Silicon heterojunction solar cells with up to 26.81% efficiency achieved by electrically optimized nanocrystalline-silicon hole contact layers

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells have reached high power conversion efficiency owing to their effective passivating contact structures. Improvements in the optoelectronic properties of these contacts can enable higher device efficiency, thus further consolidating the commercial potential of SHJ technology. Here we increase the...

Toward a Universal Unit for Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Environmental Samples

Surveillance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has been increasingly conducted in environmental sectors to complement the surveys in human and animal sectors under the "One-Health"framework. However, there are substantial challenges in comparing and synthesizing the results of multiple studies that employ different test methods and...

Towards deep probabilistic graph neural network for natural gas leak detection and localization without labeled anomaly data

Deep learning has been widely applied to automated leakage detection and location of natural gas pipe networks. Prevalent deep learning approaches do not consider the spatial dependency of sensors, which limits leakage detection performance. Graph deep learning is a promising alternative to prevailing approaches as it can model spatial...

An integrated resilience assessment methodology for emergency response systems based on multi-stage STAMP and dynamic Bayesian networks

The interactions of external disruptions and technical-human-organizational factors in emergency operations are usually observed. Resilience assessment of emergency systems can improve emergency response capability and system functional recovery. The increasing complexity and coupling of factors in emergency response systems need to be...

The Covariation of Color and Orange Fluorescence Instabilities in Yellow Sapphires

In recent years, some sapphires were found to fade in sunlight and to increase their color after UV irradiation. This unstable color phenomenon is attributed to the photochromism of corundum. The photochromic effect seriously affects the grading and evaluation of sapphires, although its mechanism is still uncertain. Here, we performed a set...

Influence of unilateral low adhesion on transient wheel-rail rolling contact and wheel damages

A time-domain finite element model is developed to study the transient rolling contact of a driving wheelset over a curved track with Low Adhesion Zones (LAZs) shorter than 1.0 m. LAZs on one rail, i.e., unilateral LAZs occurring more likely, is treated for a speed up to 500 km/h. Structural vibrations of wheelset are analyzed to explain the...

Examining industrial air pollution embodied in trade: implications of a hypothetical China-UK FTA

Very few developed economies have a full free trade agreement (FTA) with China. This study employs one GTAP model and builds an extended environmental multi-region input–output model to investigate a hypothetical China-UK FTA, concerning embodied industrial emissions of SO2, PM2.5, NOX, and NH3. The economic sectors are also classified based on...

Research on Simulation and Performance Optimization of Mach 4 Civil Aircraft Propulsion Concept

Supersonic civil aircraft is of a promising area in the development of future civil transport, and aircraft propulsion system is one of the key issues which determine the success of the aircraft. To get a good conceptual design and performance investigation of the supersonic civil aircraft engine, in this article, a fast, versatile as well as...

Groundwater–surface water interactions, vegetation dependencies and implications for water resources management in the semi-arid Hailiutu River catchment, China – a synthesis

During the last decades, large-scale land use changes took place in the Hailiutu River catchment, a semi-arid area in northwest China. These changes had significant impacts on the water resources in the area. Insights into groundwater and surface water interactions and vegetation-water dependencies help to understand these impacts and formulate...