricity, it is cheap and effective. This paper gives a review of hydropower technologies and turbines; it is focusing on the categories and performance of hydro power systems and the most suitable turbines which can be used

Safety and efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in comorbid patients: A 3 years prospective observational study

Purpose: To report the result of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) via standard nephrostomy tract in a single training institution. The perioperative complications in relation to the comorbid state are particularly assessed. Patients and methods: A prospective interventional study between January 2019 to November 2022, included 210 patients scheduled for PCNL. The average age was 40.3 ± 11.8 years (range 18- 67 years). Patients were categorized into two groups. The first group comprised 146 cases (69 .5%) with no associated co-morbidities while the second group 64 (30.5%) had co-morbidities such as obesity in 4 cases (1.9%), hypertension (HTN) in 24 cases (11.4%) cases, diabetes mellitus (DM) in 17 (8.1%) cases, history of recurrent stone surgery in 11 (5.2%) cases and more than one in 8 cases (3.8%). Co-morbidities, stone burden, location of stone, time of surgery, stay in the hospital, further operations, and negative events were among the reported data. Complications and the stone-free rate were the main outcome indicators. Results: Intraoperative complications were reported in 40 (18.8%) patients (18 group 1 and 22 group 2) during PCNL. Bleeding occurred in 22 (10.5%) patients (9 group 1 and 13 group 2), blood transfusions were needed in 4 (1.9%) (2 group 1 and 2 group 2), extravasation was observed in 11 patients (5.2%) (6 group 1 and 5 group 2) and cardiac arrhythmia in 3 (1.4%) (1 group 1 and 2 group 2) patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 61 patients (29%) (24 group 1 and 37 group 2) in the form of fever in 10 patients (4.8 %) (3 group 1 and 7 group 2) and prolonged leakage in 50 patients (23.8%) (21 group 1 and 29 group 2). One patient of group 2 died from postoperative sepsis. Extravasation and postoperative leakage were higher in diabetic patients than in non-diabetics. Stonefree rate was 60.5% (127 of 210). Clinically significant residual fragments (CSRFs) found in 70 cases (33.3%) (33 group 1 and 37 group 2). In 13 cases (6.2%) (5 group 1 and 8 group 2), clinically insignificant residual fragments (CIRFs) were found. In 8 (3 group 1 and 5 group 2) of the 13 cases, spontaneous stone passage was observed within 4-6 weeks of surgery. Residual stones in three cases (1 group 1 and 2 group 2) were asymptomatic and 4 mm or less, whereas stones increased in two cases of group 2. Among all factors studied, stone burden was significantly correlated to both intraoperative and postoperative complications. The occurrence of postoperative fever increased with large stone burden. Conclusions: PCNL is a therapeutic modality that is effective, feasible, and safe for a wide range of patients with concurrent medical issues. A steep curve is required to reduce intraoperative and postoperative complications

Structural Basis for Substrate Specificity in Human Monomeric Carbonyl Reductases

Carbonyl reduction constitutes a phase I reaction for many xenobiotics and is carried out in mammals mainly by members of two protein families, namely aldo-keto reductases and short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases. In addition to their capacity to reduce xenobiotics, several of the enzymes act on endogenous compounds such as steroids or eicosanoids. One of the major carbonyl reducing enzymes found in humans is carbonyl reductase 1 (CBR1) with a very broad substrate spectrum. A paralog, carbonyl reductase 3 (CBR3) has about 70% sequence identity and has not been sufficiently characterized to date. Screening of a focused xenobiotic compound library revealed that CBR3 has narrower substrate specificity and acts on several orthoquinones, as well as isatin or the anticancer drug oracin. To further investigate structure-activity relationships between these enzymes we crystallized CBR3, performed substrate docking, site-directed mutagenesis and compared its kinetic features to CBR1. Despite high sequence similarities, the active sites differ in shape and surface properties. The data reveal that the differences in substrate specificity are largely due to a short segment of a substrate binding loop comprising critical residues Trp229/Pro230, Ala235/Asp236 as well as part of the active site formed by Met141/Gln142 in CBR1 and CBR3, respectively. The data suggest a minor role in xenobiotic metabolism for CBR3. ENHANCED VERSION: This article can also be viewed as an enhanced version in which the text of the article is integrated with interactive 3D representations and animated transitions. Please note that a web plugin is required to access this enhanced functionality. Instructions for the installation and use of the web plugin are available in Text S1

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality. Methods Prospective cohort study in 109 institutions in 41 countries. Inclusion criteria: children <18 years who were newly diagnosed with or undergoing active treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumour, glioma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Of 2327 cases, 2118 patients were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was all-cause mortality at 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. Results All-cause mortality was 3.4% (n=71/2084) at 30-day follow-up, 5.7% (n=113/1969) at 90-day follow-up and 13.0% (n=206/1581) at 12-month follow-up. The median time from diagnosis to multidisciplinary team (MDT) plan was longest in low-income countries (7 days, IQR 3-11). Multivariable analysis revealed several factors associated with 12-month mortality, including low-income (OR 6.99 (95% CI 2.49 to 19.68); p<0.001), lower middle income (OR 3.32 (95% CI 1.96 to 5.61); p<0.001) and upper middle income (OR 3.49 (95% CI 2.02 to 6.03); p<0.001) country status and chemotherapy (OR 0.55 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86); p=0.008) and immunotherapy (OR 0.27 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.91); p=0.035) within 30 days from MDT plan. Multivariable analysis revealed laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR 5.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 23.84); p=0.029) was associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Children with cancer are more likely to die within 30 days if infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, timely treatment reduced odds of death. This report provides crucial information to balance the benefits of providing anticancer therapy against the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children with cancer

Proceedings of Abstracts, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference 2022

© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For further details please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Plenary by Prof. Timothy Foat, ‘Indoor dispersion at Dstl and its recent application to COVID-19 transmission’ is © Crown copyright (2022), Dstl. This material is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] present proceedings record the abstracts submitted and accepted for presentation at SPECS 2022, the second edition of the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference that took place online, the 12th April 2022