Conceptual design of the enhanced coolant purification systems for the European HCLL and HCPB test blanket modules

The Coolant Purification Systems (CPSs) is one of the most relevant ancillary systems of European Helium Cooled Lead Lithium (HCLL) and Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) which are currently in the preliminary design phase in view of their installation and operation in ITER. The CPS implements mainly two functions: the extraction and concentration of the tritium permeated from the TBM modules into the primary cooling circuit and the chemistry control of helium primary coolant. During the HCLL and HCPB-TBSs (Test Blanket Systems) Conceptual Design Review (CDR) in 2015 it was recognized the need of reducing the tritium permeation into the Port Cell #16 of ITER. To achieve this and, then, to lower the tritium partial pressure in the Helium Cooling Systems in normal operation, the helium flow-rate treated by each CPS has been increased of almost one order of magnitude. In 2017, to satisfy the CDR outcomes and the new design requirements requested by Fusion for Energy (F4E, the European Domestic Agency for ITER), ENEA performed a preliminary design of the “enhanced” CPSs. This paper presents the current design of the “enhanced” CPSs, focusing on design requirements, assumptions, selection of technologies and preliminary components sizing

Brillouin optical time-domain analysis for geotechnical monitoring

AbstractIn this paper, we show some recent experimental applications of Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (BOTDA) based sensors for geotechnical monitoring. In particular, how these sensors can be applied to detecting early movements of soil slopes by the direct embedding of suitable fiber cables in the ground is presented. Furthermore, the same technology can be used to realize innovative inclinometers, as well as smart foundation anchors

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus bronchioliti

Variable stars in the globular cluster NGC 2419

We have used DOLORES at the TNG to obtain B,V time series photometry of NGC 2419, one of the most distant and bright clusters in the Galactic halo. These data will be used to study its variable star population in order to check whether the cluster could be the relic of an extragalactic system accreted by the Milky Way. Using the Image Subtraction technique (Alard 2000) we have identified about 300 candidate variables, many of which are in the cluster central regions. Several of the variables appear to be RR Lyrae stars, but we detected variability also around the tip of the red giant branch, and in other regions of the colour-magnitude diagram. To improve the light curve sampling and to resolve variables in the cluster inner regions, the TNG data were combined with HST archive data. Preliminary results are presented on the light curves from the combined data set.Comment: 2 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of "Stellar Pulsation and Evolution", 2005, Monte Porzio Catone, Ital

The Counterpart Principle of Analogical Support by Structural Similarity

We propose and investigate an Analogy Principle in the context of Unary Inductive Logic based on a notion of support by structural similarity which is often employed to motivate scientific conjectures

Aggiornamenti e novità sulle conoscenze di Pancratium maritimum (Amaryllidaceae)

Pancratium maritimum L., bulbosa perenne degli ambienti dunali costieri, è un taxon relativamente recente se comparato con le specie del genere a gravitazione mediterranea. Gli studi noti su questa specie hanno analizzato vari aspetti della biologia (riproduttivi, biochimici, filogenetici, genetici, ecc.). Tuttavia, esistono ancora lacune scientifiche, tra cui l’assenza di studi su ampio areale di genetica di conservazione e sugli adattamenti eco-morfofisiologici alle condizioni di stress. Per ampliare le conoscenze su P. maritimum, la Fondazione Nando Peretti nel novembre 2012 ha finanziato un progetto triennale sulla conoscenza e la salvaguardia di questa specie (Progetto 2012-83). In questo contributo si presentano i risultati ottenuti per le diverse linee di ricerca finora affrontate, che vanno dalle analisi ad ampio areale dei popolamenti, usando un approccio sia genetico che GIS, alla caratterizzazione morfologica e eco-fisiologica di varie popolazioni

Upgrading construction and demolition waste management from downcycling to recycling in the Netherlands

Urban mining from construction and demolition waste (CDW) is highly relevant for the circular economy ambitions of the European Union (EU). Given the large volumes involved, end-of-life (EoL) concrete is identified as one of the priority streams for CDW recycling in most EU countries, but it is currently largely downcycled or even landfilled. The European projects C2CA and VEEP have proposed several cost-effective technologies to recover EoL concrete for new concrete manufacturing. To understand the potential effects of large-scale implementation of those recycling technologies on the circular construction, this study deployed static material flow analysis (MFA) for a set of EoL concrete management scenarios in the Netherlands constructed by considering the development factors in two, technological and temporal dimensions. On the technological dimension, three treatment systems for EoL concrete management, namely: business-as-usual treatment, C2CA technological system and VEEP technological system were investigated. On the temporal dimension, 2015 was selected as the reference year, representing the current situation, and 2025 as the future year for the prospective analysis. The results show that the development of cost-effective technologies has the potential to improve the share of recycling (as opposed to downcycling) in the Netherlands from around 5% in 2015 up to 22%~32% in 2025. From the academic aspect, the presented work illustrates how the temporal dimension can be included in the static MFA study to explore the potential effects in the future.Industrial Ecolog

Dysfunctional dopaminergic neurotransmission in asocial BTBR mice

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by pronounced social and communication deficits and stereotyped behaviours. Recent psychosocial and neuroimaging studies have highlighted reward-processing deficits and reduced dopamine (DA) mesolimbic circuit reactivity in ASD patients. However, the neurobiological and molecular determinants of these deficits remain undetermined. Mouse models recapitulating ASD-like phenotypes could help generate hypotheses about the origin and neurophysiological underpinnings of clinically relevant traits. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), behavioural and molecular readouts to probe dopamine neurotransmission responsivity in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J mice (BTBR), an inbred mouse line widely used to model ASD-like symptoms owing to its robust social and communication deficits, and high level of repetitive stereotyped behaviours. C57BL/6J (B6) mice were used as normosocial reference comparators. DA reuptake inhibition with GBR 12909 produced significant striatal DA release in both strains, but failed to elicit fMRI activation in widespread forebrain areas of BTBR mice, including mesolimbic reward and striatal terminals. In addition, BTBR mice exhibited no appreciable motor responses to GBR 12909. DA D1 receptor-dependent behavioural and signalling responses were found to be unaltered in BTBR mice, whereas dramatic reductions in pre- and postsynaptic DA D2 and adenosine A2A receptor function was observed in these animals. Overall these results document profoundly compromised DA D2-mediated neurotransmission in BTBR mice, a finding that is likely to have a role in the distinctive social and behavioural deficits exhibited by these mice. Our results call for a deeper investigation of the role of dopaminergic dysfunction in mouse lines exhibiting ASD-like phenotypes, and possibly in ASD patient populations

Survival after Locoregional Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Cohort Study in Real-World Patients

Evidence of relative effectiveness of local treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is scanty. We investigated, in a retrospective cohort study, whether surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), and transarterial embolization with (TACE) or without (TAE) chemotherapy resulted in different survival in clinical practice. All patients first diagnosed with HCC and treated with any locoregional therapy from 1998 to 2002 in twelve Italian hospitals were eligible. Overall survival (OS) was the unique endpoint. Three main comparisons were planned: RFA versus PEI, surgical resection versus RFA/PEI (combined), TACE/TAE versus RFA/PEI (combined). Propensity score method was used to minimize bias related to non random treatment assignment. Overall 425 subjects were analyzed, with 385 (91%) deaths after a median followup of 7.7 years. OS did not significantly differ between RFA and PEI (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.79–1.57), between surgery and RFA/PEI (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.64–1.41) and between TACE/TAE and RFA/PEI (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.66–1.17). 5-year OS probabilities were 0.14 for RFA, 0.18 for PEI, 0.27 for surgery, and 0.15 for TACE/TAE. No locoregional treatment for HCC was found to be more effective than the comparator. Adequately powered randomized clinical trials are still needed to definitely assess relative effectiveness of locoregional HCC treatment