Silicon for thin-film transistors

We are standing at the beginning of the industrialization of flexible thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. The two important research directions for the TFTs are (i) processability on flexible substrates and (ii) sufficient field-effect mobilities of electrons and holes to support complementary metal insulator semiconductor operation. The most important group of TFT capable semiconductors are the several modifications of silicon films: amorphous, nanocrystalline and microcrystalline. We summarize their TFT properties and their compatibility with foil substrate materials.     

Control strategies for reactive batch distillation

A batch reactor may be combined directly with a distillation column by distilling off the light component product in order to increase the reactor temperature or to improve the product yield of an equilibrium reaction. The same amount of the light product should be removed as the amount being formed by the reaction at any time. A linearized model has been developed which describes the process behaviour satisfactorily for control analysis purposes. The controllability of a combined batch reactor/batch distillation column is found to depend strongly on the operating conditions and on the time during the run. In general, controlling only the reactor temperature (one-point bottom control) is difficult since the set-point has to be specified below a maximum value in order to avoid break-through of an intermediate component in the ditillate. This maximum value may be difficult to know a priori. For the example considered in this study, control of both reactor temperature and distillate composition (two-point control) is also found to be difficult due to large interactions in the column. As with one-point bottom control, the reactor temperature has to be specified below a maximum value. However, energy can be saved since the heat duty can be decreased with time. Controlling the temperature on a tray in the column (one-point column control) is found to give good performance for the given process with no loss of reactant and a high reactor temperature, although no direct control of the reactor temperature is obtained.     

Cardiac risk in surgery. A review and guidelines for risk evaluation and reduction of cardiac risk in general surgery

We report herein the phenotypic and functional analysis of human bone marrow and thymus derived early T cells. Commitment to T cell lineage is acquired during CD7 antigen expression by CD34+ precursors in human bone marrow and before thymus colonization. Early thymocytes show similar phenotypic characteristics as bone marrow T cells. They rapidly acquire CD4 before the dual expression of CD4 and CD8. Their expansion and differentiation is regulated by two major factors: thymic stroma and cytokines produced by these stroma cells or by thymocytes themselves. Among cytokines, IL1 and sCD23 produced by thymic epithelial cells support in vitro early T cell development.     

Data reconciliation and optimal operation of a catalytic naphtha reformer

The naphtha reforming process converts low-octane gasoline blending components to high-octane components for use in high-performance gasoline fuels. The reformer also has an important function as the producer of hydrogen to the refinery hydrotreaters. A process model based on a unit model structure, is used for estimation of the process condition using data reconciliation. Measurements are classified as redundant or non-redundant and the model variables are classified as observable, barely observable or unobservable. The computed uncertainty of the measured and unmeasured variables shows that even if a variable is observable it may have a very large uncertainty and may thereby be practically unobservable. The process condition at 21 data points, sampled from two years of operation, was reconciled and used to optimize the process operation. There are large seasonal variations in the reformer product price and two operational cases are studied. In case 1, the product price is high and throughput is maximized with respect to process and product quality constraints. In case 2, the product price is low and the throughput is minimized with respect to a low constraint on the hydrogen production. Based on the characteristics of the optimal operation, a “self optimizing” control structure is suggested for each of the two operational cases.     

The setpoint overshoot method: A simple and fast closed-loop approach for PID tuning

A simple method has been developed for PID controller tuning of an unidentified process using closed-loop experiments. The proposed method requires one closed-loop step setpoint response experiment using a proportional only controller, and it mainly uses information about the first peak (overshoot) which is very easy to identify. The setpoint experiment is similar to the classical Ziegler–Nichols (1942) experiment, but the controller gain is typically about one half, so the system is not at the stability limit with sustained oscillations. Based on simulations for a range of first-order with delay processes, simple correlations have been derived to give PI controller settings similar to those of the SIMC tuning rules (Skogestad (2003) [6]). The recommended controller gain change is a function of the height of the first peak (overshoot), whereas the controller integral time is mainly a function of the time to reach the peak. The method includes a detuning factor that allows the user to adjust the final closed-loop response time and robustness. The proposed tuning method, originally derived for first-order with delay processes, has been tested on a wide range of other processes typical for process control applications and the results are comparable with the SIMC tunings using the open-loop model.     

A boundary value problem for the KdV equation: Comparison of finite-difference and Chebyshev methods

Solutions of a boundary value problem for the Korteweg–de Vries equation are approximated numerically using a finite-difference method, and a collocation method based on Chebyshev polynomials. The performance of the two methods is compared using exact solutions that are exponentially small at the boundaries. The Chebyshev method is found to be more efficient.     

A novel TFT‐OLED integration for OLED‐independent pixel programming in amorphous‐Si AMOLED pixels

Abstract— The direct voltage programming of active‐matrix organic light‐emitting‐diode (AMOLED) pixels with n‐channel amorphous‐Si (a‐Si) TFTs requires a contact between the driving TFT and the OLED cathode. Current processing constraints only permit connecting the driving TFT to the OLED anode. Here, a new “inverted” integration technique which makes the direct programming possible by connecting the driver n‐channel a‐Si TFT to the OLED cathode is demonstrated. As a result, the pixel drive current increases by an order of magnitude for the same data voltages and the pixel data voltage for turn‐on drops by several volts. In addition, the pixel drive current becomes independent of the OLED characteristics so that OLED aging does not affect the pixel current. Furthermore, the new integration technique is modified to allow substrate rotation during OLED evaporation to improve the pixel yield and uniformity. The new integration technique is important for realizing active‐matrix OLED displays with a‐Si technology and conventional bottom‐anode OLEDs.     

Solvent-Assisted Crystallization of Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters from Animal Fat

An easy and efficient method for the separation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid mono alkyl esters, prepared from animal fat, was developed. The most efficient separation was achieved by the use of solvents such as methanol and acetone at low temperatures. The dilution of the alkyl esters with 10 times the amount of solvent (10:1 v/w) and storage of the mixture for 4 h at ?22 °C could be defined as optimum conditions. After filtration of the saturated fraction at the corresponding temperature very pure fractions were obtained. For fatty acid methyl esters deriving from tallow, with an initial content of saturated fatty acids of almost 50 %, a saturated ester fraction with only 5 % unsaturated fatty acids and an unsaturated ester fraction with about 9 % of saturated fatty acids could be obtained. The solvent easily could be recovered by distillation. In addition fatty acid ethyl, 1‐propyl, 2‐propyl, 1‐butyl, tert‐butyl and 3‐methyl‐1‐butyl esters were prepared and separated into saturated and unsaturated fractions. All fractions were analyzed according to the fatty acid compositions and showed similar or slightly worse results compared to the methyl esters. The cold filter plugging points of the unsaturated fractions were measured, showing the lowest value for the unsaturated methyl ester fraction at ?26 °C. The fractionation with the use of solvents is an easy tool in order to obtain fatty acid alkyl esters with excellent cold temperature behavior out of animal fat.