Improved Performance of Amorphous InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistor with Ta2O5 Gate Dielectric by using La Incorporation

published_or_final_versio

High-Performance Pentacene Thin-Film Transistor With High-κ HfLaON as Gate Dielectric

published_or_final_versio

High-mobility pentacene OTFT with TaLaO gate dielectric passivated by fluorine plasma

Pentacene thin-film transistor with high-κ TaLaO as gate dielectric has been fabricated and shows a carrier mobility of 0.73 cm2/V s, much higher than that based on pure La2O3 (0.43 cm2/V s) due to the smoother surface of the TaLaO film and thus larger pentacene islands grown on it in the initial stage. Moreover, among various times for fluorine-plasma treatment on the TaLaO gate dielectric, 100 seconds result in the highest carrier mobility of 1.12 cm2/V s due to (1) smoothest oxide surface achieved by fluorine passivation of oxide traps, as measured by AFM and supported by smallest sub-threshold swing and lowest low-frequency noise; (2) the largest pentacene grains grown on the smoothest oxide surface, as demonstrated by AFM. Pentacene islands on on TaLaO or La2O3 gate dielectric with different plasma treatment times.postprin

High-mobility pentacene thin-film transistor by using LaxTa(1-x)Oy as gate dielectric

Pentacene organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) using LaxTa(1−x)Oy as gate dielectric with different La contents (x = 0.227, 0.562, 0.764, 0.883) have been fabricated and compared with those using Ta oxide or La oxide. The OTFT with La0.764Ta0.236Oy can achieve a carrier mobility of 1.21 cm2 V−1s−1s, which is about 40 times and two times higher than those of the devices using Ta oxide and La oxide, respectively. As supported by XPS, AFM and noise measurement, the reasons lie in that La incorporation can suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies in Ta oxide, and Ta content can alleviate the hygroscopicity of La oxide, resulting in more passivated and smoother dielectric surface and thus larger pentacene grains, which lead to higher carrier mobility.postprin

XMM-Newton and NuSTAR Observations of the Compact Millisecond Pulsar Binary PSR J1653–0158

We have presented the first joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR analysis of the millisecond pulsar (MSP) binary PSR J1653−0158. The 75 minute orbital period inferred from optical and gamma-ray observations together with the 1.97 ms pulsation in the gamma-rays indicate that this system is the most compact Black Widow MSP system known to date. The orbital period was not detected in the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR data, probably due to insufficient photon counts obtained in the observations. Fitting the joint X-ray spectrum of PSR J1653−0158 with a power law gives a photon index Γ = 1.71 ± 0.09. The X-ray luminosity of the source in the (0.2–40) keV band is deduced to be 1.18 × 1031 erg s−1, for an adopted distance of 0.84 kpc. We have shown that the broadband X-ray spectrum can be explained by synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated in the intrabinary shock, and the gamma-rays detected in the Fermi data are curvature radiations from electrons and positrons in the pulsar magnetosphere. Our kinematic analysis of the Tidarren systems PSR J1653–0158 and PSR J1311–3430 indicates that the two Tidarren systems are likely to have originated in the Galactic disk

Spin and Chirality Effects in Antler-Topology Processes at High Energy e+e−e^+e^- Colliders

We perform a model-independent investigation of spin and chirality correlation effects in the antler-topology processes $e^+e^-\to\mathcal{P}^+\mathcal{P}^-\to (\ell^+ \mathcal{D}^0) (\ell^-\mathcal{\bar{D}}^0)$ at high energy $e^+e^-$ colliders with polarized beams. Generally the production process $e^+e^-\to\mathcal{P}^+\mathcal{P}^-$ can occur not only through the $s$-channel exchange of vector bosons, $\mathcal{V}^0$, including the neutral Standard Model (SM) gauge bosons, $\gamma$ and $Z$, but also through the $s$- and $t$-channel exchanges of new neutral states, $\mathcal{S}^0$ and $\mathcal{T}^0$, and the $u$-channel exchange of new doubly-charged states, $\mathcal{U}^{--}$. The general set of (non-chiral) three-point couplings of the new particles and leptons allowed in a renormalizable quantum field theory is considered. The general spin and chirality analysis is based on the threshold behavior of the excitation curves for $\mathcal{P}^+\mathcal{P}^-$ pair production in $e^+e^-$ collisions with longitudinal and transverse polarized beams, the angular distributions in the production process and also the production-decay angular correlations. In the first step, we present the observables in the helicity formalism. Subsequently, we show how a set of observables can be designed for determining the spins and chiral structures of the new particles without any model assumptions. Finally, taking into account a typical set of approximately chiral invariant scenarios, we demonstrate how the spin and chirality effects can be probed experimentally at a high energy $e^+e^-$ collider.Comment: 50 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables, matches version published in EPJ

Nitrogen nutrient status induces sexual differences in responses to cadmium in Populus yunnanensis

Populus yunnanensis was employed as a model species to detect sexual differences in growth, physiological, biochemical, and ultrastructural responses to cadmium (Cd) stress, nitrogen (N) deposition, and their combination. Compared with the control conditions, Cd decreased plant biomass, damaged the photosynthetic apparatus, visible as a decreased maximum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII; Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield of PSII (Yield), depressed gas exchange capacity, and induced oxidative stress, visible as the disruption of antioxidative enzymes and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), in both sexes. On the other hand, Cd toxicity was mitigated by the recovery of gas exchange capacity, a decrease in ROS, and improvement of the redox imbalance in both sexes when N deposition was applied. However, males showed a higher gas exchange capacity, lower enzyme inhibition and ROS accumulation, stronger abilities to maintain cellular redox homeostasis, and a better maintenance of chloroplast ultrastructure than did females when exposed to Cd stress alone. Although males exhibited a higher Cd content in leaves than did females, males also accumulated higher levels of non-protein thiols (NP-SHs) and free amino acids (FAAs) for detoxification than did females. Sexual differences induced by Cd, visible, for example, in Fv/Fm, Yield, net photosynthesis rate (A), and stomatal conductance (gs), decreased under N deposition, as no significant differences between the sexes existed in these parameters under the combined treatment. The results indicated that females are more sensitive to Cd stress and suffer more injuries than do males. Moreover, N deposition can mitigate Cd toxicity and decrease sexual differences in Cd sensitivity

How risky is caring for emergency patients at risk of malpractice litigation: a population based epidemiological study of Taiwan's experiences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Emergency medicine has generally been considered a high risk specialty. The purpose of this study is to assess the risk of being sued in the district courts for caring emergency room (ER) patients from the perspective of epidemiology.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This research was designed to be a retrospective population based cohort study. We intended to find out the incidence of litigations arising from ER patients and that of birth inpatients in Taiwan, and computed their relative risks. The inclusion criterion was set to be incidents transpired in the time period of 1998 to 2002. The study materials included the reimbursement claim dataset of the National Health Insurance from 1998 to 2002, and the district court decision database of the Judicial Yuan from 1999 to 2006.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average annual incidence rate of becoming a plaintiff for ER patients is 0.86 per million, and for birth patients is 33.5 per million. There is a statistically significant difference between birth patients and ER patients. The relative risk comparing ER patients against birth inpatients is 0.03.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings of this population based study indicate that the patient population emergency physicians are facing in Taiwan have relatively lower risks of developing litigation in comparison with the patients that come to give birth. Due to the large volume of ER patients, malpractice still pose a major threat in the emergency department, and misdiagnosis remains the major complaint of plaintiffs in subsequent litigations.</p

Biodegradable, flexible silicon nanomembrane-based NO<inf>x</inf> gas sensor system with record-high performance for transient environmental monitors and medical implants

AbstractA novel transient electronics technology that is capable of completely dissolving or decomposing in certain conditions after a period of operation offers unprecedented opportunities for medical implants, environmental sensors, and other applications. Here, we describe a biodegradable, flexible silicon-based electronic system that detects NO species with a record-breaking sensitivity of 136 Rs (5 ppm, NO2) and 100-fold selectivity for NO species over other substances with a fast response (~30 s) and recovery (~60 s). The exceptional features primarily depend on not only materials, dimensions, and design layouts but also temperatures and electrical operations. Large-scale sensor arrays in a mechanically pliable configuration exhibit negligible deterioration in performance under various modes of applied loads, consistent with mechanics modeling. In vitro evaluations demonstrate the capability and stability of integrated NOx devices in severe wet environments for biomedical applications.</jats:p