Fabrication and ultraviolet photoresponse characteristics of ordered SnOx (x ≈ 0.87, 1.45, 2) nanopore films

Based on the porous anodic aluminum oxide templates, ordered SnOx nanopore films (approximately 150 nm thickness) with different x (x ≈ 0.87, 1.45, 2) have been successfully fabricated by direct current magnetron sputtering and oxidizing annealing. Due to the high specific surface area, this ordered nanopore films exhibit a great improvement in recovery time compared to thin films for ultraviolet (UV) detection. Especially, the ordered SnOx nanopore films with lower x reveal higher UV light sensitivity and shorter current recovery time, which was explained by the higher concentration of the oxygen vacancies in this SnOx films. This work presents a potential candidate material for UV light detector

Nanostructured Al-ZnO/CdSe/Cu2O ETA solar cells on Al-ZnO film/quartz glass templates

The quartz/Al-ZnO film/nanostructured Al-ZnO/CdSe/Cu2O extremely thin absorber solar cell has been successfully realized. The Al-doped ZnO one-dimensional nanostructures on quartz templates covered by a sputtering Al-doped ZnO film was used as the n-type electrode. A 19- to 35-nm-thin layer of CdSe absorber was deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, coating the ZnO nanostructures. The voids between the Al-ZnO/CdSe nanostructures were filled with p-type Cu2O, and therefore, the entire assembly formed a p-i-n junction. The cell shows the energy conversion efficiency as high as 3.16%, which is an interesting option for developing new solar cell devices

Different Chemotherapy Regimens in the Management of Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Cancer: a Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background/Aims: Urothelial cancer (UC) as a chemotherapy-sensitive tumor, has achieved remarkable progresses in therapeutic paradigm, particularly in the advanced/metastatic stages. However, both clinicians and patients are confused when it comes to choosing the optimal chemotherapy. Hence, this article was aimed to conduct a comprehensive comparison of different chemotherapy regimens for advanced or metastatic UC in terms of survival benefits or adverse events. Methods: The online databases PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched systematically and comprehensively for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to September 15, 2017. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% credible interval (CrI) were calculated by Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The effectiveness and safety of included regimens were conducted to provide a hierarchy by means of rank probabilities with the help of “R-3.4.0” software and the “gemtc-0.8.2” package. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was also incorporated in our analysis for ranking the corresponding chemotherapy regimens. Results: Ten different chemotherapy regimens involved in this article were predominantly of trials in a first-line setting, and eight clinical outcomes were ultimately analyzed in this study. In terms of Overall response rate (ORR), Overall survival (OS) or Progression-free survival (PFS)/Time to progression (TTP), the rank probabilities and SUCRA indicated that Paclitaxel/cisplatin/gemcitabine (PCG) was superior to gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) or methotrexate/vinblastine/doxorubicin/cisplatin (MVAC), the traditional first-line treatment for advanced/metastatic UC. In the case of ORR or PFS/TTP, GC+sorafenib also displayed its superiority in comparison with GC or MVAC. Despite their survival benefits, PCG or GC+sorafenib presented a relatively higher incidence of adverse events. Conclusion: Our results revealed that by adding a paclitaxel or sorafenib into the first-line GC, it could yield a better survival benefit, but also worsen adverse events for advanced/ metastatic UC. Clinically, physicians should weigh the merits of these approaches to maximize the survival benefits of eligible patients

Investigation the effect of pulsed laser parameters on the temperature distribution and joint interface properties in dissimilar laser joining of austenitic stainless steel 304 and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

Direct laser joining of metal to plastic materials is one of the cost effective methods of joining. The demand for laser welding of stainless steels and thermoplastics is going on increase because of having many applications such as automotive, aerospace and aviation industries. This paper presents the experimental investigation of direct laser joining of stainless steel 304 and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). The effects of pulsed laser parameters including laser welding speed, focal length, frequency and power on the themperature field and tensile shear load was investigated. The results showed that excessive increase of the joint interface temperature mainly induced by high laser power density results in exiting of the more volume of the molten ABS from the stainless steel melt pool. Also, increasing the laser power density through decreasing the focal length or increasing the laser power led to an increase in the surface temperature, higher beam penetration and high volume of molten ABS. Decreasing the focal length from 5 to 2 mm significantly rose the temperature from 150 to 300 °C. By increasing the laser pulse frequency, the number of bobbles at the ABS interface surface remarkably increased where the temperature increased from 120 to 180 °C. The X-ray spectroscopy results showed the existence of the polymer elements on the metal surface at the joint interface zone. The tensile shear load clearly increased from 280 to 460 N with augmentation of laser average power from 180 W to 215 W. Applying higher levels of laser power has clearly decreased the tensile shear load due to creating bigger bobbles and more cavities at the adhesive zone

Precision Higgs physics at the CEPC

The discovery of the Higgs boson with its mass around 125 GeV by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations marked the beginning of a new era in high energy physics. The Higgs boson will be the subject of extensive studies of the ongoing LHC program. At the same time, lepton collider based Higgs factories have been proposed as a possible next step beyond the LHC, with its main goal to precisely measure the properties of the Higgs boson and probe potential new physics associated with the Higgs boson. The Circular Electron Positron Collider~(CEPC) is one of such proposed Higgs factories. The CEPC is an $e^+e^-$ circular collider proposed by and to be hosted in China. Located in a tunnel of approximately 100~km in circumference, it will operate at a center-of-mass energy of 240~GeV as the Higgs factory. In this paper, we present the first estimates on the precision of the Higgs boson property measurements achievable at the CEPC and discuss implications of these measurements.Comment: 46 pages, 37 figure

PAMPS/MMT composite hydrogel electrolyte for solid-state supercapacitors

PAMPS/MMT composite electrolytes with high ionic conductivities were prepared by solution-casting method. The influences of Na-MMT contents on the ionic conductivities and mechanical properties of PAMPS hydrogel electrolyte were characterized and the electrochemical properties of supercapacitor with PAMPS/MMT composite electrolytes were investigated. The addition of Na-MMT can increase the ionic conductivities, tensile strength of PAMPS. PAMPS/MMT composite electrolyte has the superior integrated performance of ionic conductivities and tensile strength when the mass fraction of Na-MMT is about 5–7%, the ionic conductivity is 5.91 × 10−2 S cm−1 and the tensile strength is 8.9 MPa. The capacitor exhibits ideal behavior for the electronic double-layer capacitance. The specific capacitance and the cycling stability of PAMPS/MMT composite electrolytes are enhanced in comparison with that of PAMPS. Thus it provides a promising composite polyelectrolyte for supercapacitor

Influences of the timing of extreme precipitation on floods in Poyang Lake, China

Changes in the timing of extreme precipitation have important ramifications for public safety and storm water management, but it has not received much attention in relation to flooding. This study analyzed the changes in the timing of extreme precipitation in the Poyang Lake basin and projected its future changes for the period 2020–2099. The study also quantified the influences of changes in the timing of peak flows on lake floods based on a hydrodynamic model. The results showed that peak rainfall in the Poyang Lake basin had occurred on later dates during the period 1960–2012, and it is this change that caused a delay in peak streamflows from five rivers in the lake basin. Moreover, the effects of these changes are expected to be more prominent during 2020–2099; for example, the rate of delay will be about 2.0 days per 10 years both for peak rainfall and for streamflow in the Poyang Lake basin. The hydrodynamic simulation further showed that a delay of peak streamflows from five rivers would significantly increase the flood level and outflow of the lake and also prolong the duration of floods. These results indicate that the risk of floods in Poyang Lake is likely to increase in the future, therefore making flood control in this region more challenging