TCAD simulations for thin film solar cells with nanoplate structures.

The novel thin film solar cell with a nanoplate structure that can solve the conflict between the light absorption and the carrier transport in amorphous silicon thin film solar cell was investigated by TCAD simulations. This new structure has n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate array on the substrate, and p-type amorphous silicon-carbon as window layer and intrinsic amorphous silicon as absorption layer are sequentially grown along the surface of each n-type amorphous silicon nanoplate. Under AM 1.5 G sunlight illumination, the light is absorbed along the vertical direction of nanoplate while the carrier transport is along the horizontal direction. Therefore, nanoplate with the larger height can absorb most of the sunlight. The advantage of this novel structure is that the thickness of the solar cell can be used as thin as possible for effective transport of photo-generated carriers in comparison with the planer one.

A comparative efficacy and safety study of long-acting risperidone injection and risperidone oral tablets among hospitalized patients: 12-week randomized, single-blind study.

OBJECTIVE: The superiority of risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) over oral typical and atypical antipsychotics demonstrated in previous studies may be related to the improved drug compliance. The aim of the 12-week randomized, single-blind study was to test whether the superiority of RLAI remained among hospitalized patients that drug compliance could be optimally controlled. METHODS: Fifty hospitalized stable schizophrenic patients, who had maintained on oral risperidone for more than 3 months, were randomized to the RLAI and oral risperidone group. Finally 49 patients (98 %) completed the study, and no dose change of oral risperidone, or RLAI was noted among all patients. RESULTS: The RLAI group showed significantly increased positive score of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) than the risperidone group (0.72 +/- 3.52 vs. -1.24 +/- 3.81, p = 0.022), but without significance difference for the PANSS total, negative and general psychopathology scores. The RLAI group also showed a significantly improved Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) Scale (p = 0.037), social life domains of Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (p = 0.011), and reduced prolactin level (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that with optimal controlling of drug compliance among hospitalized patients, RLAI showed no benefit of efficacy over oral risperidone, but with advantages of improved side-effect profiles, social life ratings, and reduced prolactin levels.

Ocular components before and after acquired, nonaccommodative esotropia.

BACKGROUND: Acquired nonaccommodative esotropia describes the sudden onset of a constant, comitant strabismus of idiopathic origin in children >6 months of age. CASE REPORT: We present a case of acquired nonaccommodative esotropia at 20 months of age in a subject participating in the Berkeley Infant Biometry Study, a longitudinal study of emmetropization and ocular component development in infants between 3 months and 3 years of age. Ocular components for this child were normal before the onset of strabismus (within 2 SD's of the mean for orthotropic study participants) for refractive error, corneal power, lens radii, lens power, and ocular axial dimensions. Refractive error postsurgically was significantly more hyperopic and crystalline lens power lower than average at +2.38 D and 37.2 D, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of abnormal ocular parameters is consistent with the idiopathic etiology of acute onset esotropia. This case suggests that ocular component values may not be useful for assessing the risk of acquired nonaccommodative esotropia.

Effect of 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid infusion on blood pressure in normal and hypertensive rats.

Intravenous (IV) and intraarterial (IA) infusion of 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (14,15-EET) produced a dose-dependent decrease in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in normal and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The hypotensive effect of 14,15-EET was observed from 1 microgram/kg to 10 micrograms/kg with a maximum reduction in MAP as much as 45 +/- 6 mmHg in both normal and SHR. In normal rats the hypotensive effect was found to be more pronounced when 14,15-EET was infused IA than IV. This suggests that 14,15-EET may be metabolized as it passes through the lungs. However, in SHR there was no difference in MAP when 14,15-EET was infused either IA or IV. This indicates that there is a differential removal of the epoxide across the pulmonary circulation. Administration of indomethacin failed to inhibit the hypotensive action of 14,15-EET, suggesting that it may not be a cyclo-oxygenase dependent mechanism. However, the PAF antagonist of BN-52021 inhibited the hypotensive action of 14,15-EET. This therefore, suggests that the release of PAF may be involved in the hypotensive action of this epoxide of arachidonic acid.