Modeling of the resonant magnetic perturbation effect on detachment in the Large Helical Device

An approach to describe the plasma parameter variation with the effective minor radius across the edge region in the heliotron Large Helical Device (LHD) in configurations without and with a resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) is elaborated, by averaging fluid equations for transport of particles, momentum and heat over the flux surfaces. Numerical solutions of one-dimensional, time-dependent equations derived and analytical estimates performed allow us to interpret the LHD experiments on the density limit. Calculations reproduce qualitatively the principal difference between situations without and in the presence of RMP: in the former case a thermal collapse of the discharge occurs immediately after the plasma detachment from the divertor target plates at a radiation level of 0.4–0.5; in the latter the radiating layer is localized at the plasma edge even if the power radiated exceeds 90% of the input power. A prominent role for such a behavior of plasma particle flows along magnetic field lines perturbed by RMP, leading to a positive radial gradient of the plasma density inside the magnetic island, is demonstrated

A mechanism of ion temperature peaking by impurity pellet injection in a heliotron plasma

Experiments on the Large Helical Device with the injection of carbon pellets into discharges of low density have demonstrated a significant reduction of the ion heat conduction in the plasma core and an increase in the central ion temperature by a factor of up to 2. These results are interpreted in the framework of a transport model elaborated on the basis of those applied previously to explain the improvement in confinement by impurity seeding into the tokamak devices TEXTOR and JET. The calculations performed reproduce well the strong peaking of the ion temperature profile with increasing carbon density nZ and the consequent drop in the confinement as nZ exceeds a certain critical level. The importance of different elements in the model, such as braking of the main ion rotation by friction with impurity ones and the shape of the density profiles, are investigated. A qualitative assessment of the applicability under fusion reactor conditions, e.g. of much higher plasma density and heating power, is performed

Androgen Receptor Drives Cellular Senescence

The accepted androgen receptor (AR) role is to promote proliferation and survival of prostate epithelium and thus prostate cancer progression. While growth-inhibitory, tumor-suppressive AR effects have also been documented, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we for the first time link AR anti-cancer action with cell senescence in vitro and in vivo. First, AR-driven senescence was p53-independent. Instead, AR induced p21, which subsequently reduced ΔN isoform of p63. Second, AR activation increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby suppressed Rb phosphorylation. Both pathways were critical for senescence as was proven by p21 and Rb knock-down and by quenching ROS with N-Acetyl cysteine and p63 silencing also mimicked AR-induced senescence. The two pathways engaged in a cross-talk, likely via PML tumor suppressor, whose localization to senescence-associated chromatin foci was increased by AR activation. All these pathways contributed to growth arrest, which resolved in senescence due to concomitant lack of p53 and high mTOR activity. This is the first demonstration of senescence response caused by a nuclear hormone receptor

Time-dependent plasma transport simulation for the study of edge impurity radiation dynamics with magnetic island in large helical device

The dynamics of impurity radiation distribution during detachment transition with edge magnetic island induced by the application of resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) is studied numerically by solving time-dependent plasma fluid equations together with impurity and neutral transports in a 2D grid system. Computations provide the appearance of a macroscopic structure in the heat transfer along the island separatrix and outside the island. The resultant parallel temperature gradient generates the plasma flow and the density gradient according to the parallel momentum balance. The resulting plasma flow effectively transports impurity towards the X-point region. As a result, the impurity radiation is more intense near the X-point than in the vicinity of the O-point. This leads to the predominant cooling of the region around the X-point. These results are in agreement with experimental observation with RMP application in the large helical device (LHD). The time scale of the thermal condensation instability is found to be of the order of 10 ms