Design and performance evaluation of a banyan network basedinterconnection structure for ATM switches

This paper presents a new self-routing packet network called the plane interconnected parallel network (PIPN). In the proposed design, the traffic arriving at the network is shaped and routed through two banyan network based interconnected planes. The interconnections between the planes distribute the incoming load more homogeneously over the network. The throughput of the network under uniform and heterogeneous traffic requirements is studied analytically and by simulation. The results are compared with the results of the baseline network and another banyan network based parallel interconnection network. It is shown that, for the proposed design, a higher degree of heterogeneity results in better performance     

Mixed Analog Digital Simulation of Integrated Circuits with BRASIL

In this paper the approach of BRASIL in modelling digitalintegrated circuits is presented. BRASIL consists of a timingsimulator for digital MOS circuits coupled with an algorithmfor circuit simulation. The timing simulation is based upon afast macromodelling approach and the calculation of time-variantRC networks. The circuit simulator takes advantage of structuringthe system of nodal equations. With BRASIL a fast and accuratesimulation of digital circuits, with special regard to the analogbehaviour of highly integrated systems is possible.     

Brennstoffzellen

For two applications of fuel cells (SOFC and IMFC) system configurations and energy balances are presented. A decentralized combined heat and power plant on SOFC basis can be designed as a flexible system with high efficiency. A drive system with methanol reformer and fuel cell (IMFC) in comparison with a natural gas combustion engine has lower energy comsumption and much lower emissions.     

Expression of three UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine:polypeptide GalNAc N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases in adenocarcinoma cell lines

The levels of mRNA expression of three UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine:polypeptide GalNAc N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-transferases) were quantified for human adenocarcinoma cell lines from pancreas, colon, stomach, and breast. Two of the GalNAc-transferases, GalNAc-T1 and GalNAc-T2, were expressed constitutively and at low levels in most or all cell lines examined. A third GalNAc-transferase, GalNAc-T3, was differentially expressed. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma cell lines expressed high levels and moderately differentiated cell lines expressed lower levels of GalNAc-T3. Cell lines classified as poorly differentiated failed to express GalNAc-T3 mRNA at levels that could be detected by Northern blot analysis. Differential expression of the GalNAc-T3 protein was confirmed in these cell lines by Western blotting. We propose that glycosylation in tumor cell lines may be regulated in part by differential expression of GalNAc-transferases, and we suggest that GalNAc-T3 gene expression may be a molecular indicator of differentiated adenocarcinoma.     

Relationship between haemodynamics and morphology in pulmonary hypertension. A quantitative intravascular ultrasound study

BACKGROUND: Intravascular ultrasound imaging of the pulmonary arteries has been demonstrated to be a reliable method of quantifying vessel diameter, luminal area and pulsatility. Simultaneous measurement of flow velocity and its response to vasodilators allows the relationship between morphology and functional compromise to be studied, especially endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: In 51 patients (mean age = 49.8 +/- 12.6 years, 17 female) we performed right heart catheterization and simultaneous intravascular ultrasound of pulmonary artery branches. The patients were divided in two groups: group 1 with normal pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, and group 2 with pulmonary hypertension (peak pulmonary artery pressure > 30 mmHg and/or mean pulmonary artery pressure > 20 mmHg). Vessel wall and lumen were studied using a 2.9 F intravascular ultrasound catheter with a 30 MHz phased array transducer. Measurement of blood flow velocity was accomplished by a Doppler flow wire (0.018 inch). The maximal flow change during acetylcholine infusion (adjusted to 10(-6); 10(-5), and 10(-4) M concentration in the blood vessel) was measured. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups 1 and 2 with respect to age (48.5 +/- 14.3 years vs 50.3 +/- 12.3 years; P = ns), gender (4 female/8 male vs 13 female/26 male; P = ns), luminal area of the vessel segment in which the intravascular ultrasound measurements were obtained (11.8 +/- 6.1 mm2 vs 16.7 +/- 14.3 mm2; P = ns), internal diameter (3.9 +/- 1.2 mm vs 4.2 +/- 1.7 mm; P = ns), and external diameter (6.1 +/- 1.3 mm vs 6.9 +/- 2.1 mm; P = ns). Cross-sectional images of the pulmonary artery wall demonstrated a single ring with high echodensity with a thin inner layer regarded as intima in group 1. In contrast, the majority of patients (n = 35/39) in group 2 demonstrated a thickening of the intimal layer and/or a disturbance of layering of the echogenic arterial wall. The relative wall thickness was higher in group 2 than in group 1 (22.5 +/- 10.4% vs 15.3 +/- 6.5%; P < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between pulmonary artery pressure and wall thickness pulmonary artery pressure and area change in the cardiac cycle, acetylcholine-dependent increase in pulmonary flow and morphological changes in the vessel wall. CONCLUSION: We conclude that intravascular ultrasound is capable of detecting morphological changes in the pulmonary vessel wall in pulmonary hypertension and that vessel wall hypertrophy of small pulmonary segment arteries, as detected by intravascular ultrasound, is not predictive of functional vasodilatory response of resistance vessels of the same vessel area.     

Differences in the yields of dicentrics and reciprocal translocations observed in the chromosomes of irradiated human skin fibroblasts and blood lymphocytes from the same healthy individuals

The modulatory role of locally produced cyclooxygenase products and endothelium-derived nitric oxide in controlling vascular tone was investigated in bovine intra-mammary artery. Vascular reactivity initiated by vasoactive compounds, endothelin-1 (ET-1), bradykinin (BK), and substance P (SP) was measured isometrically in an isolated tissue bath. The effects of a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (10(-5) M) and an inhibitor of nitric oxide production, N omega-Nitro L-Arginine (L-NNA: 3 x 10(-4) M) were determined during agonist-mediated responses. Indomethacin alone markedly enhanced vascular contraction produced by ET-1, while L-NNA did not. Inhibition of endothelium-derived nitric oxide synthesis by L-NNA, however, significantly attenuated BK- and SP-induced vascular relaxations, whereas indomethacin had slight influence. The potentiation between indomethacin and L-NNA in regulating vasomotor tone was not observed in this vascular bed. Thus, it appeared that both the cyclooxygenase and endothelium-derived nitric oxide pathways participated in modifying vascular reactivity. Domination of one pathway over the other depended upon the agonist used to stimulate vascular tissue.     

Optimization of modulation bandwidth in DBR lasers with detunedBragg reflectors

The dynamical behavior of distributed Bragg reflector lasers with detuned Bragg reflectors is investigated theoretically. The model is based on the traveling wave equations, which are solved by expanding the solution in terms of the longitudinal eigenmodes. It is shown that for a drastic enhancement of the modulation bandwidth the interplay of the dominant mode and one side mode has to be enforced. Under these conditions, the modulation bandwidth can be enhanced to more than 70 GHz     

Low temperature wafer direct bonding

A pronounced increase of interface energy of room temperature bonded hydrophilic Si/Si, Si/SiO₂, and SiO₂/SiO ₂ wafers after storage in air at room temperature, 150°C for 10-400 h has been observed. The increased number of OH groups due to a reaction between water and the strained oxide and/or silicon at the interface at temperatures below 110°C and the formation of stronger siloxane bonds above 110°C appear to be the main mechanisms responsible for the increase in the interface energy. After prolonged storage, interface bubbles are detectable by an infrared camera at the Si/Si bonding seam. Desorbed hydrocarbons as well as hydrogen generated by a reaction of water with silicon appear to be the major contents in the bubbles. Design guidelines for low temperature wafer direct bonding technology are proposed     

A linkage map of human chromosome 21:43 PCR markers at average intervals of 2.5 cM

A genetic linkage map of human chromosome 21q (HC21q) containing 43 markers genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction in the CEPH pedigrees is presented. The markers placed on this map are highly polymorphic with an average heterozygosity of 61%. The average interval size of the markers localized at 1000:1 odds is 2.5 cM. The map has a total length of 65.5 cM, with male and female lengths of 47.7 and 83.3 cM, respectively. The genotypes used in the construction of this map were subjected to rigorous error checking, which is reflected in the shorter map length compared to previous maps; the estimated error rate in genotyping is less than 0.04%. As noted in previous linkage maps there is increased recombination in females on proximal HC 21q and in the male in a region near the telomere. This map of HC 21 represents a highly informative and dense meiotic linkage map and will be useful in linking disease phenotypes to loci on this chromosome.