Renal fibromuscular dysplasia treated with partial nephrectomy

We report a previously undescribed ultrastructural calcification of glomerular immune complex depositions in a patient with lupus nephritis. Such processes give rise to a distinctive ultrastructural calcified microspheriol in electron-dense immune deposits, and were associated with hypercalcemia and nephrocalcinosis. The cause of hypercalcemia in this patient was uncertain, but related to a granulomatous inflammation and abscess of the breast. Whereas ultrastructural microcalcification was associated with hypercalcemia, its distribution in the segmental glomerular lesions suggests that an inflammatory process was contributory. The clinical follow-up indicates that the microcalcifications of immune complexes have not affected the outcome of nephritis and renal function.     

Direct finite element design optimisation of the cagelessreluctance synchronous machine

The finite element analysis method is used directly in optimisation algorithms to optimise in multidimensions the design of the cageless reluctance synchronous machine. Two optimisation methods are evaluated to minimise or maximise the function value. These are the direction set method of Powell and the quasi-Newton algorithm. Both methods proved to be successful, with some advantages and disadvantages. Using these methods at a power level below 10 kW, results are given of structures of the reluctance synchronous machine which have been optimised according to specific criteria. Calculated and measured results show that the maximum torque optimum designed reluctance synchronous machine has the advantages of high power density and high efficiency     

Comparison between normal and reverse thin crystalline silicon solar cells

The newly developed ingot growing techniques, as the three-grain and the columnar multigrain ingot processes, are now offering the possibility of slicing thinner wafers (≤ 100 μm). In this paper we present the results obtained on p type large area (≥ 100 cm²) and 100 μm thick wafers by using both conventional and reverse cell manufacturing technologies.The conventional cells are provided with aluminium or boron BSF plus screen-printed silver mirror or a silver-aluminium net; the reverse cells have a FSF and the deep back junction completely covered by a screen-printed or CVD silver layer.The constructing parameters have been chosen on the base of one and two dimensions modeling and both raw material and devices have been completely characterized.This work shows that very thin wafers do not introduce serious problems for the conventional manufacturing of solar cells. The efficiencies of the normal and of the reverse cells are found to be comparable and are of the same order than those of thicker cells, however at a significant lower cost. The main obtained result has to be related to the demonstration of a cell manufacturing feasibility starting from very thin wafers.     

Limited influence of the mesothelium on the influx of monocytes into the peritoneal cavity

Exposure of Farage, a human B-cell line, to interleukin 4 (IL4) reduced the amount of CD38 antigen on the surface of the cells and in cell lysates. No evidence was obtained for accelerated breakdown, shedding, or internalization of CD38 molecules following IL4 treatment, nor the accumulation of CD38 molecules in the cell interior. The inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide (CXM) diminished the down-regulation of CD38 induced by IL4. CXM decreased the expression of CD38 in Farage cells with arrested mitosis, and IL4 failed to further reduce CD38 expression. Staurosporine, an inhibitor of serine/threonine protein kinases, and H7 (1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine), a preferential inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), abrogated the effect of IL4 on CD38, while inhibitors of other serine protein kinases W7 (N-(aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfoamide) and H8 (N-(2-[methylamino]ethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide) failed to interfere with the effect of IL4. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of PKC, resembled IL4 in decreasing the expression of CD38, and either staurosporine or H7 abolished this effect. Genistein, an inhibitor of tyrosine kinases, increased the expression of CD38, but failed to abrogate the inhibitory effect of IL4 on CD38. It is concluded that serine/threonine protein kinases mediated the IL4-induced down-regulation of the expression of CD38 molecules in B cells.     

Incomplete inversion and double-valued fundamental linewidth ofinfrared HeNe and HeXe lasers

We have measured the quantum-limited linewidths of small HeNe 3.39 μm and HeXe 3.51 μm lasers. In contrast to the expected Schawlow-Townes behaviour strong deviations from the inverse power dependence are observed, leading to a double-valued relation between the linewidth and the output power. This phenomenon is analyzed in terms of the increase of spontaneous emission, by a factor N_sp, due to incompleteness of the inversion. Our analysis shows that typically N_sp has a value ranging from 1-10. Combining existing models for the pump power dependence of the level populations with measurements of the small signal gain, we are able to explain the observed double-valued linewidth behaviour in a quantitative way     

A simple approach to intracytoplasmic sperm injection

OBJECTIVE: To describe a simple injection apparatus and method for performing intracytoplasmic sperm injection in a clinical IVF program. DESIGN: A prospective clinical trial of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. SETTING: A private office-based fertility program. PATIENTS: Five couples undergoing IVF-ET with intracytoplasmic sperm injection as a treatment for male factor infertility. INTERVENTIONS: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed at room temperature (23.5 to 24.5 degrees C) in a simple zwitterion-buffered medium. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fertilization rates, cleavage rates, clinical pregnancy rates, implantation rates. RESULTS: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed on 44 fresh oocytes from five patients. Twenty-three oocytes fertilized (52.3%) and 22 zygotes cleaved (95.7%). Three of five patients became pregnant (60%), resulting in the live birth of one normal male infant, one continuing singleton pregnancy, and one continuing twin gestation (46XX, 46XY). The implantation rate was 23.5%. CONCLUSION: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection can be performed successfully in a simple medium at room temperature using commercially available microtools.     

Mine operating accurate stability control with optical fibersensing and Bragg grating technology: the European BRITE/EURAM STABILOSproject

Recent developments of stability control in mines, essentially based on Ge-doped fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) are reported including results about the different aspects of the system: accurate characterizations of FBG, sensor network topology and multiplexing method, user interface design and sensor packaging     

Theory for passive mode-locking in semiconductor laser structuresincluding the effects of self-phase modulation, dispersion, and pulsecollisions

We present a theory for passive mode-locking in semiconductor laser structures using a semiconductor laser amplifier and absorber. The mode-locking system is described in terms of the different elements in the semiconductor laser structure. We derive mode-locking conditions and show how other mode-locking parameters, like pulse width and pulse energy, are determined by the mode-locking system. System parameters, like bandwidth, dispersion, and self-phase modulation are shown to play an important role in mode-locking conditions and results. We also discuss the effects of pulse collisions and positions of the mode-locking elements inside the cavity on mode-locking stability and show that these effects can be easily included in the presented model. Finally, we give a number of design rules and recommendations for fabricating passively mode-locked lasers