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Background: Diagnosing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) often relies on limited routine methods. This study investigates the efficacy of T2 mapping and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values in MRI for enhanced assessment of cartilage damage in KOA, focusing on their correlation with pain severity. Materials and Methods: A total of 52 KOA patients (74 knee joints) and 50 healthy individuals (100 knee joints) were assessed from May 2022 to June 2023. Both groups underwent MRI with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) sequence and T2 mapping to analyze ADC and T2 mapping values across femoral condyle, tibial plateau, and patellar joint surfaces, and their correlation with pain levels. Results: The KOA group showed significantly higher ADC and T2 mapping values in all examined areas compared to the control group (P<0.05). These values were also higher in advanced stages of cartilage degeneration and correlated positively with increased pain scores (P<0.05). Conclusion: MRI utilizing DWI and T2 mapping provides a quantitative reflection of knee joint cartilage degeneration in KOA. These methods show a positive correlation with pain severity, suggesting their potential for more accurate KOA diagnostics and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 2 decades, fundamentals of exercise medicine, including clinical exercise testing, assessment and promotion of physical activity, exercise prescription, and supervised exercise training/rehabilitation programming have demonstrated considerable clinical value in the management of children and adolescents with congenital and acquired heart disease. Although the principles of exercise medicine have become an integral component in pediatric cardiology, there are no standardized training recommendations for exercise physiology during pediatric cardiology fellowship at this time. Thus, the Pediatric Cardiology Exercise Medicine Curriculum Committee (PCEMCC) was formed to establish core and advanced exercise physiology training recommendations for pediatric cardiology trainees. The PCEMCC includes a diverse group of pediatric cardiologists, exercise physiologists, and fellowship program directors. The expert consensus training recommendations are by no means a mandate and are summarized herein, including suggestions for achieving the minimum knowledge and training needed for general pediatric cardiology practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To quantify the responses of drivers to traffic information and the congestion evacuation effect on the basis of traffic guidance information, a multilayer network congestion risk propagation model of urban roads was built to analyse the influence of the advanced traveller information system (ATIS) penetration rate, group behaviours of drivers, and traveller flow distribution features on the traffic congestion risk propagation of urban roads. Meanwhile, the dynamic evolutionary characteristics of group behaviours of drivers in a road network under the guidance of traffic information were analysed with the microscopic Markov chain approach (MMCA). A simulation analysis of the artery network in the fourth ring of Beijing was also carried out. Results demonstrated that the influence of traffic information and drivers' information reinforcement psychology on congestion risk propagation depend on the aggregation effect caused by traffic information. Increasing the ATIS market penetration rate and drivers' acceptance of information is beneficial to relieve traffic congestion as long as the drivers' aggregation effect is within a critical range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the new Mn4-xFexGa2Sn compounds (x = 0, 0.1, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) from DC magnetization measurements. These phases crystallize in a lacunar form of the η-Fe2-xGe type of structure (P63/mmc). They present a second- order paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition whose temperature increases upon increasing the Fe content from TC = 317 K for x = 0 up to TC = 411 K for x = 0.8. The alloys with x ≤ 0.4 further exhibit another transition at lower temperature associated with a spin reorientation. The maximal magnetization and magnetic entropy change are found almost constant throughout the series close to ~7.4 µB/f.u. and ~12 mJ cm-3 K-1 (for µ0ΔH = 2.4 T), respectively. The magnetocaloric properties of Mn4-xFexGa2Sn are compared with those of previously investigated materials with high- temperature magnetic transition and their potential interest for high-temperature magnetocaloric applications is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption in magnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)13 materials based on experimental results and model calculations. In the model, the diffusion process is considered to take place dominantly in a hydriding or dehydriding reaction. An important parameter "characteristic absorption/desorption time" is introduced to predict the kinetics of hydriding/dehydriding reaction in a simple way. The application of the model on the La0.9Ce0.1Fe11.44Si1.56 compound gives coincident kinetic results with those determined from experiments. It indicates that the model provides an efficient guidance for measuring and comparing the kinetic property of the magnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)13Hy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and magnetic properties of LaFe11.6Si1.4/Ce40Co60 bulk composites prepared by hot pressing sintering (HPS), followed by high-temperature diffusion annealing, were investigated. During the HPS process, the La(Fe,Si)13 alloy powder particles combined with Ce40Co60 binder and a porous structure with high mechanical strength were obtained. The addition of Ce40Co60 can also promote the peritectic reaction. Annealing has important effects on the magnetocaloric properties due to the diffusion of Ce and Co into the La(Fe,Si)13 phase during annealing. HPS samples were annealed at 1373 K for 24 h, and a table-like magnetocaloric effect, exhibiting a constant high magnetic entropy change (− ∆SM) of ~ 4.0 J/(kg K) in a commercially useful temperature region of 28 K (236–264 K), was obtained for a field change of 2 T. The values of full width at half maximum of (− ∆SM)–T plots (ΔTFWHM) and enhanced refrigeration capacity for the composites are 55 K and 173 J/kg, respectively, for a field change of 2 T. The composites exhibit high compressive strength of up to 312 MPa. The present results indicate that LaFe11.6Si1.4/Ce40Co60 bulk composites can meet the requirement of near room temperature magnetic refrigeration based on the Ericsson cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor (RGNT) is a rare and distinct primary nervous system tumor. The literature on this novel neoplasm is sparse and limited to mostly case reports. Reviews on the characteristics of this tumor are fewer and far between with the latest up to a decade old. We thus provide a comprehensive review of recent literature to characterize presenting symptoms, radiological evidence, treatment options, and prognosis of this novel neoplasm. A Medline search for case reports detailing primary rosette-forming glioneuronal tumors was performed. RGNTs are a benign tumor of indolent course with mixed glial and neurocytic components. There is a slight female predominance with mean age of presentation at 23.57 years. Headaches, visual disturbances, and nausea and vomiting are the most common symptoms. Most RGNTs have solid and cystic components, arising most frequently in the fourth ventricle or cerebellum. Management is usually through surgery with gross total resection (GTR) providing better prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-plane aligned MnAs nanowires have been grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs(001) substrates at high growth temperature (≥450 °C). A discontinuous growth with break intervals (50 s’ interval per 10 s’ growth) was employed. The obtained nanowires were identified to be mainly type-B hexagonal MnAs. The influences of growth temperature and As4/Mn flux ratio on the nanowires’ morphology were investigated. Both high growth temperature and high As4/Mn flux ratio are necessary for the growth of uniaxially aligned MnAs nanowires with high aspect ratio. The magnetic anisotropy of the nanowires and their multimodal size distributions contribute to the large coercivity and special shape of the M-H loops along the magnetic easy axis, which is [1102]MnAs∥[110]GaAs. However, the longer growth time would lead to the both azimuthal alignments of the MnAs wires and the weakening of the magnetic anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of LaFe11.9-yCoySi1.1 compounds with y=0.8 and 0.9 have been investigated. The temperature dependence of magnetization data revealed that LaFe11.1Co0.8Si1.1 and LaFe11Co0.9Si1.1 exhibit a second-order magnetic transition near room temperature at 282 and 294 K, respectively. Under a magnetic field change of 5 T, the maximum values of isothermal entropy change -ΔS are found to be 15 and 13.5 J/kg K for y=0.8 and 0.9, respectively. The refrigerant capacity has been calculated to be 320 J/kg for y=0.8 and 266 J/kg for y=0.9 under a field change of 5 T. Direct measurements of the temperature change for LaFe11.9-yCoySi1.1 compounds around room temperature were also performed. Measurements of ΔT were performed in adiabatic conditions with practice-oriented method by using a specially developed test bench. For both materials, the normalized temperature change was found to be about 1 K/T at their Curie temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the surface electric field of silicon delta-doped GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy at a low substrate temperature using photoreflectance spectroscopy. Observations on Franz-Keldysh oscillations in the reflectance spectra; Explanation for the evolution of photoreflectance spectra; Use of photoreflectance in the study of semiconductors.

Focuses on a study which characterized the redistribution of arsenic precipitates in silicon δ-doped gallium arsenide through x-ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

Focuses on a study which described a method that combines capacitance-voltage and current-voltage temperature measurements of a heterobarrier structure for reliable determination of the band discontinuity. Extraction of the Fermi energies; Location of the flat band condition; Determination of the barrier height at flat band; Application to strained indium gallium arsenide/indium aluminum arsenide heterostructures.

In this paper, we report on the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in NaZn13-type LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1Cx (x=0.1 and 0.3) close to room temperature. The Landau theory as well as the temperature dependence of magnetization data revealed that LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1C0.1 and LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1C0.3 exhibit a second-order magnetic transition near their Curie temperature. We have calculated the magnetocaloric effect both in terms of isothermal entropy change and adiabatic temperature change using the magnetization and the direct measurements. Under an external field change from 0 to 5 T, -ΔS is 14.5 J/kg K (TC=290 K) and 8 J/kg K (TC=310 K) for x=0.1 and 0.3, respectively. The calculated refrigerant capacity for a field change in 0-5 T is about 305 and 286 J/kg K, for LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1C0.1 and LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1C0.3respectively, which is larger than that of some magnetocaloric materials with a first-order phase transition (Gd5Ge2Si2). ΔTad decreases with increasing C content. It was found to be about 1.5 for x=0.1 and 1.2 for x=0.3 under 1.48 T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results on both field driven and current induced domain wall motion in Co/Cu/Ni80Fe20 trilayered half-ring in-series wires with different linewidths were presented. The switching behavior depends linearly on the linewidth of Co/Cu/Ni80Fe20 trilayered half-ring structures. A larger bias field (Hb) applied to the samples results in a smaller critical current needed to reverse magnetization. The critical current density was observed to be 3×107 A/cm2 for Ni80Fe20 and 2×108 A/cm2 for Co at zero field. The results of the numbers of giant magnetoresistance jump (digital) versus external magnetic field and current densities (analog) of this design have potential utility as an analog-digital converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel/lead multilayered nanowires were prepared using standard three-electrode electrodeposition into anodic aluminum oxide porous templates. The diameters of the nanowires ranged from 50 to 200 nm. By means of electric and magnetic measurements, we found that the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, of the Pb layer persisted down to the smallest diameter without any noticeable dimensional effect. Tc was affected by the relative orientation of magnetizations in neighboring Ni layers. When the superconducting layers were driven normal under a large magnetic field, unusual resistance increase was observed with decreasing temperature, which was consistent with the Kondo effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural and magnetic properties of Ga0.93Mn0.07As layers grown on (001) and (311)A GaAs substrates by molecular-bean epitaxy are investigated. The as-grown (001) and (311)A Ga0.93Mn0.07As layers exhibit the same Curie temperature (TC) of 80 K. However, upon annealing, the TC’s of the (001) and (311)A Ga0.93Mn0.07As layers are enhanced by 80 and 60 K, respectively. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the AsGa defects cannot be removed by low-temperature annealing, and a higher concentration of AsGa defects exist in the (311)A layers than in the (100) reference layers. The less enhancement in TC by annealing for the (311)A Ga0.93Mn0.07As layer can be ascribed to the larger amount of AsGa defects in the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Neratinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of breast cancer. However, its metabolism remains unknown. This study was carried out to investigate the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of neratinib using an UHPLC‐DAD‐Q Exactive Orbitrap‐MS instrument with dd‐MS2 on‐line data acquisition mode. The post‐acquisition data was processed using MetWorks software. Under the current conditions, a total of 12 metabolites were detected and structurally identified based on their accurate masses, fragment ions and chromatographic retention times. Among these metabolites, M3, M10 and M12 were unambiguously identified using chemically synthesized reference standards. M6 and M7 (GSH conjugates) were the major metabolites. The metabolic pathways of neratinib were proposed accordingly. Our findings suggested that neratinib was mainly metabolized via O‐dealkylation (M3), oxygenation (M8), N‐demethylation (M10), N‐oxygenation (M12), GSH conjugation (M1, M2, M4, M5, M6 and M7) and N‐acetylcysteine conjugation (M9 and M11). The α,β‐unsaturated ketone was the major metabolic site and GSH conjugation was the predominant metabolic pathway. In conclusion, this study provided valuable metabolic data and would benefit the assessment of the contributions to the overall activity or toxicity from the key metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and magnetocaloric effect of the La0.8Ce0.2(Fe0.95Co0.05)11.8Si1.2 strip-cast flakes annealed between 1273K and 1423K for different time have been investigated. For the flakes annealed for 2h from 1273K to 1423K, the shape and distribution of α-Fe, La-rich and NaZn13-type 1:13 phases are quite sensitive to the annealing temperature. Especially, at a high annealing temperature of 1423K, the 1:13 phase began to decompose into macroscopic α-Fe conglomerations and La-rich dendrites. With the increase of annealing time from 0 to 12h at 1323K, the amount of 1:13 phase increased significantly and reached ∼93.50 wt.% at 12h. However, an overlong annealing time also led to 1:13 phase decomposition and influenced the magnetic performance. For the flakes annealed at 1323K for 12h, large magnetic entropy change value of 18.12Jkg-1K-1 at 5T has been obtained. The present results indicate that strip casting method can potentially be used in mass production of high performance magnetocaloric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The G‐allele of the ‐1019C/G (rs6295) promoter polymorphism of the serotonin receptor 1A (HTR1A) gene has been implicated in anxiety; however, the underlying neurophysiological processes are still not fully understood. Recent evidence indicates that low parasympathetic (vagal) tone is predictive of anxiety. We thus conducted a structural equation model (SEM) to examine whether the HTR1A rs6295 variant can affect anxiety by altering parasympathetic nervous activity. Method: A sample of 1141 drug‐free healthy Han Chinese was recruited for HTR1A genotyping. Autonomic nervous function was assessed by short‐term spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Anxiety and stress levels were evaluated by the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) respectively. Results: The number of the HTR1A G allele was inversely correlated with high‐frequency power (HF), a parasympathetic index of HRV. The HF index was negatively associated with BAI scores. Furthermore, the good‐fitting SEM, adjusting for confounding variables (e.g., age and PSS levels), revealed a significant pathway linking rs6295 variant to BAI scores via HF index modulation. Conclusion: These results are the first to show that HTR1A ‐1019C/G polymorphism influences anxiety levels by modulating parasympathetic tone, providing a neurophysiological insight into the role of HTR1A in human anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the causes of unlawful behaviours between special equipment quality supervision institutions and third-party special equipment inspection institutions, an evolutionary game model was developed. Since the expected payoff matrix frequently used in general game model cannot accurately describe the influence of the risk expectations, the prospect value function was proposed to build the revenue perception matrix of the model. Then, the evolutionary characteristics were analysed through replicator dynamics equations. Accordingly, the evolutionary stable strategies were obtained based on the Jacobian matrix. Moreover, the dynamic evolution phase diagrams were formulated to describe the behaviours. Finally, numerical simulation examples were conducted to investigate the evolutionary path and the evolutionarily stable strategies. Results show that the probability of the third-party special equipment inspection institution choosing the passive performance strategy is negatively correlated with the expected risk value. The supervision probability of the quality supervision institution is directly proportional to the social benefits. In addition, the supervision probability is dependent on the penalty risks, and the initial population scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spin transistor consisting of a metallic pseudo-spin-valve emitter, a copper base, and a p-n junction collector was prepared on a Si(100) wafer. This spin transistor can provide high magnetocurrent output, high magnetocurrent variation, and high transfer ratio. The common collector configuration with an emitter bias of 5.12 V at 77 K gives a large magnetocurrent variation of more than 95.5 μA in the collector, and the change is more than 3400% with a transfer ratio of 2.59310-3. At room temperature, these changes go down to 98.3 μA and 55.3%, respectively, and the transfer ratio rises to 5.98310-3. The high performance of this spin-valve transistor is due to the use of a p-n junction as an energy barrier to select spin electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel red phosphors KBaEu(XO4)3 (X = Mo, W) have been synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reactions and the crystal structures were determined for the first time. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data reveal that their space groups are C2/c. The crystalline structure is constituted of K/BaO8 distorted square antiprisms and distorted EuO8 polyhedra which form chains lying along the c-axis and two kinds of distorted XO4 tetrahedra. This high disorder of K/Ba which might lower the crystal field symmetry around Eu3+ results in the high purity of red emission around 615 nm originating from 5D0→7F2 transition under near-ultraviolet (NUV) excitation. With increasing temperature, the luminescence of KBaEu(XO4)3 (X = Mo, W) phosphors decreases almost linearly with subtle alteration for the CIE coordinate. As the temperature reaches 550 K, the red emission intensity decreases to 37.3% and 50.7% of that at 300 K for KBaEu(MoO4)3 and KBaEu(WO4)3, respectively. The analysis of the decay curves of the 5D0→7F2 emission at variable temperatures indicates the weak cross relaxation and non-radiative energy transfer between Eu3+ ions. These results demonstrate that the investigated phosphors are attractive for application in high power NUV excited white LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to provide a realistic basis for structural damage identification and safety evaluation of long-span bridges, the modal parameters of a kilometer-scale cable-stayed bridge are identified using the wavelet transform (WT) method. Sutong cable-stayed bridge (SCB), which was excited by typhoon Haikui, was taken as the research object. Based on the structural vibration responses recorded by structural health monitoring system (SHMS) of SCB, modal parameters including the frequency and the damping ratio of the bridge were identified using the WT method. Four vertical, two torsional, and one lateral modes were selected for analysis. After comparing the analysis results with those from the related references, the whole-process variation of modal parameters of the SCB during typhoon Haikui was investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between modal parameters and wind speed was analyzed. Results show that the modal parameter identification based on the WT method is stable and reliable. The influence of wind speed on modal frequencies is small. However, its influence on modal damping ratios is remarkable and shows some of regularity. With the increase of wind speed, the first four vertical and first torsional modal damping ratios increase while the first lateral and second torsional modal damping ratios decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La(Fe, Si)13 hydride is regarded as one of the most promising room-temperature refrigerants. However, to use the alloys in an active magnetic regenerator machine, it is vital to prepare thin refrigerants. In this work, a high H2 gas pressure of 50 MPa was employed to suppress the desorption of hydrogen atoms during the sintering process of plate-shaped La0.5Pr0.5Fe11.4Si1.6 hydrides. At 330K, a high-density sintered thin plate shows a large magnetic-entropy change ΔSm of 15.5 J/kgK (106mJ/cm³K) for a field change of 2T. The volumetric DSm is almost twice as large as that of bonded La(Fe,Si)13 hydrides. Favorably, hysteresis is almost absent due to the existence of micropores with a porosity of 0.69% which has been analyzed with high-resolution X-ray microtomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La(Fe, Si)13 hydride is regarded as one of the most promising room-temperature refrigerants. However, to use the alloys in an active magnetic regenerator machine, it is vital to prepare thin refrigerants. In this work, a high H2 gas pressure of 50 MPa was employed to suppress the desorption of hydrogen atoms during the sintering process of plate-shaped La0.5Pr0.5Fe11.4Si1.6 hydrides. At 330 K, a high-density sintered thin plate shows a large magnetic-entropy change ΔSm of 15.5 J/kg K (106 mJ/cm3 K) for a field change of 2 T. The volumetric ΔSm is almost twice as large as that of bonded La(Fe,Si)13 hydrides. Favorably, hysteresis is almost absent due to the existence of micropores with a porosity of 0.69% which has been analyzed with high-resolution X-ray microtomography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of expanded vermiculite (EVMt) and nano-zinc oxide on thermal-oxidative (pressurized aging vessel, in situ thermal aging) and ultraviolet (UV) aging was investigated. The results show that organic expanded vermiculite (OEVMt) modified bitumen forms an exfoliated nanostructure. The morphology of bitumen is significantly influenced by two nanomaterials according to atomic force microscopy. The influence of different nanomaterials on long-term aging resistance of bitumen depends on their structures and shielding function to UV radiation. Thermo-oxidative aging resistance of bitumen can be effectively improved with the introduction of OEVMt, while nano-zinc oxide has obvious improvements in UV aging resistance of bitumen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the long fluorescence lifetime of upper laser level 4I13/2 of Er3+ ions and high 1.5−1.6 μm laser operation efficiency, an Er3+:Y b3+:NaCe0.43Gd0.57(WO4)2 crystal was used to generate a Q-switched pulse laser with high energy and low threshold. End-pumped by a 970 nm diode laser, a passively Q-switched 1.5−1.6 μm pulse laser was first realized in an Er3+ and Y b3+ co-doped tungstate crystal, when a Co2+:Mg0.4Al2.4O4 spinel crystal was used as saturable absorber. A 1.53 μm pulse laser with about 22 μJ energy, 76 ns duration and 21 kHz repetition rate was obtained at an absorbed pump power of 12 W in a c-cut 1.7-mm-thick Er3+:Y b3+:NaCe0.43Gd0.57(WO4)2 crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS) has been designed and used successfully not only as an electro-optical (EO) Q-switch but also as the optically active crystal in an Nd:YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) pulse-off laser cavity with two-rod birefringence compensation in this paper. A maximum average output power of 15.8 W with a pulse width of 21 ns was obtained at the maximum repetition rate of 1 kHz, and the dynamic–static ratio was 75%. Experimental results revealed that the spatial distribution of the laser intensity with the two LGS crystals inserted between two identical Nd:YAG rods was significantly better than the spatial distribution with no birefringence compensation or a KD ∗ P EO Q-switcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rasch model can be used to transform ordinal data into interval data. Rasch has seldom been incorporated in data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. Therefore, this study attempts to apply the Rasch model in DEA to analyse the performance of seven districts including Taipei; Kaoshong; Taichung; Hwalian; Scenery; Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli; Others in Taiwan containing 56 international tourist hotels during 2009 using five criteria, including average occupancy rate, average room rate, average production value per employee in the accommodation department, average production value per employee in the catering department and operating income/expenses. Furthermore, this study also compared the results with and without the Rasch-bounded DEA model. As expected of the analytical results that applying the DEA model using the bounded formulas achieves better distinguishing power than applying the model without using the bounded formulas. Furthermore, the effectiveness value of each district of Taiwan (Taipei (1.000), Kaoshong (0.3661), Taichung (0.3494), Hwalian (0.2658), Scenery (0.6476), Tyoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli (0.5623), others (0.3127)) during 2009 is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-electrode nanodiamond vacuum field emission (VFE) device with gate modulated triode characteristics is developed by integrating nanodiamond emitter with self-aligned silicon gate and anode, employing a mold transfer technique in conjunction with chemical vapor deposition of nanodiamond. Triode behavior showing emission current modulation with high current density at low operating voltages is achieved. A systematic analysis based on modified Fowler-Nordheim theory is used to analyze gate modulated VFE characteristics, confirming the triode field emission mechanism and operating principle. The realization of an efficient VFE microtriode has achieved the fundamental step for further development of vacuum integrated microelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricated lateral junctions by crossing superconducting Nb strips in metallic contact with a ferromagnetic NiFe strip. Transport measurements on the Nb lateral junctions exhibit modulations of the critical current with a varying perpendicular magnetic field similar to a Fraunhofer interference pattern, which demonstrates the dc Josephson effect. The modulations of the critical current could be attributed to an effective weak link embedded in the Nb strip and formed a Josephson junction. Appearance of Shapiro steps on the current-voltage curves of these junctions when microwaves irradiation is applied proves the ac Josephson effect. The underlying physics of the effective weak link induced by the NiFe strip is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]