Intraventricular chemotherapy in neonatal meningitis

All of 16 infants with neonatal meningitis treated during a 30-month period were found to have accompanying ventriculitis at the time of the initial ventricular puncture. Fifteen of these infants were caused by gramm-negative organisms. All infants received antibiotics systemically and intraventricularly via an implanted ventriculostomy reservoir or by direct ventricular injection. Antibiotic concentrations within the ventricular fluid were monitored during chemotherapy; the complications encountered during treatment are discussed. Fifteen infants survived the infection; of these, seven infants were normal at follow-up examinations. In our experience intraventricular chemotherapy as an adjunct to systemic administration of antibiotics has greatly reduced the mortality rate in neonatal meningitis.     

Toward a pluralistic animal science: postliberal feminist perspectives

Women have not had the authority to define the conditions of animal agriculture or to develop strategies for addressing its problems because the field of animal science has been and remains dominated by men. Therefore, criteria for assessing the professional performance of animal scientists reflect the views of men and the experiences of masculinity. Recent attempts to improve the retention rates of women in the animal science profession have focused on socializing female protégés to the norms and expectations of the discipline. This approach is based on traditional liberal beliefs that all humans are essentially alike and that embodiment and(or) social location are irrelevant in understanding the world. Such socialization assumes that problems of gender inequity can be solved by providing opportunities for women to succeed in the existing system, with its existing norms. This approach ignores the possibility that the structure of women's lives and the normative commitments arising from women's experiences may be quite different from those of men. Professional reward structures that favor the life experiences and perspectives of men and ignore those of women coerce women into adopting values that may be incompatible with their identities. This not only devalues their perspectives and contributions, it forces them to commit self-betrayal. This is both harmful and antithetical to the idea of an empirically relevant science that blends multiple perspectives and understands diverse values. Substantive diversity in the animal science community requires standards that reflect and accommodate the pluralism in which we live.     

Temporal aspects of the effects of cooling on responses of single auditory nerve fibers

During an investigation of the effects of cochlear cooling on frequency tuning and input/output relations of single auditory nerve fibers in gerbil (Ohlemiller and Siegel (1994) Hear. Res. 80, 174-190), cooling-related changes in post-stimulus time histogram (PSTH) shape and phase-locking to tonebursts were characterized in a small sample of neurons. Local cochlear cooling by 5-10 degrees C below normal core temperature did not alter overall PSTH shape, although some evidence was found for a reduction in the time constants of rapid and short term rate adaptation. The relative contributions of rapid and short term response components appeared unaltered. Effects of cooling on phase-locking were assessed by calculating the synchronization index for responses to intense ( > 70 dB SPL) tonebursts at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz. Synchronization filter functions exhibited modest reductions in both magnitude and the upper frequency limit of phase-locking. The effects of cooling on the temporal character of responses appear distinct from those of a simple reduction in stimulus intensity. Results are interpreted in terms of cooling-related changes in responses of cochlear hair cells and afferent neurons, and suggest that temperature artifacts are unlikely to underlie reported species differences in PSTH shape and phase-locking.     

Tumor register: information system for tumor centers (author's transl)

The different activities in the scope of the tumor center already shows in the multiplicity of concepts for which incidence register, therapy register, clinical register or the supplies register are only a few examples. Such terms circumscribe a few interests from the therapeutic, epidemiologic or clinical and scientific aspects, which are projected on tumor centers as an expectation or a duty. From the compilation of these interests a bundle of unspecific aims results for which a classification according to various levels of information is suggested. Only cooperation of all levels makes possible a tumor register as an information system for medicine which supports the tasks of all those involved and makes the questions of the population more easily and more quickly answerable.     

The synthesis of silicon nitride whiskers from SiO2-N2-Na3AlF6 system

Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) whiskers were synthesized from SiO₂-N₂-Na₃AlF₆ system. Whiskers, which were synthesized when the molar ratio of SiO₂ to Na₃AlF₆ (SiO₂/Na₃AlF₆) ranged from 2 to 8, were prismatic with a stable diameter ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 m. Therefore, the whiskers were considered to have grown by a VS mechanism. The effect of the addition of iron oxide (Fe₂O₃ : SiO₂ = 1.5–7.5 : 100) was examined when SiO₂/Na₃AlF₆ was 3, at which the maximum amount of whiskers was obtained. Since some of the whiskers, synthesized when the weight of Fe₂O₃ to that of SiO₂ ranged from 3.0 to 6.25 (Fe₂O₃ : SiO₂ = 3.0–6.25 : 100), have droplets on their tips, they were assumed to have grown by VS and VLS mechanisms. The composition of the droplets were found to be Al-Si by elemental analysis by EDAX. Since droplets composed of Al-Si have never been reported, we performed a detailed analysis of the droplets in this study.     

Theory of getter pump evaluation. Sticking coefficients of common gases on continuously deposited getter films

The principal points of a theory for the evaluation of vacuum devices with adsorbing walls, based on real values and distribution of molecular densities and sticking coefficients over the adsorbing surfaces, are discussed.A semi-empirical model for sorption on continuously deposited metal films is proposed. Relations for the dependences of sticking coefficients on temperature and sorption ratio for N₂, CO, O₂ and H₂ sorption on Ti-films are given.Further practical aspects of getter pump evaluation and related problems of optimization as well as concrete examples are discussed.