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As the industry drives to lower k1 imaging we commonly accept the use of higher NA imaging and advanced illumination conditions. The advent of this technology shift has given rise to very exotic pupil spread functions that have some areas of high thermal energy density creating new modeling and control challenges. Modern scanners are equipped with advanced lens manipulators that introduce controlled adjustments of the lens elements to counteract the lens aberrations existing in the system. However, there are some specific non-correctable aberration modes that are detrimental to important structures. In this paper, we introduce a methodology for minimizing the impact of aberrations for specific designs at hand. We employ computational lithography to analyze the design being imaged, and then devise a lens manipulator control scheme aimed at optimizing the aberration level for the specific design. The optimization scheme does not minimize the overall aberration, but directs the aberration control to optimize the imaging performance, such as CD control or process window, for the target design. Through computational lithography, we can identify the aberration modes that are most detrimental to the design, and also correlations between imaging responses of independent aberration modes. Then an optimization algorithm is applied to determine how to use the lens manipulators to drive the aberrations modes to levels that are best for the specified imaging performance metric achievable with the tool. We show an example where this method is applied to an aggressive memory device imaged with an advanced ArF scanner. We demonstrate with both simulation and experimental data that this application specific tool optimization successfully compensated for the thermal induced aberrations dynamically, improving the imaging performance consistently through the lot.

To establish a new imaging protocol to acquire the most appropriate fluoro-images for fluoro-navigated percutaneous fixation of acetabular fracture and to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the procedures.Guide needles were inserted into the bilateral anterior and posterior columns of the acetabula of 4 dry human cadaver pelvic skeletons and 4 plastic pelvic models. Then the pelvis skeletons were fixed to imaging guided surgery mimic operation modules. Dynamic fluoroscopy was conducted with C-arm X-ray machine vertically on the 4 virtual planes of the acetabulum, inner, outer, anterior, and posterior from multiple angles. The fluoroscopic images clearly showing the guide needles, anterior and posterior columns, and acetabulum were selected as registration images, and the relative space positions between the C-arm X-ray fluoroscope and pelvis and operation table. Guided by the navigation system, totally 16 titanium hollow screws were inserted into bilateral anterior and posterior columns of acetabula of the 4 pelvis skeletons. The screw positions were estimated by visual method. The time needed to position the C-arm so as to obtain the standard registration image, time needed for fluoroscopy, and operation time, including establishment of navigation system, software interface operation, and screw insertion, were recorded.All the screws were inserted to the satisfying positions: placed within the desired bony corridor of the column and none of then were inserted into the joint. While inserting the screw into the anterior column fluoroscopy should be conducted with obturated oblique view, obturated inlet view, obturated oblique outlet view, or pelvic AP view. While inserting the screw into the posterior column fluoroscopy should be conducted with iliac-oblique view, obturated oblique view, pelvic inlet view, or obturated oblique outlet view. The total surgical time required for screw insertion was 11.7 min for anterior column, and was 9.2 min for posterior column. 9.5 and 7.3 minutes were needed to position the C-arm X-ray machine so as to obtain the images of the anterior and posterior columns respectively. 2.9 and 1.7 seconds were needed for the actual fluoroscopy during insertion of the screws into the anterior and posterior columns respectively.The standard registered fluoro-images are different from the conventional standard Judet-Letournel oblique views. How to get appropriate fluoro-images is the key point for fluoro-navigated percutaneous fixation of acetabular fractures.

In this paper we present the REQS package which is an interface between the R environment of statistical computing and the EQS software for structural equation modeling. The package consists of three main functions that read EQS script files and import the results into R, call EQS script �files from R, and, �finally, run EQS script �files from R and, again, import the results after EQS computation. The components a user needs are R and EQS. We give a short introduction to R and EQS, elaborate the functionalities of the package, and show how to use the package by means of several examples with special emphasis on simulations.

BACKGROUND Previous anesthesia information management systems-based studies have focused on intraoperative data analysis. Reviewing preoperative data could provide insight into the outpatient treatment of patients presenting for surgical procedures. As gender-based disparities have been demonstrated in the treatment of patients with cardiac disease, we hypothesized that there would be gender disparities in the outpatient pharmacologic management of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) scheduled for elective noncardiac surgery. METHODS We analyzed electronic medical records of ambulatory patients with CAD (prior myocardial infarction [MI], coronary artery bypass surgery, and angioplasty with or without stenting, angina) presenting for elective noncardiac surgery between 1/2004 and 6/2006 (30 mo) at an inner city hospital. RESULTS Of 21,039 ambulatory patients seen in the preanesthesia clinic, 6.4% (1346) had CAD. Patients with CAD: Men were more likely to be taking beta-blockers (P < 0.002), statins (P < 0.0001), aspirin (P < 0.0001), and antiplatelet medications (P < 0.04), although there was a trend of increased use of aspirin (P < 0.01) by women over the course of the study. Patients with history of prior MI: Men with a prior MI were more likely to be taking beta-blockers (P < 0.0001) and statins (P < 0.02), although there was a trend of increased use of beta-blockers (P < 0.0005) and aspirin (P < 0.03) by women over the course of the study. Quarterly prevalence rates for outpatient medication use were greatest for beta-blockers and least for aspirin. Patients were more likely to be taking a statin, aspirin, or oral antiplatelet medication if they were receiving chronic beta-blocker therapy (P < 0.0001 for each medication). CONCLUSION Aggregating anesthesia management information systems data provides an epidemiological perspective of community care of patients presenting for surgery. We found that gender disparities in outpatient medical treatment of patients with CAD, which previously favored men, have diminished primarily as a result of increased use of these medications in women. Nonetheless, despite evidence supporting the use of risk-reduction strategies, our patients are undertreated with standard medical therapies.

Accounting is critical for information technology budgeting and chargeback. Traditional accounting in UNIX/Linux systems is known as process accounting, in which an accounting record is created when a process ends. System administrators typically aggregate accounting records based on individual users or groups. As Web and application servers along with databases handle requests and transactions for multiple entities in various Web applications and services, LPAR accounting and transaction accounting become increasingly critical for service providers in shared resource environments. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a J2EE accounting application for resource usage metering. For process accounting the resulting system can generate usage reports by projects, by groups, by users, by commands, or by a combination of these identifiers. For dynamically changing partitions it generates reports for shared resources including CPUs, memories, disks, file systems, and network interfaces. For transaction accounting it generates reports based on account classes provided that applications are instrumented. It is the first known J2EE accounting application for UNIX/Linux transaction accounting.

Objective Improvements in survival after childhood cancer have increased emphasis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of survivors. We developed the Minneapolis-Manchester Quality of Life-Youth Form (MMQL-YF) as a standardized patient self-report instrument designed to assess HRQoL in childhood cancer survivors between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Study design To validate the instrument, the MMQL-YF was administered to 643 children (481 healthy, 162 with cancer). Factor analysis was conducted to refine the instrument, and Cronbach's α coefficient was used to measure its internal reliability. Known-groups validity was determined by comparing healthy children with those with cancer. Construct validity was studied by a comparison of similar domains in the MMQL-YF and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Stability was tested by re-administration of the MMQL-YF 2 weeks later. Results Internal consistency reliability was in the acceptable range for this instrument. The MMQL-YF was able to distinguish between known groups, and its scales correlated highly with similar CHQ domains. Test-retest reliability showed that the instrument was extremely stable in all scales tested. Conclusion Data provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the MMQL-YF as a comprehensive, multidimensional, self-report instrument for measuring HRQoL among childhood cancer survivors.

Learning on the Internet becomes the main stream in the deployment of distance education and training. In such an environment, both learners and teachers or peer-to-peer are able to join the learning activities synchronously as well as asynchronously. However, the present user interfaces still do not provide enough flexibility and interactively to both learners and teachers. As a result, the users may lack of interests to continuously use the prepared learning environment. In this paper, we design and implement a multimedia user interface, which contains video, audio, text contents, and authoring tools. We integrate the state-of-the-art technologies, such as image segmentation, object tracking, and voice over IP. In the video portion, the system is able to automatically track the teacher movement. Teachers have high degree of freedom in presenting themselves to attract learners' attention. To achieve the above, the developed region-based image segmentation scheme and tracking scheme is realized in real-time. Special voice transmission scheme based on forward error correction is also designed to wrestle with the transmission difficulties on the present Internet. Authoring tools are provided to teachers and learners to improve the convenient utilization of the system.

9570 Background: Cancer survivors are at risk for deficits in health-related quality of life (HRQL). Youth (8-12y) and adolescent (13-20y) versions of the MMQL have been developed to address survivor-specific issues and are currently in use; the MMQL-AF has now been developed to assess HRQL in cancer survivors aged 21-55y, enabling cross-sectional and longitudinal assessment of childhood cancer survivors as they age. Methods: The MMQL-AF was administered to 499 adults: 65 patients undergoing cancer therapy, 107 off therapy, 327 healthy controls (matched on sex, age, education). Factor analysis was performed; items with factor loadings ≥0.40 were retained. The following psychometric properties were evaluated: internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha), construct validity (concurrent administration of SF-36), known-groups validity (score comparisons across the 3 groups), and stability (intraclass correlations from patients completing MMQL-AF twice, 2 weeks apart). Results: Among patients, 46% had hematological malignancies, 33% were males, 64% were non-Hispanic whites; median age was 40y. Factor analysis resulted in retention of 44 items across 6 scales: social functioning (n=9), physical functioning (n=12), cognitive functioning (n=7), outlook on life (n=4), body image (n=5), and psychological functioning (n=7).Internal consistency was 0.8-0.9 for scales and 0.95 overall.The MMQL-AF distinguished between known groups; healthy controls scored significantly higher (better HRQL) than patients on 4 of 6 scales. Off-therapy patients scored higher than on-therapy patients on physical functioning.The MMQL-AF scales correlated highly with SF-36 scales hypothesized to tap similar domains (all P values

To develop optimal parallel I/O subsystems, one must have a thorough understanding of the workload characteristics of parallel I/O and its exploitation of the associated parallel file system. Presented are the results of a study conducted to analyze the parallel I/O workloads of several applications on a parallel processor using the Vesta parallel file system. Traces of the applications are obtained to collect system events, communication events, and parallel I/O events. The traces are then analyzed to determine workload characteristics. The results show I/O request rates on the order of hundreds of requests per second, a large majority of requests are for small amounts of data (less than 1500 bytes), a few requests are for large amounts of data (on the order of megabytes), significant file sharing among processes within a job, and strong temporal, traditional spatial, and interprocess spatial locality.

We propose efficient stack simulation algorithms for shared memory multiprocessor (MP) caches. A stack simulation algorithm for write-updated MP caches is first presented. It produces the number of write-updates as well as misses for all cache configurations in a single run. We then devise a new stack simulation algorithm for writeinvalidate MP caches. Our algorithm takes into account cross-invalidation among processors, and generates the number of invalidations as well as misses for all cache configurations in a single run. A cache simulator based on our algorithms for MP caches is developed and the results on sample traces are reported. Our results show that effi cient stack simulation is a powerful technique for multi processor cache analysis.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service CNU-162/E Shipping and Storage Container could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 72.5 kg (160 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United National Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. The containers conformed to the POP performance requirements, i.e., the containers successfully retained their contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in-service PA 157 Metal Container could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 32 kg (71 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR 107. The containers have conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the container successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service PPP-B-601 ERAPS Wood Box could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 237 kg (523 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. The box has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the box successfully retained its contents throughout the stacking, vibration and drop tests.

Qualifications tests were performed to determine whether the in- service Mk 588 shipping and storage drum could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 14 kg (31 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings published in the Federal Register. The drum has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the drum successfully retained its contents throughout the vibration, stacking and drop tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service MK 5 Mod 1 3-Inch Cartridge Tank (Dwg 300428) could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 15.9 kg (35 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings published in the Federal Register, Vol. 55 on 21 Dec 90. The tank has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the tank successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service Mk 7 Mod 0 Smokeless Powder Jerrican could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 69.8 kg (154 pounds). The test were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings published in the Federal Register, Vol. 55 on 21 Dec 90. The jerrican has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the jerrican successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service Mk 46 Mod 2 Battery Shipping and Storage Container could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 143.5 kg (316.5 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings published in the Federal Register, Vol. 55 on 21 Dec 90. The container has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the container successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service Mk 592 Mod O Shipping and Storage Container could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 215 kg (474 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and Final Rulings published in the Federal Register, Vol. 55 on 21 Dec 90. The container has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the container successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in- service Mk 11 Mod 0 Cartridge Tank (Dwg 19200-562256) could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 14 kg (31 pounds). The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings Published in the Federal Register, Vol. 55 on 21 Dec 90. The tank has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the tank successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.

Qualification tests were performed to determine whether the in-service Sonobuoy Overpack and Sonobuoy Launch Container (SLC) could be utilized to contain properly dunnaged solid type hazardous materials weighing up to a gross weight of 37 pounds and 32 pounds, respectively. The tests were conducted in accordance with Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) requirements specified by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Department of Transportation's Title 49 CFR and the Final Rulings published in the Federal Register Volume 55 on 21 December 1990. The container has conformed to the POP performance requirements; i.e., the container successfully retained its contents throughout the specified tests.