Development of FPGA-based multi-sensor excitation low voltage (MSELV) chassis at Jefferson Lab.

The design and development of the sensor excitation and read back chassis was driven by the requirements for the monitoring and control of two conduction-cooled superconducting magnets in Hall B for the 12 GeV accelerator upgrade. The torus and solenoid superconducting magnets require extensive instrumentation. Sensor selection was accomplished by applying Jefferson Lab's (JLab) risk mitigation process, which employed a failure modes and effects analysis approach. The goal was to accommodate all sensor types for monitoring and control and to develop a generic multisensor excitation low voltage chassis that would be used across both magnet systems with a reduced set of functions. The chassis has been deployed in experimental Hall B at JLab and has been performing successfully since July 2016.

Calorimetric method of ac loss measurement in a rotating magnetic field.

A method is described for calorimetric ac-loss measurements of high-T(c) superconductors (HTS) at 80 K. It is based on a technique used at 4.2 K for conventional superconducting wires that allows an easy loss measurement in parallel or perpendicular external field orientation. This paper focuses on ac loss measurement setup and calibration in a rotating magnetic field. This experimental setup is to demonstrate measuring loss using a temperature rise method under the influence of a rotating magnetic field. The slight temperature increase of the sample in an ac-field is used as a measure of losses. The aim is to simulate the loss in rotating machines using HTS. This is a unique technique to measure total ac loss in HTS at power frequencies. The sample is mounted on to a cold finger extended from a liquid nitrogen heat exchanger (HEX). The thermal insulation between the HEX and sample is provided by a material of low thermal conductivity, and low eddy current heating sample holder in vacuum vessel. A temperature sensor and noninductive heater have been incorporated in the sample holder allowing a rapid sample change. The main part of the data is obtained in the calorimetric measurement is used for calibration. The focus is on the accuracy and calibrations required to predict the actual ac losses in HTS. This setup has the advantage of being able to measure the total ac loss under the influence of a continuous moving field as experienced by any rotating machines.

1,2-dithiol-3-thione and dithioester analogues: potential radioprotectors.

Several 1,2-dithiol-3-thione and dithioester compounds were assayed for radioprotective capabilities in EMT6 cells in vitro. The 1,2-dithiol-3-thiones were generally more cytotoxic than the dithioesters and in some instances were more cytotoxic toward hypoxic cells than toward normally oxygenated cells. When the drugs were present at a concentration of 500 microM for 1 h prior to and during radiation delivery, the 5-(2-thienyl)-1,2-dithiol-3-thione produced a radiation protection factor (RPF) of 2.7 at 1 log of cell kill. The 4-methyl analogue of this same compound was, however, much less effective, producing a RPF of only 1.2. The 4-ethoxycarbonyl analogue was moderately active, producing a RPF of 1.7. The 4-methyl-5-(2-pyrazinyl)-1,2-dithiol-3-thione (Oltipraz) was least effective, yielding a RPF of only 1.1. Of the dithioesters tested, methyl 3-pyrrolidino-2-phenylpropene dithiocarboxylate produced a RPF of 2.6, methyl 3-piperidino-2-phenylpropenedithiocarboxylate a RPF of 2.7, and the corresponding 3-morpholino and 3-thiomorpholino derivatives RPF values of 2.7 and 2.9, respectively. The iodide salt of 4-ethoxycarbonyl-5-(2-thienyl)-1,2-dithiol-3-thione produced a RPF of 2.6 Methyl 3-cyclohexylamino-2-phenylpropenedithiocarboxylate was equally effective (RPF = 2.6). Finally, methyl 3-morpholino-3-thienyl-2-methylpropenedithiocarboxylate and methyl 3-morpholino-3-(2-pyrazinyl)-2-methylpropenedithiocarboxylate were less effective, producing RPF values of 2.0 and 1.6, respectively. These results demonstrate that several of these compounds are highly effective radioprotectors. In vitro and in vivo studies testing their efficacy are underway.

Antiradiation compounds. XXII. Methyl 3-amino-2-phenyldithiopropenoates and 1,1-bis(methylthio)-3-amino-2-phenyl-1-propenes.

The title compounds were prepared in the attempt to provide methylthio and bis(methylthio) analogues of the radioprotective pyridinium- and quinolinium-2-dithioacetic acid derivatives in which the methylthio function is attached to an amino group through an aliphatic chain. The methyl 3-amino-2-phenyldithiopropenoates were obtained by the reaction of amines with 4-phenyl-3-methylthio-1,2-dithiolium iodide, and the 1,1-bis(methylthio)-3-amino-2-phenyl-1-propenes were obtained by methylation and reduction of the dithiopropenoates. The methyl dithiopropenoates with aliphatic substituents on the nitrogen gave only fair or poor radiation protection in mice, and one example of the reduced bis(methylthio) derivatives tested was inactive. The precursor 1,2-dithiole-3-thione and its methiodide, predicted to be radiation protective, were found inactive in this test.

Antiradiation compounds. 20. 1-Methylquinolinium(and pyridinium)-2-dithioacetic acid derivatives.

A new class of radiation-protective compounds has been found in the bis(methylthio) and methylthio amino derivatives of 1-methylquinolinium- and 1-methylpyridinium-2-dithioacetic acids. The compounds gave good protection to mice vs. 1000-rad gamma-radiation in ip doses of 10 mg/kg or less, much lower than those required for the aminoalkyl thiols (approximately 150-600 mg/kg). The dithioacetic acid zwitterions were prepared from the base-catalyzed reaction of carbon disulfide with quinaldine and picoline methiodides, and the bis(methylthio) derivatives resulted from reaction with methyl iodide at room temperature. Replacement of one methylthio moiety took place readily on reaction of the bis(methylthio) derivatives with 1 molar equiv of an amine. The best protective activity was found with the methylthio piperidino derivative in both the quinolinium and pyridinium series.

Substrate stereochemistry of 2-methyl-branched-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase: elimination of one hydrogen each from (pro-2S)-methyl and alpha-methine of isobutyryl-CoA.

Dehydrogenation of (2S)-[3-13C]isobutyryl-CoA was carried out in vitro using 2-methyl-branched-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase purified from rat liver mitochondria. The product was subsequently hydrated by the addition of bovine crotonase. The resulting 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid was predominantly enriched with 13C at the beta-hydroxy position as determined as a methyl ester using electron ionization-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. This finding indicates that isobutyryl-CoA is dehydrogenated stereospecifically at the (pro-2S)-methyl and alpha-methine groups to form methacrylyl-CoA, which is later hydrated with the addition of hydrogen on the same side of the molecule from which it was subtracted to produce 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-CoA.

Coenzyme A biosynthesis: steric course of 4'-phosphopantothenoyl-L-cysteine decarboxylase.

4'-Phosphopantothenoyl-L-cysteine decarboxylase (PPC decarboxylase) was partially purified from rat liver. 4'-Phosphopantothenoyl[2-2H1]-L-cysteine was synthesized and converted by PPC decarboxylase to 4'-phosphol[1-2H1]pantetheine. The product was degraded by reduction with Raney nickel followed by acidic hydrolysis to [1-2H1]ethylamine. The latter was converted to the (-)-camphanamide derivative, NMR studies of which revealed that the deuterium was located in the pro-1S position. Also, unlabeled 4'-phosphopantothenoyl-L-cysteine was incubated with PPC decarboxylase in D2O, giving, after degradation, the (-)-camphanamide of (1R)-[1-2H1]ethylamine. The results show that the decarboxylation takes place with retention of configuration. These results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms for the decarboxylation.

Cell-mediated mutagenicity in Chinese hamster V79 cells of dibenzopyrenes and their bay-region fluorine-substituted derivatives.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dibenzo(a,i)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)pyrene, each of which possesses two bay regions, and their bay-region difluorinated derivatives were tested for mutagenicity for ouabain and 6-thioguanine resistance in Chinese hamster V79 cells. Since V79 cells do not metabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mutagenesis was tested in both the presence and the absence of golden hamster embryo cells capable of metabolizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Neither of the dibenzopyrenes nor their fluorinated derivatives were mutagenic in the absence of the golden hamster embryo cells. In the presence of these cells (cell-mediated assay), both dibenzopyrenes were mutagenic, whereas the difluorinated derivatives, 2,10-difluorodibenzo-(a,i)pyrene and 3,10-difluorodibenzo(a,h)pyrene, either were inactive or exhibited (on a dose basis) a weak response. However, the mutagenicity of the dibenzopyrenes was eliminated when they were coincubated with 7,8-benzoflavone, a mixed-function oxidase inhibitor. The results suggest that metabolic oxidation of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at the bay region (presumably to diol-epoxides) is required for a mutagenic response in the cell-mediated assay.