Nanowire encapsulation with polymer for electrical isolation and enhanced optical properties

Light management and electrical isolation are essential for the majority of optoelectronic nanowire (NW) devices.Here,we present a cost-effective technique,based on vapor-phase deposition of parylene-C and subsequent annealing,that provides conformal encapsulation,anti-reflective coating,improved optical properties,and electrical insulation for GaAs nanowires.The process presented allows facile encapsulation and insulation that is suitable for any nanowire structure.In particular,the parylene-C encapsulation functions as an efficient antireflection coating for the nanowires,with reflectivity down to ＜1％ in the visible spectrum.Furthermore,the parylene-C coating increases photoluminescence intensity,suggesting improved light guiding to the NWs.Finally,based on this process,a NW LED was fabricated,which showed good diode performance and a clear electroluminescence signal.We believe the process can expand the fabrication possibilities and improve the performance of optoelectronic nanowire devices.     

Drunken driving with motorboat in Finland: A pilot study on the southern seacoast in summer 1978

Four surveys of breath alcohol were conducted on two motorboat passages at the archipelago of the Gulf of Finland on Friday and Saturday afternoons in summer 1978. All passing motorboats were controlled by the police and the drivers were breathanalyzed with Alcolmeter^R. The breath test was positive for 126 (29.7%) of 424 examined drivers. Mainly these drivers had ingested small amounts of alcohol, and in only five cases (1.2%) did the blood alcohol result exceed the statutory blood alcohol limit, which is 0.15% for motored water traffic in Finland. The present study suggest a remarkable difference in people's attitudes toward driving a motor vehicle on land or at sea in their free time after ingestion of alcohol.     

POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN BALTIC SEA SEDIMENTS

Present concentrations of parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied in bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea. Sediments were collected in 2001 and 2002 from the Gulf of Finland, the Northern Baltic Proper, the Eastern Gotland Basin, the Southern Baltic Proper, and Kattegat. Parent PAHs were quantified by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The sum of 13 PAHs in 1 cm slices in the first 5 cm varied between 64 and 5161 ng/g (dw) depending on the bottom type. The most contaminated area was in the Eastern Gotland Basin, and the most abundant PAH components found in sediments were fluoranthene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[ghi]perylene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene. The studied PAHs were both pyrolytic and petrogenic in origin. In addition, the concentrations of indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]perylene indicated a contribution from diesel engines, which may indicate pollution caused by the steadily increased shipping in the Baltic Sea.     

Trends in non-epithelial cancer incidence in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, 1961-1990

Trends in the incidence of non-epithelial cancers are particularly likely to reflect environmental carcinogens, since these malignancies are not commonly the targets of screening efforts, and have generally not been closely associated with life style factors such as cigarette smoking and diet. We used data from nation-wide cancer registries in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden to examine trends in non-epithelial cancers over the period 1961-1990. Linear regression analysis of age-standardized rates, and age-period-cohort models were fit to assess the temporal patterns within each country. Within each of the 3 countries, there was a similarly increasing incidence of both hematological malignancies and nervous system/bone/soft-tissue neoplasms. The increases were smallest in children and adolescents (ages 0-14), moderate among young and middle aged adults (ages 15-64), and most pronounced among the elderly (ages 65+). Age-period-cohort modeling suggested that the dominant factor in the increases were birth cohort effects. It is not clear what factors underlie this increase in incidence; it seems most likely that increases both in diagnostic efficiency and in exposure to environmental carcinogens play a role.     

The Helsinki Heart Study: an 8.5-year safety and mortality follow-up

MT-PVLT-10 transgenic mice express the large T-antigen of polyomavirus under the control of the mouse metallothionein-1 promoter. The males of this transgenic line developed testicular tumor and seminal vesicle engorgement at advanced ages. A novel partial cDNA was identified which hybridized to a 2.6 kilobase mRNA. The expression of this mRNA increased approximately two- to fifteen-fold in immortalized cell lines derived from testicular tumors as compared to similar cell lines derived from pre-adenomatous testes. The in vivo pattern of expression for this cDNA as well as its expression in various primary cultures and established cell lines derived from testis of MT-PVLT-10 mice is presented. Overlapping cDNA clones from liver, testes, and brain cDNA libraries containing the entire coding region for this novel cDNA have been isolated and sequenced. The coding region of this gene comprises 1179 nucleotides and predicts a polypeptide of 393 amino acids (calculated molecular mass 44,318). Motif analysis of the amino acid sequence has revealed that it contains several hydrophobic alpha-helices characteristic of transmembrane proteins.     

Challenges and industry practices for managing software variability in small and medium sized enterprises

Software variability is an ability to change (configure, customize, extend) software artefacts (e.g. code, product, domain requirements, models, design, documentation, test cases) for a specific context. Optimized variability management can lead a software company to 1) shorter development lead time, 2) improved customer and improved user satisfaction, 3) reduced complexity of product management (more variability, same $) and 4) reduced costs (same variability, less $). However, it is not easy for software companies, especially small and medium size of enterprises to deal with variability. In this paper we present variability challenges and used practices collected from five SMEs. Our study indicates that increased product complexity can lead growing SMEs to the time-consuming decision-making. Many of the analyzed medium size of companies also expect improved tool support to help them to boost their productivity when managing increasingly complex products and increasing amount of variants In fact, in many of the analysed SMEs, a high level of automation in design, release management and testing are or become a key factor for market success By introducing the challenges and used practices related to variability the paper deepens understanding of this highly relevant but relatively under-researched phenomenon and contributes to the literature on software product line engineering.     

Diet and breast cancer risk in a cohort of Finnish women

The associations between dietary antioxidant vitamins, dietary fiber, and selected foods and risk of breast cancer were studied in 4697 initially cancer-free women, aged 15 years or older. At baseline (1967-1972) the women were interviewed for total habitual diet over the preceding year. During a 25-year follow-up period 88 breast cancer cases were diagnosed. There was a significant inverse gradient between milk consumption and occurrence of breast cancer, whereas higher consumption of fried meat was associated with increased risk of breast cancer. No significant relationships were found between the intakes of vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein or dietary fiber and the occurrence of breast cancer.