Development and Characterization of High-Quality HfO₂/InGaAs MOS Interface

The scope of this chapter is to introduce a highly efficient HfO2 atomic layer deposition (ALD) process with superior interface defect characteristics that can be applied on high-mobility III-V substrates. For a long time, the major academic research of III-V metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) studies was mainly oriented on searching for the suitable high-k dielectric, and among the reported high-k/III-V MOS studies, Al2O3 and AlN have demonstrated the most promising results. However, usually, the dielectrics with higher dielectric constant suffered from more defective interface quality including the HfO2, which should be overcome to meet the intensive operation voltage scaling requirements. In order to protect the interface of the HfO2/III-V MOS, the exposed III-V surface has to be carefully treated before, while, and after the whole high-k deposition process. For this purpose, the effect of isopropyl alcohol precursor and in situ cyclic nitrogen plasma treatment on the HfO2 ALD process at III-V substrates was thoroughly investigated. Remarkable interface state density levels with strong inversion behavior were achieved, which have not been observed at the previous HfO2/InGaAs studies. Also, detailed analysis of the interface characteristics was investigated to broaden the understanding of the improvement phenomenon

Kinematic aspects of trunk motion and gender effect in normal adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to analyze kinematic trunk motion data in normal adults and to investigate gender effect.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Kinematic trunk motion data were obtained for 20 healthy subjects (11 men and 9 women; age from 21 to 40 years) during walking a 9 m long lane at a self selected speed, namely, motions in the sagittal (tilt), coronal (obliquity), and transverse (rotation) planes, which were all expressed as motions in global (relative to the ground) and those in pelvic reference frame (relative to pelvis), i.e., tilt (G), obliquity (G), rotation (G), tilt (P), obliquity (P), rotation (P).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Range of tilt (G), obliquity (G) and rotation (G) showed smaller motion than that of tilt (P), obliquity (P) and rotation (P), respectively. When genders were compared, female trunks showed a 5 degree more extended posture during gait than male trunks (p = 0.002), which appeared to be caused by different lumbar lordosis. Ranges of coronal and transverse plane motion appeared to be correlated. In gait cycle, the trunk motion appeared to counterbalance the lower extremity during swing phase in sagittal plane, and to reduce the angular velocity toward the contralateral side immediate before the contralateral heel strike in the coronal plane.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Men and women showed different lumbar lordosis during normal gait, which might be partly responsible for the different prevalence of lumbar diseases between genders. However, this needs further investigation.</p

Synthesis of large-area multilayer hexagonal boron nitride for high material performance

Although hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a good candidate for gate-insulating materials by minimizing interaction from substrate, further applications to electronic devices with available two-dimensional semiconductors continue to be limited by flake size. While monolayer h-BN has been synthesized on Pt and Cu foil using chemical vapour deposition (CVD), multilayer h-BN is still absent. Here we use Fe foil and synthesize large-area multilayer h-BN film by CVD with a borazine precursor. These films reveal strong cathodoluminescence and high mechanical strength (Young’s modulus: 1.16±0.1 TPa), reminiscent of formation of high-quality h-BN. The CVD-grown graphene on multilayer h-BN film yields a high carrier mobility of ~24,000 cm[superscript 2] V[superscript −1] s[superscript −1] at room temperature, higher than that (~13,000 [superscript 2] V[superscript −1] s[superscript −1]) with exfoliated h-BN. By placing additional h-BN on a SiO[subscript 2]/Si substrate for a MoS[subscript 2] (WSe[subscript 2]) field-effect transistor, the doping effect from gate oxide is minimized and furthermore the mobility is improved by four (150) times.Korea Institute of Science and Technology. Institutional ProgramNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials Grant DMR-1231319)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologie

Interleukin-10 Polymorphisms in Association with Prognosis in Patients with B-Cell Lymphoma Treated by R-CHOP

Interleukin-10 (IL10) plays an important role in initiating and maintaining an appropriate immune response to non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Previous studies have revealed that the transcription of IL10 mRNA and its protein expression may be infl uenced by several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter and intron regions, including rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872. However, the impact of polymorphisms of the IL10 gene on NHL prognosis has not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the association between IL10 polymorphisms and NHL prognosis. This study involved 112 NHL patients treated at the National Cancer Center, Korea. The median age was 57 years, and 70 patients (62.5%) were men. Clinical characteristics, including age, performance status, stage, and extra-nodal involvement, as well as cell lineage and International Prognostic Index (IPI), were evaluated. A total of four polymorphisms in IL10 with heterozygous alleles were analyzed for hazard ratios of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common histologic type (n = 83), followed by T-cell lymphoma (n = 18), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 6), and others (n = 5). Cell lineage, IPI, and extra-nodal involvement were predictors of prognosis. In the additive genetic model results for each IL10 polymorphism, the rs1800871 and rs1800872 polymorphisms represented a marginal association with OS (p = 0.09 and p = 0.06) and PFS (p = 0.05 and p = 0.08) in B-cell lymphoma patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). These findings suggest that IL10 polymorphisms might be prognostic indicators for patients with B-cell NHL treated with R-CHOP

Molecular basis for SMC rod formation and its dissolution upon DNA binding.

SMC condensin complexes are central modulators of chromosome superstructure in all branches of life. Their SMC subunits form a long intramolecular coiled coil, which connects a constitutive "hinge" dimerization domain with an ATP-regulated "head" dimerization module. Here, we address the structural arrangement of the long coiled coils in SMC complexes. We unequivocally show that prokaryotic Smc-ScpAB, eukaryotic condensin, and possibly also cohesin form rod-like structures, with their coiled coils being closely juxtaposed and accurately anchored to the hinge. Upon ATP-induced binding of DNA to the hinge, however, Smc switches to a more open configuration. Our data suggest that a long-distance structural transition is transmitted from the Smc head domains to regulate Smc-ScpAB's association with DNA. These findings uncover a conserved architectural theme in SMC complexes, provide a mechanistic basis for Smc's dynamic engagement with chromosomes, and offer a molecular explanation for defects in Cornelia de Lange syndrome

Silicon@porous nitrogen-doped carbon spheres through a bottom-up approach are highly robust lithium-ion battery anodes

Due to its excellent capacity, around 4000 mA h g(-1), silicon has been recognized as one of the most promising lithium-ion battery anodes, especially for future large-scale applications including electrical vehicles and utility power grids. Nevertheless, Si suffers from a short cycle life as well as limitations for scalable electrode fabrication. Herein, we report a novel design for highly robust and scalable Si anodes: Si nanoparticles embedded in porous nitrogen-doped carbon spheres (NCSs). The porous nature of NCSs buffers the volume changes of Si nanoparticles and thus resolves critical issues of Si anode operations, such as pulverization, vulnerable contacts between Si and carbon conductors, and an unstable solid-electrolyte interphase. The unique electrode structure exhibits outstanding performance with a gravimetric capacity as high as 1579 mA h g(-1) at a C/10 rate based on the mass of both Si and C, a cycle life of 300 cycles with 94% capacity retention, as well as a discharge rate capability of 6 min while retaining a capacity of 702 mA h g(-1). Significantly, the coulombic efficiencies of this structure reach 99.99%. The assembled structure suggests a design principle for high capacity alloying electrodes that suffer from volume changes during battery operations.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on mortality in patients with acute heart failure: a prospective cohort study

Although more than one-third of the patients with acute heart failure (AHF) have diabetes mellitus (DM), it is unclear if DM has an adverse impact on clinical outcomes. This study compared the outcomes in patients hospitalized for AHF stratified by DM and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry prospectively enrolled and followed 5625 patients from March 2011 to February 2019. The primary endpoints were in-hospital and overall all-cause mortality. We evaluated the impact of DM on these endpoints according to HF subtypes and glycemic control. During a median follow-up of 3.5years, there were 235 (4.4%) in-hospital mortalities and 2500 (46.3%) overall mortalities. DM was significantly associated with increased overall mortality after adjusting for potential confounders (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.22). In the subgroup analysis, DM was associated with higher a risk of overall mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) only (adjusted HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02–1.27). Inadequate glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 7.0% within 1year after discharge) was significantly associated with a higher risk of overall mortality compared with adequate glycemic control (HbA1c < 7.0%) (44.0% vs. 36.8%, log-rank p = 0.016). DM is associated with a higher risk of overall mortality in AHF, especially HFrEF. Well-controlled diabetes (HbA1c < 7.0%) is associated with a lower risk of overall mortality compared to uncontrolled diabetes. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT01389843. Registered July 6, 2011. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01389843This study was supported by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010-E63003-00, 2011-E63002-00, 2012-E63005-00, 2013E63003-00, 2013-E63003-01, 2013-E63003-02, and 2016-ER6303-00)

Comparison of first-line treatment with CHOP versus ICED in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma eligible for upfront autologous stem cell transplantation

IntroductionUpfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been recommended for patients who are newly diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), and CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), an anthracycline-based chemotherapy has been the frontline chemotherapy for PTCL. However, it is not clear whether anthracycline-based chemotherapies such as CHOP could be standard induction therapy for PTCL.MethodsWe conducted a randomized phase II study to compare CHOP with fractionated ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide, and dexamethasone (ICED) for patients eligible for ASCT. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and secondary endpoints included objective response rate, overall survival (OS), and safety profiles.ResultsPatients were randomized into either CHOP (n = 69) or ICED (n = 66), and the characteristics of both arms were not different. PTCL-not otherwise specified (NOS, n = 60) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL, n = 53) were dominant. The objective response rate was not different between CHOP (59.4%) and ICED (56.1%), and the 3-year PFS was not different between CHOP (36.7%) and ICED (33.1%). In AITL patients, CHOP was favored over ICED whereas ICED was associated with more cytopenia and reduced dose intensity. Patients who received upfront ASCT after achieving complete response to CHOP or ICED showed 80% of 3-year OS.DiscussionIn summary, our study showed no therapeutic difference between CHOP and ICED in terms of response and PFS. Thus, CHOP might remain the reference regimen especially for AITL based on its better outcome in AITL, and upfront ASCT could be recommended as a consolidation of complete response in patients with PTCL

Association between hair mineral and age, BMI and nutrient intakes among Korean female adults

This study was performed to investigate the association between hair mineral levels and nutrient intakes, age, and BMI in female adults who visited a woman's clinic located in Seoul. Dietary intakes were assessed by food frequency questionnaire and mineral levels were measured in collected hairs, and the relationship between these was examined. The average daily nutrient intakes of subjects were compared to those of the KDRIs, and the energy intake status was fair. The average intake of calcium in women of 50 years and over was 91.35% of KDRIs and the potassium intake was greatly below the recommended levels in all age groups. In the average hair mineral contents in subjects, calcium and copper exceeded far more than the reference range while selenium was very low with 85.19% of subjects being lower than the reference value. In addition, the concentrations of sodium, potassium, iron, and manganese in the hair were below the reference ranges in over 15% of subjects. The concentrations of sodium, chromium, sulfur, and cadmium in the hair showed positive correlations (P < 0.05) with age, but the hair zinc level showed a negative correlation (P < 0.05) with age. The concentrations of sodium, potassium, chromium, and cadmium in the hair showed positive correlations (P < 0.05) with BMI. Some mineral levels in subjects of this study showed significant correlations with nutrient intakes, but it seems that the hair mineral content is not directly influenced by each mineral intake. As described above, some hair mineral levels in female adults deviated from the normal range, and it is considered that nutritional intervention to control the imbalance of mineral nutrition is required. Also, as some correlations were shown between hair mineral levels and age, BMI, and nutrient intakes, the possibility of utilizing hair mineral analysis for specific purposes in the future is suggested