Beam characterization by means of emission spectroscopy in the ELISE test facility

The ELISE test facility at IPP Garching hosts a RF H-/D- ion source and an acceleration system. Its target is to demonstrate the performance foreseen for the ITER NBI system in terms of extracted current density (H/D), fraction of co-extracted electrons and pulse duration. The size of the ELISE extraction area is half that foreseen for the ITER NBI. This paper presents a detailed study of the ELISE beam divergence and uniformity. In particular, it was possible to describe the beam as the sum of two components at very different divergence: about 2{\deg} vs. 5{\deg}{\div}7{\deg}. As test cases, the beam properties have been measured as function of two source parameters. The first one is the current flowing through the grid facing the plasma, the Plasma Grid, in order to generate the magnetic filter field. The second one is the bias current flowing between the Plasma Grid and the source walls. Both the filter field and the bias current influence the fraction of co-extracted electrons, but also the properties of the plasma just in front of the extraction system and the beam properties. The divergence and the uniformity of the beam have been measured by a Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) diagnostic; the detailed analysis of the raw spectra collected by BES led to describing the beam with two components of different divergence. This concept has been supported by the information given by thermal imaging of the diagnostic calorimeter. Further support to the proposed beam model has been found in the behavior of the currents flowing in the acceleration system and beamline components; these currents are given by the most divergent (charged) particles of the beam.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. Accepted manuscript (embargo expired

Development and first operation of a Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy diagnostic in the negative ion source SPIDER

The Neutral Beam Injectors of the ITER experiment will rely on negative ion sources to produce 16.7 MW beams of H/D particles accelerated at 1 MeV. The prototype of these sources was built and is currently operated in the SPIDER experiment (Source for the Production of Ions o Deuterium Extracted from an RF plasma), part of the Neutral Beam Test Facility of Consorzio RFX, Padua. In SPIDER, the H-/D- ion source is coupled to a three grids 100 kV acceleration system. One of the main targets of the experimentation in SPIDER is to uniformly maximize the extracted current density; to achieve this it is important to study the density of negative ions available in proximity of the ion acceleration system. In SPIDER, line-integrated measurements of negative ion density are performed by a Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) diagnostic. Its principle of operation is based on the absorption of the photons of a laser beam pulse by H-/D- photo-detachment; the absorption detection is enhanced by trapping the laser pulse in an optical cavity, containing the absorbing medium (i.e. negative ions). The paper presents and discusses the CRDS diagnostic setup in SPIDER, including the first measurements of negative ion density, correlated to the main source parameters.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures. Contributer paper for the HTPD 2020 conference. Accepted manuscrip

Beamlet scraping and its influence on the beam divergence at the BATMAN Upgrade test facility

For the ITER fusion experiment, two neutral beam injectors are required for plasma heating and current drive. Each injector supplies a power of about 17 MW, obtained from neutralization of 40 A (46 A), 1 MeV (0.87 MeV) negative deuterium (hydrogen) ions. The full beam is composed of 1280 beamlets, formed in 16 beamlet groups, and strict requirements apply to the beamlet core divergence (<7 mrad). The test facility BATMAN Upgrade uses an ITER-like grid with one beamlet group, which consists of 70 apertures. In a joint campaign performed by IPP and Consorzio RFX to better assess the beam optics, the divergence of a single beamlet was compared to a group of beamlets at BATMAN Upgrade. The single beamlet is measured with a carbon fiber composite tile calorimeter and by beam emission spectroscopy, whereas the divergence of the group of beamlets is measured by beam emission spectroscopy only. When increasing the RF power at low extraction voltages, the divergence of the beamlet and of the group of beamlets is continuously decreasing and no inflection point toward an overperveant beam is found. At the same time, scraping of the extracted ion beam at the second grid (extraction grid) takes place at higher RF power, supported by the absence of the normally seen linear behavior between the measured negative ion density in the plasma close to the extraction system and the measured extracted ion current. Beside its influence on the divergence, beamlet scraping needs to be considered for the determination of the correct perveance and contributes to the measured coextracted electron current

The effects of anthocyanin-rich Myrtaceae fruits peel powder on fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesisin mice.

Fruits from Myrtaceae family, as jabuticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell) O. Berg), jamelão (Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels) and jambo (Syzygium malaccense), raise interest due to their high levels of anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds, and, thus, potential for chronic disease risk reduction¹. Therefore, the study evaluated whether the ingestion of jabuticaba, jamelão or jambo peel powder attenuates fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. Neonatal female C3H/Hej mice were submitted to a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrosis-associated hepatocarcinogenesis model. Mice also received basal diet or basal diet containing 2% of jabuticaba, jamelão or jambo dehydrated peels for 10 weeks. HPLC analysis of dehydrated fruit peels revealed high levels of anthocyanins in jabuticaba (802.89±22.88 mg/100g), jamelão (575.95±9.42 mg/100g) and jambo (156.05±10.39 mg/100g). These fruits displayed different types of anthocyanins (Figures 1-3). Interestingly, only the ingestion of basal diet containing jamelão peel powder attenuated liver fibrosis compared to DEN/CCl4 (Figure 4). Mechanisms will be evaluated, as well as the effects of these fruits on the development of preneoplasic/neoplastic liver lesions.WTPC. 21 a 26 de abril

Maternal Low-Protein Diet Deregulates DNA Repair and DNA Replication Pathways in Female Offspring Mammary Gland Leading to Increased Chemically Induced Rat Carcinogenesis in Adulthood

Studies have shown that maternal malnutrition, especially a low-protein diet (LPD), plays a key role in the developmental mechanisms underlying mammary cancer programming in female offspring. However, the molecular pathways associated with this higher susceptibility are still poorly understood. Thus, this study investigated the adverse effects of gestational and lactational low protein intake on gene expression of key pathways involved in mammary tumor initiation after a single dose of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in female offspring rats. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a normal-protein diet (NPD) (17% protein) or LPD (6% protein) from gestational day 1 to postnatal day (PND) 21. After weaning (PND 21), female offspring (n = 5, each diet) were euthanized for histological analysis or received NPD (n = 56 each diet). At PND 28 or 35, female offspring received a single dose of MNU (25 mg/kg body weight) (n = 28 each diet/timepoint). After 24 h, some females (n = 10 each diet/timepoint) were euthanized for histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analyses at PDN 29 or 36. The remaining animals (n = 18 each diet/timepoint) were euthanized when tumors reached ≥2 cm or at PND 250. Besides the mammary gland development delay observed in LPD 21 and 28 groups, the gene expression profile demonstrated that maternal LPD deregulated 21 genes related to DNA repair and DNA replication pathways in the mammary gland of LPD 35 group after MNU. We further confirmed an increased γ-H2AX (DNA damage biomarker) and in ER-α immunoreactivity in mammary epithelial cells in the LPD group at PND 36. Furthermore, these early postnatal events were followed by significantly higher mammary carcinogenesis susceptibility in offspring at adulthood. Thus, the results indicate that maternal LPD influenced the programming of chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis in female offspring through increase in DNA damage and deregulation of DNA repair and DNA replication pathways. Also, Cidea upregulation gene in the LPD 35 group may suggest that maternal LPD could deregulate genes possibly leading to increased risk of mammary cancer development and/or poor prognosis. These findings increase the body of evidence of early-transcriptional mammary gland changes influenced by maternal LPD, resulting in differential response to breast tumor initiation and susceptibility and may raise discussions about lifelong prevention of breast cancer risk.Fil: Zapaterini, Joyce R.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Fonseca, Antonio R. B.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Bidinotto, Lucas T.. Barretos Cancer Hospital; Brasil. Barretos School of Health Sciences; BrasilFil: Colombelli, Ketlin T.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Rossi, André L. D.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Kass, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Salud y Ambiente del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Justulin, Luis A.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Barbisan, Luis F.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasi

Nanostructured 3C-SiC on Si by a network of (111) platelets: a fully textured film generated by intrinsic growth anisotropy

In this paper, we address the unique nature of fully textured, high surface-to-volume 3C-SiC films, as produced by intrinsic growth anisotropy, in turn generated by the high velocity of the stacking fault growth front in two-dimensional (111) platelets. Structural interpretation of high resolution scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy data is carried out for samples grown in a hot-wall low-pressure chemical vapour deposition reactor with trichlorosilane and ethylene precursors, under suitable deposition conditions. By correlating the morphology and the X-ray diffraction analysis we also point out that twinning along (111) planes is very frequent in such materials, which changes the free-platelet configuration

Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 December 2010-31 January 2011

This article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Alytes dickhilleni, Arapaima gigas, Austropotamobius italicus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Cobitis lutheri, Dendroctonus ponderosae, Glossina morsitans morsitans, Haplophilus subterraneus, Kirengeshoma palmata, Lysimachia japonica, Macrolophus pygmaeus, Microtus cabrerae, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus, Pulmonaria officinalis, Salminus franciscanus, Thais chocolata and Zootoca vivipara. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Acanthina monodon, Alytes cisternasii, Alytes maurus, Alytes muletensis, Alytes obstetricans almogavarii, Alytes obstetricans boscai, Alytes obstetricans obstetricans, Alytes obstetricans pertinax, Cambarellus montezumae, Cambarellus zempoalensis, Chorus giganteus, Cobitis tetralineata, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, Glossina pallidipes, Lysimachia japonica var. japonica, Lysimachia japonica var. minutissima, Orconectes virilis, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Procambarus clarkii, Salminus brasiliensis and Salminus hilarii