Study of a BGO calorimeter using electron and hadron beams from 1 to 50 GeV

A calorimeter of 25 bismuth germanate (BGO) crystals equipped with silicon photodiode readout has been tested at the CERN SPS in the energy range 1–50 GeV. The response for electrons has been shown to be linear in this energy range and the rms resolution obtained ( ) is approximately 1%, for E > 4 GeV. The electron/pion separation was found to be better than 1:500 in the energy range 1–20 GeV. Data on lateral and longitudinal shower development were compared with the results of a Monte Carlo simulation using the SLAC-EGS program and found to be in good agreement.     

April in Paris: signs of artificial life along the Seine

What if every public space and surface were transformed into an interactive experience - capturing our movements, gestures, sounds and actions and using these to produce new sounds, images, text and actions? Bus stops could come alive and talk back, advertisements could look back at you and talk to you and public park robotic devices could play games with you. Will public places eventually become our social barometer as well as director? Will billboards display the populace's discourse? The author look at some special streets in France where the city is literally alive with art and explores what it might mean for us to live in a world of artistic interactivity.     

Condition assessment of unshielded aged power and control cables byelectrical techniques

Experience with electrical diagnostic and high-potential tests, performed at the terminals of unshielded cables in older nuclear and thermal plants is presented. The three basic types of cable-low- and high-voltage power cables, control cables and instrumentation cables-that are important to the reliable operation of a generating station and large industrial plants are described, and their aging mechanisms are indicated. Dielectric testing of unshielded cables, the effect of grounding, field testing of station cables, and insulation characterization at low frequencies are discussed     

Image segmentation by a deformable contour model incorporating region analysis

Deformable contour models are useful tools for image segmentation. However, many fields depend mainly on local edge-based image features to guide the convergence of the contour. This makes the models sensitive to noise and the initial estimate. Our model incorporates region-based image features to improve its convergence and to reduce its dependence on initial estimation. Computational efficiency is achieved by an optimization strategy, modified from the greedy algorithm of Williams and Shah. The model allows a simultaneous optimization of multiple contours, making it useful for a large variety of segmentation problems.     

Performance of coherent data transmission in frequency-selectiveRayleigh fading channels

The error probability of digital transmission through a frequency-selective channel with random multipath fading due to uncorrelated scatterers is calculated. The error probability is averaged with respect to the randomly varying delays, with a given delay power spectrum. Two coherent receivers, suboptimum without any knowledge of the channel and optimum with perfectly known channel, are compared. The results are applied to continuous-phase-modulation (CPM) signals     

Fabrication and Characterization of Two‐Photon Polymerized Features in Colloidal Crystals

The fabrication and characterization of two‐photon polymerized features written within and outside of colloidal crystals is presented. Two‐photon polymerization (TPP) response diagrams are introduced and developed to map the polymerization and damage thresholds for features written via modulated beam rastering. The use of tris[4‐(7‐benzothiazol‐2‐yl‐9,9‐diethylfluoren‐2‐yl)phenyl]amine (AF‐350) as an initiator for TPP is demonstrated for the first time and TPP response diagrams illustrate the polymerization window. These diagrams also demonstrate that the polymerization behavior within and outside of colloidal crystals is similar and electron microscopy reveals nearly identical resolution. Fluorescence confocal microscopy further enables visualization of non‐self‐supporting, three‐dimensional TPP features within self‐assembled photonic crystals. Finally, microspot spectroscopy is collected from a two‐photon feature written within a colloidal crystal and this is compared with simulation.     

Cardiovascular effects produced by R-(+)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin in the preoptic area of conscious rats

The effect of ancrod-induced defibrinogenation on thrombosis and bleeding time was determined in anesthetized rats. Functional plasma fibrinogen levels were reduced 42, 71, 94 and 93% by ancrod doses of 5, 10, 20 and 30 U/kg, respectively, while a 2.5 U/kg dose was without significant effect. Ancrod inhibited vena cava thrombosis induced by partial stasis of blood flow combined with mild vascular injury. Thrombus weight was decreased 85 and 93% by the 10 and 20 U/kg doses, but was unaffected at lower doses. In contrast, ancrod doses of up to 30 U/kg did not significantly decrease carotid artery thrombi formed in response to oxidative transmural vessel injury. Ancrod caused a dose-dependent increase in bleeding time measured by puncturing small mesenteric arteries with a hypodermic needle. The bleeding time increase was approximately 38% in response to the 2.5 and 5 U/kg doses, and 182% in response to the 10 U/kg dose. These studies demonstrate that ancrod-induced reductions in plasma fibrinogen more effectively inhibit venous compared to arterial thrombosis, although these activities require doses that also increase bleeding time in small arteries.