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The surface eroding thermocouple (SETC) has proved to be a useful fast local temperature and heat flux diagnostic since its application in DIII-D. The SETC system in DIII-D was upgraded, and seven new SETCs were installed in the small angle slot (SAS) divertor to create a localized poloidal array to provide heat flux profiles with sub-10-ms temporal resolution. In addition, a smaller SETC was developed to increase the spatial resolution and simplify installation in the SAS divertor. The SETC-containing tiles were re-engineered with a double-wide format so that the distance between the SETCs and the tile edges is extended to 10 cm on both sides, giving additional tolerance for tile-to-tile misalignments. Mineral insulated thermocouple cable with a metal sheath has also been implemented to further reduce noise and magnetic pickup. Recent measurements obtained from the SETCs indicate that the newly installed SETC array in the SAS divertor is able to provide important heat flux information to various physics experiments in closed divertors.

Resume Objectif Le but de ce travail etait d’evaluer les caracteristiques operatoires, histologiques ainsi que le pronostic des patientes traitees pour cancer du sein en fonction de leur indice de masse corporelle (IMC). Methodes Nous avons repris les donnees de toutes les patientes prises en charge pour carcinome du sein dans notre centre entre janvier 2009 et septembre 2013. l’IMC des patientes a ete categorise en : maigre, normal, surpoids et obese. Resultats Un total de 1599 patientes a ete evalue. Le recul moyen etait de 36,4 mois (1–265). Le nombre de patientes par categorie d’IMC etait de 66, 779, 463 et 291 pour les patientes maigres, de poids normal, en surpoids et obeses respectivement. Comme attendu les patientes en surpoids et obese avaient plus souvent de l’hypertension (18, 21, 35 et 47 % respectivement, p p p = 0,006), une plus grande taille tumorale histologique ( p = 0,038) ; une proportion plus importante de patientes avec atteinte ganglionnaire axillaire ( p = 0,03) avec un nombre de ganglions positifs plus important ( p = 0,02) par rapport aux autres categories d’IMC. Les patientes avaient les memes protocoles de traitements (notamment adjuvant). Il n’y avait pas de difference de la survie globale a 5 ans entre les differents groupes ( p = 0,30). Conclusions Notre etude montre une presentation clinique et histologique plus agressive pour les patientes obeses.

Negative-ion neutral-beam injection (NNBI) is an important source of heating and current drive for next-step fusion devices where the injected energy can range from hundreds of keV to 1 MeV. Few diagnostics are suitable for phase-space resolved measurements of fast ions with energy in excess of 100 keV. A study to assess the feasibility of fast-ion deuterium-alpha (FIDA) spectroscopy to diagnose high-energy ions produced by NNBI is presented. Case studies with the Large Helical Device (LHD) and JT-60SA illustrate possible solutions for the measurement. The distribution function of fast ions produced by NNBI is calculated for both devices, and the FIDA spectrum is predicted by synthetic diagnostic simulation. Results with 180 keV NNBI in LHD show that, with a judicious choice of viewing geometry, the FIDA intensity is comparable to that obtained with the existing FIDA system. The measurement is more challenging with the 500 keV NNBI in JT-60SA. Simulations predict the FIDA intensity to be about 1% of the background bremsstrahlung, which is small compared to existing FIDA implementations with positive neutral-beam injection where signal levels are an order of magnitude larger. The sampling time required to extract the small FIDA signal is determined using a probabilistic approach. Results indicate that long averaging periods, from ones to tens of seconds, are needed to resolve the FIDA signal in JT-60SA. These long averaging times are suitable in long-pulse (∼100 s), steady-state devices like JT-60SA where an important measurement objective is the spatial profile of the slowing-down distribution of fast ions.

International audience; Purpose: In the present study, we present a large institutional study to determine the influence of age≥ 80 years on breast cancer presentation and prognosis.Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of our prospectively maintained breast cancer database study using data from of women managed from January 2007 through December 2013. Clinicopathologic characteristics were correlated with outcomes according to age (

DIII-D research is addressing critical challenges in preparation for ITER and the next generation of fusion devices through focusing on plasma physics fundamentals that underpin key fusion goals, understanding the interaction of disparate core and boundary plasma physics, and developing integrated scenarios for achieving high performance fusion regimes. Fundamental investigations into fusion energy science find that anomalous dissipation of runaway electrons (RE) that arise following a disruption is likely due to interactions with RE-driven kinetic instabilities, some of which have been directly observed, opening a new avenue for RE energy dissipation using naturally excited waves. Dimensionless parameter scaling of intrinsic rotation and gyrokinetic simulations give a predicted ITER rotation profile with significant turbulence stabilization. Coherence imaging spectroscopy confirms near sonic flow throughout the divertor towards the target, which may account for the convection-dominated parallel heat flux. Core-boundary integration studies show that the small angle slot divertor achieves detachment at lower density and extends plasma cooling across the divertor target plate, which is essential for controlling heat flux and erosion. The Super H-mode regime has been extended to high plasma current (2.0 MA) and density to achieve very high pedestal pressures (~30 kPa) and stored energy (3.2 MJ) with H 98y2 ≈ 1.6–2.4. In scenario work, the ITER baseline Q = 10 scenario with zero injected torque is found to have a fusion gain metric independent of current between q 95 = 2.8–3.7, and a lower limit of pedestal rotation for RMP ELM suppression has been found. In the wide pedestal QH-mode regime that exhibits improved performance and no ELMs, the start-up counter torque has been eliminated so that the entire discharge uses ≈0 injected torque and the operating space is more ITER-relevant. Finally, the high- (⩽3.8) hybrid scenario has been extended to the high-density levels necessary for radiating divertor operation, achieving ~40% divertor heat flux reduction using either argon or neon with P tot up to 15 MW.

A Faraday-effect-based radial-interferometer-polarimeter diagnostic has been developed to explore fast magnetic dynamics in high-performance DIII-D plasmas. The instrument measures radial magnetic field perturbations using three chords positioned near the magnetic axis. Newly developed solid-state sources operating at 650 GHz provide phase noise down to 0.01°/kHz and tunable bandwidth up to 10 MHz. Various systematic errors which can contaminate the polarimetric measurement have been investigated in detail. Distortion of circular polarization due to non-ideal optical components is calibrated using a rotating quarter wave plate technique. The impact of perpendicular magnetic field, i.e., the Cotton-Mouton effect, is evaluated. The error due to non-collinearity of probe beams is minimized to less than 0.5° for electron density up to 7 × 1019 m−3 by alignment optimization. Optical feedback, due to multiple reflections induced by the double-pass configuration, is identified and reduced. Coherent and broadband high-frequency magnetic fluctuations for DIII-D H-mode plasmas are observed.A Faraday-effect-based radial-interferometer-polarimeter diagnostic has been developed to explore fast magnetic dynamics in high-performance DIII-D plasmas. The instrument measures radial magnetic field perturbations using three chords positioned near the magnetic axis. Newly developed solid-state sources operating at 650 GHz provide phase noise down to 0.01°/kHz and tunable bandwidth up to 10 MHz. Various systematic errors which can contaminate the polarimetric measurement have been investigated in detail. Distortion of circular polarization due to non-ideal optical components is calibrated using a rotating quarter wave plate technique. The impact of perpendicular magnetic field, i.e., the Cotton-Mouton effect, is evaluated. The error due to non-collinearity of probe beams is minimized to less than 0.5° for electron density up to 7 × 1019 m−3 by alignment optimization. Optical feedback, due to multiple reflections induced by the double-pass configuration, is identified and reduced. Coherent and broadband...

Final design studies in preparation for manufacturing have been performed for functional components of the vacuum portion of the ITER Low-Field Side Reflectometer (LFSR). These components consist of an antenna array, electron cyclotron heating (ECH) protection mirrors, phase calibration mirrors, and vacuum windows. Evaluation of these components was conducted at the LFSR test facility and DIII-D. The antenna array consists of six corrugated-waveguide antennas for simultaneous profile, fluctuation, and Doppler measurements. A diffraction grating, incorporated into the plasma-facing miter bend, provides protection of sensitive components from stray ECH at 170 GHz. For in situ phase calibration of the LFSR profile reflectometer, an embossed mirror is incorporated into the adjacent miter bend. Measurements of the radiated beam profile indicate that these components have a small, acceptable effect on mode conversion and beam quality. Baseline transmission characteristics of the dual-disk vacuum window are obtained and are used to guide ongoing developments. Preliminary simulations indicate that a surface-relief structure on the window surfaces can greatly improve transmission. The workability of real-time phase measurements was demonstrated on the DIII-D profile reflectometer. The new automated real-time analysis agrees well with the standard post-processing routine.

Employing an array of surface eroding thermocouples (SETCs), the heat flux measured at the outer strike point of the DIII-D Small Angle Slot (SAS) divertor was found to be reduced by ~50% when the plasma reached the detachment regime compared to the attached state. Reduction in heat flux of similar magnitude has been found in both toroidal field directions (obtained by ramping up the plasma density) but with different characteristics: With the ion B × ∇B drift direction toward the SAS divertor, the heat flux measured by the SETCs first increased as plasma density increased, which may due to reduction in energy losses in the upstream and hence increase in the power flow into the divertor, and then began to roll over concurrent with a reduction in ion saturation current density on nearby Langmuir probes. In contrast, with the ion B × ∇B drift directed away from the SAS, the heat flux began at a higher value but decreases monotonically with increasing plasma density. This leads to lower heat flux in this BT direction at up to 20% lower line-averaged density. These significant differences in the onset of detachment in opposing BT directions are believed to be largely determined by the impacts of E × B drifts. Because ITER’s divertor must be operated with some degree of plasma detachment to radiate most of the power arriving in the scrape-off-layer, it is crucial to further understand the impact of magnetic drifts on plasma detachment behavior in a tight divertor geometry.

We present a large institutional study to determine factors predictive of axillary lymph node (LN) metastasis in breast cancer according to molecular subtype.We conducted a retrospective analysis of our prospectively maintained breast cancer database study using data from of women managed from January 2009 through December 2013. Clinicopathologic characteristics were correlated with lymph node status and outcome according to breast cancer molecular subtyping.LN metastases were detected in 464 (32.1%) of 1444 women with breast cancer. By multivariate analysis, independent factors predictive of LN involvement were: for the luminal A subtype (n=776): tumour size: OR=1.05 [95% CI: 1.03-1.07] P0.0001; lymphovascular invasion: OR=3.06 [95% CI: 1.80-5.20] P0.0001 and tumour grade: OR=1.65 [95% CI: 1.07-2.58] P=0.026. For luminal B subtype (n=441): age: OR=0.97 [95% CI: 0.95-0.99] P=0.004; tumour size: OR=1.03 [95% CI: 1.01-1.05] P=0.002; lymphovascular invasion: OR=3.21 [95% CI: 1.92-5.44] P0.0001; inflammatory breast cancer: OR=12.36 [95% CI: 2.18-243.3] P=0.019. For the HER2 subtype (n=72): lymphovascular invasion: OR=7.87 [95% CI: 2.10-35.2] P=0.003. For the triple negative subtype (n=155): parity: OR=1.53 [95% CI: 1.10-2.25] P=0.02; tumour size: OR=1.03 [95% CI: 1.01-1.05] P=0.002 and lymphovascular invasion: OR=7.13 [95% CI: 2.46-22.8] P=0.00048.This retrospective study provides valuable insight into LN involvement of patients with primary breast cancer according to molecular subtyping.

A heterodyne detection scheme is combined with a 10.59 μm CO

Motivated by the need to measure fast equilibrium temporal dynamics, non-axisymmetric structures, and core magnetic fluctuations (coherent and broadband), a three-chord Faraday-effect polarimeter-interferometer system with fast time response and high phase resolution has recently been installed on the DIII-D tokamak. A novel detection scheme utilizing two probe beams and two detectors for each chord results in reduced phase noise and increased time response [δb ∼ 1G with up to 3 MHz bandwidth]. First measurement results were obtained during the recent DIII-D experimental campaign. Simultaneous Faraday and density measurements have been successfully demonstrated and high-frequency, up to 100 kHz, Faraday-effect perturbations have been observed. Preliminary comparisons with EFIT are used to validate diagnostic performance. Principle of the diagnostic and first experimental results is presented.

Occupants of coastal and island eastern Africa—now known as the ‘Swahili coast’—were involved in long‐distance trade with the Indian Ocean world during the later first millennium CE. Such exchanges may be traced via the appearance of non‐native animals in the archaeofaunal record; additionally, this record reveals daily culinary practises of the members of trading communities and can thus shed light on subsistence technologies and social organisation. Yet despite the potential contributions of faunal data to Swahili coast archaeology, few detailed zooarchaeological studies have been conducted. Here, we present an analysis of faunal remains from new excavations at two coastal Zanzibar trading locales: the small settlement of Fukuchani in the north‐west and the larger town of Unguja Ukuu in the south‐west. The occurrences of non‐native fauna at these sites—Asian black rat (Rattus rattus) and domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), as well as domestic cat (Felis catus)—are among the earliest in eastern Africa. The sites contrast with one another in their emphases on wild and domestic fauna: Fukuchani's inhabitants were economically and socially engaged with the wild terrestrial realm, evidenced not only through diet but also through the burial of a cache of wild bovid metatarsals. In contrast, the town of Unguja Ukuu had a domestic economy reliant on caprine herding, alongside more limited chicken keeping, although hunting or trapping of wild fauna also played an important role. Occupants of both sites were focused on a diversity of near‐shore marine resources, with little or no evidence for the kind of venturing into deeper waters that would have required investment in new technologies. Comparisons with contemporaneous sites suggest that some of the patterns at Fukuchani and Unguja Ukuu are not replicated elsewhere. This diversity in early Swahili coast foodways is essential to discussions of the agents engaged in long‐distance maritime trade. © 2017 The Authors International Journal of Osteoarchaeology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background The recently developed MDACC nomogram purports to predict the risk of bone-only metastasis in women with early breast carcinoma based on five clinical and pathological characteristics. We set out to externally validate and assess its robustness using a tertiary breast cancer centre database. Methods All consecutive women treated for early breast cancer in our centre between January 1989 and December 2013 and who had all the nomogram variables documented were eligible for analysis. Results We identified 1255 eligible women for external validation analysis. The median follow-up was 54 months (range: 1–312) and time to initial metastasis 20 months (range: 1–80). The correspondence between the actual bone-only metastasis and the nomogram predictions implied poor calibration of the nomogram in the validation cohort, be it in the whole cohort or when stratified by breast cancer subtype. Conclusion This external validation study of the MDACC nomogram showed limitations in its generalizability to a new and independent European patient population.

Introduction: The growing population of elderly people is impacting on overstretched dental services in many countries, as many individuals are retaining natural teeth and may have dentures or implants, all of which influence the way in which the oral cavity must be cared for. A major difficulty for older residents is their decreasing level of motor and cognitive functioning to adequately self-care for their mouths. Hence, the role of the nurse is crucial. However, staff shortages, time factors and lack of awareness can lead to neglect of the mouth in this population. The loss of function is often exacerbated in individuals with mental health problems. Objectives: To improve the oral health of residents in an aged care mental health unit through the introduction of an innovative nursing intervention. Methods: Firstly, utilizing focus groups, nursing staff identified the main barriers to delivery of oral hygiene to residents as follows: lack of proper equipment; no protocol in place; lack of knowledge. Staff knowledge of oral health and hygiene was measured using a structured questionnaire before and after the intervention. A training program was devised by a dentist, dietician and nurse working in the unit. A multidisciplinary team met on several occasions to design a suitable vehicle and process to deliver oral hygiene. Oral health examinations were conducted at baseline, three months and 12 months. Interventions: Design and production of oral hygiene trolley; development of protocol for oral hygiene; staff education in oral health. Results: The program was successful in improving the oral health of residents with reductions in plaque scores, gingivitis and pocket depths. The oral hygiene protocol was positively accepted into a daily routine and the knowledge of staff in matters relating to oral health increased. Conclusions: A simple oral health intervention utilizing qualified nurses and a purpose-built oral hygiene trolley made significant improvements to the oral health of aged care residents.

Various spatial heterodyne polarization interferometers for spectrally-resolved optical imaging of edge and core parameters in high temperature magnetized plasmas are described. Applications for such “coherence imaging” (CI) systems include imaging motional Stark effect and Zeeman effect polarimetry for determination of the magnetic field pitch angle, and passive and active (charge exchange recombination spectroscopy - CXRS) Doppler imaging of plasma temperature and flow. In this paper we describe spatial heterodyne coherence imaging systems and present first results of Doppler flow imaging in the DIII-D divertor. Instruments have been installed for imaging flows in the divertor and scrape-off-layer in the DIII-D tokamak and also for Doppler imaging on the H-1 heliac [1]. In the former case, single snapshot interferometric images of the plasma in CII 514nm, and CIII 465nm emission have been demodulated to obtain flow and ion temperature projections in both the scrape-off-layer and divertor. Flow field amplitudes in the divertor are found to be broad agreement with UEDGE modeling [2], and point the way towards experiments that address important divertor transport issues in future (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A full-scale ITER toroidal interferometer and polarimeter (TIP) prototype, including an active feedback alignment system, has been installed and tested on the DIII-D tokamak. In the TIP prototype, a two-color interferometry measurement of line-integrated density is carried out at 10.59 μm and 5.22 μm using a CO2 and quantum cascade laser, respectively, while a separate polarimetry measurement of the plasma-induced Faraday effect is made at 10.59 μm. The TIP prototype is equipped with a piezo tip/tilt stage active feedback alignment system that minimizes noise in the measurement and keeps the diagnostic aligned throughout DIII-D discharges. The measured phase resolution for the polarimeter and interferometer is 0.05° (100 Hz bandwidth) and 1.9° (1 kHz bandwidth), respectively. The corresponding line-integrated density resolution for the vibration-compensated interferometer is δnL = 1.5 × 1018 m-2, and the magnetic field-weighted line-integrated density from the polarimeter is δnBL = 1.5 × 1019 Tm-2. Both interferometer and polarimeter measurements during DIII-D discharges compare well with the expectations based on calculations using Thomson scattering measured density profiles and magnetic equilibrium reconstructions. Additionally, larger bandwidth interferometer measurements show that the diagnostic is a sensitive monitor of core density fluctuations with demonstrated measurements of Alfven eigenmodes and tearing modes.

Translatable in-vessel mirrors have enabled the DIII-D Thomson scattering system to diagnose the divertor plasma in high triangularity shaped plasmas. Previous divertor Thomson scattering measurements in DIII-D were restricted to spatial locations along a Nd:YAG laser beam that was directed through a vertical port. This only allowed measurements to be made in low triangularity shaped plasmas. The new mirrors re-route the laser underneath floor tiles to a position of smaller major radius as necessary for high triangularity plasmas. New in-vessel collection optics transmit scattered light from regions inaccessible to external lenses. Damage to mirrors and high stray light levels are challenges that were overcome to successfully make these measurements. Through the careful use of baffles and light shields, stray light leakage into polychromator detector channels was reduced to negligible levels, allowing temperature measurements below 1 eV. The system is described and the initial results presented.

A novel type of surface eroding thermocouple (SETC) has been tested and demonstrated in the small angle slot (SAS) divertor of DIII-D for fast local heat flux measurements. The thermojunction of the SETC is formed between two thin (10 μm) ribbons, which are filed over to create microfiber junctions. These thermocouples are able to be exposed directly to the plasma at surface temperatures exceeding 2000 °C and are capable of sub-10 ms time resolution. Before installation in SAS, the SETCs were exposed in the lower DIII-D divertor during L-mode and H-mode discharges, from which results are presented. In preliminary tests, SETCs proved to be a qualified diagnostic to accurately measure both the intra-edge localized mode (ELM) and inter-ELM heat flux during H-mode shots with high frequency ELMs (hundreds of Hz) and to resolve heat flux profiles during strike point sweeps. The heat fluxes measured by using SETCs are consistent with the heat fluxes measured by using IR cameras and Langmuir probes. These new diagnostic capabilities will complement the existing IR camera measurements and will be of particularly significant value to measure surface heat flux in the SAS divertor or other regions where the IR camera lacks line of sight.

Resume Les infections orbitaires de l’enfant sont relativement rares, et sont d’autant plus graves qu’elles s’etendent vers l’arriere de l’orbite, avec parfois des complications intracrâniennes. La porte d’entree est le plus souvent sinusienne (ethmoide chez le nourrisson et le jeune enfant, sinus frontal ou maxillaire ensuite). Le diagnostic est base sur l’examen clinique et l’imagerie (tomodensitometrie ou IRM). La prise en charge therapeutique urgente est basee sur une antibiotherapie parenterale, le plus souvent seule avant l’âge de 9 ans, et associee a un drainage chirurgical apres l’âge de 9 ans ou en cas de complications. La prise en charge des infections orbitaires de l’enfant necessite une collaboration etroite entre ophtalmologistes, oto-rhino-laryngologistes et pediatres.

International audience; Aims: We investigate the stellar and circumstellar properties of the bright southern T Tauri star RY Lup, a G-type star showing type III variability. Methods: We report simultaneous BV polarimetric and UBV photometric observations obtained during 12 consecutive nights on the 1.0 m and 50 cm telescopes of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla. We compare these data to models. Results: The polarization is high (≈3.0%) when the star is faint and red (V ≈ 12.0, B-V ≈ 1.3), and it is low (≈0.5%) when it is bright and bluer (V ≈ 11.0, B-V ≈ 1.1). The photometric and polarimetric variations share a common period of 3.75 d. Irregular light variations, larger at shorter wavelengths, are also superposed on the cyclic variations and may be due to processes different than the one producing the periodic variations. The linear polarization is produced by dust scattering in an asymmetric (flat) circumstellar envelope. The photometric and polarimetric variations can be explained with an almost edge-on circumstellar disk that is warped close to the star, where it interacts with the star's magnetosphere. The inhomogeneous disk matter contained in the warp corotates with the star and partially occults it during part of the rotation period, which explains the dips in luminosity and the accompanying increase in polarization. All the information available on RY Lup is consistent with a system comprising a G8 star surrounded by an edge-on disk, and we find that the mass of RY Lup is M_star/Mȯ= 1.71 ± 0.43, while its age is (1.2± 0.4) × 107 {yr}. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile.

Mirrors will be used in ITER in all optical diagnostic systems observing the plasma radiation in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared ranges. Diagnostic mirrors in ITER will suffer from electromagnetic radiation, energetic particles and neutron irradiation. Erosion due to impact of fast neutrals from plasma and deposition of plasma impurities may significantly degrade optical and polarization characteristics of mirrors influencing the overall performance of the respective diagnostics. Therefore, maintaining the best possible performance of mirrors is of the crucial importance for the ITER optical diagnostics. Mirrors in ITER divertor are expected to suffer from deposition of impurities. The dedicated experiment in a tokamak divertor was needed to address this issue. Investigations with molybdenum diagnostic mirrors were made in DIII-D divertor. Mirror samples were exposed at different temperatures in the private flux region to a series of ELMy H-mode discharges with partially detached divertor plasmas. An increase of temperature of mirrors during the exposure generally led to the mitigation of carbon deposition, primarily due to temperature-enhanced chemical erosion of carbon layers by D atoms. Finally, for the mirrors exposed at the temperature of ∼160 °C neither carbon deposition nor degradation of optical properties was detected.

The DIII-D National Fusion Facility has long been a center of innovation and development of diagnostics for magnetic fusion devices. The DIII-D device, a moderate size tokamak, with a high flexibility shaping coil set, neutral beam injection (NBI), electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and ion cyclotron heating (ICH), supports a very broad research program in fusion science, including critical aspects related to burning plasmas expected to be encountered in ITER. This scientific program is supported by a large set of diagnostics (approximately 50), which is the product of a highly collaborative program between universities, national laboratories and industry. Although many diagnostic systems are now routinely employed to measure a wide range of plasma parameters, such as temperature, rotation, density and current profiles, there are many areas that are inherently difficult or prohibitively expensive to diagnose. Such areas include the measurements associated with energetic ion populations or with the characterization of plasma flows in the divertor/edge area. In addition, the study of burning plasmas will require the development of new and updated techniques, which need to be developed and tested in existing devices in relevant plasma conditions.

The neuroprotective properties of cystamine identified in pre-clinical studies have fast-tracked this compound to clinical trials in Huntington's disease, showing tolerability and benefits on motor symptoms. We tested whether cystamine could have such properties in a Parkinson's disease murine model and now provide evidence that it can not only prevent the neurodegenerative process but also can reverse motor impairments created by a 6-hydroxydopamine lesion 3weeks post-surgery. Importantly, we report that cystamine has neurorestorative properties 5weeks post-lesion as seen on the number of nigral dopaminergic neurons which is comparable with treatments of cysteamine, the reduced form of cystamine used in the clinic, as well as rasagiline, increasingly prescribed in early parkinsonism. All three compounds induced neurite arborization of the remaining dopaminergic cells which was further confirmed in ex vivo dopaminergic explants derived from Pitx3-GFP mice. The disease-modifying effects displayed by cystamine/cysteamine would encourage clinical testing.

High power density, phased antenna operation can often be limited by antenna voltage handling and/or impurity and density production. Using a pair of two-strap antennas for comparison, the performance of a four-strap, fast wave antenna is assessed for a variety of configurations and antenna phases in Alcator C-Mod. To obtain robust voltage handling, the antenna was reconfigured to eliminate regions where the RF E-field is parallel to B or to reduce the RF E-field to

The optimization of a tokamak towards steady state and high performance has been the focus of advanced tokamak (AT) research for the past decade. A central theme of AT research line is plasma control: control of the plasma shape; of the profiles of current, pressure, and rotation; of transport; and of MHD stability. To optimize the performance, measurements of crucial parameters such as the current density and the plasma pressure are required with appropriate spatial coverage and resolution. In addition, measurements of other parameters will be necessary to develop a fundamental understanding of the complex nonlinear interactions amongst the current density profile, the pressure profile and transport (e.g. turbulence) in high β AT plasmas. Present day experiments are providing physics insight into what a burning plasma experiment (BPX) will require as measurements. Recent research has focused on MHD stability aspects such as the neoclassical tearing mode and resistive wall mode stabilization and control of the current profile. However, in burning plasmas, new factors such as alpha particles, with their heating contribution and their relationship to transport barriers, will be increasingly important. The close relationship between measurements and active control, and the resultant impact on the requirements, will be discussed.

Research on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [1] is focused on high particle- and power-density plasma regimes to understand particle and energy transport in the core, the dynamics of the H-mode pedestal, and scrape-off layer and divertor physics. The auxiliary heating is provided exclusively by RF waves, and both the physics and technology of RF heating and current drive are studied. The momentum which is manifested in strong toroidal rotation, in the absence of direct momentum input, has been shown to be transported in from the edge of the plasma following the L–H transition, with timescale comparable to that for energy transport. In discharges which develop internal transport barriers, the rotation slows first inside the barrier region, and then subsequently outside of the barrier foot. Heat pulse propagation studies using sawteeth indicate a very narrow region of strongly reduced energy transport, located near r/a = 0.5. Addition of on-axis ICRF heating arrests the buildup of density and impurities, leading to quasi-steady conditions. The quasi-coherent mode associated with enhanced D-Alpha (EDA) H-mode appears to be due to a resistive ballooning instability. As the pedestal pressure gradient and temperature are increased in EDA H-mode, small ELMs appear; detailed modelling indicates that these are due to intermediate n peeling–ballooning modes. Phase contrast imaging has been used to directly detect density fluctuations driven by ICRF waves in the core of the plasma, and mode conversion to an intermediate wavelength ion cyclotron wave has been observed for the first time. The bursty turbulent density fluctuations, observed to drive rapid cross-field particle transport in the edge plasma, appear to play a key role in the dynamics of the density limit. Preparations for quasi-steady-state advanced tokamak studies with lower hybrid current drive are well underway, and time dependent modelling indicates that regimes with high bootstrap fraction can be produced.

A neutral particle analyser (NPA) has been used to make measurements of the ion distribution in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. We have used the analyser to measure the energy distribution of majority deuterons and minority hydrogen (up to 20 keV) at 0.4≤r/a≤0.6, during minority ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heating. These energy spectra were also simulated by using the predicted minority ion distribution from a combined Fokker Planck ICRF code in a model for the neutral particle flux. The model predictions for neutral flux were found to be in qualitative agreement with the measured energy spectra. The energy spectra for two different ICRF antenna configurations were also measured and found to be very similar.

A series of experiments are described which are aimed at quantifying the relative contribution of divertor leakage and radial ion transport on neutral pressures surrounding the core plasma. Evidence is presented implying that cross-field transport competes with, or dominates, parallel transport in such a way that plasma exists far out in the scrape-off layer (SOL) in the shadow of limiters and recycles on main chamber surfaces. The transition from L- to H-mode core confinement does not affect the far SOL characteristics nor the scaling of pressures around the plasma. Variations in magnetic equilibrium are used to vary the divertor pressures independent of the core plasma. Based on the analysis of such experiments using a simple neutral flow model we estimate that neutrals escaping from leaks in the lower (closed) divertor during lower x-point operation contribute a smaller fraction (~10-30%) of the midplane pressure than main chamber recycling. The inferred leakage is much larger from the upper (open) divertor during upper x-point operation. Most neutrals escaping from either divertor do not directly travel to the midplane. Instead, they are redirected, most likely by some combination of ionization and/or collisions (elastic, charge exchange).

Double transport barrier modes (simultaneous core and edge transport barrier) have been observed with off-axis ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) heating in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)]. An internal transport barrier (ITB) is routinely produced in enhanced DαH-mode (EDA) discharges where the minority ion cyclotron resonance layer is at r/a∼|0.5| during the current flat top phase of the discharge. The density profile becomes peaked without the presence of a particle source in the plasma core and continues to peak until the increased core impurity radiation arrests the improved energy confinement, ultimately leading to a barrier collapse. With the addition of moderate (0.6 MW) central ICRF heating, the double barrier mode was maintained for as long as the ICRF power was applied. Modeling shows that the internal thermal barrier was maintained throughout the discharge. The presence of sawteeth throughout most of the ITB discharge allows sawtooth-indu...

Double transport barrier plasmas comprised of an edge enhanced D? (EDA) H-mode pedestal and an internal transport barrier (ITB) have been observed in Alcator C-Mod. The ITB can be routinely produced in ICRF heated plasmas by locating the wave resonance off-axis near |r/a|~0.5, provided the target plasma average density is above ~1.4?1020?m-3, and can develop spontaneously in some Ohmic H-mode discharges. The formation of the barrier appears in conjunction with a decrease or reversal in the central (impurity) toroidal rotation velocity. The ITB foot is located near r/a~0.5, regardless of how the barrier was produced. The ITBs can persist for ~15 energy confinement times (?E), but exhibit a continuous increase of the central electron density, up to values near 1?1021?m-3 (in the absence of an internal particle source), followed by collapse of the barrier. Application of additional on-axis ICRF heating arrests the density and impurity peaking, which occurs along with an increase (co-current) in the core rotation velocity. Quasi-steady state double barrier plasmas have been maintained for 10?E or longer, with a bootstrap fraction of 0.13 near the ITB foot.

A population of suprathermal ions has been observed in the scrape off layer during injection of power in the ion cyclotron frequency range on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)]. These ions generated energetic neutrals which were measured with a charge exchange neutral particle analyzer. In the hydrogen minority heating regime, fast particles were generated only when the injected power was above 500 kW. Fast particles were observed at a low level of injected power when the rf was a multiple of the ion cyclotron frequency in the scrape off layer. The power deposited in the edge was always less than five percent of the injected power and did not increase impurity levels. The theoretical threshold of parametric decay instabilities for decay of the pump wave in the antenna near field into an ion Bernstein wave and an ion cyclotron quasimode matches the observed threshold for fast ion production under a variety of conditions.

A full-scale 120 m path length ITER toroidal interferometer and polarimeter (TIP) prototype, including an active feedback alignment system, has been constructed and undergone initial testing at General Atomics. In the TIP prototype, two-color interferometry is carried out at 10.59 μm and 5.22 μm using a CO2 and quantum cascade laser (QCL) respectively while a separate polarimetry measurement of the plasma induced Faraday effect is made at 10.59 μm. The polarimeter system uses co-linear right and left-hand circularly polarized beams upshifted by 40 and 44 MHz acousto-optic cells respectively, to generate the necessary beat signal for heterodyne phase detection, while interferometry measurements are carried out at both 40 MHz and 44 MHz for the CO2 laser and 40 MHz for the QCL. The high-resolution phase information is obtained using an all-digital FPGA based phase demodulation scheme and precision clock source. The TIP prototype is equipped with a piezo tip/tilt stage active feedback alignment system responsible for minimizing noise in the measurement and keeping the TIP diagnostic aligned indefinitely on its 120 m beam path including as the ITER vessel is brought from ambient to operating temperatures. The prototype beam path incorporates translation stages to simulate ITER motion through a bake cycle as well as other sources of motion or misalignment. Even in the presence of significant motion, the TIP prototype is able to meet ITER's density measurement requirements over 1000 s shot durations with demonstrated phase resolution of 0.06° and 1.5° for the polarimeter and vibration compensated interferometer respectively. TIP vibration compensated interferometer measurements of a plasma have also been made in a pulsed radio frequency device and show a line-integrated density resolution of m−2.

The formation of internal transport barriers (ITBs) has been observed in the core region of Alcator C-Mod [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] under a variety of conditions. The improvement in core confinement following pellet injection (pellet enhanced performance or PEP mode) has been well documented on Alcator C-Mod in the past. Recently three new ITB phenomena have been observed which require no externally applied particle or momentum input. Short lived ITBs form spontaneously following the high confinement to low confinement mode transition and are characterized by a large increase in the global neutron production (enhanced neutron or EN modes). Experiments with ion cyclotron range of frequencies power injection to the plasma off-axis on the high field side results in the central density rising abruptly and becoming peaked. The ITB formed at this time lasts for ten energy confinement times. The central toroidal rotation velocity decreases and changes sign as the density rises. Simi...

Cross-field particle transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) of Alcator C-Mod [Phys. Plasmas 1, 1511 (1994)] can be characterized by an effective particle diffusivity (Deff) that increases markedly with distance from the separatrix. As a consequence, recycling onto the main-chamber walls is large compared to plasma flows into the divertor volume. The SOL exhibits a two-layer structure: Steep gradients and moderate fluctuation levels are typically found in a ∼5 mm region near the separatrix (near SOL) where parallel electron conduction typically dominates energy losses. Small gradients and larger fluctuation levels with longer correlation times are found outside this region (far SOL). Deff in the near SOL increases strongly with local plasma collisionality normalized to the magnetic connection length. As the discharge density limit is approached, Deff and associated fluctuation levels become large across the entire SOL and cross-field heat convection everywhere exceeds parallel conduction losses, impacting the power balance of the discharge.

High resolution measurements on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak [I. H. Hutchinson et al., Phys. Plasmas 1, 1551 (1994)] of the transport barrier in the “Enhanced Dα” (EDA) regime, which has increased particle transport without large edge localized modes, show steep density and temperature gradients over a region of 2–5 mm, with peak pressure gradients up to 12 MPa/m. Evolution of the pedestal at the L-H transition is consistent with a large, rapid drop in thermal conductivity across the barrier. A quasi-coherent fluctuation in density, potential, and Bpol, with f0∼50–150 kHz and kθ∼4 cm−1, always appears in the barrier during EDA, and drives a large particle flux. Conditions to access the steady-state EDA regime in deuterium include δ>0.35, q95>3.5, and L-mode target density ne>1.2×1020 m−3. A reduced q95 limit is found for hydrogen discharges.

Co-current central impurity toroidal rotation has been observed in Alcator C-Mod plasmas with on-axis ICRF heating. The rotation velocity increases with plasma stored energy and decreases with plasma current. Very similar behaviour has been seen during ohmic H modes, which suggests that the rotation, generated in the absence of an external momentum source, is not mainly an ICRF effect. A scan of ICRF resonance location across the plasma has been performed in order to investigate possible influences on the toroidal rotation. With a slight reduction of toroidal magnetic field from 4.7 to 4.5 T and a corresponding shift of the ICRF resonance from r/a = -0.36 to -0.48, the central toroidal rotation significantly decreased together with the formation of an internal transport barrier (ITB). During the ITB phase, electrons and impurities peaked continuously for |r/a| ≤ 0.5. Comparison of the observed rotation and neoclassical predictions indicates that the core radial electric field changes from positive to negative during the ITB phase. Similar rotation suppression and ITB formation have been observed during some ohmic H mode discharges.

A heterodyne detection scheme is combined with a 10.59 μm CO2 laser dispersion interferometer for the first time to allow large bandwidth measurements in the 10-100 MHz range. The approach employed utilizes a 40 MHz acousto-optic cell operating on the frequency doubled CO2 beam which is obtained using a high 2nd harmonic conversion efficiency orientation patterned gallium arsenide crystal. The measured standard deviation of the line integrated electron density equivalent phase resolution obtained with digital phase demodulation technique, is 4 × 1017 m−2. Air flow was found to significantly affect the baseline of the phase signal, which an optical table cover was able to reduce considerably. The heterodyne dispersion interferometer (DI) approach is found to be robustly insensitive to motion, with measured phase shifts below baseline drifts even in the presence of several centimeters of retroreflector induced path length variations. Plasma induced dispersion was simulated with a wedged ZnSe plate and the m...

A high spatial resolution CCD based one-dimensional imaging system to measure visible continuum emissivity profiles from Alcator C-Mod tokamak plasmas is described. The instrument has chordal resolution that is better than 1 mm for the edge region of the plasma, where very sharp (1 to 10 mm) gradient lengths in plasma parameters are observed after the formation of the H-mode transport barrier. Each image has up to 2048 pixels, and total spatial coverage goes from 2 cm inside of the magnetic axis to ∼4 cm outside of the last closed flux surface in the ∼22 cm horizontal minor radius plasmas. Time resolution can be varied from 0.21 ms to 4 ms; good signal to noise is achieved with 1 ms integration under typical plasma conditions. The emission over most of the plasma volume is dominated by free–free bremsstrahlung, and can be used to infer local values of the average ion charge (Zeff). Toroidally localized puffing of deuterium, nitrogen, and helium reveals that a significant contribution to the signal in the scrape-off layer at the extreme edge of the plasma can come from diatomic molecular band pseudocontinuum emission.

We review recent experiments which utilize spectrum slicing of broadband coherent light from model-locked lasers or supercontinuum sources to achieve high-capacity transmission, high channel count, and optical code division multiple access systems.

Two new high resolution detectors have been installed on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak to measure the neutral density and ionization rate at the edge of the main chamber plasma. Using a silicon detector sensitive to UV light, and a very narrow filter with transmission peaking at 1216 A, the Lyman alpha radiation emanating from neutral deuterium (and hydrogen) is measured. The detectors consist of 20 channel arrays which view the plasma tangentially 12.5 cm below the outer midplane, and 10 cm above the inner midplane. The imaging is performed using a 1 mm×3 mm slit, which gives a nominal radial resolution of 2 and 3 mm, respectively. The local emissivity is obtained via a standard Abel inversion technique. Employing well-known branching ratios, and using measured local electron density and temperature, the neutral density and ionization rate are inferred with similar radial resolution. Details of the setup and sensitivity of the results to plasma conditions are discussed.

In this paper we summarize the results of recent measurements of the high confinement mode (H-mode) edge transport barrier in Alcator C-Mod. A number of new, high-resolution edge diagnostics provide measurements of plasma parameters (electron density and temperature, and impurity density) in the pedestal region. Pedestal parameters are measured both at the top edge of the plasma and at the midplane. Very narrow (2-5 mm) electron density and temperature and impurity density pedestals are observed. The impurity pedestal is located inside the density and temperature pedestals in the midplane measurements, but coincides with the ne pedestal at the top edge. Correlation of both width and height of the pedestals at the midplane with global plasma parameters and core confinement characteristics is observed. At the same time there are no clear indications of scaling for the electron density and impurity pedestal widths measured at the top of the plasma.

The propagation of strongly chirped pulses in an amplified fiber-optic communications system is experimentally investigated. Spectral narrowing of the pulses is observed. The narrowing is attributed to interplay between the initial chirp and the nonlinearity in the transmission line. Four-wave mixing (FWM) between wavelength channels is found to be similar to that for unchirped nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) pulses. Low error rate transmission over 720 km is achieved using these chirped pulses, which are generated by a transmitter based on a mode-locked fiber laser.