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.     

Face recognition: combining cognitive psychology and imageengineering

Many cognitive tasks that are easy for humans to perform are proving difficult to emulate in computer systems. Combining the disciplines of psychology and engineering may offer a solution to some of these problems. A connectionist or neural network model of face recognition by humans which incorporates aspects of a model proposed by cognitive psychologists is presented. A comparative set of experiments has been performed using this simulation and human subjects for familiar face recognition. By employing the same stimuli for both humans and the computer model, it is possible to advance not only our understanding of human cognition but also to develop improved automated systems for face recognition     

Supervisory system for cascaded semiconductor laser amplifier repeaters

A technique for locating a transmission path failure in an inline cascade of semiconductor laser amplifier repeaters to within one fibre span is demonstrated. If a fault occurs, the loss of signal is detected in the following repeaters and a locally generated tone modulates the spontaneous emission of the repeater, signalling the fault to the system terminals.<>     

Occurrence of Lawn Care and Agricultural Pesticides in the Don River and Humber River Watersheds (1998–2002)

Between 1998 and 2002, surface water samples were collected from several sites in the Don River and Humber River watersheds, both tributaries to Lake Ontario, and analyzed for a variety of pesticides, including those used for urban lawn care. Analyses included 152 pesticide active ingredients and eight metabolites. Samples were collected during base flow periods (i.e., dry events) and rainfall events (i.e., wet events). The objectives of the study were to determine which pesticides were detectable, whether there was a difference in the detection frequency between the two watersheds and between upstream and downstream in each river, and whether precipitation influenced the frequency of detection. Eleven pesticides and one metabolite were detected in surface waters of the Don and Humber rivers or their tributaries, with approximately 72% of samples containing at least one pesticide attributable to lawn care use. The pesticides and pesticide metabolite detected in this study included 2,4-D, atrazine, bromacil, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, diazinon, dicamba, MECOPROP, metolachlor, metribuzin, and an atrazine metabolite (des-ethyl atrazine). Four pesticides exceeded federal or provincial water quality guidelines/objectives. Diazinon exceeded the provincial water quality objective in 28% of the samples taken. For the three other pesticides (atrazine, carbofuran and chlorpyrifos) exceedance of a water quality criteria occurred in less than 1% of the samples.     

10Gbit/S以太网,RPR和MPLS协同工作:城域网的未来

随着数据业务的发展,目前在城域网领域出现了3种很有希望的新技术:MPLS(多协议标记交换)、10 Gbit/s以太网和弹性分组环(RPR).这三种技术都各自有着自己的特点和优点,然而仅仅采用某一项技术并不能解决网络中的全部问题,将这三种技术综合应用就成为一种必要,本文将简要分析这几种技术,及其它们综合起来协同工作的必要性和现实意义.     

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland in a six-year-old girl

A 6-year-old white female was found to have an adenoid cystic carcinoma originating in a lacrimal gland. Eighteen months following diagnosis, the tumor recurred. Conservative surgery has been the sole mode of therapy. To date, after four operations and quadrimenstral imaging surveillance, there is no sign of disease progression. Our purpose is to record the unusual occurrence of an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland in a child. An interim report, 32 months after diagnosis, is presented.     

10 Gbit/s NRZ global transmission using optically amplifiedelectronic regeneration

10 Gbit/s NRZ error-free fibre transmission over distances exceeding 400000 km is demonstrated using an optically amplified regenerator with a 160 km span. Direct modulation of a DFB laser raises the stimulated Brillouin scattering power threshold while maintaining system simplicity and robustness     

Response to intravenous midazolam sedation in general dental practice

The object of this study was to grade the response of patients undergoing a variety of dental procedures with the aid of intravenous midazolam sedation in general dental practice and to explore any relationships between the patients preoperative anxiety assessment and the clinician's assessment of co-operation whilst under sedation. One hundred consecutive patients aged between 18 and 58 years (mean 32 years; sd 10 years) and in ASA Class I or II were prospectively studied. Results showed that despite attempts to grade patient's behaviour it was not possible to reliably predict patient's responses under intravenous sedation. In addition to these findings, the great individual variation in sensitivity to midazolam was confirmed.     

Three-node, 40 Gbit/s OTDM network experiment using electro-opticswitches

The authors demonstrate, for the first time, a three node optically time division multiplexed network with a maximum capacity of 40 Gbit/s. Electro-optical switches were used for both `drop and insert' and demultiplexing, and electronic clock recovery provided synchronisation throughout the network     

Endoscopic surveillance of Barrett's esophagus: a cost-effectiveness comparison with mammographic surveillance for breast cancer

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic surveillance of Barrett's esophagus is commonly practiced to detect malignancy in an early and curable stage. However, the cost-effectiveness of this practice has been questioned. To clarify this issue, we undertook a cost analysis of endoscopic surveillance to detect adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus compared with mammography used to detect occult carcinoma of the breast, a widely accepted cancer surveillance technique. METHODS: The rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma detected by endoscopic surveillance was calculated for Duluth Clinic patients with Barrett's esophagus seen from 1980 to 1995 and compared with published rates. The rate of occult breast cancer detection was calculated for all women undergoing surveillance mammography at the Duluth Clinic for the year 1994 and compared with published rates. Costs for screening studies and therapy for cancer treatment for both cancers were calculated based on clinical results and assumptions regarding outcomes derived from published reports, and the costs were compared. RESULTS: Endoscopic surveillance of 149 patients with benign Barrett's esophagus was performed for a total of 510 patient-yr, during which time seven patients developed adenocarcinoma, an incidence of one case per 73 patient-yr of follow-up. Occult breast cancer was detected in 50 of 12,537 mammograms, a detection rate of 0.4%. The incidences in both cases were comparable to published figures. The costs of detecting a case of adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus and occult breast cancer were $37,928 and $54,513, respectively, and those for treatment resulting in cure were $83,340 and $83,292. Cost per life-yr saved was $4,151 for adenocarcinoma in Barrett's esophagus and $57,926 for breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic surveillance of patients with Barrett's esophagus compares favorably with the common practice of surveillance mammography to detect early breast cancer, and should therefore be considered to be as cost-effective as surveillance mammography.