A novel compact ring dual-mode filter with adjustable second-passband for dual-band applications

In this letter, a novel compact ring dual-mode with adjustable second-passband for dual-band applications are presented. A ring resonator with two different geometric dimensions are derived and designed to have identical fundamental and the first higher-order resonant frequencies, and to establish appropriate couplings in the structure. Moreover, the proposed filter has smaller size as compared with the basic topology of stopband filters and stepped-impedance-resonator (SIR) filters. The measured filter performance is in good agreement with the simulated response.     

A new look at software piracy: Soft lifting primes an inauthentic sense of self,prompting further unethical behavior

Soft lifting refers to the process whereby a legally licensed software program is installed or copied in violation of its licensing agreement. Previous research on this pervasive kind of unethical computer use has mainly focused on the determinants of this unethical act, which are rooted in personal, economic, technological, cultural, socio-political, or legal domains. However, little is known about the symbolic power that soft lifting has on the sense of self. Based on recent advances in behavioral priming, we hypothesized that soft lifting can influence the signals one sends to oneself; more specifically, soft lifting may prime individuals to experience an inauthentic sense of self, which, in turn, prompts further unethical behavior. In Study 1, we showed that participants, primed with the memory of a recent soft lifting experience, cheated more than participants recalling a recent experience of purchasing authentic software or than control participants. Moreover, feelings of inauthenticity mediated the priming effect of soft lifting on dishonest behavior. In Study 2, participants primed with soft lifting showed a greater willingness to purchase a wide range of counterfeit products over authentic products. Besides those antecedents or correlates of soft lifting already identified in the literature, educators should pay more attention to the negative impact of soft lifting on the self-images of users, which may go beyond computer-related behaviors. Priming may provide a new direction for HCI researchers to examine the impact of computer-use-related factors on users' perceptions, motivations, and behaviors.     

Inducing attitude change toward online gaming among adolescent players based on dissonance theory: The role of threats and justification of effort

The negative impact of online gaming on adolescents has received much attention. The question of how to reduce their pathological use of online gaming is a critical issue. Based on the concept of external justification in dissonance theory, this experimental study aimed to examine whether severity of threat and justification of effort would impact adolescent players’ attitude change toward online gaming and their subjective estimations of online gaming addiction. The results echoed predictions from classic studies in dissonance theory. When participants engaged in attitude–discrepant behavior, i.e., persuading other adolescents that an apparently interesting online game is not fun at all, their attitudes toward online gaming shifted more dramatically to the negative side in the context of a low level of threat rather than a high level of threat. Additionally, the magnitude of attitude change was more prominent when participants exerted more rather than less effort to engage in attitude–discrepant behavior. Moreover, a similar pattern of participants’ evaluations of the likelihood of online gaming addiction was also observed. The findings show that dissonance theory has the potential to be useful for inducing adolescent players to disengage in online gaming.     

Understanding Customer Opinions From Online Discussion Forums: A Design Science Framework

Online discussion forums, which are full of user-generated content including user opinions and comments, are a potential gold mine for exploring new and useful ideas to augment competence in innovation. Companies need to systematically analyze and interpret online commentaries to enhance in-house research and design activities. To this end, a framework is proposed using a design science approach to enable automatic analysis of the content of online opinions and comments in connection with specific products, using a web lexicon established for this purpose. Furthermore, this framework is applied to an automobile as a proof-of-concept. Several nicknames for the car brand studied were created by web users, some with irony and sarcasm. A few metaphorical expressions were also used to describe product features. Engineering practitioners should recognize the importance of stylized online expressions in order to have a better understanding of customer needs and expectations through the application of this framework, which incorporates an evolutionary web lexicon.     

Improvement in the breakdown endurance of high-κ dielectric by utilizing stacking technology and adding sufficient interfacial layer

Improvement in the time-zero dielectric breakdown (TZDB) endurance of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor with stacking structure of Al/HfO₂/SiO₂/Si is demonstrated in this work. The misalignment of the conduction paths between two stacking layers is believed to be effective to increase the breakdown field of the devices. Meanwhile, the resistance of the dielectric after breakdown for device with stacking structure would be less than that of without stacking structure due to a higher breakdown field and larger breakdown power. In addition, the role of interfacial layer (IL) in the control of the interface trap density (D_it) and device reliability is also analyzed. Device with a thicker IL introduces a higher breakdown field and also a lower D_it. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) of the samples with different IL thicknesses is provided to confirm that IL is needed for good interfacial property.     

Cross-coupling position command shaping control in a multi-axis motion system

A new structure of a cross-coupling position command shaping controller (CPCSC) for precise tracking in multi-axis motion control is proposed in this paper. This controller feedforwards the cross-coupling terms, based on the geometrical relationship between the tracking and contouring errors, to compensate for the contouring error in real-time. Compared with the conventional multi-axis cross-coupling control (CCC) system, this new structure has the advantage that its compensators in CCC have a simpler design process than conventional ones, as does its stability analysis. The proposed controller is evaluated and compared experimentally with a traditional uncoupled and a conventional CCC controller on a multi-axis positioning system controlled by microcomputer. The experimental results show that the new structure remarkably reduces contour error. In addition, this new controller can be implemented easily on most current systems by reprogramming the reference position command subroutine.     

CAD/CAM技术在脚医学中的应用

将CAD／CAM技术与脚医学结合，研究开发脚支撑设计制造系统，包括脚底曲面数据的读取及处理，根据医疗规划完成三维脚支撑模型的构造，平衡及光滑处理，激光快速原型文件和铣削加工刀具轨迹的自动生成等。     

Communication interface in a physical simulator for robotic palletization

This paper addresses the issues relating to the communication channels in a physical simulator for flexible automation of a palletization task. The simulator used in our work involves an IBM-7545 robot, a personal computer and an Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The communications relating to the Robot/PC interface and the PLC/PC interface are discussed.

The palletization station design requires that decisions on pallet pattern are made dynamically by a program running on the personal computer. The Robot/PC communication interface is necessary to transmit these decisions to the robot controller for execution. This communication is to be achieved using BASIC language and AML 4.1 as the software platforms.

The PLC has the task of controlling the transport of the boxes coming to the palletization station. The program for deciding the pallet pattern, running on the personal computer, needs real-time information on the counts of boxes of different sizes that are arriving for palletization. The PLC/PC interface serves to provide this information.     

Design and development of a physical simulator for robotic palletization

This paper discusses the design and development of a physical simulator for robotic palletization. The design is aimed at two objectives. One, to provide a test bed for studying issues relating to automation of palletization and second, to provide a teaching tool for some common elements of material handling automation. The major hardware components of the system are an IBM 7545 robot, a Personal Computer, an Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Conveyors and a Bar Code Reader. The software components include the IBM AML 4.1 language, PLC Software and BASIC software for the BASIC Module of the PLC.     

Cross-coupled biaxial step control for CNC EDM

This paper details a study on reducing contour errors for CNC EDM (Electrical Discharged Machine). The proposed control scheme consists of three portions. First, the step control performs position loop controller for each individual axis. Second, contour error calculations suitable for control system analysis and design are used, and third, cross-coupling control is used to control contour error. Under the control of the proposed scheme, the stability of the system is studied for both linear and circular trajectories. The experimental results of a CNC EDM show that the proposed scheme is effective to improve contouring performance and ready for practical implementation.