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Background Treatment for claudication that is due to aortoiliac peripheral artery disease (PAD) often relies on stent revascularization (ST). However, supervised exercise (SE) is known to provide comparable short-term (6-month) improvements in functional status and quality of life. Longer-term outcomes are not known. Objectives The goal of this study was to report the longer-term (18-month) efficacy of SE compared with ST and optimal medical care (OMC). Methods Of 111 patients with aortoiliac PAD randomly assigned to receive OMC, OMC plus SE, or OMC plus ST, 79 completed the 18-month clinical and treadmill follow-up assessment. SE consisted of 6 months of SE and an additional year of telephone-based exercise counseling. Primary clinical outcomes included objective treadmill-based walking performance and subjective quality of life. Results Peak walking time improved from baseline to 18 months for both SE (5.0 ± 5.4 min) and ST (3.2 ± 4.7 min) significantly more than for OMC (0.2 ± 2.1 min; p Conclusions Both SE and ST had better 18-month outcomes than OMC. SE and ST provided comparable durable improvement in functional status and in quality of life up to 18 months. The durability of claudication exercise interventions merits its consideration as a primary PAD claudication treatment. (Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization [CLEVER]; NCT00132743 )

Purpose To describe the experience and results from the roll-in phase of the Cardiovascular Outcomes with Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) study. Materials and Methods The CORAL roll-in database was used to describe the baseline characteristics of the patients in the roll-in cohort, all of whom underwent renal artery stent placement; to evaluate CORAL site performance; to compare estimates of lesion (stenosis) severity made by site interventionalists with the central CORAL angiographic core laboratory readings; and to report outcomes after renal artery stent placement. During the roll-in phase, 239 patients (mean age, 70.2 y ± 9.0; 49% male) underwent renal artery stent procedures. Angiographic core laboratory analysis of renal arteriograms was done, and participants were followed at 1 month and 9 months. Results Major angiographic complications were identified in 28 (13%) subjects. Kidney function remained unchanged at the short (2–4 weeks) follow-up interval. Improvement in systolic blood pressure with use of distal embolic protection devices (n = 161) did not show any clinical benefit over nonuse of such devices (n = 78) in this small series. At 9 months, there were significantly more endpoints reported by site in subjects with bilateral renal artery stenosis ( P = .01) and prior history of stroke ( P = .03). Conclusions In the roll-in phase of the CORAL study, a significant number of angiographic complications were identified. No effect was seen on estimated glomerular filtration rate after renal artery stent placement, but systolic blood pressure decreased significantly.

We present observations of the circular polarization of the recombination line maser in MWC 349. Six good quality Ha30α spectra were obtained during 2010 – 2011 which show that the Zeeman features are complex, time variable, and usually different for the blue- and red-shifted maser spikes. We propose that the magnetic field, located in the corona of the circumstellar disk, has toroidal and radial components. It is plausibly generated in a disk dynamo.

A new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been developed at Multimedia University, in collaboration with Agency of Remote Sensing Malaysia. The SAR operates at C-band, single V V -polarization, with 5m £ 5m spatial resolution. Its unique features include compact in size, light weight, low power and capable of performing real-time imaging. A series of fleld measurements and ∞ight tests has been conducted and good quality SAR images have been obtained. The system will be used for monitoring and management of earth resources such as paddy flelds, oil palm plantation and soil surface. This paper reports the system design and development, as well as some preliminary results of the UAVSAR.

Background— Claudication is a common and disabling symptom of peripheral artery disease that can be treated with medication, supervised exercise (SE), or stent revascularization (ST). Methods and Results— We randomly assigned 111 patients with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease to receive 1 of 3 treatments: optimal medical care (OMC), OMC plus SE, or OMC plus ST. The primary end point was the change in peak walking time on a graded treadmill test at 6 months compared with baseline. Secondary end points included free-living step activity, quality of life with the Walking Impairment Questionnaire, Peripheral Artery Questionnaire, Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form, and cardiovascular risk factors. At the 6-month follow-up, change in peak walking time (the primary end point) was greatest for SE, intermediate for ST, and least with OMC (mean change versus baseline, 5.8±4.6, 3.7±4.9, and 1.2±2.6 minutes, respectively; P P =0.02 for ST versus OMC, and P =0.04 for SE versus ST). Although disease-specific quality of life as assessed by the Walking Impairment Questionnaire and Peripheral Artery Questionnaire also improved with both SE and ST compared with OMC, for most scales, the extent of improvement was greater with ST than SE. Free-living step activity increased more with ST than with either SE or OMC alone (114±274 versus 73±139 versus −6±109 steps per hour), but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions— SE results in superior treadmill walking performance than ST, even for those with aortoiliac peripheral artery disease. The contrast between better walking performance for SE and better patient-reported quality of life for ST warrants further study. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00132743?order=1 . Unique identifier: NCT00132743.

We present the results from the first large (>100 source) 3.5 mm polarimetric survey of radio loud active galactic nuclei (AGN). The I, Q, U, and V Stokes parameter observations were performed with the XPOL polarimeter at the IRAM 30m Telescope. Our sample consists of 145 flat-radio-spectrum AGN with declination >-30 deg. (J2000.0) and flux density >~1Jy at 86GHz, as measured at the IRAM 30 m Telescope from 1978 to 1994. We detected linear and circular polarization (above 3 sigma levels of ~1.6%, and ~0.3%) for 76%, and 6% of the sample, respectively. We find a clear excess in degree of linear polarization detected at 86 GHz with regard to that at 15 GHz by a factor of ~2. Over our entire source sample, the luminosity of the jets is inversely proportional to the degree of linear polarization. Consistent with previous findings claiming larger Doppler factors for brighter gamma-ray blazars, quasars listed in our sample, and in the Fermi-LBAS catalog, show larger luminosities than non-LBAS ones, but our data do not allow us to confirm the same for BL Lac objects. We do not find a clear relation between the linear polarization angle and the jet structural position angle for any source class in our sample. We interpret this as the consequence of a markedly non-axisymmetric character of the 3 mm emitting region in the jets. We find that intrinsic circular polarization is the most likely mechanism for generation of the circular polarization detected in our observations. Our new data can be used to estimate the 3 mm AGN contribution to measurements of the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background, such as those performed by the Planck satellite., Published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 25 pages, 2 tables & 13 figures

We have performed the first 3.5 mm polarimetric survey of radio loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) with the IRAM 30 m Telescope. Unlike radio wavelengths, millimeter observations allow us to measure the intrinsic linearly polarized emission from AGN, thanks to the marginal effect of Faraday rotation and depolarization at mm wavelengths. The sample contains 145 sources, and it essentially consists of all flat-spectrum AGN with declinations accessible to the 30 m Telescope (Dec. ( J 2000.0) > -30°), and with 3 mm flux density ≳ 1 Jy, as measured from 1978 to 1994. LBAS quasars in our sample show larger luminosity than non-LBAS ones, which is consistent with previous work claiming larger Doppler factors for brighter γ-ray blazars. This effect cannot be claimed for BL Lacertae objects in our sample, which suggests that only quasars contribute to distribute LBAS blazars towards larger luminosities. We find a systematic 3.5 mm linear polarization degree excess by a factor of ~ 2 with regard to the one at 2 cm for all optical and γ-ray classes of sources considered here. Our sample shows a significant trend to increase the luminosity of their jets for decreasing linear polarization fraction. Unlike previous studies in the radio spectral range, we do not find a clear relation between the linear polarization angle and the jet structural position angle of any source class in our sample. This is interpreted as a markedly non-axisymmetric character of the 3 mm emitting region of radio loud AGN jets.

Zusammenfassung: Ziel der retrospektiven Studie war ein Vergleich zwischen konventionell chirurgischer und minimal invasiver Operationstechnik hinsichtlich Operationssicherheit, intra- und postoperativen Komplikationen und Erfolgsraten bei uni- und bilateraler Ovariektomie der Stute. Material und Methoden: Bei 116 Patienten erfolgten 153 Ovariektomien. Elf Stuten wurden über eine mediane Laparotomie in Allgemeinanästhesie operiert. Hämostase und Dissektion des Mesovars wurden mit dem TA-90-Linearstapler in Kombination mit einer Gekröseligatur durchgeführt. Bei 103 Pferden erfolgte der Eingriff endoskopisch am stehenden sedierten Tier über einen Optikzugang im 17. Interkostalraum und zwei ipsilaterale Instrumentenzugänge in der Flanke. In vier Fällen erforderte die Größe des Ovarialtumors ein biphasisches Vorgehen (Absetzen des Ovars unter endoskopischer Kontrolle, Exstirpation über mediane Laparotomie). Bei zwei unkooperativen Stuten wurde das laparoskopische Verfahren unter Allgemeinanästhesie in Seitenlage vorgenommen. Hämostase und Dissektion des Mesovars erfolgten bei den Patienten dieser Gruppe mittels Linearstapler, Vessel-Sealing-System (LigaSure®), bipolarer Hochfrequenzchirurgie, Diodenlaser oder modifizierter Roeder-Schlinge. Ergebnisse: Bei konventionell operierten Pferden traten in 36,4% (4/11) der Fälle signifikante intra- und/oder postoperative, zum Teil lebensbedrohliche Komplikationen auf, die in drei Fällen eine Relaparotomie und intensive Therapie erforderten und in einem Fall final zur Euthanasie führten. Bei minimalinvasiver und biphasischer Technik ergaben sich bei 105 Patienten und 142 Ovariektomien intraoperativ keine signifikanten Komplikationen. Postoperativ entwickelten 12 Pferde (8,4%) geringgradige Komplikationen. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Minimal invasive Verfahren sind konventionell chirurgischen Techniken wegen deutlich geringerer Invasivität und Morbidität sowie operationstechnischer Vorteile vorzuziehen. Als Methode der Wahl erweist sich die laparoskopische Ovariektomie am stehenden Tier. Alternativ ist der endoskopisch-chirurgische Eingriff in Seitenlage einer Operation in Rückenlage vorzuziehen.

International audience; We present observations of Mercury made with the IRAM 30-m telescope at 3, 2 and 1.3 mm wavelength (90, 150 and 230 GHz) during the years 1985-2005; we derive from these data the disk-averaged brightness temperatures. The observations at 3 mm combined with those by Epstein & Andrew allow a separation of the data into 40° wide longitude intervals and by this an investigation of the disk-averaged brightness temperature with Mercury's longitude. From the new mm-wavelength data, and data taken from the literature, we derive the disk-averaged brightness temperature as a function of wavelength. On Mercury's night side a significant decrease in brightness temperature occurs towards shorter wavelengths. We use the three surface models (A,B,C) discussed by Mitchell & de Pater and calculate for the cool and hot surface region the corrresponding diurnal variation of the disk-averaged brightness temperature at 90 GHz. For the same models we calculate the variation of the disk-averaged brightness temperature with wavelength between 1.3 mm and 37 mm, on Mercury's midnight side and noon side. Although the scatter in the observations is large, there seems to be a marginally better agreement with model B and A.

Zusammenfassung Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Prüfung der transurethralen minimal invasiven Operationstechniken bei unterschiedlichen Erkrankungsformen der Harnblase des adulten Pferdes. Material und Methode: In der Tierärztlichen Klinik in Starnberg wurde in den Jahren 2006 und 2007 bei zwei Pferden mit benignen Harnblasentumoren und einem Pferd mit einer malignen Harnblasenneoplasie eine transurethrale laserchirurgische Tumorablation unter Einsatz eines 980-nm-Diodenlasers durchgeführt. Bei einem weiteren Patienten erfolgte eine transurethrale endoskopisch gestützte Lithotripsie eines Zystolithen mittels elektrohydraulischer Stoßwelle. Bei allen Pferden wurden die chirurgischen Eingriffe am stehenden sedierten Patienten vorgenommen. Die laserchirurgische Tumorresektion fand in zwei, drei bzw. sieben Operationssitzungen statt, die transurethrale elektrohydraulische Lithotripsie in einer Sitzung. Ergebnisse: Die benignen Neoplasien (Harnblasenpolypen) ließen sich durch das laserchirurgische Operationsverfahren vollständig entfernen. Bei der malignen Neoplasie (papilläres Übergangsepithelkarzinom) konnte eine Tumorregression im Sinne eines palliativ-therapeutischen Eingriffs mit einer Lebenszeitverlängerung um 18 Monate erreicht werden. Die transurethrale elektrohydraulische Lithotripsie führte zu keiner mechanischen Alteration der Harnblasenwand. Die Entfernung der Fragmente erfolgte mittels Harnblasenspülung sowie über die Miktion. Die Patienten mit benignen Tumoren sowie das Pferd mit Harnblasenstein blieben im 12- bis 18-monatigen Beobachtungszeitraum symptomfrei. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Gemäß den hier erzielten Ergebnissen stellt die transurethrale endoskopisch gestützte Lasertherapie bei den Harnblasentumoren wie auch die elektrohydraulische Lithotripsie bei der Zystolithiasis ein geeignetes endoskopisch-chirurgisches Therapieverfahren mit geringer Komplikationsrate dar.

Treatment for claudication that is due to aortoiliac peripheral artery disease (PAD) often relies on stent revascularization (ST). However, supervised exercise (SE) is known to provide comparable short-term (6-month) improvements in functional status and quality of life. Longer-term outcomes are not known.The goal of this study was to report the longer-term (18-month) efficacy of SE compared with ST and optimal medical care (OMC).Of 111 patients with aortoiliac PAD randomly assigned to receive OMC, OMC plus SE, or OMC plus ST, 79 completed the 18-month clinical and treadmill follow-up assessment. SE consisted of 6 months of SE and an additional year of telephone-based exercise counseling. Primary clinical outcomes included objective treadmill-based walking performance and subjective quality of life.Peak walking time improved from baseline to 18 months for both SE (5.0 ± 5.4 min) and ST (3.2 ± 4.7 min) significantly more than for OMC (0.2 ± 2.1 min; p0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively). The difference between SE and ST was not significant (p = 0.16). Improvement in claudication onset time was greater for SE compared with OMC, but not for ST compared with OMC. Many disease-specific quality-of-life scales demonstrated durable improvements that were greater for ST compared with SE or OMC.Both SE and ST had better 18-month outcomes than OMC. SE and ST provided comparable durable improvement in functional status and in quality of life up to 18 months. The durability of claudication exercise interventions merits its consideration as a primary PAD claudication treatment.

To examine the relationship between objective treadmill test outcomes and subjective symptom outcomes among patients with claudication treated with stent revascularization (ST) compared with supervised exercise (SE).Five scales of the Peripheral Artery Questionnaire and Walking Impairment Questionnaire were correlated with peak walking time and treadmill claudication onset time.The correlation between change in disease-specific quality of life (QOL) and change in peak walking time differed according to treatment group, with statistically significant correlations for all five scales for the ST group and weaker trends for the SE group, only one of which was statistically significant. In contrast, improvements in disease-specific QOL correlated well with increases in claudication onset time, with no significant interaction with treatment group for any of the five scales.Disease-specific QOL results at 6 months in the Claudication: Exercise Vs. Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) study show that improved maximal treadmill walking in patients with claudication treated with SE correlated poorly with self-reported symptom relief. Conversely, patients treated with ST showed good correlation between improved maximal treadmill walking and self-reported symptom improvement. The correlation between claudication onset time and self-reported symptom relief was good across treatment groups. This finding indicates that traditional objective treadmill test outcomes may not correlate well with symptom relief in patients with claudication. Future studies should investigate these data and improve understanding of patient relevance of traditional objective treadmill-based treatment outcomes.

We thank the readers for the interest in our article1 and for their insightful comments. One such reader, Dr Maylar, comments that the 6-month data from the Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) study do not justify a firm conclusion in favor of supervised exercise (SE). We note that the study was designed with a peak-walking-time, 6-month primary outcome end point; using this prespecified end point, SE provided a superior outcome to stent revascularization. However, high-quality comparative effectiveness research is always best designed to permit >1 clinical end point over relevant timeframes. In this context, we note that primary care and vascular specialty clinicians will evaluate both 6- and 18-month time points and the full range of outcomes achieved. As Dr Maylar points out, patient-centered outcomes were not as strongly positive for SE as the treadmill outcomes. The finding of more improvement in treadmill walking by SE participants but more symptom improvement in stent revascularization participants needs to be understood. We also agree that SE requires more commitment on the part of patients (but note that exercise would ideally be done …

The presence of Salmonella was studied in tonsils and feces of sheep and goats at slaughter using PCR and culturing. The isolates were further characterized using PFGE to get more information about the genetic diversity of Salmonella strains circulating among sheep and goats. Antimicrobial resistance was studied because resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents among Salmonella is increasing. The prevalence of Salmonella was 43% and 2% in the tonsils of sheep and goat, respectively. Salmonella was not detected in the feces of adult animals and only sporadically in the feces of juveniles (2%). S. enterica subsp. diarizonae 61:k:1,5,(7) was isolated from 20% of the sheep tonsils and 1% of the goat tonsils. In total, 9 genotypes were obtained with PFGE using SpeI, XbaI, NotI and XhoI restriction enzymes; however, one genotype was predominant. All strains were sensitive to most (13/16) of the antimicrobials. Resistance to sulfamethoxazole was high (95%). Three (15%) strains, which were isolated from lambs, were also resistant to colistin. No correlation between the antimicrobial resistance pattern and the genotype was noticed. These results demonstrate that slaughtered sheep are an important reservoir for S. enterica subsp. diarizonae 61:k:1,5,(7) carrying this pathogen frequently in the tonsils. Future studies are needed to elucidate the significance of the tonsils in the contamination of sheep carcasses and meat with Salmonella.

The "Millimeter Radio Telescope" (MRT) is operated by the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the millimeter range (IRAM) and is located at 2850-m altitude in the Sierra Nevada, near Granada, Spain. It is a reflector antenna of 30-m diameter with a surface accuracy of 0.08 mm and a pointing accuracy of better than 2 arcsec. The telescope is equipped with sensitive receivers for the atmospheric windows between 0.8- and 7-mm wavelength. The authors describe the optics layout of the receiver and calibration system, which allows simultaneous observations at a number of frequencies. The special design aspects of the antenna, in particular the control of thermal deformations and the achievement of a high reflector and pointing accuracy are described. The authors compare the design computations with the characteristics of the telescope, derived from several years of operation and optimization. The success of the design is demonstrated by observational experience. The authors conclude the paper with a short review of some of the astronomical results obtained with the telescope. >

International audience; Context. The majority of stars that leave the main sequence are undergoing extensive mass loss, in particular during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase of evolution. Observations show that the rate at which this phenomenon develops differs widely from source to source, so that the time-integrated mass loss as a function of the initial conditions (mass, metallicity, etc.) and of the stage of evolution is presently not well understood. Aims: We investigate the mass loss history of AGB stars by observing the molecular and atomic emission of their circumstellar envelopes. Methods: We selected two stars that are on the thermally pulsing phase of the AGB (TP-AGB) for which high quality data in both the CO rotation lines and the atomic hydrogen line at 21 cm could be obtained. Results: A carbon star of the irregular variability type, V1942 Sgr, has a complex CO line profile that may originate in a long-lived wind of rate ~10-7 M&sun; yr-1, and from a young (⪅104 years) fast outflow of rate ˜ 5×10-7 M&sun; yr-1. The intense H i emission is indicative of a detached shell with 0.044 M&sun; of hydrogen. This shell probably results from the slowing-down, by surrounding matter, of the same long-lived wind observed in CO that has been active for ˜6×105 years. On the other hand, the carbon Mira V CrB is presently undergoing mass loss at a rate of 2×10-7 M&sun; yr-1, but was not detected in the H i data. The wind is mostly molecular and has been active for at most 3×104 years, with an integrated mass loss of at most 6.5×10-3 M&sun;. Conclusions: Although both sources are carbon stars on the TP-AGB, they appear to develop mass loss in very different conditions, and a high rate of mass loss may not imply a high integrated mass loss.

CMB experiments aiming at a precise measurement of the CMB polarization, such as the Planck satellite, need a strong polarized absolute calibrator on the sky to accurately set the detectors polarization angle and the cross-polarization leakage. As the most intense polarized source in the microwave sky at angular scales of few arcminutes, the Crab nebula will be used for this purpose. Our goal was to measure the Crab nebula polarization characteristics at 90 GHz with unprecedented precision. The observations were carried out with the IRAM 30m telescope employing the correlation polarimeter XPOL and using two orthogonally polarized receivers. We processed the Stokes I, Q, and U maps from our observations in order to compute the polarization angle and linear polarization fraction. The first is almost constant in the region of maximum emission in polarization with a mean value of alpha_Sky=152.1+/-0.3 deg in equatorial coordinates, and the second is found to reach a maximum of Pi=30% for the most polarized pixels. We find that a CMB experiment having a 5 arcmin circular beam will see a mean polarization angle of alpha_Sky=149.9+/-0.2 deg and a mean polarization fraction of Pi=8.8+/-0.2%., Accepted for publication in A&A, 9 pages, 4 figures

International audience; Context: An isolated H i cloud with peculiar properties has recently been discovered by Dedes et al. (2008, A&A, 491, L45) with the 300-m Arecibo telescope, and subsequently imaged with the VLA. It has an angular size of ~6', and the H i emission has a narrow line profile of width ~3 km s-1. Aims: We explore the possibility that this cloud could be associated with a circumstellar envelope ejected by an evolved star. Methods: Observations were made in the rotational lines of CO with the IRAM-30m telescope, on three positions in the cloud, and a total-power mapping in the H i line was obtained with the Nançay Radio Telescope. Results: CO was not detected and seems too underabundant in this cloud to be a classical late-type star circumstellar envelope. On the other hand, the H i emission is compatible with the detached-shell model that we developed for representing the external environments of AGB stars. Conclusions: We propose that this cloud could be a fossil circumstellar shell left over from a system that is now in a post-planetary-nebula phase. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out that it is a Galactic cloud or a member of the Local Group, although the narrow line profile would be atypical in both cases.

The quasar-type blazar 3C 454.3 underwent a phase of high activity in summer and autumn 2007, which was intensively monitored in the radio-to-optical bands by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT). The gamma-ray satellite AGILE detected this source first in late July, and then in November-December 2007. In this letter we present the multifrequency data collected by the WEBT and collaborators during the second AGILE observing period, complemented by a few contemporaneous data from UVOT onboard the Swift satellite. The aim is to trace in detail the behaviour of the synchrotron emission from the blazar jet, and to investigate the contribution from the thermal emission component. Optical data from about twenty telescopes have been homogeneously calibrated and carefully assembled to construct an R-band light curve containing about 1340 data points in 42 days. This extremely well-sampled optical light curve allows us to follow the dramatic flux variability of the source in detail. In addition, we show radio-to-UV spectral energy distributions (SEDs) at different epochs, which represent different brightness levels. In the considered period, the source varied by 2.6 mag in a couple of weeks in the R band. Many episodes of fast (i.e. intranight) variability were observed, most notably on December 12, when a flux increase of about 1.1 mag in 1.5 hours was detected, followed by a steep decrease of about 1.2 mag in 1 hour. The contribution by the thermal component is difficult to assess, due to the uncertainties in the Galactic, and possibly also intrinsic, extinction in the UV band. However, polynomial fitting of radio-to-UV SEDs reveals an increasing spectral bending going towards fainter states, suggesting a UV excess likely due to the thermal emission from the accretion disc., 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters

Purpose The CLEVER Study (Claudication: Exercise Vs. Endoluminal Revascularization) previously reported superior treadmill peak walking time at 6 months when claudicants are treated with supervised exercise compared with stent revascularization. Conversely, it also showed better symptom improvement at 6 months for stent than supervised exercise. The purpose of this post-hoc analysis is to examine the relationship of disease-specific QOL (i.e., symptom) improvement with treadmill test outcomes, using data from CLEVER Study participants. Materials and Methods Multivariable regression analyses were done on treadmill test walking performance (peak walking performance and claudication onset time) using the 5 scales of the Peripheral Artery Questionnaire (PAQ) and Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ), to examine the correlation and treatment group interaction effects. Results The correlation between change in symptoms and change in peak treadmill test walking performance showed a significant interaction effect with treatment group. Symptom improvement correlated with peak treadmill walking performance for those treated with stents but not for those treated with supervised exercise. There was a much larger improvement in symptoms for each minute of improvement in peak treadmill walking for stent compared with supervised exercise. In contrast, there was no significant treatment group interaction for claudication onset time on the treadmill, and improvements in symptoms correlated well with increases in claudication onset time, with no significant interaction with treatment group for any of the 5 scales. Conclusion Six month results from the CLEVER study show that although supervised exercise resulted in superior peak treadmill walking than stent revascularization, peak treadmill walking did not correlate with improved symptoms in that treatment group, whereas it did for the stent group. Treadmill claudication onset time may be a better endpoint for claudication treatment strategy trials, because symptom improvement and walking performance are both measured by it, independent of treatment group.

We report observations, using the IRAM 30 m telescope, of 30 ultracompact and hypercompact HII regions in the lines of HCO + (3−2) and/or HCO + (1−0) and H30α and/or H39α. Images are presented in both HCO + (3−2) and H30α toward a subset of regions (16 in HCO + (3−2), 14 in H30α) with a resolution of 12 �� . In addition, H 13 CO + (3−2) observations are reported toward 13 HII regions where HCO + (3−2) displays complex profiles. It is shown that the absorption dips in the HCO + profiles are due to HCO + self-absorption, not absorption of the HII free-free emission or warm dust emission surrounding the HII region or two velocity components along the line of sight. It was found that among the sources with self-absorbed profiles, 8 are contracting and 5 are expanding. Mass fluxes are found to be typically a few times 10 −3 Myr −1 , implying time scales for massive star formation

The concept of simultaneous multifrequency continuum observations, successfully tested on Comet Hyakutake, was applied to Comet Hale-Bopp, using the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope (HHT) with the four color bolometer between 250 and 870 GHz, the IRAM 30m telescope at 240 Ghz, the MPIfR 100-m telescope at 32 GHz, and the IRAM interferometer near 90 and 240 GHz. Near-simultaneous measurements were done between February 15 and April 26, 1997, mainly concentrated in mid March shortly before perigee of the comet.

We present theory and experiments for two optical methods for measuring histograms of halftone images. In both methods, the histogram is obtained by spatial filtering of the halftone object. In the first method, we used a phase filter with a comb-type point spread function. In the second method, the filter matched one kind of the differentiated halftone dots. Experiments show that the first method works fast and gives fairly accurate results (errors were about 10%), whereas the second method requires more experimental efforts, but the results are more accurate in this case (errors were about 0.9%).

This paper describes a computer program developed for the study of the growth of corona streamers from a lightning rod. The basic physical processes of electrical discharge are applied in the model. From results of computer studies, it was found that the determination of striking distance cannot rely solely on the state of growth of the upward streanier. The attractive effect of the lightning rod should be measured in terms of the rate of descent of the leader stroke with respect to the growth of the upward streamer. Additional studies were also made to determine the effect of structure height on striking distance.

We have made arcminute resolution maps of Orion A and Orion B at 0.33 GHz where the central parts of both nebulae are highly opaque and at 10.7 GHz where they are fully transparent. The 0.33 GHz maps yield direct estimates of electron temperature towards the peaks of these nebulae, whereas the 10.7 GHz maps are used to estimate ‘best-fit isothermal temperatures’ using an improved version of the approach followed in the past. Based on radio continuum data alone, these two types of estimates provide evidence for a decrease in the electron temperature away from the core region, at least for Orion A.

Continuous blood-sugar measurement is at present the most suitable method for testing daily blood sugar profile. It allows to relate variations in blood sugar levels in metabolically normal subjects to body weight. Mean blood-sugar level and postprandial blood-sugar variations are greater in those of normal than of ideal weight. At the same time, metabolically normal subjects of normal weight have a high insulin secretion in the fasting and postprandial states. This makes it likely that those of normal weight, although it is only slightly different from those of ideal weight, have already reached a transitional stage to an increased diabetes risk from over-weight.

Hypoglycemia in diabetes can be divided into 1) spontaneous hypoglycemic reactions due to absolute or relative overproduction of endogenous insulin or some other blood glucose-lowering substance, as in islet cell adenoma or carcinoma, latent or protodiabetic conditions, (extrapancreatic) tumors and pituitary and/or adrenal disorders; and 2) hypoglycemia caused by exogenous, i.e. therapeutic, measures. The problem of hypoglycemia in insulin-treated diabetics is far from being solved. As revealed by continuous blood glucose monitoring, nocturnal hypoglycemic attacks frequently escape attention especially in juvenile diabetics. Circadian variations in peripheral glucose utilization, rather than changes in plasma insulin activity, are likely to be involved in this mechanism. At least, this was the conclusion drawn from studies carried out by means of a glucose-controlled insulin and glucose infusion system (GCIGIS) -or artificial pancreas-which delivers short-acting insulin and glucose on demand intravenously. Hypoglycemic reactions in patients being treated with oral anti-diabetic agents, on the other hand, should be regarded primarily as one of the side reactions intrinsic to the mechanism of action of some of these drugs, e.g. sulfonylureas, which act mainly via stimulation of secretion of endogenous insulin reserves not responding properly to postprandial blood glucose increments. In the case of glibenclamide, at least partial resensitization of the defective glucose receptor of the beta-cell also becomes operative. A higher incidence of a characteristic type of hypoglycemic reaction was observed soon after glibenclamide therapy was introduced. Better understanding of the drug and dissemination of the information about it to doctors and patients has reduced the number of hypoglycemic reactions caused by glibenclamide to the same proportions as for other sulfonylureas. Hypoglyoemia following therapeutic hypophysectomy retains its position as one of the main hazards of this heroic therapy.

NIKA is a dual-band camera operating with 315 frequency multiplexed LEKIDs cooled at 100 mK. NIKA is designed to observe the sky in intensity and polarisation at 150 and 260 GHz from the IRAM 30-m telescope. It is a test-bench for the final NIKA2 camera. The incoming linear polarisation is modulated at four times the mechanical rotation frequency by a warm rotating multi-layer Half Wave Plate. Then, the signal is analysed by a wire grid and finally absorbed by the LEKIDs. The small time constant (< 1ms ) of the LEKID detectors combined with the modulation of the HWP enables the quasi-simultaneous measurement of the three Stokes parameters I, Q, U, representing linear polarisation. In this paper we present results of recent observational campaigns demonstrating the good performance of NIKA in detecting polarisation at mm wavelength., 7 pages, Proceeding for Journal of Low Temperature Physics

Measurements of the near infrared surface brightness of the zodiacal light were obtained by a balloon-borne telescope launched in October 1972 from the NCAR balloon flight station, Palestine, Texas. Because of the intensive OH air-glow1 zodiacal light observations in the near infrared are in general not possible from the ground2 and not even from balloon altitudes, except for a gap of Δλ = 0.3 µm in the airglow spectrum at λ = 2.4 µm. At a float altitude of 32 km the atmospheric absorption in the near infrared is negligible. Moreover, the dryness there permits the use of an actively cooled instrument.