Floating-body SOI memory: Concepts, physics and challenges

We present an overview of the single-transistor memory cells (lT-DRAMs), which are based on floating-body effects in SOI MOSFETs. The typical device architectures, principles of operation and key mechanisms for programming are described. The various approaches (Z-RAM, MSDRAM, etc) are compared in terms of performance and potential for aggressive scaling. ©The Electrochemical Society.

Cross-comparison of fast reactor concepts with various coolants

Four fast reactor concepts using lead (LFR), liquid salt, NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 (LSFR), sodium (SFR), and supercritical CO2 (GFR) coolants are compared. Since economy of scale and power conversion system compactness are the same by virtue of the consistent 2400 MWt rating and use of the S-CO2 power conversion system, the achievable plant thermal efficiency, core power density and core specific powers become the dominant factors. The potential to achieve the highest efficiency among the four reactor concepts can be ranked from highest to lowest as follows: (1) GFR, (2) LFR and LSFR, and (3) SFR. Both the lead- and salt-cooled designs achieve about 30% higher power density than the gas-cooled reactor, but attain power density 3 times smaller than that of the sodium-cooled reactor. Fuel cycle costs are favored for the sodium reactor by virtue of its high specific power of 65 kW/kgHM compared to the lead, salt and gas reactor values of 45, 35, and 21 kW/kgHM, respectively. In terms of safety, all concepts can be designed to accommodate the unprotected limiting accidents through passive means in a self-controllable manner. However, it does not seem to be a preferable option for the GFR where the active or semi-passive approach will likely result in a more economic and reliable plant. Lead coolant with its superior neutronic characteristics and the smallest coolant temperature reactivity coefficient is easiest to design for self-controllability, while the LSFR requires special reactivity devices to overcome its large positive coolant temperature coefficient. The GFR required a special core design using BeO diluent and a supercritical CO2 reflector to achieve negative coolant void worth-one of the conditions necessary for inherent shutdown following large LOCA. Protected accidents need to be given special attention in the LSFR and LFR due to the small margin to freezing of their coolants, and to a lesser extent in the SFR. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The new concepts and new developments in hte theory of polymer crystallization

Recently a debate about the initial crystallization process which has not been the hotspot for a long time since the theory proposed by Hoffman- Lauritzen (LH) dominated the field arose again. For a long time the Hoffman-Lauritzen model was always confronted by criticism,and some of the points were taken up and led to modifications, but the foundation remained unchanged which deemed that before the nucleation and crystallization the system was uniform. In this article the classical nucleation and growth theory of polymer crystallization was reviewed, and the confusion of the explanations to the polymer crystallization phenomenon was pointed out. LH theory assumes that the growth of lamellae is by the direct attachment of chain sequences from the melt onto smooth lateral sides.

SOME NEWER CONCEPTS OF ETHYLENE ALPHA-OLEFIN COPOLYMERIZATION ON HETEROGENEOUS ZIEGLER-NATTA CATALYSTS

Unsteady diffusion kinetic, recently advanced by this laboratory, is applied to the examination of some polymerization and molecular chain structure problems. Hitherto deemed "anomalous" phenomena, such as the faster rate of copolymerization of ethylene/alpha-olefin than the homopolymerization of ethylene and the enrichment in the incorporation of a higher alpha-olefin in its copolymerization with ethylene by a lower alpha-olefin, are reasonably explained by unsteady diffusion of monomers. Molecular chain structure of copolymers, such as compositional heterogeneity and its dependence on comonomer incorporation originates from the difference in diffusion coefficients of the monomers. A copolymer composition equation taking into consideration the unsteady diffusion was developed. In cases where simulated curves were compared with experimental curves, good agreements were found.

Checklists for grading object-oriented CS1 programs: concepts and misconceptions

Sanders, K. and Thomas, L. 2007. Checklists for grading object-oriented CS1 programs: concepts and misconceptions. In Proceedings of the 12th Annual SIGCSE Conference on innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (Dundee, Scotland, June 25 - 27, 2007). ITiCSE '07. ACM, New York, NY, 166-170

Intention and Causation in Medical Non-Killing: The impact of criminal law concepts on euthanasia and assisted suicide

null RAE2008

Corporations and corporate governance: what do these concepts mean for multinational corporate power and social responsibility?

International Journal of Liability and Scientific Enquiry 2007 - Vol. 1, No.1/2 pp. 29 - 49 RAE2008

Barnacle cement: a polymerization model based on evolutionary concepts.

Enzymes and biochemical mechanisms essential to survival are under extreme selective pressure and are highly conserved through evolutionary time. We applied this evolutionary concept to barnacle cement polymerization, a process critical to barnacle fitness that involves aggregation and cross-linking of proteins. The biochemical mechanisms of cement polymerization remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that this process is biochemically similar to blood clotting, a critical physiological response that is also based on aggregation and cross-linking of proteins. Like key elements of vertebrate and invertebrate blood clotting, barnacle cement polymerization was shown to involve proteolytic activation of enzymes and structural precursors, transglutaminase cross-linking and assembly of fibrous proteins. Proteolytic activation of structural proteins maximizes the potential for bonding interactions with other proteins and with the surface. Transglutaminase cross-linking reinforces cement integrity. Remarkably, epitopes and sequences homologous to bovine trypsin and human transglutaminase were identified in barnacle cement with tandem mass spectrometry and/or western blotting. Akin to blood clotting, the peptides generated during proteolytic activation functioned as signal molecules, linking a molecular level event (protein aggregation) to a behavioral response (barnacle larval settlement). Our results draw attention to a highly conserved protein polymerization mechanism and shed light on a long-standing biochemical puzzle. We suggest that barnacle cement polymerization is a specialized form of wound healing. The polymerization mechanism common between barnacle cement and blood may be a theme for many marine animal glues.