Tag Archives: georgia
Masdar delves into printed electronics
Masdar delves into printed electronics Staff Reporter / 29 May 2013 Researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology have taken the initial steps towards printed organic optoelectronics, placing the UAE firmly on the global map of this promising sector. Printed electronics is a combination of the technologies employed in printing, electronics, chemistry and material science. Industries across the world are embracing this nascent sector for commercial implications. New innovations are much sought after because this technology can offer benefits such as low cost, high throughput, ease of manufacturing and use in new applications. Dr Samuele Lilliu, a post-doctoral fellow working at the Nano-Optics and Optoelectronics Research (NOOR) Laboratory under Dr Marcus Dahlem, Assistant Professor, Microsystems Engineering, is leading a major project on organic photodetectors, including solar cells and photodiodes. Novel research strategies and innovative concepts are also being developed to make Masdar Institute a strong player in the printed electronics arena. A current study by IDTechEx, a consulting company for printed electronics, shows that the market for printed and potentially printed electronics is already worth $9.4 billion. A study by Silicon Valley-headquartered business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts the market for organic and printed electronics will increase by more than 100 per cent to around $25 billion by 2015. Tracking the global trend, the Masdar Institute recently installed Fujifilm Dimatix DMP2831, one of the most flexible tools for ink development in inkjet-printing. The application of inkjet-printing as a fabrication tool for organic devices shows the potential of these organic materials for low-cost third-generation electronics and optoelectronics. “Dr Lilliu fabricated the first high-quality inkjet-printed organic photodiodes at Dr Sandro Tedde’s labs in Siemens AG, Germany, which currently holds the largest patent portfolio on organic photodiodes. His experience holds the key and his research project brings value to Abu Dhabi and the UAE,” Dr Dahlem stated. Training programmes on operating the Fujifilm Dimatix DMP2831 for graduate students are currently being scheduled. Students will also learn to print polymers on (Indium Tin Oxide) ITO-coated glass and flexible substrates such as paper, textiles and plastics. “Organic semiconductors are highly attractive for electronic applications thanks to their ease of processing and tunability, which offers great potential for low fabrication costs. Bulk-heterojunction organic photodetectors based on semiconductive polymers and small molecules are currently among the best performing organic electronic devices,” Dr Lilliu said. The development and the optimisation of semiconductor and nanoparticle inks is an essential step for the commercialisation of low-cost organic photodetectors. Since organic solar cells can be coated on flexible transparent substrates, their potential applications range from self-powered electronic newspapers to building-integrated photovoltaics. The combination of organic photovoltaics with inkjet-printing also offers interesting opportunities in the field of multi-colour aesthetic solar cells, a field that is currently unexplored and that could be highly attractive for designers and artists. olivia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Major heart surgery conducted on young woman
Major heart surgery conducted on young woman asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com (Staff Reporter) / 28 May 2013 When the young, newlywed Emirati Zahra Marhoon came to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Hospital emergency room complaining of severe upper backache and shortness of breath, little did she and her family members know that she was suffering from life-threatening coronary artery disease. Based on her family history, 32-year-old Zahra was found to be a high-risk patient with diabetes and a history of premature coronary artery disease similar to her mother who suffered from it when she was in her 40s. Bypass surgery was performed by Dr Arun Goyal recently to treat severe blockages in three of her arteries. Courageous and smiling, Zahra shares her experience and asks all women to go for regular health checks. “I got married just eight months back and was looking forward to spending a beautiful life with my husband, but my condition presented a difficult challenge,” she said. “Going through such a major surgery was not an easy task but I am very thankful to the team of doctors who provided me the much needed support and confidence. I was feeling great within two days of the surgery and was discharged on the fifth day,” said Zahra. “My husband and my family also stood by me every step of the journey. On the doctor’s advice, I have made lifestyle changes to keep myself healthy and fit.” Although heart disease is often thought of as a problem for men, more women than men die of the disease. Around 8.6 million women die from heart disease annually, accounting for a third of all deaths in women worldwide. As much as 71 per cent of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with the sudden onset of extreme weakness which feels like the flu, often with no chest pain at all. “Heart disease or heart attack symptoms in women are so atypical that it becomes difficult to recognise,” said Director of Cardiac Services at RAK Hospital Dr Ajay Kumar Kanojia. “These are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks, may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a condition called small vessel heart disease or microvascular disease,” he explained. Women are more likely than men to have heart attack symptoms unrelated to chest pain which include neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, sweating, lightheadedness or dizziness or unusual fatigue. “In Zahra’s case as well, she had experienced backache and shortness of breath a couple of times earlier too, which she treated with analgesics and felt better, but this time the pain was severe and she was rushed to the emergency room,” said Dr Kanojia. “Diabetes and smoking are strong predictors of heart problems in both genders, but the risk is two to four-fold in women,” he added. Heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in the UAE, and cardiovascular problems account for 22 per cent of deaths in the country. Continue reading
Saudi climber asks women to challenge themselves
Saudi climber asks women to challenge themselves (AFP) / 28 May 2013 Adventurer Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman and youngest Arab to conquer Everest, urged women in the the Gulf to “challenge themselves” as she arrived back in the region. Her group of four, including a Qatari royal, a Palestinian and an Iranian, was greeted with cheers and garlands of flowers on arrival from Nepal at Sharjah International Airport on Sunday night. “It was unbelievable,” an emotional 25-year-old Moharrak, covered from head to toe in a black abaya, told AFP. “I’m the first but I really hope I’m not the last,” she said. “I hope it awakens the intention in (Saudi) women to challenge themselves more.” Moharrak reached the peak of Everest on May 19, in a first for Saudi Arabia. She left her home in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on April 3 after a year-and-a-half of rigorous training. By reaching the highest point in the world, she said she has now achieved her ambition of climbing nine mountains, including in Europe, Tanzania, the South Pole and Argentina. Speaking to AFP by telephone from Jeddah, her father Hassan said: “I’m very proud of her… It’s great what she managed to tell people here and everywhere.” Moharrak, who had worked hard to convince her family to allow her to scale the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain, is also the youngest Arab to reach the peak of Everest. Her parents had “faced disagreements from family members and people in Saudi Arabia in general,” she told AFP. “As a Saudi girl, it’s normal that I get negative feedback, but it was minimal and the good outweighed the bad,” she added. Awaiting her arrival at Sharjah airport was the Saudi embassy’s cultural attache in the UAE, Abdul Mohsen al-Harthi. “This is a message from a woman who wants to say ‘I have reserved a place for myself among you men’,” said al-Harthi. “The message is for men in Saudi saying that ‘I, a daughter of this country, have achieved top positions and am capable of doing whatever men can do’,” he said. “I did nothing against my culture and religion,” said Moharrak, a slim and tall brunette. “You don’t have to go against society to achieve amazing things.” Moharrak, like many other Saudi women, hopes that “we do drive one day,” but if this is difficult to bring about, “there are so many other more important things you can be great at.” Her Palestinian co-climber Raed Zidan said he had left behind a political message on Everest. “We spent a long time on the mountain… We met climbers from all over the world,” he told reporters. “I told them about the Palestinian cause, about our prisoners in the jails of the Israeli occupation.” Zidan is only the second Palestinian to summit Everest after Suzanne al-Houby completed the feat in 2011, becoming the first Arab woman to reach the top. With Moharrak and Zidan was Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani — a young member of Qatar’s ruling family and the emirate’s first to make the climb. Their Iranian companion, Masoud Mohammed, suffered from frostbite in his foot which will take months to heal. All four, graduates of the American University of Sharjah in the UAE, climbed Everest to raise funds to help educate Nepalese children. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah said they have succeeded in raising “one million dollars”. Continue reading
