Process Chart for Controlling Wafer Defects using Fuzzy Theory

Manufacturers of integrated circuits (IC) frequently utilize c-charts to monitor wafer defects. The clustering of wafer defects increases with the surface area of the wafers. The clustering of defects causes the Poisson-based c-chart to show many false alarms. Although Neyman-based c-chart has been developed to reduce the number of false alarms, it has some shortcomings in practical use. This study presents a process control chart that applies Fuzzy theory and the engineering experience to monitor the clustered defects on a wafer. The proposed method is simpler and more efficient than that of the Neyman-based c-chart. A case study of an IC company in Taiwan demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method

IDENTIFYING GAIT ASYMMETRY USING DIGITAL SENSORS

The purpose of this study was to determine which phases and kinematics were easier to identify gait asymmetry by using digital sensors. Sixteen participants were recruited in this study. The participants were requested to walk naturally under two conditions (with or without asymmetrical load). Four digital sensor sets were attached on 4 limbs to collect kinematics data. The results showed that only the AS1 of Medial-Later acceleration of upper limb on the stance phase significantly different between unloading and loading conditions; on the lower limb were AS1 of Superior-Inferior acceleration and Flex/Extension angular velocity on the swing phase. The digital sensors that attach on upper and lower limbs both can detect gait asymmetry, but the asymmetrical phase and kinematics are different on upper and lower limbs

The potential impact of primary headache disorders on stroke risk

Distribution of PHDs. (DOC 55 kb

Mediating role of resilience in the relationships of physical activity and mindful self-awareness with peace of mind among college students

Abstract Peace of mind (PoM) is an index of mental health in Asian culture and emphasizes low arousal, happiness, harmony, and an internal state of peacefulness. While previous studies have found that mindful self-awareness can contribute to PoM, regular physical activity (PA) is also an important factor contributing to one’s PoM due to its function in promoting one's resilience. The study aims to investigate a hypothetical model that assumes PA is associated with resilience while controlling for mindful self-awareness, contributing to PoM. The PoM scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Chinese translation of Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and PA self-report questionnaire were used. A path analysis was applied to test the association between these variables and the mediating role of resilience. A total of 436 students from a university in Taiwan were recruited; the mean age was 20.87, with 46.3% female and 73.6% engaging in over 150 min/week of moderate PA. Gender and age negatively correlated with PA. After controlling for age and gender, there was no direct effect of physical activity on PoM; both mindful self-awareness and PA predict resilience, which in turn predicts PoM, suggesting that both cognitive (i.e., mindful self-awareness) and PA are important to cultivate resilience and thus PoM

Study of polarization evolution in phantom tissues with ultrafast optics techniques: Monte Carlo simulations and experiments

This paper presents our study results of polarized short pulse transmission through phantom tissues made of polystyrene particle solutions with various concentrations and particle sizes. To improve the quality of optical imaging using an ultrafast light source, study is required to fully understand the evolution of the polarization state in the sample, as well as the time- and polarization-dependent distributions of optical intensity exiting from samples. Temporal profiles of the Stokes vectors and the degree of polarization are measured experimentally. The results agree well with those resulting from Monte Carlo simulations. Analyses based on the Stokes-Mueller formalism show that the first scattering event determines the spatial patterns of the transmitted Stokes vectors. When a detected area at the output surface of the sample is symmetric about the incident beam, the temporal profile of transmittance is independent of the incident polarization state. The linear relationship between the average order of scatters and the light propagation time can be used to explain the exponential decay of the degree of polarization and the inversely proportional relationship between the FWHM of the degree of polarization and the scatterer concentration