Gender and uveitis in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is more commonly seen in women. It has been associated with both anterior and intermediate uveitis as well as retinal vasculitis. Ocular inflammation may develop concurrent with, prior to, or after the development of neurologic signs and symptoms. Patients with MS have an approximately 1% chance of developing intraocular inflammation. Patients with intermediate uveitis have an 8-12% risk of being diagnosed with MS. This risk is higher in females and in those with bilateral disease. This should be kept in mind when evaluating patients with uveitis, particularly in those patients for whom TNF inhibitor therapy is being considered, as these agents may worsen demyelinating disease

Experiments with ceramic coatings

Report describes the procedures and techniques used in the application of a ceramic coating and the evaluation of test parts through observation of the cracks that occur in this coating due to loading

Anchoring a Lexicalized Tree-Adjoining Grammar for Discourse

We here explore a ``fully'' lexicalized Tree-Adjoining Grammar for discourse that takes the basic elements of a (monologic) discourse to be not simply clauses, but larger structures that are anchored on variously realized discourse cues. This link with intra-sentential grammar suggests an account for different patterns of discourse cues, while the different structures and operations suggest three separate sources for elements of discourse meaning: (1) a compositional semantics tied to the basic trees and operations; (2) a presuppositional semantics carried by cue phrases that freely adjoin to trees; and (3) general inference, that draws additional, defeasible conclusions that flesh out what is conveyed compositionally.Comment: 7 pages, uses aclcol.st

Changing Configuration of Alternative Energy Systems

Recent and rampant regulatory changes for sustainable development are seeking to transform current energy systems towards cleaner and greener forms of energy sources. In this scenario, alternative energy technologies are considered the building blocks towards this transformed energy system. This chapter will show how the alternative energy market since the 1970s changed, in response to external oil price shocks and to other selective pressures and institutions. It will observe that the configuration of the market has been changing since 1970s, in terms of firm-composition, size and types of technologies considered in the green energy mix. It will further provide three explanations explaining why there are changes between firms, policies and these energy technologies. These three processes are considered important in determining technological innovation among firms in clean and green energy technologies.Renewable Energy, New Technologies, Firm Competition, Technology Policy, Energy Technologies

Main propulsion system test requirements for the two-engine Shuttle-C

The Shuttle-C is an unmanned cargo carrying derivative of the space shuttle with optional two or three space shuttle main engines (SSME's), whereas the shuttle has three SSME's. Design and operational differences between the Shuttle-C and shuttle were assessed to determine requirements for additional main propulsion system (MPS) verification testing. Also, reviews were made of the shuttle main propulsion test program objectives and test results and shuttle flight experience. It was concluded that, if significant MPS modifications are not made beyond those currently planned, then main propulsion system verification can be concluded with an on-pad flight readiness firing

Tree indiscernibilities, revisited

We give definitions that distinguish between two notions of indiscernibility for a set \{a_\eta \mid \eta \in \W\} that saw original use in \cite{sh90}, which we name \textit{\s-} and \textit{\n-indiscernibility}. Using these definitions and detailed proofs, we prove \s- and \n-modeling theorems and give applications of these theorems. In particular, we verify a step in the argument that TP is equivalent to TP$_1$ or TP$_2$ that has not seen explication in the literature. In the Appendix, we exposit the proofs of \citep[{App. 2.6, 2.7}]{sh90}, expanding on the details.Comment: submitte

Longitudinal Polarization at future e+e−e^+e^- Colliders and Virtual New Physics Effects

The theoretical merits of longitudinal polarization asymmetries of electron-positron annihilation into two final fermions at future colliders are examined, using a recently proposed theoretical description. A number of interesting features, valid for searches of virtual effects of new physics, is underlined, that is reminiscent of analogous properties valid on top of $Z$ resonance. As an application to a concrete example, we consider the case of a model with triple anomalous gauge couplings and show that the additional information provided by these asymmetries would lead to a drastic reduction of the allowed domain of the relevant parameters.Comment: 18 pages and 1 figure. e-mail: [email protected]

Maternal Factors Related to Parenting Young Children with Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of this study was to compare the early child-rearing practices between mothers of young children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and mothers of healthy children. In addition, maternal stress, parental developmental expectations, and the early behavioral and emotional development of their children were explored. Maccoby’s (1992) socialization theory emphasizing the reciprocal nature of mother-child interactions provided the framework for this study. Findings from quantitative self-report measures and videotaped parent-child interactions showed a remarkable similarity between mothers of children with CHD and mothers of healthy children. In contrast, qualitative data revealed important differences with mothers of CHD children reporting high levels of vigilance with their children. The important role of promoting the principle of normalization among mothers of children with CHD and ensuring a sufficient support system is discussed

Economic feasibility of bagasse charcoal in Haiti

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 13-15).The economics of implementing bagasse-based charcoal manufacturing in Haiti was investigated. From these main inputs, three different manufacturing economic scenarios were modeled using a simple, dynamic excel spreadsheet. The first model reflects single family implementation, which reasonable found that a family would be able to make back their start up costs within a month of production. The second model examined sugarcane bagasse charcoal production as an entrepreneurial endeavor for a small community. The third model is similar to the second model, but reflects large-scale factory production. The potential of the second and third models primarily depend on the cost of raw materials and transportation. These models are easily adjusted to reflect market rates and can be generalized to address similar start-up economies.by Lynn K. Kamimoto.S.B