Specific Breakdown Research Articles

Stability estimation of slopes with determined slip surface by the MSTAB-3D method based on sliding body limit equilibrium analysis

The method developed for this study, established on the premises of the limit equilibrium flat analysis for a spatial solution, is a modification of the STAB-3D method, previously described by the author. It combines the analyses methods of 2D slices of flat cross–sections with the spatial analyses methodology rooted in a specific breakdown of a landslide sliding body into 3D elements assuming some simplifying solution. However, this method is solely applicable in case of a landslide failure with a stipulated slip surface and with a consistent decline of a determined slide direction. Such a method was developed in the article published earlier, which provided then its basic assumptions and the equilibrium formulations. The following publication thereof, presents overall suppositions for this method as well as its modification involving the resultant forces brought to the equilibrium with the generalized slide direction. Apart from that, a comparative analysis was carried out on the impact of this modification applicability of the obtained results with regard to the STAB-3D method. The algorithm was also presented concerning the modified method with its results being compared to a couple of selected methods LEM (limit equilibrium method). The undertaken analysis reveals that the modified MSTAB-3D method determines stability indicators that are very similar to its earlier version. Moreover, the results occur to be also approximating the values obtained in the course of other methods with regard to the flat cross-section analysis.

Cancer survivors' experiences with breakdowns in patient-centered communication.

This study analyzed cancer survivors' communication experiences that fell short of being patient-centered. Patients' descriptions of communication "breakdowns" were analyzed according to domain (eg, information exchange, fostering relationships, and managing emotions), whether it was a breakdown of commission (what was communicated) or omission (what should have been communicated) and whether it involved a clinician or the health care organization. Cancer survivors (from an online panel of patients) completed the Patients Assessment of Communication Experience measure. Ratings less than "excellent" elicited a prompt asking where communication fell short. Communication breakdowns were categorized as one of commission/omission, if it involved a clinician/health care system, and within which communication domain. Thematic analysis explored how communication breakdowns affected respondents' cancer care experiences. Overall communication was rated as less than excellent by 153 respondents, of which 79 identified a specific communication breakdown. Over half (n=43, 54%) were problems of omission, mostly attributed to interaction with health care organizations (n=25). Breakdowns of commission (n=36, 46%) occurred primarily within clinical encounters (n=32). Most breakdowns were problems of information exchange (49%) or fostering relationships (27%). Three overarching themes emerged-emotional fallout from unmet information needs, inattention to patient perspective, and uncertainty about navigation and team communication. Patient-centered communication breakdowns create distress that worsens patients' cancer care experiences. Communication skills training for clinicians should address listening, perspective taking, and assessing/satisfying patients' information and emotional needs. Health care organizations should enhance processes to provide timely, useful information to patients.

Bioavailability Study of Maqui Berry Extract in Healthy Subjects.

Several health promoting effects have been reported for maqui berry, rich in anthocyanins. Direct effects of anthocyanins as well as bioactive metabolites might be involved. Within the study, bioavailability of a proprietary standardized maqui berry extract Delphinol® was investigated based on two selected anthocyanins (delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (DS) + cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside (CS)) and two breakdown products (protocatechuic acid (PCA) + gallic acid (GA)) after a single-dose supplementation in humans. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from individual concentration time curves. In all 12 subjects a significant increase was noted in plasma values of DG and CS after intake of maqui berry extract. Maximum concentration of DG was observed after 1.0 ± 0.3 h and CS after 2.0 ± 1.1 h. Within 8 h, concentrations nearly returned to baseline levels. The results confirm a fast uptake and metabolism of the two selected key substances. Additionally, the phenolic acids GA and PCA were observed as breakdown products of anthocyanins. In summary, the study clearly confirms the bioavailability of maqui berry extract and its specific anthocyanin compounds and related breakdown products in healthy subjects.

Updated trade-off relationship between specific on-resistance and breakdown voltage in 4H-SiC{0001} unipolar devices

The minimum specific on-resistance of 4H-SiC{0001} unipolar devices as a function of the breakdown voltage was updated based on latest studies on intrinsic physical properties, such as impact ionization coefficients. Both punch-through (PT) and nonpunch-through (NPT) structures were considered, because a PT structure generally gives a lower on-resistance at a given breakdown voltage. The minimum specific on-resistance of 1 kV 4H-SiC devices can be as low as 0.20 mΩ cm2 at room temperature. An analytical expression for the relationship between the specific on-resistance and breakdown voltage is given.

Implementation of Trench-based Power LDMOS and Low Voltage MOSFET on InGaAs

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we propose a design concept of integration of trench-based power and low voltage small signal metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) on high mobility InGaAs material. A high power dual-trench-gate (DTG) MOSFET and a low voltage MOSFET are implemented side by side in same InGaAs epitaxial layer using junction isolation technique. The high voltage DTG-MOSFET has two gates which are placed in oxide-filled trenches in the drift region. This structure provides a better trade-off between specific on-resistance (Ron−sp) and breakdown voltage (Vbr) due to the formation of dual conduction channels and enhancement in reduced-surface-field (RESURF) effect caused by folding of the drift region in the vertical direction. Further, simultaneous conduction of channels increases the drain current (ID) and transconductance (gm) leading to better cut-off frequency (ft) and maximum oscillation frequency (fmax). On the other hand, the gate of low voltage MOSFET is placed in an oxide trench to make two n-channels in the p-base. The parallel conduction of two channels gives substantial improvement in ID, peak gm, ft and fmax with good control over the short channel effects. Two-dimensional simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of both high voltage and low voltage MOSFETs.

Heterologous Expression of Rhizobial CelC2 Cellulase Impairs Symbiotic Signaling and Nodulation in Medicago truncatula.

The infection of legume plants by rhizobia is tightly regulated to ensure accurate bacterial penetration, infection, and development of functionally efficient nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Rhizobial Nod factors (NF) have key roles in the elicitation of nodulation signaling. Infection of white clover roots also involves the tightly regulated specific breakdown of the noncrystalline apex of cell walls in growing root hairs, which is mediated by Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii cellulase CelC2. Here, we have analyzed the impact of this endoglucanase on symbiotic signaling in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Ensifer meliloti constitutively expressing celC gene exhibited delayed nodulation and elicited aberrant ineffective nodules, hampering plant growth in the absence of nitrogen. Cotreatment of roots with NF and CelC2 altered Ca2+ spiking in root hairs and induction of the early nodulin gene ENOD11. Our data suggest that CelC2 alters early signaling between partners in the rhizobia-legume interaction.

ECG screening in athletes: differing views from two sides of the Atlantic

### Learning objectives The death of any young person is a devastating event, and the death of a young athlete, apparently in the peak of health, even more so. While...

Incomplete Ionization of a 110\u2009meV Unintentional Donor in \u03b2-Ga2O3 and its Effect on Power Devices

Understanding the origin of unintentional doping in Ga2O3 is key to increasing breakdown voltages of Ga2O3 based power devices. Therefore, transport and capacitance spectroscopy studies have been performed to better understand the origin of unintentional doping in Ga2O3. Previously unobserved unintentional donors in commercially available (bar{2}01) Ga2O3 substrates have been electrically characterized via temperature dependent Hall effect measurements up to 1000 K and found to have a donor energy of 110 meV. The existence of the unintentional donor is confirmed by temperature dependent admittance spectroscopy, with an activation energy of 131 meV determined via that technique, in agreement with Hall effect measurements. With the concentration of this donor determined to be in the mid to high 1016 cm−3 range, elimination of this donor from the drift layer of Ga2O3 power electronics devices will be key to pushing the limits of device performance. Indeed, analytical assessment of the specific on-resistance (Ronsp) and breakdown voltage of Schottky diodes containing the 110 meV donor indicates that incomplete ionization increases Ronsp and decreases breakdown voltage as compared to Ga2O3 Schottky diodes containing only the shallow donor. The reduced performance due to incomplete ionization occurs in addition to the usual tradeoff between Ronsp and breakdown voltage.

Effects of Alfalfa on Aggregate Stability, Aggregate Preserved‐C and Nutrients in Region Mountain Agricultural Soils 1 Year After its Planting

AbstractIn mountain areas, water erosion plays an important role on soil structure and can strongly affect its functions. Suitable management practices, namely choice of crops, may be able to improve aggregate stability and reduce soil loss by surface runoff. To study the effects of cover crops on aggregation in mountain soils, we investigated a soil planted with wheat (site C) compared with two soils under alfalfa (sites A and B). All investigated soils were Typic Ustorthents. The soil aggregates were isolated by a physical‐functional procedure defined on the basis of aggregate resistance against specific breakdown mechanisms such as slaking and water abrasion. One year after alfalfa plantation, its effect on wet aggregate stability and the amount of organic carbon (OC) and nutrients retained by the isolated aggregates were measured. In the less degraded soils (site B), organic matter decomposition was stimulated, and after 1 year, the total OC (TOC) and TOC/N declined. Consequently, a reduction in aggregate stability and ability to preserve elements occurred, as shown by the decrease of wet aggregate stability indexes and total nutrients (e.g. N, P and K) retained by stable aggregates. In more degraded soil (site A), alfalfa generally positively affected the investigated properties. The effect of alfalfa in the studied crop rotation depends on the degree of land degradation due to water erosion. As regards the investigated breakdown mechanisms, our data showed that the aggregate resistance to water abrasion was related to TOC, while the resistance against fast wetting breakdown is correlated to the microbial biomass. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analysis of Suicide Risk in Patients with Penile Cancer and Review of the Literature.

The treatment for penile cancer has been shown to cause harmful psychiatric symptoms as well as have detrimental effects on well-being. In the past several years, alternatives to total or partial penectomy have emerged, such as chemotherapy, radiation, penile sparing, and laser ablation therapies. A more specific breakdown for penile cancer is in order as the therapy has the potential for life changing surgery. We examined the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (1973-2013), comprising 28% of the United States population. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth revision codes C60.8-C60.9 and the International Classification of Diseases-Oncology codes 8010/2, 8010/3, 8051/2, 8051/3, 8052/2, 8052/3, 8070/2, 8070/3-8072/3, 8074/3, 8076/3, and 8083/3-8084/3 were used. Age, race, marital status, and clinicopathologic variables were studied. We used contingency tables of suicide rates; mid-P exact test was used for analysis. There were 13 suicides noted in 6155 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. All patients that committed suicide had undergone a surgical intervention. Certainly, penile cancer after treatment has a powerful effect on quality of life as increased depression and sexual anxiety have been documented in postoperative patients. This is in contrast to the observed suicide rate. Despite the reported negative psychological effects in patients with penile cancer, suicide rates are among the lowest of all urologic malignancies.

Ion-irradiation damage on GaN p-n junction diodes by inductively coupled plasma etching and its recovery by thermal treatment

Abstract Inductively coupled plasma dry etching has been proceeded to form high breakdown-voltage mesa-structured GaN p-n junction diodes for power electronics applications. Occurrences of crystalline damages were inevitable during the etching by accelerated reactive ions. However; the damages were removed by thermal treatment at 850 °C, which lead low specific on-resistances ( R on 2 ) and high breakdown voltages ( V B > 4.2 kV) of the diode.

Using data from the Microsoft Kinect 2 to determine postural stability in healthy subjects: A feasibility trial.

The objective of this study was to determine whether kinematic data collected by the Microsoft Kinect 2 (MK2) could be used to quantify postural stability in healthy subjects. Twelve subjects were recruited for the project, and were instructed to perform a sequence of simple postural stability tasks. The movement sequence was performed as subjects were seated on top of a force platform, and the MK2 was positioned in front of them. This sequence of tasks was performed by each subject under three different postural conditions: “both feet on the ground” (1), “One foot off the ground” (2), and “both feet off the ground” (3). We compared force platform and MK2 data to quantify the degree to which the MK2 was returning reliable data across subjects. We then applied a novel machine-learning paradigm to the MK2 data in order to determine the extent to which data from the MK2 could be used to reliably classify different postural conditions. Our initial comparison of force plate and MK2 data showed a strong agreement between the two devices, with strong Pearson correlations between the trunk centroids “Spine_Mid” (0.85 ± 0.06), “Neck” (0.86 ± 0.07) and “Head” (0.87 ± 0.07), and the center of pressure centroid inferred by the force platform. Mean accuracy for the machine learning classifier from MK2 was 97.0%, with a specific classification accuracy breakdown of 90.9%, 100%, and 100% for conditions 1 through 3, respectively. Mean accuracy for the machine learning classifier derived from the force platform data was lower at 84.4%. We conclude that data from the MK2 has sufficient information content to allow us to classify sequences of tasks being performed under different levels of postural stability. Future studies will focus on validating this protocol on large populations of individuals with actual balance impairments in order to create a toolkit that is clinically validated and available to the medical community.

PEDOT:PSS "Wires" Printed on Textile for Wearable Electronics.

Herein, the fabrication of all-organic conductive wires is demonstrated by utilizing patterning techniques such as inkjet printing and sponge stencil to apply poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) onto nonwoven polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric. The coating of the conducting polymer is only present on the surface of the substrate (penetration depth ∼ 200 μm) to retain the functionality and wearability of the textile. The wires fabricated by different patterning techniques provide a wide range of resistance, i.e., tens of kΩ/□ to less than 2 Ω/□ that allows the resistance to be tailored to a specific application. The sheet resistance is measured to be as low as 1.6 Ω/□, and the breakdown current is as high as 0.37 A for a 1 mm wide line. The specific breakdown current exceeds the previously reported values of macroscopic carbon nanotube based materials. Simple circuits composed of the printed wires are demonstrated, and resistance of the circuit from the measurement agrees with the calculated value based on Kirchhoff's rules. Additionally, the printed PEDOT:PSS wires show less than 6.2% change in sheet resistance after three washing and drying cycles using detergent.

MEMS gas ionization sensor with palladium nanostructures for use at ambient pressure

A microfabricated gas ionization sensor with integrated field enhancing silicon- palladium nanostructures is presented. The sensor can be used to determine the ambient gas by its specific breakdown voltage. Technological details of the fabrication and the assembly of the sensor are presented too.

Using Data From the Microsoft Kinect 2 to Quantify Upper Limb Behavior: A Feasibility Study.

The objective of this study was to assess whether the novel application of a machine learning approach to data collected from the Microsoft Kinect 2 (MK2) could be used to classify differing levels of upper limb impairment. Twenty-four healthy subjects completed items of the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), which is a clinically validated metric of upper limb function for stroke survivors. Subjects completed the WMFT three times: 1) as a healthy individual; 2) emulating mild impairment; and 3) emulating moderate impairment. A MK2 was positioned in front of participants, and collected kinematic data as they completed the WMFT. A classification framework, based on Riemannian geometry and the use of covariance matrices as feature representation of the MK2 data, was developed for these data, and its ability to successfully classify subjects as either "healthy," "mildly impaired," or "moderately impaired" was assessed. Mean accuracy for our classifier was 91.7%, with a specific accuracy breakdown of 100%, 83.3%, and 91.7% for the "healthy," "mildly impaired," and "moderately impaired" conditions, respectively. We conclude that data from the MK2 is of sufficient quality to perform objective motor behavior classification in individuals with upper limb impairment. The data collection and analysis framework that we have developed has the potential to disrupt the field of clinical assessment. Future studies will focus on validating this protocol on large populations of individuals with actual upper limb impairments in order to create a toolkit that is clinically validated and available to the clinical community.

EDMOS in ultrathin FDSOI: Impact of the drift region properties

The development of high-voltage MOSFET (HVMOS) is necessary for including power management or radiofrequency functionalities in CMOS technology. In this paper, we investigate the fabrication and optimization of an Extended Drain MOSFET (EDMOS) directly integrated in the ultra-thin SOI film (7 nm) of the 28 nm FDSOI CMOS technology node. Thanks to TCAD simulations, we analyse in detail the device behaviour as a function of the doping level and length of the drift region. The influence of the back-plane doping type and of the back-biasing schemes is discussed. DC measurements of fabricated EDMOS samples reveal promising performances in particular in terms of specific on-resistance versus breakdown voltage trade-off. The experimental results indicate that, even in an ultrathin film, the engineering of the drift region could be a lever to obtain integrated HVMOS (3.3–5 V).

On the formation of shocks for quasilinear wave equations

The paper is devoted to the study of shock formation of the 3-dimensional quasilinear wave equation where $$G^{\prime \prime }(0)$$ is a non-zero constant. We will exhibit a family of smooth initial data and show that the foliation of the incoming characteristic hypersurfaces collapses. Similar to 1-dimensional conservational laws, we refer this specific type breakdown of smooth solutions as shock formation. Since $$(\star )$$ satisfies the classical null condition, it admits global smooth solutions for small data. Therefore, we will work with large data (in energy norm). Moreover, no symmetry condition is imposed on the initial datum. We emphasize the geometric perspectives of shock formation in the proof. More specifically, the key idea is to study the interplay between the following two objects: (1) the energy estimates of the linearized equations of $$(\star )$$ ; (2) the differential geometry of the Lorentzian metric $$g=-\frac{1}{(1+3G^{\prime \prime }(0) (\partial _t\phi )^2)} d t^2+dx_1^2+dx_2^2+dx_3^2$$ . Indeed, the study of the characteristic hypersurfaces (implies shock formation) is the study of the null hypersurfaces of g. The techniques in the proof are inspired by the work (Christodoulou in The Formation of Shocks in 3-Dimensional Fluids. Monographs in Mathematics, European Mathematical Society, 2007) in which the formation of shocks for 3-dimensional relativistic compressible Euler equations with small initial data is established. We also use the short pulse method which is introduced in the study of formation of black holes in general relativity in Christodoulou (The Formation of Black Holes in General Relativity. Monographs in Mathematics, European Mathematical Society, 2009) and generalized in Klainerman and Rodnianski (Acta Math 208(2):211–333, 2012).

4H-SiC MPS 다이오드의 P 영역 최적화에 관한 연구

탄화규소(Silicon Carbide) 기반의 1200 V급 Merged Pin Schottky(MPS) 다이오드의 구조를 2D-atlas simulation tool을 사용하여 최적화 및 설계하였다. 최적화된 항복전압과 온-저항 값을 얻기 위해 본 소자에서 중요한 파라미터인 P-Grid의 도핑농도와 에피층의 도핑농도를 각각 <TEX>$2{\sim}10{\times}10^{17}cm^{-3}$</TEX>, <TEX>$2{\sim}10{\times}10^{16}cm^{-3}$</TEX>으로 변화시키면서 소자의 전기적 특성을 분석하였으며, 그 후 P-Grid의 Space값을 <TEX>$1{\sim}5{\mu}m$</TEX>로 설계하여 이에 따른 항복전압과 온-저항의 값을 확인하였다. 항복전압과 온-저항은 서로 trade-off 관계에 있기 때문에 각 변수에서 도출된 값들을 Baliga's Figure Of Merit (BFOM)식에 대입하여 비교하였다. 그 결과 고전압 소자에 적용 가능한 1200 V급 4H-SiC MPS다이오드를 최적화 및 설계를 도출하였다. In this work, the merged PiN Schottky(MPS) diodes based silicon carbide(SiC) have been optimized and designed for 1200V diodes by 2D-atlas simulation tool. We investigated the optimized characteristics of SiC MPS diodes such as breakdown voltage and specific on-resistance by varying the doping concentrations of P-Grid/epi-layer and space of P-Grid, which are the most important parameters. The breakdown voltage and specific on-resistance, based on Baliga's Figure Of Merit (BFOM), have been compared with and the SiC-based MPS diodes show improved BFOMs with low values of specific on-resistance and high breakdown voltage. It has been demonstrated 1,200 V SiC MPS diodes will find useful applications in high voltage energy-efficient devices.

No Longer a Novelty&amp;[hellip]. Formalizing Ultrasound Based Activities in Gross Anatomy through Objective Structural Practical Examination

Use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool is fast becoming an expectation in clinical practice. With formal outcomes now being included as competencies in many residency programs, earlier exposure to use of ultrasound is being achieved through informal activities embedded within medical school curricula. Using ultrasound to learn anatomy is now standard practice for many courses in the United States. However, very few if any offer formal opportunities to assess student skill and anatomical knowledge at the same time. As part of the Mini Ultrasound Skills Institute (MUSI) in Anatomy, a component of the first year anatomy course, students were expected to complete a team‐based, hands‐on ultrasound skills assessment. Throughout the course, students received both didactic briefing sessions and hands‐on training on ultrasound basics, image interpretation, and scanning techniques. The ultrasound content was presented in parallel to anatomy and radiology curriculum. In the past, ultrasound knowledge was assessed via static images; however, due to the contextual nature of ultrasound interpretation, a live, hands‐on method was devised to assess student learning. At regular intervals during the course, students completed an ultrasound skills assessment. In their dissection teams of four, students completed four tasks: setup the machine, obtained, oriented, and labeled a desired image using a live model. Each student was given a unique role within this exercise. Students were graded on a rubric scale for each of the four components and given an overall team score. At the conclusion of the course, students completed a graded ultrasound objective structural practical examination (OSPE). Rotating through four stations, students completed the four tasks on four different structures. Students rotated through roles within their team as they moved between stations. OSPE grade was incorporated into their final laboratory practical grade. Preliminary data from formative OSPE assessments ‐‐‐‐showed an average score of 72% (±21%) with a minimum of 50%, maximum of 100%. Within the skill specific breakdown, students were very comfortable at labeling obtained images (100%) and had the most challenging time with either selecting the correct probe or setting up the scanner 40% (±51%). Overall, team‐based OSPE is an effective method to promote and evaluate ultrasound skills learned in an anatomy course.

Specific electrical capacitance and voltage breakdown as a function of temperature for different planar lipid bilayers

The breakdown voltage and specific electrical capacitance of planar lipid bilayers formed from lipids isolated from the membrane of archaeon Aeropyrum pernix K1 as a function of temperature were studied and compared with data obtained previously in MD simulation studies. Temperature dependence of breakdown voltage and specific electrical capacitance was measured also for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers and bilayers formed from mixture of diphytanoylphosphocholine (DPhPC) and DPPC in ratio 80:20. The breakdown voltage of archaeal lipids planar lipid bilayers is more or less constant until 50°C, while at higher temperatures a considerable drop is observed, which is in line with the results from MD simulations. The breakdown voltage of DPPC planar lipid bilayer at melting temperature is considerably higher than in the gel phase. Specific electrical capacitance of planar lipid bilayers formed from archaeal lipids is approximately constant for temperatures up to 40°C and then gradually decreases. The difference with MD simulation predictions is discussed. Specific electrical capacitance of DPPC planar lipid bilayers in fluid phase is 1.75 times larger than that of the gel phase and it follows intermediated phases before phase transition. Increase in specific electrical capacitance while approaching melting point of DPPC is visible also for DPhPC:DPPC mixture.