Note: Improved spatial resolution of time-of-flight Thomson scattering of fusion devices.

To measure the electron density and temperature of the outer half of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, it is currently planned to build two conventional Thomson scattering (TS) systems. It was recently shown that given the same new specifications and optimizing the optical design, a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) TS system covering the full chord is feasible, too. In this note, we demonstrate that by deconvolving the data of the individual spectral channels, one can improve the spatial resolution of LIDAR TS to match that of the conventional core plasma system. We demonstrate that the scale length at the edge of an H-mode plasma is determined with reasonable accuracy.

Simultaneous attainment of high electron and ion temperatures in discharges with internal transport barriers in ASDEX upgrade

Internal transport barriers have been demonstrated to exist also under conditions with T(e) approximately T(i) approximately 10 keV and predominant electron heating of the tokamak core region. Central electron cyclotron heating was added to neutral beam injection-heated ASDEX Upgrade discharges with a preexisting internal transport barrier, established through programmed current ramping leading to shear reversal. Compared to a reference internal transport barrier discharge without electron cyclotron resonance heating, the electron heat conductivity in the barrier region was found not to increase, in spite of a fivefold increase in electron heat flux, and also angular momentum and ion energy transport did not deteriorate.

Self-regulation of slow cortical potentials in completely paralyzed human patients.

The study was intended to answer the question whether self-regulation of brain activity can be operantly learnt when the brain is disconnected from motor periphery. Two neurological patients with nearly complete motor paralysis learned bi-directional control of their slow cortical potentials (SCP) at vertex. After 4-6 weeks training both patients could reliably differentiate between SCP shifts in a negative versus positive direction. With one patient, training has been continued for a subsequent 4 months, which resulted in precise self-control, i.e. the patient was able to produce positive SCP shifts on command with an accuracy of about 95%. This indicates that self-regulation of cortical excitability (as manifested in the SCP) does not require feedback loops from the periphery. Although we cannot rule out that healthy subjects may employ behavioral strategies such as muscle contractions or changes in breathing, obviously humans can also control their SCP without using these strategies.

Progressive interstitial lung disease in a 75 year old woman.

The case of a 75 year old woman with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease is presented. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was consistent with CD8+ cell alveolitis, and computerized tomography revealed features of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). The patient had been on clomipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant) for 9 months prior to the onset of disease. Cessation of the drug and very short-term oral corticosteroid treatment (prematurely terminated by the patient) resulted in complete resolution of clinical symptoms, morphological and physiological findings, which remained stable without treatment over the following year. A possible drug reaction to clomipramine presenting as BOOP is discussed.

High-speed switching of far-infrared radiation by photoionization in a semiconductor.

An investigation of subnanosecond switching of 119-microm radiation achieved by irradiating high-resistivity silicon wafers with 1.7-ns, 337-nm pulses from a nitrogen laser is presented. The experimental results are compared with a one-dimensional numerical multilayer model, which accounts for the generation, recombination, and diffusion of the free carriers and the resulting change of the far-infrared optical properties of the Si wafer.

Phagocytosis of serum-opsonized zymosan down-regulates the expression of CR3 and FcRI in the membrane of human monocytes.

The effect of iC3b receptor (CR3)-mediated phagocytosis on the expression of CR (C3b receptor, CR3) and IgG FcR (FcRI, FcRII) has been investigated by using serum-opsonized zymosan as a multivalent ligand for CR3. Sixteen hours after a short (1-h) pretreatment of human monocyte monolayers with zymosan opsonized with human AB serum (250 micrograms/ml), CR3 expression (as assessed by flow cytometric analysis with mAb Mo1) was significantly reduced by 59 +/- 3% (mean +/- SEM, n = 15, p less than 0.001). Concomitant with CR3 down modulation, FcR binding activity (as assessed by binding of IgG-coated E) was also found to be decreased to 41 +/- 4% of control (n = 7, p less than 0.001). Reduced FcR function was paralleled by a decrease in the expression of FcRI (as assessed with mAb 32.2). This FcRI modulation was not caused by zymosan-bound IgG because zymosan opsonized with agammaglobulinemic serum equally down regulated CR3 and FcRI expression. Pretreatment with zymosan opsonized with human AB serum, however, did not change the expression of other IgG and C-binding sites such as FcRII (examined with mAb IV.3 and 2E1) and CR1 (assessed with mAb 57F) as well as of unrelated cell membrane structures (beta 2m, MHC class II). In contrast, co-modulation for FcR function and CR3 expression induced by polymeric IgG is accompanied by a decreased expression of FcRII. These data indicate that interaction of a specific receptor with its ligand not only changes the expression of the receptor triggered, but has also a modulating effect on other receptor systems on the same cell.

High rejection ruby filter for laser light scattering experiments.

A rejection filter against stray ruby laser light in scattering experiments is described. It consists of an array of sixty-four ruby crystal cubes with a doping of up to 2.3 wt. % of chromium oxide. The filter is 15 mm thick. Suppression factors of more than 10(6) are achieved with individual cubes (5 x 5 x15 mm(3)), the effective overall suppression of the assembled array being 10(4). The filter facilitates Raman calibration of the lidar Thomson scattering system of the JET tokamak.

Interferometry using subnanosecond pulses from TEA nitrogen lasers.

The applicability of TEA nitrogen lasers emitting at 3371 A for high speed optical plasma interferometry of short lived plasmas is demonstrated. Interferograms of the dense phase of a 30-kJ plasma focus are obtained with an exposure time of less than 500 psec.