Two-port subnetworks of exponential distributed parameter Z-Y-KZ and Y-Z-KY micro-circuits with similar transfer functions

This paper shows that one may find a two-port subnetwork of the exponential distributed parameter (DP) Z-Y-KZ micro-circuit whose open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current ratio-transfer functions are exactly the same as those of another two-port subnetwork of the exponential (DP) Y-Z-KY micro-circuit. There are in total 28 such unique non-redundant two-port subnetworks of the exponential Z-Y-KZ structure which have their counterparts produced by the exponential Y-Z-KY micro-circuit. The results are given in a table. This information is intended to eliminate the duplicacy of time-consuming labour involved in the analyses of these subnetworks obtainable from the exponential Z-Y-KZ and Y-Z-KY structures in view of recent interest in the performance characteristics of such subnetworks.     

The epidemiology of fatal motor vehicle accidents in Kuwait

The main objectives of this study are to present data on fatal motor vehicle accidents in Kuwait with a view to find out the principal epidemiological features, establish a baseline for future evaluation, use international death rates to compare Kuwait with other countries and offer specific recommendations as to how the risks involved can be reduced. The epidemiology of all fatal accidents which had occurred in Kuwait between 1 January 1977 and 31 December 1978 are analysed. This two-year series, which includes 726 accidents and represents 1.7% of all types of accidents, resulted in 803 deaths (7.3% of the national deaths toll) and 1175 injuries. The death rates per hundred million vehicle kilometers of travel, per 100,000 registered motor vehicles and per 100,000 resident population in 1978 were about 8.5, 84.8 and 31.7 respectively. These figures reveal significantly higher rates than in some industrialized countries, thus ranking motor vehicle accidents among the four leading causes of death and probably as the commonest single cause of death in Kuwait. The study shows that children under the age of 15 yr contributed 26.2% of all motor vehicle fatalities. 40.9% of pedestrian deaths (55.2% of the series), 25% of pedal-cyclist deaths, 6.3% of motorcyclist deaths and 1.2% of driver deaths. It also confirms the importance of the motor vehicle-pedestrian type of accident (58.3%) and the over-representation of buses, trucks and motorcycles with respect to involvement in fatal accidents as compared to their relative ratios of registered vehicles. The principal recommendations call for the formation of a National Council for Road Safety, the establishment of intensive roadside care, traffic education of road users and at risk groups, improvement of the environment and the firm enforcement of the law to curb the toll of this killer disease in a traditional country undergoing rapid modernization like Kuwait.     

Checking Timed Büchi Automata Emptiness Efficiently

This paper presents an on-the-fly and symbolic technique for efficiently checking timed automata emptiness. It is symbolic because it uses the simulation graph (instead of the region graph). It is on-the-fly because the simulation graph is generated during the test for emptiness. We have implemented a verification tool called Profounder based on this technique. To our knowledge, Profounder is the only available tool for checking emptiness of timed Büchi automata. To illustrate the practical interest of our approach, we show the performances of the tool on a non-trivial case study.     

Dietary factors and the regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase: implications for breast cancer and development

A role for mevalonate in cancer development has long been suggested by findings that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity is elevated in malignant cells. Increased synthesis mevalonate and mevalonate-derived nonsterol isoprenoids supports increased cell proliferation through the activation of growth-regulatory proteins and oncoproteins, and by promoting DNA synthesis. We have recently shown that mevalonate promotes the growth of human breast cancer cells both in culture and as tumors grown in nude mice. Inhibition mevalonate synthesis, therefore, may be an effective strategy to impair the growth of malignant breast cells. Several dietary compounds with known anti-cancer effects are also reported to inhibit HMG-CoA reductase activity. Here, we review evidence suggesting that inhibition of mevalonate synthesis may mediate the protective effects of cholesterol, plant isoprenoids, genistein, and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on experimental breast cancer.     

Electromechanical properties of high coupling single crystals under large electric drive and uniaxial compression

This work investigates the 33-mode electromechanical response of relaxor-ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) single crystals when driven with large fields approximately 0.4 MV/m under a combined direct current (DC) field and mechanical bias similar to those used in the design of sound projectors. It demonstrates that the remarkable small signal length extensional coupling (k33 > 0.90) and other electromechanical properties of morphotropic PMN-PT single crystals prevail under large drive. The observed k33 roll-off at 42 MPa compressive stress is analyzed in terms of the recent structural data and the high-order Devonshire theory of possible ferroelectric-ferroelectric transition trajectories.     

Query costs in HB(1) trees versus 2–3 trees

Query costs in random AVL trees are compared to those in random 2–3 trees. Both data structures are assumed to reside in main storage. Costs are calculated in terms of the number of node visits and key comparisons required to find a match or no match for a given key. The comparison is based upon theoretical concepts and implementation dependent considerations; e.g., data and instruction fetch. It is shown that if the cost of a key comparison is greater than or equal to the cost of a node access, then AVL trees are more advantageous.     

Molecular aggregation in poly(vinyl chloride). A novel analytical technique

A novel experimental technique based on gel permeation chromatography (GPC) has been developed for the measurement of molecular aggregation in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). PVC having a range of syndiotacticity was synthesized using polymerization temperatures of 30–70°C. Tacticity and molecular aggregation of these PVC samples were measured by NMR and GPC, respectively. The temperature dependence of molecular aggregation was found to be much greater than that of tacticity. This GPC technique is inherently more sensitive than NMR in the temperature range normally employed for commercial production of PVC. It should find extensive use in the control of PVC reactors and in PVC processing.     

On optimal parameter selection

Pontryagin's results on optimal parameter selection problems [1, p. 193] have been found to contain some errors, as reported in Boltyanskii [2, p. 263] and Hofer and Sagirow [4]. In this note, it is shown that Boltyanskii's results (on optimal parameters) are easily derived from Gamkrelidze's general maximum principle [3], which, in contrast to the former, also yields an explicit solution to the problem in certain special cases.