High-frequency analysis of the Ellipticus antenna

Efficient numerical solution techniques have been developed and used to examine the electromagnetic fields that can be developed in the working volume of the CW Ellipticus antenna operated at frequencies from 100 kHz to 1 GHz. An exponentially tapered transition section is designed to obtain the desired illumination pattern in the working volume. The input transition section is needed for impedance matching and to drive efficiently the Ellipticus antenna. A parametric study is performed to ascertain the performance of the Ellipticus antenna for frequencies up to 1 GHz     

Activity-dependent changes in voltage-dependent calcium currents and transmitter release

The use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for clinically relevant assays is attractive since it often presents many advantages over contemporary methods. The small-diameter tubing that holds the separation medium has led to the development of multicapillary instruments, and simultaneous sample analysis. Furthermore, CE is compatible with a wide range of detectors, including UV-Vis, fluorescence, laser-induced fluorescence, electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, radiometric, and more recently nuclear magnetic resonance, and laser-induced circular dichroism systems. Selection of an appropriate detector can yield highly specific analyte detection with good mass sensitivity. Another attractive feature of CE is the low consumption of sample and reagents. However, it is paradoxical that this advantage also leads to severe limitation, namely poor concentration sensitivity. Often high analyte concentrations are required in order to have injection of sufficient material for detection. In this regard, a series of devices that are broadly termed 'analyte concentrators' have been developed for analyte preconcentration on-line with the CE capillary. These devices have been used primarily for non-specific analyte preconcentration using packing material of the C18 type. Alternatively, the use of very specific antibody-containing cartridges and enzyme-immobilized microreactors have been demonstrated. In the current report, we review the likely impact of the technology of capillary electrophoresis and the role of the CE analyte concentrator-microreactor on the analysis of biomolecules, present on complex matrices, in a clinical laboratory. Specific examples of the direct analysis of physiologically-derived fluids and microdialysates are presented, and a personal view of the future of CE in the clinical environment is given.     

Effect of preoperative supplementation with alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on myocardial injury in patients undergoing cardiac operations

Augmentation of antioxidant defenses may help protect tissues against ischemia-reperfusion injury associated with operations involving cardiopulmonary bypass. In this study we examined the effect of pretreating patients with alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or placebo on injury to the myocardium. Seventy-six subjects undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting participated in a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial, receiving either placebo or both 750 IU dl-alpha-tocopherol per day for 7 to 10 days and 1 gm ascorbic acid 12 hours before the operation. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations, raised fourfold by supplementation, fell by 70% after the operation in the supplemented group and to negligible levels in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to release of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme over 72 hours, nor in the reduction of the myocardial perfusion defect determined by thallium 201 uptake. Electrocardiography provided no evidence of a benefit from antioxidant supplementation. Thus the supplementation regimen prevented the depletion of the primary lipid soluble antioxidant in plasma, but provided no measurable reduction in myocardial injury after the operation.     

Arthroscopic reduction and fixation of bony avulsion of the posterior cruciate ligament of the tibia

Bony avulsion fractures of the posterior cruciate ligament of the tibia have commonly been treated by open reduction and internal fixation using the posterior approach. However, this approach, using the prone position, makes it difficult to investigate and treat other combined injuries of the knee joint. We report a case of posterior cruciate ligament avulsion of the tibia that was arthroscopically reduced and firmly fixed with two cannulated screws. The posterior sag was absent after the operation and the result was excellent. By arthroscopy, we got rigid fixation of the avulsed fragment for early rehabilitation, and detection of a concomitant injury was also possible.     

Coronary bypass in vascular patients: a relatively high-risk procedure

A premise of cardiac risk stratification is that the added risk of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is offset by the improved safety of subsequent vascular reconstruction (VR). We questioned if elective CABG is patients with severe peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a relatively high-risk procedure. A cohort study of 680 elective CABG patients from January 1993 to December 1994 was performed using three mutually exclusive outcomes of complication-free survival, morbidity, and mortality. Patient characteristic, operative, and outcome data were prospectively collected. Retrospective review determined that 58 patients had either a standard indication for or a history of VR. Overall CABG mortality was 2.5%, with statistically similar but relatively higher rates for PVD as compared to non-PVD patients. In contrast, major morbidity occurred at rates 3.6-fold higher in PVD patients (39.7%) than in disease-free patients (16.7%) after adjustment for the effects of patient and operative variables (odds ratio [OR] 3.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.93-6.99). CABG morbidity in the PVD patient was most likely in those patients with aortoiliac (OR 9.51, CI 3.20-28.27) and aortic aneurysmal (OR 5.24, CI 1.28-21.41) disease types. CABG in PVD patients is associated with significant major morbidity. Such morbidity may preclude or alter the timing of subsequent VR.     

Langmuir-Blodgett deposited cadmium gate inverted InP-GaInAs modulation-doped field-effect transistors

We report on the Langmuir-Blodgett film deposition and plasma etching of cadmium distearate on n-Gao.47Ino.53As to form a high-barrier-height Schottky barrier. Using this technique to form the gate electrode, we fabricated a 1?m-gate-length inverted InP-GalnAs modulation-doped field-effect transistor (MODFET) with an extrinsic transconductance of 170mS/mm and a cutoff frequencyfT of 19 GHz.     

The effects of lead exposure on learning in a multiple repeated acquisition and performance schedule

This study sought to determine the selectivity of Pb-induced changes in learning, as distinct from non-specific or performance effects, and to explore the nature of the underlying error patterns contributing to any learning deficits. To accomplish this, rats were chronically exposed to 0, 50, or 250 ppm Pb acetate in drinking water from weaning and trained on a multiple repeated acquisition (RA) and performance (P) schedule beginning at 55 days of age. The RA component required the rat to learn a new 3-member sequence of responses during each experimental session (Center Right Left, RLC, CLR, RCL, and LRC), while the correct sequence of responses for the P component was constant across sessions (LCR). Significant decrements in accuracy on the RA component but not on the P component were found in Pb-exposed groups compared to control, effects that could not be attributed to differential rates of responding. Analyses of error patterns revealed that the effects of Pb exposure on RA accuracy levels derived from two sources. The first consisted of a perseveration of P-like sequence responding (LCR) even during the RA component. Secondly, Pb exposure increased perseverative responding on a single lever, even though the schedule itself never directly reinforced such repetitive responding. The increase in frequency of these two types of perseverative behavior was incompatible with acquisition of non P-like sequences during the RA component. Adding a 5 sec tone to the light stimuli signalling the transition between RA and P components of the multiple schedule failed to attenuate these effects of Pb, suggesting that deficits in stimulus control were not the sole behavioral mechanism of these impairments. Examination of individual data revealed the presence of both 'learners' and 'non-learners' in each group, with the prevalence of the latter being suggestively higher in Pb-exposed groups than in controls. These findings may be relevant to the classroom setting, where periods requiring learning may frequently be interspersed with periods of performance of learned skills.     

Denial of illness in stroke

BACKGROUND: The effects of stroke on classically nondominant hemisphere functions have received less attention than those on the dominant hemisphere, but visuospatial neglect and denial of illness both produce significant morbidity. SUMMARY OF COMMENT: The early literature on denial of illness is discussed and the etiological theories are examined. These are explanations based on deficits of higher mental function, impaired sensory input (especially proprioceptive), an abnormal representation of body image, psychodynamic defense mechanisms, and/or premorbid personality factors. CONCLUSIONS: Denial of illness is an important consequence of stroke. No explanation thus far proposed is entirely satisfactory. The consequences on rehabilitation and strategies for therapy have not been adequately investigated.     

Influence of aminophylline and 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline on the anticonvulsive action of diphenylhydantoin, phenobarbital, and valproate against maximal electroshock-induced convulsions in mice

Time variation of drinking is substantial and has an effect on aggregate estimates of consumption. In this article it is shown that because of a considerable seasonal variation in consumption (+/- 20%) a serious bias in annual consumption estimates can be expected in surveys with a limited time frame. The present study analyzes drinking data collected in the general population of the Netherlands from March 1985 through December 1985 (including Christmas and New Year's Eve). Since it was expected that sensitivity to temporal fluctuations might not be equal for different methods of measurement, several indices of consumption were compared. Although the assessed seasonal effect varies indeed across types of measurement, across male and female subsample and across types of alcoholic beverage, the general tendency is for consumption to be highest in the spring season and lowest in the autumn. Sales figures fluctuate accordingly. It is evident that the risk of biased estimates is larger the shorter the time frame of the survey. Seasonal variation was highest in the frequency domain. Furthermore, exclusion from the time frame of collective holidays, during which people drink more often and more per occasion (viz., Christmas), increases the risk of biased estimates. Even estimates of abstention, but also regular heavy drinking among women, appear to vary considerably over the three seasons in this study. The main conclusion is that results of comparisons of survey data on drinking, particularly those over time, are more or less invalid if the respective time frames of the surveys do not correspond.