Missouri, day by day;

A calendar of significant events in Missouri history which includes the most important articles, checked, revised and rewritten, that appeared in "This week in Missouri history," a series of press releases published by the State historical society of Missouri from 1925 to 1941. cf. v. 1, Pref.

Groundwater protection field day : Waterloo Sportsman's Club, Waterloo, IL, May 25, 2006 /

Cover title.

The oracles of God, four orations. For judgment to come, an argument, in nine parts.

Mode of access: Internet.

For the oracles of God: four orations. For judgment to come, an argument in nine parts.

Mode of access: Internet.

All-wool Morrison : time -- today, place -- the United States, period of action -- twenty-four hours /

Mode of access: Internet.

The trimmed lamp, and other stories of The four million /

For other editions, see Author Catalog.

The four men and other chapters.

The four man.--Temptation.--Conscience.--The religion for to-day.--Christ and the wants of humanity.--Public spirit.--The evidences of religion.--Youth and age.

Experimental manipulation of prior experience: Effects on item and associative recognition

Frequency of exposure to very low- and high-frequency words was manipulated in a three-phase (familiarisation, study, and test) design. During familiarisation, words were presented with their definition (once, four times, or not presented). One week (Experiment 1) or one day (Experiment 2) later, participants studied a list of homogeneous pairs (i.e., pair members were matched on background and familiarisation frequency). Item and associative recognition of high- and very low-frequency words presented in intact, rearranged, old-new, or new-new pairs were tested in Experiment 1. Associative recognition of very low-frequency words was tested in Experiment 2. Results showed that prior familiaris ation improved associative recognition of very low-frequency pairs, but had no effect on high-frequency pairs. The role of meaning in the formation of item-to-item and item-to-context associations and the implications for current models of memory are discussed.

Efficacy of sertraline in a 12-week trial for generalized anxiety disorder

Objective: Sertraline's efficacy and tolerability in treating generalized anxiety disorder were evaluated. Method: Adult outpatients with DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder and a total score of 18 or higher on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were eligible. After a 1-week single-blind placebo lead-in, patients were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with placebo (N=188, mean baseline anxiety score=25) or flexible doses (50-150 mg/day) of sertraline (N=182, mean anxiety score=25). The primary outcome measure was baseline-to-endpoint change in the Hamilton anxiety scale total score. A secondary efficacy measure was the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) improvement score; response was defined as a score of 2 or less. Results: Sertraline patients had significantly greater improvement than placebo patients on all efficacy measures at week 4. Analysis of covariance of the intent-to-treat group at endpoint (with the last observation carried forward) showed a significant difference in the decrease from baseline of the least-square mean total score on the Hamilton anxiety scale between sertraline (mean=11.7) and placebo (mean=8.0). Significantly greater endpoint improvement with sertraline than placebo was obtained for mean scores on the Hamilton anxiety scale psychic factor (6.7 versus 4.1) and somatic factor (5.0 versus 3.9). The rate of responders, based on CGI improvement and last observation carried forward, was significantly higher for sertraline (63%) than placebo (37%). Sertraline was well tolerated; 8% of patients versus 10% for placebo dropped out because of adverse events. Conclusions: Sertraline appears to be efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Viscosupplementation for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (Review)

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disorder worldwide and is associated with significant pain and disability. Objectives To assess the effects of viscosupplementation in the treatment of OA of the knee. The products were hyaluronan and hylan derivatives (Adant, Arthrum H, Artz (Artzal, Supartz), BioHy (Arthrease, Euflexxa, Nuflexxa), Durolane, Fermathron, Go-On, Hyalgan, Hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc Hylan G-F 20), Hyruan, NRD-101 (Suvenyl), Orthovisc, Ostenil, Replasyn, SLM-10, Suplasyn, Synject and Zeel compositum). Search strategy MEDLINE (up to January (week 1) 2006 for update), EMBASE, PREMEDLINE, Current Contents up to July 2003, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched. Specialised journals and reference lists of identified randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and pertinent review articles up to December 2005 were handsearched. Selection criteria RCTs of viscosupplementation for the treatment of people with a diagnosis of OA of the knee were eligible. Single and double-blinded studies, placebo-based and comparative studies were eligible. At least one of the four OMERACT III core set outcome measures had to be reported (Bellamy 1997). Data collection and analysis Each trial was assessed independently by two reviewers for its methodological quality using a validated tool. All data were extracted by one reviewer and verified by a second reviewer. Continuous outcome measures were analysed as weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). However, where different scales were used to measure the same outcome, standardized mean differences (SMD) were used. Dichotomous outcomes were analyzed by relative risk (RR). Main results Seventy-six trials with a median quality score of 3 (range 1 to 5) were identified. Follow-up periods varied between day of last injection and eighteen months. Forty trials included comparisons of hyaluronan/hylan and placebo (saline or arthrocentesis), ten trials included comparisons of intra-articular (IA) corticosteroids, six trials included comparisons of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), three trials included comparisons of physical therapy, two trials included comparisons of exercise, two trials included comparisons of arthroscopy, two trials included comparisons of conventional treatment, and fifteen trials included comparisons of other hyaluronans/hylan. The pooled analyses of the effects of viscosupplements against 'placebo' controls generally supported the efficacy of this class of intervention. In these same analyses, differential efficacy effects were observed for different products on different variables and at different timepoints. Of note is the 5 to 13 week post injection period which showed a percent improvement from baseline of 28 to 54% for pain and 9 to 32% for function. In general, comparable efficacy was noted against NSAIDs and longer-term benefits were noted in comparisons against IA corticosteroids. In general, few adverse events were reported in the hyaluronan/hylan trials included in these analyses. Authors' conclusions Based on the aforementioned analyses, viscosupplementation is an effective treatment for OA of the knee with beneficial effects: on pain, function and patient global assessment; and at different post injection periods but especially at the 5 to 13 week post injection period. It is of note that the magnitude of the clinical effect, as expressed by the WMD and standardised mean difference (SMD) from the RevMan 4.2 output, is different for different products, comparisons, timepoints, variables and trial designs. However, there are few randomised head-to-head comparisons of different viscosupplements and readers should be cautious, therefore, in drawing conclusions regarding the relative value of different products. The clinical effect for some products, against placebo, on some variables at some timepoints is in the moderate to large effect-size range. Readers should refer to relevant tables to review specific detail given the heterogeneity in effects across the product class and some discrepancies observed between the RevMan 4.2 analyses and the original publications. Overall, the analyses performed are positive for the HA class and particularly positive for some products with respect to certain variables and timepoints, such as pain on weight bearing at 5 to 13 weeks postinjection. In general, sample-size restrictions preclude any definitive comment on the safety of the HA class of products; however, within the constraints of the trial designs employed no major safety issues were detected. In some analyses viscosupplements were comparable in efficacy to systemic forms of active intervention, with more local reactions but fewer systemic adverse events. In other analyses HA products had more prolonged effects than IA corticosteroids. Overall, the aforementioned analyses support the use of the HA class of products in the treatment of knee OA.

Highly demanding resistive vibration exercise program is tolerated during 56 days of strict bed-rest

Several studies have tried to find countermeasures against musculoskeletal de-conditioning during bed-rest, but none of them yielded decisive results. We hypothesised that resistive vibration exercise (RVE) might be a suitable training modality. We have therefore carried out a bed-rest study to evaluate its feasibility and efficacy during 56 days of bed-rest. Twenty healthy male volunteers aged 24 to 43 years were recruited and, after medical check-ups, randomised to a non-exercising control (Ctrl) group or a group that performed RVE 11 times per week. Strict bed-rest was controlled by video surveillance. The diet was controlled. RVE was performed in supine position, with a static force component of about twice the body weight and a smaller dynamic force component. RVE comprised four different units (squats, heel raises, toe raises, kicks), each of which lasted 60 - 100 seconds. Pre and post exercise levels of lactate were measured once weekly. Body weight was measured daily on a bed scale. Pain questionnaires were obtained in regular intervals during and after the bed-rest. Vibration frequency was set to 19 Hz at the beginning and progressed to 25.9 Hz (SD 1.9) at the end of the study, suggesting that the dynamic force component increased by 90%. The maximum sustainable exercise time for squat exercise increased from 86 s (SD 21) on day 11 of the BR to 176 s (SD 73) on day 53 (p = 0.006). On the same days, post-exercise lactate levels increased from 6.9 mmol/l (SD2.3) to 9.2 mmol/l (SD 3.5, p = 0.01). On average, body weight was unchanged in both groups during bed-rest, but single individuals in both groups depicted significant weight changes ranging from -10% to + d10% (p < 0.001). Lower limb pain was more frequent during bed-rest in the RVE subjects than in Ctrl (p = 0.035). During early recovery, subjects of both groups suffered from muscle pain to a comparable extent, but foot pain was more common in Ctrl than in RVE (p = 0.013 for plantar pain, p = 0.074 for dorsal foot pain). Our results indicate that RVE is feasible twice daily during bed-rest in young healthy males, provided that one afternoon and one entire day per week are free. Exercise progression, mainly by progression of vibration frequency, yielded increases in maximum sustainable exercise time and blood lactate. In conclusion, RVE as performed in this study, appears to be safe.

Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chaperonin 10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A double-blind randomised trial

Background Chaperonin 10 (heat shock protein 10, XToll(TM)) has anti-inflammatory properties related to the inhibition of Toll-like receptor signalling pathways. Our aim was to establish whether chaperonin 10 is safe and effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods in this randomised, double-blind, multicentre study, 23 patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were randomly allocated to three treatment groups receiving intravenous chaperonin 10 twice weekly for 12 weeks at doses of 5 mg (n=8), 7.5 mg (8), or 10 mg (7). The primary outcomes were change in disease activity score (DAS28) and improvement of core disease measures (American College of Rheumatology response score) from baseline to week 12. All analyses were done by intention to treat. This study is registered with the Australian Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTRNO12606000041550. Findings Primary endpoint measures improved from day 14 in all groups and continued to improve to day 84. By end of study, a 20% improvement of core disease measures was seen in six (86%, 95% Cl 43-100), a 50% improvement in four (57%, 14-86), and a 70% improvement in two (29%, 0-57) patients given the highest dose of chaperonin 10. Clinical remission (as defined by a DAS28

Unsafe driving behaviour and four wheel drive vehicles: observational study

Objective To assess the level of compliance with the new law in the United Kingdom mandating penalties for rising a hand held mobile phone while driving, to compare compliance with this law with the one on the use of seat belts, and to compare compliance with these laws between drivers of four wheel drive vehicles and drivers of normal cars. Design Observational study with two phases-one within the grace period, the other starting one week after penalties were imposed on drivers using such telephones. Setting Three busy sites in London. Participants Drivers of 38 182 normal cars and 2944 four wheel drive vehicles. Main outcome measures Proportions of drivers seen to be using hand held mobile phones and not using seat belts. Results Drivers of four wheel drive vehicles were more likely than drivers of other cars to be seen using hand held mobile phones (8.2% v 2.0%) and not complying with the law on seat belts (19.5% v 15.0%). Levels of non-compliance with both laws were slightly higher in the penalty phase of observation, and breaking one law was associated with increased likelihood of breaking the other. Conclusions The level of non-compliance with the law on the use of hand held mobile phones by drivers in London is high, as is non-compliance with the law on seat belts. Drivers of four wheel drive vehicles were four times more likely than drivers of other cars to be seen using hand held mobile phones and slightly more likely not to comply with the law on seat belts.

Monitoring Infants By Automatic Video Processing

This work has, as its objective, the development of non-invasive and low-cost systems for monitoring and automatic diagnosing specific neonatal diseases by means of the analysis of suitable video signals. We focus on monitoring infants potentially at risk of diseases characterized by the presence or absence of rhythmic movements of one or more body parts. Seizures and respiratory diseases are specifically considered, but the approach is general. Seizures are defined as sudden neurological and behavioural alterations. They are age-dependent phenomena and the most common sign of central nervous system dysfunction. Neonatal seizures have onset within the 28th day of life in newborns at term and within the 44th week of conceptional age in preterm infants. Their main causes are hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, intracranial haemorrhage, and sepsis. Studies indicate an incidence rate of neonatal seizures of 0.2% live births, 1.1% for preterm neonates, and 1.3% for infants weighing less than 2500 g at birth. Neonatal seizures can be classified into four main categories: clonic, tonic, myoclonic, and subtle. Seizures in newborns have to be promptly and accurately recognized in order to establish timely treatments that could avoid an increase of the underlying brain damage. Respiratory diseases related to the occurrence of apnoea episodes may be caused by cerebrovascular events. Among the wide range of causes of apnoea, besides seizures, a relevant one is Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) \cite{Healy}. With a reported prevalence of 1 in 200,000 live births, CCHS, formerly known as Ondine's curse, is a rare life-threatening disorder characterized by a failure of the automatic control of breathing, caused by mutations in a gene classified as PHOX2B. CCHS manifests itself, in the neonatal period, with episodes of cyanosis or apnoea, especially during quiet sleep. The reported mortality rates range from 8% to 38% of newborn with genetically confirmed CCHS. Nowadays, CCHS is considered a disorder of autonomic regulation, with related risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Currently, the standard method of diagnosis, for both diseases, is based on polysomnography, a set of sensors such as ElectroEncephaloGram (EEG) sensors, ElectroMyoGraphy (EMG) sensors, ElectroCardioGraphy (ECG) sensors, elastic belt sensors, pulse-oximeter and nasal flow-meters. This monitoring system is very expensive, time-consuming, moderately invasive and requires particularly skilled medical personnel, not always available in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Therefore, automatic, real-time and non-invasive monitoring equipments able to reliably recognize these diseases would be of significant value in the NICU. A very appealing monitoring tool to automatically detect neonatal seizures or breathing disorders may be based on acquiring, through a network of sensors, e.g., a set of video cameras, the movements of the newborn's body (e.g., limbs, chest) and properly processing the relevant signals. An automatic multi-sensor system could be used to permanently monitor every patient in the NICU or specific patients at home. Furthermore, a wire-free technique may be more user-friendly and highly desirable when used with infants, in particular with newborns. This work has focused on a reliable method to estimate the periodicity in pathological movements based on the use of the Maximum Likelihood (ML) criterion. In particular, average differential luminance signals from multiple Red, Green and Blue (RGB) cameras or depth-sensor devices are extracted and the presence or absence of a significant periodicity is analysed in order to detect possible pathological conditions. The efficacy of this monitoring system has been measured on the basis of video recordings provided by the Department of Neurosciences of the University of Parma. Concerning clonic seizures, a kinematic analysis was performed to establish a relationship between neonatal seizures and human inborn pattern of quadrupedal locomotion. Moreover, we have decided to realize simulators able to replicate the symptomatic movements characteristic of the diseases under consideration. The reasons is, essentially, the opportunity to have, at any time, a 'subject' on which to test the continuously evolving detection algorithms. Finally, we have developed a smartphone App, called 'Smartphone based contactless epilepsy detector' (SmartCED), able to detect neonatal clonic seizures and warn the user about the occurrence in real-time.

Cyberstalking:a new challenge for criminal law

Cyberstalking has recently emerged as a new and growing problem and is an area that will probably receive a higher profile within criminal law as more cases reach court (see Griffiths, 1999; Griffiths, Rogers and Sparrow, 1998; Bojic and McFarlane, 2002a; 2002b). For the purposes of this article we define cyberstalking as the use of information and communications technology (in particular the Internet) in order to harass individuals. Such harassment may include actions such as the transmission of offensive e-mail messages, identity theft and damage to data or equipment. Whilst a more comprehensive definition has been presented elsewhere (Bocij and McFarlane, 2002), it is hoped that the definition here is sufficient for those unfamiliar with this field. The stereotypical stalker conjures up images of someone harassing a victim who is the object of their affection. However, not all stalking incidents are motivated by unrequited love. Stalking can also be motivated by hate, a need for revenge, a need for power and/or racism. Similarly, cyberstalking can involve acts that begin with the issuing of threats and end in physical assault. We also make distinctions between conventional stalking and cyberstalking. Whilst some may view cyberstalking as an extension of conventional stalking, we believe cyberstalking should be regarded as an entirely new form of deviant behaviour. It is not surprising that cyberstalking is sometimes thought of as a trivial problem. A number of writers and researchers have suggested that cyberstalking and associated activities are of little genuine concern. Koch (2000), for example, goes as far as accusing those interested in cyberstalking as promoting hysteria over a problem that may be minuscule or even imaginary. The impression gained is that cyberstalking represents a relatively small problem where victims seldom suffer any real harm. Whilst there are no genuinely reliable statistics that can be used to determine how common cyberstalking incidents are, a great deal of evidence is available to show that cyberstalking is a significant and growing problem (Griffiths et al, 1998). For instance, CyberAngels (a well-known Internet safety organization) receives some 500 complaints of cyberstalking each day, of which up to 100 represent legitimate cases (Dean, 2000). Another Internet safety organization (Working to Halt Online Abuse) reports receiving an average of 100 cases per week (WHOA, 2001). To highlight the types of cyberstalking behaviours that take place and some of the major issues facing criminal law, we briefly examine four high profile cases of cyberstalking (adapted from Bocij and MacFarlane, 2002b).