The role of microstructural evolution during spark plasma sintering on the soft magnetic and electronic properties of a CoFe–Al2O3 soft magnetic composite

Journal of Materials Science - For transformers and inductors to meet the world’s growing demand for electrical power, more efficient soft magnetic materials with high saturation magnetic...     

The Development of Technical Managers

Voice processing systems streamline data communications by permitting data to be entered directly into a computer system by voice. Processing can thus be accomplished in near real time. Voice systems increase productivity, allowing users to enter data and give computer commands without having to devote their hands or eyes to the task.     

Human Resource Planning: A Business Necessity

Abstract

Information-based organizations are structured to function with as small and efficient a staff as possible. To this end, executives at The Promus Companies are using IT to spread decision-making authority and responsibility for customer satisfaction and customer service throughout the organization.     

Expert knowledge acquisition: A methodology for GIS assisted industrial land suitability assessment

Aquestionnaire was designed to acquire expert knowledge concerning land suitability assessment for three industrial land uses. The suitability criteria definition and factor weights collected by the questionnaire were integrated into a GIS framework. The interaction of the expert, questionnaire and GIS modelling environment can benefit the plan making process.     

ModerateDrinking.Com and moderation management: Outcomes of a randomized clinical trial with non-dependent problem drinkers.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based protocol, ModerateDrinking.com (MD; www.moderatedrinking.com) combined with use of the online resources of Moderation Management (MM; www.moderation.org) as opposed to the use of the online resources of MM alone. Method: We randomly assigned 80 problem drinkers to either the experimental or control group with follow-ups at 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: Seventy-five participants (94%) had outcome data at 1 or more follow-up points, and 59 participants (73%) were assessed at all 3 follow-ups. Comparing baseline measures to the average outcomes at follow-ups indicated a significant overall reduction in both groups in alcohol-related problems and consumption variables. Compared with the control group, the experimental group had better outcomes on percent days abstinent. There was an interaction between intensity of drinking at baseline and treatment in determining outcomes assessing drinking. Less heavy drinkers in the experimental group had better outcomes on log mean blood alcohol content (BAC) per drinking day compared with the control group. Heavier drinkers did not differentially benefit from the MD program on this measure. Mixed model analyses in general corroborated these outcomes. Conclusion: The outcome data provide partial evidence for the effectiveness of the MD web application combined with MM, compared with the effectiveness of the resources available online at MM by themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making Bibelot: Casting material research within cultural frameworks

Material investigations in architecture often exclude practice implications by narrowly determining the scope and limitations of research. Such limitations are necessary and warranted for open-ended inquiries undertaken in controlled conditions. Working with commercial outfits in the context of a prescribed project, on the other hand, requires a clear attitude that accounts for the agency of the manufacturer. A small design-build intervention, completed with an in-kind donation from a terra cotta manufacturer in Buffalo, New York, gave us the opportunity to take on such a collaborative investigation. In order to explore the potentials of terra cotta as a building material to the greatest extent, we strategically increased the complexity of the endeavor, challenging the design and manufacturing team to address production problems in a timely manner to meet the project goals. In doing this, we relied on conceptual constructs that address specific material and institutional histories of terra cotta and the cultural context, registered as form, color, and ornamentation in the project. The paper gives a detailed account of the entire process and the working assumptions by bridging the design and manufacturing decisions in an interrelated manner.     

An ultrahigh-speed GaAs MESFET operational amplifier

A wide-bandwidth GaAs MESFET operational amplifier is reported, with a 65-dB DC gain and a 20-GHz gain-bandwidth product at 500 MHz. The circuit uses a variety of local feedback techniques to enhance the overall gain. The use of an undoped GaAs buffer, grown at a relatively low temperature (≈300°C), eliminates backgating and light sensitivity. The circuit was fabricated in an 80-GHz f_T MESFET process, with 0.2-μm electron-beam defined gates. The high levels of 1/f noise, MESFET frequency-dependent output conductance, and large offset voltage standard deviation limit the application of the circuit to moderate precision applications     

Measurement and statistics: An examination of construct validity.

Uses principles of latent trait theory to derive conditions under which mean differences on an observed variable are indicative of mean differences on an underlying construct, focusing on the logistic curve as a model for describing the relation between the observed variable and construct. In this situation, and with normally distributed scores on the construct, a t test comparing groups on the observed variable produces correct inferences at the construct level only if group variances on the construct are homogeneous or the difficulty level of the test equals the mean ability level of the examinees. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)