Face-to-face intercrossed ZnO nanorod arrays with extensive NR-NR homojunctions for a highly sensitive and self-powered ultraviolet photodetector

Abstract(#br)A self-powering ultraviolet photodetector (UVPD) that effectively utilizes UV energy in an easy-to-implement way is an attractive alternative for the UV optical sensing and communication. Here we report a novel self-powered UVPD based on a face-to-face hybrid ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNRAs) nanostructure. Large-area free-standing ZNRAs have been grown on indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass and Ti substrates through a hydrothermal method. Different geometric dimension of ZNRAs/ITO and ZNRAs/Ti structures were designed to pair hybrid each other for achieving the optimum photoelectric performance. Experimentally, it is found that the optimum UVPD based on face-to-face hybrid ITO/ l -ZNRAs/ l -ZNRAs/Ti structure exhibits an enhancement of ‘1+1>2’ in photoelectric conversion without applying any external DC voltage when compared with single-face ZNRAs-based UVPDs, and the optimum UVPD demonstrates a responsivity of 2.45 mA W −1 and on/off current ratio of 6.6 × 10 5 under a UV irradiation of 3.06 μW cm −2 as well as a high durability with a cyclic balance of no less than 93.5% in a 4250-s on/off irradiation. The generation of self-power and the high photoelectric performance of face-to-face hybrid ZNRAs-based UVPDs are associated to the Schottky junctions in ITO/ZnO interface as well as the extensive ZnO nanorod-nanorod homojunction

Temporal trend and climate factors of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome epidemic in Shenyang City, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an important infectious disease caused by different species of hantaviruses. As a rodent-borne disease with a seasonal distribution, external environmental factors including climate factors may play a significant role in its transmission. The city of Shenyang is one of the most seriously endemic areas for HFRS. Here, we characterized the dynamic temporal trend of HFRS, and identified climate-related risk factors and their roles in HFRS transmission in Shenyang, China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The annual and monthly cumulative numbers of HFRS cases from 2004 to 2009 were calculated and plotted to show the annual and seasonal fluctuation in Shenyang. Cross-correlation and autocorrelation analyses were performed to detect the lagged effect of climate factors on HFRS transmission and the autocorrelation of monthly HFRS cases. Principal component analysis was constructed by using climate data from 2004 to 2009 to extract principal components of climate factors to reduce co-linearity. The extracted principal components and autocorrelation terms of monthly HFRS cases were added into a multiple regression model called principal components regression model (PCR) to quantify the relationship between climate factors, autocorrelation terms and transmission of HFRS. The PCR model was compared to a general multiple regression model conducted only with climate factors as independent variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A distinctly declining temporal trend of annual HFRS incidence was identified. HFRS cases were reported every month, and the two peak periods occurred in spring (March to May) and winter (November to January), during which, nearly 75% of the HFRS cases were reported. Three principal components were extracted with a cumulative contribution rate of 86.06%. Component 1 represented MinRH₀, MT₁, RH₁, and MWV₁; component 2 represented RH₂, MaxT₃, and MAP₃; and component 3 represented MaxT₂, MAP₂, and MWV₂. The PCR model was composed of three principal components and two autocorrelation terms. The association between HFRS epidemics and climate factors was better explained in the PCR model (<it>F </it>= 446.452, <it>P </it>< 0.001, adjusted <it>R</it>²= 0.75) than in the general multiple regression model (<it>F </it>= 223.670, <it>P </it>< 0.000, adjusted <it>R</it>²= 0.51).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The temporal distribution of HFRS in Shenyang varied in different years with a distinctly declining trend. The monthly trends of HFRS were significantly associated with local temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, air pressure, and wind velocity of the different previous months. The model conducted in this study will make HFRS surveillance simpler and the control of HFRS more targeted in Shenyang.</p

Fabrications of L-Band LiNbO3-Based SAW Resonators for Aerospace Applications

High frequency surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology offers many opportunities for aerospace applications in passive wireless sensing and communication. This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and test of an L-band SAW resonator based on 128&deg; Y-X LiNbO3 substrate. The design parameters of SAW resonator were optimized by the finite element (FEM) method and the coupling-of-mode (COM) theory. Electron-beam lithography (EBL) technology was used to fabricate the submicron-scale of interdigital transducers (IDTs) and grating reflectors. The effects of some key EBL processes (e.g., the use of electron beam resist, the choice of metal deposition methods, the charge-accumulation effect, and the proximity-effect) on the fabrication precision of SAW devices were discussed. Experimentally, the LiNbO3-based SAW resonators fabricated using improved EBL technology exhibits a Rayleigh wave resonance peaks at 1.55 GHz with return loss about &minus;12 dB, and quality factor Q is 517. Based on this SAW resonator, the temperature and strain sensing tests were performed, respectively. The experimental results exhibit a well linear dependence of temperature/strain on frequency-shift, with a temperature sensitivity of 125.4 kHz/&deg;C and a strain sensitivity of &minus;831 Hz/&mu;&epsilon;, respectively

Assessment on the burden of bacillary dysentery associated with floods during 2005–2009 in Zhengzhou City, China, using a time-series analysis

Background: We aimed to quantify the impact of few times floods on bacillary dysentery in Zhengzhou during 2005–2009. Methods: The Spearman correlation test was applied first to examine the lagged effects of floods on monthly morbidity of bacillary dysentery during 2005–2009 in Zhengzhou. We further quantified the effects of 7 flood events on the morbidity of bacillary dysentery using the time-series Poisson regression controlling for climatic factors, seasonality, gender and age groups. We estimated years lived with disability (YLDs) to estimate the burden of bacillary dysentery attributed to floods among different population groups. Results: A total of 15,841 cases of bacillary dysentery were reported in the study region over the study period. The relative risks of floods on the morbidity of bacillary dysentery and attributable YLDs among the whole study population, males, females, below 14 years old group, 15–64 years old group, and over 65 years old group were 2.80, 3.13, 2.53, 2.75, 3.03, 2.48, and 1.206, 1.513, 0.913, 3.593, 0.638, 0.880, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to developing local strategies to prevent and reduce health impact of floods. Keywords: Flood, Bacillary dysentery, Relative risk, Disease burde

Fabrications of <i>L</i>-Band LiNbO₃-Based SAW Resonators for Aerospace Applications

High frequency surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology offers many opportunities for aerospace applications in passive wireless sensing and communication. This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and test of an L-band SAW resonator based on 128&#176; Y-X LiNbO3 substrate. The design parameters of SAW resonator were optimized by the finite element (FEM) method and the coupling-of-mode (COM) theory. Electron-beam lithography (EBL) technology was used to fabricate the submicron-scale of interdigital transducers (IDTs) and grating reflectors. The effects of some key EBL processes (e.g., the use of electron beam resist, the choice of metal deposition methods, the charge-accumulation effect, and the proximity-effect) on the fabrication precision of SAW devices were discussed. Experimentally, the LiNbO3-based SAW resonators fabricated using improved EBL technology exhibits a Rayleigh wave resonance peaks at 1.55 GHz with return loss about &#8722;12 dB, and quality factor Q is 517. Based on this SAW resonator, the temperature and strain sensing tests were performed, respectively. The experimental results exhibit a well linear dependence of temperature/strain on frequency-shift, with a temperature sensitivity of 125.4 kHz/&#176;C and a strain sensitivity of &#8722;831 Hz/&#956;&#949;, respectively

Wafer-Level Self-Packaging Design and Fabrication of MEMS Capacitive Pressure Sensors

This paper reports a MEMS capacitive pressure sensor (CPS) based on the operating principle of touch mode. The CPS was designed and fabricated using wafer-level self-packaged MEMS processes. The variable capacitance sensing structure was vacuum-sealed in a cavity using the Si&ndash;glass anodic bonding technique, and the embedded Al feedthrough lines at the Si&ndash;glass interface were used to realize the electrical connections between the parallel plate electrodes and the electrode pads through Al vias. The optimal design of the CPS structure was performed to trade-off the performance and reliability using finite element simulation. The CPS based on a circular-shaped diaphragm with a radius of 2000 &micro;m and a thickness of 40 &micro;m exhibits good comprehensive performance with a sensitivity of 52.3 pF/MPa and a nonlinearity of 2.7%FS in the pressure range of 100&ndash;500 kPa when the ambient temperature is less than 50 &deg;C

Application of multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis to identify outbreak-associated Neisseria meningitides serogroup C sequence type 4821 in China.

Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) serogroup C sequence type (ST)-4821 caused an outbreak in 2010 in Shandong province of China. Twenty-one non-outbreak-associated strains were isolated, along with twenty-eight N. meningitides serogroup C ST-4821 isolates. Therefore, it's essential to identify and clarify characterization of the real outbreak-associated strains with a rapid method during an outbreak investigation. In this study, multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) was applied to analyze 84 N. meningitidis strains, among which 58 were recovered from two outbreaks and 26 were sporadic isolates. Three MLVA schemes with different combination of VNTR loci were tested, and two of them were suitable for isolates from China: scheme 2 with six loci was found to separate ST into finer resolution, and scheme 3 with five loci can be used to identify outbreak-associated isolates from the same outbreak that caused by N. meningitidis serogroup C ST-4821

MLVA results of 84 <i>Neisseria meningitidis</i> isolates.

<p>★ represents outbreak-associated isolates in outbreak 1; ● represents non-outbreak-associated isolates in outbreak 1; ⊙ represents outbreak-associated isolates in outbreak 2; ■ represents non-outbreak-associated isolates in outbreak 2; and ◆ represents sporadic isolates. </p