Single-electron transistors with wide operating temperature range

Abstract : Single-electron transistors are fabricated with a planar self-aligned process using chemical mechanical polishing. The method is demonstrated with Ti∕TiOxTi∕TiOx junctions and resistless lithography. The device characterization showed Coulomb blockade up to 433K433K. High temperature data allowed one to calculate the impact of the process variations on the charging energy and thus on a realistic operating temperature. It is found that single electron devices can have an operating temperature range similar to conventional silicon transistors, opening the door to hybrid designs. These approaches are promising because advanced functionality is created by an optimal combination of both technology strengths

HI studies of the Sculptor group galaxies. VIII. The background galaxies: NGC 24 and NGC 45

In order to complete our HI survey of galaxies in the Sculptor group area, VLA observations of NGC 24 and NGC 45 are presented. These two galaxies of similar magnitude M_B ~ -17.4 lie in the background of the Sculptor group and are low surface brightness galaxies, especially NGC 45. The HI distribution and kinematics are regular for NGC 24 while NGC 45 exhibits a kinematical twist of its major axis. A tilted-ring model shows that the position angle of the major axis changes by ~25 degrees. A best-fit model of their mass distribution gives mass-to-light ratios for the stellar disk of 2.5 and 5.2 for NGC 24 and NGC 45 respectively. These values are higher than the ones expected from stellar population synthesis models. Despite the large dark matter contribution, the galaxy mass is still dominated by the stellar component in their very inner regions. These high mass-to-light ratios are typical of what is seen in low surface brightness galaxies and may indicate that, in those galaxies, disks are far from the maximum disk case. The halo parameters derived from the best-fit models are thus lower limits.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa

Secretion and N-Linked Glycosylation Are Required for Prostatic Acid Phosphatase Catalytic and Antinociceptive Activity

Secretory human prostatic acid phosphatase (hPAP) is glycosylated at three asparagine residues (N62, N188, N301) and has potent antinociceptive effects when administered to mice. Currently, it is unknown if these N-linked residues are required for hPAP protein stability and activity in vitro or in animal models of chronic pain. Here, we expressed wild-type hPAP and a series of Asn to Gln point mutations in the yeast Pichia pastoris X33 then analyzed protein levels and enzyme activity in cell lysates and in conditioned media. Pichia secreted wild-type recombinant (r)-hPAP into the media (6–7 mg protein/L). This protein was as active as native hPAP in biochemical assays and in mouse models of inflammatory pain and neuropathic pain. In contrast, the N62Q and N188Q single mutants and the N62Q, N188Q double mutant were expressed at lower levels and were less active than wild-type r-hPAP. The purified N62Q, N188Q double mutant protein was also 1.9 fold less active in vivo. The N301Q mutant was not expressed, suggesting a critical role for this residue in protein stability. To explicitly test the importance of secretion, a construct lacking the signal peptide of hPAP was expressed in Pichia and assayed. This “cellular” construct was not expressed at levels detectable by western blotting. Taken together, these data indicate that secretion and post-translational carbohydrate modifications are required for PAP protein stability and catalytic activity. Moreover, our findings indicate that recombinant hPAP can be produced in Pichia—a yeast strain that is used to generate biologics for therapeutic purposes

Investigation of the magnetic field characteristics of Herbig Ae/Be stars: Discovery of the pre-main sequence progenitors of the magnetic Ap/Bp stars

We are investigating the magnetic characteristics of pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars, with the aim of (1) understanding the origin and evolution of magnetism in intermediate-mass stars, and (2) exploring the influence of magnetic fields on accretion, rotation and mass-loss at the early stages of evolution of A, B and O stars. We have begun by conducting 2 large surveys of Herbig Ae/Be stars, searching for direct evidence of photospheric magnetic fields via the longitudinal Zeeman effect. From observations obtained using FORS1 at the ESO-VLT and ESPaDOnS at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we report the confirmed detection of magnetic fields in 4 pre-main sequence A- and B-type stars, and the apparent (but as yet unconfirmed) detection of fields in 2 other such stars. We do not confirm the detection of magnetic fields in several stars reported by other authors to be magnetic: HD 139614, HD 144432 or HD 31649. One of the most evolved stars in the detected sample, HD 72106A, shows clear evidence of strong photospheric chemical peculiarity, whereas many of the other (less evolved) stars do not. The magnetic fields that we detect appear to have surface intensities of order 1 kG, seem to be structured on global scales, and appear in about 10% of the stars studied. Based on these properties, these magnetic stars appear to be pre-main sequence progenitors of the magnetic Ap/Bp stars.Comment: v2: Include comment regarding publication source To appear in the proceedings of "Solar Polarisation 4", held in Boulder, USA, Sept. 200

Exploring vertical and horizontal leadership in projects: A comparison of Indian and Australian contexts

Project-based organisational forms are becoming more and more prevalent in many industries, and leadership influences projects' success ultimately impacting the organisational performance. Two types of leadership styles have been explored: vertical and horizontal. This study aims to identify the nature and balance of vertical and horizontal leadership in projects to allow project managers to consciously poly these approaches in different situations. A case study-based approach is adopted wherein, two case studies from India and three case studies from Australia are included . A comparative study of leadership styles is performed to find the best contextual fit for leadership styles. The findings reveal that that national cultural is not a major factor in influencing project leadership. Rather, organisational culture and a shared understanding on leadership practices is what influences whether vertical or horizontal leadership will be more prevalent. Senior leaders' initiatives to create and support a culture of sharing ideasand decisions, backed by project manager's approach enable effective balance between horizontal and vertical leadership. Horizontal leadership is further by regular meetings and social interactions. Prevalence of horizontal leaderships is demonstrated in technical decisions, as team members have the best expertise to address technical issues. In contrast, strategic decisions are normally discussed with the project manager and often escalated to senior leaders for decisions

Post-eruptive volcano inflation following major magma drainage: Interplay between models of viscoelastic response influence and models of magma inflow at Bárðarbunga caldera, Iceland, 2015-2018

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Unrest at B&amp;amp;#225;r&amp;amp;#240;arbunga after a caldera collapse in 2014-2015 includes elevated seismicity beginning about six months after the eruption ended, including nine Mw&amp;gt;4.5 earthquakes. The earthquakes occurred mostly on the northern and southern parts of a caldera ring fault. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS, in particular, Global Positioning System; GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) geodesy are applied to evaluate the spatial and temporal pattern of ground deformation around B&amp;amp;#225;r&amp;amp;#240;arbunga caldera outside the icecap, in 2015-2018, when deformation rates were relatively steady. The aim is to study the role of viscoelastic relaxation following major magma drainage versus renewed magma inflow as an explanation for the ongoing unrest.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The largest horizontal velocity is measured at GPS station KISA (3 km from caldera rim), 141 mm/yr in direction N47&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;o&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;E relative to the Eurasian plate in 2015-2018. GPS and InSAR observations show that the velocities decay rapidly outward from the caldera. We correct our observations for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment and plate spreading to extract the deformation related to volcanic activity. After this correction, some GPS sites show subsidence.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;We use a reference Earth model to initially evaluate the contribution of viscoelastic processes to the observed deformation field. We model the deformation within a half-space composed of a 7-km thick elastic layer on top of a viscoelastic layer with a viscosity of 5 x 10&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;18&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; Pa s, considering two co-eruptive contributors to the viscoelastic relaxation: &amp;amp;#8220;non-piston&amp;amp;#8221; magma withdrawal at 10 km depth (modelled as pressure drop in a spherical source) and caldera collapse (modelled as surface unloading). The other model we test is the magma inflow in an elastic half-space. Both the viscoelastic relaxation and magma inflow create horizontal outward movements around the caldera, and uplift at the surface projection of the source center in 2015-2018. Viscoelastic response due to magma withdrawal results in subsidence in the area outside the icecap. Magma inflow creates rapid surface velocity decay as observed.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;We explore further two parameters in the viscoelastic reference model: the viscosity and the &amp;quot;non-piston&amp;quot; magma withdrawal volume. Our comparison between the corrected InSAR velocities and viscoelastic models suggests a viscosity of 2.6&amp;amp;#215;10&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;18&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; Pa s and 0.36 km&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; of &amp;amp;#8220;non-piston&amp;amp;#8221; magma withdrawal volume, given by the optimal reduced Chi-squared statistic. When the deformation is explained using only magma inflow into a single spherical source (and no viscoelastic response), the optimal model suggests an inflow rate at 1&amp;amp;#215;10&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;7&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; m&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt;/yr at 700 m depth. A magma inflow model with more model parameters is also a possible explanation, including sill inflation at 10 km together with slip on caldera ring faults. Our reference Earth model and the two end-member models suggest that there is a trade-off between the viscoelastic relaxation and the magma inflow, since they produce similar deformation signals outside the icecap. However, to reproduce details of the observed deformation, both processes are required. A viscoelastic-only model cannot fully explain the fast velocity decay away from the caldera, whereas a magma inflow-only model cannot explain the subsidence observed at several locations.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt; </jats:p

Approximate probabilistic verification of hybrid systems

Hybrid systems whose mode dynamics are governed by non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are often a natural model for biological processes. However such models are difficult to analyze. To address this, we develop a probabilistic analysis method by approximating the mode transitions as stochastic events. We assume that the probability of making a mode transition is proportional to the measure of the set of pairs of time points and value states at which the mode transition is enabled. To ensure a sound mathematical basis, we impose a natural continuity property on the non-linear ODEs. We also assume that the states of the system are observed at discrete time points but that the mode transitions may take place at any time between two successive discrete time points. This leads to a discrete time Markov chain as a probabilistic approximation of the hybrid system. We then show that for BLTL (bounded linear time temporal logic) specifications the hybrid system meets a specification iff its Markov chain approximation meets the same specification with probability $1$. Based on this, we formulate a sequential hypothesis testing procedure for verifying -approximately- that the Markov chain meets a BLTL specification with high probability. Our case studies on cardiac cell dynamics and the circadian rhythm indicate that our scheme can be applied in a number of realistic settings

Simple Generation of a High Yield Culture of Induced Neurons from Human Adult Skin Fibroblasts

Direct neuronal reprogramming generates neurons to maintain the age of the starting somatic cell. Here, we describe a single vector-based method to generate induced neurons from dermal fibroblasts obtained from adult human donors.We thank Marie Persson Vejgården for technical assistance. The research leading to these results has received funding from the New York Stem Cell Foundation, the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme: FP/2007-2013 Neuro Stem Cell Repair (no. 602278) and ERC Grant Agreement no. 30971, the Swedish Research Council (grant agreement 521-2012-5624, 2016-00873 and 70862601/ Bagadilico), Swedish Parkinson Foundation (Parkinsonfonden), and the Strategic Research Area at Lund University Multipark (multidisciplinary research in Parkinson’s disease). Janelle Drouin-Ouellet is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) fellowship (#358492), and Roger Barker is supported by an NIHR Biomedical Research Centre grant to the University of Cambridge/Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Malin Parmar is a New York Stem Cell Foundation Robertson Investigator. Shelby Shrigley is funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network and Grant Agreement No. 676408

Spillover effects on the relationship with the partner of a mentalization-based intervention for pregnant women

Abstract The birth of a child has been associated with a decline in couple satisfaction, which has implications for the child's social-emotional development. This study investigated the potential spillover effect on pregnant women's perceptions of their relationships with their partners of the Supporting the Transition to and Engagement in Parenthood (STEP) program, a brief trauma-informed mentalization-based prenatal group intervention. Participants (94% White) were recruited in prenatal clinics and through online advertisements in Quebec, Canada. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from participants assigned to the STEP program (n = 42) and those receiving treatment-as-usual (TAU; n = 125). Women participating in STEP reported significant improvements in their relationships with their partners compared to those assigned to TAU. More precisely, they reported higher couple satisfaction, enhanced communication, and increased interest in their partners’ emotional experience. The qualitative analysis further substantiated these results, with participants reporting having involved their partners in their pregnancy, shared their insights about themselves with their partners and gained fresh perspectives on their relationships. Participants in STEP also expressed sharing program materials with their partners and considered that such interventions should be extended to expecting fathers. This study underscores the potential of mentalization-based interventions to indirectly contribute to couple relationships, which may have positive implications for parenting and the infant