Search

Neonates with symptomatic tetralogy of Fallot (sTOF) may undergo palliations with varying physiology, namely systemic to pulmonary artery connections (SPC) or right ventricular outflow tract interventions (RVOTI). A comparison of palliative strategies based on the physiology created is lacking. Consecutive sTOF neonates undergoing SPC or RVOTI from 2005–2017 were reviewed from the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative. The primary outcome was survival with successful complete repair (CR) by 18 months. A variety of secondary outcomes were assessed including overall survival, hospitalization-related comorbidities, and interstage reinterventions. Propensity score adjustment was utilized to compare treatment strategies. The cohort included 252 SPC (surgical shunt = 226, ductus arteriosus stent = 26) and 68 RVOTI (balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty = 48, RVOT stent = 11, RVOT patch = 9) patients. Genetic syndrome (29 [42.6%] v 75 [29.8%], p = 0.04), weight < 2.5 kg (28 [41.2%] v 68 [27.0%], p = 0.023), bilateral pulmonary artery Z-score < − 2 (19 [28.0%] v 36 [14.3%], p = 0.008), and pre-intervention antegrade flow (48 [70.6%] v 104 [41.3%], p < 0.001) were more common in RVOTI. Significant center differences were noted (p < 0.001). Adjusted survival to CR by 18 months (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.63–1.21, p = 0.41) and overall survival (HR = 2.08, 95% CI = 0.93–4.65, p = 0.074) were similar. RVOTI had increased interstage reintervention (HR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.36–3.99, p = 0.001). Total anesthesia (243 [213, 277] v 328 [308, 351] minutes, p < 0.001) and cardiopulmonary bypass times (117 [103, 132] v 151 [143, 160] minutes, p < 0.001) favored RVOTI. In this multicenter comparison of physiologic palliation strategies for sTOF, survival to successful CR and overall survival were similar; however, reintervention burden was significantly higher in RVOTI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full-dimensional variational calculations are reported for the isomerising disilyne molecule, Si2H2. Large-scale calculations using coordinates based on orthogonal satellite vectors permitted the computation of excited vibrational state energies and wavefunctions for all four isomeric forms: dibridged Si(H2)Si, monobridged Si(H)SiH, disilavinylidene H2SiSi, and trans-bent HSiSiH. Energies and wavefunctions have been determined for the lowest 2400 totally symmetric vibrational states; this set includes highly excited states above all three chemically relevant isomerisation barriers - up to about 8300 cm-1 above the (dibridged) ground state. States strongly localised in the dibridged, monobridged, and disilavinylidene regions of the potential energy surface have been found as well as many partially or fully delocalised states. For the trans-bent form, only partially localised states have been identified. Comparisons are made with similar literature calculations on the isovalent acetylene-vinylidene system HCCH/H2CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general, full-dimensional computational method for the accurate calculation of rotationally and vibrationally excited states of tetra-atomic molecules is further developed. The resulting computer program may be run in serial and parallel modes and is particularly appropriate for molecules executing wide-amplitude motions and isomerizations. An application to the isomerizing acetylene/vinylidene system is presented. Large-scale calculations using a coordinate system based on orthogonal satellite vectors have been performed in six dimensions and vibrational term values and wave functions for acetylene and vinylidene states up to ≈23 000 cm-1 above the potential minimum have been determined. This has permitted the characterization of acetylene and vinylidene states at and above the isomerization barrier. These calculations employ more extensive vibrational basis sets and hence consider a much higher density of states than in any variational calculations reported hitherto for this system. Comparison of the calculated density of states with that determined empirically suggests that our calculations are the most realistic achieved for this system to date. Indeed more states have been converged than in any previous study of this system. Calculations on lower lying excited states of acetylene based on HC–CH diatom-diatom coordinates give nearly identical results to those based on orthogonal satellite vectors. Comparisons are also made with calculations based on HH–CC diatom-diatom coordinates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

End of range (EOR) defects are the most commonly observed defects in ultrashallow junction devices. They nucleate at the amorphous-crystalline interface upon annealing after amorphization due to ion implantation. EOR defects range from small interstitial clusters of a few atoms to {311} defects and dislocation loops. They are extrinsic defects and evolve during annealing. Li and Jones [Appl. Phys. Lett., 73, 3748 (1998)] showed that {311} defects are the source of the projected range dislocation loops. In this article, the same theory is applied to EOR dislocation loops to model the nucleation and evolution of the loops. The model is verified with experimental data and accurately represents the nucleation, growth, and Ostwald ripening stages of dislocation loop evolution. The density and the number of interstitials trapped by dislocation loops are compared with the experimental results for several annealing times and temperatures. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general, six-dimensional computational method for the accurate calculation of rotationally and vibrationally excited states of tetra-atomic molecules is developed. The resulting program is particularly appropriate for molecules executing wide-amplitude motions and isomerizations. An application to the Ar[sub 2]HF van der Waals trimer is presented in which the HF intramolecular stretching coordinate is separated out adiabatically and is not treated explicitly. Vibrational term values up to about 100 cm[sup -1] with absolute convergence to better than 0.1 cm[sup -1] are reported. These calculations employ more extensive vibrational basis sets and hence consider a much higher density of states than hitherto. States that sample Ar-Ar-HF linear configurations and approach Ar-HF-Ar linear configurations are characterized for the first time. Results for total angular momentum J = 0 and 1 provide the first accurate calculations of rotational constants for this system. The rotational constants for the HF bending states of Ar[sub 2]HF in the ground and first vibrationally excited states of the HF monomer are in good agreement with experiment, confirming the accuracy of the potential used in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scaling the gate oxide thickness is one of many process development challenges facing device engineers today. Nitrogen implantation has been used to control gate oxide thickness. By varying the dose of the nitrogen implant, process engineers can have multiple gate oxide thicknesses in the same process. Although it has been observed that nitrogen retards gate oxidation kinetics, the physics of how this occurs is not yet well understood. Since the retardation in oxide growth is due to the diffusion of nitrogen and its subsequent incorporation at the silicon/silicon oxide interface, the study of the diffusion behavior of nitrogen in silicon becomes important. Further, it is also necessary to study how this diffusion behavior impacts oxide growth. Models have been developed to explore these issues. The diffusion model is based on ab initio results and is compared to experimental results at two temperatures. The oxide reduction model is based on the diffusion of nitrogen to the surface. The surface nitrogen is coupled to the surface reaction rate of silicon and oxygen to moderate oxide growth. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common n-type dopant, Si, was implanted into bulk (-201) β-Ga2O3 at total doses from 2x1013-2x1015 cm-2 and annealed at 1100 °C for 10-120 secs in either O2 or N2 ambients. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry profiling showed a significant effect of the annealing ambient on the Si diffusivity. In the case of O2 annealing, there was extensive redistribution of the Si across the entire dose range, while in sharp contrast, the use of N2 annealing suppressed the Si diffusion. The results are consistent with a defect-assisted process. Excellent fits to the Si profiles were obtained with the FLOOPS simulator, assuming mobile vacancy/defect concentrations as the important factor for the difference in the O2 vs N2 annealing ambients. One possibility is that for N2 anneals, more Ga vacancies are created, enabling interstitial Si to migrate onto a substitutional Ga site where it has low diffusivity. The N2 ambient also suppresses loss of Si to the surface, with >90% of the initial dose retained after annealing at 1100 °C for 120 secs, compared to 66-77% with O2 anneals under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shoe manufacturers launch running shoes with increased (e.g., maximalists) or decreased (e.g., minimalists) midsole thickness and claim that they may prevent running injury. Previous studies tested footwear models with different midsole thicknesses on the market but the shoe construct was not strictly comparable. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effect of midsole thickness, from 1-mm to 29-mm, in a standard test shoe prototype on the vertical loading rates, footstrike angle and temporal spatial parameters in distance runners. Fifteen male habitual rearfoot strikers were recruited from local running clubs. They were asked to run on an instrumented treadmill in shoes with different midsole thicknesses. We found significant interactions between midsole thickness with vertical loading rates (p < 0.001), footstrike angle (p = 0.013), contact time (p < 0.001), cadence (p = 0.003), and stride length (p = 0.004). Specifically, shoes with thinner midsole (1- and 5-mm) significantly increased the vertical loading rates and shortened the contact time, when compared with thicker midsole shoes (25- and 29-mm). However, we did not observe any substantial differences in the footstrike angle, cadence and stride length between other shod conditions. The present study provides biomechanical data regarding the relationship between full spectrum midsole thicknesses and running biomechanics in a group of rearfoot strikers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the behavior of silicon semiconductor devices that are scaled to sub-micron dimensions when exposed to stress. Degradation of device characteristics by generation and propagation of dislocations in the silicon substrate; Comparison of volume of trapped atoms in dislocation loop in nitride films versus nitride films with underlying oxide layers.

Describes the point defect based modeling of low dose silicon implant damage and oxidation effects on phosphorus and boron diffusion in silicon. Comparison with experimental results for intrinsically doped material; Significance of the theory of dopant-defect pairing; Information on the dopant equations used.

Traditionally most of the work in the field of Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) has addressed the problem of learning Prolog programs. On the other hand, Answer Set Programming is increasingly being used as a powerful language for knowledge representation and reasoning, and is also gaining increasing attention in industry. Consequently, the research activity in ILP has widened to the area of Answer Set Programming, witnessing the proposal of several new learning frameworks that have extended ILP to learning answer set programs. In this paper, we investigate the theoretical properties of these existing frameworks for learning programs under the answer set semantics. Specifically, we present a detailed analysis of the computational complexity of each of these frameworks with respect to the two decision problems of deciding whether a hypothesis is a solution of a learning task and deciding whether a learning task has any solutions. We introduce a new notion of generality of a learning framework, which enables us to define a framework to be more general than another in terms of being able to distinguish one ASP hypothesis solution from a set of incorrect ASP programs. Based on this notion, we formally prove a generality relation over the set of existing frameworks for learning programs under answer set semantics. In particular, we show that our recently proposed framework, Context-dependent Learning from Ordered Answer Sets , is more general than brave induction, induction of stable models, and cautious induction, and maintains the same complexity as cautious induction, which has the highest complexity of these frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fontan operation can be complicated by persistent chest tube output (CTO) leading to prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS). Postoperative sildenafil administration has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in selected patients after Fontan. We initiated a practice change utilizing intravenous (IV) sildenafil in early postoperative period in all patients undergoing Fontan operation with aim to decrease LOS and CTO. Nineteen patients (February 2014-May 2016) received 0.35 mg/kg sildenafil IV (three doses) followed by enteral, 1 mg/kg every eight hours until hospital discharge. Clinical outcomes were compared to 84 pre-protocol controls. Vital signs were recorded after second sildenafil dose. Demographics were similar between groups. Sildenafil group had longer median LOS [9 (7, 11) vs. 13 (8, 25) days, p = 0.016]. CTO days were longer [6 (5, 8) vs. 8 (6, 13) days, p = 0.011]. Sildenafil group had longer mechanical ventilation [6.9 (3.5, 11.1) vs. 4 (2, 7) h, p = 0.045] and longer oxygen therapy [99 (52, 225) vs. 14.5 (14, 56) h, p = 0.001]. There was a trend towards more albumin 5% resuscitation in first 24 h [17 (1, 30) vs. 21 (10, 40) ml/kg, p = 0.069]. There was no difference in inotrope score at 24 h, maximum lactate, or fluid balance. Readmission rates were similar. There was no mortality. IV sildenafil was well tolerated, and no doses were held. Routine early administration of sildenafil after Fontan operation is not associated with an improvement in any measured clinical outcome, including postoperative CTO, LOS, colloid administration, or duration of mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which examined the diffusion behavior of nitrogen implanted in silicon. Experimental analysis; Results and discussion.

Pericardial effusion can be a life-threatening complication in children after cardiac surgery. Percutaneous pericardiocentesis is associated with rare, but serious complications. This retrospective study describes our experience with a novel, long-axis in-plane real-time ultrasound (US)-guided technique for postoperative pericardial effusion drainage in small children. Ten out of sixteen procedures were performed within 14 days of cardiac surgery at a median postoperative day 12 (IQR 2, 99). Median age was 2.7 months (IQR 0.4124) and weight 4.5 kg (IQR 2.5, 41.6). All but one procedure required a single attempt. Fourteen out of sixteen procedures had subxiphoid approach, and two were apical. Median initial drainage was 9 mL/kg (IQR 4.5, 27). Fifty percent of effusions were serous, 25 % chylous, and the remainder bloody. There were no reported complications. This study demonstrates a novel, long-axis pericardiocentesis technique that allows for an easy and safe needle entry into the pericardial space for small children in the early postoperative period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopant profiles near the semiconductor–oxide interface are critical for microelectronic device performance. As the incorporation of Si1−xGex into transistors continues to increase, it is necessary to understand the behavior of dopants in Si1−xGex. In this paper, the diffusion and electrical activation of phosphorus within a strained, single-crystal Si0.7Ge0.3 layer on Si during oxidation are reported. Both layers were uniformly doped, in situ, with an average phosphorus concentration of 4 × 1019 atoms/cm3. After high-temperature oxidation, secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements revealed that the bulk of the phosphorus diffuses out of only the SiGe layer and segregates at the oxidizing SiGe–SiO2 interface. Hall effect measurements corroborate the observed phosphorus loss and show that the phosphorus diffusing to the oxidizing interface is electrically inactive. Through density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it is shown that phosphorus interstitials prefer sites near the SiGe–SiO2 interface. Finally, based on a combination of experimental data and DFT calculations, we propose that the phosphorus atoms are displaced from their lattice sites by Ge interstitials that are generated during SiGe oxidation. The phosphorus atoms then migrate toward the SiGe–SiO2 interface through a novel mechanism of hopping between Ge sites as P–Ge split interstitials. Once they reach the interface, they are electrically inactive, potentially in the form of interstitial clusters or as part of the reconstructed interface or oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound (US) is the standard of care for vascular access in many clinical scenarios. Limited data exist regarding the benefits of US- versus landmark (LM)-guided femoral vascular access in the pediatric catheterization laboratory. This study aimed to compare US- and LM-guided vascular access in the pediatric catheterization laboratory. A single operator randomized 95 patients (201 vessels) to undergo either LM- or US-guided vascular access. The primary end point was the access success rate. Number of attempts, inadvertent access, time to sheath placement, and complications also were compared between the two groups. No difference was seen in the overall access success rate: 98 % with US versus 93 % with LM ( p = 0.17). The success rate for the targeted vessel was higher with US (89 %) than with LM (67 %) ( p = 0.012). US facilitated fewer attempts (1.1 ± 0.4 vs 1.4 ± 0.9; p = 0.048) and improved the first-attempt success rate (87 vs 77 %; p = 0.049). The time to access did not differ significantly between the two groups (US 2:55 ± 4:03 vs LM 3:37 ± 2:54; p = 0.28). No differences in complication rates were noted. The benefits of US were accentuated in the subgroup weighing less than 10 kg. In this study, US access in the pediatric catheterization laboratory did not improve overall success. However, US improved accuracy and reduced the number attempts necessary for access without prolonging the access time of the procedure. Small children realized the greatest benefit of US-guided access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of TRIM and FLOODS models the effect of radiation damage on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. While excellent fits are obtained for threshold voltage shift, the models do not fully explain the increased reliability observed experimentally. In short, the addition of negatively-charged traps in the GaN buffer layer does not significantly change the electric field at the gate edges at radiation fluence levels seen in this study. We propose that negative trapped charge at the nitride/AlGaN interface actually produces the virtual-gate effect that results in decreasing the magnitude of the electric field at the gate edges and thus the increase in critical voltage. Simulation results including nitride interface charge show significant changes in electric field profiles while the I-V device characteristics do not change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A model for radiation-induced interface-trap buildup distinguishes among the contributions of hydrogen dimerization, electron recombination, and electric field mechanisms, quantitatively explaining time-dependent and true dose rate effects in irradiated bipolar isolation oxides. Hydrogen dimerization is the dominant ELDRS mechanism for devices exposed to medium \ H2 concentrations (1% per volume), whereas \ H2 cracking dominates as \ H2 concentration is increased further. Electron recombination mechanisms contribute at high dose rates (> 100~\ rad(\ SiO2)/{\ {s}}), but are not the dominant ELDRS mechanism at dose rates lower than 100 \ rad(\ SiO2)/{\ {s}}). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic structure calculations and irradiation measurements are used to obtain insight into oxide trapped charge mechanisms in varying hydrogen ambients. Quantitative agreement between measured and simulated oxide and interface-trap charge densities is obtained over a wide range of H2 concentrations by implementing first-principles calculations of the energetics, and dynamics of charge transport and trapping, into TCAD simulations of irradiated MOS structures. Hole trapping dominates for typical H2 densities, but protons can dominate at high H2 densities. The rate of the interface trap reaction, in which protons that are liberated from charged oxygen vacancies by molecular hydrogen form dangling bonds on the interface, is found to play a key role in determining the relative concentrations of oxide and interface-trap charge densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physics-based TCAD model for enhanced low-dose-rate sensitivity in linear bipolar devices is developed. Quantitative agreement is found with measured data over a wide range of dose rates and H2 concentrations. Analysis of the degradation effects of individual defect types, the implementation of which has been informed by first principles calculations, provides insights into the mechanisms behind enhanced low-dose-rate effects in different hydrogen environments. The effects of initial defect concentration and location and the energetics of the defect-related reactions are explored. Conclusions are drawn about the roles of molecular hydrogen and hydrogenated defects in the radiation response of these devices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on a medical study undertaken to ascertain that deletion of chromosomal region 6q22-23 is correlated with shorter survival of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients. The biomarker potential of 6q22-23 was also analyzed by North Central Cancer Treatment Group trials 86 72 52, 93 73 51 and 96 73 51. It was seen that the 6q22-23 region of the human chromosome comprises multiple genes including potentially significant genes, the BCL2.

Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement (TPVR) with the self-expanding Harmony valve (Medtronic) is an emerging treatment for patients with native or surgically repaired right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) pulmonary regurgitation (PR). Limited data are available since U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 2021. In this study, the authors sought to evaluate the safety and short-term effectiveness of self-expanding TPVR in a real-world experience. This was a multicenter registry study of consecutive patients with native RVOT PR who underwent TPVR through April 30, 2022, at 11 U.S. centers. The primary outcome was a composite of hemodynamic dysfunction (PR greater than mild and RVOT mean gradient >30 mm Hg) and RVOT reintervention. A total of 243 patients underwent TPVR at a median age of 31 years (Q1-Q3: 19-45 years). Cardiac diagnoses were tetralogy of Fallot (71%), valvular pulmonary stenosis (21%), and other (8%). Acute technical success was achieved in all but 1 case. Procedural serious adverse events occurred in 4% of cases, with no device embolization or death. Hospital length of stay was 1 day in 86% of patients. Ventricular arrhythmia prompting treatment occurred in 19% of cases. At a median follow-up of 13 months (Q1-Q3: 8-19 months), 98% of patients had acceptable hemodynamic function. Estimated freedom from the composite clinical outcome was 99% at 1 year and 96% at 2 years. Freedom from TPVR-related endocarditis was 98% at 1 year. Five patients died from COVID-19 (n = 1), unknown causes (n = 2), and bloodstream infection (n = 2). In this large multicenter real-world experience, short-term clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of self-expanding TPVR therapy were excellent. Ongoing follow-up of this cohort will provide important insights into long-term outcomes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) can be separated for prognostic purposes using gene expression profiling (GEP) into 2 subgroups: germinal center B-cell (GCB) and activated B-cell phenotypes. However, GEP is impractical for routine clinical use, and immunophenotyping is an imperfect surrogate. Therefore, we studied the relationship between expression of the purported germinal center marker LMO2 and the presence of IGH-BCL2 fusions, BCL6 translocations, and LMO2 translocations. In addition, we investigated the usefulness of LMO2 expression as a marker of GCB subtype in DLBCL. Immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization studies were successfully performed on 101 cases of de novo DLBCL that had been incorporated into a tissue microarray. There was a statistically significant association between IGH-BCL2 fusion and LMO2 protein expression (P = .02) but not between BCL6 translocations and LMO2 expression. LMO2 translocations were not identified. Although uncommon, all cases that had both IGH-BCL2 fusion and BCL6 translocations expressed LMO2. The findings suggest LMO2 as a potential marker for the GCB phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All businesses are subject to legal action. When a suit involves allegations of fraud, information contained in electronic documents may form the core of the suit, as it did during a number of successful suits against businesses in the early 2000s. Of equal importance, companies have been punished for intentionally destroying or spoiling or not disclosing electronic documents. This paper discusses how Federal legislation affects electronic discovery, and what professors and students need to know about electronic discovery. It also contains suggestions for how to integrate knowledge about e-discovery into a business information literacy curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Deletions of chromosome 1p and 19q arms are frequent genetic abnormalities in primary human gliomas and are especially common in oligodendrogliomas. However, the chromosome 1p and 19q status of many glioma cell lines has not been established. Using homozygosity mapping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and comparative genomic hybridization to arrayed BAC (CGHa), we screened 17 glioma cell lines for chromosome 1 and 19 deletions. Sequence tagged site polymorphisms were used to evaluate the cell lines for regions of chromosome 1p and 19q homozygosity. Cell lines A172, U251, TP265, U118, SW1088, U87, SW1783, and D32 contained significant regions of 19q homozygosity. In addition, A172, U87, TP483, D37, U118, MO67, and TP265 contained significant regions of 1p homozygosity. FISH probes localized to 1p36.32 and 19q13.33 as well as CGHa were used to determine which cell lines had deletions of 1p and/or 19q. Cell lines A172, U87, TP483, TP265, H4, U251, and D37 were deleted for portions of 1p. CGHa and homozygosity mapping of these cell lines define a 700-kilobase (Kb) common deletion region that is encompassed by a larger deletion region previously mapped in sporadic gliomas. This common deletion region is localized at 1p36.31 and includes CHD5, a putative tumor suppressor gene. Cell line A172 was observed to have a deletion between 19q13.33 and 19q13.41, while U87 was observed to have a smaller deletion of 19q13.33. Cell lines A172 and U87 contain 1p and 19q deletions similar to those found in sporadic gliomas and will be useful cellular reagents for evaluating the function of putative 1p and 19q glioma tumor suppressor genes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study that investigated nonmelt laser annealing (NLA) for the formation of ultrashallow, heavily doped regions. Information on boron multipulse laser annealing; Discussion of the change in sheet resistance as the laser energy is increased; Effect of the NLA on the defect evolution.

Examines the influence of word frequency on the attentional control of lexical processing pathways in Saint Louis, Missouri. Presentation of high and low-frequency regular and exception words; Comparison between high and low-frequency words in the standard speed naming and regularization tasks; Interaction among task, regularity and frequency.

Provides information on experiments studying the multiple resource theory of cerebral hemispheres. Information on differentiated and undifferentiated resource theory; Methodology used to conduct the experiments; Results of the experiments; Discussion on the results.

Presents a study which investigated the small-signal voltage and distributed effects in the polysilicon and intrinsic base regions of long stripe bipolar junction transistors at high frequencies. Methodology; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Presents an analytical model describing direct current (dc) voltage and current distributed effects in the polysilicon and intrinsic base regions of long stripe BJT with double polysilicon technology. Importance of base resistance in the characterization of large- and small-signal behavior of high-speed bipolar transistors; Reason of discrepancy between simulation results and the model; Derivation of a quasi-two-dimensional (2-D) model.

Introduces an algorithm for faster full-thermodynamic device simulations. Three semiconductor equations solved by the traditional drift-diffusion (DD) transport model in device simulations; Where the algorithm is implemented; Details of the experiment; Results; Conclusion.

Two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain imaging (speckle strain imaging) is useful for evaluating left ventricular myocardial function in patients with ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy, including hypertrophic and dilated phenotypes. The usefulness of speckle strain imaging in patients with pheochromocytoma who are undergoing adrenal surgery has been described, but we found no reports of the use of this method to evaluate ventricular dysfunction longitudinally in children. Herein, we describe the case of a 10-year-old girl with a paraganglioma, acute junctional tachycardia, and myocardial dysfunction. After control of the tachycardia and partial resection of the tumor, speckle strain imaging enabled clinical management that led to substantial improvement in the patient's initially diffuse myocardial dysfunction. Because conventional echocardiographic methods alone may be inadequate to guide the management of pediatric patients with partially resected neuroendocrine tumors, we recommend speckle strain imaging as an additional noninvasive option for treatment guidance and monitoring of cardiac tissue response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staged single-ventricle palliation is used to treat many cyanotic congenital heart diseases. Hemoglobin sickle cell disease is associated with anemia and significant vascular sickling sequelae, which increase the risk associated with single-ventricle palliation. To our knowledge, there are no reports in the English-language medical literature of single-ventricle palliation having been performed on a patient who had either sickle cell anemia or sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease. Herein, we discuss our clinical and surgical management of an infant with tricuspid atresia type IA and hemoglobin sickle cell disease who survived single-ventricle palliative procedures through the 2nd stage of a bidirectional Glenn anastomosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effectiveness of flash-assist rapid thermal processing in dissolving the end of range damage inherent to preamorphizing implants. A series of silicon wafers is preamorphized with a Ge implant and subsequently implanted with B. The wafers are then subjected to a flash anneal, a rapid thermal anneal, or both annealing processes. The flash anneal results in higher defect densities and trapped interstitials than the rapid thermal anneal. Defect dissolution has been previously reported to have an activation energy between 4 and 5 eV. This work demonstrates that the defect dissolution during flash-assist rapid thermal processing is mediated by a 2.2±0.05 eV activation energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of 13 boron implants were performed into Czochralski silicon substrates with doses of 2 × 10[sup 14]-1.6 × 10[sup 15] cm[sup -2] at energies of 10-80 keV. The boron was deliberately clustered with a 750°C anneal of 10 or 30 min and the electrical activation of the boron implants was determined following a second anneal at 750 or 850 °C with a Hall effect system with certain samples also being analyzed with a spreading resistance technique. Analysis of the reactivation rates allows for the determination of the net energy to boron reactivation to be approximately 3.0 eV assuming the reactivation process is mediated by release of a boron interstitial with a migrational energy of 0.3 eV. This results in a critical binding energy of approximately 2.7 eV from the process limiting the dissolution of the most stable boron-interstitial cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The presentation of Table 2 was incorrect.The corrected table is given below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the electrical activation of implanted boron in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material using Hall effect, four-point probe, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Boron was implanted at energies ranging from 1 keV to 6.5 keV with a dose of 3×1014 cm-2 into bonded SOI wafers with surface silicon thickness ranging from 300 Å to 1600 Å. In one sample set, furnace anneals at 750 °C were performed in a nitrogen ambient for times ranging from 5 min to 48 h. A second sample consisted of isochronal furnace anneals performed from 450 °C to 1050 °C for 30 min. Significantly less activation of boron is observed in SOI at temperatures below 750 °C, regardless of the implant energy and surface silicon thickness. Between 750 °C and 900 °C, the active dose of boron in SOI is similar to that of bulk Si. As the implant energy increases, the fractional activation in thin SOI increases, due to a reduction in boron interstitial clusters (BIC) in the surface Si layer. It is concluded that an increase in the BIC population is the likely source of the low activation observed in SOI. This may be due to an increase in the interstitial supersaturation within the surface Si layer, due to the interface acting as a reflective boundary for interstitials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the interdiffusion of Si/Si0.85Ge0.15/Si single quantum well structures subjected to inert- and oxidizing-ambient annealing. Extraction of diffusion coefficients; Similarity in diffusion profiles of samples processed.

Investigates the effects of low-dose Si implantation damage on diffusion of low-concentration P and As in Si wafers. Implantation of dopants at a low dose; Observation of an enhanced diffusion of P; Monitoring of the effective diffusivity of P at various annealing temperatures.

Neonates with symptomatic tetralogy of Fallot (sTOF) with hypoplastic pulmonary arteries (hPA) are considered high risk. Data are needed to inform the impact of hPA on outcomes, and the ideal management strategy. The objectives of this study were to quantify the impact of hPA on outcomes in neonates with sTOF and measure the impact of strategy on pulmonary artery (PA) growth in this population. Neonates with sTOF from 2005 to 2017 were reviewed from the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative. Criteria for hPA included a unilateral PA z score <−2.0 and contralateral PA z score <0. Primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes included reintervention and PA growth. We included 542 neonates with sTOF, including 188 (35%) with hPA and 354 (65%) with normal PA, with median follow-up of 4.1 years. Median right and left hPA z scores were −2.19 (25th-75th percentile: −2.55 to −1.94) and −2.23 (25th-75th percentile: −2.64 to −1.91), respectively. Staged repair (vs primary TOF repair) was less common in the hPA cohort (36 vs 44%; P = 0.07). Survival was similar between groups (unadjusted P = 0.16; adjusted P = 0.25). Reintervention was more common in the hPA group (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.01-1.63; P = 0.044); there was no difference after definitive repair (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.93-1.58; P = 0.16). PA growth at 1 year was greater in the hPA cohort, particularly for the right PA (P < 0.001). Despite perception, the presence of hPA in neonates with sTOF conferred no increase in overall hazard of mortality or reintervention after definitive repair. PA growth was superior in the hPA cohort. These findings suggest that the presence of hPA does not adversely impact outcomes in sTOF. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two potential energy surfaces for CO2–Ar are obtained by least-squares fitting to the high-resolution spectra of Van der Waals complexes and the second virial coefficients of Ar+CO2 gas mixtures. The potentials incorporate a repulsive wall based on monomer ab initio calculations and the assumption that the repulsion potential is proportional to the overlap of the monomer charge densities. The dispersion energy is represented in a two-site model, with dispersion centers located along the C–O bonds of CO2. The resulting potentials give a good representation of all the experimental data with only three or four adjustable parameters. They are quite different from previous empirical CO2–Ar potentials, which all have either a poor representation of the attractive well or a poor representation of the repulsive wall. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombosis and systemic embolization are important complications of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We present a 2.5 kg neonate born at 37.4 weeks with hypoplastic left heart supported on ECMO that developed an acute, occlusive distal aortic thrombus that was emergently managed by transcatheter Angiojet® (Boston Scientific, Boston, MA) thrombectomy. The procedure successfully restored perfusion to the lower extremities with sustained result upon 1-week follow-up. This case highlights the Angiojet® thrombectomy as a treatment option for limb- or organ-threatening acute thrombus in even the most complex ECMO patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interdiffusion of a Si/Si[sub 0.85]Ge[sub 0.15]/Si single quantum well heterostructure subjected to thermal annealing in a nitriding ambient was investigated as a function of anneal temperature and time. Nitridation of the silicon surface alters equilibrium vacancy point defect populations throughout the structure, which allows the determination of the point defect species important in interdiffusion. Diffusion coefficients of Ge after nitridation of ∼1x10[sup -14] cm[sup 2]/s for 1100 °C and ∼1x10[sup -13] cm[sup 2]/s for 1200 °C were extracted. The extent of diffusion in a nitriding ambient was much less than in an inert ambient, which indicates minimal vacancy contribution to interdiffusion. This is in contrast to results from previously published studies performed in an oxidizing ambient. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document titled "Correction: Health-Related Quality of Life After Neonatal Treatment of Symptomatic Tetralogy of Fallot: Insights from the Congenital Cardiac Research Collaborative" in the journal Pediatric Cardiology discusses a correction made to the original publication regarding quality-of-life scores in children with congenital heart disease. The corrected article compares the quality-of-life scores of children with symptomatic Tetralogy of Fallot to healthy children and those with other chronic health conditions. The study provides valuable insights into the health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. [Extracted from the article]

To evaluate the association between initial management strategy of neonatal symptomatic Tetralogy of Fallot (sTOF) and later health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes. We performed a multicenter, cross-sectional evaluation of a previously assembled cohort of infants with sTOF who underwent initial intervention at ≤ 30 days of age, between 2005 and 2017. Eligible patients’ parents/guardians completed an age-appropriate Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, a Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Cardiac Module Heart Disease Symptoms Scale, and a parental survey. The association between treatment strategy and HRQOL was evaluated, and the entire sTOF cohort was compared to published values for the healthy pediatric population and to children with complex congenital heart disease and other chronic illness. The study cohort included 143 sTOF subjects, of which 59 underwent a primary repair, and 84 had a staged repair approach. There was no association between initial management strategy and lower HRQOL. For the entire cohort, in general, individual domain scores decreased as age sequentially increased. Across domain measurements, mean scores for the sTOF cohort were significantly lower than the healthy pediatric population and comparable to those with other forms of complex CHD and other chronic health conditions. The presence of a genetic syndrome was significantly associated with a poor HRQOL (p = 0.003). Initial treatment strategy for sTOF was not associated with differences in late HRQOL outcomes, though the overall HRQOL in this sTOF cohort was significantly lower than the general population, and comparable to others with chronic illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Ga2O3 rectifiers fabricated on lightly doped epitaxial layers on bulk substrates were exposed to CF4 plasmas. This produced a significant decrease in Schottky barrier height relative to unexposed control diodes (0.68 eV compared to 1.22 eV) and degradation in ideality factor (2.95 versus 1.01 for the control diodes). High levels of F (>1022 cm−3) were detected in the near-surface region by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The diffusion of fluorine into the Ga2O3 was thermally activated with an activation energy of 1.24 eV. Subsequent annealing in the range 350–400 °C brought recovery of the diode characteristics and an increase in barrier height to a value larger than in the unexposed control diodes (1.36 eV). Approximately 70% of the initial F was removed from the Ga2O3 by 400 °C, with the surface outgas rate also being thermally activated with an activation energy of 1.23 eV. Very good fits to the experimental data were obtained by integrating physics of the outdiffusion mechanisms into the Florida Object Oriented Process Simulator code and assuming that the outgas rate from the surface was mediated through fluorine molecule formation. The fluorine molecule forward reaction rate had an activation energy of 1.24 eV, while the reversal rate of this reaction had an activation energy of 0.34 eV. The net carrier density in the drift region of the rectifiers decreased after CF4 exposure and annealing at 400 °C. The data are consistent with a model in which near-surface plasma-induced damage creates degraded Schottky barrier characteristics, but as the samples are annealed, this damage is removed, leaving the compensation effect of Si donors by F− ions. The barrier lowering and then enhancement are due to the interplay between surface defects and the chemical effects of the fluorine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]