Experimental and numerical cross-validation of flow in real porous media. Part 1: Experimental framework

International audienceIn this study, we present the design of a purpose-built test cell, capable of closely mimicking boundary conditions which can be routinely imposed in fluid flow simulators. The test cell permits conducting systematic studies on the influence of unresolved pore-scale wall-roughness and pore space morphology on the hydraulic conductivity: it is therefore an ideal instrument for the generation of validation datasets for the next generation numerical flow models

Adaptive weighting of Bayesian physics informed neural networks for multitask and multiscale forward and inverse problems

In this paper, we present a novel methodology for automatic adaptive weighting of Bayesian Physics-Informed Neural Networks (BPINNs), and we demonstrate that this makes it possible to robustly address multi-objective and multi-scale problems. BPINNs are a popular framework for data assimilation, combining the constraints of Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) and Partial Differential Equation (PDE). The relative weights of the BPINN target distribution terms are directly related to the inherent uncertainty in the respective learning tasks. Yet, they are usually manually set a-priori, that can lead to pathological behavior, stability concerns, and to conflicts between tasks which are obstacles that have deterred the use of BPINNs for inverse problems with multi-scale dynamics. The present weighting strategy automatically tunes the weights by considering the multi-task nature of target posterior distribution. We show that this remedies the failure modes of BPINNs and provides efficient exploration of the optimal Pareto front. This leads to better convergence and stability of BPINN training while reducing sampling bias. The determined weights moreover carry information about task uncertainties, reflecting noise levels in the data and adequacy of the PDE model. We demonstrate this in numerical experiments in Sobolev training, and compare them to analytically $\epsilon$-optimal baseline, and in a multi-scale Lokta-Volterra inverse problem. We eventually apply this framework to an inpainting task and an inverse problem, involving latent field recovery for incompressible flow in complex geometries

Rapport final de la Collaboration CERN-CNRS pour la construction du LHC: Accord Technique d'Exécution No 2 Cryostats et assemblage des sections droites courtes (SSS) du LHC

Depuis 1995 et suite à la signature du protocole de Collaboration, le CERN, le CEA et le CNRS ont étroitement collaboré dans le cadre de la contribution exceptionnelle de la France à la construction du LHC. Pour le CNRS, l'Institut de Physique Nucléaire d'Orsay a pris en charge deux Accords Techniques d'Exécution. Le premier concerne la conception et l'assemblage des Sections Droites Courtes de la machine, et le deuxième, l'étalonnage des thermomètres cryogéniques du LHC. Dans le cadre de l'Accord Technique d'Exécution N°2, le Bureau d'Etudes de la Division Accélérateur de l'IPNO et le groupe AT-CRI du CERN ont travaillé de concert pour mener à bien la conception des SSS (Short Straight Section) et de tous les équipements nécessaires à l'assemblage. Ce rapport a donc pour objectif de dresser, en termes d'historique, d'organisation, de résultats quantitatifs et qualitatifs et de moyens mis en ?uvre, un tableau aussi complet que possible du déroulement de cette Collaboration entre le CERN et le CNRS

Copper Heat Exchanger for the External Auxiliary Bus-Bars Routing Line in the LHC Insertion Regions

The corrector magnets and the main quadrupoles of the LHC dispersion suppressors are powered by a special superconducting line (called auxiliary bus-bars line N), external to the cold mass and housed in a 50 mm diameter stainless steel tube fixed to the cold mass. As the line is periodically connected to the cold mass, the same gaseous and liquid helium cools both the magnets and the line. The final sub-cooling process (from around 4.5 K down to 1.9 K) consists in the phase transformation from liquid to superfluid helium. Heat is extracted from the line through the magnets via their point of junction. In dispersion suppressor zones, approximately 40 m long, the sub-cooling of the line is slightly delayed with respect to the magnets. This might have an impact on the readiness of the accelerator for operation. In order to accelerate the process, a special heat exchanger has been designed. It is located in the middle of the dispersion suppressor portion of the line. Its main function consists in providing a local point of heat extraction, creating two additional lambda fronts that propagate in opposite directions towards the extremities of the line. Both the numerical model and the sub-cooling analysis are presented in the paper for different configurations of the line. The design, manufacturing and integration aspects of the heat exchanger are described

The Interconnections of the LHC Cryomagnets at CERN: Strategy Applied and First Results of the Industrialization Process

The final interconnections of the LHC superconducting magnets in the underground tunnel are performed by a contractor on a result-oriented basis. A consortium of firms was awarded the contract after competitive tendering based on a technical and commercial specification. The implementation of the specific technologies and tooling developed and qualified by CERN has required an important effort to transfer the know-how and implement the follow-up of the contractor. This paper summarizes the start-up phase and the difficulties encountered. The organization and management tools put in place during the ramping-up phase are presented. In addition to contractual adaptations of the workforce, several configuration changes to the workflows were necessary to reach production rates compatible with the overall schedule and with the different constraints: availability of magnets, co-activities with magnets transport and alignment, handling of non-conformities, etc. Also the QA procedures underwent many changes to reach the high level of quality mandatory to ensure the LHC performance. The specificities of this worksite are underlined and first figures of merit of the learning process are presented

Molecular typing of Clostridioides difficile from frozen stool samples to investigate cross-transmissions: A proof of concept.

Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile is responsible for up to one third of post antibiotic diarrhea and for more than 95% of pseudomembranous colitis. Nowadays, diagnosis relies on the documentation of the presence of the toxin in stools by specific antigenic or PCR tests. Stool cultures have been mostly abandoned, leading to the absence of isolates for further epidemiological analyses. Aliquots of stool samples, frozen for up to two years, were thawed and inoculated onto commercial C. difficile media. Eighteen stools were recovered from patients hospitalized in the pediatric ward where at that time a chain of transmission was suspected. Eleven stools were recovered from patients hospitalized in a medical ward over a three months period with no suspected transmission event. Up to 16 characteristic colonies were isolates per culture. PCR of toxins genes and molecular typing by Double Locus Sequence Typing (DLST) were performed on these colonies. Whole genome multi locus sequence typing (wgMLST) was performed on selected isolates. Among the 29 stool specimens, no growth was observed for four stools and only one colony grew for one stool. Except the latter, all 16 colonies of the 24 stools showed identical toxin genes profiles than the original stool. However, variant DLST genotypes was observed within 20% of investigated stools. The majority of variants were single locus variant due to an IN/DEL of the repeat in one of the two DLST locus. Despite this variation, results of molecular typing overrule the putative transmission chain in the pediatric ward and revealed undetected chains of transmission in the medical ward. These results were confirmed with wgMLST. The developed protocol allows prospective and retrospective molecular and genomic epidemiological investigation of C. difficile infections for infection control purpose

Core genome multilocus sequence typing of Clostridioides difficile to investigate transmission in the hospital setting.

Traditional epidemiological investigations of healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection (HA-CDI) are often insufficient. This study aimed to evaluate a procedure that includes secondary isolation and genomic typing of single toxigenic colonies using core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) for the investigation of C. difficile transmission. We analyzed retrospectively all toxigenic C. difficile-positive stool samples stored at the Lausanne University Hospital over 6 consecutive months. All isolates were initially typed and classified using a modified double-locus sequence typing (DLST) method. Genome comparison of isolates with the same DLST and clustering were subsequently performed using cgMLST. The electronic administrative records of patients with CDI were investigated for spatiotemporal epidemiological links supporting hospital transmission. A comparative descriptive analysis between genomic and epidemiological data was then performed. From January to June 2021, 86 C. difficile isolates were recovered from thawed samples of 71 patients. Thirteen different DLST types were shared by > 1 patient, and 13 were observed in single patients. A genomic cluster was defined as a set of isolates from different patients with ≤ 3 locus differences, determined by cgMLST. Seven genomic clusters were identified, among which plausible epidemiological links were identified in only 4/7 clusters. Among clusters determined by cgMLST analysis, roughly 40% included unexplained HA-CDI acquisitions, which may be explained by unidentified epidemiological links, asymptomatic colonization, and/or shared common community reservoirs. The use of DLST, followed by whole genome sequencing analysis, is a promising and cost-effective stepwise approach for the investigation of CDI transmission in the hospital setting

Total synthesis and biological evaluation of the tetramic acid based natural product harzianic acid and its stereoisomers

Financial support for this project was provided by Cancer Research UK (Grant No. C21383/A6950)The bioactive natural product harzianic acid was prepared for the first time in just six steps (longest linear sequence) with an overall yield of 22%. The identification of conditions to telescope amide bond formation and a Lacey-Dieckmann reaction into one pot proved important. The three stereoisomers of harzianic acid were also prepared, providing material for comparison of their biological activity. While all of the isomers promoted root growth, improved antifungal activity was unexpectedly associated with isomers in the enantiomeric series opposite that of harzianic acid.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe