The use of silicon nitride in buried contact solar cells

Silicon nitride offers many potential benefits to the family of buried contact fabrication sequences including improved design flexibility and efficiency. The main device structures of the buried contact family comprise the standard buried contact, the simplified buried contact and the double-sided buried contact cells. The physical properties of silicon nitride allow it to be used for surface passivation, as an anti-reflection coating, as a diffusion source material and as a masking dielectric. The use of silicon nitride in each buried contact fabrication sequence is described in this work.     

Effects of neonatal (Day 10) olfactory bulb lesions on social behavior of female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus).

Found that, after neonatal (Day 10) bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (BOB; n = 16), adult female golden hamsters' scent marking and defense behavior to males was reduced relative to sham (n = 13) or neocortically lesioned (n = 11) littermate controls. The BOB aggressive and sexual behavior appeared grossly normal-15 were successfully mated, but 5 destroyed their litters. After mating, controls became more aggressive but BOB aggression decreased and had disappeared by the 2nd wk. of pregnancy. All groups ceased scent marking after mating, but controls returned to premating levels during lactation. The BOB Ss showed no scent marking, defense, or aggression throughout lactation. Unilateral olfactory bulbectomy of 6 Ss also eliminated normal social behavior during lactation, suggesting that not all the behavioral effects of olfactory damage can be attributed to anosmia. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accident sequence precursor analysis: level 2/3 model development

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) program currently uses simple level 1 models to assess the conditional core damage probability for operational events occurring in commercial nuclear power plants (NPP). Not all accident sequences leading to core damage will result in the same radiological consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to develop simple level 2/3 models that can be used to analyze the response of the NPP containment structure in the context of a core damage accident, estimate the magnitude of the resulting radioactive releases to the environment, and calculate the consequences associated with these releases. This level 2/3 model development work was initiated in 1995, and several prototype models have been completed. Two versions of these prototype level 2/3 models have been developed. Simple level 2/3 models have been linked to the simple level 1 models to provide risk perspectives for operational events. Additionally, very complex and detailed models have been developed that take provide much greater flexibility in accommodating a much wider range of level 1 core damage accident sequences. These detailed models also make possible assessments that are integrated with the level 1 model, on the importance of different severe accident phenomena and containment performance characteristics. This paper describes the development and capabilities of these level 2/3 ASP models, and the linkage to the level 1 models.     

Maturational loss of thermotaxis prevented by olfactory lesions in golden hamster pups (Mesocricetus auratus).

5 day-old golden hamster pups preoperatively were tested on a thermal gradient, subjected to bilateral or unilateral olfactory bulbectomy or control dorsal cortical removal, and then tested on Days 6–25. Locomotion and rectal or belly temperature were monitored throughout the 2-min test. Controls became quiescent in the hot end of the gradient on Days 5–7 but after Day 8 chose cooler regions and increased their activity. Both unilaterally and bilaterally bulbectomized Ss spent more time in the heat throughout testing, were less active, and allowed their temperature to rise more rapidly than controls. Percentage of time in the heat was elevated in all bulbectomized Ss although some retained the ability to make an olfactory discrimination. Enhanced thermal behavior is apparently not due to anosmia per se. Altered thermal perception or responsitivity may result from loss of "nonspecific" olfactory projections that normally would mature at the beginning of the 2nd week. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)