Secure and Prepared Newsletter, May 15, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 9

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, June 1, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 10

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Ni-Mn-Ga thin films produced by pulsed laser deposition

Polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga thin films have been deposited by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, using slices of a Ni-Mn-Ga single crystal as targets and onto Si (100) substrates at temperatures ranging from 673 K up to 973 K. Off-stoichiometry thin films were deposited at a base pressure of 1×10-6-Torr or in a 5 mTorr Ar atmosphere. Samples deposited in vacuum and temperatures above 823 K are magnetic at room temperature and show the austenitic {220} reflection in their x-ray diffraction patterns. The temperature dependences of both electrical resistance and magnetic susceptibility suggest that these samples exhibit a structural martensitic transition at around 260 K. The magnetoresistance ratio at low temperature can be as high as 1.3%, suggesting the existence of a granular structure in the films

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, June 15, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 11

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, June 19, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 12

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, July 13, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 13

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, July 27, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 13

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, August 10, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 14

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, August 24, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 15

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, September 7, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 16

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, September 21, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 18

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, October 26, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 20

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Moving from a Mechanical Microkeratome to a Femtosecond Laser for LASIK to Correct Astigmatic Patients: Clinical Outcomes of a Retrospective, Consecutive, Comparative Study.

Background: To evaluate outcomes after optimized laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for astigmatism correction with flap created by a mechanical microkeratome or a femtosecond laser. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 102 eyes of 71 consecutive patients were enrolled undergoing optimized LASIK treatments using the Allegretto laser system (WaveLight Laser Technologie AG, Erlangen, Germany). A mechanical microkeratome for flap creation was used (One Use, Moria®) in 46 eyes (31 patients, spherical equivalent [SE] -4.44 D ± 2.4) and a femtosecond laser was used (LDV, Ziemer®) in 56 eyes (40 patients, spherical equivalent [SE] -3.07 D ± 3.3). The two groups were matched for inclusion criteria and were operated under similar conditions by the same surgeon. Results: Overall, the preoperative spherical equivalent was -9.5 diopters (D) to +3.37 D; the preoperative manifest astigmatism was between -1.5 D and -3.5 D. At 6 months postoperatively, the mean postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 0.93 ± 0.17 (range 0.4 to 1.2) in the Moria group and 1.0 ± 0.21 (range 0.6 to 1.6) in the Femto group, which was statistically significant (p = 0.003). Comparing the cylinder power there was a statistical difference between the two groups (p = 0.0015). Conclusions: This study shows that the method of flap creation has a significant impact on postoperative astigmatism with a significantly better postoperative UDVA in the Femto group. These findings suggest that the femtosecond laser provides a better platform for LASIK treatment of astigmatism than the commonly used microkeratome.

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, November 3, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 21

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management

Secure and Prepared Newsletter, December 14, 2012, Vol. 8, no. 23

A bi-weekly newsletter for those involved in the fields of homeland security and/or emergency management