Barrier properties of ALD W_1.55N thin films

W1.5N films grown by ALD from WF6, NH3, C2H4 and SiH4 as precursors were tested as Cu diffusion barriers in p+/n diodes and capacitors with SiO2 as a dielectric. I-V and C-V, C-t characteristics were measured before and after anneal. The layers exhibit excellent barrier properties against both Cu and Al interaction with silicon. No changes of current and capacitance attributed to a barrier failure were observed after annealing at 400°C. Samples without the barrier showed a drastic change of the I-V characteristics. The composition of the films was W1.5N as determined with RBS, being a mixture of WN and W2N phases The RMS- roughness was as low as 0.5-0.7 nm for a film with a thickness of 25 nm.</p

Genre Parameters of Strategy as a Document of Long-Term Planning

The article characterizes the role of business communication in modern society and, in particular, the role of strategic planning documents, their impact on the public consciousness. The analysis of the strategy identifies the function of the document, composition and speech peculiarities of the text. The author demonstrates the possibility of using the genre approach to the description of compositecontent structure of the document text and using a model of the speech genre as a linguistic technology of its analysis. Using the example of genre of strategy, the author discusses the features and linguistic means of representing the basic genre elements in the document text. These elements compose the model of speech genre and reflect the interaction of extralinguistic factors and linguistic material: communicative purpose, author's image, addressee's image, image of the past, vision of the future, type of dictum content, linguistic embodiment. It is proved that the communicative purpose, associated with the idea of the document's author, and the image of the future are fundamental components of the genre of strategy. Based on the complex of considered parameters in their interaction, especially their verbal expression, the strategy is defined as the genre of the document of long-term planning, which performs an informative and appellative function; it is noted that wide representation and the variety of language means of expressing the vision of the future in combination with the explicit intentions of the strategy's author determine the futurality of the text

Speech Organization of Development Program as Strategic Planning Document

The article is devoted to the study of speech organization of the text of the development program as a strategic planning document. The factors determining features of the text of this genre are revealed. The analysis is carried out from the standpoint of communicative genre approach used in the works of modern researchers. The attempt is made to give a complete characteristics of the text in terms of genre. Parameters caused by both linguistic and extralinguistic factors are taken into account. Basic elements of the genre are described: “communicative purpose,” “image of the author,” “image of the addressee,” “image of the past,” “image of the future,” “dictum contents,” “linguistic embodiment of the genre.” Means of their speech representation in the document of this variety are considered. The analysis of the material at the lexical and grammatical levels reveals the features of the document text. It is established that the function of planning (target setting, forecasting), which is the main for Development Program, determines the updating of genre elements “communicative goal” and “image of the future,” forming a special category of futurality. It is shown that lexical features of journalistic text are present in the texts of development programs. The author explains this feature by the orientation of the document to a wide addressee. The expediency of application of communicative and genre approach to the description of speech organization of documents of strategic planning of other types is shown

Bacterial Carriage of Pathogenic Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococci Among Conditionally Healthy Infants and Preschool-age Children

Staphylococci are related to opportunistic microorganisms and are part of normal human microflora. However, there are varieties that can cause pyoinflammatory diseases in organisms with weakened immune status. In the event of an inadequate therapeutic approach, they are preserved in the body, and the person becomes a bacterial carrier and a source of dissemination of pathogenic microorganisms. The formation of antibiotic resistance also plays a significant role in the emergence of bacterial carriage. The situation is especially serious in organized children’s groups, where children are in close contact with one another. Thus, the study of the prevalence rate of antibiotic resistance among pathogenic strains of staphylococci in children’s groups is topical and worthy of attention. The purpose of this work is to identify carriers of pathogenic and antibiotic resistant staphylococci isolated from the microflora of the oral cavity of preschool children considered healthy. The results of the research can prove useful in practical healthcare and, particularly, in pediatric practice. Keywords: staphylococci, pathogenic cocci, bacterial carriage, antibiotic resistance, infant morbidity rat

Calcium Signaling Initiated by Agonists in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from the Human Adipose Tissue

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from different sources represent a heterogeneous population of proliferating non-differentiated cells that contain multipotent stem cells capable of originating a variety of mesenchymal cell lineages. By using Ca2+ imaging and the Ca2+ dye Fluo-4, we studied MSCs from the human adipose tissue and examined Ca2+ signaling initiated by a variety of GPCR ligands, focusing primarily on adrenergic and purinergic agonists. Being characterized by a relative change of Fluo-4 fluorescence, agonist-induced Ca2+ responses were generated in an “all-or-nothing” fashion. Specifically, at relatively low doses, agonists elicited undetectable responses but initiated quite similar Ca2+ transients at all concentrations above the threshold. The inhibitory analysis and Ca2+/IP3 uncaging pointed at the phosphoinositide cascade as a pivotal pathway responsible for agonist transduction and implicated Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) in shaping agonists-dependent Ca2+ signals. Altogether, our data suggest that agonist transduction in MSCs includes two fundamentally different stages: an agonist initially triggers a local, gradual, and relatively small Ca2+ signal, which next stimulates CICR to accomplish transduction with a large and global Ca2+ transient. By involving the trigger-like mechanism CICR, a cell is capable of generating Ca2+ responses of virtually universal shape and magnitude at different agonist concentrations above the threshold

Pharmacological correction of L-NAME-induced oxide deficiency with derivatives of 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate

This paper deals with the study of correction of L-NAME-induced endothelial dysfunction by means of 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate derivative

Effective suckling in relation to naked maternal-infant body contact in the first hour of life: an observation study

Background Best practice guidelines to promote breastfeeding suggest that (i) mothers hold their babies in naked body contact immediately after birth, (ii) babies remain undisturbed for at least one hour and (iii) breastfeeding assistance be offered during this period. Few studies have closely observed the implementation of these guidelines in practice. We sought to evaluate these practices on suckling achievement within the first hour after birth. Methods Observations of seventy-eight mother-baby dyads recorded newborn feeding behaviours, the help received by mothers and birthing room practices each minute, for sixty minutes. Results Duration of naked body contact between mothers and their newborn babies varied widely from 1 to 60 minutes, as did commencement of suckling (range = 10 to 60 minutes). Naked maternal-infant body contact immediately after birth, uninterrupted for at least thirty minutes did not predict effective suckling within the first hour of birth. Newborns were four times more likely to sustain deep rhythmical suckling when their chin made contact with their mother’s breast as they approached the nipple (OR 3.8; CI 1.03 - 14) and if their mothers had given birth previously (OR 6.7; CI 1.35 - 33). Infants who had any naso-oropharyngeal suctioning administered at birth were six times less likely to suckle effectively (OR .176; CI .04 - .9). Conclusion Effective suckling within the first hour of life was associated with a collection of practices including infants positioned so their chin can instinctively nudge the underside of their mother’s breast as they approach to grasp the nipple and attach to suckle. The best type of assistance provided in the birthing room that enables newborns to sustain an effective latch was paying attention to newborn feeding behaviours and not administering naso-oropharyngeal suction routinely

Piezoelectric, ferroelectric, optoelectronic and photo-catalytic phenomena from defect levels in hydroxyapatite by first-principles

The authors thank the Russian Foundation for Basic Researches (RFBR grant 19-01-00519 A) and to the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through project UID/CTM/50025/2013

Ferroelectric nanocomposites based on polymer ferroelectrics and graphene/oxide graphene: Computer modeling and SPFM experiments

The authors are thankful to the Russian Science Foundation (RSF grant # 16-19-10112) and to the Russian Foundation for Basic Researches (RFBR grants # 16-51-53917) for support. Prof. Xiang-Jian Meng expresses his gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC) for support of the project: "The study on the new type of infrared detector based on ferroelectric tunnel junction"