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The purpose of this paper is to study the optical and electrical characteristics of a single-junction solar cell based on a green-colour dye vanadyl 2,9,16, 23-tetraphenoxy-29H, 31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO). The use of soluble vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative makes it very attractive for photovoltaic applications due to its tunable properties and high solubility.

A photoactive layer of VOPcPhO has been sandwiched between indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium (Al) electrodes to produce a ITO/PEDOT:PSS/VOPcPhO/Al photovoltaic device. The VOPcPhO thin film is deposited by a simple spin coating technique. To obtain the optimal thickness for the solar cell device, different thicknesses of the photoactive layer, achieved by manipulating the spin rate, have been investigated.

The device exhibited photovoltaic effect with the values of Jsc, Voc and FF equal to 5.26 × 10-6 A/cm2, 0.621 V and 0.33, respectively. The electronic parameters of the cell have been obtained from the analysis of current-voltage characteristics measured in dark. The values of ideality factor and barrier height were found to be 2.69 and 0.416 eV, respectively. The optical examination showed that the material is sensitive to light in the UV region between 270 nm and 410 nm, as well as in the visible spectrum within the range of 630 nm and 750 nm.

The solar cell based on a single layer of vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative results in low efficiency, which can be enhanced by introducing a variety of donor materials to form bulk heterojunction solar cells.

The spin coating technique provides a simple, less expensive and effective approach for preparing thin films.

A novel thin-film, single-junction organic solar cell, fabricated by using VOPcPhO, has been investigated for the first time ever. The vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative together with a donor material will have potential application for improved efficiency of the solar cells.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) on improvement of physical and electrical properties of vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative. The correlation between the physical characteristics of the active layers, comprising vanadyl 2,9,16, 23-tetraphenoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO) and PCBM, and the electrical properties of metal/organic/metal devices have been studied. The use of soluble vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative makes it very attractive for a variety of applications due to its tunable properties and high solubility.

The sandwich type structures Al/VOPcPhO/Al and Al/VOPcPhO:PCBM/Al were fabricated by spin casting the active organic layers between the top and bottom (aluminum) electrodes. The stand-alone (VOPcPhO) and composite (VOPcPhO:PCBM) thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy. The electronic properties of the metal/organic/metal devices were studied using current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in dark at room temperature.

The values of barrier height for Al/VOPcPhO/Al and Al/VOPcPhO:PCBM/Al devices were obtained from the forward bias I-V curves and were found to be 0.7 eV and 0.62 eV, respectively. The present study indicates that the device employing VOPcPhO:PCBM composite film as the active layer, with better structural and morphological characteristics, results in reduced barrier height at the metal-organic film interface as compared to the one fabricated with the stand-alone film.

It is shown that doping VOPcPhO with PCBM improves the crystallinity, morphology and junction properties.

The spin coating technique provides a simple, less expensive and effective approach for preparing thin films. The soluble VOPcPhO is conveniently dissolved in a number of organic solvents.

The physical properties of the VOPcPhO:PCBM composite thin film and the electrical properties of the composite thin-film-based metal/organic/metal devices have not been reported in the literature, as far as our knowledge is concerned.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of skilled immigrants’ lived experience of using information to learn about their new setting.

Thematic analysis was conducted on a qualitative data set collected through 16 semi-structured interviews with newly arrived skilled immigrants in Australia.

The study uncovered six different themes of experiencing using information to learn among skilled immigrants. The themes, presented as a framework, explain skilled immigrants learn about their new life through: attending to shared stories by others; getting engaged; researching; comparing and contrasting past and present; being reflective; and being directly educated.

The study presents the theory-to-practice translation approach of “information experience design” that enables the enactment of theoretical understanding of information research.

The study invites, encourages and enables information professionals to take part in interdisciplinary conversations about integration of skilled immigrants in their host countries. Using the presented framework in the study, information professionals will be able to explain skilled immigrants’ learning about their new setting from an information lens. This provides information professionals an opportunity to work with immigration service stakeholders to help them incorporate the presented framework in their real-world practice and service. Such practice and services are of potential to support newly arrived skilled immigrants to become more information literate citizens of the host society who can participate more fully in their host society.

Acrylamide is a compound found in several food products. Due to the toxicity of this compound, research also seeks strategies to modify industrial and homemade processes, impacting on the reduction of the compound. This paper aims to discuss the aspects surrounding the presence of acrylamide in foods.

Published literature on the presence of acrylamide in foods and on its effects has been reviewed. This paper explores the importance of this compound, summarizes the knowledge of its formation and gathers data on its incidence in food and the possibilities of mitigation. Special attention is given to an evaluation of the toxicological tests applied, to analyze whether acrylamide can be considered as a food safety problem.

Human exposure to food with high levels of acrylamide varies in their levels regarding the consumption of food in the diet and not only by the level of the compound present in them. Although the compound is well defined as toxic to humans, the association between its intake and most common cancers may not be directly related.

Depending on the approach of the researchers, contradictory results are obtained, showing the importance of this topic to the development of healthy food products. Further research is still needed to validate the potential effects of acrylamide on human health.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to assess the avenues through which traditional notions of information literacy skills shape oral communication curriculum and to identify steps that can be taken to transform the experience of students in the public speaking classroom so that they are offered an opportunity to develop understandings of how they use information to learn.

Approach – This chapter engages in an analysis of teaching materials and best practice scholarship used in the traditional college public speaking classroom. An informed learning perspective is applied to this corpus to identify the ways in which an information literacy skills approach is reflected in current practice.

Findings – The analysis highlights the prevalence of an information literacy skills approach throughout the oral communication curriculum. Textbooks, assignment types and guidelines, along with grading rubrics and instructor feedback all perpetuate a skills approach. Outside class support, including peer tutors and library instruction, also contribute to a focus on information literacy over informed learning.

Implications – Informed learners are better prepared to engage and apply information across contexts and to use information to continue learning. Informed learners are reflective on the knowledge they gain through information use. Therefore, this chapter concludes that public speaking courses, along with the communication centers and libraries that support oral communication instruction, should embrace an informed learning approach to the development of course materials, assignments, and teaching.

Originality/value – Suggestions for reframing public speaking curriculum and support from the informed learning perspective are provided.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the existence of one suitable oxide phase concurrent with deposition for fabricating a titanium (Ti)/p-silicon (Si) Schottky diode by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering method.

In this paper, a Ti/p-Si Schottky diode has been fabricated by depositing a Ti film on p-Si substrate by DC magnetron sputtering. Electrical properties of a Schottky junction include three main parameters: ideality factor (n), series resistance (R_s) and barrier height (Φ_b), which were determined by three analysis methods: current–voltage (I-V), Cheung function and Norde function.

As result outcomes of the calculated values by three analysis methods, average values were obtained equal to 2.475, 27.07 kÙ and 0.88 ev. With comparing direct calculation of series resistance with the achieved average value of three analysis methods, it illustrates that without X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis consideration, it’s possible to deduce at least one oxide phase forming on the Ti layer.

This work fabricates Ti/p-Si Schottky diode by DC magnetron sputtering. By use of downward-arch region of the LnI-V curve, two functions that are known as Norde and Cheung were made with which this study applies these functions and linear region of LnI-V plot each values of n, Φ_b and R_s, except n calculated two times. With comparison of calculated values from two parts of plot, it is clear that Norde and Cheung functions are accurate and the applied method is correct. Also, with direct calculation, the value of R_s and as compared with result from analysis, this study has proved that without XRD plot, certainly simultaneity deposition at least one oxide phase was forming on Ti layer.

Purpose – This chapter contributes to the development of informed learning pedagogy by examining its innately political character. Through examining issues of power that arise in a particular educational setting, the aim is to illuminate how power (and resistance to it) needs to be carefully considered by practitioners who engage with informed learning pedagogy.

Theoretical Approach – Foucault’s view of power, defining it as something that can be both generative and repressive, and which works only in combination with resistance to this power, is specifically drawn on to illuminate how dialogues between students give rise to changed information practices.

Design – Twenty groups of learners, each of five to seven students, engaged in a series of three complex informed learning activities, and generated extensive datasets as they recorded their dialogues to online discussion boards within the Blackboard course management system used on a postgraduate course in educational technology. These data were supplemented by interviews with a number of students and the course tutor.

Findings – The information practices of the groups developed in different ways depending on a number of factors consistent with informed learning. Students were motivated by achieving high grades, and data reveal that students respond to surveillance from teaching staff and each other by communicating outside of the official discussion board space. This is illuminating because by resisting power in this way students develop new practices that are specifically relevant to their group, and shows how dominant power and resistance to it help develop facets of informed learning.

Potato-based snacks (PBS) are widely popular among people of all age groups despite known negative health aspects. University students, due to their busy routines and less familiarity with diets are more prone to selecting unhealthy meals and snacks. The study aims to explore the outlook of university students regarding their consumption of processed and packaged PBS in their daily lives and compares gender’s PBS choices with dietary habits and food environment.

A total of 122 students from various universities across Pakistan were included in this study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire and distributed using the snowball method.

The university students showed a significant difference in their living habits (p = 0.016), where 25.4% of enrolled male students were hostellers as compared to females (14.8%). Significant differences were noticed in choosing PBS that further depends on the familiarity of the product, (p = 0.030), where 9.0% of female students rated familiarity with the product as being important while 20.5% of males responded familiarity as a critical factor. Studying the usual location/point of purchase for a PBS, a significant difference was observed (p = 0.008%) where more male students (27.9%) choose to buy their PBS from a local convenience store as compared to female students (18.9%). Female students (13.1%) would rather choose to buy their PBS on their weekly grocery runs.

This study concluded that female and male students’ attitudes regarding the consumption of PBS were almost the same regardless of environment and brand repute.

Highlights

1. Dietary behavioral studies of consumption of PBS

2. The environment and brand reputation have no impact on the consumption of PBS

3. Gender differences have no impact on the selection of PBS

4. Awareness and healthy selection of PBS are critical factors that need to be focused

Dietary behavioral studies of consumption of PBS

The environment and brand reputation have no impact on the consumption of PBS

Gender differences have no impact on the selection of PBS

Awareness and healthy selection of PBS are critical factors that need to be focused

The purpose of this study is to fabricate a highly sensitive humidity sensor for observing the humidity effect on a robot’s body as an application of the Internet of Things. The sensor has been fabricated by depositing a thin sensing layer of nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) between two silver electrodes.

The structure of the thin film was observed by X-ray diffraction, optical properties by UV Vis and surface morphology by scanning electron microscope. The capacitance and the resistance with respect to change in relative humidity from 0 to 100%RH have been measured by LCR meter at 1 kHz.

The sensor’s response time is 7.5 s and its recovery time is 3.7 s, with high sensitivity of 127,259 pF/%RH and 332.287 MΩ/%RH. The authors have also used a proposed sensor on a steel body and observed humidity values. The analysis of all measured values was performed through the classical and neutrosophic approaches. By comparing, the authors have observed that the neutrosophic approach is more efficient in analyzing the sensor data.

In this work, the authors will fabricate a capacitive and resistive-type humidity sensor using the thin film of NiPc. The structural, optical and morphological properties of NiPc thin film will be investigated with different characterization techniques. The electric properties, i.e. capacitance and resistance, will be measured at intervals with an LCR meter by changing relative humidity (%RH). Moreover, the measured data will be analyzed through different statistical approaches, as already used in [12].

From scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and its spaces. However, there is a need to examine the city and its spaces from the residents' perspective. Hermeneutic phenomenology might be applicable and valuable. Also, communication is a requirement for successful participatory planning and spatial analysis. Architects, urban designers and landscape architects must possess intersubjective competencies to communicate and engage with the public. Hermeneutic knowledge is the source for developing these intersubjective capabilities essential for communication. All design preparation and execution steps require distorted-free communication, starting with defining a problem and ending with implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

The paper aims to test the applicability of hermeneutic phenomenology in urban studies. The author examines the right to the city and producing space in Cairo, Egypt. Besides web pages, documents and social networks, data sources vary, including proverbs and poems. Semiotics is the qualitative research technique used to interrogate the collected material using qualitative data analysis software.

Cairo's growth is the outcome of the division of labor, administration and power dynamics. Egyptians' right to take part in Cairo's planning and management is the issue. Hermeneutic phenomenology is an approach to perform spatial environmental investigations. It could inform decision-making, ensure the planning process's validity and guarantee people's ownership of planned projects.

Phenomenology allows for inside and outside the understanding of a spatial phenomenon. The current focus of architectural and planning schools' curricula is on technical actions. These schools consider increasing the dose of social sciences in their curricula. Educators could teach students how to use hermeneutic phenomenological research methodologies. Using hermeneutic knowledge in communication encourages public engagement in formulating and implementing projects, thus ensuring their long-term viability.