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Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Our own common experience suggests that the adverse effects of noise on birds can be considered with regard to four potentially overlapping categories. First, noise might be annoying to birds. This may cause them to abandon a particular site that is otherwise ideal in terms of food availability, breeding opportunities, etc. Second, noise which lasts for very long periods of time can be stressful. Such noise levels can raise the level of stress hormones, interfere with sleep and other activities, etc. Thirdly, very intense noise (acoustic overexposure) can cause permanent injury to the auditory system. Finally, noise can interfere with acoustic communication by masking important sounds or sound components. The first two categories of investigation are probably best addressed by field experiments. The second two categories of effects are probably best addressed by laboratory experiments where precise control can be obtained. The results of some of these experiments are described in this paper.

In this work, the interface composition of the superconducting Ti/PdAu bilayer is tuned by an annealing process in N2 from 100 to 500 °C to control the superconducting transition temperature (Tc). This Ti-PdAu composition layer is characterized with a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to show the infiltration process. The surface topography, electrical, and cryogenic properties are also shown. The inter-infiltration of Ti and PdAu induced by the thermal treatments generates an intermixed layer at the interface of the bilayer film. Due to the enforced proximity effect by the annealing process, the Tc of Ti (55 nm)/PdAu (60 nm) bilayer thin films is tuned from an initial value of 243 to 111 mK which is a temperature that is suitable for the application as the function unit of a superconducting transition edge sensor.

We propose a backward-pump transverse mode fiber laser to generate optical beams based on few-mode fiber Bragg grating. The grating as a transverse mode filter possesses several reflection peaks by adjusting the core-offset. The transverse mode fiber laser operates at extremely low thresholds which are about 20, 16.5 and 16 mW corresponding to different operation wavelengths of 1560.98, 1562.32 and 1563.76 nm, respectively. The optical signal to noise ratios are about 72, 75.5 and 75.8 dB, when the pump power is fixed at 100 mW, respectively. The effectively exciting modes corresponding to each reflection peak interfere with each other. Different optical beams can be achieved by changing the operating wavelength or changing the state of PC. The device maybe find its applications such as sensing, transporting or manipulating microscopic particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether family members interfere with patient care when present during invasive procedures performed on their children in the ED. Methods: A prospective observational study of consecutive cases of procedural sedation of children aged between 12 months and 16 years was conducted between March 2002 and March 2006 in the ED of a secondary-level regional hospital in south-east Queensland. Procedures performed included laceration repair, fracture reduction, foreign body removal and abscess incision and drainage. Parents/primary caregivers were encouraged to stay with their child. A stepwise explanation of the procedure and sedation to be used was undertaken, informed consent obtained and telephone follow up attempted 5–14 days post procedure. Results: Six hundred and fifty-two patient encounters with parents or primary caregivers present for the procedure were included for a total of 656 procedures: 234 laceration repairs, 250 fracture reductions, 85 foreign body removals, 33 abscess incision and drainages, 14 dislocation reductions and 40 other procedures. Telephone follow up was successful in 65% (424) of cases. The mean age was 6.5 years. Family member interference occurred in one case (0.15%, 95% confidence interval 0–0.73%). In 17 cases (2.68%, 95% confidence interval 2.1–5.9%) family members present expressed concerns about the procedure during the telephone follow up but had not interfered at the time of the procedure. There were no significant differences between the concerned parents at follow up and the study group across key patient variables such as child’s age ( P = 0.369), weight ( P = 0.379), respiratory rate ( P = 0.477), sex ( P = 0.308), procedure indication ( P = 0.308) and airway manoeuvres ( P = 0.153). Conclusion: When family members are encouraged to stay for invasive procedures performed on their child, and careful explanation of the procedure, sedation, possible complications, choice of medication for sedation and possible side-effects is undertaken, family member interference is extremely rare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receivers are being digitized in a quest for flexibility. Analog filters and programmable gain stages are being exchanged for digital processing at the price of a very challenging ADC. This paper presents an alternative solution where the filter and programmable gain functionality is integrated into a ΣΔ ADC. The novel filtering ADC is realized by adding a high-pass feedback path to a conventional ΣΔ ADC while a compensating low-pass filter in the forward path maintains stability. As such, the ADC becomes highly immune to interferers even if they exceed the maximum allowable input level for the wanted channel. As a consequence, the ADC input range can be programmed dynamically to the level of the wanted signal only. This results in an input-referred dynamic range of 89 dB in 1-MHz bandwidth and an intentionally moderate output signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio of 46–59 dB (depending on the programmed gain). The merged functionality enables a better overall power/performance balance for the receiver baseband. The design consumes less than 2 mW and active area is 0.14 mm2 in a 0.18-μm digital CMOS technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the interface composition of the superconducting Ti/PdAu bilayer is tuned by an annealing process in N2 from 100 to 500 °C to control the superconducting transition temperature (Tc). This Ti-PdAu composition layer is characterized with a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to show the infiltration process. The surface topography, electrical, and cryogenic properties are also shown. The inter-infiltration of Ti and PdAu induced by the thermal treatments generates an intermixed layer at the interface of the bilayer film. Due to the enforced proximity effect by the annealing process, the Tc of Ti (55 nm)/PdAu (60 nm) bilayer thin films is tuned from an initial value of 243 to 111 mK which is a temperature that is suitable for the application as the function unit of a superconducting transition edge sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]