High-throughput physical vapour deposition flexible thermoelectric generators.

Flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can provide uninterrupted, green energy from body-heat, overcoming bulky battery configurations that limit the wearable-technologies market today. High-throughput production of flexible TEGs is currently dominated by printing techniques, limiting material choices and performance. This work investigates the compatibility of physical vapour deposition (PVD) techniques with a flexible commercial process, roll-to-roll (R2R), for thermoelectric applications.

Structural and spectral characterisation of Er and Nd doped Ga-La-S-Se glasses.

In this work, the spectroscopy of Er and Nd doped Se-GLS glasses was studied. A structural comparison between doped and non-doped samples was done to assess the differences between the glasses. For this comparison, Raman spectroscopy and thermal analysis were employed.

Context Modulates Congruency Effects in Selective Attention to Social Cues.

Head and gaze directions are used during social interactions as essential cues to infer where someone attends. When head and gaze are oriented toward opposite directions, we need to extract socially meaningful information despite stimulus conflict. Recently, a cognitive and neural mechanism for filtering-out conflicting stimuli has been identified while performing non-social attention tasks.

Nonlinear refractive index of ultrafast laser inscribed waveguides in gallium lanthanum sulphide.

We demonstrate ultrafast all-optical switching in femtosecond laser inscribed nonlinear directional couplers in gallium lanthanum sulphide operated at 1.55 μm. We report on the evaluation of the nonlinear refractive index of the waveguides forming the directional couplers by making use of the switching parameters.

Optical, Thermal, and Mechanical Characterization of Ga Se -Added GLS Glass.

Gallium lanthanum sulfide glass (GLS) has been widely studied in the last 40 years for middle-infrared applications. In this work, the results of the substitution of selenium for sulphur in GLS glass are described. The samples are prepared via melt-quench method in an argon-purged atmosphere.

Reinvestigation of the reaction between 2-furancarboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone.

The reaction between 2-furancarboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone was reinvestigated as a part of a systematic study on low molecular weight colored compounds from the Maillard reaction. In acetic acid/piperidine, besides 2-(2-furanylmethylene)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (1) and 5-[2-(2-furanyl)ethenyl]-2-(2-furanylmethylene)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl -3( 2H)-furanone (2), four novel compounds, 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b, were isolated and characterized. These compounds are produced from two molecules of furanone 1 and one molecule of 2-furancarboxaldehyde, and a mechanism is proposed for their formation.

A fatal case of poisoning with cantharidin.

A case of fatal poisoning due to voluntary ingestion of cantharides powder for aphrodisiac purposes is reported. Clinical history, autopsy and analytical findings are described. Blood and urine samples collected during the 30 h of survival, as well as the cantharides product, were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

[Anesthetics vapors and gases and health hazards: results of an environmental survey].

The occupational exposure to nitrous oxide and other anaesthetic agents in two hospitals was measured with personal samplers. The highest concentration of nitrous oxide was found in the orthopaedic theatre (2932 ppm), but in other operating theatres the values were not less than 200 ppm. Both the average volume of anaesthetic gases and vapours used per patient and per room and lack of appreciable active ventilation may affect the exposure of staff, potentially at risk from excessive occupational exposure to anaesthetic agents.