Effect of hydroxyl on dye-sensitized solar cells assembled with TiO_2 nanorods

YiO2 nanorods have been prepared on ITO substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The hydroxyl groups have been introduced on the nanorods surface. The structure and the optical properties of these nanorods have been studied. The dye-sensitized solar cells （DSSCs） have been assembled using these TiO2 nanorods as photoelectrode. And the effect of the hydroxyl groups on the properties of the photoelectric conversion of the DSSCs has been studied.

Optical clearing mechanisms characterization in muscle

Optical immersion clearing is a technique that has been widely studied for more than two decades and that is used to originate a temporary transparency effect in biological tissues.If applied in cooperation with clinical methods it provides optimization of diagnosis and treatment procedures.This technique turns biological tissues more transparent through two main mechanisms-tissue dehydration and refractive index(RI)matching between tissue compo-nents.Such matching is obtained by partial replacement of interstit ial water by a biocompat ible agent that presents higher RI and it can be completely rever sible by natural rehydration in vrivo or by assisted rehydration in ex vivo tissues.Experimental data to characterize and discriminate between the two mechanisms and to find new ones are necessary.Using a simple method,based on collimated transmittance and thickness measurements made from muscle samples under treatment,we have estimated the diffusion properties of glucose,ethylene glycol(EG)and water that were used to perform such char acterization and discrimination.Comparing these properties with data from literature that characterize their diffusion in water we have observed that musde cell membrane permeability limits agent and water diffusion in the muscle.The same experi-mental data has allowed to calculate the optical dearing(OC)eficiency and make an inter-pretation of the internal changes that occurred in muscle during the treatments.The same methodology can now be used to perform similar studies with other agents and in other tissues in order to solve engineering problems at design of inexpensive and robust technologies for a consider.able improvement of optical tomogr aphic techmiques with better contrast and in depth imaging.

Managing Dynamics in Corporate Networks

A crucial issue in collaborating in manufacturing corporate networks between different companies is to identify to what extent different strategic and operational decisions need to be coordinated between the involved companies. In this paper, we elaborate on the issue of synchronization and coordination of information flow based on interconnectivities between companies in order to coordinate a corporate network by the means of DSM, Dependence Structure Matrix. The results show that DSM can be used to identify interconnectivities, dependencies on information flow among actors in a network and to identify which information needs to be shared between companies in the network.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of Arnebiae Radix and Dictamni Cortex and efficacy study of herbal extracts on allergic contact dermatitis using 3D human reconstructed epidermis

Objective:To evaluate the quality of Arnebiae Radix(AR)and Dictamni Cortex(DC)and study the efficacy of herbal extracts of these two herbs on the treatment of allergic contact dermatitis(ACD).Methods:Qualitative and quantitative analysis of effective components was performed using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography(HPTLC),High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC),and HPLC-Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry(HPLC-QTOF-MS).In vitro allergic ACD 3D model was established by incubating 3D reconstructed human epidermis(RHE)with skin sensitizer,potassium dichromate.A total of 65 gene expression that were associated with ACD,which included 24 antioxidant responsive element(ARE)and 41 SENS-IS genes were quantified by q RT-PCR.More than or equal to 10 ARE genes and 18 SENN-IS genes were induced by 1.3-fold,demonstrating the successful establishment of in vitro ACD model.Oil extracts of AR and DC were applied on the in vitro ACD model to study the efficacy.Results:Batch 3 of AR and batch 2 of DC showed presence of all active ingredients with the highest concentrations.Active ingredients of the herbs were extracted using a special oil and formulated into herbal oil extracts.The herbal oil extracts were able to down regulate the induced genes in the in-vitro ACD skin model,bringing the tissue back to homeostatic status.Conclusion:The oil extracts showed the potent efficacy of using AR and DC in ACD treatment.The combination study will be done to optimize the formulation ratio which will be developed into a topical cream.