We present photo-ionization and morpho-kinematic analyses of the ejecta of novae. The sample consists of ten novae belonging to the Fe II, He/N and hybrid classes. The Fe II class of novae in the sample have bipolar cone-like structures, with or without equatorial rings with inclination angle in the range of 40°–60°. The He/N novae have bullet-nose curve along with bipolar cone-like structures and equatorial rings with an inclination angle of ~80°. The hybrid nova in the sample is a bipolar frustum of prolate spheroid along with bipolar cone-like structures and equatorial rings with an inclination angle of 63°.

Background: Post-craniotomy pain can be severe and undermanaged. While opioids are the mainstay treatment, they have the potential to interfere with neurological monitoring. The objectives of this review are: 1) to identify measures to provide opioid-free analgesia 2) to compare the effectiveness of non-opioid to opioid analgesia in post-craniotomy pain. Methods: A comprehensive search of EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases was conducted for RCTs evaluating the effect of opioid vs non-opioid pain control strategies in patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy. Results: The literature search yielded 462 citations, 5 RCTs that met the inclusion criteria for a total of 250 patients. Scalp infiltration/block was found to provide equivalent analgesia to morphine1 and fentanyl.2 Morphine was associated with slightly higher postoperative nausea and vomiting. Paracetamol was less likely to induce nausea and vomiting,3,4 but provided inadequate pain relief compared to nalbuphine,3 tramadol,3 morphine4 and sufentanil.4 Dexmedetomidine5 provided similar analgesia to remifentanil but did delay the time to first dose of rescue analgesia with similar side effects. Conclusions: Based on the limited number of RCTs comparing opioid to non-opioid techniques, no definite recommendations can be made with regards to the optimal management of post-craniotomy pain. Considerations should be made for use of multimodal analgesia-including adjuvant analgesics.

The internal spinal cord blood flow was measured in dogs at the site of local cooling using hydrogen polarography. Blood flow decreased to 50% of the normothermic values during cooling of the cord to a central temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. Upon cessation of cooling internal blood flow rapidly returned to normal values. Implications of this finding for the treatment of spinal cord injury are discussed.

The immunological responses in hamsters during treatment with mebendazole against Ancylostoma ceylanicum are studied. Indirect haemagglutination (IHA) counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA), foot pad swelling for immediate (ITH) and delayed (DTH) types of hypersensitivities were employed for measuring the responses. Serum antibody which was 1:32 before treatment increased to the maximim of 1:512 (control 1:128) on the 10th day and it declined subsequently. The CIEP test was positive for 10 days and then became negative. The PCA test was positive throughout the observation period both in the treated and untreated groups. Foot pad swelling for ITH and DTH responses were comparatively more prominent than in the untreated control up to the 20th day and then both decreased simultaneously. The immunological responses remained prominent for a longer period and decreased more slowly in the untreated control group.

Homocystinuria due to 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency may present with variable neurological manifestations. Radiological features include white matter changes (leukoencephalopathy). Clinical, biochemical, and radiological response to treatment may again be variable. Here we present a 12-year follow-up of two siblings on the same treatment regimen, with contrasting long-term findings. The first patient, a female presenting at 15 years, showed a good clinical response, substantial intellectual gain, and complete reversal of leukoencephalopathy. Her brother presented at 13 years 9 months and showed limited clinical and cognitive improvement with persistence of the leukoencephalopathy. Both siblings showed a partial biochemical response to treatment.

The oxidation resistance of ultrathin (5–15Å) thermally grown silicon nitride (Si3N4), in conditions relevant to the deposition/annealing of Tantalum Pentoxide (Ta2O5) in a Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) environment, has been non destructively examined using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). This has been carried out with a view to establishing a process window for the deposition of Ta2O5 on a Rapid Thermally Nitrided (RTN) Si(100) surface, with negligible oxidation of the Si(100) substrate. A physical model of the oxidation process of these films is also proposed.

We have studied the thermal growth chemistry and bonding structure of three promising ultrathin (5–20Å), nitrogen rich passivation layers on Si(100), namely-Si3N4, NO/Si(100) grown oxynitride and NO annealed SiO2. These films are intended to serve as substrates with excellent diffusion barrier/interface properties during deposition of high- K dielectrics such as Ta2O5, with tSiO2 equivalent <30Å for ULSI applications. In this paper we show that it is possible to form films with a tailored composition and nitrogen profile using techniques that can easily be integrated with existing silicon processing technology. Alternating growth and surface analysis by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is used to non destructively characterize the growth.

Photoconductivity in photocrosslinkable second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) polymeric materials and photovoltage generation in a poled guest-host polymer are reported. These NLO polymers have been functionalized with crosslinkable cinnamoyl groups and show relatively stable second-order optical nonlinearities at room temperature when poled and crosslinked. Without introducing any photosensitizer or charge carrier transport agents, photoconductivity was obtained in these polymer systems. Optical excitations of the NLO chromophores lead to photocarrier generation and it is conjectured that these NLO chromophores also play a role in the carrier transport. In addition to photoconductivity, photovoltage generation was observed in the dye doped polymer upon poling. This poled polymer also exhibits a polarization dependent photovoltage when illuminated by light in the absorption region of the NLO chromophore.

Residual stresses present in thin films evaporated on ceramic substrates, can lead to loss of adhesion of the metal features to the ceramic, or, between metal films in multi-level stacks. If the adhesion is good, ceramic cracking may occur around the metal features. Long term one must avoid stress corrosion cracking in the ceramic. These residual stresses are generated by a variety of causes. In general, defect incorporation during the deposition process and thermal expansion mismatch between thin film and substrate play major roles.

In this paper, we describe a method for determining the residual stresses that may be detrimental, or more accurately, the residual stress induced load that may cause reliability problems. This method involves evaporating metal pads or various thicknesses onto the ceramic to the point of failure, and measuring the residual stress loading on the substrate. A direct measure of this loading is the stress intensity factor which takes into account both the residual stress and pad or film thickness. Thus, a critical “load” or stress intensity at which substrate cracking or thin film delamination occurs can be estimated. This approach can be used to select the optimum metal-thickness combination for various substrates.

The polycation conducting polymers, oxidized polypyrrole and polyalkylthiophene, possess the ability to form complexes with polyanionic DNA molecules through largely electrostatic interactions. This study demonstrated the solution uptake and binding of 32p radiolabeled DNA by conducting polymer thick films (50–100μm). Polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by electrochemical methods and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (PHT) and poly(3-undecylthiophene) (PUT) were synthesized by chemical methods. The DNA binding rates on PPy films were affected by DNA concentration and the oxidation state (measured as conductivity). The DNA kinetics support a diffusion limited model for binding. We measured DNA binding levels onto all three polymer films; PUT, PHT, and PPy. The binding levels increased in the same order as the conductivities of the polymer films. DNA binding onto oxidized PPy film was diminished upon electrochemical reduction. These observations showed, therefore, the binding may be linked with the positive charge sites responsible for conduction in the polymer films.

Type I collagen in a porous sponge form attracts fibroblasts in culture and accelerates repair of animal wounds. This study examines the effect of type I collagen sponge and flakes on healing of chronic skin ulcers. Patients included in this study had skin ulcers.

Patients included in this study had skin ulcers characterized by loss of dermis and epidermis without exposure of muscle, tendon or bone. Patients showing evidence of systemic infection or patients with ulcers that decreased in area during an initial three week observation period were excluded.

Three out of seven patients treated with a collagen sponge and twelve out of fourteen patients treated with collagen flakes showed a 40% decrease in wound area after six weeks of treatment. In comparison, eighteen control patients showed no change in wound area over the same time interval. These results suggest that collagen flakes are effective in initiating healing of chronic skin ulcers.