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Fish farm operators worldwide are planning to move offshore due to lack of available nearshore production sites in heavily utilized coastal zones, where there is increasing community opposition to coastal development and conflict with other usages such as shipping, fishing, tourism, conservation and recreation. Moreover, offshore sites provide more sea space and generally better water quality, which are needed to increase the production of healthy fish. This review paper begins with the definition of offshore for fish farming based on unified viewpoint and proceeds to highlight the challenges faced by going offshore. Next, the paper presents a review of designs of fish cages from conventional nearshore fish farms to next-generation offshore fish farms, which have to contend with a high energy environment. The fish cages may be divided into the open net cage system and the closed containment tank system. The open net cage system can be categorized further into 5 types. The advantages and disadvantages of the various fish cage designs will be discussed. Further, different types of cage designs are compared with the view to guide feasibility of offshore fish farming. Co-location with other synergetic industries is discussed as a possible example of future offshore fish farms. "This is the authors’ manuscript to the article. "

Supplemental material, DS_10.1177_0022034520925427 for Midkine Promotes Odontoblast-like Differentiation and Tertiary Dentin Formation by Y.H. Park, Y.S. Lee, Y.M. Seo, H. Seo, J.S. Park, H.S. Bae and J.C. Park in Journal of Dental Research

This paper introduces a computational method for analysis of the 6-DOF motions of a ship in waves using an overset grid technique which consists of inner and outer domains for representing body motions and numerical wave tank, respectively. High order interpolation scheme is employed to increase numerical accuracy over the interface where physical values, such as velocities and pressure, interact between the inner and outer domains. The numerical schemes and algorithm are addressed in the present paper. An application to motion of KCS container carrier in head waves is presented, and the comparison of responses on heave and pitch motions shows good agreement with those of model tests.

Experiment 1 was a feeding trial in which 75 (Landrace ⅹ Yorkshire) ⅹ Duroc pigs with average initial bodyweight (BW) of 26 ± 1 kg were used. It was assigned to three pigs/pen and five pens/treatment. Experiment 2 was a metabolic trial in which 25 (LandraceⅹYorkshire)ⅹDuroc pigs with average initial bodyweight (BW) of 36 ± 1 kg were used. The basal diet consisted of maize (57.71 %), soybean meal (32.45 %), and wheat bran (5 %). Treatments consisted of i) CON (control diet); ii) OE (organic acid + essential oils) (Aviplus-S ® ), that is, CON + 0.05 % OE; iii) OC (organic charcoal) (Olga Black ® ), that is, CON + 0.1 % OC; iv) AE (anise extracts) (RESQ ® ), that is, CON + 0.015 % AE; and v) PB (probiotics) (Bonvital ® ), that is, CON + 0.1 % PB. Average daily gain (ADG) and gain/feed ratio (G : F) were significantly higher in the OE and AE groups than in the others. Average daily feed intake (ADFI) for OE, OC, and AE treatments was significantly higher than that for CON and PB treatments. Dry matter (DM) digestibility was significantly higher in AE than CON. Crude protein (CP) was significantly higher in OE, AE, and PB than CON. CON and other treatments did not cause significant differences in blood l-density lipoprotein (LDL), and glucose. NH 3 emissions were significantly lower in all treated groups than in CON. Among the treatments, NH 3 emissions were lowest in OE and AE. H 2 S emissions were significantly lower in OE, AE, and PB than in CON. Among the treatments, OE and AE were most effective at reducing H 2 S emissions. The emissions of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) showed no significant difference between treatments and CON. In conclusion, this experiment was shown to be more effective on growth performance, malodour emission, blood profiles, and nutrient digestibility in OE and AE than other additives. Keywords: Digestibility, feed, influence, odour, supplementation, swine

Different quantitative and qualitative indices calculated on oral panoramic radiographs have been proposed as useful tools to screen for reduced skeletal bone mineral density (BMD). Our aim was to systematically review the literature on linear and qualitative panoramic measures and to assess the accuracy of these indices by performing a meta-analysis of their sensitivity and specificity. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was followed. Fifty studies were included in the qualitative appraisal and 19 were considered for meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the retrieved studies, assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool, was on average low. Three indices were reported by most of the studies: mandibular cortical width, panoramic mandibular index, and the Klemetti index. Mandibular cortical width presented with a better accuracy in excluding osteopenia/osteoporosis (specificity), since patients with a cortical width more than 4 mm had a normal BMD in 90% of the cases. Almost all studies used a cutoff of 0.3 for the panoramic mandibular index, resulting in an estimated sensitivity and specificity in detecting reduced BMD, respectively, of 0.723 (SE 0.160; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.352–0.926) and 0.733 (SE 0.066; 95% CI, 0.587–0.841). The presence of any kind of mandibular cortical erosion gave an estimated sensitivity and specificity in detecting reduced BMD, respectively, of 0.789 (SE 0.031; 95% CI, 0.721–0.843) and 0.562 (SE 0.047; 95% CI, 0.47–0.651) and a sensitivity and specificity in detecting osteoporosis, respectively, of 0.806 (SE 0.105; 95% CI, 0.528–0.9200) and 0.643 (SE 0.109; 95% CI, 0.417–0.820). The mandibular cortical width, panoramic mandibular index, and Klemetti index are overall useful tools that potentially could be used by dentists to screen for low BMD. Their limitations are mainly related to the experience/agreement between different operators and the different image quality and magnification of the panoramic radiographs.

Flexible roll forming allows profiles to have variable cross-sections. However, the profile may have some shape errors, such as, warping which is a major defect. The shape error is induced by geometrical deviations in both the concave zone and the convex zone. In the current study, flexible roll forming was modeled with FE simulations to analyze the shape error and the longitudinal strain distribution along the flange section over the profile. A distribution of analytically calculated longitudinal strains was used to develop relationships between the shape error and the longitudinal strain distribution as a function of the defined shape parameters for the profile. The FE simulations showed that the shape error is primarily affected by the deviations between the distribution of analytically calculated longitudinal strain and the longitudinal strain distribution of the profile. The results show that the shape error can be controlled by designing the shape parameters to control the geometrical deviations at the flange section in the transition zones.

Background Despite mounting interest in combination immunotherapy including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to improve anti-tumor responses, clinical translation has been disappointing. To address the significant unmet needs remaining, we designed GI101 comprising the extracellular domain of CD80 acting as a dual checkpoint (CTLA4/PD-L1) inhibitor, together with a long acting IL2v that preferentially binds to the IL2Rβ. Methods Affinity of GI101 for IL2Rs, CTLA4, and PD-L1 was determined by SPR. Immune cell proliferation was analyzed by CFSE assay and in vivo immune profiling. In vivo efficacy of GI101 were performed in a tumor-bearing mouse model. Results GI101 exhibits high affinity to both CTLA4 (Kd, 2.9 nM), PD-L1 (Kd, 8.5 nM), and preferential binding to IL2Rβ (Kd, 28.4 nM). GI101 induces the robust stimulation of in vitro and in vivo CD8+ T and NK cell proliferation without a significant increase in Treg cells. GI101 has high binding affinity to CTLA4 acting as a decoy ligand, thereby enhancing the interaction between endogenous CD80 and CD28, leading to the activation of T cells. GI101 elicits improved restoration of immune functions compared to a CD80-Fc in in vitro settings using human PBMCs co-cultured with PD-L1hi tumor cells. In the CT26 tumor-bearing mice, GI101 was superior at inhibiting tumor growth when compared to a combination of aPD-1/aCLTA4 in association with a profound increase in CD8+ T and NK cells without causing an increase in Tregs in the TME. In addition, a dose-dependent anti-tumor effect was observed in CT26 syngeneic models. Furthermore, isolated mortality was observed in the aPD-1/aCTLA4 combo-treated group whereas GI101-treated group has no evidence for toxicity associated with IL2 activity including vascular leakage syndrome and cytokine storm. Conclusions The complementary modes of action of GI101 via dual checkpoint blockade with IL2 activity to enhance the proliferation and activation of Teff and NK cells is projected to translate into superior clinical efficacy and safety as indicated even in ‘cold tumor’ models. GI101 has promising potential to replace first-generation ICIs as a monotherapy or in combination with chemo/radiotherapies and other immunotherapies. Legal entity responsible for the study GI innovation. Funding GI innovation. Disclosure J.C. Park: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. K.H. Pyo: Research grant / Funding (institution): Yonsei Medical Center. Y.J. Song: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. W.J. Lee: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. J. Kim: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. H.N. Ji: Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. S.S. Park: Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. Y.J. Koh: Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. K. Lee: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. B. Cho: Research grant / Funding (institution): Yonsei Medical Center. B. Chun: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. Y.M. Oh: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. B. Yang: Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. S.Y. Nam: Leadership role, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation. M.H. Jang: Leadership role, Shareholder / Stockholder / Stock options, Full / Part-time employment: GI innovation.

The feasibility of a unique greenhouse, named as Gradient Biome, is now being examined extensively in the University of Tokyo. It is a large chamber (length:200m, width:50m, height:40m) in which the weather, such as temperature and humidity, of the tropical zone through to that of the frigid zone on the earth is reproduced with continuous gradient. In the Gradient Biome, ecosystems (mainly plants) corresponding to each weather are introduced and the possible responses of this ecosystems to the expected global warming are to be observed. Since one of the expected responses is the shift of the ecosystem(s) toward the region of suitable environment, there should be no artificial obstacles, which can prevent the shift, inside the Biome. This requirement is not so easy to be satisfied since the environment tends to be homogeneous. This paper presents the results of the numerical studies conducted to find the ways of how the temperature and humidity in the Gradient Biome could be reproduced. One of the contributed solvers of OpenFOAM, which is an open source physics simulation code, was modified and used for the numerical simulations.

A new computational program, which is based on the CIP/CCUP(Constraint Interpolation Profile/CIP Combined Unified Procedure) method, has been developed to numerically analyse sloshing phenomena dealt as multiphase-flow problems. For the convection terms of Navier-Stokes equations, the RCIP(Rational function CIP) method was adopted and the THINC-WLIC(Tangent of Hyperbola for Interface Capturing-Weighted Line Interface Calculation) method was used to capture the air/water interface. To validate the present numerical method, two-dimensional dam-breaking and sloshing problems in a rectangular tank were solved by the developed method in a stationary Cartesian grid system. In the case of sloshing problems, simulations by using a improved MPS(Moving Particle Simulation) method, which is named as PNU-MPS(Pusan National University-MPS), were also carried out. The computational results are compared with those of experiments and most of the comparisons are reasonably good.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-B) is a potent cell mitogen and chemotactic signal involved in normal wound healing. PDGF-B is present at decreased levels in diabetic wounds and has been shown to improve wound healing when applied in a topical form. However, clinical results with topical PDGF in the treatment of diabetic wounds have been equivocal. In this study, we investigated whether application of PDGF-B via gene therapy can effectively promote wound healing in the diabetic environment in an animal model. Retroviral vectors carrying the gene for human PDGF-B were constructed using the LNCX virus and the G418 resistance gene for selection (LN-PDGF-B), and transduced into mouse dermal fibroblasts. LN-PDGF-B transduced fibroblasts were seeded into alginate hydrogel scaffolds at a concentration of 25 × 106 cells/implant and implanted into 2 cm × 2 cm full thickness excisional dermal wounds created on the dorsae of genetically diabetic db/db mice. At 21 days, animals treated with LN-PDGF-B transduced cells suspended in alginate hydrogel demonstrated a significantly smaller epithelial gap (0.97 +/− 0.34 cm) than animals receiving untransduced mouse dermal fibroblasts alone (1.44 +/− 0.37 cm; P

Diabetic wounds are characterized by disruption of the normal wound repair responses, particularly at the inflammatory and proliferative stages. Inadequate levels of growth factors, such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), play a significant role in the impaired healing of these wounds. PDGF is a potent mitogen and chemotactic agent, and is released from platelet alpha-granules during the acute inflammatory phase of wound healing. It has been shown to promote the deposition of collagen and granulation tissue, and improves healing in diabetic animals. Although previous studies have shown some success with topically applied PDGF, results in clinical practice have been moderate. In this study, we investigated whether gene therapy with lentiviral vectors carrying the gene for PDGF can improve wound healing in an animal model. Full thickness 2 cm × 2 cm dermal wounds were created on the dorsae of genetically diabetic db/db mice. Lentiviral vectors containing the human PDGF-beta gene (lenti-PDGF) were injected into the wound margins and along the wound base. Control experiments were performed using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) injections. Mice were sacrificed after 21 days, and wound tissues were harvested for histological analyses. Lenti-PDGF-treated animals demonstrated significantly smaller residual epithelial gaps compared to PBS controls (0.77 +/− 0.07 cm vs. 1.22 +/− 0.30 cm; P

The diabetic wound is characterized by abnormal, prolonged inflammatory activity and impaired healing. Enhanced interaction between the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and its ligands in the diabetic tissue environment has been shown to increase proinflammatory cytokines and tissue-degradative matrix metalloproteinases, resulting in decreased collagen generation. Blockade of RAGE with multiple topical applications of soluble RAGE (sRAGE) on diabetic wounds has been shown to accelerate diabetic wound closure. We investigated the potential efficacy of gene therapy as a method for enhancing sRAGE expression in the diabetic wound. Full thickness 2 × 2 cm2 excisional wounds were created on the dorsae of genetically diabetic db/db mice. Lentiviral vector (1 × 105 PFU in 1 ml saline) carrying the gene for soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (lenti-sRAGE) was injected into the wound margins and base. Mice were sacrificed at 14-, 21-, and 35-day intervals. Measurement of the residual epithelial gap showed increased healing of lenti-sRAGE-treated wounds compared to wounds treated with saline injection alone. Lenti-sRAGE-treated wounds were significantly smaller (epithelial gap ± SD) than saline-treated wounds at both 21 days (0.77 ± 0.24 cm, compared to 1.13 ± 0.30 cm; P

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of copper and zinc supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and meat and carcass characteristics in finishing pigs. A total of 72 pigs (58.47 kg initial BW) were assigned to 6 treatments in a factorial design . The sources of zinc and copper were Zn-methionine chelate and Cu-methionine chelate, respectively. Zinc levels used were 80 and 120 ppm and copper levels used were 10, 30 and 60 ppm. Throughout the entire experimental period, the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were not significantly affected by Cu or Zn levels, or their relative levels. The G:F ratio was significantly affected by the relative levels of Cu and Zn (p, shear force, cooking loss and pH were not significantly affected by Cu levels, Zn levels or their combination. The $a^*- (p

PurposeTo develop a more effective, long‐term‐oriented capital asset management process for capital project evaluationDesign/methodology/approachRelying on a cash study format, the weaknesses of the traditional capital budgeting process are examined. The proposed capital asset management process is contrasted with the traditional process with respect to several aspects of long‐term resource management. Flow‐charts and evaluation matrices are presented.FindingsThe capital asset management process offers significant improvements over the traditional process. First, it links various functions that trigger capital requirements. Through an actual versus plan measurement, capital plans become more accurate and predictable. Forecasting beyond one year also enhances the planning and management of resources. Second, the process promotes a more accurate evaluation of costs and benefits of capital projects. The suggested evaluation techniques include detailed qualitative analysis, real option and EVA analyses, and applying project/division costs of capital in place of a company cost of capital.Practical implicationsThe capital asset management process provides guidelines to justify and manage capital expenditures in a systematic manner for divisions and product lines within a company. For an effective application, the process should be established across all corporate levels so that top management and project managers have a clear understanding of the process and its importance with respect to a capital proposal's linkage to long‐term strategic goals.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive overview of the traditional capital budgeting process based on an actual company case and presents key drives and evaluation techniques in the capital asset management process to effectively manage firms' long‐term capital assets.

Y 2− x Gd x O 3 :Eu 3+ phosphor thin films were grown on Si (1 0 0) and Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrates using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Thin film phosphors were deposited by changing the substrates and the processing conditions (substrate temperature and oxygen pressure). The films grown under different deposition conditions have been characterized using microstructural and luminescent measurements. The photoluminescence (PL) brightness data obtained from the Y 2− x Gd x O 3 :Eu 3+ films grown under optimized conditions have indicated that Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) and Si (1 0 0) substrates are promising substrate for the growth of high quality Y 2− x Gd x O 3 :Eu 3+ thin film red phosphor. The films were preferentially (2 2 2) oriented in both Si (1 0 0) and Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) cases and the films grown on Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrate exhibit the superior crystallization and photoluminescent properties. The highest emission intensity was observed with Y 1.35 Gd 0.6 O 3 :Eu 3+ films grown on Al 2 O 3 (0 0 0 1) substrate, whose brightness increased by a factor of 3.7 in comparison with that of the films grown on Si (1 0 0) substrate. The PL intensity of the Y 2− x Gd x O 3 :Eu 3+ films are highly dependent on the crystallinity and surface roughness of the films. The PL intensity and surface roughness have similar behavior as a function of not only oxygen pressure but also substrate temperature. This phosphor may be promising for application to the flat panel displays.

The bio-telemetry technologies, that use the wireless miniaturized telemetry module implanted in the human body and transmits several biomedical signal from inside to outside of the body, have been expected to solve the problem such as the patient`s inconvenience and the limit for diagnosis. In the case of transceiver system using the wireless RF transmission method, the method of three-dimensional localization for implantable miniaturized telemetry module is necessary to detect the exact position of disease. A new method for three-dimensional localization using small loop antenna in the implantable miniaturized telemetry module was proposed in this paper. We proposed a method that can accurately determine the position of telemetry module by analyzing the differences in the strength of signal, which is received at each of the small size RF receiver array installed on the body surface.

In this paper, a swallowable miniaturized capsule, which applicable for electrical stimulation of digestive organ to improve the motion of intestine in research purpose, is proposed and implemented. The developed capsule can be controlled for the behavior of the power on/off, amplitude and pulse rate for the patient stimulus, by internally equipped with miniaturized RF receiver that linked by the command of external transmitter. The experimental result of the implemented miniaturized capsule in the animal intestine show the ability of effective control for the stimulus parameters.

The nucleation density of diamond films produced by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was enhanced up to four times using a cyclic methane flow modulation technique. In this technique, the plasma composition is alternated for short periods between a combination of methane and hydrogen and hydrogen only. This results in alternate periods of deposition and etching for the nucleation run. The highest nucleation density, 1.8×108 cm−2, was obtained for the highest methane:hydrogen ratio of 8:200 sccm at a growing/etching time ratio of 180/30 s for 10.5 min over 3 h total time on the glass substrates. The grain size likewise increased up to 0.85 μm with a higher growing/etching time ratio. In contrast, the diamond quality, as measured by the relative intensity of Raman peaks corresponding to diamond and amorphous carbon was inversely related with the growing/etching time ratio.

The Kandil-Brown-Miller parameter and Fatemi-Socie parameter are comparatively studied in the perspective of application to multiaxial fatigue under variable amplitude loads. The former is given in terms of shear strain and normal strain, whereas the latter uses normal stress instead of normal strain. The planes of maximum shear strain range and maximum damage are examined as the critical plane. Fatigue lives are evaluated by rainflow cycle counting on the shear strain history and applying the Miner-Palmgren damage rule. Predicted lives are compared with experimental lives obtained on S45C steel. It is found that both parameters can correlate test data within an acceptable accuracy irrespective of which plane is used for the critical plane.

A high-speed continuous-time CMOS analog adaptive equalizer for use in magnetic recording read channels is presented. The equalizer is implemented as the summation of several bandpass filters covering different frequency bands as in a graphic equalizer. The outputs from each filter are weighted by a complex coefficient and summed, which results in a linear combiner structure guaranteed to converge under least mean square (LMS) adaptation. System-level simulations of our "complex graphic equalizer (CGE)" show that its performance is comparable to that of a ten-tap finite impulse response (FIR) equalizer following a fourth-order low-pass filter when tested with two different sequence detectors: EPR4-MLSD and fixed delay tree search with decision feedback (FDTS/DF). A five-band tunable CGE has been fabricated using a 0.8-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The highest band of the fabricated CGE was centered at 80 MHz (corresponding to channel data rate of about 200 Msymbols/s). Measured dynamic range was 68 dB, and measured total harmonic distortion was only -75 dB while consuming 97 mW at 3.3 V. The measured CGE performance agreed within 0.2 dB with the simulation results for an FDTS/DF system with an ideal CGE operating at 2.5 user bits/PW50.

To understand the structure of composite membranes prepared from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and modified milk whey (MMW) or egg white (MEW), obtained by reacting with 2,4-tolylen diisocyanate, we have investigated the membrane potential, solute perme ability, and dyestuff adsorption. The membrane potential measurements confirm that at least some parts of modified protein components in composite membranes with high modified protein contents are incorporated by passing through the membranes. Solute permeability, equilibrium adsorption, and the adsorption rate of some dyestuffs through/on the composite membranes increase with increased modified protein content in the membrane. The properties of MMW/PAN and MEW/PAN are quite different because their characteristic structures are different: the shape of "island" MMW in "sea" PAN is elliptical, and that of "island" MEW is flat and oriented parallel to the membrane. Furthermore, equilibrium Methylene Blue (MB) adsorption on the composite mem branes indicates that there are some interactions between PAN and MMW up to a ratio of about 6.5 g (MMW)/100 g (PAN), and the interacted MMW parts have no affinity for MB.

Recently several approaches have been made to simplify the readout scheme of the standard dc SQUID. A double relaxation oscillation SQUID(DROS) consisting of a hysteretic dc SQUID and a reference junction in series shunted by an inductor and a resistor can provide a very large flux-to-voltage transfer coefficient. Thus, a DROS with direct readout with room temperature dc amplifier can be a good candidate for the next-generation SQUID magnetometer. We report on the development of a 3-channel magnetometer system based on DROS. The DROS is based on Nb/AlO/sub X//Nb Josephson junctions and the main feature of the system is its simple readout electronics. >

Metal-doped manganese oxides have been used as precursors of cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries due to their high capacity. A core-shell-structured material has been designed to improve the cycle life and safety of lithium batteries [1]. In this study, Co or Al-doped manganese oxides with core-shell structure were synthesized by co-precipitation method involving the precipitation of hydroxide particles from cobalt sulfide solutions. The grain structure and composition variation of metal-doped Mn3O4 particles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). We also probed the electronic structure of the precursor materials at the nanometer scale by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy.

The electrochemical oxidation of La 2 CuO 4 in alkaline solution (1N KOH) has been used for preparing the superconducting phase La 2 CuO 4+δ (δ⋍0.07). Crystallographic data show an enhanced orthorhombic distortion and an increase of the unit cell volume. The transport properties reveal a sharp transition from a metallic behaviour to a superconducting state below 44 K which is corroborated by the noteworthy magnetic properties.

La 2 CuO 4 ceramics prepared by different methods, in particular by electrochemical oxidation and single crystals undoped and doped with Sr or Ba, were studied at various temperatures by laser local heating. Evidence of two orthorhombic isophases in reversible equilibrium was shown and characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The high temperature isophase is rich in oxygen. The enthalpy of the phases conversion has been evaluated to 1.5 kilocal.mole −1 . The sample obtained by electrochemical oxidation which gives the superconductivity at T c = 42 K, is identified as having an orthorhombic structure with higher distortion than in stoichiometric La 2 CuO 4 . The Raman characteristics are also given for the tetragonal structure, in particular for La 1.85 Sr 0.15 CuO 4 and La 1.85 Ba 0.15 CuO 4 .

In this paper, wideband LC balun using coupled LC resonator has been designed, simulated and fabricated for being embedded into an organic packaging substrate. The proposed balun has a novel scheme which consists of two pair of coupled embedded LC resonators which share one resonator with each other. The coupled resonators are applied to obtain a precise phase difference of 180 degree and an identical magnitude between two balanced ports. This proposed balun has relatively small inductance and capacitance values which can be easily embedded into the organic packaging substrate. The capacitors at embedded LC resonators were realized by using high dielectric BTO composite film. The measured result shows that fabricated balun has excellent phase and magnitude imbalanced characteristic. The measured results are an insertion loss of 1.8 dB, a return loss of 10 dB, a phase imbalance of 0.5 degree and magnitude imbalance of 0.7 dB at frequency bandwidth of 700 MHz ranged from 1.8 GHz to 2.5 GHz, respectively. The fabricated balun has a volume of 2 mm x 3.5 mm x 0.66 mm (height). The measured result was well agreed with the simulated results.

Triangular mesh is one of the most popular shape representations in computer graphics and the CAD/CAM/ CAE area. In this paper we present a memory and time efficient topology construction algorithm from triangle soup, which is a set of triangles without connectivity information. The proposed algorithm consists of the following steps: (1) vertex merging, (2) internal edge linking, (3) multi-disk vertex splitting, and (4) boundary gap stitching. Typical triangle soup comes in the form of an STL file, and topology construction work encounters non-manifold cases for various causes, which should be converted to 2-manifold models for many downstream processes such as rapid prototyping and tool path generation. The proposed algorithm uses a light-weight vertex-based data structure (adapted from a 'corner table' structure), and does not need to construct a full non-manifold topology information. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is shown by empirical tests on practical examples.

A theoretical model to predict the microwave absorption by a conductor-loaded dielectric is developed. The microwave power transmission coefficient of the test material is derived in terms of the effective conductivity and permittivity parameters (of the composite material) as a function of volume fraction of the conductor loading. The absorption/transmission characteristics of the test material versus volume fraction of metal loading are described by three distinct regimes having low-loss, lossy and metal-like characteristics. Theoretical predictions are comparable with the measured data pertinent to an iron-plus-dielectric material. >

Fully adaptive continuous-time infinite impulse response (IIR) equalizer topologies for use in magnetic recording read channels are presented. This fully continuous-time equalization solution consolidates the anti-aliasing filter and the FIR equalizer into a single filter, which allows potential power savings. Two versions of continuous-time IIR equalizer topologies presented here are (a) a 7-pole 2-zero adaptive IIR equalizer and (b) a 4-pole 2-zero adaptive IIR equalizer following a 4th order LPF with Q boost. This study shows that both equalizers outperform the conventional 5-tap FIR equalizer following a 7-pole 2-zero equiripple anti-aliasing filter in EPR4 channels.