Complementary techniques for the characterization of thin film Ti/Nb multilayers

An aberration corrector on the probe-forming lens of a scanning TEM (STEM) equipped with an electron energy-loss spectrometer (EELS) and X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer (XEDS) has been employed to investigate the compositional variations as a function of length scale in nanoscale Ti/Nb metallic multilayers. The composition profiles of EELS and XEDS were compared with the profiles obtained from the complementary technique of 3D atom probe tomography. At large layer widths (h≥7 nm, where h is the layer width) of Ti and Nb, XEDS composition profiles of Ti/Nb metallic multilayers are in good agreement with the EELS results. However, at reduced layer widths (h≈2 nm), profiles of EELS and atom probe exhibited similar compositional variations, whereas XEDS results have shown a marked difference. This difference in the composition profiling of the layers has been addressed with reference to the effects of beam broadening and the origin of the signals collected in these techniques. The advantage of using EELS over XEDS for these nanoscaled multilayered materials is demonstrated.     

Stabilization loop of a two axes gimbal system using self-tuning PID type fuzzy controller

The application of inertial stabilization system is to stabilize the sensor's line of sight toward a target by isolating the sensor from the disturbances induced by the operating environment. The aim of this paper is to present two axes gimbal system. The gimbals torque relationships are derived using Lagrange equation considering the base angular motion and dynamic mass unbalance. The stabilization loops are constructed with cross coupling unit utilizing proposed fuzzy PID type controller. The overall control system is simulated and validated using MATLAB. Then, the performance of proposed controller is evaluated comparing with conventional PI controller in terms of transient response analysis and quantitative study of error analysis. The simulation results obtained in different conditions prove the efficiency of the proposed fuzzy controller which offers a better response than the classical one, and improves further the transient and steady-state performance.     

A wide-range programmable frequency synthesizer based on a finite state machine filter

In this article, an FPGA-based design and implementation of a fully digital wide-range programmable frequency synthesizer based on a finite state machine filter is presented. The advantages of the proposed architecture are that, it simultaneously generates a high frequency signal from a low frequency reference signal (i.e. synthesising), and synchronising the two signals (signals have the same phase, or a constant difference) without jitter accumulation issue. The architecture is portable and can be easily implemented for various platforms, such as FPGAs and integrated circuits. The frequency synthesizer circuit can be used as a part of SERDES devices in intra/inter chip communication in system-on-chip (SoC). The proposed circuit is designed using Verilog language and synthesized for the Altera DE2-70 development board, with the Cyclone II (EP2C35F672C6) device on board. Simulation and experimental results are included; they prove the synthesizing and tracking features of the proposed architecture. The generated clock signal frequency of a range from 19.8?MHz to 440?MHz is synchronized to the input reference clock with a frequency step of 0.12?MHz.     

Coupling automated radon and carbon dioxide measurements in coastal waters

Groundwater discharge could be a major, but as yet poorly constrained, source of carbon dioxide to lakes, wetlands, rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters. We demonstrate how coupled radon ((222)Rn, a natural groundwater tracer) and pCO(2) measurements in water can be easily performed using commercially available gas analysers. Portable, automated radon and pCO(2) gas analysers were connected in series and a closed air loop was established with gas equilibration devices (GED). We experimentally assessed the advantages and disadvantages of six GED. Response times shorter than 30 min for (222)Rn and 5 min for pCO(2) were achieved. Field trials revealed significant positive correlations between (222)Rn and pCO(2) in estuarine waterways and in a mangrove tidal creek, implying that submarine groundwater discharge was a source of CO(2) to surface water. The described system can provide high resolution, high precision concentrations of both radon and pCO(2) with nearly no additional effort compared to measuring only one of these gases. Coupling automated (222)Rn and pCO(2) measurements can provide new insights into how groundwater seepage contributes to aquatic carbon budgets.     

Endometriosis and the neoplastic process

Endometriosis is a frequent disorder that commonly presents with infertility and pelvic pain. Although the precise aetiology of endometriosis is unclear, it is generally considered to involve multiple genetic, environmental, immunological, angiogenic and endocrine processes. Genetic factors have been implicated in endometriosis but the susceptibility genes remain largely unknown. Although endometriosis is a benign disorder, recent studies of endometriosis suggest endometriosis could be viewed as a neoplastic process. Evidence to support this hypothesis includes the increased susceptibility to develop ovarian clear-cell and endometrioid cancers in the presence of endometriosis, and molecular similarities between endometriosis and cancer. In this article we discuss (i) the evidence suggesting that endometriosis might be viewed as a neoplastic process, and (ii) the implications of this hypothesis for elucidating the pathogenesis of endometriosis and developing novel methods of diagnostic classification and individualised treatments.     

Modelling of axis feed consumed energy for sustainable manufacturing

The accurate evaluation of electrical energy demanded by a CNC toolpath during a machining process is essential to determine its efficiency. Actually, the dynamic behavior of cutting forces seems to be neglected by investigators despite its influence on the consumed cutting energy during a face milling operation. This paper aims to investigate the effect of dynamic behavior of the machining system in order to take into account the dynamic response of the cutting forces on the axis feed power prediction. A dynamic cutting power model is developed in order to predict the consumed cutting energy. A parametric study is performed in order to show the impact of cutting conditions on the consumed energy values. The numerical results are compared to experimental ones.     

纤巧型便携式设计中的多媒体信号路径

引言 把语音服务、高分辨率相机模块、MP3或PMP播放器功能整合在单个移动电话设计中,已成为未来中高端电话市场的发展趋势。除了超高的功率（〉700mW）立体声音频功能外,视频输出功能也出现在手机应用中,其输出仍主要是CVBS格式,而某些电话甚至提供S视频或模拟RGB输出。