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In this paper, the mechanisms of light emissions, including NO-γ, NO-β and N2-SPS, produced in a N2/NH3 atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge considering realistic oxygen impurity (30 ppm) are investigated numerically and experimentally. Self-consistent, one-dimensional fluid modeling is used to numerically simulate the discharge process with 48 species and 235 reaction channels. An optical emission spectrometer (OES) is used to measure the relative intensities of the light emission. The simulations of the light emission intensities for the above-mentioned OES lines generally reproduce the trends observed in the experiments caused by changes in the NH3 concentration. All of the predicted intensities of NO-γ, NO-β and N2-SPS decrease with increasing amount of NH3 caused by various reaction mechanisms. The former is due to the loss of N2(A) and NO(A) by the reaction of NH3 with N2(A) and NO(A), respectively. The decrease in NO-β is due to the depletion of N and O because of NH3, and the decrease in N2-SPS is due to electron attachment to NH3 and a weaker metastable–metastable associative ionization of N2. All of the simulated results demonstrate that the discharges are typically Townsend-like because the ions outnumber the electrons and the electric field across the gap is distorted only slightly by the charged particles during the breakdown. Finally, a reduced chemical kinetics model for a planar atmospheric-pressure N2/O2/NH3 dielectric barrier discharge is proposed and validated by benchmarking against the above complete chemical kinetics. This results in a reduced chemical kinetics consisting of 33 species and 87 reactions with a very limited loss of accuracy of discharge properties, while it is 2.1 times faster in computational time as compared with the complete version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we evaluated the learning curve and performance of the Viewmax laryngoscope during simulated difficult laryngoscopy in an intubation manikin (Laerdal Airway Management Trainer). Methods: To determine the learning curve, 25 anaesthesiologists without previous experience with the Viewmax laryngoscope performed 10 successive intubations in an intubation manikin with a normal airway. Time to intubation and failed intubation attempts were recorded. Another manikin was modified to enable comparison of the Viewmax laryngoscope with Macintosh and McCoy laryngoscopes. The time to intubation, number of failed intubation attempts, modified Cormack and Lehane (MCL) laryngeal view grading, percentage of glottic opening (POGO score), use of gum elastic bougie and subjective rating of degree of difficulty were recorded. Results: The learning curve for the Viewmax laryngoscope showed a progressive decrease in time to successful intubation and reached a plateau at the sixth attempt. In simulated difficult laryngoscopy, the Viewmax laryngoscope demonstrated significantly better laryngeal view than the Macintosh and McCoy laryngoscopes in terms of MCL grading (Macintosh, P = 0.01; McCoy, P < 0.01) and POGO score (Macintosh, P < 0.01; McCoy, P < 0.01). The time required for intubation in simulated difficult laryngoscopy for the Viewmax laryngoscope was significantly longer than that for the Macintosh ( P = 0.02) and McCoy ( P < 0.01) laryngoscopes. There was no significant difference in the degree of difficulty, number of failed intubations and use of gum elastic bougie. Conclusion: When compared with the Macintosh and McCoy laryngoscopes in a manikin, the Viewmax laryngoscope appears to improve the view of the larynx but requires a longer time for tracheal intubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The integral form of the conventional HLL fluxes are presented by taking integrals around the control volume centred on each cell interface. These integrals are demonstrated to reduce to the conventional HLL flux through simplification by assuming spatially constant conserved properties. The integral flux expressions are then modified by permitting the analytical inclusion of spatially linearly varying conserved quantities. The newly obtained fluxes (which are named HLLG fluxes for clarification, where G stands for gradient inclusion) demonstrate that conventional reconstructions at cell interfaces are invalid and can produce unstable results when applied to conventional HLL schemes. The HLLG method is then applied to the solution of the Euler Equations and Shallow Water Equations for various common benchmark problems and finally applied to a 1D fluid modeling for an argon RF discharge at low pressure. Results show that the correct inclusion of flow gradients is shown to demonstrate superior transient behavior when compared to the existing HLL solver and conventional spatial reconstruction without significantly increasing computational expense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We explored the sympatholytic property of dexmedetomidine, especially its role in intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, haemodynamic stability, and attenuation of extubation response.Method: In this double-blind, randomized, controlled trial approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee, 60 patients undergoing elective vitreoretinal surgery were allocated to two groups, receiving either placebo or dexmedetomidine. A loading dose of dexmedetomidine 2.5 microg kg(-1) h(-1) (or placebo in same volume) was infused for 10 min immediately before induction of anaesthesia with propofol, followed by a maintenance dexmedetomidine or placebo infusion at 0.4 microg kg(-1) h(-1) till 30 min before the end of the operation. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane, oxygen, and air mixture. IOP was measured before the loading dose and 1 min after tracheal intubation. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) during loading, induction, maintenance, extubation, and recovery period were measured. The degree of strain on extubation was graded from 0 to 5.Results: The use of vasopressor/labetalol/atropine and the reduction in IOP were comparable between the two groups. There was a significant variation in MAP and HR over time within group, but not between groups. The median degree of strain was significantly lower (P = 0.049), and the time to reach Aldrete score of 10 shorter (P = 0.031) in the dexmedetomidine group.Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine can be used without undue haemodynamic fluctuation and can decrease the excitatory response during extubation. The reduction in IOP with dexmedetomidine was comparable with placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-dimensional numerical model is proposed in this letter to take into account the effects of free electrons on nanoparticle charging in a negative direct current wire-tube corona charger. Numerical results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data by using a capturing probability of electrons onto nanoparticles with a value of 0.013. These free electrons contribute greatly to the charging efficiency at high products of mean ion concentration and mean residence time, which explains very well the large discrepancy found in earlier models that considered only negative ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low dislocation density ultraviolet (UV) AlGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) structure was grown using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The AlGaN/GaN MQW grown on the sapphire substrate consisted of three GaN QWs and four AlGaN barriers formed by ALD grown AlN/GaN superlattices. The as-grown sample showed smooth surface morphology with a root-mean-square roughness value of only 0.35 nm, and no surface cracks were found. The dislocation density was estimated to be as low as 3.3×107 cm-2. X-ray and transmission electron microscope data showed the MQW had sharp interfaces with good periodicity. The sample had an UV photoluminescence emission at 334 nm (3.71 eV) with a very narrow linewidth of 47 meV at 13 K. The cathodoluminescence image revealed a fairly uniform luminescence pattern at room temperature. The AlGaN/GaN MQW grown by ALD technique should be useful for providing high crystalline quality for fabrication of various optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: Our previous study noticed remarkably elevated titers of anti–high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) antibodies in sera during the tolerance induction phase of a rat tolerogenic orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) as well as in sera of clinically drug-free patients. We hypothesized that the release of nonhistone nuclear protein HMGB1 during rejection may play a pathogenic role in deteriorating post-OLT graft functions, such as inducing liver fibrosis. This study sought to investigate whether HMGB1 can directly activate hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and drive them toward fibrogenesis. Methods: The cultured HSCs were treated with recombinant HMGB1. RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis were used to measure α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression. Conditioned media were collected for gelatin zymography to monitor the activities of collagen-degrading matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Results: HMGB1 at concentrations >1 ng/mL significantly stimulated HSC growth as revealed by proliferation and BrdU assays. α-SMA gene and protein expression were significantly up-regulated by HMGB1, whereas the MMP-2, but not MMP-9, activity was suppressed by HMGB1 treatment. Conclusion: Our data suggested that HMGB1 protein, once released during the rejection phase of OLT, activated HSCs and exhibited profibrogenic effects on liver grafts either by increasing the HSC population and extracellular matrix content in liver grafts, or by transforming HSCs into myofibroblasts. Neutralization with anti-HMGB1 antibody was suggested to be a therapeutic modality applicable to prevent fibrogenesis in post-OLT liver grafts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]