Ultrafast spatio-temporal dynamics of terahertz generation by ionizing two-color femtosecond pulses in gases

We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of spatio-temporal propagation effects in terahertz (THz) generation in gases using two-color ionizing laser pulses. The observed strong broadening of the THz spectra with increasing gas pressure reveals the prominent role of spatio-temporal reshaping and of a plasma-induced blue-shift of the pump pulses in the generation process. Results obtained from (3+1)-dimensional simulations are in good agreement with experimental findings and clarify the mechanisms responsible for THz emission

Quantum-mechanical wavepacket transport in quantum cascade laser structures

We present a viewpoint of the transport process in quantum cascade laser structures in which spatial transport of charge through the structure is a property of coherent quantum-mechanical wavefunctions. In contrast, scattering processes redistribute particles in energy and momentum but do not directly cause spatial motion of charge.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures included in tex, to appear in Physical Review

A spectroscopic method of temperature measurement which does not require transition probabilities

Spectroscopic method of temperature and pressure measurement in a plasma by comparing intensity ratios of spectral line

Transition from ballistic to drift motion in high-field transport in GaAs

With strong THz pulses, we measure ultrafast transport of electrons, holes, and an electron-hole plasma in GaAs. The transition from ballistic to drift-like transport is strongly influenced by electron-hole scattering

Clinical course and therapeutic approach to varicella zoster virus infection in children with rheumatic autoimmune diseases under immunosuppression.

To analyze the clinical presentation and complications of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection in children with rheumatic diseases treated with immunosuppressive medication such as biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and/or conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARDs), and to analyze the therapeutic approach to VZV infections with respect to the concomitant immunosuppressive treatment. Retrospective multicenter study using the Swiss Pediatric Rheumatology registry. Children with rheumatic diseases followed in a Swiss center for pediatric rheumatology and treated with cDMARD and/or bDMARD with a clinical diagnosis of varicella or herpes zoster between January 2004 and December 2013 were included. Twenty-two patients were identified, of whom 20 were treated for juvenile idiopathic arthritis, 1 for a polyglandular autoimmune syndrome type III, and 1 for uveitis. Of these 22 patients, 16 had varicella and 6 had herpes zoster. Median age at VZV disease was 7.6 years (range 2 to 17 years), with 6.3 years (range 2 to 17 years) for those with varicella and 11.6 years (range 5 to 16 years) for those with herpes zoster. The median interval between start of immunosuppression and VZV disease was 14.1 months (range 1 to 63 months). Two patients had received varicella vaccine (1 dose each) prior to start of immunosuppression. Concomitant immunosuppressive therapy was methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy (n = 9) or bDMARD monotherapy (n = 2), or a combination of bDMARD with prednisone, MTX or Leflunomide (n = 11). Four patients experienced VZV related complications: cellulitis in 1 patient treated with MTX, and cellulitis, sepsis and cerebellitis in 3 patients treated with biological agents and MTX combination therapy. Six children were admitted to hospital (range of duration: 4 to 9 days) and 12 were treated with valaciclovir or aciclovir. The clinical course of varicella and herpes zoster in children under immunosuppression is variable, with 4 (18 %) of 22 children showing a complicated course. Thorough assessment of VZV disease and vaccination history and correct VZV vaccination according to national guidelines at diagnosis of a rheumatic autoimmune disease is essential to minimize VZV complications during a later immunosuppressive treatment

The Psychosocial Health of Shan Children in Northwest Thailand

We administered the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to 51 Shan refugee children from Burma who are living in northern Thailand, and collected life histories from 11 of their families. Of the sample, 63% of the children were stateless, and none were Thai citizens. About 30% of the children had normal peer relationship subscores—a number well below Thai norms after correcting for multiple comparisons (p < .001). However, their overall functioning was not different from the Thai population as a whole

Maternal psychological distress in primary care and association with child behavioural outcomes at age three

Observational studies indicate children whose mothers have poor mental health are at increased risk of socio-emotional behavioural difficulties, but it is unknown whether these outcomes vary by the mothers’ mental health recognition and treatment status. To examine this question, we analysed linked longitudinal primary care and research data from 1078 women enrolled in the Born in Bradford cohort. A latent class analysis of treatment status and self-reported distress broadly categorised women as (a) not having a common mental disorder (CMD) that persisted through pregnancy and the first 2 years after delivery (N = 756, 70.1 %), (b) treated for CMD (N = 67, 6.2 %), or (c) untreated (N = 255, 23.7 %). Compared to children of mothers without CMD, 3-year-old children with mothers classified as having untreated CMD had higher standardised factor scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (d = 0.32), as did children with mothers classified as having treated CMD (d = 0.27). Results were only slightly attenuated in adjusted analyses. Children of mothers with CMD may be at risk for socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties. The development of effective treatments for CMD needs to be balanced by greater attempts to identify and treat women. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00787-015-0777-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Prenatal and Postnatal Tobacco Exposure and Behavioral Problems in 10-Year-Old Children: Results from the GINI-plus Prospective Birth Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and postnatal tobacco exposure have been reported to be associated with behavioral problems. However, the magnitude of the association with tobacco exposure at specific periods of exposure is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the relative risk of behavioral problems in children who had been exposed to tobacco smoke in utero and postnatally. METHODS: We analyzed data from a prospective birth cohort study in two cities in Germany: the German Infant Nutrition Intervention. Our sample included 5,991 children born between 1995 and 1998 as well as their parents. We measured behavioral problems using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at follow-up 10 years after birth. According to prespecified SDQ cutoff values, children were classified as &quot;normal,&quot; &quot;borderline,&quot; or &quot;abnormal&quot; according to the subscales &quot;emotional symptoms,&quot; &quot;conduct problems,&quot; &quot;hyperactivity/inattention,&quot; &quot;peer-relationship problems,&quot; and a total difficulties score. Smoke exposure and further covariates were assessed using parent questionnaires. RESULTS: Compared with children not exposed to tobacco smoke, children exposed both pre- and postnatally to tobacco smoke had twice the estimated risk [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-3.1] of being classified as abnormal according to the total difficulties score of the SDQ at 10 years of age. Children who were only prenatally exposed had a 90% higher relative risk (95% CI, 0.9-4.0), whereas children who were only postnatally exposed had a 30% higher relative risk (95% CI, 0.9-1.9). These results could not be explained by confounding by parental education, father&#39;s employment, child&#39;s time spent in front of computer or television screen, being a single father or mother, or mother&#39;s age. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with behavioral problems in school-age children. Although our findings do not preclude the influence of postnatal exposure, prenatal exposure seems to be more important

Fabrication of glass sphere laser fusion targets

We have developed processes at LLL for mass producing the high quality glass microspheres required for current laser fusion targets. Here we describe the methods and the materials used in our liquid-droplet and dried-gel systems. Glass microspheres ranging from 70 to 600 microns O.D., with walls from 0.5 to 18 microns thick and which satisfy the exacting surface and symmetry specifications of targets for high density experiments are now produced routinely