Discontinuous change in the smectic layer thickness in ferrielectric liquid crystals.

The temperature dependence of the thickness of thick free-standing films is studied using a high-resolution film thickness measurement technique. A small discontinuity in the temperature dependence of the smectic layer thickness at every phase transition between ferro-, ferri-, and antiferroelectric phases is observed. We show that the major contribution to it arises from a change in the smectic tilt angle.

High-dynamic-range temporal measurements ofshort pulses amplified by OPCPA.

We report on the first experimental measurement of high-dynamic-range pulse contrast of compressed optical parametric chirped-pulse-amplification (OPCPA) pulses on the picosecond scale. The measured -80-dB OPCPA contrast at 1054 nm agrees well with theoretical predictions and exceeds the estimated and measured levels for comparable amplification in a Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier by approximately 10 dB. A key to achieving better contrast with OPCPA is the simpler experimental setup that promotes more-efficient coupling of seed pulse energy into the amplification system.

Oligoanalgesia in the emergency department: short-term beneficial effects of an education program on acute pain.

Study Objective: Acute pain is the most frequent complaint in emergency department (ED) admissions, but its management is often neglected, placing patients at risk of oligoanalgesia. We evaluate the effect of the implementation of guidelines for pain management in ED patients with pain at admission or anytime during their stay in our ED.

Methods: This prospective pre-post intervention cohort study included data collection both before and after guideline implementation.

Improved assessment of plasmodium vivax response to antimalarial drugs by a colorimetric double-site plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The occurrence of Plasmodium vivax resistance to chloroquine has been reported in several countries of Asia and South America. However, the resistance of P. vivax is insufficiently documented for three reasons: it has received far less attention than P.

Phased-array grating compression for high-energy chirped pulse amplification lasers.

The development of phased-array grating compressor is a crucial issue for high-energy, ultra-short pulse petawatt-class lasers. We present a theoretical and experimental analysis of two-grating phasing in a broadband pulse mosaic compressor. The phase defaults induced by misaligned gratings are studied.

Lyotropic structures in a thermotropic liquid crystal.

We have investigated the nature of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB)/water aggregates dispersed in 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl thermotropic liquid crystal (5CB). The structure of this microemulsion has been probed by small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering experiments far above the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition temperature of the solvent. Our data show that the stability of this system is controlled by strong attractive van der Waals interactions between spherical inverted micelles.

Characterization of MAP1B heavy chain interaction with actin.

Microtubule-associated protein 1B is an essential protein during brain development and neurite outgrowth and was studied by several assays to further characterize actin as a major interacting partner. Tubulin and actin co-immunoprecipitated with MAP1B at similar ratios throughout development. Their identity was identified by mass spectrometry and was confirmed by Western blots.

Optical and confocal microscopy observations of screw dislocations in smectic-A liquid crystals.

We present experimental evidence of the presence of isolated screw dislocations in smectic-A liquid crystals observed by polarizing microscopy. In a wedge-shaped homeotropic cell, the edge and screw dislocations interaction gives rise to a strong-enough optical contrast and makes visible their mutual intersections at temperatures close to the smectic-A to smectic-C phase transition temperature. The nature of the defects is confirmed by confocal microscopy observations.

Stability of nutritional parameters during a 5-year follow-up in patients treated with sequential long-hour hemodialysis.

Progressive nutritional impairment has been recently reported during conventional hemodialysis (HD) treatment. We studied the nutritional parameters during a 5-year follow-up in HD patients. Thirty-three patients (15F/18M; 65 years old at the study start) filled out a 3-day food questionnaire once a year between 1995 and 1999 (study group).

A Phg2-Adrm1 pathway participates in the nutrient-controlled developmental response in Dictyostelium.

Dictyostelium amoebae grow as single cells but upon starvation they initiate multicellular development. Phg2 was characterized previously as a kinase controlling cellular adhesion and the organization of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we report that Phg2 also plays a role during the transition between growth and multicellular development, as evidenced by the fact that phg2 mutant cells can initiate development even in the presence of nutrients.

Synthetic aperture compression scheme for a multipetawatt high-energy laser.

High-energy petawatt lasers using the chirped-pulse amplification technique require meter-sized gratings to limit the beam fluence on the surface of the grating. An alternative, studied by many groups, is a mosaic grating consisting of smaller, coherently added gratings. We propose what we believe to be a new compression scheme consisting of beam phasing instead of grating mosaic phasing.

Tuberculosis of the greater trochanter. Report of four cases.

Objective: To present four cases of tuberculosis of the greater trochanter.

Case Presentation And Intervention: The four cases (3 females and 1 male), aged 45-70 years, presented with mechanical pain in the trochanteric area associated with progressive swelling in the 3 female patients in whom mobility was also restricted. X-ray revealed a mass in 2 females; CT scan and MRI exhibited an abscess in the 3 females.

[Does early analgesia interfere with diagnostic process in acute abdominal pain syndrome?].

Early pain management with opioid by patients admitted for abdominal pain is widely contested. Emergency physicians are feared to interfere with physical examination and the ability to make a correct diagnosis. The present review tends to show that opioids are safe in this context.

Liver-stage development of Plasmodium falciparum, in a humanized mouse model.

Background: The liver stage of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is the least known, yet it holds the greatest promise for the induction of sterile immunity and the development of novel drugs. Progress has been severely limited by the lack of adequate in vitro and in vivo models.

Methods: Recently, it was found that immunodeficient mice transgenic for the urokinase plasminogen activator allow survival of differentiated human hepatocytes.

Acidic clusters target transmembrane proteins to the contractile vacuole in Dictyostelium cells.

The mechanisms responsible for the targeting of transmembrane integral proteins to the contractile vacuole (CV) network in Dictyostelium discoideum are unknown. Here we show that the transfer of the cytoplasmic domain of a CV-resident protein (Rh50) to a reporter transmembrane protein (CsA) is sufficient to address the chimera (CsA-Rh50) to the CV. We identified two clusters of acidic residues responsible for this targeting, and these motifs interacted with the gamma-adaptin AP-1 subunit in a yeast protein-protein interaction assay.

Characteristics of preeclampsia- and eclampsia-related maternal death in rural Haiti.

Objective: The maternal mortality ratio in Haiti remains one of the highest in the world at 600/100 000 live births. Preeclampsia- and eclampsia-related complications are one of the leading causes of maternal death. In this resource-limited setting, effective, efficient hospital-based interventions are necessary to reduce this risk.

A novel phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-binding domain targeting the Phg2 kinase to the membrane in Dictyostelium cells.

Phg2 is a ser/thr kinase involved in adhesion, motility, actin cytoskeleton dynamics, and phagocytosis in Dictyostelium cells. In a search for Phg2 domains required for its localization to the plasma membrane, we identified a new domain interacting with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P(2)) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI(4)P) membrane phosphoinositides. Deletion of this domain prevented membrane recruitment of Phg2 and proper function of the protein in the phagocytic process.

Pump-noise transfer in optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification.

We report on direct observation of temporal contrast degradation of short pulses amplified by optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification. We show that, despite injection seeding, quantum-noise-induced fast modulations (< 50 ps) of the temporal profile of the pump pulse are imprinted on the spectrum of the amplified chirped pulse and give rise to a large picosecond pedestal in the time domain.

Dynamics of nematic liquid crystal disclinations: the role of the backflow.

We measure the electric-field-driven annihilation of nematic disclination pairs with strength +/- 1/2 in the 4-cyano-4'-n-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) liquid crystal. The use of a very weak azimuthal anchoring ensures a two-dimensional director field. The relaxation is governed by the formation of a pi wall connecting the two opposite charge defects.

Electric-field-induced deformation dynamics of a single nematic disclination.

Disclinations in nematic liquid crystals usually adopt a straight shape in order to minimize their elastic energy. Once created in the course of a nonequilibrium process such as a temperature quench from the isotropic to the nematic phase, the topologically stable disclinations of half-integer strength either annihilate each other in pairs of opposite strength or form topologically unstable disclinations of integer strength. In this article, we demonstrate that the annihilation process can be inhibited and the defects can be deformed by an applied electric field.

Percutaneous retrograde screwing for stabilisation of acetabular fractures.

Objectives: To evaluate the results of retrograde percutaneous screw fixation (PSF) in minimally or undisplaced acetabular fractures in a geriatric population.

Patients And Methods: Between July 1998 and July 2001, 21 consecutive patients with an acetabular fracture underwent fluoroscopic guided percutaneous fixation. The mean age was 81 years (range 67--90 years).

Generation of high-contrast millijoule pulses by optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification in periodically poled KTiOPO4.

A new high-contrast, high-gain optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier (OPCPA) architecture is demonstrated in periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP). This architecture overcomes parametric fluorescence contrast limitations of the OPCPA in periodically poled materials. The scheme is based on two passes of a single relay-imaged pump pulse and a free-propagating signal pulse through a 1.

Modified triangular posterior osteosynthesis of unstable sacrum fracture.

We report preliminary results for unstable sacral fractures treated with a modified posterior triangular osteosynthesis. Seven patients were admitted to our trauma center with an unstable sacral fracture. The average age was 31 years (22-41).