No abstract

Objective.\p=m-\To evaluate the efficacy of a new transdermal nicotine system for smoking cessation. Design.\p=m-\Two 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trials were conducted. Successful abstainers from both trials enrolled in a third trial for blinded downtitration from medications (6 weeks) and subsequent off-drug follow-up (12 weeks). Setting.\p=m-\Nineoutpatient clinics specializing in the treatment of smoking cessation.Patients.\p=m-\Healthy volunteers who smoked one or more packs of cigarettes daily and wanted to participate in a smoking cessation program.Intervention.\p=m-\Patientswere randomly assigned to a transdermal nicotine system delivering nicotine at rates of 21,14, or 7 mg (in trial 1 only) over 24 hours or to placebo. Group counseling sessions were provided to all participants. Main Outcome Measure.\p=m-\Ratesof continuous smoking abstinence were determined during 6 weeks of full-dose treatment, a 6-week weaning period (through week 12), and a 3-month follow-up receiving no therapy (through week 24). Abstinence was defined by patient diary reports of no smoking during the designated periods, confirmed by expired-breath carbon monoxide levels of 8 ppm or lower.Results.\p=m-\Thecenters enrolled 935 patients. Cessation rates during the last 4 weeks of the two 6-week trials (pooled data) were 61%, 48%, and 27% for 21\ x=r eq-\ and 14-mg transdermal nicotine and placebo, respectively (P\m=le\.001 for each active treatment vs placebo). Six-month abstinence rates for 21-mg transdermal nicotine and placebo were 26% and 12%, respectively (P\m=le\.001). All transdermal nicotine doses significantly decreased the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms and significantly reduced cigarette use by patients who did not stop smoking. Compliance was excellent, and no serious systemic adverse effects were reported.Conclusions.\p=m-\Transdermal nicotine systems show considerable promise as an aid to smoking cessation. (JAMA. 1991;266:3133-3138) Reprint requests to Pulmonary and Critical Care NE 68198-2465 (Dr Rennard). SOME 50 million Americans regularly smoke cigarettes despite serious health consequences, declining social accept-ability, and numerous educational pro¬ grams and antismoking campaigns. While the prevalence of smoking in the United States is decreasing, current trends suggest that 22% of adults will still smoke in the year 2000. ' Cigarette smoking is a complex ad¬ diction, with both behavioral and phar¬ macologie components.

No abstract

Polarimetry sensor development has been in work for some time to determine the best use of polarimetry to differentiate between manmade objects and objects made by nature. Both MWIR and LWIR Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) have been built at Raytheon Vision Systems each with exceedingly higher extinction ratios. This paper compares field imagery between MWIR and LWIR micro-grid polarimetric sensors independently and during simultaneous image collects.LWIR polarimetry has the largest polarimetric signal level and an emissive polarimetric signature which allows detection at thermal crossover and is less dependent on sun angles. Polished angled glass and metal objects are easily detected using LWIR polarimetry. While LWIR polarimetry has many advantages its resolution is not as good as MWIR.MWIR polarimetry has higher resolution than LWIR. With good sun angles plastic drums, and wet surfaces provide good polarization signatures. With poor sun angles detection can be challenging.To gain acceptance polarimetric sensors must provide intelligence signatures that are better than existing nonpolarimetric Infrared sensors. This paper shows several examples of images without polarimetric processing and identical images with MWIR and/or LWIR polarimetric fusion onto the non-polarized images to show the improvement of detection using polarimetric sensors. It is the author's belief that the fastest way to gain acceptance of polarimetric remote sensing is through field demonstration as shown in Figure 1.

Finer geometry and sophisticated circuit design reduce the size and power of focal plane array detectors for a range of imaging applications, while lowering costs and increasing operability.