A high performance surface acoustic wave visible light sensor using novel materials: Bi2S3 nanobelts

Low dimensional Bi2S3 materials are excellent for use in photodetectors with excellent stability and fast response time. In this work, we developed a visible light sensor with good performance based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices using Bi2S3 nanobelts as the sensing materials. The SAW delay-line sensor was fabricated on ST-cut quartz with a designed wavelength of 15.8 microns using conventional photolithography techniques. The measured center frequency was 200.02 MHz. The Bi2S3 nanobelts prepared by a facile hydrothermal process were deposited onto SAW sensors by spin-coating. Under irradiation of 625 nm visible light with a power intensity of 170 μW cm−2, the sensor showed a fast and large response with a frequency upshift of 7 kHz within 1 s. The upshift of the frequency of the SAW device is mainly attributed to the mass loading effect caused by the desorption of oxygen from the Bi2S3 nanobelts under visible light radiation

A high performance surface acoustic wave visible light sensor using novel materials: Bi2S3 nanobelts

Low dimensional Bi2S3 materials are excellent for use in photodetectors with excellent stability and fast response time. In this work, we developed a visible light sensor with good performance based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices using Bi2S3 nanobelts as the sensing materials. The SAW delay-line sensor was fabricated on ST-cut quartz with a designed wavelength of 15.8 microns using conventional photolithography techniques. The measured center frequency was 200.02 MHz. The Bi2S3 nanobelts prepared by a facile hydrothermal process were deposited onto SAW sensors by spin-coating. Under irradiation of 625 nm visible light with a power intensity of 170 μW cm−2, the sensor showed a fast and large response with a frequency upshift of 7 kHz within 1 s. The upshift of the frequency of the SAW device is mainly attributed to the mass loading effect caused by the desorption of oxygen from the Bi2S3 nanobelts under visible light radiation

Expression of the mismatch repair gene hMLH1 is enhanced in non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations

Mismatch repair (MMR) plays a pivotal role in keeping the genome stable. MMR dysfunction can lead to carcinogenesis by gene mutation accumulation. HMSH2 and hMLH1 are two key components of MMR. High or low expression of them often mark the status of MMR function. Mutations (EGFR, KRAS, etc) are common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is not clear what role MMR plays in NSCLC gene mutations. The expression of MMR proteins hMSH2 and hMLH1, and the proliferation markers PCNA and Ki67 were measured by immunohistochemistry in 181 NSCLCs. EGFR and KRAS mutations were identified by high resolution melting analysis. Stronger hMLH1 expression correlated to a higher frequency of EGFR mutations in exon 19 and 21 (p<0.0005). Overexpression of hMLH1 and the adenocarcinoma subtype were both independent factors that related to EGFR mutations in NSCLCs (p=0.013 and p<0.0005). The expression of hMLH1, hMSH2 and PCNA increased, while Ki67 expression significantly decreased (p=0.030) in NSCLCs with EGFR mutations. Overexpression of hMLH1 could be a new molecular marker to predict the response to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLCs. Furthermore, EGFR mutations might be an early event of NSCLC that occur before MMR dysfunction.This work was supported by the National Nature Science Funds in China (Fund No. 81071805; URL: http://isisn.nsfc.gov.cn/egrantweb/), and Dalian Merricon Gene Diagnosis Technology Co., Ltd. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Universal scaling in sports ranking

Ranking is a ubiquitous phenomenon in the human society. By clicking the web pages of Forbes, you may find all kinds of rankings, such as world's most powerful people, world's richest people, top-paid tennis stars, and so on and so forth. Herewith, we study a specific kind, sports ranking systems in which players' scores and prize money are calculated based on their performances in attending various tournaments. A typical example is tennis. It is found that the distributions of both scores and prize money follow universal power laws, with exponents nearly identical for most sports fields. In order to understand the origin of this universal scaling we focus on the tennis ranking systems. By checking the data we find that, for any pair of players, the probability that the higher-ranked player will top the lower-ranked opponent is proportional to the rank difference between the pair. Such a dependence can be well fitted to a sigmoidal function. By using this feature, we propose a simple toy model which can simulate the competition of players in different tournaments. The simulations yield results consistent with the empirical findings. Extensive studies indicate the model is robust with respect to the modifications of the minor parts.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Capacitive and resistive response of humidity sensors based on graphene decorated by PMMA and silver nanoparticles

In this paper, we reported comparative study of the humidity characteristics of graphene/silver nanoparticles composite (Gr-AgNps) and graphene/silver nanoparticles/PMMA composite (Gr-AgNps-PMMA) based efficient humidity sensors. Aqueous solution of Gr-AgNps and Gr-AgNps-PMMA was drop casted over interdigitated copper electrodes with 50 μm gap embedded in the substrates in dust free environment. The band gap obtained from the UV-vis spectra for Gr-AgNps and Gr-AgNps-PMMA based humidity sensors was 4.7 and 4.1 eV respectively. The capacitive and resistive humidity response was studied using LCR meter (GW Instek817). Apparent increase in capacitance was observed (100-10,000 nF) with the increase in the humidity percentage (30-95%RH) at lower frequencies for both the sensors. Resistance of the sensors dropped to zero as the humidity level is increased from 30 to 95%RH in the chamber. The devices were tested for real time stability and for fast response/recovery time. Both the devices showed an excellent stability and response by recording their resistance and capacitance respectively. A lagging of RH decreasing response from RH increasing response was observed at 500 Hz frequency for both the sensors depicted from the hysteresis curve. The humidity response of Gr-AgNps was comparatively better than that of the Gr-AgNps-PMMA based humidity sensors

Possible canonical distributions for finite systems with nonadditive energy

It is shown that a small system in thermodynamic equilibrium with a finite thermostat can have a q-exponential probability distribution which closely depends on the energy nonextensivity and the particle number of the thermostat. The distribution function will reduce to the exponential one at the thermodynamic limit. However, the nonextensivity of the system should not be neglected.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Global land surface temperature influenced by vegetation cover and PM2.5 from 2001 to 2016

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important parameter to evaluate environmental changes. In this paper, time series analysis was conducted to estimate the interannual variations in global LST from 2001 to 2016 based on moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) products and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) data from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group. The results showed that LST, seasonally integrated normalized difference vegetation index (SINDVI), and PM2.5 increased by 0.17 K, 0.04, and 1.02 �g/m3 in the period of 2001–2016, respectively. During the past 16 years, LST showed an increasing trend in most areas, with two peaks of 1.58 K and 1.85 K at 72�N and 48�S, respectively. Marked warming also appeared in the Arctic. On the contrary, remarkable decrease in LST occurred in Antarctic. In most parts of the world, LST was affected by the variation in vegetation cover and air pollutant, which can be detected by the satellite. In the Northern Hemisphere, positive relations between SINDVI and LST were found; however, in the Southern Hemisphere, negative correlations were detected. The impact of PM2.5 on LST was more complex. On the whole, LST increased with a small increase in PM2.5 concentrations but decreased with a marked increase in PM2.5. The study provides insights on the complex relationship between vegetation cover, air pollution, and land surface temperature