Cluster Agglomeration Induced by Dust-Density Waves in Complex Plasmas

International audienc

Spatio-temporal dynamics of a nanosecond pulsed microwave plasma ignited by time reversal

In the present paper, the first spatio temporal characterization of a time reversal microwave plasma generated in argon is provided using imaging. This novel source allows to ignite a plasma at a desired location in a reverberant cavity by focusing the electromagnetic energy in time and space. An important feature is the possibility to control the plasma position only by changing the input microwave waveform. The source is operated in a repetitive pulsed mode with very low duty cycle (typically 0.05%). Nanosecond pulses have rise time lower than one nanosecond. The generated plasmas have typical sizes in the millimeter range and are observed for dozens of nanoseconds. The plasma behavior is investigated for different pressures and repetition frequencies. A strong dependence is observed between each discharge pulse suggesting the existence of an important memory effect. The latter is probably due to argon metastable atoms and/or residual charges remaining in the post-discharge and allowing the next breakdown to occur at a moderate electric field

Space-Time Plasma-Steering Source: Control of Microwave Plasmas in Overmoded Cavities

Recently, space-time plasma-steering source has been proposed as an innovative microwave plasma source to meet the challenge of controlling plasmas in overmoded cavities. This concept has been successfully demonstrated experimentally, allowing the space-time control of nanosecond microwave plasmas on initiators. This paper gives insights into the path that shall be taken to reach full space-time control of plasmas in overmoded cavities. To that end, a key criterion, namely the “plasma-steering criterion,” is introduced and verified with a numerical model. This criterion must be respected for an accurate space-time control of plasmas in overmoded cavities. The usefulness of the plasma density (depending on its value with respect to the critical plasma density) on the plasma-control capabilities is also highlighted

Plasma generation using time reversal of microwaves

We report the experimental demonstration of plasma generation by time-reversal focusing. After a learning phase, the amplified time reversed signal built at a central frequency of 2.45 GHz injected in a low loss metallic cavity allows to ignite and maintain a localized centimer-sized plasma in argon at 133 Pa. The plasma spatial position is totally controlled by the signal waveform

Transient Electric Field Shaping With the Linear Combination of Configuration Field Method for Enhanced Spatial Control of Microwave Plasmas

The demonstration of enhanced spatial control of nanosecond microwave plasmas generated by the time reversal plasma source is presented in this paper. This new microwave plasma source relies on the spatio-temporal control of the electric field inside an all-metal plasma reactor by modifying the waveform of a high power microwave signal. More specifically, it originally used the spatio-temporal focusing capabilities of the time reversal method to focus a high electric field in a small location. However, a parasitic microwave breakdown can still occur at sharp corners or wedges inside the cavity due to the local enhancement of the residual electric field during time reversal focusing. Thus, it is proposed to use the linear combination of configuration field method to improve field control inside the reactor. Its transient electric field shaping capabilities turn out to be a good candidate for the development of a low pressure microwave ``plasma brush''

Hookworm-Related Anaemia among Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

Anaemia affects large numbers of pregnant women in developing countries and increases their risk of dying during pregnancy and delivering low birth weight babies, who in turn are at increased risk of dying. Human hookworm infection has long been recognized among the major causes of anaemia in poor communities, but understanding of the benefits of the management of hookworm infection in pregnancy has lagged behind the other major causes of maternal anaemia. Low coverage of anthelmintic treatment in maternal health programmes in many countries has been the result. After systematically reviewing the available literature we observed that increasing hookworm infection intensity is associated with lower haemoglobin levels in pregnant women. We also estimate that between a quarter and a third of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with hookworm and at risk of preventable hookworm-related anaemia. However, all identified intervention studies showed a benefit of deworming for maternal or child health and we argue that increased efforts should be made to increase the coverage of anthelmintic treatment among pregnant women

The use of insecticide treated nets by age: implications for universal coverage in Africa

BACKGROUND: The scaling of malaria control to achieve universal coverage requires a better understanding of the population sub-groups that are least protected and provide barriers to interrupted transmission. Here we examine the age pattern of use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) in Africa in relation to biological vulnerabilities and the implications for future prospects for universal coverage. METHODS: Recent national household survey data for 18 malaria endemic countries in Africa were assembled to identify information on use of ITNs by age and sex. Age-structured medium variant projected population estimates for the mid-point year of the earliest and most recent national surveys were derived to compute the population by age protected by ITNs. RESULTS: All surveys were undertaken between 2005 and 2009, either as demographic health surveys (n = 12) or malaria indicator surveys (n = 6). Countries were categorized into three ITN use groups: or =20% and projected population estimates for the mid-point year of 2007 were computed. In general, the pattern of overall ITNs use with age was similar by country and across the three country groups with ITNs use initially high among children <5 years of age, sharply declining among the population aged 5-19 years, before rising again across the ages 20-44 years and finally decreasing gradually in older ages. For all groups of countries, the highest proportion of the population not protected by ITNs (38% - 42%) was among those aged 5-19 years. CONCLUSION: In malaria-endemic Africa, school-aged children are the least protected with ITNs but represent the greatest reservoir of infections. With increasing school enrollment rates, school-delivery of ITNs should be considered as an approach to reach universal ITNs coverage and improve the likelihood of impacting upon parasite transmission

Improving educational achievement and anaemia of school children: design of a cluster randomised trial of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction in Kenya

BACKGROUND: Improving the health of school-aged children can yield substantial benefits for cognitive development and educational achievement. However, there is limited experimental evidence on the benefits of school-based malaria prevention or how health interventions interact with other efforts to improve education quality. This study aims to evaluate the impact of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction on the health and educational achievement of school children in Kenya. DESIGN: A factorial, cluster randomised trial is being implemented in 101 government primary schools on the coast of Kenya. The interventions are (i) intermittent screening and treatment of malaria in schools by public health workers and (ii) training workshops and support for teachers to promote explicit and systematic literacy instruction. Schools are randomised to one of four groups: receiving either (i) the malaria intervention alone; (ii) the literacy intervention alone; (iii) both interventions combined; or (iv) control group where neither intervention is implemented. Children from classes 1 and 5 are randomly selected and followed up for 24 months. The primary outcomes are educational achievement and anaemia, the hypothesised mediating variables through which education is affected. Secondary outcomes include malaria parasitaemia, school attendance and school performance. A nested process evaluation, using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and a stakeholder analysis will investigate the community acceptability, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the interventions. DISCUSSION: Across Africa, governments are committed to improve health and education of school-aged children, but seek clear policy and technical guidance as to the optimal approach to address malaria and improved literacy. This evaluation will be one of the first to simultaneously evaluate the impact of health and education interventions in the improvement of educational achievement. Reflection is made on the practical issues encountered in conducting research in schools in Africa. TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Institutes of Health NCT00878007

Etude numérique et expérimentale de la détection et la formation de poussières carbonées dans un plasma radio fréquence en mélange Ar/C2H2

The dust particle growth in plasmas is of major concern for safety issues in fusion reactors, and conversely has important industrial impacts. Dusty plasmas produced in laboratory, fusion, and in astrophysical environments have been therefore widely studied for many years to better understand the involved physical phenomena. In this thesis work, we have investigated a new dust-growing mechanism in a capacitive radio-frequency plasma of argon/acetylene mixture, with developing necessary diagnostic tools. The population of nano-particles was probed using visible-wavelength range extinction measurements combined with an inverse method. The motions and the collisions in enlarging agglomerates were followed through a fast-imaging device and the images were then analyzed using a compatible algorithm (TRACE). Ex-situ studies were also carried out on dust particles collected with an extraction technique based on the thermophoresis force. These diagnostic tools allowed us to observe a spontaneous emergence of dust density waves (DDWs) under specific experimental conditions. These waves impart substantial kinetic energy to the dust particles and thus enhance their agglomeration rate. Large agglomerates up to several hundreds of microns may thus be produced in a few tens of seconds. We have also studied the influence of experimental conditions (power, pressure) on the waves and the agglomerate characteristicsLa présence de poussières au sein des plasmas est rencontrée dans de multiples environnements tels que les plasmas de laboratoires ou les plasmas de fusion. Les processus conduisant à leur formation constituent un vaste champ d'études depuis plusieurs années. Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif d'étudier un nouveau mécanisme de croissance des poussières dans un plasma radiofréquence capacitif en mélange argon/acétylène. Dans certaines conditions, il a été observé que des ondes de densité de poussières apparaissaient spontanément au sein des nuages de poussières. Elles peuvent grandement favoriser l'agglomération des particules grâce à l'importante énergie cinétique qu'elles leur transfèrent. Pour réaliser cette étude, différents outils diagnostics ont été développés. Pour sonder les populations de poussières nanométriques, un premier diagnostic basé sur des mesures d'extinction dans le domaine visible associé à une méthode inverse a été mis au point. Un second diagnostic permettant l'étude des populations d'agglomérats supra-microniques a été utilisé. Il est basé sur l'utilisation de l'imagerie rapide et l'analyse automatique des films à l'aide d'un algorithme adapté (TRACE). Enfin, une méthode d'extraction des poussières en vue d'analyses ex-situ et utilisant la force de thermophorèse a été développée.Ces diagnostics ont ensuite été appliqués à l'étude des ondes de poussières et des processus d'agglomération. Nous avons montré que des agglomérats de plusieurs centaines de microns pouvaient être formés en quelques dizaines de secondes. L'influence des conditions expérimentales sur les caractéristiques des ondes et des agglomérats formés a également été étudié