Thermal shock testing for assuring reliability of glass-sealed microelectronic packages

Tests were performed to determine if thermal shocking is destructive to glass-to-metal seal microelectronic packages and if thermal shock step stressing can compare package reliabilities. Thermal shocking was shown to be not destructive to highly reliable glass seals. Pin-pull tests used to compare the interfacial pin glass strengths showed no differences between thermal shocked and not-thermal shocked headers. A 'critical stress resistance temperature' was not exhibited by the 14 pin Dual In-line Package (DIP) headers evaluated. Headers manufactured in cryogenic nitrogen based and exothermically generated atmospheres showed differences in as-received leak rates, residual oxide depths and pin glass interfacial strengths; these were caused by the different manufacturing methods, in particular, by the chemically etched pins used by one manufacturer. Both header types passed thermal shock tests to temperature differentials of 646 C. The sensitivity of helium leak rate measurements was improved up to 70 percent by baking headers for two hours at 200 C after thermal shocking

Advocacy coalitions involved in California's menu labeling policy debate: Exploring coalition structure, policy beliefs, resources, and strategies.

Advocacy coalitions often play an important role in the state health policymaking process, yet little is known about their structure, composition, and behavior. In 2008, California became the first state to enact a menu labeling law. Using the advocacy coalition framework, we examine different facets of the coalitions involved in California's menu labeling policy debate. We use a qualitative research approach to identify coalition members and explore their expressed beliefs and policy arguments, resources, and strategies by analyzing legislative documents (n = 87) and newspaper articles (n = 78) produced between 1999 and 2009. Between 2003 and 2008, six menu labeling bills were introduced in the state's legislature. We found the issue received increasing media attention during this period. We identified two advocacy coalitions involved in the debate-a public health (PH) coalition and an industry coalition. State organizations acted as coalition leaders and participated for a longer duration than elected officials. The structure and composition of each coalition varied. PH coalition leadership and membership notably increased compared to the industry coalition. The PH coalition, led by nonprofit PH and health organizations, promoted a clear and consistent message around informed decision making. The industry coalition, led by a state restaurant association, responded with cost and implementation arguments. Each coalition used various resources and strategies to advance desired outcomes. PH coalition leaders were particularly effective at using resources and employing advocacy strategies, which included engaging state legislators as coalition members, using public opinion polls and information, and leveraging media resources to garner support. Policy precedence and a local policy push emerged as important policymaking strategies. Areas for future research on the state health policymaking process are discussed

Clinoptilolite, as a N, K, and Zn source for plants

1981 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Clinoptilolite was tested for its capacity to enhance availability of N, K, and Zn in the production of vegetable and flower species. Ammonium charged zeolite and mixtures of zeolite plus ammonium sulfate or urea were evaluated in a greenhouse experiment involving a medium (13% clay) textured alkaline soil with no drainage provided and a light (6% clay) textured soil which was leached 6 times during the course of the experiment. Controls were ammonium sulfate and urea. Banding provided the most effective method of application of zeolite compared to incorporation when radish, Raphanus sativus cv. Improved Scarlet Globe, was used as a test species. Banded ammonium charged zeolite increased radish growth in both medium and light textured soils. A decrease in N03-N loss occurred in the leached light soil. A physical mixture of uncharged zeolite and ammonium sulfate provided no increase in radish growth or reduction in leachate nitrate. Banding zeolite, in conjunction with urea, reduced growth suppression which occurred when only urea was added. Growth response of tomato Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Spring Giant, were evaluated under field conditions, using banded treatments of ammonium charged zeolite, ammonium charged zeolite plus ammonium sulfate and uncharged zeolite plus ammonium sulfate. No differences in plant growth occurred among zeolite and control treatments due to unavoidable additions of nitrate nitrogen in the irrigation water. Two greenhouse experiments were used to evaluate the influence of zeolite on vegetables, cut flowers and potted plant crops in two different media. Radish, Raphanus sativus cv. Improved Scarlet Globe responded positively to charged and naturally potassic zeolites, equaling growth obtained by the fertilizer injection method. Lettuce, Lactuca sativa cv. Grand Rapids Forcing (H-54); beans, Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Cherokee; chrysanthemums, Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Bonnie Jean and snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus cv. Missouri growth was not positively affected by predesigned zeolite levels. Pot crops of poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima cv. Dark Red Annette Hegg and Easter lily, Lilium longiflorum cv. Ace also were not responsive

A Comparative Study and Estimation of the Life-Cycle Cost Impact of Application of Real-Time Non-Intrusive (RTNI) Monitoring Technology to Real-Time Embedded Systems

The use of real time non-intrusive (RTNI) monitoring has had an impact on life cycle costs of existing programs through a reduction in debug time. Other areas in which RTNI monitoring can provide potential benefits to future programs are through the use of increased dynamic testing and the sharing of testing time among more engineers. There are a number of areas in which software life cycle costs are impacted by various cost drivers. To determine which areas were affected by the use of RTNI monitoring, a panel of expert users of RTNI monitoring was created using a form of the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) methodology to achieve a consensus from a group of experts. The group concluded that the above areas were most important across their programs. However, simply using RTNI monitoring may not have a major impact on future programs, unless it is accompanied by the commitment from management to successfully integrate it into the test programs of those future programs

Variability in spawning frequency and reproductive development of the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) along the west coast of Australia

The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) is widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. This study describes the reproductive biology of S. commerson along the west coast of Australia, where it is targeted for food consumption and sports fishing. Development of testes occurred at a smaller body size than for ovaries, and more than 90% of males were sexually mature by the minimum legal length of 900 mm TL compared to 50% of females. Females dominated overall catches although sex ratios within daily catches vary considerably and females were rarely caught when spaw n ing. Scomberomorus commerson are seasonally abundant in coastal waters and most of the commercial catch is taken prior to the reproductive season. Spawning occurs between about August and November in the Kimberley region and between October and January in the Pilbara region. No spawning activity was recorded in the more southerly West Coast region, and only in the north Kimberley region were large numbers of fish with spawning gonads collected. Catches dropped to a minimum when spawning began in the Pilbara region, when fish became less abundant in inshore waters and inclement weather conditions limited fishing on still productive offshore reefs. Final maturation and ovulation of oocytes took place within a 24-hour period, and females spawned in the afternoon-evening every three days. A third of these spawning females released batches of eggs on consecutive days. Relationships between length, weight, and batch fecundity are presented

Putting Infection Dynamics at the Heart of Chagas Disease.

In chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infections, parasite burden is controlled by effective, but nonsterilising immune responses. Infected cells are difficult to detect because they are scarce and focally distributed in multiple sites. However, advances in detection technologies have established a link between parasite persistence and the pathogenesis of Chagas heart disease. Long-term persistence likely involves episodic reinvasion as well as continuous infection, to an extent that varies between tissues. The primary reservoir sites in humans are not definitively known, but analysis of murine models has identified the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we highlight that quantitative, spatial, and temporal aspects of T. cruzi infection are central to a fuller understanding of the association between persistence, pathogenesis, and immunity, and for optimising treatment

Defect-Seeded Atomic Layer Deposition of Metal Oxides on the Basal Plane of 2D Layered Materials

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) on mechanically exfoliated 2D layered materials spontaneously produces network patterns of metal oxide nanoparticles in triangular and linear deposits on the basal surface. The network patterns formed under a range of ALD conditions and were independent of the orientation of the substrate in the ALD reactor. The patterns were produced on MoS2 or HOPG when either tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium or bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)manganese were used as precursors, suggesting that the phenomenon is general for 2D materials. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence, prior to deposition, of dislocation networks along the basal plane of mechanically exfoliated 2D flakes, indicating that periodical basal plane defects related to disruptions in the van der Waals stacking of layers, such as perfect line dislocations and triangular extended stacking faults networks, introduce a surface reactivity landscape that leads to the emergence of patterned deposition