Simulation of Micro-Electronic FlowFET Systems

A microelectronic fluidic system has been investigated by modeling and 3D simulation of fluid flow controlled by an applied gate voltage. The simulations have helped to characterize a novel FlowFET (a fluidic Field Effect Transistor) device under fault-free conditions. The FlowFET operates by applying a voltage field from a gate electrode in the insulated side wall of a microchannel to modulate the ␣-potential at the shear plane [1]. The change in ␣-potential can be used to control both the magnitude and direction of the electroosmotic flow in the microchannel

Community Introduction of Practice Parameters for Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Advancing Early Recognition

Objectives: Within a strong interdisciplinary framework, improvement in the quality of care for children with autistic spectrum disorders through a 2year implementation program of Practice Parameters, aimed principally at improving early detection and intervention. Method: We developed Practice Parameters (PPs) for Pervasive Developmental Disorders and circulated the PPs to all child and adolescent psychiatrists practicing in the region. Results: PP development and parallel information strategies resulted in a significant decrease of 1.5years in the mean-age-at-diagnosis. However, further analysis indicated that improvement was only transient. Conclusion: Despite the encouraging improvement in mean-age-at-diagnosis 2years after PP implementation, other indicators showed a failure to maintain the improvements. A systematic screening program would be the most reliable method to reinforce the PP

Modeling of Micro-Electronic Fluidic Systems

A microelectronic fluidic system is studied using modeling and simulation of fluid flow controlled by applying gate voltage. 2D simulations were used to characterize the fluidic Field Effect Transistor (FlowFET) device under fault-free conditions. The FlowFET operates by applying a voltage from a gate electrode in the insulated side wall of a microchannel, to modulate the z-potential at the shear plane. The change in z-potential can be used to control both the magnitude and the direction of the electroosmotic flow in the microchannel

Probabilistic prediction of the quality factor of micro-resonator using a stochastic thermo-mechanical multi-scale approach

As the size of the device is only one or two orders of magnitude higher than the size of the grains, the structural properties, such as the thermo-elastic quality factor (Q), of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) made of poly- crystalline materials exhibit a scatter, due to the existing randomness in the grain size, grain orientation, surface roughness. In order to predict the probabilistic behavior of micro-resonators, the authors extend herein a previously developed stochastic 3-scale approach to the case of thermoelastic damping. In this method, stochastic volume elements (SVEs) are defined by considering random grain orientations in a tessellation. For each SVE realization, the mesoscopic apparent elasticity tensor, thermal conductivity tensor, and thermal dilatation tensor can be obtained using thermo-mechanical computational homogenization theory. The extracted mesoscopic apparent properties tensors can then be used to define a spatially correlated mesoscale random field, which is in turn used as input for stochastic finite element simulations. As a result, the probabilistic distribution of the quality factor of micro-resonator can be extracted by considering Monte-Carlo simulations of coarse-meshed micro-resonators, accounting implicitly for the random microstructure of the poly-silicon material.3SMVIB: The research has been funded by the Walloon Region under the agreement no 1117477 (CT-INT 2011-11-14) and by Romanian UEFISCDI Agency contract ERA-NET MNT no 7-063/2012 (20122015) in the context of the ERA-NET MNT framewor

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Design status of ASPIICS, an externally occulted coronagraph for PROBA-3

The "sonic region" of the Sun corona remains extremely difficult to observe with spatial resolution and sensitivity sufficient to understand the fine scale phenomena that govern the quiescent solar corona, as well as phenomena that lead to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which influence space weather. Improvement on this front requires eclipse-like conditions over long observation times. The space-borne coronagraphs flown so far provided a continuous coverage of the external parts of the corona but their over-occulting system did not permit to analyse the part of the white-light corona where the main coronal mass is concentrated. The proposed PROBA-3 Coronagraph System, also known as ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), with its novel design, will be the first space coronagraph to cover the range of radial distances between ~1.08 and 3 solar radii where the magnetic field plays a crucial role in the coronal dynamics, thus providing continuous observational conditions very close to those during a total solar eclipse. PROBA-3 is first a mission devoted to the in-orbit demonstration of precise formation flying techniques and technologies for future European missions, which will fly ASPIICS as primary payload. The instrument is distributed over two satellites flying in formation (approx. 150m apart) to form a giant coronagraph capable of producing a nearly perfect eclipse allowing observing the sun corona closer to the rim than ever before. The coronagraph instrument is developed by a large European consortium including about 20 partners from 7 countries under the auspices of the European Space Agency. This paper is reviewing the recent improvements and design updates of the ASPIICS instrument as it is stepping into the detailed design phase

Nanomechanical and nanotribological characterization of microelectromechanical system

peer reviewedInvestigations of the mechanical and tribological properties of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) components on nanoscale can provide insights into failure mechanism of material. The main goal of this paper is focused on the mechanical and tribological characterizations of MEMS mechanical components in order to improve their reliability design. The mechanical properties of interests are stiffness, modulus of elasticity, stress, strain. Dynamical investigations are performed to analyze the resonant frequency response, velocity and amplitude of oscillations of electrostatically actuated microcomponents and to estimate the quality factor. Finite element analysis is used to validate the experimental results of mechanical properties and to simulate the dynamical behaviour of investigated microcomponents. Tribological investigations are developed to estimate the stiction and friction. Testing and the individual characterization of MEMS materials and structures, performed using advanced equipments such as atomic force microscope and optical vibrometer analyzer are presented.FIRST Post-Doc n°616365 (MOMIVAL

AFM Characterization of Temperature Effect on the SU-8 Mechanical and Tribological Properties

This study presents the effect of temperature on the mechanical and tribological properties of SU-8 polymer. The temperature of investigated samples increasing during testing and the variation of mechanical and tribological properties were monitored. The samples for tests were SU-8 hard baked at different temperatures. The hard bake temperature changes the mechanical and tribological properties of polymers. The aim of this research work is the reliability design improvement of SU-8 microstructures from electro-thermally actuated devices where a thermal gradient produces the softening and modification of SU-8 behavior. As a function of the hard baked temperature, different mechanical and tribological properties were experimentally determined using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The mechanical properties of interest are the modulus of elasticity and hardness. The investigated tribological properties involve the adhesion and friction forces. The modulus of elasticity and hardness decrease if the operating temperature increases based on the thermal relaxation of material and their viscoelastic behavior. The adhesion force between AFM tip and investigated samples increases if the operating temperature increases, respectively. The same evolution was experimentally observed in the case of friction force. Moreover, for the same testing temperature, the modulus of elasticity and hardness increase, and the adhesion and friction forces decrease if the SU-8 is hard baked at high temperature