Variable VCC design techniques forbattery-operated DRAMs

Wide-voltage-range DRAMs with extended data retention are desirable for battery-operated or portable computers and consumer devices. The techniques required to obtain wide operation, functionality, and performance of standard DRAMs from 1.8 V (two NiCd or alkaline batteries) to 3.6 V (upper end of LVTTL standard) are described. Specific techniques shown are: (1) a low-power and low-voltage reference generator for detecting V_CC level; (2) compensation of DC generators, V_BB and V_PP, for obtaining high speed at reduced voltages; (3) a static word-line driver and latch-isolation sense amplifier for reducing operating current; and (4) a programmable V_CC variable self-refresh scheme for obtaining maximum data retention time over a full operating range. A sub-50-ns access time is obtained for a 16 M DRAM (2 M×8) by simulation     

Black silicon layer formation for application in solar cells

Low-cost, large area, random and mask less texturing scheme independent of crystal orientation are some of the factors that significantly influence the success of terrestrial photovoltaic technology. This work is focused on the texturing of the silicon surface microstructures by reactive ion etching using a multi-hollow cathode system. Desirable texturing effect has been achieved by applying a radio-frequency power of about 20 W per hollow cathode glow. The etched silicon surface shows almost zero reflectance in the visible region as well as in near-IR region. The silicon surface is covered by columnar microstructures with diameters ranging from 50 to 100 nm and with a depth of about 500 nm. Solar cells with efficiencies of 11.7% and 10.2% with black mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline silicon wafers, respectively, were successfully fabricated and tested.     

Study of impact energy propagation phenomenon and modal characteristics of an armored vehicle undergoing high velocity impact

A new manufacturing technology is being employed to build a new type of armored vehicle. While thick panels are welded together in the old manufacturing technology, relatively thin panels are welded to a frame structure in the new manufacturing technology. The structural integrity of the new type of armor vehicles can be maintained mainly by the frame structures while the panel thickness is reduced significantly to reduce the total vehicle weight. Since the dynamic characteristics of a frame-panel hybrid structure are different from those of the old type of structure which consists of only thick panels, they should be identified to achieve a good performance of the vehicle. For this purpose, a proper FE model of the hybrid type of structure needs to be developed. In the present study, FE models are proposed to represent the frame-panel hybrid type structure efficiently. The impact energy propagation, the transient response and the modal characteristics are investigated with the FE models. This paper was presented at the 4th Asian Conference on Multibody Dynamics(ACMD2008), Jeju, Korea, August 20–23, 2008. Hong-Hee Yoo received a B.S. and M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1980 and 1982. He then went on to receive his Ph.D. degree from Michigan State University in 1989. Dr. Yoo is currently a Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. His research interests are in the area of Flexible body dynamics, vibration.     

Strengthening effects of sprayed fiber reinforced polymers on concrete

The objectives of this study were twofold. The first was to investigate the compressive and flexural behaviors of small‐sized concrete specimens strengthened with sprayed fiber reinforced polymer (SFRP), considering various fiber lengths, fiber volumes, and concrete strengths. The second was to evaluate the strengthening effects of SFRP on the flexural behaviors of large‐sized reinforced concrete beams. U‐shaped strips and shear keys were applied to the test specimens to improve the interfacial bond resistance between the concrete surface and SFRP. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:722–730, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Production and Characterization of Branched Oligosaccharides from Liquefied Starch by the Action of B. Licheniformis Amylase

A branched oligosaccharides (BOS) mixture was produced from liquefied starch solution using a maltogenic amylase of Bacillus licheniformis (BLMA). The BOS mixture was produced by both α-1,4-bond hydrolyzing and α-1,6-transglycosylation activities of BLMA, and it contained 58.3% of various branched oligosaccharides. Small branched oligosaccharides such as isomaltose, isopanose, and panose were identified in the mixture by various analyses including high performance ion-chromatography (HPIC). Major branched DP4 and DP5 molecules in the mixture were determined as 6²-O-α-maltosylmaltose, 6³-O-α-maltosyl-maltotriose and 6²-O-α-maltotriosyl-maltose, respectively. Time course study of BOS production suggested that the hydrolysis and transglycosylation reactions catalyzed by BLMA were coupled. BLMA was likely to transfer a sugar moiety hydrolyzed from a non-reducing end of maltooligosaccharide, mainly maltose, to another moiety of sugar via the formation of α-1,6-linkage. Immobilization of BLMA was attempted as an effort to achieve a continuous process for BOS production. the immobilized enzyme showed improved thermal stability and slight loss of enzyme activity was observed during repeated usage.     

Measurement of heat transfer coefficients for steam condensation on a vertical 21.5-mm-O.D. tube in the presence of air

ABSTRACT

Governing the rate of heat transport by condenser tubes in the passive containment cooling system (PCCS), the steam condensation over a vertical cylinder in the presence of air was investigated experimentally. The main objective of this study was to explore if the condensation heat transfer coefficient relies on the tube dimension, which has been a variable missed in most condensation models or has been embraced without experimental demonstration under phase change environments. The mean heat transfer coefficient was measured in the condensation test facility named JERICHO (JNU Experimental Rig for Investigation of Condensation Heat transfer On tube). The outer diameter of the condenser tube used in this study was set to 21.5 mm. The measured heat transfer coefficients were compared to those obtained from the 40-mm-O.D. tube, and a multiplier to correct the variation of the heat transfer coefficient with the tube diameter was proposed for its application to Lee correlation. The proposed correlation was further validated against another set of experimental data obtained from a separate test facility housing the 31.8-mm-O.D. tube.     

Environmental Phenol and Paraben Exposure Risks and Their Potential Influence on the Gene Expression Involved in the Prognosis of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading malignant tumors in US men. The lack of understanding of the molecular pathology on the risk of food supply chain exposures of environmental phenol (EP) and paraben (PB) chemicals limits the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options. This research aims to utilize a risk assessment approach to demonstrate the association of EP and PB exposures detected in the urine samples along with PCa in US men (NHANES data 2005–2015). Further, we employ integrated bioinformatics to examine how EP and PB exposure influences the molecular pathways associated with the progression of PCa. The odds ratio, multiple regression model, and Pearson coefficients were used to evaluate goodness-of-fit analyses. The results demonstrated associations of EPs, PBs, and their metabolites, qualitative and quantitative variables, with PCa. The genes responsive to EP and PB exposures were identified using the Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD). DAVID.6.8, GO, and KEGG enrichment analyses were used to delineate their roles in prostate carcinogenesis. The plug-in CytoHubba and MCODE completed identification of the hub genes in Cytoscape software for their roles in the PCa prognosis. It was then validated by using the UALCAN database by evaluating the expression levels and predictive values of the identified hub genes in prostate cancer prognosis using TCGA data. We demonstrate a significant association of higher levels of EPs and PBs in the urine samples, categorical and numerical confounders, with self-reported PCa cases. The higher expression levels of the hub genes (BUB1B, TOP2A, UBE2C, RRM2, and CENPF) in the aggressive stages (Gleason score > 8) of PCa tissues indicate their potential role(s) in the carcinogenic pathways. Our results present an innovative approach to extrapolate and validate hub genes responsive to the EPs and PBs, which may contribute to the severity of the disease prognosis, especially in the older population of US men.     

Rosmarinic Acid,as an NHE1 Activator,Decreases Skin Surface pH and Improves the Skin Barrier Function

Stratum corneum (SC) pH regulates skin barrier functions and elevated SC pH is an important factor in various inflammatory skin diseases. Acidic topical formulas have emerged as treatments for impaired skin barriers. Sodium proton exchanger 1 (NHE1) is an important factor in SC acidification. We investigated whether topical applications containing an NHE1 activator could improve skin barrier functions. We screened plant extracts to identify NHE1 activators in vitro and found Melissa officinalis leaf extract. Rosmarinic acid, a component of Melissa officinalis leaf extract, significantly increased NHE1 mRNA expression levels and NHE1 production. Immunofluorescence staining of NHE1 in 3D-cultured skin revealed greater upregulation of NHE1 expression by NHE1 activator cream, compared to vehicle cream. Epidermal lipid analysis revealed that the ceramide level was significantly higher upon application of the NHE1 activator cream on 3D-cultured skin, compared to application of a vehicle cream. In a clinical study of 50–60-year-old adult females (n = 21), application of the NHE1 activator-containing cream significantly improved skin barrier functions by reducing skin surface pH and transepidermal water loss and increasing skin hydration, compared to patients who applied vehicle cream and those receiving no treatment. Thus, creams containing NHE1 activators, such as rosmarinic acid, could help maintain or recover skin barrier functions.     

Effect of field enhancement on inorganic powder electroluminescence using short carbon nanotubes

Inorganic powder electroluminescence (IPEL) devices with the insertion of a carbon nanotube (CNT) layer were investigated to verify the effect of the increased local field produced by CNTs on electroluminescence (EL). To increase the field strength effectively, the CNTs were shortened using the cryogenic crushing method. IPEL devices with the insertion of a short CNT layer exhibited an increase in brightness and efficiency with increasing amount of CNTs. The local field enhancement by CNTs, further enlarged by the triple-junction, could increase the field strength applied to the phosphor, resulting in improved EL performance. In addition, short CNTs in an EL device can lead to field enhancement without an unintentional current flowing into the device.     

Blockchain Network Based Topic Mining Process for Cognitive Manufacturing

Wireless Personal Communications - Cognitive manufacturing has brought about an innovative change to the 4th industrial revolution based technology in combination with blockchain distributed...