Fabrication of nanometer single crystal metallic CoSi2 structures on Si

Amorphous Co:Si (1:2 ratio) films are electron gun-evaporated on clean Si(111), such as in a molecular beam epitaxy system. These layers are then crystallized selectively with a focused electron beam to form very small crystalline Co/Si2 regions in an amorphous matrix. Finally, the amorphous regions are etched away selectively using plasma or chemical techniques

Childhood otitis media: Relationship with daycare attendance, harsh parenting, and maternal mental health.

Psychological stress has been linked to developmental problems and poor health in children, but it is unclear whether it is also related to otitis media (OM). As part of a long-term study surveying the characteristics of childcare and development in Taiwan, we analyzed the relationship between OM and sources of psychological stress in children, such as poor maternal mental health and harsh parental discipline. We analyzed the data of 1998 children from the "Kids in Taiwan: National Longitudinal Study of Child Development & Care (KIT) Project" at the age of 3 years. Using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, we tested several risk factors as potential independent predictors of two outcomes: parent-reported incidence of OM and child health. The proportion of children who had developed OM in the first 3 years of their life was 12.5%. Daycare attendance (odds ratio [OR]: 1.475; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.063-2.046), poor maternal mental health (OR: 1.913; 95% CI: 1.315-2.784), and harsh parental discipline (OR: 1.091; 95% CI: 1.025-1.161) correlated with parent-reported occurrence of OM. These findings suggest that providing psychosocial support to both parents and children might be a novel strategy for preventing OM