A rigorous analysis and design of efficient light trapping for Gallium arsenide nanowire array (NWA) solar cells is presented. The influence of the geometric parameters on the optical absorption of NWA has been thoroughly analyzed by using finite-difference time-domain simulations. It is found that the NWA have superior absorption characteristic over thin-film due to the combined effects of intrinsic anti-reflection and efficient excitation of resonant modes. Optimized optical designs are obtained by maximizing the ultimate photocurrent under AM1.5G illumination. The photogeneration profiles under optimized conditions are incorporated into electrical modeling, in which the core-shell NWA solar cells exhibit 22.3% efficiency.

The molecular identities of functional chloride channels in hepatocytes are largely unknown. We examined the ClC-3 chloride channel in rat hepatocytes and found that mRNA for two different isoforms is present. A short form is identical to the previously reported sequence for rat ClC-3, and a long form contains a 176-bp insertion immediately upstream of the translation initiation site. This predicts a 58-amino acid NH(2) terminal insertion. Both long and short form mRNA was expressed in diverse tissues of the rat. Transient transfection of the long form in CHO-K1 cells resulted in currents with an I(-) > B(-) > Cl(-) selectivity sequence, outward rectification, and inactivation at positive voltages. Short form currents had identical ionic selectivity but displayed a more extreme outward rectification and showed no voltage-dependent inactivation. Immunofluorescence and immunoblots localized native ClC-3 preferentially but not exclusively to the canalicular membrane. We have therefore identified a new isoform of rat ClC-3 and shown that expression of both isoforms produces functional channels. In hepatocytes, ClC-3 is located in association with the canalicular membrane.

No abstract

Mixed-halide perovskites (MHPs), such as methylammonium lead bromide−iodide, CH 3 NH 3 Pb(Br x I 1−x ) 3 (0 < x < 1), are very promising candidates for tandem solar cells and wavelength-tunable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their tunable bandgaps. However, uniform MHPs undergo phase separation under visible light irradiation or an electric field, and the reason is still under debate. In this work, we report that the phase separation can be dramatically suppressed by oxygen passivation under light illumination. More excitingly, we observe that phase-separated MHPs can be recovered to their original uniform state in an oxygen environment. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that oxygen atoms can effectively passivate traps in MHPs and occupy halide vacancies, thus suppressing halide redistribution and phase separation. Our results show that with sophisticated trap passivation techniques, phase-stable MHPs are attainable.

Hedgehog signaling pathway plays an important role in normal mammalian gastrointestinal development and is implicated in the oncogenesis of various tumors. However, its correlation with progression and prognosis of colon cancer has not been well documented. This study was designed to investigate expression patterns of related proteins in hedgehog signaling pathway in colon cancer to elucidate its prognostic value in this tumor. Using human colon cancer and their corresponding non-diseased colon from 228 patients' biopsies, the expression of sonic hedgehog, its receptor Patched, and downstream transcription factor Gli1 was investigated by immunohistochemical staining to assess their association with the clinicopathological characteristics of colon cancer. Disease-free survival and overall survival were examined by Kaplan-Meier estimates and the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were determined by multivariate Cox analysis. One hundred and thirty-eight patients (59.6%) had sonic hedgehog-positive tumors and that the disease-free survival (43.5 vs. 73.3%, P < 0.001), and overall survival rates (50.7 vs. 88.9%, P < 0.001) of patients with sonic hedgehog-positive tumors were much lower than those of patients with sonic hedgehog-negative tumors. In addition, 163 patients (71.5%) had Patched-positive tumors, and the disease-free survival (41.7 vs. 76.9%, P < 0.001) and overall survival rates (55.2 vs. 80.0%, P = 0.002) of patients with Patched-positive tumors were also lower than those of patients with Patched-negative tumors. Moreover, positive Gli1 expression had a bad effect on the disease-free survival (41.9 vs. 73.2%, P < 0.001) and overall survival rate of patients with colon cancer (50.0 vs. 89.3%, P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, sonic hedgehog, Patched, and Gli1 status were indicators for poor disease-free survival and overall survival. These results have shown that the increasing expression of sonic hedgehog, Patched, and Gli1 are indicators for a poor prognosis in patients with colon cancer. This is the first report describing about the relationship between hedgehog signaling pathway and the prognosis of colon cancer.

No abstract

No abstract

In this study, the influence of the geometric parameters on the optical absorption of gallium arsenide [GaAs] nanowire arrays [NWAs] has been systematically analyzed using finite-difference time-domain simulations. The calculations reveal that the optical absorption is sensitive to the geometric parameters such as diameter [D], length [L], and filling ratio [D/P], and more efficient light absorption can be obtained in GaAs NWAs than in thin films with the same thickness due to the combined effects of intrinsic antireflection and efficient excitation of resonant modes. Optimized geometric parameters are obtained as follows: D = 180 nm, L = 2 μm, and D/P = 0.5. Meanwhile, the simulation on the absorption of GaAs NWAs for oblique incidence has also been carried out. The underlying physics is discussed in this work.PACS: 81.07.Gf nanowires; 81.05.Ea III-V semiconductors; 88.40.hj efficiency and performance of solar cells; 73.50.Pz photoconduction and photovoltaic effects.