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System Embedded (system + embedded)
Selected AbstractsMicrostructures: Facile Fabrication of Monolithic 3D Porous Silica Microstructures and a Microfluidic System Embedded with the Microstructure (Adv. Funct.ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 9 2010Mater. D.-P. Kim and co-workers present the fabrication of monolithic 3D porous silica structures into a multilayer framework with bimodal pore size distribution on page 1473. The structure becomes monolithic upon pyrolyzing the stacked layers, and then easily embedded in microchannel with the aid of photolithography, leading to a microfluidic system with built-in microstructure in a site- and shape-controlled manner. [source] Facile Fabrication of Monolithic 3D Porous Silica Microstructures and a Microfluidic System Embedded with the MicrostructureADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 9 2010ZuoYi Xiao Abstract Monolithic 3D porous silica structures are fabricated into a multilayer framework with a bimodal pore size distribution in the micrometer and sub-micrometer range. The fabrication , which involves directed assembly of colloidal spheres, transfer printing, and removal of a sacrificial template , yields robust and mechanically stable structures over a large area. The structure becomes monolithic upon pyrolyzing the stacked layers, which induces necking of the particles. The monolithic microstructures can easily be embedded in microchannels with the aid of photolithography, leading to the formation of a microfluidic system with a built-in microstructure in a site- and shape-controlled manner. Utilization of the system results in a fourfold increase in the mixing efficiency in the microchannel. [source] Effect of Mandated Nurse,Patient Ratios on Patient Wait Time and Care Time in the Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010Theodore C. Chan MD Abstract Objectives:, The objective was to evaluate the effect of mandated nurse,patient ratios (NPRs) on emergency department (ED) patient flow. Methods:, Two institutions implemented an electronic tracking system embedded within the electronic medical record (EMR) of two EDs (an academic urban, teaching medical center,Hospital A; and a suburban community hospital,Hospital B), with a combined census of 60,000/year, to monitor real-time NPRs and patient acuity, such that compliance with state-mandated ratios could be prospectively monitored. Data were queried for a 1-year period after implementation and included patient wait times (WTs), ED care time (EDCT), patient acuity, ED census, and NPR status for each nurse, patient, and the ED overall. Median WT and EDCT with interquartile ranges (IQRs) were analyzed to determine the effect of NPR status of each patient, nurse, and the ED overall. To control for factors that could affect the "within the mandated ratio" and the "outside of the mandated ratio" status, including patient volume and acuity, log-linear regression models were used controlling for specified factors for each hospital facility and combined. Results:, There were a total of 30,404 (50.9%) patients who waited in the waiting room prior to being placed in an ED bed (53.8% at Hospital A and 46.4% at Hospital B). Patients who waited at Hospital A waited a median duration of 55 minutes (IQR = 15,128 minutes), compared with 32 minutes (IQR = 12,67 minutes) at Hospital B with a combined median WT of 44 minutes (IQR = 13,101 minutes). In the log-linear regression analysis, WTs were 17% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 10% to 25%, p < 0.001) longer at Hospital A and 13% (95% CI = 3% to 24%, p = 0.008) longer at Hospital B (combined 16% [95% CI = 10% to 22%, p < 0.001] longer at both sites) when the ED overall was out-of-ratio compared to in-ratio. There were a total of 45,660 patients discharged from both EDs during the study period, from which EDCT data were collected (26,894 in Hospital A and 18,766 in Hospital B). Median EDCT was 184 minutes (IQR = 97,311 minutes) at Hospital A, compared to 120 minutes (IQR = 63,208 minutes) at Hospital B, for a combined median EDCT of 153 minutes (IQR = 81,269 minutes). In the log-linear regression analysis, the EDCT for patients whose nurse was out-of-ratio were 34% (95% CI = 30% to 38%, p < 0.001) longer at Hospital A and 42% (95% CI = 37% to 48%, p < 0.001) longer at Hospital B (combined 37% [95% CI = 34% to 41%, p < 0.001] longer at both sites) when compared to patients whose nurse was in-ratio. Conclusions:, In these two EDs, throughput measures of WT and EDCT were shorter when the ED nurse staffing were within state-mandated levels, after controlling for ED census and patient acuity. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:545,552 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source] Robot vision with cellular neural networks: a practical implementation of new algorithmsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIRCUIT THEORY AND APPLICATIONS, Issue 4 2007Giovanni Egidio Pazienza Abstract Cellular neural networks (CNNs) are well suited for image processing due to the possibility of a parallel computation. In this paper, we present two algorithms for tracking and obstacle avoidance using CNNs. Furthermore, we show the implementation of an autonomous robot guided using only real-time visual feedback; the image processing is performed entirely by a CNN system embedded in a digital signal processor (DSP). We successfully tested the two algorithms on this robot. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Performance evaluation of decision making strategies for an embedded lane departure warning systemJOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS (FORMERLY JOURNAL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS), Issue 10 2002Woong Kwon An on-board lane departure warning system embedded in a vehicle is composed of a localization module and a decision making module. The decision making module detects unintended lane departure so as to warn the driver of the danger. The performance of a decision making module is crucial to the performance of the total embedded system. This article proposes two heuristic decision making strategies: a lateral offset (LO) based strategy and a time-to-lane crossing (TLC) based strategy. The performance criteria of decision making strategies are proposed as: (1) false alarm rate, and (2) alarm triggering time (ATT). Numerical parameters of both strategies are optimized through numerical simulation, taking the performance criteria into consideration. The proposed strategies are incorporated into the prototype system and evaluated in real expressway experiments. The comparative study of both methods with experimental results shows the applicability of the on-board lane departure warning system. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The Social Ecology of Marriage and Other Intimate UnionsJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 2 2000Ted L. Huston This article provides an interdisciplinary framework for studying marital and other intimate relationships. Three levels of analysis are distinguished: (a) the society, characterized in terms of both macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which particular spouses and couples function; (b) the individual spouses, including their psychosocial and physical attributes, as well as the attitudes and beliefs they have about each other and their relationship; and (c) the marriage relationship, viewed as a behavioral system embedded within a larger network of close relationships. The discussion focuses primarily on the interplay between the spouses and their marriage, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing, both analytically and operationally, the individual from the dyadic (or group) levels of analysis. It is also argued that in order to appreciate how marriages work, social scientists must understand not only how these 2 levels of analysis interpenetrate each other but also how macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which couples live impinge on partners and their marital relationship. [source] A bar signature and central disc in the gaseous and stellar velocity fields of NGC 5448MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2005Kambiz Fathi ABSTRACT We analyse Spectrographic Areal Unit for Research on Optical Nebulae (SAURON) kinematic maps of the inner kiloparsec of the early-type (Sa) barred spiral galaxy NGC 5448. The observed morphology and kinematics of the emission-line gas is patchy and perturbed, indicating clear departures from circular motion. The kinematics of the stars is more regular, and display a small inner disc-like system embedded in a large-scale rotating structure. We focus on the [O iii] gas, and use a harmonic decomposition formalism to analyse the gas velocity field. The higher order harmonic terms and the main kinematic features of the observed data are consistent with an analytically constructed simple bar model. The bar model is derived using linear theory, considering an m= 2 perturbation mode, and with bar parameters that are consistent with the large-scale bar detected via imaging. We also study optical and near infrared images to reveal the asymmetric extinction in NGC 5448, and we recognize that some of the deviations between the data and the analytical bar model may be due to these complex dust features. Our study illustrates how the harmonic decomposition formalism can be used as a powerful tool to quantify non-circular motions in observed gas velocity fields. [source] Transport mechanism in the quantum well embedded with quantum dotsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 4 2009E. S. Kannan Abstract Electron transport in single and double quantum well system embedded with InAs quantum dots is investigated by carrying out magnetoresistance measurements at 1.2 K. At low carrier densities, the electrons are strongly localized due to disorder and undergo magnetic field induced insulator to quantum Hall liquid transitions characterized by temperature independent crossing points. At higher carrier densities no such magnetic field induced transition are observed. The potential induced by the electrons in the quantum dots were found to enhance the scattering between the edge states resulting in the substantial reduction of the width of the Hall plateau in the single quantum well system. In the double quantum well system, instead of plateaus abrupt increase in the Hall resistance is observed at integer filling factors. On sweeping the gate bias at fixed magnetic field, hysteresis effect was observed in the double quantum well system due to the charge trapping in the defect levels. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] A direct control scheme based on recurrent fuzzy neural networks for the UPFC series branch,ASIAN JOURNAL OF CONTROL, Issue 6 2009Tsao-Tsung Ma Abstract In this paper, a new control scheme using recurrent fuzzy neural controllers is proposed for the series branch of the unified power flow controller (UPFC) to improve the dynamic performance of real-time power flow control functions with the aim of reducing the inevitable interaction between the real and reactive power flow control parameters. To simplify the theoretical analysis of the coupled dynamics within the UPFC and the controlled power system, the three phase description of a two-bus test power system embedded with a UPFC is transformed into d,q components based on a synchronously rotating reference frame. For control systems with inherent nonlinear coupling features, a feed-forward control scheme based on fuzzy neural controllers is developed to realize the decoupling control objectives. Based on the simulation results, the proposed control scheme is able to overcome the drawbacks of the traditional power flow controllers designed on small disturbance linearizing methods. Comprehensive simulation results on the EMTDC/PSCAD and MATLAB programs are presented and discussed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society [source] Coherent effects in coupled resonator optical waveguidesPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 2 2007Vassilios Yannopapas Abstract We analyze the spontaneous emission and the probe absorption-dispersion spectra of ,-type atomic systems embedded in a coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW), where one of the atomic transitions decays spontaneously in a CROW and the other decays spontaneously in free space vacuum. We first show that double dark lines can appear in this system. We also show that the atoms become transparent at two different frequencies of a probe laser field coupled to the free space transition. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Local group dwarf galaxies in the ,CDM paradigmASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2008J. Peñarrubia Abstract We report the results of two theoretical studies that examine the dynamics of stellar systems embedded within cold dark matter (CDM) halos in order to assess observational constraints on the dark matter content of Local Group dwarf spheroidals (dSphs). (i) Firstly, approximating the stellar and dark components by King and NFW models, respectively, we calculate the parameters of dark halos consistent with the kinematics and spatial distribution of stars in dSphs as well as with cosmological N-body simulations. (ii) Subsequently, N-body realization of these models are constructed to study the evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) driven by galactic tides. The analytical estimates highlight the poor correspondence between luminosity and halo mass. In systems where data exist, the stellar velocity dispersion profiles remains flat almost to the nominal "tidal" radius, implying that stars are deeply embedded within the dwarf halos and are therefore quite resilient to tidal disruption. This is confirmed by our N-body experiments: halos need to lose more than 90% of their original mass before stars can be stripped. As tidal mass loss proceeds, the stellar luminosity, L, velocity dispersion, ,0, central surface brightness, ,0, and core radius, Rc, decrease monotonically. Remarkably, the evolution of these parameters is solely controlled by the total amount of mass lost from within the luminous radius, which permit us to derive a tidal evolutionary track for each of them. This information is used to examine whether the newly-discovered ultra-faintMilkyWay dwarfs are tidally-stripped versions of the "classical", bright dwarfs. Although dSph tidal evolutionary tracks parallel the observed scaling relations in the luminosity-radius plane, they predict too steep a change in velocity dispersion compared with the observational estimates. The ultra-faint dwarfs are thus unlikely to be the tidal remnants of systems like Fornax, Draco, or Sagittarius. Despite spanning four decades in luminosity, dSphs appear to inhabit halos of comparable peak circular velocity, lending support to scenarios that envision dwarf spheroidals as able to form only in halos above a certain mass threshold. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | |||||||||||||