Novel concept suppressing plasma heat pulses in a tokamak by fast divertor sweeping.

One of the remaining challenges in magnetic thermonuclear fusion is survival of the heat shield protecting the tokamak reactor vessel against excessive plasma heat fluxes. Unmitigated high confinement edge localized mode (ELM) is a regular heat pulse damaging the heat shield. We suggest a novel concept of magnetic sweeping of the plasma contact strike point fast and far enough in order to spread this heat pulse. We demonstrate feasibility of a dedicated copper coil in a resonant circuit, including the induced currents and power electronics. We predict the DEMO ELM properties, simulate heat conduction, 3D particles motion and magnetic fields of the plasma and coil in COMSOL Multiphysics and Matlab. The dominant system parameter is voltage, feasible 18 kV yields 1 kHz sweeping frequency, suppressing the ELM-induced surface temperature rise by a factor of 3. Multiplied by other known mitigation concepts, ELMs might be mitigated enough to ensure safe operation of DEMO.

Roxithromycin--a new macrolide derivative.

This ether oxim derivative of erythromycin A is an easy to absorb oral antimicrobial somewhat less effective in vitro than erythromycin. At relatively low MIC's it is active against staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, branhnamella and chlamydiae, higher concentrations are needed against enterococci and some strains of H. influenzae. Roxithromycin is also reported to have a very good effect on campylobacters, many anaerobic bacteria, Toxoplasma gondii, Treponema pallidum, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophilla. Its half-life in the serum of healthy individuals ranges from 9 to 16 hours. Maximum serum concentrations at 2 oral doses of 150 mg a day are reached at 3 to 4 days and vary from 5.5 to 11.1 mg/l. The distribution of roxithromycin in body tissues is excellent. In a group of 57 patients treated for various infections of clear etiology the positive therapeutic effects resulting in the state of bacteriological negativity was reached in 86% of cases. Roxithromycin can be recommended as a drug of choice in mild or less severe cases of infection caused by agents sensitive to this antimicrobial. Its excellent tolerance makes it especially well suited for use in pediatric practice.

Antimicrobial profile of ceftazidime: the situation in three larger hospitals in Prague between 1981 and 1983.

As a part of preclinical trials of 2,996 clinical isolates from three larger hospitals in Prague were qualitatively and quantitatively assayed for in vitro sensitivity to ceftazidime. In gramnegative bacteria the incidence of resistance to ceftazidime in strain of Enterobacter, Serratia Proteus and Pseudomonas species ranged from 4% to 6% of strains. In grampositive bacteria only strains of enterococci, listeriae and anaerobic bacteria are excluded from the action of this broad-spectrum antibiotic. According to present experiences the antipseudomonal activity of ceftazidime is approximately the same as that of cefsulodine and cefoperazone. Alarmingly, one of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates was found to show a distinct multiresistance to all available lactam, aminoglycoside and broad-spectrum antimicrobials, including ceftazidime.

Long-term antibiotic susceptibility pattern of strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in Czechoslovakia in the years 1957-1982.

Over the past 25 years a total of 7492 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae have been isolated in Czechoslovakia, mainly in Prague (64%). All these strains have been tested for susceptibility to the following antibiotics: penicillin G, ampicillin, tetracycline, spectinomycin, erythromycin, doxycycline, kanamycin, rifampin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, cephalothin, cephaloridine, lincomycin and clindamycin. In addition, seven derivatives of newer antibiotics of penicillin and cephalosporin series were tested in 1981. The study showed that in 1957 the MIC of 0.03 units of penicillin per ml was effective against 95% of strains, but in 1981 only 37% of isolates were sensitive to this concentration. The first gonococcal strains with the MIC value of 4.0 units/ml to penicillin were detected in 1981. This tendency towards decreased gonococcal susceptibility to benzylpenicillin is alarming. Over the last eight years there have been described sporadic isolations of strains relatively resistant to tetracycline (MIC = 8.0 mg/l). The susceptibility to spectinomycin has been tested in over 4000 gonococcal strains, since 1967. The test showed that this antibiotic remained highly effective against the gonococcal infection with over 95% of gonococci with the MIC value of 16.0 mg/l. No fully spectinomycin resistant strains have been found. Penicillin G as well as spectinomycin and cefotaxim are still considered the antibiotics of the first choice in the treatment of gonorrhoea. The alternative antibiotics may include cefuroxim, chloramphenicol and, in cases of sensitive strains, tetracyclines.