bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On behavior of limited life Geotextile materials for reinforcing embankment on soft ground
Authors: Arunaye Festus , Mwasha Abraham
Published: June 2011

Constrain on availability of waste landfill sites and stinging environmental regulations are the major reasons stimulating interest in the use of Limited Life Materials in construction industry. The concept of limited life geotextiles seeks to emphasize a clear definable working life, where materials are designed so that progressive loss of their capability with time is matched with the improvement in the ground conditions with time. By clearly defining a working life of the geotextile base on the improvements in ground conditions overtime will reduce over-designing and construction. This paper mainly focus on the ability of biodegradable geotextiles to provide reinforcement to embankments constructed on soft ground where the foundation soil is too weak to support the embankment on it. It is well known that any degradable (decay) material has negative exponential function. Consequently nonlinear function which approximates decay phenomenon is engrossed with errors. The existing methods of investigating time dependent behaviors of Basal reinforced embankment on the soft soil are based on discrete functional equations derived from large number of data. This paper provides an update of effective mathematical equation for predicting limited life span of geotextiles derived from the fundamental mathematical and engineering principles which governed biodegradable materials and soil parameters.
Energy Absorption Behavior of a Hyperelastic Membrane for Micro Air Vehicle Wings: Experimental and Finite Element Approaches
Authors: Chakravarty Uttam Kumar , Albertani Roberto
Published: June 2011

The rubber latex membrane is used for micro air vehicles construction and plays an important role in their wings performance. This paper presents finite element (FE) models for investigating the deformation and energy absorption behavior of the latex membrane at static loading, validated by the experimental results. The membrane at different pre-tension levels are attached to a circular steel ring and statically loaded using steel spheres of different sizes placed at the center of the membrane. The deformation of the membrane is measured by the visual image correlation (VIC), a non-contact measurement system and strain energy is calculated based on the Mooney–Rivlin hyperelastic material model. It is found that the deflection and strain energy of the membrane estimated by experiments and FE models are correlated well although discrepancy is expected among experimental and FE results within reasonable limits due to the variation of the thickness of the membrane. The deformation and energy absorption of the membrane increase with the weight of the sphere. But the deformation decreases and the energy absorption increases with increase of the pre-tension level of the membrane due to a specific weight of the sphere.
Mathematical Modeling of INS/GPS Based Navigation System Using Discrete Time Extended Kalman Filter Schemes for Flapping Micro Air Vehicle
Authors: Riaz Sadia
Published: June 2011

Flapping-wing Micro Air Vehicles (FMAV) comprise a new type of remote-controlled, semi-autonomous or autonomous aircraft that is significantly smaller than conventional aircraft. The concept of flapping-wing flight is inspired by birds and insects, though birds and insects use strikingly different modes of flapping to achieve the same result. Flapping-wing flight has been a large domain of exploration in the last few years, aiming to understand and mimic the ingenious strategies developed by animals during the navigation in three dimensions. While ornithopters deriving all of their lift and thrust from sets of flapping wings, have been demonstrated, applying Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensors to their navigation systems is an extremely challenging area. This paper presents an approach to designing an INS/GPS based navigation system using a Discrete Time Extended Kalman Filter. Navigation is one of the applications of state estimation techniques, and the reliable determination of attitude, velocity and position of the aircraft is essential for good flight performance during fully autonomous flight. In the current navigation concept, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), providing sensor measurements, is used for this purpose, and the sensors used for navigation system are comprised of a MEMS gyro, a MEMS accelerometer, a MEMS magnetometer and a Global Positioning System. The Kalman filter provides an efficient computational means to estimate the state of a process, as it supports estimations of past, present, and even future states. In this paper three different schemes for a Discrete Time Extended Kalman Filter are used for navigation system. These include a single-stage seven-state discrete time extended Kalman filter, a two-stage cascaded discrete time extended Kalman filter, and a three-stage cascaded discrete time extended Kalman filter. Comparison and analysis of the three schemes are carried out, and it is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is useful technique for flapping-wing flight.
Use of Advanced Meteorological Model Output for Coastal Ocean Modeling in Puget Sound
Authors: Yang Zhaoqing , Khangaonkar Tarang , Wang Taiping
Published: June 2011

It is a great challenge to specify meteorological forcing in estuarine and coastal circulation modeling using observed data because of the lack of complete datasets. As a result of this limitation, water temperature is often not simulated in estuarine and coastal modeling, with the assumption that density-induced currents are generally dominated by salinity gradients. However, in many situations, temperature gradients could be sufficiently large to influence the baroclinic motion. In this paper, we present an approach to simulate water temperature using outputs from advanced meteorological models. This modeling approach was applied to simulate annual variations of water temperatures of Puget Sound, a fjordal estuary in the Pacific Northwest of USA. Meteorological parameters from North American Region Re-analysis (NARR) model outputs were evaluated with comparisons to observed data at real-time meteorological stations. Model results demonstrated that NARR outputs can be used to drive coastal ocean models for realistic simulations of long-term water-temperature distributions in Puget Sound. Model results indicated that the net flux from NARR can be further improved with the additional information from real-time observations.
Variability of Significant Wave Height over the Indian Ocean Using Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis
Authors: Rao A D , Sinha Mourani , Neetu  , Basu Sujit
Published: June 2011

Spatial-temporal variability of significant wave height (SWH) over the Indian Ocean has been explored in the study. The SWH have been generated for the period 2000–08 using WAM-4C forced by six hourly QSCAT/NCEP blended winds. After a preliminary validation of the model generated SWH, the two dimensional fields of the same have been subjected to empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. Analysis has been carried out separately in four regions, which are oceanographically distinct because of the prevailing wind regimes. These are namely Bay of Bengal (BOB), Arabian Sea (AS), equatorial and off-equatorial southern Indian Ocean (EOESIO) and Southern Indian Ocean (SIO). The first eigenmode accounts for 75%, 83%, 40% and 23% of the total variability for the BOB, AS, EOESIO and SIO respectively. In the BOB the maximum loading is in the northeast corner of the basin due to the predominant northeastward propagation of the waves due to the prevailing strong southwesterly monsoon winds, while in the AS there is an alignment of the maximum loading along the Findlater jet. As regards the other two regions, it can be inferred that there is a trend of increasing loading as one move gradually southwards due to the increase in the strength of the winds.
Transient Queueing Analysis
Authors: Kaczynski William H. , Leemis Lawrence M. , Drew John H.
Published: June 2011

The exact distribution of the nth customer's sojourn time in an M/M/s queue with k customers initially present is derived. Algorithms for computing the covariance between sojourn times for an M/M/1 queue with k customers present at time 0 are also developed. Maple computer code is developed for practical application of transient queue analysis for many system measures of performance without regard to traffic intensity (i.e., the system may be unstable with traffic intensity greater than 1).
An Improved Branch-and-Bound Method for Maximum Monomial Agreement
Authors: Eckstein Jonathan , Goldberg Noam
Published: June 2011

The 𝒩𝒫-hard maximum monomial agreement problem consists of finding a single logical conjunction that is most consistent with or “best fits” a weighted data set of “positive” and “negative” binary vectors. Computing weighted voting classifiers using boosting methods involves a maximum agreement subproblem at each iteration, although such subproblems are typically solved in practice by heuristic methods. Here, we describe an exact branch-and-bound method for maximum agreement over Boolean monomials, improving on the earlier work of Goldberg and Shan [Goldberg, N., C. Shan. 2007. Boosting optimal logical patterns. Proc. 7th SIAM Internat. Conf. Data Mining, SIAM, Philadelphia, 228–236]. Specifically, we develop a tighter upper bounding function and an improved branching procedure that exploits knowledge of the bound and the particular data set, while having a lower branching factor. Experimental results show that the new method is able to solve larger problem instances and runs faster within a linear programming boosting procedure applied to medium-sized data sets from the UCI Machine Learning Repository. The new algorithm also runs much faster than applying a commercial mixed-integer programming solver, which uses linear programming relaxation-based bounds, to an integer linear programming formulation of the problem.
Selecting Optimal Alternatives and Risk Reduction Strategies in Decision Trees
Authors: Sherali Hanif D. , Dalkiran Evrim , Glickman Theodore S.
Published: June 2011

In this paper we conduct a quantitative analysis for a strategic risk management problem that involves allocating certain available failure-mitigating and consequence-alleviating resources to reduce the failure probabilities of system safety components and subsequent losses, respectively, together with selecting optimal strategic decision alternatives, to minimize the risk or expected loss in the event of a hazardous occurrence. Using a novel decision tree optimization approach to represent the cascading sequences of probabilistic events as controlled by key decisions and investment alternatives, the problem is modeled as a nonconvex mixed-integer 0-1 factorable program. We develop a specialized branch-and-bound algorithm in which lower bounds are computed via tight linear relaxations of the original problem that are constructed by utilizing a polyhedral outer-approximation mechanism in concert with two alternative linearization schemes having different levels of tightness and complexity. We also suggest three alternative branching schemes, each of which is proven to guarantee convergence to a global optimum for the underlying problem. Extensive computational results and sensitivity analyses are presented to provide insights and to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Shaping Strategic Action Through the Rhetorical Construction and Exploitation of Ambiguity
Authors: Sillince John , Jarzabkowski Paula , Shaw Duncan
Published: June 2011

This paper extends existing understandings of how actors' constructions of ambiguity shape the emergent process of strategic action. We theoretically elaborate the role of rhetoric in exploiting strategic ambiguity, based on analysis of a longitudinal case study of an internationalization strategy within a business school. Our data show that actors use rhetoric to construct three types of strategic ambiguity: protective ambiguity that appeals to common values in order to protect particular interests, invitational ambiguity that appeals to common values in order to invite participation in particular actions, and adaptive ambiguity that enables the temporary adoption of specific values in order to appeal to a particular audience at one point in time. These rhetorical constructions of ambiguity follow a processual pattern that shapes the emergent process of strategic action. Our findings show that (1) the strategic actions that emerge are shaped by the way actors construct and exploit ambiguity, (2) the ambiguity intrinsic to the action is analytically distinct from ambiguity that is constructed and exploited by actors, and (3) ambiguity construction shifts over time to accommodate the emerging pattern of actions.
Roadmap for Harmonization of Clinical Laboratory Measurement Procedures
Authors: Greg Miller W , Myers Gary L , Lou Gantzer Mary , Kahn Stephen E , Schönbrunner E Ralf , Thienpont Linda M , Bunk David M , Christenson Robert H , Eckfeldt John H , Lo Stanley F , Nübling C Micha , Sturgeon Catharine M
Published: June 2011

Results between different clinical laboratory measurement procedures (CLMP) should be equivalent, within clinically meaningful limits, to enable optimal use of clinical guidelines for disease diagnosis and patient management. When laboratory test results are neither standardized nor harmonized, a different numeric result may be obtained for the same clinical sample. Unfortunately, some guidelines are based on test results from a specific laboratory measurement procedure without consideration of the possibility or likelihood of differences between various procedures. When this happens, aggregation of data from different clinical research investigations and development of appropriate clinical practice guidelines will be flawed. A lack of recognition that results are neither standardized nor harmonized may lead to erroneous clinical, financial, regulatory, or technical decisions.

Standardization of CLMPs has been accomplished for several measurands for which primary (pure substance) reference materials exist and/or reference measurement procedures (RMPs) have been developed. However, the harmonization of clinical laboratory procedures for measurands that do not have RMPs has been problematic owing to inadequate definition of the measurand, inadequate analytical specificity for the measurand, inadequate attention to the commutability of reference materials, and lack of a systematic approach for harmonization. To address these problems, an infrastructure must be developed to enable a systematic approach for identification and prioritization of measurands to be harmonized on the basis of clinical importance and technical feasibility, and for management of the technical implementation of a harmonization process for a specific measurand.
The connection problem
associated with a Selberg type
integral and the q-Racah polynomials
Authors: Mimachi Katsuhisa
Published: June 2011

The connection problem associated with a
Selberg type integral is solved. The connection
coefficients are given in terms of the q-Racah polynomials.
As an application of the explicit expression of
the connection coefficients, examples of the monodromy-invariant
Hermitian form of non-diagonal type are presented. It is noteworthy
that such Hermitian forms are intimately related with the
correlation functions of non-diagonal type in
-conformal field theory.
Experiential and reflective learning approaches for the train-the-trainers program of Project P.A.T.H.S.
Authors: Lam Ching Man
Published: June 2011

This paper describes the successful application of experiential and reflective learning approaches to promote personal and professional growth of social workers and teachers in the train-the-trainer program of Project P.A.T.H.S. Qualitative data revealed that program participants benefited from their learning experiences. The paper inquires into the dilemma of experiential and reflective learning. Recommendations are presented for those interested in using experiential and reflective approaches for training programs.
Subjective outcome evaluation of the Secondary 2 Training Program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Chak Yammy L.Y.
Published: June 2011

Subjective outcome evaluation findings based on the perceptions of the participants who participated in a 3-day training program of the Project P.A.T.H.S. are reported in this paper. Results showed that most of the respondents were satisfied with and had positive perceptions about the training program. They also reported that they were able to acquire attitude, knowledge and skills conducive to the successful implementation of the program. In addition, the findings suggest that the training program is effective in promoting the participants’ self-reflections. The present findings provide support for the effectiveness of the Secondary 2 Training Program (Experimental Implementation Phase) of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong.
Alternative medicine does not exist, biomedicine does not exist, there is only evidence-based medicine
Authors: Ventegodt Søren , Greydanus Donald E. , Merrick Joav
Published: June 2011

No abstract available
Error-rate Floors in Differential n-level Phase-shift-keying Coherent Receivers employing Electronic Dispersion Equalisation
Authors: Jacobsen Gunnar , Xu Tianhua , Popov Sergei , Li Jie , Zhang Yimo , Friberg Ari T.
Published: June 2011

A model for the phase noise influence in differential n-level phase shift keying (nPSK) systems and 2n-level quadrature amplitude modulated (2nQAM) systems employing electronic dispersion equalization and quadruple carrier phase extraction is presented. The model includes the dispersion equalization enhanced local oscillator phase noise influence. Numerical results for phase noise error-rate floors are given for dual polarization (DQPSK, D16PSK and D64PSK) system configurations with basic baud-rate of 25 GS/s. The transmission distance in excess of 1000 km requires local oscillator lasers with sub-MHz linewidth.
CD82 gene suppression in endometrial stromal cells leads to increase of the cell invasiveness in the endometriotic milieu
Authors: Li Ming-Qing , Hou Xiao-Fan , Lv Shi-Jian , Meng Yu-Han , Wang Xiao-Qiu , Tang Chuan-Ling , Li Da-Jin
Published: June 2011

Tetraspanin CD82 is a wide-spectrum tumor metastasis suppressor that inhibits motility and invasiveness of cancer cells. Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disorder, but appears malignant behaviors including invasion, ectopic implantation and recurrence. This study is to elucidate the role of CD82 expression regulation in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The short interfering RNA silence was established to analyze the roles of CD82, chemokine CCL2, and its receptor CCR2 in the invasiveness of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). We have found that the mRNA and protein levels of CD82 in the primary normal ESCs from endometrium without endometriosis are significantly higher than that of the primary ESCs from eutopic endometrium and ectopic tissue. CD82 inhibits the invasiveness of ESCs by downregulating CCL2 secretion and CCR2 expression via mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and integrinβ1 signal pathway, and in turn upregulating the expression of TIMP1 and TIMP2 in an autocrine manner. The combination of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) with 17β-estradiol can promote the invasion of ESCs via suppressing CD82 expression and stimulating CCL2 secretion and CCR2 expression, and the enhanced interaction of CCL2–CCR2 recruits more macrophages into the ectopic milieu in a paracrine manner, which further downregulates CD82 expression in the ectopic ESCs. Our study has demonstrated for the first time that the abnormal lower CD82 expression in ESCs induced by TCDD and estrogen may be an important molecular basis of endometriosis pathogenesis through enhancing the CCL2 secretion and CCR2 expression and the invasion of ESCs via MAPK and integrinβ1 signal pathway.
Sources of Thromboembolism in Patients with Correctly Functioning Mechanical Valves: A Single-Center Transesophageal Echocardiographic Study
Authors: Maciejewski Marek , Piestrzeniewicz Katarzyna , Jaszewski Ryszard , Bielecka-Dabrowa Agata , Goch Jan H.
Published: June 2011

Background: In patients with mechanical prostheses (MP), thromboembolism is one of the most serious complications. The study aim was to assess the incidence of sources of thromboembolism in patients with correctly functioning MP with and without a history of thromboembolism.

Methods: Two hundred ninety-seven patients with correctly functioning MP were enrolled in this single-center, transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE), retrospective, observational study. Two groups were analyzed: Group A, 183 patients with a history of thromboembolism, and Group B, 114 patients with no history of thromboembolism.

Results: Definite sources of thromboembolism were revealed in 59% of patients in Group A, and sources of potential thromboembolism were revealed in 13% of patients in Group B (P < .001). Multiple sources of thromboembolism were present in 9% of patients in Group A and 1% of patients in Group B. Localization of sources of thromboembolism included MP ring (59% and 53% of patients in Groups A and B, respectively); left atrium/left atrium appendage (24%/21% and 13%/40% of patients in Groups A and B, respectively); and aorta (12% and 13% of patients in Groups A and B, respectively). Patients with multiple sources of thromboembolism were older (P < .001) and in a higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class (P = .004). Patients with sources of thromboembolism in the aorta were older than the rest of the group (P < .01).

Conclusions: In patients with correctly functioning MP, sources of thromboembolism are observed 4 times more often in case of the positive history of thromboembolism. The most common source of thromboembolism is thrombosis of MP ring. Age and heart failure predispose multiple sources of thromboembolism. One might consider control TEE after mechanical valve implantation, but only in selected group of patients without embolic events but with a higher risk of thromboembolism.
Cilostazol, a Type III Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor, Reduces Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Sahin Mehmet Ali , Onan Burak , Guler Adem , Oztas Emin , Uysal B�lent , Arslan Siddik , Demirkilic Ufuk , Tatar Harun
Published: June 2011

Background: Spinal cord injury is still a devastating complication after surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of cilostazol, a type III phosphodiesterase inhibitor, against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced spinal cord injury in rats.

Methods: Twenty-four rats were assigned to 3 experimental study groups: the control group (sham operation, n = 8); the ischemia group (nontreated, n = 8), which underwent aortic occlusion without pharmacologic intervention; and the cilostazol-treated group (n = 8), which received 20 mg/kg cilostazol per day orally for 3 days before spinal ischemia. All animals underwent a 45-minute period of spinal cord ischemia via clamping of the abdominal aorta between the left renal artery and the aortic bifurcation; removal of the aortic clamp was followed by reperfusion. Neurologic status was assessed before spinal ischemia and at 48 hours after the operation. All animals were sacrificed at 48 hours after the operation. Spinal cords were harvested for histopathologic examination and biochemical analyses for the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities.

Results: Tarlov scores at postoperative hour 48 tended to be higher in the cilostazol-treated group than in the nontreated ischemia group (mean � SD, 3.66 � 0.40 versus 2.32 � 0.80; P = .08). Spinal cord tissue MDA levels (per gram protein) were lower in the cilostazol-treated group than in the nontreated ischemia group (0.27 � 0.01 mmol/g versus 0.33 � 0.04 mmol/g, P = .026), and the cilostazol-treated group had higher activities of tissue SOD (519.6 � 56.3 U/g versus 438.9 � 67.4 U/g, P = .016) and GSH-Px (4.07 � 1.37 U/g versus 3.21 � 1.02 U/g, P = .47) than the nontreated ischemia group. Histopathologic analyses demonstrated that cilostazol treatment attenuated I/R-induced cellular damage.

Conclusion: Administration of cilostazol before spinal cord ischemia reduced neurologic injury and produced clinical improvement by attenuating oxidative stress in this rat spinal cord I/R model.
Do Patients in Congestive Cardiac Failure Undergoing Cardiac Surgery Demonstrate Worse Outcomes Compared with Those with a History of Cardiac Failure?
Authors: Attaran Saina , Shaw Matthew , Bond Laura , Pullan Mark D. , Fabri Brian M.
Published: June 2011

Objectives: Cardiac surgery in patients with symptoms of congestive cardiac failure (CCF) carries a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Except for emergencies and in unstable cases, the recommendation has been to delay the operation until the patient is fully recovered. The objective of this study was to determine the consequences of cardiac surgery in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and to compare their outcomes with the results of the operation in patients with previous CCF.

Methods: We compared the outcomes of patients with CCF (n = 707) at the time of cardiac surgery (valve replacement or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) with those with a history of CCF (n = 1583). The EuroSCORE was significantly higher in CCF patients (P < .001). Impaired renal function was also more commonly observed in patients with CCF (P < .001). After adjusting for preoperative characteristics, we compared the 2 groups with respect to postoperative complications, postoperative creatine kinase MB values, and in-hospital mortality.

Results: Before adjusting for preoperative characteristics, we found that in-hospital mortality (15.5%) and postoperative complications, such as arrhythmias (31%), renal failure (19%), stroke (4.7%), and myocardial infarction (MI) (3%), were significantly higher in the CCF group than in those with a previous history of CCF. When the patients were matched for preoperative characteristics, the rates of postoperative MI and arrhythmia were the main complications that were significantly higher in the CCF group, compared with the patients with previous CCF. The 2 groups were not significantly different with respect to in-hospital mortality. The results were not affected by the type of procedure (valve or CABG), and the main factor influencing mortality was the EuroSCORE.

Conclusion: Despite the significant risk of mortality and morbidity in patients with current CCF, cardiac surgery to reverse the cause should not be delayed in these patients, because doing so may lead to further deterioration. Other risk factors, however, should be taken into consideration on an individual basis.
Long-term Results after Carpentier-Edwards Pericardial Aortic Valve Implantation, with Attention to the Impact of Age
Authors: Welke Karl F. , Wu YingXing , Grunkemeier Gary L. , Ahmad Aftab , Starr Albert
Published: June 2011

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine long-term patient survival and valve durability for Carpentier-Edwards pericardial valves (Edwards Lifesciences) implanted in the aortic position, with specific attention to the impact of patient age.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 2168 patients who underwent implantation of a Carpentier-Edwards pericardial aortic valve between 1991 and 2008. The mean follow-up time was 4.5 years. Primary outcomes of interest were mortality and valve explantation. Survival curves and event-free curves were obtained with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test.

Results: Survival was 92% at 1 year, 73% at 5 years, 38% at 10 years, and 18% at 15 years. Although the mortality rate of younger patients was worse than in the general population, older patients had significantly better survival than their contemporaries. Age was the independent variable most significantly associated with explantation. There was an early hazard phase for patients between 21 and 49 years of age, such that the freedom from explantation was 89% at 3 years. By 10 years, the freedom from explantation was 58% for patients 21 to 49 years of age, compared with 68% for patients 50 to 64 years, 93% for patients 65 to 74 years, and 99% for patients 75 years of age and older.

Conclusion: We found good long-term survival and durability. Older patients had excellent freedom from explantation, whereas younger patients fared worse. As our population ages, this information becomes increasingly important. Assessing the durability of this pericardial aortic valve may aid in predicting the durability of the transcatheter aortic valves that share the same leaflets.
Johann Misch Astrophilus’ book “Medicina Pauperum” in Hungarian. Copy of a lost or hidden book from 1660
Authors: Kiss István , Tavaszy Mariann , Kiss Gergely
Published: June 2011

Doctors and pharmacies in the 15th Century only used handwritten copies of the prescription collections available in their time. At the beginning of book printing the publishing of prescription collections immediately became popular. They could be found on the pages of medical and pharmaceutical books of many various editions with different structure and origin, as the forerunner of the official pharmacopoeias. From the 16th Century onwards books with the title “Medicina Pauperum” were published which helped the educated people to tend to themselves, the household, the servants and their immediate surroundings case of an illness. The first work specifically on the topic or of genre of the “Medicina Pauperum” according to our knowledge appeared in Hungarian in the year 1660 and currently seems to survived only in fragments under the title of “Medicina Pauperum”, from an unknown author. A rare incident occurred in the present days as a “book” believed to be lost for us turned up from thin air. It is a “copied” manuscript in the size of 97×139 mm attached to the ribs with hemp cord, cropped around and in an unbound state. The book known before only in fractions is now available entirety handwritten on 318 pages, distributed to seven distinct parts. The research of its origin suggests that the author lived and worked in Nagyszombat and was called Johann Misch Astrophilus. The identification of the printing office was possible thanks to the examination of the initials and the gaudily, as well as the fonts and the watermark. By these results the printing very likely occurred in the Brewer Printing Press in Lőcse. For the possibility of more extensive research and value preservation the manuscript was bounded. The facsimile edition contains the magnified and digitalized pages of the original one and is published in numbered issues. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 1093–1097.
Diffusion Of Indigo Molecules Inside The Palygorskite Clay Channels
Authors: Dejoie Catherine , Martinetto Pauline , Dooryhée Eric , Brown Ross , Blanc Sylvie , Bordat Patrice , Strobel Pierre , Odier Philippe , Porcher Florence , Sanchez del Rio Manuel , Van Eslande Elsa , Walter Philippe , Anne Michel
Published: June 2011

The search for durable dyes led several past civilizations to develop artificial pigments. Maya Blue (MB), manufactured in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, is one of the best known examples of an organic-inorganic hybrid material. Its durability is due to the unique association of indigo molecule and palygorskite, a particular fibrous clay occurring in Yucatan. Despite 50 years of sustained interest, the microscopic structure of MB and its relation to the durability remain open questions. Combining new thermogravimetric and synchrotron X-ray diffraction analyses, we show that indigo molecules can diffuse into the channel of the palygorskite during the heating process, replacing zeolitic water and stabilizing the room temperature phases of the clay.
An evoked potential mapping of transcallosal projections in the cat
Authors: Cukiert A. , Timo-Iaria C.
Published: June 2011

In ten adult cats anesthetized with ketamine hydrochloride the neocortex was exposed and rectangular pulses (1msec, 0.5 Hz and variable intensity) were applied to discrete points of one side and transcallosal evoked potentials were recorded from the other. The stimulation and recording positions were determined on a cartesian map of most of the exposable neocortical areas and the potentials were analysed as to their components, voltage and latency. Passive spread and electrotonic potentials and the effects of increasing frequency were also analysed. The results showed large transcallosal potentials in some areas and an increase of potentials in the caudorostral direction, attaining the highest values in anteromedial areas of the suprasylvian gyrus. Confirming anatomical studies, a few silent spots were found in the motor and somesthetic cortex and in restricted posterior regions of the visual cortex, where small or zero voltages occurred. While causing weak contralateral potentials, stimulation of some posterior sites provoked high voltage potentials in anterior regions of the side being stimulated and in the corresponding area of the opposite site. These posterior sites are. poorly interconnected by the corpus callosum. The L-shaped indirect connection described in this work may be involved in some types of epilepsy and may explain the effectiveness of partial callosotomy in their treatment.
Tropical spastic paraparesis in Northeastern Brazil
Authors: Costa C. M. de Castro , Salgueiro M. R. , Carton H. , Vale O. C. do , Arruda A. M. de
Published: June 2011

Ten possible cases of tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP) in Northeastern Brazil (Ceará) are presented. They show the typical symptoms and signs of TSP consisting of weakness of the lower limbs, spastic gait, hiperreflexia, bladder dysfunction and variable signs of posterior columns impairment. The laboratory examinations excluded other compressive, infective, degenerative or demyelinating lesions of their spinal cord. Our patients age ranged from 21 to 59 years, all were of black origin and all were of lower social class. There was a slight preponderance of females. An etiological implication of a retrovirus (HTLV-I) has been shown for TSP, but for lack of technical conditions we could not determine it in our patients, and that stands as our subsequent step in those and further cases.
Muscle histochemistry in chronic alcoholism
Authors: Ferraz M. L. , Gabbai A. A. , Oliveira A. S. B. , Ferrari A. P. J. , Miszputen S. J. , Ferreira Neto A. , Castelo Filho A. , Schmidt B.
Published: June 2011

Twenty-two chronic acoholic patients were assessed by neurologic examination and muscle biopsy. The patients manifested proximal muscular weakness to a variable extent. One case presented as an acute bout of myopathy, according to the Manual Muscle Test, MMT. The most prominent histologic feature observed was muscle atrophy (95.3%) better evidenced through the ATPase stain with the predominance of type II A fibers (71.4%). Lack of the mosaic pattern (type grouping) seen in 76% of the cases and an important mitochondrial proliferation with intrasarcoplasmatic lipid accumulation in 63% of the patients. In case of acute presentation of muscle weakness the. pathological substrate is quite different, i.e. presence of myositis mainly interstitial characterized by lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate and several spots of necrosis like Zencker degeneration. Based on histologic criteria, our data suggest that: the main determinant of muscle weakness seen in chronic alcoholic patients is neurogenic in origin (alcoholic polineuropathy); the direct toxic action of ethanol under the skeletal muscle is closely related to the mitochondrial metabolism; the so-called acute alcoholic myopathy has probably viral etiology.
Aspectos da tomografia computadorizada craniana na neurocisticercose na infância
Authors: Guerreiro Marilisa M. , Facure Nubor O. , Guerreiro Carlos A. M.
Published: June 2011

Os autores relatam aspectos tomográficos da neurocisticercose na infância a propósito da análise de 27 exames em 18 pacientes, que foram distribuídos em três grupos segundo o quadru clínico e os achados tomográficos. O grupo 1 foi caracterizado basicamente por epilepsias e calcificações. O grupo 2 caracterizou-se por hipertensão intracraniana e diversos aspectos tomográficos: edema, cistos e nódulos em três pacientes; hidrocefalia e calcificações em dois pacientes e normal em um paciente. O grupo 3 consistiu clinicamente de epilepsia e cefaléia, com vários padrões tomográficos. Os resultados são discutidos à luz da literatura disponível.
An evaluation model of cortical functions
Authors: Guardiola Ana , Fernandez Liana Lisboa , Rotta Newra Tellechea
Published: June 2011

The authors suggest a protocol elaborated to standardize the evaluation of high brain functions that should become an element for localization of cortical pathology.
Fibrous dysplasia of the skull: neurological manifestations
Authors: Freitas Paulo Eduardo , Ribeiro Telmo Ramos , Coutinho Mario Ferreira , Anicet Adão
Published: June 2011

The neurological manifestations of eight patients with osseous fibrous dysplasia of skull were retrospectively studied. In this series, the frontal bone was involved in 75% of the patients, the sphenoid or temporal bones in 37.5%, and the parietal in 25%. It was observed that cranial deformities occurred in all but one case, headache was present in 87.5% of the patients, visual disturbances in 50%, proptosis in 25%, and auditive symptoms in 12.5%. Six out of the eight patients were operated on: three of the four who presented progressive visual loss had postoperative improvement. In their follow up, none presented, until now, evidence of recurrence or worsening of symptoms, confirming the benign nature of fibrous dysplasia.
Severe optochiasmatic arachnoiditis after rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm
Authors: Ramina Ricardo , Arruda Walter O. , Prestes Antônio C. F. , Parolim Mônica K. F.
Published: June 2011

The case of a 24-year-old man with progressive visual loss due to optochiasmatic arachnoiditis is presented. The cause of the arachnoiditis was subarachnoidal bleeding due to rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm. The aneurysm was clipped 5 years after the first episode of bleeding. The diagnosis of optochiasmatic arachnoiditis was confirmed during the operation. This case, is presented in order to discuss the causes, the symptoms and the therapeutical possibilities of this rare condition.
Paracoccidioidomicose medular: relato de um caso
Authors: Marchiori Edson , Freitas Miguel Américo Lopes , Lima Ranufo Arthur Machado
Published: June 2011

Os autores apresentam um caso de paracoccidioidomicose na medula cervical em paciente de 51 anos. Discutem as dificuldades diagnosticas e o tratamento seguido, ressaltando a raridade da localização medular, sendo este, de seu conhecimento, o quarto caso registrado na literatura.
Bonnet syndrome and posterior parasagittal tumor: clues to neural, mechanisms
Authors: Ribeiro S. A. , Oliveira-Souza R. , Alvarenga H.
Published: June 2011

A case of Bonnet syndrome associated with blindness due to bilateral eye disease and a posterior parasagittal meningioma is reported. It is assumed that visual afferent deprivation alone is not enough to produce the syndrome and that, in most instances, a 'cerebral factor' must be operative if hallucinoses are to occur. The distinction between hallucinosis and hallucinations is favored and a common neural circuit for the mediation of hallucinotic imageries in general is suggested. One should not immediately put the blame on obvious eye or visual pathways affections when facing cases of Bonnet syndrome, as they are not likely to explain the complex array of images perceived by any given patient. On the contrary, the possibility of a clinically covert intracranial disease should be always raised and intensively looked for.
Polineuropatia hipoglicêmica: registro de caso com insulinoma
Authors: Freitas Marcos R. G. De , Chimelli Leila , Nascimento Osvaldo J. M. , Barbosa Gilberto M.
Published: June 2011

Os autores registram o caso de jovem do sexo masculino que desenvolveu polineuropatia sensitivo-motora, com grande amiotrofia das mãos, no curso de crises de. hipoglicemia, provocadas por provável insulinoma. A eletroneuromiografia revelou predominância de alterações axonais. O nervo sural, estudado à microscopia óptica e eletrônica, mostrou perda axonal de fibras mielínicas de grande calibre e de fibras amielínicas. Considerações sobre a etiopatogenia desta síndrome são feitas, parecendo ser devida a hipoglicemia e não a excesso de insulina.
About the neurolinguistics of the implicatures: abstract of a study
Authors: Fontanari Juliano Luís
Published: June 2011

Taking into account recent data on linguistics of production and comprehension in aphasia, a protocol was executed including the several types of implicatures. The protocol was applied to 90 subjects classified according to the localization of cerebral lesions, as shown by CT. Results are discussed in report to clinical manifestations of brain lesions, as aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, and intelligence and pragmatics disturbances. Discussion supports the impression that there is a mechanism that correlates extra-linguistics contexts with the 'said' at the right hemisphere.
Right of access to health information
Authors: Dytz Jane Lynn Garrison
Published: June 2011

The access to health information is one of the rights of the user of the public health care system, but it is little respected in health services. This study investigates the problem from the perspective of the female clientele. A qualitative study was carried out with a sample of seventeen low-income mothers, which reside in the outskirts of the Federal District. The mothers are frequent users of the health care services, but their adherence to prescribed conducts depends on social and economic factors and how they perceive the various alternatives at their hand. Access to health information is hampered by the mother's low level of instruction, use of folklore medicine, faulty communication and lack of receptive/nurturing environment, indifference to social rights on the part of health providers.
Assistência de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada: breve retrospectiva
Authors: Souza Maria Cristina Frères de , Oliveira Isabel Cristina dos Santos
Published: June 2011

O estudo enfoca o panorama da política de saúde infantil, em destaque no contexto hospitalar, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, tendo como propósito descrever a assistência de enfermagem à criança hospitalizada na primeira metade do século. Trata-se de um estudo histórico, cujas fontes primárias escritas correspondem aos artigos publicados na Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem no período em estudo. As fontes secundárias estão constituídas pela literatura pertinente à temática. No início do século XX, o setor saúde deixa o caráter social e filantrópico para ser subsidiado pelo governo. Em relação a assistência à criança, inúmeros hospitais são inaugurados nos anos 30 e 40, apesar da política nacional de saúde caracterizar-se por ações preventivas. Conclui-se que a assistência à criança até os anos 50 caracteriza-se por transformações técnico-científicas no cenário hospitalar, favorecendo a construção do saber da enfermagem na área de pediatria.
Temperaturas e substratos na germinação de sementes de Caesalpinia pyramidalis tul
Authors: Lima Cosmo Rufino de , Pacheco Mauro Vasconcelos , Bruno Riselane de Lucena Alcântara , Ferrari Cibele dos Santos , Braga Júnior Joel Martins , Bezerra Amanda Kelly Dias
Published: June 2011

A catingueira (Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul.) é uma espécie florestal pertencente à família Caesalpiniaceae, considerada endêmica do bioma Caatinga. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o efeito da temperatura e do substrato na germinação de sementes de C. pyramidalis Tul. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado, num arranjo fatorial 5 x 4, perfazendo 20 tratamentos, constituídos pelas combinações de cinco temperaturas (25, 30, 35, 20-30 e 20-35 ºC) e quatro substratos (areia, vermiculita, pó de coco e papel toalha), com quatro repetições de 25 sementes cada. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis: germinação, primeira contagem da germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação, comprimento e massa seca de plântulas. As temperaturas de 20-30 e 20-35 ºC e os substratos areia e vermiculita são condições adequadas para condução de testes de germinação em sementes de C. pyramidalis.
Épocas De aplicação de dessecantes na cultura da soja: qualidade fisiológica de sementes
Authors: Marcandalli Luiz Henrique , Lazarini Edson , Malaspina Igor Cruz
Published: June 2011

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da aplicação de diferentes dessecantes aplicados em diferentes estádios reprodutivos na qualidade fisiológica de sementes de soja. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram dispostos em um esquema fatorial, sendo que para a cultivar MSOY 6101, de ciclo super precoce, utilizou-se 3x3x5x2, dois dessecantes (glifosato e paraquat) e uma testemunha (sem dessecação), três estádios fenológicos (R6, R7 e R8), cinco épocas de amostragem (2, 4, 6, 8 e 10 dias após aplicação) e duas posições de avaliação na planta (ápice e base). Para a cultivar MG/BR 46 (Conquista) de ciclo precoce, utilizou-se 3x2x5x2, sendo nesse caso somente dois estádios fenológicos (R7 e R8). Diante dos resultados obtidos pode-se concluir que o glifosato influencia negativamente a qualidade fisiológica de sementes, principalmente, quando avaliada por meio do teste de comprimento de raiz. O herbicida paraquat não altera a qualidade fisiológica das sementes. As sementes obtidas com aplicação de dessecantes no estádio R6 são de qualidade fisiológica inferior às obtidas com aplicação nos estádios R7 e R8.
Análise biomecânica ex vivo de um modelo de haste intramedular de polipropileno para osteossíntese em úmeros de bezerros
Authors: Marval C.A. De , Alves G.E.S. , Las Casas E.B. , Costa C.G. , Saffar J.M.E. , Lago L.A. , Carvalho W.T.V. , Leal B.B. , Faleiros R.R.
Published: June 2011

Foram utilizados 12 pares de úmeros obtidos de bezerros machos da raça Holandesa, com idades entre 15 e 30 dias. Os úmeros esquerdos foram mantidos íntegros, e os direitos foram fraturados de forma oblíqua em sua diáfise, na transição entre os terços médio e proximal. A redução da fratura foi feita pela aplicação intramedular de haste de polipropileno, bloqueada por dois parafusos corticais de aço inoxidável, dispostos transversalmente em cada fragmento ósseo. Seis pares de ossos foram submetidos ao teste de compressão, e seis ao teste de flexão, utilizando-se uma máquina universal de ensaios. Nos testes de compressão, as cargas médias de ruptura foram 738,3N e 473,3N, e nos testes de flexão 322,4N e 117,9N, para os ossos íntegros e fraturados, respectivamente. Comparando-se o grupo de ossos fraturados com o grupo de ossos íntegros, verificou-se que o sistema proposto foi capaz de resistir a 66,4% das cargas médias quando submetido à compressão, e a 36,6% quando submetido à flexão. Úmeros fraturados e tratados com haste intramedular de polipropileno apresentaram resistência limitada se comparados aos ossos íntegros.