Design And Fabrication of Condenser Microphone Using Wafer Transfer And Micro-electroplating Technique

A novel fabrication process, which uses wafer transfer and micro-electroplating technique, has been proposed and tested. In this paper, the effects of the diaphragm thickness and stress, the air-gap thickness, and the area ratio of acoustic holes to backplate on the sensitivity of the condenser microphone have been demonstrated since the performance of the microphone depends on these parameters. The microphone diaphragm has been designed with a diameter and thickness of 1.9 mm and 0.6 $\mu$m, respectively, an air-gap thickness of 10 $\mu$m, and a 24% area ratio of acoustic holes to backplate. To obtain a lower initial stress, the material used for the diaphragm is polyimide. The measured sensitivities of the microphone at the bias voltages of 24 V and 12 V are -45.3 and -50.2 dB/Pa (at 1 kHz), respectively. The fabricated microphone shows a flat frequency response extending to 20 kHz.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/16838

Miskonsepsi Atas Konsep Asam-Basa, Kesetimbangan Kimia, Dan Redoks Dalam Berbagai Buku-Ajar Kimia SMA/MA

Analisis isi buku-buku Kimia SMA/MA telah dilakukan untuk mengungkap miskonsepsi atas bebe-rapa konsep, yakni asam-basa, kesetimbangan kimia, dan redoks. Sampel penelitian dengan teknik purposesive sampling yang dilakukan terhadap berbagai buku yang beredar di pasaran di DIY diperoleh 9 macam buku. Metode analisis dilakukan berdasarkan kisi-kisi kebenaran konsep yang terdapat dalam tiga konsep, asam-basa, kesetimbangan kimia, dan redoks. Hasilnya menunjukkan adanya miskonsepsi yang berlaku secara umum pada semua sampel perihal pemahaman terhadap formula larutan basa amonia dalam air yang dipahami sebagai NH4OH dengan tanpa adanya penjelasan lanjut terkait dengan formula NH3(aq), rumusan pH dalam hubungannya dengan konstanta kesetimbangan asam lemah poliprotik, dan penyetaraan reaksi redoks dalam suasana basa dengan melibatkan ion penunjuk asam H+ yang kemudian dinetralkan dengan ion OH-. Secara khusus ditemui adanya miskonsepsi asam-basa model Bronsted-Lowry pada reaksi amonia dengan asam klorida membentuk amonium klorida dalam pelarut benzena, dan ketergantungan nilai konstanta kesetimbangan pada koefisien persamaan reaksi kesetimbangan yang boleh dilipatgandakan secara sembarangan. Ditinjau dari isi buku-buku tersebut ada kecenderungan yang nampak bahwa para penulis buku dipengaruhi oleh referensi buku-teks Kimia Umum (General Chemistry) tanpa pendalaman buku-teks yang lebih advanced

Gyroscope Pivot Bearing Dimension and Surface Defect Detection

Because of the perceived lack of systematic analysis in illumination system design processes and a lack of criteria for design methods in vision detection a method for the design of a task-oriented illumination system is proposed. After detecting the micro-defects of a gyroscope pivot bearing with a high curvature glabrous surface and analyzing the characteristics of the surface detection and reflection model, a complex illumination system with coaxial and ring lights is proposed. The illumination system is then optimized based on the analysis of illuminance uniformity of target regions by simulation and grey scale uniformity and articulation that are calculated from grey imagery. Currently, in order to apply the Pulse Coupled Neural Network (PCNN) method, structural parameters must be tested and adjusted repeatedly. Therefore, this paper proposes the use of a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, in which the maximum between cluster variance rules is used as fitness function with a linearily reduced inertia factor. This algorithm is used to adaptively set PCNN connection coefficients and dynamic threshold, which avoids algorithmic precocity and local oscillations. The proposed method is used for pivot bearing defect image processing. The segmentation results of the maximum entropy and minimum error method and the one described in this paper are compared using buffer region matching, and the experimental results show that the method of this paper is effective

Sex difference in the association of metabolic syndrome with high sensitivity C-reactive protein in a Taiwanese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although sex differences have been reported for associations between components of metabolic syndrome and inflammation, the question of whether there is an effect modification by sex in the association between inflammation and metabolic syndrome has not been investigated in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare associations of high sensitivity C-creative protein (hs-CRP) with metabolic syndrome and its components between men and women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1,305 subjects aged 40 years and over were recruited in 2004 in a metropolitan city in Taiwan. The biochemical indices, such as hs-CRP, fasting glucose levels, lipid profiles, urinary albumin, urinary creatinine and anthropometric indices, were measured. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the American Heart Association and the National Heart, lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) definition. The relationship between metabolic syndrome and hs-CRP was examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjustment for age and lifestyle factors including smoking, and alcohol intake, elevated concentrations of hs-CRP showed a stronger association with metabolic syndrome in women (odds ratio comparing tertile extremes 4.80 [95% CI: 3.31-6.97]) than in men (2.30 [1.65-3.21]). The p value for the sex interaction was 0.002. All components were more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome in women than in men, and all sex interactions were significant except for hypertension.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that inflammatory processes may be of particular importance in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome in women.</p

IL28B SNP rs12979860 Is a Critical Predictor for On-Treatment and Sustained Virologic Response in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Genotype-1 Infection

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interleukin-28B (IL28B) have received considerable interest for their association with sustained virological response (SVR) when treating patients of genotype-1 hepatitis C virus (GT1-HCV) chronic infection with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV). This study was to investigate the predictive power of IL28B SNPs for on-treatment responses and SVR in treatment-naïve patients with GT1-HCV chronic infection.We analyzed ten SNPs of IL28B in 191 treatment-naïve patients with GT1-HCV chronic infection who received PegIFN/RBV. In these patients, rapid virological response (RVR), early virological response (EVR) and SVR were achieved in 69.6%, 95.8% and 68.6% of the patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval; P value) indicated age (0.96; 0.93-0.99; 0.012), low baseline viral load (4.65; 2.23-9.66; <0.001) and CC genotype of rs12979860 (7.74; 2.55-23.53; <0.001) but no other SNPs were independent predictors for SVR. In addition, none of the ten SNPs examined were associated with baseline viral load and stages of liver fibrosis. Regarding RVR, low baseline viral load (2.83; 1.40-5.73; 0.004) and CC genotype of rs12979860 (10.52; 3.45-32.04; <0.001) were two critical predictors. As for EVR, only CC genotype of rs12979860 (36.21; 6.68-196.38; <0.001) was the predictor. Similarly, for end of treatment response (ETR), CC genotype of rs12979860 (15.42; 4.62-51.18; <0.001) was the only predictor. For patients with RVR, only low baseline viral load (3.90; 1.57-9.68; 0.003) could predict the SVR. For patients without RVR, only rs12979860 (4.60; 1.13-18.65; 0.033) was the predictor for SVR.rs12979860 is the critical predictor for RVR, EVR, ETR and SVR in treatment-naïve patients of GT1-HCV chronic infection. Furthermore, this SNP is the only predictor for SVR in patients without RVR. These results have provided evidence that rs12979860 is the ideal IL28B SNP for genetic testing in treating patients of GT1-HCV chronic infection

Role of Interleukin- (IL-) 17 in the Pathogenesis and Targeted Therapies in Spondyloarthropathies

Spondyloarthropathy (SpA) is a unique type of joint inflammation characterized by coexisting erosive bone damage and pathological new bone formation. Previous genetic association studies have demonstrated that several cytokine pathways play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and other types of SpA. In addition to several well-known proinflammatory cytokines, recent studies suggest that IL-17 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of SpA. Further evidence from human and animal studies have defined that IL-17 and IL-17-producing cells contribute to tissue inflammation, autoimmunity, and host defense, leading to the following pathologic events associated with SpA. Recently, several clinical trials targeting IL-17 pathways demonstrated the positive response of IL-17 blockade in treating AS, indicating a great potential of IL-17-targeting therapy in SpA. In this review article, we have discussed the contributing role of IL-17 and different IL-17-producing cells in the pathogenesis of SpA and provided an outline of therapeutic application of the IL-17 blockade in the treatment of SpA. Other targeted cytokines associated with IL-17 axis in SpA will also be included

Signaling Pathways of Type I and Type III Interferons and Targeted Therapies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Type I and type III interferons (IFNs) share several properties in common, including the induction of signaling pathways, the activation of gene transcripts, and immune responses, against viral infection. Recent advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of innate and adaptive immunity have led to the re-examination of the role of these IFNs in autoimmune diseases. To date, a variety of IFN-regulated genes, termed IFN signature genes, have been identified. The expressions of these genes significantly increase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), highlighting the role of type I and type III IFNs in the pathogenesis of SLE. In this review, we first discussed the signaling pathways and the immunoregulatory roles of type I and type III IFNs. Next, we discussed the roles of these IFNs in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, including SLE. In SLE, IFN-stimulated genes induced by IFN signaling contribute to a positive feedback loop of autoimmunity, resulting in perpetual autoimmune inflammation. Based on this, we discussed the use of several specific IFN blocking strategies using anti-IFN-&alpha; antibodies, anti-IFN-&alpha; receptor antibodies, and IFN-&alpha;-kinoid or downstream small molecules, which intervene in Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways, in clinical trials for SLE patients. Hopefully, the development of novel regimens targeting IFN signaling pathways will shed light on promising future therapeutic applications for SLE patients