Current-mode elliptic filter design based on symmetrical current switching

This paper describes a current-mode elliptic filter structure based on dual-output OTAs and grounded capacitors. The filter is capable of producing both lowpass and highpass notch responses without changing the filter structure. This is achieved using a symmetrical current switching technique based on two switches controlled with a 2-bit digital word. The proposed filter structure forms a basic second-order building block in the design of high-order elliptic filters with tuneable frequency response. To confirm the theoretical analysis, simulated and measured results of fourth-order elliptic lowpass and highpass filters with tuneable bandwidth in the range of 0.65MHz to 1.3MHz are included. Finally, detailed analysis of the OTAs non-ideal parameters on the filter performance is presented and an example is given.     

Design and simulation of high-performance lateral bipolar junction transistor on partial buried oxide

In this work, we propose a new structure of a lateral bipolar junction transistor (LAT-BJT) on partial buried oxide (PBOX). The novelty of the proposed LAT-BJT device is the use of PBOX, covering just base and emitter regions only. A two-dimensional (2D) calibrated simulation study of the proposed LAT-BJT device has shown that the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX’s performance is unique when the PBOX is just covering base and emitter regions. At this length of PBOX, a sharp enhancement in cut-off frequency (f_T) (~10 times higher) is achieved in the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX in comparison to an LAT-BJT on silicon-on-insulator (SOI). The breakdown voltage of the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX is double than that of the LAT-BJT on SOI device at this PBOX length. A notable enhancement in current gain (β) is observed in the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX in comparison to the LAT-BJT on bulk device. To check the performance of the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX at the circuit level, two inverters have been designed and simulated using the mixed-mode simulations of Atlas simulator. It has been observed that the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX significantly outperforms the conventional LAT-BJT device in switching performance. A notable improvement of 32% in ON delay and 72.9% in OFF delay is obtained in the proposed LAT-BJT on PBOX device in comparison to the conventional LAT-BJT device.     

Impulsive anti-periodic boundary value problem for nonlinear differential equations of fractional order

In this paper, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions for an anti-periodic boundary value problem of nonlinear impulsive differential equations of fractional order α∈(2,3] by applying some well-known fixed point theorems. Some examples are presented to illustrate the main results.     

Micellar effects on the alkaline hydrolysis of isatin and its derivatives

Herein we have investigated the hydrolysis of 1H-indol-2,3-dione (isatin, I) and its derivatives of different hydrophobicities, viz. N-dimethylaminomethyl indol-2,3-dione (II), N-morpholinomethyl indol-2,3-dione (III), N-pipridinomethyl indol-2,3-dione (IV), N-heptylaminomethyl indol-2,3-dione (V), N-dodecylaminomethyl indol-2,3-dione (VI), N-hexylanilinomethyl indol-2,3-dione (VII), N-decylanilinomethyl indol-2,3-dione (VIII), and N-hexadecylanilinomethyl indol-2,3-dione (IX), in the presence of an excess amount of sodium hydroxide. All the isatin derivatives were synthesized in the laboratory. The progress of the reactions was studied by exploiting UV-visible spectrophotometry. The observed rate constant, k(w), increases linearly on increasing the hydroxide ion concentration, indicating first-order dependence on [OH(-)]. The effects of surfactants, cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, CTACl), and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) were also investigated. The rate of reaction increased on increasing the concentration of CTACl and, after reaching a maximum, it started decreasing. Conversely, anionic micelles of SDS inhibited the rate of hydrolysis of isatin and its derivatives. The results of the effect of CTACl were analyzed using a pseudophase ion-exchange model while the inhibition by SDS was analyzed using a simple Menger-Portnoy model. The effects of added salts, such as NaBr, NaCl, and (CH(3))(4)NBr, were also seen on the isatin hydrolysis. It was found that the addition of salts decreased the rate enhancement efficiency of the CTACl.     

Surface immobilizable chelator for label-free electrical detection of pyrophosphate

A new pyrophosphate (PPi) chelator was designed for surface-sensitive electrical detection of biomolecular reactions. This article describes the synthesis of the PPi-selective receptor, its surface immobilization and application to label-free electrical detection on a silicon-based field-effect transistor (FET) sensor.     

The ligational behavior of a phenolic quinolyl hydrazone towards copper(II)- ions

Background  

The heterocyclic hydrazones constitute an important class of biologically active drug molecules. The hydrazones have also been used as herbicides, insecticides, nematocides, redenticides, and plant growth regulators as well as plasticizers and stabilizers for polymers. The importance of the phenolic quinolyl hydrazones arises from incorporating the quinoline ring with the phenolic compound; 2,4-dihydroxy benzaldehyde. Quinoline ring has therapeutic and biological activities whereas, phenols have antiseptic and disinfectants activities and are used in the preparation of dyes, bakelite and drugs. The present study is planned to check the effect of the counter anions on the type and geometry of the isolated copper(II)- complexes as well as the ligational behavior of the phenolic hydrazone; 4-[(2-(4,8-dimethylquinolin-2-yl)hydrazono)methyl] benzene-1,3-diol; (H₂L).     

Soybean Hulls Pretreated Using Thermo-Mechanical Extrusion—Hydrolysis Efficiency,Fermentation Inhibitors,and Ethanol Yield

Soybean hulls were subjected to thermo-mechanical extrusion pretreatment at various in-barrel moisture contents and screw speeds. Extrusion degraded the lignocellulosic structure and enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean hulls, with up to 155% increase in glucose yield as compared to untreated substrate. Greater glucose yields were observed at higher in-barrel moistures (45% and 50%) and lower screw speed (280 and 350 rpm). Maximum 74% cellulose to glucose conversion resulted from using a two-enzyme cocktail consisting of cellulase and β-glucosidase. Conversion increased to 87% when a three-enzyme cocktail having a cell wall degrading enzyme complex was used for hydrolysis. Fermentation inhibitors, such as furfural, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF), and acetic acid, were found in the extrusion pretreated soybean hulls and hydrolysate. However, their concentrations were below the known thresholds for inhibition. Fermentation of hydrolysate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae led to high yields of ethanol, with concentration ranging from 13.04 to 15.44 g/L.     

Crystal structures of bis(cyanido)bis(N,N′-diethylthiourea-κS) mercury(II) and bis(cyanido)bis(N,N′-dipropylthiourea-κS) mercury(II)

Two mercury(II) complexes containing cyanide and, N,N′-diethylthiourea (detu) and N,N′-dipropylthiourea (dprtu) ligands, [(detu)₂Hg(CN)₂] (1) and [(dprtu)₂Hg(CN)₂] (2), respectively, have been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography. In the both complexes Hg atom lies on a 2-fold rotation axis, and is coordinated to the sulfur atoms of two thiourea ligands and to two cyanide carbon atoms. Both have a distorted tetrahedral environment with bond angles about the Hg atoms in the range of 93.41(4)°–146.75(19)°. In the crystal structures symmetry related molecules are linked via N-H-N hydrogen bonds resulting in the formation of a two-dimensional network in 1, while in 2 a double stranded one-dimensional chain is formed.     

Cutting of nonmetallic materials using Nd:YAG laser beam

This study deals with Nd:YAG laser cutting nonmetallic materials, which is one of the most important and popular industrial applications of laser. The main theme is to evaluate the effects of Nd:YAG laser beam power besides work piece scanning speed. For approximate cutting depth, a theoretical study is conducted in terms of material property and cutting speed. Results show a nonlinear relation between the cutting depth and input energy. There is no significant effect of speed on cutting depth with the speed being larger than 30 mm/s. An extra energy is utilized in the deep cutting. It is inferred that as the laser power increases, cutting depth increases. The experimental outcomes are in good agreement with theoretical results. This analysis will provide a guideline for laser-based industry to select a suitable laser for cutting, scribing, trimming, engraving, and marking nonmetallic materials.     

Influence of ambient gas and its pressure on the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and the surface morphology of laser-ablated Cd

The ablation of Cd has been performed by employing Q-switched Nd: YAG 10 ns laser pulses with a central wavelength of 1064 nm for a pulsed energy of 200 mJ under various ambient environments of argon, air and helium. The optical emission spectroscopy of Cd plasma has been studied under different filling pressures of shield gases ranging from 5 torr to 760 torr using LIBS spectrometer system. The effect of different gases and their pressures on the intensity of spectral emission, electron temperature and density of the laser-produced plasma has been investigated. SEM analysis has been performed to investigate the dependence of surface morphological changes of an irradiated target on the nature and pressure of an ambient gas. A strong correlation has revealed the vital role of electron temperature and density of laser-induced plasma for the surface modification of Cd. These results strongly indicate that the nature and pressure of the ambient atmosphere is one of the controlling factors of the plasma characteristics, as well as the factors related to the laser energy absorption for surface modification.