Multifunction MMIC For Miniaturized Solid State Switch Matrix

This paper describes a new multifunction MMIC expressly designed for a reconfiguration matrix equipment.This MMIC has been developed using a standard PHEMT process and includes two switches,a totally switchable-off amplifier and a temperature compensation circuit.The complete circuit has also been designed to interface a standard CMOS control level. Performed simulations and obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in reaching compactness and reliability of satellite equipment

Lithographically and electrically controlled strain effects on anisotropic magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As

It has been demonstrated that magnetocrystalline anisotropies in (Ga,Mn)As are sensitive to lattice strains as small as 10^-4 and that strain can be controlled by lattice parameter engineering during growth, through post growth lithography, and electrically by bonding the (Ga,Mn)As sample to a piezoelectric transducer. In this work we show that analogous effects are observed in crystalline components of the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR). Lithographically or electrically induced strain variations can produce crystalline AMR components which are larger than the crystalline AMR and a significant fraction of the total AMR of the unprocessed (Ga,Mn)As material. In these experiments we also observe new higher order terms in the phenomenological AMR expressions and find that strain variation effects can play important role in the micromagnetic and magnetotransport characteristics of (Ga,Mn)As lateral nanoconstrictions.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, references fixe

Experimental observation of the optical spin transfer torque

The spin transfer torque is a phenomenon in which angular momentum of a spin polarized electrical current entering a ferromagnet is transferred to the magnetization. The effect has opened a new research field of electrically driven magnetization dynamics in magnetic nanostructures and plays an important role in the development of a new generation of memory devices and tunable oscillators. Optical excitations of magnetic systems by laser pulses have been a separate research field whose aim is to explore magnetization dynamics at short time scales and enable ultrafast spintronic devices. We report the experimental observation of the optical spin transfer torque, predicted theoretically several years ago building the bridge between these two fields of spintronics research. In a pump-and-probe optical experiment we measure coherent spin precession in a (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconductor excited by circularly polarized laser pulses. During the pump pulse, the spin angular momentum of photo-carriers generated by the absorbed light is transferred to the collective magnetization of the ferromagnet. We interpret the observed optical spin transfer torque and the magnetization precession it triggers on a quantitative microscopic level. Bringing the spin transfer physics into optics introduces a fundamentally distinct mechanism from the previously reported thermal and non-thermal laser excitations of magnets. Bringing optics into the field of spin transfer torques decreases by several orders of magnitude the timescales at which these phenomena are explored and utilized.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Voltage control of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in ferromagnetic - semiconductor/piezoelectric hybrid structures

We demonstrate dynamic voltage control of the magnetic anisotropy of a (Ga,Mn)As device bonded to a piezoelectric transducer. The application of a uniaxial strain leads to a large reorientation of the magnetic easy axis which is detected by measuring longitudinal and transverse anisotropic magnetoresistance coefficients. Calculations based on the mean-field kinetic-exchange model of (Ga,Mn)As provide microscopic understanding of the measured effect. Electrically induced magnetization switching and detection of unconventional crystalline components of the anisotropic magnetoresistance are presented, illustrating the generic utility of the piezo voltage control to provide new device functionalities and in the research of micromagnetic and magnetotransport phenomena in diluted magnetic semiconductors.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters. Updates version 1 to include a more detailed discussion of the effect of strain on the anisotropic magnetoresistanc

Resistive Plate Chambers with Gd-coated electrodes as thermal neutron detectors

Abstract Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) are wide spread, cheap, easy-to-build and large size detectors, used mainly to reveal ionising particles in high-energy physics experiments. Here a technique, consisting in coating the inner surface of the bakelite electrodes with a mixture of linseed oil and Gd 2 O 3 is reported. This allows to make RPCs sensitive also to thermal neutrons, making them suitable to be employed for industrial, medical or de-mining applications. Thermal neutron-sensitive RPCs can be operated at atmospheric pressure, are lightweighted, have low γ -ray sensitivity and are easy to handle even when large areas have to be covered. This paper reports the results of the first test of this detector, performed at the Geel Linear Accelerator (GELINA) in Belgium

The Vasopressin Receptor 2 Mutant R137L Linked to the Nephrogenic Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuresis (NSIAD) Signals through an Alternative Pathway that Increases AQP2 Membrane Targeting Independently of S256 Phosphorylation

NSIAD is a rare X-linked condition, caused by activating mutations in the AVPR2 gene coding for the vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R) associated with hyponatremia, despite undetectable plasma vasopressin levels. We have recently provided in vitro evidence that, compared to V2R-wt, expression of activating V2R mutations R137L, R137C and F229V cause a constitutive redistribution of the AQP2 water channel to the plasma membrane, higher basal water permeability and significantly higher basal levels of p256-AQP2 in the F229V mutant but not in R137L or R137C. In this study, V2R mutations were expressed in collecting duct principal cells and the associated signalling was dissected. V2R-R137L and R137C mutants had significantly higher basal pT269-AQP2 levels -independently of S256 and PKA-which were reduced to control by treatment with Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor. Interestingly, ROCK activity was found significantly higher in V2R-R137L along with activation of the Gα12/13-Rho-ROCK pathway. Of note, inhibition of ROCK reduced the basal elevated osmotic water permeability to control. To conclude, our data demonstrate for the first time that the gain-of-function mutation of the V2R, R137L causing NSIAD, signals through an alternative PKA-independent pathway that increases AQP2 membrane targeting through ROCK-induced phosphorylation at S/T269 independently of S256 of AQP2

Beyond the Visible and Below the Peel: How UV-B Radiation Influences the Phenolic Profile in the Pulp of Peach Fruit. A Biochemical and Molecular Study

In the last decades, UV-B radiation has attracted attention due to its potential to increase nutraceutical values of fruit and vegetables, especially by inducing the accumulation of phenolics in a structure-dependent way. However, most current studies have investigated the UV-B-driven changes only in the peel or focusing on individual phenolic classes. Adopting an \u201c-omics\u201d approach, this work aimed to deepen the knowledge about the effects of UV-B radiation on the phenolic profile in the pulp of peach fruit. Based on these considerations, melting flesh yellow peaches (Prunus persica L., cv. Fairtime) were subjected to either a 10- or 60-min UV-B treatment (1.39 and 8.33 kJ m\u20132, respectively), and sampled at different time points from the exposure. A UHPLC-ESI/QTOF-MS analysis coupled with a phenolics-specific database for the annotation of compounds and a multivariate discriminant analysis revealed a marked effect of UV-B radiation on the phenolic profiles of peach pulp. Particularly, a general, transient increase was observed after 24 h from the irradiation, especially for flavanols, flavonols, and flavones. Such behavior diverges from what was observed in the peel, where an overall increase of phenolics was observed after 36 h from the irradiation. Concerning the flavonols in the pulp, UV-B exposure stimulated a specific accumulation of isorhamnetin and kaempferol derivatives, with variations imposed by the different sugar moiety bound. Anthocyanins, which were the second most abundant flavonoid group after flavonols, displayed a general decrease after 36 h that was not attributable to specific molecules. The UV-B treatments also increased the glycoside/aglycone ratio of flavonols and anthocyanins after 24 h, by increasing the glycoside concentration of both, flavonols and anthocyanins, and decreasing the aglycone concentration of anthocyanins. In support of the biochemical results, targeted gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR revealed an UV-B-induced activation of many genes involved in the flavonoid pathway, e.g., CHS, F3H, F3\u2032H, DFR, as well as some MYB transcription factors and few genes involved in the UV-B perception. Generally, all the flavonoid-related and MYB genes showed a transient UV-B dose-dependent activation after 6 h from the irradiation, similarly to what was observed in the peel

Preliminary investigation on the effect of insect-based chitosan on preservation of coated fresh cherry tomatoes

: Chitosan was produced from Hermetia illucens pupal exuviae by heterogeneous and homogeneous deacetylation. Tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum), that are one of the most grown and consumed food throughout the world, were coated with 0.5 and 1% chitosan, applied by dipping or spraying, and stored at room temperature or 4 °C, for a storage period of 30 days. Statistical analysis give different results depending on the analysed parameters: heterogeneous chitosan, indeed, had a better effect than the homogenous one in maintaining more stable physico-chemical parameters, while the homogenous chitosan improved the total phenols, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. Chitosan coatings applied by spraying were more effective in all the analyses. Chitosan derived from H. illucens always performed similarly to the commercial chitosan. However, a general better performance of insect-derived chitosan on the concentration of phenolics and flavonoids, and the antioxidant activity was observed as compared to the commercial one. Chitosan coating has already been successfully used for preservation of fresh fruits, as alternative to synthetic polymers, but this is the first investigation of chitosan produced from an insect for this application. These preliminary results are encouraging regarding the validation of the insect H. illucens as a source of chitosan

Accuracy of Plateau Pressure and Stress Index to Identify Injurious Ventilation in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines suggest a plateau pressure (PPLAT) of 30 cm H(2)O or less for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, but ventilation may still be injurious despite adhering to this guideline. The shape of the curve plotting airway pressure versus time (STRESS INDEX) may identify injurious ventilation. The authors assessed accuracy of PPLAT and STRESS INDEX to identify morphological indexes of injurious ventilation. METHODS: Indexes of lung aeration (computerized tomography) associated with injurious ventilation were used as a "reference standard." Threshold values of PPLAT and STRESS INDEX were determined assessing the receiver-operating characteristics ("training set," N = 30). Accuracy of these values was assessed in a second group of patients ("validation set," N = 20). PPLAT and STRESS INDEX were partitioned between respiratory system (Pplat,Rs and STRESS INDEX,RS) and lung (PPLAT,L and STRESS INDEX,L; esophageal pressure; "physiological set," N = 50). RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity of PPLAT of greater than 30 cm H(2)O were 0.06 (95% CI, 0.002-0.30) and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.87-1.00). PPLAT of greater than 25 cm H(2)O and a STRESS INDEX of greater than 1.05 best identified morphological markers of injurious ventilation. Sensitivity and specificity of these values were 0.75 (95% CI, 0.35-0.97) and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.43-0.95) for PPLAT greater than 25 cm H(2)O versus 0.88 (95% CI, 0.47-1.00) and 0.50 (95% CI, 0.21-0.79) for STRESS INDEX greater than 1.05. Pplat,Rs did not correlate with PPLAT,L (R(2) = 0.0099); STRESS INDEX,RS and STRESS INDEX,L were correlated (R(2) = 0.762). CONCLUSIONS: The best threshold values for discriminating morphological indexes associated with injurious ventilation were Pplat,Rs greater than 25 cm H(2)O and STRESS INDEX,RS greater than 1.05. Although a substantial discrepancy between Pplat,Rs and PPLAT,L occurs, STRESS INDEX,RS reflects STRESS INDEX,L