Room-Temperature Sputtered SnO2 as Robust Electron Transport Layer for Air-Stable and Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells on Rigid and Flexible Substrates.

Extraordinary photovoltaic performance and intriguing optoelectronic properties of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have aroused enormous interest from both academic research and photovoltaic (PV) industry. In order to bring PSC technology from laboratory to market, material stability, device flexibility, and scalability are important issues to address for vast production. Nevertheless, PSCs are still primarily prepared by solution methods which limit film scalability, while high-temperature processing of metal oxide electron transport layer (ETL) makes PSCs costly and incompatible with flexible substrates. Here, we demonstrate rarely-reported room-temperature radio frequency (RF) sputtered SnO2 as a promising ETL with suitable band structure, high transmittance, and excellent stability to replace its solution-processed counterpart. Power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 12.82% and 5.88% have been achieved on rigid glass substrate and flexible PEN substrate respectively. The former device retained 93% of its initial PCE after 192-hour exposure in dry air while the latter device maintained over 90% of its initial PCE after 100 consecutive bending cycles. The result is a solid stepping stone toward future PSC all-vapor-deposition fabrication which is being widely used in the PV industry now

Human computer interaction for international development: past present and future

Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest in research into the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the context of developing regions, particularly into how such ICTs might be appropriately designed to meet the unique user and infrastructural requirements that we encounter in these cross-cultural environments. This emerging field, known to some as HCI4D, is the product of a diverse set of origins. As such, it can often be difficult to navigate prior work, and/or to piece together a broad picture of what the field looks like as a whole. In this paper, we aim to contextualize HCI4D—to give it some historical background, to review its existing literature spanning a number of research traditions, to discuss some of its key issues arising from the work done so far, and to suggest some major research objectives for the future

INTEGRATING BIOMASS TO PRODUCE HEAT AND POWER AT ETHANOL PLANTS

Published in: Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 25(2): 227‐244Biomass, Renewable, Sustainable, Model, Gasification, Combustion, Emissions, Ethanol production, Combined heat and power, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ECONOMICS OF BIOMASS GASIFICATION/COMBUSTION AT FUEL ETHANOL PLANTS

Published in Applied Engineering in Agriculture, Vol. 25(3): 391‐400Ethanol, Biomass, Economics, CHP, Emissions, Process heat, Electricity production, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Development of a Database for Drilled SHAft Foundation Testing (DSHAFT)

Drilled shafts have been used in the US for more than 100 years in bridges and buildings as a deep foundation alternative. For many of these applications, the drilled shafts were designed using the Working Stress Design (WSD) approach. Even though WSD has been used successfully in the past, a move toward Load Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) for foundation applications began when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a policy memorandum on June 28, 2000.The policy memorandum requires all new bridges initiated after October 1, 2007, to be designed according to the LRFD approach. This ensures compatibility between the superstructure and substructure designs, and provides a means of consistently incorporating sources of uncertainty into each load and resistance component. Regionally-calibrated LRFD resistance factors are permitted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to improve the economy and competitiveness of drilled shafts. To achieve this goal, a database for Drilled SHAft Foundation Testing (DSHAFT) has been developed. DSHAFT is aimed at assimilating high quality drilled shaft test data from Iowa and the surrounding regions, and identifying the need for further tests in suitable soil profiles. This report introduces DSHAFT and demonstrates its features and capabilities, such as an easy-to-use storage and sharing tool for providing access to key information (e.g., soil classification details and cross-hole sonic logging reports). DSHAFT embodies a model for effective, regional LRFD calibration procedures consistent with PIle LOad Test (PILOT) database, which contains driven pile load tests accumulated from the state of Iowa. PILOT is now available for broader use at the project website: http://srg.cce.iastate.edu/lrfd/. DSHAFT, available in electronic form at http://srg.cce.iastate.edu/dshaft/, is currently comprised of 32 separate load tests provided by Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska state departments of transportation and/or department of roads. In addition to serving as a manual for DSHAFT and providing a summary of the available data, this report provides a preliminary analysis of the load test data from Iowa, and will open up opportunities for others to share their data through this quality–assured process, thereby providing a platform to improve LRFD approach to drilled shafts, especially in the Midwest region

Foreign Body Aspiration Presenting with Asthma-Like Symptoms

Aspiration of a foreign body into the tracheobronchial tree is rare in adults. In the majority of these cases there is an underlying condition such as mental retardation, depressed mental status, impairment in the swallowing reflex, neurological impairment, alcohol or sedative abuse, or complications from dental manipulations that contributed to the aspiration. These patients are commonly misdiagnosed with asthma and typically do not respond to mainstay anti-inflammatory and/or bronchodilator therapy. We describe the case of a patient with a foreign body aspiration in the upper trachea not recognized by radiographic studies that presented with asthma-type symptoms

Foreign body aspiration presenting with asthma-like symptoms

Aspiration of a foreign body into the tracheobronchial tree is rare in adults. In the majority of these cases there is an underlying condition such as mental retardation, depressed mental status, impairment in the swallowing reflex, neurological impairment, alcohol or sedative abuse, or complications from dental manipulations that contributed to the aspiration. These patients are commonly misdiagnosed with asthma and typically do not respond to mainstay anti-inflammatory and/or bronchodilator therapy. We describe the case of a patient with a foreign body aspiration in the upper trachea not recognized by radiographic studies that presented with asthma-type symptoms

Maritime Supply Chain Security in the Indo-Pacific Region: Threats and Policy Implications for National Security and Resilience

By volume, about 99% of Australia’s trade is carried by sea mainly through the Indo-Pacific region. Australia currently imports 90% of liquid fuel from other countries, primarily Japan, Korea and Singapore. Global shipping trade valued around USD3.37 trillion is also passed through the South China Sea, where Strait of Malacca is one of the busiest oil/energy shipping routes in the world. The region especially the South China Sea and East China Sea is subject to increasing maritime security threats due to territorial disputes and the risk of military conflicts. This report presents emerging security challenges facing maritime supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region and the implications for Australia. The report comprises four component studies. The first study is a scenario analysis of maritime security threats in the South China Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific that are associated with three contexts, South China Sea conflict, cyber attack on Australian maritime information systems, and Indo-Pacific maritime logistics network disruption. The result of the scenario analysis indicates that South China Sea conflicts would cause shipping capacity shortage, port operations breakdown, production disruption, technology failures, international armed conflicts, trade sanctions/embargo and diversion. These will likely result in an economic downturn, critical supplies, maritime supply chain disruptions, and increasing military activities in the region. Cyber attacks on Australian maritime information systems will cause navigation operations disruption, cyber operations disruption, social technical disruption, human resource issues (due to temporary skill shortages), and maritime supply chain disruption. These in turn have further impacts on Australia including port congestion and disruption of commercial shipping and supply chain operations. Disruption of the Indo-Pacific maritime logistics network can caused by factors other than those mentioned above. These can be competitive responses/interaction between countries or large organisations; disruptive innovation, e.g. Northern Sea Route, and Belt and Road Initiative; geopolitical disruptions; ecological disruptions, e.g. tsunamis, pandemic, climate change; and trade related disruptions. These could have impacts on Australia including disruption of IT systems and trade networks, port and shipping operations, supply chain operations, critical supply shortages, loss of human lives, exhaustion of emergency rescue and security capabilities, economic downturn and social unrest. The second study analyses the vulnerability of the tanker shipping network that Australia relies on for fuel supplies using Auto Identification System data. The analysis result indicates that while Australia’s energy trade with Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the US, Japan, Taiwan (China), Vietnam and the Philippines is not critically exposed to maritime security threats in South China Sea and East China Sea, energy trade of the latter countries is substantially exposed to tanker operations disruption caused by a closure of the South China Sea and East China Sea. All shipping routes connected to Taiwan will be directly impacted and so will all imports to Brunei. Seven out of eight shipping routes to Japan are affected and six of them are subject to a very significant impact. Six out of ten shipping routes to Malaysia, four out of fourteen routes to Singapore, and two out of seven routes to Thailand will be affected. The closure of the South China Sea and East China Sea will force tankers to avoid these seas causing tanker tonnage shortages and disruption of the fuel supply chains. As a result, Australia may join allies and other countries in the region in ensuring the Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) and upholding the rules-based international maritime order. The third study highlights the vulnerabilities of the Australian maritime industry due to cyber-attacks and analyses the potential impact of cyber attacks on Australian maritime information systems under five cyber security threat scenarios, namely attacks on Australian destined shipping in the Malacca Straits; attacks on Australian bound shipping in the Lombok Strait; attacks on Australian bound shipping due to ransomware cyber breaches; maritime supply chain disruption due to data breach; maritime supply chain disruption due to cyber blockade. The third study also provides a number of recommendations for cyber security, including back-up system development, ransomware policy; adopting international cybersecurity standards and guidelines; improving the security of corporate information systems; strengthening the incident reporting systems; improving the security of electronic navigation systems; diversifying supply sources; formulating strategic alliances and partnership with countries; onshoring and nearshoring to avoid the conflict areas; building cyber resilience; incorporating cyber security in maritime training and education; and the Government’s initiatives on maritime cyber security. The fourth study proposes a national security-resilience framework for maritime supply chains, recapitulates security threats and advances strategies to enhance preparation and prevention, recovery from and adaptation to supply chain disruptions in the Indo-Pacific region. A focus group workshop was held to identify national security risks; resource and capacity constraints; and draw policy implications and recommendations for national resilience strategies. Several security issues and constraints facing Australia’s maritime supply chains identified include: reliance on one or few countries for critical supplies and main trade; the lack of ownership and control of a strategic fleet; insufficient stockpiles and fuel reserves; risk of disconnected to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific in case of maritime territorial conflict; political influences on the Indo-Pacific region affecting Australia’s strategic position; insufficient maritime infrastructure and the management of foreign investment in critical maritime infrastructure; natural disaster and climate change effects. The strategic policy recommendations to address the above security risks and constraints include: increasing of stockpiles and critical reserves and the diversification of supply sources and supply chains to mitigate the risk of reliance on a few sources for critical supplies; development of reliable domestic production capacity; better control and development of a strategic fleet and maritime infrastructure; the Government taking the leading role in national resilience through active engagement with the private sector, public-private partnership and the participatory approach; the Government leading national preparedness and resilience building by promoting national awareness and consciousness of the security and resilience issues. Australia should take a more active role in the region through international relations and cooperation, focusing not only on the warfare and defence elements but also shifting trade patterns and building alliances with friendly countries in the region