Improved accuracy and robustness of electron density profiles from JET's X-mode frequency-modulated continuous-wave reflectometers.

JET's frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) reflectometers have been operating well with the current design since 2005, and density profiles have been automatically calculated intershot since then. However, the calculated profiles had long suffered from several shortcomings: poor agreement with other diagnostics, sometimes inappropriately moving radially by several centimeters, elevated levels of radial jitter, and persistent wriggles (strong unphysical oscillations). In this research, several techniques are applied to the reflectometry data analysis, and the shortcomings are significantly improved. Starting with improving the equilibrium reconstruction that estimates the background magnetic field, adding a ripple correction in the reconstructed magnetic field profile, and adding new inner-wall reflection positions estimated through ray-tracing, these changes not only improve the agreement of reconstructed profiles to other diagnostics but also solve density profile wriggles that were present during band transitions. Other smaller but also persistent wriggles were also suppressed by applying a localized correction to the measured beat frequency where persistent oscillations are present. Finally, the burst analysis method, as introduced by Varela et al. [Nucl. Fusion 46 S693 (2006)], has been implemented to extract the beat frequency from stacked spectrograms. Due to the strong suppression of spurious reflections, the radial jitter that sometimes would span several centimeters has been strongly reduced. The stacking of spectrograms has also been shown to be very useful for stacking recurring events, like small gas puff modulations, and extracting transport coefficients that would otherwise be below the noise level.

Effects of magnetic shear on toroidal rotation in tokamak plasmas with lower hybrid current drive.

Application of lower hybrid (LH) current drive in tokamak plasmas can induce both co- and countercurrent directed changes in toroidal rotation, depending on the core q profile. For discharges with q(0) <1, rotation increments in the countercurrent direction are observed. If the LH-driven current is sufficient to suppress sawteeth and increase q(0) above unity, the core toroidal rotation change is in the cocurrent direction. This change in sign of the rotation increment is consistent with a change in sign of the residual stress (the divergence of which constitutes an intrinsic torque that drives the flow) through its dependence on magnetic shear.

Scaling of spontaneous rotation with temperature and plasma current in tokamaks.

Using theoretical arguments, a simple scaling law for the size of the intrinsic rotation observed in tokamaks in the absence of a momentum injection is found: The velocity generated in the core of a tokamak must be proportional to the ion temperature difference in the core divided by the plasma current, independent of the size of the device. The constant of proportionality is of the order of 10 km·s(-1)·MA·keV(-1). When the intrinsic rotation profile is hollow, i.e., it is countercurrent in the core of the tokamak and cocurrent in the edge, the scaling law presented in this Letter fits the data remarkably well for several tokamaks of vastly different size and heated by different mechanisms.

A key to improved ion core confinement in the JET tokamak: ion stiffness mitigation due to combined plasma rotation and low magnetic shear.

New transport experiments on JET indicate that ion stiffness mitigation in the core of a rotating plasma, as described by Mantica et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 175002 (2009)] results from the combined effect of high rotational shear and low magnetic shear. The observations have important implications for the understanding of improved ion core confinement in advanced tokamak scenarios. Simulations using quasilinear fluid and gyrofluid models show features of stiffness mitigation, while nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations do not. The JET experiments indicate that advanced tokamak scenarios in future devices will require sufficient rotational shear and the capability of q profile manipulation.

Influence of magnetic field ripple on the intrinsic rotation of tokamak plasmas.

Using the unique capability of JET to monotonically change the amplitude of the magnetic field ripple, without modifying other relevant equilibrium conditions, the effect of the ripple on the angular rotation frequency of the plasma column was investigated under the conditions of no external momentum input. The ripple amplitude was varied from 0.08% to 1.5% in Ohmic and ion-cyclotron radio-frequency (ICRF) heated plasmas. In both cases the ripple causes counterrotation, indicating a strong torque due to nonambipolar transport of thermal ions and in the case of ICRF also fast ions.

Observation of confined current ribbon in JET plasmas.

We report the identification of a localized current structure inside the JET plasma. It is a field-aligned closed helical ribbon, carrying current in the same direction as the background current profile (cocurrent), rotating toroidally with the ion velocity (corotating). It appears to be located at a flat spot in the plasma pressure profile, at the top of the pedestal. The structure appears spontaneously in low density, high rotation plasmas, and can last up to 1.4 s, a time comparable to a local resistive time. It considerably delays the appearance of the first edge localized mode.

[Glossary of the acronyms for the institutions concerned by metrology]. / Glossaire des acronymes d'institutions relevant de la métrologie.

Metrology and one of its contributions, metrological traceability represent two fundamental developments for the clinical laboratories. Several international and national institutions take part in these developments. They elaborate recommendations going from concepts to implementation in the clinical laboratories. These activities are helpful for accrediting clinical laboratories.

[Introducing the new international vocabulary of metrology]. / Présentation du nouveau Vocabulaire international de métrologie.

The 3rd edition of the "International vocabulary of metrology - Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM)" is a fundamental document for the people who are concerned by metrology. This international standard is bilingual (french/english). The VIM contains definitions of metrological concepts, their hierarchy, numerous explicative notes and examples. This approach confirms that the concepts of the VIM are applicable to various disciplines including clinical laboratory sciences.

[Recommendations for metrological control of measuring equipments in the clinical laboratories]. / Recommandations pour la maîtrise métrologique des équipements de mesure au laboratoire d'analyses de biologie médicale (Document D).

The control of the measuring equipment (balances, mass standards, micropipettes, dilutors, volumetric glassware, thermometers...) is essential to obtain reliable analytical results. This control requires knowledge and use of the main standards, instructions for use, metrological verifications and confirmations as well as creation of checking and standardizing certificates ensuring metrological traceability. These items should help to control the quality of the analytical performances (fidelity and trueness in particular).

Physically principled reflection models applied to filtered camera imaging inversions in metal walled fusion machines.

Ray-tracing techniques are applied to filtered divertor imaging, a diagnostic that has long suffered from artifacts due to the polluting effect of reflected light in metal walled fusion machines. Physically realistic surface reflections were modeled using a Cook-Torrance micro-facet bi-directional reflection distribution function applied to a high resolution mesh of the vessel geometry. In the absence of gonioreflectometer measurements, a technique was developed to fit the free parameters of the Cook-Torrance model against images of the JET in-vessel light sources. By coupling this model with high fidelity plasma fluid simulations, photo-realistic renderings of a number of tokamak plasma emission scenarios were generated. Finally, a sensitivity matrix describing the optical coupling of a JET divertor camera and the emission profile of the plasma was obtained, including full reflection effects. These matrices are used to perform inversions on measured data and shown to reduce the level of artifacts in inverted emission profiles.

Description of complex viewing geometries of fusion tomography diagnostics by ray-tracing.

Ray-tracing techniques are applied to bolometry, a diagnostic where the finite collection volume is particularly sensitive to the machine and detector configuration. A technique is presented that can handle arbitrarily complex aperture and collimator geometries, neglecting reflection effects. Sight lines from the ASDEX Upgrade bolometer foils were ray-traced with a path tracing algorithm, where the optical path is represented by a statistical bundle of ray paths connecting the foil surface with the slit geometry. By using the full 3D machine model for the detector box and first wall, effects such as occlusion and vignetting were included in the calculation of the bolometer's étendue. Inversion matrices calculated with the ray-tracing technique were compared with the more conventional single-ray approach and shown to be naturally more constrained, requiring less regularisation. The two models were tested on a sample radiation scenario, and the common single-ray approximation is shown to be insufficient. These results are particularly relevant for the divertor where strong emission gradients may be present. The technique developed generalises well to arbitrarily complex viewing geometries and collimators, opening up a new design space for bolometer configurations that might not normally have been considered.

Application of the VUV and the soft x-ray systems on JET for the study of intrinsic impurity behavior in neon seeded hybrid discharges.

This paper reports on impurity behavior in a set of hybrid discharges with Ne seeding-one of the techniques considered to reduce the power load on reactor walls. A series of experiments carried out with light gas injection on JET with the ITER-Like-Wall (ILW) suggests increased tungsten release and impurity accumulation [C. Challis et al., Europhysics Conference Abstracts 41F, 2.153 (2017)]. The presented method relies mainly on the measurements collected by vacuum-ultra-violet and soft X-ray (SXR) diagnostics including the "SOXMOS" spectrometer and the SXR camera system. Both diagnostics have some limitations. Consequently, only a combination of measurements from these systems is able to provide comprehensive information about high-Z [e.g., tungsten (W)] and mid-Z [nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo)] impurities for their further quantitative diagnosis. Moreover, thanks to the large number of the SXR lines of sight, determination of a 2D radiation profile was also possible. Additionally, the experimental results were compared with numerical modeling based on integrated simulations with COREDIV. Detailed analysis confirmed that during seeding experiments, higher tungsten release is observed, which was also found in the past. Additionally, it was noticed that besides W, the contribution of molybdenum to SXR radiation was greater, which can be explained by the place of its origin.

Instrumentation for the upgrade to the JET core charge-exchange spectrometers.

Charge-exchange spectroscopy on JET has become particularly challenging with the introduction of the ITER-like wall. The line intensities are weaker and contaminated by many nuisance lines. We have therefore upgraded the instrumentation to improve throughput and allow the simultaneous measurement of impurity and fuel-ion charge exchange by splitting the light between two pairs of imaging spectrometers using dichroic beam splitters. Imaging instruments allow us to stack 11 × 1 mm diameter fibres on the entrance slits without cross talk. CCD cameras were chosen to have 512 × 512 pixels to allow frame transfer times <0.2 ms which with minimum exposure times of 5 ms give tolerable smearing even without a chopper. The image plane is optically demagnified 2:1 to match the sensor size of these cameras. Because the image plane of the spectrometer is tilted, the CCD must also be tilted to maintain focus over the spectrum (Scheimpflug condition). To avoid transverse keystoning (causing the vertical height of the spectra to change across the sensor), the configuration is furthermore designed to be telecentric by a suitable choice of the lens separation. The lens configuration is built almost entirely from commercial off-the-shelf components, which allowed it to be assembled and aligned relatively rapidly to meet the deadline for in-vessel calibration in the JET shutdown.

Evidence for different gestation-dependent effects of cortisol on cultured fetal lung cells.

The effect of cortisol (5.5 muM) on primary monolayer cultures of trypsin-dispersed lung cells from rabbit fetuses of 20-28 days gestation was monitored with respect to (a) cellular growth as determined by DNA content after 72 h, at which time all cultures were in the exponential phase of growth, and (b) cellular maturation as reflected by the incorporation of [(14)C]-palmitate into saturated lecithin and its release into the culture medium. Cortisol significantly increased growth in cultures prepared from 20 day (control: 59.8+/-8.9 nmol DNA/flask; cortisol: 118.7+/-15.7, P < 0.001) and 22 day (control: 69.2+/-17.2; cortisol: 106.7+/-13.3, P < 0.001) fetuses but had no effect on the growth of cells from 24 or 26 day fetuses. At 28 days, the effect was reversed, cortisol reducing growth by a factor of two (control: 42.0+/-8.5; cortisol: 19.3+/-4.0, P < 0.001). Incorporation of palmitate into lecithin was expressed as picomoles incorporated per micromole DNA per flask, thus correcting for differences in the number of cells. Cortisol had no effect on palmitate incorporation until day 26, at which time it caused a slight increase (control: 51.2+/-5.5: cortisol: 72.8+/-16.2, P < 0.01) which became very striking by day 28 (control: 19.7+/-3.1; cortisol; 286.8+/-47.0, P < 0.001). The proportion of recovered radiolabeled lecithin that was disaturated rose with gestational age from 72% at 20 days to 98% at 28 days. Saturated lecithin made up over 90% at the two gestational ages (26 and 28 days) where cortisol increased palmitate incorporation. In contrast, cortisol had no effect on the incorporation of palmitate into sphingomyelin at any of the gestational ages studied.The results suggest that cortisol may increase fetal pulmonary cellular growth in early gestation while enhancing maturation and slowing growth as term approaches.

DNA rearrangements and antigenic variation in Trypanosoma equiperdum: expression-independent DNA rearrangements in the basic copy of a variant surface glycoprotein gene.

Antigenic variation in Trypanosoma equiperdum is associated with the sequential expression of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes in a process which involves gene duplication and transposition events. In this paper we present evidence that the genomic environment of the VSG-1 basic copy gene, the template for duplicated, expression-linked VSG-1 genes, differs in every trypanosome clone examined. This variation is thus independent of the expression of the VSG-1 gene, and it also appears to be restricted to the 3' genomic environment. It is also demonstrated that the DNA located 3' to the VSG-1 basic copy gene is moderately sensitive to digestion when the nuclei of either expressor or non-expressor trypanosomes are treated with DNase I.

DNA rearrangements and antigenic variation in Trypanosoma equiperdum: multiple expression-linked sites in independent isolates of trypanosomes expressing the same antigen.

African trypanosomes resist the immune response of their mammalian hosts by varying the surface glycoprotein which constitutes their antigenic identity. The molecular mechanism of this antigenic variation involves the successive activation of a series of genes which code for different variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs). We have studied the expression of two VSG genes (those of VSG-1 and VSG-28) in Trypanosoma equiperdum, and we report the following findings. (i) The expression of both VSG genes is associated with the duplication and transposition of corresponding basic copy genes. (ii) The duplicated transposed copy appears to be the expressed copy. (iii) Although there are multiple genes which cross-hybridize with the VSG-1 cDNA probe, only one of these appears to be used as a template for the expression-linked copy in four independent BoTat-1 clones. (iv) Analysis of the genomic environments of the expressed VSG-1 genes from each of four independently derived BoTat-1 trypanosome clones revealed that there are at least three different sites into which the expression-linked copy can be inserted.

[Recommendations for expressing uncertainty of measurement of quantitative results in laboratory medicine]. / Recommandations relatives à l'expression de l'incertitude de mesure des résultats quantitatifs en biologie médicale (Document F).

In laboratory medicine, the quantitative results of examinations are interpreted with regard to reference intervals, clinical decision limits or previous results of a patient, from which it is necessary to inform the clinician about the uncertainty of measurement linked to the value of the result. This document explains the problematic of the expression of the uncertainty of measurement. It proposes recommendations concerning a simple way to evaluate uncertainty of measurement using long term internal quality control data and the value of the uncertainty linked to the method calibration. It approaches the determination of analytical goals and the choice of methods and also the comments accompanying the record of results and a help to their interpretation.

Cannabis and sport.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cannabis is on the list of prohibited substances in the practice of sport, although its performance enhancing effect has not yet been proved. Its popularity among the younger generations as a social drug puts cannabis at the top of the list of compounds detected by the anti-doping laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency worldwide. The management of the results of urine analysis is quite difficult for the medical and disciplinary committees not only because of the social use of the substance, but also because of the interpretation of the analytical data from urine samples. This paper gives an overview of what is presently known about cannabis in relation with the practice of sport. METHODS: Review of literature on the cannabis and exercise, its effect in the body, and the problems with interpretation of results when it is detected in urine. RESULTS: The paper outlines the major effects of cannabis in the context of its social use and its use for sport activities. The difficulties in the interpretation of urine sample analysis results because of the protracted excretion time of the main metabolite, long after the intake, are described. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need for sport authorities to take measures necessary to avoid players misusing cannabis.

[Effects of oral cannabis and dronabinol on driving capacity]. / Effets du cannabis oral et du dronabinol sur la capacité à conduire.

Two retrospective epidemiologic studies have shown that cannabis is the main psychoactive substance detected in the blood of drivers suspected of driving under the influence of psychotropic drugs. An oral administration double-blind crossover study was carried out with eight healthy male subjects, aged 22 to 30 years, all occasional cannabis smokers. Three treatments and one placebo were administered to all participants at a two week interval: 20 mg dronabinol, 16.5 mg D9-tétrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 45.7 mg THC as a cannabis milk decoction. Participants were asked to report the subjective drug effects and their willingness to drive under various circumstances on a visual analog scale. Clinical observations, a psychomotor test and a tracking test on a driving simulator were also carried out. Compared to cannabis smoking, THC, 11-OH-THC and THC-COOH blood concentrations remained low through the whole study (<13.1 ng THC/mL,<24.7 ng 11-OH-THC/mL and<99.9 ng THC-COOH/mL). Two subjects experienced deep anxiety symptoms suggesting that this unwanted side-effect may occur when driving under the influence of cannabis or when driving and smoking a joint. No clear association could be found between these adverse reactions and a susceptibility gene to propensity to anxiety and psychotic symptoms (genetic polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase). The questionnaires have shown that the willingness to drive was lower when the drivers were assigned an insignificant task and was higher when the mission was of crucial importance. The subjects were aware of the effects of cannabis and their performances on the road sign and tracking test were greatly impaired, especially after ingestion of the strongest dose. The Cannabis Influence Factor (CIF) which relies on the molar ratio of active and inactive cannabinoids in blood provided a good estimate of the fitness to drive.

Ion temperature and toroidal rotation in JET's low torque plasmas.

This paper reports on the procedure developed as the best method to provide an accurate and reliable estimation of the ion temperature Ti and the toroidal velocity vϕ from Charge-eXchange Recombination Spectroscopy (CXRS) data from intrinsic rotation experiments at the Joint European Torus with the carbon wall. The low impurity content observed in such plasmas, resulting in low active CXRS signal, alongside low Doppler shifts makes the determination of Ti and vϕ particularly difficult. The beam modulation method will be discussed along with the measures taken to increase photon statistics and minimise errors from the absolute calibration and magneto-hydro-dynamics effects that may impact the CXRS passive emission.