Spontaneous pneumothorax in cocaine sniffers

PURPOSE: To evaluate intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of measurements in images obtained by the 50 MHz Humphrey Ultrasound Biomicroscope. METHODS: The first stored image of central cornea, central anterior chamber, and angle structures obtained at 50 examinations were measured twice by three observers. Nine different parameters were measured in angle images and two in images of central cornea and anterior chamber. Intraobserver reproducibility was assessed by calculating the coefficient of variation and interobserver reproducibility by a two-ways ANOVA. RESULTS: Intraobserver reproducibility was high for all measurements of central cornea thickness and anterior chamber depth with a coefficient of variation (%) < or = 3.8%. In angle images the intraobserver reproducibility of measurements was often lower (coefficient of variation (%) 1.3-52.6%). The lower reproducibility was most noticeable in measurements involving the less defined structures. Interobserver reproducibility was poor. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of measurements are best done of well defined structures and by only one observer.     

Predictive value of the shunt-to-infarct size ratio as a surgical risk factor in patients with decompensated post-ischemic interventricular septal rupture

Postischemic septal rupture has always been evaluated, in respect of surgical indication, as regards the time lapse between infarct and rupture, interval between rupture and operation, extension of myocardial damage and general risk factors such as age, sex and associated pathologies. But in fact the surgeon is dealing with a two sided problem, the MI and the rupture, and thus surgical results depend upon both the residual ventricular function after MI and the consequences of volume overload on a damaged muscle. Surgical indication could not be based on a single criterion only. Extension of the MI alone is not fully predictive of operative mortality because, aside the reperfusion injury, the repair further jeopardizes viable myocardium and alters ventricular geometry; although the shunt appears unrelated to mortality it certainly interferes with operative outcome at least because of the time elapsed between rupture and repair. So far an index which could correlate the extension of myocardial damage and the entity of the shunt with each other was not available. Patients with septal rupture follow an emergency protocol and are often insufficiently investigated but every patients has a least one echo-Doppler evaluation or even a ventriculography while one or more ECGs are always available. With the presumption that the Qp/Qs is roughly indicative of the right ventricular volume overload and that ecg signs of myocardial infarct are always reliable, we have reviewed among our 24 patients with septal rupture those where a full ecg tracing and a quantitative Echo or angiographic evaluation of the shunt were available.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Combined effects of potassium sorbate,hot water and thiabendazole against green mould of citrus fruit and residue levels

Postharvest treatments of potassium sorbate only controlled recently established infections of Penicillium digitatum on Femminello siracusano lemons but did not confer any persistent protection. The loss of efficacy of potassium sorbate to control green mould decay was related to its irregular deposition on the fruit surface, as revealed by environmental scanning electron microscopy of oranges, and to the brief persistence of potassium sorbate residues. When treatment was done at 53 °C, the co-application of potassium sorbate with thiabendazole reduced thiabendazole residues in Moro and Sanguinello oranges, compared to thiabendazole treatment alone. However, treatment efficacy against two isolates of P. digitatum (thiabendazole-sensitive and thiabendazole-resistant) notably improved, indicating that potassium sorbate and hot water potentiated thiabendazole activity. Potassium sorbate residues remarkably decreased during fruit storage and were not affected by the co-application of thiabendazole.     

Mexican Americans' bilingual ability, counselor bilingualism cues, counselor ethnicity, and perceived counselor credibility.

In a completely crossed, factorial design, 186 Mexican American college students were exposed to a counselor introduction that identified her as either Mexican American or Canadian American, followed by an audiotape-recorded bogus counseling session in which the counselor either spoke English only or English combined with cues of Spanish-speaking ability. After listening to the tape-recorded counseling session, participants rated the counselor's credibility and cross-cultural competence. No effect was found on ratings for counselor language or counselor ethnicity. However, ratings of both counselor credibility and cross-cultural competence were found to be a function of participants' bilingual ability. Combined with evidence of a similar relationship between generation since immigration and ratings of the counselor, these findings suggest that, as Mexican Americans acculturate, their perceptions of counselor credibility and cross-cultural competence diminish. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prolonged Activation of Brain CB2 Signaling Modulates Hypothalamic Microgliosis and Astrogliosis in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Low-grade inflammation of the hypothalamus is associated with the disturbance of energy balance. The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the development and maintenance of obesity as well as in the control of immune responses. The type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) signaling has been associated with anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, we modulated CB2 signaling and investigated its effects on energy homeostasis and hypothalamic microgliosis/astrogliosis. We observed no effect on caloric intake and body weight gain in control diet-fed animals that received prolonged icv infusion of the CB2 receptor agonist HU308. Interestingly, we observed a decrease in glucose tolerance in HFD-fed animals treated with HU308. Prolonged icv infusion of HU308 increases astrogliosis in the ventromedial nucleus (VMH) of obese animals and reduced HFD-induced microgliosis in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) but not in the paraventricular (PVN) or VMH nuclei. These data indicate that central CB2 signaling modulates glucose homeostasis and glial reactivity in obesogenic conditions, irrespective of changes in body weight.     

Combination of forecasts for the price of crude oil on the spot market

In this paper, we present a combination of three forecast models, ARIMA, exponential smoothing and dynamic regression, in order to predict the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil spot price and the Brent North Sea (Brent) crude oil spot price. Using samples from the period between January 1994 and June 2012 (in-sample), we identify the parameters and estimate the models. The validated models are combined to perform a forecast out-of-sample between July 2012 and June 2013. The results demonstrate that among the three models tested in-sample with Brent Prices, based on the MAPE measurement error, the ARIMA (2,1,8) model produced the best result, and the dynamic regression model was the best in-sample model for the WTI price. In the validation phase, the dynamic regression models did not prove to be valid, and therefore the combinations are performed only with the ARIMA and exponential smoothing models. For both proxies of oil prices, the combination of forecasts using ARIMA and exponential smoothing (out-of-sample) performed better than individual ARIMA and exponential models and also better than our benchmark models (naive forecast and Neural Network model). Based on the results, it can be inferred that using to a combination of forecasts to predict WTI and Brent spot prices is promising. We also point out that the selected model is easily replicable in spreadsheets and forecasting software and is based only on the past or lagged WTI or Brent values for future predictions.     

Reactivity Studies In The Ozonolysis Of Pollutants Using A Perforated Spinning Disc Reactor To Enhance Mass Transfer

A perforated spinning disc ozone contactor is described with reference to its use as an absorber with simultaneous chemical reaction.

Greatly enhanced mass transfer coefficients k_L are measured whilst simultaneously maintaining low ozone loss. Comparisons of k_L and volumetric coefficient, k_L a values, are made with more conventional packed or bubble columns.

Acetic acid, 2-propanol and 4-nitrophenol, representing a wide reactivity range, are used to elucidate the applicability of rotating contactors in effluent treatment. It has been possible to study the effects of surface activity on mass transfer with subsequent reaction and to generate design data for the next generation of rotating contactors.     

Changes in optical properties of poly(phenylsilyne) films by photooxidation

We studied the chemical and optical changes in poly(phenylsilyne) films induced by irradiation at >350 nm and >320 nm. An increase in the number of SiOSi and SiOH groups is observed by FTIR measurements after irradiation. The presence of refractive index and relief modulations in these films is reported.