scholarly journals Optimizing Xylindein from Chlorociboria spp. for (Opto)electronic Applications

Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1477
Author(s):  
R.C. Van Court ◽  
Gregory Giesbers ◽  
Oksana Ostroverkhova ◽  
Seri C. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Effective Electron ◽  
Nutrient Sources ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Conductive Properties ◽  
Further Development

Xylindein, a stable quinonic blue-green fungal pigment, has shown potential for use not only as a colorant but also as an (opto)electronic material. As no method presently exists to synthesize the pigment, organic production by slow-growing fungi from the genus Chlorociboria is the only method to obtain it. This has resulted in limited quantities of impure xylindein, hampering research. In order to improve quantity and quality of pigment for optoelectronic applications, speed of xylindein production by Chlorociboria aeruginosa and its relative purity were compared across liquid and solid-state fermentation conditions on selected nutrient sources. Liquid 2% malt shaking cultures produced the same amount of pigment in 5 weeks that previous testing produced in 2 months. Xylindein generation speed, purity, and conductive properties of produced pigment for (opto)electronics was then compared between two Chlorociboria species native to North America, Chlorociboria aeruginosa and Chlorociboria aeruginascens. Differences were seen in the conductivity of extracted pigment between species and strains, with xylindein from C. aeruginascens strain UAMH 7614 producing films with the highest effective electron mobility. The identification of the most effective growth conditions and the strain with highest purity xylindein production should support further development of sustainable organic (opto)electronics. Future work identifying new strains with reduced production of interfering metabolites and new extraction methodologies will help to produce very low cost xylindein, supporting sustainable technologies based on the pigment.

scholarly journals Metrological Challenges in Collaborative Sensing: Applicability of Digital Calibration Certificates

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4730
Author(s):  
Tuukka Mustapää ◽  
Pekka Nikander ◽  
Daniel Hutzschenreuter ◽  
Raine Viitala
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Digital Calibration ◽  
Self Calibration ◽  
Chain Link ◽  
Calibration Methods ◽  
Collaborative Sensing ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Metrology Infrastructure

IoT systems based on collaborative sensor networks are becoming increasingly common in various industries owing to the increased availability of low-cost sensors. The quality of the data provided by these sensors may be unknown. For these reasons, advanced data processing and sensor network self-calibration methods have become popular research topics. In terms of metrology, the self-calibration methods lack the traceability to the established measurement standards of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) through an unbroken chain-link of calibration. This problem can be solved by the ongoing digitalization of the metrology infrastructure. We propose a conceptual solution based on Digital Calibration Certificates (DCCs), Digital SI (D-SI), and cryptographic digital identifiers, for validation of data quality and trustworthiness. The data that enable validation and traceability can be used to improve analytics, decision-making, and security in industrial applications. We discuss the applicability and benefits of our solutions in a selection of industrial use cases, where collaborative sensing has already been introduced. We present the remaining challenges in the digitization and standardization processes regarding digital metrology and the future work required to address them.

scholarly journals Optimised In2S3Thin Films Deposited by Spray Pyrolysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hristina Spasevska ◽  
Catherine C. Kitts ◽  
Cosimo Ancora ◽  
Giampiero Ruani
Keyword(s):  
Spray Pyrolysis ◽  
Amorphous Phase ◽  
Deposition Temperature ◽  
Uv Spectroscopy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Beta Phase ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Deposited Films ◽  
Indium Sulphide

Indium sulphide has been extensively investigated as a component for different kind of photovoltaic devices (organic-inorganic hybrid devices, all inorganic, dye sensitized cells). In this paper, we have optimised the growth conditions of indium sulphide thin films by means of a low cost, versatile deposition technique, like spray pyrolysis. The quality of the deposited films has been characterised by micro-Raman, vis-UV spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Substrate deposition temperature and different postdeposition annealing conditions have been investigated in order to obtain information about the quality of the obtained compound (which crystalline or amorphous phases are present) and the morphology of the deposited films. We have shown that the deposition temperature influences strongly the amount of amorphous phase and the roughness of the indium sulphide films. Optimised postdeposition annealing treatments can strongly improve the final amount of the beta phase almost independently from the percentage of the amorphous phase present in the as deposited films.

Safety of compression therapy using newly developed gloves for oxaliplatin induced neuropathy prevention.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 501-501
Author(s):  
Yukinori Koyama ◽  
Michina Morioka ◽  
Yuri Tobaru ◽  
Yusuke Sakura ◽  
Mikiko Fukumoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Compression Therapy ◽  
Average Dose ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
Hand Size ◽  
American Society ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Clinical Trial Information

501 Background: Oxaliplatin (l-OHP) is a key drug commonly used in primary and metastatic colorectal cancer treatment. However, l-OHP is associated with non-hematological adverse effects, including peripheral neuropathy (PN). About 90% of patients who received l-OHP experience PN after single dose of l-OHP and PN is likely to be negatively associated with quality of life. There is no established effective prophylactic management for chemotherapy induced PN according to the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guideline. Recently, compression of hands during injection of drugs has been reported to be effective for chemotherapy induced PN. We developed new gloves for compression therapy which are reusable and low cost. We prospectively analyzed the safety of the gloves. Methods: Patients who received l-OHP were eligible for this phase Ⅰ study. Wrist and hand size were measured and appropriate size of gloves were selected. The pressure of hands is estimated as 20-33 hPa. Patients start to wear the gloves on both hands, from 30 min before the injection of l-OHP until 30 min after the injection. Peripheral neuropathy was evaluated at each treatment cycle using common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) version 4.0. Results: Between October 2017 and August 2018, fourteen patients (median age 66 years [range 39– 79years], 7 male and 7 female) were enrolled and were evaluated. No patients withdrew from this study. No safety concerns were identified for any safety variables assessed during the trial. CTCAE grade 2 or higher sensory PN was observed in four (28.6%) patients. The average time until grade 1 or more neuropathy appeared was 27.8 days and average dose of l-OHP was 225mg. Conclusions: Compression therapy by the new gloves had no safety concerns, demonstrating a profile favorable for further development for prevention of oxaliplatin induced PN. Clinical trial information: 000029671.

scholarly journals Improving GNSS PPP Convergence: The Case of Atmospheric-Constrained, Multi-GNSS PPP-AR

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 587 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Aggrey ◽  
Sunil Bisnath
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Convergence Time ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
International Gnss Service ◽  
Triple Frequency ◽  
Solution Convergence ◽  
Global Ionospheric Maps ◽  
Future Work

GNSS positioning performance has been shown to improve with the ingestion of data from Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) and tropospheric zenith path delays, which are produced by, e.g., the International GNSS Service (IGS). For both dual- and triple-frequency Precise Point Positioning (PPP) processing, the significance of GIM and tropospheric products in processing is not obvious in the quality of the solution after a few hours. However, constraining the atmosphere improves PPP initialization and solution convergence in the first few minutes of processing. The general research question to be answered is whether there is any significant benefit in constraining the atmosphere in multi-frequency PPP? A key related question is: regarding time and position accuracy, how close are we to RTK performance in the age of multi-GNSS PPP-AR? To address these questions, this paper provides insight into the conceptual analyses of atmospheric GNSS PPP constraints. Dual- and triple-frequency scenarios were investigated. Over 60% improvement in convergence time was observed when atmospheric constraints are applied to a dual-frequency multi-GNSS PPP-AR solution. Future work would involve employing the constraints to improve low-cost PPP solutions.

Influence of MBE Growth Conditions on Dislocation Densities of GaAs/Ge Epilayers Grown on Silicon Substrates

1985 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 364-365
Author(s):  
K.M. Hones ◽  
P. Sheldon ◽  
B.G. Yacobi ◽  
A. Mason
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Lattice Mismatch ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Nonradiative Recombination ◽  
Device Structure ◽  
Si Substrates ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Dislocation Densities ◽  
Dislocation Type

There is increasing interest in growing epitaxial GaAs on Si substrates. Such a device structure would allow low-cost substrates to be used for high-efficiency cascade- junction solar cells. However, high-defect densities may result from the large lattice mismatch (∼4%) between the GaAs epilayer and the silicon substrate. These defects can act as nonradiative recombination centers that can degrade the optical and electrical properties of the epitaxially grown GaAs. For this reason, it is important to optimize epilayer growth conditions in order to minimize resulting dislocation densities. The purpose of this paper is to provide an indication of the quality of the epitaxially grown GaAs layers by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to examine dislocation type and density as a function of various growth conditions. In this study an intermediate Ge layer was used to avoid nucleation difficulties observed for GaAs growth directly on Si substrates. GaAs/Ge epilayers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Si substrates in a manner similar to that described previously.

Effect of Computerized Auditory Training on Speech Perception of Adults With Hearing Impairment

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Pizarek ◽  
Valeriy Shafiro ◽  
Patricia McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Auditory Training ◽  
Hearing Impairments ◽  
Communicative Disorders ◽  
And Training

Computerized auditory training (CAT) is a convenient, low-cost approach to improving communication of individuals with hearing loss or other communicative disorders. A number of CAT programs are being marketed to patients and audiologists. The present literature review is an examination of evidence for the effectiveness of CAT in improving speech perception in adults with hearing impairments. Six current CAT programs, used in 9 published studies, were reviewed. In all 9 studies, some benefit of CAT for speech perception was demonstrated. Although these results are encouraging, the overall quality of available evidence remains low, and many programs currently on the market have not yet been evaluated. Thus, caution is needed when selecting CAT programs for specific patients. It is hoped that future researchers will (a) examine a greater number of CAT programs using more rigorous experimental designs, (b) determine which program features and training regimens are most effective, and (c) indicate which patients may benefit from CAT the most.

Cognitive Health Counseling 40+

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Eschen ◽  
Franzisca Zehnder ◽  
Mike Martin
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Pilot Phase ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Cognitive Health ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Main Outcome Variable ◽  
Further Development

This article introduces Cognitive Health Counseling 40+ (CH.CO40+), an individualized intervention that is conceptually based on the orchestration model of quality-of-life management ( Martin & Kliegel, 2010 ) and aims at improving satisfaction with cognitive health in adults aged 40 years and older. We describe the theoretically deduced characteristics of CH.CO40+, its target group, its multifactorial nature, its individualization, the application of subjective and objective measures, the role of participants as agents of change, and the rationale for choosing participants’ satisfaction with their cognitive health as main outcome variable. A pilot phase with 15 middle-aged and six older adults suggests that CH.CO40+ attracts, and may be particularly suitable for, subjective memory complainers. Implications of the pilot data for the further development of the intervention are discussed.

The system of indicators of the quality of the carbon-carbon composite materials and technologies of their production

2018 ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
T. N. Antipova ◽  
D. S. Shiroyan
Keyword(s):  
Composite Material ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Carbon Matrix ◽  
Carbon Composite ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Laboratory Equipment ◽  
Carbon Composite Material ◽  
Carbon Composite Materials

The system of indicators of quality of carbon-carbon composite material and technological operations of its production is proved in the work. As a result of the experimental studies, with respect to the existing laboratory equipment, the optimal number of cycles of saturation of the reinforcing frame with a carbon matrix is determined. It was found that to obtain a carbon-carbon composite material with a low cost and the required quality indicators, it is necessary to introduce additional parameters of the pitch melt at the impregnation stage.

scholarly journals Hospital chaplains as ethical consultants in making difficult medical decisions

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2020-107096
Author(s):  
Waldemar Głusiec
Keyword(s):  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Medical Decision ◽  
Medical Decisions ◽  
Hospital Chaplains ◽  
Specialist Knowledge ◽  
Hospital Ethics ◽  
Bioethical Education ◽  
Further Development

Background and aimsFew Polish hospitals have Hospital Ethics Committee (HECs) and the services are not always adequate. In this situation, the role of HECs, in providing, among others, ethical advice on the discontinuation of persistent therapies, may be taken over by other entities. The aim of our research was to investigate, how often and on what issues hospital chaplains are asked for ethical advice in reaching difficult medical decisions.MethodsA survey of 100 Roman Catholic chaplains was conducted, that is, at least 10% of all chaplains currently working in Polish hospitals.ResultsOf the participants, 29% confirmed receiving requests for advice in making a morally difficult medical decision. Receiving this type of request was not conditional on the place of their service, duration of their pastoral mission or HEC membership. The largest group of chaplains (21%) encounter questions concerning the ethical dilemmas associated with discontinuing persistent therapy. Patients and their families most often raise issues related to the methods of birth control, and the medical staff raise the issue of termination of pregnancy—as reported by 9% and 15% of chaplains, respectively. Most of the chaplains asked for help (79%) experience a deficit of specialist knowledge in the area of medicine or ethics.ConclusionsIn order to improve the quality of ethical consultations in Polish hospitals, in addition to further development of HECs, it is postulated to develop a system for bioethical education of chaplains.

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