A novel technique for measuring heart rate in a free swimming marine vertebrate

A mouth opening sensor incorporating a magnet and Hall sensor attached to a data logging unit was used to monitor the breathing and foraging behavior of a free-swimming leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Analysis of these data revealed a rhythmic low amplitude oscillation. Further investigation of the frequency of this signal lead us to believe that the movements (< 0.1 mm) are caused by the movement of blood through the nearby blood vessels. Putative heart rate decreased during dive descent and increased considerably during dive ascent reflecting the bradycardia and anticipatory tachycardia recorded by other means in other air-breathing divers. Oscillation frequencies were also comparable to the heart rate recorded in leatherbacks by means of implanted electrodes. We therefore propose that this device which was already known to reliably record behaviour such as breathing, feeding and buccal oscillations in sea turtles also has potential for recording other signals which cause movement on the external surface of an animal.     

"三伏贴"对慢性阻塞性肺病系统炎症的影响

目的:观察"三伏贴"对稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者系统炎症的影响,并评价其有效性。方法:收集稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者60例,按随机数字表随机分为"三伏贴"治疗组与安慰剂治疗组,每组30例;在常规西医治疗的基础上,分别给予"三伏贴"和安慰剂贴敷治疗,分别在入伏、初伏、中伏及末伏进行4次穴位贴敷,完成1疗程治疗者共56例。观察治疗前、1个疗程结束时、治疗后3个月、治疗后6个月血清炎症因子的变化。应用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测血清白细胞介素-8(IL-8),免疫比浊法测定血清CRP,比较治疗前后两组间的炎症因子变化趋势,同时比较治疗前后两组间CAT评分(COPD assessment test,CAT)、呼吸困难评分(MRC)及生存质量评分。结果:"三伏贴"组、安慰剂组血清IL-8、CRP随时间变化趋势不同;其中试验组血清炎症因子随时间呈逐渐下降趋势,但治疗后6个月时炎症因子略有升高,而安慰剂组炎症因子水平呈逐渐升高趋势,治疗前试验组与安慰剂组炎症因子水平差异无统计学意义,治疗3个月后,两组患者IL-8、CRP水平差异即有统计学意义(P0.05)。试验组患者治疗后CAT评分、MRC评分较治疗前下降,生存质量评分升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),而安慰剂组患者在治疗后CAT评分、MRC评分较治疗前升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),生存质量评分下降,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。同一时间点,试验组较安慰剂组CAT评分、MRC评分下降,生存质量评分明显升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:冬病夏治穴位敷帖可以改善COPD患者生存质量,缓解症状,其作用机理可能与降低系统炎症相关因子有关。     

Improvement of Transparent Metal Top Electrodes for Organic Solar Cells by Introducing a High Surface Energy Seed Layer

We present highly transparent and conductive silver thin films in a thermally evaporated dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) multilayer architecture as top electrode for efficient small molecule organic solar cells. DMD electrodes are frequently used for optoelectronic devices and exhibit excellent optical and electrical properties. Here, we show that ultrathin seed layers such as calcium, aluminum, and gold of only 1 nm thickness strongly influence the morphology of the subsequently deposited silver layer used as electrode. The wetting of silver on the substrate is significantly improved with increasing surface energy of the seed material resulting in enhanced optical and electrical properties. Typically thermally evaporated silver on a dielectric material forms rough and granular layers which are not closed and not conductive below thicknesses of 10 nm. With gold acting as seed layer, the silver electrode forms a continuous, smooth, conductive layer down to a silver thickness of 3 nm. At 7 nm silver thickness such an electrode exhibits a sheet resistance of 19 Ω/□ and a peak transmittance of 83% at 580 nm wavelength, both superior compared to silver electrodes without seed layer and even to indium tin oxide (ITO). Top‐illuminated solar cells using gold/silver double layer electrodes achieve power conversion efficiencies of 4.7%, which is equal to 4.6% observed in bottom‐illuminated reference devices employing conventional ITO. The top electrodes investigated here exhibit promising properties for semitransparent solar cells or devices fabricated on opaque substrates.     

Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of a New Marine Hypotrichous Ciliate,Hypotrichidium paraconicum n. sp. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichia)

A new saline hypotrich, Hypotrichidium paraconicum n. sp., found in coastal waters near Hong Kong, China, was investigated with emphasis on its living morphology, infraciliature, ontogenesis, and phylogenetic position. A body that is pyriform, with a posterior end that is twisted helically toward the left, a distinct tail and a dark colour, characterizes H. paraconicum n. sp. The buccal cavity is prominent and the cortical granules, which are scattered or sparsely distributed, are colourless, round, and about 1 μm in diam. The contractile vacuole is near the left middle of the cell and there are one or two frontal cirri, four meridional rows and five or six cirral rows which exhibit a left‐handed spiral and which are distributed in the posterior portion on both sides. Three dorsal kineties are distributed in the anterior portion of the dorsal side. In our molecular phylogenies, based on SSU rRNA gene sequences, the position of H. paraconicum n. sp. is rather poorly resolved, providing some indication of a relationship with Neokeronopsis aurea and Rubrioxytricha ferruginea, which fall into the assemblage of oxytrichids (s.l.).     

High Performance Flexible Transparent Electrode via One‐Step Multifunctional Treatment for Ag Nanonetwork Composites Semi‐Embedded in Low‐Temperature‐Processed Substrate for Highly Performed Organic Photovoltaics

For ideal flexible transparent electrodes, the features of good electrical/optical properties, low surface roughness, efficient charge transportation, robust electrical stability under simultaneously continuous operation bias, and mechanical bending are critical. Herein, a flexible transparent electrode fulfilling all these features is demonstrated by silver (Ag) nanonetwork composites semi‐embedded in low‐temperature‐processed colorless polyimide (cPI), which shows a figure of merit over 1000 (5.4 Ω sq^?1 sheet resistance and >94% diffused transmission at 550 nm wavelength), extremely smooth topography (<1 nm root‐mean‐square roughness and <3 nm peak‐to‐valley roughness), remarkable bending stability under continuous operation bias, and increased work function favoring the band alignment with typical charge transport layers for efficient devices. These characteristics are attributed to one‐step multifunctional chemical treatment on the composite of Ag nanowires and an example polymer of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The strategic one‐step process simultaneously offers selective welding at nanowires cross junctions to form an Ag nanonetwork, and removing polyvinylpyrrolidone surfactant from Ag nanowires and PSS from PEDOT:PSS. The flexible electrode also favors the residue‐free cPI transfer for applications. Flexible organic solar cells (OSCs) made from the electrode achieve an averaged power conversion efficiency of 14.46% (best, 15.12%), which is the best flexible OSCs reported so far.     

Light Harvesting at Oblique Incidence Decoupled from Transmission in Organic Solar Cells Exhibiting 9.8% Efficiency and 50% Visible Light Transparency

For many years, it has been recognized that potential organic photovoltaic cells must be integrated into elements requiring high transparency. In most of such elements, sunlight is likely to be incident at large angles. Here it is demonstrated that light transmission can be largely decoupled from harvesting by optically tailoring an infrared shifted nonfullerene acceptor based organic cell architecture. A 9.67% power conversion efficiency at 50° incidence is achieved together with an average visual transmission above 50% at normal incidence. The deconstruction of a 1D nanophotonic structure is implemented to conclude that just two λ/4 thick layers are essential to reach, for a wide incidence angle range, a higher than 50% efficiency increase relative to the standard configuration reference. In an outdoor measurement of vertically positioned 50% visible transparent cells, it is demonstrated that 9.80% of sunlight energy can be converted into electricity during the course of 1 day.