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In-doped zinc oxide ( ZnO:In ) thin films with thickness from 157 nm to 592 nm have been deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The effect of the film thickness on the structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO:In thin films has been investigated. It is found that the films are hexagonal wurtzite structure with c-axis perpendicular to the substrate, and with increasing thickness, the crystallinity, the grains size and the conductivity of the films increases, but the strains along c-axis and the transmittance decrease. The decrease of the resistivity in a thicker film is attributed to the slight increase of the carrier concentration and the significant increase of Hall mobility. The transmittance of all the films is over 80% in the visible region (400–800 nm) and the band gap decrease with the increase of film thickness. The film with the thickness of around 303 nm has the resistivity of 6.07 × 10-3 Ω⋅ cm and the transmittance of 90% in the visible range. Based on the good conductivity and high transmittance, the ZnO:In films prepared by magnetron sputtering can be regarded as a potential transparent electrode.

This letter presents a V-band direct injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) using forward body bias technology. The divider is implemented in a 0.13 μm CMOS process. The measurements show that the free-running frequency of the divider is 28.67 GHz, the total locking range is 16.2% at 58 GHz with 3.93 mW from a low supply voltage of 0.7 V, and the measured phase noise of the divider is -123.5 dBc/Hz at 500 KHz offset. The output power of the divider is higher than -9 dBm from 54 to 61 GHz, and a good figure of merit is achieved.

Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) is one of the important economic insects. Silkworm rearing and silk industry plays an important role in China, India and other developing countries. In the long history of sericultural practice, introduction of silkworm strains with high resistance to diseases has greatly improved cocoon and silk quality and productivity. However, current silkworm breeding is mainly based on traditional method that involves high input of time and labour. In order to increase the selection efficiency and accuracy for future silkworm breeding, it is necessary to establish a molecular marker-assisted selection system. In our study, three silkworm near isogenic lines that had different resistance to nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) were established by means of different hybridization methods. A total of 150 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) random primers were used to screen molecular markers. Among them, two molecular markers OPA-18700 and OPY-11400 were found linked to major genes resistant and susceptible to NPV, respectively. Validity of the molecular markers was proved in F2 populations.

ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is an important and commonly used assisted reproductive technology (ART) in humans and animals. However, conventional ICSI has proven to be difficult and inefficient, especially in mice. Fortunately, the application of piezo-electric technology to assist the injection process has made ICSI more effective and efficient in recent years. Despite this advance, the pipette tip is unstable in response to the force exerted by the piezoelectric pulse during injection. To some extent, this instability can be mitigated by the use of mercury, which is highly toxic. In an effort to overcome these hurdles, we developed and tested a completely different and mercury-free technology, called the “Ros-Drill©” (rotationally oscillating drill), which uses a microprocessor-controlled actuator to generate rotational oscillations on a spiked micropipette. ICSI utilizing the Ros-Drill© requires neither mercury nor piezoelectricity. Early experimental trials reveal high survival (≫70% of the injected oocytes), fertilization (≫ 80% of the survived oocytes), and blastocyst formation rates (∼ 50% of the survived oocytes). After surgical transfer of blastocysts created by Ros-Drill© ICSI into pseudopregnant surrogate mothers, healthy pups were born and weaned. Because the Ros-Drill ICSI technique is automated, a very short training period is required, especially for specialists. These studies in mice have revealed, that Ros-Drill ICSI has mentioned advantages over conventional and piezo-assisted ICSI starting with the elimination of mercury in the process.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) such as ERK1 [p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)] and ERK2 (p42 MAPK) are activated in the central nervous system under physiological and pathological conditions such as ischemia and epilepsy. Our aim is to investigate ERK1, ERK2, and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) (Thr202/ Tyr 204) expression in the temporal lobe of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) and to explore its possible role of ERK in it. Tissue samples from temporal neocortices of 40 patients who had surgery for IE were used to detect ERK1, ERK2, and p-ERK (Thr 202/Tyr 204) expression through immunohistochemistry and western blot. We compared these tissues against 17 histological normal temporal lobes from head-traumat patients. ERK1, ERK2, and p-ERK in IE were significantly higher than those in the controls. They were mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of neurons and glial cells. There was also increased detection of p-ERK in the gliotic cortex of IE compared with the non-gliotic cortex. These findings were consistently observed in western blot and immunohistochemistry techniques. ERK expression in patients with IE was significantly increased compared with the controls. This suggested a probable role of ERK in the pathogenesis of IE.

Bridge failures in recent earthquakes such as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake have attracted the attention of the bridge engineering community to the large number of bridges with substandard seismic design details. Many concrete columns in bridges designed before the new seismic design provisions were adopted have low flexural ductility, low shear strength, and inadequate lap length for starter bars. These problems, compounded by flaws in the design of structural systems, have contributed to the catastrophic bridge failures in recent earthquakes. In this paper, a new technique for seismic strengthening of concrete columns is presented. The technique requires wrapping thin, flexible high-strength fiber composite straps around the column to improve the confinement and, thereby, its ductility and strength. Analytical models are presented that quantify the gain in strength and ductility of concrete columns externally confined by means of high-strength fiber composite straps. A parametric study is conducted to examine the effects of various design parameters such as concrete compressive strength, thickness and spacing of straps, and type of strap. The results indicate that the strength and ductility of concrete columns can be significantly increased by wrapping high-strength fiber composite straps around the columns.