Applied Thin Films (United States)

Calpainopathies, including limb-girdle muscular dystrophy recessive type 1 (LGMD R1) and the rare dominant type 4 (LGMD D4), are genetic neuromuscular disorders caused by pathogenic variants in the CAPN3 gene, which encodes calpain-3, a muscle-specific cysteine protease. This protein plays a crucial role in muscle remodelling, calcium homeostasis, and myogenesis regulation. LGMD R1, the most common form of LGMD, is characterized by progressive, symmetrical muscle weakness primarily affecting the shoulder and pelvic girdles, with an onset ranging from childhood to adulthood. It affects about 1 in 100,000 individuals. The clinical spectrum is wide, with three main phenotypes: pelvifemoral myopathy, scapulohumeral myopathy, and isolated hyperCKemia. LGMD D4 is characterized generally by a milder phenotype with variable but frequent axial muscle involvement. Diagnostic algorithm include serum CK levels dosage, muscle imaging, and sometimes a muscle biopsy, with definitive diagnosis confirmed by CAPN3 gene testing. Calpainopathies have no cure and care is focused on physiotherapy, management of muscle contractures, moderate physical activity, and orthosis. The newly established French National Diagnosis and Care Protocol (NDCP) aim to standardize the diagnosis and care of calpainopathies. The protocol emphasizes early diagnosis, personalized patient care, genetic assessment and prevention of disease progression. This initiative aims to reduce diagnostic delays and improve patient outcomes through a harmonized multidisciplinary approach, informed by the latest clinical and research expertise.

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Eye in the Sky is a British-Canadian co-production and war film about international terrorism, released in 2015, whose title refers to drone warfare and surveillance from above.The »eye in the sky« is a metaphor for drones that can produce images of moving war zones from their venture point that are being transmitted into war rooms and different military control centers across the world (Kaplan; Parks; Parks and Kaplan).The film stars Helen Mirren as Katherine Powell, an iron-willed British Colonel, and Alan Rickman as Lieutenant General Frank Benson.Both have to maneuver and negotiate their military strategies to execute a controversial kill mission in East Africa while being based in the United Kingdom and conferring with elusive U.S. American diplomats and military officials.Powell is guiding a drone mission to eradicate a group of hunted and wanted terrorists of the al-Shabaab group, who plan a suicide bomb attack in a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya.This scenario is loosely based on an actual terrorist attack that took place in Kenya.The precision drone, launched from a great distance by two pilots in a trailer in the Nebraska desert, will land in the middle of a suburban settlement that also houses civilians, among them Alia (played by Aisha Takow), an eight-year-old girl.At the core of the film's narrative is an ethical conf lict: Are children justifiable as collateral damage if it is in the larger interest to fight international terrorism?The melodramatic elements revolve around Alia, whose presence frames the entire movie in the first and last scenes.She is the main point of identification for the audience because she is placed outside the military chain of events while being directly affected by its doings.Her parents eventually survive; they are seen at the end of the movie-mourning the loss of their child.The sentimental ending of the movie blames modern warfare for the

Although Cu is very close to Ag in conductivity, there are still some concerns with its high diffusivity into Si. There are two Cu ions of focus; interstitial <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$(\mathbf{cu}_{\mathbf{i}}{}^{+})$</tex> and substitutional <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$(\mathbf{Cu}_{\mathbf{s}}{}^{+})$</tex> , whereby, with regard to Si the fast-diffusing impurity is the interstitial, <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{Cu_{i}}^{+}$</tex> . An isolated <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{Cu_{i}}^{+}$</tex> acts as a shallow donor, it reacts with impurities and defects to alter the electrical properties of the material. However, Cu passivates shallow acceptors, forms pairs with various impurities, including itself, and precipitates at defects. Thus, these Cu precipitates become strong electron-hole recombination centers. With regard to n-type Si, the Cu impurity precipitates much easier than in p-type Si, provided that several of the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{Cu}_{\mathbf{i}}^{\boldsymbol{+,}}\mathbf{S}$</tex> precipitate without trapping an electron. The diffusivity of species in the semiconductor generally depends on the time and temperature, thus, a diffusivity of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\boldsymbol{7}\mathbf{x}\boldsymbol{10^{15}}\mathbf{cm}^{\boldsymbol{-3}}$</tex> can be inferred for Cu at <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\boldsymbol{600}^{\circ}\mathbf{C}$</tex> for 20 minutes. For the atmospheric screen-printed Cu solar cell contacts, the sintering is performed on a PERC wafer with a finger width of 83 <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\boldsymbol{\mu} \mathbf{m}$</tex> fired at a peak a temperature of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\boldsymbol{593}^{\circ}\mathbf{C}$</tex> at 325 ipm for approximately 2 seconds; thus, the measured diffusion coefficient would be different. More so, since the paste consists of glass frits and Cu powder, the glass must react first with the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\mathbf{SiN}_{\mathbf{x}}$</tex> to produce the molten glass which would then react with Cu. Since the reaction time is very short, the Cu will not have enough time to diffuse into the Si before cooling down and subsequent sequestration by the reformed glass. STEM will be used to understand the mechanisms which enable or disable the sequestration of Cu and the associated challenges will be discussed. Additionally, the solar cell electrical output parameters comparing the results of sequestered Cu on PERC Si wafers will be presented.

The electronic and adsorption properties of chemically modified square hexagonal boron nitride quantum dots are investigated using density functional theory calculations. The free energy and frequency calculations show that all the boron nitride flakes are stable before/after modification and metal adsorption. Edge modification significantly enhances the stability and interactivity of the flake. For instance, the free energy of binding decreases from -6.5 eV in the hydrogenated flake to -7.1 eV in the pristine one and the dipole moment increases from 4.5 D to 53.7 D, respectively. A wide spectrum of band gaps can also be achieved, where the band gap can be smoothly varied from ∼6 eV in edge fluorinated flakes to 0.2 in sulfurated ones. Six hydrated metals, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn, are considered for adsorption by the flakes. The transition metals are highly selected by the flakes while heavy metals are weakly adsorbed. All hydrated metals are physically adsorbed by the edge and surface of hydrogenated flakes except Cu, which is chemically adsorbed. Chemical groups or elements attached to the flake strongly enhance the adsorption strength; the adsorption energy of hydrated Cr on the surface increases from 0.6 eV to 8.6 eV after attaching two COOH groups to the surface. Hydrogen evolution has also been observed through the adsorption process. The calculated low overpotential for the oxygen evolution reaction (0.52 V) and hydrogen adsorption strength (0.11 eV) for the hydrogen evolution reaction indicate that boron nitride quantum dots are not only potential candidates for the removal of different metals from wastewater but also for efficient water splitting.

Abstract

ABSTRACTSelf-assembled TiO2 films deposited by aqueous-spray deposition were investigated to evaluate morphology, crystalline phase, and infrared optical constants. The Anatase nano-crystalline film had ∼10 nm characteristic surface roughness sparsely punctuated by defects of not more than 200 nm amplitude. The film is highly transparent throughout the visible to wavelengths of 12 μm. The indirect band gap was determined to be 3.2 eV. Important for long-wave infrared applications is that dispersion in this region is weak compared with the more commonly used dielectric SiO2 for planar structures. An example application to a metal-insulator-metal resonant absorber is presented. The low-cost, large-area, atmospheric-pressure, chemical spray deposition method allows conformal fabrication on flexible substrates for long-wave infrared photonics.

Solution processing methods of conjugated polymers are an important strategy for the preparation of organic semiconductors. We introduce a novel family of semiconductors prepared by the solution based small molecule self-assembly of 2-amino-5-pentafluorophenylpyrimidine and various silver(I) salts (AgX; X = CO2CF3, SO3CF3, NO3). The compounds are analyzed by single crystal analysis revealing that the solid state assembly consists of alternating polymer strands of 2-aminopyrimidine and silver(I). The solid state assembly can be controlled by the silver counterion and the solvent yielding polymer strands with different interatomic parameters and optoelectrical properties. The compounds are optically characterized and reveal remarkably different solid state absorption when compared to the parent compound 2-aminopyrimidine in solution. Also, an exclusive solid state emissive state is observed. Herein, the excitation occurs not at the maximum but at the onset of absorbance. The silver(I)triflate-2-aminopyrimidine yields two different porous frameworks depending on the solvent used for crystallization. These porous frameworks are made of 1-dimensional polymer strands, and the pores are filled with solvent molecules. By heating and addition of solvent the frameworks can be reversibly converted into each other in the solid state, changing the optoelectrical properties. The compounds are thermodynamically analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry. Also, the electrical conductance was proven in a preliminary experiment on a thin crystalline film of 4.

The field of Optical Coatings is sometimes described as a mature technology, the sense being that not much new is actually happening. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is true that optical coatings have been with us for a long time, but the rate of innovation continues to show constant acceleration. The nature of optical coatings implies that they largely respond to needs from the entire field of optics where they enable advances rather than spearhead them. A modern camera lens would be a poor performer without the optical coatings that reduce glare and improve transmittance. Each DVD reader contains a number of optical coatings without which it could not function. These are just two examples of advances in applications of optics driving coating developments. The talk will trace some aspects of progress in coatings from the early days of the 16th Century, when Venice was the center for mirror production, to the worldwide production of the present day. It will survey some current demanding applications and discuss some of the latest innovations. Each advance requires the solution of new problems that are almost invariably a complex mixture of optics, materials science, chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering and often much more. The future of optical coatings is the future of optics itself.