Optical dot gain on newsprint determined with the Lund nuclear microprobe

A technique for measuring optical dot gain, i.e. the relative difference between the actual screen dot and the optically perceived one, is presented. By combining measurements from the non-optical nuclear microprobe with data from image analyzing technique the optical dot gain can be determined. The procedure to reach pixel by pixel correlation on a micrometer scale is discussed. In the newsprint sample studied in this investigation a typical optical dot gain between 15 and 20% was deduced. The variation in the optical dot gain was correlated with other characteristic parameters of the print and newsprint and especially a positive correlation to the mass density of the newsprint was observed.     

New CAMAC based data acquisition and beam control system for Lund nuclear microprobe

A new CAMAC based data acquisition system has been installed at the Lund Nuclear Microprobe facility. This paper reports on the development and present status of the data acquisition system. The system is a true multiparameter CAMAC based system with fast Fera bus readout and in crate memory buffer. The user interface is based on Sparrow Kmax software for a Power Macintosh platform. The system read out and tag the event data with position on-line, which make fast on-line monitoring of spectra or element maps possible.Simultaneously, all data can be saved event by event for off-line analysis. The beam scanning part is software controlled through a timed D/A converter, this allows fast scanning of the beam. With a CCD-camera and video card the area to be analysed could be defined directly from the image, and the sample position can be moved. Any kind of irregular scan patterns could be defined.     

The influence of F− ions on the electrochemical reactions on oxide-covered A1

In a neutral acetic buffered solution the influence of F^? ions on a high purity A1 electrode has been studied by a potentiostatic step method. The experiments show that both the anodic and cathodic reaction rates are increased by the introduction of the F^? ions into the electrolyte. The results are explained by assuming that the F^? ions enter the oxide lattice and replace some of the O^2? ions. The change in charge distribution caused by the replacement affects the reaction rates in such a way that both the anodic and cathodic reaction rates are increased.     

An Inductorless 300 MHz Wideband CMOS Power Amplifier

The power amplifier tends to be one of the most demanding parts to fully integrate when building an entire radio on a CMOS chip. In this paper the design of a fully integrated RF power amplifier without inductors is described. As inductors in CMOS technology are associated with various problems, it is interesting to examine what performance can be achieved without them. An amplifier with an operating band from 60 MHz to 300 MHz (–3 dB) is built in 0.8 m CMOS. A 3 V supply is used. The measured midband power gain is 30 dB with 50 resistive source and load impedance. As linearity is important for many modern modulation schemes, the amplifier is designed to be as linear as possible. The measured third order intercept point is 23 dBm and the 1 dB compression point is 10 dBm, both referred to the output. The output is single ended to avoid an off-chip differential to single ended transformer.     

Needle-like apatite-leucite glass-ceramic as a base material for the veneering of metal restorations in dentistry

A needle-like apatite-leucite glass-ceramic was prepared in the SiO₂-Al₂O₃-Na₂O-K₂O-P₂O₅-F system. Nucleation and crystallization processes were studied in bulk and powdered samples. The crystallization of leucite follows the mechanism of surface crystallization. After the precipitation of NaCaPO₄ crystals and another unknown crystal phase, the formation of needle-like apatite is based on a volume nucleation and crystallization process. The mechanism of the formation of needle-like apatite differs to those of apatite precipitation in glass-ceramics. The morphology of needle-like apatite is comparable to that of apatite in natural teeth.The properties of the glass-ceramic, especially the good chemical durability, the optical properties, as well as mechanical and thermal properties allow glass-ceramic to be used as a main component in a bio-material for the veneering of metal restorations in dentistry.     

Effect of local microroughness on the gloss uniformity of printed paper surfaces

A critical factor that affects the appearance of printed paper surfaces is gloss uniformity, which is usually assessed visually. To relate gloss uniformity to nonvisual quantities, we first visually identified areas of either high or low gloss on the same sample for two different types of paper. We then measured the roughness and the reflectance of these areas. Microroughness was measured with an atomic-force microscope, and roughness was measured over a larger area with a confocal laser scanning microscope. The local reflectance of the high-gloss and the low-gloss areas was obtained from images taken with a gloss-imaging instrument and compared with the roughness of each area. This correlation is nonlinear, and roughness is insufficient to predict the local reflectance. Light-scattering measurements were made in the specular direction to map the gloss uniformity over larger areas than was possible with the gloss-imaging instrument. These maps were used to show the possibility of using both the spatial frequency and the fan filters, which together form a set of cortex filters, to analyze the variation of the gloss about the mean value and its spatial distribution on the surface in terms of spatial frequency and azimuthal orientation.     

Microstructure and properties of a composite system for dental applications composed of glass-ceramics in the SiO2–Li2O–ZrO2–P2O5 system and ZrO2-ceramic (TZP)

The objective of the study was to develop a biocompatible composite system which was composed of TZP-ceramic (tetragonal zirconia polycrystals, ZrO₂ stabilized with 3 mol% Y₂O₃) and two glass-ceramics of the SiO₂–Li₂O–ZrO₂–P₂O₅ type. The metal-free composite system would satisfy the translucency, the biocompatibility and the strength requirements of dentistry. The two glass-ceramics of the SiO₂–Li₂O–ZrO₂–P₂O₅ type with a content of 15 and 20 wt% ZrO₂ respectively, were chemically and physically adapted to TZP-ceramic. The glass-ceramics were used as a dentin buildup material. The TZP-ceramic had the function of a root post. The shape of the post was cylindrical with a conical tip. The composite system was easy to process through viscous flow of the glass-ceramic at 900 and 1000°C, respectively. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of two glass-ceramics of the SiO₂–Li₂O–ZrO₂–P₂O₅ type were examined therefore.     

Coarsening of needle-shaped apatite crystals in SiO2 • Al2O3 • Na2O • K2O • CaO • P2O5 • F glass

Coarsening of needle-shaped apatite crystals was studied in a SiO2 Al2O3 Na2O K2O CaO P2O5 F glass. Crystal numbers and size distributions were measured by image analysis of electron micrographs obtained from slightly etched fractures of powder compacts sintered from differently annealed glass powders. Results indicate that the growth of apatite needles is controlled by diffusion-limited Ostwald ripening. Thus, the mean needle diameter and length increase with t1/3 while the crystal number decreases with t–1 due to a constant volume fraction of apatite. An invariant reduced size distribution could be found for the diameters. The measurement of needle lengths is affected by several difficulties (e.g. random needle orientation).     

A technique for improving gain and noise figure of common-gate wideband LNAs

This paper presents a novel compensation design for regulators, i.e., modified NMCF (nested Miller compensation with feedforward Gm stage), resulting in a linear LDO (low dropout) regulator whose performance is independent of the off-chip capacitor and its ESR (equivalent series resistor). The proposed compensation method ensures the stability of the feedback loop and the sufficient phase margin of the LDO regulator. Besides, the transient response become faster. The analysis of the stability is derived to solidify the proposed design. The proposed design is implemented using TSMC 0.35 μm 2P4M CMOS process. The results verify the performance and the stability on silicon. The power supply rejection ratio is 25 dB @ [200 Hz, 3 MHz], [50 Ω, 500 Ω] provided that the input voltage varies from 4 to 5 V.     

Severe deficiency of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in human immunodeficiency virus infection: association with immunological hyperactivity and only minor changes in calcium homeostasis

The serum level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D], the biologically most potent metabolite of vitamin D, is tightly regulated within narrow limits in human healthy adults. 1,25-(OH)2D deficiency is rare and is associated with disturbances in calcium and bone metabolism. We have previously reported a marked decrease in serum levels of 1,25-(OH)2D in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. The present study was designed to further examine the causes and consequences of severe 1,25-(OH)2D deficiency in these patients. The design was a prospective cohort study. Fifty-four HIV-infected patients clinically classified according to the revised criteria from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and healthy controls were studied. Parameters related to vitamin D and calcium metabolism as well as immunological and nutritional status were determined. Twenty-nine of the patients (54%) had serum levels of 1,25-(OH)2D below the lower reference limit, and 18 of these had undetectable levels. In contrast, HIV-infected patients had normal serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D-binding protein. HIV-infected patients as a group had modestly depressed serum calcium and PTH levels. There were, however, no correlations between these parameters and serum levels of 1,25-(OH)2D. There were no differences in serum calcium or PTH levels or nutritional status when patients with severe 1,25-(OH)2D deficiency were compared to other patients, but patients with undetectable 1,25-(OH)2D had significantly elevated serum phosphate levels. Furthermore, patients with undetectable 1,25-(OH)2D levels were characterized by advanced clinical HIV infection, low CD4+ lymphocyte counts, and high serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha). We conclude that inadequate 1alpha-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D seems to be the most likely cause of 1,25-(OH)2D deficiency in HIV-infected patients, possibly induced by an inhibitory effect of TNFalpha. The low 1,25-(OH)2D and high TNFalpha levels observed may impair the immune response in HIV-infected patients both independently and in combination and may represent an important feature of the pathogenesis of HIV-related immunodeficiency. Markedly depressed 1,25-(OH)2D serum levels are also present in certain other disorders characterized by immunological hyperactivity. Thus, the findings in the present study may not only represent a previously unrecognized immune-mediated mechanism for induction of 1,25-(OH)2D deficiency in human disease, but may also reflect the importance of adequate serum levels of 1,25-(OH)2D for satisfactory performance of the immune system in man.