Electroencephalography (EEG) for neurological prognostication after cardiac arrest and targeted temperature management; rationale and study design.

BACKGROUND: Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used to assess neurological prognosis in patients who are comatose after cardiac arrest, but its value is limited by varying definitions of pathological patterns and by inter-rater variability. The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) has recently proposed a standardized EEG-terminology for critical care to address these limitations. METHODS/DESIGN: In the TTM-trial, 399 post cardiac arrest patients who remained comatose after rewarming underwent a routine EEG. The presence of clinical seizures, use of sedatives and antiepileptic drugs during the EEG-registration were prospectively documented. DISCUSSION: A well-defined terminology for interpreting post cardiac arrest EEGs is critical for the use of EEG as a prognostic tool. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The TTM-trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01020916).

Verification at the protein level of the PIF4-mediated external coincidence model for the temperature-adaptive photoperiodic control of plant growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plant circadian clock controls a wide variety of physiological and developmental events, which include the short-days (SDs)-specific promotion of the elongation of hypocotyls during de-etiolation and also the elongation of petioles during vegetative growth. In A. thaliana, the PIF4 gene encoding a phytochrome-interacting basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor plays crucial roles in this photoperiodic control of plant growth. According to the proposed external coincidence model, the PIF4 gene is transcribed precociously at the end of night specifically in SDs, under which conditions the protein product is stably accumulated, while PIF4 is expressed exclusively during the daytime in long days (LDs), under which conditions the protein product is degraded by the light-activated phyB and also the residual proteins are inactivated by the DELLA family of proteins. A number of previous reports provided solid evidence to support this coincidence model mainly at the transcriptional level of the PIF 4 and PIF4-traget genes. Nevertheless, the diurnal oscillation profiles of PIF4 proteins, which were postulated to be dependent on photoperiod and ambient temperature, have not yet been demonstrated. Here we present such crucial evidence on PIF4 protein level to further support the external coincidence model underlying the temperature-adaptive photoperiodic control of plant growth in A. thaliana.

Parole, personnage et sujet dans les récits littéraires de Benjamin Constant

Même si Alison Fairlie, Tzvetan Todorov, Han Verhoeff et Simone Balayé ont reconnu l'importance de la parole dans les récits littéraires de Benjamin Constant (Amélie et Germaine, Cécile, Ma vie et Adolphe), dans leurs commentaires ces critiques ont surtout mis en évidence les échecs et les malentendus inhérents à toute communication verbale. Au-delà de ces constatations, il restait à montrer que les récits constantiens donnent à voir et à comprendre l'intérêt que cet écrivain nourrissait pour la parole, tout particulièrement pour la parole privée -celle qu'il a choisi de mettre en scène dans ces quatre oeuvres, qui acquièrent, grâce à cette spécificité, une manière d'unité. Cette parole intime, aux antipodes de la parole publique, s'offre comme un champ d'investigation illimité tant le locuteur est alors impliqué dans sa pratique verbale. Les introspections des narrateurs-personnages constantiens font naître la peinture d'un sujet moderne, fragilisé dans sa vie personnelle et peu engagé dans la vie sociale, mais elles offrent surtout un vaste panorama des situations d'interlocution et présentent en creux les nombreuses ressources de la parole. Ces récits, qui accordent une attention tout à fait signifiante à l'écriture de la parole, mais échappent parfois à toute classification générique, parviennent à mimer les incertitudes de leur narrateur-personnage tout en révélant que c'est par la parole, originale et singulière, que le sujet s'individualise expérience rendue souvent difficile à cause de la langue conventionnelle dont usent ceux que l'on rencontre dans les lieux de sociabilité, en ce XIXe siècle naissant.

Some like it hot: temperature and acidification modulate larval development and settlement of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula

We studied the effects of temperature and pH on larval development, settlement and juvenile survival of a Mediterranean population of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. Three temperatures (16, 17.5 and 19 °C) were tested at present pH conditions (pHT 8.1). At 19 °C, two pH levels were compared to reflect present average (pHT 8.1) and near-future average conditions (pHT 7.7, expected by 2100). Larvae were reared for 52-days to achieve the full larval development and complete the metamorphosis to the settler stage. We analyzed larval survival, growth, morphology and settlement success. We also tested the carry-over effect of acidification on juvenile survival after 3 days. Our results showed that larval survival and size significantly increased with temperature. Acidification resulted in higher survival rates and developmental delay. Larval morphology was significantly altered by low temperatures, which led to narrower larvae with relatively shorter skeletal rods, but larval morphology was only marginally affected by acidification. No carry-over effects between larvae and juveniles were detected in early settler survival, though settlers from larvae reared at pH 7.7 were significantly smaller than their counterparts developed at pH 8.1. These results suggest an overall positive effect of environmental parameters related to global change on the reproduction of A. lixula, and reinforce the concerns about the increasing negative impact on shallow Mediterranean ecosystems of this post-glacial colonizer.

Thermal activation and ATP dependence of the cytoskeleton remodeling dynamics

The cytoskeleton (CSK) is a nonequilibrium polymer network that uses hydrolyzable sources of free energy such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to remodel its internal structure. As in inert nonequilibrium soft materials, CSK remodeling has been associated with structural rearrangements driven by energy-activated processes. We carry out particle tracking and traction microscopy measurements of alveolar epithelial cells at various temperatures and ATP concentrations. We provide the first experimental evidence that the remodeling dynamics of the CSK is driven by structural rearrangements over free-energy barriers induced by thermally activated forces mediated by ATP. The measured activation energy of these forces is ~40kBTr (kB being the Boltzmann constant and Tr being the room temperature). Our experiments provide clues to understand the analogy between the dynamics of the living CSK and that of inert nonequilibrium soft materials.

Late and post-Hercyniam low temperature veins in the Catalonian Coastal Ranges

Many of the veins enclosed within the Paleozoic basement of the Catalonian Coastal Ranges show severa1 common characteristics: low temperature of formation (between 75 and 200C), the presence of complex polisaline fluids and a certain relationship to the pretriassic paleosurface. Mineralogical composition and age are variable, ranging from Pb-Zn veins with carbonate gangue of late Hercynian age through metal poor fluorite rich veins to barite rich veins of Triasssic age. Mineralizing fluids are not related to late Hercynianmagmatism and deposition took place in active fractures developed either in extensional as in compressive regimes.

The effect of substrate on high-temperature annealing of GaN epilayers: Si versus sapphire

We have studied the effects of rapid thermal annealing at 1300¿°C on GaN epilayers grown on AlN buffered Si(111) and on sapphire substrates. After annealing, the epilayers grown on Si display visible alterations with craterlike morphology scattered over the surface. The annealed GaN/Si layers were characterized by a range of experimental techniques: scanning electron microscopy, optical confocal imaging, energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis, Raman scattering, and cathodoluminescence. A substantial Si migration to the GaN epilayer was observed in the crater regions, where decomposition of GaN and formation of Si3N4 crystallites as well as metallic Ga droplets and Si nanocrystals have occurred. The average diameter of the Si nanocrystals was estimated from Raman scattering to be around 3¿nm. Such annealing effects, which are not observed in GaN grown on sapphire, are a significant issue for applications of GaN grown on Si(111) substrates when subsequent high-temperature processing is required.

Analysis of S-rich CuIn(S,Se)2 layers for photovoltaic applications: Influence of the sulfurization temperature on the crystalline properties of electrodeposited and sulfurized CuInSe2 precursors

This paper reports the microstructural analysis of S-rich CuIn(S,Se)2 layers produced by electrodeposition of CuInSe2 precursors and annealing under sulfurizing conditions as a function of the temperature of sulfurization. The characterization of the layers by Raman scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and XRD techniques has allowed observation of the strong dependence of the crystalline quality of these layers on the sulfurization temperature: Higher sulfurization temperatures lead to films with improved crystallinity, larger average grain size, and lower density of structural defects. However, it also favors the formation of a thicker MoS2 interphase layer between the CuInS2 absorber layer and the Mo back contact. Decreasing the temperature of sulfurization leads to a significant decrease in the thickness of this intermediate layer and is also accompanied by significant changes in the composition of the interface region between the absorber and the MoS2 layer, which becomes Cu rich. The characterization of devices fabricated with these absorbers corroborates the significant impact of all these features on device parameters as the open circuit voltage and fill factor that determine the efficiency of the solar cells.

Microstructure and secondary phases in coevaporated CuInS2 films: Dependence on growth temperature and chemical composition

The microstructure of CuInS2-(CIS2) polycrystalline films deposited onto Mo-coated glass has been analyzed by Raman scattering, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction techniques. Samples were obtained by a coevaporation procedure that allows different Cu-to-In composition ratios (from Cu-rich to Cu-poor films). Films were grown at different temperatures between 370 and 520-°C. The combination of micro-Raman and AES techniques onto Ar+-sputtered samples has allowed us to identify the main secondary phases from Cu-poor films such as CuIn5S8 (at the central region of the layer) and MoS2 (at the CIS2/Mo interface). For Cu-rich films, secondary phases are CuS at the surface of as-grown layers and MoS2 at the CIS2/Mo interface. The lower intensity of the MoS2 modes from the Raman spectra measured at these samples suggests excess Cu to inhibit MoS2 interface formation. Decreasing the temperature of deposition to 420-°C leads to an inhibition in observing these secondary phases. This inhibition is also accompanied by a significant broadening and blueshift of the main A1 Raman mode from CIS2, as well as by an increase in the contribution of an additional mode at about 305 cm-1. The experimental data suggest that these effects are related to a decrease in structural quality of the CIS2 films obtained under low-temperature deposition conditions, which are likely connected to the inhibition in the measured spectra of secondary-phase vibrational modes.

Fine speckle contrast in InGaAs/InP systems: Influence of layer thickness, missmatch, and growing temperature

This work is focused on the study of the fine speckle contrast present in planar view observations of matched and mismatched InGaAs layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on InP substrates. Our results provide experimental evidence of the evolution of this fine structure with the mismatch, layer thickness, and growth temperature. The correlation of the influence of all these parameters on the appearance of the contrast modulation points to the development of the fine structure during the growth. Moreover, as growth proceeds, this structure shows a dynamic behavior which depends on the intrinsic layer substrate stress.