Low-power 50 Gbit/s InP HBT 1:4 demultiplexer IC with multiphase clock architecture

An InP HBT 1:4 demultiplexer IC with a multiphase clock architecture is described that reduces the number of circuit elements and power consumption while maintaining operating speed. The IC operated at 50 Gbit/s with 1.17 W power consumption at a supply voltage of -4.5 V. Compared to an IC with a conventional tree-type architecture using the same InP HBTs, the power consumption is less than half while the operating speed of 50 Gbit/s is maintained.     

Primary structure of the pig homologue of human IHRP: inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family heavy chain-related protein

We reviewed 153 episodes of invasive pneumococcal disease involving 147 hospitalized patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease to examine and compare epidemiologic and clinical features, capsular serotypes, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns. HIV infection was the most common risk factor for invasive pneumococcal disease. Pneumococcal disease in HIV-infected individuals was characterized by the greater frequency with which pneumonia was the source of bacteremia (90% vs. 63%) (P < .01) and an increased recurrence rate (15% vs. < 1%) (P < .01). The overall mortality rate was 12% and did not vary by HIV serostatus. Capsular-type data were available for 149 episodes; 90% of the types were among those found in the polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine. The four most common capsular types causing invasive disease were 14, 6b, 9v, and 22f; capsular type 9v was significantly more common among HIV-infected patients (P < .01). Penicillin-resistant isolates were identified in 7.2% of all cases, and their presence did not vary by HIV status; 20% of isolates from cerebrospinal fluid were resistant. The majority of the resistant isolates were of capsular type 9v. Given the worldwide increase in both HIV and penicillin-resistant pneumococcal infections, better preventative and therapeutic strategies are greatly needed.     

Thermodynamics of phosphorus and sulfur in the BaO-MnO flux system between 1573 and 1673 K

The oxidative dephosphorization of carbon-saturated Fe-Mn alloys was successfully demonstrated by measuring the phosphorus partition ratio between BaO-MnO, BaO-MnO-BaF₂, and BaO-CaO_satd.-MnO fluxes and liquid Fe-Mn-C_satd. alloy between 1573 and 1673 K. The phosphorus partition ratio increases with increasing BaO content of the flux. The phosphate capacity of the BaO-MnO flux is as high as that of the BaO-BaF₂ flux and is far larger than those of CaO-bearing fluxes. Addition of BaF₂ to the BaO-MnO flux increases BaO solubility, which increases the phosphate capacity. The manganese partition ratios between the BaO-MnO flux and Fe-Mn-C_satd. alloy were approximately constant at 0.64, 0.33, and 0.23 at 1573, 1623, and 1673 K, respectively. The carbon content of the BaO-MnO flux was measured as functions of slag composition, temperature, and partial pressure of CO. A stable species of carbon in the BaO-MnO flux was found to be BaC₂ experimentally and thermodynamically. The sulfide capacity of the BaO-MnO system at 1573 K has been shown to be far larger than any known flux systems and to be a few times larger than that for the BaO-BaF₂ system. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgy, The University of Tokyo     

A comparative study of Cd‐ and Zn‐compound buffer layers on Cu(In1−x,Gax)(Sy,Se1−y)2 thin film solar cells

This paper reports a comparative study of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ (CIGSSe) thin‐film solar cells with CBD‐CdS, CBD‐ZnS(O,OH) and ALD‐Zn(O,S) buffer layers. Each buffer layer was deposited on CIGSSe absorber layers which were prepared by sulfurization after selenization (SAS) process by Solar Frontier K. K. Cell efficiencies of CBD‐CdS/CIGSSe, CBD‐ZnS(O,OH)/CIGSSe and ALD‐Zn(O,S)/CIGSSe solar cells exceeded 18%, for a cell area of 0.5 cm². The solar cells underwent a heat‐light soaking (HLS) post‐treatment at 170 °C under one‐sun illumination in the air; among the three condtions, the ALD‐Zn(O,S)/CIGSSe solar cells showed the highest cell efficiency of 19.78% with the highest open‐circuit voltage of 0.718 V. Admittance spectroscopy measurements showed a shift of the N₁ defect's energy position toward shallower energy positions for ALD‐Zn(O,S)/CIGSSe solar cells after HLS post‐treatment, which is in good agreement with their higher open‐circuit voltage and smaller interface recombination than that of CBD‐ZnS(O,OH)/CIGSSe solar cells. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

1,8-Cineole Ameliorates Steatosis of Pten Liver Specific KO Mice via Akt Inactivation

Hepatocyte-specific Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten)-knockout (KO) mice exhibit hepatic lesions analogous to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). 1,8-cineole is a monoterpene oxide and it has several biological effects including hepatoprotective effects. In this study we revealed that 1,8-cineole ameliorates NASH of Pten KO mice. Pten KO mice were assigned to a control group without any medication or to a 1,8-cineole group injected with 50 mg/kg i.p. twice per week for eight weeks. At eight weeks, livers from each group were processed to measure triglyceride (TG) content, gene expression analysis, western blot analysis, and histological examination including Oil red O staining. 1,8-cineole ameliorated hepatic steatosis in Pten KO mice, revealed by TG content and Oil red O staining. Moreover, 1,8-cineole downregulated collagen 1a1 expression and improved liver fibrosis. Thus, 1,8-cineole has potential as a candidate to treat NASH by inactivating the Akt/PI3-kinase pathway.     

Fatty Acid Conjugates of Water‐Soluble (±)‐trans‐Selenolane‐3,4‐diol: Effects of Alkyl Chain Length on the Antioxidant Capacity

Fatty acid monoesters of the title compound (DHS^red), of variable carbon chain length (propionate, laurate, myristate, palmitate, and stearate), were synthesized, and their antioxidant capacities were evaluated by means of a lipid peroxidation assay with lecithin/cholesterol liposomes. The selenides with long alkyl chains exhibited significant antioxidant activity (IC₅₀=9–34 μM ) against accumulation of lipid hydroperoxide. Incorporation of the myristate into the liposome was ≈50 % by EPMA analysis. Intermediacy of the selenoxide was examined by NMR. In addition, enhancement of interfacial redox catalytic activity was observed for the myristate, but not for PhSeSePh and edaravone, in a PhCl/H₂O biphasic peroxidation assay. These results suggested that a combination of a hydrophilic selenide moiety as a redox center with a long alkyl chain is an effective approach to selenium antioxidants with interfacial glutathione‐peroxidase‐like (GPx‐like) activity. The activity can be controlled by the alkyl chain length.     

Surface-retained organic matter of Microcystis aeruginosa inhibiting coagulation with polyaluminum chloride in drinking water treatment

Algogenic organic matter produced by the excess growth of cyanobacteria in semi-closed water areas causes coagulation inhibition in drinking water production. In this study, hydrophilic substances of Microcystis aeruginosa, which were mainly composed of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and RNA, were prepared, and the involvement of these cyanobacterial hydrophilic substances in coagulation inhibition was investigated. As a result, it was found that the negatively charged hydrophilic substances with a molecular weight higher than 10 kDa have a significant role in coagulation inhibition. Further fractionation of cyanobacterial hydrophilic substances revealed that surface-retained organic matter (SOM), including LPS, could exhibit a potent inhibitory effect on the coagulation using polyaluminum chloride (PACl), presumably because of the direct interaction of hydrophilic SOM with cations originated from PACl, which could impede the hydrolysis of the coagulant.     

Ageing Effects on the Yielding Characteristics of Cement-Mixed Granular Materials

Ageing effects on the elasto-viscoplastic property of compacted moist cement-mixed granular material (GM) were evaluated by performing a series of non-standard drained triaxial compression (TC) tests. Two types of GM, crushed gravelly soil from a quarry and crushed concrete aggregate (i.e., a recycled material), were used. The specimens were produced by moist-compaction and then cured at constant water content under unstressed conditions for seven days. They were re-cured basically for two days under different stress states during otherwise drained TC loading at a constant strain rate. Yielding characteristics upon the restart of drained monotonic loading (ML) at a constant strain rate toward ultimate failure at the same or increased or decreased confining pressure were evaluated. The stress-strain behaviour before the stress state reaches the current yield locus is very stiff and highly reversible. Unlike elasto-plastic materials exhibiting no ageing effects, the yield locus expands during sustained loading at a fixed effective stress state due to not only yielding associated with creep deformation, controlled basically by the viscous property, but also ageing, controlled basically by time-elapsing. The shape and location of current yield locus depends on the location of the current stress state relative to the current ultimate failure envelope. The observed yield characteristics were analyzed based on a newly introduced interactive double-yield concept while in the framework of the non-linear three-component elasto-viscoplastic model that takes into account ageing effects as well as an interaction between ageing and inviscid yielding (and its potential decay by irreversible straining). The trends of stress-strain-time behaviour observed with the two types of cement-mixed GMs are essentially the same.