A trial with diclofenac HEP plaster as topical treatment in minor sport injuries

Diclofenac HEP plaster was tested in an open study in the treatment of different traumatic sport and overload injuries, to confirm the results of efficacy and tolerability already shown in other clinical studies. A total of 101 patients were assigned to treatment and were eligible for the evaluation of results at the end of a 14-day treatment period. The average score of spontaneous pain, assessed by means of a verbal scale and a visual analogical scale, showed a clear difference in pain rating between the beginning and end of treatment. In general 60% pain reduction was observed. The difference in analgesic activity was already apparent on the 7th day of treatment (-28%). The reduction of pain was confirmed by changes in another subjective sign related to the injury: provoked pain. This symptom decreased in a manner comparable to spontaneous pain: 61% pain reduction after 2 weeks of treatment. Global assessment of efficacy, performed by the investigator at the end of treatment, showed the clear therapeutic activity of local treatment with diclofenac HEP plaster. Satisfactory results were obtained and only 18% of the patients (most of them with chronic and persistent pain) experienced ineffective pain relief at the end of the 2-week treatment. The beneficial effects of diclofenac HEP plaster on pain are confirmed by the patients' assessment, since almost identical scores were obtained. It is striking that the overall tolerance of diclofenac HEP plaster, applied topically twice a day for 2 weeks, was "good" or "excellent" in the 101 patients treated. Any side effect was reported on the patient's card and all the patients completed the study.     

Modern aspects of far-infrared gas lasers

Contents A short survey is presented on the recent development of optically pumped pulsed far-infrared (FIR) or THz gas lasers. This includes the new distributed-feedback (DFB) and helical-feedback (HFB) FIR gas lasers as well as the subnanosecond-single-pulse FIR gas lasers pumped by 50 ns 10 m pulses of hybrid CO₂ lasers truncated within ca. 10 ps at their maximum by a novel ultrafast laser-triggered plasma shutter. These lasers show interesting phenomena such as standard and swept-gain superradiance as well as anticorrelated oscillations of the far-infrared emission and the 10 m pump radiation in the Raman regime. In this context it was discovered that FIR laser gases, e.g., CH₃F, NH₃, D₂O, CH₃CN, can be used successfully as spectral filters in Optical-Free-Induction-Decay 10 m CO₂ laser systems instead of the standard hot CO₂ gas. Finally, the single ultrashort FIR pulses are presently applied to FIR or THz quantumwell detectors and to high-T _c superconductors to gain further information on their exciting and complicated features.

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Aktuelle Aspekte der Ferninfrarot (THz) Gaslaser

Übersicht Aktuelle Probleme und Resultate der Forschung über optisch-gepumpte gepulste Ferninfrarot (FIR)- resp. THz-Gaslaser werden erläutert. Diese betreffen sowohl die neuartigen Distributed Feedback (DFB) und Helical Feedback (HFB) FIR Gaslaser, als auch FIR Gaslaser, die gepumpt werden mit den 50 ns 10 m Pulsen von Hybriden CO₂ Lasern, welche mit neu entwickelten, Lasergesteuerten Plasmaschaltern innerhalb ca. 10 ps im Maximum abgeschnitten werden. Damit erzielt man Subnanosekunden-FIR Einzelpulse. Diese Laser zeigen interessante Phänomene, wie normale und verstärkte Superstrahlung oder antikorrelierte Fluktuationen der FIR Strahlung und 10 m Pumpstrahlung im Raman-Emissionsstadium. In diesem Zusammenhang wurde festgestellt, daß FIR Laser-Gase, z. B. CH₃F, NH₃, D₂O, CH₃CN, erfolgreich als Spektralfilter in Optical-Free-Induction-Decay 10 m CO₂ Lasersystemen das übliche heiße CO₂ Gas ersetzen können. Die einzelnen ultrakurzen FIR-Pulse werden zur Zeit zum Test neuer FIR resp. THz Quantum-Well-Detektoren und zur Untersuchung ihrer Einwirkung auf Hoch-T _c -Supraleiter verwendet.

     

The influence of cooling rate during alloy casting on the oxidation behaviour of TiAl-based intermetallics

The oxidation behaviour of the intermetallic phase Ti-50 at% Al at 900 °C was studied. It was found that the oxidation behaviour strongly depends on the composition and distribution of the and ₂-phases in the alloy microstructure. As this microstructure strongly depends on the alloy cooling rate, the oxidation behaviour of TiAl-based intermetallics is significantly affected by the casting procedure and subsequent heat treatment. Rapid cooling from high temperature (T 1400 °C) has a beneficial effect on oxidation behaviour.On leave from the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy, Krakow, Poland.     

Satisfiability of co-nested formulas

As a notion dual to Knuth's nested formulas [4], we call a boolean formula in conjunctive normal formco-nested if its clauses can be linearly ordered (sayC={c _i ;i=1,2, ...,n})so that the graphG ^cl =(XC, {xc _i ;xc _i or ¬xc _i } {c _i c _i+1;i=1, 2, ...,n}) allows a noncrossing drawing in the plane so that the circlec ₁,c ₂, ...,c _n bounds the outerface. Our main result is that maximum satisfiability of co-nested formulas can be decided in linear time.Both authors acknowledge a partial support of Ec Cooperative Action IC-1000 (project ALTEC:Algorithms for Future Technologies).     

NMR studies on vortices in rotating3He-A

NMR measurements are reported on rotating³He-A in a long cylindrical geometry of 5 mm diameter at a liquid pressure of 29.3 bar and in axial magnetic fields of 14.2, 28.4, and 56.9 mT. At 28.4 mT, NMR studies are also reported in fields inclined by 25° and 90° from the axis of rotation. The frequency shift, the width, and the intensity of the spin wave modes localized on the soft vortex cores, as well as the additional broadening of the main NMR line during rotation, were measured as a function of temperature, angular velocity , magnetic field intensity, and its inclination angle. Also observed were a critical angular velocity of vortex formation, hysteretic behavior in the number of vortices when comparing accelerating rotation to decelerating, and metastable vortex densities, presumably a vortex tangle after rapid oscillatory acceleration. The results can be understood in terms of the continuous 4 vortices first proposed by Seppälä and Volovik.     

Rayonnement en ondes métriques et décimétriques des orages

This article presents the result of the current knowledge on the very high frequency electromagnetic radiation of lightning. A phenomenology analysis of the new results obtained from the study of triggered lightning in New Mexico (TRIP 82) and at Saint-Privat-d’ Allier in Haute-Loire, France (1983) is first described. The authors then present the spectral and temporal characteristics of the VHF/UHF radiation which can be applied to the electromagnetic compatibility of systems. From a synthesis of the experimental and theoretical contributions, they propose a reflection on the lightning initiation process and on the mechanisms generating lightning radiation.     

The metabolism of fenazox in tomato plants

Results from investigations on the metabolism of 14C-Fenazox show that in 6-8 weeks old tomato-plants (sort "Harzfeuer") the agent undergoes a biotransformation. After chromatographic separation the structure of the biotransformation products was elucidated by comparison to authentic test substances, by derivatization as well as by means of physico-chemical methods. With that, the following metabolites were identified: non-transformed Fenazox, o-hydroxyazobenzene, o-hydroxyaniline, and p-hydroxyaniline. Probably, the agent is first transformed enzymatically or non-enzymatically into o-hydroxyazobenzene, then follows a reductive cleavage into o-hydroxyaniline and aniline. In its turn, the latter is transformed into o-hydroxy- and p-hydroxyaniline. Experiments in the field of transformation kinetics indicated that the concentration of the applied Fenazox rapidly decreases and that the first transformation product o-hydroxyazobenzene in the beginning increases and then again decreases in its concentration. With increasing application time it comes to an increase of the non-extractable residues.     

Some remarks on the application of a two-surface model in plasticity

Summary An internal variable theory of rate-independent plasticity is presented incorporating a combination of classical models of kinematic hardening as well as isotropic hardening. In addition to the yield surface a second bounding surface has been introduced to accommodate to problems with non-radial loading paths. The behaviour of this model unter uniaxial and complex loading has been tested and compared with experimental results and other theoretical predictions.With 10 Figures