Wakefield-Induced Ionization injection in beam-driven plasma accelerators

We present a detailed analysis of the features and capabilities of Wakefield-Induced Ionization (WII) injection in the blowout regime of beam driven plasma accelerators. This mechanism exploits the electric wakefields to ionize electrons from a dopant gas and trap them in a well-defined region of the accelerating and focusing wake phase, leading to the formation of high-quality witness-bunches [Martinez de la Ossa et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 245003 (2013)]. The electron-beam drivers must feature high-peak currents ($I_b^0\gtrsim 8.5~\mathrm{kA}$) and a duration comparable to the plasma wavelength to excite plasma waves in the blowout regime and enable WII injection. In this regime, the disparity of the magnitude of the electric field in the driver region and the electric field in the rear of the ion cavity allows for the selective ionization and subsequent trapping from a narrow phase interval. The witness bunches generated in this manner feature a short duration and small values of the normalized transverse emittance ($k_p\sigma_z \sim k_p\epsilon_n \sim 0.1$). In addition, we show that the amount of injected charge can be adjusted by tuning the concentration of the dopant gas species, which allows for controlled beam loading and leads to a reduction of the total energy spread of the witness beams. Electron bunches, produced in this way, fulfil the requirements to drive blowout regime plasma wakes at a higher density and to trigger WII injection in a second stage. This suggests a promising new concept of self-similar staging of WII injection in steps with increasing plasma density, giving rise to the potential of producing electron beams with unprecedented energy and brilliance from plasma-wakefield accelerators

An FTIR spectrometer for remote measurements of atmospheric composition

The JPL IV interferometer, and infrared Michelson interferometer, was built specifically for recording high resolution solar absorption spectra from remote ground-based sites, aircraft and from stratospheric balloons. The instrument is double-passed, with one fixed and one moving corner reflector, allowing up to 200-cm of optical path difference (corresponding to an unapodised spectral resolution of 0.003/cm). The carriage which holds the moving reflector is driven by a flexible nut riding on a lead screw. This arrangement, together with the double-passed optical scheme, makes the instrument resistant to the effects of mechanical distortion and shock. The spectral range of the instrument is covered by two liquid nitrogen-cooled detectors: an InSb photodiode is used for the shorter wavelengths (1.85 to 5.5 microns, 1,800 to 5,500/cm) and a HgCdTe photoconductor for the range (5.5 to 15 microns, 650 to 1,800/cm). For a single spectrum of 0.01/cm resolution, which requires a scan time of 105 seconds, the signal/noise ratio is typically 800:1 over the entire wavelength range

Correlates of amount spent on marijuana buds during a discrete purchase at medical marijuana dispensaries: Results from a pilot study

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs on 12 Jan 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/02791072.2015.1116719.Marijuana purchasing behaviors vary by the purchaser’s individual characteristics; however, little is known about patients’ purchasing behaviors when buying from medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs). Our objective was to explore whether patient characteristics were associated with amount spent during one financial transaction at medical marijuana dispensaries. We conducted a pilot study of 4 purposively sampled MMD locations in Long Beach, California, in 2012. A total of 132 medical marijuana patients (33 patients per dispensary) participated in an exit survey about their demographic characteristics, conditions for their medical marijuana recommendation, amount spent at the dispensary, and cross-streets of where they lived. The sample reported amounts spent on discrete purchases of marijuana buds averaging $40.82 (ranging$10 to $255). Multivariate regression analyses indicated average amount spent differed significantly by patient age and condition. An increase in 10 years of age was associated with a 10% higher amount spent. Receiving a recommendation for anxiety and/or sleeping problems or other nonspecified conditions was related to higher discrete purchase amounts than chronic pain. This pilot suggests that variations in patient purchasing behaviors from MMDs exist. These purchase behaviors can provide insight into variations in how patients use dispensaries, consume products, and allocate personal resources

Infrared aircraft measurements of stratospheric composition over Antarctica during September 1987

The JPL Mark IV interferometer recorded high resolution, infared solar spectra from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during flights over Antarctica in September 1987. The atmospheric absorption features in these spectra were analyzed to determine the overburdens of O3, NO, NO2, HNO3, ClONO2, HCl, HF, CH4, N2O, CO, H2O and CFC-12. The spectra were obtained at latitudes which ranged between 64 degrees S and 86 degrees S, allowing the composition in the interior of the polar vortex to be compared with that at the edge. The latitude dependence observed for NO, HO2, HNO3, ClONO2, HCl and HF are summerized. The values at 30 deg S were observed on the ferry flight from New Zealand to Hawaii. The dashed lines connecting the two were interpolated across the region for which there are no measurements. The chemically perturbed region is seen to consist of a collar of high HNO3 and ClONO2 surrounding a core in which the overburdens of these and of HCl and NO2 are very low. Clear increases in the overburdens of HF and HNO3 were observed during the course of September in the vortex core. HCl and NO2 exhibited smaller, less significant increases. The overburdens of the tropospheric source gases, N2O, CH4, CF2Cl2, and H2O were observed to much smaller over Antarctica than at mid-latitudes. This, together with the fact that HF over Antarctica was more that double its mid-latitude value, suggests that downwelling has occurred

Impurity intrusion in radio-frequency micro-plasma jets operated in ambient air

Space and time resolved concentrations of helium metastable atoms in an atmospheric pressure radio-frequency micro-plasma jet were measured using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. Spatial profiles as well as lifetime measurements show significant influences of air entering the discharge from the front nozzle and of impurities originating from the gas supply system. Quenching of metastables was used to deduce quantitative concentrations of intruding impurities. The impurity profile along the jet axis was determined from optical emission spectroscopy as well as their dependance on the feed gas flow through the jet.Comment: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (accepted), 6 page

The Shaker Potassium Channel Is No Target for Xenon Anesthesia in Short-Sleeping Drosophila melanogaster Mutants

Background. Xenon seems to be an ideal anesthetic drug. To explore if next to the antagonism at the NMDA-receptor other molecular targets are involved, we tested the xenon requirement in short sleeping Drosophila shaker mutants and in na[har38]. Methods. The Drosophila melanogaster strains wildtype Canton-S, na[har38], sh102 and shmns, were raised and sleep was measured. Based on the response of the flies at different xenon concentrations, logEC50 values were calculated. Results. The logEC50-values for WT Canton-S were 1.671 (1.601–1.742 95%-confidence intervall; n = 238; P versus sh102 > 0,05), for shmns 1.711 (1.650–1.773; n = 242; P versus WT Canton-S > 0,05). The logEC50-value for sh102 was 1.594 (1.493–1.694; n = 261; P versus shmns > 0.05). The logEC-value of na[har38] was 2.076 (1.619–2.532; n = 207; P versus shmns < 0.05, versus sh102 < 0.05, versus WT Canton-S < 0.05). P values for all shaker mutants were P > 0.05, while na[har38] was found to be hyposensitive compared to wildtype (P < 0.05). Conclusions. The xenon requirement in Drosophila melanogaster is not influenced by a single gene mutation at the shaker locus, whereas a reduced expression of a nonselective cation channel leads to an increased xenon requirement. This supports the thesis that xenon mediates its effects not only via an antagonism at the NMDA-receptor

A Critical Review of Clinical Arteriogenesis Research

In human hearts, an extensive pre-existing collateral network is present. This was shown unequivocally some 50 years ago in a series of very detailed post-mortem angiographic studies. In these studies, it was also observed that the pre-existent collateral vessels enlarge upon closure of an epicardial coronary artery, resulting in large collateral conduit arteries, in sharp contrast to earlier claims that human coronary arteries are functional end arteries. These insights still form the basis for the concept of arteriogenesis as positive remodeling of pre-existent arteriolar connections. Subsequent experimental studies disclosed the putative role of circulating cells, especially monocytes, which invade the proliferating vessel wall and secrete growth factors, degrading enzymes and survival factors that are required for the development of a mature collateral circulation. Experimental stimulation of arteriogenesis is feasible but to date a relatively low number of clinical studies, with no or limited success, have been performed. The use of intracoronary derived collateral flow index can increase the sensitivity to detect the effects of pharmacological compounds on arteriogenesis, which is important in first proof-of-principle studies. These invasive measurements also allow the detection of patients with an innate defect in their arteriogenic response to coronary obstruction. In a reversed bedside-to-bench approach, the characterization of ribonucleic acid and protein expression patterns in these patients generated new targets for therapeutic arteriogenesis