| 1. |
- Hernroth, Bodil, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of ocean acidification on antimicrobial activity in gills of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Fish and Shellfish Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 1050-4648 .- 1095-9947. ; 55, s. 452-459
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here, we aimed to investigate potential effects of ocean acidification on antimicrobial peptide (AMP) activity in the gills of Mytilus edulis, as gills are directly facing seawater and the changing pH (predicted to be reduced from ∼8.1 to ∼7.7 by 2100). The AMP activity of gill and haemocyte extracts was compared at pH 6.0, 7.7 and 8.1, with a radial diffusion assay against Escherichia coli. The activity of the gill extracts was not affected by pH, while it was significantly reduced with increasing pH in the haemocyte extracts. Gill extracts were also tested against different species of Vibrio (V. parahaemolyticus, V. tubiashii, V. splendidus, V. alginolyticus) at pH 7.7 and 8.1. The metabolic activity of the bacteria decreased by ∼65–90%, depending on species of bacteria, but was, as in the radial diffusion assay, not affected by pH. The results indicated that AMPs from gills are efficient in a broad pH-range. However, when mussels were pre-exposed for pH 7.7 for four month the gill extracts presented significantly lower inhibit of bacterial growth. A full in-depth proteome investigation of gill extracts, using LC-Orbitrap MS/MS technique, showed that among previously described AMPs from haemocytes of Mytilus, myticin A was found up-regulated in response to lipopolysaccharide, 3 h post injection. Sporadic occurrence of other immune related peptides/proteins also pointed to a rapid response (0.5–3 h p.i.). Altogether, our results indicate that the gills of blue mussels constitute an important first line defence adapted to act at the pH of seawater. The antimicrobial activity of the gills is however modulated when mussels are under the pressure of ocean acidification, which may give future advantages for invading pathogens.
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| 2. |
- Bergqvist, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Alveolar T-helper type-2 immunity in atopic asthma is associated with poor clinical control
- 2015
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Ingår i: Clinical Science. - 1470-8736. ; 128:1, s. 47-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Real-world evaluation studies have shown that many patients with asthma remain symptomatic despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs). As conventional ICSs have poor access to the peripheral airways, the aim of the present paper was to study the relationship between peripheral airway inflammation and clinical control in allergic asthma. Consequently, bronchial and transbronchial biopsies were obtained from patients with poorly controlled asthma [n=12, asthma control test (ACT) score < 20], patients with well-controlled asthma (n= 12, ACT score >= 20) and healthy controls (n= 8). Tissue sections were immunostained to assess multiple leucocyte populations. To determine the degree of T-helper type-2 (Th2) immunity, the logarithmic value of the ratio between Th2 cells/mm(2) and Th1 cells/mm(2) was used as a surrogate score for Th2-skewed immunity. In the bronchi, the leucocyte infiltration pattern and the Th2-score were similar between patients with well-controlled asthma and those with poorly controlled asthma. In contrast, in the alveolar parenchyma, the expression of T-helper cells was significantly higher in patients with poorly controlled asthma than in patients with well-controlled asthma (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the alveolar Th2-score was significantly higher in patients with poorly controlled asthma (median 0.4) than in the controlled patients (median -0.10, P < 0.05). In addition, in contrast with bronchial Th2-score, the alveolar Th2-score correlated significantly with ACT score (r(s)=-0.62, P < 0.01) in the pooled asthma group. Collectively, our data reveal an alveolar Th2-skewed inflammation, specifically in asthmatic patients who are poorly controlled with ICSs, and suggest that pharmacological targeting of the peripheral airways may be beneficial in this large patient category.
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| 3. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Asymmetric photocurrent extraction in semitransparent laminated flexible organic solar cells
- 2018
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Ingår i: npj Flexible Electronics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-4621. ; 2:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scalable production methods and low-cost materials with low embodied energy are key to success for organic solar cells. PEDOT(PSS) electrodes meet these criteria and allow for low-cost and all solution-processed solar cells. However, such devices are prone to shunting. In this work we introduce a roll-to-roll lamination method to construct semitransparent solar cells with a PEDOT(PSS) anode and an polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified PEDOT(PSS) cathode. We use the polymer:PCBM active layer coated on the electrodes as the lamination adhesive. Our lamination method efficiently eliminates any shunting. Extended exposure to ambient degrades the laminated devices, which manifests in a significantly reduced photocurrent extraction when the device is illuminated through the anode, despite the fact that the PEDOT(PSS) electrodes are optically equivalent. We show that degradation-induced electron traps lead to increased trap-assisted recombination at the anode side of the device. By limiting the exposure time to ambient during production, degradation is significantly reduced. We show that lamination using the active layer as the adhesive can result in device performance equal to that of conventional sequential coating.
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| 4. |
- Bergqvist, Joakim, et al.
(författare)
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Detection and Isolation of Sindbis Virus from Mosquitoes Captured During an Outbreak in Sweden, 2013
- 2015
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Ingår i: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 15:2, s. 133-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mosquito-borne alphaviruses have the potential to cause large outbreaks throughout the world. Here we investigated the causative agent of an unexpected Sindbis virus (SINV) outbreak during August-September, 2013, in a previously nonendemic region of Sweden. Mosquitoes were collected using carbon dioxide-baited CDC traps at locations close to human cases. The mosquitoes were initially screened as large pools by SINV-specific quantitative RT-PCR, and the SINV-positive mosquitoes were species determined by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis, followed by sequencing the barcoding region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene. The proportion of the collected mosquitoes was determined by a metabarcoding strategy. By using novel strategies for PCR screening and genetic typing, a new SINV strain, Lovanger, was isolated from a pool of 1600 mosquitoes composed of Culex, Culiseta, and Aedes mosquitoes as determined by metabarcoding. The SINV-positive mosquito Culiseta morsitans was identified by SNP analysis and sequencing. After whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, the SINV Lovanger isolate was shown to be most closely similar to recent Finnish SINV isolates. In conclusion, within a few weeks, we were able to detect and isolate a novel SINV strain and identify the mosquito vector during a sudden SINV outbreak.
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| 5. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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LED array scanner for inline characterization of thin film photovoltaic modules
- 2016
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Ingår i: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - : Elsevier. - 0927-0248 .- 1879-3398. ; 157:17, s. 1057-1064
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thin film solar cells, and in particular printed organic solar cells, offer a potential route to a low cost power generation from sunlight. However, manufacturing these solar cells rapidly generates large areas that have to be characterized, preferably in-line for a direct feed back in the production process. Here we introduce the LEDimage, a LED array illumination induced photocurrent method suitable for high speed inline characterization and defect detection of organic solar cell modules. The LEDimage enables simultaneous illumination of all connected subcells without additional bias light. Each LED in the array is amplitude modulated at an individual frequency and the photocurrent response is Fourier transformed to generate a photocurrent map. Furthermore, the LEDimage can be used as a hand scanner for fast device characterization. We expect that LEDimage can be an effective research and industry tool for characterization of large area thin film solar cells.
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| 6. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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New method for lateral mapping of bimolecular recombination in thin-film organic solar cells
- 2016
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Ingår i: Progress in Photovoltaics. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1062-7995 .- 1099-159X. ; 24:8, s. 1096-1108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The best organic solar cells are limited by bimolecular recombination. Tools to study these losses are available; however, they are only developed for small area (laboratory-scale) devices and are not yet available for large area (production-scale) devices. Here we introduce the Intermodulation Light Beam-Induced Current (IMLBIC) technique, which allows simultaneous spatial mapping of both the amount of extracted photocurrent and the bimolecular recombination over the active area of a solar cell. We utilize the second-order non-linear dependence on the illumination intensity as a signature for bimolecular recombination. Using two lasers modulated with different frequencies, we record the photocurrent response at each modulation frequency and the bimolecular recombination in the second-order intermodulation response at the sum and difference of the two frequencies. Drift-diffusion simulations predict a unique response for different recombination mechanisms. We successfully verify our approach by studying solar cells known to have mainly bimolecular recombination and thus propose this method as a viable tool for lateral detection and characterization of the dominant recombination mechanisms in organic solar cells. We expect that IMLBIC will be an important future tool for characterization and detection of recombination losses in large area organic solar cells.
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| 7. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, 1983-
(författare)
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Optoelectrical Imaging Methods for Organic Photovoltaic Materials and Moduls
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- To achieve a high living standard for all people on Earth access to low cost energy is essential. The massive burning of fossil fuels must be drastically reduced if we are to avoid large changes of our climate. Solar cells are both technologically mature and have the potential to meet the huge demand for renewable energy in many countries. The prices for silicon solar cells have decreased rapidly during the course of this thesis and are now in grid parity in many countries.However, the potential for even lower energy costs has driven the research on polymer solar cells, a class of thin film solar cells. Polymer solar cells can be produced by roll to roll printing which potentially enables truly low cost solar cells. However, much research and development remain to reach that target.Polymer solar cells consist of a semiconducting composite material sandwiched between two electrodes, of which one is transparent, to let the light energy in to the semiconductor where it is converted to electric energy. The semiconductor comprise an intimate blend of polymer and fullerenes, where the nanostructure of this blend is crucial for the photo current extraction.To reach higher solar cell performance the dominating strategy is development and fine tuning of new polymers. To estimate their potential as solar cell materials their optical response have been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Furthermore, optical simulations have been performed where the direction dependency of the optical response of the transparent electrode material PEDOT:PSS have been accounted for. The simulations show reduced electrode losses for light incident at large oblique angles.Moreover, we have shown that a gentle annealing of the active layer induces a local conformational changes of an amorphous polymer that is beneficial for solar cell performance. The active layer is deposited from solution where the drying kinetics determine the final nanostructure. We have shown that using in-situ photoluminescence phase separation can be detected during the drying process while a reflectance method have been developed to image lateral variations of solvent evaporation rate.Imaging methods are important tools to detect performance variations over the solar cell area. For this purpose an intermodulation based photo current imaging method have been developed to qualitatively differentiate the major photo current loss mechanisms. In addition, a 1D LED-array photo current imaging method have been developed and verified for high speed in-line characterization of printed organic solar modules.
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| 8. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Time-resolved morphology formation of solution cast polymer : fullerene blends revealed by in-situ photoluminescence spectroscopy
- 2015
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The nanoscale morphology of the photo-active layer in organic solar cells is critical for device efficiency. The photoactive layer is cast from solution and during drying both the polymer and the fullerene self-assemble to form a blend. Here, we introduce in-situ spectroscopic photoluminescence (PL) combined with laser reflectometry to monitor the drying process of an amorphous polymer:fullerene blend. When casting only the pristine components (polymer or PCBM only), the strength of PL emission is proportional to the solid content of the drying solution, and both kinetics reveal a rapid aggregation onset at the final stage of film drying. On the contrary, when casting polymer:fullerene blends, the strength of PL emission is proportional to the wet film thickness and reveals polymer/fullerene charge transfer (CT) already at the earliest stages of film drying, i.e. in dilute solutions. The proposed method allows to detect polymer/fullerene phase separation during film casting – from a reduction in the PL quenching rate as the film dries. Poor solvents lead to phase separation already at early stages of film drying (low solid content), resulting in a coarse final morphology as confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We therefore anticipate that the proposed method will be an important tool in the future development of processing inks, not only for solution-cast polymer:fullerene solar cells but also for organic heterojunctions in general.
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| 9. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Uniaxial anisotropy in PEDOT:PSS electrodes enhances the photo current at oblique incidence in organic solar cells
- 2015
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this work an uniaxial anisotropic treatment of the transparent conductor PEDOT:PSS is included in the transfer matrix method (TMM), used to calculate the optical power dissipation in organic solar cells. PEDOT:PSS is known to be anisotropic and exhibit a weaker absorption and lower refractive index in the out of plane direction. For p-polarized light at large oblique incidence the inclusion of anisotropy show a gain of over 10% for the maximum photocurrent as compared to an isotropic treatment. Due to the interference in devices with reflecting bottom electrodes, the active layer absorption gain is not always occurring for the wavelengths with highest dichroism. This work show that using PEDOT:PSS as top electrode further strengthens the argument that thin film solar cells perform better than their silicon counterparts under oblique incidence. We also confirm previous studies showing that the optical interference maxima is shifted to slightly thicker films for oblique incidence for solar cells with reflective bottom electrodes.
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| 10. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Uniaxial Anisotropy in PEDOT:PSS Electrodes Enhances the Photocurrent at Oblique Incidence in Organic Solar Cells
- 2018
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Ingår i: ACS Photonics. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2330-4022. ; 5:8, s. 3023-3030
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PEDOT:PSS is a well studied organic conductor, commonly used as a transparent electrode material in printed organic devices such as organic solar cells. PEDOT:PSS thin films are known to be uniaxially anisotropic and exhibit a lower extinction coefficient and lower refractive index in the out of plane direction. To determine the maximum attainable photocurrent in thin film solar cells, the optical power dissipation can be calculated by the transfer matrix method. However, until now the anisotropic properties of PEDOT:PSS films have not been included in the model. In this work we have included an uniaxial anisotropic treatment of PEDOT:PSS films. We investigate reversed and semitransparent solar cells, with aluminum and PEDOT:PSS respectively as the second electrode and PEDOT:PSS as the top electrode, as compared to devices with isotropic PEDOT:PSS electrodes. For p-polarized light at large oblique incidence the inclusion of anisotropy shows a gain of over 7% for the maximum photocurrent in reversed solar cells. In semitransparent solar cells the photocurrent enhancement reaches 4-5% for p-polarized light. However, an enhancement of optical power dissipation and thus photocurrent generation of close to 40% is calculated for wavelengths close to the absorber bandgap. This work shows that for correct calculations of optical power dissipation in devices with PEDOT:PSS electrodes anisotropy should be included in the optical model. This will be especially important to determine the daily energy output of organic solar cells as their expected first markets are on building facades and indoor applications with larger fractions of diffuse light at large oblique incidence.
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