Prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 9. Six cases and a review of the literature

Six prenatally diagnosed cases of trisomy 9 are reported and 22 previously reported cases are reviewed; the difficulty of genetic counselling for such cases and the variation in the percentage of trisomic cells in different tissues, thus making accurate diagnosis of trisomy 9 difficult, are emphasized. In addition to karyotyping results, ultrasound findings are important in achieving diagnoses. Finally, a course of action when prenatal trisomy 9 is detected is proposed.     

The influence of obstetricians on the utilization of amniocentesis

A study of 173 Western New York State obstetricians was undertaken to study referral patterns for second-trimester amniocentesis in 1974–1978. Referral patterns were analysed in relation to obstetrician age, religion, board certification, hospital affiliation and practice location. Forty-seven per cent of the obstetricians had never referred a patient for amniocentesis. Those referring were overall younger than those not referring and were significantly more often board certified. Obstetrician religion was significantly related to referral with fewer Catholic obstetricians referring. Hospital affiliation (teaching versus non-teaching) and obstetrician practice location (urban versus rural) were not important factors after controlling for religion and board certification. Obstetrician factors account for a small but important part of the variability in referral, and other factors, such as cost and access to laboratory and obstetric care need further investigation.     

Rare cell isolation using antibodies covalently linked to slides: application to fetal cells in maternal blood

We describe here a new type of method for isolation of rare cell populations in biological fluids. The method is based on the anthraquinone technology for covalent binding of molecules to a polymer surface. An anthraquinone molecule conjugated via a linker to an electrophilic group (AQ Immobilizer™ reagent, Exiqon A/S) is covalently bound to a polymer surface by UV irradiation. The electrophilic group of this AQ reagent can covalently bind a specific antibody directed against a specific cell marker. Applying a cell sample to the functional surface, the cells having the specific cell marker on the cell surface will bind to the antibody on the functional surface. Using this technique, even extremely small cell populations may be isolated. We succeeded in isolating fetal cells from maternal blood samples in the first trimester for chromosome defects genetic diagnosis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Joint analysis of process and operator performance in chemical process operational safety

Independent studies of case histories by the Health and Safety Commission in the UK and by a Honeywell led industrial consortium world-wide showed that human errors represent the major cause of failure in process plant operation. In contrast to this discovery the majority of previous studies on computer aided systems for fault detection and diagnosis has focused on the process side. This paper presents a methodology, which can involve human factors into the development of systems for automatic identification and diagnosis of abnormal operations and develops methods and techniques that can be used to simultaneously capture, characterise and assess the performance of operators as well as of the process. A joint process–operator simulation platform is developed which is used as a test-bed for carrying out the study. The process part is a simulator, which simulates in high fidelity the dynamic behaviour of the process that is subject to the influence of various disturbances and operators’ interventions. The operator module is developed as a real-time expert system, which emulates operator’s behaviour in interpretation of received signals, and planning and execution of decisions. The interaction between the two modules is managed through an interaction module, which handles the real-time exchange of data using Dynamic Data Exchange. The interaction module also contains the toolkits for analysing the dynamic behaviour of the joint process–operator system. The method and system are illustrated using a simulated case study.     

基于人的认知可靠性模型(HCR)的接车进路办理诊断时间的研究

接发列车作业事故在铁路运输事故中占有相当大的比重。为减少接车作业事故的发生,合理制定车站接车进路办理时的诊断时间是保证接车作业安全的关键。针对车站采用写实法查定时具有较大随意性的问题,提出采用人的认知可靠性(HCR)模型,根据人因失误概率计算接车作业诊断时间的方法,并在自动闭塞区段通过模拟机实验进行了验证。结果表明,HCR模型确定的诊断时间与人因失误之间的关系与写实法的测定数据具有良好的符合性;作业人员的训练水平对诊断时间有较大的影响;利用该模型,根据作业人员的训练水平与可接受的人因失误概率,可以确定接车进路办理的最佳诊断时间,或对写实法测定的诊断时间进行订正。     

基于控制网络的输送机运行故障智能诊断

对煤矿井下胶带输送机运行过程中容易出现的故障,在计算机监控系统的基础上,研究了智能化的检测和判断方法。与传统的胶带机综合保护系统相比,减少了误报和漏报现象,既提高了故障诊断的可信度,又提高了胶带机运行的效率和可靠性。     

河南省大气污染的气候分类

分析确定了影响大气污染的主要气候因子。根据省内各气象站的常规测资料，采用模糊聚类和纳污指数的方法将该省分成５个气候类型区。结果表明，纳污能力以中部地区为最强，占全省面积３／５的南、东、北邻近省界地区较强，豫西山区最弱。