Commercial Board Research Articles

Analysis of quality factors of spiral resonators

In this paper, the quality factors (Q factors) of three types of generally used spiral resonators (S-shape, U-shape, and single spiral resonators) are studied via experiments and full-wave electromagnetic simulation. The effects of the line width, gap width, and size of the spiral on the Q factors of the three types of resonators at 1 GHz are discussed in relation to the field-distribution patterns. Three spiral resonators of different types with the same 0.3-mm line width and 0.1-mm gap width are fabricated on a commercial PCB board using the wet-etching process. The experimental results are compared with the simulation results. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 439–443, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21374

Nigerian commercial farmers versus government commodity marketing boards: revisiting the cost of a partnership gone sour

The abolition of the Nigerian government-instituted commodity marketing boards (CMBs) in 1986 is considered a positive step in view of the boards' method of market intervention, which is criticised as having brought disincentives to producers of agricultural exports. This study argues that, apart from the intervention activities of the CMBs, the lack of proper agricultural reforms in Nigeria would eventually have been equally unfavourable to the agricultural production. It therefore recommends that the authorities revisit three key policy issues, namely education, capital assistance and land reform, to revive production in the agricultural sector.

Parallel hardware implementation of RADAR electronics equipment for a LASER inspection system

An amplitude modulated laser radar has been developed by the Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment for periodic in-vessel inspection in large fusion machines (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). The system is able to obtain a complete three-dimensional mapping of the in-vessel surface. A first digital signal processing system was developed to modulate the laser beam and to detect both the amplitude of the backscattered light and the phase difference between it and the modulation signal. This system is based on commercial digital receiver and parallel digital signal processing boards on a VME bus. It reaches a speed of 100 K measures/s, showing good accuracy and stability. Starting from this, a further development has been done to increase the speed up to 2.328 M measures/s. Reaching the submicrosecond speed was necessary to implement the mathematical algorithm in a highly parallel hardware architecture using a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Based on the good results of the previously developed system, it was decided to maintain the same acquisition front-end though using the last release of analog-to-digital converters, to increase the operating frequency from 80 up to 200 MHz. The software algorithm previously used was completely redesigned and optimized to be used in the FPGA hardware architecture

A Summation of Online Recruiting Practices for Health Care Organizations

Worker shortage is among the foremost challenges facing US health care today. Health care organizations are also confronted with rising costs of recruiting and compensating scarce workers in times of declining reimbursement. Many health care organizations are adopting online recruitment as a nontraditional, low-cost method for hiring staff. Online recruitment is the fastest growing method of recruitment today, and has advantages over traditional recruiting in terms of cost, reach, and time-saving. Several health care organizations have achieved great success in recruiting online. Yet awareness of online recruiting remains lower among health care managers than managers in other industries. Many health care organizations still search for job candidates within a 30-mile radius using traditional methods. This article describes the various aspects of online recruitment for health care organizations. It is meant to help health care managers currently recruiting online by answering frequently asked questions (eg, Should I be advertising on national job sites? Why is my Web site not attracting job seekers? Is my online ad effective?). It is also meant to educate health care managers not doing online recruiting so that they try recruiting online. The article discusses the salient aspects of online recruiting: (a) using commercial job boards; (b) building one's own career center; (c) building one's own job board; (d) collecting and storing resumes; (e) attracting job seekers to one's Web site; (f) creating online job ads; (g) screening and evaluating candidates online; and (h) building long-term relationships with candidates. Job seekers in health care are adopting the Internet faster than health care employers. To recruit successfully during the current labor shortage, it is imperative that employers adopt and expand online recruiting.

Systematic in vivo dosimetry for quality assurance using diodes 2: Assessing radiotherapy techniques and developing an appropriate action protocol

Purpose: Having previously reviewed the implementation of systematic in vivo dosimetry at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital this paper examines the results of entrance dose measurements for specific sites/techniques and determines whether different action/alert protocols are required for these different categories.Methods and materials: Entrance dose measurements using p-type diodes were analysed for the following treatment categories: Breast, head and neck in beam direction shell, abdomino-pelvic and intrathoracic. A 4% tolerance was applied.Results: Mean deviations from expected dose and proportion of measurements exceeding tolerance were: Breast: +1.15%±3.04% (1SD), 238/1073≥4%; Head and neck: +0.35%±2.20% (1SD), 21/326≥4%; Abdomino-pelvic: +0.52%±2.75% (1SD), 93/712≥4%; Intrathoracic: −0.01%±2.75% (1SD), 22/119≥4%. Significant improvements in results for breast patients were noted following the introduction of a commercial breast board. The results for abdomino-pelvic patients confirmed a substantial variation in diode response under short FSD, wedged fields at 16MV (that had not been corrected for). The statistical uncertainty in dose measurement for each treatment category was calculated in order to assist determination of appropriate tolerance levels.Conclusions: A blanket tolerance of 4% was generally too low given the extent of measurement uncertainty. The relatively high number of readings outside tolerance where identification of errors was difficult/impossible resulted in inconsistent application of the action protocol. Some widening of tolerances is likely to improve quality of procedure and treatment. Appropriate action levels are recommended for each treatment category.

The rapid prototyping experience of an H.263 video coder onto FPGA

In this paper, the methodology used for prototyping an H.263 basic line video coder is explained. The coder is based on an architecture, which we have called MVIP-2, consisting of a set of specialized processors for the main tasks (transforms, quantizers, motion estimation and motion compensation) and a RISC processor for the scheduling tasks. The design has been written in synthesizable Verilog and fully tested with hardware–software co-simulation using standard video sequences. All modules except the RISC have been synthesized and fitted onto an FPGA. The prototype has been tested in real-time using a commercial board with the RISC and the FPGA, a pattern generator emulating a video camera to generate the input sequences and a logic analyzer to test the H.263 output stream. We have used a classic design methodology with some improvements in order to carry out rapid system prototyping. With this improved methodology, a prototype can be obtained early in the design cycle allowing the debugging of some hardware and software components permitting others to be designed at the same time. In this paper we explain how this methodology has been applied to a complex design (MVIP-2). Despite some details being specific to this design, the main aspects of the methodology can be applied to other designs.

Painéis de partículas aglomeradas de madeira de Pinus elliottii Engelm., poliestireno (PS) e polietileno tereftalato (PET)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as propriedades de painéis fabricados com partículas de madeira, poliestireno (PS) e polietileno tereftalato (PET). Foram utilizadas três proporções, em relação à massa seca de madeira, de poliestireno (0, 25 e 50%) e duas proporções de PET/PS (5/20 e 10/40%), combinadas com 50, 75 ou 100% de partículas de madeira de Pinus elliottii. Os painéis foram produzidos com adesivos à base de uréia-formaldeído ou de fenol-formaldeído, em três teores (0, 4 ou 6%) e três níveis de solução de poliestireno em tolueno (0 , 4 e 6%), todos calculados em relação à massa seca total dos painéis. Foram produzidos painéis de aproximadamente 400 x 400 x 10 mm, em camada única, com densidade aproximada de 0,6 g/cm³. Determinou-se a resistência dos painéis à tração perpendicular à superfície, à flexão estática (módulos de ruptura (MOR) e elasticidade (MOE)), ao arrancamento de parafusos, bem como a absorção de água e o inchamento em espessura, após 24 horas de imersão. Todas as propriedades mecânicas dos painéis foram superiores às exigidas pela norma ANSI/A 208.1-1993. Contudo, todos os painéis absorveram água em valores superiores àqueles normalmente observados em painéis comerciais. Apesar disto, o inchamento em espessura foi compatível com o dos painéis de partículas de madeira existentes no mercado. Os painéis nos quais se aplicou a solução de poliestireno foram, de modo geral, os que apresentaram os melhores valores para todas as propriedades.

Suitability study of a histogramming software architecture in the data acquisition system of position sensitive X-ray detectors

We describe here an approach, based on software algorithms and techniques for the histogramming of raw data, to the position encoding in X-ray detectors. This runs on a standard platform and uses a commercial data acquisition board. We also describe the hardware and software set-up, and the results of the tests carried out in order to show its suitability. The results show that: it is possible to achieve a throughput, for a sustained mean event rate, in excess of 3 MHz; the Linux operating system, with an appropriate driver development, is a suitable option, and; it is possible to reach acceptable event throughput, whilst increasing flexibility and reducing the overall cost of the data acquisition system.

Designing BEE: A Hardware Emulation Engine for Signal Processing in Low-Power Wireless Applications

This paper describes the design of a large-scale emulation engine and an application example from the field of low-power wireless devices. The primary goal of the emulator is to support design space exploration of real-time algorithms. The emulator is customized for dataflow dominant architectures, especially focusing on telecommunication-related applications. Due to its novel routing architecture and application-specific nature, the emulator is capable of real-time execution of a class of algorithms in its application space. Moreover, the dataflow structure facilitates the development of a highly abstracted design flow for the emulator. Simulations and practical measurements on commercial development boards are used to verify that real-time emulation of a low-power TDMA receiver is feasible at a clock speed of 25 MHz.

Monitoring fiber orientation in OSB during production using filtered image analysis

The orientation of oriented strand board (OSB) mats has been practically measured on a commercial factory production line to demonstrate the practical capabilities of the filtered image analysis (FIA) technique. Samples have been cut from OSB panels at a range of angles to the panel axis and these samples have been tested in bending. The factory data and the experimental data have been compared in order to investigate the relationship between the practical condition of fiber orientation in the factory and the bending properties as a function of orientation. The following conclusions can be drawn. Fiber orientation in the production line is good and stable irrespective of position across the width of the production line, time of day and changing line speed. The average value for the orientation angle of the forming mat on the production line is approximately 25°. The general shape of the fiber orientation distribution is similar to a normal distribution, however, at the centre of the fiber mat the sharpness of the distribution is greater than a normal distribution. The average orientations of fibers in commercial board lie at 25° and 60° to the longitudinal and perpendicular directions, respectively. The results suggest that there is potential to improve the mean fiber orientation angle of commercial OSB to improve longitudinal values of MOR and MOE, especially where perpendicular properties are not critical.

CHIMERA data acquisition and computational system using DSP-based VME modules

We have built and tested a computational unit for on-line processing of special algorithms to be embedded in the central processing unit VERSAmodule Eurocard (CPU VME)-crate of the CHIMERA data acquisition system. The computational unit consists of a number of VME digital signal processor (DSP)-based commercial boards delivering 720 MFlops/board.

KEY DEVELOPMENT PHASES OF CONDEBELT: LONG JOURNEY FROM IDEA TO COMMERCIAL PRODUCT

The development of Condebelt from idea to a commercial product took twenty one years. The first patent was issued 1975 and the start-up of the first mill scale installation was 1996. The results obtained from the first mill scale applications have clearly exceeded the early expectations put on the paper properties. The progression of the development work was not a continuos and steady. The development work was even halted for nearly three years in early 80's. However, since the late 80's extensive efforts were made to commercialize the process. Several static test dryers and two dynamic pilot machines were built. The second pilot machine especially offers versatile capabilities to study the drying process and it's effects on commercial paper and board grades. Recent efforts have concentrated in applying the concept to increasingly wider machines and higher speeds. Technically Condebelt has been a success, a brilliant example of perseverance and ingenuity. However, the extent of work needed to overcome the encountered problems probably was seriously underestimated. Commercially it has not become a success story, yet. But it has all the possibilities to become a one.

Noninstitutional Commercial Review Boards in North America

Noninstitutional Commercial Review Boards in North America

Psychiatric rehabilitation principles for re-engineering board and care facilities.

Existing board and care facilities remain important for psychosocial rehabilitation because of scarcity of housing alternatives and advances in empowerment and skill transfer methods. Re-engineering board and care to mitigate the disadvantages of congregate housing requires a) a physical plant upgrade; b) home-like amenities; c) in-house programming; and d) collaboration with a psychiatric rehabilitation center. Continuing collaboration with the original owner of a commercial board and care home can be helpful, but requires careful coordination of the differing cultures. This article describes practical ways to convert an existing board and care facility.

Production of particle boards from bioresources

Particle boards of 1.2 cm thickness were prepared from rubber seed pod, cashewnut shell, and their blends, using an adhesive resin based on cashewnut-shell liquid. Performance evaluation showed that the boards satisfied the ASTM specifications for construction-grade building boards. The bending strength, water resistance and swelling ratio of the boards were better than those obtained for a commercial board. The results also showed that cashewnuts can be fully exploited by production of cashewnut-shell liquid for adhesive resins and spent shells which can be used as a source of lignocellulosic material for particle boards.

Quantitative Microwave Backscatter Measurements from the Ocean Surface Using Digital Marine Radar Images

The capabilities for quantitative measurements of the ocean backscatter at low grazing angles of a conventional low-budget X-band marine radar associated with a commercial digital capture board are investigated. Details are given of the external and internal calibration methods designed to determine the system’s transfer function. This work reveals that the accurate system transfer function can be determined only by calibrating the composite system in one single step. Results of an absolute calibration attempt using buoy-based corner reflectors in very calm weather conditions are presented. The dynamic range is deduced and found to span over a 50-dB range well suited to describe the ocean backscatter coefficient values expected at low grazing angles. The analysis of the overall error budget and system stability provides a theoretical estimate of the system’s relative radiometric resolution. The marine radar system is found to produce backscatter coefficient images with a relative error typically of the order of 1 dB. When averaging over several antenna rotations, the error reduces further down to 0.6 dB, where it compares favorably with the performance of traditional research radar systems. It is concluded that despite the inexpensive nature of these instruments, marine radar systems represent a tool that is effective in routinely providing reliable quantitative measurements of the sea surface roughness, which may serve to complement the synoptic views offered commonly by satellite or airborne radars.

Evolutionary Decision Support for Distributed Virtual Design in Modular Product Manufacturing

Superior design-manufacturing-supplier decisions are critical to the survival of modern enterprises that seek to compete in a dynamic global marketplace. An evolutionary decision support system (virtual design environment) that supports such decision-making is introduced. The VDE framework utilizes evolutionary agents as program entities that generate and execute queries among distributed and heterogeneous computing applications and information resources. Evolutionary agents support a global optimization of design-manufacturing-supplier planning decisions by retrieving appropriate information from distributed information repositories, and fostering the systematic selection of planning alternatives that reduce cost and increase throughput. This paper introduces a general formulation of the design-manufacturing-supplier planning decision problem that is applicable to a variety of assembly-oriented design-manufacturing domains. We present a description of the prototype VDE that has been used to examine planning decisions for a real commercial electronic circuit board product (Pitney Bowes).

Evolution and enhancements of a microprocessor systems course

This paper discusses and evaluates the core third-year microprocessor systems course in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Queen's University (Canada). To aid students in acquiring a solid understanding of hardware/software systems design and implementation, the authors have developed what they believe is an integrated, practical, and student-centered approach for teaching this important subject. They combine a popular commercial microcomputer board with their own custom-designed interface board in a kit that students retain for the duration of the course for both in-lab and at-home assignments. They supplement the microcomputer kit with a graphical software simulator that accurately models all facets of the hardware; machine code for the hardware runs directly under the software simulator with no modification. Finally, they have written their own textbook that reflects what they believe to be the most suitable sequence and organization of hardware and software topics for their course. In this paper, they outline the motivation for their approach, discuss its evolution, relate the course materials to their approach, provide an assessment of their approach including feedback from a student survey, and discuss the recent acquisition of new equipment and future plans.

The use of an optical outlining system for weekly on-set verification of patients with carcinoma of the breast

The installation of an optical outlining system on both a simulator and treatment unit has enabled patient cross-sectional outlines to be measured throughout a radical treatment period of 5 weeks. Two studies were conducted to assess the reproducibility of positioning in treatments for breast carcinoma. The first study assessed changes in outline for 23 patients treated on a home-made tilt-board. Seven patients (32%) displayed a change in shape in excess of 1 cm during the course of treatment, which could have significant dosimetric consequences. The second study focused on the reproducibility of set-up using different tilt-boards. This included a further 19 patients treated using a commercial board, which is now in routine use.

The Sierra Club Green Guide: everybodys desk reference to environmental information

Review: The Sierra Club Green Guide: everybodys desk reference to environmental information. By Andrew J. Feldman Reviewed by Christine DeZelar-Tiedman University of Idaho Library Feldman, Andrew J. The Sierra Club Green Guide: everybodys desk reference to environmental information. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, c1996. 282 p. US $25.00 paper ISBN: 0-87156-402-5. Recycled, acid-free paper. As a frustrated college student, Andrew Feldman discovered the lack of organized access to environmental information sources. While a great number of such sources existed, finding the best of them listed in one place was impossible. Now a research consultant who continues to work in environmental fields, Feldman has written The Sierra Club Green Guide, a useful resource for those who do not know where to turn when faced with an environmental question or research need. As stated in the preface, the Green Guide is not intended to be comprehensive. It provides critical evaluations of sources Feldman considers the most vital in the environmental field, including those that might refer researchers to other sources more specific to their needs. The book is divided into two broad categories: Environmental Issues, covering agriculture, air, biodiversity, energy, environmental justice, health and toxics, sustainable communities, waste, and water; and Green Living, which covers topics that integrate environmental concerns into our everyday lives (p. xxi), and includes chapters on architecture, education, employment, gardening, grants, investing, shopping, and travel. Under each category, Feldman has included listings of government clearinghouses, organizations, Internet sites (electronic mailing lists and Usenet groups are for the most part excluded), commercial online services, bulletin boards, directories, bibliographies, reference handbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias, introductory reading lists of classic and basic works on the topic at hand, abstracts and indices, and periodicals (mostly limited to magazines and organizational newsletters). Each entry contains a 50-400 word abstract, which includes background information about the source and an overview of its scope. Phone numbers, e-mail addresses, names of contact people, and methods of Internet access are given where