Error bounds for monotone linear complementarity problems

We give a bound on the distance between an arbitrary point and the solution set of a monotone linear complementarity problem in terms of a condition constant that depends on the problem data only and a residual function of the violations of the complementary problem conditions by the point considered. When the point satisfies the linear inequalities of the complementarity problem, the residual consists of the complementarity condition plus its square root. This latter term is essential and without it the error bound cannot hold. We also show that another natural residual that has been employed to bound errors for strictly monotone linear complementarity problems fails to bound errors for the monotone case considered here. Sponsored by the United States Army under contract No. DAAG29-80-C-0041. This material is based on research sponsored by National Foundation Grant DCR-8420963 and Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant AFOSR-ISSA-85-00080.     

Anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell with electrophoretic deposition-derived electrolyte operated under single-chamber conditions and a methane–air mixture

In this study, samaria-doped ceria (Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9, SDC) thin film is deposited on the Ni-SDC support by employing the electrophoretic deposition technique. Various factors are considered for the deposition of SDC films. The corresponding microstructure of the deposited SDC film is examined and correlated to the electrochemical performance as a single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell (sc-SOFC). It is found that the microstructure of the SDC film mainly relates to the particle size of SDC. After heat treatment, highly dense SDC film is obtained with the deposition condition of 5 g L⁻¹ of the SDC suspension (average grain size of SDC, 248 nm), 60 V as the applied potential, and the deposition time of 1 min (18 μm in thickness). For the Ni-SDC/SDC/SSC cell, an open circuit potential of 0.92 V and peak power density of 155 mW cm⁻² can be obtained at the furnace temperature of 500 °C.     

Substrate current characterization and optimization of high voltage LDMOS transistors

A 30-V LDMOS integrated with a standard 0.15 μm CMOS process is investigated for its double-hump substrate current (I_b) characteristics. The origin of this abnormal second substrate current hump is explained by Kirk effect. The impact of this second hump of I_b on reliability and device performance is observed. An analytical expression for the second hump of I_b is established by calculating the impact ionization in the drift region according to the electric field distribution obtained by solving Poisson’s equation. The calculated results are compared against the silicon data under various gate/drain bias voltages showing excellent consistency. Additionally, based on the derived expressions for substrate current, the process parameters are optimized achieving much lower substrate current and better reliability performance.     

Synthesis and characterization of miniemulsion copolymers of methyl methacrylate (or styrene) and stearyl methacrylate

The copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) (or styrene (ST))/stearyl methacrylate (SMA) obtained from miniemulsion polymerization were prepared and characterized. All the miniemulsions showed satisfactory colloidal stability upon aging due to the effectively retarded Ostwald ripening by the reactive costabilizer SMA. In subsequent miniemulsion copolymerizations, monomer droplet nucleation predominated in the particle formation process, but homogeneous nucleation could not be ruled out even at such high levels of SMA (20–50 wt.%). The contact angle first increased rapidly and then leveled off when the SMA content increased from 20 to 50 wt.% for both the copolymers of MMA/SMA and ST/SMA. At constant level of SMA, the copolymer of MMA/SMA with a less hydrophobic composition showed a larger contact angle compared to the ST/SMA counterpart. The contact angle (103 ± 1°) of the copolymer MMA/SMA (50/50 w/w) was comparable to that (104°) of PSMA. A schematic model was proposed to explain the experimental results.     

Statistical appearance of nonuniform fluctuations in a wide-gap n-n-n-n device

A cross-correlation matrix applied for restoring the doping profile in an n⁺-n⁻-n-n⁺ device was reported recently [Y.-H. Shiau, Solid-State Electron. 50 (2006) 191]. In this paper we will show that this statistical method is very useful for detecting the dynamical processes embedded in semiconductor devices. In addition, extraction of nonuniform fluctuations hidden in this wide-gap semiconductor device could be helpful for clarifying the previous studies on several competing instabilities in InSb at 77 K [A. ?enys, G. Lasiene, K. Pyragas, Solid-State Electron. 35 (1992) 975; H. Ito, Y. Ueda, Phys. Lett. A 280 (2001) 312]. A general discussion about the application of the cross-correlation matrix to other pattern-forming systems is also given in the present study.     

Longitudinal study of iodine in toenails following IV administration of an iodine-containing contrast agent

The literature on the relationship between diet and thyroid cancer (TC) risk and the higher incidence of TC among Asian immigrants to the US compared to second and third generation subgroups has prompted epidemiologists to hypothesize that increased levels of iodine consumption may be associated with TC risk, particularly among persons with a history of clinical or subclinical thyroid dysfunction. At the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), we have applied epiboron neutron activation analysis to investigate human nails as a dietary monitor for iodine. Preliminary studies have indicated a positive correlation between dietary iodine intake and the concentration of iodine in toenails. However, these studies are confounded by high iodine levels (up to 30 ppm) in approximately 5% of the nails studied. We hypothesize that, in the subjects we have studied, the high iodine levels may be due to iodine-containing medications, in particular contrast-agents containing iopamidol. This paper will report on longitudinal studies using contrast agent subjects who were followed-up for almost two years compared to a longitudinal control and a population mean. Based on this study, we suggest that iodine-containing contrast agents contaminate nail samples via non-specific binding in the short term followed by incorporation in the nail as a result of absorption.     

Lattice Vibrations of Imidazole Crystals

Abstract

Polarized low-frequency Raman spectra of imidazole single crystals were measured with a He-Ne laser source. A new band at 172 cm^?1 (Bg) was observed. An assignment for the lattice vibrations of imidazole crystals is proposed on the bases of this Raman data and far-infrared spectral data of Perchard and Novak, as well as the preliminary results calculated from Harada's and Williams' potentials.     

一种減少TFT显示板上闸驱动器输出电晶体应力效应的设计

为了降低 TFT-LCD 闸驱动电路中电晶体因畏期承受高的闸电压应力造成門限(Threshold)电压之劣化现象,本研究中探用双下拉结构与放电路径方式设计了一个高可靠性的 TFT-LCD 面板整合(On-panel)闸驱动电路.其中,交互道通的双下拉结构减少下拉电晶体的承力晴同;放电路径则将输出驱动电晶体高的闸极电压及時洩放.所提结构由台积电(TSMC)0.35 μm CMOS 制程技术制作之评估晶片经测试显示,门限电压的偏移量减少了近 45%,改善效果极为显著.应用到α-SiTFT-LCD 面板整合闸驱动器上,其成效当可预期.     

Improved performance of 4K SRAM by means of CW laser annealing

A 4K × 1 NMOS static RAM (MM2147) has been successfully fabricated by means of CW laser annealing. The access time was reduced by 10 ns compared with a thermally annealed control with no increase in power dissipation. This report demonstrates the feasibiligy of using CW laser annealing as a potential VLSI process technology.     

Structural influence of hanatoxin binding on the carboxyl terminus of S3 segment in voltage-gated K(+)-channel Kv2.1

The voltage-sensing domains of voltage-gated potassium channels Kv2.1 (drk1) contain four transmembrane segments in each subunit, termed S1 to S4. While S4 is known as the voltage sensor, the carboxyl terminus of S3 (S3C) bears a gradually broader interest concerning the site for gating modifier toxins like hanatoxin and thus the secondary structure arrangement as well as its surrounding environment. To further examine the putative three-dimensional (3-D) structure of S3C and to illustrate the residues required for hanatoxin binding (which may, in turn, show the influence on the S4 in terms of changes in channel gating), molecular simulations and dockings were performed. These were based on the solution structure of hanatoxin and the structural information from lysine-scanning results for S3C fragment. Our data suggest that several basic and acidic residues of hanatoxin are electrostatically and stereochemically mapped onto their partner residues on S3C helix, whereas some aromatic or hydrophobic residues located on the same helical fragment interact with the hydrophobic patch of the toxin upon binding. Therefore, a slight distortion of the S3C helix, in a direction toward the N-terminus of S4, may exist. Such conformational change of S3C upon toxin binding is presented as a possible explanation for the observed shift in hanatoxin binding-induced gating.