Desired concentration-dependent ion exchange for micro-optic lenses

The required concentration-dependent diffusion coefficients for both ideal one-dimensional and ideal radial gradient-index profiles are determined. The modified quasi-chemical diffusion model is used to relate the diffusion coefficient to optimum glass composition. Adding aluminum to sodium silicate glasses facilitates the approach to the desired concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient for silver-sodium ion exchange. A parabolic one-dimensional index profile is fabricated in one of the glasses. It deviates from ideal values by less than 2%.     

Antireflection coatings for UV radiation obtained by molecular-beam deposition

We have developed fluoride antireflection (AR) coatings on MgF(2) substrates for a wavelength of 248 nm by molecular-beam deposition. Transmission and laser-induced damage threshold of the samples were measured and atomic force microscope (AFM) investigations were carried out. We compare a 14-layer design for AR coatings with sublayer thicknesses of 12 nm with a conventional two-layer design with quarter-wavelength thicknesses. The laser-induced damage threshold of the 14-layer coating is slightly higher than that of the two-layer coating. The AFM surface images show that the 14-layer coating has a smoother surface than the two-layer coating.     

Tight analysis of the (1+1)-EA for the single source shortest path problem

We conduct a rigorous analysis of the (1+1) evolutionary algorithm for the single source shortest path problem proposed by Scharnow, Tinnefeld, and Wegener (The analyses of evolutionary algorithms on sorting and shortest paths problems, 2004, Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Algorithms, 3(4):349-366). We prove that with high probability, the optimization time is O(n2 max{?, log(n)}), where ? is the smallest integer such that any vertex can be reached from the source via a shortest path having at most ? edges. This bound is tight. For all values of n and ? we provide a graph with edge weights such that, with high probability, the optimization time is of order Ω(n2 max{?, log(n)}). To obtain such sharp bounds, we develop a new technique that overcomes the coupon collector behavior of previously used arguments. Also, we exhibit a simple Chernoff type inequality for sums of independent geometrically distributed random variables, and one for sequences of random variables that are not independent, but show a desired behavior independent of the outcomes of the previous random variables. We are optimistic that these tools find further applications in the analysis of evolutionary algorithms.     

微软公司的Astrid McClean详解Exchange Server 2010

本文作者采访了微软Exchange团队的高级技术产品经理。重点讨论了Exchange Server 2010的升级问题,以及它内置的一些新功能。例如个人存档、数据库可用性组、最终用户策略、基于角色的访问控制等。相信这篇访谈会坚定你升级到新版本的决心。     

Fabrication of planar cobalt electrodes separated by a sub-10nm gap using high resolution electron beam lithography with negative PMMA

We present a fabrication process of cobalt nanoelectrodes compatible with spin-dependent transport measurements through a few or a single nano-object. It consists in etching a cobalt thin layer into pairs of planar nanoelectrodes separated by a nanometric gap using a negative Poly-MethylMethAcrylate (PMMA) mask patterned by high resolution electron beam lithography (HREBL). The irradiation parameters of 200keV HREBL on PMMA have been investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to define accurately the PMMA transformation from positive to negative tone. The influence of the electron dose and the designed gap on the final gap between electrodes is presented. This complete study proves that PMMA can be used as a HREBL negative resist to fabricate nanoelectrodes separated by a controlled and reproducible gap ranging from 5nm to several tens of nanometers.     

Influence of temperature on the liver circadian clock in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula

Reptiles represent an interesting animal model to investigate the influence of temperature on molecular circadian clocks. The ruin lizard Podarcis sicula lives in a continental climate and it is subjected to wide range of environmental temperatures during the course of the year. As consequence, ruin lizard daily activity pattern includes either the hibernation or periods of inactivity determined by hypothermia. Here we showed the rhythmic expression of two clock genes, lPer2 and lClock, in the liver of active lizards exposed to summer photo-thermoperiodic conditions. Interestingly, the exposition of lizards to hypothermic conditions, typical of winter season, induced a strong dampening of clock genes mRNA rhythmicity with a coincident decrease of levels. We also examined the qualitative and quantitative distribution of lPER2 and lCLOCK protein in different cellular compartments during the 24-h cycle. In the liver of active lizards both proteins showed a rhythmic expression profile in all cellular compartments. After 3 days at 6 degrees C, some temporal fluctuations of the lCLOCK and lPER2 are still detectable, although, with some marked modifications in respect to the values detected in the liver of active lizards. Besides demonstrating the influence of low temperature on the lizard liver circadian oscillators, present results could provide new essential information for comparative studies on the influence of temperature on the circadian system across vertebrate classes.     

Three-dimensional reconstruction on PC-Windows platform for evaluation of living donor nephrectomy

Evaluation of renal vasculature was necessary for preoperative donor assessment in living donor kidney transplantation, and the ability to view the vascular imaging in three-dimensional (3D) space should be helpful undoubtedly. Considering the widespread use of personal computer (PC) systems, we aimed to find a handy way to display the anatomy of the renal arterial and venous systems of potential donors on PC-Windows platform. Ten living-related donors were included in this study. Serial computed tomography (CT) images were loaded into Amira 3.1 running on a PC with Windows XP. Following image crop, segmentation and 3D reconstruction, we got the 3D images and the video clips. According to the displays which were confirmed by latter intraoperative findings, eight donors had single renal vessels, one had a left accessory renal artery and one had a right accessory renal artery. This project offered a new approach to evaluate the renal vessel anatomy in living donor kidney transplantation, and it was favorable for accuracy and popularizing.     

The clinical repair of teeth using direct filling materials: engineering considerations

This paper reviews the way in which teeth damaged by caries may be repaired clinically. The mechanical effects of caries are described, as are the materials available to repair the damage caused by this disease. Studies are reported which have shown that caries reduces the compressive strength of the tooth to less than 50 per cent of its original value and that, by use of appropriate materials and placement techniques, this can be restored to some 80 per cent of this value. However, very few studies have been carried out which view tooth repair from an engineering perspective. Instead, emphasis is placed on determining clinical durability of repairs. This is related to repair strength but brings in other factors, such as the oral hygiene of the patient. Despite this complication, durability studies show that modern restorative materials perform well under clinical conditions, from which it may be concluded that the repair process allows a structure to be fabricated that is essentially sound from an engineering viewpoint, even if inferior to the original tooth structure provided by nature.     

Network visualization by semantic substrates

Networks have remained a challenge for information visualization designers because of the complex issues of node and link layout coupled with the rich set of tasks that users present. This paper offers a strategy based on two principles: (1) layouts are based on user-defined semantic substrates, which are non-overlapping regions in which node placement is based on node attributes, (2) users interactively adjust sliders to control link visibility to limit clutter and thus ensure comprehensibility of source and destination. Scalability is further facilitated by user control of which nodes are visible. We illustrate our semantic substrates approach as implemented in NVSS 1.0 with legal precedent data for up to 1122 court cases in three regions with 7645 legal citations     

Torque reaction in angled nutrunners

In the process of tightening a joint, the angled nutrunner acts on the operator with a torque reaction in the final stages of the tightening sequence. In the following series of experiments, the torque reaction of a machine acting on various joints is studied. A distinctive feature of the torque reaction is that the handle of the angled nutrunner causes a rapid displacement. The amplitude and time aspect of this displacement depend on the stiffness of the joint (whether it is hard or soft), and the movement of the handle depends on how the operator is holding it. How the operator responds to the torque reaction depends upon, among other things, the displacement amplitude as well as the torque level of the machine. Because of this, the displacement amplitude can be used as a measure of the operator's discomfort.