Ultrasonographically-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of colonic lesions

BACKGROUND: The use of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of colonic lesions was investigated. METHODS: Some 22 patients (median age 71 years) with a colonic lesion identified on abdominal ultrasonography underwent ultrasonographically-guided FNAC using a 21-G needle. The sample was checked immediately by a cytopathologist for adequacy. RESULTS: Eighteen patients had colonic carcinoma; aspiration cytology detected malignant epithelial cells consistent with colonic carcinoma in 17 patients and severely dysplastic cells in one patient. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonographically-guided FNAC in the diagnosis of colonic carcinoma was 94 and 100 per cent respectively. The remaining four patients had a diagnosis of ileocaecal tuberculosis, ileocaecal Crohn's disease, and metastatic adenocarcinoma in the liver with no identifiable primary (two patients). One demonstrated granulomata, grew acid-fast bacilli and the patient was treated for tuberculosis. One had inflammatory cells and the patient was found to have Crohn's disease on histology. The remaining two patients had confirmed metastatic adenocarcinoma in the liver on aspiration cytology but suspected colonic lesions were found to be benign on cytological examination and no primary lesion was subsequently demonstrated. There were no complications of FNAC and patients complained of minimal discomfort. There has been no evidence of tumour recurrence with a median follow-up of 12 (range 1-25) months. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonographically-guided FNAC is a valid method for the diagnosis of colonic tumours.     

The moderating influence of attitude strength on the susceptibility to context effects in attitude surveys.

In 3 experiments, the authors assessed whether attitude strength moderates the susceptibility of attitudes to item context effects in surveys. In Experiment 1, respondents completed multiple measures of attitude strength. Three weeks later, respondents participated in a context experiment. Results revealed that respondents with weak attitudes exhibited significantly larger context effect for 1 of 2 issues. In Experiment 2, the results of Experiment 1 were conceptually replicated by use of measures of interattitudinal embeddedness to assess attitude strength. In Experiment 3, significant strength-moderated context effects were found when attitude strength was assessed in a multi-item, multidimensional manner but not when it was assessed with a single item. Discussion focuses on measurement and theoretical issues related to the moderation and mediation of context effects in attitude surveys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Localized relaxation theory of circuits and its applications in electro-thermal analyses

In the high-performance IC design with increasing design complexity,it is a very important design content to efficiently analyze IC parameters.Thus,the electro-thermal (ET) analyses including power/ground (P/G) analysis and thermal analysis are hot topics in today’s IC research.Since ET analysis equation has a sparse,positive definite and strictly diagonally dominant coefficient-matrix,we prove that the ET analysis has the advantage of locality.Owing to this advantage,localized relaxation method is formally proposed,which has the same accuracy as the global relaxation done with the constraint of the same truncation error limitation.Based on the localized relaxation theory,an efficient and practical localized successive over-relaxation algorithm (LSOR2) is introduced and applied to solve the following three ET analysis problems.(1) Single-node statistical voltage analysis for over-IR-drop nodes in P/G networks;(2) single-node statistical temperature analysis for hot spots in 3D thermal analysis;(3) fast single open-defect analysis for P/G networks.A large amount of experimental data demonstrates that compared with the global successive over-relaxation (SOR) algorithm,LSOR2 can speed up 1-2 orders of magnitudes with the same accuracy in ET analyses.     

Connecting the dots: Understanding the interrelated impacts of type,quality and children's awareness of design features and the mathematics content learning goals in digital math games and related learning outcomes

This study focused on an examination of how type, quality and children's awareness of design features in digital math games, along with an awareness of the mathematics goals of the game, were related to learning outcomes. We conducted a parallel conversion mixed methods study with 45 students in Grades 3 and 4 (ages 9–10). Students participated in clinical interviews using three digital math games. The results suggest a moderated mediation relationship in which the quality of the design features moderated the mediating impact of children's awareness of the game's design features, specifically when the child was aware of the mathematics content learning goal (MCLG) of the game. These findings show how important it is that design features are of high quality in a digital math game, and how this is intertwined with children's awareness of the features and the MCLG. When these variables intertwined in just the right way, the interactions between the children and the digital math game afforded mathematical learning growth.     

Detection of tuberculosis using MEMS

Microsystem Technologies - Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused by the bacteria, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Early detection of TB is vital to increase the chances of cure. In this paper, a...     

A differential transformer-based force sensor utilizing a magnetic fluid core

Microsystem Technologies - A force sensor utilizing a transformer concept with a ferrofluid core was developed. A ferrofluid reservoir was machined out of Teflon and the open top of the reservoir...     

Poly(oxyphosphazenes): A unifying look at structure and morphology

Variations in thermotropic behavior have been investigated for many crystalline polyphosphazenes. Experimental results obtained from DSC, solid-state MAS NMR, dilatometry, mechanical property (creep and dynamic) measurements, birefringence, X-ray (wide and small-angle), and electron diffraction have been made as a function of temperature in an attempt to elucidate the structure-morphology behavior in these polymers. Initially all polyphosphazenes described in this study crystallize from dilute or moderately concentrated solutions in the monoclinic form with relatively low crystallinity (50%). When heated, these specimens expand atT(1) and adopt a chain-extended 2D mesophase morphology in order to relieve congestion. Above this first-orderT(1) temperature a chain-extended –P=N– chain backbone morphology transforms into an isotropic phase at the melting temperatureT _m. When cooled, samples transform into the mesostate. However, crystallization from the mesophase belowT(1) takes place into a 3D orthorhombic state. These two modes of ordering/disordering are in accordance with (i) a hexatic chain packing [betweenT(1) andT _m] with variously mobile side groups that also exhibits smectic features when mesogenic side groups are present and (ii) a 3D orthorhombic structure of high crystallinity belowT(1). The initial monoclinic phase is accessible only via a solution crystallization route. Solid-state MAS NMR, crystallization kinetic measurements, and optical microscopy studies obtained from oriented and unoriented polymers have been especially germane in providing a unifying picture for mesophase formation and ordering in polyoxyphosphazenes. X-ray and electron diffraction evidence is complicated by critical overlapping peaks that are found under these same conditions. They demonstrate that (a) positional disorder exists along the chain direction and (b) the side chain above, as well as below, theT(1) transition is governed by the mobility, size, and type of side group in circumstances where phase transformations occur.     

A new algorithm to compute the discrete inverse radon transform

The aim of this paper is to compute the discrete inverse Radon transform over ⁿ . The Radon transform is a function with domainS ^n–1×. It is shown that under different measure this function can be defined with domain ⁿ . In this case one can compute the discrete inverse Radon transform in the Cartesian coordinate system without interpolating from polar to Cartesian coordinates or using the backprojection operator.     

Steric stabilization of Stöber silica dispersions using organosilanes

Organosilanes of the general formula R _x Si(OR)_4–x (where R is an alkyl group and R = CH₃ or CH₂CH₃) were used to sterically stabilize hexane dispersions of submicrometre silica spheres. The dispersions were characterized according to sediment volume results. For 0.5m silica particles, the sediment density increased by more than a factor of three up to 50 to 55% of theoretical in the presence of organosilanes with 12 or more carbons in the R group. Solid-state¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance was used to characterize the powder-dispersant interaction; this technique can distinguish between carbons in the R group of the organosilane and residual organic groups in the silica. Scanning electron micrographs of filter compacts were used to further characterize the dispersions and indicated the presence of primary particles as well as small agglomerates.