GaAs/AlGaAs Nanowire Array Solar Cell Grown on Si with Ultrahigh Power-per-Weight Ratio

Here we demonstrate a more effective use of III–V photoconversion material to achieve an ultrahigh power-per-weight ratio from a solar cell utilizing an axial p-i-n junction GaAs/AlGaAs nanowire (NW) array grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a Si substrate. By analyzing single NW multicontact devices, we first show that an n-GaAs shell is self-formed radially outside the axial p- and i-core of the GaAs NW during n-core growth, which significantly deteriorates the rectification property of the NWs in the axial direction. When employing a selective-area ex situ etching process for the n-GaAs shell, a clear rectification of the axial NW p-i-n junction with a high on/off ratio was revealed. Such a controlled etching process of the self-formed n-GaAs shell was further introduced to fabricate axial p-i-n junction GaAs NW array solar cells. Employing this method, a GaAs NW array solar cell with only ∼1.3% areal coverage of the NWs shows a photoconversion efficiency of ∼7.7% under 1 Sun intensity (AM 1.5G), which is the highest achieved efficiency from any single junction GaAs NW solar cell grown on a Si substrate so far. This corresponds to a power-per-weight ratio of the active III–V photoconversion material as high as 560 W/g, showing great promise for high-efficiency and low-cost III–V NW solar cells and III–V NW/Si tandem solar cells.publishedVersio

North Lufkin Neighborhood Master Plan & Community Center

In 2018, Texas Target Communities worked with Impact Lufkin to rethink a 170-acres former Lufkin Country Club to create a master-planned community. Building on the appreciative inquiry conducted by Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) School of Social Work, the plan includes a neighborhood center with parks, athletic fields, trails, housing, commercial development, and various neighborhood services.Texas Target Communitie

Immune responses induced by DNA vaccines bearing Spike gene of PEDV combined with porcine IL-18

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is the causative agent of porcine epidemic diarrhea, a highly contagious enteric disease of swine. The Spike (S) protein is one of the main structural proteins of PEDV capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies in vivo. Herein, we generated three distinct DNA constructs in the eukaryotic expression plasmid pVAX1; one encoding the S protein [pVAX1-(PEDV-S)], the second encoding the N-terminal fragment (S1) [pVAX1-(PEDV-S1)] containing potent antigenic sites, and the third expressing the porcine interleukin-18 (pIL-18) [pVAX1-(IL-18)]. Immunofluorescence assays in BHK-21 cells demonstrated successful protein expression from all 3 constructs. Kunming mice were injected separately with each of these constructs or with a pVAX1-(PEDV-S1)/pVAX1-(IL-18) combination, an attenuated PEDV vaccine, or vector only control. Animals were examined for T lymphocyte proliferation, anti-PEDV antibodies, IFN- and IL-4 protein levels, and cytotoxic T cell function in mouse peripheral blood and spleen. In all cases, results showed that pVAX1-(PEDV-S) and the combination of pVAX1-(PEDV-S1) with pVAX1-(IL-18) induced the strongest responses; however, pIL-18 had no adjuvant effects when given in combination with pVAX1-(PEDV-S1)

On certain character sums

Let q ≥ 2 be an integer, X be a non-principal character mod q, A = A(q)  ≤ q, B = B(q) = q, and H = H(q) ≤ q. In this paper, we shall use the estimates for Kloosterman sums and the properties of trigonometric sums to give some sharp estimates for character sums of the formTk(x, A, B,H; q) =       ∑           ak X (a),                             a∈h(A,B,H)where h(A,B,H) = {a ∈ Z| (a,q) = 1, 1 ≤ a ≤ A ≤ b ≤ B, ab ≡ (mod, q), |a-b| ≤ H}Keywords: Character sums, Kloosterman sums, trigonometric sum

Upcycling plastic waste into syngas by staged chemical looping gasification with modified Fe-based oxygen carriers

A novel staged approach, termed staged chemical looping gasification (SCLG) was proposed in this work, for the efficient upcycling of plastic waste into H2-rich syngas with exceptional carbon conversion reaching up to 99%. In such staged system, plastic was firstly pyrolyzed to generate hydrocarbon volatiles, followed by chemical looping reforming in the presence of oxygen carriers, and steam and air was also feed in sequence for carbon removal, syngas regulation and lattice oxygen recovery. A series of Fe-M-Al oxygen carriers (OCs, where M represents Mg, Ca, Mn, Mo, La, Ce) were synthesized and employed for SCLG of waste disposable masks. The performance and stability of these OCs were thoroughly investigated and compared in terms of H2 content and syngas production, while the physicochemical properties characterized by various techniques such as N2 isothermal adsorption-desorption, FESEM, XRD, TPO, and H2-TPR. Results showed that compared with the controlled Fesingle bondAl sample, all the six modified OCs exhibited higher activity towards syngas production, due to the simultaneously enhanced both partial oxidation reactions and thermal decomposition reactions during the proposed SCLG process. However, the modifiers displayed different role for promoting gasification. Specifically, the addition of Ca significantly promoted the thermal cracking of plastic pyrolysis volatiles and lead to the deep extraction of carbon and H2, whereas the deposited carbon was further gasified into syngas in steam stage. As a result, Fe-Ca-Al showed the highest syngas yield and carbon conversion of 177.89 mmol/gOC and 99.03%, respectively. Fe-Mg-Al possessed relatively high CO selectivity, with the CO/(CO + CO2) ratio of 90.40%. The presence of MoO3 made the Fe-Mo-Al equipped with strong oxygen supply ability, leading to high content of oxygen-containing gases. Furthermore, the cycle stability of OCs was also conducted. The slight decrease in activity of Fe-Ca-Al was due to the metal sintering, whereas Fe-Mo-Al presented relatively stable syngas yield. The proposed staged chemical looping gasification with modified Fesingle bondAl was demonstrated as a promising upcycling utilization of disposal plastic waste

Antibody against Porcine Parvovirus VP2 Protein Differentiated This Virus from Other Viruses

Viral protein 2 (VP2) of porcine parvovirus (PPV) is the major viral structural protein and responsible for eliciting neutralizing antibodies in immunized animals. In this study, the gene encoding VP2 of PPV was amplified by PCR. The VP2 gene was then cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector, pET-32a followed by expression in Escherichia coli Rosetta. The VP2 protein expression was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Rabbit polyclonal antiserum was generated using the recombinant VP2 protein. The optimal titer of the anti-VP2 antibody was determined by ELISA. The anti-VP2 antibody was able to distinguish PPV from other viruses in ELISA

Epitaxially grown III-arsenide-antimonide nanowires for optoelectronic applications

Epitaxially grown ternary III-arsenide-antimonide (III-As–Sb) nanowires (NWs) are increasingly attracting attention due to their feasibility as a platform for the integration of largely lattice-mismatched antimonide-based heterostructures while preserving the high crystal quality. This and the inherent bandgap tuning flexibility of III-As–Sb in the near- and mid-infrared wavelength regions are important and auspicious premises for a variety of optoelectronic applications. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the nucleation, morphology-change and crystal phase evolution of GaAsSb and InAsSb NWs and their characterization, especially in relation to Sb incorporation during growth. By linking these findings to the optical properties in such ternary NWs and their heterostructures, a brief account of the ongoing development of III-As–Sb NW-based photodetectors and light emitters is also given

North Lufkin Neighborhood Master Plan & Community Center

In 2018, Texas Target Communities worked with Impact Lufkin to rethink a 170-acres former Lufkin Country Club to create a master-planned community. Building on the appreciative inquiry conducted by Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) School of Social Work, the plan includes a neighborhood center with parks, athletic fields, trails, housing, commercial development, and various neighborhood services.Texas Target Communitie

GaAs/AlGaAs Nanowire Array Solar Cell Grown on Si with Ultrahigh Power-per-Weight Ratio

Here we demonstrate a more effective use of III–V photoconversion material to achieve an ultrahigh power-per-weight ratio from a solar cell utilizing an axial p-i-n junction GaAs/AlGaAs nanowire (NW) array grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a Si substrate. By analyzing single NW multicontact devices, we first show that an n-GaAs shell is self-formed radially outside the axial p- and i-core of the GaAs NW during n-core growth, which significantly deteriorates the rectification property of the NWs in the axial direction. When employing a selective-area ex situ etching process for the n-GaAs shell, a clear rectification of the axial NW p-i-n junction with a high on/off ratio was revealed. Such a controlled etching process of the self-formed n-GaAs shell was further introduced to fabricate axial p-i-n junction GaAs NW array solar cells. Employing this method, a GaAs NW array solar cell with only ∼1.3% areal coverage of the NWs shows a photoconversion efficiency of ∼7.7% under 1 Sun intensity (AM 1.5G), which is the highest achieved efficiency from any single junction GaAs NW solar cell grown on a Si substrate so far. This corresponds to a power-per-weight ratio of the active III–V photoconversion material as high as 560 W/g, showing great promise for high-efficiency and low-cost III–V NW solar cells and III–V NW/Si tandem solar cells