Unexplained physical symptoms: outcome, utilization of medical care and associated factors

BACKGROUND: Measurement of intracardiac hemodynamic parameters has been limited to brief periods in the acute care setting. We developed and evaluated an implantable hemodynamic monitor that is capable of measuring chronic right ventricular oxygen saturation and pulmonary artery pressure. METHODS AND RESULTS: The device consists of an electronic controller placed subcutaneously and two transvenous leads placed in the right ventricle (reflectance oximeter) and pulmonary artery (variable capacitance pressure sensor). Implantation was performed in 10 patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. Average implant pulmonary artery pressures were systolic, 52 +/- 16 mm Hg; diastolic, 29 +/- 11 mm Hg; and mean, 40 +/- 12 mm Hg. The mean right ventricular oxygen saturation at implant was 51%. Provocative maneuvers, including postural changes, sublingual nitroglycerin, and bicycle exercise, demonstrated expected changes in measured oxygen saturation and pulmonary artery pressures over time. At follow-up of 0.5 to 15.5 months, there were no significant differences between pulmonary artery pressures or oxygen saturation values transmitted from the device and simultaneous measurement with balloon flotation catheters. Four of the pulmonary artery leads dislodged and three demonstrated sensor drift, whereas two of the oxygen saturation sensors failed. Four patients died and four received transplants. Pathological study did not demonstrate injury to the right ventricular outflow tract or pulmonic valve. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic measurement of hemodynamic parameters in the outpatient setting with implantable sensor technology appears to be feasible. The devices are well tolerated without significant untoward effects, and the sensors generally function well over time, providing reliable information. Clinical usefulness remains to be established.     

Diagnosis of systemic causes of uveitis; a matter of ophthalmologist and internist

OBJECTIVE: To assess how often the aetiology is established in patients with uveitis, what systemic disease are found and what is the contribution of the internist to the diagnostic process. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University Hospital Leiden, the Netherlands. METHOD: From January 1987 to April 1992, 342 patients presented with uveitis. All patients underwent a standard ophthalmological examination. Referral to an internist and individualised laboratory screening followed in patients with recurrent, chronic, bilateral or panuveitis. Recorded were: ophthalmological data, results of laboratory screening, results of analysis by the internist, final diagnosis and presence of systemic disease. RESULTS: 149 (44%) patients were examined by the internist, 18 (5.2%) were seen by another specialist. In 169 (49%) patients a specific diagnosis was made. 74 (22%) had a systemic disease, 74 a primary ocular disease. In 28 (8%) a systemic disease was presumed (5% were HLA-B27 positive, 3% had abnormal laboratory results); 5 (1%) patients had endophthalmitis as a complication of a septic process. CONCLUSION: In approximately 1/3 of the patients with uveitis a systemic disease was found. Examination by the internist tailored to the individual patient is essential in the evaluation of uveitis patients.     

Behavior of a vibrating wire near the liquid3He-vacuum interface and in a saturated3He-4He mixture

In this paper we describe the effect of the vicinity of a liquid³He-vacuum interface on the behavior of a vibrating wire viscometer. It was found that in the fluid near the liquid interface the quality factor is lower than in the bulk liquid. We further report on the observation of a doubling of the resonance peak of the wire in a saturated³He-⁴He mixture. The frequencies and amplitudes of the two peaks strongly depend on the distance between the phase boundary and the vibrating wire; the temperature and the velocity of the phase boundary have no significant influence on the peak frequencies. The observed peak doubling is attributed to the coupling of the vibrating wire with a standing second-sound wave in the dilute phase where the volume of the dilute phase can be regarded as a resonating cavity for second sound.     

TPS分散型控制系统在骤冷风空调装置中的应用

主要介绍了Honeywell公司TPS系统在直纺涤纶长丝用骤冷风空调装置中的应用。重点说明了该系统的硬件配置和一些复杂控制回路的实施和组态。     

From visual data exploration to visual data mining: a survey

We survey work on the different uses of graphical mapping and interaction techniques for visual data mining of large data sets represented as table data. Basic terminology related to data mining, data sets, and visualization is introduced. Previous work on information visualization is reviewed in light of different categorizations of techniques and systems. The role of interaction techniques is discussed, in addition to work addressing the question of selecting and evaluating visualization techniques. We review some representative work on the use of information visualization techniques in the context of mining data. This includes both visual data exploration and visually expressing the outcome of specific mining algorithms. We also review recent innovative approaches that attempt to integrate visualization into the DM/KDD process, using it to enhance user interaction and comprehension.     

Quality of Crude Fish Oil Extracted from Herring Byproducts of Varying States of Freshness

ABSTRACT: Herring byproducts were stored at 2 and 15 °C for up to 72 h. Over time, significant increases of total volatile bases (TVB), histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, and tyramine were detected. However, only tyramine and TVB levels were temperature-dependent. The level of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was constant. Longer byproducts storage gave rise to an oil with higher levels of free fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and total PUFAs, while fluorescent compounds were lower. A higher storage temperature led to oil higher in α-tocopherol and EPA levels and lower in anisidine value. Surprisingly, the oil with the highest content of PUFAs was not produced from the freshest byproducts, and oil with low oxidation products can be extracted from stored byproducts.     

Effect of orienting fields on agglomeration in dilute dispersions of magnetic fine particles

Static light scattering was used to investigate dilute dispersions of fine gamma -Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ magnetic particles. The particles were acicular and on average 0.39 mu m long and 0.056 mu m in diameter. They were dispersed in organic solvents at concentrations of approximately 10/sup -4/ vol%, corresponding to an average interparticle separation of 9 mu m. Computer programs using a coupled dipole algorithm to predict the scattering from the particles were written. Experimental results do not agree with computer calculations of the light scattering from single particles, but are consistent with scattering from thick ropelike agglomerates of particles. The size of these agglomerates was estimated after 10 s to be less than 100 particles, while the thickness of the ropes is at least 5 particles.<>