What national governance codes say about corporate culture

This study aims to provide insight into the current incorporation of corporate culture in national corporate governance codes. The authors identify three levels of incorporation for each of the following three dimensions: layers of corporate culture (the “what”), the alignment of corporate culture in the organization (the “for whom”) and the board’s roles regarding corporate culture (the “how”)

Imaging Measurable (Minimal) Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma

Purpose of Review The availability of effective anti-myeloma therapies has led to the concept of new response categories that define responses deeper than conventionally defined complete response (CR). In cases of CR, deepest response, defined as minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative status, has been independently associated with prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival. In spite of an unmeasurable MRD, most patients eventually relapse. Because current methodology using flow cytometry or gene sequencing focuses on sampling MRD primarily from bone marrow, the low-level disease that may be present at other places in the skeleton and/or at extra-skeletal sites could be ultimately responsible for clinical relapse. Relevantly, sensitive imaging has the potential to complement MRD assessment by providing a complete picture of the entire bone/bone marrow compartment and extramedullary sites. Recent Findings The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) has come up with new response categories of MRD negativity with or without the absence of disease on imaging. Multiple studies support the notion that FDG-PET has higher specificity over MRI as MRD assessment adjunct because the detection of FDG-PET-positive lesions has prognostic value in patients with multiple myeloma at diagnosis and at time of relapse. MR techniques, including functional variations, and new PET tracers add additional information for MRD evaluation. Summary We provide an overview discussing the shortcomings and advantages of various imaging strategies that can complement the current MRD methodology. We need more trials investigating the new PET tracers and functional MRI as MRD assessment tools. In order for sensitive imaging to be validated for MRD evaluation and response-adapted treatment algorithms, we recommend that prospective clinical trials incorporate the imaging-based definitions of newly defined IMWG response and MRD criteria

Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy for the Growth of Semiconductor Structures and Strained Layers

The technological development of semiconductor materials started in the period following the second world war. In the electronics industry, the first transistors were fabricated from germanium, later from silicon. It was soon realized that also the AIII–BV or AII – BVI materials (most often simply termed III–V or II–VI materials) exhibited semiconductive behaviour. The energy difference between the valence band and the conduction band made them candidates for electronic devices which can absorb or emit phonons over a range of frequencies (wavelengths). Direct bandgap materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) were suitable for devices in which efficient electron-hole recombinations could take place and high efficiency light emitting devices were a possibility. Stimulated emission was first demonstrated in 1970 with the preparation of the single heterojunction and the double heterojunction laser diodes. These devices are multiple layer structures with a thin waveguide region contained between layers of larger bandgap and different refractive index (for confinement of carriers and radiation, respectively, in the active region). A basic laser diode chip consists of two parallel facets, (110) planes, which are prepared by cleavage and act as mirrors. The Fabry-Perot cavity is defined by these two parallel facets and the passive (cladding) layers. In the longitudinal direction current definition is by mesa etching and/or stripe-contact metallization