An experimental procedure for the modification of psychotic behavior.

Subjected a 47-yr-old hospitalized female exhibiting hallucinatory behavior to a self-monitoring procedure with and without social reinforcement. After 16 days of treatment, hallucinations were extinguished with no remissions reported for approximately 6 mo. Other aspects of her behavior also showed improvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Algorithm for the retrieval of columnar water vapor from hyperspectral remotely sensed data

A new algorithm for the retrieval of columnar water vapor content is presented. The proposed procedure computes the area of the H2O absorption centered about 940 nm to allow its integrated columnar abundance as well as its density at ground level to be assessed. The procedure utilizes the HITRAN 2000 database as the source of H2O cross-section spectra. Experimental results were derived from radiometrically calibrated hyperspectral images collected by the Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) sensor over the Cuprite mining district in Nevada. Numerical simulations based on the MODTRAN 4 radiative transfer code were also employed for investigating the algorithm's performance. An additional empirical H2O retrieval procedure was tested by use of data gathered by the VIRS-200 imaging spectrometer.     

Ultrasonic integrated backscatter coefficient profiling of human coronary arteries in vitro

A theoretical formulation for the profile of the integrated backscatter coefficient (IBC) is derived. This new formulation is based on a theoretical treatment. It includes correction for the diffraction of the ultrasonic beam and correction for the non-ideal nature of the reference signal. The inclusion of these correction factors permits accurate quantitative profiling of the IBC over the transducer focal zone. Experimental measurements are first performed on well-calibrated vessel-equivalent phantom materials and subsequently on human coronary arteries in vitro. A spherically focused 50.0 MHz f/1.83 transducer is used. IBC profiles are shown for three samples that are representative of early, mid, and advanced atherosclerotic coronary disease. The IBC profiles clearly differentiate the arterial tissues. However, variation between samples with histologically confirmed intimal thickening (N=24) was large. The mean IBC (±1 standard deviation), in (Sr.mm)^-1, for media, adventitia, and thickened intima were 3.86×10^-3, 1.53×10^-2, and 2.24×10^-2, respectively. The mean IBC of thickened intima is larger than previous measurements obtained from femoral arteries, and the mean IBC for media and adventitia layers are lower, reflecting differences in tissue composition between coronary and femoral vessels     

Using the Curriculum Vita to Study the Career Paths of Scientists and Engineers: An Exploratory Assessment

In this paper we assess the utility of the curriculum vita (CV) as a data source for examining the career paths of scientists and engineers. CVs were obtained in response to an email message sent to researchers working in the areas of biotechnology and microelectronics. In addition, a number of CVs were obtained "passively" from a search of the Internet. We discuss the methodological issues and problems of this data collection strategy and the results from an exploratory analysis using OLS regression and event history analysis. In sum, despite difficulties with coding and variation in CV formats, this collection strategy seems to us to hold much promise.     

Electron beam irradiation effects on the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of a fluoroelastomer

Fluoroelastomer can be used as a sealing material for different purposes. The aim of this work is the evaluation of the effects of the ionizing radiation of an electron beam (EB) on the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of a commercial fluoroelastomer containing carbon black and inorganic fillers. The material was irradiated with overall doses between 10 and 250 kGy. Tensile strength (stress and strain at break), hardness (Shore A) and compression set were evaluated. Thermal behavior was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Surface modifications were inspected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The experiments have shown that EB irradiation promotes beneficial changes in the fluoroelastomer tensile strength behavior while compression set remain constant and the glass transition temperature increases. The SEM micrographs have shown compactness in the irradiated samples, although optical observations showed no surface morphology changes.     

Strategies to obtain pattern fidelity in nanowire growth from large-area surfaces patterned using nanoimprint lithography

Position controlled nanowire growth is important for nanowire-based optoelectronic components which rely on light emission or light absorption. For solar energy harvesting applications, dense arrays of nanowires are needed; however, a major obstacle to obtaining dense nanowire arrays is seed particle displacement and coalescing during the annealing stage prior to nanowire growth. Here, we explore three different strategies to improve pattern preservation of large-area catalyst particle arrays defined by nanoimprint lithography for nanowire growth. First, we see that heat treating the growth substrate prior to nanoimprint lithography improves pattern preservation. Second, we explore the possibility of improving pattern preservation by fixing the seed particles in place prior to annealing by modifying the growth procedure. And third, we show that a SiN _x growth mask can fully prevent seed particle displacement. We show how these strategies allow us to greatly improve the pattern fidelity of grown InP nanowire arrays with dimensions suitable for solar cell applications, ultimately achieving 100% pattern preservation over the sampled area. The generic nature of these strategies is supported through the synthesis of GaAs and GaP nanowires.

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Evaluation of applicability of 2D iron core model for two-limb configuration of GOLEM tokamak

This paper presents evaluation of applicability of 2D iron core model for highly non-axisymmetric two limb configuration of GOLEM tokamak (former CASTOR). Presented results explain the long-term discrepancy between measured magnitudes of external poloidal field and those calculated by air-core approach on this tokamak. The model has been applied to two poloidal planes at different toroidal angles in the vacuum vessel region and has shown that close to central column of the transformer, it is possible to correct for 3D effects by variation of chosen dimensions of axisymmetric iron core model. Satisfactory agreement of the 2D model results with the measured distribution of B_R field component was achieved.