Tokamak D-T neutron source models for different plasma physics confinement modes

Neutronic studies of European demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) have been so far based on plasma physics low confinement mode (L-mode). Future tokamaks, nevertheless, may likely use alternative confinement modes such as high or advanced confinement modes (H&A-mode). Based on analytical formulae used in plasma physics, H&A-modes D-T neutron sources formulae are proposed in this paper. For that purpose, a tokamak random neutron source generator, TRANSGEN, has been built generating bidimensional (radial and poloidal) neutron source maps to be used as input for neutronics Monte-Carlo codes (TRIPOLI-4 and MCNP5). The impact of such a source on the neutronic behavior of the European DEMO-2007 Helium-cooled lithium–lead reactor concept has been assessed and compared with previous results obtained using a L-mode neutron source. An A-mode neutron source map from TRANSGEN has been used with the code TRIPOLI-4. Assuming the same fusion power, results show that main reactor global neutronic parameters, e.g. tritium breeding ratio and neutron multiplication factor, evolved slightly when compared to present uncertainties margin. However, local parameters, such as the neutron wall loading (NWL), change significantly compared to L-mode shape: from ?22% to +11% for NWL.     

The Effect of the Addition of Emulsifiers on the Pasting Properties of Barley Grain and Malt

The characteristics of the starch granule such as swelling, breakdown and retrogradation in large determines the texture and stability of starchy foods. However, other characteristics of the grain and/or the presence or addition of chemical compounds to the grain/food matrix can modify or alter these properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of an emulsifier (Tween 20 and 80) on the pasting properties of barley grain and malt using the rapid visco analyser (RVA). A decrease in peak viscosity (PV, cP), breakdown (B, cP) and final viscosity (FV, cP), while an increase in time to peak (TTP, min) and pasting temperature (PT, °C) as consequence of the addition of Tween 20 was observed. However, this trend was not the same for all the varieties analysed. Overall, these results showed that complex between sugars and lipids are present in barley flour and malt. The practical implications of this study are related with the fact that starch alone (amylose and amylopectin) might not be necessarily the only main driver of malt quality in barley.     

Benchmarking of the 3-D CAD-based Discrete Ordinates code “ATTILA” for dose rate calculations against experiments and Monte Carlo calculations

Shutdown dose rate (SDDR) inside and around the diagnostics ports of ITER is performed at PPPL/UCLA using the 3-D, FEM, Discrete Ordinates code, ATTILA, along with its updated FORNAX transmutation/decay gamma library. Other ITER partners assess SDDR using codes based on the Monte Carlo (MC) approach (e.g. MCNP code) for transport calculation and the radioactivity inventory code FISPACT or other equivalent decay data libraries for dose rate assessment. To reveal the range of discrepancies in the results obtained by various analysts, an extensive experimental and calculation benchmarking effort has been undertaken to validate the capability of ATTILA for dose rate assessment. On the experimental validation front, the comparison was performed using the measured data from two SDDR experiments performed at the FNG facility, Italy. Comparison was made to the experimental data and to MC results obtained by other analysts. On the calculation validation front, the ATTILA's predictions were compared to other results at key locations inside a calculation benchmark whose configuration duplicates an upper diagnostics port plug (UPP) in ITER. Both serial and parallel version of ATTILA-7.1.0 are used in the PPPL/UCLA analysis performed with FENDL-2.1/FORNAX databases. In the FNG 1st experimental, it was shown that ATTILA's dose rates are largely over estimated (by ～30–60%) with the ANSI/ANS-6.1.1 flux-to-dose factors whereas the ICRP-74 factors give better agreement (10–20%) with the experimental data and with the MC results at all cooling times. In the 2nd experiment, there is an under estimation in SDDR calculated by both MCNP and ATTILA based on ANSI/ANS-6.1.1 for cooling times up to ～4 days after irradiation. Thereafter, an over estimation is observed (～5–10% with MCNP and ～10–15% with ATTILA). As for the calculation benchmark, the agreement is much better based on ICRP-74 1996 data. The divergence among all dose rate results at ～11 days cooling time is no more than 15% among all participants.     

Heat Transfer in Water-Based SiC and TiO2 Nanofluids

The article reports the results of heat transfer experimental tests on water-based TiO₂ (9 wt%) and SiC (3, 6, 9 wt%) nanofluids. Measurements were performed in a two-loop test rig for immediate comparison of the thermal performances of the nanofluid with the base fluid. The convective heat transfer is evaluated in a circular pipe heated with uniform heat flux (from 20 to 240 kW/m²) and flow regimes from laminar to turbulent. Tests have been performed to compare the heat transfer of nanofluids and water at the same velocity (from 0.7 to 1.6 m/s) or Reynolds number (from 300 to 6000), and they have also been compared with values calculated from some of the most widely used correlations. The analysis of the experimental data shows a strong dependence on the parameter used, while both the nanofluid and water data have the same agreement with the calculated values. Nanofluids were manufactured through a two-step procedure: laser synthesis of nanoparticles followed by dispersion in water.     

Modulatory Effects of Polyphenols on Apoptosis Induction: Relevance for Cancer Prevention

Polyphenols, occurring in fruit and vegetables, wine, tea, extra virgin olive oil, chocolate and other cocoa products, have been demonstrated to have clear antioxidant properties in vitro, and many of their biological actions have been attributed to their intrinsic reducing capabilities. However, it has become clear that, in complex biological systems, polyphenols exhibit several additional properties which are yet poorly understood. Apoptosis is a genetically controlled and evolutionarily conserved form of cell death of critical importance for the normal embryonic development and for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis in the adult organism. The malfunction of the death machinery may play a primary role in various pathological processes, since too little or too much apoptosis can lead to proliferative or degenerative diseases, respectively. Cancer cells are characterized by a deregulated proliferation, and/or an inability to undergo programmed cell death. A large body of evidence indicates that polyphenols can exert chemopreventive effects towards different organ specific cancers, affecting the overall process of carcinogenesis by several mechanisms: inhibition of DNA synthesis, modulation of ROS production, regulation of cell cycle arrest, modulation of survival/proliferation pathways. In addition, polyphenols can directly influence different points of the apoptotic process, and/or the expression of regulatory proteins. Although the bulk of data has been obtained in in vitro systems, a number of clinical studies suggesting a preventive and therapeutic effectiveness of polyphenols in vivo is available. However, a deeper knowledge of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the modulation of apoptosis by polyphenols, and their real effectiveness, is necessary in order to propose them as potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic candidates for cancer treatment.     

Biological and technical variables affecting immunoassay recovery of cytokines from human serum and simulated vaginal fluid: a multicenter study

The increase of proinflammatory cytokines in vaginal secretions may serve as a surrogate marker of unwanted inflammatory reaction to microbicide products topically applied for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-1. Interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 have been proposed as indicators of inflammation and increased risk of HIV-1 transmission; however, the lack of information regarding detection platforms optimal for vaginal fluids and interlaboratory variation limit their use for microbicide evaluation and other clinical applications. This study examines fluid matrix variants relevant to vaginal sampling techniques and proposes a model for interlaboratory comparisons across current cytokine detection technologies. IL-1beta and IL-6 standards were measured by 12 laboratories in four countries, using 14 immunoassays and four detection platforms based on absorbance, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, and fluorescence. International reference preparations of cytokines with defined biological activity were spiked into (1) a defined medium simulating the composition of human vaginal fluid at pH 4.5 and 7.2, (2) physiologic salt solutions (phosphate-buffered saline and saline) commonly used for vaginal lavage sampling in clinical studies of cytokines, and (3) human blood serum. Assays were assessed for reproducibility, linearity, accuracy, and significantly detectable fold difference in cytokine level. Factors with significant impact on cytokine recovery were determined by Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance with Dunn's multiple comparison test and multiple regression models. All assays showed acceptable intra-assay reproducibility; however, most were associated with significant interlaboratory variation. The smallest reliably detectable cytokine differences ( P < 0.05) derived from pooled interlaboratory data varied from 1.5- to 26-fold depending on assay, cytokine, and matrix type. IL-6 but not IL-1beta determinations were lower in both saline and phosphate-buffered saline as compared to vaginal fluid matrix, with no significant effect of pH. The (electro)chemiluminescence-based assays were most discriminative and consistently detected <2-fold differences within each matrix type. The Luminex-based assays were less discriminative with lower reproducibility between laboratories. These results suggest the need for uniform vaginal sampling techniques and a better understanding of immunoassay platform differences and cross-validation before the biological significance of cytokine variations can be validated in clinical trials. This investigation provides the first standardized analytic approach for assessing differences in mucosal cytokine levels and may improve strategies for monitoring immune responses at the vaginal mucosal interface.     

Inactivation of Spoiling Yeasts of Fruit Juices by Pulsed Ultrasound

This paper reports on the use of ultrasound (US) as a suitable strategy to control the growth of spoiling yeasts in fruit juices. In a first phase, US technique was tested towards Saccharomyces cerevisiae inoculated in different juices (strawberry, orange, apple, pineapple and red-fruits): the treatment was performed by modulating the level of the power (20–60 %), the duration of the treatment (2–6 min) and the pulse (2–6 s), according to a fractional design. Then, the best treatment was applied against some other spoiling yeasts (Pichia membranifaciens, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Candida norvegica). Finally, a challenge test for a commercial beverage (red-fruit juice), inoculated with Z. bailii and containing a citrus extract, was conducted evaluating the effect of US on the sensory scores of the beverage. The results showed that the effect of US was mainly influenced by the power and the duration of the treatment; on the other hand, the effect of pulse was less significant and slight. The highest reduction of S. cerevisiae was found in the following combination of the design: power 60 %/time 4 min/pulse 2 s and power 60 %/time 6 min/pulse 6 s; this result was confirmed for the other spoiling yeasts. US and citrus extract could be combined to prolong the shelf life of the red-fruit juice and control the growth of Z. bailii. The two hurdles exerted a different role and acted in different times: US reduced the initial contamination, whilst citrus extract controlled the yeast within the storage.     

Evaluation of the use of attenuated total reflectance mid infrared spectroscopy to determine fatty acids in intact seeds of barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy was evaluated to measure fatty acids (FA) and total lipids in intact seed barley (Hordeum vulgare) samples. Results from this study demonstrated the capability of ATR-MIR spectroscopy coupled with partial least squares (PLS) regression to measure FA non-destructively in intact barley seeds. The coefficients of determination in cross validation (R²) and the standard error of cross validation (SECV) were 0.76 and 0.004 g 100 g⁻¹ for stearic, 0.75 and 0.037 g 100 g⁻¹ for oleic, 0.45 and 0.02 g 100 g⁻¹ for palmitic acids, and 0.89 and 0.13 g 100 g⁻¹ for total lipids, respectively. The practical implications of this study showed that ATR-MIR spectroscopy confer valuable benefits for the grain industry and in particular in breeding programs as a non-destructive high throughput method.