Electron Temperature Measurements Using a Two-Filter Soft X-ray Array in VEST.

A multichannel soft X-ray (SXR) array has been developed to measure the electron temperature in the Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST). To estimate electron temperature using the two-filter method applied to SXR intensity, we designed a pinhole camera that has two photodiode arrays with different metallic filters. We also adopted a filter wheel and tested various filter parameters to find the optimal filter set. Through tests, the combination of aluminum and beryllium was found to be the most suitable for the current experimental conditions in VEST. The filtered SXR signals were acquired with a low-noise preamplifier, exhibiting sufficient signal-to-noise ratios for electron temperature estimation based on the intensity ratio of two signals obtained with different filters. The estimated electron temperature from the developed two-filter SXR array showed reasonably matched levels and consistent trends with Thomson scattering measurements. Error contribution from impurity line emission is also discussed.

Anti-inflammatory effects of glutamine on LPS-stimulated human dental pulp cells correlate with activation of MKP-1 and attenuation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

AIM: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of glutamine and the underlying signal pathway mechanisms in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). METHODS: Human dental pulp cells were exposed to 10 µg mL(-1) LPS and various concentrations of glutamine for 24 h. The production of PGE2 and nitric oxide was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Griess reagent kit, respectively. Cytokines were examined by ELISA, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR. iNOS and COX protein expression as well as signal pathways were accessed by Western blot. The data were analysed by anova with Bonferroni's test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Glutamine reduced LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 protein expression as well as production of NO and PGE2 in a dose-dependent fashion. Additionally, glutamine suppressed the production and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), TNF-α, and IL-8. Furthermore, glutamine attenuated phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and IκB-α, and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65, but enhanced mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) expression in LPS-treated HDPCs. CONCLUSION: Glutamine exerted an anti-inflammatory effect via activation of MKP-1 and inhibition of the NF-κB and MAPK pathways in LPS-treated HDPCs.

Intensive care unit-acquired blood stream infections: a 5-year retrospective analysis of a single tertiary care hospital in Korea.

PURPOSE: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are serious complications with high mortality and morbidity in patients with critical illness. This study was conducted to analyze the clinical and microbiological characteristics as well as outcomes in patients with intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired BSIs. METHODS: Data from 1,545 patients admitted to the ICU were retrospectively collected from January 2005 to December 2010. ICU-acquired BSI was defined as a positive blood culture for a clinically significant bacterial or fungal pathogen obtained >72 h after admission to the ICU. Data on clinical and demographic characteristics, comorbid illness, causes of infections, causative pathogens, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 1,545 ICU patients analyzed, 129 ICU-acquired BSIs occurred in 124 patients. Catheter-related BSIs (CR-BSIs) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) were the most common causes (29.4 and 20.9%, respectively). The most common isolates were Staphylococcus aureus in 35 (25.7%) and Candida species in 32 (24.8%) cases. Ninety-eight patients died (overall hospital mortality rate, 75.9%). ICU-acquired BSI-related mortality occurred in 23 (63.8%) and 7 (19.4%) of the VAP and CR-BSIs cases, respectively. The most commonly isolated microorganisms from these fatalities were S. aureus (12, 25.7%) and Acinetobacter species (12, 25.7%). In 99 ICU-acquired BSI cases, patients did not receive adequate empirical antimicrobial treatment at the onset of BSIs, whereas the patients in 30 cases did. CONCLUSION: ICU-acquired BSIs may be associated with high mortality in patients with critical illness. Meticulous infection control and adequate treatment may reduce ICU-acquired BSI-related mortality.

Simultaneous measurements of temporal evolutions of the voltage and the current on the load of the Seoul National University X-pinch device using the optics-based systems.

Optics-based measurement systems have been developed to measure the voltage and the current on a load of the Seoul National University X-pinch device [Ryu et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 92, 053533 (2021)]. A lithium niobate crystal that changes the polarization state of the propagating laser beam due to the Pockels effect induced by the electric field across the crystal, thus capable of measuring the voltage, is located next to the load. For the current measurement, an optic fiber is wound around the load to detect the change in the polarization state of the propagating laser beam due to the Faraday rotation induced by the magnetic field. As both voltage and current measurement systems utilize optical effects, the sensors, i.e., the lithium niobate crystal and the optic fiber, do not require any electrical grounds, in contrast to circuit-based probes, such as voltage dividers or Rogowski grooves. This facilitates an easy access to shield other required electronic devices, such as lasers and photodetectors, from the electromagnetic interference generated by the X-pinch power system. In addition, the sensors can be placed in close proximity to the load with fewer concerns on the electrical insulation. Temporal evolutions of the simultaneously measured voltage and current on the load of the X-pinch are successfully obtained and discussed.

Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration in Korea: recurrent R440P mutation in PANK2 and outcome of deep brain stimulation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mutation status of PANK2 among Korean patients with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) and to document the outcome of pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS). METHODS: Direct sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis of PANK2 were conducted in 12 patients (11 unrelated) with PKAN, diagnosed on the basis of extrapyramidal dysfunction and the 'eye-of-the-tiger sign' on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pallidal DBS was conducted in four patients, and the outcomes were measured using the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS). RESULTS: A PANK2 mutation was identified in both alleles in all patients. The most prevalent mutation was c.1319G>C (p.R440P) in 8/22 mutated alleles (36%). An intragenic deletion ranging from exons 2 to 4 was found in one allele (1/22, 4.5%) using deletion/duplication analysis. The outcome of pallidal DBS was favorable in two patients with atypical PKAN and moderate severity of dystonia. However, two patients with typical PKAN and relatively severe symptoms showed variable responses. CONCLUSIONS: The c.1319G>C (p.R440P) mutation appears to be a founder genotype among Korean patients with PKAN. Furthermore, this study provides additional data for the recent international effort to evaluate the efficacy of pallidal DBS in the treatment of patients with PKAN.

High-magnetic-confinement mode in partially magnetized E×B plasmas.

The suppression of the gradient-drift driven instability and the transition to the high-magnetic-confinement mode are experimentally observed in a cylindrical partially magnetized E×B plasma using an additional biasable electrode installed at the radial edge. When a positive voltage is applied to the electrode, an electron-loss channel forms in its direction, breaking the spatially symmetric nonambipolar flow. Finally, in the steady state, the plasma density tends to peak in the plasma core, approaching plasma densities that are four times larger than those observed in the case where the instability is the strongest. A high-magnetic-confinement mode with a reduced edge-to-center density ratio of 0.16 is observed, which demonstrates that the saturation of magnetic confinement due to the gradient-drift driven instability can be prevented by an asymmetric nonambipolar flow.

Development of a soft x-ray (SXR) array diagnostic system on versatile experiment spherical torus (VEST).

A new soft x-ray (SXR) array diagnostic system has been developed on versatile experiment spherical torus (VEST) for measurements of 2D SXR emissivity profile and identification of poloidal mode structure. Through tomographic inversion techniques, 2D SXR emissivity profile can be acquired from the line-integrated SXR data, which enables the visualization of mode structure of plasma instability, such as the magnetohydrodynamics mode. The SXR array diagnostic system consists of two 20-channel arrays positioned at the middle and the top on the same poloidal plane for horizontal and vertical lines of sight, respectively. Each array of the diagnostic system uses absolute extreme ultraviolet photodiode array as the detector. To apply appropriate filters (up to four) for different energy regimes without breaking the vacuum, a filter wheel and its rotatable vacuum feed-through are installed behind the pinhole. SXR data are acquired with a digitizer at the sampling rate of up to 125 MHz. Finally, we discuss initial measurement data obtained from Ohmic plasma in VEST.

Radial profile measurement with an improved 1 kHz Thomson scattering system on Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus.

A Thomson scattering (TS) system has been utilized to measure the electron temperature and density of the core region of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST). Recently, the laser injection system is successfully upgraded adopting the burst laser with the repetition rate of 1 kHz and the energy of 2 J. Furthermore, improved collection optics with additional polychromators and a 32-channel fast digitizer are prepared to observe the fast time evolution of radial profiles. This improvement is essential to study fast phenomena such as internal reconnection event (IRE). We increase the TS signal and reduce the stray light by introducing new filters having better optical properties such as high optical density at 1064 nm, transmission, and reflectance. Moreover, the optimum reverse bias voltages are newly set to make the system operational independent of the background radiation. As a result, 1 kHz radial profiles of the core electron temperature and density are measured for the first time, showing characteristics of IREs in VEST.

Development of a filtered AXUV diode array for X-pinch soft x-ray spectra in the energy range of 1-10 keV.

We develop a filtered absolute extreme ultraviolet (AXUV) diode array to measure the time evolution of the soft x-ray spectrum in the energy range of 1-10 keV. AXUV-HS5, the detector, has a fast rise time of 0.7 ns, a wide energy detection range, and high accessibility. We use Geant4 simulations to design an appropriate filter set for flat-and-sharp virtual channels (VCs), where a filter with no spectral edge removes large tails of the response curves. A Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) method, sensitive to the expected spectral function, is improved to reliably generate a continuous radiation spectrum, by utilizing spectral information from the least-squares (LS) method that reconstructs a discrete spectrum with low spectral resolution directly from the VCs. We test the filtered AXUV diode array on an X-pinch device with a peak current of 140 kA at Seoul National University; the array with ten channels is installed in a vacuum chamber. For a two-wire 40 µm stainless steel X-pinch, x-ray power, radiation temperature, and the reconstructed x-ray spectrum are obtained from the filtered AXUV diode array by the combined LS-LM method.

Development of an ultrafast charge exchange spectroscopy system on the KSTAR tokamak.

An ultrafast charge exchange spectroscopy (UFCES) system has been designed for measuring fluctuations in ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity. The UFCES on the KSTAR tokamak is a powerful tool for investigating plasma instabilities and long-wavelength turbulence related to ion temperature gradient and flow. The UFCES system is designed to measure the C VI line (n = 8 → 7, λ0 = 529.05 nm) from the charge exchange reaction between a deuterium-heating neutral beam and the intrinsic carbon impurity in KSTAR. The ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity at two radial positions will be observed simultaneously with UFCES. The key difference between the UFCES system and conventional charge exchange spectrometers is the application of high-throughput collection optics, a high-efficiency transmission grating combined with prisms, and a high-speed detector. We use a comprehensive spectrum simulation code with input parameters of KSTAR's plasmas and a neutral beam injection system to estimate the performance of the designed UFCES system. The results simulated with the code show that the diagnostic achieves a turbulence-relevant time resolution of 10 µs with a high enough signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, a preliminary test is performed using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor camera and Ne spectral lamp to confirm the linear dispersion and curvature radius.

Exploring the nonextensive thermodynamics of partially ionized gas in magnetic field.

Contrary to classical thermodynamics, which deals with systems in thermal equilibrium, partially ionized gases generally do not reach thermal equilibrium. Nonextensive statistical mechanics has helped extend classical thermodynamics to nonequilibrium ionized gas. However, the fundamental question on whether the statistics of non-Maxwellian electrons satisfy the laws of thermodynamics has not been resolved. Here, we verify the thermodynamic laws of reversible and adiabatic processes for a magnetically expanding ionized gas. Together with the experimental evidence of the non-Maxwellian electron distribution, the κ distribution, which measures the thermal equilibrium states, shows the Tsallis entropy to be nearly constant and the polytropic index to be close to adiabatic values along a divergent magnetic field. These results verify that the collisionless magnetic expansion of a nonequilibrium plasma is reversible and adiabatic, and an isentropic process is the origin of the high-energy tail of the energy distribution far downstream.

A modular X-pinch device for versatile X-pinch experiments at Seoul National University.

This paper describes an X-pinch device recently developed at Seoul National University (SNU). The SNU X-pinch device is designed and fabricated to accommodate various diagnostics as well as conduct versatile experiments. It is easy to change the capacitance of the pulse generator because the capacitor bank has a modular design without insulation oil or gas. This allows us to perform a variety of experiments with a wide capacitance range from 80 to 800 nF. The operating voltage of the SNU X-pinch device is controlled from 20 to 100 kV by adjusting the gas pressure inside a triggered spark-gap switch. Triggering of the spark-gap switch is synchronized with the operation of a pulsed laser to diagnose the X-pinch plasma at the proper time. A large vacuum chamber precisely machined from an aluminum mono-block is attached to the top of the pulse generator. It is designed to accommodate not only various X-pinch loads but also various diagnostic apparatus such as optical components. Initial experiments with the SNU X-pinch device have successfully generated x rays with wires of various materials and sizes. The device will be used not only to explore the dynamics of X-pinch plasmas but also as a test stand for diagnostics of high-energy-density plasmas.

Data analysis scheme for correcting general misalignments of an optics configuration for a voltage measurement system based on the Pockels electro-optic effect.

Having a sub-ns response time and not requiring physical contacts to the measurement points, a voltage measurement system based on the Pockels electro-optic effect, referred to as a PE (Pockels effect)-based voltmeter, is widely used for pulsed high voltage devices such as accelerators and X-pinch systems. To correct for the misalignment of a Pockels cell and the transmittance ratio of a beam splitter, a polar-coordinate-based data analysis scheme has been proposed. This scheme also overcomes a limitation on the measurable range of a PE-based voltmeter without ambiguity and can measure the half-wave voltage of a Pockels cell. We present an improved polar-coordinate-based data analysis scheme using an ellipse fitting method, which can correct for misalignments of all the optics components of a PE-based voltmeter while keeping the advantages of the previous scheme. We show the results of the improved data analysis scheme for measuring a slowly modulated voltage up to approximately 5 kV in about 30 s and a pulsed high voltage up to 7 kV with a rise time of less than 20 ns.

Improved gating device of time-of-flight ion mass analyzer for ion sources.

A gating device is a critical component in a time-of-flight (TOF) ion mass analyzer for identifying ion species extracted from ion sources according to their mass-to-charge ratio. It consists of several concentric ring electrodes to deflect as many ions as possible within a very short gate time, thus increasing the ion current collected in a Faraday cup. In this study, we further improve the ion collection efficiency of the gating device by minimizing potential distortion along the paths of ions, by modifying the structure of gate electrodes and applying a bipolar gate pulse on them. Using the improved gating device, we find that the ion beam current increased by nearly 50% compared to the conventional one without changing the noise level. The improved TOF system is well applied to identify the spectrum of ion species extracted from a cold cathode Penning ion source, depending on the operating conditions.

Self-consistent circuit model for plasma source ion implantation.

A self-consistent circuit model which can describe the dynamic behavior of the entire pulsed system for plasma source ion implantation has been developed and verified with experiments. In the circuit model, one-dimensional fluid equations of plasma sheath have been numerically solved with self-consistent boundary conditions from the external circuit model including the pulsed power system. Experiments have been conducted by applying negative, high-voltage pulses up to -10 kV with a capacitor-based pulse modulator to the planar target in contact with low-pressure argon plasma produced by radio-frequency power at 13.56 MHz. The measured pulse voltage and current waveforms as well as the sheath motion have shown good agreements with the simulation results.

Simple and accurate method of diamagnetic flux measurement in Versatile Experimental Spherical Torus (VEST).

Diamagnetic flux is measured accurately in the Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus by simply measuring the change in the toroidal field (TF) coil current without additional poloidal loops. Stray couplings mainly with the plasma current (since poloidal field coils are aligned well to the TF coils) are compensated for, resulting in the minimum measurable flux of ±0.2 mWb determined mainly by the finite sensitivity of the TF coil current sensor, implying that the accuracy of this simple method can be improved by measuring the TF coil current change with a higher sensitivity. The poloidal beta is derived from the measured diamagnetic flux with the consideration of the low aspect ratio geometry. The poloidal beta and the plasma stored energy derived from the measurement are in good agreement with those from the equilibrium reconstruction, and the energy confinement time derived from the measurement is consistent with the L mode scaling.

Design of an imaging Fabry-Pérot interferometer for the VEST edge plasma temperature measurement.

A new technique for gas temperature determination in fusion plasmas based on time- and space-resolved imaging interferometry is presented. The proposed imaging interferometer includes a multi-channel optical fiber bundle, a pair of flat mirrors, collimating lenses, and a fast camera for registration of interferometry fringes. The technique is applied for ion temperature measurements in the Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST) tokamak located at the Seoul National University. The multi-channel operation regime of the interferometer is studied by simulations. The first experimental two-channel results obtained using the Hα emission line from the VEST plasma edge are presented and analyzed. The mentioned apparatus is suggested to be especially useful for the multi-point time-resolved characterization of the non-repetitive processes in low-temperature regions of fusion plasmas.

EphrinB1 promotes cancer cell migration and invasion through the interaction with RhoGDI1.

Eph receptors and their corresponding ephrin ligands have been associated with regulating cell-cell adhesion and motility, and thus have a critical role in various biological processes including tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis, as well as pathogenesis of several diseases. Aberrant regulation of Eph/ephrin signaling pathways is implicated in tumor progression of various human cancers. Here, we show that a Rho family GTPase regulator, Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor 1 (RhoGDI1), can interact with ephrinB1, and this interaction is enhanced upon binding the extracellular domain of the cognate EphB2 receptor. Deletion mutagenesis revealed that amino acids 327-334 of the ephrinB1 intracellular domain are critical for the interaction with RhoGDI1. Stimulation with an EphB2 extracellular domain-Fc fusion protein (EphB2-Fc) induces RhoA activation and enhances the motility as well as invasiveness of wild-type ephrinB1-expressing cells. These Eph-Fc-induced effects were markedly diminished in cells expressing the mutant ephrinB1 construct (Δ327-334) that is ineffective at interacting with RhoGDI1. Furthermore, ephrinB1 depletion by siRNA suppresses EphB2-Fc-induced RhoA activation, and reduces motility and invasiveness of the SW480 and Hs578T human cancer cell lines. Our study connects the interaction between RhoGDI1 and ephrinB1 to the promotion of cancer cell behavior associated with tumor progression. This interaction may represent a therapeutic target in cancers that express ephrinB1.

Initial operation results of NE213 scintillation detector for time-resolved measurements on triton burnup in KSTAR.

In time-resolved measurement for triton burnup in Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) deuterium plasmas, an NE213 liquid scintillation detector was installed and operated during the 2017 KSTAR campaign. The detector is composed of an NE213 scintillator (50 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness) and a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The PMT anode signal was processed under a data acquisition system which contains a field programmable gate array circuit and pulse processing software that is capable of discriminating gamma-ray and neutron pulse signals. In order to determine an appropriate threshold level for the 14 MeV neutron signal resulting from triton burnup, the NE213 scintillation detector was calibrated by using d-d and d-t neutron generators at the National Fusion Research Institute and Intense 14 MeV Neutron Source Facility, OKTAVIAN, Osaka University, Japan. The detector was installed on KSTAR with a 10 mm thick soft-iron stray magnetic field shield and a radiation shield which consists of 100 mm thick lead blocks and 200 mm thick borated polyethylene blocks. A discrimination range for d-t neutron was determined based on test results from neutron generators and KSTAR. Data points selected from the discrimination range were consistent with the classical triton confinement characteristics. In conclusion, under condition of an input counting rate of 1.9 × 105 counts per second (CPS), the detector is able to measure triton burnup signals up to 500 CPS for various plasma parameters.