A Three-Dimensional Stacked-Chip Star-Wiring Interconnection for a Digital Noise-Free and Low-Jitter I/O Clock Distribution Network

Cascaded repeaters are indispensable circuit elements in conventional on-chip clock distribution networks due to heavy loss characteristics of on-chip global interconnections. However, cascaded repeaters cause significant jitter and skew problems in clock distribution networks when they are affected by power supply switching noise generated by digital logic blocks located on the same die. In this letter, we present a new three-dimensional (3-D) stacked-chip star-wiring interconnection scheme to make a clock distribution network free from both on-chip and package-level power supply noise coupling. The proposed clock distribution scheme provides an extremely low-jitter and low-skew clock signal by replacing the cascaded repeaters with lossless star-wiring interconnections on a 3-D stacked-chip package. We have demonstrated a 500-MHz input/output (I/O) clock delivery with 34-ps peak-to-peak jitter and a skew of 11ps, while a conventional I/O clock scheme exhibited a 146-ps peak-to-peak jitter and a 177-ps skew in the same power supply noise environment     

A printed OTFT-backplane for AMOLED display

An AMOLED panel driven by an OTFT-backplane is an attractive display because OTFTs and OLEDs use organic materials with unique characteristics such as low temperature and solution processing ability, and thus are able to implement the key features of future displays. In this study we applied some printing technologies to fabricate an OTFT-backplane for AMOLEDs. Screen printing combined with photolithography with Ag ink was used for the gate electrodes and scan bus lines and contact pads. Ag metal lines with a width of 20 μm and thickness of 60 nm and resistivity of 3.0 × 10^?5 Ω cm were achieved. Inkjet printing was applied to deposit TIPS-pentacene as an organic semiconductor. The OTFT-backplane using the Ag gate electrodes and TIPS-pentacene exhibited uniform performance over 17,500 pixels on a 7 in. panel. The mobility was 0.31 ± 0.05 cm²/V s with a deviation of 17%. The AMOLED panel successfully demonstrated its ability to display patterns.     

Polarisation characteristics of fused-fibre coupler as quarter-wave device in 1.55?m-wavelength region

Polarisation characteristics of the fused-taper-twisted single-mode-fibre coupler as a quarter-wave device are reported for the first time. In the case that circular polarisation is launched into the input port of the fused-fibre coupler, linear polarisation was observed at two output ports of the coupler, and an extinction ratio of about 30dB was obtained.     

Analysis of phenmedipham in agricultural products by HPLC

An analytical method was developed for the determination of phenmedipham (PM) in agricultural products using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. A sample was extracted with acetonitrile, and the acetonitrile layer was separated by salting-out. The acetonitrile phase was isolated and evaporated. The extract was dissolved in diethyl ether-hexane (1 : 1), and then cleaned up on a Florisil column. The column was washed with diethyl ether-hexane (1 : 1), and PM was eluted with acetone-hexane (3 : 7), and the eluate was evaporated. The residue was dissolved in acetone-hexane (2 : 8), and the sample solution was cleaned up on SAX/PSA cartridge. The SAX/PSA cartridge was washed with acetone-hexane (2 : 8), and PM was eluted with acetone-hexane (3 : 7). If required, the eluate of the Florisil column was cleaned up with SAX/PSA and ENVI-Carb/ NH2 cartridges. The SAX/PSA cartridge was washed with acetone-hexane (2 : 8), and connected to be ENVI-Carb/NH2 cartridge. The cartridges were washed with acetone-hexane (3 : 7), and then the SAX/PSA cartridge was removed. PM was eluted with acetonitrile-toluene (3 : 1) from the ENVI-Carb/NH2 cartridge. PM in the eluate was separated isocratically on an ODS column (4.6 mm i.d. x 150 mm, 5 microm) using acetonitrile-water (6 : 4) as a mobile phase (flow-rate 1.0 mL/min, temp. 40 degrees C), with monitoring at 235 nm. The calibration curve was linear from 0.005 microg/mL to 10 microg/mL of PM. The recoveries of PM from eight kinds of agricultural products spiked at levels of 0.1 and 0.02 microg/g were 80.8-98.7%. The determination limit was 0.01 microg/g.     

Reduced toxicity of fumonisin B1 in corn grits by single-screw extrusion

Corn grits spiked with 30 microg/g fumonisin B1 and two batches of grits fermented with Fusarium verticillioides (batch 1 contained 33 microg/g, and batch 2 contained 48 microg/g fumonisin B1), which were extruded by a single-screw extruder with and without glucose (10%, dry weight basis) supplementation were fed to rats. Control groups were fed uncontaminated grits. Extrusion with glucose more effectively reduced fumonisin B1 concentrations of the grits (75 to 85%) than did extrusion alone (10 to 28%). With one exception, the fumonisin B1-spiked and fermented extrusion products caused moderately severe kidney lesions and reduced kidney weights, effects typically found in fumonisin-exposed rats. Lesions in rats fed the least contaminated grits (batch 1) after extrusion with 10% glucose were, however, significantly less severe and not accompanied by kidney weight changes. Therefore, extrusion with glucose supplementation is potentially useful for safely reducing the toxicity of fumonisins in corn-based products and studies to determine the optimal conditions for its use are warranted.     

Investigation of ochratoxin a, B and citrinin contamination in various commercial foods

Ochratoxin A (OTA), ochratoxin B (OTB) and citrinin (CIT) in commercial foods were simultaneously determined and confirmed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The samples examined were made up of cereal, fruit, coffee, and cacao products. The limits of quantification (S/N> or =10) of OTA, OTB and CIT were 0.1 microg/kg or less. Aflatoxins (AF), deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins were also surveyed. Of 157 samples examined, 44 were contaminated with OTA at levels of 0.11 to 4.0 microg/kg. At least 2 positive samples were labeled as domestics. In most positive samples, the OTA level was low, less than 1 microg/kg. The highest incidence of OTA was observed in cacao powder (10/12), followed by instant coffee (5/7), cocoa (5/8) and raisin (6/13). OTB was found in fruit and cacao products containing relatively high levels of OTA. Co-occurrence of OTA, CIT and DON was found in cereal products, and co-occurrence of OTA and AF was found in cacao products. Approximately 30% of naturally contaminated OTA in roasted coffee bean moved into the extract solution when brewed with paper filter.     

Combined effect of ultrasound and organic acids to reduce Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes on organic fresh lettuce

This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of individual treatments (ultrasound and organic acids) and their combination on reducing foodborne pathogens on organic fresh lettuce. Lettuce leaves were inoculated with a cocktail of three strains each of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes and treated with ultrasound (40 kHz) alone, organic acids (0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, and 2.0% — malic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid) alone and combined with ultrasound and organic acids for 5 min. For all 3 pathogens, the combined treatment of ultrasound and organic acids resulted in additional 0.8 to 1.0 log reduction compared to individual treatments, without causing significant quality change (color and texture) on lettuce during 7 day storage. The maximum reductions of E. coli O157:H7, S. Typhimurium, and L. monocytogenes were 2.75, 3.18, and 2.87 log CFU/g observed after combined treatment with ultrasound and 2% organic acid for 5 min, respectively. Our results suggest that the combined treatment of ultrasound with organic acids was effective at increasing pathogen reduction compared to individual treatments without significantly affecting quality, and demonstrates its potential as a novel method to increase the microbial safety on organic fresh lettuce.     

Application of electrospray ionization ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry for chemically-synthesized small RNAs

In this study, we have demonstrated an accurate and rapid small RNA analytical method with both sequence determination and detailed modification analysis by electrospray ionization-ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-IT/TOFMS). To develop this ideal method, we have examined the performance of ESI-IT/TOFMS using various chemically-synthesized model sequences of modified or unmodified microRNAs (miRNAs). The deconvoluted mass of a 22-nucleotide (nt) miRNA was obtained from a multiply charged precursor ion (MS(1)). The ion exhibited high mass accuracy (< 7 ppm) and high mass resolution (a value of m/Δm=10,000) and was therefore very useful in RNA composition assignment. The optimized MS(2) method using ion trap collision-induced dissociation, as well as automatic annotation analysis of product ions based on the accurate mass information, enabled the precise sequencing determination of intact miRNAs. Further, the detailed structural analysis of 3'-terminal modified nucleic acid in intact methylated miRNA was carried out using the MS(3) capability of the hybrid IT/TOFMS. The direct infusion method also provided a high throughput and good sensitivity because the analytical time and sample concentration needed in a series of experiments with reliable data were only 3 min and 100 nM, respectively. This study provides a novel approach for characterizing the intact chemically-synthesized small RNA without chemical and enzymatic digestions and would be widely applicable for the structural analysis of complicated modified small RNAs.     

Epidemiological studies of cerebro-and cardiovascular diseases in the northeast of Japan Part I. Pathological approach to the study in Akita Prefecture

To define the etiologic factors of Japanese cerebrovascular diseases, a pathological research was conducted on autopsy cases of stroke in Akita Prefecture. In most cases of cerebral hemorrhages, especially in the middle age group (30-59 of age), arteriosclerotic deviations in basal berebral arteries of the circle of Willis and intracerebral small arteries are not found. The authors conclude that cerebral hemorrhage may occur without relationship to disturbances of lipid metabolism, biochemically, and to atherosclerosis, pathologically. Concerning cerebral infarction, especially in the old generation (over 60 years of age), severe arteriosclerotic deviations were recognized both in basal cerebral and intracerebral arteries. These changes were highly influenced by the grade and duration of hypertension, and rarely influenced by hypercholesterolemia. According to the above-mentioned facts, the results obtained from out epidemiological survey were confirmed by the pathological studies.     

Death of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in shelf-stable, dairy-based, pourable salad dressings

The objectives of this study were to determine the death rates of Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes in three commercially manufactured full-fat ranch salad dressings, three reduced-fat ranch salad dressings, two full-fat blue cheese salad dressings, and two reduced-fat blue cheese salad dressings and to affirm the expectation that these dressings do not support the growth of these pathogens. The respective initial pH values of the four types of shelf-stable, dairy-based, pourable dressings were 2.87 to 3.72, 2.82 to 3.19, 3.08 to 3.87, and 2.83 to 3.49, respectively. Dressings were inoculated with low (2.4 to 2.5 log CFU/g) and high (5.3 to 5.9 log CFU/g) populations of separate five-strain mixtures of each pathogen and stored at 25 degrees C for up to 15 days. Regardless of the initial inoculum population, all test pathogens rapidly died in all salad dressings. Salmonella was undetectable by enrichment (<1 CFU/25-ml sample in three replicate trials) in all salad dressings within 1 day, and E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were reduced to undetectable levels by enrichment between 1 and 8 days and 2 and 8 days, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 was not detected in 4 of the 10 salad dressings stored for 2 or more days and 9 of the 10 dressings stored for 6 or more days after inoculation. L. monocytogenes was detected in 9 of the 10 salad dressings stored for 3 days but in only one dressing, by enrichment, at 6 days, indicating that it had the highest tolerance among the three pathogens to the acidic environment imposed by the dressings. Overall, the type of dressing (i.e., ranch versus blue cheese) and level of fat in the dressings did not have a marked effect on the rate of inactivation of pathogens. Total counts and populations of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and molds remained low or undetectable (<1.0 log CFU/ml) throughout the 15-day storage period. Based on these observations, shelf-stable, dairy-based, pourable ranch and blue cheese salad dressings manufactured by three companies and stored at 25 degrees C do not support the growth of Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and L. monocytogenes and should not be considered as potentially hazardous foods (time-temperature control for safety foods) as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code.