How Reliable Are Reliability-Based Multiple Factor Code Formats?

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The use of the moss, Calymperes Delessertii besch., as a bioindicator to airborne heavy metals

A detailed study on the accumulation of aerial heavy metals by the moss, Calymperes delessertii Besch. was conducted. Heavy metals studied were Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, Mn, Pb and Cu. The suitability of the moss as a bioindicatoT to these aerial metals was also discussed

High-speed, high-frequency ultrasound, \u3ci\u3ein utero\u3c/i\u3e vector-flow imaging of mouse embryos

Real-time imaging of the embryonic murine cardiovascular system is challenging due to the small size of the mouse embryo and rapid heart rate. High-frequency, linear-array ultrasound systems designed for small-animal imaging provide high-frame-rate and Doppler modes but are limited in regards to the field of view that can be imaged at fine-temporal and -spatial resolution. Here, a plane-wave imaging method was used to obtain high-speed image data from in utero mouse embryos and multi-angle, vector-flow algorithms were applied to the data to provide information on blood flow patterns in major organs. An 18-MHz linear array was used to acquire plane-wave data at absolute frame rates ≥10 kHz using a set of fixed transmission angles. After beamforming, vector-flow processing and image compounding, effective frame rates were on the order of 2 kHz. Data were acquired from the embryonic liver, heart and umbilical cord. Vector-flow results clearly revealed the complex nature of blood-flow patterns in the embryo with fine-temporal and -spatial resolution

Geometric mismatch of pulmonary and aortic anuli in children undergoing the Ross procedure: Implications for surgical management and autograft valve function

AbstractBackground: There is often substantial mismatch between the diameters of the pulmonary and aortic anuli in young patients with systemic outflow tract disease. To implant the autologous pulmonary valve in the aortic position under such circumstances, it is necessary to adapt the geometry of the systemic outflow tract. The effects of such adaptations on autograft function in children are not well known. Methods: To determine factors predictive of autograft regurgitation, we analyzed 41 cases of children who have undergone the Ross procedure. The diameter of the pulmonary valve was greater (by at least 3 mm) than that of the aortic valve in 20 cases, equal (within 2 mm) in 12 cases, and less (by at least 3 mm) in nine cases, with differences ranging from +10 to –12 mm. In 12 patients with a larger pulmonary anulus, aortoventriculoplasty was used to correct the mismatch. In patients with a larger aortic anulus, the mismatch was corrected by gradual adjustment along the circumference of the autograft, rather than by tailoring of the native aortic anulus. Results: At follow-up (median 31 months), two patients had undergone reoperation on the neoaortic valve for moderate regurgitation. In the remaining 38 cases, autograft regurgitation was as follows: none or trivial in 30, mild in seven, and moderate in one. There was no correlation between regurgitation and age, geometric mismatch, or previous or concurrent procedures. Conclusions: Subtle technical factors that may result in distortion of the valve complex are probably more important determinants of autograft regurgitation than are indication for repair, geometric mismatch, or previous or concomitant outflow tract procedures. Significant mismatch of the semilunar anuli is not a contraindication to the Ross procedure in children. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1998;115:1255-63

Investing in hedge funds: Risks, returns and performance measurement

Edited by Greg N. Gregoriou, Georges Hübner, Nicolas Papageorgiou, Fabrice D. Rouah</p