bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multipass Target Search in Natural Environments
Authors: Kuhlman Michael , Otte Michael , Sofge Donald , Gupta Satyandra
Published: November 2017

Consider a disaster scenario where search and rescue workers must search difficult to access buildings during an earthquake or flood. Often, finding survivors a few hours sooner results in a dramatic increase in saved lives, suggesting the use of drones for expedient rescue operations. Entropy can be used to quantify the generation and resolution of uncertainty. When searching for targets, maximizing mutual information of future sensor observations will minimize expected target location uncertainty by minimizing the entropy of the future estimate. Motion planning for multi-target autonomous search requires planning over an area with an imperfect sensor and may require multiple passes, which is hindered by the submodularity property of mutual information. Further, mission duration constraints must be handled accordingly, requiring consideration of the vehicle’s dynamics to generate feasible trajectories and must plan trajectories spanning the entire mission duration, something which most information gathering algorithms are incapable of doing. If unanticipated changes occur in an uncertain environment, new plans must be generated quickly. In addition, planning multipass trajectories requires evaluating path dependent rewards, requiring planning in the space of all previously selected actions, compounding the problem. We present an anytime algorithm for autonomous multipass target search in natural environments. The algorithm is capable of generating long duration dynamically feasible multipass coverage plans that maximize mutual information using a variety of techniques such as ϵ -admissible heuristics to speed up the search. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first attempt at efficiently solving multipass target search problems of such long duration. The proposed algorithm is based on best first branch and bound and is benchmarked against state of the art algorithms adapted to the problem in natural Simplex environments, gathering the most information in the given search time.
Femtosecond FBG Written through the Coating for Sensing Applications
Authors: Habel Joé , Boilard Tommy , Frenière Jean-Simon , Trépanier François , Bernier Martin
Published: November 2017

Type I fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) written through the coating of various off-the-shelf silica fibers with a femtosecond laser and the phase-mask technique are reported. Inscription through most of the common coating compositions (acrylate, silicone and polyimide) is reported as well as writing through the polyimide coating of various fiber cladding diameters, down to 50 µm. The long term annealing behavior of type I gratings written in a pure silica core fiber is also reported as well as a comparison of the mechanical resistance of type I and II FBG. The high mechanical resistance of the resulting type I FBG is shown to be useful for the fabrication of various distributed FBG arrays written using a single period phase-mask. The strain sensing response of such distributed arrays is also presented.
Device-Free Passive Identity Identification via WiFi Signals
Authors: Lv Jiguang , Yang Wu , Man Dapeng
Published: November 2017

Device-free passive identity identification attracts much attention in recent years, and it is a representative application in sensorless sensing. It can be used in many applications such as intrusion detection and smart building. Previous studies show the sensing potential of WiFi signals in a device-free passive manner. It is confirmed that human’s gait is unique from each other similar to fingerprint and iris. However, the identification accuracy of existing approaches is not satisfactory in practice. In this paper, we present Wii, a device-free WiFi-based Identity Identification approach utilizing human’s gait based on Channel State Information (CSI) of WiFi signals. Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and low pass filter are applied to remove the noises in the signals. We then extract several entities’ gait features from both time and frequency domain, and select the most effective features according to information gain. Based on these features, Wii realizes stranger recognition through Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and identity identification through a Support Vector Machine (SVM) with Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernel. It is implemented using commercial WiFi devices and evaluated on a dataset with more than 1500 gait instances collected from eight subjects walking in a room. The results indicate that Wii can effectively recognize strangers and can achieves high identification accuracy with low computational cost. As a result, Wii has the potential to work in typical home security systems.
Remaining Useful Life Estimation of Insulated Gate Biploar Transistors (IGBTs) Based on a Novel Volterra k-Nearest Neighbor Optimally Pruned Extreme Learning Machine (VKOPP) Model Using Degradation Data
Authors: Liu Zhen , Mei Wenjuan , Zeng Xianping , Yang Chenglin , Zhou Xiuyun
Published: November 2017

The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a kind of excellent performance switching device used widely in power electronic systems. How to estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) of an IGBT to ensure the safety and reliability of the power electronics system is currently a challenging issue in the field of IGBT reliability. The aim of this paper is to develop a prognostic technique for estimating IGBTs’ RUL. There is a need for an efficient prognostic algorithm that is able to support in-situ decision-making. In this paper, a novel prediction model with a complete structure based on optimally pruned extreme learning machine (OPELM) and Volterra series is proposed to track the IGBT’s degradation trace and estimate its RUL; we refer to this model as Volterra k-nearest neighbor OPELM prediction (VKOPP) model. This model uses the minimum entropy rate method and Volterra series to reconstruct phase space for IGBTs’ ageing samples, and a new weight update algorithm, which can effectively reduce the influence of the outliers and noises, is utilized to establish the VKOPP network; then a combination of the k-nearest neighbor method (KNN) and least squares estimation (LSE) method is used to calculate the output weights of OPELM and predict the RUL of the IGBT. The prognostic results show that the proposed approach can predict the RUL of IGBT modules with small error and achieve higher prediction precision and lower time cost than some classic prediction approaches.
A High Sensitivity Preamplifier for Quartz Tuning Forks in QEPAS (Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy) Applications
Authors: Starecki Tomasz , Wieczorek Piotr
Published: November 2017

All the preamplifiers dedicated for Quartz Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) applications that have so far been reported in the literature have been based on operational amplifiers working in transimpedance configurations. Taking into consideration that QEPAS sensors are based on quartz tuning forks, and that quartz has a relatively high voltage constant and relatively low charge constant, it seems that a transimpedance amplifier is not an optimal solution. This paper describes the design of a quartz QEPAS sensor preamplifier, implemented with voltage amplifier configuration. Discussion of an electrical model of the circuit and preliminary measurements are presented. Both theoretical analysis and experiments show that use of the voltage configuration allows for a substantial increase of the output signal in comparison to the transimpedance circuit with the same tuning fork working in identical conditions. Assuming that the sensitivity of the QEPAS technique depends directly on the properties of the preamplifier, use of the voltage amplifier configuration should result in an increase of QEPAS sensitivity by one to two orders of magnitude.
Long-Term Stability of Polymer-Coated Surface Transverse Wave Sensors for the Detection of Organic Solvent Vapors
Authors: Stahl Ullrich , Voigt Achim , Dirschka Marian , Barié Nicole , Richter Christiane , Waldbaur Ansgar , Gruhl Friederike , Rapp Bastian , Rapp Michael , Länge Kerstin
Published: November 2017

Arrays with polymer-coated acoustic sensors, such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) and surface transverse wave (STW) sensors, have successfully been applied for a variety of gas sensing applications. However, the stability of the sensors’ polymer coatings over a longer period of use has hardly been investigated. We used an array of eight STW resonator sensors coated with different polymers. This sensor array was used at semi-annual intervals for a three-year period to detect organic solvent vapors of three different chemical classes: a halogenated hydrocarbon (chloroform), an aliphatic hydrocarbon (octane), and an aromatic hydrocarbon (xylene). The sensor signals were evaluated with regard to absolute signal shifts and normalized signal shifts leading to signal patterns characteristic of the respective solvent vapors. No significant time-related changes of sensor signals or signal patterns were observed, i.e., the polymer coatings kept their performance during the course of the study. Therefore, the polymer-coated STW sensors proved to be robust devices which can be used for detecting organic solvent vapors both qualitatively and quantitatively for several years.
Loose Coupling of Wearable-Based INSs with Automatic Heading Evaluation
Authors: Bousdar Ahmed Dina , Munoz Diaz Estefania
Published: November 2017

Position tracking of pedestrians by means of inertial sensors is a highly explored field of research. In fact, there are already many approaches to implement inertial navigation systems (INSs). However, most of them use a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) attached to the pedestrian’s body. Since wearable-devices will be given items in the future, this work explores the implementation of an INS using two wearable-based IMUs. A loosely coupled approach is proposed to combine the outputs of wearable-based INSs. The latter are based on a pocket-mounted IMU and a foot-mounted IMU. The loosely coupled fusion combines the output of the two INSs not only when these outputs are least erroneous, but also automatically favoring the best output. This approach is named smart update. The main challenge is determining the quality of the heading estimation of each INS, which changes every time. In order to address this, a novel concept to determine the quality of the heading estimation is presented. This concept is subject to a patent application. The results show that the position error rate of the loosely coupled fusion is 10 cm/s better than either the foot INS’s or pocket INS’s error rate in 95% of the cases.
Maize Cropping Systems Mapping Using RapidEye Observations in Agro-Ecological Landscapes in Kenya
Authors: Richard Kyalo , Abdel-Rahman Elfatih M. , Subramanian Sevgan , Nyasani Johnson O. , Thiel Michael , Jozani Hosein , Borgemeister Christian , Landmann Tobias
Published: November 2017

Cropping systems information on explicit scales is an important but rarely available variable in many crops modeling routines and of utmost importance for understanding pests and disease propagation mechanisms in agro-ecological landscapes. In this study, high spatial and temporal resolution RapidEye bio-temporal data were utilized within a novel 2-step hierarchical random forest (RF) classification approach to map areas of mono- and mixed maize cropping systems. A small-scale maize farming site in Machakos County, Kenya was used as a study site. Within the study site, field data was collected during the satellite acquisition period on general land use/land cover (LULC) and the two cropping systems. Firstly, non-cropland areas were masked out from other land use/land cover using the LULC mapping result. Subsequently an optimized RF model was applied to the cropland layer to map the two cropping systems (2nd classification step). An overall accuracy of 93% was attained for the LULC classification, while the class accuracies (PA: producer’s accuracy and UA: user’s accuracy) for the two cropping systems were consistently above 85%. We concluded that explicit mapping of different cropping systems is feasible in complex and highly fragmented agro-ecological landscapes if high resolution and multi-temporal satellite data such as 5 m RapidEye data is employed. Further research is needed on the feasibility of using freely available 10–20 m Sentinel-2 data for wide-area assessment of cropping systems as an important variable in numerous crop productivity models.
Factors Influencing Land Development and Redevelopment during China’s Rapid Urbanization: Evidence from Haikou City, 2003–2016
Authors: Zhou Tao , Zhao Rui , Zhou Yulin
Published: November 2017

Land development and redevelopment (LDR) is essential to economic growth and the advancement of urbanization in urban China. Moreover, various factors affect LDR. Based on an investigation, during 2003–2016, which involves 420 parcels within a 2-km section of the Nandu River, Haikou city, this paper employs a logistic model, so as to judge the impact of LDR on these parcels, and then with an improved hedonic model, it sets out to explore the LDR influencing factors. Specifically, the results show that the impact mechanism of LDR in China is different from countries where economy is the main influencing force. Moreover, China’s urban land development results from the cooperation and competition between local government and enterprises, with a particular focus on multiple political and economic factors. Hence, the paper innovatively incorporates quantifiable political and property factors that significantly influence the results. Finally, the paper tries to explain the variance from macro-level government and micro-level enterprises perspectives. In conclusion, China’s land development requires cooperation among the government and enterprises, in order to improve the economic, social, and environmental benefits of land use.
Evaluation of Energy Consumption in the Mercury Treatment of Phosphor Powder from Spent Fluorescent Lamps Using a Thermal Process
Authors: Choi Yong , Rhee Seung-Whee
Published: November 2017

In a pilot-plant-scale thermal mercury treatment of phosphor powder from spent fluorescent lamps, energy consumption was estimated to control mercury content by the consideration of reaction kinetics. Mercury content was analyzed as a function of treatment temperature and time. The initial mercury content of the phosphor powder used in the thermal process was approximately 3500 mg/kg. The target mercury content in the phosphor powder thermal process of the phosphor powder was 5 mg/kg or less at 400 °C or higher because the target mercury content was recommended by Minamata Convention and Basel Convention. During thermal processing, the reaction rate was represented by a first order reaction with the Arrhenius equation. The reaction rate constant increased with temperature from 0.0112 min−1 at 350 °C to 0.0558 min−1 at 600 °C. The frequency factor was 2.51 min−1, and the activation energy was 6509.11 kcal/kg. Reaction rate constants were used to evaluate the treatment time required to reduce mercury content in phosphor powder to be less than 5 mg/kg. The total energy consumption in a pilot-plant-scale thermal process was evaluated to determine the optimal temperature for removing mercury in phosphor powder.
‘Interrupted’ Landscapes: Post-Earthquake Reconstruction in between Urban Renewal and Social Identity of Local Communities
Authors: Clemente Matteo , Salvati Luca
Published: November 2017

The present study deals with the topic of post-seismic reconstruction focusing on landscape and social issues. Sustainable reconstruction requires a connection between the physical context of a given territory and the immaterial (historical, cultural, productive) values that constitute the place’s identity. In this perspective, those places that have been destroyed by severe earthquakes or other disasters could be labelled as “interrupted landscapes”, meaning a drastic break in the individual stories attaching the people to their own territory, as well as an abrupt alteration of the continuous process by which people attribute a sense to their own territory. The study discusses selected cases of post-earthquake reconstruction in Italy, providing an overview of different visions for development of the new towns, that oscillate between two contrasting approaches: the “new town” model, implying the construction of a new town off-site and the “in loco” model. Looking for the reasons for failures of the new town model reconstruction, the study also debates the social dimension of urban landscapes, reflecting upon the notion of ‘collective identity’ connecting place attachment to cultural heritage. These issues were finally considered when defining strategic guidelines for sustainable urban reconstruction promoting place identity and preserving the intimate characteristics of the affected landscapes. Governance actions were defined along with sustainability strategies based on the investigated case studies, outlining a series of best practices that may promote the permanent involvement of local communities.
Gene Editing in Human Lymphoid Cells: Role for Donor DNA, Type of Genomic Nuclease and Cell Selection Method
Authors: Zotova Anastasia , Lopatukhina Elena , Filatov Alexander , Khaitov Musa , Mazurov Dmitriy
Published: November 2017

Programmable endonucleases introduce DNA breaks at specific sites, which are repaired by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology recombination (HDR). Genome editing in human lymphoid cells is challenging as these difficult-to-transfect cells may also inefficiently repair DNA by HDR. Here, we estimated efficiencies and dynamics of knockout (KO) and knockin (KI) generation in human T and B cell lines depending on repair template, target loci and types of genomic endonucleases. Using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), we have engineered Jurkat and CEM cells with the 8.2 kb human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) ∆Env genome integrated at the adeno-associated virus integration site 1 (AAVS1) locus that stably produce virus particles and mediate infection upon transfection with helper vectors. Knockouts generated by ZFN or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) double nicking techniques were comparably efficient in lymphoid cells. However, unlike polyclonal sorted cells, gene-edited cells selected by cloning exerted tremendous deviations in functionality as estimated by replication of HIV-1 and human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in these cells. Notably, the recently reported high-fidelity eCas9 1.1 when combined to the nickase mutation displayed gene-dependent decrease in on-target activity. Thus, the balance between off-target effects and on-target efficiency of nucleases, as well as choice of the optimal method of edited cell selection should be taken into account for proper gene function validation in lymphoid cells.
Helicase Domain of West Nile Virus NS3 Protein Plays a Role in Inhibition of Type I Interferon Signalling
Authors: Setoh Yin , Periasamy Parthiban , Peng Nias , Amarilla Alberto , Slonchak Andrii , Khromykh Alexander
Published: November 2017

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that can cause encephalitis in mammalian and avian hosts. In America, the virulent WNV strain (NY99) is causing yearly outbreaks of encephalitis in humans and horses, while in Australia the less virulent Kunjin strain of WNV strain has not been associated with significant disease outbreaks until a recent 2011 large outbreak in horses (but not in humans) caused by NSW2011 strain. Using chimeric viruses between NY99 and NSW2011 strains we previously identified a role for the non-structural proteins of NY99 strain and especially the NS3 protein, in enhanced virus replication in type I interferon response-competent cells and increased virulence in mice. To further define the role of NY99 NS3 protein in inhibition of type I interferon response, we have generated and characterised additional chimeric viruses containing the protease or the helicase domains of NY99 NS3 on the background of the NSW2011 strain. The results identified the role for the helicase but not the protease domain of NS3 protein in the inhibition of type I interferon signalling and showed that helicase domain of the more virulent NY99 strain performs this function more efficiently than helicase domain of the less virulent NSW2011 strain. Further analysis with individual amino acid mutants identified two amino acid residues in the helicase domain primarily responsible for this difference. Using chimeric replicons, we also showed that the inhibition of type I interferon (IFN) signalling was independent of other known functions of NS3 in RNA replication and assembly of virus particles.
Metagenomic Analysis of Therapeutic PYO Phage Cocktails from 1997 to 2014
Authors: Villarroel Julia , Larsen Mette , Kilstrup Mogens , Nielsen Morten
Published: November 2017

Phage therapy has regained interest in recent years due to the alarming spread of antibiotic resistance. Whilst phage cocktails are commonly sold in pharmacies in countries such as Georgia and Russia, this is not the case in western countries due to western regulatory agencies requiring a thorough characterization of the drug. Here, DNA sequencing of constituent biological entities constitutes a first step. The pyophage (PYO) cocktail is one of the main commercial products of the Georgian Eliava Institute of Bacteriophage, Microbiology and Virology and is used to cure skin infections. Since its first production in the 1930s, the composition of the cocktail has been periodically modified to add phages effective against emerging pathogenic strains. In this paper, we compared the composition of three PYO cocktails from 1997 (PYO97), 2000 (PYO2000) and 2014 (PYO2014). Based on next generation sequencing, de novo assembly and binning of contigs into draft genomes based on tetranucleotide distance, thirty and twenty-nine phage draft genomes were predicted in PYO97 and PYO2014, respectively. Of these, thirteen and fifteen shared high similarity to known phages. Eleven draft genomes were found to be common in the two cocktails. One of these showed no similarity to publicly available phage genomes. Representatives of phages targeting E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. coli, Proteus, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were found in both cocktails. Finally, we estimated larger overlap of the PYO2000 cocktail to PYO97 compared to PYO2014. Using next generation sequencing and metagenomics analysis, we were able to characterize and compare the content of PYO cocktails separated by 17 years in time. Even though the cocktail composition is upgraded every six months, we found it to remain relatively stable over the years.
Research on the Phenomenon of Chinese Residents’ Spiritual Contagion for the Reuse of Recycled Water Based on SC-IAT
Authors: Fu Hanliang , Liu Xiaojun
Published: November 2017

Recycled water has been widely recognized in the world as an effective approach to relieve the issue of water shortage. Meanwhile, with several decades of development, the insufficiency of technology is no longer the primary factor that restricts the popularization of recycled water. What makes it difficult to promote the concept of reusing recycled water in China? To solve this issue, a special experiment on the public’s attitude towards the reuse of recycled water was designed based on a Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT), so as to avoid factors like social preference that can influence the survey results, and to gain the public’s negative implicit attitude towards reusing recycled water reuse, which is close to the public’s real attitude to it. From the perspective of implicit attitude, this research testifies the “spiritual contagion” phenomenon of the public, which refers to refusing recycled water reuse because recycled water is made from sewage treatment. By comparing the implicit attitude to recycled water reuse with the explicit attitude that is acquired from self-reporting questionnaires about reusing recycled water, this research finds that the implicit attitude is more positive than the explicit attitude, which accounts for the phenomenon of “best game no one played” in the promotion of the recycled water reuse, that is, the public though applauding the environment-friendly policy, will not actually use the recycled water.
Increased Inflammatory Response in Association with the Initiation of Hemodialysis Compared with Peritoneal Dialysis in a Prospective Study of End-Stage Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Yong Kenneth , Dogra Gursharan , Boudville Neil , Lim Wai
Published: November 2017

Background

Large epidemiological studies have demonstrated an early survival advantage with the initiation of peritoneal dialysis (PD) compared to haemodialysis (HD). Chronic inflammation may contribute to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). We hypothesize that the initiation of HD in ESKD patients is associated with a greater inflammatory response compared with PD.

Aims

To examine the effects of initiating HD and PD upon inflammation and CVD risk markers in ESKD patients.

Methods

We per formed a pilot prospective study on 75 predialysis CKD stage-5 subjects comparing the effects of HD and PD upon high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin(IL)-12, IL-18 and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Study visits were conducted 3 – 6 months before (baseline) and after (follow-up) initiation of dialysis

Results

Thirty-nine and 36 patients were initiated on HD and PD respectively. HD patients were older than PD patients (65.1 ± 2.1 vs 57.7 ± 2.7 years; p = 0.03) but had similar baseline systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure (PP), hsCRP, IL-12, IL-18, and PWV. At follow-up, HD patients had significantly increased hsCRP levels [5.2(3.7, 7.3) vs 1.7(1.0, 2.8)g/L; p < 0.001] compared to PD. Follow-up blood pressure, IL-12, IL-18, and PWV were similar between groups. A significant association remained between hsCRP and HD after adjustment for age, previous CVD, and residual urine output.

Conclusion

The initiation of HD was associated with significantly increased hsCRP compared to PD. Further study is required to determine the plausibility of inflammation as a potential underlying contributor to the observed early mortality difference between dialysis modalities.
Practice of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Flushing in Australia and New Zealand: Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Cho Yeoungjee , Boudville Neil , Palmer Suetonia C. , Chow Josephine S.F. , Hawley Carmel M. , Jose Matthew D. , MacGinley Rob , Huang Louis , Moodie Jo-Anne , Nguyen Thu , Robison Laura , Wong Jeffrey , Johnson David W.
Published: November 2017

Background

Evidence of effective interventions to prevent peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter malfunction before first use is presently insufficient to guide clinical care. Regular flushing of the PD catheter (e.g. before PD commencement) has been adopted by some practitioners in the belief that it will prevent catheter obstruction and/or malfunction. The aim of this study was to characterize and evaluate PD catheter flushing practices across Australian and New Zealand PD units.

Methods

An on-line survey was distributed to all 62 PD units in Australia (12 August 2016; n = 51) and New Zealand (2 February 2017; n = 11), with questions relating to PD catheter flushing practices, audit, and outcomes.

Results

Forty-nine units of variable size (< 16 to > 100 patients) completed the survey (79% response rate). All centers flushed PD catheters at some stage after insertion as routine unit practice. Forty-one units (84%) routinely flushed during periods of PD rest at varying intervals ranging from alternate daily to monthly. The type and volume of solution used to flush varied between units. Units that practised routine flushing of PD catheters were almost twice as likely to audit their catheter-related outcomes (66% vs 38%, p = 0.23) and more likely to have reported blocked catheters in the preceding 12 months (84% vs 0%, p = 0.01) compared with those units that did not routinely flush PD catheters. Thirty units (61%) regularly audited and monitored catheter-related outcomes.

Conclusions

This study identified a wide variation in center practices relating to PD catheter flushing. Drawing conclusions about any relationship between flushing practices and clinical outcomes was impeded by the relatively low uptake of regular auditing and monitoring of catheter-related outcomes across surveyed units. Evaluation of the benefits and harms of standardized PD catheter flushing practices on patient outcomes in a randomized trial is needed to guide practice.
Tailoring the nanoscale morphology of HKUST-1 thin films via codeposition and seeded growth
Authors: Brower Landon J , Gentry Lauren K , Napier Amanda L , Anderson Mary E
Published: November 2017

Integration of surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (surMOFs) within hierarchical architectures is necessary for potential sensing, electronic, optical, or separation applications. It is important to understand the fundamentals of film formation for these surMOFs in order to develop strategies for their incorporation with nanoscale control over lateral and vertical dimensions. This research identified processing parameters to control the film morphology for surMOFs of HKUST-1 fabricated by codeposition and seeded deposition. Time and temperature were investigated to observe film formation, to control film thickness, and to tune morphology. Film thickness was investigated by ellipsometry, while film structure and film roughness were characterized by atomic force microscopy. Films formed via codeposition resulted in nanocrystallites anchored to the gold substrate. A dynamic process at the interface was observed with a low density of large particulates (above 100 nm) initially forming on the substrate; and over time these particulates were slowly replaced by the prevalence of smaller crystallites (ca. 10 nm) covering the substrate at a high density. Elevated temperature was found to expedite the growth process to obtain the full range of surface morphologies with reasonable processing times. Seed crystals formed by the codeposition method were stable and nucleated growth throughout a subsequent layer-by-layer deposition process. These seed crystals templated the final film structure and tailor the features in lateral and vertical directions. Using codeposition and seeded growth, different surface morphologies with controllable nanoscale dimensions can be designed and fabricated for integration of MOF systems directly into device architectures and sensor platforms.
Speech Recognition in Noise in Adults and Children Who Speak English or Chinese as Their First Language
Authors: Schafer Erin C. , Aoyama Katsura , Ho Tiffany , Castillo Priscilla , Conlin Jennifer , Jones Jessalyn , Thompson Skyler
Published: November 2017

Background:Speech recognition of individuals who are listening to a nonnative language is significantly degraded in the presence of background noise and may be influenced by proficiency, age of acquisition, language experience, and daily use of the nonnative language.Purpose:The
purpose of this study is to examine and compare speech recognition in noise performance across test conditions with varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) as well as the presence of vocal and spatial cues in listeners who speak American English as a native language or Mandarin Chinese as a
native language. Self-rated English proficiency and experience were collected for native Mandarin Chinese speakers to determine its relationship to performance on the test measures.Research Design:A cross-sectional repeated measures design was used for the study.Study Sample:Four
groups of participants were included in the study. The adult groups consisted of 25 adults who speak native English and 25 adults who speak native Mandarin Chinese with English as an additional language. The pediatric groups consisted of 16 children who speak native English and 16 children
who speak native Mandarin Chinese with English as an additional language.Data Collection and Analyses:Percent correct speech recognition in noise was assessed at three SNRs (−3, 0, +3 dB) using the adult or pediatric versions of the AzBio sentence test. The Listening in Spatialized
Noise-Sentence (LiSN-S) test was used to determine the effect of providing spatial and vocal cues on the speech recognition in noise performance of the groups of participants. The data for each age group and test measure were analyzed with a repeated measures analysis of variance. Correlation
analyses were performed to examine relationships between English proficiency and experience on performance across the speech recognition test conditions.Results:Analysis of the data from the adult or pediatric AzBio sentence test identified a significant effect of native language for
adults but no significant effect for children. The higher SNRs yielded better performance for all listeners. On the LiSN-S test, results for the adult and pediatric groups were similar and showed significantly better performance for the native English speakers in every test condition. The
demographic and language characteristics that most affected speech recognition performance across the test measures included the length of time the person lived in the United States, the age of English acquisition, the number of minutes per day English was spoken by the participant, and the
self-rated English proficiency.Conclusions:The findings in this study highlight the importance and benefit of higher SNRs as well as the provision of vocal and spatial cues for improving speech recognition performance in noise of adult and pediatric listeners who speak Mandarin Chinese
as a native language.
Brazilian Program For HIV Point-Of-Care Test Evaluation: A Decade’s Experience
Authors: Ferreira Jr. Orlando Da Costa , Véras Nazle Mendonça Collaço , Pires Ana Flávia , Bazzo Maria Luiza , Da Motta Leonardo Rapone , Costa Deise Andrade , Ribeiro Liane De Jesus , Benzaken Adele Shwartz , De Mesquita Fábio Caldas , Franchini Miriam
Published: November 2017

The point-of-care tests (POCTs) for HIV diagnosis have been widely used in Brazil in order to expand and to allow HIV diagnosis outside health units including remote areas, such as the Amazon region. In order to guarantee the quality of HIV diagnostics based on rapid tests, the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH) implemented the HIV POCT Evaluation Program. This study compiles the Brazilian experience acquired over the last 13 years conducting the HIV POCT Evaluation Program.

 

Methods and Findings

The selection of tests was based on the interest of manufacturers to qualify for the MoH tenders. Each round was performed with fresh whole blood and oral fluid samples, always including HIV positive and negative ones. In addition to the POCT, every sample was submitted to a reference testing protocol, based on an immunoassay followed by Western blot. The POCTs were evaluated for clinical sensitivity, clinical specificity, assay operational characteristics, detection of HIV-2 antibodies, sensitivity to subtypes panels; and sensitivity to seroconversion panels. Since its implementation in 2003, the POCT evaluation protocol has undergone some modifications aiming to improve and simplify the evaluation process, to know: (i)  for HIV-positive samples, perform EIA and Western blot only if the POCT is non-reactive; (ii) reduction from 800 to 600 HIV negative samples; (iii) increase from one to three subtype panels (including HIV-2 samples); and (iv) inclusion of seroconversion panel. We evaluated six tests, four of which met the sensitivity criteria of 99.5%: BD Chek™ HIV Multi-test (whole blood), HIV 1/2 Colloidal Gold (whole blood), OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test (whole blood and oral fluid) and TR DPP HIV-1/2 (whole blood, plasma and oral fluid). Regarding other evaluated criteria, all assays met the requirements.

 

Conclusions

The successful Brazilian policy on POCT use for HIV infection diagnosis includes the evaluation of the POCT itself in addition to appropriate selection of tests to be acquired and nationwide distributed to the public health facilities, control of each test batch distributed by the MoH, proper and easily accessible training to all health professionals involved in rapid testing through distance learning tools, and continued evaluation of POCT use through external quality assessment.
Antonio Coello, coautor de El monstruo de la Fortuna
Authors: Coenen Erik
Published: November 2017

La segunda jornada de la comedia El monstruo de la Fortuna suele ser atribuida a Juan Pérez de Montalbán, pero hay motivos de peso para atribuirla a Antonio Coello, siendo el principal una coincidencia textual con los versos iniciales de Yerros de Naturaleza y aciertos de la Fortuna, del mismo poeta. No hay ningún motivo estilístico para dudar de su autoría. Es más, la tercera jornada de la comedia, que es de Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, reviste en su estructura dramática paralelos muy llamativos con la tercera jornada de la comedia más célebre de Coello, El Conde de Sex, lo cual sugiere que Coello diseñara su trama. Finalmente, el motivo tradicional para atribuir la jornada a Montalbán conllevaba fechar el estreno de la comedia antes de 1633; ahora parece más razonable aceptar la fecha de 1636, que está documentada.
Los entresijos paratextuales de un «cuento extraño» de Rosalía de Castro: El caballero de las botas azules
Authors: Iglesias Iglesias Noelia
Published: November 2017

Al igual que ocurrió entre la crítica decimonónica, la novela de Rosalía de Castro El caballero de las botas azules. «Cuento extraño» (1867) sigue provocando hoy diversas exégesis. Su ambigüedad semántica y consecuente complejidad hermenéutica no se aprecian solo en los capítulos que componen esta enigmática obra, sino que comienzan en los propios paratextos que la enmarcan. El título y el subtítulo de la novela, así como su original prólogo proporcionan importantes claves interpretativas al receptor. El propósito del artículo es ofrecer una descripción bibliográfica de esta novela poco conocida en el panorama de la narrativa española de mediados del siglo XIX y, a partir de ahí, analizar sus elementos paratextuales en consonancia con su singularidad.
Los paratextos de la Cima del Monte Parnaso Español (1672) de José Delitala: diálogo intertextual con El Parnaso Español (1648) y Las Tres Musas Últimas Castellanas (1670) de Quevedo
Authors: Candelas Colodrón Manuel Ángel
Published: November 2017

El trabajo pretende explicar e interpretar el diálogo intertextual establecido entre los paratextos de la Cima del Monte Parnaso Español del poeta sardo en lengua española José Delitala y Castelví, publicada en Cagliari en 1672, y las dos partes de la edición póstuma de la poesía de Francisco de Quevedo, El Parnaso Español de 1648 y Las Tres Musas Úlltimas Castellanas de 1670. El análisis permite reconocer la importancia de Quevedo a finales del siglo XVII no solo como modelo de inspiración poética sino como ejemplo editorial para la construcción organizada de un libro de poemas.
Fabrication of X-band Oscillator on LCP Substrate Using Aerosol Printing
Authors: Oakley Christopher , Chahal Premjeet , Papapolymerou John , Albrecht John D.
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a low-cost additive manufacturing method for rapid prototyping of millimeter and microwave circuits using aerosol jet printing of silver nanoparticle ink deposited on commercially available liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate material. Two passive circuit elements, a 50 Ω microstrip transmission line and a band-stop microstrip resonator, were designed, fabricated and measured. These passive elements form the basis of a printed X-band transistor-based oscillator circuit in which all metal layers have been printed, including metalized vias. Impacts of via metallization quality on oscillator performance are obtained by comparing measured data and designs. We conclude that printed metal quality (conductivity, roughness and uniformity) is an important fabrication issue for obtaining high-performance 3D printed circuits.
Shielding Effectiveness Simulation of SMT EMI Gaskets Utilizing ANSYS HFSS
Authors: Kerwien Christopher M. , Blair Charlotte
Published: November 2017

As more components populate smaller board areas, the risk of unwanted coupling between components increases. Shielding and radiated emissions tests outlined by IEEE standards such as IEC 61000-4-21 and ASTM4935D identify measurement techniques to quantify shielding effectiveness. In a PCB topology, shields enclose components to create a Faraday cage, but necessitate a method to ground and fasten the shield to the PCB. Typical methods include the use of gaskets, sealants and clips. This paper reviews a gasket methodology and validates a parameterized ANSYS HFSS simulation with the measured relationship between gasket configuration and shielding effectiveness. Surface mount, rectangular, compressible gaskets manufactured by W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. are used in several configurations to shield a PCB radiator. Radiated emissions measurements are performed in an ETS-Lindgren reverberation chamber to evaluate shielding effectiveness for each configuration. ANSYS HFSS, a full wave Finite Element Method (FEM) electromagnetic simulation solver, is used to simulate each geometric configuration and is verified with measured results.
Alternative deposition solution for cost reduction of TSV integration
Authors: Vitiello J. , Piallat F. , Bonnet L.
Published: November 2017

As one of the key enabler of 3D integration, Through Silicon Via (TSV) was widely investigated but not largely adopted in the advanced packaging industry. At the present time, TSV key films, i.e. isolation, barrier and Cu seed layers, are depending on (Plasma Enhanced) Chemical Vapor Deposition ((PE)CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) systems in high volume manufacturing. Those deposition methods are not able to answer actual TSV needs: thick and conformal layers. They have forced engineers to compensate with other TSV fabrication steps while degrading fabrication cost.

The innovative Fast Atomic Sequential Technology (F.A.S.T.®), a unique combination of optimized CVD reactor with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) pulsing capability, has been extensively evaluated to answer the thick and conformal layer request of TSV integration scheme while reducing integration cost.

Based on commercially available molecules, actual isolation, copper barrier and Cu seed materials can be layered with advantageous conformality in TSV with aspect ratio up to 20:1. Furthermore, extended process window is at reach with the technique, thanks to additional parameters enabling fine tuning of the layer's properties to fit actual needs and future requirements.

Assisted by plasma to deposit SiO2 liner, and TiN copper barrier, or combined with reducing gas for Cu seed deposition, highly conformal films compared to PVD or PECVD can be obtained while offering deposition rate much higher than PEALD. Additionally, a unique in-situ cleaning capability was also developed to remove deposition material from the reactor walls in the Cu Seed deposition chamber, thus answering the requirements of high volume manufacturing players.
Investigation of Package Effects on the Edge Termination E-Field for HV WBG Power Semiconductors
Authors: Ke Haotao , Jiang Yifan , Morgan Adam J. , Hopkins Douglas C.
Published: November 2017

The edge termination of a power semiconductor is defined as the spatial junction terminations around the edges of the power devices. Guard rings are used to contour the internal depletion regions and E-fields as they terminate at the edge termination, i.e. the intersection of the depletion regions and the wafer saw line where the crystal damage is located. Since there is no specific package for WBG power devices, wire bonds are still widely used to interconnect to the topside metal pads of the power devices. From previous research it is shown that wire bonding will not affect the E-field around the guard rings on a WBG device. However, planar power package, such as double-sided and power flip-chip device packaging could be a problem where the close distance between the topside of the power device and conducting plane may negatively affect the E-field distribution of the guard rings, which in turn lowers the reverse blocking capability of the WBG power device and increases leakage current creating greater on-state power loss, or even early break down. Few works have shown the Electric field distribution in embedded power modules. Therefore, a more detailed investigation and possible solution is needed for the proliferation of double-sided power packages.

To investigate this packaging problem simulations were performed in Sentaurus TCAD and COMSOL based on the device physics and package geometries. Guard ring structures in 1.2kV and 10kV SiC Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) were built and simulated in various double-sided package geometries, together with the thermal and mechanical evaluation of the package, to observe the influence on the E-field distribution in and out the WBG device. Different double-sided package structures were evaluated and a guideline (spacing/pad size/etc.) summarized for double-sided design. Moreover, a new bevel edge termination method was evaluated for double-sided WBG power semiconductor devices.

Experimental reverse blocking test results will be reported in various temperature (from 25°C to 175°C) to verify the function of the package. The tests are on 1200V/50A SiC SBD (Schottky Barrier Diode) from Global Power Technology, which has double-sided Ag on both sides.
High Density, Tall Cu Pillars for 3D Packaging
Authors: Swarbrick Tom , Martin Kevin , Mori Kousuki
Published: November 2017

With demands for shrinking footprints and increasing I/O of electronic components, there is an increasing interest in electrodeposited Cu pillar structures for Package on Package (PoP) interconnects. One example of interest involves a 3D package integration approach with the memory mounted above the processor for mobile applications. This paper will explore the processes required and discuss the challenges for Cu pillar fabrication of PoP interconnects at sub 100um pitches. The test vehicles will include variables such as pillar diameter and pitch for a 200um thick liquid film negative tone plating resist on a 300mm wafer format. The high-density pillar pitch is expected to present challenges to resist material applications, lithography capability, and plating capability. Work for this paper is supported by major material and tool suppliers for resist materials, lithography tools, and plating chemistries & plating tools.

JSR Micro, Rudolph Technologies, Atotech
The Relevance of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic Module Packaging in the 5G Market
Authors: Schless Ton
Published: November 2017

5th Generation Telecommunications Technology, 5G, is emerging to provide the market with even higher data rates and bandwidth and lower response times than the 4th generation telecommunications technology, 4G/LTE, that is currently deployed. With commercial 5G networks coming on-line in 2020 the network providers and infrastructure companies are quickly developing devices and systems to meet the demand of the 5G market. Since high data rates and high bandwidths demand high frequency microwave, MW, devices, Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic, LTCC, is one of the materials of choice for those modules in a 5G system that require the high 3D integration, high signal integrity, high reliability and high power performance of LTCC. LTCC has proven for more than two decades now to exhibit these qualities in high-frequency telecommunication applications. This paper explores the relevance of LTCC technology in the module packaging market in the 5G market.