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In this article, total ionizing dose (TID) irradiation experiments were carried out on germanium-silicon heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs) under different bias and temperature conditions. The electrical performance and noise characteristics of the device were characterized before and after irradiation using a semiconductor parameter analyzer and a 1/ f noise test system, respectively. The variation of radiation sensitivity parameters with the TID effect and temperature of the device was obtained, and the mechanism of radiation damage degradation was also identified. Results suggest that the oxide-trap charges and interface states induced by irradiation are the main causes for SiGe HBT electrical parameters degradation. With the decreased temperature, Gummel characteristics and 1/f noise are significantly improved. It's found that oxide-trap charges and interface states generated at 93 K is less than that at 300 K. This work lays the foundation for the application of SiGe HBT in aerospace area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Immunosuppressive agents are predisposed factor to cause opportunistic fungal infections. • Skin infections caused by C. cassiicola are very rare. • Photodynamic therapy is a potential approach for the treatment of C. cassiicola skin infections. Corynespora cassiicola (C. cassiicola) is a common plant pathogen but occasionally causes infections in human skin. Poor outcome and death in such cases were then often reported even after a long course of antifungal treatment. In the present case, the patient was a 54-year-old farmer who presented with a ten-month history of an ulcerative lesion in the right lower extremity after a minor skin trauma. The patient had been undergoing immunosuppressive treatment for nephrotic syndrome for 2 months before the onset of the skin lesion. The fungal isolate from the lesion was identified as C. cassiicola by morphology and molecular sequencing. The patient was treated with ALA-PDT 5 times at 10 days intervals. The lesion disappeared and has not recurred in the 8-month follow-up. To our knowledge, it is the first time ALA-PDT has been used for treatment of a skin lesion caused by C. cassiicola. A retrospective analysis of the literature found 9 cases of C. cassiicola infection. All 9 patients had a history of immunodeficient conditions and had experienced a long course of antifungal therapy. Despite the rigorous antifungal treatment, 2 patients with CARD9 gene deficiency ultimately died. Our case suggests that photodynamic therapy is a potentially beneficial approach for treatment of fungal infection in immunosuppressed patients who failed to respond to antifungal agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Skin infections caused by Curvularia lunata are very rare. • Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was first applied to the treatment of Curvularia infection and was successful. • Surgery combined with ALA-PDT could improve efficacy. • In vitro study, C. Lunata growth was significantly inhibited by ALA-PDT treatment. • Photodynamic therapy is a potential approach for the treatment of C. Lunata skin infections. Curvularia lunata (C. lunata) can be easily found in environment and plants and rarely causes human infections. Antifungal agents have been the primary approach to treat such infections; however, adverse hepatotoxic reactions may require discontinuation of the long-term use of antifungal agents in patients with pre-existing liver diseases. New therapeutic approaches are thus needed to cope with these circumstances. Here, we report a 66-year-old diabetic female patient, suffering from a rapidly growing lesion on the nose for 2 months. The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous fungal infection caused by C. lunata, which was based on mycological study and ITS sequencing. The lesion was completely disappeared after a combination of surgery and 3 times of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) at 9- day intervals. The patient did not receive any antifungal agents during the treatment. There was no recurrence at 6-month fellow-up. In the following in vitro study, C. Lunata growth was significantly inhibited by ALA-PDT treatment. Therapeutic success in this patent suggests that the ALA-PDT method could be a promising treatment for cutaneous fungal infection caused by C. Lunata and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Plastic wastes underwent a tough-brittle transition by degradation and modification. • The coal-plastic-water slurry (CPWS) exhibited a pseudo-plastic rheological behavior. • The CPWS with a high solid concentration and calorific value could be obtained. • The comprehensive approach opens up a new way for the utilization of plastic wastes. In this paper, coal-plastic-water slurry (CPWS) was prepared by blending plastic waste with coal in water. To enhance the grindability and density, the plastic waste containing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) was treated by degradation and filling modification. The structures and properties of degraded and modified plastic waste were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscope (POM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also, the mechanical properties of modified plastic waste were tested. It was suitable to use 1.0 wt% K 2 S 2 O 8 as an assistant to degrade the plastic waste at 260° C for 3 h, and 35 wt% CaCO 3 as the filling agent to modify the plastic waste. The results proved that the plastic waste underwent a tough-brittle transition by the combined treatments of degradation and filling modification. When the blending ratio range of plastic waste was from 0 to15 wt%, the CPWS with a high solid concentration greater than 66 wt% and high calorific value could be achieved by using the degraded and modified plastic waste. Additionally, CPWSs exhibited pseudo-plastic rheological behaviors. Based on the research results, a reasonable method for preparation of CPWS and a new way for utilization of plastic waste were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]