A poly-silicon TFT with a sub-5-nm thick channel for low-power gain cell memory in mobile applications

This work presents a gain-cell solution in which a novel ultrathin polysilicon film transistor provides the basis for dense and low-power embedded random-access memory (RAM). This is made possible by the new transistor's 2-nm-thick channel, which realizes a quantum-confinement effect that produces a low leakage current value of only 10/sup -19/ A at room temperature. The memory has the potential to solve the power and stability problems that static RAM (SRAM) is going to face in the very near future.     

Isolation and characterization of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate)-degrading microorganism

Poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA)-degrading bacterium, strain 1-A, was isolated from soil. Strain 1-A was identified as Bacillus pumilus on the basis of its physiological properties and partial 16S rRNA gene sequence. Strain 1-A also degraded poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and poly(epsilon-caprolactone). On the other hand, poly(butylene adipate terephthalate) and poly(lactic acid) were minimally degraded by strain 1-A. The NMR spectra of degradation products from PBSA indicated that the adipate units were more rapidly degraded than 1,4-butanediol and succinate units. This seems to be one of the reasons why strain 1-A degraded PBSA faster than PBS.     

The use of a virtual city model for assessing equity in access to views

The development of virtual city models has provided novel possibilities for analyses that require consideration of building heights in urban areas. The study was undertaken to explore these possibilities by using the virtual Kyoto model to examine equity in access to views in the Japanese city. A sample of just over 5000 residences was selected by stratifying for population age and affluence. A series of viewsheds were computed to quantify the visibility of a range of environmental amenities (greenspaces, water bodies, historical buildings, mountains) and disamenities (factories and roads). Evidence of inequity in visual amenity was identified, whereby homes in areas with many old people were much less likely to have views of greenspaces and water bodies, although they were also less likely to see factories and roads and were more likely to view mountains. Homes in more affluent areas had better views of greenspaces, historical buildings, and mountains, and were less likely to see factories and water bodies. We discuss the potential of virtual city models for furthering analyses of the urban environment and raise some caveats regarding their use.     

ALP住宅

精选理由日本住宅在设计上讲究"小、巧、精致、舒适"的实用主义,特别是在集合住宅中,更会将精致与实用相结合。本案例中,建筑师以折叠的立面挑战传统建筑中方盒子形状的体量,用对角线替代绝对水平及绝对垂直线条,操弄开放与闭合之间的关系,营造实用生活空间的同时不忘精致效果。     

液氧集中供气新技术

本文介绍了一种新型的液氧集中供气技术，阐述了该系统主要设备的技术参数选择、性能、安全使用和维护保养等问题。     

Improvement of polymer/fullerene solar cells by controlling geometry of the ITO substrate surface

We have found that the short-circuit current, J_sc, of polymer/fullerene [RR-P3HT/C₆₀] solar cells has a clear dependence on the surface roughness of the ITO/glass substrate. We prepared an ITO surface with an average roughness, R_a, of 0.7–11 nm by chemical etching. At first J_sc increases with the increase in ITO surface roughness and then gradually decreases. The maximum performance was obtained at R_a≈4 nm. J_sc is also high with a very flat surface of R_a=0.7 nm. This feature can be attributed to the trade-off between the increase in absorption light path length and film-quality deterioration.     

Development of a multigrid-type microstrip gas chamber

Conventional microstrip gas chambers (MSGCs) have encountered many difficulties, such as limited gas gain and sparking damages. We propose a new multigrid-type MSGC (M-MSGC) to overcome some of these difficulties. Additional grid strips are inserted between the anode and the cathode in this new type of MSGC. Gaps between these strips are chosen to be as small as 10 μm where one can expect an efficient removal of the surface charge. With the existence of other strips with lower potentials than the anode, the field strength around the neighboring grid to the anode strip is not as high as the conventional small-gap MSGCs. The contribution of the surface streamer to the damage is greatly suppressed because the electric field parallel to the surface is screened by the intermediate grid electrodes. However, additional electrodes also screen all the electric field of the upper part of the substrate, and we cannot observe induced signals from the backside of the substrate. To overcome that difficulty, we propose another signal readout method using a patterning approach. Floating pads are placed close to the cathode strip on the surface of the M-MSGC, and the induced charges are read out via the pads. If the area of the pads is sufficiently large and the positive charges are moving toward the pads, the backside electrodes can sense the induced charge. Collected charges on the pads are leaked through the surface resistance. The backside signal through 2.3-mm-thick glass readout of the position along the cathode strips is successfully confirmed through experimental results     

Effects of the doping profile on current characteristics in BSITs

Proposed are two doping profiles of the conducting channel in bipolar-mode static induction transistors (BSITs) that improve the current handling capability. By using the results obtained from two-dimensional device simulations, it is shown that BSITs with the proposed profiles exhibit higher drain current density and DC current gain than conventional BSITs. Also discussed is the tradeoff between the current and voltage capabilities     

Cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in total and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels over a 20-year period in elderly men: the Honolulu Heart Program

PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to describe levels of total cholesterol and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in a group of elderly men and to compare these levels to those that were observed 20 years earlier. METHODS: From 1965-1968, the Honolulu Heart Program began following 8006 men of Japanese ancestry living on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in a prospective study of coronary heart disease and stroke. This report presents data for 971 men who participated in a separate fasting study of lipids and lipoproteins that first occurred from 1970-1972 and in those who received repeat examinations 10 and 20 years later. Men were aged 71-93 years at the last examination. RESULTS: Over the 20-year period, total cholesterol declined by 1.6-1.8 mg/dL per year (P < 0.001), from average baseline values of 219-222 mg/dL. Levels of HDL-C rose 0.2-0.3 mg/dL per year (P < 0.001), from average baseline values of 44-46 mg/dL. After adjustment for baseline cholesterol levels, men with prevalent coronary heart disease at the end of the 20-year follow-up experienced significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol levels than men without disease (P < 0.001). Men who developed coronary heart disease within the first 10 years of follow-up had the greatest yearly decline in total cholesterol (1.9 mg/dL), followed by men who developed heart disease later (1.8 mg/dL) and men who remained disease free (1.5 mg/dL). Differences between men with recent and earlier disease were not statistically significant, although men without coronary disease experienced a significantly smaller decrease in total cholesterol than either of these groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in total cholesterol and HDL-C levels with advancing age may be part of a natural aging process. Some changes, however, such as large reductions in total cholesterol, may signal occult disease or declines in overall health. Selective survival may contribute to these findings since improvements in lipid and lipoprotein levels that are beneficial in younger ages were common in this long-lived cohort of men.     

An autopsy case of cytokeratin 7-positive minute adenocarcinoma of the lung with systemic metastases

We describe a 60-year-old woman with leg pain. Although metastatic bone tumor and atypical cells mimicking signet-ring cells in the bone marrow picture were observed, systemic survey revealed no primary lesion. The patient died two months after admission from systemic progress of the disease. Autopsy revealed a small focus of adenocarcinoma within the right upper lobe of the lung and systemic metastases without any particular changes in the gastrointestinal tract. The tumor cells of the lung were diffusely positive for cytokeratin 7, whereas cytokeratin 20 immunoreactivity was weak and focal, and that supported the lung origin of the present tumor. Moreover, the tumor cells in the bone marrow showed a similar pattern in immunoreactivity. These findings suggest that cytokeratin 7 and cytokeratin 20 immunoreactivity is helpful for the premortem diagnosis of the metastatic tumor of unknown origin.