Pathogenesis of Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Molecular Update and Systematic Review

Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm with dual pathogenesis (human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated and HPV-independent). The development of targeted treatment is hindered by poor knowledge of the molecular landscape of PSCC. We performed a thorough review of genetic alterations of PSCC focused on somatic mutations and/or copy number alterations. A total of seven articles have been identified which, overall, include 268 PSCC. However, the series are heterogeneous regarding methodologies employed for DNA sequencing and HPV detection together with HPV prevalence, and include, in general, a limited number of cases, which results in markedly different findings. Reported top-ranked mutations involve TP53, CDKN2A, FAT1, NOTCH-1 and PIK3CA. Numerical alterations involve gains in MYC and EGFR, as well as amplifications in HPV integration loci. A few genes including TP53, CDKN2A, PIK3CA and CCND1 harbor both somatic mutations and copy number alterations. Notch, RTK-RAS and Hippo pathways are frequently deregulated. Nevertheless, the relevance of the identified alterations, their role in signaling pathways or their association with HPV status remain elusive. Combined targeting of different pathways might represent a valid therapeutic approach in PSCC. This work calls for large-scale sequencing studies with robust HPV testing to improve the genomic understanding of PSCC.     

GAssist vs. BioHEL: critical assessment of two paradigms of genetics-based machine learning

This paper reports an exhaustive analysis performed over two specific Genetics-based Machine Learning systems: BioHEL and GAssist. These two systems share many mechanisms and operators, but at the same time, they apply two different learning paradigms (the Iterative Rule Learning approach and the Pittsburgh approach, respectively). The aim of this paper is to: (a) propose standard configurations for handling small and large datasets, (b) compare the two systems in terms of learning capabilities, complexity of the obtained solutions and learning time, (c) determine the areas of the problem space where each one of these two systems performs better, and (d) compare them with other well-known machine learning algorithms. The results show that it is possible to find standard configurations for both systems. With these configurations the systems perform up to the standards of other state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms such as Support Vector Machines. Moreover, we identify the problem domains where each one of these systems have advantages and disadvantages and propose ways to improve the systems based on this analysis.     

Electrically Enhanced Readout System for a High‐Frequency CMOS‐MEMS Resonator

The design of a CMOS clamped‐clamped beam resonator along with a full custom integrated differential amplifier, monolithically fabricated with a commercial 0.35 μm CMOS technology, is presented. The implemented amplifier, which minimizes the negative effect of the parasitic capacitance, enhances the electrical MEMS characterization, obtaining a 48 × 10⁸ resonant frequency‐quality factor product (Q×f_res) in air conditions, which is quite competitive in comparison with existing CMOS‐MEMS resonators.     

Water‐Induced Phase Separation Forming Macrostructured Epitaxial Quartz Films on Silicon

Quartz has been widely used as a bulk material in optics, the microelectronic industry, and sensors. The nanostructuring and direct integration of oriented quartz crystals onto a semiconductor platform has proven to be challenging. However, here, a new approach is presented to integrate epitaxial quartz films with macroperforations within the range of 500 nm and 1 μm using chemical solution deposition. This method constitutes an appealing approach to develop piezoelectric mass sensors with enhanced resonance frequencies due to the thickness reduction. Perforated quartz films on (100)‐silicon are prepared from amorphous silica films deposited via dip‐coating and doped with metal cations that catalyze quartz crystallization. The metal cations are also active in the formation of the macroperforations, which arise due to a phase separation mechanism. Cationic surfactant–anion–metal cation assemblies stabilize droplets of water, creating an indentation in the hydrophilic silica matrix which remains after solvent evaporation. Many cations induce phase separation, including Li⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, Ca²⁺, Ce³⁺ and La³⁺ but only the Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺ cations in this series induce the epitaxial growth of α‐quartz films under the conditions studied. The combination of sol–gel chemistry and epitaxial growth opens new opportunities for the integration of patterned quartz on silicon.     

Impact of Fin-Height on SRAM Soft Error Sensitivity and Cell Stability

FinFET technology has become the most promising alternative to continue CMOS scaling due to its improved short channel effects. Design flexibility reduces on FinFET based circuits such as SRAM cells due to the effective channel width is determined by an integer number of fins. In this work, the impact of fin height size of FinFET transistors on the simultaneous behavior of soft error sensitivity and SRAM cell static noise margin is investigated. 3-D TCAD Sentarus environment is used to quantify the amount of collected and critical charges of an SRAM cell due to a heavy ion strike while Mix-Mode Hspice-TCAD simulation is used for stability analysis. Even more, the influence of process variations on sensitivity to soft errors and cell stability is considered. A 10 nm-SOI Tri-Gate FinFET technology is used. Results show that increasing the fin height of FinFET transistors considerably increases SRAM cell sensitivity to soft errors but improves its stability. This suggests that the optimum fin height value of FinFET transistors of an SRAM cell depends on the best tradeoff between soft error robustness and stability.     

An overlay and distributed approach to node mobility in multi-access wireless networks

Nowadays many manufacturers are building mobile devices with multiple interfaces. Thus, users have access to different types of wireless access networks, which often, as for WLAN and cellular systems, coexists independently. The challenge is to make such multiple access networks to cooperate to have ubiquitous access and enhanced user quality of service. In this paper we present a scheme to allow inter-technology mobility by the introduction of an overlay network, which works on top of current (and future) networks. The proposed architecture controls all the aspect related to the mobility management: mobile node localization, handover decision and execution. The approach is distributed: it is the mobile node that decides which network to use, based on the offered service quality and the cost of the communication of the available networks, and triggers the handover execution directly to the corresponding host, using optimized SIP-based procedures. The overlay network copes with the mobile node localization. We implemented our solution in the laboratory to prove its validity and to test performance using real equipment. We also simulated the scheme using ns-3 to extend the evaluation to large scale deployments. In both test environments, our solution demonstrates high accurateness in selecting the network with the best quality as well as in supporting seamless vertical handover.     

Highly Anisotropic Suspended Planar‐Array Chips with Multidimensional Sub‐Micrometric Biomolecular Patterns

Suspended planar‐array (SPA) chips embody millions of individual miniaturized arrays to work in extremely small volumes. Here, the basis of a robust methodology for the fabrication of SPA silicon chips with on‐demand physical and chemical anisotropies is demonstrated. Specifically, physical traits are defined during the fabrication process with special focus on the aspect ratio, branching, faceting, and size gradient of the final chips. Additionally, the chemical attributes augment the functionality of the chips with the inclusion of complete coverage or patterns of selected biomolecules on the surface of the chips with contact printing techniques, offering an extremely high versatility, not only with the choice of the pattern shape and distribution but also in the choice of biomolecular inks to pattern. This approach increases the miniaturization of printed arrays in 3D structures by two orders of magnitude compared to those previously demonstrated. Finally, functional micrometric and sub‐micrometric patterned features are demonstrated with an antibody binding assay with the recognition of the printed spots with labeled antibodies from solution. The selective addition of physical and chemical attributes on the suspended chips represents the basis for future biomedical assays performed within extremely small volumes.     

Vibrational energy scavenging with Si technology electromagnetic inertial microgenerators

In this work, we present the design and optimization of an electromagnetic inertial microgenerator for energy scavenging applications, compatible with Si technology. It consists of a fixed micromachined coil and a movable magnet (inertial mass) mounted on a resonant structure (Kapton^® membrane). The modeling of the device, based on a velocity damped resonator, has allowed to make a quantitative analysis of the capabilities of this simple device structure for the development of power generators for autonomous microsystem applications. The characterization of a first (not optimized) prototype has allowed the validation of the model, which is then used as a roadmap for a number of optimizations for the final device design. For this design, the model developed shows the possibility to achieve power levels up to hundreds of μW’s, with voltage levels compatible with the requirements of standard rectifying circuits.     

Surgery on the crystalline lens. A plan of standardized care

In these days of concern for the growing costs of medical care it is an opportune moment to promote the importance of nurses as health care professionals and the roles that they play. This article presents a structural care plan for specific clinical situations regarding lens surgery with the goal of both guaranteeing quality nursing care and a method to evaluate costs. Lens surgery, a equently performed operation in the hospital, is used as an example to evaluate criteria of adequate service and efficiency. This method is based upon L.J. Caronito s bifocal model of clinical nursing.