bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
38.1: Quantitative Analysis of Charge Transport in Single‐Carrier Devices and OLEDs Combining DC and AC Data
Authors: Jenatsch Sandra , Züfle Simon , Will Paul-Anton , Blülle Balthasar , Neukom Martin , Braga Daniele , Lenk Simone , Reineke Sebastian , Ruhstaller Beat
Published: October 2019

Single‐carrier devices are perfect model systems to extract material parameters for more complex multilayer organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) and to learn about charge transport and injection properties of the device. By combining simulation and measurements in steady‐state and frequency domain, we obtain a set of reliable material parameters which can be used to model the multilayer OLED structure. Moreover, we can also evaluate the contact behavior and conclude that the OLED operation is limited by electron transport.
39.1: Invited Paper: Mass Production of Holographic Transparent Components for Wearable Applications
Authors: Coe-Sullivan Seth , Sanchez Martin , Dimov Fedor , Russo Juan Manuel
Published: October 2019

Diffractive optics such as holographic optical elements (HOEs) can provide transparent and narrow band components with arbitrary incident and diffracted angles for near‐to‐eye commercial electronic products for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and smart glass applications. In this paper, we will summarize the operational parameters and general optical geometries relevant for near‐to‐eye displays, the holographic substrates available for these applications, and their performance characteristics and ease of manufacture. We will compare the holographic substrates available in terms of fabrication, manufacturability, and end‐user performance characteristics. Luminit is currently emplacing the manufacturing capacity to serve this market, and this paper will discuss the capabilities and limitations of this unique facility.
40.2: Invited Paper: Fast electrooptical modes in ferroelectric liquid crystal and its applications in display and photonics
Authors: Guo Qi , Wu Fan , Zhao Huijie , Chigrinov V.G. , Kwok H.S.
Published: October 2019

The ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) which has the advantage of a fast response under an electrical field has become one of the most promising candidates of the next generation liquid crystal display (LCD) as well as photonic devices. In the display area, sub‐millisecond switching is needed to enable field sequential color (FSC) display technology, which improves resolution and efficiency at least by three times when using sequentially coming RGB colors instead of color filters. The FLC allows electrical control of the response time in the range from several microseconds to several seconds. FLC devices also have a great potential in the sensing and detection area since a microsecond response is in high demand for real time sensors. Gratings, optical switches and phase modulators can also be fabricated with FLC, and applied in optical communications, imaging systems, etc.
40.3: Inversion Charge for Memory Display under Passively Addressed Driving using Photo‐aligned Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal
Authors: Sun Zhibo , Srivastava Abhishek , Vashchenko Valerii , Kwok Hoi-Sing
Published: October 2019

A ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) panel driven by different driving signals has been test. The FLC layer thickness is 3um. Asymmetric boundary conditions, when only one of the ITO surfaces of the display matrix is covered with the photo‐aligning layer while another is not, have been used for providing high contrast, fast response and steady multiplex operation. The electro‐optical performance driven by different impulse signal is presented to show the minimum charge needed for the inversion of bi‐stable state.
41.2: A high‐accuracy DeMura algorithm based on sub‐pixel registration
Authors: Yuan Jie Yu , Feng Xiao Fan , Zheng Zeng Qiang , Zhang Sheng Sen , Ma Er Wei , Tang Fei , Wu Hong Jun
Published: October 2019

In the production of display panel, due to the inadequate control of processing technology or insufficient technology, there will be various mura defects in the production of display panel, which seriously affects the economic benefits of manufacturers. In order to repair such mura defects and improve the economic benefits of display manufacturers, DeMura technology came into being. Most of the existing DeMura technologies are based on the virtual focus state of the camera. This paper proposes a DeMura technology based on high‐precision sub‐pixel location and brightness extraction in the precise focus state of the camera.
44.1: Invited Paper: Quantum‐Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes for Next‐Generation Displays
Authors: Acharya Krishna P. , Titov Alexandre , Hyvonen Jake , Ying Chen Y. , Desireddy Anil , Tang Eric , Holloway Paul H.
Published: October 2019

Solution processed electroluminescent displays made with quantum dot emitter is the next‐generation display technology because of high efficiency, wide‐color gamut, low turn‐on voltage, thin form factor, and low manufacturing cost. We have shown highly efficient quantum dot light emitting diode (QLEDs) using colloidal quantum dot as an emitter and zinc oxide nanocrystal as an electron transport layer. Here, we will present red and green QLEDs with external quantum efficiency (EQE) ≥ 20% and blue QLEDs with EQE > 15%. We will also show the performance improvements of QLEDs using short‐time annealing process and using doped zinc oxide nanocrystal.
46.2: Invited Paper: The Development of Grating Waveguide Technology for Near‐Eye Display in Augmented Reality
Authors: Xiaogang Shi , Bingjie Wang
Published: October 2019

Augmented Reality (AR) is generally considered as the next generation computing platform after PC and smart phones, with extensive applications and colossal market capacity. As the most essential hardware of AR wearables, the Near‐Eye Display (NED) system determines the final pattern of the product. In this paper, the NED solutions of mainstream AR eyewares are discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of prism, freeform, arrayed waveguide and grating waveguide, the four popular technologies in NED of AR, are compared. Based on above information, the strengths of grating waveguide in AR products are analyzed, the principles and processing technology are introduced, and the prospect of grating waveguide to be the future of NED in AR is proposed.
46.4: Compact Stereoscopic Augmented Reality Goggle with Single Display Panel
Authors: Chen Hsin-Ting , Chen Lin-Yun , Chien Jun-Ting , Tseng Sheng-Hsiu , Zhang Can-Xun , Chen Cheng-Huan
Published: October 2019

A light path for stereoscopic near eye display utilizing single display panel has been proposed and embedded in an existing snow goggle for AR display function with its original form factor and ID design intact. The prototype demonstrates sufficient quality to display numbers or symbols for data information or guiding.
48.1: Invited Paper: A Novel Gate Driver Circuit for Depletion Mode a‐IGZO TFTs
Authors: Oh Jongsu , Kim Yong-Sang
Published: October 2019

This paper proposes a novel gate driver circuit to realize high reliability using depletion mode a‐InGaZnO thin‐film transistors (TFTs). Using 3T1C circuit configuration, we prevented the leakage path for Q node by realizing gate‐to‐source voltage (VGS) under 0 V value. The proposed circuit can be operated when the VTH is shifted to ‐3 V from the initial value (VTH= ‐0.35 V). Also, the novel gate driver circuit with the AC driven pull‐down units can maintain the almost same normalized value from ‐1 V to ‐3 V of the VTH shift range when compared to the results of circuit with the DC driven pull‐down units. The proposed circuit can maintain the power consumption within 3.65 times of the normal value at ‐5 V threshold voltage value.
55.3: Invited Paper: Development and Manufacture for Free Form Mobile Phone Screen
Authors: Li Tan , Xiaohu Li , Ting Li , Lingxia Li , Kaimin Cai , Wei Li , wei Jiang
Published: October 2019

When Apple Inc. pushed out their “bang panel”(notch screen) in 2017, many display manufacture companies set out to develop free form full screen of mobile phone. In order to seize the market quickly, Shanghai AVIC Photoelectron Co., Ltd (AVIC for short) developed and manufactured the panel only in three more months.

This paper introduced how we realized rapid production of free form full screen and what problems we had solved. We discussed free form cutting not only by CNC (computer numerical control) grind but also by laser cutting. We also discussed free form sealant coating. Line open in Fanout Zone at CNC grind process was analyzed and solved. At last, a special “black blob” of free form screen from customer complaint was investigated and solved.
P‐1.10: Photodiode‐Gated Thin‐Film Transistor Enabling Under‐Display Fingerprint Sensing Application
Authors: Xu Yitong , Zhou Xianda , Wang Kai
Published: October 2019

In this work, a novel active pixel sensor (APS) based on photodiode (PD)‐gated thin‐film transistor (TFT) is integrated under active matrix organic light‐emitting diode (AMOLED) display for optical fingerprint imaging. The optical design and simulation were presented to evaluate the light intensity reaching the sensor and the optical crosstalk between adjacent pixels was assessed based on diffraction simulation results. The analytical modelling along with measurement results of PD‐gated LTPS TFT were also reported. Our study shows that PD‐gated TFT under AMOLED can enable under‐display optical fingerprint sensing.
P‐1.11: Relationship between Effective Mobility and Source/Drain Resistance in Self‐Aligned Top‐Gate a‐IGZO Thin Film Transistors
Authors: Peng Hao , Zhang Shengdong
Published: October 2019

We study the effect of source/drain resistance (RSD) on the effective mobility (µeff) of self‐aligned top‐gate (SATG) amorphous indium‐gallium‐zinc oxide (a‐IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs). The mathematical equation of the relationship between 1/µeff and RSD obtained by a theoretical derivation exhibits that 1/µeff is a quadratic function of RSD, and the relationship is approximately linear when RSD is small enough. This relationship is demonstrated by using a technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulation. With the mathematical equation, a simple calculation can predict the extent of µeff degradation induced by RSD in various TFTs, and the effect of RSD on the µeff when the TFTs are scaled down is discussed.
P‐3.3: High Definition OLED‐on‐Silicon Micro‐display Based on Human Visual Characters
Authors: Gao Qin , Yu Yunsen , Chen Wendong , Mu Tingzhou , Ji Yuan
Published: October 2019

As users demand higher refresh rates and frame rates, the amount of data in the virtual reality field is also growing. There is a large visual perception redundancy in the image source transmitted by the micro‐display system. In this paper, an OLED‐on‐silicon micro‐display system based on human visual characters is designed to solve the problem of high data bandwidth transmission in head‐mounted virtual reality applications. The experimental results show the multi‐resolution image fusion compression algorithm based on the visual perception of human eye has the good data compression ratio. The proposed method meets the visual perception of the human eye. It has good rendering quality, which meets the real‐time rendering requirements of the OLED‐on‐silicon micro‐display in the virtual reality embedded environment.
P‐4.5: The Applications of Micro‐LED Arrays in The Medical Field
Authors: Zhanghu Mengyuan , Wang Yan , Liu Zhaojun
Published: October 2019

With the continuous improvement of the quality of life of modern people, people's requirements for lighting continue to increase. In addition to working and living lighting, lighting plays a vital role in medical care. As a medical device, Micro‐LED array has the advantages of small size, light weight, good monochromaticity, fast response, large light intensity and long lifetime. In this paper, the effects of different wavelengths of light on the human body are described respectively, and the application of Micro‐LED arrays in acne treatment and blood oxygenation is proposed.
P‐6.2: Study of the Copper Corrosion by EUV and TMAH in Lithography Cleaning Process
Authors: Wang Hu , Sun Zhaoning , Gao Pan , Tu Lezhi , Mo Chaode , Sun Shiying , Zhang Weimin
Published: October 2019

In the display industry, when making Array substrates with Cu process, the cleaning treatment will cause the corrosion of the Cu film. Through process adjustment, this paper has obtained the method that can control the mura brought by Cu corrosion within the specification. The corrosion products were analyzed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer. Surface morphology after cleaning was studied by scanning electron microscopy. We confirmed that the main constituent of mura was Cu(OH)2, and EUV irradiation to convert Cu2O into CuO was the key, which provided a theoretical basis for thoroughly solving the related problem.
P‐6.3: The Impact of Thin Film Shadow on Organic Light ‐ Emitting Diode Flexible Encapsulation
Authors: Zhang Xiaodong , Li Chunhong , Jiang Haifeng , Liu Jianli , Ao Wei , Xin Xiaogang , Wang Minghui
Published: October 2019

Organic Light ‐ Emitting Diode (OLED) displays are characterized by ultra‐thin, ultra‐clear, spontaneous light, high definition, low cost of preparation and flexible display. In recent years, flexible OLED has become a hot topic in flat panel display industry. Thin film encapsulation (TFE) plays a key role in flexible OLED [1,2].

The inorganic layer part of flexible encapsulation is generally prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for SiNx or SiON. The quality of inorganic thin film directly affects the service life‐time of OLED devices, It is mainly influenced by Particle, shadow effect, stress, refractive index, thickness and other factors, among which several factors besides the shadow effect of thin films have been widely studied. As we all know, shadow effect exists in any film, but for inorganic layer in flexible encapsulation, whether the shadow effect of the thin film will affect its encapsulation effect. This paper will explore the influence of thin film shadow effect on encapsulation effect and device life. The shadow of the thin film varies from a few microns to several hundred microns in the existing devices. In this paper, a special device structure design is used to control the size of film shadow. We will produce OLED samples of different shadow sizes. It can be seen from the test results in the 85 °C and 85% RH for 240h that the smaller the Shadow of PECVD thin film is, the less likely it is to lose efficacy.

In this paper, by effectively controlling the shadow size of the thin film, flexible OLED devices with better performance and longer service life are obtained. At last, more tests are needed in order to get a more precise investigation.
P‐6.4: Failure Analysis of Al Corrosion Issue at Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Backplane Solder Process for 1980PPI Micro Light Emitting Diode Display
Authors: Wang Xuedan , Xing Rubo , Wei Dong , Li Xiaowei , Liu Haiyan , Yang Tinghui
Published: October 2019

Micro light emitting diode (LED) display fabricated on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) backplane provide smaller size, higher contrast ratio and energy efficiency, can be accommodated to market applications such as augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR). Hybridization of compound semiconductor Micro‐LED arrays with CMOS active matrix driver integrated circuit (IC) using flip‐chip technology is major solutions proposed, in which under bump metallurgy (UBM) and solder process is fabricated on CMOS backplane and followed by flip‐chip process with LED chips. In our experiment, AL corrosion issue at CMOS top metal electrode in UBM and solder process occurred during 1980PPI micro display fabrication. After scanning electron microscope (SEM) & focused ion beam (FIB) analysis, it's suspected that uneven passivation sidewall profile and poor bottom coverage of UBM metal at passivation sidewall induced developer liquid in following PR remove step penetrating to AL electrode surface and corrode it. Passivation etching recipe modification and UBM metal bottom coverage improvement could solve this issue
P‐6.6: Effects of lightly Doped Drain Structure in n‐channel ELA Bridged‐Grain Poly‐Si TFTs
Authors: Guo Jian , Yu Zhinong , Yan Wei , Shi Dawei , Xue Jianshe , Xue Wei
Published: October 2019

We lead the lightly doped drain (LDD) structure into the bridged‐grain (BG) poly‐Si thin film transistor (TFT). This combined structure can restrain the gate induced drain leakage current (GIDL) and the electrical characteristics shows not much sacrifice. A high Ion/Ioff current ratio 3.79×108 is achieved. Besides, the device reliability is improved significantly. Because the lateral electrical field decreases by LDD, lower trap state density is generated in the SiO2/poly‐Si interface and the grain boundaries of poly‐Si near the surface conduction channel, resulting in the stable on‐state drive current (Ion) and drain saturation voltage (Vdsat). All test results indicate that the BG poly‐Si TFT with a LDD structure will work well and has a great potential for system‐on‐panel application.
P‐7.2: Study on I‐V characteristics of LTPS by C‐V Method
Authors: Sun Shuang , Zhang Fangzhen , Niu Yanan , Shi Lubin , Niu Jing , Peng Jintao , Zhou Tingting , Peng Kuanjun
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we have studied the C‐V and I‐V characteristics of LTPS for knowing the quality of key thin film before the device was finished. The key thin film are the gate insulation and poly‐Si. The C‐V characteristics of these thin films can reflect the I‐V characteristics of final device and can reduce the poor device TFT characteristic caused by array process.
P‐7.9: Advanced Halftone Photolithography Using Four‐Mask Process Architecture for G8.6 TFT‐LCDs
Authors: Cho An-Thung , Yang Feng-yun , Liu Zhen , Chao Wei , Mo Qiong-hua , Liu Kai-jun , Ge Bang-tong , Fu Ting-ting , Zhou Jeff , Hsu James , Chen Wade , Lu York
Published: October 2019

Advanced four‐mask process a‐Si TFT array manufacturing method and good TFT stability is presented in this paper. We used an optimum half‐tone mask transmittance and half‐tone photoresist for the four‐mask process architecture. Data line open and photoresist peeling issues occurred in G8.6 TFT‐LCDs and solutions will be shown.
P‐8.1: An Optimized Sub‐pixel Rendering Algorithm
Authors: Tingting Zhang , Limin Yan
Published: October 2019

Aiming at the display application of displaying FHD‐sized pictures on HD‐sized screens, further optimizations were carried out to solve the existing problems of existing algorithms, such as contour blur and color slant, etc., and the results of detailed processing that could be observed at high magnification could not meet the requirements of human eyes. An optimized sub‐pixel rendering algorithm is proposed, constructed the sampling and reconstruction model, the algorithm adopts weighted rendering and joins the special texture detection, respectively for six kinds of vertical lines, six kinds of horizontal lines and two kinds of checkerboard texture to build special sampling area model which can realize the good display effect of FHD format pictures on HD size AMOLED screen. The main performance of this algorithm is that it has good consistency for each texture processing. There is no obvious lack of detail information and no color bias.
P‐8.7: A Novel Multi‐layers PCB Design for UHD Display System
Authors: Li Xianzhen , li Zhichao , Zhao Tianyue , Guan Enhui , Zhang Xiao
Published: October 2019

With the rapid development of video technology and the improvement of clients' requirement for video quality,high resolution and large‐format display has become an inevitable development trend for terminal display devices. Concerning about 8K products is becoming popular,products such as cameras, UAVs, broadcasters, editing equipments and display equipments are equipped with 8K display.The article mainly tells about the design of power supply for 8K UHD display system based on FPGA naming XC7K325T. The design of switching circuit and the key factors in the design of multi‐layer board power supply are described in detail, such as current carrying capacity calculation, power channel evaluation, protection, filtering and so on.
P‐9.14: High transparent Active matrix Mini‐LED Full Color Display with IGZO TFT Backplane
Authors: Fan Jack , Lee Chia-Yu. , Chen Shu-jhih , Gang Liu Ming , Jun Zhang Li , Yang Sun , Cai Lu Ma , Fei Xie Hua , Nian Liu
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we presented a active matrix Mini LED full color display with high transmittance over 60%. A 8‐inch display with RGB Mini‐LED with IGZO TFT backplane was demonstrated, which is 46 PPI pixel resolution and 256 grayscales and the pixel pitch is less than 0.55mm. It is the first time to realized the full color display based on RGB Mini‐LEDs and chip on glass with top gate structure IGZO TFT backplane. We believe that it is a good breakthrough and demonstration for developing large‐size Micro LED backplane and displays.
P‐10.2: The Fabrication and Characterization of Stretchable Metal Wires
Authors: Zhai Feng , Gu Yang , Hu Fei , Wang Tao , Li Xuna , Jia Songlin , Li Yalong , Wang Chenggong
Published: October 2019

In recent years, flexible display becomes a research hotspot for its applications in foldable or rollable devices. However, these flexible displays are still unable to stretch or twist, which limit their future applications. In this research, we demonstrated a stretchable circuit capable of 20% elongation by using patterned aluminum (Al) as conductor and Poly‐dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as substrate. On the basis of simulation, the Al conductor was fabricated on the neutral layer to minimize the tensile stress. After bonding the light emitting diode (LED) chips onto the circuit, a stretchable passive matrix micro‐LED (SPMLED) display was prepared to accommodate up to 10 % deformation.
P‐10.3: Research and Analysis of Polymer Walls Technologies for Flexible Display
Authors: Wang KaiJun , Shi Yu , Wu Yongwei , Chen Shujhih , Lee Chia-Yu
Published: October 2019

We studied the effects of photomask design, illumination time, and UV intensity on the formation of polymer walls, and speculated the related mechanism. According to the optimized condition, we make a flexible LCD cell with colorless polyimide substrate.
P‐11.5: Investigation on the Brightening of In‐cell Touch Notch Display
Authors: Xu Fei , Lv Lei , Gao Jie , Hong Jun , Xu Chunmin , Zhang Mingwei , Zhu Jiuyang , Sun Wei
Published: October 2019

In this article, we have employed this analysis on 5.69 inch panel. There are two white blocks on the left and right sides of the notch area. Those blocks look brighter than the other area. By means of modulating the timing of gate, we have succeeded to cover the luminance difference between two areas. The novel method can improve full display performance whether in design or verification phase.
P‐11.16: Synthesis of CsPbBr3 Nanorods with Tuneable Optical Anisotropy for Optoelectronic Applications
Authors: Ng Michael , Dudka Tetiana , Zhang Wanlong , Rogach Andrey L. , Srivastava Abhishek K. , Halpert Jonathan E.
Published: October 2019

Inorganic cesium lead bromide perovskite nanorods were synthesized using a facile room temperature approach under ambient conditions. Simple tuning of the ligands was demonstrated to produce a wide range of different morphologies, allowing the optical anisotropy to be tuned. Nanorods with a higher aspect ratio and more uniform width produced the highest optical anisotropy.
P‐11.17: A Combining Arc Design Scheme for Large TV Panel with Low PPI
Authors: Xu Jian , Liu Linfeng , Yang Chih-Ming , Chiu Chungyi
Published: October 2019

Great success have been achieved in special‐shaped panel with high PPI and small size for their aesthetic appearance. However huge progress in arc design of relatively large TV panel has not been made yet. In this paper we tried different arc design scheme in a 70 PPI LCD panel and established an effective method to evaluate the smoothness of arc corner. In accordance of the calculation and the survey results we put forward a new combining arc design scheme for TV panel with relatively low PPI.
P‐13.8: Influences of Passivation Hole Etching on the ITO and Metal Contact for Bottom Emission AMOLED Display
Authors: Fan Ying-chun , Zhang Xiao-xing , Im Jang-soon
Published: October 2019

A top‐gate self‐aligned a‐IGZO TFT backplate with white OLED and color filter was demonstrated in this paper. Three kind of PV (passivation) hole etching sequences noted as case 1~3, were studied to verify the contact between ITO and Source/Drain electrode. For case 3, PV hole etching process after PLN patterning shows smooth metal surface and excellent panel performance. In contrast, Sourse and Drain metal corrosion occurred due to non‐uniform PV film deposition in other two cases , resulting in bad contact between ITO and S/D metal and poor panel performance.
P‐13.14: The Effect of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Mask on AMOLED Display
Authors: Wang Xinzhu , Wu Xinfeng , Peng Yuqing , Li Fei , Ai Yu , Hu Youyuan , Li Huihui
Published: October 2019

In the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process of AMOLED encapsulation, masks with different conditions were tested on AMOLED TFT glass. It was found that the roughness has large effect on the arcing defect quantity of TFT glass. The larger Sz (the maximum height of the profile) of mask surface, the more arcing defects were generated on the peripheral circuit. From the point discharge view, the influence of Sz on the peripheral circuit line was well explained. In order to avoid arcing defects in PECVD process, it was suggested to improve the mask surface roughness or decrease the hills height on mask surface.
P‐15.1: A New Photometric and Colorimetric Measurement Method for RGB Laser Displays
Authors: Hieda Keisuke , Maruyama Tomoyuki , Narusawa Fumio
Published: October 2019

The Discrete Centroid Wavelength Method (DCWM) has been newly developed for accurate measurement of the chromaticity and illuminance of laser displays. The accuracy of the new method has been experimentally confirmed by comparing with an optical spectrum analyzer and a calibrated si‐photodiode.
P‐16.5: A method of designing AMOLED pixel for optical fingerprint on display technology
Authors: Yu Haochi , Zeng Yang , Lu Feng , Yao Qijun
Published: October 2019

A method of designing AMOLED pixel for optical fingerprint on display technology is demonstrated. We improve the pixels by adjusting the relative position of TFT array and the anode. According to the simulated result of aperture ratio of pixels and uniformity of the image sensor captured, we can modify our design of pixels.
NanoPaint: A Tool for Rapid and Dynamic Imaging of Membrane Structural Plasticity at the Nanoscale
Authors: Tasso Mariana , Pons Thomas , Lequeux Nicolas , Nguyen Julie , Lenkei Zsolt , Zala Diana
Published: October 2019

Single‐particle tracking with quantum dots (QDs) constitutes a powerful tool to track the nanoscopic dynamics of individual cell membrane components unveiling their membrane diffusion characteristics. Here, the nano‐resolved population dynamics of QDs is exploited to reconstruct the topography and structural changes of the cell membrane surface with high temporal and spatial resolution. For this proof‐of‐concept study, bright, small, and stable biofunctional QD nanoconstructs are utilized recognizing the endogenous neuronal cannabinoid receptor 1, a highly expressed and fast‐diffusing membrane protein, together with a commercial point‐localization microscope. Rapid QD diffusion on the axonal plasma membrane of cultured hippocampal neurons allows precise reconstruction of the membrane surface in less than 1 min with a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers. Access of the QD nanoconstructs to the synaptic cleft enables rapid 3D topological reconstruction of the entire presynaptic component. Successful reconstruction of membrane nano‐topology and deformation at the second time‐scale is also demonstrated for HEK293 cell filopodia and axons. Named “nanoPaint,” this super‐resolution imaging technique amenable to any endogenous transmembrane target represents a versatile platform to rapidly and accurately reconstruct the cell membrane nano‐topography, thereby enabling the study of the rapid dynamic phenomena involved in neuronal membrane plasticity.
Design Strategy for Porous Composites Aimed at Pressure Sensor Application
Authors: Sang Zhen , Ke Kai , Manas‐Zloczower Ica
Published: October 2019

Flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensors have versatile biomedical engineering applications for disease diagnosis and healthcare. The fabrication of such sensors based on porous structure composites usually requires complex, costly, and nonenvironmentally friendly procedures. As such, it is highly desired to develop facile, economical, and environment‐friendly fabrication strategies for highly sensitive lightweight pressure sensors. Herein, a novel design strategy is reported to fabricate porous composite pressure sensors via a simple heat molding of conductive fillers and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powders together with commercially available popcorn salts followed by water‐assisted salt removal. The obtained TPU/carbon nanostructure (CNS) foam sensors have a linear resistance response up to 60% compressive strain with a gauge factor (GF) of 1.5 and show reversible and reproducible piezoresistive properties due to the robust electrically conductive pathways formed on the foam struts. Such foam sensors can be potentially utilized for guiding squatting exercises and respiration rate monitoring in daily physical training.
QTL analysis and fine mapping of a QTL for yield-related traits in wheat grown in dry and hot environments
Authors: Tura Habtamu , Edwards James , Gahlaut Vijay , Garcia Melissa , Sznajder Beata , Baumann Ute , Shahinnia Fahimeh , Reynolds Matthew , Langridge Peter , Balyan Harindra Singh , Gupta Pushpendra K. , Schnurbusch Thorsten , Fleury Delphine
Published: October 2019

Genetic control of grain yield and phenology was examined in the Excalibur/Kukri doubled haploid mapping population grown in 32 field experiments across the climatic zones of southern Australia, India and north-western Mexico where the wheat crop experiences drought and heat stress. A total of 128 QTL were identified for four traits: grain yield, thousand grain weight (TGW), days to heading and grain filling duration. These QTL included 24 QTL for yield and 27 for TGW, showing significant interactions with the environment (Q * E). We also identified 14 QTL with a significant, small main effects on yield across environments. The study focussed on a region of chromosome 1B where two main effect QTL were found for yield and TGW without the confounding effect of phenology. Excalibur was the source of favourable alleles: QYld.aww-1B.2 with a peak at 149.5–150.1 cM and QTgw.aww-1B at 168.5–171.4 cM. We developed near isogenic lines (NIL) for the interval including QYld.aww-1B.2 and QTgw.aww-1B and evaluated them under semi-controlled conditions. Significant differences in four pairs of NIL were observed for grain yield but not for TGW, confirming a positive effect of the Excalibur allele for QYld.aww-1B.2. The interval containing QYld.aww-1B.2 was narrowed down to 2.9 cM which corresponded to a 2.2 Mbp genomic region on the chromosome 1B genomic reference sequence of cv. Chinese Spring and contained 39 predicted genes.
Temperature domination of AMOC weakening due to freshwater hosing in two GCMs
Authors: Haskins Rosalind K. , Oliver Kevin I. C. , Jackson Laura C. , Wood Richard A. , Drijfhout Sybren S.
Published: October 2019

Anthropogenic climate change is projected to lead to a weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). One of the mechanisms contributing to this is ice melt leading to a freshening of the North Atlantic Ocean. We use two global climate models to investigate the role of temperature and salinity in the weakening of the AMOC resulting from freshwater forcing. This study finds that freshwater hosing reduces the strength of the AMOC, but in some situations it is not through reduced density from freshening, but a reduction in density from subsurface warming. When the freshwater is mixed down it directly reduces the density of the North Atlantic, weakening the strength of the AMOC. As the AMOC weakens, the mixed layer depth reduces and surface properties are less effectively mixed down. A buoyant surface cap forms, blocking atmospheric fluxes. This leads to the development of a warm anomaly beneath the surface cap, which becomes the primary driver of AMOC weakening. We found that the mean North Atlantic salinity anomaly can be used as a proxy for AMOC weakening because it describes the extent of this surface cap.
Conservative management of uterine adenosarcoma: lessons learned from 20 years of follow-up
Authors: L’Heveder Ariadne , Jones Benjamin P. , Saso Srdjan , Barcroft Jen , Richardson Robert , Kaur Baljeet , Ghaem-Maghami Sadaf , Yazbek Joseph , Smith J. Richard
Published: October 2019

Purpose

Uterine adenosarcomas (UAs) account for 5–8% of cases of uterine sarcomas. Treatment includes total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).

Fertility preservation is an emerging concept in gynaecology oncology and is particularly relevant in UA, where cases are diagnosed as young as 15-year-old. This manuscript demonstrates a case of UA which was treated conservatively, achieved successful livebirths and underwent completion hysterectomy after two decades of follow-up.

Method

This was a retrospective case note review.

Results

An 18-year-old nulliparous woman presented with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Ultrasound identified an endometrial polyp, which was histologically diagnosed as low-grade adenosarcoma. She was advised to undergo TAH and BSO, but instead decided to preserve her fertility and opted for conservative management. She was monitored with pelvic ultrasound, hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy bi-annually, with annual pelvic magnetic resonance imaging for 10 years which was uneventful. 11 years post-operatively she conceived following in-vitro fertilization (IVF) but suffered a miscarriage at 16 weeks likely due to cervical incompetence. She subsequently conceived with twins. She delivered spontaneously preterm at 28 weeks. Both children are alive and well. After 20 years of follow-up, she underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy with no evidence of recurrence. She remains disease free.

Conclusion

Whilst radical completion surgery should be advised in UA, this case, in addition to all published conservatively managed cases of UA, demonstrates that conservative management is possible in appropriately selected women. Intensive monitoring post-operatively is essential owing to the risk of recurrence; however, this may pose deleterious side effects which require consideration.
The evaluation of canal wall up cholesteatoma surgery with the Glasgow Benefit Inventory
Authors: Westerberg Johanna , Mäki-Torkko Elina , Harder Henrik
Published: October 2019

Purpose

The aim of the study was to investigate the change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after canal wall up cholesteatoma surgery, using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI).

Methods

Data from a consecutive group of 47 adults scheduled for primary cholesteatoma surgery using canal wall up (CWU) with obliteration, from January 2005 to December 2009, were analysed. Information was extracted from a medical database, and complementary data from patient files and audiograms were collected and recorded retrospectively. The GBI questionnaire was used for the assessment of HRQoL after surgery.

Results

There was no finding of residual or recurrent cholesteatomas in the study group. Hearing was improved at 1 and 3 years postoperatively. No patient suffered a total hearing loss. The overall GBI scores showed an improved HRQoL after surgery. Twenty-nine (85%) patients benefitted from surgery, 1 (3%) had no change, and 4 (12%) expressed deterioration.

Conclusions

Cholesteatoma surgery using CWU with obliteration gives an improved HRQoL for the majority of patients. The GBI questionnaire provides complementary information to hearing and healing results after cholesteatoma surgery.
An MRI study of solute transport in the intervertebral disc
Authors: Palfrey Rachel M. , Summers Ian R. , Winlove C. Peter
Published: October 2019

Objective

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine partition coefficients and characteristic time constants for diffusion of MRI contrast agents in disc tissue.

Materials and methods

Twenty-two excised equine intervertebral discs were exposed to a range of contrast agents: six to manganese chloride, eight to Magnevist (gadopentetate dimeglumine) and eight to Gadovist (gadobutrol), and uptake into the disc was quantified inT1-weighted images.

Results

Diffusion for all contrast agents was approximately 25% faster in the nucleus than in the outer annulus; disc-average time constants ranged from (2.28 ± 0.23) × 104 s for Gadovist (uncharged, molecular mass 605 g/mol) to (5.07 ± 0.75) × 104 s for the manganese cation (charge + 2). Disc-average partition coefficients ranged from 0.77 ± 0.04 for the anion in Magnevist (charge − 2, molecular mass 548 g/mol) to 5.14 ± 0.43 for the manganese cation.

Conclusion

The MRI technique provides high-quality quantitative data which correspond well to theoretical predictions, allowing values for partition coefficient and time constant to be readily determined. These measurements provide information to underpin similar studies in vivo and may be used as a model for the transport of nutrients and pharmaceutical agents in the disc.
Investigating Swedish Preschool Teachers’ Intentions Involved in Grouping Practices
Authors: Nasiopoulou Panagiota
Published: October 2019

This study aims to explore profiles of preschool teachers’ intentions when they divide the children into subgroups. Interactionist perspectives, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and a pedagogical perspective on preschool quality provide the foundation for the study’s theoretical framework. By applying a person-centered analytical procedure, the study analyzes preschool teachers’ considerations of a set of intentional indicators involved in grouping practices related to conditions for supportive classroom environment, opportunities for children’s play and interactions, and preschool teachers’ direct involvement in children’s learning. The sample consists of 698 preschool teachers from preschools in 46 municipalities in Sweden. Two intentional profiles were identified: arelationalprofile and anorganizationalprofile. The patterns of play and learning opportunities, increasing communication and interaction, and opportunities for children to share their experiences and interests were the most distinctive patterns across the two profiles. Preschool teachers’ consideration of grouping practices as appropriate for working with a specific learning goal was equally emphasized in both profiles. These findings provide insight into preschool teachers’ pedagogical approaches and yield implications for the design of continuing professional development models for preschool teachers.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis: a retrospective analysis from a centre of South Italy
Authors: Castagna I. , Roszkowska A. M. , Alessandrello F. , Oliverio G. W. , Tumminello G. , Gallizzi R. , Conti G. , Aragona P.
Published: October 2019

Purpose

To investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the children affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who developed uveitis.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we have examined data of 109 patients aged from 3 to 16 years, affected by JIA and followed at Paediatrics Rheumatology Clinic and Ophthalmology Clinic of University Hospital of Messina in the period from 2007 to 2017. The main outcome measures were clinical and laboratory findings related to JIA and ocular involvement. The prevalence of ocular signs and symptoms was determined and correlated with age.

Results

Twenty-one (19.3%) subjects developed uveitis. Two different peaks of age with ocular involvement were registered. The first occurred between 4 and 6 years and the second between 10 and 12 years. All subjects in the first group resulted to be female, presented oligoarticular arthritis and chronic anterior uveitis. In the second group, the 84% of patients were male with different types of JIA and acute anterior uveitis. The prevalence of ocular complications was higher in the first group.

Conclusions

Two peaks of age emerged and were characterized by different clinical outcomes of arthritis and ocular involvement. The first occurred between 4 and 6 years and interested females affected by oligoarticular JIA who develop chronic anterior uveitis. The second appeared at 10–12 years and interested older males affected by different types of JIA with acute anterior uveitis. Early diagnosis and cooperation between paediatric rheumatologist and ophthalmologist are of great importance in the proper management of JIA children with uveitis.
Application of multiple quench parameters for confirmation of radionuclide identity in radioanalytical quality control
Authors: Gaca Pawel , Reading David , Warwick Phillip
Published: October 2019

Robust and reliable radiochemical analysis is the key factor in the appropriate disposal and management of radioactive wastes arising from the nuclear industry, decommissioning projects, medical, and scientific institutions. There is an ever increasing number of challenging projects that involve rapid analysis of large batches of samples and require rigorous quality control systems capable of positively identifying incorrect or questionable results which may lead to costly consequences at the latter stages of the waste disposal process. Combination of SQP(E) and SQPI LSC spectral parameters allows for quick and reliable checking of large datasets without the need for individual manual spectrum checks.
An objective and efficient method for estimating probabilistic coastal inundation hazards
Authors: Yang Kun , Paramygin Vladimir , Sheng Y. Peter
Published: October 2019

The joint probability method (JPM) is the traditional way to determine the base flood elevation due to storm surge, and it usually requires simulation of storm surge response from tens of thousands of synthetic storms. The simulated storm surge is combined with probabilistic storm rates to create flood maps with various return periods. However, the map production requires enormous computational cost if state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models with high-resolution numerical grids are used; hence, optimal sampling (JPM-OS) with a small number of (~ 100–200) optimal (representative) storms is preferred. This paper presents a significantly improved JPM-OS, where a small number of optimal storms are objectively selected, and simulated storm surge responses of tens of thousands of storms are accurately interpolated from those for the optimal storms using a highly efficient kriging surrogate model. This study focuses on Southwest Florida and considers ~ 150 optimal storms that are selected based on simulations using either the low fidelity (with low resolution and simple physics) SLOSH model or the high fidelity (with high resolution and comprehensive physics) CH3D model. Surge responses to the optimal storms are simulated using both SLOSH and CH3D, and the flood elevations are calculated using JPM-OS with highly efficient kriging interpolations. For verification, the probabilistic inundation maps are compared to those obtained by the traditional JPM and variations of JPM-OS that employ different interpolation schemes, and computed probabilistic water levels are compared to those calculated by historical storm methods. The inundation maps obtained with the JPM-OS differ less than 10% from those obtained with JPM for 20,625 storms, with only 4% of the computational time.
Local dimension reduction of summary statistics for likelihood-free inference
Authors: Sirén Jukka , Kaski Samuel
Published: October 2019

Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) and other likelihood-free inference methods have gained popularity in the last decade, as they allow rigorous statistical inference for complex models without analytically tractable likelihood functions. A key component for accurate inference with ABC is the choice of summary statistics, which summarize the information in the data, but at the same time should be low-dimensional for efficiency. Several dimension reduction techniques have been introduced to automatically construct informative and low-dimensional summaries from a possibly large pool of candidate summaries. Projection-based methods, which are based on learning simple functional relationships from the summaries to parameters, are widely used and usually perform well, but might fail when the assumptions behind the transformation are not satisfied. We introduce a localization strategy for any projection-based dimension reduction method, in which the transformation is estimated in the neighborhood of the observed data instead of the whole space. Localization strategies have been suggested before, but the performance of the transformed summaries outside the local neighborhood has not been guaranteed. In our localization approach the transformation is validated and optimized over validation datasets, ensuring reliable performance. We demonstrate the improvement in the estimation accuracy for localized versions of linear regression and partial least squares, for three different models of varying complexity.
Enhancing the efficacy of 131I therapy in non-toxic multinodular goitre with appropriate use of methimazole: an analysis of randomized controlled study
Authors: Szumowski Piotr , Abdelrazek Saeid , Sykała Monika , Mojsak Małgorzata , Żukowski Łukasz , Siewko Katarzyna , Maliszewska Katarzyna , Adamska Agnieszka , Popławska-Kita Anna , Krętowski Adam , Myśliwiec Janusz
Published: October 2019

Purpose

It is possible to raise the rate of the uptake of 131I in the thyroid gland (RAIU) by increasing the endogenous TSH level through appropriate use of methimazole (MMI) prior to 131I therapy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of pre treatment with MMI on the efficacy of 131I therapy in non-toxic multinodular goitre (NMG).

Methods

Thirty-one patients with NMG received 131I treatment in order to reduce the volume of the thyroid (TVR). Those in group 1 (n = 16) were administered 10 mg of methimazole for 6 weeks. Four days after its discontinuation, they received 131I. Patients in group 2 (n = 15) were given a placebo instead of MMI. The therapeutic activity of 131I was constant (800 MBq) and was repeated every 6 months. Treatment was discontinued when TVR reached <40 ml.

Results

In group 1, RAIU increased approximately twofold. Ten patients from group 2 and four patients from group 1 received further doses of 131I. The median of time until TVR decreased below 40 ml was 9 months [6–12 months] and 18 months [14–22 months] in group 2. At 2 years after the 131I therapy, the occurrence of hypothyroidism did not differ significantly (36% in group 1 and 33% in group2, p = 0.074).

Conclusions

Radioiodine treatment of NMG preceded with appropriate application of MMI is efficient thanks to increased RAIU, shorter period of treatment, and lower frequency of 131I administration, without an increase in the incidence of post-treatment hypothyroidism.