Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is one of the oldest oil crops and is widely cultivated in Asia and Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships and population structure of 277 sesame core collection accessions collected from 15 countries in four different continents. A total of 158 alleles were detected among the sesame accessions, with the number varying from 3 to 25 alleles per locus and an average of 11.3. Polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.34 to 0.84, with an average of 0.568. These values indicated a high genetic diversity at 14 loci both among and within the populations. Of these, 44 genotype-specific alleles were identified in 12 of the 14 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. The core collection preserved a much higher level of genetic variation. Therefore, 10.1% was selected as the best sampling percentage from the whole collection when constructing the core collection. The 277 core collection accessions formed four robust clusters in the unweighted pair group method and the arithmetic averages (UPGMA) dendrogram, although the clustering did not indicate any clear division among the sesame accessions based on their geographical locations. Similar patterns were obtained using model-based structure analysis and country-based dendrograms, as some accessions situated geographically far apart were grouped together in the same cluster. The results of these analyses will increase our understanding of the genotype-specific alleles, genetic diversity and population structure of core collections, and the information can be used for the development of a future breeding strategy to improve sesame yield.

Based on a citric acid-assisted hydrothermal method, series of Ce3+/Tb3+ activated fluorides have been synthesized. By controlling the amount of KNO3, the final products evolve from the Ce3+/Tb3+ codoped orthorhombic phase GdF3 to the Ce3+/Tb3+ codoped cubic phase KGdF4. The concentration of Ce3+ has great effects on the crystalline phases and the morphologies of final products. The Ce3+ concentration dependent samples illustrate the appearance of the hexagonal phase solid solution CeF3–GdF3–TbF3 in the final products. When the Ce3+ concentration is 20 mol%, the sample Ce20 presents the hexagonal phase CeF3 but the diffraction peaks move to higher degree. The x-ray diffraction patterns suggest the phase evolution of final products, the field emission scanning electron microscopy images present the variation in morphology of samples, and the photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra as well as the luminescent dynamic curves illustrate the optical properties of samples.

TbMnO3 exists in an orthorhombic phase in nature. Recently, we successfully grew TbMnO3 thin films in the hexagonal phase using epitaxial stabilization techniques. In this article, we will show the details of the deposition conditions that allow us to fabricate the hexagonal TbMnO3 films on Pt–Al2O3(0001) substrates. The artificial hexagonal phase can be easily formed above 850 °C, irrespective of the oxygen partial pressure. The hexagonal TbMnO3 films showed ferroelectric properties, which are significantly enhanced compared to those of the orthorhombic TbMnO3 bulk phase. We find interesting anomalies in the magnetic and magnetodielectric properties of the TbMnO3 films at around 45 K, which should be related with the Mn3+ spin reorientation. We also find spin-glass-like behaviors in the magnetic susceptibility, which could be attributed to the geometric frustration of antiferromagnetically coupled Mn spins with an edge-sharing triangular lattice. This work shows details of the growth and properties of hexagonal TbMnO3 films.

System in package (SiP) is a superb candidate to enhance the area efficiency and performance of electronic packaging. Here, recent work on stacked chip type 3D SiP with vertically interconnected through hole vias are reported. The process includes; formation of 50um-diameter via holes, conformal deposition of SiO2 dielectric layer, deposition of Ta and Cu barrier layers, via filling by Cu electroplating, Cu/Sn bump formation for multi-chip stacking, and finally chip-to-PCB bonding using Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder and ENIG pad. A prototype 3D SiP stacked up to 10 layers was successfully fabricated.

A high frequency electrical model of the through hole via was proposed and the model parameters were extracted from measured S-parameters. The proposed model was verified by TDR/TDT (time domain reflectometry/time domain transmission) and eye-diagram measurement. Contact resistances of Cu via and bump joint were presented.

Electroneuronography (ENoG) has become a useful test for estimating the degree of facial nerve degeneration and predicting the prognosis in patients with facial nerve palsy. Test results may be influenced by several factors, including the electrode positions, skin resistance, stimulus magnitude, and possible artifacts. Regarding recording electrode positions, different groups have used two different locations, the nasolabial fold and nasal ala. The authors compared the waveforms recorded from these two locations in ENoG recordings to obtain the optimal waveform. Twenty healthy volunteers and 25 patients with unilateral facial nerve palsy were included in this study. Recordings were carried out with the recording electrode placed on the nasolabial fold, followed by placement on the nasal ala after 10 minutes. The following parameters were assessed: (1) the supramaximal threshold, (2) amplitude and shape of the waveform, (3) interside difference, and (4) test-retest variability. There was no significant difference in the amplitude of the waveform, interside difference, and test-retest variability between the two groups. However, when the electrode was placed on the nasal ala, the threshold was significantly lower, an ideal biphasic configuration was present in almost all cases (97.5 per cent) of normal volunteers and it was easier to identify the waveform. Placement of the recording electrode on the nasal ala would be the preferred method.

Reactive ion etching of PbZrxTi1−xO3 (PZT) and Pt thin films was studied by using chlorine and fluorine gas chemistry in an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). PZT films were etched by varying the etching parameters including coil RF power, dc-bias voltage to substrate, and gas pressure. Etching characteristics of PZT films were investigated in terms of etch rate, etch selectivity, etch profile. Etch profile along with etch anisotropy was observed as a function of etching parameter by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). For the understanding of etching mechanism, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis for the film composition were utilized. Platinum thin films have been etched by using Cl2/Ar in an ICP for the development offence-free etching. The redeposited materials formed on the pattern sidewall by using Cl2/Ar gas combination were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). We found that the redeposited material was mainly PtCh compound. Based on this result, SiCl4/Cl2/Ar gas chemistry has been proposed as a new etching gas and demonstrated good etching profile of Pt films without unwanted redeposition.

The electron cyclotron resonance plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ECR PECVD) method is used to prepare ferroelectric PbTiO3 films. Single-phase perovskite PbTiO3 films with smooth surfaces and fine grain size were successfully fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates at low temperatures of 400–500 °C using metal-organic (MO) sources. The chemical compositions, structural phases, surface morphologies, and depth profiles of the PbTiO3 thin films were investigated using EDS, XRD, SEM, RBS, and AES. Variations of those properties with process temperature and gas supply ratio are discussed. When the process temperature was above 450 °C, the stoichiometric perovskite PbTiO3 films could be obtained even though the MO source supply ratio was varied in a wide range if the oxygen supply was sufficient.