A Potent Mimetic of the Siglec-8 Ligand 6’-Sulfo-Sialyl Lewisx

Siglecs are members of the immunoglobulin gene family containing sialic acid binding N-terminal domains. Among them, Siglec-8 is expressed on various cell types of the immune system such as eosinophils, mast cells and weakly on basophils. Cross-linking of Siglec-8 with monoclonal antibodies triggers apoptosis in eosinophils and inhibits degranulation of mast cells, making Siglec-8 a promising target for the treatment of eosinophil- and mast cell-associated diseases such as asthma. The tetrasaccharide 6’-sulfo-sialyl Lewis^x has been identified as a specific Siglec-8 ligand in glycan array screening. Here, we describe an extended study enlightening the pharmacophores of 6’-sulfo-sialyl Lewis^x and the successful development of a high-affinity mimetic. Retaining the neuraminic acid core, the introduction of a carbocyclic mimetic of the Gal moiety and a sulfonamide substituent in the 9-position gave a 20-fold improved binding affinity. Finally, the residence time, which usually is the Achilles tendon of carbohydrate/lectin interactions, could be improved.     

La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ nanofiber cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells by water-based sol-gel electrospinning: Synthesis and electrochemical behaviour

Water-based sol-gel electrospinning is employed to manufacture perovskite oxide La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3-δ (LSCF) nanofiber cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. LSCF fibrous scaffolds are synthesized through electrospinning of a sol-gel solution employing water as the only solvent. Morphological characterizations demonstrate that the LSCF fibers have highly crystalline structure with uniform elemental distribution. After heat treatment, the average fiber diameter is 250 nm and the porosity of the nanofiber tissue is 37.5 %. The heat treated LSCF nanofibers are applied directly onto a Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.95 (CGO) electrolyte disk to form a symmetrical cell. Electrochemical characterization is carried out through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the temperature range 550?°C–950?°C, and reproducibility of the electrochemical performance for a series of cells is demonstrated. At 650?°C, the average measured polarization resistance R_p is 1.0 Ω cm². Measured performance decay is 1 % during the first 33?h of operation at 750?°C, followed by an additional 0.7 % over the subsequent 70?h.     

Experimental and numerical assessment of gate-lag phenomena in AlGaAs-GaAs heterostructure field-effect transistors (FETs)

Gate-lag effects are characterized in AlGaAs-GaAs heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) by means of measurements and numerical device simulations. Gate lag increasingly affects device switching at increasing ungated recess extension, suggesting that responsible deep levels be located at the ungated, recess surface of the HFET. Gate lag diminishes by making the off-state gate-source voltage less negative and by increasing the drain bias. Increasing the temperature makes the turn-on transient faster at low drain bias, while slightly delaying it at high drain bias. Numerical device simulations accounting for acceptor-like traps at the ungated surface predict gate-lag phenomena in good agreement with experiments, reproducing correctly the observed bias and temperature dependences. Simulations show that surface states behave, during the turn-on transient, as hole traps capturing holes attracted at the ungated surface by the negative trapped charge.     

Positive temperature dependence of the electron impact ionizationcoefficient in In0.53Ga0.47As/InP HBTs

Impact ionization is a major limiting factor to the maximum operating voltage of InGaAs-based, high-speed transistors. In this work, data on the positive temperature dependence of the electron impact ionization coefficient α_n in In_0.53Ga_0.47As at medium-low electric fields are reported for the first time. The increase of α_n with temperature is opposite to the behavior normally observed in most semiconductors. This anomalous behavior implies the onset of a positive feedback between power dissipation and avalanche generation which may adversely affect the power handling capability of In_0.53Ga _0.47As-based devices, and which should be taken into account in device thermal modeling. In the experimental procedure, based on the measurement of the multiplication factor M-1 in npn In_0.53Ga _0.47As/InP Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBT), particular care has been taken in order to rule out possible spurious, temperature-dependent contributions to the measured multiplication current     

Systematic characterization of Cl2 reactive ion etchingfor improved ohmics in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Pre-metal-deposition reactive ion etching (RIE) was performed on an Al_0.3Ga_0.7N/AlN/GaN heterostructure in order to improve the metal-to-semiconductor contact resistance. An optimum AlGaN thickness for minimizing contact resistance was determined. An initial decrease in contact resistance with etching time was explained in terms of removal of an oxide surface layer and/or by an increase in tunnelling current with the decrease of the AlGaN thickness. The presence of a dissimilar surface layer was confirmed by an initial nonuniform etch depth rate. An increase in contact resistance for deeper etches was experienced. The increase was related to depletion of the two-dimensional (2-D) electron gas (2-DEG) under the ohmics. Etch depths were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The contact resistance decreased from about 0.45 Ωmm for unetched ohmics to a minimum of 0.27 Ωmm for 70 Å etched ohmics. The initial thickness of the AlGaN layer was 250 Å. The decrease in contact resistance, without excessive complications on device processing, supports RIE etching as a viable solution to improve ohmic contact resistance in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs     

User modeling in an OAM support system

This paper outlines studies relative to a research project on the development of a system that permits different people of an enterprise, with different roles and experience, to gain an adequate and personalized vision of the real status of the network and managed systems. What has been achieved is an easy to handle system, which permits quick and simple queries without utilizing complex man machine languages, and tailors personalized answers on the basis of the characteristics of the user. To achieve these results, User Modeling aspects have been considered and pursued.     

A rate adaptive bit-loading algorithm for in-building power-line communications based on DMT-modulated systems

This paper deals with a variable rate discrete multitone modulation system for broadband power-line communications, based on the bit-loading algorithm proposed by Leke and Cioffi. In the proposed system a suitable least mean square channel estimator is considered, which is based on the insertion of a training sequence (TS). The proposed approach will be compared with the ideal channel estimates, showing its effectiveness. Moreover, different TS lengths will be compared. The system performance, expressed in terms of bit rate and bit-error rate, is derived by simulation with and without estimation errors. The propagation environment has been assumed as a frequency-selective multipath fading channel with additive colored Gaussian noise, according to the in-building networks model.     

Influence of impact-ionization-induced base current reversal onbipolar transistor parameters

In this paper we describe a set of measurements representing a complete characterization of impact-ionization effects in bipolar transistors. We demonstrate that impact-ionization significantly influences the dependence of base resistance on current and voltages applied to the device. A dc method for the simultaneous extraction of all parasitic resistances in bipolar transistors is presented. The method can separate the influence of current-crowding on the base resistance from that of base width and conductivity modulation; the collector parasitic resistance is measured in the active region. Starting from the parameters extracted by means of these techniques, a complete and accurate circuit-model of impact-ionization effects can be defined