An index for paresis and defective healing--an easily applied method for objectively determining therapeutic results in facial paresis (author's transl)

Residuals of facial paralysis consist of a great variety of cosmetic and functional anomalies which differ in quality and/or quantity. An internationally standardized evaluation of such defects is mandatory for the assessment of the results of different therapeutic procedures. In the present study, a system has been developed to record the results of facial paralysis following therapy. Such a system does not require specialized training, instrumentation or require significant time for completion. A clearly-defined "Yes-No" evaluation criteria is established which creates a high interscorer reliability. The usefulness of this scoring system was tested by three examiners on 42 patients following facial nerve surgery, with an obtained interscorer reliability of 93%.     

Technology Trends in the Extractive Metallurgy of Zirconium,Titanium, Tantalum and Niobium

The reactive and refractory metals zirconium, titanium, tantalum and niobium have been in commercial production and industrial application over the last 30 years and more. With growing experience, there has been progressive improvement in process and equipment designs in the industrial practice. There has also been a continuous drive to develop entirely new processes, and to diversify the applications of these metals. The paper reviews the present status and the emerging trends, and places the Indian work in the global perspective.     

Stability of discrete-time bilinear systems with constant inputs

In this paper discrete-time bilinear systems are considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions are developed which ensure that for any constant input in an unbounded control domain, the trajectories of the system tend to the origin as time increases.     

Photocatalytic activity of oxide coatings on fired clay substrates

The coating of fired clay substrates with various metal oxides, such as anatase, rutile, zinc oxide and tin oxide was achieved using a simple spraying technique followed by a thermal treatment. The photocatalytic activity of the layer was characterized through measurement of the absorption spectrum, in the range 400–800 nm, of methylene blue deposited on top of the coating. Results show that the presence of anatase enhances the degradation of methylene blue when it is exposed to ultraviolet light. Thermal treatment at 1050 °C transforms anatase crystals into thermodynamically stable rutile. This results in a decrease of the photocatalytic activity, which can be explained by increase of the grain size and by a difference in the crystal structure. Measurements of the photocatalytic activity of ZnO and SnO₂ show that these two oxides also exhibit photocatalytic properties. In particular, ZnO is a promising alternative material to anatase.     

Effect of MoO3, Nd2O3, and RuO2 on the crystallization of soda–lime aluminoborosilicate glasses

The effect of adding Nd₂O₃, MoO₃, and RuO₂ separately or simultaneously on the crystallization of a soda–lime aluminoborosilicate glass during cooling from the melt or glass heating was studied by DTA, XRD (at room and high temperature), SEM, Raman, and optical absorption. Nd₂O₃ addition strongly reduces liquid–liquid phase separation and crystallization of calcium and sodium molybdates (CaMoO₄ (powellite) and Na₂MoO₄) in Mo-rich compositions as long as Nd³⁺ ions remain solubilized in the glassy network. This suggests that (MoO₄)^2? entities and Nd³⁺ ions are close to each other in the glass structure (Nd³⁺ ions would prevent the clustering of molybdate entities). The effect of MoO₃ addition in Nd-rich compositions is more complex since an increase of the solubility of Nd₂O₃ is observed, whereas the nucleation rate of an Nd-rich silicate apatite (Ca₂Nd₈(SiO₄)₆O₂) in the bulk of the glass increases as soon as molybdates crystallized. The addition of RuO₂ has a nucleating effect on apatite crystallization in the bulk but not on molybdates crystallization.     

扭摆式微硅隧道加速度传感器

本文介绍了扭摆式隧道加速度传感器的结构、工作原理、简化的力学模型,设计了版图、工艺流程及关键工艺,并制备出样品,最后给出测试电路和结果。     

Probabilistic prediction of high cycle fatigue reliability of high strength steel butt‐welded joints

The aim of this paper is to develop a probabilistic approach of high cycle fatigue (HCF) behaviour prediction of welded joints taking into account the surface modifications induced by welding and the post‐welding shot peening treatment. In this work, the HCF Crossland criterion has been used and adopted to the case of welded and shot peened welded parts, by taking into account the surface modifications which are classified as follows: (i) the compressive residual stresses, (ii) the surface work‐hardening, (iii) the geometrical irregularities and (iv) the superficial defects. The random effects due to the dispersions of: (i) the HCF Crossland criterion material characteristics (ii) the applied loading and (iii) the surface modifications parameters are introduced in the proposed model. The HCF reliability has been computed by using the ‘strength load’ method with Monte Carlo simulation. The reliability computation results lead to obtain interesting and useful iso‐probabilistic Crossland diagrams (PCD) for different welding and shot peening surface conditions. To validate the proposed method, the approach has been applied to a butt‐welded joint made of S550MC high strength steel (HSS). Four types of specimens are investigated: (i) base metal (BM), (ii) machined and grooved (MG) condition, (iii) As welded (AW) condition and (iv) as welded and shot peened (AWSP) condition. The comparison between the computed reliabilities and the experimental investigations reveals good agreement leading to validate the proposed approach. The effects of the different welded and post‐weld shot peened specimen's surface properties are analysed and discussed using the design of experiments (DoE) techniques.     

Congenital abnormalities in Brazilian children associated with misoprostol misuse in first trimester of pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Misoprostol is commonly used to induce abortion in Brazil, and in other countries in South and Central America where abortions are illegal. However, misoprostol is not very effective in inducing abortions, and exposure to the drug in utero can cause abnormalities in the fetus. We aimed to define the common phenotypical effects of exposure to the drug. METHODS: We studied 42 infants from S?o Paulo, Brazil, who were exposed to misoprostol during the first 3 months of gestation, and then born with congenital abnormalities. We interviewed each of the infants' mothers to find out about misoprostol exposure and dosage. Each infant was physically examined by a geneticist or a neuropaediatrician. FINDINGS: 17 of the infants had equinovarus with cranial-nerve defects. Ten children had equinovarus as part of more extensive arthrogryposis. The most distinctive phenotypes were arthrogryposis confined to the legs (five cases) and terminal transverse-limb defects (nine cases) with or without Mobius sequence. The most common dose of misoprostol taken was 800 microg (range 200-16000 microg). INTERPRETATION: Deformities attributed to vascular disruption were found in these children. We suggest that the uterine contractions induced by misoprostol cause vascular disruption in the fetus, including brain-stem ischaemia. Information on the effects of taking misoprostol during pregnancy should be made more widely available, to dissuade women from misusing the drug.