The LCLS Timing Event System

The Linac Coherent Light Source requires precision timing trigger signals for various accelerator diagnostics and controls at SLAC-NAL. A new timing system has been developed that meets these requirements. This system is based on COTS hardware with a mixture of custom-designed units. An added challenge has been the requirement that the LCLS Timing System must co-exist and 'know' about the existing SLC Timing System. This paper describes the architecture, construction and performance of the LCLS timing event system

Coherent Transition Radiation to Measure the SLAC Electron Bunch Length

Coherent transition radiation is used to measure the length of the ultra-short electron bunches available at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The results and the limitations of the method are described

Biometal Dyshomeostasis in Olfactory Mucosa of Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Olfactory function, orchestrated by the cells of the olfactory mucosa at the rooftop of the nasal cavity, is disturbed early in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Biometals including zinc and calcium are known to be important for sense of smell and to be altered in the brains of AD patients. Little is known about elemental homeostasis in the AD patient olfactory mucosa. Here we aimed to assess whether the disease-related alterations to biometal homeostasis observed in the brain are also reflected in the olfactory mucosa. We applied RNA sequencing to discover gene expression changes related to metals in olfactory mucosal cells of cognitively healthy controls, individuals with mild cognitive impairment and AD patients, and performed analysis of the elemental content to determine metal levels. Results demonstrate that the levels of zinc, calcium and sodium are increased in the AD olfactory mucosa concomitantly with alterations to 17 genes related to metal-ion binding or metal-related function of the protein product. A significant elevation in alpha-2-macroglobulin, a known metal-binding biomarker correlated with brain disease burden, was observed on the gene and protein levels in the olfactory mucosa cells of AD patients. These data demonstrate that the olfactory mucosa cells derived from AD patients recapitulate certain impairments of biometal homeostasis observed in the brains of patients.Peer reviewe

The Role of Auditory Features Within Slot-Themed Social Casino Games and Online Slot Machine Games

Over the last few years playing social casino games has become a popular entertainment activity. Social casino games are offered via social media platforms and mobile apps and resemble gambling activities. However, social casino games are not classified as gambling as they can be played for free, outcomes may not be determined by chance, and players receive no monetary payouts. Social casino games appear to be somewhat similar to online gambling activities in terms of their visual and auditory features, but to date little research has investigated the cross over between these games. This study examines the auditory features of slot-themed social casino games and online slot machine games using a case study design. An example of each game type was played on three separate occasions during which, the auditory features (i.e., music, speech, sound effects, and the absence of sound) within the games were logged. The online slot-themed game was played in demo mode. This is the first study to provide a qualitative account of the role of auditory features within a slot-themed social casino game and an online slot machine game. Our results found many similarities between how sound is utilised within the two games. Therefore the sounds within these games may serve functions including: setting the scene for gaming, creating an image, demarcating space, interacting with visual features, prompting players to act, communicating achievements to players, providing reinforcement, heightening player emotions and the gaming experience. As a result this may reduce the ability of players to make a clear distinction between these two activities, which may facilitate migration between game

Photoinjector design for the LCLS

The design of the Linac Coherent Light Source assumes that a low-emittance, 1-nC, 10-ps beam will be available for injection into the 15-GeV linac. The proposed rf photocathode injector that will provide a 150-MeV beam with rms normalized emittances of 1 mm in both the transverse and longitudinal dimensions is based on a 1.6-cell S-band rf gun that is equipped with an emittance compensating solenoid. The booster accelerator is positioned at the beam waist coinciding with the first emittance maximum and is provided with an accelerating gradient of ~25 MeV/m, i.e., the "new working point." The uv pulses required for cathode excitation will be generated by tripling the output of a Ti:sapphire laser system consisting of a highly stable cw mode-locked oscillator and two bow-tie amplifiers pumped by a pair of Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers. The large bandwidth of the Ti:sapphire system accommodates the desired temporal pulse shaping. Details of the design and the supporting simulations are presented.Comment: 13 pages (double spaced), 4 figures, contributed to The 23rd International Free Electron Laser Conference, Darmstadt, Germany, 20-24 August 200