An investigation on the shear bond strength of one dentin adhesive at two different dentin depths

The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of dentin depth and patient's age on the shear bond strength of one dentin adhesive (ART Bond), using an Instron Universal testing machine at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min. Forty human molar teeth were used and were divided into two main groups, twenty each representing two age groups of patients, i.e., between 20 to 30 years and between 30-40 years of age. Every group was further subdivided into two subgroups of different dentin depths, i.e., superficial and deep. Results were recorded in Kg/Cm2 and converted into MPa units, then tabulated and statistically analyzed. A Duncan's range statistic test at P < or = 0.05 showed statistically significant differences between the bond strength values for both age groups at different dentin depths, with the superficial dentin showing higher bond values, and there were also statistically significant differences between the bond strength values of the two age groups at the same dentin depth, with the older age group showing higher bond values.     

Technetium-99m-MIBI myocardial SPECT: supine versus right lateral imaging and comparison with coronary arteriography

Myocardial perfusion SPECT using the prone position improves inferior wall counts and decreases motion problems as compared with the usual supine position. Nonetheless, it is not suitable for women. In addition, it is associated with artifactual anteroseptal defects and hot spots. METHODS: The right lateral (RL) position was evaluated instead of the prone position in 72 patients (26 women). RL imaging was performed immediately after the supine imaging during a routine 2-day 99mTc-sestamibi exercise protocol. The SPECT images were scored semiquantitatively by three physicians. Moreover, regional myocardial counts, as well as extent and severity of defects, were assessed by quantitative polar map analysis. RESULTS: All patients tolerated the RL position well and there was no significant patient movement in either position. Higher inferior myocardial counts per pixel were observed in the RL than in supine images. Inferior wall defects (especially mild ones) were more common in the supine than the RL images, whereas defects in other regions were not different. Quantitative analysis confirmed these findings. Analysis of 34 patients with recent coronary arteriography revealed an overall coronary artery disease (CAD) supine- and RL-imaging specificity of 50% and 75%, respectively, and the sensitivities of both were 93%. Right CAD sensitivity, specificity and normalcy rates for the supine position were 100%, 44% and 55%, whereas those of the RL position were 94%, 75% and 90%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The RL position improves CAD diagnostic accuracy, particularly right CAD, without significant artifacts in other myocardial regions. Unlike the prone position, the RL position is well tolerated by both women and men.     

Infection of sheep with adult and larval Ostertagia circumcincta: abomasal morphology

The infection of parasite-naive sheep with approximately 15,000 adult Ostertagia circumcincta via abomasal cannulae resulted in marked changes in the structure and function of the abomasum. The functional changes, which have been characterised previously, included elevated abomasal pH and increased serum concentrations of pepsinogen and gastrin. Eight days after the transplant of adult worms, the abomasa of recipient animals were significantly heavier than those of controls (P < 0.001), the thickness of the fundic mucosa was greater (P < 0.01), there were fewer parietal cells (P < 0.01) and increases in the numbers of mitotic figures and mucus-producing cells. Mucous cell hyperplasia was also evident in the fundic mucosae of sheep receiving a trickle infection of infective, third-stage O. circumcincta larvae and was prominent within nodules associated with larval development. In non-nodular mucosa, there was hyperplasia of mucous cells and changes in the distribution of parietal cells. Decreases in the number of parietal cells at the gland base were offset by increases at a mid-gland level, probably due to chronic hypergastrinaemia, so that, overall, total parietal cell number was unaffected. Mucous cell hyperplasia and the diminution of parietal cell number are seen in a diverse range of disease states and may be mediated by host growth factors such as Transforming growth factor-alpha. Alternatively, the cellular and/or the secretory changes in response to the presence of adult worms are mediated by chemicals that are cytotoxic/inhibitory for parietal cells, and released by the parasites themselves.     

Obstetric complications after treatment of intrauterine synechiae (Asherman's syndrome)

This review comprises 36 patients who were treated for Asherman's syndrome from 1968 to 1974 at the Sloane Hospital for Women. Of the 18 patients who later conceived only 6 had uncomplicated term deliveries. Four had premature deliveries resulting in neonatal death. Three had placenta accreta and postpartum hemorrhage, necessitating a cesarean hysterectomy in 1. Two patients required cesarean section for complications due to the syndrome, 2 had spontaneous abortion, and 1 had a cervical pregnancy requiring total hysterectomy. Only 10 babies survived. The incidence and severity of complications in conceptions following treatment for Asherman's syndrome is high, and the obstetrician must be prepared to manage them.     

Successive noise enhancement reduction

The capacity of direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) systems is limited by multiple access interference (MAI). Commercial CDMA systems regarded MAI as additive noise and employed the matched filter detectors. This technique limits the number of users that can be supported in a DS-CDMA system and causes an increase in the bit error rates for active users in the system as the number of users increases or as the spreading factor decreases. Thus, advanced signal processing solutions for interference suppression are necessary. In this paper, we propose a new multiuser detector (MUD) detector technique and compare between its performance to other popular MUD detectors for the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) physical layer.     

Preparation of TiO2-pillared montmorillonite as photocatalyst Part I. Microwave calcination, characterisation, and adsorption of a textile azo dye

Two photocatalysts based on TiO₂-pillared intercalated montmorillonite have been prepared by microwave for 10 min at 700 W or by furnace heating at 673 K. Montmorillonite pillaring with TiO₂ increased the basal spacing to 14.7 Å (conventional heating) and 17.6 Å (microwave heating). XRD patterns of both materials showed the presence of 100% anatase with a slightly higher rate of crystallinity obtained through microwave calcination than by conventional heating at 673 K. The BET specific surface area of the microwave prepared photocatalyst (151 m² g^− 1) was 3 fold higher than those of the Degussa TiO₂ P25. At pH = 5.8, the maximum adsorption capacity of Solophenyl red 3BL (a textile azo dye) on the TiO₂-pillared montmorillonite calcined by microwave was 185 mg g^− 1, whereas it was 1.4 and 3 fold lower on the TiO₂-pillared montmorillonite calcined at 673 K, and on the Degussa TiO₂ P25 respectively. The influence of pH on the adsorption of the dye depended on the pH_ZPC of the pillared montmorillonites.     

Proposed network structures and combined adaptive algorithms for electrocardiogram signal denoising

An electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is a record of the electrical activities of heart muscle and is used clinically to diagnose heart diseases. An ECG signal should be presented as clear as possible to support accurate decisions made by doctors. This article proposes different combinations of combined adaptive algorithms to derive different noise-cancelling structures to remove (denoise) different kinds of noise from ECG signals. The algorithms are applied to the following types of noise: power line interference, baseline wander, electrode motion artifact, and muscle artifacts. Moreover, the results of the suggested models and algorithms are compared with those of conventional denoising tools such as the discrete wavelet transform, an adaptive filter, and a multilayer neural network (NN) to ensure the superiority of the proposed combined structures and algorithms. Furthermore, the hybrid concept is based on dual, triple, and quadruple combinations of well-known algorithms that derive adaptive filters, such as the least mean squares, normalized least mean squares and recursive least squares algorithms. The combinations are formulated based on partial update, variable step-size (VSS), and second iterative VSS algorithms, which are considered in different combinations. In addition, biased NN and unbiased linear neural network (ULNN) structures are considered. The performance of the different structures and related algorithms are evaluated by measuring the post-signal-to-noise ratio, mean square error, and percentage root mean square difference.     

Apodized chirped fiber Bragg grating for postdispersion compensation in wavelength division multiplexing optical networks

In this paper, a postdispersion compensation unit is proposed leading to a better performance for the optical communication systems. This unit utilizes a chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG). For enhanced performance of the CFBG, a proper apodization function is chosen to improve the quality factor (Q‐factor) and the bit error rate (BER) of the system. A 110‐km wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical link is investigated. The system performance is evaluated through its Q‐factor, eye diagram, and BER showing best performance when using the Hamming apodization function.     

Self‐Assembly of Mechanoplasmonic Bacterial Cellulose–Metal Nanoparticle Composites

Nanocomposites of metal nanoparticles (NPs) and bacterial nanocellulose (BC) enable fabrication of soft and biocompatible materials for optical, catalytic, electronic, and biomedical applications. Current BC–NP nanocomposites are typically prepared by in situ synthesis of the NPs or electrostatic adsorption of surface functionalized NPs, which limits possibilities to control and tune NP size, shape, concentration, and surface chemistry and influences the properties and performance of the materials. Here a self‐assembly strategy is described for fabrication of complex and well‐defined BC–NP composites using colloidal gold and silver NPs of different sizes, shapes, and concentrations. The self‐assembly process results in nanocomposites with distinct biophysical and optical properties. In addition to antibacterial materials and materials with excellent senor performance, materials with unique mechanoplasmonic properties are developed. The homogenous incorporation of plasmonic gold NPs in the BC enables extensive modulation of the optical properties by mechanical stimuli. Compression gives rise to near‐field coupling between adsorbed NPs, resulting in tunable spectral variations and enhanced broadband absorption that amplify both nonlinear optical and thermoplasmonic effects and enables novel biosensing strategies.     

Modified Bat Algorithm for Optimal VM's in Cloud Computing

All task scheduling applications need to ensure that resources are optimally used, performance is enhanced, and costs are minimized. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to Fitness Calculate Values (FCVs) to provide application software with a reliable solution during the initial stages of load balancing. The cloud computing environment is the subject of this study. It consists of both physical and logical components (most notably cloud infrastructure and cloud storage) (in particular cloud services and cloud platforms). This intricate structure is interconnected to provide services to users and improve the overall system's performance. This case study is one of the most important segments of cloud computing, i.e., Load Balancing. This paper aims to introduce a new approach to balance the load among Virtual Machines (VM's) of the cloud computing environment. The proposed method led to the proposal and implementation of an algorithm inspired by the Bat Algorithm (BA). This proposed Modified Bat Algorithm (MBA) allows balancing the load among virtual machines. The proposed algorithm works in two variants: MBA with Overloaded Optimal Virtual Machine (MBA-OOVM) and Modified Bat Algorithm with Balanced Virtual Machine (MBA-BVM). MBA generates cost-effective solutions and the strengths of MBA are finally validated by comparing it with Bat Algorithm.