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An interesting opportunity arises when two or more oxides are used as alloys in an attempt to combine the desirable properties of several materials. These systems are predominantly non-stoichiometric, and in the case of two oxides, they are called pseudobinary alloys. Varying the ratio of the two oxides, thin films with certain preset characteristics can be obtained-refractive index, energy band gap, dielectric constants etc. Our investigations were focussed on spin-coated (Al 2 O 3 ) x (TiO 2 ) 1-x films. The electrical properties of (Al 2 O 3 ) x (TiO 2 ) 1-x were studied forming MIS structures. For accurate determinations of the dielectric constant various measurement methods were used: classical C-V, impedance spectroscopy and CV map B instrument. The effect of adding Al 2 O 3 to TiO 2 is to produce an amorphous dielectric film, which is thermodynamically stable on Si.

Thin films of molybdenum, tungsten and mixed MoO3-WO3 oxides obtained by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) are investigated by applying Raman and XRD measurements. All the films were prepared by identical technological parameters and were annealed at 400 °C. Analysis of the Raman and XRD spectra of the three types of films shows that molybdenum oxide films crystallize in orthorombic MoO3 with a small fraction of MoO2.89 sub-oxide, while the annealed tungsten oxide films are triclinic WO3 with less than 2% sub-oxide of W20O58. The Raman spectra of the mixed MoO3-WO3 films indicate crystalline phases of molybdenum and tungsten oxides in an amorphous framework. In addition, XRD results show that the structure of the mixed oxides follows the crystallization of WO3 and Mo atoms are suggested to be substitute of W in the WO3 lattice.

The transition metal oxides exhibit electrochromism, defined as color change caused by applied voltage. The electrochromic (EC) effect can be stronger in mixed oxides because of the higher optical absorption, due to electron transitions between two kinds of metal sites with different valences. Thin films of MoO3 and mixed Mo/W oxides were obtained by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using pyrolytic decomposition of metal hexacarbonyls. IR and Raman spectra are presented and compared with data for WO3 from previous investigation. Sputter auger spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of the mixed films. The visible transmittance of films deposited on glass substrate was about 80%; on conductively coated glass (i.e. SnO2:Sb/glass) the visible transmittance drops to around 60%. After annealing, the optical transmittance of the single oxide films slightly improves, while for the mixed films it slightly decreases. The electrochromic properties of MoO3 and mixed Mo/W oxide films were investigated by cyclic voltammetry performed in a conventional potentiostatic three-electrode configuration. Current and transmittance were measured simultaneously during the potential sweep at different wavelengths over the spectral range of 400–800 nm. Deep blue coloring of all the electrochromic films (MoO3, WO3 or Mo/WO3) appears only in the cathodic range, minimizing visible light transmittance. At positive potentials, the EC film starts bleaching (for about 3 min) and the film returns its initial transparency. It was found that the CVD deposited MoO3 and Mo0.07W0.93O3 thin films performed well as electrodes in electrochromic devices. We made devices based on Mo0.07W0.93O3/LiClO4 + propylene carbonate + polyvinyl alcohol + PVA/SnO2:Sb. The devices exhibited good cyclic reversibility (colored/bleached state) and good coloration efficiencies. We measured a transmittance change (600 nm) of 48.4% switching to 17.4% for our best device.

The effect of high-frequency electromagnetic field (HFEMF) on the electrical properties of metal ion beam implanted silicon was studied. Silicon wafers, (1 0 0) oriented, were implanted with Zn + , Te + or Bi + with energy of 50 keV and fluences from 1 × 10 15 to 1 × 10 17 cm −2 . Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analyses show an amorphous Si layer (a-Si) at the Si surface for the three types of implanted species. Te + and Bi + form metallic nanoclusters (NCs) in the a-Si at fluences ⩾10 16 cm −2 , while no NCs were observed for Zn + . Post-implantation treatment with 0.45 MHz HFEMF leads to decreased sheet resistance values only for samples with formed NCs. Another technique, AC electrical conductivity measurements, was used at frequencies in the range of 1 Hz–100 kHz. A correlation between the NCs evolution (as a function of implantation fluence and post-implantation processing) and the samples impedance dependence on these frequencies was found. An explanation based on potential barriers and HFEMF effect on the NCs is given.

Methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease analysis (MSRA) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been used to estimate the methylation level of 13 CpG dinucleotides in the promoter region of the putative suppressor gene RASSF1A (3p21.31) in squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine cervix (SCCs) carrying human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, and related types. Methylation of 3 to 13 CpG pairs has been found in 64% (25 out of 39) tumor DNA samples, 22% (2 out of 9) DNA samples from morphologically normal tissues adjacent to the tumor (P = 0.0306), and two out of three DNA samples from peripheral blood leukocytes of carcinoma patients. These CpG pairs are not methylated in the DNA of leukocytes of healthy donors (0 out of 10). The methylation level of the RASSF1A promoter region studied in tumors of the patients with regional lymph node metastases is significantly higher than in tumors of the patient that have no metastases (P = 8.5 × 10–12). The methylation frequency of gene RASSF1A is two times higher than the frequency of hemi- and homozygous deletions in the chromosome 3 region where the gene is located. The data obtained indicate that methylation is one of the main mechanisms of the RASSF1A gene inactivation in HPV-positive human cervical tumors. The methylation of this gene may be an early event in the genesis of cervical tumors, the methylation level increasing with tumor progression.

Thin films of MoO 3 –WO 3 were deposited by chemical vapor deposition. Raman and Auger Spectroscopies were used to characterize bonds configuration and depth profile of the chemical composition of the films. The transparency of MoO 3 –WO 3 films was measured by UV–VIS spectroscopy and showed 60% transmittance in the visible range. An electrochromic cell was made, based on the CVD-deposited MoO 3 –WO 3 film as working electrode, sol–gel TiO 2 –V 2 O 5 film as counter electrode and electrolyte based on LiClO 4 dissolved into propylene carbonate. Standard calomel electrode (SCE) was used as reference electrode. Cyclic voltamograms (applied voltage vs. current) were taken in a range of −1 V to +1 V, and at the same time the transmittance change was measured as a function of applied voltage. The electrochromic cell after 1500 cycles did not change its performance and physical appearance. The coloring goes very fast and the bleaching process takes 2–3 min.

Molybdenum oxide thin films were prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of molybdenum pentacarbonyl 1-methylbutylisonitrile. This precursor is an interesting alternative for the commonly used molybdenum hexacarbonyl, because the substance is liquid at room temperature, offers sufficient volatility and stability to air and water. The film growth was monitored in situ by a soft X-ray reflectivity measurement. The films were deposited with different plasma gases (hydrogen and oxygen) under different conditions and analysed by Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and spectral ellipsometry. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Sol–gel BaTiO 3 has been obtained using a colloidal solution prepared by peptization of acetate derived gel with acetylacetone. IR spectroscopy studied the thermal destruction of organic components of the solution. Very thin films (thickness=44 nm) were deposited by using the dip-coating technique. The optical and dielectric properties of sol–gel BaTiO 3 thin films were investigated in the visible spectral range.

Thin films of titanium dioxide and titanium–vanadium oxide were obtained by a sol–gel method. The coatings are uniform, smooth with very good optical properties. The solutions of both kinds are stable for more than a year. Structure and vibrational properties were studied with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The refractive indices and film thicknesses were measured by an ellipsometer at a wavelength of 638.2 nm, as a function of annealing temperature. The optical properties were investigated by ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy.

Thin films of tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide and mixed MoO3–WO3 oxides were obtained by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD). All the films were prepared using identical technological parameters and through investigation of the optical properties of as deposited and annealed at 400°C a comparative study is reported. Raman, IR and VIS spectrophotometry and spectral ellipsometry methods were used. The mixed MoO3–WO3 films have higher optical absorption with maxima at a closer position with respect to the human eye sensitivity peak at 2.5 eV. The observed electrochromic effect is better expressed in the mixed films; the electrical charge inserted is higher.

Vibrational and optical properties of MoO3 thin films have been studied by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The films were deposited onto Si substrates at a temperature of 150 °C by chemical vapor deposition of Mo(CO)6 at atmospheric pressure and different amounts of oxygen in the reactor. The Raman and IR spectral analyses show that the as-deposited films are in general amorphous. Post-deposition annealing at 300 and 400 °C leads to crystallization and the MoO3 film structure is a mixture of orthorhombic and monoclinic MoO3 modifications. Transformation of the monoclinic crystallographic modification to a thoroughly orthorhombic layered structure is observed for films heated at temperatures above 400 °C.

BaTiO 3 (BTO) and Ba 1− x Sr x TiO 3 (BSTO) thin films (15–45 nm) were obtained with good dielectric properties on Si wafer using the sol–gel method. The films are coated with the sol solution by spin coating technique and additional thermal annealing. The results from XPS and XRD measurement show that, at high thermal annealing at 700–800°C, there is a penetration of the Si atoms from the substrate into the layer, forming silicon oxide. In this way, formation of solid solution BTO+SiO 2 and BSTO+SiO 2 takes place, leading to an improvement of the film dielectric properties: small leakage current and high breakdown voltage, but the dielectric constant decreases.

The optical properties of CVD MoO3 films were studied by ellipsometry in the spectral range 280–820 nm. The films were deposited on silicon substrates by pyrolytic decomposition at atmospheric pressure of Mo(CO)6 at 150 and 200 °C. To optimize the film structure, annealing was performed at temperatures of 300 and 400 °C. The refractive index for as-deposited MoO3 films varies within 1.8–2.2 and the optical band gap energies in the range 2.87–2.98 eV. After annealing, the latter values slightly increase to 2.85–3.05 eV, depending on the annealing temperature. The band gap energies are typical for a polycrystalline material. Peaks in the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient were observed. Their position and intensity are found to be affected by the process temperature.

A TiO2–V2O5 colloidal solution was obtained with a stability of more than 2 years. Xerogels, dried at 80 °C and treated at 300 and 560 °C, were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the sample treated at 300 °C is amorphous, and crystallization began after 450 °C. Vanadium-doped titanium dioxide thin films were prepared by using sol–gel dipping technique. Highly transparent TiO2–V2O5 coatings were formed on quartz substrates. The optical properties of the sol–gel mixed thin films were characterized as a function of the annealing temperatures from 200 to 650 °C.

Thin films of molybdenum oxide were obtained by atmospheric pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method at two deposition temperatures of 150 and 200 °C. The precursor used was Mo(CO) 6 in Air+O 2 atmosphere. The films were deposited on different substrates (Si wafer, glass and conductive SnO 2 :Sb covered glass) and showed good adhesion. They were characterized by XRD measurements, IR spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and UV–VIS spectroscopy. The coatings were uniform and had a good optical behavior with 70–80% transmittance in the visible region.

The adaptation of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) to an array of physiologic niches is advantaged by the plasticity of the viral genome, encoded proteins, and promoter. CXCR4-utilizing (X4) viruses preferentially, but not universally, infect CD4+ T cells, generating high levels of virus within activated HIV-1-infected T cells that can be detected in regional lymph nodes and peripheral blood. By comparison, the CCR5-utilizing (R5) viruses have a greater preference for cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage; however, while R5 viruses also display a propensity to enter and replicate in T cells, they infect a smaller percentage of CD4+ T cells in comparison to X4 viruses. Additionally, R5 viruses have been associated with viral transmission and CNS disease and are also more prevalent during HIV-1 disease. Specific adaptive changes associated with X4 and R5 viruses were identified in co-linear viral sequences beyond the Env-V3. The in silico position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM) algorithm was used to define distinct groups of X4 and R5 sequences based solely on sequences in Env-V3. Bioinformatic tools were used to identify genetic signatures involving specific protein domains or long terminal repeat (LTR) transcription factor sites within co-linear viral protein R (Vpr), trans-activator of transcription (Tat), or LTR sequences that were preferentially associated with X4 or R5 Env-V3 sequences. A number of differential amino acid and nucleotide changes were identified across the co-linear Vpr, Tat, and LTR sequences, suggesting the presence of specific genetic signatures that preferentially associate with X4 or R5 viruses. Investigation of the genetic relatedness between X4 and R5 viruses utilizing phylogenetic analyses of complete sequences could not be used to definitively and uniquely identify groups of R5 or X4 sequences; in contrast, differences in the genetic diversities between X4 and R5 were readily identified within these co-linear sequences in HIV-1-infected patients.

Mixed metal oxides based on MoO 3 and WO 3 are prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a precursor-mixture of Mo(CO) 6 and W(CO) 6 powders. By pyrolytical decomposition of the mixed vapors at atmospheric pressure in presence of oxygen, thin films were deposited on silicon substrates at 200°C. The films were characterized by Raman, IR and Ellipsometric Spectroscopies. In as-deposited form the films are amorphous as revealed by Raman spectra. Post-deposition annealing at 200 and 300°C does not significantly change the vibrational and optical properties. Annealing at 400 and 500°C leads to predominantly amorphous structure with appearing of crystalline phase. The character of the absorption spectra and the values of the optical energy bandgap (2.57-2.66 eV) suggest that the CVD-MoO 3 -WO 3 oxide films have highly defective structure.

Molybdenum oxide films were obtained at 200°C by Chemical Vapor Deposition of Mo(CO) 6 at atmospheric pressure and at an optimal ratio of precursor vapors and oxygen. Vibrational and optical properties as dependent on process temperatures were investigated by Raman and Ellipsometric Spectroscopy. The as-deposited films are generally amorphous. A crystallization starts if films are heated at 200°C up to 500°C. Besides the basic Mo-O bands, after annealing a variety of additional vibrational bands was observed. This evidence for polycrystalline structure was also supported by the optical gap energy values found in the range of 2.72-3.63 eV typical for polycrystalline material.

Titanium dioxide and mixed oxide system TiO2–MnO have been prepared by the sol–gel method using titanium ethylate and manganese nitrate as precursors. The xerogels of the solutions dried at 80°C and treated at 560°C in air for 1 h have been characterized by XRD, FT–IR spectroscopies and DTA analysis. Coatings with good optical quality were obtained and investigated by UV–VIS spectroscopy.

Thin films of chromium oxide were obtained by the atmospheric pressure CVD method at a deposition temperature of 200 °C. The used precursor was Cr(CO) 6 in Ar + O 2 atmosphere. The films were deposited on different substrates (Si substrate, glass and conductive SnO 2 :Sb covered glass) and showed good adhesion. They were characterized by XRD measurements, IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and VIS spectroscopy. The coatings are uniform and have a good optical behavior with 60-70% transmittance in the visible region.

By chemical vapor deposition at atmospheric pressure using Mo(CO) 6 precursor and Ar/O 2 gas mixture, thin MoO 3 films were prepared on Si substrates. The deposition and sublimator temperatures were in the range of 150–200 and 70–90°C, respectively. Investigations of the as-deposited MoO 3 films were performed by spectroscopic ellipsometry (300–800 nm) and infrared spectrophotometry (200–1200 cm −1 ). The refractive index of the films was found to be in the range of 1.7–2.3 and the optical band gap energy, E og , estimated from the absorption analysis, was in the range of 2.76–3.14 eV. The infrared spectra exhibit the characteristic peaks for β-modification of polycrystalline material.

Silicide formation due to thermal treatment of thin (200–1000 A) molybdenum films on single-crystal silicon substrates in the temperature range of 800–1000°C was studied. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in vacuum was performed on Mo/Si system to form silicides. Molybdenum films were deposited on Si (1 0 0) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using Mo(CO)6 (molybdenum hexacarbonyl) as precursor. The as-deposited films with thicknesses of 200 and 1000 A were heated in vacuum at RTA temperatures of 800 and 1000°C for time durations of 15 and 30 s, 1 and 3 min. The results from the X-ray diffraction analysis and the Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy measurements show that Mo films after annealing transform into Mo silicides, preferably tetragonal MoSi2 crystal phase. The presence of Mo5Si3 formation is also found. There is a change in the electrical resistance of the films before and after annealing. For the molybdenum silicides obtained the resistivity is in the range 0.9–9.8 mΩ cm.

This paper presents results on molybdenum oxide films deposited by APCVD process from Mo(CO) 6 in a low-temperature range - 125-200°C. We first study the correlation between CVD-process growth parameters and the structure of MoO 3 films, from one side, and the relation between their structure and optical properties, from the other side. We present a study basically on the influence on the structure of the temperature - the deposition and the post-deposition annealing ones and the influence of the vapor pressure of Mo(CO) 6 . The structure of the films is studied by different methods including infrared spectroscopy. The purpose is to see what kind of additional information can supply the IR measurements on the structure of the films in dependence of the CVD-process parameters.

Solid state electrochemical devices (ECDs) for smart windows, large area displays and automobile rearview mirrors are of considerable technological and commercial interest. In this paper, we studied the electrochromic properties of amorphous and polycrystalline CVD carbonyl tungsten oxide films and the possibility for sol-gel thin TiO 2 film to play the role of passive electrode in an electrochromic window with solid polymer electrolyte.

Tetragonal ThMn 12 -type single crystalline ErFe 11 Ti and HoFe 11 Ti samples have been investigated by magnetization measurements and by observations of the magnetic domain structure at various temperatures between 10 and 300 K. The magnetic structure of ErFe 11 Ti changes from room temperature “easy axis” ( c -axis) type to conical at spin-reorientation temperature T SR = 5 0 K . The HoFe 11 Ti has a metastable anisotropy energy minimum in the a -direction at T 4 0 K . It leads to a first-order magnetization process detected by magnetization measurements along the a -axis in this temperature region.

A grand number of ontologies have been developed and are publicly accessible on the Web making techniques for mapping between various ontologies more significant. Research has been made in the area of ontology alignment, a grand number of approaches, algorithms, and tools have been developed in recent years, but are still not “perfect” and excellent knowledge. In this article, the author makes an overall view of the state of ontology alignment, including the latest research, comparing many approaches, and analyzing their strengths and drawbacks. The main motivation behind this work is the fact that despite many component matching solutions that have been developed so far, there is no integrated solution that is a clear success, which can be used for ontology mapping in all cases, making knowledge about developed ontology mapping methods and their clear classification needed.

Transparent and conductive oxide/ metal/ oxide nanolaminate structures were deposited on glass and polymer substrate by RF magnetron sputtering without substrate heating. The Ag nanoparticles with different size and distance between neighboring particles were located on the interface of two thin oxide layers. This sputtering configuration allows obtaining thin films with homogeneous thickness. The three targets give the opportunity to deposit successively three different layers without opening the chamber. The developed process for transparent conducting coating is a low temperature and it is suitable for application on organic materials as substrate and foils. The experiment with different substrates manifest that the optical transparency of the conducting coating depends on substrate material. The obtained results have demonstrated that the nanolaminate structures oxide/metal/oxide (OMO) as TCO coating are especially suitable for applications in flexible electronics and optoelectronics

We synthesized undoped as well as up to 6 at.% nitrogen (N) doped thin amorphous carbon (α-C) films by plasma- enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. The source of carbon/carbon containing radicals was benzene (C6H6) in Ar gas- mixture. The obtained thin films were studied by optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, UV-VIS- NIR Spectral Ellipsometry, IR and Raman spectroscopic studies as well as by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS). We established by XPS that the deposited layers consist of a mix of sp2 and sp3 hybridized carbon. The films are amorphous as it was shown by the measured XRD patterns. The ellipsometric measurements enabled calculation of transition energies and the complex results showed that films with thickness of 15- 120 nm and different properties can be obtained by this technique.

TiO2:Ag nanocomposites have been prepared by sol-gel method with varying silver concentration. Different technological approaches are employed to study the formation of Ag nanoparticles in titanium dioxide matrix. The obtained thin films are either thermally treated at temperatures from 300 to 600oC or UV irradiated for 15 minutes between layer deposition. XRD and FTIR studies reveal that Ag is incorporated in TiO2 films as nanoparticles and no Ag oxide phases are detected. Optical characterization performed by UV-VIS spectroscopy confirms the formation of silver nanoparticles. The influence of thermal treatment and UV radiation on the optical and structural properties is studied.

This paper presents a sol-gel technological process for preparing thin films of ZnO and ZnO:Al. The effect of annealing treatments (500, 600, 700 and 800 °C) on their properties was studied. The structural evolution with the temperature was investigated by using X-Ray diffraction (XRD). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and UV-VIS spectrophotometry were applied to characterizing the films' vibrational and optical properties. The ZnO and ZnO:Al films possessed a polycrystalline structure. The films studied are highly transparent in the visible spectral range. The optical band gap values and the haze parameter were also determined.

The aim of this study was formation of a multilayered transparent conductive nanolaminate structure with optimized conductivity vs. transparency parameters. The nanolayered structure comprised one or two thin layers of dielectric materials. The overall electrical conductivity was modified by tuning the size of the planar metal granules. Magnetron sputtering system with three different targets was used for layers deposition. The advantages are: the good reproducibility of a low-temperature process allows for effective process control and, optionally, selective formation of conductive areas in a dielectric structure. Our studies revealed that the relation between the sheet resistance and the maximum transparency in the visible spectral range depends on the size of the metal granules and the film thickness of the dielectric coating. The technology provides transparent conductive coatings with well-controlled optical and electrical properties.

Nanostructured metal oxide films are extensively studied due to their numerous applications such as optoelectronic devices, sensors. In this work, we report the Y-Zn-O nanostructured films prepared by sol-gel technology from sols with different concentration of yttrium precursor, followed by post-annealing treatment. The Y doped ZnO thin films have been deposited on Si and quartz substrates by spin coating method, then treated at temperatures ranging from 300-800oC. XRD analysis reveals modification of the film structure and phases in the doped ZnO films.

"Smart windows" are envisaged for future low-energy, high-efficient architectural buildings, as well as for the car industry. By switching from coloured to fully bleached state, these windows regulate the energy of solar flux entering the interior. Functional layers in these devices are the transition metals oxides. The materials (transitional metal oxides) used in smart windows can be also applied as photoelectrodes in water splitting photocells for hydrogen production or as photocatalytic materials for self-cleaning surfaces, waste water treatment and pollution removal. Solar energy utilization is recently in the main scope of numerous world research laboratories and energy organizations, working on protection against conventional fuel exhaustion. The paper presents results from research on transition metal oxide thin films, fabricated by different methods - atomic layer deposition, atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition, physical vapour deposition, and wet chemical methods, suitable for flowthrough production process. The lower price of the chemical deposition processes is especially important when the method is related to large-scale glazing applications. Conclusions are derived about which processes are recently considered as most prospective, related to electrochromic materials and devices manufacturing.

With the aim to test the effects of roughage source and species on fatty acid (FA) composition of milk, an experiment was initiated on 10 buffalo and 12 bovine cows, allotted by the analog method into control (fed silage) and experimental (fed hay) groups. Milk samples were taken individually at three test days – prior to experiment (TD0), after one (TD1) and two (TD2) months from the start – and subjected to fatty acid analysis. The effects and co-effects were tested by two-way ANOVA’s for TD1 and TD2 data, while for the assessment of the differences between species at TD0 – by one-way ANOVA. Compared to the bovine, at TD0 the buffalo milk displayed significantly lower contents of C8:0-C14:0 and higher of C18:1, total SFA being lower; PUFA were significantly lower, concerning also C18:2 (P≤0.01), while MUFA (especially C18:1) were higher (P≤0.05). In the two experimental groups at TD2 PUFA and particularly C18:2 were higher (P≤0.001). In the buffaloes fed hay C18:1 and C18:3 were also established higher (P≤0.001) with noticeably lower SFA, as compared to silage diet. It was contrary in the bovine cows, the experimental group having higher C8:0–C15:0 (P≤0.001) and lower UFA portion. Despite having similar FA profile to the bovine milk, the bubaline milk displayed better n6/n3 ratio; but lower PUFA fraction with tendency to improve, together with MUFA, when roughage source is shifted from silage to hay.

Background. The aim of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) is not only effectiveness, but also safety. Long treatment duration makes the analysis of most significant complications very important. Pleural effusion (PE) is an important adverse event of dasatinib therapy with largely unclear cause. The optimal management of recurrent PE is unknown and the analysis of its treatment results is actual. Aim. To describe the characteristics of patients with recurrent PE at prolonged dasatinib treatment and to suggest the strategy of their management. Methods. Follow-up data of 23 CML late chronic phase patients at dasatinib therapy after imatinib failure in 2 clinical studies: phase II study comparing dasatinib 140 mg and imatinib 800 mg daily (N = 12) and phase III dasatinib dose-optimizing study in patients with imatinib-resistant or intolerant patients (N = 11). M:F ratio was 7:16. Median age at the beginning of dasatinib - 48 years (26-68), median CML duration - 11 years (4,1-19,2). The reason for TKI change was imatinib resistance: cytogenetic (N = 17) and hematological (N = 6). Results. Median duration of dasatinib treatment - 40 months (10-107); 13 patients (56,3%) are alive, 10 patients (43,5%) have died because of progression of CML. In 19 patients (82,6%) dasatinib treatment was stopped because of: blastic transformation - 6 (26,1%), hematological resistance - 3 (13,1%), cytogenetic resistance - 5 (21,7%), PE - 5 (21,7%). Four patients are still on dasatinib treatment with median duration 8,8 years (8,7-8,9), 3 of them retain complete/major molecular response. The best responses were: complete hematological response in 21 (91,3%), complete cytogenetic response - in 8 (34,8%), major molecular response - in 6 (26,1%) patients. Overall 8-year survival was 55,1%, progression-free survival - 55,4%, event-free survival - 26,1%. PE was observed in 11 (47,8%) patients, in 8 of them (72,7%) - recurrent. In one patient the prolonged PE was associated with fibrosis of adjacent lung and pleura. Median time to PE was 34 (6-83) months. In cases of PE dasatinib was interrupted (mean duration 21 d) and diuretics were started. Six patients (54,5%) also received corticosteroids. Five patients (45,6%) were treated with thoracocentesis. In recurrent PE the dasatinib dosage was decreased. The dasatinib discontinuation in 4 patients with recurrent PE has led to loss of major molecular response in 2 of them; in other 2 it is retained for 6,5 and 1,5 years. Event-free 8-year survival was 36,4% in patients with PE, 16,7% - without it. Discussion. The response rate in patients with PE was not worse, than in those without it. Most often PE begins at 3rd year of treatment; later events were only relapses. Among risk factors of PE 2 patients had arterial hypertension and hypercholesterinemia, 3 patients were > 65 yrs. The significantly high PE on rate (48%) was linked to high initial dasatinib dosage (> 100 mg/d) and bid prescription. We have not observed cases of absolute lymphocytosis due to large granular lymphocytes proliferation. The continuation of treatment generally leads to recurrences of effusion. According to our experience, once arising PE tends to recur. The compensation can be maintained with continuous treatment with diuretics. The prolonged PE may lead to fibrosis of adjacent lung and pleura. Prolonged treatment interruptions and decreased doses can cause treatment failure. The role of corticosteroids is unclear. Conclusion. Our experience in recurrent PE management at dasatinib treatment allow to recommend the usage of alternative TKI in patients with poor treatment response, and discontinuation of treatment in patients with deep molecular response with close monitoring of residual disease by PCR. Disclosures Turkina: Novartis International AG: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy.

Adaptive e-learning systems are better for achieving many learning goals, but adaptive content development is more difficult and expencive. The open-corpus model enable use and reuse of many external resources to facilitate development process and ensure well-organized actual and personalized learning content. The main idea of this paper is controlled extension of previously developed by professionals learning course in the learning process by learners. We propose conceptual model and evaluation example of adaptive e-learning system, including easy-to-use tools, allowing users to find needed in the learning process external content and adding them as semantically described new learning resources in the system. The added content may be then checked and changed by other users — learners or teachers. The system propose tools not only for finding, manipulation, annotation and organization of the new content, but it ensure the enrichment of it described schema (ontology) by using interactive ontology learning.

Mixed oxide films of transition metals gain considerable much attention due to their interesting optoelectronic properties. The low temperature chemical vapor growth processing of thin films of mixed W and Mo oxides is presented. The investigation is related to optimization of films structure and the related optoelectronic properties in dependence on the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process parameters. Their electrochromic behavior and photoelectrode properties were studied.

p53, an important tumor suppressor protein, exerts its function mostly as a sequence-specific transcription factor and is subjected to multiple posttranslational modifications in response to genotoxic stress. Recently, we discovered that lysine methylation of p53 at K372 by Set7/9 (also known as SET7 and Set9) is important for transcriptional activation and stabilization of p53. In this report we provide a molecular mechanism for the effect of p53 methylation on transcription. We demonstrate that Set7/9 activity toward p53, but not the nucleosomal histones, is modulated by DNA damage. Significantly, we show that lysine methylation of p53 is important for its subsequent acetylation, resulting in stabilization of the p53 protein. These p53 modification events can be observed on the promoter of p21 gene, a known transcriptional target of p53. Finally, we show that methylation-acetylation interplay in p53 augments acetylation of histone H4 in the promoter of p21 gene, resulting in its subsequent transcriptional activation and, hence, cell cycle arrest. Collectively, these results suggest that the cross talk between lysine methylation and acetylation is critical for p53 activation in response to DNA damage and that Set7/9 may play an important role in tumor suppression.

The present paper reports the incorporation of Si nanoparticles (NPs) in (Al2O3)x (B2O3)1-x films. A new approach for involving Si NPs (20 nm) p+ doped into sol solution was used. After spin coating deposition and additional annealing at 850°C, (Al2O3)x (B2O3)1-x films with Si NPs have been obtained with thickness of 75 and 120 nm. The (Al2O3)x (B2O3)1-x films were deposited on p-type and n-type Si wafers. The optical study reveals that Si NPs embedded in (Al2O3)x(B2O3)1-x leads to higher absorption in the visible spectral range compared to dielectric layer without nanoparticles. AFM studies show that the incorporated Si nanoparticles into the dielectric layer have probably a uniform distribution on film surface. This conclusion is confirmed by SEM observation. The current - voltage (I-V) characteristics of a structure (Al2O3)x(B2O3)1-x layer with Si NPs on p- type Si shows an ohmic type of conductivity. The sheet resistance is 480 Ohm/sq respectively, when the same layer is deposited on quartz substrate. This work presents a new technological approach for integration of Si NPs in dielectric matrix of (Al2O3)x (B2O3)1-x. The results can find applications for formation of ultra thin emitter for photodiodes and Si solar cells.

To scale MOS transistors beyond 100 nm, it is imperative to find a dielectric of high permittivity (high-k dielectric) to replace the current SiO/sub 2/ as a gate insulator. In principle, a high dielectric can deliver an equivalent SiO/sub 2/ thickness of 1 nm with a greater physical thickness (20 nm if k=80) and, hence lower leakage current. Realizing the promise of high-k dielectrics in the ULSI technology is an enormously challenging task. There are several classes of dielectric, such as oxides and fluorides. The simplest such oxides have one metallic element, e.g. HfO/sub 2/, ZrO/sub 2/, Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ with rare earth metals. Their dielectric constant range is from 10-30. More complex such oxides have two different metallic elements such as BaTiO/sub 3/ and SrTiO/sub 3/. They can form solid-state solutions with each other at all ratios, because of their identical crystal structures. That is why thin films of barium titanate (BTO) and barium strontium titanate (BSTO) of a permittivity in the range of 100-400 and greater specific capacitance, have emerged as a leading contender as a gate dielectric for sub - 0.1 mm MOS transistors. In this study results are reported of the structural and dielectric properties of several thin films prepared by the sol-gel method. The electrical properties are investigated on MIS structures and the results are related to the effect of reaction with the silicon substrate upon thermal annealing.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) is an endogenous inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This multifunctional protein regulates activities of MMPs and possesses growth promoting effect in cell culture, anti-tumoral, anti-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects in animal model systems in vivo. It has been shown that this gene is downregulated in cervical carcinomas. The mechanism of inhibition of TIMP-2 expression remains obscure. We have examined whether aberrant DNA methylation of the 5'CpG island of the TIMP-2 gene is involved in its inhibition during cervical carcinogenesis. Bisulfite-modified DNA sequencing and MSP assay showed aberrant methylation of TIMP-2 5'-CpG island in 17 of 36 (47%) invasive cervical carcinomas and in 2 of 3 cervical cancer cell lines. TIMP-2 gene was mostly unmethylated in the morphologically normal tissues adjacent to the tumors, whereas methylated alleles of this gene were found in 4 samples. Each tumor and each cell line DNA was characterized by unique methylation pattern, however a discrete region of TIMP-2 CpG island upstream to the transcription start site was densely methylated in all hypermethylated DNA samples examined. The expression of TIMP-2 mRNA can be restored in the cell lines, in which this discrete region of TIMP-2 CpG island is methylated, by treatment with demethylating agents, 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Our data suggest that the aberrant methylation of TIMP-2 favors the development of primary cervical tumors. We describe for the first time the aberrant hypermethylation of TIMP-2 gene in human cancer.

Semiconductor electrodes have gained much attention in the field of solar energy conversion, as electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells [1]. It seems that developing a mixed semiconductor is a way to produce a non-corrosive, narrow bandgap photoelectrode.

The optical absorption in APCVD thin films of MoO3, WO3 and mixed MoO3- WO3 was studied in the range 300–850 nm, by spectrophotometry. Annealing at 400°C resulted in an increased absorption in mixed oxide films, while for the MoO3 and WO3 films a slight decrease was registered. All films, in the as-deposited and annealed states, have optical band gap energies in the range 2.55–3.2 eV, and refractive indices from 1.8 to 2.6.

ZrO2 and (ZrO2)x(Al2O3)1-x films were deposited by the sol-gel technique on Si substrates. The effect of the Al2O3 additive on the film surface morphology was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mixed oxide films showed a smoother morphology and lower values of the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness compared to ZrO2. Further, FTIR spectra indicated that ZrO2 underwent crystallization. The electrical measurements of the MIS structure revealed that the presence of Al2O3 and the amorphization affects its dielectric properties. The MIS structure with (ZrO2)x(Al2O3)1-x showed a lower fixed charge (~ 6×1010 cm−2) and an interface state density in the middle of the band gap of 6×1011 eV−1 cm−2). The dielectric constant measured was 22, with the leakage current density decreasing to 2×10−8 A cm−2 at 1×106 V cm−1.

We present a detailed investigation of the properties of silicon dioxide deposited at a low temperature. The advantages of this process include its low thermal requirements (about 200 °C), the absence of corrosive by-products and the lack of need of vacuum equipment. Sol solutions were prepared for the deposition of ultrathin SiO2 films by spin-coating at the low annealing temperature of 200 °C. The layers' thickness was 24 nm and 5 nm. We describe in detail the material properties of this novel low-temperature SiO2 layers obtained by extensive characterization using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), XPS spectroscopy, capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The ultrathin oxide layers on Si substrates show good dielectric properties.

The work presents a sol-gel approach with two types of solvents for ZnO films deposition in view of varying the films' structural and optical properties. The ZnO films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and found to have a polycrystalline wurtzite phase structure. The grain sizes and the lattice parameters were determined; it was established that the ZnO crystallites' size increases with the annealing temperatures from 25 nm to 36 nm. The ZnO films possess high transmittance in the visible spectral range. Further, the optical band gap values were estimated. The material's vibration properties were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The two technological sol-gel approaches for deposition of ZnO films, using two different solvents, proved to be successful in producing structures with different structural and optical properties. The thin films fabricated were very smooth and uniform and exhibited a high transparency in the visible spectral range.

WO3-V2O5 thin films were deposited by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD). WO3-V2O5 thin films are investigated related to their potential use as primary electrochromic layers (working electrodes) in Electrochromic Devices. A typical EC Device is a sandwich like structure with two conductive glasses and an electrolyte with working electrodes that possess electrochromic properties. APCVD has the advantages of scalability to large areas with uniform thickness and potentially low cost.