A pressure-sensitive film was used to characterize the asperity contacts along a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) interface in the laboratory. The film has structural health monitoring (SHM) applications for flanges and other precision fittings and train rail condition monitoring. To calibrate the film, simple spherical indentation tests were performed and validated against a finite element model...

A. Introduction B. Clinical manifestations of genital herpes 1. Primary genital herpes 2. Non-primary first episodes 3. First episode reactivation 4. Recurrent genital herpes 5. Genital herpes in immunocompromised patients 6. Asymptomatic or unrecognised genital herpes 7. Genital herpes in pregnancy 8. Diagnostic testing of neonates C. Laboratory techniques to detect HSV 1. Viral culture a. Cul...

Dengue is an increasingly significant vector-borne infectious disease, with over 50 million cases reported in more than half the world’s recognised independent states. Dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome are distinct clinical forms of an infection that is caused by Dengue Virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family. All four well characterized serotypes of the virus...

We report results of an investigation into the proficiency of cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) phenotying, assessed in 13 laboratories between 1983 and 1986. Thirty-two specimens of serum were distributed for analysis: two, each in duplicate, from the eight genotypes that can be recognized by differential enzyme inhibitor numbers. The accuracy of genotype ascription was markedly improved over that o...

Greenberg et al., in their perspective on the current state and fate of comparative psychology, present convincing data that the field is viable and that comparative psychologists are making important contributions to the research literature. The central feature of the field is its emphasis upon evolution. This is also its weakness since advances in genetic techniques permit researchers to crea...

To Kim Nasmyth it is not surprising that Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, was working in a monastery rather than in a laboratory. As he says, “Creativity is a bit like speciation: you need a little bit of isolation to do what nobody else is doing.” Perhaps this was in his mind when he decided 10 years ago to leave the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, and join the new ...

In vitro fitness assays are essential tools for determining viral replication fitness for viruses such as HIV-1. Various measurements have been used to extrapolate viral replication fitness, ranging from the number of viral particles per infectious unit, growth rate in cell culture, and relative fitness derived from multiple-cycle growth competition assays. Growth competition assays provide a p...

Microorganisms are everywhere - in the air, soil, and human body as well as on inanimate surfaces like laboratory benches and computer keyboards. The ubiquity of microbes creates a copious supply of potential contaminants in a laboratory. To ensure experimental success, the number of contaminants on equipment and work surfaces must be minimized. Common among many experiments in microbiology are...

Recent years have seen rapid increases in the variety, cost and complexity of instruments used in analytical chemistry. Gone are the days when choice was a simple task and any mistake did not lead to a major financial embarassment which had to be lived with for perhaps a decade. Not only is the capital investment required in the laboratory increasing, but, in the present world economic climate,...

OBJECTIVES To emphasize the importance of the view of business process management for development and implementation of clinical pathways, and to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing cost and effort as well as enhancing patient satisfaction. METHODS We describe the development and implementation of pathways with methods of process management and the design and realization of an evaluation...