Laser-Produced Heavy Ion Plasmas as Efficient Soft X-Ray Sources

We demonstrate extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray sources in the 2- to 7 -nm spectral region related to the beyond extreme ultraviolet (BEUV) question at 6.x nm and a water window source based on laser-produced high-Z plasmas. Strong emissions from multiply charged ions merge to produce intense unresolved transition array (UTA) toward extending below the carbon K-edge (4.37 nm). An outline of a microscope design for single-shot live- cell imaging is proposed based on a high-Z UTA plasma source, coupled to x-ray optics. We will discuss the progress and Z-scaling of UTA emission spectra to achieve lab-scale table-top, efficient, high-brightness high-Z plasma EUV-soft x-ray sources for in vivo bio-imaging applications

Scaling of laser produced plasma UTA emission down to 3 nm for next generation lithography and short wavelength imaging

Presented at a poster session at Advances in X-Ray/EUV Optics and Components VI, Monday 22 August 2011, San Diego, California, USAAn engineering prototype high average power 13.5-nm source has been shipped to semiconductor facilities to permit the commencement of high volume production at a 100 W power level in 2011. In this source, UTA (unresolved transition array) emission of highly ionized Sn is optimized for high conversion efficiency and full recovery of the injected fuel is realized through ion deflection in a magnetic field. By use of a low-density target, satellite emission is suppressed and full ionization attained with short pulse CO2 laser irradiation. The UTA is scalable to shorter wavelengths, and Gd is shown to have similar conversion efficiency to Sn (13.5 nm) at a higher plasma temperature, with a narrow spectrum centered at 6.7 nm, where a 70% reflectivity mirror is anticipated. Optimization of short pulse CO2 laser irradiation is studied, and further extension of the same method is discussed, to realize 100 W average power down to a wavelength of 3 nmScience Foundation Irelandau, ke, co, li - TS 28.03.1

Recent advances in regulatory T cell therapy of autoimmunity, graft rejection and cancer

Since their initial discover in the 1970s and their subsequent resurgence in the mid 1990s, regulatory T (Treg) cells have become one of the most studied cell subsets. Treg cells prevent autoimmunity and limit aggressive immune responses directed against either pathogen or foreign antigen that might serve to damage host tissue. In contrast, tumour cells have been shown to recruit and/or induce Treg cells, which can impair tumour immunity. The immunoregulatory function of these cells makes them ideal therapeutic candidates for the treatment of autoimmune disease and in the prevention of transplant rejection. Likewise, depletion of Treg cells remains an additional option in the treatment of cancer. Despite significant advances in the treatment of murine models of disease with Treg cells, it has been difficult to transfer this success into the clinic. In this review we will discuss relevant patents and the most recent advances in the use of Treg cells to treat autoimmunity, prevent graft rejection as well as the use of anti-bodies to deplete these cells in cancer

Solutions to Instability Problems with Sequential Wrapper-Based Approaches To Feature Selection

It is generally accepted that Wrapper approaches will outperform Filter-based approaches to feature selection, particularly in situations where an adequate amount of data is available. What is often overlooked is that Wrapper approaches can be unstable. For instance, different partitionings of the training data can result in di#erent routes through the search space and thus in di#erent feature subsets being selected. In this paper we illustrate examples of this problem and a solution based on the aggregation of several runs of a sequential search is suggested. This is essentially an ensemble solution to instability in feature subset selection and it does seem to stabilise the process

Mental health and addiction services and the management of dual diagnosis in Ireland.

This study aims to identify the health and social care needs of people with dual diagnosis and to identify the services provided to those with dual diagnosis across the addiction and mental health services in Ireland. The research was carried out in three distinct phases. Firstly a literature review identified the needs of people with dual diagnosis and examined best practice in treatment and service management. Secondly, and open forum, comprising of people and agencies involved in the care of people with dual diagnosis, was convened to consider the findings of the literature review in the light of their experience of dual diagnosis. Thirdly, a national survey was developed to review how mental health and addiction services manage dual diagnosis. The study found that there was no systematic co-ordination of care evident in any health board area, with 76% of services failing to offer a specific service for people with dual diagnosis. 75% of survey respondents support a fully integrated service as the most effective

Inflammasome activation by adenylate cyclase toxin directs Th17 responses and protection against Bordetella pertussis.

Inflammasome-mediated IL-1? production is central to the innate immune defects that give rise to certain autoinflammatory diseases and may also be associated with the generation of IL-17?producing CD4+ T (Th17) cells that mediate autoimmunity. However, the role of the inflammasome in driving adaptive immunity to infection has not been addressed. In this article, we demonstrate that inflammasome-mediated IL-1? plays a critical role in promoting Ag-specific Th17 cells and in generating protective immunity against Bordetella pertussis infection. Using a murine respiratory challenge model, we demonstrated that the course of B. pertussis infection was significantly exacerbated in IL-1R type I-defective (IL-1RI?/?) mice. We found that adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA), a key virulence factor secreted by B. pertussis, induced robust IL-1? production by dendritic cells through activation of caspase-1 and the NALP3-containing inflammasome complex. Using mutant toxins, we demonstrate that CyaA-mediated activation of caspase-1 was not dependent on adenylate cyclase enzyme activity but was dependent on the pore-forming capacity of CyaA. In addition, CyaA promoted the induction of Ag-specific Th17 cells in wild-type but not IL-1RI?/? mice. Furthermore, the bacterial load was enhanced in IL-17?defective mice. Our findings demonstrate that CyaA, a virulence factor from B. pertussis, promotes innate IL-1? production via activation of the NALP3 inflammasome and, thereby, polarizes T cell responses toward the Th17 subtype. In addition to its known role in subverting host immunity, our findings suggest that CyaA can promote IL-1??mediated Th17 cells, which promote clearance of the bacteria from the respiratory tract

Configuration Interaction Effects in Unresolved 5p65dN+1−5p55dN+2+5p65dN5f1 Transition Arrays in Ions Z = 79–92

Configuration interaction (CI) effects can greatly influence the way in which extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) spectra of heavier ions are dominated by emission from unresolved transition arrays (UTAs), the most intense of which originate from Δn = 0, 4p64dN+1−4p54dN+2+4p64dN4f1 transitions. Changing the principle quantum number n, from 4 to 5, changes the origin of the UTA from Δn = 0, 4p64dN+1−4p54dN+2+4p64dN4f1 to Δn = 0, 5p65dN+1−5p55dN+2+5p65dN5f1 transitions. This causes unexpected and significant changes in the impact of configuration interaction from that observed in the heavily studied n = 4 – n = 4 arrays. In this study, the properties of n = 5 – n = 5 arrays have been investigated theoretically with the aid of Hartree-Fock with configuration interaction (HFCI) calculations. In addition to predicting the wavelengths and spectral details of the anticipated features, the calculations show that the effects of configuration interaction are quite different for the two different families of Δn = 0 transitions, a conclusion which is reinforced by comparison with experimental results

Simplified 1-D calculation of 13.5-nm emission in a tin plasma including radiation transport

Many next generation lithography schemes for the semiconductor industry are based on a 13.5-nm tin plasma light source, where hundreds of thousands of 4d-4f, 4p-4d, and 4d-5p transitions from Sn5+–Sn13+ ions overlap to form an unresolved transition array. To aid computation, transition arrays are treated statistically, and Hartree-Fock results are used to calculate radiation transport in the optically thick regime with a 1-D Lagrangian plasma hydrodynamics code. Time-dependent spectra and conversion efficiencies of 2% in-band 13.5-nm emission to laser energy are predicted for a Nd:YAG laser incident on a pure tin slab target as a function of laser power density and pulse duration at normal incidence. Calculated results showed a maximum conversion efficiency of 2.3% for a 10-ns pulse duration at 8.0 x 1010 W/cm2 and are compared to experimental data where available. Evidence for the need to include lateral expansion is presented.Science Foundation Irelan

Systematic investigation of self-absorption property and conversion efficiency of 6.7-nm extreme ultraviolet sources

We have demonstrated rare-earth plasma extreme ultraviolet sources at 6.7 nm to investigate the spectral behavior and the conversion efficiencies to different laser wavelength and the initial target densities. The conversion efficiency was maximized to be 0.9% at laser intensity of 7 × 1012 W/cm2 at its wavelength of 1064 nm, which is attributed to the minimum self-absorption effect by use of the low initial density target, together with the narrow spectrum. It is important to use a low initial density target and to produce low electron density plasmas for efficient EUV sources using the high-Z targets.Science Foundation IrelandOther funderResearch Foundation for Opto-Science and Technologysp, ke, li - TS 17.04.1

Gd plasma source modeling at 6.7 nm for future lithography

Plasmas containing gadolinium have been proposed as sources for next generation lithography at 6.x nm. To determine the optimum plasma conditions, atomic structure calculations have been performed for Gd11+ to Gd27+ ions which showed that n=4 - n=4 resonance transitions overlap in the 6.5 – 7.0 nm region. Plasma modeling calculations, assuming collisional-radiative equilibrium, predict that the optimum temperature for an optically thin plasma is close to 110 eV and that maximum intensity occurs at 6.76 nm under these conditions. The close agreement observed between simulated and experimental spectra from laser and discharge produced plasmas indicates the validity of our approach.Science Foundation Irelandab, li - TS 27.03.1