Switching Exciton Pulses Through Conical Intersections.

Exciton pulses transport excitation and entanglement adiabatically through Rydberg aggregates, assemblies of highly excited light atoms, which are set into directed motion by resonant dipole-dipole interaction. Here, we demonstrate the coherent splitting of such pulses as well as the spatial segregation of electronic excitation and atomic motion. Both mechanisms exploit local nonadiabatic effects at a conical intersection, turning them from a decoherence source into an asset. The intersection provides a sensitive knob controlling the propagation direction and coherence properties of exciton pulses. The fundamental ideas discussed here have general implications for excitons on a dynamic network.

Fabrication of cone-shaped boron doped diamond and gold nanoelectrodes for AFM-SECM.

We demonstrate a reliable microfabrication process for a combined atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) measurement tool. Integrated cone-shaped sensors with boron doped diamond (BDD) or gold (Au) electrodes were fabricated from commercially available AFM probes. The sensor formation process is based on mature semiconductor processing techniques, including focused ion beam (FIB) machining, and highly selective reactive ion etching (RIE). The fabrication approach preserves the geometry of the original AFM tips resulting in well reproducible nanoscaled sensors. The feasibility and functionality of the fully featured tips are demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry, showing good agreement between the measured and calculated currents of the cone-shaped AFM-SECM electrodes.

Early medical abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the introduction of an early medical abortion program with methotrexate and misoprostol, using a standardized protocol. METHODS: A total of 1973 women at 34 Planned Parenthood sites participated in a case series of early medical abortion. Ultrasound was used to confirm gestational age of less than 49 days from the first day of the last menstrual period. Women were given intramuscular methotrexate 50 mg/m(2) of body surface area on day 1, and then they inserted misoprostol 800 microg vaginally at home on day 5, 6, or 7. Women were advised to have a suction curettage if the pregnancy appeared viable 2 weeks after methotrexate or if any gestational sac persisted 4 weeks after methotrexate. Outcomes were complete medical abortion and suction curettage. RESULTS: Sixteen hundred fifty-nine women (84.1%) had a complete medical abortion, and 257 (13.0%) had suction curettage. The most common reason for curettage was patient option (8.9%). At 2 weeks after methotrexate use, 1.4% of women had curettage because of a viable pregnancy; at 4 weeks, 1.6% of women had curettage because of a persistent but nonviable pregnancy. One percent of women had curettage because of physician recommendation, most commonly for bleeding. Suction curettage rates decreased with site experience (P <.006) and were lower at early gestational ages (P <.004) and in nulliparous women (P <.004). CONCLUSION: Medical abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol is safe and effective and can be offered in a community setting.

Instituting medical abortion services: changes in outcome and acceptability related to provider experience.

A prospective case series carried out at 34 Planned Parenthood sites studied the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of medical abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol in 1973 women. Women with pregnancies of 26 to 49 gestational days were given methotrexate followed by vaginal misoprostol. Eighty-one percent of women had documented complete medical abortions; abortion was not confirmed by examination in 6%, and 13% had documented suction curettage. The rate of suction curettage decreased with site experience, from 17% during the first 20 procedures to 10% at sites that had performed more than 50. Sites that had previous experience with either methotrexate or mifepristone medical abortion had a rate of 9% after they had performed at least 50 procedures. Exit interviews with 755 of the 902 women having abortions in the first year inquired about the level of comfort with the abortion and its overall acceptability. Women's satisfaction with the side effects did not directly correlate with site experience. Overall satisfaction with the abortion experience was related to whether the women had complete medical abortions or suction curettage.

Topograph for inspection of engine cylinder walls.

The microstructural inspection of engine cylinder walls is an important task for quality management in the automotive industry. Until recently, mainly tactile methods were used for this purpose. We present an optical instrument based on microscopic fringe projection that permits fast, reliable, and nondestructive measurements of microstructure. The field of view is 0.8 mm x 1.2 mm, with a spatial sampling of 1100 x 700 pixels. In contrast to conventional tactile sensors, the optical method provides fast in situ three-dimensional surface characterizations that provide more information about the surface than do line profiles. Measurements are presented, and advantages of this instrument for characterization of a surface are discussed.

Topometry for locally changing materials.

Three-dimensional topometry is supplemented with ellipsometric measurements on the same pixel raster for calculation of the phase of the reflected waves and correction of the height fields. Lateral resolution is <1mum . The ellipsometric angles are determined by phase shifting and contrast evaluation. Three-dimensional fields of the ellipsometric angles, the real and the imaginary parts of the refractive index, and the corrected topography of the heights are presented.

Phytotherapy in functional upper abdominal complaints Results of a clinical study with a preparation of several plants.

Efficacy and tolerance of Lomatol® drops (a preparation with extracts of the fruits of Carum carvi [caraway], fruits of Foeniculum vulgare [fennel], leaves of Menta piperita [peppermint] and the herb of Artemisia absinthium [wormwood] in the treatment of upper abdominal complaints was compared with the efficacy and tolerance of metoclopramide drops in a controlled, randomized, double-blind study. Their impact on the symptoms of pain, nausea, heartburn, retching and gastrospasms were assessed on a 5-point rating scale. During the two weeks of treatment and observation the phytodrug demonstrated statistically significant better results than the synthetic preparation in relieving all the symptoms. These findings were confirmed by subjective assessment of the general condition by the patient. Moreover, Lomatol® caused significantly fewer adverse drug reactions than metoclopramide and was statistically significantly better tolerated. Thus, this plant combination can be recommended for upper abdominal complaints without any restrictions. The same is also true for similarly composed Lomatol® coated tablets.

A cluster of tuberculosis among crack house contacts in San Mateo County, California.

In March 1992, a cluster of 89 persons with tuberculosis infection was identified in San Mateo County, California. Thirteen persons (15%), including 11 children, were diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis. All contacts were African Americans who resided in or visited one of two houses used for crack cocaine smoking or dealing. The patient with the index case, a male infected with human immunodeficiency virus, contributed to the transmission of tuberculosis as a transient resident of several dwellings. Public health authorities applied unique intervention methods to control the outbreak, including the use of a mobile health van. Further innovative strategies will be necessary to meet the challenge of this reemerging disease.

Photosystem II genes isiA, psbDI and psbC in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120: cloning, sequencing and the transcriptional regulation in iron-stressed and iron-repleted cells.

Under conditions of iron deprivation cyanobacteria produce flavodoxin to replace ferredoxin as the terminal electron acceptor of photosynthesis. In unicellular cyanobacteria, the gene for flavodoxin is the second open reading frame in a dicistronic operon whose transcription is tightly regulated by iron. The first gene, isiA, produces a protein that is very similar to CP43, a chlorophyll-binding, antenna protein of the photosystem II reaction center. In the filamentous, heterocystous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, isiA and the gene for flavodoxin are located in separate operons with independent promoters. In this paper, we report on the sequence of isiA and show that it is found in a monocistronic operon that is transcriptionally regulated to be expressed under iron stress but does not produce detectable transcripts under conditions of iron repletion. We also report on the sequence, organization and expression of the gene that codes for CP43, psbC. In Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, psbC has a genetic organization similar to that of other cyanobacteria and higher plants; the 5' end of psbC overlaps the 3' end of psbDI. Transcriptional analysis of the psbDC operon showed that it is constitutively expressed in both iron-repleted and iron-stressed conditions; however, a new monocistronic transcript was detected that contains psbC and is preferentially expressed under iron stress conditions.

Microshape and rough-surface analysis by fringe projection.

A fringe-projection system for microscopic applications, fringe-projecting microscopy, is developed and analyzed. Projection of the grating and imaging of the fringe system, modulated by the surface, are accomplished by the same high-aperture objective. The spectrum of the grating is spatially filtered and projected into the aperture with a lateral shift, which leads to a telecentric projection under oblique incidence and telecentric imaging. Topographies of specularly as well as diffusely reflecting surfaces can be obtained. The measurement of highly rough surfaces is described together with preprocessing steps. The resulting intensity distribution of the fringes is analyzed. Formulas for vertical and lateral resolution, measuring range, and dynamic range, based on noise considerations, are presented and verified by topographies of technical surfaces.

Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis.

An overt multicentric study involving 115 patients and another subsequent placebo-controlled double-blind study involving 116 patients contributed significantly to the corroborative evidence of the antiviral activity in vitro of a specially prepared dried extract from Melissa leaves (Melissa officinalis L.) against herpes simplex infections. The studies provided the proof that the ingredient gave protection against herpes simplex infections. The initiation of the treatment in the very early stages of the infection revealed itself as most effective.

An iron stress operon involved in photosynthetic electron transport in the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002.

The iron-stress-induced genes isiA and isiB have been cloned and sequenced from the marine unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. These genes code for a photosystem II chlorophyll-binding protein and flavodoxin respectively. The genes form a dicistronic operon that is transcriptionally activated under iron-stress conditions to produce an abundant monocistronic message containing isiA and a much less abundant dicistronic message that also contains isiB. The arrangement of these genes, their transcriptional control and the relative abundance of the monocistronic and dicistronic messages produced under iron stress parallels the pattern shown by the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. The genes for the corresponding proteins found under iron-replete conditions, CP-43 and ferredoxin, have also been cloned and sequenced. Northern blot analysis indicates that both of these genes are constitutively expressed under both iron-stress and iron-replete conditions.

Hydrogen-1, carbon-13, and nitrogen-15 NMR spectroscopy of Anabaena 7120 flavodoxin: assignment of beta-sheet and flavin binding site resonances and analysis of protein-flavin interactions.

Sequence-specific 1H and 13C NMR assignments have been made for residues that form the five-stranded parallel beta-sheet and the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) binding site of oxidized Anabaena 7120 flavodoxin. Interstrand nuclear Overhauser enhancements (NOEs) indicate that the beta-sheet arrangement is similar to that observed in the crystal structure of the 70% homologous long-chain flavodoxin from Anacystis nidulans [Smith et al. (1983) J. Mol. Biol. 165, 737-755]. A total of 62 NOEs were identified: 8 between protons of bound FMN, 29 between protons of the protein in the flavin binding site, and 25 between protons of bound FMN and protons of the protein. These constraints were used to determine the localized solution structure of the FMN binding site. The electronic environment and conformation of the protein-bound flavin isoalloxazine ring were investigated by determining 13C chemical shifts, one-bond 13C-13C and 15N-1H coupling constants, and three-bond 13C-1H coupling constants. The carbonyl edge of the flavin ring was found to be slightly polarized. The xylene ring was found to be nonplanar. Tyrosine 94, located adjacent to the flavin isoalloxazine ring, was shown to have a hindered aromatic ring flip rate.

[Results of Keller/Brandes method of hallux valgus surgery]. / Ergebnisse von Hallux-valgus-Operationen nach Keller/Brandes.

In 1983 to 1987 we operated 216 Patients on hallux valgus. In most of them we made the method of Keller/Brandes. This is a report about the results of 165 patients with 238 operated hallucis.

[Vocational rehabilitation of psychiatrically handicapped people]. / Berufliche Rehabilitation psychisch behinderter Menschen.

The article describes the working concepts of "Lankwitzer Werkstätten", a facility for vocational rehabilitation of persons with (chronic) mental illness. The working concept of this sheltered workshop is crafts- and service-oriented. Some 60 rehabilitees and sheltered workshop employees work in four small "shops". Work structures and everyday organization are somewhat unusual in that they follow general labour market conditions as closely as possible. In their working structures, the sheltered workplaces usually do not differ from workplaces in small crafts enterprises of the general labour market. As far as remuneration is concerned, the workshop is in a position to at least envisage levels of pay that will ensure independence from social assistance supplements if the facility's technical equipment can be kept current and work planning made more efficient. Within the limits of the legal possibilities, and making the most of them, both the diagnostic-prognostic benefits of the entry procedure in the work training process as well as the placement opportunities for rehabilitees in the general labour market are being utilized, with occasionally very successful outcomes.

Intrathecal synthesis of virus-specific oligoclonal antibodies in patients with enterovirus infection of the central nervous system.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples from six patients with enterovirus infections were investigated by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and affinity-mediated immunoblot AMI) for the clonal distribution of entervirus-specific antibodies. In two patients with either acute meningitis or encephalitis and in one patient with a relapse of multiple sclerosis, oligoclonal IgG bands specific for enteroviruses were found predominantly in the CSF, revealing intrathecal synthesis of these antibodies. In three other patients with neurological symptoms probably unrelated to a current enterovirus infection, IEF and AMI disclosed nearly identical patterns of coxsackievirus-B-specific oligoclonal bands in the CSF and serum, indicating diffusion of these antibodies from the serum into the CSF. Although the number of patients in this study is small, the results suggest that intrathecally synthesized enterovirus-specific antibodies may be used as a means of identifying an enterovirus infection of the CNS.

The role of sex chromosomes in black fly evolution.

Sex chromosomes have been repeatedly implicated in the process of speciation of black flies and other nemotocerans. Arguments are presented here against the case that frequent differences between species in their sex chromosomes are based on (i) different average rates of differentiation of sex-linked and autosomal loci or (ii) the fact that the X and Y chromosomes are less numerous than autosomal chromosomes and so are more subject to the effects of drift and the random fixation of chromosome rearrangements. The argument is made that speciation in black flies and many other groups is an adaptive process and that differentiated sex-chromosome systems play a role in this process.

[Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica--a case report]. / Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica--ein Fallbericht.

One case of dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica is described. It is an uncommon disorder belonging to the group of osteochondromatoses. The disease occurs on young children and is localized mainly in the ankle and knee joints. The time in which the patient came to our hospital was to late to make a causal operation. It is the reason to describe this case of dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica.