Thermal stability of titanium nitride for shallow junction solar cell contacts

To demonstrate the thermal stability of titanium nitride as a high-temperature diffusion barrier, the TiN-Ti-Ag metallization scheme has been tested on shallow-junction (~2000 Å) Si solar cells. Electrical measurements on reference samples with the Ti-Ag metallization scheme show serious degradation after a 600 °C, 10-min annealing. With the TiN-Ti-Ag scheme, no degradation of cell performance is observed after the same heat treatment if the TiN layer is >~1700 Å. The glass encapsulation of cells by electrostatic bonding requires such a heat treatment

Dust Destruction in the High-Velocity Shocks Driven by Supernovae in the Early Universe

We investigate the destruction of dust grains by sputtering in the high-velocity interstellar shocks driven by supernovae (SNe) in the early universe to reveal the dependence of the time-scale of dust destruction on the gas density $n_{{\rm H}, 0}$ in the interstellar medium (ISM) as well as on the progenitor mass $M_{\rm pr}$ and explosion energy $E_{\rm 51}$ of SN. The sputtering yields for the combinations of dust and ion species of interest to us are evaluated by applying the so-called universal relation with a slight modification. The dynamics of dust grains and their destruction by sputtering in shock are calculated by taking into account the size distribution of each dust species, together with the time evolution of temperature and density of gas in spherically symmetric shocks. The results of calculations show that the efficiency of dust destruction depends not only on the sputtering yield but also on the initial size distribution of each grain species. The efficiency of dust destruction increases with increasing $E_{\rm 51}$ and/or increasing $n_{{\rm H}, 0}$, but is almost independent of $M_{\rm pr}$ as long as $E_{\rm 51}$ is the same. The mass of gas swept up by shock is the increasing function of $E_{\rm 51}$ and the decreasing function of $n_{{\rm H}, 0}$. Combining these results, we present the approximation formula for the time-scale of destruction for each grain species in the early universe as a function of $E_{\rm 51}$ and $n_{{\rm H}, 0}$. This formula is applicable for investigating the evolution of dust grains at the early epoch of the universe with the metallicity of Z \la 10^{-3} $Z_\odot$. The effects of the cooling processes of gas on the destruction of dust are briefly discussed.Comment: 49 pages including 7 tables and 25 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Methyl-binding domain protein-based DNA isolation from human blood serum combines DNA analyses and serum-autoantibody testing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Circulating cell free DNA in serum as well as serum-autoantibodies and the serum proteome have great potential to contribute to early cancer diagnostics via non invasive blood tests. However, most DNA preparation protocols destroy the protein fraction and therefore do not allow subsequent protein analyses. In this study a novel approach based on methyl binding domain protein (MBD) is described to overcome the technical difficulties of combining DNA and protein analysis out of one single serum sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Serum or plasma samples from 98 control individuals and 54 breast cancer patients were evaluated upon silica membrane- or MBD affinity-based DNA isolation via qPCR targeting potential DNA methylation markers as well as by protein-microarrays for tumor-autoantibody testing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In control individuals, an average DNA level of 22.8 ± 25.7 ng/ml was detected applying the silica membrane based protocol and 8.5 ± 7.5 ng/ml using the MBD-approach, both values strongly dependent on the serum sample preparation methods used. In contrast to malignant and benign tumor serum samples, cell free DNA concentrations were significantly elevated in sera of metastasizing breast cancer patients. Technical evaluation revealed that serum upon MBD-based DNA isolation is suitable for protein-array analyses when data are consistent to untreated serum samples.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>MBD affinity purification allows DNA isolations under native conditions retaining the protein function, thus for example enabling combined analyses of DNA methylation and autoantigene-profiles from the same serum sample and thereby improving minimal invasive diagnostics.</p

An untargeted multi-technique metabolomics approach to studying intracellular metabolites of HepG2 cells exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>In vitro </it>cell systems together with omics methods represent promising alternatives to conventional animal models for toxicity testing. Transcriptomic and proteomic approaches have been widely applied <it>in vitro </it>but relatively few studies have used metabolomics. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to develop an untargeted methodology for performing reproducible metabolomics on <it>in vitro </it>systems. The human liver cell line HepG2, and the well-known hepatotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogen 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), were used as the <it>in vitro </it>model system and model toxicant, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study focused on the analysis of intracellular metabolites using NMR, LC-MS and GC-MS, with emphasis on the reproducibility and repeatability of the data. State of the art pre-processing and alignment tools and multivariate statistics were used to detect significantly altered levels of metabolites after exposing HepG2 cells to TCDD. Several metabolites identified using databases, literature and LC-nanomate-Orbitrap analysis were affected by the treatment. The observed changes in metabolite levels are discussed in relation to the reported effects of TCDD.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Untargeted profiling of the polar and apolar metabolites of <it>in vitro </it>cultured HepG2 cells is a valid approach to studying the effects of TCDD on the cell metabolome. The approach described in this research demonstrates that highly reproducible experiments and correct normalization of the datasets are essential for obtaining reliable results. The effects of TCDD on HepG2 cells reported herein are in agreement with previous studies and serve to validate the procedures used in the present work.</p

The evidence base for circulating tumour DNA blood-based biomarkers for the early detection of cancer: a systematic mapping review

Background: The presence of circulating cell-free DNA from tumours in blood (ctDNA) is of major importance to those interested in early cancer detection, as well as to those wishing to monitor tumour progression or diagnose the presence of activating mutations to guide treatment. In 2014, the UK Early Cancer Detection Consortium undertook a systematic mapping review of the literature to identify blood-based biomarkers with potential for the development of a non-invasive blood test for cancer screening, and which identified this as a major area of interest. This review builds on the mapping review to expand the ctDNA dataset to examine the best options for the detection of multiple cancer types. Methods: The original mapping review was based on comprehensive searches of the electronic databases Medline, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane library, and Biosis to obtain relevant literature on blood-based biomarkers for cancer detection in humans (PROSPERO no. CRD42014010827). The abstracts for each paper were reviewed to determine whether validation data were reported, and then examined in full. Publications concentrating on monitoring of disease burden or mutations were excluded. Results: The search identified 94 ctDNA studies meeting the criteria for review. All but 5 studies examined one cancer type, with breast, colorectal and lung cancers representing 60% of studies. The size and design of the studies varied widely. Controls were included in 77% of publications. The largest study included 640 patients, but the median study size was 65 cases and 35 controls, and the bulk of studies (71%) included less than 100 patients. Studies either estimated cfDNA levels non-specifically or tested for cancer-specific mutations or methylation changes (the majority using PCR-based methods). Conclusion: We have systematically reviewed ctDNA blood biomarkers for the early detection of cancer. Pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical considerations were identified which need to be addressed before such biomarkers enter clinical practice. The value of small studies with no comparison between methods, or even the inclusion of controls is highly questionable, and larger validation studies will be required before such methods can be considered for early cancer detection