GaAs/AlGaAs grating surface-emitting diode lasers on Si substrates

A monolithic grating surface-emitting, GaAs/AlGaAs, separate-confinement-heterostructure, single-quantum-well diode laser has been fabricated on a Si substrate using a single-step metalorganic chemical vapour deposition process. An output power of 30 mW has been obtained under pulsed operation with a peak emission wavelength of 885 nm.<>     

The influence of psychosocial factors on heart transplantation decisions and outcomes

In January 1990, a well-established heart transplant program added a psychosocial evaluation procedure to its medical evaluation of potential transplant recipients. To determine the predictive value of psychosocial evaluation for decisions to list patients for a transplant and for ultimate clinical outcomes, we reviewed records of 191 patients who underwent psychosocial evaluation in the subsequent 3 years. Informal prescreening for obvious psychopathology and other disqualifiers almost certainly restricted the ranges of psychosocial factors observed in the sample. Of 120 patients listed, 61 actually received transplants. Psychosocial factors were little used in deciding whether to list the patients and were not predictive of recipients' medical outcome or compliance, but were moderately predictive of complication rates and difficulty of managing patients after transplantation. Although psychosocial evaluation of prescreened potential transplant recipients has little value in predicting medical outcome, it may be useful for planning and scheduling care after transplantation.     

Memory scanning: Are fixed and varied sets scanned concurrently or successively?

Subjects were timed as they decided whether individually presented probe letters were or were not contained in pairs of memorized sets of one, two, or four letters. One set was fixed in advance of a block of trials, while the other varied from trial to trial. In Experiments 1 and 2, subjects responded positively if the probe was in either set and negatively otherwise; in Experiment 3 they made different responses to fixed-set, varied-set, and negative probes. In all three experiments, reaction time (RT) to varied-set probes depended more on the size of the varied set than of the fixed set, whereas RT to fixed-set and negative probes depended more on the size of the fixed set. These results were generally consistent with the hypothesis that scanning of the two sets was at least to some extent concurrent rather than successive, with the fixed set scanned more slowly than the varied set. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching severely self-abusive and aggressive autistic residents to exit to fire alarms

Fifty-two case-hardened, severely self-abusive and aggressive autistic and retarded students, living in six different community residences, were trained to exit their residences, without the presence or assistance of staff, when a fire alarm sounded at night. On a pretest, prior to an 11-week period of intensive environmental and behavioral interventions, only 25% of the students exited within 2 1/2 minutes and independent of staff assistance. At posttest, 100% exited successfully, in a mean evacuation time of 60 seconds. The study was conducted at the Behavior Research Institute (BRI).     

Analysis of solvent extracts of bituminous coal macerals by chromatography, 1H n.m.r. and field-desorption mass spectrometry

Analysis of the carbon disulphide extracts of nine samples of UK coal-maceral concentrates by ¹H highresolution n.m.r. spectroscopy, gas-liquid chromatography and field-desorption mass spectrometry indicates the presence of components with a wide molecular weight range extending up to 1200 amu; these are attributed to n-alkanes up to ≈C₅₀ and highly condensed polynuclear aromatic compounds.     

Cyclic alkanes as geochemical markers in coal liquefaction products

Branched-chain/cyclic alkanes have been obtained, by solvent extraction and molecular-sieve adsorption, from a UK low-temperature (Rexco) coal tar, a USA fluidized-bed pyrolysis (FMC COED) coal tar, and a novel supercritical-gas-extract of a Turkish (Elbistan) lignite. Mass spectrometry (with gas chromatography and field-desorption) established the presence of mono-, di (including sesquiterpanes), tri-, tetra- (steranes only), and pentacyclic (triterpanes only) alkanes, including several steranes and triterpanes not previously reported as coal-tar constituents. The potential of cyclic alkanes as geochemical markers, even for commercial coal products subjected to appreciable heat treatment, is demonstrated by the identification of C₁₂, C₁₃, C₁₅ and C₁₆ dicyclics (including isoprenoid alkanes), C₁₇-C₂₆ tricyclics, and C₂₇ and C₂₉ hopane-type pentacyclics (triterpanes) in FMC, and of C₁₆-C₃₈ monocyclics, C₃₄-C₃₆ dicyclics, C₂₂-C₃₆ tricyclics, C₂₇-C₃₀ tetracyclics (steranes), and C₂₇, C₂₉, C₃₀, C₃₁, C₃₂, and C₃₃ hopane-type pentacyclics (triterpanes) in Rexco tar. Tetra- and pentacyclic alkanes were also preserved in the lignite extract.     

The digital divide and t-government in the United States: using the technology acceptance model to understand usage

This paper applies the technology acceptance model to explore the digital divide and transformational government (t-government) in the United States. Successful t-government is predicated on citizen adoption and usage of e-government services. The contribution of this research is to enhance our understanding of the factors associated with the usage of e-government services among members of a community on the unfortunate side of the divide. A questionnaire was administered to members, of a techno-disadvantaged public housing community and neighboring households, who partook in training or used the community computer lab. The results indicate that perceived access barriers and perceived ease of use (PEOU) are significantly associated with usage, while perceived usefulness (PU) is not. Among the demographic characteristics, educational level, employment status, and household income all have a significant impact on access barriers and employment is significantly associated with PEOU. Finally, PEOU is significantly related to PU. Overall, the results emphasize that t-government cannot cross the digital divide without accompanying employment programs and programs that enhance citizens’ ease in using such services.     

Development of an automated process planning and production activity control system for the manufacturing of engineered work surfaces

This paper describes the design and implementation of an Automated Process Planning and Production Activity Control system for a make-to-order business and presents a formal methodology for the development of integrated manufacturing systems. The research is based on concepts developed in a project undertaken in a job shop Case Study facility, producing precision-engineered work surfaces. Industry today is facing numerous challenges on many fronts demanding improved availability and dissemination of processing information. On the demand side there is increased pressure on the manufacturer to meet deadlines and provide the customer with a prompt, efficient service, with accurate lead-time information, and a product of the utmost quality, on time. On the supply side there is increasing competition, variety in the market, a diverse product range, varying processing times and extremely short lead times. The nature of today's business world means that real-time information is a requirement and not an extra. This paper documents the design, structure and implementation of an Automated Process Planning system, which completely automates and integrates Order Entry stages from order receipt to order release. The developed system, namely the Manufacturing Optimization Information System, or MOIS, relays information to and from shop floor operators via a Production Activity Control system at each of the manufacturing stations. The MOIS is part of ongoing research endeavouring to integrate order processing, Process Planning and production control activities with a combined dynamic scheduling and material optimization module in a holistic manufacturing optimization system. The two specific aims of this paper are very clear; first, to bridge the theory-practice gap between theoretical concepts and real industrial issues surrounding Process Planning and Production Control. Secondly, to outline the design, structure and evolution of an integrated Automatic Process Planning and Production Activity Control system, installed in a make-to-order enterprise.