Modes of biliobiliary anastomosis in relation to the healing process and occurrence of postoperative stricture

The Stanford-Binet, Fourth Edition was normed for children 30 months of age and older, but its usefulness with young children (e.g., 36 months) has received little attention. This study of 121 three-year-old children examined possible administration problems, provided correlations with three environmental measures, and compared scores with those of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test--Revised. Problems of administration did arise on some subtests, correlations with environmental measures were moderate, and scores on the Stanford-Binet IV and PPVT-R were moderately correlated. The Stanford-Binet IV is a useful test in assessment of a broad range of intellectual abilities.     

A computational model for distributed knowledge systems with learning mechanisms

This paper addresses the issues of machine learning in distributed knowledge systems, which will consist of distributed software agents with problem solving, communication and learning functions. To develop such systems, we must analyze the roles of problem-solving and communication capabilities among knowledge systems. To facilitate the analyses, we propose a computational model: LPC. The model consists of a set of agents with (a) a knowledge base for learned concepts, (b) a knowledge base for problem solving, (c) prolog-based inference mechanisms and (d) a set of beliefs on the reliability of the other agents. Each agent can improve its own problem-solving capabilities by deductive learning from the given problems, by memory-based learning from communications between the agents and by reinforcement learning from the reliability of communications between the other agents. An experimental system of the model has been implemented in Prolog language on a Window-based personal computer. Intensive experiments have been carried out to examine the feasibility of the machine learning mechanisms of agents for problem-solving and communication capabilities. The experimental results have shown that the multiagent system improves the performance of the whole system in problem solving, when each agent has a higher learning ability or when an agent with a very high ability for problem solving joins the organization to cooperate with the other agents in problem solving. These results suggest that the proposed model is useful in analyzing the learning mechanisms applicable to distributed knowledge systems.     

Dose-response effects of adrenergic drugs on axial movements of the rat mandibular incisor and on arterial blood pressure

Axial tooth movements and arterial blood pressure were measured following the intravenous injection of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, or 10 micrograms/kg of adrenaline, noradrenaline or isoprenaline. Adrenaline caused a dose-dependent, rapid, extrusive tooth movement with a nearly simultaneous increase in blood pressure, followed by a marked intrusive tooth movement and a decrease in blood pressure. Noradrenaline caused a dose-dependent, rapid, extrusive tooth movement and an increase in blood pressure, but a subsequent intrusive tooth movement and decrease in blood pressure were not so marked. Isoprenaline caused a marked intrusive tooth movement and a decrease in blood pressure, without an extrusive tooth movement and increase in blood pressure. The time required to reach the maximum intrusive tooth movement was delayed after that to reach the maximum decrease in blood pressure. The recovery time of the intrusive tooth movement was much more delayed than that of blood pressure. These results suggest that the extrusive movement of the rat incisor was primarily related to the rise of arterial blood pressure due to stimulation of vascular alpha-receptors. It is also suggested that stimulation of beta-receptors would probably cause vasodilatation of arteries that would make the pressure in the small vessels in the microcirculation of the socket fall, so reducing the volume of blood and interstitial fluid in the socket followed by a marked and continuing intrusive tooth movement.     

Protective effect of oral administration of a traditional medicine, Juzen-Taiho-To, and its components on lethal Candida albicans infection in immunosuppressed mice

Protective effects of a kampo medicine, Juzen-taiho-to (TJ-48) and its herbal components against experimental candidiasis in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mice were investigated. ICR mice were immunosuppressed by intraperitoneal treatment with cyclophosphamide (day-4) and were orally given TJ-48 or one of its 10 herbal components for 4 consecutive days (day-4--1). They were then challenged intravenously with a lethal dose of Candida albicans (day 0). An oral dose of 1 g/kg/day of TJ-48 prolonged their life span. A similar protective effect was obtained by treatment with its component drugs Ginseng radix, Glycyrrhizae radix, Atractylodis lancea rhizoma or Cnidii rhizoma. These herbal components were suggested to have a main role in the protective effect of Juzen-taiho-to against Candida infection.