Vision assistance in scenes with extreme contrast

The performance and architecture of a high dynamic range camera (HDRC) chip and the conceptional advantages for its adaptation to image processing systems in traffic environments are discussed. The HDRC chip was developed with 64×64 pixels using a standard digital 1.2-μm CMOS technology. It is shown that the implementation proves the functionality and indicates the system performance of a highly dynamic range camera is feasible     

Anaemia in juvenile chronic arthritis

Brush border myosin-I (BBMI) is a single-headed unconventional myosin found in the microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells, where it links the core bundle of actin filaments to the plasma membrane. An association of BBMI with anionic phospholipids has been shown to be mediated by a carboxy-terminal domain which is rich in basic amino acids. We have exploited this natural affinity of BBMI for negatively charged lipids to form two-dimensional (2D) crystals of this protein which are suitable for structural analysis by electron crystallographic techniques. The 2D crystals which we have obtained belong to one of two space groups, p22121 or p2. We present here projection maps calculated from images of negatively stained crystals for each of these crystal types to a resolution of 20 A and show that the asymmetric unit is the same in both crystal types.     

Evaluation of hot hardness and creep of a 350 grade commercial maraging steel

The hardening response and the indentation creep of a 350 grade commercial maraging steel were evaluated using a hot hardness tester. The hardness versus temperature plot exhibited three distinct regions. Hardness response was noted between 500–800 K. The unusually high values of activation energy and stress exponent obtained during the creep experiment could be rationalized by a novel concept of introducing a back stress term in the indentation creep relation. The corrected value of the activation energy was found to be reasonably in agreement with the activation energy for diffusion of Ni in iron. Results are supplemented with microstructural observation.     

Using two factor structures of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale for assessing adaptation to breast cancer

The validity and reliability of two factor structures of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale for assessing coping style was assessed by examining the relationship between the subscales, psychological distress, and quality of life (QOL) among Stage II and Stage IV breast cancer patients in four phases. First, MANOVAs assessed differences in coping, distress, and QOL across disease stages. Second, for each MAC factor structure, canonical correlation analyses assessed the relationship between coping styles, distress, and QOL, for each disease-stage group separately. Third, structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the relationship among coping styles, distress, and QOL for all participants. Finally, the internal consistency of both MAC factor structures was assessed using Chronbach's alpha. The results were as follows: (1) significant differences across disease stages were found for coping styles using either the Watson or the Schwartz MAC subscales, but there were no differences in levels of distress or QOL; (2) for both MAC factor structures, coping style was found to be highly related to emotional distress and QOL, however, the strengths of the correlations between individual coping styles and distress/QOL indicators varied across disease stages; (3) SEM indicated that coping style was significantly related to distress and QOL when stage of disease was not considered, and that coping style and indicators of distress/QOL are separate, but highly correlated factors, as opposed to a single latent construct; and, (4) the Watson MAC subscales showed slightly better internal consistency than the Schwartz MAC subscales. Taken together, these findings highlight: (i) the validity of both MAC factor structures for clinical and research use with American breast cancer patients; (ii) the role of coping style as a mediator between disease stage and psychological distress and QOL; and, (iii) the need for refinement of certain Watson and Schwartz subscales.     

Wet-bulb temperature of binary mixtures

When binary mixtures are evaporated, a wet-bulb temperature does exist, provided that the evaporation is non-selective. The wet-bulb temperature can be calculated based on the energy balance, the kinetic equations for heat and mass transfer and the thermodynamic equilibrium. The calculated wet-bulb temperatures were found to be in good agreement with the experimental ones, obtained with mixtures of isopropyl alcohol and water.     

A Novel Band-Reject Element for Pseudoelliptic Bandstop Filters

A novel band-reject element for the design of inline waveguide pseudoelliptic band-reject filters is introduced. The element consists of an offset partial-height post in a rectangular waveguide in which the dominant TE₁₀ mode is propagating. The location of the attenuation pole is primarily determined by the height of the post that generates it. The element allows the implementation of weak, as well as strong coupling coefficients that are encountered in asymmetric band-reject responses with broad stopbands. The coupling strength is controlled by the offset of the post with respect to the center of the main waveguide. The posts are separated by uniform sections of the main waveguide. An equivalent low-pass circuit based on the extracted pole technique is first used in a preliminary design. An improved equivalent low-pass circuit that includes a more accurate equivalent circuit of the band-reject element is then introduced. A synthesis method of the enhanced network is also presented. Filters based on the introduced element are designed, fabricated, and tested. Good agreement between measured and simulated results is achieved     

Near-field optical imaging of unstained bacteria: comparison with normal atomic force and far-field optical microscopy in air and aqueous media

Simultaneous near-field scanning optical and atomic force imaging of bacteria is presented. The bacteria imaged in these studies were unstained. The near-field optical images had excellent signal-to-noise and showed excellent contrast even in these unstained specimens. The images obtained were interpreted in terms of the images that have been obtained by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray imaging. The results show that bacterial near-field optical imaging is going to be a very important tool in the arsenal of the bacteriologist both in terms of understanding the fundamental processes in the life cycle of bacteria with and without cytochemical staining and in terms of clinical diagnostic applications.