Optical issues for the diagnostic stations for the ELI-NP compton gamma source

A high brightness electron Linac is being built in the Compton Gamma Source at the ELI Nuclear Physics facility in Romania. To achieve the design luminosity, a train of 32 bunches, 16 ns spaced, with a nominal charge of 250 pC will collide with the laser beam in the interaction point. Electron beam spot size is measured with optical transition radiation (OTR) profile monitors. In order to measure the beam properties, the optical radiation detecting system must have the necessary accuracy and resolution. This paper deals with the studies of different optic configurations to achieve the magnification, resolution and accuracy in order to measure very small beam (below 30 μm) or to study the angular distribution of the OTR and therefore the energy of the beam. Several configurations of the optical detection line will be studied both with simulation tools (e.g. Zemax) and experimentally. The paper will deal also with the sensibility of optic system (in terms of depth of field, magnification and resolution) to systematic error

Стратегії повоєнного відновлення України: інституційні та економічні виміри

The article examines a wide range of strategies and approaches to rebuilding Ukraine after the war. Historical examples of post-war recovery programs of countries in the 20th century are highlighted. Special attention is paid to the recovery of European countries in the context of using their experience, in particular the possibility of applying the "Marshall Plan" for modern Ukraine. The main advantages and disadvantages of recovery plans, conditions of their application, effectiveness in the economic and time dimension are considered. The article analyzes in detail the recovery plan of Ukraine, proposed by the Committee on Economic Development of the Verkhovna Rada. Taking into account the changes that took place at the front, in the structure of political elites and economic processes in the world and in Ukraine during the year after the publication of the plan, negative trends are singled out that distort the current and final results. The challenges facing Ukraine are examined in detail, including the extent of damage, geopolitical location, and the need for innovative technological development. The authors propose a comprehensive approach to recovery that includes reforming domestic policies, institutional structures, and attracting international support. Attention is also focused on Ukraine's integration into European economic structures, considering it as a key element for stable recovery. There are also warnings about the difficulties that Ukraine may face in the process of implementing the recovery plan, including economic and political obstacles. At the initial stage, the sequence and priority of the main measures should be established: demining huge areas of land, clearing debris, building shelters, dormitories and schools, medical facilities for providing basic medical care. These are the conditions for a quick start of reconstruction. The priority areas of development are singled out - "specialization of the country": the agricultural sector and the military-industrial complex. The article is a contribution to the discussion about the restoration of the country, because it focuses on modern challenges and potential ways of development, adaptability of the system to external and internal factors of influence, key moments of various cases of the plan for the revival of Ukraine in the post-war period.У статті розглядається широкий спектр стратегій та підходів до відновлення України після війни. Висвітлюються історичні приклади програм повоєнного відновлення країн в ХХ сторіччі. Особлива увага приділена відновленню країн Європи в контексті використання їхнього досвіду, зокрема можливості застосування «плану Маршалла» для сучасної України. Розглянуто основні переваги та недоліки планів відновлення, умови їхнього застосування, результативність в економіко-часовому вимірі. В статті детально аналізується план відновлення України, запропонований Комітетом з питань економічного розвитку Верховної Ради. Враховуючи зміни, які відбулись на фронті, в структурі політичних еліт та економічних процесах в світі й Україні протягом року після оприлюднення плану, виокремлюються негативні тенденції, що деформують поточні та кінцеві результати. Детально розглядаються виклики, з якими стикається Україна, включаючи масштаби збитків, геополітичне положення та необхідність інноваційного технологічного розвитку. Автори пропонують комплексний підхід до відновлення, який включає реформування внутрішньої політики, інституційної структури та залучення міжнародної підтримки. Також акцентується увага на інтеграції України в європейські економічні структури, розглядаючи це як ключовий елемент для стабільного відновлення, висловлюються застереження щодо складнощів, з якими Україна може зіткнутися у процесі реалізації плану відновлення, включаючи економічні та політичні перешкоди. На початковому етапі має бути встановлена послідовність та пріоритетність основних заходів: розмінування величезних масивів землі, розчищення завалів, будівництво притулків, гуртожитків і шкіл, медичних закладів для надання базової медичної допомоги. Це умови швидкого старту відбудови. Виокремлюються пріоритетні напрямки розвитку – «спеціалізація країни»: аграрний сектор та військово-промисловий комплекс. Стаття є внеском у дискусію про відновлення країни, тому що акцентує увагу на сучасних викликах та потенційних шляхах розвитку, адаптивності системи до зовнішніх та внутрішніх чинників впливу, ключових моментах різних кейсів плану відродження України у повоєнний період

A versatile THz source from high-brightness electron beams: Generation and characterization

Ultra-short electron bunches, such as those delivered by a high-brightness photo-injector, are suitable to produce high peak power THz radiation, both broad and narrow band, with sub-picosecond down to femtosecond pulse shaping. The features of this kind of source in the THz range of the electromagnetic spectrum are extremely appealing for frequency-and time-domain experiments in a wide variety of fields. The present manuscript will overview the method of generation and characterization of THz radiation produced by high-brightness electron beams, as those available at the SPARC_LAB test facility

Conceptual design of electron beam diagnostics for high brightness plasma accelerator

A design study of the diagnostics of a high brightness linac, based on X-band structures, and a plasma accelerator stage, has been delivered in the framework of the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB project. In this paper, we present a conceptual design of the proposed diagnostics, using state of the art systems and new and under development devices. Single shot measurements are preferable for plasma accelerated beams, including emittance, while $\mu$m level and fs scale beam size and bunch length respectively are requested. The needed to separate the driver pulse (both laser or beam) from the witness accelerated bunch imposes additional constrains for the diagnostics. We plan to use betatron radiation for the emittance measurement just at the end of the plasma booster, while other single-shot methods must be proven before to be implemented. Longitudinal measurements, being in any case not trivial for the fs level bunch length, seem to have already a wider range of possibilities

Frontiers of beam diagnostics in plasma accelerators: measuring the ultra-fast and ultra-cold

Advanced diagnostics are essential tools in the development of plasma-based accelerators. The accurate measurement of the quality of beams at the exit of the plasma channel is crucial to optimize the parameters of the plasma accelerator. 6D electron beam diagnostics will be reviewed with emphasis on emittance measurement, which is particularly complex due to large energy spread and divergence of the emerging beams, and on femtosecond bunch length measurements

The Regulation of the Male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis and Testosterone Production by Adipokines

There is evidence that the mass and metabolic status of the adipose tissue that produces adipokines significantly affect the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the synthesis of testosterone. This is due to the fact that adipokines, such as leptin, adiponectin, visfatin and resistin have an important role in the regulation of the male HPG axis and steroidogenesis in the testes. The regulation of the HPG axis by adipokines can be carried out both through the changes the plasma levels of adipokines (a systemic regulation) and through the changes in the expression and activity of adipokines in the pituitary and testes, the components of the HPG axis (an autonomous regulation). This review presents the comprehensive analysis of the involvement of leptin, adiponectin, resistin and visfatin in the regulation of the male HPG axis and the testosterone production, as well as of the possible mechanisms of this regulation. The role of adipokines in the dysregulation of the male reproductive system and the impaired steroidogenic activity in the testes in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are also discussed

The Low-Molecular-Weight Ligands of the Gonadotropin Receptors as the New Generation of the Regulators of the Reproductive Functions and Steroidogenesis

In clinic, the luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating (FSH) hormones and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are used to treat reproductive dysfunctions and in assisted reproductive technology. They are the αβ-heterodimeric complexes and specifically bind to ectodomain of G protein-coupled LH and FSH receptors. This leads to activation of many signaling cascades; some of which are responsible for steroidogenesis, folliculogenesis, and spermatogenesis, while the others, such as β-arrestin pathways, trigger the downregulation of gonadotropin receptors. A low selectivity of the intracellular signaling of gonadotropins and a large number of their isoforms are the main causes of undesirable effects of gonadotropins, limiting their clinical applications. Unlike gonadotropins, the low-molecular-weight (LMW) ligands interact with an allosteric site located in the transmembrane domain of the LH and FSH receptors and selectively activate the certain signaling pathway, preventing a number of side effects of gonadotropins. The LMW ligands are characterized by activity of the full and inverse agonists and neutral antagonists, as well as the positive and negative modulators, and they have the in vivo activity, including when administered orally. This review focuses on the advances in the development of LMW allosteric ligands of the LH and FSH receptors and the prospects for their use in reproductive medicine

The Role of Apelin in the Functioning of the Reproductive System

Adipokine apelin through the apelin receptors activates a wide range of signaling cascades in the target cells and controls their growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. In the recent years, the evidence has been obtained that all components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis, in which apelin and its receptor are expressed, are targets of apelin. In the hypothalamus, apelin modulates the activity of the melanocortin and ghrelin systems and indirectly affects the production of gonadoliberin. In the ovaries, it controls the growth and maturation of the follicles, stimulates the angiogenesis, and affects the basal and stimulated by the other factors steroidogenic activity in follicular cells. The changes in the apelin signaling system are closely associated with dysfunctions of the female reproductive system, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and cancer. Information on the regulation of the male reproductive system by apelin is limited to animal studies showing the effect of apelin on the hypothalamic components of the gonad axis. The participation of apelin in the regulation of the reproductive system opens up the broad opportunities for the development of new approaches for the correction of abnormalities in this system and for the treatment of infertility