Background: Infantile spasms (IS) is an epileptic encephalopathy, characterized by spasms, hypsarrhythmia, and developmental regression. This is a retrospective case series of children with IS who underwent epilepsy surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in Toronto, Canada. Methods: The records of 223 patients seen in the IS clinic were reviewed. Results: Nineteen patients met inclusion criteria. The etiology of IS was encephalomalacia in six patients (32%), malformations of cortical development in 11 patients (58%), atypical hypoglycaemic injury in one patient (5%), and partial hemimegalencephaly in one patient (5%). Nine patients (47%) underwent hemispherectomy and 10 patients (53%) underwent lobectomy/lesionectomy. Three patients (16%) underwent a second epilepsy surgery. Fifteen patients (79%) were considered ILAE Seizure Outcome Class 1 (completely seizure free; no auras). The percentage of patients who were ILAE Class 1 at most recent follow-up decreased with increasing duration of epilepsy prior to surgery. Developmental outcome was improved in 14/19 (74%) and stable in 5/19 (26%) patients. Conclusions: Our study found excellent seizure freedom rates and improved developmental outcomes following epilepsy surgery in patients with a history of IS with a structural lesion detected on MRI brain.

The influence of a strong external magnetic field on the collimation of a high Mach number plasma flow and its collision with a solid obstacle is investigated experimentally and numerically. The laser irradiation ( $I\sim 2\times 10^{14}~\text{W}\cdot \text{cm}^{-2}$ ) of a multilayer target generates a shock wave that produces a rear side plasma expanding flow. Immersed in a homogeneous 10 T external magnetic field, this plasma flow propagates in vacuum and impacts an obstacle located a few mm from the main target. A reverse shock is then formed with typical velocities of the order of 15–20 $\pm$ 5 km/s. The experimental results are compared with 2D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations using the FLASH code. This platform allows investigating the dynamics of reverse shock, mimicking the processes occurring in a cataclysmic variable of polar type.

A novel laboratory experimental design is described that will investigate the processing of dust grains in astrophysical shocks. Dust is a ubiquitous ingredient in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies; however, its evolutionary cycle is still poorly understood. Especially shrouded in mystery is the efficiency of grain destruction by astrophysical shocks generated by expanding supernova remnants. While the evolution of these remnants is fairly well understood, the grain destruction efficiency in these shocks is largely unknown. The experiments described herein will fill this knowledge gap by studying the dust destruction efficiencies for shock velocities in the range ${\sim}10{-}30~\text{km}/\text{s}$ ($\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}/\text{ns}$), at which most of the grain destruction and processing in the ISM takes place. The experiments focus on the study of grain–grain collisions by accelerating small (${\sim}1~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}$) dust particles into a large (${\sim}5{-}10~\unicode[STIX]{x03BC}\text{m}$ diameter) population; this simulates the astrophysical system well in that the more numerous, small grains impact and collide with the large population. Facilities that combine the versatility of high-power optical lasers with the diagnostic capabilities of X-ray free-electron lasers, e.g., the Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, provide an ideal laboratory environment to create and diagnose dust destruction by astrophysically relevant shocks at the micron scale.

The characteristics of unbounded flow past an impulsively started planar energy extracting device, such as a wind or tidal turbine, are studied theoretically, numerically and experimentally. The initial thrust on an impulsively started device, which can be more than double the steady thrust, is an important consideration for design and safe operation. The energy sink is modelled here as an ‘actuator surface’ which imposes a uniform pressure discontinuity in the fluid proportional to the square of the fluid speed normal to the surface, the fluid density, and a dimensionless resistance coefficient. The flow past the actuator is studied theoretically for the case of weak resistance using an unsteady model which recovers steady linear momentum theory in the limit of long time. For the case of strong resistance the flow is studied numerically using the point vortex method. Experimental measurements of thrust on a mesh towed through static water are compared to the numerical results and show good agreement. The thrust on an impulsively started device is estimated, for a typical installation, to fall to within 10 % of the steady value within ∼1 min. The numerical model is also used to simulate the gradual startup of a device, yielding estimates of the time constant necessary in a control system in order to reduce peak thrusts in practice.

We present the first magnetic map of the late-type giant 37 Com. The Least Squares Deconvolution (LSD) method and Zeeman Doppler Imaging (ZDI) inversion technique were applied. The chromospheric activity indicators Hα, S-index, Ca ii IRT and the radial velocity were also measured. The evolutionary status of the star has been studied on the basis of state-of-the-art stellar evolutionary models and chemical abundance analysis. 37 Com appears to be in the core Helium-burning phase.

Three-wave parametric instabilities, in which an incident, laser-light wave resonantly decays into two decay waves, have long been recognized to potentially play a large role in the physics of laser-produced plasmas. Many effects have been predicted, but only gradually and with difficulty have experiments developed the ability to observe some of them. One obstacle has been that the behavior of the instabilities often depends upon the scale length and planarity of the plasma. My collaborators and I have worked for several years to overcome this specific obstacle and when necessary now work routinely with plasmas that are thousands of laser wavelengths in the axial and transverse scale lengths of the plasma parameters. This has allowed us to report the first observations of some instabilities and study the scaling behavior of several instabilities as well.

From the neodymium glass laser system Novette with two beams of 74 cm diameter and 18 kJ energy per pulse output in the nanosecond range, the design, the steps of the construction, and results of the system are reported. The two beams are synchronized to 5 psec and conversion to green light up to 78% has been realized. Conversion to four times the laser frequency is measured with more than 25% conversion. Simulation and measurement of laser beam properties at several locations permit an analysis to define the final Nova configuration. About half of Novette's experiments were to study short wave length laser–plasma interactions for the then better coupling by inverse bremsstrahlung mechanisms for inertial confinement fusion with laser intensities up to 1017 W/cm2. Experiments were divided between high density implosion research and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium plasma conditions.

The international Project “Lithium in magnetic CP stars” has been put into operation using telescopes of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (2.6-m reflector ZTSH), European Southern Observatory (1.4-m CAT, 1.52-m with FEROS), Mount Stromlo Observatory (74-inch), Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association (2.4-m with SOFIN), Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences (6-m BTA). Here we present an historical report of the different scientific results of this project since its beginning in 1996.

Background. How insight, paranoia and depression evolve in relation to each other during and after the first episode of schizophrenia is poorly understood but of clinical importance.

Method. Serial assessments over 18 months were made using multiple instruments in a consecutive sample of 257 patients with first episode DSM-IV non-affective psychosis. Repeated measures of paranoia, insight, depression and self-esteem were analysed using structural equation modelling, to examine the direction of relationships over time after controlling for confounds.

Results. Depression was predicted directly by greater insight, particularly at baseline, and by greater paranoia at every stage of follow-up. Neither relationship was mediated by self-esteem, although there was a weak association of lower self-esteem with greater depression and better insight. Paranoia was not strongly associated with insight. Duration of untreated psychosis and substance use at baseline predicted depression at 18 months.

Conclusions. In first-episode psychosis, good insight predicts depression. Subsequently, paranoia is the strongest predictor. Neither effect is mediated by low self-esteem. Effective treatment of positive symptoms is important in preventing and treating low mood in early schizophrenia.

We present preliminary results of grating observations of YY Mensae and V824 Arae by Chandra and XMM-Newton. Spectral features are presented in the context of the emission measure distributions, the coronal abundances, and plasma electron densities. In particular, we observe a coronal N/C enhancement in YY Men believed to reflect the photospheric composition (CN cycle). Finally, we interpret line broadening in YY Men as Doppler thermal broadening in its very hot corona.

Good control of steel flow through the submerged entry nozzle (SEN) during the continuous casting process is essential for improving surface quality and reducing cleanliness defects. Argon bubbles, biased flow and alumina deposits may all contribute to actual flow differing from the ideal case. The steel flow visualization project aims to penetrate the “black box”, which is the SEN, using electromagnetic techniques. A sensor array consisting of transmitter and receiver coils is positioned around an SEN and the resultant signals are compared to those from pilot plant measurements designed to simulate known continuous casting conditions.