A low-power silicon-on-insulator PWM discriminator for biomedical applications

A CMOS/SOI circuit to decode PWM signals is presented as part of a body-implanted neurostimulator for visual prosthesis. Since encoded data is the sole input to the circuit, the decoding technique is based on a double-integration concept and does not require dc filtering. Nonoverlapping control phases are internally derived from the incoming pulses and a fast-settling comparator ensures good discrimination accuracy in the megahertz range. The circuit was integrated on a 2 mu m single-metal SOI fabrication process and has an effective area of 2mm(2) Typically, the measured resolution of encoding parameter a was better than 10% at 6MHz and V-DD=3.3V. Stand-by consumption is around 340 mu W. Pulses with frequencies up to 15MHz and alpha = 10% can be discriminated for V-DD spanning from 2.3V to 3.3V. Such an excellent immunity to V-DD deviations meets a design specification with respect to inherent coupling losses on transmitting data and power by means of a transcutaneous link.

Effects of soil and foliar application of soluble silicon on mineral nutrition, gas exchange, and growth of potato plants

Silicon can alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses in several crops, and it has beneficial effects on plants under nonstressed conditions. However, there is still doubt about foliar-applied Si efficiency and Si effects on mineral nutrition, physiological processes, and growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants under wellwatered conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil and foliar application of soluble Si on Si accumulation, nutrients, and pigments concentration as well as gas exchange and growth of potato plants. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions in pots containing 35 dm3 of a Typic Acrortox soil. The treatments consisted of a control (no Si application), soil application of soluble Si (50 mg dm-3 Si), and foliar application of soluble Si (three sprays of 1.425 mM Si water solution, prepared with a soluble concentrate stabilized silicic acid), with eight replications. Both soil and foliar application of Si resulted in higher Si accumulation in the whole plant. Foliar application of Si resulted in the greatest Si concentration in leaves, and soil application increased Si concentration in leaves, stems, and roots. Silicon application, regardless of the application method, increased leaf area, specific leaf area, and pigment concentration (chlorophyll a and carotenoids) as well as photosynthesis and transpiration rates of wellwatered potato plants. However, only soil application increased P concentration in leaves and dry weight of leaves and stems. © Crop Science Society of America.

Adubação foliar com silício na cultura do milho

Inúmeros trabalhos têm demonstrado o efeito benéfico da adubação com silício sobre o acréscimo da produção de diversas culturas, como, por exemplo, arroz, cana-de-açúcar e batata. No entanto, são escassas as informações sobre os benefícios nutricionais do silício para a cultura do milho. Desta maneira, objetivou-se, neste estudo, avaliar o efeito de doses e épocas de aplicação de silício, via foliar, nas características agronômicas e na produtividade do milho, cultivado no ano agrícola 2007/2008. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial (4 x 3) + 1, com quatro repetições, envolvendo doses de silício (130, 260, 390 e 520 g ha-1 de Si) aplicadas via foliar, épocas de aplicação (2, 5 e 8 folhas expandidas) e uma testemunha (sem aplicação de Si). As variáveis analisadas foram altura das plantas e a inserção da primeira espiga, diâmetro de colmo, índice de clorofila foliar, teor foliar de silício, número de grãos por espiga, massa de 100 grãos e produtividade de grãos. O silício aplicado via foliar influenciou somente o teor foliar de Si.

Silício como indutor de resistência no controle do tripes do prateamento Enneothrips flavens Moulton, 1941 (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) e seus reflexos na produtividade do amendoinzeiro

O tripes do prateamento, Enneothrips flavens Moulton, 1941, é considerado a principal praga do amendoim no Brasil, por sua ocorrência generalizada, pelos elevados níveis populacionais e pelos danos causados a cultura. Objetivou-se, com este trabalho, avaliar o efeito do silício sobre a população de E. flavens e sobre a produtividade do amendoinzeiro. Avaliaram-se, semanalmente, 10 folíolos abertos ou semi-abertos no terço superior das plantas do cultivar IAC 886, por parcela. Os tratamentos foram constituídos por: uma aplicação foliar de silício realizada aos 20 dias após a emergência, duas aplicações foliares de silício realizadas aos 20 e 55 dias, e o controle. Uma aplicação de silício proporcionou proteção às plantas de amendoim, reduzindo o número de adultos e ninfas do tripes de E. flavens e aumentou a produtividade da cultura em 31,30% de amendoim em casca e 28,85% em grãos.

Silício na tolerância ao alumínio por plantas de arroz

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Efeito das concentrações de nitrogênio e silício em plantas de milho e de trigo sob cultivo hidropônico

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Efeito do silício aplicado no solo e em pulverização foliar na incidência da lagarta do cartucho na cultura do milho

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Genótipos de feijoeiro, silício e nim no controle de Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) biótipo B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Calacarus heveae Feres (Eriophyidae) e Tenuipalpus heveae Baker (Tenuipalpidae) em seringueira: planos de amostragem, efeito da adubação silicatada no desenvolvimento populacional e validação de escala de notas para avaliação do desfolhamento

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Acúmulo de massa seca na soja em resposta a aplicação foliar com silício sob condições de déficit hídrico

The foliar fertilization with silicon has promoted several actions beneficial to plants, among them is greater drought tolerance, however, for the soybean, there is little information on these benefits in this condition. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of silicon on leaf, the dry matter accumulation of soybean in their reproductive stages, where the crop water stress suffered during the same. The experiment was carried out at the Plant Science Unit Aquidauana University - State University of Mato Grosso do Sul. The statistical design was a randomized block split plot with four replications. The plots were represented by cultivar 5DR615, the subplots consisted of the application (with or without) silicon, whose source was used KSi. Was measured the height and identified the development stage of all plants, separating them into stem + branches, leaves + petioles, pods capsules and seed. Foliar applications of silicon increased dry matter accumulation during the reproductive stage of soybean, where the highest values occurred in the R6 stage. Under conditions of water deficit, foliar application of silicon on soybean provided normal plant development, generating greater dry mass of stem + branches, leaves + petioles, pods capsules and seeds throughout their reproductive phase, with the highest values obtained at R6 stage (35 days after R2).

Silício e amônio na nutrição e no crescimento de brássicas

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Produção Vegetal) - FCAV

Filossilicatos: efeitos no crescimento e na nutrição de plantas de milho e no teor de silício do solo

Importance of silicon fertilization is related to the benefits that silicon is able to promote tolerance to heavy metals, reduce the incidence of pests and diseases, increased productivity, drought tolerance, among others. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phyllosilicates effect on biomass formation, nutrients and silicon on the early stages of corn plants compared to wollastonite. Experiment was installed and conducted in a greenhouse located at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP, in Registro, SP. Consisting of 10 treatments established in a randomized block design in scheme factorial (2 x 5), with five replications. First factor corresponds to the two types of soil (Oxisol and Ultisol) and the second factor, five treatments (control, 0 kg ha-1 Si; wollastonite W13, 13 kg ha-1 Si; wollastonite W26, 26 kg ha-1 Si; phyllosilicates F13, 13 kg ha-1 Si; phyllosilicates F26, 26 kg ha-1 Si). In Ultisol, phyllosilicates increased production of fresh, dry biomass and silicon content in shoots of corn compared to treatment with wollastonite and control. Highest Si content compared to control (6.2 g kg-1) was obtained with 13 kg ha-1 Si of phyllosilicates (9.8 g kg-1). The greatest accumulation mass and Si in plants by applying phyllosilicates were observed in Ultisol, although this display Si content higher than Oxisol.

Effects of Silicon and Drought Stress on Tuber Yield and Leaf Biochemical Characteristics in Potato

Silicon has beneficial effects on many crops, mainly under biotic and abiotic stresses. Silicon can affect biochemical, physiological, and photosynthetic processes and, consequently, alleviates drought stress. However, the effects of Si on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants under drought stress are still unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Si supply on some biochemical characteristics and yield of potato tubers, either exposed or not exposed to drought stress. The experiment was conducted in pots containing 50 dm(3) of a Typic Acrortox soil (33% clay, 4% silt, and 63% sand). The treatments consisted of the absence or presence of Si application (0 and 284.4 mg dm(-3)), through soil amelioration with dolomitic lime and Ca and Mg silicate, and in the absence or presence of water deficit (-0.020 MPa and -0.050 MPa soil water potential, respectively), with eight replications. Silicon application and water deficit resulted in the greatest Si concentration in potato leaves. Proline concentrations increased under lower water availability and higher Si availability in the soil, which indicates that Si may be associated with plant osmotic adjustment. Water deficit and Si application decreased total sugars and soluble proteins concentrations in the leaves. Silicon application reduced stalk lodging and increased mean tuber weight and, consequently, tuber yield, especially in the absence of water stress.

Separating interface state response from parasitic effects in conductance measurements on organic metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors

A simple model is developed for the admittance of a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitor which includes the effect of a guard ring surrounding the Ohmic contact to the semiconductor. The model predicts most of the features observed in a MIS capacitor fabricated using regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) as the active semiconductor and polysilsesquioxane as the gate insulator. In particular, it shows that when the capacitor is driven into accumulation, the parasitic transistor formed by the guard ring and Ohmic contact can give rise to an additional feature in the admittance-voltage plot that could be mistaken for interface states. When this artifact and underlying losses in the bulk semiconductor are accounted for, the remaining experimental feature, a peak in the loss-voltage plot when the capacitor is in depletion, is identified as an interface (or near interface) state of density of similar to 4 x 10(10) cm(-2) eV(-1). Application of the model shows that exposure of a vacuum-annealed device to laboratory air produces a rapid change in the doping density in the channel region of the parasitic transistor but only slow changes in the bulk semiconductor covered by the gold Ohmic contact. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Determining the interfacial density of states in metal-insulator-semiconductor devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)

Low frequency admittance measurements are used to determine the density of interface states in metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes based on the unintentionally doped, p-type semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene). After vacuum annealing at 90 degrees C, interface hole trapping states are shown to be distributed in energy with their density decreasing approximately linearly from similar to 20x10(10) to 5x10(10) cm(-2) eV(-1) over an energy range extending from 0.05 to 0.25 eV above the bulk Fermi level. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.