Unraveling the Molecular Landscape of SCN1A Gene Knockout in Cerebral Organoids: A Multiomics Approach Utilizing Proteomics, Lipidomics, and Transcriptomics.

This study investigates the impact of sodium channel protein type 1 subunit alpha (SCN1A) gene knockout (SCN1A KO) on brain development and function using cerebral organoids coupled with a multiomics approach. From comprehensive omics analyses, we found that SCN1A KO organoids exhibit decreased growth, dysregulated neurotransmitter levels, and altered lipidomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic profiles compared to controls under matrix-free differentiation conditions. Neurochemical analysis reveals reduced levels of key neurotransmitters, and lipidomic analysis highlights changes in ether phospholipids and sphingomyelin.

Effects of crosstalk between steroid hormones mediated thyroid hormone in zebrafish exposed to 4-tert-octylphenol: Estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects.

Alkylphenols, such as nonylphenol and 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), are byproducts of the biodegradation of alkylphenol ethoxylates and present substantial ecological and health risks in aquatic environments and higher life forms. In this context, our study aimed to explore the effect of OP on reproductive endocrine function in both female and male zebrafish. Over a period of 21 days, the zebrafish were subjected to varying concentrations of OP (0, 0.

Thyroid-gonadal hormonal interplay in zebrafish exposed to sodium perchlorate: Implications for reproductive health.

Perchlorate, a widespread environmental contaminant originating from various industrial applications, agricultural practices, and natural sources, poses potential risks to ecosystems and human health. While previous studies have highlighted its influence on the thyroid endocrine system and its impact on gonadal maturation, reproduction, and sex hormone synthesis, the specific interplay between thyroid and steroid hormones, in this context, remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the adverse effects and underlying mechanisms triggered by exposure to sodium perchlorate (SP) on reproductive endocrine activity in zebrafish.

Reproductive disorders linked to the interaction between sex steroid and thyroid hormonal activities, oxidative stress responses, and the rate of metabolism of tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) in zebrafish.

The objective of this study was to assess the thyroid hormone disruption and reproductive dysfunction effects of the bioaccumulation and rate of mechanism in zebrafish exposed to tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), with stress responsiveness. The fish were exposed to test concentrations of TDCPP (0, 0.06, 0.

Contribution of Ion Energy and Flux on High-Aspect Ratio SiO Etching Characteristics in a Dual-Frequency Capacitively Coupled Ar/CF Plasma: Individual Ion Energy and Flux Controlled.

As the process complexity has been increased to overcome challenges in plasma etching, individual control of internal plasma parameters for process optimization has attracted attention. This study investigated the individual contribution of internal parameters, the ion energy and flux, on high-aspect ratio SiO2 etching characteristics for various trench widths in a dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma system with Ar/C4F8 gases. We established an individual control window of ion flux and energy by adjusting dual-frequency power sources and measuring the electron density and self-bias voltage.

Neonatal Exposure to Valproate Induces Long-Term Alterations in Steroid Hormone Levels in the Brain Cortex of Prepubertal Rats.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a known drug for treating epilepsy and mood disorders; however, it is not recommended for pregnant women because of its possible teratogenicity. VPA affects neurotransmission and gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms by acting as a histone deacetylase inhibitor and has been used to establish animal models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, studies on the long-term effects of early exposure to VPA on glucocorticoid and neurosteroid synthesis in the brain are lacking.

Observation of prior light emission before arcing development in a low-temperature plasma with multiple snapshot analysis.

Arcing is a ubiquitous phenomenon and a crucial issue in high-voltage applied systems, especially low-temperature plasma (LTP) engineering. Although arcing in LTPs has attracted interest due to the severe damage it can cause, its underlying mechanism has yet to be fully understood. To elucidate the arcing mechanism, this study investigated various signals conventionally used to analyze arcing such as light emission, arcing current and voltage, and background plasma potential.

Characterization of an Etch Profile at a Wafer Edge in Capacitively Coupled Plasma.

Recently, the uniformity in the wafer edge area that is normally abandoned in the fabrication process has become important for improving the process yield. The wafer edge structure normally has a difference of height between wafer and electrode, which can result in a sheath bend, distorting important parameters of the etch, such as ionic properties, resulting in nonuniform etching. This problem nowadays is resolved by introducing the supplemented structure called a focus ring on the periphery of the wafer.

Database Development of SiO Etching with Fluorocarbon Plasmas Diluted with Various Noble Gases of Ar, Kr, and Xe.

In the semiconductor industry, fluorocarbon (FC) plasma is widely used in SiO etching, with Ar typically employed in the dilution of the FC plasma due to its cost effectiveness and accessibility. While it has been reported that plasmas with other noble gases, namely Kr and Xe, have distinct physical properties such as electron density and temperature, their implementation into plasma etching has not been sufficiently studied. In this work, we conducted SiO etching with FC plasmas diluted with different noble gases, i.

Comprehensive Assessments in Bonding Energy of Plasma Assisted Si-SiO Direct Wafer Bonding after Low Temperature Rapid Thermal Annealing.

Direct wafer bonding is one of the most attractive techniques for next-generation semiconductor devices, and plasma has been playing an indispensable role in the wider adoption of the wafer bonding technique by lowering its process temperature. Although numerous studies on plasma-assisted direct wafer bonding have been reported, there is still a lack of deep investigations focusing on the plasma itself. Other than the plasma surface treatment, the wafer bonding process includes multiple steps such as surface cleaning and annealing that require comprehensive studies to maximize the bonding strengths.

Refined Appearance Potential Mass Spectrometry for High Precision Radical Density Quantification in Plasma.

As the analysis of complicated reaction chemistry in bulk plasma has become more important, especially in plasma processing, quantifying radical density is now in focus. For this work, appearance potential mass spectrometry (APMS) is widely used; however, the original APMS can produce large errors depending on the fitting process, as the fitting range is not exactly defined. In this research, to reduce errors resulting from the fitting process of the original method, a new APMS approach that eliminates the fitting process is suggested.

Development of a Noninvasive Real-Time Ion Energy Distribution Monitoring System Applicable to Collisional Plasma Sheath.

As the importance of ion-assisted surface processing based on low-temperature plasma increases, the monitoring of ion energy impinging into wafer surfaces becomes important. Monitoring methods that are noninvasive, real-time, and comprise ion collision in the sheath have received much research attention. However, in spite of this fact, most research was performed in invasive, not real-time, and collisionless ion sheath conditions.

Low-Temperature Plasma Diagnostics to Investigate the Process Window Shift in Plasma Etching of SiO.

As low-temperature plasma plays an important role in semiconductor manufacturing, plasma diagnostics have been widely employed to understand changes in plasma according to external control parameters, which has led to the achievement of appropriate plasma conditions normally termed the process window. During plasma etching, shifts in the plasma conditions both within and outside the process window can be observed; in this work, we utilized various plasma diagnostic tools to investigate the causes of these shifts. Cutoff and emissive probes were used to measure the electron density and plasma potential as indicators of the ion density and energy, respectively, that represent the ion energy flux.

Development of a High-Linearity Voltage and Current Probe with a Floating Toroidal Coil: Principle, Demonstration, Design Optimization, and Evaluation.

As the conventional voltage and current (VI) probes widely used in plasma diagnostics have separate voltage and current sensors, crosstalk between the sensors leads to degradation of measurement linearity, which is related to practical accuracy. Here, we propose a VI probe with a floating toroidal coil that plays both roles of a voltage and current sensor and is thus free from crosstalk. The operation principle and optimization conditions of the VI probe are demonstrated and established via three-dimensional electromagnetic wave simulation.

Development of the Measurement of Lateral Electron Density (MOLE) Probe Applicable to Low-Pressure Plasma Diagnostics.

As the importance of measuring electron density has become more significant in the material fabrication industry, various related plasma monitoring tools have been introduced. In this paper, the development of a microwave probe, called the measurement of lateral electron density (MOLE) probe, is reported. The basic properties of the MOLE probe are analyzed via three-dimensional electromagnetic wave simulation, with simulation results showing that the probe estimates electron density by measuring the surface wave resonance frequency from the reflection microwave frequency spectrum (S11).

Crossing Frequency Method Applicable to Intermediate Pressure Plasma Diagnostics Using the Cutoff Probe.

Although the recently developed cutoff probe is a promising tool to precisely infer plasma electron density by measuring the cutoff frequency (fcutoff) in the S21 spectrum, it is currently only applicable to low-pressure plasma diagnostics below several torr. To improve the cutoff probe, this paper proposes a novel method to measure the crossing frequency (fcross), which is applicable to high-pressure plasma diagnostics where the conventional fcutoff method does not operate. Here, fcross is the frequency where the S21 spectra in vacuum and plasma conditions cross each other.

Plasma Generator with Dielectric Rim and FSS Electrode for Enhanced RCS Reduction Effect.

In this study, a method was experimentally verified for further reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) of a two-dimensional planar target by using a dielectric rim in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma generator using a frequency selective surface (FSS) as an electrode. By designing the frequency selective surface such that the passbands of the radar signal match, it is possible to minimize the effect of the conductor electrode, in order to maximize the RCS reduction effect due to the plasma. By designing the FSS to be independent of the polarization, the effect of RCS reduction can be insensitive to the polarization of the incoming wave.

Characterization of SiO Etching Profiles in Pulse-Modulated Capacitively Coupled Plasmas.

Although pulse-modulated plasma has overcome various problems encountered during the development of the high aspect ratio contact hole etching process, there is still a lack of understanding in terms of precisely how the pulse-modulated plasma solves the issues. In this research, to gain insight into previously observed phenomena, SiO etching characteristics were investigated under various pulsed plasma conditions and analyzed through plasma diagnostics. Specifically, the disappearance of micro-trenching from the use of pulse-modulated plasma is analyzed via self-bias, and the phenomenon that as power off-time increases, the sidewall angle increases is interpreted via radical species density and self-bias.

Fractionation and characterization of starch granules using field-flow fractionation (FFF) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Starch is one of the main carbohydrates in food; it is formed by two polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin. The granule size of starch varies with different botanical origins and ranges from less than 1 μm to more than 100 μm. Some physicochemical and functional properties vary with the size of the granule, which makes it of great interest to find an efficient and accurate size-based separation method.

Effect of different grinding burs on the physical properties of zirconia.

Purpose: Grinding with less stress on 3Y-TZP through proper selection of methods and instruments can lead to a long-term success of prosthesis. The purpose of this study was to compare the phase transformation and physical properties after zirconia surface grinding with 3 different grinding burs.

Materials And Methods: Forty disc-shaped zirconia specimens were fabricated.

Color stability, water sorption and cytotoxicity of thermoplastic acrylic resin for non metal clasp denture.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the color stability, water sorption and cytotoxicity of thermoplastic acrylic resin for the non-metal clasp dentures to those of thermoplastic polyamide and conventional heat-polymerized denture base resins.

Materials And Methods: Three types of denture base resin, which are conventional heat-polymerized acrylic resin (Paladent 20), thermoplastic polyamide resin (Bio Tone), thermoplastic acrylic resin (Acrytone) were used as materials for this study. One hundred five specimens were fabricated.