Visible Edge Research Articles

Recycling the Dorsal Hump: A Simple Technique to Prevent Dorsal Irregularities in Primary Rhinoplasty

Sir: Dorsal nasal irregularities are common aesthetic deformities following primary and secondary rhinoplasty, especially in patients with thin nasal dorsal skin. The authors present a simple technique of obtaining autologous graft material, by collecting the remnants of rasped osseocartilaginous dorsum, which is used as a routine in their rhinoplasty practice. The authors prefer open rhinoplasty in all patients. After transcolumellar and infracartilaginous incisions, a distally subperichondrial and proximally subperiosteal pocket is developed over the osseocartilaginous dorsum. A nasal dorsum rasp is introduced into this space and the dorsal hump is removed by rasping alone. During rasping, tiny fragments of bone and cartilage are produced from the breakdown of osseocartilaginous dorsum (Fig. 1). These particles are collected meticulously from the surface of the rasp by drying the rasp on a piece of gauze or from the pocket with an atraumatic forceps. Aspiration of blood by the assistant is not allowed at this stage. Hemostasis is achieved by sponges, and these sponges are also preserved for collecting any particles attached on them. When all particles are gathered and dried over a piece of gauze, a solid “meatball” of osseocartilaginous graft material is obtained (Fig. 2). This graft material is placed on the osseocartilaginous dorsum just before closure of incisions, and the nose is taped and splinted.Fig. 1.: Tiny fragments of bone and cartilage are formed by rasping the nasal dorsum.Fig. 2.: These particles are gathered into a “meatball” composite graft.This technique, which was used as a routine in 562 primary open rhinoplasties between 2002 and 2008, simply eliminated postoperative dorsal nasal irregularities in our rhinoplasty practice. Prevention of dorsal irregularities that may occur even in the most experienced hands is much easier than treating them. The authors believe that in primary rhinoplasty of patients with thin dorsal nasal skin, a maneuver that adjusts the smoothness and softness of nasal dorsum should be a part of the routine. Many techniques have been suggested in attempts to prevent visible sharp edges of dorsal nasal structures, most of which involve placement of soft, smooth, pliable grafts of autologous or alloplastic origin such as fat, diced cartilage, fascia, bone chips, AlloDerm (LifeCell Corp., Branchburg, N.J.), polytetrafluoroethylene patches, silicone sheets, and Vicryl (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, N.J.) mesh.1–4 Our technique is simply about returning the rasped osseocartilaginous hump to where it belongs. Absence of additional donor-site morbidity is a major advantage over most autologous graft options. Lower cost and avoidance of infectious complications are advantages over alloplastic materials. Prolonged edema, which is common after contouring with dermis grafts or AlloDerm, is not seen with this technique. No envelope or wrapping is necessary. The adequacy of graft material obtained with this technique may be a subject of curiosity. In our opinion, the higher level of control that is provided by rasp removal of dorsum diminishes the amount of material that is necessary to camouflage subtle irregularities in primary rhinoplasty. In cases where additional volume is desired, especially in secondary rhinoplasties, remnants of septal, conchal, or costal cartilages that are left on the table after placement of grafts can be rasped on the table and added to the meatball. DISCLOSURE Neither of the authors has a financial conflict of interest to disclose with regard to the content of this article. Aycan Kayikçioğlu, M.D. Ozan Bitik, M.D. Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Esthetic Surgery Ankara, Turkey

Doppler synthetic aperture hitchhiker imaging

In this paper we consider passive airborne receivers that use backscattered signals from sources of opportunity transmitting single-frequency or ultra-narrowband waveforms. Because of its combined passive synthetic aperture and the single-frequency nature of the transmitted waveforms, we refer to the system under consideration as Doppler synthetic aperture hitchhiker (DSAH). We present a novel image formation method for DSAH. Our method first correlates the windowed signal obtained from one receiver with the windowed, filtered, scaled and translated version of the received signal from another receiver. This processing removes the transmitter-related variables from the phase of the Fourier integral operator that maps the radiance of the scene to the correlated signal. Next, we use microlocal analysis to reconstruct the scene radiance by the weighted backprojection of the correlated signal. The image reconstruction method is applicable to both cooperative and non-cooperative sources of opportunity using one or more airborne receivers. It has the desirable property of preserving the visible edges of the scene radiance. Additionally, it is an analytic reconstruction technique that can be made computationally efficient. We present numerical simulations to demonstrate the performance of the image reconstruction method and to verify the theoretical results.

Water photolysis by NaTaO 3-C composite prepared by spray pyrolysis

Spherical powders of NaTaO 3-C composite were prepared by a step process in a continuous spray pyrolysis reactor and tested their photocatalytic activity in a continuous slurry reactor for the production of hydrogen from water. Effects of carbon contents in the composite on the crystal, surface property, shape, optical absorption response and efficiency of hydrogen production of the composite were examined. The crystal of NaTaO 3-C composite was analyzed by XRD analysis. From the analysis of SEM images, the prepared composite powder was found to be spherical with rough surface. The roughness of the composite surface became noticeable with increasing carbon content in the composite. The concentrations of all elements in the composite were determined by energy dispersive spectra (EDS). From the analysis of optical response, which was analyzed by diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), the absorption edge of NaTaO 3-C composite was extended to the whole visible light range. The extension to the visible light absorption edge became drastic with increasing carbon content in the composite up to 8.98 wt.%. However, this shift is not directly related to the band change because there is no evidence that carbon is incorporated in the lattice of NaTaO 3.

Redox properties and oxidation catalysis of group 5 metal (V, Nb, Ta)-containing Keggin and Wells–Dawson heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts

Group 5 metal-containing H 4PW 11M 1O 40 (M = V, Nb, Ta) Keggin heteropolyacids (HPAs) and H 7P 2W 17M 1O 62 (M = V, Nb, Ta) Wells–Dawson HPAs were prepared in this work. Reduction potentials and UV–visible absorption edge energies of H 4PW 11M 1O 40 (M = V, Nb, Ta) and H 7P 2W 17M 1O 62 (M = V, Nb, Ta) HPA catalysts in solution were measured by an electrochemical method and UV–visible spectroscopy, respectively. It was observed that reduction potentials of H 4PW 11M 1O 40 (M = V, Nb, Ta) and H 7P 2W 17M 1O 62 (M = V, Nb, Ta) HPA catalysts increased with decreasing absorption edge energies of the HPA catalysts. In order to correlate the redox properties (reduction potential and absorption edge energy) with the oxidation catalysis of H 4PW 11M 1O 40 (M = V, Nb, Ta) and H 7P 2W 17M 1O 62 (M = V, Nb, Ta) HPA catalysts, we carried out vapor-phase benzyl alcohol oxidation as a model reaction. Yield for benzaldehyde increased with increasing reduction potential and with decreasing absorption edge energy of the HPA catalysts. Reduction potentials of H 4PW 11M 1O 40 (M = V, Nb, Ta) and H 7P 2W 17M 1O 62 (M = V, Nb, Ta) HPA catalysts measured by an electrochemical method and absorption edge energies of the HPA catalysts measured by UV–visible spectroscopy could be utilized as probes of oxidation catalysis of the HPA catalysts.

Effect of tissue shrinkage on histological tumour-free margin after excision of basal cell carcinoma

Histology reports of skin tumour excisions frequently describe a histological margin significantly less than the planned surgical excision margin. A novel method of marking visible tumour margin was devised. This allowed us to evaluate the accuracy of tumour detection and to compare tissue contraction of the clinically normal perilesional skin with that of tumour tissue following excision and fixation. Forty-four well-defined basal cell carcinomas were excised from 42 patients. The visible tumour edge was marked by scoring with a blade around its circumference prior to excision. This allowed comparison of visible and true histological tumour margin. The excision margin was carefully measured from the scored line and the tumour excised. After tissue fixation and processing the histological dimensions of tumour and perilesional margin skin were compared with the pre-excision measurements. The tumour edge was accurately identified to within 1 mm in 67% of margins and was underestimated in only 4%. The whole specimen contracted by a mean of 14%. Skin containing tumour contracted by a mean of 11% but adjacent tumour-free skin in the same plane contracted by a mean of 19%. There was no significant effect of age and site on difference in percentage shrinkage between tumour and margin. We underestimated tumour extent at only 4% of margins. Tissue shrinkage was the most important factor affecting eventual histological margin. Our novel technique allowed us to demonstrate that this shrinkage is not uniform across the specimen, but is disproportionately high in the tumour-free margin. This suggests that previous estimates of margin shrinkage, based on whole-specimen contraction measurements, may have been erroneously low.

Mayors, Governors, and Presidents: The New Education Executives and the End of Educational Exceptionalism

Various accounts have noted a growing visibility and influence of presidents, governors, and mayors in the shaping of educational policy. Typically, explanations for this are discrete and situational: specific to particular levels of government, particular jurisdictions, particular visionary leaders, and transitory external events. This article reviews the historical manifestations of growing executive involvement in education throughout the federal system and introduces four rivals to the situational perspective. The emergence of the so-called new educational executives, it concludes, grows out of structural shifts in the institutional landscape and may be best understood as the more visible front edge of a broader reabsorption of education politics into the arena of general-purpose governance.

Redox Properties and Catalytic Oxidation Activities of Polyatom-Substituted H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) Keggin Heteropolyacid Catalysts

Redox properties and catalytic oxidation activities of polyatom-substituted H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) Keggin heteropolyacids (HPAs) were examined. Reduction potentials and UV–visible absorption edge energies of H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) HPA catalysts in solution were determined by an electrochemical method and UV–visible spectroscopy measurements, respectively. It was observed that reduction potentials of H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) HPA catalysts increased and UV–visible absorption edge energies of the HPA catalysts decreased with decreasing electronegativity of substituted polyatom. It was also found that the lower absorption edge energy corresponded to the higher reduction potential of the HPA catalyst. Vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol was carried out as a model reaction to probe the redox properties of H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) HPA catalysts. Yield for benzaldehyde increased with increasing reduction potential and with decreasing absorption edge energy of the HPA catalyst, and in turn, with decreasing electronegativity of substituted polyatom. Reduction potential of H n PW11M1O40 (M = V, Nb, Ta, and W) HPA catalysts measured by an electrochemical method and absorption edge energy of the HPA catalysts measured by UV–visible spectroscopy could be utilized as a probe of oxidation catalysis of the HPA catalysts.

Ultra Thin CVD Diamond Film Deposition by Electrostatic Self-Assembly Seeding Process with Nano-Diamond Particles

Ultra thin and smooth nano crystalline diamond films were fabricated with electrostatic self-assembly seeding of explosively synthesized nano-diamond particles. Hard aggregates of nano-diamond particles were crushed by high revolution attrition milling at 1000 RPM to regulate the particle size. Through this process, cationic nano-diamond particles were coated with anionic PSS (poly sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) electrolytes. Anionic Si(100) substrate was coated with cationic PDDA (poly diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) solution. Si(100)/PDDA/PSS/ND (nano-diamond) layer-by-layer structure was formed as a seeding layer by the simple dipping and rinsing of positively charged substrate into anionic PSS/nano-diamond solution. Throughout the seeding process, neither mechanical damage nor chemical attack was observed on the substrate. Every stage of this preparation was carried out at room temperature and pressure. The effect of attrition milling was determined by changing the milling time from 1 hr to 5 hrs. Through the attritional milling and monolayer formation of the nano-diamond, nucleation density was increased up to 3 x 10(11)/cm2. Typical hot filament chemical vapor deposition system was used to coat the diamond film on the ESA (electrostatic self-assembly) seeded Si(100) substrate. Although typical diamond deposition conditions (90 torr/1% CH4 in H2/800 degrees C) were maintained, ultra thin (< 100 nm) and continuous nano crystalline diamond films were deposited. Regardless of metallic or ceramic substrate, ESND (ESA Seeding of nano-diamond) process is applicable if the substrate has any charge. This simple nano technology based process ensures high thickness uniformity of diamond coating without visible edge effect.

Effect of Dose, Timing and Delivery of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha as an Adjuvant in Cryosurgery of ELT-3 Uterine Leiomyoma (Fibroid) Tumor

Uterine leiomyoma (fibroid or myoma) is the most common indication for hysterectomy in premenopausal women. Cryomyolysis is a uterus sparing procedure in which a myoma is frozen by a cryoprobe, thereby causing tissue necrosis upon thawing and eventual reduction in myoma size. Unfortunately, although the iceball is readily visualized (by ultrasound-US or magnetic resonance-MR), the tissue at the periphery of the iceball is not completely destroyed. One potential solution to this problem is the use of cryosurgical adjuvants that increase cryosurgical image guidance and efficacy. Previous work in our lab has shown that TNF-α (native or as the nanodrug, CYT-6091, Cytimmune Sciences, Inc.) can act synergistically with cryosurgery to destroy all prostate cancer within an iceball. Building on this work, the current study was designed to test TNF-α as an adjuvant in an in vivo model of uterine fibroid (ELT-3) in a nude mouse. The aims of this study are to characterize in vivo: 1) the destruction of the uterine fibroid over time after cryosurgery; 2) the effect of TNF-α pre-treatment on enhancement of cryosurgery; 3) the effect of TNF-α dose, pre-treatment time and mode of delivery on the above and to note any toxicities. ELT–3 rat uterine fibroid cells were grown in the hind limb of female nude mice. TNF-α at various dose (2μg and 5μg) was administered at 1, 2 and 4 hours before cryotreatment in native or CYT-6091. Native TNF-α was injected either intra-tumorally or peri-tumorally. Injecting TNF-α solution into the center of the tumor comprised the intra-tumoral approach. For peri-tumoral injection, TNF-α solution was injected at each one of eight evenly distributed points spanning the circumference of the tumor base. CYT-6091 was administered by i.v. injection only. Cryosurgery was performed with a modified 1 mm diameter cryoprobe tip (−120°C). Freezing was allowed to continue to the visible edge of the tumor. Injury was assessed by measuring tumor-growth delay. Baseline tumor size was measured on day 0; fold-changes in tumor size are reported relative to size at day 0. Toxicity was evaluated by survival rate. Groups were 4–6 animals in each group. The data suggests that pre-treatment with TNF-α before cryosurgery significantly enhances visually guided destruction of uterine leiomyoma, and that the dose, timing and mode of delivery are important variables in optimization of this combination treatment. First, it was observed that at least four hours pretreatment with TNF-α is required to obtain the synergistic effect of TNF-α and cryoinjury. Second, peri-tumoral injection of native TNF-α, was the most effective delivery method to enhance cryoinjury at low dose (2μg), however it was also the most toxic method at high dose (5μg). On the other hand, CYT-6091, although less effective than peri-tumoral injection at 2μg, was the safest delivery mode (0% lethality at 2μg; 33% at 5μg). Finally, CYT-6091 delivery at 5μg with cryosurgery resulted in a dramatic tumor growth delay compared with cryosurgery alone. Therefore, i.v. injection of CYT-6091 followed by cryosurgery allowed the highest dose of TNF-α, the least toxicity and the best overall myoma reduction. Funding: R01 CA075284, American Medical Systems, Inc. TNF-α and CYT-6091: Cytimmune Sciences, Inc.

Synergistic Effects of Bi/S Codoping on Visible Light-Activated Anatase TiO2 Photocatalysts from First Principles

The electronic properties and photocatalytic activity of S and/or Bi-doped anatase TiO2 are investigated by first-principles density functional theory calculations. For S-doped TiO2, S 3p states locate above the top of the valence band and mix with O 2p states, leading to band gap narrowing. For Bi-doped anatase, the energy levels of the impurity Bi 6s states lie below the bottom of the conduction band while the Fermi level EF lies above the gap states, indicating the gap states are fully occupied. The transition from Bi 6s to Ti 3d states is responsible for a red-shift of the visible light absorption edge. In Bi/S-doped TiO2, both S 3p acceptor states and partially occupied Bi 6s donor states hybridized with S 3p appear simultaneously; this observation suggests that photocatalytic efficiency would be improved significantly due to greater separation of electron−hole pairs. These findings present a reasonable explanation of recent experimental results.

Tungstated Zirconia Catalysts for Liquid-Phase Beckmann Rearrangement of Cyclohexanone Oxime: Structure-Activity Relationship

The performance of tungstated zirconia catalysts with different tungsten loadings and calcination temperatures for liquid-phase Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to e-caprolactam was studied and the relation of their activity with the structure of tungsten species on zirconia surface was investigated. Cyclohexanone was the major product when zirconia was used as the catalyst while e-caprolactam was formed in major amounts with tungstated zirconia. The relative amounts of these products depended on the W surface density, and the maximum selectivity to e-caprolactam was observed at tungsten loadings near that required for the formation of a monolayer. UV−visible absorption edge energies suggested that the surface contains polytungstate species at these loadings. These polytungstate domains create Bronsted acid centers on the surface, as suggested by acidity measurements using NH3 adsorption microcalorimetry and FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, thereby making the tungstated zirconia catalysts active fo...

Characterizing and Inspecting for Progressive Epoxy Debonding in Bonded Insulated Rail Joints

Progressive epoxy debonding is a common factor in many failures of bonded, insulated joints (IJs) in heavy axle load railroad service. This paper describes a study in which IJs with different amounts of debonding were visually inspected and measured and then disassembled. The shape and area of the debonded region for each IJ was quantified and variability between joints recorded. Because of some degree of ambiguity in the visual appearance of the interior surfaces, two different criteria for identifying the boundaries of the debonded region are described and applied. Debonding usually extends farther along the upper and lower portions of the rail–joint bar interface, resulting in a V- or U-shaped debonded region. Additionally, debonding tends to be more extensive on one end of the joint than the other, although it appears that debonding is generally about equal on the field and gage sides. The total debonded area was compared with several linear measurements of damage to the externally visible top edge of the epoxy–insulator layer–-the part that is available for inspection in an in-service IJ. There is a strong correlation between the total debonded area in the joint and the total extent of damaged (missing or loose) top insulator edge. The debonded area can be estimated visually, with 80% confidence, to within 12,000 to 28,000 mm2, depending on which criteria are used to define the debonded region.

Surface and Photoluminescence Characteristics of CdNb2O6 Nanocrystals

Photoluminescence characterization on CdNb2O6 oxides by the solid state reaction were investigated in this work. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and absorption spectra. The excitation wavelengths at 272 and 330 nm, were associated with charge transfer bands of (NbO6) 7- and oxygen deficient niobate groups (NbO4) 3- . The measured photoluminescence of the sample after 1000 °C annealing revealed the blue emission peaks was located at 460 nm. Furthermore, the visible light absorption edge of the CdNb2O6 annealed at 1000 °C was 355 nm, which corresponded to band-gap energy of 3.50 eV.

Surface interpolation and 3D relatability

Although the role of surface-level processes has been demonstrated, visual interpolation models often emphasize contour relationships. We report two experiments on geometric constraints governing 3D interpolation between surface patches without visible edges. Observers were asked to classify pairs of planar patches specified by random dot disparities and visible through circular apertures (aligned or misaligned) in a frontoparallel occluder. On each trial, surfaces appeared in parallel or converging planes with vertical (in Experiment 1) or horizontal (in Experiment 2) tilt and variable amounts of slant. We expected the classification task to be facilitated when patches were perceived as connected. We found enhanced sensitivity and speed for 3D relatable vs. nonrelatable patches. Here 3D relatability does not involve oriented edges but rather inducing patches' orientations computed from stereoscopic information. Performance was markedly affected by slant anisotropy: both sensitivity and speed were worse for patches with horizontal tilt. We found nearly identical advantages of 3D relatability on performance, suggesting an isotropic unit formation process. Results are interpreted as evidence that inducing slant constrains surface interpolation in the absence of explicit edge information: 3D contour and surface interpolation processes share common geometric constraints as formalized by 3D relatability.

Synthetic Aperture Hitchhiker Imaging

We introduce a novel synthetic-aperture imaging method for radar systems that rely on sources of opportunity. We consider receivers that fly along arbitrary, but known, flight trajectories and develop a spatio-temporal correlation-based filtered-backprojection-type image reconstruction method. The method involves first correlating the measurements from two different receiver locations. This leads to a forward model where the radiance of the target scene is projected onto the intersection of certain hyperboloids with the surface topography. We next use microlocal techniques to develop a filtered-backprojection-type inversion method to recover the scene radiance. The method is applicable to both stationary and mobile, and cooperative and noncooperative sources of opportunity. Additionally, it is applicable to nonideal imaging scenarios such as those involving arbitrary flight trajectories, and has the desirable property of preserving the visible edges of the scene radiance. We present an analysis of the computational complexity of the image reconstruction method and demonstrate its performance in numerical simulations for single and multiple transmitters of opportunity.

Redox properties of H3PMoxW12−xO40 and H6P2MoxW18−xO62 heteropolyacid catalysts and their catalytic activity for benzyl alcohol oxidation

Abstract Reduction potentials of H 3 PMo x W 12− x O 40 ( x = 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12) Keggin heteropolyacid (HPA) and H 6 P 2 Mo x W 18− x O 62 ( x = 0, 3, 9, 15, and 18) Wells-Dawson HPA catalysts were measured by an electrochemical method in solution. UV–visible spectra of H 3 PMo x W 12− x O 40 and H 6 P 2 Mo x W 18− x O 62 catalysts in solution were then obtained in order to explore the reduction potentials of the HPA catalysts. Reduction potentials increased and UV–visible absorption edge energies shifted to lower values with increasing molybdenum substitution in both families of H 3 PMo x W 12− x O 40 and H 6 P 2 Mo x W 18− x O 62 catalysts. It was revealed that the lower absorption edge energy corresponded to the higher reduction potential of the HPA catalyst. In order to correlate the redox property (reduction potential and absorption edge energy) with the catalytic oxidation activity of H 3 PMo x W 12− x O 40 and H 6 P 2 Mo x W 18− x O 62 catalysts, vapor-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol was carried out as a model reaction. Yield for benzaldehyde increased with increasing reduction potential and with decreasing absorption edge energy of the HPA catalyst, regardless of the identity of HPA catalyst (without HPA structural sensitivity). The absorption edge energies measured by UV–visible spectroscopy could be utilized as a correlating parameter for the reduction potentials (oxidizing powers) of H 3 PMo x W 12− x O 40 and H 6 P 2 Mo x W 18− x O 62 catalysts, and furthermore, as a probe of oxidation catalysis of the HPA catalysts.

Humpty in Our Hands

Humpty in Our Hands Christina Hutchins (bio) Humpty in Our Hands I I was part sky. From a height of seven metres, my songs rained into the village. From eight royal yards, my baritone cascaded the castle. I watched the world to its visible edge. From both sides of the wall I was known. Some days I faced one way, some the other: flinging my legs over the width, with the momentum I spun on my axis to dangle on the sunny side. [End Page 169] The far side became this side, these faces. I longed for touch. Twenty-four blackbirds once perched close, yellow feet clung rough to the stones. Almost, I could stroke their fiery backs— When they drifted down to yank castle yardworms from the morning grass, a maid snatched them one by one with bare hands. The king was in the counting house. Those birds, they would not stop. Their voices rang round and round my head. I wanted to last like that. As they sifted down the light, their black wings flashed crimson— Once, II I stood up on my thin legs. On heels made for lightly banging the shins of rocks, I placed the weight of my own becoming. Balanced on a parapet, cool stone succored the soles of my feet. Glimpsing my face in the moat, so tiny, so far from myself and clear (a windless day, the water neither ruffled nor whispered), maybe I wanted what I saw. Maybe it was that day I leaned too— III Or. Maybe it was the day I saw a woman reading a book. Like the courtyard sun over her shoulder, through the intervening air, I read with her. Her musical fingers flipped quiet paper. A shadow came over, and the text disappeared. The shadow solid, her own soft shoulder, her wild head—I wanted [End Page 170] to turn the page. Her body alongside mine. Wanted red-flecked wings— IV Or was it that humid day and my glasses. Without them I can’t see the roofs of the barns. My glasses, first reach when I wake. Moisture, breath, rubbing them to clarity, when they leapt from my grasp, I lunged after— V I didn’t really believe death. I knew so little of effort, my own or anyone else’s. Was love an array, the pieces I saw from my wall? Gangs of birds, servants through the scullery window, broken leaves walking this way and that, bunching in purgatory corners and floating yellow flags on moat’s dark. Fragment and trajectory, unavoidable dissolution everywhere, the wall was dusty in the flat places. My knees began to ache. In the moat, water snakes rose and thrashed. In the kitchen, cook cracked an egg. The metal rim of the mixing bowl rang a joy knell— Was it then? Or. That other time, answering a letter. At the crucial word, my pen ran out of ink. I reached for the borrowed one, handed up with a pole, and— The fork ran away with the spoon, and Mr. Humpty gained his second name. The wheelbarrow, scoop, the bin. All night [End Page 171] we worked and to no avail. I lost my taste for shatterings. A shard in my pocket, I dared leave the king’s army. VI Swinging, I was swinging my feet. Maybe it was laughter that made me. Careless. Or rage. Maybe determined, I flung myself down. Maybe it was all procrastination and I should have let go long ago— The horses hooves. Too much, the clatter. But those sad, gentle soldiers, all their hands! Christina Hutchins Christina Hutchins has won the Montalvo Biennial Poetry Prize and two Barbara Deming Awards. Her work appears in the New Republic, the Southern Review, the Antioch Review, Denver Quarterly, Sycamore Review, and Prairie Schooner. Copyright © 2008 University of Nebraska Press

Reduction potentials and UV–visible absorption edge energies of H6P2Mo W18−O62 heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts as a probe of oxidation catalysis for ethanol conversion reaction

Reduction potentials of H6P2MoxW18−xO62 Wells–Dawson heteropolyacid (HPA) catalysts were measured electrochemically. UV–visible spectra of H6P2MoxW18−xO62 catalysts were then obtained in order to explore the reduction potentials of the HPA catalysts. Absorption edge energies shifted to lower values and reduction potentials increased with increasing molybdenum substitution. An HPA catalyst with a high reduction potential showed a low absorption edge energy in the UV–visible spectrum. The absorption edge energies could be utilized as a correlation parameter for the reduction potentials of the H6P2MoxW18−xO62 catalysts, and furthermore, as a probe of oxidation catalysis of the HPA catalysts.

New chalcohalide glasses from the GeS2–In2S3–CsCl system

New chalcohalide glasses from GeS2–In2S3–CsCl pseudo-ternary system were prepared using the conventional melt-quenching method and its glass-forming region has been determined. The differences ΔT (TP − Tg) of partial glasses are large enough (>100 K) to permit the preparation of performs of considerable size. With the increased content of CsCl, the visible absorption edge (λvis) of these glasses indicates a distinct blue shift while a clear drop of their glass transition temperatures can be seen. The ultrafast non-linearity of partial glasses was measured using the Kerr shutter technique. The non-linear refractive index, n2, was estimated to be in the magnitude of 10−14 cm2/W. Widely transparent range, good glass-forming ability, higher χ(3) and large electronic ultrafast OKE response make these glasses the potential applications in current photonic fields.

Flux Tensor Constrained Geodesic Active Contours with Sensor Fusion for Persistent Object Tracking

This paper makes new contributions in motion detection, object segmentation and trajectory estimation to create a successful object tracking system. A new efficient motion detection algorithm referred to as the flux tensor is used to detect moving objects in infrared video without requiring background modeling or contour extraction. The flux tensor-based motion detector when applied to infrared video is more accurate than thresholding "hot-spots", and is insensitive to shadows as well as illumination changes in the visible channel. In real world monitoring tasks fusing scene information from multiple sensors and sources is a useful core mechanism to deal with complex scenes, lighting conditions and environmental variables. The object segmentation algorithm uses level set-based geodesic active contour evolution that incorporates the fusion of visible color and infrared edge informations in a novel manner. Touching or overlapping objects are further refined during the segmentation process using an appropriate shape-based model. Multiple object tracking using correspondence graphs is extended to handle groups of objects and occlusion events by Kalman filter-based cluster trajectory analysis and watershed segmentation. The proposed object tracking algorithm was successfully tested on several difficult outdoor multispectral videos from stationary sensors and is not confounded by shadows or illumination variations.