An improved snare system for the nonsurgical retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies

We have modified a snare technique originally described for transcolonoscopic removal of colonic polyps for the retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies. The key difference from other snare techniques is the employment of a wire snare with a crimp in its midportion that enables the formation of a loop in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the guiding catheter. With this technique we have quickly removed a variety of objects from the right heart and pulmonary arteries in four patients.     

Bekämpfung der Computerkriminalität

Die Autoren setzen sich mit dem Gesetzentwurf zur Bek?mpfung der Computerkriminalit?t auseinander, insbesondere mit der Strafbarkeit des Einsatzes von Analysetools.     

The current and residual value of superphosphate,Christmas Island C-grade ore,and Calciphos as fertilizers for a subterranean clover pasture

The effectiveness in the year of application of three phosphorus fertilizers, superphosphate, Christmas Island C-grade ore, and 500°C calcined Christmas Island C-grade ore (Calciphos), was measured for 5 consecutive years in a field experiment on a lateritic soil. The residual value of the phosphorus fertilizers was also measured for 6 years. Dry matter production of subterranean clover-based pasture and bicarbonate extractable soil phosphorus were used as indicators of fertilizer effectiveness.Despite the use of very large amounts of C-grade ore and Calciphos, the plateau of the pasture yield versus fertilizer applied curve for these fertilizers did not reach the yield plateau achieved with superphosphate in either the short or long term.C-grade ore and Calciphos were 3% and 8% as effective as superphosphate for dry matter production in the year of application. Relative to superphosphate applied in the current year the effectiveness of superphosphate decreased by about 70% between the first and second year after application and decreased by a further 14% from year 3 to year 6. C-grade ore and Calciphos remained about 2% and 9% as effective as currently applied superphosphate each year.The residual value of superphosphate as measured by bicarbonate-extracted soil phosphorus decreased by about 60% from year 2 to year 7. The residual value of Calciphos was very low for year 2, doubled from year 2–4 and thereafter decreased gradually to its original value by year 7. The residual value of C-grade ore was extremely low throughout the experiment. Thus after year 2, compared to pasture yield, bicarbonate extracted soil phosphorus overestimated the residual value of superphosphate and calciphos.It follows that neither C-grade ore or Calciphos are suitable replacement fertilizers for superphosphate for use on pastures growing on lateritic soils in south-western Australia.     

A simplified correctness proof for a well-known algorithm computing strongly connected components

The computation of the strongly connected components of a directed graph is one of the fundamental algorithmic graph problems. Linear-time algorithms with simple implementations are known. Here a simplified correctness proof for one of these algorithms is presented.     

Cardiovascular and biochemical evidence of stress during major surgery associated with different techniques of anaesthesia

The relative merits of a potent narcotic and a spinal analgesic to affect the stress response to a standard operation have been assessed. Forty-five fit patients scheduled for abdominal hysterectomy were allocated at random to three groups, referred to as standard (i.v. anaesthesia alone), spinal (spinal plus i.v. anaesthesia) and fentanyl (fentanyl plus i.v. anaesthesia) groups. In the doses used, fentanyl produced the most effective attenuation of the cardiovascular, hormonal and metabolic responses to stress, but had the disadvantage of prolonged respiratory depression. Spinal anaesthesia gave only a modified blockade of the response to stress and did not obtund the response to intubation.