Disruption avoidance by means of electron cyclotron waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, B.; Granucci, G.; Maraschek, M.; Nowak, S.; Lazzaro, E.; Giannone, L.; Gude, A.; Igochine, V.; McDermott, R.; Poli, E.; Reich, M.; Sommer, F.; Stober, J.; Suttrop, W.; Treutterer, W.; Zohm, H.; ASDEX Upgrade, the; FTU Teams

2011-12-01

Disruptions are very challenging to ITER operation as they may cause damage to plasma facing components due to direct plasma heating, forces on structural components due to halo and eddy currents and the production of runaway electrons. Electron cyclotron (EC) waves have been demonstrated as a tool for disruption avoidance by a large set of recent experiments performed in ASDEX Upgrade and FTU using various disruption types, plasma operating scenarios and power deposition locations. The technique is based on the stabilization of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes (mainly m/n = 2/1) through the localized injection of EC power on the resonant surface. This paper presents new results obtained in ASDEX Upgrade regarding stable operation above the Greenwald density achieved after avoidance of density limit disruptions by means of ECRH and suitable density feedback control (L-mode ohmic plasmas, Ip = 0.6 MA, Bt = 2.5 T) and NTM-driven disruptions at high-β limit delayed/avoided by means of both co-current drive (co-ECCD) and pure heating (ECRH) with power <=1.7 MW (H-mode NBI-heated plasmas, PNBI ~ 7.5 MW, Ip = 1 MA, Bt = 2.1 T, q95 ~ 3.6). The localized perpendicular injection of ECRH/ECCD onto a resonant surface leads to the delay and/or complete avoidance of disruptions. The experiments indicate the existence of a power threshold for mode stabilization to occur. An analysis of the MHD mode evolution using the generalized Rutherford equation coupled to the frequency and phase evolution equations shows that control of the modes is due to EC heating close to the resonant surface. The ECRH contribution (Δ'H term) is larger than the co-ECCD one in the initial and more important phase when the discharge is 'saved'. Future research and developments of the disruption avoidance technique are also discussed.

Measurement of scrape-off-layer current dynamics during MHD activity and disruptions in HBT-EP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levesque, J. P.; Brooks, J. W.; Abler, M. C.; Bialek, J.; Byrne, P. J.; Hansen, C. J.; Hughes, P. E.; Mauel, M. E.; Navratil, G. A.; Rhodes, D. J.

2017-08-01

We report scrape-off layer (SOL) current measurements during magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mode activity, resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), and disruptions in the High Beta Tokamak—Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) device. Currents are measured via segmented plasma current Rogowski coils, jumpers running toroidally between otherwise-isolated vessel sections, and a grounded electrode in the scrape-off layer. These currents strongly depend on the plasma’s major radius, and amplitude and phase of non-axisymmetric field components. SOL currents connecting through the vessel are seen to reach  ∼0.2{--}0.5 % of the plasma current during typical kink activity and RMPs. Plasma current asymmetries and scrape-off-layer currents generated during disruptions, which are commonly called halo currents, reach  ∼4 % of I p. Asymmetric toroidal currents between vessel sections rotate at tens of kHz through most of the current quench, then symmetrize once I p reaches  ∼30 % of its pre-disruptive value. Toroidal jumper currents oscillate between co- and counter-I p, with co-I p being dominant on average during disruptions. A relative increase in local plasma current measured by a segmented I p Rogowski coil correlates with counter-I p current in the nearest toroidal jumper. Measurements are interpreted in the context of two models that produce contrary predictions for the toroidal vessel current polarity during disruptions. Plasma current asymmetry measurements are consistent with both models, and SOL currents scale with plasma displacement toward the vessel wall. The design of an upcoming SOL current diagnostic and control upgrade is also briefly presented.

Synchronous oscillation prior to disruption caused by kink modes in HL-2A tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, M.; Hu, D.; Wang, X. G.; Shi, Z. B.; Xu, Y.; Chen, W.; Ding, X. T.; Zhong, W. L.; Dong, Y. B.; Ji, X. Q.; Zhang, Y. P.; Gao, J. M.; Li, J. X.; Yang, Z. C.; Li, Y. G.; Liu, Y.

2015-08-01

A class of evident MHD activities prior to major disruption has been observed during recent radiation induced disruptions of the HL-2A tokamak discharges. It can be named SOD, synchronous oscillations prior to disruption, characterized by synchronous oscillation of electron cyclotron emission (ECE), core soft x-ray, Mirnov coil, and {{D}α} radiation signals at the divertor plate. The SOD activity is mostly observed in a parametric regime where the poloidal beta is low enough before disruption, typically corresponding to those radiation-induced disruptions. It has been found that the m/n = 2/1 mode is dominant during the SODs, and consequently it is the drop of the mode frequency and the final mode locking that lead to thermal quench. The mode frequency before the mode locking corresponds to the toroidal rotation frequency of the edge plasma. It is also found that during SODs, the location of the q = 2 surface is moving outward, and most of the plasma current is enclosed within the surface. This demonstrates that the current channel lies inside the rational surface during SOD, and thus the resistive kink mode is unstable. Further analysis of the electron temperature perturbation structure shows that the plasma is indeed dominated by the resistive kink mode, with kink-like perturbation in the core plasma region. It suggests that it is the nonlinear growth of the m/n = 2/1 resistive kink mode and its higher order harmonics, rather than the spontaneous overlapping of multiple neighboring islands, that ultimately triggered the disruption.

Hybrid neural network for density limit disruption prediction and avoidance on J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, W.; Hu, F. R.; Zhang, M.; Chen, Z. Y.; Zhao, X. Q.; Wang, X. L.; Shi, P.; Zhang, X. L.; Zhang, X. Q.; Zhou, Y. N.; Wei, Y. N.; Pan, Y.; J-TEXT team

2018-05-01

Increasing the plasma density is one of the key methods in achieving an efficient fusion reaction. High-density operation is one of the hot topics in tokamak plasmas. Density limit disruptions remain an important issue for safe operation. An effective density limit disruption prediction and avoidance system is the key to avoid density limit disruptions for long pulse steady state operations. An artificial neural network has been developed for the prediction of density limit disruptions on the J-TEXT tokamak. The neural network has been improved from a simple multi-layer design to a hybrid two-stage structure. The first stage is a custom network which uses time series diagnostics as inputs to predict plasma density, and the second stage is a three-layer feedforward neural network to predict the probability of density limit disruptions. It is found that hybrid neural network structure, combined with radiation profile information as an input can significantly improve the prediction performance, especially the average warning time ({{T}warn} ). In particular, the {{T}warn} is eight times better than that in previous work (Wang et al 2016 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 58 055014) (from 5 ms to 40 ms). The success rate for density limit disruptive shots is above 90%, while, the false alarm rate for other shots is below 10%. Based on the density limit disruption prediction system and the real-time density feedback control system, the on-line density limit disruption avoidance system has been implemented on the J-TEXT tokamak.

Avoiding Tokamak Disruptions by Applying Static Magnetic Fields That Align Locked Modes with Stabilizing Wave-Driven Currents [Avoiding Tokamak Disruptions by Magnetically Aligning Locked Modes with Stabilizing Wave-Driven Currents

DOE PAGES

Volpe, F. A.; Hyatt, Alan; La Haye, Robert J.; ...

2015-10-19

The international ITER tokamak has the objective of demonstrating the scientific feasibility of magnetic confinement fusion as a source of energy. A concern towards the achievement of this goal is represented by major disruptions: complete losses of confinement often initiated by a non-rotating ('locked') magnetic island created by magnetic reconnection. During disruptions, energy and particles accumulated in the plasma volume over many seconds are lost in a few milliseconds and released on the plasma-facing materials. In addition, multi-MA level currents flowing in the tokamak plasma for its sustainment and confinement are lost, also in milliseconds, thus terminating the plasma dischargemore » and causing electromagnetic stresses that, if unmitigated, could lead to excessive device wear. Moreover it is shown that magnetic perturbations can be used to avoid disruptions by "guiding" the magnetic island to lock in a position where it is accessible to millimetre wave beams that fully stabilize it.« less

Enhancement of runaway production by resonant magnetic perturbation on J-TEXT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Z. Y.; Huang, D. W.; Izzo, V. A.; Tong, R. H.; Jiang, Z. H.; Hu, Q. M.; Wei, Y. N.; Yan, W.; Rao, B.; Wang, S. Y.; Ma, T. K.; Li, S. C.; Yang, Z. J.; Ding, D. H.; Wang, Z. J.; Zhang, M.; Zhuang, G.; Pan, Y.; J-TEXT Team

2016-07-01

The suppression of runaways following disruptions is key for the safe operation of ITER. The massive gas injection (MGI) has been developed to mitigate heat loads, electromagnetic forces and runaway electrons (REs) during disruptions. However, MGI may not completely prevent the generation of REs during disruptions on ITER. Resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) has been applied to suppress runaway generation during disruptions on several machines. It was found that strong RMP results in the enhancement of runaway production instead of runaway suppression on J-TEXT. The runaway current was about 50% pre-disruption plasma current in argon induced reference disruptions. With moderate RMP, the runway current decreased to below 30% pre-disruption plasma current. The runaway current plateaus reach 80% of the pre-disruptive current when strong RMP was applied. Strong RMP may induce large size magnetic islands that could confine more runaway seed during disruptions. This has important implications for runaway suppression on large machines.

Development of a Fast Valve for Disruption Mitigation and its Preliminary Application to EAST and HT-7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Huidong; Zhang, Xiaodong

2013-08-01

In large tokamaks, disruption of high current plasma would damage plasma facing component surfaces (PFCs) or other inner components due to high heat load, electromagnetic force load and runaway electrons. It would also influence the subsequent plasma discharge due to production of impurities during disruptions. So the avoidance and mitigation of disruptions is essential for the next generation of tokamaks, such as ITER. Massive gas injection (MGI) is a promising method of disruption mitigation. A new fast valve has been developed successfully on EAST. The valve can be opened in 0.5 ms, and the duration of open state is largely dependent on the gas pressure and capacitor voltage. The throughput of the valve can be adjusted from 0 mbar·L to 700 mbar·L by changing the capacitor voltage and gas pressure. The response time and throughput of the fast valve can meet the requirement of disruption mitigation on EAST. In the last round campaign of EAST and HT-7 in 2010, the fast valve has operated successfully. He and Ar was used for the disruption mitigation on HT-7. By injecting the proper amount of gas, the current quench rate could be slowed down, and the impurities radiation would be greatly improved. In elongated plasmas of EAST discharges, the experimental data is opposite to that which is expected.

Liposomal membrane disruption by means of miniaturized dielectric-barrier discharge in air: liposome characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svarnas, P.; Asimakoulas, L.; Katsafadou, M.; Pachis, K.; Kostazos, N.; Antimisiaris, S. G.

2017-08-01

The increasing interest of the plasma community in the application of atmospheric-pressure cold plasmas to bio-specimen treatment has led to the creation of the emerging field of plasma biomedicine. Accordingly, plasma setups based on dielectric-barrier discharges have already been widely tested for the inactivation of various cells. Most of these systems refer to the plasma jet concept where noble gases penetrate atmospheric air and are subjected to the influence of high electric fields, thus forming guided streamers. Following the original works of our group where liposomal membranes were proposed as models for studying the interaction between plasma jets and cells, we present herein a study on liposomal membrane disruption by means of miniaturized dielectric-barrier discharge running in atmospheric air. Liposomal membranes of various lipid compositions, lamellarities, and sizes are treated at different times. It is shown that the dielectric-barrier discharge of low mean power leads to efficient liposomal membrane disruption. The latter is achieved in a controllable manner and depends on liposome properties. Additionally, it is clearly demonstrated that liposomal membrane disruption takes place even after plasma extinction, i.e. during post-treatment, resembling thus an ‘apoptosis’ effect, which is well known today mainly for cell membranes. Thus, the adoption of the present concept would be beneficial for tailoring studies on plasma-treated cell-mimics. Finally, the liposome treatment is discussed with respect to possible physicochemical mechanisms and potential discharge modification due to the various compositions of the liquid electrode.

Lectin-based food poisoning: a new mechanism of protein toxicity.

PubMed

Miyake, Katsuya; Tanaka, Toru; McNeil, Paul L

2007-08-01

Ingestion of the lectins present in certain improperly cooked vegetables can result in acute GI tract distress, but the mechanism of toxicity is unknown. In vivo, gut epithelial cells are constantly exposed to mechanical and other stresses and consequently individual cells frequently experience plasma membrane disruptions. Repair of these cell surface disruptions allows the wounded cell to survive: failure results in necrotic cell death. Plasma membrane repair is mediated, in part, by an exocytotic event that adds a patch of internal membrane to the defect site. Lectins are known to inhibit exocytosis. We therefore tested the novel hypothesis that lectin toxicity is due to an inhibitory effect on plasma membrane repair. Repair of plasma membrane disruptions and exocytosis of mucus was assessed after treatment of cultured cell models and excised segments of the GI tract with lectins. Plasma membrane disruptions were produced by focal irradiation of individual cells, using a microscope-based laser, or by mechanical abrasion of multiple cells, using a syringe needle. Repair was then assessed by monitoring the cytosolic penetration of dyes incapable of crossing the intact plasma membrane. We found that cell surface-bound lectins potently inhibited plasma membrane repair, and the exocytosis of mucus that normally accompanies the repair response. Lectins potently inhibit plasma membrane repair, and hence are toxic to wounded cells. This represents a novel form of protein-based toxicity, one that, we propose, is the basis of plant lectin food poisoning.

Low edge safety factor operation and passive disruption avoidance in current carrying plasmas by the addition of stellarator rotational transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, M. D.; ArchMiller, M. C.; Cianciosa, M. R.; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Hartwell, G. J.; Hebert, J. D.; Herfindal, J. L.; Knowlton, S. F.; Ma, X.; Massidda, S.; Maurer, D. A.; Roberds, N. A.; Traverso, P. J.

2015-11-01

Low edge safety factor operation at a value less than two ( q (a )=1 /ι̷tot(a )<2 ) is routine on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid device with the addition of sufficient external rotational transform. Presently, the operational space of this current carrying stellarator extends down to q (a )=1.2 without significant n = 1 kink mode activity after the initial plasma current rise phase of the discharge. The disruption dynamics of these low edge safety factor plasmas depend upon the fraction of helical field rotational transform from external stellarator coils to that generated by the plasma current. We observe that with approximately 10% of the total rotational transform supplied by the stellarator coils, low edge q disruptions are passively suppressed and avoided even though q(a) < 2. When the plasma does disrupt, the instability precursors measured and implicated as the cause are internal tearing modes with poloidal, m, and toroidal, n, helical mode numbers of m /n =3 /2 and 4/3 observed on external magnetic sensors and m /n =1 /1 activity observed on core soft x-ray emissivity measurements. Even though the edge safety factor passes through and becomes much less than q(a) < 2, external n = 1 kink mode activity does not appear to play a significant role in the disruption phenomenology observed.

Mitigation of upward and downward vertical displacement event heat loads with upper or lower massive gas injection in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollmann, E. M.; Commaux, N.; Eidietis, N. W.; Lasnier, C. J.; Moyer, R. A.; Parks, P. B.; Shiraki, D.

2015-10-01

Intentionally triggered upward and downward vertical displacement events (VDEs) leading to disruptions were pre-emptively mitigated with neon massive gas injection (MGI) coming from either above or below the plasma. Global indicators of disruption mitigation effectiveness (conducted heat loads, radiated power, and vessel motion) do not show a clear improvement when mitigating with the gas jet located closer to the VDE impact area. A clear trend of improved mitigation is observed for earlier MGI timing relative to the VDE impact time. The plasma edge magnetic perturbation is seen to lock to a preferential phase during the VDE thermal quench, but this phase is not clearly matched by preliminary attempts to fit to the conducted heat load phase. Clear indications of plasma infra-red (IR) emission are observed both before and during the disruptions. This IR emission can affect calculation of disruption heat loads; here, the time decay of post-disruption IR signals is used to correct for this effect.

Interplay between intrinsic plasma rotation and magnetic island evolution in disruptive discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ronchi, G.; Severo, J. H. F.; Salzedas, F.

The behavior of the intrinsic toroidal rotation of the plasma column during the growth and eventual saturation of m/n = 2/1 magnetic islands, triggered by programmed density rise, has been carefully investigated in disruptive discharges in TCABR. The results show that, as the island starts to grow and rotate at a speed larger than that of the plasma column, the angular frequency of the intrinsic toroidal rotation increases and that of the island decreases, following the expectation of synchronization. As the island saturates at a large size, just before a major disruption, the angular speed of the intrinsic rotation decreasesmore » quite rapidly, even though the island keeps still rotating at a reduced speed. This decrease of the toroidal rotation is quite reproducible and can be considered as an indicative of disruption.« less

Overview of recent experimental results from the Aditya tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanna, R. L.; Ghosh, J.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Raj, Harshita; Patel, Sharvil; Dhyani, P.; Gupta, C. N.; Jadeja, K. A.; Patel, K. M.; Bhatt, S. B.; Panchal, V. K.; Patel, N. C.; Chavda, Chhaya; Praveenlal, E. V.; Shah, K. S.; Makawana, M. N.; Jha, S. K.; Gopalkrishana, M. V.; Tahiliani, K.; Sangwan, Deepak; Raju, D.; Nagora, Umesh; Pathak, S. K.; Atrey, P. K.; Purohit, S.; Raval, J.; Joisa, Y. S.; Rao, C. V. S.; Chowdhuri, M. B.; Banerjee, S.; Ramaiya, N.; Manchanda, R.; Thomas, J.; Kumar, Ajai; Ajay, Kumar; Sharma, P. K.; Kulkarni, S. V.; Sathyanarayana, K.; Shukla, B. K.; Das, Amita; Jha, R.; Saxena, Y. C.; Sen, A.; Kaw, P. K.; Bora, D.; the ADITYA Team

2017-10-01

Several experiments, related to controlled thermonuclear fusion research and highly relevant for large size tokamaks, including ITER, have been carried out in ADITYA, an ohmically heated circular limiter tokamak. Repeatable plasma discharges of a maximum plasma current of ~160 kA and discharge duration beyond ~250 ms with a plasma current flattop duration of ~140 ms have been obtained for the first time in ADITYA. The reproducibility of the discharge reproducibility has been improved considerably with lithium wall conditioning, and improved plasma discharges are obtained by precisely controlling the position of the plasma. In these discharges, chord-averaged electron density ~3.0-4.0  ×  1019 m-3 using multiple hydrogen gas puffs, with a temperature of the order of ~500-700 eV, have been achieved. Novel experiments related to disruption control are carried out and disruptions, induced by hydrogen gas puffing, are successfully mitigated using the biased electrode and ion cyclotron resonance pulse techniques. Runaway electrons are successfully mitigated by applying a short local vertical field (LVF) pulse. A thorough disruption database has been generated by identifying the different categories of disruption. Detailed analysis of several hundred disrupted discharges showed that the current quench time is inversely proportional to the q edge. Apart from this, for volt-sec recovery during the plasma formation phase, low loop voltage start-up and current ramp-up experiments have been carried out using electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH). Successful recovery of volt-sec leads to the achievement of longer plasma discharge durations. In addition, the neon gas puff assisted radiative improved confinement mode has also been achieved in ADITYA. All of the above mentioned experiments will be discussed in this paper.

High-resolution disruption halo current measurements using Langmuir probes in Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinguely, R. A.; Granetz, R. S.; Berg, A.; Kuang, A. Q.; Brunner, D.; LaBombard, B.

2018-01-01

Halo currents generated during disruptions on Alcator C-Mod have been measured with Langmuir ‘rail’ probes. These rail probes are embedded in a lower outboard divertor module in a closely-spaced vertical (poloidal) array. The dense array provides detailed resolution of the spatial dependence (~1 cm spacing) of the halo current distribution in the plasma scrape-off region with high time resolution (400 kHz digitization rate). As the plasma limits on the outboard divertor plate, the contact point is clearly discernible in the halo current data (as an inversion of current) and moves vertically down the divertor plate on many disruptions. These data are consistent with filament reconstructions of the plasma boundary, from which the edge safety factor of the disrupting plasma can be calculated. Additionally, the halo current ‘footprint’ on the divertor plate is obtained and related to the halo flux width. The voltage driving halo current and the effective resistance of the plasma region through which the halo current flows to reach the probes are also investigated. Estimations of the sheath resistance and halo region resistivity and temperature are given. This information could prove useful for modeling halo current dynamics.

Peripheral ammonia and blood brain barrier structure and function after methamphetamine.

PubMed

Northrop, Nicole A; Halpin, Laura E; Yamamoto, Bryan K

2016-08-01

An effect of the widely abuse psychostimulant, methamphetamine (Meth), is blood-brain-barrier (BBB) disruption; however, the mechanism by which Meth causes BBB disruption remains unclear. Recently it has been shown that Meth produces liver damage and consequent increases in plasma ammonia. Ammonia can mediate oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which are known to cause BBB disruption. Therefore, the current studies examined the role of peripheral ammonia in Meth-induced disruption of BBB structure and function. A neurotoxic Meth regimen (10 mg/kg, ip, q 2 h, ×4) administered to rats increased plasma ammonia and active MMP-9 in the cortex 2 h after the last Meth injection, compared to saline treated rats. At 24 h after Meth treatment, decreased immunoreactivity of BBB structural proteins, occludin and claudin-5, and increased extravasation of 10,000 Da FITC-dextran were observed, as compared to saline controls. Pretreatment with lactulose (5.3 g/kg, po, q 12 h), a drug that remains in the lumen of the intestine and promotes ammonia excretion, prevented the Meth-induced increases in plasma ammonia. These results were paralleled by the prevention of decreases in BBB structural proteins, increases in extravasation of 10,000 Da FITC-dextran and increases in active MMP-9. The results indicate that Meth-induced increases in ammonia produce BBB disruption and suggest that MMP-9 activation mediates the BBB disruption. These findings identify a novel mechanism of Meth-induced BBB disruption that is mediated by plasma ammonia and are the first to identify a peripheral contribution to Meth-induced BBB disruption. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electromagnetic Analysis of ITER Diagnostic Equatorial Port Plugs During Plasma Disruptions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Y. Zhai, R. Feder, A. Brooks, M. Ulrickson, C.S. Pitcher and G.D. Loesser

2012-08-27

ITER diagnostic port plugs perform many functionsincluding structural support of diagnostic systems under high electromagnetic loads while allowing for diagnostic access to the plasma. The design of diagnostic equatorial port plugs (EPP) are largely driven by electromagnetic loads and associate responses of EPP structure during plasma disruptions and VDEs. This paper summarizes results of transient electromagnetic analysis using Opera 3d in support of the design activities for ITER diagnostic EPP. A complete distribution of disruption loads on the Diagnostic First Walls (DFWs), Diagnostic Shield Modules (DSMs) and the EPP structure, as well as impact on the system design integration duemore » to electrical contact among various EPP structural components are discussed.« less

On the magnetized disruption of inertially-confined plasma flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuel, Mario; Kuranz, Carolyn; Rasmus, Alexander; Klein, Sallee; MacDonald, Michael; Trantham, Matt; Fein, Jeff; Belancourt, Patrick; Young, Rachel; Keiter, Paul; Drake, R. Paul; Pollock, Brad; Park, Jaebum; Hazi, Andrew; Williams, Jackson; Chen, Hui

2016-10-01

The creation and disruption of inertially-collimated plasma flows is investigated through experiment, simulation, and analytical modeling. Laser-generated plasma-jets are shown to be disrupted by an applied 5T B-field along the jet axis. An analytical model of the system describes the disruption mechanism through the competing effects of B-field advection and diffusion. These results indicate that for Rem 10-100, the ratio of inertial to magnetic pressures plays an important role in determining whether a jet is formed, but at high enough Rem , axial B-field amplification prevents inertial collimation altogether. This work is funded by the U.S. DOE, through the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in HED Laboratory Plasmas, Grant Number DE-NA0001840 and in collaboration with LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. Support for this work was provided by NASA, under contract NAS8-03060, through Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant Number PF3-140111. Software used in this work was developed in part by the DOE NNSA ASC- and DOE Office of Science ASCR-supported Flash Center.

Tokamak magneto-hydrodynamics and reference magnetic coordinates for simulations of plasma disruptions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakharov, Leonid E.; Li, Xujing

This paper formulates the Tokamak Magneto-Hydrodynamics (TMHD), initially outlined by X. Li and L. E. Zakharov [Plasma Science and Technology 17(2), 97–104 (2015)] for proper simulations of macroscopic plasma dynamics. The simplest set of magneto-hydrodynamics equations, sufficient for disruption modeling and extendable to more refined physics, is explained in detail. First, the TMHD introduces to 3-D simulations the Reference Magnetic Coordinates (RMC), which are aligned with the magnetic field in the best possible way. The numerical implementation of RMC is adaptive grids. Being consistent with the high anisotropy of the tokamak plasma, RMC allow simulations at realistic, very high plasmamore » electric conductivity. Second, the TMHD splits the equation of motion into an equilibrium equation and the plasma advancing equation. This resolves the 4 decade old problem of Courant limitations of the time step in existing, plasma inertia driven numerical codes. The splitting allows disruption simulations on a relatively slow time scale in comparison with the fast time of ideal MHD instabilities. A new, efficient numerical scheme is proposed for TMHD.« less

Mitigation of upward and downward vertical displacement event heat loads with upper or lower massive gas injection in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollmann, E. M.; Commaux, Nicolas J. C.; Eidietis, N. W.

Intentionally triggered upward and downward vertical displacement events (VDEs) leading to disruptions were pre-emptively mitigated with neon massive gas injection (MGI) coming from either above or below the plasma. Global indicators of disruption mitigation effectiveness (conducted heat loads, radiated power, and vessel motion) do not show a clear improvement when mitigating with the gas jet located closer to the VDE impact area. A clear trend of improved mitigation is observed for earlier MGI timing relative to the VDE impact time. The plasma edge magnetic perturbation is seen to lock to a preferential phase during the VDE thermal quench, but thismore » phase is not clearly matched by preliminary attempts to fit to the conducted heat load phase. Clear indications of plasma infra-red (IR) emission are observed both before and during the disruptions. Furthermore, this IR emission can affect calculation of disruption heat loads; here, the time decay of post-disruption IR signals is used to correct for this effect.« less

Mitigation of upward and downward vertical displacement event heat loads with upper or lower massive gas injection in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hollmann, E. M.; Moyer, R. A.; Commaux, N.

Intentionally triggered upward and downward vertical displacement events (VDEs) leading to disruptions were pre-emptively mitigated with neon massive gas injection (MGI) coming from either above or below the plasma. Global indicators of disruption mitigation effectiveness (conducted heat loads, radiated power, and vessel motion) do not show a clear improvement when mitigating with the gas jet located closer to the VDE impact area. A clear trend of improved mitigation is observed for earlier MGI timing relative to the VDE impact time. The plasma edge magnetic perturbation is seen to lock to a preferential phase during the VDE thermal quench, but thismore » phase is not clearly matched by preliminary attempts to fit to the conducted heat load phase. Clear indications of plasma infra-red (IR) emission are observed both before and during the disruptions. This IR emission can affect calculation of disruption heat loads; here, the time decay of post-disruption IR signals is used to correct for this effect.« less

Mitigation of upward and downward vertical displacement event heat loads with upper or lower massive gas injection in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Hollmann, E. M.; Commaux, Nicolas J. C.; Eidietis, N. W.; ...

2015-10-12

Intentionally triggered upward and downward vertical displacement events (VDEs) leading to disruptions were pre-emptively mitigated with neon massive gas injection (MGI) coming from either above or below the plasma. Global indicators of disruption mitigation effectiveness (conducted heat loads, radiated power, and vessel motion) do not show a clear improvement when mitigating with the gas jet located closer to the VDE impact area. A clear trend of improved mitigation is observed for earlier MGI timing relative to the VDE impact time. The plasma edge magnetic perturbation is seen to lock to a preferential phase during the VDE thermal quench, but thismore » phase is not clearly matched by preliminary attempts to fit to the conducted heat load phase. Clear indications of plasma infra-red (IR) emission are observed both before and during the disruptions. Furthermore, this IR emission can affect calculation of disruption heat loads; here, the time decay of post-disruption IR signals is used to correct for this effect.« less

Hiro and Evans currents in Vertical Disruption Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharov, Leonid; Xujing Li Team; Sergei Galkin Team

2014-10-01

The notion of Tokamak Magneto-Hydrodynamics (TMHD), which explicitly reflects the anisotropy of a high temperature tokamak plasma is introduced. The set of TMHD equations is formulated for simulations of macroscopic plasma dynamics and disruptions in tokamaks. Free from the Courant restriction on the time step, this set of equations is appropriate for high performance plasmas and does not require any extension of the MHD plasma model. At the same time, TMHD requires the use of magnetic field aligned numerical grids. The TMHD model was used for creation of theory of the Wall Touching Kink and Vertical Modes (WTKM and WTVM), prediction of Hiro and Evans currents, design of an innovative diagnostics for Hiro current measurements, installed on EAST device. While Hiro currents have explained the toroidal asymmetry in the plasma current measurements in JET disruptions, the Evans currents explain the tile current measurements in tokamaks. The recently developed Vertical Disruption Code (VDE) have demonstrated 5 regimes of VDE and confirmed the generation of both Hiro and Evans currents. The results challenge the 24 years long misinterpretation of the tile currents in tokamaks as ``halo'' currents, which were a product of misuse of equilibrium reconstruction for VDE. This work is supported by US DoE Contract No. DE-AC02-09-CH1146.

The radiation asymmetry in MGI rapid shutdown on J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Ruihai; Chen, Zhongyong; Huang, Duwei; Cheng, Zhifeng; Zhang, Xiaolong; Zhuang, Ge; J-TEXT Team

2017-10-01

Disruptions, the sudden termination of tokamak fusion plasmas by instabilities, have the potential to cause severe material wall damage to large tokamaks like ITER. The mitigation of disruption damage is an essential part of any fusion reactor system. Massive gas injection (MGI) rapid shutdown is a technique in which large amounts of noble gas are injected into the plasma in order to safely radiate the plasma energy evenly over the entire plasma-facing first wall. However, the radiated energy during the thermal quench (TQ) in massive gas injection (MGI) induced disruptions is found toroidal asymmetric, and the degrees of asymmetry correlate with the gas penetration and MGI induced magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) activities. A toroidal and poloidal array of ultraviolet photodiodes (AXUV) has been developed to investigate the radiation asymmetry on J-TEXT tokamak. Together with the upgraded mirnov probe arrays, the relation between MGI triggered MHD activities with radiation asymmetry is studied.

JET disruption studies in support of ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riccardo, V.; Arnoux, G.; Cahyna, P.; Hender, T. C.; Huber, A.; Jachmich, S.; Kiptily, V.; Koslowski, R.; Krlin, L.; Lehnen, M.; Loarte, A.; Nardon, E.; Paprok, R.; Tskhakaya (Sr, D.; contributors, JET-EFDA

2010-12-01

Plasma disruptions affect plasma-facing and structural components of tokamaks due to electromechanical forces, thermal loads and generation of high energy runaway electrons (REs). Asymmetries in poloidal halo and toroidal plasma current can now be routinely measured in four positions 90° apart. Their assessment is used to validate the design of the ITER vessel support system and its in-vessel components. The challenge of disruption thermal loads comes from both the short duration over which a large energy has to be lost and the potential for asymmetries. The focus of this paper will be on localized heat loads. Resonant magnetic perturbations failed to reduce the generation of REs in JET. An explanation of the limitations applying to these attempts is offered together with a minimum guideline. The REs generated by a moderate, but fast, Ar injection in limiter plasmas show evidence of milder and more efficient losses due to the high Ar background density.

Sideways wall force produced during tokamak disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, H.; Paccagnella, R.; Breslau, J.; Sugiyama, L.; Jardin, S.

2013-07-01

A critical issue for ITER is to evaluate the forces produced on the surrounding conducting structures during plasma disruptions. We calculate the non-axisymmetric ‘sideways’ wall force Fx, produced in disruptions. Simulations were carried out of disruptions produced by destabilization of n = 1 modes by a vertical displacement event (VDE). The force depends strongly on γτwall, where γ is the mode growth rate and τwall is the wall penetration time, and is largest for γτwall = constant, which depends on initial conditions. Simulations of disruptions caused by a model of massive gas injection were also performed. It was found that the wall force increases approximately offset linearly with the displacement from the magnetic axis produced by a VDE. These results are also obtained with an analytical model. Disruptions are accompanied by toroidal variation of the plasma current Iφ. This is caused by toroidal variation of the halo current, as verified computationally and analytically.

Electromagnetic Analysis For The Design Of ITER Diagnostic Port Plugs During Plasma Disruptions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhai, Y

2014-03-03

ITER diagnostic port plugs perform many functions including structural support of diagnostic systems under high electromagnetic loads while allowing for diagnostic access to plasma. The design of diagnotic equatorial port plugs (EPP) are largely driven by electromagnetic loads and associate response of EPP structure during plasma disruptions and VDEs. This paper summarizes results of transient electromagnetic analysis using Opera 3d in support of the design activities for ITER diagnostic EPP. A complete distribution of disruption loads on the Diagnostic First Walls (DFWs). Diagnostic Shield Modules (DSMs) and the EPP structure, as well as impact on the system design integration duemore » to electrical contact among various EPP structural components are discussed.« less

Suppression of high-energy electrons generated in both disrupting and sustained MST tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, M. D.; Chapman, B. E.; Munaretto, S.; Cornille, B. S.; McCollam, K. J.; Sovinec, C. R.; Dubois, A. M.; Almagri, A. F.; Goetz, J. A.

2017-10-01

High-energy electrons appearing during MST tokamak plasma disruptions are rapidly lost from the plasma due apparently to internal MHD activity. Work has just recently begun on generating and diagnosing disruptions in MST tokamak plasmas. Initial measurements show the characteristic drop in central temperature and density preceding a quench of the plasma current. This corresponds to a burst of dominantly n=1 MHD activity, which is accompanied by a short-lived burst of high-energy electrons. The short-lived nature of these electrons is suspected to be due to stochastic transport associated with the increased MHD. Earlier work shows that runaway electrons generated in low density, sustained plasmas are suppressed by a sufficiently large m=3 RMP in plasmas with q(a) <3. RMPs of various poloidal mode number can be generated with an array of saddle coils wound around the vertical insulated gap in MST's thick conducting shell. With an m=3 RMP, the degree of runaway suppression increases with RMP amplitude, while an m=1 RMP has little effect on the runaways. Nonlinear MHD modeling with NIMROD of these MST plasmas indicates increased stochasticity with an m=3 RMP, while no such increase in stochasticity is observed with an m=1 RMP. Work supported by US DOE.

Atmospheric-pressure guided streamers for liposomal membrane disruption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Svarnas, P.; Aleiferis, Sp.; Matrali, S. H.

2012-12-24

The potential to use liposomes (LIPs) as a cellular model in order to study interactions of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma with cells is herein investigated. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is formed by a dielectric-barrier discharge reactor. Large multilamellar vesicle liposomes, consisted of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, are prepared by the thin film hydration technique, to encapsulate a small hydrophilic dye, i.e., calcein. The plasma-induced release of calcein from liposomes is then used as a measure of liposome membrane integrity and, consequently, interaction between the cold atmospheric plasma and lipid bilayers. Physical mechanisms leading to membrane disruption are suggested, based on the plasma characterizationmore » including gas temperature calculation.« less

Operation in low edge safety factor regime and passive disruption avoidance due to stellarator rotational transform in the Compact Toroidal Hybrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, M. D.; Ennis, D. A.; Hartwell, G. J.; Maurer, D. A.

2015-11-01

Low edge safety factor operation at a value less than two (q (a) = 1 /ttot (a) < 2) is routine on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid device. Presently, the operational space of this current carrying stellarator extends down to q (a) = 1 . 2 without significant n = 1 kink mode activity after the initial plasma current rise of the discharge. The disruption dynamics of these low q (a) plasmas depend upon the fraction of rotational transform produced by external stellarator coils to that generated by the plasma current. We observe that when about 10% of the total rotational transform is supplied by the stellarator coils, low q (a) disruptions are passively suppressed and avoided even though q (a) < 2 . When the plasma does disrupt, the instability precursors measured and implicated as the cause are internal tearing modes with poloidal, m, and toroidal, n, mode numbers of m / n = 3 / 2 and 4 / 3 observed by external magnetic sensors, and m / n = 1 / 1 activity observed by core soft x-ray emissivity measurements. Even though q (a) passes through and becomes much less than two, external n = 1 kink mode activity does not appear to play a significant role in the observed disruption phenomenology. This work is supported by US Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

Synergetic Effects of Runaway and Disruption Induced by VDE on the First Wall Damage in HL-2A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Xianying; Yang, Jinwei; Li, Xu; Yuan, Guoliang; Zhang, Yipo

2012-03-01

The plasma facing component in HL-2A has been damaged seriously after disruption, and for this reason its operation is suspended for maintenance. The experimental phenomena and plasma configurations, calculated by the current filament code (CF-code) using the plasma parameters measured by diagnostics and the signals of the magnetic probes, confirm that the first wall is damaged by the synergetic effects of runaway electrons and disruption induced by a vertical displacement event (VDE). When the plasma column is displaced upward/downward, the strong runaway electrons normally hit the baffle plate of the MP3 or MP1 coil in the upper and lower divertor during the disruption, causing the baffle plates to be holed and wrinkled by the energetic runaway current, and water (for cooling or heating the baffle plates) to leak into the vacuum vessel. Another disastrous consequence is that bellows underlying the baffle plate and outside the coil of MP3 for connecting two segments of the jacket casing pipe are punctured by arcing. The arc may be part of the halo current that forms a complete circuit. The experimental phenomena are indirect but compelling evidence for the existence of a halo current during the disruption and VDE, though the halo current has not been measured by the diagnostics in the HL-2A tokamak.

Simulation study of disruption characteristics in KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jongkyu; Kim, J. Y.; Kessel, C. E.; Poli, F.

2012-10-01

A detailed simulation study of disruption in KSTAR had been performed using the Tokamak Simulation Code(TSC) [1] during the initial design phase of KSTAR [2]. Recently, however, a partial modification in the structure of passive plate was made in relation to reduce eddy current and increase the efficiency of control of vertical position. A substantial change can then occur in disruption characteristics and plasma behavior during disruption due to changes in passive plate structure. Because of this, growth rate of vertical instability is expected to be increased and eddy current and its associated electomagnetic force are expected to be reduced. To check this in more detail, a new simulation study is here given with modified passive plate structure of KSTAR. In particular, modeling of vertical disruption that is vertical displacement event (VDE) was carried out. We calculated vertical growth rate for a drift phase of plasma and electromagnetic force acting on PFC structures and compared the results between in a new model and an old model. [4pt] [1] S.C. Jardin, N. Pomphrey and J. Delucia, J. Comp. Phys. 66, 481 (1986).[0pt] [2] J.Y. Kim, S.Y. Cho and KSTAR Team, Disruption load analysis on KSTAR PFC structures, J. Accel. Plasma Res. 5, 149 (2000).

Double-null divertor configuration discharge and disruptive heat flux simulation using TSC on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bo, SHI; Jinhong, YANG; Cheng, YANG; Desheng, CHENG; Hui, WANG; Hui, ZHANG; Haifei, DENG; Junli, QI; Xianzu, GONG; Weihua, WANG

2018-07-01

The tokamak simulation code (TSC) is employed to simulate the complete evolution of a disruptive discharge in the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. The multiplication factor of the anomalous transport coefficient was adjusted to model the major disruptive discharge with double-null divertor configuration based on shot 61 916. The real-time feed-back control system for the plasma displacement was employed. Modeling results of the evolution of the poloidal field coil currents, the plasma current, the major radius, the plasma configuration all show agreement with experimental measurements. Results from the simulation show that during disruption, heat flux about 8 MW m‑2 flows to the upper divertor target plate and about 6 MW m‑2 flows to the lower divertor target plate. Computations predict that different amounts of heat fluxes on the divertor target plate could result by adjusting the multiplication factor of the anomalous transport coefficient. This shows that TSC has high flexibility and predictability.

Major Disruptions and Other Issues Driving the Design of the Ignitor Plasma Chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramogida, G.; Frosi, P.; Coppi, B.

2012-10-01

The Plasma Chamber of the Ignitor machine is designed according to the information available about electromagnetic loads coming from the experimental knowledge and the increasingly accurate numerical models of the eddy and halo currents resulting from the worst disruption events in existing machines. The developed models deal with static, dynamic and modal analysis. The loads during nominal operations and also those arising from plasma disruptions, by far the most important ones, have been taken into account, as well as the design problems arising from the Mo tiles in the inboard edge of the vacuum vessel, the Faraday shields covering the 6 ports devoted to the ICRH system and, finally, the reaction forces coming from the regions of constraints with the C-Clamps (the retaining structure that support the plasma chamber both statically and dynamically). The plasma chamber has to perform several additional functions, such as to keep the vacuum, be bakeable, and support the set of plates that carry the Mo tiles facing the plasma column. According to the present design the chamber is made of Inconel and has a thickness varying from 26 to 52 mm.

Studies of the DIII-D disruption database using Machine Learning algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rea, Cristina; Granetz, Robert; Meneghini, Orso

2017-10-01

A Random Forests Machine Learning algorithm, trained on a large database of both disruptive and non-disruptive DIII-D discharges, predicts disruptive behavior in DIII-D with about 90% of accuracy. Several algorithms have been tested and Random Forests was found superior in performances for this particular task. Over 40 plasma parameters are included in the database, with data for each of the parameters taken from 500k time slices. We focused on a subset of non-dimensional plasma parameters, deemed to be good predictors based on physics considerations. Both binary (disruptive/non-disruptive) and multi-label (label based on the elapsed time before disruption) classification problems are investigated. The Random Forests algorithm provides insight on the available dataset by ranking the relative importance of the input features. It is found that q95 and Greenwald density fraction (n/nG) are the most relevant parameters for discriminating between DIII-D disruptive and non-disruptive discharges. A comparison with the Gradient Boosted Trees algorithm is shown and the first results coming from the application of regression algorithms are presented. Work supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-SC0014264 and DE-FG02-95ER54309.

Passive runaway electron suppression in tokamak disruptions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, H. M.; Helander, P.; Boozer, A. H.

2013-07-15

Runaway electrons created in disruptions pose a serious problem for tokamaks with large current. It would be desirable to have a runaway electron suppression method which is passive, i.e., a method that does not rely on an uncertain disruption prediction system. One option is to let the large electric field inherent in the disruption drive helical currents in the wall. This would create ergodic regions in the plasma and increase the runaway losses. Whether these regions appear at a suitable time and place to affect the formation of the runaway beam depends on disruption parameters, such as electron temperature andmore » density. We find that it is difficult to ergodize the central plasma before a beam of runaway current has formed. However, the ergodic outer region will make the Ohmic current profile contract, which can lead to instabilities that yield large runaway electron losses.« less

Application of the Disruption Predictor Feature Developer to developing a machine-portable disruption predictor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, Matthew; Tang, William; Feibush, Eliot

2016-10-01

Plasma disruptions pose a major threat to the operation of tokamaks which confine a large amount of stored energy. In order to effectively mitigate this damage it is necessary to predict an oncoming disruption with sufficient warning time to take mitigative action. Machine learning approaches to this problem have shown promise but require further developments to address (1) the need for machine-portable predictors and (2) the availability of multi-dimensional signal inputs. Here we demonstrate progress in these two areas by applying the Disruption Predictor Feature Developer to data from JET and NSTX, and discuss topics of focus for ongoing work in support of ITER. The author is also supported under the Fulbright U.S. Student Program as a graduate student in the department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Magnetic field line reconnection experiments. V - Current disruptions and double layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Gekelman, W.; Wild, N.

1983-01-01

An investigation is conducted of the stability of a large laboratory plasma current sheet, which has been generated in the process of magnetic field line reconnection, with respect to local current increases. Magnetic flux variations in regions remote from the current sheet generate an inductive voltage in the current loop that drops off inside the plasma in the form of a potential double layer, leading to particle acceleration with velocities much larger than those expected from the steady state electric fields in the plasma. A model for the mechanism of the current disruptions is formulated in which the potential structure leads to ion expulsion, creating a localized density drop. The associated current drop in an inductive circuit drives the potential structure, providing feedback for the disruptive instability. Similarities to, and differences from, magnetospheric substorm phenomena are noted.

A novel workflow combining plaque imaging, plaque and plasma proteomics identifies biomarkers of human coronary atherosclerotic plaque disruption.

PubMed

Lee, Regent; Fischer, Roman; Charles, Philip D; Adlam, David; Valli, Alessandro; Di Gleria, Katalin; Kharbanda, Rajesh K; Choudhury, Robin P; Antoniades, Charalambos; Kessler, Benedikt M; Channon, Keith M

2017-01-01

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is the culprit event which underpins most acute vascular syndromes such as acute myocardial infarction. Novel biomarkers of plaque rupture could improve biological understanding and clinical management of patients presenting with possible acute vascular syndromes but such biomarker(s) remain elusive. Investigation of biomarkers in the context of de novo plaque rupture in humans is confounded by the inability to attribute the plaque rupture as the source of biomarker release, as plaque ruptures are typically associated with prompt down-stream events of myocardial necrosis and systemic inflammation. We developed a novel approach to identify potential biomarkers of plaque rupture by integrating plaque imaging, using optical coherence tomography, with both plaque and plasma proteomic analysis in a human model of angioplasty-induced plaque disruption. We compared two pairs of coronary plaque debris, captured by a FilterWire Device, and their corresponding control samples and found matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) to be significantly enriched in plaque. Plaque contents, as defined by optical coherence tomography, affect the systemic changes of MMP9. Disruption of lipid-rich plaque led to prompt elevation of plasma MMP9, whereas disruption of non-lipid-rich plaque resulted in delayed elevation of plasma MMP9. Systemic MMP9 elevation is independent of the associated myocardial necrosis and systemic inflammation (measured by Troponin I and C-reactive protein, respectively). This information guided the selection of a subset of subjects of for further label free proteomics analysis by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We discovered five novel, plaque-enriched proteins (lipopolysaccharide binding protein, Annexin A5, eukaryotic translocation initiation factor, syntaxin 11, cytochrome B5 reductase 3) to be significantly elevated in systemic circulation at 5 min after plaque disruption. This novel approach for biomarker discovery in human coronary artery plaque disruption can identify new biomarkers related to human coronary artery plaque composition and disruption.

Hydroxychloroquine protects the annexin A5 anticoagulant shield from disruption by antiphospholipid antibodies: evidence for a novel effect for an old antimalarial drug.

PubMed

Rand, Jacob H; Wu, Xiao-Xuan; Quinn, Anthony S; Ashton, Anthony W; Chen, Pojen P; Hathcock, James J; Andree, Harry A M; Taatjes, Douglas J

2010-03-18

Annexin A5 (AnxA5) is a potent anticoagulant protein that crystallizes over phospholipid bilayers (PLBs), blocking their availability for coagulation reactions. Antiphospholipid antibodies disrupt AnxA5 binding, thereby accelerating coagulation reactions. This disruption may contribute to thrombosis and miscarriages in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). We investigated whether the antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), might affect this prothrombotic mechanism. Binding of AnxA5 to PLBs was measured with labeled AnxA5 and also imaged with atomic force microscopy. Immunoglobulin G levels, AnxA5, and plasma coagulation times were measured on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells and a syncytialized trophoblast cell line. AnxA5 anticoagulant activities of APS patient plasmas were also determined. HCQ reversed the effect of antiphospholipid antibodies on AnxA5 and restored AnxA5 binding to PLBs, an effect corroborated by atomic force microscopy. Similar reversals of antiphospholipid-induced abnormalities were measured on the surfaces of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and syncytialized trophoblast cell lines, wherein HCQ reduced the binding of antiphospholipid antibodies, increased cell-surface AnxA5 concentrations, and prolonged plasma coagulation to control levels. In addition, HCQ increased the AnxA5 anticoagulant activities of APS patient plasmas. In conclusion, HCQ reversed antiphospholipid-mediated disruptions of AnxA5 on PLBs and cultured cells, and in APS patient plasmas. These results support the concept of novel therapeutic approaches that address specific APS disease mechanisms.

Plasma Chamber and First Wall of the Ignitor Experiment^*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucchiaro, A.; Coppi, B.; Bianchi, A.; Lucca, F.

2005-10-01

The new designs of the Plasma Chamber (PC) and of the First Wall (FW) system are based on updated scenarios for vertical plasma disruption (VDE) as well as estimates for the maximum thermal wall loadings at ignition. The PC wall thickness has been optimized to reduce the deformation during the worst disruption event without sacrificing the dimensions of the plasma column. A non linear dynamic analysis of the PC has been performed on a 360^o model of it, taking into account possible toroidal asymmetries of the halo current. Radial EM loads obtained by scaling JET measurements have been also considered. The low-cycle fatigue analysis confirms that the PC is able to meet a lifetime of few thousand cycles for the most extreme combinations of magnetic fields and plasma currents. The FW, made of Molybdenum (TZM) tiles covering the entire inner surface of the PC, has been designed to withstand thermal and EM loads, both under normal operating conditions and in case of disruption. Detailed elasto-plastic structural analyses of the most (EM) loaded tile-carriers show that these are compatible with the adopted fabrication requirements. ^*Sponsored in part by ENEA of Italy and by the U.S. DOE.

Progress in Development of C60 Nanoparticle Plasma Jet for Diagnostic of Runaway Electron Beam-Plasma Interaction and Disruption Mitigation Study for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogatu, I. N.; Thompson, J. R.; Galkin, S. A.; Kim, J. S.

2013-10-01

We produced a C60 nanoparticle plasma jet (NPPJ) with uniquely fast response-to-delivery time (~ 1 - 2 ms) and unprecedentedly high momentum (~ 0 . 6 g .km/s). The C60 NPPJ was obtained by using a solid state TiH2/C60 pulsed power cartridge producing ~180 mg of C60 molecular gas by sublimation and by electromagnetic acceleration of the C60 plasma in a coaxial gun (~35 cm length, 96 kJ energy) with the output of a high-density (>1023 m-3) hyper-velocity (>4 km/s) plasma jet. The ~ 75 mg C60/C plasma jet has the potential to rapidly and deeply deliver enough mass to significantly increase electron density (to ne ~ 2 . 4 ×1021 m-3, i.e. ~ 60 times larger than typical DIII-D pre-disruption value, ne 0 ~ 4 ×1019 m-3), and to modify the 'critical electric field' and the runaway electrons (REs) collisional drag during different phases of REs dynamics. The C60 NPPJ, as a novel injection technique, allows RE beam-plasma interaction diagnostic by quantitative spectroscopy of C ions visible/UV line intensity. The system is scalable to ~ 1 - 2 g C60/C plasma jet output and technology is adaptable to ITER acceptable materials (BN and Be) for disruption mitigation. Work supported by US DOE DE-FG02-08ER85196 grant.

Physics of the interaction between runaway electrons and the background plasma of the current quench in tokamak disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reux, Cedric

2017-10-01

Runaway electrons are created during disruptions of tokamak plasmas. They can be accelerated in the form of a multi-MA beam at energies up to several 10's of MeV. Prevention or suppression of runaway electrons during disruptions will be essential to ensure a reliable operation of future tokamaks such as ITER. Recent experiments showed that the suppression of an already accelerated beam with massive gas injection was unsuccessful at JET, conversely to smaller tokamaks. This was attributed to a dense, cold background plasma (up to several 1020 m-3 accompanying the runaway beam. The present contribution reports on the latest experimental results obtained at JET showing that some mitigation efficiency can be restored by changing the features of the background plasma. The density, temperature, position of the plasma and the energy of runaways were characterized using a combined analysis of interferometry, soft X-rays, bolometry, magnetics and hard X-rays. It showed that lower density background plasmas were obtained using smaller amounts of gas to trigger the disruption, leading to an improved penetration of the mitigation gas. Based on the observations, a physical model of the creation of the background plasma and its subsequent evolution is proposed. The plasma characteristics during later stages of the disruption are indeed dependent on the way it was initially created. The sustainment of the plasma during the runaway beam phase is then addressed by making a power balance between ohmic heating, power transfer from runaway electrons, radiation and atomic processes. Finally, a model of the interaction of the plasma with the mitigation gas is proposed to explain why massive gas injection of runaway beams works only in specific situations. This aims at pointing out which parameters bear the most importance if this mitigation scheme is to be used on larger devices like ITER. Acknowledgement: This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. C. Reux, S. Jachmich, E. Joffrin, I. Coffey, O. Ficker, S. Gerasimov, V. Kiptily, U. Kruezi, M. Lehnen, U. Losada, A. Martin, J. Mlynar, E. Nardon, M. O'Mullane, V. Plyusnin, V. Riccardo, F. Saint-Laurent, G. Szepesi, S. Silburn and JET contributors.

US-Japan workshop Q-181 on high heat flux components and plasma-surface interactions for next devices: Proceedings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McGrath, R.T.; Yamashina, T.

This report contain viewgraphs of papers from the following sessions: plasma facing components issues for future machines; recent PMI results from several tokamaks; high heat flux technology; plasma facing components design and applications; plasma facing component materials and irradiation damage; boundary layer plasma; plasma disruptions; conditioning and tritium; and erosion/redeposition.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles decrease the expression and activity of plasma membrane calcium ATPase, disrupt the intracellular calcium homeostasis in rat retinal ganglion cells.

PubMed

Guo, Dadong; Bi, Hongsheng; Wang, Daoguang; Wu, Qiuxin

2013-08-01

Zinc oxide nanoparticle is one of the most important materials with diverse applications. However, it has been reported that zinc oxide nanoparticles are toxic to organisms, and that oxidative stress is often hypothesized to be an important factor in cytotoxicity mediated by zinc oxide nanoparticles. Nevertheless, the mechanism of toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles has not been completely understood. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles and the possible molecular mechanism involved in calcium homeostasis mediated by plasma membrane calcium ATPase in rat retinal ganglion cells. Real-time cell electronic sensing assay showed that zinc oxide nanoparticles could exert cytotoxic effect on rat retinal ganglion cells in a concentration-dependent manner; flow cytometric analysis indicated that zinc oxide nanoparticles could lead to cell damage by inducing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, zinc oxide nanoparticles could also apparently decrease the expression level and their activity of plasma membrane calcium ATPase, which finally disrupt the intracellular calcium homeostasis and result in cell death. Taken together, zinc oxide nanoparticles could apparently decrease the plasma membrane calcium ATPase expression, inhibit their activity, cause the elevated intracellular calcium ion level and disrupt the intracellular calcium homeostasis. Further, the disrupted calcium homeostasis will trigger mitochondrial dysfunction, generate excessive reactive oxygen species, and finally initiate cell death. Thus, the disrupted calcium homeostasis is involved in the zinc oxide nanoparticle-induced rat retinal ganglion cell death. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical investigation of disruption characteristics for the snowflake divertor configuration in HL-2M

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, L.; Duan, X. R.; Zheng, G. Y.; Liu, Y. Q.; Pan, Y. D.; Yan, S. L.; Dokuka, V. N.; Lukash, V. E.; Khayrutdinov, R. R.

2016-05-01

Cold and hot vertical displacement events (VDEs) are frequently related to the disruption of vertically-elongated tokamaks. The weak poloidal magnetic field around the null-points of a snowflake divertor configuration may influence the vertical displacement process. In this paper, the major disruption with a cold VDE and the vertical disruption in the HL-2M tokamak are investigated by the DINA code. In order to better illustrate the effect from the weak poloidal field, a double-null snowflake configuration is compared with the standard divertor (SD) configuration under the same plasma parameters. Computational results show that the weak poloidal magnetic field can be partly beneficial for mitigating the vertical instability of the plasma under small perturbations. For major disruption, the peak poloidal halo current fraction is almost the same between the snowflake and the SD configurations. However, this fraction becomes much larger for the snowflake in the event of a hot VDE. Furthermore, during the disruption for a snowflake configuration, the distribution of electromagnetic force on a vacuum vessel gets more non-uniform during the current quench.

Lack of dependence on resonant error field of locked mode island size in ohmic plasmas in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Haye, R. J. La; Paz-Soldan, C.; Strait, E. J.

2015-01-23

DIII-D experiments show that fully penetrated resonant n=1 error field locked modes in Ohmic plasmas with safety factor q 95≳3 grow to similar large disruptive size, independent of resonant error field correction. Relatively small resonant (m/n=2/1) static error fields are shielded in Ohmic plasmas by the natural rotation at the electron diamagnetic drift frequency. However, the drag from error fields can lower rotation such that a bifurcation results, from nearly complete shielding to full penetration, i.e., to a driven locked mode island that can induce disruption.

Disruption of Alfvénic turbulence by magnetic reconnection in a collisionless plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallet, Alfred; Schekochihin, Alexander A.; Chandran, Benjamin D. G.

2017-12-01

We calculate the disruption scale \\text{D}$ at which sheet-like structures in dynamically aligned Alfvénic turbulence are destroyed by the onset of magnetic reconnection in a low- collisionless plasma. The scaling of \\text{D}$ depends on the order of the statistics being considered, with more intense structures being disrupted at larger scales. The disruption scale for the structures that dominate the energy spectrum is \\text{D}\\sim L\\bot 1/9(de\\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}s)4/9$ , where e$ is the electron inertial scale, s$ is the ion sound scale and \\bot $ is the outer scale of the turbulence. When e$ and s/L\\bot $ are sufficiently small, the scale \\text{D}$ is larger than s$ and there is a break in the energy spectrum at \\text{D}$ , rather than at s$ . We propose that the fluctuations produced by the disruption are circularised flux ropes, which may have already been observed in the solar wind. We predict the relationship between the amplitude and radius of these structures and quantify the importance of the disruption process to the cascade in terms of the filling fraction of undisrupted structures and the fractional reduction of the energy contained in them at the ion sound scale s$ . Both of these fractions depend strongly on e$ , with the disrupted structures becoming more important at lower e$ . Finally, we predict that the energy spectrum between \\text{D}$ and s$ is steeper than \\bot -3$ , when this range exists. Such a steep `transition range' is sometimes observed in short intervals of solar-wind turbulence. The onset of collisionless magnetic reconnection may therefore significantly affect the nature of plasma turbulence around the ion gyroscale.

Physics of collisionless scrape-off-layer plasma during normal and off-normal Tokamak operating conditions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hassanein, A.; Konkashbaev, I.

1999-03-15

The structure of a collisionless scrape-off-layer (SOL) plasma in tokamak reactors is being studied to define the electron distribution function and the corresponding sheath potential between the divertor plate and the edge plasma. The collisionless model is shown to be valid during the thermal phase of a plasma disruption, as well as during the newly desired low-recycling normal phase of operation with low-density, high-temperature, edge plasma conditions. An analytical solution is developed by solving the Fokker-Planck equation for electron distribution and balance in the SOL. The solution is in good agreement with numerical studies using Monte-Carlo methods. The analytical solutionsmore » provide an insight to the role of different physical and geometrical processes in a collisionless SOL during disruptions and during the enhanced phase of normal operation over a wide range of parameters.« less

Automated Characterization of Rotating MHD Modes and Subsequent Locking in a Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riquezes, Juan; Sabbagh, Steven; Berkery, Jack

2016-10-01

Disruption avoidance in tokamaks is highly desired to maintain steady plasma operation, and is critical for future reactor-scale devices, such as ITER, to avoid potential damage to device components. This high priority research is being conducted at PPPL by analyzing data from NSTX and its upgrade, NSTX-U. A key cause of disruptions is the physical event chain that comprises the appearance of rotating MHD modes, their slowing by resonant field drag mechanisms, and their subsequent locking. The present research aims to define algorithms to automatically find and characterize such physical event chains in the machine database. Characteristics such as identification of a mode locking time based on a loss of torque balance and bifurcation of the mode rotation frequency are examined to determine the reliability of such events in predicting disruptions. A goal is to detect such behavior as early as possible during a plasma discharge, and to further examine potential ways to forecast it. This capability could be used to provide a warning to use active mode control as a disruption avoidance mechanism, or to trigger a controlled plasma shutdown if desired. Supported by US DOE Contracts DE-FG02-99ER54524 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Contribution of ASDEX Upgrade to disruption studies for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pautasso, G.; Zhang, Y.; Reiter, B.; Giannone, L.; Gruber, O.; Herrmann, A.; Kardaun, O.; Khayrutdinov, K. K.; Lukash, V. E.; Maraschek, M.; Mlynek, A.; Nakamura, Y.; Schneider, W.; Sias, G.; Sugihara, M.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2011-10-01

This paper describes the most recent contributions of ASDEX Upgrade to ITER in the field of disruption studies. (1) The ITER specifications for the halo current magnitude are based on data collected from several tokamaks and summarized in the plot of the toroidal peaking factor versus the maximum halo current fraction. Even if the maximum halo current in ASDEX Upgrade reaches 50% of the plasma current, the duration of this maximum lasts a fraction of a ms. (2) Long-lasting asymmetries of the halo current are rare and do not give rise to a large asymmetric component of the mechanical forces on the machine. Differently from JET, these asymmetries are neither locked nor exhibit a stationary harmonic structure. (3) Recent work on disruption prediction has concentrated on the search for a simple function of the most relevant plasma parameters, which is able to discriminate between the safe and pre-disruption phases of a discharge. For this purpose, the disruptions of the last four years have been classified into groups and then discriminant analysis is used to select the most significant variables and to derive the discriminant function. (4) The attainment of the critical density for the collisional suppression of the runaway electrons seems to be technically and physically possible on our medium size tokamak. The CO2 interferometer and the AXUV diagnostic provide information on the highly 3D impurity transport process during the whole plasma quench.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakharov, Leonic E.; Li, Xujing

This paper formulates the Tokamak Magneto-Hydrodynamics (TMHD), initially outlined by X. Li and L.E. Zakharov [Plasma Science and Technology, accepted, ID:2013-257 (2013)] for proper simulations of macroscopic plasma dynamics. The simplest set of magneto-hydrodynamics equations, sufficient for disruption modeling and extendable to more refined physics, is explained in detail. First, the TMHD introduces to 3-D simulations the Reference Magnetic Coordinates (RMC), which are aligned with the magnetic field in the best possible way. The numerical implementation of RMC is adaptive grids. Being consistent with the high anisotropy of the tokamak plasma, RMC allow simulations at realistic, very high plasma electricmore » conductivity. Second, the TMHD splits the equation of motion into an equilibrium equation and the plasma advancing equation. This resolves the 4 decade old problem of Courant limitations of the time step in existing, plasma inertia driven numerical codes. The splitting allows disruption simulations on a relatively slow time scale in comparison with the fast time of ideal MHD instabilities. A new, efficient numerical scheme is proposed for TMHD.« less

Disruption prediction investigations using Machine Learning tools on DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rea, C.; Granetz, R. S.; Montes, K.

Using data-driven methodology, we exploit the time series of relevant plasma parameters for a large set of disrupted and non-disrupted discharges to develop a classification algorithm for detecting disruptive phases in shots that eventually disrupt. Comparing the same methodology on different devices is crucial in order to have information on the portability of the developed algorithm and the possible extrapolation to ITER. Therefore, we use data from two very different tokamaks, DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod. We then focus on a subset of disruption predictors, most of which are dimensionless and/or machine-independent parameters, coming from both plasma diagnostics and equilibrium reconstructions,more » such as the normalized plasma internal inductance ℓ and the n = 1 mode amplitude normalized to the toroidal magnetic field. Using such dimensionless indicators facilitates a more direct comparison between DIII-D and C-Mod. We then choose a shallow Machine Learning technique, called Random Forests, to explore the databases available for the two devices. We show results from the classification task, where we introduce a time dependency through the definition of class labels on the basis of the elapsed time before the disruption (i.e. ‘far from a disruption’ and ‘close to a disruption’). The performances of the different Random Forest classifiers are discussed in terms of several metrics, by showing the number of successfully detected samples, as well as the misclassifications. The overall model accuracies are above 97% when identifying a ‘far from disruption’ and a ‘disruptive’ phase for disrupted discharges. Nevertheless, the Forests are intrinsically different in their capability of predicting a disruptive behavior, with C-Mod predictions comparable to random guesses. Indeed, we show that C-Mod recall index, i.e. the sensitivity to a disruptive behavior, is as low as 0.47, while DIII-D recall is ~0.72. The portability of the developed algorithm is also tested across the two devices, by using DIII-D data for training the forests and C-Mod for testing and vice versa.« less

Disruption prediction investigations using Machine Learning tools on DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod

DOE PAGES

Rea, C.; Granetz, R. S.; Montes, K.; ...

2018-06-18

Using data-driven methodology, we exploit the time series of relevant plasma parameters for a large set of disrupted and non-disrupted discharges to develop a classification algorithm for detecting disruptive phases in shots that eventually disrupt. Comparing the same methodology on different devices is crucial in order to have information on the portability of the developed algorithm and the possible extrapolation to ITER. Therefore, we use data from two very different tokamaks, DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod. We then focus on a subset of disruption predictors, most of which are dimensionless and/or machine-independent parameters, coming from both plasma diagnostics and equilibrium reconstructions,more » such as the normalized plasma internal inductance ℓ and the n = 1 mode amplitude normalized to the toroidal magnetic field. Using such dimensionless indicators facilitates a more direct comparison between DIII-D and C-Mod. We then choose a shallow Machine Learning technique, called Random Forests, to explore the databases available for the two devices. We show results from the classification task, where we introduce a time dependency through the definition of class labels on the basis of the elapsed time before the disruption (i.e. ‘far from a disruption’ and ‘close to a disruption’). The performances of the different Random Forest classifiers are discussed in terms of several metrics, by showing the number of successfully detected samples, as well as the misclassifications. The overall model accuracies are above 97% when identifying a ‘far from disruption’ and a ‘disruptive’ phase for disrupted discharges. Nevertheless, the Forests are intrinsically different in their capability of predicting a disruptive behavior, with C-Mod predictions comparable to random guesses. Indeed, we show that C-Mod recall index, i.e. the sensitivity to a disruptive behavior, is as low as 0.47, while DIII-D recall is ~0.72. The portability of the developed algorithm is also tested across the two devices, by using DIII-D data for training the forests and C-Mod for testing and vice versa.« less

Self-consistent electrostatic simulations of reforming double layers in the downward current region of the aurora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunell, H.; Andersson, L.; De Keyser, J.; Mann, I.

2015-10-01

The plasma on a magnetic field line in the downward current region of the aurora is simulated using a Vlasov model. It is found that an electric field parallel to the magnetic fields is supported by a double layer moving toward higher altitude. The double layer accelerates electrons upward, and these electrons give rise to plasma waves and electron phase-space holes through beam-plasma interaction. The double layer is disrupted when reaching altitudes of 1-2 Earth radii where the Langmuir condition no longer can be satisfied due to the diminishing density of electrons coming up from the ionosphere. During the disruption the potential drop is in part carried by the electron holes. The disruption creates favourable conditions for double layer formation near the ionosphere and double layers form anew in that region. The process repeats itself with a period of approximately 1 min. This period is determined by how far the double layer can reach before being disrupted: a higher disruption altitude corresponds to a longer repetition period. The disruption altitude is, in turn, found to increase with ionospheric density and to decrease with total voltage. The current displays oscillations around a mean value. The period of the oscillations is the same as the recurrence period of the double layer formations. The oscillation amplitude increases with increasing voltage, whereas the mean value of the current is independent of voltage in the 100 to 800 V range covered by our simulations. Instead, the mean value of the current is determined by the electron density at the ionospheric boundary.

Impact and mitigation of disruptions with the ITER-like wall in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehnen, M.; Arnoux, G.; Brezinsek, S.; Flanagan, J.; Gerasimov, S. N.; Hartmann, N.; Hender, T. C.; Huber, A.; Jachmich, S.; Kiptily, V.; Kruezi, U.; Matthews, G. F.; Morris, J.; Plyusnin, V. V.; Reux, C.; Riccardo, V.; Sieglin, B.; de Vries, P. C.; EFDA Contributors, JET

2013-09-01

Disruptions are a critical issue for ITER because of the high thermal and magnetic energies that are released on short timescales, which results in extreme forces and heat loads. The choice of material of the plasma-facing components (PFCs) can have significant impact on the loads that arise during a disruption. With the ITER-like wall (ILW) in JET made of beryllium in the main chamber and tungsten in the divertor, the main finding is a low fraction of radiation. This has dropped significantly with the ILW from 50-100% of the total energy being dissipated during disruptions in CFC wall plasmas, to less than 50% on average and down to just 10% for vertical displacement events (VDEs). All other changes in disruption properties and loads are consequences of this low radiation: long current quenches (CQs), high vessel forces caused by halo currents and toroidal current asymmetries as well as severe heat loads. Temperatures close to the melting limit have been locally observed on upper first wall structures during deliberate VDE and even at plasma currents as low as 1.5 MA and thermal energy of about 1.5 MJ only. A high radiation fraction can be regained by massive injection of a mixture of 10% Ar with 90% D2. This accelerates the CQ thus reducing the halo current and sideways impulse. The temperature of PFCs stays below 400 °C. MGI is now a mandatory tool to mitigate disruptions in closed-loop operation for currents at and above 2.5 MA in JET.

Wall-touching kink mode calculations with the M3D code

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Breslau, J. A., E-mail: jbreslau@pppl.gov; Bhattacharjee, A.

This paper seeks to address a controversy regarding the applicability of the 3D nonlinear extended MHD code M3D [W. Park et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 1796 (1999)] and similar codes to calculations of the electromagnetic interaction of a disrupting tokamak plasma with the surrounding vessel structures. M3D is applied to a simple test problem involving an external kink mode in an ideal cylindrical plasma, used also by the Disruption Simulation Code (DSC) as a model case for illustrating the nature of transient vessel currents during a major disruption. While comparison of the results with those of the DSC is complicatedmore » by effects arising from the higher dimensionality and complexity of M3D, we verify that M3D is capable of reproducing both the correct saturation behavior of the free boundary kink and the “Hiro” currents arising when the kink interacts with a conducting tile surface interior to the ideal wall.« less

The ITER disruption mitigation trigger: developing its preliminary design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pautasso, G.; de Vries, P. C.; Humphreys, D.; Lehnen, M.; Rapson, C.; Raupp, G.; Snipes, J. A.; Treutterer, W.; Vergara-Fernandez, A.; Zabeo, L.

2018-03-01

A concept for the generation of the trigger for the ITER disruption mitigation system is described in this paper. The issuing of the trigger will be the result of a complex decision process, taken by the plasma control system, or by the central interlock system, determining that the plasma is unavoidably going to disrupt—or has disrupted—and that a fast mitigated shut-down is required. Given the redundancy of the mitigation system, the plasma control system must also formulate an injection scheme and specify when and how the injectors of the mitigation system should be activated. The parameters and the conceptual algorithms required for the configuration and generation of the trigger are discussed.

Overview of FAR-TECH's magnetic fusion energy research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jin-Soo; Bogatu, I. N.; Galkin, S. A.; Spencer, J. Andrew; Svidzinski, V. A.; Zhao, L.

2017-10-01

FAR-TECH, Inc. has been working on magnetic fusion energy research over two-decades. During the years, we have developed unique approaches to help understanding the physics, and resolving issues in magnetic fusion energy. The specific areas of work have been in modeling RF waves in plasmas, MHD modeling and mode-identification, and nano-particle plasma jet and its application to disruption mitigation. Our research highlights in recent years will be presented with examples, specifically, developments of FullWave (Full Wave RF code), PMARS (Parallelized MARS code), and HEM (Hybrid ElectroMagnetic code). In addition, nano-particle plasma-jet (NPPJ) and its application for disruption mitigation will be presented. Work is supported by the U.S. DOE SBIR program.

Plasma profile evolution during disruption mitigation via massive gas injection on MAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thornton, A. J.; Gibson, K. J.; Chapman, I. T.; Harrison, J. R.; Kirk, A.; Lisgo, S. W.; Lehnen, M.; Martin, R.; Scannell, R.; Cullen, A.; the MAST Team

2012-06-01

Massive gas injection (MGI) is one means of ameliorating disruptions in future devices such as ITER, where the stored energy in the plasma is an order of magnitude larger than in present-day devices. The penetration of the injected impurities during MGI in MAST is diagnosed using a combination of high-speed (20 kHz) visible imaging and high spatial (1 cm) and temporal (0.1 ms) resolution Thomson scattering (TS) measurements of the plasma temperature and density. It is seen that the rational surfaces, in particular q = 2, are the critical surfaces for disruption mitigation. The TS data shows the build-up of density on rational surfaces in the edge cooling period of the mitigation, leading to the collapse of the plasma in a thermal quench. The TS data are confirmed by the visible imaging, which shows filamentary structures present at the start of the thermal quench. The filamentary structures have a topology which matches that of a q = 2 field line in MAST, suggesting that they are located on the q = 2 surface. Linearized magnetohydrodynamic stability analysis using the TS profiles suggests that the large density build-up on the rational surfaces drives modes within the plasma which lead to the thermal quench. The presence of such modes is seen experimentally in the form of magnetic fluctuations on Mirnov coils and the growth of an n = 1 toroidal mode in the period prior to the thermal quench. These results support the observations of other machines that the 2/1 mode is the likely trigger for the thermal quench in a mitigated disruption and suggests that the mitigation process in spherical tokamaks is similar to that in conventional aspect ratio devices.

Disruption Event Characterization and Forecasting in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berkery, J. W.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Park, Y. S.; Ahn, J. H.; Jiang, Y.; Riquezes, J. D.; Gerhardt, S. P.; Myers, C. E.

2017-10-01

The Disruption Event Characterization and Forecasting (DECAF) code, being developed to meet the challenging goal of high reliability disruption prediction in tokamaks, automates data analysis to determine chains of events that lead to disruptions and to forecast their evolution. The relative timing of magnetohydrodynamic modes and other events including plasma vertical displacement, loss of boundary control, proximity to density limits, reduction of safety factor, and mismatch of the measured and desired plasma current are considered. NSTX/-U databases are examined with analysis expanding to DIII-D, KSTAR, and TCV. Characterization of tearing modes has determined mode bifurcation frequency and locking points. In an NSTX database exhibiting unstable resistive wall modes (RWM), the RWM event and loss of boundary control event were found in 100%, and the vertical displacement event in over 90% of cases. A reduced kinetic RWM stability physics model is evaluated to determine the proximity of discharges to marginal stability. The model shows high success as a disruption predictor (greater than 85%) with relatively low false positive rate. Supported by US DOE Contracts DE-FG02-99ER54524, DE-AC02-09CH11466, and DE-SC0016614.

Plasma shut-down with fast impurity puff on ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pautasso, G.; Fuchs, C. J.; Gruber, O.; Maggi, C. F.; Maraschek, M.; Pütterich, T.; Rohde, V.; Wittmann, C.; Wolfrum, E.; Cierpka, P.; Beck, M.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2007-08-01

The massive injection of impurity gas into a plasma has been proved to reduce forces and localized thermal loads caused by disruptions in tokamaks. This mitigation system is routinely used on ASDEX Upgrade to shut down plasmas with a locked mode. The plasma response to impurity injection and the mechanism of reduction of the mechanical forces is discussed in the paper.

Sideways Force Produced During Disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, H. R.; Paccagnella, R.; Breslau, J.; Jardin, S.; Sugiyama, L.

2012-10-01

We extend previous studies [1] of vertical displacement events (VDE) which can produce disruptions. The emphasis is on the non axisymmetric ``sideways'' wall force Fx. Simulations are performed using the M3D [2] code. A VDE expels magnetic flux through the resistive wall until the last closed flux surface has q < 3. At this point the plasma is unstable to an (m,n) = (2,1) mode. A theory of sideways force produced by this mode in the presence of a VDE is presented. The wall force depends strongly on γτw, where γ is the mode growth rate and τw is the wall resistive penetration time. The force Fx is largest when γτw is a constant of order unity, which depends on the initial conditions. For large values of γτw, the wall force asymptotes to a relatively smaller value, well below the critical value ITER is designed to withstand. The principle of disruption mitigation by massive gas injection is to cause a disruption with large γτw. [4pt] [1] H. R. Strauss, R. Paccagnella, and J. Breslau,Phys. Plasmas 17, 082505 (2010) [2] W. Park, E.V. Belova, G.Y. Fu, X. Tang, H.R. Strauss, L.E. Sugiyama, Phys. Plasmas 6, 1796 (1999).

Dynamics of tokamak plasma surface current in 3D ideal MHD model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, Sergei A.; Svidzinski, V. A.; Zakharov, L. E.

2013-10-01

Interest in the surface current which can arise on perturbed sharp plasma vacuum interface in tokamaks was recently generated by a few papers (see and references therein). In dangerous disruption events with plasma-touching-wall scenarios, the surface current can be shared with the wall leading to the strong, damaging forces acting on the wall A relatively simple analytic definition of δ-function surface current proportional to a jump of tangential component of magnetic field nevertheless leads to a complex computational problem on the moving plasma-vacuum interface, requiring the incorporation of non-linear 3D plasma dynamics even in one-fluid ideal MHD. The Disruption Simulation Code (DSC), which had recently been developed in a fully 3D toroidal geometry with adaptation to the moving plasma boundary, is an appropriate tool for accurate self-consistent δfunction surface current calculation. Progress on the DSC-3D development will be presented. Self-consistent surface current calculation under non-linear dynamics of low m kink mode and VDE will be discussed. Work is supported by the US DOE SBIR grant #DE-SC0004487.

Multidisciplinary approach to non-surgical management of inguinal disruption in a professional hockey player treated with platelet-rich plasma, manual therapy and exercise: a case report.

PubMed

St-Onge, Eric; MacIntyre, Ian G; Galea, Anthony M

2015-12-01

To present the clinical management of inguinal disruption in a professional hockey player and highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management. A professional hockey player with recurrent groin pain presented to the clinic after an acute exacerbation of pain while playing hockey. The patient received a clinical diagnosis of inguinal disruption. Imaging revealed a tear in the rectus abdominis. Management included two platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to the injured tissue, and subsequent manual therapy and exercise. The patient returned to his prior level of performance in 3.5 weeks. This case demonstrated the importance of a multidisciplinary team and the need for advanced imaging in athletes with groin pain. Research quality concerning the non-surgical management of inguinal disruption remains low. This case adds evidence that PRP, with the addition of manual therapy and exercise may serve as a relatively quick and effective non-surgical management strategy.

Can tokamaks PFC survive a single event of any plasma instabilities?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanein, A.; Sizyuk, V.; Miloshevsky, G.; Sizyuk, T.

2013-07-01

Plasma instability events such as disruptions, edge-localized modes (ELMs), runaway electrons (REs), and vertical displacement events (VDEs) are continued to be serious events and most limiting factors for successful tokamak reactor concept. The plasma-facing components (PFCs), e.g., wall, divertor, and limited surfaces of a tokamak as well as coolant structure materials are subjected to intense particle and heat loads and must maintain a clean and stable surface environment among them and the core/edge plasma. Typical ITER transient events parameters are used for assessing the damage from these four different instability events. HEIGHTS simulation showed that a single event of a disruption, giant ELM, VDE, or RE can cause significant surface erosion (melting and vaporization) damage to PFC, nearby components, and/or structural materials (VDE, RE) melting and possible burnout of coolant tubes that could result in shut down of reactor for extended repair time.

Poloxamer 188 (p188) as a membrane resealing reagent in biomedical applications.

PubMed

Moloughney, Joseph G; Weisleder, Noah

2012-12-01

Maintenance of the integrity of the plasma membrane is essential for maintenance of cellular function and prevention of cell death. Since the plasma membrane is frequently exposed to a variety of mechanical and chemical insults the cell has evolved active processes to defend against these injuries by resealing disruptions in the plasma membrane. Cell membrane repair is a conserved process observed in nearly every cell type where intracellular vesicles are recruited to sites of membrane disruption where they can fuse with themselves or the plasma membrane to create a repair patch. When disruptions are extensive or there is an underlying pathology that reduces the membrane repair capacity of a cell this defense mechanism may prove insufficient and the cell could die due to breakdown of the plasma membrane. Extensive loss of cells can compromise the integrity and function of tissues and leading to disease. Thus, methods to increase membrane resealing capacity could have broad utility in a number of disease states. Efforts to find reagents that can modulate plasma membrane reseal found that specific tri-block copolymers, such as poloxamer 188 (P188, or Pluronic F68), can increase the structural stability and resealing of the plasma membrane. Here we review several current patents and patent applications that present inventions making use of P188 and other copolymers to treat specific disease states such as muscular dystrophy, heart failure, neurodegenerative disorders and electrical injuries, or to facilitate biomedical applications such as transplantation. There appears to be promise for the application of poloxamers in the treatment of various diseases, however there are potential concerns with toxicity with long term application and bioavailability in some cases.

MHD Effects of a Ferritic Wall on Tokamak Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Paul E.

It has been recognized for some time that the very high fluence of fast (14.1MeV) neutrons produced by deuterium-tritium fusion will represent a major materials challenge for the development of next-generation fusion energy projects such as a fusion component test facility and demonstration fusion power reactor. The best-understood and most promising solutions presently available are a family of low-activation steels originally developed for use in fission reactors, but the ferromagnetic properties of these steels represent a danger to plasma confinement through enhancement of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and increased susceptibility to error fields. At present, experimental research into the effects of ferromagnetic materials on MHD stability in toroidal geometry has been confined to demonstrating that it is still possible to operate an advanced tokamak in the presence of ferromagnetic components. In order to better quantify the effects of ferromagnetic materials on tokamak plasma stability, a new ferritic wall has been installated in the High Beta Tokamak---Extended Pulse (HBT-EP) device. The development, assembly, installation, and testing of this wall as a modular upgrade is described, and the effect of the wall on machine performance is characterized. Comparative studies of plasma dynamics with the ferritic wall close-fitting against similar plasmas with the ferritic wall retracted demonstrate substantial effects on plasma stability. Resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) are applied, demonstrating a 50% increase in n = 1 plasma response amplitude when the ferritic wall is near the plasma. Susceptibility of plasmas to disruption events increases by a factor of 2 or more with the ferritic wall inserted, as disruptions are observed earlier with greater frequency. Growth rates of external kink instabilities are observed to be twice as large in the presence of a close-fitting ferritic wall. Initial studies are made of the influence of mode rotation frequency on the ferritic effect, as well as observations of the effect of the ferritic wall on disruption halo currents.

Evidence of formation of lithium compounds on FTU tiles and dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghezzi, F.; Laguardia, L.; Apicella, M. L.; Bressan, C.; Caniello, R.; Cippo, E. Perelli; Conti, C.; De Angeli, M.; Maddaluno, G.; Mazzitelli, G.

2018-01-01

Since 2006 lithium as an advanced plasma facing material has been tested on the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU). Lithium in the liquid phase acts both as plasma facing component, i.e. limiter, and plays also a role in plasma operation because by depositing a lithium film on the walls (lithization) oxygen is gettered. As in all deposition processes, even for the lithization, the presence of impurities in plasma phase strongly affects the properties of the deposited film. During the 2008 campaigns of FTU it was observed a strong release of carbon dioxide (during disruptions), resulting in successive serious difficulty of operation. In order to find the possible reactions occurred, we have analyzed the surface of two tiles of the toroidal limiter close to the Liquid Lithium Limiter (LLL). The presence of molybdenum oxides and carbides suggested that the surface temperatures could have exceeded 1000 K, likely during disruptions. lithium oxides and hydroxides have been found on the tiles and in the dust collected in the vessel, confirming the presence of LiO and LiOH and a not negligible concentration of Li2CO3 especially at the LLL location. On the basis of the above results, we propose here a simple rationale, based on a two reactions mechanism, which can explain the formation of Li2CO3 and its subsequent decomposition during disruption with release of CO2 in the vessel. Admitting surface temperatures above 1000 K during a disruption, relatively high partial pressures of CO2 are also predicted by the equilibrium constant for Li2CO3 decomposition.

Modeling resistive wall modes and disruptive instabilities with M3D-C1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraro, Nm; Jardin, Sc; Pfefferle, D.

2016-10-01

Disruptive instabilities pose a significant challenge to the tokamak approach to magnetic fusion energy, and must be reliably avoided in a successful reactor. These instabilities generally involve rapid, global changes to the magnetic field, and electromagnetic interaction with surrounding conducting structures. Here we apply the extended-MHD code M3D-C1 to calculate the stability and evolution of disruptive modes, including their interaction with external conducting structures. The M3D-C1 model includes the effects of resistivity, equilibrium rotation, and resistive walls of arbitrary thickness, each of which may play important roles in the stability and evolution of disruptive modes. The strong stabilizing effect of rotation on resistive wall modes is explored and compared with analytic theory. The nonlinear evolution of vertical displacement events is also considered, including the evolution of non-axisymmetric instabilities that may arise during the current-quench phase of the disruption. It is found that the non-axisymmetric stability of the plasma during a VDE depends strongly on the thermal history of the plasma. This work is supported by US DOE Grant DE-AC02-09CH11466 and the SciDAC Center for Extended MHD Modeling.

Thyroid disruption in male goldfish (Carassius auratus) exposed to leachate from a municipal waste treatment plant: Assessment combining chemical analysis and in vivo bioassay.

PubMed

Gong, Yufeng; Tian, Hua; Dong, Yifei; Zhang, Xiaona; Wang, Jun; Wang, Wei; Ru, Shaoguo

2016-06-01

Several classes of thyroid-disrupting chemicals (TDCs) have been found in refuse leachate, but the potential impacts of leachate on the thyroid cascade of aquatic organisms are yet not known. In this study, we chemically analyzed frequently reported TDCs, as well as conducted a bioassay, to evaluate the potential thyroid-disrupting effects of leachate. We used radioimmunoassay to determine the effects of leachate exposure on plasma 3,3',5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3), 3,3',5,5'-l-thyroxine (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in adult male goldfish (Carassius auratus). We also investigated the impacts of leachate treatment on hepatic and gonadal deiodinases [types I (D1), II (D2), and III (D3)] and gonadal thyroid receptor (TRα-1 and TRβ) mRNA expressions by using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results indicated the presence of five TDCs (bisphenol A, 4-t-octylphenol, di-n-butyl phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, and diethylhexyl phthalate); their mean concentrations in the leachate were 18.11, 2.76, 4.86, 0.21, and 9.16 μg/L, respectively. Leachate exposure induced plasma T3 and TSH levels in male fish, without influencing the plasma T4 levels. The highly elevated D2 mRNA levels in the liver were speculated to be the primary reason for the induction of plasma T3 levels. Disruption of thyroid functions by leachate was also suggested by the up-regulation of D1 and D2 as well as TRα-1 mRNA levels in the gonads. Prominent thyroid disruptions despite the very low TDC concentrations in the exposure media used in the bioassay strongly indicated the existence of unidentified TDCs in the leachate. Our study indicated the necessity of conducting in vivo bioassays to detect thyroid dysfunctions caused by leachate. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Tokamak plasma current disruption infrared control system

DOEpatents

Kugel, H.W.; Ulrickson, M.

1984-04-16

This invention is directed to the diagnosis and detection of gross or macroinstabilities in a magnetically-confined fusion plasma device. Detection is performed in real time, and is prompt such that correction of the instability can be initiated in a timely fashion.

Development and pharmacological characterization of a model of sleep disruption-induced hypersensitivity in the rat.

PubMed

Wodarski, R; Schuh-Hofer, S; Yurek, D A; Wafford, K A; Gilmour, G; Treede, R-D; Kennedy, J D

2015-04-01

Sleep disturbance is a commonly reported co-morbidity in chronic pain patients, and conversely, disruption of sleep can cause acute and long-lasting hypersensitivity to painful stimuli. The underlying mechanisms of sleep disruption-induced pain hypersensitivity are poorly understood. Confounding factors of previous studies have been the sleep disruption protocols, such as the 'pedestal over water' or 'inverted flower pot' methods, that can cause large stress responses and therefore may significantly affect pain outcome measures. Sleep disruption was induced by placing rats for 8 h in a slowly rotating cylindrical cage causing arousal via the righting reflex. Mechanical (Von Frey filaments) and thermal (Hargreaves) nociceptive thresholds were assessed, and plasma corticosterone levels were measured (mass spectroscopy). Sleep disruption-induced hypersensitivity was pharmacologically characterized with drugs relevant for pain treatment, including gabapentin (30 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg), Ica-6p (Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel opener; 10 mg/kg), ibuprofen (30 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) and amitriptyline (10 mg/kg). Eight hours of sleep disruption caused robust mechanical and heat hypersensitivity in the absence of a measurable change in plasma corticosterone levels. Gabapentin had no effect on reduced nociceptive thresholds. Ibuprofen attenuated mechanical thresholds, while Ica-6p and amitriptyline attenuated only reduced thermal nociceptive thresholds. These results show that acute and low-stress sleep disruption causes mechanical and heat hypersensitivity in rats. Mechanical and heat hypersensitivity exhibited differential sensitivity to pharmacological agents, thus suggesting dissociable mechanisms for those two modalities. Ultimately, this model could help identify underlying mechanisms linking sleep disruption and hypersensitivity. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

A Sub-microsecond Pulsed Plasma Jet for Endodontic Biofilm Disinfection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Chunqi; Schaudinn, Christoph; Jaramillo, David E.; Gundersen, Martin A.; Costerton, J. William

A pulsed, tapered cylindrical plasma jet, several centimeter long and <2 mm in diameter, has been generated by a concentric tubular device for root canal disinfection. This plasma dental probe is typically powered with ˜100 ns, 1 kHz, multi-kilovolt electric pulses and filled with 5 SLPM (standard liter per minute) He/(1%)O2 flow. We report here an in vitro study of the antimicrobial effect of the room temperature plasma jet against monolayer Enterococcus faecalis biofilms on bovine dentins. Resultant colony-forming unit counts were associated with changes in bacterial cell morphology observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) following the treatment and control. Treatment of dentin discs cultivated with E. faecalis monolayer biofilms with the plasma (average power ≈ 1 W) for 5 min resulted in 92.4% kill (P < 0.0001). Severe disruption of the cell membranes was observed for the plasma treatment group, while the morphology of the cells remained intact for the negative control group. In addition, a pilot ex vivo test was conducted to examine the bactericidal effect of the plasma against saliva-derived biofilms cultivated in human root canals. Conspicuous biofilm disruption and cleared dentinal surfaces were observed in the canal after the plasma treatment for 5 min. We ­conclude that this non-thermal pulsed plasma-based technology is a potential ­alternative or supplement to existing protocols for root canal disinfection.

Demonstration of the hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gessner, Spencer J.

2016-09-17

A plasma wakefield accelerator is a device that converts the energy of a relativistic particle beam into a large-amplitude wave in a plasma. The plasma wave, or wakefield, supports an enormous electricfield that is used to accelerate a trailing particle beam. The plasma wakefield accelerator can therefore be used as a transformer, transferring energy from a high-charge, low-energy particle beam into a high-energy, low-charge particle beam. This technique may lead to a new generation of ultra-compact, high-energy particle accelerators. The past decade has seen enormous progress in the field of plasma wakefield acceleration with experimental demonstrations of the acceleration ofmore » electron beams by several gigaelectron-volts. The acceleration of positron beams in plasma is more challenging, but also necessary for the creation of a high-energy electron-positron collider. Part of the challenge is that the plasma responds asymmetrically to electrons and positrons, leading to increased disruption of the positron beam. One solution to this problem, first proposed over twenty years ago, is to use a hollow channel plasma which symmetrizes the response of the plasma to beams of positive and negative charge, making it possible to accelerate positrons in plasma without disruption. In this thesis, we describe the theory relevant to our experiment and derive new results when needed. We discuss the development and implementation of special optical devices used to create long plasma channels. We demonstrate for the first time the generation of meter-scale plasma channels and the acceleration of positron beams therein.« less

First Production of C60 Nanoparticle Plasma Jet for Study of Disruption Mitigation for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogatu, I. N.; Thompson, J. R.; Galkin, S. A.; Kim, J. S.; Brockington, S.; Case, A.; Messer, S. J.; Witherspoon, F. D.

2012-10-01

Unique fast response and large mass-velocity delivery of nanoparticle plasma jets (NPPJs) provide a novel application for ITER disruption mitigation, runaway electrons diagnostics and deep fueling. NPPJs carry a much larger mass than usual gases. An electromagnetic plasma gun provides a very high injection velocity (many km/s). NPPJ has much higher ram pressure than any standard gas injection method and penetrates the tokamak confining magnetic field. Assimilation is enhanced due to the NP large surface-to-volume ratio. Radially expanding NPPJs help achieving toroidal uniformity of radiation power. FAR-TECH's NPPJ system was successfully tested: a coaxial plasma gun prototype (˜35 cm length, 96 kJ energy) using a solid state TiH2/C60 pulsed power cartridge injector produced a hyper-velocity (>4 km/s), high-density (>10^23 m-3), C60 plasma jet in ˜0.5 ms, with ˜1-2 ms overall response-delivery time. We present the TiH2/C60 cartridge injector output characterization (˜180 mg of sublimated C60 gas) and first production results of a high momentum C60 plasma jet (˜0.6 g.km/s).

Nitric oxide and oxidative stress is associated with severity of diabetic retinopathy and retinal structural alterations.

PubMed

Sharma, Shashi; Saxena, Sandeep; Srivastav, Khushboo; Shukla, Rajendra K; Mishra, Nibha; Meyer, Carsten H; Kruzliak, Peter; Khanna, Vinay K

2015-07-01

The aim of the study was to determine plasma nitric oxide (NO) and lipid peroxide (LPO) levels in diabetic retinopathy and its association with severity of disease. Prospective observational study. A total of 60 consecutive cases and 20 healthy controls were included. Severity of retinopathy was graded according to early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) classification. Photoreceptor inner segment ellipsoid band (ISel) disruption and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) alteration were graded using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Data were statistically analyzed. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, NO assay and reduced glutathione (GSH) were measured using standard protocol. Increased severity of diabetic retinopathy was significantly associated with increase in plasma levels of LPO (P < 0.05), NO (P < 0.001) and decrease in plasma levels of GSH (P < 0.0001), ISel disruption (P < 0.001) and RPE topographic alteration (P < 0.01). Increased plasma NO levels are associated with increased severity of diabetic retinopathy. For the first time, it has been demonstrated that increased plasma LPO, NO and decreased GSH levels are associated with in vivo structural changes in inner segment ellipsoid and RPE. © 2015 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Aqueous exposure to 4-nonylphenol and 17β-estradiol increases stress sensitivity and disrupts ion regulatory ability of juvenile atlantic salmon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lerner, Darrren T.; Bjornsson, Bjorn Thrandur; McCormick, Stephen D.

2007-01-01

Population declines of wild Atlantic salmon have been attributed to an array of anthropogenic disturbances, including dams, commercial and recreational fishing, habitat loss, and pollution. Environmental contaminants in particular, can act as environmental stressors on fish, typically causing disruption of ion homeostasis due to their close association with the aquatic environment. To examine the effects of the xenoestrogen 4-nonylphenol (NP) or 17β-estradiol (E2) on stress sensitivity and ion regulation, we exposed juvenile Atlantic salmon continuously for 21 d to either 10 or 100 μg/L NP (NP-L or NP-H), 2 μg/L E2 (positive control), or vehicle control during the parr-smolt transformation in April. After treatment, fish were sampled in freshwater (FW), transferred to 30‰ seawater (SW) for 24 h, or subjected to a handling stress. Estradiol and NP-H increased plasma vitellogenin in males and females, and E2 increased gonadosomatic index only in males. In FW, E2 reduced sodium potassium–activated adenosine triphosphatase activity as well as plasma levels of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor I, and triiodothyronine. Both E2 and NP-H reduced plasma sodium in FW and increased plasma chloride in SW. Plasma Cortisol levels pre- and poststressor were significantly elevated by all treatments relative to controls, but only E2 increased plasma glucose before and after the stressor. These results indicate that exposure of anadromous salmonids to environmental estrogens heightens sensitivity to external stressors, impairs ion regulation in both FW and SW, and disrupts endocrine pathways critical for smolt development.

Multidisciplinary approach to non-surgical management of inguinal disruption in a professional hockey player treated with platelet-rich plasma, manual therapy and exercise: a case report

PubMed Central

St-Onge, Eric; MacIntyre, Ian G.; Galea, Anthony M.

2015-01-01

Objective: To present the clinical management of inguinal disruption in a professional hockey player and highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management. Clinical Features: A professional hockey player with recurrent groin pain presented to the clinic after an acute exacerbation of pain while playing hockey. Intervention: The patient received a clinical diagnosis of inguinal disruption. Imaging revealed a tear in the rectus abdominis. Management included two platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to the injured tissue, and subsequent manual therapy and exercise. The patient returned to his prior level of performance in 3.5 weeks. Discussion: This case demonstrated the importance of a multidisciplinary team and the need for advanced imaging in athletes with groin pain. Summary: Research quality concerning the non-surgical management of inguinal disruption remains low. This case adds evidence that PRP, with the addition of manual therapy and exercise may serve as a relatively quick and effective non-surgical management strategy. PMID:26816415

Transitions of Turbulence in Plasma Density Limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, X. Q.

2002-11-01

Density limits have been observed in nearly all toroidal devices. In most cases exceeding this limit is manifested by a catastrophic growth of edge MHD instabilities [1]. In tokamaks, several other density limiting processes have been identified which limit performance but do not necessarily result in disruption. One such process is degradation of the edge transport barrier and H- to L-mode transition at high density. Further density increase, however can result in a disruption. The 3D nonlocal electromagnetic turbulence code BOUT [2], which models the boundary plasma turbulence in a realistic x-point geometry using two-fluids modified Braginski equations, is used in two numerical experiments. (1) Increasing the density while holding pressure constant (therefore keeping magnetic geometry the same). The pressure remains below the ELM threshold in these numerical experiments. (2) Increasing density while holding temperature constant. Small changes of equilibrium magnetic geometry resulting from the change in the edge pressure gradient are ignored in these simulations. These simulations extend previous work [3] by including the effect of Er well on turbulence, real magnetic geometry, the separatrix and SOL physics. Our simulations show the turbulent fluctuation levels and transport increase with increasing collisionality. Ultimately perpendicular turbulent transport dominates the parallel classical transport, leading to collapse of the sheath; the Er-well is lost and the region of high transport propagates inside the last closed flux surface. As the density increases these simulations show: Drift-wave turbulence--> Resistive MHD-->Detachment from divertor -->Disruption(?) and transport switches from diffusive to bursty processes. The onset of disruption will be calculated by MHD codes Corsica and Elite. The role of radiation on the transition will also be assessed. The scaling of the density limit with plasma current will be studied by conducting an additional series of numerical experiments to examine changes in the turbulent transport due to changes in the plasma current and associated changes in the equilibrium magnetic field and parallel connection length in the plasma scrape-off layer. Changes in the characteristics of the turbulence near density limit will be explored and compared with experiments. REFERENCES [1] M.Greenwald, to be published in plasma physics and controlled fusion. [2] X.Q. Xu, R.H. Cohen, T.D. Rognlien, and J.R. Myra, Phys. Plasmas 7, 1951(2000). [3] B.N. Rogers, J.F. Drake, and A. Zeiler, PRL 81, 4396 (1998).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pustovitov, V. D., E-mail: pustovitov-vd@nrcki.ru

The radial force balance in a tokamak during fast transient events with a duration much shorter than the resistive time of the vacuum vessel wall is analyzed. The aim of the work is to analytically estimate the resulting integral radial force on the wall. In contrast to the preceding study [Plasma Phys. Rep. 41, 952 (2015)], where a similar problem was considered for thermal quench, simultaneous changes in the profiles and values of the pressure and plasma current are allowed here. Thereby, the current quench and various methods of disruption mitigation used in the existing tokamaks and considered for futuremore » applications are also covered. General formulas for the force at an arbitrary sequence or combination of events are derived, and estimates for the standard tokamak model are made. The earlier results and conclusions are confirmed, and it is shown that, in the disruption mitigation scenarios accepted for ITER, the radial forces can be as high as in uncontrolled disruptions.« less

Disruption Neutral Point Experiment on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granetz, R. S.; Nakamura, Y.

2000-10-01

Disruptions of single-null elongated plasmas generally result in loss of vertical position control, leading to a current quench occurring at the top or bottom of the machine, with all the attendant problems of halo and eddy currents flowing in divertor structures. On JT-60U, it has been found that if the plasma is operated with its magnetic axis at a particular height, called the neutral point, the initial vertical drift after a thermal quench is significantly slower than usual, and sometimes can even be arrested, thereby avoiding a current quench in the divertor region entirely. In an ongoing collaboration between MIT and JAERI, the neutral point concept is being tested in Alcator C-Mod, which has a significantly higher plasma elongation than JT-60U (1.65 vs 1.3). Calculations using TSC predict a neutral point at z~=+1 cm above the midplane (a=22 cm). The existence of a neutral point has now been experimentally confirmed, albeit at a height of z=+2.7 cm. The plasma has remained vertically stable for up to 9 ms after the disruption thermal quench, which in principle, is long enough for the PF control system to respond, if programmed appropriately. In addition, the physics of the neutral point stability on C-Mod appears to be somewhat different than that on JT-60U.

A Transcriptional Regulatory Switch Underlying B-Cell Terminal Differentiation and its Disruption by Dioxin

EPA Science Inventory

The terminal differentiation of B lymphocytes into antibody-secreting plasma cells upon antigen stimulation is a crucial step in the humoral immune response. The mutually-repressive interactions among three key regulatory transcription factors underlying B to plasma cell differe...

Toroidal current asymmetry and boundary conditions in disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, Henry

2014-10-01

It was discovered on JET that disruptions were accompanied by toroidal asymmetry of the plasma current. The toroidal current asymmetry ΔIϕ is proportional to the vertical current moment ΔMIZ , with positive sign for an upward vertical displacement event (VDE) and negative sign for a downward VDE. It was claimed that this could only be explained by Hiro current. It is shown that instead it is essentially a kinematic effect produced by the VDE displacement of a 3D magnetic perturbation. This is verified by M3D simulations. The simulation results do not require penetration of plasma into the boundary, as in the Hiro current model. It is shown that the normal velocity perpendicular to the magnetic field vanishes at the wall, in the small Larmor radius limit of electromagnetic sheath boundary conditions. Plasma is absorbed into the wall only via the parallel velocity, which is small, penetrates only an infinitesimal distance into the wall, and does not affect forces exerted by the plasma on the wall. Supported by USDOE and ITER.

Real-time sensing and gas jet mitigation of VDEs on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granetz, R. S.; Wolfe, S. M.; Izzo, V. A.; Reinke, M. L.; Terry, J. L.; Hughes, J. W.; Zhurovich, K.; Whyte, D. G.; Bakhtiari, M.; Wurden, G.

2006-10-01

Experiments have been carried out in Alcator C-Mod to test the effectiveness of gas jet disruption mitigation of VDEs with real-time detection and triggering by the C-Mod digital plasma control system (DPCS). The DPCS continuously computes the error in the plasma vertical position from the magnetics diagnostics. When this error exceeds an adjustable preset value, the DPCS triggers the gas jet valve (with a negligible latency time). The high-pressure gas (argon) only takes a few milliseconds to enter the vacuum chamber and begin affecting the plasma, but this is comparable to the VDE timescale on C-Mod. Nevertheless, gas jet injection reduced the halo current, increased the radiated power fraction, and reduced the heating of the divertor compared to unmitigated disruptions, but not quite as well as in earlier mitigation experiments with vertically stable plasmas. Presumably a faster overall response time would be beneficial, and several ways to achieve this will also be discussed.

Electromagnetic Modeling of the Passive Stabilization Loop at EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Xiang; Song, Yuntao; Wu, Songtao; Wang, Zhibin; Shen, Guang; Liu, Xufeng; Cao, Lei; Zhou, Zibo; Peng, Xuebing; Wang, Chenghao

2012-09-01

A passive stabilization loop (PSL) has been designed and manufactured in order to enhance the control of vertical instability and accommodate the new stage for high-performance plasma at EAST. Eddy currents are induced by vertical displacement events (VDEs) and disruption, which can produce a magnetic field to control the vertical instability of the plasma in a short timescale. A finite element model is created and meshed using ANSYS software. Based on the simulation of plasma VDEs and disruption, the distribution and decay curve of the eddy currents on the PSL are obtained. The largest eddy current is 200 kA and the stress is 68 MPa at the outer current bridge, which is the weakest point of the PSL because of the eddy currents and the magnetic fields. The analysis results provide the supporting data for the structural design.

NSTX Disruption Simulations of Detailed Divertor and Passive Plate Models by Vector Potential Transfer from OPERA Global Analysis Results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

P. H. Titus, S. Avasaralla, A.Brooks, R. Hatcher

2010-09-22

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) project is planning upgrades to the toroidal field, plasma current and pulse length. This involves the replacement of the center-stack, including the inner legs of the TF, OH, and inner PF coils. A second neutral beam will also be added. The increased performance of the upgrade requires qualification of the remaining components including the vessel, passive plates, and divertor for higher disruption loads. The hardware needing qualification is more complex than is typically accessible by large scale electromagnetic (EM) simulations of the plasma disruptions. The usual method is to include simplified representations of componentsmore » in the large EM models and attempt to extract forces to apply to more detailed models. This paper describes a more efficient approach of combining comprehensive modeling of the plasma and tokamak conducting structures, using the 2D OPERA code, with much more detailed treatment of individual components using ANSYS electromagnetic (EM) and mechanical analysis. This capture local eddy currents and resulting loads in complex details, and allows efficient non-linear, and dynamic structural analyses.« less

Modeling Electrothermal Plasma with Boundary Layer Effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AlMousa, Nouf Mousa A.

Electrothermal plasma sources produce high-density (1023-10 28 /m3) and high temperature (1-5 eV) plasmas that are of interest for a variety of applications such as hypervelocity launch devices, fusion reactor pellet injectors, and pulsed thrusters for small satellites. Also, the high heat flux (up to 100 GW/m2) and high pressure (100s MPa) of electrothermal (ET) plasmas allow for the use of such facilities as a source of high heat flux to simulate off-normal events in Tokamak fusion reactors. Off-normal events like disruptions, thermal and current quenches, are the perfect recipes for damage of plasma facing components (PFC). Successful operation of a fusion reactor requires comprehensive understanding of material erosion behavior. The extremely high heat fluxes deposited in PFCs melt and evaporate or directly sublime the exposed surfaces, which results in a thick vapor/melt boundary layer adjacent to the solid wall structure. The accumulating boundary layers provide a self-protecting nature by attenuating the radiant energy transport to the PFCs. The ultimate goal of this study is to develop a reliable tool to adequately simulate the effect of the boundary layers on the formation and flow of the energetic ET plasma and its impact on exposed surfaces erosion under disruption like conditions. This dissertation is a series of published journals/conferences papers. The first paper verified the existence of the vapor shield that evolved at the boundary layer under the typical operational conditions of the NC State University ET plasma facilities PIPE and SIRENS. Upon the verification of the vapor shield, the second paper proposed novel model to simulate the evolution of the boundary layer and its effectiveness in providing a self-protecting nature for the exposed plasma facing surfaces. The developed models simulate the radiant heat flux attenuation through an optically thick boundary layer. The models were validated by comparing the simulation results to experimental data taken from the ET plasma facilities. Upon validation of the boundary layer models, computational experiments were conducted with the purpose of evaluation the PFCs' erosion during plasma disruption in Tokamak fusion reactors. Erosion of a set of selected low-Z and high-Z materials were analyzed and discussed. For metallic plasma facing materials under the impact of hard and long time-scale disruption events, melting and melt-layer splashing become dominate erosion mechanisms during plasma-material interaction. In order to realistically assess the erosion of the metallic fusion reactor components, the fourth paper accounts for the various mechanisms by which material evolved from PFCs due to melting and vaporization, with a developed melting and splattering/splashing model incorporated in the ET plasma code. Also, the shielding effect associated with melt-layer and vapor-layer is investigated. The quantitative results of material erosion with the boundary layer effects including a vapor layer, melt layer and splashing effects is a new model and an important step towards achieving a better understanding of plasma-material interactions under exposure to such high heat flux conditions.

Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) enhance cytotoxicity of cisplatin to hepatocellular cells by microdomain disruption on plasma membrane.

PubMed

Yin, Shengyong; Chen, Xinhua; Xie, Haiyang; Zhou, Lin; Guo, Danjing; Xu, Yuning; Wu, Liming; Zheng, Shusen

2016-08-15

Previous studies showed nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) can ablate solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but its effect on cell membrane is not fully understood. We hypothesized nsPEF disrupt the microdomains on outer-cellular membrane with direct mechanical force and as a result the plasma membrane permeability increases to facilitate the small molecule intake. Three HCC cells were pulsed one pulse per minute, an interval longer than nanopore resealing time. The cationized ferritin was used to mark up the electronegative microdomains, propidium iodide (PI) for membrane permeabilization, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for the negative cell surface charge and cisplatin for inner-cellular cytotoxicity. We demonstrated that the ferritin marked-microdomain and negative cell surface charge were disrupted by nsPEF caused-mechanical force. The cell uptake of propidium and cytotoxicity of DNA-targeted cisplatin increased with a dose effect. Cisplatin gains its maximum inner-cellular cytotoxicity when combining with nsPEF stimulation. We conclude that nsPEF disrupt the microdomains on the outer cellular membrane directly and increase the membrane permeabilization for PI and cisplatin. The microdomain disruption and membrane infiltration changes are caused by the mechanical force from the changes of negative cell surface charge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ITPA disruption database

DOE PAGES

Eidietis, N. W.; Gerhardt, S. P.; Granetz, R. S.; ...

2015-05-22

A multi-device database of disruption characteristics has been developed under the auspices of the International Tokamak Physics Activity magneto hydrodynamics topical group. The purpose of this ITPA Disruption Database (IDDB) is to find the commonalities between the disruption and disruption mitigation characteristics in a wide variety of tokamaks in order to elucidate the physics underlying tokamak disruptions and to extrapolate toward much larger devices, such as ITER and future burning plasma devices. Conversely, in order to previous smaller disruption data collation efforts, the IDDB aims to provide significant context for each shot provided, allowing exploration of a wide array ofmore » relationships between pre-disruption and disruption parameters. Furthermore, the IDDB presently includes contributions from nine tokamaks, including both conventional aspect ratio and spherical tokamaks. An initial parametric analysis of the available data is presented. Our analysis includes current quench rates, halo current fraction and peaking, and the effectiveness of massive impurity injection. The IDDB is publicly available, with instruction for access provided herein.« less

Annexins in plasma membrane repair.

PubMed

Boye, Theresa Louise; Nylandsted, Jesper

2016-10-01

Disruption of the plasma membrane poses deadly threat to eukaryotic cells and survival requires a rapid membrane repair system. Recent evidence reveal various plasma membrane repair mechanisms, which are required for cells to cope with membrane lesions including membrane fusion and replacement strategies, remodeling of cortical actin cytoskeleton and vesicle wound patching. Members of the annexin protein family, which are Ca2+-triggered phospholipid-binding proteins emerge as important components of the plasma membrane repair system. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of plasma membrane repair involving annexins spanning from yeast to human cancer cells.

Magnetospheric and auroral plasmas: A short survey of progress, 1971 - 1975

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, L. A.

1975-01-01

Milestones in researches of auroral and magnetospheric plasmas for the past quadrennium 1971 - 1975 are reviewed. Findings, including those of the polar cusp, the polar wind, the explosive disruptions of the magnetotail, the interactions of hot plasmas with the plasmapause, the auroral field-aligned currents, and the striking 'inverted-V' electron precipitation events, are reported. Solutions to major questions concerning the origins and acceleration of these plasmas are discussed. A comprehensive bibliography of current research is included.

Macroscopic erosion of divertor and first wall armour in future tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Würz, H.; Bazylev, B.; Landman, I.; Pestchanyi, S.; Safronov, V.

2002-12-01

Sputtering, evaporation and macroscopic erosion determine the lifetime of the 'in vessel' armour materials CFC, tungsten and beryllium presently under discussion for future tokamaks. For CFC armour macroscopic erosion means brittle destruction and dust formation whereas for metallic armour melt layer erosion by melt motion and droplet splashing. Available results on macroscopic erosion from hot plasma and e-beam simulation experiments and from tokamaks are critically evaluated and a comprehensive discussion of experimental and numerical macroscopic erosion and its extrapolation to future tokamaks is given. Shielding of divertor armour materials by their own vapor exists during plasma disruptions. The evolving plasma shield protects the armour from high heat loads, absorbs the incoming energy and reradiates it volumetrically thus reducing drastically the deposited energy. As a result, vertical target erosion by vaporization turns out to be of the order of a few microns per disruption event and macroscopic erosion becomes the dominant erosion source.

Automatic location of disruption times in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, R.; Vega, J.; Murari, A.

2014-11-01

The loss of stability and confinement in tokamak plasmas can induce critical events known as disruptions. Disruptions produce strong electromagnetic forces and thermal loads which can damage fundamental components of the devices. Determining the disruption time is extremely important for various disruption studies: theoretical models, physics-driven models, or disruption predictors. In JET, during the experimental campaigns with the JET-C (Carbon Fiber Composite) wall, a common criterion to determine the disruption time consisted of locating the time of the thermal quench. However, with the metallic ITER-like wall (JET-ILW), this criterion is usually not valid. Several thermal quenches may occur previous to the current quench but the temperature recovers. Therefore, a new criterion has to be defined. A possibility is to use the start of the current quench as disruption time. This work describes the implementation of an automatic data processing method to estimate the disruption time according to this new definition. This automatic determination allows both reducing human efforts to locate the disruption times and standardizing the estimates (with the benefit of being less vulnerable to human errors).

Surface currents associated with external kink modes in tokamak plasmas during a major disruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C. S.; Bhattacharjee, A.

2017-10-01

The surface current on the plasma-vacuum interface during a disruption event involving kink instability can play an important role in driving current into the vacuum vessel. However, there have been disagreements over the nature or even the sign of the surface current in recent theoretical calculations based on idealized step-function background plasma profiles. We revisit such calculations by replacing step-function profiles with more realistic profiles characterized by a strong but finite gradient along the radial direction. It is shown that the resulting surface current is no longer a delta-function current density, but a finite and smooth current density profile with an internal structure, concentrated within the region with a strong plasma pressure gradient. Moreover, this current density profile has peaks of both signs, unlike the delta-function case with a sign opposite to, or the same as the plasma current. We show analytically and numerically that such current density can be separated into two parts, with one of them, called the convective current density, describing the transport of the background plasma density by the displacement, and the other part that remains, called the residual current density. It is argued that consideration of both types of current density is important and can resolve past controversies.

Disruption mitigation with high-pressure helium gas injection on EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, D. L.; Shen, B.; Granetz, R. S.; Qian, J. P.; Zhuang, H. D.; Zeng, L.; Duan, Y.; Shi, T.; Wang, H.; Sun, Y.; Xiao, B. J.

2018-03-01

High pressure noble gas injection is a promising technique to mitigate the effect of disruptions in tokamaks. In this paper, results of mitigation experiments with low-Z massive gas injection (helium) on the EAST tokamak are reported. A fast valve has been developed and successfully implemented on EAST, with valve response time  ⩽150 μs, capable of injecting up to 7 × 1022 particles, corresponding to 300 times the plasma inventory. Different amounts of helium gas were injected into stable plasmas in the preliminary experiments. It is seen that a small amount of helium gas (N_He≃ N_plasma ) can not terminate a discharge, but can trigger MHD activity. Injection of 40 times the plasma inventory impurity (N_He≃ 40× N_plasma ) can effectively radiate away part of the thermal energy and make the electron density increase rapidly. The mitigation result is that the current quench time and vertical displacement can both be reduced significantly, without resulting in significantly higher loop voltage. This also reduces the risk of runaway electron generation. As the amount of injected impurity gas increases, the gas penetration time decreases slowly and asymptotes to (˜7 ms). In addition, the impurity gas jet has also been injected into VDEs, which are more challenging to mitigate that stable plasmas.

The isolation and subfractionation of plasma membrane from the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum

PubMed Central

Green, Anita A.; Newell, Peter C.

1974-01-01

A procedure for the isolation and separation of three different subfractions of plasma membrane from the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum is described. The cells were disrupted by freeze-thawing in liquid N2 and plasma membranes were purified by equilibrium centrifugation in a sucrose gradient. The cell surface was labelled with radioactive iodide by using the lactoperoxidase iodination method. Alkaline phosphatase was identified as a plasma-membrane marker by its co-distribution with [125I]iodide. 5′-Nucleotidase, which has been widely described as a plasma-membrane marker enzyme in mammalian tissues, was not localized to any marked extent in D. discoideum plasma membrane. The isolated plasma membranes showed a 24-fold enrichment of alkaline phosphatase specific activity relative to the homogenate and a yield of 50% of the total plasma membranes. Determination of succinate dehydrogenase and NADPH–cytochrome c reductase activities indicated that the preparation contained 2% of the total mitochondria and 3% of the endoplasmic reticulum. When the plasma-membrane preparation was further disrupted in a tight-fitting homogenizer, three plasma-membrane subfractions of different densities were obtained by isopycnic centrifugation. The enrichment of alkaline phosphatase was greatest in the subfraction with the lowest density. This fraction was enriched 36-fold relative to the homogenate and contained 19% of the total alkaline phosphatase activity but only 0.08% of the succinate dehydrogenase activity and 0.34% of the NADPH–cytochrome c reductase activity. Electron microscopy of this fraction showed it to consist of smooth membrane vesicles with no recognizable contaminants. ImagesPLATE 1 PMID:4156170

Sources and Losses of Ring Current Ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Sheng-Hsien; Fok, Mei-Ching H.; Angeloupoulos, Vassilis

2010-01-01

During geomagnetic quiet times, in-situ measurements of ring current energetic ions (few to few tens of keVs) from THEMIS spacecraft often exhibit multiple ion populations at discrete energies that extend from the inner magnetosphere to the magnetopause at dayside or plasma sheet at nightside. During geomagnetic storm times, the levels of fluxes as well as the mean energies of these ions elevated dramatically and the more smooth distributions in energies and distances during quiet times are disrupted into clusters of ion populations with more confined spatial extends. This reveals local plasma heating processes that might have come into play. Several processes have been proposed. Magnetotail dipolarization, sudden enhancement of field-aligned current, local current disruptions, and plasma waves are possible mechanisms to heat the ions locally as well as strong convections of energetic ions directly from the magnetotail due to reconnections. We will examine two geomagnetic storms on October 11, 2008 and July 22, 2009 to reveal possible heating mechanisms. We will analyze in-situ plasma and magnetic field measurements from THEMIS, GOES, and DMSP for the events to study the ion pitch angle distributions and magnetic field perturbations in the auroral ionosphere and inner magnetosphere where the plasma heating processes occur.

Metabolomics of fescue toxicosis in grazing beef steers.

PubMed

Mote, Ryan S; Hill, Nicholas S; Uppal, Karan; Tran, ViLinh T; Jones, Dean P; Filipov, Nikolay M

2017-07-01

Fescue toxicosis (FT) results from consumption of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) infected with an endophyte (Epichloë coenophiala) that produces ergot alkaloids (EA), which are considered key etiological agents of FT. Decreased weight gains, hormonal imbalance, circulating cholesterol disruption, and decreased volatile fatty acid absorption suggest toxic (E+) fescue-induced metabolic perturbations. Employing untargeted high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) to analyze E+ grazing-induced plasma and urine metabolome changes, fescue-naïve Angus steers were placed on E+ or non-toxic (Max-Q) fescue pastures and plasma and urine were sampled before, 1, 2, 14, and 28 days after pasture assignment. Plasma and urine catecholamines and urinary EA concentrations were also measured. In E+ steers, urinary EA appeared early and peaked at 14 days. 13,090 urinary and 20,908 plasma HRM features were detected; the most significant effects were observed earlier (2 days) in the urine and later (≥14 days) in the plasma. Alongside EA metabolite detection, tryptophan and lipid metabolism disruption were among the main consequences of E+ consumption. The E+ grazing-associated metabolic pathways and signatures described herein may accelerate development of novel early FT detection and treatment strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cationic peptide exposure enhances pulsed-electric-field-mediated membrane disruption.

PubMed

Kennedy, Stephen M; Aiken, Erik J; Beres, Kaytlyn A; Hahn, Adam R; Kamin, Samantha J; Hagness, Susan C; Booske, John H; Murphy, William L

2014-01-01

The use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to irreversibly electroporate cells is a promising approach for destroying undesirable cells. This approach may gain enhanced applicability if the intensity of the PEF required to electrically disrupt cell membranes can be reduced via exposure to a molecular deliverable. This will be particularly impactful if that reduced PEF minimally influences cells that are not exposed to the deliverable. We hypothesized that the introduction of charged molecules to the cell surfaces would create regions of enhanced transmembrane electric potential in the vicinity of each charged molecule, thereby lowering the PEF intensity required to disrupt the plasma membranes. This study will therefore examine if exposure to cationic peptides can enhance a PEF's ability to disrupt plasma membranes. We exposed leukemia cells to 40 μs PEFs in media containing varying concentrations of a cationic peptide, polyarginine. We observed the internalization of a membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in real time. Based on an individual cell's PI fluorescence versus time signature, we were able to determine the relative degree of membrane disruption. When using 1-2 kV/cm, exposure to >50 μg/ml of polyarginine resulted in immediate and high levels of PI uptake, indicating severe membrane disruption, whereas in the absence of peptide, cells predominantly exhibited signatures indicative of no membrane disruption. Additionally, PI entered cells through the anode-facing membrane when exposed to cationic peptide, which was theoretically expected. Exposure to cationic peptides reduced the PEF intensity required to induce rapid and irreversible membrane disruption. Critically, peptide exposure reduced the PEF intensities required to elicit irreversible membrane disruption at normally sub-electroporation intensities. We believe that these cationic peptides, when coupled with current advancements in cell targeting techniques will be useful tools in applications where targeted destruction of unwanted cell populations is desired.

Cationic Peptide Exposure Enhances Pulsed-Electric-Field-Mediated Membrane Disruption

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Stephen M.; Aiken, Erik J.; Beres, Kaytlyn A.; Hahn, Adam R.; Kamin, Samantha J.; Hagness, Susan C.; Booske, John H.; Murphy, William L.

2014-01-01

Background The use of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to irreversibly electroporate cells is a promising approach for destroying undesirable cells. This approach may gain enhanced applicability if the intensity of the PEF required to electrically disrupt cell membranes can be reduced via exposure to a molecular deliverable. This will be particularly impactful if that reduced PEF minimally influences cells that are not exposed to the deliverable. We hypothesized that the introduction of charged molecules to the cell surfaces would create regions of enhanced transmembrane electric potential in the vicinity of each charged molecule, thereby lowering the PEF intensity required to disrupt the plasma membranes. This study will therefore examine if exposure to cationic peptides can enhance a PEF’s ability to disrupt plasma membranes. Methodology/Principal Findings We exposed leukemia cells to 40 μs PEFs in media containing varying concentrations of a cationic peptide, polyarginine. We observed the internalization of a membrane integrity indicator, propidium iodide (PI), in real time. Based on an individual cell’s PI fluorescence versus time signature, we were able to determine the relative degree of membrane disruption. When using 1–2 kV/cm, exposure to >50 μg/ml of polyarginine resulted in immediate and high levels of PI uptake, indicating severe membrane disruption, whereas in the absence of peptide, cells predominantly exhibited signatures indicative of no membrane disruption. Additionally, PI entered cells through the anode-facing membrane when exposed to cationic peptide, which was theoretically expected. Conclusions/Significance Exposure to cationic peptides reduced the PEF intensity required to induce rapid and irreversible membrane disruption. Critically, peptide exposure reduced the PEF intensities required to elicit irreversible membrane disruption at normally sub-electroporation intensities. We believe that these cationic peptides, when coupled with current advancements in cell targeting techniques will be useful tools in applications where targeted destruction of unwanted cell populations is desired. PMID:24671150

Study of the triton-burnup process in different JET scenarios using neutron monitor based on CVD diamond

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nemtsev, G., E-mail: g.nemtsev@iterrf.ru; Amosov, V.; Meshchaninov, S.

We present the results of analysis of triton burn-up process using the data from diamond detector. Neutron monitor based on CVD diamond was installed in JET torus hall close to the plasma center. We measure the part of 14 MeV neutrons in scenarios where plasma current varies in a range of 1-3 MA. In this experiment diamond neutron monitor was also able to detect strong gamma bursts produced by runaway electrons arising during the disruptions. We can conclude that CVD diamond detector will contribute to the study of fast particles confinement and help predict the disruption events in future tokamaks.

Cytoskeletal Components Define Protein Location to Membrane Microdomains*

PubMed Central

Szymanski, Witold G.; Zauber, Henrik; Erban, Alexander; Gorka, Michal; Wu, Xu Na; Schulze, Waltraud X.

2015-01-01

The plasma membrane is an important compartment that undergoes dynamic changes in composition upon external or internal stimuli. The dynamic subcompartmentation of proteins in ordered low-density (DRM) and disordered high-density (DSM) membrane phases is hypothesized to require interactions with cytoskeletal components. Here, we systematically analyzed the effects of actin or tubulin disruption on the distribution of proteins between membrane density phases. We used a proteomic screen to identify candidate proteins with altered submembrane location, followed by biochemical or cell biological characterization in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that several proteins, such as plasma membrane ATPases, receptor kinases, or remorins resulted in a differential distribution between membrane density phases upon cytoskeletal disruption. Moreover, in most cases, contrasting effects were observed: Disruption of actin filaments largely led to a redistribution of proteins from DRM to DSM membrane fractions while disruption of tubulins resulted in general depletion of proteins from the membranes. We conclude that actin filaments are necessary for dynamic movement of proteins between different membrane phases and that microtubules are not necessarily important for formation of microdomains as such, but rather they may control the protein amount present in the membrane phases. PMID:26091700

Variation of Argon Impurity Assimilation with Runaway Electron Current in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollmann, Eric; Bykov, I.; Moyer, R. A.; Rudakov, D. L.; Briesemeister, A.; Shiraki, D.; Herfindal, J. L.; Austin, M. E.; Lasnier, C. J.; Carlstrom, T. N.; Eidietis, N. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; van Zeeland, M.

2017-10-01

Measurements of the effect of runaway electron (RE) pressure upon argon impurity assimilation in DIII-D are reported. Intentionally created post-disruption RE beams are ramped to different plasma currents to vary the RE pressure, while impurity levels are varied by injecting argon gas (in addition to Ar already present from the small pellet used to create the disruption). Based on comparisons of current decay rates and hard x-ray, spectroscopic, interferometer, and Thomson scattering data, it is found that argon is not mixed uniformly through the plasma radially but appears to be preferentially moved out of the center of the plasma toward the walls, relative to the main species (deuterium). This exclusion appears to be stronger at higher plasma current, indicating that this force originates from the runaway electrons. Supported by the US DOE under DE-FG02-07ER54917, DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-FG02-04ER54758, DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07N27344, DE-FG03-95ER54309, and DE-FG02-04ER54762.

Magnetospheric and auroral plasmas - A short survey of progress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, L. A.

1975-01-01

Important milestones in our researches of auroral and magnetospheric plasmas for the past quadrennium 1971-1975 are reviewed. Many exciting findings, including those of the polar cusp, the polar wind, the explosive disruptions of the magnetotail, the interactions of hot plasmas with the plasmapause, the auroral field-aligned currents, and the striking inverted V electron precipitation events, were reported during this period. Solutions to major questions concerning the origins and acceleration of these plasmas appear possible in the near future. A comprehensive bibliography of current research is appended to this brief survey of auroral and magnetospheric plasmas.

Physiological stress responses in big gamefish after capture: observations on plasma chemistry and blood factors.

PubMed

Wells, R M; McIntyre, R H; Morgan, A K; Davie, P S

1986-01-01

The plasma electrolytes, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl- and osmolarities had high values in capture-stressed big gamefish. Blood metabolites measured after stress showed glucose and lactate elevations. The activity of the plasma enzymes alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase suggested tissue disruptions following severe capture stress. Haematocrit values and methaemoglobin were high in capture-stressed gamefish. The plasma chemistry of resting and capture-stressed snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) was studied for comparison. Specific differences in plasma biochemistry appeared to be the result of different strategies of fish behaviour during capture.

Achieving a long-lived high-beta plasma state by energetic beam injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, H. Y.; Binderbauer, M. W.; Tajima, T.; Milroy, R. D.; Steinhauer, L. C.; Yang, X.; Garate, E. G.; Gota, H.; Korepanov, S.; Necas, A.; Roche, T.; Smirnov, A.; Trask, E.

2015-04-01

Developing a stable plasma state with high-beta (ratio of plasma to magnetic pressures) is of critical importance for an economic magnetic fusion reactor. At the forefront of this endeavour is the field-reversed configuration. Here we demonstrate the kinetic stabilizing effect of fast ions on a disruptive magneto-hydrodynamic instability, known as a tilt mode, which poses a central obstacle to further field-reversed configuration development, by energetic beam injection. This technique, combined with the synergistic effect of active plasma boundary control, enables a fully stable ultra-high-beta (approaching 100%) plasma with a long lifetime.

Local and integral disruption forces on the tokamak wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pustovitov, V. D.; Kiramov, D. I.

2018-04-01

The disruption-induced forces on the tokamak wall are evaluated analytically within the standard large-aspect-ratio model that implies axisymmetry, circular plasma and wall, and absence of halo currents. Additionally, the ideal-wall reaction is assumed. The disruptions are modelled as rapid changes in the plasma pressure (thermal quench (TQ)) and net current (current quench (CQ)). The force distribution over the poloidal angle is found as a function of these inputs. The derived formulas allow comparison of the TQ- and CQ-produced forces calculated differently, with and without account of the poloidal current induced in the wall. The latter variant represents the inherent property of the codes treating the wall as a set of toroidal filaments. It is proved here that such a simplification leads to unacceptably large errors in the simulated forces for both TQs and CQs. It is also shown that the TQ part of the force must prevail over that due to CQ in the high-β scenarios developed for JT-60SA and ITER.

Toward optimizing lighting as a countermeasure to sleep and circadian disruption in space flight.

PubMed

Fucci, Robert L; Gardner, James; Hanifin, John P; Jasser, Samar; Byrne, Brenda; Gerner, Edward; Rollag, Mark; Brainard, George C

2005-01-01

Light is being used as a pre-launch countermeasure to circadian and sleep disruption in astronauts. The effect of light on the circadian system is readily monitored by measurement of plasma melatonin. Our group has established an action spectrum for human melatonin regulation and determined the region of 446-477 nm to be the most potent for suppressing plasma melatonin. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 460 and 555 nm for suppressing melatonin using a within-subjects design. Subjects (N=12) were exposed to equal photon densities (7.18 x 10(12) photons/cm2/s) at 460 and 555 nm. Melatonin suppression was significantly stronger at 460 nm (p<0.02). An extension to the action spectrum showed that 420 nm light at 16 and 32 microW/cm2 significantly suppressed melatonin (p<0.04 and p<0.002). These studies will help optimize lighting countermeasures to circadian and sleep disruption during spaceflight. c2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward optimizing lighting as a countermeasure to sleep and circadian disruption in space flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fucci, Robert L.; Gardner, James; Hanifin, John P.; Jasser, Samar; Byrne, Brenda; Gerner, Edward; Rollag, Mark; Brainard, George C.

2005-05-01

Light is being used as a pre-launch countermeasure to circadian and sleep disruption in astronauts. The effect of light on the circadian system is readily monitored by measurement of plasma melatonin. Our group has established an action spectrum for human melatonin regulation and determined the region of 446-477 nm to be the most potent for suppressing plasma melatonin. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 460 and 555 nm for suppressing melatonin using a within-subjects design. Subjects ( N=12) were exposed to equal photon densities ( 7.18×1012photons/cm2/s) at 460 and 555 nm. Melatonin suppression was significantly stronger at 460 nm ( p<0.02). An extension to the action spectrum showed that 420 nm light at 16 and 32μW/cm2 significantly suppressed melatonin ( p<0.04 and p<0.002). These studies will help optimize lighting countermeasures to circadian and sleep disruption during spaceflight.

Study of the radiated energy loss during massive gas injection mitigated disruptions on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Y. M.; Hao, Z. K.; Hu, L. Q.; Wang, L.; Xu, P.; Xu, L. Q.; Zhuang, H. D.; EAST Team

2015-08-01

The MGI mitigated disruption experiments were carried out on EAST with a new fast gas controlling valve in 2012. Different amounts of noble gas He or mixed gas of 99% He + 1% Ar are injected into plasma in current flat-top phase and current ramp-down phase separately. The initial results of MGI experiments are described. The MGI system and the radiation measurement system are briefly introduced. The characteristics of radiation distribution and radiation energy loss are analyzed. About 50% of the stored thermal energy Wdia is dissipated by radiation during the entire disruption process and the impurities of C and Li from the PFC play important roles to radiative energy loss. The amount of the gas can affect the pre-TQ phase. Strong poloidal asymmetry of radiation begins to appear in the CQ phase, which is possibly caused by the plasma configuration changes as a result of VDE. No toroidal radiation asymmetry is observed presently.

Substorm Evolution in the Near-Earth Plasma Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, Gary M.

2004-01-01

This grant represented one-year, phase-out funding for the project of the same name (NAG5-9110 to Boston University) to determine precursors and signatures of local substorm onset and how they evolve in the plasma sheet using the Geotail near-Earth database. We report here on two accomplishments: (1) Completion of an examination of plasma velocity signature at times of local onsets in the current disruption (CD) region. (2) Initial investigation into quantification of near-Earth flux-tube contents of injected plasma at times of substorm injections.

Plasma and Cavitation Dynamics during Pulsed Laser Microsurgery in vivo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hutson, M. Shane; Ma Xiaoyan

We compare the plasma and cavitation dynamics underlying pulsed laser microsurgery in water and in fruit fly embryos (in vivo)--specifically for nanosecond pulses at 355 and 532 nm. We find two key differences. First, the plasma-formation thresholds are lower in vivo --especially at 355 nm--due to the presence of endogenous chromophores that serve as additional sources for plasma seed electrons. Second, the biological matrix constrains the growth of laser-induced cavitation bubbles. Both effects reduce the disrupted region in vivo when compared to extrapolations from measurements in water.

Highly localized, fully 3-D disruptions of the reconnection layer in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, Seth

2011-10-01

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in plasmas which converts magnetic energy to plasma kinetic and thermal energy through topological changes. One of the important goals in magnetic reconnection research is to explain the fast reconnection rate observed in real three-dimensional laboratory and astrophysical systems. In the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX), an enhancement of the reconnection electric field is often associated with a wholesale disruption of the reconnection current layer, an intrinsically 3-D phenomena observed in the presence of out-of-plane gradients of local quantities such as reconnection layer current and density. During a disruption, the out-of-plane current decreases as current carrying electrons are redirected in the outflow direction. Observed ``O-point'' signatures and density striations suggest that this redirection often occurs though the ejection of 3-D flux rope structures. Large fluctuations in the lower hybrid frequency range are also routinely seen, but the ratio of the phase speed to the diamagnetic drift speed does not match what is predicted by 3-D kinetic simulations without disruptions. A 2-D Hall MHD analysis of the out-of-plane gradients is consistent with the buildup of magnetic energy leading to the event, but variation in all three spacial dimensions is required in order to obtain results in agreement with the disruptive behavior observed. Analysis and comparison with 3-D simulations is ongoing to determine if the fluctuations and/or disruptive behavior are responsible for the corresponding discrepancies in the layer structure between the experiments and 2-D kinetic simulations,,. Supported by DOE, NASA, and NSF.

A path to stable low-torque plasma operation in ITER with test blanket modules

DOE PAGES

Lanctot, Matthew J.; Snipes, J. A.; Reimerdes, H.; ...

2016-12-12

New experiments in the low-torque ITER Q = 10 scenario on DIII-D demonstrate that n = 1 magnetic fields from a single row of ex-vessel control coils enable operation at ITER performance metrics in the presence of applied non-axisymmetric magnetic fields from a test blanket module (TBM) mock-up coil. With n = 1 compensation, operation below the ITER-equivalent injected torque is successful at three times the ITER equivalent toroidal magnetic field ripple for a pair of TBMs in one equatorial port, whereas the uncompensated TBM field leads to rotation collapse, loss of H-mode and plasma current disruption. In companion experimentsmore » at high plasma beta, where the n = 1 plasma response is enhanced, uncorrected TBM fields degrade energy confinement and the plasma angular momentum while increasing fast ion losses; however, disruptions are not routinely encountered owing to increased levels of injected neutral beam torque. In this regime, n = 1 field compensation leads to recovery of a dominant fraction of the TBM-induced plasma pressure and rotation degradation, and an 80% reduction in the heat load to the first wall. These results show that the n = 1 plasma response plays a dominant role in determining plasma stability, and that n = 1 field compensation alone not only recovers most of the impact on plasma performance of the TBM, but also protects the first wall from potentially damaging heat flux. Despite these benefits, plasma rotation braking from the TBM fields cannot be fully recovered using standard error field control. Lastly, given the uncertainty in extrapolation of these results to the ITER configuration, it is prudent to design the TBMs with as low a ferromagnetic mass as possible without jeopardizing the TBM mission.« less

A path to stable low-torque plasma operation in ITER with test blanket modules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lanctot, Matthew J.; Snipes, J. A.; Reimerdes, H.

New experiments in the low-torque ITER Q = 10 scenario on DIII-D demonstrate that n = 1 magnetic fields from a single row of ex-vessel control coils enable operation at ITER performance metrics in the presence of applied non-axisymmetric magnetic fields from a test blanket module (TBM) mock-up coil. With n = 1 compensation, operation below the ITER-equivalent injected torque is successful at three times the ITER equivalent toroidal magnetic field ripple for a pair of TBMs in one equatorial port, whereas the uncompensated TBM field leads to rotation collapse, loss of H-mode and plasma current disruption. In companion experimentsmore » at high plasma beta, where the n = 1 plasma response is enhanced, uncorrected TBM fields degrade energy confinement and the plasma angular momentum while increasing fast ion losses; however, disruptions are not routinely encountered owing to increased levels of injected neutral beam torque. In this regime, n = 1 field compensation leads to recovery of a dominant fraction of the TBM-induced plasma pressure and rotation degradation, and an 80% reduction in the heat load to the first wall. These results show that the n = 1 plasma response plays a dominant role in determining plasma stability, and that n = 1 field compensation alone not only recovers most of the impact on plasma performance of the TBM, but also protects the first wall from potentially damaging heat flux. Despite these benefits, plasma rotation braking from the TBM fields cannot be fully recovered using standard error field control. Lastly, given the uncertainty in extrapolation of these results to the ITER configuration, it is prudent to design the TBMs with as low a ferromagnetic mass as possible without jeopardizing the TBM mission.« less

Toroidal band limiter for a plasma containment device

DOEpatents

Kelley, George G.

1978-01-01

This invention relates to a toroidal plasma confinement device having poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields for confining a toroidal plasma column with a plasma current induced therein along an endless, circular equilibrium axis in a torus vacuum cavity wherein the improvement comprises the use of a toroidal plasma band limiter mounted within the vacuum cavity in such a manner as to ensure that the plasma energy is distributed more uniformly over the limiter surface thereby avoiding intense local heating of the limiter while at the same time substantially preventing damage to the plasma containment wall of the cavity by the energetic particles diffusing out from the confined plasma. A plurality of poloidal plasma ring limiters are also utilized for containment wall protection during any disruptive instability that might occur during operation of the device.

Study of Magnetic Reconnection

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

and disruptions in the Tosca tokamak, Nuclear Fusion 19, 115-119, 1979. 9. Stenzel, R. L., W. Gekelman and N. Wild, Magnetic field line reconnection...Acknowledgments. The authors gratefully acknowledge the techni- plasma diffusion due to polycliromatic fluctuations, Nucl. Fussion , cal support and...sans collisions, in: Proceedings of the Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna

Wall conditioning in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohde, V.; Dux, R.; Kallenbach, A.; Krieger, K.; Neu, R.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2007-06-01

An overview on wall conditioning in ASDEX Upgrade is presented. Helium glow discharges (HeGD) are needed mostly for plasma start up after high density discharges, disruptions and disruption mitigation gas puffs. Boronisation is routinely applied. The reduction of the oxygen content is a minor effect. Strong variation of the wall pumping is observed for tungsten first wall materials. The uncoated tungsten surface stores and releases large amounts of He, which can disturb the plasma. The released He causes the modification in the wall pumping. By reducing HeGD this effect could be minimized. Advanced and natural density scenarios are sensitive to the status of the wall coating. Accumulation of impurities at the pedestal influences the ELM frequency and finally causes radiation unstable discharges.

Anthropogenic tracers, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and endocrine disruption in Minnesota lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Writer, J.H.; Barber, L.B.; Brown, G.K.; Taylor, Howard E.; Kiesling, R.L.; Ferrey, M.L.; Jahns, N.D.; Bartell, S.E.; Schoenfuss, H.L.

2010-01-01

Concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals and endocrine disruption in fish were determined in 11 lakes across Minnesota that represent a range of trophic conditions and land uses (urban, agricultural, residential, and forested) and in which wastewater treatment plant discharges were absent. Water, sediment, and passive polar organic integrative samplers (POCIS) were analyzed for steroidal hormones, alkylphenols, bisphenol A, and other organic and inorganic molecular tracers to evaluate potential non-point source inputs into the lakes. Resident fish from the lakes were collected, and caged male fathead minnows were deployed to evaluate endocrine disruption, as indicated by the biological endpoints of plasma vitellogenin and gonadal histology. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol A, 17??-estradiol, estrone, and 4-nonylphenol were detected in 90% of the lakes at part per trillion concentrations. Endocrine disruption was observed in caged fathead minnows and resident fish in 90% of the lakes. The widespread but variable occurrence of anthropogenic chemicals in the lakes and endocrine disruption in fish indicates that potential sources are diverse, not limited to wastewater treatment plant discharges, and not entirely predictable based on trophic status and land use. ?? 2010.

High heat flux issues for plasma-facing components in fusion reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Robert D.

1993-02-01

Plasma facing components in tokamak fusion reactors are faced with a number of difficult high heat flux issues. These components include: first wall armor tiles, pumped limiters, diverter plates, rf antennae structure, and diagnostic probes. Peak heat fluxes are 15 - 30 MW/m2 for diverter plates, which will operate for 100 - 1000 seconds in future tokamaks. Disruption heat fluxes can approach 100,000 MW/m2 for 0.1 ms. Diverter plates are water-cooled heat sinks with armor tiles brazed on to the plasma facing side. Heat sink materials include OFHC, GlidcopTM, TZM, Mo-41Re, and niobium alloys. Armor tile materials include: carbon fiber composites, beryllium, silicon carbide, tungsten, and molybdenum. Tile thickness range from 2 - 10 mm, and heat sinks are 1 - 3 mm. A twisted tape insert is used to enhance heat transfer and increase the burnout safety margin from critical heat flux limits to 50 - 60 MW/m2 with water at 10 m/s and 4 MPa. Tests using rastered electron beams have shown thermal fatigue failures from cracks at the brazed interface between tiles and the heat sink after only 1000 cycles at 10 - 15 MW/m2. These fatigue lifetimes need to be increased an order of magnitude to meet future requirements. Other critical issues for plasma facing components include: surface erosion from sputtering and disruption erosion, eddy current forces and runaway electron impact from disruptions, neutron damage, tritium retention and release, remote maintenance of radioactive components, corrosion-erosion, and loss-of-coolant accidents.

SHEET PLASMA DEVICE

DOEpatents

Henderson, O.A.

1962-07-17

An ion-electron plasma heating apparatus of the pinch tube class was developed wherein a plasma is formed by an intense arc discharge through a gas and is radially constricted by the magnetic field of the discharge. To avoid kink and interchange instabilities which can disrupt a conventional arc shortiy after it is formed, the apparatus is a pinch tube with a flat configuration for forming a sheet of plasma between two conductive plates disposed parallel and adjacent to the plasma sheet. Kink instabilities are suppressed by image currents induced in the conductive plates while the interchange instabilities are neutrally stable because of the flat plasma configuration wherein such instabilities may occur but do not dynamically increase in amplitude. (AEC)

RSV glycoprotein and genomic RNA dynamics reveal filament assembly prior to the plasma membrane.

PubMed

Vanover, Daryll; Smith, Daisy V; Blanchard, Emmeline L; Alonas, Eric; Kirschman, Jonathan L; Lifland, Aaron W; Zurla, Chiara; Santangelo, Philip J

2017-09-22

The human respiratory syncytial virus G protein plays an important role in the entry and assembly of filamentous virions. Here, we report the use of fluorescently labeled soybean agglutinin to selectively label the respiratory syncytial virus G protein in living cells without disrupting respiratory syncytial virus infectivity or filament formation and allowing for interrogations of respiratory syncytial virus virion assembly. Using this approach, we discovered that plasma membrane-bound respiratory syncytial virus G rapidly recycles from the membrane via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This event is then followed by the dynamic formation of filamentous and branched respiratory syncytial virus particles, and assembly with genomic ribonucleoproteins and caveolae-associated vesicles prior to re-insertion into the plasma membrane. We demonstrate that these processes are halted by the disruption of microtubules and inhibition of molecular motors. Collectively, our results show that for respiratory syncytial virus assembly, viral filaments are produced and loaded with genomic RNA prior to insertion into the plasma membrane.Assembly of filamentous RSV particles is incompletely understood due to a lack of techniques suitable for live-cell imaging. Here Vanover et al. use labeled soybean agglutinin to selectively label RSV G protein and show how filamentous RSV assembly, initiated in the cytoplasm, uses G protein recycled from the plasma membrane.

Multi-Wavelength Imaging of Solar Plasma - High-Beta Disruption Model of Solar Flares -

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibasaki, Kiyoto

Solar atmosphere is filled with plasma and magnetic field. Activities in the atmosphere are due to plasma instabilities in the magnetic field. To understand the physical mechanisms of activities / instabilities, it is necessary to know the physical conditions of magnetized plasma, such as temperature, density, magnetic field, and their spatial structures and temporal developments. Multi-wavelength imaging is essential for this purpose. Imaging observations of the Sun at microwave, X-ray, EUV and optical ranges are routinely going on. Due to free exchange of original data among solar physics and related field communities, we can easily combine images covering wide range of spectrum. Even under such circumstances, we still do not understand the cause of activities in the solar atmosphere well. The current standard model of solar activities is based on magnetic reconnection: release of stored magnetic energy by reconnection is the cause of solar activities on the Sun such as solar flares. However, recent X-ray, EUV and microwave observations with high spatial and temporal resolution show that dense plasma is involved in activities from the beginning. Based on these observations, I propose a high-beta model of solar activities, which is very similar to high-beta disruptions in magnetically confined fusion experiments.

Effects of ELMs and disruptions on ITER divertor armour materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Federici, G.; Zhitlukhin, A.; Arkhipov, N.; Giniyatulin, R.; Klimov, N.; Landman, I.; Podkovyrov, V.; Safronov, V.; Loarte, A.; Merola, M.

2005-03-01

This paper describes the response of plasma facing components manufactured with tungsten (macro-brush) and CFC to energy loads characteristic of Type I ELMs and disruptions in ITER, in experiments conducted (under an EU/RF collaboration) in two plasma guns (QSPA and MK-200UG) at the TRINITI institute. Targets were exposed to a series of repetitive pulses in QSPA with heat loads in a range of 1-2 MJ/m 2 lasting 0.5 ms. Moderate tungsten erosion, of less than 0.2 μm per pulse, was found for loads of ˜1.5 MJ/m 2, consistent with ELM erosion being determined by tungsten evaporation and not by melt layer displacement. At energy densities of ˜1.8 MJ/m 2 a sharp growth of tungsten erosion was measured together with intense droplet ejection. MK-200UG experiments were focused on studying mainly vapor plasma production and impurity transport during ELMs. The conditions for removal of thin metal deposits from a carbon substrate were characterized.

Toroidal current asymmetry in tokamak disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, H. R.

2014-10-01

It was discovered on JET that disruptions were accompanied by toroidal asymmetry of the toroidal plasma current I ϕ. It was found that the toroidal current asymmetry was proportional to the vertical current moment asymmetry with positive sign for an upward vertical displacement event (VDE) and negative sign for a downward VDE. It was observed that greater displacement leads to greater measured I ϕ asymmetry. Here, it is shown that this is essentially a kinematic effect produced by a VDE interacting with three dimensional MHD perturbations. The relation of toroidal current asymmetry and vertical current moment is calculated analytically and is verified by numerical simulations. It is shown analytically that the toroidal variation of the toroidal plasma current is accompanied by an equal and opposite variation of the toroidal current flowing in a thin wall surrounding the plasma. These currents are connected by 3D halo current, which is π/2 radians out of phase with the n = 1 toroidal current variations.

The effect of pre-existing islands on disruption mitigation in MHD simulations of DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Izzo, V. A.

Locked-modes are the most likely cause of disruptions in ITER, so large islands are expected to be common when the ITER disruption mitigation system is deployed. MHD modeling of disruption mitigation by massive gas injection is carried out for DIII-D plasmas with stationary, pre-existing islands. Results show that the magnetic topology at the q=2 surface can affect the parallel spreading of injected impurities, and that, in particular, the break-up of large 2/1 islands into smaller 4/2 islands chains can favorably affect mitigation metrics. The direct imposition of a 4/2 mode is found to have similar results to the case inmore » which the 4/2 harmonic grows spontaneously.« less

The effect of pre-existing islands on disruption mitigation in MHD simulations of DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Izzo, V. A.

2017-02-27

Locked-modes are the most likely cause of disruptions in ITER, so large islands are expected to be common when the ITER disruption mitigation system is deployed. MHD modeling of disruption mitigation by massive gas injection is carried out for DIII-D plasmas with stationary, pre-existing islands. Results show that the magnetic topology at the q=2 surface can affect the parallel spreading of injected impurities, and that, in particular, the break-up of large 2/1 islands into smaller 4/2 islands chains can favorably affect mitigation metrics. The direct imposition of a 4/2 mode is found to have similar results to the case inmore » which the 4/2 harmonic grows spontaneously.« less

Disruptions generated runaways in the FTU high field tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, F. M.; Esposito, B.; Maddaluno, G.; Martin-Solis, J. R.

2001-10-01

Disruptions in FTU are usually accompanied by the generation of a strong pulse of photoneutrons (YN 10^12n/s), resulting from photonuclear reactions induced by the bremsstrahlung radiation emitted when runaway electrons (REs) strike the plasma facing components. Measurements of YN during major disruptions on TS [1] showed variations of three orders of magnitude when the toroidal field Bt increases from 1.8T to 3.9T. Similar results were found on JT-60 [2], where no REs are produced for low Bt (<2.2T) and a large YN was measured for higher fields (up to 4T). The range of Bt available in FTU (4T-8T) allows to extend such analysis so that useful predictions can be obtained for operation in next-step high field tokamaks (IGNITOR, ITER). The dependence of YN on Bt is investigated in several FTU disruptions. YN increases with Bt for B_t=4T-6T, while no variation is found for B_t=6T-8T: the role played by ne and Ip on such trend is discussed. [1]P.Joyer,G.Martin,Contr.Fusion and Plasma Heating,Proc.17^thEPS Conf.Amsterdam(1990) [2]R.Yoshino et al.,Nucl.Fus.39 151 (1999)

Overview of recent results and future plans on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, D. A.; Archmiller, M. C.; Cianciosa, M. R.; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Hartwell, G. J.; Hebert, J. D.; Herfindal, J. L.; Knowlton, S. F.; Ma, X.; Massidda, S.; Pandya, M. D.; Roberds, N. A.; Traverso, P. J.

2015-11-01

Goals of the Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) experiment are to: (1) investigate the dependence of plasma disruptive behavior on the level of applied 3D magnetic shaping, (2) test and advance 3D computational modeling tools in strongly shaped plasmas, and (3) study the implementation of a new island divertor. Progress towards these goals and other developments are summarized. The disruptive density limit is observed to exceed the Greenwald limit as the vacuum transform is increased, but a threshold for disruption avoidance is not observed. Low q operation is routine, with low q disruptions avoided when the vacuum transform is raised to the value of 0.07 or above. Application of vacuum transform has been demonstrated to reduce and eliminate the vertical drift of elongated discharges that would otherwise be vertically unstable. Current efforts at improved equilibrium reconstruction and diagnostic development will beoverviewed. NIMROD is used to model the current ramp phase of CTH and 3D shaped sawtooth behavior. An island divertor design has begun with connection length studies and initial EMC3-Eirene results to model energy deposition on divertor plates located in an edge 1/3 island. This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Grant No. DE- FG02-00ER54610.

Developmental toxicity and thyroid hormone-disrupting effects of 2,4-dichloro-6-nitrophenol in Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus).

PubMed

Chen, Rui; Yuan, Lilai; Zha, Jinmiao; Wang, Zijian

2017-04-01

In the present study, to evaluate embryonic toxicity and the thyroid-disrupting effects of 2,4-dichloro-6-nitrophenol (DCNP), embryos and adults of Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) were exposed to 2, 20, and 200μg/L DCNP. In the embryo-larval assay, increased percentages of mortality and occurrence of malformations, decreased percentage of hatching, and decreased body length and body weight were observed after DCNP treatment. Moreover, the whole-body T3 levels were significantly increased at 20 and 200μg/L treatments, whereas the T4 levels were markedly decreased significantly (p<0.05) for all DCNP concentrations. In the adult fish assay, plasma T3 levels were significantly increased whereas plasma T4 levels were significantly reduced in the fish treated with 20 and 200μg/L (p<0.05). In addition, DCNP exposure significantly changed the transcription levels of thyroid system related genes, including dio1, dio2, me, nis, tr, and ttr. The increased responsiveness of thyroid hormone and mRNA expression levels of thyroid system related genes suggested that DCNP could disrupt the thyroid hormone synthesis and transport pathways. Therefore, our findings provide new insights of DCNP as a thyroid hormone-disrupting chemical. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Overview, Progress, and Plans for the Compact Toroidal Hybrid Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartwell, G. J.; Allen, N. R.; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Howell, E. C.; Johnson, C. A.; Knowlton, S. F.; Kring, J. D.; Ma, X.; Maurer, D. A.; Ross, K. G.; Schmitt, J. C.; Traverso, P. J.; Williamson, E. N.

2017-10-01

The Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) is an l = 2 , m = 5 torsatron/tokamak hybrid (R0 = 0.75 m, ap 0.2 m, and | B | <= 0.7 T) which generates highly configurable confining magnetic fields solely with external coils but typically uses up to 80 kA of plasma current for heating and disruption studies. The main goals of the CTH experiment are to study disruptive behavior as a function of applied 3D magnetic shaping, and to test and advance the V3FIT reconstruction code and NIMROD modeling of CTH. The disruptive density limit is observed to exceed the Greenwald limit as the vacuum transform is increased with no observed threshold for avoidance. Low-q operations (1.1 < q(a) < 2.0) are routine, with disruptions ceasing if the vacuum transform is raised above 0.07. Sawteeth are observed in CTH and have a similar phenomenology to tokamak sawteeth despite employing a 3D confining field. Application of vacuum transform has been demonstrated to reduce and eliminate the vertical drift of elongated discharges. Internal SXR diagnostics, in conjunction with external magnetics, extend the range of reconstruction accuracy into the plasma core. This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

FFA2 Contribution to Gestational Glucose Tolerance Is Not Disrupted by Antibiotics.

PubMed

Fuller, Miles; Li, Xiaoran; Fisch, Robert; Bughara, Moneb; Wicksteed, Barton; Kovatcheva-Datchary, Petia; Layden, Brian T

2016-01-01

During the insulin resistant phase of pregnancy, the mRNA expression of free fatty acid 2 receptor (Ffar2) is upregulated and as we recently reported, this receptor contributes to insulin secretion and pancreatic beta cell mass expansion in order to maintain normal glucose homeostasis during pregnancy. As impaired gestational glucose levels can affect metabolic health of offspring, we aimed to explore the role of maternal Ffar2 expression during pregnancy on the metabolic health of offspring and also the effects of antibiotics, which have been shown to disrupt gut microbiota fermentative activity (the source of the FFA2 ligands) on gestational glucose homeostasis. We found that maternal Ffar2 expression and impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy had no effect on the growth rates, ad lib glucose and glucose tolerance in the offspring between 3 and 6 weeks of age. To disrupt short chain fatty acid production, we chronically treated WT mice and Ffar2-/- mice with broad range antibiotics and further compared their glucose tolerance prior to pregnancy and at gestational day 15, and also quantified cecum and plasma SCFAs. We found that during pregnancy antibiotic treatment reduced the levels of SCFAs in the cecum of the mice, but resulted in elevated levels of plasma SCFAs and altered concentrations of individual SCFAs. Along with these changes, gestational glucose tolerance in WT mice, but not Ffar2-/- mice improved while on antibiotics. Additional data showed that gestational glucose tolerance worsened in Ffar2-/- mice during a second pregnancy. Together, these results indicate that antibiotic treatment alone is inadequate to deplete plasma SCFA concentrations, and that modulation of gut microbiota by antibiotics does not disrupt the contribution of FFA2 to gestational glucose tolerance.

Feedback-Assisted Extension of the Tokamak Operating Space to Low Safety Factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, J. M.

2013-10-01

Recent DIII-D experiments have demonstrated stable operation at very low edge safety factor, q95 <~ 2 through the use of magnetic feedback to control the n = 1 resistive wall mode (RWM) instability. The performance of tokamak fusion devices may benefit from increased plasma current, and thus, decreased q. However, disruptive stability limits are commonly encountered in experiments at qedge ~ 2 (limited plasmas) and q95 ~ 2 (diverted plasmas), limiting exploration of low q regimes. In the recent DIII-D experiments, the impact and control of key disruptive instabilities was studied. Locked n = 1 modes with exponential growth times on the order of the wall eddy current decay timescale τw preceded disruptions at q95 = 2 . The instabilities have a poloidal structure that is consistent with VALEN simulations of the RWM mode structure at q95 = 2 . Applying proportional gain magnetic feedback control of the n = 1 mode resulted in stabilized operation with q95 reaching 1.9, and an extension of the discharge lifetime for > 100τw . Loss of feedback control was accompanied by power supply saturation, followed by a rapidly growing n = 1 mode and disruption. Comparisons of the feedback dynamics with VALEN simulations will be presented. The DIII-D results complement and will be discussed alongside recent RFX-MOD demonstrations of RWM control using magnetic feedback in limited tokamak discharges with qedge < 2. These results call attention to the utility of magnetic feedback in significantly extending the tokamak operational space and potentially opening a new route to economical fusion power production. Supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FG02-04ER54761 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Thymocyte plasma membrane of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri: Associated immunoglobulin and heteroantigens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warr, G.W.; DeLuca, D.; Anderson, D.P.

1983-01-01

1. Thymic lymphocytes of the rainbow trout, S. gairdneri were disrupted and a plasma membrane containing fraction isolated by differential and buoyant density centrifugation.2. Radioiodine introduced into the membrane by the lactoperoxidase catalyzed reaction and immunoglobulin (identified by radioimmunoassay with monoclonal antibody) both copurified in the plasma membrane fraction.3. Rabbit antibody raised to the plasma membrane fraction showed a strong reaction with trout lymphocytes in immunofluorescence, was mitogenic for trout lymphocytes, and recognized lymphocyte membrane heteroantigens of molecular weight > 70,000 in the thymus and 45,000–95,000 in the head kidney.

Development of precursors recognition methods in vector signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapralov, V. G.; Elagin, V. V.; Kaveeva, E. G.; Stankevich, L. A.; Dremin, M. M.; Krylov, S. V.; Borovov, A. E.; Harfush, H. A.; Sedov, K. S.

2017-10-01

Precursor recognition methods in vector signals of plasma diagnostics are presented. Their requirements and possible options for their development are considered. In particular, the variants of using symbolic regression for building a plasma disruption prediction system are discussed. The initial data preparation using correlation analysis and symbolic regression is discussed. Special attention is paid to the possibility of using algorithms in real time.

Non-axisymmetric equilibrium reconstruction and suppression of density limit disruptions in a current-carrying stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xinxing; Ennis, D. A.; Hanson, J. D.; Hartwell, G. J.; Knowlton, S. F.; Maurer, D. A.

2017-10-01

Non-axisymmetric equilibrium reconstructions have been routinely performed with the V3FIT code in the Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH), a stellarator/tokamak hybrid. In addition to 50 external magnetic measurements, 160 SXR emissivity measurements are incorporated into V3FIT to reconstruct the magnetic flux surface geometry and infer the current distribution within the plasma. Improved reconstructions of current and q profiles provide insight into understanding the physics of density limit disruptions observed in current-carrying discharges in CTH. It is confirmed that the final scenario of the density limit of CTH plasmas is consistent with classic observations in tokamaks: current profile shrinkage leads to growing MHD instabilities (tearing modes) followed by a loss of MHD equilibrium. It is also observed that the density limit at a given current linearly increases with increasing amounts of 3D shaping fields. Consequently, plasmas with densities up to two times the Greenwald limit are attained. Equilibrium reconstructions show that addition of 3D fields effectively moves resonance surfaces towards the edge of the plasma where the current profile gradient is less, providing a stabilizing effect. This work is supported by US Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

Power and Particle Exhaust in Tokamaks

ScienceCinema

Dr. Wojciech Fundamenski

2018-04-19

Dr. Fundamenski provides an introduction to plasma exhaust, specifically relating to the EFDA-JET and ITER projects in Europe. Divertor heat loads, impurity seeding, and disruption experiments are outlined.

Disruption forces on the tokamak wall with and without poloidal currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pustovitov, V. D.

2017-05-01

The contributions into the disruption radial force on the tokamak vacuum vessel wall are calculated and analyzed. One is due to the induced toroidal current in the wall, and another is due to the poloidal current. The latter is not accounted for in the models that represent the wall as a set of isolated toroidal filaments. It is shown that such modeling must lead to significant errors in the evaluation of the force during either thermal or current quench. The analytical derivations are performed here for an arbitrary tokamak configuration with final estimates for a circular large-aspect-ratio plasma and a coaxial wall reacting on perturbations as a perfect conductor. The results are compared with those recently obtained numerically by the codes DINA, MAXFEA and CarMa0NL. The discrepancies between the DINA simulations (Khayrutdinov et al 2016 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 58 115012) and earlier analytical predictions are explained. The recent conclusion (Villone et al 2015 Fusion Eng. Des. 93 57) on the role of the disruption-induced poloidal current in the wall is confirmed and extended to a wider area.

Erosion of tungsten armor after multiple intense transient events in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazylev, B. N.; Janeschitz, G.; Landman, I. S.; Pestchanyi, S. E.

2005-03-01

Macroscopic erosion by melt motion is the dominating damage mechanism for tungsten armour under high-heat loads with energy deposition W > 1 MJ/m 2 and τ > 0.1 ms. For ITER divertor armour the results of a fluid dynamics simulation of the melt motion erosion after repetitive stochastically varying plasma heat loads of consecutive disruptions interspaced by ELMs are presented. The heat loads for particular single transient events are numerically simulated using the two-dimensional MHD code FOREV-2D. The whole melt motion is calculated by the fluid dynamics code MEMOS-1.5D. In addition for the ITER dome melt motion erosion of tungsten armour caused by the lateral radiation impact from the plasma shield at the disruption and ELM heat loads is estimated.

Runaway electron dynamics in tokamak plasmas with high impurity content

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martín-Solís, J. R., E-mail: solis@fis.uc3m.es; Loarte, A.; Lehnen, M.

2015-09-15

The dynamics of high energy runaway electrons is analyzed for plasmas with high impurity content. It is shown that modified collision terms are required in order to account for the collisions of the relativistic runaway electrons with partially stripped impurity ions, including the effect of the collisions with free and bound electrons, as well as the scattering by the full nuclear and the electron-shielded ion charge. The effect of the impurities on the avalanche runaway growth rate is discussed. The results are applied, for illustration, to the interpretation of the runaway electron behavior during disruptions, where large amounts of impuritiesmore » are expected, particularly during disruption mitigation by massive gas injection. The consequences for the electron synchrotron radiation losses and the resulting runaway electron dynamics are also analyzed.« less

Separation of Evans and Hiro currents in VDE of tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galkin, Sergei A.; Svidzinski, V. A.; Zakharov, L. E.

2014-10-01

Progress on the Disruption Simulation Code (DSC-3D) development and benchmarking will be presented. The DSC-3D is one-fluid nonlinear time-dependent MHD code, which utilizes fully 3D toroidal geometry for the first wall, pure vacuum and plasma itself, with adaptation to the moving plasma boundary and accurate resolution of the plasma surface current. Suppression of fast magnetosonic scale by the plasma inertia neglecting will be demonstrated. Due to code adaptive nature, self-consistent plasma surface current modeling during non-linear dynamics of the Vertical Displacement Event (VDE) is accurately provided. Separation of the plasma surface current on Evans and Hiro currents during simulation of fully developed VDE, then the plasma touches in-vessel tiles, will be discussed. Work is supported by the US DOE SBIR Grant # DE-SC0004487.

Design of a Rail Gun System for Mitigating Disruptions in Fusion Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lay, Wei-Siang

Magnetic fusion devices, such as the tokamak, that carry a large amount of current to generate the plasma confining magnetic fields have the potential to lose magnetic stability control. This can lead to a major plasma disruption, which can cause most of the stored plasma energy to be lost to localized regions on the walls, causing severe damage. This is the most important issue for the $20B ITER device (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) that is under construction in France. By injecting radiative materials deep into the plasma, the plasma energy could be dispersed more evenly on the vessel surface thus mitigating the harmful consequences of a disruption. Methods currently planned for ITER rely on the slow expansion of gases to propel the radiative payloads, and they also need to be located far away from the reactor vessel, which further slows down the response time of the system. Rail guns are being developed for aerospace applications, such as for mass transfer from the surface of the moon and asteroids to low earth orbit. A miniatured version of this aerospace technology seems to be particularly well suited to meet the fast time response needs of an ITER disruption mitigation system. Mounting this device close to the reactor vessel is also possible, which substantially increases its performance because the stray magnetic fields near the vessel walls could be used to augment the rail gun generated magnetic fields. In this thesis, the potential viability on Rail Gun based DMS is studied to investigate its projected fast time response capability by design, fabrication, and experiment of an NSTX-U sized rail gun system. Material and geometry based tests are used to find the most suitable armature design for this system for which the desirable attributes are high specific stiffness and high electrical conductivity. With the best material in these studies being aluminum 7075, the experimental Electromagnetic Particle Injector (EPI) system has propelled an aluminum armature (weighing 3g) to a velocity more than 150 m/s within two milliseconds post trigger, consistent with the predicted projection for a system with those parameters. Fixed magnetic field probes and high-speed images capture the velocity profile. To propel the armatures, a 20 mF capacitor bank charged to 2 kV and augmented with external field coils powers the rails. These studies indicate that an EPI based system can indeed operate with a fast response time of less than three milliseconds after an impending disruption is detected, and thus warrants further studies to more fully develop the concept as a back-up option for an ITER DMS.

Kink modes and surface currents associated with vertical displacement events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manickam, Janardhan; Boozer, Allen; Gerhardt, Stefan

2012-08-01

The fast termination phase of a vertical displacement event (VDE) in a tokamak is modeled as a sequence of shrinking equilibria, where the core current profile remains constant so that the safety-factor at the axis, qaxis, remains fixed and the qedge systematically decreases. At some point, the n = 1 kink mode is destabilized. Kink modes distort the magnetic field lines outside the plasma, and surface currents are required to nullify the normal component of the B-field at the plasma boundary and maintain equilibrium at finite pressure. If the plasma touches a conductor, the current can be transferred to the conductor, and may be measurable by the halo current monitors. This report describes a practical method to model the plasma as it evolves during a VDE, and determine the surface currents, needed to maintain equilibrium. The main results are that the onset conditions for the disruption are that the growth-rate of the n = 1 kink exceeds half the Alfven time and the associated surface current needed to maintain equilibrium exceeds one half of the core plasma current. This occurs when qedge drops below a low integer, usually 2. Application to NSTX provides favorable comparison with non-axisymmetric halo-current measurements. The model is also applied to ITER and shows that the 2/1 mode is projected to be the most likely cause of the final disruption.

A path to stable low-torque plasma operation in ITER with test blanket modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanctot, M. J.; Snipes, J. A.; Reimerdes, H.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Logan, N.; Hanson, J. M.; Buttery, R. J.; deGrassie, J. S.; Garofalo, A. M.; Gray, T. K.; Grierson, B. A.; King, J. D.; Kramer, G. J.; La Haye, R. J.; Pace, D. C.; Park, J.-K.; Salmi, A.; Shiraki, D.; Strait, E. J.; Solomon, W. M.; Tala, T.; Van Zeeland, M. A.

2017-03-01

New experiments in the low-torque ITER Q  =  10 scenario on DIII-D demonstrate that n  =  1 magnetic fields from a single row of ex-vessel control coils enable operation at ITER performance metrics in the presence of applied non-axisymmetric magnetic fields from a test blanket module (TBM) mock-up coil. With n  =  1 compensation, operation below the ITER-equivalent injected torque is successful at three times the ITER equivalent toroidal magnetic field ripple for a pair of TBMs in one equatorial port, whereas the uncompensated TBM field leads to rotation collapse, loss of H-mode and plasma current disruption. In companion experiments at high plasma beta, where the n  =  1 plasma response is enhanced, uncorrected TBM fields degrade energy confinement and the plasma angular momentum while increasing fast ion losses; however, disruptions are not routinely encountered owing to increased levels of injected neutral beam torque. In this regime, n  =  1 field compensation leads to recovery of a dominant fraction of the TBM-induced plasma pressure and rotation degradation, and an 80% reduction in the heat load to the first wall. These results show that the n  =  1 plasma response plays a dominant role in determining plasma stability, and that n  =  1 field compensation alone not only recovers most of the impact on plasma performance of the TBM, but also protects the first wall from potentially damaging heat flux. Despite these benefits, plasma rotation braking from the TBM fields cannot be fully recovered using standard error field control. Given the uncertainty in extrapolation of these results to the ITER configuration, it is prudent to design the TBMs with as low a ferromagnetic mass as possible without jeopardizing the TBM mission.

Impact of toroidal and poloidal mode spectra on the control of non-axisymmetric fields in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanctot, Matthew J.

2016-10-01

In several tokamaks, non-axisymmetric magnetic field studies show applied n=2 fields can lead to disruptive n=1 locked modes, suggesting nonlinear mode coupling. A multimode plasma response to n=2 fields can be observed in H-mode plasmas, in contrast to the single-mode response found in Ohmic plasmas. These effects highlight a role for n >1 error field correction in disruption avoidance, and identify additional degrees of freedom for 3D field optimization at high plasma pressure. In COMPASS, EAST, and DIII-D Ohmic plasmas, n=2 magnetic reconnection thresholds in otherwise stable discharges are readily accessed at edge safety factors q 3 and low density. Similar to previous studies, the thresholds are correlated with the ``overlap'' field for the dominant linear ideal MHD plasma mode calculated with the IPEC code. The overlap field measures the plasma-mediated coupling of the external field to the resonant field. Remarkably, the critical overlap fields are similar for n=1 and 2 fields with m >nq fields dominating the drive for resonant fields. Complementary experiments in RFX-Mod show fields with m 1 control, including the need for multiple rows of coils to control selected plasma parameters for specific functions (e.g., rotation control or ELM suppression). Optimal multi-harmonic (n=1 and n=2) error field control may be achieved using control algorithms that continuously respond to time-varying 3D field sources and plasma parameters. Supported by the US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Severe blood-brain barrier disruption and surrounding tissue injury.

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Friedman, Beth; Cheng, Qun; Tsai, Phil; Schim, Erica; Kleinfeld, David; Lyden, Patrick D

2009-12-01

Blood-brain barrier opening during ischemia follows a biphasic time course, may be partially reversible, and allows plasma constituents to enter brain and possibly damage cells. In contrast, severe vascular disruption after ischemia is unlikely to be reversible and allows even further extravasation of potentially harmful plasma constituents. We sought to use simple fluorescent tracers to allow wide-scale visualization of severely damaged vessels and determine whether such vascular disruption colocalized with regions of severe parenchymal injury. Severe vascular disruption and ischemic injury was produced in adult Sprague Dawley rats by transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours, followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (2 MDa) was injected intravenously before occlusion. After perfusion-fixation, brain sections were processed for ultrastructure or fluorescence imaging. We identified early evidence of tissue damage with Fluoro-Jade staining of dying cells. With increasing ischemia duration, greater quantities of high molecular weight dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate invaded and marked ischemic regions in a characteristic pattern, appearing first in the medial striatum, spreading to the lateral striatum, and finally involving cortex; maximal injury was seen in the mid-parietal areas, consistent with the known ischemic zone in this model. The regional distribution of the severe vascular disruption correlated with the distribution of 24-hour 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride pallor (r=0.75; P<0.05) and the cell death marker Fluoro-Jade (r=0.86; P<0.05). Ultrastructural examination showed significantly increased areas of swollen astrocytic foot process and swollen mitochondria in regions of high compared to low leakage, and compared to contralateral homologous regions (ANOVA P<0.01). Dextran extravasation into the basement membrane and surrounding tissue increased significantly from 2 to 8 hours of occlusion duration (Independent samples t test, P<0.05). Severe vascular disruption, as labeled with high-molecular-weight dextran-fluorescein isothiocyanate leakage, is associated with severe tissue injury. This marker of severe vascular disruption may be useful in further studies of the pathoanatomic mechanisms of vascular disruption-mediated tissue injury.

The antifungal activity and membrane-disruptive action of dioscin extracted from Dioscorea nipponica.

PubMed

Cho, Jaeyong; Choi, Hyemin; Lee, Juneyoung; Kim, Mi-Sun; Sohn, Ho-Yong; Lee, Dong Gun

2013-03-01

Dioscin is a kind of steroidal saponin isolated from the root bark of wild yam Dioscorea nipponica. We investigated the antifungal effect of dioscin against different fungal strains and its antifungal mechanism(s) in Candida albicans cells. Using the propidium iodide assay and calcein-leakage measurement, we confirmed that dioscin caused fungal membrane damage. Furthermore, we evaluated the ability of dioscin to disrupt the plasma membrane potential, using 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine iodide [DiSC(3)(5)] and bis-(1,3-dibarbituric acid)-trimethine oxanol [DiBAC(4)(3)]. Cells stained with the dyes had a significant increase in fluorescent intensity after exposure to dioscin, indicating that dioscin has an effect on the membrane potential. To visualize the effect of dioscin on the cell membrane, we synthesized rhodamine-labeled giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) mimicking the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of C. albicans. As seen in the result, the membrane disruptive action of dioscin caused morphological change and rhodamine leakage of the GUVs. In three-dimensional contour-plot analysis using flow cytometry, we observed a decrease in cell size, which is in agreement with our result from the GUV assay. These results suggest that dioscin exerts a considerable antifungal activity by disrupting the structure in membrane after invading into the fungal membrane, resulting in fungal cell death. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extreme energetic particle decreases near geostationary orbit - A manifestation of current diversion within the inner plasma sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, D. N.; Mcpherron, R. L.

1990-01-01

A qualitative model of cross-tail current flow is considered. It is suggested that when magnetic reconnection begins, the current effectively flows across the plasma sheet both earthward and tailward of the disruption region near the neutral line. It is shown that an enhanced cross-tail current earthward of this region would thin the plasma sheet substantially due to the magnetic pinch effect. The results explain the very taillike field and extreme particle dropouts often seen late in substorm growth phases.

Simulations of Neon Pellets for Plasma Disruption Mitigation in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosviel, Nicolas; Samulyak, Roman; Parks, Paul

2017-10-01

Numerical studies of the ablation of neon pellets in tokamaks in the plasma disruption mitigation parameter space have been performed using a time-dependent pellet ablation model based on the front tracking code FronTier-MHD. The main features of the model include the explicit tracking of the solid pellet/ablated gas interface, a self-consistent evolving potential distribution in the ablation cloud, JxB forces, atomic processes, and an improved electrical conductivity model. The equation of state model accounts for atomic processes in the ablation cloud as well as deviations from the ideal gas law in the dense, cold layers of neon gas near the pellet surface. Simulations predict processes in the ablation cloud and pellet ablation rates and address the sensitivity of pellet ablation processes to details of physics models, in particular the equation of state.

Measurement of toroidal vessel eddy current during plasma disruption on J-TEXT.

PubMed

Liu, L J; Yu, K X; Zhang, M; Zhuang, G; Li, X; Yuan, T; Rao, B; Zhao, Q

2016-01-01

In this paper, we have employed a thin, printed circuit board eddy current array in order to determine the radial distribution of the azimuthal component of the eddy current density at the surface of a steel plate. The eddy current in the steel plate can be calculated by analytical methods under the simplifying assumptions that the steel plate is infinitely large and the exciting current is of uniform distribution. The measurement on the steel plate shows that this method has high spatial resolution. Then, we extended this methodology to a toroidal geometry with the objective of determining the poloidal distribution of the toroidal component of the eddy current density associated with plasma disruption in a fusion reactor called J-TEXT. The preliminary measured result is consistent with the analysis and calculation results on the J-TEXT vacuum vessel.

Results of high heat flux tests of tungsten divertor targets under plasma heat loads expected in ITER and tokamaks (review)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Budaev, V. P., E-mail: budaev@mail.ru

2016-12-15

Heat loads on the tungsten divertor targets in the ITER and the tokamak power reactors reach ~10MW m{sup −2} in the steady state of DT discharges, increasing to ~0.6–3.5 GW m{sup −2} under disruptions and ELMs. The results of high heat flux tests (HHFTs) of tungsten under such transient plasma heat loads are reviewed in the paper. The main attention is paid to description of the surface microstructure, recrystallization, and the morphology of the cracks on the target. Effects of melting, cracking of tungsten, drop erosion of the surface, and formation of corrugated and porous layers are observed. Production ofmore » submicron-sized tungsten dust and the effects of the inhomogeneous surface of tungsten on the plasma–wall interaction are discussed. In conclusion, the necessity of further HHFTs and investigations of the durability of tungsten under high pulsed plasma loads on the ITER divertor plates, including disruptions and ELMs, is stressed.« less

Electrodeless Plasma Source: Phase II Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prager, James; Ziemba, Timothy; Miller, Kenneth

2012-10-01

Eagle Harbor Technologies, in collaboration with the University of Washington, has developed a low-impurity, electrode-less plasma source (EPS) for start-up and source plasma injection for fusion science applications. In order to not interfere with the experiment, a pre-ionizer/plasma source must meet a few critical criteria including low impurity production, low electromagnetic interference (EMI), and minimal disruption to the magnetic geometry of the experiment. This system was designed to be UHV compatible and bakable. Here we present the results of the EPS Phase II upgrade. The output plasma density was increased by two orders of magnitude to >10^17 m-3 in hydrogen with no magnetic field injected. EPS system integration with the HIT-SI experiment has begun.

Plasma production and preliminary results from the ADITYA Upgrade tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

R, L. TANNA; J, GHOSH; Harshita, RAJ; Rohit, KUMAR; Suman, AICH; Vaibhav, RANJAN; K, A. JADEJA; K, M. PATEL; S, B. BHATT; K, SATHYANARAYANA; P, K. CHATTOPADHYAY; M, N. MAKWANA; K, S. SHAH; C, N. GUPTA; V, K. PANCHAL; Praveenlal, EDAPPALA; Bharat, ARAMBHADIYA; Minsha, SHAH; Vismay, RAULJI; M, B. CHOWDHURI; S, BANERJEE; R, MANCHANDA; D, RAJU; P, K. ATREY; Umesh, NAGORA; J, RAVAL; Y, S. JOISA; K, TAHILIANI; S, K. JHA; M, V. GOPALKRISHANA

2018-07-01

The Ohmically heated circular limiter tokamak ADITYA (R 0 = 75 cm, a = 25 cm) has been upgraded to a tokamak named the ADITYA Upgrade (ADITYA-U) with an open divertor configuration with divertor plates. The main goal of ADITYA-U is to carry out dedicated experiments relevant for bigger fusion machines including ITER, such as the generation and control of runaway electrons, disruption prediction, and mitigation studies, along with an improvement in confinement with shaped plasma. The ADITYA tokamak was dismantled and the assembly of ADITYA-U was completed in March 2016. Integration of subsystems like data acquisition and remote operation along with plasma production and preliminary plasma characterization of ADITYA-U plasmas are presented in this paper.

Plasma biomarkers in juvenile marine fish provide evidence for endocrine modulation potential of organotin compounds.

PubMed

Min, Byung Hwa; Kim, Bo-Mi; Kim, Moonkoo; Kang, Jung-Hoon; Jung, Jee-Hyun; Rhee, Jae-Sung

2018-08-01

Organotin compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT), have been widely used to control marine fouling. Here, we show that organotin stimulation reduces the hormone levels in the plasma of two economically important aquaculture fish. Blood plasma samples were collected from juvenile red seabream and black rockfish exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of TBT and TPT for 14 days. The levels of two plasma biomarkers, namely the yolk protein precursor vitellogenin (VTG) and the sex steroid 17β-estradiol (E2), were measured to determine the endocrine disrupting potential of the organotin compounds. Both organotin compounds were dose-dependently accumulated in the blood of two fish. Exposure to waterborne TBT and TBT significantly decreased the plasma VTG levels in both the juvenile fish in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the treatment with E2, a well-known VTG inducer, significantly increased the plasma VTG levels in both the fish. In addition, the mRNA levels of vtg were also downregulated in the liver tissues of both the fish at 100 and/or 1000 ng L -1 of TBT or TPT exposure. The plasma E2 titers were significantly suppressed at 100 and/or 1000 ng L -1 of TBT or TPT exposure for 14 days compared to their titer in the control. Since estrogen directly regulates vtg gene expression and VTG synthesis, our results reveal the endocrine disrupting potential of organotin compounds, and subsequently the endocrine modulation at early stage of fish can trigger further fluctuations in sexual differentiation, maturation, sex ration or egg production. In addition, the results demonstrate their effects on non-target organisms, particularly on animals reared in aquaculture and fisheries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An overview of estrogen-associated endocrine disruption in fishes: evidence of effects on reproductive and immune physiology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iwanowicz, L.R.; Blazer, V.S.

2011-01-01

Simply and perhaps intuitively defined, endocrine disruption is the abnormal modulation of normal hormonal physiology by exogenous chemicals. In fish, endocrine disruption of the reproductive system has been observed worldwide in numerous species and is known to affect both males and females. Observations of biologically relevant endocrine disruption most commonly occurs near waste water treatment plant outfalls, pulp and paper mills, and areas of high organic loading sometimes associated with agricultural practices. Estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EEDCs) have received an overwhelmingly disproportionate amount of scientific attention compared to other EDCs in recent years. In male fishes, exposure to EEDCs can lead to the induction of testicular oocytes (intersex), measurable plasma vitellogenin protein, altered sex steroid profiles, abnormal spawning behavior, skewed population sex ratios, and lessened reproductive success. Interestingly, contemporary research purports that EDCs modulate aspects of non-reproductive physiology including immune function. Here we present an overview of endocrine disruption in fishes associated with estrogenic compounds, implications of this phenomenon, and examples of EDC related research findings by our group in the Potomac River Watershed, USA.

The endomembrane requirement for cell surface repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNeil, Paul L.; Miyake, Katsuya; Vogel, Steven S.

2003-01-01

The capacity to reseal a plasma membrane disruption rapidly is required for cell survival in many physiological environments. Intracellular membrane (endomembrane) is thought to play a central role in the rapid resealing response. We here directly compare the resealing response of a cell that lacks endomembrane, the red blood cell, with that of several nucleated cells possessing an abundant endomembrane compartment. RBC membrane disruptions inflicted by a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser, even those initially smaller than hemoglobin, failed to reseal rapidly. By contrast, much larger laser-induced disruptions made in sea urchin eggs, fibroblasts, and neurons exhibited rapid, Ca(2+)-dependent resealing. We conclude that rapid resealing is not mediated by simple physiochemical mechanisms; endomembrane is required.

A folded waveguide ICRF antenna for PBX-M and TFTR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bigelow, T. S.; Carter, M. D.; Fogelman, C. H.; Yugo, J. J.; Baity, F. W.; Bell, G. L.; Gardner, W. L.; Goulding, R. H.; Hoffman, D. J.; Ryan, P. M.; Swain, D. W.; Taylor, D. J.; Wilson, R.; Bernabei, S.; Kugel, H.; Ono, M.

1996-02-01

The folded waveguide (FWG) antenna is an advanced ICRF launcher under development at ORNL that offers many significant advantages over current-strap type antennas. These features are particularly beneficial for reactor-relevant applications such as ITER and TPX. Previous tests of a development folded waveguide with a low density plasma load have shown a factor of 5 increase in power capability over loop antennas into similar plasma conditions. The performance and reliability of a FWG with an actual tokamak plasma load must now be verified for further acceptance of this concept. A 58 MHz, 4 MW folded waveguide is being designed and built for the PBX-M and TFTR tokamaks at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. This design has a square cross-section that can be installed as either a fast wave (FW) or ion-Bernstein wave (IBW) launcher by 90° rotation. Two new features of the design are: a shorter quarter-wavelength resonator configuration and a rear-feed input power coupling loop. Loading calculations with a standard shorting plate indicate that a launched power level of 4 MW is possible on either machine. Mechanical and disruption force analysis indicates that bolted construction will withstand the disruption loads. An experimental program is planned to characterize the plasma loading, heating effectiveness, power capability, impurity generation and other factors for both FW and IBW cases. High power tests of the new configuration are being performed with a development FWG unit on RFTF at ORNL.

Exposure to acute severe hypoxia leads to increased urea loss and disruptions in acid-base and ionoregulatory balance in dogfish sharks (Squalus acanthias).

PubMed

Zimmer, Alex M; Wood, Chris M

2014-01-01

The effects of acute moderate (20% air O2 saturation; 6-h exposure) and severe (5% air O2 saturation; 4-h exposure) hypoxia on N-waste, acid-base, and ion balance in dogfish sharks (Squalus acanthias suckleyi) were evaluated. We predicted that the synthesis and/or retention of urea, which are active processes, would be inhibited by hypoxia. Exposure to moderate hypoxia had negligible effects on N-waste fluxes or systemic physiology, except for a modest rise in plasma lactate. Exposure to severe hypoxia led to a significant increase in urea excretion (Jurea), while plasma, liver, and muscle urea concentrations were unchanged, suggesting a loss of urea retention. Ammonia excretion (Jamm) was elevated during normoxic recovery. Moreover, severe hypoxia led to disruptions in acid-base balance, indicated by a large increase in plasma [lactate] and substantial decreases in arterial pHa and plasma [Formula: see text], as well as loss of ionic homeostasis, indicated by increases in plasma [Mg(2+)], [Ca(2+)], and [Na(+)]. We suggest that severe hypoxia in dogfish sharks leads to a reduction in active gill homeostatic processes, such as urea retention, acid-base regulation and ionoregulation, and/or an osmoregulatory compromise due to increased functional gill surface area. Overall, the results provide a comprehensive picture of the physiological responses to a severe degree of hypoxia in an ancient fish species.

Solidification and Acceleration of Large Cryogenic Pellets Relevant for Plasma Disruption Mitigation

DOE PAGES

Combs, Stephen Kirk; Meitner, S. J.; Gebhart, T. E.; ...

2016-01-01

The technology for producing, accelerating, and shattering large pellets (before injection into plasmas) for disruption mitigation has been under development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for several years, including a system on DIII-D that has been used to provide some significant experimental results. The original proof-of-principle testing was carried out using a pipe gun injector cooled by a cryogenic refrig- erator (temperatures ~8-20 K) and equipped with a stainless steel tube to produce 16.5-mm pellets composed of either pure D 2, pure Ne, or a dual layer with a thin outer shell of D 2 and core of Ne.more » Recently, significant progress has been made in the laboratory using that same pipe gun and a new injector that is an ITER test apparatus cooled with liquid helium. The new injector operates at ~5-8 K, which is similar to temperatures expected with cooling provided by the flow of supercritical helium on ITER. An alternative technique for producing/solidifying large pellets directly from a premixed gas has now been successfully tested in the laboratory. Also, two additional pellet sizes have been tested recently (nominal 24.4 and 34.0 mm diameters). With larger pellets, the number of injectors required for ITER disruption mitigation can be reduced, resulting in less cost and a smaller footprint for the hardware. An attractive option is longer pellets, and 24.4-mm pellets with a length/diameter ratio of ~3 have been successfully tested. Since pellet speed is the key parameter in determining the response time of a shattered pellet system to a plasma disruption event, recent tests have concentrated on documenting the speeds with different hardware configurations and operating parameters; speeds of ~100-800 m/s have been recorded. The data and results from laboratory testing are presented and discussed, and a simple model for the pellet solidification process is described.« less

Suppressive effects of long-term exposure to P-nitrophenol on gonadal development, hormonal profile with disruption of tissue integrity, and activation of caspase-3 in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).

PubMed

Ahmed, Eman; Nagaoka, Kentaro; Fayez, Mostafa; Abdel-Daim, Mohamed M; Samir, Haney; Watanabe, Gen

2015-07-01

P-Nitrophenol (PNP) is considered to be one of nitrophenol derivatives of diesel exhaust particles. PNP is a major metabolite of some organophosphorus compounds. PNP is a persistent organic pollutant as well as one of endocrine-disrupting compounds. Consequently, bioaccumulation of PNP potentiates toxicity. The objectives of the current study were to assess in vivo adverse effects of long-term low doses of PNP exposure on reproductive system during development stage. Twenty-eight-day-old male Japanese quails were orally administered different doses of PNP (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 mg/kg body weight) daily for 2.5 months. Testicular histopathology, hormones, caspase-3 (CASP3), and claudin-1 (CLDN1) tight junction protein, as well as plasma hormones were analyzed. The results revealed that long-term PNP exposure caused testicular histopathological changes such as vacuolation of spermatogenic cell and spermatocyte with significant testicular and cloacal gland atrophy. PNP activated CASP3 enzyme that is an apoptosis-related cysteine peptidase. Besides, it disrupted the expression of CLDN1. Furthermore, a substantial decrease in plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone was observed after 2 and 2.5 months in the PNP-treated groups. Meanwhile, the pituitary LH did not significantly change. Site of action of PNP may be peripheral on testicular development and/or centrally on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis through reduction of pulsatile secretion of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone. Consequently, it may reduce the sensitivity of the anterior pituitary gland to secrete LH. In conclusion, PNP induced profound endocrine disruption in the form of hormonal imbalance, induction of CASP3, and disruption of CLDN1 expression in the testis. Hence, it may hinder the reproductive processes.

Exploring Astrophysical Magnetohydrodynamics in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuel, Mario

2014-10-01

Plasma evolution in many astrophysical systems is dominated by magnetohydrodynamics. Specifically of interest to this talk are collimated outflows from accretion systems. Away from the central object, the Euler equations can represent the plasma dynamics well and may be scaled to a laboratory system. We have performed experiments to investigate the effects of a background magnetic field on an otherwise hydrodynamically collimated plasma. Laser-irradiated, cone targets produce hydrodynamically collimated plasma jets and a pulse-powered solenoid provides a constant background magnetic field. The application of this field is shown to completely disrupt the original flow and a new magnetically-collimated, hollow envelope is produced. Results from these experiments and potential implications for their astrophysical analogs will be discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frisz, Jessica F.; Klitzing, Haley A.; Lou, Kaiyan

The plasma membranes of mammalian cells are widely expected to contain domains that are enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids. In this work, we have used high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry to directly map the distributions of isotope-labeled cholesterol and sphingolipids in the plasma membranes of intact fibroblast cells. Although acute cholesterol depletion reduced sphingolipid domain abundance, cholesterol was evenly distributed throughout the plasma membrane and was not enriched within the sphingolipid domains. As a result, we rule out favorable cholesterol-sphingolipid interactions as dictating plasma membrane organization in fibroblast cells. Because the sphingolipid domains are disrupted by drugs that depolymerize themore » cells actin cytoskeleton, cholesterol must instead affect the sphingolipid organization via an indirect mechanism that involves the cytoskeleton.« less

Neutron irradiation effects on plasma facing materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barabash, V.; Federici, G.; Rödig, M.; Snead, L. L.; Wu, C. H.

2000-12-01

This paper reviews the effects of neutron irradiation on thermal and mechanical properties and bulk tritium retention of armour materials (beryllium, tungsten and carbon). For each material, the main properties affected by neutron irradiation are described and the specific tests of neutron irradiated armour materials under thermal shock and disruption conditions are summarized. Based on current knowledge, the expected thermal and structural performance of neutron irradiated armour materials in the ITER plasma facing components are analysed.

Disruption of Alfvénic Turbulence by Magnetic Reconnection in a Collisionless Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallet, A.; Schekochihin, A. A.; Chandran, B. D. G.

2017-12-01

We propose a mechanism whereby the intense, sheet-like structures naturally formed by dynamically aligning Alfvénic turbulence are destroyed by the onset of magnetic reconnection at a scale λD, which we term the "disruption scale". The scaling of λD depends on the order of the statistics being considered, with more intense structures being disrupted at larger scales, and on the physical mechanism which effects the reconnection. In a low-β collisionless plasma, the disruption scale for the structures which dominate the energy spectrum is λD˜L⊥(deρs)4/9, where de is the electron inertial scale, ρs is the ion sound scale, and L⊥ is the outer scale of the turbulence. When βe and ρs/L⊥ are sufficiently small, λD is larger than ρs and there is a break in the energy spectrum at λD, rather than at ρs. We predict that the energy spectrum in the short range of scales between λD and ρs is steeper than k⊥-3, when this range exists. Such a "transition range" is sometimes observed in the solar wind turbulence. We further propose that the structures produced by the disruption process are circularised flux ropes, which may have already been observed in the solar wind. We make predictions for the amplitude and radius of these structures, and quantify the importance of the reconnection process by estimating the fraction of the remaining undisrupted structures at the ion scale. We show that at low enough βe, the disruption process significantly alters the nature of the fluctuations present at the ion scale, which provide the starting point for the sub-ion-scale kinetic-Alfvén-wave cascade. Thus, magnetic reconnection is shown to be crucially important to the turbulent cascade.

Implementation of a plasma-neutral model in NIMROD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taheri, S.; Shumlak, U.; King, J. R.

2016-10-01

Interaction between plasma fluid and neutral species is of great importance in the edge region of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. The presence of neutrals can have beneficial effects such as fueling burning plasmas and quenching the disruptions in tokamaks, as well as deleterious effects like depositing high energy particles on the vessel wall. The behavior of edge plasmas in magnetically confined systems has been investigated using computational approaches that utilize the fluid description for the plasma and Monte Carlo transport for neutrals. In this research a reacting plasma-neutral model is implemented in NIMROD to study the interaction between plasma and neutral fluids. This model, developed by E. T. Meier and U. Shumlak, combines a single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma model with a gas dynamic neutral fluid model which accounts for electron-impact ionization, radiative recombination, and resonant charge exchange. Incorporating this model into NIMROD allows the study of the interaction between neutrals and plasma in a variety of plasma science problems. An accelerated plasma moving through a neutral gas background in a coaxial electrode configuration is modeled, and the results are compared with previous calculations from the HiFi code.

Measurement of toroidal vessel eddy current during plasma disruption on J-TEXT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, L. J.; Yu, K. X.; Zhang, M., E-mail: zhangming@hust.edu.cn

2016-01-15

In this paper, we have employed a thin, printed circuit board eddy current array in order to determine the radial distribution of the azimuthal component of the eddy current density at the surface of a steel plate. The eddy current in the steel plate can be calculated by analytical methods under the simplifying assumptions that the steel plate is infinitely large and the exciting current is of uniform distribution. The measurement on the steel plate shows that this method has high spatial resolution. Then, we extended this methodology to a toroidal geometry with the objective of determining the poloidal distributionmore » of the toroidal component of the eddy current density associated with plasma disruption in a fusion reactor called J-TEXT. The preliminary measured result is consistent with the analysis and calculation results on the J-TEXT vacuum vessel.« less

Sawtooth pacing by real-time auxiliary power control in a tokamak plasma.

PubMed

Goodman, T P; Felici, F; Sauter, O; Graves, J P

2011-06-17

In the standard scenario of tokamak plasma operation, sawtooth crashes are the main perturbations that can trigger performance-degrading, and potentially disruption-generating, neoclassical tearing modes. This Letter demonstrates sawtooth pacing by real-time control of the auxiliary power. It is shown that the sawtooth crash takes place in a reproducible manner shortly after the removal of that power, and this can be used to precisely prescribe, i.e., pace, the individual sawteeth. In combination with preemptive stabilization of the neoclassical tearing modes, sawtooth pacing provides a new sawtooth control paradigm for improved performance in burning plasmas.

The external kink mode in diverted tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Turnbull, Alan D.; Hanson, Jeremy M.; Turco, Francesca; ...

2016-06-16

Here, an explanation is provided for the disruptive instability in diverted tokamaks when the safety factor at the 95% poloidal flux surface, q 95, is driven below 2.0. The instability is a resistive kink counterpart to the current-driven ideal mode that traditionally explained the corresponding disruption in limited cross-sections when q edge, the safety factor at the outermost closed flux surface, lies just below a rational value. Experimentally, external kink modes are observed in limiter configurations as the current in a tokamak is ramped up and q edge decreases through successive rational surfaces. For q edge < 2, the instabilitymore » is always encountered and is highly disruptive. However, diverted plasmas, in which q edge is formally infinite in the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, have presented a longstanding difficulty since the theory would predict stability, yet, the disruptive limit occurs in practice when q 95, reaches 2. It is shown from numerical calculations that a resistive kink mode is linearly destabilized by the rapidly increasing resistivity at the plasma edge when q 95 < 2, but q edge >> 2. The resistive kink behaves much like the ideal kink with predominantly kink or interchange parity and no real sign of a tearing component. However, the growth rates scale with a fractional power of the resistivity near the q = 2 surface. The results have a direct bearing on the conventional edge cutoff procedures used in most ideal MHD codes, as well as implications for ITER and for future reactor options.« less

Sphingolipid domains in the plasma membranes of fibroblasts are not enriched with cholesterol

DOE PAGES

Frisz, Jessica F.; Klitzing, Haley A.; Lou, Kaiyan; ...

2013-04-22

The plasma membranes of mammalian cells are widely expected to contain domains that are enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids. In this work, we have used high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry to directly map the distributions of isotope-labeled cholesterol and sphingolipids in the plasma membranes of intact fibroblast cells. Although acute cholesterol depletion reduced sphingolipid domain abundance, cholesterol was evenly distributed throughout the plasma membrane and was not enriched within the sphingolipid domains. As a result, we rule out favorable cholesterol-sphingolipid interactions as dictating plasma membrane organization in fibroblast cells. Because the sphingolipid domains are disrupted by drugs that depolymerize themore » cells actin cytoskeleton, cholesterol must instead affect the sphingolipid organization via an indirect mechanism that involves the cytoskeleton.« less

Obesity Disrupts the Rhythmic Profiles of Maternal and Fetal Progesterone in Rat Pregnancy.

PubMed

Crew, Rachael C; Mark, Peter J; Clarke, Michael W; Waddell, Brendan J

2016-09-01

Maternal obesity increases the risk of abnormal fetal growth, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Because steroid hormones regulate fetal growth, and both pregnancy and obesity markedly alter circadian biology, we hypothesized that maternal obesity disrupts the normal rhythmic profiles of steroid hormones in rat pregnancy. Obesity was established by cafeteria (CAF) feeding for 8 wk prior to mating and throughout pregnancy. Control (CON) animals had ad libitum access to chow. Daily profiles of plasma corticosterone, 11-dehydrocorticosterone, progesterone, and testosterone were measured at Days 15 and 21 of gestation (term = 23 days) in maternal (both days) and fetal (Day 21) plasma. CAF mothers exhibited increased adiposity relative to CON and showed fetal and placental growth restriction. There was no change, however, in total fetal or placental mass due to slightly larger litter sizes in CAF. Nocturnal declines in progesterone were observed in maternal (39% lower) and fetal (45% lower) plasma in CON animals, but these were absent in CAF animals. CAF mothers were hyperlipidemic at both days of gestation, but this effect was isolated to the dark period at Day 21. CAF maternal testosterone was slightly lower at Day 15 (8%) but increased above CON by Day 21 (16%). Despite elevated maternal testosterone, male fetal testosterone was suppressed by obesity on Day 21. Neither maternal nor fetal glucocorticoid profiles were affected by obesity. In conclusion, obesity disrupts rhythmic profiles of maternal and fetal progesterone, preventing the normal nocturnal decline. Obesity subtly changed testosterone profiles but did not alter maternal and fetal glucocorticoids. © 2016 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Laboratory simulation of energetic flows of magnetospheric planetary plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaikhislamov, I. F.; Posukh, V. G.; Melekhov, A. V.; Boyarintsev, E. L.; Zakharov, Yu P.; Prokopov, P. A.; Ponomarenko, A. G.

2017-01-01

Dynamic interaction of super-sonic counter-streaming plasmas moving in dipole magnetic dipole is studied in laboratory experiment. First, a quasi-stationary flow is produced by plasma gun which forms a magnetosphere around the magnetic dipole. Second, explosive plasma expanding from inner dipole region outward is launch by laser beams focused at the surface of the dipole cover. Laser plasma is energetic enough to disrupt magnetic field and to sweep through the background plasma for large distances. Probe measurements showed that far from the initially formed magnetosphere laser plasma carries within itself a magnetic field of the same direction but order of magnitude larger in value than the vacuum dipole field at considered distances. Because no compression of magnetic field at the front of laser plasma was observed, the realized interaction is different from previous experiments and theoretical models of laser plasma expansion into uniform magnetized background. It was deduced based on the obtained data that laser plasma while expanding through inner magnetosphere picks up a magnetized shell formed by background plasma and carries it for large distances beyond previously existing magnetosphere.

Conceptual Design of the ITER Plasma Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snipes, J. A.

2013-10-01

The conceptual design of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) has been approved and the preliminary design has begun for the 1st plasma PCS. This is a collaboration of many plasma control experts from existing devices to design and test plasma control techniques applicable to ITER on existing machines. The conceptual design considered all phases of plasma operation, ranging from non-active H/He plasmas through high fusion gain inductive DT plasmas to fully non-inductive steady-state operation, to ensure that the PCS control functionality and architecture can satisfy the demands of the ITER Research Plan. The PCS will control plasma equilibrium and density, plasma heat exhaust, a range of MHD instabilities (including disruption mitigation), and the non-inductive current profile required to maintain stable steady-state scenarios. The PCS architecture requires sophisticated shared actuator management and event handling systems to prioritize control goals, algorithms, and actuators according to dynamic control needs and monitor plasma and plant system events to trigger automatic changes in the control algorithms or operational scenario, depending on real-time operating limits and conditions.

A numerical study of neutral-plasma interaction in magnetically confined plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taheri, S.; Shumlak, U.; King, J. R.

2017-10-01

Interactions between plasma and neutral species can have a large effect on the dynamic behavior of magnetically confined plasma devices, such as the edge region of tokamaks and the plasma formation of Z-pinches. The presence of neutrals can affect the stability of the pinch and change the dynamics of the pinch collapse, and they can lead to deposition of high energy particles on the first wall. However, plasma-neutral interactions can also have beneficial effects such as quenching the disruptions in tokamaks. In this research a reacting plasma-neutral model, which combines a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma model with a gas dynamic neutral fluid model, is used to study the interaction between plasma and neutral gas. Incorporating this model into NIMROD allows the study of electron-impact ionization, radiative recombination, and resonant charge-exchange in plasma-neutral systems. An accelerated plasma moving through a neutral gas background is modeled in both a parallel plate and a coaxial electrode configuration to explore the effect of neutral gas in pinch-like devices. This work is supported by a Grant from US DOE.

Dust studies in DIII-D and TEXTOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudakov, D. L.; Litnovsky, A.; West, W. P.; Yu, J. H.; Boedo, J. A.; Bray, B. D.; Brezinsek, S.; Brooks, N. H.; Fenstermacher, M. E.; Groth, M.; Hollmann, E. M.; Huber, A.; Hyatt, A. W.; Krasheninnikov, S. I.; Lasnier, C. J.; McLean, A. G.; Moyer, R. A.; Pigarov, A. Yu.; Philipps, V.; Pospieszczyk, A.; Smirnov, R. D.; Sharpe, J. P.; Solomon, W. M.; Watkins, J. G.; Wong, C. P. C.

2009-08-01

Studies of naturally occurring and artificially introduced carbon dust are conducted in DIII-D and TEXTOR. In DIII-D, dust does not present operational concerns except immediately after entry vents. Submicrometre sized dust is routinely observed using Mie scattering from a Nd : Yag laser. The source is strongly correlated with the presence of type I edge localized modes (ELMs). Larger size (0.005-1 mm diameter) dust is observed by optical imaging, showing elevated dust levels after entry vents. Inverse dependence of the dust velocity on the inferred dust size is found from the imaging data. Heating of the dust particles by the neutral beam injection (NBI) and acceleration of dust particles by the plasma flows are observed. Energetic plasma disruptions produce significant amounts of dust; on the other hand, large flakes or debris falling into the plasma may induce a disruption. Migration of pre-characterized carbon dust is studied in DIII-D and TEXTOR by introducing micrometre-size particles into plasma discharges. In DIII-D, a sample holder filled with 30-40 mg of dust is inserted in the lower divertor and exposed, via sweeping of the strike points, to the diverted plasma flux of high-power ELMing H-mode discharges. After a brief dwell (~0.1 s) of the outer strike point on the sample holder, part of the dust penetrates into the core plasma, raising the core carbon density by a factor of 2-3 and resulting in a twofold increase in the radiated power. In TEXTOR, instrumented dust holders with 1-45 mg of dust are exposed in the scrape-off-layer 0-2 cm radially outside of the last closed flux surface in discharges heated with 1.4 MW of NBI. Launched in this configuration, the dust perturbed the edge plasma, as evidenced by a moderate increase in the edge carbon content, but did not penetrate into the core plasma.

Microimaging of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin-binding proteins in gypsy moth larval gut using confocal fluorescence microscopy

Treesearch

Daniel J. Krofcheck; Algimantas P. Valaitis

2010-01-01

After ingestion by susceptible insect larvae, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins bind to the brush border membranes of gut epithelial cells and disrupt the integrity of the plasma membrane by forming...

Characterization of a Novel BCHE “Silent” Allele: Point Mutation (p.Val204Asp) Causes Loss of Activity and Prolonged Apnea with Suxamethonium

PubMed Central

Delacour, Herve; Lushchekina, Sofya; Mabboux, Isabelle; Bousquet, Aurore; Ceppa, Franck; Schopfer, Lawrence M.; Lockridge, Oksana; Masson, Patrick

2014-01-01

Butyrylcholinesterase deficiency is characterized by prolonged apnea after the use of muscle relaxants (suxamethonium or mivacurium) in patients who have mutations in the BCHE gene. Here, we report a case of prolonged neuromuscular block after administration of suxamethonium leading to the discovery of a novel BCHE variant (c.695T>A, p.Val204Asp). Inhibition studies, kinetic analysis and molecular dynamics were undertaken to understand how this mutation disrupts the catalytic triad and determines a “silent” phenotype. Low activity of patient plasma butyrylcholinesterase with butyrylthiocholine (BTC) and benzoylcholine, and values of dibucaine and fluoride numbers fit with heterozygous atypical silent genotype. Electrophoretic analysis of plasma BChE of the proband and his mother showed that patient has a reduced amount of tetrameric enzyme in plasma and that minor fast-moving BChE components: monomer, dimer, and monomer-albumin conjugate are missing. Kinetic analysis showed that the p.Val204Asp/p.Asp70Gly-p.Ala539Thr BChE displays a pure Michaelian behavior with BTC as the substrate. Both catalytic parameters Km = 265 µM for BTC, two times higher than that of the atypical enzyme, and a low Vmax are consistent with the absence of activity against suxamethonium. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations showed that the overall effect of the mutation p.Val204Asp is disruption of hydrogen bonding between Gln223 and Glu441, leading Ser198 and His438 to move away from each other with subsequent disruption of the catalytic triad functionality regardless of the type of substrate. MD also showed that the enzyme volume is increased, suggesting a pre-denaturation state. This fits with the reduced concentration of p.Ala204Asp/p.Asp70Gly-p.Ala539Thr tetrameric enzyme in the plasma and non-detectable fast moving-bands on electrophoresis gels. PMID:25054547

Albumin-associated free fatty acids induce macropinocytosis in podocytes

PubMed Central

Chung, Jun-Jae; Huber, Tobias B.; Gödel, Markus; Jarad, George; Hartleben, Björn; Kwoh, Christopher; Keil, Alexander; Karpitskiy, Aleksey; Hu, Jiancheng; Huh, Christine J.; Cella, Marina; Gross, Richard W.; Miner, Jeffrey H.; Shaw, Andrey S.

2015-01-01

Podocytes are specialized epithelial cells in the kidney glomerulus that play important structural and functional roles in maintaining the filtration barrier. Nephrotic syndrome results from a breakdown of the kidney filtration barrier and is associated with proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, and edema. Additionally, podocytes undergo changes in morphology and internalize plasma proteins in response to this disorder. Here, we used fluid-phase tracers in murine models and determined that podocytes actively internalize fluid from the plasma and that the rate of internalization is increased when the filtration barrier is disrupted. In cultured podocytes, the presence of free fatty acids (FFAs) associated with serum albumin stimulated macropinocytosis through a pathway that involves FFA receptors, the Gβ/Gγ complex, and RAC1. Moreover, mice with elevated levels of plasma FFAs as the result of a high-fat diet were more susceptible to Adriamycin-induced proteinuria than were animals on standard chow. Together, these results support a model in which podocytes sense the disruption of the filtration barrier via FFAs bound to albumin and respond by enhancing fluid-phase uptake. The response to FFAs may function in the development of nephrotic syndrome by amplifying the effects of proteinuria. PMID:25915582

Error field optimization in DIII-D using extremum seeking control

DOE PAGES

Lanctot, M. J.; Olofsson, K. E. J.; Capella, M.; ...

2016-06-03

A closed-loop error field control algorithm is implemented in the Plasma Control System of the DIII-D tokamak and used to identify optimal control currents during a single plasma discharge. The algorithm, based on established extremum seeking control theory, exploits the link in tokamaks between maximizing the toroidal angular momentum and minimizing deleterious non-axisymmetric magnetic fields. Slowly-rotating n = 1 fields (the dither), generated by external coils, are used to perturb the angular momentum, monitored in real-time using a charge-exchange spectroscopy diagnostic. Simple signal processing of the rotation measurements extracts information about the rotation gradient with respect to the control coilmore » currents. This information is used to converge the control coil currents to a point that maximizes the toroidal angular momentum. The technique is well-suited for multi-coil, multi-harmonic error field optimizations in disruption sensitive devices as it does not require triggering locked tearing modes or plasma current disruptions. Control simulations highlight the importance of the initial search direction on the rate of the convergence, and identify future algorithm upgrades that may allow more rapid convergence that projects to convergence times in ITER on the order of tens of seconds.« less

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-06-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m-1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; An, Weiming; Clarke, Christine I.; Clayton, Chris E.; Corde, Sebastien; Delahaye, J. P.; Frederico, Joel; Green, Selina Z.; Hast, Carsten; Hogan, Mark J.; Joshi, Chan; Lindstrøm, Carl A.; Lipkowitz, Nate; Litos, Michael; Lu, Wei; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Mori, Warren B.; O'Shea, Brendan; Vafaei-Najafabadi, Navid; Walz, Dieter; Yakimenko, Vitaly; Yocky, Gerald

2016-01-01

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. Here we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel is created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m−1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations. PMID:27250570

Disruption mitigation and avoidance at ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maraschek, M.; Pautasso, G.; Esposito, B.; Granucci, G.; Stober, J.; Treutterer, W.

2009-11-01

Disruptions are a major concern for tokamaks and in particular for ITER. They cause high heat loads during the thermal quench and high mechanical forces during the subsequent current quench. The generation and loss of runaway electrons (highly accelerated electrons carrying large fractions of the plasma current) can produce damage to the vessel structures. Therefore, schemes are implemented in present tokamaks to mitigate or to even avoid them. Mitigation has been proven to be effective through the injection of noble gases causing a reduction of the thermal heat load by radiation and a reduction of the mechanical forces. In addition 25% of the required density for the collisional suppression of runaways in ITER has been reached. For the trigger of the noble gas injection a locked mode detector is routinely used at ASDEX Upgrade. An extension to more complex precursors is planed. A different approach has been used for disruption avoidance by injecting ECRH triggered by the loop voltage increase before the disruption. The avoidance of an ongoing density limit disruption has been achieved when the ECRH is deposited at resonant surfaces where MHD modes, such as the m=2/n=1, occur. Present schemes for the mitigation and eventually avoidance of disruptions will be discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vincena, Stephen

The aim of the original proposal was a basic plasma study to experimentally investigate the fundamental physics of how dense, fast-flowing, and field-aligned jets of plasma couple energy and momentum to a much larger, ambient, magnetized plasma. Coupling channels that were explored included bulk plasma heating and flow generation; shock wave production; and wave radiation, particularly in the form of shear and compressional Alfvén waves. The wave radiation, particularly to shear Alfvén waves was successfully modeled using the 3D Particle-In-Cell code, OSIRIS. Experimentally, these jets were produced via pulsed Nd:YAG laser ablation of solid carbon (graphite) rods, which were immersedmore » in the main plasma column of the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) at UCLA’s Basic Plasma Science Facility (BaPSF.) The axial expansion of the laser-produced plasma (LPP) was supersonic and with parallel expansion speeds approximately equal to the Alfvén speed. The project was renewed and refocused efforts to then utilize the laser-produced plasmas as a tool for the disruption and reconnection of current sheets in magnetized plasmas« less

Numerical modelling of electromagnetic loads on fusion device structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettini, Paolo; Furno Palumbo, Maurizio; Specogna, Ruben

2014-03-01

In magnetic confinement fusion devices, during abnormal operations (disruptions) the plasma begins to move rapidly towards the vessel wall in a vertical displacement event (VDE), producing plasma current asymmetries, vessel eddy currents and open field line halo currents, each of which can exert potentially damaging forces upon the vessel and in-vessel components. This paper presents a methodology to estimate electromagnetic loads, on three-dimensional conductive structures surrounding the plasma, which arise from the interaction of halo-currents associated to VDEs with a magnetic field of the order of some Tesla needed for plasma confinement. Lorentz forces, calculated by complementary formulations, are used as constraining loads in a linear static structural analysis carried out on a detailed model of the mechanical structures of a representative machine.

Path-oriented early reaction to approaching disruptions in ASDEX Upgrade and TCV in view of the future needs for ITER and DEMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maraschek, M.; Gude, A.; Igochine, V.; Zohm, H.; Alessi, E.; Bernert, M.; Cianfarani, C.; Coda, S.; Duval, B.; Esposito, B.; Fietz, S.; Fontana, M.; Galperti, C.; Giannone, L.; Goodman, T.; Granucci, G.; Marelli, L.; Novak, S.; Paccagnella, R.; Pautasso, G.; Piovesan, P.; Porte, L.; Potzel, S.; Rapson, C.; Reich, M.; Sauter, O.; Sheikh, U.; Sozzi, C.; Spizzo, G.; Stober, J.; Treutterer, W.; ZancaP; ASDEX Upgrade Team; TCV Team; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-01-01

Routine reaction to approaching disruptions in tokamaks is currently largely limited to machine protection by mitigating an ongoing disruption, which remains a basic requirement for ITER and DEMO [1]. Nevertheless, a mitigated disruption still generates stress to the device. Additionally, in future fusion devices, high-performance discharge time itself will be very valuable. Instead of reacting only on generic features, occurring shortly before the disruption, the ultimate goal is to actively avoid approaching disruptions at an early stage, sustain the discharges whenever possible and restrict mitigated disruptions to major failures. Knowledge of the most relevant root causes and the corresponding chain of events leading to disruption, the disruption path, is a prerequisite. For each disruption path, physics-based sensors and adequate actuators must be defined and their limitations considered. Early reaction facilitates the efficiency of the actuators and enhances the probability of a full recovery. Thus, sensors that detect potential disruptions in time are to be identified. Once the entrance into a disruption path is detected, we propose a hierarchy of actions consisting of (I) recovery of the discharge to full performance or at least continuation with a less disruption-prone backup scenario, (II) complete avoidance of disruption to sustain the discharge or at least delay it for a controlled termination and, (III), only as last resort, a disruption mitigation. Based on the understanding of disruption paths, a hierarchical and path-specific handling strategy must be developed. Such schemes, testable in present devices, could serve as guidelines for ITER and DEMO operation. For some disruption paths, experiments have been performed at ASDEX Upgrade and TCV. Disruptions were provoked in TCV by impurity injection into ELMy H-mode discharges and in ASDEX Upgrade by forcing a density limit in H-mode discharges. The new approach proposed in this paper is discussed for these cases. For the H-mode density limit sensors used so far react too late. Thus a plasma-state boundary is proposed, that can serve as an adequate early sensor for avoiding density limit disruptions in H-modes and for recovery to full performance.

Cell membrane disruption stimulates cAMP and Ca2+ signaling to potentiate cell membrane resealing in neighboring cells.

PubMed

Togo, Tatsuru

2017-12-15

Disruption of cellular plasma membranes is a common event in many animal tissues, and the membranes are usually rapidly resealed. Moreover, repeated membrane disruptions within a single cell reseal faster than the initial wound in a protein kinase A (PKA)- and protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent manner. In addition to wounded cells, recent studies have demonstrated that wounding of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells potentiates membrane resealing in neighboring cells in the short-term by purinergic signaling, and in the long-term by nitric oxide/protein kinase G signaling. In the present study, real-time imaging showed that cell membrane disruption stimulated cAMP synthesis and Ca 2+ mobilization from intracellular stores by purinergic signaling in neighboring MDCK cells. Furthermore, inhibition of PKA and PKC suppressed the ATP-mediated short-term potentiation of membrane resealing in neighboring cells. These results suggest that cell membrane disruption stimulates PKA and PKC via purinergic signaling to potentiate cell membrane resealing in neighboring MDCK cells. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Systematic Cell-Based Phenotyping of Missense Alleles Empowers Rare Variant Association Studies: A Case for LDLR and Myocardial Infarction

PubMed Central

Schuberth, Christian; Won, Hong-Hee; Blattmann, Peter; Joggerst-Thomalla, Brigitte; Theiss, Susanne; Asselta, Rosanna; Duga, Stefano; Merlini, Pier Angelica; Ardissino, Diego; Lander, Eric S.; Gabriel, Stacey; Rader, Daniel J.; Peloso, Gina M.; Kathiresan, Sekar; Runz, Heiko

2015-01-01

A fundamental challenge to contemporary genetics is to distinguish rare missense alleles that disrupt protein functions from the majority of alleles neutral on protein activities. High-throughput experimental tools to securely discriminate between disruptive and non-disruptive missense alleles are currently missing. Here we establish a scalable cell-based strategy to profile the biological effects and likely disease relevance of rare missense variants in vitro. We apply this strategy to systematically characterize missense alleles in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene identified through exome sequencing of 3,235 individuals and exome-chip profiling of 39,186 individuals. Our strategy reliably identifies disruptive missense alleles, and disruptive-allele carriers have higher plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). Importantly, considering experimental data refined the risk of rare LDLR allele carriers from 4.5- to 25.3-fold for high LDL-C, and from 2.1- to 20-fold for early-onset myocardial infarction. Our study generates proof-of-concept that systematic functional variant profiling may empower rare variant-association studies by orders of magnitude. PMID:25647241

Numerical calculation of ion runaway distributions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Embréus, O.; Stahl, A.; Hirvijoki, E.

2015-05-15

Ions accelerated by electric fields (so-called runaway ions) in plasmas may explain observations in solar flares and fusion experiments; however, limitations of previous analytic work have prevented definite conclusions. In this work, we describe a numerical solver of the 2D non-relativistic linearized Fokker-Planck equation for ions. It solves the initial value problem in velocity space with a spectral-Eulerian discretization scheme, allowing arbitrary plasma composition and time-varying electric fields and background plasma parameters. The numerical ion distribution function is then used to consider the conditions for runaway ion acceleration in solar flares and tokamak plasmas. Typical time scales and electric fieldsmore » required for ion acceleration are determined for various plasma compositions, ion species, and temperatures, and the potential for excitation of toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes during tokamak disruptions is considered.« less

Targeted disruption of deep-lying neocortical microvessels in rat using ultrashort laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, Nozomi; Schaffer, Christopher B.; Friedman, Beth; Tsai, Philbert S.; Lyden, Patrick D.; Kleinfeld, David

2004-06-01

The study of neurovascular diseases such as vascular dementia and stroke require novel models of targeted vascular disruption in the brain. We describe a model of microvascular disruption in rat neocortex that uses ultrashort laser pulses to induce localized injury to specific targeted microvessels and uses two-photon microscopy to monitor and guide the photodisruption process. In our method, a train of high-intensity, 100-fs laser pulses is tightly focused into the lumen of a blood vessel within the upper 500 μm of cortex. Photodisruption induced by these laser pulses creates injury to a single vessel located at the focus of the laser, leaving the surrounding tissue intact. This photodisruption results in three modalities of localized vascular injury. At low power, blood plasma extravasation can be induced. The vessel itself remains intact, while serum is extravasated into the intercellular space. Localized ischemia caused by an intravascular clot results when the photodisruption leads to a brief disturbance of the vascular walls that initiates an endogenous clotting cascade. The formation of a localized thrombus stops the blood flow at the location of the photodisruption. A hemorrhage, defined as a large extravasation of blood including plasma and red blood cells, results when higher laser power is used. The targeted vessel does not remain intact.

Overview of Compact Toroidal Hybrid research program progress and plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, David; Ennis, David; Hanson, James; Hartwell, Gregory; Herfindal, Jeffrey; Knowlton, Stephen; Ma, Xingxing; Pandya, Mihir; Roberds, Nicholas; Ross, Kevin; Traverso, Peter

2016-10-01

disruptive behavior on the level of applied 3D magnetic shaping; (2) test and advance the V3FIT reconstruction code and NIMROD modeling of CTH; and (3) study the implementation of an island divertor. Progress towards these goals and other developments are summarized. The disruptive density limit exceeds the Greenwald limit as the vacuum transform is increased, but a threshold for avoidance is not observed. Low- q disruptions, with 1.1 < q (a) <2.0, cease to occur if the vacuum transform is raised above 0.07. Application of vacuum transform can reduce and eliminate the vertical drift of elongated discharges that would otherwise be vertically unstable. Reconstructions using external magnetics give accurate estimates for quantities near the plasma boundary, and internal diagnostics have been implemented to extend the range of accuracy into the plasma core. Sawtooth behavior has been reproducibly modified with external transform and NIMROD is used to model these observations and reproduces experimental trends. An island divertor design has begun with connection length studies to model energy deposition on divertor plates located in an edge 1/3 island as well as the study of a non-resonant divertor configuration. This work is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

A set-up for a biased electrode experiment in ADITYA Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhyani, Pravesh; Ghosh, Joydeep; Sathyanarayana, K.; Praveenlal, V. E.; Gautam, Pramila; Shah, Minsha; Tanna, R. L.; Kumar, Pintu; Chavda, C.; Patel, N. C.; Panchal, V.; Gupta, C. N.; Jadeja, K. A.; Bhatt, S. B.; Kumar, S.; Raju, D.; Atrey, P. K.; Joisa, S.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Saxena, Y. C.

2014-10-01

An experimental set-up to investigate the effect of a biased electrode introduced in the edge region on ADITYA tokamak discharges is presented. A specially designed double-bellow mechanical assembly is fabricated for controlling the electrode location as well as its exposed length inside the plasma. The cylindrical molybdenum electrode is powered by a capacitor-bank based pulsed power supply (PPS) using a semiconductor controlled rectifier (SCR) as a switch with forced commutation. A Langmuir probe array for radial profile measurements of plasma potential and density is fabricated and installed. Standard results of improvement of global confinement have been obtained using a biased electrode. In addition to that, in this paper we show for the first time that the same biasing system can be used to avoid disruptions through stabilisation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes. Real time disruption control experiments have also been carried out by triggering the bias-voltage on the electrode automatically when the Mirnov probe signal exceeds a preset threshold value using a uniquely designed electronic comparator circuit. Most of the results related to the improved confinement and disruption mitigation are obtained in case of the electrode tip being kept at ~3 cm inside the last closed flux surface (LCFS) with an exposed length of ~20 mm in typical discharges of ADITYA tokamak.

Cold Atmospheric Plasma: methods of production and application in dentistry and oncology

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Cold Atmospheric Plasma is an ionized gas that has recently been extensively studied by researchers as a possible therapy in dentistry and oncology. Several different gases can be used to produce Cold Atmospheric Plasma such as Helium, Argon, Nitrogen, Heliox, and air. There are many methods of production by which cold atmospheric plasma is created. Each unique method can be used in different biomedical areas. In dentistry, researchers have mostly investigated the antimicrobial effects produced by plasma as a means to remove dental biofilms and eradicate oral pathogens. It has been shown that reactive oxidative species, charged particles, and UV photons play the main role. Cold Atmospheric Plasma has also found a minor, but important role in tooth whitening and composite restoration. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that Cold Atmospheric Plasma induces apoptosis, necrosis, cell detachment, and senescence by disrupting the S phase of cell replication in tumor cells. This unique finding opens up its potential therapy in oncology. PMID:24083477

Confinement of nonneutral plasmas in the Prototype Ring Trap device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Himura, Haruhiko; Yoshida, Zensho; Nakashima, Chihiro; Morikawa, Junji; Kakuno, Hidekazu; Tahara, Shigeru; Shibayama, Norihisa

1999-12-01

Recently, an internal-ring device named Proto-RT (Prototype Ring Trap) was constructed at University of Tokyo, and experiments on the device have been intensively conducted. The main goal of Proto-RT is to explore an innovative method to attain a plasma equilibrium with extremely high-β (β>1) in a toroidal geometry using non-neutral condition. At the first series of the experiments, pure electron plasmas (ne˜1013m-3) have been successfully confined inside a separatrix. No disruption is so far observed. The confinement time of the electron plasmas is of order 0.1 ms for an X point configuration. The non-neutrality of Δne˜1013m-3 is already beyond the critical value which is required to produce an enough self-electric field E in non-neutral plasmas with n0˜1019m-3, causing a strong E×B flow thoroughly over the plasmas where the hydrodynamic pressure of the flow is predicted to balance with the thermal pressure of the plasmas.

A note on dust grain charging in space plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D. A.

1992-01-01

Central to the study of dust-plasma interactions in the solar system is the electrostatic charging of dust grains. While previous calculations have generally assumed that the distributions of electrons and ions in the plasma are Maxwellian, most space plasmas are observed to have non-Maxwellian tails and can often be fit by a generalized Lorentzian (kappa) distribution. Here we use such a distribution to reevaluate the grain potential, under the condition that the dominant currents to the grain are due to electron and ion collection, as is the case in certain regions of space. The magnitude of the grain potential is found to be larger than that in a Maxwellian plasma as long as the electrons are described by a kappa distribution: this enhancement increased with ion mass and decreasing electron kappa. The modification of the grain potential in generalized Lorentzian plasmas has implications for both the physics (e.g., grain growth and disruption) and the dynamics of dust in space plasmas. These are also briefly discussed.

Disruption of insulin-like growth factor-II imprinting during embryonic development rescues the dwarf phenotype of mice null for pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A.

PubMed

Bale, Laurie K; Conover, Cheryl A

2005-08-01

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), an insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP) protease, increases insulin-like growth factor (IGF) activity through cleavage of inhibitory IGFBP-4 and the consequent release of IGF peptide for receptor activation. Mice homozygous for targeted disruption of the PAPP-A gene are born as proportional dwarfs and exhibit retarded bone ossification during fetal development. Phenotype and in vitro data support a model in which decreased IGF-II bioavailability during embryogenesis results in growth retardation and reduction in overall body size. To test the hypothesis that an increase in IGF-II during embryogenesis would overcome the growth deficiencies, PAPP-A-null mice were crossed with DeltaH19 mutant mice, which have increased IGF-II expression and fetal overgrowth due to disruption of IgfII imprinting. DeltaH19 mutant mice were 126% and PAPP-A-null mice were 74% the size of controls at birth. These size differences were evident at embryonic day 16.5. Importantly, double mutants were indistinguishable from controls both in terms of size and skeletal development. Body size programmed during embryo development persisted post-natally. Thus, disruption of IgfII imprinting and consequent elevation in IGF-II during fetal development was associated with rescue of the dwarf phenotype and ossification defects of PAPP-A-null mice. These data provide strong genetic evidence that PAPP-A plays an essential role in determining IGF-II bioavailability for optimal fetal growth and development.

HIGH-THROUGHPUT CHEMICAL SCREENING USING PROTEIN PROFILING OF FISH PLASMA

EPA Science Inventory

Compounds that affect the hormone system, referred to as "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" (EDCs), cause human and animal health problems. It is necessary to test putative EDC chemicals for such deleterious effects, though current testing methodologies are time/animal intensive an...

Disruption of a helmet streamer by photospheric shear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Linker, Jon A.; Mikic, Zoran

1995-01-01

Helmet streamers on the Sun have been observed to be the site of coronal mass ejections, dynamic events that eject coronal plasma and magnetic fields into the solar wind. We develop a two-dimensional (azimuthally symmetric) helmet streamer configuration by computing solutions of the time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations, and we investigate the evolution of the configuration when photospheric shearing motions are imposed. We find that the configuration disrupts when a critical shear is exceeded, ejecting a plasmoid into the solar wind. The results are similar to the case of a sheared dipole magnetic field in a hydrostatic atmosphere (Mikic & Linker 1994). However, the presence of the outflowing solar wind makes the disruption significantly more energetic when a helmet streamer is sheared. Our resutls suggest that shearing of helmet streamers may initiate coronal mass ejections.

Dust Studies in DIII-D and TEXTOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rudakov, D L; Litnovsky, A; West, W P

2009-02-17

Studies of naturally occurring and artificially introduced carbon dust are conducted in DIII-D and TEXTOR. In DIII-D, dust does not present operational concerns except immediately after entry vents. Submicron sized dust is routinely observed using Mie scattering from a Nd:Yag laser. The source is strongly correlated with the presence of Type I edge localized modes (ELMs). Larger size (0.005-1 mm diameter) dust is observed by optical imaging, showing elevated dust levels after entry vents. Inverse dependence of the dust velocity on the inferred dust size is found from the imaging data. Direct heating of the dust particles by the neutralmore » beam injection (NBI) and acceleration of dust particles by the plasma flows are observed. Energetic plasma disruptions produce significant amounts of dust. Large flakes or debris falling into the plasma may result in a disruption. Migration of pre-characterized carbon dust is studied in DIII-D and TEXTOR by introducing micron-size dust in plasma discharges. In DIII-D, a sample holder filled with {approx}30 mg of dust is introduced in the lower divertor and exposed to high-power ELMing H-mode discharges with strike points swept across the divertor floor. After a brief exposure ({approx}0.1 s) at the outer strike point, part of the dust is injected into the plasma, raising the core carbon density by a factor of 2-3 and resulting in a twofold increase of the radiated power. In TEXTOR, instrumented dust holders with 1-45 mg of dust are exposed in the scrape-off layer 0-2 cm radially outside of the last closed flux surface in discharges heated with neutral beam injection (NBI) power of 1.4 MW. At the given configuration of the launch, the dust did not penetrate the core plasma and only moderately perturbed the edge plasma, as evidenced by an increase of the edge carbon content.« less

The Influence of Red Light Exposure at Night on Circadian Metabolism and Physiology in Sprague–Dawley Rats

PubMed Central

Dauchy, Robert T; Wren, Melissa A; Dauchy, Erin M; Hoffman, Aaron E; Hanifin, John P; Warfield, Benjamin; Jablonski, Michael R; Brainard, George C; Hill, Steven M; Mao, Lulu; Dobek, Georgina L; Dupepe, Lynell M; Blask, David E

2015-01-01

Early studies on rodents showed that short-term exposure to high-intensity light (> 70 lx) above 600 nm (red-appearing) influences circadian neuroendocrine and metabolic physiology. Here we addressed the hypothesis that long-term, low-intensity red light exposure at night (rLEN) from a ‘safelight’ emitting no light below approximately 620 nm disrupts the nocturnal circadian melatonin signal as well as circadian rhythms in circulating metabolites, related regulatory hormones, and physiologic parameters. Male Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 12 per group) were maintained on control 12:12-h light:dark (300 lx; lights on, 0600) or experimental 12:12 rLEN (8.1 lx) lighting regimens. After 1 wk, rats underwent 6 low-volume blood draws via cardiocentesis (0400, 0800, 1200, 1600, 2000, and 2400) over a 4-wk period to assess arterial plasma melatonin, total fatty acid, glucose, lactic acid, pO2, pCO2, insulin, leptin and corticosterone concentrations. Results revealed plasma melatonin levels (mean ± 1 SD) were high in the dark phase (197.5 ± 4.6 pg/mL) and low in the light phase (2.6 ± 1.2 pg/mL) of control conditions and significantly lower than controls under experimental conditions throughout the 24-h period (P < 0.001). Prominent circadian rhythms of plasma levels of total fatty acid, glucose, lactic acid, pO2, pCO2, insulin, leptin, and corticosterone were significantly (P < 0.05) disrupted under experimental conditions as compared with the corresponding entrained rhythms under control conditions. Therefore, chronic use of low-intensity rLEN from a common safelight disrupts the circadian organization of neuroendocrine, metabolic, and physiologic parameters indicative of animal health and wellbeing. PMID:25651090

Repeated Exposure to Severely Limited Sleep Results in Distinctive and Persistent Physiological Imbalances in Rats

PubMed Central

Everson, Carol A.; Szabo, Aniko

2011-01-01

Chronic sleep disruption in laboratory rats leads to increased energy expenditure, connective tissue abnormalities, and increased weights of major organs relative to body weight. Here we report on expanded findings and the extent to which abnormalities become long-lasting, potentially permanent changes to health status after apparent recuperation from chronic sleep disruption. Rats were exposed 6 times to long periods of disrupted sleep or control conditions during 10 weeks to produce adaptations and then were permitted nearly 4 months of undisturbed sleep. Measurements were made in tissues from these groups and in preserved tissue from the experimental and control groups of an antecedent study that lacked a lengthy recuperation period. Cycles of sleep restriction resulted in energy deficiency marked by a progressive course of hyperphagia and major (15%) weight loss. Analyses of tissue composition in chronically sleep-restricted rats indicated that protein and lipid amounts in internal organs were largely spared, while adipose tissue depots appeared depleted. This suggests high metabolic demands may have preserved the size of the vital organs relative to expectations of severe energy deficiency alone. Low plasma corticosterone and leptin concentrations appear to reflect low substrate availability and diminished adiposity. After nearly 4 months of recuperation, sleep-restricted rats were consuming 20% more food and 35% more water than did comparison control rats, despite normalized weight, normalized adipocytes, and elevated plasma leptin concentrations. Plasma cholesterol levels in recuperated sleep-restricted rats were diminished relative to those of controls. The chronically increased intake of nutriments and water, along with altered negative feedback regulation and substrate use, indicate that internal processes are modified long after a severe period of prolonged and insufficient sleep has ended. PMID:21853062

Maxwell Prize Talk: Scaling Laws for the Dynamical Plasma Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryutov, Livermore, Ca 94550, Usa, D. D.

2017-10-01

The scaling and similarity technique is a powerful tool for developing and testing reduced models of complex phenomena, including plasma phenomena. The technique has been successfully used in identifying appropriate simplified models of transport in quasistationary plasmas. In this talk, the similarity and scaling arguments will be applied to highly dynamical systems, in which temporal evolution of the plasma leads to a significant change of plasma dimensions, shapes, densities, and other parameters with respect to initial state. The scaling and similarity techniques for dynamical plasma systems will be presented as a set of case studies of problems from various domains of the plasma physics, beginning with collisonless plasmas, through intermediate collisionalities, to highly collisional plasmas describable by the single-fluid MHD. Basic concepts of the similarity theory will be introduced along the way. Among the results discussed are: self-similarity of Langmuir turbulence driven by a hot electron cloud expanding into a cold background plasma; generation of particle beams in disrupting pinches; interference between collisionless and collisional phenomena in the shock physics; similarity for liner-imploded plasmas; MHD similarities with an emphasis on the effect of small-scale (turbulent) structures on global dynamics. Relations between astrophysical phenomena and scaled laboratory experiments will be discussed.

Physics and Control of Locked Modes in the DIII-D Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volpe, Francesco

This Final Technical Report summarizes an investigation, carried out under the auspices of the DOE Early Career Award, of the physics and control of non-rotating magnetic islands (“locked modes”) in tokamak plasmas. Locked modes are one of the main causes of disruptions in present tokamaks, and could be an even bigger concern in ITER, due to its relatively high beta (favoring the formation of Neoclassical Tearing Mode islands) and low rotation (favoring locking). For these reasons, this research had the goal of studying and learning how to control locked modes in the DIII-D National Fusion Facility under ITER-relevant conditions ofmore » high pressure and low rotation. Major results included: the first full suppression of locked modes and avoidance of the associated disruptions; the demonstration of error field detection from the interaction between locked modes, applied rotating fields and intrinsic errors; the analysis of a vast database of disruptive locked modes, which led to criteria for disruption prediction and avoidance.« less

Numerical modelling on stabilizing large magnetic island by RF current for disruption avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaojing; Yu, Qingquan; Zhang, Xiaodong; Zhu, Sizheng; Wang, Xiaoguang; Wu, Bin

2018-01-01

Numerical modelling on tearing mode stabilization by RF current due to electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) has been carried out for the purposes of disruption avoidance, focusing on stabilizing the magnetic island which can grow to a large width and therefore, might cause plasma disruption. When the island has become large, a threshold in driven current for fully stabilizing the mode is found; below this threshold, the island width only slightly decreases. The island’s O-point shifts radially towards the magnetic axis as the mode grows, as a result, applying ECCD at the minor radius of the island’s O-point has a stronger effect than that at the original equilibrium rational surface for stabilizing a large island. During the island growth, the required driven current for mode stabilization increases with the island’s width, indicating that it is more effective to apply ECCD as early as possible for disruption avoidance, as observed in experiments. The numerical results have been compared with those obtained from the modified Rutherford equation.

Optical Sensor for real-time Monitoring of CO(2) Laser Welding Process.

PubMed

Ancona, A; Spagnolo, V; Lugarà, P M; Ferrara, M

2001-11-20

An optical sensor for real-time monitoring of laser welding based on a spectroscopic study of the optical emission of plasma plumes has been developed. The welding plasma's electron temperature was contemporarily monitored for three of the chemical species that constitute the plasma plume by use of related emission lines. The evolution of electron temperature was recorded and analyzed during several welding procedures carried out under various operating conditions. A clear correlation between the mean value and the standard deviation of the plasma's electron temperature and the quality of the welded joint has been found. We used this information to find optimal welding parameters and for real-time detection of weld defects such as crater formation, lack of penetration, weld disruptions, and seam oxidation.

Solar Eruptions, CMEs and Space Weather

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Nat

2011-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale magnetized plasma structures ejected from the Sun and propagate far into the interplanetary medium. CMEs represent energy output from the Sun in the form of magnetized plasma and electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation suddenly increases the ionization content of the ionosphere, thus impacting communication and navigation systems. The plasma clouds can drive shocks that accelerate charged particles to very high energies in the interplanetary space, which pose radiation hazard to astronauts and space systems. The plasma clouds also arrive at Earth in about two days and impact Earth's magnetosphere, producing geomagnetic storms. The magnetic storms result in a number of effects including induced currents that can disrupt power grids, railroads, and underground pipelines. This lecture presents an overview of the origin, propagation, and geospace consequences of solar storms.

PLASMA DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE CONCENTRATIONS AND PHALLUS SIZE IN JUVENILE AMERICAN ALLIGATORS (A. MISSISSIPPIENSIS) FROM CONTAMINATED AND REFERENCE POPULATIONS.

EPA Science Inventory

Evidence increasingly suggests that some environmental pollutants are able to permanently affect development of the endocrine system in wildlife. Embryonic and neonatal exposure to these "endocrine-disrupting contaminants" can cause structural and functional abnormalities of the ...

Plasma facing materials performance under ITER-relevant mitigated disruption photonic heat loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimov, N. S.; Putrik, A. B.; Linke, J.; Pitts, R. A.; Zhitlukhin, A. M.; Kuprianov, I. B.; Spitsyn, A. V.; Ogorodnikova, O. V.; Podkovyrov, V. L.; Muzichenko, A. D.; Ivanov, B. V.; Sergeecheva, Ya. V.; Lesina, I. G.; Kovalenko, D. V.; Barsuk, V. A.; Danilina, N. A.; Bazylev, B. N.; Giniyatulin, R. N.

2015-08-01

PFMs (Plasma-facing materials: ITER grade stainless steel, beryllium, and ferritic-martensitic steels) as well as deposited erosion products of PFCs (Be-like, tungsten, and carbon based) were tested in QSPA under photonic heat loads relevant to those expected from photon radiation during disruptions mitigated by massive gas injection in ITER. Repeated pulses slightly above the melting threshold on the bulk materials eventually lead to a regular, "corrugated" surface, with hills and valleys spaced by 0.2-2 mm. The results indicate that hill growth (growth rate of ∼1 μm per pulse) and sample thinning in the valleys is a result of melt-layer redistribution. The measurements on the 316L(N)-IG indicate that the amount of tritium absorbed by the sample from the gas phase significantly increases with pulse number as well as the modified layer thickness. Repeated pulses significantly below the melting threshold on the deposited erosion products lead to a decrease of hydrogen isotopes trapped during the deposition of the eroded material.

Transient-Free Operations With Physics-Based Real-time Analysis and Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolemen, Egemen; Burrell, Keith; Eggert, William; Eldon, David; Ferron, John; Glasser, Alex; Humphreys, David

2016-10-01

In order to understand and predict disruptions, the two most common methods currently employed in tokamak analysis are the time-consuming ``kinetic EFITs,'' which are done offline with significant human involvement, and the search for correlations with global precursors using various parameterization techniques. We are developing automated ``kinetic EFITs'' at DIII-D to enable calculation of the stability as the plasma evolves close to the disruption. This allows us to quantify the probabilistic nature of the stability calculations and provides a stability metric for all possible linear perturbations to the plasma. This study also provides insight into how the control system can avoid the unstable operating space, which is critical for high-performance operations close to stability thresholds at ITER. A novel, efficient ideal stability calculation method and new real-time CER acquisition system are being developed, and a new 77-core server has been installed on the DIII-D PCS to enable experimental use. Sponsored by US DOE under DE-SC0015878 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Exposures of tungsten nanostructures to divertor plasmas in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Rudakov, D. L.; Wong, C. P. C.; Doerner, R. P.; ...

2016-01-22

Tungsten nanostructures (W-fuzz) prepared in the PISCES-A linear device have been found to survive direct exposure to divertor plasmas in DIII-D. W-fuzz was exposed in the lower divertor of DIII-D using the divertor material evaluation system. Two samples were exposed in lower single null (LSN) deuterium H-mode plasmas. The first sample was exposed in three discharges terminated by vertical displacement event disruptions, and the second in two discharges near the lowered X-point. More recently, three samples were exposed near the lower outer strike point in predominantly helium H-mode LSN plasmas. In all cases, the W-fuzz survived plasma exposure with littlemore » obvious damage except in the areas where unipolar arcing occurred. In conclusion, arcing is effective in W-fuzz removal, and it appears that surfaces covered with W-fuzz can be more prone to arcing than smooth W surfaces.« less

Influence of Plasma Unsteadiness on the Spectrum and Shape of Microwave Pulses in a Plasma Relativistic Microwave Amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kartashov, I. N.; Kuzelev, M. V.; Strelkov, P. S.; Tarakanov, V. P.

2018-02-01

Dependence of the shape of a microwave pulse in a plasma relativistic microwave amplifier (PRMA) on the initial plasma electron density in the system is detected experimentally. Depending on the plasma density, fast disruption of amplification, stable operation of the amplifier during the relativistic electron beam (REB) pulse, and its delayed actuation can take place. A reduction in the output signal frequency relative to the input frequency is observed experimentally. The change in the shape of the microwave signal and the reduction in its frequency are explained by a decrease in the plasma density in the system. The dynamics of the plasma density during the REB pulse is determined qualitatively from the experimental data by using the linear theory of a PRMA with a thin-wall hollow electron beam. The processes in a PRMA are analyzed by means of the KARAT particle-in-cell code. It is shown that REB injection is accompanied by an increase in the mean energy of plasma electrons and a significant decrease in their density.

The interplay between biological and physical scenarios of bacterial death induced by non-thermal plasma.

PubMed

Lunov, Oleg; Zablotskii, Vitalii; Churpita, Olexander; Jäger, Ales; Polívka, Leoš; Syková, Eva; Dejneka, Alexandr; Kubinová, Šárka

2016-03-01

Direct interactions of plasma matter with living cells and tissues can dramatically affect their functionality, initiating many important effects from cancer elimination to bacteria deactivation. However, the physical mechanisms and biochemical pathways underlying the effects of non-thermal plasma on bacteria and cell fate have still not been fully explored. Here, we report on the molecular mechanisms of non-thermal plasma-induced bacteria inactivation in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. We demonstrate that depending on the exposure time plasma induces either direct physical destruction of bacteria or triggers programmed cell death (PCD) that exhibits characteristic features of apoptosis. The interplay between physical disruption and PCD is on the one hand driven by physical plasma parameters, and on the other hand by biological and physical properties of bacteria. The explored possibilities of the tuneable bacteria deactivation provide a basis for the development of advanced plasma-based therapies. To a great extent, our study opens new possibilities for controlled non-thermal plasma interactions with living systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation and termination of runaway beams in ITER disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Solís, J. R.; Loarte, A.; Lehnen, M.

2017-06-01

A self-consistent analysis of the relevant physics regarding the formation and termination of runaway beams during mitigated disruptions by Ar and Ne injection is presented for selected ITER scenarios with the aim of improving our understanding of the physics underlying the runaway heat loads onto the plasma facing components (PFCs) and identifying open issues for developing and accessing disruption mitigation schemes for ITER. This is carried out by means of simplified models, but still retaining sufficient details of the key physical processes, including: (a) the expected dominant runaway generation mechanisms (avalanche and primary runaway seeds: Dreicer and hot tail runaway generation, tritium decay and Compton scattering of γ rays emitted by the activated wall), (b) effects associated with the plasma and runaway current density profile shape, and (c) corrections to the runaway dynamics to account for the collisions of the runaways with the partially stripped impurity ions, which are found to have strong effects leading to low runaway current generation and low energy conversion during current termination for mitigated disruptions by noble gas injection (particularly for Ne injection) for the shortest current quench times compatible with acceptable forces on the ITER vessel and in-vessel components ({τ\\text{res}}∼ 22~\\text{ms} ). For the case of long current quench times ({τ\\text{res}}∼ 66~\\text{ms} ), runaway beams up to  ∼10 MA can be generated during the disruption current quench and, if the termination of the runaway current is slow enough, the generation of runaways by the avalanche mechanism can play an important role, increasing substantially the energy deposited by the runaways onto the PFCs up to a few hundreds of MJs. Mixed impurity (Ar or Ne) plus deuterium injection proves to be effective in controlling the formation of the runaway current during the current quench, even for the longest current quench times, as well as in decreasing the energy deposited on the runaway electrons during current termination.

Automated Identification of MHD Mode Bifurcation and Locking in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riquezes, J. D.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Park, Y. S.; Bell, R. E.; Morton, L. A.

2017-10-01

Disruption avoidance is critical in reactor-scale tokamaks such as ITER to maintain steady plasma operation and avoid damage to device components. A key physical event chain that leads to disruptions is the appearance of rotating MHD modes, their slowing by resonant field drag mechanisms, and their locking. An algorithm has been developed that automatically detects bifurcation of the mode toroidal rotation frequency due to loss of torque balance under resonant braking, and mode locking for a set of shots using spectral decomposition. The present research examines data from NSTX, NSTX-U and KSTAR plasmas which differ significantly in aspect ratio (ranging from A = 1.3 - 3.5). The research aims to examine and compare the effectiveness of different algorithms for toroidal mode number discrimination, such as phase matching and singular value decomposition approaches, and to examine potential differences related to machine aspect ratio (e.g. mode eigenfunction shape variation). Simple theoretical models will be compared to the dynamics found. Main goals are to detect or potentially forecast the event chain early during a discharge. This would serve as a cue to engage active mode control or a controlled plasma shutdown. Supported by US DOE Contracts DE-SC0016614 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

LISN: A distributed observatory to image and study ionospheric irregularities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, R.; Valladares, C. E.

2013-05-01

During nighttime the low-latitude ionosphere commonly develops plasma irregularities and density structures able to disrupt radio wave signals. This interference produces an adverse impact on satellite communication and navigation signals. For example, EM signals originated from satellites can suffer fading as deep as 20 dB even at UHF frequencies. In addition, civil aviation is increasingly dependent upon Global Navigation Satellite Systems and disruption of the navigation capability from ionospheric irregularities poses a clear threat to passengers and crews. To monitor and specify the conditions of the ionosphere over South America, the Low-latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (LISN) was established as a permanent array of scientific instruments that operate continuously and transmit their observables to a central server in a real-time basis. Presently, the LISN observatory includes 3 different types of instruments: (1) 47 GPS receivers, (2) 5 flux-gate magnetometers and (3) 2 Vertical Incidence Pulsed Ionospheric Radar (VIPIR) ionosondes. In addition to providing a nowcast of the disturbed state of the ionosphere over South America, LISN permits detailed studies of the initiation and development of plasma irregularities. By using data assimilation and tomography techniques, LISN provides continuous estimates of several important geophysical parameters that are indispensable to a program aimed at forecasting the plasma electrodynamics and the formation of density structures in the low-latitude ionosphere.

Cells exposed to nanosecond electrical pulses exhibit biomarkers of mechanical stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Caleb C.; Barnes, Ronald A.; Ibey, Bennett L.; Beier, Hope T.; Moen, Erick K.; Glickman, Randolph D.

2015-03-01

Exposure of cells to very short (<1 μs) electric pulses in the megavolt/meter range have been shown to cause disruption of the plasma membrane. This disruption is often characterized by the formation of numerous small pores (<2 nm in diameter) in the plasma membrane that last for several minutes, allowing the flow of ions into the cell. These small pores are called nanopores and the resulting damage to the plasma membrane is referred to as nanoporation. Nanosecond electrical pulse (nsEP) exposure can impart many different stressors on a cell, including electrical, electro-chemical, and mechanical stress. Thus, nsEP exposure is not a "clean" insult, making determination of the mechanism of nanoporation quite difficult. We hypothesize that nsEP exposure creates acoustic shock waves capable of causing nanoporation. Microarray analysis of primary adult human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) exposed to nsEP, indicated several genes associated with mechanical stress were selectively upregulated 4 h post exposure. The idea that nanoporation is caused by external mechanical force from acoustic shock waves has, to our knowledge, not been investigated. This work will critically challenge the existing paradigm that nanoporation is caused solely by an electric-field driven event and could provide the basis for a plausible explanation for electroporation.

Edge safety factor at the onset of plasma disruption during VDEs in JT-60U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugihara, Masayoshi; Lukash, Victor; Khayrutdinov, Rustam; Neyatani, Yuzuru

2004-10-01

Detailed examinations of the value of the edge safety factor (qa) at the onset of thermal quench (TQ) during intentional vertical displacement event (VDE) experiments in JT-60U are carried out using two different reconstruction methods, FBI/FBEQU and DINA. The results from the two methods are very similar and show that the TQ occurs when the qa value is in the range between 1.5 and 2. This result suggests that the predictive simulations for VDEs should be performed within this range of q to examine the subsequent differences in the halo currents, plasma movement and other plasma behaviour during the current quench.

Demonstration of a positron beam-driven hollow channel plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE PAGES

Gessner, Spencer; Adli, Erik; Allen, James M.; ...

2016-06-02

Plasma wakefield accelerators have been used to accelerate electron and positron particle beams with gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than those achieved in conventional accelerators. In addition to being accelerated by the plasma wakefield, the beam particles also experience strong transverse forces that may disrupt the beam quality. Hollow plasma channels have been proposed as a technique for generating accelerating fields without transverse forces. In this study, we demonstrate a method for creating an extended hollow plasma channel and measure the wakefields created by an ultrarelativistic positron beam as it propagates through the channel. The plasma channel ismore » created by directing a high-intensity laser pulse with a spatially modulated profile into lithium vapour, which results in an annular region of ionization. A peak decelerating field of 230 MeV m -1 is inferred from changes in the beam energy spectrum, in good agreement with theory and particle-in-cell simulations.« less

Observation of thermal quench induced by runaway electrons in magnetic perturbation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheon, MunSeong; Seo, Dongcheol; Kim, Junghee

2018-04-01

Experimental observations in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) plasmas show that a loss of pre-disruptive runaway electrons can induce a rapid radiative cooling of the plasma, by generating impurity clouds from the first wall. The synchrotron radiation image shows that the loss of runaway electrons occurs from the edge region when the resonant magnetic perturbation is applied on the plasma. When the impact of the runaway electrons on the wall is strong enough, a sudden drop of the electron cyclotron emission (ECE) signal occurs with the characteristic plasma behaviors such as the positive spike and following decay of the plasma current, Dα spike, big magnetic fluctuation, etc. The visible images at this runaway loss show an evidence of the generation of impurity cloud and the following radiative cooling. When the runaway beam is located on the plasma edge, thermal quenches are expected to occur without global destruction of the magnetic structure up to the core.

Study of runaway electrons with Hard X-ray spectrometry of tokamak plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shevelev, A.; Chugunov, I.; Khilkevitch, E.

2014-08-21

Hard-X-ray spectrometry is a tool widely used for diagnostic of runaway electrons in existing tokamaks. In future machines, ITER and DEMO, HXR spectrometry will be useful providing information on runaway electron energy, runaway beam current and its profile during disruption.

Altered cardiovascular reactivity and osmoregulation during hyperosmotic stress in adult rats developmentally exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shah, Ashini; Coburn, Cary G.; Watson-Siriboe, Abena

2011-10-15

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and the structurally similar chemicals polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) disrupt the function of multiple endocrine systems. PCBs and PBDEs disrupt the secretion of vasopressin (VP) from the hypothalamus during osmotic activation. Since the peripheral and central vasopressinergic axes are critical for osmotic and cardiovascular regulation, we examined whether perinatal PBDE exposure could impact these functions during physiological activation. Rats were perinatally dosed with a commercial PBDE mixture, DE-71. Dams were given 0 (corn oil control), 1.7 (low dose) or 30.6 mg/kg/day (high dose) in corn oil from gestational day (GD) 6 through postnatal day (PND) 21 bymore » oral gavage. In the male offspring exposed to high dose PBDE plasma thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels were reduced at PND 21 and recovered to control levels by PND 60 when thyroid stimulating hormone levels were elevated. At 14-18 months of age, cardiovascular responses were measured in four groups of rats: Normal (Oil, normosmotic condition), Hyper (Oil, hyperosmotic stress), Hyper PBDE low (1.7 mg/kg/day DE-71 perinatally, hyperosmotic stress), and Hyper PBDE high (30.6 mg/kg/day DE-71 perinatally, hyperosmotic stress). Systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, and heart rate (HR) were determined using tail cuff sphygmomanometry and normalized to pretreatment values (baseline) measured under basal conditions. Hyperosmotic treatment yielded significant changes in systolic BP in PBDE exposed rats only. Hyper PBDE low and high dose rats showed 36.1 and 64.7% greater systolic BP responses at 3 h post hyperosmotic injection relative to pretreatment baseline, respectively. No treatment effects were measured for diastolic BP and HR. Hyper and Hyper PBDE rats showed increased mean plasma osmolality values by 45 min after injection relative to normosmotic controls. In contrast to Hyper rats, Hyper PBDE (high) rats showed a further increase in mean plasma osmolality at 3 h (358.3 {+-} 12.4 mOsm/L) relative to 45 min post hyperosmotic injection (325.1 {+-} 11.4 mOsm/L). Impaired osmoregulation in PBDE-treated animals could not be attributed to decreased levels of plasma vasopressin. Our findings suggest that developmental exposure to PBDEs may disrupt cardiovascular reactivity and osmoregulatory responses to physiological activation in late adulthood. - Highlights: > We examined whether PBDE exposure could impact osmotic and cardiovascular regulation. > Hyperosmotic treatment yielded significant changes in systolic BP in PBDE exposed rats only. > PBDEs may disrupt cardiovascular and osmoregulatory responses to physiological activation.« less

Reduction of asymmetric wall force in ITER disruptions with fast current quench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauss, H.

2018-02-01

One of the problems caused by disruptions in tokamaks is the asymmetric electromechanical force produced in conducting structures surrounding the plasma. The asymmetric wall force in ITER asymmetric vertical displacement event (AVDE) disruptions is calculated in nonlinear 3D MHD simulations. It is found that the wall force can vary by almost an order of magnitude, depending on the ratio of the current quench time to the resistive wall magnetic penetration time. In ITER, this ratio is relatively low, resulting in a low asymmetric wall force. In JET, this ratio is relatively high, resulting in a high asymmetric wall force. Previous extrapolations based on JET measurements have greatly overestimated the ITER wall force. It is shown that there are two limiting regimes of AVDEs, and it is explained why the asymmetric wall force is different in the two limits.

The influence of an ITER-like wall on disruptions at JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Vries, Peter

2013-10-01

Disruptions are a key issue for tokamaks such as ITER because the fast release of the high thermal and magnetic energies will result in large forces and heat loads. Hence, finding methods to avoid them or mitigate their impact is vital. The recent replacement of carbon tiles with a metallic ITER-like wall (ILW) has greatly increased the significance of disruptions for JET operations. This paper summarizes how the metallic wall influenced the disruption physics itself and its influence on the causes of disruptions. Tolerable heat loads on the ILW are reduced compared to the carbon wall because of the potential for melting. This is exacerbated by the fact that with the ILW, significantly less energy is radiated during the disruption and thus more energy is conducted to the wall. The lower radiation and thus higher temperatures also slow down the current decay, yielding larger vessel forces. Mitigation by massive gas injection had to be applied routinely in order to safely operate JET with the new wall. The start of operations with the ILW showed a marked rise in the average disruption rate from 3.4% to 10%, although in the last 2 weeks, H-mode operations with only 3.3% disruptions was achieved. The increased disruption rate can be attributed to the influence of the new wall on plasma operation and control, requiring adjustments of the established carbon-wall scenarios. A detailed survey of disruption causes will be presented, showing the improvements made to avoid various disruption classes, but also indicating those disruption types responsible for the enhanced disruption rate. The latter can be mainly attributed to disruptions due to too high core radiation but also due to density control issues and error field locked modes. Detailed technical and physics understanding of disruption causes is essential for devising optimum strategies to avoid or mitigate these events. This research was funded partly by the European Communities under the contract of Association between EURATOM and FOM, and was carried out within the framework of EFDA. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Europe.

Physics conditions for robust control of tearing modes in a rotating tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazzaro, E.; Borgogno, D.; Brunetti, D.; Comisso, L.; Fevrier, O.; Grasso, D.; Lutjens, H.; Maget, P.; Nowak, S.; Sauter, O.; Sozzi, C.; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-01-01

The disruptive collapse of the current sustained equilibrium of a tokamak is perhaps the single most serious obstacle on the path toward controlled thermonuclear fusion. The current disruption is generally too fast to be identified early enough and tamed efficiently, and may be associated with a variety of initial perturbing events. However, a common feature of all disruptive events is that they proceed through the onset of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and field reconnection processes developing magnetic islands, which eventually destroy the magnetic configuration. Therefore the avoidance and control of magnetic reconnection instabilities is of foremost importance and great attention is focused on the promising stabilization techniques based on localized rf power absorption and current drive. Here a short review is proposed of the key aspects of high power rf control schemes (specifically electron cyclotron heating and current drive) for tearing modes, considering also some effects of plasma rotation. From first principles physics considerations, new conditions are presented and discussed to achieve control of the tearing perturbations by means of high power ({P}{{EC}}≥slant {P}{{ohm}}) in regimes where strong nonlinear instabilities may be driven, such as secondary island structures, which can blur the detection and limit the control of the instabilities. Here we consider recent work that has motivated the search for the improvement of some traditional control strategies, namely the feedback schemes based on strict phase tracking of the propagating magnetic islands.

Ocular penetration of intravenously administered enrofloxacin in the horse.

PubMed

Divers, T J; Irby, N L; Mohammed, H O; Schwark, W S

2008-03-01

Information on antibiotic concentrations in the equine eye following systemic therapy is limited. Reports that Leptospira spp. are frequently present in the eyes of horses with recurrent uveitis, emphasises a need for studies on ocular concentrations of specific antibiotics. 1) Enrofloxacin, administered i.v. at 7.5 mg/kg bwt q. 24 h, results in aqueous humour concentrations greater than the reported minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Leptospira pomona. 2) Aqueous humour paracentesis sufficiently disrupts the blood-aqueous humour barrier (BAB) to cause an increase in aqueous humour protein and enrofloxacin concentrations. Aqueous humour enrofloxacin and total protein concentrations were determined in 6 healthy, mature horses after i.v. administration of enrofloxacin. Paracentesis was performed on the left eye on Days 3 and 4, 1 h following enrofloxacin administration, to determine enrofloxacin concentrations in healthy eyes and in eyes with mechanical disruption of the BAB. Paracentesis was also performed on the right eye 23 h after enrofloxacin administration. Blood samples were collected from the horses at identical times to determine enrofloxacin aqueous humour:plasma ratios. Mean +/- s.d. enrofloxacin concentration in the aqueous humour 1 h post administration on Day 3 was 0.32 +/- 0.10 mg/l (range 0.18-0.47); and aqueous humour enrofloxacin, total protein and aqueous humour:plasma enrofloxacin ratios were higher on Day 4 than Day 3. Following disruption of the BAB, enrofloxacin concentrations were above the reported MIC for Leptospira pomona.

Disruption avoidance and fast ramp-down techniques for the DIII-D experimental scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, Jayson; Eidietis, N. W.; Humphreys, D. A.; Sammuli, B.; Luce, T.

2017-10-01

Plasma current ramp-down in ITER will continue in H-mode from 15 MA to 10 MA, and will keep a diverted shape until termination. This is in contrast to the limited ramp-down scenarios typically used in DIII-D operations. Additionally, fast emergency ramp-down scenarios for ITER and future reactors are a priority for disruption avoidance. New experiments in DIII-D use the ramp-down phase of a variety of experiments including in the ITER baseline scenario to survey and identify optimized ramp-down scenarios for both scheduled terminations and terminations triggered by off-normal event detection. Systematic scans in current ramp-rate (1-5 MA/s), neutral beam power (including βN feedback) and ramp-down shaping (limited versus continued diverted) have identified fast ramp-down scenarios for Lower Single Null (LSN) and Double Null (DN) plasmas. Scenario-specific methods and their rates of successful termination will be presented and compared relative to a historical data-set of ramp-down programming in the limiter configuration. Locked modes are found to be the most significant challenge to disruption avoidance in diverted ramp-downs. Results for LSN diverted discharges that begin the rampdown with large locked-modes will also be presented. If available, results of similar experiments on EAST will be presented. Work supported by US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698 and DE-SC0010685.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, and potential endocrine disruption in fish from the Hudson River, New York, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baldigo, Barry P.; Sloan, R.J.; Smith, S.B.; Denslow, N.D.; Blazer, V.S.; Gross, T.S.

2006-01-01

Tissue residues of total mercury (Hg), total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and lipid-based PCBs; plasma concentrations of endocrine biomarkers; and reproductive and histologic biomarkers were assessed in 460 carp (Cyprinus carpio), bass (Micropterus salmoides and Micropterus dolomieui), and bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) collected from eight sites across the Hudson River Basin in the spring of 1998 to determine if endocrine disruption was evident in resident fish species and to evaluate contaminant-biomarker interrelations. Total PCBs in bed sediments (maximum 2,500 ??g kg-1) could explain 64 to 90% of the variability in lipid-based PCB residues in tissues (maximum 1,250 ??g PCB g-lipid-1) of the four species. The 17??-estradiol to 11-ketotestosterone ratio, typically less than 1.0 in male fish and greater than 1.0 in females, exceeded 1.4 in all male largemouth bass and 35% of male carp and bullhead at one site 21 km downstream from a major PCB source. Endocrine biomarkers were significantly correlated with total Hg in female smallmouth bass and carp, and with lipid-based PCBs in males of all four species. Empirical evidence of endocrine modulation in blood plasma of male and female fish from sites with and without high PCB residues in bed sediments and fish tissues suggest that PCBs, Hg, or other contaminants may disrupt normal endocrine function in fish of the Hudson River. ?? Eawag, 2006.

Transient snakes in an ohmic plasma associated with a minor disruption in the HT-7 tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Songtao; Xu, Liqing; Hu, Liqun; Chen, Kaiyun

2014-05-01

A transient burst (ms, an order of the fast-particle slowdown timescale) of a spontaneous snake is observed for the first time in a HT-7 heavy impurity ohmic plasma. The features of the low-Z impurity snake are presented. The flatten electron profile due to the heavy impurity reveals the formation of a large magnetic island. The foot of the impurity accumulation is consistent with the location of the transient snake. The strong frequency-chirping behaviors and the spatial structures of the snake are also presented.

Comparative responses to endocrine disrupting compounds in early life stages of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar.

PubMed

Duffy, T A; Iwanowicz, L R; McCormick, S D

2014-07-01

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are endangered anadromous fish that may be exposed to feminizing endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) during early development, potentially altering physiological capacities, survival and fitness. To assess differential life stage sensitivity to common EDCs, we carried out short-term (4 day) exposures using three doses each of 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17 β-estradiol (E2), and nonylphenol (NP) on four early life stages; embryos, yolk-sac larvae, feeding fry and 1 year old smolts. Differential response was compared using vitellogenin (Vtg, a precursor egg protein) gene transcription. Smolts were also examined for impacts on plasma Vtg, cortisol, thyroid hormones (T4/T3) and hepatosomatic index (HSI). Compound-related mortality was not observed in any life stage, but Vtg mRNA was elevated in a dose-dependent manner in yolk-sac larvae, fry and smolts but not in embryos. The estrogens EE2 and E2 were consistently stronger inducers of Vtg than NP. Embryos responded significantly to the highest concentration of EE2 only, while older life stages responded to the highest doses of all three compounds, as well as intermediate doses of EE2 and E2. Maximal transcription was greater for fry among the three earliest life stages, suggesting fry may be the most responsive life stage in early development. Smolt plasma Vtg was also significantly increased, and this response was observed at lower doses of each compound than was detected by gene transcription suggesting plasma Vtg is a more sensitive indicator at this life stage. HSI was increased at the highest doses of EE2 and E2, and plasma T3 was decreased at the highest dose of EE2. Our results indicate that all life stages are potentially sensitive to endocrine disruption by estrogenic compounds and that physiological responses were altered over a short window of exposure, indicating the potential for these compounds to impact fish in the wild. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Testing Experimental Compounds against American Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

synthesize large amounts of plasma membrane ergosterol in serum-free media (26). Ketoconazole and miconazole actively disrupt ergosterol synthesis in a...walls cross- * react with L. donovani (40), it was thought that immunostimula- tion of a htst with BCG prior to infection with L. mexicana ama- zonensis

A Transcriptional Regulatory Switch Underlying B-Cell Terminal Differentiation and Its Disruption by Dioxin (S)

EPA Science Inventory

The terminal differentiation of B cells in lymphoid organs into antibody-secreting plasma cells upon antigen stimulation is a crucial step in the humoral immune response. The architecture of the B-cell transcriptional regulatory network consists of coupled mutually-repressive fee...

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manuel, M. J.-E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.; Klein, S. R.; MacDonald, M. J.; Trantham, M. R.; Fein, J. R.; Belancourt, P. X.; Young, R. P.; Keiter, P. A.; Drake, R. P.; Pollock, B. B.; Park, J.; Hazi, A. U.; Williams, G. J.; Chen, H.

2015-12-01

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysical systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. This result is a topic of ongoing investigation.

Floating potential of emitting surfaces in plasmas with respect to the space potential

DOE PAGES

Kraus, B. F.; Raitses, Y.

2018-03-19

The potential difference between a floating emitting surface and the plasma surrounding it has been described by several sheath models, including the space-charge-limited sheath, the electron sheath with high emission current, and the inverse sheath produced by charge-exchange ion trapping. Our measurements reveal that each of these models has its own regime of validity. We determine the potential of an emissive filament relative to the plasma potential, emphasizing variations in emitted current density and neutral particle density. The potential of a filament in a diffuse plasma is first shown to vanish, consistent with the electron sheath model and increasing electronmore » emission. In a denser plasma with ample neutral pressure, the floating filament potential is positive, as predicted by a derived ion trapping condition. In conclusion, the filament floated negatively in a third plasma, where flowing ions and electrons and nonnegligible electric fields may have disrupted ion trapping. Depending on the regime chosen, emitting surfaces can float positively or negatively with respect to the plasma potential.« less

Floating potential of emitting surfaces in plasmas with respect to the space potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kraus, B. F.; Raitses, Y.

The potential difference between a floating emitting surface and the plasma surrounding it has been described by several sheath models, including the space-charge-limited sheath, the electron sheath with high emission current, and the inverse sheath produced by charge-exchange ion trapping. Our measurements reveal that each of these models has its own regime of validity. We determine the potential of an emissive filament relative to the plasma potential, emphasizing variations in emitted current density and neutral particle density. The potential of a filament in a diffuse plasma is first shown to vanish, consistent with the electron sheath model and increasing electronmore » emission. In a denser plasma with ample neutral pressure, the floating filament potential is positive, as predicted by a derived ion trapping condition. In conclusion, the filament floated negatively in a third plasma, where flowing ions and electrons and nonnegligible electric fields may have disrupted ion trapping. Depending on the regime chosen, emitting surfaces can float positively or negatively with respect to the plasma potential.« less

Stability and Control of Burning Tokamak Plasmas with Resistive Walls: Final Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, George; Brennan, Dylan; Cole, Andrew

This project is focused on theoretical and computational development for quantitative prediction of the stability and control of the equilibrium state evolution in toroidal burning plasmas, including its interaction with the surrounding resistive wall. The stability of long pulse burning plasmas is highly sensitive to the physics of resonant layers in the plasma, sources of momentum and flow, kinetic effects of energetic particles, and boundary conditions at the wall, including feedback control and error fields. In ITER in particular, the low toroidal flow equilibrium state, sustained primarily by energetic alpha particles from fusion reactions, will require the consideration of allmore » of these key elements to predict quantitatively the stability and evolution. The principal investigators on this project have performed theoretical and computational analyses, guided by analytic modeling, to address this physics in realistic configurations. The overall goal has been to understand the key physics mechanisms that describe stable toroidal burning plasmas under active feedback control. Several relevant achievements have occurred during this project, leading to publications and invited conference presentations. In theoretical efforts, with the physics of the resonant layers, resistive wall, and toroidal momentum transport included, this study has extended from cylindrical resistive plasma - resistive wall models with feedback control to toroidal geometry with strong shaping to study mode coupling effects on the stability. These results have given insight into combined tearing and resistive wall mode behavior in simulations and experiment, while enabling a rapid exploration of plasma parameter space, to identify possible domains of interest for large plasma codes to investigate in more detail. Resonant field amplification and quasilinear torques in the presence of error fields and velocity shear have also been investigated. Here it was found, surprisingly, that the Maxwell torque on resonant layers in the plasma which exhibit finite real frequencies ωr in their response is significantly different from the conventional results based on tearing layers with pure real growth (or damping) rates. This observation suggests the possibility that the torque on the tearing layers can lock the plasma rotation to this finite phase velocity, which may lead to locking in which velocity shear is maintained. More broadly, the sources of all torques driving flows in magnetic confinement experiments is not fully understood, and this theoretical work may shed light on puzzling experimental results. It was also found that real frequencies occur over a wide range of plasma response regimes, and are indeed the norm and not the exception, often leading to profound effects on the locking torque. Also, the influence of trapped energetic ions orbiting over the resistive plasma mode structure, a critical effect in burning plasmas, was investigated through analytic modeling and analysis of simulations and experiment. This effort has shown that energetic ions can drive the development of disruptive instabilities, but also damp and stabilize the instabilities, depending on the details of the shear in the equilibrium magnetic field. This finding could be critical to maintaining stable operations in burning plasmas. In the most recent work, a series of simulations have been conducted to study the effect of differential flow and energetic ion effects on entry to the onset of a disruptive instability in the most realistic conditions possible, with preexisting nonlinearly saturated benign instabilities. Throughout this work, the linear and quasilinear theory of resonant layers with differential flow between them, their interaction with resistive wall and error fields, and energetic ions effects, have been used to understand realistic simulations of mode onset and the experimental discharges they represent. These studies will continue to answer remaining questions about the relation between theoretical results obtained in this project and observations of the onset and evolution of disruptive instabilities in experiment.« less

Effect of Energetic Plasma Flux on Flowing Liquid Lithium Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalathiparambil, Kishor; Jung, Soonwook; Christenson, Michael; Fiflis, Peter; Xu, Wenyu; Szott, Mathew; Ruzic, David

2014-10-01

An operational liquid lithium system with steady state flow driven by thermo-electric magneto-hydrodynamic force and capable of constantly refreshing the plasma exposed surface have been demonstrated at U of I. To evaluate the system performance in reactor relevant conditions, specifically to understand the effect of disruptive plasma events on the performance of the liquid metal PFCs, the setup was integrated to a pulsed plasma generator. A coaxial plasma generator drives the plasma towards a theta pinch which preferentially heats the ions, simulating ELM like flux, and the plasma is further guided towards the target chamber which houses the flowing lithium system. The effect of the incident flux is examined using diagnostic tools including triple Langmuir probe, calorimeter, rogowski coils, Ion energy analyzers, and fast frame spectral image acquisition with specific optical filters. The plasma have been well characterized and a density of ~1021 m-3, with electron temperature ~10 - 20 eV is measured, and final plasma velocities of 34 - 74 kms-1 have been observed. Calorimetric measurements using planar molybdenum targets indicate a maximum plasma energy (with 6 kV plasma gun and 20 kV theta pinch) of 0.08 MJm-2 with plasma divergence effects resulting in marginal reduction of 40 +/- 23 J in plasma energy. Further results from the other diagnostic tools, using the flowing lithium targets and the planar targets coated with lithium will be presented. DOE DE-SC0008587.

Lack of dependence on resonant error field of locked mode island size in ohmic plasmas in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Haye, R. J.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Strait, E. J.

2015-02-01

DIII-D experiments show that fully penetrated resonant n = 1 error field locked modes in ohmic plasmas with safety factor q95 ≳ 3 grow to similar large disruptive size, independent of resonant error field correction. Relatively small resonant (m/n = 2/1) static error fields are shielded in ohmic plasmas by the natural rotation at the electron diamagnetic drift frequency. However, the drag from error fields can lower rotation such that a bifurcation results, from nearly complete shielding to full penetration, i.e., to a driven locked mode island that can induce disruption. Error field correction (EFC) is performed on DIII-D (in ITER relevant shape and safety factor q95 ≳ 3) with either the n = 1 C-coil (no handedness) or the n = 1 I-coil (with ‘dominantly’ resonant field pitch). Despite EFC, which allows significantly lower plasma density (a ‘figure of merit’) before penetration occurs, the resulting saturated islands have similar large size; they differ only in the phase of the locked mode after typically being pulled (by up to 30° toroidally) in the electron diamagnetic drift direction as they grow to saturation. Island amplification and phase shift are explained by a second change-of-state in which the classical tearing index changes from stable to marginal by the presence of the island, which changes the current density profile. The eventual island size is thus governed by the inherent stability and saturation mechanism rather than the driving error field.

Overview of the JET results with the ITER-like wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanelli, F.; EFDA Contributors, JET

2013-10-01

Following the completion in May 2011 of the shutdown for the installation of the beryllium wall and the tungsten divertor, the first set of JET campaigns have addressed the investigation of the retention properties and the development of operational scenarios with the new plasma-facing materials. The large reduction in the carbon content (more than a factor ten) led to a much lower Zeff (1.2-1.4) during L- and H-mode plasmas, and radiation during the burn-through phase of the plasma initiation with the consequence that breakdown failures are almost absent. Gas balance experiments have shown that the fuel retention rate with the new wall is substantially reduced with respect to the C wall. The re-establishment of the baseline H-mode and hybrid scenarios compatible with the new wall has required an optimization of the control of metallic impurity sources and heat loads. Stable type-I ELMy H-mode regimes with H98,y2 close to 1 and βN ˜ 1.6 have been achieved using gas injection. ELM frequency is a key factor for the control of the metallic impurity accumulation. Pedestal temperatures tend to be lower with the new wall, leading to reduced confinement, but nitrogen seeding restores high pedestal temperatures and confinement. Compared with the carbon wall, major disruptions with the new wall show a lower radiated power and a slower current quench. The higher heat loads on Be wall plasma-facing components due to lower radiation made the routine use of massive gas injection for disruption mitigation essential.

Disruption of Spectrin-Like Cytoskeleton in Differentiating Keratinocytes by PKCδ Activation Is Associated with Phosphorylated Adducin

PubMed Central

Zhao, Kong-Nan; Masci, Paul P.; Lavin, Martin F.

2011-01-01

Spectrin is a central component of the cytoskeletal protein network in a variety of erythroid and non-erythroid cells. In keratinocytes, this protein has been shown to be pericytoplasmic and plasma membrane associated, but its characteristics and function have not been established in these cells. Here we demonstrate that spectrin increases dramatically in amount and is assembled into the cytoskeleton during differentiation in mouse and human keratinocytes. The spectrin-like cytoskeleton was predominantly organized in the granular and cornified layers of the epidermis and disrupted by actin filament inhibitors, but not by anti-mitotic drugs. When the cytoskeleton was disrupted PKCδ was activated by phosphorylation on Thr505. Specific inhibition of PKCδ(Thr505) activation with rottlerin prevented disruption of the spectrin-like cytoskeleton and the associated morphological changes that accompany differentiation. Rottlerin also inhibited specific phosphorylation of the PKCδ substrate adducin, a cytoskeletal protein. Furthermore, knock-down of endogenous adducin affected not only expression of adducin, but also spectrin and PKCδ, and severely disrupted organization of the spectrin-like cytoskeleton and cytoskeletal distribution of both adducin and PKCδ. These results demonstrate that organization of a spectrin-like cytoskeleton is associated with keratinocytes differentiation, and disruption of this cytoskeleton is mediated by either PKCδ(Thr505) phosphorylation associated with phosphorylated adducin or due to reduction of endogenous adducin, which normally connects and stabilizes the spectrin-actin complex. PMID:22163289

Disruption Warning Database Development and Exploratory Machine Learning Studies on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Kevin; Rea, Cristina; Granetz, Robert

2017-10-01

A database of about 1800 shots from the 2015 campaign on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak is assembled, including disruptive and non-disruptive discharges. The database consists of 40 relevant plasma parameters with data taken from 160k time slices. In order to investigate the possibility of developing a robust disruption prediction algorithm that is tokamak-independent, we focused machine learning studies on a subset of dimensionless parameters such as βp, n /nG , etc. The Random Forests machine learning algorithm provides insight on the available data set by ranking the relative importance of the input features. Its application on the C-Mod database, however, reveals that virtually no one parameter has more importance than any other, and that its classification algorithm has a low rate of successfully predicted samples, as well as poor false positive and false negative rates. Comparing the analysis of this algorithm on the C-Mod database with its application to a similar database on DIII-D, we conclude that disruption prediction may not be feasible on C-Mod. This conclusion is supported by empirical observations that most C-Mod disruptions are caused by radiative collapse due to molybdenum from the first wall, which happens on just a 1-2ms timescale. Supported by the US Dept. of Energy under DE-FC02-99ER54512 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Plasma membrane repair in plants.

PubMed

Schapire, Arnaldo L; Valpuesta, Victoriano; Botella, Miguel A

2009-12-01

Resealing is the membrane-repair process that enables cells to survive disruption, preventing the loss of irreplaceable cell types and eliminating the cost of replacing injured cells. Given that failure in the resealing process in animal cells causes diverse types of muscular dystrophy, plasma membrane repair has been extensively studied in these systems. Animal proteins with Ca(2+)-binding domains such as synaptotagmins and dysferlin mediate Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis to repair plasma membranes after mechanical damage. Until recently, no components or proof for membrane repair mechanisms have been discovered in plants. However, Arabidopsis SYT1 is now the first plant synaptotagmin demonstrated to participate in Ca(2+)-dependent repair of membranes. This suggests a conservation of membrane repair mechanisms between animal and plant cells.

Disruption of current filaments and isotropization of magnetic field in counter-streaming plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fiuza, Frederico

We study the stability of current filaments produced by the Weibel, or current filamentation, instability in weakly magnetized counter-streaming plasmas. It is shown that a resonance exists between the current-carrying ions and a longitudinal drift-kink mode that strongly deforms and eventually breaks the current filaments. Analytical estimates of the wavelength, growth rate and saturation level of the resonant mode are derived and validated by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Furthermore, self-consistent simulations of counter-streaming plasmas indicate that this drift-kink mode is dominant in the slow down of the flows and in the isotropization of the magnetic field, playing an important role inmore » the formation of collision less shocks.« less

Conversion of magnetic energy to runaway kinetic energy during the termination of runaway current on the J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, A. J.; Chen, Z. Y.; Huang, D. W.; Tong, R. H.; Zhang, J.; Wei, Y. N.; Ma, T. K.; Wang, X. L.; Yang, H. Y.; Gao, H. L.; Pan, Y.; the J-TEXT Team

2018-05-01

A large number of runaway electrons (REs) with energies as high as several tens of mega-electron volt (MeV) may be generated during disruptions on a large-scale tokamak. The kinetic energy carried by REs is eventually deposited on the plasma-facing components, causing damage and posing a threat on the operation of the tokamak. The remaining magnetic energy following a thermal quench is significant on a large-scale tokamak. The conversion of magnetic energy to runaway kinetic energy will increase the threat of runaway electrons on the first wall. The magnetic energy dissipated inside the vacuum vessel (VV) equals the decrease of initial magnetic energy inside the VV plus the magnetic energy flowing into the VV during a disruption. Based on the estimated magnetic energy, the evolution of magnetic-kinetic energy conversion are analyzed through three periods in disruptions with a runaway current plateau.

Overview of MST Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, B. E.

2017-10-01

MST progress in advancing the RFP for (1) fusion plasma confinement with ohmic heating and minimal external magnetization, (2) predictive capability in toroidal confinement physics, and (3) basic plasma physics is summarized. Validation of key plasma models is a program priority, which is enhanced by programmable power supplies (PPS) to maximize inductive capability. The existing PPS enables access to very low plasma current, down to Ip =0.02 MA. This greatly expands the Lundquist number range S =104 -108 and allows nonlinear, 3D MHD computation using NIMROD and DEBS with dimensionless parameters that overlap those of MST plasmas. A new, second PPS will allow simultaneous PPS control of the Bp and Bt circuits. The PPS also enables MST tokamak operation, thus far focused on disruptions and RMP suppression of runaway electrons. Gyrokinetic modeling with GENE predicts unstable TEM in improved-confinement RFP plasmas. Measured fluctuations have TEM properties including a density-gradient threshold larger than for tokamak plasmas. Turbulent energization of an electron tail occurs during sawtooth reconnection. Probe measurements hint that drift waves are also excited via the turbulent cascade in standard RFP plasmas. Exploration of basic plasma science frontiers in MST RFP and tokamak plasmas is proposed as part of WiPPL, a basic science user facility. Work supported by USDoE.

Overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snipes, J. A.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.

An overview of the Preliminary Design of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) is described here, which focusses on the needs for 1st plasma and early plasma operation in hydrogen/helium (H/He) up to a plasma current of 15 MA with moderate auxiliary heating power in low confinement mode (L-mode). Candidate control schemes for basic magnetic control, including divertor operation and kinetic control of the electron density with gas puffing and pellet injection, were developed. Commissioning of the auxiliary heating systems is included as well as support functions for stray field topology and real-time plasma boundary reconstruction. Initial exception handling schemesmore » for faults of essential plant systems and for disruption protection were developed. The PCS architecture was also developed to be capable of handling basic control for early commissioning and the advanced control functions that will be needed for future high performance operation. A plasma control simulator is also being developed to test and validate control schemes. To handle the complexity of the ITER PCS, a systems engineering approach has been adopted with the development of a plasma control database to keep track of all control requirements.« less

Direct chemical evidence for sphingolipid domains in the plasma membranes of fibroblasts [High-Resolution Chemical Imaging of Sphingolipid Distribution in the Plasma Membrane

DOE PAGES

Frisz, Jessica F.; Lou, Kaiyan; Klitzing, Haley A.; ...

2013-01-28

Sphingolipids play important roles in plasma membrane structure and cell signaling. Yet, their lateral distribution in the plasma membrane is poorly understood. Here we quantitatively analyzed the sphingolipid organization on the entire dorsal surface of intact cells by mapping the distribution of 15N-enriched ions from metabolically labeled 15N-sphingolipids in the plasma membrane using high-resolution imaging mass spectrometry. Many types of control experiments (internal, positive, negative, and fixation temperature), along with parallel experiments involving the imaging of fluorescent sphingolipids$-$both in living cells and during fixation of living cells$-$exclude potential artifacts. Micrometer-scale sphingolipid patches consisting of numerous 15Nsphingolipid microdomains with mean diametersmore » of ~200 nm are always present in the plasma membrane. Depletion of 30% of the cellular cholesterol did not eliminate the sphingolipid domains, but did reduce their abundance and long range organization in the plasma membrane. In contrast, disruption of the cytoskeleton eliminated the sphingolipid domains. These results indicate that these sphingolipid assemblages are not lipid rafts, and are instead a distinctly different type of sphingolipid-enriched plasma membrane domain that depends upon cortical actin.« less

Overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snipes, J. A.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; Ambrosino, R.; Amoskov, V.; Blanken, T. C.; Bremond, S.; Cinque, M.; de Tommasi, G.; de Vries, P. C.; Eidietis, N.; Felici, F.; Felton, R.; Ferron, J.; Formisano, A.; Gribov, Y.; Hosokawa, M.; Hyatt, A.; Humphreys, D.; Jackson, G.; Kavin, A.; Khayrutdinov, R.; Kim, D.; Kim, S. H.; Konovalov, S.; Lamzin, E.; Lehnen, M.; Lukash, V.; Lomas, P.; Mattei, M.; Mineev, A.; Moreau, P.; Neu, G.; Nouailletas, R.; Pautasso, G.; Pironti, A.; Rapson, C.; Raupp, G.; Ravensbergen, T.; Rimini, F.; Schneider, M.; Travere, J.-M.; Treutterer, W.; Villone, F.; Walker, M.; Welander, A.; Winter, A.; Zabeo, L.

2017-12-01

An overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system (PCS) is described here, which focusses on the needs for 1st plasma and early plasma operation in hydrogen/helium (H/He) up to a plasma current of 15 MA with moderate auxiliary heating power in low confinement mode (L-mode). Candidate control schemes for basic magnetic control, including divertor operation and kinetic control of the electron density with gas puffing and pellet injection, were developed. Commissioning of the auxiliary heating systems is included as well as support functions for stray field topology and real-time plasma boundary reconstruction. Initial exception handling schemes for faults of essential plant systems and for disruption protection were developed. The PCS architecture was also developed to be capable of handling basic control for early commissioning and the advanced control functions that will be needed for future high performance operation. A plasma control simulator is also being developed to test and validate control schemes. To handle the complexity of the ITER PCS, a systems engineering approach has been adopted with the development of a plasma control database to keep track of all control requirements.

Overview of the preliminary design of the ITER plasma control system

DOE PAGES

Snipes, J. A.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, G.; ...

2017-09-11

An overview of the Preliminary Design of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) is described here, which focusses on the needs for 1st plasma and early plasma operation in hydrogen/helium (H/He) up to a plasma current of 15 MA with moderate auxiliary heating power in low confinement mode (L-mode). Candidate control schemes for basic magnetic control, including divertor operation and kinetic control of the electron density with gas puffing and pellet injection, were developed. Commissioning of the auxiliary heating systems is included as well as support functions for stray field topology and real-time plasma boundary reconstruction. Initial exception handling schemesmore » for faults of essential plant systems and for disruption protection were developed. The PCS architecture was also developed to be capable of handling basic control for early commissioning and the advanced control functions that will be needed for future high performance operation. A plasma control simulator is also being developed to test and validate control schemes. To handle the complexity of the ITER PCS, a systems engineering approach has been adopted with the development of a plasma control database to keep track of all control requirements.« less

Heavy impurity confinement in hybrid operation scenario plasmas with a rotating 1/1 continuous mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghunathan, M.; Graves, J. P.; Nicolas, T.; Cooper, W. A.; Garbet, X.; Pfefferlé, D.

2017-12-01

In future tokamaks like ITER with tungsten walls, it is imperative to control tungsten accumulation in the core of operational plasmas, especially since tungsten accumulation can lead to radiative collapse and disruption. We investigate the behavior of tungsten trace impurities in a JET-like hybrid scenario with both axisymmetric and saturated 1/1 ideal helical core in the presence of strong plasma rotation. For this purpose, we obtain the equilibria from VMEC and use VENUS-LEVIS, a guiding-center orbit-following code, to follow heavy impurity particles. In this work, VENUS-LEVIS has been modified to account for strong plasma flows with associated neoclassical effects arising from such flows. We find that the combination of helical core and plasma rotation augments the standard neoclassical inward pinch compared to axisymmetry, and leads to a strong inward pinch of impurities towards the magnetic axis despite the strong outward diffusion provided by the centrifugal force, as frequently observed in experiments.

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity βt in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusch, J. A.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Perry, J. M.; Pierren, C.; Rhodes, A. T.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Weberski, J. D.

2018-05-01

A major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓi, high elongation κ, and high toroidal and normalized beta ( βt and βN) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓi. The low aspect ratio ( R0/a ˜1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents ( IN=Ip/a BT>14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high βt plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that βt up to ˜100% is achieved. These high βt discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at βN˜7.

Assessment of erythrocyte acetylcholine esterase activities in painters.

PubMed

Khan, Mohd Imran; Mahdi, Abbas Ali; Islam, Najmul; Rastogi, Subodh Kumar; Negi, M P S

2009-04-01

Thirty-five male painters in the age group of 20-50 years occupationally engaged in domestic and commercial painting for 5-12 years having blood lead levels (BLL)

Plasma Vitellogenin and Hormone Levels in Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) Ponds versus a Reference Site

EPA Science Inventory

Runoff from land treated with animal manure may contaminate adjacent aquatic ecosystems and negatively impact organisms living in these environments. Of notable concern, influx of estrogens can result in endocrine disruption and affect reproduction in aquatic vertebrates. Vitel...

Effect of resistivity profile on current decay time of initial phase of current quench in neon-gas-puff inducing disruptions of JT-60U

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawakami, S.; Ohno, N.; Shibata, Y.

2013-11-15

According to an early work [Y. Shibata et al., Nucl. Fusion 50, 025015 (2010)] on the behavior of the plasma current decay in the JT-60U disruptive discharges caused by the radiative collapse with a massive neon-gas-puff, the increase of the internal inductance mainly determined the current decay time of plasma current during the initial phase of current quench. To investigate what determines the increase of the internal inductance, we focus attention on the relationship between the electron temperature (or the resistivity) profile and the time evolution of the current density profile and carry out numerical calculations. As a result, wemore » find the reason of the increase of the internal inductance: The current density profile at the start of the current quench is broader than an expected current density profile in the steady state, which is determined by the temperature (or resistivity) profile. The current density profile evolves into peaked one and the internal inductance is increasing.« less

PCB disruption of the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis involves brain glucocorticoid receptor downregulation in anadromous Arctic charr

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aluru, N.; Jorgensen, E.H.; Maule, A.G.; Vijayan, M.M.

2004-01-01

We examined whether brain glucocorticoid receptor (GR) modulation by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was involved in the abnormal cortisol response to stress seen in anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Fish treated with Aroclor 1254 (0, 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg body mass) were maintained for 5 mo without feeding in the winter to mimic their seasonal fasting cycle, whereas a fed group with 0 and 100 mg/kg Aroclor was maintained for comparison. Fasting elevated plasma cortisol levels and brain GR content but depressed heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) and interrenal cortisol production capacity. Exposure of fasted fish to Aroclor 1254 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in brain total PCB content. This accumulation in fish with high PCB dose was threefold higher in fasted fish compared with fed fish. PCBs depressed plasma cortisol levels but did not affect in vitro interrenal cortisol production capacity in fasted charr. At high PCB dose, the brain GR content was significantly lower in the fasted fish and this corresponded with a lower brain hsp70 and hsp90 content. The elevation of plasma cortisol levels and upregulation of brain GR content may be an important adaptation to extended fasting in anadromous Arctic charr, and this response was disrupted by PCBs. Taken together, the hypothalamus-pituitary- interrenal axis is a target for PCB impact during winter emaciation in anadromous Arctic charr.

Connexin-36 gap junctions regulate in vivo first- and second-phase insulin secretion dynamics and glucose tolerance in the conscious mouse.

PubMed

Head, W Steven; Orseth, Meredith L; Nunemaker, Craig S; Satin, Leslie S; Piston, David W; Benninger, Richard K P

2012-07-01

Insulin is secreted from the islets of Langerhans in coordinated pulses. These pulses are thought to lead to plasma insulin oscillations, which are putatively more effective in lowering blood glucose than continuous levels of insulin. Gap-junction coupling of β-cells by connexin-36 coordinates intracellular free calcium oscillations and pulsatile insulin release in isolated islets, however a role in vivo has not been shown. We test whether loss of gap-junction coupling disrupts plasma insulin oscillations and whether this impacts glucose tolerance. We characterized the connexin-36 knockout (Cx36(-/-)) mouse phenotype and performed hyperglycemic clamps with rapid sampling of insulin in Cx36(-/-) and control mice. Our results show that Cx36(-/-) mice are glucose intolerant, despite normal plasma insulin levels and insulin sensitivity. However, Cx36(-/-) mice exhibit reduced insulin pulse amplitudes and a reduction in first-phase insulin secretion. These changes are similarly found in isolated Cx36(-/-) islets. We conclude that Cx36 gap junctions regulate the in vivo dynamics of insulin secretion, which in turn is important for glucose homeostasis. Coordinated pulsatility of individual islets enhances the first-phase elevation and second-phase pulses of insulin. Because these dynamics are disrupted in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, dysregulation of gap-junction coupling could be an important factor in the development of this disease.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Groth, M; Ellis, R; Brooks, N

A video camera system is described that measures the spatial distribution of visible line emission emitted from the main scrape-off layer (SOL) of plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak. A wide-angle lens installed on an equatorial port and an in-vessel mirror which intercepts part of the lens view provide simultaneous tangential views of the SOL on the low-field and high-field sides of the plasma's equatorial plane. Tomographic reconstruction techniques are used to calculate the 2-D poloidal profiles from the raw data, and 1-D poloidal profiles simulating chordal views of other optical diagnostics from the 2-D profiles. The 2-D profiles can bemore » compared with SOL plasma simulations; the 1-D profiles with measurements from spectroscopic diagnostics. Sample results are presented which elucidate carbon transport in plasmas with toroidally uniform injection of methane and argon transport in disruption mitigation experiments with massive gas jet injection.« less

Simulation of plasma double-layer structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borovsky, J. E.; Joyce, G.

1982-01-01

Electrostatic plasma double layers are numerically simulated by means of a magnetized 2 1/2 dimensional particle in cell method. The investigation of planar double layers indicates that these one dimensional potential structures are susceptible to periodic disruption by instabilities in the low potential plasmas. Only a slight increase in the double layer thickness with an increase in its obliqueness to the magnetic field is observed. Weak magnetization results in the double layer electric field alignment of accelerated particles and strong magnetization results in their magnetic field alignment. The numerical simulations of spatially periodic two dimensional double layers also exhibit cyclical instability. A morphological invariance in two dimensional double layers with respect to the degree of magnetization implies that the potential structures scale with Debye lengths rather than with gyroradii. Electron beam excited electrostatic electron cyclotron waves and (ion beam driven) solitary waves are present in the plasmas adjacent to the double layers.

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

DOE PAGES

Manuel, M. J. -E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.; ...

2014-08-20

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysicalmore » systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. Furthermore, this result is a topic of ongoing investigation.« less

Experimental results from magnetized-jet experiments executed at the Jupiter Laser Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manuel, M. J. -E.; Kuranz, C. C.; Rasmus, A. M.

Recent experiments at the Jupiter Laser Facility investigated magnetization effects on collimated plasma jets. Laser-irradiated plastic-cone-targets produced collimated, millimeter-scale plasma flows as indicated by optical interferometry. Proton radiography of these jets showed no indication of strong, self-generated magnetic fields, suggesting a dominantly hydrodynamic collimating mechanism. Targets were placed in a custom-designed solenoid capable of generating field strengths up to 5 T. Proton radiographs of the well-characterized B-field, without a plasma jet, suggested an external source of trapped electrons that affects proton trajectories. The background magnetic field was aligned with the jet propagation direction, as is the case in many astrophysicalmore » systems. Optical interferometry showed that magnetization of the plasma results in disruption of the collimated flow and instead produces a hollow cavity. Furthermore, this result is a topic of ongoing investigation.« less

Plasma Chamber Design and Fabrication Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parodi, B.; Bianchi, A.; Cucchiaro, A.; Coletti, A.; Frosi, P.; Mazzone, G.; Pizzuto, A.; Ramogida, G.; Coppi, B.

2006-10-01

A fabrication procedure for a typical Plasma Chamber (PC) sector has been developed to cover all the manufacturing phases, from the raw materials specification (including metallurgical processes) to the machining operations, acceptance procedures and vacuum tests. Basically, the sector is made of shaped elements (forged or rolled) welded together using special fixtures and then machined to achieve the final dimensional accuracy. An upgraded design of the plasma chamber's vertical support that can withstand the estimated electromagnetic loads (Eddy and Halo current plus horizontal net force resulting from the worst plasma disruption scenario VDE, Vertical Displacement Event) has been completed. The maintenance of the radial support can take place hands-on with a direct access from outside the cryostat. With the present design, vacuum tightness is achieved by welding conducted with automatic welding heads. On the outer surface of the PC a dedicated duct system, filled by helium gas, is included to cool down the PC to room temperature when needed.

Prognostic significance of blood-brain barrier disruption in patients with severe nonpenetrating traumatic brain injury requiring decompressive craniectomy.

PubMed

Ho, Kwok M; Honeybul, Stephen; Yip, Cheng B; Silbert, Benjamin I

2014-09-01

The authors assessed the risk factors and outcomes associated with blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in patients with severe, nonpenetrating, traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring decompressive craniectomy. At 2 major neurotrauma centers in Western Australia, a retrospective cohort study was conducted among 97 adult neurotrauma patients who required an external ventricular drain (EVD) and decompressive craniectomy during 2004-2012. Glasgow Outcome Scale scores were used to assess neurological outcomes. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with BBB disruption, defined by a ratio of total CSF protein concentrations to total plasma protein concentration > 0.007 in the earliest CSF specimen collected after TBI. Of the 252 patients who required decompressive craniectomy, 97 (39%) required an EVD to control intracranial pressure, and biochemical evidence of BBB disruption was observed in 43 (44%). Presence of disruption was associated with more severe TBI (median predicted risk for unfavorable outcome 75% vs 63%, respectively; p = 0.001) and with worse outcomes at 6, 12, and 18 months than was absence of BBB disruption (72% vs 37% unfavorable outcomes, respectively; p = 0.015). The only risk factor significantly associated with increased risk for BBB disruption was presence of nonevacuated intracerebral hematoma (> 1 cm diameter) (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.23-7.50; p = 0.016). Although BBB disruption was associated with more severe TBI and worse long-term outcomes, when combined with the prognostic information contained in the Corticosteroid Randomization after Significant Head Injury (CRASH) prognostic model, it did not seem to add significant prognostic value (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.855 vs 0.864, respectively; p = 0.453). Biochemical evidence of BBB disruption after severe nonpenetrating TBI was common, especially among patients with large intracerebral hematomas. Disruption of the BBB was associated with more severe TBI and worse long-term outcomes, but when combined with the prognostic information contained in the CRASH prognostic model, this information did not add significant prognostic value.

International, prospective haemovigilance study on methylene blue-treated plasma.

PubMed

Noens, L; Vilariño, Ma D; Megalou, A; Qureshi, H

2017-05-01

Methylene blue is a phenothiazine dye, which in combination with visible light has virucidal and bactericidal properties, disrupting the replication of a broad range of enveloped viruses and some non-enveloped viruses. The study objective was to collect data on adverse reactions occurring with methylene blue plasma administered in a routine clinical practice environment and document their characteristics and severity. This was an open label, multicentre, non-controlled, non-randomized, non-interventional study. Patients who receive a methylene blue plasma transfusion were observed for any signs and symptoms (adverse reactions) within 24 h safter the start of the transfusion, in different hospitals for a study duration of at least 1 year. A total of 19 315 methylene blue plasma units were transfused. There were eight patients with adverse reactions recorded during the study, one of them serious. Two had more than one reaction (two and four, respectively). Three patients had previous transfusions with methylene blue plasma only. Methylene blue plasma has a very acceptable safety profile with a rate of serious adverse reactions of 0·5/10 000 units. © 2017 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Multi-Component Current Sheets in the Martian Magnetotail. MAVEN Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigorenko, E.; Zelenyi, L. M.; Vaisberg, O. L.; Ermakov, V.; Dubinin, E.; Malova, H. V.

2016-12-01

Current sheets (CSs) are the wide-spread objects in space and laboratory plasmas. The capability of CSs to maintain their stability, efficiently store and convert energy is a challenge to space physicists for many decades. Extensive studies of the CSs showed that the presence of multi-component plasma distribution can significantly affect the CS structure and dynamics. Such features like CS thinning, embedding and bifurcation are often related to the anisotropy of particle velocity distribution functions and multi-component ion composition, and they can be a source for generation of plasma instabilities and current disruption/reconnection. The MAVEN mission equipped with comprehensive instrument suite allows the observations of plasma and magnetic field characteristics with a high time resolution and provides an opportunity to study different processes in the Martian plasma environment. In this work we present the analysis of the CSs observed by MAVEN in the Martian magnetotail and discuss the peculiarities of their structure in relation to the thermal/energy characteristics of different plasma components. The relation to the existing CS models is also discussed. This work is supported by Russian Science Foundation (grant Nr.16-42-01103)

Cytoprotective nanoparticles by conjugation of a polyhis tagged annexin V to a nanoparticle drug.

PubMed

Chen, Howard H; Yuan, Hushan; Cho, Hoonsung; Sosnovik, David E; Josephson, Lee

2015-02-14

We synthesized a cytoprotective magnetic nanoparticle by reacting a maleimide functionalized Feraheme (FH) with a disulfide linked dimer of a polyhis tagged annexin V. Following reductive cleavage of disulfide, the resulting annexin-nanoparticle (diameter = 28.0 ± 2.0 nm by laser light scattering, 7.6 annexin's/nanoparticle) was cytoprotective to cells subjected to plasma membrane disrupting chemotherapeutic or mechanical stresses, and significantly more protective than the starting annexin V. Annexin-nanoparticles provide an approach to the design of nanomaterials which antagonize the plasma membrane permeability characteristic of necrosis and which may have applications as cytoprotective agents.

Comparative responses to endocrine disrupting compounds in early life stages of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duffy, Tara A.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; McCormick, Stephen D.

2014-01-01

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are endangered anadromous fish that may be exposed to feminizing endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) during early development, potentially altering physiological capacities, survival and fitness. To assess differential life stage sensitivity to common EDCs, we carried out short-term (four day) exposures using three doses each of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), 17β-estradiol (E2), and nonylphenol (NP) on four early life stages; embryos, yolk-sac larvae, feeding fry and one year old smolts. Differential response was compared using vitellogenin (Vtg, a precursor egg protein) gene transcription. Smolts were also examined for impacts on plasma Vtg, cortisol, thyroid hormones (T4/T3) and hepatosomatic index (HSI). Compound-related mortality was not observed in any life stage, but Vtg mRNA was elevated in a dose-dependent manner in yolk-sac larvae, fry and smolts but not in embyos. The estrogens EE2 and E2 were consistently stronger inducers of Vtg than NP. Embryos responded significantly to the highest concentration of EE2 only, while older life stages responded to the highest doses of all three compounds, as well as intermediate doses of EE2 and E2. Maximal transcription was greater for fry among the three earliest life stages, suggesting fry may be the most responsive life stage in early development. Smolt plasma Vtg was also significantly increased, and this response was observed at lower doses of each compound than was detected by gene transcription suggesting this is a more sensitive indicator at this life stage. HSI was increased at the highest doses of EE2 and E2 and plasma T3 decreased at the highest dose of EE2. Our results indicate that all life stages after hatching are potentially sensitive to endocrine disruption by estrogenic compounds and that physiological responses were altered over a short window of exposure, indicating the potential for these compounds to impact fish in the wild.

Comparison of runaway electron generation parameters in small, medium-sized and large tokamaks—A survey of experiments in COMPASS, TCV, ASDEX-Upgrade and JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plyusnin, V. V.; Reux, C.; Kiptily, V. G.; Pautasso, G.; Decker, J.; Papp, G.; Kallenbach, A.; Weinzettl, V.; Mlynar, J.; Coda, S.; Riccardo, V.; Lomas, P.; Jachmich, S.; Shevelev, A. E.; Alper, B.; Khilkevitch, E.; Martin, Y.; Dux, R.; Fuchs, C.; Duval, B.; Brix, M.; Tardini, G.; Maraschek, M.; Treutterer, W.; Giannone, L.; Mlynek, A.; Ficker, O.; Martin, P.; Gerasimov, S.; Potzel, S.; Paprok, R.; McCarthy, P. J.; Imrisek, M.; Boboc, A.; Lackner, K.; Fernandes, A.; Havlicek, J.; Giacomelli, L.; Vlainic, M.; Nocente, M.; Kruezi, U.; COMPASS Team; TCV Team; ASDEX-Upgrade Team; EUROFusion MST1 Team; contributors, JET

2018-01-01

This paper presents a survey of the experiments on runaway electrons (RE) carried out recently in frames of EUROFusion Consortium in different tokamaks: COMPASS, ASDEX-Upgrade, TCV and JET. Massive gas injection (MGI) has been used in different scenarios for RE generation in small and medium-sized tokamaks to elaborate the most efficient and reliable ones for future RE experiments. New data on RE generated at disruptions in COMPASS and ASDEX-Upgrade was collected and added to the JET database. Different accessible parameters of disruptions, such as current quench rate, conversion rate of plasma current into runaways, etc have been analysed for each tokamak and compared to JET data. It was shown, that tokamaks with larger geometrical sizes provide the wider limits for spatial and temporal variation of plasma parameters during disruptions, thus extending the parameter space for RE generation. The second part of experiments was dedicated to study of RE generation in stationary discharges in COMPASS, TCV and JET. Injection of Ne/Ar have been used to mock-up the JET MGI runaway suppression experiments. Secondary RE avalanching was identified and quantified for the first time in the TCV tokamak in RE generating discharges after massive Ne injection. Simulations of the primary RE generation and secondary avalanching dynamics in stationary discharges has demonstrated that RE current fraction created via avalanching could achieve up to 70-75% of the total plasma current in TCV. Relaxations which are reminiscent the phenomena associated to the kinetic instability driven by RE have been detected in RE discharges in TCV. Macroscopic parameters of RE dominating discharges in TCV before and after onset of the instability fit well to the empirical instability criterion, which was established in the early tokamaks and examined by results of recent numerical simulations.

Survival and in-vessel redistribution of beryllium droplets after ITER disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignitchouk, L.; Ratynskaia, S.; Tolias, P.; Pitts, R. A.; De Temmerman, G.; Lehnen, M.; Kiramov, D.

2018-07-01

The motion and temperature evolution of beryllium droplets produced by first wall surface melting after ITER major disruptions and vertical displacement events mitigated during the current quench are simulated by the MIGRAINe dust dynamics code. These simulations employ an updated physical model which addresses droplet-plasma interaction in ITER-relevant regimes characterized by magnetized electron collection and thin-sheath ion collection, as well as electron emission processes induced by electron and high-Z ion impacts. The disruption scenarios have been implemented from DINA simulations of the time-evolving plasma parameters, while the droplet injection points are set to the first-wall locations expected to receive the highest thermal quench heat flux according to field line tracing studies. The droplet size, speed and ejection angle are varied within the range of currently available experimental and theoretical constraints, and the final quantities of interest are obtained by weighting single-trajectory output with different size and speed distributions. Detailed estimates of droplet solidification into dust grains and their subsequent deposition in the vessel are obtained. For representative distributions of the droplet injection parameters, the results indicate that at most a few percents of the beryllium mass initially injected is converted into solid dust, while the remaining mass either vaporizes or forms liquid splashes on the wall. Simulated in-vessel spatial distributions are also provided for the surviving dust, with the aim of providing guidance for planned dust diagnostic, retrieval and clean-up systems on ITER.

Runaway electron mitigation by 3D fields in the ASDEX-Upgrade experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gobbin, M.; Li, L.; Liu, Y. Q.; Marrelli, L.; Nocente, M.; Papp, G.; Pautasso, G.; Piovesan, P.; Valisa, M.; Carnevale, D.; Esposito, B.; Giacomelli, L.; Gospodarczyk, M.; McCarthy, P. J.; Martin, P.; Suttrop, W.; Tardocchi, M.; Teschke, M.; the ASDEX Upgrade Team; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-01-01

Disruption-generated runaway electron (RE) beams represent a severe threat for tokamak plasma-facing components in high current devices like ITER, thus motivating the search of mitigation techniques. The application of 3D fields might aid this purpose and recently was investigated also in the ASDEX Upgrade experiment by using the internal active saddle coils (termed B-coils). Resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) with dominant toroidal mode number n = 1 have been applied by the B-coils, in a RE specific scenario, before and during disruptions, which are deliberately created via massive gas injection. The application of RMPs affects the electron temperature profile and seemingly changes the dynamics of the disruption; this results in a significantly reduced current and lifetime of the generated RE beam. A similar effect is observed also in the hard-x-ray (HXR) spectrum, associated to RE emission, characterized by a partial decrease of the energy content below 1 MeV when RMPs are applied. The strength of the observed effects strongly depends on the upper-to-lower B-coil phasing, i.e. on the poloidal spectrum of the applied RMPs, which has been reconstructed including the plasma response by the code MARS-F. A crude vacuum approximation fails in the interpretation of the experimental findings: despite the relatively low β (< 0.5 % ) of these discharges, a modest amplification (factor of 2) of the edge kink response occurs, which has to be considered to explain the observed suppression effects.

Chronic Exposure of Marine Medaka (Oryzias melastigma) to 4,5-Dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOIT) Reveals Its Mechanism of Action in Endocrine Disruption via the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonadal-Liver (HPGL) Axis.

PubMed

Chen, Lianguo; Zhang, Weipeng; Ye, Rui; Hu, Chenyan; Wang, Qiangwei; Seemann, Frauke; Au, Doris W T; Zhou, Bingsheng; Giesy, John P; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2016-04-19

In this study, marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) were chronically exposed for 28 days to environmentally realistic concentrations of 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (DCOIT) (0, 0.76, 2.45, and 9.86 μg/L), the active ingredient in commercial antifouling agent SeaNine 211. Alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal-liver (HPGL) axis were investigated across diverse levels of biological organization to reveal the underlying mechanisms of its endocrine disruptive effects. Gene transcription analysis showed that DCOIT had positive regulatory effects mainly in male HPGL axis with lesser extent in females. The stimulated steroidogenic activities resulted in increased concentrations of steroid hormones, including estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and 11-KT-testosterone (11-KT), in the plasma of both sexes, leading to an imbalance in hormone homeostasis and increased E2/T ratio. The relatively estrogenic intracellular environment in both sexes induced the hepatic synthesis and increased the liver and plasma content of vitellogenin (VTG) or choriogenin. Furthermore, parental exposure to DCOIT transgenerationally impaired the viability of offspring, as supported by a decrease in hatching and swimming activity. Overall, the present results elucidated the estrogenic mechanisms along HPGL axis for the endocrine disruptive effects of DCOIT. The reproductive impairments of DCOIT at environmentally realistic concentrations highlights the need for more comprehensive investigations of its potential ecological risks.

The COMMD Family Regulates Plasma LDL Levels and Attenuates Atherosclerosis Through Stabilizing the CCC Complex in Endosomal LDLR Trafficking.

PubMed

Fedoseienko, Alina; Wijers, Melinde; Wolters, Justina C; Dekker, Daphne; Smit, Marieke; Huijkman, Nicolette; Kloosterhuis, Niels; Klug, Helene; Schepers, Aloys; Willems van Dijk, Ko; Levels, Johannes H M; Billadeau, Daniel D; Hofker, Marten H; van Deursen, Jan; Westerterp, Marit; Burstein, Ezra; Kuivenhoven, Jan Albert; van de Sluis, Bart

2018-06-08

COMMD (copper metabolism MURR1 domain)-containing proteins are a part of the CCC (COMMD-CCDC22 [coiled-coil domain containing 22]-CCDC93 [coiled-coil domain containing 93]) complex facilitating endosomal trafficking of cell surface receptors. Hepatic COMMD1 inactivation decreases CCDC22 and CCDC93 protein levels, impairs the recycling of the LDLR (low-density lipoprotein receptor), and increases plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in mice. However, whether any of the other COMMD members function similarly as COMMD1 and whether perturbation in the CCC complex promotes atherogenesis remain unclear. The main aim of this study is to unravel the contribution of evolutionarily conserved COMMD proteins to plasma lipoprotein levels and atherogenesis. Using liver-specific Commd1 , Commd6 , or Commd9 knockout mice, we investigated the relation between the COMMD proteins in the regulation of plasma cholesterol levels. Combining biochemical and quantitative targeted proteomic approaches, we found that hepatic COMMD1, COMMD6, or COMMD9 deficiency resulted in massive reduction in the protein levels of all 10 COMMDs. This decrease in COMMD protein levels coincided with destabilizing of the core (CCDC22, CCDC93, and chromosome 16 open reading frame 62 [C16orf62]) of the CCC complex, reduced cell surface levels of LDLR and LRP1 (LDLR-related protein 1), followed by increased plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. To assess the direct contribution of the CCC core in the regulation of plasma cholesterol levels, Ccdc22 was deleted in mouse livers via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated somatic gene editing. CCDC22 deficiency also destabilized the complete CCC complex and resulted in elevated plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Finally, we found that hepatic disruption of the CCC complex exacerbates dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in ApoE3*Leiden mice. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a strong interrelationship between COMMD proteins and the core of the CCC complex in endosomal LDLR trafficking. Hepatic disruption of either of these CCC components causes hypercholesterolemia and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Our results indicate that not only COMMD1 but all other COMMDs and CCC components may be potential targets for modulating plasma lipid levels in humans. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

Downstream Processing of Synechocystis for Biofuel Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Jie

Lipids and free fatty acids (FFA) from cyanobacterium Synechocystis can be used for biofuel (e.g. biodiesel or renewable diesel) production. In order to utilize and scale up this technique, downstream processes including culturing and harvest, cell disruption, and extraction were studied. Several solvents/solvent systems were screened for lipid extraction from Synechocystis. Chloroform + methanol-based Folch and Bligh & Dyer methods were proved to be "gold standard" for small-scale analysis due to their highest lipid recoveries that were confirmed by their penetration of the cell membranes, higher polarity, and stronger interaction with hydrogen bonds. Less toxic solvents, such as methanol and MTBE, or direct transesterification of biomass (without preextraction step) gave only slightly lower lipid-extraction yields and can be considered for large-scale application. Sustained exposure to high and low temperature extremes severely lowered the biomass and lipid productivity. Temperature stress also triggered changes of lipid quality such as the degree of unsaturation; thus, it affected the productivities and quality of Synechocystis-derived biofuel. Pulsed electric field (PEF) was evaluated for cell disruption prior to lipid extraction. A treatment intensity > 35 kWh/m3 caused significant damage to the plasma membrane, cell wall, and thylakoid membrane, and it even led to complete disruption of some cells into fragments. Treatment by PEF enhanced the potential for the low-toxicity solvent isopropanol to access lipid molecules during subsequent solvent extraction, leading to lower usage of isopropanol for the same extraction efficiency. Other cell-disruption methods also were tested. Distinct disruption effects to the cell envelope, plasma membrane, and thylakoid membranes were observed that were related to extraction efficiency. Microwave and ultrasound had significant enhancement of lipid extraction. Autoclaving, ultrasound, and French press caused significant release of lipid into the medium, which may increase solvent usage and make medium recycling difficult. Production of excreted FFA by mutant Synechocystis has the potential of reducing the complexity of downstream processing. Major problems, such as FFA precipitation and biodegradation by scavengers, account for FFA loss in operation. Even a low concentration of FFA scavengers could consume FFA at a high rate that outpaced FFA production rate. Potential strategies to overcome FFA loss include high pH, adsorptive resin, and sterilization techniques.

Nanoparticle Plasma Jet as Fast Probe for Runaway Electrons in Tokamak Disruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogatu, I. N.; Galkin, S. A.

2017-10-01

Successful probing of runaway electrons (REs) requires fast (1 - 2 ms) high-speed injection of enough mass able to penetrate through tokamak toroidal B-field (2 - 5 T) over 1 - 2 m distance with large assimilation fraction in core plasma. A nanoparticle plasma jet (NPPJ) from a plasma gun is a unique combination of millisecond trigger-to-delivery response and mass-velocity of 100 mg at several km/s for deep direct injection into current channel of rapidly ( 1 ms) cooling post-TQ core plasma. After C60 NPPJ test bed demonstration we started to work on ITER-compatible boron nitride (BN) NPPJ. Once injected into plasma, BN NP undergoes ablative sublimation, thermally decomposes into B and N, and releases abundant B and N high-charge ions along plasma-traversing path and into the core. We present basic characteristics of our BN NPPJ concept and first results from B and N ions on Zeff > 1 effect on REs dynamics by using a self-consistent model for RE current density. Simulation results of BNQ+ NPPJ penetration through tokamak B-field to RE beam location performed with Hybrid Electro-Magnetic code (HEM-2D) are also presented. Work supported by U.S. DOE SBIR Grant.

Relationship of low plasma klotho with poor grip strength in older community-dwelling adults: the InCHIANTI study

PubMed Central

Semba, Richard D.; Cappola, Anne R.; Sun, Kai; Bandinelli, Stefania; Dalal, Mansi; Crasto, Candace; Guralnik, Jack M.; Ferrucci, Luigi

2012-01-01

Handgrip strength is a strong indicator of total body muscle strength and is a predictor of poor outcomes in older adults. The aging suppressor gene klotho encodes a single-pass transmembrane protein that is secreted as a circulating hormone. In mice, disruption of klotho expression results in a syndrome that includes sarcopenia, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and shortened lifespan, and conversely, overexpression of klotho leads to a greater longevity. The objective was to determine whether plasma klotho levels are related to skeletal muscle strength in humans. We measured plasma klotho in 804 adults, ≥65 years, in the InCHIANTI study, a longitudinal population-based study of aging in Tuscany, Italy. Grip strength was positively correlated with plasma klotho at threshold <681 pg/mL. After adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking, physical activity, cognition, and chronic diseases, plasma klotho (per 1 standard deviation increase) was associated with grip strength (beta = 1.20, standard error = 0.35, P = 0.0009) in adults with plasma klotho <681 pg/mL. These results suggest that older adults with lower plasma klotho have poor skeletal muscle strength. PMID:21769735

Note: Measurement of the runaway electrons in the J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Z. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, X. Q.; Luo, Y. H.; Jin, W.; Li, J. C.; Chen, Z. P.; Wang, Z. J.; Yang, Z. J.; Zhuang, G.

2012-05-01

The runaway electrons have been measured by hard x-ray detectors and soft x-ray array in the J-TEXT tokamak. The hard x-ray radiations in the energy ranges of 0.5-5 MeV are measured by two NaI detectors. The flux of lost runaway electrons can be obtained routinely. The soft x-ray array diagnostics are used to monitor the runaway beam generated in disruptions since the soft x-ray is dominated by the interaction between runaway electrons and metallic impurities inside the plasma. With the aid of soft x-ray array, runaway electron beam has been detected directly during the formation of runaway current plateau following the disruptions.

Summary of Geotail Funding Activities. [Period of Performance: 03/1999 - 02/2002

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This final report summarizes results of Geotail project monitoring Earth's magnetotail during funding period. Compares project's transport statistics to those of International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE) and Ion Release Module (IRM). Program established relations between disruption and flow events, and made observations on the nature of electric field fluctuations and plasma sheet flows.

Pericytes as Inducers of Rapid, Matrix Metalloproteinase-9-Dependent Capillary Damage during Ischemia

PubMed Central

Underly, Robert G.; Levy, Manuel; Hartmann, David A.; Grant, Roger I.; Watson, Ashley N.

2017-01-01

Blood–brain barrier disruption (BBB) and release of toxic blood molecules into the brain contributes to neuronal injury during stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases. While pericytes are builders and custodians of the BBB in the normal brain, their impact on BBB integrity during ischemia remains unclear. We imaged pericyte-labeled transgenic mice with in vivo two-photon microscopy to examine the relationship between pericytes and blood plasma leakage during photothrombotic occlusion of cortical capillaries. Upon cessation of capillary flow, we observed that plasma leakage occurred with three times greater frequency in regions where pericyte somata adjoined the endothelium. Pericyte somata covered only 7% of the total capillary length in cortex, indicating that a disproportionate amount of leakage occurred from a small fraction of the capillary bed. Plasma leakage was preceded by rapid activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) at pericyte somata, which was visualized at high resolution in vivo using a fluorescent probe for matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 activity, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-gelatin. Coinjection of an MMP-9 inhibitor, but not an MMP-2 inhibitor, reduced pericyte-associated FITC-gelatin fluorescence and plasma leakage. These results suggest that pericytes contribute to rapid and localized proteolytic degradation of the BBB during cerebral ischemia. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pericytes are a key component of the neurovascular unit and are essential for normal BBB function. However, during acute ischemia, we find that pericytes are involved in creating rapid and heterogeneous BBB disruption in the capillary bed. The mechanism by which pericytes contribute to BBB damage warrants further investigation, as it may yield new therapeutic targets for acute stroke injury and other neurological diseases involving capillary flow impairment. PMID:28053036

Thyroid hormones and deiodinase activity in plasma and tissues in relation to high levels of organohalogen contaminants in East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus).

PubMed

Gabrielsen, Kristin Møller; Krokstad, Julie Stene; Villanger, Gro Dehli; Blair, David A D; Obregon, Maria-Jesus; Sonne, Christian; Dietz, Rune; Letcher, Robert J; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown relationships between organohalogen contaminants (OHCs) and circulating levels of thyroid hormones (THs) in arctic wildlife. However, there is a lack of knowledge concerning the possible functional effects of OHCs on TH status in target tissues for TH-dependent activity. The relationships between circulating (plasma) levels of OHCs and various TH variables in plasma as well as in liver, muscle and kidney tissues from East Greenland sub-adult polar bears (Ursus maritimus) sampled in 2011 (n=7) were therefore investigated. The TH variables included 3.3',5.5'-tetraiodothyronine or thyroxine (T4), 3.3',5-triiodothyronine (T3) and type 1 (D1) and type 2 (D2) deiodinase activities. Principal component analysis (PCA) combined with correlation analyses demonstrated negative relationships between individual polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and their hydroxylated (OH-) metabolites and T4 in both plasma and muscle. There were both positive and negative relationships between individual OHCs and D1 and D2 activities in muscle, liver and kidney tissues. In general, PCBs, OH-PCBs and polybrominated dipehenyl ethers (PBDEs) were positively correlated to D1 and D2 activities, whereas organochlorine pesticides and byproducts (OCPs) were negatively associated with D1 and D2 activities. These results support the hypothesis that OHCs can affect TH status and action in the target tissues of polar bears. TH levels and deiodinase activities in target tissues can be sensitive endpoints for exposure of TH-disrupting compounds in arctic wildlife, and thus, tissue-specific responses in target organs should be further considered when assessing TH disruption in wildlife studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The transcription factor, T-bet, primes intestine transplantation rejection and is associated with disrupted mucosal homeostasis.

PubMed

Ranganathan, Sarangarajan; Ashokkumar, Chethan; Ningappa, Mylarappa; Schmitt, Lori; Higgs, Brandon W; Sindhi, Rakesh

2015-04-01

The transcription factor, t-bet, promotes inflammatory polarization and intestinal homing of many inflammatory cells. In previous studies, the t-bet and granulysin genes were upregulated in peripheral blood before and after intestine transplantation (ITx) rejection, but not during rejection, possibly because of sequestration in allograft mucosa. Mucosal sequestration of t-bet and granulysin may also explain the presence of inflammatory CD14+ monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) and immunoglobulin G+ B-cell lineage cells, and loss of mature non-inflammatory CD138+ plasma cells in allograft mucosa during ITx rejection in these previous studies. T-bet-stained and granulysin-stained cells, MDM and CD138+ plasma cells were evaluated with immunohistochemistry in serial biopsies from 17 children, in whom changes in MDM and CD138+ plasma cells were observed previously. T-bet-positive mucosal cells were significantly higher in postperfusion (P = 0.035) and early posttransplant biopsies (P = 0.016) among rejectors, compared with nonrejectors. T-bet-positive cell counts per high-power field (hpf) were (a) positively correlated with MDM counts/hpf in postperfusion (Spearman r = 0.73; P = 0.01) and early posttransplant biopsies (r = 0.54, r = 0.046), and (b) negatively correlated with CD138+B-/pre-plasma cells in early posttransplant biopsies (r = 0.63, P = 0.038). T-bet expression in CD14+ monocytes, CD19+B cells, and several other leukocyte subsets was higher in random blood samples from two rejectors, compared with those from five normal human subjects and three nonrejectors. Scant granulysin-stained mucosal cells precluded additional evaluation of this cytotoxin and its role in ITx rejection. The transcription factor, t-bet, primes ITx rejection, and associates with disrupted homeostatic relationships between innate and adaptive immune cells in the allograft mucosa during rejection.

Beta2-adrenergic receptor homodimers: Role of transmembrane domain 1 and helix 8 in dimerization and cell surface expression.

PubMed

Parmar, Vikas K; Grinde, Ellinor; Mazurkiewicz, Joseph E; Herrick-Davis, Katharine

2017-09-01

Even though there are hundreds of reports in the published literature supporting the hypothesis that G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) form and function as dimers this remains a highly controversial area of research and mechanisms governing homodimer formation are poorly understood. Crystal structures revealing homodimers have been reported for many different GPCR. For adrenergic receptors, a potential dimer interface involving transmembrane domain 1 (TMD1) and helix 8 (H8) was identified in crystal structures of the beta 1 -adrenergic (β 1 -AR) and β 2 -AR. The purpose of this study was to investigate a potential role for TMD1 and H8 in dimerization and plasma membrane expression of functional β 2 -AR. Charged residues at the base of TMD1 and in the distal portion of H8 were replaced, singly and in combination, with non-polar residues or residues of opposite charge. Wild type and mutant β 2 -AR, tagged with YFP and expressed in HEK293 cells, were evaluated for plasma membrane expression and function. Homodimer formation was evaluated using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Amino acid substitutions at the base of TMD1 and in the distal portion of H8 disrupted homodimer formation and caused receptors to be retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations in the proximal region of H8 did not disrupt dimerization but did interfere with plasma membrane expression. This study provides biophysical evidence linking a potential TMD1/H8 interface with ER export and the expression of functional β 2 -AR on the plasma membrane. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Interactions between membrane receptors in cellular membranes edited by Kalina Hristova. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Overview of NSTX Upgrade initial results and modelling highlights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menard, J. E.; Allain, J. P.; Battaglia, D. J.; Bedoya, F.; Bell, R. E.; Belova, E.; Berkery, J. W.; Boyer, M. D.; Crocker, N.; Diallo, A.; Ebrahimi, F.; Ferraro, N.; Fredrickson, E.; Frerichs, H.; Gerhardt, S.; Gorelenkov, N.; Guttenfelder, W.; Heidbrink, W.; Kaita, R.; Kaye, S. M.; Kriete, D. M.; Kubota, S.; LeBlanc, B. P.; Liu, D.; Lunsford, R.; Mueller, D.; Myers, C. E.; Ono, M.; Park, J.-K.; Podesta, M.; Raman, R.; Reinke, M.; Ren, Y.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Schmitz, O.; Scotti, F.; Sechrest, Y.; Skinner, C. H.; Smith, D. R.; Soukhanovskii, V.; Stoltzfus-Dueck, T.; Yuh, H.; Wang, Z.; Waters, I.; Ahn, J.-W.; Andre, R.; Barchfeld, R.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Bertelli, N.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Brennan, D.; Buttery, R.; Capece, A.; Canal, G.; Canik, J.; Chang, C. S.; Darrow, D.; Delgado-Aparicio, L.; Domier, C.; Ethier, S.; Evans, T.; Ferron, J.; Finkenthal, M.; Fonck, R.; Gan, K.; Gates, D.; Goumiri, I.; Gray, T.; Hosea, J.; Humphreys, D.; Jarboe, T.; Jardin, S.; Jaworski, M. A.; Koel, B.; Kolemen, E.; Ku, S.; La Haye, R. J.; Levinton, F.; Luhmann, N.; Maingi, R.; Maqueda, R.; McKee, G.; Meier, E.; Myra, J.; Perkins, R.; Poli, F.; Rhodes, T.; Riquezes, J.; Rowley, C.; Russell, D.; Schuster, E.; Stratton, B.; Stutman, D.; Taylor, G.; Tritz, K.; Wang, W.; Wirth, B.; Zweben, S. J.

2017-10-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has undergone a major upgrade, and the NSTX Upgrade (NSTX-U) Project was completed in the summer of 2015. NSTX-U first plasma was subsequently achieved, diagnostic and control systems have been commissioned, the H-mode accessed, magnetic error fields identified and mitigated, and the first physics research campaign carried out. During ten run weeks of operation, NSTX-U surpassed NSTX record pulse-durations and toroidal fields (TF), and high-performance ~1 MA H-mode plasmas comparable to the best of NSTX have been sustained near and slightly above the n  =  1 no-wall stability limit and with H-mode confinement multiplier H98y,2 above 1. Transport and turbulence studies in L-mode plasmas have identified the coexistence of at least two ion-gyro-scale turbulent micro-instabilities near the same radial location but propagating in opposite (i.e. ion and electron diamagnetic) directions. These modes have the characteristics of ion-temperature gradient and micro-tearing modes, respectively, and the role of these modes in contributing to thermal transport is under active investigation. The new second more tangential neutral beam injection was observed to significantly modify the stability of two types of Alfven eigenmodes. Improvements in offline disruption forecasting were made in the areas of identification of rotating MHD modes and other macroscopic instabilities using the disruption event characterization and forecasting code. Lastly, the materials analysis and particle probe was utilized on NSTX-U for the first time and enabled assessments of the correlation between boronized wall conditions and plasma performance. These and other highlights from the first run campaign of NSTX-U are described.

Overview of NSTX Upgrade Initial Results and Modelling Highlights

DOE Data Explorer

Menard, J.E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000312923286); Allain, J.P.; Battaglia, D.J. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188979740); Bedoya, F.; Bell, R.E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:000000019544498X); Belova, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000215251027); Berkery, J.W. [Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America; Boyer, M.D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000268459155); Crocker, N.; Diallo, A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:000000020706060X); Ebrahimi, F. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000331095367); Ferraro, N. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000263487827); Fredrickson, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Frerichs, H.; Gerhardt, S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000225462194); Gorelenkov, N. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Guttenfelder, W. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:000000018181058X); Heidbrink, W.; Kaita, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000285159824); Kaye, S.M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Kriete, D.M.; Kubota, S.; LeBlanc, B.P. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000314550129); Liu, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191747078); Lunsford, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000335886801); Mueller, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000224563356); Myers, C.E.; Ono, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Park, J-K. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000324198667); Podesta, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000349750585); Raman, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000220273271); Reinke, M.; Ren, Y. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000198316035); Sabbagh, S.A.; Schmitz, O.; Scotti, F. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States of America; Sechrest, Y.; Skinner, C.H. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Smith, D.R. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America; Soukhanovskii, V.; Stoltzfus-Dueck, T. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000325876298); Yuh, H.; Wang, Z. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Waters, I.; Ahn, J-W.; Andre, R.; Barchfield, R.; Beiersdorfer, P.; Bertelli, N. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000293267585); Bhattacharjee, A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000164110178); Boyle, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000180918169); Brennan, D.; Buttery, R.; Capece, A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000341477174); Canal, G.; Canik, J.; Chang, C.S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000233465731); Darrow, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Delgado-Aparicio, L. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000167394380); Domier, C.; Ethier, S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Evans, T.; Ferron, J.; Finkenthal, M.; Fonck, R.; Gan, K.; Gates, D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000156793124); Goumiri, I. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America; Gray, T.; Hosea, J. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Humphreys, D.; Jarboe, T.; Jardin, S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000163906908); Jaworski, M.A. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Koel, B.; Kolemen, E. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000342123247); Ku, S. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000299641208); LaHaye, R.J.; Levinton, F.; Luhmann Jr., N.; Maingi, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000312388121); Maqueda, R. [X Science LLC, Plainsboro, NJ, United States of America; McKee, G.; Meier, E.; Myra, J.; Perkins, R. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272160201); Poli, F. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000339594371); Rhodes, T.; Riquezes, J.; Rowley, C. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000290995739); Russell, D.; Schuster, E.; Stratton, B. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Stutman, D.; Taylor, G. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258487152); Tritz, K. [Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States of America; Wang, W. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Wirth, B.; Zweben, S.J. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000217380586)

2017-01-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has undergone a major upgrade, and the NSTX Upgrade (NSTX-U) Project was completed in the summer of 2015. NSTX-U first plasma was subsequently achieved, diagnostic and control systems have been commissioned, H-Mode accessed, magnetic error fields identified and mitigated, and the first physics research campaign carried out. During 10 run weeks of operation, NSTX-U surpassed NSTX-record pulse-durations and toroidal fields, and high-performance ~1MA H-mode plasmas comparable to the best of NSTX have been sustained near and slightly above the n=1 no-wall stability limit and with H-mode confinement multiplier H98y2 above 1. Transport and turbulence studies in L-mode plasmas have identified the coexistence of at least two ion-gyro-scale turbulent micro-instabilities near the same radial location but propagating in opposite (i.e. ion and electron diamagnetic) directions. These modes have the characteristics of ion-temperature gradient and micro-tearing modes, respectively, and the role of these modes in contributing to thermal transport is under active investigation. The new second more tangential neutral beam injection was observed to significantly modify the stability of two types of Alfven Eigenmodes. Improvements in offline disruption forecasting were made in the areas of identification of rotating MHD modes and other macroscopic instabilities using the Disruption Event Characterization and Forecasting (DECAF) code. Lastly, the Materials Analysis and Particle Probe (MAPP) was utilized on NSTX-U for the first time and enabled assessments of the correlation between boronized wall conditions and plasma performance. These and other highlights from the first run campaign of NSTX-U are described.

Evidence of detrimental effects of environmental contaminants on growth and reproductive physiology of white sturgeon in impounded areas of the Columbia River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feist, G.W.; Webb, M.A.H.; Gundersen, D.T.; Foster, E.P.; Schreck, C.B.; Maule, A.G.; Fitzpatrick, M.S.

2005-01-01

This study sought to determine whether wild white sturgeon from the Columbia River (Oregon) were exhibiting signs of reproductive endocrine disruption. Fish were sampled in the free-flowing portion of the river (where the population is experiencing reproductive success) and from three reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams (where fish have reduced reproductive success). All of the 18 pesticides and almost all of the 28 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were analyzed in livers and gonads were detected in at least some of the tissue samples. Metabolites of p,p???-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) [p,p???-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and p,p???-1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD)] were consistently found at relatively high levels in fish. Some males and immature females showed elevated plasma vitellogenin; however, concentrations were not correlated with any of the pesticides or PCBs analyzed. Negative correlations were found between a number of physiologic parameters and tissue burdens of toxicants. Plasma triglycerides and condition factor were negatively correlated with total DDT (DDD + DDE + DDT), total pesticides (all pesticides detected - total DDT), and PCBs. In males, plasma androgens and gonad size were negatively correlated with total DDT, total pesticides, and PCBs. Fish residing in the reservoir behind the oldest dam had the highest contaminant loads and incidence of gonadal abnormalities, and the lowest triglycerides, condition factor, gonad size, and plasma androgens. These data suggest that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be accumulating behind dams over time. Overall, results of this study indicate that exposure to environmental contaminants may be affecting both growth and reproductive physiology of sturgeon in some areas of the Columbia River.

An arc control and protection system for the JET lower hybrid antenna based on an imaging system.

PubMed

Figueiredo, J; Mailloux, J; Kirov, K; Kinna, D; Stamp, M; Devaux, S; Arnoux, G; Edwards, J S; Stephen, A V; McCullen, P; Hogben, C

2014-11-01

Arcs are the potentially most dangerous events related to Lower Hybrid (LH) antenna operation. If left uncontrolled they can produce damage and cause plasma disruption by impurity influx. To address this issue an arc real time control and protection imaging system for the Joint European Torus (JET) LH antenna has been implemented. The LH system is one of the additional heating systems at JET. It comprises 24 microwave generators (klystrons, operating at 3.7 GHz) providing up to 5 MW of heating and current drive to the JET plasma. This is done through an antenna composed of an array of waveguides facing the plasma. The protection system presented here is based primarily on an imaging arc detection and real time control system. It has adapted the ITER like wall hotspot protection system using an identical CCD camera and real time image processing unit. A filter has been installed to avoid saturation and spurious system triggers caused by ionization light. The antenna is divided in 24 Regions Of Interest (ROIs) each one corresponding to one klystron. If an arc precursor is detected in a ROI, power is reduced locally with subsequent potential damage and plasma disruption avoided. The power is subsequently reinstated if, during a defined interval of time, arcing is confirmed not to be present by image analysis. This system was successfully commissioned during the restart phase and beginning of the 2013 scientific campaign. Since its installation and commissioning, arcs and related phenomena have been prevented. In this contribution we briefly describe the camera, image processing, and real time control systems. Most importantly, we demonstrate that an LH antenna arc protection system based on CCD camera imaging systems works. Examples of both controlled and uncontrolled LH arc events and their consequences are shown.

Overview of NSTX Upgrade initial results and modelling highlights

DOE PAGES

Menard, J. E.; Allain, J. P.; Battaglia, D. J.; ...

2017-06-20

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has undergone a major upgrade, and the NSTX Upgrade (NSTX-U) Project was completed in the summer of 2015. NSTX-U first plasma was subsequently achieved, diagnostic and control systems have been commissioned, the H-mode accessed, magnetic error fields identified and mitigated, and the first physics research campaign carried out. During ten run weeks of operation, NSTX-U surpassed NSTX record pulse-durations and toroidal fields (TF), and high-performance ~1 MA H-mode plasmas comparable to the best of NSTX have been sustained near and slightly above the n = 1 no-wall stability limit and with H-mode confinement multipliermore » H 98y,2 above 1. Transport and turbulence studies in L-mode plasmas have identified the coexistence of at least two ion-gyro-scale turbulent micro-instabilities near the same radial location but propagating in opposite (i.e. ion and electron diamagnetic) directions. These modes have the characteristics of ion-temperature gradient and micro-tearing modes, respectively, and the role of these modes in contributing to thermal transport is under active investigation. The new second more tangential neutral beam injection was observed to significantly modify the stability of two types of Alfven eigenmodes. Improvements in offline disruption forecasting were made in the areas of identification of rotating MHD modes and other macroscopic instabilities using the disruption event characterization and forecasting code. Finally, the materials analysis and particle probe was utilized on NSTX-U for the first time and enabled assessments of the correlation between boronized wall conditions and plasma performance. These and other highlights from the first run campaign of NSTX-U are described.« less

Understanding the Effect of Gas Dynamics in Plasma Gun Performance for Simulating Fusion Wall Response to Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riedel, Will; Underwood, Thomas; Righetti, Fabio; Cappelli, Mark

2017-10-01

In this work, the suitability of a pulsed coaxial plasma accelerator to simulate the interaction of edge-localized modes with plasma first wall materials is investigated. Experimental measurements derived from a suite of diagnostics are presented that focus on both the properties of the plasma flow and the manner in which such jets couple with material interfaces. Specific emphasis is placed on quantifying the variation in these properties using tungsten tokens exposed to the plasma plume as the gun volume is progressively filled with more neutral gas. These results are mapped to the operational dynamics of the gun via a time-resolved Schlieren cinematic visualization of the density gradient within the flow. Resulting videos indicate the existence of two distinct modes with vastly different characteristic timescales, spatial evolution, and plasma properties. Time resolved quantification of the associated plasma heat flux for both modes, including a range spanning 150 MW m-2 - 10 GW m-2, is presented using both a fast thermocouple gauge and an IR camera. Both diagnostics in conjunction with a heat transfer model provide an accurate description of the energy transfer dynamics and operational characteristics of plasma guns. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Stewardship Science Academic Program.

Plasma is a strategic resource.

PubMed

Strengers, Paul F W; Klein, Harvey G

2016-12-01

Plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) such as immunoglobulins and clotting factors are listed by the World Health Organization as essential medicines. These and other PDMPs are crucial for the prophylaxis and treatment of patients with bleeding disorders, immune deficiencies, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and a variety of congenital deficiency disorders. While changes in clinical practice in developed countries have reduced the need for red blood cell transfusions thereby significantly reducing the collection volumes of whole blood and recovered plasma suitable for fractionation, the need for PDMPs worldwide continues to increase. The majority of plasma supplies for the manufacture of PDMPs is met by the US commercial plasma industry. However, geographic imbalance in the collection of plasma raises concerns that local disruptions of plasma supplies could result in regional and global shortages of essential PDMPs. Plasma, which fits the definition of a strategic resource, that is, "an economically important raw material which is subject to a higher risk of supply interruption," should be considered a strategic resource comparable to energy and drinking water. Plasma collections should be increased outside the United States, including in low- and middle-income countries. The need for capacity building in these countries is an essential part to strengthen quality plasma collection. This will require changes in national and regional policies. We advocate the need for the restoration of an equitable balance of the international plasma supply to reduce the risk of supply shortages worldwide. Strategic independence of plasma should be endorsed on a global level. © 2016 AABB.

On non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets and plasma bullet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xinpei

2012-10-01

Because of the enhanced plasma chemistry, atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasmas (APNPs) have been widely studied for several emerging applications such as biomedical applications. For the biomedical applications, plasma jet devices, which generate plasma in open space (surrounding air) rather than in confined discharge gaps only, have lots of advantages over the traditional dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices. For example, it can be used for root canal disinfection, which can't be realized by the traditional plasma device. On the other hand, currently, the working gases of most of the plasma jet devices are noble gases or the mixtures of the noble gases with small amount of O2, or air. If ambient air is used as the working gas, several serious difficulties are encountered in the plasma generation process. Amongst these are high gas temperatures and disrupting instabilities. In this presentation, firstly, a brief review of the different cold plasma jets developed to date is presented. Secondly, several different plasma jet devices developed in our lab are reported. The effects of various parameters on the plasma jets are discussed. Finally, one of the most interesting phenomena of APNP-Js, the plasma bullet is discussed and its behavior is described. References: [1] X. Lu, M. Laroussi, V. Puech, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21, 034005 (2012); [2] Y. Xian, X. Lu, S. Wu, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 123702 (2012); [3] X. Pei, X. Lu, J. Liu, D. Liu, Y. Yang, K. Ostrikov, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, J. Phys. D 45, 165205 (2012).

Thermal quench mitigation and current quench control by injection of mixed species shattered pellets in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Shiraki, D.; Commaux, N.; Baylor, L. R.; ...

2016-06-27

Injection of large shattered pellets composed of variable quantities of the main ion species (deuterium) and high-Z impurities (neon) in the DIII-D tokamak demonstrate control of thermal quench (TQ) and current quench (CQ) properties in mitigated disruptions. As the pellet composition is varied, TQ radiation fractions increase continuously with the quantity of radiating impurity in the pellet, with a corresponding decrease in divertor heating. Post-TQ plasma resistivities increase as a result of the higher radiation fraction, allowing control of current decay timescales based on the pellet composition. Magnetic reconstructions during the CQ show that control of the current decay ratemore » allows continuous variation of the minimum safety factor during the vertically unstable disruption, reducing the halo current fraction and resulting vessel displacement. Both TQ and CQ characteristics are observed to saturate at relatively low quantities of neon, indicating that effective mitigation of disruption loads by shattered pellet injection (SPI) can be achieved with modest impurity quantities, within injection quantities anticipated for ITER. In conclusion, this mixed species SPI technique provides apossible approach for tuning disruption properties to remain within the limited ranges allowed in the ITER design.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yin, Shengyong; Chen, Xinhua; Xie, Haiyang

Previous studies showed nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) can ablate solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but its effect on cell membrane is not fully understood. We hypothesized nsPEF disrupt the microdomains on outer-cellular membrane with direct mechanical force and as a result the plasma membrane permeability increases to facilitate the small molecule intake. Three HCC cells were pulsed one pulse per minute, an interval longer than nanopore resealing time. The cationized ferritin was used to mark up the electronegative microdomains, propidium iodide (PI) for membrane permeabilization, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for the negative cell surface charge and cisplatinmore » for inner-cellular cytotoxicity. We demonstrated that the ferritin marked-microdomain and negative cell surface charge were disrupted by nsPEF caused-mechanical force. The cell uptake of propidium and cytotoxicity of DNA-targeted cisplatin increased with a dose effect. Cisplatin gains its maximum inner-cellular cytotoxicity when combining with nsPEF stimulation. We conclude that nsPEF disrupt the microdomains on the outer cellular membrane directly and increase the membrane permeabilization for PI and cisplatin. The microdomain disruption and membrane infiltration changes are caused by the mechanical force from the changes of negative cell surface charge.« less

Cations as Switches of Amyloid-Mediated Membrane Disruption Mechanisms: Calcium and IAPP

PubMed Central

Sciacca, Michele F.M.; Milardi, Danilo; Messina, Grazia M.L.; Marletta, Giovanni; Brender, Jeffrey R.; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy; La Rosa, Carmelo

2013-01-01

Disruption of the integrity of the plasma membrane by amyloidogenic proteins is linked to the pathogenesis of a number of common age-related diseases. Although accumulating evidence suggests that adverse environmental stressors such as unbalanced levels of metal ions may trigger amyloid-mediated membrane damage, many features of the molecular mechanisms underlying these events are unknown. Using human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP, aka amylin), an amyloidogenic peptide associated with β-cell death in type 2 diabetes, we demonstrate that the presence of Ca2+ ions inhibits membrane damage occurring immediately after the interaction of freshly dissolved hIAPP with the membrane, but significantly enhances fiber-dependent membrane disruption. In particular, dye leakage, quartz crystal microbalance, atomic force microscopy, and NMR experiments show that Ca2+ ions promote a shallow membrane insertion of hIAPP, which leads to the removal of lipids from the bilayer through a detergent-like mechanism triggered by fiber growth. Because both types of membrane-damage mechanisms are common to amyloid toxicity by most amyloidogenic proteins, it is likely that unregulated ion homeostasis, amyloid aggregation, and membrane disruption are all parts of a self-perpetuating cycle that fuels amyloid cytotoxicity. PMID:23332070

Thermal quench mitigation and current quench control by injection of mixed species shattered pellets in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shiraki, D.; Commaux, N.; Baylor, L. R.

Injection of large shattered pellets composed of variable quantities of the main ion species (deuterium) and high-Z impurities (neon) in the DIII-D tokamak demonstrate control of thermal quench (TQ) and current quench (CQ) properties in mitigated disruptions. As the pellet composition is varied, TQ radiation fractions increase continuously with the quantity of radiating impurity in the pellet, with a corresponding decrease in divertor heating. Post-TQ plasma resistivities increase as a result of the higher radiation fraction, allowing control of current decay timescales based on the pellet composition. Magnetic reconstructions during the CQ show that control of the current decay ratemore » allows continuous variation of the minimum safety factor during the vertically unstable disruption, reducing the halo current fraction and resulting vessel displacement. Both TQ and CQ characteristics are observed to saturate at relatively low quantities of neon, indicating that effective mitigation of disruption loads by shattered pellet injection (SPI) can be achieved with modest impurity quantities, within injection quantities anticipated for ITER. In conclusion, this mixed species SPI technique provides apossible approach for tuning disruption properties to remain within the limited ranges allowed in the ITER design.« less

Thermal quench mitigation and current quench control by injection of mixed species shattered pellets in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shiraki, D.; Commaux, N.; Baylor, L. R.

Injection of large shattered pellets composed of variable quantities of the main ion species (deuterium) and high-Z impurities (neon) in the DIII-D tokamak demonstrates control of thermal quench (TQ) and current quench (CQ) properties in mitigated disruptions. As the pellet composition is varied, TQ radiation fractions increase continuously with the quantity of radiating impurity in the pellet, with a corresponding decrease in divertor heating. Post-TQ plasma resistivities increase as a result of the higher radiation fraction, allowing control of current decay timescales based on the pellet composition. Magnetic reconstructions during the CQ show that control of the current decay ratemore » allows continuous variation of the minimum safety factor during the vertically unstable disruption, reducing the halo current fraction and resulting vessel displacement. Both TQ and CQ characteristics are observed to saturate at relatively low quantities of neon, indicating that effective mitigation of disruption loads by shattered pellet injection (SPI) can be achieved with modest impurity quantities, within injection quantities anticipated for ITER. This mixed species SPI technique provides a possible approach for tuning disruption properties to remain within the limited ranges allowed in the ITER design.« less

Detergent-resistant membrane subfractions containing proteins of plasma membrane, mitochondrial, and internal membrane origins.

PubMed

Mellgren, Ronald L

2008-04-24

HEK293 cell detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs) isolated by the standard homogenization protocol employing a Teflon pestle homogenizer yielded a prominent opaque band at approximately 16% sucrose upon density gradient ultracentrifugation. In contrast, cell disruption using a ground glass tissue homogenizer generated three distinct DRM populations migrating at approximately 10%, 14%, and 20% sucrose, named DRM subfractions A, B, and C, respectively. Separation of the DRM subfractions by mechanical disruption suggested that they are physically associated within the cellular environment, but can be dissociated by shear forces generated during vigorous homogenization. All three DRM subfractions possessed cholesterol and ganglioside GM1, but differed in protein composition. Subfraction A was enriched in flotillin-1 and contained little caveolin-1. In contrast, subfractions B and C were enriched in caveolin-1. Subfraction C contained several mitochondrial membrane proteins, including mitofilin and porins. Only subfraction B appeared to contain significant amounts of plasma membrane-associated proteins, as revealed by cell surface labeling studies. A similar distribution of DRM subfractions, as assessed by separation of flotillin-1 and caveolin-1 immunoreactivities, was observed in CHO cells, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and in HEK293 cells lysed in detergent-free carbonate. Teflon pestle homogenization of HEK293 cells in the presence of the actin-disrupting agent latrunculin B generated DRM subfractions A-C. The microtubule-disrupting agent vinblastine did not facilitate DRM subfraction separation, and DRMs prepared from fibroblasts of vimentin-null mice were present as a single major band on sucrose gradients, unless pre-treated with latrunculin B. These results suggest that the DRM subfractions are interconnected by the actin cytoskeleton, and not by microtubes or vimentin intermediate filaments. The subfractions described may prove useful in studying discrete protein populations associated with detergent-resistant membranes, and their potential interactions in cell signaling.

Erosion products of plasma facing materials formed under ITER-like transient load and deuterium retention in them

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Putrik, A. B., E-mail: putrik@triniti.ru; Klimov, N. S.; Gasparyan, Yu. M., E-mail: yura@plasma.mephi.ru

2015-12-15

Erosion of the plasma-facing materials in particular evaporation of the materials in a fusion reactor under intense transient events is one of the problems of the ITER. The current experimental data are insufficient to predict the properties of the erosion products, a significant part of which will be formed during transient events (edge-localized modes (ELMs) and disruptions). The paper concerns the experimental investigation of the graphite and tungsten erosion products deposited under pulsed plasma load at the QSPA-T: heat load on the target was 2.6 MJ/m{sup 2} with 0.5 ms pulse duration. The designed diagnostics for measuring the deposition ratemore » made it possible to determine that the deposition of eroded material occurs during discharge, and the deposition rate is in the range (0.1–100) × 10{sup 19} at/(cm{sup 2} s), which is much higher than that for stationary processes. It is found that the relative atomic concentrations D/C and D/(W + C) in the erosion products deposited during the pulse process are on the same level as for the stationary processes. An exposure of erosion products to photonic energy densities typical of those expected at mitigated disruptions in the ITER (pulse duration of 0.5–1 ms, integral energy density of radiation of 0.1–0.5 MJ/m2) significantly decreases the concentration of trapped deuterium.« less

Bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy for pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis impairs adrenomedullary but not noradrenergic sympathetic function.

PubMed

Buscher, H C J L; Lenders, J W M; Wilder-Smith, O H G; Sweep, C G J; van Goor, H

2012-08-01

Bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy (BTS) is a well-known technique to alleviate intractable pain in patients with chronic pancreatitis. BTS not only disrupts afferent fibers from the pancreas that mediate pain but also postganglionic sympathetic fibers, which originate in segments T5-T12 and which innervate the vasculature of the liver, pancreas, and the adrenal gland. The purpose of this study was to assess whether and how BTS affects sympathetic noradrenergic and adrenomedullary function in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Sixteen patients with chronic pancreatitis for at least 1 year underwent autonomic function testing before and 6 weeks after BTS for intractable pain. Testing was performed during supine rest and during sympathetic stimulation when standing. Supine and standing systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower post-BTS compared with pre-BTS (P = 0.001). One patient showed orthostatic hypotension after BTS. Baseline plasma norepinephrine levels and plasma norepinephrine responses to sympathetic activation during standing were not reduced by BTS. In contrast, supine plasma epinephrine levels and responses during standing were significantly reduced (P < 0.001). Parasympathetic activity was unaffected by BTS as shown by unaltered Valsalva ratio, I-E difference, and ΔHRmax. BTS for pain relief in patients with chronic pancreatitis reduced adrenomedullary function, due to disruption of the efferent sympathetic fibers to the adrenal gland. BTS did not affect noradrenergic sympathetic activity, although blood pressure was lower after the sympathectomy.

Membrane raft organization is more sensitive to disruption by (n-3) PUFA than nonraft organization in EL4 and B cells.

PubMed

Rockett, Benjamin Drew; Franklin, Andrew; Harris, Mitchel; Teague, Heather; Rockett, Alexis; Shaikh, Saame Raza

2011-06-01

Model membrane and cellular detergent extraction studies show (n-3) PUFA predominately incorporate into nonrafts; thus, we hypothesized (n-3) PUFA could disrupt nonraft organization. The first objective of this study was to determine whether (n-3) PUFA disrupted nonrafts of EL4 cells, an extension of our previous work in which we discovered an (n-3) PUFA diminished raft clustering. EPA or DHA treatment of EL4 cells increased plasma membrane accumulation of the nonraft probe 1,1'-dilinoleyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate by ~50-70% relative to a BSA control. Förster resonance energy transfer imaging showed EPA and DHA also disrupted EL4 nanometer scale nonraft organization by increasing the distance between nonraft molecules by ~25% compared with BSA. However, changes in nonrafts were due to an increase in cell size; under conditions where EPA or DHA did not increase cell size, nonraft organization was unaffected. We next translated findings on EL4 cells by testing if (n-3) PUFA administered to mice disrupted nonrafts and rafts. Imaging of B cells isolated from mice fed low- or high-fat (HF) (n-3) PUFA diets showed no change in nonraft organization compared with a control diet (CD). However, confocal microscopy revealed the HF (n-3) PUFA diet disrupted lipid raft clustering and size by ~40% relative to CD. Taken together, our data from 2 different model systems suggest (n-3) PUFA have limited effects on nonrafts. The ex vivo data, which confirm previous studies with EL4 cells, provide evidence that (n-3) PUFA consumed through the diet disrupt B cell lipid raft clustering.

Membrane Raft Organization Is More Sensitive to Disruption by (n-3) PUFA Than Nonraft Organization in EL4 and B Cells123

PubMed Central

Rockett, Benjamin Drew; Franklin, Andrew; Harris, Mitchel; Teague, Heather; Rockett, Alexis; Shaikh, Saame Raza

2011-01-01

Model membrane and cellular detergent extraction studies show (n-3) PUFA predominately incorporate into nonrafts; thus, we hypothesized (n-3) PUFA could disrupt nonraft organization. The first objective of this study was to determine whether (n-3) PUFA disrupted nonrafts of EL4 cells, an extension of our previous work in which we discovered an (n-3) PUFA diminished raft clustering. EPA or DHA treatment of EL4 cells increased plasma membrane accumulation of the nonraft probe 1,1′-dilinoleyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate by ~50–70% relative to a BSA control. Förster resonance energy transfer imaging showed EPA and DHA also disrupted EL4 nanometer scale nonraft organization by increasing the distance between nonraft molecules by ~25% compared with BSA. However, changes in nonrafts were due to an increase in cell size; under conditions where EPA or DHA did not increase cell size, nonraft organization was unaffected. We next translated findings on EL4 cells by testing if (n-3) PUFA administered to mice disrupted nonrafts and rafts. Imaging of B cells isolated from mice fed low- or high-fat (HF) (n-3) PUFA diets showed no change in nonraft organization compared with a control diet (CD). However, confocal microscopy revealed the HF (n-3) PUFA diet disrupted lipid raft clustering and size by ~40% relative to CD. Taken together, our data from 2 different model systems suggest (n-3) PUFA have limited effects on nonrafts. The ex vivo data, which confirm previous studies with EL4 cells, provide evidence that (n-3) PUFA consumed through the diet disrupt B cell lipid raft clustering. PMID:21525263

Pesticides in mixture disrupt metabolic regulation: in silico and in vivo analysis of cumulative toxicity of mancozeb and imidacloprid on body weight of mice.

PubMed

Bhaskar, Rakesh; Mohanty, Banalata

2014-09-01

Pesticides acting as endocrine disrupting chemicals disrupt the homeostasis of body metabolism. The present study elucidated that the low dose coexposure of thyroid disrupting dithiocarbamate fungicide mancozeb (MCZ) and neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) during lactation increased the risk of body weight gain in mice later in life. Body weight gain has been linked to pesticide-induced hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia and alteration of lipid profiles. In vivo results were substantiated with in silico molecular docking (MD) analysis that predicted the binding affinity of pesticides with thyroid hormone receptors (TRα and TRβ) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), the major nuclear receptors of peripheral fat metabolism. Binding potency of MCZ and IMI was compared with that of T3, and its antagonist ethylene thiourea (ETU) as well as PPARγ agonist (rosiglitazone) and antagonist (HL005). MD simulation predicted that both MCZ and IMI may compete with T3 for binding with TRs. Imidazole group of IMI formed hydrogen bonds with TRs like that of ETU. MCZ may compete with rosiglitazone and HL005 for PPARγ, but IMI showed no affinity. Thus while both MCZ and IMI could disrupt the TRs functioning, MCZ alone may affect PPARγ. Coexposure of pesticides decreased the plasma thyroid hormones and increased the cholesterol and triglyceride. Individual pesticide exposure in low dose might not exert the threshold response to affect the receptors signaling further to cause hormonal/metabolic impairment. Thus, cumulative response of the mixture of thyroid disrupting pesticides can disrupt metabolic regulation through several pathways and contribute to gain in body weight. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coils of Magnetic Field Lines

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-27

A smallish solar filament looks like it collapsed into the sun and set off a minor eruption that hurled plasma into space (June 20, 2017). Then, the disrupted magnetic field immediately began to reorganize itself, hence the bright series of spirals coiling up over that area. The magnetic field lines are made visible in extreme ultraviolet light as charged particles spin along them. Also of interest are the darker, cooler strands of plasma being pulled and twisted at the edge of the sun just below the active region. The activity here is in a 21-hour period. Movies are available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21764

Long-lived plasmaspheric drainage plumes: Where does the plasma come from?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borovsky, Joseph E.; Welling, Daniel T.; Thomsen, Michelle F.; Denton, Michael H.

2014-08-01

Long-lived (weeks) plasmaspheric drainage plumes are explored. The long-lived plumes occur during long-lived high-speed-stream-driven storms. Spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit see the plumes as dense plasmaspheric plasma advecting sunward toward the dayside magnetopause. The older plumes have the same densities and local time widths as younger plumes, and like younger plumes they are lumpy in density and they reside in a spatial gap in the electron plasma sheet (in sort of a drainage corridor). Magnetospheric-convection simulations indicate that drainage from a filled outer plasmasphere can only supply a plume for 1.5-2 days. The question arises for long-lived plumes (and for any plume older than about 2 days): Where is the plasma coming from? Three candidate sources appear promising: (1) substorm disruption of the nightside plasmasphere which may transport plasmaspheric plasma outward onto open drift orbits, (2) radial transport of plasmaspheric plasma in velocity-shear-driven instabilities near the duskside plasmapause, and (3) an anomalously high upflux of cold ionospheric protons from the tongue of ionization in the dayside ionosphere, which may directly supply ionospheric plasma into the plume. In the first two cases the plume is drainage of plasma from the magnetosphere; in the third case it is not. Where the plasma in long-lived plumes is coming from is a quandary: to fix this dilemma, further work and probably full-scale simulations are needed.

Measurements of line-averaged electron density of pulsed plasmas using a He-Ne laser interferometer in a magnetized coaxial plasma gun device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwamoto, D.; Sakuma, I.; Kitagawa, Y.; Kikuchi, Y.; Fukumoto, N.; Nagata, M.

2012-10-01

In next step of fusion devices such as ITER, lifetime of plasma-facing materials (PFMs) is strongly affected by transient heat and particle loads during type I edge localized modes (ELMs) and disruption. To clarify damage characteristics of the PFMs, transient heat and particle loads have been simulated by using a plasma gun device. We have performed simulation experiments by using a magnetized coaxial plasma gun (MCPG) device at University of Hyogo. The line-averaged electron density measured by a He-Ne interferometer is 2x10^21 m-3 in a drift tube. The plasma velocity measured by a time of flight technique and ion Doppler spectrometer was 70 km/s, corresponding to the ion energy of 100 eV for helium. Thus, the ion flux density is 1.4x10^26 m-2s-1. On the other hand, the MCPG is connected to a target chamber for material irradiation experiments. It is important to measure plasma parameters in front of target materials in the target chamber. In particular, a vapor cloud layer in front of the target material produced by the pulsed plasma irradiation has to be characterized in order to understand surface damage of PFMs under ELM-like plasma bombardment. In the conference, preliminary results of application of the He-Ne laser interferometer for the above experiment will be shown.

Disruption of circumstellar discs by large-scale stellar magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ud-Doula, Asif; Owocki, Stanley P.; Kee, Nathaniel Dylan

2018-05-01

Spectropolarimetric surveys reveal that 8-10% of OBA stars harbor large-scale magnetic fields, but thus far no such fields have been detected in any classical Be stars. Motivated by this, we present here MHD simulations for how a pre-existing Keplerian disc - like that inferred to form from decretion of material from rapidly rotating Be stars - can be disrupted by a rotation-aligned stellar dipole field. For characteristic stellar and disc parameters of a near-critically rotating B2e star, we find that a polar surface field strength of just 10 G can significantly disrupt the disc, while a field of 100 G, near the observational upper limit inferred for most Be stars, completely destroys the disc over just a few days. Our parameter study shows that the efficacy of this magnetic disruption of a disc scales with the characteristic plasma beta (defined as the ratio between thermal and magnetic pressure) in the disc, but is surprisingly insensitive to other variations, e.g. in stellar rotation speed, or the mass loss rate of the star's radiatively driven wind. The disc disruption seen here for even a modest field strength suggests that the presumed formation of such Be discs by decretion of material from the star would likely be strongly inhibited by such fields; this provides an attractive explanation for why no large-scale fields are detected from such Be stars.

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity β t in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

DOE PAGES

Reusch, Joshua A.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2018-03-14

Amore » major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓ i , high elongation κ , and high toroidal and normalized beta ( β t and β N ) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓ i . The low aspect ratio ( R 0 / a ~ 1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents I N = I p / a B T > 14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high β t plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that β t up to ~100% is achieved. Finally, these high β t discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at β N ~ 7. « less

Selective cell-surface labeling of the molecular motor protein prestin

PubMed Central

McGuire, Ryan M.; Silberg, Jonathan J.; Pereira, Fred A.; Raphael, Robert M.

2011-01-01

Prestin, a multipass transmembrane protein whose N- an C-termini are localized to the cytoplasm, must be trafficked to the plasma membrane to fulfill its cellular function as a molecular motor. One challenge in studying prestin sequence-function relationships within living cells is separating the effects of amino acid substitutions on prestin trafficking, plasma membrane localization and function. To develop an approach for directly assessing prestin levels at the plasma membrane, we have investigated whether fusion of prestin to a single pass transmembrane protein results in a functional fusion protein with a surface-exposed N-terminal tag that can be detected in living cells. We find that fusion of the biotin-acceptor peptide (BAP) and transmembrane domain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) to the N-terminus of prestin-GFP yields a membrane protein that can be metabolically-labeled with biotin, trafficked to the plasma membrane, and selectively detected at the plasma membrane using fluorescently-tagged streptavidin. Furthermore, we show that the addition of a surface detectable tag and a single-pass transmembrane domain to prestin does not disrupt its voltage-sensitive activity. PMID:21651892

On the wetting properties of human stratum corneum epidermidis surface exposed to cold atmospheric-pressure pulsed plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athanasopoulos, D.; Svarnas, P.; Ladas, S.; Kennou, S.; Koutsoukos, P.

2018-05-01

The Stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin, acting as a protective barrier of the epidermis, and its surface properties are directly related to the spreading of topically applied drugs and cosmetics. Numerous works have been devoted to the wettability of this layer over the past 70 years, but, despite the extensive application of atmospheric-pressure plasmas to dermatology, stratum corneum wettability with respect to plasma-induced species has never been considered. The present report assesses the treatment of human stratum corneum epidermidis by atmospheric-pressure pulsed cold plasma-jets for various time intervals and both chemical and morphological modifications are probed. The increase and saturation of the surface free energy due to functionalization are demonstrated, whereas prolonged treatment leads to tissue local disruption (tissue integrity is lost, and stratum corneum looks exfoliated, porous, and even thermally damaged). The latter point arises skepticism about the common practice of contacting atmospheric-pressure plasmas with skin without any previous precautions since the lost skin surface integrity may allow the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms.

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity β t in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reusch, Joshua A.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.

Amore » major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓ i , high elongation κ , and high toroidal and normalized beta ( β t and β N ) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓ i . The low aspect ratio ( R 0 / a ~ 1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents I N = I p / a B T > 14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high β t plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that β t up to ~100% is achieved. Finally, these high β t discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at β N ~ 7. « less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

A. Brooks; A.H. Reiman; G.H. Neilson

High-beta, low-aspect-ratio (compact) stellarators are promising solutions to the problem of developing a magnetic plasma configuration for magnetic fusion power plants that can be sustained in steady-state without disrupting. These concepts combine features of stellarators and advanced tokamaks and have aspect ratios similar to those of tokamaks (2-4). They are based on computed plasma configurations that are shaped in three dimensions to provide desired stability and transport properties. Experiments are planned as part of a program to develop this concept. A beta = 4% quasi-axisymmetric plasma configuration has been evaluated for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX). It has amore » substantial bootstrap current and is shaped to stabilize ballooning, external kink, vertical, and neoclassical tearing modes without feedback or close-fitting conductors. Quasi-omnigeneous plasma configurations stable to ballooning modes at beta = 4% have been evaluated for the Quasi-Omnigeneous Stellarator (QOS) experiment. These equilibria have relatively low bootstrap currents and are insensitive to changes in beta. Coil configurations have been calculated that reconstruct these plasma configurations, preserving their important physics properties. Theory- and experiment-based confinement analyses are used to evaluate the technical capabilities needed to reach target plasma conditions. The physics basis for these complementary experiments is described.« less

Design, Analysis and R&D of the EAST In-Vessel Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Damao; Bao, Liman; Li, Jiangang; Song, Yuntao; Chen, Wenge; Du, Shijun; Hu, Qingsheng; Wei, Jing; Xie, Han; Liu, Xufeng; Cao, Lei; Zhou, Zibo; Chen, Junling; Mao, Xinqiao; Wang, Shengming; Zhu, Ning; Weng, Peide; Wan, Yuanxi

2008-06-01

In-vessel components are important parts of the EAST superconducting tokamak. They include the plasma facing components, passive plates, cryo-pumps, in-vessel coils, etc. The structural design, analysis and related R&D have been completed. The divertor is designed in an up-down symmetric configuration to accommodate both double null and single null plasma operation. Passive plates are used for plasma movement control. In-vessel coils are used for the active control of plasma vertical movements. Each cryo-pump can provide an approximately 45 m3/s pumping rate at a pressure of 10-1 Pa for particle exhaust. Analysis shows that, when a plasma current of 1 MA disrupts in 3 ms, the EM loads caused by the eddy current and the halo current in a vertical displacement event (VDE) will not generate an unacceptable stress on the divertor structure. The bolted divertor thermal structure with an active cooling system can sustain a load of 2 MW/m2 up to a 60 s operation if the plasma facing surface temperature is limited to 1500 °C. Thermal testing and structural optimization testing were conducted to demonstrate the analysis results.

Evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption in smallmouth and largemouth bass inhabiting Northeast U.S. national wildlife refuge waters: A reconnaissance study.

PubMed

Iwanowicz, L R; Blazer, V S; Pinkney, A E; Guy, C P; Major, A M; Munney, K; Mierzykowski, S; Lingenfelser, S; Secord, A; Patnode, K; Kubiak, T J; Stern, C; Hahn, C M; Iwanowicz, D D; Walsh, H L; Sperry, A

2016-02-01

Intersex as the manifestation of testicular oocytes (TO) in male gonochoristic fishes has been used as an indicator of estrogenic exposure. Here we evaluated largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) form 19 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Northeast U.S. inhabiting waters on or near NWR lands for evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption. Waterbodies sampled included rivers, lakes, impoundments, ponds, and reservoirs. Here we focus on evidence of endocrine disruption in male bass evidenced by gonad histopathology including intersex or abnormal plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentrations. During the fall seasons of 2008-2010, we collected male smallmouth bass (n=118) from 12 sites and largemouth bass (n=173) from 27 sites. Intersex in male smallmouth bass was observed at all sites and ranged from 60% to 100%; in male largemouth bass the range was 0-100%. Estrogenicity, as measured using a bioluminescent yeast reporter, was detected above the probable no effects concentration (0.73ng/L) in ambient water samples from 79% of the NWR sites. Additionally, the presence of androgen receptor and glucocorticoid receptor ligands were noted as measured via novel nuclear receptor translocation assays. Mean plasma Vtg was elevated (>0.2mg/ml) in male smallmouth bass at four sites and in male largemouth bass at one site. This is the first reconnaissance survey of this scope conducted on US National Wildlife Refuges. The baseline data collected here provide a necessary benchmark for future monitoring and justify more comprehensive NWR-specific studies. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Progress of recent experimental research on the J-TEXT tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, G.; Gentle, K. W.; Chen, Z. Y.; Chen, Z. P.; Yang, Z. J.; Zheng, Wei; Hu, Q. M.; Chen, J.; Rao, B.; Zhong, W. L.; Zhao, K. J.; Gao, L.; Cheng, Z. F.; Zhang, X. Q.; Wang, L.; Jiang, Z. H.; Xu, T.; Zhang, M.; Wang, Z. J.; Ding, Y. H.; Yu, K. X.; Hu, X. W.; Pan, Y.; Huang, H.; the J-TEXT Team

2017-10-01

The progress of experimental research over the last two years on the J-TEXT tokamak is reviewed and reported in this paper, including: investigations of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on the J-TEXT operation region show that moderate amplitude of applied RMPs either increases the density limit from less than 0.7n G to 0.85n G (n G is the Greenwald density, {{n}\\text{G}}={{I}\\text{p}}/π {{a}2} ) or lowers edge safety factor q a from 2.15 to nearly 2.0; observations of influence of RMPs with a large m/n  =  3/1 dominant component (where m and n are the toroidal and poloidal mode numbers respectively) on electron density indicate electron density first increases (decreases) inside (around/outside) of the 3/1 rational surface, and it is increased globally later together with enhanced edge recycling; investigations of the effect of RMPs on the behavior of runaway electrons/current show that application of RMPs with m/n  =  2/1 dominant component during disruptions can reduce runaway production. Furthermore, its application before the disruption can reduce both the amplitude and the length of runaway current; experimental results in the high-density disruption plasmas confirm that local current shrinkage during a multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge can directly terminate the discharge; measurements by a multi-channel Doppler reflectometer show that the quasi-coherent modes in the electron diamagnetic direction occur in the J-TEXT ohmic confinement regime in a large plasma region (r/a ~ 0.3-0.8) with frequency of 30-140 kHz.

Evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption in smallmouth and largemouth bass inhabiting Northeast U.S. National Wildlife Refuge waters: A reconnaissance study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Blazer, Vicki S.; Pinkney, A.E.; Guy, C.P.; Major, A.M.; Munney, K.; Mierzykowski, S.; Lingenfelser, S.; Secord, A.; Patnode, K.; Kubiak, T.J.; Stern, C.; Hahn, Cassidy M.; Iwanowicz, Deborah; Walsh, Heather L.; Sperry, Adam J.

2016-01-01

Intersex as the manifestation of testicular oocytes (TO) in male gonochoristic fishes has been used as an indicator of estrogenic exposure. Here we evaluated largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) form 19 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Northeast U.S. inhabiting waters on or near NWR lands for evidence of estrogenic endocrine disruption. Waterbodies sampled included rivers, lakes, impoundments, ponds, and reservoirs. Here we focus on evidence of endocrine disruption in male bass evidenced by gonad histopathology including intersex or abnormal plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentrations. During the fall seasons of 2008–2010, we collected male smallmouth bass (n=118) from 12 sites and largemouth bass (n=173) from 27 sites. Intersex in male smallmouth bass was observed at all sites and ranged from 60% to 100%; in male largemouth bass the range was 0–100%. Estrogenicity, as measured using a bioluminescent yeast reporter, was detected above the probable no effects concentration (0.73 ng/L) in ambient water samples from 79% of the NWR sites. Additionally, the presence of androgen receptor and glucocorticoid receptor ligands were noted as measured via novel nuclear receptor translocation assays. Mean plasma Vtg was elevated (>0.2 mg/ml) in male smallmouth bass at four sites and in male largemouth bass at one site. This is the first reconnaissance survey of this scope conducted on US National Wildlife Refuges. The baseline data collected here provide a necessary benchmark for future monitoring and justify more comprehensive NWR-specific studies.

Contribution of Tore Supra in preparation of ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saoutic, B.; Abiteboul, J.; Allegretti, L.; Allfrey, S.; Ané, J. M.; Aniel, T.; Argouarch, A.; Artaud, J. F.; Aumenier, M. H.; Balme, S.; Basiuk, V.; Baulaigue, O.; Bayetti, P.; Bécoulet, A.; Bécoulet, M.; Benkadda, M. S.; Benoit, F.; Berger-by, G.; Bernard, J. M.; Bertrand, B.; Beyer, P.; Bigand, A.; Blum, J.; Boilson, D.; Bonhomme, G.; Bottollier-Curtet, H.; Bouchand, C.; Bouquey, F.; Bourdelle, C.; Bourmaud, S.; Brault, C.; Brémond, S.; Brosset, C.; Bucalossi, J.; Buravand, Y.; Cara, P.; Catherine-Dumont, V.; Casati, A.; Chantant, M.; Chatelier, M.; Chevet, G.; Ciazynski, D.; Ciraolo, G.; Clairet, F.; Coatanea-Gouachet, M.; Colas, L.; Commin, L.; Corbel, E.; Corre, Y.; Courtois, X.; Dachicourt, R.; Dapena Febrer, M.; Davi Joanny, M.; Daviot, R.; De Esch, H.; Decker, J.; Decool, P.; Delaporte, P.; Delchambre, E.; Delmas, E.; Delpech, L.; Desgranges, C.; Devynck, P.; Dittmar, T.; Doceul, L.; Douai, D.; Dougnac, H.; Duchateau, J. L.; Dugué, B.; Dumas, N.; Dumont, R.; Durocher, A.; Duthoit, F. X.; Ekedahl, A.; Elbeze, D.; El Khaldi, M.; Escourbiac, F.; Faisse, F.; Falchetto, G.; Farge, M.; Farjon, J. L.; Faury, M.; Fedorczak, N.; Fenzi-Bonizec, C.; Firdaouss, M.; Frauel, Y.; Garbet, X.; Garcia, J.; Gardarein, J. L.; Gargiulo, L.; Garibaldi, P.; Gauthier, E.; Gaye, O.; Géraud, A.; Geynet, M.; Ghendrih, P.; Giacalone, I.; Gibert, S.; Gil, C.; Giruzzi, G.; Goniche, M.; Grandgirard, V.; Grisolia, C.; Gros, G.; Grosman, A.; Guigon, R.; Guilhem, D.; Guillerminet, B.; Guirlet, R.; Gunn, J.; Gurcan, O.; Hacquin, S.; Hatchressian, J. C.; Hennequin, P.; Hernandez, C.; Hertout, P.; Heuraux, S.; Hillairet, J.; Hoang, G. T.; Honore, C.; Houry, M.; Hutter, T.; Huynh, P.; Huysmans, G.; Imbeaux, F.; Joffrin, E.; Johner, J.; Jourd'Heuil, L.; Katharria, Y. S.; Keller, D.; Kim, S. H.; Kocan, M.; Kubic, M.; Lacroix, B.; Lamaison, V.; Latu, G.; Lausenaz, Y.; Laviron, C.; Leroux, F.; Letellier, L.; Lipa, M.; Litaudon, X.; Loarer, T.; Lotte, P.; Madeleine, S.; Magaud, P.; Maget, P.; Magne, R.; Manenc, L.; Marandet, Y.; Marbach, G.; Maréchal, J. L.; Marfisi, L.; Martin, C.; Martin, G.; Martin, V.; Martinez, A.; Martins, J. P.; Masset, R.; Mazon, D.; Mellet, N.; Mercadier, L.; Merle, A.; Meshcheriakov, D.; Meyer, O.; Million, L.; Missirlian, M.; Mollard, P.; Moncada, V.; Monier-Garbet, P.; Moreau, D.; Moreau, P.; Morini, L.; Nannini, M.; Naiim Habib, M.; Nardon, E.; Nehme, H.; Nguyen, C.; Nicollet, S.; Nouilletas, R.; Ohsako, T.; Ottaviani, M.; Pamela, S.; Parrat, H.; Pastor, P.; Pecquet, A. L.; Pégourié, B.; Peysson, Y.; Porchy, I.; Portafaix, C.; Preynas, M.; Prou, M.; Raharijaona, J. M.; Ravenel, N.; Reux, C.; Reynaud, P.; Richou, M.; Roche, H.; Roubin, P.; Sabot, R.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Salasca, S.; Samaille, F.; Santagiustina, A.; Sarazin, Y.; Semerok, A.; Schlosser, J.; Schneider, M.; Schubert, M.; Schwander, F.; Ségui, J. L.; Selig, G.; Sharma, P.; Signoret, J.; Simonin, A.; Song, S.; Sonnendruker, E.; Sourbier, F.; Spuig, P.; Tamain, P.; Tena, M.; Theis, J. M.; Thouvenin, D.; Torre, A.; Travère, J. M.; Tsitrone, E.; Vallet, J. C.; Van Der Plas, E.; Vatry, A.; Verger, J. M.; Vermare, L.; Villecroze, F.; Villegas, D.; Volpe, R.; Vulliez, K.; Wagrez, J.; Wauters, T.; Zani, L.; Zarzoso, D.; Zou, X. L.

2011-09-01

Tore Supra routinely addresses the physics and technology of very long-duration plasma discharges, thus bringing precious information on critical issues of long pulse operation of ITER. A new ITER relevant lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) launcher has allowed coupling to the plasma a power level of 2.7 MW for 78 s, corresponding to a power density close to the design value foreseen for an ITER LHCD system. In accordance with the expectations, long distance (10 cm) power coupling has been obtained. Successive stationary states of the plasma current profile have been controlled in real-time featuring (i) control of sawteeth with varying plasma parameters, (ii) obtaining and sustaining a 'hot core' plasma regime, (iii) recovery from a voluntarily triggered deleterious magnetohydrodynamic regime. The scrape-off layer (SOL) parameters and power deposition have been documented during L-mode ramp-up phase, a crucial point for ITER before the X-point formation. Disruption mitigation studies have been conducted with massive gas injection, evidencing the difference between He and Ar and the possible role of the q = 2 surface in limiting the gas penetration. ICRF assisted wall conditioning in the presence of magnetic field has been investigated, culminating in the demonstration that this conditioning scheme allows one to recover normal operation after disruptions. The effect of the magnetic field ripple on the intrinsic plasma rotation has been studied, showing the competition between turbulent transport processes and ripple toroidal friction. During dedicated dimensionless experiments, the effect of varying the collisionality on turbulence wavenumber spectra has been documented, giving new insight into the turbulence mechanism. Turbulence measurements have also allowed quantitatively comparing experimental results with predictions by 5D gyrokinetic codes: numerical results simultaneously match the magnitude of effective heat diffusivity, rms values of density fluctuations and wavenumber spectra. A clear correlation between electron temperature gradient and impurity transport in the very core of the plasma has been observed, strongly suggesting the existence of a threshold above which transport is dominated by turbulent electron modes. Dynamics of edge turbulent fluctuations has been studied by correlating data from fast imaging cameras and Langmuir probes, yielding a coherent picture of transport processes involved in the SOL. Corrections were made to this article on 6 January 2012. Some of the letters in the text were missing.

Coronal Mass Ejections Near the Sun and in the Interplanetary Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gopalswamy, Nat

2012-01-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most energetic phenomenon in the heliosphere. During solar eruptions, the released energy flows out from the Sun in the form of magnetized plasma and electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation suddenly increases the ionization content of the ionosphere, thus impacting communication and navigation systems. The plasma clouds can drive shocks that accelerate charged particles to very high energies in the interplanetary space, which pose radiation hazard to astronauts and space systems. The plasma clouds also arrive at Earth in about two days and impact Earth's magnetosphere, producing geomagnetic storms. The magnetic storms result in a number of effects including induced currents that can disrupt power grids, railroads, and underground pipelines. This lecture presents an overview of the origin, propagation, and geospace consequences of CMEs and their interplanetary counterparts.

Overview of the JET results in support to ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litaudon, X.; Abduallev, S.; Abhangi, M.; Abreu, P.; Afzal, M.; Aggarwal, K. M.; Ahlgren, T.; Ahn, J. H.; Aho-Mantila, L.; Aiba, N.; Airila, M.; Albanese, R.; Aldred, V.; Alegre, D.; Alessi, E.; Aleynikov, P.; Alfier, A.; Alkseev, A.; Allinson, M.; Alper, B.; Alves, E.; Ambrosino, G.; Ambrosino, R.; Amicucci, L.; Amosov, V.; Andersson Sundén, E.; Angelone, M.; Anghel, M.; Angioni, C.; Appel, L.; Appelbee, C.; Arena, P.; Ariola, M.; Arnichand, H.; Arshad, S.; Ash, A.; Ashikawa, N.; Aslanyan, V.; Asunta, O.; Auriemma, F.; Austin, Y.; Avotina, L.; Axton, M. D.; Ayres, C.; Bacharis, M.; Baciero, A.; Baião, D.; Bailey, S.; Baker, A.; Balboa, I.; Balden, M.; Balshaw, N.; Bament, R.; Banks, J. W.; Baranov, Y. F.; Barnard, M. A.; Barnes, D.; Barnes, M.; Barnsley, R.; Baron Wiechec, A.; Barrera Orte, L.; Baruzzo, M.; Basiuk, V.; Bassan, M.; Bastow, R.; Batista, A.; Batistoni, P.; Baughan, R.; Bauvir, B.; Baylor, L.; Bazylev, B.; Beal, J.; Beaumont, P. S.; Beckers, M.; Beckett, B.; Becoulet, A.; Bekris, N.; Beldishevski, M.; Bell, K.; Belli, F.; Bellinger, M.; Belonohy, É.; Ben Ayed, N.; Benterman, N. A.; Bergsåker, H.; Bernardo, J.; Bernert, M.; Berry, M.; Bertalot, L.; Besliu, C.; Beurskens, M.; Bieg, B.; Bielecki, J.; Biewer, T.; Bigi, M.; Bílková, P.; Binda, F.; Bisoffi, A.; Bizarro, J. P. S.; Björkas, C.; Blackburn, J.; Blackman, K.; Blackman, T. R.; Blanchard, P.; Blatchford, P.; Bobkov, V.; Boboc, A.; Bodnár, G.; Bogar, O.; Bolshakova, I.; Bolzonella, T.; Bonanomi, N.; Bonelli, F.; Boom, J.; Booth, J.; Borba, D.; Borodin, D.; Borodkina, I.; Botrugno, A.; Bottereau, C.; Boulting, P.; Bourdelle, C.; Bowden, M.; Bower, C.; Bowman, C.; Boyce, T.; Boyd, C.; Boyer, H. J.; Bradshaw, J. M. A.; Braic, V.; Bravanec, R.; Breizman, B.; Bremond, S.; Brennan, P. D.; Breton, S.; Brett, A.; Brezinsek, S.; Bright, M. D. J.; Brix, M.; Broeckx, W.; Brombin, M.; Brosławski, A.; Brown, D. P. D.; Brown, M.; Bruno, E.; Bucalossi, J.; Buch, J.; Buchanan, J.; Buckley, M. A.; Budny, R.; Bufferand, H.; Bulman, M.; Bulmer, N.; Bunting, P.; Buratti, P.; Burckhart, A.; Buscarino, A.; Busse, A.; Butler, N. K.; Bykov, I.; Byrne, J.; Cahyna, P.; Calabrò, G.; Calvo, I.; Camenen, Y.; Camp, P.; Campling, D. C.; Cane, J.; Cannas, B.; Capel, A. J.; Card, P. J.; Cardinali, A.; Carman, P.; Carr, M.; Carralero, D.; Carraro, L.; Carvalho, B. B.; Carvalho, I.; Carvalho, P.; Casson, F. J.; Castaldo, C.; Catarino, N.; Caumont, J.; Causa, F.; Cavazzana, R.; Cave-Ayland, K.; Cavinato, M.; Cecconello, M.; Ceccuzzi, S.; Cecil, E.; Cenedese, A.; Cesario, R.; Challis, C. D.; Chandler, M.; Chandra, D.; Chang, C. S.; Chankin, A.; Chapman, I. T.; Chapman, S. C.; Chernyshova, M.; Chitarin, G.; Ciraolo, G.; Ciric, D.; Citrin, J.; Clairet, F.; Clark, E.; Clark, M.; Clarkson, R.; Clatworthy, D.; Clements, C.; Cleverly, M.; Coad, J. P.; Coates, P. A.; Cobalt, A.; Coccorese, V.; Cocilovo, V.; Coda, S.; Coelho, R.; Coenen, J. W.; Coffey, I.; Colas, L.; Collins, S.; Conka, D.; Conroy, S.; Conway, N.; Coombs, D.; Cooper, D.; Cooper, S. R.; Corradino, C.; Corre, Y.; Corrigan, G.; Cortes, S.; Coster, D.; Couchman, A. S.; Cox, M. P.; Craciunescu, T.; Cramp, S.; Craven, R.; Crisanti, F.; Croci, G.; Croft, D.; Crombé, K.; Crowe, R.; Cruz, N.; Cseh, G.; Cufar, A.; Cullen, A.; Curuia, M.; Czarnecka, A.; Dabirikhah, H.; Dalgliesh, P.; Dalley, S.; Dankowski, J.; Darrow, D.; Davies, O.; Davis, W.; Day, C.; Day, I. E.; De Bock, M.; de Castro, A.; de la Cal, E.; de la Luna, E.; De Masi, G.; de Pablos, J. L.; De Temmerman, G.; De Tommasi, G.; de Vries, P.; Deakin, K.; Deane, J.; Degli Agostini, F.; Dejarnac, R.; Delabie, E.; den Harder, N.; Dendy, R. O.; Denis, J.; Denner, P.; Devaux, S.; Devynck, P.; Di Maio, F.; Di Siena, A.; Di Troia, C.; Dinca, P.; D'Inca, R.; Ding, B.; Dittmar, T.; Doerk, H.; Doerner, R. P.; Donné, T.; Dorling, S. E.; Dormido-Canto, S.; Doswon, S.; Douai, D.; Doyle, P. T.; Drenik, A.; Drewelow, P.; Drews, P.; Duckworth, Ph.; Dumont, R.; Dumortier, P.; Dunai, D.; Dunne, M.; Ďuran, I.; Durodié, F.; Dutta, P.; Duval, B. P.; Dux, R.; Dylst, K.; Dzysiuk, N.; Edappala, P. V.; Edmond, J.; Edwards, A. M.; Edwards, J.; Eich, Th.; Ekedahl, A.; El-Jorf, R.; Elsmore, C. G.; Enachescu, M.; Ericsson, G.; Eriksson, F.; Eriksson, J.; Eriksson, L. G.; Esposito, B.; Esquembri, S.; Esser, H. G.; Esteve, D.; Evans, B.; Evans, G. E.; Evison, G.; Ewart, G. D.; Fagan, D.; Faitsch, M.; Falie, D.; Fanni, A.; Fasoli, A.; Faustin, J. M.; Fawlk, N.; Fazendeiro, L.; Fedorczak, N.; Felton, R. C.; Fenton, K.; Fernades, A.; Fernandes, H.; Ferreira, J.; Fessey, J. A.; Février, O.; Ficker, O.; Field, A.; Fietz, S.; Figueiredo, A.; Figueiredo, J.; Fil, A.; Finburg, P.; Firdaouss, M.; Fischer, U.; Fittill, L.; Fitzgerald, M.; Flammini, D.; Flanagan, J.; Fleming, C.; Flinders, K.; Fonnesu, N.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; Formisano, A.; Forsythe, L.; Fortuna, L.; Fortuna-Zalesna, E.; Fortune, M.; Foster, S.; Franke, T.; Franklin, T.; Frasca, M.; Frassinetti, L.; Freisinger, M.; Fresa, R.; Frigione, D.; Fuchs, V.; Fuller, D.; Futatani, S.; Fyvie, J.; Gál, K.; Galassi, D.; Gałązka, K.; Galdon-Quiroga, J.; Gallagher, J.; Gallart, D.; Galvão, R.; Gao, X.; Gao, Y.; Garcia, J.; Garcia-Carrasco, A.; García-Muñoz, M.; Gardarein, J.-L.; Garzotti, L.; Gaudio, P.; Gauthier, E.; Gear, D. F.; Gee, S. J.; Geiger, B.; Gelfusa, M.; Gerasimov, S.; Gervasini, G.; Gethins, M.; Ghani, Z.; Ghate, M.; Gherendi, M.; Giacalone, J. C.; Giacomelli, L.; Gibson, C. S.; Giegerich, T.; Gil, C.; Gil, L.; Gilligan, S.; Gin, D.; Giovannozzi, E.; Girardo, J. B.; Giroud, C.; Giruzzi, G.; Glöggler, S.; Godwin, J.; Goff, J.; Gohil, P.; Goloborod'ko, V.; Gomes, R.; Gonçalves, B.; Goniche, M.; Goodliffe, M.; Goodyear, A.; Gorini, G.; Gosk, M.; Goulding, R.; Goussarov, A.; Gowland, R.; Graham, B.; Graham, M. E.; Graves, J. P.; Grazier, N.; Grazier, P.; Green, N. R.; Greuner, H.; Grierson, B.; Griph, F. S.; Grisolia, C.; Grist, D.; Groth, M.; Grove, R.; Grundy, C. N.; Grzonka, J.; Guard, D.; Guérard, C.; Guillemaut, C.; Guirlet, R.; Gurl, C.; Utoh, H. H.; Hackett, L. J.; Hacquin, S.; Hagar, A.; Hager, R.; Hakola, A.; Halitovs, M.; Hall, S. J.; Hallworth Cook, S. P.; Hamlyn-Harris, C.; Hammond, K.; Harrington, C.; Harrison, J.; Harting, D.; Hasenbeck, F.; Hatano, Y.; Hatch, D. R.; Haupt, T. D. V.; Hawes, J.; Hawkes, N. C.; Hawkins, J.; Hawkins, P.; Haydon, P. W.; Hayter, N.; Hazel, S.; Heesterman, P. J. L.; Heinola, K.; Hellesen, C.; Hellsten, T.; Helou, W.; Hemming, O. N.; Hender, T. C.; Henderson, M.; Henderson, S. S.; Henriques, R.; Hepple, D.; Hermon, G.; Hertout, P.; Hidalgo, C.; Highcock, E. G.; Hill, M.; Hillairet, J.; Hillesheim, J.; Hillis, D.; Hizanidis, K.; Hjalmarsson, A.; Hobirk, J.; Hodille, E.; Hogben, C. H. A.; Hogeweij, G. M. D.; Hollingsworth, A.; Hollis, S.; Homfray, D. A.; Horáček, J.; Hornung, G.; Horton, A. R.; Horton, L. D.; Horvath, L.; Hotchin, S. P.; Hough, M. R.; Howarth, P. J.; Hubbard, A.; Huber, A.; Huber, V.; Huddleston, T. M.; Hughes, M.; Huijsmans, G. T. A.; Hunter, C. L.; Huynh, P.; Hynes, A. M.; Iglesias, D.; Imazawa, N.; Imbeaux, F.; Imríšek, M.; Incelli, M.; Innocente, P.; Irishkin, M.; Ivanova-Stanik, I.; Jachmich, S.; Jacobsen, A. S.; Jacquet, P.; Jansons, J.; Jardin, A.; Järvinen, A.; Jaulmes, F.; Jednoróg, S.; Jenkins, I.; Jeong, C.; Jepu, I.; Joffrin, E.; Johnson, R.; Johnson, T.; Johnston, Jane; Joita, L.; Jones, G.; Jones, T. T. C.; Hoshino, K. K.; Kallenbach, A.; Kamiya, K.; Kaniewski, J.; Kantor, A.; Kappatou, A.; Karhunen, J.; Karkinsky, D.; Karnowska, I.; Kaufman, M.; Kaveney, G.; Kazakov, Y.; Kazantzidis, V.; Keeling, D. L.; Keenan, T.; Keep, J.; Kempenaars, M.; Kennedy, C.; Kenny, D.; Kent, J.; Kent, O. N.; Khilkevich, E.; Kim, H. T.; Kim, H. S.; Kinch, A.; king, C.; King, D.; King, R. F.; Kinna, D. J.; Kiptily, V.; Kirk, A.; Kirov, K.; Kirschner, A.; Kizane, G.; Klepper, C.; Klix, A.; Knight, P.; Knipe, S. J.; Knott, S.; Kobuchi, T.; Köchl, F.; Kocsis, G.; Kodeli, I.; Kogan, L.; Kogut, D.; Koivuranta, S.; Kominis, Y.; Köppen, M.; Kos, B.; Koskela, T.; Koslowski, H. R.; Koubiti, M.; Kovari, M.; Kowalska-Strzęciwilk, E.; Krasilnikov, A.; Krasilnikov, V.; Krawczyk, N.; Kresina, M.; Krieger, K.; Krivska, A.; Kruezi, U.; Książek, I.; Kukushkin, A.; Kundu, A.; Kurki-Suonio, T.; Kwak, S.; Kwiatkowski, R.; Kwon, O. J.; Laguardia, L.; Lahtinen, A.; Laing, A.; Lam, N.; Lambertz, H. T.; Lane, C.; Lang, P. T.; Lanthaler, S.; Lapins, J.; Lasa, A.; Last, J. R.; Łaszyńska, E.; Lawless, R.; Lawson, A.; Lawson, K. D.; Lazaros, A.; Lazzaro, E.; Leddy, J.; Lee, S.; Lefebvre, X.; Leggate, H. J.; Lehmann, J.; Lehnen, M.; Leichtle, D.; Leichuer, P.; Leipold, F.; Lengar, I.; Lennholm, M.; Lerche, E.; Lescinskis, A.; Lesnoj, S.; Letellier, E.; Leyland, M.; Leysen, W.; Li, L.; Liang, Y.; Likonen, J.; Linke, J.; Linsmeier, Ch.; Lipschultz, B.; Liu, G.; Liu, Y.; Lo Schiavo, V. P.; Loarer, T.; Loarte, A.; Lobel, R. C.; Lomanowski, B.; Lomas, P. J.; Lönnroth, J.; López, J. M.; López-Razola, J.; Lorenzini, R.; Losada, U.; Lovell, J. J.; Loving, A. B.; Lowry, C.; Luce, T.; Lucock, R. M. A.; Lukin, A.; Luna, C.; Lungaroni, M.; Lungu, C. P.; Lungu, M.; Lunniss, A.; Lupelli, I.; Lyssoivan, A.; Macdonald, N.; Macheta, P.; Maczewa, K.; Magesh, B.; Maget, P.; Maggi, C.; Maier, H.; Mailloux, J.; Makkonen, T.; Makwana, R.; Malaquias, A.; Malizia, A.; Manas, P.; Manning, A.; Manso, M. E.; Mantica, P.; Mantsinen, M.; Manzanares, A.; Maquet, Ph.; Marandet, Y.; Marcenko, N.; Marchetto, C.; Marchuk, O.; Marinelli, M.; Marinucci, M.; Markovič, T.; Marocco, D.; Marot, L.; Marren, C. A.; Marshal, R.; Martin, A.; Martin, Y.; Martín de Aguilera, A.; Martínez, F. J.; Martín-Solís, J. R.; Martynova, Y.; Maruyama, S.; Masiello, A.; Maslov, M.; Matejcik, S.; Mattei, M.; Matthews, G. F.; Maviglia, F.; Mayer, M.; Mayoral, M. L.; May-Smith, T.; Mazon, D.; Mazzotta, C.; McAdams, R.; McCarthy, P. J.; McClements, K. G.; McCormack, O.; McCullen, P. A.; McDonald, D.; McIntosh, S.; McKean, R.; McKehon, J.; Meadows, R. C.; Meakins, A.; Medina, F.; Medland, M.; Medley, S.; Meigh, S.; Meigs, A. G.; Meisl, G.; Meitner, S.; Meneses, L.; Menmuir, S.; Mergia, K.; Merrigan, I. R.; Mertens, Ph.; Meshchaninov, S.; Messiaen, A.; Meyer, H.; Mianowski, S.; Michling, R.; Middleton-Gear, D.; Miettunen, J.; Militello, F.; Militello-Asp, E.; Miloshevsky, G.; Mink, F.; Minucci, S.; Miyoshi, Y.; Mlynář, J.; Molina, D.; Monakhov, I.; Moneti, M.; Mooney, R.; Moradi, S.; Mordijck, S.; Moreira, L.; Moreno, R.; Moro, F.; Morris, A. W.; Morris, J.; Moser, L.; Mosher, S.; Moulton, D.; Murari, A.; Muraro, A.; Murphy, S.; Asakura, N. N.; Na, Y. S.; Nabais, F.; Naish, R.; Nakano, T.; Nardon, E.; Naulin, V.; Nave, M. F. F.; Nedzelski, I.; Nemtsev, G.; Nespoli, F.; Neto, A.; Neu, R.; Neverov, V. S.; Newman, M.; Nicholls, K. J.; Nicolas, T.; Nielsen, A. H.; Nielsen, P.; Nilsson, E.; Nishijima, D.; Noble, C.; Nocente, M.; Nodwell, D.; Nordlund, K.; Nordman, H.; Nouailletas, R.; Nunes, I.; Oberkofler, M.; Odupitan, T.; Ogawa, M. T.; O'Gorman, T.; Okabayashi, M.; Olney, R.; Omolayo, O.; O'Mullane, M.; Ongena, J.; Orsitto, F.; Orszagh, J.; Oswuigwe, B. I.; Otin, R.; Owen, A.; Paccagnella, R.; Pace, N.; Pacella, D.; Packer, L. W.; Page, A.; Pajuste, E.; Palazzo, S.; Pamela, S.; Panja, S.; Papp, P.; Paprok, R.; Parail, V.; Park, M.; Parra Diaz, F.; Parsons, M.; Pasqualotto, R.; Patel, A.; Pathak, S.; Paton, D.; Patten, H.; Pau, A.; Pawelec, E.; Soldan, C. Paz; Peackoc, A.; Pearson, I. J.; Pehkonen, S.-P.; Peluso, E.; Penot, C.; Pereira, A.; Pereira, R.; Pereira Puglia, P. P.; Perez von Thun, C.; Peruzzo, S.; Peschanyi, S.; Peterka, M.; Petersson, P.; Petravich, G.; Petre, A.; Petrella, N.; Petržilka, V.; Peysson, Y.; Pfefferlé, D.; Philipps, V.; Pillon, M.; Pintsuk, G.; Piovesan, P.; Pires dos Reis, A.; Piron, L.; Pironti, A.; Pisano, F.; Pitts, R.; Pizzo, F.; Plyusnin, V.; Pomaro, N.; Pompilian, O. G.; Pool, P. J.; Popovichev, S.; Porfiri, M. T.; Porosnicu, C.; Porton, M.; Possnert, G.; Potzel, S.; Powell, T.; Pozzi, J.; Prajapati, V.; Prakash, R.; Prestopino, G.; Price, D.; Price, M.; Price, R.; Prior, P.; Proudfoot, R.; Pucella, G.; Puglia, P.; Puiatti, M. E.; Pulley, D.; Purahoo, K.; Pütterich, Th.; Rachlew, E.; Rack, M.; Ragona, R.; Rainford, M. S. J.; Rakha, A.; Ramogida, G.; Ranjan, S.; Rapson, C. J.; Rasmussen, J. J.; Rathod, K.; Rattá, G.; Ratynskaia, S.; Ravera, G.; Rayner, C.; Rebai, M.; Reece, D.; Reed, A.; Réfy, D.; Regan, B.; Regaña, J.; Reich, M.; Reid, N.; Reimold, F.; Reinhart, M.; Reinke, M.; Reiser, D.; Rendell, D.; Reux, C.; Reyes Cortes, S. D. A.; Reynolds, S.; Riccardo, V.; Richardson, N.; Riddle, K.; Rigamonti, D.; Rimini, F. G.; Risner, J.; Riva, M.; Roach, C.; Robins, R. J.; Robinson, S. A.; Robinson, T.; Robson, D. W.; Roccella, R.; Rodionov, R.; Rodrigues, P.; Rodriguez, J.; Rohde, V.; Romanelli, F.; Romanelli, M.; Romanelli, S.; Romazanov, J.; Rowe, S.; Rubel, M.; Rubinacci, G.; Rubino, G.; Ruchko, L.; Ruiz, M.; Ruset, C.; Rzadkiewicz, J.; Saarelma, S.; Sabot, R.; Safi, E.; Sagar, P.; Saibene, G.; Saint-Laurent, F.; Salewski, M.; Salmi, A.; Salmon, R.; Salzedas, F.; Samaddar, D.; Samm, U.; Sandiford, D.; Santa, P.; Santala, M. I. K.; Santos, B.; Santucci, A.; Sartori, F.; Sartori, R.; Sauter, O.; Scannell, R.; Schlummer, T.; Schmid, K.; Schmidt, V.; Schmuck, S.; Schneider, M.; Schöpf, K.; Schwörer, D.; Scott, S. D.; Sergienko, G.; Sertoli, M.; Shabbir, A.; Sharapov, S. E.; Shaw, A.; Shaw, R.; Sheikh, H.; Shepherd, A.; Shevelev, A.; Shumack, A.; Sias, G.; Sibbald, M.; Sieglin, B.; Silburn, S.; Silva, A.; Silva, C.; Simmons, P. A.; Simpson, J.; Simpson-Hutchinson, J.; Sinha, A.; Sipilä, S. K.; Sips, A. C. C.; Sirén, P.; Sirinelli, A.; Sjöstrand, H.; Skiba, M.; Skilton, R.; Slabkowska, K.; Slade, B.; Smith, N.; Smith, P. G.; Smith, R.; Smith, T. J.; Smithies, M.; Snoj, L.; Soare, S.; Solano, E. R.; Somers, A.; Sommariva, C.; Sonato, P.; Sopplesa, A.; Sousa, J.; Sozzi, C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spelzini, T.; Spineanu, F.; Stables, G.; Stamatelatos, I.; Stamp, M. F.; Staniec, P.; Stankūnas, G.; Stan-Sion, C.; Stead, M. J.; Stefanikova, E.; Stepanov, I.; Stephen, A. V.; Stephen, M.; Stevens, A.; Stevens, B. D.; Strachan, J.; Strand, P.; Strauss, H. R.; Ström, P.; Stubbs, G.; Studholme, W.; Subba, F.; Summers, H. P.; Svensson, J.; Świderski, Ł.; Szabolics, T.; Szawlowski, M.; Szepesi, G.; Suzuki, T. T.; Tál, B.; Tala, T.; Talbot, A. R.; Talebzadeh, S.; Taliercio, C.; Tamain, P.; Tame, C.; Tang, W.; Tardocchi, M.; Taroni, L.; Taylor, D.; Taylor, K. A.; Tegnered, D.; Telesca, G.; Teplova, N.; Terranova, D.; Testa, D.; Tholerus, E.; Thomas, J.; Thomas, J. D.; Thomas, P.; Thompson, A.; Thompson, C.-A.; Thompson, V. K.; Thorne, L.; Thornton, A.; Thrysøe, A. S.; Tigwell, P. A.; Tipton, N.; Tiseanu, I.; Tojo, H.; Tokitani, M.; Tolias, P.; Tomeš, M.; Tonner, P.; Towndrow, M.; Trimble, P.; Tripsky, M.; Tsalas, M.; Tsavalas, P.; Tskhakaya jun, D.; Turner, I.; Turner, M. M.; Turnyanskiy, M.; Tvalashvili, G.; Tyrrell, S. G. J.; Uccello, A.; Ul-Abidin, Z.; Uljanovs, J.; Ulyatt, D.; Urano, H.; Uytdenhouwen, I.; Vadgama, A. P.; Valcarcel, D.; Valentinuzzi, M.; Valisa, M.; Vallejos Olivares, P.; Valovic, M.; Van De Mortel, M.; Van Eester, D.; Van Renterghem, W.; van Rooij, G. J.; Varje, J.; Varoutis, S.; Vartanian, S.; Vasava, K.; Vasilopoulou, T.; Vega, J.; Verdoolaege, G.; Verhoeven, R.; Verona, C.; Verona Rinati, G.; Veshchev, E.; Vianello, N.; Vicente, J.; Viezzer, E.; Villari, S.; Villone, F.; Vincenzi, P.; Vinyar, I.; Viola, B.; Vitins, A.; Vizvary, Z.; Vlad, M.; Voitsekhovitch, I.; Vondráček, P.; Vora, N.; Vu, T.; Pires de Sa, W. W.; Wakeling, B.; Waldon, C. W. F.; Walkden, N.; Walker, M.; Walker, R.; Walsh, M.; Wang, E.; Wang, N.; Warder, S.; Warren, R. J.; Waterhouse, J.; Watkins, N. W.; Watts, C.; Wauters, T.; Weckmann, A.; Weiland, J.; Weisen, H.; Weiszflog, M.; Wellstood, C.; West, A. T.; Wheatley, M. R.; Whetham, S.; Whitehead, A. M.; Whitehead, B. D.; Widdowson, A. M.; Wiesen, S.; Wilkinson, J.; Williams, J.; Williams, M.; Wilson, A. R.; Wilson, D. J.; Wilson, H. R.; Wilson, J.; Wischmeier, M.; Withenshaw, G.; Withycombe, A.; Witts, D. M.; Wood, D.; Wood, R.; Woodley, C.; Wray, S.; Wright, J.; Wright, J. C.; Wu, J.; Wukitch, S.; Wynn, A.; Xu, T.; Yadikin, D.; Yanling, W.; Yao, L.; Yavorskij, V.; Yoo, M. G.; Young, C.; Young, D.; Young, I. D.; Young, R.; Zacks, J.; Zagorski, R.; Zaitsev, F. S.; Zanino, R.; Zarins, A.; Zastrow, K. D.; Zerbini, M.; Zhang, W.; Zhou, Y.; Zilli, E.; Zoita, V.; Zoletnik, S.; Zychor, I.; JET Contributors

2017-10-01

The 2014-2016 JET results are reviewed in the light of their significance for optimising the ITER research plan for the active and non-active operation. More than 60 h of plasma operation with ITER first wall materials successfully took place since its installation in 2011. New multi-machine scaling of the type I-ELM divertor energy flux density to ITER is supported by first principle modelling. ITER relevant disruption experiments and first principle modelling are reported with a set of three disruption mitigation valves mimicking the ITER setup. Insights of the L-H power threshold in Deuterium and Hydrogen are given, stressing the importance of the magnetic configurations and the recent measurements of fine-scale structures in the edge radial electric. Dimensionless scans of the core and pedestal confinement provide new information to elucidate the importance of the first wall material on the fusion performance. H-mode plasmas at ITER triangularity (H  =  1 at β N ~ 1.8 and n/n GW ~ 0.6) have been sustained at 2 MA during 5 s. The ITER neutronics codes have been validated on high performance experiments. Prospects for the coming D-T campaign and 14 MeV neutron calibration strategy are reviewed.

The effect of acute microgravity on mechanically-induced membrane damage and membrane-membrane fusion events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, M. S.; Vanderburg, C. R.; Feeback, D. L.; McIntire, L. V. (Principal Investigator)

2001-01-01

Although it is unclear how a living cell senses gravitational forces there is no doubt that perturbation of the gravitational environment results in profound alterations in cellular function. In the present study, we have focused our attention on how acute microgravity exposure during parabolic flight affects the skeletal muscle cell plasma membrane (i.e. sarcolemma), with specific reference to a mechanically-reactive signaling mechanism known as mechanically-induced membrane disruption or "wounding". Both membrane rupture and membrane resealing events mediated by membrane-membrane fusion characterize this response. We here present experimental evidence that acute microgravity exposure can inhibit membrane-membrane fusion events essential for the resealing of sarcolemmal wounds in individual human myoblasts. Additional evidence to support this contention comes from experimental studies that demonstrate acute microgravity exposure also inhibits secretagogue-stimulated intracellular vesicle fusion with the plasma membrane in HL-60 cells. Based on our own observations and those of other investigators in a variety of ground-based models of membrane wounding and membrane-membrane fusion, we suggest that the disruption in the membrane resealing process observed during acute microgravity is consistent with a microgravity-induced decrease in membrane order.

Occurrence, fate, and ecosystem implications of endocrine active compounds in select rivers of Minnesota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Writer, J.; Keefe, S.; Barber, L. B.; Brown, G.; Schoenfuss, H.; Kiesling, R.; Gray, J. L.

2009-12-01

Select endocrine active compounds (EACs) were measured in four rivers in southern Minnesota. Additionally, caged and wild fish were assessed for indication of endocrine disruption using plasma vitellogenin and histopathology. Low concentrations of EACs were identified in all rivers, as was elevated plasma vitellogenin in caged and wild fish, indicating potential endocrine disruption. To evaluate the persistence of these compounds in small rivers, a tracer study was performed on one of the rivers (Redwood River) using Lagrangian sampling coupled with hydrologic modeling incorporating transient storage. Mass exchange (transient storage, sorption) and degradation were approximated as pseudo first order processes, and in-stream removal rates were then computed by comparing conservative tracer concentrations to organic compound concentrations. Production of estrone and 4-nonylphenol in the studied reach as a result of biochemical transformation from their parent compounds (17β-estradiol and alkylphenolpolyethoxylates, respectively) was quantified. The distance required for 17β-estradiol and nonylphenol to undergo a 50% reduction in concentration was >2 km and >10 km, respectively. These results indicate that EACs are transported several kilometers downstream from discharge sources and therefore have the potential of adversely impacting the lotic ecosystem over these distances.

Plasma Chamber Restraints in Ignitor and Relevant Disruption Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparotto, M.; Cucchiaro, A.; Capriccioli, A.; Celentano, G.; Rita, C.; Roccella, M.; Macco, B.; Micheli, I.; Ferrari, G.; Orlandi, S.; Coppi, B.

2000-10-01

The plasmas chamber (PC) of Ignitor is made of 12 D-shaped toroidal sectors of Inconel 625 welded together by automatic remote equipment. The thickness of the inboard wall is 17 mm while the middle and outboard walls are 26 mm thick. The PC is supported through the ports by the C-Clamp structure of the toroidal magnet. The main function of the PC supports is to resist the vertical and radial electromagnetic loads and to allow for free movement under thermal loads while providing electrical insulation from the C-Clamps and cryostat. The largest estimated loads are due to a Vertical Displacement Event (VDE) disruption that is followed by a thermal quench and then by the current quench. The vertical supports involve a connection of each radial port to the C-Clamp structure by a link system that withstands the calculated loads. The radial supports resist, with high stiffness, the centripetal and centrifugal forces. The end flange of each radial port is connected to the C-Clamp structure by a clamping sleeve device. The clamping sleeves are hydraulically operated to provide locking during discharge. The clamping sleeves of the radial support system have been validated by an appropriate series of tests.

The Effect of Acute Microgravity on Mechanically-Induced Membrane Damage and Membrane-Membrane Fusion Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Mark, S. F.; Vanderburg, Charles R.; Feedback, Daniel L.

2001-01-01

Although it is unclear how a living cell senses gravitational forces there is no doubt that perturbation of the gravitational environment results in profound alterations in cellular function. In the present study, we have focused our attention on how acute microgravity exposure during parabolic flight affects the skeletal muscle cell plasma membrane (i.e. sarcolemma), with specific reference to a mechanically-reactive signaling mechanism known as mechanically-induced membrane disruption or "wounding". This response is characterized by both membrane rupture and membrane resealing events mediated by membrane-membrane fusion. We here present experimental evidence that acute microgravity exposure can inhibit membrane-membrane fusion events essential for the resealing of sarcolemmal wounds in individual human myoblasts. Additional evidence to support this contention comes from experimental studies that demonstrate acute microgravity exposure also inhibits secretagogue-stimulated intracellular vesicle fusion with the plasma membrane in HL-60 cells. Based on our own observations and those of other investigators in a variety of ground-based models of membrane wounding and membrane-membrane fusion, we suggest that the disruption in the membrane resealing process observed during acute microgravity is consistent with a microgravity-induced decrease in membrane order.

Fast Acting Eddy Current Driven Valve for Massive Gas Injection on ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyttle, Mark S; Baylor, Larry R; Carmichael, Justin R

2015-01-01

Tokamak plasma disruptions present a significant challenge to ITER as they can result in intense heat flux, large forces from halo and eddy currents, and potential first-wall damage from the generation of multi-MeV runaway electrons. Massive gas injection (MGI) of high Z material using fast acting valves is being explored on existing tokamaks and is planned for ITER as a method to evenly distribute the thermal load of the plasma to prevent melting, control the rate of the current decay to minimize mechanical loads, and to suppress the generation of runaway electrons. A fast acting valve and accompanying power supplymore » have been designed and first test articles produced to meet the requirements for a disruption mitigation system on ITER. The test valve incorporates a flyer plate actuator similar to designs deployed on TEXTOR, ASDEX upgrade, and JET [1 3] of a size useful for ITER with special considerations to mitigate the high mechanical forces developed during actuation due to high background magnetic fields. The valve includes a tip design and all-metal valve stem sealing for compatibility with tritium and high neutron and gamma fluxes.« less

Progress on ITER Diagnostic Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, David; Feder, Russ; Klabacha, Jonathan; Loesser, Doug; Messineo, Mike; Stratton, Brentley; Wood, Rick; Zhai, Yuhu; Andrew, Phillip; Barnsley, Robin; Bertschinger, Guenter; Debock, Maarten; Reichle, Roger; Udintsev, Victor; Vayakis, George; Watts, Christopher; Walsh, Michael

2013-10-01

On ITER, front-end components must operate reliably in a hostile environment. Many will be housed in massive port plugs, which also shield the machine from radiation. Multiple diagnostics reside in a single plug, presenting new challenges for developers. Front-end components must tolerate thermally-induced stresses, disruption-induced mechanical loads, stray ECH radiation, displacement damage, and degradation due to plasma-induced coatings. The impact of failures is amplified due to the difficulty in performing robotic maintenance on these large structures. Motivated by needs to minimize disruption loads on the plugs, standardize the handling of shield modules, and decouple the parallel efforts of the many parties, the packaging strategy for diagnostics has recently focused on the use of 3 vertical shield modules inserted from the plasma side into each equatorial plug structure. At the front of each is a detachable first wall element with customized apertures. Progress on US equatorial and upper plugs will be used as examples, including the layout of components in the interspace and port cell regions. Supported by PPPL under contract DE-AC02-09CH11466 and UT-Battelle, LLC under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. DOE.

Recent Results of IRAN-T1 Tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorranian, D.; Ghoranneviss, M.; Salem, M. K.

2006-12-04

In this article after introducing the IR-T1 tokamak and its diagnostic systems a brief discussion on the range of grossly stable operating conditions of its plasma by Hugill diagram is presented. Hard disruption instability is studied experimentally in the next part, which confirms that MHD behavior in small tokamaks can be characterized by a single parameter q(a), safety factor at plasma edge. Finally the characteristics of the new regime of IR-T1 are reported. By our new model of triggering different fields (toroidal, ohmic and vertical), the plasma duration time is increased up to 35 ms with Ip of about 25more » kA. By modifying capacitance and charging voltage of ohmic and vertical fields the spike oscillations which was appeared in the plasma behavior is taken out. The role of cleaning the vacuum chamber and using heavier gas for glow discharge and the effect of base pressure is described in detail.« less

Simulation of tokamak armour erosion and plasma contamination at intense transient heat fluxes in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landman, I. S.; Bazylev, B. N.; Garkusha, I. E.; Loarte, A.; Pestchanyi, S. E.; Safronov, V. M.

2005-03-01

For ITER, the potential material damage of plasma facing tungsten-, CFC-, or beryllium components during transient processes such as ELMs or mitigated disruptions are simulated numerically using the MHD code FOREV-2D and the melt motion code MEMOS-1.5D for a heat deposition in the range of 0.5-3 MJ/m 2 on the time scale of 0.1-1 ms. Such loads can cause significant evaporation at the target surface and a contamination of the SOL by the ions of evaporated material. Results are presented on carbon plasma dynamics in toroidal geometry and on radiation fluxes from the SOL carbon ions obtained with FOREV-2D. The validation of MEMOS-1.5D against the plasma gun tokamak simulators MK-200UG and QSPA-Kh50, based on the tungsten melting threshold, is described. Simulations with MEMOS-1.5D for a beryllium first wall that provide important details about the melt motion dynamics and typical features of the damage are reported.

Vertical Position and Current Profile Measurements by Faraday-effect Polarimetry On EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Weixing; Liu, H. Q.; Jie, Y. X.; Brower, D. L.; Qian, J. P.; Zou, Z. Y.; Lian, H.; Wang, S. X.; Luo, Z. P.; Xiao, B. J.; Ucla Team; Asipp Team

2017-10-01

A primary goal for ITER and prospective fusion power reactors is to achieve controlled long-pulse/steady-state burning plasmas. For elongated divertor plasmas, both the vertical position and current profile have to be precisely controlled to optimize performance and prevent disruptions. An eleven-channel laser-based POlarimeter-INTerferometer (POINT) system has been developed for measuring the internal magnetic field in the EAST tokamak and can be used to obtain the plasma current profile and vertical position. Current profiles are determined from equilibrium reconstruction including internal magnetic field measurements as internal constraints. Horizontally-viewing chords at/near the mid-plane allow us to determine plasma vertical position non-inductively with subcentimeter spatial resolution and time response up to 1 s. The polarimeter-based position measurement, which does not require equilibrium reconstruction, is benchmarked against conventional flux loop measurements and can be exploited for feedback control. Work supported by US DOE through Grants No. DE-FG02-01ER54615 and No. DC-SC0010469.

Response of spermatozoa to hyposmotic stress reflects cryopreservation success

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watson, P.F.; Curry, M.R.; Noiles, E.E.

1992-01-01

Spermatozoa of several species were washed and then subjected to dilution in hyposmotic Tyrode's based solutions. The cells were stained with fluorescent viability stains, carboxyfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide, and proportions with intact plasma membranes determined by flow cytometry or fluorescence microscopy. Fowl spermatozoa remained almost 100% intact until very low osmolality, and then ruptured. Human spermatozoa showed a similar response with only a small decrease in intact cells before the precipitous decline at low osmolality. Bull spermatozoa were more readily disrupted at higher osmolality, some 40% being damaged before the sudden decline at low osmolality. Ram and boar spermatozoamore » were progressively disrupted even at mild hyposmotic stress, showing approximately 50% of cells ruptured at 150 mOsm.« less

Response of spermatozoa to hyposmotic stress reflects cryopreservation success

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watson, P.F.; Curry, M.R.; Noiles, E.E.

1992-06-01

Spermatozoa of several species were washed and then subjected to dilution in hyposmotic Tyrode`s based solutions. The cells were stained with fluorescent viability stains, carboxyfluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide, and proportions with intact plasma membranes determined by flow cytometry or fluorescence microscopy. Fowl spermatozoa remained almost 100% intact until very low osmolality, and then ruptured. Human spermatozoa showed a similar response with only a small decrease in intact cells before the precipitous decline at low osmolality. Bull spermatozoa were more readily disrupted at higher osmolality, some 40% being damaged before the sudden decline at low osmolality. Ram and boar spermatozoamore » were progressively disrupted even at mild hyposmotic stress, showing approximately 50% of cells ruptured at 150 mOsm.« less

Experimental Characterization of a Plasma Deflagration Accelerator for Simulating Fusion Wall Response to Disruption Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Underwood, Thomas; Loebner, Keith; Cappelli, Mark

2016-10-01

In this work, the suitability of a pulsed deflagration accelerator to simulate the interaction of edge-localized modes with plasma first wall materials is investigated. Experimental measurements derived from a suite of diagnostics are presented that focus on the both the properties of the plasma jet and the manner in which such jets couple with material interfaces. Detailed measurements of the thermodynamic plasma state variables within the jet are presented using a quadruple Langmuir probe operating in current-saturation mode. This data in conjunction with spectroscopic measurements of H α Stark broadening via a fast-framing, intensified CCD camera provide spatial and temporal measurements of how the plasma density and temperature scale as a function of input energy. Using these measurements, estimates for the energy flux associated with the deflagration accelerator are found to be completely tunable over a range spanning 150 MW m-2 - 30 GW m-2. The plasma-material interface is investigated using tungsten tokens exposed to the plasma plume under variable conditions. Visualizations of resulting shock structures are achieved through Schlieren cinematography and energy transfer dynamics are discussed by presenting temperature measurements of exposed materials. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Stewardship Science Academic Program in addition to the National Defense Science Engineering Graduate Fellowship.

Basolateral cholesterol depletion alters Aquaporin-2 post-translational modifications and disrupts apical plasma membrane targeting.

PubMed

Moeller, Hanne B; Fuglsang, Cecilia Hvitfeldt; Pedersen, Cecilie Nøhr; Fenton, Robert A

2018-01-01

Apical plasma membrane accumulation of the water channel Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) in kidney collecting duct principal cells is critical for body water homeostasis. Posttranslational modification (PTM) of AQP2 is important for regulating AQP2 trafficking. The aim of this study was to determine the role of cholesterol in regulation of AQP2 PTM and in apical plasma membrane targeting of AQP2. Cholesterol depletion from the basolateral plasma membrane of a collecting duct cell line (mpkCCD14) using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MBCD) increased AQP2 ubiquitylation. Forskolin, cAMP or dDAVP-mediated AQP2 phosphorylation at Ser269 (pS269-AQP2) was prevented by cholesterol depletion from the basolateral membrane. None of these effects on pS269-AQP2 were observed when cholesterol was depleted from the apical side of cells, or when MBCD was applied subsequent to dDAVP stimulation. Basolateral, but not apical, MBCD application prevented cAMP-induced apical plasma membrane accumulation of AQP2. These studies indicate that manipulation of the cholesterol content of the basolateral plasma membrane interferes with AQP2 PTM and subsequently regulated apical plasma membrane targeting of AQP2. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier disruption and lung edema: critical role for bicarbonate stimulation of AC10.

PubMed

Nickols, Jordan; Obiako, Boniface; Ramila, K C; Putinta, Kevin; Schilling, Sarah; Sayner, Sarah L

2015-12-15

Bacteria-induced sepsis is a common cause of pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction and can progress toward acute respiratory distress syndrome. Elevations in intracellular cAMP tightly regulate pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity; however, cAMP signals are highly compartmentalized: whether cAMP is barrier-protective or -disruptive depends on the compartment (plasma membrane or cytosol, respectively) in which the signal is generated. The mammalian soluble adenylyl cyclase isoform 10 (AC10) is uniquely stimulated by bicarbonate and is expressed in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs). Elevated extracellular bicarbonate increases cAMP in PMVECs to disrupt the endothelial barrier and increase the filtration coefficient (Kf) in the isolated lung. We tested the hypothesis that sepsis-induced endothelial barrier disruption and increased permeability are dependent on extracellular bicarbonate and activation of AC10. Our findings reveal that LPS-induced endothelial barrier disruption is dependent on extracellular bicarbonate: LPS-induced barrier failure and increased permeability are exacerbated in elevated bicarbonate compared with low extracellular bicarbonate. The AC10 inhibitor KH7 attenuated the bicarbonate-dependent LPS-induced barrier disruption. In the isolated lung, LPS failed to increase Kf in the presence of minimal perfusate bicarbonate. An increase in perfusate bicarbonate to the physiological range (24 mM) revealed the LPS-induced increase in Kf, which was attenuated by KH7. Furthermore, in PMVECs treated with LPS for 6 h, there was a dose-dependent increase in AC10 expression. Thus these findings reveal that LPS-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier failure requires bicarbonate activation of AC10. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier disruption and lung edema: critical role for bicarbonate stimulation of AC10

PubMed Central

Nickols, Jordan; Obiako, Boniface; Ramila, K. C.; Putinta, Kevin; Schilling, Sarah

2015-01-01

Bacteria-induced sepsis is a common cause of pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction and can progress toward acute respiratory distress syndrome. Elevations in intracellular cAMP tightly regulate pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity; however, cAMP signals are highly compartmentalized: whether cAMP is barrier-protective or -disruptive depends on the compartment (plasma membrane or cytosol, respectively) in which the signal is generated. The mammalian soluble adenylyl cyclase isoform 10 (AC10) is uniquely stimulated by bicarbonate and is expressed in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs). Elevated extracellular bicarbonate increases cAMP in PMVECs to disrupt the endothelial barrier and increase the filtration coefficient (Kf) in the isolated lung. We tested the hypothesis that sepsis-induced endothelial barrier disruption and increased permeability are dependent on extracellular bicarbonate and activation of AC10. Our findings reveal that LPS-induced endothelial barrier disruption is dependent on extracellular bicarbonate: LPS-induced barrier failure and increased permeability are exacerbated in elevated bicarbonate compared with low extracellular bicarbonate. The AC10 inhibitor KH7 attenuated the bicarbonate-dependent LPS-induced barrier disruption. In the isolated lung, LPS failed to increase Kf in the presence of minimal perfusate bicarbonate. An increase in perfusate bicarbonate to the physiological range (24 mM) revealed the LPS-induced increase in Kf, which was attenuated by KH7. Furthermore, in PMVECs treated with LPS for 6 h, there was a dose-dependent increase in AC10 expression. Thus these findings reveal that LPS-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier failure requires bicarbonate activation of AC10. PMID:26475732

Rapid Actions of Xenoestrogens Disrupt Normal Estrogenic Signaling

PubMed Central

Watson, Cheryl S.; Hu, Guangzhen; Paulucci-Holthauzen, Adriana A.

2014-01-01

Some chemicals used in consumer products or manufacturing (eg. plastics, surfactants, pesticides, resins) have estrogenic activities; these xenoestrogens (XEs) chemically resemble physiological estrogens and are one of the major categories of synthesized compounds that disrupt endocrine actions. Potent rapid actions of XEs via nongenomic mechanisms contribute significantly to their disruptive effects on functional endpoints (eg. cell proliferation/death, transport, peptide release). Membrane-initiated hormonal signaling in our pituitary cell model is predominantly driven by mERα with mERβ and GPR30 participation. We visualized ERα on plasma membranes using many techniques in the past (impeded ligands, antibodies to ERα ) and now add observations of epitope proximity with other membrane signaling proteins. We have demonstrated a range of rapid signals/protein activations by XEs including: calcium channels, cAMP/PKA, MAPKs, G proteins, caspases, and transcription factors. XEs can cause disruptions of the oscillating temporal patterns of nongenomic signaling elicited by endogenous estrogens. Concentration effects of XEs are nonmonotonic (a trait shared with natural hormones), making it difficult to design efficient (single concentration) toxicology tests to monitor their harmful effects. A plastics monomer, Bisphenol A, modified by waste treatment (chlorination) and other processes causes dephosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinases, in contrast to having no effects as it does in genomic signaling. Mixtures of XEs, commonly found in contaminated environments, disrupt the signaling actions of physiological estrogens even more severely than do single XEs. Understanding the features of XEs that drive these disruptive mechanisms will allow us to redesign useful chemicals that exclude estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activities. PMID:24269739

Statistical analysis of m/ n = 2/1 locked and quasi-stationary modes with rotating precursors at DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sweeney, Ryan Myles; Choi, W.; La Haye, R. J.

A database has been developed to study the evolution, the nonlinear effects on equilibria, and the disruptivity of locked and quasi-stationary modes with poloidal and toroidal mode numbers m = 2 and n = 1 at DIII-D. The analysis of 22500 discharges shows that more than 18% of disruptions are due to locked or quasi-stationary modes with rotating precursors (not including born locked modes). A parameter formulated by the plasma internal inductance l i divided by the safety factor at 95% of the poloidal flux, q 95, is found to exhibit predictive capability over whether a locked mode will cause a disruption or not, and does so up to hundreds of milliseconds before the disruption. Within 20 ms of the disruption, the shortest distance between the island separatrix and the unperturbed last closed flux surface, referred to as d edge, performs comparably tomore » $${{l}_{i}}/{{q}_{95}}$$ in its ability to discriminate disruptive locked modes. Out of all parameters considered, d edge also correlates best with the duration of the locked mode. Disruptivity following a m/n = 2/1 locked mode as a function of the normalized beta, $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ , is observed to peak at an intermediate value, and decrease for high values. The decrease is attributed to the correlation between $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ and q 95 in the DIII-D operational space. Within 50 ms of a locked mode disruption, average behavior includes exponential growth of the n = 1 perturbed field, which might be due to the 2/1 locked mode. Surprisingly, even assuming the aforementioned 2/1 growth, disruptivity following a locked mode shows little dependence on island width up to 20 ms before the disruption. Separately, greater deceleration of the rotating precursor is observed when the wall torque is large. At locking, modes are often observed to align at a particular phase, which is likely related to a residual error field. Timescales associated with the mode evolution are also studied and dictate the response times necessary for disruption avoidance and mitigation. Lastly, observations of the evolution of $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ during a locked mode, the effects of poloidal beta on the saturated width, and the reduction in Shafranov shift during locking are also presented.« less

Statistical analysis of m/ n = 2/1 locked and quasi-stationary modes with rotating precursors at DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Sweeney, Ryan Myles; Choi, W.; La Haye, R. J.; ...

2016-11-01

A database has been developed to study the evolution, the nonlinear effects on equilibria, and the disruptivity of locked and quasi-stationary modes with poloidal and toroidal mode numbers m = 2 and n = 1 at DIII-D. The analysis of 22500 discharges shows that more than 18% of disruptions are due to locked or quasi-stationary modes with rotating precursors (not including born locked modes). A parameter formulated by the plasma internal inductance l i divided by the safety factor at 95% of the poloidal flux, q 95, is found to exhibit predictive capability over whether a locked mode will cause a disruption or not, and does so up to hundreds of milliseconds before the disruption. Within 20 ms of the disruption, the shortest distance between the island separatrix and the unperturbed last closed flux surface, referred to as d edge, performs comparably tomore » $${{l}_{i}}/{{q}_{95}}$$ in its ability to discriminate disruptive locked modes. Out of all parameters considered, d edge also correlates best with the duration of the locked mode. Disruptivity following a m/n = 2/1 locked mode as a function of the normalized beta, $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ , is observed to peak at an intermediate value, and decrease for high values. The decrease is attributed to the correlation between $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ and q 95 in the DIII-D operational space. Within 50 ms of a locked mode disruption, average behavior includes exponential growth of the n = 1 perturbed field, which might be due to the 2/1 locked mode. Surprisingly, even assuming the aforementioned 2/1 growth, disruptivity following a locked mode shows little dependence on island width up to 20 ms before the disruption. Separately, greater deceleration of the rotating precursor is observed when the wall torque is large. At locking, modes are often observed to align at a particular phase, which is likely related to a residual error field. Timescales associated with the mode evolution are also studied and dictate the response times necessary for disruption avoidance and mitigation. Lastly, observations of the evolution of $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}$$ during a locked mode, the effects of poloidal beta on the saturated width, and the reduction in Shafranov shift during locking are also presented.« less

Large Plasma Membrane Disruptions Are Rapidly Resealed by Ca2+-dependent Vesicle–Vesicle Fusion Events

PubMed Central

Terasaki, Mark; Miyake, Katsuya; McNeil, Paul L.

1997-01-01

A microneedle puncture of the fibroblast or sea urchin egg surface rapidly evokes a localized exocytotic reaction that may be required for the rapid resealing that follows this breach in plasma membrane integrity (Steinhardt, R.A,. G. Bi, and J.M. Alderton. 1994. Science (Wash. DC). 263:390–393). How this exocytotic reaction facilitates the resealing process is unknown. We found that starfish oocytes and sea urchin eggs rapidly reseal much larger disruptions than those produced with a microneedle. When an ∼40 by 10 μm surface patch was torn off, entry of fluorescein stachyose (FS; 1,000 mol wt) or fluorescein dextran (FDx; 10,000 mol wt) from extracellular sea water (SW) was not detected by confocal microscopy. Moreover, only a brief (∼5–10 s) rise in cytosolic Ca2+ was detected at the wound site. Several lines of evidence indicate that intracellular membranes are the primary source of the membrane recruited for this massive resealing event. When we injected FS-containing SW deep into the cells, a vesicle formed immediately, entrapping within its confines most of the FS. DiI staining and EM confirmed that the barrier delimiting injected SW was a membrane bilayer. The threshold for vesicle formation was ∼3 mM Ca2+ (SW is ∼10 mM Ca2+). The capacity of intracellular membranes for sealing off SW was further demonstrated by extruding egg cytoplasm from a micropipet into SW. A boundary immediately formed around such cytoplasm, entrapping FDx or FS dissolved in it. This entrapment did not occur in Ca2+-free SW (CFSW). When egg cytoplasm stratified by centrifugation was exposed to SW, only the yolk platelet–rich domain formed a membrane, suggesting that the yolk platelet is a critical element in this response and that the ER is not required. We propose that plasma membrane disruption evokes Ca2+ regulated vesicle–vesicle (including endocytic compartments but possibly excluding ER) fusion reactions. The function in resealing of this cytoplasmic fusion reaction is to form a replacement bilayer patch. This patch is added to the discontinuous surface bilayer by exocytotic fusion events. PMID:9314529

Statistical analysis of severe magnetic fluctuations in the near-Earth plasma sheet observed by THEMIS-E

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Heqiucen; Shiokawa, Kazuo; Frühauff, Dennis

2017-10-01

We statistically analyzed severe magnetic fluctuations in the nightside near-Earth plasma sheet at 6-12 RE (Earth radii; 1 RE = 6371 km), because they are important for non-magnetohydrodynamics (non-MHD) effects in the magnetotail and are considered to be necessary for current disruption in the inside-out substorm model. We used magnetic field data from 2013 and 2014 obtained by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms E (THEMIS-E) satellite (sampling rate: 4 Hz). A total of 1283 severe magnetic fluctuation events were identified that satisfied the criteria σB/B > 0. 5, where σB and B are the standard deviation and the average value of magnetic field intensity during the time interval of the local proton gyroperiod, respectively. We found that the occurrence rates of severe fluctuation events are 0.00118, 0.00899, and 0.0238 % at 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12 RE, respectively, and most events last for no more than 15 s. From these occurrence rates, we estimated the possible scale sizes of current disruption by severe magnetic fluctuations as 3.83 RE3 by assuming that four substorms with 5 min intervals of current disruption occur every day. The fluctuation events occurred most frequently at the ZGSM (Z distance in the geocentric solar magnetospheric coordinate system) close to the model neutral sheet within 0.2 RE. Most events occur in association with sudden decreases in the auroral electrojet lower (AL) index and magnetic field dipolarization, indicating that they are related to substorms. Sixty-two percent of magnetic fluctuation events were accompanied by ion flow with velocity V > 100 km s-1, indicating that the violation of ion gyromotion tends to occur during high-speed flow in the near-Earth plasma sheet. The superposed epoch analysis also indicated that the flow speed increases before the severe magnetic fluctuations. We discuss how both the inside-out and outside-in substorm models can explain this increase in flow speeds before magnetic fluctuation events.

Detergent solubilization of the EGF receptor from A431 cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dayanidhi, R.; Rintoul, D. A.; Spooner, B. S. (Principal Investigator)

1993-01-01

Functional reconstitution of purified preparations of human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) requires dissociation of the protein from its plasma membrane lipid environment. Solubilization of membrane proteins in this manner requires the use of detergents, which are known to disrupt plasma membrane lipid/protein interactions. We have investigated the ability of three nonionic detergents to solubilize the human EGFR selectively, and have also analyzed the effect of these various treatments on the intrinsic tyrosyl kinase activity of the receptor. The nonionic detergent known as n-octyl glucoside (n-octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside) was found to give the best combination of selectivity, yield, and maintenance of enzymatic activity of the human EGFR.

Exponentially growing tearing modes in Rijnhuizen Tokamak Project plasmas.

PubMed

Salzedas, F; Schüller, F C; Oomens, A A M

2002-02-18

The local measurement of the island width w, around the resonant surface, allowed a direct test of the extended Rutherford model [P. H. Rutherford, PPPL Report-2277 (1985)], describing the evolution of radiation-induced tearing modes prior to disruptions of tokamak plasmas. It is found that this model accounts very well for the observed exponential growth and supports radiation losses as being the main driving mechanism. The model implies that the effective perpendicular electron heat conductivity in the island is smaller than the global one. Comparison of the local measurements of w with the magnetic perturbed field B showed that w proportional to B1/2 was valid for widths up to 18% of the minor radius.

Initial signatures of magnetic field and energetic particle fluxes at tail reconfiguration - Explosive growth phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohtani, S.; Takahashi, K.; Zanetti, L. J.; Potemra, T. A.; Mcentire, R. W.; Iijima, T.

1992-01-01

The initial signatures of tail field reconfiguration observed in the near-earth magnetotail are examined using data obtained by the AMPTE/CCE magnetometer and the Medium Energy Particle Analyzer. It is found that the tail reconfiguration events could be classified as belonging to two types, Type I and Type II. In Type I events, a current disruption is immersed in a hot plasma region expanding from inward (earthward/equatorward) of the spacecraft; consequently, the spacecraft is immersed in a hot plasma region expanding from inward. The Type II reconfiguration event is characterized by a distinctive interval (explosive growth phase) just prior to the local commencement of tail phase.

Final case for a stainless steel diagnostic first wall on ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitts, R. A.; Bazylev, B.; Linke, J.; Landman, I.; Lehnen, M.; Loesser, D.; Loewenhoff, Th.; Merola, M.; Roccella, R.; Saibene, G.; Smith, M.; Udintsev, V. S.

2015-08-01

In 2010 the ITER Organization (IO) proposed to eliminate the beryllium armour on the plasma-facing surface of the diagnostic port plugs and instead to use bare stainless steel (SS), simplifying the design and providing significant cost reduction. Transport simulations at the IO confirmed that charge-exchange sputtering of the SS surfaces would not affect burning plasma operation through core impurity contamination, but a second key issue is the potential melt damage/material loss inflicted by the intense photon radiation flashes expected at the thermal quench of disruptions mitigated by massive gas injection. This paper addresses this second issue through a combination of ITER relevant experimental heat load tests and qualitative theoretical arguments of melt layer stability. It demonstrates that SS can be employed as material for the port plug plasma-facing surface and this has now been adopted into the ITER baseline.

Carbon fiber composites application in ITER plasma facing components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barabash, V.; Akiba, M.; Bonal, J. P.; Federici, G.; Matera, R.; Nakamura, K.; Pacher, H. D.; Rödig, M.; Vieider, G.; Wu, C. H.

1998-10-01

Carbon Fiber Composites (CFCs) are one of the candidate armour materials for the plasma facing components of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). For the present reference design, CFC has been selected as armour for the divertor target near the plasma strike point mainly because of unique resistance to high normal and off-normal heat loads. It does not melt under disruptions and might have higher erosion lifetime in comparison with other possible armour materials. Issues related to CFC application in ITER are described in this paper. They include erosion lifetime, tritium codeposition with eroded material and possible methods for the removal of the codeposited layers, neutron irradiation effect, development of joining technologies with heat sink materials, and thermomechanical performance. The status of the development of new advanced CFCs for ITER application is also described. Finally, the remaining R&D needs are critically discussed.

Destruction of tungsten limiters in the T-10 Tokamak under high plasma heat loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grashin, S. A.; Arkhipov, I. I.; Budaev, V. P.; Giniyatulin, R. N.; Karpov, A. V.; Klyuchnikov, L. A.; Krupin, V. A.; Litunovskiy, N. V.; Masul, I. V.; Makhankov, F. N.; Martynenko, Yu V.; Sarytchev, D. V.; Solomatin, R. Yu; Khimchenko, L. N.

2017-10-01

Tungsten limiters were tested in the T-10 tokamak. The limiters were made from the ITER-grade WMP “POLEMA” tungsten. The influence of the edge tokamak plasma on tungsten limiters leads to significant cracking of tungsten. The heat load of up to 2 MW · m-2 leads to the micro-crack development at the grain boundaries accompanied by the loss of grains. The heat loads that exceed 5 MW · m-2 lead to the macro crack development. Under the present T-10 tokamak conditions, the heat and particle fluxes in the edge plasma lead to the significant destruction of tungsten limiters during the experimental campaign. During the disruption and runaway electron formation, extreme heat loads of more than 1 GW/m2 cause strong melting of tungsten on the inner and outer part of the ring limiter.

Melt damage simulation of W-macrobrush and divertor gaps after multiple transient events in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazylev, B. N.; Janeschitz, G.; Landman, I. S.; Loarte, A.; Pestchanyi, S. E.

2007-06-01

Tungsten in the form of macrobrush structure is foreseen as one of two candidate materials for the ITER divertor and dome. In ITER, even for moderate and weak ELMs when a thin shielding layer does not protect the armour surface from the dumped plasma, the main mechanisms of metallic target damage remain surface melting and melt motion erosion, which determines the lifetime of the plasma facing components. The melt erosion of W-macrobrush targets with different geometry of brush surface under the heat loads caused by weak ELMs is numerically investigated using the modified code MEMOS. The optimal angle of brush surface inclination that provides a minimum of surface roughness is estimated for given inclination angles of impacting plasma stream and given parameters of the macrobrush target. For multiple disruptions the damage of the dome gaps and the gaps between divertor cassettes caused by the radiation impact is estimated.

Evaluation of runaway-electron effects on plasma-facing components for NET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolt, H.; Calén, H.

1991-03-01

Runaway electrons which are generated during disruptions can cause serious damage to plasma facing components in a next generation device like NET. A study was performed to quantify the response of NET plasma facing components to runaway-electron impact. For the determination of the energy deposition in the component materials Monte Carlo computations were performed. Since the subsurface metal structures can be strongly heated under runaway-electron impact from the computed results damage threshold values for the thermal excursions were derived. These damage thresholds are strongly dependent on the materials selection and the component design. For a carbonmolybdenum divertor with 10 and 20 mm carbon armour thickness and 1 degree electron incidence the damage thresholds are 100 MJ/m 2 and 220 MJ/m 2. The thresholds for a carbon-copper divertor under the same conditions are about 50% lower. On the first wall damage is anticipated for energy depositions above 180 MJ/m 2.

Examination of the physical processes associated with the keyhole region of variable polarity plasma arc welds in aluminum alloy 2219

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, Daniel W.

1987-01-01

The morphology and properties of the Variable Polarity Plasma Arc (VPPA) weld composite zone are intimately related to the physical processes associated with the keyhole. This study examined the effects of oxide, halide, and sulfate additions to the weld plate on the keyhole and the weld pool. Changes in both the arc plasma character and the bead morphology were correlated to the chemical environment of the weld. Pool behavior was observed by adding flow markers to actual VPPA welds. A low temperature analog to the welding process was developed. The results of the study indicate that oxygen, even at low partial pressures, can disrupt the stable keyhole and weld pool. The results also indicate that the Marangoni surface tension driven flows dominate the weld pool over the range of welding currents studied.

A novel permeabilization protocol to obtain intracellular 3D immunolabeling for electron tomography.

PubMed

Jiménez, Nuria; Post, Jan A

2014-01-01

Electron tomography (ET) is a very important high-resolution tool for 3D imaging in cell biology. By combining the technique with immunolabeling, ET can provide essential insights into both cellular architecture and dynamics. We recently developed a protocol to achieve 3D immunolabeling of intracellular antigens without the need for uncontrolled permeabilization steps that cause random, extensive cell membrane disruption. Here we describe this novel method based on well-controlled permeabilization by targeted laser cell perforation. Mechanical permeabilization of the plasma membrane can be applied at specific sites without affecting other parts of the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. Despite the relatively small opening created in the plasma membrane, the method allows specific 3D immunolocalization of cytoplasmic antigens in cultured cells by a pre-embedment protocol. The approach is unique and leads to a superior ultrastructural preservation for transmission electron microscopy and electron tomography.

Boundary perturbations coupled to core 3/2 tearing modes on the DIII-D tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobias, B.; Yu, L.; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, N. C., Jr.; Austin, M. E.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Turnbull, A. D.; Classen, I. G. J.; the DIII-D Team

2013-09-01

High confinement (H-mode) discharges on the DIII-D tokamak are routinely subject to the formation of long-lived, non-disruptive magnetic islands that degrade confinement and limit fusion performance. Simultaneous, 2D measurement of electron temperature fluctuations in the core and edge regions allows for reconstruction of the radially resolved poloidal mode number spectrum and phase of the global plasma response associated with these modes. Coherent, n = 2 excursions of the plasma boundary are found to be the result of coupling to an n = 2, kink-like mode which arises locked in phase to the 3/2 island chain. This coupling dictates the relative phase of the displacement at the boundary with respect to the tearing mode. This unambiguous phase relationship, for which no counter-examples are observed, is presented as a test for modeling of the perturbed fields to be expected outside the confined plasma.

Dynamic molecular confinement in the plasma membrane by microdomains and the cytoskeleton meshwork.

PubMed

Lenne, Pierre-François; Wawrezinieck, Laure; Conchonaud, Fabien; Wurtz, Olivier; Boned, Annie; Guo, Xiao-Jun; Rigneault, Hervé; He, Hai-Tao; Marguet, Didier

2006-07-26

It is by now widely recognized that cell membranes show complex patterns of lateral organization. Two mechanisms involving either a lipid-dependent (microdomain model) or cytoskeleton-based (meshwork model) process are thought to be responsible for these plasma membrane organizations. In the present study, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements on various spatial scales were performed in order to directly identify and characterize these two processes in live cells with a high temporal resolution, without any loss of spatial information. Putative raft markers were found to be dynamically compartmented within tens of milliseconds into small microdomains (Ø <120 nm) that are sensitive to the cholesterol and sphingomyelin levels, whereas actin-based cytoskeleton barriers are responsible for the confinement of the transferrin receptor protein. A free-like diffusion was observed when both the lipid-dependent and cytoskeleton-based organizations were disrupted, which suggests that these are two main compartmentalizing forces at work in the plasma membrane.

Realizing steady-state tokamak operation for fusion energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2011-03-01

Continuous operation of a tokamak for fusion energy has clear engineering advantages but requires conditions beyond those sufficient for a burning plasma. The fusion reactions and external sources must support both the pressure and the current equilibrium without inductive current drive, leading to demands on stability, confinement, current drive, and plasma-wall interactions that exceed those for pulsed tokamaks. These conditions have been met individually, and significant progress has been made in the past decade to realize scenarios where the required conditions are obtained simultaneously. Tokamaks are operated routinely without disruptions near pressure limits, as needed for steady-state operation. Fully noninductive sustainment with more than half of the current from intrinsic currents has been obtained for a resistive time with normalized pressure and confinement approaching those needed for steady-state conditions. One remaining challenge is handling the heat and particle fluxes expected in a steady-state tokamak without compromising the core plasma performance.

Transformation of the ordered internal structures during the acceleration of fast charged particles in a dense plasma focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubes, P.; Paduch, M.; Cikhardt, J.; Cikhardtova, B.; Klir, D.; Kravarik, J.; Rezac, K.; Zielinska, E.; Sadowski, M. J.; Szymaszek, A.; Tomaszewski, K.; Zaloga, D.

2017-07-01

The paper concerns important differences in the evolution of plasma column structures during the production of fusion neutrons in the first and subsequent neutron pulses, as observed for plasma-focus discharges performed with the deuterium filling. The first neutron pulse, of a more isotropic distribution, is usually produced during the formation of the first big plasmoid. The next neutron pulses can be generated by the fast deuterons moving dominantly in the downstream direction, at the instants of a disruption of the pinch constriction, when other plasmoids are formed during the constriction evolution. In both cases, the fusion neutrons are produced by a beam-target mechanism, and the acceleration of fast electron- and deuteron-beams can be interpreted by transformation and decay of the magnetic field associated with a filamentary structure of the current flow in the plasmoid.

Cations as switches of amyloid-mediated membrane disruption mechanisms: calcium and IAPP.

PubMed

Sciacca, Michele F M; Milardi, Danilo; Messina, Grazia M L; Marletta, Giovanni; Brender, Jeffrey R; Ramamoorthy, Ayyalusamy; La Rosa, Carmelo

2013-01-08

Disruption of the integrity of the plasma membrane by amyloidogenic proteins is linked to the pathogenesis of a number of common age-related diseases. Although accumulating evidence suggests that adverse environmental stressors such as unbalanced levels of metal ions may trigger amyloid-mediated membrane damage, many features of the molecular mechanisms underlying these events are unknown. Using human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP, aka amylin), an amyloidogenic peptide associated with β-cell death in type 2 diabetes, we demonstrate that the presence of Ca(2+) ions inhibits membrane damage occurring immediately after the interaction of freshly dissolved hIAPP with the membrane, but significantly enhances fiber-dependent membrane disruption. In particular, dye leakage, quartz crystal microbalance, atomic force microscopy, and NMR experiments show that Ca(2+) ions promote a shallow membrane insertion of hIAPP, which leads to the removal of lipids from the bilayer through a detergent-like mechanism triggered by fiber growth. Because both types of membrane-damage mechanisms are common to amyloid toxicity by most amyloidogenic proteins, it is likely that unregulated ion homeostasis, amyloid aggregation, and membrane disruption are all parts of a self-perpetuating cycle that fuels amyloid cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disruption of coronal magnetic field arcades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikic, Zoran; Linker, Jon A.

1994-01-01

The ideal and resistive properties of isolated large-scale coronal magnetic arcades are studied using axisymmetric solutions of the time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations in spherical geometry. We examine how flares and coronal mass ejections may be initiated by sudden disruptions of the magnetic field. The evolution of coronal arcades in response to applied shearing photospheric flows indicates that disruptive behavior can occur beyond a critical shear. The disruption can be traced to ideal MHD magnetic nonequilibrium. The magnetic field expands outward in a process that opens the field lines and produces a tangential discontinuity in the magnetic field. In the presence of plasma resistivity, the resulting current sheet is the site of rapid reconnection, leading to an impulsive release of magnetic energy, fast flows, and the ejection of a plasmoid. We relate these results to previous studies of force-free fields and to the properties of the open-field configuration. We show that the field lines in an arcade are forced open when the magnetic energy approaches (but is still below) the open-field energy, creating a partially open field in which most of the field lines extend away from the solar surface. Preliminary application of this model to helmet streamers indicates that it is relevant to the initiation of coronal mass ejections.

Material Surface Damage under High Pulse Loads Typical for ELM Bursts and Disruptions in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landman, I. S.; Pestchanyi, S. E.; Safronov, V. M.; Bazylev, B. N.; Garkusha, I. E.

The divertor armour material for the tokamak ITER will probably be carbon manufactured as fibre composites (CFC) and tungsten as either brush-like structures or thin plates. Disruptive pulse loads where the heat deposition Q may reach 102 MJ/m 2 on a time scale Ïä of 3 ms, or operation in the ELMy H-mode at repetitive loads with Q âe 1/4 3 MJ/m2 and Ïä âe 1/4 0.3 ms, deteriorate armour performance. This work surveys recent numerical and experimental investigations of erosion mechanisms at these off-normal regimes carried out at FZK, TRINITI, and IPP-Kharkov. The modelling uses the anisotropic thermomechanics code PEGASUS-3D for the simulation of CFC brittle destruction, the surface melt motion code MEMOS-1.5D for tungsten targets, and the radiation-magnetohydrodynamics code FOREV-2D for calculating the plasma impact and simulating the heat loads for the ITER regime. Experiments aimed at validating these codes are being carried out at the plasma gun facilities MK-200UG, QSPA-T, and QSPA-Kh50 which produce powerful streams of hydrogen plasma with Q = 10–30 MJ/m2 and Ïä = 0.03–0.5 ms. Essential results are, for CFC targets, the experiments at high heat loads and the development of a local overheating model incorporated in PEGASUS-3D, and for the tungsten targets the analysis of evaporation- and melt motion erosion on the base of MEMOS-1.5D calculations for repetitive ELMs.

The trenbolone acetate affects the immune system in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

PubMed

Massart, Sophie; Redivo, Baptiste; Flamion, Enora; Mandiki, S N M; Falisse, Elodie; Milla, Sylvain; Kestemont, Patrick

2015-06-01

In aquatic systems, the presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) can disrupt the reproductive function but also the immune system of wildlife. Some studies have investigated the effects of androgens on the fish immune parameters but the mechanisms by which the xenoandrogens alter the immunity are not well characterized. In order to test the effects of trenbolone acetate (TbA) on fish immune system, we exposed rainbow trout male juveniles during three weeks to TbA levels at 0.1 and 1μg/L. The present results suggest that TbA impacts, in a tissue-dependent manner, the rainbow trout immunity by affecting primarily the humoral immunity. Indeed, TbA inhibited lysozyme activity in plasma and liver and enhanced the alternative complement pathway activity (ACH50) in kidney. In plasma, the modulation of the complement system was time-dependent. The mRNA expression of genes encoding some cytokines such as renal TGF-β1, TNF-α in skin and hepatic IL-1β was also altered in fish exposed to TbA. Regarding the cellular immunity, no effect was observed on the leucocyte population. However, the expression of genes involved in the development and maturation of lymphoid cells (RAG-1 and RAG-2) was decreased in TbA-treated fish. Among those effects, we suggest that the modulation of RAG-1 and mucus apolipoprotein-A1 gene expression as well as plasma and hepatic lysozyme activities are mediated through the action of the androgen receptor. All combined, we conclude that trenbolone affects the rainbow trout immunity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anthrax edema toxin disrupts distinct steps in Rab11-dependent junctional transport

PubMed Central

Guichard, Annabel; Jain, Prashant; Moayeri, Mahtab; Cruz-Moreno, Beatriz; Leppla, Stephen H.; Nizet, Victor

2017-01-01

Various bacterial toxins circumvent host defenses through overproduction of cAMP. In a previous study, we showed that edema factor (EF), an adenylate cyclase from Bacillus anthracis, disrupts endocytic recycling mediated by the small GTPase Rab11. As a result, cargo proteins such as cadherins fail to reach inter-cellular junctions. In the present study, we provide further mechanistic dissection of Rab11 inhibition by EF using a combination of Drosophila and mammalian systems. EF blocks Rab11 trafficking after the GTP-loading step, preventing a constitutively active form of Rab11 from delivering cargo vesicles to the plasma membrane. Both of the primary cAMP effector pathways -PKA and Epac/Rap1- contribute to inhibition of Rab11-mediated trafficking, but act at distinct steps of the delivery process. PKA acts early, preventing Rab11 from associating with its effectors Rip11 and Sec15. In contrast, Epac functions subsequently via the small GTPase Rap1 to block fusion of recycling endosomes with the plasma membrane, and appears to be the primary effector of EF toxicity in this process. Similarly, experiments conducted in mammalian systems reveal that Epac, but not PKA, mediates the activity of EF both in cell culture and in vivo. The small GTPase Arf6, which initiates endocytic retrieval of cell adhesion components, also contributes to junctional homeostasis by counteracting Rab11-dependent delivery of cargo proteins at sites of cell-cell contact. These studies have potentially significant practical implications, since chemical inhibition of either Arf6 or Epac blocks the effect of EF in cell culture and in vivo, opening new potential therapeutic avenues for treating symptoms caused by cAMP-inducing toxins or related barrier-disrupting pathologies. PMID:28945820

Anthrax edema toxin disrupts distinct steps in Rab11-dependent junctional transport.

PubMed

Guichard, Annabel; Jain, Prashant; Moayeri, Mahtab; Schwartz, Ruth; Chin, Stephen; Zhu, Lin; Cruz-Moreno, Beatriz; Liu, Janet Z; Aguilar, Bernice; Hollands, Andrew; Leppla, Stephen H; Nizet, Victor; Bier, Ethan

2017-09-01

Various bacterial toxins circumvent host defenses through overproduction of cAMP. In a previous study, we showed that edema factor (EF), an adenylate cyclase from Bacillus anthracis, disrupts endocytic recycling mediated by the small GTPase Rab11. As a result, cargo proteins such as cadherins fail to reach inter-cellular junctions. In the present study, we provide further mechanistic dissection of Rab11 inhibition by EF using a combination of Drosophila and mammalian systems. EF blocks Rab11 trafficking after the GTP-loading step, preventing a constitutively active form of Rab11 from delivering cargo vesicles to the plasma membrane. Both of the primary cAMP effector pathways -PKA and Epac/Rap1- contribute to inhibition of Rab11-mediated trafficking, but act at distinct steps of the delivery process. PKA acts early, preventing Rab11 from associating with its effectors Rip11 and Sec15. In contrast, Epac functions subsequently via the small GTPase Rap1 to block fusion of recycling endosomes with the plasma membrane, and appears to be the primary effector of EF toxicity in this process. Similarly, experiments conducted in mammalian systems reveal that Epac, but not PKA, mediates the activity of EF both in cell culture and in vivo. The small GTPase Arf6, which initiates endocytic retrieval of cell adhesion components, also contributes to junctional homeostasis by counteracting Rab11-dependent delivery of cargo proteins at sites of cell-cell contact. These studies have potentially significant practical implications, since chemical inhibition of either Arf6 or Epac blocks the effect of EF in cell culture and in vivo, opening new potential therapeutic avenues for treating symptoms caused by cAMP-inducing toxins or related barrier-disrupting pathologies.

Impairment of skin barrier function via cholinergic signal transduction in a dextran sulphate sodium-induced colitis mouse model.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Satoshi; Hiramoto, Keiichi; Koyama, Mayu; Ooi, Kazuya

2015-10-01

Dry skin has been clinically associated with visceral diseases, including liver disease, as well as for our previously reported small intestinal injury mouse model, which have abnormalities in skin barrier function. To clarify this disease-induced skin disruption, we used a dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. Following treatment with DSS, damage to the colon and skin was monitored using histological and protein analysis methods as well as the detection of inflammatory mediators in the plasma. Notably, transepidermal water loss was higher, and skin hydration was lower in DSS-treated mice compared to controls. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 and NO2-/NO3- levels were also upregulated in the plasma, and a decrease in body weight and colon length was observed in DSS-treated mice. However, when administered TNF-α antibody or an iNOS inhibitor, no change in skin condition was observed, indicating that another signalling mechanism is utilized. Interestingly, the number of tryptase-expressing mast cells, known for their role in immune function via cholinergic signal transduction, was elevated. To evaluate the function of cholinergic signalling in this context, atropine (a muscarinic cholinoceptor antagonist) or hexamethonium (a nicotinic cholinergic ganglion-blocking agent) was administered to DSS-treated mice. Our data indicate that muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) are the primary receptors functioning in colon-to-skin signal transduction, as DSS-induced skin disruption was suppressed by atropine. Thus, skin disruption is likely associated with DSS-induced colitis, and the activation of mast cells via mAChRs is critical to this association. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparative effects of Bisphenol S and Bisphenol A on the development of female reproductive system in rats; a neonatal exposure study.

PubMed

Ahsan, Nida; Ullah, Hizb; Ullah, Waheed; Jahan, Sarwat

2018-04-01

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been well documented for its endocrine disrupting potential however, very little is known about endocrine disrupting abilities of bisphenol S (BPS). The present study aimed to compare the endocrine disrupting potentials of BPS with BPA, using female rats as an experimental animal model. On postnatal day 1 (PND 1) female pups born were randomly assigned to seven different treatments. Control group received subcutaneous injection of castor oil (50 μL) from PND 1 to PND 10. Three groups of female pups were injected subcutaneously with different concentrations (0.5, 5 and 50 mg/kg in 50 μL castor oil) of BPS, while remaining three groups were treated with 0.5, 5 and 50 mg/kg BPA. Highest doses treatments of both compounds resulted in delayed puberty onset and altered estrous cyclicity. Final body weight was significantly high in the highest dose treated groups of both BPS and BPA. Gonadosomatic index, absolute and relative weight of uteri was significantly reduced in BPS (5 and 50 mg/kg) and BPA (5 and 50 mg/kg) treated groups than control. Plasma concentrations of testosterone and estradiol were significantly increased, while plasma progesterone, Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations were significantly reduced in highest doses treated groups. Dose dependent increase in the number of cystic follicles in the ovaries was evident along with an increase in the number of atratic follicles. The results suggest that neonatal exposure to higher concentrations of BPS can lead to BPA like structural and endocrine alterations in female rats. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aqueous two-phase partition applied to the isolation of plasma membranes and Golgi apparatus from cultured mammalian cells.

PubMed

Morré, D M; Morre, D J

2000-06-23

Partitioning in dextran-poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG) aqueous-aqueous phase systems represents a mature technology with many applications to separations of cells and to the preparation of membranes from mammalian cells. Most applications to membrane isolation and purification have focused on plasma membranes, plasma membrane domains and separation of right side-out and inside-out plasma membrane vesicles. The method exploits a combination of membrane properties, including charge and hydrophobicity. Purification is based upon differential distributions of the constituents in a sample between the two principal compartments of the two phases (upper and lower) and at the interface. The order of affinity of animal cell membranes for the upper phase is: endoplasmic reticulum

The quiet evening auroral arc and the structure of the growth phase near-Earth plasma sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coroniti, F. V.; Pritchett, P. L.

2014-03-01

The plasma pressure and current configuration of the near-Earth plasma sheet that creates and sustains the quiet evening auroral arc during the growth phase of magnetospheric substorms is investigated. We propose that the quiet evening arc (QEA) connects to the thin near-Earth current sheet, which forms during the development of the growth phase enhancement of convection. The current sheet's large polarization electric fields are shielded from the ionosphere by an Inverted-V parallel potential drop, thereby producing the electron precipitation responsible for the arc's luminosity. The QEA is located in the plasma sheet region of maximal radial pressure gradient and, in the east-west direction, follows the vanishing of the approximately dawn-dusk-directed gradient or fold in the plasma pressure. In the evening sector, the boundary between the Region1 and Region 2 current systems occurs where the pressure maximizes (approximately radial gradient of the pressure vanishes) and where the approximately radial gradient of the magnetic flux tube volume also vanishes in an inflection region. The proposed intricate balance of plasma sheet pressure and currents may well be very sensitive to disruption by the arrival of equatorward traveling auroral streamers and their associated earthward traveling dipolarization fronts.

Simulations of vertical disruptions with VDE code: Hiro and Evans currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xujing; Di Hu Team; Leonid Zakharov Team; Galkin Team

2014-10-01

The recently created numerical code VDE for simulations of vertical instability in tokamaks is presented. The numerical scheme uses the Tokamak MHD model, where the plasma inertia is replaced by the friction force, and an adaptive grid numerical scheme. The code reproduces well the surface currents generated at the plasma boundary by the instability. Five regimes of the vertical instability are presented: (1) Vertical instability in a given plasma shaping field without a wall; (2) The same with a wall and magnetic flux ΔΨ|plX< ΔΨ|Xwall(where X corresponds to the X-point of a separatrix); (3) The same with a wall and magnetic flux ΔΨ|plX> ΔΨ|Xwall; (4) Vertical instability without a wall with a tile surface at the plasma path; (5) The same in the presence of a wall and a tile surface. The generation of negative Hiro currents along the tile surface, predicted earlier by the theory and measured on EAST in 2012, is well-reproduced by simulations. In addition, the instability generates the force-free Evans currents at the free plasma surface. The new pattern of reconnection of the plasma with the vacuum magnetic field is discovered. This work is supported by US DoE Contract No. DE-AC02-09-CH11466.

Concentrations in plasma clozapine levels in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients.

PubMed

Iglesias García, Celso; Iglesias Alonso, Ana; Bobes, Julio

There is great variability in plasma levels of clozapine. The objective of this study is to know the characteristics of patients treated with clozapine and the relationship between them and the variability of plasma levels. Descriptive, cross-sectional study of all patients currently treated with clozapine in a Psychiatric Service with a diagnosis of schizophrenic psychosis or schizoaffective disorder. The present study assessed physical situation, psychopathology and functionality of the patients and explored the associations and correlations between clinical variables and plasma levels. We studied 39 patients, predominantly men, with negative and depressive symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors (metabolic syndrome and smoking). Significant variability in dose and even greater in clozapine levels were observed. The levels of clozapine at equal doses/kg of body weight were higher in non-smokers, they had positive correlation with BMI and negative correlation with systolic BP, disruptive behaviors and number of cigarettes consumed. Plasma level monitoring clozapine is an important tool to avoid clozapine plasma levels monitoring and minimize undesirable clinical situations (metabolic syndrome, sedation, negative symptoms and functional impairment). It is also important to control the effects of a smoking habit for optimum drug bioavailability. Copyright © 2017 SEP y SEPB. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Aqueous two-phase partition applied to the isolation of plasma membranes and Golgi apparatus from cultured mammalian cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morre, D. M.; Morre, D. J.

2000-01-01

Partitioning in dextran-poly(ethylene)glycol (PEG) aqueous-aqueous phase systems represents a mature technology with many applications to separations of cells and to the preparation of membranes from mammalian cells. Most applications to membrane isolation and purification have focused on plasma membranes, plasma membrane domains and separation of right side-out and inside-out plasma membrane vesicles. The method exploits a combination of membrane properties, including charge and hydrophobicity. Purification is based upon differential distributions of the constituents in a sample between the two principal compartments of the two phases (upper and lower) and at the interface. The order of affinity of animal cell membranes for the upper phase is: endoplasmic reticulum

Human plasma lipid modulation in schistosomiasis mansoni depends on apolipoprotein E polymorphism.

PubMed

Martins da Fonseca, Caíque Silveira; Pimenta Filho, Adenor Almeida; dos Santos, Bianka Santana; da Silva, César Augusto; Domingues, Ana Lúcia Coutinho; Owen, James Stuart; Lima, Vera Lúcia de Menezes

2014-01-01

Schistosomiasis mansoni is a parasitic liver disease, which causes several metabolic disturbances. Here, we evaluate the influence of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism, a known modulator of lipid metabolism, on plasma lipid levels in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. Blood samples were used for APOE genotyping and to measure total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides. Schistosomiasis patients had reduced TC, LDL-C and triglycerides (25%, 38% and 32% lower, respectively; P<0.0001) compared to control individuals, whereas HDL-C was increased (10% higher; P = 0.0136). Frequency of the common alleles, ε2, ε3 and ε4, was similar (P = 0.3568) between controls (n = 108) and patients (n = 84), implying that APOE genotype did not affect susceptibility to the advanced stage of schistosomiasis. Nevertheless, while patient TC and LDL-C levels were significantly reduced for each allele (except TC in ε2 patients), changes in HDL-C and triglycerides were noted only for the less common ε2 and ε4 alleles. The most striking finding, however, was that accepted regulation of plasma lipid levels by APOE genotype was disrupted by schistosomiasis. Thus, while ε2 controls had higher TC and LDL-C than ε3 carriers, these parameters were lower in ε2 versus ε3 patients. Similarly, the inverse relationship of TG levels in controls (ε2>ε3>ε4) was absent in patients (ε2 or ε4>ε3), and the increase in HDL-C of ε2 or ε4 patients compared to ε3 patients was not seen in the control groups. We confirm that human schistosomiasis causes dyslipidemia and report for the first time that certain changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels depend on APOE gene polymorphism. Importantly, we also concluded that S. mansoni disrupts the expected regulation of plasma lipids by the different ApoE isoforms. This finding suggests ways to identify new metabolic pathways affected by schistosomiasis and also potential molecular targets to treat associated morbidities.

Selective cell-surface labeling of the molecular motor protein prestin.

PubMed

McGuire, Ryan M; Silberg, Jonathan J; Pereira, Fred A; Raphael, Robert M

2011-06-24

Prestin, a multipass transmembrane protein whose N- and C-termini are localized to the cytoplasm, must be trafficked to the plasma membrane to fulfill its cellular function as a molecular motor. One challenge in studying prestin sequence-function relationships within living cells is separating the effects of amino acid substitutions on prestin trafficking, plasma membrane localization and function. To develop an approach for directly assessing prestin levels at the plasma membrane, we have investigated whether fusion of prestin to a single pass transmembrane protein results in a functional fusion protein with a surface-exposed N-terminal tag that can be detected in living cells. We find that fusion of the biotin-acceptor peptide (BAP) and transmembrane domain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) to the N-terminus of prestin-GFP yields a membrane protein that can be metabolically-labeled with biotin, trafficked to the plasma membrane, and selectively detected at the plasma membrane using fluorescently-tagged streptavidin. Furthermore, we show that the addition of a surface detectable tag and a single-pass transmembrane domain to prestin does not disrupt its voltage-sensitive activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Studies of single-walled carbon nanotubes-induced hepatotoxicity by NMR-based metabonomics of rat blood plasma and liver extracts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Bencheng; Zhang, Huashan; Lin, Zhiqing; Fang, Yanjun; Tian, Lei; Yang, Honglian; Yan, Jun; Liu, Huanliang; Zhang, Wei; Xi, Zhuge

2013-05-01

The toxicological effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were investigated after intratracheal instillation in male Wistar rats over a 15-day period using metabonomic analysis of 1H (nuclear magnetic resonance) NMR spectra of blood plasma and liver tissue extracts. Concurrent liver histopathology examinations and plasma clinical chemistry analyses were also performed. Significant changes were observed in clinical chemistry features, including alkaline phosphatase, total protein, and total cholesterol, and in liver pathology, suggesting that SWCNTs clearly have hepatotoxicity in the rat. 1H NMR spectra and pattern recognition analyses from nanomaterial-treated rats showed remarkable differences in the excretion of lactate, trimethylamine oxide, bilineurin, phosphocholine, amylaceum, and glycogen. Indications of amino acid metabolism impairment were supported by increased lactate concentrations and decreased alanine concentrations in plasma. The rise in plasma and liver tissue extract concentrations of choline and phosphocholine, together with decreased lipids and lipoproteins, after SWCNTs treatment indicated a disruption of membrane fluidity caused by lipid peroxidation. Energy, amino acid, and fat metabolism appeared to be affected by SWCNTs exposure. Clinical chemistry and metabonomic approaches clearly indicated liver injury, which might have been associated with an indirect mechanism involving nanomaterial-induced oxidative stress.

Argon-plasma-controlled optical reset in the SiO2/Cu filamentary resistive memory stack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawashima, T.; Yew, K. S.; Zhou, Y.; Ang, D. S.; Zhang, H. Z.; Kyuno, K.

2018-05-01

We show that resistive switching in the SiO2/Cu stack can be modified by a brief exposure of the oxide to an Ar plasma. The set voltage of the SiO2/Cu stack is reduced by 33%, while the breakdown voltage of the SiO2/Si stack (control) is almost unchanged. Besides, the Ar plasma treatment suppresses the negative photoconductivity or optical resistance reset effect, where the electrically formed filamentary conductive path consisting of Cu-ion and oxygen-vacancy clusters is disrupted by the recombination of the oxygen vacancies with nearby light-excited oxygen ions. From the enhanced O-H peak in the Fourier-transform infrared spectrum of the plasma-treated oxide, it is proposed that the Ar plasma has created more oxygen vacancies in the surface region of the oxide. These vacancies in turn adsorb water molecules, which act as counter anions (OH-) promoting the migration of Cu cations into the oxide and forming a more complete Cu filament that is less responsive to light. The finding points to the prospect of a control over the optical resistance reset effect by a simple surface treatment step.

Numerical optimization of the ramp-down phase with the RAPTOR code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teplukhina, Anna; Sauter, Olivier; Felici, Federico; The Tcv Team; The ASDEX-Upgrade Team; The Eurofusion Mst1 Team

2017-10-01

The ramp-down optimization goal in this work is defined as the fastest possible decrease of a plasma current while avoiding any disruptions caused by reaching physical or technical limits. Numerical simulations and preliminary experiments on TCV and AUG have shown that a fast decrease of plasma elongation and an adequate timing of the H-L transition during current ramp-down can help to avoid reaching high values of the plasma internal inductance. The RAPTOR code (F. Felici et al., 2012 PPCF 54; F. Felici, 2011 EPFL PhD thesis), developed for real-time plasma control, has been used for an optimization problem solving. Recently the transport model has been extended to include the ion temperature and electron density transport equations in addition to the electron temperature and current density transport equations, increasing the physical applications of the code. The gradient-based models for the transport coefficients (O. Sauter et al., 2014 PPCF 21; D. Kim et al., 2016 PPCF 58) have been implemented to RAPTOR and tested during this work. Simulations of the AUG and TCV entire plasma discharges will be presented. See the author list of S. Coda et al., Nucl. Fusion 57 2017 102011.

Wall Conditioning Characterization in NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caron, D.; Soukhanovskii, V.; Scotti, F.; Weller, M.

2016-10-01

Impurities in tokamak plasmas can lead to disruptive instabilities due to radiative energy loss which impede access to high-confinements mode. One source of impurities in NSTX-U are water molecules trapped in graphite plasma facing components (PFCs), which make up the walls and divertors. Hydrogen and oxygen impurities are released into the plasma due to plasma surface interactions. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and visible spectrometers are used in conjunction with a residual gas analyzer (RGA) to characterize the source and amount of released impurities. A high resolution visible spectrometer measured H/D Balmer- α intensity ratio on the inner wall, the upper and lower divertors, and provided a hydrogen time history for shot-to-shot trends. The RGA provided partial pressure trends of masses 2 (H2) , 16 (O2) , and 18 (H2O). Trends of O VIII and C VI spectral line intensities from the core plasma were obtained from the EUV spectrometer. The trends are correlated with wall conditioning, namely helium glow discharge cleaning and boronization. Using these trends, impurity content monitoring and recommendations for wall conditioning can be implemented. Work supported by DOE under Contracts DE-AC52-07NA27344 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Effect of ECRH and resonant magnetic fields on formation of magnetic islands in the T-10 tokamak plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestakov, E. A.; Savrukhin, P. V.

2017-10-01

Experiments in the T-10 tokamak demonstrated possibility of controlling the plasma current during disruption instability using the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and the controlled operation of the ohmic current-holding system. Quasistable plasma discharge with repeating sawtooth oscillations can be restored after energy quench using auxiliary ECRH power when PEC / POH > 2-5. The external magnetic field generation system consisted of eight saddle coils that were arranged symmetrically relative to the equatorial plane of the torus outside of the vacuum vessel of the T-10 tokamak to study the possible resonant magnetic field effects on the rotation frequency of magnetic islands. The saddle coils power supply system is based on four thyristor converters with a total power of 300 kW. The power supply control system is based on Siemens S7 controllers. As shown by preliminary experiments, the interaction efficiency of external magnetic fields with plasma depends on the plasma magnetic configuration. Optimal conditions for slowing the rotation of magnetic islands were determined. Additionally, the direction of the error magnetic field in the T-10 tokamak was determined, and the threshold value of the external magnetic field was determined.

Runaway electron generation and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, B.; Boncagni, L.; Buratti, P.; Carnevale, D.; Causa, F.; Gospodarczyk Martin-Solis, M., Jr.; Popovic, Z.; Agostini, M.; Apruzzese, G.; Bin, W.; Cianfarani, C.; De Angelis, R.; Granucci, G.; Grosso, A.; Maddaluno, G.; Marocco, D.; Piergotti, V.; Pensa, A.; Podda, S.; Pucella, G.; Ramogida, G.; Rocchi, G.; Riva, M.; Sibio, A.; Sozzi, C.; Tilia, B.; Tudisco, O.; Valisa, M.; FTU Team

2017-01-01

We present an overview of FTU experiments on runaway electron (RE) generation and control carried out through a comprehensive set of real-time (RT) diagnostics/control systems and newly installed RE diagnostics. An RE imaging spectrometer system detects visible and infrared synchrotron radiation. A Cherenkov probe measures RE escaping the plasma. A gamma camera provides hard x-ray radial profiles from RE bremsstrahlung interactions in the plasma. Experiments on the onset and suppression of RE show that the threshold electric field for RE generation is larger than that expected according to a purely collisional theory, but consistent with an increase due to synchrotron radiation losses. This might imply a lower density to be targeted with massive gas injection for RE suppression in ITER. Experiments on active control of disruption-generated RE have been performed through feedback on poloidal coils by implementing an RT boundary-reconstruction algorithm evaluated on magnetic moments. The results indicate that the slow plasma current ramp-down and the simultaneous reduction of the reference plasma external radius are beneficial in dissipating the RE beam energy and population, leading to reduced RE interactions with plasma facing components. RE active control is therefore suggested as a possible alternative or complementary technique to massive gas injection.

Ideal MHD stability and performance of ITER steady-state scenarios with ITBs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, F. M.; Kessel, C. E.; Chance, M. S.; Jardin, S. C.; Manickam, J.

2012-06-01

Non-inductive steady-state scenarios on ITER will need to operate with internal transport barriers (ITBs) in order to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. The large pressure gradients at the location of the internal barrier are conducive to the development of ideal MHD instabilities that may limit the plasma performance and may lead to plasma disruptions. Fully non-inductive scenario simulations with five combinations of heating and current drive sources are presented in this work, with plasma currents in the range 7-10 MA. For each configuration the linear, ideal MHD stability is analysed for variations of the Greenwald fraction and of the pressure peaking factor around the operating point, aiming at defining an operational space for stable, steady-state operations at optimized performance. It is shown that plasmas with lower hybrid heating and current drive maintain the minimum safety factor above 1.5, which is desirable in steady-state operations to avoid neoclassical tearing modes. Operating with moderate ITBs at 2/3 of the minor radius, these plasmas have a minimum safety factor above 2, are ideal MHD stable and reach Q ≳ 5 operating above the ideal no-wall limit.

Onset of magnetic reconnection in a weakly collisional, high- β plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alt, Andrew; Kunz, Matthew

2017-10-01

In a magnetized, weakly collisional plasma, the magnetic moment of the constituent particles is an adiabatic invariant. An increase of the magnetic-field strength in such a plasma thus leads to an increase in the thermal pressure perpendicular to the field lines. Above a β-dependent threshold, this pressure anisotropy drives the mirror instability, which produces strong distortions in the field lines and traps particles on ion-Larmor scales. The impact of this instability on magnetic reconnection is investigated using simple analytical and numerical models for the formation of a current sheet and the associated production of pressure anisotropy. The difficulty in maintaining an isotropic, Maxwellian particle distribution during the formation and subsequent thinning of a current sheet in a weakly collisional plasma, coupled with the low threshold for the mirror instability in a high- β plasma, imply that the topology of reconnecting magnetic fields can radically differ from the standard Harris-sheet profile often used in kinetic simulations of collisionless reconnection. Depending on the rate of current-sheet formation, this mirror-induced disruption may occur before standard tearing modes are able to develop. This work was supported by U.S. DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Pyroptosis is driven by non-selective gasdermin-D pore and its morphology is different from MLKL channel-mediated necroptosis

PubMed Central

Chen, Xin; He, Wan-ting; Hu, Lichen; Li, Jingxian; Fang, Yuan; Wang, Xin; Xu, Xiaozheng; Wang, Zhuo; Huang, Kai; Han, Jiahuai

2016-01-01

Necroptosis and pyroptosis are two forms of programmed cell death with a common feature of plasma membrane rupture. Here we studied the morphology and mechanism of pyroptosis in comparison with necroptosis. Different from necroptosis, pyroptosis undergoes membrane blebbing and produces apoptotic body-like cell protrusions (termed pyroptotic bodies) prior to plasma membrane rupture. The rupture in necroptosis is explosion-like, whereas in pyroptosis it leads to flattening of cells. It is known that the execution of necroptosis is mediated by mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) oligomers in the plasma membrane, whereas gasdermin-D (GSDMD) mediates pyroptosis after its cleavage by caspase-1 or caspase-11. We show that N-terminal fragment of GSDMD (GSDMD-N) generated by caspase cleavage also forms oligomer and migrates to the plasma membrane to kill cells. Both MLKL and GSDMD-N are lipophilic and the N-terminal sequences of both proteins are important for their oligomerization and plasma membrane translocation. Unlike MLKL which forms channels on the plasma membrane that induces influx of selected ions which osmotically swell the cells to burst, GSDMD-N forms non-selective pores and does not rely on increased osmolarity to disrupt cells. Our study reveals the pore-forming activity of GSDMD and channel-forming activity of MLKL determine different ways of plasma membrane rupture in pyroptosis and necroptosis. PMID:27573174

Pyroptosis is driven by non-selective gasdermin-D pore and its morphology is different from MLKL channel-mediated necroptosis.

PubMed

Chen, Xin; He, Wan-Ting; Hu, Lichen; Li, Jingxian; Fang, Yuan; Wang, Xin; Xu, Xiaozheng; Wang, Zhuo; Huang, Kai; Han, Jiahuai

2016-09-01

Necroptosis and pyroptosis are two forms of programmed cell death with a common feature of plasma membrane rupture. Here we studied the morphology and mechanism of pyroptosis in comparison with necroptosis. Different from necroptosis, pyroptosis undergoes membrane blebbing and produces apoptotic body-like cell protrusions (termed pyroptotic bodies) prior to plasma membrane rupture. The rupture in necroptosis is explosion-like, whereas in pyroptosis it leads to flattening of cells. It is known that the execution of necroptosis is mediated by mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) oligomers in the plasma membrane, whereas gasdermin-D (GSDMD) mediates pyroptosis after its cleavage by caspase-1 or caspase-11. We show that N-terminal fragment of GSDMD (GSDMD-N) generated by caspase cleavage also forms oligomer and migrates to the plasma membrane to kill cells. Both MLKL and GSDMD-N are lipophilic and the N-terminal sequences of both proteins are important for their oligomerization and plasma membrane translocation. Unlike MLKL which forms channels on the plasma membrane that induces influx of selected ions which osmotically swell the cells to burst, GSDMD-N forms non-selective pores and does not rely on increased osmolarity to disrupt cells. Our study reveals the pore-forming activity of GSDMD and channel-forming activity of MLKL determine different ways of plasma membrane rupture in pyroptosis and necroptosis.

An Amphipathic Helix Directs Cellular Membrane Curvature Sensing and Function of the BAR Domain Protein PICK1.

PubMed

Herlo, Rasmus; Lund, Viktor K; Lycas, Matthew D; Jansen, Anna M; Khelashvili, George; Andersen, Rita C; Bhatia, Vikram; Pedersen, Thomas S; Albornoz, Pedro B C; Johner, Niklaus; Ammendrup-Johnsen, Ina; Christensen, Nikolaj R; Erlendsson, Simon; Stoklund, Mikkel; Larsen, Jannik B; Weinstein, Harel; Kjærulff, Ole; Stamou, Dimitrios; Gether, Ulrik; Madsen, Kenneth L

2018-05-15

BAR domains are dimeric protein modules that sense, induce, and stabilize lipid membrane curvature. Here, we show that membrane curvature sensing (MCS) directs cellular localization and function of the BAR domain protein PICK1. In PICK1, and the homologous proteins ICA69 and arfaptin2, we identify an amphipathic helix N-terminal to the BAR domain that mediates MCS. Mutational disruption of the helix in PICK1 impaired MCS without affecting membrane binding per se. In insulin-producing INS-1E cells, super-resolution microscopy revealed that disruption of the helix selectively compromised PICK1 density on insulin granules of high curvature during their maturation. This was accompanied by reduced hormone storage in the INS-1E cells. In Drosophila, disruption of the helix compromised growth regulation. By demonstrating size-dependent binding on insulin granules, our finding highlights the function of MCS for BAR domain proteins in a biological context distinct from their function, e.g., at the plasma membrane during endocytosis. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Persistent Exposure to 6-Propyl-2-thiouracil, a Thyroid-Disrupting Chemical, Differentially Modulates Expression of Hepatic Catalase and C/EBP-β in Adult Rats.

PubMed

Bunker, Suresh Kumar; Dandapat, Jagneshwar; Sahoo, Sunil Kumar; Roy, Anita; Chainy, Gagan B N

2016-02-01

Persistent exposure of rats to 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) from birth resulted in decreases in plasma thyroid hormone (TH) levels and hepatic expression of catalase and CCAAT enhancer binding protein β (C/EBP-β). Catalase promoter region (-185 to +52) that contains binding sites for C/EBP-β showed an augmentation in the methylation level along with a change in methylation pattern of CpG islands in response to PTU treatment. PTU withdrawal on 30 days of birth restored TH levels and C/EBP-β to control rats in adulthood. Although catalase expression was restored to some extent in adult rats in response to PTU withdrawal, a permanent change in its promoter CpG methylation pattern was recorded. The results suggest that downregulation of adult hepatic catalase gene in response to persistent neonatal PTU exposure may not solely be attributed to thyroid-disrupting properties of PTU. It is possible that besides thyroid-disrupting behavior, PTU may impair expression of hepatic catalase by altering methylation pattern of its promoter. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

APC binds the Miro/Milton motor complex to stimulate transport of mitochondria to the plasma membrane

PubMed Central

Mills, Kate M.; Brocardo, Mariana G.; Henderson, Beric R.

2016-01-01

Mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) disrupt regulation of Wnt signaling, mitosis, and the cytoskeleton. We describe a new role for APC in the transport of mitochondria. Silencing of wild-type APC by small interfering RNA caused mitochondria to redistribute from the cell periphery to the perinuclear region. We identified novel APC interactions with the mitochondrial kinesin-motor complex Miro/Milton that were mediated by the APC C-terminus. Truncating mutations in APC abolished its ability to bind Miro/Milton and reduced formation of the Miro/Milton complex, correlating with disrupted mitochondrial distribution in colorectal cancer cells that could be recovered by reconstitution of wild-type APC. Using proximity ligation assays, we identified endogenous APC-Miro/Milton complexes at mitochondria, and live-cell imaging showed that loss of APC slowed the frequency of anterograde mitochondrial transport to the membrane. We propose that APC helps drive mitochondria to the membrane to supply energy for cellular processes such as directed cell migration, a process disrupted by cancer mutations. PMID:26658612

Implementing a finite-state off-normal and fault response system for disruption avoidance in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eidietis, N. W.; Choi, W.; Hahn, S. H.; Humphreys, D. A.; Sammuli, B. S.; Walker, M. L.

2018-05-01

A finite-state off-normal and fault response (ONFR) system is presented that provides the supervisory logic for comprehensive disruption avoidance and machine protection in tokamaks. Robust event handling is critical for ITER and future large tokamaks, where plasma parameters will necessarily approach stability limits and many systems will operate near their engineering limits. Events can be classified as off-normal plasmas events, e.g. neoclassical tearing modes or vertical displacements events, or faults, e.g. coil power supply failures. The ONFR system presented provides four critical features of a robust event handling system: sequential responses to cascading events, event recovery, simultaneous handling of multiple events and actuator prioritization. The finite-state logic is implemented in Matlab®/Stateflow® to allow rapid development and testing in an easily understood graphical format before automated export to the real-time plasma control system code. Experimental demonstrations of the ONFR algorithm on the DIII-D and KSTAR tokamaks are presented. In the most complex demonstration, the ONFR algorithm asynchronously applies ‘catch and subdue’ electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) injection scheme to suppress a virulent 2/1 neoclassical tearing mode, subsequently shuts down ECCD for machine protection when the plasma becomes over-dense, and enables rotating 3D field entrainment of the ensuing locked mode to allow a safe rampdown, all in the same discharge without user intervention. When multiple ONFR states are active simultaneously and requesting the same actuator (e.g. neutral beam injection or gyrotrons), actuator prioritization is accomplished by sorting the pre-assigned priority values of each active ONFR state and giving complete control of the actuator to the state with highest priority. This early experience makes evident that additional research is required to develop an improved actuator sharing protocol, as well as a methodology to minimize the number and topological complexity of states as the finite-state ONFR system is scaled to a large, highly constrained device like ITER.

An arc control and protection system for the JET lower hybrid antenna based on an imaging system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Figueiredo, J., E-mail: joao.figueiredo@jet.efda.org; Mailloux, J.; Kirov, K.

Arcs are the potentially most dangerous events related to Lower Hybrid (LH) antenna operation. If left uncontrolled they can produce damage and cause plasma disruption by impurity influx. To address this issue an arc real time control and protection imaging system for the Joint European Torus (JET) LH antenna has been implemented. The LH system is one of the additional heating systems at JET. It comprises 24 microwave generators (klystrons, operating at 3.7 GHz) providing up to 5 MW of heating and current drive to the JET plasma. This is done through an antenna composed of an array of waveguidesmore » facing the plasma. The protection system presented here is based primarily on an imaging arc detection and real time control system. It has adapted the ITER like wall hotspot protection system using an identical CCD camera and real time image processing unit. A filter has been installed to avoid saturation and spurious system triggers caused by ionization light. The antenna is divided in 24 Regions Of Interest (ROIs) each one corresponding to one klystron. If an arc precursor is detected in a ROI, power is reduced locally with subsequent potential damage and plasma disruption avoided. The power is subsequently reinstated if, during a defined interval of time, arcing is confirmed not to be present by image analysis. This system was successfully commissioned during the restart phase and beginning of the 2013 scientific campaign. Since its installation and commissioning, arcs and related phenomena have been prevented. In this contribution we briefly describe the camera, image processing, and real time control systems. Most importantly, we demonstrate that an LH antenna arc protection system based on CCD camera imaging systems works. Examples of both controlled and uncontrolled LH arc events and their consequences are shown.« less

Endogenous glucocorticoids exacerbate cholestasis-associated liver injury and hypercholesterolemia in mice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geest, Rick van der, E-mail: r.van.der.geest@lacdr

Cholestatic liver disease is characterized by a disruption of bile flow, bile acid toxicity, liver injury, and hypercholesterolemia. Relatively high secretion of glucocorticoids by the adrenals has been observed under cholestatic conditions. Here we investigated a contribution of the rise in endogenous glucocorticoids to initial stage cholestasis pathology. Adrenalectomized or sham-operated control C57BL/6 mice were given an oral dose of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate to induce cholestasis. Adrenalectomy effectively lowered plasma corticosterone levels (18 ± 5 ng/ml vs 472 ± 58 ng/ml; P < 0.001) and disrupted the metabolic and anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid function. Adrenal removal did not exacerbate the cholestasis extent. In contrast,more » the cholestasis-associated liver injury was markedly lower in adrenalectomized mice as compared to controls as evidenced by a 84%–93% decrease in liver necrosis and plasma alanine aminotransferase and bile acid levels (P < 0.001 for all). Gene expression analysis on livers from adrenalectomized mice suggested the absence of bile acid toxicity-associated farnesoid X receptor signaling in the context of a 44% (P < 0.01) and 82% (P < 0.001) reduction in sodium/bile acid cotransporter member 1 transcript level as compared to respectively control and non-diseased mice. Adrenalectomy reduced the expression of the cholesterol synthesis gene HMG-CoA reductase by 70% (P < 0.05), which translated into a 73% lower plasma total cholesterol level (P < 0.05). Treatment of C57BL/6 mice with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU-486 recapitulated the protective effect of adrenalectomy on indices of liver injury and hypercholesterolemia. In conclusion, we have shown that endogenous glucocorticoids exacerbate the liver injury and hypercholesterolemia associated with acute cholestasis in mice. - Highlights: • Cholestasis is associated with increased plasma glucocorticoid levels in mice. • Adrenalectomy lowers cholestasis-associated liver injury and hypercholesterolemia. • GR antagonist RU-486 similarly improves the cholestasis phenotype. • Endogenous glucocorticoids promote re-uptake of circulating bile acids into liver.« less

Implementing a finite-state off-normal and fault response system for disruption avoidance in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eidietis, N. W.; Choi, W.; Hahn, S. H.

A finite-state off-normal and fault response (ONFR) system is presented that provides the supervisory logic for comprehensive disruption avoidance and machine protection in tokamaks. Robust event handling is critical for ITER and future large tokamaks, where plasma parameters will necessarily approach stability limits and many systems will operate near their engineering limits. Events can be classified as off-normal plasmas events, e.g. neoclassical tearing modes or vertical displacements events, or faults, e.g. coil power supply failures. The ONFR system presented provides four critical features of a robust event handling system: sequential responses to cascading events, event recovery, simultaneous handling of multiplemore » events and actuator prioritization. The finite-state logic is implemented in Matlab*/Stateflow* to allow rapid development and testing in an easily understood graphical format before automated export to the real-time plasma control system code. Experimental demonstrations of the ONFR algorithm on the DIII-D and KSTAR tokamaks are presented. In the most complex demonstration, the ONFR algorithm asynchronously applies “catch and subdue” electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) injection scheme to suppress a virulent 2/1 neoclassical tearing mode, subsequently shuts down ECCD for machine protection when the plasma becomes over-dense, and enables rotating 3D field entrainment of the ensuing locked mode to allow a safe rampdown, all in the same discharge without user intervention. When multiple ONFR states are active simultaneously and requesting the same actuator (e.g. neutral beam injection or gyrotrons), actuator prioritization is accomplished by sorting the pre-assigned priority values of each active ONFR state and giving complete control of the actuator to the state with highest priority. This early experience makes evident that additional research is required to develop an improved actuator sharing protocol, as well as a methodology to minimize the number and topological complexity of states as the finite-state ONFR system is scaled to a large, highly constrained device like ITER.« less

A method to solubilise protein aggregates for immunoassay quantification which overcomes the neurofilament "hook" effect.

PubMed

Lu, Ching-Hua; Kalmar, Bernadett; Malaspina, Andrea; Greensmith, Linda; Petzold, Axel

2011-02-15

Neurofilament (Nf) aggregates are a common pathological feature of neurodegenerative disorders. Although Nf levels have been investigated as a potential disease biomarker, Nf aggregates may mask Nf epitopes, preventing accurate quantification by immunoassay. Using the SOD1(G93A) mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we developed a method to disrupt Nf aggregates, allowing optimal immunoassay performance. Phosphorylated (NfH(SMI35)) and hyperphosphorylated (NfH(SMI34)) Nf levels in plasma from 120-day SOD1(G93A) mice were quantified using an in-house ELISA modified for use with small volumes. Different pre-analytical methods were tested for their ability to solubilize Nf aggregates and immunoblotting was used for qualitative analysis. A 'hook effect' was observed for serially diluted plasma samples quantified using an ELISA originally developed for CSF samples. Immunoblotting confirmed the existence of high molecular-weight NfH aggregates in plasma and the resolving effect of timed urea on these aggregates. Thermostatic (pre-thawing) and chemical (calcium chelators, urea) pre-analytical processing of samples had variable success in disrupting NfH aggregates. Timed urea-calcium chelator incubation yielded the most consistent plasma NfH levels. A one hour sample pre-incubation with 0.5M urea in Barbitone-EDTA buffer at room temperature resolved the "hook effect" without compromising the ELISA. In SOD1(G93A) mice, median levels of NfH(SMI34) were over 10-fold and NfH(SMI35) levels 5-fold greater than controls. NfH aggregates can be solubilised and the "hook effect" abolished by a one-hour sample pre-incubation in a urea-calcium chelator-enriched buffer. This method is applicable for quantification of NfH phosphoforms in experimental and disease settings where Nf aggregate formation occurs. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Implementing a finite-state off-normal and fault response system for disruption avoidance in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Eidietis, N. W.; Choi, W.; Hahn, S. H.; ...

2018-03-29

A finite-state off-normal and fault response (ONFR) system is presented that provides the supervisory logic for comprehensive disruption avoidance and machine protection in tokamaks. Robust event handling is critical for ITER and future large tokamaks, where plasma parameters will necessarily approach stability limits and many systems will operate near their engineering limits. Events can be classified as off-normal plasmas events, e.g. neoclassical tearing modes or vertical displacements events, or faults, e.g. coil power supply failures. The ONFR system presented provides four critical features of a robust event handling system: sequential responses to cascading events, event recovery, simultaneous handling of multiplemore » events and actuator prioritization. The finite-state logic is implemented in Matlab*/Stateflow* to allow rapid development and testing in an easily understood graphical format before automated export to the real-time plasma control system code. Experimental demonstrations of the ONFR algorithm on the DIII-D and KSTAR tokamaks are presented. In the most complex demonstration, the ONFR algorithm asynchronously applies “catch and subdue” electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) injection scheme to suppress a virulent 2/1 neoclassical tearing mode, subsequently shuts down ECCD for machine protection when the plasma becomes over-dense, and enables rotating 3D field entrainment of the ensuing locked mode to allow a safe rampdown, all in the same discharge without user intervention. When multiple ONFR states are active simultaneously and requesting the same actuator (e.g. neutral beam injection or gyrotrons), actuator prioritization is accomplished by sorting the pre-assigned priority values of each active ONFR state and giving complete control of the actuator to the state with highest priority. This early experience makes evident that additional research is required to develop an improved actuator sharing protocol, as well as a methodology to minimize the number and topological complexity of states as the finite-state ONFR system is scaled to a large, highly constrained device like ITER.« less

Mercury exposure associated with altered plasma thyroid hormones in the declining western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) from California mountain streams.

PubMed

Meyer, Erik; Eagles-Smith, Collin A; Sparling, Donald; Blumenshine, Steve

2014-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a global threat to wildlife health that can impair many physiological processes. Mercury has well-documented endocrine activity; however, little work on the effects of Hg on the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in aquatic wildlife exists despite the fact that it is a sensitive endpoint of contaminant exposure. An emerging body of evidence points to the toxicological susceptibility of aquatic reptiles to Hg exposure. We examined the endocrine disrupting potential of Hg in the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata), a long-lived reptile that is in decline throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. We measured total Hg (THg) concentrations in red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma T3 and T4 of turtles from several locations in California that have been impacted by historic gold mining. Across all turtles from all sites, the geometric mean and standard error THg concentration was 0.805 ± 0.025 μg/g dry weight. Sampling region and mass were the strongest determinants of RBC THg. Relationships between RBC THg and T3 and T4 were consistent with Hg-induced disruption of T4 deiodination, a mechanism of toxicity that may cause excess T4 levels and depressed concentrations of biologically active T3.

Focused Ultrasound-Induced Blood–Brain Barrier Opening to Enhance Temozolomide Delivery for Glioblastoma Treatment: A Preclinical Study

PubMed Central

Wei, Kuo-Chen; Chu, Po-Chun; Wang, Hay-Yan Jack; Huang, Chiung-Yin; Chen, Pin-Yuan; Tsai, Hong-Chieh; Lu, Yu-Jen; Lee, Pei-Yun; Tseng, I-Chou; Feng, Li-Ying; Hsu, Peng-Wei; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Liu, Hao-Li

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess the preclinical therapeutic efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-monitored focused ultrasound (FUS)-induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption to enhance Temozolomide (TMZ) delivery for improving Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) treatment. MRI-monitored FUS with microbubbles was used to transcranially disrupt the BBB in brains of Fisher rats implanted with 9L glioma cells. FUS-BBB opening was spectrophotometrically determined by leakage of dyes into the brain, and TMZ was quantitated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma by LC-MS\\MS. The effects of treatment on tumor progression (by MRI), animal survival and brain tissue histology were investigated. Results demonstrated that FUS-BBB opening increased the local accumulation of dyes in brain parenchyma by 3.8-/2.1-fold in normal/tumor tissues. Compared to TMZ alone, combined FUS treatment increased the TMZ CSF/plasma ratio from 22.7% to 38.6%, reduced the 7-day tumor progression ratio from 24.03 to 5.06, and extended the median survival from 20 to 23 days. In conclusion, this study provided preclinical evidence that FUS BBB-opening increased the local concentration of TMZ to improve the control of tumor progression and animal survival, suggesting its clinical potential for improving current brain tumor treatment. PMID:23527068

Extracellular microvesicle microRNAs in children with sickle cell anaemia with divergent clinical phenotypes.

PubMed

Khalyfa, Abdelnaby; Khalyfa, Ahamed A; Akbarpour, Mahzad; Connes, Phillippe; Romana, Marc; Lapping-Carr, Gabrielle; Zhang, Chunling; Andrade, Jorge; Gozal, David

2016-09-01

Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is the most frequent genetic haemoglobinopathy, which exhibits a highly variable clinical course characterized by hyper-coagulable and pro-inflammatory states, as well as endothelial dysfunction. Extracellular microvesicles are released into biological fluids and play a role in modifying the functional phenotype of target cells. We hypothesized that potential differences in plasma-derived extracellular microvesicles (EV) function and cargo from SCA patients may underlie divergent clinical trajectories. Plasma EV from SCA patients with mild, intermediate and severe clinical disease course were isolated, and primary endothelial cell cultures were exposed. Endothelial cell activation, monocyte adhesion, barrier disruption and exosome cargo (microRNA microarrays) were assessed. EV disrupted the endothelial barrier and induced expression of adhesion molecules and monocyte adhesion in a SCA severity-dependent manner compared to healthy children. Microarray approaches identified a restricted signature of exosomal microRNAs that readily distinguished severe from mild SCA, as well as from healthy children. The microRNA candidates were further validated using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction assays, and revealed putative gene targets. Circulating exosomal microRNAs may play important roles in predicting the clinical course of SCA, and in delineation of individually tailored, mechanistically-based clinical treatment approaches of SCA patients in the near future. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Overview of the JET results in support to ITER

DOE PAGES

Litaudon, X.; Abduallev, S.; Abhangi, M.; ...

2017-06-15

Here, the 2014–2016 JET results are reviewed in the light of their significance for optimising the ITER research plan for the active and non-active operation. More than 60 h of plasma operation with ITER first wall materials successfully took place since its installation in 2011. New multi-machine scaling of the type I-ELM divertor energy flux density to ITER is supported by first principle modelling. ITER relevant disruption experiments and first principle modelling are reported with a set of three disruption mitigation valves mimicking the ITER setup. Insights of the L–H power threshold in Deuterium and Hydrogen are given, stressing themore » importance of the magnetic configurations and the recent measurements of fine-scale structures in the edge radial electric. Dimensionless scans of the core and pedestal confinement provide new information to elucidate the importance of the first wall material on the fusion performance. H-mode plasmas at ITER triangularity (H = 1 at β N ~ 1.8 and n/n GW ~ 0.6) have been sustained at 2 MA during 5 s. The ITER neutronics codes have been validated on high performance experiments. Prospects for the coming D–T campaign and 14 MeV neutron calibration strategy are reviewed.« less

Mercury exposure associated with altered plasma thyroid hormones in the declining western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) from California mountain streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyer, Erik; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Sparling, Donald; Blumenshine, Steve

2014-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a global threat to wildlife health that can impair many physiological processes. Mercury has well-documented endocrine activity; however, little work on the effects of Hg on the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in aquatic wildlife exists despite the fact that it is a sensitive endpoint of contaminant exposure. An emerging body of evidence points to the toxicological susceptibility of aquatic reptiles to Hg exposure. We examined the endocrine disrupting potential of Hg in the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata), a long-lived reptile that is in decline throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. We measured total Hg (THg) concentrations in red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma T3 and T4 of turtles from several locations in California that have been impacted by historic gold mining. Across all turtles from all sites, the geometric mean and standard error THg concentration was 0.805 ± 0.025 μg/g dry weight. Sampling region and mass were the strongest determinants of RBC THg. Relationships between RBC THg and T3 and T4 were consistent with Hg-induced disruption of T4 deiodination, a mechanism of toxicity that may cause excess T4 levels and depressed concentrations of biologically active T3.

Effects of Heracleum persicum ethyl acetate extract on the growth, hyphal ultrastructure and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus parasiticus.

PubMed

Razzaghi-Abyaneh, Mehdi; Saberi, Reza; Sharifan, Anosheh; Rezaee, Mohammad-Bagher; Seifili, Roghayeh; Hosseini, Seyed-Ibrahim; Shams-Ghahfarokhi, Masoomeh; Nikkhah, Mehdi; Saberi, Ismail; Amani, Akram

2013-11-01

The ethyl acetate extract of leaves, seeds and flowers of Heracleum persicum, a medicinal plant of Iran (family Apiaceae) inhibited growth and aflatoxin (AF) production of Aspergillus parasiticus. On the basis of total dry weight growth inhibition by the leaf extract ranged from 17.1 to 36.9 %, by the flower extract from 32.2 to 75.6 %, and by the seed extract from 27.5 to 74.9 %. Production of AFB1 and AFG1 was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, with a reduction of 88.5-100 % at the highest concentration of 8,000 μg/ml tested. The flower extract decreased ergosterol content of hyphae most significantly. Electron microscopy further revealed structural defects in the treated A. parasiticus including disruption of cytoplasmic membranous compartments, detachment of plasma membrane from the cell wall, and disorganization of hyphal compartments. Collapsed hyphae without conidiation, shorter branches and undifferentiated hyphal tips were also evident. The results indicate that H. persicum extract exerts antifungal and anti-AF activities by disrupting plasma membrane integrity and permeability mainly through interference with ergosterol biosynthesis. These results show that H. persicum can serve as a potent and safe alternative for inhibiting toxigenic aspergilli growth and thus preventing AF contamination of foods and feeds.

Studies of runaway electrons via Cherenkov effect in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zebrowski, J.; Jakubowski, L.; Rabinski, M.; Sadowski, M. J.; Jakubowski, M. J.; Kwiatkowski, R.; Malinowski, K.; Mirowski, R.; Mlynar, J.; Ficker, O.; Weinzettl, V.; Causa, F.; COMPASS; FTU Teams

2018-01-01

The paper concerns measurements of runaway electrons (REs) which are generated during discharges in tokamaks. The control of REs is an important task in experimental studies within the ITER-physics program. The NCBJ team proposed to study REs by means of Cherenkov-type detectors several years ago. The Cherenkov radiation, induced by REs in appropriate radiators, makes it possible to identify fast electron beams and to determine their spatial- and temporal-characteristics. The results of recent experimental studies of REs, performed in two tokamaks - COMPASS in Prague and FTU in Frascati, are summarized and discussed in this paper. Examples of the electron-induced signals, as recorded at different experimental conditions and scenarios, are presented. Measurements performed with a three-channel Cherenkov-probe in COMPASS showed that the first fast electron peaks can be observed already during the current ramp-up phase. A strong dependence of RE-signals on the radial position of the Cherenkov probe was observed. The most distinct electron peaks were recorded during the plasma disruption. The Cherenkov signals confirmed the appearance of post-disruptive RE beams in circular-plasma discharges with massive Ar-puffing. During experiments at FTU a clear correlation between the Cherenkov detector signals and the rotation of magnetic islands was identified.

Drift resonance and stability of the Io plasma torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Jie; Hill, T. W.

2000-03-01

The observed local time asymmetry of the Io plasma torus is generally attributed to the presence of a persistent dawn-to-dusk electric field in the Jovian magnetosphere. The local time asymmetry is modulated at the System 3 rotation period of Jupiter's magnetic field, suggesting that the dawn-to-dusk electric field may be similarly modulated. We argue that such a System 3 modulation would have a profound disruptive effect on the observed torus structure if the torus were to corotate at exactly the System 3 rate: the torus would be a resonantly forced harmonic oscillator, and would disintegrate in a few rotation periods, contrary to observations. This destabilizing effect is independent of, and in addition to, the more familiar effect of the centrifugal interchange instability, which is also capable of disrupting the torus in a few rotation periods in the absence of other effects. We conclude that the observed (few percent) corotation lag of the torus is essential to preserving the observed long-lived torus structure by detuning the resonant frequency (the torus drift frequency) relative to the forcing frequency (System 3). A possible outcome of this confinement mechanism is a residual radial oscillation of the torus at the beat period (~10 days) between System 3 and the torus drift period.

Overview of the JET results in support to ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litaudon, X.; Abduallev, S.; Abhangi, M.

Here, the 2014–2016 JET results are reviewed in the light of their significance for optimising the ITER research plan for the active and non-active operation. More than 60 h of plasma operation with ITER first wall materials successfully took place since its installation in 2011. New multi-machine scaling of the type I-ELM divertor energy flux density to ITER is supported by first principle modelling. ITER relevant disruption experiments and first principle modelling are reported with a set of three disruption mitigation valves mimicking the ITER setup. Insights of the L–H power threshold in Deuterium and Hydrogen are given, stressing themore » importance of the magnetic configurations and the recent measurements of fine-scale structures in the edge radial electric. Dimensionless scans of the core and pedestal confinement provide new information to elucidate the importance of the first wall material on the fusion performance. H-mode plasmas at ITER triangularity (H = 1 at β N ~ 1.8 and n/n GW ~ 0.6) have been sustained at 2 MA during 5 s. The ITER neutronics codes have been validated on high performance experiments. Prospects for the coming D–T campaign and 14 MeV neutron calibration strategy are reviewed.« less

Investigation of the helium effects on deuterium retention in thin film lithium coatings on tungsten substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neff, A. L.; Allain, J. P.; Morgan, T. W.

2017-10-01

In a burning fusion plasma, the materials on the walls of the plasma vessel will have a significant effect on the performance of the plasma. Any amount of high Z wall material that is eroded will contaminate and cool the plasma and may lead to a disruption. Additionally, if the material retains or reflects fuel it can affect the stability of the plasma. A high recycling wall that retains minimal fuel will allow better control of the fuel inventory, especially tritium, in the walls. In contrast, a low recycling wall leads to improved plasma performance by preventing instabilities in the plasma. We have observed that when 5% He is added to D ions during low flux (1017 m-2s-1) dual ion beam irradiation the amount of D retained in the Li film diminishes. This conclusion is based on the reduction of a XPS peak (at 533 eV) associated with D retention in Li films. To further investigate this phenomenon, we have continued the dual beam studies in IGNIS (Ion-Gas-Neutral Interactions with Surfaces) by varying the energy and concentration of He to D. Additionally, we exposed lithiated W to sequential D and He plasmas (1024 m-2s-1 flux) in Magnum PSI at DIFFER. With XPS, we analyzed the chemistry of the Li films and determined changes in retention. These results will be presented. Work supported by DOE contract DE-SC0010719.

Innovative diagnostics for ITER physics addressed in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murari, A.; Edlington, T.; Alfier, A.; Alonso, A.; Andrew, Y.; Arnoux, G.; Beurskens, M.; Coad, P.; Crombe, C.; Gauthier, E.; Giroud, C.; Hidalgo, C.; Hong, S.; Kempenaars, M.; Kiptily, V.; Loarer, T.; Meigs, A.; Pasqualotto, R.; Tala, T.; Contributors, JET-EFDA

2008-12-01

In recent years, JET diagnostic capability has been significantly improved to widen the range of physical phenomena that can be studied and thus contribute to the understanding of some ITER relevant issues. The most significant results reported in this paper refer to the plasma wall interactions, the interplay between core and edge physics and fast particles. A synergy between new infrared cameras, visible cameras and spectroscopy diagnostics has allowed investigating a series of new aspects of the plasma wall interactions. The power loads on the plasma facing components of JET main chambers have been assessed at steady state and during transient events like ELMs and disruptions. Evidence of filaments in the edge region of the plasma has been collected with a new fast visible camera and high resolution Thomson scattering. The physics of detached plasmas and some new aspects of dust formation have also been devoted particular attention. The influence of the edge plasma on the core has been investigated with upgraded active spectroscopy, providing new information on momentum transport and the effects of impurity injection on ELMs and ITBs and their interdependence. Given the fact that JET is the only machine with a plasma volume big enough to confine the alphas, a coherent programme of diagnostic developments for the energetic particles has been undertaken. With upgraded γ-ray spectroscopy and a new scintillator probe, it is now possible to study both the redistribution and the losses of the fast particles in various plasma conditions.

Preparation of Caco-2 cell sheets using plasma polymerised acrylic acid as a weak boundary layer.

PubMed

Majani, Ruby; Zelzer, Mischa; Gadegaard, Nikolaj; Rose, Felicity R; Alexander, Morgan R

2010-09-01

The use of cell sheets for tissue engineering applications has considerable advantages over single cell seeding techniques. So far, only thermoresponsive surfaces have been used to manufacture cell sheets without chemically disrupting the cell-surface interactions. Here, we present a new and facile technique to prepare sheets of epithelial cells using plasma polymerised acrylic acid films. The cell sheets are harvested by gentle agitation of the media without the need of any additional external stimulus. We demonstrate that the plasma polymer deposition conditions affect the viability and metabolic activity of the cells in the sheet and relate these effects to the different surface properties of the plasma polymerised acrylic acid films. Based on surface analysis data, a first attempt is made to explain the mechanism behind the cell sheet formation. The advantage of the epithelial cell sheets generated here over single cell suspensions to seed a PLGA scaffold is presented. The scaffold itself, prepared using a mould fabricated via photolithography, exhibits a unique architecture that mimics closely the dimensions of the native tissue (mouse intestine). Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plasma membrane lipids and their role in fungal virulence.

PubMed

Rella, Antonella; Farnoud, Amir M; Del Poeta, Maurizio

2016-01-01

There has been considerable evidence in recent years suggesting that plasma membrane lipids are important regulators of fungal pathogenicity. Various glycolipids have been shown to impart virulent properties in several fungal species, while others have been shown to play a role in host defense. In addition to their role as virulence factors, lipids also contribute to other virulence mechanisms such as drug resistance, biofilm formation, and release of extracellular vesicles. In addition, lipids also affect the mechanical properties of the plasma membrane through the formation of packed microdomains composed mainly of sphingolipids and sterols. Changes in the composition of lipid microdomains have been shown to disrupt the localization of virulence factors and affect fungal pathogenicity. This review gathers evidence on the various roles of plasma membrane lipids in fungal virulence and how lipids might contribute to the different processes that occur during infection and treatment. Insight into the role of lipids in fungal virulence can lead to an improved understanding of the process of fungal pathogenesis and the development of new lipid-mediated therapeutic strategies. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Resistive Wall Modes Identification and Control in RFX-mod low qedge tokamak discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baruzzo, Matteo; Bolzonella, Tommaso; Cavazzana, Roberto; Marchiori, Giuseppe; Marrelli, Lionello; Martin, Piero; Paccagnella, Roberto; Piovesan, Paolo; Piron, Lidia; Soppelsa, Anton; Zanca, Paolo; in, Yongkyoon; Liu, Yueqiang; Okabayashi, Michio; Takechi, Manabu; Villone, Fabio

2011-10-01

In this work the MHD stability of RFX mode tokamak discharges with qedge < 3 will be studied. The target plasma scenario is characterized by a plasma current 100kA

Necroptosis Execution Is Mediated by Plasma Membrane Nanopores Independent of Calcium.

PubMed

Ros, Uris; Peña-Blanco, Aida; Hänggi, Kay; Kunzendorf, Ulrich; Krautwald, Stefan; Wong, W Wei-Lynn; García-Sáez, Ana J

2017-04-04

Necroptosis is a form of regulated necrosis that results in cell death and content release after plasma membrane permeabilization. However, little is known about the molecular events responsible for the disruption of the plasma membrane. Here, we find that early increase in cytosolic calcium in TNF-induced necroptosis is mediated by treatment with a Smac mimetic via the TNF/RIP1/TAK1 survival pathway. This does not require the activation of the necrosome and is dispensable for necroptosis. Necroptosis induced by the activation of TLR3/4 pathways does not trigger early calcium flux. We also demonstrate that necroptotic plasma membrane rupture is mediated by osmotic forces and membrane pores around 4 nm in diameter. This late permeabilization step represents a hallmark in necroptosis execution that is cell and treatment independent and requires the RIP1/RIP3/MLKL core. In support of this, treatment with osmoprotectants reduces cell damage in an in vivo necroptosis model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DoE Plasma Center for Momentum Transport and Flow Self-Organization in Plasmas: Non-linear Emergent Structure Formation in magnetized Plasmas and Rotating Magnetofluids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Forest, Cary B.

This report covers the UW-Madison activities that took place within a larger DoE Center Administered and directed by Professor George Tynan at the University of California, San Diego. The work at Wisconsin will also be covered in the final reporting for the entire center, which will be submitted by UCSD. There were two main activities, one experimental and one that was theoretical in nature, as part of the Center activities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. First, the Center supported an experimentally focused postdoc (Chris Cooper) to carry out fundamental studies of momentum transport in rotating and weakly magnetized plasma.more » His experimental work was done on the Plasma Couette Experiment, a cylindrical plasma confinement device, with a plasma flow created through electromagnetically stirring plasma at the plasma edge facilitated by arrays of permanent magnets. Cooper's work involved developing optical techniques to measure the ion temperature and plasma flow through Doppler-shifted line radiation from the plasma argon ions. This included passive emission measurements and development of a novel ring summing Fabry-Perot spectroscopy system, and the active system involved using a diode laser to induce fluorescence. On the theoretical side, CMTFO supported a postdoc (Johannes Pueschel) to carry out a gyrokinetic extension of residual zonal flow theory to the case with magnetic fluctuations, showing that magnetic stochasticity disrupts zonal flows. The work included a successful comparison with gyrokinetic simulations. This work and its connection to the broader CMTFO will be covered more thoroughly in the final CMTFO report from Professor Tynan.« less

Sphingolipid Organization in the Plasma Membrane and the Mechanisms That Influence It

PubMed Central

Kraft, Mary L.

2017-01-01

Sphingolipids are structural components in the plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells. Their metabolism produces bioactive signaling molecules that modulate fundamental cellular processes. The segregation of sphingolipids into distinct membrane domains is likely essential for cellular function. This review presents the early studies of sphingolipid distribution in the plasma membranes of mammalian cells that shaped the most popular current model of plasma membrane organization. The results of traditional imaging studies of sphingolipid distribution in stimulated and resting cells are described. These data are compared with recent results obtained with advanced imaging techniques, including super-resolution fluorescence detection and high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Emphasis is placed on the new insight into the sphingolipid organization within the plasma membrane that has resulted from the direct imaging of stable isotope-labeled lipids in actual cell membranes with high-resolution SIMS. Super-resolution fluorescence techniques have recently revealed the biophysical behaviors of sphingolipids and the unhindered diffusion of cholesterol analogs in the membranes of living cells are ultimately in contrast to the prevailing hypothetical model of plasma membrane organization. High-resolution SIMS studies also conflicted with the prevailing hypothesis, showing sphingolipids are concentrated in micrometer-scale membrane domains, but cholesterol is evenly distributed within the plasma membrane. Reductions in cellular cholesterol decreased the number of sphingolipid domains in the plasma membrane, whereas disruption of the cytoskeleton eliminated them. In addition, hemagglutinin, a transmembrane protein that is thought to be a putative raft marker, did not cluster within sphingolipid-enriched regions in the plasma membrane. Thus, sphingolipid distribution in the plasma membrane is dependent on the cytoskeleton, but not on favorable interactions with cholesterol or hemagglutinin. The alternate views of plasma membrane organization suggested by these findings are discussed. PMID:28119913

Sphingolipid Organization in the Plasma Membrane and the Mechanisms That Influence It.

PubMed

Kraft, Mary L

2016-01-01

Sphingolipids are structural components in the plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells. Their metabolism produces bioactive signaling molecules that modulate fundamental cellular processes. The segregation of sphingolipids into distinct membrane domains is likely essential for cellular function. This review presents the early studies of sphingolipid distribution in the plasma membranes of mammalian cells that shaped the most popular current model of plasma membrane organization. The results of traditional imaging studies of sphingolipid distribution in stimulated and resting cells are described. These data are compared with recent results obtained with advanced imaging techniques, including super-resolution fluorescence detection and high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Emphasis is placed on the new insight into the sphingolipid organization within the plasma membrane that has resulted from the direct imaging of stable isotope-labeled lipids in actual cell membranes with high-resolution SIMS. Super-resolution fluorescence techniques have recently revealed the biophysical behaviors of sphingolipids and the unhindered diffusion of cholesterol analogs in the membranes of living cells are ultimately in contrast to the prevailing hypothetical model of plasma membrane organization. High-resolution SIMS studies also conflicted with the prevailing hypothesis, showing sphingolipids are concentrated in micrometer-scale membrane domains, but cholesterol is evenly distributed within the plasma membrane. Reductions in cellular cholesterol decreased the number of sphingolipid domains in the plasma membrane, whereas disruption of the cytoskeleton eliminated them. In addition, hemagglutinin, a transmembrane protein that is thought to be a putative raft marker, did not cluster within sphingolipid-enriched regions in the plasma membrane. Thus, sphingolipid distribution in the plasma membrane is dependent on the cytoskeleton, but not on favorable interactions with cholesterol or hemagglutinin. The alternate views of plasma membrane organization suggested by these findings are discussed.

Scaling mechanisms of vapour/plasma shielding from laser-produced plasmas to magnetic fusion regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sizyuk, Tatyana; Hassanein, Ahmed

2014-02-01

The plasma shielding effect is a well-known mechanism in laser-produced plasmas (LPPs) reducing laser photon transmission to the target and, as a result, significantly reducing target heating and erosion. The shielding effect is less pronounced at low laser intensities, when low evaporation rate together with vapour/plasma expansion processes prevent establishment of a dense plasma layer above the surface. Plasma shielding also loses its effectiveness at high laser intensities when the formed hot dense plasma plume causes extensive target erosion due to radiation fluxes back to the surface. The magnitude of emitted radiation fluxes from such a plasma is similar to or slightly higher than the laser photon flux in the low shielding regime. Thus, shielding efficiency in LPPs has a peak that depends on the laser beam parameters and the target material. A similar tendency is also expected in other plasma-operating devices such as tokamaks of magnetic fusion energy (MFE) reactors during transient plasma operation and disruptions on chamber walls when deposition of the high-energy transient plasma can cause severe erosion and damage to the plasma-facing and nearby components. A detailed analysis of these abnormal events and their consequences in future power reactors is limited in current tokamak reactors. Predictions for high-power future tokamaks are possible only through comprehensive, time-consuming and rigorous modelling. We developed scaling mechanisms, based on modelling of LPP devices with their typical temporal and spatial scales, to simulate tokamak abnormal operating regimes to study wall erosion, plasma shielding and radiation under MFE reactor conditions. We found an analogy in regimes and results of carbon and tungsten erosion of the divertor surface in ITER-like reactors with erosion due to laser irradiation. Such an approach will allow utilizing validated modelling combined with well-designed and well-diagnosed LPP experimental studies for predicting consequences of plasma instabilities in complex fusion environment, which are of serious concern for successful energy production.

Simulation of profile evolution from ramp-up to ramp-down and optimization of tokamak plasma termination with the RAPTOR code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teplukhina, A. A.; Sauter, O.; Felici, F.; Merle, A.; Kim, D.; the TCV Team; the ASDEX Upgrade Team; the EUROfusion MST1 Team

2017-12-01

The present work demonstrates the capabilities of the transport code RAPTOR as a fast and reliable simulator of plasma profiles for the entire plasma discharge, i.e. from ramp-up to ramp-down. This code focuses, at this stage, on the simulation of electron temperature and poloidal flux profiles using prescribed equilibrium and some kinetic profiles. In this work we extend the RAPTOR transport model to include a time-varying plasma equilibrium geometry and verify the changes via comparison with ATSRA code simulations. In addition a new ad hoc transport model based on constant gradients and suitable for simulations of L-H and H-L mode transitions has been incorporated into the RAPTOR code and validated with rapid simulations of the time evolution of the safety factor and the electron temperature over the entire AUG and TCV discharges. An optimization procedure for the plasma termination phase has also been developed during this work. We define the goal of the optimization as ramping down the plasma current as fast as possible while avoiding any disruptions caused by reaching physical or technical limits. Our numerical study of this problem shows that a fast decrease of plasma elongation during current ramp-down can help in reducing plasma internal inductance. An early transition from H- to L-mode allows us to reduce the drop in poloidal beta, which is also important for plasma MHD stability and control. This work shows how these complex nonlinear interactions can be optimized automatically using relevant cost functions and constraints. Preliminary experimental results for TCV are demonstrated.

EMI from Spacecraft Docking Systems Spacecraft Charging - Plasma Contact Potentials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norgard, John D.; Scully, Robert; Musselman, Randall

2012-01-01

The plasma contact potential of a visiting vehicle (VV), such as the Orion Service Module (SM), is determined while docking at the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Due to spacecraft charging effects on-orbit, the potential difference between the CEV and the VV can be large at docking, and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) could occur at capture, which could degrade, disrupt, damage, or destroy sensitive electronic equipment on the CEV and/or VV. Analytical and numerical models of the CEV are simulated to predict the worst-case potential difference between the CEV and the VV when the CEV is unbiased (solar panels unlit: eclipsed in the dark and inactive) or biased (solar panels sunlit: in the light and active).

Quasi-linear analysis of the extraordinary electron wave destabilized by runaway electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pokol, G. I.; Kómár, A.; Budai, A.

2014-10-15

Runaway electrons with strongly anisotropic distributions present in post-disruption tokamak plasmas can destabilize the extraordinary electron (EXEL) wave. The present work investigates the dynamics of the quasi-linear evolution of the EXEL instability for a range of different plasma parameters using a model runaway distribution function valid for highly relativistic runaway electron beams produced primarily by the avalanche process. Simulations show a rapid pitch-angle scattering of the runaway electrons in the high energy tail on the 100–1000 μs time scale. Due to the wave-particle interaction, a modification to the synchrotron radiation spectrum emitted by the runaway electron population is foreseen, exposing amore » possible experimental detection method for such an interaction.« less

Reactive spark plasma synthesis of CaZrTi2O7 zirconolite ceramics for plutonium disposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Shi-Kuan; Stennett, Martin C.; Corkhill, Claire L.; Hyatt, Neil C.

2018-03-01

Near single phase zirconolite ceramics, prototypically CaZrTi2O7, were fabricated by reactive spark plasma sintering (RSPS), from commercially available CaTiO3, ZrO2 and TiO2 reagents, after processing at 1200 °C for only 1 h. Ceramics were of theoretical density and formed with a controlled mean grain size of 1.9 ± 0.6 μm. The reducing conditions of RSPS afforded the presence of paramagnetic Ti3+, as demonstrated by EPR spectroscopy. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential for RSPS to be a disruptive technology for disposition of surplus separated plutonium stockpiles in ceramic wasteforms, given its inherent advantage of near net shape products and rapid throughput.

Impaired small-bowel barrier integrity in the presence of lumenal pancreatic digestive enzymes leads to circulatory shock.

PubMed

Kistler, Erik B; Alsaigh, Tom; Chang, Marisol; Schmid-Schönbein, Geert W

2012-08-01

In bowel ischemia, impaired mucosal integrity may allow intestinal pancreatic enzyme products to become systemic and precipitate irreversible shock and death. This can be attenuated by pancreatic enzyme inhibition in the small-bowel lumen. It is unresolved, however, whether ischemically mediated mucosal disruption is the key event allowing pancreatic enzyme products systemic access and whether intestinal digestive enzyme activity in concert with increased mucosal permeability leads to shock in the absence of ischemia. To test this possibility, the small intestinal lumen of nonischemic rats was perfused for 2 h with either digestive enzymes, a mucin disruption strategy (i.e., mucolytics) designed to increase mucosal permeability, or both, and animals were observed for shock. Digestive enzymes perfused included trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, amylase, and lipase. Control (n = 6) and experimental animals perfused with pancreatic enzymes only (n = 6) or single enzymes (n = 3 for each of the five enzyme groups) maintained stable hemodynamics. After mucin disruption using a combination of enteral N-acetylcysteine, atropine, and increased flow rates, rats (n = 6) developed mild hypotension (P < 0.001 compared with groups perfused with pancreatic enzymes only after 90 min) and increased intestinal permeability to intralumenally perfused fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 20 kd (P < 0.05) compared with control and enzyme-only groups, but there were no deaths. All animals perfused with both digestive enzymes and subjected to mucin disruption (n = 6) developed hypotension and increased intestinal permeability (P < 0.001 after 90 min). Pancreatic enzymes were measured in the intestinal wall of both groups subjected to mucin disruption, but not in the enzyme-only or control groups. Depletion of plasma protease inhibitors was found only in animals perfused with pancreatic enzymes plus mucin disruption, implicating increased permeability and intralumenal pancreatic enzyme egress in this group. These experiments demonstrate that increased bowel permeability via mucin disruption in the presence of pancreatic enzymes can induce shock and increase systemic protease activation in the absence of ischemia, implicating bowel mucin disruption as a key event in early ischemia. Digestive enzymes and their products, if allowed to penetrate the gut wall, may trigger multiorgan failure and death.

IMPAIRED SMALL BOWEL BARRIER INTEGRITY IN THE PRESENCE OF LUMENAL PANCREATIC DIGESTIVE ENZYMES LEADS TO CIRCULATORY SHOCK

PubMed Central

Kistler, Erik B.; Alsaigh, Tom; Chang, Marisol; Schmid-Schönbein, Geert W.

2012-01-01

In bowel ischemia, impaired mucosal integrity may allow intestinal pancreatic enzyme products to become systemic and precipitate irreversible shock and death. This can be attenuated by pancreatic enzyme inhibition in the small bowel lumen. It is unresolved, however, whether ischemically-mediated mucosal disruption is the key event allowing pancreatic enzyme products systemic access, and whether intestinal digestive enzyme activity in concert with increased mucosal permeability leads to shock in the absence of ischemia. To test this possibility, the small intestinal lumen of non-ischemic rats was perfused for two hours with either digestive enzymes, a mucin disruption strategy (i.e., mucolytics) designed to increase mucosal permeability, or both, and animals were observed for shock. Digestive enzymes perfused included trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, amylase and lipase. Control (n=6) and experimental animals perfused with pancreatic enzymes only (n=6) or single enzymes (n=3 for each of the five enzyme groups) maintained stable hemodynamics. After mucin disruption using a combination of enteral N-acetylcysteine, atropine, and increased flow rates, rats (n=6) developed mild hypotension (p<0.001 compared to groups perfused with pancreatic enzymes only after 90 minutes) and increased intestinal permeability to intralumenally perfused FITC-dextrans-20kD (p<0.05) compared to control and enzyme-only groups, but there were no deaths. All animals perfused with both digestive enzymes and subjected to mucin disruption (n=6) developed hypotension and increased intestinal permeability (p<0.001 after 90 minutes). Pancreatic enzymes were measured in the intestinal wall of both groups subjected to mucin disruption, but not in the enzyme-only or control groups. Depletion of plasma protease inhibitors was found only in animals perfused with pancreatic enzymes plus mucin disruption, implicating increased permeability and intralumenal pancreatic enzyme egress in this group. These experiments demonstrate that increased bowel permeability via mucin disruption in the presence of pancreatic enzymes can induce shock and increase systemic protease activation in the absence of ischemia, implicating bowel mucin disruption as a key event in early ischemia. Digestive enzymes and their products, if allowed to penetrate the gut wall may trigger multiorgan failure and death. PMID:22576000

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) produces edema due to BBB disruption induced by MMP-9 activation in rat hippocampus.

PubMed

Pérez-Hernández, Mercedes; Fernández-Valle, María Encarnación; Rubio-Araiz, Ana; Vidal, Rebeca; Gutiérrez-López, María Dolores; O'Shea, Esther; Colado, María Isabel

2017-05-15

The recreational drug of abuse, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) disrupts blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in rats through an early P2X 7 receptor-mediated event which induces MMP-9 activity. Increased BBB permeability often causes plasma proteins and water to access cerebral tissue leading to vasogenic edema formation. The current study was performed to examine the effect of a single neurotoxic dose of MDMA (12.5 mg/kg, i.p.) on in vivo edema development associated with changes in the expression of the perivascular astrocytic water channel, AQP4, as well as in the expression of the tight-junction (TJ) protein, claudin-5 and Evans Blue dye extravasation in the hippocampus of adult male Dark Agouti rats. We also evaluated the ability of the MMP-9 inhibitor, SB-3CT (25 mg/kg, i.p.), to prevent these changes in order to validate the involvement of MMP-9 activation in MDMA-induced BBB disruption. The results show that MDMA produces edema of short duration temporally associated with changes in AQP4 expression and a reduction in claudin-5 expression, changes which are prevented by SB-3CT. In addition, MDMA induces a short-term increase in both tPA activity and expression, a serine-protease which is involved in BBB disruption and upregulation of MMP-9 expression. In conclusion, this study provides evidence enough to conclude that MDMA induces edema of short duration due to BBB disruption mediated by MMP-9 activation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-molecular-weight hyaluronan (LMW-HA) accelerates lymph node metastasis of melanoma cells by inducing disruption of lymphatic intercellular adhesion.

PubMed

Du, Yan; Cao, Manlin; Liu, Yiwen; He, Yiqing; Yang, Cuixia; Wu, Man; Zhang, Guoliang; Gao, Feng

2016-01-01

Endothelial integrity defects initiate lymphatic metastasis of tumor cells. Low-molecular-weight hyaluronan (LMW-HA) derived from plasma and interstitial fluid was reported to be associated with tumor lymphatic metastasis. In addition, LMW-HA was proved to disrupt lymphatic vessel endothelium integrity, thus promoting lymphatic metastasis of tumor cells. Until now, there are few reports on how LMW-HA modulates lymphatic endothelial cells adhesion junctions and affects cancer cells metastasizing into lymph vessels. The aim of our study is to unravel the novel mechanism of LMW-HA in mediating tumor lymphatic metastasis. Here, we employed a melanoma metastasis model to investigate whether LMW-HA facilitates tumor cells transferring from foci to remote lymph nodes by disrupting the lymphatic endothelial integrity. Our data indicate that LMW-HA significantly induces metastasis of melanoma cells to lymph nodes and accelerates interstitial-lymphatic flow in vivo . Further experiments show that increased migration of melanoma cells across human dermal lymphatic endothelial cell (HDLEC) monolayers is accompanied by impaired lymphatic endothelial barrier function and increased permeability. The mechanism study reveals that VE-cadherin-β-catenin pathway and relevant signals are involved in modulating the interactions between endothelial cells and that a significant inhibition of lymphatic endothelium disruption is observed when antibodies to the LMW-HA receptor (LYVE-1) are present. Thus, our findings demonstrate a disruptive effect of LMW-HA on lymphatic endothelium continuity which leads to a promotion on melanoma lymphatic metastasis and also suggest a cellular signaling mechanism associated with VE-cadherin-mediated lymphatic intercellular junctions.

Pathophysiology of white-nose syndrome in bats: a mechanistic model linking wing damage to mortality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warnecke, Lisa; Turner, James M.; Bollinger, Trent K.; Misra, Vikram; Cryan, Paul M.; Blehert, David S.; Wibbelt, Gudrun; Willis, Craig K.R.

2013-01-01

White-nose syndrome is devastating North American bat populations but we lack basic information on disease mechanisms. Altered blood physiology owing to epidermal invasion by the fungal pathogen Geomyces destructans (Gd) has been hypothesized as a cause of disrupted torpor patterns of affected hibernating bats, leading to mortality. Here, we present data on blood electrolyte concentration, haematology and acid–base balance of hibernating little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, following experimental inoculation with Gd. Compared with controls, infected bats showed electrolyte depletion (i.e. lower plasma sodium), changes in haematology (i.e. increased haematocrit and decreased glucose) and disrupted acid–base balance (i.e. lower CO2 partial pressure and bicarbonate). These findings indicate hypotonic dehydration, hypovolaemia and metabolic acidosis. We propose a mechanistic model linking tissue damage to altered homeostasis and morbidity/mortality.

Lipid Raft: A Floating Island Of Death or Survival

PubMed Central

George, Kimberly S.; Wu, Shiyong

2012-01-01

Lipid rafts are microdomains of the plasma membrane enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids, and play an important role in the initiation of many pharmacological agent-induced signaling pathways and toxicological effects. The structure of lipid rafts is dynamic, resulting in an ever-changing content of both lipids and proteins. Cholesterol, as a major component of lipid rafts, is critical for the formation and configuration of lipid rafts microdomains, which provide signaling platforms capable of activating both pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signaling pathways. A change of cholesterol level can result in lipid rafts disruption and activate or deactivate raft-associated proteins, such as death receptor proteins, protein kinases, and calcium channels. Several anti-cancer drugs are able to suppress growth and induce apoptosis of tumor cells through alteration of lipid raft contents via disrupting lipid raft integrity. PMID:22289360

Studies of Magnetic Reconnection in Colliding Laser-Produced Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, Michael

2013-10-01

Novel images of magnetic fields and measurements of electron and ion temperatures have been obtained in the magnetic reconnection region of high- β, laser-produced plasmas. Experiments using laser-irradiated foils produce expanding, hemispherical plasma plumes carrying MG Biermann-battery magnetic fields, which can be driven to interact and reconnect. Thomson-scattering measurements of electron and ion temperatures in the interaction region of two colliding, magnetized plasmas show no thermal enhancement due to reconnection, as expected for β ~ 8 plasmas. Two different proton radiography techniques used to image the magnetic field structures show deformation, pileup, and annihilation of magnetic flux. High-resolution images reveal unambiguously reconnection-induced jets emerging from the interaction region and show instabilities in the expanding plasma plumes and supersonic, hydrodynamic jets due to the plasma collision. Quantitative magnetic flux data show that reconnection in experiments with asymmetry in the scale size, density, temperature, and plasma flow across the reconnection region occurs less efficiently than in similar, symmetric experiments. This result is attributed to disruption of the Hall mechanism mediating collisionless reconnection. The collision of plasmas carrying parallel magnetic fields has also been probed, illustrating the deformation of magnetic field structures in high-energy-density plasmas in the absence of reconnection. These experiments are particularly relevant to high- β reconnection environments, such as the magnetopause. This work was performed in collaboration with C. Li, F. Séguin, A. Zylstra, H. Rinderknecht, H. Sio, J. Frenje, and R. Petrasso (MIT), I. Igumenshchev, V. Glebov, C. Stoeckl, and D. Froula (LLE), J. Ross and R. Town (LLNL), W. Fox (UNH), and A. Nikroo (GA), and was supported in part by the NLUF, FSC/UR, U.S. DOE, LLNL, and LLE.

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation study of plasma jets and plasma-surface contact in coaxial plasma accelerators

DOE PAGES

Subramaniam, Vivek; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

2017-06-13

Recent experiments by Loebner et al. [IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 44, 1534 (2016)] studied the effect of a hypervelocity jet emanating from a coaxial plasma accelerator incident on target surfaces in an effort to mimic the transient loading created during edge localized mode disruption events in fusion plasmas. In this study, we present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical model to simulate plasma jet formation and plasma-surface contact in this coaxial plasma accelerator experiment. The MHD system of equations is spatially discretized using a cell-centered finite volume formulation. The temporal discretization is performed using a fully implicit backward Euler scheme and themore » resultant stiff system of nonlinear equations is solved using the Newton method. The numerical model is employed to obtain some key insights into the physical processes responsible for the generation of extreme stagnation conditions on the target surfaces. Simulations of the plume (without the target plate) are performed to isolate and study phenomena such as the magnetic pinch effect that is responsible for launching pressure pulses into the jet free stream. The simulations also yield insights into the incipient conditions responsible for producing the pinch, such as the formation of conductive channels. The jet-target impact studies indicate the existence of two distinct stages involved in the plasma-surface interaction. A fast transient stage characterized by a thin normal shock transitions into a pseudo-steady stage that exhibits an extended oblique shock structure. A quadratic scaling of the pinch and stagnation conditions with the total current discharged between the electrodes is in qualitative agreement with the results obtained in the experiments. Finally, this also illustrates the dominant contribution of the magnetic pressure term in determining the magnitude of the quantities of interest.« less

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation study of plasma jets and plasma-surface contact in coaxial plasma accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramaniam, Vivek; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

2017-06-01

Recent experiments by Loebner et al. [IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 44, 1534 (2016)] studied the effect of a hypervelocity jet emanating from a coaxial plasma accelerator incident on target surfaces in an effort to mimic the transient loading created during edge localized mode disruption events in fusion plasmas. In this paper, we present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical model to simulate plasma jet formation and plasma-surface contact in this coaxial plasma accelerator experiment. The MHD system of equations is spatially discretized using a cell-centered finite volume formulation. The temporal discretization is performed using a fully implicit backward Euler scheme and the resultant stiff system of nonlinear equations is solved using the Newton method. The numerical model is employed to obtain some key insights into the physical processes responsible for the generation of extreme stagnation conditions on the target surfaces. Simulations of the plume (without the target plate) are performed to isolate and study phenomena such as the magnetic pinch effect that is responsible for launching pressure pulses into the jet free stream. The simulations also yield insights into the incipient conditions responsible for producing the pinch, such as the formation of conductive channels. The jet-target impact studies indicate the existence of two distinct stages involved in the plasma-surface interaction. A fast transient stage characterized by a thin normal shock transitions into a pseudo-steady stage that exhibits an extended oblique shock structure. A quadratic scaling of the pinch and stagnation conditions with the total current discharged between the electrodes is in qualitative agreement with the results obtained in the experiments. This also illustrates the dominant contribution of the magnetic pressure term in determining the magnitude of the quantities of interest.

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation study of plasma jets and plasma-surface contact in coaxial plasma accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Subramaniam, Vivek; Raja, Laxminarayan L.

Recent experiments by Loebner et al. [IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 44, 1534 (2016)] studied the effect of a hypervelocity jet emanating from a coaxial plasma accelerator incident on target surfaces in an effort to mimic the transient loading created during edge localized mode disruption events in fusion plasmas. In this study, we present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical model to simulate plasma jet formation and plasma-surface contact in this coaxial plasma accelerator experiment. The MHD system of equations is spatially discretized using a cell-centered finite volume formulation. The temporal discretization is performed using a fully implicit backward Euler scheme and themore » resultant stiff system of nonlinear equations is solved using the Newton method. The numerical model is employed to obtain some key insights into the physical processes responsible for the generation of extreme stagnation conditions on the target surfaces. Simulations of the plume (without the target plate) are performed to isolate and study phenomena such as the magnetic pinch effect that is responsible for launching pressure pulses into the jet free stream. The simulations also yield insights into the incipient conditions responsible for producing the pinch, such as the formation of conductive channels. The jet-target impact studies indicate the existence of two distinct stages involved in the plasma-surface interaction. A fast transient stage characterized by a thin normal shock transitions into a pseudo-steady stage that exhibits an extended oblique shock structure. A quadratic scaling of the pinch and stagnation conditions with the total current discharged between the electrodes is in qualitative agreement with the results obtained in the experiments. Finally, this also illustrates the dominant contribution of the magnetic pressure term in determining the magnitude of the quantities of interest.« less

Pulp and paper mill effluent treatments have differential endocrine-disrupting effects on rainbow trout.

PubMed

Orrego, Rodrigo; Guchardi, John; Hernandez, Victor; Krause, Rachelle; Roti, Lucia; Armour, Jeffrey; Ganeshakumar, Mathumai; Holdway, Douglas

2009-01-01

Endocrine disruption (ED) effects due to pulp and paper mill effluents extracts involving different industrial procedures and effluent treatments (nontreated, primary, and secondary treated) were evaluated using immature triploid rainbow trout in a pulse-exposure toxicity experiment. The protocol involved the use of intraperitoneal injection of mill extracts (solid-phase extraction [SPE]) corrected for individual fish weight and included several laboratory standards (steroidal hormones and phytosterols). Biological endpoints at two different levels of biological organization were analyzed (molecular and individual organism). Results indicated that nonsignificant changes were observed in the individual physiological indices represented by condition factor, liver somatic index, and gonad somatic index during the experiment. Significant induction of liver ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity was observed between different effluent treatments and experimental controls. Significant endocrine-disrupting effects at the reproductive level were observed in all effluent treatments involving significant increments in plasma vitellogenin (VTG) levels. Fish exposed to untreated effluent extracts had significantly higher VTG levels compared to fish exposed to primary and secondary treatment effluent extracts, indicating a decrease of the estrogenic effect due to the effluent treatment. The present study has shown that for the Chilean pulp and paper mill SPE extracts evaluated, an endocrine disruption effect was induced in immature triploid rainbow, reaffirming the significant estrogenic effects demonstrated previously in laboratory and field experiments.

Advances in the physics basis for the European DEMO design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenninger, R.; Arbeiter, F.; Aubert, J.; Aho-Mantila, L.; Albanese, R.; Ambrosino, R.; Angioni, C.; Artaud, J.-F.; Bernert, M.; Fable, E.; Fasoli, A.; Federici, G.; Garcia, J.; Giruzzi, G.; Jenko, F.; Maget, P.; Mattei, M.; Maviglia, F.; Poli, E.; Ramogida, G.; Reux, C.; Schneider, M.; Sieglin, B.; Villone, F.; Wischmeier, M.; Zohm, H.

2015-06-01

In the European fusion roadmap, ITER is followed by a demonstration fusion power reactor (DEMO), for which a conceptual design is under development. This paper reports the first results of a coherent effort to develop the relevant physics knowledge for that (DEMO Physics Basis), carried out by European experts. The program currently includes investigations in the areas of scenario modeling, transport, MHD, heating & current drive, fast particles, plasma wall interaction and disruptions.

Dose-Dependent Thresholds of 10-ns Electric Pulse Induced Plasma Membrane Disruption and Cytotoxicity in Multiple Cell Lines

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 3 General Dynamics Inf. Tech Brooks City-Base, San... 16 . SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT U b. ABSTRACT...Sta tes of America, 2 Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America, 3 General

Mesenteric Lymphatic-Perilymphatic Adipose Crosstalk: Role in Alcohol-Induced Perilymphatic Adipose Tissue Inflammation.

PubMed

Souza-Smith, Flavia M; Siggins, Robert W; Molina, Patricia E

2015-08-01

The digestive tract lymphatics transport approximately two-thirds of all lymph produced in the body and have a key role in mucosal immunity through their contribution to antigen transport and immune cell trafficking. Mesenteric lymphatic pumping function integrity is critical for maintaining homeostasis and lipid transport. We previously demonstrated that acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) increases mesenteric lymphatic amplitude of contraction and ejection fraction, enhancing the ability of the lymphatic vessels to pump lymph. AAI has been shown to disrupt intestinal barrier integrity, which would be expected to increase the endotoxin content of mesenteric lymph. In this study, we tested the prediction that AAI increases lymphatic permeability directly affecting perilymphatic adipose tissue (PLAT) milieu. Male Sprague Dawley rats received an intragastric infusion of 2.5 g/kg of alcohol. Isovolumic administration of water (vehicle) served as control. PLAT was isolated for the determination of Evans Blue extravasation (permeability), cytokine content, and immunohistochemistry for inflammatory cell infiltration at 30 minutes and 24 hours after alcohol administration. PLAT isolated from AAI animals had greater Evans Blue concentrations and cytokine expression (24 hours post-AAI) and mast cell and neutrophil density than that isolated from controls. AAI resulted in significantly higher plasma lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) levels, lower plasma adiponectin levels (at 30 minutes), and unchanged plasma visfatin levels. The data indicate that AAI induces mesenteric lymphatic hyperpermeability, promotes PLAT inflammatory milieu and disrupts the systemic adipokine profile. These findings suggest an association between alcohol-induced lymphatic hyperpermeability and early manifestations of metabolic dysfunction as a result of alcohol abuse. We propose that crosstalk between lymph and PLAT results in adipose inflammation and adipokine dysregulation during AAI. Copyright © 2015 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Free-Boundary 3D Equilibria and Resistive Wall Instabilities with Extended-MHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraro, N. M.

2015-11-01

The interaction of the plasma with external currents, either imposed or induced, is a critical element of a wide range of important tokamak phenomena, including resistive wall mode (RWM) stability and feedback control, island penetration and locking, and disruptions. A model of these currents may be included within the domain of extended-MHD codes in a way that preserves the self-consistency, scalability, and implicitness of their numerical methods. Such a model of the resistive wall and non-axisymmetric coils is demonstrated using the M3D-C1 code for a variety of applications, including RWMs, perturbed non-axisymmetric equilibria, and a vertical displacement event (VDE) disruption. The calculated free-boundary equilibria, which include Spitzer resistivity, rotation, and two-fluid effects, are compared to external magnetic and internal thermal measurements for several DIII-D discharges. In calculations of the perturbed equilibria in ELM suppressed discharges, the tearing response at the top of the pedestal is found to correlate with the onset of ELM suppression. Nonlinear VDE calculations, initialized using a vertically unstable DIII-D equilibrium, resolve in both space and time the currents induced in the wall and on the plasma surface, and also the currents flowing between the plasma and the wall. The relative magnitude of these contributions and the total impulse to the wall depend on the resistive wall time, although the maximum axisymmetric force on the wall over the course of the VDE is found to be essentially independent of the wall conductivity. This research was supported by US DOE contracts DE-FG02-95ER54309, DE-FC02-04ER54698 and DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Impact of chronic and low cadmium exposure of rats: sex specific disruption of glucose metabolism.

PubMed

Adeline, Jacquet; Josiane, Arnaud; Isabelle, Hininger-Favier; Florence, Hazane-Puch; Karine, Couturier; Marine, Lénon; Frédéric, Lamarche; Fayçal, Ounnas; Eric, Fontaine; Jean-Marc, Moulis; Christine, Demeilliers

2018-05-20

Several epidemiological and animal studies suggest a positive association between cadmium (Cd) exposure and incidence of type 2 diabetes, but the association remains controversial. Besides, the experimental data have mainly been obtained with relatively high levels of Cd, over various periods of time, and with artificial routes of administration. Do environmental exposures to Cd induce significant disruption of glucose metabolism? Adults Wistar rats were exposed for three months to 0, 5, 50 or 500 μg.kg -1 .d -1 of CdCl 2 in drinking water. Relevant parameters of glucose homeostasis were measured. Cd accumulated in plasma, kidney and liver of rats exposed to 50 and 500 μg.kg -1 .d -1 , without inducing signs of organ failure. In rats drinking 5 μg.kg -1 .d -1 for 3 months, Cd exposure did not lead to any significant increase of Cd in these organs. At 50 and 500 μg.kg -1 .d -1 of Cd, glucose and insulin tolerance were unchanged in both sexes. However, females exhibited a significant increase of both fasting and glucose-stimulated plasma insulin that was assigned to impaired hepatic insulin extraction as indicated by unaltered fasting C-peptide plasma levels. Glucose homeostasis is sensitive to chronic Cd exposure in a gender-specific way. Moreover, this study proves that an environmental pollutant such as Cd can have, at low concentrations, an impact on the glucose homeostatic system and it highlights the importance of a closer scrutiny of the underlying environmental causes to understand the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antiproliferative effects of γ-tocotrienol are associated with lipid raft disruption in HER2-positive human breast cancer cells.

PubMed

Alawin, Osama A; Ahmed, Rayan A; Ibrahim, Baher A; Briski, Karen P; Sylvester, Paul W

2016-01-01

A large percentage of human breast cancers are characterized by excessive or aberrant HER2 activity. Lipid rafts are specialized microdomains within the plasma membrane that are required for HER2 activation and signal transduction. Since the anticancer activity of γ-tocotrienol is associated with suppression in HER2 signaling, studies were conducted to examine the effects of γ-tocotrienol on HER2 activation within the lipid raft microdomain in HER2-positive SKBR3 and BT474 human breast cancer cells. Treatment with 0-5μM γ-tocotrienol induced a significant dose-dependent inhibition in cancer cell growth after a 5-day culture period, and these growth inhibitory effects were associated with a reduction in HER2 dimerization and phosphorylation (activation). Phosphorylated HER2 was found to be primarily located in the lipid raft microdomain of the plasma membrane in vehicle-treated control groups, whereas γ-tocotrienol treatment significantly inhibited this effect. Assay of plasma membrane subcellular fractions showed that γ-tocotrienol also accumulates exclusively within the lipid raft microdomain. Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) is an agent that disrupts lipid raft integrity. Acute exposure to 3mM HPβCD alone had no effect, whereas an acute 24-h exposure to 20μM γ-tocotrienol alone significantly decreased SKBR3 and BT474 cell viability. However, combined treatment with these agents greatly reduced γ-tocotrienol accumulation in the lipid raft microdomain and cytotoxicity. In summary, these findings demonstrate that the anticancer effects of γ-tocotrienol are associated with its accumulation in the lipid raft microdomain and subsequent interference with HER2 dimerization and activation in SKBR3 and BT474 human breast cancer cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

First operation with the JET International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor-like walla)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neu, R.; Arnoux, G.; Beurskens, M.; Bobkov, V.; Brezinsek, S.; Bucalossi, J.; Calabro, G.; Challis, C.; Coenen, J. W.; de la Luna, E.; de Vries, P. C.; Dux, R.; Frassinetti, L.; Giroud, C.; Groth, M.; Hobirk, J.; Joffrin, E.; Lang, P.; Lehnen, M.; Lerche, E.; Loarer, T.; Lomas, P.; Maddison, G.; Maggi, C.; Matthews, G.; Marsen, S.; Mayoral, M.-L.; Meigs, A.; Mertens, Ph.; Nunes, I.; Philipps, V.; Pütterich, T.; Rimini, F.; Sertoli, M.; Sieglin, B.; Sips, A. C. C.; van Eester, D.; van Rooij, G.; JET-EFDA Contributors

2013-05-01

To consolidate International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design choices and prepare for its operation, Joint European Torus (JET) has implemented ITER's plasma facing materials, namely, Be for the main wall and W in the divertor. In addition, protection systems, diagnostics, and the vertical stability control were upgraded and the heating capability of the neutral beams was increased to over 30 MW. First results confirm the expected benefits and the limitations of all metal plasma facing components (PFCs) but also yield understanding of operational issues directly relating to ITER. H-retention is lower by at least a factor of 10 in all operational scenarios compared to that with C PFCs. The lower C content (≈ factor 10) has led to much lower radiation during the plasma burn-through phase eliminating breakdown failures. Similarly, the intrinsic radiation observed during disruptions is very low, leading to high power loads and to a slow current quench. Massive gas injection using a D2/Ar mixture restores levels of radiation and vessel forces similar to those of mitigated disruptions with the C wall. Dedicated L-H transition experiments indicate a 30% power threshold reduction, a distinct minimum density, and a pronounced shape dependence. The L-mode density limit was found to be up to 30% higher than for C allowing stable detached divertor operation over a larger density range. Stable H-modes as well as the hybrid scenario could be re-established only when using gas puff levels of a few 1021 es-1. On average, the confinement is lower with the new PFCs, but nevertheless, H factors up to 1 (H-Mode) and 1.3 (at βN≈3, hybrids) have been achieved with W concentrations well below the maximum acceptable level.

First Operation with the JET ITER-Like Wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neu, Rudolf

2012-10-01

To consolidate ITER design choices and prepare for its operation, JET has implemented ITER's plasma facing materials, namely Be at the main wall and W in the divertor. In addition, protection systems, diagnostics and the vertical stability control were upgraded and the heating capability of the neutral beams was increased to over 30 MW. First results confirm the expected benefits and the limitations of all metal plasma facing components (PFCs), but also yield understanding of operational issues directly relating to ITER. H-retention is lower by at least a factor of 10 in all operational scenarios compared to that with C PFCs. The lower C content (˜ factor 10) have led to much lower radiation during the plasma burn-through phase eliminating breakdown failures. Similarly, the intrinsic radiation observed during disruptions is very low, leading to high power loads and to a slow current quench. Massive gas injection using a D2/Ar mixture restores levels of radiation and vessel forces similar to those of mitigated disruptions with the C wall. Dedicated L-H transition experiments indicate a reduced power threshold by 30%, a distinct minimum density and pronounced shape dependence. The L-mode density limit was found up to 30% higher than for C allowing stable detached divertor operation over a larger density range. Stable H-modes as well as the hybrid scenario could be only re-established when using gas puff levels of a few 10^21e/s. On average the confinement is lower with the new PFCs, but nevertheless, H factors around 1 (H-Mode) and 1.2 (at βN˜3, Hybrids) have been achieved with W concentrations well below the maximum acceptable level (<10-5).

Equatorial Plasma Bubble Development and Dynamics, and Sporadic E Layer Structuring, under Storm Time Electric Fields.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdu, M. A.; Batista, I. S.; Sobral, J. H. A.; Souza, J.; Santos, A.

2016-12-01

Equatorial and low - midlatitude ionospheric plasma dynamics and related phenomenology can be severely affected by disturbance electric fields associated with magnetic storms. Penetration electric fields, of under-shielding or over-shielding types, can cause anomalous development of plasma bubbles even during their non-occurrence season, or can lead to suppression of their normal development. Depending upon the longitude sector and local time, large relative changes in the Hall and Pedersen conductivities can occur due to storm induced extra E layer ionization or modifications in F layer plasma density, as a result of which the penetration electric fields may produce, among other effects, (1) plasma bubble zonal drift velocity reversal to westward, (2) large/abnormal F layer plasma uplift, (3) sporadic E layer disruption or its formation with instabilities. Beside these effects, the equatorial ionization anomaly is known to suffer latitudinal expansion and retraction. In this paper we will discuss some outstanding response features of the low altitude ionosphere under disturbance electric field as diagnosed by Digisondes, radars and optical imagers in the South American longitude sector, a region that is strongly influenced by the South Atlantic Magnetic anomaly (SAMA). The results will be discussed in the context of satellite observations (from C/NOFS) and modeling results based on SUPIM simulation of a realistic low latitude ionosphere.

Impact of toroidal and poloidal mode spectra on the control of non-axisymmetric fields in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lanctot, Matthew J.; Park, J. -K.; Piovesan, Paolo

In several tokamaks, non-axisymmetric magnetic field studies show that applied magnetic fields with a toroidal harmonic n = 2 can lead to disruptive n = 1 locked modes. In Ohmic plasmas, n = 2 magnetic reconnection thresholds in otherwise stable discharges are readily accessed at edge safety factors q ~ 3, low density, and low rotation. Similar to previous studies with n = 1 fields, the thresholds are correlated with the “overlap” field computed with the IPEC code. The overlap field quantifies the plasma-mediated coupling of the external field to the resonant field. Remarkably, the “critical overlap fields” at whichmore » magnetic islands form are similar for applied n =1 and 2 fields. The critical overlap field increases with plasma density and edge safety factor but is independent of the toroidal field. Poloidal harmonics m > nq dominate the drive for resonant fields while m < nq harmonics have a negligible impact. This contrasts with previous results in H-mode discharges at high plasma pressure in which the toroidal angular momentum is sensitive to low poloidal harmonics. Altogether, these results highlight unique requirements for n > 1 field control including the need for multiple rows of coils to control selected plasma parameters for specific functions (e.g., rotation control or ELM suppression).« less

Characteristic time for halo current growth and rotation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boozer, Allen H., E-mail: ahb17@columbia.edu

2015-10-15

A halo current flows for part of its path through the plasma edge and for part through the chamber walls and during tokamak disruptions can be as large as tenths of the plasma current. The primary interest in halo currents is the large force that they can exert on machine components particularly if the toriodal rotation of the halo current resonates with a natural oscillation frequency of the tokamak device. Halo currents arise when required to slow down the growth of a kink that is too unstable to be stabilized by the chamber walls. The width of the current channelmore » in the halo plasma is comparable to the amplitude of the kink, and the halo current grows linearly, not exponentially, in time. The current density in the halo is comparable to that of the main plasma body. The rocket force due to plasma flowing out of the halo and recombining on the chamber walls can cause the non-axisymmetric magnetic structure produced by the kink to rotate toroidally at a speed comparable to the halo speed of sound. Gerhardt's observations of the halo current in NSTX shot 141 687 [Nucl. Fusion 53, 023005 (2013)] illustrate many features of the theory of halo currents and are discussed as a summary of the theory.« less

Adiponectin in Fresh Frozen Plasma Contributes to Restoration of Vascular Barrier Function after Hemorrhagic Shock

PubMed Central

Huby, Maria P.; Duan, Chaojun; Baer, Lisa; Peng, Zhanglong; Kozar, Rosemary A.; Doursout, Marie-Francoise; Holcomb, John B.; Wade, Charles E.; Ko, Tien C.

2015-01-01

Hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of preventable deaths in civilian and military trauma. Use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in patients requiring massive transfusion is associated with improved outcomes. FFP contains significant amounts of adiponectin, which is known to have vascular protective function. We hypothesize that FFP improves vascular barrier function largely via adiponectin. Plasma adiponectin levels were measured in 19 severely injured patients in hemorrhagic shock (HS). Compared to normal individuals, plasma adiponectin levels decreased to 49% in HS patients prior to resuscitation (p<0.05) and increased to 64% post resuscitation (but not significant). In a HS mouse model, we demonstrated a similar decrease in plasma adiponectin to 54% but a significant increase to 79% by FFP resuscitation compared to baseline (p<0.05). HS disrupted lung vascular barrier function, leading to an increase in permeability. FFP resuscitation reversed these HS-induced effects. Immunodepletion of adiponectin from FFP abolished FFP's effects on blocking endothelial hyperpermeability in vitro, and on improving lung vascular barrier function in HS mice. Replenishment with adiponectin rescued FFP's effects. These findings suggest that adiponectin is an important component in FFP resuscitation contributing to the beneficial effects on vascular barrier function after HS. PMID:26263440

The apoptotic microtubule network preserves plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis.

PubMed

Sánchez-Alcázar, José A; Rodríguez-Hernández, Angeles; Cordero, Mario D; Fernández-Ayala, Daniel J M; Brea-Calvo, Gloria; Garcia, Katherina; Navas, Plácido

2007-07-01

It has recently been shown that the microtubule cytoskeleton is reformed during the execution phase of apoptosis. We demonstrate that this microtubule reformation occurs in many cell types and under different apoptotic stimuli. We confirm that the apoptotic microtubule network possesses a novel organization, whose nucleation appears independent of conventional gamma-tubulin ring complex containing structures. Our analysis suggests that microtubules are closely associated with the plasma membrane, forming a cortical ring or cellular "cocoon". Concomitantly other components of the cytoskeleton, such as actin and cytokeratins disassemble. We found that colchicine-mediated disruption of apoptotic microtubule network results in enhanced plasma membrane permeability and secondary necrosis, suggesting that the reformation of a microtubule cytoskeleton plays an important role in preserving plasma membrane integrity during apoptosis. Significantly, cells induced to enter apoptosis in the presence of the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD, nevertheless form microtubule-like structures suggesting that microtubule formation is not dependent on caspase activation. In contrast we found that treatment with EGTA-AM, an intracellular calcium chelator, prevents apoptotic microtubule network formation, suggesting that intracellular calcium may play an essential role in the microtubule reformation. We propose that apoptotic microtubule network is required to maintain plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis.

Impact of toroidal and poloidal mode spectra on the control of non-axisymmetric fields in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Lanctot, Matthew J.; Park, J. -K.; Piovesan, Paolo; ...

2017-05-18

In several tokamaks, non-axisymmetric magnetic field studies show that applied magnetic fields with a toroidal harmonic n = 2 can lead to disruptive n = 1 locked modes. In Ohmic plasmas, n = 2 magnetic reconnection thresholds in otherwise stable discharges are readily accessed at edge safety factors q ~ 3, low density, and low rotation. Similar to previous studies with n = 1 fields, the thresholds are correlated with the “overlap” field computed with the IPEC code. The overlap field quantifies the plasma-mediated coupling of the external field to the resonant field. Remarkably, the “critical overlap fields” at whichmore » magnetic islands form are similar for applied n =1 and 2 fields. The critical overlap field increases with plasma density and edge safety factor but is independent of the toroidal field. Poloidal harmonics m > nq dominate the drive for resonant fields while m < nq harmonics have a negligible impact. This contrasts with previous results in H-mode discharges at high plasma pressure in which the toroidal angular momentum is sensitive to low poloidal harmonics. Altogether, these results highlight unique requirements for n > 1 field control including the need for multiple rows of coils to control selected plasma parameters for specific functions (e.g., rotation control or ELM suppression).« less

Bile acids modulate signaling by functional perturbation of plasma membrane domains.

PubMed

Zhou, Yong; Maxwell, Kelsey N; Sezgin, Erdinc; Lu, Maryia; Liang, Hong; Hancock, John F; Dial, Elizabeth J; Lichtenberger, Lenard M; Levental, Ilya

2013-12-13

Eukaryotic cell membranes are organized into functional lipid and protein domains, the most widely studied being membrane rafts. Although rafts have been associated with numerous plasma membrane functions, the mechanisms by which these domains themselves are regulated remain undefined. Bile acids (BAs), whose primary function is the solubilization of dietary lipids for digestion and absorption, can affect cells by interacting directly with membranes. To investigate whether these interactions affected domain organization in biological membranes, we assayed the effects of BAs on biomimetic synthetic liposomes, isolated plasma membranes, and live cells. At cytotoxic concentrations, BAs dissolved synthetic and cell-derived membranes and disrupted live cell plasma membranes, implicating plasma membrane damage as the mechanism for BA cellular toxicity. At subtoxic concentrations, BAs dramatically stabilized domain separation in Giant Plasma Membrane Vesicles without affecting protein partitioning between coexisting domains. Domain stabilization was the result of BA binding to and disordering the nonraft domain, thus promoting separation by enhancing domain immiscibility. Consistent with the physical changes observed in synthetic and isolated biological membranes, BAs reorganized intact cell membranes, as evaluated by the spatial distribution of membrane-anchored Ras isoforms. Nanoclustering of K-Ras, related to nonraft membrane domains, was enhanced in intact plasma membranes, whereas the organization of H-Ras was unaffected. BA-induced changes in Ras lateral segregation potentiated EGF-induced signaling through MAPK, confirming the ability of BAs to influence cell signal transduction by altering the physical properties of the plasma membrane. These observations suggest general, membrane-mediated mechanisms by which biological amphiphiles can produce their cellular effects.

Plasma-material Interactions in Current Tokamaks and their Implications for Next-step Fusion Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Federici, G.; Skinner, C.H.; Brooks, J.N.

2001-01-10

The major increase in discharge duration and plasma energy in a next-step DT [deuterium-tritium] fusion reactor will give rise to important plasma-material effects that will critically influence its operation, safety, and performance. Erosion will increase to a scale of several centimeters from being barely measurable at a micron scale in today's tokamaks. Tritium co-deposited with carbon will strongly affect the operation of machines with carbon plasma-facing components. Controlling plasma wall interactions is critical to achieving high performance in present-day tokamaks and this is likely to continue to be the case in the approach to practical fusion reactors. Recognition of themore » important consequences of these phenomena has stimulated an internationally coordinated effort in the field of plasma-surface interactions supporting the Engineering Design Activities of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project and significant progress has been made in better under standing these issues. This paper reviews the underlying physical processes and the existing experimental database of plasma-material interactions both in tokamaks and laboratory simulation facilities for conditions of direct relevance to next-step fusion reactors. Two main topical groups of interactions are considered: (i) erosion/redeposition from plasma sputtering and disruptions, including dust and flake generation, (ii) tritium retention and removal. The use of modeling tools to interpret the experimental results and make projections for conditions expected in future devices is explained. Outstanding technical issues and specific recommendations on potential R and D [Research and Development] avenues for their resolution are presented.« less

Rotation and transport in Alcator C-Mod ITB plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiore, C. L.; Rice, J. E.; Podpaly, Y.; Bespamyatnov, I. O.; Rowan, W. L.; Hughes, J. W.; Reinke, M.

2010-06-01

Internal transport barriers (ITBs) are seen under a number of conditions in Alcator C-Mod plasmas. Most typically, radio frequency power in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRFs) is injected with the second harmonic of the resonant frequency for minority hydrogen ions positioned off-axis at r/a > 0.5 to initiate the ITBs. They can also arise spontaneously in ohmic H-mode plasmas. These ITBs typically persist tens of energy confinement times until the plasma terminates in radiative collapse or a disruption occurs. All C-Mod core barriers exhibit strongly peaked density and pressure profiles, static or peaking temperature profiles, peaking impurity density profiles and thermal transport coefficients that approach neoclassical values in the core. The strongly co-current intrinsic central plasma rotation that is observed following the H-mode transition has a profile that is peaked in the centre of the plasma and decreases towards the edge if the ICRF power deposition is in the plasma centre. When the ICRF resonance is placed off-axis, the rotation develops a well in the core region. The central rotation continues to decrease as long as the central density peaks when an ITB develops. This rotation profile is flat in the centre (0 < r/a < 0.4) but rises steeply in the region where the foot in the ITB density profile is observed (0.5 < r/a < 0.7). A correspondingly strong E × B shear is seen at the location of the ITB foot that is sufficiently large to stabilize ion temperature gradient instabilities that dominate transport in C-Mod high density plasmas.

Angptl4 does not control hyperglucagonemia or α-cell hyperplasia following glucagon receptor inhibition

PubMed Central

Okamoto, Haruka; Cavino, Katie; Na, Erqian; Krumm, Elizabeth; Kim, Steven; Stevis, Panayiotis E.; Harp, Joyce; Murphy, Andrew J.; Yancopoulos, George D.; Gromada, Jesper

2017-01-01

Genetic disruption or pharmacologic inhibition of glucagon signaling effectively lowers blood glucose but results in compensatory glucagon hypersecretion involving expansion of pancreatic α-cell mass. Ben-Zvi et al. recently reported that angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4) links glucagon receptor inhibition to hyperglucagonemia and α-cell proliferation [Ben-Zvi et al. (2015) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:15498–15503]. Angptl4 is a secreted protein and inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase-mediated plasma triglyceride clearance. We report that Angptl4−/− mice treated with an anti-glucagon receptor monoclonal antibody undergo elevation of plasma glucagon levels and α-cell expansion similar to wild-type mice. Overexpression of Angptl4 in liver of mice caused a 8.6-fold elevation in plasma triglyceride levels, but did not alter plasma glucagon levels or α-cell mass. Furthermore, administration of glucagon receptor-blocking antibody to healthy individuals increased plasma glucagon and amino acid levels, but did not change circulating Angptl4 concentration. These data show that Angptl4 does not link glucagon receptor inhibition to compensatory hyperglucagonemia or expansion of α-cell mass, and that it cannot be given to induce such secretion and growth. The reduction of plasma triglyceride levels in Angptl4−/− mice and increase following Angptl4 overexpression suggest that changes in plasma triglyceride metabolism do not regulate α-cells in the pancreas. Our findings corroborate recent data showing that increased plasma amino acids and their transport into α-cells link glucagon receptor blockage to α-cell hyperplasia. PMID:28143927

Determination of 4-nonylphenol and 4-octylphenol in human blood samples by high-performance liquid chromatography with multi-electrode electrochemical coulometric-array detection.

PubMed

Inoue, K; Yoshimura, Y; Makino, T; Nakazawa, H

2000-11-01

Alkylphenols can affect human health because they disrupt the endocrine system. In this study, an analytical method for determining trace amounts of 4-nonylphenol (NP) and 4-octylphenol (OP) in human blood samples was developed. Reversed-phase HPLC with multi-electrode electrochemical coulometric-array detection was used for the determination of NP and OP in plasma and serum samples prepared with a solid-phase extraction method. The separation was achieved using an isocratic mobile phase of 0.7% phosphoric acid-acetonitrile with a C18 reversed phase column. The detection limits of NP and OP were 1.0 and 0.5 ng ml-1, respectively. The recoveries of NP and OP added to human plasma samples were above 70.0% with a relative standard deviation of less than 15.5%. The method was found to be applicable to the determination of NP and OP in various human blood samples such as serum and plasma.

Dynamic molecular confinement in the plasma membrane by microdomains and the cytoskeleton meshwork

PubMed Central

Lenne, Pierre-François; Wawrezinieck, Laure; Conchonaud, Fabien; Wurtz, Olivier; Boned, Annie; Guo, Xiao-Jun; Rigneault, Hervé; He, Hai-Tao; Marguet, Didier

2006-01-01

It is by now widely recognized that cell membranes show complex patterns of lateral organization. Two mechanisms involving either a lipid-dependent (microdomain model) or cytoskeleton-based (meshwork model) process are thought to be responsible for these plasma membrane organizations. In the present study, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements on various spatial scales were performed in order to directly identify and characterize these two processes in live cells with a high temporal resolution, without any loss of spatial information. Putative raft markers were found to be dynamically compartmented within tens of milliseconds into small microdomains (∅<120 nm) that are sensitive to the cholesterol and sphingomyelin levels, whereas actin-based cytoskeleton barriers are responsible for the confinement of the transferrin receptor protein. A free-like diffusion was observed when both the lipid-dependent and cytoskeleton-based organizations were disrupted, which suggests that these are two main compartmentalizing forces at work in the plasma membrane. PMID:16858413

Quantifying pulsed electric field-induced membrane nanoporation in single cells.

PubMed

Moen, Erick K; Ibey, Bennett L; Beier, Hope T; Armani, Andrea M

2016-11-01

Plasma membrane disruption can trigger a host of cellular activities. One commonly observed type of disruption is pore formation. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of simplified lipid membrane structures predict that controllably disrupting the membrane via nano-scale poration may be possible with nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF). Until recently, researchers hoping to verify this hypothesis experimentally have been limited to measuring the relatively slow process of fluorescent markers diffusing across the membrane, which is indirect evidence of nanoporation that could be channel-mediated. Leveraging recent advances in nonlinear optical microscopy, we elucidate the role of pulse parameters in nsPEF-induced membrane permeabilization in live cells. Unlike previous techniques, it is able to directly observe loss of membrane order at the onset of the pulse. We also develop a complementary theoretical model that relates increasing membrane permeabilization to membrane pore density. Due to the significantly improved spatial and temporal resolution possible with our imaging method, we are able to directly compare our experimental and theoretical results. Their agreement provides substantial evidence that nanoporation does occur and that its development is dictated by the electric field distribution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

31P NMR and AFM studies on the destabilization of cell and model membranes by the major bovine seminal plasma protein, PDC-109.

PubMed

Damai, Rajani S; Sankhala, Rajeshwer S; Anbazhagan, Veerappan; Swamy, Musti J

2010-11-01

The effect of PDC-109 binding to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and supported membranes was investigated by (31)P NMR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Additionally, the effect of cholesterol on the binding of PDC-109 to phosphatidylcholine (PC) membranes was studied. Binding of PDC-109 to MLVs of DMPC and DPPG induced the formation of an isotropic signal in their (31)P NMR spectra, which increased with increasing protein/lipid ratio and temperature, consistent with protein-induced disruption of the MLVs and the formation of small unilamellar vesicles or micelles but not inverse hexagonal or cubic phases. Incorporation of cholesterol in the DMPC MLVs afforded a partial stabilization of the lamellar structure, consistent with previous reports of membrane stabilization by cholesterol. AFM results are consistent with the above findings and show that addition of PDC-109 leads to a complete breakdown of PC membranes. The fraction of isotropic signal in (31)P NMR spectra of DPPG in the presence of PDC-109 was less than that of DMPC under similar conditions, suggesting a significantly higher affinity of the protein for PC. Confocal microscopic studies showed that addition of PDC-109 to human erythrocytes results in a disruption of the plasma membrane and release of hemoglobin into the solution, which was dependent on the protein concentration and incubation time.

Effect-directed analysis to explore the polar bear exposome: identification of thyroid hormone disrupting compounds in plasma.

PubMed

Simon, Eszter; van Velzen, Martin; Brandsma, Sicco H; Lie, Elisabeth; Løken, Katharina; de Boer, Jacob; Bytingsvik, Jenny; Jenssen, Bjørn M; Aars, Jon; Hamers, Timo; Lamoree, Marja H

2013-08-06

Compounds with transthyretin (TTR)-binding potency in the blood plasma of polar bear cubs were identified with effect-directed analysis (EDA). This approach contributes to the understanding of the thyroid disrupting exposome of polar bears. The selection of these samples for in-depth EDA was based on the difference between the observed TTR-binding potency on the one hand and the calculated potency (based on known concentrations of TTR-binding compounds and their relative potencies) on the other. A library-based identification was applied to the liquid chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS) data by screening for matches between compound lists and the LC-ToF-MS data regarding accurate mass and isotope pattern. Then, isotope cluster analysis (ICA) was applied to the LC-ToF-MS data allowing specific screening for halogen isotope patterns. The presence of linear and branched nonylphenol (NP) was observed for the first time in polar bears. Furthermore, the presence of one di- and two monohydroxylated octachlorinated biphenyls (octaCBs) was revealed in the extracts. Linear and branched NP, 4'-OH-CB201 and 4,4'-OH-CB202 could be successfully confirmed with respect to their retention time in the analytical system. In addition, branched NP, mono- and dihydroxylated-octaCBs showed TTR-binding potencies and could explain another 32 ± 2% of the total measured activities in the extracts.

Fluorescence Imaging of Two-Photon Linear Dichroism: Cholesterol Depletion Disrupts Molecular Orientation in Cell Membranes

PubMed Central

Benninger, Richard K. P.; Önfelt, Björn; Neil, Mark A. A.; Davis, Daniel M.; French, Paul M. W.

2005-01-01

The plasma membrane of cells is an ordered environment, giving rise to anisotropic orientation and restricted motion of molecules and proteins residing in the membrane. At the same time as being an organized matrix of defined structure, the cell membrane is heterogeneous and dynamic. Here we present a method where we use fluorescence imaging of linear dichroism to measure the orientation of molecules relative to the cell membrane. By detecting linear dichroism as well as fluorescence anisotropy, the orientation parameters are separated from dynamic properties such as rotational diffusion and homo energy transfer (energy migration). The sensitivity of the technique is enhanced by using two-photon excitation for higher photo-selection compared to single photon excitation. We show here that we can accurately image lipid organization in whole cell membranes and in delicate structures such as membrane nanotubes connecting two cells. The speed of our wide-field imaging system makes it possible to image changes in orientation and anisotropy occurring on a subsecond timescale. This is demonstrated by time-lapse studies showing that cholesterol depletion rapidly disrupts the orientation of a fluorophore located within the hydrophobic region of the cell membrane but not of a surface bound probe. This is consistent with cholesterol having an important role in stabilizing and ordering the lipid tails within the plasma membrane. PMID:15520272

HBT-EP Program: MHD Dynamics and Active Control through 3D Fields and Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navratil, G. A.; Bialek, J.; Brooks, J. W.; Byrne, P. J.; Desanto, S.; Levesque, J. P.; Mauel, M. E.; Stewart, I. G.; Hansen, C. J.

2017-10-01

The HBT-EP active mode control research program aims to: (i) advance understanding of the effects of 3D shaping on advanced tokamak fusion performance, (ii) resolve important MHD issues associated with disruptions, and (iii) measure and mitigate the effects of 3D scrape-off layer (SOL) currents through active and passive control of the plasma edge and conducting boundary structures. Comparison of kink mode structure and RMP response in circular versus diverted plasmas shows good agreement with DCON modeling. SOL current measurements have been used to study SOL current dynamics and current-sharing with the vacuum vessel wall during kink-mode growth and disruptions. A multi-chord extreme UV/soft X-ray array is being installed to provide detailed internal mode structure information. Internal local electrodes were used to apply local bias voltage at two radial locations to study the effect of rotation profile on MHD mode rotation and stability and radial current flow through the SOL. A GPU-based low latency control system using 96 inputs and 64 outputs to apply magnetic perturbations for active control of kink modes is extended to directly control the SOL currents for kink-mode control. An extensive array of SOL current monitors and edge drive electrodes are being installed for pioneering studies of helical edge current control. Supported by U.S. DOE Grant DE-FG02-86ER53222.

Ethanol stimulates glucose uptake and translocation of GLUT-4 in H9c2 myotubes via a Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism.

PubMed

Yu, B; Schroeder, A; Nagy, L E

2000-12-01

Short-term exposure to ethanol impairs glucose homeostasis, but the effects of ethanol on individual components of the glucose disposal pathway are not known. To understand the mechanisms by which ethanol disrupts glucose homeostasis, we have investigated the direct effects of ethanol on glucose uptake and translocation of GLUT-4 in H9c2 myotubes. Short-term treatment with 12.5-50 mM ethanol increased uptake of 2-deoxyglucose by 1.8-fold in differentiated myotubes. Pretreatment of H9c2 myotubes with 100 nM wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, had no effect on ethanol-induced increases in 2-deoxyglucose uptake. In contrast, preincubation with 25 microM dantrolene, an inhibitor of Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, blocked the stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake by ethanol. Increased 2-deoxyglucose uptake after ethanol treatment was associated with a decrease in small intracellular GLUT-4 vesicles and an increase in GLUT-4 localized at the cell surface. In contrast, ethanol had no effect on the quantity of GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 at the plasma membrane. These data demonstrate that physiologically relevant concentrations of ethanol disrupt the trafficking of GLUT-4 in H9c2 myotubes resulting in translocation of GLUT-4 to the plasma membrane and increased glucose uptake.

High heat flux testing of CFC composites for the tokamak physics experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valentine, P. G.; Nygren, R. E.; Burns, R. W.; Rocket, P. D.; Colleraine, A. P.; Lederich, R. J.; Bradley, J. T.

1996-10-01

High heat flux (HHF) testing of carbon fiber reinforced carbon composites (CFC's) was conducted under the General Atomics program to develop plasma-facing components (PFC's) for Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's tokamak physics experiment (TPX). As part of the process of selecting TPX CFC materials, a series of HHF tests were conducted with the 30 kW electron beam test system (EBTS) facility at Sandia National Laboratories, and with the plasma disruption simulator I (PLADIS-I) facility at the University of New Mexico. The purpose of the tests was to make assessments of the thermal performance and erosion behavior of CFC materials. Tests were conducted with 42 different CFC materials. In general, the CFC materials withstood the rapid thermal pulse environments without fracturing, delaminating, or degrading in a non-uniform manner; significant differences in thermal performance, erosion behavior, vapor evolution, etc. were observed and preliminary findings are presented below. The CFC's exposed to the hydrogen plasma pulses in PLADIS-I exhibited greater erosion rates than the CFC materials exposed to the electron-beam pulses in EBTS. The results obtained support the continued consideration of a variety of CFC composites for TPX PFC components.

Radial force on the vacuum chamber wall during thermal quench in tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pustovitov, V. D., E-mail: pustovitov-vd@nrcki.ru

The radial force balance during a thermal quench in tokamaks is analyzed. As a rule, the duration τ{sub tp} of such events is much shorter than the resistive time τ{sub w} of the vacuum chamber wall. Therefore, the perturbations of the magnetic field B produced by the evolving plasma cannot penetrate the wall, which makes different the magnetic pressures on its inner and outer sides. The goal of this work is the analytical estimation of the resulting integral radial force on the wall. The plasma is considered axially symmetric; for the description of radial forces on the wall, the resultsmore » of V.D. Shafranov’s classical work [J. Nucl. Energy C 5, 251 (1963)] are used. Developed for tokamaks, the standard equilibrium theory considers three interacting systems: plasma, poloidal field coils, and toroidal field coils. Here, the wall is additionally incorporated with currents driven by ∂B/∂t≠0 accompanying the fast loss of the plasma thermal energy. It is shown that they essentially affect the force redistribution, thereby leading to large loads on the wall. The estimates prove that these loads have to be accounted for in the disruptive scenarios in large tokamaks.« less

Fast soft x-ray images of magnetohydrodynamic phenomena in NSTX.

PubMed

Bush, C E; Stratton, B C; Robinson, J; Zakharov, L E; Fredrickson, E D; Stutman, D; Tritz, K

2008-10-01

A variety of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena have been observed on NSTX. Many of these affect fast particle losses, which are of major concern for future burning plasma experiments. Usual diagnostics for studying these phenomena are arrays of Mirnov coils for magnetic oscillations and p-i-n diode arrays for soft x-ray emission from the plasma core. Data reported here are from a unique fast soft x-ray imaging camera (FSXIC) with a wide-angle (pinhole) tangential view of the entire plasma minor cross section. The camera provides a 64x64 pixel image, on a charge coupled device chip, of light resulting from conversion of soft x rays incident on a phosphor to the visible. We have acquired plasma images at frame rates of 1-500 kHz (300 frames/shot) and have observed a variety of MHD phenomena: disruptions, sawteeth, fishbones, tearing modes, and edge localized modes (ELMs). New data including modes with frequency >90 kHz are also presented. Data analysis and modeling techniques used to interpret the FSXIC data are described and compared, and FSXIC results are compared to Mirnov and p-i-n diode array results.

High Voltage, Fast-Switching Module for Active Control of Magnetic Fields and Edge Plasma Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemba, Timothy; Miller, Kenneth; Prager, James; Slobodov, Ilia

2016-10-01

Fast, reliable, real-time control of plasma is critical to the success of magnetic fusion science. High voltage and current supplies are needed to mitigate instabilities in all experiments as well as disruption events in large scale tokamaks for steady-state operation. Silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs offer many advantages over IGBTs including lower drive energy requirements, lower conduction and switching losses, and higher switching frequency capabilities; however, these devices are limited to 1.2-1.7 kV devices. As fusion enters the long-pulse and burning plasma eras, efficiency of power switching will be important. Eagle Harbor Technologies (EHT), Inc. developing a high voltage SiC MOSFET module that operates at 10 kV. This switch module utilizes EHT gate drive technology, which has demonstrated the ability to increase SiC MOSFET switching efficiency. The module will allow more rapid development of high voltage switching power supplies at lower cost necessary for the next generation of fast plasma feedback and control. EHT is partnering with the High Beta Tokamak group at Columbia to develop detailed high voltage module specifications, to ensure that the final product meets the needs of the fusion science community.

Impurity sputtering from the guard limiter of the lower hybrid wave antenna in a tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ou, Jing; Xiang, Nong; Men, Zongzheng

2018-01-01

The hot spots on the guard limiter of the lower hybrid wave (LHW) antenna in a tokamak were believed to be associated with the energetic electrons produced by the wave-plasma interaction, leading to a sudden increase of impurity influx and even ending with disruption. To investigate the carbon sputtering from the guard limiter of the LHW antenna, the impurity sputtering yield is calculated by coupling the module of Plasma Surface Interaction [Warrier et al., Comput. Phys. Commun. 46, 160 (2004)] with the models for the sheath of plasma containing energetic electron and for the material heat transport. It is found that the presence of a small population of energetic electrons can change significantly the impurity sputtering yield, as a result of the sheath potential modification. For the typical plasma parameters in the current tokamak, with an increase in the energetic electron component, the physical sputtering yield reaches its maximum and then decreases slowly, while the chemical sputtering yield demonstrates a very sharp increase and then decreases rapidly. In addition, effects of the ion temperature and background electron density on the impurity sputtering are also discussed.

Plasma membrane damage to Candida albicans caused by chlorine dioxide (ClO2).

PubMed

Wei, M-K; Wu, Q-P; Huang, Q; Wu, J-L; Zhang, J-M

2008-08-01

To investigate the plasma membrane damage of chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) to Candida albicans ATCC10231 at or below the minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC). ClO(2) at MFC or below was adopted to treat the cell suspensions of C. albicans ATCC10231. Using transmission electron microscopy, no visible physiological alteration of cell shape and plasma membrane occurred. Potassium (K(+)) leakages were significant; likewise, it showed time- and dose-dependent increases. However, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) leakages were very slight. Research shows that when 99% of the cells were inactivated, the leakage was measured at 0.04% of total ATP. Compared with the mortality-specific fluorescent dye of DiBAC(4)(3), majority of the inactivated cells were poorly stained by propidium iodide, another mortality-specific fluorescent dye which can be traced by flow cytometry. At or below MFC, ClO(2) damages the plasma membranes of C. albicans mainly by permeabilization, rather than by the disruption of their integrity. K(+) leakage and the concomitant depolarization of the cell membrane are some of the critical events. These insights into membrane damages are helpful in understanding the action mode of ClO(2).

Algicidal effect of hybrid peptides as potential inhibitors of harmful algal blooms.

PubMed

Park, Seong-Cheol; Moon, Jeong Chan; Kim, Nam-Hong; Kim, Eun-Ji; Jeong, Jae-Eun; Nelson, Andrew D L; Jo, Beom-Ho; Jang, Mi-Kyeong; Lee, Jung Ro

2016-05-01

To biochemically characterize synthetic peptides to control harmful algal blooms (HABs) that cause red tides in marine water ecosystems. We present an analysis of several short synthetic peptides and their efficacy as algicidal agents. By altering the amino acid composition of the peptides we addressed the mode of algicidal action and determine the optimal balance of cationic and hydrophobic content for killing. In a controlled setting, these synthetic peptides disrupted both plasma and chloroplast membranes of several species known to result in HABs. This disruption was a direct result of the hydrophobic and cationic content of the peptide. Furthermore, by using an anti-HAB bioassay in scallops, we determined that these peptides were algicidal without being cytotoxic to other marine organisms. These synthetic peptides may prove promising for general marine ecosystem remediation where HABs have become widespread and resulted in serious economic loss.

Fungal-derived semiochemical 1-octen-3-ol disrupts dopamine packaging and causes neurodegeneration

PubMed Central

Inamdar, Arati A.; Hossain, Muhammad M.; Bernstein, Alison I.; Miller, Gary W.; Richardson, Jason R.; Bennett, Joan Wennstrom

2013-01-01

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and, although the exact causes are unknown, recent epidemiological and experimental studies indicate that several environmental agents may be significant risk factors. To date, these suspected environmental risk factors have been man-made chemicals. In this report, we demonstrate via genetic, biochemical, and immunological studies that the common volatile fungal semiochemical 1-octen-3-ol reduces dopamine levels and causes dopamine neuron degeneration in Drosophila melanogaster. Overexpression of the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) rescued the dopamine toxicity and neurodegeneration, whereas mutations decreasing VMAT and tyrosine hydroxylase exacerbated toxicity. Furthermore, 1-octen-3-ol also inhibited uptake of dopamine in human cell lines expressing the human plasma membrane dopamine transporter (DAT) and human VMAT ortholog, VMAT2. These data demonstrate that 1-octen-3-ol exerts toxicity via disruption of dopamine homeostasis and may represent a naturally occurring environmental agent involved in parkinsonism. PMID:24218591

Glutamine Supplementation Attenuates Ethanol-Induced Disruption of Apical Junctional Complexes in Colonic Epithelium and Ameliorates Gut Barrier Dysfunction and Fatty Liver in Mice

PubMed Central

Chaudhry, Kamaljit K.; Shukla, Pradeep K.; Mir, Hina; Manda, Bhargavi; Gangwar, Ruchika; Yadav, Nikki; McMullen, Megan; Nagy, Laura E.; Rao, RadhaKrishna

2015-01-01

Previous in vitro studies showed that glutamine (Gln) prevents acetaldehyde-induced disruption of tight junctions and adherens junctions in Caco-2 cell monolayers and human colonic mucosa. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of Gln supplementation on ethanol-induced gut barrier dysfunction and liver injury in mice in vivo. Ethanol feeding caused a significant increase in inulin permeability in distal colon. Elevated permeability was associated with a redistribution of tight junction and adherens junction proteins and depletion of detergent-insoluble fractions of these proteins, suggesting that ethanol disrupts apical junctional complexes in colonic epithelium and increases paracellular permeability. Ethanol-induced increase in colonic mucosal permeability and disruption of junctional complexes were most severe in mice fed Gln-free diet. Gln supplementation attenuated ethanol-induced mucosal permeability and disruption of tight junctions and adherens junctions in a dose-dependent manner, indicating the potential role of glutamine in nutritional intervention to alcoholic tissue injury. Gln supplementation dose-dependently elevated reduced-protein thiols in colon without affecting the level of oxidized-protein thiols. Ethanol feeding depleted reduced protein thiols and elevated oxidized protein thiols. Ethanol-induced protein thiol oxidation was most severe in mice fed Gln-free diet and absent in mice fed Gln-supplemented diet, suggesting that antioxidant effect is one of the likely mechanisms involved in Gln-mediated amelioration of ethanol-induced gut barrier dysfunction. Ethanol feeding elevated plasma transaminase and liver triglyceride, which was accompanied by histopathologic lesions in the liver; ethanol-induced liver damage was attenuated by Gln supplementation. These results indicate that Gln supplementation ameliorates alcohol-induced gut and liver injury. PMID:26365579

Interaction of tau protein with model lipid membranes induces tau structural compaction and membrane disruption

PubMed Central

Jones, Emmalee M.; Dubey, Manish; Camp, Phillip J.; Vernon, Briana C.; Biernat, Jacek; Mandelkow, Eckhard; Majewski, Jaroslaw; Chi, Eva Y.

2012-01-01

The misfolding and aggregation of the intrinsically disordered, microtubule-associated tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. However, the mechanisms of tau aggregation and toxicity remain unknown. Recent work has shown that lipid membrane can induce tau aggregation and that membrane permeabilization may serve as a pathway by which protein aggregates exert toxicity, suggesting that the plasma membrane may play dual roles in tau pathology. This prompted our investigation to assess tau's propensity to interact with membranes and to elucidate the mutually disruptive structural perturbations the interactions induce in both tau and the membrane. We show that although highly charged and soluble, the full-length tau (hTau40) is also highly surface active, selectively inserts into anionic DMPG lipid monolayers and induces membrane morphological changes. To resolve molecular-scale structural details of hTau40 associated with lipid membranes, X-ray and neutron scattering techniques are utilized. X-ray reflectivity indicates hTau40's presence underneath a DMPG monolayer and penetration into the lipid headgroups and tailgroups, whereas grazing incidence X-ray diffraction shows that hTau40 insertion disrupts lipid packing. Moreover, both air/water and DMPG lipid membrane interfaces induce the disordered hTau40 to partially adopt a more compact conformation with density similar to that of a folded protein. Neutron reflectivity shows that tau completely disrupts supported DMPG bilayers while leaving the neutral DPPC bilayer intact. Our results show that hTau40's strong interaction with anionic lipids induces tau structural compaction and membrane disruption, suggesting possible membrane-based mechanisms of tau aggregation and toxicity in neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:22401494

3-D, Impulsive Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Plasma (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, S. E.; Ji, H.; Yamada, M.; Yoo, J.; Myers, C. E.; Roytershteyn, V.; Daughton, W. S.; Jara-Almonte, J.

2013-12-01

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process involving the efficient conversion of magnetic field energy to plasma kinetic energy through changing field line topology. In many space and astrophysical systems, including the solar surface and the Earth's magnetotail, reconnection is not only fast, but also impulsive; in other words, a slow buildup phase is followed by a comparatively quick release of magnetic energy. An important question in the literature is if these examples of impulsive reconnection can be described by a two-dimensional model with no variation in the out-of-plane direction or if impulsive reconnection is fundamentally three-dimensional. Events observed on the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) are characterized by large local gradients in the third direction and cannot be explained by 2-D models [1]. Detailed measurements show that the ejection of flux rope structures from the current sheet plays a key role in these events. By contrast, even though electromagnetic fluctuations in the lower hybrid frequency range are also observed concurrently with the impulsive behavior, they are not the key physics responsible. Furthermore, an important discrepancy in the layer width and force balance between the collisionless regime of MRX and kinetic simulations [2-4] persists when the fluctuations are small or absent, implying that they are not the cause of the wider electron layers observed in the experiment [5]. These wider layers may instead be due to the formation of flux ropes with a wide range of sizes; consistent with this hypothesis, flux rope signatures are observed down to the smallest scales resolved by the diagnostics. Finally, a qualitative, 3-D, two-fluid model is proposed to explain the observed disruptions. Many of the features observed in MRX including current disruptions [6], flux ropes [7], and electromagnetic fluctuations [8] have analogues in space observations. Thus, further detailed comparisons may enhance our understanding of space and astrophysical plasmas where impulsive reconnection occurs. In particular, this work has relevance to the upcoming Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission which aims to understand how electron scale structure may affect the global reconnection process. [1] S. Dorfman, et. al., Geophys. Res. Lett. 40, 233-238 (2013). [2] S. Dorfman, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 102107 (2008). [3] H. Ji, et. al., Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L13106 (2008). [4] V. Roytershteyn, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 055706 (2010). [5] V. Roytershteyn, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 061212 (2013). [6] S. Ohtani, et. al., J. Geophys. Res., 97(A12), 19311-19324 (1992). [7] J. P. Eastwood, et. al., J. Geophys. Res., 112, A06235 (2007). [8] J. S. Pickett, et. al., J. Geophys. Res., 106(A9), 19081-19099 (2001).

Integrated assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent estrogenicity in the Upper Murray River, Australia, using the native Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vajda, Alan M.; Kumar, Anupama; Woods, Marianne; Williams, Mike; Doan, Hai; Tolsher, Peter; Kookana, Rai S.; Barber, Larry B.

2016-01-01

The contamination of major continental river systems by endocrine-active chemicals (EACs) derived from the discharge of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents can affect human and ecosystem health. As part of a long-term effort to develop a native fish model organism for assessment of endocrine disruption in Australia's largest watershed, the Murray-Darling River Basin, the present study evaluated endocrine disruption in adult males of the native Australian Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) exposed to effluent from an activated sludge WWTP and water from the Murray River during a 28-d, continuous-flow, on-site experiment. Analysis of the WWTP effluent and river water detected estrone and 17β-estradiol at concentrations up to approximately 25 ng L−1. Anti-estrogenicity of effluent samples was detected in vitro using yeast-based bioassays (yeast estrogen screen) throughout the experiment, but estrogenicity was limited to the first week of the experiment. Histological evaluation of the testes indicated significant suppression of spermatogenesis by WWTP effluent after 28 d of exposure. Plasma vitellogenin concentrations and expression of vitellogenin messenger RNA in liver were not significantly affected by exposure to WWTP effluent. The combination of low contaminant concentrations in the WWTP effluent, limited endocrine disrupting effects in the Murray rainbowfish, and high in-stream dilution factors (>99%) suggest minimal endocrine disruption impacts on native Australian fish in the Murray River downstream from the WWTP outfall. 

Oral nitrite circumvents antiseptic mouthwash-induced disruption of enterosalivary circuit of nitrate and promotes nitrosation and blood pressure lowering effect.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Lucas C; Ferreira, Graziele C; Amaral, Jefferson H; Portella, Rafael L; Tella, Sandra de O C; Passos, Madla A; Tanus-Santos, Jose E

2016-12-01

The nitric oxide (NO • ) metabolites nitrite and nitrate exert antihypertensive effects by mechanisms that involve gastric formation of S-nitrosothiols. However, while the use of antiseptic mouthwash (AM) is known to attenuate the responses to nitrate by disrupting its enterosalivary cycle, there is little information about whether AM attenuates the effects of orally administered nitrite. We hypothesized that the antihypertensive effects of orally administered nitrite would not be prevented by AM because, in contrast to oral nitrate, oral nitrite could promote S-nitrosothiols formation in the stomach without intereference by AM. Chronic effects of oral nitrite or nitrate were studied in two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats (and normotensive controls) treated with AM (or vehicle) once/day. We found that orally administered nitrite exerts antihypertensive effects that were not affected by AM. This finding contrasts with lack of antihypertensive responses to oral nitrate in 2K1C hypertensive rats treated with AM. Nitrite and nitrate treatments increased plasma nitrites, nitrates, and S-nitrosothiols concentrations. However, while treatment with AM attenuated the increases in plasma nitrite concentrations after both nitrite and nitrate treatments, AM attenuated the increases in S-nitrosothiols in nitrate-treated rats, but not in nitrite-treated rats. Moreover, AM attenuated vascular S-nitrosylation (detected by the SNO-RAC method) after nitrate, but not after nitrite treatment. Significant correlations were found between the hypotensive responses and S-nitrosothiols, and vascular S-nitrosylation levels. These results show for the first time that oral nitrite exerts antihypertensive effects notwithstanding the fact that antiseptic mouthwash disrupts the enterosalivary circulation of nitrate. Our results support a major role for S-nitrosothiols formation resulting in vascular S-nitrosylation as a key mechanism for the antihypertensive effects of both oral nitrite and nitrate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental alterations and endocrine-disruptive responses in farmed Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) exposed to contaminants from the Crocodile River, South Africa.

PubMed

Arukwe, Augustine; Myburgh, Jan; Langberg, Håkon A; Adeogun, Aina O; Braa, Idunn Godal; Moeder, Monika; Schlenk, Daniel; Crago, Jordan Paul; Regoli, Francesco; Botha, Christo

2016-04-01

In the present study, the developmental (including fertility) and endocrine-disruptive effects in relation to chemical burden in male and female Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), from a commercial crocodile farm in the Brits district, South Africa, exposed to various anthropogenic aquatic contaminants from the natural environment was investigated. Hepatic transcript levels for vitellogenin (Vtg), zona pellucida (ZP) and ERα (also in gonads) were analyzed using real-time PCR. Plasma estradiol-17β (E2), testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) were analyzed using enzyme immunoassay. Gonadal aromatase and hepatic testosterone metabolism (6β-hydroxylase (6β-OHase)) were analyzed using biochemical methods. Overall, there is high and abnormal number (%) of infertile and banded eggs during the studied reproductive seasons, showing up to 57 and 34% of infertile eggs in the 2009/2010 and 2013/2014 seasons, respectively. In addition, the percentage of banded eggs ranged between 10 and 19% during the period of 2009-2014 seasons. While hepatic ERα, Vtg, ZP mRNA and testosterone 6β-OHase, were equally expressed in female and male crocodiles, gonadal ERα mRNA and aromatase activity were significantly higher in females compared to male crocodiles. On the other hand, plasma T and 11-KT levels were significantly higher in males, compared to female crocodiles. Principal component analysis (PCA) produced significant grouping that revealed correlative relationships between reproductive/endocrine-disruptive variables and liver contaminant burden, that further relates to measured contaminants in the natural environment. The overall results suggest that these captive pre-slaughter farm crocodiles exhibited responses to anthropogenic aquatic contaminants with potentially relevant consequences on key reproductive and endocrine pathways and these responses may be established as relevant species endocrine disruptor biomarkers of exposure and effects in this threatened species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Membrane Disordering by Eicosapentaenoic Acid in B Lymphomas Is Reduced by Elongation to Docosapentaenoic Acid as Revealed with Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Model Membranes.

PubMed

Harris, Mitchell; Kinnun, Jacob J; Kosaraju, Rasagna; Leng, Xiaoling; Wassall, Stephen R; Shaikh, Saame Raza

2016-07-01

Plasma membrane organization is a mechanistic target of n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids. Previous studies show that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) differentially disrupt plasma membrane molecular order to enhance the frequency and function of B lymphocytes. However, it is not known whether EPA and DHA affect the plasma membrane organization of B lymphomas differently to influence their function. We tested whether EPA and DHA had different effects on membrane order in B lymphomas and liposomes and studied their effects on B-lymphoma growth. B lymphomas were treated with 25 μmol EPA, DHA, or serum albumin control/L for 24 h. Membrane order was measured with fluorescence polarization, and cellular fatty acids (FAs) were analyzed with GC. Growth was quantified with a viability assay. (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies were conducted on deuterated phospholipid bilayers. Treating Raji, Ramos, and RPMI lymphomas for 24 h with 25 μmol EPA or DHA/L lowered plasma membrane order by 10-40% relative to the control. There were no differences between EPA and DHA on membrane order for the 3 cell lines. FA analyses revealed complex changes in response to EPA or DHA treatment and a large fraction of EPA was converted to docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 22:5n-3). NMR studies, which were used to understand why EPA and DHA had similiar membrane effects, showed that phospholipids containing DPA, similar to DHA, were more ordered than those containing EPA. Finally, treating B lymphomas with 25 μmol EPA or DHA/L did not increase the frequency of B lymphomas compared with controls. The results establish that 25 μmol EPA and DHA/L equally disrupt membrane order and do not promote B lymphoma growth. The data open a new area of investigation, which is how EPA's conversion to DPA substantially moderates its influence on membrane properties. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

Human knockouts and phenotypic analysis in a cohort with a high rate of consanguinity

PubMed Central

Saleheen, Danish; Natarajan, Pradeep; Armean, Irina M.; Zhao, Wei; Rasheed, Asif; Khetarpal, Sumeet; Won, Hong-Hee; Karczewski, Konrad J.; O’Donnell-Luria, Anne H.; Samocha, Kaitlin E.; Weisburd, Benjamin; Gupta, Namrata; Zaidi, Mozzam; Samuel, Maria; Imran, Atif; Abbas, Shahid; Majeed, Faisal; Ishaq, Madiha; Akhtar, Saba; Trindade, Kevin; Mucksavage, Megan; Qamar, Nadeem; Zaman, Khan Shah; Yaqoob, Zia; Saghir, Tahir; Rizvi, Syed Nadeem Hasan; Memon, Anis; Mallick, Nadeem Hayyat; Ishaq, Mohammad; Rasheed, Syed Zahed; Memon, Fazal-ur-Rehman; Mahmood, Khalid; Ahmed, Naveeduddin; Do, Ron; Krauss, Ronald M.; MacArthur, Daniel G.; Gabriel, Stacey; Lander, Eric S.; Daly, Mark J.; Frossard, Philippe; Danesh, John; Rader, Daniel J.; Kathiresan, Sekar

2017-01-01

A major goal of biomedicine is to understand the function of every gene in the human genome.1 Loss-of-function (LoF) mutations can disrupt both copies of a given gene in humans and phenotypic analysis of such ‘human knockouts’ can provide insight into gene function. Consanguineous unions are more likely to result in offspring who carry LoF mutations in a homozygous state. In Pakistan, consanguinity rates are notably high.2 Here, we sequenced the protein-coding regions of 10,503 adult participants in the Pakistan Risk of Myocardial Infarction Study (PROMIS) designed to understand the determinants of cardiometabolic diseases in South Asians.3 We identified individuals carrying predicted LoF (pLoF) mutations in the homozygous state, and performed phenotypic analysis involving >200 biochemical and disease traits. We enumerated 49,138 rare (<1 % minor allele frequency) pLoF mutations. These pLoF mutations are predicted to knock out 1,317 genes in at least one participant. Homozygosity for pLoF mutations at PLAG27 was associated with absent enzymatic activity of soluble lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2; at CYP2F1, with higher plasma interleukin-8 concentrations; at TREH, with lower concentrations of apoB-containing lipoprotein subfractions; at either A3GALT2 or NRG4, with markedly reduced plasma insulin C-peptide concentrations; and at SLC9A3R1, with mediators of calcium and phosphate signaling. Finally, APOC3 is a gene which retards clearance of plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and where heterozygous deficiency confers protection against coronary heart disease.4,5 In Pakistan, we now observe APOC3 homozygous pLoF carriers; we recalled these knockout humans and challenged with an oral fat load. Compared with wild-type family members, APOC3 knockouts displayed marked blunting of the usual post-prandial rise in plasma triglycerides. Overall, these observations provide a roadmap for a ‘human knockout project’, a systematic effort to understand the phenotypic consequences of complete disruption of genes in humans. PMID:28406212

Variations in plasma and urinary lipids in response to enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease patients by nanoflow UPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

PubMed

Byeon, Seul Kee; Kim, Jin Yong; Lee, Jin-Sung; Moon, Myeong Hee

2016-03-01

A deficiency of α-galactosidase A causes Fabry disease (FD) by disrupting lipid metabolism, especially trihexosylceramide (THC). Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is clinically offered to FD patients in an attempt to lower the accumulated lipids. Studies on specific types of lipids that are directly or indirectly altered by FD are very scarce, even though they are crucial in understanding the biological process linked to the pathogenesis of FD. We performed a comprehensive lipid profiling of plasma and urinary lipids from FD patients with nanoflow liquid chromatography electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-ESI-MS/MS) and identified 129 plasma and 111 urinary lipids. Among these, lipids that exhibited alternations (>twofold) in patients were selected as targets for selected reaction monitoring (SRM)-based high-speed quantitation using nanoflow ultra-performance LC-ESI-MS/MS (nUPLC-ESI-MS/MS) and 31 plasma and 26 urinary lipids showed significant elevation among FD patients. Higher percentages of sphingolipids (SLs; 48% for plasma and 42% for urine) were highly elevated in patients; whereas, a smaller percentage of phospholipids (PLs; 15% for plasma and 13% for urine) were significantly affected. Even though α-galactosidase A is reported to affect THC only, the results show that other classes of lipids (especially SLs) are changed as well, indicating that FD not only alters metabolism of THC but various classes of lipids too. Most lipids showing significant increases in relative amounts before ERT decreased after ERT, but overall, ERT influenced plasma lipids more than urinary lipids.

Factor XIII in plasma, but not in platelets, mediates red blood cell retention in clots and venous thrombus size in mice.

PubMed

Kattula, Sravya; Byrnes, James R; Martin, Sara M; Holle, Lori A; Cooley, Brian C; Flick, Matthew J; Wolberg, Alisa S

2018-01-09

The transglutaminase factor XIII (FXIII) stabilizes clots against mechanical and biochemical disruption and is essential for hemostasis. In vitro and in vivo models of venous thrombosis demonstrate that FXIII mediates clot size by promoting red blood cell (RBC) retention. However, the key source of FXIII and whether FXIII activity can be reduced to suppress thrombosis without imposing deleterious hemostatic consequences are 2 critical unresolved questions. FXIII is present in multiple compartments, including plasma (FXIII plasma ) as a heterotetramer of A 2 and B 2 subunits and platelets (FXIII plt ) as an A 2 homodimer. We determined the role of the FXIII compartment and level in clot contraction, composition, and size in vitro and using in vivo models of hemostasis and venous thrombosis. Reducing overall FXIII levels decreased whole blood clot weight but did not alter thrombin generation or contraction of platelet-rich plasma clots. In reconstituted platelet-rich plasma and whole blood clot contraction assays, FXIII plasma , but not FXIII plt , produced high-molecular-weight fibrin crosslinks, promoted RBC retention, and increased clot weights. Genetically imposed reduction of FXIII delayed FXIII activation and fibrin crosslinking, suggesting FXIII levels mediate the kinetics of FXIII activation and activity and that the timing of these processes is a critical determinant of RBC retention during clot formation and contraction. A 50% reduction in FXIII plasma produced significantly smaller venous thrombi but did not increase bleeding in tail transection or saphenous vein puncture models in vivo. Collectively, these findings suggest that partial FXIII reduction may be a therapeutic strategy for reducing venous thrombosis.

Plasma characteristics of long-pulse discharges heated by neutral beam injection in the Large Helical Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeiri, Y.; Nakamura, Y.; Noda, N.; Osakabe, M.; Kawahata, K.; Oka, Y.; Kaneko, O.; Tsumori, K.; Sato, M.; Mutoh, T.; Shimozuma, T.; Goto, M.; Ida, K.; Inagaki, S.; Kado, S.; Masuzaki, S.; Morita, S.; Nagayama, Y.; Narihara, K.; Peterson, B. J.; Sakakibara, S.; Sato, K.; Shoji, M.; Tanaka, K.; de Vries, P. C.; Sudo, S.; Ohyabu, N.; Motojima, O.

2000-02-01

Long-pulse neutral beam injection heating has been achieved in the large helical device (LHD). Two different confinement states are observed for different averaged densities in the long-pulse plasmas. A quasi-steady-state plasma was sustained for 21 s with an injection power of 0.6 MW, where the central plasma temperature was around 1 keV with a line-averaged electron density of 0.3 × 1019 m-3 . The discharge duration can be so extended as to keep the plasma properties in the short-pulse discharge. The energy confinement time is nearly the same as that of the short-pulse discharge, which is 1.3 times as long as the international stellarator scaling ISS95. At higher densities, a relaxation oscillation phenomenon, observed as if the plasma would breathe, lasted for 20 s with a period of 1-2 s. The phenomenon is characterized with profile expansion and contraction of the electron temperature. The density oscillation is out of phase with the temperature oscillation and is related to the density clamping phenomenon. The observed plasma properties are shown in detail for the `breathing' oscillation phenomenon. Possible mechanisms for the breathing oscillation are also discussed, with a view of the screening effect near the last closed magnetic surface and the power balance between the heating and the radiation powers. The long-pulse heating results indicate unique characteristics of the LHD where no special feedback stabilization is required due to absence of disruption and no need for current drive.

Crucial issues of multi-beam feed-back control with ECH/ECCD in fusion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirant, S.; Berrino, J.; Gandini, F.; Granucci, G.; Iannone, F.; Lazzaro, E.; D'Antona, G.; Farina, D.; Koppenburg, K.; Nowak, S.; Ramponi, G.

2005-01-01

Proof of principle of feed-back controlled Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive (ECH/ECCD), aiming at automatic limitation (or suppression) of Neoclassical Tearing Modes amplitude, has been achieved in a number of present machines. In addition to Neoclassical Tearing Mode stabilization, more applications of well-localized ECH/ECCD can be envisaged (saw-tooth crash control, current profile control, thermal barrier control, disruption mitigation). However, in order to be able to take a step forward towards the application of these techniques to burning plasmas, some crucial issues should be more deeply analyzed: multi-beam simultaneous action, control of deposition radii rdep, diagnostic of plasma reaction. So far the Electron Cyclotron Emission has been the most important tool to get localized information on plasma response, essential for both rdep and risland recognition, but its use in very hot burning plasmas within automatic control loops should be carefully verified. Assuming that plasma response is appropriately diagnosed, the next matter to be discussed concerns how to control rdep, since all techniques so far used, or proposed (plasma position, toroidal field, mechanical beam steering, gyrotron frequency tuning) have limitations or drawbacks. Finally, simultaneous multiple actions on many actuators (EC beams), concurring to automatic control of one single parameter (e.g. NTM amplitude) might be a challenging task for the controller, particularly in view of the fact that any effect of each beam becomes visible only when it is positioned very close to the right radius. All these interlinked aspects are discussed in the paper.

Robustness of waves with a high phase velocity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tajima, T., E-mail: ttajima@uci.edu; Tri Alpha Energy, Inc., P.O. Box 7010, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688; Necas, A., E-mail: anecas@trialphaenergy.com

Norman Rostoker pioneered research of (1) plasma-driven accelerators and (2) beam-driven fusion reactors. The collective acceleration, coined by Veksler, advocates to drive above-ionization plasma waves by an electron beam to accelerate ions. The research on this, among others, by the Rostoker group incubated the idea that eventually led to the birth of the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), by which a large and robust accelerating collective fields may be generated in plasma in which plasma remains robust and undisrupted. Besides the emergence of LWFA, the Rostoker research spawned our lessons learned on the importance of adiabatic acceleration of ions in collectivemore » accelerators, including the recent rebirth in laser-driven ion acceleration efforts in a smooth adiabatic fashion by a variety of ingenious methods. Following Rostoker’s research in (2), the beam-driven Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) has accomplished breakthroughs in recent years. The beam-driven kinetic plasma instabilities have been found to drive the reactivity of deuteron-deuteron fusion beyond the thermonuclear yield in C-2U plasma that Rostoker started. This remarkable result in FRCs as well as the above mentioned LWFA may be understood with the aid of the newly introduced idea of the “robustness hypothesis of waves with a high phase velocity”. It posits that when the wave driven by a particle beam (or laser pulse) has a high phase velocity, its amplitude is high without disrupting the supporting bulk plasma. This hypothesis may guide us into more robust and efficient fusion reactors and more compact accelerators.« less

Platelet TGF-β1 contributions to plasma TGF-β1, cardiac fibrosis, and systolic dysfunction in a mouse model of pressure overload

PubMed Central

Meyer, Alexander; Wang, Wei; Qu, Jiaxiang; Croft, Lori; Degen, Jay L.; Coller, Barry S.

2012-01-01

Circulating platelets contain high concentrations of TGF-β1 in their α-granules and release it on platelet adhesion/activation. We hypothesized that uncontrolled in vitro release of platelet TGF-β1 may confound measurement of plasma TGF-β1 in mice and that in vivo release and activation may contribute to cardiac pathology in response to constriction of the transverse aorta, which produces both high shear and cardiac pressure overload. Plasma TGF-β1 levels in blood collected from C57Bl/6 mice by the standard retro-bulbar technique were much higher than those obtained when prostaglandin E1 was added to inhibit release or when blood was collected percutaneously from the left ventricle under ultrasound guidance. Even with optimal blood drawing, plasma TGF-β1 was lower in mice rendered profoundly thrombocytopenic or mice with selectively low levels of platelet TGF-β1 because of megakaryocytespecific disruption of their TGF-β1 gene (Tgfb1flox). Tgfb1flox mice were also partially protected from developing cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and systolic dysfunction in response to transverse aortic constriction. These studies demonstrate that plasma TGF-β1 levels can be assessed accurately, but it requires special precautions; that platelet TGF-β1 contributes to plasma levels of TGF-β1; and that platelet TGF-β1 contributes to the pathologic cardiac changes that occur in response to aortic constriction. PMID:22134166

Morphological and structural effects on tungsten targets produced by fusion plasma pulses from a table top plasma focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inestrosa-Izurieta, M. J.; Ramos-Moore, E.; Soto, L.

2015-09-01

A table top plasma focus device operating at hundreds of joules was used to simulate an equivalent damage factor than the obtained on the divertor in tokamak experiments. Using the ejected plasma produced after the pinch disruptions, the effects on tungsten targets from 50 cumulative plasma shocks with power fluxes per shot between 2.6 and 9200 kW cm-2 and with a duration time in the order of tens of nanoseconds (damage factor in the order of 100-103 (W cm-2)s1/2) were studied. Morphological analysis shows an increasing appearance of cracked surfaces with holes, fissures and defects, suggesting a potential progression of stress effects and a fast heat load that melts the surface, ending in thermal contractions that recrystallize the surface of the target. A structural analysis demonstrates a compressive stress development and suggests that part of the energy is released in the melting of the surface in case of a plasma shock with a power flux of 9.2 MW cm-2, 75 ns duration pulse, 2.5   ×   103 (W cm-2)s1/2 damage factor. How to increase the damage factor by one order of magnitude up to the expected value from type I ELMs on the ITER divertor, i.e. 104 (W cm-2)s1/2 is discussed.

The association between insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), and the carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in pre- and postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Szeremeta, A; Jura-Półtorak, A; Komosińska-Vassev, K; Zoń-Giebel, A; Kapołka, D; Olczyk, K

2017-05-01

To assess the association between plasma levels of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system including IGF-1, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) including IGFBP-1, total (t-)IGFBP-3 and functional (f-)IGFBP-3, and the carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in pre- and postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Plasma concentrations of IGF-1, IGFBP-1, t-IGFBP-3, f-IGFBP-3, and PICP were measured by immunoassay. No significant difference was observed in plasma IGF-1 levels between pre- and postmenopausal subjects. Plasma levels of IGFBP-1 were elevated in RA. PICP and f-IGFBP-3 were greatly affected by menopausal status. Of the three IGFBPs tested, only f-IGFBP-3 plasma levels in RA women correlated negatively with age and disease duration. A positive correlation was demonstrated between PICP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in RA. Moreover, there was no correlation between PICP and IGF-1 and any of the IGFBPs in RA women. Considerable disruption of the IGF system in RA was found to be related to disease activity and duration. Changes in the IGF-IGFBP axis and PICP levels were different in pre- and postmenopausal women with RA. Elevated plasma PICP concentrations may indicate an increased rate of bone formation in postmenopausal RA women. Additionally, the observed changes in the IGF/IGFBP system did not affect bone formation during RA.

Global plasma oscillations in electron internal transport barriers in TCV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udintsev, V. S.; Sauter, O.; Asp, E.; Fable, E.; Goodman, T. P.; Turri, G.; Graves, J. P.; Scarabosio, A.; Zhuang, G.; Zucca, C.; TCV Team

2008-12-01

In the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) (Hofmann F et al1994 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 36 B277), global plasma oscillations have been discovered in fully non-inductively driven plasmas featuring electron internal transport barriers (ITB) with strong ECRH/ECCD. These oscillations are linked to the destabilization and stabilization of MHD modes near the foot of the ITB and can lead to large oscillations of the total plasma current and line-averaged density, among others. They are intrinsically related to the fact that ITBs have large pressure gradients in a region of low magnetic shear. Therefore, the ideal MHD limit is relatively low and infernal modes can be unstable. Depending on the proximity to the ideal limit, small crashes or resistive modes can appear which affect the time evolution of the discharge. Being near marginal stability, the modes can self-stabilize due to the modification of the pressure gradient and local q-profile. The plasma recovers good confinement, reverses shear and the ITB builds up, until a new MHD mode is destabilized. TCV results show that this cycling behaviour can be controlled by modifying the current density or the pressure profiles, either with Ohmic current density perturbation or by modifying the ECH/ECCD power. It is demonstrated that many observations such as q >= 2 sawteeth, beta collapses, minor disruptions and oscillation regimes in ITBs can be assigned to the same physics origin: the proximity to the infernal mode stability limit.

Plasma Epstein-Barr virus and Hepatitis B virus in non-Hodgkin lymphomas: Two lymphotropic, potentially oncogenic, latently occurring DNA viruses.

PubMed

Sinha, Mahua; Rao, Clementina Rama; Premalata, C S; Shafiulla, Mohammed; Lakshmaiah, K C; Jacob, Linu Abraham; Babu, Govind K; Viveka, B K; Appaji, L; Subramanyam, Jayshree R

2016-01-01

There is a need to study potential infective etiologies in lymphomas. Lymphocyte-transforming viruses can directly infect lymphocytes, disrupt normal cell functions, and promote cell division. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is known to be associated with several lymphomas, especially Hodgkin lymphomas (HLs). And recently, the lymphocyte-transforming role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been emphasized. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association of two potentially oncogenic, widely prevalent latent DNA viruses, EBV and HBV, in non-HL (NHL). In this prospective study, we estimated plasma EBV and HBV DNA in NHL patients. Peripheral blood was obtained from newly diagnosed, treatment na ïve, histologically confirmed NHL patients. Plasma EBV DNA was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting Epstein-Barr Nucleic acid 1 while the plasma HBV DNA was detected using nested PCR targeting HBX gene. In a small subset of patients, follow-up plasma samples post-anticancer chemotherapy were available and retested for viral DNA. Of the 110 NHL patients, ~79% were B-cell NHL and ~21% were T-cell NHL. Plasma EBV-DNA was detected in 10% NHLs with a higher EBV association in Burkitt lymphoma (33.3%) than other subtypes. Pretherapy HBV DNA was detected in 21% NHLs; most of them being diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Moreover, 42% of DLBCL patients had HBV DNA in plasma. Since all patients were HBV surface antigen seronegative at diagnosis, baseline plasma HBV-DNAemia before chemotherapy was indicative of occult hepatitis B infection. Our findings indicate a significant association of HBV with newly diagnosed DLBCL.

Dose-Dependent Thresholds of 10-ns Electric Pulse Induced Plasma Membrane Disruption and Cytotoxicity in Multiple Cell Lines

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

normalized to parallel controls. Flow Cytometry and Confocal Microscopy Upon exposure to 10-ns EP, aliquots of the cellular suspension were added to a tube...Survival data was processed and plotted using GrapherH software (Golden Software, Golden, Colorado). Flow cytometry results were processed in C6 software...Accuri Cytometers, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI) and FCSExpress software (DeNovo Software, Los Angeles, CA). Final analysis and presentation of flow cytometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bardóczi, L.; Rhodes, T. L.; Carter, T. A.

We report the first observation of localized modulation of turbulent density uctuations en (via Beam Emission Spectroscopy) by neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) in the core of the DIII-D tokamak. NTMs are important as they often lead to severe degradation of plasma confinement and disruptions in high-confinement fusion experiments. Magnetic islands associated with NTMs significantly modify the profiles and turbulence drives. In this experiment n was found to be modulated by 14% across the island. Gyrokinetic simulations suggest that en could be dominantly driven by the ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability.

Recent improvements of the JET lithium beam diagnostica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brix, M.; Dodt, D.; Dunai, D.; Lupelli, I.; Marsen, S.; Melson, T. F.; Meszaros, B.; Morgan, P.; Petravich, G.; Refy, D. I.; Silva, C.; Stamp, M.; Szabolics, T.; Zastrow, K.-D.; Zoletnik, S.; JET-EFDA Contributors

2012-10-01

A 60 kV neutral lithium diagnostic beam probes the edge plasma of JET for the measurement of electron density profiles. This paper describes recent enhancements of the diagnostic setup, new procedures for calibration and protection measures for the lithium ion gun during massive gas puffs for disruption mitigation. New light splitting optics allow in parallel beam emission measurements with a new double entrance slit CCD spectrometer (spectrally resolved) and a new interference filter avalanche photodiode camera (fast density and fluctuation studies).

Convective cell generation by kinetic Alfven wave turbulence in the auroral ionosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, J. S.; Wu, D. J.; Yu, M. Y.

2012-06-15

Modulation of convective cells by kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) turbulence is investigated. The interaction is governed by a nonlinear dispersion relation for the convective cells. It is shown that KAW turbulence is disrupted by excitation of the large-scale convective motion through a resonant instability. Application of the results to the auroral ionosphere shows that cross-scale coupling of the KAW turbulence and convective cells plays an important role in the evolution of ionospheric plasma turbulence.

Insulin differentially affects the distribution kinetics of amyloid beta 40 and 42 in plasma and brain.

PubMed

Swaminathan, Suresh Kumar; Ahlschwede, Kristen M; Sarma, Vidur; Curran, Geoffry L; Omtri, Rajesh S; Decklever, Teresa; Lowe, Val J; Poduslo, Joseph F; Kandimalla, Karunya K

2018-05-01

Impaired brain clearance of amyloid-beta peptides (Aβ) 40 and 42 across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is believed to be one of the pathways responsible for Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Hyperinsulinemia prevalent in type II diabetes was shown to damage cerebral vasculature and increase Aβ accumulation in AD brain. However, there is no clarity on how aberrations in peripheral insulin levels affect Aβ accumulation in the brain. This study describes, for the first time, an intricate relation between plasma insulin and Aβ transport at the BBB. Upon peripheral insulin administration in wild-type mice: the plasma clearance of Aβ40 increased, but Aβ42 clearance reduced; the plasma-to-brain influx of Aβ40 increased, and that of Aβ42 reduced; and the clearance of intracerebrally injected Aβ40 decreased, whereas Aβ42 clearance increased. In hCMEC/D3 monolayers (in vitro BBB model) exposed to insulin, the luminal uptake and luminal-to-abluminal permeability of Aβ40 increased and that of Aβ42 reduced; the abluminal-to-luminal permeability of Aβ40 decreased, whereas Aβ42 permeability increased. Moreover, Aβ cellular trafficking machinery was altered. In summary, Aβ40 and Aβ42 demonstrated distinct distribution kinetics in plasma and brain compartments, and insulin differentially modulated their distribution. Cerebrovascular disease and metabolic disorders may disrupt this intricate homeostasis and aggravate AD pathology.

Design of a dee vacuum vessel for Doublet III

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, L.G.

1983-04-01

The Doublet III tokamak is to be modified wherein the original 'doublet' plasma containment vacuum vessel will be exchanged with one of a large dee-shaped cross section. The basic dimensions of the dee vessel will allow plasmas of 1.7-m major radius, 0.7-m minor radius, and a vertical elongation of 1.8. Installation of a large dee vessel in Doublet III is made possible by the demountable toroidal field coils and the large, low-ripple volume they include. Ripple at the plasma edge will be less than one percent. The plasma parameters affecting the design of the vessel will be reviewed including plasmamore » current, power, disruption time, allowable error field, impurity control techniques, pulse length, and limiter schemes. A driving requirement for the design of the vessel is to maximize the access to the plasma for auxiliary heating (both neutral beam injection and radio frequency heating), diagnostics, developmental component and material testing, and pumping. The dee vessel is structurally designed along the same lines as the present vessel: an Inconel 625, all-welded, continuous chamber in a corrugated sandwich construction. An overview of the vessel design and its solutions to the design criteria will be presented. An overview will also be presented of the entire modification project which includes replacement of some coils, and addition of support structure, limiters and vessel armor, and power system components.« less

Plasma membrane repair and cellular damage control: the annexin survival kit.

PubMed

Draeger, Annette; Monastyrskaya, Katia; Babiychuk, Eduard B

2011-03-15

Plasmalemmal injury is a frequent event in the life of a cell. Physical disruption of the plasma membrane is common in cells that operate under conditions of mechanical stress. The permeability barrier can also be breached by chemical means: pathogens gain access to host cells by secreting pore-forming toxins and phospholipases, and the host's own immune system employs pore-forming proteins to eliminate both pathogens and the pathogen-invaded cells. In all cases, the influx of extracellular Ca(2+) is being sensed and interpreted as an "immediate danger" signal. Various Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms are employed to enable plasma membrane repair. Extensively damaged regions of the plasma membrane can be patched with internal membranes delivered to the cell surface by exocytosis. Nucleated cells are capable of resealing their injured plasmalemma by endocytosis of the permeabilized site. Likewise, the shedding of membrane microparticles is thought to be involved in the physical elimination of pores. Membrane blebbing is a further damage-control mechanism, which is triggered after initial attempts at plasmalemmal resealing have failed. The members of the annexin protein family are ubiquitously expressed and function as intracellular Ca(2+) sensors. Most cells contain multiple annexins, which interact with distinct plasma membrane regions promoting membrane segregation, membrane fusion and--in combination with their individual Ca(2+)-sensitivity--allow spatially confined, graded responses to membrane injury. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview of Recent Alcator C-Mod Highlights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marmar, Earl; C-Mod Team

2013-10-01

Analysis and modeling of recent C-Mod experiments has yielded significant results across multiple research topics. I-mode provides routine access to high confinement plasma (H98 up to 1.2) in quasi-steady state, without large ELMs; pedestal pressure and impurity transport are regulated by short-wavelength EM waves, and core turbulence is reduced. Multi-channel transport is being investigated in Ohmic and RF-heated plasmas, using advanced diagnostics to validate non-linear gyrokinetic simulations. Results from the new field-aligned ICRF antenna, including significantly reduced high-Z metal impurity contamination, and greatly improved load-tolerance, are being understood through antenna-plasma modeling. Reduced LHCD efficiency at high density correlates with parametric decay and enhanced edge absorption. Strong flow drive and edge turbulence suppression are seen from LHRF, providing new approaches for plasma control. Plasma density profiles directly in front of the LH coupler show non-linear modifications, with important consequences for wave coupling. Disruption-mitigation experiments using massive gas injection at multiple toroidal locations show unexpected results, with potentially significant implications for ITER. First results from a novel accelerator-based PMI diagnostic are presented. What would be the world's first actively-heated high-temperature advanced tungsten divertor is designed and ready for construction. Conceptual designs are being developed for an ultra-advanced divertor facility, Alcator DX, to attack key FNSF and DEMO heat-flux challenges integrated with a high-performance core. Supported by USDOE.

Detecting Subtle Plasma Membrane Perturbation in Living Cells Using Second Harmonic Generation Imaging

PubMed Central

Moen, Erick K.; Ibey, Bennett L.; Beier, Hope T.

2014-01-01

The requirement of center asymmetry for the creation of second harmonic generation (SHG) signals makes it an attractive technique for visualizing changes in interfacial layers such as the plasma membrane of biological cells. In this article, we explore the use of lipophilic SHG probes to detect minute perturbations in the plasma membrane. Three candidate probes, Di-4-ANEPPDHQ (Di-4), FM4-64, and all-trans-retinol, were evaluated for SHG effectiveness in Jurkat cells. Di-4 proved superior with both strong SHG signal and limited bleaching artifacts. To test whether rapid changes in membrane symmetry could be detected using SHG, we exposed cells to nanosecond-pulsed electric fields, which are believed to cause formation of nanopores in the plasma membrane. Upon nanosecond-pulsed electric fields exposure, we observed an instantaneous drop of ∼50% in SHG signal from the anodic pole of the cell. When compared to the simultaneously acquired fluorescence signals, it appears that the signal change was not due to the probe diffusing out of the membrane or changes in membrane potential or fluidity. We hypothesize that this loss in SHG signal is due to disruption in the interfacial nature of the membrane. The results show that SHG imaging has great potential as a tool for measuring rapid and subtle plasma membrane disturbance in living cells. PMID:24853757

Detecting subtle plasma membrane perturbation in living cells using second harmonic generation imaging.

PubMed

Moen, Erick K; Ibey, Bennett L; Beier, Hope T

2014-05-20

The requirement of center asymmetry for the creation of second harmonic generation (SHG) signals makes it an attractive technique for visualizing changes in interfacial layers such as the plasma membrane of biological cells. In this article, we explore the use of lipophilic SHG probes to detect minute perturbations in the plasma membrane. Three candidate probes, Di-4-ANEPPDHQ (Di-4), FM4-64, and all-trans-retinol, were evaluated for SHG effectiveness in Jurkat cells. Di-4 proved superior with both strong SHG signal and limited bleaching artifacts. To test whether rapid changes in membrane symmetry could be detected using SHG, we exposed cells to nanosecond-pulsed electric fields, which are believed to cause formation of nanopores in the plasma membrane. Upon nanosecond-pulsed electric fields exposure, we observed an instantaneous drop of ~50% in SHG signal from the anodic pole of the cell. When compared to the simultaneously acquired fluorescence signals, it appears that the signal change was not due to the probe diffusing out of the membrane or changes in membrane potential or fluidity. We hypothesize that this loss in SHG signal is due to disruption in the interfacial nature of the membrane. The results show that SHG imaging has great potential as a tool for measuring rapid and subtle plasma membrane disturbance in living cells. Copyright © 2014 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Two-dimensional vacuum ultraviolet images in different MHD events on the EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhijun, WANG; Xiang, GAO; Tingfeng, MING; Yumin, WANG; Fan, ZHOU; Feifei, LONG; Qing, ZHUANG; EAST Team

2018-02-01

A high-speed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) imaging telescope system has been developed to measure the edge plasma emission (including the pedestal region) in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The key optics of the high-speed VUV imaging system consists of three parts: an inverse Schwarzschild-type telescope, a micro-channel plate (MCP) and a visible imaging high-speed camera. The VUV imaging system has been operated routinely in the 2016 EAST experiment campaign. The dynamics of the two-dimensional (2D) images of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities, such as edge localized modes (ELMs), tearing-like modes and disruptions, have been observed using this system. The related VUV images are presented in this paper, and it indicates the VUV imaging system is a potential tool which can be applied successfully in various plasma conditions.

Local versus systemic effect of ovulation-inducing factor in the seminal plasma of alpacas

PubMed Central

Ratto, Marcelo H; Huanca, Wilfredo; Singh, Jaswant; Adams, Gregg P

2005-01-01

Background Camelids are induced (reflex) ovulators. We have recently documented the presence of an ovulation-inducing factor (OIF) in the seminal plasma of alpacas and llamas. The objective was to test the hypothesis that OIF exerts its effect via a systemic rather than a local route and that endometrial curettage will enhance the ovulatory response to intrauterine deposition of seminal plasma in alpacas. Methods Female alpacas were assigned randomly to 6 groups (n = 15 to 17 per group) in a 2 × 3 factorial design to test the effect of seminal plasma versus phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) given by intramuscular injection, by intrauterine infusion, or by intrauterine infusion after endometrial curettage. Specifically, alpacas in the respective groups were given 1) 2 ml of alpaca seminal plasma intramuscularly, 2) 2 ml of PBS intramuscularly (negative control group), 3) 2 ml of alpaca seminal plasma by intrauterine infusion, 4) 2 ml of PBS by intrauterine infusion (negative control group), 5) 2 ml of alpaca seminal plasma by intrauterine infusion after endometrial curettage, or 6) 2 ml of PBS by intrauterine infusion after endometrial curettage (negative control group). The alpacas were examined by transrectal ultrasonography to detect ovulation and measure follicular and luteal diameters. Results Intramuscular administration of seminal plasma resulted in a higher ovulation rate than intrauterine administration of seminal plasma (93% versus 41%; P < 0.01), while intrauterine seminal plasma after endometrial curettage was intermediate (67%). None of the saline-treated controls ovulated. The diameter of the CL after treatment-induced ovulation was not affected by the route of administration of seminal plasma. Conclusion We conclude that 1) OIF in seminal plasma effects ovulation via a systemic rather than a local route, 2) disruption of the endometrial mucosa by curettage facilitated the absorption of OIF and increased the ovulatory effect of seminal plasma, and 3) ovulation in alpacas is not associated with a physical stimulation of the genital tract, and 4) the alpaca represents an excellent biological model to evaluate the bioactivity of OIF. PMID:16018817

BOOK REVIEW: Nonlinear Magnetohydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafranov, V.

1998-08-01

Nonlinear magnetohydrodynamics by Dieter Biskamp is a thorough introduction to the physics of the most impressive non-linear phenomena that occur in conducting magnetoplasmas. The basic systems, in which non-trivial dynamic processes are observed, accompanied by changes of geometry of the magnetic field and the effects of energy transformation (magnetic energy into kinetic energy or the opposite effect in magnetic dynamos), are the plasma magnetic confinement systems for nuclear fusion and space plasmas, mainly the solar plasma. A significant number of the examples of the dynamic processes considered are taken from laboratory plasmas, for which an experimental check of the theory is possible. Therefore, though the book is intended for researchers and students interested in both laboratory, including nuclear fusion, and astrophysical plasmas, it is most probably closer to the first category of reader. In the Introduction the author notes that unlike the hydrodynamics of non-conducting fluids, where the phenomena caused by rapid fluid motions are the most interesting, for plasmas in a strong magnetic field the quasi-static configurations inside which the local dynamic processes occur are often the most important. Therefore, the reader will also find in this book rather traditional material on the theory of plasma equilibrium and stability in magnetic fields. In addition, it is notable that, as opposed to a linear theory, the non-linear theory, as a rule, cannot give quite definite explanations or predictions of phenomena, and consequently there are in the book many results obtained by consideration of numerical models with the use of supercomputers. The treatment of non-linear dynamics is preceded by Chapters 2 to 4, in which the basics of MHD theory are presented with an emphasis on the role of integral invariants of the magnetic helicity type, a derivation of the reduced MHD equations is given, together with examples of the exact solutions of the equilibrium equations of a plasma in a magnetic field (which will be used further in models of dynamic processes), approaches to the description of three dimensional (3-D) equilibrium are briefly discussed, and the basis of the theory of linear instabilities and the basic types of MHD instabilities, with account taken of ideal resistive modes, are considered. The value of the material of these chapters is that here in a brief form the results of numerous researches in this area are presented, and frequently with a fresh point of view of old results. Chapters 5 to 10 are devoted to the subject of the book, non-linear magnetohydrodynamics. In the introduction to Chapter 5 the author pays attention to the fact that long standing doubts about the feasibility of magnetic thermonuclear reactors because of inevitable instabilities of non-uniform plasmas have been overcome in the last two decades: the plasma in tokamaks is rather well confined, despite the presence of some instabilities. The latter, as a rule, result only in the redistribution of current and plasma pressure profiles and some increase of transport, but can also lead to extremely undesirable effects. In this connection in Chapter 5 the attention of the reader is directed to the physics of the most important plasma instabilities in tokamaks. Models of the development of external and internal kink modes in tokamaks are considered, including the `vacuum bubble' model in shearless plasmas, the evolution of the resistive tearing mode together with saturation of the magnetic islands arising at a tearing instability. The rather long Chapter 6 is devoted to the fundamentals of the magnetic hydrodynamic dissipative process in the magnetic field line reconnection. This process of rapid dissipation of the energy of a magnetic field, having in the simplest case different directions in two adjacent volumes of plasma, underlies the theory of the phenomenon of powerful flares in the solar chromosphere, resulting in the well-known `magnetic storms' on the earth, and the theory of rather dangerous disruptive instabilities in tokamaks. After a discussion of the Sweet-Parker model of the diffusive current sheet, two models of the ideally conducting plasma flow generating such a sheet are considered in detail: the Petchek slow shock model (1964) and the Syrovatskii current sheet solution (1971). The first, introduced with a hypothesis about the geometry of the current sheet, has been dominant for more than two decades (at least, as the author writes, in the western hemisphere). It has been superseded by (accepted, mainly, in the eastern hemisphere) Syrovatskii's model with an external potential flow, compressing the hyperbolic branches of the magnetic field lines about an X point. This model quite naturally results in the necessity of introducing an extended singular current sheet, which is quite consistent with the later Biskamp numerical simulation (1986). In Chapter 6 the results are presented of 2-D simulations of the formation of a current sheet with details of the edge structure and with repeated generation of plasmoids at the edge, caused by tearing instability. Results on the coalescence of two identical magnetic islands, on the development of a kink island at a tearing instability of a primarily cylindrical plasma and on the generation of plasmoids in a model of the geomagnetic tail are described. At the end of Chapter 6 the topology of a 3-D configuration with a magnetic zero is briefly discussed. Finally, in the last section a way of explaning the explosive development of the reconnection process, based on the hypothesis of the growth of turbulent resistivity at an excess of the threshold value of current density is presented. In Chapter 7 which covers MHD turbulence the classical spectral approach to the description of the turbulence of ideal non-dissipative systems is presented. The dynamically important invariants, which are quadratic in the magnetic and velocity fields, are introduced: the total energy, the magnetic helicity, the cross-helicity. Then it is shown how the corresponding spectral functions are deduced from the Gibbs distribution. The processes of self-organization are considered, which are connected with the selective dissipation rates of the ideal invariants. The best known example is the process of turbulent relaxation of energy at conservation of magnetic helicity, resulting in the alignment of the vectors j and B (j = μB, μ = const). Examples of numerical calculations of turbulence structure are presented. An important connection in dynamo theory (generation and maintenance of a magnetic field) between the electric field, generated along the basic magnetic field, with averaged helicity (α effect), and the Alfvén effect on turbulence (asymptotic approach of a velocity field to a field of Alfvén velocity; briefly, alignment of the vectors v and normalized B) is deduced. Furthermore, the spectra of uniform turbulence (the distribution of the energy on the wavenumbers), the Kolmogorov spectrum Ek propto k-5/3 in the usual hydrodynamics and the Iroshnikov-Kraichnan spectrum Ek propto k-3/2 in magnetic hydrodynamics are derived, and the turbulent dissipation scales and the intermittence, a property of the structure (the spottiness) of the fully developed turbulence when the dissipative processes are concentrated in narrow layers of complicated form, are considered. At the end of this chapter a picture of the turbulent convection of a weak magnetic field, when it is possible to neglect the Lorentz force, is presented. The subsequent three chapters of the book are devoted to the description of plasma dynamic processes in tokamaks, in reversed field pinches and in solar flares. This is a good opportunity for a detailed study of MHD processes in plasmas, as is described in detail in Chapter 8, for tokamaks. Here the three main dynamic phenomena observed in these installations are considered in detail: (a) Relaxation sawtooth oscillations of the electron temperature in the central region of the plasma column (internal disruptions), (b) The most dangerous major disruptions, (c) The edge localized mode (ELM). The author analyses in detail the Kadomtsev reconnection model of the sawtooth collapse, as a basis for understanding all the different relaxation processes in tokamaks. He pays attention to the explanation of the difference between the Kadomtsev reconnection model of sawtooth collapse and the observed partial reconnection with a non-flat final q(r) profile inside the magnetic surface q = 1. Considering major disruptions he gives a clear qualitative picture of this threatening phenomenon, beginning with the shrinking of the temperature and current density profiles, followed by the (m, n) = (2,1) tearing mode instability and ending with multihelicity tearing instabilities leading to stochastic field lines and small scale turbulent processes. In connection with the ELMs observed after the L-H transition, the author explains initially the nature of the improved `high confinement' regime (H mode) developed from the `low confinement' regime (L mode) when the input power exceeds a threshold level at appropriate boundary conditions. The ELMs are considered as `a relaxation of the steep pressure gradient at the plasma edge' due to ballooning instability. The characteristic features of the giant ELMs (type 1) occurring at high plasma heating power and of the faster type III ELMs, which were the first to be observed, are presented in lucid form. At the end of Chapter 8, in Table 8.1, the main MHD properties of the disruptive processes in tokamak plasmas are summarized. In Chapter 9, the dynamical processes in toroidal pinches with stabilization of large scale perturbations by a weak (mainly internal) toroidal magnetic field, having the reverse direction to the current channel, are considered. In this system 3-D turbulence redistributes the total flux, conserved owing to the metallic wall in accordance with Taylor's theory, to satisfy the above mentioned alignment of the vectors j and B. The details of this remarkable process are described. The final chapter is devoted to solar flares, which are as the author says `probably, the most spectacular eruptive events in cosmic plasmas'. This chapter describes in detail the structure of the solar convection zone and the solar atmosphere, considers the formation of the rope-like structure of the magnetic field and the thick flux tubes displayed as sunspots, as well as the buoyancy of the flux tubes and different models of the MHD processes leading to solar flares. In summary, the reviewed book is rich in content, reflecting the important issues of striking phenomena such as solar flares, the, quite dangerous for plasma confinement, major disruptions in tokamaks and the, conversely quite favourable for plasma confinement, non-linear process of L-H transition in tokamaks and continuous turbulent generation and maintenance of stabilizing toroidal magnetic fields in reversed field pinches, as well as other interesting MHD processes. The analysis of these very complicated phenomena is based on non-elementary mathematics. This could make it difficult for non-theoreticians to read some parts of the book. However, as for an explanation of the physics of the phenomena, the author achieves this in a rather simple manner: briefly, and with the minimal number of necessary formulas. This is done strictly without oversimplifications. This makes the book useful to both theoreticians and experimenters who wish to learn about non-linear processes such as disruptions and plasma self-organization.

Advanced Glycation End Products and Diabetic Complications

PubMed Central

Singh, Varun Parkash; Bali, Anjana; Singh, Nirmal

2014-01-01

During long standing hyperglycaemic state in diabetes mellitus, glucose forms covalent adducts with the plasma proteins through a non-enzymatic process known as glycation. Protein glycation and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications like retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, cardiomyopathy along with some other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and aging. Glycation of proteins interferes with their normal functions by disrupting molecular conformation, altering enzymatic activity, and interfering with receptor functioning. AGEs form intra- and extracellular cross linking not only with proteins, but with some other endogenous key molecules including lipids and nucleic acids to contribute in the development of diabetic complications. Recent studies suggest that AGEs interact with plasma membrane localized receptors for AGEs (RAGE) to alter intracellular signaling, gene expression, release of pro-inflammatory molecules and free radicals. The present review discusses the glycation of plasma proteins such as albumin, fibrinogen, globulins and collagen to form different types of AGEs. Furthermore, the role of AGEs in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications including retinopathy, cataract, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiomyopathy is also discussed. PMID:24634591