A Very Intense Neutrino Super Beam Experiment for Leptonic CP Violation Discovery based on the European Spallation Source Linac: A Snowmass 2013 White Paper

Very intense neutrino beams and large neutrino detectors will be needed in order to enable the discovery of CP violation in the leptonic sector. We propose to use the proton linac of the European Spallation Source currently under construction in Lund, Sweden to deliver, in parallel with the spallation neutron production, a very intense, cost effective and high performance neutrino beam. The baseline program for the European Spallation Source linac is that it will be fully operational at 5 MW average power by 2022, producing 2 GeV 2.86 ms long proton pulses at a rate of 14 Hz. Our proposal is to upgrade the linac to 10 MW average power and 28 Hz, producing 14 pulses/s for neutron production and 14 pulses/s for neutrino production. Furthermore, because of the high current required in the pulsed neutrino horn, the length of the pulses used for neutrino production needs to be compressed to a few $\mu$s with the aid of an accumulator ring. A long baseline experiment using this Super Beam and a megaton underground Water Cherenkov detector located in existing mines 300-600 km from Lund will make it possible to discover leptonic CP violation at 5 $\sigma$ significance level in up to 50% of the leptonic Dirac CP-violating phase range. This experiment could also determine the neutrino mass hierarchy at a significance level of more than 3 $\sigma$ if this issue will not already have been settled by other experiments by then. The mass hierarchy performance could be increased by combining the neutrino beam results with those obtained from atmospheric neutrinos detected by the same large volume detector. This detector will also be used to measure the proton lifetime, detect cosmological neutrinos and neutrinos from supernova explosions. Results on the sensitivity to leptonic CP violation and the neutrino mass hierarchy are presented.Comment: 28 page

High intensity neutrino oscillation facilities in Europe

The EUROnu project has studied three possible options for future, high intensity neutrino oscillation facilities in Europe. The first is a Super Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of pions created by bombarding targets with a 4 MW proton beam from the CERN High Power Superconducting Proton Linac. The far detector for this facility is the 500 kt MEMPHYS water Cherenkov, located in the Fréjus tunnel. The second facility is the Neutrino Factory, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of μ+ and μ− beams in a storage ring. The far detector in this case is a 100 kt magnetized iron neutrino detector at a baseline of 2000 km. The third option is a Beta Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of beta emitting isotopes, in particular He6 and Ne18, also stored in a ring. The far detector is also the MEMPHYS detector in the Fréjus tunnel. EUROnu has undertaken conceptual designs of these facilities and studied the performance of the detectors. Based on this, it has determined the physics reach of each facility, in particular for the measurement of CP violation in the lepton sector, and estimated the cost of construction. These have demonstrated that the best facility to build is the Neutrino Factory. However, if a powerful proton driver is constructed for another purpose or if the MEMPHYS detector is built for astroparticle physics, the Super Beam also becomes very attractive

Investigating the morphology of powders obtained in a process of spray drying of protein hydrolysates containing maltodextrin

Celem pracy było określenie zmian morfologii i wybranych właściwości fizycznych proszków hydrolizatu białkowego z maltodekstryną, jako nośnikiem, otrzymanych w wyniku suszenia rozpyłowego. Zastosowano dwie wartości temperatury suszenia, tj. 160 i 200 °C oraz trzy strumienie podawania surowca 0,9; 1,18 i 1,28 cm³/s. Największą wilgotność proszku (4,5 %) uzyskano w temperaturze 160 °C i przy strumieniu 1,28 cm³/s. W wyniku obniżenia temperatury suszenia oraz zwiększenia strumienia podawania surowca otrzymywano proszki charakteryzujące się większą wilgotnością. Wzrost strumienia podawania surowca oraz temperatury suszenia nie wpłynął znacząco na uzyskaną wartość gęstości nasypowej luźnej. Uzyskane wartości mieściły się w granicach 493-518 kg/m³. Na wartość gęstości pozornej cząstek istotny wpływ miała temperatura suszenia, której podwyższenie powodowało wzrost wartości gęstości pozornej. Jedynie przy najmniejszym strumieniu surowca temperatura suszenia nie różnicowała tej wielkości. Zmiana strumienia podawania surowca nie wykazała statystycznie istotnego wpływu na uzyskane wartości gęstości pozornej. Proszki wykazywały porowatość zewnętrzną złoża mieszczącą się w granicach 58 - 63 %. Jedynie w temperaturze 200 °C zaobserwowano istotne statystycznie zmniejszenie porowatości zewnętrznej złoża wraz ze wzrostem strumienia podawania surowca. Zdjęcia wykonane za pomocą mikroskopu skaningowego dowiodły, że cząstki charakteryzowały się kulistym kształtem o gładkiej powierzchni. Przeprowadzona analiza granulometryczna proszków wykazała wzrost wielkości cząstek wraz ze zwiększeniem strumienia podawania surowca oraz temperatury suszenia.The objective of the investigation was to describe changes in the morphology and selected physical properties of protein hydrolysate powders with maltodextrin as a carrier. The powders investigated were obtained in a process of spray drying. Two inlet air temperatures (160 °C and 200 °C) and three raw material fluxes (0.9, 1.18, and 1.28 cm³/s) were used. The highest moisture content in powders (4.5 %) was obtained at a temperature of 160 °C and with a 1.28 cm³/s flux of raw material. Decreasing the drying temperature and increasing the feeding flux of raw material resulted in the manufacturing of powders of a higher moisture value. The increased feeding flux of raw material and the drying temperature did not significantly impact the loose density value obtained. The values obtained ranged from 493 to 518 kg/m³. The drying temperature had a significant impact on the apparent density of particles and its increase caused the apparent density to increase. The drying temperature did not differentiate the density only when the raw material flux was the lowest. Changing the feeding flux of raw material did not show any statistically significant impact on the apparent density values obtained. The bed external porosity of powders ranged from 58 to 63 %. A statistically significant decrease in the bed external porosity was found only at a temperature of 200 °C, and it occurred along with the increased raw material flux. The photographs taken by a scanning microscope demonstrated that the particles were characterized by a spherical, smooth-faced shape. The performed screen analysis of powders showed the increase in the particle size along with the increase in the feeing flux of raw material and in the drying temperature

Impact of spray drying parameters on the quality of protein hydrolysate

W pracy przedstawiono wyniki badań suszenia rozpyłowego hydrolizatu białkowego oraz mieszaniny hydrolizatu i nośników. Jako nośników użyto maltodekstryny średnioscukrzonej oraz białka serwatkowego. Stosowano temperaturę powietrza wlotowego 160 °C oraz trzy strumienie zasilania surowca: 0,9; 1,16 i 1,28 cm³/s. Największą zawartość wody w proszkach, powyżej 5 %, uzyskano przy dodatku maltodekstryny jako nośnika, najmniejszą, przekraczającą nieznacznie 2 %, zawierały proszki samego hydrolizatu. Zaobserwowano, że wraz ze wzrostem strumienia podawania surowca zwiększała się zawartość wilgoci w proszkach, co było związane ze spadkiem temperatury powietrza opuszczającego suszarkę. Wartości gęstości nasypowej luźnej i utrzęsionej złoża nie zależały od strumienia podawania surowca, ale istotnie zależały od zastosowanego nośnika. Najmniejsze wartości tych gęstości wykazywały proszki samego hydrolizatu, a wartości największe proszki zawierające maltodekstrynę. Następował wzrost wartości gęstości utrzęsionej w porównaniu z gęstością luźną o około 50 %. Gęstość pozorna uzyskanych proszków była największa, gdy suszono sam hydrolizat, a najmniejsza w przypadku materiałów zawierających białko serwatkowe. Cząstki proszku samego hydrolizatu charakteryzowały się więc najmniejszą porowatością wewnętrzną. Nie stwierdzono statystycznie istotnego wpływu strumienia podawania na gęstość pozorną. Współczynniki Hausnera świadczą o tym, że otrzymane proszki miały właściwości proszków spójnych. Badania barwy proszków w układzie L*a*b* wykazały, że dodatek nośników powodował zmniejszenie udziału barwy żółtej i czerwonej oraz wzmacniał jasność proszków. W samym hydrolizacie oraz hydrolizacie z dodatkiem maltodekstryny zaobserwowano wzrost udziału barwy żółtej i czerwonej oraz zmniejszenie jasności proszków wraz ze wzrostem strumienia podawania. Wartości nasycenia były zbliżone do wartości otrzymanych dla barwy żółtej, gdyż w przypadku otrzymanych proszków ta barwa przeważała i to ona zdeterminowała wartość nasycenia.In the paper, the results are presented of the spray drying process of protein hydrolysate, its mixture, and carriers. A maltodextrin (DE = 19) and whey protein were used as carriers. One value of the inlet air temperature (160 °C) and three raw material feed fluxes (0.9, 1.16, and 1.28 cm³/s) were applied. The highest moisture content in powders, above 5 %, was obtained when maltodextrin was added as a carrier, and the lowest, slightly exceeding 2 %, was found in the powders of the protein hydrolysate. It was found that the moisture content in powders increased with the rise in the feed flux. This was connected with the decrease in temperature of air leaving the dryer. The values of loose and tapped bed density did not depend on the feed flux, but they significantly depended on the carrier applied. The powders of the same hydrolysate showed the lowest values of those densities, whereas the powders containing maltodextrin – the highest. The increase in the density of tapped beds was about 50 % compared to loose bed density. The apparent density of powders was the highest when the protein hydrolysate was dried solo, and it was the smallest in the case of materials containing whey protein. Thus, the powder particles of protein hydrolysate were characterized by the lowest internal porosity. No statistically significant impact of the feed flux on the apparent density was reported. The Hausner coefficients obtained proved that the powders produced possessed the properties of coherent powders. The research into the colour of powders using L*a*b system showed that the addition of carriers caused the decrease in the content rates of yellow and red colours, and it strengthened the brightness of powders. In the sole hydrolysate and in the hydrolysate with maltodextrin added, it was found that the yellow and red colour content rates increased and the brightness of powders decreased with the increasing feed flux. The values of saturation were close to the values as obtained for the yellow colour, because this colour predominated in the powders produced and it determined the value of saturation

Learning Interdisciplinarity and systems approaches in agroecology: Experience with the serious game SEGAE

Agroecology represents a pertinent option to improve the sustainability of agriculture. To promote its application, agroecological concepts should be taught to students and professionals in the agricultural sector. However, most agricultural courses are not adapted to teach these concepts due to little interactivity or interdisciplinarity, and a lack of a systems approach to farm management. Serious games help to fill these gaps by simulating complex models in which players can learn by doing. We thus developed a serious computer game, called SEGAE (SErious Game for AgroEcology learning), which represents a mixed crop-livestock farm and assesses impacts of farming practices on indicators related to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Its pedagogical interest was evaluated through two types of surveys given to university students who played the game during a one-week workshop: A knowledge survey on agroecology, and a feedback survey based on flow theory. Results showed that students increased their knowledge of agroecology significantly, particularly those who had had little knowledge of crop production. More than 86% of the students enjoyed the game, appreciating its interaction and feedback. Thus, SEGAE is an interesting tool to help students acquire knowledge of agroecology in a fun way by facilitating interdisciplinary and collaborative learning