Reliability characteristics of ohmic contacts for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs

The thermal stability of ohmic contacts for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs is presented. Ti/Pt/Au, Ti/Pt/Au and Cr/Pt/Au, and AuGe/Ni/Ti/Pt/Au were investigated for emitter, base, and collector contacts, respectively. As a result of 200 degrees C storage tests, it was found that these contacts did not limit the reliability of AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs.<>     

A 40-GHz D-type flip-flop using AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's

We report master-slave D-type flip-flop (D-FF) circuit implemented with AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's. The fabricated HBT's had an f_T of 107 GHz and an f_max of 110 GHz. To maximize the speed, the logic swing and transistor size in the IC were optimized. In the D-FF, to facilitate the high-speed testing, a selector circuit was integrated on the same chip. As a result, the operation of this IC was confirmed up to 40 GHz, which is the highest speed in D-FF     

DC to 40-GHz broad-band amplifiers using AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's

In this paper, we report two types of broad-band amplifiers implemented with AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's. One is a Darlington feedback amplifier and the other is a transimpedance amplifier. In the former circuit, a dc gain of 9.5 dB and a -3-dB bandwidth of 40 GHz were achieved. In the latter circuit, a transimpedance gain of 50 dBΩ and a -3-dB bandwidth of 27 GHz were achieved. To our best knowledge, they are the highest speed in each circuit configuration     

Analysis and typing of the vacA gene from cagA-positive strains of Helicobacter pylori isolated in Japan

Approximately 50% of Helicobacter pylori strains produce a cytotoxin that is encoded by vacA and that induces vacuolation of eukaryotic cells. Mosaicism in vacA alleles was reported, and there are three different families of vacA signal sequences (s1a, s1b, and s2) and two different families of middle-region alleles (m1 and m2). In addition, the vacA genotype of a strain is associated with its cytotoxin phenotype and its capacity to induce peptic ulceration. To clarify the strain diversity of H. pylori in Japan, 87 Japanese clinical isolates of H. pylori (40 from patients with chronic atrophic gastritis, 25 from patients with duodenal ulcer, 16 from patients with gastric ulcer, 3 from patients with both duodenal and gastric ulcers, and 3 from patients with intestinal type gastric cancer) were characterized by vacA typing by PCR and DNA sequencing. Eighty-four of the 87 isolates were s1a/m1, one was s1b/m1, and two could not be typed. Moreover, all isolates in this study were cagA positive. There were no distinct differences between the cytotoxin-producing strains and cytotoxin-nonproducing strains within the 0.73-kb middle region. Japanese strains were highly homologous, with more than 96% identity in this region, in which maximum divergence has been reported. In addition, there were no associations between the specific vacA types and the level of in vitro cytotoxin activity or the clinical consequences. These results indicate that the cagA-positive, s1a/m1-type strains are common in Japan, regardless of the vacA phenotype or clinical outcome.     

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the alkaline protease gene from Fusarium sp. S-19-5 and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have cloned a genomic DNA encoding the alkaline protease (Alp) of Fusarium sp. S-19-5 from a genomic DNA library and sequenced the nucleotides. Complementary DNA encoding Alp was also isolated from the cDNA library after amplifying the gene by PCR using partial sequences of the Alp genomic DNA as primers. The Alp gene has an open reading frame of 1137 nucleotides containing three introns. A TATA box (TAAATA) was observed 112 base pairs upstream from the translation initiation codon in the 5'-non coding region. The Alp protein has a pre region consisting of 14 amino acids and a pro region of 85 amino acids preceding the mature region, which consists of 280 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of Fusarium Alp has 52% homology with that of Aspergillus oryzae and 51% homology with that of Acremonium chrysogenum. The entire cDNA encoding Fusarium Alp was introduced into Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which then secreted enzymatically active Alp into the culture medium.     

Dihydropyridine type calcium channel blocker-induced turbid dialysate in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis

Continuous awareness of systemic mycosis in immunocompromised patients is important. Early diagnosis is based on (direct) histologal examination and CT scan. Since treatment should start as early as possible, there is usually no time to await results of tissue cultures. Systemic treatment with amphotericin B and aggressive surgical débridement should be performed as soon as possible, while the place of hyperbaric oxygen and G-CSF remains to be established. In addition to routine preventive measures, prophylactic intranasal application of amphotericin B seems to be of value.     

On the formulation of optimal water allocation problem by linear programming

A problem of maximizing the efficiency of water use in industry is considered as a problem of optimizing water allocation in a total system which consists of water using and treating sub-systems. A problem formulation presented here is directed toward the iterative use of the linear programming based on characteristics specific to water allocation problems.     

A 1/3-in 270000 pixel CCD image sensor

A 1/3-in interline transfer charge-coupled-device (CCD) image sensor with 270000 pixels has been developed. The effective sensing area of (4.8(H)×3.6(V)) mm² is adopted for the 1/3-in format. This sensor realizes 330 TV lines of color horizontal resolution. In addition, a new on-chip color filter is used, and a minimum object illuminance of 3 1x has been achieved. The electronic shutter was realized by developing the vertical-extraction method, with a wide range of shutter speed from 1/60 to 1/10000 s. Moreover, the use of an embedded photodiode makes it possible to achieve a low dark current. This feature, together with the 5-V drive, gives the sensor additional high performance, including low smear (0.01%)     

Pulmonary manifestations in cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis

We investigated five cases with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) with particular reference to biochemical and pathological pulmonary disorders. To date, few reports discuss the pathophysiology of pulmonary disorders of CTX patients. This study is the first investigation of such pulmonary disorders. All 5 patients had no pulmonary symptoms and no disturbances on radiological studies and pulmonary function tests. However, in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, many cells with cruciform reflexes, which is characteristic of intracellular sterol accumulation, were found under phase contrast microscopy. Biochemically, cholestanol was found to be increased in the BAL fluid as well as in serum. Pathological findings of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) samples disclosed foamy macrophages and small granulomas in alveolar septa. In conclusion, the lung was apparently involved in CTX, and the lesions were characterized with the accumulation of foamy and giant cells with a high concentration of cholestanol, which likely results in the formation of foreign body granulomas.     

Representation of the displacement rate between the loading points in terms of applied stress and temperature and its relation to creep crack growth rate, C, P and Q parameters

The displacement rate between the loading points in SUS 304 stainless steel has been experimentally obtained under several applied gross stress and high temperatures, and the equation for has been obtained experimentally as a function of applied gross stress σ_g and absolute temperature T. Then, the relation of δ to creep crack growth rate da/dt was clearly shown in terms of equation. Furthermore, the relation has been clarified between the energy rate line integral C^* as affected by , and P parameter. In this way, it is clearly shown why log (da/dt) data plotted against log C^* deviates in some systematic trend with the increase of temperature and gross stress, respectively, whereas log da/dt vs the P parameter becomes exactly the same and one straight line independent of temperature and gross stress. The discussion is made on that the similar relation will hold between the evaluation by C^* and that by _gQ or by Q^*.