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The barrier layer of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) formed on the silicon substrate was etched with Cl2/BCl3 gas mixtures by a neutral beam and the results were compared with the AAO etched by an ion beam. The etch rate of AAO itself was increased with the increase of BCl3 in Cl2/BCl3 up to 60% in the gas mixture. And, the etching of AAO itself was related to the Cl radical density in the plasma and the formation of volatile BOxCly on the AAO surface for both the neutral beam etching and the ion beam etching. The AAO itself could be etched by both the neutral beam and the ion beam in all Cl2/BCl3 gas mixtures. However, the barrier layer of the AAO located near the bottom of the AAO pore could not be etched using the ion beam etching due to the charging of the nanometer size AAO pore similar to the case of conventional reactive ion etching. Using the neutral beam etching, the barrier layer of AAO pore could be successfully etched with BCl3-rich BCl3/Cl2 gas mixtures by removing the barrier layer without charging the AAO pore and by the forming volatile BOxCly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) has been shown to be useful in evaluating frontal dysfunction. There is a paucity of studies validating cutoffs in the early cognitive impairment. We aim to validate the Chinese FAB in Asian subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early dementia. Methods: Eighty subjects with MCI and mild dementia and 100 cognitively healthy community subjects were studied. ROC analysis was done to determine the Chinese FAB's optimal cutoff scores for age- and education-adjusted subgroups. Results: Chinese FAB scores were significantly lower in early cognitive impairment compared with cognitively normal controls. The optimal cutoff score was 12/13 (sensitivity 92%, specificity 78.7%). A similar cutoff score was obtained following age-adjustment and for subjects with <6 years' education. Of note, the optimal cutoff for subjects with ≥6 years' education was 13/14 (sensitivity 91.8%, specificity 70.3%), an improved diagnostic performance compared to the earlier reported 11/12 cutoff. In comparison, the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) had lower rule-out accuracy (77% sensitivity, 91.2% specificity). The combination of the Chinese FAB and MMSE was superior to either test in isolation. Conclusion: The education-adjusted Chinese FAB has good diagnostic performance, which can supplement the MMSE in early cognitive impairment evaluation with construct differences observed between the Chinese FAB and MMSE. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the study of instability in Minimal Resource Allocation Network (MRAN) when presented with pattern classification is investigated and eliminated to a great extent. To tackle the instability problem in MRAN, an improved algorithm for pattern classification and approximation referred to as extended-MRAN (eMRAN) is introduced. In eMRAN, the ideas of localized adding criteria, localized Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), pruning strategy by class and monitoring of hidden neurons' parameters by class have been adopted. Two benchmarks and a simulated data have been utilized in verifying the classification performance of the improved network. The Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN) has also been introduced as a comparison tool since it has been a well-known superb classifier. From the simulation results obtained, eMRAN appeared to outperform the original MRAN and is also close to that of PNN if not better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes a care bundles implementation project for COPD undertaken during 2013 in England and Wales. High-level data were collected on outcomes of care for 11 748 patients admitted with an acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Patient-level data on processes and outcomes of care were collected on 3272 COPD admissions, among which 1174 bundles were delivered. Analysis demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in mortality and length of hospital stay from some bundle elements. Outcomes, including bundle completion rates, were better when specialist respiratory review occurred. The results support wider use of care bundles for AECOPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]