ER is UML

Entity-Relationship (ER) diagrams are frequently used for data modeling and database design. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is dominant in the programming area but has not been widely adopted in the database area. I describe the history of UML as inspired by ER diagrams and argue that the use of a suitable variant of UML incorporates the benefits of ER diagrams as well as the advantages of a modeling language used by the programming community

The effects of intra-articular silicone polymer on synovial fluid, synovial tissue, and articular cartilage in the equine middle carpal joint

There is anecdotal documentation that intra-articular administration of liquid silicone is used as a lubricant for equine joints. Effects of silicone polymer on equine articular cartilage and synovial fluid have not been evaluated. The objectives were to characterize the effects of intra-articular administration of liquid silicone polymer on clinical, synovial fluid, and microscopic features in normal middle carpal joints of horses, and to determine if silicone migrates to the axillary lymph nodes. Eight adult horses were used in this study. Two mLs of 1,000 centistoke, medical-grade silicone was injected into one randomly selected middle carpal joint. The opposite middle carpal joint was injected with two mLs of 0.9% NaCl. Degree of effusion, range of motion, pain on flexion, joint circumference, and degree of lameness were determined prior to injection, at 2, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after injection, and weekly for 6 weeks after injection. Radiographic examination, synovial fluid analysis, and microscopic examination of synovium, articular cartilage and axillary lymph nodes were performed at the conclusion of the study. Joint circumference for silicone-treated carpi was significantly greater (p \u3c 0.05) than saline-treated carpi from eight to 336 hours after injection. There was a significant association between treated limbs and lameness, lameness after flexion, pain elecited upon maximal flexion of carpus and middle carpal effusion in treated limbs. Radiographic examination did not reveal the presence of osseous abnormalities; however, effusion was present in 4/8 silicone-treated carpi and 2/8 saline-treated carpi. Synovial fluid from silicone-treated and saline-treated carpi had normal protein concentrations and total nucleated cell counts. Synovial fluid from 5/8 silicone-treated carpi had refractile cytoplasmic vacuoles within macrophages. All silicone-treated carpi had synovial hypertrophy with 7/8 silicone-treated carpi demonstrating accumulation of vacuolated cells containing silicone. Examination of articular cartilage from saline-treated and silicone-treated carpi did not reveal a significant difference. Silicone was not definitively demonstrated in any axillary lymph nodes. Administration of silicone into the middle carpal joint resulted in synovitis. A single administration of silicone polymer had no apparent effects on articular cartilage within six weeks of administration

Monitoring transverse relaxation times of kerosene-adulterated diesel using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (TD-NMR) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (LF-NMR) are different techniques that vary in the range of magnetic field strengths that they use, which is a determining factor for the type of analysis that can be done. In this study, LF-NMR was used to perform a time-domain analysis of petroleum products, diesel and kerosene. This is a type of analysis which is typically performed using TD-NMR. Diesel and kerosene are two petroleum products that have different characteristics such as viscosity, boiling point, and hydrocarbon length. Diluting, or adulterating, diesel fuels with kerosene is a common practice which allows gasoline companies to cut costs of production. This procedure, however, alters the chemistry of the fuel which can subsequently, at high enough concentrations of kerosene, make the consumption of this fuel mixture damaging to the mechanical engine within which the fuel is combusting. LF-NMR, although not conventionally used to conduct this type of analysis, was used to successfully measure the transverse relaxation time of three different diesel samples adulterated with kerosene. The average transverse relaxation time for unadulterated diesel was measured to be 0.71 s, while the average transverse relaxation time for kerosene was measured to be 1.29 s. These values agree with those measured using traditional TD-NMR. The transverse relaxation time correlated linearly with the percent of kerosene in the mixtures, as seen in previous TD-NMR studies. The data collected supports an inverse relationship between the viscosity of a substance (3.39 cSt for diesel and 1.20 cSt for kerosene) and its relaxation time. LF-NMR is a suitable alternative to this spectroscopic analysis of adulterated petroleum products, with measured relaxation times similar to those determined using TD-NMR

Numerical Modeling of a Physical System

The student will select a simple physical system (mechanical or thermal) and develop a numerical model of this system using basic techniques, such as Runge-Kutta or Finite-Difference Modeling. Possible systems to consider include: simple cases of fluid flow (Couette Flow, etc.), metal casting, or ballistics. This model can then be applied to solve a specific problem relating to this system. The details of the system, techniques, and specific problem, can be tailored to student interests (within constraints of difficulty). Requires calculus and limited familiarity with differential equations. This project will not constitute original research, or result in publishable material. It serves to provide an introduction to basic numerical method

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Counting in a Computerized Testing Paradigm

Using computer-mediated joystick manipulation, the ability of a common chimpanzee(Pan troglodytes) to select arrays of items equal to a given target number was examined. A random dot condition was included in which all sequence cues were eliminated as a means to reach the target numbers 1 to 4. The participant, Austin, had only the quantity of items already selected as a record of how high the count had progressed. Performance on the random dot trials was found to be significantly above chance and improvement over time was also statistically significant. Results of this experiment provide evidence that Austin behaved with a knowledge that the quantity of items selected was the objective of the task rather than adhering rigidly to any specific pattern of selection. The results indicate that Austin had the ability to discriminate the number of items needed to reach the target number and then select items individually to reach that target quantity

American Utilization of the Mexican Border Industrialization Program

This comment is about the events leading to the evolution of the Mexican Border Industrialization Program

N. E. Hansen\u27s Contributions to Alfalfa Breeding in North America

This bulletin provides biographical information about N.E. Hanson and his contributions to alfalfa breeding

Problems of the Multidisciplinary Team

A review of literature on multidisciplinary teams indicates problems in the teams\u27 functioning center around four questions: (a) Who collects what information for the decision-making process? (b) Is that information based on nonbiased, technically adequate data? (c) Is there active participation by all members in the decision-making process? and, (d) Is there consensus among the team members as to classification, placement, and program planning? In the present paper focus is directed upon question (b). This study assessed the degree of redundancy between the General Reading Comprehension Core of the Test of Reading Comprehension: A Method for Assessing the Understanding of Written Language and the reading subtests of the Science Research Associates Achievement Series using a canonical correlation analysis. Results indicated that over 55% of the SRA subtest variance and 44% of the TORC Core variance was redundant

Instrumentation Design and Implementation

The student will design and construct a measurement instrument for a selected application. This system will run on micro-controllers or SBCs (such as an Arduino or Raspberry Pi), and connect to electronic sensors selected for the measurement to be made. The specific device to be designed can be tailored to student interest, however possible examples might include a refractive index detector, position sensor, et