Qualification and Start of Production of the Ultrasonic Welding Machines for the LHC Interconnections

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is presently under installation at CERN, Geneva. The approximately 4000 superconducting corrector magnets required by the machine are powered through copper-stabilized Nb-Ti busbars. To interconnect the magnets along the machine, about 50 000 joints between superconducting cables rated at 600 A have to be performed in-situ during the interconnection activities. An ultrasonic welding technique has been developed and optimised by CERN which led to the development of a dedicated machine which was qualified during the assembly of the STRING II, a 110-m chain of cryomagnets assembled as a prototype of the LHC. The realization of the â series â interconnections together with the procurement of the tooling based on functional specifications have been contracted to a consortium of firms. Qualification tests and acceptance criteria in terms of electrical contact resistance, mechanical resistance, reliability and reproducibility have been defined by CERN. This paper presents the tests and some results of the qualification process relevant to the industrialized tooling provided by the contractor. Results of pre-series junctions done in the LHC tunnel are presented together with the perspective for the continuation of the work

Seasonal and spatial dynamics of the primary vector of plasmodium knowlesi within a major transmission focus in Sabah, Malaysia

Background The simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is emerging as a public health problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysian Borneo where it now accounts for the greatest burden of malaria cases and deaths. Control is hindered by limited understanding of the ecology of potential vector species. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a one year longitudinal study of P. knowlesi vectors in three sites within an endemic area of Sabah, Malaysia. All mosquitoes were captured using human landing catch. Anopheles mosquitoes were dissected to determine, oocyst, sporozoites and parous rate. Anopheles balabacensis is confirmed as the primary vector of. P. knowlesi (using nested PCR) in Sabah for the first time. Vector densities were significantly higher and more seasonally variable in the village than forest or small scale farming site. However An. balabacensis survival and P. knowlesi infection rates were highest in forest and small scale farm sites. Anopheles balabacensis mostly bites humans outdoors in the early evening between 1800 to 2000hrs. Conclusions/Significance This study indicates transmission is unlikely to be prevented by bednets. This combined with its high vectorial capacity poses a threat to malaria elimination programmes within the region. Author Summary The first natural infection of Plasmodium knowlesi was reported 40 years ago. At that time it was perceived that the infection would not affect humans. However, now P. knowlesi is the predominant malaria species (38% of the cases) infecting people in Malaysia and is a notable obstacle to malaria elimination in the country. Plasmodium knowlesi has also been reported from all countries in Southeast Asia with the exception of Lao PDR and Timor Leste. In Sabah, Malaysian Borneo cases of human P. knowlesi are increasing. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the bionomics of the vectors is required so as to enable proper control strategies. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study in Kudat district, Sabah, to determine and characterize the vectors of P. knowlesi within this transmission foci. Anopheles balabacensis was the predominant mosquito in all study sites and is confirmed as vector for P. knowlesi and other simian malaria parasites. The peak biting time was in the early part of the evening between1800 to 2000. Thus, breaking the chain of transmission is an extremely challenging task for the malaria elimination programme

The Special LHC Interconnections: Technologies, Organization and Quality Control

In addition to the standard interconnections (IC) of the continuous cryostat of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), there exists a variety of special ones related to specific components and assemblies, such as cryomagnets of the insertion regions, electrical feedboxes and superconducting links. Though they are less numerous, their specificities created many additional IC types, requiring a larger variety of assembly operations and quality control techniques, keeping very high standards of quality. Considerable flexibility and adaptability from all the teams involved (CERN staff, collaborating institutes, contractors) were the key points to ensure the success of this task. This paper first describes the special IC and presents the employed technologies which are generally adapted from the standard work. Then, the organization adopted for this non-repetitive work is described. Examples of non-conformities that were resolved are also discussed. Figures of merit in terms of quality and productivity are given and compared with standard IC wor

On the Government’s Protection of Citizens’ Right to Know

本文讨论的是政府对于公民知情权的保护。文章主要分为三个部分：政府保护公民知情权的必要性、政府如何来保护公民的知情权以及我国政府保护公民知情权的现状和完善建议。文章由前言、第一章、第二章、第三章和结语组成。第一章论述政府保护公民知情权的必要性。本章分为两部分：政府为什么要保护公民的知情权和为什么是由政府来承担公民知情权的保护义务。信息失灵是信息社会信息不充分和信息占有不公平的现象。信息失灵的存在是不可避免的，同时信息失灵影响到了信息社会的各个方面，造成了信息社会信息资源利用的无效率和信息社会的不公平和不便利。这在一定程度上催生了公民对于知情权利的渴求，所以政府保护公民知情权也是政府解决信息社会信...The article discusses the government’s protection on citizen’s right to know. It contains three parts: the necessities for the government to protect citizens’ right to know, how to protect the right to know, the present situation and the perfection of our government’s protection mechanisms. It consists of the preface、chapter1、chapter2、chaper3 and the conclusion. Chapter 1 describes the nec...学位：法律硕士院系专业：法学院法律系_法律硕士(JM)学号：20040817

Long-Term Effects of Metformin and Lifestyle Modification on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Obese Adolescents

Objective. To assess the long-term effects of metformin in combination with lifestyle intervention and its association between insulin levels and the degree of steatosis at ultrasonography (US) in obese adolescents. Methods. Thirty-five postpubertal obese boys were randomized into two groups: one receiving metformin in combination with a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention versus a placebo group, which also received the same intervention. The visceral, subcutaneous fat and degree of steatosis were measured by ultrasonography. Fasting blood samples were collected to analyze glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, and aminotransferases. Repeated ANOVA measures were used to compare changes over time and between groups, and Spearman's correlations were used to identify an association between insulin and the degree of steatosis at US. Results. There was a positive correlation between the degree of steatosis at US with insulin concentrations and HOMA-IR. Long-term therapy plus metformin significantly reduced body weight, body mass index, insulin, HOMA-IR, and visceral fat. Conclusions. Metformin was more effective than the placebo in improving clinical parameters associated with obesity and steatosis

The Quality Control of the LHC Continuous Cryostat Interconnections

The interconnections between the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) magnets have required some 40 000 TIG welded joints and 65 000 electrical splices. At the level of single joints and splices, non-destructive techniques find limited application: quality control is based on the qualification of the process and of operators, on the recording of production parameters and on production samples. Visual inspection and process audits were the main techniques used. At the level of an extended chain of joints and splices - from a 53.5 m half-cell to a complete 2.7 km arc sector - quality control is based on vacuum leak tests, electrical tests and RF microwave reflectometry that progressively validated the work performed. Subsequent pressure tests, cryogenic circuits flushing with high pressure helium and cool-downs revealed a few unseen or new defects. This paper presents an overview of the quality control techniques used, seeking lessons applicable to similar large, complex projects

The LHC Continuous Cryostat Interconnections: The Organization of a Logistically Complex Worksite Requiring Strict Quality Standards and High Output

The interconnections of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) continuous cryostat have been completed in fall 2007: 1695 interconnections magnet to magnet and 224 interconnections between the continuous cryostat and the cryogenic distribution line have been executed along the 27 km of the LHC. The very tight schedule, the complexity of the interconnection sequence, the strict quality standards applied have required the creation of an ad hoc organization in order to steer and coordinate the activities on the worksite dispersed along the whole accelerator ring. The concatenation of construction and test phases carried out by CERN staff, CERN collaborating institutes and contractors have led to the necessity of a common approach and of a very effective information flow. In this paper, after having recalled the main technical challenges, we review the organizational choices that have been taken and we briefly analyze the development of the worksite in term of allocated resources and production

Conceptual Design of the LHC Interaction Region Upgrade: Phase-I

The LHC is starting operation with beam. The primary goal of CERN and the LHC community is to ensure that the collider is operated efficiently and that it achieves nominal performance in the shortest term. Since several years the community has been discussing the directions for maximizing the physics reach of the LHC by upgrading the experiments, in particular ATLAS and CMS, the LHC machine and the CERN proton injector complex, in a phased approach. The first phase of the LHC interaction region upgrade was approved by Council in December 2007. This phase relies on the mature Nb-Ti superconducting magnet technology with the target of increasing the LHC luminosity to 2 to 3 10^34 cm^-2s^-1, while maximising the use of the existing infrastructure. In this report, we present the goals and the proposed conceptual solutions for the LHC IR Upgrade Phase-I which include the recommendations of the conceptual design review

Assessing seroprevalence and associated risk factors for multiple infectious diseases in Sabah, Malaysia using serological multiplex bead assays

Infectious diseases continue to burden populations in Malaysia, especially among rural communities where resources are limited and access to health care is difficult. Current epidemiological trends of several neglected tropical diseases in these populations are at present absent due to the lack of habitual and efficient surveillance. To date, various studies have explored the utility of serological multiplex beads to monitor numerous diseases simultaneously. We therefore applied this platform to assess population level exposure to six infectious diseases in Sabah, Malaysia. Furthermore, we concurrently investigated demographic and spatial risk factors that may be associated with exposure for each disease. This study was conducted in four districts of Northern Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, using an environmentally stratified, population-based cross-sectional serological survey targeted to determine risk factors for malaria. Samples were collected between September to December 2015, from 919 villages totaling 10,100 persons. IgG responses to twelve antigens of six diseases (lymphatic filariasis- Bm33, Bm14, BmR1, Wb123; strongyloides- NIE; toxoplasmosis-SAG2A; yaws- Rp17 and TmpA; trachoma- Pgp3, Ct694; and giardiasis- VSP3, VSP5) were measured using serological multiplex bead assays. Eight demographic risk factors and twelve environmental covariates were included in this study to better understand transmission in this community. Seroprevalence of LF antigens included Bm33 (10.9%), Bm14+ BmR1 (3.5%), and Wb123 (1.7%). Seroprevalence of Strongyloides antigen NIE was 16.8%, for Toxoplasma antigen SAG2A was 29.9%, and Giardia antigens GVSP3 + GVSP5 was 23.2%. Seroprevalence estimates for yaws Rp17 was 4.91%, for TmpA was 4.81%, and for combined seropositivity to both antigens was 1.2%. Seroprevalence estimates for trachoma Pgp3 + Ct694 were 4.5%. Age was a significant risk factors consistent among all antigens assessed, while other risk factors varied among the different antigens. Spatial heterogeneity of seroprevalence was observed more prominently in lymphatic filariasis and toxoplasmosis. Multiplex bead assays can be used to assess serological responses to numerous pathogens simultaneously to support infectious disease surveillance in rural communities, especially where prevalences estimates are lacking for neglected tropical diseases. Demographic and spatial data collected alongside serosurveys can prove useful in identifying risk factors associated with exposure and geographic distribution of transmission

The Preparation of the Cryomagnets and the Assembly of the LHC Test String 2

The numerous complex activities required to prepare the cryomagnets for the installation in String 2 are described. These include the configuration of the mechanical interfaces, thee conditioning of the beam tubes, the installation of beam screens and the instrumentation as well as the final checks. The preparation of the cryomagnets for String 2 has been a dress rehearsal for the preparation that the cryomagnets will undergo before their installation in the tunnel. After a description of the interconnection procedures of the components for String 2, the tests carried-out to release the String for operation are described. A brief account of the lessons learnt is also given