Ultrafast optical switching of three-dimensional Si inverse opal photonic band gap crystals

We present ultrafast optical switching experiments on 3D photonic band gap crystals. Switching the Si inverse opal is achieved by optically exciting free carriers by a two-photon process. We probe reflectivity in the frequency range of second order Bragg diffraction where the photonic band gap is predicted. We find good experimental switching conditions for free-carrier plasma frequencies between 0.3 and 0.7 times the optical frequency: we thus observe a large frequency shift of up to D omega/omega= 1.5% of all spectral features including the peak that corresponds to the photonic band gap. We deduce a corresponding large refractive index change of Dn'_Si/n'_Si= 2.0% and an induced absorption length that is longer than the sample thickness. We observe a fast decay time of 21 ps, which implies that switching could potentially be repeated at GHz rates. Such a high switching rate is relevant to future switching and modulation applications

Development of Facial Rejuvenation Procedures: Thirty Years of Clinical Experience with Face Lifts

Facial rejuvenation procedures can be roughly divided into face lift surgery and nonoperative, less invasive procedures, such as fat grafts, fillers, botulinum toxin injections, thread lifts, or laserbrasion. Face lift surgery or rhytidectomy is the procedure most directly associated with rejuvenation, due to its fundamental ability to restore the anatomical changes caused by aging. Various methods of face lift surgery have been developed over the last hundred years, thanks to advances in the understanding of facial anatomy and the mechanisms of aging, as well as the dedication of innovative surgeons. However, no generally applicable standard method exists, because the condition of each patient is different, and each operative method has advantages and disadvantages. Specific characteristics of the skin of Asians and their skeletal anatomy should be considered when determining the operative method to be used on Asian patients. Plastic surgeons should improve their ability to analyze the original aesthetic properties and problem areas of each patient, drawing on scientific knowledge about the aging process, and they should develop the skills necessary to perform various rejuvenative techniques. In the present article, we reviewed various face lift procedures and the current methods of modified double plane face lift, based on our clinical experience of over 30 years

A Fully Passive Noise-Shaping SAR ADC Utilizing Last-Bit Majority Voting and Cyclic Dynamic Element Matching Techniques

This article presents a fully passive noise-shaping (NS) successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that can be compatible with dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) schemes while offering a 12-bit resolution for Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensor applications. To realize a voltage-scalable suppression of the in-band quantization noise, the proposed ADC utilizes a second-order cascade of integrators with feedforward (CIFF) NS loop with a 3-input dynamic comparator, which can obtain an additional resolution of more than 3 hits. A cyclic dynamic element matching (CDEM) for MSB is seamlessly combined with the NS operation and simply realized by shift registers (SRs). The MSB CDEM reduces dominant in-band harmonic distortions due to capacitor mismatch by not only averaging out but also randomizing the MSB mismatch errors with modulation dither from the CIFF NS loop. In addition, a last-bit majority voting (LMV) technique is applied when resolving the LSB to reduce the comparator noise by half with four additional cycles. With both the LMV and CDEM techniques enabled, the SNR and SNDR are enhanced to 73.3 and 72.3 dB, respectively. The ADC achieves an ENOB of 11.2-11.7 bits with a reconfigurable bandwidth of 10-50 kHz at a supply voltage of 0.6-1 V. The prototype ADC was fabricated using 28-nm CMOS technology, occupying an active area of 0.0575 mm(2).N

A 0.6-to-1V 10k-to-100kHz BW 11.7b-ENOB Noise-Shaping SAR ADC for IoT sensor applications in 28-nm CMOS

This paper presents a noise-shaping SAR ADC for IoT sensor applications, The ADC exploits a 2nd-order passive noise-shaping loop without a quiescent current. To reduce harmonic distortion induced by mismatches between MSBs, thermometer-coded 3-bit MSBs are implemented with a simple shift register-based dynamic element matching (DEM) technique. Furthermore, a programmable majority-voting (PMV) technique for LSB decision is applied in order to relax noise requirement of a comparator. With the DEM and PMV, SFDR, SNDR and SNR are enhanced by 9.8, 4.7 and 1.9 dB at a 1,0 V supply, respectively. For 50 kHz BW, the modulator dissipates 74.5 mu W from a 1,0 V supply and achieves a peak SNDR of 72 dB, a peak SNR, of 72.2 dB and a DR of 73.8 dB. The prototype modulator is fabricated in 28 nm CMOS technology, occupying an area of 0.0575 mm(2).N

Skin Penetration Enhancer-Incorporated Lipid Nanovesicles (SPE-LNV) for Skin Brightening and Wrinkle Treatment

In this work, we utilize skin penetration enhancers (SPEs) such as ceramide and fatty acids in lipid nanovesicles to promote the transdermal delivery of active ingredients. These SPE-incorporated lipid nanovesicles (SPE-LNV) interact with the constituents of skin's outermost stratum corneum (SC) layer, enabling even niacinamide and adenosine with high water solubility to effectively permeate through, leading to enhanced skin efficacy. We demonstrate by both in vitro and in vivo skin permeation studies that the SPE-LNV formulation containing both ceramide and fatty acids (LNV-CF) exhibits deeper penetration depth and faster permeation rate compared to conventional lipid nanovesicles (LNV) without SPE as well as LNV-C with only ceramide. Moreover, in vivo clinical trials were also performed to confirm that LNV-CF most effectively mediates the delivery of niacinamide and adenosine, resulting in a substantial decrease in melanin index as well as skin wrinkle compared to the control groups. We envision that the strategy of incorporating both ceramide and fatty acids in lipid nanovesicles offers a simple and convenient route for the rapid and effective delivery of water-soluble active ingredients across the skin barrier layer.11Nsciescopu

Biocompatible Wax-Based Microcapsules with Hermetic Sealing for Thermally Triggered Release of Actives

We present a microfluidic approach that utilizes temperature-responsive and biocompatible palm oil as the shell material in microcapsules to simultaneously achieve hermetic sealing as well as on-demand temperature-triggered release of the encapsulated actives. Unlike common paraffin waxes (e.g., eicosane), microcapsule shells comprising palm oil do not form pores or cracks during freezing and provide a hermetic seal, a nearly perfect seal that separates the core containing the actives from the surrounding environment over a prolonged period of time. This allows effective isolation and protection of complex cargoes such as small molecules with high diffusivity, strong acids, and cosmetic actives including niacinamide. Moreover, the palm oil shell melts above the defined melting temperature, allowing the on-demand release of the encapsulated actives. Furthermore, palm oil is biocompatible, is edible, and leaves a minimal footprint when used in personal care and cosmetic products, offering new perspectives in the design of microcapsules for cosmetic applications.11Nsciescopu

A Compact Self-Capacitance Sensing Analog Front-End for a Touch Detection in Low-Power Mode

A novel self-capacitance transition sensing method is presented for low-power touch detection using a capacitive touch-screen. While maintaining a voltage level, an additional electric charge is additionally required when a touch-input is newly added; the amount of charge is used for detection. Accordingly, the proposed current mirroring voltage-level regulation (CM-VLR) circuit senses the transition of self-capacitance of the touch-screen and detects motions of the touch-object. Only one CM-VLR cell is used to scan the entire touch-screen. Thus low-power readout and high integrated-circuit area efficiency are achieved. Moreover, the proposed self-capacitance sensing method does not require an offset-calibration step through a charge-sharing-based voltage generation and the offset-coverage capacitor. Fabricated in a 180-nm CMOS process, and the CM-VLR cell occupies 0.12 mm(2). At a 120-Hz report rate, the proposed analog front-end (AFE) detects touch-input at a 32-dB SNR while dissipating 2.1 mW.N

An Always-On 0.53-to-13.4 mW Power-Scalable Touchscreen Controller for Ultrathin Touchscreen Displays With Current-Mode Filter and Incremental Hybrid Delta Sigma ADC

This paper presents an always-on mutual-capacitive touchscreen controller (TSC)with a reconfigurable power consumption of 0.53-13.4 mW, frame rate of 1-120 Hz, and an SNR of 40.0-46.2 dB to support not only a normal sensing mode but also a low-power (LP) and an ultra-low - power (ULP) modes. For the LP and ULP modes, the power-frame rate scalability is realized by a frame rate controller, which turns off analog front-end (AFE) transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) periodically. Moreover, the TSC improves an out-of-band noise attenuation by utilizing a sixth-order current-mode band-pass filter and second-order incremental hybrid delta-sigma (AL) modulator, providing an SNR up to 45.8 dB when the display on. The prototype TSC is fabricated in an 80-nm high-voltage CMOS technology with an active area of 4.873 mm(2).N