Overview of recent TJ-II stellarator results

The main results obtained in the TJ-II stellarator in the last two years are reported. The most important topics investigated have been modelling and validation of impurity transport, validation of gyrokinetic simulations, turbulence characterisation, effect of magnetic configuration on transport, fuelling with pellet injection, fast particles and liquid metal plasma facing components. As regards impurity transport research, a number of working lines exploring several recently discovered effects have been developed: the effect of tangential drifts on stellarator neoclassical transport, the impurity flux driven by electric fields tangent to magnetic surfaces and attempts of experimental validation with Doppler reflectometry of the variation of the radial electric field on the flux surface. Concerning gyrokinetic simulations, two validation activities have been performed, the comparison with measurements of zonal flow relaxation in pellet-induced fast transients and the comparison with experimental poloidal variation of fluctuations amplitude. The impact of radial electric fields on turbulence spreading in the edge and scrape-off layer has been also experimentally characterized using a 2D Langmuir probe array. Another remarkable piece of work has been the investigation of the radial propagation of small temperature perturbations using transfer entropy. Research on the physics and modelling of plasma core fuelling with pellet and tracer-encapsulated solid-pellet injection has produced also relevant results. Neutral beam injection driven Alfvénic activity and its possible control by electron cyclotron current drive has been examined as well in TJ-II. Finally, recent results on alternative plasma facing components based on liquid metals are also presented. ISSN:0029-5515 ISSN:1741-432

Service provision for Frailty in European Emergency Departments (FEED): a survey of operational characteristics

Background The observational Frailty in European Emergency Departments (FEED) study found 40% of older people attending for care to be living with frailty. Older people with frailty have poorer outcomes from emergency care. Current best practice calls for early identification of frailty and holistic multidisciplinary assessment. This survey of FEED sites explores variations in frailty-attuned service definitions and provision. Methods This cross-sectional survey included study sites across Europe identified through snowball recruitment. Site co-ordinators (healthcare professionals in emergency and geriatric care) were surveyed online using Microsoft Forms. Items covered department and hospital capacity, frailty and delirium identification methods, staffing, and frailty-focused healthcare services in the ED. Descriptive statistics were reported. Results A total of 68 sites from 17 countries participated. Emergency departments had median 30 (IQR 21–53) trolley spaces. Most defined "older people" by age 65+ (64%) or 75+ (25%). Frailty screening was used at 69% of sites and mandated at 38%. Night-time staffing was lower compared to day-time for nursing (10 [IQR 8–14] vs. 14 [IQR 10–18]) and physicians (5 [IQR 3–8] vs. 10 [IQR 7–15]). Most sites had provision for ED frailty specialist services by day, but these services were rarely available at night. Sites mostly had accessible facilities; however, hot meals were rarely available at night (18%). Conclusion This survey demonstrated variability in case definitions, screening practices, and frailty-attuned service provision. There is no unanimous definition for older age, and while the Clinical Frailty Scale was commonly used, this was rarely mandated or captured in electronic records. Frailty services were often unavailable overnight. Appreciation of the variation in frailty service models could inform operational configuration and workforce development

Determination of the number of incisive in newborn buffaloes at the region of carrasquero at Zulia state

A objeto de determinar el número de incisivos que presentan los becerros al nacimiento, se evaluaron 158 animales en una finca ubicada en el estado Zulia, Venezuela. Los datos fueron tomados al nacer o con un margen no mayor de 14 días después del nacimiento, y fueron procesados tomando en cuenta el sexo del becerro (S), peso al nacer (PAN), el fenotipo de la cría (F), condición corporal de la madre (C) al momento del parto y época de nacimiento (E). Se utilizó un diseño completamente aleatorizado con un análisis varianza-covarianza, los ajustes de las medias se realizaron por el método de mínimos cuadrados. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los becerros nacieron con 1 o 2 pares de incisivos (89% ± 2.48%), y en muy pocos casos con 3 pares de incisivos (3% ± 1.35%) antes de los 14 días de edad. No se encontraron diferencias significativas con ninguna variable objeto de estudio.229 - [email protected] determine the number of incisive teeth present in newborn buffaloes, 158 calves from a farm in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, were evaluated; the data was taken and processed at bird or within 14 days of it. The effect of sex of the calf (S), weight at bird (WB), its phenotype (P), maternal body condition at birth (BC) and season at birth (E) were studied. The design used included random sampling with analysis of variance-covariance; the media adjustments were carried out with the Least Square Means method. The results obtained showed that the calves were born with a pair or two of incisive (89% ± 2.48%), and in very few cases, with 3 pairs of incisive (3% ± 1.35%) before 14 days of age. No significant differences were observed for any of the variables studied

OBSERVADORES DEL MAR - A MARINE CITIZEN SCIENCE PLATFORM WORKING FOR A HEALTHY OCEAN

Observadores del Mar is a marine citizen science platform launched in 2012 devoted to enhancing the understanding of the conservation status of marine ecosystems. The platform hosts different projects reporting information on two main topics: i) biodiversity data focusing mainly on species distribution and abundance, and ii) the impacts of anthropogenic activities, including both the occurrence of episodic events (e.g. jellyfish blooms) and associated mid- to long-term changes (e.g. colonization of invasive species)

Analysis and Comparison of Motion Capture Systems for Human Walking

This paper compares two novel motion capture systems using several biomechanical measurements during walking operations under various conditions. The first one is CATRASYS (“Cassino tracking system”) that was initially used as motion capture system applied to Robotics since 1994 at the Cassino University. The second one is the commercial Kinect™ system, which consists of a depth sensor and specific software, and can detect and track human forms. This paper studies problems and experiences in using both measuring systems through a comparison of results obtained from their use. It also enables characterization of walking operations by means of a model based on the paths of the ankle and knee points

Product differentiation and entry barriers: Mediterranean export firms in the American markets for olive oil prior to World War II

This article analyses the entry process of Mediterranean export firms in the American markets for packaged olive oil between the 1880s and the 1930s. It explores whether those entry barriers traditionally identified by the literature emerged and to what extent they influenced such an entry process. Using trade data for the early 1930s, the article shows higher average levels of exporters' concentration in the Americas than elsewhere. It also documents that by around 1930 most of the Mediterranean firms leading packaged olive oil exports to Argentina and the USA had entered the markets on the other side of the Atlantic before World War I. Finally, it identifies product differentiation as a source of entry barrier in markets for packaged olive oil in the early 1930s. The article suggests that as the American markets for this product matured early-entrant advantages associated with the use of modern marketing became more apparent, which probably raised the cost of entry to new Mediterranean export firms during the inter-war period.olive oil, international trade, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Mediterranean, Americas, brands, marketing, product differentiation, entry barriers, early-movers advantages, industrial organisation, economic history, international business history,