Investigation of the RTN Distribution of nanoscale MOS devices from subthreshold to on-state

This letter presents a numerical investigation of the statistical distribution of the random telegraph noise (RTN) amplitude in nanoscale MOS devices, focusing on the change of its main features when moving from the subthreshold to the on-state conduction regime. Results show that while the distribution can be well approximated by an exponential behavior in subthreshold, large deviations from this behavior appear when moving toward the on-state regime, despite a low probability exponential tail at high RTN amplitudes being preserved. The average value of the distribution is shown to keep an inverse proportionality to channel area, while the slope of the high-amplitude exponential tail changes its dependence on device width, length, and doping when moving from subthreshold to on-state

Transient currents in HfO2 and their impact on circuit and memory applications

We investigate transient currents in HfO2 dielectrics, considering their dependence on electric field, temperature and gate stack composition. We show that transient currents remain an issue even at very low temperatures and irrespective of the HfO2/SiO2 bilayer properties. Finally, we assess their impact on the reliability of precision circuit and memory applications Transient currents in HfO2 and their impact on circuit and memory applications (PDF Download Available). Available from: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/224672970_Transient_currents_in_HfO2_and_their_impact_on_circuit_and_memory_applications [accessed Oct 22, 2015]

On the geometry of C^3/D_27 and del Pezzo surfaces

We clarify some aspects of the geometry of a resolution of the orbifold X = C3/D_27, the noncompact complex manifold underlying the brane quiver standard model recently proposed by Verlinde and Wijnholt. We explicitly realize a map between X and the total space of the canonical bundle over a degree 1 quasi del Pezzo surface, thus defining a desingularization of X. Our analysis relys essentially on the relationship existing between the normalizer group of D_27 and the Hessian group and on the study of the behaviour of the Hesse pencil of plane cubic curves under the quotient.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. JHEP style. Added references. Corrected typos. Revised introduction, results unchanged

Risk sharing with deep neural networks

We consider the problem of optimally sharing a financial position among agents with potentially different reference risk measures. The problem is equivalent to computing the infimal convolution of the risk metrics and finding the so-called optimal allocations. We propose a neural network-based framework to solve the problem and we prove the convergence of the approximated inf-convolution, as well as the approximated optimal allocations, to the corresponding theoretical values. We support our findings with several numerical experiments

Antioxidant effect of lutein protects against oxidative damage to porcine spermatozoa

<p Boar sperm is especially susceptible to peroxidative damage generated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Chemiluminescence was initiated by incubating porcine semen in an in vitro ascorbate-Fe++ system, a technique that allows the evaluation of oxidative stress in these cells. Lutein is known for its antioxidant effects, chemically it is a dihydric derivative of α-carotene and belongs to the group of xanthophylls. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effect of lutein on boar spermatozoa. The effect of lutein was analyzed by two methods: 1) by adding lutein: the sperm samples were placed in an in vitro ascorbate- Fe++ system, during 120 min at 37°C adding increasing amounts of lutein (50, 150 and 250 μg) per mg of protein and 2) by incubation with lutein in an in vitro ascorbate-Fe+2 system, for 120 min at 37°C, using spermatozoa obtained from porcine semen samples previously incubated with lutein (0.15 and 0.25 mg/ml) during 24 h at 15°C. In both methods a control group (without lutein) was used. Peroxidation was measured by chemiluminescence using a liquid scintillation counter, the light emission being quantified in cpm (counts per minute). Analyzing the effect of lutein by the two methods, it was observed that the total amount of cpm/mg of protein originated by chemiluminescence was lower in samples obtained from the lutein group than in the control group (without lutein). Total chemiluminescence (cpm total) was lower in samples obtained from the lutein group than in the control group (without lutein), with a significance of p<0.005. Percent inhibition of peroxidation was not concentration dependent. These results would demonstrate that lutein could act as an antioxidant that would protect the membranes of the sperm from oxidative damage.p>Boar sperm is especially susceptible to peroxidative damage generated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Chemiluminescence was initiated by incubating porcine semen in an in vitro ascorbate-Fe++ system, a technique that allows the evaluation of oxidative stress in these cells. Lutein is known for its antioxidant effects, chemically it is a dihydric derivative of α-carotene and belongs to the group of xanthophylls. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effect of lutein on boar spermatozoa. The effect of lutein was analyzed by two methods: 1) by adding lutein: the sperm samples were placed in an in vitro ascorbate-Fe++ system, during 120 min at 37°C adding increasing amounts of lutein (50, 150 and 250 μg) per mg of protein and 2) by incubation with lutein in an in vitro ascorbate-Fe+2 system, for 120 min at 37°C, using spermatozoa obtained from porcine semen samples previously incubated with lutein (0.15 and 0.25 mg/ml) during 24 h at 15°C. In both methods a control group (without lutein) was used. Peroxidation was measured by chemiluminescence using a liquid scintillation counter, the light emission being quantified in cpm (counts per minute). Analyzing the effect of lutein by the two methods, it was observed that the total amount of cpm/mg of protein originated by chemiluminescence was lower in samples obtained from the lutein group than in the control group (without lutein). Total chemiluminescence (cpm total) was lower in samples obtained from the lutein group than in the control group (without lutein), with a significance of p<0.005. Percent inhibition of peroxidation was not concentration dependent. These results would demonstrate that lutein could act as an antioxidant that would protect the membranes of the sperm from oxidative damage