Enoxaparin in the prevention of deep venous thrombosis after major surgery: multicentric study. The Italian Study Group

Four hundred forty-six patients with Tourette Syndrome (TS) and/or their parents completed a 52-item self-report survey about vocal and motor tics, and the frequency of associated co-morbid conditions of aggression, obsessions and compulsions, attentional problems, sleep disturbance, mood disturbance, anxiety, and self-mutilative behaviours which have been frequently reported in the literature on TS. Respondents also responded to an open-ended question regarding the most disabling aspects of TS. Results were analyzed within two age groups; under 18 years of age (N = 245) and 18 years of age or older (N = 177). Tics and associated conditions were the most frequently reported disabling aspect by both age groups. Subjects under age 18, however, reported significantly more frequent problems with hyperactivity, temper control, aggressive behaviours and sleepwalking than adults with TS.     

GnRH molecular variants in the brain and pituitary gland of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis (Atheriniformes). Immunological and chromatographic evidence for the presence of a novel molecular variant

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) molecular variants in the brain and pituitary gland of pejerrey, Odontesthes bonariensis (Atheriniformes), were characterized by gradient reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Eluted fractions were tested in radioimmunoassays with different antisera. The results show that the brain extract contains three forms of GnRH: one is immunologically and chromatographically similar to cIIGnRH (chicken II), and another is similar to sGnRH (salmon). A third GnRH appears to be chromatographic and immunologically different from the nine other known forms of the vertebrate hormone. This is the only variant present in the pituitary gland.     

Hydrocarbon exploration risk evaluation through uncertainty and sensitivity analyses techniques

The evaluation of the exploration risk in the oil industry is a fundamental component of the decision process related to the exploratory phase. In this paper the two basic components of the exploratory risk: trap geometry and trapped hydrocarbon quantities (fluid), are compounded in a single coherent uncertainty and sensitivity approach. The results clarify that the model geometry influences each Petroleum System Modeling step and that the geometric uncertainty is correlated with the fluid uncertainty. The geometric uncertainty evaluation makes use of geostatistical techniques that produce a number of possible realizations of the trap geometry, all compatible with available data. The evaluation of the fluid uncertainty, through a Monte Carlo methodology, allows us to compute the possible quantities of oil and gas, generated in a basin and migrated from the hydrocarbon source location to each single trap. The final result is the probability distribution of oil and gas for each trap in the basin, together with other useful indicators like: the hydrocarbon filling probability map, the closure probability map, the drainage area probability map, the spilling paths probabilities, the trap-filling scenarios.     

Research advances in cognitive ultra wide band radio and their application to sensor networks

The paper illustrates the novel concept of Cognitive UWB Radio, a wireless system based on UWB transmission able to self-adapt to the characteristics of the surrounding environment. First, salient features of UWB transmission are reviewed, and then, application of UWB characteristics to the problem of cognitive radio systems is discussed. Current ongoing studies and achieved results on a possible physical layer based on Prolate Spheroidal Wave Functions and consistent with the Cognitive UWB Radio paradigm are presented and analyzed, and their application to the sensor network scenario is discussed.     

Spontaneous erythroid colony formation as the clue to an underlying myeloproliferative disorder in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome or portal vein thrombosis

Results from this laboratory have shown that bone metabolism is directly related to extracellular pH and that high concentrations of tobramycin released from impregnated polymethylmethacryrate (PMMA) beads has pH-dependent toxic effects on bone. In the present study, beneficial effects of calcium hydroxide-impregnated PMMA were investigated regarding tobramycin toxicity and bone metabolism in chick embryo tibiae in vitro. Also using Ca(OH)2 as a pH regulator, the antibiotic efficacy of tobramycin-impregnated PMMA was evaluated with respect to inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth. When Ca(OH)2 was added to PMMA beads containing tobramycin, the beads released hydroxyl and calcium ions into the culture medium and released more antibiotic than beads containing only tobramycin. Bone metabolism (glycolysis, total protein synthesis, and collagen synthesis) was enhanced by Ca(OH)2-impregnated beads with or without tobramycin. Additionally, bacterial growth was inhibited more strongly when S. aureus was incubated with tobramycin- and Ca(OH)2-impregnated PMMA disks than with disks containing only tobramycin. This study demonstrates the feasibility of adding Ca(OH)2 to tobramycin-impregnated PMMA beads as a regulator of local pH and a promoter of bone metabolism for protection of bone when high concentrations of tobramycin are used to treat osteomyelitis. It also suggests that lower concentrations of antibiotic may be effective if Ca(OH)2 and tobramycin are administered simultaneously.     

Human granulocytes contain an opiate alkaloid-selective receptor mediating inhibition of cytokine-induced activation and chemotaxis

Human peripheral blood granulocytes previously were found to contain opioid delta 2-receptors mediating stimulation by opioid peptides of chemotaxis. Studies presented in this work indicate that granulocytes also contain opiate alkaloid-selective, opioid peptide-insensitive receptors mediating inhibition by morphine and other opiates of cytokine-induced activation and chemotaxis. Binding studies with [3H]morphine and [3H]diprenorphine ([3H]DPN) indicated the presence of receptor sites, at considerable density with affinities and selectivity for opiates comparable with those of the mu 3-receptor of human peripheral blood monocytes (macrophages). The influence of the guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) analogue GppNHp on binding indicated that the granulocyte receptor was linked to a G protein. Morphine but not opioid peptides interfered with activation and/or chemotaxis of the granulocytes induced by TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha, IL-8, and FMLP (chemotactic peptide). These effects of morphine were blocked by the antagonist naloxone. Levorphanol inhibited TNF-alpha-induced activation, and also potentiated the inhibition by morphine. Furthermore, in binding assays, levorphanol enhanced the affinity of the receptor for morphine. Dextrorphan had no effect on activation or chemotaxis, and it also had no effect on binding, indicative of stereoselectivity for the effect of levorphanol. It is concluded that human granulocytes contain opiate alkaloid-selective mu 3-receptors that mediate inhibitory effects of morphine on cellular activation by cytokines.     

Drug Release from Lipogels According to Gelling Conditions and Mechanical Treatment

The release rate of a drug dissolved in the liquid phase of lipogels may be greatly affected by the type and concentration of gelling agent and by processing conditions and mechanical treatment of the ointment. These differences in release rate are reduced after application of mechanical stress comparable with the strain exerted on the ointment during application to the skin. Therefore, changes in the concentration of gelling agents used to achieve suitable consistency and manufacturing and packing processes that meet industrial and marketing requirements do not appear to exert a practical influence on drug availability after application to the skin.     

Long-term tensile and bending strength of natural building stones

The results of experimental long-term tension and bending tests carried out on four natural stones formely widely used in Italian traditional building (a white-veined Carrara marble, the “pietra Serena” and “Pietraforte” sandstones, and the Piobbico-Cesana limestone) are presented. The tests consisted of applying continually different fractions of the “instantaneous” fracture loads and monitoring the strain evolution of the specimens until a time-delayed fracture was reached. A typical three-stage creep response was obtained in all the tests. At the same time, a 60% reduction in tensile and bending strength was observed in relation to testing periods not much longer than one year. A phenomenological constitutive model is proposed for analytically reproducing the experimental viscoplastic behaviour. Furthermore, a creep time-to-rupture function giving direct estimates of the strength decay effects is provided, with a view to technical applications. The results of the identification analyses carried out to calibrate the characteristic parameters of the above laws are also reported.     

A method for improving classification reliability of multilayerperceptrons

Criteria for evaluating the classification reliability of a neural classifier and for accordingly making a reject option are proposed. Such an option, implemented by means of two rules which can be applied independently of topology, size, and training algorithms of the neural classifier, allows one to improve the classification reliability. It is assumed that a performance function P is defined which, taking into account the requirements of the particular application, evaluates the quality of the classification in terms of recognition, misclassification, and reject rates. Under this assumption the optimal reject threshold value, determining the best trade-off between reject rate and misclassification rate, is the one for which the function P reaches its absolute maximum. No constraints are imposed on the form of P, but the ones necessary in order that P actually measures the quality of the classification process. The reject threshold is evaluated on the basis of some statistical distributions characterizing the behavior of the classifier when operating without reject option; these distributions are computed once the training phase of the net has been completed. The method has been tested with a neural classifier devised for handprinted and multifont printed characters, by using a database of about 300000 samples. Experimental results are discussed.     

Influence of impact-ionization-induced base current reversal onbipolar transistor parameters

In this paper we describe a set of measurements representing a complete characterization of impact-ionization effects in bipolar transistors. We demonstrate that impact-ionization significantly influences the dependence of base resistance on current and voltages applied to the device. A dc method for the simultaneous extraction of all parasitic resistances in bipolar transistors is presented. The method can separate the influence of current-crowding on the base resistance from that of base width and conductivity modulation; the collector parasitic resistance is measured in the active region. Starting from the parameters extracted by means of these techniques, a complete and accurate circuit-model of impact-ionization effects can be defined