Ultrathin ferroic HfO-ZrO superlattice gate stack for advanced transistors.

With the scaling of lateral dimensions in advanced transistors, an increased gate capacitance is desirable both to retain the control of the gate electrode over the channel and to reduce the operating voltage. This led to a fundamental change in the gate stack in 2008, the incorporation of high-dielectric-constant HfO (ref. ), which remains the material of choice to date.

Publisher Correction: Enhanced ferroelectricity in ultrathin films grown directly on silicon.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Enhanced ferroelectricity in ultrathin films grown directly on silicon.

Ultrathin ferroelectric materials could potentially enable low-power perovskite ferroelectric tetragonality logic and nonvolatile memories. As ferroelectric materials are made thinner, however, the ferroelectricity is usually suppressed. Size effects in ferroelectrics have been thoroughly investigated in perovskite oxides-the archetypal ferroelectric system.

Twistable Origami and Kirigami: from Structure-Guided Smartness to Mechanical Energy Storage.

For achieving active shape transformable materials and structures, smart materials with shape memory effects along with deliberate structure design are generally used as the critical parameters in realizing structure transformation. Beyond such conventional approaches, here a novel structure-guided multimaterial three-dimensional (3D) printing strategy based on twistable origami structures is demonstrated to realize dynamic smart shape transformation. By thermally or photothermally triggering the prestored energy in the twisted structures, the 3D-printed integrated origami structures based on Miura and square-twist origami structures coupled with modifying by kirigami approaches are enabled to present a variable multistep transformable feature as well as a manipulatable stimulus-response behavior.

Photocatalysis and Hydrogen Evolution of Al- and Zn-Doped TiO Nanotubes Fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition.

Highly homogeneous Al- and Zn-doped TiO nanotubes were fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) via nanolaminated stacks of binary layers of TiO/AlO and TiO/ZnO, respectively. The bilayers were alternately deposited on the polycarbonate (PC) membrane template by ALD with various cyclic sequences. The nanotubes in a length of 20 μm and a diameter of 220 nm were obtained after removal of the PC membrane by annealing at 450 °C.

Fabrication of TiO on porous g-CN by ALD for improved solar-driven hydrogen evolution.

Porous graphitic carbon nitride (P-g-CN) thin sheets were fabricated by a one-step calcination of a mixture of urea, melamine, and ammonia chloride at 550 °C. P-g-CN showed 48% higher photocatalytic H production from methanol aqueous solution than conventional urea-derived graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) because the existence of numerous pores reduces the recombination rate of charge carriers. In order to further enhance the photocatalytic activity, TiO was uniformly deposited on P-g-CN by 60-300 cycles of atomic layer deposition (ALD) to form the TiO@P-g-CN composite.

Constructing Repairable Meta-Structures of Ultra-Broad-Band Electromagnetic Absorption from Three-Dimensional Printed Patterned Shells.

Ultra-broad-band electromagnetic absorption materials and structures are increasingly attractive for their critical role in competing with the advanced broad-band electromagnetic detection systems. Mechanically soft and weak wax-based materials composites are known to be insufficient to serve in practical electromagnetic absorption applications. To break through such barriers, here we developed an innovative strategy to enable the wax-based composites to be robust and repairable meta-structures by employing a three-dimensional (3D) printed polymeric patterned shell.

Giant barocaloric effect in hexagonal Ni2In-type Mn-Co-Ge-In compounds around room temperature.

The most widespread cooling techniques based on gas compression/expansion encounter environmental problems. Thus, tremendous effort has been dedicated to develop alternative cooling technique and search for solid state materials that show large caloric effects. An application of pressure to a material can cause a change in temperature, which is called the barocaloric effect.

AgSCF3-Mediated Trifluoromethylthiolation/Radical Cascade Cyclization of 1,6-Enynes.

A AgSCF3-mediated radical cascade cyclization/trifluoromethylthiolation of 1,6-enynes triggered by a C-C triple bond is developed. This protocol also provides another opportunity to construct a valuable trifluoromethylthio-substituted polycyclic fluorene system through the formations of one C-SCF3 bond and two C-C bonds in a single step.

Pre-treatment metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis are useful prognostic factors for esophageal squamous cell cancer patients.

Objectives: To study application of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) with 18F-FDG PET/CT for predicting prognosis of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESC) patients.

Methods: Eighty-six patients with ESC staged from I to IV were prospectively enrolled. Cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or palliative chemoradiotherapy were the main treatment methods and none received surgery.

Factors contributing to de qi in acupuncture randomized clinical trials.

De qi is a core concept of acupuncture and is necessary to produce therapeutic effect. In 2010, de qi has been received as a term in the official extension of the CONSORT Statement. However, there are few articles that discuss which factors have influences on obtaining de qi in clinical trials.

[Serial (18)F-FDG PET-CT imaging during radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective clinical study].

Objective: The primary aim of this prospective study was to use serial (18)F-FDG PET-CT imaging to evaluate the trend of the tumor's maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) during radiotherapy (RT) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and to explore the possibility of early evaluation of the tumor bio-metabolic response during radiotherapy.

Methods: Sixty patients with biopsy-proven primary NPC were prospectively enrolled into the study. All patients underwent four (18)F-FDG PET-CT scans: one initial scan before RT/cisplatin based concurrent chemoradiotherapy, at the point of 50 Gy during RT, the end of RT, and one month after RT, respectively.

A Rasch-based validation of the Hooper Visual Organization Test in Chinese-speaking children.

The aim of this study was to examine the validation of the Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT) for use in children by testing for item fit, unidimensionality, item hierarchy, reliability, and screening capacity. A modified scoring system was devised for the HVOT so that children received some credit for being able to describe the function of objects. The HVOT was administered to 630 typically developing school-aged children and 210 children with Down syndrome matched for age and education.

Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of 6-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3(2H)-pyridazinone derivatives as cardiotonic agents.

Based on our previous study, a variety of 12 novel 6-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3(2H)-pyridazinone derivatives were synthesized. The structures attributed to the compounds were elucidated using IR, 1H-NMR and mass spectra. The cardiotonic activities of these compounds were assessed by Straub's perfusion method and a clear cardiotonic effect was shown for compounds 1c (2,3-dichloro-N-(4-(4-methyl-6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-pyridazin-3-yl)phenyl) benzamide), 1d (4-amino-3-methyl-N-(4-(4-methyl-6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridazin-3-yl) phenyl)benzamide), 2a (3-methyl-4-nitro-N-(4-(6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-pyridazin-3-yl)phenyl)benzamide) and 2d (4-amino-3-methyl -N-(4-(6-oxo-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridazin-3-yl)phenyl) benzamide) when compared to another 3(2H)-pyridazinone derivative, levosimendan (CAS 141505-33-1).

Synthesis and bioactivity of 6-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3(2H)-pyridazinone derivatives.

A series of 6-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-3(2H)-pyridazinone derivatives was prepared and examined for cardiotonic activity The structures of these new pyridazinone derivatives were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR and mass spectrum. The cardiotonic activities of these compounds were studied on isolated perfused toad heart and compared with the activity of levosimendan (CAS 141505-33-1). Compound 5a emerged as the mostinteresting compound in this series with potential cardiotonic activity.

Synthesis and bioactivity of aripiprazole derivatives.

Ten aripirazole (CAS 129722-12-9) derivatives were prepared and examined for dopamine receptor antagonist activity. The structures of these newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by their elemental analyses and by IR, 1H-NMR and mass spectra. It was demonstrated that all the new compounds have dopamine receptor antagonist activity to a certain extent.

Molecular epidemiology and control of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in a teaching hospital.

Background And Purpose: Nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is difficult to control. Due to a dramatic increase in the nosocomial MRSA infection rate at our hospital from 2000 to 2001, this study was conducted to identify the source of these infections and the effectiveness of control measures.

Methods: 179 healthcare workers (HCWs) were screened for carriage of MRSA.