The design, construction, and commissioning of the KATRIN experiment

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment, which aims to make a direct and model-independent determination of the absolute neutrino mass scale, is a complex experiment with many components. More than 15 years ago, we published a technical design report (TDR) [1] to describe the hardware design and requirements to achieve our sensitivity goal of 0.2 eV at 90% C.L. on the neutrino mass. Since then there has been considerable progress, culminating in the publication of first neutrino mass results with the entire beamline operating [2]. In this paper, we document the current state of all completed beamline components (as of the first neutrino mass measurement campaign), demonstrate our ability to reliably and stably control them over long times, and present details on their respective commissioning campaigns

Long-term clinical remission maintained after cessation of zidovudine and interferon-α therapy in chronic adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma

Globally, > 5–10 million people are estimated to be infected with Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), of whom ~ 5% develop adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Despite advances in chemotherapy, overall survival (OS) has not improved in the 35 years since HTLV-1 was first described. In Europe/USA, combination treatment with zidovudine and interferon-α (ZDV/IFN-α) has substantially changed the management of patients with the leukemic subtypes of ATL (acute or unfavorable chronic ATL) and is under clinical trial evaluation in Japan. However, there is only a single published report of long-term clinical remission on discontinuing ZDV/IFN-α therapy and the optimal duration of treatment is unknown. Anecdotal cases where therapy is discontinued due to side effects or compliance have been associated with rapid disease relapse, and it has been widely accepted that the majority of patients will require life-long therapy. The development of molecular methods to quantify minimal residual disease is essential to potentially guide therapy for individual patients. Here, for the first time, we report molecular evidence that supports long-term clinical remission in a patient who was previously treated with ZDV/IFN-α for 5 years, and who has now been off all therapy for over 6 years

Dynamic models for hydrogen peroxide control in solar photo-fenton systems

Simulations and real decomposition experiments with hydrogen peroxide induced by dissolved iron and solar illumination were performed in a solar pilot plant with compound parabolic collectors designed for photo-Fenton wastewater treatment. The structure of a gray-box linear model aimed at reproducing system dynamics with parameters dependent on operating conditions when operating around prescribed set-points is proposed. This simple model relates the changes in hydrogen peroxide concentration due to changes in hydrogen peroxide injection, dissolved iron, and solar illumination. Based on this model, control of the hydrogen peroxide concentration at set points between 200–900 mg/L±10 mg/L under dynamic conditions (simultaneous decomposition and addition of hydrogen peroxide by a dosage pump), was achieved. Different basic approaches for controller actuation upon the frequency of the dosage pump were tested, ranging from a simple PI controller to a PI controller plus antiwindup action and feedforward control. From these basic approaches, conclusions can be drawn about the process's behavior under closed-loop contro

Pre-industrial-scale combined solar photo-fenton and immobilized biomass activated-sludge biotreatment

This paper reports on upscaling of a new technology combining solar photo-Fenton and aerobic biological processes to successfully treat a saline industrial wastewater containing around 600 mg L-1 of a non-biodegradable compound (α-methylphenylglycine, MPG) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of between 400 and 600 mg L-1. Pilot-plant tests were used in designing this demonstration hybrid solar photocatalytic-biological plant with a 4 m3 daily treatment capacity. It consists of a solar photo-Fenton reactor with 100 m2 of solar compound parabolic collectors (CPCs) and an aerobic biological treatment plant based on an immobilized-biomass activated-sludge reactor (1 m3). The catalyst concentration was Fe2+ = 20 mg L-1. The overall efficiency in the combined system was around 95% mineralization. 50% of the initial DOC was degraded in the photo-Fenton pretreatment, and 45% was removed in the aerobic biological treatment