Echinococcal disease and the provision of humanitarian surgical aid in Bosnia

The Canadian Armed Forced have been deployed to the republics of the former Yugoslavia since 1992 as part of the United Nations Protection Force and the NATO-led Implementation Force. Most of the combat arms units have been supported by small, self-contained surgical teams for essential surgery. Considerable benefit is gained by cooperating with civilian surgeons. The experience of treating five patients with complicated hydatid disease endemic to the area is examined. Treatment of these patients requires performing major surgical procedures under austere conditions and must be undertaken with care. Careful selection and communication with the surgical nursing team and civilian surgeons is essential. Well selected cases can also pay tremendous dividends in terms of maintaining the skills of personnel who must be prepared for any emergency in addition to providing vital surgical assistance to these patients.     

Protein adsorption onto poly(ether urethane ureas) containing Methacrol 2138F: a surface-active amphiphilic additive

Surface characterization and protein adsorption studies were carried out on a series of additive dispersed and additive coated poly(ether urethane ureas), PEUUs, to characterize early events in the blood compatibility of these materials. A hypothesis that is based on surface hydrophilicity, surface flexibility, and adsorption media has been developed to understand the modulated adsorption of plasma proteins by PEUU additives. Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and contact angle analysis were performed on two PEUU formulation as well as on PEUU formulations modified with Methacrol 2138F (co[diisopropylaminoethyl methacrylate (DIPAM)/decyl methacrylate (DM)][3/1]) or acrylate or methacrylate polymer or copolymer analogs of Methacrol 2138F. Methacrol 2138F is a commercially used amphiphilic copolymethacrylate. ESCA showed that the PEUUs loaded with Methacrol 2138F or with its hydrophilic component, homopoly (DIPAM) (h-(DIPAM)), had a higher percentage of nitrogen at their surfaces than did the base PEUUs. Contact angle analysis also showed that the air side of PEUU formulations loaded with Methacrol 2138F were more hydrophobic than was the air side of base PEUUs when films were cast from dimethylacetamide. However, during contact angle testing, the air side of PEUU films loaded with Methacrol 2138F rapidly became more hydrophilic than did the air side of the base PEUU films. A radioimmunoassay and whole or diluted human plasma were also used to characterize the presence of the proteins fibrinogen, immunoglobulin G, factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, Hageman factor (factor XII), and albumin, on the surface of the same PEUUs as analyzed by ESCA and contact angle. The protein adsorption assay showed that PEUU films loaded or coated with Methacrol 2138F, with a copolyacrylate analog of Methacrol 2138F (co(diisopropylaminoethyl acrylate [DIPAA]/decyl acrylate [DA]) [3/1]), or with the hydrophilic polyacrylate or polymethacrylate component analogs of Methacrol 2138F (h-DIPAM or h-DIPAA) adsorbed significantly lower amounts of the proteins than did either the base PEUU formulations or the homopoly(decyl methacrylate) (h-DM) or homopoly(decyl acrylate) (h-DA) coated or loaded PEUUs.     

A review of numerically controlled methods for finish-sculptured-surface machining

This paper presents a mathematical review of methods and algorithms used to compute milling cutter placement for multi-axis finished-surface machining. In general, these methods and algorithms compute tool path points based on tangent-plane contact between the milling cutter and the surface while maintaining a fixed tool orientation. This tangent-plane method of tool positioning and orientation is examined by discussing its strengths and weaknesses. Errors resulting from the tangent-plane approach are typically determined using a posteriori cutter path checking and graphic visualization techniques. Although these checking techniques have proved useful in identifying the tool path errors before actual machining, the problem of generating an error-free tool path remains. In this paper, we discuss the analysis of tool path position and orientation data as they are generated. This a priori analysis method is used to show error locations along the lateral face of the tool. The conclusion is reached that additional research is needed in the area of simultaneous multi-axis tool path planning, if errors are to be eliminated and the efficiency of the milling machine is to be improved. The reader is referred to research efforts that extend beyond the traditional or computer-aided design (CAD, vendor supplied) tool path planning methods. Some of these efforts show great promise in eliminating gouging and improves machine tool efficiency.     

D-side: A facility and workforce planning group multi-criteria decision support system for Johnson Space Center

“To understand and protect our home planet, to explore the universe and search for life, and to inspire the next generation of explorers” is NASA's mission. The Systems Management Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC) is searching for methods to effectively manage the Center's resources to meet NASA's mission. D-Side is a group multi-criteria decision support system (GMDSS) developed to support facility decisions at JSC. D-Side uses a series of sequential and structured processes to plot facilities in a three-dimensional (3-D) graph on the basis of each facility's alignment with NASA's mission and goals, the extent to which other facilities are dependent on the facility, and the dollar value of capital investments that have been postponed at the facility relative to the facility's replacement value. A similarity factor rank orders facilities based on their Euclidean distance from Ideal and Nadir points. These similarity factors are then used to allocate capital improvement resources across facilities. We also present a parallel model that can be used to support decisions concerning allocation of human resources investments across workforce units. Finally, we present results from a pilot study where 12 experienced facility managers from NASA used D-Side and the organization's current approach to rank order and allocate funds for capital improvement across 20 facilities. Users evaluated D-Side favorably in terms of ease of use, the quality of the decision-making process, decision quality, and overall value-added. Their evaluations of D-Side were significantly more favorable than their evaluations of the current approach.     

Hydroxychloroquine reverses thrombogenic properties of antiphospholipid antibodies in mice

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that human monoclonal and polyclonal anticardiolipin antibodies have thrombogenic properties in vivo. Using such a model in which these antibodies have been shown to increase both the size of an induced thrombus and the duration of time in which such a clot lasts, we investigated whether hydroxychloroquine alters the dynamics of such thrombus formation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three groups of nine mice were injected with purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) from a patient with the antiphospholipid syndrome (IgG-APS) and then fed with hydroxychloroquine at various doses (100, 6, and 3 mg/kg body wt). Three control groups of mice were also studied, including mice injected with IgG-APS and then fed with placebo, as well as two other groups injected with IgG from normal human serum and fed either hydroxychloroquine or placebo. A standardized thrombogenic injury was subsequently induced in the femoral vein of each mouse and the area (size) of thrombus measured as well as the total period of time that thrombus was present. Mice treated with hydroxychloroquine and IgG-APS showed significantly smaller thrombi that persisted for a shorter period of time compared with animals treated with IgG-APS and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Hydroxychloroquine significantly diminished both thrombus size and total time of thrombus formation in mice previously injected with IgG-APS.     

Mixed-Cation Oxide Powders via Resin Intermediates Derived from a Water-Soluble Polymer

Submicrometer powders of complex oxides were prepared via resin intermediates based on a starch type of organic precursor. A commercially available water-soluble starch derivative was (for the first time) used as the organic base for solution synthesis of ceramic powders. Calcination of the charred, fluffy, amorphous resins at a temperature below 600°C for 4 h yielded perovskite powders of Sr-doped LaMnO₃ and Sr-doped La(Fe,Co)O₃. Sr-doped LaCrO₃ needed to be calcined above 750°C to ensure phase purity and to remove organic residue. Due to the low cost of starch derivatives, the process has the potential of being more economical than the commonly used Pechini's type process, which utilizes citric acid and ethylene glycol.     

Array pattern synthesis in the complex plane optimised by a geneticalgorithm

Array pattern nulling by operating on the roots of the array polynomial in the complex plane using a genetic algorithm (GA) is demonstrated. A pattern envelope constraint and an array efficiency criterion are applied. The algorithm is much faster than a similar GA operating on the complex weights of the array factor     

Solid-state NMR as a probe of porous catalysts and catalytic processes

The power of solid-state NMR for the interrogation of porous catalytic materials is illustrated using three examples. First, for the investigation of catalytic processes occurring within the confines of a microporous catalyst NMR is shown to reveal both the details of shape-selectivity and the nature of internal surface species. Second, NMR is shown to be a powerful short-range tool to reveal precise structural information on highly disordered microporous titanosilicates. Despite long-range disorder the short-range order is maintained and can be easily studied. Finally, the same utility of probing short-range chemical phenomena is shown to be crucial for the investigation of novel-ordered-amorphous-mesoporous materials known generically as M41S. This class of material is currently one of the most important with potential catalytic application.     

Operations standards for global ATM networks: network element view

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has completed work on a series of standards on asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) equipment functional operations and network element management. The objective of these standards is to enable flexible design and interoperability of network elements for use in a global ATM network, independent of any specific implementation. This article discusses these standards with respect to their development and application in planning ATM networks. Specifically, it addresses the following: the modeling approach taken in the development of the ITU standards, key operational features specified in the ATM network element functional model, and the capabilities of the ATM network element management interface. Examples of ATM equipment are provided to illustrate how the functional models specified in the ITU standards may be used by network planners and equipment manufacturers to specify and develop ATM equipment tailored to specific needs, while ensuring network interoperability. The article concludes with some points on the future enhancement of these and related ATM equipment operations standards     

Classroom Presenter: Enhancing Interactive Education with Digital Ink

Classroom Presenter is a Tablet PC-based interaction system that supports the sharing of digital ink on slides between instructors and students. Initial deployments show that using the technology can achieve a wide range of educational goals and foster a more participatory classroom environment.