Nanomachining of (110)-oriented silicon by scanning probe lithography and anisotropic wet etching

[[abstract]]We have demonstrated that silicon nanostructures with high aspect ratios, having similar to 400 nm structural height and similar to 55 nm lateral dimension, may be fabricated by scanning probe lithography and aqueous KOH orientation-dependent etching on the H-passivated (110) Si wafer. The high spatial resolution of fabricated features is achieved by using the atomic force microscope based nano-oxidation process in ambient. Due to the large (110)/(111) anisotropic ratio of etch rate and the large Si/SiO2 etch selectivity at a relatively low etching temperature and an optimal KOH concentration, high-aspect-ratio gratings with (111)-oriented structural sidewalls as well as hexagonal etch pit structures determined by the terminal etch geometry can be obtained.[[fileno]]2010109010018[[department]]物理

Utility of the Macro-Micromorphological Characteristics Used in Classifying the Species of Termitomyces

Delimitation of Termitomyces species principally rely on the macro-micromorphological characteristics of the species although recently they are supplemented by molecular techniques. Utility of these characters have never been examined to authenticate their usefulness. The present paper therefore, provides a detailed study on the efficacy of the macro and micro-morphological characters used in classifying Termitomyces species. Macromorphologically, capsize was very useful and based on it, three groups were established. Other more useful characters include colour of the cap and pseudorrhiza presence. Annulus presence, pseudorrhiza colour, size, and morphometry were apparently unuseful. Micromorphology was less informative and ambiguously used while untetra basidiospore character was revealed for the first time in this genus. In general macromorphological characteristics provide more reliable taxonomic information to delineate most of the species in the genus than micromophology. However, for the more similar species, an analysis of more stable molecular characters is required. More distinguishing characters are yet to be revealed while ascertaining the used one and taxonomic status of T. citriophylus is essential.Keywords: Characters, Macro-micromorphology, Mushrooms, Taxonomy, TermitomycesTanz. J. Sci. Vol 36 2010, 31-4

Electro-clinical criteria and surgical outcome: Is there a difference between mesial and lesional temporal lobe epilepsy?

OBJECTIVES: Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy syndrome (MTLE) with specific electrophysiological and clinical characteristics and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) on MRI is considered the prototype of a syndrome with good surgical prognosis. Ictal onset zones in MTLE have been found to extend outside the hippocampus and neocortical seizures often involve mesial structures. It can, thus, be questioned whether MTLE with HS is different from lesional temporal epilepsies with respect to electro-clinical characteristics and surgical prognosis. We assessed whether MTLE with HS is distinguishable from lesional TLE and which criteria determine surgical outcome. METHODS: People in a retrospective cohort of 389 individuals with MRI abnormalities who underwent temporal lobectomy, were divided into "HS only" or "lesional" TLEs. Twenty-six presented with dual pathology and were excluded from further analysis. We compared surgical outcome and electro-clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Over half (61%) had "HS only." Four electro-clinical characteristics (age at epilepsy onset, febrile seizures, memory dysfunction and contralateral dystonic posturing) distinguished "HS only" from "lesional" TLE, but there was considerable overlap. Seizure freedom 2 years after surgery (Engel class 1) was similar: 67% ("HS only") vs 69% ("lesional" TLE). Neither presence of HS nor electro-clinical criteria was associated with surgical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Despite small differences in electrophysiological and clinical characteristics between MTLE with HS and lesional TLE, surgical outcomes are similar, indicating that aetiology seems irrelevant in the referral for temporal surgery

Dermoscopy of a single plaque on the face: an uncommon presentation of cutaneous sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown causes, and cutaneous sarcoidosis (CS) is an early manifestation of the disease. Dermoscopy has gained increasing interest in the past few years as an aid in the clinical diagnosis of inflammatory and infectious skin manifestations. We present a case report about a single, erythematous, and asymptomatic plaque on the face with unexpected dermoscopy characteristics of CS. Learning points: CS on the face of a therapy-resistant actinic keratosis should be considered a differential diagnosis.Dermoscopy can change the diagnosis and lead to the correct management

Strong Casimir force reduction through metallic surface nanostructuring

The Casimir force between bodies in vacuum can be understood as arising from their interaction with an infinite number of fluctuating electromagnetic quantum vacuum modes, resulting in a complex dependence on the shape and material of the interacting objects. Becoming dominant at small separations, the force plays a significant role in nanomechanics and object manipulation at the nanoscale, leading to a considerable interest in identifying structures where the Casimir interaction behaves significantly different from the well-known attractive force between parallel plates. Here we experimentally demonstrate that by nanostructuring one of the interacting metal surfaces at scales below the plasma wavelength, an unexpected regime in the Casimir force can be observed. Replacing a flat surface with a deep metallic lamellar grating with sub-100 nm features strongly suppresses the Casimir force and for large inter-surfaces separations reduces it beyond what would be expected by any existing theoretical prediction.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Patterns of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption amongst young people aged 13–15 years during the school day in Scotland

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Background There is currently little research regarding sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption patterns of young people though adolescents are thought to be frequent consumers of these drinks. There is no research regarding the other foods and drinks consumed alongside SSBs by young people. The aim of this paper is to explore the patterns of SSB purchase and consumption amongst young people aged 13–15 years. Methods A purchasing recall questionnaire (PRQ) was administered online in seven case study schools with 535 young people aged 13–15 years. Nutrient composition (kilocalories, fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar) was also calculated for food/drink purchases. Chi-Square and Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney tests were conducted to examine patterns of SSB consumption and sugar/kilocalories consumption for SSB consumers and non-consumers. Results SSB consumers were significantly more likely to consume a drink at mid-morning break. Fewer consumed food at mid-morning break, ate food before school or ate food at lunchtime, but this was not statistically significant. A higher percentage of SSB consumers consumed ‘unhealthy’ food and drinks in comparison to young people who did not consume a SSB. Both median lunchtime sugar consumption (40.7 g vs 10.2 g) and median sugar as a percentage of Kcals (39% vs 14%) were significantly higher for SSB purchasers in comparison to non-purchasers. Conclusion The analysis highlights that SSB purchasers consume significantly more sugar at lunchtime than non-purchasers. However, both purchasers and non-purchasers exceeded WHO (2015) recommendations that sugar consumption be halved to form no more than 5% of daily energy intake. This study provides new insights for public health stakeholders and schools. Multifaceted and inventive strategies relevant to young people will be required to WHO recommendations.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio