Taser dart-to-heart distance that causes ventricular fibrillation in pigs

Electromuscular incapacitating devices (EMDs), such as Tasers, deliver high current, short duration pulses that cause muscular contractions and temporarily incapacitate the human subject. Some reports suggest that EMDs can kill. To help answer the question, "Can the EMD directly cause ventricular fibrillation (VF)?", ten tests were conducted to measure the dart-to-heart distance that causes VF in anesthetized pigs [mass = 64 kg +/- 6.67 standard deviation (SD)] for the most common X26 Taser. The dart-to-heart distance that caused VF was 17 mm +/- 6.48 (SD) for the first VF event and 13.7 mm +/- 6.79 (SD) for the average of the successive VF events. The result shows that when the stimulation dart is close enough to the heart, X26 Taser current will directly trigger VF in pigs. Echocardiography of erect humans shows skin-to-heart distances from 10 to 57 mm (dart-to-heart distances of 1-48 mm). These results suggest that the probability of a dart on the body landing in 1 cm2 over the ventricle and causing VF is 0.000172.     

Multi-scale Simulation Methodology for Stress Assessment in 3D IC: Effect of Die Stacking on Device Performance

Potential challenges with managing mechanical stress distributions and the consequent effects on device performance for advanced 3D integrated circuit (IC) technologies are outlined. A set of physics-based compact models for a multi-scale simulation, to assess the mechanical stress across the device layers in silicon chips stacked and packaged with the 3D through-silicon-via (TSV) technology, is proposed. A calibration technique based on fitting to measured stress components and electrical characteristics of the test-chip devices is presented. For model validation, high-resolution strain measurements in Si channels of the test-chip devices are needed. At the nanoscale, the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is the only technique available for sub-10 nm strain measurements so far.     

Microfabricated SERS-arrays with sharp-edged metallic nanostructures

By means of e-beam lithography, vacuum evaporation and ion-beam etching we have developed fabrication routes for the realisation of very small and sharp-edged metallic nanostructures which can be used as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The metallic nanostructures are made from gold, are periodically arranged with a pitch of 250 nm and have sharp edges with corner radii of less than 20 nm. These structures show uniform SERS-signals across the whole field size of 200 × 200 μm², and a dependency of the SERS signal intensity and of the signal-to-noise ratio on the pattern geometry. Thus the microfabricated SERS-substrates are suitable for practical applications.     

PAH exposure in a Ghanaian population at high risk for aflatoxicosis

It was postulated that a population in sub-Saharan Africa, known to be at high risk for aflatoxicosis due to frequent ingestion of aflatoxin (AF)-contaminated foods could also be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a variety of environmental sources. Previously, participants in this population were shown to be highly exposed to AFs, and this exposure was significantly reduced by intervention with NovaSil clay (NS). Objectives of this study were 1) to assess PAH exposure in participants from the AF study using urinary biomarker 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP); 2) examine the effect of NS clay and placebo (cellulose) treatment on 1-OHP levels; and 3) determine potential association(s) between AF and PAH exposures. A clinical trial was conducted in 177 Ghanaians who received either NS capsules as high dose or low dose, or placebo (cellulose) for a period of 3 months. At the start and end of the study, urine samples were analyzed for 1-OHP. Of the 279 total samples, 98.9% had detectable levels of 1-OHP. Median 1-OHP excretion in nonsmokers was 0.64 µmol/mol creatinine at baseline and 0.69 µmol/mol creatinine after 3 months. Samples collected at both time points did not show significant differences between placebo and NS-treated groups. There was no linear correlation between 1-OHP and AF-albumin adduct levels. Results show that this population is highly exposed to PAHs (and AFs), that NS and cellulose treatment had no statistically significant effect on 1-OHP levels, and that this urinary biomarker was not linearly related with AF exposure.     

Association between cigarette smoking and FHIT gene alterations in lung cancer

Epidemiologic data have strongly indicated that cigarette smoking is linked to the development of lung cancer. However, little is known of the molecular targets of carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke. To identify genetic lesions characteristic of tobacco damage, we undertook a molecular analysis of microsatellite alterations within the FHIT gene and FRA3B, as well as at an independent locus on chromosome 10, D10S197, in lung tumors from heavy smokers and in tumors from never smokers. Loss of heterozygosity affecting at least one locus of the FHIT gene was observed in 41 of 51 tumors in the smokers group (80%) but in only 9 of 40 tumors in nonsmokers (22%). The comparison between the frequency of losses in FHIT in smokers and nonsmokers was statistically significant (P = 0.0001), whereas no difference in loss of heterozygosity rate was observed at D10S197 locus. These findings suggest that FHIT is a candidate molecular target of carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke.     

Airbag-induced fracture in a patient with osteoporosis

Since the introduction of automotive airbag technology, patterns of airbag-induced injuries have emerged. Various types of upper-extremity trauma including fractures have been described. Previous reports have focused on the location of the forearm before deployment as the major determinant of fracture. We describe a case of forearm fracture resulting from an airbag deployment in a lupus patient with documented osteoporosis. Bone strength has recently been determined in laboratory testing to be an important factor determining airbag-induced fracture risk. An airbag-induced forearm fracture in an otherwise healthy individual may be an indicator of reduced bone strength.     

Use of Stress To Produce Highly Oriented Tetragonal Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT 40/60) Thin Films and Resulting Electrical Properties

Thin films of Pb(Zr_0.4Ti_O.6)O₃ produced by chemical solution deposition were used to study the effects of stress from different platinized single-crystal substrates on film orientation and resulting electrical properties. Films deposited on MgO preferred a (001) orientation due to compressive stress on the film during cooling through the Curie temperature ( T _C). Films on Al₂O₃ were under minimal stress at T _C, resulting in a mixture of orientations. Those on Si preferred a (111) orientation due to templating from the bottom electrode. Films oriented in the 〈001〉 direction demonstrated lower dielectric constants and higher P _r and − d ₃₁ values than (111) films.     

高功率解决方案

为了促进广大中国音频技术爱好者对音频产品及最新技术的应用和了解，以及使音频产品能日臻完美与设计创新，美国国家半导体公司与其在中国大陆的代理商之一的棋港电子公司联合举办面向中国音频爱好者的2004年音频技术应用设计大赛。本次大赛于2004年7月1日全面启动。作为本次大赛的配合媒体，本刊将选登美国国家半导体公司在音频方面的产品技术文章，以飨读者。