Progress in deep-UV photoresists

Higher resolution can be achieved in lithography by decreasing the wavelength of the exposure source. However, resist material and their processing are also important when we move to a shorter wavelength lithography technology. This paper reviews the recent development and challenges of deep-UV photoresists and their processing technology.     

Psychotic depression. An atypical initial presentation of multiple sclerosis

The Roussy-Lévy syndrome (MIM #180800) was described in 1926 as a disorder presenting with pes cavus and tendon areflexia, distal limb weakness, tremor in the upper limbs, gait ataxia and distal sensory loss. We report a family with affected members in four generations, showing these clinical signs of Roussy-Lévy syndrome and a partial duplication at chromosome 17p11.2. This genetic defect is commonly found in patients with the hypertrophic form of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome. Our finding provides evidence against the Roussy-Lévy syndrome as a distinct entity but suggests a close relation with the Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome. What causes the additional features of gait ataxia and essential tremor needs further clarification.     

Mitigation of ammonia-induced SCC in a cupronickel alloy by additions of MgCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The work presented in Part 1 of this article showed that additions of magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) to ammonia solutions reduced the tendency of ammonia-induced stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) initiation in a Cu-5%Ni alloy. The present work was undertaken to study the SCC behavior of the test alloy exposed to ammonia in the presence of varying concentrations of MgCl₂. The exposure to MgCl₂ additions reduced the severity of the ammonia-induced SCC.     

Flexibility performance: Taguchi's method study of physical system and operating control parameters of FMS

In present manufacturing environment, the manufacturing flexibility has become one of the strategic competitive tools. Flexibility refers to the availability of alternative resources. These resources may have varied parameters, particularly related to physical and operating system. These physical and operating parameters of alternative resources may influence the system's performance with the changing levels of flexibility and operational control parameters such as scheduling rules. Is increase in a flexibility level provides desired improved performance output? If yes, than under what conditions of physical and operating parameters and under which control strategy (CS)? Is improved performance is present at all increasing levels of flexibility? Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) being consist of numerous physical and operating parameters and complex in nature, the solution to these questions can provide an understanding of the productive levels of flexibility for a given physical and operating parameters of an FMS. This paper establishes the need of modelling of the physical and operating parameters of flexible manufacturing system along with flexibility and presents a simulation study under Taguchi's method analysis of these parameters. The paper contributes an approach to study the impact of variations in physical and operating parameters of an FMS and to identify the level of these variations that do not restrict the advantages of flexibility. The results show that the expected benefits from increasing the levels of flexibility and a superior CS may not be achieved if the physical and operating parameters of alternative machines have variations. Taguchi's method analysis indicates that relative percentage contribution of variations in physical and operating parameters of alternative resources should be negligible or minimum in the performance of FMS. Their increasing relative contribution may restrict the advantages of flexibility. If these variations are higher than increase in flexibility level may be counter productive.     

Stress and reproduction: Introduction to the Special Section.

This special section on stress and reproduction is devoted to an emerging frontier in interdisciplinary research that merits the attention of health psychologists. The majority of the studies concern the role of stress and emotion on birth outcomes such as low birth weight, fetal growth and preterm delivery, or mechanisms underlying these findings. The implications of this research extend from maternal and infant health to life-span development and adult health and mortality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Producing ice cream using a substantial amount of juice from kiwifruit with green,gold or red flesh

Ice cream prepared using a substantial amount of juice from kiwifruit with green, gold or red flesh may have consumer appeal, through the combination of kiwifruit's unique color, natural flavor and health-promoting constituents. The aqueous fractions from purees of kiwifruit with green, gold and red flesh (AFKWs) were added at 49% v/v to a basic low-fat ice cream mix that contained no commercial flavoring and coloring agents. The resultant ice creams were subjected to comparative product evaluation (e.g. overrun, melting behavior and rheological properties) and chemical analyses of bioactives (e.g. total extractable polyphenol content (TEPC), vitamin C, antioxidant capacity, polyphenol (PP) and carotenoid composition). Results revealed that both the pH pre-adjustment and pre-heating of the AFKW played critical roles in ice cream making. The ice creams retained the PP and vitamin C contents as well as natural color flavor of the kiwifruit used. The rheological properties of all ice creams showed non-Newtonian flow behavior, and the storage modulus G′ decreased in the same pattern following the order of green > gold > red. The melting rate, overrun and vitamin C content of the ice cream with green AFKW were the fastest, lowest and least, respectively. The TEPC and antioxidant capacity in the ice cream with red AFKW were the highest. The amounts of PPs and vitamin C were encouragingly high. Health beneficial compounds, dimethyl-caffeic acid hexoside, caffeic acid derivatives, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, salicylic acid/ο-coumaric acid, lutein and beta-carotene, were detected in the final products. Thus, there are commercial possibilities for using AFKW which should be further evaluated.     

Malignant transformation of NIH3T3 cells by overexpression of mot-2 protein

The murine mortalin genes, mot-1 and mot-2, are members of the hsp70 family of proteins and differ from each other by only two amino acid residues. Mot-1 is expressed in normal cells and has pancytosolic cellular distribution whereas mot-2 is found in the perinuclear region of immortal cells. We report here that a high level of expression of mot-2 protein resulted in malignant transformation of cells as analysed by anchorage independent growth and nude mice assays. A high level of protein expression is attributed to the 900 bp 3' untranslated region of the cDNA which does not have any transforming activity per se. Mortalin cDNA clones isolated from human transformed cells were also found to have transforming activity in similar assays and a high level of expression was apparent in some of the human immortalized cells that showed non-pancytosolic mortalin immunofluorescence. Taken together, the data suggest that nonpancytosolic mortalin may have a role in tumorigenesis.     

Burden of self-care in seriously ill patients: Impact on adjustment.

Perceived, but not actual, control over treatment has been consistently related to better adjustment in chronic illness. This study examined the relationship between actual control over treatment and severity of illness and their influence on depression in a chronically ill population of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. The authors hypothesized that as severity of illness increases, the burden of control over treatment would increase depression. Severity of illness and depression was assessed for 98 ESRD patients. Control over treatment was represented by whether dialysis patients were self-administering treatment (high control) or were receiving treatment from the medical staff (low control). Results indicated that for the most severely ill patients, high control over treatment resulted in poorer adjustment. Furthermore, this effect was due in part to how illness interferes with social relationships in seriously ill, self-care patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gastric pneumatosis associated with preduodenal portal vein, duodenal atresia, and asplenia

An 8-day-old newborn presented with non-bilious vomiting, upper abdominal fullness, and failure to pass meconium. Plain radiographs revealed gastric pneumatosis (GP). At operation, he was found to have a non-obstructive preduodenal portal vein, preampullary duodenal atresia, asplenia, and malrotation. The baby was treated by duodeno-duodenostomy without mobilizing the portal vein and correction of the malrotation according to Ladd's procedure. He made an uneventful recovery and the GP resolved spontaneously. The malformative process was believed to have occurred at or soon after the 5th week of gestation, and the GP probably resulted from intramural air tracking through mucosal tears caused by high intragastric pressure.