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The increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has resulted in climate change and global warming. Human activities in many sectors, including agriculture, contribute to approximately 9.2% of total GHG emissions from Annex I countries. An argument on issues of livestock being the highest contributor to GHG emissions has grown since FAO’s 2006 report Livestock’s Long Shadow. The issue has continued growing, conflicting the importance of the industry in terms of food security and livelihoods, thus, monitoring GHG emission from this sector is vital. The most commonly used methods for calculating GHG emissions from the livestock sector are life cycle assessment (LCA) and the GHG inventory. Although the LCA presents information on the impacts of the livestock industry on the environment, the GHG inventory is the main tool used internationally for GHG reporting. This review comprehensively discusses the source of GHG emissions from the livestock industry and its estimation methodology, as well as the current strategies for mitigating these emissions.

Earwax, a semi-solid substance, of both humans and non-human animals contains the stress hormone cortisol. Extraction of cortisol from earwax requires the use of organic solvents to eliminate interference factors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of organic solvents on the extraction efficiency of earwax cortisol from Hanwoo cattle. A factorial arrangement was used to determine the effects of solvent source (methyl alcohol [MA], diethyl ether [DE]) and assay diluent buffer (ADB) (0 and 1 mL) on earwax cortisol concentration (ECC) in Hanwoo cattle (parity 3, body weight = 462 kg). A 25 mg portion of the earwax sample was suspended in ADB, while another 25 mg portion was not suspended prior to extraction with MA and DE. The ECC was measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay cortisol kit. The results indicated that cortisol can be extracted from earwax with or without ADB. The extraction yield of cortisol from earwax was higher with MA than with DE (p < 0.05). In conclusion, MA is the preferred solvent for cortisol extraction owing to its high extraction yield, simple extraction process, and relatively low solvent consumption. Moreover, earwax cortisol can be used as a biomarker to evaluate the degree of chronic stress in Hanwoo cattle.

Background/Aims: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a leading cause of emergency hospitalization. We present the current diagnostic and therapeutic status of AP as revealed by analysis of a large multicenter dataset. Methods: The medical records of patients diagnosed with AP between 2018 and 2019 in 12 tertiary medical centers in Korea were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In total, 676 patients were included, of whom 388 (57.4%) were male, and the mean age of all patients was 58.6 years. There were 355 (52.5%), 301 (44.5%), and 20 (3.0%) patients with mild, moderate, and severe AP, respectively, as assessed by the revised Atlanta classification. The most common etiologies of AP were biliary issues (41.6%) and alcohol consumption (24.6%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (6.8%). The etiology was not identified in 111 (16.4%) patients at the time of initial admission. The overall mortality rate was 3.3%, increasing up to 45.0% among patients with severe AP. Notably, 70.0% (14/20) of patients with severe AP and 81.5% (154/189) of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome had received

As part of a cross-linguistic investigation of request for confirmation (RfC) sequences, this article provides an overview of distributional tendencies associated with Korean RfC sequences based on an examination of 200 tokens of RfC excerpted from audio- and video-recorded face-to-face ordinary conversations. Various grammatical and contextual features associated with RfCs are analyzed, e.g., as interactional resources for grounding RfCs in inferencing, rendering them modulated in action, or connecting them to prior talk/action. They include negative polarity markers, connective particles (e.g., -nuntey ‘circumstantial’), modal markers (e.g., -keyss ‘I suppose’), and sentence-ending suffixes (SESs) such as -na (‘dubitative), -ney (‘noticing’), and ‘pseudo-tags’ -ci/cianha, which are composed of -ci (‘committal’). Features of responses to RfCs are examined in terms of response type (e.g., confirmation, disconfirmation, or neither) with special reference to the form and distribution of response tokens, which include not only unmarked interjections such as ung/yey (‘yes’) and ani(-yo) (‘no’), but also kule-marked indexical forms (e.g., ku(leh)ci ‘certainly it is’). The findings shed light on the role of SESs, modal markers, and discourse particles as stance-marking resources that crucially shape the function of RfCs, and the compositional features of response turns that constitute or frame a responsive action to RfCs.

Purpose Three-month gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas) are expected to achieve better compliance in patients with central precocious puberty (CPP) compared to the monthly formulation. However, 1-month depot remains the dominant choice for conventional treatment worldwide. Our study aimed to investigate the long-term efficacy of a 3-month GnRHa for CPP treatment. Methods In this retrospective study, 69 Korean girls with CPP were prescribed either triptorelin pamoate (TP) 3-month depot (n=29) or triptorelin acetate (TA) 1-month depot (n=40) and were followed for 1 year after the end of treatment. Auxological, radiological, and biochemical data were collected every 6 months. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. In the TP 3-month depot group, 27 of 29 patients (93.1%) exhibited suppressed luteinizing hormone level (below 2.5 IU/L) after 6 months of treatment, and this suppression level was reserved until the final injection. The degree of bone age advancement in the TP 3-month depot group decreased from 1.8±0.4 years at the start of treatment to 0.6±0.5 years at 1-year posttreatment. The gain in predicted adult height (PAH) 1 year after the end of treatment was similar between the TP 3-month and TA 1-month depot groups (5.2±3.1 and 5.3±2.4 cm, respectively; p=0.875). Conclusions A 3-month depot of triptorelin effectively inhibited gonadal and sex hormones, suppressed bone maturation, and increased PAH. For patient convenience, we suggest a 3-month GnRHa regimen as a promising CPP treatment option.

Purpose The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test is the gold standard for diagnosing central precocious puberty (CPP). Gonadorelin (Relefact) is used for the test but is not always readily available; triptorelin is used as an alternative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic validity of the triptorelin test compared with the GnRH test in the diagnosis of CPP in girls. Methods This retrospective study included 100 girls with premature thelarche (PT) who underwent a hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis evaluation. In the overall group, 50 girls were tested with intravenous gonadorelin (Relefact) and 50 girls were tested with subcutaneous triptorelin acetate (Decapeptyl). Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were measured at baseline and 30, 45, 60, and 90 minutes after gonadorelin injection or 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after triptorelin injection. Results Clinical characteristics of age, height, weight, body mass index, and bone age were similar between the 2 groups. The highest LH level was reached 60 minutes after stimulation in both groups. Approximately 20% of the gonadorelin group and 24% of the triptorelin group were diagnosed with CPP (P=0.52). Among those diagnosed with CPP, the mean peak LH concentrations were 8.15 mIU/mL and 9.73 mIU/mL in the gonadorelin and triptorelin groups, respectively. Conclusions The triptorelin test showed similar trends of LH elevation and diagnostic rate compared with the traditional GnRH test for diagnosing CPP. This suggests that the triptorelin test may be a valid alternative to the GnRH test for differentiating CPP from self-limiting PT. Our study also demonstrated that a triptorelin stimulation test for up to 120 minutes was sufficient to diagnose CPP.

Abstract With development of information age, multi-valued logic (MVL) technology utilizing negative differential transconductance (NDT) phenomenon has drawn attention as next-generation computing technology that can replace binary logic. However, because conventional NDT devices primarily use ternary logic, multiple-peak NDT device is required for higher-radix MVL that can process more datasets. Here, van der Waals double-peak anti-ambipolar transistor (AAT) as NDT device was developed by utilizing peak voltage (Vpeak) modulation of NDT peak. For realization of quaternary logic, Vpeak modulation technology was developed through charge transfer mechanism from channel, thereby shifting NDT peak and increasing peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR). Furthermore, Double-peak AAT was implemented through parallel configuration of two AATs with different Vpeak values. Finally, quaternary inverter with four widely stable logic states was implemented by utilizing the developed double-peak AAT with two distinct NDT peaks and high PVCR. This double-peak AAT is expected to contribute to the development of next-generation MVL technology capable of processing datasets.

This study was conducted to investigate the change in activity and mounting behavior in Hanwoo (Korean Native Cattle) during the peri-estrus period and its application to estrus detection. A total of 20 Hanwoo cows were fitted with a neck-collar accelerometer device, which measured the location and acceleration of cow movements and recorded the number of instances of mounting behavior by the altitude data. The data were analyzed in three periods (24-, 6-, and 2-h periods). Blood samples were collected for 5 days after the prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) injection, and the concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Activity and mounting behavior recorded over 2-h periods significantly increased as estrus approached and were more efficient at detecting estrus than over 24- and 6-h periods (p < 0.05). Endocrine patterns did not differ with the variation of individual cows during the peri-estrus period (p > 0.05). Activity was selected as the best predictor through stepwise discriminant analysis. However, activity alone is not enough to detect estrus. We suggest that a combination of activity and mounting behavior may improve estrus detection efficiency in Hanwoo. Further research is necessary to validate the findings on a larger sample size.

Negative differential resistance (NDR) devices have recently attracted interest as multi-valued logic (MVL) circuits, owing to their folded electrical characteristics. However, with necessity of sophisticated computing systems, advanced NDR devices are required for stable low-power-consumption MVL circuits. Here, we developed van der Waals (vdW) NDR device with high peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) and low peak voltage (Vpeak), utilizing the passivation and doping effects of APTES layer as aminosilane coupling agent, at dielectric interface. The PVCR of NDR device reached 10 through reduced interface trap owing to the passivation effect of APTES silane group. Additionally, low Vpeak of NDR device was achieved at 0.2 V through doping effect of the APTES amine group. These PVCR and Vpeak values indicate the one of the best vdW NDR performance. Furthermore, stable logic state and low operation voltage of the ternary inverter were implemented using NDR device with high PVCR and low Vpeak. This NDR device represents a significant advancement for next-generation MVL technologies.

Korea is currently developing country-specific emission factors to support the 2050 zero-carbon campaign. Dairy cattle represent one of the largest livestock industries in Korea, and the industry is estimated to continue increasing because of an increase in milk demand. However, country-specific emission factors for dairy cattle are currently only available for calculating methane (CH4) emissions from enteric fermentation. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes from sawdust-bedded barn in dairy cow and steer, as well as dairy cattle manure composting lots. The greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes were quantified using the open-chamber method and gas chromatography. CH4 fluxes from steer, dairy cow, and manure compost were 27.88 ± 5.84, 36.12 ± 10.85, and 259.44 ± 61.78 µg/head/s, respectively. N2O fluxes from steer, dairy cow, and manure compost were 14.04 ± 1.27, 4.11 ± 1.57, and 3.97 ± 1.08 µg/head/s, respectively. The result of this study can be used to construct country-specific data for GHG emissions from manure management. Thus, the application of mitigation strategies can be prioritized based on the GHG profile and targeted source.

Most sociological and historical accounts on sex trafficking and Japanese war crimes focus on conceptual and theoretical analyses concerning linkages between sex trafficking, social stratification, and victims. While these studies enhance theoretical knowledge about sexual slavery, they do not meticulously explore how the Japanese actually manipulated and managed sexual slavery in China into a legalized practice despite the fact that it blatantly violated Japanese and international law. I argue that Japan attempted to design sexual slavery into a legalized practice by exercising a Panopticon, or more specifically, by emphasizing the maintenance of tight regulations on hygiene, prohibition, and unruly behavior of soldiers inside brothels. These attempts do not hide the fact that the Japanese military breached Japanese and international law by abandoning a commitment to human rights and dignity as stipulated by the Japanese Criminal Code and The International Convention on the Prohibition of the Sale and Purchase of Women for Prostitution (1925).

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a ubiquitous fungal toxin found in agricultural products and foods that is toxic to both humans and animals. OTA mainly affects kidney, but the mechanisms underlying OTA-induced nephrotoxicity remain not fully understood. MicroRNA (miRNA) is involved in key cellular processes. The toxic mechanism and regulatory effects of miRNAs on OTA toxicity in kidney, and particularly the role of HIFα-1/miR-155–5p on OTA-caused ER stress and fibrosis, were investigated in this study. OTA induced hypoxia-like conditions such as ER stress and fibrosis in HK-2 cells and renal tissues via modulating HIF-1α, which was followed by regulation of ER stress-related proteins (GRP78 and ATF-4), as well as fibrosis-related markers (fibronectin, α-SMA, and E-cadherin). Notably, a total of 62 miRNAs showed significant differential expression in kidney of OTA-treated mice. Under OTA exposure, HIF-1α enhanced miR-155–5p expression, causing ER stress and fibrosis in HK-2 cells. HIF-1α knockdown decreased OTA-induced miR-155–5p expression as well as ER stress and fibrotic responses, whereas miR-155–5p overexpression restored this. Our data suggest that OTA enhances ER stress and fibrosis in the kidney through upregulating the HIF-1α/miR-155–5p link.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs) are organic chemicals that are widely used in the manufacture of a wide range of human-made products. Many monitoring findings revealed the presence of PFASs and PFECAs in numerous environmental sources, including water, soil, and air, which drew more attention to both chemicals. Because of their unknown toxicity, the discovery of PFASs and PFECAs in a variety of environmental sources was viewed as a cause for concern. In the present study, male mice were given orally one of the typical PFASs, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and one of the representative PFECAs, hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA). The liver index showing hepatomegaly rose significantly after 90 d of exposure to PFOA and HFPO-DA, respectively. While sharing similar suppressor genes, both chemicals demonstrated unique hepatotoxic mechanisms. In different ways, these two substances altered the expression of hepatic stress-sensing genes as well as the regulation of nuclear receptors. Not only are bile acid metabolism-related genes in the liver altered, but cholesterol metabolism-related genes as well. These results indicate that PFOA and HFPO-DA both cause hepatotoxicity and bile acid metabolism impairment with distinct mechanisms.

Low-acceleration gravitational anomaly is investigated with a new method of exploiting the normalized velocity profile $\tilde{v}\equiv {v}_{p}/{v}_{c}$ of wide binary stars as a function of the normalized sky-projected radius s / r _M , where v _p is the sky-projected relative velocity between the pair, v _c is the Newtonian circular velocity at the sky-projected separation s , and r _M is the MOND radius. With a Monte Carlo method, Gaia observed binaries and their virtual Newtonian counterparts are probabilistically distributed on the s / r _M versus $\tilde{v}$ plane, and a logarithmic velocity ratio parameter Γ is measured in the bins of s / r _M . With three samples of binaries covering a broad range in size, data quality, and implied fraction of hierarchical systems including a new sample of 6389 binaries selected with accurate distances and radial velocities, I find a unanimous systematic variation from the Newtonian flat line. With Γ = 0 at s / r _M ≲ 0.15 or s ≲ 1 kau, I get Γ = 0.068 ± 0.015 (stat) ${}_{-0.015}^{+0.024}$ (syst) for s / r _M ≳ 0.7 or s ≳ 5 kau. The gravitational anomaly (i.e., acceleration boost) factor given by γ _g = 10 ^2Γ is measured to be ${\gamma }_{g}={1.37}_{-0.09}^{+0.10}$ (stat) ${}_{-0.09}^{+0.16}$ (syst). With a reduced χ ^2 test of Newtonian and Milgromian nonrelativistic theories, I find that Newtonian gravity is ruled out at 5.8 σ ( ${\chi }_{\nu }^{2}=9.4$ ) by the new sample (and 9.2 σ by the largest sample used). The Milgromian AQUAL theory is acceptable with $0.7\lesssim {\chi }_{\nu }^{2}\lesssim 3.1$ . These results agree well with earlier results with the “acceleration-plane analysis” for a variety of samples and the “stacked velocity profile analysis” for a pure binary sample.

It is found that Gaia Data Release 3 binary stars selected with stringent requirements on astrometric measurements and radial velocities naturally satisfy Newtonian dynamics without hidden close companions when the projected separation s ≲ 2 kau, showing that pure binaries can be selected. It is then found that pure binaries selected with the same criteria show a systematic deviation from the Newtonian expectation when s ≳ 2 kau. When both proper motions and parallaxes are required to have precision better than 0.005 and radial velocities better than 0.2, I obtain 2463 statistically pure binaries within a “clean” G -band absolute magnitude range. From this sample, I obtain an observed-to-Newtonian predicted kinematic acceleration ratio of ${\gamma }_{g}={g}_{\mathrm{obs}}/{g}_{\mathrm{pred}}={1.49}_{-0.19}^{+0.21}$ for acceleration ≲10 ^−10 m s ^−2 , in excellent agreement with 1.49 ± 0.07 for a much larger general sample with the amount of hidden close companions self-calibrated. I also investigate the radial profile of stacked sky-projected relative velocities without a deprojection to the 3D space. The observed profile matches the Newtonian predicted profile for s ≲ 2 kau without any free parameters, but shows a clear deviation at a larger separation with a significance of ≈5.0 σ . The projected velocity boost factor for s ≳ 5 kau is measured to be ${\gamma }_{{v}_{p}}=1.20\pm 0.06$ (stat) ±0.05 (sys) matching $\sqrt{{\gamma }_{g}}$ . Finally, for a small sample of 40 binaries with exceptionally precise radial velocities (fractional errors

Human activities have caused an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in climate change that affects many factors of human life including its effect on water and food quality in certain areas with implications for human health. CH4 and N2O are known as potent non-CO2 GHGs. The livestock industry contributes to direct emissions of CH4 (38.24%) and N2O (6.70%) through enteric fermentation and manure treatment, as well as indirect N2O emissions via NH3 volatilization. NH3 is also a secondary precursor of particulate matter. Several approaches have been proposed to address this issue, including dietary management, manure treatment, and the possibility of inhibitor usage. Inhibitors, including urease and nitrification inhibitors, are widely used in agricultural fields. The use of urease and nitrification inhibitors is known to be effective in reducing nitrogen loss from agricultural soil in the form of NH3 and N2O and can further reduce CH4 as a side effect. However, the effectiveness of inhibitors in livestock manure systems has not yet been explored. This review discusses the potential of inhibitor usage, specifically of N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, dicyandiamide, and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate, to reduce emissions from livestock manure. This review focuses on the application of inhibitors to manure, as well as the association of these inhibitors with health, toxicity, and economic benefits.

Meteorological disasters caused by climate change like heat, cold waves, and unusually long rainy seasons affect the milk productivity of cows. Studies have been conducted on how milk productivity and milk compositions change due to heat stress (HS). However, the estimation of losses in milk production due to HS and hereby environmental impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are yet to be evaluated in Korean dairy farms. Dairy milk production and milk compositions data from March to October 2018, provided by the Korea Dairy Committee (KDC), were used to compare regional milk production with the temperature-humidity index (THI). Raw data for the daily temperature and relative humidity in 2018 were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). This data was used to calculate the THI and the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature changing rate, as the average daily temperature range, to show the extent to which the temperature gap can affect milk productivity. The amount of milk was calculated based on the price of 926 won/kg from KDC. The results showed that the average milk production rate was the highest within the THI range 60–73 in three regions in May: Chulwon (northern region), Hwasung (central region), and Gunwi (southern region). The average milk production decreased by 4.96 ± 1.48% in northern region, 7.12 ± 2.36% in central region, and 7.94 ± 2.57% in southern region from June to August, which had a THI range of 73 or more, when compared to May. Based on the results, the level of THI should be maintained like May. If so, the farmers can earn a profit of 9,128,730 won/farm in northern region, 9,967,880 won/farm in central region, and 12,245,300 won/farm in southern region. Additionally, the average number of cows raised can be reduced by 2.41 ± 0.35 heads/farm, thereby reducing GHG emissions by 29.61 ± 4.36 kg CO2eq/day on average. Overall, the conclusion suggests that maintaining environmental conditions in the summer that are similar to those in May is necessary. This knowledge can be used for basic research to persuade farmers to change farm facilities to increase the economic benefits and improve animal welfare.

Cortisol and corticosterone, hormones traditionally considered biomarkers of stress, can be measured in fluid biomatrices (e.g., blood, saliva) from live animals to evaluate conditions at sampling time, or in solid biomatrices (e.g., hair, feather) from live or dead animals to obtain information regarding long-term changes. Using these biomarkers to evaluate physiological stress responses in domestic animals may be challenging due to the diverse characteristics of biomatrices for potential measurement. Ideally, a single measurement from the biomatrix should be sufficient for evaluating chronic stress. The availability of appropriate and cost-effective immunoassay methods for detecting the biomarkers should also be considered. This review discusses the strengths and limitations of different biomatrices with regard to ensuring the highest possible reliability for chronic stress evaluation. Overall, solid biomatrices require less frequent sampling than other biomatrices, resulting in greater time- and cost-effectiveness, greater ease of use, and fewer errors. The multiplex immunoassay can be used to analyze interactions and correlations between cortisol and other stress biomarkers in the same biomatrix. In light of the lack of information regarding appropriate biomatrices for measuring chronic stress, this review may help investigators set experimental conditions or design biological research.

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic threshold switching field-effect transistors (ATS-FETs), which integrate 2D FET with threshold switching (TS) devices, have garnered attention as part of the subthreshold swing (SS) improvement for next-generation low-power devices. For industrial applications of 2D ATS-FET, it is important to secure the threshold voltage (Vth) modulation technique. Here, Vth engineering is performed by altering the counter electrode (CE) of a TS device, and the electrical performance of the ATS-FET is systematically investigated. The work function difference between the active electrode and CE alters the internal electric field (E-field) formed between these two electrodes. This severely affects the metal ion migration of the active electrode and induces the Vth shift of the ATS-FET. Because the proposed Vth adjusting technique does not affect the channel material, the MoS2 ATS-FET with the proposed technique can shift Vth while maintaining a high on–off ratio of >105 A on average and achieves an ultra-low average SS of ∼10.929 mV/dec. Moreover, the SS variation due to the random interface traps between the channel and gate dielectric is sufficiently suppressed. This study is expected to be a cornerstone for ATS-FET research by offering a compact platform to adjust Vth without deteriorating steep-slope characteristics.

This paper presents a single-stage 12-times frequency multiplier composed of an invented harmonic generator (HG) and a modified cascode buffer. The reliable output frequency band is guaranteed from 16 GHz to 28 GHz (54.5% frequency range). The whole band is divided to 256 subsidiary frequency bands by applying 8-bit digitally controlled capacitor banks of LC (inductor and capacitor)-tuned output. The invented HG architecture is based on a double-balanced mixer, but the bottom and top differential pairs are appropriately biased to generate the required turn-on time, τ, for obtaining the more dominant desired 12th harmonic. In addition, to reduce power consumption and conversion gain variation for the target frequency band, a negative-gm differential pair is added to the HG core in parallel to enhance the equivalent parasitic resistance, which is directly proportional to the HG gain. Newly created automatic constant amplitude control is able to keep the HG amplitude output constant as well as keep it from oscillating. Further desired harmonic amplification and unwanted suppression can be achieved by the proposed cascode buffer. The proposed 12-times multiplier is fabricated on a 65-nm CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) process and successfully tested. Chip die size is 0.4 mm2, and power consumption is only 4 mW.

This study presents a synthesizer topology based on a delay-locked loop (DLL) and programmable frequency multiplier for 5G+ communication systems. The proposed synthesizer comprises a 512-phase DLL, an intermediate frequency generator (IFG), and an RF frequency multiplier (RFFM). The 512-phase DLL provides 512 delayed pulses through a chain of 256 delay units and single-to-differential complementary converters (S2DCs). The IFG comprises I/Q-multiplexers, I/Q-accumulators, an XOR, and an S2DC. The I/Q-multiplexer outputs switch to the phase lag or lead waveforms at every rising or falling edge of the outputs, which makes the I/Q-multiplexer output frequency, fMX, programmable. The IF, fIF, is two times fMX, and fIF is up-converted to RF, fRF, through the RFFM. When the reference clock frequency, fref, is 156.25 MHz, the fIF range is 156.863–312.5 MHz and the fRF dynamic range is approximately 1.89–9.96 GHz. The channel resolution range is 3.698–38.609 MHz. Consequently, the proposed synthesizer provides a wide 134% output frequency bandwidth and a finer channel resolution smaller than fref. The presented synthesizer is fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS process. The total power consumption is 15 mW, and the rms jitter integrated from 1 kHz to 100 MHz measured as 107.6 fs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For upcoming AI computing era, the multi‐valued logic (MVL) is promising for processing multiple information with high‐density device. Particularly, the negative differential transconductance (NDT) devices as element of MVL have been needed to overcome complicated heterostructures with multiple stacking process. Herein, the single‐channel device is developed with NDT phenomenon through plasma treatment in van der Waals (vdW) transistor. The O2 plasma treatment formed amorphous oxidation layer capable of charge transfer on vdW materials. Through O2 plasma treatment on single‐channel, the NDT phenomenon is implemented by forming the multiple VTH in single‐channel electrical curve due to charge transfer p‐doping effect. The peak‐to‐valley current ratio (PVCR) of NDT phenomenon is achieved to 102. Furthermore, ternary inverter is demonstrated in single‐channel combined with NDT and load device. Finally, by implementing NDT peak in single‐channel transistor, the complexity and size of MVL circuit is reduced, moving away multiple heterostructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a novel passive direct binary amplitude modulator (AM) integrated with two frequency multipliers (FMs) and a drive amplifier. Both FMs are composed of a harmonic generator and a modified cascode buffer, along with an additional single-to-differential amplifier added in front of the first FM. The input frequency band (1.5-1.75 GHz) is up-converted to the intermediate frequency band of 4-5 GHz by the first FM, while the second FM up-converts the IF band to the target millimeter wave band of 24-28 GHz. Furthermore, the mm-wave amplitude is directly modulated by a capacitor ladder whose ratio is digitally programmable. This unique capacitor-ladder structure AM is employed to attain uniformly distributed constellation points and improve the output signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed modulator is fabricated on a 65-nm CMOS with a die size of 0.73 mm2. When applying the modulator to I/Q paths, 1.33% error vector magnitude for 256-QAM was measured at 26 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Electrochemical metallization threshold switch (ECM TS) has received significant attention for various applications owing to its high ON/OFF ratio, fast switching characteristics, and simple active electrode/dielectric layer/inert electrode structures. However, the excess diffusion of active metal ions causes severe variation in threshold voltage and poor endurance. Furthermore, the small room for inert electrode metal is a problem to be solved for various applications of ECM TS. Here, a novel structure is proposed in which a two‐dimensional platinum diselenide (PtSe2) is inserted between the dielectric layer and inert electrode to engineer the conductive filament by controlling the active metal ion concentration. The low work function, superior inertness, layered structure, and smooth surface of PtSe2 insertion layer lead to thin and weak conductive filament with few active metal atoms and allow the use of various metals as inert electrode. Consequently, PtSe2‐inserted ECM TS shows high reliability in both threshold voltage distribution (σ/µ = ≈6.58%) and endurance (>106 cycles). Furthermore, PtSe2‐inserted ECM TS‐based 2 × 2 cross‐bar array is proposed as AND and OR logic circuits. This study is expected to pave the way for the development of ECM TS for next‐generation electronic applications.

To achieve efficient heat dissipation using polymer composites, it is important to optimize the heat conduction pathway. Therefore, manipulating the orientation of thermally conductive and anisotropic fillers in composites represents a judicious strategy. So far, external fields have been applied to align fillers within the matrix. However, these processes are energy-intensive and require stimuli-responsive fillers through surface modification, further complicating the process and deteriorating filler thermal conductivity. Herein, to these ends, a facile method for manufacturing composite with an orientation-controlled model anisotropic filler, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), was proposed by harnessing thermophoresis. Thermophoresis causes movement and/or rotation of solid particles in a fluid with a steady temperature gradient. A suspension of UV-curable monomer with well-dispersed h-BN was subjected to a temperature gradient, inducing filler rotation via thermophoresis. A subsequent photo-curing yielded a solid composite with the frozen h-BN aligned in a direction agreed with expected for thermophoresis, as indicated by the anisotropic thermal conductivity measurement and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. Additionally, the theoretically estimated Peclet number, induced by thermophoresis, was higher than the experimentally determined value required to align suspended h-BN. To our best knowledge, the current study is the first experimental demonstration of controlling anisotropic filler orientation using thermophoresis.

In this study, azidoformate (AF) is investigated as a reactive functional group to mediate noncatalytic C–H insertion reactions to interconnect polypropylene (PP) chains to generate long-chain branches (LCBs). 4,4′-Isopropylidenediphenyl azidoformate (DAF) with two terminal AF groups is synthesized, which is first mixed with propylene/α-olefin copolymer at 100 °C. Then, the prepared mixture with a predetermined amount of DAF is reactively melt mixed with PP at 165 °C. This unique two-step preparation strategy affords PP with prominent rheological properties of LCBs, e.g., shear thinning and strain hardening. The rheological characteristics are easily controlled by adjusting the amount of DAF to afford an effective tool to prepare high-melt-strength PPs. The strength of this strategy is distinct, including a simple/typical melt processing procedure, no degradation of PP chains, and no purification/solvent recycling steps. The C–H insertion capability of azidoformate groups suggests an expandability of this methodology as a platform technology to prepare modified polymers.