Probing Distinctive Electron Conduction in Multilayer Rhenium Disulfide

Charge carrier transport in multilayer van der Waals (vdW) materials, which comprise multiple conducting layers, is well described using Thomas–Fermi charge screening (λ_TF) and interlayer resistance (R_int). When both effects occur in carrier transport, a channel centroid migrates along the c‐axis according to a vertical electrostatic force, causing redistribution of the conduction centroid in a multilayer system, unlike a conventional bulk material. Thus far, numerous unique properties of vdW materials are discovered, but direct evidence for distinctive charge transport behavior in 2D layered materials is not demonstrated. Herein, the distinctive electron conduction features are reported in a multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS₂), which provides decoupled vdW interaction between adjacent layers and much high interlayer resistivity in comparison with other transition‐metal dichalcogenides materials. The existence of two plateaus in its transconductance curve clearly reveals the relocation of conduction paths with respect to the top and bottom surfaces, which is rationalized by a theoretical resistor network model by accounting of λ_TF and R_int coupling. The effective tunneling distance probed via low‐frequency noise spectroscopy further supports the shift of electron conduction channel along the thickness of ReS₂.     

Water-soluble MnO nanocolloid for a molecular T1 MR imaging: a facile one-pot synthesis, in vivo T1 MR images, and account for relaxivities

A facile one-pot synthesis of a water-soluble MnO nanocolloid (i.e., D-glucuronic acid-coated MnO nanoparticle) is presented. The MnO nanoparticle in the MnO nanocolloid was coated with a biocompatible and hydrophilic D-glucuronic acid, and its particle diameter was nearly monodisperse and ranged from 2 to 3 nm. The average hydrodynamic diameter of the MnO nanocolloid was estimated to be 5 nm. The MnO nanoparticle was nearly paramagnetic down to T=3 K. The MnO nanocolloid showed a high longitudinal water proton relaxivity of r1=7.02 s(-1) mM(-1) with the r2/r1 ratio of 6.83 due to five unpaired S-state electrons of Mn(II) ion (S=5/2) as well as a high surface to volume ratio of the MnO nanoparticle. High contrast in vivo T1 MR images were obtained for various organs, showing the capability of the MnO nanocolloid as a sensitive T1 MRI contrast agent. The suggested three key-parameters which control the r1 and r2 relaxivities of nanocolloids (i.e., the S value of a metal ion, the spin structure, and the surface to volume ratio of a nanoparticle) successfully accounted for the observed r1 and r2 relaxivities of the MnO nanocolloid.     

Isolation and Characterization of Urinary Extracellular Vesicles from Healthy Donors and Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men in developed countries. The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with early-stage PCa is approximately 100%, while it is less than 30% for castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). Currently, the detection of prostate-specific antigens as biomarkers for the prognosis of CRPC is criticized because of its low accuracy, high invasiveness, and high false-positive rate. Therefore, it is important to identify new biomarkers for prediction of CRPC progression. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from tumors have been highlighted as potential markers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Specifically, urinary EVs directly reflect changes in the pathophysiological conditions of the urogenital system because it is exposed to prostatic secretions. Thus, detecting biomarkers in urinary EVs provides a promising approach for performing an accurate and non-invasive liquid biopsy for CPRC. In this study, we effectively isolated urinary EVs with low protein impurities using size-exclusion chromatography combined with ultrafiltration. After EV isolation and characterization, we evaluated the miRNAs in urinary EVs from healthy donors and patients with CRPC. The results indicated that miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-574-3p, and miR-6880-5p) could be used as potential biomarkers for the prognosis of CRPC. This analysis of urinary EVs contributes to the fast and convenient prognosis of diseases, including CRPC, in the clinical setting.     

Applying Spatial Augmented Reality to Anti-Smoking Message: Focusing on Spatial Presence,Negative Emotions,and Threat Appraisal

As smoking has emerged as a health-risk behavior, communication scholars and practitioners have put many efforts into finding out ways to achieve smoking cessation. In this research, participants (N = 57) were randomly assigned to a spatial augmented reality (SAR) condition (3D projection mapping) and 2D flat screen to be exposed to an anti-smoking message. This research provides insightful evidence that the effects of SAR on people’s behavioral intention to spread anti-smoking messages online could be explained by spatial presence and negative emotions. Implications for research on the potential of SAR in terms of emotions and online viral behavioral intentions are discussed.     

Simulation of the mushroom cloud generated from a high-energy explosion using large-eddy simulation

We performed numerical simulations of a 20 kT heavy explosion to predict the rise and diffusion of mushroom cloud after the atmospheric pressure is recover     

The effects of process conditions and substrate on copper MOCVD using liquid injection of (hfac)Cu(vtmos)

Copper MOCVD (metalorganic chemical vapor deposition) using liquid injection for effective delivery of the (hfac)Cu(vtmos) [1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentadionato(vinyltrimethoxysilane) copper(I)] precursor has been performed to clarify growth behavior of copper films onto TiN, <100> Si, and Si₃N₄ substrates. Especially, we have studied the influences of process conditions and the substrate on growth rates, impurities, microstructures, and electrical characteristics of copper films. As the reactor pressure was increased, the growth rate was governed by a pick-up rate of (hfac)Cu(vtmos) in the vaporizer. The apparent activation energy for copper growth over the surface-reaction controlled regime from 155°C to 225°C was in the range 12.7–32.5 kcal/mol depending upon the substrate type. It revealed that H₂ addition at 225°C substrate temperature brought about a maximum increase of about 25% in the growth rate compared to pure Ar as the carrier gas. At moderate deposition temperatures, the degree of a <111> preferred orientation for the deposit was higher on the sequence of <Cu/Si<Cu/TiN<Cu/Si₃N₄. The relative impurity content within the deposit was in the range 1.1 to 1.8 at.%. The electrical resistivity for the Cu films on TiN illustrated three regions of the variation according to the substrate temperature, so the deposit at 165°C had the optimum resistivity value. However, the coarsened microstructures of Cu on TiN prepared above 275°C gave rise to higher electrical resistivities compared to those on Si and Si₃N₄ substrates.     

Novel Maskless Bumping for 3D Integration

A novel, maskless, low‐volume bumping material, called solder bump maker, which is composed of a resin and low‐melting‐point solder powder, has been developed. The resin features no distinct chemical reactions preventing the rheological coalescence of the solder, a deoxidation of the oxide layer on the solder powder for wetting on the pad at the solder melting point, and no major weight loss caused by out‐gassing. With these characteristics, the solder was successfully wetted onto a metal pad and formed a uniform solder bump array with pitches of 120 µm and 150 µm.     

Characteristics of p-Ge/N-GaAs heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Reports the nearly ideal electrical characteristics of p-Ge/N-GaAs heterojunction diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The temperature and device size dependencies of the current-voltage characteristics have been investigated. At room temperature, unity ideality factor has been demonstrated over almost six decades of current.<>     

Endometrial Epithelial ARID1A Is Required for Uterine Immune Homeostasis during Early Pregnancy

A growing body of work suggests epigenetic dysregulation contributes to endometriosis pathophysiology and female infertility. The chromatin remodeling complex subunit AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) must be properly expressed to maintain normal uterine function. Endometrial epithelial ARID1A is indispensable for pregnancy establishment in mice through regulation of endometrial gland function; however, ARID1A expression is decreased in infertile women with endometriosis. We hypothesized that ARID1A performs critical operations in the endometrial epithelium necessary for fertility besides maintaining gland function. To identify alterations in uterine gene expression resulting from loss of epithelial ARID1A, we performed RNA-sequencing analysis on pre-implantation uteri from Ltf^iCre/+Arid1a^f/f and control mice. Differential expression analysis identified 4181 differentially expressed genes enriched for immune-related ingenuity canonical pathways including agranulocyte adhesion and diapedesis and natural killer cell signaling. RT-qPCR confirmed an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine and macrophage-related gene expression but a decrease in natural killer cell signaling. Immunostaining confirmed a uterus-specific increase in macrophage infiltration. Flow cytometry delineated an increase in inflammatory macrophages and a decrease in uterine dendritic cells in Ltf^iCre/+Arid1a^f/f uteri. These findings demonstrate a role for endometrial epithelial ARID1A in suppressing inflammation and maintaining uterine immune homeostasis, which are required for successful pregnancy and gynecological health.