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Background Previous MRI studies reported deep grey matter volume increases after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the clinical correlates of these changes are still unclear. It remains debated whether such volume changes are transient, and if they correlate with affective changes over time. We here investigated if ECT induces deep grey matter volume increases in MDD-patients; and, if so, whether volume changes persist over more than 9 months and whether they are related to the clinical outcome. Methods We examined 16 MDD-patients with 3Tesla MRI before (baseline) and after an ECT-series and followed 12 of them up for 10-36 months. Patients’ data were compared to 16 healthy controls. Affective scales were used to investigate the relationship between therapy-outcome and MRI changes. Results At baseline, MDD-patients had lower values in global brain volume, white matter and peripheral grey matter compared to healthy controls, but we observed no significant differences in deep grey matter volumes. After ECT, the differences in peripheral grey matter disappeared, and patients demonstrated significant volume increases in the right hippocampus and both thalami, followed by subsequent decreases after 10-36 months, especially in ECT-responders. Controls did not show significant changes over time. Limitations Beside the relatively small, yet carefully characterized cohort, we address the variability in time between the third scanning session and the baseline. Conclusions ECT-induced deep grey matter volume increases are transient. Our results suggest that the thalamus might be a key region for the understanding of the mechanisms of ECT action.

Literature review on phyto-therapeutics for the treatment of bovine mastitis.Um eine Alternative zur konventionellen antibiotischen Behandlung boviner Mastitiden zu finden, wurde 2015 eine Literaturrecherche zu weltweit in vitro untersuchten und in vivo (an Patienten) verwendeten Phytotherapeutika durchgeführt. Eine Literaturrecherche stellt einen der ersten Schritte in der Entwicklung eines peroralen Phytotherapeutikums gegen bovine Mastitiden nach der Methode der «reversen Pharmakologie» dar. Weltweit genannte Phytotherapeutika in allen Verabreichungsarten wurden zusammengetragen und ausgezählt. Insgesamt wurden 935 verschiedene relevante Zitate in 195 Publikationen gefunden, die nach ihrer Anwendungsart und Zielspezies aufgetrennt und ausgezählt wurden. Die Liste aller Pflanzen und Zitate kann unter http://vets.ch/desktop/liste-des-plantes_fuchs_def_sat.pdf heruntergeladen werden. Es wurden 106 Pflanzen zur peroralen, 45 Pflanzen zur intramammären, und 24 ätherische Öle (peroral, intramammär oder topisch) zur Behandlung boviner Mastitis in der vorliegenden Studie aufgelistet. Voraussetzung für diese Auswahl war, dass die Pflanzen in der Literatur als Therapeutikum erwähnt waren. Zudem wurde berücksichtigt, ob bereits in vitro oder in vivo Studien durchgeführt worden sind. Diese Liste soll einerseits als Nachweis für den traditionellen Gebrauch der Pflanzen bei der Behandlung von boviner Mastitis dienen und zudem eine Grundlage für weiterführende Forschungen darstellen.Afin de trouver une alternative aux traitements antibiotiques conventionnels des mammites bovines, une recherche bibliographique a été menée en 2015 sur les agents phytothérapeutiques qui ont été étudiés in vitro et utilisés in vivo (sur des patients) dans le monde entier. Une recherche bibliographique est l’une des premières étapes du développement d’un agent phytothérapeutique peroral contre les mammites bovines en utilisant la méthode de «pharmacologie inverse». Des phytothérapies citées dans le monde entier dans tous les types d’administration ont été compilées et comptées. Un total de 935 citations pertinentes différentes ont été trouvées dans 195 publications, qui ont été séparées et comptées en fonction de leur type d’appli­cation et de l’espèce cible. La liste de toutes les plantes et les citations peuvent être téléchargés à partir de http://vets.ch/desktop/liste-des-plantes_fuchs_def_sat.pdf . On a répertorié dans la présente étude 106 plantes pour l’application perorale, 45 plantes pour l’application intra mammaire et 24 huiles essentielles (perorale, intra mammaire ou topique) pour le traitement des mammites bovines. La condition préalable à cette sélection était que les plantes soient mentionnées dans la littérature comme agent thérapeutique. En outre, il a été pris en compte si des études in vitro ou in vivo avaient déjà été menées. D’une part, cette liste devrait servir de preuve de l’utilisation traditionnelle des plantes dans le traitement des mammites bovines et, d’autre part, constituer une base pour de nouvelles recherches.Con lo scopo di trovare un’alternativa al trattamento antibiotico convenzionale per la mastite bovina, nel 2015 è stata condotta una rassegna bibliografica sulla fitoterapia studiata in vitro e utilizzata in vivo (su ­pazienti) in tutto il mondo. Una ricerca bibliografica rappresenta uno dei primi passi nello sv iluppo di un trattamento fitoterapico perorale contro la mastite ­bovina con il metodo della «farmacologia inversa». Sono stati raccolti e contati i trattamenti fitoterapici (così ­chiamati mondialmente) in tutte le loro modalità di somministrazione. In 195 pubblicazioni sono state ­trovate un totale di 935 diverse citazioni significative, che sono state separate e contate in base alla loro ­modalità di somministrazione e alle specie mirata. La lista di tutte le piante e di tutte le citazioni può essere scaricata su http://vets.ch/desktop/liste-des-plantes_fuchs_def_sat.pdf. Nel presente studio sono state elencate 106 piante per via perorale, 45 piante per via intramammaria e 24 oli essenziali (perorale, intramammario o topico) per il trattamento della mastite bovina. Questa selezione si è basata sul prerequisito che le piante fossero menzionate nella letteratura come trattamento terapeutico. Inoltre, si è valutato se erano già stati effettuati studi in vitro o in vivo. Da un lato, questa lista dovrebbe essere una prova dell’uso tradizionale delle piante nel trattamento della mastite bovina e dall’altro fornire una base per ulteriori ricerche.

In recent years, the automotive industry has set ambitious goals to reduce CO2 emissions of production facilities and started to consider energy costs in strategic procurement of manufacturing systems. Based on an industrial use-case, energy and media consumption behavior of production lines for series production of powertrain components was characterized and the degree of energetic utilization of machines and peripherals was evaluated. Technical and organizational efficiency measures were identified and benchmark KPIs were defined. In order to allow for demand forecasting as well as an evaluation of optimization strategies, material flow models of the production lines were extended by energy and media consumption data. Thus, demand-oriented operation of given infrastructure in different production scenarios as well as optimal dimensioning, design and control of new infrastructure was facilitated. Finally, a monitoring system based on an aggregation of continuously recorded sensor and production control data was established, allowing for continuous target-actual KPI comparison.

Soil-borne diseases cause significant yield losses worldwide, are difficult to treat and often only limited options for disease management are available. It has long been known that compost amendments, which are routinely applied in organic and integrated farming as a part of good agricultural practice to close nutrient cycles, can convey a protective effect. Yet, the targeted use of composts against soil-borne diseases is hampered by the unpredictability of the efficacy. Several studies have identified and/or isolated beneficial microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, oomycetes, and fungi) from disease suppressive composts capable of suppressing pathogens (e.g., Pythium and Fusarium) in various crops (e.g., tomato, lettuce, and cucumber), and some of them have been developed into commercial products. Yet, there is growing evidence that synthetic or complex microbial consortia can be more effective in controlling diseases than single strains, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Currently, a major bottleneck concerns the lack of functional assays to identify the most potent beneficial microorganisms and/or key microbial consortia from complex soil and compost microbiomes, which can harbor tens of thousands of species. This focused review describes microorganisms, which have been isolated from, amended to or found to be abundant in disease-suppressive composts and for which a beneficial effect has been documented. We point out opportunities to increasingly harness compost microbiomes for plant protection through an integrated systems approach that combines the power of functional assays to isolate biocontrol and plant growth promoting strains and further prioritize them, with functional genomics approaches that have been successfully applied in other fields of microbiome research. These include detailed metagenomics studies (i.e., amplicon and shotgun sequencing) to achieve a better understanding of the complex system compost and to identify members of taxa enriched in suppressive composts. Whole-genome sequencing and complete assembly of key isolates and their subsequent functional profiling can elucidate the mechanisms of action of biocontrol strains. Integrating the benefits of these approaches will bring the long-term goals of employing microorganisms for a sustainable control of plant pathogens and developing reliable diagnostic assays to assess the suppressiveness of composts within reach.

Use of quality compost can have an important positive impact on soil fertility and plant growth and health. For example, it increases soil humus and improves soil structure and suppressivity towards plant diseases. To obtain these positive results, it is important that the compost quality is appropriate for each use. If used inadequately, the impact of compost can also be negative. The compost producer should be responsible for the quality of his products, and has to communicate the properties of his composts to the users. But to be successful, the compost users have to communicate to the producers the manner in which the compost is to be used. To support compost producers and users in this process, the Swiss producers of compost and digestate published a new quality guideline for compost and digestate in 2010. Five product classes are defined in this guideline: digestate liquid, digestate solid, compost for agricultural use, compost for horticultural use in the open field, and compost for covered cultures. The guideline requires compost producers to establish a quality concept, ranging from collection of green manure to utilization of the products. Public relation activities are then important to communicate this guideline. Communication between compost producers, compost users and other stakeholders is important to improve the potential of compost use and to develop further application possibilities.

Knowledge of patients' treatment needs is an important requirement for comprehensive long-term patient care. The objective of this investigation was to assess the requirements of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) regarding pharmacotherapy.A total of 17,500 members of the German Parkinson Association were given the opportunity to anonymously answer a questionnaire about their health-related quality of life, PD pharmacotherapy and their improvement suggestions for new PD medication.Answers from 6351 patients were available for analysis. The majority (87.2%) of patients were older than 60 years; 88.9% had been diagnosed with PD for longer than 3 years and 84.4% selected one of the three most severe categories (categories 1-3 on a 6-point scale) when rating the impact of PD on their quality of life. Symptoms that were regarded as very important for improvement with pharmacotherapy included motor fluctuations (66.3%), early morning akinesia (55.4%) and sleep disturbances (43.5%). Properties of a new PD medication that were rated as very important included continuous drug delivery over 24 hours (66.6%) and 24-hour symptom control (55.8%). The majority of patients used physicians (84.2%) and/or self-help groups (69.4%) to obtain information about PD. Topics of particular interest included comorbid diseases (78.3%), mobility and exercise (77.3%) and research (53%).PD has a major impact on patients' quality of life. From the patient's perspective, PD pharmacotherapy needs to address a range of symptoms including not only motor symptoms, but also non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbances. In selecting the most appropriate treatment regimen, patient preference is an important consideration.

This article focuses on the results of the final stage of research into the climate strategies of firms in the automotive and pulp-and-paper industries in Brazil, a country that is becoming increasingly important also in terms of climate change issues. In the first stage, the Climate Strategy Model (CSM) was developed to assess whether firms were adopting the necessary practices to assure the successful implementation of climate strategies. In the second, the CSM was applied to firms in the above mentioned industries that were chosen because of their important role in the domestic economy. In the final stage, interviews with executives of these firms were conducted to identify root causes of climate strategy implementation deficiencies and obtain new insights from an international perspective.

Although extrapyramidal diseases are commonly thought to solely affect the (extrapyramidal) motor system, non-motor symptoms such as behavioural abnormalities, dysautonomia, sleep disturbances and sensory dysfunctions are also frequently observed. Autonomic dysfunction is an important clinical component of extrapyramidal disease, but it is often not formally assessed, and thus frequently misdiagnosed. Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction can impact more on quality of life than motor symptoms. Appropriate symptom-oriented diagnosis and symptomatic treatment as part of an interdisciplinary approach can greatly benefit the patient. This review elaborates a limited overview on the treatment of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, urogenital and sudomotor autonomic dysfunction in various extrapyramidal syndromes.

A good number of different methods and antidepressive agents are now available for the management of depressive symptoms, the efficacy of which has been confirmed by clinical studies. Various approaches--be it medication, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), psychoeducation and psychotherapy--have also been developed to treat depression in patients with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, only a few controlled studies exist for this very specific group of patients. Systematic knowledge of treatment options, however, is lacking. Efficient management of depressive symptoms is absolutely indispensable considering the proven impact of a depression on the patients' quality of life. So far, more than half of the patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease and depression do not receive proper antidepressive therapy. This survey gives an overview on the pharmacological, somatic and psychological procedures of treatment applied in this group of patients, along with useful suggestions.

Non-motor symptoms, such as psychiatric symptoms and autonomic dysfunction, are common co-morbid conditions in Parkinson's disease (PD) and major contributors to poor quality of life and disability. Within the group of neuropsychiatric conditions, depressive symptoms are the most common condition. Despite their frequency and importance, depressive symptoms can be difficult to assess and diagnose and thus depression in PD is frequently unrealized. Diagnostic challenges include the overlap of depressive symptoms with motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, such as dementia and apathy. Furthermore, there are no definite standards to assess and diagnose depression in PD leading also to the lack of exact data on the epidemiology of this non-motor symptom in PD. Depending on the diagnostic test and the study design the prevalence of depression in PD is reported between 7 and 72% of PD patients with approximately 40% in most cross-sectional studies. In contrast, the pathogenesis and long-term course of depression in PD remain elusive. Current hypothesis, however, includes that depressive symptoms are part of the core condition of PD when regarded as an entity. The present review summarizes the current knowledge on epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis of depression in PD and proposes on this data base a standard procedure for screening and diagnosis of depressive symptoms in PD.

Die Behandlung der schmerzhaften Huftgelenkarthrose bei zerebralparetischen Patienten erfordert ein individuelles, an die korperliche Leistungsfahigkeit und Kooperationsfahigkeit der mehrfachbehinderten Patienten angepasstes Behandlungsregime. Bei schweren Dislokationsformationen stellt die Femurkopfresektion oftmals eine gute Behandlungsoption dar. Fur gehfahige Patienten mit einer nur moderaten Auspragung der Zerebralparese ist diese Behandlung jedoch unbefriedigend. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den endoprothetischen Huftgelenkersatz bei ausgewahlten zerebralparetischen Patienten. Zwischen 1992 und 2004 wurden insgesamt 19 Hufttotalendoprothesen bei 17 Patienten implantiert und uber durchschnittlich 4,6 Jahre nachbeobachtet. Die individuelle Mobilitat konnte hierdurch wesentlich verbessert werden, 84% der Patienten waren schmerzfrei. Zweimal war ein Schaftwechsel erforderlich, bei einem Patienten in Folge einer aseptischen Lockerung, bei einem 2. Patient infolge einer periprothetischen Femurfraktur. Die Alloarthroplastik des Huftgelenkes stellt in der vorliegenden Untersuchung bei kooperationsfahigen zerebralparetischen Patienten eine wichtige und vielversprechende Alternative zur Femurkopfresektion dar und ermoglicht unter Beachtung wesentlicher Kontraindikationen (schwere Athetose, fehlende Gewichtsubernahme, ausgepragter Beckenschiefstand) eine signifikante Schmerzreduktion und Verbesserung der eigenstandigen Mobilitat.

The formation of magnetic islands within plasmas confined magnetically within the tori has significant influence upon their confinement and stability. To obtain an experimental insight into the formation and dynamics of such island structures we employed a fast framing camera viewing the plasma tangentially in the toroidal direction. The toroidal viewing direction gives the advantage in that the islands are viewed almost tangentially and this greatly facilitates the reconstruction of the local data from the line integrated ones. We discuss an effective method to do inversion. To study the fluctuations seen in the video images we perform a singular value decomposition, and then we use a truncated least square method to infer their pictures in space.

The organic market has grown exponentially in Europe during the last ten years. However, the organic fruit industry has shown the lowest growth rates (1-5% market share) compared to other commodities. One major reason is the high production risk due to high disease and pest pressure in humid climates. Key pests and diseases in apple and pear include scab, sooty blotch, and fire blight as well as rosy apple aphid, pear sucker, and codling moth. In cherry, damages due to brown rot (Monilinia) and the cherry fruit fly make organic production almost unfeasible. In an ideal organic system, all possible measures that lead to improved stability of the system must be implemented. In fruit production, such measures include (i) use of resistant varieties (scab), (ii) active promotion of predators (rosy apple aphid), (iii) sanitation (cherry monilinia), (iv) microclimate management (planting density, covering trees), and (v) strengthening the plant self-defence system (e.g. building up of soil fertility, bio-dynamic preparations). At present, most organic orchards have been designed for conventional production and, therefore, lack most stabilising components. In consequence, organic fruit production still depends largely on direct pest and disease control methods. These include traditional pesticides such as copper, sulphur, and lime sulphur, pyrethrin, oil and soap preparations. More recently, new pest control compounds and techniques have been developed including neem products, granulosis virus, and mating disruption. New tools for disease control are less spectacular and focus on the replacement of copper (e.g. with clay powders and resistance inducers). The introduction of new equipment, materials, and Decision Support Systems (DSS) will further improve yield stability. However, other limiting factors such as weed competition, crop load regulation, and conventional market demands need innovative solutions.

International audience; We propose a three-dimensional and high-resolution quantitative image analysis technique for the investigation of the internal microstructure of polymer foams. Microscopy, which is the conventional method of investigation of foams, images only the surface of samples, though, three-dimensional x-ray computed microtomography (μCT) enables the non-destructive imaging of multiple slices of a sample. It is a powerful technique for the examination of porous and multiphase materials. In this paper, we present the application of three-dimensional synchrotron radiation μCT for the characterization of foam samples. After a brief description of the imaging system, we present three-dimensional image-processing tools developed to extract structural parameters quantifying the internal structure of foams. Results of this three-dimensional quantitative image analysis on various types of plasticized poly vinyl chloride foams are presented. This approach provides a tool to study the relationships between the foam microstructures and their physical properties.

A high-speed tangentially viewing soft x-ray camera system has been developed and installed on the large helical device (LHD) using a video camera with a maximum framing rate of 13.5 kHz. Low-frequency activities, for example, structures with toroidal/poloidal mode number n/m = 1/2, are directly detected with this system.

Hall detectors have been used to measure the magnetic field together with its' fluctuations in the boundary of a tokamak. The results show, that the measurements which have been performed so far, mainly by use of coils together with subsequent integration, either on-line or later by computer, can be substituted by Hall probe measurements giving the desired value of B directly. Because the integration of the coil signal becomes more and more difficult with long pulses, Hall detectors may give advantages in future fusion devices. We implemented a stack of nine Hall detectors mounted on three planes on a rod in such a way, that the three components of the magnetic field can be measured. To avoid capacitive and charge pickup from the plasma, the probes are electrically shielded. The damping due to skin effect within this shield has been taken into account. The probes have been calibrated using a known magnetic field of a straight wire driven with a LC bank. This field has been precisely measured with a Rogowski coil. The dependence of the Hall coefficient on the frequency has been measured and the pickup in the feeds due to B has been withdrawn from the results. We demonstrate the method with measurements on the TEXTOR tokamak, where we could clearly detect the small stray fields associated with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuations. On TEXTOR we have been able to detect the MHD activity preceding discharge disruptions as well as the precursors of the so called sawteeth. The results are compared to those of other diagnostics on TEXTOR as, e.g., magnetic loops and electron cyclotron emission, and they do well compare. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

A programmable digital signal processing system designed for online measurement and control of fusion devices has been built and operated on TEXTOR–94 tokamak. It meets the following requirements: to give a wide variety of choice in the kind of functions to be performed on the measured signals, stability for a time duration of up to 1 h, at the same time measurement of MHD fluctuations with frequencies in the range of several kHz and isolate the data acquisition from high voltage spikes.The system is being used on TEXTOR e.g. to measure currents and fluxes and to retrieve control parameters from them, to calculate correlations between different signals, or to detect special events like sawtooth crashes.

The noise floor of the analogue TV and FM radio signals in the cable TV networks (CATV) is analysed in order to establish how the planning of the levels should be modified if QPSK, QAM and OFDM are used. The results of a simulation using ADS software are presented and there is an analysis of complex laboratory experiments. The article ends with advice for the first stage of planning.

This study was designed to evaluate the influence of body position during neurosurgical and cerebrovascular operations on regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2). Awake volunteers (group I; n = 14), anesthetized patients (group II; n = 48) undergoing lumbar discectomy, and 12 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (group III) with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis were studied. Anesthesia in the patient groups was performed with sevoflurane (1.1 Vol% insp.) in N2O2/O2 mixture (FiO2 0.4) rSO2 was monitored with a INVOS 4100 cerebral oxymeter (Somanetics Corporation, Troy, MI). Measurements were done in all groups in supine position with head turned to the right and left side. Furthermore, in groups I and II, rSO2 was measured in right lateral, left lateral, prone, or sitting position. In each position the parameters were registered at three times (1, 3, and 5 min after taking up the position). In the healthy volunteers, the mean rSO2 values of both hemispheres were 71.3 +/- 5.0%. No significant changes of rSO2 were found interhemispherical and upon turning the head to both sides or positioning to the prone and both lateral positions. After assuming the sitting position, the decrease of rSO2 was not significant. In group II, rSO2 decreased significantly in the sitting position. In group III, baseline readings for rSO2 obtained from the side of ICA stenosis were significantly lower, compared to the contralateral side. After turning the head to the ipsilateral side, this difference diminished. In contrast, turning the head toward the contralateral side, the rSO2 difference remained nearly constant, both values decreasing constantly throughout the observation period. In conclusion, after different positioning maneuvers awake and under anesthesia, alterations of rSO2 can be registrated by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Nitrite and nitrate are used as additives in the food industry to provide color and taste and to control undesirable gas and flavor production by anaerobic bacteria by virtue of their antimicrobial properties. The analytical method that has been widely used to determine nitrite and nitrate involves the use of toxic cadmium. In response to a request from the Nordic Committee on Food Analysis, a study was performed to obtain an alternative chromatographic method to determine residual nitrite and nitrate in meat products. The study was done in 3 stages: (1) comparative evaluation of the performance of 3 liquid chromatographic methods, (2) internal validation of the selected ion chromatographic method, and (3) a collaborative study in which 17 laboratories from European countries participated. Furthermore, the applicability of the method to matrixes other than meat and meat products was demonstrated. The results of the collaborative study show that the European Prestandard prENV 12014-4 is well suited for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in different foods (e.g., meat products, vegetables, baby food, and cheese). The limits of detection for nitrite and nitrate ions are 1 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Recoveries of residual nitrite/nitrate ranged from 96 to 108%. Repeatability and reproducibility were satisfactory.

Abstract This study describes a new method, based on accelerometry, which quantifies tremor activity and posture continuously. A total of 25 right-handed patients with Parkinson's disease were recorded in a rest condition and in a postural tremor test, and during 24-h ambulatory monitoring. The tremor parameters, such as amplitude, frequency, and occurrence (percent of time), were derived by joint amplitude-frequency analysis. The DC components of multi-channel accelerometry allowed the detection of posture. A repeated measurement MANOVA was used to test the effects of posture and night-day differences in tremor activity. Further issues included consistencies of amplitude measurements across hands, between tasks, and between segments of recordings. Findings indicated an increase between resting tremor and postural tremor in the three tremor parameters, an increase under distraction, and enhanced activity in sitting compared to standing/walking. The best predictions of daytime monitoring measures, based on resting measures, were made for left hand tremor. This methodology is suitable for the detection of diurnal changes in tremor activity, especially amplitude changes, and for the psychophysiological investigation of enhanced tremor caused by task demands and emotional reactions.

After analysis of useful frequencies for DAB (digital audio broadcasting) transmission and the signal levels in CATV (cable television)-networks given, we discuss the theoretical requirements for a cable-type DAB receiver. We show the nature of the digital part and its influence on the characteristics of the receiver's RF-stages. The influence of filters, of nonlinear effects and noise on the receiver's overall performance are discussed. Finally, we present a level diagram for the receiver's stages and discuss data as measured.

A planar Mach probe to measure the Mach number and the flow vector with respect to the magnetic field in the edge plasma of e.g. a tokamak is being proposed. The probe is constructed as a double probe and the saturation ion current is measured as function of the angle of rotation of the probe surface normal with respect to the magnetic field. The saturation current as function of the angle is calculated by taking a drifted Maxwellian distribution for ions and an effective size of the probe depending on the angle. From the ratio of the saturation currents for plus and minus biases respectively and from the envelope of the saturation current with respect to the rotation angle, the Mach number and the flow vector can be determined.

A fast camera system is being prepared for the TEXTOR tokamak for the investigation of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) instabilities. The camera will consist of a scintillator screen for conversion of x rays into visible light, a fiberoptic cable for transport of the visible images out of the Textor magnetic field, an electrostatic image converter for amplification and demagnification of the images, and a fast charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for capturing and storing the image data. The purpose of our camera is two-dimensional imaging of magnetic islands and the structure of MHD instabilities. In order to increase the signal intensity and simultaneously reduce statistical noise, we maximize the diameter of the scintillator screen to 100 mm. For good time response, we use fast scintillators and phosphors, and plan to employ a 1 MHz framing CCD camera. MHD events having an amplitude larger than 1% can be observed with a time resolution of 100 kHz and a spatial resolution of 3 cm. In the future, the camera will be used on the Large Helical Device in Japan. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)62201-8].

In patients with lesions of the cervical spine, direct laryngoscopy for endotracheal intubation entails the risk of injuring the spinal cord. In an attempt to avoid this complication, the authors used flexible fiberoptic nasal intubation in a series of 327 patients with cervical lesions undergoing elective neurosurgical procedures. The nasal route was preferred for laryngeal intubation because it is easier than the oral route and a restraining collar or halo device does not impair the intubating maneuver. Bronchoscopic intubation was possible in all patients. In 12 patients (3.6%), anatomic abnormalities prevented transnasal insertion of the endotracheal tube, and transoral fiberoptic intubation was necessary. Endotracheal intubation was graded as slightly difficult in 85 patients (26%). The minimal peripheral oxygen saturation during intubation exceeded 90% in 289 patients (88%). In the other 38 patients, the mean O2 saturation was 84.2+/-4.3% (range, 72-89%). Intubation was well tolerated by all patients and none had recall of the procedure. Cervical stabilizers did not have to be removed for intubation in any patient. None of the patients had postoperative neurologic deficits attributable to the intubation procedure. The authors consider fiberoptic transnasal intubation to be a useful alternative to direct laryngoscopic tracheal intubation in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures on the cervical spine to avoid potential injury to the cervical spinal cord.

It is not absolutely necessary for DAB (digital audio broadcasting) signals to be inserted into CATV (cable television) networks within the CATV frequency range. Because the signals are robust they can also be transmitted beyond the usual boundaries of the usual frequency range. This paper includes a discussion of experimental results and a design for a DAB converter.

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is the most common cause of paradoxical air embolism during neurosurgical procedures in the posterior fossa in the sitting position in both adults and children. To detect right-to-left shunting, we performed Doppler color-flow imaging preoperatively in 30 children scheduled for neurosurgical procedures in the sitting position. A PFO was diagnosed on the basis of color alterations indicating an immediate blood shunt through a PFO. Six of 30 children (20%) had a PFO; in 4 of these children the sitting position then was avoided, and 2 children were operated on in a special supine position with minimal elevation of the head. Venous air embolism occurred in 9 of 24 (37%) children operated on in the sitting position and in none of the 6 children operated on in a nonsitting position. We conclude that Doppler color-flow mapping could be a useful noninvasive technique to screen children scheduled for neurosurgery in the sitting position for the presence of a PFO.

This paper describes the design, construction and testing of a protective electrical system which is an effective and reliable solution for blocking the DC current in the neutral of grounded “Y” configured power transformers. The blocking design uses sensors and electronic controls to automatically remove a metallic grounding path, leaving a capacitive blocking device in the transformer neutral connection. The sensing electronics detects the quasi-DC current in the transformer neutral or the total harmonic distortion (THD) on the grid, resulting from a geomagnetic disturbance (GMD); thus activating the protective mode of operation. In practice it is anticipated that this protective system will operate in the capacitively grounded mode of operation less than 0.1% of the time which limits the probability of experiencing a ground fault while in the capacitive blocking mode.

Wake vortices (WVs) generated by aircraft are a source of risk to the following aircraft. The probability of WV related accidents increases in the vicinity of airport runways due to the shorter time of recovery after a WV encounter. Hence, solutions that can reduce the risk of WV encounters are needed to ensure increased flight safety. In this work we propose an interesting approach to model such wake vortices in real time using a hybrid Eulerian- Lagrangian approach. We derive an appropriate mathematical model, and show a comparison of the different types of solvers. We will conclude with a real life application of the methodology by simulating how wake vortices left behind by an aircraft at the Vffirnes airport in Norway get transported and decay under the influence of a background wind and turbulence field. Although the work demonstrates the application in an aviation context the same approach can be used in a wind energy context.

In Austria emergency and disaster medicine is a young interdisciplinary subject. It is only a borderline discipline encompassing different medical subjects and was subdivided into emergency medicine for medical doctors only and first-aid for lay people and emergency technicians. In fact, since emergency medicine without first-aid can't be successful, the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of Graz let all students of the medical faculty have a comprehensive education in the treatment of injured of acutely ill patients. According to the three steps of the study lectures and practices, all parts of first-aid, emergency and disaster medicine were offered. In spite of the short time since this has been running, we found a good acceptance and we hope to increase the interest evinced by medical students in our training programme.

This paper investigates a method to minimize the flow of geo-magnetically induced currents (GIC) through power transformers. The solution examined was an AC grounding path provided by a capacitor between the earth ground and the neutral point of a power transformer only when GIC was detected. The effectiveness and problems of this approach were investigated through simulation of a 765 kV transmission system in an electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation program.

A persisting foramen ovale (PFO) is the most common cause of paradoxical air embolism. To detect right-to-left shunting, transthoracic contrast echocardiography was performed preoperatively in 301 patients scheduled for neurosurgical procedures in the sitting position. Echocardiography yielded evaluable results in 285 patients (94.7%). In 72 of 285 patients (25.2%), a PFO was diagnosed on the basis of contrast echo signals appearing in the left atrium or ventricle within 5 heart cycles after application of contrast medium via a peripheral vein. If echo signals appeared in the left heart after more than 5 heart cycles, an intrapulmonary right-to-left shunt was considered (11 patients, 3.9%). Venous air embolism (VAE) occurred in 27.4% of 226 patients operated on in the sitting position and in none of the 59 patients operated on in a nonsitting position. We conclude that the sitting position during neurosurgery should be avoided in patients with preoperative evidence of a right-to-left shunt at contrast echocardiography to reduce the risk of paradoxical air embolism (PAE).

The effects of orthotopic heart transplantation on spontaneous fluctuations of the respiration rate and heart rate were studied with a computer-assisted system for neurovegetative monitoring in 22 patients (mean age +/- SD: 48.7 +/- 9.4 years) 19.5 +/- 14.4 months after transplantation. The control group consisted of 12 healthy volunteers (mean age +/- SD: 38.7 +/- 6.6 years). The mean (+/- SE) respiratory rate was higher in the transplantation group than in the control group (17.7 +/- 0.8/min vs. 14.6 +/- 1.1 breaths/min, P < 0.2). The mean variability of the respiratory rate was smaller in the transplant patients than in the controls (3.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.4, P < 0.2). The heart rate variability coefficient in the patients after transplantation was lower than that in the controls (1.3 +/- 0.1% vs. 6.9 +/- 0.5%, P < 0.001). Spectral analysis of heart rate variability showed a smaller decrease of variability of respiration (P < 0.05) than of blood pressure regulation (P < 0.001) or of the angiotensin-renin system (P < 0.001). A separate group of 7 transplant patients (mean age 51.0 +/- 7.7 years) had activated cardiac pacemakers and thus no spontaneous physiologic heart rate oscillations. The variability of the respiratory rate in these patients was lower than in the other 22 transplant patients (1.8 +/- 0.2 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.3, P < 0.001). The data provided by multiparametric neurovegetative monitoring support the evaluation of complex regulatory mechanisms of respiratory and cardiovascular function and their adaptability after orthotopic heart transplantation.

Electrical and chemical properties of Bi films produced by low-energy cluster beam deposition (LECBD) are studied and compared with those of films made by molecular beam deposition (MBD). For LECBD Bi films, increase of roughness and decrease of film grain size explain increase of resistivity and chemical reactivity to oxygen. Two phenomena are proposed to play a role in LECBD film growth: low surface diffusion of Bi clusters (relative to Bi2) and a high barrier to cluster coalescence. The present experiments show that growth of LECBD crystallized Bi films and the film grain size can be controlled by the size distribution of incident clusters.

Physical and chemical properties of films prepared by Low-Energy Cluster Beam Deposition (LECBD) are presented, discussed and compared to those of films obtained by other conventional deposition techniques. LECBD films are formed by the stacking of individual grains corresponding roughly to the incident free clusters. This original structure suggests that LECBD is promising for technological and theoretical applications. Film properties strongly related to the mean grain size can be controlled with this original technique. This work shows several examples showing the assets of LECBD: ultrathin sintered films, high surface-volume ratio or continuous ultrathin films, new structures of metallic deposits. Used as a tool to obtain experimental data to study fractal 2D models or to elaborate deposits to study quantum size effects, this deposition technique would be original, efficient and sometimes essential in many research areas

In a dicussion of the telecommunications industry, the authors focus on the European Community's objective of liberalization and integration—goals which they consider ‘only partly compatible’—and the frameworks within which they operate: standardization and harmonization. In examining the developments of policies in these two areas, the authors identify different interests and different Community strategies in each case.

Low energy cluster beam deposition allows the preparation of thin films that cannot be prepared by usual deposition techniques. We show here that low energy cluster beam deposition allows the preparation of continuous amorphous antimony thin films, contrary to the usual molecular beam deposition technique. These stable continuous amorphous films had never been obtained at room temperature. The study has been carried out by combining electrical measurements and transmission electron microscopy observations.

A tangentially viewing soft x-ray camera system is to be installed on the Large Helical Device (LHD). This camera system is aimed at exploring both detailed structures of the magnetic surfaces of the LHD plasma and helical islands induced either due to magnetic field errors or MHD instabilities. The frequency range this system is capable of exploring is 0

A variety of HPV types infect the anogenital mucosa, giving rise to lesions that differ in clinical appearance, histology, and risk of malignant progression. Human papillomavirus type 16 is distinguished by a strong association with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and the greatest prevalence in anogenital malignancy. Most cancers appear to have a multifactorial cause, and HPV infection alone is probably insufficient for malignant transformation. The consistent association between HPV infection and anogenital cancers emphasizes that the papillomaviruses may have a necessary role in carcinogenesis, however. Hence, there is a prospect that vaccination programs may one day allow public health control of HPV infection, thereby eliminating an important risk factor.

Ropinirole is a non-ergolinic dopamine agonist, which has been used for over 10 years for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. A new formulation (PR = prolonged release) has been developed, which allows the drug to be released slowly (continuously) so that it only has to be given once daily. Switching from the previous ropinirole immediate release ( ropinirole IR) to the prolonged release (ropinirole PR) formulation at the nearest equivalent total daily dose, can take place overnight and the acceptance and tolerability are good. The advantages are once-daily dosing, faster titration with good tolerability and more stable plasma levels. The new formulation is regarded as valuable addition to the currently available medications.

Major hallmarks in the pathophysiology of Parkinson disease are cellular energy depletion and oxidative stress leading to cellular dysfunction and death. Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is an electron acceptor bridging mitochondrial complexes I and II/III and a potent antioxidant that consistently partially recovers the function of dopaminergic neurons.To determine whether nanoparticular CoQ(10) is safe and displays symptomatic effects in patients with midstage Parkinson disease without motor fluctuations.Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, stratified, parallel-group, single-dose trial.Academic and nonacademic movement disorder clinics.One hundred thirty-one patients with Parkinson disease without motor fluctuations and a stable antiparkinsonian treatment. Intervention Random assignment to placebo or nanoparticular CoQ(10) (100 mg 3 times a day) for a treatment period of 3 months. Stratification criterion was levodopa treatment.The subjects underwent evaluation with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) at each visit on a monthly basis. The primary outcome variable was the change of the sum score of the UPDRS parts II and III between the baseline and 3-month visits.One hundred thirty-one subjects were randomized according to the protocol. The mean changes of the sum UPDRS parts II/III score were -3.69 for the placebo group and -3.33 for the CoQ(10) group (P = .82). Statistical analysis according to the stratification did not result in significant changes of the primary outcome variable. No secondary outcome measure showed a significant change between the placebo group and the CoQ(10) group. The frequency and quality of adverse events were similar in both treatment groups.Nanoparticular CoQ(10) at a dosage of 300 mg/d is safe and well tolerated and leads to plasma levels similar to 1200 mg/d of standard formulations. Add-on CoQ(10) does not display symptomatic effects in midstage Parkinson disease.

The need of high quality spectroscopic semiconductor imaging detectors in X-ray astronomy was the principal driving force in founding the MPI Semiconductor Laboratory. Detectors developed in this laboratory are based on new function principles and are processed in the silicon detector processing line established within the laboratory. We describe the development of pnCCDs as already used in the XMM-Newton European X-ray observatory and foreseen for eROSITA, the DEPFET based pixel detector for XEUS and a new development which makes it possible to measure charge with a precision below one elementary charge. A noise value of 0.25 electron r.m.s. has already been reached.

We report the determination of the Auger recombination coefficient in unstrained and strained InGaAs/InGaAsP/InP SC-MQW laser structures. The weak temperature dependence of the Auger coefficient indicates the dominance of the phonon-assisted CHSH Auger process. For T = 300K and L/sub z/ = 100/spl Aring/ we find C = 1.0 - 10/sup -28/crn/sup 6/s/sup -1/, independent of strain.