Multiferroic Bi(0.7)Dy(0.3)FeO(3) thin films directly integrated on Si for integrated circuit compatible devices

Magnetoelectric multiferroic Bi(0.7)Dy(0.3)FeO(3) (BDFO) thin films deposited on p-type Si (100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition technique demonstrated a saturated ferroelectric and ferromagnetic hysteresis loop at room temperature. More interestingly, the observed change in electric polarization with applied magnetic field in these films indicated the presence of room temperature magnetoelectric coupling behavior. Using high-frequency capacitance-voltage measurements, the fixed oxide charge density, interface trap density and dielectric constant were estimated on Au/BDFO/Si capacitors. These results suggest the integrated circuit compatible application potential of BDFO films in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems and nonvolatile memories.

Stem cells and cancer: a deadly mix.

Stem cells and cancer are inextricably linked; the process of carcinogenesis initially affects normal stem cells or their closely related progenitors and then, at some point, neoplastic stem cells are generated that propagate and ultimately maintain the process. Many, if not all, cancers contain a minority population of self-renewing stem cells, "cancer stem cells", that are entirely responsible for sustaining the tumour and for giving rise to proliferating but progressively differentiating cells that contribute to the cellular heterogeneity typical of many solid tumours. Thus, the bulk of the tumour is often not the clinical problem, and so the identification of cancer stem cells and the factors that regulate their behaviour are likely to have an enormous bearing on the way that we treat neoplastic disease in the future. This review summarises (1) our knowledge of the origins of some cancers from normal stem cells and (2) the evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells; it also illustrates some of the stem cell renewal pathways that are frequently aberrant in cancer and that may represent druggable targets

Genetic testing and common disorders in a public health framework: how to assess relevance and possibilities

This paper discusses genetic testing and common disorders from a health-care perspective. New possibilities for genetic testing confront health-care workers with the question of whom to test and which test to use. This document focuses on genetic testing and screening in common disorders. The term ¿common disorder¿ is used for disorders that individually have a high impact on public health.Examples of common disorders include cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, diabetes, cancer, dementia, and depression. For a health-care practitioner ¿ unlike a geneticist or an epidemiologist ¿ it may not be clear whether a common disorder is due to one gene with a high risk of serious disease, or due to a combination of several genes and several environmental factors. This document will not consider germline prenatal or preconceptional testing, nor testing of biomarkers for tumor recurrence, but it will discuss testing of mutations in tumor tissue, since this may reveal susceptibility to certain forms of therapy. Also, pharmacogenomic applications will not be discussed in depth, although some examples will be given of pharmacogenomic testing. The outlne is as following: First, the terrain of common complex disorders is introduced. Different assessment frames for genetic testing and screening are discussed. The section following that examines the aims and strategies for genetic testing and screening in common disorders and discusses some examples of current testing and screening in Europe. The section ¿The economic evaluation of genetic tests¿ discusses the cost¿benefit relation of different types of tests and screening strategies and how they could be used in the clinic in a cost-effective way. The subsequent section addresses the ethical, legal, and social issues of testing and screening in common disorders. The last section addresses regulatory and intellectual property issues in the EU as well as the United States.JRC.DDG.J.2-The economics of climate change, energy and transpor