Integral Antireflective Surface Production on Optical Glass

Integral antireflective surfaces with extremely high laser-damage thresholds were prepared on optical glasses by controlled corrosion in neutral solution. Properties of such surfaces are discussed and compared with gradient antireflective surfaces produced on phase-separated borositicate glasses.     

Shoulder belts in motor vehicle crashes: a statewide analysis of restraint efficacy

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of shoulder belt use on motor vehicle crash ejection, morbidity and mortality. We analyzed motor vehicle crash records linked to hospital inpatient data for front seat occupants of passenger cars in Utah between 1994 and 1996 (n = 103,035). Stochastic simulations were used to adjust for possible seatbelt misclassification. There were 276 (0.3%) occupants coded as using only a shoulder belt. The adjusted odds of ejection for shoulder only belted occupants was higher compared to lap-shoulder belted (odds ratio (OR) = 18.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 15.1, 25.1) and lap only belted occupants (OR = 4.3; 95% Cl = 2.9, 7.7). There was no difference in the odds of ejection for an occupant using a shoulder belt only and an occupant using no seatbelt (OR = 1.1; 95% CI = 1.0, 1.3). Occupants using a shoulder belt only were more likely to sustain a fatal or hospitalizing injury than lap-shoulder belted (OR = 2.3; 95% Cl = 1.9, 3.0), and lap only belted occupants (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.7), while controlling for other covariates. Occupants using only a shoulder belt had the same odds of a fatal or hospitalizing injury as unbelted occupants (OR = 1.1; 95% Cl = 0.9, 1.4). Average hospital inpatient length of stay, charges and injury severity scores were similar for all restraint types. These results stress the need for the use of a lap belt in conjunction with the shoulder belt.     

Simple purification methods for an alphagalactose-specific antibody from chicken eggs

For many applications avian antibody from egg yolk (IgY) offers advantages over the well-known mammalian antibodies. Different experimental techniques for the purification of IgY from chickens immunized with an alphagalactose-containing antigen (alphaGal-trisaccharide) were compared. These included ammonium sulfate precipitation, filtration with diatomaceous earth, treatment with deoxycholate, and thiophilic and affinity chromatography. Samples were tested for overall purity, protein and lipid content, and specific activity. Evaluated on the basis of these results and the simplicity of the process, the favored purification method is ammonium sulfate precipitation of diluted egg yolk directly followed by affinity chromatography. The high lipid content of IgY preparations is greatly reduced by either thiophilic or affinity chromatography. Affinity purification of ammonium sulfate precipitated material resulted in anti-alphaGal-trisaccharide IgY preparations with approximately 1% of the original protein content but approximately 100-fold higher specific activity for the alphaGal-trisaccharide epitope.     

Fluoxetine, smoking, and history of major depression: A randomized controlled trial.

The study was a randomized placebo-controlled trial testing whether fluoxetine selectively enhances cessation for smokers with a history of depression. Euthymic smokers with (H+, n = 109) or without (H-, n = 138) a history of major depression received 60 mg fluoxetine or placebo plus group behavioral quit-smoking treatment for 12 weeks. Fluoxetine initially enhanced cessation for H+ smokers (p = .02) but subsequently impaired cessation regardless of depressive history. Six months after quit date, fluoxetine-treated participants were 3.3 times more likely to be smoking (p = .02). Further research is warranted to determine why high-dose fluoxetine produces continuing effects that oppose tobacco abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Systems of care and the integrative clinician: A look into the future of psychotherapy.

The widespread implementation of systems of care represents an important opportunity to integrate behavioral, cognitive, milieu, client-centered, group, solution-focused, systems, multicultural, and ecological approaches to child and family therapy. This integrated approach is described and illustrated, and systems of care principles are considered to be a useful foundation for effective therapeutic practices for difficult problems of children, families, and adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nuisance Operations of Distribution Fuse Links Due to Lightning-Induced Current Surges

The probability of nuisance operations of distribution fuse links due to lightning-induced current surges is the subject of much discussion today. This discussion is driven, in part, by the practice of moving the surge arrester to the transformer tank to improve overvoltage protection of the transformer. One consequence of this practice is that the probability of nuisance operation of the fuse link protecting the transformer will increase significantly unless larger fuse-link sizes are employed or unless high-surge-capacity fuse links are used. Section II of this paper describes a method for determining the probability of nuisance operations of fuse links under various conditions. Section III describes one utility's experience with moving the arrester to the transformer tank and also its success with high-surge-capacity fuse links     

GENETIC ALGORITHM APPROACH TO A LUMBER CUTTING OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM

Genetic algorithms are a technique for search and optimization based on the Darwinian principle of natural selection. They are iterative search procedures that maintain a population of candidate solutions. The best or most fit solutions in that population are then used as the basis for the next generation of solutions. The next generation is formed using the genetic operators reproduction, crossover, and mutation. Genetic algorithms have been successfully applied to engineering search and optimization problems. This paper presents a discussion of the basic theory of genetic algorithms and presents a genetic algorithm solution of a lumber cutting optimization problem. Dimensional lumber is assigned a grade that represents its physical properties. A grade is assigned to every board segment of a specific length. The board is then cut in various locations in order to maximize its value, A genetic algorithm was used to determine the cutting patterns that would maximize the board value.     

Collaborative cross-checking to enhance resilience

Resilience, the ability to adapt or absorb disturbance, disruption, and change, may be increased by team processes in a complex, socio-technical system. In particular, collaborative cross-checking is a strategy where at least two individuals or groups with different perspectives examine the others’ assumptions and/or actions to assess validity or accuracy. With this strategy, erroneous assessments or actions can be detected quickly enough to mitigate or eliminate negative consequences. In this paper, we seek to add to the understanding of the elements that are needed in effective cross-checking and the limitations of the strategy. We define collaborative cross-checking, describe in detail three healthcare incidents where collaborative cross-checks played a key role, and discuss the implications of emerging patterns.     

Using data from the 1991 census

The 1991 census for England and Wales provides a substantial amount of data on demography, ethnicity, housing tenure, employment status, and other social factors for geographical areas ranging in size from enumeration districts upwards. Many in the health service and in the academic community are making use of the data in the 1991 census. However, users of census data need to be aware of the problems and limitations of these data, which include the format of the data, data modification and suppression, sampling error, and underenumeration. An important innovation of the 1991 census was that the census form included a question on the postcode of respondents; this allowed the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to produce a postcode-enumeration district look up table which overcomes many of the problems previously encountered in trying to assign postcodes to enumeration districts. The new look up table also includes the grid reference of postcodes, and this will improve the geographical referencing of census data.     

Chemical Synthesis of A Pore‐Forming Antimicrobial Protein,Caenopore‐5, by Using Native Chemical Ligation at a Glu‐Cys Site

The 2014 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) on antimicrobial resistance revealed an alarming rise in antibiotic resistance all around the world. Unlike classical antibiotics, with the exception of a few species, no acquired resistance towards antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been reported. Therefore, AMPs represent leads for the development of novel antibiotics. Caenopore‐5 is constitutively expressed in the intestine of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and is a pore‐forming AMP. The protein (82 amino acids) was successfully synthesised by using Boc solid‐phase peptide synthesis and native chemical ligation. No γ‐linked by‐product was observed despite the use of a C‐terminal Glu‐thioester. The folding of the synthetic protein was confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and circular dichroism and compared with data recorded for recombinant caenopore‐5. The permeabilisation activities of the protein and of shortened analogues were evaluated.