VESTA Project: Phase 0 report

This report presents the results of technical studies conducted at CNES/PMF/APS between October 1984 and September 1985 on the VESTA project. These preliminary studies were conducted to establish mission feasibility in terms ofthe trajectory and the scientific objectives, and to determine the type of interfaces which will be required with the Soviets and to measure the magnitude of French participation. A joint French-Soviet report recommends that the project enter phase A, and was approved by CNES and INTERCOSMOS in September, 1985. The mission analysis is made for a mid-1991 launch, and a development schedule for an end-1992 launch is suggested. The decision to postpone the mission was made during the course of the study

Selective gas phase hydrogenation of nitroarenes over Mo2C-supported Au–Pd

Open Access via RSC Gold 4 Gold Financial support to Dr. X. Wang through the Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (ORSAS) is acknowledged. Dr. N. Perret also acknowledges financial support from COST Action MP0903 Nanoalloys.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Bosonic Quartic Couplings at LEP2

We list the set of C and P conserving anomalous quartic vector bosons self-couplings which can be tested at LEP2 through triple vector boson production. We show how this set can be embedded in manifestly SU(2)xU(1) gauge invariant operators exhibiting an SU(2)_c global symmetry. We derive bounds on these various couplings and show the most relevant distributions that can enhance their contribution. We also find that an e+e- collider running at 500 GeV can improve the LEP2 limits by as much as three orders of magnitude.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF THE ACTUATION SYSTEM FOR THE LHC COLLIMATORS (PHASE I)

In order to cope with the highly destructive particle beam of the LHC, the cleaning and collimation system must fulfill very severe requirements. The actuation system of the LHC Collimators is a key element to meet the specifications, particularly in terms of precision and reliability. Each collimator jaw has to be moved with a very high accuracy to place the active surface at the required position with respect to the proton beam; at the same time the system must be adjustable and flexible to adapt to the uncertainties and variations in the beam tuning. In this note the general design of the actuation system for the various collimator designs is presented and particular emphasis is given to the analysis of the torque which the stepper motors must provide to move the jaws in and back and to the dynamical behaviour of the system in the event of malfunctioning when auto-retraction of the jaws is required. In the appendix, details are given on the estimated performances of the actuation system for different collimator types and orientations

Long-term low-dose ketoconazole treatment in bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia

Medical therapy for Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (BMAH) is generally administered for a limited time before surgery. Aberrant receptors antagonists show inconsistent efficacy in the long run to prevent adrenalectomy. We present a patient with BMAH, treated for 10 years with low doses of ketoconazole to control cortisol secretion. A 48-year-old woman presented with headaches and hypertension. Investigations showed the following: no clinical signs of Cushing's syndrome; enlarged lobulated adrenals; normal creatinine, potassium, and aldosterone; normal urinary aldosterone and metanephrines; elevated urinary free cortisol and steroid metabolites; and suppressed plasma renin activity and ACTH. A screening protocol for aberrant adrenal receptors failed to show any illegitimate hormone dependence. Ketoconazole caused rapid normalisation of cortisol and ACTH that persists over 10 years on treatment, while adrenals show no change in shape or size. Ketoconazole decreases cortisol in patients with Cushing's syndrome, and may prevent adrenal overgrowth. Steroid secretion in BMAH is inefficient as compared with normal adrenals or secreting tumours and can be controlled with low, well-tolerated doses of ketoconazole, as an alternative to surgery. LEARNING POINTS: Enlarged, macronodular adrenals are often incidentally found during the investigation of hypertension in patients harboring BMAH. Although laboratory findings include low ACTH and elevated cortisol, the majority of patients do not display cushingoid features.Bilateral adrenalectomy, followed by life-long steroid replacement, is the usual treatment of this benign condition, and alternative medical therapy is sought. Therapy based on aberrant adrenal receptors gives disappointing results, and inhibitors of steroidogenesis are not always well tolerated.However, ketoconazole at low, well-tolerated doses appeared appropriate to control adrenal steroid secretion indefinitely, while preventing adrenal overgrowth. This treatment probably constitutes the most convenient long-term alternative to surgery

Effect of detraining on bone and muscle tissue in subjects with chronic spinal cord injury after a period of electrically-stimulated cycling: a small cohort study

Objective: To investigate adaptive changes in bone and muscle parameters in the paralysed limbs after de-training or reduced functional electrical stimulation (FES) induced cycling following high-volume FES-cycling in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Subjects: Five subjects with motor-sensory complete SCI (age 38.6 years, lesion duration 11.4 years) were included. Four subjects stopped FES-cycling completely after the training phase whereas one continued reduced FES-cycling (2-3 times/week, for 30min). Methods: Bone and muscle parameters were assessed in the legs using peripheral quantitative computed tomography at six and twelve months after cessation of high-volume FES-cycling. Results: Gains achieved in the distal femur by high-volume FES-cycling were partly maintained at one year of detraining: 73.0% in trabecular bone mineral density (BMD), 63.8% in total BMD, 59.4% in bone mineral content and 22.1% in muscle cross-sectional area (CSAmuscle) in the thigh. The subject who continued reduced FES-cycling maintained 96.2% and 95.0% of the previous gain in total and trabecu-lar BMD, and 98.5% in CSAmuscle. Conclusion: Bone and muscle benefits achieved by one year of high-volume FES-cycling are partly preserved after 12 months of detraining whereas reduced cycling maintains bone and muscle mass gained. This suggests that high-volume FES-cycling has clinical relevance for at least 1y after detraining

Dual formulation of classical W-algebras

By extending the concept of \mc, I introduce a dual formulation of (classical) nonlinear extensions of the \vir\ algebra. This dual formulation is closely related to three dimensional actions which are analogous to a \cs\ action. I present an explicit construction in terms of superfields of the $N=2$ super \wfour.Comment: (only change is an added reference), 9 pages, USC--92/01

Superconductivity and charge carrier localization in ultrathin La1.85Sr0.15CuO4/La2CuO4\mathbf{{La_{1.85}Sr_{0.15}CuO_4}/{La_2CuO_4}} bilayers

$\mathrm{La_{1.85}Sr_{0.15}CuO_4}$/$\mathrm{La_2CuO_4}$ (LSCO15/LCO) bilayers with a precisely controlled thickness of N unit cells (UCs) of the former and M UCs of the latter ([LSCO15\_N/LCO\_M]) were grown on (001)-oriented {\slao} (SLAO) substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space map (RSM) studies confirmed the epitaxial growth of the bilayers and showed that a [LSCO15\_2/LCO\_2] bilayer is fully strained, whereas a [LSCO15\_2/LCO\_7] bilayer is already partially relaxed. The \textit{in situ} monitoring of the growth with reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) revealed that the gas environment during deposition has a surprisingly strong effect on the growth mode and thus on the amount of disorder in the first UC of LSCO15 (or the first two monolayers of LSCO15 containing one $\mathrm{CuO_2}$ plane each). For samples grown in pure $\mathrm{N_2O}$ gas (growth type-B), the first LSCO15 UC next to the SLAO substrate is strongly disordered. This disorder is strongly reduced if the growth is performed in a mixture of $\mathrm{N_2O}$ and $\mathrm{O_2}$ gas (growth type-A). Electric transport measurements confirmed that the first UC of LSCO15 next to the SLAO substrate is highly resistive and shows no sign of superconductivity for growth type-B, whereas it is superconducting for growth type-A. Furthermore, we found, rather surprisingly, that the conductivity of the LSCO15 UC next to the LCO capping layer strongly depends on the thickness of the latter. A LCO capping layer with 7~UCs leads to a strong localization of the charge carriers in the adjacent LSCO15 UC and suppresses superconductivity. The magneto-transport data suggest a similarity with the case of weakly hole doped LSCO single crystals that are in a so-called {"{cluster-spin-glass state}"

Design concepts and performance of NASA X-band (7162 MHz/8415 MHz) transponder for deep-space spacecraft applications

The design concepts and measured performance characteristics are summarized of an X band (7162 MHz/8415 MHz) breadboard deep space transponder (DSP) for future spacecraft applications, with the first use scheduled for the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) and Cassini missions in 1995 and 1996, respectively. The DST consists of a double conversion, superheterodyne, automatic phase tracking receiver, and an X band (8415 MHz) exciter to drive redundant downlink power amplifiers. The receiver acquires and coherently phase tracks the modulated or unmodulated X band (7162 MHz) uplink carrier signal. The exciter phase modulates the X band (8415 MHz) downlink signal with composite telemetry and ranging signals. The receiver measured tracking threshold, automatic gain control, static phase error, and phase jitter characteristics of the breadboard DST are in good agreement with the expected performance. The measured results show a receiver tracking threshold of -158 dBm and a dynamic signal range of 88 dB

Methodological pathways to improvements of evaluation approaches: the case of irrigated agriculture evaluation

Cette synthèse montre l'évolution des méthodes d'évaluation dans le champ de l'agriculture irriguée, vers une tendance à des méthodologies intégrées. Elle propose quelques outils méthodologiques pour améliorer le processus d'évaluation. / Background: Irrigated agriculture is often evaluated but few reviews of evaluation methodology adapted to this object are available in the literature. Besides, recommendations to improve evaluation in this field are lacking. Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to contribute filling this gap. Setting: Not applicable. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: Not applicable. Data Collection and Analysis: Desk review. Findings: This review shows the evolution of evaluation methodology in the field of irrigated agriculture pointing out a trend towards more comprehensive methodologies. The review also suggests some methodological tools to improve evaluation process