Determining DfT Hardware by VHDL-AMS Fault Simulation for Biological Micro-Electronic Fluidic Arrays

The interest of microelectronic fluidic arrays for biomedical applications, like DNA determination, is rapidly increasing. In order to evaluate these systems in terms of required Design-for-Test structures, fault simulations in both fluidic and electronic domains are necessary. VHDL-AMS can be used successfully in this case. This paper shows a highly testable architecture of a DNA Bio-Sensing array, its basic sensing concept, fluidic modeling and sensitivity analysis. The overall VHDL-AMS fault simulation of the system is shown

The Role Of Cadmium Oxide Within The Thin Films Of The Buffer Cds Aimed At Solar Cells Based Upon CIGS Films Fabrication

High quality Cadmium Sulphide thin films were grown on directly heated substrates of commercial glass by means of Modified Chemical Bath Deposition. Structural and optical properties of the obtained films were achieved. The impact of heat treatment in air at 450°C for one hour reveals the apparition of nano films of Cadmium Oxide on the surface of these buffer layers, which decreases dramatically the optical performance of the annealed films of CdS.High quality Cadmium Sulphide thin films were grown on directly heated substrates of commercial glass by means of Modified Chemical Bath Deposition. Structural and optical properties of the obtained films were achieved. The impact of heat treatment in air at 450°C for one hour reveals the apparition of nano films of Cadmium Oxide on the surface of these buffer layers, which decreases dramatically the optical performance of the annealed films of CdS

Cost-Eeffective Fabrication Processes Of The Absorber CUINSE2 (CIS) And The Buffer Cadmium Sulphide

This paper reports a study of direct heated substrate chemical bath deposited Cadmium Sulphide buffer films. Impact of multi-depositions on both film thickness and its crystallinity features were studied. The absorption coefficient and index refraction of CdS were also determined. The absorber CuInSe2 was grown by means of single-step electrodeposition. Structural analysis shows a quasi-amorphous films and morphological image shows a grained surface.This paper reports a study of direct heated substrate chemical bath deposited Cadmium Sulphide buffer films. Impact of multi-depositions on both film thickness and its crystallinity features were studied. The absorption coefficient and index refraction of CdS were also determined. The absorber CuInSe2 was grown by means of single-step electrodeposition. Structural analysis shows a quasi-amorphous films and morphological image shows a grained surface

Interconnect Capacitance Modelling in a VDSM CMOS Technology

International audienceThis paper introduces a set of analytical formulations for 3D modelling of inter- and intra-layer capacitance. Based on real silicon data, we have developed and validated efficient and accurate analytical models that are an helpful alternative to lookup tables or numerical simulations

U-series and radiocarbon cross dating of speleothems from Nerja Cave (Spain): Evidence of open system behavior. Implication for the Spanish rock art chronology

Two stalagmites from Nerja cave (Andalusia, Spain) were studied. The cave is well known because of its long human occupation from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Chalcolithic and its abundant parietal prehistoric Art. The aims of this study were twofold: i) to compare uranium/thorium (Th/U) and Carbon-14 (C) ages obtained all along the growth axis of the stalagmites in order to understand the consequences of diagenetic processes on the validity of radiometric ages; ii) as one of the stalagmites contains black layers, attributed to combustion soot, to establish when these intense hearths were used and by which culture. Th/U and C ages were coupled with mineralogical studies using FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) and thin section observations. The first stalagmite (GN16-9b) displays Th/U ages in stratigraphic order, and compatible with C ages corrected for a few percent of dead carbon. Homogeneous composition of aragonitic crystals characterized by their needle-like texture is observed throughout this speleothem. For the second stalagmite (GN16-7), in contrast, Th/U ages display large significant inversions and discordant results on the upper part and at the base of the stalagmite, suggesting a possible open system behavior for this chronometer. Interestingly, C ages are in stratigraphic order all along the stalagmite and are compatible with Th/U ages only in its central part. Mineralogical studies display evidence of aragonite to calcite transformation at the top and a complex mineralogical assemblage with interlayered silicates (possibly clays) and calcitic mineralogy for the base of GN16-7. In these parts, discordant Th/U ages were measured. In the middle part of the stalagmite, however, where the fibrous aragonite is well preserved, the C and Th/U ages agree. Our data suggest that in the case of aragonite to calcite transformation as shown here, Th/U ages are biased, but C ages seem to remain accurate, as already observed in aragonitic marine bio minerals. C ages obtained are used for the chronology of the soot layer, determined here between 7900 and 5500 years Cal BP, coherent with previous analysis of charcoals in the same sector of the cave. This study highlights the importance of working with at least two chronometers when stratigraphic age verification is not possible, as is the case of some parietal CaCO thin layers used for rock art dating. Recent Th/U ages published for carbonate deposits on Spanish parietal Art are discussed in light of this demonstration.This research was funded by ANR (grant number ANR-18-CE27- 0004, ApART project) and supported by the Paris Ile-de-France Region – DIM “matérieux Anciens et Patrimoniaux” for FTIR analysis. The authors thank LMC14 staff (Laboratoire de Mesure du Carbone-14), ARTEMIS national facility, for the results obtained with the Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy method, and the PANOPLY analytical platform. This research is part of the “Proyecto General de Investigación aplicada a la conservación de Cueva de Nerja” authorised by the Junta de Andalucía and financed by the Fundación de Servicios Cueva de Nerja. The authors also wish to thank the “Instituto de Investigación Cueva de Nerja” for supporting this research. M.A.Medina-Alcaide has a Postdoctoral Fyssen Grant; the results presented in this paper are included in the PID2019-107262GB-I00 and PDC2021-121501-I00 grants funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin-(1-9): function in cardiac and vascular remodeling

The renin angiotensin system (RAS) is integral to cardiovascular physiology, however, dysregulation of this system largely contributes to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is well established that angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector of the RAS, engages the angiotensin type 1 receptor and promotes cell growth, proliferation, migration and oxidative stress, all processes which contribute to remodeling of the heart and vasculature, ultimately leading to the development and progression of various CVDs including heart failure and atherosclerosis. The counter-regulatory axis of the RAS, which is centered on the actions of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the resultant production of angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7) from Ang II, antagonizes the actions of Ang II via the receptor Mas, thereby providing a protective role in CVD. More recently, another ACE2 metabolite, Ang-(1-9), has been reported to be a biologically active peptide within the counter-regulatory axis of the RAS. This review will discuss the role of the counter-regulatory RAS peptides, Ang-(1-7) and Ang-(1-9) in the cardiovascular system, with a focus on their effects in remodeling of the heart and vasculature

Limpet Shells from the Aterian Level 8 of El Harhoura 2 Cave (Témara, Morocco): Preservation State of Crossed-Foliated Layers

International audienceThe exploitation of mollusks by the first anatomically modern humans is a central question for archaeologists. This paper focuses on level 8 (dated around * 100 ka BP) of El Har-houra 2 Cave, located along the coastline in the Rabat-Témara region (Morocco). The large quantity of Patella sp. shells found in this level highlights questions regarding their origin and preservation. This study presents an estimation of the preservation status of these shells. We focus here on the diagenetic evolution of both the microstructural patterns and organic components of crossed-foliated shell layers, in order to assess the viability of further investigations based on shell layer minor elements, isotopic or biochemical compositions. The results show that the shells seem to be well conserved, with microstructural patterns preserved down to sub-micrometric scales, and that some organic components are still present in situ. But faint taphonomic degradations affecting both mineral and organic components are nonetheless evidenced, such as the disappearance of organic envelopes surrounding crossed-foliated lamellae, combined with a partial recrystallization of the lamellae. Our results provide a solid case-study of the early stages of the diagenetic evolution of crossed-foliated shell layers. Moreover, they highlight the fact that extreme caution must be taken before using fossil shells for palaeoenvironmental or geochronological reconstructions. Without thorough investigation, the alteration patterns illustrated here would easily have gone unnoticed. However, these degradations are liable to bias any proxy based on the elemental, isotopic or biochemical composition of the shells. This study also provides significant data concerning human subsistence behavior: the presence of notches and the good preservation state of limpet shells (no dissolution/recrystallization, no bioerosion and no abrasion/fragmentation aspects) would attest that limpets were gathered alive with tools by Middle Palaeolithic (Aterian) populations in North Africa for consumption

Past temperature reconstructions from deep ice cores: relevance for future climate change

Ice cores provide unique archives of past climate and environmental changes based only on physical processes. Quantitative temperature reconstructions are essential for the comparison between ice core records and climate models. We give an overview of the methods that have been developed to reconstruct past local temperatures from deep ice cores and highlight several points that are relevant for future climate change. We first analyse the long term fluctuations of temperature as depicted in the long Antarctic record from EPICA Dome C. The long term imprint of obliquity changes in the EPICA Dome C record is highlighted and compared to simulations conducted with the ECBILT-CLIO intermediate complexity climate model. We discuss the comparison between the current interglacial period and the long interglacial corresponding to marine isotopic stage 11, about 400 kyr BP. Previous studies had focused on the role of precession and the thresholds required to induce glacial inceptions. We suggest that, due to the low eccentricity configuration of MIS 11 and the Holocene, the effect of precession on the incoming solar radiation is damped and that changes in obliquity must be taken into account. The EPICA Dome C alignment of terminations I and VI published in 2004 corresponds to a phasing of the obliquity signals. A conjunction of low obliquity and minimum northern hemisphere summer insolation is not found in the next tens of thousand years, supporting the idea of an unusually long interglacial ahead. As a second point relevant for future climate change, we discuss the magnitude and rate of change of past temperatures reconstructed from Greenland (NorthGRIP) and Antarctic (Dome C) ice cores. Past episodes of temperatures above the present-day values by up to 5°C are recorded at both locations during the penultimate interglacial period. The rate of polar warming simulated by coupled climate models forced by a CO2 increase of 1% per year is compared to ice-core-based temperature reconstructions. In Antarctica, the CO2-induced warming lies clearly beyond the natural rhythm of temperature fluctuations. In Greenland, the CO2-induced warming is as fast or faster than the most rapid temperature shifts of the last ice age. The magnitude of polar temperature change in response to a quadrupling of atmospheric CO2 is comparable to the magnitude of the polar temperature change from the Last Glacial Maximum to present-day. When forced by prescribed changes in ice sheet reconstructions and CO2 changes, climate models systematically underestimate the glacial-interglacial polar temperature change

Systems-wide analysis of manganese deficiency-induced changes in gene activity of Arabidopsis roots

Manganese (Mn) is pivotal for plant growth and development, but little information is available regarding the strategies that evolved to improve Mn acquisition and cellular homeostasis of Mn. Using an integrated RNA-based transcriptomic and high-throughput shotgun proteomics approach, we generated a comprehensive inventory of transcripts and proteins that showed altered abundance in response to Mn deficiency in roots of the model plant Arabidopsis. A suite of 22,385 transcripts was consistently detected in three RNA-seq runs; LC-MS/MS-based iTRAQ proteomics allowed the unambiguous determination of 11,606 proteins. While high concordance between mRNA and protein expression (R = 0.87) was observed for transcript/protein pairs in which both gene products accumulated differentially upon Mn deficiency, only approximately 10% of the total alterations in the abundance of proteins could be attributed to transcription, indicating a large impact of protein-level regulation. Differentially expressed genes spanned a wide range of biological functions, including the maturation, translation, and transport of mRNAs, as well as primary and secondary metabolic processes. Metabolic analysis by UPLC-qTOF-MS revealed that the steady-state levels of several major glucosinolates were significantly altered upon Mn deficiency in both roots and leaves, possibly as a compensation for increased pathogen susceptibility under conditions of Mn deficiency

8p22 MTUS1 Gene Product ATIP3 Is a Novel Anti-Mitotic Protein Underexpressed in Invasive Breast Carcinoma of Poor Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is not totally eradicated by current therapies. The classification of breast tumors into distinct molecular subtypes by gene profiling and immunodetection of surrogate markers has proven useful for tumor prognosis and prediction of effective targeted treatments. The challenge now is to identify molecular biomarkers that may be of functional relevance for personalized therapy of breast tumors with poor outcome that do not respond to available treatments. The Mitochondrial Tumor Suppressor (MTUS1) gene is an interesting candidate whose expression is reduced in colon, pancreas, ovary and oral cancers. The present study investigates the expression and functional effects of MTUS1 gene products in breast cancer. METHODS AND FINDINGS: By means of gene array analysis, real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we show here that MTUS1/ATIP3 is significantly down-regulated in a series of 151 infiltrating breast cancer carcinomas as compared to normal breast tissue. Low levels of ATIP3 correlate with high grade of the tumor and the occurrence of distant metastasis. ATIP3 levels are also significantly reduced in triple negative (ER- PR- HER2-) breast carcinomas, a subgroup of highly proliferative tumors with poor outcome and no available targeted therapy. Functional studies indicate that silencing ATIP3 expression by siRNA increases breast cancer cell proliferation. Conversely, restoring endogenous levels of ATIP3 expression leads to reduced cancer cell proliferation, clonogenicity, anchorage-independent growth, and reduces the incidence and size of xenografts grown in vivo. We provide evidence that ATIP3 associates with the microtubule cytoskeleton and localizes at the centrosomes, mitotic spindle and intercellular bridge during cell division. Accordingly, live cell imaging indicates that ATIP3 expression alters the progression of cell division by promoting prolonged metaphase, thereby leading to a reduced number of cells ungergoing active mitosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results identify for the first time ATIP3 as a novel microtubule-associated protein whose expression is significantly reduced in highly proliferative breast carcinomas of poor clinical outcome. ATIP3 re-expression limits tumor cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this protein may represent a novel useful biomarker and an interesting candidate for future targeted therapies of aggressive breast cancer