Mask Programmable CMOS Transistor Arrays for Wideband RF Integrated Circuits

A mask programmable technology to implement RF and microwave integrated circuits using an array of standard 90-nm CMOS transistors is presented. Using this technology, three wideband amplifiers with more than 15-dB forward transmission gain operating in different frequency bands inside a 4-22-GHz range are implemented. The amplifiers achieve high gain-bandwidth products (79-96 GHz) despite their standard multistage designs. These amplifiers are based on an identical transistor array interconnected with application specific coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines and on-chip capacitors and resistors. CPW lines are implemented using a one-metal-layer post-processing technology over a thick Parylene-N (15 mum ) dielectric layer that enables very low loss lines (~0.6 dB/mm at 20 GHz) and high-performance CMOS amplifiers. The proposed integration approach has the potential for implementing cost-efficient and high-performance RF and microwave circuits with a short turnaround time

Aligning K-12 and higher education: Using an intersectional approach to identify student preparation factors present upon college entry

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that were present in incoming college students that pertained to the connection they had with those in academic support roles, both during high school and upon college entry. The data for this study were collected using a survey containing closed- and open-ended items related to students’ sense of belongingness and connectedness within their high school and college settings. A total of 113 San José State University undergraduate students completed the survey. The findings indicated that students’ attributed their motivating force for succeeding in high school and reaching college to their teachers. In college, students’ sense of belonging was closely connected to their level of involvement in clubs and sports. In addition, the activities students participated in served as a means to connect with their peers. College students felt a sense of belonging if they had friends. The results suggest that development of relationships to others is related to students’ increased sense of belongingness and connectedness within high school and college settings. There is a need to have a space to develop those human connections on high school and college campuses in order to increase students’ educational pursuits

The development of an instruction system based upon multiple sources and task related training schemes : its adoption to effect the delivery of relevant maritime education and training

Education and training has a definite role in the preparation for the performance of a professional job. The complementary relationship of education and training is examined in this context. The discussion discloses how the actual practice of the professional work differs from what is taught in the classrooms. This concerns the instruction system, its relevance and timeliness and how effective it is in completing the preparation necessary for the adequate performance of a professional work. The paper describes the prevailing situation in maritime education and training delivering such instructions specifically at the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy as a representative institution. Several points in the description are true generally in the situation of MET in developing countries. Competence is judged right in the workplace. The focus of the training concept presented in the paper is the actual performance of a professional work. Applying this concept recognizes a training need. The actual job performance becomes the prescribed student perfomance and brings the study of the professional work inside the classrooms. A new instruction system accomplishes the task of converting the routines of the actual shipboard work into units of instruction. Instructors need to alternately teach ashore and board ships for a shipboard duty to deliver such new system of instructions and to update themselves and the course topics they will teach. This involves many administrative issues concerning the faculty, implications on hiring and participation of the shipping companies, and crucial implications in the existing academic programs. Adoption of the new instruction system is further supported by the requirements of the revised Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping 1978 and the implementation of the International Safety Management Code. Conclusions are formulated in the final chapter with recommendations for the implementation of the whole scheme in maritime schools

A market assessment of greenhouse products and associated rural development in semi-arid regions of Mexico

Greenhouse products represent a feasible alternative for small producers compared to open-field production. Using a combination of enterprise budgeting, capital investment analysis and optimization, we found that under most of the conditions investigated the six different crops investigated are profitable. Greenhouse production has the added benefits of conserving scarce land and water resources, potentially reducing production and market risk, and offering consumers healthful products of good quality, that can contribute to the development of the local economy. One problem is that a larger up-front investment is often essential.;This study focused on three main areas: (1) A production and market assessment. (2) An analysis of governmental policies in Mexico and the USA, especially with respect to exports, and (3) An evaluation of credit programs for small producers