Oxygen delivery at sea level and altitude (after slow ascent to 5000 meters), at rest and in mild exercise.

Oxygen delivery (DO2) calculated from cardiac output, haematocrit (Hct) and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), has been obtained on six subjects at sea level (London) and after slow ascent to 5000 meters (Chamlang base camp) at rest and during mild exercise (25 watts and 50 watts). Haematocrit was increased in all six subjects at 5000 m and expressed as haemoglobin (Hb) rose from a mean (+/- standard error; SEM) of 13.8 +/- 0.

Wavelength-agile diode-laser sensing strategies for monitoring gas properties in optically harsh flows: application in cesium-seeded pulse detonation.

The rapid, broad wavelength scanning capabilities of advanced diode lasers allow extension of traditional diode-laser absorption techniques to high pressure, transient, and generally hostile environments. Here, we demonstrate this extension by applying a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) to monitor gas temperature and pressure in a pulse detonation engine (PDE). Using aggressive injection current modulation, the VCSEL is scanned through a 10 cm-1 spectral window at megahertz rates - roughly 10 times the scanning range and 1000 times the scanning rate of a conventional diode laser.