A finite element formulation for rod/continuum interactions: The one-dimensional slideline

A finite element formulation is presented for treatment of the mechanical interaction between a rod-like object and a continuous medium, as occurs, for example, between reinforcing steel and surrounding concrete. An impenetrability constraint restricts the rod's lateral motion relative to the continuum, while an accompanying constraint allows axial slip subject to a release criterion. Satisfaction of these constraints is enforced via application of penalty and augmented Lagrangian regularizations. The proposed implementation is suitable for both static and dynamic implicit equation solving schemes, making it useful for a wide range of problems.     

Proximal tibial osteotomy for osteoarthritis of the knee (author's transl)

One hundred and seventeen cases of osteoarthritis of the knee-joint, were treated with tibia osteotomy. The result of the different types of the osteotomy are discussed. The proximal tibial osteotomy without metal-fixation has the best results.     

Oral manifestations of severe short-limb dwarfism resembling Grebe chondrodysplasia: report of a case

The oral and dental abnormalities associated with a distinct variety of severe short-limb dwarfism are described. The patient, a 9-year-old Arab boy, had delayed development and eruption of teeth, severe oligodontia of permanent dentition, hypodontia, microdontia, supplemental incisor, enamel hypoplasia of primary teeth, doubled and abnormal frenal attachments, bifid uvula, hypoplastic maxilla, and malocclusion. Clinical and radiographic examinations revealed asymmetric dysplasia and anaplasia of long bones, craniofacial dysmorphia, prominent forehead, budlike fingers and bulbous toes, dysplastic nails, severe hearing loss, and reduced joint mobility. These features resemble, in general, those characteristic of Grebe chondrodysplasia, an extremely rare ill-defined syndrome that is inherited as an autosomal-recessive disorder.     

Shrinkage cracking of unsaturated fine soils: New experimental device and measurement techniques

Clay fine soils are characterised by an ability to change volume when subjected to suction. Soil cracking due to desiccation is a phenomenon of great importance in the environmental geotechnical engineering domain. Aiming to understand shrinkage mechanism, and conditions that lead to appearance of drying cracks, a new experimental testing coupled device digital image correlation- clay ring test (DIC-CRT) was developed to investigate fine soils shrinkage and cracking. The new feature of this paper is to link both measurement techniques, based on 2D/3D-DIC and an innovative CRT, in order to assess stress and strain in soils during desiccation. Tests were carried out on a kaolinite having a liquid limit of w_L = 40%, and prepared as a slurry with w = 1.5 w_L of water content. The results highlight the relevance in combining these two techniques, particularly to assess internal stresses developed in the material using CRT and link them to strains leading to cracking measured by DIC method.     

Convex grating types for concentric imaging spectrometers

The properties of convex gratings fabricated by electron-beam lithography are investigated. Three grating types are shown. The first is a single-panel, true blazed grating in which the blaze angle stays constant relative to the local surface normal. This grating provides high peak efficiencies of approximately 88% in the first order and 85% in the second order. The second grating has two concentric panels, with each panel blazed at a different angle. This type permits flexibility in matching the grating response to a desired form. The third type has a groove shape that departs from the sawtooth blazed profile to increase the second-order bandwidth. All these types are difficult or impossible to produce with conventional techniques. The gratings compare favorably with conventional (holographic and ruled) types in terms of efficiency and scatter. Simple scalar models are shown to predict the wavelength response accurately. These gratings allow the optical designer to realize fully the considerable advantages of concentric spectrometer forms.     

Parenting difficulties in sexual-abuse survivors: A theoretical framework with dual psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral strategies for intervention.

Systematic investigations of the consequences of sexual abuse and clinical literature on interventions with survivors have frequently neglected the impact of sexual abuse on parenting. Grounded in both object-relations and trauma theory, this article presents a case illustration to depict the unconscious repetition of one 30-yr-old mother's childhood abusive relationship with her own child. We explore how this survivor's parenting conflicts became increasingly salient during specific developmental stages of the child, as themes of sexuality and aggression triggered unresolved conflicts, distorted cognitions, and trauma reactions. The reenactment impairs parenting in critical ways, hence increasing the risk for sexual abuse in the next generation. Strategies for interventions to modify the mother's poor parenting responses are described using a therapeutic approach that integrates concepts from psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Absorption of fluoride following inhalation and ingestion of alginate impression materials

The fluoride (F) contents of ten alginate impression materials in powder form, were found to range from 0.44% to 2.42%. Plasma F concentrations showed no appreciable changes in five dental personnel exposed to aerosols of these powders during routine clinical work. Elevated plasma F levels (120-158 ng/ml) were recorded after ingesting 2 g (approximately 10 mg F) of Zelgan normal-set alginate. The bioavailability of F from the alginate was about 55% of the total F in the administered dose. It is concluded that routine clinical exposure to alginate does not cause any important change in plasma F levels, whereas accidental swallowing of alginate raises the plasma F level significantly.     

Liquid-crystal blazed-grating beam deflector

A transmission-type nonmechanical multiple-angle beam-steering device that uses liquid-crystal blazed grating has been developed. Sixteen steering angles with a contrast ratio of 18 has been demonstrated. A detailed analysis of the liquid-crystal and poly(methyl methacrylate) blazed-grating deflector was carried out to provide guidance during the deflector's development. A manufacturing offset compensation technique is proposed to improve the device's performance greatly. A hybrid approach utilizing electrically generated blazed grating combined with the cascading approach described here yields in excess of 500 deflecting angles.