EU DEMO Remote Maintenance System development during the Pre-Concept Design Phase

During the EU DEMO Pre-Concept Design Phase, the remote maintenance team developed maintenance strategies and systems to meet the evolving plant maintenance requirements. These were constrained by the proposed tokamak architecture and the challenging environments but considered a range of port layouts and handling system designs. The design-driving requirements were to have short maintenance durations and to demonstrate power plant relevant technologies. Work concentrated on the in-vessel maintenance systems, where the design constraints are the most challenging and the potential impact on the plant design is highest. A robust blanket handling system design was not identified during the Pre-Concept Design Phase. Novel enabling technologies were identified and, where these were critical to the maintenance strategy and not being pursued elsewhere, proof-of-principle designs were developed and tested. Technology development focused on pipe joining systems such as laser bore cutting and welding, pipe alignment, and on the control systems for handling massive blankets. Maintenance studies were also conducted on the ex-vessel plant to identify the additional transport volumes required to support the plant layout. The strategic implications of using vessel casks, and of using containment cells with cell casks, was explored. This was motivated by the costs associated with the storage of casks, one of several ex-vessel systems that can drive the overall plant layout. This paper introduces the remote maintenance system designs, describes the main developments and achievements, and presents conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations for future work

Age, gender, and bone lamellae elastic moduli

To enhance preventative and therapeutic strategies for metabolic bone diseases and bone fragility disorders, we began to explore the physical properties of bone tissue at the cellular level. Proximal femurs were harvested from 27 cadavera (16 male and 11 female) for in vitro measurement of the mechanical properties. We measured the variations in lamellar-level elastic modulus and hardness in human bone as a function of age and gender to identify microstructural properties responsible for age and gender-related reductions in the mechanical integrity. The lateral femoral necks were examined, and age, gender, height, body mass, and body mass index were not found to correlate with lamellar-level elastic modulus or hardness. This result was consistent for osteonal, interstitial, and trabecular tissue. These data suggest that increased bone mass maintenance, known to occur in heavier individuals, is not accompanied by increases in the lamellar-level elastic modulus or hardness. The independence of elastic modulus and hardness from age and gender suggests that age and gender-related decreases in mechanical integrity do not involve alterations in elastic modulus or hard ness of the extracellular matrix. Lamellar-level ultimate, fatigue, and fracture toughness properties should also be investigated. Other factors, such as tissue mass and organization, may also contribute to age and gender-related decreases in the mechanical integrity.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34918/1/1100180315_ftp.pd

Cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity are modified by maturational stage and exercise training status during youth

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Gonadal hormones modulate cerebrovascular function while insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) facilitates exercise‐mediated cerebral angiogenesis; puberty is a critical period of neurodevelopment alongside elevated gonadal hormone and IGF‐1 activity: but whether exercise training across puberty enhances cerebrovascular function is unkown. What is the main finding and its importance? Cerebral blood flow is elevated in endurance trained adolescent males when compared to untrained counterparts. However, cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia is faster in trained vs. untrained children, but not adolescents. Exercise‐induced improvements in cerebrovascular function are attainable as early as the first decade of life. Abstract: Global cerebral blood flow (gCBF) and cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia ( CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ ) are modulated by gonadal hormone activity, while insulin‐like growth factor 1 facilitates exercise‐mediated cerebral angiogenesis in adults. Whether critical periods of heightened hormonal and neural development during puberty represent an opportunity to further enhance gCBF and CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ is currently unknown. Therefore, we used duplex ultrasound to assess gCBF and CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ in n = 128 adolescents characterised as endurance‐exercise trained (males: n = 30, females: n = 36) or untrained (males: n = 29, females: n = 33). Participants were further categorised as pre‐ (males: n = 35, females: n = 33) or post‐ (males: n = 24, females: n = 36) peak height velocity (PHV) to determine pubertal or ‘maturity’ status. Three‐factor ANOVA was used to identify main and interaction effects of maturity status, biological sex and training status on gCBF and CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ . Data are reported as group means (SD). Pre‐PHV youth demonstrated elevated gCBF and slower CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ mean response times than post‐PHV counterparts (both: P ≤ 0.001). gCBF was only elevated in post‐PHV trained males when compared to untrained counterparts (634 (43) vs. 578 (46) ml min−1; P = 0.007). However, CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ mean response time was faster in pre‐ (72 (20) vs. 95 (29) s; P ≤ 0.001), but not post‐PHV (P = 0.721) trained youth when compared to untrained counterparts. Cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with gCBF in post‐PHV youth (r2 = 0.19; P ≤ 0.001) and CV R C O 2 ${\mathrm{CV}}{{\mathrm{R}}_{{\mathrm{C}}{{\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{2}}}}}$ mean response time in pre‐PHV youth (r2 = 0.13; P = 0.014). Higher cardiorespiratory fitness during adolescence can elevate gCBF while exercise training during childhood primes the development of cerebrovascular function, highlighting the importance of exercise training during the early stages of life in shaping the cerebrovascular phenotype

Effects of methylphenidate on attention in Wistar rats treated with the neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP4)

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP4) on attention in rats as measured using the 5-choice-serial-reaction-time task (5CSRTT) and to investigate whether methylphenidate has effects on DSP4-treated rats. Methylphenidate is a noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibitor and commonly used in the pharmacological treatment of individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Wistar rats were trained in the 5CSRTT and treated with one of three doses of DSP4 or saline. Following the DSP4 treatment rats were injected with three doses of methylphenidate or saline and again tested in the 5CSRTT. The treatment with DSP4 caused a significant decline of performance in the number of correct responses and a decrease in response accuracy. A reduction in activity could also be observed. Whether or not the cognitive impairments are due to attention deficits or changes in explorative behaviour or activity remains to be investigated. The treatment with methylphenidate had no beneficial effect on the rats’ performance regardless of the DSP4 treatment. In the group without DSP4 treatment, methylphenidate led to a reduction in response accuracy and bidirectional effects in regard to parameters related to attention. These findings support the role of noradrenaline in modulating attention and call for further investigations concerning the effects of methylphenidate on attentional processes in rats

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Creating and curating an archive: Bury St Edmunds and its Anglo-Saxon past

This contribution explores the mechanisms by which the Benedictine foundation of Bury St Edmunds sought to legitimise and preserve their spurious pre-Conquest privileges and holdings throughout the Middle Ages. The archive is extraordinary in terms of the large number of surviving registers and cartularies which contain copies of Anglo-Saxon charters, many of which are wholly or partly in Old English. The essay charts the changing use to which these ancient documents were put in response to threats to the foundation's continued enjoyment of its liberties. The focus throughout the essay is to demonstrate how pragmatic considerations at every stage affects the development of the archive and the ways in which these linguistically challenging texts were presented, re-presented, and represented during the Abbey’s history