Stimulated Amplification of Propagating Spin Waves.

Spin-wave amplification techniques are key to the realization of magnon-based computing concepts. We introduce a novel mechanism to amplify spin waves in magnonic nanostructures. Using the technique of rapid cooling, we create a nonequilibrium state in excess of high-energy magnons and demonstrate the stimulated amplification of an externally seeded, propagating spin wave. Using an extended kinetic model, we qualitatively show that the amplification is mediated by an effective energy flux of high energy magnons into the low energy propagating mode, driven by a nonequilibrium magnon distribution.

Controlling the Nonlinear Relaxation of Quantized Propagating Magnons in Nanodevices.

Relaxation of linear magnetization dynamics is well described by the viscous Gilbert damping processes. However, for strong excitations, nonlinear damping processes such as the decay via magnon-magnon interactions emerge and trigger additional relaxation channels. Here, we use space- and time-resolved microfocused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy and micromagnetic simulations to investigate the nonlinear relaxation of strongly driven propagating spin waves in yttrium iron garnet nanoconduits. We show that the nonlinear magnon relaxation in this highly quantized system possesses intermodal features, i.e., magnons scatter to higher-order quantized modes through a cascade of scattering events. We further show how to control such intermodal dissipation processes by quantization of the magnon band in single-mode devices, where this phenomenon approaches its fundamental limit. Our study extends the knowledge about nonlinear propagating spin waves in nanostructures which is essential for the construction of advanced spin-wave elements as well as the realization of Bose-Einstein condensates in scaled systems.

[Endophenotypes of the biorhythms and the sleep in depression]. / Endophénotypes des rythmes biologiques et du sommeil dans la dépression.

Chronobiological markers of depression display a biological desynchronization which participates in the pathogenesis of depression. Mood disorders and clock genes have shown significant associations suggesting a possible pathogenetic link between them, providing a privileged base for exploring biorhythmic endophenotypes. They would be useful indicators of vulnerability mechanisms, giving rise to new therapies and prevention programs. Two ways of research are of interest: the study of the genetic determinants of cholinergic hypersensitivity generating REM sleep pressure in depression, and the analysis of clinical response to sleep deprivation suggesting an exploration of links between genomic function of arousal and mood regulation. To date, the empirical principle of behavioral stimulus control reaches the level of the available eco-instrumental synchronization procedures.

Shifted factor analysis for the separation of evoked dependent MEG signals.

Decomposition of evoked magnetoencephalography (MEG) data into their underlying neuronal signals is an important step in the interpretation of these measurements. Often, independent component analysis (ICA) is employed for this purpose. However, ICA can fail as for evoked MEG data the neuronal signals may not be statistically independent. We therefore consider an alternative approach based on the recently proposed shifted factor analysis model, which does not assume statistical independence of the neuronal signals. We suggest the application of this model in the time domain and present an estimation procedure based on a Taylor series expansion. We show in terms of synthetic evoked MEG data that the proposed procedure can successfully separate evoked dependent neuronal signals while standard ICA fails. Latency estimation of neuronal signals is an inherent part of the proposed procedure and we demonstrate that resulting latency estimates are superior to those obtained by a maximum likelihood method.

Simultaneous freeze tolerance and avoidance in individual fungus gnats, Exechia nugatoria.

Freeze tolerance and freeze avoidance are typically described as mutually exclusive strategies for overwintering in animals. Here we show an insect species that combines both strategies. Individual fungus gnats, collected in Fairbanks, Alaska, display two freezing events when experimentally cooled and different rates of survival after each event (mean +/- SEM: -31.5 +/- 0.2 degrees C, 70% survival and -50.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C, 0% survival). To determine which body compartments froze at each event, we dissected the abdomen from the head/thorax and cooled each part separately. There was a significant difference between temperature levels of abdominal freezing (-30.1 +/- 1.1 degrees C) and head/thorax freezing (-48.7 +/- 1.3 degrees C). We suggest that freezing is initially restricted to one body compartment by regional dehydration in the head/thorax that prevents inoculative freezing between the freeze-tolerant abdomen (71.0 +/- 0.8% water) and the supercooled, freeze-sensitive head/thorax (46.6 +/- 0.8% water).

[Perception of everyday life by schizophrenic patients and nurses: content analysis of patients' speech on different domains of quality of life]. / Perception par les sujets schizophrènes de la vie quotidienne: analyse de contenu du discours des patients sur les domaines d'une échelle de qualité de vie.

INTRODUCTION: The validation of a questionnaire of subjective quality of life was used as pretext to question the way in which various fields of the everyday life were understood by schizophrenic subjects and nursing team members. Content analysis allowed the development of logico-semantic categories shared by the two populations and likely to give body to the subjacent social representations. METHOD: Patients were asked to comment on the different items of the SQUALA. Patients' and nurses' answers for each item were grouped and the analysis was conducted on this corpus. For each item, the different points of view were summarised into categories of signification. RESULTS: The results are presented item by item. The most important points are the followings: perceived health, physical autonomy, mental well-being and safety are linked to social and relational aspect of patients' life. Abstract concepts could be questioned among schizophrenic patients. It was possible to establish coherent categories. The analysis of certain unclassifiable statements makes it possible to specify phenomenological aspects of the schizophrenic experience. DISCUSSION: Methodological limitations of this study are essentially due to content analysis methodology (standardisation of answers, choice of categories) and to the characteristics of the populations selected.

["Agoraphobia--place anxiety/place fear--place-related vertigo". The classical description of place anxiety by Carl Westphal and Emil Cordes and its significance for the history of the concept and current discussion of anxiety disorders]. / "Agoraphobie--Platzangst/Platzfurcht--Platzschwindel". Die klassischen Beschreibungen der Platzangst von Carl Westphal und Emil Cordes und ihre Bedeutung für die Konzeptgeschichte und aktuelle Diskussion der Angsterkrankungen.

We discuss the history of "agoraphobia" and related descriptions as the "Platzangst" from M. Benedikt and the artile of E. Cordes, who used the same title "agoraphobia" as Westphals original paper. It is remarkable that Westphal and Cordes recognized the psychological character of the phenomenon, whereas Benedikt in 1870 suspected a neuroophthalmological origin for his "Platzschwindel". Regarding the details of these first three descriptions one can show that the primary authorities set up a discussion, which is still going on: The relation between agoraphobia, dizziness, fear and panic is until now object of many controversies, as shown in the final chapter.

[Somatoform Pain Disorder and Fibromyalgia--difficulties and problems of their judgement in German consultant praxis]. / Somatoforme Schmerzstörung und Fibromyalgie. Zur Problematik ihrer gutachterlichen Bewertung im Rahmen des Schwerbehindertengesetzes (SchwbG).

UNLABELLED: In the last 20 years the fibromyalgia syndrome and the somatoform pain disorder became more and more important in clinical medicine and in legal affairs. The consultant meets progressive more specific questions, which are not sufficient mentioned in the medico-legal recommendations and at least national "guide-lines" of medical societies. METHODS: By an casuistic approach we try to show the implications of the often seen comorbidity of these two common disorders (i.e. the fibromyalgia syndrome and the somatoform pain disorder) both in legal and in medical perspectives. RESULTS: At the moment the medico-legal recommendations and the national "guide-lines" of medical societies are often not sufficient to decide many of the the legal implications and consultant questions that result from the comorbidity ot these often seen "modern disorders". Therefore we try to develop in an single case the solution principles of appropriate judgement for the functional effects of comorbidity with fibromyalgia syndrome and the somatoform pain disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the wide spectrum of comorbid symptoms between these both disorders one must analyse any specific case very exactly and prove the individual functional implications of the comorbidity in correlation to the degree of impairement. We try to show in an casuistic presentation the possibilities of judgement according the appointments of german law.

[Sleep polygraphy: diagnostic value in depressive pseudo-dementia. Attempt to improve visual scoring by digital periodic analysis]. / La polygraphie du sommeil: outil diagnostique dans la pseudo-démence dépressive. Tentative d'amélioration de la méthode de lecture visuelle par l'analyse digitale de période.

ARGUMENT: Pseudo depressive dementia is a common pathology for elderly patients. Classically, it is said that depression is taking the mask of dementia, but very often deterioration and depression are present at the same time. Sleep EEG can help the clinician to differentiate dementia and depression in pseudo depressive dementia. Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) is a good indicator of deterioration process. We tried to improve the sleep recording and analysis and our ability to differentiate SWS in this indication. We use a portable digital recording material (Hypnotrace). The signal is analysed by the association of a visual standard method to Digital Periodic Analysis (DPA) which is very sensitive to SWS. The visual analysis gives informations about the macroarchitecture of the night. The Digital Periodic Analysis gives at any moment the value of the wave frequency and thus informations about the microarchitecture. Our hypothesis is that this association helps to better recognise SWS and thus improves sleep EEG as a diagnostic tool in this indication. METHODS: 23 inpatients meeting both the criteria for major depression and dementia (DSM IV) have been recorded during two nights after 15 days of wash out and before antidepressant treatment. The recordings are analysed with the visual standard method and with the help of DPA. The patients are evaluated every 15 days during two months in order to define three groups based on the clinical evolution. RESULTS: The scoring with DPA is more sensitive to Slow Wave Sleep, particularly for the patients with good clinical evolution (with the strongest depressive component). Thus, this method could be a good diagnostic tool to differentiate dementia and depression in pseudo depressive dementia.

[The beginning of Emil Kraepelin's classification of psychoses. A historical-methodological reflection on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his "Heidelberg Address" 27 November 1898 on "nosologic dichotomy" of endogenous psychoses]. / Die Anfänge von Emil Kraepelins Systematik der Psychosen. Eine historisch-methodische Reflexion aus Anlass des 100. Jahrestages seines "Heidelberger Vortrags" vom 27. November 1898 zur "nosologischen Dichotomie" der endogenen Psychosen.

Emil Kraepelin's (1856-1926) famous lecture "Zur Diagnose und Prognose der Dementia praecox" was held in Heidelberg 100 years ago on 27. November 1889. In this lecture Kraepelin suggested for the first time his famous "nosological dichotomy" between the group of "manisch-depressives Irresein" and the so-called "Dementia-praecox-Gruppe". This dichotomy became world famous since the publication of his "Lehrbuch der Psychiatrie", 6th edition 1899. Kraepelin founded his psychiatric system on outcome observations and the nosological principles of Kahlbaum. His nosology is very influential to the present day. The revision of American psychiatry in the 1970's and 1980's is unthinkable without Kraepelin's concept. Therefore the name "Neo-Kraepelinianism" was created.

[A pharmaceutical of the century will be 100. A historical vignette on the introduction of acetylsalicylic acid to the market in 1899]. / Ein "Jahrhundertpharmakon" wird Hundert. Eine historische Vignette zur Markteinführung der Acetylsalicylsäure im Jahre 1899.

This article describes the historic roots of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) from the first experiments at 1800 until the introduction into the pharmaceutical market in 1899. In 1869, Hermann Kolbe enlightened the chemical structure of salicylic acid, which was used at that time as an analgetic and antipyretic drug. Because of the side effects, for example the irritation of the stomach, analytical chemists and pharmacologists searched for chemical modifications. In August 1897 Felix Hoffmann (1868-1946) was successful in acetylizing the salicylic acid to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Between 1897 and 1899 Kurt Witthauer (1865-1911) collected clinical data and experiences on the efficiency of ASA as an analgetic and antipyretic drug. In 1899 ASA was introduced into the pharmaceutical market as Aspirin and became soon one of the most successful drugs of its time. The indication exceeds analgesia in the mean time and to prophylaxis of myocardial ischaemia or cerebral stroke, among others.

[The pharyngeal anxiety syndrome: globus perception and pharyngeal sensations as an oligosymptomatic abortive form of an anxiety disorder? Nosologic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, illustrated with a case]. / Das Schlund-Angst-Syndrom: Globusgefühl und Pharyngealsensationen als oligosymptomatische Abortivform einer Angststörung? Nosologische, diagnostische und therapeutische Aspekte, aufgezeigt anhand einer Kasuistik.

Since the introduction of the modern psychiatric diagnosis systems anxiety disorders have been intensively discussed. As clinical subtypes in panic disorder the cardial type and the vestibular type are widely accepted. We describe in a case report another of these subtypes, the pharyngeal type; it is characterised by symptoms that are related to the pharynx such as feeling a lump in the throat, swallow disturbance or pain in the pharynx region. It may therefore be called "throat-anxiety syndrome" or "phagophobia". Nosological implications are also discussed.