Test and inspection for process control of monolithic circuits

Report details the test and inspection procedures for the mass production of high reliability integrated circuits. It covers configuration control, basic fundamentals of quality control, control charts, wafer process evaluation, general process evaluation, evaluation score system, and diffusion evaluation

Consumer reactions to self-expressive brand display

Brand names and other brand elements are often displayed on one’s body or clothes for the purpose of personal value expression. Despite the frequency of such brand displays in the marketplace, we know little about how consumers respond to seeing brands in this fashion. A recent view of consumer brand identification—the concept of brand engagement in self-concept (BESC)—provides a unique perspective from which to explore how consumers react when see-ing brands displayed by others. Across three experiments, we demonstrate a consistent pattern of findings indicating that consumers’ reactions to others ostentatiously displaying brands as means of value expression are strongest for those with high BESC levels and with a high value focus during brand exposure. The research highlights important variations in consumers’ responses to self-expressive brand stimuli associated with others; implications for branding practice and re-search are provided.Brand engagement; self-concept; advertising; brand management

Engineering students' actions in a mathematical modelling task: Mediating mathematical understanding in a computer algebra system

Many engineering subjects rely on the interpretation of symbolic, numeric and graphic representations. Engineering students have challenges pertaining to their mathematical understanding of their actions with a computer algebra system (CAS). We investigated how a mathematical modelling task could mediate varied levels of mathematical understanding. When engineering students are exposed to a CAS environment, they habitually engage in programming activities without considering the computerised outputs. The purpose of this paper was to ascertain South African engineering students’ actions that can mediate broader levels of mathematical understanding in a CAS by utilising the Pirie- Kieren model of growth in mathematical understanding. Thirteen participants agreed to engage collaboratively in a mathematical modelling task. The task was analysed by means of content analysis following a deductive research approach. The findings disclosed that engineering students interdepend on paper-and-pen, computerised and reflective actions in their growth of mathematical understanding. Engineering students can be assisted in mediated and folding-back actions in order to fluctuate back and forth on their way to a more sound mathematical understanding. Explicit planning and sequence of subtasks can support engineering students to merge new levels of mathematics understanding with past comprehensions. Thoroughly planned modelling tasks can mediate novel levels of mathematical understanding when engineering students learn with a CAS

Evolving therapies in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. The major etiologies and risk factors for HCC development are well defined and some of the steps involved in hepatocarcinogenesis have been elucidated in recent years. Therapeutic options that can be applied in curative or palliative intention are available and are dependent on the HCC stage. The therapeutic options fall into five main categories: (1) surgical interventions, including tumor resection and liver transplantation, (2) percutaneous interventions, including ethanol injection and radiofrequency thermal ablation, (3) transarterial interventions, including embolization and chemoembolization, (4) radiation therapy, and (5) drugs as well as gene and immune therapies. Until recently, no therapy existed for patients with advanced HCC. In 2007 a multikinase inhibitor (sorafenib) showed for the first time a significant increase in overall survival in patients with advanced HCC. Furthermore, several other agents that target different factors of hepatocarcinogenesis (eg, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factors, hepatocyte growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, and the transforming growth factors-α and -β), have emerged and been tested in clinical trials. This review gives an overview of the current therapeutic strategies and their clinical impact

Ptychographic ultrafast pulse reconstruction

We demonstrate a new ultrafast pulse reconstruction modality which is somewhat reminiscent of frequency resolved optical gating but uses a modified setup and a conceptually different reconstruction algorithm that is derived from ptychography. Even though it is a second order correlation scheme it shows no time ambiguity. Moreover, the number of spectra to record is considerably smaller than in most other related schemes which, together with a robust algorithm, leads to extremely fast convergence of the reconstruction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 3 references added, new figure 2, matches published versio

Safe, accurate, and precise sulfur isotope analyses of arsenides, sulfarsenides, and arsenic and mercury sulfides by conversion to barium sulfate before EA/IRMS

The stable isotope ratios of sulfur (δ(34)S relative to Vienna Cañon Diablo Troilite) in sulfates and sulfides determined by elemental analysis and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS) have been proven to be a remarkable tool for studies of the (bio)geochemical sulfur cycles in modern and ancient environments. However, the use of EA/IRMS to measure δ(34)S in arsenides and sulfarsenides may not be straightforward. This difficulty can lead to potential health and environmental hazards in the workplace and analytical problems such as instrument contamination, memory effects, and a non-matrix-matched standardization of δ(34)S measurements with suitable reference materials. To overcome these practical and analytical challenges, we developed a procedure for sulfur isotope analysis of arsenides, which can also be safely used for EA/IRMS analysis of arsenic sulfides (i.e., realgar, orpiment, arsenopyrite, and arsenian pyrite), and mercury sulfides (cinnabar). The sulfur dioxide produced from off-line EA combustion was trapped in an aqueous barium chloride solution in a leak-free system and precipitated as barium sulfate after quantitative oxidation of hydrogen sulfite by hydrogen peroxide. The derived barium sulfate was analyzed by conventional EA/IRMS, which bracketed the δ(34)S values of the samples with three international sulfate reference materials. The protocol (BaSO(4)-EA/IRMS) was validated by analyses of reference materials and laboratory standards of sulfate and sulfides and achieved accuracy and precision comparable with those of direct EA/IRMS. The δ(34)S values determined by BaSO(4)-EA/IRMS in sulfides (arsenopyrite, arsenic, and mercury sulfides) samples from different origins were comparable to those obtained by EA/IRMS, and no sulfur isotope fractionations were introduced during sample preparation. We report the first sulfur isotope data of arsenides obtained by BaSO(4)-EA/IRMS. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00216-021-03854-y

Contrasting motivation and learning strategies of ex-mathematics and ex-mathematical literacy students

Abstract: This inquiry contrasts motivation and learning strategies of ex-Mathematics (Maths) and ex-Mathematical Literacy (ML) students. ML ideally delivers candidates who can make sense of and actively participate in a world of numbers and numerical arguments, but ex-ML students are excluded from many undergraduate studies at most South African higher education institutions (HEIs). Institutions employ various strategies in enhancing student transition to higher education (HE), however, such options are rare for ex-ML students. A year-long foundation programme offered by a private HEI is one exception. This inquiry employed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and t-test, detecting significant differences in motivation and learning strategies between 111 ex-Maths and 81 ex-ML students. The intrinsic goal orientation, task value, self-efficacy, effort regulation and test anxiety-handling abilities of ex-Maths students were significantly superior. An integrated solution process addressing academic content and social-psychological attributes to improve the motivation of ex-ML students in support of their academic development is proffered

Design of field switched edge tracking earth/lunar horizon sensor system Phase IB REPORT

Optical and mechanical design, and electronic circuitry of field-switching, edge tracker for use in earth-lunar horizon sensor syste

Characteristics of Newly-hired Members of the New York City Police Department as Predictors of Subsequent Job Performance

It would be advantageous for law enforcement agencies if it could be determined which applicants for employment were most likely to provide superior performance over the course of their careers. In order to do this, it is necessary to determine a) what constitutes superior performance by police officers, b) what measurements can be used to record such performance, and c) if there are characteristics known about newly-hired police recruits that can serve as predictors of superior performance over an extended career. This study looked at the career histories of the 1,707 members of the New York City Police Department class hired in June of 1995 who completed Academy training and were subsequently assigned to permanent commands. Characteristics of the members of the class that were known at the end of training were drawn from NYPD personnel and Police Academy records. The principles of performance theory were used to determine behaviors that could be considered superior performance, and then measurable indicators for such performance were identified, and subjected to analysis using cross tabulations and linear regression. The study found that female officers and officers with four-year bachelor’s degrees were more likely to provide superior performance in the measures that served as indicators for good judgment and respectful interaction with the public, while New York City residents and officers whose final Police Academy grade was in the upper half of the class were more likely to have superior performance in measures that served as indicators for a higher rate of organizational commitment. A greater likelihood of superior performance was also provided by male officers in the first organizational commitment measure of comparative rate of sick leave, but not in the second measure of comparative length of service, where the sex of the officers did not have a significant effect. However, superior performance was found not to be related to the current hiring requirement of only 60 college credits upon employment or its alternative of two years of military service. The study concludes with suggestions regarding how the findings might affect public policies regarding police hiring