Intake, ingesta retention, particle size distribution and digestibility in the hippopotamidae.

Although several aspects of the digestive physiology of the hippopotamidae-non-ruminating foregut fermenters-have been described, ingesta kinetics and passage characteristics of these species are not well understood. The most outstanding feature of the hippo digestive physiology reported so far is the very long mean ingesta retention times (MRTs) measured by Foose [Foose, T., 1982.

Relational integration, inhibition, and analogical reasoning in older adults.

The difficulty of reasoning tasks depends on their relational complexity, which increases with the number of relations that must be considered simultaneously to make an inference, and on the number of irrelevant items that must be inhibited. The authors examined the ability of younger and older adults to integrate multiple relations and inhibit irrelevant stimuli. Young adults performed well at all but the highest level of relational complexity, whereas older adults performed poorly even at a medium level of relational complexity, especially when irrelevant information was presented.

A neurocomputational model of analogical reasoning and its breakdown in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Analogy is important for learning and discovery and is considered a core component of intelligence. We present a computational account of analogical reasoning that is compatible with data we have collected from patients with cortical degeneration of either their frontal or anterior temporal cortices due to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). These two patient groups showed different deficits in picture and verbal analogies: frontal lobe FTLD patients tended to make errors due to impairments in working memory and inhibitory abilities, whereas temporal lobe FTLD patients tended to make errors due to semantic memory loss.

Evidence for holistic representations of ignored images and analytic representations of attended images.

According to the hybrid theory of object recognition (J. E. Hummel, 2001), ignored object images are represented holistically, and attended images are represented both holistically and analytically.

Immediate steps toward patient safety.

Patient safety should be a fundamental element in any hospital's philosophy, mission, and vision. Use of barcode point-of-care technology (BPOC) to reduce medication errors is a patient-safety approach that hospitals can implement within a short time frame and obtain immediate benefits. Advantages of BPOC are that it is intuitive, cost-effective, and conducive to improved patient satisfaction.

Using mobile DXA to improve access to osteoporosis care: unit design, program development, implementation, and outcomes.

Osteoporosis diagnosis and monitoring is best accomplished with dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), but technology availability can hinder access to care. We designed a mobile DXA program incorporating a Hologic Delphi-C trade mark bone densitometer housed in a specially configured 30-ft Winnebago trade mark. The mobile DXA program provided osteoporosis testing and education at the convenience of the patient's primary care site within our rural health care system.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy for the treatment of heart failure in patients with intraventricular conduction delay and malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) when combined with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

Background: Long-term outcome of CRT was measured in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF), intraventricular conduction delay, and malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation [VT/VF]) requiring therapy from an ICD.

Methods: Patients (n = 490) were implanted with a device capable of providing both CRT and ICD therapy and randomized to CRT (n = 245) or control (no CRT, n = 245) for up to six months.

Amiodarone versus implantable cardioverter-defibrillator:randomized trial in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and asymptomatic nonsustained ventricular tachycardia--AMIOVIRT.

Objectives: The purpose of this multicenter randomized trial was to compare total mortality during therapy with amiodarone or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT).

Background: Whether an ICD reduces mortality more than amiodarone in patients with NIDCM and NSVT is unknown.

Methods: One hundred three patients with NIDCM, left ventricular ejection fraction < or =0.

A symbolic-connectionist theory of relational inference and generalization.

The authors present a theory of how relational inference and generalization can be accomplished within a cognitive architecture that is psychologically and neurally realistic. Their proposal is a form of symbolic connectionism: a connectionist system based on distributed representations of concept meanings, using temporal synchrony to bind fillers and roles into relational structures. The authors present a specific instantiation of their theory in the form of a computer simulation model, Learning and Inference with Schemas and Analogies (LISA).

Temporary atrial epicardial pacing as prophylaxis against atrial fibrillation after heart surgery: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Recent studies have reported the use of temporary epicardial atrial pacing as prophylaxis for postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of pacing therapies for prevention of postoperative AF using meta-analysis.

Methods And Results: Using a computerized MEDLINE search, eight pacing prophylaxis trials with 776 patients were included in the meta-analysis.

Computer-enhanced stereoscopic vision in a head-mounted operating binocular.

Based on the Varioscope, a commercially available head-mounted operating binocular, we have developed the Varioscope AR, a see through head-mounted display (HMD) for augmented reality visualization that seamlessly fits into the infrastructure of a surgical navigation system. We have assessed the extent to which stereoscopic visualization improves target localization in computer-aided surgery in a phantom study. In order to quantify the depth perception of a user aiming at a given target, we have designed a phantom simulating typical clinical situations in skull base surgery.

A head-mounted operating binocular for augmented reality visualization in medicine--design and initial evaluation.

Computer-aided surgery (CAS), the intraoperative application of biomedical visualization techniques, appears to be one of the most promising fields of application for augmented reality (AR), the display of additional computer-generated graphics over a real-world scene. Typically a device such as a head-mounted display (HMD) is used for AR. However, considerable technical problems connected with AR have limited the intraoperative application of HMDs up to now.

Implantation techniques and chronic lead parameters of biventricular pacing dual-chamber defibrillators.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to describe implantation techniques and lead performance for biventricular pacing, dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Methods And Results: A dual-chamber ICD with biventricular pacing was implanted in 87 patients with congestive heart failure (ejection fraction: 0.21 +/- 0.

Evaluation of a miniature electromagnetic position tracker.

The advent of miniaturized electromagnetic digitizers opens a variety of potential clinical applications for computer aided interventions using flexible instruments; endoscopes or catheters can easily be tracked within the body. With respect to the new applications, the systematic distortions induced by various materials such as closed metallic loops, wire guides, catheters, and ultrasound scan heads were systematically evaluated in this paper for a new commercial tracking system. We employed the electromagnetic tracking system Aurora (Mednetix/CH, NDI/Can); data were acquired using the serial port of a PC running SuSE Linux 7.

Prospective randomized comparison of cooled radiofrequency versus standard radiofrequency energy for ablation of typical atrial flutter.

In patients with atrial flutter, conventional RF ablation may not result in complete isthmus block. This prospective, randomized study tested the hypothesis that the cooled RF ablation is safe and facilitates the achievement of isthmus block with fewer RF applications than with standard ablation for typical atrial flutter. Isthmus ablation was performed in 59 patients (40 men, 64 +/- 14 years) with type I atrial flutter using standard RF (n = 31) or cooled RF (n = 28) catheters with crossover after 12 unsuccessful RF applications.

Improved suppression of recurrent atrial fibrillation with dual-site right atrial pacing and antiarrhythmic drug therapy.

Objectives: We compared the safety, tolerance and effectiveness of overdrive high right atrial (RA), dual-site RA and support (DDI or VDI) pacing (SP) in patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) and bradycardias.

Background: Optimal pacing methods for AF prevention remain unclear.

Methods: Patients (n = 118) were randomized to each of three pacing modes in a crossover trial.

Magnitude comparisons distort mental representations of magnitude.

Many cognitive processes rely on representations of magnitude, yet these representations are often malleable (H. Helson, 1964; J. Huttenlocher, L.

The Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) chimeric proteins PML-, PLZF-, NPM-, and NuMA-RARalpha have distinct intracellular localization patterns.

Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha) gene rearrangement by reciprocal chromosome translocation is the molecular signature of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Disruption of RARalpha function appears to be the likely cause of aberrant myelopoiesis observed in APL, because PML-RARalpha expression has been shown to deregulate the transcription of genes that control myelopoiesis. To target RARalpha chimeric proteins, we engineered epitope-tagged versions of PML-RARalpha, PLZF-RARalpha, NPM-RARalpha, and NuMA-RARalpha (X-RARalphaV5) and generated a panel of stable COS cell lines expressing X-RARalphaV5.

Remodeling of sinus node function after catheter ablation of right atrial flutter.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ablation of right atrial flutter upon sinus node function in humans.

Methods And Results: This study enrolled 35 patients. Twenty-four patients (16 men and 8 women; age 68 +/- 11 years) were referred for ablation of persistent atrial flutter (duration 8 +/- 11 months).

Assessment of pacemaker chronotropic response: implementation of the Wilkoff mathematical model.

There are few practical guidelines for proper adjustment of rate responsive pacemaker sensor parameters. This study describes the application of the chronotropic assessment exercise protocol (CAEP) and the Wilkoff model of chronotropic response to assess the adjustment of pacemaker sensor parameters. In 31 patients implanted 1 month previously with a dual sensor pacemaker, pacemaker sensor parameters were adjusted to yield a peak sensor rate of 100 beats/min on a simple 6-minute walk (low intensity treadmill exercise [LITE] protocol); the maximum sensor rate was set to the age predicted maximum heart rate (220-age).

The managed care contract: the blueprint for monitoring agreements.

Healthcare providers generally undertake monitoring programs of managed care arrangements as a way of analyzing financial performance, uncovering lapses in contractually mandated performance that might expose the organization to financial loss, and gathering information that can be helpful in renegotiating the contract or negotiating new arrangements. To secure access to the information needed to achieve these goals, the provider should ensure that the contract spells out the information required, the health plan's obligations to supply this information, and the consequences of the plan's failure to meet those obligations. Such consequences may include financial penalties for the plan and special termination rights for the provider.