A practical SPICE model based on the physics and characteristics of realistic single-electron transistors

A practical model for a single-electron transistor (SET) was developed based on the physical phenomena in realistic Si SETs, and implemented into a conventional circuit simulator. In the proposed model, the SET current calculated by the analytic model is combined with the parasitic MOSFET characteristics, which have been observed in many recently reported SETs formed on Si nanostructures. The SPICE simulation results were compared with the measured characteristics of the Si SETs. In terms of the bias, temperature, and size dependence of the realistic SET characteristics, an extensive comparison leads to good agreement within a reasonable level of accuracy. This result is noticeable in that a single set of model parameters was used, while considering divergent physical phenomena such as the parasitic MOSFET, the Coulomb oscillation phase shift, and the tunneling resistance modulated by the gate bias. When compared to the measured data, the accuracy of the voltage transfer characteristics of a single-electron inverter obtained from the SPICE simulation was within 15%. This new SPICE model can be applied to estimating the realistic performance of a CMOS/SET hybrid circuit or various SET logic architectures.     

ROS-Mediated Anti-Tumor Effect of Coptidis Rhizoma against Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hep3B Cells and Xenografts

Coptidis Rhizoma is the dried rhizome from the Coptis chinensis Franch. that has been shown to have a number of beneficial pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, the anti-cancer effects of Coptidis Rhizoma on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer properties of Coptidis Rhizoma ethanol extract (CR) in HCC Hep3B cells and in a xenograft mouse model. Our results showed that the CR significantly inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells through increased expression of Bcl-2 associated x-protein (Bax) and cleavage of poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), reduced expression of Bcl-2, and activated caspases. CR also increased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which caused a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP, ΔΨm) and activation of the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Moreover, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a ROS inhibitor, markedly blocked the effects of CR on apoptotic pathways. CR also induced the expression of light chain 3 (LC3)-I/II, a key autophagy regulator, whereas CR-mediated autophagy was significantly suppressed by NAC. In addition, pre-treatment with NAC perfectly attenuated the inhibition of cell invasion and migration of CR-stimulated Hep3B cells. Furthermore, oral administration of CR suppressed Hep3B tumor growth in xenograft mice without toxicity, alterations to body weight, or changes in hematological and biochemical profiles. Taken together, our findings suggest that CR has anti-tumor effects that result from ROS generation, and may be a potential pharmacological intervention for HCC.     

A new self-aligned offset staggered polysilicon thin-filmtransistor

A new self-aligned offset staggered polysilicon thin-film transistor (poly-Si TFT) has been proposed and demonstrated to have a suppressed leakage current. For the self-aligned offset structure, planarization with thick photoresist and etchback of photoresist are successfully utilized. The offset length can be easily controlled by the thickness of the gate material without photolithographic limitation. In the self-aligned offset polysilicon TFT's, the leakage current decreases with an increasing offset length     

Inhibiting Invasion into Human Bladder Carcinoma 5637 Cells with Diallyl Trisulfide by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteinase Activities and Tightening Tight Junctions

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), an organosulfur compound in garlic, possesses pronounced anti-cancer potential. However, the anti-invasive mechanism of this compound in human bladder carcinoma is not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the anti-invasive effects of DATS on a human bladder carcinoma (5637) cell line and investigated the underlying mechanism. The results indicated that DATS suppressed migration and invasion of 5637 cells by reducing the activities and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 at both the protein and mRNA levels. DATS treatment up-regulated expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 in 5637 cells. The inhibitory effects of DATS on invasiveness were associated with an increase in transepithelial electrical resistance and repression of the levels of claudin family members. Although further studies are needed, our data demonstrate that DATS exhibits anti-invasive effects in 5637 cells by down-regulating the activity of tight junctions and MMPs. DATS may have future utility in clinical applications for treating bladder cancer.     

Flavonoids from Orostachys japonicus A. Berger Inhibit the Invasion of LnCaP Prostate Carcinoma Cells by Inactivating Akt and Modulating Tight Junctions

Tight junctions (TJs) are a mode of cell-to-cell adhesion in epithelial or endothelial cells, and serve as a physical barrier to maintenance of homeostasis in body by controlling paracellular transport. Claudins are the most important molecules of the TJs, but paradoxically these proteins are frequently over-expressed in cancers and their overexpression is implicated in the invasive potential of cancer. Hence, we investigated the effects of flavonoids extracted from Orostachys japonicus A. Berger (FEOJ) on TJs and the expression of claudins as well as cancer invasion along with in LnCaP human prostate cancer. FEOJ suppressed cancer cell motility and invasiveness at the concentrations where FEOJ did not show anti-proliferative activity. FEOJ increased transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) associated with tightening TJs, and suppressed expression of claudin proteins. Furthermore, FEOJ suppressed the activities of MMP-2 and -9 in a dose-dependent manner, which came from the activation of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) by FEOJ. FEOJ suppressed migration and invasion by suppressing PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Taken together, this study suggest that FEOJ suppresses cancer migration and invasion by tightening TJs through the suppression of claudin expression, and by suppressing MMPs in LnCaP human prostate cancer cells, which at least in part results from the suppression of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.     

Cyclic oxidation behavior of Ni3Al-7.8% Cr-1.3% Zr-0.8% Mo-0.025% B between 900 and 1100°C

A Ni₃Al-based alloy, the composition of which was Ni-16.0% Al-7.8% Cr-1.3% Zr-0.8% Mo-0.025%B, was cyclically oxidized in the temperature range of 900 to 1100°C in air for up to 500 hr. The alloy displayed good cyclic oxidation resistance up to 1000°C, with little scale spallation. It, however, lost cyclic oxidation resistance during oxidation at 1100°C after about 200 hr, displaying large weight losses due to serious scale spallation. NiO, α-Al₂O₃, NiAl₂O₄ and ZrO₂ were formed. The oxide scales consisted primarily of an outer Ni-rich layer which was prone to spallation, and (Al, Cr, Zr, Mo, Ni)-containing internal oxides which were adherent due mainly to the formation of (Al₂O₃, ZrO₂)-containing oxides that keyed the oxide scale to the matrix alloy.     

A cooperative forwarding scheme for social preference-based selfishness in mobile social networks

Most schemes in mobile social networks (MSNs) assume that nodes simply forward messages without considering selfishness. We therefore first devise social preference-based selfishness for MSNs by which nodes decide to drop or keep (forward) and replace messages to save buffer space according to the message preference and the communities of nodes. We then propose a novel cooperative forwarding scheme for social preference-based selfishness in MSNs, the social preference-aware forwarding scheme (SPF) incorporates the proposed message forwarding scheme and a buffer replacement policy for the message preference. It takes advantage of social information with the home-cell community-based mobility model. Considering the contact probability and buffer replacement policy for the message preferences, SPF, therefore, efficiently delivers messages to the destination by reflecting the degree of selfishness to which nodes cooperatively manage their buffer spaces and how frequently and how recently they meet. Consequently, all nodes can cooperatively drop or keep (forward) and replace the messages in the buffer spaces for the message preferences in SPF. SPF outperforms Epidemic, PRoPHET, and SimBet in terms of delivery ratio, network traffic, buffer space, hop count, and replacement frequency.