A biased percolation model for the analysis of electronic-device degradation

The biased percolation model is proposed for investigating device degradation and failure associated with the generation of defects due to local Joule heating. The degradation processes of a thin conducting or semiconducting film is monitored by a set of relevant indicators, such as: the evolution of damage pattern, the current distribution, the film resistance and its fluctuations, the defect concentration, the film lifetime, etc. The conductor-insulator (CI) and conductor-superconductor (CS) like degradation processes are considered. The results can be used to propose non-destructive indicators to test the reliability of samples and to interpret the corresponding experiments.     

Nonoperative management of esophageal perforations. Is it justified?

OBJECTIVE: Experiences obtained with nonoperative treatment (NOT), i.e. total prohibition of per oral food intake for a minimum of 7 days, administration of combinations of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and parenteral hyperalimentation, are described in the management of esophageal perforations. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The place, value, and indication of NOT in the management of esophageal perforation has not yet been unequivocally defined. As a result, contradictory data have been published regarding the outcome of NOT. METHODS: During the past 15 years (1979 to 1994), 20 of 86 patients (23.3%) with esophageal perforation have been treated nonoperatively from the outset. In this group, perforations were located to the upper, middle, and lower third of the esophagus in 50%, 30%, and 20%, respectively. In the operative management group (OT)--in which conservative (drainage, endeprothesis), reconstructive (suture, reinforced suture), and radical (resection) surgical methods were applied--lesions were preponderantly located in the lower one third of the esophagus (56.1%--37/66). As to the interval between the perforation and the onset of treatment, 14 patients had been diagnosed within 24 hours, whereas in 6 cases treatment had been begun beyond 24 hours. RESULTS: NOT could be successfully carried out in 16 patients; the decision to use NOT had to be revised in 4 other cases (Table 1). Two patients were lost; the mortality rate was 10% (2 of 20). The rate of complications was lower in the NOT group (20%, or 4 of 20) than in the OT group (50%, or 33 of 66). CONCLUSIONS: NOT can be suggested for the treatment of intramural perforations. In the case of transmural perforation, this approach should be taken into consideration if the esophageal lesion is circumscribed, is not in neoplastic tissue, is not in the abdominal cavity, and is not accompanied by simultaneous obstructive esophageal disease; in addition, symptoms and signs of septicemia should be absent.     

Biochemical alterations of the tunica albuginea in impotence

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to quantify the immunohistochemical stainings of collagen types I, III and IV, and investigate the value of glycohistochemical staining with 3 lectin types specific to a particular glycan structure, Arachis hypogaea, Triticum vulgare and concanavalin A, as a method of defining possible changes in the collagen structure of the tunica albuginea in potent and impotent patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 4 normal men, 4 with pure venous leakage and 4 with pure arterial disease. Collagen types I, III and IV, and lectins Arachis hypogaea, Triticum vulgare and concanavalin A were studied using a cell image processor. The labeling index relates to the percentage of staining and mean optical density relates to the staining intensity. RESULTS: Mean labeling index values for the 3 types of collagen and lectins were similar (p > 0.05). Mean optical density value relating to collagen type I was significantly higher in the arteriogenic group than in the other groups (p < 0.05), while mean optical density value of collagen type IV was significantly higher in the venogenic group than in the 2 other groups (p < 0.05). Mean optical density values relating to the 3 lectin types were similar in the 3 clinical groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An alteration in the distribution and structure of the various collagen types and lectins in the tunica albuginea of impotent patients has been shown that may interfere with normal function and lead to impotence.     

Stable high-order delta-sigma digital-to-analog converters

Stability analysis of high-order delta-sigma loops is a challenge. In this brief, a sufficient design criterion is presented for high-order multibit error-feedback digital-to-analog converters (DACs) which are especially suitable for high-speed operation. This analytical criterion might be too conservative, but it allows for the design of stable, robust, and high-resolution delta-sigma DACs. Both analytical and numerical analysis are performed for verification. Also, experimental results of a discrete-component multiplier-free prototype demonstrate 10-b operation at a very low oversampling ratio of 4.     

Internal excitation of intermediate mass fragments from collisions of 36Ar+Ag nuclei at 35 MeV/nucleon

An extruding wire knife was used to give adult male CFHB rats a minimally traumatic unilateral mechanical lesion of the medial forebrain bundle. In addition, some rats received bilateral intrastriatal injections of one of three fluorescent retrograde tracers either eight days before or eight days after the lesion. Injections made after the lesion revealed that about half of the animals had complete lesions of the nigrostriatal tract, while the other half were incompletely lesioned, the mean proportion of non-axotomized neurons being 23%. Over the 10 weeks following the lesions, the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive cells in the lesioned substantia nigra fell linearly, reaching a mean of 29% of that of the control substantia nigra. In the animals which were completely lesioned, neuronal survival at 10 weeks varied between 6 and 12%. That the disappearance of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons was due to cell death rather than the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase itself was confirmed by labelling the cells with Fluoro Gold before axotomy; the tracer was seen in survival neurons, microglia and in a few involuted neurons which continued to be tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive. This percentage of neurons surviving axotomy corresponds to the proportion of substantia nigra neurons which project to the contralateral striatum, and these neurons were in the region of the substantia nigra from which the contralateral projection originated. It is concluded that following mechanical transection of the nigrostriatal tract, all truly axotomized substantia nigra neurons die over a period of about 10 weeks.     

Metallic Nanoparticles in Heterogeneous Catalysis

Catalysis Letters - Heterogeneous catalysis is a chemical process achieved at solid–gas or solid–liquid interfaces. Many factors including the particle size, shape and metal-support...     

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and other nucleotides stimulate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine in intact fibroblasts

Addition of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to [¹⁴C]ethanolamine-prelabeled NIH 3T3 fibroblasts resulted in rapid formation of [¹⁴C]ethanolamine from the prelabeled cellular phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) pool. After 2-min exposure, 10 μM ATP had near maximal effects on PtdEtn hydrolysis. Several other nucleotides, including UTP, ITP, and the stable ATP analog adenosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATPγS), also had stimulatory effects on PtdEtn hydrolysis with a potency comparable to that observed with ATP. The same nucleotides which acted on PtdEtn hydrolysis also had similar stimulatory effects on the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) in [¹⁴C]choline-labeled cells. In isolated membranes, Mg²⁺ greatly enhanced the stimulatory effects of ATP and ATPγS, but not of other nucleotides, on the hydrolysis of PtdEtn and PtdCho. Results indicate that in isolated membranes, both ATP and ATPγS stimulate phospholipid hydrolysis by two different mechanisms, but in intact cells only one of these mechanisms appears to be responsive to externally added nucleotides.     

Some new aspects of the phase diagram of the NH 4 + /H+-W-O system

The phase composition of partially-reduced products of ammonium paratungstate (APT) was investigated. The samples were prepared by reducing the APT in a H₂ + N₂/129 volume ratio/atomosphere in the temperature range 610 to 860 K, and studied by means of chemical analysis, by X-ray diffraction analysis and by thermoanalytical methods. The reduction products can be described by the general formula of M _xWO_3–y+x/2 where M can be either H⁺ and/or NH ₄ ⁺ . Products considered as tungsten bronzes (TB) can be formed in a fairly narrow temperature range. Another product, the so-called decomposed APT (DAPT) is a mixture of bronzes and of some other compounds characterized by y/2 and considered as some intermediate phases between TB and tungstates.     

Development of a false alarm free, Advanced Loose Parts Monitoring System (ALPS)

An Advanced Loose Parts Monitoring System (its acronym is ALPS) has been developed and installed on each unit of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. ALPS uses sophisticated methods to identify the events hidden in the quite extensive background noise of nuclear power plants. A classification algorithm based on an expert system, which is trained during the start-up period of each fuel cycle, helps to improve the false alarm rate. Thus the false alarm rate was reduced to a minimum, statistically below 1%. In practice, even the remaining “false alarms” were identified to be originating from other noise sources using ALPS. The main principles of ALPS are presented. It is demonstrated, that even weak signals, comparable with the resolution of the analog-digital board, i.e. comparable with detection noises, can be identified at high certainty. Other events like vibration of the shaft of motor operated isolating valves have been identified by ALPS. Furthermore, experiences gained during the installation period are also discussed.     

Metabolic Adaptation as Potential Target in Papillary Renal Cell Carcinomas Based on Their In Situ Metabolic Characteristics

Metabolic characteristics of kidney cancers have mainly been obtained from the most frequent clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) studies. Moreover, the bioenergetic perturbances that affect metabolic adaptation possibilities of papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) have not yet been detailed. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the in situ metabolic features of PRCC vs. CCRCC tissues and compared the metabolic characteristics of PRCC, CCRCC, and normal tubular epithelial cell lines. The protein and mRNA expressions of the molecular elements in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and additional metabolic pathways were analyzed in human PRCC cases compared to CCRCC. The metabolic protein expression pattern, metabolite content, mTOR, and metabolic inhibitor sensitivity of renal carcinoma cell lines were also studied and compared with tubular epithelial cells, as “normal” control. We observed higher protein expressions of the “alternative bioenergetic pathway” elements, in correlation with the possible higher glutamine and acetate consumption in PRCC cells instead of higher glycolytic and mTOR activity in CCRCCs. Increased expression of certain metabolic pathway markers correlates with the detected differences in metabolite ratios, as well. The lower lactate/pyruvate, lactate/malate, and higher pyruvate/citrate intracellular metabolite ratios in PRCC compared to CCRCC cell lines suggest that ACHN (PRCC) have lower Warburg glycolytic capacity, less pronounced pyruvate to lactate producing activity and shifted OXPHOS phenotype. However, both studied renal carcinoma cell lines showed higher mTOR activity than tubular epithelial cells cultured in vitro, the metabolite ratio, the enzyme expression profiles, and the higher mitochondrial content also suggest increased importance of mitochondrial functions, including mitochondrial OXPHOS in PRCCs. Additionally, PRCC cells showed significant mTOR inhibitor sensitivity and the used metabolic inhibitors increased the effect of rapamycin in combined treatments. Our study revealed in situ metabolic differences in mTOR and metabolic protein expression patterns of human PRCC and CCRCC tissues as well as in cell lines. These underline the importance in the development of specific new treatment strategies, new mTOR inhibitors, and other anti-metabolic drug combinations in PRCC therapy.