Quasiparticle Density of States of Clean and Dirty s-Wave Superconductors in the Vortex State

The quasiparticle density of states (DOS) in the vortex state has been probed by specific heat measurements under magnetic fields (H) for clean and dirty s-wave superconductors, Y(Ni1-xPtx)2B2C and Nb1-xTaxSe2. We find that the quasiparticle DOS per vortex is appreciably H-dependent in the clean-limit superconductors, while it is H-independent in the dirty superconductors as expected from a conventional rigid normal electron core picture. We discuss possible origins for our observations in terms of the shrinking of the vortex core radius with increasing H.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 68 No.

The Flame Emission of Indium from a Pyrotechnical View

Until today, all blue‐colored light‐generating pyrotechnics are still based on copper and a halogen‐source providing the blue‐emitting species copper(I) chloride, copper(I) bromide or copper(I) iodide. The use of indium as a potential halogen‐free blue light emitter in modern pyrotechnics is described. Therefore, metallic indium was introduced as both fuel and colorant in various pyrotechnical formulations including guanidine nitrate or potassium nitrate as oxidizing agent as well as magnesium, hexamethylentetramine and 5‐amino‐1H‐tetrazole as fuel. The effect of incandescence was examined by applying different magnesium contents within the mixtures. Emission spectra and occurring emission lines of indium‐based pyrotechnical compositions were recorded and evaluated for the first time. Since the expected blue flame color could not be completely achieved, the emission of indium was discussed from an academic point of view

Peri‐operative cardiac arrest in children as reported to the 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists

The 7th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists studied peri‐operative cardiac arrest. An activity survey estimated UK paediatric anaesthesia annual caseload as 390,000 cases, 14% of the UK total. Paediatric peri‐operative cardiac arrests accounted for 104 (12%) reports giving an incidence of 3 in 10,000 anaesthetics (95%CI 2.2–3.3 per 10,000). The incidence of peri‐operative cardiac arrest was highest in neonates (27, 26%), infants (36, 35%) and children with congenital heart disease (44, 42%) and most reports were from tertiary centres (88, 85%). Frequent precipitants of cardiac arrest in non‐cardiac surgery included: severe hypoxaemia (20, 22%); bradycardia (10, 11%); and major haemorrhage (9, 8%). Cardiac tamponade and isolated severe hypotension featured prominently as causes of cardiac arrest in children undergoing cardiac surgery or cardiological procedures. Themes identified at review included: inappropriate choices and doses of anaesthetic drugs for intravenous induction; bradycardias associated with high concentrations of volatile anaesthetic agent or airway manipulation; use of atropine in the place of adrenaline; and inadequate monitoring. Overall quality of care was judged by the panel to be good in 64 (62%) cases, which compares favourably with adults (371, 52%). The study provides insight into paediatric anaesthetic practice, complications and peri‐operative cardiac arrest

Enhanced Radiative Auger Emission From Lithiumlike S13+16

The radiative Auger emission (RAE) from 0.946.25-MeV/u 16S13+ (lithiumlike) projectiles excited in collisions with He target atoms has been measured. For these highly stripped ions the intensity of RAE photons relative to K x-ray emission is enhanced by about a factor of five compared with theoretical calculations and an earlier experimental measurement for S ions with few electron vacancies. The enhancement of RAE for S13+ is qualitatively similar to results reported previously for lithiumlike 23V20+; however, some differences between S and V are evident. © 1990 The American Physical Society

One single dose of etomidate negatively influences adrenocortical performance for at least 24 h in children with meningococcal sepsis

Objective: To investigate the effect of one single bolus of etomidate used for intubation on adrenal function in children with meningococcal sepsis. Design: Retrospective study conducted between 1997 and 2004. Setting: University-affiliated paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Patients and participants: Sixty children admitted to the PICU with meningococcal sepsis, not treated with steroids. Interventions: Adrenal hormone concentrations were determined as soon as possible after PICU admission, and after 12h and 24h. To assess disease severity, PRISM score and selected laboratory parameters were determined. Measurements and main results: On admission, before blood was drawn, 23 children had been intubated with etomidate, 8 without etomidate and 29 were not intubated. Children who were intubated had significantly higher disease severity parameters than those not intubated, whereas none of these parameters significantly differed between children intubated with or without etomidate. Children who received etomidate had significantly lower cortisol, higher ACTH and higher 11-deoxycortisol levels than those who did not receive etomidate. Arterial glucose levels were significantly lower in children who were intubated with etomidate than in non-intubated children. When children were intubated with etomidate, cortisol levels were 3.2 times lower for comparable 11-deoxycortisol levels. Eight children died, seven of whom had received etomidate. Within 24h cortisol/ACTH and cortisol/11-deoxycortisol ratios increased significantly in children who received etomidate, but not in children who did not, resulting in comparable cortisol/ACTH ratios with still significantly lowered cortisol/11-deoxycortisol ratios 24h after admission. Conclusions: Our data imply that even one single bolus of etomidate negatively influences adrenal function for at least 24h. It might therefore increase risk of death

Accrediting Graduate Programs in Healthcare Quality and Safety

The number of master\u27s degree programs in healthcare quality and safety (HQS) has increased significantly over the past decade. Academic accreditation provides assurance that educational programs are of a high quality and meet the needs of students, employers, and the general public. Under the guidance of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, faculty from 9 universities collaborated in the development of criteria and related content domains to be used in the accreditation of graduate programs in HQS. Thirteen content domains were identified. Four of the content domains, safety and error science, improvement science and quality principles, evidence-based practice, and measurement and process improvement are thought to be foundational domains for graduate education in HQS. This article describes the development of the content domains and accompanying standards for accreditation of graduate programs in HQS

Perceived annoyance and asthmatic symptoms in relation to vehicle exhaust levels outside home: a cross-sectional study

which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background: Exhaust emissions from vehicles is a well known problem with both epidemiological and experimental studies showing increasing adverse health effects with elevating levels. Many of the studies concerning vehicle exhausts and health are focused on health outcomes where the proportion attributed to exhaust is low, while there is less information on early and more frequent subjective indicators of adverse effects. Methods: The primary aim of this study was to study perceived annoyance in relation to vehicle exhaust concentrations using modelled levels of nitrogen dioxide outside the home as an indicator with high spatial resolution. Almost 2800 persons in a random sample from three Swedish cities (Umea, Uppsala and Gothenburg) responded to our questionnaire. Questions were asked to determine the degree of annoyance related to vehicle exhausts and also the prevalence of irritating and asthmatic symptoms. Exposure was described for each participants home address by meteorological dispersion models with a 50 meter resolution. Results: We found a significant increase of peoples ' self-assessed annoyance with rising levels of NO2. The odds of being very annoyed by vehicle exhausts increased by 14 % per 1 µg/m3 increas