Remote energy lab. Experience and improvements of european cooperation in remote labs

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching methods have gained more interest. Most formats of teaching can be easily transferred into an online format from a technical point of view. However, this is more difficult for practical courses in a laboratory. Together with partners from three European universities, we tackled the issue of providing a practical online course for higher education levels in the framework of the EuroTeQ university. In this work, we present our concept of the course and discuss the course goals and further improvements. We tested the remote lab setting in order to offer the course on a yearly basis in future. The remote lab was focused on energy engineering and was open to students from different engineering disciplines and countries. The course was comprised of three blocks, each consisting of one lecture on the broader context of the topic and one experimental laboratory session. The experimental session was streamed via a video broadcasting service. Students were required to either deliver a written report or to write a newspaper article for each of the three blocks. The learning outcome of the course was that students on the one hand learn about the technologies discussed in the course and on the other hand learn about intercultural communication skills. The goal was to show the diversity of technologies and to show the significance of each technology for a specific country. The online experimental sessions proved to deliver a clear explanation of the topic for the students when provided with sufficient course material adapted to online formats. Contrary, keeping a high level of interaction with students during remote experiments was found most challenging

Characterization of neutron emission during pulse mode of low output electronic neutron generator

The paper deals with the characterization of the neutron output during operation the neutron generator in the pulsing mode. The characterization is performed by a cadmium covered He-3 detector. First, the adequacy of a cadmium covered He-3 detector to study the pulsed mode operation of neutron generator is assessed using Monte Carlo simulations in MCNP6 code. Second, the pulsing mode operation of the D-D P-385 Thermo Fisher Scientific neutron generator with a maximal neutron output of 7 x 106 n/s is studied. The study shows the dependence of neutron emission and pulse shapes on the frequency, duty factor, high voltage and beam current

Building and Use of Infrastructure for Detector Development and Testing at VR-1 Reactor Facility

Activities related to detector development, testing, characterisation and applications belong to key research objectives of the VR-1 reactor facility. The contribution gives a review of related improvements, achievements, used approaches, methods, and trends

Building and Use of Infrastructure for Detector Development and Testing at VR-1 Reactor Facility

Activities related to detector development, testing, characterisation and applications belong to key research objectives of the VR-1 reactor facility. The contribution gives a review of related improvements, achievements, used approaches, methods, and trends

Utilization of a zero power reactor for examination of operator influence on reactor control

The reactor operator is an inseparable part of reactor safety and his actions influence the course of the reactor transients. Understanding the operator’s effect on reactor control thus contributes to the knowledge of the safe operation of nuclear reactors. Complementary to studies performed on simulators, or utilizing standard reactor or plant operational data, the dedicated experiments at research reactors can help to improve the insight into human aspects of reactor control. The potential of research reactors to study the human operator aspects of reactor control is broad; the related activities thus may also help to increase the utilization of research reactor facilities. The paper summarizes the considerations that had to be assessed during the implementation of such experiments at the VR-1 research reactor from the viewpoint of the reactor facility. Further, it recapitulates the activities that have been performed in this field at the VR-1 reactor in the collaboration of the Czech Technical University in Prague with the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in the previous years

Utilization of a zero power reactor for examination of operator influence on reactor control

The reactor operator is an inseparable part of reactor safety and his actions influence the course of the reactor transients. Understanding the operator’s effect on reactor control thus contributes to the knowledge of the safe operation of nuclear reactors. Complementary to studies performed on simulators, or utilizing standard reactor or plant operational data, the dedicated experiments at research reactors can help to improve the insight into human aspects of reactor control. The potential of research reactors to study the human operator aspects of reactor control is broad; the related activities thus may also help to increase the utilization of research reactor facilities. The paper summarizes the considerations that had to be assessed during the implementation of such experiments at the VR-1 research reactor from the viewpoint of the reactor facility. Further, it recapitulates the activities that have been performed in this field at the VR-1 reactor in the collaboration of the Czech Technical University in Prague with the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in the previous years

Online training and education from the VR-1 reactor—Lessons learned

Hands-on education and training is a key part of fixing and developing technology knowledge and is an inherent part of many engineering and scientific curricula. However, access to large complex training facilities, such as nuclear reactor, could be limited by various factors, such as unavailability of those facilities in the region, high traveling costs or harmonization of the schedules of hands-on E&T with theoretical lectures and with the operational schedule of the facility. To handle the issue, several success stories have been reached with the introduction of the Internet Reactor Labs (IRL). The Internet Reactor Labs can strongly contribute to accessibility of training at research reactors and can contribute to improvements in their utilization. The paper describes the development of the Internet Reactor Lab at the VR-1 reactor of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Contrary to single-purpose IRLs, it presents various modalities of online teaching and training in experimental reactor physics and reactor operation in general as well as outreach activities that have been developed in recent years

Ultrastructural mapping of salivary gland innervation in the tick Ixodes ricinus

The salivary gland of hard ticks is a highly innervated tissue where multiple intertwined axonal projections enter each individual acini. In the present study, we investigated the ultrastructural architecture of axonal projections within granular salivary gland type II and III acini of Ixodes ricinus female. Using immunogold labeling, we specifically examined the associations of SIFamide neuropeptide, SIFamide receptor (SIFa_R), neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF), and the invertebrate-specific D1-like dopamine receptor (InvD1L), with acinar cells. In both acini types, SIFamide-positive axons were found to be in direct contact with either basal epithelial cells or a single adlumenal myoepithelial cell in close proximity to the either the acinar duct or its valve, respectively. Accordingly, SIFa_R staining correlated with SIFamide-positive axons in both basal epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Immunoreactivity for both InvD1L and PDF (type II acini exclusively) revealed positive axons radiating along the acinar lumen. These axons were primarily enclosed by the adlumenal myoepithelial cell plasma membrane and interstitial projections of ablumenal epithelial cells. Our study has revealed the detailed ultrastructure of I. ricinus salivary glands, and provides a solid baseline for a comprehensive understanding of the cell-axon interactions and their functions in this essential tick organ

Characterisation of Zika virus infection in primary human astrocytes

Abstract Background The recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak has linked ZIKV with microcephaly and other central nervous system pathologies in humans. Astrocytes are among the first cells to respond to ZIKV infection in the brain and are also targets for virus infection. In this study, we investigated the interaction between ZIKV and primary human brain cortical astrocytes (HBCA). Results HBCAs were highly sensitive to representatives of both Asian and African ZIKV lineages and produced high viral yields. The infection was associated with limited immune cytokine/chemokine response activation; the highest increase of expression, following infection, was seen in CXCL-10 (IP-10), interleukin-6, 8, 12, and CCL5 (RANTES). Ultrastructural changes in the ZIKV-infected HBCA were characterized by electron tomography (ET). ET reconstructions elucidated high-resolution 3D images of the proliferating and extensively rearranged endoplasmic reticulum (ER) containing viral particles and virus-induced vesicles, tightly juxtaposed to collapsed ER cisternae. Conclusions The results confirm that human astrocytes are sensitive to ZIKV infection and could be a source of proinflammatory cytokines in the ZIKV-infected brain tissue