Plastic deformation in a multifunctional Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O alloy

Mechanisms for plastic deformation in the newly developed Ti-24 at. pct (Ta + Nb + V)-(Zr,Hf)-O alloys (Gum Metal) were investigated in relation to their unique properties. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the microstructure after deformation was characterized by highly distorted crystal images, which are accompanied by numerous “giant faults.” Such plastic behavior implies that a large amount of elastic stain energy was stored discretely and hierarchically during cold working. Calculated elastic constants of the Ti-X (Nb,Ta,Mo,V) binary systems predicted that Young’s modulus in 〈001〉 and shear moduli along some directions including slip systems in a bcc crystal were extraordinary small. The low modulus not only well explains the highly distorted microstructure observed in the cold-worked specimens, but also signifies that ideal shear strength of the developed alloys is a very small value, which is close to the practical strength required for plastic deformation in the alloy. This implies that the giant faults observed in the deformed specimen were formed without the aid of dislocation glide.     

Trenched‐Sinker LDMOSFET (TS‐LDMOS) Structure for 2 GHz Power Amplifiers

This paper proposes a new LDMOSFET structure with a trenched sinker for high‐power RF amplifiers. Using a low‐temperature, deep‐trench technology, we succeeded in drastically shrinking the sinker area to one‐third the size of the conventional diffusion‐type structure. The RF performance of the proposed device with a channel width of 5 mm showed a small signal gain of 16.5 dB and a maximum peak power of 32 dBm with a power‐added efficiency of 25% at 2 GHz. Furthermore, the trench sinker, which was applied to the guard ring to suppress coupling between inductors, showed an excellent blocking performance below ?40 dB at a frequency of up to 20 GHz. These results confirm that the proposed trenched sinker should be an effective technology both as a compact sinker for RF power devices and as a guard ring against coupling.     

On Striping Traffic over Multiple IEEE 802.11(b) Wireless Channels

Due to interference, path loss, multipath fading, background noise, and many other factors, wireless communication normally cannot provide a wireless link with both a high data rate and a long transmission range. To address this problem, striping network traffic in parallel over multiple lower-data-rate but longer-transmission-range wireless channels may be used. In this paper, we propose a new striping method and evaluate its performances over multiple IEEE 802.11(b) channels under various conditions. Our extensive simulation results show that this method is quite effective for such an application. S.Y. Wang is an Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. He received his Master and Ph.D. degree in computer science from Harvard University in 1997 and 1999, respectively. His research interests include wireless networks, Internet technologies, network simulations, and operating systems. He is the author of the NCTUns 2.0 network simulator and emulator, which is being widely used by network and communication researchers. More information about the tool is available at http://NSL.csie.nctu.edu.tw/nctuns.html. C.H. Hwang received his master degree in computer science from NCTU in 2002 and currently is working for a network company. C.L. Chou currently is a third-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Chiao TungUniversity (NCTU), Taiwan. He received his master degree in computer science from NCTU in 2002.     

Efficient OVSF code assignment and reassignment strategies in UMTS

This paper presents an integrated solution for code management, assignment, and reassignment problems in UMTS. We propose a new architecture for code management and, based upon this new architecture, a code assignment strategy, referred to as "crowded-group first strategy". Our system architecture and code assignment strategy represent significant improvements both in the time complexity and the maintenance complexity. Moreover, the code blocking probability of the crowded-group first strategy is competitive to that of the other strategies. In this paper, we also propose a new code reassignment strategy, called the "crowded-branch first strategy". The main objective of this reassignment strategy is to reduce reassigned call probability with low computation overhead and extend this strategy for the general case. In order to systematically analyze the performances of the code assignment strategy, we implement a simulator to analyze the code selection behavior and code blocking probability of each strategy. Moreover, we propose some new performance metrics, named "weighted code blocking", "reassigned call probability", and "ratio of actual code reassignments", in order to precisely measure the performance obtained by different strategies. From the simulation results, we show that our proposed strategies efficiently utilize the OVSF codes with low computation overhead.     

Adaptive median filters: new algorithms and results

Based on two types of image models corrupted by impulse noise, we propose two new algorithms for adaptive median filters. They have variable window size for removal of impulses while preserving sharpness. The first one, called the ranked-order based adaptive median filter (RAMF), is based on a test for the presence of impulses in the center pixel itself followed by a test for the presence of residual impulses in the median filter output. The second one, called the impulse size based adaptive median filter (SAMF), is based on the detection of the size of the impulse noise. It is shown that the RAMF is superior to the nonlinear mean L(p) filter in removing positive and negative impulses while simultaneously preserving sharpness; the SAMF is superior to Lin's (1988) adaptive scheme because it is simpler with better performance in removing the high density impulsive noise as well as nonimpulsive noise and in preserving the fine details. Simulations on standard images confirm that these algorithms are superior to standard median filters.     

A practical SPICE model based on the physics and characteristics of realistic single-electron transistors

A practical model for a single-electron transistor (SET) was developed based on the physical phenomena in realistic Si SETs, and implemented into a conventional circuit simulator. In the proposed model, the SET current calculated by the analytic model is combined with the parasitic MOSFET characteristics, which have been observed in many recently reported SETs formed on Si nanostructures. The SPICE simulation results were compared with the measured characteristics of the Si SETs. In terms of the bias, temperature, and size dependence of the realistic SET characteristics, an extensive comparison leads to good agreement within a reasonable level of accuracy. This result is noticeable in that a single set of model parameters was used, while considering divergent physical phenomena such as the parasitic MOSFET, the Coulomb oscillation phase shift, and the tunneling resistance modulated by the gate bias. When compared to the measured data, the accuracy of the voltage transfer characteristics of a single-electron inverter obtained from the SPICE simulation was within 15%. This new SPICE model can be applied to estimating the realistic performance of a CMOS/SET hybrid circuit or various SET logic architectures.     

An efficient implementation of surface impedance boundaryconditions for the finite-difference time-domain method

An efficient way to implement the surface impedance boundary conditions (SIBC) for the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is presented in this paper. Surface impedance boundary conditions are first formulated for a lossy dielectric half-space in the frequency domain. The impedance function of a lossy medium is approximated with a series of first-order rational functions. Then, the resulting time-domain convolution integrals are computed using recursive formulas which are obtained by assuming that the fields are piecewise linear in time. Thus, the recursive formulas derived here are second-order accurate. Unlike a previously published method [7] which requires preprocessing to compute the exponential approximation prior to the FDTD simulation, the preprocessing time is eliminated by performing a rational approximation on the normalized frequency-domain impedance. This approximation is independent of material properties, and the results are tabulated for reference. The implementation of the SIBC for a PEC-backed lossy dielectric shell is also introduced     

Conference key distribution schemes for secure digital mobilecommunications

We propose a new service for digital mobile communication systems. The service enables two or more users to hold a secure conference. Two requirements must be considered: privacy and authentication. Privacy involves ensuring that an eavesdropper cannot intercept the conversations of the parties holding the conference. Authentication involves ensuring that service is not obtained fraudulently in order to avoid usage charges. We present two new conference key distribution schemes for digital mobile communication systems. In these schemes, a group of users can generate a common secret keg over a public channel so that they may hold a secure conference     

Electrophoretic Identification of Muscle Proteins in 7 Puffer Species

ABSTRACT: Species identification of puffer species using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with Coomassie blue and Coomassie blue/silver double staining was performed. A comparison was also made among extracts of sarcoplasmic, myofibrillar, SDS-soluble, and urea-soluble proteins. Protein bands of lower molecular weight showed the species-specific characteristics. Double staining better discriminated the protein banding patterns of different puffer species than Coomassie blue staining. Species identification of all tested puffers could be achieved by judging from the SDS-PAGE patterns of the 4 protein extracts stained with both stains along with protein band densities.