Acute urinary retention in two adolescent girls with hematometrocolpos caused by imperforate hymen are reported. The accumulation of the menstrual blood in the vagina and uterus may form a mechanical effect on the urethra and bladder and lead to the obstructive urinary symptoms. Hymenotomy created individually by CO2 laser and cruciate incision was performed. The two patients were discharged on the same day after operation and made an uneventful recovery.

Purpose -The melamine milk scandal caused a crisis of confidence in food containing dairy products. The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of precautionary behaviour to avoid food containing dairy products among Taiwanese college students. Design/methodology/approach -Of the total respondents selected using a multistage cluster sampling plan, 1,213 respondents completed the questionnaire. Findings -The survey results showed that subjective norms, attitude, perceived behavioural control, attention to news, and perceived credibility of information are significantly associated with the intention to take precautionary behaviour. Originality/value -The paper developed a modified theory of planned behaviour (TPB) that focused on attention and perceived credibility of milk scandal-related information as additional determinants of precautionary behaviour to avoid food containing dairy products. The inclusion of attention and perceived credibility of information constructs enabled a better model fit than that of the TPB model.

Background: Vestibular assessment in patients with acoustic tumor (so-called vestibular schwannoma, VS) via ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) and cervical VEMP (cVEMP) tests are not often discussed in the neurosurgical literature. Objectives: This study conducted physiological and morphological assessments for VS patients before and after CyberKnife radiosurgery. Methods: Twenty patients with unilateral VS underwent a battery of tests comprising facial nerve function test, audiometry, and caloric, oVEMP and cVEMP tests before and 2 years after CyberKnife treatment at a mean dosage of 18 Gy in 3 fractions. Results: The abnormal percentages of caloric, oVEMP and cVEMP tests did not significantly differ before and after Cyberknife treatment, indicating that preservation of the superior and inferior vestibular nerves can be achieved after radiosurgery. Median tumor volumes, 1.49 cm³ before treatment versus 0.97 cm³ at 2 years after treatment, differed significantly. Conclusions: The use of oVEMP and cVEMP tests in VS patients before stereotactic radiosurgery may help to evaluate the tumor origin from the superior or inferior vestibular nerve. It takes a short time and costs less, and it would be practical to make this a routine examination in VS patients having stereotactic radiosurgery.

Aluminum (Al)-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films are prepared via the sol-gel method and utilized as an anti-reflective coating (ARC) to enhance the light gathering capability and short-circuit current density (J sc ) of GaAs solar cells. The AZO films are prepared chemically by spin coating the sol with an aqueous solution of zinc acetate dihydrate and aluminum nitrate. The current-voltage measurements of the solar cells confirm that the AZO film increases short-circuit current. 4 atom% Al-doped ZnO film exhibits the best anti-reflective characteristics. The conversion efficiency of cells is significantly enhanced by the ARC (8.3% versus 11.2%). The AZO film, which has a suitable refractive index and excellent transmittance, reduces reflectance and significantly enhances the external quantum efficiency of GaAs solar cells compared to those obtained for an undoped ZnO coating. In degradation tests of the solar cells after irradiation treatment, the ZnO and AZO coatings both exhibit lowered J-V characteristics and external quantum efficiency decay of the solar cell after proton irradiation, making them suitable for use as the radiation-resistant and anti-reflective layer in GaAs solar cells.

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