EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB: the high-brightness RF photo-injector layout proposal

At EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB, the unique combination of an advanced high-brightness RF injector and a plasma-based accelerator will drive a new multi-disciplinary user-facility. The facility, that is currently under study at INFN-LNF Laboratories (Frascati, Italy) in synergy with the EuPRAXIA collaboration, will operate the plasma-based accelerator in the external injection configuration. Since in this configuration the stability and reproducibility of the acceleration process in the plasma stage is strongly influenced by the RF-generated electron beam, the main challenge for the RF injector design is related to generating and handling high quality electron beams. In the last decades of R&D activity, the crucial role of high-brightness RF photo-injectors in the fields of radiation generation and advanced acceleration schemes has been largely established, making them effective candidates to drive plasma-based accelerators as pilots for user facilities. An RF injector consisting in a high-brightness S-band photo-injector followed by an advanced X-band linac has been proposed for the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB project. The electron beam dynamics in the photo-injector has been explored by means of simulations, resulting in high-brightness, ultra-short bunches with up to 3 kA peak current at the entrance of the advanced X-band linac booster. The EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB high-brightness photo-injector is described here together with performance optimisation and sensitivity studies aiming to actual check the robustness and reliability of the desired working point.Comment: 5 pages,5 figures, EAAC201

Design and development of a novel Invasive Blood Pressure simulator for patient's monitor testing

This paper presents a newly-designed and realized Invasive Blood Pressure (IBP) device for the simulation on patient’s monitors. This device shows improvements and presents extended features with respect to a first prototype presented by the authors and similar systems available in the state-of-the-art. A peculiarity of the presented device is that all implemented features can be customized from the developer and from the point of view of the end user. The realized device has been tested, and its performances in terms of accuracy and of the back-loop measurement of the output for the blood pressure regulation utilization have been described. In particular, an accuracy of ±1 mmHg at 25 °C, on a range from −30 to 300 mmHg, was evaluated under different test conditions. The designed device is an ideal tool for testing IBP modules, for zero setting, and for calibrations. The implemented extended features, like the generation of custom waveforms and the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectivity, allow use of this device in a wide range of applications, from research to equipment maintenance in clinical environments to educational purposes. Moreover, the presented device represents an innovation, both in terms of technology and methodologies: It allows quick and efficient tests to verify the proper functioning of IBP module of patients’ monitors. With this innovative device, tests can be performed directly in the field and faster procedures can be implemented by the clinical maintenance personnel. This device is an open source project and all materials, hardware, and software are fully available for interested developers or researchers.Web of Science201art. no. 25

Ultrafast wavelength jumping and wavelength adjustment with low current using monolithically integrated FML for long-reach UDWDM-PON

Ultrafast wavelength jumping at optical network units (ONUs) for an access network with frequency modulated lasers (FMLs) is demonstrated. This FML consists of an intracavity tunable phase section and filtering gain section. It provides a total of 4.2 nm tuning range with fast wavelength jumping (2.2 nm in 1 µs) and fast adjustment (1.3 nm in 1.8 ns), providing a candidate for the fast tuning ONU for coherent ultradense wavelength-division multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM-PONs).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Adapting the Dutch 'mobility explorer' program to investigate possible car taxation futures in the UK

This paper reports work being conducted as part of the only transport project in the current ESRC programme on the Environment and Human Behaviour. The concept of generalised road user changes eventually replacing existing Fuel Duties and Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is in the ascendant, with several studies concentrating upon the eventual adoption of a GPS-based congestion charging system. The Dutch and Swiss have also been exploring such schemes. In particular the Dutch have looked at a more quickly and easily implemented option of distance charging rather than congestion charging that is favoured in the UK. This project seeks to explore a wider range of new taxation options, particularly seeking more pragmatic paths towards early implementation rather than the 10 – 20 year timescale currently envisaged. Indeed, the Dutch studies have suggested that distance charging might yield most of the traffic management and emission reduction benefits of congestion charging, with a modelled reduction in car kilometres travelled of between 18 and 35 per cent compared with a ‘business as usual’ base case. In this project, the Dutch Mobility Explorer program that was used to estimate the effects of a national distance charge, is being adapted using UK data to investigate a series of possible car taxation futures. These range from a low-key introduction of a distance charge to replace VED, through to a distance charging system replacing fuel tax and VED and a GPS congestion charging system. This will permit a comparison of the traffic, congestion and emission reductions between such options and also a cross-country comparison on a comparable basis with the existing Dutch work. The adaptation of the Dutch model to the UK has not been straightforward, and possibly the greatest lessons have been in helping to understand the differences in context in which a seemingly similar transport policy measure is being proposed. The paper concludes with a reflection upon the rapid rise in favour by the UK government for of generalised road user changes to replace Fuel Duties and VED. It is suggested that this is not a way to avoid hard decisions in transport policy that it may at first seem

Experimental Clock Calibration\\on a Crystal-Free Mote-on-a-Chip

The elimination of the off-chip frequency reference, typically a crystal oscillator, would bring important benefits in terms of size, price and energy efficiency to IEEE802.15.4 compliant radios and systems-on-chip. The stability of on-chip oscillators is orders of magnitude worse than that of a crystal. It is known that as the temperature changes, they can drift more than 50 ppm/{\deg}C. This paper presents the result of an extensive experimental study. First, we propose mechanisms for crystal-free radios to be able to track an IEEE802.15.4 join proxy, calibrate the on-chip oscillators and maintain calibration against temperature changes. Then, we implement the resulting algorithms on a crystal-free platform and present the results of an experimental validation. We show that our approach is able to track a crystal-based IEEE802.15.4-compliant join proxy and maintain the requested radio frequency stability of +/-40 ppm, even when subject to temperature variation of 2{\deg}C/min.Comment: CNERT: Computer and Networking Experimental Research using Testbeds, in conjunction with IEEE INFOCOM 2019, April 29 - May 2, 2019, Paris, Franc

Enhancing Energy Production with Exascale HPC Methods

High Performance Computing (HPC) resources have become the key actor for achieving more ambitious challenges in many disciplines. In this step beyond, an explosion on the available parallelism and the use of special purpose processors are crucial. With such a goal, the HPC4E project applies new exascale HPC techniques to energy industry simulations, customizing them if necessary, and going beyond the state-of-the-art in the required HPC exascale simulations for different energy sources. In this paper, a general overview of these methods is presented as well as some specific preliminary results.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme (2014-2020) under the HPC4E Project (www.hpc4e.eu), grant agreement n° 689772, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the CODEC2 project (TIN2015-63562-R), and from the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation through Rede Nacional de Pesquisa (RNP). Computer time on Endeavour cluster is provided by the Intel Corporation, which enabled us to obtain the presented experimental results in uncertainty quantification in seismic imagingPostprint (author's final draft

Information-Driven Housing

This paper suggests a new information-driven framework is needed to help consumers evaluate the sustainability of their housing options. The paper provides an outline of this new framework and how it would work

A sigma factor toolbox for orthogonal gene expression in Escherichia coli

Synthetic genetic sensors and circuits enable programmable control over timing and conditions of gene expression and, as a result, are increasingly incorporated into the control of complex and multi-gene pathways. Size and complexity of genetic circuits are growing, but stay limited by a shortage of regulatory parts that can be used without interference. Therefore, orthogonal expression and regulation systems are needed to minimize undesired crosstalk and allow for dynamic control of separate modules. This work presents a set of orthogonal expression systems for use in Escherichia coli based on heterologous sigma factors from Bacillus subtilis that recognize specific promoter sequences. Up to four of the analyzed sigma factors can be combined to function orthogonally between each other and toward the host. Additionally, the toolbox is expanded by creating promoter libraries for three sigma factors without loss of their orthogonal nature. As this set covers a wide range of transcription initiation frequencies, it enables tuning of multiple outputs of the circuit in response to different sensory signals in an orthogonal manner. This sigma factor toolbox constitutes an interesting expansion of the synthetic biology toolbox and may contribute to the assembly of more complex synthetic genetic systems in the future