The effects of oxide thickness on the interface and oxide properties of metal-tantalum pentoxide-Si (MOS) capacitors

High dielectric constant tantalum-pentoxide insulating layers were prepared on p-type (100) crystalline silicon wafers using an RF magnetron sputtering technique. Then, metal-oxide-semiconductor (Al-Ta 2O 5-Si) structures were formed with various oxide thickness from 15 to 25 nm. Devices were characterized using the high frequency capacitance-voltage (C-V) spectroscopy method. From the analysis of the high frequency C-V curves, non-ideal effects such as oxide charges and interface trap densities have been evaluated. The results for Ta 2O 5 layers have been compared with those for conventional SiO 2 layers. Interface trap densities were found to be 1.6 ± 0.4×10 12 eV -1 cm -2 for Ta 2O 5 and about 2×10 11 eV -1 cm -2 for SiO 2 insulating layers. There was no clear thickness dependence of the interface trap densities for the Ta 2O 5 insulating layers

Going ‘strategic’ : the EU-Japan SPA five years on

This policy brief examines the progress of the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) since its signing in 2018 by focusing on the ‘Peace and Security’ priority cluster in the SPA. The paper argues that the changing nature of security threats, and the increasingly blurred dividing line between traditional and non-traditional security challenges, have created more opportunities for the EU and Japan to strengthen their partnership. Most noticeable progress can be observed in the fields of maritime security and cybersecurity, both identified as priorities in the early stages of the EU-Japan bilateral cooperation. Additional areas have emerged since, particularly economic security, which currently ranks highest on both partners’ agendas, and cooperation on defence technology transfers, which has been rising in importance since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.EU-Japan relations, Strategic Partnership Agreement, Indo-Pacific security, new security domain

KSR2 mutations are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and impaired cellular fuel oxidation.

Kinase suppressor of Ras 2 (KSR2) is an intracellular scaffolding protein involved in multiple signaling pathways. Targeted deletion of Ksr2 leads to obesity in mice, suggesting a role in energy homeostasis. We explored the role of KSR2 in humans by sequencing 2,101 individuals with severe early-onset obesity and 1,536 controls. We identified multiple rare variants in KSR2 that disrupt signaling through the Raf-MEKERK pathway and impair cellular fatty acid oxidation and glucose oxidation in transfected cells; effects that can be ameliorated by the commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug, metformin. Mutation carriers exhibit hyperphagia in childhood, low heart rate, reduced basal metabolic rate and severe insulin resistance. These data establish KSR2 as an important regulator of energy intake, energy expenditure, and substrate utilization in humans. Modulation of KSR2-mediated effects may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for obesity and type 2 diabetes.This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (098497/Z/12/Z; 077016/Z/05/Z; 096106/Z/11/Z) (ISF and LRP), Medical Research Council (MC_U106179471) (NW), NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (ISF, IB and SOR), and European Research Council (ISF). This study makes use of data generated by the UK10K Consortium (WT091310). A full list of the investigators who contributed to the generation of the data is available from http://www.UK10K.org.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2813%2901276-2

Rare Variant Analysis of Human and Rodent Obesity Genes in Individuals with Severe Childhood Obesity

A. Palotie on työryhmän UK10K Consortium jäsen.Obesity is a genetically heterogeneous disorder. Using targeted and whole-exome sequencing, we studied 32 human and 87 rodent obesity genes in 2,548 severely obese children and 1,117 controls. We identified 52 variants contributing to obesity in 2% of cases including multiple novel variants in GNAS, which were sometimes found with accelerated growth rather than short stature as described previously. Nominally significant associations were found for rare functional variants in BBS1, BBS9, GNAS, MKKS, CLOCK and ANGPTL6. The p.S284X variant in ANGPTL6 drives the association signal (rs201622589, MAF similar to 0.1%, odds ratio = 10.13, p-value = 0.042) and results in complete loss of secretion in cells. Further analysis including additional case-control studies and population controls (N = 260,642) did not support association of this variant with obesity (odds ratio = 2.34, p-value = 2.59 x 10(-3)), highlighting the challenges of testing rare variant associations and the need for very large sample sizes. Further validation in cohorts with severe obesity and engineering the variants in model organisms will be needed to explore whether human variants in ANGPTL6 and other genes that lead to obesity when deleted in mice, do contribute to obesity. Such studies may yield druggable targets for weight loss therapies.Peer reviewe

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019)Swiss National Science Foundation | Ref. 200021_16959

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

The Eurasian (nee European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60% from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).Peer reviewe

The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD), version 2

Abstract. The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data. This paper describes version 2 of the EMPD in which the number of samples held in the database has been increased by 60 % from 4826 to 8134. Much of the improvement in data coverage has come from northern Asia, and the database has consequently been renamed the Eurasian Modern Pollen Database to reflect this geographical enlargement. The EMPD can be viewed online using a dedicated map-based viewer at https://empd2.github.io and downloaded in a variety of file formats at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.909130 (Chevalier et al., 2019).</jats:p

Concert hall for Sofia in the former court stables

Die Idee, eine Konzerthalle in Sofia zu bauen, ist auf das langjährige Bedürfnis nach einem einheitlichen Gebäude für diese Art von Kunst in meiner Heimatstadt zurückzuführen. Die architektonische Gestaltung soll die bestehende Umgebung mit einem neuen kulturellen Zentrum beleben. Der erste Teil der Arbeit ist ein Überblick über die Geschichte und Stadtentwicklung von Sofia in Bezug auf die ehemaligen Hofstallungen und eine Analyse der vorhandenen Musikorte. Der zweite und dritte Teil ist eine methodische Annäherung an das Design mit einem Überblick über Akustik und Architektur, bestehende Gebäude und Kubaturen und die Umsetzung eines funktionalen Programms. Der vierte Teil ist eine konzeptionelle Umsetzung der diskutierten Ideen und des daraus resultierenden Designs in Bezug auf Funktion, Bauakustik und Nachhaltigkeit.The idea for the creation of a concert hall in Sofia arose because of the long-standing need for the construction of a uniform building for this kind of art in my hometown. The architectural design seeks to revive the existing environment with a new cultural center. The first section of the thesis is an overview of the history and urban development of Sofia with respect to the former court stables and an analysis of the existing music places. The second and third part is a methodical approach to the design with an overview of acoustics and architecture, existing buildings and cubature and the implementation of a functional program. The fourth part is a conceptual implementation of the discussed ideas and the resulting design with regard to function, construction acoustics and sustainability.12