From Terahertz Imaging to Terahertz Wireless Communications

Terahertz (THz) technology is probably best known to the public as a powerful tool for imaging, since it has been applied in security and medical scanning, resulting in numerous impressive images that would be unobtainable using other technologies. With the roll-out of 5G mobile networks, research into 6G wireless communications is heating up. It is envisioned that THz technology will be used for 6G and future wireless communications. In this paper, we review how THz technology has been employed for imaging and wireless communications, identify state-of-the-art developments in the field, and then examine and compare common devices and issues in both applications. The possibility of integrating THz imaging/sensing and wireless communications is considered, and challenges and future perspectives are presented and discussed. It is shown that THz technology is indeed a key enabling technology for both imaging and wireless communications in the future

Genetic Relationships of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

Population migrations in Southwest and South China have played an important role in the formation of East Asian populations and led to a high degree of cultural diversity among ethnic minorities living in these areas. To explore the genetic relationships of these ethnic minorities, we systematically surveyed the variation of 10 autosomal STR markers of 1,538 individuals from 30 populations of 25 ethnic minorities, of which the majority were chosen from Southwest China, especially Yunnan Province. With genotyped data of the markers, we constructed phylogenies of these populations with both DA and DC measures and performed a principal component analysis, as well as a clustering analysis by structure. Results showed that we successfully recovered the genetic structure of analyzed populations formed by historical migrations. Aggregation patterns of these populations accord well with their linguistic affiliations, suggesting that deciphering of genetic relationships does in fact offer clues for study of ethnic differentiation

W-Band Cavity-backed Folded-slot Antenna Using GaAs Integrated Passive Device Technology

A W-band cavity-backed folded-slot antenna based on GaAs integrated passive device technology is proposed in this paper for the first time. A via-cavity is formed to produce TE120 mode resonance and suppress surface waves, and an offset folded slot is designed to match the high impedance of the cavity. The simulated and measured S11 and the simulated radiation patterns are presented, which demonstrate that the antenna can operate from 97.8 GHz to 98.6 GHz with a maximum gain of 2.5 dBi while consuming a small area of only 0.84 mm× 1.325 mm. The proposed antenna is suitable for system-on-chip millimeter-wave applications where front-end modules and the antenna are built on the same chip for minimal signal transfer loss

3D Chip-level Broadband Measurement Technique for Radiated EM Emission

This paper proposes a novel broadband 3D chip-level radiated EM emission measurement technique. Two different test carriers with the embedded CPW and coil conductors respectively are designed and realized by the integrated passive device (IPD) process, which allow collecting the EM emission via near-field coupling. Using an in-house designed 0.18-μm CMOS VCO as the DUT, the emission spectrum obtained using the CPW conductor demonstrates a broadband characteristic up to above 20 GHz with an excellent agreement of the direct measurements. Compared to the traditional IEC standard approaches typically limited below 3 GHz, the proposed high sensitivity and broadband technique is suitable for evaluating EM interference of high-frequency ICs in advanced 3D packaging

Synthesis and Photoluminescence Properties of Porous Silicon Nanowire Arrays

Herein, we prepare vertical and single crystalline porous silicon nanowires (SiNWs) via a two-step metal-assisted electroless etching method. The porosity of the nanowires is restricted by etchant concentration, etching time and doping lever of the silicon wafer. The diffusion of silver ions could lead to the nucleation of silver nanoparticles on the nanowires and open new etching ways. Like porous silicon (PS), these porous nanowires also show excellent photoluminescence (PL) properties. The PL intensity increases with porosity, with an enhancement of about 100 times observed in our condition experiments. A “red-shift” of the PL peak is also found. Further studies prove that the PL spectrum should be decomposed into two elementary PL bands. The peak at 850 nm is the emission of the localized excitation in the nanoporous structure, while the 750-nm peak should be attributed to the surface-oxidized nanostructure. It could be confirmed from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. These porous SiNW arrays may be useful as the nanoscale optoelectronic devices

Identification of Close Relatives in the HUGO Pan-Asian SNP Database

The HUGO Pan-Asian SNP Consortium has recently released a genome-wide dataset, which consists of 1,719 DNA samples collected from 71 Asian populations. For studies of human population genetics such as genetic structure and migration history, this provided the most comprehensive large-scale survey of genetic variation to date in East and Southeast Asia. However, although considered in the analysis, close relatives were not clearly reported in the original paper. Here we performed a systematic analysis of genetic relationships among individuals from the Pan-Asian SNP (PASNP) database and identified 3 pairs of monozygotic twins or duplicate samples, 100 pairs of first-degree and 161 second-degree of relationships. Three standardized subsets with different levels of unrelated individuals were suggested here for future applications of the samples in most types of population-genetics studies (denoted by PASNP1716, PASNP1640 and PASNP1583 respectively) based on the relationships inferred in this study. In addition, we provided gender information for PASNP samples, which were not included in the original dataset, based on analysis of X chromosome data

Population Genetic Structure of Peninsular Malaysia Malay Sub-Ethnic Groups

Patterns of modern human population structure are helpful in understanding the history of human migration and admixture. We conducted a study on genetic structure of the Malay population in Malaysia, using 54,794 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism genotype data generated in four Malay sub-ethnic groups in peninsular Malaysia (Melayu Kelantan, Melayu Minang, Melayu Jawa and Melayu Bugis). To the best of our knowledge this is the first study conducted on these four Malay sub-ethnic groups and the analysis of genotype data of these four groups were compiled together with 11 other populations' genotype data from Indonesia, China, India, Africa and indigenous populations in Peninsular Malaysia obtained from the Pan-Asian SNP database. The phylogeny of populations showed that all of the four Malay sub-ethnic groups are separated into at least three different clusters. The Melayu Jawa, Melayu Bugis and Melayu Minang have a very close genetic relationship with Indonesian populations indicating a common ancestral history, while the Melayu Kelantan formed a distinct group on the tree indicating that they are genetically different from the other Malay sub-ethnic groups. We have detected genetic structuring among the Malay populations and this could possibly be accounted for by their different historical origins. Our results provide information of the genetic differentiation between these populations and a valuable insight into the origins of the Malay sub-ethnic groups in Peninsular Malaysia

Neutrally Buoyant Particle Migration in Poiseuille Flow Driven by Pulsatile Velocity

A neutrally buoyant circular particle migration in two-dimensional (2D) Poiseuille channel flow driven by pulsatile velocity is numerical studied by using immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method (IB-LBM). The effects of Reynolds number (25≤Re≤200) and blockage ratio (0.15≤k≤0.40) on particle migration driven by pulsatile and non-pulsatile velocity are all numerically investigated for comparison. The results show that, different from non-pulsatile cases, the particle will migrate back to channel centerline with underdamped oscillation during the time period with zero-velocity in pulsatile cases. The maximum lateral travel distance of the particle in one cycle of periodic motion will increase with increasing Re, while k has little impact. The quasi frequency of such oscillation has almost no business with Re and k. Moreover, Re plays an essential role in the damping ratio. Pulsatile flow field is ubiquitous in aorta and other arteries. This article is conducive to understanding nanoparticle migration in those arteries

Effects of α-ZrP on Crystallinity and Flame-Retardant Behaviors of PA6/MCA Composites

Novel flame-retardant Polyamide6/Melamine cyanurate-alpha-zirconium phosphate (PA6/MCA-α-ZrP) composites were prepared via the incorporation of the modified MCA (MCA-α-ZrP) into PA6. MCA-α-ZrP were synthesized through the self-assembly of α-ZrP, Melamine (ME), and cyanuric acid (CA) molecules. The results of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the incorporation of enough α-ZrP (30 wt% MCA) caused the increased crystallinity of PA6 and tended to form γ phase. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and heat distortion temperature (HDT) test illustrated that the α-ZrP could increase the residue and HDT values of PA6/MCA and showed a synergistic effect with MCA. The combination of MCA and α-ZrP caused the enhancement of vertical burning test (UL-94) rating. Cone calorimeter test (CCT) gave clear evidences that PA6/MCA-10α-ZrP composites with low heat release rate (HRR), low total heat release (THR), and high amounts of char residues after combustion compared with PA6/MCA and PA6/MCA-30α-ZrP. What is more, excellent mechanical properties were kept even though MCA and α-ZrP were dispersed not as good as expected