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Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as a decline in ovarian function before the age of 40 and is one of the leading causes of infertility in women. The etiology is complex, and the pathogenesis is not clear. The main treatment is hormone replacement therapy, but a growing body of data confirms that such treatment can increase the risk of endometrial disease and cardiovascular disease. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been widely used in patients with POI due to its limited adverse reactions and high efficiency. According to literature reports, CAM therapy for POI mainly includes traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, psychotherapy, dietary supplements, and exercise therapy. This article reviews the application of CAM in the treatment of POI and attempts to determine the therapeutic effects and the mechanisms behind these effects based on existing clinical and experimental studies in order to provide theoretical support for the treatment of POI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there are various treatment strategies for colorectal cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. In recent years, with the continuous development of immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can significantly improve the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer patients with high levels of microsatellite instability. In addition to ICIs, neoantigens, as a class of tumor-specific antigens (TSA), are regarded as new immunotherapy targets for many cancer species and are being explored for antitumor therapy. Immunotherapy strategies based on neoantigens include tumor vaccines and adoptive cell therapy (ACT). These methods aim to eliminate tumor cells by enhancing the immune response of host T-cells to neoantigens. In addition, for MSS colorectal cancer, such "cold tumors" with low mutation rates and stable microsatellites are not sensitive to ICIs, whereas neoantigens could provide a promising immunotherapeutic avenue. In this review, we summarized the current status of colorectal cancer neoantigen prediction and current clinical trials of neoantigens and discussed the difficulties and limitations of neoantigens-based therapies for the treatment of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is usually poorly differentiated, highly invasive, susceptible to distant metastasis, and less responsive to endocrine and targeted therapy. However, immunotherapy is a promising treatment for TNBC patients recently. Methods. The prognostic value of immune-related genes (IRGs) was explored by using RNA sequencing and microarray data of 123 and 107 TNBC patients from TCGA and GEO databases, respectively. Results. In TCGA database, GO and KEGG pathway analysis of 119 differential IRGs indicated that they actively participate in the interaction of cytokines and receptors. A nomogram model constructed by the prognosis-related CCL25, IL29, TDGF3, GPR44, and GREM2 in the IRGs could personalize and visualize the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) of TNBC patients. Moreover, TNBC patients could be defined as low-risk (risk score < 194) or high-risk (risk score ≥ 194) cohorts based on the risk score derived from the nomogram model. The results could be validated by the GSE58812 dataset. Furthermore, the risk score was an independent risk factor for TNBC patients (HR = 1.019 , 95% CI 1.012-1.027, p < 0.001) and was positively related to stage (p = 0.017). Interestingly, the risk score could reflect the infiltration of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cells, and neutrophils. Conclusion. These findings provided a reference for personalized OS prediction in TNBC patients and might be potential immune biomarkers for designing novel therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of a new monitor for the depth of anesthesia (DOA), the Depth of Anesthesia Index (Ai) based on sample entropy (SampEn), 95% spectral edge frequency (95%SEF), and burst suppression ratio (BSR) was evaluated compared to Bispectral Index (BIS) during total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA). 144 patients in six medical centers were enrolled. General anesthesia was induced with stepwise-increased target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol until loss of consciousness (LOC). During surgery propofol was titrated according to BIS. Both Ai and BIS were recorded. Primary outcomes: the limits of agreement between Ai and BIS were -17.68 and 16.49, which were, respectively, -30.0% and 28.0% of the mean value of BIS. Secondary outcomes: prediction probability (Pk) of BIS and Ai was 0.943 and 0.935 (p=0.102) during LOC and 0.928 and 0.918 (p=0.037) during recovery of consciousness (ROC). And the values of BIS and Ai were 68.19 and 66.44 at 50%LOC, and 76.65 and 78.60 at 50%ROC. A decrease or an increase of Ai was significantly greater than that of BIS when consciousness changes (during LOC: -9.13±10.20 versus -5.83±9.63, p<0.001; during ROC: 10.88±11.51 versus 5.32±7.53, p<0.001). The conclusion is that Ai has similar characteristic of BIS as a DOA monitor and revealed the advantage of SampEn for indicating conscious level. This trial is registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with ChiCTR-IOR-16009471. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, AZO thin films were deposited on glass by using a 98 mol% ZnO + 1 mol% Al2O3 (AZO, Zn : Al = 98 : 2) ceramic target and a r.f. magnetron sputtering system. At first, the effects of different H2 flow rates (H2/(H2 +Ar) = 0%~9.09%, abbreviated as H2-deposited AZO thin films, deposition temperature was 200°C) added during the deposition process on the physical and electrical properties of AZO thin films were investigated. The optical transmittance at 400 nm~700 nm is more than 80% for all AZO thin films regardless of H2 flow rate and the transparency ratio decreased as the H2 flow rate increased. The Burstein-Moss shift effect was used to prove that the defects of AZO thin films decreased with increasing H2 flow rate. Also, the 2% H2-deposited AZO thin films were also treated by the H2 plasma at room temperature for 60 min (plasma-treated AZO thin films). The value variations in the optical band gap (Eg) values of the H2-deposited and plasma-treated AZO thin films were evaluated from the plots of (αhv)² = c(hv - Eg), and the Eg values increased with increasing H2 flow rate. The Eg values also increased as the H2-plasma process was used to treat on the H2-deposited Al2O3-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents a novel technique which can more efficiently fabricate different spans of nanobeams on the same substrate. It requires less time to prepare specimen and further shortens the process of aligning, clamping, and testing. Also, we probe into the elastic deformation properties of clamped freestanding GaN nanobeams with different spans. In the bending process, displacement, D, corresponding to load, P is strongly dependent on the span of nanobeam at the same penetration depth and a distinct linearity is observed. Young's moduli E of the GaN in this study are calculated as 171.3 GPa ±5.4% and 264.2 GPa ±4.7% by strain energy methods, respectively, for the longer and shorter spans of nanobeams, serving as a simple supporting beam of elastic material under small deformation. The result shows that, even under small deformation, the rigidity enhancement helps the shorter nanobeam store more elastic energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CuInSe2 absorber layers were deposited on Mo/glass substrates by using the spray coating method (SCM). At first, the CIS powder was ground into nanoscale particles; then the 6 wt% CIS particles were dispersed into isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to get the solution for SCM. 0.05mL CIS solution was sprayed on the 2 cm × 1 cm Mo/glass substrates, and then the CIS solution films were annealed in a selenization furnace under different parameters. At first, the extra 0.2g Se was put in the furnace, the selenization time was 5 min, and the selenization temperature was changed from 450°C to 600°C. After finding the better selenization temperature of 550°C and setting the selenization time at 5 min, the selenization process was set at 550°C and the extra Se content was changed from 0g to 0.6g. The influences of the selenization temperature and extra Se content on the surface and cross-section morphologies, crystallization, hall mobility, and carrier concentration and resistivity of the CIS absorber layers were well investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-aligned highly ordered TiO2 nanotube (TNT) arrays were fabricated by potentiostatic anodization of Ti foil, and we found that the TNT-array length and diameterwere dependent on the electrolyte (NH4F) concentration in ethylene glycol and anodization time. The characteristics of the fabricated TNT arrays were characterized by XRD pattern, FESEM, and absorption spectrum. As the electrolyte NH4F concentration in the presence of H2O (2 vol%) with anodization was changed from 0.25 to 0.75wt% and the anodizationperiodwas increased from1to5h, theTNT-array lengthwas changed from9.55 to30.2 μm and the TNT-array diameter also increased. As NH4F concentration was 0.5 wt%, the prepared TNT arrays were also used to fabricate the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).We would show that themeasured photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs was dependent on the TNT-array length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GZO thin films were deposited on the polyimide (PI) substrates to investigate their properties for the possibly flexible applications. The effects of substrate temperature (fromroomtemperature to 200°C) on the surface and cross-sessionmorphologies, X-ray diffraction pattern, optical transmission spectrum, carrier concentration, carrier mobility, and resistivity of the GZO thin films on PI substrates were studied. The measured results showed that the substrate temperature had large effect on the characteristics of the GZO thin films. The cross-section observations really indicated that the GZO thin films deposited at 200°C and below had different crystalline structures. The value variations in the films' optical band gap (Eg) of the GZO thin films were evaluated from plots of (αhν])² = c(hν - Eg ), revealing that the measured Eg values increased with increasing deposition temperature. Finally, the prepared GZO thin films were also used as the transparent electrodes to fabricate the α-Si amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells on the flexible PI substrates, and the properties of which were also measured. We would also prove that substrate temperature of the GZO thin films had large effect on the characteristics of the fabricated α-Si amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical photoelectrodes for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs) were fabricated by using the electrochemical method on the titanium (Ti) template, for that the fabrication process would influence the characteristics of the DSSCs. In this study, at first three different methods were used to etch Ti templates from 10 to 17 min, (1) polishing-chemical etching: Ti template was annealed at 450℃ for 1h, abraded using number 80 to 1500 SiC sheet, and then etched in a solution of 5%HF+95%H2O; (2) electrochemical polishing-chemical etching: Ti template was annealed at 450℃ for 1 h, electrolytic polishing with 42% CH3OH+ 5% HClO4 +53% HOCH2CH2OC4H9 solution, and the chemical-etching in a solution of 5% HF + 95% H2O; (3) chemical etching: Ti template was etched in a solution of 5% HF + 95% H2O and annealed at 450℃ for 1 h. When the etching time was changed from 10 to 17 min, the thicknesses of Ti templates decreased from 75.3 μm to 14.8 μm, depending on the etching method. After etching process, the TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated as the photoelectrode of DSSCs by electrochemical process, in which the Ti as anode and platinum (Pt) as cathode. The electrolyte solution included C2H4(OH)2, NH4F, and deionized water. After annealing the grown TiO2 nanotube arrays at 450℃ for 3 h, we would show that the etching process had large effect on the structure and transmittance ratio of the TiO2 nanotube arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Duzhong Butiansu (DZBTS) prescription contains many traditional Chinese medicines and has been shown to have a curative effect on male fertility. However, the efficacy and mechanism of DZBTS in the treatment of male infertility induced by heat stress have not been reported. The aim of the present study is to elucidate the effect and mechanism of DZBTS on spermatogenic function of a heat stress model in rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats (280–320 g) were given different doses of DZBTS (0.4853 g/kg/d or 0.9707 g/kg/d), Shengjing capsule (0.56 g/kg/d), or double distilled water for 15 days. A 43°C hot water bath for 30 minutes was used to stimulate the testis of rats. Sperm count, sperm motility, the organ index of kidney and gonadal organs, serum sex hormone levels, and serum oxidising reaction index were measured. Haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the morphology of the testis and kidney. The expression of Hsp70 in testes was observed by immunofluorescence. The changes in heat stress, reproductive-related protein, and mRNA were measured by western blot assay and RT-qPCR. Results. Heat stress downregulated the levels of sex hormone (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) and its receptor androgen receptor (AR) protein expression and mRNA (P < 0.01) in rats. Meanwhile, heat stress downregulated the levels of CAMP-responsive element-binding (CREB1) protein and mRNA (P < 0.01), which are involved with spermatogenesis. Heat stress also decreased the oxidative damage index. Furthermore, Hsp70 and the heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) protein pathway and mRNA level were overactivated (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Finally, the organ coefficients of the kidney and gonadal organs of rats were decreased. The sperm concentration and motility also decreased significantly (P < 0.01). DZBTS could recover these changes induced by heat stress. Conclusions. Our results for the first time have found that DZBTS can improve spermatogenesis disorder in a heat stress model in rats, which may be mainly by regulating AR, sperm regulatory protein CREB1, and the HSF/Hsp70 signaling pathway to decrease oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated a two-stepmethod to deposit the ZnO-based nanostructure films, including nanorods and nanoflowers. In the first step, sputtering method was used to deposit the ZnO films on SiO2/Si substrates as the seed layer. In the second step, Zn(NO3)2- 6H2O and C6H12N4 were used as precursors and hydrothermal process was used as the method to synthesize the ZnO films. After that, the ZnO films were measured by an X-ray diffraction pattern and a FESEM to analyze their crystallization and morphology. We had found that the ZnO films had three different morphologies synthesized on ZnO/SiO2/Si substrates, including irregularplate structure films, nanorod films, and beautiful chrysanthemum-like clusters (nanoflower films). We would prove that the face direction of ZnO/SiO2/Si substrates in the hydrothermal bottle and deposition time were two important factors to influence the synthesized results of the ZnO films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-step electrochemical anodization was used to form the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) thin films with nanotube arrays of self-organized honeycomb structure. Al foil was anodized in 10% sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and 3% oxalic acid (H2C2O4) at 25°C at constant voltage of 40 Vfor 60 min for two times. Ethylene glycol (C2H6 O2) was used as a solution and 0.3 M potassium iodide (KI) was used to improve the solution's conductivity. Different electrolyte concentrations of Bi(NO3)3-5H2O, SbCl3, and TeCl4 were added into KI-C2H6O2 solution and the cyclic voltammetry experiment was used to find the reduced voltages of Bi3+, Sb3+, and Te4+ ions. The potentiostatic deposition and pulse electrodeposition (PED) processes were used to deposit the (Bi,Sb)2-xTe3+x-based materials. Field-emission scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometers were used to analyze the compositions of the deposited (Bi,Sb)2-xTe3+x-based materials. After finding the optimal deposition parameter of the PED process the AAO nanotube arrays were used as the templates to deposit the (Bi,Sb)2-xTe3+x-based thermoelectric nanowires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (In, Ga, Zn)Ox (IGZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using cosputtering method in radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. Zn2Ga2O5 (Ga2O3-2 ZnO, GZO) and In2O3 ceramics were used as targets and dual guns were used to deposit the IGZO thin films. Deposition power of GZO target was 80 W and deposition power of pure In2 O3 target was changed from 70 W to 100 W, and the deposition time was 30 min. The effect of deposition power of In2O3 target on the crystalline, surface, electrical, and optical properties of the IGZO thin films was investigated at room temperature in a pure Ar atmosphere. The cosputtered IGZO thin films showed a very smooth and featureless surface and an amorphous structure regardless of the deposition power of In2O3 target due to the room temperature sputtering process. However, the cosputtered IGZO thin films exhibited transparent electrode properties because they had high transmittance ratio and low resistivity. The value variations in the optical band gap (Eg) values of the IGZO thin film were evaluated from the plots of (αhv)² = c(hv - Eg). We would also show that the deposition power of In2O3 target would have a large effect on mobility and Eg value of the IGZO thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1.5 wt% zinc fluoride (ZnF2) was mixed with zinc oxide powder to form the F-doped ZnO (FZO) composition. At first, the FZO thin films were deposited at room temperature and 5 x 10-3 Torr in pure Ar under different deposition power. Hall measurements of the as-deposited FZO thin films were investigated, and then the electrical properties were used to find the deposition power causing the FZO thin films with minimum resistance. The FZO thin films with minimum resistance were further treated by H2 plasma and then found their variations in the electrical properties by Hall measurements. Hydrochloric (HCl) acid solutions with different concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) were used to etch the surfaces of the FZO thin films. Finally, the as-deposited, HCl-etched as-deposited, and HCl-etched H2-plasma-treated FZO thin films were used as transparent electrodes to fabricate the p-i-n a-Si:H thin film solar cells and their characteristics were compared in this study. We would show that using H2-plasma-treated and HCl-etched FZO thin films as transparent electrodes would improve the efficiency of the fabricated thin film solar cells. F-Doped ZnO Thin Films and p-i-n α-Si:H Thin Film Solar Cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been demonstrated that the inflammatory response influences cancer development and can be used as a prognostic biomarker in various tumors. However, the relevance of genes associated with inflammatory responses in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was analyzed using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential analysis to discover essential inflammatory response-related genes (IFRGs). Cox regression studies, both univariate and multivariate, were employed to develop a prognostic IFRGs signature. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to deduce the biological function of the IFRGs signature. Finally, we estimated immune cell infiltration using a single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) and x-cell. Our results revealed that, among the major HCC IFRGs, two (DNASE1L3 and KLKB1) were employed to create a predictive IFRG signature. The IFRG signature could correctly predict overall survival (O.S) as per Kaplan-Meier time-dependent roc curves analysis. It was also linked to pathological tumor stage and T stage and might be used as a prognostic predictor in HCC. GSEA analysis concluded that the IFRG signature might influence the immune response in HCC. Immunological cell infiltration and immune checkpoint molecule expression differed in the high-risk and low-risk groups. As a result of our findings, DNASILE may play a role in the tumor microenvironment. However, more research is necessary to confirm the role of DNASE1L3 and KLKB1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is significantly associated with the invasion and development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the importance of EMT-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is little known in ESCC. Methods. GSE53624 (N = 119) and GSE53622 (N = 60) datasets retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used as training and external validation cohorts, respectively. GSE53624 and GSE53622 datasets were all sampled from China. Then, the prognostic value of EMT-related lncRNA was comprehensively investigated by weighted coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and COX regression model. Results. High expression of PLA2G4E-AS1, AC063976.1, and LINC01592 significantly correlated with the favorable overall survival (OS) of ESCC patients, and LINC01592 had the greatest contribution to OS. Importantly, ESCC patients were divided into low- and high-risk groups based on the optimal cut-off value of risk score estimated by the multivariate COX regression model of these three lncRNA. Patients with high risk had a shorter OS rate and restricted mean survival time (RMST) than those with low risk. Moreover, univariate and multivariate COX regression revealed that risk stratification, age, and TNM were independent prognostic predictors, which were used to construct a nomogram model for individualized and visualized prognosis prediction of ESCC patients. The calibration curves and time-dependent ROC curves in the training and validation cohorts suggested that the nomogram model had a good performance. Interestingly, clear trends indicated that risk score positively correlated with tumor microenvironment (TME) scores and immune checkpoints TIGIT, CTLA4, and BTLA. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) showed that PLA2G4E-AS1, AC063976.1, and LINC01592 were primarily associated with TNF signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and ECM-receptor interaction. Conclusion. We developed EMT-related lncRNA PLA2G4E-AS1, AC063976.1, and LINC01592 for prognostic prediction and risk stratification of Chinese ESCC patients, which might provide deep insight for personalized prognosis prediction in Chinese ESCC patients and be potential biomarkers for designing novel therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compound of ZnO with 3wt% Ga2O3 (ZnO :Ga2O3 =97 : 3 in wt%, GZO) was sintered at 1400°C as a target. The GZO thin films were deposited on glass using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering system at 300°C by changing the deposition power from 50Wto 150W. The effects of deposition power on the crystallization size, lattice constant (c), resistivity, carrier concentration, carrier mobility, and optical transmission rate of theGZO thin films were studied. The blue shift in the transmission spectrumof the GZO thin films was found to change with the variations of the carrier concentration because of the Burstein-Moss shifting effect. The variations in the optical band gap (Eg) value of the GZO thin films were evaluated from the plots of (αhν])² = c(hν - Eg )1/2, revealing that the measured Eg value decreased with increasing deposition power. As compared with the results deposited at room temperature by Gong et al., (2010) the 300°C deposited GZO thin films had apparent blue shift in the transmission spectrum and larger Eg value. For the deposited GZO thin films, both the carrier concentration and mobility linearly decreased and the resistivity linearly increased with increasing deposition power. The prepared GZO thin films were also used as transparent electrodes to fabricate the amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells, and their properties were also measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The market shares of the inverter air conditioners (ACs) have increased in recent years due to their high energy efficiency ratio. The inverter ACs have great potentialities of participation in the demand response programs in power systems. This article proposes an evaluation method of the aggregated power and the response potential for aggregated inverter AC loads with the consideration of load heterogeneities. The clustering algorithm is firstly used to group the inverter ACs according to their daily load profiles. The individual geometrical polytope is adopted to model the response potential of each individual inverter AC. And then the response potentialities of other inverter ACs are replaced by the isomorphism of the given convex polytope. Finally, the aggregated response potential of the inverter ACs is obtained with the Minkowski summation algorithm. The simulation results prove that the proposed method has a better estimation accuracy of the aggregated response potential, and the maximum potential of each inverter AC is better utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T cells modified via chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have emerged as a promising treatment modality. Unparalleled clinical efficacy recently demonstrated in refractory B-cell malignancy has brought this new form of adoptive immunotherapy to the center stage. Nonetheless, its current success has also highlighted its potential treatment-related toxicities. The adverse events observed in the clinical trials are described in this review, after which, some innovative strategies developed to overcome these unwanted toxicities are outlined, including suicide genes, targeted activation, and other novel strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the widespread application of new energy and power electronic-based residential loads in distribution networks, the impact of collective harmonics cannot be ignored. The harmonic impedance should be evaluated when determining the harmonic responsibilities at the point of common coupling. This paper presents a new noninvasive method to quantify the harmonic current responsibilities of the utility side and customer side on the basis of impedance-gathering trend. The method is compared with another noninvasive resistance-sign-based method. In addition, the emission level of the residential loads is calculated. The presented results of a field test conducted in a typical residential apartment in Shanghai, China, prove that the method works well in practical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of balun-bandpass filter was proposed based on the traditional coupled-line theory and folded open-loop ring resonators (OLRRs) configuration. For that, a new device with both filter-type and balun-type characteristics was investigated and fabricated. Both magnetic and electric coupling structures were implemented to provide high performance balun-band pass responses. The fabricated balun-bandpass filters had a wide bandwidth more than 200MHz and a low insertion loss less than 2.51 dB at a center frequency of 2.6GHz. The differences between the two outputs were below 0.4 dB in magnitude and within 180 ± 7°in phase. Also, the balun-bandpass filter presented an excellent common-mode rejection ratio over 25 dB in the passband. An advanced design methodology had been adopted based on EM simulation for making these designed parameters of OLRRs, microstrip lines, and open stubs. The measured frequency responses agreed well with simulated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A balun-bandpass filter was proposed by using two folded open-loop ring resonators (OLRRs) to couple three microstrip lines. By tuning the size of the OLRR, the operating frequency of the balun-bandpass filter could be tuned to the needed value. By tuning the size of open stub at the end of microstrip lines, the balanced impedance of the balun-bandpass filter could also be tuned. The fabricated balun-bandpass filter had a wide bandwidth and a low insertion loss at center frequency of the passband. The balun-bandpass filter presented an excellent in-band balanced performance with common-mode rejection ratio more than 20 dB in the passbands. An advanced design methodology had been adopted based on EM simulation for making these designed parameters of OLRRs and microstrip lines. Good correlation was seen between simulation and measurement, and the result was that first run pass had been achieved in the majority of our designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films were deposited on glass, and the process parameters are RF power of 50W and working pressure of 5 m Torr, and the substrate temperature was changed from room temperature to 300°C. At first, the thickness was around 300 nm by controlling the deposition time. The effects of substrate temperature on the crystallinity, lattice constant (c), carrier mobility, carrier concentration, resistivity, and optical transmission rate of the GZO thin films were studied. The 200°C-deposited GZO thin films had the best crystallinity, the larger carrier concentration and carrier mobility, and the lowest resistivity. For that, the thickness of the GZO thin films was extended to around 1000 nm. Hydrochloric (HCl) acid solutions with different concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) were used to etch the surfaces of the GZO thin films, which were then used as the substrate electrodes to fabricate the p-i-n α-Si:H thin-film solar cells. The haze ratio of the GZO thin films increased with increasing HCl concentration, and that would effectively enhance light trapping inside the absorber material of solar cells and then improve the efficiency of the fabricated thin-film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We successfully treated a case of a 2-year-old male with aortic coarctation coexisting with severe mitral regurgitation via left posteriolateral thoracotomy at one stage. After a mitral valve replacement under perfused ventricular fibrillation with moderate hypothermia, we repaired the aortic coarctation with coarctation resection and end-to-end anastamosis with the aid of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and selective low-flow cerebral perfusion. The patient had an uneventful hospital course and remains well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]