Millimeter-wave FET modeling based on a frequency extrapolation approach

An empirical distributed model, based on electromagnetic analysis and standard S-parameter measurements up to microwave frequencies, is shown to be capable of accurate small-signal predictions up to the millimeter-wave range. The frequency-extrapolation approach takes advantage from a physically-expected, smooth behavior of suitably defined elementary active devices connected to a passive distributed network. On this basis, small-signal millimeter-wave FET modeling becomes an affordable task in any laboratory equipped with a standard microwave vector network analyzer and electromagnetic simulation capabilities. In the paper, wide experimental validation of the proposed model up to 110GHz is presented for PHEMT devices with different sizes and bias conditions

Global modeling approach to the design of an MMIC amplifier using Ohmic Electrode-Sharing Technology

An innovative technique for high--density, high-frequency integrated circuit design is proposed.The procedure exploits the potentialities of a global modeling approach,previously applied only at device level,enabling the circuit designer to explore flexible layout solutions imed at important reduction in chip size and cost.The new circuit design technique is presented by means of an example consisting of a wide-band amplifier,implemented with the recently proposed Ohmic Electrode-Sharing Technology (OEST).The good agreement between experimental and simulated results confirms the validity of the proposed MMIC design approach

An easy and convenient method for maintenance of embryogenic cultures of Vitis vinifera

Research Note

Exacerbating the Vulnerabilities of Undocumented Migrants: The Risks Involved in the Humanitarian Information Activities of Migrant-Aid Organizations

The information practices and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by humanitarian migrant-aid organizations, including activities that encompass collecting, storing, processing, analyzing, using, transmitting, and releasing data about migrants to the public can help humanitarian and migrant-aid organizations be more effective in their work. However, the use of ICTs and certain information practices in these contexts may also increase or exacerbate significant risks to the people these organizations intend to help. In this project, we examine and compare HIA-related activities in two distinct con-texts: 1) humanitarian organizations working to provide lifesaving assistance to undocumented migrants crossing clandestinely into the United States from Mexico, and 2) humanitarian organizations and colleges working to provide assistance and support to undocumented migrants already in the United States. We argue that humanitarian organizations need to develop an extraordinary and sophisticated awareness of the limits of information technologies regarding ethics, security, privacy, and permanence of digital information to truly help vulnerable populations rather than inadvertently increase their vulnerabilities

Efficiency of transient transformation in tobacco protoplasts is independent of plasmid amount

An optimized protocol for the transient transformation of tobacco protoplasts mediated by polyethylene\u2013glycol (PEG) is here described. As expected, the quantitative b\u2013glucuronidase (Gus) activity driven by pCaMVGus was dependent on the amount of plasmid used. Nevertheless, we demonstrate by an immunodetection method that transformation efficiency did not depend on the amount of plasmid used but on the limitation imposed by cell competence. In fact, we obtained the same percentage of transformed cells (about 60%) using a wide range of plasmid concentrations (0.1\u201310 mg per test). Finally, we show that, when we used two plasmid types in a mixture at a concentration ranging from 0.1 to 10 mg for each, all transformed cells expressed proteins encoded by both plasmids. Transient expression and co-transformation experiments are routinely used methods and, probably, the major results from this work were assumed by many researchers in this field, but our data experimentally support this assumption

A Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana with a Reduced Response to Fusicoccin. I

Because fusicoccin (FC) has the the capacity to promote solute uptake, a selective procedure for isolating mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with a reduced response to the toxin has been developed. The procedure is based on the incubation of A. thaliana seedlings in a solution containing the cation Paraquat (Pq) at a concentration that per se does not produce bleaching of the leaves upon illumination but does in the presence of FC because of the increased uptake of the toxic cation. Using this procedure, we identified, among the progenies of 2010 M1 ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized plants, two mutants that stay green after exposure to FC and Pq. Some properties and inheritance of one of the two mutants (5\u20132) are described. Morphology of mutant plants is almost indistinguishable from that of the wild type. However, 5\u20132 seeds germinate and produce viable seedlings in the presence of FC plus the aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B: plants of the mutant do not wilt when exposed to FC and stomata do not open or open only partially. In the presence of FC, the mutant appears less responsive than the wild type as far as the increment in fresh weight, the enlargement of leaf disc area, or the stimulation of H+ extrusion is concerned. Inheritance of the trait is monogenic dominant or semidominant, depending on the test used

Push-push X band GaInP/GaAs VCO with a fully monolithic microstrip resonator

In this paper the design of a VCO using GaInP/GaAs HBT technology is presented. The VCO is designed to be a part of a PDH point to point radio system. To achieve low phase noise performances GaInP/GaAs HBT technology and push-push topology have been chosen. The MMIC includes predistorters to emphasize the second harmonic, f/sub 0//2 prescalers for PLL locking and buffer amplifiers. A fully monolithic microstrip resonator is coupled with integrated varactors to achieve the specified tuning bandwidth. Phase noise, bandwidth and power measurements will also be presente

Electrophysiology of glioma: a Rho GTPase-activating protein reduces tumor growth and spares neuron structure and function

Background. Glioblastomas are the most aggressive type of brain tumor. A successful treatment should aim at halting tumor growth and protecting neuronal cells to prevent functional deficits and cognitive deterioration. Here, we exploited a Rho GTPase-activating bacterial protein toxin, cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1), to interfere with glioma cell growth in vitro and vivo. We also investigated whether this toxin spares neuron structure and function in peritumoral areas. Methods. We performed a microarray transcriptomic and in-depth proteomic analysis to characterize the molecular changes triggered by CNF1 in glioma cells. We also examined tumor cell senescence and growth in vehicle-and CNF1-treated glioma-bearing mice. Electrophysiological and morphological techniques were used to investigate neuronal alterations in peritumoral cortical areas. Results. Administration of CNF1 triggered molecular and morphological hallmarks of senescence in mouse and human glioma cells in vitro. CNF1 treatment in vivo induced glioma cell senescence and potently reduced tumor volumes. In peritumoral areas of glioma-bearing mice, neurons showed a shrunken dendritic arbor and severe functional alterations such as increased spontaneous activity and reduced visual responsiveness. CNF1 treatment enhanced dendritic length and improved several physiological properties of pyramidal neurons, demonstrating functional preservation of the cortical network. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that CNF1 reduces glioma volume while at the same time maintaining the physiological and structural properties of peritumoral neurons. These data indicate a promising strategy for the development of more effective antiglioma therapies

Moonlighting Crypto-Enzymes and Domains as Ancient and Versatile Signaling Devices

Increasing numbers of reports have revealed novel catalytically active cryptic guanylate cyclases (GCs) and adenylate cyclases (ACs) operating within complex proteins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here we review the structural and functional aspects of some of these cyclases and provide examples that illustrate their roles in the regulation of the intramolecular functions of complex proteins, such as the phytosulfokine receptor (PSKR), and reassess their contribution to signal generation and tuning. Another multidomain protein, Arabidopsis thaliana K+ uptake permease (AtKUP5), also harbors multiple catalytically active sites including an N-terminal AC and C-terminal phosphodiesterase (PDE) with an abscisic acid-binding site. We argue that this architecture may enable the fine-tuning and/or sensing of K+ flux and integrate hormone responses to cAMP homeostasis. We also discuss how searches with motifs based on conserved amino acids in catalytic centers led to the discovery of GCs and ACs and propose how this approach can be applied to discover hitherto masked active sites in bacterial, fungal, and animal proteomes. Finally, we show that motif searches are a promising approach to discover ancient biological functions such as hormone or gas binding

Protein extraction from grape tissues by two-dimensional electrophoresis

At the onset of proteomic studies protein samples have to be accurately separated by two dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE); subsequently polypeptides are identified. Grape tissues, in particular roots, can be very problematic due to their hardness and to the high content of compounds that interfere in classical protein extraction. We have used a phenol-based extraction method in the presence of a protease inhibitor and Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP). In this paper we demonstrate that this extraction method gives satisfactory and reproducible protein separation allowing the identification of some proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS).