Improving the Public Health Information Network through Semantic Modeling

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created the Public Health Information Network to advance fully capable, interoperable information systems in public health organizations. PHIN prioritizes public health information systems' functional requirements, capabilities, performance measures, and operational characteristics while letting the architects of those systems choose enabling approaches, methods, and concepts to meet the requirements. PHIN also provides a certification process for public health administrators to evaluate their information infrastructure's quality. The certification process is important because affected organizations often depend on certification for continued funding.     

A high dynamic magnetooptic current transformer with advanced signal processing

In the power industry, current has to be measured for metering and protection purposes. Conventional sensor setups need two transformers to realize the high dynamic range. By the described mixed analog/digital signal processing algorithm, the inherent low photonic noise of the input signals was maintained up to the full sensor output. The system design is based on a rigorous investigation and optimization of the error sources in the signal processing chain. The results are proved by a demonstrator, achieving a dynamic range from 0.05 to 100 times the rated current and a ratio root mean square error of less than 0.5%.     

Creating a Student Centered Learning Environment at the University of Denver

A team of faculty members at the University of Denver changed the learning environment in key courses in the Department of Engineering from predominately teacher centered to student centered. Through this funded project new grading methods were implemented, classrooms were renovated and wired with studio layouts to facilitate learning, the Engineering Circuits Laboratory was rewired and instrumented for automated data acquisition and reporting, and two new pedagogical approaches were developed. At the onset of the project, six goals were established related to student learning. The introduction of industry standard hardware and software provided students with unprecedented hands‐on experience and project related activities stimulated faculty innovations in other current and future courses. Assessment results indicate that the new grading system improved the clarity of expectations for students before assignments were given resulting in increased reported motivation for learning in many courses. Even though course GPAs did not always reflect higher achievement on graded work, faculty members firmly believe that deeper understanding was achieved because more complex material was assimilated.     

An example of a GAS system which can be destabilized by an integrable perturbation

A construction of a globally asymptotically stable time-invariant system which can be destabilized by some integrable perturbation is given. Besides its intrinsic interest, this serves to provide counterexamples to an open question regarding Lyapunov functions.     

Simulation of the Accelerating Systems of Cyclotrons for Applications

The results of a comparative numerical investigation of three types of resonator systems of a cyclotron for acceleration of negative hydrogen and deuterium ions up to maximum energy 30 and 15 MeV, respectively, are presented. It is shown that a vertical system with two half-wave resonators excited in-phase has the smallest active losses and the smallest differential of the amplitude of the accelerating voltage along the edge of the dees and is effective for accelerating particles at dual working frequencies.     

Electromagnetic signatures as a tool for connectionless test

When we test boards, we usually think in terms of traditional electrical test (in-circuit, flying probe) and nonelectrical test (optical, x-ray). This Orebro University article develops an alternative, connectionless technique based on scanning the electromagnetic field generated by active on-board devices. Could this make it into industry as an additional diagnostic tool?.     

Modeling language acquisition in atypical phenotypes.

An increasing number of connectionist models have been proposed to explain behavioral deficits in developmental disorders. These simulations motivate serious consideration of the theoretical implications of the claim that a developmental disorder fits within the parameter space of a particular computational model of normal development. The authors examine these issues in depth with respect to a series of new simulations investigating past-tense formation in Williams syndrome. This syndrome and the past-tense domain are highly relevant because both have been used to make strong theoretical claims about the processes underlying normal language acquisition. The authors conclude that computational models have great potential to advance psychologists' understanding of developmental deficits because they focus on the developmental process itself as a pivotal causal factor in producing atypical phenotypic outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)