Charge transfer resistance of spray deposited and compressed counter electrodes for dye-sensitized nanoparticle solar cells on plastic substrates

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to determine the effective charge transfer resistances of porous dye-sensitized solar cell counter electrodes prepared by low-temperature spray deposition and compression of conductive carbon and platinized Sb-doped SnO₂ powders on indium tin oxide-coated plastic substrates. The charge transfer resistances were 0.5–2 and 8–13 Ω cm², respectively, when using 3-methoxypropionitrile as the electrolyte solvent. The manufacturing method used lends itself to produce mechanically stable and even-quality electrodes in an easy and fast manner.     

无动力处理方式在农村生活污水处理中的应用

论述了北方某镇采用无动力处理技术处理农村生活污水的方法,工艺流程为新型化粪池-人工湿地-氧化塘工艺。运行结果表明,工程出水中污染物日均浓度COD为35~55 mg/L、BOD5为10~20 mg/L、SS为5~18mg/L、氨氮为3~5 mg/L,均能达到《农田灌溉水质标准》(GB 5084-2005)中蔬菜a标准。处理后的出水用于周边农田灌溉,既治理了污染,又节约了资源,是绿色、低碳城镇建设的一个典范,非常适合北方乡镇新农村建设的生活污水处理和利用。     

Comparison of molecular changes in lung cancers in HIV-positive and HIV-indeterminate subjects

CONTEXT: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been associated with an increasing incidence of malignancy, and HIV-infected persons have an increased incidence of primary lung carcinoma compared with the general population. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular changes present in HIV-associated lung tumors and compare them with those present in lung carcinomas arising in HIV-indeterminate subjects ("sporadic tumors"). DESIGN: Convenience sample. SUBJECTS: Archival tissues from 11 HIV-positive persons and from 35 persons of indeterminate HIV status. SETTING: University-based medical centers and affiliated hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Analysis of frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite alteration (MA) using polymerase chain reaction and 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers at 8 chromosomal regions frequently deleted in lung cancer. Presence of HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV) sequences. RESULTS: The overall frequency of LOH at all chromosomal regions tested and the frequencies at most of the individual regions were similar in the 2 groups. Frequency of MA present in the HIV-associated tumors (0.18) was 6-fold higher than in sporadic tumors (0.03) (P<.001). At least 1 MA was present in 10 (91%) of 11 HIV-associated tumors vs 17 (48%) of 35 sporadic tumors (P=.02). Molecular changes were independent of tumor stage and gender. HIV and HPV sequences were not detected in the HIV-associated lung carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: Microsatellite alterations, which reflect widespread genomic instability, occur at greatly increased frequency in HIV-associated lung carcinomas. Although the mechanism underlying the development of increased MAs is unknown, it may play a crucial role in the development of many HIV-associated tumors.     

Liquid-crystalline behaviour of some carboxylic acids

Summary A series of 4--carboxyalkoxyphenyl-4-methoxybenzoates 2 has been prepared. Compounds with a spacer length of n=3 and n=5 show liquid crystalline behaviour. The products were characterized by IR and ¹HNMR-spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, optical microscopy and DSC-measurements. The compounds are potentially useful as side-groups in liquid-crystalline polymers.     

Effect of Anisotropy and Destructuration on the Behavior of Murro Test Embankment

This paper investigates the influence of anisotropy and destructuration on the behavior of a test embankment on soft clay. The test embankment at Murro, Finland, was commissioned in 1993 by the Finnish Road Administration and has been monitored for over 10?years. The construction and consolidation of Murro test embankment is analyzed with finite element method using three different constitutive models to represent the soft soil. The results are compared with field observations. The constitutive models used include two recently proposed constitutive models, namely S-CLAY1 that accounts for initial and plastic strain induced anisotropy and its extension, called S-CLAY1S. The S-CLAY1S model accounts, additionally, for interparticle bonding and degradation of bonds. For comparison, the test embankment is also analyzed using the isotropic Modified Cam Clay model. The simulations demonstrate that for this type of problem, it is important to account for the anisotropy, whereas destructuration appears to have less influence on predicted deformations. However, only a model incorporating destructuration can explain the decrease in undrained shear strength during consolidation that was measured in field.     

Polyhydroxyalkanoate‐based drug delivery systems

Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been a subject of significant research interest in the past few decades. The recent development of novel functionalized PHAs has opened up new possibilities to combine the good biocompatibility of PHA‐based drug delivery systems to, for example, improve drug loading and release properties, targeting or imaging functionalities. This mini‐review presents some recent scientific developments in the preparation of functionalized PHAs, PHA–drug and PHA–protein conjugates, multifunctional PHA nanoparticles and micelles as well as biosynthetic PHA particles for drug delivery. These developments in combination with the generally excellent biocompatibility of PHA materials are expected to further expand the interest in PHA materials for drug delivery and other therapeutic applications. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Introducing the prebound effect: the gap between performance and actual energy consumption

German regulations for the thermal renovation of existing homes demand high thermal standards, which the government claims are technically and economically feasible. This paper examines existing data on 3400 German homes; their calculated energy performance ratings (EPR) are then plotted against the actual measured consumption. The results indicate that occupants consume, on average, 30% less heating energy than the calculated rating. This phenomenon is identified as the ‘prebound’ effect and increases with the calculated rating. The opposite phenomenon, the rebound effect, tends to occur for low-energy dwellings, where occupants consume more than the rating. A similar phenomenon has been recognized in recent Dutch, Belgian, French and UK studies, suggesting policy implications in two directions. Firstly, using a dwelling's energy rating to predict fuel and CO₂ savings through retrofits tends to overestimate savings, underestimate the payback time and possibly discourage cost-effective, incremental improvements. Secondly, the potential fuel and CO₂ savings through non-technical measures such as occupant behaviour may well be far larger than is generally assumed in policies so policy-makers need a better understanding of what drives or inhibits occupants' decisions.

La réglementation allemande relative à la rénovation thermique des logements existants exige des normes thermiques élevées, que le gouvernement prétend être techniquement et économiquement applicables. Cet article examine les données existantes sur 3400 logements allemands; leurs classes d'efficacité énergétique (CEE) calculées sont ensuite comparées à la consommation réelle mesurée. Les résultats indiquent que les occupants consomment, en moyenne, 30 % d'énergie de chauffage en moins que la classe calculée. Ce phénomène est identifié en raison de l'accroissement de l'effet de « pré-bond » avec la classe calculée. Le phénomène opposé, l'effet de rebond, tend à se produire dans les logements à basse consommation d'énergie, dans lesquels les occupants ont une consommation supérieure à la classe. Un phénomène similaire a été reconnu dans des études récentes néerlandaises, belges, françaises et britanniques, suggérant des implications en termes de politiques dans deux directions. En premier lieu, l'utilisation de la classe énergétique d'un logement pour prévoir les économies de combustible et de CO₂ pouvant être obtenues grâce à des rénovations a tendance à surestimer les économies, à sous-estimer le délai d'amortissement et éventuellement à dissuader d'effectuer des améliorations incrémentielles rentables. En second lieu, les économies potentielles de combustible et de CO₂ pouvant être obtenues par des mesures non techniques telles que le comportement des occupants peuvent se révéler être bien plus importantes que cela n'est supposé en règle générale dans les politiques, de sorte que les décideurs ont besoin de mieux comprendre ce qui motive ou empêche les décisions des occupants.

Mots clés: performance des bâtiments, rénovations thermiques, politique climatique, classe énergétique, politique énergétique, comportement de consommation énergétique     

NiO/Al_2O_3基催化剂的TPR特性研究

NiO/Al_2O_3基催化剂用于替代贵金属催化剂,被广泛应用于石油和石化领域生产过程的加氢、脱硫和脱氮。采用TPR方法,研究不同Ni含量NiO/Al_2O_3及不同载体的催化剂还原特性。结果表明,NiO/Al_2O_3催化剂在10%H_2-Ar气氛下,还原温度范围较宽,为(300~800)℃,其中,(500~600)℃还原速率最大;随着NiO含量的增加,起始还原温度降低,还原耗氢量按比例增加;以MgO为载体的NiO催化剂还原呈现双峰特征,以SiO2和TiO2为载体的NiO催化剂的初始还原温度比NiO/Al_2O_3催化剂降低(100~200)℃。     

Improvement of actuation performance of dielectric elastomers by barium titanate and carbon black fillers

Dielectric elastomers are promising materials for actuators resembling human muscle. Among elastomers, acrylic rubbers (ACM) have shown good actuation performance but its use is limited by the high operating voltages required. The present work demonstrates that simultaneous incorporation of nanostructured carbon black and dielectric fillers offers an increase in a dielectric permittivity and a suitable modulus of the elastomers matrix, enabling an improved electro‐mechanical actuation performance at low voltages. By the use of reinforcing carbon black and barium titanate in an acrylic elastomer matrix a sixfold increase in the dielectric permittivity was realized. A fine tuning of the actuation stress and, consequently, actuation strain can be done by a judicial selection of the different filler concentrations in the soft rubber matrix. Finally, a synergistic effect of the fillers was observed in the improved actuation performance of the developed materials. This work may pave the way to design dielectric elastomers for actuator fabrication. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44116.