New Raman pump module for reducing pump-signal four-wave-mixing interaction in co-pumped distributed Raman amplifiers

We propose a new Raman pump module that effectively reduces four-wave-mixing (FWM) nonlinear interaction among longitudinal pump modes and wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) signals in co-pumped distributed Raman amplifiers based on nonzero dispersion-shifted fibers (NZ-DSFs). Theory and experiments confirm that the proposed pump module structure, based on polarization- and wavelength-multiplexed Fabry-Perot lasers, allows distributed amplification with high co-propagating on-off Raman gain, providing a key technology for all-Raman-based dense-WDM ultralong-haul transmission.     

An ADC histogram test based on small-amplitude waves

This paper deals with a new method improving the static test for analogue-to-digital converters. The method is based on a histogram procedure using as test signals small-amplitude triangular waves superimposed on suitable constant offset values. The histogram is built over the converter fullscale by varying the offset step by step systematically. A small amplitude and a reduced time slope in comparison to the converter range and slew rate, respectively, lead to static test conditions. This procedure allows inexpensive function generators to be used and the test duration to be dramatically reduced. Experimental results of tests aimed at validating, characterizing, and comparing the proposed method on two different converter architectures are presented.     

A schedulability condition for deadline-ordered service disciplines

In a deadline-ordered service discipline, packets are assigned transmission deadlines and eligibility times and are transmitted in increasing order of deadlines. Different deadline-ordered service disciplines are distinguished by how they calculate deadlines and eligibility times. One of the more difficult analytical problems one faces when designing a new deadline-ordered service discipline is to prove that one can bound the end of transmission times of packets relative to their assigned deadlines, which we call schedulability. We show that, no matter how one calculates deadlines, there is a simple schedulability condition for deadline-ordered service disciplines. This schedulability condition is necessary and sufficient for preemptive deadline-ordered service disciplines, and for a server that allows the presence of nonreal-time packets (i.e., packets with no deadlines), it is also necessary and sufficient for nonpreemptive deadline-ordered service disciplines. We also address the schedulability problem for service disciplines in general, and show the optimality of deadline-ordered service disciplines. To demonstrate how our results simplify schedulability determination, we use them to prove the known schedulability conditions of VirtualClock, Packet-by-Packet Generalized Processor Sharing (PGPS), Stop-and-Go, and Delay-Earliest-Due-Date (Delay-EDD), and to provide a new result, the necessary schedulability condition of VirtualClock     

Percutaneous blind needle biopsy versus combined laparoscopic excisional and guided needle biopsy in the diagnosis of liver disorders in pediatric patients

A special interest, both in scientific publications and in the mass media, is recently emerged about the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in post-menopausal women. Beside, in fact, the specific indication for the relief of menopausal symptoms, hypotheses are debated about a possible role of HRT in the reduction of risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases, and in the increased risk of breast cancer. This situation emphasizes the need for assessing the benefit/risk profile for HRT in order to ensure that strategies of proven clinical effectiveness, based on large randomized clinical trials, will be adopted in the population.     

Effect of hemodiafiltration with endogenous reinfusion on overt idiopathic chronic inflammation in maintenance hemodialysis patients: A multicenter longitudinal study

Chronic inflammation is widely diffuse in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and is associated with poor survival. Hemodiafiltration with endogenous reinfusion (HFR) is a dialysis technique, highly biocompatible, able to adsorb proinflammatory cytokines and to decrease amino acids and antioxidants loss. These features could be helpful in MHD patients affected by idiopathic chronic inflammation, but this issue remains to be elucidated. We performed a multicenter longitudinal study to assess the effect of the switching from bicarbonate HD to HFR in patients with serum C‐reactive Protein (CRP) > 5 mg/L coupled with albumin <4.0 g/dL in the last 6 months. We enrolled 24/176 (14%) patients, of which 20 patients were assessed at 4 months and 18 completed the study. We excluded 11 patients with evident causes of inflammation. At baseline, serum levels of CRP (18.7[7.0–39.4] mg/L) and albumin (3.5[3.3–3.7] g/dL) were significantly correlated (r = ?0.49; P = 0.028). The effect on CRP and albumin was almost evident in the first 4 months and remained stable until to eighth month. A strict correlation (R = ?0.49; 0.040) between percentage change of CRP (?35%) and albumin (+14%) after 8 months of HFR. These effects were associated with the reduction of IL‐6, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α and the increment of pre‐albumin and leptin, whereas the serum levels of Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) remained unchanged. In MHD patients affected by idiopathic chronic inflammation the switching from BHD to HFR is associated with improvement of inflammation. Whether these favorable effects may modify the outcomes of these high‐risk patients needs to be confirmed by studies ad hoc.     

A closed-loop jacobian transpose scheme for solving the inverse kinematics of nonredundant and redundant wrists

The solution of the inverse kinematic problem is of the utmost importance in robotic manipulator control. This article proposes a closed-loop scheme for solving the inverse kinematic problem for nonredundant and redundant wrists based on the computation of the Jacobian transpose. The manipulability measure is suitably introduced as a constraint for redundant wrists, by taking advantage of the null space of the Jacobian matrix. The resulting algorithm provides a computational tool to solve a specified orientation trajectory into a joint trajectory. Numerical results with two spherical wrists show the excellent performance of the scheme.     

Impact of double Rayleigh scattering noise in distributed higher order Raman pumping schemes

We analyze the equivalent optical noise figure (NF) performances and double Rayleigh-scattering-induced noise characteristics of distributed Raman amplifiers based on higher order pumping schemes. We confirm that higher order counterpumping configurations improve the amplifier equivalent NF but also increase multipath interference noise, inducing system penalties at high ON-OFF Raman gain. A Q-factor analysis allows a quantitative evaluation of the real benefits provided by higher order pumping schemes.     

Load balancing to adjust for proximity in some network topologies

Each job scheduler in large decentralized load balancing systems generally must consider whether it is advantageous to offload jobs to remote computation servers when the local load is too high. Although processing power may appear to be available at a very distant server, two problems arise due to the transmission delay between the scheduler and server. Predictably, the response time of the job is adversely affected as the job spends valuable time in transit, but a more subtle problem involves the value, or reliability, of the state information regarding job queues. The longer the delay between scheduler and server, the less a scheduler should value the state information of the server (given that the state changes over time). We examine the performance of schedulers in topologies with different average proximity and show a probabilistic algorithm that allows schedulers to dynamically form efficient clusters in the network.     

Outcome of blunt thoracic aortic injury in a level I trauma center: an 8-year review

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate our experience with blunt thoracic aortic injury and identify factors predictive of outcome. METHODS: Hospital charts, trauma registry data, and autopsies of 64 patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury from 1988 to 1995 were reviewed. RESULTS: Patients were identified and segregated based on admission physiology. Group 1 patients (n = 19) arrived in arrest. Group 2 patients (n = 10) arrived in shock with systolic BP 90. Group 3 patients (n = 35) arrived with systolic BP>90. All patients in groups 1 and 2 expired. Injury Severity Scores for nonsurvivors in group 3 (n = 12) were significantly higher than survivors. There were no significant differences when comparing time of injury to repair or arrival between groups, or in mortality or paralysis comparing repair techniques or clamp/bypass times. Double lumen endotracheal tubes caused significant operative delays compared to single lumen tubes. CONCLUSIONS: Predictors of survivability were hemodynamic stability on arrival and lower Injury Severity Scores. In thoracic aortic injury patients arriving hemodynamically stable, Injury Severity Score correlated with mortality but not paralysis.