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From the viewpoint of the device performance, the fabrication and patterning of oxide–metal–oxide (OMO) multilayers (MLs) as transparent conductive oxide electrodes with a high figure of merit have been extensively investigated for diverse optoelectronic and energy device applications, although the issues of their general concerns about possible shortcomings, such as a more complicated fabrication process with increasing cost, still remain. However, the underlying mechanism by which a thin metal mid-layer affects the overall performance of prepatterned OMO ML electrodes has not been fully elucidated. In this study, indium tin oxide (ITO)/silver (Ag)/ITO MLs are fabricated using an in-line sputtering method for different Ag thicknesses on glass substrates. Subsequently, a Q-switched diode-pumped neodymium-doped yttrium vanadate (Nd:YVO4, λ = 1064 nm) laser is employed for the direct ablation of the ITO/Ag/ITO ML films to pattern ITO/Ag/ITO ML electrodes. Analysis of the laser-patterned results indicate that the ITO/Ag/ITO ML films exhibit wider ablation widths and lower ablation thresholds than ITO single layer (SL) films. However, the dependence of Ag thickness on the laser patterning results of the ITO/Ag/ITO MLs is not observed, despite the difference in their absorption coefficients. The results show that the laser direct patterning of ITO/Ag/ITO MLs is primarily affected by rapid thermal heating, melting, and vaporization of the inserted Ag mid-layer, which has considerably higher thermal conductivity and absorption coefficients than the ITO layers. Simulation reveals the importance of the Ag mid-layer in the effective absorption and focusing of photothermal energy, thereby supporting the experimental observations. The laser-patterned ITO/Ag/ITO ML electrodes indicate a comparable optical transmittance, a higher electrical current density, and a lower resistance compared with the ITO SL electrode.

High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) was used to deposit ITO/Ag/ITO (IAgI) and ITO/Cu/ITO (ICuI) sandwiched films on polyethylene naphthalate substrate at room temperature as flexible transparent conductive materials. The hybrid layers were constructed with 40 nm ITO bottom and top layers, and a 5–20 nm Ag or Cu interlayer. The microstructure and optoelectrical properties were estimated for these films with various thicknesses of the metal interlayer. Thanks to the high-power density and highly ionized plasma in the HiPIMS process, the IAgI and ICuI sandwich structures exhibited good crystallinity and smooth surfaces with high optical transmittance and low sheet resistance. The optimal figure of merit was obtained as 101.16 × 10−3·Ω−1 for the IAgI film and 4.83 × 10−3·Ω−1 for the ICuI film with the metal interlayer thickness of 10 nm, both of which are higher than that from a similar structure reported via sputtering at room temperature. These results indicate that HiPIMS is a promising technique to deposit transparent conductive films onto soft substrates for applications in flexible optoelectronic devices.

Opinion statementMelanoma has several clinically and pathologically distinguishable subtypes, which also differ genetically. Mutation patterns vary among different melanoma subtypes, and efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors differs depending on the subtype of melanoma. In spite of the recent revolution of systemic therapies for advanced melanoma, access to innovative agents is still restricted in many countries. This review article aimed to describe the epidemiology and current status of systemic therapies for melanoma in Japan, where melanoma is rare, but access to innovative agents is available. Acral and mucosal melanomas, which are common in Asian populations, predominantly occur in sun-protected areas and share several biological features. Both the melanomas harbor KIT mutation in approximately 15% of the cases; BRAF or NRAS mutation is found in approximately 10–15% of acral melanoma, but these mutations are less frequent in mucosal melanoma. Combined use of BRAF and MEK inhibitors is one of the standards of care for patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma. In patients with melanoma harboring KIT mutation in exon 11 or 13, KIT inhibitors can be a treatment option; however, none of them have been approved in Japan. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors are expected to be less effective against acral and mucosal melanomas because their somatic mutation burden is lower than those in non-acral cutaneous melanomas. A recently completed phase II trial of nivolumab and ipilimumab combination therapy in 30 Japanese patients with melanoma, including seven with acral and 12 with mucosal melanoma, demonstrated an objective response rate of 43%. Regarding oncolytic viruses, canerpaturev (C-REV, also known as HF10) and talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) are currently under review in early phase trials. In the adjuvant setting, dabrafenib plus trametinb combination, nivolumab monotherapy, and pembrolizumab monotherapy were approved in July, August, and December 2018 in Japan, respectively. However, most of the adjuvant phase III trials excluded patients with mucosal melanoma. A phase III trial of adjuvant therapy with locoregional interferon (IFN)-β versus surgery alone is ongoing in Japan (JCOG1309, J-FERON), in which IFN-β is injected directly into the site of the primary tumor postoperatively, so that it would be drained through the untreated lymphatic route to the regional node basin. After the recent approval of these new agents, the JCOG1309 trial will be revised to focus on patients with stage II disease. In conclusion, acral and mucosal melanomas have been treated based on the available medical evidence for the treatment of non-acral cutaneous melanomas. Considering the differences in genetic backgrounds and therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy, specialized therapeutic strategies for these subtypes of melanoma should be established in the future.

TiO 2 NPs and ITO NPs embedded systems are vital for surface modification in various applications. Enhancing the characterization of TiO 2 NPs/ITO NPs nanoparticles to improve application efficiency is a key research direction. This study focuses on characterizing nanocomposites using TEM, SEM, XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, EDS, and PL spectroscopy. TiO 2 NPs and ITO NPs were separately prepared using the sol-gel method, and their hybridization was achieved through an appropriate method. TEM images reveal the nano size of TiO 2 NPs and TiO 2 NPs/ITO NPs, with mean diameters of 12.25 ± 13 nm and 11.43 ± 11 nm, respectively. Hexagonal structures like nanoparticles are observed in the TEM analysis. SEM images demonstrate the uniform dispersion and smooth surface morphology of TiO 2 NPs/ITO NPs. XRD analysis confirms the crystalline nature of TiO 2 NPs, corresponding to specific crystallographic planes in the hexagonal structure. The addition of ITO NPs induces a redshift in the UV-Vis spectra, suggesting an influence on the bandgap of TiO 2 NPs and potential applications in photocatalytic degradation and solar energy utilization. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals optical characteristics of the TiO 2 NPs/ITO NPs hybrid nanostructures, with a visible emission peak redshift nm at room temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 600 °C. These findings contribute to understanding the optical behavior and interaction between ITO NPs and TiO 2 NPs in the hybrid nanostructures. Overall, these characterization techniques provide valuable information on size, shape, crystallinity, optical properties, and interactions within the nanocomposites, benefiting further research and potential applications.

Recently, during the investigations on planetary oceans, Hirota-Satsuma-Ito-type models have been developed. In this paper, for a (2+1)-dimensional generalized variable-coefficient Hirota-Satsuma-Ito system describing the fluid dynamics of shallow-water waves in an open ocean, non-characteristic movable singular manifold and symbolic computation enable an oceanic auto-Bäcklund transformation with three sets of the oceanic solitonic solutions. The results rely on the oceanic variable coefficients in that system. Future oceanic observations might detect some nonlinear features predicted in this paper, and relevant oceanographic insights might be expected.

In this paper, we present the effects of annealing in a vacuum on the structural, electrical, thermoelectric, optical and properties of a glass/ITO (40 nm)/Cu (5 nm)/Ni (10 nm)/ITO (40 nm) multilayer prepared on glass substrates at room temperature using the Radio Frequency (RF) sputtering technique. The effect of annealing in a vacuum is investigated. The structures of the ICNI were analyzed using X-Ray Reflectivity (XRR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, the electrical and optical properties were characterized using the four-point probe measurement method and a UV–Vis-NIR spectrometer, respectively. The influence of the annealing temperature in a vacuum on transmittance, structural integrity, electrical behavior, energy band gap, resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and figure of merit were investigated.

Purpose This paper aims to explain how small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) create information technology (IT) business value through blended IT outsourcing (ITO). The explanatory framework it proposes enables SMEs to replicate IT capability outcomes (i.e. enhance their economic, strategic and technological competences, namely, ITO success) by endorsing an ITO strategy catalyzed by IT vendor integration. Design/methodology/approach This study uses covariance-based structural equation modeling to test the proposed research model. Data are collected from 251 knowledge-intensive business SMEs located in Science and Technology Parks in Spain. Findings The results demonstrate empirically that SMEs can replicate IT capability benefits (i.e. enhance their non-IT competences) through blended ITO in which IT, conceptualized as a transversal supporting activity, is outsourced to an IT vendor while the value creation process remains with the buyer. The integration (i.e. process integration and information sharing) of an IT-proficient vendor catalyzes ITO success. More specifically, the results show that, although process integration is not directly related to competence enhancement, fosters information sharing, which directly facilitates ITO success. The results also show that IT vendor proficiency accounts for ex ante trust. Practical implications Managers should think of transformational ITO as a strategy to enhance firm competences. For blended ITO strategies to succeed, managers must have a comprehensive understanding of the business they run, as it is important to create conditions that foster inter-firm information sharing. To achieve these conditions, managers should take special care in selecting boundary spanners, who are the pivotal links in competence enhancement. Originality/value While most research focuses on ongoing trust (i.e. trust develops as ITO evolves), this study focuses on initial (i.e. ex ante) trust and analyzes IT vendor proficiency (expert, experienced and reputed) to examine trust as an antecedent of ITO. This study also draws on previous conceptualizations of vendor integration to develop and analyze a two-step integration model to explain how IT vendor integration (i.e. process integration and information sharing) catalyzes enhancement of the buyer’s non-IT competences. This study focuses on SMEs, which are often neglected in ITO studies.

Except for the difference in distribution, Nevus of Ito and Nevus of Ota are very similar. In this report, we present the rare simultaneous occurrence of Nevus of Ota and Nevus of Ito in a21-year-old female patient. Her histopathological examination reveals dermal dendritic melanocytes scattered in the upper portion of the dermis of the lesions. Pulsed Q-switched laser surgery is the choice of treatment for the simultaneous occurrence of Nevus of Ota and Nevus of Ito.

We obtain some properties of a class$\\mathcal{A}$of$q$ -hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials with$q=-1$ , described by a uniform parametrization of the recurrence coefficients. We construct a class$\\mathcal{C}$of complementary$-1$polynomials by means of the Darboux transformation with a shift. We show that our classes contain the Bannai-Ito polynomials and their complementary polynomials and other known$-1$polynomials. We introduce some new examples of$-1$polynomials and also obtain matrix realizations of the Bannai-Ito algebra.

In order to optimize the optoelectronic performance based on metal-doped ITO LED, the effect of the thickness of the ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film in metal-doped ITO LED is investigated in this paper. Al-doped ITO films with thicknesses of 50 nm, 70 nm, and 110 nm were designed and prepared on the UV LED epitaxial wafer with a peak wavelength of 393 nm, and a 90 nm SiO 2 passivation layer was prepared on its surface to form Al-doped ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film of 140 nm, 160 nm and 200 nm on the surface of the LED. At the same time, ITO/SiO 2 double-layer films of the above three thicknesses formed by undoped ITO films with SiO 2 passivation layers were prepared on the slides. The photovoltaic properties of the prepared LED and the transmittance and square resistance of the ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film were measured. The experimental data show that the LED with a 200 nm Al-doped ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film has 13.8% and 26% enhanced optical power compared to the LED with 140 nm and 160 nm Al-doped ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film system, respectively, and it has the lowest operating voltage. By comparing the optical power of LED with metal-doped ITO to the light transmittance of an undoped ITO/SiO 2 double-layer film, we found that the effect of metal doping is related to the thickness of the ITO double-layer film, and there is a negative correlation between the two in a specific range.