Fuel Element Structural Design and Manufacture for the Consolidated Edison Thorium Reactor Plant

The design of the fuel-element structure for the CETR is described. Component parts of the assembly comprise the fuel-bundle assembly, the fuel-can assembly, the upper transition, the fuel-element spring, and the upper nozzle and seal assembly. (J.R.D.

Viloxazine in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Over the past twenty years, research on the disease and its characteristics and treatment options has grown exponentially. The first-line pharmacologic treatment of ADHD is stimulants, which have a response rate of ~70%. With the support of four phase 3 studies involving more than 1,000 pediatric patients 6–17 years old, the FDA has approved the non-stimulant, serotonin-norepinephrine modulating agent (SNMA) viloxazine in an extended-release capsule (viloxazine ER) for treatment of ADHD in children aged 6–17. Viloxazine modulates serotonergic activity as a selective 5-HT22B receptor antagonist and 5-HT2C receptor agonist and moderately inhibits norepinephrine transporter (NET), thus blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine. A phase 2 study by Johnson et al. found that once-daily dosing of viloxazine ER in 200, 300, or 400 mg dosages in children with ADHD for eight weeks resulted in a statistically significant reduction of ADHD-RS-IV total score. A post hoc analysis of data from four phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-arm, clinical trials by Faraone et al. found that early response to viloxazine treatment, defined as a change in ADHD-RS-5 total score at week 2, best predicted the treatment response at week 6 [75% positive predictive power (PPP), 75% sensitivity]. Proper treatment of the symptoms and comorbidities associated with ADHD is crucial in improving a patient\u27s quality of life, cognitive function, and overall therapeutic outcomes. Viloxazine\u27s mechanism of action, clinical effects, and limited side effect profile point toward the drug\u27s relevance in the treatment of ADHD

Entropy Crisis, Ideal Glass Transition and Polymer Melting: Exact Solution on a Husimi Cactus

We introduce an extension of the lattice model of melting of semiflexible polymers originally proposed by Flory. Along with a bending penalty, present in the original model and involving three sites of the lattice, we introduce an interaction energy that corresponds to the presence of a pair of parallel bonds and a second interaction energy associated with the presence of a hairpin turn. Both these new terms represent four-site interactions. The model is solved exactly on a Husimi cactus, which approximates a square lattice. We study the phase diagram of the system as a function of the energies. For a proper choice of the interaction energies, the model exhibits a first-order melting transition between a liquid and a crystalline phase. The continuation of the liquid phase below this temperature gives rise to a supercooled liquid, which turns continuously into a new low-temperature phase, called metastable liquid. This liquid-liquid transition seems to have some features that are characteristic of the critical transition predicted by the mode-coupling theory.Comment: To be published in Physical Review E, 68 (2) (2003

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and adverse effects: A narrative review

Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder in the world, affecting 4.4% of the global population. Despite an array of treatment modalities, depressive disorders remain difficult to manage due to many factors. Beginning with the introduction of fluoxetine to the United States in 1988, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) quickly became a mainstay of treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders. The primary mechanism of action of SSRIs is to inhibit presynaptic reuptake of serotonin at the serotonin transporter, subsequently increasing serotonin at the postsynaptic membrane in the serotonergic synapse. The six major SSRIs that are marketed in the USA today, fluoxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, and fluvoxamine, are a group of structurally unrelated molecules that share a similar mechanism of action. While their primary mechanism of action is similar, each SSRI has unique pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and side effect profile. One of the more controversial adverse effects of SSRIs is the black box warning for increased risk of suicidality in children and young adults aged 18–24. There is a lack of understanding of the complexities and interactions between SSRIs in the developing brain of a young person with depression. Adults, who do not have certain risk factors, which could be confounding factors, do not seem to carry this increased risk of suicidality. Ultimately, when prescribing SSRIs to any patient, a risk–benefit analysis must factor in the potential treatment effects, adverse effects, and dangers of the illness to be treated. The aim of this review is to educate clinicians on potential adverse effects of SSRIs

Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g

About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years 1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, ${\hat{h}}_b = {\hat{h}}_{Ab}g_{Vb}-{\hat{h}}_{Vb}g_{Ab}$ and $h^{\ast}_b = \sqrt{\hat{h}_{Vb}^{2}+\hat{h}_{Ab}^{2}}$, limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59$and$h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st

The Run Control and Monitoring System of the CMS Experiment

The CMS experiment at the LHC at CERN will start taking data in 2008. To configure, control and monitor the experiment during data-taking the Run Control and Monitoring System (RCMS) was developed. This paper describes the architecture and the technology used to implement the RCMS, as well as the deployment and commissioning strategy of this important component of the online software for the CMS experiment

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

When Too Much Is Not Enough: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a Pathology of Stopping, Rather than Starting

Background: In obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), individuals feel compelled to repeatedly perform security-related behaviors, even though these behaviours seem excessive and unwarranted to them. The present research investigated two alternative ways of explaining such behavior: (1) a dysfunction of activation—a starting problem—in which the level of excitation in response to stimuli suggesting potential danger is abnormally strong; versus (2) a dysfunction of termination— a stopping problem—in which the satiety-like process for shutting down security-related thoughts and actions is abnormally weak. Method: In two experiments, 70 patients with OCD (57 with washing compulsions, 13 with checking compulsions) and 72 controls were exposed to contamination cues—immersing a hand in wet diapers —and later allowed to wash their hands, first limited to 30 s and then for as long as desired. The intensity of activation of security motivation was measured objectively by change in respiratory sinus arrythmia. Subjective ratings (e.g., contamination) and behavioral measures (e.g., duration of hand washing) were also collected. Results: Compared to controls, OCD patients with washing compulsions did not differ significantly in their levels of initial activation to the threat of contamination; however, they were significantly less able to reduce this activation by engaging in the corrective behavior of hand-washing. Further, the deactivating effect of hand-washing in OCD patients with checkin