30,302 research outputs found
Outbreak of tropical rat mite (Ornithonyssus bacoti) dermatitis in a home for disabled persons
Five mentally handicapped individuals living in a home for disabled persons in Southern Germany were seen in our outpatient department with pruritic, red papules predominantly located in groups on the upper extremities, neck, upper trunk and face. Over several weeks 40 inhabitants and 5 caretakers were affected by the same rash. Inspection of their home and the sheds nearby disclosed infestation with rat populations and mites. Finally the diagnosis of tropical rat mite dermatitis was made by the identification of the arthropod Ornithonyssus bacoti or so-called tropical rat mite. The patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and antihistamines. After elimination of the rats and disinfection of the rooms by a professional exterminator no new cases of rat mite dermatitis occurred. The tropical rat mite is an external parasite occurring on rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and various other small mammals. When the principal animal host is not available, human beings can become the victim of mite infestation. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Base
Experimental determination of cosmic ray charged particle intensity profiles in the atmosphere
Absolute cosmic-ray free air ionization and charged particle fluxes and dose rates throughout the atmosphere were measured on a series of balloon flights that commenced in 1968. Argon-filled ionization chambers equipped with solid-state electrometers, with different gas pressures and steel wall thicknesses, and a pair of aluminum-wall Gm counters have provided the basic data. These data are supplemented by measurements with air-filled and tissue equivalent ionization chambers and a scintillation spectrometer. Laboratory experiments together with analyses of the theoretical aspects of the detector responses to cosmic radiation indicate that these profiles can be determined to an overall accuracy of + or - 5 percent
Stress corrosion cracking of titanium alloys: Studies of cracks in thin specimens; SCC of Ti-6Al-4V in chloride, iodide and fluoride solutions; stress corrosion cracking in molten salts; electrochemistry of freshly generated titanium surfaces
Electrochemistry of freshly generated titanium surfaces and stress corrosion cracking in aqueous solutions and in molten salt
Fundamental investigation of stress corrosion cracking
Two principle areas studied were stress corrosion crack growth rates of a titanium alloy in liquid environments containing halide ions and pitting corrosion of titanium in bromide solutions. Two initial assumptions were made, that the rate of propagation was controlled by a macroscopic solution parameter and that this parameter was viscosity. A series of solutions were prepared using lithium chloride as the solute and water, methanol, glycerin, formic acid, acetone, dimethyl sulphoxide, etc. As solvents, these solutions were prepared with a 5:1 solvent-solute ratio. Viscosity was varied by changing the temperature and it was found: (1) In all solvents the velocity of cracking was proportional to the reciprocal of the viscosity. (2) Each solvent gave a separate relationship, (3) The temperature dependence and numerical values for the apparent activation energy of cracking and viscosity were the same
CO and HCN isotopologue ratios in the outflows of AGB stars
Isotopologue line intensity ratios of circumstellar molecules have been
widely used to trace the photospheric elemental isotopic ratios of evolved
stars. However, depending on the molecular species and the physical conditions
of the environment, the circumstellar isotopologue ratio may deviate
considerably from the stellar atmospheric value. In this paper, we aim to
examine how the CO and HCN abundance ratios vary radially due to chemical
reactions in the outflows of AGB stars and the effect of excitation and optical
depth on the resulting line intensity ratios. We find that the circumstellar
12CO/13CO can deviate from its atmospheric value by up to 25-94% and 6-60% for
C- and O-type CSEs, respectively. We show that variations of the intensity of
the ISRF and the gas kinetic temperature can significantly influence the CO
isotopologue ratio in the outer CSEs. On the contrary, the H12CN/H13CN ratio is
stable for all tested mass-loss rates. The RT modeling shows that the
integrated line intensity ratio of CO of different rotational transitions
varies significantly for stars with intermediate mass-loss rates due to
combined chemical and excitation effects. In contrast, the excitation
conditions for the both HCN isotopologues are the same. We demonstrate the
importance of using the isotopologue abundance profiles from chemical models as
inputs to RT models in the interpretation of isotopologue observations.
Previous studies of CO isotopologue ratios are based on multi-transition data
for individual sources and it is difficult to estimate the errors in the
reported values due to assumptions that are not entirely correct according to
this study. If anything, previous studies may have overestimated the
circumstellar 12CO/13CO abundance ratio. The use of the HCN as a tracer of C
isotope ratios is affected by fewer complicating problems, provided one
accounts corrections for high optical depths.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
Hydrazine monitoring in spacecraft
Hydrazine (HZ) and monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) are highly toxic compounds used as fuels in the Space Shuttle Orbiter Main Engines and in its maneuvering and reaction control system. Satellite refueling during a mission may also result in release of hydrazines. During extravehicular activities, the potential exists for hydrazines to contaminate the suit and to be brought into the internal atmosphere inadvertantly. Because of the high toxicity of hydrazines, a very sensitive, reliable, interference-free, and real-time method of measurement is required. A portable ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) has exhibited a low ppb detection limit for hydrazines suggesting a promising technology for the detection of hydrazines in spacecraft air. The Hydrazine Monitor is a modified airborne vapor monitor (AVM) with a custom-built datalogger. This off-the-shelf IMS was developed for the detection of chemical warfare agents on the battlefield. After early evaluations of the AVM for hydrazine measurements showed a serious interference from ammonia, the AVM was modified to measure HZ and MMH in the ppb concentration range without interference from ammonia in the low ppm range. A description of the Hydrazine Monitor and how it functions is presented
Comparative placental morphology and function.
The distinction between histiotrophic nutrition (in which local macromolecules are chiefly responsible for the maintenance of the embryo) and hemotrophic nutrition (which results from a transfer of material between the maternal and fetal circulations) is made. Placentation in a number of commonly used laboratory animals and in man is described, and it is shown that dependence upon histiotroph and hemotroph varies greatly, not only between species but also at different stages of gestation in a single species. These facts are likely to be reflected in considerably differences in response to certain teratogens; they must be carefully considered when experimental results are extrapolated between species. The significance to man of an agent which has been shown to be teratogenic in a single species of experimental animals should be evaluated in terms of possible differences in placental function between man and that species. This is particularly so if there is a suspicion that the potential teratogen may affect the fetal membranes
ALMA observations of the vibrationally-excited rotational CO transition towards five AGB stars
We report the serendipitous detection with ALMA of the vibrationally-excited
pure-rotational CO transition towards five asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) stars, Cet, R Aqr, R Scl, W Aql, and Gru. The observed lines
are formed in the poorly-understood region located between the stellar surface
and the region where the wind starts, the so-called warm molecular layer. We
successfully reproduce the observed lines profiles using a simple model. We
constrain the extents, densities, and kinematics of the region where the lines
are produced. R Aqr and R Scl show inverse P-Cygni line profiles which indicate
infall of material onto the stars. The line profiles of Cet and R Scl show
variability. The serendipitous detection towards these five sources shows that
vibrationally-excited rotational lines can be observed towards a large number
of nearby AGB stars using ALMA. This opens a new possibility for the study of
the innermost regions of AGB circumstellar envelopes.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, 2016MNRAS.463L..74
Stress corrosion cracking of titanium alloys
The effect of hydrogen on the properties of metals, including titanium and its alloys, was investigated. The basic theories of stress corrosion of titanium alloys are reviewed along with the literature concerned with the effect of absorbed hydrogen on the mechanical properties of metals. Finally, the basic modes of metal fracture and their importance to this study is considered. The experimental work was designed to determine the effects of hydrogen concentration on the critical strain at which plastic instability along pure shear directions occurs. The materials used were titanium alloys Ti-8Al-lMo-lV and Ti-5Al-2.5Sn
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