Advanced electron cyclotron heating and current drive experiments on the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X

During the first operational phase (OP 1.1) of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) was the exclusive heating method and provided plasma start-up, wall conditioning, heating and current drive. Six gyrotrons were commissioned for OP1.1 and used in parallel for plasma operation with a power of up to 4.3 MW. During standard X2-heating the spatially localized power deposition with high power density allowed controlling the radial profiles of the electron temperature and the rotational transform. Even though W7-X was not fully equipped with first wall tiles and operated with a graphite limiter instead of a divertor, electron densities of n e > 3·1019 m-3 could be achieved at electron temperatures of several keV and ion temperatures above 2 keV. These plasma parameters allowed the first demonstration of a multipath O2-heating scenario, which is envisaged for safe operation near the X-cutoff-density of 1.2·1020 m-3 after full commissioning of the ECRH system in the next operation phase OP1.2

Soft X-ray multiphoton excitation of small iodine methane derivatives

The fragmentation pattern of the iodine-containing molecules CH2I2CH2Is and CH3ICH3I following a strong multiphoton excitation in the vicinity of the iodine 4d giant resonance regime is studied using soft X-ray free electron laser radiation. A strong difference of the charge distribution and the kinetic energy release (KER) for the two molecules is found. The effects can be attributed to charge rearrangement processes induced by the photoexcitation. The difference in the observed distribution for higher charge states of iodine and carbon fragments is consistent with an over-the-barrier model for the charge rearrangement in the dissociating molecules. The KER for singly ionised carbon fragments indicates an ultrafast charge rearrangement before the dissociation starts

A Service-oriented Architecture for Emergency Management Systems

Abstract: The complexity and openness of today’s modern societies result in the threat of serious cascading effects when natural disasters or terrorist attacks strike. Thus, there is ahigh demand for state of the art IT support in the field of emergency management systems. In this paper, weidentify the core requirements of future emergency management systems and present anew generation of modular,service-oriented and semantic-webbased architecture for emergency management systems. Our emergency management system offers innovative functionality in the context of distributed information sources, collaborative work environments, and consistent situation pictures.

Pharmacokinetics of meropenem in septic patients on sustained low-efficiency dialysis: a population pharmacokinetic study

The aim of the study was to describe the population pharmacokinetics (PK) of meropenem in critically ill patients receiving sustained low-efficiency dialysis (SLED).Prospective population PK study on 19 septic patients treated with meropenem and receiving SLED for acute kidney injury. Serial blood samples for determination of meropenem concentrations were taken before, during and after SLED in up to three sessions per patient. Nonparametric population PK analysis with Monte Carlo simulations were used. Pharmacodynamic (PD) targets of 40% and 100% time above the minimal inhibitory concentration (f T > MIC) were used for probability of target attainment (PTA) and fractional target attainment (FTA) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.A two-compartment linear population PK model was most appropriate with residual diuresis supported as significant covariate affecting meropenem clearance. In patients without residual diuresis the PTA for both targets (40% and 100% f T > MIC) and susceptible P. aeruginosa (MIC ≤ 2\ua0mg/L) was > 95% for a dose of 0.5\ua0g 8-hourly. In patients with a residual diuresis of 300\ua0mL/d 1\ua0g 12-hourly and 2\ua0g 8-hourly would be required to achieve a PTA of > 95% and 93% for targets of 40% f T > MIC and 100% f T > MIC, respectively. A dose of 2\ua0g 8-hourly would be able to achieve a FTA of 97% for 100% f T > MIC in patients with residual diuresis.We found a relevant PK variability for meropenem in patients on SLED, which was significantly influenced by the degree of residual diuresis. As a result dosing recommendations for meropenem in patients on SLED to achieve adequate PD targets greatly vary. Therapeutic drug monitoring may help to further optimise individual dosing.Clincialtrials.gov, NCT02287493