The objective of this research is to develop an understanding of the trade-offs between performance and reliability in sub 100-nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technologies. Such trade-offs can be used to demonstrate high performance reliable circuits in scaled technologies. Several CMOS reliability concerns such as hot-carrier stress, ionizing irradiation damage, RF stress, temperature effects, and single-event effects are studied. These reliability mechanisms can cause temporary or permanent damage to the semiconductor device and to the circuits using them. Several improvements are made to the device layout and process to achieve optimum performance. Parasitics are shown to play a dominant role in the performance and reliability of sub 100-nm devices. Various techniques are suggested to reduce these parasitics, such as the use of the following: a) optimum device-width, b) optimum gate-finger to gate-finger spacing, c) optimum source/drain metal contact spacing, and d) floating-body/body-contact. The major contributions from this research are summarized as follows: 1) Role of floating-body effects on the performance and reliability of sub 100-nm CMOS-on-SOI technologies is investigated for the first time [1], [2]. It is demonstrated through experimental data and TCAD simulations that floating-body devices have improved RF performance but degraded reliability compared to body-contacted devices. 2) Floating-body effects in a cascode core is studied. Cascode cores are demonstrated to achieve much larger reliability lifetimes than a single device. A variety of cascode topologies are studied to achieve the trade-o s between performance and reliability for high-power applications [2]. 3) The use of body-contact to modulate the performance of devices and single-poledouble- throw (SPDT) switches is studied. The SPDT switch performance is shown to improve with a negative body-bias. 4) The impact of device width on the RF performance and reliability is studied. Larger width devices are shown to have greater degradation, posing challenging questions for RF design in strained-Si technologies [3]. 5) A novel study showing the e ect of source/drain metal contact spacing and gate-finger to gate-finger spacing on the device RF performance is carried out. Further, the impact of above on the hot-carrier, RF stress, and total-dose irradiation tolerance is studied [3], [4]. 6) Latchup phenomenon in CMOS is shown to be possible at cryogenic temperatures (below 50 K), and its consequences are discussed [5]. 7) A time-dependent device degradation model has been developed in technology computer aided design (TCAD) to model reliability in CMOS and SiGe devices. 8) The total-dose irradiation tolerance and hot-carrier reliability of 32-nm CMOSon- SOI technology is reported for the first time. The impact of HfO2 based gate dielectric on the performance and reliability is studied [6]. 9) The impact of technology scaling from 65-nm to 32-nm on the performance and reliability of CMOS technologies is studied [6]. 10) Cryogenic performance and reliability of 45-nm nFETs is investigated. The RF performance improves significantly at 77 K. The hot-carrier device reliability is shown to improve at low temperatures in short-channel CMOS technologies.

Η χωρική και χρονική κατανομή των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων επηρεάζεται σημαντικά από τις τοπικές πηγές ρύπανσης αλλά και από την ατμοσφαιρική κυκλοφορία. Στην εργασία επιχειρήθηκε η μελέτη των επιπέδων του οπτικού βάθους των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων στην Ελλάδα, με έμφαση στη συνεισφορά των τοπικών πηγών ρύπανσης. Συγκεκριμένα, στην παρούσα εργασία πραγματοποιήθηκε: 1. ανάλυση δορυφορικών δεδομένων και παρουσίαση των επιπέδων και των πιθανών τάσεων του οπτικού βάθους των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων σε διάφορες περιοχές της Ελλάδας 2. σύγκριση των επιπέδων του οπτικού βάθους μεταξύ επιβαρημένων περιοχών, όπως μεγάλα αστικά κέντρα και περιοχές όπου λειτουργούν μεγάλες βιομηχανικές μονάδες, σε σχέση με περιοχές όπου η επίδραση των τοπικών πηγών ρύπανση είναι πολύ μικρή 3. εκτίμηση της συνεισφοράς των τοπικών πηγών ρύπανσης στα προαναφερόμενα αποτελέσματα 4. σύγκριση των δορυφορικών δεδομένων με επίγεια Η μελέτη των παραπάνω αντικειμένων έγινε χρησιμοποιώντας εκτιμήσεις των οπτικών ιδιοτήτων των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων από το όργανο MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectoradiometer) που βρίσκεται στους δορυφόρους Terra και Aqua. Τα δεδομένα καλύπτουν τη χρονική περίοδο 9 ετών (από Φεβρουάριο 2000 έως Σεπτέμβριο 2009) για το διαστημικό σκάφος Terra και 7 ετών (από Ιούλιο 2002 έως Σεπτέμβριο 2009) για το Aqua. Οι χρονικές στιγμές διέλευσης των δορυφόρων Terra και Aqua πάνω από την Ελλάδα είναι 9.35±0.50 UTC και 11.34±0.53 UTC αντίστοιχα. Η μέση τιμή του οπτικού βάθους (AOD550), για όλη την Ελλάδα είναι 0.20±0.07 και 0.19±0.06, από τους δορυφόρους Terra και Aqua αντίστοιχα. Ο συντελεστής γραμμικής συσχέτισης των δεδομένων AOD550 μεταξύ των δορυφορικών μετρήσεων MODIS/Terra και MODIS/Aqua είναι ίσος με 0.81. Στην χρονοσειρά των οπτικών βαθών παρατηρήθηκε μία εποχική διακύμανση με τις μέγιστες τιμές να εμφανίζονται κατά τους πρώτους ανοιξιάτικους μήνες και το καλοκαίρι. Η εποχικότητα αυτή αποδόθηκε στο αυξημένο σωματιδιακό φορτίο που παρατηρείται στην ελεύθερη τροπόσφαιρα τις συγκεκριμένες χρονικές περιόδους λόγω μεταφοράς ερημικής σκόνης από την Σαχάρα, αλλά και λόγω μεταφοράς αιωρούμενων από καύση βιομάζας που παρατηρούνται συχνά κατά τον Αύγουστο, όπως και στους επικρατούντες Βορειανατολικούς ανέμους κατά τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες που μεταφέρουν σωματιδιακή ρύπανση από ρυπασμένες περιοχές όπως τα Ανατολικά Βαλκάνια. Γενικά, οι μεγαλύτερες τιμές AOD550 εμφανίζονται στις αστικές περιοχές όπου υπάρχουν έντονες ανθρωπογενείς δραστηριότητες, όπως οι περιοχές της Αττικής και της Θεσσαλονίκης. Παρατηρείται ότι το 50-55% περίπου του εκτιμώμενου οπτικού βάθους οφείλεται σε ανθρωπογενείς πηγές ρύπανσης, ενώ το υπόλοιπο αναμένεται να οφείλεται σε φαινόμενα διασυνοριακής ρύπανσης. Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον έχουν τα αποτελέσματα για την περιοχή της Πτολεμαΐδας και της κεντρικής Πελοποννήσου. Εκεί, τα επίπεδα των τοπικών πηγών ρύπανσης που φαίνονται από τον Aqua και συνεισφέρουν στο συνολικό οπτικό βάθος των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων είναι πολύ μεγαλύτερα σε σχέση με αυτά του Terra κατά +37.9% και +70.6% αντίστοιχα. Τις μεσημεριανές ώρες που διέρχεται ο δορυφόρος Aqua, η ατμόσφαιρα της ευρύτερης περιοχής της Πτολεμαΐδας και της κεντρικής Πελοποννήσου έχει πιθανώς επιφορτιστεί από αιωρούμενα σωματίδια, λόγω της εντατικής λειτουργίας των εργοστασίων ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. Για αυτό το λόγο, τα επίπεδα τοπικών πηγών ρύπανσης του Aqua είναι μεγαλύτερα από αυτά του δορυφόρου Terra, ο οποίος διέρχεται πάνω από την Ελλάδα τις πρωινές ώρες. Για την περιοχή της Θεσσαλονίκης συγκρίθηκαν δορυφορικά δεδομένα MODIS με επίγειες μετρήσεις PM10 και PM2.5. Συγκρίνοντας το AOD550 με το PM10 δεν διακρίνεται ιδιαίτερη συσχέτιση μεταξύ αυτών. Μάλιστα, τα μέγιστα του AOD550 εμφανίζονται την άνοιξη και το καλοκαίρι ενώ τα αντίστοιχα μέγιστα των PM10 το φθινόπωρο και τον χειμώνα. Ομοίως οι ελάχιστες τιμές του AOD550 υπάρχουν το φθινόπωρο και το χειμώνα ενώ των PM10 την άνοιξη και το καλοκαίρι. Το γεγονός αυτό βασίζεται στο ότι, εντός των ορίων του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, η βασική πηγή ρύπανσης είναι η κυκλοφορία των αυτοκινήτων. Επειδή κατά τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες ο κυκλοφοριακός φόρτος είναι περιορισμένος, αναμένεται να είναι μικρότερες και οι συγκεντρώσεις των αιωρούμενων σωματιδίων. / The spatial and temporal distribution of particulate matter is strongly influenced by local sources and the atmospheric circulation in the wider region. In this study, the levels of the optical depth of aerosols in Greece are examined, as well as the contribution of local sources on pollution. The following essential steps were followed: 1. Data analysis and possible trends of the aerosol optical depth over various regions of Greece 2. Comparison of the aerosol optical depth values among polluted regions, such as large cities and areas with increased industrial activity, and regions where the influence of local sources of pollution is very small 3. Estimation of the contribution of local sources of pollution in the above mentioned results. 4. Comparison of satellite estimations with ground based data. The study was based on the dataset of aerosol optical properties from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectoradiometer) instrument, located on Terra and Aqua satellites. The dataset covers a 9-year time period (February 2000 - September 2009) on the Terra spacecraft and 7 years (July 2002 - September 2009) on Aqua. The overpass times of the satellites Terra and Aqua above Greece are 9.35 ± 0.50 UTC and 11.34 ± 0.53 UTC, respectively. The average optical depth (AOD550) over Greece is 0.20±0.07 and 0.19±0.06, from the Terra and Aqua satellites respectively. The linear correlation coefficient between the satellite estimations of AOD550 from MODIS/Terra and MODIS/Aqua is 0.81. The time series analysis of aerosol optical depth reveals a seasonal variation with maximum levels occurring during March and April and during summertime. The seasonality could be attributed to the increased particulate matter of Sahara desert dust in the free troposphere and the transport of biomass burning during August, when the prevailing North East winds carry particulate matter from air polluted sites like the East Balkans. Generally, the higher AOD550 values appear in urban areas, such as the regions of Attica and Thessaloniki. Finally, it appears that 50-55% of the estimated optical depth could be attributed to anthropogenic sources. The results for the area of Ptolemais and central Peloponnese were examined thoroughly. Over those regions, the levels of local pollution sources that appear from Aqua, are much higher than those of Terra by +37.9% and +70.6% respectively. During the midday hours, when the Aqua satellite passes over the wider area of Ptolemais and central Peloponnese, the increased particulate matter could be attributed to the intensive operation of power plants. For this reason, the levels of local air pollution sources, observed from Aqua, are higher than those of Terra satellite, which passes over the sites in the early morning. For the region of Thessaloniki, the MODIS satellite data compared with ground based measurements of PM10 and PM2.5. When comparing AOD550 with PM10, there is no distinguished direct relation between them. On the contrary, the maximum satellite values of AOD550 appear during spring and summer, while the corresponding maximum values of PM10 are measured during autumn and winter. Likewise, the minimum AOD550 values appear in autumn and winter, while the PM10 appear during spring and summer. This is probably based on the fact that, in the limit area of the city of Thessalonica, the main source of pollution is car traffic. So, during summer months, when the traffic is low, the concentrations of particulate matter are expected to be lower.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-22T20:50:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-05-27. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-08-11T03:25:25Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 Publico-00212.pdf: 1245886 bytes, checksum: 4848d0e58992c5a9ff4b387a14c2534a (MD5) / Objetivos: Analisar a expressão das proteínas CD10 e NM23 por estudo imunohistoquímico do tecido do carcinoma colorretal e da mucosa adjacente. Avaliar a relação da expressão dessas proteínas com os aspectos anatomopatológicos da neoplasia, estadiamento clínico, ocorrência de metástases hepáticas e prognóstico dos doentes. Método: Cento e trinta doentes operados por carcinoma colorretal foram analisados. Bloco de tissue microarray foi confeccionado com tecido neoplásico e com a mucosa não neoplásica adjacente. Estudo imuno-histoquímico foi realizado com anticorpos monoclonais NM23 e CD10 no tecido neoplásico e no tecido não neoplásico da mucosa adjacente. A leitura foi realizada por aparelho de escaneamento de lâminas. A imunoexpressão foi avaliada pelo percentual de células coradas e foram obtidos escores de intensidade. Foram considerados como positivos para CD 10 os tumores que expressavam o marcador em mais de 10% das células neoplásicas. Para NM 23 considerou-se dois grupos divididos em fortes expressores (mais de 50%) e expressores fracos (menos de 50%) das células coradas. Os resultados foram relacionados com as características morfológicas e histopatológicas do carcinoma colorretal, estadiamento clínico, presença de metástases hepáticas e com o prognóstico. No estudo estatístico foram utilizados os testes de Mann-Whitney, Kruskal- Wallis e exato de Fisher. A sobrevivência foi avaliada utilizando a curva de Kaplan- Meier, e o desfecho de comparação entre as curvas foi calculado pelo teste de Long rank. Resultados: Ambos os marcadores CD10 e NM23 apresentaram expressão maior no tecido do carcinoma do que na mucosa não neoplásica adjacente (p<0,0001 para ambos). A imunoexpressão tecidual das proteínas NM23 e CD10 não apresentou relação com o grau de diferenciação celular (p=0,57 e p=0,48, respectivamente), invasão vascular (p=0,85 e p=0,67, respectivamente), invasão linfática (p=0,41 e 0,73, respectivamente), infiltração perineural (p=0,46 e p=0,24, respectivamente) e com o estadiamento pela classificação TNM (p=0,19 para ambos). A imunoexpressão de CD10 no tecido do carcinoma colorretal foi maior (p=0,05) nas neoplasias exofíticas do que nos tumores não exofíticos. A expressão das proteínas NM23 e CD10 não apresentou relação com a incidência de metástases linfonodais (p=0,08 e 0,30, respectivamente). A expressão tecidual dos marcadores NM23 e CD10 não se relacionou com a ocorrência de metástases hepáticas (p=0,59 e p=0,31, respectivamente). A sobrevivência livre de doença mostrou relação significante (p=0,01) com a maior intensidade de imunoexpressão da proteína NM23 no tecido do carcinoma colorretal, o mesmo não ocorrendo com a imunoexpressão da proteína CD10 (p=0,18). A sobrevivência global não mostrou relação com as expressões das proteínas NM23 e CD10 (p=0,13 e p=0,24, respectivamente). Conclusões: O tecido neoplásico do carcinoma colorretal expressou mais intensamente as proteínas NM23 e CD10 do que a mucosa não neoplásica adjacente. A imunoexpressão de CD10 no tecido do carcinoma colorretal foi maior (p=0,05) nas neoplasias exofíticas do que nos tumores não exofíticos. A expressão das proteínas NM23 e CD10 não se relacionou com os demais aspectos anatomopatológicos da neoplasia, com a presença de metástase hepática e com o estadiamento do carcinoma colorretal. Os doentes com imunoexpressão aumentada da proteína NM23 apresentaram sobrevivência livre de doença significativamente maior. A intensidade da imunoexpressão tecidual da proteína CD10 não influenciou a sobrevivência livre de doença e a sobrevivência global não se relacionou com a imunoexpressão das proteínas NM23 e CD10. / Aims: To analyze the tissue expression of the proteins CD 10 and NM 23 through the immunohistochemichal study of the colorectal carcinoma and evaluate the expression relation of these proteins with the anatomopathological aspects of the neoplasia, clinical staging, occurrence of hepatic metastasis and patients’ prognostic. Method: One hundred and thirty operated patients of colorectal carcinoma have been analyzed. A block of tissue microarray was produced with the neoplastic mucosa and with the adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa. An immunohistochemichal study was performed with monoclonal antibodies NM23 and CD10 on the neoplastic tissue and non-neoplastic tissue of the adjacent mucosa. The interpretation of the slides was made by a scanner device. The immunoexpression was evaluated by the percentage of colored cells and the obtained intensity scores. The results were related to the morphological and histopathological characteristics of the carcinoma, clinical staging, presence of hepatic metastasis and to the prognostic of the patients. In the statistic study were used the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Fisher’s exact test. The analysis of survival was conducted with the use of the Kaplan-Meier curve and the comparison conclusion between the curves was calculated through the Longrank test. Results: Both markers CD10 and NM23 presented a higher expression on the carcinoma tissue rather than on the non-neoplastic adjacent mucosa (p<0,0001 for both). The expression of the proteins NM23 and CD10 did not present any relation to the degree of cellular differentiation (p=0,57 and p=0,48, respectively) , vascular invasion (p=0,85 and p=0,67, respectively), lymphatic invasion (p=0,41and 0,73, respectively), perineural infiltration (p=0,46 and p=0,24, respectively) and with the staging by the TNM classification (p=0,19). The immunoexpression of CD10 on the colorectal carcinoma tissue was higher (p=0,15) on the exophytic neoplasias than on the non-exophytic tumors. The expression of the proteins NM23 and CD10 did not present any relation with the incidence of lymphonodal metastasis (p=0,08 and 0,30, respectively). The tissue expression of the markers NM23 and CD10 did not relate to the occurrence of hepatic metastasis (p=0,59 and 0,31 respectively). The disease-free survival disclosed a significant relation (p=0,01) with a higher intensity of immunoexpression of the protein NM23 on the colorectal carcinoma’s tissue. However, the same did not occur with the immunoexpression of the protein CD10 (p=0,18). The global survival did not show any relation with the expression of the proteins NM23 and CD10 (p=0,13 and p=0,24, respectively). Conclusions: The neoplastic tissue of the colorectal carcinoma expresses more intensely the proteins NM23 and CD10 than the adjacent nonneoplastic mucosa. The expression of the proteins NM23 and CD10 does not relate to the presence of lymphonodal metastasis, hepatic metastasis, degree of cellular differentiation, colonic or rectal localization of the neoplasia, presence of vascular and/or lymphatic invasion, presence of neural infiltration and the staging of the colorectal carcinoma. The patients with increased immunoexpression of the protein NM23 presented a disease-free survival significantly higher. The intensity of the tissue immunoexpression of the protein CD10 did not influence the disease-free survival. The global survival does not relate to the immunoexpression of the proteins NM23 and CD10. / TEDE / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

No description available.

Maintenance of a topological homeostasis by introduction and removal of the supercoils to relieve excessive strain on the DNA is a hallmark of topoisomerase function in the cell. The requirement of the topoisomerases during DNA transaction processes marks a ubiquitous presence of the enzymes in all the life forms. Different reactions carried out by the enzymes include relaxation of positive and negative supercoils required majorly during DNA replication and transcription, decatenation at the end of DNA replication to separate the daughter chromosomes and removal of lethal knots generated in the circular chromosome. In eubacteria, the enzymes introduce negative supercoils to facilitate easier strand separation for DNA transaction processes. However, in thermophiles, a different enzyme maintains the genome in a positively supercoiled form to protect from denaturation by excessive heat. These varied functions are carried out by different topoisomerases. Therefore, each organism maintains a minimum required set of the enzymes and the absence of a certain enzyme may be compensated for by topoisomerases with dual functions. For example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and many other slow growing mycobacteria do not possess topoisomerase IV or its homologs. In these organisms, the DNA gyrase is suggested to carry out both negative supercoiling and decatenation reactions. Therefore, the mycobacterial DNA gyrase must be able to manage between both the functions in vivo. In contrast, Mycobacterium smegmatis and few other mycobacteria contain an additional type II topoisomerase which does not resemble any known type II enzyme but could catalyze relaxation and decatenation reactions. Importantly, the enzyme displays a unique ability to introduce limited positive supercoils and may have certain functions inside the cell which remains to be studied. Owing to the indispensability for bacterial survival topoisomerases present themselves as important drug targets. A large number of inhibitors have been found to inhibit the enzyme and thereby killing the bacterial. Among these, quinolones are successfully being used as broad spectrum antibacterial drugs. Although the commonly used quinolones inhibit many bacterial pathogens, a reduced susceptibility is exhibited by some of the pathogens e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis. To circumvent the lower efficacy of existing drugs, new and modified quinolones have been developed which are highly effective against mycobacteria. The difference in the susceptibility may be conferred by a difference in the chemical property of the drug and the interacting residues present in the enzyme. In the present thesis efforts have been made to understand the mechanism of the type II topoisomerases from mycobacteria and drug action on these enzymes. The thesis is divided into four chapters. In Chapter I of the thesis an introduction is provided on the topoisomerases, their classification and different reactions catalyzed by these enzymes. As the work in present thesis has been carried out with type II topoisomerases, introduction of type II enzymes, their structure and mechanisms is elaborated. DNA gyrase, its mechanism of reaction and in vitro and in vivo functions are explained in great detail. DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV are targeted by a range of different inhibitors. These different classes of inhibitors and their mechanism of action are described. Finally, the mechanism of mycobacterial DNA gyrase with structural information and the current understanding of quinolone action on the enzyme are explained. The chapter ends with the objective of the study in the present thesis. In chapter II, the studies are aimed at understanding the molecular basis for decatenation carried out by mycobacterial DNA gyrase. Previous work from the laboratory showed that the enzyme can carry out decatenation more efficiently than its homolog from E. coli. It was shown that the mycobacterial enzyme binds two DNA molecules in trans in a length dependent manner. The ability to bind the second DNA is conferred upon the holoenzyme by ATPase subunit (GyrB) subunit which alone can bind DNA. Similar studies using topo IV from E. coli, the strongest known decatenase showed binding of two DNA molecules and the second DNA binding by ATPase (ParE) subunit. However, GyrB subunit from E. coli DNA gyrase, a weaker decatenase, does not bind second DNA molecule efficiently. The results provide a general mechanism for decatenation by type II enzymes in which efficient binding of second DNA is important. In Chapter III, studies have been carried out using topo NM, an atypical type II topoisomerase from Mycobacterium smegmatis. The enzyme has been characterized previously in the laboratory. In addition to efficient decatenation and relaxation, the enzyme exhibits a unique ability to introduce positive supercoils into the DNA. As demonstrated for the mycobacterial DNA gyrase and topo IV in the Chapter II, the ATPase subunit (Topo N) of topo NM, binds second DNA efficiently. The binding of both gate and transport segments increases with the length of the DNA. Binding of two DNA molecules by the holoenzyme appears to be a cumulative effect of DNA binding to individual subunits. In the absence of any inhibitor, the enzyme accumulates cleaved DNA products with shorter DNA but not with larger DNA. The cleavage of the shorter DNA is supported only in the presence of Mg2+ and Mn2+. Another important property of the enzyme is to introduce positive supercoils which appears to be due to its efficient utilization of ATP and a high rate of reaction. Chapter IV deals with the interaction of mycobacterial gyrase with fluoroquinolones (FQs). Although DNA gyrase is the sole target of the FQs in M. tuberculosis, the lower susceptibility to commonly used FQs have led to the studies to find out more effective quinolones. Previous studies from the laboratory showed a lower susceptibility of the mycobacterial gyrase to ciprofloxacin, but moxifloxacin could inhibit the enzyme efficiently. The better inhibition by moxifloxacin appears to be due to efficient trapping of the enzyme-DNA covalent complex. Both ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin bind the DNA gyrase from mycobacteria, E. coli and E. coli topo IV, independent of DNA. The extent of binding also correlates with the inhibition potential of the drug against a given enzyme. A general model of quinolone enzyme interaction is provided wherein the quinolones are shown to interact with GyrA subunit or holoenzyme or the enzyme- DNA complex which would finally result in the trapping of the covalent complex.

While a lot of time and resources have been placed into transceiver design, due to the pace of a conventional engineering design process, the design of a power amplifier is often completed using scattered resources; and not always in a methodological manner, and frequently even by an iterative trial and error process. In this thesis, a research question is posed which enables for the investigation of the possibility of streamlining the design flow for power amplifiers. After thorough theoretical investigation of existing power amplifier design methods and modelling, inductors inevitably used in power amplifier design were identified as a major drawback to efficient design, even when examples of inductors are packaged in design HIT-Kits. The main contribution of this research is engineering of an inductor design process, which in-effect contributes towards enhancing conventional power amplifiers. This inductance search algorithm finds the highest quality factor configuration of a single-layer square spiral inductor within certain tolerance using formulae for inductance and inductor parasitics of traditional single-π inductor model. Further contribution of this research is a set of algorithms for the complete design of switch-mode (Class-E and Class-F) power amplifiers and their output matching networks. These algorithms make use of classic deterministic design equations so that values of parasitic components can be calculated given input parameters, including required output power, centre frequency, supply voltage, and choice of class of operation. The hypothesis was satisfied for SiGe BiCMOS S35 process from Austriamicrosystems (AMS). Several metal-3 and thick-metal inductors were designed using the abovementioned algorithm and compared with experimental results provided by AMS. Correspondence was established between designed, experimental and EM simulation results, enabling qualification of inductors other than those with experimental results available from AMS by means of EM simulations with average relative errors of 3.7% for inductors and 21% for the Q factor at its peak frequency. For a wide range of inductors, Q-factors of 10 and more were readily experienced. Furthermore, simulations were performed for number of Class-E and Class-F amplifier configurations with HBTs with ft greater than 60 GHz and total emitter area of 96 μm² as driving transistors to complete the hypothesis testing. For the complete PA system design (including inductors), simulations showed that switch-mode power amplifiers for 50 Ω load at 2.4 GHz centre frequency can be designed using the streamlined method of this research for the output power of about 6 dB less than aimed. This power loss was expected, since it can be attributed to non-ideal properties of the driving transistor and Q-factor limitations of the integrated inductors, assumptions which the computations of the routine were based on. Although these results were obtained for a single micro-process, it was further speculated that outcome of this research has a general contribution, since streamlined method can be used with a much wider range of CMOS and BiCMOS processes, when low-gigahertz operating power amplifiers are needed. This theory was confirmed by means of simulation and fabrication in 180 nm BiCMOS process from IBM, results of which were also presented. The work presented here, was combined with algorithms for SPICE netlist extraction and the spiral inductor layout extraction (CIF and GDSII formats). This secondary research outcome further contributed to the completeness of the design flow. All the above features showed that the routine developed here is substantially better than cut-and-try methods for design of power amplifiers found in the existing body of knowledge. / Thesis (PhD(Eng))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted

Each year in Sweden, users in support services are invited to participate in a user survey investigating their perceived quality of care. Results of this survey on a municipal level have never been analysed. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to use survey results from 2019 to investigate differences between support services pursuant to the Swedish Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS): daily activity, service home and group home. Furthermore, Self Determination Theory was used to consider the potential associations between the results of the user survey and the three basic psychological needs for self-determined behavior within the theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In addition, user-staff communication was analysed. For examining differences, Welch’s ANOVAs were performed. Comparisons between the support services were made for seven questions from the user survey. Results showed significant differences between the support services for all questions included. Post hoc-analyses revealed that daily activity differed significantly from service home and group home for all questions and had the higher mean for all but one question. Significant differences between service home and group home were found for two questions. These findings indicate that there is still work left to be done for increasing the self-determination of users in different support services on a municipal level. Potential reasons for these differences were discussed. Furthermore, it was concluded that Self-determination theory provided a useful framework for analyses of user experiences of self-determination as associated to the user survey questions.

In this project, the performance aspects of a new early generation 1310 nm Sampled-Grating Distributed Bragg Reflector (SG-DBR) semiconductor laser are investigated. SG-DBR lasers are ideal for Source Swept Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT), a Fourier-Domain based approach for OCT, necessitating a tunable wavelength source. Three internal sections control the frequency output for tuning, along with two amplifiers for amplitude control. These O-band SG-DBR devices are now being produced in research quantities. SG-DBR lasers have been produced at 1550 and 1600 nm for some times. Fundamental questions regarding the performance of the 1310 nm devices must be quantified. Standard metrics including the laser linewidth, amplitude modulation and frequency modulation responses are characterized. The intrinsic electrical parasitics of the laser diode segments and packaging are also investigated. In addition, testing fixture including a Thermal Electric Cooler (TEC) controller is for the characterization task. Measurements of these key metrics are essential to the enhancement of future devices, aiding in the optimization of more mature products.

No description available.

Genetic variation was examined in two endangered mussel species, Epioblasma brevidens and E. capsaeformis, and a common species Lampsilis fasciola, in the Clinch River, TN, by screening mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and nuclear DNA microsatellites. These species use fish hosts with varying dispersal capabilities, ranging from low, moderate, and high, respectively. Patterns of mtDNA polymorphism exhibited different trends for long-term population sizes for each species during the Holocene (~10,000 ya to present); namely, E. brevidens has declined over time, E. capsaeformis has remained stable, and L. fasciola has expanded. Long-term effective population size (Ne) was smallest in E. brevidens, intermediate in E. capsaeformis, and highest in L. fasciola. Moderately diverged mtDNA lineages, perhaps indicative of secondary contact, were observed in E. brevidens and E. capsaeformis. High levels of gene flow (Nm) were estimated among demes of L. fasciola using traditional F-statistics and likelihood estimates of Nm, whereas such metrics were lower in E. brevidens and E. capsaeformis. Data are consistent with population dynamics and life history traits of each species and their fish hosts. Age, shell growth, and population demography of Epioblasma brevidens, E. capsaeformis, and Lampsilis fasciola were studied from 2004-2007 in a 32-km reach of the Clinch River, TN. Observed maximum age and length of E. brevidens was 28 y and 71.5 mm for males and 11 y and 56.6 mm for females; of E. capsaeformis, 12 y and 54.6 mm for males and 9 y and 48.6 mm for females; and of L. fasciola, 45 y and 91.3 mm for males and 13 y and 62.6 mm for females. For all three species, observed maximum age and length was greater among males than females. Estimated population size in this river reach was approximately 43,000 individuals for E. brevidens, 579,000 individuals for E. capsaeformis, and 30,000 individuals for L. fasciola. Mean recruitment y-1 of 1 y-old E. brevidens ranged from 7.1% to 20%, of E. capsaeformis from 4.0% to 32.4%, and of L. fasciola from 5.8% to 25.6%. Population growth rate y-1 was 24.9% for E. brevidens, 34.6% for E. capsaeformis, and -22.4% for L. fasciola. Mortality rates of females were higher than for males of E. capsaeformis and L. fasciola, but not E. brevidens. Juvenile mussels were collected but temporally and spatially variable in occurrence, and a significant component of the age-class structure of all three species. Recruitment was very high during 2006-2007 for E. capsaeformis and other species, likely due to low river discharges in the spring-summer of 2005-2007. Surplus individuals of E. brevidens and E. capsaeformis are currently available to conduct translocations for restoration purposes. Population modeling of Epioblasma brevidens and E. capsaeformis in the Clinch River was conducted to determine suitable harvest levels for translocation of sub-adults and adults, and to determine quantitative criteria for evaluating performance and recovery of extant and reintroduced populations. For both species, the recommended annual harvest was <1% of local population size to minimize risk of decline. Reintroduction modeling indicated that size of the initial population created during a 5 y build-up phase greatly affected final population size at 25 y, being similar to size at the end of the build-up phase, especially when expected growth rate was low, (e.g., 1-2%). Excluding age-0 individuals, age-1 juveniles or recruits on average comprised approximately 11% and 15% of a stable population of each species, respectively. The age-class distribution of a stable or growing population was characterized by multiple cohorts, to include juvenile recruits, sub-adults, and adults. Molecular genetic and demographic data indicated that the ratio of Ne/Nc was ~5% for both species. Based on this ratio and predicted declines of genetic variation at different population sizes, target sizes for reintroduced or recovered populations of each species should be ≥5,000 individuals (Ne=250) and ≥10,000 individuals (Ne=500), respectively, and should be comprised of multiple smaller demes spread throughout a river. Populations of both species are currently large enough to sustain harvest for translocation and reintroduction purposes, offering an effective species recovery strategy. / Ph. D.