Measuring efficiency of power plants in Israel by data envelopmentanalysis

An application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) for measuring and evaluating the operating efficiency of power plants in the Israeli Electric Corporation (IEC) is presented. Emphasis is placed on the process of screening the list of potential input and output factors and determining the most relevant ones. Special attention is given to the qualitative factor concerning air pollution, which is treated as a categorical variable. The incorporation of `standard data' is examined and the results are analyzed     

The implementation of time-domain diakoptics in the FDTD method

The time-domain diakoptics is implemented in the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with two types of connecting interfaces: i) directional interface (TLM-type), and ii) total-field interface (FDTD-type). The FDTD-type interface provides a more efficient way to realize time-domain diakoptics than TLM, especially for device optimization problems. To emulate the TLM-type interface in FDTD, two novel algorithms are developed in this paper. One is to implement an ultra-wideband absorbing boundary on the excitation plane during excitation. The other is to separate directional waves without the knowledge of incident waves. For a large circuit with cascaded modules, sequential and parallel algorithms are provided to connect them. With these connecting algorithms, time-domain diakoptics is one candidate method to realize modular and parallel computation in FDTD simulations. The validity of these algorithms is confirmed by comparison with simulated results from Microwave SPICE     

The special section on professional communication in Russia: anAmerican perspective

Enormous changes that have taken place in the last few years in Russia have revealed a need for Russian technical communicators to refocus their expertise and skills in order to enter the global marketplace successfully and competitively. Rather than dwell on the familiar differences between Americans and Russians, Cold War adversaries, a common ground exists and is growing. We share a mutual interest in the successful entry of Russian technical communicators in the global marketplace. We also share an understanding that technology is central to civilization as we know it, and that the masters of technology have a substantial influence on all activities that they touch; a belief that technology has had a major beneficial effect on the peoples of the world, but that with such power comes the potential for large, serious, and potentially devastating influences; the idea that the embrace of technology is a good cultural fit with cultures formed from revolutions, for technology in the later part of this century has come to be synonymous with rapid change, and cultures with revolutionary heritage welcome change; the notion that technological breakthroughs have profound influences on the nature of work, liberating the traditional intensive physical nature of labor to the emergence of a knowledge worker; and the belief that the global marketplace forces the need for clear and rapid communication across borders, as well as among cultures. If we can agree on these technical communications issues, then we have a firm foundation for building a gateway to communication in the global market     

Damage and strain in pseudomorphic vs relaxed GexSi1−x layers on Si(100) generated by Si ion irradiation

We compare both the strain and damage that 100 keV Si irradiation at room temperature introduces in pseudomorphic and relaxed Ge_xSi_1−x films grown on Si(100) substrates. The ion range is such that the Si/Ge_xSi_1−x interface is not significantly damaged. The amount of damage produced in pseudomorphic and relaxed Ge_xSi_1−x layers of similar x for irradiation doses up to 2.5 × 10¹⁴ Si/cm² is the same, which proves that a pre-existing uniform strain does not noticeably affect the irradiation-induced damage. However, the irradiation-induced strain does depend on the pre-existing strain of the samples. Possible interpretations are discussed. On leave from Inst. voor Kern en Stralingsfysika, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.     

Atmospheric and low pressure shadow masked MOVPE growth of InGaAs(P)/InP and (In)GaAs/(Al)GaAs heterostructures and quantum wells

The shadow masked growth technique is presented as a tool to achieve thickness and bandgap variations laterally over the substrate during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Lateral thickness and bandgap variations are very important for the fabrication of photonic integrated circuits, where several passive and active optical components need to be integrated on the same substrate. Several aspects of the shadow masked growth are characterized for InP based materials as well as for GaAs based materials. Thickness reductions are studied as a function of the mask dimensions, the reactor pressure, the orientation of the masked channels and the undercutting of the mask. The thickness reduction is strongly influenced by the mask dimensions and the reactor pressure, while the influence of the orientation of the channels and the amount of undercutting is only significant for narrow mask windows. During shadow masked growth, there are not only thickness variations but also compositional variations. Therefore, we studied the changes in In/Ga and As/P ratios for InGaAs and InGaAsP layers. It appears that mainly the In/Ga-ratio is responsible for compositional changes and that the As/P-ratio remains unchanged during shadow masked growth.     

The radiotherapy of inoperable non-small-cell bronchial carcinoma. A retrospective analysis of 427 cases

BACKGROUND: The influence of tumor and patient characteristics on survival as well as acute normal tissue toxicity was retrospectively analyzed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 427 patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Two thirds received a total dose of at least 70 Gy, and one third was irradiated with 60 to 66 Gy (2.0 to 2.5 Gy per fraction; split-course technique). 92% had a Karnofsky performance index of > or = 80%. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated and comparisons were made by the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were adjusted for by a proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: Five-year survival rates (+/- SE) and the median survival times (95% confidence interval) were 2 +/- 2% and 11.1 months (9.1 ... 14.5) after 60 to 66 Gy; 8 +/- 2% and 14.9 months (13.3 ... 16.5) after 70+ Gy. The difference was significant in univariate (p = 0.0013) and multivariate analysis (p = 0.0006). Tumor stage (p = 0.0029: I + II > III; IIIA > IIIB) and gender (p = 0.0387: female > male patients) reached significance in multivariate analysis. Acute pneumonitis and esophagitis were observed in 11% and 9% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Inoperable non-small cell lung cancer stage I to IIIA should be treated in a curative intention with total doses of about 70 Gy. This is feasible with acceptable normal tissue toxicity. Stage IIIB patients have a particular bad prognosis and should only be treated palliatively.