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To better define seizure characteristics and to examine whether semiological seizure classification (SSC) can be appropriately applied to the seizures of infants and children, we studied 152 videotaped seizures recorded in 133 children. Seizure semiology was described on the basis of a series of behavioural, sensory, and motor phenomena according to SSC. Special emphasis was placed on whether one semiology can be representative of a patient’s whole semiology sequence. If one semiology was able to represent the whole sequence, the seizure was classified according to SSC. Ninety of 152 seizures (59.2%) could be classified as a single seizure type by SSC. However, only 19 of 53 seizures (35.9%) consisting of two semiologies, three of 24 seizures (12.5%) consisting of three semiologies, and one of eight seizures (12.5%) consisting of four semiologies could be classified according to SSC. Although SSC is very efficient, it is more accurately a descriptive terminology for clinical ictal events than a classification system.

In this paper, we propose a new electrode-barrier structure for direct integration of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based capacitors onto polysilicon plug for high density FRAM applications. The electrode-barrier structure is based on noble metal alloys (e.g. Pt–Rh, Pt–Ir, Pt–Ru) and their oxides (e.g. PtRhOx) which satisfy the needs for an excellent diffusion barrier as well as a high conducting electrode. It has been found that the PtRhOx/PtRh/PtRhOx electrode-barrier structure acts as a very good bottom electrode on poly-silicon plug. The bottom PtRhOx layer has shown excellent diffusion barrier properties for lead, oxygen and silicon up to processing temperatures of 700 °C as established by Auger electron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy studies. The electrode barriers showed no hillock formation and PZT films deposited on this structure crystallized predominantly in the perovskite phase. The capacitors exhibited very good hysteresis properties with remnant polarization (Pr) of 16 μC/cm2, a coercive field (Ec) of 32 kV/cm, extremely low fatigue (after 1×1010 cycles) of 3–4%, imprint (after 3.3×109 cycles) of 8–12%, retention (after 1×105 s) of 2–3% and leakage current density (at 100 kV/cm) less than 10—8 A/cm2. These electrode barriers hold excellent promise for application in high density FRAM capacitor over bit line (COB) structure.

Objectives: To examine the incidence, clinical and radiologic findings, and response to treatment of renovascular hypertension (RVHT) in moyamoya disease (MMD). Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical records in six RVHT cases (8.3%) among 72 MMD patients observed from November 1987 to December 1995. Results: The age at onset of MMD ranged from 9 months to 7 years 1 month (mean, 3.3 years). The most common initial manifestation of MMD was transient ischemic attack. Hypertension was detected between 4 years 4 months and 12 years 3 months (mean, 7.87 years). Unstimulated plasma renin activity was elevated in all six cases. Renal ultrasonography and captopril technetium 99m-labeled dimercaptosuccinic acid scan showed abnormal findings in four of five and in three of four available studies, respectively. However, both imaging studies showed abnormal findings only in the most severely affected kidneys even with bilateral renal artery stenosis. Renal arteriography revealed bilateral lesions in three of the patients and unilateral lesions in the others. Renal angioplasty was performed in four cases but was successful in only one and partially successful in another. A renal artery specimen obtained during renal autotransplantation showed intimal fibroplasia. At the last follow-up, one patient had normal blood pressure without the use of antihypertensive agents, but the other five patients needed this medication to control blood pressure. Conclusion: Because RVHT may be more commonly associated with MMD than has hitherto been appreciated, it is recommended that blood pressure be carefully followed and that diagnostic procedures for RVHT be carried out in hypertensive patients with MMD. (J Pediatr 1997;131:258-63)

This paper describes a number of optimizations that can be used to support the efficient execution of irregular problems on distributed memory parallel machines. These primitives (1) coordinate interprocessor data movement, (2) manage the storage of, and access to, copies of off-processor data, (3) minimize interprocessor communication requirements, and (4) support a shared name space. We present a detailed performance and scalability analysis of the communication primitives. This performance and scalability analysis is carried out using a workload generator, kernels from real applications, and a large unstructured adaptive application (the molecular dynamics code CHARMM).Copyright 1994, 1999 Academic Press, Inc.

In this study, we developed a neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) measurement system for a 1.7-MV tandem proton accelerator with a target covered with 300-nm-thick lithium (Li) layer. With implementation of beam chopping module after its ion source, the accelerator is configured to operate in pulsed-beam mode with a pulse width <50 ns at 20-kHz repetition rate. This enables the gamma flash-type nTOF measurement system to identify the neutron generated with 3-MeV proton beam energy. The nTOF system consists of a 3" cylindrical NaI(Tl) and four stilbene scintillation detectors. The NaI(Tl) scintillator is placed 50 cm from the Li target to measure the time of beam irradiation on the target, and the stilbene detectors are placed 2 and 2.4 m away to measure nTOF at each location. The nTOF system successfully measured the generated neutron energy at irradiated proton energies of 2.6 and 3.0 MeV with an average energy resolution of 15%.

An electronically tunable fuzzy membership function and two-input maximum (Max) and minimum (Min) circuits using current conveyors are presented. High speed and accuracy have been demonstrated by SPICE simulations.