High performance 35 nm gate length CMOS with NO oxynitride gate dielectric and Ni salicide

The 35 nm gate length CMOS devices with oxynitride gate dielectric and Ni salicide have been fabricated to study the feasibility of higher performance operation. Nitrogen concentration in gate oxynitride was optimized to reduce gate current I/sub g/ and to prevent boron penetration in the pFET. The thermal budget in the middle of the line (MOL) process was reduced enough to realize shallower junction depth in the S/D extension regions and to suppress gate poly-Si depletion. Finally, the current drives of 676 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m in nFET and 272 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m in pFET at V/sub dd/=0.85 V (at I/sub off/=100 nA//spl mu/m) were achieved and they are the best values for 35 nm gate length CMOS reported to date.     

Robust H∞ performance for lineardelay-differential systems with time-varying uncertainties

The present paper concerns robust H∞ performance for linear delay-differential systems which involve an uncertain time delay and time-varying norm-bounded parameter uncertainties. Based on the Lyapunov functional, a simple criterion is proposed which assures the pseudo-quadratic stability as a well as an H_∞-norm bound. The criterion is given in the form of a linear matrix inequality which is affine or convex in additional scalar parameters. A simple criterion is presented to evaluate the extent of the performance robustness     

Analysis of ink flow in a mimeograph printer based on the mechanics of fluid-filled poroelastic solids

Summary To understand some main ink flow mechanisms in a mimeograph printer, the continuum mechanics theory of fluid-saturated porous solids is applied to analyze the ink flow through screens and a printing master, which are modeled by a fluid-filled poroelastic single layer. The layer is assumed to be pressed by a press roller from below and to be subjected from above to the hydrodynamic lubrication pressure induced between a printing drum and an ink roller. Nonlinear elasticity of the layer and dependence of the permeability on its deformation are taken into account. The numerical results show some important results: e.g., squeezing-out of the ink from the layer by the layer compaction by the press roller plays an important role, especially for the case where the compression duration is small in comparison with the characteristic time of the ink-filled poroelastic layer.     

Strongyloidiasis associated with nephrotic syndrome

We report a nephrotic syndrome patient with eosinophilia who developed ileus, epigastralgia and malabsorption due to strongyloidiasis which became symptomatic by steroid therapy. The patient was then treated with thiabendazole and recovered. A percutaneous renal biopsy revealed minimal change nephrotic syndrome. This renal injury may be brought on by severe infection of Strongyloides stercoralis. It is important to rule out strongyloidiasis prior to corticosteroid therapy to patients from eosinophilia endemic areas.     

Motility related protein 1 (MRP1/CD9) expression in colon cancer

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To examine the incidence and clinical significance of prolonged air leak (PAL) in patients undergoing radical upper lobectomy and to determine potential risk factors for PAL in this group of patients. DESIGN: Retrospective review of a prospective database. SETTING: Experience of one thoracic surgeon at a tertiary care cancer center. PATIENTS: One hundred consecutive patients undergoing right upper lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection for non-small cell lung cancer over an 11-year period. MEASUREMENTS: PAL was defined as an air leak lasting >7 days. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative clinical data were collected and analyzed to determine the factors associated with PAL. RESULTS: PAL was the most prevalent postoperative complication, comprising 25.5% of all complications seen, and lasting an average of 12.1+/-5.3 days. In 21 of the 26 patients with PAL, this complication was the only morbidity identified. There was no statistically significant difference in patient age, gender, preoperative FEV1 and diffusion of carbon monoxide, exposure to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, status of pulmonary fissures, or pathologic stage between the PAL group vs the remaining 74 patients without this complication. A significantly greater proportion of patients with PAL had FEV1/FVC ratio < or =50% (6/26 vs 5/74; p=0.02). Patients with PAL had significantly longer median length of hospital stay (11 vs 7 days; p=0.0001). Moreover, PAL was the single most common reason for an extended length of hospitalization (21/58, 36% of all causes). CONCLUSION: PAL is an alarmingly common postoperative complication and is the most frequent cause of an extended length of hospital stay in patients undergoing radical upper lobectomy. Severe obstructive pulmonary disease predisposes patients to the development of this complication.     

Mutual learning of multi-consciousness agents,including an ego for an autonomous vehicle

In this paper, we propose a multi-agent learning system for the control of an intelligent robot, based on a model of the human consciousnesses, including the ego. We pay attention to the intelligent learning processes of human beings. We try to give a robot a high learning ability by modeling the roles of the human consciousnesses, including the ego. In most ordinary methods, the instructions for learning are given from outside the system only. In the proposed method, the instructions are given not only from outside, but also from inside (from other agents in the system). Therefore, the robot can learn efficiently because it has more instructions than usual. The learning is also more flexible, since an agent learns by instructions from other agents while the learning agent and one of the instructing agents exchange roles according to changes in the environment. We experimentally verified that the proposed method is efficient by using an actual robot.     

Co-crosslinking blend of incompatible polymers VI: Poly(vinyl chloride) toughened with polyethylene via a co-crosslinking technique

A binary blend which consists of two incompatible polymers such as poly(vinyl chloride) and polyethylene has been performed through a partial co-crosslinking reaction with peroxide to give a co-crosslinked blend with a uniform dispersion of small polyethylene particles and with an improved mechanical property. The results are obtained through the formation of a co-crosslinked product which acts as a potential solid phase dispersant as well as a well-bonded reinforcing interlayer on polyethylene particles uniformly dispersed in poly(vinyl chloride) matrix. The resulting blends (PVC/PE=10/90 wt) give carbon spherules of 0.5 to 1m diameter through pressure-carbonization at 650° C for 1 h.     

Enhancement of superconductivity in Pb-Bi-Sn and Pb-Bi-In alloy filaments produced by glass-coated melt spinning

The enhancement ofT _c in Pb-Bi-Sn and Pb-Bi-In system alloy filaments produced by glass-coated melt spinning was investigated as a means of producing a new type of superconducting filament with highT _c. Long filaments of Pb-Bi-Sn alloy withT _c higher than 10 K and Pb-Bi-In alloy withT _c higher than 9 K were obtained from the molten state at a temperature of 1500 K with a winding speed of 2.63 m sec^–1. For example, a Pb₄₅Bi₃₅Sn₂₀ filament withT _c of 10.1 K was 15 m in diameter and polycrystalline with a grain size of 100 nm. The structure of the filament was a mixture of , tin and bismuth phases and a metastable phase of mixed structure of bismuth and supersaturated solid solution of tin in -phase was detected. TheT _c of the filament decreased on heat treatment. A metastable phase of mixed structure of bismuth and -phase was also detected for a Pb₄₅Bi₄₅In₁₀ filament withT _c of 9.3 K. As the metastable phase for the Pb-Bi-In filament was more unstable than that for the Pb-Bi-Sn filament, theT _c of the filament was drastically decreased by heat treatment. The metastable phase was considered to play an important role in the enhancement ofT _c for Pb-Bi-Sn and Pb-Bi-In alloy filaments.     

Study on triazine thiols. IV. Action of triazine thiols and their metal salts to peroxide

Decomposition of t-butylhydroperoxide was retarded by triazine thiols and their zinc salts, but accelerated by the copper salts of triazine thiols as well as sulfur compounds such as dithiocarbamates and mercaptobenzothiazolates. Triazine thiols and their zine salts are effective antioxidants for polyethylene crosslinked with peroxide and containing copper, and for protecting epichlorohydrin vulcanizates against attack by “sour” or hydroperoxide-containing gasoline.