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This study introduces a reconfigurable and agile RF front-end (RFFE) architecture that significantly enhances the performance of software-defined radios (SDRs) by seamlessly adjusting to varying signal requirements, frequencies, and protocols. This flexibility greatly enhances spectrum utilization, signal integrity, and overall system efficiency—critical factors in aviation, where reliable communication, navigation, and surveillance systems are vital for safety. A versatile RF front-end is thus indispensable, enhancing connectivity and safety standards. We explore the integration of this flexible RF front-end in SDRs, focusing on the detailed design of essential components, such as receivers, transmitters, RF switches, combiners, and splitters, and their corresponding RF pathways. Comprehensive performance evaluations confirm the architecture's reliability and functionality, including an extensive analysis of receiver gain, linearity, and two-tone test results. These assessments validate the architecture's suitability for aviation radios and address considerations of size, weight, and power-cost (SWaP-C), demonstrating significant gains in operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The introduction of the new RF front-end on a single SDR board not only substantially reduces size and weight but also adds up to 18 dB gain to the received signal. It also allows for a high level of design flexibility, enabling seamless software transitions between different radios and the capacity to manage three times more radios with the same hardware, thereby significantly boosting the system's ability to handle multiple radio channels efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front-end planning (FEP) is the first step in identifying a problem and analysing a project's goals and the business case for management to decide whether to proceed with the project. Despite its crucial significance, projects are still underperforming and failing to achieve their objectives. Current research suggests that the emergence of AI promises significant advantages to organisations, particularly for FEP. The purpose of this paper was to explore the readiness of organisations to use AI in the FEP phase to enhance project outcomes. The technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework was used to evaluate factors influencing the readiness to adopt AI in construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Thirty interviews were conducted with public and private stakeholders in the sector. The knowledge and insight gained from the viewpoints of key decision makers and practitioners allowed for an examination of the main factors impacting the adoption of AI, and any challenges and barriers to it. Findings showed that the support of the government and senior management, and the attitudes and behaviour of employees, were the top three factors in the framework that facilitate the readiness of organisations to adopt AI. Government support influences external support and enhances competitive pressure between organisations; senior management support influences the absorptive capacity and maturity of an organisation; and employees' attitudes and behaviours are the main contributors to organisational readiness. The proposed framework will assist policymakers in using these factors to overcome the challenges of AI adoption. Additionally, creating strategies aligned with Vision 2030 focuses not only on choosing the best technology to implement but also on how employees can benefit from it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the evolution of integrated circuits (I C s) , highlighting the fundamental role of open source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in their development. It describes the IC's design flow, differentiating between Front-end and Back-end design stages, and details the process of implementing the digital stage in offset quadrature phase-shift keying (OQPSK) modulation in an IC, including its hardware description language (HDL), the implementation test in the field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and the physical layout using the first manufactured open source process design kits (PDKs) in Global Foundries' 180 nm, as well as the use of OpenLane and Caravel. To conclude, the results of the physical tests obtained from the digital modulation are presented, as well as the performance of the raised cosine shaping filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a new structure (0.5–18 GHz) with excellent phase noise characteristics and a fast switching speed is proposed. Ultra-wideband synthesizers with low phase noises and less spurious signals have been developed to be used as local oscillators and for built-in test (BIT) functions in the field of electronic warfare systems (EW), in which synthesizers are installed at the front-end of devices; this is accomplished by applying an SMT process using a packaged-type device. This paper compares the advantages and disadvantages of PLVCO (old) and DDS reference sources (new) based on two types of frequency synthesizers. At this time, different frequencies can be output from the two ports by different FPGA coding of the internal frequency plan according to the operating frequency. The main RF line will be made a dielectric substrate, RO4350, with a relative dielectric constant of 3.38 and a dielectric thickness of 0.508 mm. In the ultra-broadband synthesizer module, the phase noise of the DDS output (1.25 GHz) was −131 dBc/Hz at 10 KHz offset. The phase noise in the 18 GHz output is expected to be −105.9 dBc/Hz at 1 KHz offset. In particular, by proposing a structure for obtaining a wideband frequency using a single source (DDS), the structure secures reliability from the point of view of a system operating for a long time by implementing a similar circuit within a predictable range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of the application of optimization methods for drawing web applications using deeply nested objects. The task of analyzing the user interface, which includes a complex data structure received from the server part, is considered. In this regard, a special data set was formed based on the analysis of many web applications that have a complex front-end architecture system. It is demonstrated how it serves as the main input set of the system. It is shown that the front-end part is developed on the basis of the React library using the following technologies: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Redux and auxiliary libraries for the correct operation of the system. The application structures and transforms input parameters into a format convenient for use by the system itself. Considering the fact that the system is intended for use only for front-end development, it is justified that the server part of the application is absent. With the help of browser tools, the performance problems of existing systems that use complex data structures to render a web application are investigated. It is proven that the system results in a component that renders an optimized data system with improved performance indicators: speed of rendering, speed of system response to user actions, reduced number of iterations of rendering of interactive elements. Additional functionality includes transformations and structuring of input parameters, as a result, the new data set will have additional parameters and a semantic structure of objects. In the future, it is planned to develop an optimization method and implement it in the form of an independent library, which, if possible, will replace the process of drawing similar data structures.

Front-end planning (FEP) is the first step in identifying a problem and analysing a project’s goals and the business case for management to decide whether to proceed with the project. Despite its crucial significance, projects are still underperforming and failing to achieve their objectives. Current research suggests that the emergence of AI promises significant advantages to organisations, particularly for FEP. The purpose of this paper was to explore the readiness of organisations to use AI in the FEP phase to enhance project outcomes. The technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework was used to evaluate factors influencing the readiness to adopt AI in construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Thirty interviews were conducted with public and private stakeholders in the sector. The knowledge and insight gained from the viewpoints of key decision makers and practitioners allowed for an examination of the main factors impacting the adoption of AI, and any challenges and barriers to it. Findings showed that the support of the government and senior management, and the attitudes and behaviour of employees, were the top three factors in the framework that facilitate the readiness of organisations to adopt AI. Government support influences external support and enhances competitive pressure between organisations; senior management support influences the absorptive capacity and maturity of an organisation; and employees’ attitudes and behaviours are the main contributors to organisational readiness. The proposed framework will assist policymakers in using these factors to overcome the challenges of AI adoption. Additionally, creating strategies aligned with Vision 2030 focuses not only on choosing the best technology to implement but also on how employees can benefit from it.

This article examines the "multiunit back-end problem" of open innovation based on a case study of the Banque Populaire Caisse d'Epargne (BPCE) Group, a large French bank with two business units. The multiunit back-end problem occurs when internal business units who consider themselves rivals are asked to collaborate for the success of an open innovation initiative. BPCE failed several times to use external startups to accelerate its digital transformation due to rivalry between its internal business units. This article presents guidelines that firms with rival business units can use to align their front-end and back-end when working with startups to accelerate their digital transformation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a transmitter (TX) front-end operating at frequencies covering 40–50 GHz, including a differential quadrature mixer with integrated amplitude and phase imbalance tuning, a power amplifier, and a detection mixer (DM) that supports local oscillator (LO) leakage signal or image signal calibration. Benefiting from the amplitude and phase imbalance tuning network of the in-phase quadrature (IQ) signal generator at the LO input, the TX exhibits more than 30 dBc image signal rejection over the full frequency band without any post-calibration. Based on the LO leakage signal fed back by the DM integrated at the RF output, the LO leakage of the TX has been improved by more than 10 dB through the LO leakage calibration module integrated in the quadrature mixer. When the intermediate frequency (IF) signal is fixed at 1 GHz, the TX's 1 dB compressed output power (OP1 dB) is higher than 13.5 dBm over the operating band. Thanks to the LO leakage signal calibration unit and the IQ signal generator, the TX is compliant with the error vector magnitude (EVM) requirement of the IEEE 802.11aj standard up to the 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) operating mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the topic of joint communication and radar sensing (JCRS) and its applications in the scope of upcoming sixth-generation (6G) technology. While the fifth-generation applications have reached the consumer market in the last few years, JCRS has been identified as one of the key technologies for next generation networks. The role of JCRS will vary, ranging from tasks such as radar coordination, context awareness for communication, enhanced security, increased availability, and improving the resilience and trustworthiness of future networks. In this work, the niche of JCRS technology in the future 6G ecosystem, as well as several potential applications, are discussed with a focus on RF hardware. The use of centimeter (cmWave) and millimeter (mmWave) frequency spectrums in the context of JCRS system implementation have been further elaborated. After presenting the near-term application scenarios, the circuit implementation perspectives are investigated in terms of radio frequency (RF) front-end architectures, antenna implementation, and phased arrays. Different communication and radar antenna options are compared, and the best candidates are identified. The packaging options are also presented. From circuit and system perspectives, link budget and self-interference cancellation (SIC) are highlighted. Furthermore, future directions including the next steps on the path to enabling JCRS technology are presented throughout this article. Prior works focused more on physical layers and network capabilities of JCRS systems, with less focus on hardware possibilities; to fill this gap, this article aims to contribute to this exciting research topic with a holistic review of RF hardware, highlighting the diversity of applications and the available technologies to tackle the near- and long-term needs of consumer applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of a front-end receiver and matrix modules for 2–18 GHz with high gain, good phase matching characteristics, and reliability; this was accomplished by applying a chip-and-wire process using a bare-type monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) device. To compensate for the mismatch among many sub-modules, a front-end module, matrix module, and built-in test module suitable for sub-band frequency characteristics were designed and applied to the direct receiver. The matrix box used a high-pass filter to remove unwanted low frequencies and a 4-way divider to distribute single input BIT signals. The broadband receiver module had two paths: a phase path and an amplitude path. Phase- and amplitude-matched radio frequency semi-rigid cables of different lengths were used to connect to the internal sub-modules of the matrix receiver. The main RF line was a dielectric substrate, RT/Duroid 5880, with a relative dielectric constant of 2.2 and a dielectric thickness of 0.127 mm. The sizes of the front-end receiver and matrix box were 137 mm × 120 mm × 31 mm and 250 mm × 238 mm × 138 mm, respectively. In the wideband frequency receiver module, the gain was 22.99 dB at mid-band (frequency 2–6 GHz) with a return loss of about 14.76 dB. Th e gain was 23.25 dB at a high band (frequency 6–18 GHz), having a return loss of about 11.63 dB. The peak values of phase matching among the channels for 2–6 GHz were ±3.30°, and the peak values of phase matching among the channels for 6–18 GHz were ±8.24°.

This paper reviews the latest developments in microwave acoustic wave devices. After an introduction and brief history of bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, a review is given for guided SAWs and XBARs - two new technologies, which are promising for future 5G applications. Following this, we discuss recent simulation techniques, such as 3D finite element method (3D FEM) and simulation of nonlinearities, as well as filter synthesis. Next, a review on tunable and reconfigurable acoustics is given. Finally, we present the latest developments in microwave acoustics for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) operation as well as BAW oscillators.

Oxygen-free high-conductivity copper (OFHC), chromium-zirconium copper (CuCrZr), and Glidcop® AL-15 are widely used in the high heat load absorber elements at the front end of synchrotron radiation facilities. It is necessary to choose the most suitable material according to the actual engineering conditions (such as the specific heat load, material performance, and costs). In the long-term service period, the absorber elements have to bear hundreds or kilowatts of high heat load and its "load-unload" cyclic loading mode. Therefore, the thermal fatigue and thermal creep properties of the materials are critical and have been extensively studied. In this paper, based on the published pieces of the literature, the thermal fatigue theory, experimental principles, methods, test standards, test types of equipment, and key indicators of the thermal fatigue performance of typical copper metal materials used in the front end of synchrotrons radiation Facilities are reviewed, as well as the relevant studies carried out by the well-known synchrotron radiation institutions. In particular, the fatigue failure criteria for these materials and some effective methods for improving the thermal fatigue resistance performance of the high-heat load components are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A monolithic pixel sensor with high spatial granularity (35 × 40 μm2) is presented, aiming at thermal neutron detection and imaging. The device is made using the CMOS SOIPIX technology, with Deep Reactive-Ion Etching post-processing on the backside to obtain high aspect-ratio cavities that will be filled with neutron converters. This is the first monolithic 3D sensor ever reported. Owing to the microstructured backside, a neutron detection efficiency up to 30% can be achieved with a 10B converter, as estimated by the Geant4 simulations. Each pixel includes circuitry that allows a large dynamic range and energy discrimination and charge-sharing information between neighboring pixels, with a power dissipation of 10 µW per pixel at 1.8 V power supply. The initial results from the experimental characterization of a first test-chip prototype (array of 25 × 25 pixels) in the laboratory are also reported, dealing with functional tests using alpha particles with energy compatible with the reaction products of neutrons with the converter materials, which validate the device design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviewed the literature to understand "how does research produce impact?". Despite all discussion threads in the literature, it was clear that management of the Front-end of Innovation (FEI) of non-profit research centers has received little attention. As a result, this study was a first step toward proposing a model that describes the Front-End of R&D at non-profit Research Centers. This paper is an Integrative Literature Review that follows the PRISMA statement methodology. Building on FEI2O's High-Level Ontology, this paper's contribution elicited relevant constructs from the literature and took the first steps to extend it to the Front-End of R&D. New research-related concepts such as the RESEARCH CONCEPT, the INFLUENCING FACTORS, and the RESEARCH PROJECT were introduced. The RESEARCH PROJECT produces RESULTS that may have an IMPACT ON SOCIETY. All these concepts are interconnected through a feedback loop that feeds the FEI2O: STRATEGIC PURPOSE of the non-profit research center, contributing to the advancement of its research strategy, objectives, and goals. The current work contributed to understanding a domain of knowledge that is of interest to researchers, research managers, and those interested in bringing new scientific research results to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La presente investigación consiste en desarrollar un despliegue DevSecOps que resuelve la necesidad de automatizar de una manera óptima y segura, mediante la utilización de las buenas prácticas DevSecOps. El proceso consiste en que el código implementado de un proyecto con un Framework Laravel se versiona en un repositorio Git y se genere a partir de la rama principal una imagen de contenedor, la misma que se desplegará de manera automática en un clúster de Kubernetes con el uso de flujo de acciones. Así pues, para generar procesos de despliegue de aplicaciones web de una manera segura y rápida, reduciendo procesos de errores o conflictos de versiones, permitiendo procesos de reverso de cambios. Para el uso de las funcionalidades de las diferentes plataformas se utilizan repositorios privados, de esta manera el proyecto publicado se implementará de manera segura. Para el trabajo automatizado se usa tecnología Git, Kubernetes, Actions, Manifiestos, PHP, Composer y Laravel.

This work has successfully demonstrated a system for monitoring pink-beam X-rays exiting from a beamline front-end, which has a specific spatial distribution based on each energy component. In this study, the X-rays scattered from a single-crystal chemical-vapor-deposited diamond film were converted into a cross-sectional image using pinhole optics, followed by digitization with a direct detection complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor 2D detector. By using single crystals instead of poly-crystals, good quality images were obtained with no diffraction bright spots. As a result of applying photon energy discrimination using the droplet analysis to the image information, the spatial distribution of each energy component of the undulator radiation was successfully visualized. The result was found to be in good agreement with the theoretically calculated result obtained using the synchrotron radiation calculation code SPECTRA. The new synchrotron radiation beam monitor proposed in this paper can serve as a powerful beam diagnostic tool for diffraction-limited rings that require strict light source stability.

In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of a wideband frequency down converter module that has a local circuit with high gain, low spurious, high IP3 (3rd intercept point) characteristics, and reliability; this is accomplished by applying a chip-and-wire process using a bare type monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) device. To compensate for the mismatch among many sub-modules, an input module, filter bank module, output module, and local oscillator (LO) module suitable for sub-band frequency characteristics were designed and applied to the down converter. The frequency down converter module had three paths: 0.5–2 GHz (direct), 2–6 GHz (direct), and 6–18 GHz (converter). Amplitude-matched radio frequency (RF) semi-rigid cables of different lengths were used to connect to the internal sub-modules of the frequency down converter. The main RF line was a dielectric substrate, RT/duroid 5880, with a relative dielectric constant of 2.2 and a dielectric thickness of 0.127 mm. In the wideband frequency down converter module, the gain was 22.7 dB at low band (input frequency, 0.5–2 GHz) with a flatness of about 3.4 dB. Th e gain was 22.6 dB at mid band (input frequency, 2–6 GHz) having flatness about 2.0 dB. The gain was from 30 dB at edge frequency of high band (input frequency, 14–18 GHz) with a flatness of about 4.2 dB. The measured value of IP3 at LB was +23.52 dBm, +25.66 dBm and +23.44 dBm as the maximum value. The measured value of spurious (LO-2IF) at the converter path was 34.97 dBc as the maximum value.

The Mu2e experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will search for the charged-lepton flavour-violating neutrinoless conversion of negative muons into electrons in the Coulomb field of an Al nucleus. The conversion electron with a monoenergetic 104.967 MeV signature will be identified by a complementary measurement carried out by a high-resolution tracker and an electromagnetic calorimeter, improving by four orders of magnitude the current single-event sensitivity. The calorimeter—composed of 1348 pure CsI crystals arranged in two annular disks—has a high granularity, 10% energy resolution and 500 ps timing resolution for 100 MeV electrons. The readout, based on large-area UV-extended SiPMs, features a fully custom readout chain, from the analogue front-end electronics to the digitisation boards. The readout electronics design was validated for operation in vacuum and under magnetic fields. An extensive radiation hardness certification campaign certified the FEE design for doses up to 100 krad and 10 12 n 1 MeVeq /cm 2 and for single-event effects. A final vertical slice test on the final readout chain was carried out with cosmic rays on a large-scale calorimeter prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a transmitter (TX) front-end operating at frequencies covering 40–50 GHz, including a differential quadrature mixer with integrated amplitude and phase imbalance tuning, a power amplifier, and a detection mixer (DM) that supports local oscillator (LO) leakage signal or image signal calibration. Benefiting from the amplitude and phase imbalance tuning network of the in-phase quadrature (IQ) signal generator at the LO input, the TX exhibits more than 30 dBc image signal rejection over the full frequency band without any post-calibration. Based on the LO leakage signal fed back by the DM integrated at the RF output, the LO leakage of the TX has been improved by more than 10 dB through the LO leakage calibration module integrated in the quadrature mixer. When the intermediate frequency (IF) signal is fixed at 1 GHz, the TX’s 1 dB compressed output power (OP1 dB) is higher than 13.5 dBm over the operating band. Thanks to the LO leakage signal calibration unit and the IQ signal generator, the TX is compliant with the error vector magnitude (EVM) requirement of the IEEE 802.11aj standard up to the 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) operating mode.

This paper presents a 245 GHz wireless communications system with a data rate of 30 Giga bits per second (Gbps) at a 1.2 m distance, which proves the potential for future high-speed communications beyond 5G technology. The system consists of low-complexity and real-time base-band modules to provide the high-speed wideband signal processing capability. Multi-channel base-band signals are combined and converted to 15.65 ± 6.25 GHz wideband intermediate frequency (IF) signals. A novel 245 GHz waveguide bandpass filter (BPF) with low loss and high selectivity is designed and applied to a terahertz (THz) front-end for image rejection and noise suppression. Configuration of the base-band, IF, and THz front-end modules is also given in detail. The 245 GHz wireless communication link is demonstrated over a distance of 1.2 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the tremendous growth in mobile phones, mobile application development is an important emerging arena. Moreover, various applications fail to serve the purpose of getting the attention of the intended users, which is determined by their User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX). As a result, developers often find it challenging to meet the users' expectations. To date, several reviews have been carried out which explored various aspects of design and the experience of mobile applications using UX/UI. However, many of these existing surveys primarily focused on only some of the issues in isolation but did not consider all the major parameters such as visualisation/graphics, context, user behaviour/emotions/control, usability, adaptability/flexibility, language, and feedback. In our pilot survey, we gathered the preferences and perceptions of a heterogeneous group of concerned people and considered all the aforementioned parameters. These preferences would serve as a reference to mobile application developers, giving them useful insights. Our proposed approach would help mobile application developers and designers focus on the particular UI/UX problems of mobile applications as per their relevant context. A comparative analysis of the various UI and UX factors that determine a mobile application interface is presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new millimeter-wave (mm-wave) fully-integrated 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ BiCMOS frequency division duplex (FDD) transmit–receive (T/R) front-end module with internal power amplifier (PA) and low noise amplifier (LNA) is reported. It employs an active circuit to cancel the transmitter (TX) signal leaking into the receiver (RX). The T/R module provides 43.6 dB isolation between the PA output and LNA input at 29 GHz and 9.5 dB average noise figure (NF) over 27–29 GHz on the entire RX path. At 29 GHz, the T/R module has 13.8 and 10.6 dB gain on the RX and TX path, respectively. A design methodology is also presented for maximum isolation and optimum NF. It occupies a small area of 2 mm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes and presents an innovative approach to realizing the concurrent dual-band transmission with only a single front-end and local oscillator at radio frequency (RF). Fundamentally, the proposed concurrent dual-band front-end is based on the conventional multiport interferometric architecture for single-band operation. Nevertheless, the conventional variable loads are replaced by diode networks with IF input signals to produce the RF signals at their designated center frequencies. Furthermore, due to the linear characteristics of a multiport network, the signals with different data contents will be mixed into both RF channels. To this end, an inverse matrix operation is applied to reversely convert the original data streams before the modulations of IF input signals. As a result, the two original data streams can be effectively modulated into specific RF channels (for transmission) with minimal interchannel interferences based on this configuration. In addition to the theoretical analyses, this innovative concurrent dual-band transmitting front-end has been investigated and verified with $M$ -quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals in simulations and experiments. All outcomes demonstrate excellent performances in concurrent dual-band transmission with significant reductions in both size and biasing power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beginning of an innovation process, also known as “front-end of innovation” (FEI), counts as an essential contributor to the successful development of new products and for their market appeal. Nevertheless, while helpful procedures and techniques for developing new products are well-known and widely applied, FEI is still an understudied area, and models for managing it are not yet commonly used in technology-oriented companies. FEI, also known as "fuzzy front end", can even be "fuzzier" in not-for-profit research centers. That is because the focus of these centers is advancing of scientific knowledge, rather than commercializing the results of those activities. This study summarizes the insights from a literature review on the topic of “project portfolio management” (PPM) in relation to innovation and, more specifically, with FEI and its components of ideation, innovation management, innovation strategy, foresight, and incremental or radical innovation. The authors selected and reviewed content from 170 papers published in SCOPUS prior to February 2019. The discussion uses a theoretical framework called "Front-End of Innovation Integrative Ontology (FEI2O)" to assist in framing the discussion.

A monolithic pixel sensor with high spatial granularity (35 × 40 μm2) is presented, aiming at thermal neutron detection and imaging. The device is made using the CMOS SOIPIX technology, with Deep Reactive-Ion Etching post-processing on the backside to obtain high aspect-ratio cavities that will be filled with neutron converters. This is the first monolithic 3D sensor ever reported. Owing to the microstructured backside, a neutron detection efficiency up to 30% can be achieved with a 10B converter, as estimated by the Geant4 simulations. Each pixel includes circuitry that allows a large dynamic range and energy discrimination and charge-sharing information between neighboring pixels, with a power dissipation of 10 µW per pixel at 1.8 V power supply. The initial results from the experimental characterization of a first test-chip prototype (array of 25 × 25 pixels) in the laboratory are also reported, dealing with functional tests using alpha particles with energy compatible with the reaction products of neutrons with the converter materials, which validate the device design.

The Front-End process plays an essential role in deriving infrastructure megaprojects' performance. However, Front-End issues often negatively impact the process, hindering the value of infrastructure for society. This paper aims to systemise knowledge and understanding of the Front-End of infrastructure megaprojects, the main Front-End issues, and remedies for managing them. The paper leverages a Systematic Literature Review to address four research questions: What definition can appropriately describe the Front-End of infrastructure megaprojects? What are the issues at the Front-End of infrastructure megaprojects? What are the remedies for managing the issues at the Front-End of infrastructure megaprojects? What are the connections between Front-End issues and the remedies for managing them? Following thematic analysis, iterative coding and group discussions, the paper develops a definition for the Front-End of infrastructure megaprojects based on five characteristics, identifies 44 Front-End issues, and connects these issues to six remedies through 17 links.

A time-division duplex (TDD) transmit/receive (T/R) millimeter-wave (mm-wave) front-end in 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ SiGe BiCMOS for fifth generation (5G) is presented. The front-end is composed of a power amplifier (PA), a low noise amplifier (LNA), and a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch. At mm-wave bands, the traditional SPDT switch limits the output power of the front-end in transmit mode. In this article, an asymmetric SPDT switch is proposed with high-power-handling capability (simulated OP $_{\mathrm {1\,dB}} > 28$ dBm), low insertion loss, and compact structure at 24–30 GHz. A balanced architecture is used to implement a high gain and high linearity PA with excellent input/output return losses and load-variation insensitivity. The effect of the feedback capacitor in the base of the cascode stage has been analyzed. The standalone PA achieves OP $_{\mathrm {1\,dB}}$ /peak $\text {PAE} > 16.9$ dBm/18.7% across 24–30 GHz and the OP $_{\mathrm {1\,dB}}$ /peak PAE still exceeds >15.9 dBm/16.3% including the switch loss and compression. 5G NR FR2 64-QAM modulation tests demonstrate the high linearity of the balanced PA. At 28 GHz, the standalone PA shows the EVM of −29.93 dB/−26.06 dB with an average output power ($P_{\mathrm {avg}}$) of 10.15 dBm/12.16 dBm. The front-end in transmit mode shows the EVM of −29.63 dB/−26.02 dB with an average output power of 7.76 dBm/9.59 dBm. A wideband LNA is designed and exhibits a measured gain of 26 dB with a 3-dB bandwidth of 19–35 GHz, a noise figure (NF) < 5.3 dB at 24–30 GHz including the switch loss. The proposed front-end achieves high linearity in transmit mode and low NF in receive mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Стаття містить такі розділи: вступ, результати дослідження, висновки та перспективи подальших досліджень. У вступі розглянуто проблему щодо сучасних тенденцій розробки веб-сторінок, здійснено аналіз останніх досліджень та публікацій, сформульовано мету статті. У другому розділі статті висвітлено основні кроки, яких варто дотримуватися при розробці веб-сайтів, а саме: збір матеріалів для розробки веб-сайту (технічне завдання); розбиття технічного завдання на компоненти; розробка дизайну веб-сайту; розробка веб-сайту (front-end та back-end) по компонентам; тестування веб-сайту по компонентам; розміщення веб-сайту в мережі. Описано основні складові front-end розробки. Здійснено детальний огляд текстового редактора Sublime Text, як одного з найпопулярніших текстових редакторів з широким набором зручних інструментів для виділення, маркування та обробки текстових фрагментів коду. Оскільки для сучасних розробників плагін є невід’ємною частину інструментальних засобів, то в статті розглянуто дане поняття, а також описано найпопулярніші плагіни для Sublime Text: Package Control, JavaScript & NodeJS Snippets, Emmet, Advanced New File, Git, GitGutter, Side Bar Enhancements, ColorPicker, Placeholders, DocBlockr, SublimeCodeIntel, Minify, Sublime Linter, Color Highlighter. Наведено приклад розробки елементарного веб-сайту з метою демонстрації використання описаних плагінів, який складається з таких розділів: шапка; домашня сторінка; про нас; контакти; підвал. Продемонстровано використання інтерактивного компоненту «карусель». Розглянуто нюанси використання фреймворків та їх компонентів таких, як CSS-Framework та Bootstrap. У результаті проведеного дослідження сформовано чіткий алгоритм розробки елементарного веб-сайту та описано методи та засоби, які можуть бути використані при цьому. У висновках сказано про перспективи розвитку технологій по створенню якісних веб-сайтів.

In this study, we propose an approach for the design and satisfy the requirements of the fabrication of a reliable and stable high-frequency downconverter for the millimeter-wave (Ka band) and detail the contents of the approach. We design and fabricate a stable downconverter with a low noise figure, flat gain characteristics, and multi-channel characteristics suitable for millimeter-wave bands. The method uses the chip-and-wire process for the assembly and operation of a bare MMIC device into the RF path. To compensate for the mismatch among the many components used in the module, W/G transition, an image rejection mixer, a switch, and an amplifier suitable for millimeter-wave frequency characteristics are designed and applied to the downconverter. To reject the spurious signals generated from the complex local oscillation signals, the downconverter is designed to not affect the RF path. In the Ka-band downconverter, the gain is measured from 41.89 dB to 42.83 dB at 33–35 GHz with flatness of about 0.94 dB. The measured value of the noise figure at CH1 is 4.936 dB with a maximum value in the 0.75–1.25 GHz intermediate frequency. The third intermodulation measurement result is 61.83 dBc under a −50 dBm input power and above gain, and the switching to select a channel takes about 622 μs.

The Mu2e experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will search for the charged-lepton flavour-violating neutrinoless conversion of negative muons into electrons in the Coulomb field of an Al nucleus. The conversion electron with a monoenergetic 104.967 MeV signature will be identified by a complementary measurement carried out by a high-resolution tracker and an electromagnetic calorimeter, improving by four orders of magnitude the current single-event sensitivity. The calorimeter—composed of 1348 pure CsI crystals arranged in two annular disks—has a high granularity, 10% energy resolution and 500 ps timing resolution for 100 MeV electrons. The readout, based on large-area UV-extended SiPMs, features a fully custom readout chain, from the analogue front-end electronics to the digitisation boards. The readout electronics design was validated for operation in vacuum and under magnetic fields. An extensive radiation hardness certification campaign certified the FEE design for doses up to 100 krad and 1012 n1MeVeq/cm2 and for single-event effects. A final vertical slice test on the final readout chain was carried out with cosmic rays on a large-scale calorimeter prototype.

This paper presents a 245 GHz wireless communications system with a data rate of 30 Giga bits per second (Gbps) at a 1.2 m distance, which proves the potential for future high-speed communications beyond 5G technology. The system consists of low-complexity and real-time base-band modules to provide the high-speed wideband signal processing capability. Multi-channel base-band signals are combined and converted to 15.65 ± 6.25 GHz wideband intermediate frequency (IF) signals. A novel 245 GHz waveguide bandpass filter (BPF) with low loss and high selectivity is designed and applied to a terahertz (THz) front-end for image rejection and noise suppression. Configuration of the base-band, IF, and THz front-end modules is also given in detail. The 245 GHz wireless communication link is demonstrated over a distance of 1.2 m.

Many commercial benchtop impedance analyzers are incapable of acquiring accurate tetrapolar measurements, when large electrode contact impedances are present, as in bioimpedance measurements using electrodes with micrometer-sized features. External front-end amplifiers can help overcome this issue and provide high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) and input impedance. Several discrete component-based topologies are proposed in the literature. In this article, these are compared with new alternatives with regard to their performance in measuring known loads in the presence of electrode contact impedance models, to emulate tetrapolar bioimpedance measurements. These models are derived from bipolar impedance measurements taken from the electrodes of a tetrapolar bioimpedance sensor. Comparison with other electrode models used in the literature established that this is a good and challenging model for bioimpedance front-end amplifier evaluation. Among the examined amplifiers, one of the best performances is achieved with one of the proposed topologies based on a custom front-end with no external resistors (AD8066/AD8130). Under the specific testing conditions, it achieved an uncalibrated worst-case absolute measurement deviation of 4.4% magnitude and 4° at 20 Hz, and 2.2% and 7° at 1 MHz accordingly with loads between $10~\Omega $ and 10 $\text{k}\Omega $. Finally, the practical use of the front-end with the impedance analyzer is demonstrated in the characterization of the bioimpedance sensor, in saline solutions of varying conductivities (2.5–20 mS/cm) to obtain its cell constant. This article serves as a guide for evaluating and choosing front-end amplifiers for tetrapolar bioimpedance measurements both with and without impedance analyzers for practical/clinical applications and material/sensor characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of healthcare services is a societal responsibility often appearing as major public projects. These types of projects often have a long lifetime expectancy and represent large investments and changes to established welfare systems with a considerable societal impact. This makes strategic project success depending on front-end planning performance crucial. Motivated by literature claiming that the hospital projects’ front-end phase has a potential for improvements, this paper presents findings from a study investigating front-end planning practice in five Norwegian hospital projects. Discovered challenges mainly relate to the planning process or exploration of the opportunity space and concept elaboration. A main conclusion is that implementing theoretical recommendations both in guidelines and in practice should be a desired and possible development to further improve hospital projects’ front-end planning, thereby strengthening the odds for project success both on a tactical and strategical level.

In this study, we propose an approach for the design and satisfy the requirements of the fabrication of a small, lightweight, reliable, and stable ultra-wideband receiver for millimeter-wave bands and the contents of the approach. In this paper, we designed and fabricated a stable receiver with having low noise figure, flat gain characteristics, and low noise characteristics, suitable for millimeter-wave bands. The method uses the chip-and-wire process for the assembly and operation of a bare MMIC device. In order to compensate for the mismatch between the components used in the receiver, an amplifier, mixer, multiplier, and filter suitable for wideband frequency characteristics were designed and applied to the receiver. To improve the low frequency and narrow bandwidth of existing products, mathematical modeling of the wideband receiver was performed and based on this spurious signals generated from complex local oscillation signals were designed so as not to affect the RF path. In the ultra-wideband receiver, the gain was between 22.2 dB and 28.5 dB at Band A (input frequency, 18–26 GHz) with a flatness of approximately 6.3 dB, while the gain was between 21.9 dB and 26.0 dB at Band B (input frequency, 26–40 GHz) with a flatness of approximately 4.1 dB. The measured value of the noise figure at Band A was 7.92 dB and the maximum value of noise figure, measured at Band B was 8.58 dB. The leakage signal of the local oscillator (LO) was −97.3 dBm and −90 dBm at the 33 GHz and 44 GHz path, respectively. Measurement was made at the 15 GHz IF output of band A (LO, 33 GHz) and the suppression characteristic obtained through the measurement was approximately 30 dBc.

This paper introduces a high-performance analog front end for passive UHF RFID tag compatible with the EPC Class-1 Generation 2 (EPC C1G2) standard protocol. The proposed front end of a passive tag which contains the following modules: a power generation circuit which is composed of a matching circuit and an RF-limiter circuit, an NMOS rectifier, a DC limiter, a voltage regulation, a modulation and ASK demodulation circuit, a power-on-reset circuit, a ring oscillator which generates a clock of 1.28 MHz. The originality of this work is the proposal of a voltage regulation circuit composed of two distinct LDO regulators that share the same reference voltage and are designed to generate a Vdd1 (0.5 V) for the analog supply and Vdd2 (1 V) for digital power supply, under conditions of 50 Ω antenna, 900 MHz, a sensitivity of -24 dBm and a maximum consumption of 1 µW. The operating distance of the RFID is more than 25 meters based on the regulated 4 W effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). The chip area of the proposed analog front end is only 79 μm × 83 μm. The simulation results in 90 nm CMOS process confirm the performance of the proposed analog front-end.

The beginning of an innovation process, also known as "front-end of innovation" (FEI), counts as an essential contributor to the successful development of new products and for their market appeal. Nevertheless, while helpful procedures and techniques for developing new products are well-known and widely applied, FEI is still an understudied area, and models for managing it are not yet commonly used in technology-oriented companies. FEI, also known as "fuzzy front end", can even be "fuzzier" in not-for-profit research centers. That is because the focus of these centers is advancing of scientific knowledge, rather than commercializing the results of those activities. This study summarizes the insights from a literature review on the topic of "project portfolio management" (PPM) in relation to innovation and, more specifically, with FEI and its components of ideation, innovation management, innovation strategy, foresight, and incremental or radical innovation. The authors selected and reviewed content from 170 papers published in SCOPUS prior to February 2019. The discussion uses a theoretical framework called "Front-End of Innovation Integrative Ontology (FEI2O)" to assist in framing the discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attractive user interface (UI) design with a clear user experience (UX) is the key for the success of applications. Therefore software development projects require very close collaboration between SI developers and front-end service developers. However, methodologies for software development only exist with inadequate development processes or work standards for collaboration. This survey derived 13 risk factors in developing UI/UX from 113 risk factors of IT projects through a questionnaire and factor analysis and proposed a collaboration-based UI/UX development model that can eliminate or mitigate six risks with high weights and reliability. To extract risk factors with high reliability, factor and reliability were analyzed to extract 13 major risks, and based on the expert opinions and the results of correlation analysis, UI/UX development stages were classified into planning, design, and implementation. The causal relationships between risks were verified through regression analysis. This study is the first to expertly analyze major risks based on collaboration in UI/UX development and derive a theoretical basis that can be used in project risk management. These findings are expected to provide a basis for research on development methodologies for higher levels of front-end services and to construct rational collaboration systems between SI practitioners and front-end service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a general description of a Python-based web platform developed by the author that generates Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for software programs. It presents both technical and theoretical aspects of programming, Python libraries, chatbot development and auto-generating graphical interfaces. The article proposes an overview of a web system, explained with the help of diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SALT, a new dedicated readout Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for the Upstream Tracker, a new silicon detector in the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment, has been designed and developed. It is a 128-channel chip using an innovative architecture comprising a low-power analogue front-end with fast pulse shaping and a 40 MSps 6-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) in each channel, followed by a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) block performing pedestal and Mean Common Mode (MCM) subtraction and zero suppression. The prototypes of SALT were fabricated and tested, confirming the full chip functionality and fulfilling the specifications. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 20 is achieved for a silicon sensor with a 12 pF input capacitance. In this paper, the SALT architecture and measurements of the chip performance are presented.