Nonvolatile RAM using resistance contrast in phase-change materials or phase-change RAM (PCRAM) is a promising technology for future storage-class memory. However, such a technology can succeed only ...if it can scale smaller in size, given the increasingly tiny memory cells that are projected for future technology nodes (i.e., generations). We first discuss the critical aspects that may affect the scaling of PCRAM, including materials properties, power consumption during programming and read operations, thermal cross-talk between memory cells, and failure mechanisms. We then discuss experiments that directly address the scaling properties of the phase-change materials themselves, including studies of phase transitions in both nanoparticles and ultrathin films as a function of particle size and film thickness. This work in materials directly motivated the successful creation of a series of prototype PCRAM devices, which have been fabricated and tested at phase-change material cross-sections with extremely small dimensions as low as 3 nm × 20 nm. These device measurements provide a clear demonstration of the excellent scaling potential offered by this technology, and they are also consistent with the scaling behavior predicted by extensive device simulations. Finally, we discuss issues of device integration and cell design, manufacturability, and reliability. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
NeuroKit2 is an open-source, community-driven, and user-centered Python package for neurophysiological signal processing. It provides a comprehensive suite of processing routines for a variety of ...bodily signals (e.g., ECG, PPG, EDA, EMG, RSP). These processing routines include high-level functions that enable data processing in a few lines of code using validated pipelines, which we illustrate in two examples covering the most typical scenarios, such as an event-related paradigm and an interval-related analysis. The package also includes tools for specific processing steps such as rate extraction and filtering methods, offering a trade-off between high-level convenience and fine-tuned control. Its goal is to improve transparency and reproducibility in neurophysiological research, as well as foster exploration and innovation. Its design philosophy is centred on user-experience and accessibility to both novice and advanced users.
We investigate, for two water models displaying a liquid-liquid critical point, the relation between changes in dynamic and ther-modynamic anomalies arising from the presence of the liquid-liquid ...critical point. We find a correlation between the dynamic crossover and the locus of specific heat maxima$C_{P}^{max}$("Widom line") emanating from the critical point. Our findings are consistent with a possible relation between the previously hypothesized liquid-liquid phase transition and the transition in the dynamics recently observed in neutron scattering experiments on confined water. More generally, we argue that this connection between$C_{P}^{max}$and dynamic crossover is not limited to the case of water, a hydrogen bond network-forming liquid, but is a more general feature of crossing the Widom line. Specifically, we also study the Jagla potential, a spherically symmetric two-scale potential known to possess a liquid-liquid critical point, in which the competition between two liquid structures is generated by repulsive and attractive ramp interactions.
We report the first genome-wide association study in 1000 bipolar I patients and 1000 controls, with a replication of the top hits in another 409 cases and 1000 controls in the Han Chinese ...population. Four regions with most strongly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, of which three were not found in previous GWA studies in the Caucasian populations. Among them, SNPs close to specificity protein 8 (SP8) and ST8 α-N-acetyl- neuraminide α-2,8-sialyltransferase (ST8SIA2) are associated with Bipolar I, with P-values of 4.87 × 10(-7) (rs2709736) and 6.05 × 10(-6) (rs8040009), respectively. We have also identified SNPs in potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 12 gene (KCTD12) (rs2073831, P=9.74 × 10(-6)) and in CACNB2 (Calcium channel, voltage-dependent, β-2 subunit) gene (rs11013860, P=5.15 × 10(-5)), One SNP nearby the rs1938526 SNP of ANK3 gene and another SNP nearby the SNP rs11720452 in chromosome 3 reported in previous GWA studies also showed suggestive association in this study (P=6.55 × 10(-5) and P=1.48 × 10(-5), respectively). This may suggest that there are common and population-specific susceptibility genes for bipolar I disorder.
Turmoil has engulfed psychological science. Causes and consequences of the reproducibility crisis are in dispute. With the hope of addressing some of its aspects, Bayesian methods are gaining ...increasing attention in psychological science. Some of their advantages, as opposed to the frequentist framework, are the ability to describe parameters in probabilistic terms and explicitly incorporate prior knowledge about them into the model. These issues are crucial in particular regarding the current debate about statistical significance. Bayesian methods are not necessarily the only remedy against incorrect interpretations or wrong conclusions, but there is an increasing agreement that they are one of the keys to avoid such fallacies. Nevertheless, its flexible nature is its power and weakness, for there is no agreement about what indices of "significance" should be computed or reported. This lack of a consensual index or guidelines, such as the frequentist
-value, further contributes to the unnecessary opacity that many non-familiar readers perceive in Bayesian statistics. Thus, this study describes and compares several Bayesian indices, provide intuitive visual representation of their "behavior" in relationship with common sources of variance such as sample size, magnitude of effects and also frequentist significance. The results contribute to the development of an intuitive understanding of the values that researchers report, allowing to draw sensible recommendations for Bayesian statistics description, critical for the standardization of scientific reporting.
The associations between long-term risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and spontaneous seroclearance of HBV e antigen (HBeAg), HBV DNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) have never been examined by a ...prospective study using serially measured seromarkers. This study aimed to assess the importance of spontaneous HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg seroclearance in the prediction of HCC risk.
This study included 2946 HBsAg seropositive individuals who were seronegative for antibodies against HCV and free of liver cirrhosis. Serial serum samples collected at study entry and follow-up health examinations were tested for HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the HRs of developing HCC after seroclearance of HBV markers.
The HR (95% CI) of developing HCC after seroclearance of HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg during follow-up was 0.63 (0.38 to 1.05), 0.24 (0.11 to 0.57) and 0.18 (0.09 to 0.38), respectively, after adjustment for age, gender and serum level of alanine aminotransferase at study entry. High HBV DNA levels at the seroclearance of HBeAg (mean±SD, 4.35±1.64 log10 IU/mL) may explain the non-significant association between HBeAg seroclearance and HCC risk. Among HBeAg seronegative participants with detectable serum HBV DNA at study entry, the lifetime (30-75-years-old) cumulative incidence of HCC was 4.0%, 6.6% and 14.2%, respectively, for those with seroclearance of both HBV DNA and HBsAg, seroclearance of HBV DNA only, and seroclearance of neither.
Spontaneous seroclearance of HBV DNA and HBsAg are important predictors of reduced HCC risk.
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