Overrepresentation and underrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos as lawbreakers on television news

We conducted a content analysis of a random sample of local television news programming in Los Angeles and Orange counties to assess representations of Blacks, Latinos, and Whites as lawbreakers and law defenders. 'Intergroup' comparisons of perpetrators (Black and Latino vs. White) revealed that Blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely than Whites to be portrayed as lawbreakers on television news. 'Interrole' comparisons (lawbreakers vs. law defenders) revealed that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be portrayed as lawbreakers than as defenders, whereas Whites are significantly more likely to be portrayed as defenders than as lawbreakers. 'Interreality' comparisons of lawbreakers (television news vs. crime reports from the California Department of Justice) revealed that Blacks are overrepresented as lawbreakers, and Latinos and Whites are underrepresented as lawbreakers on television news compared to their respective crime rates obtained from the California Department of Justice for Los Angeles and Orange counties. Interreality comparisons of law defenders (television news vs. county employment records) revealed that Whites are overrepresented, Latinos are underrepresented, and Blacks are neither over- nor underrepresented as police officers on television news compared to employment reports. We speculate on the psychological effects of exposure to these intergroup, interrole, and interreality differentials on television news viewers.     

Communicative Silences: Forms and Functions

The nature of silence is discussed as an imposition of mind, as an interdependent signification ground for speech signs, as a relationship to mental time (as opposed to artificial time), and as it relates to sensation, perception and metaphorical movement. Three major forms of silence are defined: Psycholinguistic Silence, of which there are two subtypes, designated Fast-time silence and Slow-time silence; Interactive Silence; and Sociocultural Silence. The three major forms are then briefly described as they relate to some important human communication functions. In the absence of empirical evidence, a number of hypotheses are offered.     

A 2D non-parabolic six-moments model

In order to describe carrier transport in inversion layers we have developed a two-dimensional non-parabolic macroscopic transport model up to the sixth order. To model the transport parameters with as few simplifying assumptions as possible, we apply an extraction technique from Subband Monte Carlo simulations followed by an interpolation within these Monte Carlo tables through the whole inversion layer. Important effects like surface-roughness scattering as well as quantization are inherently considered in the Subband Monte Carlo data, which are used to model higher-order mobilities as well as the macroscopic relaxation times as a function of the effective field and the carrier temperature. The parameters are compared with the results obtained from models using bulk Monte Carlo data, where neither surface roughness nor quantization are considered. The models are applied to a UTB SOI-MOSFET and their predictions are discussed for different gate lengths.     

Dynamic self-diffraction effects in liquid crystals

The dynamic self-diffraction effects due to large optical nonlinearities of nematic liquid crystals via molecular reorientation are reviewed. The laser-induced gratings are shown to arise because two waves with ordinary and extraordinary polarizations propagate in a nonlinear anisotropic medium. Both threshold and thresholdless effects as well as nonlinear scattering in an initially nonhomogeneous medium are discussed. Direction of further work in this field as well as potential applications are indicated.     

Application of defect spectroscopy to silicon processing technology

Established defect spectroscopies and silicon characterization techniques are successfully applied to device manufacturing quality control. Deep level transient spectroscopy, DLTS, and photoconducting decay recombination lifetime measurements routinely monitor epitaxial silicon. Fe and Mo are commonly observed contaminants. Processing tools, such as epitaxial reactors and ion-implantation machines, are regularly monitored for trace metals. Dislocations introduced by specific silicon processing steps are selectively studied with DLTS. Dislocation signatures are present in selectively grown epitaxial silicon as well as in shallow junctions created by BF₂ implantation. As a final example, defects introduced by reactive ion etching of silicon are examined by DLTS, photol-uminescence and spreading resistance profiling. The near surface displacement damage region is a source of interstitial defects which undergo recombination enhanced diffusion to depths as great as 1 μm. Measurements previously reserved for research are now being successfully employed as monitors and controls to improve the quality of silicon microelectronic manufacturing.     

Design of a Compact Millimeter-Wave Microstrip Antenna with Wide Bandwidth and Broad Beamwidth

Design of a novel compact millimeter-wave microstrip antenna with wide bandwidth and broad beamwidth is presented. In the structure, multiple layers and a parasitic element as well as a coupling aperture are used to achieve wideband, while a conducting cylinder and the coupling aperture are used to obtain broad beamwidth. Finally, phased array with eight present elements has been designed as an example. Compared to traditional microstrip antennas and arrays, present antenna and array are of smaller dimension and broader beamwidth as well as wider bandwidth.     

Evaluation of technology options for LSI processing elements

A general overview of the semiconductor technologies available for the manufacture of microprocessor and bit slices is given. Both MOS as well as bipolar processes are covered. Advantages and disadvantages of PMOS, NMOS, CMOS, TTL, ECL, and I²L are discussed. Several of the more special-purpose technologies are briefly mentioned. A comparison is done on the basis of performance, cost, and application, and suggestions are made as to which technology will service best which application. A general prediction is made as to which processes will survive as main stream technologies and what developments can be expected in the near future with respect to improvements. Applications are separated into cost-sensitive low-chip-count areas and high-performance bit-slice-oriented approaches.     

Toward Secure Low Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks

Low rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs) offer device level wireless connectivity. They bring to light a host of new applications as well as enhance existing applications. Due to their low cost, low power consumption and self-organization features, LR-WPANs are ideal for applications such as public security, battle field monitoring, inventory tracking, as well as home and office automation. Nevertheless, one critical issue, security, needs to be solved before LR-WPANs are commonly accepted. Pursuing security in LR-WPANs is a challenging task. On one hand, wireless communications are inherently susceptible to interception and interference. On the other hand, most devices in LR-WPANs are resource-constrained and lack physical safeguards. This paper presents a systematic analysis of the threats faced by LR-WPANs with respect to the protocol stack defined by IEEE 802.15.4 and the ZigBee Alliance. Attacks are modeled and their impacts are evaluated. Some security problems within the current LR-WPAN security architecture are identified and remedies are suggested. Countermeasures of various attacks are also given.     

Nonparametric polyspectral estimators for kth-order (almost)cyclostationary processes

Second- and higher-order almost cyclostationary processes are random signals with almost periodically time-varying statistics. The class includes stationary and cyclostationary processes as well as many real-life signals of interest. Cyclic and time-varying cumulants and polyspectra are defined for discrete-time real kth-order cyclostationary processes, and their interrelationships are explored. Smoothed polyperiodograms are proposed for cyclic polyspectral estimation and are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. Asymptotic covariance expressions are derived along with their computable forms. Higher than second-order cyclic cumulants and polyspectra convey time-varying phase information and are theoretically insensitive to any stationary (for nonzero cycles) as well as additive cyclostationary Gaussian noise (for all cycles)     

An ink-jet-deposited passive component process for RFID

An all ink-jet-deposited process capable of creating high-quality passive devices suitable for an RFID front-end is described. Gold nanocrystals are printed to create conductive lines with sheet resistance as low as 23 m/spl Omega/ per square. Optimal printing conditions are found for polyimide dielectric layers and films as thin as 340 nm are produced. These results are used to create spiral inductors, interconnect, and parallel plate capacitors.     

Routing in a network with unreliable components

A new approach to the joint selection of primary and secondary routes in a network with unreliable components is presented. The mathematical model captures the changes in the operational characteristics of the network as it adapts to failures. Lagrangian relaxation and subgradient optimization techniques are used to obtain good heuristic solutions to the problem, as well as lower bounds to be used as benchmarks against which the quality of the solution is assessed. Results of numerical experiments are reported, and directions for further enhancements of the model are discussed     

Demonstrating kHz Frequency Actuation for Conducting Polymer Microactuators

This paper reports results on ionic EAP micromuscles converting electrical into micromechanical response in open‐air. Translation of small ion motion into large deformation in bending microactuator and its amplification by fundamental resonant frequency are used as tools to demonstrate that small ion vibrations can still occur at frequency as high as 1000 Hz in electrochemical devices. These results are achieved through the microfabrication of ultrathin conducting polymer microactuators. First, the synthesis of robust interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) is combined with a spincoating technique in order to tune and drastically reduce the thickness of conducting IPN microactuators using a so‐called “trilayer” configuration. Patterning of electroactive materials as thin as 6 μm is demonstrated with existing technologies, such as standard photolithography and dry etching. Electrochemomechanical characterizations of the micrometer sized beams are presented and compared to existing model. Moreover, thanks to downscaling, large displacements under low voltage stimulation (±4 V) are reported at a frequency as high as 930 Hz corresponding to the fundamental eigenfrequency of the microbeam. Finally, conducting IPN microactuators are then presenting unprecedented combination of softness, low driving voltage, large displacement, and fast response speed, which are the keys for further development to develop new MEMS.     

Optimization of chopper amplifiers for speed and gain

This paper presents design techniques to optimize the performance of chopper-stabilized ac-coupled CMOS inverter amplifiers. These amplifiers are used as comparators in highspeed flash analog-to-digital converters. For any given process technology, as the required conversion speed and resolution are increased, the amplifiers are required to increase their conversion speed and resolution, and to have higher switching speed as well as higher gain. Although these two requirements are in general contradictory, they can be optimized by proper design. In this paper, analytical expressions are derived which can be used to optimize these amplifiers. The results obtained from these analytical expressions and SPICE simulations agree well     

Uptake and Release of Double‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Mammalian Cells

Efforts to develop carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nano‐vehicles for precise and controlled drug and gene delivery, as well as markers for in vivo biomedical imaging, are currently hampered by uncertainties with regard to their cellular uptake, their fate in the body, and their safety. All of these processes are likely to be affected by the purity of CNT preparation, as well as the size and concentration of CNTs used, parameters that are often poorly controlled in biological experiments. It is demonstrated herein that under the experimental conditions of standard transfection methods, DWNTs are taken up by cultured cells but are then released after 24 h with no discernable stress response. The results support the potential therapeutic use of CNTs in many biomedical settings, such as cancer therapy.     

Finite element simulation of a stress history during themanufacturing process of thin film stacks in VLSI structures

High levels of interconnection line stress are a serious reliability problem for the integrated circuit industry. These stresses, which are due to the thermal expansion coefficient difference between the line and its surroundings, as well as to nonequilibrium film growth, can lead to failure mechanisms such as voiding and cracking. Historically, stresses in these lines have typically been modeled using a fixed configuration at the final process step. The stresses are calculated as the model Is cooled to room temperature. We have developed models to calculate stresses in interconnection structures as a function of process step, such as film deposition, etching, and thermal cycles. During processing both thermal and intrinsic stresses are induced, and continuously changed by subsequent process steps. This paper presents such an analysis of simple interconnection structures which contain two-level aluminum (Al) metal layers and a tungsten (W) via connection. Stress histories of the metal and via layers are obtained and discussed. This paper also discusses the effects on interconnection stress when intrinsic stresses in various layers are taken into account     

Impact of Device Architecture on Performance and Reliability of Deep Submicron SOI MOSFETs (invited paper)

The main electrical properties of advanced Silicon-On-Insulator MOSFETs are addressed. The subthreshold and high field operations are analysed as a function of device architecture. The special SOI parasitic phenomena, such as the floating body potential and temperature, are critically reviewed. The main limitations of submicron MOSFET are comparatively evaluated for various SOI structures. Short channel and hot carrier effects as well as the reliability of the SOI technology are investigated for gate length down to sub-0. 1 micron.     

System Design Issues for Harsh Environment Electronics Employing Metal-Backed Laminate Substrates

Designing harsh environment electronics continue to increase in difficulty to a rapid increase in feature content while electronics packaging technologies are often providing less reliability. In addition, restricted under-the-hood airflow and integrated (mechatronic) designs are significantly increasing operating temperatures toward their maximum operating capability. To provide a cost effective design, automotive electronics designers are pursuing circuit board assemblies directly attached to a metal plate. For cost purposes, this metal plate can also be used as part of the module housing to provide protection, as well as thermal efficiency. Unfortunately, the metal backing can often further reduce component reliability due to increases in substrate coefficient of thermal expansion. The paper investigates the impact of metal attachment on component reliability as it investigates the use of several board attachment options. These analyses are compared to finite element modeling to further understand the causes of earlier failure. In addition, the impact of additional component encapsulants and conformal coatings are investigated. Because all attachment materials must meet a certain thermal performance (both initial design and long-term performance) the thermal efficiencies of these design options are investigated, as well as the delamination due to product life. Finally, failure analyses are presented and ensure that failures match expected characteristics.     

A unity bit coding method by negative feedback

Signal-to-noise performances of a unity bit coding method and the characteristics of an experimental video encoder based upon the principle are described. The system contains a signal integration process in addition to the original delta modulator and features capability of transmitting dc component of input signal. The characteristics of the quantizing noise to the signal frequency, the signal amplitude and the integrator time constant are obtained theoretically as well as experimentally. The characteristics of periodical noise which are inherent to the proposed system are also investigated. The design and the characteristics of an experimental encoder for digital transmission of video signals are described as examples of the experimental equipment constructed to demonstrate the realizability of the principle. The experimental results show that considerably good reproduction of video pictures is obtained with sampling frequency as low as 30 Mc and suggest that the proposed system well fulfills the purpose.     

Smart instruments

Various aspects of the nature of intelligence as applied to measurement science such as mathematical capability, signal routing, signal conditioning, and processing are discussed. The state-of-the-art in providing intelligence in instruments is reviewed. The decreasing cost and increasing capability of CPU, memory, and peripheral-control functions involving the application of microcomputer electronics is described. Design considerations such as precision, economy, and simplicity are outlined as well as some limitations on intelligence. Trends in smartinstrument design are discussed and some predictions future developments are made.     

Comparative Evaluation of Several Pitch Process Models in the Detection of Vocal Tremor

Three models describing the speech excitation wave (denoted as pitch process) are suggested in order to detect vocal tremor in pathological speech. These models are compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of each of them are discussed. Comparison results for synthesized speech are presented, as well as spectral analysis results for real data of Parkinsonian speech, from which it turns out that the pitch process may serve as a powerful tool for detecting such tremor.