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The epidermal stratum corneum (SC) lipid matrix, principally consisting of an equimolar ratio of ceramides, free fatty acids, and cholesterol, plays a crucial role in maintaining proper skin barrier function. Conditions which impair barrier integrity, such as in atopic dermatitis, correlate with the alternation of key ceramide subclasses and reduced chain length of acyl moieties. However, there is limited knowledge about the impact of unprotected repeat sun exposure on the skin lipid composition, especially ceramide profiles.This study investigated the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the ceramide profile using both an ex vivo skin and a clinical model. Lipidomic analysis of UV-exposed skin showed shifts to the composition of ceramide subclasses essential in repairing and strengthening the SC barrier (including CER1[EOS], CER3[NP], and CER6[AP]) and reduced very long-chain acyl moieties. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemical staining of key enzymes (aSMase, DES1, CerS5, CerS3) suggested that lipid alterations can be attributed to changes within the ceramide biosynthesis process. Topical application of ceramide-containing suncare products help maintain SC-essential ceramide subclasses and proper ceramide chain length, demonstrating the importance of proper photoprotection to maintain healthy skin barrier and ceramide quality during daily sun exposure. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(1):77-85. doi:10.36849/JDD.6331.

Dynamic changes to the skin barrierrsquo;s molecular structure and ceramide profile are well-documented in skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Pathological and environmental factors have been shown to impair barrier integrity and demonstrate shifts in ceramide composition in the skin. However, the relationship between acute and prolonged sun exposure and its effects on skin barrier homeostasis is insufficiently investigated. This study aims to uncover new scientific evidence to elucidate the relationship of UV irradiation with the skin barrier using an ex vivo tissue model following simulated UVA/UVB exposure.nbsp;Fresh ex vivo human skin pretreated either with or without a broad-spectrum sunscreen was exposed to either a physiological or elevated UV condition. Following eight days in culture, structural and molecular changes were evaluated. UV irradiated skin displayed epidermal cell death and altered expression of key barrier proteins. TEM analysis demonstrated disruption to adherens junctions and dissociation between tissue layers following both physiological and extensive UV exposures. An effective broad-spectrum sunscreen containing essential skin ceramides completely protected the skin from such changes. This is one of the first works demonstrating a clear correlation of altered skin barrier integrity using a physiologically relevant dose in an ex vivo tissue model. Our findings also further support the additional importance and benefits of sun protection among the consumers.nbsp;J Drugs Dermatol. 20(4 Suppl):s23-28. doi:10.36849/JDD.S589D.

Skin is a complex organ comprised of multiple cell types and microstructures that work in concert to serve critical functions and support the bodyrsquo;s homeostasis. It is the outermost, cornified layer of our body that is primarily responsible for the permeability barrier, protecting against external aggressors and preventing water loss from within. The understanding of the organization, functionality, and underlying mechanisms of the skin barrier has evolved greatly through the years. The formation of an intact and well-maintained stratum corneum (SC), where the permeability barrier resides, relies heavily on the differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes and the synthesis, release, localization, and binding of lipids that include principally ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. The in-depth research on SC barrier, its disruption in the pathogenesis of diseases, as well as on barrier responses to environmental insults, has enabled the development of modern therapeutics and topical care routines. Among them, ceramide-containing moisturizers have clinically demonstrated the ability to support the management of skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis by reducing the disease severity and recurrence and improving the patientsrsquo; perception of overall skin quality and health. This review focuses on the contributions of various barrier constituents to skin barrier function in health and pathological conditions, and how topical interventions containing essential barrier lipids support barrier restoration and provide relief. J Drugs Dermatol. 20(4 Suppl):s3-9. doi:10.36849/JDD.S589A.

This letter investigates the mechanism of abnormal substrate current ( $\text {I}_{\text {sub}}$ ) after hot carrier stress (HCS) in fin field effect transistors (FinFETs). Traditionally, after HCS, the drain current and $\text {I}_{\text {sub}}$ of the saturation region will continue to decrease. In this work, however, $\text {I}_{\text {sub}}$ first decreased and then exhibited a gradual abnormal rise. This abnormal $\text {I}_{\text {sub}}$ behavior was investigated by different measurement methods and was determined to be due to trap-assisted tunneling. This study first uses different operating voltages to prove the proposed model, then applies a variable temperature stress condition to confirm the model. Finally, a junction current measurement is used to determine the location of defect generation.

Fixed-width Booth multipliers (FWBMs) generate a product with the same bit width as the operand and have been extensively employed in many digital systems. Various truncation error compensation (TEC) schemes have been presented for FWBM designs, aiming to reduce hardware costs while preserving operation accuracy. In general, the existing TEC methods function adequately for an exact bit width of the operand but fail to consider the TEC effect for FWBM inputs with various bit-width levels. To address this issue, we propose a bit-width adaptive TEC (BWATEC) scheme for providing high-accuracy TEC functions that are adaptive to the multiple L′-bit numerical ranges of input data for an L-bit FWBM (L′ ≤ L). We also present adjustable architecture for a 16-bit FWBM to enable the proposed BWATEC scheme and evaluate the hardware performance, using the TSMC 40 nm standard cell library. Relative to the contrast 16-bit FWBM approaches that use state-of-the-art TEC methods, the proposed BWATEC-enabled FWBM design can achieve reductions in the area-delay-error product of 7.9–50.9%, 17.1–69.5%, 29.9–82.2%, and 100% for the 14-bit, 12-bit, 10-bit, and 8-bit inputs, respectively. Moreover, the resultant 16-bit FWBM with BWATEC was verified by using the field-programmable gate array for convolutional neural network acceleration.

This work investigates the effects of HfO2 layer defects, formed by the Al atoms in the metal gate, on performance and reliability in advanced n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (n-MOSFETs) with different Al content in the gate stacks. Many groups have proposed theories (e.g., Si–H bond dissociation, trapped in high- ${k}$ defects and impact ionization) to explain the degradation mechanisms in MOSFETs, with most focusing on the dissociation of the Si-H bond at the Si/SiO2 interface and the carrier trapping in the high- $k$ layer. However, for multi- ${V}_{{\text {th}}}$ devices, experimental results indicate that the formation of defects by Al atoms in the HfO2 layer is the main reason for degradation in advanced n-MOSFETs. Therefore, we propose a mechanism to clarify the deterioration in advanced n-MOSFETs with different Al content in the gate stacks, and this mechanism is confirmed by positive bias temperature instability (PBTI), hot carrier instability (HCI), HCI power-law fitting and the gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) measurement.

This letter discusses the hot carrier stress (HCS) degradation mechanisms for different gate voltages ( $\text{V}_{\textsf {G}}$ ) in FinFET devices, and finds the abnormal relationship between HCS degradation and body current under high $\text{V}_{\textsf {G}}$ . According to the distributions of lifetime ( ${\tau }$ )- $\text{I}_{\textsf {B}}$ and ${\tau }$ -drain current ( $\text{I}_{\textsf {D}}$ ), it is found that the ${\tau }$ under the high $\text{V}_{\textsf {G}}$ is related to the $\text{I}_{\textsf {D}}$ instead of the $\text{I}_{\textsf {B}}$ . In addition, as the $\text{V}_{\textsf {G}}$ increases from low to middle to high values, the HCS degradation mechanism exhibits single vibrational excitation, electron-electron scattering, and multiple vibrational excitation (MVE) models, respectively. Therefore, the HCS degradation mechanism at higher $\text{V}_{\textsf {G}}$ is not dominated by the traditional impact ionization but by the carrier concentration of the channel. Finally, according to the results of fitting MVE model, the reason for breaking the Si-H bonds to form dangling bonds is the bending vibrational mode.

This work performs fundamental electrical measurements and a positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) test on an N-type metal oxide semiconductor capacitor (MOSCAP) and a La2O3 dipole-doped N-type MOSCAP. Experimental results show that the dipole-doped N-type MOSCAP has a lower threshold voltage and gate current leakage than do the N-type MOSCAP. After positive bias stress, an abnormal gate current leakage decrease appears in both dipole-doped and normal N-type MOSCAPs under short term stress. Analysis of capacitance and gate current measurements indicate that electron trapping and defect generation cause the change in gate current after positive bias stress. Generally, devices with higher gate leakage have more severe degradation after PBTI. However, in this work, the dipole sample shows a lower initial gate current leakage but higher gate current degradation than those found in the control sample after PBTI. Based on the electrical measurement results and the energy band simulation, a conduction model was proposed to explain the abnormal PBTI of the dipole-doped N-type MOSCAP.

The skin barrier is a multifaceted microenvironment, comprised not only of structural and molecular components that maintain its integrity, but also a lipid matrix comprising an equimolar ratio of cholesterol, free fatty acids, and ceramides. Lipid abnormalities induced by environmental or pathological stimuli are often associated with impaired skin barrier function and integrity. Incorporation of skin lipids in skincare formulations to help fortify barrier function has become widespread. While there are resources available to study the barrier, a comprehensive evaluation of skin models, from in situ to in vivo, that focus on alterations of the lipid content, seems to be lacking. This article reviews current methods to evaluate the skin lipid barrier and touches upon the significance of using such models within the cosmetic field to study formulations that incorporate barrier lipids. J Drugs Dermatol. 20(4 Suppl):s10-16. doi:10.36849/JDD.S589B.

The design principle of establishing an intracellular protein gradient for asymmetric cell division is a long-standing fundamental question. While the major molecular players and their interactions have been elucidated via genetic approaches, the diversity and redundancy of natural systems complicate the extraction of critical underlying features. Here, we take a synthetic cell biology approach to construct intracellular asymmetry and asymmetric division in Escherichia coli, in which division is normally symmetric. We demonstrate that the oligomeric PopZ from Caulobacter crescentus can serve as a robust polarized scaffold to functionalize RNA polymerase. Furthermore, by using another oligomeric pole-targeting DivIVA from Bacillus subtilis, the newly synthesized protein can be constrained to further establish intracellular asymmetry, leading to asymmetric division and differentiation. Our findings suggest that the coupled oligomerization and restriction in diffusion may be a strategy for generating a spatial gradient for asymmetric cell division., Establishing protein gradients for asymmetric cell division is fundamental across all kingdoms of life. Here the authors construct asymmetric cell division in E. coli by localizing the expression of RNA polymerase using an orthogonal unipolar scaffold, and restricting diffusion of its products.

aThe Vitiligo and Pigmentation Institute of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA bDepartment of Dermatology, Howard University, Washington, DC cLrsquo;Oreal Research and Innovation, Paris, France dLrsquo;Oreal Research and Innovation, Clark, NJ.

Interval type-2 (IT2) Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy control of permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is developed in this paper. IT2 T-S fuzzy system is proposed to control speed and current of a PMSM. The IT2 T-S fuzzy model of a PMSM is first derived from its nonlinear dynamic model. Next, the IT2 T-S fuzzy controller is designed via parallel distributed compensation (PDC). The stability conditions of the proposed controller are obtained by Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI). The encoder signals are implemented to calculate rotor speed and rotor position. The three-phase winding currents are properly sensed into the microcontroller. The corresponding duty ratios of power switches are determined using IT2 T-S fuzzy controller. Finally, the driving performance is validated via experimental results. Moreover, the interval type-1 T-S fuzzy control is compared to verify the improvement in driving performance.

Objective This study aimed to (1) identify the changes of 5 domains of family caregiver (FC) burden, overall burden, and its subtrajectories when caring for newly diagnosed advanced lung cancer patients during the first 6 months following cancer diagnosis; and (2) identify the FC-related and patient-related factors most associated with the overall FC burden and each of its subtrajectories. Methods A total of 150 newly diagnosed advanced lung cancer patient-FC dyads were recruited from a Taiwanese medical center. The overall FC burden was evaluated 4 times: before treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. The potential subtrajectory of the caregiver burden was investigated by latent class growth analysis. The FC-related and patient-related factors having the greatest effect on the overall FC burden and its subtrajectories over time were identified by generalized estimating equations. Results The highest level of burden domain was "Impact on daily schedule" over time. Generally, most of the FC reported a moderate level of overall burden over the investigation period. Three subtrajectories of the overall FC burden over time (% caregivers) were identified: high burden (34.7%), moderate burden (56.0%), and low burden (9.3%), respectively. The self-efficacy of FC was the strongest factor related to the changes of the FC's burden and burden in each subtrajectory. Conclusion The results support the existing and different types of subtrajectories of the FC's burden. Health care professionals should provide care based on those differences. Further research to test interventions which integrate those important factors related to FC's burden, particularly FC's self-efficacy, is strongly suggested.

This paper investigates an anode hole injection (AHI)-induced abnormal body current (abn IB) in n-channel HfO2/TiN MOSFETs. Traditionally, body current is independent of gate voltage during initial electrical characteristic measurements. Nevertheless, in this paper, the opposite is found in our experiment. Therefore, two different measurement techniques are employed, with the body current attributed to electrons in the inversion layer under the grounded source/drain. This indicates that the dominant mechanism is AHI rather than electron tunneling from the valence band. Moreover, the abn IB is dominated by tunneling mechanisms because it is independent of temperature.

This research investigates the mechanism of abnormal transconductance (Gm) and abnormal charge pumping current (I CP ) in body-tied partially-depleted silicon-on-insulator n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors. The I CP second hump region increases with channel length, yet is not affected by channel width. The cross-sectional view of the L-gate structure along the width direction demonstrates that a part of the poly gate area near the body contact is covered by a P + implant, inducing a parasitic channel under the P + poly gate. This parasitic channel leads to the abnormal Gm and I CP hump, and such mechanism is further verified by body floating devices.

Limited research has focused on women with lung cancer (LC) although they are recognized as the most vulnerable to psychological distress. This study explored in-depth the psychological distress experienced by women with incurable LC and analyzed the coping strategies with which they manage that distress. A qualitative methodology with in-depth interviews was employed for 34 women with advanced or recurrent LC. An inductive data-driven thematic analysis was applied to analyze transcripts. Psychological distress was an iterative process for the women. Four themes were identified: shock regarding the diagnosis, distress regarding cancer treatment and its side effects, the facing of a recurrent or progressive disease, and persistent struggle with the life-limiting disease. Various coping strategies applied by the women to manage psychological distress were grouped into four themes: relying upon social support, focusing on positive thoughts, avoidance-based strategies, and religious faith and acceptance. Women with incurable LC experienced substantial iterative psychological distress throughout the illness, regardless of length of illness at time of interview. They applied multiple forms of coping. The findings enrich the limited existing literature on this understudied population and provide direction for the future development of interventions to improve their psychological well-being.

This letter investigates an abnormal recovery phenomenon induced by hole injection during hot carrier degradation in silicon-on-insulator n-type metal–oxide–semiconductor transistors. The method by which the hole injection induces the abnormal recovery behavior can be clarified by different hot carrier degradation (HCD) measurement sequences. According to this HCD result, the channel surface energy band is drawn down and the interface defect will be temporarily shielded, an effect caused by the trapped hole. Furthermore, results of different stress voltage experiments indicate that the amount of hole injection is determined by the electric field between the gate and drain.

This letter investigates the role of the TiN gate’s nitrogen concentration on bulk traps in the HfO2 layer in p-MOSFETs using fast ${I}$ – ${V}$ measurement. During negative bias temperature instability, the holes trapped in the HfO2 layer will induce ${V}$ th degradation. The fast ${I}$ – ${V}$ double sweep confirms the holes are trapped in process-related pre-existing defects. These defects are interstitial-type, influenced by the nitrogen in the TiN gate diffusing to the HfO2 layer when the device undergoes thermal annealing. Moreover, these nitrogen interstitials increase with increasing TiN gate nitrogen concentration, which induces more holes being trapped in the HfO2 layer.

Thiamin diphosphate (TPP, vitamin B1 ) is an essential coenzyme present in all organisms. Animals obtain TPP from their diets, but plants synthesize TPPde novo. We isolated and characterized an Arabidopsis pale green1 (pale1) mutant that contained higher concentrations of thiamin monophosphate (TMP) and less thiamin and TPP than the wild type. Supplementation with thiamin, but not the thiazole and pyrimidine precursors, rescued the mutant phenotype, indicating that the pale1 mutant is a thiamin-deficient mutant. Map-based cloning and whole-genome sequencing revealed that the pale1 mutant has a mutation in At5g32470 encoding a TMP phosphatase of the TPP biosynthesis pathway. We further confirmed that the mutation of At5g32470 is responsible for the mutant phenotypes by complementing the pale1 mutant with constructs overexpressing full-length At5g32470. Most plant TPP biosynthetic enzymes are located in the chloroplasts and cytosol, but At5g32470-GFP localized to the mitochondrion of the root, hypocotyl, mesophyll and guard cells of the 35S:At5g32470-GFP complemented plants. The subcellular localization of a functional TMP phosphatase suggests that the complete vitamin B1 biosynthesis pathway may involve the chloroplasts, mitochondria and cytosol in plants. Analysis of PALE1 promoter-uidA activity revealed that PALE1 is mainly expressed in vascular tissues of Arabidopsis seedlings. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of TPP biosynthesis genes and genes encoding the TPP-dependent enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and transketolase revealed that the transcript levels of these genes were upregulated in the pale1 mutant. These results suggest that endogenous levels of TPP may affect the expression of genes involved in TPP biosynthesis and TPP-dependent enzymes.

Local brain cooling is a way to treat traumatic brain injury and prevent secondary brain injury. The aim of this study is to explore the change of hemoglobin during local brain cooling after traumatic brain injury, and assess the treatment effect by using the wireless near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system. Assign all male Sprague Dawley rats to three groups randomly: sham, fluid percussion injury (FPI), FPI + cooling. After executing fluid percussion injury, a cold water bag (5–6 °C) was used locally for 30 min. The wireless NIRS system which we developed was used to monitor the concentration change of HbO 2 , HbR and HbT. And other physiological parameters, ICP and CPP, were also monitored during the experiment. According to previous results, local brain cooling could reduce infarction volume while traumatic brain injury occurs. Similarly, our results show that local brain cooling caused oxy-hemoglobin, the tissue oxygen saturation and CPP increase and ICP decreased. From the results, the hemoglobin parameters, ICP and MAP were affected by temperature. And local cooling after FPI might have clinical benefits in the future. In addition, the wireless NIRS system might be an instrument to assess the effect of hypothermia.

Natural surfaces may exhibit remarkable surface properties due to their structure. In the case of skin, its surface topography (microrelief) influences many of its perceived sensorial properties (shine, color, touch). Imprinted patterns can modify the original microrelief, inducing a completely new set of perceived properties. To explore the effects of superimposed biomimetic surface textures on the friction of skin, human stratum corneum was prepared with and without an imprinted regular, micrometer-sized, 3D grid pattern. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and optical profilometry indicated that the inherent, smaller-scale roughness of the stratum corneum remained when lines with heights of 20-200 μm and spacings of 600-2000 μm were introduced, but it was somewhat reduced on the grid lines. Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) friction experiments on stratum corneum were performed at low speed (μm/s, back-and-forth sliding) and at more realistic, high speed (cm/s, rotational sliding). Two stratum corneum surfaces in contact did not adhere to one another, and they had a friction coefficient μ of 0.1, or lower, at low sliding speed. An interesting loading-unloading hysteresis was observed, with lower friction force on unloading, in particular, when the contact was on a grid line of the patterned samples. This suggests that the patterning locally induced different mechanical properties of the stratum corneum and that its recovery was not immediate on unloading. When one stratum corneum surface slid against a rigid glass surface, the friction coefficient was always higher than that when two stratum corneum surfaces were in contact. At high sliding speed, much higher friction coefficients were found between one stratum corneum surface and a rigid, smooth surface, μ ≥ 1. The results demonstrate that topograpic patterning by imprinting clearly modifies the tribological response of stratum corneum. This approach provides a simple method for exploring the development of biomimetic modifications of skin texture.

This paper presents an advanced design of antenna array system for K-band radar application with wide coverage. A combination of series-fed microstrip patch arrays and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slot arrays is adopted to further extend the radar coverage. On one hand, the series-fed microstrip patch array features high gain which is responsible for detecting long distance objects right ahead. On the other hand, the SIW slot arrays, having wider beamwidth and being fed differentially, are selected for detecting objects on both sides. The complementary radiation patterns of the hybrid antenna array system help improve the detectable coverage in the horizontal plane.