Recent results from the TFTR ICRF DT Program

The first experiments to be performed with ICRF heating of DT plasmas are reported. ICRF heating of minority ions, tritium (second harmonic resonance), as well as direct electron heating are being performed during the DT phase of TFTR. RF power modulation and Fourier transform techniques are used to attempt to elucidate the competition between tritium second harmonic, direct electron, and {sup 3}He fundamental heating in DT plasmas. A significant fraction of the RF power has been found to couple to the tritium ions via second harmonic heating. Relevant RF coupling physics is investigated using {sup 3}He minority heating (43 MHz), H minority heating (64 MHz), and mode conversion (43 MHz, comparable densities of {sup 3}He and {sup 4}He) at a toroidal field of 4.5T

Diagnosis and Management of Infantile Hemangioma

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common tumors of childhood. Unlike other tumors, they have the unique ability to involute after proliferation, often leading primary care providers to assume they will resolve without intervention or consequence. Unfortunately, a subset of IHs rapidly develop complications, resulting in pain, functional impairment, or permanent disfigurement. As a result, the primary clinician has the task of determining which lesions require early consultation with a specialist. Although several recent reviews have been published, this clinical report is the first based on input from individuals representing the many specialties involved in the treatment of IH. Its purpose is to update the pediatric community regarding recent discoveries in IH pathogenesis, treatment, and clinical associations and to provide a basis for clinical decision-making in the management of IH

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F. Robert Henderson et al., Increasing Eastern Bluebirds in Kansas, Kansas State University, November 1990

Measurements of escaping alphas in the TFTR DT experiments

Alpha particle loss to the wall of TFTR has been measured during the initial TFTR DT run period. These measurements were made with the same lost alpha scintillator detector system used previously for DD fusion products, except for a switch of the scintillator material from zinc sulfide (P31) to yttrium aluminate (P46) to insure a linear response up to the maximum alpha flux expected in DT. The alpha loss signals in DT are {approx} 100 times larger than the DD fusion product loss signals, as expected from the neutron rates and the relative sensitivity to DT vs. DD fusion products

TF ripple loss of alpha particles in TFTR DT experiments

Quantitative evaluation of TF ripple loss of DT alpha particles is a central issue for reactor design because of potentially severe first wall heat load problems. DT experiments on TFTR allow experimental measurements to be compared to modeling of the underlying alpha physics, with code validation an important goal. Modeling of TF ripple loss of alphas in TFTR now includes neoclassical calculations of alpha losses arising from first orbit loss, stochastic ripple diffusion, ripple trapping and collisional effects. Recent Hamiltonian coordinate guiding center code (ORBIT) simulations for TFTR have shown that collisions enhance the stochastic TF ripple losses at TFTR. A faster way to simulate experiment has been developed and is discussed here which uses a simple stochastic domain model for TF ripple loss within the TRANSP analysis code

Neoclassical Simulations of Fusion Alpha Particles in Pellet Charge Exchange Experiments on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

Neoclassical simulations of alpha particle density profiles in high fusion power plasmas on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [Phys. Plasmas 5 (1998) 1577] are found to be in good agreement with measurements of the alpha distribution function made with a sensitive active neutral particle diagnostic. The calculations are carried out in Hamiltonian magnetic coordinates with a fast, particle-following Monte Carlo code which includes the neoclassical transport processes, a recent first-principles model for stochastic ripple loss and collisional effects. New global loss and confinement domain calculations allow an estimate of the actual alpha particle densities measured with the pellet charge exchange diagnostic

Quantum Smoluchowski equation: Escape from a metastable state

We develop a quantum Smoluchowski equation in terms of a true probability distribution function to describe quantum Brownian motion in configuration space in large friction limit at arbitrary temperature and derive the rate of barrier crossing and tunneling within an unified scheme. The present treatment is independent of path integral formalism and is based on canonical quantization procedure.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in the Proceedings of Statphys - Kolkata I

Oxidative Stress Markers Are Associated with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

Background:Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with myocardial oxidative stress, and antioxidant agents have demonstrated antiarrhythmic benefit in humans. We compared serum markers of oxidation and associ-ated inflammation in individuals with or without AF. Methods: Serummarkers of oxidative stress and inflam-mation were compared in a cross-sectional, case-control design study of 40 male individuals, with or without persistent or permanent AF, who were matched for age, sex, diabetes, and smoking status, known confounding variables for the measurement of oxidative stress. We used derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites (DROMs) and ratios of oxidized to reduced glutathione (Eh GSH) and cysteine (Eh CySH) to quantify oxidative stress. We also measured inflammatory markers, includ-ing high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukins 1 and 6, and tumor necrosis factor . Results: Univariate, conditional logistical regression analysis showed that oxidative stress but not inflamma-tory markers were statistically associated with AF (P <0.05). The increase in the odds ratios for AF for E