Effect of impurities on morphology and growth mode of (111) and (001) epitaxial-like ScN films

ScN material is an emerging semiconductor with an indirect bandgap. It has attracted attention for its thermoelectric properties, use as seed layers, and for alloys for piezoelectric application. ScN or other transition metal nitride semiconductors used for their interesting electrical properties are sensitive to contaminants, such as oxygen or fluorine. In this present article, the influence of depositions conditions on the amount of oxygen contaminants incorporated in ScN films were investigated and their effects on the electrical properties (electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient) were studied. The epitaxial-like films of thickness 125 +-5 nm to 155 +-5 nm were deposited by D.C.-magnetron sputtering on c-plane Al2O3, MgO(111) and r-plane Al2O3 at a substrate temperature ranging from 700 to 950 degree C. The amount of oxygen contaminants presents in the film, dissolved into ScN or as an oxide, was related to the adatom mobility during growth, which is affected by the deposition temperature and the presence of twin domain growth. The lowest values of electrical resistivity of 50 micro-ohm cm were obtained on ScN(111)/MgO(111) and on ScN(001)/r-plane Al2O3 grown at 950 degree C with no twin domains and the lowest amount of oxygen contaminant. At the best, the films exhibited an electrical resistivity of 50 micro-ohm cm with Seebeck coefficient values maintained at -40 microV K-1, thus a power factor estimated at 3.2 10-3 W m-1 K-2 (at room temperature)

Pathologic and Prognostic Implications of Incidental vs. Non-Incidental Gallbladder Cancer: A 10-Institution Study from the U.S. Extrahepatic Biliary Consortium

BACKGROUND Most gallbladder cancers (GBC) are discovered incidentally after routine cholecystectomy. The relationship between the method of diagnosis and disease stage, treatment, and prognosis are not known. METHODS Patients with GBC who underwent resection at 10 institutions from 2000-2015 were included. Patients diagnosed incidentally (IGBC) and non-incidentally (non-IGBC) were compared. Primary outcome was overall survival (OS). RESULTS Of 445 patients with GBC, 266 (60%) were IGBC and 179 (40%) were non-IGBC. Compared to IGBC, non-IGBC patients were more likely to have R2 (macroscopic residual disease) resections (43 vs. 19%; p\u3c0.001), advanced tumor (T) stage (T3/T4: 70 vs. 40%; p\u3c0.001), high grade tumors (50 vs. 31%; p\u3c0.001), lymphovascular invasion (LVI: 64 vs. 45%; p=0.01), and positive lymph nodes (LN: 60 vs. 43%; p=0.009). Receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy was similar between the groups (49 vs. 49%). Non-IGBC was associated with worse median OS compared to IGBC (17 vs. 32 months, p\u3c0.001), which persisted among Stage III patients (12 vs. 29 months; p\u3c0.001), but not Stages I, II or IV. After adjustment of other adverse pathologic factors (grade, T-stage, LVI, margin, LN), adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved OS only in Stage III IGBC but not in non-IGBC. CONCLUSION Compared to incidental discovery, non-incidental gallbladder cancer is associated with reduced overall survival, which is most evident in Stage III disease. Despite being well-matched for other adverse pathologic factors, adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved survival only in Stage III patients with incidentally discovered cancer. This underscores the importance of method of diagnosis in gallbladder cancer and suggests that these two groups may represent a distinct biology of disease, and the same treatment paradigm may not be appropriate

‘You Know Them All’ - Trust, Cooperation, and Cultural Volunteering in Rural Areas in Germany

(1) Background: Rural areas are characterised by a higher number of volunteers compared to urban centres in Germany. In this context, cultural and arts education is one of the largest voluntary sectors. However, an increasing decline in (cultural) volunteering can be observed. To counteract the decrease, it is important to strengthen regional cooperation and social networks, which are based on trust. The connection between trust, volunteering, and social networks has already been examined, but we still do not fully understand the emergence of trust in the link of cultural education cooperation and networks in rural areas. (2) Methods: A total of 34 semi-structured interviews in combination with egocentric network maps were conducted in four rural regions. The interview data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. (3) Results: Four dimensions of trust-building were identified: 1. presence and spatial proximity, 2. multiplexity, 3. third party, and 4. community spirit

The Power of Places in Building Cultural and Arts Education Networks and Cooperation in Rural Areas

Volunteering plays a central role in cultural and arts education in rural areas in Germany. However, a decrease in the number of volunteers in structurally weak regions can be observed in recent years. This poses existential challenges for cultural and arts education. The promotion of social networks and regional cooperation, as well as a sense of place, can counteract this decline. This article aims to explore how sense of place influence cooperation and thus social networks between actors of different institutions in the context of cultural and arts education in rural areas. A total of 34 interviews and egocentric network maps were conducted with different local actors (e.g., volunteers in the theatre association, mayors, etc.) in four municipalities. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Our results show that, through active participation in cultural events and associations, new cooperation is created and maintained, which also expands the social network. This active participation can be positively influenced by the existing attachment to the region and cultural places

Expectations of Cross-Sector Collaboration in Cultural and Arts Education

The promotion of dialogues between youth and older adults in the field of cultural education remains one of the most important educational policy tasks in Germany. After all, intergenerational, cultural projects can make an important contribution to reducing ageism, promoting personal development, and dealing with social challenges. Close collaboration between actors from different sectors (school, cultural associations, administration, etc.) is needed to secure such programmes. However, this presupposes that the expectations that the involved actors have regarding the collaboration are transparently examined, discussed and adjusted within the collaborative network in advance. Therefore, the aim is to identify initial indications of different expectations of collaboration between actors from various sectors. In order to answer the research question, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted in combination with ego-centred network maps in six German municipalities with actors from different fields (schools, administration, cultural associations, etc.). The data were then interpreted using qualitative content analysis. Our results show that actors participate with expectations ranging from different degrees of closeness and distance to the other involved actors. These results allow the first systematisation of individual expectations of actors at the beginning of a collaboration

Parametric information geometry with the package Geomstats

We introduce the information geometry module of the Python package Geomstats. The module first implements Fisher-Rao Riemannian manifolds of widely used parametric families of probability distributions, such as normal, gamma, beta, Dirichlet distributions, and more. The module further gives the Fisher-Rao Riemannian geometry of any parametric family of distributions of interest, given a parameterized probability density function as input. The implemented Riemannian geometry tools allow users to compare, average, interpolate between distributions inside a given family. Importantly, such capabilities open the door to statistics and machine learning on probability distributions. We present the object-oriented implementation of the module along with illustrative examples and show how it can be used to perform learning on manifolds of parametric probability distributions