What's New @ IEEE in Circuits

November 2006 Volume 7, Number 11

IN THIS ISSUE:
1. 130+ Papers at January South Pacific Design Conference
2. IEEE Members Select Lewis Terman 2007 IEEE President-Elect
3. First Light-Emitting Transistor Developed
4. Silicon Chips Used to Stimulate Growth of Neural Networks
5. Call for Papers: Design Automation Conference
6. Renew Early For Bonus Months on IEEE Societies, Subscriptions
7. Switches Aim to Restore Sight Lost to Macular Degeneration
8. The Risks of Chip Making
9. New Circuits Research in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library

SEEK. DISCOVER. INNOVATE. REPEAT.
The IEEE Member Digital Library
www.ieee.org/ieeemdl

1. 130+ PAPERS AT JANUARY SOUTH PACIFIC DESIGN CONFERENCE
The 12th Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference, sponsored in part by IEEE, will take place 23-26 January 2007 in Yokohama, Japan. The conference will include a technical program with 131 papers covering key topics from system design to physical design. For more information, visit: www.aspdac.com/aspdac2007/

2. IEEE MEMBERS SELECT LEWIS TERMAN 2007 IEEE PRESIDENT-ELECT
Lewis Terman, IBM Research Emeritus, IBM Research Division, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA, has been selected as 2007 IEEE president-elect. Pending acceptance of the Teller's Committee report by the IEEE Board of Directors, Terman will begin serving as IEEE president on 1 January 2008. He will succeed 2007 IEEE President Leah H. Jamieson, Dean of the Purdue University College of Engineering. Terman, an IEEE Fellow, has been active as an IEEE volunteer and member for almost 50 years, including terms as a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, president of the Electron Devices and Solid-State Circuits societies, and Technical Activities vice president. He also has served as special issue guest editor of four IEEE publications. For more information, including other officers elected, visit: www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/election2006results.html

3. FIRST LIGHT-EMITTING TRANSISTOR DEVELOPED
A light-emitting transistor (LET) that transfers, detects and controls an electrical signal on a single nanometer-sized chip has been built by scientists at Hitachi Ltd using a silicon-on-insulator substrate, creating a chip that could integrate a wide range of microelectronics and photonics nano devices. In the ultra-thin single crystal silicon film, n-type and p-type semiconductors lie next to each other separated by a narrow junction according to the chip's developers, and as electrons are eliminated in a process called "recombination," photons are emitted, enabling the conversion of electrical signals to optical signals. Read more: www.physorg.com/news81606067.html

4. SILICON CHIPS USED TO STIMULATE GROWN OF NEURAL NETWORKS
An implantable electronic chip could help establish new nerve connections in the part of the brain that controls movement, according to researchers at the University of Washington, who said experiments with such devices induced brain changes in monkeys lasting more than a week. The resulting strengthening of weak connections could allow patients with brain injuries, stroke, or paralysis to regain some motor function, researchers say. Researchers tested a miniature, self-contained device with a tiny computer chip placed on the heads of monkeys who were free to carry out their usual behaviors, including sleep. According to researchers, the chip records the activity of motor cortex cells, converting the activity into a stimulus that can be sent back to the brain, spinal cord, or muscle, setting up an artificial connection that operates continuously during normal behavior. That recurrent brain-computer interface creates an artificial motor pathway that the brain could use to compensate for pathways damaged by disease or injury, researchers say. Read more: www.scienceblog.com/cms/brain-chip-modifies-pathways-for-controlling-movement-11853.html

AN ESSENTIAL MEMBER BENEFIT
Get the IEEE Personal Email Alias
www.ieee.org/alias

5. CALL FOR PAPERS: DESIGN AUTOMATION CONFERENCE
The 44th Design Automation Conference (DAC) is currently soliciting papers for their upcoming conference in San Diego, California, USA that will take place 4-8 June 2007. DAC features over 50 technical sessions covering the latest in design methodologies and EDA tool developments. The Conference will also have an Exhibition and Demo Suite area with over 250 of the leading EDA, silicon and IP Providers. Regular paper submissions are due on 20 November 2006 and should deal with design tools, design methods, design techniques, and embedded design. For more information, visit: www.dac.com/44th/submitinfo.html

6. RENEW EARLY FOR BONUS MONTHS ON IEEE SOCIETIES, SUBSCRIPTIONS
Renewing IEEE members can receive several free months of new technical society memberships and/or journal subscriptions when adding new services to their membership for 2007. Any society or subscription added now for 2007 will become active for the remainder of 2006, meaning up to four months of extra publications or memberships with early renewal. Visit: www.ieee.org/renewal/

7. SWITCHES AIM TO RESTORE SIGHT LOST TO MACULAR DEGENERATION
In an effort to restore sight for people suffering from vision loss, scientists at a research center are planning to install light-sensitive switches in a human body's cells which can spark chemical reactions, activate muscle contractions, or stimulate nerve cells. The initiative by the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA, is focusing on patients suffering from macular degeneration. The scientists plan to place photoswitches into the cells of the person's retina to bring back sight to blind nerve cells and restore their response to light. To achieve this effect, the core of the photoswitch alters its shape when illuminated by light of various colors. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/uoc--lpc103106.php

8. THE RISKS OF CHIP MAKING
A new study conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health has determined that professionals manufacturing computer components such as computer chips are at higher risk of developing cancer. The data was collected by studying the causes of death for over 30,000 former IBM workers. A total of 9,364 people died from cancer, well over the national average. IBM rebutted the claim, saying that many of the people in the study worked at a time when safety conditions were unexplored—many companies filtered air through large rooms to keep toxins out and equipment clean. According to the data, people working with solvents are at the most risk, and have been known to suffer brain cancer, kidney cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A recent lawsuit by a former IBM employee declares some workers are exposed to these dangerous chemicals, and the court has since ordered IBM provide its employees with documents concerning deceased former employees. Read more: www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193401135

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer." ~ Paul Ehrlich

9. NEW CIRCUITS RESEARCH IN THE IEEE XPLORE DIGITAL LIBRARY

"IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing"
(v. 19, no. 4)
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=4012084

"IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology
(v. 16, no. 11)
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=4011994

IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
(v. 41, no. 11)
ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=36138

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WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN CIRCUITS
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Managing Editor: John Platt j.platt@ieee.org

Contributing Editors: Diana Fuksin, Robert J. Howe, Brian Pedersen, Ryan Thomas, Cari Wolfert

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