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It has long been known that the use of finely textured transparent conducting oxide layers substantially improves the performance of thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. Major efforts to understand the nature of this effect and to fully capture its potential have been made by researchers using advanced modeling techniques. In this work, modeling the oblique angle optical performance and use of an effective medium approximation to simulate microrough interfaces suggests that effective interface grading makes a significant contribution to optical enhancement.

Enriching the interface: metal–organic framework-derived copper oxide nanowires with abundant crystalline interfaces contribute to the efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction towards fast hydrocarbon generation.

Abstract The effect of ethanol on the crystallization and phase transformation of MgCO3·3H2O in a MgCl2–CO2–NH3·H2O system was investigated at 40 °C. The obtained crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and the phase transformation behaviors of the MgCO3·3H2O crystals were studied quantitatively using an established thermal analysis method. The results showed that ethanol played a key role in inhibiting the aggregation of MgCO3·3H2O crystals because the adsorption of ethanol molecules on nuclei surfaces was preferential to that of water molecules. Active Mg2+ ions could be separated from the nuclei surfaces when 40% ethanol in solution, leading to the formation of more stable, flower-like crystals of 4MgCO3·Mg(OH)2·4H2O. The results of this study could contribute to the development of methods for controllable crystallization of MgCO3·3H2O.

AbstractThe need for strengthening adaptive capacity for the vulnerable has been overwhelmingly discussed in the discourse of climate change. This paper examines the roles and constraints of local institutions for increasing adaptive capacity. The role of institutions is analyzed under two broad headings: capacity building and participatory decision making. The constraints of institutions are analyzed based on the ability to learn and act. Participatory assessments were undertaken in the Meghauli and Devchuli Village Development Committees of Nepal to generate data for the assessment. Local government, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and social groups were considered for investigation. The findings demonstrate that local government is guided by political influences that contribute to disparity in decision making. The CSOs' role is comparatively satisfactory in capacity building of social groups, but there are questions on coordination and integration with local government. Within institutions, two prime constraints that hinder the ability to learn and act are lack of knowledge and attitude. The paper concludes that the role of local institutions is still very limited in increasing the adaptive capacity of vulnerable people. The scope of their work requires further expansion, backed with technical knowledge, appropriate policies, and effective coordination among all institutions.

AbstractExamination of results from the pilot production of buried‐contact solar cells (BCSC) allows several new insights into the effects of the substrate resistivity, the differences between upright and inverted pyramid texturing, the reflection after encapsulation and the doping level at which the emitter begins to dominate the overall recombination. A lower substrate resistivity in conjunction with thicker wafers reduces the effects of a high back surface recombination velocity and allows both higher voltages and efficiencies. In BCSCs with low substrate resistivities, the voltage is not limited by the back but by the emitter diffusion and the dislocation formation at the surface. Contrary to previous reports, best results have been realized with upright pyramids rather than inverted pyramids. In addition, the relative performance of the upright pyramids improves after encapsulation owing to the less than optimal unencapsulated reflection of these surfaces in the regions of the pyramid peaks where oxide layers are too thin to gain benefits as an antireflection layer. Recent results also indicate that the contributions to the dark saturation current from both the heavily phosphorus‐diffused region beneath the metal contact and the more lightly diffused top surface emitter are less than indicated previously. Finally, comparison between experimentally obtained voltages and those predicted through modelling with PC‐1D provides an estimate of the bulk material lifetimes in the pilot line cells.

AbstractIf the energy‐density of prey bodies is not uniform, predators usually should maximize their rate of energy intake while foraging by selectively consuming energy‐rich regions of their prey and discarding other parts. In this study, the hypothesis of selective body‐part consumption was tested using two species of dasyurid marsupials, Sminthopsis youngsoni and Ningaui ridei, and their invertebrate prey in arid central Australia. Energy‐densities were similar for several divergent types of prey, including whole insects, centipedes, and spiders (20.2 ± 2.19 (sd) J/mg ash‐free dry mass), but there were marked differences in energy‐density among orders of insects and also between different body regions of invertebrates. In captivity, the two dasyurid species consumed different body regions of prey in the same way. For beetles and cockroaches, the rank order for selection of body parts was abdomen, thorax, head, then legs; for centipedes it was body, then head + legs; and for spiders it was opisthosoma, prosoma and then legs. Selection of prey body regions by the marsupials correlated closely with the energy‐densities of these regions, and also with the rates of energy intake that they yielded. In the field, selection of body parts of arthropod prey by dasyurids probably occurs primarily when prey is abundant. This selection should allow maximization of rates of energy intake in favourable periods and should, in turn, allow dasyurid predators to effectively exploit pulses of prey resources in the temporally variable desert environment.

In order to make adequate projections on the consequences of climate change stressors on marine organisms, it is important to know how impacts of these stressors are affected by the presence of other species. Here we assessed the direct effects of ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) along with non-consumptive effects (NCEs) of a predatory crab and/or a predatory snail on the habitat-forming mussel Perumytilus purpuratus. Mussels were exposed for 10-14 weeks to contrasting pCO2 (500 and 1400 μatm) and temperature (15 and 20 °C) levels, in the presence/absence of cues from one or two predator species. We compared mussel traits at sub-organismal (nutritional status, metabolic capacity-ATP production-, cell stress condition via HSP70 expression) and organismal (survival, oxygen consumption, growth, byssus biogenesis, clearance rates, aggregation) levels. OA increased the mussels' oxygen consumption; and OA combined with OW increased ATP demand and the use of carbohydrate reserves. Mussels at present-day pCO2 levels had the highest protein content. Under OW the predatory snail cues induced the highest cell stress condition on the mussels. Temperature, predator cues and the interaction between them affected mussel growth. Mussels grew larger at the control temperature (15 °C) when crab and snail cues were present. Mussel wet mass and calcification were affected by predator cues; with highest values recorded in crab cue presence (isolated or combined with snail cues). In the absence of predator cues in the trails, byssus biogenesis was affected by OA, OW and the OA × OW and OA × predator cues interactions. At present-day pCO2 levels, more byssus was recorded with snail than with crab cues. Clearance rates were affected by temperature, pCO2 and the interaction between them. The investigated stressors had no effects on mussel aggregation. We conclude that OA, OW and the NCEs may lead to neutral, positive or negative consequences for mussels.

The catalytic active sites of NiFe and NiFeCr (oxy)hydroxides are revealed byoperandospectroscopic techonologies for alkaline water oxidation.