Calcium channel blockers have recently been added to the therapeutic regimen for patients who have chest pain of esophageal origin. Although relief of symptoms has been reported, this has not always ...been associated with changes in esophageal contraction pressures or luminal pH. Myoischemia has been proposed as one possible mechanism for esophageal chest pain. We have investigated the effect of the calcium channel blockers verapamil, nifedipine, and diltiazem on esophageal blood flow in the rabbit model. Esophageal blood flow was measured three times in each rabbit with use of the radiolabeled microsphere technique after a 30-minute continuous infusion of (1) saline solution (baseline), (2) a low dose, and (3) a high dose of each agent. Esophageal mucosal blood flow significantly decreased with nifedipine but was unchanged with verapamil and diltiazem. Esophageal muscle blood flow significantly increased--approximately 100% after administration of each of the calcium channel blockers. Thus esophageal muscle blood flow is enhanced after administration of calcium channel blockers, and this may be one therapeutic mechanism of the calcium channel blockers in the relief of esophageal chest pain in some esophageal diseases.
To determine the seroprevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients of an urban level I trauma center.
Prospective, blinded point prevalence study of ...serum HIV and HBV antibody and antigen.
An urban level I trauma center that participates in a trauma system serving three million people.
The study included 994 (94.8%) of 1049 consecutive trauma service patients treated between June 6, 1988 and September 22, 1988. The patients were 82.2% male and 73.1% black, with a mean age of 28.8 +/- 12.3 years. Blunt trauma was seen in 65.4% of patients, 5.2% were in shock, and 96.2% survived their trauma.
HIV and HBV seroprevalence, using both antibody and antigen testing.
HIV infection was seen in 43 patients (4.3%); 41 (95.3%) were HIV Ab+ and two (4.7%) were HIV Ab-/HIV Ag+. Infection with the HBsAg was seen in 31 patients (3.1%). Infection with either virus was seen in 70 patients (7%); four patients (0.4%) were infectious for both viruses. Infection was related to age 20 to 49 years, i.v. drug use, a hepatitis or sexually transmitted disease history, prior HIV testing, shock, and death (p < 0.05). Penetrating trauma was not predictive of infection. In a logistic regression model, IV drug use was the single significant predictor of infection (p < 0.05).
Young urban trauma patients, because of drug-related intentional violence, are 15.3 to 17.6 times more likely to be HIV infected and 3.9 to 7.9 times more likely to be infectious for HIV or HBV than the trauma population overall. The 12 to 21% infection rates in critically injured patients who require shock resuscitation and/or die reinforces the need for mandated universal precautions and for clear policies which govern the performance of procedures by physicians in training. Primary HIV infection in critically injured patients may worsen their outcome and may adversely affect the exposed health care worker. Emergency departments and trauma units should develop a referral system to HIV primary care services (HIV counselling and testing) for high risk patients and for adversely exposed health care workers.
A retrospective and prospective analysis of cerebral arteriograms in 28 patients with intracerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) was undertaken to identify those parameters that predict the ...efficacy of small silicone particle embolization as a method of treatment. It was noted that when the number and caliber of the arterial feeding vessels were greater than the number and caliber of the draining veins the embolization was successful (15 of 16 patients). On the contrary, when the number and caliber of the draining veins exceeded that of the arteries the embolization failed (seven of seven patients). In four of five patients with nearly equal ratios, the embolization reduced the flow but not the size of the malformation.
Experiments with Highleyman's Data Munson, J.H.; Duda, R.O.; Hart, P.E.
IEEE transactions on computers,
1968-April, Letnik:
C-17, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Abstract-The results of three experiments with Highleyman's hand-printed characters are reported. Nearest-neighbor classification is used to explain the high error rates (42 to 60 percent) obtained ...by general statistical procedures. An error rate of 32 percent is obtained by preceding piecewise-linear classification by edge-detecting preprocessing. The minimum human error rate is estimated, and suggested as a performance standard.
This document describes data, sensors, and other useful information pertaining to the moorings that weredeployed from the R/V Knorr from July 24th to August 4th, 2006 in support of the SW06 ...experiment. TheSW06 experiment was a large, multi-disciplinary effort performed 100 miles east of the New Jersey coast. Atotal of 62 acoustic and oceanographic moorings were deployed and recovered. The moorings were deployed ina “T” geometry to create an along-shelf path along the 80 meter isobath and an across-shelf path starting at 600meters depth and going shoreward to a depth of 60 meters. A cluster of moorings was placed at theintersection of the two paths to create a dense sensor-populated area to measure a 3-dimensional physicaloceanography. Environmental moorings were deployed along both along-shelf and across-shelf paths tomeasure the physical oceanography along those paths. Moorings with acoustic sources were placed at the outerends of the “T” to propagate various signals along these paths. Five single hydrophone receivers werepositioned on the across shelf path and a vertical and horizontal hydrophone array was positioned at theintersection of the “T” to get receptions from all the acoustics assets that were used during SW06.
Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under ContractNo. N00014-04-10146
Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under contract N00014-86-C-0358 and theOffice of Naval Technology under contract N00014-90-C-0098.
A new computer program for accurate calculation ...of acoustic ray paths through a range-varing ocean sound channel has beenwritten. It is based on creating a model of the speed of sound in the ocean, consistent with input data, that produces the smoothestpossible wavefronts. This scheme eliminates "false caustics" from the wavefront. It may be useful in calculating an approximatesolution to the full wave equation at megameter ranges.
The Asian Seas International Experiment (ASIAEX) was a very successful scientific collaboration between the United States ofAmerica (USA), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC), the ...Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Russia, andSingapore. Preliminary field experiments associated with ASIAEX began in spring of 2000. The main experiments were performedin April-August, 2001. The scientific plan called for two major acoustics experiments, the first a bottom interaction experiment inthe East China Sea (ECS) and the second a volume interaction experiment in the South China Sea (SCS). In addition to theacoustics efforts, there were also extremely strong physical oceanography and geology and geophysics components to theexperiments. This report will concentrate on describing the moored component of the South China Sea portion of ASIAEX 2001performed from the Taiwan Fisheries research vessel FR1 (Fisheries Researcher 1). Information on the environmental mooringsdeployed from the Taiwanese oceanographic research vessel OR1 (Oceanographic Researcher 1) will also be listed here forcompleteness, so that the reader can pursue later analyses of the data. This report does not pursue any data analyses per se.
Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under Grant NumbersN00014-01-1-0772, N00014-98-1-0413 and N00014-00-1-0206.
