Reactively sputtered oxide optical coatings for inertial confinement fusion laser components

Results to date are presented for a study of reactively sputtered oxide optical coatings which are candidate materials for use in the NOVA Terawatt neodymium glass laser under development at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Livermore, California. Experimental details are described for the deposition of TiO₂ on fused silica substrates by r.f. diode sputtering of titanium in a reactive Ar-O₂ atmosphere. Specific deposition procedures are presented for variation of the phase composition and grain size of the coatings over wide ranges. High laser damage thresholds are reported for TiO₂, and glassy coatings appear to be more damage resistant than polycrystalline coatings. Phase composition appears to be less important to damage resistance than grain size. Application of the reactive sputtering process to preparation of damage-resistant oxides of In-Sn and tantalum is also described and damage thresholds obtained to date are reported.     

Dissociative effects of elaboration on memory of enacted and non-enacted events: a case of a negative effect

One experiment compared the effect of elaboration on enacted and non-enacted events. The commands were either presented in a basic form (e.g., "wave your hands") or in an enriched form. The commands were enriched by adding statements to the commands of how to perform the actions (e.g., "wave your hands as a conductor"). Free- and cued-recall data showed elaboration to have a dissociative effect on enacted and non-enacted events. Memory for the non-enacted events benefited from enrichment, whereas simple enacted events were remembered to a higher extent than complex enacted events. Lack of benefit from elaboration on memory of enacted events is suggested to be due to enactment leading to a sufficient degree of item-specific processing, and a negative effect of elaboration is suggested to occur when the way of manipulating item complexity decreases the familiarity of the actions. Familiarity ratings of the items by two independent groups of subjects supported this interpretation.     

Acute myopathy associated with combined use of corticosteroids and neuromuscular blocking agents

OBJECTIVE: To review the occurrence and pathophysiology of myopathy associated with combined use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) and systemic corticosteroids. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search (1985 to July 1995, English language) yielded case reports and clinical studies involving myopathy or weakness associated with the use of NMBAs and/or corticosteroids. References cited in those articles were reviewed. DATA SYNTHESIS: Prolonged muscle weakness has been reported in intubated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who were receiving NMBAs and/or corticosteroids. Many cases involved the use of both agents in individuals with no underlying risk factors. The term "blocking agent-corticosteroid myopathy" (BACM) has been used to describe this myopathy when it develops following combined use of these agents. Features common to BACM include prolonged weakness, elevated creatine kinase concentrations, myopathic features on electromyography, normal nerve conduction and sensation, and reduced deep tendon reflexes. Muscle biopsy results vary, but tend to show type 1 and/or 2 fiber atrophy without inflammation. Some recently reported cases revealed thick myosin myofilament loss, which is consistent with findings in denervated rat muscle after exposure to corticosteroids. Two small prospective studies reported that 36-50% of mechanically ventilated patients receiving either one or both drugs developed prolonged weakness. CONCLUSIONS: NMBAs and corticosteroids alone have both been reported to cause myopathy in patients in the ICU. When coadministered, these agents appear to confer an even greater risk of myopathy; the exact pathology is not understood. Concomitant use of NMBAs and corticosteroids should be avoided if possible. Guidelines for cautious use and careful monitoring are suggested when combined use is deemed necessary.     

Role of epidural medication in the treatment of resistant low back pain

Two hundred and eight patients of low back pain were studied in the department of orthopaedic surgery, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur. The patients were put on intensive conservative treatment in the form of analgesics, hard bed rest, spinal extension exercises, traction and lumbosacral support. Thirty-two patients did not respond to this treatment and their symptoms were of more than 6 months duration and they were subjected to epidural injection of local anaesthetic agent, saline and corticosteroids. The failed 6 cases were investigated for consideration of surgery. The aim of this study is to develop standardised strategy for the treatment of low back pain. For the low back pain patients not responding to intensive conservative treatment, an idea has been put forward in the form of epidural medication prior to considering them to surgery to prevent unnecessary incidence of "failed back". A trial of epidural injection is suggested to avoid surgery.     

Towards Blind Detection of Robust Watermarks in Polygonal Models

We describe a Digital Watermarking system dedicated for embedding watermarks into 3D polygonal models. The system consists of three watermarking algorithms, one named Vertex Flood Algorithm (VFA) suitable for embedding fragile public readable watermarks with high capacity and offering a way of model authentication, one realizing affine invariant watermarks, named Affine Invariant Embedding (AIE) and a third one, named Normal Bin Encoding (NBE) algorithm, realizing watermarks with robustness against more complex operations, most noticeably polygon reduction. The watermarks generated by these algorithms are stackable. We shortly discuss the implementation of the system, which is realized as a 3D Studio MAX plugin.