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The cavity ringdown spectra of 2-cyclohexen-1-one (2CHO) and its 2,6,6-[d.sub.3] isotopomer (2CHO-[d.sub.3]) in the spectral area near their [S.sub.1](n, [pie.sup.*])

The [S.sub.1](n,[pi]*) [arrow left] [S.sub.0] cavity ringdown spectrum of 2-cyclohexen-l-one vapor has been recorded in the vicinity of the [0.sub.0.sup.0] band, which is at 26 089.1 [cm.sup.-1]. Observation of hot bands in the spectrum has permitted the determination of several low-frequency fundamentals and overtones in the ground electronic state. The lowest two excited quantum states for the inversion vibration ([V.sub.39]) were found to be at 99.0 and 197.0 [cm.sup.-1]. Together with previously published far-IR spectra and vapor-phase Raman spectra, the fundamental frequencies for [V.sub.39], [V.sub.38], and [V.sub.37] have been determined. From observed [V.sub.39] levels, the barrier to inversion has been determined experimentally to be 1900 [+ or -] 300 [cm.sup.-1], which is very different from values of 935 and 3379 [cm.sup.-1] previously reported from Raman and far-IR data, respectively, Density functional calculations carried out in this paper give a barrier value of 2090 [cm.sup.-1] when the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) basis set is used. Key words: cavity ringdown spectra, 2-cyclohexen-l-one, Raman spectra, potential energy function, inversion barrier.

Annually, a number of final year medical students from Lund University in Sweden travel to various healthcare facilities globally. We chose to go to the island of Sri Lanka, spending our elective at the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Colombo. The dissimilarity between healthcare in Sweden and in Sri Lanka was evident throughout our stay. The design of healthcare facilities in Sri Lanka focused less on patient privacy and more on efficiency. The workload for doctors in Colombo was heavier than their Swedish counterparts. In general, outcome for Swedish patients is favourable when compared to Sri Lankan. We believe the difference in outcome is due to the unequal financial situations of the countries. Teaching approach in Sri Lanka diverted from Swedish practice by being more authoritarian but also exceedingly efficient. The large number of patients in wards and outpatient clinics allowed for us to experience a wide range of patient cases, offering important insights in medicine. It has been questioned whether the tradition of international electives is ethically justifiable. We therefore believe it important to stress that throughout our stay we were participating as observing students, not practicing doctors. We regard our elective a valuable experience, providing us with knowledge we will use in our future profession. Time spent observing Sri Lankan healthcare will also serve as a reminder to remain humble towards different cultures. We are now aware of the privileges we have, practicing medicine in a socioeconomically strong country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was a questionnaire-based study of overseas doctors, who came to the United Kingdom through the International Doctors Training Programme (IDTP) of Obstetrics and Gynaecology during the period of 2009-2012. The study was conducted at the end of their two-years training placement to find out what went well, what did not go well, where problems were encountered, and how they could have been avoided. We traced 48 overseas doctors, 35 (73%) responded to our questionnaire. Only 30% (9) felt that less than 50% of their expectations were met during their training period, 73.3% (22) of them received adequate help and support from their supervisors and 83.3% (25) would recommend IDTP to their colleagues. In conclusion, identification of the educational needs of international trainees, establishing a framework for their effective supervision and streamlining their training programme, in collaboration with the Royal College, regional deaneries and hosting hospitals are essential pre-requisites for overseas doctors to get the most out of their training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of highly echogenic amniotic fluid (AF) is uncommon, and presence creates a dilemma in the mind of the clinician. Echogenic AF has been attributed to meconium, blood, and vernix caseosa. Many studies have shown that the presence of meconium is unlikely in most cases. We report a case of highly echogenic AF detected at 37 weeks which was managed conservatively with careful fetal monitoring for further 2 weeks expecting spontaneous onset of labor. Labor was induced due to reduced fetal movements at 39 weeks. Healthy baby weighing 3130 g was delivered by cesarean section after a failed induction with prostaglandin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male factor infertility can be challenging to treat. Anejaculation/anorgasmia in men can be distressing for them specially when it is coupled with fertility desires. Understanding the pathophysiology of the condition requires careful evaluation. Although novel techniques exist to retrieve sperms form men suffering from anejaculation/anorgasmia, simple and inexpensive methods should be tried in every possible case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The infrared and Raman spectra of 2-cyclohexen-1-one and its 2,6,6-d 3 isotopomer in their liquid and vapor phases have been recorded and a complete vibrational assignment was carried out. DFT theoretical calculations were carried out to predict the vibrational frequencies and the agreement is excellent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The fluorescence excitation spectra, single vibrational level fluorescence spectra, and ultraviolet absorption spectra of 1,4-dihydronaphthalene have been analyzed. The first four quantum energy spacings for the ring-puckering vibration were determined for the S0 and S1(π,π∗) electronic states, and the potential energy functions were also determined. In the ground state the single-minimum function is dominated by the quartic term, but in the excited state the function becomes nearly harmonic. The S0 function is less rigid than that for 1,4-cyclohexadiene but the S1(π,π∗) function becomes much more rigid. Earlier work on this molecule had erroneously postulated barriers in both electronic states. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel plate-to-plate dielectric barrier discharge microreactor (micro DBD) has been demonstrated in CO 2 splitting. In this design, the ground electrode has a cooling microchannel to maintain the electrode temperature in the 263-298 K range during plasma operation. A small gap size between the electrodes of 0.50 mm allowed efficient heat transfer from the surrounding plasma to the ground electrode surface to compensate for heat released in the reaction zone and maintain a constant temperature. The effect of temperature on CO 2 conversion and energy efficiency was studied at a voltage of 6-9 kV, a frequency of 60 kHz and a constant CO 2 flow rate of 20 ml min -1 . The CO 2 decomposition rate first increased and then decreased as the electrode temperature decreased from 298 to 263 K with a maximum rate observed at 273 K. Operation at lower temperatures enhanced the vibrational dissociation of the CO 2 molecule as opposed to electronic excitation which is the main mechanism at room temperature in conventional DBD reactors, however it also reduced the rate of elementary reaction steps. The counterplay between these two effects leads to a maximum in the reaction rate. The power consumption monotonously increased as the temperature decreased. The effective capacitance of the reactor increased by 1.5 times at 263 K as compared to that at 298 K changing the electric field distribution inside the plasma zone., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. All sources of information have been appropriately acknowledged., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The cavity ringdown spectra of 2-cyclohexen-1-one (2CHO) and its 2,6,6-d3 isotopomer (2CHO-d3) have been recorded in the spectral region near their S1(n,pi)<--S0 band origins which are at 26,081.3 and 26,075.3 cm-1, respectively. The data allow several of the quantum states of nu39, the ring inversion, to be determined for both the ground and excited electronic states. These were utilized to calculate the one-dimensional potential energy functions which best fit the data. The barriers to inversion for the S0 and S1(n,pi) states were found to be 1,900 +/- 300 and 3,550 +/- 500 cm-1, respectively. Density functional theory calculations predict values of 2,090 and 2,265 cm-1, respectively.