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Multidisciplinary team (MDT) diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been proposed as a gold standard, but there are no formal recommendations for MDT process or composition and limited knowledge regarding prevalence in routine practice. We performed a systematic evaluation of ILD diagnostic practice across a range of healthcare settings around the world. Electronic questionnaires were distributed across all global regions via society and collaborators networks. Responses from 457 unique centres across 64 countries were included in the analysis. Of the 350 (76.6%) centres holding formal meetings, the majority held face-to-face MDT meetings (80%), for a minimum of 30 min (93%), and discussed diagnosis (96.9%) and patient management (94.9%) at the meetings. Compared with non-academic and academic non-ILD centres, ILD academic centres reported a higher ILD caseload, held more formal MDT meetings, and were more likely to include histopathology and rheumatology specialists in their diagnostic team. Of the centres holding MDT meetings, 5.5% routinely discussed all new cases at such meetings. An MDT approach to ILD diagnosis is consistently interpreted and widely implemented across a range of routine care settings around the world. This observation will inform future ILD diagnostic agreement studies and diagnostic pathway recommendations., In real-world practice, ILD diagnosis uses a multidisciplinary team approach, irrespective of country or healthcare setting http://ow.ly/I1Di30nMNTX

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown origin. Despite the fact that the guidelines on the diagnosis and management of the disease were updated in 2015, incorporating novel agents recently introduced in the therapeutic approach of IPF, there is a lack of data on the epidemiology, disease status, and treatment in clinical practice. Contemporary data provided by national registries in IPF provide valuable information to guide clinical management of the disease in the real-world setting, adjusted to the local needs. Objective: Investigating Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Greece (INDULGE IPF) is a Greek observational registry aiming at gaining further knowledge on the characteristics, management, progression, and outcomes of patients with IPF treated under real-world, clinical practice conditions in Greece. Methods: Approximately 300 patients will be enrolled consecutively in seven reference centers, constituting the largest IPF registry ever established in Greece. Conclusion: This registry is expected to provide data on the characteristics of IPF patients in Greece and the entire clinical management during the course of the disease. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The German PMW project and the European EGYC consortium are driving gyrotron developments for the two major plasma fusion experiments in Europe using ECRH, Wendelstein W7-X at Greifswald and the international ITER at Cadarache. 1 MW CW, 140 GHz conventional cavity gyrotrons have been developed and are being delivered to W7-X whereas advanced 2 MW CW, 170 GHz coaxial-cavity gyrotron technology has been tested for ITER. Additionally, an 1 MW, 170 GHz conventional cavity design is under development for ITER. Furthermore, research work on gyrotron concepts for future fusion experiments, focusing on frequency-step tunable gyrotrons and multi-MW coaxial-type gyrotrons is ongoing at Europe, in particular at KIT. This paper is reporting some of the important results and the ongoing research work.

Electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) is the main heating system for W7-X. A 10-MW ECRH plant with continuous wave (cw) capability is under construction to support the W7-X operation, which aims at demonstrating the steady-state capability of stellarators at reactor-relevant plasma parameters. The ECRH system consists often radio-frequency (rf) modules with 1 MW power each at 140 GHz. The rf beams of the individual gyrotrons are transmitted in common to the W7-X torus via open multibeam mirror lines. The losses of individual components of the transmission system were measured with both low- and high-power methods. Integrated full-power, cw measurements of the long-distance transmission losses are reported and compared to theoretical design estimates.

Induction coil gun uses electromagnetic forces to accelerate metallic tubular projectiles for impact studies. It consists of a helical coil and a cylindrical projectile placed coaxially with the coil. Electromagnetic flux linkage between the coil and the projectile sets up axial and radial forces on the projectile. The axial force accelerates the projectile out of the coil, while the radial force leads to pinching . In certain experiments, projectiles are non-uniformly pinched and undergo plastic buckling. This is manifested in longitudinal cracks that degrade system efficiency. These cracks cannot be handled in a R-Z axisymmetric model. Hence we have developed a composite model consisting of MHD R-Z (axisymmetric) and 2D-Hydrodynamic X-Y (plane geometry) models to study deformation and longitudinal cracking. Our study predicts that an initial perturbation in projectile thickness along the θ direction can grow and lead to localization of plastic strains causing longitudinal cracking.

Este informe se realiza por IPF bajo la revisi??n de R.Campos para el proyecto PmaCO2 - porosidad y mecanismos de atrapamiento de CO2, financiado por el MICINN (CGL 2011-24768). Describe el tercer ensayo realizado para el proyecto de inyecci??n din??mica de CO2 en estado supercr??tico.

Se trata de un informe t??cnico realizado por el Instituto Petrof??sico (IPf) en el que se describe el segundo ensayo de inyecci??n de CO2 en estado supercr??tico en una segunda facies de las areniscas de Utrillas para el proyecto PmaCO2 - porosidad y mecanismos de atrapamiento de CO2.

To combine powers from a set of gyrotrons and to switch the combined wave beam between a number of output channels, various kinds of multiplexers can be used. Especially, narrow-band frequency diplexers in connection with small frequency-shift keying of gyrotrons can be used to switch the millimeter-wave power between two output channels. This technique can, for example, be used for fast beam steering for synchronous stabilization of rotating neoclassical tearing modes in tokamaks. Beam steering can be performed by a multistage multiplexer, provided that phase-controlled sources are available. In the paper, various concepts for fast directional switches as well as their integration into transmission lines are discussed. Calculations and low-power measurements of prototypes are presented. A resonant diplexer experiment is at present being prepared to be tested at high power in the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system for Wendelstein 7X (W7-X). Requirements and techniques for frequency control of the gyrotrons are discussed, and the results of preliminary frequency modulation experiments are shown. Finally, future prospects for the application of diplexers in large ECRH systems are discussed.

This paper reports the results of the high-power test of a remote steering launcher mock-up at 140 GHz, which were performed at the ECRH installation for the future stellarator W7-X at IPP Greifswald. The mock-up test system consists of a 6.62 m long corrugated square waveguide with a steerable optic at the entrance and various diagnostics at the exit of the waveguide. A straight and a dog-leg version of the launcher were investigated. The high-power tests of the straight setup have been performed with powers up to P0 = 700 kW (typically 500 kW) and pulse lengths of up to 10 seconds. For both polarizations (parallel and perpendicular to the steering plane), no arcing was observed in spite of the fact, that the experiments were performed under ambient atmospheric conditions. After the integration of 2 mitre bends in the setup, arcing limited the usable parameter range. The ohmic loss PΩ of the waveguide was measured via the temperature increase of the waveguide wall, and was used to calibrate the calculated angular dependence of the total ohmic losses of the waveguide. Short-pulse radiation pattern measurements with thermographic recording show high beam quality and confirm the steering range of −12° < < 12°.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is the main heating method for the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator (W7-X), which is under construction at IPP-Greifswald. A 10 MW ECRH plant with CW-capability at 140 GHz is under construction to meet the scientific objectives. The microwave power is generated by 10 gyrotrons with 1 MW each two gyrotrons are operational at IPP in Greifswald. The tubes are equipped with a single-stage depressed collector for energy recovery and operate with an output power modulation between 0.3 and 1 MW with a sinusoidal frequency of up to 10 kHz which is achieved by modulating the depression voltage and is an interesting feature for NTM control at ITER. The general features of the ECRH-plant such as frequency power, cw-capability, flexibility and the experimental experience are of high relevance for the ITER system. Each gyrotron is fed by two high-voltage sources. A high-power supply for driving the electron beam and a precision low-power supply for beam acceleration. The high-power facility consists of modular solid state HV-supplies (−65 kV 50/100 A) providing fast power control and high flexibility. The low-power high-voltage source for beam acceleration is realized by a feed back controlled high-voltage servo-amplifier driving the depression voltage. A protection system with a thyratron crowbar for fast power removal in case of gyrotron failure by arcing is installed. Both the high power and low-power high-voltage sources have the capability to supply a 2 MW ITER gyrotron without any modification. Analogue electronic devices control the fast functions of the high-voltage system for each gyrotron and a hierarchy of industrial standard PLCs and computers supervise the whole ECRH-plant.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is the main heating method for the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (W7-X) which is presently under construction at IPP Greifswald. The mission of W7-X is to demonstrate the inherent steady state capability of stellarators at reactor relevant plasma parameters. A modular 10 MW ECRH-plant at 140 GHz with 1 MW CW-capability power for each module is also under construction to support the scientific objectives. The commissioning of the ECRH-plant is well under way; three gyrotrons are operational. The strict modular design allows to operate each gyrotron separately and independent from all others. The ECRH-plant consists of many devices such as gyrotrons and high voltage power supplies, superconductive magnets, collector sweep coils, gyrotron cooling systems with many water circuits and last but not least the quasi-optical transmission line for microwaves with remote controlled mirrors and further water cooled circuits. All these devices are essential for a CW operation. A steady state ECRH has specific requirements on the stellarator machine itself, on the microwave sources, transmission elements and in particular on the central control system. The quasi steady state operation (up to 30 min) asks for real time microwave power adjustment during the different segments of one stellarator discharge. Therefore, the ECRH-plant must operate with a maximum reliability and availability. A capable central control system is an important condition to achieve this goal. The central control system for the 10 MW ECRH-plant at W7-X comprises three main parts. In detail these are the voltage and current regulation of each gyrotron, the interlock system to prevent the gyrotrons from damages and the remote control system based on a hierarchy set of PLCs and computers. The architecture of this central control system is presented.

The 10 MW, 140 GHz, CW ECRH‐plant for W7‐X is in an advanced state of commissioning and the installation was used to investigate advanced applications for extended heating‐ and current drive scenarios. The operation of the TED gyrotrons was recently extended to a 2nd frequency of 103.6 GHz at reduced output power and first results are presented. An improved collector sweep system for the W7‐X gyrotrons with enhanced power capability and smooth power distribution was developed, results are reported.

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Electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) systems for next-step large fusion devices operate in continuous wave power in the multimegawatt range. The unique feature of narrow and well-localized power deposition assigns a key role to ECRH for different tasks, such as plasma start-up, electron heating, current drive, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control and profile shaping. The integration of high-power microwave diplexers in the transmission lines will improve the flexibility and efficiency while simultaneously reducing the complexity of large ECRH systems. They can serve as power or beam combiners, as slow and fast directional switches to toggle the power from continuously operating gyrotrons between two launchers, and as discriminators of low-power electron cyclotron emission (ECE) signals from high-power ECRH using a common transmission line and antenna. Among various design options a resonant diplexer with a narrow resonance was selected for application at ASDEX Upgrade. The design is driven by the specific physics requirements for MHD control experiments and possible use for line-of-sight ECE. The compact, waveguide-compatible design features a feedback-controlled mirror drive for tracking of the resonator to the gyrotron frequency. High-power, long-pulse tests were performed with the 140-GHz ECRH system for the stellarator W7-X. Results on the transmission characteristics, power combination, and stationary and controlled distribution of the input power to two outputs are presented. The qualification for in-line ECE was investigated.

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) systems for next step-fusion devices like W7-X and ITER operate in CW-mode and provide a large flexibility to comply with various physics demands such as plasma start-up, heating and current drive, as well as configuration and MHD control. The request for many different sophisticated applications results in a growing complexity of the systems. This is in conflict with the request for high availability, reliability, and maintainability, which arises from DEMO demands. 'Advanced' ECRH-components must, therefore, comply with both the complex physics demands and operational robustness and reliability. The W7-X ECRH system is the first CW facility of an ITER relevant size and is used as a test bed for such components. Results on improvements of gyrotrons, transmission components and launchers are presented together with proposals for future developments. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.

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The virtual German-Italian-Russian Helmholtz- Institute "Advanced ECRH for ITER" runs a program FADIS aimed to develop a system for combining outputs from a set of gyrotrons and toggling the combined beam with kHz-frequency between two launcher for dedicated electron cyclotron heating and current drive in fusion experiments. A diplexer prototype fed by a 140 GHz gyrotron with ~0.5- MW, ~ 1-s pulses operated in good agreement with theory.

The Wendelstein 7X (W7-X) stellarator (R = 5.5 m, a = 0.55 m, B < 3.0 T), which at present is being built at Max-Planck-Institut fur Plasmaphysik, Greifswald, aims at demonstrating the inherent ste...

Neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) in tokamaks can be stabilized by electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) at the corresponding resonant flux surface. Best efficiency is obtained if ECCD is applied in the O-point of the island, which requires modulation of the launched EC power synchronously with the rotating islands. An alternative to modulation, which makes full use of the installed gyrotron power could be synchronous switching of the millimetre waves from a continuously operating source: A fast directional switch (FADIS) toggles the beam between two launchers in different poloidal or toroidal planes, which are 180° apart from each other with respect to the phase of the NTM. Generally, the device can be used to share the installed EC power between different types of launchers or different applications (e.g. in ITER, midplane / upper launcher), whichever is given priority during a plasma discharge. The switching is performed electronically without moving parts by a small frequency-shift keying of the gyrotron (some tens of MHz), and a narrow-band diplexer, which directs an input beam to one of the two output channels. The device can be operated as a beam combiner also, which offers attractive transmission perspectives in multi-megawatt ECRH systems. The principle and the design of a four-port quasi-optical resonator diplexer is presented. Low-power measurements of switching contrast, mode purity and efficiency are shown and are compared with theory. First results from high-power tests using the ECRH system for W7-X are presented. Requirements and techniques for frequency control of the gyrotrons are discussed, and the results of preliminary frequency modulation experiments of two different types of gyrotrons are shown. Finally, the integration of this type of diplexer into corrugated waveguide transmission lines, as well as alternative waveguide diplexer concepts are discussed. This work is carried out in the frame of the virtual institute "Advanced ECRH for ITER" (collaboration between IPP Garching and Greifswald, FZK Karlsruhe, IHE Karlsruhe, IPF Stuttgart, IAP Nizhny Novgorod, and IFP Milano), which is supported by the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft deutscher Forschungszentren

For the upper launchers of the 170 GHz electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and current drive system of ITER, "remote steering" based on the imaging properties of corrugated square waveguides is the reference option. In the last years, a variety of numerical simulations and experimental investigations of a remote steering launcher (RSL) mock-up were performed and demonstrated the feasibility of this con-cept. In this paper, low- and high-power experiments of a remote steering antenna mock-up are presented and compared. The tests included re-cording of radiation patterns, ohmic loss measurements, and explor-ation of the limits for breakdown. All measurements were performed with a straight launcher mock-up as well as with a dog-leg version with two integrated mitre bends. It is shown that the usable steering range of the antenna is ±12°, and that optimized mitre bends can be integrated without prohibitive extra loss. Consequences for the design of the upper launcher on ITER are discussed.

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Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is the main heating system for the W7‐X stellarator and the only one for CW‐operation in the first stage. The mission of W7‐X, which is presently under construction at IPP‐Greifswald, is to demonstrate the inherent steady state capability of stellarators at reactor relevant plasma parameters. W7‐X is therefore equipped with a superconducting coil system operating at 3 T and a divertor for 10 MW steady state heat removal. A 10 MW ECRH plant with CW‐capability at 140 GHz is under construction to meet the scientific objectives. The commissioning of the ECRH plant is well under way, the status of the project and first full power, cw test results are reported.

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