Despite basic physiologic principles being well known for more than 300 years, the diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases are still in their early beginnings. For example, 100 years ago ...sudden cardiac arrest was regarded as the result of toxic gases. The diagnosis of ventricular fibrillation or treatment with a defibrillator are very recent developments. We are currently experiencing a technological revolution, which is rapidly changing cardiovascular medicine. This publication is focused on electrical devices and tries to identify some of the innovation mainstreams using a few examples to demonstrate these. Four megatrends are explained in more detail: the influence of wireless technology, information technology, micro systems technology, and thinking in systems. This paper is aimed at stimulating active researchers and engineers to detect the rapid changes that we often do not observe in our daily work. The author hopes that this stimulation will lead to new ideas and combinations.
Abstract
The determination of the strong coupling constant
$$\alpha _{\mathrm{s}} (m_{\mathrm{Z}})$$
α
s
(
m
Z
)
from H1 inclusive and dijet cross section data 1 exploits perturbative QCD predictions ...in next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) 2–4. An implementation error in the NNLO predictions was found 4 which changes the numerical values of the predictions and the resulting values of the fits. Using the corrected NNLO predictions together with inclusive jet and dijet data, the strong coupling constant is determined to be
$$\alpha _{\mathrm{s}} (m_{\mathrm{Z}}) =0.1166\,(19)_{\mathrm{exp}}\,(24)_{\mathrm{th}}$$
α
s
(
m
Z
)
=
0.1166
(
19
)
exp
(
24
)
th
. Complementarily,
$$\alpha _{\mathrm{s}} (m_{\mathrm{Z}})$$
α
s
(
m
Z
)
is determined together with parton distribution functions of the proton (PDFs) from jet and inclusive DIS data measured by the H1 experiment. The value
$$\alpha _{\mathrm{s}} (m_{\mathrm{Z}}) =0.1147\,(25)_{\mathrm{tot}}$$
α
s
(
m
Z
)
=
0.1147
(
25
)
tot
obtained is consistent with the determination from jet data alone. Corrected figures and numerical results are provided and the discussion is adapted accordingly.
The measurement of the jet cross sections by the H1 collaboration had been compared to various predictions including the next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD calculations which are corrected in ...this erratum for an implementation error in one of the components of the NNLO calculations. The jet data and the other predictions remain unchanged. Eight figures, one table and conclusions are adapted accordingly, exhibiting even better agreement between the corrected NNLO predictions and the jet data.
Abstract Exclusive photoproduction of $${{\rho ^0}} (770)$$ ρ 0 ( 770 ) mesons is studied using the H1 detector at the ep collider HERA. A sample of about 900,000 events is used to measure single- ...and double-differential cross sections for the reaction $$\gamma p \rightarrow \pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}Y$$ γ p → π + π - Y . Reactions where the proton stays intact ( $${{{m_Y}} {=}m_p}$$ m Y = m p ) are statistically separated from those where the proton dissociates to a low-mass hadronic system ( $$m_p{<}{{m_Y}} {<}10~{{\text {GeV}}} $$ m p < m Y < 10 GeV ). The double-differential cross sections are measured as a function of the invariant mass $$m_{\pi \pi }$$ m π π of the decay pions and the squared 4-momentum transfer t at the proton vertex. The measurements are presented in various bins of the photon–proton collision energy $${{W_{\gamma p}}} $$ W γ p . The phase space restrictions are $$0.5\le m_{\pi \pi } \le 2.2~{{\text {GeV}}} $$ 0.5 ≤ m π π ≤ 2.2 GeV , $$\vert t\vert \le 1.5~{{\text {GeV}^2}} $$ | t | ≤ 1.5 GeV 2 , and $$20 \le W_{\gamma p} \le 80~{{\text {GeV}}} $$ 20 ≤ W γ p ≤ 80 GeV . Cross section measurements are presented for both elastic and proton-dissociative scattering. The observed cross section dependencies are described by analytic functions. Parametrising the $${m_{\pi \pi }}$$ m π π dependence with resonant and non-resonant contributions added at the amplitude level leads to a measurement of the $${{\rho ^0}} (770)$$ ρ 0 ( 770 ) meson mass and width at $$m_\rho = 770.8{}^{+2.6}_{-2.7}~({\text {tot.}})~{{\text {MeV}}} $$ m ρ = 770.8 - 2.7 + 2.6 ( tot. ) MeV and $$\Gamma _\rho = 151.3 {}^{+2.7}_{-3.6}~({\text {tot.}})~{{\text {MeV}}} $$ Γ ρ = 151.3 - 3.6 + 2.7 ( tot. ) MeV , respectively. The model is used to extract the $${{\rho ^0}} (770)$$ ρ 0 ( 770 ) contribution to the $$\pi ^{+}\pi ^{-}$$ π + π - cross sections and measure it as a function of t and $${W_{\gamma p}}$$ W γ p . In a Regge asymptotic limit in which one Regge trajectory $$\alpha (t)$$ α ( t ) dominates, the intercept $$\alpha (t{=}0) = 1.0654\ {}^{+0.0098}_{-0.0067}~({\text {tot.}})$$ α ( t = 0 ) = 1.0654 - 0.0067 + 0.0098 ( tot. ) and the slope $$\alpha ^\prime (t{=}0) = 0.233 {}^{+0.067 }_{-0.074 }~({\text {tot.}}) ~{{\text {GeV}^{-2}}} $$ α ′ ( t = 0 ) = 0.233 - 0.074 + 0.067 ( tot. ) GeV - 2 of the t dependence are extracted for the case $$m_Y{=}m_p$$ m Y = m p .
The sesquioxides of scandium and lutetium are promising host materials for rare-earth doped solid-state lasers due to their high thermal conductivity. However, the high-melting points of more than ...2400°C have hindered the growth of high-quality crystals in the past. The thermal conductivities of undoped scandia and lutetia are considerably higher than that of undoped YAG. Due to these data, the sesquioxides are highly interesting hosts especially for high-power laser applications. The sesquioxides can be grown from the melt in rhenium crucibles suspended in a zirconia/gas insulation setup. Attempts are being made to employ the heat exchanger method (HEM). This method is a modification of the Bridgman technique in which the crucible is kept fixed in the setup and the center of the crucible bottom is cooled by a variable gas flow. This method allows very good control of the growth rate and minimizes parasitic crystallization at the crucible walls. First attempts employing this method have shown very promising results with single crystal sizes of several cubic centimeters.
The strong coupling constant Formula omitted is determined from inclusive jet and dijet cross sections in neutral-current deep-inelastic ep scattering (DIS) measured at HERA by the H1 collaboration ...using next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD predictions. The dependence of the NNLO predictions and of the resulting value of Formula omitted at the Z-boson mass Formula omitted are studied as a function of the choice of the renormalisation and factorisation scales. Using inclusive jet and dijet data together, the strong coupling constant is determined to be Formula omitted. Complementary, Formula omitted is determined together with parton distribution functions of the proton (PDFs) from jet and inclusive DIS data measured by the H1 experiment. The value Formula omitted obtained is consistent with the determination from jet data alone. The impact of the jet data on the PDFs is studied. The running of the strong coupling is tested at different values of the renormalisation scale and the results are found to be in agreement with expectations.
We determined the response of 48 Down syndrome children to 2 doses of influenza A/H1N1 vaccination. Ninety-two percent of the children reached the previously defined protective level ...(hemagglutination-inhibition titer ≥1:40), but only 27% of the children reached the level of ≥1:110 which was recently described to predict the conventional 50% clinical protection rate in children. Further studies, and potentially adaptations of the schedule, are needed.
The identification of obstructive and central hypopneas is considered challenging in clinical practice. Presently, obstructive and central hypopneas are usually not differentiated or scores lack ...reliability due to the technical limitations of standard polysomnography. Esophageal pressure measurement is the gold-standard for identifying these events but its invasiveness deters its usage in daily practice.
To determine the feasibility and efficacy of an automatic noninvasive analysis method for the differentiation of obstructive and central hypopneas based solely on a single-channel nasal airflow signal. The obtained results are compared with gold-standard esophageal pressure scores.
A total of 41 patients underwent full night polysomnography with systematic esophageal pressure recording. Two experts in sleep medicine independently differentiated hypopneas with the gold-standard esophageal pressure signal. Features were automatically extracted from the nasal airflow signal of each annotated hypopnea to train and test the automatic analysis method. Interscorer agreement between automatic and visual scorers was measured with Cohen's kappa statistic (ĸ).
A total of 1,237 hypopneas were visually differentiated. The automatic analysis achieved an interscorer agreement of ĸ = 0.37 and an accuracy of 69% for scorer A, ĸ = 0.40 and 70% for scorer B and ĸ = 0.41 and 71% for the agreed scores of scorers A and B.
The promising results obtained in this pilot study demonstrate the feasibility of noninvasive single-channel hypopnea differentiation. Further development of this method may help improving initial diagnosis with home screening devices and offering a means of therapy selection and/or control.
DNA helicases have important roles in genome maintenance. The RecD helicase has been well studied as a component of the heterotrimeric RecBCD helicase-nuclease enzyme important for double-strand ...break repair in Escherichia coli. Interestingly, many bacteria lack RecBC and instead contain a RecD2 helicase, which is not known to function as part of a larger complex. Depending on the organism studied, RecD2 has been shown to provide resistance to a broad range of DNA-damaging agents while also contributing to mismatch repair (MMR). Here we investigated the importance of Bacillus subtilis RecD2 helicase to genome integrity. We show that deletion of recD2 confers a modest increase in the spontaneous mutation rate and that the mutational signature in ΔrecD2 cells is not consistent with an MMR defect, indicating a new function for RecD2 in B. subtilis. To further characterize the role of RecD2, we tested the deletion strain for sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. We found that loss of RecD2 in B. subtilis sensitized cells to several DNA-damaging agents that can block or impair replication fork movement. Measurement of replication fork progression in vivo showed that forks collapse more frequently in ΔrecD2 cells, supporting the hypothesis that RecD2 is important for normal replication fork progression. Biochemical characterization of B. subtilis RecD2 showed that it is a 5′-3′ helicase and that it directly binds single-stranded DNA binding protein. Together, our results highlight novel roles for RecD2 in DNA replication which help to maintain replication fork integrity during normal growth and when forks encounter DNA damage.
The influence of growth parameters and substrate material on the basic processes during strain-induced InAs-quantum dot (QD) formation and the resulting structural properties of the QDs is studied ...with reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray diffraction. The process of strain-induced QD formation is strongly influenced by the intermixing with substrate material and the desorption of indium at high temperatures. From the experimental results, we conclude that the strain-energy modification due to temperature-dependent intermixing has a larger influence on QD formation than temperature-dependent kinetic processes at the surface. Interestingly, we also find that the maximum growth temperature limited by desorption depends on the growth speed.
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