Compass: an expert system for telephone switch maintenance

Abstract: GTE's Compass (Central Office Maintenance Printout Analysis and Suggestion System) is an expert system that aids in the maintenance of a telephone switching system. It analyzes maintenance printouts of telephone company central office switching equipment and suggests maintenance actions to be performed. The results from several field trials indicate that the current version of Compass performs well in identifying system faults and in suggesting corresponding maintenance actions. An expanded version of the expert system is under development while the present version is being put into field use.     

An isocratic high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay for moxifloxacin, a new 8-methoxyquinolone

OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown memory deficits among combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, high rates of comorbid conditions, including alcoholism, make it difficult to definitively associate these findings with the PTSD diagnosis. In this study the authors examined memory functioning among rape survivors without alcoholism or substance abuse but with PTSD. METHOD: Rape victims with (N = 15) and without (N = 16) PTSD were compared to age- and education-matched nontraumatized comparison subjects (N = 16) on measures of learning and memory. RESULTS: The subjects with PTSD performed significantly worse than the other groups on delayed free recall. The deficits were ameliorated by cueing and recognition testing. CONCLUSIONS: Recall deficits in noncombat PTSD patients strengthen the theory that memory deficits are associated with the PTSD diagnosis. The deficits were mild and were not attributable to comorbid depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.     

Vaporization of Rare-Earth Oxides

A study of the vaporization of La₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, and Y₂O₃ at high temperatures has been carried out by the Knudsen effusion technique. The methods employed, the results of the measurements, and the low-temperature heat capacities of these materials, which were determined for the purpose of calculating thermal functions of the oxides, are discussed. All the foregoing oxides react with tantalum, forming gaseous tantalummonoxide as a principal product. Cubic tantalates of lanthanum and neodymium are also formed in these reactions.