Efficacy improvement in polymer LEDs via silver-nanoparticle doping in the emissive layer.

The coupling of surface plasmons and excitons in the emissive layer (EML) can improve the performance of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) with a decahedron structure are prepared by the chemical reduction and photochemical methods and doped directly into the EML after the phase-transfer process. The surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag-NPs, which makes full use of quenched excitons and increases the efficiency of excitons in the EML in a PLED, enhances the current efficacy by a factor of 75 relative to that of the undoped reference device (from 0.

Nanoscale electrical properties of ZnO nanorods grown by chemical bath deposition.

Well-aligned zinc oxide nanorod arrays (ZNAs) synthesized using chemical bath deposition were fabricated on a gallium-doped zinc oxide substrate, and the effects of varying the precursor concentrations on the growth and nanoscale electrical properties of the ZNAs were investigated. The as-synthesized ZNAs were characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), conducting atomic force microscopy (CAFM), and scanning surface potential microscopy (SSPM). The FESEM and AFM images show that the growth rate in terms of length and diameter is highly sensitive to the precursor concentration.

Optical coherence tomography-guided laser microsurgery for blood coagulation with continuous-wave laser diode.

Blood coagulation is the clotting and subsequent dissolution of the clot following repair to the damaged tissue. However, inducing blood coagulation is difficult for some patients with homeostasis dysfunction or during surgery. In this study, we proposed a method to develop an integrated system that combines optical coherence tomography (OCT) and laser microsurgery for blood coagulation.

Monitoring of wound healing process of human skin after fractional laser treatments with optical coherence tomography.

Fractional photothermolysis induced by non-ablative fractional lasers (NAFLs) or ablative fractional lasers (AFLs) can remodel the skin, regenerate collagen, and remove tumor tissue. However, fractional laser treatments may result in severe side effects, and multiple treatments are required to achieve the expected outcome. Thus, the treatment outcome and downtime after fractional laser treatments are key issues to determine the following treatment strategy.

Enhanced luminescence efficiency of Ag nanoparticles dispersed on indium tin oxide for polymer light-emitting diodes.

This study presents a substantial enhancement in electroluminescence achieved by depositing Ag nanoparticles on an ITO-coated glass substrate (Ag/ITO) for approximately 10-s to form novel window materials for use in polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). The PLEDs discussed herein are single-layer devices based on a poly[9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole] (F8BT) emissive layer. In addition to its low cost, this novel fabrication method can effectively increase the charge transport properties of the active layer to meet the high performance requirements of PLEDs.

An Efficient Interval Type-2 Fuzzy CMAC for Chaos Time-Series Prediction and Synchronization.

This paper aims to propose a more efficient control algorithm for chaos time-series prediction and synchronization. A novel type-2 fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller (T2FCMAC) is proposed. In some special cases, this T2FCMAC can be reduced to an interval type-2 fuzzy neural network, a fuzzy neural network, and a fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC).

Influence of gallium-doped zinc-oxide thickness on polymer light-emitting diode luminescence efficiency.

Conducting atomic force microscopy and scanning surface potential microscopy were used to study the local electrical properties of gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on a polyimide (PI) substrate. For a PLD deposition process time of 8 min, the root-mean-square roughness, coverage percentage of the conducting regions, and mean work function on the GZO surface were 2.33 nm, 96.

Evaluation of moisture-related attenuation coefficient and water diffusion velocity in human skin using optical coherence tomography.

In this study, time-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning images of the process of water diffusion in the skin that illustrate the enhancement in the backscattered intensities due to the increased water concentration are presented. In our experiments, the water concentration in the skin was increased by soaking the hand in water, and the same region of the skin was scanned and measured with the OCT system and a commercial moisture monitor every three minutes. To quantitatively analyze the moisture-related optical properties and the velocity of water diffusion in human skin, the attenuation coefficients of the skin, including the epidermis and dermis layers, were evaluated.

Noninvasive imaging of heart chamber in Drosophila with dual-beam optical coherence tomography.

The heart chamber of an adult Drosophila is approximately 2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, and the interwall separation of different heart portions during systole and diastole range from tens of micrometers to hundreds of micrometers. Furthermore, the heart chamber has a curved structure, which results in the larger differences in depth between the different heart portions.

[Research on the universal analytic potential function applied to diatomic molecules].

A new method on constructing analytical potential energy functions is presented, and from this a analytical potential energy function applied to both neutral diatomic molecules and charged diatomic molecular ions is obtained. In this paper, the potential energy function is examined by 21 examples of eight different basic kinds of diatomic molecules or ions--homonuclear ground-state for neutral diatomic molecule Na2-X1 sigma g+, homonuclear excitation-state for neutral diatomic molecule C2-A1 pi(u), homonuclear ground-state for charged diatomic molecular ion He2+ -X2 sigma u+, homonuclear excitation-state for charged diatomic molecular ion N2+ -B2 sigma(u), heteronuclear ground-state for neutral diatomic molecule NaLi-X1 sigma g+, heteronuclear excitation-state neutral diatomic molecule BH-B1 sigma+, heteronuclear ground-state for charged diatomic molecular ion (BC)- -X3 pi, and heteronuclear excitation-state for charged diatomic molecular ion (CS)+ -A2 pi etc. The theoretical values of the vibrational energy level of molecules calculated by the potential energy function are compared with RKR (Rydberg-Klein-Rees) or experimental data, and as a consequence, all the results are precisely consistent with RKR data.

Sudden and unexpected and near death during the early neonatal period: a multicenter study.

Background: To investigate the incidence, clinical presentation and possible etiologies or risk factors of early onset of sudden and unexpected death or near-miss.

Methods: From 2001 to 2005, a retrospective analysis of observational database of neonates who were younger than one week old without any risk factors at five tertiary medical centers. The demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory data and possible etiologies were retrospectively collected and analyzed.

Observations of cardiac beating behaviors of wild-type and mutant Drosophilae with optical coherence tomography.

Time-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning images of wild-type and mutant fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), illustrating the heartbeat patterns for evaluating their cardiac functions, are demonstrated. Based on the heartbeat patterns, the beat rate and the relative phase between the first two heart segments can be evaluated. The OCT scanning results of mutant flies with impaired proteasome function in cardiac muscles show irregular heartbeat patterns and systematically decreased average beat rates, when compared with the regular patterns of ~4.

Defect detection and property evaluation of indium tin oxide conducting glass using optical coherence tomography.

This study demonstrates a new approach for evaluating the properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass and identifying defects using optical coherence tomography (OCT). A swept-source OCT system was implemented to scan the ITO conducting glass to enable two-dimensional or three-dimensional imaging. With OCT scanning, the defects can be clearly identified at various depths.

Differences between nanoscale structural and electrical properties of AZO:N and AZO used in polymer light-emitting diodes.

Conducting atomic force microscopy and scanning surface potential microscopy were adopted to investigate the nanoscale surface electrical properties of N-doped aluminum zinc oxide (AZO:N) films that were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at various substrate temperatures. Experimental results demonstrated that when the substrate temperature is 150 degrees C and the N(2)O background pressure is 150 mTorr, the N-dopant concentration on the surface is optimal. In addition, the root-mean-square roughness value of the film surface, the low contact current (<400 nA) conducting region as a percentage of the total area, and the mean work function value are 1.

Nanoscale surface electrical properties of zinc oxide films investigated by conducting atomic force microscopy.

In this study, conducting atomic force microscopy was employed to investigate the nanoscale surface electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at different substrate temperatures for use as anode materials in polymer light-emitting diodes. The results show that the surface conductivity distribution of ZnO is related to its surface structure. At substrate temperatures of 150-200 degrees C, the conducting regions may cover over 90% of the ZnO thin-film surface, thus providing the best local conductivity.

Characteristics of Kawasaki disease in infants younger than six months of age.

Background: Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in childhood. However, there are only a few reports in infants younger than 6 months. The objective of this study is to investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Kawasaki disease in infants younger than 6 months.