Performance of a self-lifting linear air contact

An investigation into the performance of a self-levitating linear air bearing that functions on the squeeze film principle was conducted and a detailed set of results describing its floating characteristics at various operating parameters is presented. Experimentally assessed performance of the bearing was compared with performance predicted by a computer model of the bearing

Development of an ASIC for CCD readout at the vertex detectors of the intrenational linear collider

The Linear Collider Flavour Identification Collaboration is developing sensors and readout electronics suitable for the International Linear Collider vertex detector. In order to achieve high data rates the proposed detector utilises column parallel CCDs, each read out by a custom designed ASIC. The prototype chip (CPR2) has 250 channels of electronics, each with a preamplifier, 5-bit flash ADC, data sparsification logic for identification of significant data clusters, and local memory for storage of data awaiting readout. CPR2 also has hierarchical 2-level data multiplexing and intermediate data memory, enabling readout of the sparsified data via the 5-bit data output bus

Radiation Hardness Studies in a CCD with High-Speed Column Parallel Readout

Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been successfully used in several high energy physics experiments over the past two decades. Their high spatial resolution and thin sensitive layers make them an excellent tool for studying short-lived particles. The Linear Collider Flavour Identification (LCFI) collaboration is developing Column-Parallel CCDs (CPCCDs) for the vertex detector of the International Linear Collider (ILC). The CPCCDs can be read out many times faster than standard CCDs, significantly increasing their operating speed. The results of detailed simulations of the charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) of a prototype CPCCD are reported and studies of the influence of gate voltage on the CTI described. The effects of bulk radiation damage on the CTI of a CPCCD are studied by simulating the effects of two electron trap levels, 0.17 and 0.44 eV, at different concentrations and operating temperatures. The dependence of the CTI on different occupancy levels (percentage of hit pixels) and readout frequencies is also studied. The optimal operating temperature for the CPCCD, where the effects of the charge trapping are at a minimum, is found to be about 230 K for the range of readout speeds proposed for the ILC. The results of the full simulation have been compared with a simple analytic model.Comment: 3 pages, 6 figures; presented at IEEE'07, ALCPG'07, ICATPP'0

Self-perceived competence correlates poorly with objectively measured competence in Evidence Based Medicine among medical students

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies report various degrees of agreement between self-perceived competence and objectively measured competence in medical students. There is still a paucity of evidence on how the two correlate in the field of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). We undertook a cross-sectional study to evaluate the self-perceived competence in EBM of senior medical students in Malaysia, and assessed its correlation to their objectively measured competence in EBM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We recruited a group of medical students in their final six months of training between March and August 2006. The students were receiving a clinically-integrated EBM training program within their curriculum. We evaluated the students' self-perceived competence in two EBM domains ("searching for evidence" and "appraising the evidence") by piloting a questionnaire containing 16 relevant items, and objectively assessed their competence in EBM using an adapted version of the Fresno test, a validated tool. We correlated the matching components between our questionnaire and the Fresno test using Pearson's product-moment correlation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Forty-five out of 72 students in the cohort (62.5%) participated by completing the questionnaire and the adapted Fresno test concurrently. In general, our students perceived themselves as moderately competent in most items of the questionnaire. They rated themselves on average 6.34 out of 10 (63.4%) in "searching" and 44.41 out of 57 (77.9%) in "appraising". They scored on average 26.15 out of 60 (43.6%) in the "searching" domain and 57.02 out of 116 (49.2%) in the "appraising" domain in the Fresno test. The correlations between the students' self-rating and their performance in the Fresno test were poor in both the "searching" domain (r = 0.13, p = 0.4) and the "appraising" domain (r = 0.24, p = 0.1).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides supporting evidence that at the undergraduate level, self-perceived competence in EBM, as measured using our questionnaire, does not correlate well with objectively assessed EBM competence measured using the adapted Fresno test.</p> <p>Study registration</p> <p>International Medical University, Malaysia, research ID: IMU 110/06</p

Measurements of Charge Transfer Inefficiency in a CCD With High-Speed Column Parallel Readout

Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) have been successfully used in several high energy physics experiments over the past two decades. Their high spatial resolution and thin sensitive layers make them an excellent tool for studying short-lived particles. The Linear Collider Flavour Identification (LCFI) collaboration is developing Column-Parallel CCDs (CPCCDs) for the vertex detector of a future Linear Collider. The CPCCDs can be read out many times faster than standard CCDs, significantly increasing their operating speed. A test stand for measuring the charge transfer inefficiency (CTI) of a prototype CPCCD has been set up. Studies of the CTI have been performed at a range of readout frequencies and operating temperatures.Comment: 6 pages, 17 figures, presented on behalf of the LCFI Collaboration, proceedings IEEE 2008 Nuclear Science Symposium, Dresden, German

Readout chip for Column Parallel CCD, CPR2A

The LCFI Collaboration is developing the sensors, readout electronics and mechanical support structures for the vertex detector (VXD) of the International Linear Collider (ILC), as well as studying the physics performance that the VXD will achieve. Since the VXD must provide excellent spatial resolution, the sensors must have very low mass and their power consumption must be small to ensure that the sensors themselves cause as little multiple scattering as possible and that gas cooling can be used to operate them at temperatures of about -40 C. High-speed readout is also needed to ensure that the occupancy due to the pair production background at the ILC is kept below the 1% level. In order to satisfy these strict requirements, Column Parallel CCDs (CPCCDs) and Column Parallel Readout chips (CPRs) have been developed. The readout chips must be able to operate synchronously with the CPCCDs and ensure fast signal processing with low noise and data compression. The design and performance of the latest version of the readout chip, the CPR2A, are described here. © 2009 Elsevier B.V