Curing effects of single-wall carbon nanotube reinforcement on mechanical properties of filled epoxy adhesives

Enhancing epoxy adhesives using nanoscale fillers requires understanding processing-structure–property relationships as a function of nanoscale filler loading. In particular, the effects of adding nanoscale reinforcement to filled epoxies, such as those qualified for space applications, have yet to be characterized. In this effort, the addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to Hysol 9309.2 epoxy was investigated using a multi-scale mechanical characterization approach. Effects of SWNTs on the kinetics of epoxy curing were characterized and modeled using macromechanical dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Adhesion between SWNTs and microfiber reinforcement was identified with scanning electron microscope (SEM), and effects of SWNTs on mechanical properties of the filled epoxy were quantified using micromechanical tensile testing. Effects of SWNT reinforcement on mechanical behavior of the epoxy matrix were also characterized using nanomechanical characterization. This multi-scale mechanical characterization enabled the effects of SWNTs to be isolated from the epoxy and filler phases inherent in the adhesive.     

Tetanus immunization status and predictors of immunity in older family practice outpatients

370 deaths out of 1141 hospitalized cases of newborns aged 0-28 days were retrospectively analyzed in the Tantigou pediatric hospital of Dapaong, situated 645 km from Lome in northern Togo, in 1984-1985 and 1994-1995. A decreasing trend in neonatal mortality was noted: 42.5% and 27.6% respectively. Major causes of death were prematurity or low birth weight, sepsis, hypoxia conditions. The attendance of pregnant women at health information centres seems to be improving, but the neonatal mortality rate remaining high, the implementation of primary health care/Bamako Initiative resulting especially aiming at better prenatal care for pregnant women must be sustained.     

Erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E) predict hematopoietic recovery after peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation in patients with advanced breast cancer

In 29 consecutive heavily pretreated stage IV breast cancer patients, we analyzed patient factors and in vitro characteristics of peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) collections that might correlate with the speed of hematopoietic recovery after autologous transplantation. PBPC collections were assessed for total number of mononuclear cells infused/patient weight in kg and hematopoietic progenitor cell content using in vitro colony-forming assays. In these patients, who received PBPC as the sole hematopoietic support after myeloablative chemotherapy, the number of erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E) infused correlated significantly with both time to neutrophil (P = 0.008) and platelet (P = 0.0001) recovery and was a better predictor of hematopoietic recovery than number of CFU-GM administered. By day 75 after transplantation, six patients with poor BFU-E yields failed to engraft platelets. Our data suggest that the number of BFU-E infused correlate with time to hematopoietic engraftment and may predict failure of platelet engraftment in heavily pre-treated patients.     

Paramedic judgment of the need for trauma team activation for pediatric patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of paramedic judgment in determining the need for trauma team activation (TA) for pediatric blunt trauma patients. METHODS: A prospective, observational study was conducted at the ED of Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron between July 12, 1996, and February 28, 1997, in cooperation with Akron Fire Department emergency medical technician-paramedics (EMT-Ps). The ED provides on-line and off-line medical control for pediatric transports. Patients with minor or no identifiable injuries are released at the scene with the instructions to see a physician. The remainder are transported to the ED. The decision for TTA is based on ED trauma protocols as well as emergency physician judgment of injury severity in combination with the judgment of the treating paramedic. During the study, EMT-Ps were asked (before physician input) whether, based solely on their judgment, a patient needed TTA. Patients 0-14 years old who were involved in motor vehicle crashes, bike crashes, or falls from a height of >10 feet were included in the study. TTA was defined as necessary if the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or operating room (OR) for nonorthopedic surgical procedures. Out-of-hospital, ED, and hospital records were reviewed. Coroners' records as well as medical records of all trauma admissions during the study period were reviewed to ensure that the patients released at the scene were not mistriaged. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-two patients met study criteria. Eighty-five patients (44%) were transported to the ED, of whom 12 had TTA. EMT-Ps requested TTA for 10 of these patients, and 2 patients had TTA per ED trauma protocol. Two of the patients who were judged by EMT-Ps to need TTA were admitted to the ICU/OR, and neither of the patients identified by ED trauma protocol to require TTA were admitted to the ICU/OR. Two initially stable patients who did not have TTA deteriorated after arrival to the ED. Both were admitted to the ICU. The sensitivity and specificity of paramedic judgment of the need for TTA for pediatric blunt trauma patients were 50% (95% CI 9.2-90.8) and 87.7% (95% CI 78.0-93.6), respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 16.7% (95% CI 2.9-49.1) and 97.3% (95% CI 89.6-99.5). None of the patients released at the scene was mistriaged based on the review of the coroners' and trauma admission records. CONCLUSION: Results of this investigation indicate that a small percentage of pediatric blunt trauma patients require TTA. EMT-P judgment alone of the need for TTA for pediatric blunt trauma patients is not sufficiently sensitive to be of clinical use. The low sensitivity is explained by the deterioration in the clinical condition of 2 initially stable patients. The paramedic disposition decisions from the scene were always accurate. Nontransport by emergency medical services (EMS) may be acceptable in some uninjured pediatric trauma patients. Injured pediatric trauma patients who appear to be stable may deteriorate shortly after injury. However, if a pediatric patient appears injured, transport from the scene and examination by a trauma specialist are needed. Finally, the role of paramedic judgment must be further defined by larger studies with urban, rural, and suburban EMS systems before it can be used as a sole predictor of TTA.     

Sex role identification and the clinical psychology student.

22 female (mean age 31.8 yrs) and 16 male (mean age 27.5 yrs) practicum students in clinical psychology completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward clinical work. Females were more likely than males to work predominantly with children. Masculine and undifferentiated Ss attributed the source of their theoretical orientation to their clinical work, whereas feminine and androgynous Ss considered their own personal treatment as important a source of influence as clinical work. Masculine Ss viewed hearing about important changes in patients' lives as more gratifying than direct observation of change, while other Ss viewed the direct observation of change as most gratifying. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A flexible adaptive FIR filter VLSI IC

The architecture and features of the Motorola DSP56200 are described. The DSP56200 is an algorithm-specific cascadable digital signal processing peripheral designed to perform the computationally intensive tasks associated with finite impulse response (FIR) and adaptive FIR digital filtering applications. The DSP56200 is implemented in high-performance, low-power 1.5-μm HCMOS technology and is available in a 28-pin DIP package. The on-chip computation unit includes a 97.5-ns 24-bit×24-bit coefficient RAM, and a 256-bit×16-bit data RAM. Three modes of operation allow the part to be used as a single, dual, or single adaptive FIR filter, with up to 256 taps per chip. In the adaptive mode, the part performs the FIR filtering and least-mean-square (LMS) coefficient update operations for a single tap in 195 ns, permitting use of the part as a 19-kHz sampling rate, 256-tap adaptive FIR filter. A programmable DC tap, coefficient leakage, and adaptation coefficient parameters in the adaptive FIR mode allow the DSP56200 to be used in a wide variety of adaptive FIR filtering applications. The performance of the part in an echo canceler configuration is presented. Typical applications of the part are also described     

Virtual environments simulation for dose assessment in nuclear plants

This work reports results obtained with the use of a game engine as a tool to create and to navigate in virtual environments, to perform simulations and training of workers in risky areas, for safety purposes. The game engine used can be used for non-commercial and educational purposes, and its source code is available for users. Thus, the engine can be modified and adapted for the modeling and simulation of any environment, including the development of new functionalities. A case study is shown, which has the purpose of supporting dose assessment in nuclear plants, for optimization of operational routines in these areas. The implemented modifications are explained, and simulations' results are shown.