Shooter localization in urban terrain

Detecting and accurately locating snipers has been an elusive goal of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies for a long time. Most successful sniper-detecting systems are based on acoustic measurements. We develop an acoustic system that works well even in complex urban environments. Funded through the Network Embedded Systems Technology program of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Information Exploitation Office, the PinPtr system uses a wireless network of many low-cost sensors to determine both a shooter's location and the bullet's trajectory by measuring both the muzzle blast and the shock wave. The PinPtr sensor-fusion algorithm, which runs on a base station, performs a search on a hyper-surface defined by a consistency function. This function provides the number of sensor measurements that are consistent with hypothetical shooter positions and shot times. The algorithm automatically classifies measurements and eliminates those that result from multipath effects or are otherwise erroneous. A fast search algorithm finds the global maximum of the surface, which corresponds to the shooter position.     

World’s largest dry gas seal marks five-year milestone

This case study covers what is believed to be the world’s largest dry-running, non-contacting gas seal, manufactured by John Crane. Recently returned for routine maintenance, it has reached its five-year anniversary while remaining in excellent condition.     

Results of selective venous site-specific catheterization in occult C-cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is a surgical procedure used for the treatment of people with chronic ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. The surgery is intended to preserve anal sphincter function, but it carries a risk for certain complications, including pouchitis and anastomotic stricture. The purpose of this article is to review the clinical manifestations, causes, and treatment of anastomotic stricture and pouchitis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.     

Oncological outcomes of operative treatment of subcutaneous soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities

We reviewed the cases of sixty-two patients who had had a subcutaneous sarcoma to determine the effect of tumor and treatment-related variables on the rates of survival and local recurrence. Fifty-nine (95 per cent) of the patients had had an operation at another hospital before being referred to us. Twenty-nine (47 per cent) of the sixty-two tumors were high-grade, forty-two (68 per cent) were small (five centimeters or less), and thirty (48 per cent) were malignant fibrous histiocytomas. We followed a treatment strategy that consisted of repeat excision with the goal of obtaining wide margins. Excluding thirteen patients who had had a palpable local recurrence at the time of presentation, twenty (49 per cent) of forty-one patients who had had a marginal excision at another hospital had microscopic residual tumor on repeat excision. At a median of fifty-six months after the repeat excision, fifty (81 per cent) of the sixty-two patients had been continuously disease-free, one had no evidence of disease, eight had died of the disease, and three had died of other causes. The five-year rate of disease-free survival was 85 per cent (fifty-three of sixty-two patients). There were three local recurrences, all in patients who had had a marginal resection. No recurrences were noted in patients who had had a wide local excision of the tumor or of the previous operative field. Multivariate analysis revealed that a large tumor (greater than five centimeters), a marginal excision, and adjuvant radiation therapy were associated with a worse prognosis. Excellent rates of survival for patients who have a subcutaneous sarcoma, including those who have a large or high-grade tumor and those who have residual tumor following a previous operation, can be obtained with carefully planned operative treatment alone. We recommend operative excision or repeat excision with wide margins because of the high prevalence of residual tumor. Size is the most important tumor-related factor, and the operative margin is the most important treatment-related factor. The additional value of adjuvant radiation therapy remains unproved.     

Bone SPECT of the jaws after fracture, onlay osteoplasty of insertion of implants

AIM: The aim of this study was early differentiation between uncomplicated and complicated processes of healing in the jaw using bone SPECT. METHODS: Investigations were performed in 40 mandibular fractures and 26 jaws after onlay osteoplasty as well as secondary insertion of implants. Bone SPECT was carried out within 1-2 months and after approximately 4-5 months. The uptake in the jaw was assessed semi-quantitatively using ROI analysis. RESULTS: Fractures with uncomplicated healing showed a decrease of uptake in follow-up, whereas fractures with an infection in the later course showed an increase, resulting in a significantly higher uptake at the follow-up investigation for the latter group. 1-2 months after onlay osteoplasty significantly lower uptake was found in regions with later occurrence of sequestration. In regions with implants in which osseointegration failed, there was significant reduction of uptake initially and significant elevation at the follow-up investigation. CONCLUSION: These results indicate a prognostic relevance of bone SPECT in the evaluation of processes of healing in the jaw.     

快重离子在石墨中引起表面及体径迹的STM研究

用多种快重离子辐照高定向石墨（HOPG），借助扫描隧道显微镜（STM）系统地研究了表面及体内缺陷，结果表明，离子在表面及解理面上都形成了小丘状的缺陷，且在表面较容易形成，可以用非连续损伤径迹结构来对其进行解释。