Conceptual design of the enhanced coolant purification systems for the European HCLL and HCPB test blanket modules

The Coolant Purification Systems (CPSs) is one of the most relevant ancillary systems of European Helium Cooled Lead Lithium (HCLL) and Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) which are currently in the preliminary design phase in view of their installation and operation in ITER. The CPS implements mainly two functions: the extraction and concentration of the tritium permeated from the TBM modules into the primary cooling circuit and the chemistry control of helium primary coolant. During the HCLL and HCPB-TBSs (Test Blanket Systems) Conceptual Design Review (CDR) in 2015 it was recognized the need of reducing the tritium permeation into the Port Cell #16 of ITER. To achieve this and, then, to lower the tritium partial pressure in the Helium Cooling Systems in normal operation, the helium flow-rate treated by each CPS has been increased of almost one order of magnitude. In 2017, to satisfy the CDR outcomes and the new design requirements requested by Fusion for Energy (F4E, the European Domestic Agency for ITER), ENEA performed a preliminary design of the “enhanced” CPSs. This paper presents the current design of the “enhanced” CPSs, focusing on design requirements, assumptions, selection of technologies and preliminary components sizing

Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after 2010–2011 influenza vaccination

Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case–control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged ≥18 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case–control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case–control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations

Quality of Life and Personality Traits in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Their First-Degree Caregivers.

Asbestos exposure causes significant pleural diseases, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Taking into account the impact of MPM on emotional functioning and wellbeing, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and personality traits in patients with MPM and their first-degree caregivers through the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The sample was composed of 27 MPM patients, 55 first-degree relatives enrolled in Casale Monferrato and Monfalcone (Italy), and 40 healthy controls (HC). Patients and relatives reported poorer physical health than the HC. Patients had a higher overall sense of physical debilitation and poorer health than relatives and the HC, more numerous complaints of memory problems and difficulties in concentrating, and a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, while often claiming that they were more indecisive and inefficacious than the HC. First-degree relatives reported lower opinions of others, a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, support for the notion that they are indecisive and inefficacious, and were more likely to suffer from fear that significantly inhibited normal activities than were HC. In multinomial regression analyses, partial models indicated that sex, physical comorbidities, and the True Response Inconsistency (TRIN-r), Malaise (MLS), and Behavior-Restricting Fears (BRF) dimensions of the MMPI-2-RF had significant effects on group differences. In conclusion, health care providers should assess the ongoing adjustment and emotional wellbeing of people with MPM and their relatives, and provide support to reduce emotional distress

Long term variations at Campi Flegrei (Italy) volcanic system highlighted by the monitoring of hydrothermal activity

Long time-series of chemical composition of fumaroles and of soil CO2 flux reveal that important variations in the activity of Solfatara fumarolic field, the most important hydrothermal site of Campi Flegrei, occurred in the 2000- 2008 period. A continuous increase of the CO2 concentration and a general decrease of the CH4 concentration are interpreted as the consequence of the increment of the relative amount of magmatic fluids, rich in CO2 and poor in CH4, hosted by the hydrothermal system. Contemporaneously the H2O-CO2-He-N2 gas system shows remarkable compositional variations in the samples collected after July 2000 with respect to the previous ones, indicating the progressive arrival at the surface of a magmatic component different from that involved in the 1983-84 bradyseism. The change starts in 2000 concurrently with the occurrence of relatively deep long periods seismic events which, in our interpretation, were the indicator of the opening of an easy pathway for the transfer of magmatic fluids towards the shallower, brittle domain hosting the hydrothermal system. Since 2000 this magmatic gas source is active and causes ground deformations, seismicity as well as the expansion of the area interested by diffuse soil degassing of deeply derived CO2

Novel anti-obesity quercetin-derived Q2 prevents metabolic disorders in rats fed with high-fat diet

Objective: Obesity is often accompanied by an increased morbidity and mortality due to an increase of the cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. Research is constantly working on protective molecules against obesity. In the present study, a novel Quercetin derivative Q2 was synthesized to overcome the poor bioavailability and low stability of Quercetin, a natural flavonoid with antioxidative and antiobesity properties. Methods: Rats were fed (12ws) with normodiet (fat:INS; 6.2%), High Fat Diet (fat:60%), HFDINS; +INS; Q2 in water (500INS; nM). Metabolic and anthropometric parameters were measured. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with Q2 (1-25μM) and the differentiation program was evaluated by lipid accumulation through ORO staining. Gene and protein expression levels were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared to HFD, HFDINS; +INS; Q2 rats showed reduced body weight, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and improved glucose tolerance. This is associated to lower adipose and liver modifications compared to hypertrophy and steatosis observed in HFD. In 3T3-L1 cells, lipid accumulation was significantly impaired by treatment with Q2. Indeed, Q2 significantly decreased the expression of the main adipogenic markers, c/EBPα and PPARγ both at mRNA and protein level. Conclusions: Our results indicate that Q2 markedly decreases differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and contributes to prevent metabolic disorders as well as adipose and liver alterations typical of severe obesity induced by a HFD

Models and experimental results from the wide aperture Nb-Ti magnets for the LHC upgrade

MQXC is a Nb-Ti quadrupole designed to meet the accelerator quality requirements needed for the phase-1 LHC upgrade, now superseded by the high luminosity upgrade foreseen in 2021. The 2-m-long model magnet was tested at room temperature and 1.9 K. The technology developed for this magnet is relevant for other magnets currently under development for the high-luminosity upgrade, namely D1 (at KEK) and the large aperture twin quadrupole Q4 (at CEA). In this paper we present MQXC test results, some of the specialized heat extraction features, spot heaters, temperature sensor mounting and voltage tap development for the special open cable insulation. We look at some problem solving with noisy signals, give an overview of electrical testing, look at how we calculate the coil resistance during at quench and show that the heaters are not working We describe the quench signals and its timing, the development of the quench heaters and give an explanation of an Excel quench calculation and its comparison including the good agreement with the MQXC test results. We propose an improvement to the magnet circuit design to reduce voltage to ground values by factor 2. The program is then used to predict quench Hot-Spot and Voltages values for the D1 dipole and the Q4 quadrupole.Comment: 8 pages, Contribution to WAMSDO 2013: Workshop on Accelerator Magnet, Superconductor, Design and Optimization; 15 - 16 Jan 2013, CERN, Geneva, Switzerlan

Carbon Dioxide degassing at Latera caldera (Italy): evidence of geothermal reservoir and evaluation of its potential energy

In order to test the potentiality of soil CO2 diffuse degassing measurements for the study of underground mass and heat transfer in geothermal systems detailed surveys were performed at Latera Caldera which is an excellent test site, due to the abundant available subsurface data. Over 2500 measurements of soil CO2 flux revealed that endogenous CO2 at Latera Caldera concentrates on a NE-SW band coinciding with a structural high of fractured Mesozoic limestones hosting a water-dominated high-enthalpy geothermal reservoir. The total hydrothermal CO2 degassing from the structural high has been evaluated at 350 t d-1 from an area of 3.1 km2. It has been estimated that such a CO2 release would imply a geothermal liquid flux of 263 kg s-1, with a heat release of 239 MW. The chemical and isotopic composition of the gas indicates a provenance from the geothermal reservoir and that CO2 is partly originated by thermal metamorphic decarbonation in the hottest deepest parts of the system and partly has a likely mantle origin. The ratios of CO2, H2, CH2 and CO to Ar, were used to estimate the T-P conditions of the reservoir. Results cluster at T ~ 200-300°C and PCO2 ~ 100-200 bars, close to the actual well measurements. Finally the approach proved to be an excellent tool to investigate the presence of an active geothermal reservoir at depth and that the H2-CO2-CH4-CO-Ar gas composition is a useful T-P geochemical indicator for such CO2 rich geothermal systems

A shallow-layer model for heavy gas dispersion from natural sources: Application and hazard assessment at Caldara di Manziana, Italy

Several nonvolcanic sources in central Italy emit a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). Under stable atmospheric conditions and/or in the presence of topographic depressions, the concentration of CO2, which has a molecular mass greater than that of air, can reach high values that are lethal to humans or animals. Several episodes of this phenomenon were recorded in central Italy and elsewhere. In order to validate a model for the dispersion of a heavy gas and to assess the consequent hazard, we applied and tested the code TWODEE-2, an improved version of the established TWODEE model, which is based on a shallow-layer approach that uses depth-averaged variables to describe the flow behavior of dense gas over complex topography. We present results for a vented CO2 release at Caldara di Manziana in central Italy. We find that the model gives reliable results when the input quantity can be properly defined. Moreover, we show that the model can be a useful tool for gas hazard assessment by evaluating where and when lethal concentrations for humans and animals are reached