Test-bed of a real time detection system for L/H and H/L transitions implemented with the ITMS platform

A basic requirement of the data acquisition systems used in long pulse fusion experiments is to detect events of interest in the acquired signals in real time. Developing such applications is usually a complex task, so it is necessary to develop a set of hardware and software tools that simplify their implementation. An example of these tools is the Intelligent Test and Measurement System (ITMS), which offers distributed data acquisition, distribution and real time processing capabilities with advanced, but easy to use, software tools that simplify application development and system setup. This paper presents the application of the ITMS platform to solve the problem of detecting L/H and H/L transitions in real time based on the use of efficient pattern recognition algorithms

Omics data integration with genome-scale modelling of dopaminergic neuronal metabolism

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world. One of its symptoms is the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. A number of phenotypes, including the aggregation of misfolded proteins, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammatory chemicals released by microglia and activated astrocytes, may all play a role in its pathogenesis.Due to the multisystemic nature of Parkinson's disease, novel tools for developing mechanistic models that simulate its pathogenic processes have been proposed. Furthermore, as the amount of information in biological databases grows and the cost of omics experiments decreases, methods for integrating different types of biological data have become essential for increasing the level of detail in mechanistic models of biological systems.Constraint-based modelling is a valuable tool in bioengineering and biomedicine. It is used to estimate the reaction flux in a metabolic network. The constraints represent essential characteristics of a biological system, including connectivity between metabolites and reactions, thermodynamics, maximum and minimum flux rates, and the steady-state.This thesis presents studies and tools for integrating various types of specific information to genome-scale models used in constraint-based modelling. In addition, is presented the iDopaNeuro default models, genome-scale models of a culture of dopaminergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells.Analytical BioScience

Inclusion VR: a New Virtual Reality Device for Inclusive Experiences

There are many public and private spaces and environments where design characteristics are a severe impediment to accessibility for people with reduced mobility. Traditional measurements of accessibility are flawed, as they fail to account for people’s mobility and physical differences. Structural barriers and individual mobility limitations that affect travel time, effort, and even successful completion are ignored. An accessibility measurement framework including measures of absolute, gross, closest assignment, single and multiple activity, probabilistic choice, and relative access has been proposed to address this problem [1]. Unfortunately, in most cases, people with reduced mobility are forced to renounce access to public and private spaces. Although the best solution would obviously be to make these places universally accessible, there are some sites where it is very difficult to make architectural changes without altering their identity. Cultural heritage sites are a good example of places where architectural changes are not feasible. This is especially problematic in the case of monuments and archaeological sites, as many of them are not prepared to receive these types of visitors. The European Union considers cultural heritage as a means of achieving social integration [2]. Among its current challenges, the EU is promoting multidisciplinary initiatives that combine expertise in cultural heritage with the resources provided by technology. From another perspective, the use of virtual reality to evaluate and train inexperienced wheelchair users has been proposed [3]. People with motor disabilities can benefit from these types of actions. In situations where the value of a site must be preserved, and the needs of people with limited mobility must be taken into account, building a digital twin of the space can be a way to experience/visit the site through virtual reality

Ground-state properties of deformed proton emitters in the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model

The Relativistic Hartree Bogoliubov (RHB) model is applied in the description of ground-state properties of proton-rich odd-Z nuclei in the region $53 \leq Z \leq 69$. The NL3 effective interaction is used in the mean-field Lagrangian, and pairing correlations are described by the pairing part of the finite range Gogny interaction D1S. The model predicts the location of the proton drip-line, the ground-state quadrupole deformations and one-proton separation energies at and beyond the drip-line, the deformed single-particle orbitals occupied by the odd valence proton, and the corresponding spectroscopic factors. The results of fully self-consistent RHB calculations are compared with available experimental data, and with predictions of the macroscopic-microscopic mass model.Comment: 39 pages, Latex, 6 e.p.s figures, Nucl. Phys. A in prin

Microstructural and Microchemical Characterization of Dual Step Aged Alloy X-750 and its Relationship to Environmentally Assisted Cracking

When exposed to deaerated high purity water, Alloy X-750 is susceptible to both high temperature (> 249 C) intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) and intergranular low temperature (< 149 C) fracture (LTF). However, the microstructural and microchemical factors that govern environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) susceptibility are poorly understood. The present study seeks to characterize the grain boundary microstructure and microchemistry in order to gain a better mechanistic understanding of stress corrosion crack initiation, crack growth rate, and low temperature fracture. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, orientation imaging microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, and thermal desorption spectroscopy were performed on selected heats of Alloy X-750 AH. These data were correlated to EAC tests performed in 338 C deaerated water. Results show that grain boundary MC-type [(Ti,Nb)C] carbides and increased levels of grain boundary phosphorus correlate with an increase in LTF susceptibility but have little effect on the number of initiation sites or the SCC crack growth rate. Thermal desorption data show that multiple hydrogen trapping states exist in Alloy X-750 condition AH. Moreover, it appears that exposure to high temperature (> 249 C), hydrogen deaerated water increases the hydrogen concentration in strong hydrogen trap states and degrades the resistance of the material to low temperature fracture. These findings are consistent with a hydrogen embrittlement based mechanism of LTF where intergranular fracture occurs ahead of a crack tip and is exacerbated by phosphorus segregation to grain boundaries and grain boundary hydrogen trap states

TeV-scale bileptons, see-saw type II and lepton flavor violation in core-collapse supernova

Electrons and electron neutrinos in the inner core of the core-collapse supernova are highly degenerate and therefore numerous during a few seconds of explosion. In contrast, leptons of other flavors are non-degenerate and therefore relatively scarce. This is due to lepton flavor conservation. If this conservation law is broken by some non-standard interactions, electron neutrinos are converted to muon and tau-neutrinos, and electrons - to muons. This affects the supernova dynamics and the supernova neutrino signal. We consider lepton flavor violating interactions mediated by scalar bileptons, i.e. heavy scalars with lepton number 2. It is shown that in case of TeV-mass bileptons the electron fermi gas is equilibrated with non-electron species inside the inner supernova core at a time-scale of order of (1-100) ms. In particular, a scalar triplet which generates neutrino masses through the see-saw type II mechanism is considered. It is found that supernova core is sensitive to yet unprobed values of masses and couplings of the triplet.Comment: accepted to Eur.Phys.J.

Probing Ion-Ion and Electron-Ion Correlations in Liquid Metals within the Quantum Hypernetted Chain Approximation

We use the Quantum Hypernetted Chain Approximation (QHNC) to calculate the ion-ion and electron-ion correlations for liquid metallic Li, Be, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, and Ga. We discuss trends in electron-ion structure factors and radial distribution functions, and also calculate the free-atom and metallic-atom form-factors, focusing on how bonding effects affect the interpretation of X-ray scattering experiments, especially experimental measurements of the ion-ion structure factor in the liquid metallic phase.Comment: RevTeX, 19 pages, 7 figure

Chromomagnetic Dipole Moment of the Top Quark Revisited

We study the complete one-loop contributions to the chromagnetic dipole moment $\Delta\kappa$ of the top quark in the Standard Model, two Higgs doublet models, topcolor assited technicolor models (TC2), 331 models and extended models with a single extra dimension. We find that the SM predicts $\Delta\kappa = - 0.056$ and that the predictions of the other models are also consitent with the constraints imposed on $\Delta\kappa$ by low-energy precision measurements.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, Updat

Effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on the content and ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids in rapeseed cake and softly processed rapeseed meal fed to broiler chickens

We examined the effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on crude protein (CP) and amino acid (AA) content in rapeseed co-products, and determined their coefficient of apparent (AID) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) in broiler chickens. Sixteen rapeseed samples were de-oiled; four were cold-pressed producing rapeseed cake (RSC) and twelve were mild processed and hexane-extracted producing soft rapeseed meal (SRSM). One batch of the variety Compass, grown on the same farm, was processed using both methods obtaining Compass RSC and Compass SRSM. DK Cabernet rapeseed variety, grown on three different farms, was used to produce two SRSM batches and one RSC batch. All rapeseed co-products were ground through a 4 mm screen and mixed into semi-synthetic diets at a level of 500 g/kg. Day-old Ross 308 male broilers were fed a commercial diet for 14 days. A total of 96 pairs of birds were then allotted to 1 of 16 dietary treatments (n = 6) and fed a test diet for 8 days. Birds were then culled allowing removal of ileal digesta from Meckel’s diverticulum to the ileal-caecal junction. Digestibility of CP and AA was determined using titanium dioxide as an inert marker. The SRSM samples had an increased content of CP (419–560 g/kg DM) compared to RSC samples (293–340 g/kg DM). Both AID and SID of lysine, and SID of arginine, histidine and threonine were greater in Compass RSC compared to its SRSM counterpart (P 0.05). The SID of lysine was on average 0.03 units greater (P < 0.001) in RSC than in SRSM. The SRSM produced from variety PR46W21 showed similar or greater AID and SID of individual AA than the RSC from four other rapeseed varieties. It is concluded that selection of rapeseed varieties, and extraction method have a potential to deliver high-protein dietary ingredients with a good digestibility value

Peatland core domain sets: building consensus on what should be measured in research and monitoring

It is often difficult to compile and synthesise evidence across multiple studies to inform policy and practice because different outcomes have been measured in different ways or datasets and models have not been fully or consistently reported. In the case of peatlands, a critical terrestrial carbon store, this lack of consistency hampers the evidence-based decisions in policy and practice that are needed to support effective restoration and conservation. This study adapted methods pioneered in the medical community to reach consensus over peatland outcomes that could be consistently measured and reported to improve the synthesis of data and reduce research waste. Here we report on a methodological framework for identifying, evaluating and prioritising the outcomes that should be measured. We discuss the subsequent steps to standardise methods for measuring and reporting outcomes in peatland research and monitoring. The framework was used to identify and prioritise sets of key variables (known as core domain sets) for UK blanket and raised bogs, and for tropical peat swamps. Peatland experts took part in a structured elicitation and prioritisation process, comprising two workshops and questionnaires, that focused on climate (32 and 18 unique outcomes for UK and tropical peats, respectively), hydrology (26 UK and 16 tropical outcomes), biodiversity (8 UK and 22 tropical outcomes) and fire-related outcomes (13, for tropical peatlands only). Future research is needed to tackle the challenges of standardising methods for data collection, management, analysis, reporting and re-use, and to extend the approach to other types of peatland. The process reported here is a first step towards creating datasets that can be synthesised to inform evidence-based policy and practice, and contribute towards the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of this globally significant carbon store. evidence-based policy and practice, evidence synthesis, outcomes, standardisationpublishedVersio