Search

JSNS 2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) is an experiment that searches for sterile neutrinos via the observation of ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e appearance oscillations using muon decay-at-rest neutrinos. The JSNS 2 experiment performed data taking from 2021. In this manuscript, a study of the accidental background is presented. The rate of the accidental background is ( 9.29 ± 0.39) × 10 - 8 /spill with 0.75 MW beam power and comparable to the expected number of signal events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the integration of 3D documentation within a living lab framework for the renovation of the Gunsan Civic Cultural Center. The study emphasizes the importance of architectural renovation in contemporary sustainability and social resilience, highlighting the unique challenges of adapting existing structures. Our approach combines advanced 3D scanning techniques, such as drone filming, photogrammetry, LiDAR scanning, and hybrid modeling, with the living lab methodology, enabling real-world experimentation and stakeholder engagement. Our showcase on the Gunsan Civic Cultural Center illustrates the practical application of these techniques in material reuse and cultural performance planning, emphasizing community participation and collaborative decision-making. The living lab approach, central to our methodology, fosters dynamic interaction among architects, builders, community members, and local authorities, enhancing communication and project outcomes. This study contributes to the field by showcasing how concurrent 3D documentation in a living lab setting can revitalize heritage sites, ensuring their sustainable future while actively involving the community. The lessons and discussions drawn from this project highlight the potential of this approach in broader architectural and urban development contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel motion control technique for microrobot clusters to exploit the characteristics of the ultrasonic field. The method comprises two steps, i.e., introducing an ultrasonic actuation (UA) linear model for three-dimensional (3D) locomotion and controlling the topological charge (TC) in the ultrasonic vortex for microrobot clustering. Here, the TC is a controllable parameter for the expansion and contraction of the pressure null space inside the vortex. We present a TC control method to cluster sporadically distributed microrobots in a specific workspace. To validate the concept, a UA system composed of 30 ultrasonic transducers with 1 MHz frequency is fabricated, and the characteristics of the generated acoustic pressure field are analyzed through simulations. Subsequently, the performances of the adaptive controller for precise 3D locomotion and the TC control method for clustering are evaluated. Finally, the UA technology, which performs both clustering and locomotion in a complex manner, is validated with a gelatin phantom in an in-vitro environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InAs quantum dashes (Qdash) engineered to emit near 2 μm are envisioned to be promising quantum emitters for next-generation technologies in sensing and communications. In this study, we explore the effect of punctuated growth (PG) on the structure and optical properties of InP-based InAs Qdashes emitting near the 2-μm wavelength. Morphological analysis revealed that PG led to an improvement in in-plane size uniformity and increases in average height and height distribution. A 2 × boost in photoluminescence intensity was observed, which we attribute to improved lateral dimensions and structural stabilization. PG encouraged formation of taller Qdashes while photoluminescence measurements revealed a blue-shift in the peak wavelength. We proposed that the blue-shift originates from the thinner quantum well cap and decreased distance between the Qdash and InAlGaAs barrier. This study on the punctuated growth of large InAs Qdashes is a step toward realizing bright, tunable, and broadband sources for 2-μm communications, spectroscopy, and sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The two most frequent and significant complications after inguinal hernia repair are hernia recurrence and post-herniorrhaphy chronic pain. To add anatomic and physiologic strength to the tissue repair, especially in indirect inguinal herniorrhaphy, we devised a modification of Marcy operation that can reconstitute inguinal shutter action more efficiently by changing the direction of the sutures vertical to horizontal. Methods: During 36 months from 1st Jan. 2019, 148cases of 140 patients were operated for Indirect inguinal hernia or Pantaloon hernia (11 cases). 145 indirect inguinal herniorrhaphy were performed exclusively with author's modification of Marcy operation. Hernia recurrence during the follow-up period (3 months–36 months), and postoperative chronic pain at 3 months after herniorrhaphy were analyzed. Results: 104 cases among the 145 indirect inguinal hernia (71.7%) were operated with only deep inguinal ring (DIR) reconstruction as author modified. In 41 cases (28.3%), posterior wall reconstruction was done simultaneously. There was no recurrence or reoperation case during the follow-up period. The incidence of postoperative chronic pain at postoperative 3 months of VAS greater than 3.0 was 2.2% (3 cases). Conclusions: Author's modification of Marcy operation was feasible anatomically in all indirect inguinal hernia repair, which is theoretically superior to classic Marcy operation in that repositioning the DIR more laterally and securing the obliquity and shutter action of the DIR. Result is at least not inferior in the aspect of short-term recurrence and chronic post-herniorrhaphy pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the design and preparation of a modified MXene-based nanocomposite for increasing the power conversion efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells. The MXene family of materials among 2D nanomaterials has shown considerable promise in enhancing solar cell performance because of their remarkable surface-enhanced characteristics. Firstly, there are a variety of approaches to making MXene-reinforced composites, from solution mixing to powder metallurgy. In addition, their outstanding features, including high electrical conductivity, Young's modulus, and distinctive shape, make them very advantageous for composite synthesis. In contrast, its excellent chemical stability, electronic conductivity, tunable band gaps, and ion intercalation make it a promising contender for various applications. Photovoltaic devices, which turn sunlight into electricity, are an exciting new area of research for sustainable power. Based on an analysis of recent articles, the hydro-thermal method has been widely used for synthesizing MXene-based nano-composites because of the easiness of fabrication and low cost. Finally, we identify new perspectives for adjusting the performance of MXene for various nanocomposites by controlling the composition of the two-dimensional transition metal MXene phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the porosity and particle size effects of rice husk pore former on the diametral tensile strength of porous alumina (Al2O3) ceramics. Porous Al2O3 ceramics with high porosity and sufficient diametral tensile strength were successfully prepared by the pore-forming agent method using rice husk (RH) as the pore former according to the sample formulation Al2O3-xRHy (where 'x' denotes the particle size range in µm and 'y' denotes the percent weight content (wt%) of RH). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results revealed that silica was retained as rice husk ash in the developed porous Al2O3 after the decomposition of the starting rice husk pore former. Microstructures of the as-prepared porous Al2O3 ceramics having different RH additions exhibited hierarchical pore structures with increased particle size of the pore-forming agent. Porosity increased with larger particle size range of rice husk where the Al2O3-63RH5 demonstrated the least porosity (44.2 vol%), while the highest porosity (70.9 vol%) was demonstrated by the Al2O3-125–250RH20. The diametral tensile strength of the RH-shaped porous alumina ceramics declined from 16.97 to 0.65 MPa with increased particle size of the rice husk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image plates (IPs) are a popular detector in the field of laser driven ion acceleration, owing to their high dynamic range and reusability. An absolute calibration of these detectors to laser-driven protons in the routinely produced tens of MeV energy range is, therefore, essential. In this paper, the response of Fujifilm BAS-TR IPs to 1–40 MeV protons is calibrated by employing the detectors in high resolution Thomson parabola spectrometers in conjunction with a CR-39 nuclear track detector to determine absolute proton numbers. While CR-39 was placed in front of the image plate for lower energy protons, it was placed behind the image plate for energies above 10 MeV using suitable metal filters sandwiched between the image plate and CR-39 to select specific energies. The measured response agrees well with previously reported calibrations as well as standard models of IP response, providing, for the first time, an absolute calibration over a large range of proton energies of relevance to current experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JSNS 2 (J-PARC Sterile Neutrino Search at J-PARC Spallation Neutron Source) is an experiment that is searching for sterile neutrinos via the observation of ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e appearance oscillations using muon decay-at-rest neutrinos. Before dedicated data taking in the first-half of 2021, we performed a commissioning run for 10 days in June 2020. Using the data obtained in this commissioning run, in this paper, we present an estimate of the correlated background which imitates the ν ¯ e signal in a sterile neutrino search. In addition, in order to demonstrate future prospects of the JSNS 2 experiment, possible pulse shape discrimination improvements towards reducing cosmic ray induced fast neutron background are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging approaches to short-pulse laser-driven neutron production offer a possible gateway to compact, low cost, and intense broad spectrum sources for a wide variety of applications. They are based on energetic ions, driven by an intense short-pulse laser, interacting with a converter material to produce neutrons via breakup and nuclear reactions. Recent experiments performed with the high-contrast laser at the Trident laser facility of Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a laser-driven ion acceleration mechanism operating in the regime of relativistic transparency, featuring a volumetric laser-plasma interaction. This mechanism is distinct from previously studied ones that accelerate ions at the laser-target surface. The Trident experiments produced an intense beam of deuterons with an energy distribution extending above 100MeV. This deuteron beam, when directed at a beryllium converter, produces a forward-directed neutron beam with ~5 ? 109 n/sr, in a single laser shot, primarily due to deuteron breakup. The neutron beam has a pulse duration on the order of a few nanoseconds with an energy distribution extending from a few hundreds of keV to almost 80MeV. For the experiments on neutron-source spot-size measurements, our gated neutron imager was setup to select neutrons in the energy range of 2.5-35 MeV. The spot size of neutron emission at the converter was measured by two different imaging techniques, using a knife-edge and a penumbral aperture, in two different experimental campaigns. The neutronsource spot size is measured 1mm for both experiments. The measurements and analysis reported here give a spatial characterization for this type of neutron source for the first time. In addition, the forward modeling performed provides an empirical estimate of the spatial characteristics of the deuteron ion-beam. These experimental observations, taken together, provide essential yet unique data to benchmark and verify theoretical work into the basic acceleration mechanism, which remains an ongoing challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, discusses a study that aimed to identify potential biomarkers for gastric cancer using proteomic analysis of gastric cancer exosomes. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles released from cancer cells that contain materials associated with cancer development and progression. The study found that two proteins, VTN and LAMA-3, showed promise as biomarkers for gastric cancer. While VTN levels were not statistically significant, excluding patients with stage I gastric cancer showed a significant elevation in VTN levels in gastric cancer patients compared to healthy controls. LAMA-3 levels were significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer compared to healthy controls and showed a significant correlation with the stage of gastric cancer. The authors suggest that LAMA-3 could be a useful biomarker for diagnosing gastric cancer and determining prognosis, while VTN could be a useful biomarker for determining the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, explores the correlation between a white globe appearance (WGA) and clinicopathologic factors in early gastric cancer (EGC). The study analyzed data from 135 patients with EGC who underwent magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) before endoscopic or surgical resection. The results showed that WGA was associated with tumor location (middle third), histologic type (differentiated type), and tumor size (≤2 cm). However, other factors such as sex, age, tumor color, macroscopic shape, and tumor invasion depth were not associated with WGA. The study concludes that WGA is frequently observed during ME-NBI for EGC and is linked to specific clinicopathologic factors. [Extracted from the article]

This article, published in the journal Endoscopy, compares the efficacy of hemostatic powder (HP) with conventional treatments for malignancy-related upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The study analyzed data from 213 patients with UGIB, with 86 patients treated with HP and 127 patients treated with conventional hemostatic treatments. The results showed that HP had a higher initial hemostasis success rate compared to conventional treatments. However, there were no significant differences in terms of blood transfusion, rebleeding rates, length of hospitalization, and 30-day all-cause mortality. The study suggests that HP may be an effective and safe method for managing acute malignancy-related UGIB, but further research is needed. [Extracted from the article]

This article compares the diagnostic accuracy of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) and conventional endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in predicting the invasion depth of early gastric cancer (EGC). The study found that ME-NBI was comparable to EUS in terms of diagnostic capability. ME-NBI had a higher sensitivity in predicting invasion depth, and its accuracy was significantly higher than EUS in tumors larger than 20 mm, depressed tumors, and T1sm1 tumors. The authors suggest that ME-NBI could be a useful alternative for discriminating submucosal invasion in EGC, especially in certain types of tumors. [Extracted from the article]

This paper studies the effect of preload treatment on the elastic modulus of braided high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) rope for static loading in tendon-driven robot. Two different methods of preload treatment were applied on HMPPE rope namely preload in tensile and cyclic loadings. A suitable load level of preload treatment was also investigated in order to apply in the real application. Furthermore, the cause of the lowest elastic modulus of the stabilized rope was identified by performing preload treatment on the strand constituting the rope. After completing preload treatment, the preloaded rope and strand were tested in five cyclic loadings further in order to examine the stability of rope modulus. To detect the change in construction geometry of the rope during preload treatment and cyclic loading of preloaded rope in term of rope diameter and strand angle, acoustic emission (AE) testing and a high speed camera were used. Results show that preload treatment in tensile loading could be conducted as an alternative method to replace the preload treatment in cyclic loading which is commonly used. It is also found that elastic modulus of the preloaded rope and strand at the first cycle have smallest value compared to the other cycles (cycles 2–5). This phenomenon is caused by elastic recovery of the material itself which could occur after preload treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic to metal joining has its potential applications in microelectronics packaging, metal–ceramic seals, vacuum tubes, sapphire metal windows, etc. But there are many limitations in joining this duo of materials that range from their structures, nature of bonding, physical properties to a complex phenomenon like wetting, spreading and adhesion. The current review discusses these critical issues from the aspects of thermodynamics, the role, and type of active elements, Ag–Cu–Ti brazing filler system and the reliability factors like residual stress, coefficient of thermal expansion, material reliability, pores and unbonded regions on the surface which affect the mechanical reliability of the joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reactor Experiment for Neutrino Oscillation (RENO) experiment has been taking data using two identical liquid scintillator detectors since August 2011. The experiment has observed the disappearance of reactor neutrinos in their interactions with free protons, followed by neutron capture on hydrogen (n-H). Based on 1500 live days of data taken with 16.8 GWth reactors at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in Korea, the near (far) detector observes 567690 (90747) electron antineutrino candidate events with the n-H data. This provides an independent measurement of neutrino mixing angle θ13 and a consistency check on the validity of the result obtained from the data with neutron capture on Gadolinium (n-Gd). Furthermore, it provides an important cross-check on the systematic uncertainties of the n-Gd measurement. Based on a rate-only analysis, we obtain sin2 2θ13 = 0.086 ± 0.008(stat.) ± 0.014(syst.). The combination of this result with that of n-Gd is also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A common problem in machine learning applications is availability of data at the point of decision making. The aim of the present study was to use routine data readily available at admission to predict aspects relevant to the organization of psychiatric hospital care. A further aim was to compare the results of a machine learning approach with those obtained through a traditional method and those obtained through a naive baseline classifier.Methods: The study included consecutively discharged patients between 1st of January 2017 and 31st of December 2018 from nine psychiatric hospitals in Hesse, Germany. We compared the predictive performance achieved by stochastic gradient boosting (GBM) with multiple logistic regression and a naive baseline classifier. We tested the performance of our final models on unseen patients from another calendar year and from different hospitals.Results: The study included 45,388 inpatient episodes. The models' performance, as measured by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, varied strongly between the predicted outcomes, with relatively high performance in the prediction of coercive treatment (area under the curve: 0.83) and 1:1 observations (0.80) and relatively poor performance in the prediction of short length of stay (0.69) and non-response to treatment (0.65). The GBM performed slightly better than logistic regression. Both approaches were substantially better than a naive prediction based solely on basic diagnostic grouping.Conclusion: The present study has shown that administrative routine data can be used to predict aspects relevant to the organisation of psychiatric hospital care. Future research should investigate the predictive performance that is necessary to provide effective assistance in clinical practice for the benefit of both staff and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the performance of 1.3-μm quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on silicon under optical feedback sensitivity with different temperature and doping profiles. Experiments show that these quantum dot lasers exhibit a very high degree of resistance to both incoherent and coherent optical feedbacks. 10 Gbps penalty-free transmissions are also unveiled under external modulation and at different temperatures. The paper draws attention on quantum dot lasers with p-doping that exhibit a better thermal resistance, a lower linewidth enhancement factor, a higher critical feedback level, and a better spectral stability with less intensity noise. Together, these properties make epitaxial quantum dot lasers with p-doping more promising for isolator-free and Peltier-free applications, which are meaningful for future high-speed photonic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positronium decay research is one of the sensitive probes to discover new physical phenomena. Because of the pairing system of electron (particle) and positron (antiparticle), we can study reactions which are forbidden by the Standard Model. In this study, we designed a novel compact detector for precise measurement of ortho-positronium (o-Ps) decay. Due to their compact size, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are used for the photodetection in the detector. The SiPM is well-known as a photodetector that can replace photomultiplier tube (PMT). In general, the size of the PMT is relatively large, so an SiPM was used to make compact trigger part for direct collection of scintillation light. In this research, the trigger part consists of plastic scintillator coupled directly to a single-channel SiPM to obtain the positron signal from the center of the detector. The trigger part is surrounded by the gamma-detection part to detect decay gammas in all directions. For dual readout, both sides of the Bismuth Germanate (BGO) scintillators are coupled with SiPMs. The designed frame and grid are used to support BGO scintillators and SiPMs. We obtained pretest data of a positron trigger signal and gamma-energy spectrum of 22Na and 137Cs radioactive sources for the novel compact detector. The detector will be used to study the C-parity violation, invisible, and rare decay search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: •Nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (Nod)‐like receptors regulate cognition, anxiety and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation.•Nod‐like receptors regulate central and peripheral serotonergic biology.•Nod‐like receptors are important for maintenance of gastrointestinal physiology.•Intestinal epithelial cell expression of Nod1 receptors regulate behaviour. Gut–brain axis signalling is critical for maintaining health and homeostasis. Stressful life events can impact gut–brain signalling, leading to altered mood, cognition and intestinal dysfunction. In the present study, we identified nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (Nod)‐like receptors (NLR), Nod1 and Nod2, as novel regulators for gut–brain signalling. NLR are innate immune pattern recognition receptors expressed in the gut and brain, and are important in the regulation of gastrointestinal physiology. We found that mice deficient in both Nod1 and Nod2 (NodDKO) demonstrate signs of stress‐induced anxiety, cognitive impairment and depression in the context of a hyperactive hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. These deficits were coupled with impairments in the serotonergic pathway in the brain, decreased hippocampal cell proliferation and immature neurons, as well as reduced neural activation. In addition, NodDKO mice had increased gastrointestinal permeability and altered serotonin signalling in the gut following exposure to acute stress. Administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, abrogated behavioural impairments and restored serotonin signalling. We also identified that intestinal epithelial cell‐specific deletion of Nod1 (VilCre+Nod1f/f), but not Nod2, increased susceptibility to stress‐induced anxiety‐like behaviour and cognitive impairment following exposure to stress. Together, these data suggest that intestinal epithelial NLR are novel modulators of gut–brain communication and may serve as potential novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of gut–brain disorders. Key points: •Nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (Nod)‐like receptors regulate cognition, anxiety and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation.•Nod‐like receptors regulate central and peripheral serotonergic biology.•Nod‐like receptors are important for maintenance of gastrointestinal physiology.•Intestinal epithelial cell expression of Nod1 receptors regulate behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium arsenide layers doped with high concentrations of Be and Si by molecular-beam epitaxy are studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. PL peaks from doped layers are observed at energies significantly lower than the band-gap of GaAs. The growth and doping conditions suggest that the origin of these peaks is different from that of low energy PL peaks, which were observed in earlier studies and attributed to impurity-vacancy complexes. The dependence of the peak energy on the temperature and the annealing is found to differ from that of the peaks attributed to impurity-vacancy complexes. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that the low energy peaks are attributed to short range ordered arrangements of impurity ions. This possibility is examined by calculations of the PL spectra with models of pairs of acceptor and donor delta-doped layers and PL experiments of a superlattice of pairs of Be and Si delta-doped layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beryllium/silicon pair δ-doped GaAs structures grown by molecular-beam epitaxy exhibit a Hall resistance which has a nonlinear dependence on the applied magnetic field and which is strongly correlated to the negative magnetoresistance observed under the applied magnetic field parallel to the δ-doped layers. Dependence of the occurrence of the nonlinear Hall resistance on the growth condition is investigated. A significantly large increase in both the magnitude and the nonlinearity of the Hall resistance is observed from samples whose GaAs buffer layers are grown under the condition of a low As/Ga flux ratio. Reflection high energy electron diffraction and electron microscope observations show that a faceted surface develops with the growth and postgrowth annealing of a GaAs buffer layer under the condition of a low As flux. From samples which have only Si δ-doped layers and exhibit the n-type conduction, such nonlinear Hall resistance is not observed. The nonlinearity of the Hall resistance of Be/Si pair δ-doped structures depends on the single parameter B/T, where B and T are the applied magnetic field and the temperature, respectively. Based on these results, it is suggested that the nonlinear Hall resistance of Be/Si pair δ-doped structures is the anomalous Hall effect caused by localized spins in δ-doped layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have conducted a careful study of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in fully integrated commercial PbZr0.4Ti0.6O3 thin-film capacitors with Pt bottom and Ir/IrO2 top electrodes. Highly reproducible steady-state I-V were obtained at various temperatures over two decades in voltage from current-time data and analyzed in terms of several common transport models including space charge limited conduction, Schottky thermionic emission under full and partial depletion, and Poole-Frenkel conduction, showing that the latter is the most plausible leakage mechanism in these high-quality films. In addition, ferroelectric hysteresis loops and capacitance-voltage data were obtained over a large range of temperatures and discussed in terms of a modified Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory accounting for space charge effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of space charges on hysteresis loops and field distributions in ferroelectrics have been investigated numerically using the phenomenological Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory. Cases with the ferroelectric fully and partially depleted have been considered. In general, increasing the number of charged impurities results in a lowering of the polarization and coercive field values. Squarer loops were observed in the partially depleted cases and a method was proposed to identify fully depleted samples experimentally from dielectric and polarization measurements alone. Unusual field distributions found for higher dopant concentrations have some interesting implications for leakage mechanisms and limit the range of validity of usual semiconductor equations for carrier transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate different switching behaviors of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film capacitors with two different geometries: one, a square 100×100 μm; the second, a ribbon (1.6 μm width but with approximately the same total area), as a function of temperature T, and applied electric field E. The ribbon capacitor shows a stronger dependence (by ca. 70%) of activation field on T and E. This is interpreted as a chemical reduction of edge material in the long-perimeter ribbons due to plasma etching. In order to understand and model the different domain switching of these two types of PZT capacitor, we also investigate impedance spectra at various temperatures from 27 to 470 °C. From ac conductance spectra, both square- and ribbon-type capacitors have similar trap levels, 0.38±0.02 eV. From analysis of conductivity spectra, we find that the ribbon capacitor contains an additional 0.19±0.02 eV trap level attributed to H–O dipoles due to hydrogen reduction; the latter trap results in domain pinning, which is interpreted as the origin of the relatively strong dependence of the activation field on T and E in the ribbons compared to the square capacitors. The additional loss peak in the ribbon capacitors is also observed in real cell-type capacitors, but only when their edge/area ratio becomes large, as in submicron cells for megabit scale. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a method to fabricate carbon nanotubes (CNT)/conducting polymer composite films for the application of CNTs to field emission displays. The composite was prepared by a combination of electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole and electrophoretic deposition of CNTs. We obtained a uniform CNT/conducting polypyrrole polymer composite film. The CNTs were mainly coated on protrusions of the polypyrrole film and emitted electrons without rubbing and stretching. We realized a triode-type field emission array (FEA) using the CNT/polypyrrol composite. This FEA showed that the emission current was modulated by gate voltage of 30 V. The film morphology and emission characteristics of the CNT/conducting polymer composite were studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and an emission test in vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the effect of the polarization anisotropy on the linewidth enhancement factor and the reflection sensitivity of InAs/InP quantum dash semiconductor lasers. The results show that the small linewidth enhancement factor and high stability against external optical feedback are obtained for nanostructures oriented perpendicular to the cavity axis as opposed to those oriented parallel to the cavity axis. Effective simulations on the critical feedback level of these two lasers are also in agreement with experimental results. Such anisotropy is attributed to the polarization dependence of the transition matrix element in these quantum nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) method was introduced to analyze the structural change and thermal stability of LixCoO2 (LCO) cathode material. The reduction peaks of delithiated LCO clearly represented the different phases of LCO. The reduction peak at a temperature below 250 °C can be attributed to the transformation of CoO2-like to Co3O4-like phase which is similar reduction patterns of CoO2 phase resulting from delithiation of LCO structure. The 2nd reduction peak at 300~375 °C corresponds to the reduction of Co3O4-like phase to CoO-like phase. TPR results indicate the thermal instability of delithiated LCO driven by CoO2-like phase on the surface of the delithiated LCO. In the TPR kinetics, the activation energies (Ea) obtained for as-synthesized LCO were 105.6 and 82.7 kJ mol-1 for Tm-H1 and Tm-H2, respectively, whereas Ea for the delithiated LCO were 93.2, 124.1 and 216.3 kJ mol-1 for Tm-L1, Tm-L2 and Tm-L3, respectively. As a result, the TPR method enables to identify the structural changes and thermal stability of each phase and effectively characterize the distinctive thermal behavior between assynthesized and delithiated LCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gas exchange disturbance may develop during urologic robotic laparoscopic surgery with the patient in a steep Trendelenburg position. This study investigated whether prolonged inspiratory time could mitigate gas exchange disturbances including hypercapnia.Methods: In this randomized cross-over trial, 32 patients scheduled for robot-assisted urologic surgery were randomized to receive an inspiratory to expiratory time ratio (I:E) of 1:1 for the first hour of pneumoperitoneum followed by 1:2 for last period of surgery (group A, n = 17) or I:E of 1:2 followed by 1:1 (group B, n = 15). Arterial blood gas analysis, airway pressure and hemodynamic variables were assessed at four time points (T1: 10 min after induction of general anesthesia, T2: 1 h after the initiation of pneumoperitoneum, T3: 1 h after T2 and T4: at skin closure). The carry over effect of initial I:E was also evaluated over the next hour through arterial blood gas analysis.Results: There was a significant decrease in partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) for both groups at T2 and T3 compared to T1 but in group B the PaO2 at T4 was not decreased from the baseline. Partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (PaCO2) increased with I:E of 1:2 but did not significantly increase with I:E of 1:1; however, there were no differences in PaO2 and PaCO2 between the groups.Conclusion: Decreased oxygenation by pneumoperitoneum was improved and PaCO2 did not increase after 1 h of I:E of 1:1; however, the effect of equal ratio ventilation longer than 1 h remains to be determined. There was no carryover effect of the two different I:E ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the fabrication of aluminum-gallium (Ga)-arsenic-Ga-indium-phosphorus heterojunction tunnel diode with band gap. Peak to valley current density ratio of the diode; Use of the diode as the connecting junction in the cascade solar cell structure; Rotation of the susceptor.

We demonstrate 10 Gbit/s operation of InAs/InGaAs quantum dot (QD) p-i-n photodiodes (PDs) grown on on-axis (001) GaP/Si substrates. A 3.0 × 50 μm2 QD PD shows a small dark current of 0.2 nA at a bias voltage of −3 V, which corresponds to a dark current density of 0.13 mA/cm2. This low-dark current characteristic obtained from a narrow-stripe device indicates that sidewall and threading dislocations have small effects on the dark current. The 3 dB bandwidth was 5.5 GHz at a bias voltage of −5 V. Large signal measurement with non-return-to-zero signals shows 10 Gbit/s eye opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many drugs have been investigated as potentially protective of renal function after cardiac surgery. However, their comparative effectiveness has not been established. We performed an arm-based hierarchical Bayesian network metaanalysis including 95 randomised controlled trials with 28,833 participants, which allowed us to compare some agents not previously compared directly. Renal outcomes, including: the incidence of postoperative renal dysfunction and haemodialysis; serum creatinine level at 24 hours postoperatively; all-cause mortality; and length of hospital and ICU stay, were compared. Exploratory meta-regression was conducted for potential effect modifiers. A random effects model was selected according to the evaluation of model fit by deviance information criteria. Atrial natriuretic peptide (odds ratio (95%CrI) 0.28 (0.17-0.48); moderate-quality evidence), B-type natriuretic peptide, dexmedetomidine, levosimendan and N-acetyl cysteine significantly decreased the rate of postoperative renal dysfunction compared with placebo. Atrial natriuretic peptide (OR (95%CrI) 0.24 (0.10-0.58); low-quality evidence), B-type natriuretic peptide, and dexamethasone significantly decreased the need for haemodialysis. Levosimendan significantly decreased mortality, OR (95% CrI) 0.49 (0.27-0.91); low-quality evidence). The benefit of atrial natriuretic peptide was still apparent when baseline renal function was normal. None of the potential effect modifiers were significantly correlated with our renal outcomes. Atrial natriuretic peptide was ranked best regarding renal dysfunction, haemodialysis and length of hospital stay. Levosimendan was ranked best regarding mortality and ICU stay. However, our results should be interpreted cautiously given the assumptions made about transitivity and consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports on the ultra-low linewidth enhancement factor (αH-factor) of semiconductor quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on silicon. Owing to the low density of threading dislocations and resultant high gain, an αH value of 0.13 that is rather independent of the temperature range (288 K–308 K) is measured. Above the laser threshold, the linewidth enhancement factor does not increase extensively with the bias current which is very promising for the realization of future integrated circuits including high performance laser sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors have reviewed recent advances on the transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding technology for various applications especially power module packaging in view of the recent increasing demand for the production of vehicles, smartphones, semiconductor devices etc. TLP bonding is one of the potential technologies from clean technology that can replace the Pb-base solder technology without causing any serious environmental issues. It is based on the concept of both brazing as well as diffusion bonding. During TLP bonding, the liquid phase is transiently formed at the bonding interface. At this point, the melting point of filler metal increases due to the diffusion of element which degrades the melting point from liquid phase to base metal. Subsequently, the bonding occurs by isothermal solidification at the bonding temperature of liquid phase. Here, after bonding, the melting temperature of the joint layer becomes higher than bonding temperature. This review introduces the various aspects of TLP bonding including its principle, materials, applications, advantages and properties in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews soft errors in modern electronic assemblies, through silicon via (TSV), and low α-solder bumping techniques for 3-D microelectronic packaging. The TSV fabrication involves deep reactive ion-etching process of Si wafers to form vertical holes, which are further filled with copper and joined to solder bumps. The solder bumps in close proximity to Si die thus impose a serious threat of soft errors. These soft errors responsible for the malfunction of electronic systems have become a critical issue in miniaturized and high-density packaging, like 3-D packaging. Various low α-solder bumping techniques have been reported to minimize these errors in modern microelectronic devices. A low α-solder is one that has low levels of α-particle emission, as compared to the conventional solder. In addition, it improves the performance and reliability of the solder joints, prompting the need to adopt low α-solder for bumping in TSV packaging. Thus, this paper discusses the various aspects of TSV fabrication, functional layer deposition, Cu filling into TSV, and low α-solder bumping on TSV by solder ball reflow methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eight-year-old, intact male Rottweiler dog was presented due to anorexia, lethargy, ataxia and imbalance. Cerebellar and thyroid masses were identified using 0.3T magnetic resonance imaging. The 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptakes of the masses were elevated on positron emission tomography and 7 T-magnetic resonance imaging fusion imaging. At 113 days after the initial presentation, new nodular lesions were observed in the skin, liver and spleen. Histopathology revealed multiple lesions of disseminated histiocytic sarcoma in the cerebellum, liver, spleen and skin, whereas the thyroid lesions were diagnosed as mixed medullary-follicular thyroid carcinoma. The primary site of the disseminated histiocytic sarcoma was found to be in the cerebellum. To our knowledge, this is the first case report to describe the imaging and histopathological findings of extracranial metastasis of a primary intracranial histiocytic sarcoma in a dog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report dc magnetization and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements in a trinuclear manganese compound, {Mn3}, with formula [Mn[SUB3]O(O[SUB2]CCH[SUB3])[SUB6](C[SUB5]H[SUB5]N)[SUB3] C[SUB5]H[SUB5]N. The magnetic properties are characterized by two antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling constants, J=-7.9 K and J′=-27.6 K. [SUP1]H NMR linewidth strongly depends on both the magnetic field and temperature, and is quantitatively explained by the dipolar interaction between proton nuclei and Mn ion spins. The 2 strong enhancement of T[SUP-1][SUP1] at low temperatures is ascribed to the slowing down of magnetic fluctuations resulting from building up of AF correlations. From the T dependence of T[SUP-1][SUP1]at low T, we obtained the gap δ[SUBNMR] = 19 K, in qualitative agreement with the gap D≅12 K obtained from susceptibility χ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the effects of the growth rate on the properties of iii-v nanocomposites containing rare-earth-monopnictide nanoparticles. In particular, the beneficial effects of surfactant-assisted growth of LuAs:In0.53Ga0.47As nanocomposites were found to be most profound at reduced LuAs growth rates. Substantial enhancement in the electrical and optical properties that are beneficial for ultrafast photoconductors was observed and is attributed to the higher structural quality of the InGaAs matrix in this new growth regime. The combined enhancements enabled a >50% increase in the amount of LuAs that could be grown without degrading the quality of the InGaAs overgrowth. Dark resistivity increased by ∼25× while maintaining carrier mobilities over 3000 cm2/V s; carrier lifetimes were reduced by >2×, even at high depositions of LuAs. The combined growth rate and surfactant enhancements offer a previously unexplored regime to enable high-performance fast photoconductors that may be integrated with telecom components for compact, broadly tunable, heterodyne THz source and detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To identify the relationships between physical activity, quality of life and successful ageing among community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. Background With increasing numbers of financially stable and active older adults, it has become imperative to understand successful ageing to promote well-being in this population. Methods Questionnaire data were collected from senior welfare centres from August to November 2013. Participants were adults aged 65 years or older living in urban areas. Participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires assessing physical activity, quality of life and successful ageing. Data from 212 participants were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, ANOVAs with Scheffe tests and ordinary least square and quantile regression models using STATA 12.0. Findings In the ordinary least square model, the association between physical activity and successful ageing was not statistically significant, whereas quantile regression revealed significant associations within the 75th and 90th percentiles of successful ageing scores. Quality of life was significantly associated with successful ageing in the ordinary least square model and with the median and 75th percentiles of successful ageing in quantile regressions. Conclusion Results suggested that physical activity and quality of life were both in part significantly associated with successful ageing among Korean older adults. Implications for nursing and health policies Physical activity and quality of life play an important role in enhancing successful ageing. The development of an effective exercise programme advertised towards community-dwelling older adults may be essential for maintaining their successful ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enteric duplication is rare in dogs. Here, we report the rarest form of duplication in which two segments are parallel and share a wall for most of their lengths. A nine-year-old spayed female Yorkshire terrier was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Gyeongsang National University due to anorexia and diarrhoea. Physical examination, haematological examination, radiography, and ultrasonography were performed. On physical examination, dry, pale mucous membrane was identified. Moderate anaemia with decreased packed cell volume was detected in complete blood count. Serum urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were mildly increased. Radiographic images revealed no significant findings. On ultrasonographic examination, a multi-layered appearance of a focal small intestinal segment was identified in the left mid abdomen. Following the lesion, it was divided into two small intestinal segments. Based on imaging findings, intussusceptions or enteric duplication were suspected. To resect the abnormal small intestinal segment, enterectomy was performed. Follow-up was not performed because the patient expired during the postoperative recovery time. The histopathological diagnosis was non-communicating small intestinal duplication. Non-communicating intestinal duplication is related to embryologic abnormalities and is usually concurrent with other anomalies such as vertebral malformations and urogenital duplications. However, this case had no other anomalies associated with the malformation of the intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent arrhythmia after thoracic surgery and is associated with increased hospital costs, morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to identify potentially modifiable risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation following lung resection surgery and to suggest possible measures to reduce risk. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 4731 patients who underwent lobectomy or more major lung resection over a 6-year period. Patients who developed atrial fibrillation postoperatively and required treatment were included in the postoperative atrial fibrillation group, while the remaining patients were assigned to the non-postoperative atrial fibrillation group. Risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation were analysed by multivariate analysis and propensity score matching. Overall, 12% of patients developed postoperative atrial fibrillation. Potentially modifiable risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation were excessive alcohol consumption (odds ratio (OR) = 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.02, p = 0.0140), red cell transfusion (2.70(2.13-3.43), p < 0.0001), use of inotropes (1.81(1.42-2.31), p < 0.0001) and open (vs. thoracoscopic) surgery (1.59(1.23-2.05), p < 0.0001). Compared with inotrope use, vasopressor administration was not related to postoperative atrial fibrillation. Use of steroids or thoracic epidural anaesthesia did not reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation. We conclude that high alcohol consumption, red cell transfusion, use of inotropes and open surgery are potentially modifiable risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation. Pre-operative alcohol consumption needs to be addressed. Avoiding red cell transfusion and performing lung resection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation and the administration of vasopressors rather than inotropes is preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AlGaInP is an ideal material for ultra-high efficiency, lattice-matched multi-junction solar cells grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) because it can be grown lattice-matched to GaAs with a wide 1.9-2.2 eV bandgap. Despite this potential, AlGaInP grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has yet to be fully explored, with the initial 2.0 eV devices suffering from poor performance due to low minority carrier diffusion lengths in both the emitter and base regions of the solar cell. In this work, we show that implementing an AlGaInP graded layer to introduce a drift field near the front surface of the device enabled greatly improved internal quantum efficiency (IQE) across all wavelengths. In addition, optimizing growth conditions and post-growth annealing improved the long-wavelength IQE and the open-circuit voltage of the cells, corresponding to a 3× increase in diffusion length in the base. Taken together, this work demonstrates greatly improved IQE, attaining peak values of 95%, combined with an uncoated AM1.5G efficiency of 10.9%, double that of previously reported MBE-grown devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]