Optical receiver front end for optically powered smart dust

The ability to create and direct beams of light means that optical communications potentially offer a large power advantage over RF communications for sensor networks. This paper presents an optically powered receiver front end for wireless optical communications. A complete optical receiver front end including a photodetector, clock and Manchester data recovery circuits has been fabricated using the UMC 180 nm CMOS process. A novel modulation scheme is described that has been devised so that this front end can recover the clock and Manchester data from an optical beam. Experimental results show that the total current consumption of the optical receiver front end is as low as 18.8 nA for a 0.5 V supply when a 1 kbps Manchester data and 8 kHz clock signal are successfully recovered. This means that photodiodes on the same substrate as the front end circuits extract enough power from the communications beam to allow the front end to work at distances of up to 10 m from the transmitter. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Matrix organizational structure,culture and commitment: a Hong Kong public sector case study of change

This paper reports on the impact of organizational change on a government department in Hong Kong. It focuses on the perceptions of professional personnel of the organizational culture developed in the depart4 ment and its mismatch with their expectations. The commitment of the professionals to their organization was measured, and found to be limited solely to a level of continuance commitment. The results of the study are discussed and explained in part by reference to Hofstede's cultural concepts of power distance and individualism, and by reference to traditional Chinese cultural values.     

The building performance sketch

A new approach to the creation of design tools is proposed that addresses the real information needs of designers in the early stages of design of non-residential buildings. Traditional simplified design tools are typically too limited to be of much use, even in conceptual design. The proposal is to provide access to the power of detailed simulation tools at a stage in design when little is known about the final building, but at a stage also when the freedom to explore options is greatest and the ability to improve the design is greatest. The concept of the building performance sketch forms the basis of the proposed design tool. It was derived from consultation with design analysis teams as part of the development of the COMFEN tool for fenestration design. Tools like COMFEN are explored to understand how they were shaped by consultation and how requests from these teams for real-world relevance might shape such tools in the future. The simulation process can effectively utilize some of the as-built, as-occupied and as-managed lessons on behaviours and technical outcomes from the Post-occupancy Evaluation (PoE) of buildings.

Il est proposé pour la création des outils de conception une nouvelle approche répondant aux véritables besoins d'information des concepteurs dans les premières phases de conception des bâtiments non résidentiels. Les outils de conception simplifiée traditionnels sont habituellement trop limités pour être très utiles, même en design conceptuel. Ce qui est proposé est de pouvoir accéder à la puissance d'outils de simulation détaillée à un stade de la conception où l'on sait encore peu de choses concernant le bâtiment final, mais également à un stade auquel la liberté d'exploration des options possibles comme la capacité d'amélioration de la conception sont les plus grandes. Le concept du schéma de performance du bâtiment constitue la base de l'outil de conception proposé. Il découle de la consultation des équipes chargées de l'analyse de la conception dans le cadre du développement de l'outil COMFEN de conception du fenêtrage. Des outils tels que COMFEN sont examinés afin de comprendre comment ils ont été modelés par la consultation et comment les demandes de ces équipes en termes de pertinence réelle pourraient façonner ces outils à l'avenir. Le processus de simulation peut tirer efficacement parti de certaines des leçons, conformes à l'exécution, à l'occupation et à la gestion, en matière de comportements et de résultats techniques, retirées de l'Evaluation Après Occupation des bâtiments.

modèles d'information du bâtiment?bâtiments?processus de conception?outils de conception?début de conception?efficacité énergétique?retour d'information?simulation des performances?évaluation après occupation     

Kinetics and thermal crystallinity of recycled PET. II. Topographic study on thermal crystallinity of the injection-molded recycled PET

The injected specimens of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (R-PET) and its blends with engineering PET (E-PET) are studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Specimens are dissected into three segments of (1) outer skin, (2) middle, and (3) the core for the topographic study of their separate crystallinities, which are induced by different crystallization rates in the injection mode. DSC thermograms reveal the different crystallinity states among these three segments with decreasing crystallinity from core to middle to the skin segments and the times and contact of injection-molded specimens with the mold during the cooling cycle after the injection of the specimens. With the same procedures of injection molding, comparisons of crystallinity among various specimens of virgin blow molding grade PET (B-PET), E-PET, and R-PET are made. There are little differences in crystallinity among three segments of B- or E-PET specimens. In contrast, a higher degree of crystallinity in the core segment than either middle or skin segments is observed for the R-PET. This may contribute to the faster crystallization rate of the R-PET in the mold. Specimens of R-/E-PET blends follow the R-PET pattern, even in 20% of R-PET in the blend. This faster crystallization rate of R-PET is confirmed with the lowering crystallization temperatures (T_c) of the R-PET and R-/E-PET blended specimens in the DSC heating process. Dynamic DSC cooling analysis reveals a high order of crystallinity in R-PET and R-/E-PET blends. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements of molecular weights and distributions support the orderly structure for R-PET. Terminal group analysis and intrinsic viscosity measurements of the R-PET support the chain modification of R-PET during the thermal treatments in accordance with the evidences of smaller M_w and narrower molecular-weight distribution from the GPC findings for the recycled PET. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

PCI Express普及化超乎想象

PCI Express(PCIe)是目前最新的高速串行连接技术之一,短期内将无所不在.由于它继承了全球相当普遍的PCI数据总线,因此这项技术具有快速带动PC及外围配备市场的威力和重大意义,因而受到相当大的重视.因各式各样的需求所致,PCIe足迹已遍布各种应用系统和市场中,未来还会出现在哪些应用上呢?本文将与您共同探讨一二.