Error Field and Correction Coils in DTT: a preliminary analysis

The Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility, construction starting at Frascati, Italy, is designed to test different solutions for divertor in view of DEMO. A preliminary analysis of the error fields (EFs) assumed a simplified model of rigid and independent displacements and rotations. A methodology based on the first order truncated Taylor expansion has been applied, linking the displacement parameters and the EFs within the required accuracies. A system of in-vessel copper coils has been designed to counteract EFs and the ampere-turns necessary to force them back within the request limits has been calculated. Here, the details of the analysis have been provided

Global change effects on plant communities are magnified by time and the number of global change factors imposed

Global change drivers (GCDs) are expected to alter community structure and consequently, the services that ecosystems provide. Yet, few experimental investigations have examined effects of GCDs on plant community structure across multiple ecosystem types, and those that do exist present conflicting patterns. In an unprecedented global synthesis of over 100 experiments that manipulated factors linked to GCDs, we show that herbaceous plant community responses depend on experimental manipulation length and number of factors manipulated. We found that plant communities are fairly resistant to experimentally manipulated GCDs in the short term (<10 y). In contrast, long-term (≥10 y) experiments show increasing community divergence of treatments from control conditions. Surprisingly, these community responses occurred with similar frequency across the GCD types manipulated in our database. However, community responses were more common when 3 or more GCDs were simultaneously manipulated, suggesting the emergence of additive or synergistic effects of multiple drivers, particularly over long time periods. In half of the cases, GCD manipulations caused a difference in community composition without a corresponding species richness difference, indicating that species reordering or replacement is an important mechanism of community responses to GCDs and should be given greater consideration when examining consequences of GCDs for the biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship. Human activities are currently driving unparalleled global changes worldwide. Our analyses provide the most comprehensive evidence to date that these human activities may have widespread impacts on plant community composition globally, which will increase in frequency over time and be greater in areas where communities face multiple GCDs simultaneously

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males

The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy/autophagy and reduced TNF/TNFα production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3L412F-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A statistically significant reduced survival at 28 days was shown in L412F COVID-19 patients treated with the autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (p = 0.038). An increased frequency of autoimmune disorders such as co-morbidity was found in L412F COVID-19 males with specific class II HLA haplotypes prone to autoantigen presentation. Our analyses indicate that L412F polymorphism makes males at risk of severe COVID-19 and provides a rationale for reinterpreting clinical trials considering autophagy pathways. Abbreviations: AP: autophagosome; AUC: area under the curve; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; RAP: rapamycin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TLR: toll like receptor; TNF/TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor

Accurate models for evaluating the direct conducted and radiated emissions from integrated circuits

This paper deals with the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues related to the direct and radiated emissions from a high-speed integrated circuits (ICs). These emissions are evaluated here by means of circuital and electromagnetic models. As for the conducted emission, an equivalent circuit model is derived to describe the IC and the effect of its loads (package, printed circuit board, decaps, etc.), based on the Integrated Circuit Emission Model template (ICEM). As for the radiated emission, an electromagnetic model is proposed, based on the superposition of the fields generated in the far field region by the loop currents flowing into the IC and the package pins. A custom experimental setup is designed for validating the models. Specifically, for the radiated emission measurement, a custom test board is designed and realized, able to highlight the contribution of the direct emission from the IC, usually hidden by the indirect emission coming from the printed circuit board. Measurements of the package currents and of the far-field emitted fields are carried out, providing a satisfactory agreement with the model predictions

Electrical Modeling of Carbon Nanotube Vias

This paper investigates the electrical behavior of vias made by bundles of either single-walled or multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The electronic transport in the CNTs is modeled through the kinetic inductance, the quantum capacitance, and the electrical resistance, which depend on the equivalent number of the CNT conducting channels. The dependence of such a number on the CNT radius, chirality, and temperature is described by using the quasi-classical transport theory. Since for the common mode the effects of the intershell tunneling are negligible, the interaction between different shells is described by using the classical electromagnetic theory. A simple but accurate equivalent lumped model for vias made by CNT bundles is proposed. Vias of interest in nanoelectronic applications are here analyzed, with particular focus on the behavior of electrical parameters versus temperature and frequency

A temperature-dependent circuit model for carbon-based on-chip global interconnects

The paper deals with the performance analysis of global-level on-chip interconnects. Two innovative solutions are presented, based on carbon solutions, and compared to conventional copper realization. These solutions involve the use of Carbon Nanotubes or Graphene Nanoribbons. A simple circuit equivalent model is presented for these interconnects, which can properly account for the geometrical properties of the carbon interconnects and for their temperature. Using this model, an analysis of the electrical performance of global level on-chip interconnects is carried out, referring to the 22nm technology node

An hybrid model for the evaluation of the full-wave far-field radiated emission from PCB traces

The paper deals with the evaluation of the far field radiated emissions from high-speed interconnects when the frequencies are such that the distribution of the currents along the traces is no longer of TEM-type. Instead of a computationally expensive numerical full-wave model, here a generalized transmission line model is used to obtain the current distributions. This full-wave transmission line model is derived from an integral formulation and is here extended to include in efficient way the layered media Green's Functions. The proposed tool is successfully benchmarked to references given in literature and case-studies of practical interest are carried out, referring to a coupled microstrip, driven either by differential and common mode currents. This analysis highlights the existence of a transition range where the error made by evaluating the emission using the classical transmission line current distribution is still negligible. Here a rule of thumb is derived which provides a simple criterion to estimate this extension of the range of validity of the classical transmission line