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The aim of the described study is an engineering solution to the problem of the implementation of artificial intelligence methods in predicting abnormal, extremely emergency states in robotic production stands. This task results from the need to improve the operational reliability of automated and robotic production lines, thus rationalizing the utility and cost values of these lines. The available hardware solutions as well as the existing and newly introduced new procedures and IT platforms are described. In the hardware part of the work, electric servo drives and gears of a multi-chain tripod robot were used, configured with the Festo Automation Suite software, programmed with the KEBA controller and the developed KeStudio application program.

Background: Metabolic derangements related to tissue energetics constitute an important pathophysiological feature of heart failure. We investigated whether iron deficiency and catabolic/anabolic imbalance contribute to decreased skeletal muscle performance in men with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and whether these pathologies are related to each other. Methods: We comprehensively examined 23 men with stable HFrEF (median age [interquartile range]: 63 [59–66] years; left ventricular ejection fraction: 28 [25–35]%; New York Heart Association class I/II/III: 17/43/39%). We analyzed clinical characteristics, iron status, hormones, strength and fatigability of forearm flexors and quadriceps (surface electromyography), and exercise capacity (6-minute walking test). Results: None of the patients had anemia whereas 8 were iron-deficient. Flexor carpi radialis fatigability correlated with lower reticulocyte hemoglobin content (CHR, p < 0.05), and there was a trend towards greater fatigability in patients with higher body mass index and lower serum ferritin (both p < 0.1). Flexor carpi ulnaris fatigability correlated with lower serum iron and CHR (both p < 0.05). Vastus medialis fatigability was related to lower free and bioavailable testosterone (FT and BT, respectively, both p < 0.05), and 6-minute walking test distance was shorter in patients with higher cortisol/FT and cortisol/BT ratio (both p < 0.05). Lower ferritin and transferrin saturation correlated with lower percentage of FT and BT. Men with HFrEF and iron deficiency had higher total testosterone, but lower percentage of FT and BT. Conclusions: Iron deficiency correlates with lower bioactive testosterone in men with HFrEF. These two pathologies can both contribute to decreased skeletal muscle performance in such patients.

Meningitis caused by infectious pathogens is associated with vessel damage and infarct formation, however the physiological cause is often unknown. Cryptococcus neoformans is a human fungal pathogen and causative agent of cryptococcal meningitis, where vascular events are observed in up to 30% of patients, predominantly in severe infection. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how infection may lead to vessel damage and associated pathogen dissemination using a zebrafish model that permitted noninvasive in vivo imaging. We find that cryptococcal cells become trapped within the vasculature (dependent on their size) and proliferate there resulting in vasodilation. Localised cryptococcal growth, originating from a small number of cryptococcal cells in the vasculature was associated with sites of dissemination and simultaneously with loss of blood vessel integrity. Using a cell-cell junction tension reporter we identified dissemination from intact blood vessels and where vessel rupture occurred. Finally, we manipulated blood vessel tension via cell junctions and found increased tension resulted in increased dissemination. Our data suggest that global vascular vasodilation occurs following infection, resulting in increased vessel tension which subsequently increases dissemination events, representing a positive feedback loop. Thus, we identify a mechanism for blood vessel damage during cryptococcal infection that may represent a cause of vascular damage and cortical infarction during cryptococcal meningitis. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Nanyang Technological University Published version JFG was supported by an award from the Singapore A*STAR Research Attachment Programme (ARAP) in partnership with the University of Sheffield. Work in the PWI lab was funded by the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. RJE was supported by a British Infection Association postdoctoral fellowship (https://www.britishinfection.org/). AKL was supported by a University of Queensland Postdoctoral Fellowship. BMH by an NHMRC/ National Heart Foundation Career Development Fellowship (1083811). SAJ, AB, RJE, AK and RH, were supported by Medical Research Council and Department for International Development Career Development Award Fellowship MR/J009156/1 (http://www.mrc.ac.uk/). SAJ was additionally supported by a Krebs Institute Fellowship (http:// krebsinstitute.group.shef.ac.uk/), and Medical Research Council Centre grant (G0700091). AK was supported by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award in Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology (097377/Z/11/Z). SAR was supported by a Medical Research Council Programme Grant (MR/M004864/1). Light sheet microscopy was carried out in the Wolfson Light Microscopy Facility, supported by a BBSRC ALERT14 award for light-sheet microscopy (BB/M012522/1).

A cyber cyber digital twin is a deployed software model that executes in tandem with the system it simulates, contributing to, and drawing from, the system's behaviour. This paper outlines Facebook's cyber cyber digital twin, dubbed WW, a twin of Facebook's WWW platform, built using web-enabled simulation. The paper focuses on the current research challenges and opportunities in the area of measurement. Measurement challenges lie at the heart of modern simulation. They directly impact how we use simulation outcomes for automated online and semi-automated offline decision making. Measurements also encompas how we verify and validate those outcomes. Modern simulation systems are increasingly becoming more like cyber cyber digital twins, effectively moving from manual to automated decision making, hence, these measurement challenges acquire ever greater significance.

Objective : The article outlines practices connected with shopping for cosmetics and to establish how much knowledge consumers have about the ingredients of the cosmetics they buy and the labels used on them. Research Design & Methods : To diagnose the purchasing behaviour of women on the cosmetics market, a CAWI quantitative study was carried out on a group of 410 respondents between the ages of 18–48. Findings : The analysis show that the knowledge of consumers about the ingredients in cosmetic products and the labels used on them has improved over the years, but still remains at an average level. Implications / Recommendations : The data collected and the conclusions drawn from them make it possible to identify the most appropriate marketing tools for the cosmetic market for the consumer group of young women. Contribution : The article diagnoses the consumer attitudes of women shopping on the contemporary cosmetics market, which is rich in new products and innovations. The article also indicates recommendations for how cosmetic product manufacturers could approach the market.

Introduction . Quality of life and old age are closely related. Aging is perceived as a destructive, progressive, and irreversible process. This process is caused by biological factors related to physical involution as well as psychosocial factors. Elderly people have difficulties related to deteriorating health. Aim . The study aims to determine the quality of life of elderly people with neurological disorders. Material and Methods . The research was conducted in the Lublin Voivodeship, in a group of 111 elderly people diagnosed with neurological diseases. 51.35% of participants were female. The age of the respondents was in the range of 65–95 years. A standardized questionnaire: the WHOQOL-BREF constituted the research tool. Results . In the examined group of patients, the general quality of life was assessed at an average level of 3.11 ± 1.12, and the assessment of health at the level of 2.81 ± 1.00. The respondents rated the highest the environmental domain (57.05 ± 16.23). The social relationship domain was at an average level; 54.00 ± 24.08, while the psychological one was 46.38 ± 13.16. The physical health domain received the lowest scores (44.53 ± 12.42). Conclusions . The self-evaluation of the quality of life completed by elderly people with neurological disorders was at a low level. Marital status differentiated the quality of life in the social domain. The residence of the studied seniors influenced the assessment of their overall quality of life. (JNNN 2019;8(1):11–15)

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is confined to the brain, eyes, and cerebrospinal fluid without evidence of systemic spread. Rarely, PCNSL occurs in the context of immunosuppression (eg, posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders or HIV [AIDS-related PCNSL]). These cases are poorly characterized, have dismal outcome, and are typically Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated (ie, tissue-positive). We used targeted sequencing and digital multiplex gene expression to compare the genetic landscape and tumor microenvironment (TME) of 91 PCNSL tissues all with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma histology. Forty-seven were EBV tissue-negative: 45 EBV− HIV− PCNSL and 2 EBV− HIV+ PCNSL; and 44 were EBV tissue-positive: 23 EBV+ HIV+ PCNSL and 21 EBV+ HIV− PCNSL. As with prior studies, EBV− HIV− PCNSL had frequent MYD88, CD79B, and PIM1 mutations, and enrichment for the activated B-cell (ABC) cell-of-origin subtype. In contrast, these mutations were absent in all EBV tissue-positive cases and ABC frequency was low. Furthermore, copy number loss in HLA class I/II and antigen-presenting/processing genes were rarely observed, indicating retained antigen presentation. To counter this, EBV+ HIV− PCNSL had a tolerogenic TME with elevated macrophage and immune-checkpoint gene expression, whereas AIDS-related PCNSL had low CD4 gene counts. EBV-associated PCNSL in the immunosuppressed is immunobiologically distinct from EBV− HIV− PCNSL, and, despite expressing an immunogenic virus, retains the ability to present EBV antigens. Results provide a framework for targeted treatment.

Large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs) represent a frequent but clinically and morphologically heterogeneous group of tumors. Technological advances over the last 2 decades prompted the development of new classification schemas to sharpen diagnoses, dissect molecular heterogeneity, and identify rational treatment targets. Despite increased molecular understanding of these lymphomas, the clinical perspectives of patients largely remain unchanged. Recently finished comprehensive genomic studies discovered genetically defined LBCL subtypes that predict outcome, provide insight into lymphomagenesis, and suggest rational therapies with the hope of generating patient-tailored treatments with increased perspective for patients in greatest need. Here, we summarize notable examples of how high-throughput technologies aided in better molecular understanding of LBCLs and provided examples of rationally designed targeted treatments.

We introduce the Web-Enabled Simulation (WES) research agenda, and describe FACEBOOK's WW system. We describe the application of WW to reliability, integrity and privacy at FACEBOOK , where it is used to simulate social media interactions on an infrastructure consisting of hundreds of millions of lines of code. The WES agenda draws on research from many areas of study, including Search Based Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Programming Languages, Multi Agent Systems, Graph Theory, Game AI, and AI Assisted Game Play. We conclude with a set of open problems and research challenges to motivate wider investigation., Comment: Author order is alphabetical. Correspondence to Mark Harman (markharman@fb.com). This paper appears in GI 2020: 8th International Workshop on Genetic Improvement

In recent years, research focused on (semi)automatic radiographic inspection methods has gained more attention. The present work proposes a method for detecting defects in radiographic images of welded joints of oil pipes. Real condition images obtained by the double wall double image (DWDI) technique usually present a lower quality when compared with images traditionally considered in many studies reported in the literature. First, the proposed approach detects discontinuities in DWDI radiographic images of welded joints, and then, based on a hybrid paradigm encompassing artificial immune systems (AIS) and deep learning (DL), it classifies each discontinuity as `defect' and `non-defect'. The proposed method performs two phases in the AIS module: early classification (based on negative selection) and evolving classification (based on clonal selection). In both phases, the pattern recognition task is performed using a set of features extracted from each discontinuity through a detector genetically encoded into immune cells. As an attempt to improve the classification performance, DL models (AlexNet and autoencoders) are incorporated aiming to increase the number of extracted features. Experiments performed on a set of 727 discontinuities show that the proposed approach achieves an Fscore of 70.7%, outperforming each of its modules running by themselves: AlexNet with Fscore = 64.86% and AIS with Fscore = 66%. Considering the challenges imposed by real conditions on image acquisition - and the low rates of false negatives -, results demonstrate that the proposed approach can be used to assist in inspection works when dealing with DWDI images.

This paper describes the utilisation of support networks for the organisation of informal childcare by working Polish migrant mothers in Dublin. Grounded in a support network perspective the study employs a mixed method approach to elucidate how the mothers use local and transnational relations in their child-minding strategies, but also highlights the obstacles posed by the distant character of the latter ties. In line with previous research on support networks, we find a strong reliance on strong ties in providing instrumental and emotional support (e.g., Wellman and Wortley, 1990) but also that ‘distance’ matters (e.g., Mok et al., 2010) and shapes the network mobilisation strategies of the working mothers. Locally based weak ties, based on various forms of reciprocity, are supplemental in providing ad-hoc crisis support when transnational ties cannot be mobilized. Nonetheless, transnational ties are shown to be crucial in the childcare provision, in particular for longer spells of regular childcare.

This study was aimed to determine the anthropogenic and natural factors affecting spatial and temporal changes in the physicochemical parameters and bacterial indicators of water quality in the river Białka. The impact of intensive development of the tourist infrastructure on the quality of river water and the potential health threats to tourists was also assessed. Water samples were collected over a period of 2.5 years, once per each month in four sites along the river. Temperature, electrolytic conductivity, pH, and water level were measured onsite; flow rate data were acquired from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management; chemical analyses allowed to determine the amount of fourteen ions, while microbiological indicators included total and thermotolerant coliforms, total and thermotolerant Escherichia coli, and mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria. The combination of hydrological, hydrochemical, and microbiological methods generated large amount of data, which were processed by multivariate statistical analysis. A downstream cumulative effect was observed in the contamination of the river water. Fecal coliforms and E. coli were detected in all sites, suggesting the source of fecal contamination even in the protected areas. Intensive development of a ski resort and the related infrastructure, together with the need to accommodate numerous tourists in the examined region, has an evident environmental impact. The resulting deterioration of water quality poses health risks to tourists, as water from the Białka river is used for a variety of purposes, including as a raw drinking water or for artificial snowing of ski slopes. The seasonal changes in the physicochemical parameters mainly result from varying natural factors that shape the water quality in the studied region. The differences in the number of analyzed microorganisms result from seasonal variation in touristic activity and are affected mostly by point sources of sewage inflow.

Background. Recurrences are the main cause of failure in the treatment of laryngeal cancer. The outcome depends both on the success of treatment of the primary tumour and the procedure used to treat the recurrence. Objectives. Evaluation of the incidence of recurrences in patients treated surgically for laryngeal cancer during a 5-year follow-up. Material and methods . The study group consisted of 123 patients treated for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Surgical treatment was used in all patients. Total laryngectomy was conducted in 85 (69.1%) patients, while endoscopic laser resection of the tumour was conducted in 38 (30.9%) patients. Results . Local recurrence occurred in 15 (12.2%) patients, lymph node recurrence occurred in 10 (8.1%) patients, and local and lymph node recurrence occurred in 8 (6.5%) patients. In total, recurrences occurred in 33 (26.8%) patients, and distant metastases occurred in 15 (12.2%) patients. The incidence of recurrences during the 5-year follow-up increased significantly with the increase of the T feature (p = 0.02), N feature (p = 0.01), stage of clinical progression (p = 0.003), and histological malignancy G stage (p = 0.002). The incidence of recurrences also depended on the origin of the cancer. In the glottic area, recurrences were significantly less frequent than in the epiglottic area (p = 0.009). Multiple factor analysis revealed that the presence of recurrences (p < 0.00001) was an important independent prognostic factor in the investigated group of patients with laryngeal cancer during the follow-up. Conclusions . Recurrences most often occur in patients with an epiglottic tumour at stages T3 and T4 of local progression, patients with metastases to lymph nodes, patients at stages III and IV of clinical progression, and patients with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (G3). Patients with local recurrences have a significantly worse prognosis than those without recurrences. The presence of recurrences is an important independent prognostic factor.

In this Letter, a novel, to the best of our knowledge, Fabry–Perot cavity, based on Bragg grating technology for temperature and strain monitoring, is presented. Such a structure consists of two linearly chirped fiber Bragg gratings of a significant length written in a thermally tapered optical fiber. The technological process for manufacturing such a grating allows for utilization of almost every tapered fiber, by means of its profile and also phase masks with various chirp ratios. For this type of structure, a method for strain discrimination based on monitoring of the cavity length is proposed, enabling potential multiplexation of the sensor of two structures, which have the similar reflection spectra, by means of their spectral position. The utilized sensing mechanism allowed for achieving strain sensitivity by means of the cavity length change as high as 5 µm/µɛ. Also, as it has been experimentally shown a structure can also be employed for measurements of temperature, with the sensitivity equal to 8.96 pm/°C.

Diminished overall survival rate of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with a combination regimen of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) has been recently linked to recurrent somatic mutations activating FOXO1. Despite of the clinical relevance of this finding, the molecular mechanism driving resistance to R-CHOP therapy remains largely unknown. Herein, we investigated the potential role of FOXO1 in the therapeutic efficacy of rituximab, the only targeted therapy included in the R-CHOP regimen. We found CD20 transcription is negatively regulated by FOXO1 in NHL cell lines and in human lymphoma specimens carrying activating mutations of FOXO1. Furthermore, both the expression of exogenous mutants of FOXO1 and the inhibition of AKT led to FOXO1 activation in lymphoma cells, increased binding to MS4A1 promoter and diminished CD20 expression levels. In contrast, a disruption of FOXO1 with CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing (sgFOXO1) resulted in CD20 upregulation, improved the cytotoxicity induced by rituximab and the survival of mice with sgFOXO1 tumors. Accordingly, pharmacological inhibition of FOXO1 activity in primary samples upregulated surface CD20 levels. Importantly, FOXO1 was required for the downregulation of CD20 levels by the clinically tested inhibitors of BTK, SYK, PI3K and AKT. Taken together, these results indicate for the first time that the AKT-unresponsive mutants of FOXO1 are important determinant of cell response to rituximab-induced cytotoxicity, and suggest that the genetic status of FOXO1 together with its transcriptional activity need further attention while designing anti-CD20 antibodies based regimens for the therapy of pre-selected lymphomas.

The Bcl-2 antagonist ABT-199 (venetoclax) has demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). ABT-199 is strongly cytotoxic against unstimulated peripheral blood CLL cells in vitro but is much less effective against CLL cells that have received survival signals from the microenvironment. In particular, stimulation of CLL cells with CD40L results in substantial resistance mediated by induction of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins Bcl-xL and Bfl-1. In this study, we investigated whether resistance to ABT-199 can be conferred by B-cell receptor (BCR) stimulation, which is another important survival signal from the leukemic microenvironment. We show that sustained BCR stimulation results in significant ABT-199 resistance, which correlates with induction of the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 and less consistently with downregulation of proapoptotic Bmf, Hrk, and BimEL A major role for Mcl-1 in conferring ABT-199 resistance is additionally supported by knockdown and enforced expression experiments with primary CLL cells. We further show that SYK, BTK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ) inhibitors significantly downregulate Mcl-1, but with different efficacy. Complete Mcl-1 downregulation was consistently achieved only with SYK inhibitors R406 and GS-9973 (entospletinib), whereas the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib and the PI3Kδ inhibitor idelalisib in more than half of the cases had only a partial effect. The greater ability of SYK inhibitors to downregulate Mcl-1 correlated with their greater capacity to block BCR-mediated inactivation of GSK-3, a major negative regulator of Mcl-1. The finding that BCR signaling inhibitors differ in their ability to target Mcl-1 is relevant for the design of clinical trials combining these agents with ABT-199.

Using vacuum process, we fabricated Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells with 8.4% efficiency, a number independently certified by an external, accredited laboratory. This is the highest efficiency reported for pure sulfide Cu2ZnSnS4 prepared by any method. Consistent with literature, the optimal composition is Cu-poor and Zn-rich despite the precipitation of secondary phases (e.g., ZnS). Despite a very thin absorber thickness (~600 nm), a reasonably good short-circuit current was obtained. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements suggest a minority carrier-diffusion length on the order of several hundreds of nanometers and relatively good collection of photo-carriers across the entire absorber thickness. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rituximab, a therapeutic anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is effective against B-cell malignancies, when combined with chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP therapy). However, in case of 30-40% patients the resistance to rituximab-based therapy appears to be a serious concern. One of the major mechanisms of resistance relies on the reduced level of CD20 antigen on the surface of tumor B-cells. While exploring the molecular mechanisms affecting the level of CD20, we found that transcription factor FOXO1 is a negative regulator of MS4A1 expression, the gene encoding CD20 antigen. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology, we disrupted the loci of FOXO genes in lymphoma cell lines and discovered that ablation of FOXO1 (but not FOXO3) was sufficient for upregulation of the surface level of CD20 by 3-fold. Consistently, the complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), induced by rituximab, was significantly improved in cell clones with abrogated expression of FOXO1, but not FOXO3. Importantly, the treatment with pharmacological inhibitor of FOXO1 activity, AS1842856, resulted in increased levels of CD20 on the surface of both lymphoma cell lines and patients-derived chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells cultured ex vivo. In order to verify our findings in the animal model, we inoculated SCID mice intravenously with Raji cells, what resulted in the development of lymphoma-like tumors. We demonstrated that mice treated systemically with rituximab, administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg, survived longer when inoculated with sgFOXO1-transduced Raji cells as compared with mice inoculated with control Raji cells (median survival 49 days versus 29 days, respectively). These results confirmed that FOXO1 ablation in lymphoma cells resulted in higher efficacy of rituximab treatment in vivo. Taken together, these results establish FOXO1 as an important determinant of cell response to complement-dependent rituximab-induced cytotoxicity and indicate that FOXO1 inhibitors could be exploited for the therapeutic purposes, in combination with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Novel FOXO1 inhibitors with improved potency and selectivity are however urgently needed for further exploration of our discoveries in the near future. Acknowledgments: NCN, Poland (grant no: 2013/11/B/NZ5/03240) and H2020 (STREAM project, CSA action, grant no: 692180). Citation Format: Beata Pyrzynska, Abdessamad Zerrouqi, Michal Dwojak, Giulia Morlino, Piotr Zapala, Nina Miazek, Agnieszka Zagozdzon, Kamil Bojarczuk, Malgorzata Bobrowicz, Marta Siernicka, Marcin M. Machnicki, Joanna Barankiewicz, Ewa Lech-Maranda, Przemyslaw Juszczynski, Dinis Calado, Jakub Golab, Magdalena Winiarska. FOXO1 is transcriptional regulator of malignant B-cell surface antigen CD20, the target for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B17.

The electrical and microstructural characteristics of (TbxSc1-x)2O3/Si dielectric films (x=0, 0.5, 1) prepared by the molecular beam deposition technique on silicon substrates were investigated as a function of composition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the band gap, as well as the energy band alignment with Si and the chemical structure of the films. An interfacial layer formation between Si and the dielectric films was examined by high resolution TEM analysis. The electrical properties of MOS structures were correlated with the chemical bonding states of the films.

Continued miniaturization of the different physical elements of a Si MOSFET required in order to attain higher transistor performance and greater economies of scale have spurred the need for significant materials innovations. This is most apparent in the search for the ideal high-k/Metal Gate stack that would replace conventional SiON/Poly-Si gate stacks. In this paper, we will review some of the recent advances and remaining challenges for high-k/Metal Gate stacks. It is shown that significant progress has been made towards improving electron mobility in HfO"2/Metal Gate stacks by a combination of high temperature processes, nitrogen free interfaces and optimized metal deposition processes which result in mobility values competitive with SiON/Poly-Si. In addition by inserting nanoscale layers that comprise strongly electropositive gp. IIA and IIIB elements in between the HfO"2and metal electrode stack have resulted in high mobility, band-edge aggressively scaled High-k/Metal Gate stacks. While much progress has been made with nMOSFET stacks, it will also be shown that a number of roadblocks remain with obtaining a similar solution for pMOSFET stacks, primarily due to the presence of thermally activated oxygen vacancies that induce large negative threshold voltage shifts towards midgap in HfO"2/high workfunction metal stacks.

The criterion for a suitable high-K dielectric/metal gate stack for replacing SiON/Poly-Si stacks in conventional CMOS devices are i) Equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of {less than or equal to} 1.1 nm, ii) Electron and hole mobilities that are comparable to conventional stacks, and iii) Near Band-Edge (BE) threshold voltages for both nFET and pFET devices. Aggressive scaling and competitive mobilities have been demonstrated using HfO2/metal gate stacks [1] through optimization of interfacial layer composition, choice of suitable metal electrodes and deposition processes, and high thermal budgets that are compatible with conventional FET fabrication. A suitable NFET BE solution compatible with gate first process flow achieved by inserting capping layers containing gp. IIA (e.g., Mg) & gp. IIIB (e.g., La) elements into proven high mobility mid-gap HfO2/TiN gate stacks thereby moving the effective work function (EWF) to nFET BE [2,3]. On the pFET front, the challenge remains that elements with high bulk workfunction exhibit Vt instability as well as inherent scaling limitations after high temperature processing that is required in a gate first process flow.

In this paper we report on the fabrication of all-epitaxial ultrathin germanium-on-crystalline lanthanum?yttrium-oxide field effect transistors. The oxide is lattice matched to Si (1?1?1) and has a dielectric constant of ~18. The transistors show ambipolar behaviour, both N- and P-channel operations on the same device at any temperature. The transistor characteristics have an ON/OFF ratio of 102 at room temperature, while at cryogenic temperatures negative differential resistance (NDR) is observed in the channel. The NDR effect, which is stronger for lower temperatures, can be attributed to a number of reasons from intervalley or intersubband electron transfer to a heavy transport effective mass (low mobility) band or to charge trapping. A germanium-on-insulator technology, provided the material (Ge and oxide) quality improves, may be useful for building circuits that combine conventional FETs with unconventional ambipolar or NDR devices all on the same substrate.

This paper proposes a new constrained-syntax genetic programming (GP) algorithm for discovering classification rules in medical data sets. The proposed GP contains several syntactic constraints to be enforced by the system using a disjunctive normal form representation, so that individuals represent valid rule sets that are easy to interpret. The GP is compared with C4.5, a well-known decision-tree-building algorithm, and with another GP that uses Boolean inputs (BGP), in five medical data sets: chest pain, Ljubljana breast cancer, dermatology, Wisconsin breast cancer, and pediatric adrenocortical tumor. For this last data set a new preprocessing step was devised for survival prediction. Computational experiments show that, overall, the GP algorithm obtained good results with respect to predictive accuracy and rule comprehensibility, by comparison with C4.5 and BGP.

B-cell receptor pathway inhibitors affect CD20 levels and impair antitumor activity of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies

We report the effects of ultrahigh vacuum and nitrogen annealing on self-aligned W-gated HfO2 n-field-effect transistors. While rapid thermal annealing in a nitrogen ambient significantly improved the channel mobility, there is a corresponding increase in the gate dielectric thickness of up to 20A. Here we show that this increase is due to the formation of interfacial oxides between the HfO2 and the silicon, caused by the diffusion of oxygen from the W gates. The results point to the importance of oxygen solubility in metals, which may be significant in many candidate gate electrodes.

Future microelectronics will be based upon silicon or germanium-on-insulator technologies and will require an ultrathin (

The Hall effect is used to measure the electron mobility in HfO/sub 2/ based n-channel field effect transistors with poly-Si gates. Large deviations between measured Hall and drift mobilities are explained by the presence of high concentrations of nonfixed charge (up to 4/spl times/10/sup 12/ cm/sup -2/). Simulated mobility curves show that the observed concentrations of fixed and nonfixed charge can estimate the measured mobility significantly better than if only the fixed charge concentration is used.

We report on the structural properties and device results of Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 (CZTSe) solar cells deposited using a vacuum deposition process on glass substrates coated with a molybdenum bottom electrode. Compared to similarly-prepared pure sulfide Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) devices, CZTSe devices exhibit a much thicker interfacial MoSe 2 reaction layer. This poses a serious problem in achieving high efficiency CZTSe solar cells—an overall reverse correlation between device performance and MoSe 2 thickness is observed. We show that the interfacial MoSe 2 formation can be controlled by the use of thin TiN diffusion barriers. Using this process we demonstrate a CZTSe device with 8.9% efficiency.

Many of the proposed high permittivity gate dielectrics for silicon-based microelectronics rely on a stack configuration, with an SiO2 buffer layer to provide an interface. We describe a means for creating gate dielectrics with a direct yttrium silicate–silicon interface through the solid-state reaction of yttria and silicon oxynitride, avoiding the preparation of an oxide-free silicon surface. Characterization by medium-energy ion scattering indicates complete consumption of the underlying oxide through silicate formation during high-temperature annealing. Furthermore, the silicate dielectric exhibits small flat-band voltage shifts, indicating low quantities of charge, without passivation steps. Creation of a silicate–silicon interfaces by a simple route may enable the study of an alternate class of dielectrics.

We demonstrate a ternary (LaxY1−x)2O3 thin-film oxide that can be grown epitaxially on Si(111) substrates with a lattice constant that can be matched to twice the lattice constant of silicon. We further show that silicon can then be deposited epitaxially (though with a high defect density) on this oxide such that epitaxial silicon/oxide/silicon structures may be grown. We discuss the microstructural relationships and the growth modes for the oxide on silicon and silicon on oxide growths.

We report on the device results of thermally evaporated high efficiency Cu 2 ZnSn(S x Se 1−x ) 4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 7.1% (x=1.0) and 7.5% (x=0.34). We have carried out extensive electrical and structural characterization of CZTSSe solar cells to identify major factors that limit the efficiency. Bias-dependent quantum efficiency measurements revealed ineffective collection of charge carriers photo-generated deep in the absorber layer suggesting a short minority carrier diffusion length, which was confirmed by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. Temperature-dependence of the series resistance of the devices is consistent with the presence of a Schottky-type barrier in the back contact, likely caused by secondary phases near the CZTS/Mo interface and/or an interfacial MoS x layer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved method of tumor treatment. Its unique mechanism of action results from minimal invasiveness and high selectivity towards transformed cells. However, visible light used to excite most photosensitizers has rather limited ability to penetrate tissues resulting in insufficient destruction of deeply seated malignant cells. Therefore, novel strategies for further potentiation of the anticancer effectiveness of PDT have been developed. These include combined treatments with surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy, strategies targeting cytoprotective mechanisms induced in PDT-treated cells, as well as attempts aimed at enhancement of PDT-mediated antitumor immune response. Moreover, new photosensitizers and novel light sources are being developed. Impressive progress in nanotechnology and understanding of tumor cell biology rise hopes for further improvements in this elegant and promising method of cancer treatment.

We demonstrate the potential for ultrathin aluminum-oxide films as alternate gate dielectrics for Si complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology. Films are deposited in ultrahigh vacuum utilizing atomic beams of aluminum and oxygen on Si(100) surfaces. We show device-quality Si(100)/Al2O3 interfaces with interfacial trap densities in the 1010 cm−2 eV−1 range, and with leakage current densities five orders of magnitude lower than what is observed in SiO2 insulators at the same equivalent electrical thickness. As-grown films possess an amorphous-to-microcrystalline structure, depending upon the deposition temperature, and any interfacial layers between the Si(100) and Al2O3 layer are

The stability of Al2O3 films during thermal processing will help determine their usefulness as an alternative gate dielectric for advanced complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. We used medium energy ion scattering and atomic force microscopy to examine the degradation of ultrathin Al2O3 layers under ultrahigh vacuum annealing and the effects of low-temperature oxidation. No degradation is observed at 900 °C, but voids appear at higher temperatures. Growth of interfacial SiO2 takes place during low-pressure oxidation at 600 °C, which may limit the capacitance of extremely thin structures.

We report on the electrical and microstructural characteristics of La- and Y-based oxides grown on silicon substrates by ultrahigh vacuum atomic beam deposition, in order to examine their potential as alternate gate dielectrics for Si complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. We have examined the issues of polycrystallinity and interfacial silicon oxide formation in these films and their effect on the leakage currents and the ability to deposit films with low electrical thickness. We observe that polycrystallinity in the films does not result in unacceptably high leakage currents. We show significant Si penetration in both types of films. We find that the interfacial SiO2 is much thicker at ∼1.5 nm for the Y-based oxide compared to the La-based oxide where the thickness is

We demonstrate that Si layers overgrown on GaN/sapphire substrate structures can be transferred onto host substrates by using the technique of laser-induced metallization of GaN at the GaN/sapphire interface via the reaction GaN=Ga+1/2N2. This may allow the grafting of films of Si onto substrates such as glass or plastic for microelectronic applications. We examine the debonding mechanism and propose that it occurs due to pressures of the order of a few thousand atmospheres generated with the release of nitrogen from the GaN metallization reaction.

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We demonstrate the operation of multicolored light emitting diodes (LEDs) on a silicon wafer using ultraviolet/violet GaN LEDs grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si(111) in conjunction with organic dye based color converters. These organic converters, applied on top of the nitride diodes, absorb the nitride LED electroluminescence at ∼360 nm, and fluoresce in the green (∼530 nm), and orange (∼600 nm). In this fashion, multicolored light emitters may be made to operate side by side and monolithically on the same Si wafer in an approach that may be attractive for miniature GaN based full color displays.

We report the fabrication and characterization of GaN-based double heterostructure light emitting diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates. Light emitting diode operation is achieved by using the conducting Si(111) substrate as a backside n contact and a standard transparent Ni/Au p contact. We observe electroluminescence peaked in the ultraviolet ∼360 nm, with a full width at half maximum of ∼17 nm and in the violet at ∼420 nm. Electron microscopy studies indicate a high density of threading and planar defects. Consequences of these are discussed.

We have fabricated electrically reliable band-edge (BE) high-k/metal nMOSFETs stable to 1000degC, that exhibit the highest mobility (203 cm2/Vs @ 1MV/cm) at the thinnest Tinv (1.4 nm) reported to date. These stacks are formed by capping HfO2 with ultra-thin layers containing strongly electropositive gp. IIA and IIIB elements (e.g. Mg and La), prior to deposition of the TiN/Poly-Si electrode stack, in a conventional gate-first flow. Increasing the cap thickness tunes the Vt/V fb from a midgap position to BE while maintaining high mobility and good PBTI. The addition of La can enhance the effective k value of the dielectric stack, resulting in EOTs < 1nm. Short channel devices with band edge characteristics are demonstrated down to 60 nm. Finally, possible mechanisms to explain the nFET Vt shift are discussed

This invention provides a novel hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductor light emitting diode. The device consists of an electroluminescent layer and a photoluminescent layer. The electroluminescent layer is an inorganic GaN light emitting diode structure that is electroluminescent in the blue or ultraviolet (uv) region of the electromagnetic spectrum when the device is operated. The photoluminescent layer is a photoluminescent organic thin film such as tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) Al, Alq3, deposited onto the GaN LED and which has a high photoluminescence efficiency. The uv emission from the electroluminescent region excites the Alq3 which photoluminesces in the green. Such a photoconversion results in a light emitting diode that operates in the green (in the visible range). Other colors such as blue or red may be obtained by appropriately doping the Alq3. Furthermore, other luminescent organics in addition to Alq3 may be used to directly convert the uv or blue to other wavelengths of interest. The invention provides the benefits of simplicity and ease of fabrication, since a complete redesign of the structure is not necessary to change emission wavelength, and the possibility for making displays by spatially varying the deposition of the emissive layer.

We examine the epitaxial incorporation behavior of the volatile p-type dopant Mg at high growth temperatures during the molecular beam epitaxy of GaN on the [0001] surface, and report interesting doping behavior. The net Mg incorporation is independent of the arriving Mg flux over a flux variation of two decades, and dependent strongly on the growth temperature of the epilayer, limiting the net hole concentrations obtainable to the low 1017 cm−3 range. These results are explained in terms of incorporation either through a surface Mg phase, or via the availability of specific sites on the surface for Mg incorporation.

We demonstrate poly-Si/high-k gate stacks suitable for successful implementation in low power technologies. An optimized gate dielectric process was employed to suppress the large pFET threshold voltage shift commonly found with Hf-based gate dielectrics, reducing it to -0.2 V, while preserving pFET and nFET device performance.