Angular MST‐Based Topology Control for Multi‐hop Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

This letter presents an angular minimum spanning tree (AMST) algorithm for topology control in multi‐hop wireless ad hoc networks. The AMST algorithm builds up an MST for every angular sector of a given degree around each node to determine optimal transmission power for connecting to its neighbors. We demonstrate that AMST preserves both local and network‐wide connectivity. It also improves robustness to link failure and mitigates transmission power waste.     

A Temperature‐Controllable Microelectrode and Its Application to Protein Immobilization

This letter presents a smart integrated microfluidic device which can be applied to actively immobilize proteins on demand. The active component in the device is a temperature‐controllable microelectrode array with a smart polymer film, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) which can be thermally switched between hydrophilic and hydrophobic states. It is integrated into a micro hot diaphragm having an integrated micro heater and temperature sensors on a 2‐micrometer‐thick silicon oxide/silicon nitride/silicon oxide (O/N/O) template. Only 36 mW is required to heat the large template area of 2 mm×16 mm to 40°C within 1 second. To relay the stimulus‐response activity to the microelectrode surface, the interface is modified with a smart polymer. For a model biomolecular affinity test, an anti‐6‐(2, 4‐dinitrophenyl) aminohexanoic acid (DNP) antibody protein immobilization on the microelectrodes is demonstrated by fluorescence patterns.     

A 60 GHz Medium Power Amplifier for Radio‐over‐Fiber System

We present the design and fabrication of a 60 GHz medium power amplifier monolithic microwave integrated circuit with excellent gain‐flatness for a 60 GHz radio‐over‐fiber system. The circuit has a 4‐stage structure using microstrip coupled lines instead of metal‐insulator‐metal capacitors for unconditional stability of the amplifier and yield enhancement. The gains of each stage of the amplifier are modified to provide broadband characteristics of input/output matching for the first and fourth stages and to achieve higher gains for the second and third stages to improve the gain‐flatness of the amplifier for wideband.     

Wide‐Band Fine‐Resolution DCO with an Active Inductor and Three‐Step Coarse Tuning Loop

This paper presents a wide‐band fine‐resolution digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) with an active inductor using an automatic three‐step coarse and gain tuning loop. To control the frequency of the DCO, the transconductance of the active inductor is tuned digitally. To cover the wide tuning range, a three‐step coarse tuning scheme is used. In addition, the DCO gain needs to be calibrated digitally to compensate for gain variations. The DCO tuning range is 58% at 2.4 GHz, and the power consumption is 6.6 mW from a 1.2 V supply voltage. An effective frequency resolution is 0.14 kHz. The phase noise of the DCO output at 2.4 GHz is –120.67 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset.     

Numerical simulation of rime ice accretion process on an airfoil

To simulate the ice accretion on an airfoil, a boundary moving technique is proposed to deal with the distortion of the airfoil surface due to ice accretion on the leading edge. Incorporating the two‐phase model of air‐supercooled droplets in the Eulerian coordinate system, this technique is applied to simulate the process of the rime ice accretion (the droplets freeze at the instant impinging on the airfoil) on the NACA 0012 airfoil, and the ice profile after ice accretion is achieved successfully. A brief comparison between the results of this paper and the experiment data indicates that the current method is applicable and effective. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(4): 226–234, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20064     

Continuity wave in the elongated bubble region of horizontal slug flow

Visualized observation on the wave feature in a horizontal slug flow was made with a high‐speed digital camera. It was found that the liquid film flow in the elongated bubble region of slug flow behaves as a continuity wave. Theoretical analysis was carried out and it reveals that the liquid film flow is a continuity wave with celerity the same as the translational velocity of the elongated bubble. The control equation for the liquid film height in the elongated bubble region was derived. The results predicted by the equation fit well with the observed data. A new conclusion was obtained that slug flow has continuity wave in it, explaining the stable slug flow wave characterization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(8): 547–554, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20092     

Visual Cryptography Based on an Interferometric Encryption Technique

This paper presents a new method for a visual cryptography scheme that uses phase masks and an interferometer. To encrypt a binary image, we divided it into an arbitrary number of slides and encrypted them using an XOR process with a random key or keys. The phase mask for each encrypted image was fabricated under the proposed phase‐assignment rule. For decryption, phase masks were placed on any path of the Mach‐Zehnder interferometer. Through optical experiments, we confirmed that a secret binary image that was sliced could be recovered by the proposed method.