Finite element analysis of electromagnetic scattering from a cavity

A finite element method (FEM) is implemented to compute the radar cross section of a two-dimensional (2D) cavity embedded in an infinite ground plane. The method is based on the variational formulation which uses the Fourier transform to couple the fields outside the cavity and those inside the cavity; hence, the scattering problem can be reduced to a bounded domain. The convergence of the discrete finite element problem is analyzed. Numerical results are presented and compared with those obtained by the standard finite element-Green function method and by the 2D integral equation method.     

Desalination by distillation and by reverse osmosis — trends towards the future

As the requirement for fresh water increases worldwide, there is a need for more and more plants that are able to treat non-conventional water sources. Sea water has become an important source of fresh water in many arid regions. This feature provides an overview of recent process improvements in sea water desalination using reverse osmosis, multi-stage flash, multi-effect distillation and electrodialysis. Areas discussed include the use of alternative energy sources (wind energy, solar energy and nuclear energy) for reverse osmosis or distillation processes, and the impact of the different desalination process on the environment. Also covered are the implementation of hybrid processes in sea water desalination, and the pretreatment of desalination plants by pressure-driven membrane processes.     

Light-induced electron spin polarization in the ground state of water-soluble copper porphyrins

Light-induced spin-polarized transient EPR spectra are reported for several water-soluble copper porphyrins. The spectra are assigned to the doublet ground state, with emissive spin polarization resulting from photoexcitation and subsequent electronic relaxation. In contrast to other systems for which polarization of a doublet ground state has been observed, the exchange interactions in the copper porphyrins are strong and the geometry is fixed. It is proposed that intersystem crossing from the photoexcited trip-doublet to the trip-quartet state can lead to net polarization of the spin system and that this polarization is maintained during electronic decay, possibly via charge-transfer and exciplex states. The intensity of the observed spin polarization is essentially independent of the molecular orientation in the external field, but is strongly dependent on the nature of the charged peripheral groups. Possible reasons for this behavior are discussed.     

General expression for pdf of a sum of independent exponential random variables

In order to evaluate exactly the performance of some diversity schemes, the probability density function (pdf) of a sum of independent exponential random variables (r.v.'s) must be known. This paper proposes a simple method to find it by using characteristic function., The resultant pdf is successfully applied to formulate the closed-form BER expression of 2 Tx-J Rx transmit diversity as well as the outage probability of repetition coding.     

Novel level-identifying circuit for flash multilevel memories

This paper presents a high-speed, small-area circuit specifically designed to identify the levels in the read out operation of a flash multilevel memory. The circuit is based on the analog computation of the Euclidean distance between the current read out from a memory cell and the reference currents that represent the different logic levels. An experimental version of the circuit has been integrated in a standard double-metal 0.7-μm CMOS process with a die area of only 140×100 μm². Operating under a 5-V power supply, this circuit identifies the read-out current of a memory cell, and associates it with the appropriate logic level in 9 ns     

Cytotoxic effects of topotecan combined with various anticancer agents in human cancer cell lines

BACKGROUND: Topotecan (TPT) is a topoisomerase I poison that exhibits antineoplastic activity. Analysis of the cytotoxic effects of combinations of TPT and other anticancer agents has been limited. PURPOSE: We assessed the cytotoxic effects produced by combinations of TPT and other antineoplastic agents in experiments involving multiple human cancer cell lines of diverse histologic origins. METHODS: The cytotoxic effects of various antimetabolites (fluorouracil, methotrexate, or cytarabine), antimicrotubule agents (vincristine or paclitaxel [Taxol]), DNA alkylating agents (melphalan, bis[chloroethyl]nitrosourea [BCNU], or 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide [4HC]), and a DNA-platinating agent (cisplatin), alone and in combination with TPT, were measured in clonogenic (i.e., colony-forming) assays. HCT8 ileocecal adenocarcinoma, A549 non-small-cell lung carcinoma, NCI-H82ras(H) lung cancer, T98G glioblastoma, and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines were used in these assays. The data were analyzed by the median effect method, primarily under the assumption that drug mechanisms of action were mutually nonexclusive (i.e., completely independent of one another). For each level of cytotoxicity (ranging from 5% to 95%), a drug combination index (CI) was calculated. A CI less than 1 indicated synergy (i.e., the effect of the combination was greater than that expected from the additive effects of the component agents), a CI equal to 1 indicated additivity, and a CI greater than 1 indicated antagonism (the effect of the combination was less than that expected from the additive effects of the component agents). RESULTS: When the mechanisms of drug action were assumed to be mutually nonexclusive, virtually all CIs for combinations of TPT and either antimetabolites or antimicrotubule agents revealed cytotoxic effects that were less than additive. The CIs calculated at low-to-intermediate levels of cytotoxicity for combinations of TPT and the DNA alkylating agents melphalan, BCNU, and 4HC also showed drug effects that were less than additive; in most cases, however, nearly additive or even synergistic effects were observed with these same drug combinations at high levels of cytotoxicity (i.e., at > or = 90% inhibition of colony formation). Results obtained with combinations of TPT and cisplatin varied according to the cell line examined. With A549 cells, less than additive effects were seen at low-to-intermediate levels of cytotoxicity, and more than additive effects were seen at high levels of cytotoxicity. With NCI-H82ras(H) cells, synergy was observed over most of the cytotoxicity range. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: TPT cytotoxicity appears to be enhanced more by combination with certain DNA-damaging agents than by combination with antimetabolites or antimicrotubule agents. Interactions between TPT and other drugs can vary depending on the cell type examined. Further investigation is required to determine the basis of the observed effects and to determine whether these in vitro findings are predictive of results obtained in vivo.     

The association of gonorrhoea and syphilis with premature birth and low birthweight

The indications and results of single and double lung transplantation are described on the basis of 66 operations performed by the authors and on the background of the world literature. Lung transplantation is considered a new and promising therapeutic mode for treating patients with end-stage pulmonary failure related to fibrosis, emphysema, infective conditions, and pulmonary hypertension yielding satisfactory early results. The long-term prognosis of patients undergoing lung transplantation, like that of any other organ transfer, remains guarded.     

Men, medicine and machines

PURPOSE: To examine the management and possible causes of primary valve malfunction of the Krupin eye valve with disk. METHODS: The authors reviewed the results of 113 patients undergoing implantation of the Krupin eye valve with disk and identified eight patients with primary valve malfunction requiring surgical revision. RESULTS: Valve revision involved manipulation (n = 1 case), explantation of the malfunctioning valve and implantation of a new valve (n = 2), and amputation of the valve (n = 5). Six of eight patients had final intraocular pressures of < 21 mmHg on one or no medications at a mean interval of 15.9 months (range 5-36) after surgical revision. Transient postoperative hypotony was noted in three patients and chronic hypotony with loss of light perception in one patient. One explanted valve was examined and found to have partially fused leaflets. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical revision in cases of primary valve malfunction of the Krupin eye valve with disk may be accomplished relatively safely with an acceptable level of postoperative complications. The etiology of primary valve malfunction may be related to the sterilization process and prolonged storage before implantation.     

Temperament and substance abuse in schizophrenia: is there a relationship?

Dyspnea may be easily appreciated during exercise with dyspneic scales, but methodological standardisation still needs to be specified. Authors review the basic physiological mechanism relating dyspnea to indices obtained during a stress test. They propose to use the dyspnea/VE relationship. With the concept of dyspneic threshold (close to the ventilatory threshold) and the ramp that both could be modified (for instance by rehabilitation programmes including exercise training). Interpretation of dyspnea during an exercise test obviously needs to be integrated with other parameters studied during exercise.     

Coronary bypass in vascular patients: a relatively high-risk procedure

A premise of cardiac risk stratification is that the added risk of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is offset by the improved safety of subsequent vascular reconstruction (VR). We questioned if elective CABG is patients with severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a relatively high-risk procedure. A cohort study of 680 elective CABG patients from January 1993 to December 1994 was performed using three mutually exclusive outcomes of complication-free survival, morbidity, and mortality. Patient characteristic, operative, and outcome data were prospectively collected. Retrospective review determined that 58 patients had either a standard indication for or a history of VR. Overall CABG mortality was 2.5%, with statistically similar but relatively higher rates for PVD as compared to non-PVD patients. In contrast, major morbidity occurred at rates 3.6-fold higher in PVD patients (39.7%) than in disease-free patients (16.7%) after adjustment for the effects of patient and operative variables (odds ratio [OR] 3.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.93-6.99). CABG morbidity in the PVD patient was most likely in those patients with aortoiliac (OR 9.51, CI 3.20-28.27) and aortic aneurysmal (OR 5.24, CI 1.28-21.41) disease types. CABG in PVD patients is associated with significant major morbidity. Such morbidity may preclude or alter the timing of subsequent VR.