A New Design of a CMOS Vertical Hall Sensor with a Low Offset.

Vertical Hall sensors (VHSs), compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, are used to detect magnetic fields in the plane of the sensor. In previous studies, their performance was limited by a large offset. This paper reports on a novel CMOS seven-contact VHS (7CVHS), which is formed by adding two additional contacts to a traditional five-contact VHS (5CVHS) to alleviate the offset. The offset voltage and offset magnetic field of the 7CVHS are reduced by 90.20% and 88.31% of those of the 5CVHS, respectively, with a 16.16% current-related sensitivity loss. Moreover, the size and positions of the contacts are optimized in standard GLOBALFOUNDRIES 0.18 µm BCDliteTM technology by scanning parameters using FEM simulations. The simulation data are analyzed in groups to study the influence of the size and contact positions on the current-related sensitivity, offset voltage, and offset magnetic field.

Risk factors for contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI): protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Identifying the patients who are at risk for contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI), which is defined as an increase in serum creatinine after exposure to contrast media, is a critical step in targeted prevention strategies. The absolute and relative importance of individual risk factors have not been systematically evaluated, let alone the new, controversial and modifiable risk factors of CI-AKI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: On 1 July 2019, a search was performed on MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. We will perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the important risk factors for developing CI-AKI, including those new, modifiable factors, which are considered controversial. The secondary endpoint will be all-cause mortality. Two authors will then independently screen studies that meet the criteria for inclusion, consulting with a third author to resolve any dispute. The quality of the included studies will be assessed according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval in this systematic review and meta-analysis protocol is not needed. We will disseminate the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis via publications in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019121534.