Variable Frequency Microwave Curing of SU8 Photoresist Films

2014 ◽  
Vol 931-932 ◽  
pp. 101-105
Author(s):  
Christian Antonio ◽  
Piyachat Watanachai
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Variable Frequency ◽  
Degree Of Cure ◽  
Microwave Curing ◽  
Micro Cracks ◽  
Negative Tone ◽  
Cure Rates ◽  
Pattern Resolution ◽  
Similar Processing

Photoresist used in the fabrication of Microelectrochemical Systems (MEMS) has traditionally been processed using conventional curing technology. This type of curing is often time intensive and results in non-uniform products. A uniform bake of the layer is not always possible due to the mechanisms of heat transfer conventional curing offers, leading to poor pattern resolution, formation of micro-cracks and severe outgassing occurring as a consequence. The Variable Frequency Microwave (VFM) Technique was successfully utilised in this study as an alternative method for the processing of negative tone SU8 photoresist. The VFM method was compared to the conventional processing method, which utilises a Hotplate, and a hybrid method utilizing both Hotplate and the VFM and found that an increase on the degree of cure was observed using the VFM at similar processing temperatures which means that SU8 curing at lower temperatures or rapid curing is possible. The increase in cure rates can be attributed to a combination of heat transfer and the unique capability of microwave to couple with the sample. Optical studies of the microstructures fabricated suggest that films that have a degree of cure of <60% resulted in poor quality microstructures. The VFM was found to achieve satisfactory microstructures at most of the temperatures tested as compared to the other two methods tested.

In Situ Acoustic Temperature Measurement During Variable-Frequency Microwave Curing

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cleon E. Davis ◽  
Anthony J. Dickherber ◽  
William D. Hunt ◽  
Gary S. May
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Measurement ◽  
Variable Frequency ◽  
Microwave Curing

Variable frequency microwave curing of photosensitive polyimides

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Famsworth ◽  
R.N. Manepalli ◽  
S.A. Bidstrup-Allen ◽  
P.A. Kohl
Keyword(s):  
Variable Frequency ◽  
Microwave Curing

scholarly journals Quality of healthcare for children with severe acute malnutrition in a refugee setting: cross-sectional study in West Nile Region, Uganda

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e034738
Author(s):  
Marzia Lazzerini ◽  
Humphrey Wanzira ◽  
Peter Lochoro ◽  
Amos Ndunguste ◽  
Jerry Ictho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Severe Acute Malnutrition ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Acute Malnutrition ◽  
West Nile ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Malnourished Children ◽  
Cure Rates

Objectives5.0 million annual deaths in low-income and middle-income countries are due to poor quality of care (QOC). We evaluated the QOC provided to malnourished children in West Nile Region in Uganda.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingWest Nile Region, an area hosting over one million refugees.ParticipantsAmong 148 facilities providing nutritional services, 30 randomly selected facilities (20%) and the records of 1467 children with severe acute malnutrition (100% of those attending the 30 facilities during last year) were assessed.OutcomesThe national Nutrition Service Delivery Assessment (NSDA) tool was used to assess capacity areas related to QOC. Case management, data quality and health outcomes were assessed from official health records. Multivariate analysis was performed to explore factors significantly associated with better cure rates.ResultsOf 305 NSDA scores allocated to 30 participating centres, 201 (65.9%) were ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. However, 20 (66.7%) facilities had ‘poor’ ‘quality improvement mechanisms’ and 13 (43.3%) had ‘poor’ ‘human resources’. Overall data quality in official records was poor, while recorded quality of case management was overall fair. Average cure rate was significantly lower than international Sphere standards (50.4% vs 75% p<0.001) with a higher default rate (23.2% vs 15% p<0.001). Large heterogeneity among facilities was detected for all indicators. Refugee-hosting and non-refugee-hosting facilities had a similar cure rate (47.1% vs 52.1%) though transfer rates were higher for those hosting refugees (21.5% vs 1.9%, p<0.001) despite better ‘equipment and supplies’. ‘Good/excellent’ ‘equipment’ and ‘store management’ were significantly associated with better cure rates in outpatient therapeutic centres (+55.9, p<0.001; +65.4, p=0.041, respectively) in multivariate analysis.ConclusionsThough most NSDA capacity areas were rated good or excellent, health outcomes of malnourished children in West Nile Region, both in refugee-hosting and non-refugee-hosting facilities, are significantly below international standards. Effective and sustainable approaches to improve malnourished child health outcomes are needed.

scholarly journals Newspaper Articles Related to the Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) Designation: A Comparative Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 697-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Whitley ◽  
JiaWei Wang ◽  
Victoria Carmichael ◽  
Ruth Wellen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Not Criminally Responsible ◽  
The Media ◽  
Negative Tone ◽  
Newspaper Articles

Objective: The not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) designation remains widely misunderstood by the public. Such misunderstandings may also be reflected in the media. As such, the aim of this study is to conduct a preliminary examination of the tone and content of recent Canadian newspaper articles where NCRMD is a major theme, comparing these to generic articles about mental illness. Methods: Articles about mental illness were gathered from major Canadian newspapers. These were then divided into two categories: 1) articles where NCRMD was a major theme and 2) articles where NCRMD was not a major theme. Articles were then coded for the presence or absence of 1) a negative tone, 2) stigmatising tone/content, 3) recovery/rehabilitation as a theme, and 4) shortage of resources/poor quality of care as a theme. Results: The retrieval strategy resulted in 940 articles. Fourteen percent ( n = 131) of all articles had NCRMD as a major theme. In comparison to generic articles about mental illness, articles with NCRMD as a major theme were significantly more likely to have a negative tone ( P < 0.001) and stigmatising tone/content ( P < 0.001) and significantly less likely to have recovery/rehabilitation ( P < 0.001) or shortage of resources/poor quality of care as a theme ( P < 0.001). Conclusions: Articles with NCRMD as a theme were overwhelmingly negative and almost never focused on recovery or rehabilitation, in stark comparison to generic articles about mental illness.

Resin Flow, Cure and Heat Transfer Analysis for Pultrusion Process

1994 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 486-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Gorthala ◽  
J. A. Roux ◽  
J. G. Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Velocity Profile ◽  
Variable Viscosity ◽  
Control Volume ◽  
Pressure Profile ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Resin Flow ◽  
Degree Of Cure ◽  
Pultrusion Process

This work presents temperature and degree of cure profiles within a pultruded composite and focuses on the development of different models used for predicting the velocity profile including a slip velocity model. This study uses a variable viscosity model and highlights the results for the velocity profile, viscosity of resin within a pultrusion die, gelation lengths, iso-gelation lines, and axial pressure profile. Gelation was predicted to occur at about one-third the distance down the die length and the degree of cure at gelation was computed to be about 0.34. The composite systems considered in this study are graphite/epoxy and fiberglass/epoxy. A comprehensive two-dimensional mathematical model in cylindrical coordinates was developed for resin flow, cure and heat transfer associated with the pultrusion process. A control-volume-based finite difference method (Patankar method) was used for solving the governing equations. The model can be utilized for ascertaining the effects of pultrusion process variables on the characteristics of the cured composite; this primarily reduces to a large extent the trial and error experimentation often required. Moreover, insight for characterization and optimization of the pultrusion process is a direct result of this modeling.

scholarly journals Cross-roads for meta-analysis and network meta-analysis of H. pylori therapy

Gut ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. gutjnl-2021-326170
Author(s):  
David Y Graham ◽  
Ruben Hernaez ◽  
Theodore Rokkas
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Phenotypic Heterogeneity ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
H Pylori ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Cure Rates

Helicobacter pylori infections are responsible for tremendous morbidity and mortality worldwide, leading to efforts to eradicate the organism. However, the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy has been undermined by the progressive development of antimicrobial resistance. Treatments and treatment guidelines have been based on traditional pairwise meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. More recently, network meta-analyses have also been used in an attempt to provide useful information to the clinician regarding which therapies appear best and which to avoid as the least efficacious. However, both forms of meta-analysis have been undermined by the same problems including the poor quality of the clinical trials using unoptimised regimens and incomparable comparisons related to marked geographic and ethnic genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity. In addition, the comparator regimens often consist of invalid strawman comparisons. New approaches concerning H. pylori treatment and analysis of therapies are needed. H. pylori therapies should be based on antimicrobial stewardship, as in other infectious diseases. This approach requires the use of only optimised therapies proven to be reliably highly effective in the local population (eg, a cure rate of >90%) for both the study and the comparator regimens. Meta-analyses should be restricted to regimens that meet these criteria and must take into account the presence of marked geographical and host genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. In addition, to provide clinically relevant results, treatment outcomes should focus on, and present, actual cure rates in addition to odd ratios.

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