Fluidic Assembly of Optical Components

A self-assembly technique is used to match microscopic components in a desired configuration with a high degree of precision. The basis of this self-assembly technique is capillary forces that are used to assemble the micro components. A liquid solder provides the capillary forces by wetting a 3-D cavity in each of the parts to be assembled. An advantage of the proposed design is that the high degree of precision of the mating feature relative to the optical guides ensures a high degree of concentricity of the optical path in the device. The application presented is the self-assembly of arrays of single-mode optical fibers onto an optical chip for use in optical switches or tunable filters. Optical measurements revealed an insertion loss of less than 0.85 dB, which demonstrates misalignment in the order of 1 mum     

Maturing,Technology-Based,Born-Global Companies: Surviving Through Mergers and Acquisitions

To date, there has been little research about the corporate growth of born-global companies and relatively little data exist about their maturation, survival as independent companies (or failure to do so) and their international strategies. The present paper is based on an empirical study of Israeli technology-based companies that were identified in the late 1990s as born global. We collected data about the continuing development of these firms for the decade spanning 2000–2009. Our findings show that maturing technology-based, born-global companies can increase their chances of survival by acquiring other firms. Although such acquisitions do not increase profits, they allow born-global firms to continue increasing their sales and to expand and upgrade their product line, which in turn increases their chances of remaining independent. The data also show that if the firms prefer to merge with another company, they are in a better position if they do not acquire any other firms beforehand. Finally, our data show that although the majority of born-global companies can continue operations if they survived the first decade, they are not highly successful on the measures of growth and shareholder wealth. One of the recommendations of this study is that for maturing, technology-based, born-global companies to remain successful, they must be more aggressive in their M&A strategy than they are at the moment.     

Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Adolescent Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Their Families: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), particularly intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and arousal, are among the most common psychological aftereffects of childhood cancer for survivors and their mothers and fathers. We conducted a randomized wait-list control trial of a newly developed 4-session, 1-day intervention aimed at reducing PTSS that integrates cognitive-behavioral and family therapy approaches-the Surviving Cancer Competently Intervention Program (SCCIP). Participants were 150 adolescent survivors and their mothers, fathers, and adolescent siblings. Significant reductions in intrusive thoughts among fathers and in arousal among survivors were found in the treatment group. A multiple imputations approach was used to address nonrandom missing data and indicated that treatment effects would likely have been stronger had more distressed families been retained. The data are supportive of brief interventions to reduce PTSS in this population and provide additional support for the importance of intervention for multiple members of the family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection measures in real-life criminal guilty knowledge tests.

Provides a 1st attempt to compare the validity of the respiration line length (RLL) and skin resistance response (SRR) amplitude in real-life criminal guilty knowledge tests (GKTs). GKT records of 40 innocent and 40 guilty Ss, for whom actual truth was established by confession, were assessed for their accuracy. When a predefined decision rule was used and inconclusive decisions were excluded, 97.4% of the innocent Ss and 53.3% of the guilty Ss were correctly classified with the SRR measure. For the RLL measure, the respective results were 97.2% and 53.1%. The combination of both measures improved detection of guilty Ss to 75.8% and decreased detection of innocent Ss to 94.1%. The combined measure seems to be a more useful means of identifying guilty suspects than each physiological measure alone. The results elaborate and extend those obtained in a previous field study (E. Elaad, 1990). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of embedded and isolated administrations of the California Psychological Inventory's Socialization subscale.

Alternate administration methods were tested for the Socialization (So) subscale of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; H. G. Gough, 1994; H. G. Gough & P. Bradley, 1996) in 437 young adult men. One method administered the 46 CPI-So items in isolation from the CPI, whereas the 2nd method administered the 46 items embedded in the CPI. External validity measures of antisociality were also administered over the 2 sessions. Isolated administration produced somewhat higher internal consistency and significantly better concurrent validity and demonstrated construct validity as a measure of antisociality. Additional factor analytic studies of the CPI-So and CPI revealed that the 2 CPI-So versions had different factorial structures and that the embedded CPI-So subscale did not retain factorial integrity or an appreciable amount of reliable and uniquely interpretable variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Remote adaptation effect on perceived subjective color: A model approach

An elaborated subjective color model is presented that includes the predictions of emulated Benham disk results and additional predictions that refer to local and remote achromatic illuminations on perceived subjective color shifts. A computer emulated Benham disk pattern was used as a stimulus to test the effects of remote illumination on its color sensation. An analytical model and its predictions are proposed in order to account for the results of the perceived hue shift, when changing either the remote illumination area or the stimulus illumination. This model is based on previous retinal color‐coded cells responses which yield the subjective color, and on local and remote adaptation mechanisms. The similarity between the role and mechanism of remote illumination (achromatic or chromatic) in subjective and perceived color is also discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 28, 197–208, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10145     

Optical and mechanical properties of transparent alumina fabricated by high-pressure spark plasma sintering

Transparent alumina was fabricated from untreated commercial powder by high-pressure spark plasma sintering (HPSPS) at temperatures of 1000, 1050 and 1100 °C under pressures of 250-800 MPa. It was established that transparency strongly depends on the HPSPS parameters. At all temperatures, there was a certain point when increasing the pressure led to decreasing transparency. At 1100 °C, relatively high pressure led to excessive grain growth, as well as the formation of creep-induced porosity at the center of the samples. Hardness values decreased with pressure due to grain growth, correlated with the Hall-Petch relationship. The optimal combination of optical and mechanical properties (68% in-line transmittance at a wavelength of 640 nm and a hardness value of about 2300 HV2) was achieved after sintering at 1050 °C under 600 MPa.     

Modified atmosphere packaging of pita (pocket) bread

Pita bread has a shelf-life of only a few hours, mainly due to its large surface to volume ratio. Hardening, caused by staling and drying, is the main factor affecting shelf-life. Extension of shelf-life by packaging pita in a high barrier laminate under modified atmosphere (MAP) of 99% CO₂ or 73% CO₂ with 27% N₂ was studied. A shelf-life of 14 days, as determined by microbial spoilage, was obtained for MAP pita bread. Staling, as determined by means of a penetrometer, was delayed in MAP pita. Organoleptic hedonic comparisons of MAP pita, against frozen defrosted pita from the same batch, gave almost identical results. Shelf-life was terminated by the appearance of microorganisms on bread.     

From generative fit to generative capacity: exploring an emerging dimension of information systems design and task performance

Information systems (IS) research has been long concerned with improving task-related performance. The concept of fit is often used to explain how system design can improve performance and overall value. So far, the literature has focused mainly on performance evaluation criteria that are based on measures of task efficiency, accuracy, or productivity. However, nowadays, productivity gain is no longer the single evaluation criterion. In many instances, computer systems are expected to enhance our creativity, reveal opportunities and open new vistas of uncharted frontiers.
To address this void, we introduce the concept of generativity in the context of IS design and develop two corresponding design considerations –'generative capacity' that refers to one's ability to produce something ingenious or at least new in a particular context, and 'generative fit' that refers to the extent to which an IT artefact is conducive to evoking and enhancing that generative capacity. We offer an extended view of the concept of fit and realign the prevailing approaches to human–computer interaction design with current leading-edge applications and users' expectations. Our findings guide systems designers who aim to enhance creative work, unstructured syntheses, serendipitous discoveries, and any other form of computer-aided tasks that involve unexplored outcomes or aim to enhance our ability to go boldly where no one has gone before.
In this paper, we explore the underpinnings of 'generative capacity' and argue that it should be included in the evaluation of task-related performance. Then, we briefly explore the role of fit in IS research, position 'generative fit' in that context, explain its role and impact on performance, and provide key design considerations that enhance generative fit. Finally, we demonstrate our thesis with an illustrative vignette of good generative fit, and conclude with ideas for further research.     

Numerical investigation of particle saltation in the bed-load regime

This paper numerically investigates particle saltation in a turbulent channel flow having a rough bed consisting of 2–3 layers of densely packed spheres.In this study,we combined three the state-of-the-art technologies,i.e.,the direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow,the combined finite-discrete element modelling of the deformation,movement and collision of the particles,and the immersed boundary method for the fluid-solid interaction.Here we verify our code by comparing the flow and particle statistical features with the published data and then present the hydrodynamic forces acting on a particle together with the particle coordinates and velocities,during a typical saltation.We found strong correlation between the abruptly decreasing particle stream-wise velocity and the increasing vertical velocity at collision,which indicates that the continuous saltation of large grain-size particles is controlled by collision parameters such as particle incident angle,local rough bed packing arrangement,and particle density,etc.This physical process is different from that of particle entrainment in which turbulence coherence structures play an important role.Probability distribution functions of several important saltation parameters and the relationships between them are presented.The results show that the saltating particles hitting the windward side of the bed particles are more likely to bounce off the rough bed than those hitting the leeside.Based on the above findings,saltation mechanisms of large grain-size particles in turbulent channel flow are presented.