An Integrated Circuit Compatible Compact Package for Thermal Gas Flowmeters

An original packaging method suitable for integrated thermal mass flow sensors is presented. The method consists in the application of a plastic transparent adapter to the chip surface. The adapter is sealed to the chip surface by means of a thermal procedure. By this approach it is possible to selectively convey the fluid flow to reduced chip areas, avoiding contact with the pads. Fabrication and testing of a very compact flow sensor is described.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/EDA-Publishing

Multidisciplinary studies on a sick-leader syndrome-associated mass stranding of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the Adriatic coast of Italy

Mass strandings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are rare in the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, in 2014 a pod of 7 specimens stranded alive along the Italian coast of the Central Adriatic Sea: 3 individuals died on the beach after a few hours due to internal damages induced by prolonged recumbency; the remaining 4 whales were refloated after great efforts. All the dead animals were genetically related females; one was pregnant. All the animals were infected by dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) and the pregnant whale was also affected by a severe nephropathy due to a large kidney stone. Other analyses ruled out other possible relevant factors related to weather conditions or human activities. The results of multidisciplinary post-mortem analyses revealed that the 7 sperm whales entered the Adriatic Sea encountering adverse weather conditions and then kept heading northward following the pregnant but sick leader of the pod, thereby reaching the stranding site. DMV infection most likely played a crucial role in impairing the health condition and orientation abilities of the whales. They did not steer back towards deeper waters, but eventually stranded along the Central Adriatic Sea coastline, a real trap for sperm whales

A compact package for integrated silicon thermal gas flow meters

An original packaging method suitable for integrated thermal mass flow sensors is presented. The method is based on a polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) adapter, used to convey the fluid flow to the chip areas where the sensing structures are located. Sealing of the adapter was obtained by heating the chip itself to the PMMA glass transition temperature, in order to soften the adapter front surface and improve adhesion. The proposed approach was applied to the packaging of thermal flow meters obtained by post-processing standard integrated circuits. The resulting compact devices have been characterized by measuring the response to a nitrogen flow. Fabrication and testing of a very compact flow sensor is described

An Integrated Circuit Compatible Compact Package For Thermal Gas Flowmeters

An original packaging method suitable for integrated thermal mass flow sensors is presented. The method consists in the application of a plastic transparent adapter to the chip surface. The adapter is sealed to the chip surface by means of a thermal procedure. By this approach it is possible to selectively convey the fluid flow to reduced chip areas, avoiding contact with the pads. Fabrication and testing of a very compact flow sensor is described

Bartolomeo Panizza and the discovery of the brain's visual center

In his work entitled "Osservazioni sul nervo ottico" (Observations on the Optic Nerve) published in 1855, Bartolomeo Panizza macroscopically traced the visual projection from the optic nerve to the cerebral structures, establishing the posterior cortex as the center for vision. This achievement was largely ignored by Panizza's contemporaries, and many years passed before his research was accorded the credit it deserved. This article provides both a profile of this eminent anatomo-physiologist and a historical reconstruction of the troubled course of his pioneering observations on the central pathway of the optic nerve

I bambini e la filosofia. Relazioni e intersezioni tra riflessivit\ue0 e pratica di vita

Riflessione sul rapporto reciproco tra infanzia e filosofi