Developement of real time diagnostics and feedback algorithms for JET in view of the next step

Real time control of many plasma parameters will be an essential aspect in the development of reliable high performance operation of Next Step Tokamaks. The main prerequisites for any feedback scheme are the precise real-time determination of the quantities to be controlled, requiring top quality and highly reliable diagnostics, and the availability of robust control algorithms. A new set of real time diagnostics was recently implemented on JET to prove the feasibility of determining, with high accuracy and time resolution, the most important plasma quantities. With regard to feedback algorithms, new model–based controllers were developed to allow a more robust control of several plasma parameters. Both diagnostics and algorithms were successfully used in several experiments, ranging from H-mode plasmas to configuration with ITBs. Since elaboration of computationally heavy measurements is often required, significant attention was devoted to non-algorithmic methods like Digital or Cellular Neural/Nonlinear Networks. The real time hardware and software adopted architectures are also described with particular attention to their relevance to ITER.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004, Nice (France

Brain Computer Interfaces for inclusion

All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, letting you access and read them immediately

The High Resolution X-ray Spectrum of SS 433 using the Chandra HETGS

We present observations of SS 433 using the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. Many emission lines of highly ionized elements are detected with the relativistic blue and red Doppler shifts. The lines are measurably broadened to 1700 km/s (FWHM) and the widths do not depend significantly on the characteristic emission temperature, suggesting that the emission occurs in a freely expanding region of constant collimation with opening angle of 1.23 +/- 0.06 deg. The blue shifts of lines from low temperature gas are the same as those of high temperature gas within our uncertainties, again indicating that the hottest gas we observe to emit emission lines is already at terminal velocity. Fits to the emission line fluxes give a range of temperatures in the jet from 5e6 to 1e8 K. We derive the emission measure as a function of temperature for a four component model that fits the line flux data. Using the density sensitive Si XIII triplet, the characteristic electron density is 1e14 cm^{-3}, where the gas temperature is about 1.3e7 K. Based on an adiabatic expansion model of the jet, the electron densities drop from ~2e15 to 4e13 cm^{-3} at distances of 2e10 to 2e11 cm from the apex of the jet cone. The jet mass outflow rate is 1.5e-7 Msun / yr. The kinetic power is 3.2e38 erg/s, which is x1000 larger than the unabsorbed 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity. The bremsstrahlung emission associated with the lines can account for the entire continuum; we see no direct evidence for an accretion disk. The image from zeroth order shows extended emission at a scale of ~2", aligned in the general direction of the radio jets.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures (1, 4, 5, and 6 are color), to appear in the Astrophysical Journa

Measuring learning in the affective domain using reflective writing about a virtual international agricultural experience

Abstract . From the analysis of reflective writing, the researchers recognized and determined that some students expressed affective learning at higher levels of the affective taxonomy and increased their level of reflective writing in the process

Minority and mode conversion heating in (3He)-H JET plasma

Radio frequency (RF) heating experiments have recently been conducted in JET (He-3)-H plasmas. This type of plasmas will be used in ITER's non-activated operation phase. Whereas a companion paper in this same PPCF issue will discuss the RF heating scenario's at half the nominal magnetic field, this paper documents the heating performance in (He-3)-H plasmas at full field, with fundamental cyclotron heating of He-3 as the only possible ion heating scheme in view of the foreseen ITER antenna frequency bandwidth. Dominant electron heating with global heating efficiencies between 30% and 70% depending on the He-3 concentration were observed and mode conversion (MC) heating proved to be as efficient as He-3 minority heating. The unwanted presence of both He-4 and D in the discharges gave rise to 2 MC layers rather than a single one. This together with the fact that the location of the high-field side fast wave (FW) cutoff is a sensitive function of the parallel wave number and that one of the locations of the wave confluences critically depends on the He-3 concentration made the interpretation of the results, although more complex, very interesting: three regimes could be distinguished as a function of X[He-3]: (i) a regime at low concentration (X[He-3] < 1.8%) at which ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is efficient, (ii) a regime at intermediate concentrations (1.8 < X[He-3] < 5%) in which the RF performance is degrading and ultimately becoming very poor, and finally (iii) a good heating regime at He-3 concentrations beyond 6%. In this latter regime, the heating efficiency did not critically depend on the actual concentration while at lower concentrations (X[He-3] < 4%) a bigger excursion in heating efficiency is observed and the estimates differ somewhat from shot to shot, also depending on whether local or global signals are chosen for the analysis. The different dynamics at the various concentrations can be traced back to the presence of 2 MC layers and their associated FW cutoffs residing inside the plasma at low He-3 concentration. One of these layers is approaching and crossing the low-field side plasma edge when 1.8 < X[He-3] < 5%. Adopting a minimization procedure to correlate the MC positions with the plasma composition reveals that the different behaviors observed are due to contamination of the plasma. Wave modeling not only supports this interpretation but also shows that moderate concentrations of D-like species significantly alter the overall wave behavior in He-3-H plasmas. Whereas numerical modeling yields quantitative information on the heating efficiency, analytical work gives a good description of the dominant underlying wave interaction physics

Chemical and biological differentiation of three human breast cancer cell types using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)

We use Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) to image and classify individual cells based on their characteristic mass spectra. Using statistical data reduction on the large data sets generated during TOF-SIMS analysis, similar biological materials can be differentiated based on a combination of small changes in protein expression, metabolic activity and cell structure. We apply this powerful technique to image and differentiate three carcinoma-derived human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, T47D and MDA-MB-231). In homogenized cells, we show the ability to differentiate the cell types as well as cellular compartments (cytosol, nuclear and membrane). These studies illustrate the capacity of TOF-SIMS to characterize individual cells by chemical composition, which could ultimately be applied to detect and identify single aberrant cells within a normal cell population. Ultimately, we anticipate characterizing rare chemical changes that may provide clues to single cell progression within carcinogenic and metastatic pathways

Effect and Safety of Meropenem\u2013Vaborbactam versus Best-Available Therapy in Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections: The TANGO II Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: Treatment options for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are limited and CRE infections remain associated with high clinical failure and mortality rates, particularly in vulnerable patient populations. A Phase 3, multinational, open-label, randomized controlled trial (TANGO II) was conducted from 2014 to 2017 to evaluate the efficacy/safety of meropenem\u2013vaborbactam monotherapy versus best available therapy (BAT) for CRE. Methods: A total of 77 patients with confirmed/suspected CRE infection (bacteremia, hospital-acquired/ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, complicated intra-abdominal infection, complicated urinary tract infection/acute pyelonephritis) were randomized, and 47 with confirmed CRE infection formed the primary analysis population (microbiologic-CRE-modified intent-to-treat, mCRE-MITT). Eligible patients were randomized 2:1 to meropenem\u2013vaborbactam (2&nbsp;g/2&nbsp;g over 3&nbsp;h, q8h for 7\u201314&nbsp;days) or BAT (mono/combination therapy with polymyxins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, tigecycline; or ceftazidime-avibactam alone). Efficacy endpoints included clinical cure, Day-28 all-cause mortality, microbiologic cure, and overall success (clinical cure + microbiologic eradication). Safety endpoints included adverse events (AEs) and laboratory findings. Results: Within the mCRE-MITT population, cure rates were 65.6% (21/32) and 33.3% (5/15) [95% confidence interval (CI) of difference, 3.3% to 61.3%; P = 0.03)] at End of Treatment and 59.4% (19/32) and 26.7% (4/15) (95% CI of difference, 4.6% to 60.8%; P = 0.02) at Test of Cure;.Day-28 all-cause mortality was 15.6% (5/32) and 33.3% (5/15) (95% CI of difference, 12 44.7% to 9.3%) for meropenem\u2013vaborbactam versus BAT, respectively. Treatment-related AEs and renal-related AEs were 24.0% (12/50) and 4.0% (2/50) for meropenem\u2013vaborbactam versus 44.0% (11/25) and 24.0% (6/25) for BAT. Exploratory risk\u2013benefit analyses of composite clinical failure or nephrotoxicity favored meropenem\u2013vaborbactam versus BAT (31.3% [10/32] versus 80.0% [12/15]; 95% CI of difference, 12 74.6% to 12 22.9%; P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Monotherapy with meropenem\u2013vaborbactam for CRE infection was associated with increased clinical cure, decreased mortality, and reduced nephrotoxicity compared with BAT. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT02168946. Funding: The Medicines Company

Analytic frameworks for assessing dialogic argumentation in online learning environments

Over the last decade, researchers have developed sophisticated online learning environments to support students engaging in argumentation. This review first considers the range of functionalities incorporated within these online environments. The review then presents five categories of analytic frameworks focusing on (1) formal argumentation structure, (2) normative quality, (3) nature and function of contributions within the dialog, (4) epistemic nature of reasoning, and (5) patterns and trajectories of participant interaction. Example analytic frameworks from each category are presented in detail rich enough to illustrate their nature and structure. This rich detail is intended to facilitate researchers’ identification of possible frameworks to draw upon in developing or adopting analytic methods for their own work. Each framework is applied to a shared segment of student dialog to facilitate this illustration and comparison process. Synthetic discussions of each category consider the frameworks in light of the underlying theoretical perspectives on argumentation, pedagogical goals, and online environmental structures. Ultimately the review underscores the diversity of perspectives represented in this research, the importance of clearly specifying theoretical and environmental commitments throughout the process of developing or adopting an analytic framework, and the role of analytic frameworks in the future development of online learning environments for argumentation

Cancer and psychiatric diagnoses in the year preceding suicide

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer are known to be at increased risk for suicide but little is known about the interaction between cancer and psychiatric diagnoses, another well-documented risk factor. METHODS: Electronic medical records from nine healthcare systems participating in the Mental Health Research Network were aggregated to form a retrospective case-control study, with ICD-9 codes used to identify diagnoses in the 1 year prior to death by suicide for cases (N = 3330) or matching index date for controls (N = 297,034). Conditional logistic regression was used to assess differences in cancer and psychiatric diagnoses between cases and controls, controlling for sex and age. RESULTS: Among patients without concurrent psychiatric diagnoses, cancer at disease sites with lower average 5-year survival rates were associated with significantly greater relative risk, while cancer disease sites with survival rates of \u3e70% conferred no increased risk. Patients with most psychiatric diagnoses were at higher risk, however, there was no additional risk conferred to these patients by a concurrent cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence of a synergistic effect between cancer and psychiatric diagnoses. However, cancer patients with a concurrent psychiatric illness remain at the highest relative risk for suicide, regardless of cancer disease site, due to strong independent associations between psychiatric diagnoses and suicide. For patients without a concurrent psychiatric illness, cancer disease sites associated with worse prognoses appeared to confer greater suicide risk