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Normal Cases (normal + case)
Selected AbstractsProblems For Semantic Externalism and A Priori Refutations of Skeptical ArgumentsDIALECTICA, Issue 1 2000Keith Butler Summary A familiar sort of argument for skepticism about the external world appeals to the evidential similarity between what is presumed to be the normal case and the case where one is a brain in a vat (or BIV). An argument from Putnam (1981, ch. 1) has been taken by many to provide an a priori refutation of this sort of skeptical argument. The question I propose to address in this paper is whether Putnam's argument affords us an a priori refutation of skeptical arguments that appeal to the claim that one does not know that one is not a BIV. I will develop a negative answer to this question along two related fronts. Along the first front I defend against new criticisms the common position that the externalism on which Putnam's argument is based entails skepticism about the meanings of sentences in our language and the contents of our thoughts. I do not take this to be a refutation of externalism or externalist arguments; rather, I see this as a motivation to locate the difficulty with arguments for externalism. But if externalism is abandoned, of course, the anti-skeptical argument it has widely been taken to support must be abandoned along with it. I will argue, however, that this is not a significant loss, because along a second front I will argue that externalism cannot be given a priori justification; it is therefore ill-suited to ground an a priori refutation of BIV skepticism anyway. [source] The evolution of the z distribution of normal neutron stars in the GalaxyASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 8 2010Y.-C. Wei Abstract Under the two initial 1-D one parameter velocity distribution forms (one is normal, the other is exponential), the z direction scale height evolution of normal neutron stars in the Galaxy is studied by numerical simulation. We do statistics for the cases at different time segments, also do statistics for the cumulative cases made of each time segment. The results show in the cumulative cases the evolution curves of the scale heights are smoother than in the each time segment, i.e., the cumulation improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Certainly the evolution cases are different at different Galactic disk locations, which also have very large difference from the average cases in the whole disk. In the initial stages of z evolution of normal neutron stars, after the beginning transient states, the cumulative scale heights increase linearly with time, and the cumulative scale height increasing rates have linear relationship with the initial velocity distribution parameters, which have larger fluctuation in the vicinity of the Sun than in the whole disk. We utilize the linear relationship of the cumulative scale height increasing rates vs. the initial velocity distribution parameters in the vicinity of the Sun to make comparison with the observation near the Sun. The results show if there is no magnetic decay, then the deserved initial velocity parameters are obvious lower than the present well known results from some authors; whereas if introducing magnetic decay, for the 1-D normal case we can make consistence among concerning results using magnetic decay time values which are supported by some authors, while for the 1-D exponential case the results show the lackness of young pulsar samples in the larger z in the vicinity of the Sun (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Complementary roles of prenatal sonography and magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of fetal renal anomaliesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Ibrahim A. ABDELAZIM Objectives:, This study was designed to assess the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in refining the diagnosis of prenatally suspected fetal renal abnormalities following screening ultrasound. Patients and methods:, Twenty pregnant women, with suspected fetal renal abnormality detected during screening ultrasound and more than 14 weeks' gestation, were included in this observational prospective study at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital from March 2004 to March 2005 after informed consent and after approval of the study protocol by the institute ethics committee. Results:, The MRI could diagnose correctly 10 cases of hydronephrosis, one case of polycystic kidney disease (PCKD), one case of RA, two normal case and two cases of intra-abdominal masses (IA Mass) (16 of 18 cases). The prenatal ultrasound could diagnose correctly eight cases of hydronephrosis, one case of PCKD, one case of renal agenesis, one case of multicystic kidney disease and one case of IA Mass (12 of 18 cases). The prenatal ultrasound and MRI gave different diagnoses in eight cases and gave the same diagnosis in 12 cases. The MRI could diagnose the aetiology of congenital renal cysts in 10 of the 20 studied cases (50%). Conclusion:, Magnetic resonance imaging can be used as a complementary tool in the assessment of sonographically suspected fetal renal anomalies. [source] Cell-free fetal DNA (SRY locus) concentration in maternal plasma is directly correlated to the time elapsed from the onset of preeclampsia to the collection of bloodPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 4 2004Antonio Farina MD Abstract Objective To determine (1) if fetal DNA (fDNA) in the maternal circulation in women affected by preeclampsia correlates with the time elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the time of blood collection, and (2) if the inclusion of this variable improves the discrimination between affected and unaffected patients by using fDNA distributions. Methods Plasma were collected from 34 women at 33.7 ± 3.9 weeks' gestation, affected by preeclampsia, and bearing a single male fetus. fDNA was extracted from 1.5-mL plasma samples, and the SRY and ,-globin gene were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. MoMs (multiple of the control median) were calculated by using a log equation of 102 normal cases. Log MoMs were then plotted against the time elapsed from onset of symptoms to blood collection (expressed in days) by means of a log-linear regression. Adjusted MoMs were then calculated. ROC curves were used to test the discrimination obtained by using adjusted MoMs. Results The median MoMs of controls and preeclamptic patients were 1.00 ± 1.53 and 2.62 ± 2.70 respectively. By plotting log MoM fDNA against the time elapsed from onset of symptoms to blood collection, we found a significant positive correlation, (p -value < 0.001, R2 = 0.55, F = 38.97, from 1 to 50 days). The adjusted median fDNA MoM was 2.66 ± 2.50. Areas under the curves, as estimated by ROC curves, were 76.7 for unadjusted and 85.5 for adjusted MoMs respectively (p -value = 0.02). Conclusions The effect of a further covariate showed that (1) fDNA passage from trophoblasts to maternal circulation for unit of time is proportional to the duration of the damage and that (2) increased discrimination can be obtained in comparison to normal subjects. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Olfactory epithelium amyloid-, and paired helical filament-tau pathology in Alzheimer diseaseANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2010Steven E. Arnold MD Objective Olfactory dysfunction is common in Alzheimer disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Paired helical filament (PHF)-tau, ,-synuclein, and amyloid-, lesions occur early and severely in cerebral regions of the olfactory system, and they have also been observed in olfactory epithelium (OE). However, their frequency, abundance, and disease specificity, and the relationships of OE pathology to brain pathology have not been established. Methods We investigated the pathological expression of amyloid-,, PHFtau, ,-synuclein, and TDP-43 in postmortem OE of 79 cases with AD, 63 cases with various other neurodegenerative diseases, and 45 neuropathologically normal cases. Results Amyloid-, was present as punctate and small patchy aggregates in 71% of AD cases, compared with 22% of normal cases and 14% of cases with other diseases, and in greater amounts in AD than in either of the other 2 diagnostic categories. PHFtau was evident in dystrophic neurites in 55% of cases with AD, 34% with normal brains, and 39% with other neurodegenerative diseases, also at higher densities in AD. ,-Synuclein was present in dystrophic neurites in 7 cases, 6 of which also had cerebral Lewy bodies. Pathological TDP-43 inclusions were not observed in the OE in any cases. Amyloid-, and to a lesser degree, PHFtau ratings in OE significantly correlated with cortical A, and PHFtau lesion ratings in the brain. Interpretation These data demonstrate that AD pathology in the OE is present in the majority of cases with pathologically verified AD and correlates with brain pathology. Future work may assess the utility of amyloid-, and PHFtau measurement in OE as a biomarker for AD. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:462,469 [source] Changes in nuchal translucency thickness in normal and abnormal karyotype fetusesBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 6 2003Maria A. Zoppi Objective To investigate the dynamic trend of the nuchal translucency thickness between fetuses with normal and abnormal karyotype. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Ospedale Microcitemico, Cagliari, Italy. Population A cohort of 305 first trimester fetuses. Methods Fetuses with a nuchal translucency greater than or equal to the 95th centile were invited for a second nuchal translucency measurement. The finding of an ,increased or unchanged' or ,diminished' thickness was compared in fetuses with normal and abnormal karyotype. Main outcome measures Nuchal translucency and karyotype. Results Median maternal age was 35 years (min 17, max 44) and median crown,rump length at first visit was 50 mm (min 38, max 80). A second nuchal translucency measurement was carried out in 292 fetuses, resulting in increased or unchanged values in 95 cases and decreased nuchal translucency in 197 cases. Two hundred and twenty-six (77.4%) fetuses had normal karyotype and 66 (22.6%) had abnormal karyotype (44 trisomies 21, 10 trisomies 18, 5 trisomies 13, 4 cases of 45 X0, 1 case of 47,XXY, 1 case of 47,XXX and 1 translocation). In the 66 chromosomally abnormal fetuses, the second nuchal translucency measurement was enlarged or unchanged in 37 (56%), and diminished in 29 (44%), while in the 226 normal fetuses the second nuchal translucency measurement was enlarged or unchanged in 58 cases (25%) and diminished in 168 (75%) (relative risk 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.7,4.0). Conclusion In fetuses with abnormal karyotype, the second nuchal translucency measurement tends to be increased or unchanged, while in normal cases the size of nuchal translucency is generally reduced. [source] |