A clinical and histological comparative study of the effect of nifedipine and phenytion on human gingiva

Ten patients manifesting gingival enlargement were chosen for this study. Five patients had been treated with 4 mg nifedipine per day as a treatment for angina pectoris, while the other five patients treated with phenytion as an anticonvulsant drug. Clinical and histological data showed that nefidipine induced gingival hyperplasia which is of close similarity to that induced by phenytion despite the differences in target tissue.     

Microbiological status of rabbit carcases in Egypt

A total of 40 New Zealand white rabbits, 20 freshly slaughtered rabbits from an experimental farm and 20 processed rabbit carcases from grocery stores in Beni-Suef city, were examined bacteriologically. The mean values of aerobic plate counts at 37° C and 1° C, Enterobacteriaceae counts,Pseudomonas counts andStaphylococcus counts of freshly slaughtered rabbits were 10⁴±2×10³, 8×10²±10², 6×10²±10², 3×10²±10², and 10²±60 organisms per gram respectively, whereas the equivalent values were 8×10⁵±3×10⁴, 2×10⁵±10⁴, 4×10⁴±8×10³, 2×10⁴±6×10³, and 4×10³±4×10² organisms per gram of processed rabbit carcases from grocery stores, respectively. The freshly slaughtered rabbits showed a low bacterial load compared with processed rabbit carcases from grocery stores.Escherichia coli andListeria monocytogenes could be isolated from the rabbit carcases examined in addition toSalmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa andStaphylococcus aureus from processed rabbit carcases.Yersinia enterocolitica could not be isolated from any sample examined. Suggested measures to reduce the microbial load in rabbit carcases are discussed.

---

Mikrobiologische Untersuchung von Kaninchentierkörper in Ägypten

Zusammenfassung 40 neuseeländische weiße Kaninchen, 20 davon frisch geschlachtet, 20 verarbeitete aus Beni-Suef, wurden bakteriologisch untersucht. Die durchschnittliche Keimzahl je g bei 37 °C bzw. 1 °C anEnterobacteriaceae waren 10⁴±2×10³ bzw. 8×10²±10², anPseudomonas 6×10²±10² bzw. 3×10²±10² undStaphylococcus 10²±60. Die entsprechenden Zahlen für die verarbeiteten Kaninchen waren 8×10⁵±3×10⁴, 2×10⁵±10⁴, 4×10⁴±8×10³, 2×10⁴±6×10³ und 4×10³±4×10². Die Zahlen für die frisch geschlachteten Kaninchen waren niedriger als die der verarbeiteten.Escherichia coli undListeria monocytogenes wurden von den untersuchten Kaninchen isoliert. Die folgenden Bakterien wurden auch an den verarbeiteten Kaninchentierkörpern isoliert:Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa undStaphylococcus aureus. Yersinia entercolitica konnte nicht isoliert werden. Die hygienischen Maßnahmen wurden diskutiert.

     

Machining stability in high speed drilling—Part 2: Time domain simulation of a bending–torsional model and experimental validations

In this paper, the torsional limits of stability in drilling are first obtained analytically based on Bayly's work [P.V. Bayly, S.A. Metzler, A.J. Schaut, K.A. Young, Theory of torsional chatter in twist drills: model, stability analysis and composition to test, Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, 123 (2001) 552–561]. Subsequently, a time domain simulation model of chatter in drilling is presented. The novel simulation model, developed in this work, combines the effects of both bending and torsion. The major challenge in this model is the tracking of the instantaneous cutting parameters along the lips while vibrating in both modes. This challenge was met here successfully and the simulation results agreed closely with the analytical solutions. Cutting experiments were also conducted to verify the developed chatter models. Two drills, one “short” and one “long” were used in drilling a large number of holes with different pilot-hole diameters. The agreement between the cutting tests and theoretical predictions was not very close for the “short” drill due to inaccuracies in representing the boundary conditions in the mathematical model. On the other hand, the cuttings tests agreed very closely with the analytical and numerical predictions for the “long” drill.     

Precise segmentation of multimodal images.

We propose new techniques for unsupervised segmentation of multimodal grayscale images such that each region-of-interest relates to a single dominant mode of the empirical marginal probability distribution of grey levels. We follow the most conventional approaches in that initial images and desired maps of regions are described by a joint Markov-Gibbs random field (MGRF) model of independent image signals and interdependent region labels. However, our focus is on more accurate model identification. To better specify region borders, each empirical distribution of image signals is precisely approximated by a linear combination of Gaussians (LCG) with positive and negative components. We modify an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to deal with the LCGs and also propose a novel EM-based sequential technique to get a close initial LCG approximation with which the modified EM algorithm should start. The proposed technique identifies individual LCG models in a mixed empirical distribution, including the number of positive and negative Gaussians. Initial segmentation based on the LCG models is then iteratively refined by using the MGRF with analytically estimated potentials. The convergence of the overall segmentation algorithm at each stage is discussed. Experiments show that the developed techniques segment different types of complex multimodal medical images more accurately than other known algorithms.     

Mini mental status examination (MMSE) in stable chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis: The effects of hemodialysis on the MMSE score. A prospective study

Cognitive impairment is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The mini mental status examination is a simple screening test for dementia. The objectives of this study were to (1) study and compare the predialysis and postdialysis mini mental status examination score and 2 subscores and compare them with those of a control group and (2) determine the factors affecting these scores. This was a prospective study of 54 HD patients, which involved calculation of their predialysis (PrHDSc) and (2–4 weeks later) postdialysis (PoHDSc) scores and comparison of these with the control scores (CoSc). The mean scores for PreHDSc and PoHDSc were 26.5±2.7 and 26.4±3.3, respectively. Both were significantly lower than CoSc, 28.4±1.6 (95% CI for score difference 0.99–2.97, P<0.001). The subscores for orientation, registration, and recall (ORR) and attention (ATT) before and after HD were 14.2±1.3, 14.3±1.8, and 3.5±1.7, 3.2±1.8, respectively. Both were significantly lower than the CoSc, 15.2±1.2 and 4.2±1.1 (P=0.001 and 0.004, respectively). There were no significant differences between the PrHDSc and PoHDSc (P values of 0.87, 0.63, and 0.45, respectively). Patients' PrHDSc correlated positively with PoHDSc and dialysis efficiency measured by the urea reduction ratio and Kt/V (r=0.58, 0.4, and 0.34, respectively). Education level correlated positively with PrHDSc r=0.41 but not PoHDSc. Hemodialysis duration correlated negatively with PrHDSc r=−0.3. There was no correlation among age, chronic renal failure duration, HD frequency, weight loss, systolic or diastolic blood pressure drop, and PrHDSc or PoHDSc. Hemodialysis patients scored significantly less than the control patients. Their score was not affected by HD. This may reflect the stable cognitive function/dysfunction or the mild sensitivity of the test.     

Acceleration of subspace iteration

An algorithm is presented and discussed which gives 40 per cent reduction in the cost of the basic subspace iteration for eigenvalues.     

Industrial and organizational psychology in Iran.

Presents a preliminary attempt to provide a framework for further studies, from an Iranian view, of events in the area of industrial and organizational psychology. Psychology as a subject was introduced in Iran following World War I. However, it was only after World War II that industrial psychology germinated into an independent discipline and a new profession. Still, industrial psychology was forced to remain largely outside academia, thus limiting the opportunity to educate sufficient numbers of industrial and organizational psychologists, who are now badly needed due to rapid economic development. The better developed parts of this new discipline are personnel evaluation techniques and management training programs. Academic programs in industrial psychology have greatly increased in the 1970s. As the result of research and studies in this field, some substantive problems have been identified that are basic and vital and that have to be treated scientifically in order to rally industrial psychology services in support of national development programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Car tracking by quantised input LMS, QX-LMS algorithm in traffic scenes

The tracking algorithm is an important tool for motion analysis in computer vision. A new car tracking algorithm is proposed which is based on a new clipping technique in the field of adaptive filter algorithms. The uncertainty and occlusion of vehicles increase the noise in vehicle tracking in a traffic scene, so the new clipping technique can control noise in prediction of vehicle positions. The authors present a new quantised version of the LMS, namely the QX-LMS algorithm, which has a better tracking capability in comparison with the clipped LMS (CLMS) and the LMS and also involves less computation. The threshold parameter of the QX-LMS algorithm causes controllability and the increase of tracking and convergence properties, whereas the CLMS and LMS algorithms do not have these capabilities. The QX-LMS algorithm is used for estimation of a noisy chirp signal, for system identification and in car tracking applications. Simulation results for noisy chirp signal detection show that this algorithm yields a considerable error reduction in comparison to the LMS and CLMS algorithms. The proposed algorithm, in tracking some 77 vehicles in different traffic scenes, shows a reduction of the tracking error relative to the LMS and CLMS algorithms.     

Comparison between multi-point and other 5-axis tool positioning strategies

A method of generating sculptured surfaces at multiple points of contact between the tool and the workpiece was developed and proven viable by the current authors in previous work. They denoted this finish machining method, “Multi Point Machining”, or simply MPM. This paper compares MPM with two other 5-axis tool positioning strategies; namely: the inclined tool, and the principal axis method. It is also compared with 3-axis ball nose machining. Comparisons are conducted using computer simulations and experimental cutting tests. Results obtained show that MPM produced scallop heights that are much smaller than those produced by the other tool positioning strategies.     

The improvement in obstacle detection in autonomous vehicles using YOLO non-maximum suppression fuzzy algorithm

The Journal of Supercomputing - Numerous changes in algorithms have been observed by object detection to enhance both speed and accuracy. In this research, we present a method to improve the...