Scientific Assessment in support of the Materials Roadmap enabling Low Carbon Energy Technologies: Technology Nuclear Energy

This scientific assessment serves as the basis for a materials research roadmap for the nuclear fission technology, itself an integral element of an overall "Materials Roadmap Enabling Low Carbon Technologies", a Commission Staff Working Document published in December 2011. The Materials Roadmap aims at contributing to strategic decisions on materials research funding at European and Member State levels and is aligned with the priorities of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). It is intended to serve as a guide for developing specific research and development activities in the field of materials for energy applications over the next 10 years. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the state-of-the-art and future challenges for energy technology-related materials and the needs for research activities to support the development of nuclear fission technology both for the 2020 and the 2050 market horizons. It has been produced by independent and renowned European materials scientists and energy technology experts, drawn from academia, research institutes and industry, under the coordination the SET-Plan Information System (SETIS), which is managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The contents were presented and discussed at a dedicated hearing in which a wide pool of stakeholders participated, including representatives of the relevant technology platforms, industry associations and the Joint Programmes of the European Energy Research Associations.JRC.F.4-Safety of future nuclear reactor

Biokemijski i hematološki pokazatelji lubina (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus, 1758.) i komarče (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758.) u odnosu na temperaturu

ent farmed fish, the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758) and the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, Linnaeus, 1758), blood samples were collected from a total of 60 specimens of each species, reared in Sicily, in the cold (February, mean temperature 13.40 °C) and warm seasons (October, mean temperature 23.20 °C). Biochemical (glucose, lactate, cholesterol, triglycerides and total protein) and hematological (red blood cell RBC, hemoglobin concentration Hgb, hematoctit Hct, mean corpuscular volume MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin MCH and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration MCHC) parameters were evaluated. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed for glucose, lactate, triglycerides, cholesterol, total protein and RBC, Hgb, Hct, MCV, and MCH. This information could be useful for optimization of the husbandry practices in land-based aquaculture, and provide useful information for monitoring changes in the health status of fish.Cilj istraživanja bio je procijeniti utjecaj temperature vode na biokemijske i hematološke pokazatelje kod dvije različite vrste farmski uzgajanih riba: lubina (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus, 1758.) i komarče (Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758.). Ukupno 60 uzoraka krvi prikupljeno je od svake vrste, uzgajane na Siciliji, tijekom hladne (veljača, srednja temperatura 13,40 °C) i tople (listopad, srednja temperatura 23,20 °C) sezone. Analizirani su biokemijski pokazatelji (glukoza, laktat, kolesterol, trigliceridi i ukupne bjelančevine) i hematološki pokazatelji (broj eritrocita, koncentracija hemoglobina, hematokrit, prosječni volumen eritrocita MCV, prosječni hemoglobin u eritrocitu MCH i prosječna koncentracija hemoglobina u eritrocitu MCHC). Značajne razlike (P<0,05) zabilježene su za glukozu, laktat, trigliceride, kolesterol i ukupne bjelančevine te za broj eritrocita, koncentraciju hemoglobina, hematokrit, MCV i MCH. Informacije utvrđene ovim istraživanjem mogle bi biti korisne za optimalnu uzgojnu praksu u akvakulturi kao i za praćenje promjena u zdravstvenom statusu riba

Infrastructure and international cooperation in research and knowledge transfer: supporting access to key infrastructures and pan-European research − lessons learned

Access to research infrastructures has been supported by the European Commission under different financial schemes. During the 6th EURATOM Framework Programme the instrument introduced by the European Commission were the Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives (I-3). Moreover, funding schemes to support Education and Training for students and professional developments were defined also. The main difference between these two funding schemes is that I-3 are topic-driven projects with access to infrastructure components, while the Education and Training related projects have a mobility component that is applied for the different research topics. The outcome of projects as TALISMAN (I-3), EFNUDAT/NUDAME (I-3), GENTLE (mobility), ENEN-plus (mobility), NUGENIA-plus (mobility within TA of NUGENIA) and ESNII-plus (I-3 similar) will be shortly presented as well as the future European Commission plans in the field of access to research infrastructure

Liquid metal technology for concentrated solar power systems: Contributions by the German research program

Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems can play a major role as a renewable energy source with the inherent possibility of including a thermal energy storage subsystem for improving the plant dispatchability. Next-generation CSP systems have to provide an increased overall efficiency at reduced specific costs and they will require higher operating temperatures and larger heat flux densities. In that context, liquid metals are proposed as advanced high temperature heat transfer fluids, particularly for central receiver systems. Their main advantages are chemical stability at temperatures up to 900 ℃ and even beyond, as well as largely improved heat transfer when compared to conventional fluids like oil or salt mixtures, primarily due to their superior thermal conductivity. However, major issues here are the corrosion protection of structural materials and the development of technology components and control systems, as well as the development of indirect storage solutions, to circumvent the relatively small heat capacity of liquid metals. On the other hand, using liquid metals might enable alternative technologies like direct thermal-electric conversion or use of solar high-tem­perature heat in chemical processes. This article aims at describing research areas and research needs to be addressed for fully evaluating and subsequently utilizing the potential of liquid metals in CSP systems. A second aim of the article is a brief overview of the liquid metal research capabilities of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), their background and their relation to CSP and the aforementioned research pathways

LIPID AND PROTEIN CONTENT IN RAINBOW TROUT IN RELATION TO GONADAL GROWTH

Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je istražiti različite tipove lipida kao i sadržaj proteina u jajnicima kalifornijske pastrve. Ukupno 80 uzoraka Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum 1792) prikupljeno je iz mrijestilišta Kokernag i Verinag (Jammu i Kashmir, Indija) između 2017. i 2019. godine. Zreli stadij gonada kod ženki imao je najviši gonadosomatski indeks (GSI) i minimalni GSI u potrošenom stadiju. Veći sadržaj lipida u jajniku zabilježen je tijekom zrele faze (36%) u usporedbi s drugim fazama prije parenja. Slično, klase lipida također su pokazale fluktuacije tijekom razvoja jajnika. Klase lipida, tj. glikolipidi, slobodne masne kiseline, kolesterol i trigliceridi, imale su veći sadržaj u zrelom stadiju, dok je sadržaj fosfolipida bio veći u zrelom stadiju. Sadržaj proteina također je bio veći u zrelom jajniku, nego u drugim razvojnim fazama. Studija daje referentne vrijednosti za različite biokemijske parametre kalifornijske pastrve koji bi mogli biti korisni za programe praćenja populacije i za razvoj prehrane i metoda upravljanja u kontroliranim uvjetima.The purpose of this study was to examine various lipid classes as well as the protein content in rainbow trout ovaries. A total of 80 samples of Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum 1792) were collected from Kokernag and Verinag hatcheries (Jammu and Kashmir, India) between 2017 and 2019. The mature stage in female fish had the highest gonadosomatic index (GSI) and minimal GSI in the spent stage. Higher lipid content of the ovary was reported during the mature stage (36%), as compared to other pre-breeding stages. Similarly, lipid classes also showed fluctuation during the development of the ovary. The lipid classes, i.e. glycolipids, free fatty acids, cholesterol and triglycerides, had a higher content in the mature stage, while the phospholipid content was higher in the mature stage. The protein content was also higher in the mature ovary than in the other developmental stages. The study provides reference values for various biochemical parameters in rainbow trout that could be useful for population monitoring programs and for the development of diets and management methods for fish production under controlled conditions

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Incorrect factual beliefs and political polarization

This analysis explores the correlation between incorrect factual beliefs about politics and political participation and polarization. Drawing on data from the German social survey (ALLBUS), we perform a cross-sectional analysis at individual level for the 2008, when fake news was not widespread yet. Results show that having incorrect knowledge of the state of the world positively correlates with low political participation and with the intention to vote for right-wing parties. We argue that individuals are not mislead by fake news because they lack of correct factual knowledge, but the consumption of fake news may be rather conditional upon political polarization