A displacement‐based strength reduction factor for high‐rise steel moment‐resisting frames

A preliminary study of the ‘displacement‐based strength reduction factor’ for high‐rise steel moment‐resisting frames is presented in this paper. The base shear capacity required for a high‐rise steel building in a displacement‐based design can be estimated from the reduction of the displacement‐based elastic response. The conventional force‐based design procedure is still adopted as the initial stage of the displacement‐based design. To establish an empirical formula of the proposed displacement‐based strength reduction factor, non‐linear time‐history analyses of six moment‐resisting frames are investigated. The conventional ‘equal displacement rule’ and ‘equal energy rule’ are no longer held when the displacement limitations are considered. As a result, a modification for conventional strength reduction factors is proposed for further applications in displacement‐based design. An adjustment factor defined as ‘deformation energy ratio’, β, which is related to natural periods, is introduced. The final displacement‐based strength reduction factor is defined as a function of ductility demand, fundamental period and the deformation energy ratio. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in a district hospital in Taiwan

Thirty-one of 104 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected over a period of 8 months were found to be putative extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers. Isoelectric focusing and an iodine overlay agar method were used for preliminary identification of the ESBLs. They were further identified by DNA sequencing. Seventy-one percent of the isolates were found to produce SHV-5. The variation in the ESBL patterns of these isolates was slight, with only five patterns being identified. The strains were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and 16 different genotypes were identified. When the PFGE patterns were analyzed by the algorithmic clustering method called the unweighted-pair group method using arithmetic averages, five clusters were found. However, significant genetic variations were found among 11 isolates and between each cluster. A plasmid of 36 kb was found in all clinical isolates and in the transconjugants. Our results indicate that the increase in the number of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates in this hospital is due mainly to the dissemination of a resistance plasmid rather than to the clonal spread of a few epidemic strains.     

Autoimmune ovarian disease: mechanism of disease induction and prevention

Investigation of the versatile models for autoimmunity of the ovary and other selected organs has contributed to our understanding of the following aspects of autoimmunity: the mechanism of T cell molecular mimicry; T-->B epitope spreading, as a basis for autoantibody diversification, and as a link between organ-specific and systemic autoimmunity; the localization of genetic loci potentially influencing multiple autoimmune diseases; and the elucidation of regulatory T cells as a component of physiological self tolerance.     

Thermally robust TaTb/sub x/N metal gate electrode for n-MOSFETs applications

In this letter, we study Terbium (Tb)-incorporated TaN (TaTb/sub x/N) as a thermally robust N-type metal gate electrode for the first time. The work function of the Ta/sub 0.94/Tb/sub 0.06/N/sub y/ metal gate is determined to be /spl sim/4.23 eV after rapid thermal anneal at 1000/spl deg/C for 30 s, and can be further tuned by varying the Tb concentration. Moreover, the TaTb/sub x/N-SiO/sub 2/ gate stack exhibits excellent thermal stability up to 1000/spl deg/C with no degradation to the equivalent oxide thickness, gate leakage, and time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) characteristics. These results suggest that Tb-incorporated TaN (TaTb/sub x/N) could be a promising metal gate candidate for n-MOSFET in a dual-metal gate Si CMOS process.     

Computational-Complexity of Arithmetical Sentences

Arithmetical sentences are the sentences containing usual logical symbols and arithmetical symbols +, ·, and constants of Z. An arithmetical sentence φ is called an sentence if and only if φ is logically equivalent to a sentence of the form x yψ(x, y) where ψ(x, y) is a quantifier free formula. It is shown that the decision problems of determining sentences true in N or Z, respectively, are co-NP-complete, whereas the decision problem of determining sentences true in Q is in P. Consequently, the decision problems of determining sentences true in N or Z, respectively, are NP-complete. Also, the decision problem of determining sentences true in Q is in P.     

Joint connection level, packet level, and link Layer resource allocation for variable bit rate multiclass services in cellular DS-CDMA networks with QoS constraints

An approximate analytical formulation of the resource allocation problem for handling variable bit rate multiclass services in a cellular direct sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) system is presented. The novelty in this paper is that all grade-of-service (GoS) or quality-of-service (QoS) requirements at the connection level, packet level, and link layer are satisfied simultaneously, instead of being satisfied at the connection level or at the link layer only. The analytical formulation shows how the GoS/QoS in the different layers are intertwined across the layers. A complete sharing (CS) scheme with guard channels is used for the resource sharing policy at the connection level. The CS model is solved using a K-dimensional Markov chain. Numerical results illustrate that significant gain in system utilization is achieved through the joint coupling of connection/packet levels and link layer. This can translate to more revenues for network providers and/or lower charges for mobile users.     

Effects of hydrostatic pressure on Raman scattering in Ge quantum dot superlattices

Self-organized Ge/Si quantum dots (QD's) in strained Si/Ge short-period superlattices are studied by Raman scattering under hydrostatic pressure excited in-resonance and off-resonance with the confined Ge-like E₁ transition of Ge using 488 and 514.5 nm lines from an argon-ion laser and 632.8 nm line from a He-Ne laser. The Raman spectra of Ge-Ge, Si-Ge and Si-2TA modes of the QD's were obtained as a function of pressure in the range of 1-70 kbar. Our results show that the mode Grüneisen parameter of the Ge-Ge phonon mode in QD's is found to be γ=0.81±0.01, which is smaller than that of the bulk Ge. We observe resonance effects with the confined Ge-like E₁ transition and the pressure coefficient of this resonating electronic transition obtained is ∼5±1 meV kbar⁻¹.     

Effects of group size and procedural influence on consensual judgments of quantity: The examples of damage awards and mock civil juries.

Six-person mock civil juries awarded significantly larger amounts for damages than did 12-person juries, and individuals preferred even larger average awards. A reversal of the "deep-pockets bias" observed earlier, an explanation involving temporal fluctuation in normative standards, during the time interval between the studies, was supported by independent data showing temporal trends in actual civil trial awards. A computational model of consensus that assumed a strong majority of those members with the most similar (closest) personal preferences decided on the median of their preferences accurately predicted award magnitude. Computer simulations explored the effects of critical faction size (majority, etc.) and location within the group, features that might in turn depend on task environment, cultural dynamics, and social context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Broadband dual-polarized aperture-coupled patch antennas withmodified H-shaped coupling slots

This paper presents a new design of aperture-coupled patch antennas with modified H-shaped coupling slots for achieving dual-polarization radiation with high isolation over a wide bandwidth. By using the proposed coupling slots, whose two upper side arms are bent inward with a proper angle, the isolation between the two feeding ports of the patch antenna can. greatly be improved, compared to the case with conventional H-shaped coupling slots. Also, when using a pair of modified H-shaped coupling slots for each feeding port, the isolation can further be improved; a high degree of isolation (< -34 dB) over the entire impedance bandwidth greater than 15% and good cross-polarization level (> 20 dB) for the two polarizations can be achieved. Details of the proposed design and experimental results are presented and discussed     

Fractionation with condensation and evaporation in wetted-wall columns

A model is presented to describe the behavior of falling film fractionators with evaporation or condensation. Experimental measurements of vapor composition, vapor temperature and wall temperature profiles were made. Close agreement suggests that the model is applicable to both adiabatic and nonadiabatic conditions.