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•Recent European research - systematic presentation and historic (re)assessment.•“Modern anaesthesia” – definition, “nationalistic” narratives.•“Specialist” profession and technology: definitions, criteria, new evidence.•Epochs in anesthesia – chronology, criteria and a shared, global heritage.•The historiography of anesthesia requires a critical, international reappraisal.

Mechanical systems facilitate the development of a hybrid quantum technology comprising electrical, optical, atomic and acoustic degrees of freedom1, and entanglement is essential to realize quantum-enabled devices. Continuous-variable entangled fields—known as Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) states—are spatially separated two-mode squeezed states that can be used for quantum teleportation and quantum communication2. In the optical domain, EPR states are typically generated using nondegenerate optical amplifiers3, and at microwave frequencies Josephson circuits can serve as a nonlinear medium4–6. An outstanding goal is to deterministically generate and distribute entangled states with a mechanical oscillator, which requires a carefully arranged balance between excitation, cooling and dissipation in an ultralow noise environment. Here we observe stationary emission of path-entangled microwave radiation from a parametrically driven 30-micrometre-long silicon nanostring oscillator, squeezing the joint field operators of two thermal modes by 3.40 decibels below the vacuum level. The motion of this micromechanical system correlates up to 50 photons per second per hertz, giving rise to a quantum discord that is robust with respect to microwave noise7. Such generalized quantum correlations of separable states are important for quantum-enhanced detection8and provide direct evidence of the non-classical nature of the mechanical oscillator without directly measuring its state9. This noninvasive measurement scheme allows to infer information about otherwise inaccessible objects, with potential implications for sensing, open-system dynamics and fundamental tests of quantum gravity. In the future, similar on-chip devices could be used to entangle subsystems on very different energy scales, such as microwave and optical photons. A parametrically driven 30-micrometre-long silicon nanostring oscillator emits stationary path-entangled microwave radiation, squeezing the joint field operators of two thermal modes by 3.4 decibels below the vacuum level.

In this work, a measuring station for testing laminated electrical steel under arbitrary excitation conditions is presented. Different control strategies for enforcing an arbitrary induction waveform are tested and compared. A classical PID control scheme can be used to minimise the error. A PID controller however, requires fine tuning of its parameters, depending on the measurement conditions. Extending the controller with a more sophisticated decision making process yields better material independence and better measurement condition independence of the flux control.

The article discusses a study on the hypothesis that less-experienced riders increase stress response of their horses to a standardised challenge and determine salivary cortisol concentrations, heart rate and heart-rate variability (HRV) as physiological stress parameters. Sport horses of Brandengurg State Stud at Neustadt, Germany were made available for the study. It suggests that emotional and physical stress response of riders in equestrian sports may be more affected by external factors.

Objectives.The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence density and the occurrence of horizontal spread of highly resistant gram-negative rods (HR-GNRs) in Dutch hospitals. The factors that influence these outcome measures were also investigated.Methods.All patients with HR-GNRs, as determined by sample testing, who were hospitalized in 1 of 18 hospitals during a 6-month period (April through October 2007) were included in this study. For all available isolates, the species was identified, susceptibility was determined (including the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases [ESBLs]), and molecular typing was performed. On the basis of a combination of species identification, molecular typing, and epidemiological data, the occurrence of nosocomial transmission was determined.Results.The mean incidence density of patients with HR-GNRs was 55 per 100,000 patient-days (cumulative incidence, 39 per 10,000 patients admitted). A facility being a university hospital was a statistically significant (P= .03) independent determinant of a higher incidence of patients with HR-GNRs. The majority of HR-GNR isolates were ESBL producers. The adjusted transmission index—the ratio between secondary and primary cases—in the participating hospitals ranged from 0.0 to 0.2. The overall adjusted transmission index of HR-GNRs was 0.07. No determinants for a higher transmission index were identified.Discussion.The nosocomial transmission rate of HR-GNRs was relatively low in all hospitals where well-established transmission-based precautions were used. The incidence density of patients with HR-GNRs was higher in university hospitals, probably due to the patient population and the complexity of the care provided.

ABSTRACTWe describe a renal transplant patient with a primary Toxoplasma gondiiinfection presenting as pneumonitis, with subsequent chorioretinitis and encephalitis. The diagnostic challenges of T. gondiiinfection in immunocompromised patients are discussed.

Low-rate dynamic contact angles on poly(t-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) were measured by an automated axisymmetric drop shape analysis profile (ADSA-P). The solid surface tension of PtBMA is calculated to be 18.1 mJ/m², with a 95% confidence limit of ±0.6 mJ/m². This value was compared to previous results with different homopolymeric polymethacrylates [poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA), and poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA)] and with copolymeric polymethacrylates {poly(methyl methacrylate/ethyl methacrylate, 30/70) [P(MMA/EMA, 30/70)] and poly(methyl methacrylate/n-butyl methacrylate) [P(MMA/nBMA)]}. It was found that increasing length and size of the alkyl side chain decrease the solid surface tension, as expected. Comparison with pure alkyl surfaces suggests that the surface tension of PtBMA is dominated by the very hydrophobic t-butyl group. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2493–2504, 2000

By employing a new strategy presented recently by Wulf etal., axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) can be used to determine simultaneously the surface tension and the density of polymer melts from sessile drops at elevated temperatures. This required the modification of the ADSA algorithm to replace the density by the mass of the drop as input parameter and the development of a closed high temperature chamber whose temperature can be precisely controlled. In addition, special sample holders for the formation of pendant and sessile drops at elevated temperatures were needed. Recently, their design has been improved, which is described in this paper. For a commercial epoxy resin (DER 664 UE), it is shown that measurements with sessile drops yield essentially the same surface tension values and temperature coefficients as with pendant drops. The densities determined with ADSA are comparable to independent PVT results.

By employing a new strategy, we show that axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) can be used to determine simultaneously the surface tension and the density of polymer melts from sessile drops at elevated temperatures. To achieve this, two developments were necessary. First, the ADSA algorithm had to be modified to replace the density by the mass of the drop as an input parameter. Since ADSA also yields the volume, the density became output rather than input. Second, a closed high-temperature chamber whose temperature could be precisely controlled and a sample holder that allowed the formation of highly axisymmetric sessile drops at elevated temperatures had to be developed. For a typical polymeric material (polystyrene), it is demonstrated that measurements with sessile drops yield essentially the same surface tension values and temperature coefficients as measurements with pendant drops. The densities determined with ADSA are comparable to independent PVT results.

Metastable impact electron spectroscopy is used to study the surface of a solution of sodium oleate (NaOl) in formamide. Coverage of the surface by the tenside is monitored as a function of time and of concentration. Full coverage is obtained for the following combinations of surface age and concentration: (20·5 ms, 2·5 mmol l-1), (5·5 ms, 4·5 mmol l-1), (1·5 ms, 8·7 mmol l-1). Until the completion of a closed layer the tenside molecules lie flat on the surface. Later on a spontaneous reorientation of the molecules into an upright position sets in.

The influence of some parameters (wood species, binder content, water repellent finish, wood humidity and roughness) on the wetting of MDF was investigated by means of contact angle measurements with selected test liquids (water, glycerol, ethylene glycol and diiodmethane) using the sessile drop method. The investigations show that contact angle measurements are mainly disturbed by the penetration of the liquids into the MDF and by the high roughness of the surface. Therefore, the results have principally qualitative character. They represent the following tendency for the five parameters: the use of water repellent finish, increased wood humidity and increased roughness made wetting less effective with water repellent finish showing by far the biggest effect. MDF made of beech showed predominantly better wetting behaviour than that made of spruce. The influence of the binder content could not be unambiguously ascertained.

A strain of Legionella longbeachae (Tucker 1) that was isolated from the postmortem lung tissue of a pneumonia patient was serologically distinct from four other strains of L. longbeachae. The recognition of a second serogroup of L. longbeachae represents the first reported instance of serogroup diversity within a species of Legionella other than L. pneumophila. The disease caused by the Tucker 1 strain does not seem to be readily distinguishable from that of pneumonia caused by other legionellae.

Several new pseudohalide derivatives of perfluoralkyl selenides have been prepared and characterized. Their properties are discussed in relation to the analogous alkyl and aryl selenides and perfluoralkyl sulphides. The trends in the properties of these compounds have been found to be in accordance with the expected influence of the strongly electron‐withdrawing perfluoroalkyl groups.