[en] The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is currently the largest and most energetic laser system in the world. The main amplifiers are driven by the Injection Laser System comprised of the master oscillators, optical preamplifiers, temporal pulse shaping and spatial beam formatting elements and injection diagnostics. Starting with two fiber oscillators separated by up to a few angstroms, the pulse is phase modulated to suppress SBS and enhance spatial smoothing, amplified, split into 48 individual fibers, and then temporally shaped by an arbitrary waveform generator. Residual amplitude modulation induced in the preamplifiers from the phase modulation is also precompensated in the fiber portion of the system before it is injected into the 48 pre-amplifier modules (PAMs). Each of the PAMs amplifies the light from the 1 nJ fiber injection up to the multi-joule level in two stages. Between the two stages the pre-pulse is suppressed by 60 dB and the beam is spatially formatted to a square aperture with precompensation for the nonuniform gain profile of the main laser. The input sensor package is used to align the output of each PAM to the main laser and acquire energy, power, and spatial profiles for all shots. The beam transport sections split the beam from each PAM into four main laser beams (with optical isolation) forming the 192 beams of the NIF. Optical, electrical, and mechanical design considerations for long term reliability and availability will be discussed

[en] Cromakalim appears to be the most potent pharmacologic agent belonging to the new class of smooth muscle relaxants: the K+ channel openers. The present study aimed at characterizing the effects of cromakalim on 86Rb outflow, 45Ca outflow and insulin release from prelabeled and perifused rat pancreatic islets. Cromakalim provoked a concentration-dependent reduction in 86Rb outflow. This inhibitory effect was attenuated in islets exposed throughout to glibenclamide or to a Ca+(+)-free medium. In islets exposed to glucose and extracellular Ca++, cromakalim induced a dose-dependent reduction in 45Ca outflow. The drug also inhibited the increase in 45Ca outflow mediated by K+ depolarization. Lastly, cromakalim elicited a concentration-dependent inhibition of insulin release from islets perifused in the presence of glucose and extracellular Ca++. The present data suggest that the paradoxical inhibitory effect of cromakalim on 86Rb outflow probably reflects the capacity of the drug to reduce the activity of the ATP-sensitive K+ channels and to indirectly inhibit the Ca+(+)-activated K+ channels. Furthermore, the cromakalim-induced changes in 45Ca outflow are compatible with an inhibitory effect of the drug on the voltage-dependent Ca++ channels

[en] Multicellular tumour spheroids are realistic in vitro systems in radiation research that integrate cell-cell interaction and cell cycle control by factors in the medium. The dynamic reaction inside a tumour spheroid triggered by radiation is not well understood. Of special interest is the amount of cell cycle synchronization which could be triggered by irradiation, since this would allow follow-up irradiations to exploit the increased sensitivity of certain cell cycle phases. In order to investigate these questions we need to support irradiation experiments with mathematical models. In this article a new model is introduced combining the dynamics of tumour growth and irradiation treatments. The tumour spheroid growth is modelled using an agent-based Delaunay/Voronoi hybrid model in which the cells are represented by weighted dynamic vertices. Cell properties like full cell cycle dynamics are included. In order to be able to distinguish between different cell reactions in response to irradiation quality we introduce a probabilistic model for damage dynamics. The overall cell survival from this model is in agreement with predictions from the linear-quadratic model. Our model can describe the growth of avascular tumour spheroids in agreement to experimental results. Using the probabilistic model for irradiation damage dynamics the classic 'four Rs' of radiotherapy can be studied in silico. We found a pronounced reactivation of the tumour spheroid in response to irradiation. A majority of the surviving cells is synchronized in their cell cycle progression after irradiation. The cell synchronization could be actively triggered and should be exploited in an advanced fractionation scheme. Thus it has been demonstrated that our model could be used to understand the dynamics of tumour growth after irradiation and to propose optimized fractionation schemes in cooperation with experimental investigations. (authors)

No abstract available

[en] Published in summary form only

[en] Minoxidil sulfate is an antihypertensive agent belonging to the new class of vasodilators, the K+ channel openers. The present study was undertaken to characterize the effects of minoxidil sulfate on ionic and secretory events in rat pancreatic islets. The drug unexpectedly provoked a concentration-dependent decrease in 86Rb outflow. This inhibitory effect was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner by glucose and tolbutamide. Minoxidil sulfate did not affect 45Ca outflow from islets perfused in the presence of extracellular Ca++ and absence or presence of glucose. However, in islets exposed to a medium deprived of extracellular Ca++, the drug provoked a rise in 45Ca outflow. Whether in the absence or presence of extracellular Ca++, minoxidil sulfate increased the cytosolic free Ca++ concentration of islet cells. Lastly, minoxidil sulfate increased the release of insulin from glucose-stimulated pancreatic islets. These results suggest that minoxidil sulfate reduces the activity of the ATP-sensitive K+ channels and promotes an intracellular translocation of Ca++. The latter change might account for the effect of the drug on the insulin-releasing process. However, the secretory response to minoxidil sulfate could also be mediated, at least in part, by a modest Ca++ entry

[en] Microneurovascular compression may produce symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia. MR examination in T-1 weighted SE, sagittal and coronal images, in slice thickness less than 3 mm, is a valuable method to demonstrate neurovascular compression in trigeminal neuralgia. Authors defined microneurovascular compression syndrome when the 5. nerve was in contact with a vessel in root entry zone. 13 patients with clinical symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia were examined, 6 of them presented MR symptoms of neurovascular compression. The operative treatment was evaluated in 2 patients (with absence of pre-operative symptoms was achieved following microvascular decompression all patients who had surgery. (author)

[en] Highlights: • The Test Particle Monte Carlo code Molflow+ was improved recently. • Following this, a benchmarking of the code was carried out during the mentioned activities. • The obtained results show, that the code delivers realistic results and can be used for the simulation of pressure profiles of complex 3D models. • Subsequently the code was used to simulate the beam axis pressure profile within the current ISOLDE RFQCB named ISCOOL. • This simulations are the basis for the upcoming optimization of the RFQCB. -- Abstract: The existing ISOLDE radio frequency quadrupole cooler and buncher (RFQCB) will be upgraded in the framework of the HIE-ISOLDE design study. In order to improve beam properties, the upgrade includes vacuum optimization with the aim of tayloring the overall pressure profile: increasing gas pressure at the injection to enhance cooling and reducing it at the extraction to avoid emittance blow up while the beam is being bunched. This paper describes the vacuum modelling of the present RFQCB using Test Particle Monte Carlo (Molflow+). In order to benchmark the simulation results, real pressure profiles along the existing RFQCB are measured using variable helium flux in the cooling section and compared with the pressure profiles obtained with Molflow+. Vacuum conditions of the improved future RFQCB can then be simulated to validate its design

[en] The Working Party on Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Nuclear Science Committee has established an International Subgroup to perform an activity in order to develop a systematic approach to define data needs for Gen-IV and, in general, for advanced reactor systems. A methodology, based on sensitivity analysis has been agreed and representative core configurations for Sodium, Gas and Lead cooled Fast Reactors (SFR, GFR, LFR) have been defined as well as a high burn-up VHTR and a high burn-up PWR. In the case of SFRs, both a TRU burner (called in fact SFR) and a core configuration with homogeneous recycling of not separated TRU (called EFR) have been considered

[en] The conclusion to be drawn from the results obtained so far is that thin-section, dual-phase helical CT currently is the modality of choice for pre-operative assessment of the resectability of pancreatic cancer. An evaluation of the diagnostic value using statistical criteria of significance is currently m[e on the basis of a larger group of patients. As existing information on the value of MR imaging for evaluation of resectability of pancreatic cancer relies on studies with a small group of patients, a realistic valuation of this modality cannot be given at present. (orig./CB)