Crystallization modifies osteoconductivity in an apatite–mullite glass–ceramic

The response to implantation of novel apatite glass–ceramics was evaluated using a weight bearing in vivo bone implant model. Five novel glasses with varying calcium to phosphate ratios were cast as short rods and heat-treated to crystallize principally apatite. One glass ceramic had an apatite stoichiometry (Ca : P=1.67); three were phosphate-rich and one calcium-rich. One of the phosphate-rich glasses was also tested in its glassy state to determine the effect of crystallization on the biological response. Rods were implanted into the midshaft of rat femurs and left for 28 days. The femurs were then harvested and processed for scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis and conventional histology as ground and polished sections. Four of the materials exhibited evidence of osseointegration and osteoconduction. However, there was a marked inflammatory response to one of the phosphate-rich glass–ceramics, and to the non-crystallized glass. Crystallization of the latter significantly improved the bone tissue response. The glass–ceramic with an apatite stoichiometry elicited the most favorable response and merited further study as an osteoconductive bone substitute in maxillofacial and orthopedic surgery.     

Effects of including a quantitative trait locus in selection under different waiting plans of young bulls

The advantage of using the genotype of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in selection schemes of dairy cattle was quantified using stochastic simulation. Three selection plans were studied. In the first plan, young bulls waited for 3 yr until their sisters completed a lactation and then were evaluated and selected based on an animal model. In a second plan, young bulls waited for 5 yr until their daughters completed a lactation. An intermediate 4-yr waiting plan was also studied. Simulation was for 16 yr with overlapping generations. Population and model parameters were proportional to the U.S. Holstein population. The advantage of using a QTL was quantified as the percentage of superiority of QTL-assisted over QTL-free selection using cumulative genetic response. Percentage of superiority was reported for four selection pathways: active sires, young bulls, bull dams, and first lactation cows. A general trend was observed: low superiority in early years of selection that increased to a plateau in later years and then decreased. The superiority of the QTL information was greatest in the 3-yr waiting plan and least in the 4-yr waiting plan. Superiority at plateau for selection pathways ranged from 16 to 26% for the 3-yr waiting plan, from 3 to 12% for the 4-yr waiting plan, and from 5 to 13% for the 5-yr waiting plan. The contribution to selection response attributed to the QTL and the polygenes was quantified. The rate at which the favorable allele approached fixation and the accuracy of predicting breeding values on the percentage of superiority were studied.     

Design of an Early Minicomputer

In this article, I describe the design of an early 1950s attempt to build a relatively low-cost computer, using a mechanical desktop calculator to perform the arithmetic operations. The resulting computer-one of the earliest attempts at building a "minicomputer"-could perform stored-program addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as carry out a simple decision operation based on a number comparison. To solve a problem, the operator would type in a program sequence based on the use of nine basic instructions. Total memory capacity was 400 words.     

The Influence of Experience and Information Search Styles on Project Risk Identification Performance

The management of risks in projects is a growing area of concern. Both the identification and analysis phases of the risk management process are considered the most important, for they can have a big effect on the precision of the risk assessment exercise. Currently, it is assumed that project managers rely largely on experience to identify project risks. These decisions, influenced by individual perception and attitudes, are made primarily under conditions of uncertainty. Understanding how individuals respond to uncertain situations, therefore, requires an understanding of how individuals intuitively assess the situation they perceive, before expressing a response. The Project Risk Identification (Pro-RIde) project interviewed 51 project managers using active information search (AIS) as a data collection method and cognitive mapping as a data-capturing tool. Our results suggest that the role of experience in the risk identification process is much less significant than it is commonly assumed to be. By contrast, information search style, level of education and risk management training do play a significant role in risk identification performance. These findings suggest the potential for a more thorough approach to risk identification     

Do problematic and non-problematic video game players differ in extraversion,trait empathy,social capital and prosocial tendencies?

The increasing popularity of online and multiplayer games has meant that for many, social interaction and cooperation are vital components of the gaming experience. Previous research has suggested that not only has this made gaming more attractive to socially oriented people but also that it may be socially beneficial in terms of social capital and prosocial behaviors. However, for problematic video game players (those showing signs of compulsive or detrimental video game use), this may not be the case, and a number of theories hold deficiencies in socializing in real life as central to the development of this issue. In the present study, an online questionnaire completed by 416 participants assessed problematic video game use, extraversion, trait empathy, online and offline social capital and prosocial tendencies. Contrary to hypotheses, non-problematic, problematic and non-gamers did not differ in empathy, extraversion or prosocial tendencies. Problematic video game play was, however, associated with significantly higher online social capital and lower offline social capital whereas non-problematic players demonstrated only higher online capital than non-players. This highlights the importance of social support but suggests personality is not an influential factor.     

Further results on the experimental evaluation of iterative learning control algorithms for non-minimum phase plants

This paper builds on previous work in which simple structure ILC algorithms were experimentally evaluated on a non-minimum phase plant. The phase-lead update law, the most promising of those implemented, is examined using an established performance criterion. The use of a forgetting factor is found to overcome the problem of instability, but at the expense of increased final error. This is verified through experimentation. The phase-lead algorithm is improved using additional phase-leads to remove the instability and improve convergence and final error. This technique is generalized to produce an optimization routine which leads to greatly improved results. The learning law utilizing the plant adjoint is found to fit naturally into this framework and practical results are presented to compare their respective performance. This algorithm, which requires a model of the plant, is reformulated into one which does not. Results are presented using this technique and practical guidelines are produced and tested to improve its performance. A simple method of increasing the learning at higher frequencies is proposed and practical limitations are addressed and verified experimentally. All the algorithms tested are compared with respect to their performance, practicality and robustness.     

The JERS Amazon Multi-season Mapping Study (JAMMS): Observation strategies and data characteristics

The Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) Amazon Multiseason Mapping Study (JAMMS), part of the Global Rain Forest Mapping (GRFM) project led by the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), had an ambitious agenda to map the entire Amazon river floodplain (and surrounding areas) twice at high resolution. The observation strategy carried out by NASDA for the JAMMS project and the other elements of the GRFM project (1995-1997) constituted the first time that a spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) successfully implemented a continental scale, coordinated seasonal mapping campaign. This observation strategy, chosen around the flooding cycle of the major river systems, was designed to provide the first high-resolution measurement of inundation extent by the Amazon river and its tributaries. In order for the scientific community at large to be able to exploit this dataset, the characteristics of the data (resolution, radiometric and geometric calibration, coverage, and ability to be mosaicked) must be well understood. We find that the quantization of the Alaska SAR Facility (ASF) imagery impacts the range of backscatter values that may be observed, in contrast to the NASDA processed imagery. The noise equivalent σ 0 is -15 dB at worst, but improves to about -20 dB at the centre of the swath. The resolution of the ASF imagery is slightly worse than that processed by NASDA. The initial geolocation accuracy of the ASF processed imagery is quite poor, but may be improved during the mosaicking process. The relative radiometric calibration of the data may be improved to about 0.2 dB by comparing the calibration of overlapping imagery, and through a careful analysis of cross-track trends in the data.