Risks of a growing balance of payments deficit : hearing before the Subcommittee on Economic Policy of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, first session on the burgeoning balance of payments deficit which nearly doubled in the last few years, from $300 million in 1999 to an expected $500 billion in 2001, July 25, 2001.

"Printed for the use of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs."

Secure key distribution over a 500 km long link using a Raman ultra-long fiber laser

In traditional communication systems the transmission medium is considered as a given characteristic of the channel, which does not depend on the properties of the transmitter and the receiver. Recent experimental demonstrations of the feasibility of extending the laser cavity over the whole communication link connecting the two parties, forming an ultra-long fiber laser (UFL), have raised groundbreaking possibilities in communication and particularly in secure communications. Here, a 500 km long secure key distribution link based on Raman gain UFL is demonstrated. An error-free distribution of a random key with an average rate of 100 bps between the users is demonstrated and the key is shown to be unrecoverable to an eavesdropper employing either time or frequency domain passive attacks. In traditional communication systems the transmission medium is considered as a given characteristic of the channel, which does not depend on the properties of the transmitter and the receiver. Recent demonstrations of the feasibility of extending the laser cavity over the whole communication link connecting the two parties, forming an ultra-long fiber laser (UFL), have raised groundbreaking possibilities in communication. Here, a 500 km long secure key distribution link based on Raman gain UFL is demonstrated. © 2014 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Dual-polarization multi-band optical OFDM transmission and transceiver limitations for up to 500 Gb/s uncompensated long-haul links

A number of critical issues for dual-polarization single- and multi-band optical orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing (DPSB/ MB-OFDM) signals are analyzed in dispersion compensation fiber (DCF)-free long-haul links. For the first time, different DP crosstalk removal techniques are compared, the maximum transmission-reach is investigated, and the impact of subcarrier number and high-level modulation formats are explored thoroughly. It is shown, for a bit-error-rate (BER) of 10-3, 2000 km of quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) DP-MBOFDM transmission is feasible. At high launched optical powers (LOP), maximum-likelihood decoding can extend the LOP of 40 Gb/s QPSK DPSB- OFDM at 2000 km by 1.5 dB compared to zero-forcing. For a 100 Gb/s DP-MB-OFDM system, a high number of subcarriers contribute to improved BER but at the cost of digital signal processing computational complexity, whilst by adapting the cyclic prefix length the BER can be improved for a low number of subcarriers. In addition, when 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) is employed the digital-toanalogue/ analogue-to-digital converter (DAC/ADC) bandwidth is relaxed with a degraded BER; while the 'circular' 8QAM is slightly superior to its 'rectangular' form. Finally, the transmission of wavelength-division multiplexing DP-MB-OFDM and single-carrier DP-QPSK is experimentally compared for up to 500 Gb/s showing great potential and similar performance at 1000 km DCF-free G.652 line. © 2014 Optical Society of America.

Aspects of 350 ºC (500 ºF) embrittlement in a CrMoV steel

A study has been made of the fracture modes associated with toughness minima, observed in notched impact tests at 173K, for a weldable CrMoV steel, quenched from different austenitising temperatures, and tempered in the range 300-900K. The fracture mode at 623K varied from 100% transgranular cleavage for an austenitising temperature of 1523K. The results are discussed in terms of mechanisms for 350 ºC embrittlement, such mechanisms require modification to allow for the difficulty of dissolving alloy carbides at low austenitising temperatures.

A 2,500-year record of environmental change in Highlands Hammock State Park (Central Florida, U.S.A.) inferred from siliceous microfossils

Analysis of siliceous microfossils of a 79 cm long peat sediment core from Highlands Hammock State Park, Florida, revealed distinct changes in the local hydrology during the past 2,500 years. The coring site is a seasonally inundated forest where water availability is directly influenced by precipitation. Diatoms, chrysophyte statospores, sponge remains and phytoliths were counted in 25 samples throughout the core. Based on the relative abundance of diatom species, the record was subdivided into four diatom assemblage zones, which mainly reflect the hydrological state of the study site. An age-depth relationship based on radiocarbon measurements of eight samples reveals a basal age of the core of approximately 2,500 cal. yrs. BP. Two significant changes of diatom assemblage composition were found that could be linked to both, natural and anthropogenic influences. At 700 cal. yrs. BP, the diatom record documents a shift from tychoplanktonicAulacoseira species to epiphytic Eunotia species, indicating a shortening of the hydroperiod, i.e. the time period during which a wetland is covered by water. This transition was interpreted as being triggered by natural climate change. In the middle of the twentieth century a second major turnover took place, at that time however, as a result of human impact on the park hydrology through the construction of dams and canals close to the study site.

Uvigerina spp. minor element and derived d18Oseawater records over the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (500-1500 kyr), DSDP Hole 94-607

During the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT), the dominant glacial-interglacial cyclicity as inferred from the marine d18O records of benthic foraminifera (d18Obenthic) changed from 41 kyr to 100 kyr years in the absence of a comparable change in orbital forcing. Currently, only two Mg/Ca-derived, high-resolution bottom water temperature (BWT) records exist that can be used with d18Obenthic records to separate temperature and ice volume signals over the Pleistocene. However, these two BWT records suggest a different pattern of climate change occurred over the MPT-a record from North Atlantic DSDP Site 607 suggests BWT decreased with no long-term trend in ice volume over the MPT, while South Pacific ODP Site 1123 suggests that BWT has been relatively stable over the last 1.5 Myr but that there was an abrupt increase in ice volume at ~900 kyr. In this paper we attempt to reconcile these two views of climate change across the MPT. Specifically, we investigated the suggestion that the secular BWT trend obtained from Mg/Ca measurements on Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi and Oridorsalis umbonatus species from N. Atlantic Site 607 is biased by the possible influence of D[CO3]2- on Mg/Ca values in these species by generating a low-resolution BWT record using Uvigerina spp., a genus whose Mg/Ca values are not thought to be influenced by D[CO3]2-. We find a long-term BWT cooling of ~2-3°C occurred from 1500 to ~500 kyr in the N. Atlantic, consistent with the previously generated C. wuellerstorfi and O. umbonatus BWT record. We also find that changes in ocean circulation likely influenced d18Obenthic, BWT, and d18Oseawater records across the MPT. N. Atlantic BWT cooling starting at ~1.2 Ma, presumably driven by high-latitude cooling, may have been a necessary precursor to a threshold response in climate-ice sheet behavior at ~900 ka. At that point, a modest increase in ice volume and thermohaline reorganization may have caused enhanced sensitivity to the 100 kyr orbital cycle.

Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 car racing event, at the Trentonian 200

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Janet Guthrie, first woman to qualify for the Indy 500, at Trentonian 200

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

AIDS benefit press conference at Madison Square Garden, Ted Weiss, NY City Council presents a $500 check to Mel Rosen

General note: Title provided by Bettye Lane

Variabilité, stase et régionalisation stylistiques : la céramique du site Hector-Trudel et du Nord-Est américain au sylvicole moyen tardif (500 à 1000 ap. J.-C.)

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Radiotherapy Assessment Using Diffusion Weighted MRI

Purpose: There are two goals of this study. The first goal of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using classic textural feature extraction in radiotherapy response assessment among a unique cohort of early stage breast cancer patients who received the single-dose preoperative radiotherapy. The second goal of this study is to investigate the clinical feasibility of using classic texture features as potential biomarkers which are supplementary to regional apparent diffusion coefficient in gynecological cancer radiotherapy response assessment.

Methods and Materials: For the breast cancer study, 15 patients with early stage breast cancer were enrolled in this retrospective study. Each patient received a single-fraction radiation treatment, and DWI and DCE-MRI scans were conducted before and after the radiotherapy. DWI scans were acquired using a spin-echo EPI sequence with diffusion weighting factors of b = 0 and b = 500 mm2/s, and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were calculated. DCE-MRI scans were acquired using a T1-weighted 3D SPGR sequence with a temporal resolution of about 1 minute. The contrast agent (CA) was intravenously injected with a 0.1 mmol/kg bodyweight dose at 2 ml/s. Two parameters, volume transfer constant (Ktrans) and kep were analyzed using the two-compartment Tofts pharmacokinetic model. For pharmacokinetic parametric maps and ADC maps, 33 textural features were generated from the clinical target volume (CTV) in a 3D fashion using the classic gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCOM) and gray level run length matrix (GLRLM). Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the significance of each texture feature’s change after the radiotherapy. The significance was set to 0.05 with Bonferroni correction.

For the gynecological cancer study, 12 female patients with gynecologic cancer treated with fractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) combined with high dose rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy were studied. Each patient first received EBRT treatment followed by five fractions of HDR treatment. Before EBRT and before each fraction of brachytherapy, Diffusion Weighted MRI (DWI-MRI) and CT scans were acquired. DWI scans were acquired in sagittal plane utilizing a spin-echo echo-planar imaging sequence with weighting factors of b = 500 s/mm2 and b = 1000 s/mm2, one set of images of b = 0 s/mm2 were also acquired. ADC maps were calculated using linear least-square fitting method. Distributed diffusion coefficient (DDC) maps and stretching parameter α were calculated. For ADC and DDC maps, 33 classic texture features were generated utilizing the classic gray level run length matrix (GLRLM) and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCOM) from high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV). Wilcoxon signed-rank statistics test was applied to determine the significance of each feature’s numerical value change after radiotherapy. Significance level was set to 0.05 with multi-comparison correction if applicable.

Results: For the breast cancer study, regarding ADC maps calculated from DWI-MRI, 24 out of 33 CTV features changed significantly after the radiotherapy. For DCE-MRI pharmacokinetic parameters, all 33 CTV features of Ktrans and 33 features of kep changed significantly.

For the gynecological cancer study, regarding ADC maps, 28 out of 33 HR-CTV texture features showed significant changes after the EBRT treatment. 28 out of 33 HR-CTV texture features indicated significant changes after HDR treatments. The texture features that indicated significant changes after HDR treatments are the same as those after EBRT treatment. 28 out of 33 HR-CTV texture features showed significant changes after whole radiotherapy treatment process. The texture features that indicated significant changes for the whole treatment process are the same as those after HDR treatments.

Conclusion: Initial results indicate that certain classic texture features are sensitive to radiation-induced changes. Classic texture features with significant numerical changes can be used in monitoring radiotherapy effect. This might suggest that certain texture features might be used as biomarkers which are supplementary to ADC and DDC for assessment of radiotherapy response in breast cancer and gynecological cancer.

Variabilité, stase et régionalisation stylistiques : la céramique du site Hector-Trudel et du Nord-Est américain au sylvicole moyen tardif (500 à 1000 ap. J.-C.)

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

“Digital Diagnostics and Communication (DDC) system” Redesigning the Emergency Ambulance

During the development of a new treatment space for the UK emergency ambulance participatory observations with front-line clinicians revealed the need for an integrated patient monitoring, communication and navigation system. The research identified the different information touch-points and requirements through modes of use analysis, day-in-the-life study and simulation workshops with clinicians. Emergency scenario and role-play with paramedics identified 5 distinct ambulance modes of use. Information flow diagrams were created and checked by paramedics and digital User Interface (UI) wireframes were developed and evaluated by clinicians during clinical evaluations. Feedback from clinicians defined UI design specification further leading to a final design proposal. This research was a further development from the 2007 EPSRC funded “Smart Pods” project. The resulting interactive prototype was co-designed in collaboration with ambulance crews and provides a vision of what could be achieved by integrating well-proven IT technologies and protocols into a package relevant in the emergency medicine field. The system has been reviewed by over 40 ambulance crews and is part of a newly co-designed ambulance treatment space.