Role of Contacts in Capacitance Measurements of Solar Cells

The electronic properties of low cost, thin-film solar cells are complicated by the non-ideal nature of the semiconductor layers. Typically, the fundamental electronic properties of such materials are evaluated using current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. However, in these devices, it is common for the back contact to be non-ohmic. We are exploring the impact of such a back contact on the outcome of standard capacitance-based characterization techniques. We compare computer models of capacitance response with measurements of simple model electronic circuits and of solar cell devices

A Little Goes a Long Way: Pressure for College Students to Succeed

When college students begin college they experience pressure from multiple sources. For example, they experience pressure from their parents to succeed, from their professors, and pressure from themselves to do well in classes. This pressure could lead to high anxiety and possibly even poor performance in classes. Prior research that has examined the impact of anxiety on performance includes the Yerkes-Dodson law and the Processing Efficiency Theory. Both argue that anxiety increases the performance to a point, but then performance decreases again with too much pressure. The Processing Efficiency Theory also includes motivation. This motivation increases the drive to succeed and perform at a higher level. In the current study I manipulated the pressure participants felt as they completed a memory test to examine pressure as an influence on memory performance. Furthermore, I also analyzed how trait-anxiety interacts with pressure (as measured by the State Trait Anxiety Inventory). College students (n = 67) were separated into either a no pressure condition or a pressure condition and completed a memory test. Results showed a trend for participants with low trait-anxiety to have increased memory performance in the pressure condition. These results follow the Processing Efficiency Theory and the Yerkes-Dodson law. In other words, perhaps participants had better memory in the pressure condition because they were motivated to do well. Future research identifying the optimal amount of pressure for the best performance is suggested

Realizing Health Reform's Potential: Small Businesses and the Affordable Care Act of 2010

Examines current coverage of workers in small firms, insurers' administrative costs, and healthcare reform provisions such as small-business tax credits to offset premiums and exemption from shared responsibility payments and the estimated impact of each

The 2008 Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Proposals: Choices for America

Looks at key differences in the 2008 presidential candidates' health insurance reforms and evaluates them against the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System's principles. Estimates each plan's impact on the number of uninsured

Development of a Translator from LLVM to ACL2

In our current work a library of formally verified software components is to be created, and assembled, using the Low-Level Virtual Machine (LLVM) intermediate form, into subsystems whose top-level assurance relies on the assurance of the individual components. We have thus undertaken a project to build a translator from LLVM to the applicative subset of Common Lisp accepted by the ACL2 theorem prover. Our translator produces executable ACL2 formal models, allowing us to both prove theorems about the translated models as well as validate those models by testing. The resulting models can be translated and certified without user intervention, even for code with loops, thanks to the use of the def::ung macro which allows us to defer the question of termination. Initial measurements of concrete execution for translated LLVM functions indicate that performance is nearly 2.4 million LLVM instructions per second on a typical laptop computer. In this paper we overview the translation process and illustrate the translator's capabilities by way of a concrete example, including both a functional correctness theorem as well as a validation test for that example.Comment: In Proceedings ACL2 2014, arXiv:1406.123

Health Coverage for Aging Baby Boomers: Findings From The Commonwealth Fund Survey of Older Adults

Examines healthcare quality and access by baby boomers in working families. Offers recommendations for expanding coverage, including options for savings accounts and early participation in Medicare

The Health Insurance Provisions of the 2009 Congressional Health Reform Bills: Implications for Coverage, Affordability, and Costs

Analyzes the House and Senate healthcare reform bills for the number of people likely to gain coverage and the implications for federal financing, families' insurance premium and out-of-pocket costs, employers, and the potential for price competition

Squeezed: Why Rising Exposure to Health Care Costs Threatens the Health and Financial Well-Being of American Families

Examines U.S. healthcare costs compared with other industrialized countries, individual health insurance coverage, individual market regulations, and the impact of high deductible plans on the health of individuals with chronic disease

Gaps in Health Insurance: An All-American Problem

Presents findings from a survey that examines health insurance coverage, rising healthcare costs, and the health and financial consequences to families that experience breaks in insurance

The Comprehensive Congressional Health Reform Bills of 2009: A Look at Health Insurance, Delivery System, and Financing Provisions

Provides an overview of the key provisions of the House and Senate healthcare reform bills that are essential to a high-performance health system. Compares approaches to health insurance reforms, health system reforms, and revenue sources and financing