Conductive adhesive with transient liquid‐phase sintering technology for high‐power device applications

A highly reliable conductive adhesive obtained by transient liquid‐phase sintering (TLPS) technologies is studied for use in high‐power device packaging. TLPS involves the low‐temperature reaction of a low‐melting metal or alloy with a high‐melting metal or alloy to form a reacted metal matrix. For a TLPS material (consisting of Ag‐coated Cu, a Sn96.5‐Ag3.0‐Cu0.5 solder, and a volatile fluxing resin) used herein, the melting temperature of the metal matrix exceeds the bonding temperature. After bonding of the TLPS material, a unique melting peak of TLPS is observed at 356 °C, consistent with the transient behavior of Ag₃Sn + Cu₆Sn₅ → liquid + Cu₃Sn reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The TLPS material shows superior thermal conductivity as compared with other commercially available Ag pastes under the same specimen preparation conditions. In conclusion, the TLPS material can be a promising candidate for a highly reliable conductive adhesive in power device packaging because remelting of the SAC305 solder, which is widely used in conventional power modules, is not observed.     

Optimal replacement strategy for stochastic deteriorating system with random wear limit under periodic inspections

In this paper, we examine the preventive maintenance policies for systems/items which are degraded continuously in time and the degree of deterioration that can be observed through periodic inspection. The items will be replaced preventively if the wear process exceeds a limit at periodic inspection or replaced immediately on failure. The limit is assumed to be random in taking individual variation to withstand damages or unmeasurable variables latent to failure into account. Continuous wear process is modeled via a gamma process. We derive an optimal wear limit for preventive replacement so that the long-run total expected cost per unit time is minimized. The proposed method is applied to a problem of block mat inspection for the barrier’s seabed protection.     

La0.8Sr0.2Cr0.95Ru0.05O3−x and Sm0.8Ba0.2Cr0.95Ru0.05O3−x as partial oxidation catalysts for diesel

La_0.8Sr_0.2Cr_0.95Ru_0.05O_3−x (LSCR) and Sm_0.8Ba_0.2Cr_0.95Ru_0.05O_3−x (SBCR), Ru-substituted perovskite catalysts, are investigated for the partial oxidation (POX) of diesel to produce hydrogen-rich gases for fuel cell applications. Metal-substituted perovskite materials have been investigated as reforming catalysts because the metal atoms are well-dispersed in the perovskite structure. However, Ru de-mixing and a secondary phase of LSCR and SBCR are observed after reduction at high temperature. The thermal stability, sulfur tolerance and aromatic decomposition over LSCR and SBCR are compared to those over Ru on Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_2−x (CGO). During the thermal stability test, the catalytic activities of LSCR and SBCR improve after operating at 1000 °C. The sulfur tolerance and aromatic decomposition activity of LSCR and SBCR improve when the temperature increases to 950 °C. The improvements are attributed to the de-mixed Ru from the perovskite structure at high temperatures under a reductive atmosphere.     

Who will cross the border? – The transition of political discussion into the newly emerged venues

This study explores the political implications of new communication technologies with a focus on their role as political discussion venues. Assuming that new technologies could expand the sphere for political discourse, we investigate the transition of citizens’ face-to-face political discussion into the computer-mediated online context. With analyses of a representative sample of US adults, this study explicates the link between the traditional and newly emerged discussion venues online. Our results reveal that significant differences in the transition pattern arise from variances in citizens’ political interest and age. In addition, in an attempt to reconcile the two seemingly conflicting hypotheses, we examine the role of political interest and age in the transition process within one integrated theoretical framework. Our findings highlight the conditions under which the democratic potential of the new venues becomes magnified, and draws attention to the importance of examining the dynamics underlying the transition of discussion venues.     

Rice PIN Auxin Efflux Carriers Modulate the Nitrogen Response in a Changing Nitrogen Growth Environment

Auxins play an essential role in regulating plant growth and adaptation to abiotic stresses, such as nutrient stress. Our current understanding of auxins is based almost entirely on the results of research on the eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana, however, the role of the rice PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers in the regulation of the ammonium-dependent response remains elusive. Here, we analyzed the expression patterns in various organs/tissues and the ammonium-dependent response of rice PIN-family genes (OsPIN genes) via qRT–PCR, and attempted to elucidate the relationship between nitrogen (N) utilization and auxin transporters. To investigate auxin distribution under ammonium-dependent response after N deficiency in rice roots, we used DR5::VENUS reporter lines that retained a highly active synthetic auxin response. Subsequently, we confirmed that ammonium supplementation reduced the DR5::VENUS signal compared with that observed in the N-deficient condition. These results are consistent with the decreased expression patterns of almost all OsPIN genes in the presence of the ammonium-dependent response to N deficiency. Furthermore, the ospin1b mutant showed an insensitive phenotype in the ammonium-dependent response to N deficiency and disturbances in the regulation of several N-assimilation genes. These molecular and physiological findings suggest that auxin is involved in the ammonium assimilation process of rice, which is a model crop plant.     

Antibacterial activities of polyphenols against foodborne pathogens and their application as antibacterial agents

Food Science and Biotechnology - Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced in higher plants. They are known to possess various functional properties in the human body. Polyphenols also exhibit...     

Reinforcement Q-learning based on Multirate Generalized Policy Iteration and Its Application to a 2-DOF Helicopter

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - In this paper, we propose a novel Q-learning method based on multirate generalized policy iteration (MGPI) for unknown discrete-time (DT)...     

Determination of atomistic deformation of tricalcium silicate paste with high-volume fly ash

We examined the effect of incorporating high-volume fly ash on the atomic arrangement and interatomic deformation behavior of calcium silicate hydrates in tricalcium silicate paste upon exposure to external forces. The interatomic structural changes and strains under compressive load were assessed using synchrotron in situ high-energy X-ray scattering-based atomic pair distribution function analysis. Three different types of strains, which were (a) macroscopic strains from gauges on the surfaces of specimen, (b) strains in a reciprocal space (Bragg peak shift), and (c) strains in real space (PDF peak shift), were compared to each other. All monitored and calculated strains for tricalcium silicate-fly ash (50 wt% fly ash) paste were compared with the counterparts of the pure tricalcium silicate paste. Pair distribution function analysis in the range of r < 10 Å indicated that the atomic arrangement of tricalcium silicate-fly ash was similar to that of synthetic calcium silicate hydrates followed by that of pure tricalcium silicate paste. Moreover, the pair distribution function refinement results revealed that the calcium silicate hydrate structure in tricalcium silicate-fly ash paste was similar to tobermorite 11 Å, unlike that in pure tricalcium silicate paste. The interatomic strain of tricalcium silicate-fly ash in the real space (r < 20 Å) was smaller than that of tricalcium silicate under compression, which suggested that the incompressibility of calcium silicate hydrates at atomistic scale was enhanced by the incorporation of fly ash into it. This was likely to be caused by the increased silicate polymerization of calcium silicate hydrates, which was attributed to the increase in the amount of silicate in their structure via the addition of fly ash.     

A time-varying lot sizes approach for the economic lot scheduling problem with returns

We consider the economic lot scheduling problem with returns by assuming that each item is returned by a constant rate of demand. The goal is to find production frequencies, production sequences, production times, as well as idle times for several items subject to returns at a single facility. We propose a heu ristic algorithm based on a time-varying (TV) lot sizes approach. The problem is decomposed into two distinct portions: in the first, we find a combinatorial part (production frequencies and sequences) and in the second, we determine a continuous part (production and idle times) in a specific production sequence. We report computational results that show that, in many cases, the proposed TV lot sizes approach with consideration of returns yields a relatively minor error.