Second Harmonic Generation from Phase-Engineered Metasurfaces of Nanoprisms.

Metasurfaces of gold (Au) nanoparticles on a SiO2-Si substrate were fabricated for the enhancement of second harmonic generation (SHG) using electron beam lithography and lift-off. Triangular Au nanoprisms which are non-centro-symmetric and support second-order nonlinearity were examined for SHG. The thickness of the SiO2 spacer is shown to be an effective parameter to tune for maximising SHG.

Nasometric Scores in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy - Effects of palatal lift prosthesis on dysarthria and dysphagia.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a hereditary neuromuscular disease affecting only males characterized by progressive muscular atrophy and weakness in bulbar and limb muscles. The present study aimed to evaluate the features of velopharyngeal dysfunction (VPD) in SBMA subjects by an acoustic analysis of speech. Twenty-three genetically confirmed patients with SBMA were enrolled and assessed their speech by measuring the nasalance score with a Nasometer II.

Gastric emptying and duodenal motility upon intake of a liquid meal with monosodium glutamate in healthy subjects.

Glutamate is thought to serve as a special signal for gut functions. We investigated the effects of monosodium l-glutamate (MSG) on gastric emptying and duodenal motility. Ten healthy male volunteers underwent rapid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen.

Effects of muscle relaxants on mask ventilation in anesthetized persons with normal upper airway anatomy.

Background: Recent studies suggest advantages of muscle relaxants for facemask ventilation. However, direct effects of muscle relaxants on mask ventilation remain unclear because these studies did not control mechanical factors influencing ventilation. We tested a hypothesis that muscle relaxants, either rocuronium or succinylcholine, improve mask ventilation.

Assessment of gastric emptying and duodenal motility upon ingestion of a liquid meal using rapid magnetic resonance imaging.

Gastric emptying is achieved by co-operation between gastric and duodenal motor activity. Therefore, evaluation of gastric emptying and its associated mechanisms would benefit clinical therapy as well as medical research. Healthy volunteers underwent rapid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen along the coronal plane after ingestion of a liquid meal.