Testing of gallium arsenide solar cells on the CRRES vehicle

A flight experiment was designed to determine the optimum design for gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cell panels in a radiation environment. Elements of the experiment design include, different coverglass material and thicknesses, welded and soldered interconnects, different solar cell efficiencies, different solar cell types, and measurement of annealing properties. This experiment is scheduled to fly on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES). This satellite will simultaneously measure the radiation environment and provide engineering data on solar cell degradation that can be directly related to radiation damage

Cold crucible Czochralski for solar cells

The efficiency and radiation resistance of present silicon solar cells are a function of the oxygen and carbon impurities and the boron doping used to provide the proper resistivity material. The standard Czochralski process used grow single crystal silicon contaminates the silicon stock material due to the use of a quartz crucible and graphite components. The use of a process which replaces these elements with a water cooled copper to crucible has provided a major step in providing gallium doped (100) crystal orientation, low oxygen, low carbon, silicon. A discussion of the Cold Crucible Czochralski process and recent float Zone developments is provided

Explaining the President's Executive Actions on Guns

President Obama recently announced a package of executive actions intended to reduce gunviolence and make our communities safer. In a nation where 33,000 Americans die by gun everyyear, these common sense regulations seek to give teeth to our existing gun laws, some of whichhave been nearly impossible to enforce as written. Though these actions include more than adozen components, including increased funding for mental health treatment, the addition of morelaw enforcement agents and background check examiners, and the foundation of an InternetInvestigations Center to track online gun trafficking, four are particularly likely to raise the ire of theNational Rifle Association (NRA) and its allies. This memo breaks down each: examining the flawsin our current enforcement system and explaining how these actions remedy them

Pharmaceutical and personal care products-induced stress symptoms and detoxification mechanisms in cucumber plants.

Contamination of agricultural soils by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) resulting from the application of treated wastewater, biosolids and animal wastes constitutes a potential environmental risk in many countries. To date a handful of studies have considered the phytotoxicity of individual PPCPs in crop plants, however, little is known about the effect of PPCPs as mixtures at environmentally relevant levels. This study investigated the uptake and transport, physiological responses and detoxification of a mixture of 17 PPCPs in cucumber seedlings. All PPCPs were detected at higher concentrations in roots compared to leaves, with root activity inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. At 5-50 μg/L, the mature leaves exhibited burnt edges as well as a reduction in photosynthesis pigments. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation increased with increasing PPCP concentrations; and their contents were greater in roots than in leaves for all PPCP treatments. Enzymes involved in various functions, including oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase) and xenobiotic metabolism (peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase), were elevated to different levels depending on the PPCP concentration. Glutathione content gradually increased in leaves, while a maxima occurred at 0.5 μg L-1 PPCPs in roots, followed by a decrease thereafter. This study illustrated the complexity of phytotoxicity after exposure to PPCP mixtures, and provided insights into the molecular mechanisms likely responsible for the detoxification of PPCPs in higher plants

IPC Salon: Open Access week

This article describes a recent Open Access week event organized by BCLA's Information Policy Committee. The salon featured a presentation by Brian Owen, discussing the challenges of funding open access initiatives

In the Eye of the Storm: West Virginia\u27s Uniquely Clear Opportunity to Revise Its Education Funding Formula during COVID-19

Public school advocates in West Virginia have long voiced sharp criticism over the state\u27s funding of education-and justifiably so. Although more than one in four West Virginia children live in poverty, the state\u27s school funding formula does not account for the increased costs associated with educating low-socioeconomic status ( SES ) students. As a result, low-SES students are not receiving a constitutionally adequate and equitable education, by the state\u27s own standards. Now, in the wake of COVID-19, with mounting costs and challenges, allegations of inadequacy and inequity abound. Ifpast is prologue, districts that serve high concentrations of low-SES students will be the most impacted by inevitable budget shortfalls following the pandemic and any economic downturn. As counterintuitive as it sounds, however, COVID-19 actually provides West Virginia with a unique opportunity to adopt more equitable and adequate funding formula. Indeed, the timing is, in some respects, ideal, as multiple states-including West Virginia-have used past crises to revise their funding formulas, to improve educational equity and outcomes. To seize this opportunity, this Article proposes that West Virginia make a permanent commitment to provide additional, targeted funding for low-SES students or increased funding for districts with high concentrations of low-SES students, following a two-prong approach: First, the state should conduct an adequacy cost study to determine how much funding each district needs to provide an adequate and equitable education. Second, the state should transition from a resource-based funding formula to either a student-based or hybrid formula

John Schaeffer AO (1941-2020)

A personal tribute and obituary for John Schaeffer AO - Art Collector and Philanthropist