Temperature dependence of contact resistance of Au-Ti-Pd2Si-n+-Si ohmic contacts

We investigated temperature dependence of contact resistance of an Au-Ti-Pd2Si ohmic contact to heavily doped n+-Si. The contact resistance increases with temperature owing to conduction through the metal shunts. In this case, the limiting process is diffusion input of electrons to the metal shunts. The proposed mechanism of contact resistance formation seems to realize also in the case of wide-gap semiconductors with high concentration of surface states and dislocation density in the contact

Human Rights Mechanisms in Latin America from the Perspective of Intersection of Regional and Universal Human Rights Concepts

The article analyzes the intersection of universal and regional human rights concepts in Latin America. The regional approach to human rights protection has been proposed by anthropologists who argue that cultural relativism is the basis for the development of the concept of human rights protection. The evolution of human rights is examined by scholars through the prism of both cultural relativism and universalism. While proponents of the first approach assert the importance of cultural and civilizational particularities, proponents of universalism promote the idea of universal morality. The novelty of this study lies in the examination of a different academic approach to human rights protection that encompasses features of both of the aforementioned concepts in order to provide a more objective picture of the current state of the system of human rights protection. The interaction of these concepts is demonstrated through the example of the system for the protection of women's rights in Latin America, as well as of the rights of other vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples. This leads to the conclusion that both the universalist and the regionalist approaches to human rights protection are mutually supportive. Furthermore, universal and local moral systems borrow elements from each other despite the contradictions between them. In general, the interaction between universalization and regionalization of human rights is clearly visible in Latin America. The elaboration of a new approach that incorporates the features of the two old ones is necessary in order to better understand this process, since human rights protection is acquiring new features that fit into the so-called paradigm of relative universalism. An explanatory model to account for this phenomenon is needed for better understanding of the common patterns of the process

Magnetohydrodynamics flow of a nanofluid driven by a stretching/shrinking sheet with suction

The present paper investigates the effect of a mathematical model describing the aforementioned process in which the ambient nanofluid in the presence of suction/injection and magnetic field are taken into consideration. The flow is induced by an infinite elastic sheet which is stretched along its own plane. The stretching/shrinking of the sheet is assumed to be proportional to the distance from the slit. The governing equations are reduced to a nonlinear ordinary differential equation by means of similarity transformation. The consequential nonlinear equation is solved analytically. Consequences show that the flow field can be divided into a near-field region and a far-field region. Suction on the surface plays an important role in the flow development in the near-field whereas the far-field is responsible mainly by stretching. The electromagnetic effect plays exactly the same role as the MHD, which is to reduce the horizontal flow resulting from stretching. It is shown that the behavior of the fluid flow changes with the change of the nanoparticles type. The present study throws light on the analytical solution of a class of laminar boundary layer equations arising in the stretching/shrinking sheet problem

Functional Characterization of Lamina X Neurons in ex-Vivo Spinal Cord Preparation

Functional properties of lamina X neurons in the spinal cord remain unknown despite the established role of this area for somatosensory integration, visceral nociception, autonomic regulation and motoneuron output modulation. Investigations of neuronal functioning in the lamina X have been hampered by technical challenges. Here we introduce an ex-vivo spinal cord preparation with both dorsal and ventral roots still attached for functional studies of the lamina X neurons and their connectivity using an oblique LED illumination for resolved visualization of lamina X neurons in a thick tissue. With the elaborated approach, we demonstrate electrophysiological characteristics of lamina X neurons by their membrane properties, firing pattern discharge and fiber innervation (either afferent or efferent). The tissue preparation has been also probed using Ca2+ imaging with fluorescent Ca2+ dyes (membrane-impermeable or -permeable) to demonstrate the depolarization-induced changes in intracellular calcium concentration in lamina X neurons. Finally, we performed visualization of subpopulations of lamina X neurons stained by retrograde labeling with aminostilbamidine dye to identify sympathetic preganglionic and projection neurons in the lamina X. Thus, the elaborated approach provides a reliable tool for investigation of functional properties and connectivity in specific neuronal subpopulations, boosting research of lamina X of the spinal cord