Fixed and periodic points of local contraction mappings on probabilistic metric spaces

Several results concerning local contractions on uniform spaces are obtained and applied to yield some theorems on fixed and periodic points for local contractions on probabilistic metric spaces.     

Lower oesophageal sphincter response to pentagastrin in chagasic patients with megaoesophagus and megacolon

Intraluminal manometric studies were performed in 14 chagasic patients with megaoesophagus, 10 chagasic patients with megacolon, and 15 control subjects. Basal lower oesophageal sphincter pressure was 20.27+/-1.16 mmHg (mean+/-SEM) in controls as compared wtih 15.16+/-1.53 mmHg in chagasics with megaoesophagus and 14.38+/-1.50 mmHg in chagasics with megacolon. Dose-response studies to intravenous pentagastrin showed that the chagasic patients exhibited a lower sensitivity to the stimulant than did the controls, as demonstrated by shifting of the dose-response curve to the right and higher individual values of the dose for half maximal contraction (D50). No difference was noted between the calculated maximal contraction (Vmax) of oesophageal sphincter of controls and chagasics. These data are compatible with the hypothesis of an interaction between pentagastrin and cholinergic nervous excitation on oesophageal sphincteric smooth muscle.     

Effect of prolactin on carbohydrate metabolism in human semen

In a pediatric office setting, car safety counseling was provided to 16 primigravida women during a prenatal pediatric interview. A control group of 19 women received no counseling during a similar interview. Forty-two percent of noncounseled mothers and 69% of counseled mothers were using a safe infant restraint system at the six-week well-child visit. Preventive counseling in car safety is an important role for the pediatrician.     

Inadequate corpus luteum function after the induction of ovulation in anoestrous ewes by LH-RH or an LH-RH agonist

Scottish Blackface ewes were given LH-RH (3 x 30 micrograms i.v., at 90 min intervals) or D-Ser-(But)6-des Gly10 LH-Rh ethylamide (LH-RH agonist) as a single injection (8 or 40 micrograms) during anoestrus. Ovulation as judged by laparoscopy occurred in 8 of the 27 animals. Despite the fact that the LH-RH agonist induced a greater release of LH and FSH the different treatments had no effect on the number of ewes ovulating and within each treatment group there was no apparent difference in the amounts of gonadotrophins released between the ewes that did or did not ovulate. All ovulations resulted in the formation of CL associated with plasma progesterone concentrations of less than 1 ng/ml (1--5 ng/ml in the normal luteal phase). In comparison with CL of the normal cycle the induced CL were of lower weight and had reduced progesterone content and ability to secrete progesterone in vitro. However, the binding of hCG was equivalent to that of normal CL. These results suggest that the inadequate CL formed in anoestrous ewes after a single LH-RH injection have not developed the ability to synthesize and secrete progesterone in spite of the presence of normal amounts of LH receptors.     

Sj?gren's syndrome in progressive systemic sclerosis

Thirty-five consecutive patients with progressive systemic sclerosis were prospectively evaluated for evidence of Sj?gren's syndrome. Six of the 35 (17%) were judged to have the disorder. This is a higher prevalence than in most reports, but much lower than that recently reportedly by Alarcón-Segovia and associates (7). An additional 17 of the 35 patients (48%) had significant fibrosis in the absence of sufficient mononuclear cell infiltrates to confirm the diagnosis of Sj?gren's syndrome. This group had particularly aggressive scleroderma with serious visceral features, and five died after a short duration of illness. No significant abnormalities were found in biopsies from six patients with the mixed connective tissue disease syndrome, five with Raynaud's phenomenon alone, or in 29 autopsy control subjects who had no evidence of connective tissue disease. Fibrosis in the absence of mononuclear infiltration in minor salivary glands of patients with progressive systemic sclerosis indicates a poor prognosis.     

Digital protective relaying algorithm sensitivity study andevaluation

Results are reported of an experimental study undertaken to analyze parameter sensitivity of digital protective relaying algorithms and to develop a methodology for evaluating those algorithms. The study is based on computer simulations of relaying environments and the algorithms. Representative algorithms and test conditions were chosen based on a theoretical study of previously published algorithms. A study of algorithm sensitivity to various power-system conditions and algorithm parameters is presented, and the algorithms are evaluated using an adaptive criterion function developed in the study