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We performed ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group calculations based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions to study the neutron-rich nuclei around N=28, where the experimental and theoretical evidence point to a rapid transition from spherical to rotational regimes. First, the rotational spectra of 40Mg, 42Si, and 44S are established theoretically, anchored by the calculated E2 transition strength. The results suggest that 40Mg and 42Si exhibit large deformations. After that, the erosion of the N=28 shell closure, especially the evolutions of shape deformation and the emergence of shape coexistence, are discussed in N=28 even-even isotones ranging from 40Mg to 48Ca. Finally, the shell evolution of N=28 in Mg and Si chains is discussed based on the experimental and predicted excitation energies of low-lying states. The results from our ab initio calculations align well with available experimental data, furnishing essential insights into the structure of neutron-rich nuclei, particularly deformations in the vicinity of 40Mg and 42Si.

New magic numbers have been discovered in the neutron-rich region of the nuclear chart. However, there has been a lack of research on proton-rich nuclei. 22O, the mirror nucleus of 22Si, is a double-magic nucleus bearing a high E(21+). Whether 22Si exhibits double-magic characters is an intriguing topic. To investigate this matter, we utilized ab initio valence space in-medium similarity renormalization group for 22Si/22O, and their nearby nuclei. Our ab initio calculations provide good descriptions for the double magicity of 22O, as well as the shell evolution of N=14 and Z=14 through E(21+). The computed E(21+) indicate that the closure of Z=14 sub-shell in proton-rich nuclei is weaker than the N=14 sub-shell closure in their mirror nuclei. Particularly, the calculated E(21+) of 22Si is 800 keV lower than the one of 22O. To further explore the magicity of 22Si, the mirror energy difference (MED) of 26Si/26Mg, 24Si/24Ne, as well as 22Si/22O are calculated. The results demonstrate that the calculated MEDs agree well with available experimental data, and the E(21+) values of 22,24,26Si are all lower than their respective mirror nuclei due to the Thomas-Ehrman shift with large s1/2 occupation. Moreover, our calculation provides that the many-body configurations of the low-lying state of 22Si/22O are nearly identical despite the fact that the states bearing large MED. In conclusion, our ab initio results suggest that 22Si is a double magic nucleus, similar to its mirror nucleus 22O, albeit with a lower E(21+).

Enhanced confinement is observed in EAST low ${q_{95}}$ ( ${q_{95}} < 3.5$ ) plasmas with the temperature ratio ( ${T_i}/{T_e}$ ) increasing. A statistically significant positive correlation between ${H_{98y2}}$ and ${T_i}/{T_e}$ has been established. Increased ${T_i}\,$ triggerd by Neutral Beam Injection in experiments maintaining constant ${T_e}$ leads initially to an improved ${T_i}/{T_e}$ ratio, which subsequently mitigates heat transport in the ion channel. The Trapped Gyro–Landau Fluid transport model was applied to analyse the dependence of the turbulent transport on ${T_i}/{T_e}$ . Simulation results demonstrate that the Ion Temperature Gradient mode is stabilized in high ${T_i}/{T_e}$ plasma, with ion flux results from predictive modelling further validating this effect. These findings corroborate the Weiland model and complement one another. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how the dimensionless parameter ${T_i}/{T_e}$ influences plasma transport, and helps demonstrate the feasibility of operations under the low ${q_{95}}$ condition required for the ITER-inductive scenario in the new ${T_i}/{T_e}$ regime.

I-mode is a promising regime for future fusion reactors due to the high energy confinement and the moderate particle confinement. However, the effect of lithium, which has been widely applied for particle recycling and impurity control, on I-mode plasma is still unclear. Recently, experiments of real-time lithium powder injection on I-mode plasma have been carried out in EAST Tokamak. It was found that the confinement performance of the I-mode can be improved by the lithium powder injection, which can strongly reduce electron turbulence (ET) and then trigger ion turbulence (IT). And it was observed that the ET intensity is inversely proportional to the velocity shear, which suggests that the injection of lithium powder leads to a gradual enhancement of the shear flow, whereby the turbulence is reduced and consequently the confinement is improved. Four different regimes of I-mode have been identified in EAST. The Type I I-mode plasma is characterized by the weakly coherent mode (WCM) and the geodesic-acoustic mode (GAM). The Type II I-mode is featured as the WCM and the edge temperature ring oscillation (ETRO). The Type III I-mode corresponds to the plasma with the co-existence of ETRO, GAM, and WCM. The Type IV I-mode denotes the plasma with only WCM but without ETRO and GAM. It was observed that the WCM intensity is increased with lithium powder injection by the confinement improvement/pedestal temperature increase. EAST experiments demonstrate that lithium powder injection is an effective tool for real-time control and confinement improvement of I-mode plasma.

We performed a quantitative study of the nuclei with proton numbers from Z=20 (Ca) to Z=28 (Ni) and neutron numbers ranging from N=38 to 52 using the realistic shell model, which merged the descriptions of nuclei around N=40 and N=50 within an extended model space. The 21+ excitation energy (E(21+)) is calculated for neutron-rich Cr, Fe, and Ni isotopes. The results suggest that the islands of inversion at N=40 and N=50 merge around the Cr chain, and the N=50 island of inversion is located below 78Ni. To demonstrate the prediction of the N=50 island of inversion, we calculated and compared the E(21+), B(E2;01+→21+), effective single-particle energies (ESPEs), the probability of particle-hole excitation, and the average occupations in the N=40 and N=50 isotones. Similar parabolic trends of E(21+) and B(E2;01+→21+) in the N=40 and 50 isotones are obtained. The calculated ESPEs give that the N=40 and N=50 shell gaps both increase with the variation of proton number from Z=20 (Ca) to Z=28 (Ni). However, our calculations indicate that different particle-hole excitations dominate in the ground states of the N=40 and N=50 islands of inversion, with 2p2h and 4p4h configurations being prominent in N=40 isotones, whereas 2p2h excitations are most important in the N=50 isotones. Furthermore, large occupations of the intruder quadrupole partner orbitals are also obtained in N=40 and N=50 isotones in our realistic shell model calculations.

Spectroscopic factors involving well bound nucleons in light nuclei are calculated with standard shell model, no-core shell model and Gamow shell model. Continuum coupling is included exactly in the Gamow shell model, due to the use of the Berggren basis, which contains bound, resonance and scattering states. Conversely, it is absent from standard and no-core shell models, where a basis of harmonic oscillator states is used. As the A−1 nuclei for which spectroscopic factors are calculated are either weakly bound or unbound, coupling to continuum is prominent, even though the A nuclei are well bound. It is then showed that Gamow shell model can properly reproduce experimental data and is a predictive tool for detailed nuclear structure at drip-line, contrary to standard and no-core shell model.

Owing to the storage and transportation problems of hydrogen fuel, exploring new methods of the real-time hydrogen production from ammonia becomes attractive. In this paper, non-thermal arc plasma (NTAP) combining with NiO/Al2O3 catalyst is developed to produce hydrogen from ammonia with high efficiency and large scale. The effects of ammonia gas flow rate and discharge power on the gas temperature, electron density, the hydrogen production rate, and energy efficiency were investigated. Experimental results show that the optical emission spectrum of NTAP working with pure ammonia medium was dominated by the atom spectrum of Hα, Hβ, and molecular spectrum of NH component. Under the optimum experimental condition of plasma discharge, the highest energy efficiency of hydrogen production reached 783.4 L/kW⋅h at NH3 gas flow rate of 30 SLM. When the catalyst was added, and heated by the NTAP simultaneously, the energy efficiency further increased to 1080.0 L/kW⋅h.

High-cycle fatigue tests of Pt–Al bond coated and bare single crystal superalloys were conducted at 700 °C and 800 °C, aiming at investigating the effect of bond coat on the high-cycle fatigue properties of a single crystal superalloy. The impact of bond coat was studied merely on the tensile and creep properties of this superalloy, but was not found on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of this alloy. The experimental results showed that the bond coat was found to be beneficial at 800 °C or under low stresses at 700 °C owing to the fact that cracks were retarded by the fine grains in the IDZ, the P-type rafted γ′ phases in the substrate or the coat/substrate interface, respectively. However, the bond coat was detrimental under high stresses at 700 °C owing to the rapid propagation of the early cracking and the brittle nature of bond coat. Moreover, EBSD results showed the all bond coat cracks mainly initiated at the surface of the coated specimens and started from grains with {123} slip system within bond coat. Fatigue tested samples at 800 °C showed a comparatively higher Schmid factor value than that at 700 °C. Following the fatigue test, TEM tests indicated that in the superalloy close to the bond coat, the dislocation networks formed due to the activity of various slip systems at 700 °C; under 450 MPa at 800 °C in this region, a special a0 superdislocation with two segments of compact core was observed in the rafted γ′ phases.

The decay of the 13/2+ isomeric state in 183Hg was observed for the first time following the α decay of the 13/2+ isomer in 187Pb produced in the 142Nd(50Cr, 2p3n) reaction. Using α−γ delayed coincidence measurements, the half-life of this isomer was measured to be 290(30) μs. This isomer is proposed to deexcite by an unobserved low-energy M2 transition to the known 9/2− member of a strongly prolate-deformed 7/2−[514] band, followed by a 105-keV M1 transition to the bandhead. A lower limit of B(M2) ≥ 0.018 W.u. was deduced for the unobserved transition. The presumed retardation is proposed to be due to the notable shape change between the initial, nearly spherical, and the final, strongly deformed, states. A similar scenario is also considered for the 13/2+ isomer in 181Hg, suggesting both are cases of shape isomers. The B(M2) systematics of neutron transitions across the nuclear chart is discussed.

We have applied the Gamow shell model to calculate nuclear observables of 26−31Ne isotopes pertaining to one-neutron halo structure, these nuclei being situated close to neutron drip-line. As both many-body correlations and continuum coupling are taken into account in that approach, halo structure can be analyzed properly. Our calculations provide good descriptions of 26−31Ne, where asymptotic behavior is crucial for that matter. One-body density, neutron root-mean-square radii of 26−31Ne, and one-neutron overlap functions of 29,31Ne have been calculated as well. Our results support the presence of a one-neutron p-wave halo in 31Ne, already pointed out experimentally. A similar situation also occurs in the ground state of 29Ne, which is mainly a p-wave valence neutron coupled to the inner 28Ne core. The 3/2+ excited state of 29Ne, which is dominated by a d-wave valence neutron, has also been considered. A larger radius and more extended wave function occur for the ground state of 29Ne when compared to its 3/2+ first excited state. The present results suggest that 29Ne is a good candidate for one-neutron p-wave halo in the medium-mass region.

Prompt and delayed γ-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-deficient, semi-magic isotope 187Pb has been performed using the recoil-decay and isomer-decay tagging techniques at the Argonne Gas-Filled Analyzer. A new 5.15(15)-μs isomeric state at only 308 keV above the spherical 3/2− ground state is identified and classified as a shape isomer. A strongly-coupled band is observed on top of the isomer, which is nearly identical to the one built on the prolate 7/2−[514] Nilsson state in the isotone 185Hg. Based on this similarity and on the result of the potential-energy surface calculations, the new isomer in 187Pb is proposed to originate from the same configuration. The retarded character of the 308-keV (7/2−)→3/2gs− transition with a deduced B(E2)=5.6(2)×10−4 W.u. can be well explained by the significant difference between the prolate parent and spherical daughter configurations, leading to the shape isomerism. The excitation energy of the isomer is surprisingly low, being roughly half of the excitation energies of the known 0+ intruder bandheads in the neighboring 186,188Pb isotopes. The combined results of the present work and the previous α-decay and laser spectroscopy studies present evidence for triple shape coexistence at low energy in the negative-parity configurations of 187Pb, which is well reproduced by the potential-energy surface calculations.

With both three-nucleon force and continuum coupling included, we have developed a self-consistent ab initio Gamow shell model within the Gamow Hartree-Fock (GHF) basis obtained by the realistic interaction itself. With the chiral two-nucleon N3LO and three-nucleon N2LO interactions, the Gamow shell model has been applied to the mirror systems of Z=8 neutron-rich isotopes and N=8 proton-rich isotones, giving good agreements with data in binding energies, dripline positions and excitation spectra. The GHF calculated that the 0d3/2, 1s1/2 and 1p3/2 orbitals are resonances. The resonance states and their interplay with nonresonant continua play a crucial role in the descriptions of nuclei around driplines. Excitation spectra and Thomas-Ehrman shifts observed can be better described when both three-nucleon force and continuum coupling are considered in calculations. The three-nucleon force and continuum coupling produce a combined effect on the Thomas-Ehrman shift, e.g., for the 1/2+ resonance level of 19Na. The calculations help the understandings of related nuclear astrophysical processes.

This study compares experimental observations on plasma surface interactions and heat loads induced by Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) in WEST medium size tokamak. When powering ICRH, core contamination by metallic impurities systematically results in an increase of the power radiated, often hardening the achievement of long discharges in H-mode at high power. The radiofrequency (RF) sheaths are excited mainly at proximity of ICRF antennas, resulting in an increase of metallic impurity sources. In the presence of RF sheaths, we show that most of the power reaching the wall can become carried by ions. Therefore, both heat loads and material sputtering are the result of ion fluxes on the various plasma facing components, such that some analogy between both phenomena can be made. By combining infrared with spectroscopic measurements, we show experimental evidences from WEST of RF-induced heat fluxes and their correlation with local production of impurity.

To study the compatibility especially the corrosion characteristic of structural material stainless steel (SS) with liquid lithium (Li) is an important factor for the simultaneous application of liquid Li and SS as a blanket material or potential plasma facing material (PFM) in future fusion devices. The corrosion behaviors of 304SS exposed to liquid Li at 700 K for 1320 hr under high vacuum were investigated. After exposure to liquid Li, 304SS produces non-uniform corrosion which includes corrosion products and grain boundary corrosion. Compared with the corrosion behaviors at 600 K and 640 K, temperature plays an important role in the corrosion behaviors of 304SS in static liquid Li. The weight loss, corrosion depth and corrosion products of 304SS specimens increase with the corrosion temperature. In general, the compatibility between 304SS and static liquid Li is relatively good under the experimental conditions. And besides, it is unexpectedly found that the compatibility of copper with Li is not good.

Starting from chiral two-nucleon (2NF) and chiral three-nucleon (3NF) potentials, we present a detailed study of 17Ne, a Borromean system, with the Gamow shell model which can capture continuum effects. More precisely, we take advantage of the normal-ordering approach to include the 3NF and the Berggren representation to treat bound, resonant and continuum states on equal footing in a complex-momentum plane. In our framework, 3NF is essential to reproduce the Borromean structure of 17Ne, while the continuum is more crucial for the halo property of the nucleus. The two-proton halo structure is demonstrated by calculating the valence proton density and correlation density. The astrophysically interesting 3/2− excited state has its energy above the threshold of the proton emission, and therefore the two-proton decay should be expected from the state.

Liquid lithium (Li) can partly ameliorate lifetime and power-exhaust issues of plasma facing components (PFCs) by enabling a self-healing, self-replenishing surface with a reduced susceptibility to neutron damage in future fusion devices. To assess operational stability and heat-exhaust capability under tokamak exposure, two generations of continuously flowing liquid Li (FLiLi) limiters on the concept of a thin flowing Li film have been successfully designed and tested in high performance discharges in EAST. The design uses a circulating Li layer with a thickness of

Gamow shell model (GSM) is usually performed within the Woods-Saxon (WS) basis in which the WS parameters need to be determined by fitting experimental single-particle energies including their resonance widths. In the multi-shell case, such a fit is difficult due to the lack of experimental data of cross-shell single-particle energies and widths. In this paper, we develop an ab-initio GSM by introducing the Gamow Hartree-Fock (GHF) basis that is obtained using the same interaction as the one used in the construction of the shell-model Hamiltonian. GSM makes use of the complex-momentum Berggren representation, then including resonance and continuum components. Hence, GSM gives a good description of weakly bound and unbound nuclei. Starting from chiral effective field theory and employing many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) (called nondegenerate Qˆ-box folded-diagram renormalization) in the GHF basis, a multi-shell Hamiltonian (sd-pf shells in this work) can be constructed. The single-particle energies and their resonance widths can also been obtained using MBPT. We investigated 23−28O and 23−31F isotopes, for which multi-shell calculations are necessary. Calculations show that continuum effects and the inclusion of the pf shell are important elements to understand the structure of nuclei close to and beyond driplines. Keywords: Gamow shell model, Gamow Hartree-Fock, Chiral effective field theory, Many-body perturbation theory, Resonance, Continuum

Three-nucleon force and continuum play important roles in reproducing the properties of atomic nuclei around driplines. Therefore it is valuable to build up a theoretical framework where both effects can be taken into account to solve the nuclear Schrödinger equation. To this end, in this letter, we have expressed the chiral three-nucleon force within the continuum Berggren representation, so that bound, resonant and continuum states can be treated on an equal footing in the complex-momentum space. To reduce the model dimension and computational cost, the three-nucleon force is truncated at the normal-ordered two-body level and limited in the sd-shell model space, with the residual three-body term being neglected. We choose neutron-rich oxygen isotopes as the test ground because they have been well studied experimentally, with the neutron dripline determined. The calculations have been carried out within the Gamow shell model. The quality of our results in reproducing the properties of oxygen isotopes around the neutron dripline shows the relevance of the interplay between three-nucleon force and the coupling to continuum states. We also analyze the role played by the chiral three-nucleon force, by dissecting the contributions of the 2π exchange, 1π exchange and contact terms. Keywords: Three-nucleon forces, Continuum, Gamow shell model, Unstable nuclei, Binding energy, Spectra

High-Z impurities production is often observed during Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) waves’ injection, which are likely due to RF sheath formation on solid materials. Based on Extreme UV (EUV) spectrometry data, this study in EAST consists in extracting information on plasma-surface interactions during ICRH. Intensities of the different spectral lines normalized to line-integrated plasma density, exhibit different parametric dependencies over scans of ICRH and LH power and for different toroidal phasing between straps. Materials close and magnetically-connected to an active antenna tend to show better correlation with ICRF parameters – such as power and feeding scheme – than those which are far away or not connected. ICRF phasing did not have influence on impurity, probably due to the absence of feedback control. It is further shown that the plasma content in impurities from divertor region better correlates with the total injected power rather than with ICRF power. Keywords: ICRH, Impurity source, EUV spectrometer

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a highly malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is closely related to the abnormal expression of genes. Familial acute myelogenous leukemia related factor (FAMLF; GenBank accession No. EF413001.1) is a novel gene that was cloned by our research group, and miR-181b is located in the intron of the FAMLF gene. To verify the role of miR-181b and FAMLF in BL, RNAhybrid software was used to predict target site of miR-181b on FAMLF and real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) was used to detect expression of miR-181b and FAMLF in BL patients, Raji cells and unaffected individuals. miR-181b was then transfected into Raji and CA46 cell lines and FAMLF expression was examined by RQ-PCR and western blotting. Further, Raji cells viability and proliferation were detected by MTT and clone formation, and Raji cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. The results showed that miR-181b can bind to bases 21–42 of the FAMLF 5′ untranslated region (UTR), FAMLF was highly expressed and miR-181b was lowly expressed in BL patients compared with unaffected individuals. FAMLF expression was significantly and inversely correlated to miR-181b expression, and miR-181b negatively regulated FAMLF at posttranscriptional and translational levels. A dual-luciferase reporter gene assay identified that the 5′ UTR of FAMLF mRNA contained putative binding sites for miR-181b. Down-regulation of FAMLF by miR-181b arrested cell cycle, inhibited cell viability and proliferation in a BL cell line model. Our findings explain a new mechanism of BL pathogenesis and may also have implications in the therapy of FAMLF-overexpressing BL.

In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of generating a non-Abelian Carroll–Field–Jackiw (CFJ) term in the theory of a non-Abelian gauge field coupled to a spin-3/2 field in the presence of the constant axial vector field. Applying two regularization schemes, we prove that this term is finite and ambiguous, particularly vanishing within the 't Hooft-Veltman scheme.

Nannochloropsis is widely used in aquaculture as a feed source. However, large-scale cultivation of Nannochloropsis usually fails due to rotifer contamination. In order to identify an effective technique for reducing rotifer contamination, the effect of Brachionus plicatilis contamination on photosynthetic characteristics in Nannochloropsis oculata and the efficacy of the celangulin (CA):toosendanin (TSN) (1:9) combination for rotifer extermination were investigated using chlorophyll a fluorescence transient. B. plicatilis could directly devour microalgal cells and sharply reduced N. oculata density to very low levels. B. plicatilis also inhibited activities of PSII reaction centers, both acceptor and donor side, thereby damaging the photosynthetic performance of surviving N. oculata cells. However, the CA:TSN (1:9) combination could completely eliminate B. plicatilis, thereby preventing rotifers from devouring microalgae cells and protecting the photosynthetic performance of the surviving algal cells against rotifers damage. Therefore, the binary combination of CA:TSN (1:9), is considered to be a good candidate of botanical pesticide for controlling rotifer contamination.

A series of ELMy H-mode discharges were achieved on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) with low hybrid wave (PLHW = 0.5-1.7 MW at 2.45 GHz) and ion cyclotron resonance frequencies (PICRF = 0.5-2 MW) as the auxiliary heating power in 2012. In double-null (DN) configurations, the experimental power threshold with a molybdenum wall (2012) appears to be lower than that with a graphite wall (2010). For lower single null (LSN) plasmas, the lower X-point configuration has a lower power threshold, and a significant reduction (~25%) in the H-mode power threshold with 3.4 cm X-point movement is achieved. The lower X-point configuration on EAST has higher dRsep below zero (closer to the DN configuration). Better energy confinement is observed in DN compared with single null (SN) at the same power loss. For reasons not understood, when the ion grad-5 drift is in a favourable direction for H-mode access (towards the X-point) for EAST's LSN configuration, H-mode is achieved in upper single null (USN) configurations, but not in LSN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transgenic high-methionine soybean ZD91 and its non-transgenic parental soybean ZD were investigated to evaluate the potential negative impact of transgene on the microbial community in soil. The Biolog-ECO plate method was used to evaluate the functional diversity and activity of rhizosphere microbial communities at four growth stages of the soybean each year from 2012 to 2013. Results indicated that there was no difference between ZD and ZD91 in the functional diversity of microbial communities in rhizosphere soil. Besides, plant growth stage had stronger effect than cultivar. It was concluded that transgenic soybean ZD91 did not alter the functional diversity of microbial communities in rhizosphere soil.

Sublethal ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is a powerful inducer of ischemic brain tolerance. However, its underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. In this study, we chose four different IPC paradigms, namely 5 min (5 min duration), 5×5 min (5 min duration, 2 episodes, 15-min interval), 5×5×5 min (5 min duration, 3 episodes, 15-min intervals), and 15 min (15 min duration), and demonstrated that three episodes of 5 min IPC activated autophagy to the greatest extent 24 h after IPC, as evidenced by Beclin expression and LC3-I/II conversion. Autophagic activation was mediated by the tuberous sclerosis type 1 (TSC1)-mTor signal pathway as IPC increased TSC1 but decreased mTor phosphorylation. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and hematoxylin and eosin staining confirmed that IPC protected against cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Critically, 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, abolished the neuroprotection of IPC and, by contrast, rapamycin, an autophagy inducer, potentiated it. Cleaved caspase-3 expression, neurological scores, and infarct volume in different groups further confirmed the protection of IPC against I/R injury. Taken together, our data indicate that autophagy activation might underlie the protection of IPC against ischemic injury by inhibiting apoptosis.

Objetivou-se avaliar a tolerância de Tifton 85 e Brachiaria brizantha ao glyphosate e verificar o controle de B. brizantha em área de pastagem de Tifton 85 já estabelecida. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições, em que se testaram as doses: 0, 720, 1.440, 2.160 e 2.880 g ha-1 de glyphosate. Cada parcela possuía dimensões de 3,5 m de comprimento por 3,0 m de largura, totalizando 10,5 m², com área útil de 7,5 m ². A eficiência do herbicida no controle de B. brizantha e o nível de intoxicação nas plantas de Tifton 85 foram avaliados 15, 30 e 60 dias após aplicação (DAA), mediante escala de 0 a 100, em que 0 é ausência de controle e/ou intoxicação e 100, controle total ou morte das plantas. Para avaliação da produção e do potencial de rebrota das forrageiras, as plantas de ambas as espécies foram colhidas aos 300 DAA e secas em estufa. Observou-se controle acima de 90% das plantas de B. brizantha a partir das doses de 1.473,75 e 1.721,25 g ha-1 de glyphosate, aos 30 e 60 DAA, respectivamente. As porcentagens de intoxicação das plantas de Tifton 85, referente a estas doses de controle de B. brizantha, foram, respectivamente, de 24,90 e 4,13% aos 30 e 60 DAA. Além disso, aos 60 DAA, para a maior dose avaliada (2.880 g ha-1 de glyphosate) foi observada intoxicação das plantas de Tifton 85 de apenas 18,22%. Aos 300 DAA, observou-se ausência de produção de massa seca de B. brizantha a partir da dose de 2.160 g ha-1 do herbicida, devido ao eficiente controle. Os resultados evidenciam maior tolerância das plantas de Tifton 85 ao glyphosate em relação às plantas de B. brizantha, possibilitando o controle desta espécie em pastagem estabelecida de Tifton 85, sem causar danos à forrageira cultivada.This study aimed to evaluate Tifton 85 and Brachiaria brizantha tolerance glyphosate and verity Brachiaria brizantha control in an established Tifton 85 pasture area. Rates of 0; 720; 1.440; 2.160; and 2.880 g ha-1 of glyphosate were tested in to an experiment arranged in a randomized block design, with four replicates divided into 3.5 m x 3.0 m, totaling 10.5 m², and only 7.5 m² of useful area. Herbicide efficiency in B. brizantha control and intoxication level on Tifton 85 plants were evaluated at 15, 30 and 60 days after application (DAA), following the scale from 0 (absence of control and/or intoxication) to 100 (total control or plant death). At 300 DAA, the forage plants of both species were cut and dried to evaluate production and sprouting potential. Control superior to 90% of B. brizantha plants was observed from 1,473.75 and 1,721.25 g ha-1 of glyphosate rates, respectively at 30 and 60 DAA. The intoxication of Tifton 85 plants referring to B. brizantha control rates were 24.90 and 4.13%, respectively. At 60 DAA, 18.22% of Tifton 85 plants intoxication was observed at the highest rate evaluated (2.880 g ha-1 of glyphosate). Absence of B. brizantha dry matter production occurred at 300 DAA, at 2.160 g ha¹ herbicide rate as a result of efficient control. Results showed higher tolerance of Tifton 85 plants to glyphosate in relation to B. brizantha plants, allowing this species control in established Tifton 85 pasture, with no damage to the cultivated forage.

Control of fuel recycling and hydrogen content in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) using various methods is studied for high-power long pulse high confinement mode (H-mode) plasma operation. The results show that long duration first wall baking and discharge cleaning in EAST provides the necessary clean vacuum environment with a high ultimate vacuum of 3.6  ×  10−6 Pa and low outgassing rate of ~1.5  ×  10−4 Pa m3 s−1 for plasma operation. In-vessel cryopumps are found to provide an efficient method for particle recycling control in the divertor region to decrease global recycling coefficient (Rglobal) from ~1.0 to ~0.8 during ohmic heating plasmas, and it provides a high particle exhausting rate of 1020–1021 D-atoms s−1 in high-power plasma operations. Long duration silicon coating is found to be more powerful than baking and discharge cleaning, which reduces the H/(H  +  D) ratio gradually to a value as low as 8%, and lithium coating is more effective and more efficient than silicon coating, to further reduce the H/(H  +  D) ratio to 3%. Real-time lithium powder injection is a novel method for recycling control, which reduces Rglobal from 0.94 to 0.82 under lithium coating wall conditioning. By the combination and optimization of the above methods, H-mode plasmas with low hydrogen content and low fuel recycling have been achieved in EAST and have been extended gradually to 101 s in 2017. Recycling flux has even decreased gradually during 101 s H-mode plasmas due to increased first wall temperature and the resulting increased Li-II emission. These results provide valuable references on hydrogen content and fuel recycling control for long pulse H-mode plasmas of up to 400–1000 s with high-power heating in EAST and future fusion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental and modeling investigations on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) show attractive confinement and stability properties in fully non-inductive, high poloidal beta plasmas. In the 2018 EAST experimental campaign, extended operation regimes of steady-state scenario were obtained (βP ~ 1.9 & βN ~ 1.5 & H98y 2 ~ 1.3 of using only RF heating) with a high bootstrap current fraction (f BS ~ 47%) and ne/nGW ~ 70%. The confinement quality, H98y 2 ~ 1.3, is much better than standard H-mode, and stationary peaked electron temperature profiles and peaked current density profile when ~1 MW of ECH and ~2.6 MW of LHW are both deposited in the core region. The observed improvement in plasma confinement is much better (H98y 2 ~ 1.3) when compared with the RF-dominant heating experiments in the EAST 2016–2017 experimental campaign (H98y 2 ~ 1.1). Integrated modeling prediction suggests that high electron density would increase the plasma performance and bootstrap current fraction, which is consistent with the general experimental trend. Linear analysis shows that the high-k (ky   >  1) modes instability (ETG) is suppressed in the core region. Also, the Shafranov shift is shown to play a role in the suppression of the electron turbulent energy transport. Besides the modeling predictions, the validation of the predicted of the effect of ECH on the plasma confinement in recent experiments was done and the experimental results were consistent with the modeling results. The validation results also suggest that when ECH is deposited in the core region in the RF heating experiments, increasing the ECH heating power from 0.5 MW to 1.0 MW does make a small improvement in the bootstrap current fraction. The high bootstrap fraction scenario realized on EAST and the investigation to achieve higher-performance plasma would help expanding the operation regime on EAST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of improving ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) wave coupling in EAST (experimental advanced superconducting tokamak) necessary to obtain high-power discharges, two series of experiments in L-mode were devoted to the use of local gas injection as a tool to increase density in front of the antennas. During the first session, the quantity of deuterium simultaneously puffed from five different poloidal positions on each side of one ICRF antenna was gradually increased. Steady gas puffing on this antenna (~8.1020 e s−1) increased antenna coupling resistance by 100%, but puffing more gas did not provoke any further improvement. Plasma central electron density was not kept constant when using local puff but kept increasing during the discharges. During the second session, the global density was well-controlled and remained constant, the distance between the separatrix and the first wall was increased by 2 cm allowing, the gas to spread better, and puffing more gas this time lead to better wave coupling. The same amount of gas was then puffed from three different locations and changes in SOL (scrape-off layer) parameters were measured from several locations. Extensive analysis of the edge diagnostics made it possible to observe an electron density increase and a temperature decrease caused by the ionization of neutrals in the SOL. Heat loads on the divertor targets were slightly mitigated by gas injection, which is favorable from the perspective of long pulse scenario development. Injection at mid-plane led to the best results with the highest coupling simultaneously achieved for both antennas and smallest heat loads on the divertor target (below 1 MW m−2). As far as wave coupling efficiency is concerned, most experimental trends were also successfully reproduced by antenna modelling with the RAPLICASOL finite element code with experimental density profiles from reflectometry as the main input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using the specific co-neutral beam injection (co-NBI) and counter-NBI systems on EAST, an alternating flow shear discharge has been obtained to study the impact of the flow shear on ballooning-driven edge localized modes (ELMs) at a fixed high collisionality (). The results reveal that the increased flow shear can significantly mitigate ELMs, or even totally suppress ELMs when the shear is large enough. Our simulations with BOUT support the observations on EAST, and further indicate that the increased can both reduce the linear growth rate of the ballooning mode and shorten its growth time (phase coherence time, PCT). The enhanced nonlinear interactions shorten the PCT of the ballooning mode, as validated by the bispectrum study on EAST. All those studies suggest a new way to control ELMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injection of impurity granules into fusion research discharges can serve as a catalyst for ELM events. For sufficiently low ELM frequencies, and granule sizes above a threshold, this can result in full control of the ELM cycle, referred to as ELM pacing. For this research, we extend the investigation to conditions where the natural ELM frequency is too high for ELM pacing to be realized. Utilizing multiple sizes of lithium granules and classifying their effects by granule size, we demonstrate that ELM mitigation through frequency multiplication can be used at ELM triggering rates that nominally make ELM pacing unrealizable. We find that above a size threshold, injected granules promptly trigger ELMs and commensurately enhance the ELM frequency. Below this threshold size, injection of an individual granule does not always lead to the prompt triggering of an ELM; however, collective ablation in the edge pedestal region does enhance the ELM frequency. Specifically, Li granules too small to individually trigger ELMs were injected into EAST H-mode discharges at frequencies up to 2.3 kHz; collectively the granules were observed to enhance the natural ELM frequency up to 620 Hz, resulting in a ~2.4  ×  multiplication of the natural ELM frequency and a 50% decrease of the ELM size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasma current profile modification in the edge region is observed in LHCD (lower hybrid current drive) plasmas for the first time in EAST, correlated with an increased level of PI (parametric instability) activities with the decrease in LH (lower hybrid) source frequency or the increase in plasma density. With the increase in the PI strength, an increase in the edge current is observed despite of a reduction in current drive capability. In these plasmas, strike-point splitting behaviors are also observed, implying the modification of the magnetic geometry in the scrape-off-layer. Results show the effects of LH frequency and plasma density on power dissipation in the edge region, suggesting a role of anomalous wave power damping on the modification of current profile at the plasma edge. These novel results are significant in that they give insight for the first time into how nonlinear wave-plasma interactions such as PI may directly impact the edge current profile, the control of which is critical in order to achieve optimized modes of operation in a steady state fusion reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of an injected lithium granule to promptly trigger an edge localized mode (ELM) has been established in multiple experiments. By horizontally injecting granules ranging in diameter from 200 microns to 1 mm in diameter into the low field side of EAST H-mode discharges we have determined that granules with diameter  >600 microns are successful in triggering ELMs more than 95% of the time. It was also demonstrated that below 600 microns the triggering efficiency decreased roughly with granule size. Granules were radially injected from the outer midplane with velocities ~80 m s−1 into EAST upper single null discharges with an ITER like tungsten monoblock divertor. These granules were individually tracked throughout their injection cycle in order to determine their efficacy at triggering an ELM. For those granules of sufficient size, ELM triggering was a prompt response to granule injection. By simulating the granule injection with an experimentally benchmarked neutral gas shielding (NGS) model, the ablatant mass deposition required to promptly trigger an ELM is calculated and the fractional mass deposition is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis and accumulation of the recently identified prostaglandin F2α receptor regulatory protein (FPRP) was found to correlate closely with lipid droplet accumulation by 3T3-L1 preadipose cells. FPRP, a transmembrane glycoprotein, has been shown to regulate the binding of ligand to certain seven-transmembrane receptors. Anti-FPRP immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and metabolic labeling/immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that FPRP was not detectable in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells. Interestingly, low levels of FPRP mRNA were detected in the undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells. After induction of adipose differentiation, FPRP mRNA increased ∼3 fold whereas FPRP synthesis increased ∼50 fold. Differentiation induction with either dexamethasone/insulin/isobutylmethylxanthine or the thiazolidinedione derivative ADD 4743 were both effective at inducing FPRP accumulation and accumulation of lipid droplets. By co-immunohistochemical and lipid staining, greater than 99% of the cells accumulating lipid droplets possessed FPRP. FPRP mRNA and protein are also found in rat adipose tissue. Treatment of 3T3-L1 cells with an FPRP anti-sense oligonucleotide during differentiation decreased FPRP accumulation and resulted in a decrease in lipid droplets without altering the level of induction of a late marker of adipocyte differentiation, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Transient expression of an FPRP cDNA in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells was insufficient to induce lipid droplet accumulation.—Orlicky, D. J., J. G. Lieber, C. L. Morin, and R. M. Evans. Synthesis and accumulation of a receptor regulatory protein associated with lipid droplet accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells. J. Lipid Res. 1998. 39: 1152–1161.

The EAST research program aims to demonstrate steady-state long-pulse advanced high-performance H-mode operations with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. Since the 2014 IAEA FEC, EAST has been upgraded with all ITER-relevant auxiliary heating and current drive systems, enabling the investigation of plasma profile control by the coupling/integration of various auxiliary heating combinations. Fully non-inductive steady-state H-mode plasma (H98,y2  >  1.1) was extended over 60 s for the first time with sole RF heating plus good power coupling and impurity and particle control. By means of the 4.6 GHz and 2.45 GHz LHCD systems, H-mode can be obtained and maintained at relatively high density, even up to ne ~ 4.5  ×  1019 m−3, where a current drive effect is still observed. Significant progress has been achieved on EAST, including: (i) demonstration of a steady-state scenario (fully non-inductive with Vloop ~ 0.0 V at high βP ~ 1.8 and high-performance in upper single-null (ε ~ 1.6) configuration with the tungsten divertor; (ii) discovery of a stationary H-mode regime with no/small ELM using 4.6 GHz LHCD, and; (iii) achievement of ELM suppression in slowly rotating H-mode plasma with n  =  1 and 2 RMP compatible with long-pulse operations. The new advances in scenario development provide an integrated solution in achieving long-pulse steady-state operations on EAST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) plasma ignited in 2006 with non-actively cooled steel plates as the plasma-facing materials and components (PFMCs) which were then upgraded into full graphite tiles bolted onto water-cooled copper heat sinks in 2008. The first wall was changed further into molybdenum alloy in 2012, while keeping the graphite for both the upper and lower divertors. With the rapid increase in heating and current driving power in EAST, the W/Cu divertor project was launched around the end of 2012, aiming at achieving actively cooled full W/Cu-PFCs for the upper divertor, with heat removal capability up to 10 MW m−2. The W/Cu upper divertor was finished in the spring of 2014, consisting of 80 cassette bodies toroidally assembled. Commissioning of the EAST upper W/Cu divertor in 2014 was unsatisfactory and then several practical measures were implemented to improve the design, welding quality and reliability, which helped us achieve successful commissioning in the 2015 Spring Campaign. In collaboration with the IO and CEA teams, we have demonstrated our technological capability to remove heat loads of 5000 cycles at 10 MW m−2 and 1000 cycles at 20 MW m−2 for the small scale monoblock mockups, and surprisingly over 300 cycles at 20 MW m−2 for the flat-tile ones. The experience and lessons we learned from batch production and commissioning are undoubtedly valuable for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) engineering validation and tungsten-related plasma physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiments were carried out to study the coupling characteristics of the I-port antenna in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) in EAST. The dependencies of the coupling resistance on various parameters including the antenna position, the central electron density, gas injection and the antenna phasing have been studied. The results obtained show that the experimental data are consistent with theoretical simulations. We find that the antenna loading decreases sharply at the L-H transition due to the change of the plasma density profiles in the scrape-off layer (SOL). The effect of the low hybrid wave (LHW) on the ICRF coupling during the H-mode is observed. The theoretical interpretation of the results is discussed, together with the efficient methods to optimize the coupling efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new flowing liquid Li limiter (FLiLi) based on the concept of a thin flowing film has been successfully designed and tested in the EAST device in 2014. A bright Li radiative mantle at the plasma edge was observed during discharges using FLiLi, resulting from passive Li injection and transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) plasma. Li particle efflux from the FLiLi surface into the plasma was estimated at  >5  ×  1020 atom s−1, due to surface evaporation and sputtering, and accompanied with a few small Li droplets ~1 mm diameter that were ejected from FLiLi. The Li efflux from FLiLi was ionized by the SOL plasma and formed a Li radiation band that originated from the FLiLi surface, and then spread toroidally by SOL plasma flow. The Li radiative mantle appeared to partly isolate the plasma from the wall, reducing impurity release from the wall materials, and possibly leading to a modest improvement in confinement. In addition, strong Li radiation reduced the particle and heat fluxes impacting onto the divertor plate, with certain similarities to heat flux reduction and detachment onset via low-Z impurity injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 4.6 GHz lower-hybrid current drive (LHCD) system has been firstly commissioned in EAST in the 2014 campaign. The first LHCD results with 4.6 GHz show that LHW can be coupled to plasma with a low reflection coefficient, drive plasma current and plasma rotation, modify the plasma current profile, and heat plasma effectively. By means of configuration optimization and local gas puffing near the LHW antenna, good LHW–plasma coupling with a reflection coefficient less than 5% is obtained. The maximum LHW power coupled to plasma is up to 3.5 MW. The current drive (CD) efficiency is up to 1.1  ×  1019 A m−2 W−1 and the central electron temperature is above 4 keV, suggesting that LH power could be mainly deposited in the core region, which is in agreement with code simulation. Experiments show that the current profile is effectively modified and toroidal rotation in the co-current direction is driven by the LHCD. Also, the CD efficiency and current profile depend on the launched wave spectrum, suggesting the possibility of controlling the current profile by changing the phase difference. Repeatable H-mode plasma is obtained by either the 4.6 GHz LHCD system alone, or together with a 2.45 GHz LHCD system, the NBI (neutral beam injection) system. The different ELM features of H-mode between the different heating methods are under investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poloidal rotation velocities in the core plasma region are studied using the instantaneous frequency method (IFM) with the density fluctuations measured by the CO2 laser collective scattering diagnostics on the HT-7 tokamak. A coherent mode is observed in the fluctuations of poloidal velocities with the mode frequency from 10 to 20 kHz. It is identified as geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) zonal flow with poloidal symmetry (m = 0) and its mode frequency coinciding with the theoretical expected GAM frequency. The nonlinear interactions are investigated by applying the envelope analysis on the density fluctuations. The results confirm that the envelope modulation in the high frequency density fluctuations only comes from the shearing by GAM. The comparison between IFM and envelope analysis is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]