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Purpose: The survival benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to surgical resection in colorectal cancer with liver metastases (CRCLM) patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare overall outcome of CRCLM patients who underwent NAC followed by surgical resection versus surgical treatment first.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 429 patients with stage IV colorectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases who underwent simultaneous liver resection between January 2008 and December 2016. Using propensity score matching, overall outcome between 60 patients who underwent NAC before surgical treatment and 60 patients who underwent surgical treatment first was compared.Results: Before propensity score matching, metastatic cancer tended to involve a larger number of liver segments and the primary tumor size was bigger in the NAC group than in the primary resection group, so that a larger percentage of patients in the NAC group underwent major hepatectomy (P

Background While procarbazine, CCNU (lomustine), and vincristine (PCV) has been an alternative chemotherapy option for malignant gliomas, it is worth investigating whether the combination of only procarbazine and CCNU is comparable because vincristine adds toxicity with uncertain benefit. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of procarbazine and CCNU chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation. Methods Eight patients with recurrent GBM following concurrent chemoradiotherapy and temozolomide (TMZ) adjuvant therapy were enrolled in this trial; they received no other chemotherapeutic agents or target therapy. They received CCNU (75 mg/m2) on day 1 and procarbazine (60 mg/m2) through days 11 and 24 every 4 weeks. The median cycle of CCNU and procarbazine was 3.5 (range: 2–6). Results One patient achieved stable disease. The median progression-free survival (PFS) with procarbazine and CCNU chemotherapy was eight weeks (range: 5–73), and the PFS rates were 25% and 12.5% at 16 and 30 weeks, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) from the initial diagnosis to death was 40 months, and the median OS from the administration of procarbazine and CCNU chemotherapy to death was 9.7 months (95% confidence interval: 6.7–12.7). Serious adverse events were found at six visits, and two cases were considered to be grade 3 toxicities. Conclusion The efficacy of procarbazine and CCNU chemotherapy is not satisfactory. This study suggests the need to develop other treatment strategies for recurrent and TMZ-refractory GBM. Trial registry at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT017337346., Graphical Abstract

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) in epithelial ovarian cancer, and to assess its relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patients' survival. METHODS A total of 177 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for EGFL7 was performed using tissue microarrays made with paraffin-embedded tissue block. EGFL7 expression levels were graded on a grade of 0 to 3 based on the percentage of positive cancer cells. We analyzed the correlations between the expression of EGFL7 and various clinical parameters, and also analyzed the survival outcome according to the EGFL7 expression. RESULTS The expression of EGFL7 in ovarian cancer tissues was observed in 98 patients (55.4%). High expression of EGFL7 (grade 2 or 3) was significantly correlated with pathologic type, differentiation, stage, residual tumor after debulking surgery, lymphovascular space involvement, lymph node metastasis, high cancer antigen 125, peritoneal cytology, and ascites. Among these clinicopathologic factors, differentiation was significantly correlated with EGFL7 expression in multivariate analysis (p

Popliteal artery injury is a very rare complication of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The authors experienced a case of popliteal arterial pseudoaneurysm after re-revision of ACL reconstruction using Rigidfix for femoral tunnel fixation. Pseudoaneurysm was detected in knee magnetic resonance imaging, which caused pain, limit of motion, common peroneal nerve palsy, leg swelling and symptoms similar to compartment syndrome. After excision and re-anastomosis of the popliteal artery using a greater saphenous vein graft, all symptoms were resolved within 3 months except for common peroneal nerve palsy. So we report on this case with a review of the literature.

Acute simultaneous rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and patellar tendon is a rare injury. We present a case report of a 32-year-old male patient with ruptured ACL and ipsilateral patellar tendon rupture sustained while playing baseball. Surgery was performed on the patellar tendon and the ACL simultaneously. The clinical and radiological outcomes of the treatment were successful. We present this case with a review of the literatures.

Objective The purpose of the current study was to evaluate survival outcome according to the expression status of CD73 in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods A total of 167 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for CD73, CD8, FoxP3, and CD68 was performed using tissue microarray made with paraffin embedded tissue block. Results Among the enrolled patients, 29.9% of patients (n=50) showed negative expression for CD73, whereas 70.1% of patients (n=117) showed positive expression for CD73. The CD73 positive group showed better prognosis compared to the CD73 negative group (5-year overall survival of CD73 positive group, 73.0%; that of CD73 negative group, 50.1%; p=0.023). CD73 was more frequently expressed in mucinous adenocarcinoma and clear cell carcinoma compared to serous or endometrioid adenocarcinoma. In addition, CD73 overexpressions were more frequently detected in patients with known good prognostic factors, i.e., low stage, well/moderate differentiation, negative peritoneal cytology, no lymphovascular involvement, and no macroscopic residual tumor after debulking surgery. There was significantly more infiltration of regulatory T cells in the CD73 negative group compared to the CD73 positive group. Conclusion Good prognosis in patients with overexpression of CD73 may be due to that overexpression of CD73 was more frequently observed in epithelial ovarian cancer patients with known good prognostic factors. Therefore, this result means that favorable differentiation and stage have more influence on survival outcome than adverse effect of CD73 per se.

Nanoporous network polymer nanocomposites with tunable pore size for size-dependent selective ion transport are successfully prepared via the surface-induced cross-linking polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) on the surfaces of nanocrystalline TiO2 particles. The morphologies of the porous network polymer layer and nanopores were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) experiments. The porous layer size-selectively screened the ions that contacted the nanocrystalline TiO2 particles, as demonstrated by ion conductivity measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS).

Three organic dyes, 2-cyano-3-(N-hexylphenothiazine-3-yl)acrylic acid (H-PTZ), 2-cyano-3-(5′-(2-(Nhexylphenothiazine-3-yl)vinyl)-2,2′-bithiophen-5-yl)acrylic acid (H-PTZ-BT), and 2-cyano-3-(5-(4-((4-(2-(N-hexylphenothiazine-3-yl)vinyl)phenyl)(phenyl)amino)phenyl)thiophen-2-yl)acrylic acid (H-PTZ-TPA-T), based on the phenothiazine (PTZ) unit as an electron donor moiety and cyanoacrylic acid unit as an electron acceptor moiety were synthesized to study the effect of a π-conjugated bridge of the dye on the performance of the resulting dye-sensitized solar cells devices. The thiophene unit and triphenylamine were introduced as a π-conjugated bridge. The H-PTZTPA-T-sensitized cell showed the highest overall conversion efficiency of 4.01% (J sc : 9.64 mA·cm−2; V oc : 0.69 V; FF: 0.60), while the H-PTZ-sensitized cell showed the lowest value of 3.57% (J sc : 7.76 mA·cm−2; V oc : 0.70 V; FF: 0.65) among the cells based on the three organic dyes compared to 5.09% for the cell based on the N719 dye (J sc : 12.77 mA·cm−2; V oc : 0.72 V; FF: 0.55) under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW·cm−2).

TiO(2) electrodes, sensitized with the N719 dye at high immersion temperatures during the sensitization process, were found to have large fractions of weakly bound N719 on the electrode surface, which resulted in dye aggregation and decreased device longevity. These disadvantages were ameliorated using a low-temperature stearic acid (SA)-assisted anchoring method described here. The activation energy (ΔE(NS)(++)) and relative fraction of strongly bound N719 were twice as large as the respective values obtained without the use of SA. Slowing of adsorption, both by thermal means and through SA-mediated processes, effectively controlled the binding mode of N719 on the surface of TiO(2). The resulting sensitized electrodes displayed enhanced device longevity and improved generation of photoinduced electrons.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers were prepared by an electrospinning method using a PVA solution containing silver nitrate (AgNO3) to improve the photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The electrospun PVA nanofibers containing AgNO3 were irradiated with UV light at 310∼380 nm and Ag nanoparticles were generated in their nanofibers. In the DSSC devices using the electrospun PVA/Ag nanofibers, the Jsc, Voc, FF, and η showed the values of 11.9∼12.5 mA/cm2, 0.70∼0.71 V, 0.55∼0.59, and 4.73∼4.99%, respectively. When the electrospun PVA/Ag (1 wt%) nanofibers were used in the DSSC device, the power conversion efficiency showed a maximum value of 4.99%, which is higher than that of DSSC using electrospun PVA nanofibers without Ag nanoparticles.

We synthesized two organic dyes, (3-(5-(4-(bis(4-bromophenyl)amino)phenyl)thiophen-2-yl)-2-cyanoacrylic acid ( TPA-T1 ) and 3,3′-(5,5′-(4,4′-(4-bromophenylazanediyl)bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(thiophene-5,2-diyl))bis(2-cyanoacrylic acid) ( TPA-T2 )), which contain the triphenylamine moiety as an electron donor and cyanoacrylic acid moiety as an electron acceptor, connected by thiophene units. Nanocrystalline TiO 2 -based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using these dyes to confirm the effects of the number of electron acceptors (single or double) on their photovoltaic performance. The DSSC devices based on the TPA-T2 dye showed higher overall efficiencies ( η = 2.68–4.11%) than those based on TPA-T1 ( η = 2.54–3.46%) due to its the superior optical properties.

We prepared electrospun polymer nanofibers by the electrospinning method and investigated about their applications to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Electrospun poly(vinylidenefluoride–co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF–HFP) and PVDF–HFP/polystyrene (PS) blend nanofibers were prepared and examined the uptake, the ionic conductivity, and the porosity by impedance measurement and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The best results of Voc, Jsc, FF, and efficiency of the DSSC devices using the electrospun PVDF–HFP/PS(3:1) blend nanofibers were 0.76 V, 11.8 mA/cm2, 0.66, and 5.75% under AM 1.5.

We prepared Poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers containing nano-sized inorganic BaTiO3 filler by electrospinning technique, and applied to the dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This technique compensates the draw back of leakage of the electrolyte in DSSCs. Moreover, electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers containing inorganic filler have better ionic conductivity than those of without filler, and the DSSC device using inorganic filler showed better efficiency than without inorganic filler. The best result of Voc, Jsc, FF, and η of the DSSC devices using the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers containing 20 wt% inorganic BaTiO3 filler were the values of 0.70 V, 12.9 mA/cm2, 0.58 and 5.15% under AM 1.5, respectively. We also measured up-take, ionic conductivity and porosity to investigate the effect of electrolyte in the electrospun nanofibers.

We prepared poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers by the electrospinning method and applied to the polymer matrix in polymer electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The uptake, ionic conductivity, and porosity of the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber films showed 653±50%, 4.53±1.3×10−3 S/cm, and 70±2.3%, respectively, regardless of the diameter and morphology of nanofibers. In addition, several DSSC devices using the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber films as the polymer matrix were prepared to investigate the photovoltaic effect of iodine (I2) concentrations on DSSC devices. With an increase of I2 concentration in electrolyte solutions, the ionic conductivity increased, while the photocurrent density of DSSC devices decreased.

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) examine long-term stability tests were prepared to SnO2:F (FTO) glass substrates patterned by the etching method were applied to the electrode on the device using polyethyleneglycol (PEG) electrolyte. We investigated the effect of patterned SnO2:F (FTO) glass substrates on the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability of DSSCs. The patterned devices maintained over 83% of its initial overall power conversion efficiency after 720 hours aging at room temperature, while the devices using non-patterned FTO glass substrates showed drastic decrease in performances.

Multi-layered TiO2 nanostructured films were fabricated to improve the light harvest efficiency of the dye-adsorbed TiO2 electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by light scattering. Three different structures of TiO2 electrodes, with layers consisting of TiO2 pastes with average diameters of 9, 20, and 300 nm, respectively, were fabricated and their photovoltaic effects on the DSSC devices were investigated. By utilizing the multi-layered TiO2 electrode constructed using the three different TiO2 pastes, the overall power conversion efficiency of the DSSC devices in the PEG-based electrolyte was increased to 5.24% under irradiation of 100 mW/cm2 at AM 1.5.

The dye-sensitized solar cell devices using PEDOT:PSS films as counter electrodes have the lower production cost and more simple fabrication process than devices using Pt counter electrode. To enhance the power conversion efficiency of devices, we fabricated DSSC devices using thermal treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as counter electrodes. The power conversion efficiency of DSSC device using a counter electrode based PEDOT:PSS film treated at 45°C for 720 min achieved a value of 3.22%.

Soluble thiophene-based copolymers, poly[(3-alkylthiophene)-co-(3-thiophene acetic acid)]s (P3AT-co-3TAA-n's), were synthesized to apply to the polymer sensitizer of the polymer-sensitized solar cell devices. In order to improve the solubility and the chemical adsorption onto nanoporous TiO2 layers in the polymer-sensitized solar cell devices, thiophene-based copolymers having the chemical structures of the carboxyl group and the alkyl group were designed. We have fabricated solid-state polymer-sensitized solar cell devices using polymer sensitizers and polymer electrolytes, and investigated on the photovoltaic performances. In the polymer-sensitized solar cell devices using polymer sensitizers, Voc is 0.37–0.46 V, Jsc is 0.82–7.71 mA/cm2, and the power conversion efficiency is 0.14–0.38%, respectively.

We have synthesized three kinds of titanylphthalocyanines with different crystal structures (TiOPcs; PcT2oooR, PcT3000R, and PcT1100S) and analyzed their crystal structure by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transfer IR (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). From experimental results, we have confirmed that PcT200oR was estimated to be alpha-form; PcT3000R was beta-form, and PcT1100S was gamma-form. Quasi-solid state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices were prepared with a polymer electrolyte using TiOPcs as a co-adsorbent. The DSSC device using TiOPc has higher power conversion efficiency than without TiOPc, due to decrease of electron transfer distance by the interface adsorption between TiO 2 film and polymer electrolyte. Also, we have studied the effects of the crystal structures of TiOPcs on the property of polymer electrolyte and the performance of the DSSC device. The best result on power conversion efficiency was 7.13% in DSSC device using PcT3000R having its highest stability. The open-circuit voltage (V oc ) was 0.69 V, the short-circuit current density (j sc ) was 20.02 mA/cm 2 , and the Fill Factor (FF) was 0.52. the addition of TiOPc as co-adsorbent is useful for improve to the performances of DSSC devices such as V oc , J sc , and power conversion efficiency.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using a polymer matrix in polymer electrolyte in the purpose of the improvement of the durability in the dye-sensitized solar cells. In these dye-sensitized solar cells, the polymer electrolyte consisting of I2, LiI, ionic liquid, ethylene carbonate/propylene carbonate (EC/PC) and polymer matrix was casted onto TiO2 electrode impregnated Ruthenium dye as a photosensitizer. Photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cells using polymer matrix (PMMA, PEG, or PAN) in solid-state polymer electrolytes were investigated. Comparing photovoltaic effects of cells using hole conducting polymers (BE or 6P) instead of polymer matrix, we have investigated the availability of the solid-state polymer electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Glycoproteins often display a complex isoelectric focusing profile because of the presence of negatively charged carbohydrates, such as sialic acid, phosphorylated mannose, and sulfated GalNAc. Until now, understanding the role of these charged carbohydrates in determining the isoelectric focusing profile has been limited to observing pattern shifts following complete removal of the sugars in question. We have developed a simple and sensitive method for analyzing N-linked oligosaccharides from the individual isoelectric focusing bands of a glycoprotein using recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone as a model system. N-linked oligosaccharides were released and profiled from individual bands following electroblotting of isoelectric focusing gels. As might be predicted, high-pH anion-exchange chromatography-pulsed amperometric detection and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight analyses indicated that the bands that migrated closer to the positive electrode contained more sialylated N-linked oligosaccharides. The sialic acid content of these bands correlated with that predicted from the corresponding oligosaccharide analyses.

The bisecting GlcNAc is transferred to complex or hybrid N-glycans by the action of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GlcNAc-TIII) encoded by the Mgat3 gene. CHO cells expressing mouse GlcNAc-TIII were shown by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to produce mainly complex N-glycans with the predicted extra (bisecting) GlcNAc. In order to probe biological functions of the bisecting GlcNAc, antibodies that recognize this residue in the context of complex cell surface glycoconjugates were sought. The LEC10 gain-of-function Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutant that expresses GlcNAc-TIII and complex N-glycans with the bisecting GlcNAc was used to immunize Mgat3+/+ and Mgat3−/− mice. ELISA of whole sera showed that polyclonal antibodies that bound specifically to LEC10 cells were obtained solely from Mgat3−/− mice. Fluorescence-activated cell cytometry of different CHO glycosylation mutants and western blotting after glycosidase treatments were used to show that anti-LEC10 cell antisera from Mgat3−/− mice recognize cellular glycoproteins with complex N-glycans containing both a bisecting GlcNAc and Gal residues. The polyclonal antibody specificity was similar to that of the lectin E-PHA. IgM-depleted serum containing IgG and IgA antibodies retained full binding activity. Therefore Mgat3−/− mice but not wild type mice can be used effectively to produce polyclonal antibodies that specifically recognize glycoproteins bearing complex N-glycans with a bisecting GlcNAc. Published in 2003.

For an epoxy resin waterborne system mixed with a curing agent, butanone oxime blocked 4,4′-methylenediphenyldiisocyanate, curing-reaction-induced residual stress generation was in-situ measured in thin films adhered on silicon substrates. This measurement was carried out with varying composition as well as curing temperature, time and step. The residual stress was dependent upon the composition, the deblocking process of the curing agent and the curing condition. In addition, cured films were examined by FT-IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by an alveolitis with epithelial and endothelial damage progressing to fibrosis. Numerous mediators have been implicated in this complex process. Studies in humans have shown that endothelin-1 (ET-1), a vasoconstrictor and mitogenic peptide, is a mediator in IPF. To determine the role of ET-1 and endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE)-1 and the effect of Bosentan, an ET receptor antagonist, in an animal model of IPF, we studied three groups of rats (n = 6 each): Group 1, control, received saline; Group 2, fibrosis, received 1.5 U bleomycin intratracheally; Group 3, fibrosis-Bosentan treated, received bleomycin and Bosentan daily by gavage. After 28 d, right upper lobes were fixed for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and sections were stained with antisera to ET-1 and ECE-1 and graded semiquantitatively. Sections from left lungs were embedded in paraffin and stained for light microscopic morphometry to quantitate the fibrosis. By IHC, we found increased ET-1 immunoreactivity (ir) in airway epithelium and inflammatory cells, and ECE-1-ir in airway epithelium, type II pneumocytes and endothelial cells (p < 0.05). By morphometry, the volume fraction (Vv) of connective tissue (CT) increased and the Vv of air decreased in the fibrosis group compared with that in the control group. Bosentan reduced the Vv of CT and increased the Vv of air compared with that in the fibrosis group (p < 0.05). These results indicate that ET-1 is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis in the rodent model and that blockage of its receptors reduces the fibrosis.

Periodontitis is an oral chronic inflammatory disease that influences systemic diseases. Heme oxygenase-1 has several beneficial abilities through Nrf-2 regulation. Ginkgo biloba has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects associated with heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. In this study, we investigated whether the anti-inflammatory effects of G. biloba were involved with Nrf-2-mediated HO-1 expression in Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. G. biloba was extracted with ethyl acetate (EGB). EGB exhibited anti-inflammatory activities, which suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, and nuclear translocation of transcription factors. EGB also up-regulated the HO-1 expression, and the Nrf-2 level in the nucleus and its transactivity. Furthermore, reduced pro-inflammatory mediator levels by EGB were inverted in the presence of SnPP. The collective results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of EGB are due to the HO-1 expression via up-regulation of Nrf-2 in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by P. gingivalis LPS.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using organic liquid electrolytes have received significant attention because of their low production cost, simple structure and high power conversion efficiency [1-5]. Recently, the power conversion efficiencies of DSSCs using Ruthenium complex dyes, liquid electrolytes, and Pt counter electrode have reached 10.4 % (100 mW/cm2, AM 1.5) by Gratzel group [6]. However, the important drawback of DSSCs using liquid electrolyte is the less long-term stability due to the volatility of the electrolyte contained organic solvent. In the viewpoint for commercialize, durability is a crucial component. Then, gel electrolytes are being investigated to substitute the liquid electrolytes [7-10]. One way to make a gel electrolyte is to add organic or inorganic (or both) materials. In the past decades, many studies have been carried out on this kind of gel electrolyte, and great progress has been achieved [11-12]. The advantages of them include; limited internal shorting, leakage of electrolytes and non-combustible reaction products at the electrode surface existing in the gel polymer electrolytes [13-14]. However, because of their complicated preparing technology and poor mechanical strength, they cannot be used in commercial production [15-16]. To overcome this problem, the polymer membrane is soaked in an electrolyte solution that has been examined [17-19]. To prepare the polymer membrane for polymer electrolyte, a number of processing techniques such as drawing [20], template synthesis [21-22], phase separation [23], electrospinning [24], etc. have been used. Among of these, the electrospinning technology is a simple and low-cost method for making ultra-thin diameter fibers. This technique, invented in 1934, makes use of an electrical field that is applied across a polymer solution and a collector, to force a polymer solution jet out from a small hole [25]. When the diameters of polymer fiber materials are shrunk of micrometers to submicrons or nanometers, several amazing characteristics appear such as a very large surface area to volume ratio, flexibility in surface functionalities, and superior mechanical performance compared to any other known forms of this material [26]. In recent years, the electrospinning method has gained greater attention. A vastly greater number of synthetic and natural polymer solutions were prepared with electrospun fibers, such as poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in distilled water [27], polyurethane in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) [28], poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) in acetone [29], PVDF in acetone/ N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) (7:3 by weight) [30], and regenerated cellulose in 2:1(w/w) acetone/DMAc [31].

The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices using polymer electrolytes based on electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers were fabricated and investigated the photovoltaic performances. The electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers were prepared by various parameters such as; polymer concentrations, applied voltages, and tip to collector distances (TCD) by the electrospinning method. The open circuit voltage (VOC), short circuit current (JSC), fill factor (FF), and overall power conversion efficiency (η) of DSSC devices using electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers were 0.7180–0.7420 V, 9.7200–10.8837 mA/cm2, 0.5610–0.6250, and 4.1700–5.0186%, respectively. When 15 wt% of polymer concentration, 14 kV of applied voltage, and 14 cm of TCD is applied to fabricate the PVDF-HFP nanofiber, the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofiber should be the regular diameter of a nanofiber, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC device reached 5.0186% as the best result.

In this study, we fabricated the electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene) (PVDF-HFP) /LiClO 4 nanofibers by electrospinning method and applied as polymer membrane on the Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. We have prepared the DSSC devices, using Ruthenium dye as a photosensitizer, sandwiched with TiO 2 -deposited and Pt-coated electrode as two electrodes. To compare with the effect of LiClO 4 in PVDF-HFP nanofibers on photovoltaic performance, we prepared electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers without LiClO 4 . Photovoltaic characteristics were measured by using Solar Simulator with a black mask under AM 1.5. The V oc of the DSSC device was 0.773 V, the J sc was 9.77 mA/cm2, and the overall power conversion efficiency achieved up to 4.19 %. The photovoltaic performances of the DSSC device using electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers without LiClO 4 were lower than that of device using electrospun PVDF-HFP/LiClO 4 nanofibers. To investigate the photovoltaic effect of different LiClO 4 concentrations in electrolyte solutions, the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers without LiClO 4 were soaked into the electrolyte solution with different LiClO 4 concentrations. An increase of concentration of LiClO 4 in electrolyte solution results in a decrease of photocurrent and efficiency due to the desorption of dyes by LiClO 4 .

We have focused on the fabrications and photovoltaic properties of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) devices using soluble fulleropyrrolidine derivatives, N-methyl-2- phenylalkoxy-3,4-fulleropyrrolidine (MPFP-14 and MPFP-16), as a charge transfer material (CTM). The power conversion efficiency of DSSC with them were 3.34 ~ 3.55 % which higher value than 2.6 % of DSSC without CTM under AM 1.5 (100 mA/cm2). This result was caused by HOMO level of MPFP-14 or MPFP-16 that higher than redox potential of iodine redox couple, and lower than work function of Pt counter electrode. However, DSSC device using poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) has the lowest efficiency as 0.67 % because the recombination of electron and hole may occur through the blocking of hole transfer, and it cause the decrease of Jsc and FF of DSSC device. To overcome this problem, DSSCs with P3HT/CTM blend layers using CTM such as MPFP-14, MPFP-16, PCBM, or C60 were investigated and it has resulted in the increase in efficiency of 2.18 ~ 3.41 %.

Thiophene-based polymers have good prospects in the field of electronic and photoelectronic devices because of their solubility, processability, environmental stability, and excellent electrical conductivity. We synthesized new type of thiophene-based polymers to use as hole transporting materials on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The thiophene-based polymers were synthesized as random copolymers containing 3-{2-[2-(2-(4-methoxybiphenyl)ethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy}methylthiophene (MEET) units and 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) units. The photovoltaic performance of the solid-state DSSC device was improved to 3.88% overall efficiency under AM 1.5 illumination when the thiophene-based copolymer was introduced to the electrolyte as a hole transporting material.Copyright © 2006 by ASME

To identify factors required for the synthesis of complex glycans, we have isolated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants resistant to plant lectins. We previously identified Lec19 CHO cells as resistant to the Gal-binding lectins ricin, abrin, and modeccin and hypersensitive to the toxicity of other lectins that bind Gal, including L-PHA and E-PHA. Here we show that Lec19 cell extracts have a decreased ability to transfer Gal to simple sugar, oligosaccharide, and glycopeptide acceptors, particularly to biantennary, GlcNAc-terminated acceptors. Ricin(II)-agarose lectin affinity chromatography, oligomapping, and monosaccharide analyses provided evidence that Lec19 N-glycans have fewer Gal residues than CHO N-glycans. MALDI-TOF mass spectra of N-glycans released from Lec19 cell glycoproteins by peptide N-glycanase F revealed species with the predicted masses of neutral N-glycans with few Gal residues. Such truncated species are essentially absent from CHO cell glycoproteins. However, the complement of fully galactosylated or sialylated bi-, tri-, and tetra-antennary N-glycans was largely equivalent in Lec19 and CHO cells. In addition, the coding region sequences of the beta4GalT-1, -T-2, -T-3, -T-4, -T-5, and -T-6 genes were identical in CHO and Lec19 cells. However, Northern analyses revealed an approximately 2-4-fold reduction in the level of transcripts of all six beta4GalT genes in Lec19 cells. Since the recessive Lec19 phenotype is the result of a loss-of-function mutation, the combined data predict the existence of a trans-acting regulator of the steady-state level of transcripts that derive from these six mammalian beta4GalT genes.