Dye-sensitized nanoporous TiO 2 solar cells (DSSCs) can be classified into two types, namely, Type-I and Type-II. Type-I DSSCs are the DSSCs in which electrons are injected from the adsorbed dyes by photoexcitation of the dyes followed by electron injection from the excited dyes to TiO 2 (pathway A). Type-II DSSCs are the DSSCs in which electrons are injected not only by pathway A but also by direct one-step electron injection from the dyes to TiO 2 by photoexcitation of the dye-to-TiO 2 charge-transfer (DTCT) bands (pathway B). The DSSCs employing catechol (Cat) or its derivatives as the sensitizers have been the typical examples of Type-II DSSCs. However, their solar energy-to-electricity conversion efficiencies (η) have never exceeded 0.7%, and the external quantum efficiencies (EQE) at the absorption maximums of the DTCT bands have never exceeded 10%. We found that the attachment of electron-donating compounds such as (pyridin-4-yl)vinyl and (quinolin-4-yl)vinyl, respectively, to Cat (designated as Cat-v-P and Cat-v-Q, respectively) leads to 2-and 2.7-fold increases, respectively, in η, driven by large increases in short circuit current (J sc ). The EQE increased from 8.5 to 30% at 400 nm upon changing from Cat to Cat-v-P, at which only the DTCT band absorbs. In the case of the Cat-v-Q-sensitized DSSC, even the η obtained by exciting only the DTCT band was higher than 1%. Interestingly, the illumination of only the DTCT band resulted in the increase of fill factor from 62.6% to 72.3%. This paper provides for the first time an insight into the strategy to increase the η values of Type-II DSSCs.

SUMMARY The timing and mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) segregation and transmission in mammals are poorly understood. Genetic bottleneck in female germ cells has been proposed as the main phenomenon responsible for rapid intergenerational segregation of heteroplasmic mtDNA. We demonstrate here that mtDNA segregation occurs during primate preimplantation embryogenesis resulting in partitioning of mtDNA variants between daughter blastomeres. A substantial shift toward homoplasmy occurred in fetuses and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from these heteroplasmic embryos. We also observed a wide range of heteroplasmic mtDNA variants distributed in individual oocytes recovered from these fetuses. Thus, we present here evidence for a previously unknown mtDNA segregation and bottleneck during preimplantation embryo development, suggesting that return to the homoplasmic condition can occur during development of an individual organism from the zygote to birth, without a passage through the germline.

The effects of salinity on various ecophysiological parameters of Ulva pertusa such as growth, nutrient uptake, photosynthetic performance and internal nutrient composition were tested. U. pertusa was collected from an eelgrass bed in a semi-protected embayment on the southwest coast of Korea. Under salinity regimes from 5 to 40 psu, the specific growth rates (µ) of U. pertusa ranged from 0.019 to 0.032 d-1. Maximum growth rate was observed at 20 psu, and minimum at 40 psu. This species showed various uptake rates for nitrate and phosphate. Nutrient uptake was noticeably higher at intermediate salinity levels, and lower at both extremes. Salinity significantly influenced chlorophyll-a content and effective quantum yield. Tissue nitrogen content ranged from 1.5 to 2.9% N (dry weight), whereas tissue phosphorus ranged from 0.1 to 0.14% P (dry weight). The N : P ratio in the tissue of U. pertusa was considerably higher, ranging from 30 to 50. Increased growth at lower salinity suggests that the initial growth rate of U. pertusa is greater during the rainy season (i.e., late spring and early summer) than any other season during the year. The appearance of an Ulva bloom in eelgrass beds may be triggered by salinity more than by other environmental factors such as light and temperature.

Samples of the massive drifting green alga, Ulva linza, were collected from the coastal waters of the Yellow Sea, southwest of Korea, in early July 2009, and cultured under laboratory conditions. The effects of various temperature (10-30°C) and irradiance levels (0-1,000 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ) on photosynthesis, growth, and tissue nutrient content of U. linza were investigated in laboratory for both individuals of the latestage vegetation (LSV) and the early-stage vegetation (ESV). After 1 h acclimation to various irradiance and temperature conditions, maximum gross photosynthetic rate of ESV was significantly higher than those of LSV. In the long-term (7-d) acclimation experiments to various irradiance and temperature levels, gross photosynthetic rates of ESV individuals were also significantly higher than those of LSV individuals. High photosynthetic rate of ESV individuals induced increase in mass of about 60% over the growth saturation irradiance (136 μmol photons m −2 s −1 ) and about 20% under low temperature conditions (10-15°C) during 7-d. The gross photosynthesis of LSV individuals was low when examined under temperature and irradiance conditions that were optimum for ESV growth. Consequently, freefloating U. linza exhibits cellular senescence beginning in early July in the Yellow Sea, and green tides formed by this species cannot be maintained beyond this time in the open sea. However, we expect that U. linza can proliferate quickly after settlement on new coastal habitats of the Yellow Sea because of the high tissue nitrogen utilization for photosynthesis in ESV, which is formed by germination of reproductive cells.

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