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Membrane projection lithography is used to create 3-dimensional unit cells in a silicon matrix decorated with metallic inclusions. The structures show pronounced resonances in the 4–16 µm wavelength range and demonstrate direct coupling to the magnetic field of a normally incident transverse electromagnetic (TEM) wave, a behavior only possible for vertically oriented resonators. Qualitative agreement between rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) simulation and measured scattering response is shown. COMSOL simulations show that slight variations in both metallic inclusion and silicon unit cell physical dimensions can have large impact in the scattering response, so that design for manufacture of 3D metamaterial structures for applications should be done with care.

Abstract Background Engaging in regular physical activity can be challenging, particularly during the winter months. To promote physical activity at the University of Michigan during the winter months, an eight-week Internet-mediated program (Active U) was developed providing participants with an online physical activity log, goal setting, motivational emails, and optional team participation and competition. Methods This study is a program evaluation of Active U. Approximately 47,000 faculty, staff, and graduate students were invited to participate in the online Active U intervention in the winter of 2007. Participants were assigned a physical activity goal and were asked to record each physical activity episode into the activity log for eight weeks. Statistics for program reach, effectiveness, adoption, and implementation were calculated using the Re-Aim framework. Multilevel regression analyses were used to assess the decline in rates of data entry and goal attainment during the program, to assess the likelihood of joining a team by demographic characteristics, to test the association between various predictors and the number of weeks an individual met his or her goal, and to analyze server load. Results Overall, 7,483 individuals registered with the Active U website (≈16% of eligible), and 79% participated in the program by logging valid data at least once. Staff members, older participants, and those with a BMI < 25 were more likely to meet their weekly physical activity goals, and average rate of meeting goals was higher among participants who joined a competitive team compared to those who participated individually (IRR = 1.28, P < .001). Conclusion Internet-mediated physical activity interventions that focus on physical activity logging and goal setting while incorporating team competition may help a significant percentage of the target population maintain their physical activity during the winter months.

Surface-micromachined deformable mirrors that exhibit greater than 10 [micro]m of stroke are presented. The segmented arrays described here consist of 61 and 85 hexagonal, piston/tip/tilt mirrors (three actuators each) with diameters of 500 and 430 [micro]m, respectively, and fill a 4 mm circular aperture. Devices were packaged in 208 and 256 pin-grid arrays and driven by a compact control board designed for turn-key operation. After metallization and packaging mirror bow is ~680 nm ([lambda]/1), but a heat-treatment procedure is proposed for controlling mirror curvature to better than [lambda]/10. An optical test bed was used to demonstrate basic beam splitting and open-loop aberration correction, the results of which are also presented. [1666] Index Terms--Adaptive optics, deformable mirrors, microclectromechanical ystems (MEMS), micromirrors.

Most software programs that block a user's access to pornographic Web sites do not substantially block access to health Web sites unless they are set at the highest level of restriction. At the highest restriction level, 91% of pornographic sites and 24% of health sites would be blocked. At the least restrictive level, 87% of pornographic sites and 1.4% of health sites would be blocked. For this reason, it makes sense to set these programs at the least restrictive level.

A method for patterning on vertical silicon surfaces in high aspect ratio silicon topography is presented. A Faraday cage is used to direct energetic reactive ions obliquely through a patterned suspended membrane positioned over the topography. The technique is capable of forming high-fidelity pattern (100 nm) features, adding an additional fabrication capability to standard top-down fabrication approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Back-contacted, ultrathin (<10 µm), and submillimeter-sized solar cells made with microsystem tools are a new type of cell that has not been optimized for performance. The literature reports efficiencies up to 15% using thicknesses of 14 µm and cell sizes of 250 µm. In this paper, we present the design, conditions, and fabrication parameters necessary to optimize these devices. The optimization was performed using commercial simulation tools from the microsystems arena. A systematic variation of the different parameters that influence the performance of the cell was accomplished. The researched parameters were resistance, Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) lifetime, contact separation, implant characteristics (size, dosage, energy, and ratio between the species), contact size, substrate thickness, surface recombination, and light concentration. The performance of the cell was measured with efficiency, open-circuit voltage, and short-circuit current. Among all the parameters investigated, surface recombination and SRH lifetime proved to be the most important. Through completing the simulations, an optimized concept solar cell design was introduced for two scenarios: high and low quality materials/passivation. Simulated efficiencies up to 23.4% (1 sun) and 26.7% (100 suns) were attained for 20-µm-thick devices. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]