On copulas, quasicopulas and fuzzy logic

We investigate (quasi)copulas as possible truth functions of fuzzy conjunction which is not necessarily associative and present some axiom systems for such fuzzy logics. In particular, we study an expansion of Łukasiewicz (infinite valued propositional) logic by a new connective interpreted as an arbitrary quasicopula (and also by a new connective interpreted as the residuum of the copula). Main results concern standard completeness.     

Density functional theory studies of Cu-zeolite de-NOx catalysts

Summary Recent progress in the modelling of exchanged Cu sites and their interactions with small molecules, based on DFT cluster calculations, is briefly reviewed.     

Pulsed magnetization transfer contrast for MR imaging with application to breast

The relative populations and transverse relaxation times of the solid-like hydrogen pool (PB and T2B) and the magnetization transfer (MT) rates between the solid-like and liquid-like hydrogen pools (kappa) have been determined for three different agar gel concentrations (2%, 4%, and 8% by weight) as well as excised fibroglandular breast tissue specimens. PB was determined to be .003(.001), .01(.002), .02(.01), and .06(.01); T2B was determined to be 13.0(.2), 14.0(.1), 14.5(.1) and 15.2(1.3) microseconds; and kappa was determined to be 0.78(.01), 1.15(.02), 2.00(.02), and 3.55(1.5) sec-1 for the 2%, 4%, and 8% agar gels and the fibroglandular tissue, respectively. The image signal intensities of a pulsed MTC-prepared gradient-echo imaging technique are predicted using these MT parameters and are shown to agree well with experimental data obtained from a clinical MR imaging system. This technique is shown to suppress signal intensity of fibroglandular breast tissue by 40%-50% without exceeding SAR limits (< or = 8 W/kg) and is helpful for visualizing lesions and silicone implants.     

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) in smooth muscle cells from morphologically normal and atherosclerotic human arteries

Vascular wall fibrinolytic system proteins are believed to play a pivotal role in atherogenesis. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) influence persistence of luminal thrombi and proteolysis of extracellular matrix, respectively. The major physiologic inhibitor of t-PA and u-PA is plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1). All three of these fibrinolytic system proteins have been detected in vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and macrophages by light microscopic immunohistochemistry. This study was undertaken to delineate, by immunoelectron microscopy, the loci of PAI-1 in smooth muscle cells from intact morphologically normal and atherosclerotic human arteries as well as in isolated and cultured smooth muscle cells from arteries. In intact vessels, PAI-1 immunoreactivity was associated with contractile filaments in cells in both normal and atherosclerotic tissues. Lipid-laden smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic vessels were mainly of the synthetic phenotype and displayed lesser amounts of PAI-1 associated with rough endoplasmic reticulum and contractile filaments. Isolated smooth muscle cells exhibited either a contractile or synthetic phenotype. In the cells with a contractile phenotype, PAI-1 was associated with the contractile elements, whereas in the cells with a synthetic phenotype, the PAI-1 was associated predominantly with elements of the endoplasmic reticulum. Because PAI-1 is associated predominantly with contractile filaments in smooth muscle cells, the net amount of immunodetectable PAI-1 appears to be greater in contractile compared with synthetic phenotype cells.     

0.27-dB/km attenuation achieved by MSP preform process [opticalfibers]

Mechanically shaped preforms (MSP) have been demonstrated to combine economic non-CVD (chemical vapor deposition) processing and low loss, with a published value of 0.63 dB/km and a size of 30 fkm/preform. Improved processing is proposed which results in a minimum loss of 0.27 dB/km at 1550 nm. Preforms capable of yielding 150 fkm have been produced. Reboiling during preform stretching and fiber pulling is identified as the last remaining problem of the process     

Information technology support in the chemical process design life cycle

Information technology has been becoming increasingly important in all areas of engineering during the last few years. Much of the progress achieved in chemical engineering would not have been possible without the enabling methods and tools provided by information technology. This trend will continue in the future but most likely with a considerably wider scope. While individual software tools and services have been in focus until recently, their integration into engineering work processes is an emerging and challenging area of research and development. This contribution attempts to highlight state of the art and future trends in supporting the activities during the life cycle of a chemical process by means of information technology. Emphasis will be largely on the process and plant design process rather than on procurement, manufacturing, and distribution of materials in the supply chain.     

Fast Voronoi modeling

The common way to construct Voronoi tessellations is to compare the distances between given reference points using a given distance function. To generalize this distance-function concept we expand an existing approach which defines distance functions by their ``unit circles'. Our new approach allows modeling the ``unit circles' by a closed Spline curve. Changing the control polygon directly affects the tessellation's appearance. Typically generalized Voronoi diagrams are represented by Voronoi vertices and curves separating the individual tiles. To obtain interactive modeling we extended an existing hardware accelerated rendering approach computing a bitmap-representation using different colors for individual tiles. With our extension, we are able to use our Spline distance representations as input for a growing process. This growing process easily takes into account weighting approaches like multiplicative, additive, and even free functional weighting.