Design of SiGe HBT power amplifiers for microwave radar applications

A novel modification to the standard cascode amplifier architecture is presented in SiGe which allows for an optimal separation of gain and breakdown functions through the mixed breakdown cascade architecture, opening the door for moderate power amplifiers in SiGe. Utilizing this technique, a two-stage, high-gain amplifier operating at X-Band is fabricated and measured. The 20 dB of gain per stage represents the highest gain at X-Band at the time of publication. Additionally, a near one Watt power amplifier is designed and fabricated at X-Band, which represents the highest output power in SiGe at X-Band at time of publication. Related to the power amplifier design, thermal considerations are also investigated. The validity of utilizing lumped mutual thermal coupling in SiGe devices is presented. Using this finding, a thermal coupling model and network which are compliant for use with commonly available HBT models and circuit simulators is presented. This model and network is used to thermally optimize SiGe PA cells based upon layout spacing.Ph.D.Committee Member: John Cressler; Committee Member: John Papapolymerou; Committee Member: Joy Laskar; Committee Member: Thomas Morley; Committee Member: William Hun

A Combined Spitzer and Herschel Infrared Study of Gas and Dust in the Circumbinary Disk Orbiting V4046 Sgr

We present results from a spectroscopic Spitzer and Herschel mid-to-far-infrared study of the circumbinary disk orbiting the evolved (age ~12-23 Myr) close binary T Tauri system V4046 Sgr. Spitzer IRS spectra show emission lines of [Ne II], H_2 S(1), CO_2 and HCN, while Herschel PACS and SPIRE spectra reveal emission from [O I], OH, and tentative detections of H_2O and high-J transitions of CO. We measure [Ne III]/[Ne II] < 0.13, which is comparable to other X-ray/EUV luminous T Tauri stars that lack jets. We use the H_2 S(1) line luminosity to estimate the gas mass in the relatively warm surface layers of the inner disk. The presence of [O I] emission suggests that CO, H_2O, and/or OH is being photodissociated, and the lack of [C I] emission suggests any excess C may be locked up in HCN, CN and other organic molecules. Modeling of silicate dust grain emission features in the mid-infrared indicates that the inner disk is composed mainly of large (r~5 um) amorphous pyroxene and olivine grains (~86% by mass) with a relatively large proportion of crystalline silicates. These results are consistent with other lines of evidence indicating that planet building is ongoing in regions of the disk within ~30 AU of the central, close binary.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

Disk Imaging Survey of Chemistry with SMA: II. Southern Sky Protoplanetary Disk Data and Full Sample Statistics

This is the second in a series of papers based on data from DISCS, a Submillimeter Array observing program aimed at spatially and spectrally resolving the chemical composition of 12 protoplanetary disks. We present data on six Southern sky sources - IM Lup, SAO 206462 (HD 135344b), HD 142527, AS 209, AS 205 and V4046 Sgr - which complement the six sources in the Taurus star forming region reported previously. CO 2-1 and HCO+ 3-2 emission are detected and resolved in all disks and show velocity patterns consistent with Keplerian rotation. Where detected, the emission from DCO+ 3-2, N2H+ 3-2, H2CO 3-2 and 4-3,HCN 3-2 and CN 2-1 are also generally spatially resolved. The detection rates are highest toward the M and K stars, while the F star SAO 206462 has only weak CN and HCN emission, and H2CO alone is detected toward HD 142527. These findings together with the statistics from the previous Taurus disks, support the hypothesis that high detection rates of many small molecules depend on the presence of a cold and protected disk midplane, which is less common around F and A stars compared to M and K stars. Disk-averaged variations in the proposed radiation tracer CN/HCN are found to be small, despite two orders of magnitude range of spectral types and accretion rates. In contrast, the resolved images suggest that the CN/HCN emission ratio varies with disk radius in at least two of the systems. There are no clear observational differences in the disk chemistry between the classical/full T Tauri disks and transitional disks. Furthermore, the observed line emission does not depend on measured accretion luminosities or the number of infrared lines detected, which suggests that the chemistry outside of 100 AU is not coupled to the physical processes that drive the chemistry in the innermost few AU.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ, 41 pages including 7 figure

The Drosophila fragile X-related gene regulates axoneme differentiation during spermatogenesis

AbstractMacroorchidism (i.e., enlarged testicles) and mental retardation are the two hallmark symptoms of Fragile X syndrome (FraX). The disease is caused by loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding translational regulator. We previously established a FraX model in Drosophila, showing that the fly FMRP homologue, dFXR, acts as a negative translational regulator of microtubule-associated Futsch to control stability of the microtubule cytoskeleton during nervous system development. Here, we investigate dFXR function in the testes. Male dfxr null mutants have the enlarged testes characteristic of the disease and are nearly sterile (>90% reduced male fecundity). dFXR protein is highly enriched in Drosophila testes, particularly in spermatogenic cells during the early stages of spermatogenesis. Cytological analyses reveal that spermatogenesis is arrested specifically in late-stage spermatid differentiation following individualization. Ultrastructurally, dfxr mutants lose specifically the central pair microtubules in the sperm tail axoneme. The frequency of central pair microtubule loss becomes progressively greater as spermatogenesis progresses, suggesting that dFXR regulates microtubule stability. Proteomic analyses reveal that chaperones Hsp60B-, Hsp68-, Hsp90-related protein TRAP1, and other proteins have altered expression in dfxr mutant testes. Taken together with our previous nervous system results, these data suggest a common model in which dFXR regulates microtubule stability in both synaptogenesis in the nervous system and spermatogenesis in the testes. The characterization of dfxr function in the testes paves the way to genetic screens for modifiers of dfxr-induced male sterility, as a means to efficiently dissect FMRP-mediated mechanisms

Propuesta técnico-económica de sistema fotovoltaico híbrido para la carga total de iluminación del Edificio Rigoberto López Pérez

Presenta un sistema fotovoltaico híbrido para la carga total de la iluminación del edificio Rigoberto López como propósito expresar la metodología de aplicación para el dimensionamiento de un sistema fotovoltaico con capacidad de operar mediante la conexión a la red eléctrica comercial

Exploring the chemical link between local ellipticals and their high-redshift progenitors

We present Keck/MOSFIRE K-band spectroscopy of the first mass-selected sample of galaxies at $z\sim2.3$. Targets are selected from the 3D-HST Treasury survey. The six detected galaxies have a mean [NII]$\lambda$6584/H$\alpha$ ratio of $0.27\pm0.01$, with a small standard deviation of 0.05. This mean value is similar to that of UV-selected galaxies of the same mass. The mean gas-phase oxygen abundance inferred from the [NII]/H$\alpha$ ratios depends on the calibration method, and ranges from 12+log(O/H)$_{gas}=8.57$ for the {Pettini} & {Pagel} (2004) calibration to 12+log(O/H)$_{gas}= 8.87$ for the {Maiolino} {et~al.} (2008) calibration. Measurements of the stellar oxygen abundance in nearby quiescent galaxies with the same number density indicate 12+log(O/H)$_{stars}= 8.95$, similar to the gas-phase abundances of the $z\sim2.3$ galaxies if the {Maiolino} {et~al.} (2008) calibration is used. This suggests that these high-redshift star forming galaxies may be progenitors of today's massive early-type galaxies. The main uncertainties are the absolute calibration of the gas-phase oxygen abundance and the incompleteness of the $z\sim2.3$ sample: the galaxies with detected H$\alpha$ tend to be larger and have higher star formation rates than the galaxies without detected H$\alpha$, and we may still be missing the most dust-obscured progenitors.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Genetic Drift Inventory: A Tool for Measuring What Advanced Undergraduates Have Mastered about Genetic Drift

Understanding genetic drift is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of biology, yet it is difficult to learn because it combines the conceptual challenges of both evolution and randomness. To help assess strategies for teaching genetic drift, we have developed and evaluated the Genetic Drift Inventory (GeDI), a concept inventory that measures upper-division students’ understanding of this concept. We used an iterative approach that included extensive interviews and field tests involving 1723 students across five different undergraduate campuses. The GeDI consists of 22 agree–disagree statements that assess four key concepts and six misconceptions. Student scores ranged from 4/22 to 22/22. Statements ranged in mean difficulty from 0.29 to 0.80 and in discrimination from 0.09 to 0.46. The internal consistency, as measured with Cronbach\u27s alpha, ranged from 0.58 to 0.88 across five iterations. Test–retest analysis resulted in a coefficient of stability of 0.82. The true–false format means that the GeDI can test how well students grasp key concepts central to understanding genetic drift, while simultaneously testing for the presence of misconceptions that indicate an incomplete understanding of genetic drift. The insights gained from this testing will, over time, allow us to improve instruction about this key component of evolution

The effect of lysine level or methionine/copper/manganese on osteochondrosis lesions and cartilage properties in pigs

A total of 120 gilts (PIC 327 × 1050; 89.2 lb initial BW) were used in a 3 × 2 factorial, 84-d study to determine the effect of lysine (Lys) fed either below the calculated requirement (0.8% true ileal digestible (TID) Lys Phase I and 0.6% TID Lys Phase II), at requirement (1.0% TID Lys Phase I and 0.8% TID Lys Phase II), or above the requirement (1.3% TID Lys Phase I and 1.1% TID Lys Phase II) with standard concentrations or with high added methionine (Met, 1 %), copper sulfate (Cu, 250 ppm), and manganese sulfate (Mn, 220 ppm) on the occurrence and severity of osteochondrosis (OC) lesions, growth performance, soundness, carcass traits, and several cartilage criteria. Upon completion of the feeding period, pigs were harvested and the distal aspect of the left humerus and femur were evaluated by gross examination for OC lesions. The external surface was evaluated for abnormalities and received a severity score. For the external femur evaluation, increasing dietary Lys concentration tended (linear, P\u3c0.08) to increase the number of abnormalities and there was a numerical trend for an increased severity score (P\u3c0.13) with increasing dietary Lys. The addition of high Met/Cu/Mn to the diet reduced the number of abnormalities (P\u3c0.02) and severity score (P\u3c0.01) at the external femur compared to pigs fed diets with standard concentrations of Met/Cu/Mn. At the external humerus, increasing dietary Lys increased both the number of abnormalities (linear, P\u3c0.01) and severity score (linear, P\u3c0.01). The addition of high Met/Cu/Mn to the diet reduced the number of abnormalities (P\u3c0.03) and severity score (P\u3c0.03) for the external humerus. Increasing dietary Lys concentration or high-added Met/Cu/Mn had no effect (P\u3e0.14) on the number of faces with lesions at the femoral growth plate or the severity score (P\u3e0.19). The number of faces with lesions and severity score at the humerus articular cartilage was unaffected by increasing dietary Lys concentration (P\u3e0.16) or the addition of high Met/Cu/Mn to the diet (P\u3e0.37). The total faces with lesions were not impacted by increasing dietary Lys concentration (P\u3e0.78) or additional high Met/Cu/Mn (P\u3e0.86). The total abnormalities (external and number of faces) tended to increase with increasing dietary Lys (linear, P\u3c0.12). The addition of high Met/Cu/Mn did not affect the total number of abnormalities (P\u3e0.16). The total severity score for both external and OC evaluation increased with increasing dietary Lys concentration (linear, P\u3c0.01). The addition of high Met/Cu/Mn decreased the total severity score (P\u3c0.02) compared to pigs fed diets with standard concentrations of Met/Cu/Mn. Finally, increasing dietary Lys concentration increased the sum (linear, P\u3c0.05) of abnormalities and total severity score. The addition of high Met/Cu/Mn tended (P\u3c0.09) to reduce the overall severity score compared to pigs fed diets with standard concentrations of Met/Cu/Mn. In conclusion, feeding growing gilts dietary Lys to maximize growth performance may increase the severity of OC lesions, while a diet with additional Met/Cu/Mn may aid in the reduction of OC severity scores.; Swine Day, 2007, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 200