Technologies
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Engineering
Researchers at UIC have developed a low-power physical synthesis
(PS) tool DNF-PS for chip design. This
tool simultaneously applies a set of
very effective power/timing optimizing transforms (in particular, multiple Vdd, multiple Vth, cell sizing,
buffer insertion, cell replication and global re-placement), and does so
simultaneously
across the entire circuit while satisfying multiple constraints (e.g., on timing, voltage islands, area,
congestion).
In
stroke research, the hippocampal acute brain slice preparation is a model for
studying how neuronal tissue responds to a hypoxic insult. Additionally, in diabetes research,
pancreatic islets preparation and dynamic loading of oxygen and glucose is
critical to understand how hypoxia alters the glucose-insulin response of the
pancreas. However, standard techniques
using commercial perfusion chambers cannot accurately provide oxygen delivery
and control to model hypoxic conditions.
TATP
(triacetone triperoxide) has emerged as an explosive of choice for terrorists
in recent years, because it is easy to produce, highly explosive, and hard to
detect. Some recent examples of TATP use are the Northwest Airlines Flight 253
attempted bombing (2009), the London bombings (2005), and the American Airlines
Flight 63 attempted bombing (2001).
Current
sensors employed in the detection of gaseous formaldehyde lack the ability to
detect formaldehyde at low concentrations.
Those sensors that can perform this task oftentimes take long periods of
time to detect the substances and are overwhelmingly expensive to employ. Additionally,
upcoming OSHA and WHO regulations will require that sensors are able to detect
significantly lower quantities of formaldehyde.
UIC researchers have developed a nuclear material sensor that detects gamma radiation at room temperature conditions. This sensor is constructed out of nanoscale materials which allows for reduction of detector size, weight, and complexity. Compared to similar products on the market, this technology is inexpensive and thus can be used in more applications. The unique design is able to function without cryogenic cooling.
Current
methods of performing tensile tests on micro-nano scale material samples have
an inherent flaw, namely that true uniaxial loads are difficult to
achieve. Part of this stems from the
adaptation of macro-scale testing methods to the micro-nano scale, which has
been shown to be inadequate.
Accordingly, the instant technology seeks to achieve true uniaxial loads
on micro-nano scale material samples to achieve more reliable test results.
This
technology uses mathematical principles to correct for spectral distortions in
concert with a novel device capable of holding an individual fiber in tension
to thereby permit Infrared analysis of individual fibers.
This
technology is a unique method capable of being used to create very reliable
NanoFET biosensors – the processing method increases reliability dramatically
over currently used methods.
Currently, the industry does not possess a feasible method
to create NanoFETs for fluidic applications as such environments are quite
harsh on the FETs and they tend to fail rapidly. Processing has been done, up until now, predominantly
through a bottoms-up, self assembly, process that lends itself toward failure
in aqueous or biological fluidic settings.
A small electronic system, referred to as a quantum dot
(QD), possesses discrete energy levels, whose energy spacing can be much larger
than room temperature (Note that the term “quantum dot” is used in a very
general way: it simply describes an electronic system that possesses discrete
energy levels. As long as the electronic states of this quantum dot do not
interact with the outside environment (for example, they are not located on a substrate),
an electron located in one of these energy levels can in general not transition
to another level.