Arctic-North Pacific Coupled Impacts on the Late Autumn Cold in North America

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is known to bring an anomalously cold (warm) period to southeastern (northwestern) North America during the cold season of its positive phase through a Rossby wave linkage. This study provides evidence that the remote connection between the North Pacific and the downstream temperature over central North America is strengthened by the warm arctic conditions over the Chukchi and East Siberian Sea, especially in the late autumn season. The modulation effect of the Arctic manifests itself as an altered Rossby wave response to a transient vorticity forcing that results from an equatorward storm track shift, which is induced collaboratively by the PDO and the warm Arctic. This observational finding is supported by two independent modeling experiments: 1) an idealized coupled GCM experiment being nudged toward the warm arctic surface condition and 2) a simple stationary wave model (SWM) experiment forced by transient eddy forcing

Ultra-Short Pulsed Laser Annealing Effects on MoS2 Transistors with Asymmetric and Symmetric Contacts

The ultra-short pulsed laser annealing process enhances the performance of MoS 2 thin film transistors (TFTs) without thermal damage on plastic substrates. However, there has been insufficient investigation into how much improvement can be brought about by the laser process. In this paper, we observed how the parameters of TFTs, i.e., mobility, subthreshold swing, I on /I off ratio, and V th , changed as the TFTs’ contacts were (1) not annealed, (2) annealed on one side, or (3) annealed on both sides. The results showed that the linear effective mobility (µeff_lin) increased from 13.14 [cm 2 /Vs] (not annealed) to 18.84 (one side annealed) to 24.91 (both sides annealed). Also, I on /I off ratio increased from 2.27 x 10 5 (not annealed) to 3.14 x 10 5 (one side annealed) to 4.81 x 10 5 (both sides annealed), with V th shifting to negative direction. Analyzing the main reason for the improvement through the Y function method (YFM), we found that both the contact resistance (R c ) and the channel interface resistance (R ch ) improves after the pulsed laser annealings under different conditions. Moreover, the Rc enhances more dramatically than the R ch does. In conclusion, our picosecond laser annealing improves the performance of TFTs (especially, the R c ) in direct proportion to the number of annealings applied. The results will contribute to the investigation about correlations between the laser annealing process and the performance of devices. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.1

Conformal and Ultra Shallow Junction Formation Achieved Using a Pulsed-Laser Annealing Process Integrated With a Modified Plasma Assisted Doping Method

Recently, a shallow and conformal doping profile is required for promising 3D structured devices. In this study, we deposited the dopant phosphorus (P) using modified plasma assisted doping (PaD) followed by an annealing process to electrically activate the dopants. A rapid thermal annealing process (RTP) was the first approach tested for activation but it resulted in a deep junction ( > 35 nm). To reduce the junction depth, we tried the fiash lamp annealing process (FLP) to shorten the annealing time. We also predicted the annealing temperature by numerical thermal analysis, which reached 1,020 degrees C. However, the FLP resulted in a deep junction (similar to 30 nm), which was not shallow enough to suppress short channel effects. Since an even shorter annealing process was required to form a ultra-shallow junction, we tried the laser annealing process (LAP) as a promising alternative. The LAP, which had a power density of 0.3 J/cm(2), increased the surface temperature up to 1,100 degrees C with a shallow isothermal layer. Using the LAP, we achieved a USJ with an activated surface dopant concentration of 3.86 x 10(19) cm(-3) and a junction depth of 10 nm, which will allow further scaling-down of devices.1

Different clinical features according to the anastomotic leakage subtypes after rectal cancer surgeries: contained vs. free leakages.

BackgroundAnastomotic leakage can be classified by free and contained leakage according to clinical manifestations. The risk factors and their comparison between these leakage subtypes are uncertain. This study aims to evaluate anastomotic leakage patterns and to compare clinical features between free and contained leakages after low anterior resection for rectal cancer.Materials and methodsBetween January 2005 and December 2012, a total of 2035 consecutive patients who underwent low anterior resection for primary rectal cancer were evaluated retrospectively at two-tertiary referral centers. The primary end points of this study were to assess detailed clinical features among leakage subtypes. The secondary end point was to compare risk factors between free and contained leakages.ResultsPatients were subdivided into a no leakage group (n = 1890), free leakage group (n = 73), and contained leakage group (n = 72). Free leakage occurred more frequently in laparoscopic and robotic surgeries than open surgery (p = 0.015). On the other hand, contained leakage was developed in a higher rate of patients who received preoperative chemoradiotherapy (pConclusionsContained leakage in rectal cancer surgery showed different clinical manifestations and risk factors compared to free leakage. It is necessary to pay more attention to patients with particular risk factors for anastomotic leakage subtypes

Reducing Specific Contact Resistivity for n-type Germanium using Laser Activation Process and Nano-island Formation

This study presents a laser activation process (LAP) for germanium (Ge) to improve the electrical performance of n-type Ge devices. The LAP highly activated the dopant and created a shallow junction in Ge. We also investigated a triple contact of titanium (Ti)/nickel (Ni) nano-island/Ge to reduce contact resistivity and enhance the tunneling current. The results showed that the LAP with a fluence of 140 mJ/cm2 effectively activated the dopant, resulting in a high forward current density and a low ideality factor of the n+-p junction diode. The triple contact of Ti/Ni nano-island/Ge showed the lowest specific contact resistivity, indicating an increase in the tunneling current. The Ni nano-island contact showed the best overall electrical performance, attributed to the boosted electric field and the lower density of states at the interface. The results show that combining multiple approaches, including the optimized laser activation process and triple contact formation, can significantly reduce the contact resistance on n-type Ge, providing a promising approach for improving performance.TRU

Prognostic impact of persistent lower neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio during preoperative chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer patients: A propensity score matching analysis.

PURPOSE:This study investigated the significance of change in neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) during preoperative chemoradiotherapy (preop-CRT) in patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer using a propensity score matching method (PSM). METHODS:Patients who underwent surgery after completion of preop-CRT for non-metastatic rectal cancers from Jan 2004 to Dec 2013 were retrospectively enrolled. NLRs were obtained before commencement of CRT (pre-NLR) and between completion of CRT and surgery (post-NLR). Using Cox regression hazards models, the association of NLRs with survival after PSM was examined. RESULTS:A total of 131 patients were grouped as follows: group A, pre-NLR < 3 & post-NLR < 3 (n = 47); group B, pre-NLR < 3 & post-NLR ≥ 3 (n = 45); group C, pre-NLR ≥ 3 & post-NLR < 3 (n = 5); group D, pre-NLR ≥ 3 & post-NLR ≥ 3 (n = 34). There was no difference in disease-free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS) rate according to group. When dichotomized into group A versus groups B-D, DFS was higher in group A (84.7%) than groups B-D (67.5%, p = 0.021). After PSM (n = 94), multivariable analysis identified persistent lower NLR as an independent favorable prognosticator of DFS (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.92, p = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS:Persistent non-inflammatory state measured by NLR may be an indicator of decreased risk of recurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preop-CRT

High and Uniform Phosphorus Doping in Germanium through a Modified Plasma Assisted Delta Doping Process with H2 Plasma Treatment

To achieve high and uniform phosphorus (P) dopant concentration (more than 1 × 1020 cm-3) near the Germanium (Ge) surface, H2 plasma treatment and modified plasma-assisted delta doping (MPADD) process are proposed and investigated. Sufficient vacancies are formed on the Ge surface using H2 plasma treatment. Consequently, P and vacancies are uniformly included inside during Ge growth through the MPADD process. After the annealing, Phosphorus-vacancy-oxygen (PVO) clusters with the lowest binding energy are formed. Therefore, the migration activation energy increases, and the dopant diffusion into the substrate is reduced. As a result, the surface P dopant concentration (4 × 1021 cm-3) improves, and a uniform P concentration of approximately 5 nm is from the Ge surface. These results show that the MPADD process enables a uniform and high surface doping concentration of recently promising Ge materials and compensates for the disadvantages of conventional delta doping, such as long process time and the need for an ultra-high vacuum system. IEEEFALS

Two New Benthic Diatoms of the Genus Achnanthidium (Bacillariophyceae) from the Hangang River, Korea

Two new benthic freshwater species belonging to the genus Achnanthidium were found in Korea. Achnanthidium ovale sp. nov. and A. cavitatum sp. nov. are described as new species based on light and scanning electron microscopy observations and molecular analyses. Both species are compared with the type material of morphologically similar taxa. Achnanthidium ovale differs from other species belonging to the A. pyrenaicum complex in outline, striation pattern, raphe central endings, and freestanding areolae at the apices. Achnanthidium cavitatum differs from other species in the A. minutissimum complex in outline, broad axial central area in the raphel ess valve, and slit-like areolae near the axial central area. We assessed their molecular characteristics by analyzing nuclear small subunit (SSU) rRNA and chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences. Both the morphological comparison and the SSU and rbcL sequence analyses provide strong evidence to support the recognition of A. ovale and A. cavitatum as new species

Preparation and Evaluation of Intraperitoneal Long-Acting Oxaliplatin-Loaded Multi-Vesicular Liposomal Depot for Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastasis has a poor prognosis because of inadequate responses to systemic chemotherapy. Cytoreductive surgery followed by intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy using oxaliplatin has attracted attention; however, the short half-life of oxaliplatin and its rapid clearance from the peritoneal cavity limit its clinical application. Here, a multivesicular liposomal (MVL) depot of oxaliplatin was prepared for IP administration, with an expected prolonged effect. After optimization, a combination of phospholipids, cholesterol, and triolein was used based on its ability to produce MVL depots of monomodal size distribution (1&ndash;20 &micro;m; span 1.99) with high entrapment efficiency (EE) (92.16% &plusmn; 2.17%). An initial burst release followed by a long lag phase of drug release was observed for the MVL depots system in vitro. An in vivo pharmacokinetic study mimicking the early postoperative IP chemotherapy regimen in rats showed significantly improved bioavailability, and the mean residence time of oxaliplatin after IP administration revealed that slow and continuous erosion of the MVL particles yielded a sustained drug release. Thus, oxaliplatin-loaded MVL depots presented in this study have potential for use in the treatment of colorectal cancer