To improve the performances of p-Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (p-DSSC) for the future, the synthesis of modified p-type nickel oxide semiconductor, commonly used as photocathode in such devices, was initiated with Ni3O2(OH)4 as precursor. This specific nickel oxyhydroxide was first characterized by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Then its thermal decompo...

Pteridium aquilinum is a ubiquitous species considered to be one of the plants most resistant to metals. This fern meets the demands for a good bioindicator to improve environmental control. Therefore, it was of interest to survey the accumulation of Cr and Ni in the rhizome and fronds of this species collected in Lower Silesia (SW Poland) of serpentinite rich in Cr and Ni and granite poor in t...

In order to prepare Ni clusters embedded in amorphous Si3N4, Ni and Si3N4 layers have been alternatively deposited using sputtering techniques. The nominal Ni layer thickness ranged from 2 to 60 Å and the number of layers was varied accordingly so as to keep the total amount of Ni constant. Extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure EXAFS spectroscopy has been used to study the Ni clustering as w...

We present a comparative study of thermomechanical properties of nano-polycrystalline nickel (nano-Ni) and micrometer-polycrystalline nickel (micron-Ni) by in situ high pressure-temperature (P-T) diffraction experiments. The yield strength of 2.35 GPa for the nano-Ni measured under high-pressure triaxial compression is more than three times that of the micron-Ni value. Contrary to tensile exper...

The influence of Co (Ni) and B co-doping on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of (Mn,Fe) 2 (P,Si) compounds is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, magnetic and direct temperature change measurements. It is found that Co (Ni) and B co-doping is an effective approach to tune both the Curie temperature and the thermal hysteresis of (Mn,F...

In two separate 2 x 2 factorial arrangements, 69 male, crossbred lambs were allotted randomly to the following treatments: 1) nonimplanted (NI) rams, 2) implanted (I) rams, 3) NI wethers, and 4) I wethers. In Trial 1, 36 lambs were allotted to treatment groups at birth (n = 9) and I lambs were implanted with 12 mg of zeranol between 1 and 3 d of age and again at weaning (average age of 62 d). L...

Nosocomial infections (NI) are frequent events with potentially lethal outcomes. We identified predictive factors for mortality related to NI and developed an algorithm for predicting that risk in order to improve hospital epidemiology and healthcare quality programs. We made a prospective cohort NI surveillance of all acute-care patients according to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveill...