Experiments on FTU with a liquid lithium limiter

During the year 2007, experiments have been carried on to test a Liquid Lithium Limiter (LLL) with capillary porous system (CPS) on the high field medium size tokamak FTU. Previous results [1] with LLL have shown that plasma discharges with lithized walls are remarkably cleaner than those with purely metallic or boronized ones: Zeff in ohmi

Plasmoid drift during vertical pellet injection in FTU discharges

Abstract MHD and plasmoids are key elements in pellet injection experiments on FTU. The plasmoid drift can take particles from the pellet ablation region to the q=1 surface in high field side (HFS) pellet injection on FTU. Then MHD reconnections could take density from that region to the plasma center. A strong MHD event would be triggered by the injected pellet in high current (1.1 MA) discharges. A preliminary comparison between the post-pellet experimental density profile in low current discharges (0.8 MA) and the result of a pellet ablation code is presented. Strong magnetic fluctuations develop during pellet ablation. They may be Alfvén waves generated by the drifting plasmoids, preliminary results are shown

The Ignitor Diagnostic Systems

The scientific objectives of Ignitor, centered on the study of fusion burning plasmas, lead to a choice of diagnostic systems that give priority to those objectives and have a special set of characteristics. These systems have to withstand large fluxes of neutrons and γ-rays which are produced in the surrounding materials. This hostile radiation environment introduces new problems, like radiation induced background and permanent damage to components such as detectors and electronics. The selection of diagnostics tools for an ignition experiment should therefore be based on a set of strict rules. All diagnostics must have a high degree of reliability; a straight line of sight plasma-detector should be avoided as much as possible, and instruments must allow the placement of the detection section at a safe distance from the plasma where it can be properly shielded. A set of important diagnostic systems satisfying these criteria are discusse

Safety of rituximab in the routine treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in italy in patients refractory to anti-tnfa drugs: Results from the observational retrospective-prospective rubino study

The paper reports the results from the observational retrospective-prospective RUBINO study conducted in Italy to assess the safety of rituximab in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in routine clinical practice. The percentage of patients who manifested at least one grade 3 or 4 adverse event (AE) assessed by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0 (CTCAE v.3) during the observation period (primary objective) was evaluated. The percentage of patients manifesting a severe AE (SAE), clinical response to rituximab treatment, clinical remission according to disease activity score for 28 joints (DAS28) criteria, markers of disease and quality of life were also assessed. Fifty-three Italian rheumatology centers took part in the study. Patients with a diagnosis of RA and inadequate response to anti-tumor necrosis factor b (anti-TNFa) drugs were enrolled. Participating patients had previously received at least one cycle of rituximab, and treatment was still ongoing at the time of recruitment. Out of 205 patients enrolled, 60% manifested no form of AE, 14.2% had at least one grade 3 or 4 AE, and 11.2% patients reported an SAE. The overall percentage of patients manifesting AEs (40%) was lower compared to the DANCER (81% and 85%), REFLEX (85%) and RESET (85% and 69%) studies, but higher than that observed in the CERERRA registry (from 10.2% to 13.9%). This difference may be due to the shorter observation period applied in the CERERRA registry (only 12 months) compared to the RUBINO study (up to 3 years). All parameters of RA activity (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, health assessment questionnaire score, DAS28) improved significantly during the study

MHD and confinement during pellet injection on FTU

The study sets out to investigate the parts of the FTU operating space over which pellet injection effects performance improvement and to elucidate the phenomena which hinder it. In this respect the behaviour of the q=1 resonance is found to play the most relevant role

Plasma characteristics in FTU with different plasma facing materials

Experiments with different dominant impurities (C, Si, Ni, Mo) have been carried out on the FTU tokamak. Density limit, marfe, Zeff and radiation losses are compared and discussed. An analytical model that couples in a self consistent way the parameters of the SOL and the transport of the impurities generated at the limiter to the bulk plasma parameters has been used to reproduce the experimental data