Imaging Properties of a Positron Tomograph with 280 Bgo Crystals

The basic imaging properties of the Donner 280-BGO-Crystal positron tomograph were measured and compared with the same system when it was equipped with 280 NaI(T1) crystals. The NaI(T1) crystals were 8 mm × 30 mm × 50 mm deep, sealed in 10 mm wide stainless steel cans. The BGO crystals are 9.5 mm wide × 32 mm × 32 mm deep and as they are not hygroscopic do not require sealed cans. With a shielding gap of 3 cm (section thickness 1.7 cm FWHM) the sensitivity of the BGO system is 55,000 events per sec for 1 ?Ci per cm3 in a 20 cm cylinder of water, which is 2.3 times higher than the NaI(T1) system. For a 200 ?Ci/cm line source on the ring axis in a 20 cm diameter water cylinder, the BGO system records 86% of the scatter fraction and 66% of the accidental fraction of the NaI(T1) system. The lower light yield and poorer time resolution of BGO requires a wider coincidence timing window than NaI(T1); however, the ability to use full-energy pulse height selection with a 2.3-fold improvement in sensitivity results in an overall reduction in the fraction of accidental events recorded. The in-plane resolution of the BGO system is 9-10 mm FWHM within the central 30 cm diameter field, and the radial elongation at the edge of the field in the NaI(T1) system has been nearly eliminated.     

An investigation of the criterion problem for one group of medical specialists.

The sample consisted of 190 Utah physicians fully certified as specialists by an American Board. 80 scores relevant to the performance of these physicians were intercorrelated and factor analyzed using the principal components solution based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The 29 factors which had an eigenvalue greater than 1.00 were rotated by the varimax procedure and interpreted. The most important finding was the great criterion complexity for this group of medical specialists. This complexity suggests that one cannot adequately measure physician performance on the basis of a single score or a few scores. Instead, one must obtain a relatively large number of scores. Performance in poth premedical and medical education was independent of performance as a physician. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of Mg content on the formation and reversion of Guinier-Preston zones in Al-4.5 at % Zn-x Mg alloys

The influence of Mg concentrations on the dissolution of Guinier-Preston (GP) zones formed at room temperature (RT) and on the formation of more stable phases has been investigated during continuous heating of Al-4.5 at % Zn-xMg alloys. The Mg content was varied from 0.05 to 3 at %. After different aging periods at RT, calorimetric investigations were carried out at heating rates of 40 and 80° C min⁻¹. In the case of alloys with a lower Mg content (x ⩽ 0.5 at %) only the dissolution of GP zones could be observed during the heating, whereas in the case of alloys with a higher Mg content the formation of theη′-phase started before the total dissolution of GP zones and at higher temperatures the formation of theη-phase also took place. These phases were identified by transmission electron microscopy. The heat-of-solution of GP zones shows saturation as a function of RT aging time. The time needed for the saturation increased monotonously with increasing Mg content. The reversion of zones was followed byin situ X-ray small angle scattering measurements. The change of the total scattered intensity was measured during continuous heating at a rate of 40° C min⁻¹. These investigations have confirmed the results of the calorimetric measurements which indicate that the total dissolution of zones takes place only in the case of the alloys with a Mg content lower than 0.5 at %. In the case of alloys with a Zn concentration of 4.5 at % studied here, 1 at % Mg is sufficient to initiate the formation of more stable phases during the reversion of zones. On leave from Hanoi University, Vietnam.     

Subspace-based system identification: weighting and pre-filtering of instruments

Subspace-based system identification is typically based on an estimate of the extended observability matrix. It is thus of great interest to investigate, and also optimize, the estimate of the observability matrix. Of special interest in this paper is the fact that the influence of certain weighting matrices is an unresolved issue in the literature on subspace identification. Here, an asymptotic analysis of the estimated observability matrix is presented. The main result of the analysis is that novel weighting matrices and pre-filters of instrumental variables are derived.     

New Developments in Computer Assisted Creative Problem Solving

A new kind of computer assisted creative problem solving method is examined in which visual images are provided to support the process. Until now, much attention has been given to developing programmes which help to structure problems and ideas so that they become more meaningful to the people who are concerned with them. Emphasis has been placed almost entirely on the written word as form of expression. It is argued that a combination of pictorial imagery and written words may be more effective in helping users to gain insights into problems and to come up with ideas or solutions to problems.     

Short forms in psychological assessment--Ethical and forensic concerns for school psychology: Comment on Thompson, LoBello, Atkinson, Chisholm, and Ryan (2004).

Whereas psychological assessment remains a critical skill, it can demand considerable time and effort. In fact, it can often feel tedious and even laborious. As a partial outgrowth, short forms in psychological testing are intrinsically appealing. Unfortunately, many concerns can be raised regarding this practice. This article represents a response to A. P. Thompson, S. G. LoBello, L. Atkinson, V. Chisholm, and J. J. Ryan (see record 2004-95164-011) and is intended to strengthen the discussion on this practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Image decomposition combining staircase reduction and texture extraction

This paper proposes a natural and efficient way to achieve staircase reduction in texture extraction models of image processing. Moreover, we propose a precise framework for this amalgamation. In a sense, we utilize the best of both worlds: (I) the use of higher order derivatives through a variant of the Chambolle–Lions inf convolution energy (an image decomposition model in itself) along with (II) approximations to Meyer’s G and E norms including the H⁻¹ negative norm for ameliorating staircasing in image decomposition and restoration problems.