A new model of lexical choice for nouns1

Natural language generation systems should choose nouns by searching for lexical units that (i) are known to the user; (ii) truthfully describe the object being lexicalised; (iii) convey sufficient information to fulfill the system's underlying communicative goals; and (iv) are maximal under a lexical preference function. This model of lexical choice allows a clean separation to be made between what the system knows about the object being lexicalized and what it wishes to communicate about this object. The model also allows lexical choice to be biased towards basic-level and other preferred lexical units. Les systèmes de génération du langage naturel devraient choisir des noms en recherchant des unités lexicales (i) qui soient connues de ľutilisateur, (ii) qui décrivent fidèlement ľobjet soumis à un traitement lexical, (iii) qui transmettent suffisamment ?information pour répondre aux objectifs de communication du système, et (iv) qui soient maximales dans une fonction de préférence lexicale. Ce modéle de choix lexical permet une nette séparation entre ce que le système sait à propos de ľobjet soumis à un traitement lexical et ce qu'il souhaite communiquer à propos de cet objet. Le modèle permet également au choix lexical ?avoir un préjugé vis-à-vis les unités lexicales de niveau de base et autres unités lexicales préférées.     

Two are Better than One: Combining ZnO and MgF2 Nanoparticles Reduces Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation on Cochlear Implants

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) are considered the most common colonizers of cochlear implants (CI), which have prompted the search for new ways to inhibit their growth and biofilm development. In the current study, CI‐based platforms are prepared and sonochemically coated with ZnO or MgF₂ nanoparticles (NPs), two agents previously shown to possess antibacterial properties. Additionally, a method is developed for coating both ZnO and MgF₂ on the same platform to achieve synergistic activity against both pathogens. Each surface is characterized, and the optimal conditions for the NP homogenous distribution on the surface are determined. The ZnO‐MgF₂ surface significantly reduces the S. pneumoniae and S. aureus biofilm compared with the surfaces coated with either ZnO or MgF₂, even though it contains smaller amounts of each NP type. Importantly, leaching assays show that the NPs remain anchored to the surface for at least 7 d. Finally, biocompatibility studies demonstrate that coating with low concentrations of ZnO‐MgF₂ results in no toxicity toward primary human fibroblasts from the auditory canal. Taken together, these findings underscore the potential of using NP combinations such as the one presented here to efficiently inhibit bacterial colonization and growth on medical devices such as CIs.     

Performance improvement analysis of boiling water reactors by incorporation of hydride fuel

The feasibility of improving the neutronic characteristics of boiling water reactors (BWR) by using U–Zr hydride fuel is studied. Several modified BWR fuel assembly designs are considered. These include designs in which hydride fuel rods replace water rods only, replace water rods and a fraction of the oxide fuel rods, replace oxide fuel in the upper half of all the fuel rods, and replace all the oxide fuel in the assembly. It is found that replacement of at least half of the oxide fuel rods in the fuel assembly by U–ZrH_1.6 fuel might simultaneously improve the performance of BWR in three ways: (a) Increasing the energy extracted per fuel assembly and the cycle length by up to 10%. (b) Reducing the uranium ore and SWU requirements by approximately 10%. (c) Reducing the negative void coefficient of reactivity by, at least, 50%. It is also found that replacement of all the oxide fuel by hydride fuel opens interesting new options for the design of BWR fuel assemblies. The net result might be simplified assembly designs that can generate significantly more energy while featuring small negative void coefficient of reactivity. U–ThH₂ fuel appears to be even more promising than U–ZrH_1.6. For the potential benefits from hydride fuel to be realized, a clad material that is not permeable to hydrogen and is not as neutron absorbing as stainless steel needs to be developed.     

Disassembly analysis through time estimation and other metrics

This paper examines the problem of assessing product ease of disassembly for recycling in light of the broader issue of manufacturability evaluation. The disassembly time estimation method outlined here is shown to provide one of several needed metrics for use during product design. Moreover, the ability to estimate process time provides the foundation upon which other metrics can be developed. The evaluation based on disassembly time is demonstrated on an electric drill example, and the difficulties associated with generating other disassemblability metrics are discussed.