Sol-gel derived la modified PZT thin films: structure and properties

Lanthanum modified PZT thin films with compositions, namely 8/60/40, 8/70/30, 10/70/30 and 12/70/30 were deposited on platinized silicon substrates by sol-gel spin coating technique. Characterization of these films by XRD and SEM show that the films possess perovskite phase with submicron crystallite size. The saturation polarization (Ps), remnant polarization (PR) and coercive field (Ec) of polarization-electric field hysteresis loop are presented for all compositions. The 8/60/40 composition shows hysteresis loop with P/sub R/ = 11 /spl mu/C/cm/sup 2/. The temperature dependence of dielectric constant and dielectric loss of these films are also studied. Leakage current densities for these thin films are found to be in the range of 10/sup -/-10/sup -/ A/cm/sup 2/. To show the possible application of these thin films for micro electromechanical system (MEMS), a device incorporating an 8/60/40 PLZT thin film has been fabricated using silicon micromachining technology. This device functions satisfactorily as a vibration sensor with a resonance frequency of approximately 8.45 MHz.     

Model based foot shape classification using 2D foot outlines

This study introduces a novel technique to identify foot outline characteristics and to classify feet into groups using turning functions and clustering techniques so that shape can complement anthropometry in producing good fitting shoes. The digital 3D foot scans, obtained from 50 Hong Kong Chinese subjects (25 males and 25 females) were processed to generate the foot outlines at heights of 2 mm and 40 mm. The outlines were represented as turning functions and the similarity among shapes was determined using average linkage clustering. The results show that there are two distinct shape groups for the 40 mm foot outlines on both medial and lateral sides of the foot. The presence (46%) or absence (54%) of a medial bulge characterizes the medial side, while the two shape groups on the lateral side are mainly due to the lateral concavity in the mid-foot region. The group with a lateral concavity consists of more females (68%) and thus lateral side of foot outline appears to be gender related. Furthermore, the medial and lateral side clusters are not related to each other. The medial side shape from the 2 mm foot outline is a good indicator of fallen arches. Based on the analyses, four types of feet were identified: feet with (1) lateral concavity and a medial bulge, (2) a medial bulge and no lateral concavity, (3) lateral concavity and no medial bulge and (4) lateral concavity and a medial bulge. These shape differences can be useful in the design of shoe lasts and in the manufacture of compatible footwear so that trial and error fitting can be minimized.     

Which sort orders are interesting?

Sort orders play an important role in query evaluation. Algorithms that rely on sorting are widely used to implement joins, grouping, duplicate elimination and other set operations. The notion of interesting orders has allowed query optimizers to consider plans that could be locally sub-optimal, but produce ordered output beneficial for other operators, and thus be part of a globally optimal plan. However, the number of interesting orders for most operators is factorial in the number of attributes involved. Optimizer implementations use heuristics to prune the number of interesting orders, but the quality of the heuristics is unclear. Increasingly complex decision support queries and increasing use of query-covering indices, which provide multiple alternative sort orders for relations, motivate us to better address the problem of choosing interesting orders. We show that even a simplified version of the problem is NP-hard and provide a 1/2-benefit approximation algorithm for a special case of the problem. We then present principled heuristics for the general case of choosing interesting orders. We have implemented the proposed techniques in a Volcano-style cost-based optimizer, and our performance study shows significant improvements in estimated cost. We also executed our plans on a widely used commercial database system, and on PostgreSQL, and found that actual execution times for our plans were significantly better than for plans generated by those systems in several cases.     

Superior electrical,mechanical and viscoelastic properties of CNTs coated carbon textile reinforced phenolic composite for high-performance structural applications

In the present study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown up on nickel-coated carbon textiles utilizing acetylene gas as a carbon precursor in an isothermal CVD reactor. The effects of CNT coating time (0 to 25 min) in the carbon textile-phenolic composites (CPCs) prepared via conventional hand-layup technique followed by compression molding were assessed using microstructures, static and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, density and electrical properties. Significant improvement was observed in static as well as dynamic mechanical properties and electrical properties for all the CNT coated samples. Though, 15 min coating time gives the optimum results. The results showed ~71, 74, 62, 67, 38, and 45% increment in storage modulus, loss modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, tensile strength, Young's modulus, respectively. Furthermore, huge improvement (707%) in electrical conductivity and significant enrichment in thermal stability mark CNTs coated carbon textile as the efficient alternative reinforcement for high-performance thermo-structural applications such as aerospace and automotive fields.     

A qualitative evaluation of water and monomethyl hydrazine in ethylcellulose membrane

Specific interaction sites of ethylcellulose (EC) with water and monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) and its hydrate have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectra. Measurements of diffusion and sorption coefficients of MMH and water in EC were made from the reduced sorption curves to determine the overall selectivity of the membrane. Flow patterns across the membrane were examined under an optical microscope (OM) equipped with a differential interference contrast (DIC) facility. Correlation of the front velocity and the diffusivity has been used to calculate and compare these values of diffusion coefficient with that obtained from reduced sorption curve. Desorption of MMH hydrate from EC has been attributed to polymer relaxation phenomena. The physical aging process of the membrane has been monitored by FTIR analysis and mechanical strength evaluation. These studies showed that the EC membrane can be used for prolonged periods in MMH and, as such, is suitable for the separation of MMH–water solutions. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 689–700, 1999     

Drug-Resistant Stem Cells: Novel Approach for Colon Cancer Therapy

Background: Next to breast cancer, advanced stage metastatic colon cancer represents a major cause for mortality in women. Germline or somatic mutations in tumor suppressor genes or in DNA mismatch repair genes represent risk factors for genetic predisposition of colon cancer that are also detectable in sporadic colon cancer. Conventional chemotherapy for colon cancer includes combination of 5-fluoro-uracil with oxaliplatin and irinotecan or targeted therapy with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors. Major limitations of these therapeutic interventions are associated with systemic toxicity, acquired tumor resistance and the emergence of drug resistant stem cells that favor initiation, progression and metastasis of therapy-resistant disease. These limitations emphasize an unmet need to identify tumor stem cell selective testable alternatives. Drug-resistant stem cell models facilitate the identification of new testable alternatives from natural phytochemicals and herbal formulations. The goal of this review is to provide an overview relevant to the current status of conventional/targeted therapy, the role of cancer stem cells and the status of testable alternatives for therapy-resistant colon cancer. Experimental models: Hyper-proliferative and tumorigenic cell lines from genetically predisposed colonic tissues of female mice represent experimental models. Chemotherapeutic agents select drug-resistant phenotypes that exhibit upregulated expressions of cellular and molecular stem cell markers. Mechanistically distinct natural phytochemicals effectively inhibit stem cell growth and downregulate the expressions of stem cell markers. Conclusions: The present review discusses the status of colon cancer therapy and inherent limitations, cancer stem cell biology, potential lead compounds and their advantages over chemotherapy. The present experimental approaches will facilitate the identification of pharmacological and naturally-occurring agents as lead compounds for stem cell targeted therapy of colon cancer.     

Structural, microstructural and dielectric studies of tin-doped barium niobate perovskite

Monophasic oxides of the type Ba(Nb_1-x Sn _x ) O₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) have been synthesized by solid-state reaction method. All these compounds are found to have tetragonal structure except x = 1. The cell parameters and their variation with composition x have been determined. The X-ray density is found to increase gradually with increase of dopant concentration. Tolerance factor and volume of unit cell was found to be almost constant for all the compositions. Scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of grains of approximately 1 μm in size. Dielectric measurements in the frequency range 100 Hz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from − 100°C to 500°C has been carried out to determine the dielectric parameters. A strong frequency dependence of both dielectric constant (ɛ′) and dielectric loss (D) is observed in the frequency range 100 Hz to 100 kHz. At low frequency, the piling up of mobile charge carriers at the grain boundary produces interfacial polarization giving rise to high dielectric constant. Dielectric loss showed a typical behaviour in the temperature and frequency range studied.     

Economics of software vulnerability disclosure

Information security breaches frequently exploit software flaws or vulnerabilities, causing significant economic losses. Considerable debate exists about how to disclose such vulnerabilities. A coherent theoretical framework helps identify the key data elements needed to develop a sensible way of handling vulnerability disclosure