An electromigration and thermal model of power wires for a priori high-level reliability prediction

In this paper, a simple power-distribution electrothermal model including the interconnect self-heating is used together with a statistical model of average and rms currents of functional blocks and a high-level model of fanout distribution and interconnect wirelength. Following the 2001 SIA roadmap projections, we are able to predict a priori that the minimum width that satisfies the electromigration constraints does not scale like the minimum metal pitch in future technology nodes. As a consequence, the percentage of chip area covered by power lines is expected to increase at the expense of wiring resources unless proper countermeasures are taken. Some possible solutions are proposed in the paper.     

Tartaglia-Pascal’s triangle: a historical perspective with applications

The aim of this paper is to provide a historical perspective of Tartaglia-Pascal’s triangle with its relations to physics, finance, and statistical signal processing. We start by introducing Tartaglia’s triangle and its numerous properties. We then consider its relationship with a number of topics: the Newton binomial, probability theory (in particular with the Gaussian probability density function, pdf), the Fibonacci sequence, the heat equation, the Schrödinger equation, the Black–Scholes equation of mathematical finance and stochastic filtering theory. Thus, the main contribution of this paper is to present a systematic review of the triangle properties, its connection to statistical theory, and its numerous applications. The paper has mostly a scientific-educational character and is addressed to a wide circle of readers. Sections 7 and 8 are more technical; thus, they may be of interest to more expert readers.     

A compact model for multiterminal bipolar devices used in smartpower applications

Complex technologies merging low-voltage bipolar devices and vertical current-flow power transistor allow more smart functions at low chip cost but pose problems during the design phase because there is no way to predict the influence of the high-voltage transistor over the control components by using standard bipolar junction transistor (BJT) models. In fact the large inductive load usually present in high-voltage power transistors applications forces both negative substrate voltage and spurious currents that can induce positive feedback among parasitic devices, downgrading the performance of a single device and so of the whole circuit. In this work we introduce a model for the five-terminal bipolar devices used in smart power applications. The model accounts for all main static and dynamic parasitic effects and gives results in very good agreement with experimental data on both simple devices and complex integrated circuits currently implemented in commercial products for microprocessor based engine management systems (EMS's)     

Blood Thiol Redox State in Chronic Kidney Disease

Thiols (sulfhydryl groups) are effective antioxidants that can preserve the correct structure of proteins, and can protect cells and tissues from damage induced by oxidative stress. Abnormal levels of thiols have been measured in the blood of patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared to healthy subjects, as well as in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The levels of protein thiols (a measure of the endogenous antioxidant capacity inversely related to protein oxidation) and S-thiolated proteins (mixed disulphides of protein thiols and low molecular mass thiols), and the protein thiolation index (the molar ratio of the S-thiolated proteins to free protein thiols in plasma) have been investigated in the plasma or red blood cells of CKD and ESRD patients as possible biomarkers of oxidative stress. This type of minimally invasive analysis provides valuable information on the redox status of the less-easily accessible tissues and organs, and of the whole organism. This review provides an overview of reversible modifications in protein thiols in the setting of CKD and renal replacement therapy. The evidence suggests that protein thiols, S-thiolated proteins, and the protein thiolation index are promising biomarkers of reversible oxidative stress that could be included in the routine monitoring of CKD and ESRD patients.     

Histidine Ligated Iron-Sulfur Peptides

Iron-sulfur clusters are thought to be ancient cofactors that could have played a role in early protometabolic systems. Thus far, redox active, prebiotically plausible iron-sulfur clusters have always contained cysteine ligands to the cluster. However, extant iron-sulfur proteins can be found to exploit other modes of binding, including ligation by histidine residues, as seen with [2Fe-2S] Rieske and MitoNEET proteins. Here, we investigated the ability of cysteine- and histidine-containing peptides to coordinate a mononuclear Fe²⁺ center and a [2Fe-2S] cluster and compare their properties with purified iron-sulfur proteins. The iron-sulfur peptides were characterized by UV-vis, circular dichroism, and paramagnetic NMR spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry. Small (≤6 amino acids) peptides can coordinate [2Fe-2S] clusters through a combination of cysteine and histidine residues with similar reduction potentials as their corresponding proteins. Such complexes may have been important for early cell-like systems.     

A New Formulation Based on Ozonated Sunflower Seed Oil: In Vitro Antibacterial and Safety Evaluation

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential in vitro biological properties of Oz.Or.Oil 30, a new formulation composed of 30% ozonated sunflower seed oil, which is believed to keep skin smooth and moisturized, supporting repair processes, tissue regeneration and re-epithelialization of wounds. The antibacterial activity, the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the cytotoxic effect of the formulation on cultures of Vero cells and 3T3 fibroblasts showed that Oz.Or.Oil 30 merits further in vivo study using clinical-laboratory correlations, because it could be suggested as an alternative therapy against bacterial and fungal diseases.     

Electrochemical corrosion behavior of LDX 2101® duplex stainless steel in a fluoride-containing environment

The effect of fluoride on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of an LDX 2101® duplex stainless steel (DSS) was studied. Open-circuit potential (E_OC) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out in artificial saliva and with the addition of fluoride (1 wt% NaF). The electrochemical corrosion behavior of the AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel (SS) was also evaluated for comparison. Both open-circuit potential and EIS results indicate that DSS and austenitic SS undergo spontaneous passivation due to spontaneously formed oxide film passivating the metallic surface, in the simulated aggressive environments. However, LDX 2101® exhibits superior corrosion resistance as compared with AISI 316L, and this improvement is ascribed to the formation of a passive film which shows a higher protective effect than the one formed on AISI 316L.     

2004 National Atrazine Occurrence Monitoring Program using the Abraxis ELISA method

The goal of this project was to gain a better understanding of atrazine occurrence in the United States by surveying drinking water utilities' sources and finished water for atrazine on a weekly basis for seven months. Atrazine is a contaminant of interest because the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has found short-term atrazine exposure above the drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL) to potentially cause heart, lung, and kidney congestion, low blood pressure, muscle spasms, weight loss, and damage to the adrenal glands. Long-term exposure to atrazine concentrations above the drinking water MCL has been linked to weight loss, cardiovascular damage, retinal and muscle degeneration, and cancer. This survey effort improved upon previously conducted atrazine surveys through intensive, high frequency sampling (participating plants sampled their raw and finished water on a weekly basis for approximately seven months). Such an intensive effort allowed the authors to gain a better understanding of short-term atrazine occurrence and its variability in drinking water sources. This information can benefit the drinking water industry by facilitating (1) better atrazine occurrence management (i.e., awareness when plants may be more susceptible to atrazine), (2) more efficient atrazine control (e.g., effective treatment alternatives and more effective response to atrazine occurrence), and (3) treatment cost reduction (e.g., efficient atrazine control can result in substantial cost savings). Forty-seven drinking watertreatment plants located primarily in the Midwestern United States participated in the survey and sampled their raw and finished water on a weekly basis from March through October. Samples were analyzed using the Abraxis enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit. Confirmation samples for quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) purposes were analyzed using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS). Several important conclusions can be drawn from this study including (1) surface waters were confirmed to be more vulnerable to atrazine contamination than groundwater sources, (2) peak atrazine concentrations corresponded well to precipitation/runoff events, and (3) atrazine occurrence tended to be uniform geographically when compared by river drainage basins. In addition, this project confirmed that the Abraxis atrazine ELISA test kit tended to have a positive bias (i.e., the measured ELISA concentration was higher than the actual concentration) in most measured samples. Finished samples tended to have more of a positive bias than raw water samples. Therefore, this bias may limit the effectiveness for ELISA for regulatory monitoring. There are many other applications for ELISA, however, including frequent monitoring for early detections of atrazine concentration changes that might trigger conventional analysis by GC/MS or be used for activated carbon dosing or other treatment operating controls.