This work deals with the multi-objective optimization of analog circuits by generating the Pareto front where elements are low sensitive to parameters' variations. NSGA-II is used for obtaining the non-dominated solutions. Richardson extrapolation technique is used for the in-loop optimization approach for computing partial derivatives and, thus, the solutions' sensitivity. NSGA-II Pareto fronts' intrinsic ranking is exploited for the generation of the new ‘low-sensitive’ Pareto front. The case of the optimal sizing of a CMOS voltage follower is considered to exemplify the proposed approach.

In this study, we report solution-processed amorphous zinc tin oxide transistors exhibiting high operational stability under positive gate bias stress, translated by a recoverable threshold voltage shift of about 20{%} of total applied stress voltage. Under vacuum condition, the threshold voltage shift saturates showing that the gate-bias stress is limited by trap exhaustion or balance between trap filling and emptying mechanism. In ambient atmosphere, the threshold voltage shift no longer saturates, stability is degraded and the recovering process is impeded. We suggest that the trapping time during the stress and detrapping time in recovering are affected by oxygen adsorption/desorption processes. The time constants extracted from stretched exponential fitting curves are ≈106 s and 105 s in vacuum and air, respectively.

Here we present for the first time a TiO2/Cu2O all-oxide heterojunction solar cell entirely produced by spray pyrolysis onto fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) covered glass substrates, using silver as a back contact. A combinatorial approach was chosen to investigate the impact of the TiO2 window layer and the Cu2O light absorber thicknesses. We observe an open circuit voltage up to 350 mV and a short circuit current density which is strongly dependent of the Cu2O thickness, reaching a maximum of {\~{}}0.4 mA/cm2. Optical investigation reveals that a thickness of 300 nm spray pyrolysis deposited Cu2O is sufficient to absorb most photons with an energy above the symmetry allowed optical transition of 2.5 eV, indicating that the low current densities are caused by strong recombination in the absorber that consists of small Cu2O grains.

The historically-famous Lotus Fortress site, a deep 1.5–3.0-meter-high, 200-meter-long horizonal notch high up in near-vertical sandstone cliffs comprising the Cretaceous Jiaguan Formation, has been known since the 13th Century as an impregnable defensive position. The site is also extraordinary for having multiple tetrapod track-bearing levels, of which the lower two form the floor of part of the notch, and yield very well preserved asseamblages of ornithopod, bird (avian theropod) and pterosaur tracks. Trackway counts indicate that ornithopods dominate (69%) accounting for at least 165 trackmakers, followed by bird (18%), sauropod (10%), and pterosaur (3%). Previous studies designated Lotus Fortress as the type locality of Caririchnium lotus and Wupus agilis both of which are recognized here as valid ichnotaxa. On the basis of multiple parallel trackways both are interpreted as representing the trackways of gregarious species. C. lotus is redescribed here in detail and interpreted to indicate two age cohorts representing subadults that were sometimes bipedal and larger quadrupedal adults. Two other previously described dinosaurian ichnospecies, are here reinterpreted as underprints and considered nomina dubia. Like a growing number of significant tetrapod tracksites in China the Lotus Fortress site reveals new information about the composition of tetrapod faunas from formations in which the skeletal record is sparse. In particular, the site shows the relatively high abundance of Caririchium in a region where saurischian ichnofaunas are often dominant. It is also the only site known to have yielded Wupus agilis. In combination with information from other tracksites from the Jiaguan formation and other Cretaceous formations in the region, the track record is proving increasingly impotant as a major source of information on the vertebrate faunas of the region. The Lotus Fortress site has been developed as a spectacular, geologically-, paleontologically- and a culturally-significant destination within Qijiang National Geological Park.

Let \(\mathcal{M}_{X,w}(\mathbb{R})\) denote the algebra of the Fourier multipliers on a separable weighted Banach function space \(X(\mathbb{R},w)\). We prove that if the Cauchy singular integral operator \(S\) is bounded on \(X(\mathbb{R},w)\), then \(\mathcal{M}_{X,w}(\mathbb{R})\) is continuously embedded into \(L^\infty(\mathbb{R})\). An important consequence of the continuous embedding \(\mathcal{M}_{X,w}(\mathbb{R})\subset L^\infty(\mathbb{R})\) is that \(\mathcal{M}_{X,w}(\mathbb{R})\) is a Banach algebra.

We study the boundedness of Fourier convolution operators \(W^0(b)\) and the compactness of commutators of \(W^0(b)\) with multiplication operators \(aI\) on some Banach function spaces \(X(\mathbb{R})\) for certain classes of piecewise quasicontinuous functions \(a\in PQC\) and piecewise slowly oscillating Fourier multipliers \(b\in PSO_{X,1}^\diamond\). We suppose that \(X(\mathbb{R})\) is a separable rearrangement-invariant space with nontrivial Boyd indices or a reflexive variable Lebesgue space, in which the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator is bounded. Our results complement those of Isaac De La Cruz-Rodríguez, Yuri Karlovich, and Iván Loreto Hernández obtained for Lebesgue spaces with Muckenhoupt weights.

Abstract The bond behavior between Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) and masonry substrates has been the subject of many studies during the last years. Recent accelerated aging tests have shown that bond degradation and \{FRP\} delamination are likely to occur in FRP-strengthened masonry components under hygrothermal conditions. While an investigation on the possible methods to improve the durability of these systems is necessary, the applicability of different bond repair methods should also be studied. This paper aims at investigating the debonding mechanisms after repairing delaminated FRP-strengthened masonry components. FRP-strengthened brick specimens, after being delaminated, are repaired with two different adhesives: a conventional epoxy resin and a highly flexible polymer. The latter is used as an innovative adhesive in structural applications. The bond behavior in the repaired specimens is investigated by performing single-lap shear bond tests. Digital image correlation (DIC) is used for deeper investigation of the surface deformation and strains development. The effectiveness of the repair methods is discussed and compared with the strengthened specimens.

Let \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) be orientation-preserving diffeomorphism (shifts) of \(\mathbb{R}_+=(0,\infty)\) onto itself with the only fixed points \(0\) and \(\infty\), where the derivatives \(\alpha'\) and \(\beta'\) may have discontinuities of slowly oscillating type at \(0\) and \(\infty\). For \(p\in(1,\infty)\), we consider the weighted shift operators \(U_\alpha\) and \(U_\beta\) given on the Lebesgue space \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\) by \(U_\alpha f=(\alpha')^{1/p}(f\circ\alpha)\) and \(U_\beta f=(\beta')^{1/p}(f\circ\beta)\). For \(i,j\in\mathbb{Z}\) we study the simplest weighted singular integral operators with two shifts \(A_{ij}=U_\alpha^i P_\gamma^++U_\beta^j P_\gamma^-\) on \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\), where \(P_\gamma^\pm=(I\pm S_\gamma)/2\) are operators associated to the weighted Cauchy singular integral operator \[ (S_\gamma f)(t)=\frac{1}{\pi i}\int_{\mathbb{R}_+} \left(\frac{t}{\tau}\right)^\gamma\frac{f(\tau)}{\tau-t}d\tau \] with \(\gamma\in\mathbb{C}\) satisfying \(0<1/p+\Re\gamma<1\). We prove that the operator \(A_{ij}\) is a Fredholm operator on \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\) and has zero index if \[ 0<\frac{1}{p}+\Re\gamma+\frac{1}{2\pi}\inf_{t\in\mathbb{R}_+}(\omega_{ij}(t)\Im\gamma), \quad \frac{1}{p}+\Re\gamma+\frac{1}{2\pi}\sup_{t\in\mathbb{R}_+}(\omega_{ij}(t)\Im\gamma)<1, \] where \(\omega_{ij}(t)=\log[\alpha_i(\beta_{-j}(t))/t]\) and \(\alpha_i\), \(\beta_{-j}\) are iterations of \(\alpha\), \(\beta\). This statement extends an earlier result obtained by the author, Yuri Karlovich, and Amarino Lebre for \(\gamma=0\).