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AimsExtracellular vesicles (EVs) were investigated as potential biomarkers associated with heart failure (HF) pathophysiology in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery characterized by HF phenotype. Materials and methodsPatients with preoperative proxy-diagnoses of HF types i.e., preserved (HFpEF; n = 19) or reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; n = 20) were studied and compared to patients with normal left ventricular function (n = 42). EVs in plasma samples collected from the coronary sinus, an arterial line, and from the right atrium were analyzed by flow cytometry. We studied EVs of presumed cardiomyocyte origin [EVs exposing Connexin-43 + Caveolin-3 (Con43 + Cav3) and Connexin-43 + Troponin T (Con43 + TnT)], of endothelial origin [EVs exposing VE-Cadherin (VE-Cad)] and EVs exposing inflammatory markers [myeloperoxidase (MPO) or pentraxin3 (PTX3)]. ResultsMedian concentrations of EVs exposing Con43 + TnT and Con43 + Cav3 were approximately five to six times higher in coronary sinus compared to radial artery indicative of cardiac release. Patients with HFrEF had high trans-coronary gradients of both Con43 + TnT and Con43 + Cav3 EVs, whereas HFpEF had elevated gradients of Con43 + Cav3 EVs but lower gradients of Con43 + TnT. Coronary sinus concentrations of both Con43 + TnT and Con43 + Cav3 correlated significantly with echocardiographic and laboratory measures of HF. MPO-EV concentrations were around two times higher in the right atrium compared to the coronary sinus, and slightly higher in HFpEF than in HFrEF. EV concentrations of endothelial origin (VE-Cad) were similar in all three patient groups. ConclusionCon43 + TnT and Con43 + Cav3 EVs are released over the heart indicating cardiomyocyte origin. In HFrEF the EV release profile is indicative of myocardial injury and myocardial stress with elevated trans-coronary gradients of both Con43 + TnT and Con43 + Cav3 EVs, whereas in HFpEF the profile indicates myocardial stress with less myocardial injury.

This paper is a study of the Swedish fornborg Torsburgen on Östergarnslandet, Gotland. This is the largest fornborg on Gotland and it has an area of 112 hectares. The northern, eastern and western parts of the plateau, on which Torsburgen is lying, has natural cliffs of up to 30 meters, while there in the southern part is a two-kilometer-long wall. During the 1980´s a part of the wall was excavated in an attempt to date the construction. The conclusion was, that it had many different building stages. The earliest find was dated to the later Roman Iron Age (AD 200-400) and that period is therefore also the focus of this paper. The aim of this paper is to explain different hypotheses of why this wall was built (for what reason) and what purpose did it fulfill in society. Archaeological finds from Gotland, dated to the period of the later Roman Iron Age, often show connections to the Roman Empire and therefore the construction could be a result of influences from that part of the world. It is however, with today’s knowledge, not possible to point out one specific reason why the wall of Torsburgen was built and for what reason they needed to fortify the area of 112 hectares. It could have been an invading force, but it could just as likely have been a need of a hideout to protect the inhabitants on the island from an invading force. Other hypotheses are that it could have been a place for religious practice or a hideout for exiled people, which some people claim that an episode in the Gotlandic legend Gutasagan is about. Hopefully archaeological finds in the future could lead to new knowledge and maybe result in an answer of why this monument is standing there.

Additional file 2. Graphical results of the ROC analyses for the specificity and sensitivity of the PA and SED questions compared to accelerometer collected data.

High-temperature electronics find use in extreme environments, like data logging in downhole drilling for geothermal energy production, inside of high-temperature turbines, industrial gas sensors and space electronics. The simplest systems use a sensor and a transmitter, but more advance electronic systems would additionally require a microcontroller with memory. Silicon carbide (4H-SiC) integrated circuits target high-temperature electronics, although the current integration level is low due to immature process technology and non-volatile memory has not been demonstrated. SiC CMOS would allow highly dense integrated circuits for microcontrollers and random access memory (RAM). Ferroelectric capacitors could serve as high-temperature non-volatile memory devices. In this work, significant efforts have been taken to develop a SiC CMOS process and ferroelectric capacitors. SiC CMOS is challenging and mostly unexplored technology. A recessed channel transistor design was investigated. Several key challenges in the SiC CMOS process was identified, leading to a polyoxide-based field oxide, a deposited gate-dielectric process, reproducible Ni-Al semi-salicide contacts to p-type SiC, and a high-temperature CMP enabled two-level TiW-based metallisation. Self-aligned cobalt silicide contacts were investigated, and was found to produce low-resistance ohmic contactsto n-type SiC. Inverters and ring oscillators that operate at 200 °C were achieved in this recessed channel SiC CMOS process. It was found that steam-treating the gate oxide interface produced both NMOS and PMOS transistors that could be used for circuits. However, the reliability suffered due to poor PMOS performance. Wafer-level statistical measurements of interface trap density was performed on NMOS transistors treated by steam, dry oxygen and nitrided by nitrous oxide. A deposition and etch process for ferroelectric capacitors, using vanadium-doped bismuth titanate as ferroelectric material, was developed. High-temperature operation was demonstrated, and several scalability challenges for the etched process was identified. The implication of this thesis is that while operational recessed channel SiC CMOS was demonstrated at high temperature, more promising technologies like ion implanted bulk transistors should be investigated instead, due to the numerous difficulties in optimising both NMOS and PMOS with this recessed channel design. The presented recessed channel process technology can be used to fabricate short channel length NMOS-logic. Ferroelectric capacitors is a good candidate for high-temperature non-volatile memory applications, although more work is needed in the CMOS integration. Högtemperaturelektronik används i extrema miljöer, såsom borrhålsloggning för geotermisk energiutvinning, inuti högtemperaturturbiner, industrigassensorer och rymdelektronik. De enklaste systemen använder sig av en sensor och en radio, men mer komplicerade system använder sig dessutom av en mikrokontroller med minne. Integrerade kretsar i kiselkarbidsteknik (4H-SiC) är lämpade för högtemperaturelektronik, men den nuvarande integrationsnivån är låg p.g.a. den nuvarande omogna processtekniken. Icke-flyktiga minnen för högtemperaturtillämpningar har inte demonstrerats. CMOS-elektronik i kiselkarbidsteknik (SiC CMOS) skulle möjliggöra mikrokontroller och direktminne (eng. random access memory, RAM) tack vare den höga integrationstätheten. Ferroelektriska kondensatorer kan fungera som icke-flyktiga minneskomponenter för högtemperaturtillämpningar. Denna avhandling presenterar ett omfattande utvecklingsarbete av SiC CMOS och ferroelektriska kondensatorer. SiC CMOS är en utmanande och till stor del outforskad teknologi. En recessad kanal transistordesign undersöktes. Några nyckelutmaningar identifierades för SiC CMOS processen. Dessa utmaningarresulterade i en polyoxidbaserad fältoxid, en deponerad grinddielektrikumprocess, reproducerbara Ni-Al halv-självlinjerade kontakter till p-typ kiselkarbid, och en högtemperatur CMP-möjliggjord tvånivås titanvolframbaserad metallisering. En självlinjerad koboltsilicid-kontaktprocess undersöktes, och det visade sig att den gav lågresistiva ohmska kontakter till n-typ kiselkarbid. Inverterare och ringoscillatorer som fungerar vid 200 °C kunde demonstreras med denna recessad kanal transistordesign. Ångbehandlad grindoxidgränssnitt ger fungerande NMOS- och PMOS-transistorer som kunde användas för CMOS kretsar. Dock så led pålitligheten hos CMOS kretsarna p.g.a. PMOS transistorernas låga prestanda. Statistisk mätning av gränssnittsfälltäthet på skivnivå genomfördes för NMOS transistorer som hade blivit behandlade med ånga, torr syrgas och nitriderade via lustgas. En deponering- och etsprocess för tillverkning av ferroelektriska kondensatorer, där det ferroelektriska materialet var vanadiumdopat vismuttitanat, togs fram. Högtemperaturfunktionalitet påvisades, och flera nedskalningsutmaningar hos den etsade processen identifierades. Trots att den recessade kanal SiC CMOS processen var bra nog för att demonstrera högtemperaturkretsar, så visar resultatet av denna avhandling att det kan finnas bättre alternativ till denna process. Inneboende processutmaningari transistordesignen i sig gör det svårt att optimera NMOS och PMOS transistorer som är bra nog för CMOS. Jonimplanterade bulktransistorer är mer lovande. Den utvecklade processen kan användas för att tillverka NMOS-logik med kortkanalstransistorer. Ferroelektriska kondensatorer är en lämplig kandidat som icke-flyktigt minne för högtemperaturtillämpningar, men mer arbete krävs för CMOS-integration. QC 20190428

A self-aligned nickel (Ni) silicide process for n-type Ohmic contacts on 4H-SiC is demonstrated and electrically verified in a wafer-scale device process. The key point is to anneal the contacts in two steps. The process is successfully employed on wafer-level and a contact resistivity below 5×10-6 Ω·cm2 is achieved. The influence of the proposed process on the oxide quality is investigated and no significant effect is observed. The proposed self-aligned technology eliminates the undesirable effects of the lift-off process. Moreover, it is simple, fast, and manufacturable at wafer-scale, which saves time and cost. QC 20170731

When a speaker is addressing an audience, a PA system consisting of a microphone and a loudspeaker is often used. If the microphone picks up too much of the loudspeaker energy, acoustic feedback in the form of an unwanted characteristic howling can occur. Limes Audio is a software company that specializes in improving sound quality in digital communications, mainly conference telephony, and has developed a reference product, the Magneto mixer, to demonstrate the capability of their software TrueVoice. The company now wishes to expand the field of usage for the Magneto mixer to enable it to work as a microphone mixer in PA scenarios, and for this, a feedback suppression feature is needed. This master’s thesis aims at surveying the market and the literature in the field and specifying the requirements for a feedback suppression feature. Three methods for suppressing howling feedback are evaluated through simulations and compared in terms of maximum stable gain (MSG) and subjective listening experience. The method that performed the best based on these criteria was acoustic feedback cancellation with a 5 Hz frequency shift on the loudspeaker signal. This method makes use of an adaptive filter to model the acoustic feedback path and to remove the feedback component from the microphone signal. In the simulations, the method was able to increase the stable gain by approximately 10 dB while maintaining a good sound quality. När en talare talar för en publik används ofta ett PA system bestående av en mikrofon och en högtalare. Om mikrofonen tar upp för mycket av ljudet från högtalaren finns en överhängande risk för akustisk rundgång i form av ett karaktäristiskt oönskat tjut. Limes Audio är ett företag som utvecklar mjukvara för att förbättra ljudkvaliten i digital kommunikation, främst inom konferenstelefoni. De har utvecklat en demonstrationsprodukt, Magnetomixern, som kan användas som en konferenstelefon för att demonstrera deras programvara TrueVoice. Företaget önskar nu utveckla Magnetomixern till att även fungera som en ljudmixer för PA-scenarion, eller konferenstelefoni där intern ljudförstärkning i rummet behövs, och för detta behövs en funktion för att ta bort eventuell rundgång. Detta examensarbete har som mål att lägga grunden för en sådan funktion i Magnetomixern genom att undersöka marknaden och litteraturen på området. Tre metoder för att eliminera rundgång utvärderas i simuleringar och jämförs beträffande maximal stabil förstärkning (MSG) och subjektiv ljudkvalitet. Metoden ”Acoustic feedback cancellation” tillsammans med ett 5 Hz frekvensskifte på högtalarsignalen gav högst MSG och bäst ljudkvalitet. Metoden använder ett adaptivt filter för att approximera den akustiska återkopplingsvägen mellan högtalare och mikrofon samt tar bort rundgångskomponenter från mikrofonsignalen. I simuleringarna kunde metoden öka den maximala stabila förstärkningen med upp till 10 dB medan en god ljudkvalitet på talet bibehölls.

The goal of this study is to research how the digitalization of a table top gameaffects the game and its gameplay. We are researching this by first havingparticipants play chess, and online chess, and the interviewing them about theirexperiences with the both games. The main effects of digitalization are inputcontrols. When digitalizing a table top game, there is one thing that the designercannot control at all, which is, the necessity of input controls. However, thedesign for these controls is up to the designer. When digitalizing a game, therules ted to get enforced by the programming. Mistakes that could be committedin the table top version are no longer possible due to the rule enforcementcaused by the programming. It is also possible to use the digital realm to yourbenefit by adding features such as highlighting in chess, which is only possible inthe digital version. Immersion is also affected by the digitalization; the possiblelack of a visible and present opponent can alter how the players experience thegameplay. Målet med den här studien är att forska kring hur digitaliseringen av ettbrädspel påverkar spelet och dess spelande. Vi utför vår forskning genom attförst låta deltagare spela schack, och onlineschack, för att sedan intervjua demangående deras upplevelser med de båda spelen. De huvudsakliga effekterna avdigitaliseringen är inmatningskontrollerna. När man digitaliserar ett brädspel såfinns det en sak som designers inte alls kan kontrollera. Detta är nödvändighetenav inmatningskontroller. Designen för dessa kontroller däremot, kan designerspåverka. När man digitaliserar ett spel så brukar ofta reglerna bli förstärkta avprogrammeringen. Misstag som spelare kunde begå i brädspelsversionen, kaninte längre begås tack vare regelförstärkningen som programmeringen bidrartill. Det är även möjligt att använda den digitala världen till ens fördel genom attlägga till vissa saker, så som markeringen i onlineschack, vilket bara är möjligt iden digitala versionen. Digitaliseringen påverkar även inlevelsen som spelarnaupplever. Den möjliga saknaden av en synlig och närvarande motspelare kanändra hur spelarna upplever spelandet.

This thesis is part of the Working On Venus (WOV) project. The aim of the project is to design electronics in silicon carbide (SiC) that can withstand the extreme surface environmen of Venus. This thesis investigates some possible computer memory technologies that could survive on the surface of Venus. A memory must be able to function at 460 °C and after a total radiation dose of at least 200 Gy (SiC). This thesis is a literature survey. The thesis covers several Random-Access Memory (RAM) technologies: Static RAM (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), Magnetic RAM (MRAM), Resistive RAM (RRAM) and Phase Change Memory (PCM). The Electrical Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, Flash memory and SONOS are also covered. Focus lies on device- and material-physics of the memory cells, and their extreme environment behaviour. This thesis concludes with a discussion on technology options. The technologies are compared for their suitability for extreme environment. The thesis gives a recommendation for which memory technologies should be investigated. The final recommendation is to investigate SRAM, SONOS, FeRAM and RRAM technologies for high temperature applications. Denna uppsats är en del av projektet Working On Venus (WOV). Projektets mål är att designa elektronik i kiselkarbid (SiC) som tål Venus extrema ytmiljö. Denna uppsats undersöker några möjliga datorminnestekniker som kan överleva på Venus yta. Ett minne måste kunna fungera vid 460 °C och efter en total strålningsdos på minst 200 Gy (SiC). Denna uppsats är en litteraturstudie. Uppsatsen täcker flera olika typer av RAM-minnes teknologier (eng. Random-Access Memory): Statiskt RAM-minne (SRAM), Dynamiskt RAM-minne (DRAM), Ferroelektriskt RAM-minne (FeRAM), Magnetiskt RAM-minne (MRAM), Resistivt RAM-minne (RRAM) och fasändringsminnen (PCM). EEPROM (eng. Electrical Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), Flash-minnen och SONOS täcks också. Fokus ligger på minnescellernas komponent- och materialfysik, samt deras extremmiljösbeteende. Denna uppsats avslutas med en diskussion om teknikmöjligheter. Teknikerna jämfors för hur passande de är för extrema miljöer. Uppsatsen ger en rekommendation för vilka minnestekniker som bör undersokas. Den slutliga rekommendationen är att undersöka SRAM, SONOS, FeRAM och RRAM teknologier for högtemperatursanvändning.