Impact of Online Service Convenience on Adoption of Electronic Information Resources

The present study elaborated on the impact of online service convenience on the adoption intention and adoption of electronic information resources. Factors of service convenience have been identified as access convenience, search convenience, evaluation convenience, transaction convenience, and possession/ post-possession convenience.  Data were collected from 205 Ph.D. scholars and faculty members from Central Government Institutes in Northern India. The received responses have been analyzed and presented with the help of PLS-SEM using ADANCO 2.2 software. The present study's findings suggested a significant impact of access, search, transaction, and possession/ post-possession convenience. However, evaluation convenience has been found insignificant in arousing adoption intention for electronic information resources. The uniqueness of the present study lies in elaborating on the unexplored area of online service convenience concerning electronic information resources

Influence of deposition temperature of thermal ALD deposited Al2O3 films on silicon surface passivation

The effect of deposition temperature (T-dep) and subsequent annealing time (t(anl)) of atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide (Al2O3) films on silicon surface passivation (in terms of surface recombination velocity, SRV) is investigated. The pristine samples (as-deposited) show presence of positive fixed charges, Q(F). The interface defect density (D-it) decreases with increase in T-dep which further decreases with tanl up to 100s. An effective surface passivation (SRV= 200 degrees C. The present investigation suggests that low thermal budget processing provides the same quality of passivation as realized by high thermal budget process (tanl between 10 to 30 min)

Evaluation of Norepinephrine Transporter Expression and Metaiodobenzylguanidine Avidity in Neuroblastoma: A Report from the Childrens Oncology Group.

Purpose. (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is used for the diagnostic evaluation of neuroblastoma. We evaluated the relationship between norepinephrine transporter (NET) expression and clinical MIBG uptake. Methods. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (N = 82) and immunohistochemistry (IHC; N = 61) were performed for neuroblastoma NET mRNA and protein expression and correlated with MIBG avidity on diagnostic scans. The correlation of NET expression with clinical features was also performed. Results. Median NET mRNA expression level for the 19 MIBG avid patients was 12.9% (range 1.6-73.7%) versus 5.9% (range 0.6-110.0%) for the 8 nonavid patients (P = 0.31). Median percent NET protein expression was 50% (range 0-100%) in MIBG avid patients compared to 10% (range 0-80%) in nonavid patients (P = 0.027). MYCN amplified tumors had lower NET protein expression compared to nonamplified tumors (10% versus 50%; P = 0.0002). Conclusions. NET protein expression in neuroblastoma correlates with MIBG avidity. MYCN amplified tumors have lower NET protein expression

MIBG avidity correlates with clinical features, tumor biology, and outcomes in neuroblastoma: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group

BackgroundPrior studies suggest that neuroblastomas that do not accumulate metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) on diagnostic imaging (MIBG non‐avid) may have more favorable features compared with MIBG avid tumors. We compared clinical features, biologic features, and clinical outcomes between patients with MIBG nonavid and MIBG avid neuroblastoma.ProcedurePatients had metastatic high‐ or intermediate‐risk neuroblastoma and were treated on Children’s Oncology Group protocols A3973 or A3961. Comparisons of clinical and biologic features according to MIBG avidity were made with chi‐squared or Fisher exact tests. Event‐free (EFS) and overall (OS) survival compared using log–rank tests and modeled using Cox models.ResultsThirty of 343 patients (8.7%) had MIBG nonavid disease. Patients with nonavid tumors were less likely to have adrenal primary tumors (34.5 vs. 57.2%; P = 0.019), bone metastases (36.7 vs. 61.7%; P = 0.008), or positive urine catecholamines (66.7 vs. 91.0%; P < 0.001) compared with patients with MIBG avid tumors. Nonavid tumors were more likely to be MYCN amplified (53.8 vs. 32.6%; P = 0.030) and had lower norepinephrine transporter expression. Patients with MIBG nonavid disease had a 5‐year EFS of 50.0% compared with 38.7% for patients with MIBG avid disease (P = 0.028). On multivariate testing in high‐risk patients, MIBG avidity was the sole adverse prognostic factor for EFS identified (hazard ratio 1.77; 95% confidence interval 1.04–2.99; P = 0.034).ConclusionsPatients with MIBG nonavid neuroblastoma have lower rates of adrenal primary tumors, bone metastasis, and catecholamine secretion. Despite being more likely to have MYCN‐amplified tumors, these patients have superior outcomes compared with patients with MIBG avid disease.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138438/1/pbc26545_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138438/2/pbc26545.pd

Evaluation of Norepinephrine Transporter Expression and Metaiodobenzylguanidine Avidity in Neuroblastoma: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group

Purpose. (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is used for the diagnostic evaluation of neuroblastoma. We evaluated the relationship between norepinephrine transporter (NET) expression and clinical MIBG uptake. Methods. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (N = 82) and immunohistochemistry (IHC; N = 61) were performed for neuroblastoma NET mRNA and protein expression and correlated with MIBG avidity on diagnostic scans. The correlation of NET expression with clinical features was also performed. Results. Median NET mRNA expression level for the 19 MIBG avid patients was 12.9% (range 1.6–73.7%) versus 5.9% (range 0.6–110.0%) for the 8 nonavid patients (P = 0.31). Median percent NET protein expression was 50% (range 0–100%) in MIBG avid patients compared to 10% (range 0–80%) in nonavid patients (P = 0.027). MYCN amplified tumors had lower NET protein expression compared to nonamplified tumors (10% versus 50%; P = 0.0002). Conclusions. NET protein expression in neuroblastoma correlates with MIBG avidity. MYCN amplified tumors have lower NET protein expression

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of silicon surface passivation in alcoholic iodine and bromine solutions

We report an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) study of silicon surfaces passivation using alcoholic solutions of iodine and bromine where different behavior with two systems is observed. The minority carrier lifetime determined by microwave photoconductive decay method showed better surface passivation for iodine-alcoholic system with HF preconditioning step. The iodine-ethanol (I-E) passivated samples show strong Si-I bonding (two times) in Si core level spectra for the samples without oxide (25.5%) compared with oxide (10.2%) counterpart. However, bromine-ethanol (B-E) passivated samples show higher Si-Br bonding strength in the samples with oxide (24.7%) compared to without oxide specimens (12.0%). This may be the reason of difference in passivation behavior of I-E and B-E systems. Higher O-Br bonding in O core level spectra of B-E passivated samples with oxide (35.8%), compared to without oxide (20.7%), results in comparable lifetime values in both with and without preconditioning. To understand the effect of solvent on the passivation, experiments are performed using iodine-methanol (I-M) and bromine-methanol (B-M) solutions and XPS analysis shows similar Si-I, Si-Br, and O-Br bonding trends

Titanium di-oxide films using a less hygroscopic colloidal precursor

We report the study of titanium dioxide films (TiO2) using titanium di-isopropoxyl di-2ethyl hexanoate Ti(OC3H7)(2) (C7H15COO)(2) colloidal precursor. This compound is less hygroscopic in nature and easy to use with processes like spin or dip coating. Thin films of TiO2 are made on silicon substrates and their structural and optical properties are studied. The effect of Ti content in the precursor, sintering temperature and its duration on film thickness and refractive index are investigated. Refractive index shows an increasing trend with the rise in the sintering temperature but remains unchanged with the time. The film thickness decreases with both sintering temperature and time and increases with Ti content in the precursor. Reflectivity measurements show marked reduction in the reflection losses compared to bare silicon surface wherein the film thickness is altered by spin speed. XRD results show anatase phase in the samples sintered at lower temperature (<680 degrees C), however, a mix of anatase, brookite and rutile phases is seen above this temperature. In the samples sintered above 1100 degrees C, rutile phase is dominant. These results are supported by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy reveals larger grain size at higher sintering temperature. The titanium dioxide films of desirable thickness and refractive index could be used as an antireflection coating on solar cells

Silicon Surface Passivation by Al2O3 film using Atomic Layer Deposition

Silicon surface passivation is studied using Al2O3 thin film deposited by thermal process using atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. Minority carrier lifetime measurements showed that the film passivate the silicon surface effectively. Capacitancevoltage measurement confirms the activation of negative fixed charges after sintering at 400 degrees C

Effect of low thermal budget annealing on surface passivation of silicon by ALD based aluminum oxide films

Thermal ALD deposited Al2O3 films on silicon show a marked difference in surface passivation quality as a function of annealing time (using a rapid thermal process). An effective and quality passivation is realized in short anneal duration (similar to 100 s) in nitrogen ambient which is reflected in the low surface recombination velocity (SRV <10 cm s(-1)). The deduced values are close to the best reported SRV obtained by the high thermal budget process (with annealing time between 10-30 min), conventionally used for improved surface passivation. Both as-deposited and low thermal budget annealed films show the presence of positive fixed charges and this is never been reported in the literature before. The role of field and chemical passivation is investigated in terms of fixed charge and interface defect densities. Further, the importance of the annealing step sequence in the MIS structure fabrication protocol is also investigated from the view point of its effect on the nature of fixed charges