Prospective multicenter study of a novel endovascular venous anastomotic procedure and device for implantation of an arteriovenous graft for hemodialysis.

Introduction: The traditional sutured venous anastomosis used during arteriovenous graft implantation is associated with a high incidence of subsequent stenosis that is attributed to neointimal hyperplasia. Hyperplasia results from multiple factors, including hemodynamic abnormalities and vessel trauma during implantation. A novel anastomotic connector device was designed to provide an alternative, less traumatic, endovascular venous anastomosis that may ameliorate the clinical challenges associated with a sutured anastomosis.

Simulation of non-Abelian gauge theories with optical lattices.

Many phenomena occurring in strongly correlated quantum systems still await conclusive explanations. The absence of isolated free quarks in nature is an example. It is attributed to quark confinement, whose origin is not yet understood.

A passive radon dosemeter suitable for workplaces.

The results obtained in different international intercomparisons on passive radon monitors have been analysed with the aim of identifying a suitable radon monitoring device for workplaces. From this analysis, the passive radon device, first developed for personal dosimetry in mines by the National Radiation Protection Board, UK (NRPB), has shown the most suitable set of characteristics. This radon monitor consists of a diffusion chamber, made of conductive plastic with less than 2 cm height, containing a CR-39 film (Columbia Resin 1939), as track detector.

Matrix theory interpretation of discrete light cone quantization string worldsheets.

We study the null compactification of type-IIA string perturbation theory at finite temperature. We prove a theorem about Riemann surfaces establishing that the moduli spaces of infinite-momentum-frame superstring worldsheets are identical to those of branched-cover instantons in the matrix-string model conjectured to describe M theory. This means that the identification of string degrees of freedom in the matrix model proposed by Dijkgraaf, Verlinde, and Verlinde is correct and that its natural generalization produces the moduli space of Riemann surfaces at all orders in the genus expansion.

Evaluation of quantitative approaches to assessment of bowel viability.

Predicting the survivability of intestine that has been made ischemic by impairment of blood flow is a major unsolved problem in gastrointestinal surgery. Currently, the surgeon must rely on qualitative, often subjective assessments that are known to have marginal reliability. This review describes various approaches to quantitatively assess the survivability of intestine compromised by ischemic disease.

Comparison of blood flow and myoelectric measurements in two chronic models of mesenteric ligation.

Objective: To determine whether the predictive accuracy of intestinal motility and blood flow measurements is altered by the magnitude of ischemic damage.

Design: Inception cohort study (dogs). Motility was measured using a probe that quantifies both the electromyographic (EMG) measurements and the magnitude of evoked contractile response (ECR).

Determination of small bowel viability using quantitative myoelectric and color analysis.

Intraoperative assessment of viability in ischemic bowel remains a major unsolved problem in general surgery. Bowel viability was assessed in 31 dogs 24 hr after mesenteric arterial ligation in a 40-cm segment of ileum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate two new quantitative methods of viability assessment, electromyography (EMG) and reflection densitometry.

Psychiatric assessment of Cleopatra--a challenging evaluation.

There was conducted a retrospective study of a remarkable personality in history of two millennia ago: Cleopatra, the Great. Though there was a paucity of hard facts about her early years, yet considerable pertinent information could be gleaned from scholarly writings about this versatile queen to render a diagnosis. Cleopatra was a complex, dynamic woman who rose to power in the Mediterranean world, but eliminated herself dramatically when she could not bear defeat in her narcissistic personality.