Search

Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a chronic swelling of the arm due to breast cancer treatment. Lymphedema is diagnosed and staged on the basis of limb circumference measuremen...

In recent years, 4D flow MRI has become increasingly important in clinical applications for the blood vessels in the whole body, heart, and cerebrospinal fluid. 4D flow MRI has advantages over 2D cine phase-contrast (PC) MRI in that any targeted area of interest can be analyzed post-hoc, but there are some factors to be considered, such as ensuring measurement accuracy, a long imaging time and post-processing complexity, and interobserver variability.Due to the partial volume phenomenon caused by low spatial and temporal resolutions, the accuracy of flow measurement in 4D flow MRI is reduced. For spatial resolution, it is recommended to include at least four voxels in the vessel of interest, and if possible, six voxels. In large vessels such as the aorta, large voxels can be secured and SNR can be maintained, but in small cerebral vessels, SNR is reduced, resulting in reduced accuracy. A temporal resolution of less than 40 ms is recommended. The velocity-to-noise ratio (VNR) of low-velocity blood flow is low, resulting in poor measurement accuracy. The use of dual velocity encoding (VENC) or multi-VENC is recommended to avoid velocity wrap around and to increase VNR. In order to maintain sufficient spatio-temporal resolution, a longer imaging time is required, leading to potential patient movement during examination and a corresponding decrease in measurement accuracy.For the clinical application of new technologies, including various acceleration techniques, in vitro and in vivo accuracy verification based on existing accuracy-validated 2D cine PC MRI and 4D flow MRI, as well as accuracy verification on the conservation of mass' principle, should be performed, and intraobserver repeatability, interobserver reproducibility, and test-retest reproducibility should be checked.

Background: Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is one of the common treatments for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). Although the primary goal of MLD is to drain the excessive fluid accumulated in the affected upper limb and trunk to an area of the body that drains usually, the use of MLD is decided based on swelling and subjective symptoms, without assessing whether there is fluid accumulated in the affected region. The purpose of this study was to examine truncal fluid distribution in a sample of BCRL patients and investigate any correlation between such fluid distribution and swelling or subjective symptoms. Methods and Results: An observational study was conducted with 13 women who had unilateral, upper extremity BCRL. Fluid distribution was evaluated by using two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences: half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo and three-dimensional double-echo steady-state. The presence of swelling was determined by lymphedema therapists, and subjective symptoms were measured by using a visual analog scale. On MRI, no participants had any free water signals in the trunk. However, seven had swelling and all 13 had some kind of subjective symptoms on the affected side of their trunk. Conclusions: These results suggest that swelling and subjective symptoms do not correlate with the presence of truncal fluid. For such cases, a different approach than MLD may be needed to address truncal swelling and related subjective symptoms. Checking for the presence of fluid in the truncal region may help MLD be used more appropriately.

The aim of this study was to conduct a flow experiment using a cerebrovascular phantom and investigate whether magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) could replace three-dimensional rotational angiography (RA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) to construct vascular models for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). We performed MRA and 3D cine phase-contrast (PC) MR imaging with a silicone cerebrovascular phantom of an internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery aneurysm with blood-mimicking fluid, and controlled flow with a flowmeter. We also obtained RA and CTA data for the phantom. Four analysts constructed vascular models based on the three different modalities. These 12 constructed models used flow information based on 3D cine PC MR imaging for CFD. We compared RA-, CTA-, MRA-based CFD results using the micro-CT-based CFD result as the criterion standard to investigate whether MRA-based CFD was not inferior to RA- or CTA-based CFD. We also analyzed the inter-analyst variability. Wall shear stress (WSS) distributions and streamlines of RA- or MRA-based CFD and those of micro-CT-based CFD were similar, but the vascular models and WSS values were different. Accuracy in measurements of blood vessel diameter, cross-sectional maximum velocity, and spatially averaged WSS was the highest for RA-based CFD, followed by MRA-based and CTA-based CFD using micro-CT-based CFD result as the reference. Except maximum velocity from CTA, all other parameters had good inter-analyst agreement using different modalities. The results demonstrated that non-invasive MRA can be used for cerebrovascular CFD models with good inter-analyst agreements.

Heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) systems have been designed for the new tokamak, PLATO [A. Fujisawa, AIP Conf. Proc. 1993, 020011 (2018)]. The designs have been completed, and the installations are in progress. Two HIBPs are being installed in toroidal sections 180° apart to investigate long-range correlations in the toroidal direction. Each HIBP consists of an injection beamline and a detection beamline as usual. Yet, one of the HIBPs is equipped with an additional detection beamline; the measurement positions of its two detection beamlines can be placed on almost the same magnetic surface yet at poloidal angles that differ by ∼180°. The use of three detection beamlines allows us to investigate spatial asymmetry and long-range correlations in both the toroidal and poloidal directions, simultaneously. The detected beam intensity is expected to be enough for turbulence measurements in almost the entire plasma region when the electron density is up to 1 × 1019 m−3 by selecting appropriate ion species for the probe beam. Each detector has three channels 10 mm apart, allowing measurement of local structures of micro-scale turbulence. Therefore, using the HIBPs on the PLATO tokamak will enable both local and global properties of plasma turbulence to be investigated, simultaneously.

New polarizer and launcher systems on a 28-GHz electron-cyclotron (EC) heating and current drive (HCD) system have been developed for non-inductive second-harmonic EC-plasma-current ramp-up in the QUEST spherical tokamak. A launcher system with two quasi-optical mirrors providing beam steering capability was designed to focus the incident beam to a small-sized waist of ∼0.05 m at the second-harmonic EC resonance layer. A relatively large focusing mirror was designed based on a Kirchhoff integral code developed to derive wave solutions. The focusing property of the launched beam was first confirmed with a 3-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic-wave simulator. Focusing characteristics were also checked at low-power test facilities, together with the steering capability. The performance of this launcher system was demonstrated to work as designed, and assembled in the QUEST device. The system was applied to the non-inductive second-harmonic EC plasma ramp-up experiments with no optimization required regarding the incident polarization. The results obtained for the non-inductive plasma ramp-up are also presented.

The aim of this study was to conduct a flow experiment using a cerebrovascular phantom and investigate whether magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) could replace three-dimensional rotational angiography (RA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) to construct vascular models for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). We performed MRA and 3D cine phase-contrast (PC) MR imaging with a silicone cerebrovascular phantom of an internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery aneurysm with blood-mimicking fluid, and controlled flow with a flowmeter. We also obtained RA and CTA data for the phantom. Four analysts constructed vascular models based on the three different modalities. These 12 constructed models used flow information based on 3D cine PC MR imaging for CFD. We compared RA-, CTA-, MRA-based CFD results using the micro-CT-based CFD result as the criterion standard to investigate whether MRA-based CFD was not inferior to RA- or CTA-based CFD. We also analyzed the inter-analyst variability. Wall shear stress (WSS) distributions and streamlines of RA- or MRA-based CFD and those of micro-CT-based CFD were similar, but the vascular models and WSS values were different. Accuracy in measurements of blood vessel diameter, cross-sectional maximum velocity, and spatially averaged WSS was the highest for RA-based CFD, followed by MRA-based and CTA-based CFD using micro-CT-based CFD result as the reference. Except maximum velocity from CTA, all other parameters had good inter-analyst agreement using different modalities. The results demonstrated that non-invasive MRA can be used for cerebrovascular CFD models with good inter-analyst agreements.

We developed a method of velocimetry based on an optical flow method using quantitative analyses of tagged magnetic resonance (MR) images (tagged MR-optical flow velocimetry, tMR-O velocimetry). The purpose of our study was to examine the accuracy of measurement of the proposed tMR-O velocimetry. We performed retrospective pseudo-electrocardiogram (ECG) gating tagged cine MR imaging on a rotating phantom. We optimized imaging parameters for tagged MR imaging, and validated the accuracy of tMR-O velocimetry. Our results indicated that the difference between the reference velocities and the computed velocities measured using optimal imaging parameters was less than 1%. In addition, we performed tMR-O velocimetry and echocardiography on 10 healthy volunteers, for four sections of the heart (apical, midventricular, and basal sections aligned with the short-axis, and a four-chamber section aligned with the long-axis), and obtained radial and longitudinal myocardial velocities in these sections. We compared the myocardial velocities obtained using tMR-O velocimetry with those obtained using echocardiography. Our results showed good agreement between tMR-O velocimetry and echocardiography in the radial myocardial velocities in three short-axial sections and longitudinal myocardial velocities on the midventricular portion of the four-chamber section in the long-axis. In the study conducted on the rotating phantom, tMR-O velocimetry showed high accuracy; moreover, in the healthy volunteers, the myocardial velocities obtained using tMR-O velocimetry were relatively similar to those obtained using echocardiography. In conclusion, tMR-O velocimetry is a potentially feasible method for analyzing myocardial motion in the human heart.

The aerobic dynamic discharge (ADD) process has the potential to reduce the enrichment period of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-accumulating bacteria in PHA production using mixed microbial cultures (MMCs). This study aimed to efficiently enrich PHA-accumulating bacteria from activated sludge within a fixed period of 2 d by optimizing operating conditions of the ADD process. Based on the results, enrichment with separate feeding of carbon and nutrients in the feast and famine phases, respectively, and a settling duration of 10 min after the feast phase in the sequencing batch cycle for 12 h was found to be optimal. The MMC enriched at optimum conditions could store as much as 68.4 wt% of PHA. Dechloromonas and Zoogloea were identified as potential PHA-accumulating bacteria responsible for enhancing PHA accumulation ability in the enriched MMC. The optimized ADD process will facilitate the consecutive use of daily generated waste activated sludge for PHA production.

Fully non-inductive second (2nd) harmonic electron cyclotron (EC) plasma current ramp-up was demonstrated with a newlly developed 28 GHz system in the QUEST spherical tokamak. A high plasma current of 54 kA was non-inductively ramped up and sustained stably for 0.9 s with a 270 kW 28 GHz wave. A higher plasma current of 66 kA was also non-inductively achieved with a slow ramp-up of the vertical field. We have achieved a significantly higher plasma current than those achieved previously with the 2nd harmonic EC waves. This fully non-inductive 2nd harmonic EC plasma ramp-up method might be useful for future burning plasma devices and fusion reactors, in particular for operations at half magnetic field with the same EC heating equipment.

Introduction We aim to elucidate the effect of spatial resolution of three-dimensional cine phase contrast magnetic resonance (3D cine PC MR) imaging on the accuracy of the blood flow analysis, and examine the optimal setting for spatial resolution using flow phantoms. Materials and methods The flow phantom has five types of acrylic pipes that represent human blood vessels (inner diameters: 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3 mm). The pipes were fixed with 1% agarose containing 0.025 mol/L gadolinium contrast agent. A blood-mimicking fluid with human blood property values was circulated through the pipes at a steady flow. Magnetic resonance (MR) images (three-directional phase images with speed information and magnitude images for information of shape) were acquired using the 3-Tesla MR system and receiving coil. Temporal changes in spatially-averaged velocity and maximum velocity were calculated using hemodynamic analysis software. We calculated the error rates of the flow velocities based on the volume flow rates measured with a flowmeter and examined measurement accuracy. Results When the acrylic pipe was the size of the thoracicoabdominal or cervical artery and the ratio of pixel size for the pipe was set at 30% or lower, spatially-averaged velocity measurements were highly accurate. When the pixel size ratio was set at 10% or lower, maximum velocity could be measured with high accuracy. It was difficult to accurately measure maximum velocity of the 3-mm pipe, which was the size of an intracranial major artery, but the error for spatially-averaged velocity was 20% or less. Conclusions Flow velocity measurement accuracy of 3D cine PC MR imaging for pipes with inner sizes equivalent to vessels in the cervical and thoracicoabdominal arteries is good. The flow velocity accuracy for the pipe with a 3-mm-diameter that is equivalent to major intracranial arteries is poor for maximum velocity, but it is relatively good for spatially-averaged velocity.

We report results of benchmarking of core particle transport simulations by a collection of codes widely used in transport modelling of tokamak plasmas. Our analysis includes formulation of transport equations, difference between electron and ion solvers, comparison of modules of the pellet and edge gas fuelling on the ITER baseline scenario. During the first phase of benchmarking we address the particle transport effects in the stationary phase. Firstly, simulations are performed with identical sources, sinks, transport coefficients, and boundary conditions prescribed in the flattop H-mode phase. The transformation of ion particle transport equations is introduced so to directly compare their results to electron transport solvers. Secondly, the pellet fuelling models are benchmarked in various conditions to evaluate the dependency of the pellet deposition on the pellet volume, injection side, pedestal, and separatrix parameters. Thirdly, edge gas fuelling is benchmarked to assess sensitivities of source profile predictions to uncertainties in plasma conditions and detailed model assumptions. At the second phase, we address particle transport effects in the time- evolving plasma including the current ramp-up to the ramp-down phase. The ion and the electron solvers are benchmarked together. Differences between the simulation results of the solvers are investigated in terms of equilibrium, grid resolution, radial coordinate, radial grid distribution, and plasma volume evolution term. We found that the selection of the radial coordinate can yield prominent differences between the solvers mainly due to differences in the edge grid distribution. The simulations reveal that electron and ion solvers predict noticeably different density peaking for the same diffusion and pinch velocity while with the peaked profile of helium, expected in fusion reactors. The fuelling benchmarking shows that gas puffing is not efficient for core fuelling in H-modes and density control should be done by the high field side pellet injection in contrast to present machines.

The plasma current is ramped up primarily by a 28 GHz electron cyclotron wave (ECW) in the Q-shu University experiment Steady-State Spherical Tokamak (QUEST), with multiple harmonic resonance layers from the second to the fourth stay in the plasma core. A steering antenna comprising two quasi-optical mirrors enhances the power density of ECWs. The ECW beam is injected obliquely from the low-field side where the parallel refractive index is N ∥ = 0.75 at the second-harmonic resonance layer. Analysis of the resonance condition has found that energetic electrons moving forward along the magnetic field resonate more effectively than those moving backward. Such symmetry breaking is consistent with the results of the current ramp-up experiment. The peak plasma current reaches I p > 70 kA, constantly injecting a beam of radio frequency power of 100 kW. Ray-tracing by the TASK/WR code demonstrates that the power of the 28 GHz extraordinary mode is absorbed by energetic electrons via single-pass cyclotron absorption.

In the present RF-driven (ECCD) steady-state plasma on QUEST (Bt = 0.25 T, R = 0.68 m, a = 0.40 m), plasma current seems to flow in the open magnetic surface outside of the closed magnetic surface in the low-field region according to plasma current fitting (PCF) method. We consider that the current in the open magnetic surface is due to orbit-driven current by high-energy particles in RF-driven plasma. So based on the analysis of current density profile based on the orbit-driven current, plasma equilibrium is to be calculated. We calculated high energy particles guiding center orbits as a contour plot of conserved variable in Hamiltonian formulation and considered particles initial position with different levels of energy and pitch angles that satisfy resonance condition. Then the profile of orbit-driven current is estimated by multiplying the particle density on the resonance surface and the velocity on the orbits. This analysis shows negative current near the magnetic axis and hollow current profile is expected even if pressure driven current is considered. Considering the hollow current profile shifted toward the low-field region, the equilibrium is fitted by J-EFIT coded by MATLAB.

The one-dimensional fluid-type transport code, TASK/TX, is developed compatible with the flux coordinates in a tokamak. Unlike diffusive transport equations usually adopted in conventional transport codes, the governing equations conform to a two-fluid model consisting of Maxwell’s equations and the multiple fluid moment equations for each species.Quasi-neutrality and ambipolar flux conditions are not imposed, which are inherently satisfied as a consequence of the equation system solved. The neoclassical particle flux is not approximated by the flux–gradient relationship, and the total particle flux composed of the neoclassical and turbulent contributions is directly treated as the dependent variable. The quantities related to neoclassical transport are intrinsically calculated without external neoclassical transport modules. In other words, TASK/TX by itself has the function of a neoclassical transport solver based on the moment approach as well. Several numerical tests clearly reveal the unique features of TASK/TX not possessed by conventional transport codes.

Fully non-inductive plasma start-up was successfully achieved by using a well-controlled microwave source on the spherical tokamak, QUEST. Non-inductive plasmas were maintained for approximately 3–5 min, during which time power balance estimates could be achieved by monitoring wall and cooling-water temperatures. Approximately 70%–90% of the injected power could be accounted for by calorimetric measurements and approximately half of the injected power was found to be deposited on the vessel wall, which is slightly dependent on the magnetic configuration. The power distribution to water-cooled limiters, which are expected to be exposed to local heat loads, depends significantly on the magnetic configuration, however some of the deposited power is due to energetic electrons, which have large poloidal orbits and are likely to be deposited on the plasma facing components.

In the present RF-driven (ECCD) steady-state plasma on QUEST, the plasma current seems to flow in the open magnetic surface outside of the closed magnetic surface in the low-field region according to the plasma current fitting (PCF) method. The current in the open magnetic surface is due to the orbit-driven current by high-energy particles in the RF-driven plasma. High-energy particles guiding center orbits are calculated as contour plots of conserved variables in the Hamiltonian formulation considering particles in the initial position with different energies and pitch angles satisfying the resonance condition. A negative current appears near the magnetic axis, and a hollow current profile is expected even if the pressure driven current is considered. The equilibrium is fitted within nested magnetic surfaces by J-EFIT coded by MATLAB using the hollow current profile shift toward the low-field region. Although the plasma boundary shape reflects the plasma current density profile, the equilibrium shape fitted by J-EFIT does not coincide with the orbit-driven current profile. However, introducing an extension of the current profile without assuming nested contours into the J-EFIT code appropriately fits the plasma shape with the hollow current profile to the measured magnetic data.

Calf circumference (CC) has been used as a surrogate for calf muscle mass, which facilitates venous blood return to the heart through active skeletal muscle. However, the correlation between CC and calf muscle mass has not been extensively examined. This study aimed to examine the relationship between CC and calf muscle mass considering differences in sex and physique in elderly individuals.A total of 124 community-dwelling elderly individuals ≥60 years of age (61 men, mean [±SD] age 74.3 ± 5.7 years) were enrolled. Maximal CC was measured using a tape measure with the subject supine. The cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle tissues was measured using magnetic resonance imaging from the point of greatest calf circumference to 5 cm proximal and distal. Calf muscle mass was calculated by multiplying the area of each slice by slice thickness (5 mm).CC was strongly correlated with calf muscle mass in male and female subjects (male: r = 0.908, P 0.001; female: r = 0.892, P 0.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that CC and body mass index (BMI) were independent associate factors of calf muscle mass. The following estimation formulae were derived: (male) calf muscle mass (cmA strong correlation was found between CC and calf muscle mass according to magnetic resonance imaging. Sex differences and BMI should be considered for accurate estimation of calf muscle mass using CC.

A 28~GHz system with a high-power gyrotron tube has been used for the QUEST spherical tokamak to form an over-dense plasma for electron Bernstein wave heating (EBWH) and current drive with an 8.2~GHz-wave. Non-inductive high-density plasma ramp-up experiments with dual-frequency (dual$-f$) electron cyclotron (EC) [ 8.2~GHz and 28~GHz ] waves were conducted. A spontaneous density jump (SDJ) to an over-dense state was observed as a bifurcation phenomenon in the dual$-f$ wave experiment. The over-dense plasma on the 8.2~GHz-wave was non-inductively ramped up to 25~kA, and was maintained for 0.4~s under stable plasma equilibrium after two such jumps in one shot. Heating to mildly energetic electrons and bulk electrons was observed even in the over-dense region. The electrostatic EBWH effect on the mildly energetic electrons in the over-dense region is assessed following a dispersion analysis of the 8.2 GHz-wave. The bulk electron heating effect observed is explained as heat exchange from mildly energetic electrons heated by the electrostatic EBWH wave. Remarkably, a high hard-X-ray-radiation temperature ~ 500~keV was also observed in tangential viewing for current-carrying electrons in the over-dense core region. Synergetic heating from the overlap of different 28~GHz EC harmonic resonances as well as higher harmonic heating is discussed for maintaining the highly energetic electrons in the over-dense core region. In addition, the SDJ process and mechanism are considered based on the discussion of the electron heating effects with the 8.2 GHz-wave.

On the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror, divertor simulation experiments progress with high-temperature plasmas produced by waves in ion-cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) and open magnetic fields. In these experiments, high-temperature and high-density plasmas are required to be produced and controlled. In order to enhance the ion heating in the anchor cell, phase-control experiments, which use two ICRF antennas installed in the central cell and the anchor cell, are introduced. In these experiments, ICRF waves in the same frequency (10 MHz) are excited. Ion heating in the anchor cell is performed more effectively with phase control. In order to analyze wave propagation in the phase-control experiments, a three-dimensional full wave code (TASK/WF), in which parallel processing has been implemented recently, is introduced. In this technical note, we discuss ICRF wave excitation and propagation in the phase-control experiments. It is clearly observed by the experiments and wave analysis that the enhancement ...

After several experimental campaigns in the Kyushu University Experiment with Steady-state Spherical Tokamak (QUEST), the originally stainless steel plasma-facing wall (PFW) becomes completely covered with a deposited film composed of mixture materials, such as iron, chromium, carbon, and tungsten. In this work, an innovative colorimetry-based method was developed to measure the thickness of the deposited film on the actual QUEST wall. Because the optical constants of the deposited film on the PFW were position-dependent and the extinction coefficient k1 was about 1.0–2.0, which made the probing light not penetrate through some thick deposited films, the colorimetry method developed can only provide a rough value range of thickness of the metal-containing film deposited on the actual PFW in QUEST. However, the use of colorimetry is of great benefit to large-area inspections and to radioactive materials in future fusion devices that will be strictly prohibited from being taken out of the limited area.

In the present RF-driven plasma with a lot of high-energy electrons, there may be anisotropic plasma pressure, which makes the usual equilibrium analysis difficult, but the Cauchy condition surface method can reconstruct the plasma shape precisely regardless of the anisotropy. In addition, the plasma current effect in the open magnetic surfaces outside of the closed magnetic surfaces is considered in the RF-driven divertor plasma. In the reconstruction process, singular value (SV) decomposition is used and optimal criterion function for generalized cross validation is estimated concerning truncation or reduction of the small-SV components.

Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are the very powerful method to understand physics of edge plasmas in fusion devices. Poisson solver with a regular grid in a rectangular vessel is very fast, but it cannot simply be applicable to simulations in complicated divertor configuration. In this paper, a simple and fast Poisson solver with arbitrary boundary shape and condition for PIC simulation is proposed. Boundary points are essential for this Poisson solver, on which the charge density is appropriately given and the boundary condition is satisfied. For particle simulations in the open system, it is necessary to distinguish whether a traced particle moves freely or hits the wall boundary during a time step. A new method for PIC simulation to discriminate a particle position before the boundary or beyond the boundary is also presented. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The aerobic dynamic discharge (ADD) process, which combines ecological selection in the aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) process and physical selection by short-term settling and withdrawal, was recently proposed as an effective method for enrichment of polyhydroxyalkanoate-accumulating bacteria (PHAAB). Here, rapid PHAAB enrichment by the ADD process was attempted with the aim of characterizing the enrichment effectiveness and polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation ability and bacterial populations of the enriched community in comparison with enrichment by the ADF process. PHAAB were enriched more efficiently within a shorter period by the ADD process than by the ADF process. Although similar bacterial populations became dominant in the two enrichment cultures, the dominance of specific populations, especially Rhodocyclales (e.g., Zoogloea and Dechloromonas), was enhanced more strongly by the ADD process. The results suggest that Rhodocyclales is a key PHAAB group enriched by these processes.

Beach heating using a slow Alfvén wave in ion cyclotron range of frequencies would be the first candidate for ion heating in a DEMO-relevant divertor testing linear plasma device if it is applicable to a high-density regime. To clarify its availability, the density dependence of a slow wave excitation is investigated using a full wave simulation with TASK/WF3D code in the GAMMA 10/PDX central cell configuration, where there is an extensive track record of a beach heating. A shielding effect is successfully demonstrated and well understood under a three-dimensional configuration in the limit of cold plasma approximation. As the density increases, excitable left-handed electric field, which contributes to ion cyclotron heating, degrades more and more from a core region, and resultantly the ion absorption region goes outwards with reducing its power. For core densities above 1020 m−3, the wave field exists only at a very edge, and ion heating becomes negligible unless the wave frequency is much increased with a correspondent magnetic field enhancement.

In the west end of GAMMA 10/PDX, the end-loss ion flux is utilized for divertor simulation experiments. It is important for controlling parameters of the end-loss ion flux to investigate the efficiency of ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating in the west plug/barrier cell, which is next to the west end region. The ICRF heating experiments in the west plug/barrier cell have been performed. In this study, three-dimensional simulations of the ICRF wave propagation were carried out in the plug/barrier cell for the first time. Two types of antennas, a Double Half Turn (WB-DHT) and a Nagoya Type-III (WB-Type-III) antennas, are evaluated. As the results, it is clarified that the WB-Type-III antenna is more effective for the ion heating than the WB-DHT antenna when the frequency is near the ion cyclotron resonance frequency at the midplane of the plug/barrier cell. An additional experiment with the WB-Type-III antenna which is located near the midplane of the plug/barrier cell has been performed. The improvement of the power absorption has been observed. The WB-Type-III antenna located near the midplane is more effective for the ion heating. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation of the wave propagation analysis.

Global particle balance in non-inductive long-duration plasma on QUEST has been investigated. Approximately 70% of the fuel hydrogen (H) was retained in the wall and then was almost exhausted just after the discharge. The global recycling ratio (Rg), defined as the ratio of the evacuated H2 flux to that injected, was found to gradually increase during discharges and subsequently rose rapidly. To study the growth of Rg, the thermal desorption spectra after deuterium implantation in a specimen exposed to QUEST plasma was analyzed with a model which includes reflection, diffusion, solution, recombination, trapping, and plasma-induced desorption in the re-deposition layer. The model reconstructs the growth of Rg during a long-duration plasma and indicates solution plays a dominant role in the growth.

A CW phased-array antenna system for electron cyclotron/Bernstein wave heating and current drive (ECWH/CD, EBWH/CD) experiments was developed in the QUEST. The antenna was designed to excite an elliptically polarized pure O-mode wave in oblique injection for the O-X-B mode conversion scenario, and its good performance was confirmed at a high power level. Long pulse discharges with a plasma current of 10 kA and 15 kA were non-inductively attained for 37 s and 20 s, respectively, with only radio frequency (RF) power. Divertor configurationswere also obtained in the RF-sustained plasmas. A new operational window for sustained plasma current was observed in the high-density plasma with a higher RF incident power. Two new heating and current drive systems with an 8.56GHz klystron and a 28GHz gyrotron are being prepared to conduct CW EBWH/CD experiments in the high-density plasma. © 2012 The Japan Society of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research.

For integrated modeling of both core and edge plasmas, a two-dimensional description of transport phenomena over the entire tokamak is desirable and is becoming feasible owing to recent progress in computational performance. In the present study, a set of transport equations was derived from Braginskii’s equations [1] with the neoclassical viscous force [2] in the magnetic flux coordinates. We assume five assumptions to derive these equations. The first is the toroidal axisymmetry, the second is that quantities related to MHD equilibrium depend only on the flux label, the third is that phenomena at the Alfven velocity are much faster than diffusion of the magnetic field and transport phenomena, the forth is the force balance in the radial direction in the transport time scale and the fifth is the weak time dependence of the basis vectors. The set of equations is composed of equation for particle density, equation for momentum and energy transport equations, for each particle species. It is coupled with a set of equations for electromagnetic field; Grad-Shaftranov equation for MHD equilibrium, diffusion equation of poloidal magnetic flux [3], and Poisson equation for electrostatic potential. We are currently developing a new two-dimensional transport code TASK/T2 based on this model. TASK/T2 includes the effects of the neoclassical viscous force and the field evolution self-consistently and will make it possible to describe the interaction between the core and the peripheral plasma selfconsistently. Derived sets of transport equations and preliminary numerical results of TASK/T2 will be presented. References

In SOL-divertor plasmas, a condition on the plasma flow velocity, called the Bohm criterion, is required for the formation of a stable sheath in front of a divertor plate. While, for a single-ion species, the usual analytical procedure gives the criterion as a unique solution for the incident ion flow velocity, for two-ion-species plasmas the procedure results in a relation between the ion flow velocities. We carried out full particle simulations with a one-dimensional particle code PARASOL, and clarified in detail the dependence of the condition for two-ion-species plasmas on collisionality and ions mass (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We have developed a self-consistent integrated simulation model of core and scrape-off-layer (SOL)/divertor transport. This model enables the user to investigate operational scenarios with compatible high-confinement core plasmas and detached divertor plasmas. A 1.5D core code TOPICS-IB and a 2D divertor code SONIC are successfully coupled using a Multiple Program Multiple Data parallel computing system. This integrated code, which can include Monte-Carlo models for neutrals and impurities, provides efficient plasma/neutral simulations. The dynamic simulation for the L/H transition in JT-60SA is carried out by this integrated code using a current-diffusive ballooning mode (CDBM) transport model that includes the E×B shearing effect. The impact of SOL/divertor transport on the L/H transition is studied (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Both start-up and sustainment of plasma were successfully achieved by fully non-inductive current drive using microwave with a frequency of 8.2 GHz. Plasmas current of 15 kA was implemented for 1 s. Magnetic surface reconstruction exhibited a plasma shape with an aspect ratio of below 1.5. The plasma current was dependent significantly on the launched microwave power and vertical magnetic field, while not affected by the mode of launched wave and the toroidal refractive index. Hard X-ray (HXR) emitted from energetic electrons accelerated by the microwave was observed, and the discharge with a plasma current over 4 kA followed the same trend as the number of photons of 10 keV to 12 keV. This suggests that the plasma current may be driven by energetic electrons. Based on the experimental conditions, alternative explanations of how the plasma current could be driven are discussed.

Initial results from the recently implemented transient coaxial helicity injection (CHI) system on QUEST are reported. QUEST uses a new CHI electrode configuration in which the CHI insulator is not part of the vacuum boundary, making this configuration easier to implement in fusion reactors. Experimental results show that transient CHI startup in this alternate electrode configuration is indeed possible. Reliable gas breakdown was achieved, and toroidal currents up to 45 kA were generated.

The confinement of energetic ions generated by neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance frequency heating is studied using GNET simulation code, in which the drift kinetic equation ...

The neoclassical transport database, DCOM/NNW, is improved to evaluate the neoclassical transport flux more accurately in high-temperature plasma in LHD. GSRAKE code, which solves the ripple-averaged drift kinetic equation, is also used to extend the database to the further collisionless regime. Finally we construct a neoclassical transport database DCOM-GSRAKE/NNW for LHD (DGN/LHD). The neoclassical transport analyses of high temperature LHD plasma are performed using DGN/LHD. Also DGN/LHD is implemented as a neoclassical transport analysis module in the TASK3D, the integrated simulation code for a helical plasma (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The numerical method for analysis of the “MHD stability beta limit” based on a hierarchy integrated simulation code TASK3D has been developed. The numerical model for the effect of the MHD instabilities is introduced such that the pressure profile is flattened around the rational surface due to the MHD instabilities. The width of the flattening of the pressure gradient is determined from the width of the eigenmode structure of the MHD instabilities (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

This paper discusses the issue of carbody excitation of railway vehicles due to rotation of imbalanced wheelsets and proposes a simple and cost-effective countermeasure. The basic mechanisms of the carbody excitation are first described, then a displacement-dependent rubber bush, which is used for the connection between bogie frame and carbody, is proposed. The displacement-dependent property is realized by introducing a small gap between the rubber and the inner fixture, and the transmission of excitation force with high-frequency and small displacement are isolated by the gap. The small gap can be created naturally just by skipping the bonding process of rubber and inner fixture, so it is very simple and cost-effective countermeasure against this issue. The stiffness property can be tailored to meet the requirements from motional properties of the bogie by applying a Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The effectiveness and validity of the displacement-dependent rubber bushes applied for traction links are investigated and confirmed by both numerical calculation and excitation test using a full-scale test vehicle in the rolling stock testing plant.

This manuscript reports the high density plasma production with a pair of phase controlled ion-cyclotron range of frequency antennas in GAMMA 10. For the plasma production, the Radio Frequency (RF) power (∼10 MHz) is coupled to the fast Alfven wave in the central cell. The antenna-plasma coupling depends strongly on the antenna structure. In this study, according to the numerical prediction, a pair of double half-turn and Nagoya Type-III antennas is adopted for the excitation of the fast wave. The antennas are driven at the same frequency with controlling their phase difference. It is observed that an optimum phase difference exists in the present density range. The density increases with the RF power and the gas-fuelling rate, when the phase difference is set to the optimum value. The considerable increase in the density was obtained up to twice as large as the conventional value.