9,002 research outputs found
Simulation of intrinsic parameter fluctuations in decananometer and nanometer-scale MOSFETs
Intrinsic parameter fluctuations introduced by discreteness of charge and matter will play an increasingly important role when semiconductor devices are scaled to decananometer and nanometer dimensions in next-generation integrated circuits and systems. In this paper, we review the analytical and the numerical simulation techniques used to study and predict such intrinsic parameters fluctuations. We consider random discrete dopants, trapped charges, atomic-scale interface roughness, and line edge roughness as sources of intrinsic parameter fluctuations. The presented theoretical approach based on Green's functions is restricted to the case of random discrete charges. The numerical simulation approaches based on the drift diffusion approximation with density gradient quantum corrections covers all of the listed sources of fluctuations. The results show that the intrinsic fluctuations in conventional MOSFETs, and later in double gate architectures, will reach levels that will affect the yield and the functionality of the next generation analog and digital circuits unless appropriate changes to the design are made. The future challenges that have to be addressed in order to improve the accuracy and the predictive power of the intrinsic fluctuation simulations are also discussed
Hubble's law and faster than light expansion speeds
Naively applying Hubble's law to a sufficiently distant object gives a
receding velocity larger than the speed of light. By discussing a very similar
situation in special relativity, we argue that Hubble's law is meaningful only
for nearby objects with non-relativistic receding speeds. To support this
claim, we note that in a curved spacetime manifold it is not possible to
directly compare tangent vectors at different points, and thus there is no
natural definition of relative velocity between two spatially separated objects
in cosmology. We clarify the geometrical meaning of the Hubble's receding speed
v by showing that in a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime if the
four-velocity vector of a comoving object is parallel-transported along the
straight line in flat comoving coordinates to the position of a second comoving
object, then v/c actually becomes the rapidity of the local Lorentz
transformation, which maps the fixed four-velocity vector to the transported
one.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Am. J. Phy
T and S dualities and The cosmological evolution of the dilaton and the scale factors
Cosmologically stabilizing radion along with the dilaton is one of the major
concerns of low energy string theory. One can hope that T and S dualities can
provide a plausible answer. In this work we study the impact of S and T duality
invariances on dilaton gravity. We have shown various instances where
physically interesting models arise as a result of imposing the mentioned
invariances. In particular S duality has a very privileged effect in that the
dilaton equations partially decouple from the evolution of the scale factors.
This makes it easy to understand the general rules for the stabilization of the
dilaton. We also show that certain T duality invariant actions become S duality
invariance compatible. That is they mimic S duality when extra dimensions
stabilize.Comment: Corrected a misleading interpretation of the S duality transformation
and a wrong comment on d=10. I thank A.Kaya for pointing this out to me in
time. So the new version is dealing with d=10 only. Added references and
corrected some typos. Minor re-editing. Omitted a section for elaboration in
a further study. Corrected further typo
Hydrodynamic Equation for the Breakdown of the Quantum Hall Effect in a Uniform Current
The hydrodynamic equation for the spatial and temporal evolution of the
electron temperature T_e in the breakdown of the quantum Hall effect at
even-integer filling factors in a uniform current density j is derived from the
Boltzmann-type equation, which takes into account electron-electron and
electron-phonon scatterings. The derived equation has a drift term, which is
proportional to j and to the first spatial derivative of T_e. Applied to the
spatial evolution of T_e in a sample with an abrupt change of the width along
the current direction, the equation gives a distinct dependence on the current
direction as well as a critical relaxation, in agreement with the recent
experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, corrected equations, to be published in
J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 70 (2001) No.
Synergistic Effect of Hyaluronate Fragments in Retinaldehyde-Induced Skin Hyperplasia Which Is a Cd44-Dependent Phenomenon
BACKGROUND: CD44 is a polymorphic proteoglycan and functions as the principal cell-surface receptor for hyaluronate (HA). Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) activation of keratinocyte erbB receptors has been proposed to mediate retinoid-induced epidermal hyperplasia. We have recently shown that intermediate size HA fragments (HAFi) reverse skin atrophy by a CD44-dependent mechanism. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Treatment of primary mouse keratinocyte cultures with retinaldehyde (RAL) resulted in the most significant increase in keratinocyte proliferation when compared with other retinoids, retinoic acid, retinol or retinoyl palmitate. RAL and HAFi showed a more significant increase in keratinocyte proliferation than RAL or HAFi alone. No proliferation with RAL was observed in CD44-/- keratinocytes. HA synthesis inhibitor, 4-methylumbelliferone inhibited the proliferative effect of RAL. HB-EGF, erbB1, and tissue inhibitor of MMP-3 blocking antibodies abrogated the RAL- or RAL- and HAFi-induced keratinocyte proliferation. Topical application of RAL or RAL and HAFi for 3 days caused a significant epidermal hyperplasia in the back skin of wild-type mice but not in CD44-/- mice. Topical RAL and HAFi increased epidermal CD44 expression, and the epidermal and dermal HA. RAL induced the expression of active HB-EGF and erbB1. However, treatment with RAL and HAFi showed a more significant increase in pro-HB-EGF when compared to RAL or HAFi treatments alone. We then topically applied RAL and HAFi twice a day to the forearm skin of elderly dermatoporosis patients. After 1 month of treatment, we observed a significant clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that (i) RAL-induced in vitro and in vivo keratinocyte proliferation is a CD44-dependent phenomenon and requires the presence of HA, HB-EGF, erbB1 and MMPs, (ii) RAL and HAFi show a synergy in vitro and in vivo in mouse skin, and (iii) the combination of RAL and HAFi seems to have an important therapeutic effect in dermatoporosis
Volume Stabilization and Acceleration in Brane Gas Cosmology
We investigate toy cosmological models in (1+m+p)-dimensions with gas of
p-branes wrapping over p-compact dimensions. In addition to winding modes, we
consider the effects of momentum modes corresponding to small vibrations of
branes and find that the extra dimensions are dynamically stabilized while the
others expand. Adding matter, the compact volume may grow slowly depending on
the equation of state. We also obtain solutions with winding and momentum modes
where the observed space undergoes accelerated expansion.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, v2: comments and references added, to appear in
JCA
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