Cygnus (United States)

Low-temperature microplasmas, efficient sources of ions, electrons, and photons, particularly from microcavity plasma arrays, offer unprecedented performance in photonics. This paper reports recent advancements across three key areas: precise timekeeping, achieved through integrating microplasma mercury ion lamps into miniature clock systems with exceptional stability; uniform and high-fluence photon generation for VUV photolithography and nanopatterning, enabling selective surface modification and low temperature dielectric depositions at nano/micro scales; and deep UV (Far UV-C) excimer emission from microplasma lamps, utilized in preventing airborne as well as foodborne pathogen transmission. Far UV-C's safety for human exposure presents potential for indoor disinfection, including wearable devices, shaping biothreat prevention strategies.

Oxide films of the quality required for the fabrication of electronic and photonic devices are typically deposited at elevated temperatures and thermal equilibrium, thereby adversely impacting thermal budgets. We report the deposition and patterning of silicon dioxide (SiO2) films of high electrical and optical quality on Si(100) or polymer substrates in a N2 atmosphere and at 300 K by the photochemical conversion of thin liquid tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) layers with narrowband vacuum ultraviolet radiation [vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), 172 nm] provided by efficient microplasma lamps. Irradiating liquid TEOS layers, produced by spin-coating the precursor onto a substrate, with a VUV intensity of 13 mW cm−2, yields 40 nm-thick SiO2 films having a dielectric breakdown strength (Eb) of 5 MV cm−1, for which no precedent exists in the deposition of oxide films at 300 K. If room temperature-deposited films are post-annealed at 200 °C, Eb rises to 7.5 MV cm−1, which is <12% below the measured value (8.5 MV cm−1) for 40 nm SiO2 films grown by thermal oxidation. The deposition of 1 µm thick, stoichiometric SiO2 films requires only 20 min of VUV illumination at low optical fluences, and films with thicknesses of ∼35–60 nm exhibit a refractive index of 1.45 (633 nm). X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and Rutherford backscattering analysis indicate that, despite the deposition temperature, hydrocarbon impurity levels are near or below the detection limit. The capability for depositing 960 nm-thick SiO2 films uniformly (to within 0.6%) by liquid → solid photochemical conversion over a 5 cm diameter Si substrate and patterning films onto flexible polymer substrates has also been demonstrated.

O ensaio foi realizado na estação experimental TechField, localizada no município de Botucatu/SP, com a finalidade de avaliar a eficácia de controle das espécies Cyperus rotundus e Cyperus esculentus, em aplicações em pré-emergente do herbicida Falcon (piroxasulfona+flumioxazina). As espécies avaliadas foram plantadas em vasos contendo 20 litros de solo, mantendo-se 10 tubérculos por vaso de ambas as espécies. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizados com cinco tratamentos e sete repetições, sendo assim distribuídos: 1) Testemunha sem aplicação; 2) Falcon – 0,25 L p.c. ha-1; 3) Falcon – 0,5 L p.c. ha-1; 4) Falcon - 1,0 L p.c. ha-1 e 5) Falcon – 2,0 L p.c. ha-1. A aplicação dos tratamentos, ocorreu no dia 17/04/2021, com auxílio de um pulverizador costal pressurizado com CO2, munido de barra composta por duas pontas AVI 110.02, espaçadas em 0,5 m entre si, a uma pressão de 2,0 kgf cm-2, proporcionando um consumo de calda equivalente a 200 L ha-1. As avaliações de eficácia de controle foram realizadas aos 14 dias após aplicação (DAA), 21DAA, 28DAA, 35DAA e 42DAA. Considerando as variáveis no desenvolvimento das plantas daninhas avaliadas, realizou-se a avaliação de número e peso dos tubérculos remanescentes, aos 100DAA, no dia 26/06/2021. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, as maiores porcentagens de controle foram observadas quando aplicado as três maiores doses do herbicida Falcon (0,5, 1,0 e 2,0 L p.c. ha-1), independente do período e espécies avaliadas. Nas avaliações de número e peso dos tubérculos remanescentes, pode se concluir que a menor dose do herbicida Falcon (0,25 L p.c. ha-1), juntamente com o tratamento testemunha, apresentaram valores muito superiores aos demais tratamentos testados, demostrando assim o efeito positivo do herbicida sobre as espécies avaliadas. Os melhores resultados de redução de número e peso de tubérculos foram observados quando aplicado as duas maiores doses do herbicida Falcon (1,0 e 2,0 L p.c. ha-1), independente da espécie de planta daninha avaliada.

Outside Front Cover: Photograph of the face of a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)-emitting lamp reflected by a 15 cm (6”) diameter silicon wafer. Having a radiating area of 100 cm2, the lamp is the optical source for a commercial VUV photolithography system, manufactured by Cygnus Photonics, with which polymers serve as a dry photoresist. Its peak emission wavelength of 172 nm allows for photopatterning of polymers and cellulose with 10 nm depth precision. Further details can be found in the article by Jinhong Kim, Andrey E. Mironov, Jin H. Cho, Dane S. Sievers, Cyrus M. Herring, Sehyun Park, Peter P. Sun, Zhihu Liang, Wenyuan Chen, Sung-Jin Park, and J. Gary Eden (e2200075)

Abstract A little more than two decades after the introduction of the first microcavity plasma devices, a growing body of commercial products based on the remarkable properties of these low‐temperature, atmospheric plasmas is now available. Following a brief review of early microplasma lamp development, this article describes microplasma‐based devices and systems currently being manufactured for applications in photolithography, photopatterning, and other nanofabrication processes, such as atomic layer deposition, spectroscopic identification and analysis of materials (including wide bandgap crystals), the disinfection of drinking water in off‐grid communities, deactivating COVID‐19 and other pathogens in air and on surfaces in public spaces, and vacuum ultraviolet lamps for driving atomic clocks. The microplasma‐based treatment of otitis media in the human ear will also be discussed.

In recent years, public discourse has blamed digital technologies for making people feel "alone together," distracting us from engaging with one another, even when we are interacting in-person. We argue that in order to design technologies that foster and augment co-located interactions, we need to first understand the context in which enjoyable co-located socialization takes place. We address this gap by surveying and interviewing over 1,000 U.S.-based participants to understand what, where, with whom, how, and why people enjoy spending time in-person. Our findings suggest that people enjoy engaging in everyday activities with individuals with whom they have strong social ties because it helps enable nonverbal cues, facilitate spontaneity, support authenticity, encourage undivided attention, and leverage the physicality of their bodies and the environment. We conclude by providing a set of recommendations for designers interested in creating co-located technologies that encourage social engagement and relationship building.

High throughput process development (HTPD) using liquid handling robotics and RoboColumns is an established methodology in downstream process development to screen chromatography resins and optimize process designs to meet target product profiles. However, HTPD is not yet widely available for use in viral clearance capability of the resin due to a variety of constraints. In the present study, a BSL-1-compatible, non-infectious MVM model, MVM-VLP, was tested for viral clearance assessment with various resin and membrane chromatography operations in a HTPD mode. To detect the MVM-VLP in the high throughput experiments, an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) assay was developed with up to 5 logs of dynamic range. Storage time suitability of MVM-VLP solutions in various buffer matrices, in the presence or absence of a glycoprotein vaccine candidate, were assessed. Then, MVM-VLP and a test article monoclonal antibody (mAb) were used in a HTPD design that included commercially available ion exchange media chemistries, elucidating a wide variety of viral clearance ability at different operating conditions. The methodologies described herein have the potential to be a part of the process design stage in biologics manufacturing process development, which in turn can reduce risk associated with viral clearance validation studies.

To evaluate predictors of changing the type of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor (switching) among men with erectile dysfunction (ED) in the UK, the largest consumer of PDE5 inhibitors in Europe, as switching medication is often associated with higher resource use, and there are three oral PDE5 inhibitor medications currently available. Patients were identified from The Health Improvement Network database in the UK; men initiating therapy with sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil from May 2003 to August 2004 with >/= 6 months of prescription history before and after their initial PDE5 inhibitor prescription were included. Switching was evaluated as the proportion of second PDE5 inhibitor prescriptions that were for a drug differing from the first. Logistic regression was used to adjust for factors that might be associated with switching (dose, age and the presence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes or depression). Of the 2703 eligible men who initiated PDE5 inhibitor treatment during the study period, 91 (3.4%) switched to a different PDE5 inhibitor at their second prescription. The choice of initial PDE5 inhibitor therapy was a highly significant predictor of switching; men initiated on sildenafil were less likely to switch than those initiated on tadalafil (P < 0.001) or vardenafil (P < 0.003). Age and the presence of comorbidities were not significantly associated with switching (P > 0.05). Initiating ED therapy with sildenafil was associated with the lowest rate of PDE5 inhibitor switching, which might reflect treatment satisfaction and patient preference.