Kondo Quartet

This article describes some recently obtained results on the low-energy properties of the "Kondo quartet" model of two spin-1/2 impurities interacting with two channels (flavours) of conduction electrons. We shall particularly emphasize the connections between conformal field-theory methods and bosonisation approaches, which are first illustrated on the example of the single-impurity, two-channel Kondo problem. This article is dedicated to the memory of Claude Itzykson, and will appear in the Proceedings of the Conference "Advanced Quantum Field Theory", held in La Londe Les Maures, Sept. 1996 (Nucl. Phys. B, Proc. Supp.; V.Rittenberg, J.Fr\"{o}lich and A.Schwimmer eds.).Comment: 18 pages, RevTeX3.0, 2 .ps figure

Diaphragm pacing failure secondary to deteriorated chest wall mechanics: When a good diaphragm does not suffice to take a good breath in

AbstractDiaphragm pacing allows certain quadriplegic patients to be weaned from mechanical ventilation. Pacing failure can result from device dysfunction, neurotransmission failure, or degraded lung mechanics (such as atelectasis). We report two cases where progressive pacing failure was attributed to deteriorated chest wall mechanics. The first patient suffered from cervical spinal cord injury at age 45, was implanted with a phrenic stimulator (intrathoracic), successfully weaned from ventilation, and permanently paced for 7 years. Pacing effectiveness then slowly declined, finally attributed to rib cage stiffening due to ankylosing spondylitis. The second patient became quadriplegic after meningitis at age 15, was implanted with a phrenic stimulator (intradiaphragmatic) and weaned. After a year hypoventilation developed without obvious cause. In relationship with complex endocrine disorders, the patient had gained 31 kg. Pacing failure was attributed to excessive mechanical inspiratory load. Rib cage mechanics abnormalities should be listed among causes of diaphragm pacing failure and it should be kept in mind that a “good diaphragm” is not sufficient to produce a “good inspiration”