Age-related changes in gastric mucosal repair and proliferative activities in rats exposed acutely to aspirin

OBJECTIVES: (1) To determine whether and how outcome measurements in the ECASS trial are influenced by a shorter time window (0-3 vs. 3-6 h) between onset of symptoms and start of thrombolytic therapy using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in acute ischemic stroke. (2) To discuss the results of the ECASS 0- to 3-hour cohort with the results of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Study (NINDSS). DESIGN AND ANALYSIS: Analysis of the 0- to 3-hour and the 3- to 6-hour cohort in accordance with the ECASS protocol. Comparative analysis of the ECASS and NINDSS results following the NINDSS protocol using dichotomized endpoints. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary endpoints: modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index; secondary endpoints: combined Barthel/Rankin, long-term Scandinavian Stroke Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, mortality at 30 and 90 days, occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage. NINDS trial endpoint: favorable outcome as defined in the NINDS trial. RESULTS: In ECASS, 87 patients were randomized within 3 h of stroke onset. Differences in favor of rt-PA treatment can be found for all primary and secondary outcome measures in the ECASS 0- to 3-hour cohort, except for mortality at day 30, which is somewhat higher in the rt-pA-treated group. However, due to the small sample size, the differences do not reach statistical significance. Early infarct signs (as defined by the ECASS protocol) are found as early as 2 h after stroke onset. Parenchymal hemorrhages are found significantly more often among rt-PA-treated patients. The results in the ECASS 0- to 3-hour cohort fit well with the results in NINDSS. CONCLUSION: Data from the 3-hour ECASS cohort support the efficacy of early thrombolytic therapy in acute hemispheric stroke patients. Comparing bleeding complications between the ECASS and NINDSS is difficult because of differences in the definition and occurrence of hemorrhagic events.     

Dominant mode characteristics of circular groove guide

Circular groove guide is a kind of waveguide for millimeter waves with low loss, large dimensions, and low dispersion. In this paper, the dominant mode characteristics of it is analysed. The technique that mode macthing method combines with point matching method is used to derive the Nth-order characteristic equation of the guide. The 1st order, 2nd order and 3rd order approximate curves that the normalized cutoff wavelength of circular groove guide varies with c/a are given. The attenuation curves are given at 1mm, 1.5mm and 3mm wavelength. The numerical results are in well agreement with the experimental results published.     

Vertical bridgman techniques to homogenize zinc composition of CdZnTe substrates

In order to improve the Zn homogeneity along the axial direction of CdZnTe boule, we have employed a modified Bridgman technique using a (Cd, Zn) alloy source in communication with the melt, whose temperature has been gradually changed from 800 to 840°C during growth. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) measurements of Zn composition in the boule shows an excellent homogeneity of Zn along the axis of the CdZnTe boule compared with results in a boule grown by using a fixed source temperature. We have performed a numerical simulation to obtain the approximate temperatures of additional heating and cooling needed to improve the radial Zn homogeneity. CdZnTe boule has been grown by seeded vertical Bridgman furnace with two zones of heater and cooler. Ultraviolet/visible spectroscopic measurements of Zn composition over the length of the boule indicate that the radial distribution of Zn composition is very homogeneous in the body region of the boule, where the radial variation of Zn composition is ±0.0005.     

“Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeatit”: or, Why I study the history of computing

The year 1996 marks the 50th anniversary of the public revelation of the ENIAC, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Large Scale Computing Subcommittee of the AIEE under the chairmanship of Charles Concordia, and the beginning of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM. Within those years, the computer field has not only developed but has had added to it new concepts and ideas that have transmogrified it into an almost unrecognizable entity. We are reaching the stage of development where each new generation of participants is unaware both of their overall technological ancestry and the history of the development of their specialty, and have no past to build upon. In this article, we look at the study of the history of computing and its applicability to today's technological challenges, and conclude with the recommendation that we need to know enough about our history to protect ourselves from it and not be condemned to repeat it, but also to use it to our advantage     

Insensitive current/voltage-mode filters using FTFNs

A new configuration for realising insensitive current/voltage-mode filters using two four-terminal floating nullors (FTFNs) is presented. It can provide the curren/voltage-mode filters with reduced sensitivities. Moreover, the current-mode filters can have high output impedance and only grounded capacitors. The proposed universal voltage-mode filter with dual outputs can realise lowpass, bandpass, highpass, notch and allpass filtering functions. Simulation results are given to verify the theoretical analysis     

A multiway merge sorting network

A multiway merge sorting network is presented, which generalizes the technique used in the odd-even merge sorting network. The merging network described here is composed of m k-way mergers and a combining network. It arranges k ordered lists of length n each into one ordered lists in T(k)+[log₂k] [log₂m] [log₂m] steps, where T(k) is the number of steps needed to sort k keys in order; and k and m are any integers no longer restricted to 2     

Design of a performance enhanced traceback algorithm for theViterbi decoder

The authors propose an efficient traceback scheme for the parallel hardware implementation of the Viterbi algorithm. Compared to the conventional Viterbi algorithm, where output is selected arbitrarily when multiple survivor paths exist, the proposed algorithm decides decoding output by analysing the survivor paths of consecutive tracebacks. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits improved error-correction capability compared to the existing algorithms     

Impaired interleukin-12 production is associated with a defective anti-tumor response in colorectal cancer

OBJECTIVE: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is an idiopathic accumulation of blood in the vertebral epidural space without identifiable predisposing factors. First reported in 1869, the clinical outcome in children younger than 18 years old has not been clearly delineated. DESIGN: A comprehensive review of the English language literature revealed 26 patients younger than 18 years old with reported clinical outcomes. The 27th case is presented. RESULTS: Complete neurologic recovery occurred in 14 of 27 (52%) patients, partial recovery in 12 of 27 (44%) patients, and death in 1 of 27 (4%) patients. CONCLUSION: There is an overall good prognosis for neurologic recovery in children who experience SSEH.