Polystyrene negative resist for high-resolution electron beam lithography

We studied the exposure behavior of low molecular weight polystyrene as a negative tone electron beam lithography (EBL) resist, with the goal of finding the ultimate achievable resolution. It demonstrated fairly well-defined patterning of a 20-nm period line array and a 15-nm period dot array, which are the densest patterns ever achieved using organic EBL resists. Such dense patterns can be achieved both at 20 and 5 keV beam energies using different developers. In addition to its ultra-high resolution capability, polystyrene is a simple and low-cost resist with easy process control and practically unlimited shelf life. It is also considerably more resistant to dry etching than PMMA. With a low sensitivity, it would find applications where negative resist is desired and throughput is not a major concern.     

A symmetric lattice-based wideband wide phase range digital phase shifter topology

In this paper, a novel digital phase shifter topology that achieves wideband and wide phase range is proposed. Wide frequency band operation is accomplished employing symmetrical all-pass lattice structures. Compact phase shifter size is obtained utilizing the miniaturized microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) design implementation technology. Therefore, resulting phase shifter units are suitable for various communication systems such as radar and cellular communication smart antenna arrays. This paper provides complete design equations together with design algorithm for the selected phase shift and the center frequency. Design algorithm is developed on MatLab environment. The proposed phase shifting circuit is implemented employing the commercially available 0.18-μm silicon CMOS technology. The new phase shifter topology provides 0⁰ to 360⁰ phase shift range over X-band, even beyond.     

Effects of nucleating agent and processing conditions on the mechanical,thermal, and optical properties of biaxially oriented polypropylene films

The effects of nucleating agent, temperature of crystallization, and degree of machine direction (MD) orientation on the mechanical, optical, and thermal properties of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films were investigated. Addition of nucleating agent improved only the initial tear resistance in the MD; however, the other mechanical and optical properties did not change appreciably. In the set of experiments in which the crystallization temperature was increased, the degree of crystallinity also increased. Thus, Young's modulus, yield stress, and tensile strength increased in both directions with higher degree of crystallinity. The yield strain did not change significantly, but the strain at break was higher. Although the initial tear resistance was smaller in both directions with increasing crystallization temperature, the tear propagation resistance did not change. In this case, haze and diffuse transmittance were slightly higher, but the total transmittance was constant. In the set of experiments in which the machine direction orientation was increased, the degree of crystallinity also became higher. Owing to the effects of higher crystallinity and higher MD orientation, the modulus, yield stress, and tensile strength increased, but the yield strain and tear propagation resistance did not significantly change in both directions.     

A new hybrid approach for nonconvex economic dispatch problem with valve-point effect

In literature, economic dispatch problems are generally categorized as convex and nonconvex optimization problems. In this study, a solution is proposed for economic dispatch problem with valve point effect, which is one of the nonconvex optimization problems. For this reason the hybrid approach used for solution of this problem is formed as a combination of modified subgradient (MSG) and harmony search (HS) algorithms. This approach (MSG-HS) is applied in three different lossy test systems (Three machines 6-bus, IEEE 5-machines 14-bus, IEEE 6-machines 30-bus systems) solved with different methods in the literature. System losses are calculated by using B loss matrix. The resulting optimal solution values are compared with the solution values in the literature and the results are discussed.     

A Machine Learning Approach to Detection of Trade-Based Manipulations in Borsa Istanbul

Computational Economics - This study investigates trade-based manipulations of capital market instruments. The dataset of the study was gathered from 22 cases of manipulation in Borsa Istanbul...     

A novel adaptive sliding mode control with application to MEMS gyroscope

This paper presents a new adaptive sliding mode controller for MEMS gyroscope; an adaptive tracking controller with a proportional and integral sliding surface is proposed. The adaptive sliding mode control algorithm can estimate the angular velocity and the damping and stiffness coefficients in real time. A proportional and integral sliding surface, instead of a conventional sliding surface is adopted. An adaptive sliding mode controller that incorporates both matched and unmatched uncertainties and disturbances is derived and the stability of the closed-loop system is established. The numerical simulation is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. It is shown that the proposed adaptive sliding mode control scheme offers several advantages such as the consistent estimation of gyroscope parameters including angular velocity and large robustness to parameter variations and external disturbances.     

A preliminary study on the conservation and polishing performance of Sanliurfa limestones as a traditional building material

Sanliurfa limestones have been used as building materials from antiquity to current day (e.g., Gobeklitepe temple B.P. 14,000, Bazda underground quarries B.P. 3000, Harran castle B.P. 3000, etc.). These antique structures are listed within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s World Heritage List. However, the stones were used in these structures without any protection, and atmospheric conditions (precipitation, acid rain, temperature changes, etc.) cause damage to these stones over time, such as strength loss, abrasion, and discoloring. The damage can lead to the collapse of precious historical structures, or may require costly restoration. In this study, Sanliurfa limestone was investigated with respect to conservation using polish insulation (polysiloxane, lithium silicate, and varnish), appearance performance by polishing, and potential usage in the marble industry. The results revealed that conservatives could maintain up to 92 % of the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the natural stone and reduced acid abrasion to 0.5 % of the original weight. The stone gained a bright appearance after polishing, especially by lithium silicate. Thus, it can be stated that it is possible to recover or prolong the lifetime of the monuments that were constructed using Sanliurfa limestone, and this limestone may have great industrial potential as marble stone.