This paper presents analog building blocks that find potential applications in display panels. A buffer (source-follower), subtractor, adder, and high-gain amplifier, employing only n-type enhancement amorphous gallium-indium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistors (a-GIZO TFTs), were designed, simulated, fabricated, and characterized. Circuit simulations were carried out using a neural model developed in-house from the measured characteristics of the transistors. The adder-subtractor circuit presents a power consumption of 0.26 mW, and the amplifier presents a gain of 34 dB and a power consumption of 0.576 mW, with a load of 10 MΩ16 pF. To the authors' knowledge, this is the highest gain reported so far for a single-stage amplifier with a-GIZO TFT technology. © 2015 IEEE.

The Ørsted Dal Member of the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation in East Greenland is well known for its rich vertebrate fauna, represented by numerous specimens of both body and ichnofossils. In particular, the footprints of theropod dinosaurs have been described. Recently, an international expedition discovered several slabs with 100 small chirotheriid pes and manus imprints (pes length 4–4.5 cm) in siliciclastic deposits of this unit. They show strong similarities with Brachychirotherium, a characteristic Upper Triassic ichnogenus with a global distribution. A peculiar feature in the Fleming Fjord specimens is the lack of a fifth digit, even in more deeply impressed imprints. Therefore, the specimens are assigned here tentatively to cf. Brachychirotherium. Possibly, this characteristic is related to the extremely small size and early ontogenetic stage of the trackmaker. The record from Greenland is the first evidence of this morphotype from the Fleming Fjord Formation. Candidate trackmakers are crocodylian stem group archosaurs; however, a distinct correlation with known osteological taxa from this unit is not currently possible. While the occurrence of sauropodomorph plateosaurs in the bone record links the Greenland assemblage more closer to that from the Germanic Basin of central Europe, here the described footprints suggest a Pangaea-wide exchange.Supplementary material: Three-dimensional model of cf. Brachychirotherium pes–manus set (from MGUH 31233b) from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation (Norian–Rhaetian) of East Greenland as pdf, ply and jpg files (3D model created by Oliver Wings; photographs taken by Jesper Milàn) is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2133546

The intense light scattered from metal nanoparticles sustaining surface plasmons makes them attractive for light trapping in photovoltaic applications. However, a strong resonant response from nanoparticle ensembles can only be obtained if the particles have monodisperse physical properties. Presently, the chemical synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles is the method that produces the highest monodispersion in geometry and material quality, with the added benefits of being low-temperature, low-cost, easily scalable and of allowing control of the surface coverage of the deposited particles. In this paper, novel plasmonic back-reflector structures were developed using spherical gold colloids with appropriate dimensions for pronounced far-field scattering. The plasmonic back reflectors are incorporated in the rear contact of thin film n-i-p nanocrystalline silicon solar cells to boost their photocurrent generation via optical path length enhancement inside the silicon layer. The quantum efficiency spectra of the devices revealed a remarkable broadband enhancement, resulting from both light scattering from the metal nanoparticles and improved light incoupling caused by the hemispherical corrugations at the cells' front surface formed from the deposition of material over the spherically shaped colloids. © 2015 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Aluminum Zinc Oxide has been extensively investigated as a cheap alternative to transparent conducting tin oxide films for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Thin films of Aluminum Zinc Oxide have been developed successfully through a combination of solution combustion synthesis and solution synthesis. Zn(NO3)3·6H2O as metal source was dissolved in 2-methoxyethanol as solvent through combustion synthesis with Urea as fuel while dopant source of AlCl3·6H2O was mixed separately in solvent to avoid aluminum oxide formation in the films. Precursor solutions were obtained mixing Zn & Al separate solutions in 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3 ratios respectively with oxide, fuel and dopant concentrations of 0.5, 0.25, 0.1, and 0.05 M. The film stacks have been prepared through spin-coating with heating at 400°C for 10 minutes after each deposition to remove residuals and evaporate solvents. Thermal annealing in oven at 600°C for 1 hour followed by rapid thermal annealing at 500°C & 600°C first in vacuum and then in N2-5%H2 environment respectively for 10 minutes each reduced the resistivity of film stacks. Film stack with 10 layers for an average thickness of 0.5μm gave the best Hall Effect resistivity of 3.2 × 10-2 -cm in the case of 0.5M solution with Zn:Al mixing ratio of 9:1 for RTA annealings at 600°C with an average total transparency of 80 % in the wavelength range of 400-1200 nm. The results show a clear trend that increasing the amount of ingredients resistivity could further be decreased. © 2015 IEEE.

Abstract Biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic) acid (PLA) have been studied for biomaterials applications such as natural human ligament replacement, however these materials could be applied to other sectors as aerospace, aeronautics, automotive, food packaging. \{PLA\} presents a relatively brittle with a mode I fracture behavior, being often blend with other biodegradable or non-degradable polymers to improve its fracture energy. For some existing applications, \{PLA\} components exhibit accumulated permanent deformation resulting from dynamic mechanical inputs, resulting on failure by laxity of parts. Aiming the improvement of \{PLA\} mechanical properties, the inclusion of carbon nanofillers into \{PLA\} matrix, in particular, CNT-COOH and \{GNP\} have been developed, due to their strong sp2 carbon-carbon bondings and their geometric arrangement that enhance mechanical properties of the polymer matrix. \{PLA\} and nanocomposites were produced by melt blending followed by compression molding in a hot press, with small weight percentages of nanofillers added to the matrix. Quasi static tensile tests were performed on a mechanical testing machine (Instron™ ElectroPuls E1000) along with failure analysis of specimens with centered crack with digital image correlation, revealing strain distribution along specimens.

Light has long being used in medicine; however, the high scattering of biological tissues always hindered its use. The aim of this work is the development of methodologies to focus light inside biological tissues. Geant4/GAMOS Monte Carlo platform was used to simulate the possibility of parameterize the time delay of multiple sources of external light, offset in time, as a function of the interest region position in order to create constructive interferences in a breast sample. A computational model was implemented and the platform was configured in order to perform these simulations. Preliminary results using a single light source were performed. It was concluded that scattering in adipose tissue is very high which is consistent with previous studies.

A large collection of vertebrate coprolites from black lacustrine shales in the Late Triassic (Rhaetian–Sinemurian) Kap Stewart Formation, East Greenland is examined with regard to internal and external morphology, prey inclusions, and possible relationships to the contemporary vertebrate fauna. A number of the coprolites were mineralogically examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing the primary mineral composition to be apatite, clay minerals, carbonates and, occasionally, quartz in the form of secondary mineral grains. The coprolite assemblage shows multiple sizes and morphotypes of coprolites, and different types of prey inclusions, demonstrating that the coprolite assemblage originates from a variety of different producers.Supplementary material: A description of the size, shape, structure, texture, contents and preservation of the 328 specimens is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2134335

In this paper an exhaustive analysis is performed on the electrochemical corrosion resistance of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) layers deposited on silicon wafers by a DC pulsed magnetron sputtering deposition technique to test layer durability. Pulse frequency of the sputtering source was varied and a detailed study of the electrochemical corrosion response of samples in the presence of a corrosive chloride media (NaCl 0.06 M) was carried out. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were performed after reaching a stable value of the open circuit at 2 h, 192 h and 480 h intervals. Correlation of the corrosion resistance properties with the morphology, and the optical and electrical properties was tested. AZO layers with transmission values higher than 84% and resistivity of 6.54 × 10- 4 â. cm for a deposition process pressure of 3 × 10- 1 Pa, a sputtering power of 2 kW, a pulse frequency of 100 kHz, with optimum corrosion resistance properties, were obtained. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.