Effective Suppression of IV Knee Walk-Out in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for Pulsed-IV Pulsed-RF With a Large Signal Network Analyzer

IV knee walk-out in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on a Sapphire substrate is analyzed using dynamic radio frequency (RF) load-lines acquired with a large signal network analyzer (LSNA) for both continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed-IV/RF excitations. When thermal effects and traps are bypassed using pulsed-IV biasing and pulsed-RF excitations, the IV knee walk-out observed in CW load-lines is found to be effectively suppressed and the device delivers the maximum output power expected for class A operation. It is also demonstrated using pulsed-IV/RF measurements at various substrate temperatures that the IV knee walk-out primarily arises from thermal effects at high bias rather than trapping in the on-wafer devices characterized     

Secretagogue and bacteriostatic active fractions derived from a peptic hydro‐ lysate of alfalfa RuBisCO small purified subunit

For the first time a purification process for small RuBisCO (ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) subunit (SRS) was developed from an industrial by‐product of alfalfa, taking advantage of its solubility at low pH. Only one protein strip (14 kDa) was clearly detected in the sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) profile of the supernatant at pH 2. The recovery of SRS was 48% by this method, with a purity estimated as 98% by densitometry and reverse phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC). Moreover, most polyphenolic compounds were discarded, as confirmed by spectrophotometry and RP‐HPLC. SRS hydrolysis was performed for 20 h at 37 °C using pepsin in ammonia/formic acid buffer at pH 3. The hydrolysate was fractionated on a Sephadex G25 column equilibrated with ethanolamine/HCl buffer. Biological activities were found in two fractions. The first fraction showed slight bacteriostatic properties against two pathogenic bacteria, Salmonella arizonae and Shigella sonnei. The second fraction, tested by radioimmunoassay (RIA), presented a secretagogue activity comparable to that of gastrin. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

High frequency simulation of resonant tunneling diodes

The small and large-signal response of the resonant tunneling diode at high-frequencies is studied using a quantum simulator. The Poisson and Schrodinger equations are solved self-consistently for each harmonic using the harmonic balance technique. This ensures that the total current, consisting of the displacement plus conduction currents, is conserved across the device for each harmonic. The RTD exhibits an increased capacitance in the negative differential conductance (NDC) region in agreement with experimental data. As recently proposed this capacitance increase results from the formation of an emitter well capacitor when the well discharges. The derivation of the RTD capacitance from a quasi-static analysis using the differential variation of the de charge in the RTD is shown to be not applicable because the RTD well charges through the cathode but discharges through the anode. The frequency dependence of the conductance and susceptance is similar to reported experimental data. A large frequency dependence of the admittance is only observed when the RTD is biased in the negative differential conductance (NDC) region. These calculations predict an effective reduction of the RTD conductance and capacitance at high-frequency in the NDC region. This effect can be modeled using a quantum inductance in series with the negative resistance of the RTD as recently proposed. Due to the simultaneous reduction of both the conductance and the capacitance at high-frequency in the NDC region the maximum frequency of oscillation does not differ much from its estimate using the low frequency conductance and capacitance. The large-signal response at high-frequency of an RTD biased in the negative differential region is also presented in this paper. The large-signal negative-conductance is shown to decrease with both increasing frequency and ac voltage     

Factors associated with alcohol and drug use among traffic crash victims in southern Brazil

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with alcohol- or drug-related traffic crashes (TC) in a sample of TC victims who were admitted to the two emergency rooms of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with consecutive samples was used. Victims of non-fatal TCs (as drivers, passengers or pedestrians) who had presented at emergency rooms during the 45 days of data collection were selected. Subjects participated in a structured interview, were breathalyzed and underwent salivary drug testing. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to verify factors associated with alcohol or drug use.

Results

Of the 609 victims who participated in the interview, 72% were male, and the median age was 29 years (interquartile range 23.0–40.0 years). The drivers were mostly men (p < 0.001), with a higher binge drinking rate (p = 0.003) and marijuana use (p = 0.005) than seen in pedestrian and passengers. The prevalence of a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ranged from 7.8% among the drivers to 9.2% among the pedestrians (p = 0.861), and the cannabis prevalence was 13.3% among the drivers. The variables associated with an alcohol-related accident were binge drinking in the prior 12 months (OR 2.4; CI 95% 1.1–5.1) and coming from a party/bar (OR 8.7; CI 95% 2.8–26.7). Alcohol abuse or dependence increased by 5.2-fold the chance of another substance-related TC.

Conclusion

The large number of individuals found in TC-related emergency room visits in a short time frame is evidence of the Brazilian epidemic of TC. The data showed that alcohol abuse or dependence also increases the risk of intoxication by other drugs, and they point to alcohol and drug use as a major problem requiring specific TC-related public policies and law enforcement.     

Tailoring the morphology and crystallinity of poly(L-lactide acid) electrospun membranes

Biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) microfibers were prepared by electrospinning by varying the applied potential, solution flow rate and collector conditions. PLLA fibers with smoothly oriented and random morphologies were obtained and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The optimum fiber orientation was obtained at 1000 rpm using a 20.3 cm diameter collecting drum, while for higher and lower drum rotation speeds, the rapid random motion of the jets resulted in a random fiber distribution. The deformation of the jet with rapid solidification during electrospinning often results in a metastable phase. PLLA electrospun fibers are amorphous but contain numerous crystal nuclei that rapidly grow when the sample is heated to 70–140 °C. In this way, the degree of crystallinity of the fibers can be tailored between 0 and 50% by annealing. Infrared transmission spectra revealed that the processing conditions do not affect the PLLA samples at the molecular level and that the crystallinity of the samples is related to the presence of α-crystals.     

Tailoring biosensors for Brazil: Detection of insecticides in foods

An acetylcholinesterase (AChE) B multisensor from Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) was developed, able to detect the most frequently used insecticides in Brazil. The objective was to establish a fast screening-out method, separating the negative samples from the positive ones. The four mutants, which together presented the widest sensitivity spectrum, were: F345A, M301A, W346V and W346A. The combination of these four mutants in a multienzyme biosensor array enabled the detection of 11 out of the 12 most important insecticides at concentrations below 10 μg/kg. The biosensor test was compared with traditional analysis methods, and validated with food samples previously analyzed. The storage stability revealed that the enzyme activity remained stable for 40 weeks; however the sensitivity decreased with time. The biosensor screened out samples with an analysis duration of about 2 h.     

Analytic solution of the velocity-saturated MOSFET/MODFET waveequation and its application to the prediction of the microwavecharacteristics of MODFETs

An AC model for the saturated MODFET is reported. The MOSFET/MODFET wave equation accounting for velocity saturation and channel length modulation is derived. An exact solution of the wave equation is obtained in terms of Bessel functions. A frequency power series is used to derive analytic expressions for the intrinsic Y -parameters. This AC model is applied to the prediction of the microwave characteristics of 1-μm AlGaAs/GaAs MODFETs and GaAlAs/InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic MODFETs. The parameters used by the AC model are extracted by fitting the I-V characteristics. The parasitics are either estimated or measured. A good prediction of the scattering parameters measured from 2 to 18.4 GHz is achieved for different biases. The deviation of the calculated unilateral power gain from the measured values was on average 1.25 and 2.18 dB for the conventional MODFET and the pseudomorphic MODFET, respectively     

A 8-GHz SiGe HBT VCO Design on a Low Resistive Silicon Substrate Using GSML

A practical layout method called ground shield microstrip lines (GSML) is investigated for the reliable design of high frequency interconnection lines on a low resistive silicon substrate. GSML facilitates the prediction of parasitic networks at the expense of introducing negligible loss. The microwave performance of a GSML line structure is compared to that of a conventional metal line on the same standard silicon substrate (20 Omegamiddotcm). Then, the GSML structure is applied to an 8-GHz SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit. The GSML method replaces the post layout simulation and reduces iteration time, increasing design efficiency. A fully integrated differential tuning SiGe HBT 8-GHz VCO is designed and tested. The measured phase noise for the VCO is dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset with an output power of dBm.     

Waveguide probe with size-reduced aperture using split-ring resonator array for near-field measurements

A waveguide probe with size-reduced aperture for near-field measurements is proposed. The open-ended waveguide loads the split ring resonator array. The low return loss, high efficiency, and length extension have been achieved by optimising the ring arrangement as well as adopting a double-ridged waveguide and inserting a dielectric material. The proposed probe produces 70% aperture reduction in comparison to conventionally designed probes. The return loss, radiation pattern and gain from the simulation and measurement show good results.