Fully integrated CMOS UWB pulse generator

The design of a fully integrated CMOS ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse generator for the 3.1-10.6 GHz frequency band is presented. The pulse generation is based on the filter impulse response technique. With such a technique, the pulse matches the FCC mask with no need for an expensive external filter. The layout of this circuit in a 0.13 mum CMOS technology shows a surface area of less than 0.57 mm² and a power consumption of around 20 mW     

VWF,Platelets and the Antiphospholipid Syndrome

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity with the persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). Laboratory criteria for the classification of APS include the detection of lupus anticoagulant (LAC), anti-cardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and anti-β2glycoprotein I (aβ2GPI) antibodies. Clinical criteria for the classification of thrombotic APS include venous and arterial thrombosis, along with microvascular thrombosis. Several aPLs, including LAC, aβ2GPI and anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) have been associated with arterial thrombosis. The Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) plays an important role in arterial thrombosis by mediating platelet adhesion and aggregation. Studies have shown that aPLs antibodies present in APS patients are able to increase the risk of arterial thrombosis by upregulating the plasma levels of active VWF and by promoting platelet activation. Inflammatory reactions induced by APS may also provide a suitable condition for arterial thrombosis, mostly ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The presence of other cardiovascular risk factors can enhance the effect of aPLs and increase the risk for thrombosis even more. These factors should therefore be taken into account when investigating APS-related arterial thrombosis. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism by which aPLs can cause thrombosis remains to be elucidated.     

Mass loss and flammability of insulation materials used in sandwich panels during the pre‐flashover phase of fire

Nowadays, buildings contain more and more synthetic insulation materials in order to meet the increasing energy‐performance demands. These synthetic insulation materials have a different response to fire. In this study, the mass loss and flammability limits of different sandwich panels and their cores (polyurethane (PUR), polyisocyanurate (PIR) and stone wool) are studied separately by using a specially designed furnace. Expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene are tested on their cores only. The research has shown that the actual mass loss of synthetic and stone wool‐based cores is comparable up to 300 °C. From 300 °C onwards, the mass loss of PUR panels is significant higher. The mass losses up to 350 °C are 7%, 29% and 83% for stone wool, PIR and PUR respectively, for the influenced area. Furthermore, delamination can be observed at exposure to temperatures above 250 °C for the synthetic and 350 °C for the mineral wool panels. Delamination occurs due to the degradation of the resin between core and metal panels and the gasification of the (PUR) core. The lower flammability limits have been established experimentally at 9.2% m/m (PUR) and 3.1% m/m (PS). For PUR, an upper limit of 74% was found. For PIR and mineral wool, no flammability limits could be established. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Defecting From the Gutenberg Legacy: Employing Images to Test Knowledge Gaps

Education‐based knowledge gaps are well‐documented across countries, media platforms, and content. Without exception, knowledge is measured through words not images. Given the centrality of sight in the natural history of Homo sapiens, the extraordinary visual acuity of humans, and the proliferation of screen‐based visual media environments in contemporary life, an experiment was conducted to test the knowledge gap visually. Participants watched 8 audiovisual news stories. Simple recognition of story details and comprehension of that information were tested in verbal and visual modalities. Results offered the first confirmation of the knowledge gap in visual terms. Yet, gaps were significantly smaller employing visual than verbal measures, pointing to the need for continued efforts to develop visual measures for future memory studies.     

Impact of the Cd2+ treatment on the electrical properties of Cu2ZnSnSe4 and Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

The present contribution aims at determining the impact of modifying the properties of the absorber/buffer layer interface on the electrical performance of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ (CZTSe) thin‐film solar cells, by using a Cd²⁺ partial electrolyte (Cd PE) treatment of the absorber before the buffer layer deposition. In this work, CZTSe/CdS solar cells with and without Cd PE treatment were compared with their respective Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGSe)/CdS references. The Cd PE treatment was performed in a chemical bath for 7 min at 70 °C using a basic solution of cadmium acetate. X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements have revealed the presence of Cd at the absorber surface after the treatment. The solar cells were characterized using current density–voltage (J–V), external quantum efficiency, and drive‐level capacitance profiling measurements. For the CZTSe‐based devices, the fill factor increased from 57.7% to 64.0% when using the Cd PE treatment, leading to the improvement of the efficiency (η) from 8.3% to 9.0% for the best solar cells. Similar observations were made on the CIGSe solar cell reference. This effect comes from a considerable reduction of the series resistance (R_S) of the dark and light J–V, as determined using the one‐diode model. The crossover effect between dark and light J–V curves is also significantly reduced by Cd PE treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow analysis of water–powder mixtures: Application to specific surface area and shape factor

This paper addresses the characterization of powder materials with respect to their application in concrete. Given that powders provide by far highest percentage of specific surface area in a concrete mix, their packing behavior and water demand is of vital interest for the design of concrete. They dominate physical properties like workability or strength and durability in hardened state.Regarding the granular properties of powders, different states of packing are analyzed and compared. In reference to water demands, this paper compares and analyzes four different methods, including the spread-flow test. It is shown that linear relations can be derived in order to correlate the methods. Besides comments and modifications to individual tests, the spread-flow test is analyzed in more detail. In this way new measures are derived which contribute to a deeper understanding of wet granular mixtures at the onset of flowing.Furthermore, the deformation coefficient which is derived by the spread-flow test is confirmed to correlate with the product of Blaine surface and intrinsic density of the individual powders when the mixture is flowing only under its own weight. Similarly, correlations with equal accuracy are found with a computed specific surface, based on measured particle size distributions. Using the flow experiments it is possible to derive an overall factor for assessing the non-spherical shape of the powder particles. It is shown that the computed surface area and the Blaine value have a constant ratio (of about 1.7).Finally, the value of a constant water layer thickness around the powder particles is computed for all powders at the onset of flowing. This implies the possibility to predict flow behavior of paste only based on the knowledge of their specific surface area, either determined by computation or Blaine measurements.     

Calculation of thermal conductivity of gypsum plasterboards at ambient and elevated temperature

Plasterboard often protects steel structures of buildings because it conducts heat slowly and absorbs the heat of the fire by its volumetric enthalpy. The most important property governing the heat transfer is the thermal diffusion. This property depends on the density, specific heat and thermal conductivity. The first two can be calculated based on the mass composition of the board. The thermal conductivity is more difficult to derive since it is a directional property. This paper will focus on the calculation of the thermal conductivity at ambient and elevated temperatures. It is shown that the thermal conductivity of gypsum plasterboard (i.e. a porous medium) can be assumed to be a three‐phase system. Plasterboard consists of a solid phase and a water/air mix in the voids. The differences between different theoretical equations for both dry and moistured plasterboards are presented. The equation proposed by Zehner and Schlunder (Chem. Ing.‐Tech. 1972; 44 (23):1303–1308) with shape‐factor C of 5 gave good agreement with experimental data of the different boards. Furthermore, the influence of the composition of the boards on the thermal conductivity is investigated. This has an influence, especially since the composition is also related to its moisture content. Regression analysis points out that the moisture content depends only on the gypsum content. A value of 2.8% absorbed water on the mass of gypsum is found, and this water plays an important role in the thermal conductivity of plasterboard at ambient temperature. Finally, the thermal conductivity of board at elevated temperature is computed. A close fit between computed and experimental values derived from literature is found. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the early-age behavior of zero-slump concrete

This paper presents experimental investigations and analyses on the early-age-behavior of zero-slump concrete, such as compaction behavior and green-strength. First, the influence of the granulometric properties of the fines is discussed in detail. For this purpose, the early-age behavior of two different fines (quartz flour and fly ash) is investigated by means of the intensive compaction test (IC-test). The tests on the influence of the fines focus on effects caused by differences in the particle shape and the use of a plasticizing admixture. The conducted tests on the compaction behavior of the fines and their corresponding green-strength are extended to continuously graded granular mixes. Here, the influence of optimized particle packing on the early-age behavior is presented and a comparison on the basis of the aforementioned quartz flour and fly ash is made. In this consideration, experimental investigations on the early-age behavior of a zero-slump concrete mix and possible effects on the hardened concrete properties are included.