Single Point Of Contact Research Articles

Developing a Single Window Integrated Platform for Multimodal Transport Management and Logistics

This paper will focuses on the implementation of National Single Window (NSW) telematic applications allowing the integration of inland and maritime waterway transport with other modes of transport and also with Port Community Management applications. The NSW concept refers to the implementation of a national system that will act as a single point of contact for the electronic submission and exchange (especially) of freight related information between public and private stakeholders from different transport modes. The main objective of the paper is to propose a solution and an implementation roadmap for the correlation and harmonization of the currently isolated and partly un-coordinated initiatives related to SW. NSW should build on existing telematic applications and systems like SafeSeaNet, River Information Services or Intelligent Transport Systems for Road Transport. In this way, the authors propose a possible approach in developing integrated NSW.

M TOUCH - AN ABYSS EXPERIENCE

While touch sensing is a commonplace for single points of contact, multi-point touch sensing technology enables a user to interact with a system with more than one fingers or hands simultaneously. As a result multiple users can interact with the system at the same time and multiple operations can be performed. Our multipoint touch screen comes with some striking features like scalability, economical with good graphical user interface .The smooth interface will replace the necessity of input devices like keyboards and mouse in future. The technique relies on one of the latest and most reliable technologies used for manufacturing touch screens-the infra red light waves. Several basic modifications in the standard IR Touch Screen and some advanced programming architecture can enable us to device such low cost multipoint touch screens. The basic motive behind using this technology is that the screen can be an add on to any other screen and is feasible and more transparent as compared to resistive touch screens. The hardware system is based on ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) technology and the software will be implemented using java as a platform. Multi-touch technology has many potential applications including a whole new way of interfacing with computers using images, videos, animations, maps and multiplayer gaming. Thus we look forward to develop a system that will be economical yet feasible and scalable implementation of multipoint touch screen. This will in turn accommodate multiple users to work, play and interact with the system in parallel.

Online Prediction of Tool Wear in the Milling of the AISI P20 Steel Through Electric Power of the Main Motor

Molds and dies have specific geometries that are linked to the profile of injected products. The great challenge for modern industry is to manufacture these products with high quality and low time. Ball nose end cutters provide flexible manufacturing due to their geometry that allows a single point of contact on free-form surfaces. However, the exact definition of the tool’s wear during the milling of molds and dies is complex. This work shows the monitoring of tool wear based on information obtained from the electric power consumed by the main motor. Experiments were carried out on work pieces of AISI P20 steel with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 10 mm. The tools used in the test were solid carbide ball nose mills with a diameter of 6 mm. Analysis of variance was applied to define the most influential input parameter in the milling process, considering electric power and torque as a response. The results showed that the online monitoring of the tool based on electric power information can be a good technique to define the tool’s wear during the milling process. Moreover, the electric system of monitoring was easier to assemble than traditional devices, such as piezoelectric dynamometers or load cells, because it provided an assembly without great interference in the machine tool or milling process. The energy analyzer was capable of detecting a variation in the electric power. The electric power and the torque decreased when the tool’s wear increased from new to worn tool.

MEMS Microphone Array Sensor for Air-Coupled Impact-Echo.

Impact-Echo (IE) is a nondestructive testing technique for plate like concrete structures. We propose a new sensor concept for air-coupled IE measurements. By using an array of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) microphones, instead of a single receiver, several operational advantages compared to conventional sensing strategies in IE are achieved. The MEMS microphone array sensor is cost effective, less sensitive to undesired effects like acoustic noise and has an optimized sensitivity for signals that need to be extracted for IE data interpretation. The proposed sensing strategy is justified with findings from numerical simulations, showing that the IE resonance in plate like structures causes coherent surface displacements on the specimen under test in an area around the impact location. Therefore, by placing several MEMS microphones on a sensor array board, the IE resonance is easier to be identified in the recorded spectra than with single point microphones or contact type transducers. A comparative measurement between the array sensor, a conventional accelerometer and a measurement microphone clearly shows the suitability of MEMS type microphones and the advantages of using these microphones in an array arrangement for IE. The MEMS microphone array will make air-coupled IE measurements faster and more reliable.

Tunneling between helical Majorana modes and helical Luttinger liquids

We propose and study the charge transport through single and double quantum point contacts setup between helical Majorana modes and an interacting helical Luttinger liquid. We show that the differential conductance decreases for stronger repulsive interactions and that the point contacts become insulating above a critical interaction strength. For a single point contact, the differential conductance as a function of bias voltage shows a series of peaks due to Andreev reflection of electrons in the Majorana modes. In the case of two point contacts, interference phenomena make the structure of the individual resonance peaks less universal and show modulations with different separation distance between the contacts. For small separation distance the overall features remain similar to the case of a single point contact.

Role of the Obstetric Clinical Nurse Coordinator

<h2>Poster Presentation</h2><h3>Purpose for the Program</h3> The scheduling of procedures on the unit was formally an ad hoc process. This resulted in no true clinical oversight of the procedures being scheduled. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The Joint Commission, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services call for regulation surrounding the elective induction of labor of pregnancies before 39 weeks gestation. There also are controlled criteria for exclusions to these guidelines. Gaps in adhering to the guidelines as well as patient and physician dissatisfaction resulted in the vision of a single point of contact for all women entering the obstetric unit for planned procedures. <h3>Proposed Change</h3> To have the obstetric clinical nurse coordinator play the role of the clinical nurse expert to shepherd women through the final stages of their pregnancies, help guide their transition from outpatient to inpatient setting, and ensure adherence to guidelines of scheduled procedures. <h3>Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation</h3> Before initiation of the role, the hospital had a high nulliparous elective induction rate. This translated to a failed induction rate of 25%. This number proved to be staggering and bolstered support of a clinical expert to monitor scheduled procedures. Six‐months postimplementation of the role, the rate of failed inductions decreased dramatically to 2% with enforcement of cervical Bishop scoring and adherence to the guidelines related to medical versus elective inductions. This remarkable change in the model of care also resulted in fewer elective inductions scheduled overall from 15% to 8%. The clinical nurse coordinator also is a driver of family‐centered care. Women come to the unit already having established a relationship and point of contact in the inpatient units. This has resulted in high patient satisfaction scores with year‐to‐date overall inpatient satisfaction at 90.4% via Press Ganey. The number of delayed or cancelled inductions has decreased dramatically as well, and health care provider satisfaction has increased. <h3>Implications for Nursing Practice</h3> The role was not easily understood when first presented and resistance of the idea was met initially. The need for this change and desire to have a clinical nurse expert in the role, once occupied by a unit clerk, was met with skepticism. However, this model is now regarded as an exemplar of patient‐focused, quality care. The quantitative and qualitative positive results affirm the vision of this role.

Laser speckle spatiotemporal variance analysis for noninvasive widefield measurements of blood pulsation and pulse rate on a camera-phone.

Photoplethysmography is a well-established technique for the noninvasive measurement of blood pulsation. However, photoplethysmographic devices typically need to be in contact with the surface of the tissue and provide data from a single contact point. Extensions of conventional photoplethysmography to measurements over a wide field-of-view exist, but require advanced signal processing due to the low signal-to-noise-ratio of the photoplethysmograms. Here, we present a noncontact method based on temporal sampling of time-integrated speckle using a camera-phone for noninvasive, widefield measurements of physiological parameters across the human fingertip including blood pulsation and resting heart-rate frequency. The results show that precise estimation of these parameters with high spatial resolution is enabled by measuring the local temporal variation of speckle patterns of backscattered light from subcutaneous skin, thereby opening up the possibility for accurate high resolution blood pulsation imaging on a camera-phone. Camera-phone laser speckle imager along with measured relative blood perfusion maps of a fingertip showing skin perfusion response to a pulse pressure applied to the upper arm. The figure is for illustration only; the imager was stabilized on a stand throughout the experiments.

SPOCs &amp; surveys: A novel way of conducting comparative research into criminal justice systems

Criminal justice researchers are increasingly confronted with research questions that require them to use ‘foreign information’ in their analyses. Though it is generally accepted that working with foreign information is challenging, several authors pointed to the lack of serious recent work on comparative methodology. Many researchers therefore avoid comparative research. Based on a literature review and practical experience, the challenges of comparative criminal justice research are uncovered, the strenghts and weaknesses of existing methods identified and a novel method developped. The so-called ‘SPOCs & survey’-method consists of nominating a SPOC (short for a single point of contact) for the countries to be included in the comparative analysis and asking them to fill out a multiple choice based survey, complemented with free text fields and the option to request documents to be attached. To assess the merit of the method, the paper elaborates (1) on the different degrees to which the method can be integrated in various types of research and (2) the extent to which the method is better tailored than existing methods to successfully overcome the challenges of comparative research referred to in literature. Though the method depends on the access to knowledgeable SPOCs, the weakness is counterbalanced by the strengths of its swiftness, reliability and validity.

Regulators and Reform: A Quasi-experimental Assessment of the Effects of Training Inspectors

ABSTRACTRegulators face an array of initiatives designed to boost the effectiveness of policy delivery and cut administrative burdens. A good deal of analytical attention is given to these governance tools, but we know much less about how regulators themselves understand and learn about them. We use a quasi-experiment to assess the effects of training on local government inspectors’ understandings of the Primary Authority (PA) initiative. Established in 2009 by the UK's Better Regulation Delivery Organisation (BRDO), PA partnerships are legally binding agreements that provide businesses with a single point of regulatory contact and inspectors provide advice and reduce duplication of inspections and paperwork. The initiative is complex, and marks a significant departure from the existing inspection framework. Our findings suggest that, regardless of training, the regulatory innovation is well understood among local authority inspectors. Training may make a difference, however, in aspects of regulatory reform which are contentious or could be taken as counterintuitive to professional norms. The article also highlights the value of the quasi-experimental approach for policy-relevant public management research.

Challenges Associated with Multi-institutional Multi-site Clinical Trial Collaborations: Lessons from a Diabetes Self-Management Interventions Study in Primary Care

Purpose: Project management for multi-institutional, multi-site clinical trials poses significant challenges. We describe the response to challenges encountered in a 5-year National Institutes of Health multi-institutional 7-site randomized controlled trial of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) self-management interventions study. Methods: The collaborating institutions consisted of a large 220,000-member integrated healthcare system and a university academic health science center partner. The clinical team comprised the principal investigator and research coordinators covering 6 of the 7 clinical sites, while the academic team comprised the co-principal investigator, coinvestigators, and other research and clinical coordination staff. Subjects recruited for the study had a glycosylated hemoglobin ≥ 7.5 within the last 6 months and received primary care at the participating clinics. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were consented at private orientation meetings, randomized into one of 4 study arms, and followed every 6 months over a 24-month period for data collection. Results: The encountered challenges concerned: 1) communication across the multiple clinic sites; 2) multiinstitutional coordinator training; 3) multiple record-keeping methods; 4) clinical access for academic personnel; 5) unanticipated clinical coordinator turnover; 6) subject recruitment and retention; and 7) multiple Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). Solutions included conducting full team weekly or bimonthly research meetings, coordinator crosstraining, adding study-specific templates with downloadable fields, developing a protocol for working with single point of contact in each clinic, securing commitment from the centralized clinical system to dedicate coordinator(s) to the project for the duration of the study period, setting explicit monthly recruitment goals for each clinic, and establishing a lead IRB up-front. Conclusion: Our challenges reflect the complexity of clinical trial collaborations across clinical and academic partners. Of critical importance to the success of clinical/academic collaborations is the commitment by all institutions for advance determination of communication strategies, IRB processes, records access and storage systems, and online training needs. Trial Registration Number/Site: NCT01221090, https://clinicaltrials.gov

DESARROLLO DE UNA GEOMETRIA EXPERIMENTAL MEDIANTE EL PROCESO DE CONFORMADO INCREMENTAL DE LAMINA EN DOS PUNTOS

Industrialized countries with modern manufacturing technologies forming sheet, have studied various manufacturing processes of sheet metal parts (stamping, hydroforming, super forming). Recently have worked with pieces that use the principle of forming a sheet whit a tool that builds up a particular geometry without supporting cast with a single point of contact for the forming process (Dieless-SPIF) [1] [2]. This paper presents and explains the experiment on a pyramidal geometry with a supporting cast on the same principle of incremental deformation having two contact points, which give creation to a new method derived from Dieless, that allows to extend the radius of application various geometries, complex and unique shapes, Dieless - DPIF. The design of the geometry, the respective CAM and G-code generation, for the tool path to be processed by a machine center and CNC computer and as the ratio of the thicknesses measured in different areas of it, depending on the angle ? of formability, through the principles of the sine law, to determinate the applicability of it in this innovative manufacturing process.

Pulmonary rehabilitation – providing integrated care to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that results in increasing breathlessness in addition to systemic effects on the body and has significant impact on mortality and morbidity. Context: Pulmonary rehabilitation is recognised as an important facet of COPD management and, based on high level of evidence has been shown to decrease dyspnoea, decrease anxiety and depression, increase exercise tolerance and reduce hospitalisations and health care costs. Pulmonary rehabilitation is defined as “a comprehensive intervention based on a thorough patient assessment followed by patient-tailored therapies, which include, but are not limited to, exercise training, education and behaviour change, designed to improve the physical and emotional condition of people with chronic respiratory disease and to promote the long term adherence of health enhancing behaviours”2. Target population: In Australia, it is estimated that almost 13% or one in seven Australians aged 40 years or over are affected by COPD1 . Change implemented: Western Sydney Local Health District has developed an innovative pulmonary rehabilitation service (Respiratory Ambulatory Care) that provides integrated care to patients with COPD across the disease trajectory within a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Respiratory Ambulatory Care recognise that patients with COPD often have a range of unmet health needs due to the complexity of their disease and comorbidities. Patients referred to Respiratory Ambulatory Care undergo a comprehensive holistic multidisciplinary assessment and based on clinical findings, are linked into a range of services including clinical psychology, dietetics, speech pathology, home monitoring and support / outreach, smoking cessation, single point of contact for advice during acute exacerbations (Respiratory Hotline) and end of life support. Referrals are coordinated and followed up during the rehabilitation program to ensure patients are successfully linked into required services. Case conferences and care planning is arranged by staff to ensure all members of the patient’s health care team are invited to contribute to the patient’s care. World Congress on Integrated Care 2014, Sydney, November 23-26, 2014. International Journal of Integrated Care – Volume 14, 8 December – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-116596– http://www.ijic.org/ Patients are supported in behaviour change through coaching and self-management support and are encouraged to become active participants in their healthcare decision-making. Communication between services is assisted by Respiratory Ambulatory Care’s use of the electronic medical record. Other providers within the local health district can access Respiratory Ambulatory Care’s assessments to reduce duplication of tests. General practitioners and non-hospital based services are faxed results of clinical assessment and progress within 24 hours of completion. Outcomes: A retrospective chart review of 141 patients who had participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation program revealed an improvement of health related quality of life (as measured by the St George Respiratory Questionnaire) of 7± 11 unit points (minimal clinical important difference (MCID) is 4 units) and an improvement in functional capacity as measured by 6 minute walk test of 58 ± 68 m (MCID 30m). Pulmonary rehabilitation services play a critical role in care integration for patients with COPD. Similar chronic disease rehabilitation programs could easily provide similar services ensuring patients care is coordinated, seamless and integrated.

Study of the hidden-order of URu2Si2 by point contact tunnel junctions

URu2Si2 presents superconductivity at temperatures below 1.5 K and a hidden order (HO) at about 17.5 K. Both electronic phenomena are influenced by Fano and Kondo resonances. At 17.5 K the HO was related in the past to a Peierls distortion that produces an energy gap deformed by the resonances. This order has been studied for more than 20 years and still there is no clear understanding. In this work we studied the electronic characteristics of URu2Si2 in a single crystal, with tunneling and metallic point contact spectroscopies. In the superconducting state, we determined the energy gap, which shows the influence of the Fano and Kondo resonances. At temperatures where HO is observed, the tunnel junctions spectra show the influence of the two resonances. Tunnel junction characteristics show that the Fermi surface nesting depends on the crystallographic direction.

Implementation of security and privacy in ePassports and the extended access control infrastructure

Several researchers have analyzed the security characteristics and weaknesses of electronic passports (machine readable travel documents) introduced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in its Document 9303. However, little, if any, work has focused on the public key infrastructures necessary to manage the certificates that underpin the security measures. This paper discusses the key aspects related to the management of keys and certificates to implement security and privacy measures for machine readable travel documents issued by European Union member states. In particular, the paper concentrates on extended access control and the associated Single Point of Contact (SPOC) protocol.

Multidisciplinary breast clinic: Impact on patient satisfaction, timeliness, and guideline concordant care.

124 Background: After recent implementation of a multidisciplinary breast clinic (MDC) for newly diagnosed women at our institution, we sought to examine the impact of MDC on patient satisfaction, timeliness and guideline concordant care. Methods: Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer at our institution are referred to MDC where they are seen by a team of breast specialists for initial consultation. The MDC model is further facilitated by a patient navigator/coordinator who serves as a single point of contact across disciplines and through the continuum of care. We deployed patient satisfaction surveys querying helpfulness of the care coordinator and satisfaction with seeing breast cancer specialty physicians together in one visit. We further retrospectively analyzed timeliness of care and guideline concordant care since MDC implementation. Results: Patient satisfaction survey response rate was 42% (n=133).On a scale of 1 (very poor) – 5 (excellent), 93% of respondents rated helpfulness of care coordinator as excellent and seeing specialty physicians together in one visit as excellent. 99% of respondents rated these factors as either excellent (5) or good (4). Regarding timeliness, among 202 women with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic breast cancer seen in MDC between June 2012 and April 2014, mean time from neoadjuvant chemotherapy to surgery was 43.1 days (range 26-78 days), from surgery to adjuvant radiation was 39.2 days (range 22-79 days), from surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy was 40.6 days (range 19-89 days), and from adjuvant chemotherapy to radiation was 34.9 days (range 13-67 days). All timeliness metrics well exceeded established national standards of 60-90 days. Regarding guideline concordant care, 94% and 90% respectively received indicated radiation therapy and chemotherapy in accordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines. Those not receiving guideline concordant care either declined, were of advanced age, or had prohibitive co-morbidities. Conclusions: The MDC model, which emphasizes care coordination via a team approach and patient navigation, is associated with excellent patient satisfaction and timely, guideline concordant breast cancer care.

Mothers' and health care providers' perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to attendance at Canadian neonatal follow-up programs.

Despite the benefits of Neonatal Follow-Up (NFU) programs for infants at risk for developmental problems subsequent to preterm birth, non-attendance continues to be a problem within Canada and beyond. This study investigated the barriers and facilitators to attendance at Canadian NFU programs from mothers' and health care providers' (HCP) perspectives. In this multi-site qualitative descriptive study, we conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 12 mothers, six from each of two NFU programs; and focus groups with 20 HCPs from nine NFU programs. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and then subjected to thematic analysis. The predominant barriers represented a complex interplay of cumulative factors: mothers' isolation and feeling overwhelmed, with limited support, experiencing difficulty attending because of limited resources, who viewed NFU as not needed until problems arose for their child. Other barriers included vulnerability and fear of bad news. Mothers reported the need to protect their vulnerable child from risks, whereas HCPs reported creating vulnerability by monitoring the child's development over time. HCPs perceived fear of bad news as a barrier, whereas mothers viewed that impending bad news increased their need to attend to address the issue. The predominant facilitators were support, family centred-care and mothers with adequate resources. Attendance is most problematic for mothers with limited support, capacity and resources. First and foremost, targeted approaches to NFU service provision are needed to address the cumulative barriers and improve experiences for mothers who find it difficult to attend NFU. A continuous relationship with a single point of contact is needed and merits further investigation - a provider who works across the traditional silos of neonatal intensive care, NFU and community services, minimizes duplication and navigates transitions.

The Common Assessment Framework: the impact of the lead professional on families and professionals as part of a continuum of care in England

AbstractThis paper utilizes data gathered as part of an exploratory study to assess the costs and impact of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), to examine the impact that the lead professional role had on families and workers. The study found that both families and workers believed the lead professional to be central to the CAF process, providing a range of support, coordinating multi‐agency responses to need and acting as a single point of contact between families and workers. The paper highlights the need for consideration to be given to inter‐agency working, data sharing, training for workers and the capacity implications for those taking on the role. The extent to which the lead professional might be more integrated into the continuum of support for vulnerable children and families is also examined. The paper highlights the need to consider the lead professional's role in not only preventing the need for more intensive services, such as those provided by statutory social work, but also maintaining outcomes achieved once a child protection plan is closed, or a child is reunified with his or her birth family after a period of being in care. The implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Managing multiple diseases: Help patients ‘be medicine smart’

Lately there has been an alarming trend in the number of patients who have multiple chronic conditions. In fact, an estimated one in four Americans has multiple chronic conditions, including 1 in 15 children. According to CDC, the most prevalent combination of two chronic conditions in the United States is hypertension and arthritis. The most prevalent triad of chronic diseases is arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, the problem is expected to get worse. “A growing number of Americans are now taking several prescription medications a day, and they often see more than one health care provider, which means they are at a higher risk for drug interactions, adverse events, and medication errors,” said Ray Bullman, Executive Vice President of the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE). NCPIE has released a 10-step adherence action agenda as part of its campaign platform at www.bemedicinesmart.org. Accelerating Progress in Prescription Medicine Adherence: The Adherence Action Agenda lays out 10 policy and programmatic solutions to improve medication adherence. “This report is a wake-up call to action to confront the upsurge of chronic conditions that is threatening to overwhelm our health care system,” said Bullman. Particularly relevant to pharmacists who manage patients with multiple chronic conditions is a recommendation to expand investment in patient–provider education and engagement tools to help pharmacists and other clinicians implement best practices for medication adherence and counsel patients about the importance of following treatment plans.“This report is a wake-up call to action to confront the upsurge of chronic conditions that is threatening to overwhelm our health care system.” “This report is a wake-up call to action to confront the upsurge of chronic conditions that is threatening to overwhelm our health care system.” The agenda also suggests the implementation of a “pharmacy home” model, which gives patients a single pharmacy point of contact for filling prescriptions and adopting refill synchronization. This will allow patients to fill multiple prescriptions at one time, which reduces the number of visits they must make to the pharmacy. In addition to counseling patients about their medications and underscoring the importance of medication adherence, pharmacists can direct patients to several freely available tools. NCPIE offers a worksheet, Make Notes & Take Notes (www.talkaboutrx.org/documents/make_notes_bw.pdf), containing questions patients should ask about their medications and blanks where patients can fill in the answers before, during, and after a visit to their physician. HIGHLIGHTSNCPIE has released a 10-step agenda to improve medication adherence for patients with multiple chronic diseases.The agenda suggests a “pharmacy home” model, which gives patients a single pharmacy point of contact for filling prescriptions. NCPIE has released a 10-step agenda to improve medication adherence for patients with multiple chronic diseases. The agenda suggests a “pharmacy home” model, which gives patients a single pharmacy point of contact for filling prescriptions. My Medicine List (www.safemedication.com) was developed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the ASHP Foundation through a sponsorship from Sanofi-Aventis to help patients keep track of everything they take, including medications, vitamins, and herbs. Patients can download a free PDF copy and fill out each line electronically, save it to their computer, and print out a copy. The form is also available in Spanish. In collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NCPIE developed Your Medicine: Be Smart. Be Safe (www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/diagnosis-treatment/treatments/safemeds/yourmeds.html). Available in English and Spanish, the guide answers common questions about obtaining and tracking medications and has a wallet card that patients can print and fill out to help them keep track of their medications. The guide suggests questions for patients to ask before they take their medications and tips for sticking with their treatment plans.

Tunnel vision

A superconducting surface under a drop of ionic liquid, when divided into two banks by a strip of insulating material having a single quantum point contact, becomes a device for discovering quantum phenomena.

Resistive switching and conductance quantization in Ag/SiO2/indium tin oxide resistive memories

The Ag/SiO2/indium tin oxide (ITO) devices exhibit bipolar resistive switching with a large memory window of ∼102, satisfactory endurance of &amp;gt;500 cycles, good retention property of &amp;gt;2000 s, and fast operation speed of &amp;lt;100 ns, thus being a type of promising resistive memory. Under slow voltage sweep measurements, conductance plateaus with a conductance value of integer or half-integer multiples of single atomic point contact have been observed, which agree well with the physical phenomenon of conductance quantization. More importantly, the Ag/SiO2/ITO devices exhibit more distinct quantized conductance plateaus under pulse measurements, thereby showing the potential for realizing ultra-high storage density.