Faster remission of chronic depression with combined psychotherapy and medication than with each therapy alone.

The main aim of the present novel reanalysis of archival data was to compare the time to remission during 12 weeks of treatment of chronic depression following antidepressant medication (n = 218), psychotherapy (n = 216), and their combination (n = 222). Cox regression survival analyses revealed that the combination of medication and psychotherapy produced full remission from chronic depression more rapidly than either of the single modality treatments, which did not differ from each other. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to explore predictors (treatment group, demographic, clinical, and psychosocial) of remission. For those receiving the combination treatment, the most likely to succeed were those with low baseline depression (24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HRSD; M. Hamilton, 1967] score     

Cascaded Multi-level Inverter Topology Developed from a Modified H-bridge

In this paper, a single-phase cascaded multi-level inverter topology is proposed. It is basically developed from a modified H-bridge module. This topology reduces the switch count, the gate drive requirement, and voltage stress. The significant advantages of the proposed inverter are modular structure, simpler control, and lower number of switches. The Nearest Level Control algorithm is employed to generate the gating signals for the power switches. To verify the performance of the proposed structure, simulation results are carried out by MATLAB (The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, USA)/SIMULINK. Experimental results are presented to validate the simulation results.     

Synthesis and characterization of end‐capped polyimides and their gas permeability properties

Polyimides (PIs) based on 3,3′,4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) end capped with two new monoamines and other four different monoamines have been synthesized with a view to study the effect of different functional groups at the end of polymer chain on solubility, gas permeability, and thermal properties. The new monoamines have been synthesized from 3‐pentadecylphenol, obtained by hydrogenation of cardanol, a major constituent of cashew‐nut shell liquid. Introduction of different functional groups at the end of polyimide (PI) based on ODPA and ODA, by end capping with different monoamines, alters oxygen and nitrogen gas permeability, solubility, and thermal properties. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 627–635, 2000     

An HR-method of mesh refinement for boundary element method

This paper describes a mesh refinement technique for boundary element method in which the number of elements, the size of elements and the element end location are determined iteratively in order to obtain a user specified accuracy. The method uses L₁ norm as a measure of error in the density function and a grading function that ensures that error over each element is the same. The use of grading function along with L₁ norm makes the mesh refinement technique applicable to Direct and Indirect boundary element method formulation for a variety of boundary element method applications. Numerical problems in elastostatics, fracture mechanics, and bending of plate solved using Direct and Indirect method in which the density functions are approximated by Linear Lagrange, Quadratic Lagrange or Cubic Hermite polynomials validate the effectiveness of the proposed mesh refinement technique. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid Thermal Annealing of Oxide Electrodes for Nonvolatile Ferroelectric Memory Structures

We report on the properties of a ferroelectric stack comprising (La_0.5Sr_0.5)CoO₃ (LSCO)/Pb(Nb,Zr,Ti)O₃ (PNZT)/LSCO deposited on 4 inch diameter platinized Si wafers (Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si). The LSCO electrodes were deposited at room temperature by pulsed laser ablation and the ferroelectric layer was deposited by the sol-gel technique. Rutherford backscattering was performed to confirm the uniformity in composition, thickness and stoichiometry of LSCO across the wafers. Conventional furnace or rapid thermal annealing was performed to crystallize the electrodes. The oxidation resistance of the conducting barrier layers, Pt/Ti, was found to be dependent on the annealing procedure adopted for the bottom electrode. In the case where the bottom LSCO was crystallized by rapid thermal annealing, Rutherford backscattering analysis and transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that there was no oxidation of the Pt/Ti conducting barrier composite. This is in contrast to the observations for in-situ deposition or conventional furnace annealing of the bottom electrode. The resistivity, coercive field and polarization of the ferroelectric stack were uniform across the 4-inch wafers. The ferroelectric capacitors showed no fatigue up to 10¹¹ cycles and no imprint at 100°C. The ferroelectric properties were independent of the annealing procedure used for crystallizing the electrodes.     

A machine condition transfer function approach to run-to-run andmachine-to-machine reproducibility of III-V compound semiconductormolecular beam epitaxial growth

A concept of machine condition transfer function (MCTF) based on the use of in-situ sensor response to intrinsic surface property of the material is proposed to meet the challenge of run-to-run and machine-to-machine reproducibility of optimized growth conditions for III-V compound semiconductor molecular beam epitaxical growth. The variation in the intensity of the specular beam in reflection high-energy electron diffraction from compound semiconductor surface, measured as a function of the temperature and anion pressure prior to growth, is used as the intrinsic surface property for the generation of MCTF's. The mathematical methodology for realizing MCTF's, including the sensor response surface reconstruction and optimal minimization in combination with a composite statistical design for initial estimation, is presented. Numerical evaluation of the developed methodology shows its promise in practice     

An hpr-mesh refinement algorithm for BEM

This paper describes a mesh refinement scheme for boundary element method in which the number of elements, the size of elements, element end locations and the element polynomial order are determined to meet the user specified accuracy. The use of grading function in conjunction with the L₁ norm makes the mesh refinement scheme applicable to a variety of boundary element formulation and applications. The algorithm is stable for smooth, discontinuous, as well as singular density functions. Numerical results for mathematical test functions as well as for elastostatic problems demonstrate the viability and versatility of the algorithm for BEM applications.     

Myocardial stunning in hemodialysis: What is the overall message?

Heart failure and cardiovascular events are common in chronic renal failure. Hemodialysis (HD) causes significant hemodynamic changes and hypotension. New evidence based on intradialytic echocardiography demonstrates transient cardiac dysfunction or stunning in majority of chronic HD patients. Over time, this group may progress to chronic heart failure and appears to predict higher cardiovascular events and mortality. Although the exact etiology is unclear, alterations in HD technique and cardiac medications may reduce this complication. We review the current understanding of acute cardiac stunning during HD and present a systematic management algorithm to optimizing overall outcomes in this high-risk population.