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Objective: To evaluate the patients' individual characteristics predictive of the degree of respiratory effort developed during obstructive sleep apneas (OSAs). Design: Prospective consecutive sample, collection of clinical and polysomnographic data. [...]

To test the hypothesis that respiratory effort during obstructive apneas contributes, together with hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation, to excessive daytime sleepiness, we investigated the relationship between daytime sleepiness and polysomnographic [...]

Le syndrome d’augmentation est une des complications les plus sévères du SJSR. Le syndrome d’augmentation est caractérisé par l’aggravation des symptômes sous traitement, avec notamment une augmentation de la sévérité des symptômes, une avance de l’horaire d’apparition des symptômes. Ce syndrome d’augmentation survient principalement avec les traitements dopaminergiques. Il est primordial pour le patient d’en prévenir sa survenue en éduquant le patient et en évitant de prescrire de trop fortes doses d’agonistes dopaminergiques. Lorsque le syndrome d’augmentation est présent et confirmé par la recherche des critères diagnostiques, le spécialiste prenant en charge le syndrome des jambes sans repos doit réagir très rapidement pour modifier le traitement du patient. Dans cet article, notre groupe d’experts propose une stratégie pratique de diagnostic, de prévention et de prise en charge du syndrome d’augmentation.

Augmentation syndrome is one of the most severe complications of RLS. It is characterised by a worsening of treated symptoms; principally an increase in the severity of symptoms and an earlier onset time. Augmentation syndrome occurs primarily with dopaminergic treatments. It is crucial for the patient to be sufficiently well informed to prevent its occurrence and the prescription of too high doses of dopaminergic agonists avoided. In the presence of augmentation syndrome confirmed using the diagnostic criteria, the specialist treating the restless legs syndrome should quickly modify the patient's treatment. In this article, our expert group proposes a practical strategy for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of augmentation syndrome.

Ground electronic state and excited state H-atom temperatures are measured in a microwave plasma diamond deposition reactor as a function of a low percentage of methane introduced in the feed gas and the averaged input microwave power density. Ground state H-atom temperatures (TH) and temperature of the H-atom in the n=3 excited state (THα) are obtained from the measurements respectively of the excitation profile by Two-photon Allowed transition Laser Induced Fluorescence (TALIF) and the Hα line broadening by Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). They are compared to gas temperatures calculated with a 1D diffusive non equilibrium H2plasma flow model and to ground electronic state rotational temperatures of molecular hydrogen measured previously by Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy.

Apporter des éléments concrets pour une meilleure information des patients qui débutent la démarche très exigeante d’un sevrage des AD pour une forme sévère de SA-SJSR.

Abstract: The NA50 experiment deals with Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/nucleon at the CERN SPS accelerator. TheJ/ψ production is studied through the muon decay channel, using the Drell-Yan dimuons as a reference. New results based on recent analyses, from data taken with improved experimental conditions and using different centrality estimators, are presented and compared to an update of those already obtained from previous data samples. The stepwise pattern of the anomalousJ/ψ suppression as a function of centrality, already present in these previous results, is confirmed. This observation could be a fingerprint of the theoretically predicted melting of charmonia resonances in a deconfined quark-gluon plasma.

Abstract: We present the measurements of charged particle pseudorapidity distributions dNch/dη performed by the NA50 experiment in Pb-Pb collisions at the CERN SPS. Measurements were done at incident energies of 40 GeV (√s = 8.77 GeV) and 158 GeV (√s = 17.3 GeV) per nucleon over a broad impact parameter range. The multiplicity distributions are studied as a function of centrality using the number of participating nucleons(N part ), or the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions (Ncoll). Their values at midrapidity exhibit a linear scaling withN part at both energies. Particle yield increases approximately by a factor of 2 betweeny √s = 8.77 GeV and √s = 17.3 GeV.

TheJ/Ψproduction in 158 A GeV Pb-Pb interactions is studied, in the dimuon decay channel, as a function of centrality, as measured with the electromagnetic or, alternatively, with the very forward hadronic calorimeters. After a first sharp variation at mid-centrality, both patterns continue to fall down and exhibit a curvature change at high centrality values. This trend excludes any conventional hadronic model and finds a natural explanation in a deconfined quark-gluon phase scenario.

The observation of an anomalous J/ψsuppression in Pb–Pb collisions by the NA50 Collaboration can be considered as the most striking indication for the deconfinement of quarks and gluons at SPS energies. In this Letter, we determine the J/ψsuppression pattern as a function of the forward hadronic energy EZDCmeasured in a Zero Degree Calorimeter (ZDC). The direct connection between EZDCand the geometry of the collision allows us to calculate, within a Glauber approach, the precise relation between the number of participant nucleons Npartand EZDC. Then, we check if the experimental data can be better explained by a sudden or a smooth onset of the anomalous J/ψsuppression as a function of the number of participants.

Abstract—A large number of geophysical applications need long-term telluric recordings. In order to realise it correctly, the use of very stable electrodes is necessary. The study of the potential variations of Pb-PbCl2 electrodes as a function of both the ionic composition and the pH of its electrolyte allows one to chose the optimal working criteria. The best stability and the minimum noise for the potential are obtained for a solution saturated in both salts PbCl2 and KCl, or PbCl2 and NaCl, in the presence of additional non-dissolved salts, with a pH from 4 to 5. The study of the salts diffusion between the inside of the electrode and the outside medium allows one to compute the time span over which the potential remains stable (tD time of dissaturation), and to know how to increase it. Two solutions are possible. The first one is to increase the electrode length, because tD is proportional to the length squared. The second one is to reduce the exchanges of salts with the external medium, by using an electrode with a narrow channel. In this case, tD is proportional to the quantity of non-dissolved salt in the electrode and to the internal electrical resistance of the electrode. The fabrication of this new electrodes design with a channel is described.

According to calculations by time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) the wine-red color of the half-chair (C2) 1,2-dithiin (1) is mainly due to a one-electron transition between the frontier orbitals. These orbitals are characterized by local two-center CC p bonds. The symmetric HOMO of the twisted structure 1correlates with the fully delocalized HOMO of the planar reference structure with C2vsymmetry. The anti-symmetrical LUMO correlates both with the essentially localized s* (SS) of the LUMO and the p* of the LUMO+1 of the planar compound. Thus the dominating one-electron transition of 1has some p?s* character in the terminology of the planar system with a strong admixture of the anti-bonding combination of the CC bond orbitals to the s*-type LUMO. The color of 1,2-dithiins are unique because of the simultaneous presence of a non-coplanar C=C bond system and the SS bond. For the sake of comparison calculations were also performed at ab initiolevels of theory (TD-RHF, SCI, EOM-CCSD and CASPT2). Although the absorption wavelengths are strongly underestimated by SCI and TD-RHF the order and the nature of the lowest-excited states are the same as those found by TD-DFT. The electron excitation of 1,2-dithiin is compared with that of 1,2-dithiane (3). In addition, the structure and the energetics of 1,2-dithiin are compared with 1,4-dithiin (4) and thiepin (5).According to calculations by time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) the wine-red color of the half-chair (C2) 1,2-dithiin (1) is mainly due to a one-electron transition between the frontier orbitals. These orbitals are characterized by local two-center CC p bonds. The symmetric HOMO of the twisted structure 1correlates with the fully delocalized HOMO of the planar reference structure with C2vsymmetry. The anti-symmetrical LUMO correlates both with the essentially localized s* (SS) of the LUMO and the p* of the LUMO+1 of the planar compound. Thus the dominating one-electron transition of 1has some p?s* character in the terminology of the planar system with a strong admixture of the anti-bonding combination of the CC bond orbitals to the s*-type LUMO. The color of 1,2-dithiins are unique because of the simultaneous presence of a non-coplanar C=C bond system and the SS bond. For the sake of comparison calculations were also performed at ab initiolevels of theory (TD-RHF, SCI, EOM-CCSD and CASPT2). Although the absorption wavelengths are strongly underestimated by SCI and TD-RHF the order and the nature of the lowest-excited states are the same as those found by TD-DFT. The electron excitation of 1,2-dithiin is compared with that of 1,2-dithiane (3). In addition, the structure and the energetics of 1,2-dithiin are compared with 1,4-dithiin (4) and thiepin (5).

Low mass dimuons production has been studied in Pb-Pb collisions at 158 GeV/A . φ, ρand ωcontributions are extracted in different transverse mass and transverse energy domains. Preliminary results of the 1996 run display an increase of the φ/(ρ+ω)ratio, coming from an increase of the φ. Cross sections are presented and temperatures extracted.

The two lowest-energy n→π* and π→π* type transitions of the parent sulfine were predicted at different levels of theory, such as CASSCF/CASPT2, EOM-CCSD, CIS, TD-HF and TD-DFT. While calculations by singles-only configuration interaction (CIS) and by random phase approximation (TD-HF) methods provided too large transition energies, results obtained by time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) are close to those of the multiconfigurational CASPT2 method. To characterize the sulfine chromophore, the sulfines of thiopropanal, thioacetone, 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thioxocyclobutanone, thioadamantanone, thiocyclopropenone, thiocyclopentadienone, thiocyloheptatrienone, 4,4′-dimethylthiobenzophenone and thiofluorenone were calculated by the TD-DFT method. In good agreement with the experimental findings the aliphatic compounds absorb light intensively between 250 and 270 nm in the near-UV region due to π→π* transitions. The experimentally known first intense higher-energy absorption bands of 4,4′-dimethylthiobenzophenone and thiofluorenone sulfines are also well reproduced by TD-DFT.

It has recently been described that the maximal respiratory effort developed at the end of an apnea (Pesmax)--which is regarded as an index of arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA)--increases progressively during the night, probably as a consequence of associated sleep fragmentation. In order to find out whether the nocturnal trend of Pesmax may be more influenced by a sleep-dependent circadian rhythm than by sleep fragmentation, we revised the polygraphic recordings of 37 patients in whom obstructive apneas were recorded for at least 7 hours. In 15 of these patients, analysis was made for eight hours of the night. During each hour we analyzed at least 7 obstructive apneas, in which we measured the minimal esophageal pressure at the start of the apnea, the maximum value recorded at the end of the apnea (Pesmax), the difference from the minimum to the maximum (delta Pes), and the rate of increase in esophageal pressure (RPes). As indices of sleep fragmentation, we defined the number of arousals, awakenings and sleep state transitions. In the group of patients as a whole, we found a trend toward a gradual increase for apnea duration (F = 98.8, p < 0.001) and Pesmax F = 31.6, p < 0.001) which was significant from the first to the last hour. The time-dependent evolution of apnea duration and Pesmax showed that the rise in these two variables peaked during the first 3 hours of sleep, followed by a plateau and a decrease in the last hour of the night. This temporal profile was more evident when the analysis was available for 8 hours. No significant changes across the night were found for nocturnal hypoxemia and number of arousals. Considering the slope of Pesmax changes across the night, we saw that neither the apnea+hypopnea index nor the indices of sleep fragmentation affected the nocturnal trend. The present data demonstrate the presence of a nocturnal trend in arousal threshold in OSA patients independent of sleep fragmentation. The biphasic evolution of the arousal threshold may be caused by factors that influence the circadian and homeostatic processes.

The study of muon pairs in the mass region 1.5 &lt; M μμ &lt; 2.5 GeV/c in 450 GeV/c p-A, 200 GeV/nucleon S-U and 158 GeV/nucleon Pb-Pb collisions is presented. In p-A interactions, the dimuon signal mass spectra are well described by a superposition of Drell-Yan and charmed meson semi-leptonic decay contributions, in agreement with previous experiments when considering a linear A dependence. In nucleus-nucleus reactions, taking only into account these two physical ingredients, a dimuon enhancement both with increasing A·B and centrality is observed.

The threshold effect in the J/ψ suppression seen in the NA50 data in lead on lead interactions at the CERN SPS [1,2] can't be taken into account by conventional models. Other candidate models [3] use a phase transition, and therefore let suppose that the thermodynamic variables are defined everywhere that is the so-called thermalization. The in-plane elliptic flow, which has been proposed [4] in order to probe the thermalization at these beam energies, is found to be actually present in lead on lead interactions at 158A GeV/ c , but can't be observed in sulphur on sulphur at 200A GeV/ c in the NA38 data [5,6].

The main goal of the NA50 experiment is to study the J/ψ suppression pattern in Pb-Pb interactions, at 158 GeV/c per nucleon at the CERN SPS. We present here the results from the 1996 (final) and 1998 (preliminary) data taking periods. They confirm and extend our previous observation that the J/ψ is anomalously suppressed from peripheral to central collisions. With new event selection procedures and different analysis techniques, we observe that in peripheral collisions the J/ψ cross section per nucleon-nucleon collision agrees with the pattern inferred from a wide range of measurements with lighter systems, from pp up to S-U. When the collisions become more central a clear departure from this behaviour is observed. The 1996 data show a sudden drop in the J/ψ production yield for E T values above 40 GeV, where E T is the neutral transverse electromagnetic energy released in the colision and measured in the EM calorimeter. The 1998 data provide a big improvement in the study of the most central region, where a second change in the pattern becomes visible.

Charged-current neutrino and antineutrino interaction cross sections have been measured in the energy range 10 to 50 GeV using BEBC filled with a neon-hydrogen mixture. At these energies, s/E was measured to be (0.73±0.08) 10-38 cm2/GeV per nucleon for neutrinos and (0.32±0.06) 10-38 cm2/GeV per nucleon for antineutrinos.

A study is presented of µe events from an exposure of BEBC, filed with an heavyH2/Ne mixture, to a wide band antineutrino beam at the CERN SPS. The promptµ+e- rate, based on the observation of 45 events withpµ>4 GeV/c andpe>0.8 GeV/c, is found to be 0.31±0.05±0.02%, in agreement with previous determinations made on much smaller statistics. The differential kinematical variables characterizing the events and the content of strange particles are as expected for the production of charmed hadrons which subsequently decay semi-leptonically. An upper limit of 2.0±10-4 at 90% C.L. is given for the production rate of promptµ+e+ events. No evidence is found for a significant production of Beauty hadrons.

The isoscalar nucleon structure functionsF2(x, Q2) andxF3(x, Q2) are measured in the range 0

Synchrotron radiation offers several advantages over the conventional X-ray sources, among which the most important are its high intensity, broad spectral range and natural collimation. Among the numerous techniques which have been recently developed we present a review of the results concerning more specifically mineralogical systems: X-ray absorption spectroscopy concerning high-resolution edge spectra and Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), X-ray diffraction under high P-high T conditions, small-angle scattering, X-ray microanalysis and X-ray topography.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN: The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is probable since the global HCV antibody prevalence among patients with PCT is about 70%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the virologic characteristics in 12 patients with sporadic PCT and in one patient with familial PCT. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay. Hepatitis B virus and antihuman immunodeficiency virus markers were also determined. The polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the following: (1) both positive and negative HCV RNA strands, (2) HCV RNA titer, and (3) HCV RNA genotype. RESULTS: Seven of the 12 patients with sporadic PCT were HCV positive, and the patient with familial PCT was HCV negative. The age at onset of PCT was significantly lower in HCV-positive patients than in HCV-negative pa- tients. The HCV RNA was detected in all patients who had HCV antibodies, and the replicative intermediate of HCV was detected in three of them. The positive RNA titer ranged from 1:10 to 1:106. Four patients were infected by HCV genotype I, two by genotype II, and one patient was coinfected by type I and type II. Three of the seven HCV-positive patients also had HBV antibodies, but HBV DNA was never detected. All patients were negative for the human immunodeficiency virus. CONCLUSIONS: The HCV infection rate was high (58%) in this series, and all HCV-infected patients had HCV RNA, reflecting an active replication of the virus. The young age at onset of PCT suggests that HCV is a major triggering factor of PCT. Nevertheless, the clinical changes of PCT were not related to the virologic findings, suggesting an indirect role of HCV.(Arch Dermatol. 1995;131:801-804)

The major component of the whey fraction of bovine milk, β-lactoglobulin (βLG), has been transformed by grafting polyethylene glycol chains either on the thiol group (free and after reduction of the S-S bridges) of the cysteine residues, or on the amino group of the lysine residues and/or of the N-terminal amino acid. Acylation of the protein was achieved at a controlled pH of 7.0 using increasing ratios of activated PEG to βLG. Transformation of the dimeric form into the monomer occurred at least for the fully pegylated adduct. The number of polymer chains fixed per mole of protein was determined by dosage of the free amino functions still present after reaction. The incidence of pegylation on the secondary structure of βLG was evaluated using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Denaturation studies with guanidinium hydrochloride (Gu-HCl) by means of spectrofluorimetric measurements, showed an identical behavior of native as well as of pegylated βLG. The antigenicity of the fully pegylated adduct was examined through antigenic competition towards native βLG. The pegylated protein exhibited less than 1/100 of the native βLG inhibition capacity, that could moreover never be complete. This is thus demonstrating the loss of accessibility for at least multiple conformational epitopes through pegylation procedure. Spectrofluorimetric measurements showed that βLG-N-PEG7 was still able to bind retinol while no effect on the intrinsic fluorescence could be detected by adding palmitic acid. Whether this last ligand binds or not to pegylated βLG is discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 54: 40–49, 1997.

To evaluate the patients' individual characteristics predictive of the degree of respiratory effort developed during obstructive sleep apneas (OSAs).

Nearly 40000 neutrino and antineutrino interactions in BEBC are compared to measure the differences between neon and deuterium in the quark and antiquark distributions and in the nucleon structure functions. The ratio of Ne to D cross sections indicates some decrease betweenx~0.2 andx~0.6. They distributions show there is no significant increase in the neon sea, but prefer a small decrease. Taken altogether, thex andy distributions and the measured total cross-sections indicate some change in the shape of the valence distributions. No significant dependence onA is observed for either the shape of the sea or the ratio of longitudinal to transverse cross-sections.

Coherent production ofρ− mesons in charged current antineutrino interactions on neon nuclei is studied in the BEBC bubble chamber exposed to the CERN SPS wide band beam. The cross section is measured to be (95±25)·10−40 cm2 per neon nucleus, averaged over the beam energy spectrum. The distributions of kinematical variables and the absolute value of the cross section are in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the CVC hypothesis and the vector meson dominance model.

Selected results of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies of amorphous silicates and minerals are presented in order to show their utility in providing short-and, in certain cases, medium-range structural and bonding information for cations and anions. EXAFS and XANES studies of amorphous silicates are reviewed with the objective of illustrating variations in structural environments of the various types of glass-forming cations, including Si, Al, Na, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Yb, and U. Al is shown to occur in tetrahedral coordination in all aluminosilicate glasses examined, including peraluminous compositions. The weakly bonded Na and Ca cations are shown to occur in sites with observed coordination numbers (ranging from 6 to 7) and distances similar to those predicted by molecular dynamics simulations. Elements like Ti, which form bonds of intermediate strength, may show some order beyond the first coordination shell at low concentrations in silicate glasses. EXAFS studies of Yb and U in silicate glasses at trace to minor concentration levels provide unique structural information about the environments of these cations. K-edges and XANES of transition element sulfides, third-row tetrahedral oxyanions, and oxygen in minerals are interpreted in terms of band theory or molecular orbital theory.

Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 49775 produces three proteins recognized by affinity-purified antibodies against the S component of Panton-Valentine leucocidin (LukS-PV) and two proteins recognized by affinity-purified antibodies against the F component of this toxin (LukF-PV). Purification of these proteins and cloning of the corresponding genes provided evidence for the presence of two loci. The first one, encoding Panton-Valentine leucocidin, consisted of two cotranscribed open reading frames, lukS-PV and lukF-PV, coding the class S and the class F components, respectively. The second one coded for a gamma-hemolysin and consisted of two transcription units, the first one encoding an HlgA-like protein, a class S component, and the second one encoding two cotranscribed open reading frames identical to HlgC and HlgB, class S and class F components, respectively, from gamma-hemolysin from the reference strain Smith 5R. It appears that the Panton-Valentine leucocidin from S. aureus ATCC 49775 (V8 strain) should not be confused with leucocidin from ATCC 27733 (another isolate of V8 strain), which had 95% identity with HlgC and HlgB from gamma-hemolysin. The cosecretion of these five proteins led to six possible synergistic combinations between F and S components. Two of these combinations (LukS-PV-LukF-PV and HlgA-LukF-PV) had dermonecrotic activity on rabbit skin, and all six were leukocytolytic on glass-adsorbed leukocytes. Only three were hemolytic on rabbit erythrocytes, the two gamma-hemolysin combinations and the combination LukF-PV-HlgA.

To test the hypothesis that respiratory effort during obstructive apneas contributes, together with hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation, to excessive daytime sleepiness, we investigated the relationship between daytime sleepiness and polysomnographic variables in 44 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In all patients, daytime sleep propensity was assessed by an 11-item standardized self-questionnaire yielding a sleepiness score and by a modified sleep latency test yielding a mean sleep latency. Respiratory effort during apneas was evaluated by measuring esophageal pressure swings using an esophageal balloon. Within each apneic cycle, we measured the esophageal pressure swings during the first three and the last three occluded efforts during the apnea to define the overall increase, its ratio to apnea duration, and the maximal effort developed during obstruction. In the group of patients as a whole, the sleepiness score was negatively correlated with the mean sleep latency (r=-0.38, p=0.01). The sleepiness score was correlated with the indexes of respiratory effort during apneas (ie, the overall increase, its ratio to apnea duration, and the maximal end-apneic swing in esophageal pressure) and with the apnea+hypopnea index. The mean sleep latency was correlated with all indexes of nocturnal hypoxemia (ie, the mean lowest oxyhemoglobin saturation [SaO2] and the index of apnea associated with a fall in SaO2below 90% and 80%). We conclude that the degree of respiratory effort during obstructive apneas contributes to self-rated sleep propensity in patients with OSA.

β-galactosidase has been chosen as an indicator of glycoprotein metabolism in Acetabularia, an unicellular and uninucleate green alga. This catabolic enzyme was quantified by fluorecence spectrometry. It was found at all developmental stages, but the activity levels differed, peaking at the end of the growth phase, at the time of cap morphogenesis initiation, β-galactosidase activity is also subjected to periodic modulation, displaying a bimodal rhythm with a prominent peak at 16 h. The distribution of the enzyme was examined by cytochemistry, using a substrate analogue (X-gal). It is present both in the cytoplasm and in the cell wall. No apico-basal gradient was detectable. The physiological role of glycoproteins was assessed with tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-linked glycoprotein synthesis. Two pulses of 3 or 4 h of inhibitor (10 μg ml-1) always inhibited growth, but more severely during the light period. One pulse may inhibit growth during the light period and stimulate it during the dark one; it may also have little effect, in both periods. Cap formation is inhibited between time 0 and 7. During the dark or subjective dark period, it is often stimulated or not affected. The same results were obtained in constant light. Cap formation is also inhibited in anucleate algae treated during the light period.

The cross section for coherent production of a single p- meson in charged current antineutrino interactions on neon nuclei has been measured in BEBC to be (175±25) 10-40 cm2/neon nucleus, averaged over the energy spectrum of the antineutrino wide band beam at the CERN SPS; this corresponds to (0.9±0.1) % of the total charged current cross section. The distributions of kinematical variables are in agreement with theoretical predictions based on the PCAC hypothesis and the meson dominance model; in particular, theQ2 dependence is well described by a propagator containing a massm=(1.35±0.18) GeV. The absolute value of the cross section is also in agreement with the model. This analysis thus provides a test of the PCAC hypothesis in the antineutrino energy range 5–150 GeV.

A sample of over 25,000 fully measured neutrino and antineutrino charged current interactions in BEBC includes 192 dilepton candidates. The prompt signal after subtraction of background is 41 ±7µ+e-, 35±7µ+µ- events from interactions, and 32±7µ-µ+ events from ? interactions. There are 2 trileptons, µ-µ-e+ and µ-µ-µ+. Results are compared with other experimental data and with the standard model. Limits to prompt like sign µ+e+, µ+µ+ and µ-µ- signals are given and compared with other experiments and with theoretical calculations.

High pressure x ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been performed up to 29 GPa on crystalline and amorphous GeO2. The modification of the x ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) as well as the variation of the Ge-O distance, indicate that the coordination of Ge changes from 4 to 6 above 6.5 GPa. The transition is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy.