Quantification of non-homogeneity from ocean remote-sensing images using two-dimensional continuous wavelet transforms

In this study, a two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform is applied to quantify the non-homogeneity from remote-sensing wave images. Our study shows that the non-homogeneity index, which is proposed here, is capable of identifying the degree of non-homogeneity from the wave-field images. However, the influence from the edges of the wave-field image should be considered in analysis. The calculated results from the simulated wave fields and from the natural wave-field images reveal that the non-homogeneity index is influenced by the bathymetry inside the area of the ocean-wave image. It conforms to the character of the natural wave non-homogeneity. After discussing the wave characteristics from the wave-field image with a high non-homogeneity index, an inhomogeneous algorithm is recommended for obtaining accurate and reasonable wave results from the wave image.     

Effects of deposition and annealing conditions on the defects in the Al/glass composites of TFT specimens

Al/glass specimens are prepared following the orthogonal table of five-level six-factorial (L₂₅(5⁶)) design. The governing factors for the preparation of the specimens are deposition conditions, annealing temperature and annealing time. Defects, including hillocks and nanovoids, are found to be created during the annealing process. The threshold value of the annealing stress (σ _an ) required for the incipience of hillocks is thus determined. The stress change parameter, σ _f –σ _an (σ _f :internal stress after annealing), is a positive value that increases linearly with σ _an . The density of hillocks increases linearly with (σ _f –σ _an ) when the value of the stress change parameter is beyond the critical value (130 MPa). Nanovoids are produced even in specimens without hillocks. The wedge angle that forms in a specimen after wet etching linearly decreases with decreasing (σ _f –σ _an ). A high wedge angle lowers the hillock density at the wedge slope. The electrical resistance of the gate layer linearly increases with increasing product value (R*) of the mean size (area) and the density of nanovoids. R* increases nonlinearly with increasing (σ _f –σ _an ).     

Effect of glucose oxidase and mixing time on soluble and insoluble wheat flour protein fractions: Changes on SH groups and H2O2 consumption

Glucose oxidase (GOX) has been recognized as an alternative to substitute chemical oxidants in bread making, however the action exerted on wheat flour proteins by the H₂O₂ produced is still unclear. Looking for a better understanding of the role of GOX and H₂O₂ in the bread making process, the effect of varying GOX levels and mixing time on soluble and insoluble wheat flour protein fractions was studied. Results showed that GOX promoted a decrement in free SH groups in both proteins, being the most evident effect on the soluble fraction at the beginning of the mixing process, remaining almost constant afterwards. H₂O₂ was continuously produced during mixing, showing its largest consumption during the first 6 min without significant SH changes afterwards. Results suggest that H₂O₂ must be involved in other reactions as it remains in the sample; this also suggests that oxygen is not a limiting factor in this reaction.     

Security management of mutually trusted domains through cooperation of defensive technologies

A number of defensive technologies have been proposed for the prevention of security threats. However, these defensive technologies are implemented independently without cooperation among various network domains. In this paper, different administrative networks are leagued to form a federative network environment called a trusted domain. From the perspective of a network manager, there is a need to integrate diverse technologies into an effective defensive system among mutually trusted domains. An imperative task for security management is to put in place a shared defensive mechanism, or protective shield, for multiple domains. A cooperative approach to provide such a shared defensive system is presented with integration of both intra‐domain and inter‐domain defensive mechanisms. The simulation results show that, through sharing the defensive information, the firewall system can successfully detect and filter the repeated intrusions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of preanneal process on threshold voltage of MOS transistors for trench DRAM

As the first step of DRAM manufacture, preanneal process plays an important role in determining the threshold voltage variation. It is found that the higher trans-1,2-dichloroethene flow in pad oxide growth and the higher nitrogen flow in high-temperature annealing step would respectively engender a lower boron segregation coefficient and higher nitridation of the oxide, both modify the boron distribution in the substrate and consequently the behavior of the threshold voltage. As the feature size of DRAM devices enter nanometer regime, besides gate oxidation, ion implantation and related thermal processes, the impact of preanneal process condition should be prudentially taken into consideration for rigorous control of the threshold voltage in the advanced DRAM production.     

A study of diffusion in poly(ethyleneglycol)-gelatin based semi-interpenetrating networks for use in wound healing

Semi-interpenetrating networks (sIPNs) designed to mimic extracellular matrix via covalent crosslinking of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate in the presence of gelatin have been shown to aid in wound healing, particularly when loaded with soluble factors. Ideal systems for tissue repair permit an effective release of therapeutic agents and flow of nutrients to proliferating cells. Appropriate network characterization can, consequently, be used to convey an understanding of the mass transfer kinetics necessary for materials to aid in the wound healing process. Solute transport from and through sIPNs has not yet been thoroughly evaluated. In the current study, the diffusivity of growth factors and nutrients through the polymeric system was determined. Transport of keratinocyte growth factor was modeled by treating the sIPN as a plane sheet into which the protein was loaded. The diffusion coefficient was determined to be 4.86 × 10⁻⁹ ± 1.86 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s. Glucose transport was modeled as flow through a semi-permeable membrane. Using lag-time analysis, the diffusion coefficient was calculated to be 2.25 × 10⁻⁶ ± 1.98 × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s. The results were evaluated in conjunction with previous studies on controlled drug release from sIPNs. As expected from Einstein-Stokes equation, diffusivity decreased as molecular size increased. The results offer insight into the structure-function design paradigm and show that release from the polymeric system is diffusion controlled, rather than dissolution controlled.     

A thin multi-ring negative liquid crystal lens enabled by high-�� dielectric material

This study is dedicated to design an liquid crystal (LC) negative lens with unequal width electrodes, which is made for a camera lens and with the aim to replace conventional negative lenses. The structure of the LC negative lens is symmetric for producing a symmetrical electric field. The unequal widths are adopted and determined inversely proportional to the slopes of the desired applied voltages at varied radial positions. There are four ring electrodes in the lens and the associated with applied different voltages. In addition, the performance of the designed LC lens is verified by the software DIMOS.2D. The special structure and the material are used to realize the designed LC lens. Moreover, a new fabrication process in the wafer level to bury bus lines is developed in order to smooth the generated electric field distribution. In addition, a high-?? dielectric layer is coated between the electrodes and the LC layer for minimizing required applied voltage. Finally, differential effects of the LC lens structure with high-?? and without high-?? are discussed based on simulation results.     

Phase-shifting algorithms for electronic speckle pattern interferometry

A set of innovative phase-shifting algorithms developed to facilitate metrology based on electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) are presented. The theory of a phase-shifting algorithm, called a (5,1) algorithm, that takes five phase-shifted intensity maps before a specimen is deformed and one intensity map after a specimen is deformed is presented first. Because a high-speed camera can be used to record the dynamic image of the specimen, this newly developed algorithm has the potential to retain the phase-shifting capability for ESPI in dynamic measurements. Also shown is an algorithm called a (1,5) algorithm that takes five phase-shifted intensity maps after the specimen is deformed. In addition, a direct-correlation algorithm was integrated with these newly developed (5,1) or (1,5) algorithms to form DC-(5,1) and DC-(1,5) algorithms, which are shown to improve significantly the quality of the phase maps. The theoretical and experimental aspects of these two newly developed techniques, which can extend ESPI to areas such as high-speed dynamic measurements, are examined in detail.     

Terahertz Microchip for Illicit Drug Detection

To accurately detect minute amounts of substances without disturbing the surroundings of target molecules has been a major goal in bioanalytical technology. Here by integrating an optoelectronic terahertz (THz) microsource into a glass-substrated microchip within the near-field distance, we demonstrate a compact, label-free, noninvasive, and sensitive microbiosensing system with low-power consumption. The demonstrated THz microchip allows us to locally specify various illicit drug powders with weights of nanograms, with a promising future for rapid identification of the static status or even the dynamics of various biomolecules