Organizing the production of heat-insulating inserts for ingot-mold hot tops

The Zlatoust Metallurgical Plant has developed a technology that employs semi-dry pressing to make two-layer (composite) heat-insulating inserts for ingot-mold hot tops. The working layer is made of a mixture of materials based on quartz sand, while the insulating layer is based on foamed vermiculate. The binders are sodium silicate solution and commercial lignosulfonate with a density of 1.12–1.20 g/cm³.     

School psychologists' acceptability of behavioral and traditional assessment procedures for externalizing problem behaviors.

A national survey of school psychologists' acceptability of psychological assessment techniques in the area of externalizing problem behaviors was examined. School psychologists' ratings of 2 procedures, Behavioral Assessment (BA) and Traditional Assessment (TA), were compared using an analog case study methodology. Using a random sample of 500 National Association of School Psychologists members from the 1991–1992 membership directory, 339 Ss completed the Assessment Rating Profile after reading a hypothetical case summary describing a student with suspected externalizing problem behaviors. Results indicated statistically significant differences between assessment methods and ratings of acceptability. BA procedures were found to be more acceptable than TA procedures. Implications related to the acceptability of psychological assessment techniques, as well as implications for school psychology practitioners are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost Effective VLSI Architectures for Full-Search Block-Matching Motion Estimation Algorithm

In this paper, we present efficient VLSI architectures for full-search block-matching motion estimation (BMME) algorithm. Given a search range, we partition it into sub-search arrays called tiles. By fully exploiting data dependency within a tile, efficient VLSI architectures can be obtained. Using the proposed VLSI architectures, all the block-matchings in a tile can be processed in parallel. All the tiles within a search range can be processed serially or concurrently depending on various requirements. With the consideration of processing speed, hardware cost, and I/O bandwidth, the optimal tile size for a specific video application is analyzed. By partitioning a search range into tiles with appropriate size, flexible VLSI designs with different throughput can be obtained. In this way, cost effective VLSI designs for a wide range of video applications, from H.261 to HDTV, can be achieved.     

Detection of melanoma by monitoring the intracellular fluorescein fluorescence polarization changes in lymphocytes

The effectiveness of detecting melanoma by measuring the intracellular fluorescein fluorescent polarization (IFFP) of patients' SCM (structuredness of the cytoplasmic matrix)-responding lymphocytes was examined. SCM-responding lymphocytes from 46 melanoma patients and 32 healthy volunteers were labeled with fluorescein diacetate and challenged with different stimuli, and the resulting polarization was determined. The polarizations (P) obtained upon stimulation with nothing (P-0), encephalitogenic factor (P-EF), phytohaemagglutinin (P-PHA), or melanoma antigen (P-MEL), and the ratios RR(ef) (P-EF/P-PHA) and RR(mel) (P-MEL/P-PHA) were lower for SCM-responding lymphocytes from the patients as a group than for those of the controls. The specificity and sensitivity of the IFFP tests (using cutoff values) to detect melanoma were 90.6 and 73.9%, respectively. The IFFP tests may facilitate the discrimination between melanoma patients and healthy subjects, and may be used in follow-up of patients with melanoma.     

Mikrotechnik für Raumfahrtanwendungen

This contribution describes the preparation, based upon a chemically amplified novolak resist (CAR), electron beam lithography, and ECR plasma etching, of structures with a high aspect ratio (10∶1) and lateral dimensions in the sub-micrometer range (150nm–300nm) which may serve as collector surfaces for sub-μm dust particles in a space experiment.     

Determination of diffusing capacity by modeling the dynamics of C18O uptake in newborns

Dynamic modeling of lung C¹⁸O diffusion is used to measure the C¹⁸O transfer factor (TL_co) of 14 newborns aged 1-4 mo. The model equation is based on the alveolar fractions of C¹⁸O and on changing alveolar ventilation induced by the rebreathing conditions. The model does not involve the volume of the rebreathing bag which is usually needed when applying rebreathing technique add which is a source of error. The equation is discretized and solved for recorded data obtained with equipment adapted to use in newborns. A least-square parameter calculation technique is applied to estimate TL_co. Results show a strong relationship between this index and the biometrical ones and confirm those found in the literature featuring that the measurement duration can be considerably shortened     

Distribution of recombination currents in the space charge regionof heterostructure bipolar devices

This paper addresses the problem of the space charge region Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination currents in heterojunctions with one noncrystalline side. A formulation which generalizes previous works is discussed. The approach is based on the drift-diffusion model with a thermionic-field emission boundary condition. The main physical parameters which determine the relative contribution of each zone of the space charge region (SCR) to the total recombination current are identified. The general analysis is applied for the first time to amorphous/crystalline heterojunctions and design criteria are established to minimize the total recombination current