Efficient performance analysis of asynchronous cellular CDMA overRayleigh-fading channels

The bit error rate (BER) analysis of a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) cellular system over a Rayleigh-fading channel often results in complicated expressions even though the Gaussian approximation is applied. A combined probability density function (pdf) approach for the forward link and a mean-method technique for the reverse link are proposed to significantly reduce the computational complexity. The simplified BER expressions are derived and yield accurate results     

Interdiffusion behavior of Hg in HgTe/CdTe superlattices grown on Cd0.96Zn0.04 Te (211)B substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

Double-crystal x-ray rocking curve (DCRC) and secondary-ion mass-spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements have been performed to investigate the effect of rapid thermal annealing on the interdiffusion behavior of Hg in HgTe/CdTe superlattices grown on Cd_0.96Zn_0.04Te (211)B substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The sharp satellite peaks of the DCRC measurements on a 100-period HgTe/CdTe (100Å/100Å) superlattice show a periodic arrangement of the superlattice with high-quality interfaces. The negative direction of the entropy change obtained from the diffusion coefficients as a function of the reciprocal of the temperature after RTA indicates that the Hg diffusion for the annealed HgTe/CdTe superlattice is caused by an interstitial mechanism. The Cd and the Hg concentration profiles near the annealed HgTe/CdTe superlattice interfaces, as measured by SIMS, show a nonlinear behavior for Hg, originating from the interstitial diffusion mechanism of the Hg composition. These results indicate that a nonlinear interdiffusion behavior is dominant for HgTe/CdTe superlattices annealed at 190°C and that the rectangular shape of HgTe/CdTe superlattices may change to a parabolic shape because of the intermixing of Hg and Cd due to the thermal treatment.     

The effect of surface roughness on the radiative properties ofpatterned silicon wafers

The radiative properties of patterned silicon wafers have a major impact on the two critical issues in rapid thermal processing (RTP), namely wafer temperature uniformity and wafer temperature measurement. The surface topography variation of the die area caused by patterning and the roughness of the wafer backside can have a significant effect on the radiative properties, but these effects are not well characterized. We report measurements of room temperature reflectance of a memory die, logic die, and various multilayered wafer backsides. The surface roughness of the die areas and wafer backsides is characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM). These data are subsequently used to assess the effectiveness of thin film optics in providing approximations for the radiative properties of patterned wafers for RTP applications     

Investigation of iron borate on the submillimeter waves

Antiferromagnetic resonance (AFMR) in iron borate at the frequency of 300 GHz at the room temperature in weak (down to 0.1T) external magnetic fieldH has been studied. The loss in AFMR line increased or decreased depending on the direction and magnitude ofH. Such properties ofFeBO ₃ monocrystals allows to design undirectional and modulation devices.     

Inference and retrieval of facial images

Attempts have been made to extend SQL to work with multimedia databases. We are reserved on the representation ability of extended SQL to cope with the richness in content of multimedia data. In this paper we present an example of a multimedia database system, Computer Aided Facial Image Inference and Retrieval system (CAFIIR). The system stores and manages facial images and criminal records, providing necessary functions for crime identification. We would like to demonstrate some core techniques for multimedia database with CAFIIR system. Firstly, CAFIIR is a integrated system. Besides database management, there are image analysis, image composition, image aging, and report generation subsystems, providing means for problem solving. Secondly, the richness of multimedia data urges feature-based database for their management. CAFIIR is feature-based. A indexing mechanism,iconic index, has been proposed for indexing facial images using hierarchical self-organization neural network. The indexing method operates on complex feature measures and provides means for visual navigation. Thirdly, special retrieval methods for facial images have been developed, including visual browsing, similarity retrieval, free text retrieval and fuzzy retrieval.     

Prognostic value of plasma atrial natriuretic factor, norepinephrine and epinephrine in acute myocardial infarction

Case reports from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1989 have suggested that the introduction of human insulin in 1985 was associated with an increased risk of sudden death in insulin-treated diabetic patients. If human insulin increases the risk of sudden death, the number of these should have increased during the period where human insulin was introduced. We therefore identified all cases of sudden death in Denmark in younger insulin-treated diabetic patients, age at death below 50 years. During this period the consumption of human insulin went from 0.2% to 70% of the total consumption in Denmark. The total number of cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria was 226, and the annual number of sudden deaths did not change during the study period (p = 0.14). The number of deaths due to hypoglycaemia and cases with unexplained cause of death also remained constant (test for trend: p = 0.44). Chronic alcohol abuse or acute alcohol intoxication was found in 50% of the 135 patients dying from hypoglycaemia, ketoacidosis or unknown cause of death (including found dead in bed), while this was the case in only 16% of the remaining 91 cases dying from other natural causes. We conclude that introduction of human insulin in Denmark was not followed by an increase in sudden deaths among younger insulin-treated diabetic patients.     

Diagnostic results and their clinical interpretation--or: what you never wanted to know about diagnosis

OBJECTIVE: To analyze HLA-DR4 alleles in New Zealand Polynesians with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Thirty Polynesians and 30 Caucasians with RA, as well as 65 Polynesian and 60 Caucasian healthy blood donors, were DR4 subtyped using the polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. RESULTS: The frequency of DR4 (DRB1*04) was increased in both Polynesian (P < 0.001) and Caucasian (P < 0.005) RA patients compared with race-matched controls. Dw4 (DRB1*0401) was detected in 15 of 30 Caucasian patients but only 2 of 30 Polynesian patients (P < 0.001). In Polynesians, RA was associated with Dw15 (DRB1*0405), which was present in 11 of 30 patients and 3 of 65 controls (P < 0.001). Dw13 (DRB1*0403) was the most frequent DR4 allele in healthy Polynesians, but was not significantly associated with RA. CONCLUSION: The predominance of the Dw13 subtype in Polynesians may explain in part the low prevalence of RA in this population. The association of Dw15 with RA in Polynesians supports the hypothesis that the third hypervariable region of DR beta determines susceptibility to RA.     

A surgical case of liposarcoma in the chest wall within the thoracic cavity of a young patient

A 21-year-old man presented to our hospital on June 7, 1990, asymptomatic but with an abnormal shadow in his chest roentgenogram. A well-demarcated tumorous shadow was seen in the left hilum of the lung in the frontal view of the chest X-ray, and adjacent to the posterior chest wall in the lateral view. A percutaneous needle biopsy was performed, and since there were no malignant findings, the tumor was left untreated for future examinations. However, since the tumor was observed to be enlarging gradually in subsequent chest X-rays, it was resected surgically on June 18, 1991. The tumor was fist-sized and its surface smooth, and was protruding into the thoracic cavity. At surgery, the tumor was separated from the chest wall. The tumor, weighing 170 grams, was diagnosed pathologically as a liposarcoma (myxoid type). It was confirmed that there was no infiltration into the surrounding tissue and that total resection had been performed. There are few reports of liposarcomas within the thoracic cavity developing in the extra-mediastinal chest wall. As our case is the second in Japan occurring in a young patient, we present it here together with a review of the literature.     

False aneurysm of the left ventricle and coronary aneurysms in Beh?et disease

A false left ventricular aneurysm and coronary artery aneurysm were discovered in a 29 year old patient with Beh?et's syndrome. The operation under cardiopulmonary bypass consisted of closing the neck of the false aneurysm by an endo-aneurysmal approach with a Gore-Tex patch. The coronary artery aneurysms were respected. There were no postoperative complications. Cardiac involvement is rare in Beh?et's syndrome (6%). The originality of this case is the association of two aneurysmal pathologies: the coronary and ventricular aneurysms due to the angiitis and the myocardial fragility induced by ischaemia.     

Fodrin is a constituent of the cortical lattice in outer hair cells of the guinea pig cochlea: immunocytochemical evidence

Localization of fodrin, a membrane skeletal protein, in the outer hair cell of the guinea pig cochlea was examined by immunocytochemical techniques. By immunofluorescence microscopy, fodrin was observed in the cuticular plate, in the infracuticular network and along the lateral wall. By immunoelectron microscopy of ultrathin cryosections, labeling for fodrin along the lateral wall was localized between the cell membrane and the outermost layer of the subsurface cisternae. Furthermore, pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy of permeabilized specimens showed that most immunogolds for fodrin were on the thin cross-linking component of the cortical lattice. The results indicate that fodrin is a constituent of the cortical lattice which is thought to play an important role in outer hair cell motility.