Oxidized Porous Silicon: From Dielectric Isolation to Integrated Optical Waveguides

A brief review of 20-years research of formation, processing and utilizing of oxidized porous silicon (OPS) is presented. Electrolytes to form porous silicon (PS) layers, special features of PS chemical cleaning and thermal oxidation are discussed. OPS application for dielectric isolation of components of bipolar ICs and for the formation of silicon-on-insulator structures has been demonstrated. Although these OPS-based techniques have found limited current commercial use, experience gained is applicable to the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. Specifically, integrated optical waveguides based on OPS have been developed.     

Similarity between shock and safe areas during acquisition, transfer, and extinction of escape behavior in rats.

Demonstrated, in 3 experiments with a total of 128 female hooded rats, that performance in escape training was impaired when shock- and safe-box stimuli were similar rather than dissimilar to each other. Prior training with similar shock and safe boxes impaired responding during subsequent training or extinction under the dissimilar shock and safe condition. Prior training under the dissimilar condition did not reliably influence subsequent training or extinction under the similar shock-safe condition. Resistance to extinction under the dissimilar condition was reliably better following training with random presentations to both similar and dissimilar conditions than following training with the dissimilar condition alone. Exp III showed that impairment of escape behavior during training was attributable to response-contingent similarity between shock and safe boxes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dorsal filament of the weakly electric Apteronotidae (Gymnotiformes; Teleostei) is specialized for electroreception

The Apteronotidae, a family of weakly electric fish from South America (Gymnotiformes), possess a structure called the dorsal filament with an unknown function and evolutionary origin. This study compared the gross anatomy of the dorsal filament of 13 species of apteronotids and used light microscopy to examine the filaments of Adontosternarchus balaenops, Apteronotus albifrons, and Apteronotus leptorhynchus. The dorsal filament is an unscaled, thin, tapering structure attached to a mid-dorsal groove on the posterior half of the fish's back. The interior of the filament is a gelatinous mucopolysaccharide matrix (connective tissue) containing blood vessels and a bilateral nerve in which nearly all the afferents are large (8-10 mu m) and heavily myelinated. The location of the anterior origin of the filament varies from 0.48 to 0.66 of the body length, posterior to the snout, in 13 species. The filament is covered with hundreds of large-type tuberous electroreceptors and some ampullary receptors, at approximately the same density and ratio as those on the nearby back. The morphology of the large-type tuberous receptors and their afferents suggests that they are phase-coding T-units. A double layer of epithelial cells separates the ventral side of the filament from the groove in the trunk of the fish, except at the anterior origin where the interior of the filament is continuous with the body. This specialized double epithelium could provide a high resistance barrier to electrical current. This study was unable to distinguish between two hypotheses: that the dorsal filament is a modified adipose fin (as suggested previously), retained only in this family of Gymnotiformes; or that it is a uniquely derived character of the Apteronotidae.     

Electrostatic immobilization of glucose oxidase in a weak acid, polyelectrolyte hyperbranched ultrathin film on gold: fabrication, characterization, and enzymatic activity.

In this paper we show that hyperbranched polymers can be used as a host matrix for electrostatic entrapment of enzymes. Specifically, amine-functionalized glucose oxidase (GOx+) and horseradish peroxidase, as well as poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-modified horseradish peroxidase, reversibly sorb into polyanionic, hyperbranched poly(sodium acrylate) (PAA-) films that are on the order of a few hundred angstroms thick. The quantity of GOx+ entrapped within the PAA- films depends on the nature of film preparation but is typically on the order of 0.06 unit/cm2. The extent to which entrapped GOx+ retains its activity depends on the film history, but for PAA-/GOx+ composites not exposed to glucose and stored at 4 degrees C, the original activity is retained for up to 68 days and perhaps longer.     

Zinc Oxide Sheath Voltage Limiter for HV and EHV Power Cable: Field Experience and Laboratory Tests

This paper deals with laboratory tests in order to qualify a new type of sheath voltage limiter (SVL) based on Zinc oxide non linear resistor (ZnO). The aim of the tests was to determine the maximum performance of the SVL and to investigate the possibility of ageing phenomena. The research was based on several years of field experience gained on silicon carbide (SiC) SVL. The high performance and the better reliability of the ZnO SVL, compared with the traditional SiC one, allow greater freedom in the project design of cable installations, making possible an increase in cable length and in the permissible short circuit current. The new SVL is now being installed to protect special bonding connections of high power cables.     

Investigation of Morphology of Porous Silicon Formed on N+ Type Silicon

The properties of porous silicon (PS) are closely connected to its morphology, much investigation has been done in order to correlate the morphological characteristics of PS with the anodisation parameters. In this paper the results of morphological analysis of PS formed on N⁺type substrates of 1 0 0 and 1 1 1 orientation are presented. The dependences of the porosity, thickness of PS, density of pores and of the effective surface on the current density are obtained. Interpretation of these results in terms of diffusion layer and energy levels is given, with special attention given to the low current density case.     

Some effects of single alternation training of rats in a double runway.

Gave independent groups of male hooded rats (n = 30) either (a) single alternation (SA) of reward and nonreward in the 1st goal box of a double runway and 100% reward in the 2nd goal box, (b) concurrent SA in both goal boxes, (c) SA in the 1st goal box and no experience in the 2nd runway, or (d) random 50% reward in the 1st goal box accompanied by 100% reward in the 2nd goal box. SA training in the 1st or in both segments of the double runway yielded reliable SA patterning wherever such training occurred. Concurrent SA training in both segments yielded the fastest development of patterning. "Frustration effects" in the 2nd runway were consistently greater following SA in the 1st goal box than following random reward and nonreward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A novel MspI PCR-RFLP in the human cytosine 5-methyltransferase gene: lack of relevance for malignant lymphoproliferative disease and breast cancer

A 72 year-old man underwent a Bentall procedure for aortic regurgitation secondary to annulo-aortic ectasia and ascending aortic aneurysm. On the 11th postoperative day, the C-reactive protein (CRP) level and white blood cell (WBC) count rose. Echocardiography and a computed tomographic scan showed the appearance of pericardial effusion. A diagnosis of mediastinitis and composite graft infection was made, and mediastinal drainage and irrigation were performed. Methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococcus (MRCNS) was identified as the causative organism. Vancomycin, arbekacin and minocycline were used intravenously. Additionally, a continuous mediastinal irrigation was performed through the chest tubes. CRP level and WBC count were gradually reduced to normal range. He has now been free from signs of infection for more than 3 years. Because MRCNS is considered less virulent than methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, mediastinitis and composite graft infection due to MRCNS might be treatable by such conservative therapy even in patients with prosthetic implants. Since MRCNS often becomes ubiquitous, preventing infections by strict attention to asepsis is important.     

Symbol-to-symbol performance evaluation of densely populatedasynchronous DS-CDMA in Gaussian and impulsive noise environments: aFourier-Bessel series approach

This letter considers the well-established Poisson impulse noise model with a random amplitude area distributed according to the ϵ-mixture Gaussian probability density function. This model is used to develop fast converging truncated Fourier-Bessel (FB) series expressions, required to evaluate accurately the performance of a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation scheme as part of a densely populated asynchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (A/DS-CDMA) configuration. The average error probability of the correlation receiver is easily and quickly obtained here, even for the case of a large number of users (K=100), unlike earlier attempts in this area in which the use of other analysis approaches (e.g., closed-form approach or Taylor series expansion approach) could not exceed the limit of K=2 and K=24 in an ϵ-mixture impulsive and/or Gaussian noise environment, respectively