Origin of trap assisted tunnelling in ammonia annealed SiC trench MOSFETs

The interface between silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) is of considerable importance for the performance and reliability of 4H-SiC (trench) metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and various different post oxidation anneals (POAs) have been used to optimize its quality. Whereas nitric oxide (NO) POA leads to very reliable and well performing MOSFETs, ammonia (NH3) can further improve the device performance, however, at the cost of the gate oxide (GOX) reliability, e.g. leading to trap assisted tunneling (TAT). We investigate the origin of TAT and GOX leakage in differently annealed gate oxides experimentally, using 4H-SiC trench MOSFETs, and theoretically, using Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations. Our findings reinforce the view that the NO anneal for SiC devices results in the best overall quality as devices annealed in NH3 and nitrogen N2 show higher oxide charge density and leakage currents. DFT simulations demonstrate that, contrary to what has often been assumed so far, NH3 annealing leads to the formation of additional hydrogen related defects, which open leakage paths in the oxide otherwise not present in NO treated oxides

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/images/research_banner_face_lab_290.jpgunderweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity

Psychiatric Hospital Bed Numbers and Prison Population Sizes in 26 European Countries: A Critical Reconsideration of the Penrose Hypothesis.

Recently, there has been a revived interest in the validity of the Penrose hypothesis, which was originally postulated over 75 years ago. It suggests an inverse relationship between the numbers of psychiatric hospital beds and the sizes of prison population. This study aims to investigate the association between psychiatric hospital beds and prison populations in a large sample of 26 European countries between 1993 and 2011.The association between prison population sizes and numbers of psychiatric hospital beds was assessed by means of Spearman correlations and modeled by a mixed random coefficient regression model. Socioeconomic variables were considered as covariates. Data were retrieved from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.Mean Spearman correlation coefficients between psychiatric beds and prison population showed a significant negative association (-0.35; p = <0.01). However, in the mixed regression model including socioeconomic covariates there were no significant fixed parameter estimates. Meanwhile, the covariance estimates for the random coefficients psychiatric beds (σ2 = 0.75, p = <0.01) and year (σ2 = 0.0007, p = 0.03) yielded significant results.These findings do not support the general validity of the Penrose hypothesis. Notably, the results of the mixed-model show a significant variation in the magnitude and direction of the association of psychiatric hospital bed numbers and the prison population sizes between countries. In this sense, our results challenge the prevalent opinion that a reduction of psychiatric beds subsequently leads to increasing incarcerations. These findings also work against the potential stigmatization of individuals suffering from mental disorders as criminals, which could be an unintentional byproduct of the Penrose hypothesis

E-W extension and block rotation of the southeastern Tibet : untravelling late deformation stages in th eastern Himalaya (NW Bhutan) by means of pyrrhotite remanences

International audienceIn the Himalayan chain the collision of India into Eurasia has produced some of the most complex crustal interactions along the Himalayan-Alpine Orogen. In NW Bhutan, middle to late Miocene deformation has been partitioned between conjugate strike-slip faulting, E-W extension along the Yadong-Gulu graben and kilometre-scale folding. To better understand the late deformation stages and their implications for the evolution of the eastern Himalayas, the palaeomagnetism in the erosional remnant of the Tethyan Himalayan rocks outcropping in NW Bhutan has been studied. Their position to the south of the trace of the inner South Tibetan Detachment, to the south of the Tibetan Plateau offers a unique possibility to study the Tertiary rotation of the Himalayas. Pyrrhotite is the carrier of the characteristic magnetisation based on 270-325 °C unblocking temperatures. The age of the remanence is ca. 13 Ma indicated by illite 40K/40Ar cooling ages and a negative fold test. Small circle intersection method applied to the pyrrhotite components shows a ca. 32° clockwise rotation with respect to stable India since 13 Ma. We suggest that this clockwise rotation is related to strain partitioning between NE-directed shortening, sinistral-slip along the Lingshi fault, and east-west extension. This represents a field-based explanation and a minimum onset age for present-day eastward motion of the upper-crust of SE-Tibet and NE-Himalayas

Spearman correlations between prison population and other variables for all 26 countries.

<p>Spearman correlations between prison population and other variables for all 26 countries.</p

Spearman correlations between psychiatric hospital beds and prison population.

<p>Spearman correlations between psychiatric hospital beds and prison population.</p

The association of monthly, diurnal and circadian variations with suicide attempts by young people

Abstract Background Different psychosocial factors might have an impact on suicidal behaviour and evidence shows that there may be an association between monthly, diurnal and circadian changes and suicidal behaviours. Methods In the present study we analysed retrospectively records of 2232 youth, who were treated in emergency units of state hospitals in Istanbul/Turkey after attempting suicide. Results The majority of the suicide attempters were females (81.6%). In both sexes, suicide attempts most frequently occurred at the beginning of the calendar week and between evening and midnight. Conclusions This study shows that suicide attempts in youth follow diurnal and circadian changes. As suicide attempts of youth most frequently occurred at the beginning of the calendar week and between evening and midnight, health services such as specialized counselling for youth should especially be available during this time