First trimester fetal heart rate as a predictor of newborn sex

OBJECTIVE: To predict the sex of newborns using first trimester fetal heart rate (FHR). METHODS: This was a retrospective review of medical records and ultrasounds performed between 8 and 13 weeks of gestation. Continuous variables were compared using Student\u27s t-tests while categorical variables were compared using Chi-square test. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between 332 (50.7%) female and 323 (49.3%) male FHRs during the first trimester. The mean FHR for female fetuses was 167.0 +/- 9.1 bpm and for male fetuses 167.3 +/- 10.1 bpm (p = 0.62). There was no significant difference in crown rump length between female and male fetuses (4.01 +/- 1.7 versus 3.98 +/- 1.7 cm; p = 0.78) or in gestational age at birth (38.01 +/- 2.1 versus 38.08 +/- 2.1 weeks; p = 0.67). The males were significantly heavier than females (3305.3 +/- 568.3 versus 3127.5 +/- 579.8 g; p \u3c 0.0001) but there were no differences in the proportion of small for gestational age (SGA), average for gestational age (AGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) infants. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant difference between the female and male FHR during the first trimester in contrast to the prevailing lay view of females having a faster FHR. The only statistically significant difference was that males weighed more than female newborns

Engineering design of a radiative divertor for DIII-D

A new divertor configuration is being developed for the DIII-D tokamak. This divertor will operate in the radiative mode. Experiments and modeling form the basis for the new design. The Radiative Divertor reduces the heat flux on the divertor plates by dispersing the power with radiation in the divertor region. In addition, the Radiative Divertor structure will allow density control in plasma shapes required for advanced tokamak operation. The divertor structure allows for operation in either double-null or single-null plasma configurations. Four independently controlled divertor cryopumps will enable pumping at either the inboard (upper and lower) or the outboard (upper and lower) divertor plates. An upgrade to the DIII-D cryogenic system is part of this project. The increased capabilities of the cryogenic system will allow delivery of liquid helium and nitrogen to the three new cryopumps. The Radiative Divertor design is very flexible, and will allow physics studies of the effects of slot width and length. Radiative Divertor diagnostics are being designed in parallel to provide comprehensive measurements for diagnosing the divertor. The Radiative divertor installation is scheduled for late 1996. Engineering experience gained in the DIII-D Advanced Divertor program form a foundation for the design work on the Radiative Divertor

The DIII-D Radiative Divertor Project: Status and plans

New divertor hardware is being designed and fabricated for the Radiative Divertor modification of the DIII-D tokamak. The installation of the hardware has been separated into two phases, the first phase starting in October of 1996 and the second and final phase, in 1998. The phased approach enables the continuation of the divertor characterization research in the lower divertor while providing pumping for density control in high triangularity, single- or double-null advanced tokamak discharges. When completed, the Radiative Divertor Project hardware will provide pumping at all four strike points of a double-null, high triangularity discharge and provide baffling of the neutral particles from transport back to the core plasma. By puffing neutral gas into the divertor region, a reduction in the heat flux on the target plates will be be demonstrated without a large rise in core density. This reduction in heat flux is accomplished by dispersing the power with radiation in the divertor region. Experiments and modeling have formed the basis for the new design. The capability of the DIII-D cryogenic system is being upgraded as part of this project. The increased capability of the cryogenic system will allow delivery of liquid helium and nitrogen to three new cryopumps. Physics studies on the effects of slot width and length can be accomplished easily with the design of the Radiative Divertor. The slot width can be varied by installing graphite tiles of different geometry. The change in slot length, the distance from the X-point to the target plate, requires relocating the structure vertically and can be completed in about 6-8 weeks. Radiative Divertor diagnostics are being designed to provide comprehensive measurements for diagnosing the divertor. Required diagnostic modifications will be minimal for Phase 1, but extensive for Phase 2 installation. These Phase 2 diagnostics will be required to fully diagnose the high triangularity discharges in the divertor slots

DESIGN, FABRICATION, INSTALLATION AND TESTING OF IN-VESSEL CONTROL COILS FOR DIII-D

OAK A271 DESIGN, FABRICATION, INSTALLATION AND TESTING OF IN-VESSEL CONTROL COILS FOR DIII-D. Since 1995, DIII-D has performed correction of magnetic field imperfections using a set of six external picture frame coils located on the vessel mid-plane. Recently, these coils have also demonstrated significant benefits when used for feedback of the resistive wall mode, an instability that limits the plasma performance at high beta. Modeling has shown that substantial performance improvements can be achieved by installing new coils inside the vessel and expanding the poloidal coverage above and below the mid-plane. Two prototype internal coils were installed in 2001 and have been tested successfully. installation of a set of twelve internal coils and magnetic sensors in the DIII-D tokamak is to be completed in December 2002. The design requirement for the new coil system was to maximize the magnetic field at the plasma edge, operate with a frequency range of dc to 1000 Hz, and fit behind the existing graphite wall tiles. The coil design adopted and installed is a water-cooled hollow copper conductor insulated with polyamide and housed inside a stainless steel tube that forms a vacuum boundary. The coil is rigidly mounted to the inside of the vacuum vessel. The primary challenge in the design of these coils was in joining of both the copper conductor and the stainless tube without overheating the polyamide insulator

Structural design of the DIII-D radiative divertor

The divertor of the DIII-D tokamak is being modified to operate as a slot type, dissipative divertor. This modification, called the Radiative Divertor Program (RDP) is being carried out in two phases. The design and analysis is complete and hardware is being fabricated for the first phase. This first phase consists of an upper divertor baffle and cryopump to provide some density control for high triangularity, single or double null discharges. Installation of the first phase is scheduled to start in October, 1996. The second phase provides pumping at all four divertor strike points of double null high triangularity discharges and baffling of the neutral particles from transport back to the core plasma. Studies of the effects of varying the slot length and width of the divertor can be easily accomplished with the design of RDP hardware. Static and dynamic analyses of the baffle structures, new cryopumps, and feedlines were performed during the preliminary and final design phases. Disruption loads and differential thermal displacements must be accommodated in the design of these components. With the full RDP hardware installed, the plasma current in DIII-D will be a maximum of 3.0 MA. Plasma disruptions induce toroidal currents in the cryopump, producing complex dynamic loads. Simultaneously, the vacuum vessel vibrations impose a sinusoidal base excitation to the supports for the cryopump. Static and dynamic analyses of the cryopump demonstrate that the stresses due to disruption and thermal loadings satisfy the stress and deflection criteria

Necessary fictions: indigenous claims and the humanity of rights

Indigenous right insistently challenges the surpassing arrogations of sovereign right. In so doing, it affirms dimensions of being-together denied or stunted in sovereign modes of political formation. This force of Indigenous right is amplified here through legal and literary instantiations. These, in turn, uncover the continuously created and fictional quality of rights, revealing them to be necessary fictions

Design and analysis of the DII-D radiative divertor water-cooled structures

The Radiative Divertor is a major modification to the divertor of DIII-D and is being designed and fabricated for installation in late 1996. The Radiative Divertor Program (RDP) will enhance the dissipative processes in the edge and divertor plasmas to reduce the heat flux and plasma erosion at the divertor target. This approach will have major implications for the heat removal methods used in future devices. The divertor is of slot-type configuration designed to minimize the flow of sputtered and injected impurities back to the core plasma. The new divertor will be composed of toroidally continuous, Inconel 625 water-cooled rings of sandwich construction with an internal water channel, incorporating seam welding to provide the water-to-vacuum seal as well as structural integrity. The divertor structure is designed to withstand electromagnetic loads as a result of halo currents and induced toroidal currents. It also accommodates the thermal differences experienced during the 400 {degrees}C bake used on DIII-D. A low Z plasma-facing surface is provided by mechanically attached graphite tiles. Water flow through the rings will inertially cool these tiles which will be subjected to 38 MW, 10 second pulses. Current schedules call for detailed design in 1996 with installation completed in March 1997. A full size prototype, one-quarter of one ring, is being built to validate manufacturing techniques, machining, roll-forming, and seam welding. The experience and knowledge gained through the fabrication of the prototype is discussed. The design of the electrically isolated (5 kV) vacuum-to-air water feedthroughs supplying the water-cooled rings is also discussed

Detection and Identification of the Atypical Bovine Pestiviruses in Commercial Foetal Bovine Serum Batches

The recently emerging atypical bovine pestiviruses have been detected in commercial foetal bovine serum (FBS) of mainly South American origin so far. It is unclear how widely the viruses are presented in commercial FBS of different geographic origins. To further investigate the possible pestivirus contamination of commercially available FBS batches, 33 batches of FBS were obtained from ten suppliers and analysed in this study for the presence of both the recognised and the atypical bovine pestiviruses. All 33 batches of FBS were positive by real-time RT-PCR assays for at least one species of bovine pestiviruses. According to the certificate of analysis that the suppliers claimed for each batch of FBS, BVDV-1 was detected in all 11 countries and BVDV-2 was detected exclusively in the America Continent. The atypical pestiviruses were detected in 13 batches claimed to originate from five countries. Analysis of partial 5′UTR sequences showed a high similarity among these atypical bovine pestiviruses. This study has demonstrated, for the first time that commercial FBS batches of different geographic origins are contaminated not only with the recognised species BVDV-1 and BVDV-2, but also with the emerging atypical bovine pestiviruses

The International Law of Secession and the Protection of the Human Rights of Oppressed Sub-State Groups: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

This paper focuses on significant patterns/features in the historical development of the international law of secession and its contribution over time (or the lack thereof) to the struggle to afford greater protection to oppressed sub-state groups the world over. It was Crawford Young who once observed that “the state as an analytical quarry is an elusive and complex prey.” With the necessary modifications, this observation applies with almost equal force to the international law of secession. Complexity and confusion loom too large in this area of international law. For example, there is, at best, little clarity in the literature of the discipline of international law and in related fields of study regarding the existence or otherwise of an international legal entitlement to secession in favor of even the most highly oppressed and subjugated sub-state groups