Outcome of endodontic therapy with thermafil and lateral condensation technique

Journal of Dental Research, 2003, v. 82 Spec. Iss. C, p. C-635, abstract no. 19published_or_final_versio

A Content-based search engine on medical images for telemedicine

Retrieving images by content and forming visual queries are important functionality of an image database system. Using textual descriptions to specify queries on image content is another important component of content-based search. The authors describe a medical image database system MIQS which supports visual queries such as query by example and query by sketch. In addition, it supports textual queries on spatial relationships between the objects of an image. MIQS is designed as a client-server application in which the client accesses the database and its images via the WWW.published_or_final_versio

Restoring proximal caries lesions conservatively with tunnel restorations

The tunnel restoration has been suggested as a conservative alternative to the conventional box preparation for treating proximal caries. The main advantage of tunnel restoration over the conventional box or slot preparation includes being more conservative and increasing tooth integrity and strength by preserving the marginal ridge. However, tunnel restoration is technique-sensitive and can be particularly challenging for inexperienced restorative dentists. Recent advances in technology, such as the contemporary design of dental handpieces with advanced light-emitting diode (LED) and handheld comfort, offer operative dentists better vision, illumination, and maneuverability. The use of magnifying loupes also enhances the visibility of the preparation. The advent of digital radiographic imaging has improved dental imaging and reduced radiation. The new generation of restorative materials has improved mechanical properties. Tunnel restoration can be an option to restore proximal caries if the dentist performs proper case selection and pays attention to the details of the restorative procedures. This paper describes the clinical technique of tunnel restoration and reviews the studies of tunnel restorations.published_or_final_versio

Potential use of Niti implant for intra-articular fracture of phalax

Session - New Developments in Orthopaedic Implant Materialspublished_or_final_versio

Growth of N, N′-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N, N′-diphenyl-benzidine dome structures

N,N′-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-benzidine samples exhibiting interesting nano/microstructure were fabricated by thermal evaporation in a tube furnace under Ar gas flow. We investigated the influence of the substrate type, substrate temperature, source temperature, and the gas flow rate on the obtained morphology. The deposited material was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence. We found that the substrate temperature was the factor which significantly affected the obtained morphology, while other factors such as substrate type, source temperature, and gas flow mainly affected the size distribution of the features but not the type of morphology observed. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

The role of religion in moderating the impact of life events on material life goals: Some evidence in support of terror management theory.

How would religion and a life event carrying an existential threat (LEET) jointly impact a person's life goals of becoming wealthy and successful in one's career? Goal reprioritisation, socioemotional selectivity, and gerotranscendence theories predict a shift away from material goals following a LEET, independent of the effect of religion. However, terror management theory (TMT) predicts that the effect of death thoughts depends on one's prevailing cultural values. As religion can be regarded as a culture, it is possible that Christians' and non-believers' material life goals would be differentially altered by LEET. Data from 1259 young Chinese adults reveal no main effect of LEET, but a strong effect of religion. Moreover, there was an interaction effect between LEET and religion on material life goals: LEET weakened material goals for Christians but not for non-believers. These findings suggest that TMT is more suitable than the other theories for predicting life goal changes.postprin

CLUDE: An Efficient Algorithm for LU Decomposition Over a Sequence of Evolving Graphs

Session: Matrix Factorization, Clustering and Probabilistic DataIn many applications, entities and their relationships are represented by graphs. Examples include the WWW (web pages and hyperlinks) and bibliographic networks (authors and co-authorship). A graph can be conveniently modeled by a matrix from which various quantitative measures are derived. Some example measures include PageRank and SALSA (which measure nodes’ importance), and Personalized PageRank and Random Walk with Restart (which measure proximities between nodes). To compute these measures, linear systems of the form Ax = b, where A is a matrix that captures a graph’s structure, need to be solved. To facilitate solving the linear system, the matrix A is often decomposed into two triangular matrices (L and U). In a dynamic world, the graph that models it changes with time and thus is the matrix A that represents the graph. We consider a sequence of evolving graphs and its associated sequence of evolving matrices. We study how LU-decomposition should be done over the sequence so that (1) the decomposition is efficient and (2) the resulting LU matrices best preserve the sparsity of the matrices A’s (i.e., the number of extra non-zero entries introduced in L and U are minimized.) We propose a cluster-based algorithm CLUDE for solving the problem. Through an experimental study, we show that CLUDE is about an order of magnitude faster than the traditional incremental update algorithm. The number of extra non-zero entries introduced by CLUDE is also about an order of magnitude fewer than that of the traditional algorithm. CLUDE is thus an efficient algorithm for LU decomposition that produces high-quality LU matrices over an evolving matrix sequence.published_or_final_versio

Atypical manifestations in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease associated with the production of various autoantibodies and involvement of multiple organs. Necropsy findings in a 65 year old woman with SLE who had multiple aortic aneurysms and dissections, as well as other unusual manifestations, are described. The case illustrates the occurrence of and the difficulties encountered in the diagnosis of several diseases, namely aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, acute pancreatitis, and Penicillium marneffei infection.published_or_final_versio

A study on the BVOC emissions in Hong Kong

published_or_final_versio