First Experiences Integrating PC Distributed I/O Into Argonne's ATLAS Control System

First Experiences Integrating PC Distributed I/O Into Argonne's ATLAS Control System The roots of ATLAS (Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System) date back to the early 1960s. Located at the Argonne National Laboratory, the accelerator has been designated a National User Facility, which focuses primarily on heavy-ion nuclear physics. Like the accelerator it services, the control system has been in a constant state of evolution. The present real-time portion of the control system is based on the commercial product Vsystem [1]. While Vsystem has always been capable of distributed I/O processing, the latest offering of this product provides for the use of relatively inexpensive PC hardware and software. This paper reviews the status of the ATLAS control system, and describes first experiences with PC distributed I/O.Comment: ICALEPCS 2001 Conference, PSN WEAP027, 3 pages, 1 figur

The Relational Database Aspects of Argonne's ATLAS Control System

The Relational Database Aspects of Argonnes ATLAS Control System Argonnes ATLAS (Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System) control system comprises two separate database concepts. The first is the distributed real-time database structure provided by the commercial product Vsystem [1]. The second is a more static relational database archiving system designed by ATLAS personnel using Oracle Rdb [2] and Paradox [3] software. The configuration of the ATLAS facility has presented a unique opportunity to construct a control system relational database that is capable of storing and retrieving complete archived tune-up configurations for the entire accelerator. This capability has been a major factor in allowing the facility to adhere to a rigorous operating schedule. Most recently, a Web-based operator interface to the control systems Oracle Rdb database has been installed. This paper explains the history of the ATLAS database systems, how they interact with each other, the design of the new Web-based operator interface, and future plans.Comment: ICALEPCS 2001 Conference, PSN WEAP066, 3 pages, 3 figure

A New Threat to Honey Bees, the Parasitic Phorid Fly Apocephalus borealis

Honey bee colonies are subject to numerous pathogens and parasites. Interaction among multiple pathogens and parasites is the proposed cause for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a syndrome characterized by worker bees abandoning their hive. Here we provide the first documentation that the phorid fly Apocephalus borealis, previously known to parasitize bumble bees, also infects and eventually kills honey bees and may pose an emerging threat to North American apiculture. Parasitized honey bees show hive abandonment behavior, leaving their hives at night and dying shortly thereafter. On average, seven days later up to 13 phorid larvae emerge from each dead bee and pupate away from the bee. Using DNA barcoding, we confirmed that phorids that emerged from honey bees and bumble bees were the same species. Microarray analyses of honey bees from infected hives revealed that these bees are often infected with deformed wing virus and Nosema ceranae. Larvae and adult phorids also tested positive for these pathogens, implicating the fly as a potential vector or reservoir of these honey bee pathogens. Phorid parasitism may affect hive viability since 77% of sites sampled in the San Francisco Bay Area were infected by the fly and microarray analyses detected phorids in commercial hives in South Dakota and California's Central Valley. Understanding details of phorid infection may shed light on similar hive abandonment behaviors seen in CCD