Interfacial Compatibility in MicroelectronicsMoving Away from the Trial and Error Approach /

X, 218 p.online resource

Interfacial Compatibility in Microelectronics: Moving Away from the Trial and Error Approach

Interfaces between dissimilar materials are met everywhere in microelectronics and microsystems. In order to ensure faultless operation of these highly sophisticated structures, it is mandatory to have fundamental understanding of materials and their interactions in the system. In this difficult task, the “traditional” method of trial and error is not feasible anymore; it takes too much time and repeated efforts. In Interfacial Compatibility in Microelectronics, an alternative approach is introduced. In this revised method four fundamental disciplines are combined: i) thermodynamics of materials ii) reaction kinetics iii) theory of microstructures and iv) stress and strain analysis. The advantages of the method are illustrated in Interfacial Compatibility in Microelectronics which includes: •solutions to several common reliability issues in microsystem technology, •methods to understand and predict failure mechanisms at interfaces between dissimilar materials and •an approach to DFR based on deep understanding in materials science, rather than on the use of mechanistic tools, such as FMEA. Interfacial Compatibility in Microelectronics provides a clear and methodical resource for graduates and postgraduates alike.  

Mobile mental wellness training for stress management:Feasibility and design implications based on a one-month field study

BACKGROUND: Prevention and management of work-related stress and related mental problems is a great challenge. Mobile applications are a promising way to integrate prevention strategies into the everyday lives of citizens. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study was to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of a mobile mental wellness training application among working-age individuals, and to derive preliminary design implications for mobile apps for stress management. METHODS: Oiva, a mobile app based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), was designed to support active learning of skills related to mental wellness through brief ACT-based exercises in the daily life. A one-month field study with 15 working-age participants was organized to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of Oiva. The usage of Oiva was studied based on the usage log files of the application. Changes in wellness were measured by three validated questionnaires on stress, satisfaction with life (SWLS), and psychological flexibility (AAQ-II) at the beginning and at end of the study and by user experience questionnaires after one week’s and one month’s use. In-depth user experience interviews were conducted after one month’s use to study the acceptance and user experiences of Oiva. RESULTS: Oiva was used actively throughout the study. The average number of usage sessions was 16.8 (SD 2.4) and the total usage time per participant was 3 hours 12 minutes (SD 99 minutes). Significant pre-post improvements were obtained in stress ratings (mean 3.1 SD 0.2 vs mean 2.5 SD 0.1, P=.003) and satisfaction with life scores (mean 23.1 SD 1.3 vs mean 25.9 SD 0.8, P=.02), but not in psychological flexibility. Oiva was perceived easy to use, acceptable, and useful by the participants. A randomized controlled trial is ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of Oiva on working-age individuals with stress problems. CONCLUSIONS: A feasibility study of Oiva mobile mental wellness training app showed good acceptability, usefulness, and engagement among the working-age participants, and provided increased understanding on the essential features of mobile apps for stress management. Five design implications were derived based on the qualitative findings: (1) provide exercises for everyday life, (2) find proper place and time for challenging content, (3) focus on self-improvement and learning instead of external rewards, (4) guide gently but do not restrict choice, and (5) provide an easy and flexible tool for self-reflection

Novel human lymph node-derived matrix supports the adhesion of metastatic oral carcinoma cells

Abstract Background: 3D culture is increasingly used in cancer research, as it allows the growth of cells in an environment that mimics in vivo conditions. Metastases are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients, and solid tumour metastases are mostly located in lymph nodes. Currently, there are no techniques that model the pre-metastatic lymph node microenvironment in vitro. In this study, we prepared a novel extracellular matrix, Lymphogel, which is derived from lymph nodes, mimicking the tumour microenvironment (TME) of metastatic carcinoma cells. We tested the suitability of the new matrix in various functional experiments and compared the results with those obtained using existing matrices. Methods: We used both commercial and patient-derived primary and metastatic oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cell lines. We characterized the functional differences of these cells using three different matrices (human uterine leiomyoma-derived Myogel, human pre-metastatic neck lymph node-derived Lymphogel (h-LG), porcine normal neck lymph node-derived Lymphogel (p-LG) in proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion assays. We also performed proteomic analyses to compare the different matrices in relation to their functional properties. Results: OTSCC cells exhibited different adhesion and invasion patterns depending on the matrix. Metastatic cell lines showed improved ability to adhere to h-LG, but the effects of the matrices on cell invasion fluctuated non-significantly between the cell lines. Proteomic analyses showed that the protein composition between matrices was highly variable; Myogel contained 618, p-LG 1823 and h-LG 1520 different proteins. The comparison of all three matrices revealed only 120 common proteins. Analysis of cellular pathways and processes associated with proteomes of each matrix revealed similarities of Myogel with h-LG but less with p-LG. Similarly, p-LG contained the least adhesion-related proteins compared with Myogel and h-LG. The highest number of unique adhesion-related proteins was present in h-LG. Conclusions: We demonstrated that human pre-metastatic neck lymph node-derived matrix is suitable for studying metastatic OTSCC cells. As a whole-protein extract, h-LG provides new opportunities for in vitro carcinoma cell culture experiments