Wanted, an Anthrax vaccine: Dead or Alive?

It has been more than 100 years since the realization that microbes are capable of causing disease. In that time, we have learned a great deal as to how each organism has adapted to the immune system so as to avoid elimination. As well, we have also learned an immense amount since Louis Pasteur first proposed that the solution to infectious diseases was to culture the microbes and attenuate their virulence, so as to use them as vaccines. From the optimism and promise of the 19(th )century and immunization as the ultimate answer to the invasion by the microbial world, to the scientific realities of the 21(st )century, it is of interest to retrace the steps of the earliest microbiologists cum immunologists, to realize how far we've come, as well as how far we yet have to go. This editorial focuses on the history of anthrax as a microbial disease, and the earliest efforts at producing a vaccine for its prevention

Puberty: Is Your Gingiva Having Mood Swings?

Objectives/aim: The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects on the different pathological changes in the oral cavity due to puberty, in both males and females. Hormonal changes caused by menstrual cycles, ovulation, the use contraceptives, and increased testosterone and estrogen levels. Methods: This topic will be analyzed by thoroughly reviewing research on articles that relate to the oral health of individuals specifically between the ages of 12-18 years old. Results: Research presents significant evidence that supports changes occurring in the oral cavity during an individual’s stage of puberty. These stages include ovulation, pre-menstruation, menstruation and males transitioning through puberty. During the puberty stage adolescents are more prone to have increased gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), gingival index, and bleeding on probing while research has shown no significant findings on plaque indexes or probing depths. Changes occurring during the menstrual cycle tend to influence the periodontium and induce inflammatory conditions as well. While the periodontium and inflammatory cytokines play a major role in the effects during puberty, changes in diet during this phase can increase the risk of developing caries as well. Conclusion: When adolescents are transitioning into adulthood, there are multiple changes their body goes through. During the literature review, many changes happen during puberty significantly affecting the oral cavity were discovered. These changes have both positive and negative effects. Variations in hormone levels and diet greatly influence the health of the oral cavity and can be a deciding factor on development or severity of oral disease.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/denh_student/1008/thumbnail.jp

Aerotherm charring materials ablation computer program

Ablating-surface boundary conditions involve considerations of surface thermochemistry. Several programs may be used to provide surface thermochemistry information

Aerotherm chemical equilibrium (ACE) computer program

Computer code was developed for calculating chemical quantities and qualities in equilibrium

Do consumer voices in health-care citizens’ juries matter?

Background There is widespread agreement that the public should be engaged in health-care decision making. One method of engagement that is gaining prominence is the citizens’ jury, which places citizens at the centre of the deliberative process. However, little is known about how the jury process works in a health-care context. There is even less clarity about how consumer perspectives are heard within citizens’ juries and with what consequences. Objectives This paper focuses on what is known about the role of consumer voices within health-care citizens’ juries, how these voices are heard by jurors and whether and in what ways the inclusion or exclusion of such voices may matter. Results Consumer voices are not always included in health-care citizens’ juries. There is a dearth of research on the conditions under which consumer voices emerge (or not), from which sources and why. As a result, little is known about what stories are voiced or silenced, and how such stories are heard by jurors, with what consequences for jurors, deliberation, decision-makers, policy and practice. Discussion and Conclusion The potential role of consumer voices in influencing deliberations and recommendations of citizens’ juries requires greater attention. Much needed knowledge about the nuances of deliberative processes will contribute to an assessment of the usefulness of citizens’ juries as a public engagement mechanism

Improved cavity-type absolute total-radiation radiometer

Conical cavity-type absolute radiometer measures the intensity of radiant energy to an accuracy of one to two percent in a vacuum of ten to the minus fifth torr or lower. There is a uniform response over the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared range, and it requires no calibration or comparison with a radiation standard

Conically shaped cavity radiometer with a dual purpose cone winding Patent

Black body radiometer design with temperature sensing and cavity heat source cone windin

Dam Rain and Cumulative Gain

We consider a financial contract that delivers a single cash flow given by the terminal value of a cumulative gains process. The problem of modelling and pricing such an asset and associated derivatives is important, for example, in the determination of optimal insurance claims reserve policies, and in the pricing of reinsurance contracts. In the insurance setting, the aggregate claims play the role of the cumulative gains, and the terminal cash flow represents the totality of the claims payable for the given accounting period. A similar example arises when we consider the accumulation of losses in a credit portfolio, and value a contract that pays an amount equal to the totality of the losses over a given time interval. An explicit expression for the value process is obtained. The price of an Arrow-Debreu security on the cumulative gains process is determined, and is used to obtain a closed-form expression for the price of a European-style option on the value of the asset. The results obtained make use of various remarkable properties of the gamma bridge process, and are applicable to a wide variety of financial products based on cumulative gains processes such as aggregate claims, credit portfolio losses, defined-benefit pension schemes, emissions, and rainfall.Comment: 25 Pages, 1 Figur

Lithium-diffused solar cells Quarterly report, 1 Jul. - 30 Sep. 1968

Lithium diffused silicon solar cell

Development and fabrication of lithium- diffused silicon solar cells Final report, 18 Aug. - 31 Jan. 1968

Lithium-diffused p-n silicon solar cells of high conversion efficiency and improve resistance to space radiation effect