High-frequency characterization of sub-0.25-μm fully depletedsilicon-on-insulator MOSFETs

A cutoff frequency, f_T, of 85 GHz was measured on a fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) n-MOSFET with a gate length of 0.15 μm. The p-MOSFET with 0.22-μm gate length has an f_T of 42 GHz. The high-frequency equivalent circuits were derived from scattering parameters for MOSFETs with various gate lengths. The effects of gate length and other device parameters on the performance of FDSOI MOSFETs at RF are discussed     

Fertilization response and nutrient diagnosis in peach palm (Bactris gasipaes): a review

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) is a relatively new food crop with great potential for the humid tropics. Native to tropical America, it is commercially grown to produce hearts-of-palm and, to a lesser extent, an edible fruit. Peach palm is well adapted to nutrient poor, acid soils, and is cultivated in Brazil and Costa Rica on highly weathered soils with low pH, high aluminum saturation and, often, low organic matter content. Fertilization trials on peach palm have shown significant responses to applied nitrogen while the response to other nutrients such as phosphorus has been less frequent. Additional research, however, is necessary to determine soil and foliar nutrient critical levels and to address questions concerning peach palm growth responses to nutrient additions varying in time and space. Recycled nutrients likely contribute significantly to peach palm nutrition because plant residues are produced in considerable amounts and can decompose rapidly in commercial peach palm plantation in humid environments where cut leaves and stems are left in the field following harvest. On the other hand, nutrient exports from the system are relatively small (e.g., 4.8–6.4 kg P ha^-1yr^-1, 28–32.3 kg N ha^-1 yr^-1, 31–45.2 kg K ha^-1 yr^-1). As for most perennial tree crops, diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies in peach palm is less clear than in annual crops because of factors such as nutrient cycling, internal retranslocation, stand age, foliage age and position within the crown, and seasonal and climatic variations. Some studies on peach palm have examined variation in nutrient content within leaves and plants, and among plants as well, but the sensitivity of different plant tissues to reflect changes in nutrient uptake and response to nutrient additions should be investigated in controlled field experiments.     

Annealing and Glass Transition of Starch

The enthalpy of the order-disorder transition of starch increased as the starch hydration period was increased from 1 h to 24 h. This was explained as the exothermic heat of hydration cancelling part of the endothermic heat of melting. Annealing of starch was shown to occur at 3 to 8°K below the Tm of starch. This would suggest that the Tg and Tm of starch does not occur at the same temperature.     

Heat-Burst Calorimetry of Heated Starch

Differential scanning calorimetry of starch at different moisture contents have been reported to give a lower ΔH value with lower water content. This should not be true if the melting of starch crystals is solely responsible for the Δ H. Granule swelling and denaturation of the starch, grouped together and called ‘mixing’, could be responsible for the decrease in enthalpy change. ‘Mixing’ could not be measured in a differential scanning calorimeter because the water is added outside the instrument. Therefore, heat-burst calorimetry was used to determine if a thermal transition occurs when water is added to starch that had been heated. No thermal event was found. The results suggest that the enthalpy of gelatinization may not be dependent upon the water content of the sample. The reported changes may have been due to formation of the lipid-amylose complex and annealing of crystals during the DSC measurement.     

Kinetics of Potato Color and Texture Development during Baking, Frying, and Microwaving with the Addition of Liquid Smoke

ABSTRACT:  The rate of color and texture development in par-fried French fries coated with liquid smoke and thermally processed was determined. Liquid smoke containing 8% to 11% carbonyls was diluted to 30% and applied to 1 side of French fries at 0%, 1%, 3%, or 5% by weight. The fries were immersion fried at 190.6 °C for 4 min, microwaved (900 watts) for 4 min, or baked at 190.6 °C for 20 min. Color and texture measurements were recorded at intervals during processing. Liquid smoke increased the rate of browning in French fries. Browning followed pseudo zero-order kinetics, with the a value, Browning index, and total change in color (ΔE) showing the best fit. When liquid smoke was added in high concentrations the reaction rate did not increase as more liquid smoke was added because the carbonyls were no longer limiting the rate of Maillard browning. The rate of color development in French fries was also affected by the thermal processing method. Frying developed color at the fastest rate, followed by microwaving and baking. Although liquid smoke increased the rate of color development in French fries, it did not affect French fry texture. Through sensory testing, it was determined that liquid smoke can be used to improve the color of microwaveable French fries without affecting French fry flavor or texture.     

A Note on the Gelatinization of Starch

A number of explanations for the melting behavior of starch in excess and limited water have been offered, none of which appears to be totally satisfactory. Most explanations do not account for the fact that gelatinization starts at the hilum and proceeds to the exterior of the granule. In limited water, starch gives two melting peaks with the differential scanning calorimeter. This has been explained on the basis of the granule limiting water to the crystallites. However, it was found that amylopectin crystallized from soluble material also gave a two-peak melting pattern in low water very similar to that found with total starch. Thus, the granule structure is not responsible for the two-peak melting of starch.     

Initiation of vertebrate left-right axis formation by maternal Vg1

In the development of the three-dimensional vertebrate body plan, the left-right axis is linked to the dorsoventral and anterioposterior axes. In humans, altered left-right development results in severe cardiovascular and visceral abnormalities in individuals and in conjoined twins. Although zygotically transcribed genes that are asymmetrically expressed have been identified, the mechanism by which left-right asymmetries are established during embryogenesis is unknown. Here we show that the Xenopus maternal gene Vg1, a member of the TGF-beta family of cell-signalling molecules which are implicated in dorsoanterior development, initiates left-right axis formation. Altered expression of Vg1 on the right side of 16-cell embryos or disruption of endogenous Vg1 signalling on the left side randomizes cardiac and visceral left-right orientation and alters expression of Xnr-1, a nodal-related molecular marker for left-right development. Furthermore, the orientation of the left-right axis in conjoined twins is dependent upon which cell-signalling molecule initiated twin formation and on whether the secondary axis is on the left or right side of the primary embryonic axis, implicating a molecular pathway leading to the formation of conjoined twins.     

Using bathymetric lidar to define nearshore benthic habitat complexity: Implications for management of reef fish assemblages in Hawaii

Habitat complexity plays a major role in determining the distribution and structure of fish assemblages in the aquatic environment. These locations are critical for ecosystem function and have significant implications for conservation and management. In this study, we evaluated the utility of remotely sensed lidar (light detection and ranging) data for deriving substrate rugosity (a measure of habitat complexity) on a coral reef in Hawaii. We also assessed the potential application of lidar data for examining the relationship between habitat complexity and Hawaiian reef fish assemblage characteristics. Lidar-derived rugosity (4 m grid size) was found to be highly correlated with in-situ rugosity and was concluded to be a viable method for measuring rugosity in analogous coral reef environments. We established that lidar-derived rugosity was a good predictor of fish biomass and demonstrated a strong relationship with several fish assemblage metrics in hard bottom habitat at multiple spatial resolutions. This research demonstrates (i) the efficacy of lidar data to provide substrate rugosity measures at scales commensurate with the resources and their environment (ii) the applicability of lidar-derived rugosity for examining fish–habitat relationships on a coral reef in Hawaii and (iii) the potential of lidar to provide information about the seascape structure that can ultimately be used to prioritize areas for conservation and management.     

Approaches toward ultralarge FPDs

Ultralarge active-matrix liquid-crystal displays (AMLCD) and plasma display panels (PDP) are both being developed as flat-panel display (FPD) competitors to the bulky cathode-ray tube for color video and monitor applications. The visual requirements for ultralarge FPDs are defined and their limits quantitatively delineated Tiling, with or without seams, has been shown to provide the only path to ultralarge FPD sizes not accessible today with monolithic construction. The design, manufacturing, and characteristics of tiled AMLDs is described in detail. The 37.5-in tiled color-video AMLCD recently demonstrated by Rainbow Displays Inc. is used as the primary illustration. The limits of tiling will also be delineated. Finally, the relative strengths of the PDP and the AMLCD in ultralarge FPD applications will be assessed     

Pitch perception in chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger): Stimulus generalization using rippled noise.

Rippled noises evoke the perception of pitch in human listeners. Infinitely iterated rippled noise (IIRN) is generated when wideband noise (WBN) is delayed, attenuated, and added to the original WBN through either a positive (+) or a negative (-) feedback loop. The pitch of IIRN[+] is matched to the reciprocal of the delay, whereas the pitch of IIRN[-] for the same delay is an octave lower. Chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger) were trained to discriminate IIRN[+] with a 4-ms delay from IIRN[+] with a 2-ms delay and then tested in a stimulus generalization paradigm with IIRN[+] at delays between 2 and 4 ms. Systematic gradients in behavioral response occurred along the dimension of delay, suggesting that a perceptual dimension corresponding to pitch exists for IIRN[+]. Behavioral responses to IIRN[-] test stimuli were more variable among chinchillas, suggesting that IIRN[-] did not evoke similar pitches relative to IIRN[+]. Systematic gradients in behavioral response were observed when IIRN[-] test stimuli were presented in the context of other IIRN[-] stimuli. Thus, other perceptual cues such as timbre may dominate the pitch cues when IIRN[-] test stimuli are presented in the context of IIRN[+] stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)