Development of an Anisotropic, Highly Selective Tungsten Silicide Dry Etch Process

The development of an anisotopic Tungsten Suicide etch that will provide good selectivity to photoresist as well as an underlying oxide has been studied. It has been found that by reducing the amount of fluorine (SF6) in the system and increasing the chlorine concentration, slightly tapered sidewalls can be achieved without the use of a polymer forming gas. An optimum process was developed on an Applied Materials P-5000 MxP system. A condition of 10 sccm SF6, 40 sccm Cl2, 20 sccm 11e02 at 30 mTorr, and 400W presents slightly tapered sidewalls with within wafer uniformity of 4.85%. The selectivity of Tungsten Silicide to photoresist and oxide is 0.89, and 3.07 respectively. An experiment was also conducted in which comparable etch rates of 57A/sec were obtained using a first order approximation of power densities between the P-5000 MxP and a GEC Plasma Cell located at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Evaluierung satelliten- und modellgestützter Eisinformationen zur Unterstützung des Forschungseisbrechers Polarstern

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist, die auf dem Forschungseisbrecher Polarstern verfügbaren Modell- und Satellitendaten hinsichtlich ihrer Anwendbarkeit als Grundlage für nautische Entscheidungsfindungsprozesse zur Planung und Durchführung von Einsätzen im Packeis zu beurteilen. Die Daten stammen von verschiedenen Providern und werden über das bordeigene ECS System (das IceGIS) automatisch übermittelt. In dieser Arbeit werden zunächst die verfügbaren Datenprodukte beschrieben und im Weiteren deren potenzielle Anwendung zur Planung und Durchführung von Einsätzen in eisbedeckten Gewässern aufgeführt. Die Analyse setzt sich kritisch mit den gegebenen Unsicherheiten und Einschränkungen der jeweiligen Datenprodukte auseinander und zeigt so die Grenzen der Anwendbarkeit auf

Relationship between eating pathology, body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms among male and female adolescents in the United Arab Emirates

Research in the field of eating disorders remains limited in the Arab world. The cross-sectional study addressed this gap by examining eating disturbances and related problem behaviors among 361 (284 females, 77 males) undergraduates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Standardized measures were used to assess the relationship between symptoms of eating pathology, body dissatisfaction and depression. Three quarters (73%) of the sample indicated body dissatisfaction (78% of females, 58% of males) and 20% scored above the clinical cutoff on the eating pathology scale (20% of females, 22% of males). Depressive symptomatology predicted significantly higher levels of eating pathology in both genders. The findings highlight that eating disturbances and body dissatisfaction are of concern among adolescents in the UAE. Local eating disorders prevention strategies should address the needs of both females and males and consider potential depressive co-morbidity. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

Effects of BPA in snails : Oehlmann et al. respond

We welcome critical appraisals that help to provide balance; however, Dietrich et al. gave an unjustified reproach. We feel that Dietrich’s position is severely compromised because he serves as an expert for the bisphenol A (BPA) Industry Group (Brussels, Belgium). We would like to respond to the issues raised by Dietrich et al., as well as to their oversights and inappropriate interpretations of our findings..

Flesh fly myiasis (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) in Peruvian poison frogs genus Epipedobates (Anura, Dendrobatidae)

In this note we review records of myiasis in poison frogs collected in various locations in Peru during 1982-2005 and present evidence that larger and medium-sized poison frogs (Epipedobates) are infected with sarcophagid fly larvae

Genetics of developmental dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia is a highly heritable disorder with a prevalence of at least 5% in school-aged children. Linkage studies have identified numerous loci throughout the genome that are likely to harbour candidate dyslexia susceptibility genes. Association studies and the refinement of chromosomal translocation break points in individuals with dyslexia have resulted in the discovery of candidate genes at some of these loci. A key function of many of these genes is their involvement in neuronal migration. This complements anatomical abnormalities discovered in dyslexic brains, such as ectopias, that may be the result of irregular neuronal migration

Bisphenol A induces superfeminization in the Ramshorn snail Marisa cornuarietis (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) at environmentally relevant concentrations

Previous investigations have shown that bisphenol A (BPA) induces a superfeminization syndrome in the freshwater snail Marisa cornuarietis at concentrations as low as 1 μg/L. Superfemales are characterized by the formation of additional female organs, enlarged accessory sex glands, gross malformations of the pallial oviduct, and a stimulation of egg and clutch production, resulting in increased female mortality. However, these studies were challenged on the basis of incomplete experimentation. Therefore, the objective of the current approach was to bridge several gaps in knowledge by conducting additional experiments. In an initial series of experiments, study results from the reproductive phase of the snails were evaluated in the sub-micrograms per liter range. Before and after the spawning season, superfemale responses were observed [NOEC (no observed effect concentration) 7.9 ng/L, EC10 (effective concentration at 10%) 13.9 ng/L], which were absent during the spawning season. A further experiment investigated the temperature dependence of BPA responses by exposing snails at two temperatures in parallel. The adverse effect of BPA was at least partially masked at 27°C (EC10 998 ng/L) when compared with 20°C (EC10 14.8 ng/L). In M. cornuarietis, BPA acts as an estrogen receptor (ER) agonist, because effects were completely antagonized by a co-exposure to tamoxifen and Faslodex. Antiandrogenic effects of BPA, such as a significant decrease in penis length at 20°C, were also observed. Competitive receptor displacement experiments indicate the presence of androgen- and estrogen-specific binding sites. The affinity for BPA of the estrogen binding sites in M. cornuarietis is higher than that of the ER in aquatic vertebrates. The results emphasize that prosobranchs are affected by BPA at lower concentrations than are other wildlife groups, and the findings also highlight the importance of exposure conditions

Профессору И. В. Гончарову - 65 лет

3 января 2012 г. исполнилось 65 лет со дня рождения профессора, доктора геолого-минералогических наук, профессора кафедры геологии и разведки полезных ископаемых Института природных ресурсов ТПУ Ивана Васильевича Гончарова

Report No. 24: Analysis of the Social Agendas

Study conducted for the European Parliament, Bonn 2010 (135 pages)