Professional Resistance: Why Korean Medical Students are Boycotting Over Increasing Medical School Places.

In February 2024, medical students in South Korea began submitting leave-of-absence requests in protest of a 65% increase in the number of medical school places in 2025. 14,000 medical students have boycotted classes and 12,000 doctors have resigned en masse. The 2024 Korean medical student collective action highlights the 'power' of medical students, the need for independent medical licensing bodies and the risks to the quality of medical education when places in medical schools are rapidly increased.

Highly Tunable Negative Differential Resistance Device Based on Insulator-to-Metal Phase Transition of Vanadium Dioxide.

Negative differential resistance (NDR) based on the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) mechanism has recently shown great potential in improving the performance of various electronic devices. However, the applicability of conventional BTBT-based NDR devices is restricted by their insufficient performance due to the limitations of the NDR mechanism. In this study, we develop an insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT)-based NDR device that exploits the abrupt resistive switching of vanadium dioxide (VO) to achieve a high peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) and peak current density () as well as controllable peak and valley voltages ().

A Systematic Review on Recent Trends, Challenges, Privacy and Security Issues of Underwater Internet of Things.

Owing to the hasty growth of communication technologies in the Underwater Internet of Things (UIoT), many researchers and industries focus on enhancing the existing technologies of UIoT systems for developing numerous applications such as oceanography, diver networks monitoring, deep-sea exploration and early warning systems. In a constrained UIoT environment, communication media such as acoustic, infrared (IR), visible light, radiofrequency (RF) and magnet induction (MI) are generally used to transmit information via digitally linked underwater devices. However, each medium has its technical limitations: for example, the acoustic medium has challenges such as narrow-channel bandwidth, low data rate, high cost, etc.

Steep-Slope Gate-Connected Atomic Threshold Switching Field-Effect Transistor with MoS Channel and Its Application to Infrared Detectable Phototransistors.

For next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, 2D-layered nanomaterial-based field effect transistors (FETs) have garnered attention as promising candidates owing to their remarkable properties. However, their subthreshold swings () cannot be lower than 60 mV/decade owing to the limitation of the thermionic carrier injection mechanism, and it remains a major challenge in 2D-layered nanomaterial-based transistors. Here, a gate-connected MoS atomic threshold switching FET using a nitrogen-doped HfO-based threshold switching (TS) device is developed.

Enhancement of Synaptic Characteristics Achieved by the Optimization of Proton-Electron Coupling Effect in a Solid-State Electrolyte-Gated Transistor.

Presently, the 3-terminal artificial synapse device has been in focus for neuromorphic computing systems owing to its excellent weight controllability. Here, an artificial synapse device based on the 3-terminal solid-state electrolyte-gated transistor is proposed to achieve outstanding synaptic characteristics with a human-like mechanism at low power. Novel synaptic characteristics are accomplished by precisely tuning the threshold voltage using the proton-electron coupling effect, which is caused by proton migration inside the electrolyte.

Hysteresis Modulation on Van der Waals-Based Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor by Interfacial Passivation Technique and Its Application in Optic Neural Networks.

2D semiconductor-based ferroelectric field effect transistors (FeFETs) have been considered as a promising artificial synaptic device for implementation of neuromorphic computing systems. However, an inevitable problem, interface traps at the 2D semiconductor/ferroelectric oxide interface, suppresses ferroelectric characteristics, and causes a critical degradation on the performance of 2D-based FeFETs. Here, hysteresis modulation method using self-assembly monolayer (SAM) material for interface trap passivation on 2D-based FeFET is presented.

Infrared Detectable MoS Phototransistor and Its Application to Artificial Multilevel Optic-Neural Synapse.

Layered two-dimensional (2D) materials have entered the spotlight as promising channel materials for future optoelectronic devices owing to their excellent electrical and optoelectronic properties. However, their limited photodetection range caused by their wide bandgap remains a principal challenge in 2D layered materials-based phototransistors. Here, we developed a germanium (Ge)-gated MoS phototransistor that can detect light in the region from visible to infrared (λ = 520-1550 nm) using a detection mechanism based on band bending modulation.

Ultralow Schottky Barrier Height Achieved by Using Molybdenum Disulfide/Dielectric Stack for Source/Drain Contact.

Energy barrier formed at a metal/semiconductor interface is a critical factor determining the performance of nanoelectronic devices. Although diverse methods for reducing the Schottky barrier height (SBH) via interface engineering have been developed, it is still difficult to achieve both an ultralow SBH and a low dependence on the contact metals. In this study, a novel structure, namely, a metal/transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) interlayer (IL)/dielectric IL/semiconductor (MTDS) structure, was developed to overcome these issues.

Reduction of Threshold Voltage Hysteresis of MoS Transistors with 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane Passivation and Its Application for Improved Synaptic Behavior.

Although molybdenum disulfide (MoS) is highlighted as a promising channel material, MoS-based field-effect transistors (FETs) have a large threshold voltage hysteresis (Δ V) from interface traps at their gate interfaces. In this work, the Δ V of MoS FETs is significantly reduced by inserting a 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) passivation layer at the MoS/SiO gate interface owing to passivation of the interface traps. The Δ V is reduced from 23 to 10.

Nitrogen-Induced Filament Confinement Technique for a Highly Reliable Hafnium-Based Electrochemical Metallization Threshold Switch and Its Application to Flexible Logic Circuits.

Electrochemical metallization (ECM) threshold switches are in great demand for various applications such as next-generation logic technology, future memory, and neuromorphic computing. However, the instability of operation due to inherent filamentary randomness is a severe problem that is yet to be solved. Here, we propose a specially treated hafnium oxide (HfO :N)-based ECM threshold switch with high reliability, low-voltage operation (0.

Schottky Barrier Height Modulation Using Interface Characteristics of MoS Interlayer for Contact Structure.

Schottky barrier height (SBH) engineering of contact structures is a primary challenge to achieve high performance in nanoelectronic and optoelectronic applications. Although SBH can be lowered through various Fermi-level (FL) unpinning techniques, such as a metal/interlayer/semiconductor (MIS) structure, the room for contact metal adoption is too narrow because the work function of contact metals should be near the conduction band edge (CBE) of the semiconductor to achieve low SBH. Here, we propose a novel structure, the metal/transition metal dichalcogenide/semiconductor structure, as a contact structure that can effectively lower the SBH with wide room for contact metal adoption.

Clinical significance of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte versus platelet-lymphocyte ratio in patients with operable colorectal cancer.

The objective of this study was to clarify whether the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are significant prognostic markers in patients with resectable colorectal cancer (CRC). A total of 200 patients who underwent curative resection for CRC were enrolled. The NLR and PLR were positively correlated (p < 0.

Clinical importance of Bcl-6-positive non-deep-site involvement in non-HIV-related primary central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

In several studies of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), deep-site involvement of the brain, as well as age and performance status (PS), were found to be independent prognostic factors. In immunocompetent patients, most primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) are diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), and recent studies have shown that Bcl-6 would be a favorable prognostic biomarker in PCNS-DLBCL. The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical importance of the central nervous system (CNS) involvement pattern combined with Bcl-6 expression in PCNS-DLBCL patients.

Clinical value of absolute lymphocyte counts before bortezomib-dexamethasone therapy in relapsed multiple myeloma patients.

A high absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) at diagnosis is known as a surrogate marker of favorable prognosis in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Recent studies showed tumor sensitization and enhanced cytotoxicity of bortezomib. We hypothesized that a high ALC before bortezomib treatment would contribute to tumor sensitization and activated cytotoxicity of bortezomib in relapsed MM.

Clinical impact of bulky mass in the patient with primary extranodal diffuse large B cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP therapy.

Although numerous studies about primary extranodal diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were reported sporadically, the literature of clinical value of immunophenotype and bulky diameter in rituximab era is limited. Ninety-six patients with primary extranodal DLBCL receiving R-CHOP therapy were analyzed to evaluate whether immunophenotype and size of bulky disease are significantly important. The International Prognostic Index was still an important prognostic factor for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS; p = 0.