Development of low loss organic-micromachined interconnects on silicon at microwave frequencies

We present the design and development of an ultra-violet (UV) LIGA (a German acronym for electroplating, lithography and molding) micromachining process on silicon substrates at microwave/millimeter wave frequencies. The process employs an ultra-thick negative photoresist SU-8 that can be spin-coated and processed using conventional lithography techniques. Using this process, we have developed micromachined coplanar waveguide (CPW) interconnects on Si substrates. The conductor-backed micromachined CPW on Si (7.2 /spl Omega/-cm) achieves a measured attenuation of 0.18 dB/cm at 20 GHz.     

A generalization of the structured singular value and itsapplication to model validation

The structured singular value μ gives a means of assessing the stability and performance of a system under a class of norm-bounded structured perturbations. This paper introduces a generalization of μ which guarantees stability with respect to perturbations, where some elements of the perturbation structure are bounded from above and some are bounded from below. This generalization is used to solve the frequency domain robust control model validation problem. Model validation determines whether or not there exist a model in the model set and a bounded noise signal that are consistent with the experimental input-output measurements. A computable convex upper bound to the generalized μ problem is presented, and the relationship between the generalized μ problem and the standard μ and model validation problems is discussed     

Effect of alcohol on vagal regulation of cardiovascular function: Contributions of the polyvagal theory to the psychophysiology of alcohol.

Research was conducted to evaluate the influence of acute alcohol consumption on vagal regulation of heart rate. Nine men with histories of polydrug use participated in this residential study. On 5 separate days, they drank liquids consisting of cold water (on 2 days), a moderate dose of alcohol (0.64 g/kg), a high dose of alcohol (1.12 g/kg), and a placebo. Continuous recordings of heart period were quantified to produce 3 measures of heart rate variability, reflecting the amplitude of 3 neurophysiologically mediated rhythms. Heart period, respiratory rhythm (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]), and the 0.06–0.10-Hz vasomotor rhythm were significantly lower during the high alcohol dose condition, relative to the placebo and water conditions. Because the neural regulation of the heart by the vagus contributes to these variables, these findings suggest that alcohol reduces cardiac vagal tone. In support of this explanation, alcohol also decreased the coupling between changes in heart period and changes in RSA. This study demonstrated that alcohol produces a dysregulated state in which heart rate is relatively uncoupled from vagal activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of students who enroll and succeed in psychology Web-based classes.

This study compared the cognitive-motivational and demographic characteristics of students enrolled in 3 Web-based sections of Psychological Statistics with their counterparts in 3 conventional (face-to-face) sections of this course. No demographic differences were found, however, cyberstudents exhibited a greater external locus of control than conventional students. The authors also investigated whether there were any predictors of student performance in Web courses. Measures of on-line course activity (e.g., homepage hit rate), a high need for cognition, and an internal locus of control were predictive of cyberstudent success. The authors discuss the implications of these results for instructors who are considering the design and implementation of Web-based classes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bimodal recognition of affective states with the features inspired from human visual and auditory perception system

In this article, attention-based mechanism with the enhancement on biologically inspired network for emotion recognition is proposed. Existing bio-inspired models use multiscale and multiorientation architecture to gain discriminative power and to extract meticulous visual features. Prevailing HMAX model represents S2 layers by randomly selected prototype patches from training samples that increase the computational complexity and degrade the discerning ability. As eyes and mouth regions are the most powerful and reliable cues in determining facial emotions, they serve as the prototype patches for S2 layer in HMAX model. Audio code 4 book is constructed from mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, temporal and spectral features processed by principal component analysis. Audio and video data features are fused to train support vector machine classifier. The attained results on eNTERFACE, surrey audio-visual expressed emotion and acted facial expressions in the wild database datasets ascertain the efficiency of the proposed architecture for emotion recognition.     

Factors That Influence Fee Setting by Male and Female Psychologists.

What factors influence how psychologists in private practice set fees for self-pay clients? An anonymous survey in one county showed that male and female clinical psychologists did not differ in fees requested for services to self-pay clients, indicating that they equally value their time and work effort. They felt that their fees were strongly influenced by personal and local factors (i.e., education/qualifications, business experience, and local competition). Female psychologists indicated that local competition had a significantly greater influence on fee setting than did male psychologists. This perception among female psychologists might arise from competition with the larger number of nondoctoral therapists, who are predominately female, or from higher awareness through more active networking. The usefulness of this model for studies of self-employment is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol and stress response dampening: pharmacological effects, expectancy, and tension reduction

Alcohol consumption and alcohol expectation were separately evaluated in terms of effects on psychophysiological levels prior to stress and reduction of the magnitude of response to stress. 96 male, experienced drinkers were assigned to 8 conditions in a between-Ss design in which beverage consumed (alcohol or tonic), beverage expected (alcohol or tonic), and stressor (self-disclosing speech or threat of shock) were manipulated. Dosage for Ss receiving alcohol was 1 g ethanol/kg. Results indicate strong effects of alcohol consumption on prestress levels, consisting of accelerated heart rate (HR), lower HR variability, higher skin conductance, longer pulse transmission time (PTT), higher "cheerfulness" and lower "anxiety" ratings. Alcohol consumption significantly reduced the magnitude of the HR, PTT, and anxiety responses of Ss to the stressors. No effects attributable to alcohol expectation were found. Results are integrated with the existing literature concerned with pharmacological and cognitive effects of alcohol as they pertain to stress, psychophysiological responses to stress, and tension reduction. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hydraulic Interaction between Rock Cross Vane Stream Restoration Structures and a Bridge Crossing

The performance of a stream restoration project that incorporates a bridge crossing is evaluated within a 3‐year monitoring period. A goal of the project was to alleviate and prevent future sediment aggradation within the waterway of a low‐clearance bridge crossing. The stream restoration project included two rock cross vanes and stepped riprap and vegetation bank stabilization. Monitoring of the project involved the collection of channel survey data, pebble counts, and general observations of instream structure condition and sediment movement. The evaluated performance of the restoration structures is related to the general hydrologic conditions, the historical changes in the watershed and channel, and the hydraulic conditions created by the low‐clearance bridge crossing. Backwater effects created by the bridge crossing are found to be a substantial cause of the failure of the stream restoration project to meet its goals. The low‐clearance bridge hydraulics are preventing a rock cross vane located upstream of the bridge from creating a scour hole in the centre of the channel; instead, aggradation is occurring in this portion of the channel. However, degradation is occurring downstream of the bridge causing the failure of the second rock cross vane and of the riprap and vegetation bank. Although the hydraulic conditions may stem from the initial design of the bridge crossing, any restoration structure should be designed according to the current site hydraulics. In addition to providing insight into the design and construction of stream restoration structures, the results have implications for the design and management of bridge crossings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alcohol challenge with sons of alcoholics: A critical review and analysis.

Studies are reviewed in which response to acute administration of alcohol was compared between individuals with and without family histories of alcoholism (FH+, FH–). This research represents a search for a psychobiological marker for alcoholism. A methodological critique of the procedures reported in this literature is then presented. Finally, a conceptual model is suggested in which differences in the response to alcohol between FH+ individuals and FH– individuals must be understood in relation to time after drinking alcohol. This Newtonian differentiator model proposes that sons of alcoholics exhibit acute sensitization as blood alcohol level rises and acute tolerance as blood alcohol level falls, compared with sons of nonalcoholics. Therefore, FH+ Ss find alcohol more rewarding because they accentuate the pleasurable, excitatory aspects of initial intoxication and attenuate the feelings of anxiety and depression that predominate as blood alcohol levels drop. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)