Admittance spectroscopy of traps in AuInSe Schottky cells

The electron trap parameters in InSe single crystals have been obtained through measurements of conductance and capacitance as a function of temperature, frequency and reverse bias voltage on their Schottky junctions. The results agree with the theoretical model of Roberts and Crowell and the theoretical model of Losee. One trap at about 1 eV from the conduction band edge has been revealed by the minima in the capacitance and/or conductance-reverse bias voltage characteristics, while one trap at about 0.1 eV has been revealed by the maxima in the conductance-temperature characteristics.     

Infusion of donor-derived peripheral blood leukocytes after transplantation of cord blood progenitor cells can increase the graft-versus-leukaemia effect

We describe the case of a child affected by acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who received adoptive immunotherapy after cord blood transplantation (CBT). The patient, transplanted in second relapse resistant to chemotherapy, still showed lung and costal leukaemic nodular lesions 2 months after CBT. For this reason, three infusions of donor peripheral blood leukocytes 1 x 10(7)/kg each were administered on days +60, +80 and +100. The procedure was well tolerated by both patient and donor, and a complete disappearance of the lung lesions was documented 2 months after the last infusion. The patient remains in continuous complete haematological remission 13 months after CBT. This experience suggests that adoptive immunotherapy may be safely employed after CBT in order to increase the contribution of immune-mediated anti-leukaemia effect.     

Renal agenesis associated with homolateral ovarian dysplasia. A case report]

This case concerns an arc welder who presented suppurative bronchiectasis and episodes of purulent left side pleurisy in relation to cystic bronchiectasis of the left lower lobe and a very severe stenosis at the origin of the main left bronchus. The medicolegal problem was to assess the causal relationship between these lesions and occupational exposure. They do not come under the heading of table 44 of the General List and we made this the aim of discretionary award in front of a regional committee of compensation for occupational disease.     

Restoring old buildings

The designers of many of our ancient buildings, especially the 'maestri', applied a kind of structural continuity in the design with allowances for the structure to respond through expected deformations, the author suggests. If later restoration brutally interposes measures based on present structural conventions, the results can often be damaging and even dangerous, as illustrated by examples discussed here. The author is a Professorin construction science at Turin Polytechnic.     

Meningeal carcinomatosis in patient with esophagus adenocarcinoma

We assessed the practicality of using the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in screening adolescents for alcoholism in a primary care setting. In addition, we sought to determine the prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents, 16-21 years of age, presenting to a private Family Medicine practice for medical care. A consecutive sample of 67 subjects presenting for medical care were asked to complete the SMAST and AUDIT questionnaires. Overall, 52 (78%) of the questionnaires were returned with complete data. Of the 52 patients, 25 (48%) admitted to drinking. Using a "positive" score on either the SMAST or AUDIT as a positive test for alcohol use yielded a sensitivity of 40% and a predictive value positive of 100%. Using a "negative" score on both the SMAST and AUDIT as a negative test for alcohol use yielded a specificity of 100% and a predictive value negative of 64%. Although alcohol use was relatively common considering the age group, using the SMAST and AUDIT to screen for alcoholism is labor intensive and is not practical in this situation. Because patients appeared to misinterpret some questions and were often accompanied to the office by their parents, their answers may not be valid. History of alcoholism taken upon typical office examination and relevant advice appears to be a better alternative to the use of questionnaires in determining the prevalence of alcohol use in this age group.     

Picosecond Capture of Photoexcited Electrons Improves Photovoltaic Conversion in MAPbI3:C70‐Doped Planar and Mesoporous Solar Cells

In this work, solar cells based on methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI₃) doped in solution with C₇₀ fullerene in a mesoporous as well as planar electron‐transporting layer (ETL)‐free architecture are realized, showcasing in the latter case a record efficiency of 15.7% and an improved open‐circuit voltage (V_OC). Contrary to the bulk heterojunction previously reported, the C₇₀ molecules do not phase segregate and they are rather finely dispersed in the perovskite film, possibly infiltrating at the grain boundaries, while assisting the growth of a highly uniform perovskite layer. By means of time‐resolved femtosecond‐to‐nanosecond optical spectroscopy, with an extended spectral coverage, it is observed that electrons photogenerated in the perovskite are transferred to C₇₀ with a time constant of 20 ps. Despite being captured by C₇₀, electrons are not deeply trapped and can potentially bounce back into the perovskite, as suggested by the high fill factor and enhanced V_OC of the MAPbI₃:C₇₀ solar cells, especially in the case of the ETL‐free device configuration.     

Pump–Push–Probe for Ultrafast All‐Optical Switching: The Case of a Nanographene Molecule

In the last two decades, the three‐beam pump–push–probe (PPP) technique has become a well‐established tool for investigating the multidimensional configurational space of a molecule, as it permits disclosure of precious information about the multiple and often complex deactivation pathways of the excited molecule. From the spectroscopic point of view, such a tool has revealed details about the efficiency of charge pair generation and conformational relaxation in π‐conjugated molecules and macromolecules. In addition, PPP is effectively utilized for modulating the gain signal in conjugated materials by taking advantage of the spectral overlap between stimulated emission and charge absorption in those systems. However, the relatively low stability of conjugated polymers under intense photoexcitation is a crucial limitation for their real employment in plastic optical fibers (POFs) and for signal control applications. Herein, the role of PPP for achieving ultrafast all‐optical switching in π‐conjugated systems is highlighted. Furthermore, new experimental data on optical switching of a newly synthesized nanographene molecule, namely dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV), is reported. The superior environmental and photostability of DBOV and, in general, of graphene nanostructures can represent a great advantage for their effective applications in POFs and information and communications technology.