Locally induced laminar convection in liquid nitrogen and silicone oils.

We present an experimental study of a laminar convective phenomenon induced by a centimetric heater totally immersed in a liquid pool (Rayleigh number ranging from 10(4) to 10(7)). This local heating is observed to induce a laminar convection that differs from the classical Rayleigh-Bénard cells created by heating the whole bottom of the fluid: the convection pattern is no more periodic. In order to obtain a complete map of the velocity field, we use Particle Image Velocimetry technique. The vertical velocity between the counter-rotating convective cells is used as the relevant physical parameter to describe the phenomenon. The potential cooling applications of this problem lead us to choose liquid nitrogen as an experimental fluid. We thus compare the results obtained for various temperature gradients in liquid nitrogen with experiments performed at room temperature with silicone oils of various viscosities. The theoretical law for the maximal vertical velocity from classical Rayleigh-Bénard experiments is adapted to the specific geometry investigated by using a new definition for the characteristic wavelength. This length is studied and appears to be dependent on the liquid properties. We finally obtain a remarkable agreement between theory and experimental data.

Management of burn wounds of the head and neck region.

Management of burn wounds of the head and neck region. Management of the severely burned patient is ery often a challenge, not only due to major disturbances in anatomy and physiological processes, but also because the relatively low incidence of this pathology in both civilian and military practice results in care providers'lack of experience. The purpose of this educational document is to provide doctors confronted with these formidable trauma patients with basic management guidelines as well as some practical tips. In summary, and most importantly, these patients should be reated as any other multitrauma patient. First aid is essential and can be provided by non-medical staff. Initial medical nanagement should focus on the usual, familiar trauma algorithms of ABCDEF from the emergency management of evere burns (EMSB) manual' or the ABCDEs of the manual of advanced trauma life support (ATLS)2 or advanced burn life support (ABLS). Medical care should proceed through the following steps - Step one: establish a reliable intravenous nfusion; step two: protect the airway; step three: establish and maintain a haemodynamic state compatible with sufficient organ perfusion in order to reduce aggravation of the burn wounds and increase overall survival likelihood; step four: provide analgesia with adequate sedation and provide anaesthesia for escharotomy, fasciotomy or other surgical injuries; step five: maintain normothermia; step six: feed the patient by starting enteral nutrition as early as possible; step seven: prevent infection using antiseptic wound management, systemic antibiotics and tetanus prophylaxis. All of these intricate steps require continuous reassessment and adjustment, but the existence of other wounds (blast injuries, penetrating and blunt trauma) even further complicates the management of burn casualties.

A flux extraction device to measure the magnetic moment of large samples; application to bulk superconductors.

We report the design and construction of a flux extraction device to measure the DC magnetic moment of large samples (i.e., several cm(3)) at cryogenic temperature. The signal is constructed by integrating the electromotive force generated by two coils wound in series-opposition that move around the sample. We show that an octupole expansion of the magnetic vector potential can be used conveniently to treat near-field effects for this geometrical configuration. The resulting expansion is tested for the case of a large, permanently magnetized, type-II superconducting sample. The dimensions of the sensing coils are determined in such a way that the measurement is influenced by the dipole magnetic moment of the sample and not by moments of higher order, within user-determined upper bounds. The device, which is able to measure magnetic moments in excess of 1 A m(2) (1000 emu), is validated by (i) a direct calibration experiment using a small coil driven by a known current and (ii) by comparison with the results of numerical calculations obtained previously using a flux measurement technique. The sensitivity of the device is demonstrated by the measurement of flux-creep relaxation of the magnetization in a large bulk superconductor sample at liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K).

Light absorption in conical silicon particles.

The problem of the absorption of light by a nanoscale dielectric cone is discussed. A simplified solution based on the analytical Mie theory of scattering and absorption by cylindrical objects is proposed and supported by the experimental observation of sharply localized holes in conical silicon tips after high-fluence irradiation. This study reveals that light couples with tapered objects dominantly at specific locations, where the local radius corresponds to one of the resonant radii of a cylindrical object, as predicted by Mie theory.

Effective career ladders.

Motivation, quality improvement, productivity enhancement. These are just some of the benefits of an effective career ladder program. The key term here is effective. It is easy for laboratory personnel to stagnate professionally if they do not have a career ladder program, but it is even easier for them to become frustrated--even cynical--over a program that fails to live up to its expectations to encourage, support, and reward professional advancement. If you have been looking form some ideas to get your own career ladder program off the ground, the following responses from your colleagues may help as CLMR asks: What makes your career ladder program effective?

Computer-assisted optimization of aminophylline therapy in the emergency department.

The emergency department (ED) is a unique setting for pharmacokinetic-guided drug administration because of the need to rapidly optimize therapy. We compared outcomes in patients receiving intravenous aminophylline according to population-based ED guidelines (group 1) or Bayesian-derived pharmacokinetic estimates (group 2), we determined predictors for admission or discharge in our study group, and we assessed the ability of a Bayesian pharmacokinetic model to estimate theophylline requirements in the ED. The study population was composed of 82 patients (42 males, 40 females) with a mean age of 43 +/- 15.5 years. Fifteen patients were excluded because of protocol violations. Of the 67 cases studied, 30 were assigned to group 1, and 37 were assigned to group 2. Patient demographics, baseline theophylline concentration, and theophylline loading dose did not differ significantly between treatment groups. The aminophylline maintenance infusion was significantly (P less than .001) lower in group 1 (0.4 +/- 0.2 mg/kg/h) than in group 2 (0.6 +/- 0.2 mg/kg/h). Serum theophylline concentrations at one hour post-loading-dose did not differ significantly between treatment groups; however, significant differences were observed at two hours post-load (P less than .002) and four hours post-load (P less than .001). Baseline peak flow rate (PFR) was significantly (P less than .03) higher in group 1 (170 +/- 85 L/min) than in group 2 (132 +/- 62 L/min), but did not differ significantly at any other times throughout the study. The PFR one hour post-load (PFR-1) was the strongest (P less than .003) predictor of outcome.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)