Hydrogen Flare Stack Diffusion Flames - Low and High Flow Instabilities, Burning Rates, Dilution Limits, Temperatures, and Wind Effects

Combustion characteristics and safety factors for hydrogen diffusion flames in flare stack operation

Inflammatory bowel disease-specific autoantibodies in HLA-B27-associated spondyloarthropathies: Increased prevalence of ASCA and pANCA

Aims: An association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and spondyloarthropathies (SpA) has repeatedly been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether serologic markers of IBD, e. g. antibodies against Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA), antibodies against exocrine pancreas (PAB) and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA) are present in HLA-B27-associated SpA. Methods: 87 patients with HLA-B27-positive SpA and 145 controls were tested for ASCA, PAB and pANCA employing ELISA or indirect immunofluorescence, respectively. Antibody-positive patients were interviewed regarding IBD-related symptoms using a standardized questionnaire. Results/Conclusion: When compared to the controls, ASCA IgA but not ASCA IgG levels were significantly increased in patients with SpA, in particular in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and undifferentiated SpA (uSpA). pANCA were found in increased frequency in patients with SpA whereas PAB were not detected. The existence of autoantibodies was not associated with gastrointestinal symptoms but sustains the presence of a pathophysiological link between bowel inflammation and SpA. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

It takes a community to train a future physician: social support experienced by medical students during a community-engaged longitudinal integrated clerkship

Background:Social support may be beneficial for medical students who must develop adaptive strategies to respond to the demands and challenges during third-year clerkship.We provide a detailed description of the supportive behaviours experienced by third-year students during a longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) in the context of rural family medicine. Methods:Informed by a social constructivist research paradigm, we undertook a qualitative study to understand from the students’ perspectives the presence and characteristics of social support available during a LIC.Data were collected from conversational interviews at three points during the eight-month clerkship year, pre-, during, and post-clerkship, to explore how 12 medical students experienced social support. We employed an innovative methodological approach, the guided walk method, to gain the students’ stories in the contexts where they were taking place. Results: The participants described the relationships they developed with various sources of social support such as (a) preceptors, (b) peers, (c) family, (d) health professionals, and (e) community members.  Conclusion:Various individuals representing communities of practice such as the medical profession and community members were intimately related to the longitudinal aspects of the students’ experiences. The findings lend credence to the view that it really does take a community to train a future physician

Terahertz dynamics of a topologically protected state: quantum Hall effect plateaus near cyclotron resonance in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction

We measure the Hall conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas formed at a GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction in the terahertz regime close to the cyclotron resonance frequency by employing a highly sensitive Faraday rotation method coupled with electrical gating of the sample to change the electron density. We observe clear plateau-and step-like features in the Faraday rotation angle vs. electron density and magnetic field (Landau-level filling factor), which are the high frequency manifestation of quantum Hall plateaus - a signature of topologically protected edge states. The results are compared to a recent dynamical scaling theory.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure

New Algorithm for Mixmaster Dynamics

We present a new numerical algorithm for evolving the Mixmaster spacetimes. By using symplectic integration techniques to take advantage of the exact Taub solution for the scattering between asymptotic Kasner regimes, we evolve these spacetimes with higher accuracy using much larger time steps than previously possible. The longer Mixmaster evolution thus allowed enables detailed comparison with the Belinskii, Khalatnikov, Lifshitz (BKL) approximate Mixmaster dynamics. In particular, we show that errors between the BKL prediction and the measured parameters early in the simulation can be eliminated by relaxing the BKL assumptions to yield an improved map. The improved map has different predictions for vacuum Bianchi Type IX and magnetic Bianchi Type VI$_0$ Mixmaster models which are clearly matched in the simulation.Comment: 12 pages, Revtex, 4 eps figure

Overexpression of Mcl-1 exacerbates lymphocyte accumulation and autoimmune kidney disease in lpr mice

Cell death by apoptosis has a critical role during embryonic development and in maintaining tissue homeostasis. In mammals, there are two converging apoptosis pathways: the ‘extrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by engagement of cell surface ‘death receptors’ such as Fas/APO-1; and the ‘intrinsic’ pathway, which is triggered by diverse cellular stresses, and is regulated by prosurvival and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Pro-survival Mcl-1, which can block activation of the proapoptotic proteins, Bax and Bak, appears critical for the survival and maintenance of multiple haemopoietic cell types. To investigate the impact on haemopoiesis of simultaneously inhibiting both apoptosis pathways, we introduced the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene, which causes overexpression of Mcl-1 protein in all haemopoietic lineages, into Faslpr/lpr mice, which lack functional Fas and are prone to autoimmunity. The combined mutations had a modest impact on myelopoiesis, primarily an increase in the macrophage/monocyte population in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr or Mcl-1tg mice. The impact on lymphopoiesis was striking, with a marked elevation in all major lymphoid subsets, including the non-conventional double-negative (DN) T cells (TCRβ+ CD4– CD8– B220+ ) characteristic of Faslpr/lpr mice. Of note, the onset of autoimmunity was markedly accelerated in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice compared with lpr mice, and this was preceded by an increase in immunoglobulin (Ig)-producing cells and circulating autoantibodies. This degree of impact was surprising, given the relatively mild phenotype conferred by the vavP-Mcl-1 transgene by itself: a two- to threefold elevation of peripheral B and T cells, no significant increase in the non-conventional DN T-cell population and no autoimmune disease. Comparison of the phenotype with that of other susceptible mice suggests that the development of autoimmune disease in Mcl-1tg/lpr mice may be influenced not only by Ig-producing cells but also other haemopoietic cell types

ERIGrid Holistic Test Description for Validating Cyber-Physical Energy Systems

Smart energy solutions aim to modify and optimise the operation of existing energy infrastructure. Such cyber-physical technology must be mature before deployment to the actual infrastructure, and competitive solutions will have to be compliant to standards still under development. Achieving this technology readiness and harmonisation requires reproducible experiments and appropriately realistic testing environments. Such testbeds for multi-domain cyber-physical experiments are complex in and of themselves. This work addresses a method for the scoping and design of experiments where both testbed and solution each require detailed expertise. This empirical work first revisited present test description approaches, developed a newdescription method for cyber-physical energy systems testing, and matured it by means of user involvement. The new Holistic Test Description (HTD) method facilitates the conception, deconstruction and reproduction of complex experimental designs in the domains of cyber-physical energy systems. This work develops the background and motivation, offers a guideline and examples to the proposed approach, and summarises experience from three years of its application.This work received funding in the European Community’s Horizon 2020 Program (H2020/2014–2020) under project “ERIGrid” (Grant Agreement No. 654113)

Oxide-Supported IrNiO_x Core-Shell Particles as Efficient, Cost-Effective, and Stable Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting

Active and highly stable oxide-supported IrNiOx core–shell catalysts for electrochemical water splitting are presented. IrNix@IrOx nanoparticles supported on high-surface-area mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (IrNiOx /Meso-ATO) were synthesized from bimetallic IrNix precursor alloys (PA-IrNix /Meso-ATO) using electrochemical Ni leaching and concomitant Ir oxidation. Special emphasis was placed on Ni/NiO surface segregation under thermal treatment of the PA-IrNix /Meso-ATO as well as on the surface chemical state of the particle/oxide support interface. Combining a wide array of characterization methods, we uncovered the detrimental effect of segregated NiO phases on the water splitting activity of core–shell particles. The core–shell IrNiOx /Meso-ATO catalyst displayed high water-splitting activity and unprecedented stability in acidic electrolyte providing substantial progress in the development of PEM electrolyzer anode catalysts with drastically reduced Ir loading and significantly enhanced durability

Identification of Ag-acceptors in 111 ⁣^{111}\!Ag 111 ⁣^{111}\!Cd doped ZnTe and CdTe

Nominally undoped ZnTe and CdTe crystals were implanted with radioactive $^{111}\!$Ag, which decays to $^{111}\!$Cd, and investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). In ZnTe, the PL lines caused by an acceptor level at 121 meV are observed: the principal bound exciton (PBE) line, the donor-acceptor pair (DAP) band, and the two-hole transition lines. In CdTe, the PBE line and the DAP band that correspond to an acceptor level at 108 meV appear. Since the intensities of all these PL lines decrease in good agreement with the half-life of $^{111}\!$Ag of 178.8 h, both acceptor levels are concluded to be associated with defects containing a single Ag atom. Therefore, the earlier assignments to substitutional Ag on Zn- and Cd-lattice sites in the respective II-VI semiconductors are confirmed. The assignments in the literature of the S$_1$, S$_2$, and S$_3$ lines in ZnTe and the X$\scriptstyle^\textrm{Ag}_{1}\,\,,$ X$\scriptstyle^\textrm{Ag}_{2}$/ C$\scriptstyle^\textrm{Ag}_{1}\,$ and C$\scriptstyle^\textrm{Ag}_{2}\,$ lines in CdTe to Ag-related defect complexes are not confirmed