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Clavicle fractures are widespread, and the understanding of their mechanism of occurrence via dynamic loading is important for prevention and design of protection systems. The proposed work will find the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the human clavicles in-situ, by employing experimental modal analysis (EMA) techniques on cadaver clavicles. The clavicle response to impact depends on mechanical energy transmission to the bone and requires an understanding of bone modal characteristics (natural frequencies and mode shapes), as well as the frequency content of the impact force. These dynamic forces include blunt trauma (sport injury or gun stock impact) or falls (i.e. motorcycle accidents) and exhibit a wide frequency spectrum. Clavicle modes are not well understood, and while researchers performed whole body or individual clavicle EMA, no in-situ EMA has been reported. Since an in-situ clavicle features its natural boundary conditions, mode estimation via EMA was more accurate than one performed for an isolated clavicle.The clavicle EMA used instrumented excitation sources (i.e. impact hammer) and sensors (i.e. triaxial accelerometers). The accelerometer responses gathered at several locations along the cadaver clavicle bone and the exciting force was recorded and through time-frequency transformations, the natural frequencies and mode shapes were identified. Mode shape visualization was performed in ModalView software. While material properties of cadaver clavicles may be influenced by embalming, the results, which include natural frequencies, modes and damping constants, would be more relevant than those obtained for isolated clavicles. These results would be used to design protection systems, define global material properties, and calibrate existing analytical models.

Thermoregulation in humans is among the most important functions for life. Measurements of body core temperature are essential in clinical investigation, patients during recovery in ambulatory conditions and certainly in people under exercise or extreme physical activity, this for preventing heat stress. It is intended that people achieve a thermal balance between heat generation and heat dissipation for well-being. To observe this without interfering in people activities, we propose the design and development of a noninvasive wireless system to measures the core tympanic temperature, as well as the temperature of the skin in such a way that the system records and stores the information of these parameters and calculate the mean body temperature. The results obtained of preliminary tests in two volunteers suggest an adequate performance in in terms of repeatability, however some adjusts should be done to get the accuracy needed.

In this research work, the main models of distribution lines are detailed and compared. Standardized three phase, two phase and one phase configurations are used. It was concluded that for high values of soil resistivity $(p \gt 1000\Omega-\mathrm {m})$ any model can be used, however for other values of resistivity the model to choose will depend on the required accuracy.

Permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) are attractive for wind energy applications since they can both self-excite and operate at high power densities. Recent work has shown how the rectifiers for these systems can self-synchronise to the stator output voltage using a phase-locked-loop (PLL), and thus control the stator current without requiring rotor position sensors/observers and/or field orientation/direct torque control concepts. This paper now presents a small signal model of this strategy that accounts for the dynamic elements of the current regulator, the PLL, converter modulation delays, and the generator electrical dynamics. The model establishes design principles for this control strategy that confirm its stability when the PLL bandwidth is set to one decade below the current regulator bandwidth. The theoretical findings have been validated using a full-switched model of a PMSG based Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS).

This paper describes a new approach for diagnosing anxiety and depression in young children. Currently, diagnosis in this population requires hours of structured clinical interviews spread over days and weeks. In contrast, we propose the use of a 90-second fear induction task during which time participant motion is monitoring using a commercially available wearable sensor. Machine learning and data extracted from one 20-second phase of the task are used to predict diagnosis in a large sample of children with and without an internalizing diagnosis. We examine the performance of a variety of feature sets and model configurations to identify the best performing approach that provides a diagnostic accuracy of 75%. This accuracy is comparable to existing diagnostic techniques, but at a small fraction of the time and cost currently required. These results point toward the future use of this approach in a clinical setting for diagnosing children with internalizing disorders.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets have a wide range of applications in the biological field. This technology has recently been applied to agriculture because it enhances the cultivation. It is speculated that the reason plants grow better when treated with non-thermal plasmas is since it sterilizes, provides abiotic stress, and alter the genetics of the plant. The following research is focused on determining the most effective plasma treatment method to produce the best cultivation and the chemical mechanism present in seeds after various atmospheric pressure plasma jet modes have been subjected to the surface of the seed.

In this paper we present the development of a noninvasive method for the evaluation of the degree deterioration of the diabetic foot using terahertz time domain spectroscopy. The study is based on the monitoring of hydration of the skin on the sole of the foot.

Non-equilibrium, atmospheric pressure microplasma research has increased exponentially over the course of the past decade. With this trend, there has become an ever-increasing number of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor designs 1. DBD plasma devices can take many forms such as jets, parallel plate, parallel rod, and many other configurations. As such, it has become increasing difficult to adequately describe the exact plasma device used in a particular study and even more difficult to reproduce another group's work without having the exact build specifications. Additionally, because of the high tolerances required, producing such devices was reliant upon different machining techniques which can be very time consuming. This project focuses on the reproducibility and design of DBD reactors using fused deposition modeling and laser cutting manufacturing techniques.

Ozone $(O_{3})$ is an inorganic molecule that is an allotrope of oxygen and is highly unstable. As an oxidant it has many consumer uses such as odor removal, vehicle restoration, and water treatment. Scientists have begun to work with and research the generation of ozone to increase production efficiency as more uses and benefits of ozone become clear. Ozone is commonly generated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor 1. DBD reactors consist of a ground electrode and a high voltage electrode separated by insulating layers and a discharge gap 1. DBDs have the capability to dissociate molecular oxygen $(O_{2})$ gas into atomic oxygen O 1 and allow for the recombination to $O_{3}$ within the discharge gap via microplasma discharge 2. The equilibrium of the reaction to generate $O_{3}$ from $O_{2}$ is temperature dependent though. If the temperature is too high in the DBD reactor, the $O_{3}$ formed will be converted back into $O_{2}$. Thus maintaining a favorable temperature during $O_{3}$ production is a crucial part in efficient generation. Reactor temperature stability is mostly controlled by regulating the water coolant to the electrode surfaces but, is also affected in part by the feed gas pressure and flow rate as well as the applied reactor input power. This work investigates the electrical characterization of the reactor and subsequent ozone formation process under various electrode temperature gradients.

We prepare a computer simulation using GAMESS Quantum Chemistry and Avogadro molecular editing software to create a simulation of redox reactions in metals suspended in an airborne spheroidal plasma of 30,000 Kelvin and observing energy output for the purpose of testing the plausibility of a chemical origin of the explosive properties of Ball Lightning (BL). We use a modification of the burning silicon aerosol theory of BL which proposes that silicon from quartz and mica in the soil struck by lightning in a thunderstorm can become a hot aerosol plasma that remains stable due to energy release from the redox reaction of pure gaseous silicon in the atmosphere by adding in higher temperatures and additional metals based on the January 2014 publication by the Key Laboratory of Atomic and Molecular Physics and Functional Materials of Gansu Province of Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China of an accidental spectroscopy of a BL event. Using this modification, we test for the energy output for redox reactions with silicon, calcium, and other metals in the observed quantity, temperature, and volume to determine the plausibility of an energy release large enough to cause an explosive event. We then test for the rate of reaction at which this reaction would have to occur to induce said explosive event, and finally discuss possible mechanisms by which this increased reaction rate could or could not feasibly occur in the BL system during thunderstorm conditions of humidity, temperature, pressure, and electromagnetic field strength in order to provide further context to determining the most likely cause of the explosive properties of BL.

Nearly half of the American population over 30 has some form of gum disease and one in four children have untreated cavities 1. The start of the problem is dental plaque; which is a formation of mature biofilm, composed of several species, in the oral cavity. The continuous growth can lead to many oral health issues that can become life-threatening, leading to a costly visit to the emergency room.

Ozone (O 3 )is a powerful oxidant that used in a wide array of applications ranging from various industrial chemical synthesis processes to large-scale water treatment. For many years ozone has been generated by means of dielectric barrier discharges (DBD), where a high-energy electric field propagates between two electrodes separated by a dielectric material and a gap containing either pure oxygen or O 2 with N 2 admixtures. Nitrogen has a significant effect on O 3 production as a third-body collider. Understanding the reaction kinetics and the role it plays on O 3 generation is of primary importance and the focus of this study.

Plants require certain aspects to grow and survive. Environmental conditions greatly contribute to the growth cycle of plants. These environmental conditions include proper sunlight, water, and nutrient concentrations. However, certain stressors that interact with the plant during germination can cause the seedling to change in its physical composition. One such stressor that can be introduced to the plant is an atmospheric helium cold plasma jet. This jet has been shown to increase the overall yield of cultivation.

This interdisciplinary research project, which focuses on the emerging field of plasma agriculture, seeks to better understand the chemical and physical effects of cold plasma processing on plants and their essential oils. Cold plasma processing has been shown to be a rapid, economical, and pollution-free method to improve plant seed performance and crop yield [1]. Essential oils are aromatic oily liquids extracted from different parts of plants, such as the leaves, flowers, and roots. Among the various beneficial properties of essential oils is their demonstrated antioxidant effect [2], [3] directly applicable to foods that are prone to oxidative consequences such as poor flavor, bad odors, and spoilage. Antioxidants, either synthetic (e.g., butylated hydroxytoluene, BHT) or natural (e.g., Vitamin C), are routinely added to processed foods to inhibit or delay oxidation. Essential oils are examples of natural antioxidants. Although synthetic antioxidants like BHT and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) are very effective, they have been shown to be potentially harmful to human health with demonstrated evidence of causing cancer in laboratory animals [3]. As a result, food scientists have been seeking alternative natural compounds as substitute antioxidants, such as essential oils. We have observed a growth effect in our preliminary studies treating basil plants with cold plasmas. We have also observed that plasma treatment increases the antioxidant activity of essential oils. Our preliminary work further revealed a difference in the composition of individual antioxidant components between the plasma-treated and non-plasmatreated basil. Following up on our preliminary research, our present investigation sought to better understand cold plasma's physical and biochemical-molecular effects on basil plants. These latter findings are the focus of this presentation.

Cement is a commonly employed building material used by the construction industry. It is the basic binding ingredient used in concrete and it is hailed for its high strength, low cost, and ease of use. It is a versatile material and is currently implemented across the world in building foundations, roadways, and even as load bearing walls. However, for all its strength, cement is brittle and cracks easily. To combat this problem it is often mixed with a fiber additive, such as nylon and polypropylene, to take advantage of the composite material properties. By adding fibers to the cement, the flexibility and overall effective strength and durability increases.

The need for effective cross-cultural training has been recognized throughout the United States Army, Department of Defense, and the wider business and education community as critical to successful international relationships. However, achieving effective cross-cultural capability training currently requires long-term immersion into foreign culture which is a large investment of both time and resources. This paper will focus on the development of key cultural stress points, analyzed by Hofstede's cultural dimensions, that will provide the cultural groundwork for a computer-based, linguistically-sophisticate, real-world-oriented virtual simulator to achieve the same goals of developing cross-cultural expertise as from long-term immersion but without the same initial investment requirement. This paper will develop the socio-cultural basis for the virtual, computer-based, Chinese-language simulator and will serve as a framework on which similar projects could be undertaken for various other global cultures. By isolating these cultural stress points, the specific aspects of culture that cause conflict between American and Chinese perspectives, this paper will develop socio-cultural content that will make the simulator culturally significant. This research and the associated fieldwork conducted both in mainland China and on Taiwan are broken up into four components. This paper, sequentially, focuses on the relevant cross-cultural competency theories and previous cultural education research, significant historical cultural norms and traditions that are unique to the Chinese-speaking world, and then how these unique aspects of Chinese culture manifest in modern China in both informal and formal interactions. This research, coupled with fieldwork, will isolate cultural stress points between American and Chinese culture and target scenarios in which these stress points are exposed. The end result is the development of Chinese-language dialogue trees of these stress-point exposure, real-world cultural scenarios that can be incorporated into the development and improvement of the virtual simulator.

As of today, ADHD is diagnosed through subjective evaluation of symptoms, which overlap with those of other conditions. To address this issue and increase the accuracy of diagnoses, quantitative methods for the diagnosis of ADHD have been developed in the last 20 years. Recently, the US FDA approved the use of one of these methods, the θ/β power ratio (TBPR), in a device intended to support the diagnosis of ADHD. The TBPR, along with classification algorithms, is used to investigate the effectiveness of TBPR as a feature to classify ADHD and Non-ADHD subjects.

As of today, diagnosis of ADHD is highly dependent on subjective observations, which has motivated researchers to investigate quantitative methods for the discrimination of ADHD and Non-ADHD subjects using EEG data. The goal of the effort reported here is to classify subjects with high accuracy, as well as to do so based on a select few channels. By making use of AR model features, several classifiers were found to achieve high performance; accuracy above 90% for a K Nearest Neighbor classifier and Area Under the Curve over 0.98 at Equal Error Rate below 0.05 for a Gaussian Mixture Model-Uniform Background Model classifier based on combinations of as few as 2 and 3 EEG channels.

We propose an automated breast cancer triage CAD system using machine vision on low-cost, portable ultrasound imaging devices. We demonstrate that the triage CAD software can effectively analyze images captured by minimally-trained operators and output one of three assessments — benign, probably benign (6-month follow-up recommended) and suspicious (biopsy recommended). This system opens up the possibility of offering practical, cost-effective breast cancer diagnosis for symptomatic women in economically developing countries.

This paper shows the design, construction and characterization of an ultra-low noise and broad-band receiver system, to be used for geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations with the Spanish new 13.2 meter radiotelescopes, in the frame of the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). The cryogenic receiver front-end covers the frequency range 2–14 GHz in two simultaneous linear polarizations. It has an average receiver noise temperature lower than 20 Kelvin, except for those frequencies affected by radio frequency intereferences (RFI). The detected signals are sent to the back-end room using broad-band RF over fiber optic links. Then, the signals are distributed to four dual-channel frequency up/down converters, which provide the base-band signals for the digital VLBI back-ends.

This paper presents the design of a feed system at K and Q frequency bands which permits simultaneous observation at a radio telescope. The system will be used for radio astronomical VLBI applications. With this design we get simultaneous operation with two different cryogenical receivers placed at the focal zone of the radio telescope with a relative pointing error lower than 3arcsec and an aperture efficiency higher than 75%. Quasi-optical techniques have been used to implement a frequency independent system. Phase corrected feeds have also been developed in order to reduce the size of the feeds and to allow cooling down and receiver noise temperature improvement. The design has been validated with laboratory test and on site tests after positioning and alignment at the focal zone of the 40 meter Yebes Observatory radio telescope.

Ozone (O3) is a powerful oxidant that used in a wide array of applications ranging from various industrial chemical synthesis processes to large-scale water treatment. For many years ozone has been generated by means of dielectric barrier discharges (DBD), where a high-energy electric field propagates between two electrodes separated by a dielectric material and a gap containing either pure oxygen or O2 with N2 admixtures. Nitrogen has a significant effect on O3 production as a third body collider. Understanding the reaction kinetics and the role it plays on O3 generation is of primary importance and the focus of this study.

This paper presents an original solution to decrease significantly the power consumption of CMOS digital circuits. The supply voltage VDD and the MOSFET width are reduced and allow lowering the dynamic current of circuits by 25%. A CAD-to-mask script was developed in order to automatically reduce all physical widths of low-voltage transistors used in standard cells. With this operation, no additional redesign of standard cells was necessary. Moreover, a new optimized process based on e-NVM (embedded Non-Volatile Memory) CMOS 80 nm technology is developed. ION current is improved by 15% and 50% for NMOS and PMOS transistors, respectively. This, let us decrease dynamic current without impacting circuit performance. Finally, the static current of the circuit is reduced by 60% through design and process optimization.

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) has become one of the most interesting alternatives to support automatic systems able to interpret brain functions. Recently, the Motor Imagery (MI) paradigm is a widely topic of interest as a tool to develop BCI-based systems. Here, we present a relevant feature extraction methodology, termed MI discrimination using kernel relevance analysis (MIDKRA), to support MI classification in BCI systems. For such a purpose, a similarity criterion to rank the contribution of EEG features for classifying an MI paradigm is employed. The introduced approach includes the supervised information regarding the MI paradigm to find out a relevant set of features encoding discriminative information. We model the EEG recordings by considering both time and time-frequency representations. Moreover, a k nearest-neighbor classifier is carried out to validate the proposed feature relevance approach. Experimental results carried out on two different BCI databases, a well-known public MI data and an Emotiv-based dataset built by us, demonstrate that MIDKRA outperforms state of the art methods and it is a suitable alternative to support straightforward BCI systems.

This paper presents a new solution to reduce the mechanical stress impact of Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) by adding polysilicon in STI and thus, improve MOSFET performances. Indeed, when a polysilicon wall is used, the drive current of NMOS transistors used in analog and digital applications is 5% higher due to the reduction in the STI-induced, compressive stress in the channel. The polysilicon wall could be added automatically in digital standard cells during cad to mask operation without increasing the size of the cells. Finally, the speed frequency of CMOS inverter ring oscillators designed with low-voltage MOSFETs used in digital standard cells is increased by 6% when a polysilicon wall is added around NMOS transistors. Moreover, the static current of ring oscillators remains unchanged.

This paper presents several layout optimizations in order to decrease both, the internal power and the area of digital standard cells. A new D flip-flop (Dff) is designed using advanced design rules and lower active widths. Post-layout simulations are performed and the internal power of a new Dff is reduced by 20% while clock-to-Q delay remains unchanged. Indeed, a new optimized process based on e-NVM (embedded Non-Volatile Memory) CMOS 80 nm technology is developed. The saturation current (I DSAT ) is improved by 15% and 50% for NMOS and PMOS transistors, respectively. Moreover, the area of the new Dff is reduced by 20% by using lower active widths and new optimized design rules.

The development of different computer technologies has contributed to a large number of applications in the field of computer-assisted surgery (CAS). One technology that has been developed rapidly in the operating room is the surgical navigation which allows the surgeon to identify the location of surgical instruments inserted into the body of a patient. This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a system to calibrate a drill with a burr to devastate bone tissue by using an optical tracker in order to display its position in different views of computed tomography (CT) images. In this work, a methodology for the calibration a milling tool using pivoting allows us to locate the tip position and image registration for make a relationship of a real object with a virtual to display on a computer monitor. It also presents the calibration accuracy in RMS errors and FRE for image registration.

In this paper, gate stress at high electrical field has been studied on High Voltage MOSFETs used for Non-Volatile Memory applications. Charge pumping measurements and characteristic Capacitance-Voltage have been applied to demonstrate that degradation mechanism of n- and p-channel transistors is firstly due to charge fixed trapping by Anode Hole Injection, and then dependent on where electrons are injected, i.e. from gate or from substrate. Furthermore, low activation energy has been found for positive stress on n- and p-MOSFETs.

In this paper, analog and digital low-voltage MOSFETs having the gate contact over Shallow Trench Isolation (reference layout) or over active area (innovative layout) are studied. Using electrical parameters measurements, Linear Ramp Voltage Stress and Hot Carrier Injection stress, we demonstrate that moving the gate contact over active area does not degrade the performances and reliability of studied devices whatever the device area or oxide thickness (down to 2.1nm), and hence, could be a relevant solution in order to reduce the CMOS device area.

In this paper, gate stress has been studied on High Voltage p- and n-MOSFETs used for Non-Volatile Memory applications. For the first time, a higher degradation on n-channel transistor compared to p-channel transistor has been observed. Time dependence, recovery effect, voltage acceleration factor and activation energy have been evaluated.

This paper presents a low profile multiband antenna suitable for future wireless communication systems. The design comprises a co-planar fed patch antenna and a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA). Active switching enables the antenna to resonant in different lower frequency bands while maintaining fixed operational performance in the upper bands.

In this paper, the optimal operation of a battery bank in the presence of a Photovoltaic System (PV System) is approached. The battery bank charge and discharge must be controlled to reduce the consumed electrical energy cost. Different tariffs are considered according to the day hour. The optimization model was formulated and solved by mixed integer linear programming — MILP — with Big-M formulation. The problem context, assumed model hypothesis, objective function, constraints, and results are discussed. This work aims to contribute for the insertion of micro distributed generation into the Brazilian energy matrix.

This work describes the optimization process of a dual band antenna by using two evolutionary method: Evolutionary Programming (EP) and Particle Swarm (PSO). These techniques have been used to increase the bandwidth of each band. The bandwidth criterion is that the return loss must be less or equal to −10dB. The antenna has been made by two single antennas: Planar F-Inverted Antenna (PIFA) and patch antenna feed by coplanar waveguide (CPW). The whole antenna has got only one port fed. The antenna is designed to cover the wireless applications (GSM-1800, UMTS and WLAN).

This article presents some preliminary results of the sedimentary dynamics measured during 5 months in Barcelona city beaches (NW Mediterranean). Wave storms, resuspension events and near-bottom sediment fluxes are analyzed in order to characterize the sedimentary behavior of highly-protected beaches.

Low power analog applications are often designed under threshold and can be degraded by hump effect. This effect is explained through device dimensions and body bias studies. A MOSFET matching improvement in sub-threshold area is demonstrated with active “multi-fingers” test structure.

Low power analog circuits needs large and short MOSFETs biased in the sub-threshold area with good performances in terms of matching. In order to reach these specifications, octagonal transistors are proposed. Due to their design, these transistors avoid hump effect. As a consequence, gate-source voltage matching under-threshold is always at its best level. Moreover, the paper shows the device robustness to hot carrier stress is improved on octagonal NMOS; V T matching degradation due to hot carrier stress is also improved with an octagonal design.

Analog circuit designs are often biased to work in sub-threshold mode for low power constraints and for better gate-source voltage matching performances. Depending on process, hump effect may change MOS characteristics for negative Bulk-Source Voltage (V BS ) and have a slight impact for V BS =0V. Actually, even without body effect, hump mainly degrades MOS matching performances in the sub-threshold area with significant temperature dependence. Thus, in order to accurately simulate bandgap performances, modeling of hump effect has to be considered.

For CMOS technology, the increase of interconnects metal density is responsible for heterogeneous mechanical stress fields in active region of silicon. This mismatch originated by interconnects metal lines stress is measured through the use of piezo-resistive test structures. Local mechanical stress can thus be monitored in a simple process control compatible approach.

This paper demonstrates how poly-Silicon gate pre-doping implantation impacts MOS matching performances. Measurements are performed on test structures (MOS pairs / capacitors) and analog circuits, using five different processes with pre-doping implantation energy variation (from 35 to 10 KeV) and tilt variation (7° and 25°). TCAD simulations validate a channel counter-doping due to high pre-doping implantation energy causing mismatch degradation.

Analog circuit designs are often biased to work in sub-threshold mode with good gate-source voltage matching performances. Depending on the process, hump effect may change the MOS characteristics for negative Bulk-Source Voltage (VBS) and have a slight impact for V BS =0V. To model the hump effect, two narrow parasitic MOS are introduced in parallel with the main device. To accurately simulate matching degradation in sub-threshold mode, these parasitic transistors, in case of hump effect, have to be considered.

Summary form only given. Self organization in cathode boundary layer discharge (CBLD) devices in xenon is described for several different cathode materials (Cu, Ag, Ti, W, Mo, et al). A theory for the origin of self organization is developed based on materials properties (especially electrical conductivity and magnetic susceptibility). Most of the results and discussion are based on results at a pressure of 100 Torr. Some excimer emission characteristics are also discussed and related to the self organization. Characterization of the devices is based on tabulated values for materials properties, VUV emission at 172 nm (Xe excimer), optical microscopy images, and SEM energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of cathode surfaces before and after operation, respectively.

Summary form only given. The electrical and emission properties of a capillary DBD (Cap-DBD) plasma in atmospheric pressure air are reported in this work. The plasma reactor consists of metal wire electrodes inside quartz capillary tubes powered with a low kilohertz frequency AC high voltage power supply. Various reactor geometries (planar, 3-D multilayer, and circular) with no gap spacing up to a few hundred micron gaps were investigated. The discharges appear homogenous across the whole device at gaps between 0 and 225 μm and turned into filamentary discharges at larger gap spaces. The operating voltage was generally around 3-4 kV (RMS). The power consumption by the Cap-DBD was calculated using voltage/charge Lissajous figures with observed powers of a few tens of watts, reaching a maximum for a particular gap distance at 225 μm. Further studies of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) were employed to evaluate the reactive species generated in the microplasma source. The observed emission spectrum was predominantly within the second positive system of N2 (C3Πu - B3Πg) and the first negative system of N2+ (B2Σu+ - X2Σg+).

Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs) produce highly non-equilibrium plasmas that allow for the effective generation of ions, excited species, and radicals from energetic electron-driven processes. DBDs have further proven to be efficient sources of intensive UV and VUV excimer radiation. In an effort to improve the production of the excited species, radicals, and UV radiation, which is strongly influenced by the reduced electric field, it is more effective to use a pulsed high voltage of very short duration, particularly if the aim is to keep the gas temperature low. Operating with short pulses and high reduced electric fields will transfer most of the electron energy into excitation, ionization, and molecular dissociation, while only a minor part into the vibrational and rotational excitation of gas molecules. In an effort to better understand this phenomenon, electrical measurements in conjunction with plasma emission spectroscopy and optical imagining studies of a pulsed DBD were carried out using a fast intensified CCD (ICCD) camera. These investigations allowed for the determination of the temporal and spatial developments of important plasma species such as radicals (OH, NO, and various oxygen radicals) along with the determination of the involved microplasma phenomena.

We propose a quantified asymmetry based method for age estimation. Our method uses machine learning to discover automatically the most discriminative asymmetry feature set from different brain regions and image scales. Applying this regression model on a Tl MR brain image set of 246 healthy individuals (121 females; 125 males, 66 plusmn 7.5 years old), we achieve a mean absolute error of 5.4 years and a mean signed error of -0.2 years for age estimation on unseen MR images using the stringent leave-15%-out cross validation. Our results show significant changes in asymmetry with aging in the following regions: the posterior horns of the lateral ventricles, the amygdala, the ventral putamen with a nearby region of the anterior inferior caudate nucleus, the basal fore- brain, hyppocampus and parahyppocampal regions. We confirm the validity of the age estimation model using permutation test on 30 replicas of the original dataset with randomly permuted ages (with p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, we apply this model to a separate set of MR images containing normal, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects. Our results reflect the relative severity of brain pathology between the three subject groups: mean signed age estimation error is 0.6 years for normal controls, 2.2 years for MCI patients, and 4.7 years for AD patients.

Data retention is one of the main issues of non volatile memory reliability. The CAST (cell array stress test) is a structure of several thousand memory cells connected in parallel, used to study and to qualify data retention time of EEPROM and flash cells, respectively in erased state and programmed state. In manufacturing, CAST results are interesting to compare different process recipes in order to improve data retention, but there is no simple method to extract the threshold voltage(VT) distribution of the cells which compose the CAST. The drain current(ID) measured on a CAST is the sum of all drain currents of all cells connected in parallel. A hump was observed in the ID-VCG characteristic of a stressed CAST. This hump is caused by extrinsic cells which have lower VT and contribute of increasing the CAST drain current at low VCG. In this paper we proposed a new methodology, based only on experimental data, which allows us to localize and to quantify the extrinsic cells which compose the hump of the ID-VCG characteristic.