Efficient pulsed 946-nm laser emission from Nd:YAG pumped by a titanium-doped sapphire laser

Efficient pulsed room-temperature laser emission at 946 nm is obtained from a Nd:YAG rod pumped by a Ti-doped sapphire laser in the free-running mode. Three bonded YAG rods of 3-mm diameter with different Nd concentrations and active lengths were tested. A maximum output energy of 83.5 mJ at 3 Hz was obtained with a slope efficiency of 32.3% in an end-pumping configuration.     

Isolation of a bacterial strain with the ability to utilize the sulfonated azo compound 4-carboxy-4'-sulfoazobenzene as the sole source of carbon and energy

A bacterial strain (strain S5) which grows aerobically with the sulfonated azo compound 4-carboxy-4'-sulfoazobenzene as the sole source of carbon and energy was isolated. This strain was obtained by continuous adaptation of "Hydrogenophaga palleronii" S1, which has the ability to grow aerobically with 4-aminobenzenesulfonate. Strain S5 probably cleaves 4-carboxy-4'-sulfoazobenzene reductively under aerobic conditions to 4-aminobenzoate and 4-aminobenzene-sulfonate, which are mineralized by previously established degradation pathways.     

On Inconsistency and Unsatisfiability

We study inconsistency and unsatis ability and their relation to soundness, completeness, paraconsistency and conservative extension in generic logical systems (formalized as institutions equipped with an entailment system).     

Differential effects of head-mounted displays on visual performance

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) virtually augment the visual world to aid visual task completion. Three types of HMDs were compared [look around (LA); optical see-through with organic light emitting diodes and virtual retinal display] to determine whether LA, leaving the observer functionally monocular, is inferior. Response times and error rates were determined for a combined visual search and Go-NoGo task. The costs of switching between displays were assessed separately. Finally, HMD effects on basic visual functions were quantified. Effects of HMDs on visual search and Go-NoGo task were small, but for LA display-switching costs for the Go-NoGo-task the effects were pronounced. Basic visual functions were most affected for LA (reduced visual acuity and visual field sensitivity, inaccurate vergence movements and absent stereo-vision). LA involved comparatively high switching costs for the Go-NoGo task, which might indicate reduced processing of external control cues. Reduced basic visual functions are a likely cause of this effect.     

The effects of foods, beverages, and other factors on cigarette palatability.

While smokers commonly report that various foods and beverages worsen or enhance the taste of cigarettes, the prevalence and diversity of these phenomena have not been studied. We administered an open-ended questionnaire to 209 smokers asking for reports of foods or beverages that worsen or enhance the taste of cigarettes. Commonly reported categories that worsen the taste of cigarettes were fruits/vegetables, noncaffeinated beverages, and dairy products. Commonly reported categories that enhance the taste of cigarettes were caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, and meat products. Regression analyses indicated that increased sensitivity to both taste worsening and enhancing were associated with smoking nonmenthol cigarettes. These findings suggest smoking menthol cigarettes reduces both negative and positive effects of food and beverage consumption on smoking satisfaction - thus "evening out" the smoking experience. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Masculinity causes speeding in young men

The goal of this study was to examine if masculinity is causally responsible for speeding in young men. Participants (83 males) were randomly assigned to a masculine, feminine, or neutral priming condition. Priming consisted in active listening to either masculine, feminine, or neutral words coming from the car radio while driving in a high-end driving simulator. Results showed that when the concept of masculinity was activated by priming, participants' driving speed increased significantly from the beginning to the end of the driving simulation as compared to the neutral and the feminine condition. Results are discussed with respect to real life health implications.     

Use of a halogenase of hormaomycin biosynthesis for formation of new clorobiocin analogues with 5-chloropyrrole moieties

The depsipeptide antibiotic hormaomycin, which is produced by Streptomyces griseoflavus W-384, contains a 5-chloropyrrole moiety. In the producer strain we identified the gene hrmQ that shows sequence similarity to FADH(2)-dependent halogenases. This gene was cloned and heterologously expressed in Streptomyces roseochromogenes var. oscitans DS12.976, which is the producer of the aminocoumarin antibiotic clorobiocin, which contains a 5-methylpyrrole moiety. For the present experiment, we used a mutant of this strain in which the respective pyrrole-5-methyltransferase had been inactivated. Expression of the halogenase hrmQ in this mutant strain led to the formation of two new clorobiocin derivatives that carried a 5-chloropyrrole moiety. These compounds were isolated on a preparative scale, their structures were elucidated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and their antibacterial activity was determined. The substrate of HrmQ is likely to be a pyrrole-2-carboxyl-S-[acyl carrier protein] thioester. If this assumption is true, this study presents the first experiment in combinatorial biosynthesis that uses a halogenase that acts on an acyl carrier protein-bound substrate.     

Targeted delivery of magnetic aerosol droplets to the lung

The inhalation of medical aerosols is widely used for the treatment of lung disorders such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, respiratory infection and, more recently, lung cancer. Targeted aerosol delivery to the affected lung tissue may improve therapeutic efficiency and minimize unwanted side effects. Despite enormous progress in optimizing aerosol delivery to the lung, targeted aerosol delivery to specific lung regions other than the airways or the lung periphery has not been adequately achieved to date. Here, we show theoretically by computer-aided simulation, and for the first time experimentally in mice, that targeted aerosol delivery to the lung can be achieved with aerosol droplets comprising superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles--so-called nanomagnetosols--in combination with a target-directed magnetic gradient field. We suggest that nanomagnetosols may be useful for treating localized lung disease, by targeting foci of bacterial infection or tumour nodules.     

Dynamic strength and failure behavior of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V for a variation of heat treatments

In our study, samples of Ti-6Al-4V were subjected to modifications of an aging treatment where temperatures for solution annealing and final aging as well as the cooling rate were varied. The titanium alloy was annealed above and below the β-transus temperature followed by cooling in a vacuum furnace or by water quenching. Additionally, the final annealing temperature was varied. Compression tests under quasistatic and dynamic loading rates were performed to determine the flow stress and strain hardening behavior. Furthermore, instrumented Charpy impact tests on U-notch specimen were performed at room temperature to monitor the load-time response of deformation and fracturing. The obtained high rate mechanical properties are discussed and correlated with the present microstructure. Our results reveal a very strong effect of the microstructure on the material behavior and will assist to choose the appropriate heat treatment technology, especially if impact loaded or safety structures have to be considered.