A Compositional Framework for Hardware/Software Co-Design

We describe a compositional framework, together with its supporting toolset, for hardware/software co-design. Our framework is an integration of a formal approach within a traditional design flow. The formal approach is based on Interval Temporal Logic and its executable subset, Tempura. Refinement is the key element in our framework because it will derivefrom a single formal specification of the system the software and hardware parts of the implementation, while preserving all properties of the system specification. During refinement simulation is used to choose the appropriate refinement rules, which are applied automatically in the HOL system. The framework is illustrated with two case studies. The work presented is part of a UK collaborative research project between the Software Technology Research Laboratory at the De Montfort University and the Oxford University Computing Laboratory.     

Integration of solvent extraction and liquid membrane separation: An efficient tool for recovery of bio-active substances from botanicals

An integrated process based on simultaneous solid-liquid extraction and liquid membrane separation is proposed for recovery and isolation of valuable species from botanicals. This integration provides complete exhausting of the solid material even in the case of very low solubility of the specified solute in the extracting solvent. Selectivity of the liquid membrane ensures a preferential transport of the desired solute from the native extract into the strip solution, while the other co-extracted species remain predominantly in the native extract.     

The block to HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated membrane fusion in animal cells expressing human CD4 can be overcome by a human cell component(s)

Membrane fusion mediated by interaction of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein with the human CD4 molecule generally requires that the CD4 be expressed on a human cell. The failure of murine or simian cells expressing human CD4 to form syncytia upon mixing with cells expressing envelope glycoprotein could not be corrected by expression of both molecules at extremely high surface levels using vaccinia virus expression vectors. Video fluorescence microscopic analysis of fluorescent dye transfer between fusing cells indicated that the block occurred at the level of membrane fusion between individual pairs of cells. To gain insight into the basis for this fusion block, we tested the ability of fluorescent probe cells expressing envelope glycoprotein to fuse with transient animal x human hybrid giant cells expressing human CD4. The hybrid giant cells were generated either by low-pH-induced fusion of vaccinia-infected cells or by CD4/HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated cell fusion. We observed that envelope glycoprotein-expressing probe cells efficiently fused with CD4-expressing animal x human hybrid giant cells, independent of whether the CD4 was originally expressed on the animal or on the human cell. Fusion did not occur with CD4-expressing giant cells derived from animal cells alone. These results indicate that the fusion block is not due to dominant inhibitory components in the animal cell. Rather, they suggest that human cells contain an additional component(s) which, when transferred to the CD4-bearing animal cell, confers the ability to undergo membrane fusion mediated by the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein.     

Surface Hardening of Alloy Steels Using a High Intensity Electron Beam

Energy sources such as electron or laser beams have been extensively used for materials processing. Surface hardening is an established process used in industry. A combination of nitriding and electron beam treatment is used to modify alloy steel with nominal composition (wt.%) of 0.42% C, 0.96% Cr, 0.6% Mn, 0.37% Si, balance Fe. The hardness of the hardened layer varies in the range 800-850 HV. The high hardness is due to a refined microstructure consisting of a -solid solution (nitrous martensite) and γ - solid solution (nitrous austenite) and dispersed fine nitride precipitates. The wear resistance the of electron beam treated layer is double that of the ion nitrided specimens.     

Synthesis and self-association in aqueous media of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(ethyl glycidyl carbamate) amphiphilic block copolymers

New temperature sensitive AB, ABA, and BAB amphiphilic block copolymers consisting of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) and hydrophobic poly(ethyl glycidyl carbamate) blocks were synthesized by anionic polymerization followed by chemical modification reactions. The self-association of the block copolymers in aqueous media was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy and dynamic and static light scattering. The obtained block copolymers spontaneously form micelles in aqueous media. The critical micellization concentration varied from 0.5 to 4 g/L depending on the copolymer architecture and composition. The influence of the temperature upon the self-association of the block copolymers was investigated. The increase of temperature did not affect the value of the critical micellization concentration, but led to the formation of better defined micelles with narrow size distribution.     

Electrodeposition of silver from nitrate solution: Part II. Mechanism of the effect of phosphate ions

The mechanism of compact Ag-film formation by electrolysis from nitrate solution with addition of small amounts of phosphate ions is elucidated. It is shown that the phosphate ions exert their effect by lowering the exchange current density. Consequently, the radii of nucleation exclusion zones also diminishes, thus producing conditions stimulating electrodeposition of continuous thin Ag-film.     

Investigation of conductivity characteristics of nitrile butadiene rubber vulcanizates filled with semiconducting carbide ceramic

SiC‐ and B₄C‐filled NBR rubber composites were prepared with various volume fractions of filler by a conventional roll‐mill method. The morphological structures of the NBR–SiC and NBR–B₄C composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dependence of room‐temperature volume resistivity (ρ_v) on the concentration of filler in the two systems was studied. In addition, variation in the number of current carriers (n), mobility carriers (μ), dielectric constant (ε), and dielectric loss factor (tan δ) on filler concentration in the two systems were investigated in detail. The applicability of composites as negative temperature coefficient (NTCR) linear thermistors was studied by the dependence of volume resistivity on temperature. The resistivity showed negative temperature dependence and changed linearly with temperature parallel. The conduction mechanism of the conductivity of the two composites was analyzed in terms of the computed activation energy and hopping energy. Change in volume resistivity as a function of frequency for the two systems was also investigated. Finally, the dependence of volume resistivity on applied pressure and possible real applications of these composites as transducers in pressure sensors were also studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2158–2165, 2007     

Texturing 3D-reconstructions of the human brain with EEG-activity maps

There is only a limited amount of definite knowledge on the course of schizophrenic psychoses, although 100 years have passed since they were first described by Kraepelin as "Dementia praecox". The main reason for this is that most studies done thus far suffer from more or less serious methodological shortcomings: samples were often highly selective; investigations were often not direct, not prospective and almost never continuous, which would be of utmost importance in an episodic disease such as schizophrenia; assessments in older studies were neither standardized nor tested for validity or reliability; in more recent studies they were often not conducted by experienced psychiatrists; patients who refused to participate or who died during the study period were widely neglected. Nevertheless, we have learned that schizophrenic psychoses do not have a steadily deteriorating course ending in "dementia". On the contrary, the course of these psychoses seems very heterogeneous. Due to their methodological shortcomings, studies done thus far even seem to have underestimated heterogeneity by partly neglecting patients with very good outcome, on the one hand, and very poor outcome, on the other hand.     

Gaming Prediction Markets: Equilibrium Strategies with a Market Maker

We study the equilibrium behavior of informed traders interacting with market scoring rule (MSR) market makers. One attractive feature of MSR is that it is myopically incentive compatible: it is optimal for traders to report their true beliefs about the likelihood of an event outcome provided that they ignore the impact of their reports on the profit they might garner from future trades. In this paper, we analyze non-myopic strategies and examine what information structures lead to truthful betting by traders. Specifically, we analyze the behavior of risk-neutral traders with incomplete information playing in a dynamic game. We consider finite-stage and infinite-stage game models. For each model, we study the logarithmic market scoring rule (LMSR) with two different information structures: conditionally independent signals and (unconditionally) independent signals. In the finite-stage model, when signals of traders are independent conditional on the state of the world, truthful betting is a Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium (PBE). Moreover, it is the unique Weak Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium (WPBE) of the game. In contrast, when signals of traders are unconditionally independent, truthful betting is not a WPBE. In the infinite-stage model with unconditionally independent signals, there does not exist an equilibrium in which all information is revealed in a finite amount of time. We propose a simple discounted market scoring rule that reduces the opportunity for bluffing strategies. We show that in any WPBE for the infinite-stage market with discounting, the market price converges to the fully-revealing price, and the rate of convergence can be bounded in terms of the discounting parameter. When signals are conditionally independent, truthful betting is the unique WPBE for the infinite-stage market with and without discounting.