Rare earth organic complexes as down-shifters to improve Si-based solar cell efficiency

This work reports on the optical and electrical characterization of crystalline silicon based solar modules encapsulated with ethylene-vinyl-acetate layers (that is the encapsulating matrix used nowadays by the photovoltaic industry) doped with a single europium complex whose sensitized region is broadened due to the presence of a co-ligand. Such europium doped EVA layers are able to realize down-shifting of photons with wavelength lower than 460 nm without introducing modifications of the industrial process leading to the fabrication of the photovoltaic modules. This effect has been proven under Air Mass 1.5 conditions (simulating terrestrial applications), where a 2.9% relative increase of the total power delivered by the encapsulated modules has been observed, allowing a reduction in the watt-peak price.     

Environmental crisis in Bhilai,an industrial complex of Madhya Pradesh,India

The emergence of Bhilai on the industrial scene of India and its growth and development as an industrial complex are a significant landmark in the history of industrialization of the country. In our paper an attempt is made to identify the emerging environmental problems associated with the infra‐structural facilities of the study area, a backward and neglected poverty stricken part of the country. In the area, air, water and noise pollution arise from the emissions of the iron and steel plants. There is no provision for sewage and water disposal. Industrial waste is another serious problem for the complex, e.g. slags from the steel furnaces. Bhilai also suffers from slums and overcrowding. Bearing these facts in view, some suitable suggestions for the proper environmental planning of the area are made.     

β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex to Improve Physicochemical Properties of Pipemidic Acid: Characterization and Bioactivity Evaluation

The aptitude of cyclodextrins (CDs) to form host-guest complexes has prompted an increase in the development of new drug formulations. In this study, the inclusion complexes of pipemidic acid (HPPA), a therapeutic agent for urinary tract infections, with native β-CD were prepared in solid state by kneading method and confirmed by FT-IR and ¹H NMR. The inclusion complex formation was also characterized in aqueous solution at different pH via UV-Vis titration and phase solubility studies obtaining the stability constant. The 1:1 stoichiometry was established by a Job plot and the inclusion mechanism was clarified using docking experiments. Finally, the antibacterial activity of HPPA and its inclusion complex was tested on P. aeruginosa, E. coli and S. aureus to determine the respective EC_50s and EC_90s. The results showed that the antibacterial activity of HPPA:β-CD against E. coli and S. aureus is higher than that of HPPA. Furthermore, HPPA and HPPA:β-CD, tested on human hepatoblastoma HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay, exhibited, for the first time, antitumor activities, and the complex revealed a higher activity than that of HPPA. The use of β-CD allows an increase in the aqueous solubility of the drug, its bioavailability and then its bioactivity.     

Choice of a pertinent color space for color texture characterization using parametric spectral analysis

This article presents a comparison of different color spaces including RGB, IHLS and L?a*b* for color texture characterization. This comparison is based on the fusion of the independent spatial structure and color feature cues. In IHLS and L*a*b*, two channel complex color images are created from the luminance and the chrominance values. For such images, two dimensional complex multichannel linear prediction models are used to perform parametric power spectrum estimation and the structure feature cues are computed from this estimated power spectrum. Quantitative comparison of auto spectra of luminance and combined chrominance channels for different color spaces is done. This comparison is based on the degree of decorrelation between luminance and chrominance information provided by different color space transformations. Three dimensional histograms are used as color feature cues. Then, to classify color textures, Kullback-Leibler divergence based symmetric distance measures are calculated for pure color, luminance structure and chrominance structure feature cues. Individual as well as combined effect of information from all feature cues on classification results is then compared for different color spaces and different color texture data sets. The proposed color texture classification method performs better than the state of the art methods in certain cases. The L*a*b* color space gives us a better characterization of the chrominance spatial structure as well as the overall spatial structure for all of the chosen data sets. Experimental results on pixel classification of color textures are also presented and discussed.     

Facile solvothermal synthesis and photoconductivity of one-dimensional organic Cd(Ⅱ)-Schiff-base nanoribbons

One-dimensional (1D) organic nanoribbons built on N-p-nitrophenylsalicylaldimine cadmium complex were synthesized via a facile solvothermal route. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that the as-synthesized products were ribbon like with widths of 500 nm,thicknesses of about 50nm, and lengthes up to several hundred micrometers. Fourier transform infrared spectrum was employed to characterize the structure. The conductivity of a bundle of nanoribbons was also measured,which showed that Schiff base cadmium nanoribbons had good photoconductive property. This work might enrich organic photoconductive materials and be applicable in nano photoswitch devices in the future.     

Cultural differences in complex addition: Efficient Chinese versus adaptive Belgians and Canadians.

In the present study, the authors tested the effects of working-memory load on math problem solving in 3 different cultures: Flemish-speaking Belgians, English-speaking Canadians, and Chinese-speaking Chinese currently living in Canada. Participants solved complex addition problems (e.g., 58 + 76) in no-load and working-memory load conditions, in which either the central executive or the phonological loop was loaded. The authors used the choice/no-choice method to obtain unbiased measures of strategy selection and strategy efficiency. The Chinese participants were faster than the Belgians, who were faster and more accurate than the Canadians. The Chinese also required fewer working-memory resources than did the Belgians and Canadians. However, the Chinese chose less adaptively from the available strategies than did the Belgians and Canadians. These cultural differences in math problem solving are likely the result of different instructional approaches during elementary school (practice and training in Asian countries vs. exploration and flexibility in non-Asian countries), differences in the number language, and informal cultural norms and standards. The relevance of being adaptive is discussed as well as the implications of the results in regards to the strategy choice and discovery simulation model of strategy selection (J. Shrager & R. S. Siegler, 1998). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation of chain length recognition observed in formation of inclusion complex

We carried out Brownian dynamics simulations to investigate the mechanism of chain length recognition observed in the formation of inclusion complexes (ICs) between cyclodextrins (CDs) and polymer chains. In our simulations, we used rings and chains as models to represent CDs and polymer chains, respectively. We used two types of chains with different lengths to determine which chain was preferred by the rings to form ICs. At low concentration of rings, we observed that almost all the rings formed ICs with the long chains. Chain length recognition could be reproduced in our simulation, and it occurred because of the difference in the inclusion time between the long chains and the short chains in the ICs. On the other hand, at high concentration of rings, the number of rings forming ICs with the long chains increased, and pseudo-polyrotaxanes (PPRXs) were formed. ICs were also formed with the short chains, because the inclusion time for each ring contained in the PPRXs reduced with an increase in the number of rings therein, and then, the dissociated rings formed ICs with the short chains. As a result, chain length recognition was not observed. From these results, we conclude that the difference in the inclusion time between the rings and the chains controls chain length recognition.     

Improvement in solubility and bioavailability of puerarin by mechanochemical preparation

An efficient and solvent-free procedure was developed to improve the solubility and bioavailability of the poorly water-soluble drug puerarin by mechanochemical technology. The stable inclusion complex of puerarin and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) was prepared by a ball mill under the following conditions: equimolar ratio of puerarin to HPCD; rotational speed of 250 rpm; milling time of 90 min; steel balls of 22 mm diameter. The solid complex was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and fourier transformation-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Mechanochemical action could result in enhanced molecular encapsulation, homogeneous distribution and amorphization of the drug. In comparison to puerarin, a 1.64-fold increase in absolute bioavailability was obtained. The solubility of the inclusion complex was 25.33-fold higher and the drug release amount reached 79.44% at 15 min, 2.76-fold higher.     

谈吕梁方山大武镇安置小区规划设计

以吕梁方山大武镇安置小区为例,依据该城区的总体规划原则,从规划的空间组织形式、总体布局、道路交通、绿地景观等方面对吕梁方山大武镇安置小区进行了研究分析,探析了居住区发展趋势。