Intelligent System for Optimal Hold-Off Time Selection in an Active Quench and Reset IC

A signal processing circuit using autocorrelation statistics that intelligently selects the optimal hold-off time in an active quench and reset integrated circuit (AQR-IC) is presented. This circuit optimizes the hold-off time to reduce afterpulsing effects in any Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GM-APD). The described AQR-IC has a maximum count rate of 20 Mcounts/s, includes a subnanosecond comparator for quickly detecting incident photons, and incorporates a novel technique, based on silicon delay lines, for selecting 1 of 16 predefined, discrete, hold-off times between 5 and 660 ns. The accompanying hold-off time autotuning circuit sets the optimal hold-off time by assigning a 4-b output to the AQR-IC corresponding to the minimization of afterpulse effects in the GM-APD. The configuration sequence completes in a maximum time of 20 s, without operator intervention, and only requires repeating if the GM-APD is changed.     

Influence of Virtual Reality Training on the Roadside Crossing Judgments of Child Pedestrians.

The roadside crossing judgments of children aged 7, 9, and 11 years were assessed relative to controls before and after training with a computer-simulated traffic environment. Trained children crossed more quickly, and their estimated crossing times became better aligned with actual crossing times. They crossed more promptly, missed fewer safe opportunities to cross, accepted smaller traffic gaps without increasing the number of risky crossings, and showed better conceptual understanding of the factors to be considered when making crossing judgments. All age groups improved to the same extent, and there was no deterioration when children were retested 8 months later. The results are discussed in relation to theoretical arguments concerning the extent to which children's pedestrian judgments are amenable to training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

应用红外热像技术测量电子元件正常工作条件下的表面温度

由于电子元件的功率密度不断增加，电子产品的热控制日显重要。红外热像仪有众多优点且可用于电子元件表面温度的测量。探讨了如何在电子元件正常工作条件下，应用红外热像仪获得其真实表面温度，涉及背景温度、目标温度的正确估计，透明材料的选取、透射率的估算，误差及可能的修正方法。     

ICRU report 70--image quality in chest radiography * International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, 2003: Nuclear Technology Publishing, Ashford, Kent, UK, ISBN: 1 870965 98 1

This report provides an exhaustive review of chest radiographypractice, from the historical, to cutting-edge digital techniques,with extensive sections on clinical, radiographic and imagequality aspects. Chest radiography is one of the most     

Molecular and immunological analysis of genetic prostate specific antigen (PSA) vaccine

Nucleic acid immunization has been investigated as immunotherapy for infectious diseases as well as for treating specific types of cancers. In this approach, nucleic acid expression cassettes are directly inoculated into the host, whose transfected cells become the production source of novel and possibly immunologically foreign protein. We have developed a DNA vaccine construct which encodes for PSA by cloning a cDNA for PSA into a mammalian expression vector under control of a CMV promoter. We investigated and characterized the immunogenicity of PSA DNA expression cassettes in mice. PSA-specific immune responses induced in vivo by immunization were characterized by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), T helper proliferation cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), and flow cytometry assays. We observed a strong and persistent antibody response against PSA for at least 180 days following immunization. In addition, a significant T helper cell proliferation was observed against PSA protein. Using synthetic peptides spanning the PSA open frame, we identified four dominant T helper epitopes of PSA. Furthermore, immunization with PSA plasmid induced MHC Class I CD8+ T cell-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte response against tumor cell targets expressing PSA. The prostate represents a very specific functional organ critical for reproduction but not for the health and survival of the individual. Understanding the immunogenicity of PSA DNA immunization cassettes offers insight into the possible use of this tumor-associated antigen as a target for immunotherapy. These results demonstrate the ability of the genetic PSA to serve as a specific immune target capable of generating both humoral and cellular immune responses in vivo.     

The effect of die bonding distributed feedback lasers

The effect of die-bonding-induced strain on the output spectra of gain-coupled distributed feedback (DFB) diode lasers was investigated. Bonding strain affects the in situ diffraction grating in DFB lasers and manifests itself as changes in the output spectrum. It is shown in this paper that such changes are observed in DFB lasers by comparing the spectra before and after die bonding. In addition, it was also observed that upon die bonding the lasing mode can, in some cases, flip from one side of the stopband to the other. This flip was modeled using a probability-amplitude transfer-matrix DFB laser model that included a bonding-induced perturbation of the pitch of the Bragg grating along the length of the cavity. The nonuniform strain perturbation of the pitch of the grating was determined from a finite element method simulation of a die bonded laser chip and correlated well with the strain that was deduced from measurements of the degree of polarization of photoluminescence from bonded chips.     

Neutrophil chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and leukocyte-conditioned medium from nonsmokers and smokers

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of emphysema. The chemokines interleukin-8(IL-8), growth-related oncogene (GRO-alpha) and extractable nuclear antigen (ENA)-78 may be involved in the increased numbers of PMN in smokers' airspaces. The levels of these cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and bronchoalveolar lavage leukocyte conditioned medium (LCM), along with BALF PMN numbers in 12 smokers who abstained for 12 h (chronic smoking) or continued to smoke until I h before study (acute smoking) and seven nonsmokers were compared. Neutrophils in BALF increased in acute (1.96+/-0.53%, 0.99+/-0.32x10(6) cells) compared with chronic smokers (0.59+/-0.25%, 0.61+/-0.24x10(6) cells, p<0.05 nonsmokers) and nonsmokers (0.79+/-0.29%, 0.05+/-0.01x 10(6) cells, p<0.05). There were no differences in IL-8 or GRO-alpha in BALF between smokers and nonsmokers. ENA-78 levels were lower in smokers (p=0.006). There was no difference in IL-8, GRO-alpha or ENA-78 in LCM from unstimulated cells in smokers versus nonsmokers. After stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 10 ng mL(-1), IL-8 release in acute smokers (p=0.04) and GRO-alpha release in smokers (p=0.009) were significantly higher than in nonsmokers. Following stimulation with LPS 100 ng.mL(-1), GRO-alpha release was higher in smokers (p=0.03) and increased further in acute smokers (p=0.02 versus nonsmokers, p=0.04 versus chronic smokers) and ENA-78 release increased in smokers (p=0.02 versus non-smokers). In conclusion, influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils into smokers' airspaces is an acute phenomenon and neutrophil chemokine release from mixed bronchoalveolar lavage leukocytes is influenced by cigarette smoking and endotoxins.     

Epilepsy surgery in the first three years of life

PURPOSE: Partial seizures in early postnatal life may be catastrophic and associated with poor long-term outcome. Epilepsy surgery can alleviate partial seizures in older children and adults, but there is little experience with surgical therapy in infancy apart from hemispheric epilepsy syndromes. METHODS: We analyzed the results of cortical resection to treat medically refractory partial epilepsy in 31 children (16 boys, 15 girls) aged <3 years (mean, 18.3 months). Subjects were included only if seizure relief was the primary indication for surgery. RESULTS: Follow-up of at least 1 year (mean, 4.6 years) in 26 patients revealed that 16 were seizure-free, 4 had >90% seizure reduction, and 6 had <90% reduction. There was no significant difference in seizure outcome between hemispherectomy/multilobar resections and lobar resections or temporal versus extratemporal resection. Seizure outcome was independent of the amount of cortex removed in nonlesional patients. Only the presence of a discrete lesion on preoperative neuroimaging correlated with a favorable outcome. Family perceptions of accelerated development in seizure-free patients were not confirmed on developmental assessment. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that cortical resection often benefits very young children with catastrophic partial seizures, but does not guarantee enhanced neurological development. The location and extent of the excised cortex may not be critical as long as the entire epileptogenic region and lesion are removed.