A 1.0-GHz single-issue 64-bit powerPC integer processor

The organization and circuit design of a 1.0 GHz integer processor built in 0.25 μm CMOS technology are presented, a microarchitecture emphasizing parallel computation with a single late select per cycle, structured control logic implemented by read-only-memories and programmable logic arrays, and a delayed reset dynamic circuit style enabling complex functions to be implemented in a few levels of logic are among the key design choices described. A means for at-speed scan testing of this high-frequency processor by a low-speed tester is also presented     

Direct synthesis of ZnO nanowire arrays on Zn foil by a simple thermal evaporation process

ZnO nanowire arrays were synthesized on zinc foil by a simple thermal evaporation process at relatively low temperature. Morphology and size controlled synthesis of the ZnO nanostructures was achieved by variation of the synthesis temperature, reaction time and the surface roughness of the substrate. A gas-solid and self-catalytic liquid-solid mechanism is proposed for the growth of nanowires at different temperatures. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed that the as-grown nanowires were of single crystal hexagonal wurtzite structure, growing along the [101] direction. Photoluminescence exhibited strong UV emission at ～382?nm and a broad green emission at ～513?nm with 325?nm excitation. Raman spectroscopy revealed a phonon confinement effect when compared with results from bulk ZnO. The nanowire arrays also exhibited a field emission property.     

Relative performance of chelated zinc and zinc sulphate for lowland rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Field experiments were conducted during the wet seasons of 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 on an Aeric Endoaquept (pH 7.2) to study the relative performance of chelated zinc [Zn ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA)] and zinc sulphate (ZnSO₄) on the growth and yield of rice (cv. IET 4094). The diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) extractable (available) Zn concentration in soil and total Zn content in dry matter of rice increased initially up to 28 days of crop growth when Zn was applied as a single basal source, being greater with chelated Zn compared with ZnSO₄ application. The highest mean Zn uptake by rice grain and straw was found to be 209.2 and 133.8 g ha⁻¹, respectively, in the treatment T₇ (1 kg Zn ha⁻¹ as Zn-EDTA at basal). The mean filled grain percentage, thousand grain weight and number of panicles m⁻² were highest with 90.4%, 25.4 g and 452, respectively, in treatment T₇ where 1 kg ha⁻¹ Zn as Zn-EDTA was applied. The highest yield of grain and straw was 5.5 and 7.3 t ha⁻¹, respectively, in treatment T₇, resulting in a 37.5 and 43.1% increase in yield over that of the control during both the years.     

Multipod znO nanoforms: low temperature synthesis and characterization

ZnO nanotetrapods were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation of Zn powder at a relatively low temperature approximately 600 degrees C. The tetrapods have four legs with hexagonal cross-section. Interpenetrating growth was observed in some of these nanotetrapods. Multipod ZnO nanoforms were produced at higher temperature. The optical characterizations such as optical absorbance, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy reveal excellent crystal qualities of these nanoforms. The field emission studies indicated that these nanoforms could be utilized in field emission based devices.     

Role of gamma radiation and EGDMA on the physico–mechanical properties of jute fabrics/polypropylene composites

Jute fabrics reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites (45 wt % fiber) were prepared by compression molding and their mechanical properties were investigated. Both jute fabrics and PP sheets were treated with gamma radiation (250–1,000 krad dose) at a rate of 350 krad/h. Irradiated jute fabrics were soaked into ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) solutions (5–40% by weight) and cured in an oven at different temperatures (40–100°C) for 60 min. The percentage of polymer loading (PL) was evaluated and found that 20% EGDMA‐treated jute fabrics contains the highest PL. Composites made of 20% EGDMA‐treated jute fabrics were studied further. It was found that the treatment using the EGDMA improved the mechanical properties of the composites significantly. Scanning electron microscopy and aging properties of untreated and treated composites were performed. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Convergecast tree management from arbitrary node failure in sensor network

The efficiency and reliability of convergecast in sensor network depends on the correct and efficient accumulation of data to the sink. A tree, rooted at the sink, that utilizes sensor resources properly is an ideal topology for data gathering. Resource constrained sensor nodes are highly prone to sudden crash. So the application demands a quick and efficient repairing of the tree when a node dies. The proposed scheme builds a data gathering tree rooted at the sink. The tree eventually becomes a Breadth First Search (BFS) tree where each node maintains the shortest hop-count to the root to reduce the routing delay. Each node collects some extra neighborhood information during the tree construction. Thus a little pre-processing at each node helps in taking prompt actions to repair the tree through local adjustment if any arbitrary single or multiple nodes fail in future. On failure of a node, each affected node in its vicinity fixes the parent through a pair of control message transmissions. Simulation results show that the repairing delay is significantly less in average and the convergecast messages are delivered with minimum data loss and no redundancy even in presence of node crash.     

Banana/Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Hybrid Composites: Fabrication and Performance Evaluation

Hybrid composites of Polypropylene (PP) reinforced with intimately mixed short banana and glass fibers were fabricated using Haake twin screw extruder followed by compression molding with and without the presence maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a coupling agent. Incorporation of both the fibers into PP matrix resulted in an increase in tensile, flexural and impact strength with an increasing level of fiber content upto 30 wt% at banana: glass fiber ratio of 15:15 wt% and 2 wt% of MAPP. The rate of water absorption for the hybrid composites decreased due to the presence of glass fiber and coupling agent. The effect of fiber loading in presence of coupling agent on the dynamic mechanical properties has also been analyzed to investigate the interfacial properties. An increase in the storage modulus (E′) of the treated composite indicates higher stiffness. The tan δ spectra confirms a strong influence of fiber contents and coupling agent on the α and β relaxation processes of PP. The nature of fiber matrix adhesion was examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the tensile fractured specimen. Thermal measurements were carried out employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) which indicated a decrease in the crystallization temperature and thermal stability of PP with the incorporation of MAPP treated banana and Glass fiber.     

UV nanoimprint lithography of sub-100 nm nanostructures using a novel UV curable epoxy siloxane polymer

We reported the replication of sub-100 nm nanostructures by an ultraviolet (UV) nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technique. We used a novel UV curable epoxy siloxane polymer as the NIL resist to achieve features as small as 50 nm. The polymeric soft molds for the NIL were fabricated by casting toluene diluted poly(dimethyl-siloxane) (PDMS) on the hydrogensilsesquioxane (HSQ) hard mold. The NIL results were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. Our results illustrate that, with the epoxy siloxane resist, the 50 nm HSQ features on the hard mold can be successfully replicated using PDMS soft molds.     

Numerical model of longitudinal wave scattering in polycrystals

The scattering of elastic waves in polycrystalline materials is relevant for ultrasonic materials characterization and nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Ultrasonic attenuation is used widely to extract microstructural parameters such as grain size. Accurate interpretation of experimental data requires robust scattering models. Such models typically assume constant density, uniform grain size, and ergodicity hypotheses. The accuracy and limits of applicability of these models cannot be fully tested with experiments due to practical limits of real materials processing. Here, this problem is examined in terms of numerical simulations using Voronoi polycrystals that are discretized using finite elements. Wave propagation is studied by integrating the system directly in time using a planestrain formulation. Voronoi polycrystals with cubic symmetry and random orientations are used making the bulk material statistically isotropic. Example numerical results for materials with various degrees of scattering that are of common interest are presented. The numerical results are presented and compared with scattering theory for a wide range of frequencies. The numerical results show good agreement with the theory for the examples examined with evidence that the correlation function is frequency dependent. These results are anticipated to impact ultrasonic NDE of polycrystalline media.