Functional pronunciation units in English words.

Two distinct factors limit the orthographic regularity of English words: (a) Most characters can correspond to several different sounds and (b) characters can either stand alone or be combined in various ways for pronunciation as a single phoneme. This study addresses the second of these issues through the analysis of a large corpus of English words. Data are presented describing the frequency that each character (or character cluster) functioned in the corpus as a correspondent of a single phoneme rather than being combined with other characters (or decomposed). Examples are provided regarding potential applications of these data in the construction of stimulus materials for cognitive studies, in neuropsychological investigations of dyslexia, and in computational models of word naming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of restoration composition, shade, and thickness on the cure of a photoactivated resin cement

PURPOSE: This study investigates the effect of selected properties of a restorative material (type, shade, and thickness) on the cure of a photoactivated resin cement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Disks of ceramic and resin-based restorative materials of two extreme shades were made to provide thicknesses of 0.5 to 3.0 mm in 0.5-mm intervals. Light transmission was measured through various thicknesses and shades of each restorative material type. The effect of light transmission, as influenced by restorative material type, shade, and thickness on resin cement cure was also determined. RESULTS: Thickness and shade of restorative material had the greatest influence on light transmission. For simulated restoration thicknesses 1.5 mm and greater, Dicor (Dentsply International Inc, York, PA) had greater transmission of light than the other materials, regardless of shade. At equal restorative material thickness, light transmission was similar for identical shades of the other three materials. Restoration shade and thickness also had the greatest influence on resin cement cure. Material type, although significant, had only a minor influence. At thicknesses of 1 to 2 mm, Dicor consistently yielded greater resin cement cure values than any other material tested. CONCLUSIONS: When considering the ability of restorative materials to transmit light for curing of photo-activated resin cements, the thickness of the restoration and its shade are much more influential than the choice of restorative material. Dicor provides greater light transmission that results in the ability to photobond restorations of greater thicknesses than the other materials. For restorations greater than 1 mm in thickness, a dual cure or chemical cure resin cement should be used to provide maximal cement properties.     

League tables and acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: Comparison of the outcomes of care provided by hospitals is a growing trend. Outcomes need to be distinguished into those attributable to the practice of hospitals and those that arise from differences in the characteristics of patients and the underlying morbidity of the populations for whom hospitals provide care. We explored these issues for deaths in hospital or within 30 days of discharge after acute myocardial infarction in Scotland, UK. METHODS: We used records from December, 1992, to November, 1993, for 14,359 episodes of acute myocardial infarction, the death records of those who died, and 9391 death records for individuals who died after acute myocardial infarction but who had not been in hospital in the 30 days before death. Hospital discharge records were taken from the Scottish Morbidity Records. The outcomes we investigated were all-cause mortality within 30 days of discharge from hospital, and death from acute myocardial infarction at any time during the study period. We estimated separately effects attributable to patients' characteristics, hospitals, and areas of residence with multilevel modelling. FINDINGS: We found significant differences between hospitals by age, sex, and medical history. The odds ratios for death ranged from 0.62 (95% CI 0.50-0.80) to 1.28 (1.07-1.59), relative to the average performance for Scotland as a whole. Analysis including area of residence, deaths occurring out of hospital, and more detailed information about patients showed no significant differences between hospitals for patients aged 70 years. By postcode area, there was a strong association between out-of-hospital deaths and deaths in hospital or shortly after discharge. INTERPRETATION: Hospital outcomes may vary from one subgroup of patients to another and should be assessed independently of patients' areas of residence. Measures of performance that do not provide valid comparisons could diminish public confidence in hospital services.     

A surgical technique for posterior lamellar keratoplasty

PURPOSE: To design a surgical technique for transplantation of posterior corneal tissue, while leaving the recipient anterior cornea intact. METHODS: In human cadaver eyes, and in a cat and monkey model, recipient eyes had an 8.0-mm limbal incision made with a diamond blade set to 50% of central pachymetry. A stromal pocket was created across the cornea, and a 6.0-mm diameter posterior lamellar disc was excised. A donor posterior disc was implanted into the recipient opening, and the limbal incision was sutured. The procedure was evaluated with keratometry, biomicroscopy, endothelial (supra)vital staining, and light microscopy. RESULTS: In human cadaver eyes, post-operative astigmatism averaged 1.2 D (SD, +/- 0.6 D). Posterior transplants showed an intact endothelial cell layer with 1.0% (SD, +/- 1.2%) of cell death. In the animals, six (75%) eyes had clear transplants 2 weeks after surgery; one of these eyes later developed an allograft rejection. Two (25%) eyes showed corneal decompensation, because of inverted implantation of the donor disc. Microscopy showed minimal scarring at the donor-to-host interface and a normal wound-healing response at the posterior stromal wound edges. CONCLUSION: In experimental models, posterior lamellar keratoplasty can be performed through a limbal incision and a mid-stromal pocket. The procedure may be a potential alternative in the surgical management of corneal endothelial disorders.     

Reduced pathogenicity of a Candida albicans MAP kinase phosphatase (CPP1) mutant in the murine mastitis model

Despite the use of partially T cell-depleted grafts, 20% of the recipients of an HLA-identical sibling marrow graft develop aGVHD > or = II. This indicates that the current method for selecting a sibling donor, ie serological typing for HLA-A, B and DR, and a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) or molecular typing for HLA-DRB/DQB, is not predictive for aGVHD. In order to optimise our selection procedure, we retrospectively analysed patients who developed aGVHD > or = II by means of sequencing based typing for HLA-DPB and frequency analysis of alloreactive helper and cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (HTLp-f and CTLp-f). Patients who did not develop aGVHD or developed aGVHD grade I served as controls. Retrospective typing for HLA-DPB revealed only a single disparity in the group with aGVHD > or = II, indicating that mismatches for antigens other than HLA are the major cause of aGVHD in these patients. Furthermore, in our patient group, neither HTLp-f nor CTLp-f were predictive for development of aGVHD indicating that these assays in their current set-up are insufficiently sensitive to predict aGVHD in BMT with a partially T cell-depleted graft. We conclude, that HLA-identical siblings can be identified by means of serological typing for HLA-A and B and intermediate resolution molecular typing for DRB and DQB, but that for the prediction of aGVHD cellular tests with higher sensitivity and specificity as compared to the currently used HTLp-f and CTLp-f assays need to be developed.