Key Sputtering Parameters for Precursor InO Films to Achieve High Carrier Mobility.

Owing to their extremely high carrier mobility (μ) of >100 cm/(V s) and suitable low carrier concentrations, transparent conducting films of solid-phase crystallized H-doped InO (spc-IO:H) exhibit high conductivity with high optical transparency over a broad frequency range. These properties can be attributed to solid-phase crystallization of the amorphous precursor film. Therefore, the development of high-quality spc-IO:H films requires the deposition conditions of the precursor films to be optimized.

Aggregation-induced circularly polarized phosphorescence of Pt(II) complexes with an axially chiral BINOL ligand.

A pair of chiral Pt(II) complexes coordinated by simple BINOL and bipyridine ligands displaying aggregation-induced phosphorescence and circularly polarized luminescence were characterized by X-ray crystallography and absorption and emission spectroscopies. The emission of the powder sample was reddish whereas the thin film dispersed in PMMA ( = 1 wt%) exhibited a white emission.

Tunability of the bandgap of SnS by variation of the cell volume by alloying with A.E. elements.

We clarified that the bandgap of inorganic materials is strongly correlated with their effective coordination number (ECoN) via first-principles calculations and experimental confirmations. Tin mono-sulphide (Pnma) and germanium mono-sulphide (Pnma) were selected as model cases since these materials successively alter the ECoN as the cell volume changes and show an uncommon relationship between cell volume and bandgap. Contrary to the common semiconductors, the bandgaps of SnS (Pnma) and GeS (Pnma) have a positive relationship with respect to cell volume.

New Route for "Cold-Passivation" of Defects in Tin-Based Oxides.

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are essential in technologies coupling light and electricity. For Sn-based TCOs, oxygen deficiencies and undercoordinated Sn atoms result in an extended density of states below the conduction band edge. Although shallow states provide free carriers necessary for electrical conductivity, deeper states inside the band gap are detrimental to transparency.

Si-Doping Effects in Cu(In,Ga)Se Thin Films and Applications for Simplified Structure High-Efficiency Solar Cells.

We found that elemental Si-doped Cu(In,Ga)Se (CIGS) polycrystalline thin films exhibit a distinctive morphology due to the formation of grain boundary layers several tens of nanometers thick. The use of Si-doped CIGS films as the photoabsorber layer in simplified structure buffer-free solar cell devices is found to be effective in enhancing energy conversion efficiency. The grain boundary layers formed in Si-doped CIGS films are expected to play an important role in passivating CIGS grain interfaces and improving carrier transport.

Cu(In,Ga)Se Solar Cells with Amorphous InO-Based Front Contact Layers.

Amorphous (a-) InO-based front contact layers composed of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and transparent oxide semiconductor (TOS) layers were proved to be effective in enhancing the short-circuit current density (J) of Cu(In,Ga)Se (CIGS) solar cells with a glass/Mo/CIGS/CdS/TOS/TCO structure, while maintaining high fill factor (FF) and open-circuit voltage (V). An n-type a-In-Ga-Zn-O layer was introduced between the CdS and TCO layers. Unlike unintentionally doped ZnO broadly used as TOS layers in CIGS solar cells, the grain-boundary(GB)-free amorphous structure of the a-In-Ga-Zn-O layers allowed high electron mobility with superior control over the carrier density (N).

Carrier Compensation Induced by Thermal Annealing in Al-Doped ZnO Films.

This study investigated carrier compensation induced by thermal annealing in sputtered ZnO:Al (Al₂O₃: 0.25, 0.5, 1.

Study of time-course changes in annual recurrence rates for breast cancer: data analysis of 2,209 patients for 10 years post-surgery.

Annual recurrence rates (ARR) are used to assess changes in the risk of breast cancer recurrence following surgery. In this retrospective study, ARR were calculated from the clinical records of 2,209 breast cancer patients who had undergone surgery. The time-course changes of ARR associated with prognostic/predictive factors were calculated.

A study on telomerase activity and prognosis in breast cancer.

There are still many questions to be elucidated concerning the relationship between telomerase activity and various factors associated with cancer. Whether or not the level of telomerase activity could be a prognostic factor in breast cancer was investigated through 5-yr follow-up observation. Telomerase activity was quantified by the fluorescence-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay in 54 patients with breast cancer and its relationship with patient prognosis was examined.

Tuberculosis of axillary lymph nodes with primary breast cancer.

A rare case of tuberculosis of axillary lymph nodes occurring with primary breast cancer is presented. A 78-year-old woman with no history of pulmonary tuberculosis was admitted to our hospital to undergo examination for a lump in her right breast. The tumor was in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast.

MR imaging of mucinous carcinoma of the breast.

Objective: We examined retrospectively the MR imaging findings in eight patients with mucinous carcinoma of the breast to better describe the imaging characteristics of this disease.

Conclusion: The MR imaging findings in mucinous carcinomas include dynamic curves of the gradually enhancing type and a very high signal intensity on T2-weighted images compared with other histologic types of invasive ductal carcinoma. These findings appear to be useful for diagnosis.

Clinicopathological study of unilateral multiple breast cancer.

Background: The tendency for breast cancer to form multiple lesions is important to consider when planning breast-conserving surgery. However, many unknowns remain regarding the pathology and prognosis of multiple breast cancer, and therefore it is clinically significant to investigate its clinicopathological properties.

Methods: Over the past 25 years, in the period between April 1972 and March 1997, we investigated the clinicopathological findings including the 5-year and 10-year survival rates of 66 patients treated for unilateral multiple breast cancer.

Molecular analysis of the h-warts/LATS1 gene in human breast cancer.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 6q is often observed in breast cancer, suggesting the existence of a putative tumor suppressor. Recently, a human homolog of the Drosophila warts tumor suppressor gene, h-warts/LATS1, was identified and mapped at chromosome 6q24-25.1.

[Weekly administration of paclitaxel for advanced or metastatic breast cancer--short-course premedications for outpatients].

A phase II trial has demonstrated that paclitaxel (210 mg/m2/3 hr) showed a 33.3% response rate among anthracycline-resistant breast cancer patients in Japan. Recently, weekly dosing of paclitaxel has been demonstrated to be a well-tolerated, feasible and effective administration schedule.

Absence of mutations in the analysis of coding sequences of the entire transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor gene in sporadic human breast cancers.

The transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) binds the type II TGFbeta growth factor receptor (TGFbetaRII) to inhibit the growth of most epithelial tissues. Most human colon and gastric cancers with microsatellite instability (MI) have frameshift mutations in polynucleotide repeats within the TGFbetaRII coding region; these mutations truncate the receptor protein and disable the serine/threonine kinase to produce TGF-beta resistance. To further investigate the type, frequency and tissue distribution of TGFbetaRII gene mutations, in this study, we examined 36 sporadic breast cancers.

[A case of recurrent breast cancer responding to long-term treatment with 5'-DFUR combined with MPA].

A 55-year-old woman with recurrent breast cancer treated with sequential mastectomies, chemo-and hormonal therapy of UFT, CPM and TAM, achieved remission. Six months later she was admitted with a diagnosis of carcinomatous pleurisy. A large pleural effusion was drained followed by administration of ADM, which improved her effusion and accompanying dyspnea.

[Clinical significance of alpha(1----3)-L-fucosyltransferase activities in sera from patients with malignant diseases with a special reference to a potential tumor marker].

We measured alpha(1----3)-L-fucosyltransferase (alpha 13FT) activity in human plasma samples obtained from a group of 111 patients with malignant diseases, 86 patients with benign diseases, and 58 healthy controls using a newly developed assay method (Clin. Chem., 37: 2081-2086, 1991).

[Changes in lymphocyte subsets with post-operative chemotherapy in breast carcinoma--a study of using two color analysis].

Thirty postoperative patients with breast cancer (stage I, II) were studied to clarify the changes of peripheral lymphocyte subsets by administration of anticancer drugs (UFT, cyclophosphamide (CPM]. The patients were divided into two groups: UFT (400 mg/day) group (n = 15) and CPM (100 mg/day) group (n = 15). Immunological investigation, in particular two color analysis of peripheral lymphocyte subsets, were carried out 30 days after treatment.

[The effectiveness of radiation therapy in bone metastasis from breast cancer].

48 cases with bone metastasis from breast cancer were treated by radiation therapy. Result; 1) The effective ratio of radiation therapy on symptomatic relief of pain was 83%. 2) In 90% of effective cases, patients felt pain relief at 20 Gy.

[Hormone receptors (ER, PgR) as a prognostic factor in breast cancer].

To investigate the significance of the hormonal receptors (ER: estrogen receptors; PgR: Progesterone receptors) as prognostic factors in breast cancer, 213 patients with breast cancer (stages I-III) who were examined for both receptors and had not received adjuvant hormonal therapy have been studied so as to determine a disease-free survival rate. In stage I, the status of the hormonal receptors failed to show any statistically significant differences with regard to the disease-free curve. However, in patients in advanced stage, the presence of either PgR or both receptors positively correlated with the disease-free survival curve.

[The concentration in the tissue and antitumor effect of anticancer drug--assessment of breast cancer with UFT or FT-207].

The correlation between intralesional 5-FU concentrations and the extent of antitumor effect with particular attention to histopathology was assessed in 30 patients with breast cancer. Therapy consisted of either UFT or FT-207 given preoperatively. Although the UFT-treated group showed a significantly higher intratumoral concentration of 5-FU, there was no intergroup difference in 5-FU levels in normal tissue.

[5-FU concentration in the tissues (tumor and lymph node) of breast cancer patients given preoperative administration of UFT and FT].

In 16 patients with breast cancer who were administered UFT or FT-207 (UFT: 9 cases, FT-207: 7 cases) for a were prior to surgery, we studied the concentrations of 5-FU in the blood and tumor tissues, and in normal and metastatic lymph nodes sampled during surgery. As a result, a high level of 5-FU was found in tumors, especially in metastatic lymph nodes, in the patients who were administered UFT. On the other hand, no significant difference was found between the 5-FU levels of blood in UFT- and FT-treated patients.

[Effect of cyclophosphamide on immunological responses in patients with breast cancer relating to BRM (biological response modifiers)].

Cyclophosphamide (CPM) is widely used in patients with breast cancer as an adjuvant chemotherapy. On the other hand, it is a well-known fact that CPM-treated animals show an increased intensity of cell-mediated immunity such as DTH (delayed-type hypersensitivity) reactions. Recently, such functions of CPM have seemed to make it note worthy as a BRM.

[Clinical effect of Peplomycin on recurrent breast cancer].

Twelve patients with recurrent breast cancer were treated with Peplomycin monotherapy. Peplomycin was given intermittently with a dose of 10 mg intramuscularly twice a week. As side effects of Peplomycin, fever elevation in 75% (9/12), malaise in 67%, nausea and vomiting in 42%, anorexia in 42%, pulmonary toxicity in 8%, and loss of hair in 8%, were observed.