Charge-Gated Thin-Film Transistors for High Resolution Digital Imaging Applications

A field-effect thin-film transistor (TFT) with two gates, which are charge and voltage gates, is introduced. By applying a proper voltage to the voltage gate, the device is biased at a desired operating point or turned on and off, whereas the amount of charge deposited on the charge gate, which is embedded inside the dielectric, shifts the threshold voltage and therefore modulates the drain-source current. Such device finds application in sensor circuits, particularly high resolution sensor arrays, where it replaces both the transconducting amplifier and the addressing switch transistor, thus reducing transistor count per pixel. Device structure, operation, and characteristics are derived and discussed. A planar configuration of the charge-gated TFT was fabricated by using top-gate amorphous silicon TFTs and implemented in a 100-mum -pitch two-transistor active pixel sensor test structure.     

Everything over IP — an overview of the strategic change in voice and data networks

This paper investigates the changes that are required in networking technology for ‘everything over IP’ to become a reality. Initially the changes that are taking place in the telecommunications industry are reviewed. This review ranges from a discussion about the companies installing massive global IP networks to the emergence of novel routeing technologies, e.g. multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) and terabit router technologies. The role of existing telecommunications operators is then discussed, along with the reasons why they are developing interworking and intelligence layers based on distributed computing principles to support all their networks — mobile, fixed, broadband and IP.     

Noise Figure Reduction in Externally Modulated Analog Fiber-Optic Links

An octave-bandwidth microwave photonic link with a third-order limited spurious-free dynamic range of 121 dB in a 1-Hz bandwidth has been demonstrated. The link noise figure of 9 dB at a modulation frequency of 2 GHz was achieved by using a bias-shifted Mach-Zehnder modulator with an optical input power of 500 mW. This level of performance was realized without electronic or optical linearization     

The sinuous antenna-A dual polarized feed for reflector-based searching systems

The sinuous antennas have a numerous applications in military and civil systems such as direction finding systems and reflector feeds due to their superior broadband characteristics and simultaneous polarization capability. In this paper, design, construction and measurements of planar sinuous antennas are investigated for 1–5 GHz frequency range. Feeding sections of this antenna are realized by using microstrip tapered baluns. We have determined the microstrip tapered balun dimensions using Ansoft HFSS-simulation program. The performances of the manufactured antenna are measured using HP vector network analyzer. Polarization patterns and return loss characteristics of the designed antenna that have been measured in anechoic chamber, are presented.     

A smart multi-user massive MIMO system for next G Wireless communications using evolutionary optimized antenna selection

Recently multiserver queues with setup times have been extensively studied because they have applications in power-saving data centers. A challenging model is the M/M/c/Setup queue where a server is turned off when it is idle and is turned on if there are some waiting jobs. Recently, Gandhi et al. (in: Proceedings of the ACM SIGMETRICS, pp. 153–166, ACM, 2013; Queueing Syst. 77(2):177–209, 2014) obtain the generating function of the number of jobs in the system, as well as the Laplace transform of the response time using the recursive renewal reward approach and the distributional Little’s law (Keilson and Servi in Oper Res Lett 7(5):223– 227, 1988). In this paper, we derive exact solutions for the joint stationary queue length distribution of the same model using two alternative methodologies: generating function approach and matrix analytic method. The generating function approach yields exact closed form expressions for the joint stationary queue length distribution and the conditional decomposition formula. On the other hand, the matrix analytic approach leads to an exact recursive algorithm to calculate the joint stationary distribution and performance measures so as to provide some application insights.     

Efficiency of granulated blast furnace slag replacement of cement according to the equivalent binder concept

The strength development of slag cement has a great consideration for the scheduling of formwork removal, prestressing operations, and other practical aspects of slag cement usage. The prediction of slag concrete strength, using the Feret’s model has been studied by introducing the concept of the equivalent binder. This has led to define an efficiency coefficient of slag which distinguishes the latter with the regard to the cement. Thus, this obtained coefficient characterizes well the slag and lets to predict the slag concrete strength from strength values of a normal concrete made without slag for a given age and replacement rate. At 90 days age, the test results show that for 15% replacement rate, the slag is activated completely and gives 67% of efficiency more than the cement. For higher replacement rate, the efficiency of the slag decreases and becomes similar to that of cement for 50% replacement rate.     

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Lipid Fingerprint of Glioblastoma Proliferative Regions Is Differentially Regulated According to Glioblastoma Molecular Subtype

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents one of the deadliest tumors owing to a lack of effective treatments. The adverse outcomes are worsened by high rates of treatment discontinuation, caused by the severe side effects of temozolomide (TMZ), the reference treatment. Therefore, understanding TMZ’s effects on GBM and healthy brain tissue could reveal new approaches to address chemotherapy side effects. In this context, we have previously demonstrated the membrane lipidome is highly cell type-specific and very sensitive to pathophysiological states. However, little remains known as to how membrane lipids participate in GBM onset and progression. Hence, we employed an ex vivo model to assess the impact of TMZ treatment on healthy and GBM lipidome, which was established through imaging mass spectrometry techniques. This approach revealed that bioactive lipid metabolic hubs (phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen species) were altered in healthy brain tissue treated with TMZ. To better understand these changes, we interrogated RNA expression and DNA methylation datasets of the Cancer Genome Atlas database. The results enabled GBM subtypes and patient survival to be linked with the expression of enzymes accounting for the observed lipidome, thus proving that exploring the lipid changes could reveal promising therapeutic approaches for GBM, and ways to ameliorate TMZ side effects.     

Electronic structure and optical properties of complex hydrides LiBH4 and NaAlH4 compounds

The properties of the complex hydrides LiBH₄ and NaAlH₄ such as structural, electronic, and optical properties were calculated using the augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (APW + lo) method. The three phases α, β, and γ of LiBH₄ and NaAlH₄ hydrides are studied, the β‐phase is transformed at the high‐pressure to γ phase for the compound LiBH₄ with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with a 16% volume decrease. However, NaAlH₄ compound did not show any phase transition. The interaction between the boron (aluminum) atoms and the hydrogen atoms in the [AlH₄]^? ([BH₄]^? ) complexes is strongly covalent, and between the complexes [AlH₄]^? and the lithium Li⁺ cations for the LiBH₄ compound and between the complexes [AlH₄]^? and the sodium Na⁺ cations for the NaAlH₄ compound, the bond is ionic. For the most stable phases of the two complex hydrides, different optical parameters have been calculated as a function of the photon energy. The plasma frequency ω_p is calculated from the mean peak of the energy loss function. Therefore, by way of example, the plasma energy ?ω_p of its peak position is 13.23 (12.93) eV for α‐NaAlH₄ (α‐LiBH₄).     

Regulation of Amylose Content by Single Mutations at an Active Site in the Wx-B1 Gene in a Tetraploid Wheat Mutant

The granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI) encoded by the waxy gene is responsible for amylose synthesis in the endosperm of wheat grains. In the present study, a novel Wx-B1 null mutant line, M3-415, was identified from an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized population of Chinese tetraploid wheat landrace Jianyangailanmai (LM47). The gene sequence indicated that the mutated Wx-B1 encoded a complete protein; this protein was incompatible with the protein profile obtained using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which showed the lack of Wx-B1 protein in the mutant line. The prediction of the protein structure showed an amino acid substitution (G470D) at the edge of the ADPG binding pocket, which might affect the binding of Wx-B1 to starch granules. Site-directed mutagenesis was further performed to artificially change the amino acid at the sequence position 469 from alanine (A) to threonine (T) (A469T) downstream of the mutated site in M3-415. Our results indicated that a single amino acid mutation in Wx-B1 reduces its activity by impairing its starch-binding capacity. The present study is the first to report the novel mechanism underlying Wx-1 deletion in wheat; moreover, it provided new insights into the inactivation of the waxy gene and revealed that fine regulation of wheat amylose content is possible by modifying the GBSSI activity.