Upgrading the data acquisition and control systems of the European Breeding Blanket Test Facility

The EBBTF (European Breeding Blanket Test Facility) experimental plant is a key component for the development of the breeding blankets (TBMs test blanket modules, HCLL helium cooled lithium lead and HCPB helium cooled pebble bed types) used by ITER. EBBTF is an experimental plant which provides the double breeding/cooling loops (liquid metal and gas) required for HCLL testing. EBBTF is composed of four subsystems (TBM, IELLLO integrated European lead lithium loop, HE-FUS3 helium fusion loop, version 3 and helium compressor build by ATEKO) with dedicated control systems realized with hardware/software combinations covering 15 years (1995–2010) time span. At the end of 2010 we began to upgrade the HE-FUS3 data acquisition control systems (DACS) replacing the obsolete PLC Siemens S5 with National Instruments Compact FieldPoint and LabVIEW. The control room has been completely reorganized using high resolution monitors and workstations linked with standard Ethernet interfaces. The data acquisition, control, safety and SCADA software has been completely developed in ENEA using LabVIEW. In this paper we are going to discuss the technical difficulties and the solutions that we have used to accomplish the upgrade.     

Experimental validation of a geographical information systems-based procedure for predicting pesticide exposure in surface water

A GIS-based procedure for predicting pesticide exposure in surface waters has been applied on a pilot river basin characterized by intensive agricultural activity. The predictive approach has been validated through experimental monitoring, performed by collecting manual and automatic water samples during the productive season. Five active ingredients (terbuthylazine, metolachlor, alachlor, linuron, fenitrothion) were selected for analysis to validate the predictive approach. Comparison between predicted and experimental values showed good agreement for terbuthylazine and metolachlor (used in large volumes within the basin), demonstrating the reliability of the approach. However, some anomalous results were obtained for some of the other chemicals, which serve to highlight the difficulties in getting reliable input data, in particular on application patterns (rate and time). Furthermore, the value of mapping pesticide exposure on the medium-large scale is described, and the limitations of the reported predictive approach are discussed.     

Reactive Compatibilizer Precursors for LDPE/PA6 Blends, 4

Summary: The effectiveness of some thermoplastic elastomers grafted with maleic anhydride (MA) or with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) as compatibilizer precursors (CPs) for blends of low density polyethylene (LDPE) with polyamide‐6 (PA) has been studied. The CPs were produced by grafting different amounts of MA or GMA onto a styrene‐block‐(ethylene‐co‐1‐butene)‐block‐styrene copolymer (SEBS) (KRATON G 1652), either in the melt or in solution. A commercially available SEBS‐g‐MA copolymer with 1.7 wt.‐% MA (KRATON FG 1901X) was also used. The effect of the MA concentration and of other characteristics of the SEBS‐g‐MA CPs was also studied. The specific interactions between the CPs and the blends components were investigated through characterizations of the binary LDPE/CP and PA/CP blends, in the whole composition range. It was demonstrated that the SEBS‐g‐GMA copolymers display poor compatibilizing effectiveness due to cross‐linking resulting from reactions of the epoxy rings of these CPs with both the amine and the carboxyl end groups of PA. On the contrary, the compatibilizing efficiency of the MA‐grafted elastomers, as revealed by the thermal properties and the morphology of the compatibilized blends, was shown to be excellent. The results of this study confirm that the anhydride functional groups possess considerably higher efficiency, for the reactive compatibilization of LDPE/PA blends, than those of the ethylene‐acrylic acid and ethylene‐glycidyl methacrylate copolymers investigated in previous works.

SEM micrograph of the 75/25 LD08/PA blend (with 2 phr SEBSMA1).     

Solid Acid‐Catalysed Michael‐Type Conjugate Addition of Indoles to Electron‐Poor CC Bonds: Towards High Atom Economical Semicontinuous Processes

In this paper a novel application of solid acid catalysts in the chemoselective Friedel–Crafts (FC) alkylation of indoles is reported. The optimal protocol allows highly functionalised indolyl compounds to be synthesised in excellent yields through conjugate addition of indoles with α,β‐unsaturated ketones and nitro compounds. Finally, the use of commercial Amberlyst‐15 as the heterogeneous catalyst for highly atom efficient continuous and semicontinuous Friedel–Crafts processes is described.     

Toward the discovery of novel anti-HIV drugs. Second-generation inhibitors of the cellular ATPase DDX3 with improved anti-HIV activity: synthesis, structure-activity relationship analysis, cytotoxicity studies, and target validation

A hit optimization protocol applied to the first nonnucleoside inhibitor of the ATPase activity of human DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX3 led to the design and synthesis of second-generation rhodanine derivatives with better inhibitory activity toward cellular DDX3 and HIV-1 replication. Additional DDX3 inhibitors were identified among triazine compounds. Biological data were rationalized in terms of structure-activity relationships and docking simulations. Antiviral activity and cytotoxicity of selected DDX3 inhibitors are reported and discussed. A thorough analysis confirmed human DDX3 as a valid anti-HIV target. The compounds described herein represent a significant advance in the pursuit of novel drugs that target HIV-1 host cofactors.     

Dynamic substrate enhancement for the identification of specific, second-site-binding fragments targeting a set of protein tyrosine phosphatases

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are key regulators in living systems and thus are attractive drug targets. The development of potent, selective PTP inhibitors has been a difficult challenge mainly due to the high homology of the phosphotyrosine substrate pockets. Here, a strategy of dynamic substrate enhancement is described targeting the secondary binding sites of PTPs. By screening four different PTPs from bacterial (MptpA) and human origin (PTP1B, HePtp, Shp2) with this assay, specific fragments were identified. One highly specific fragment that binds to the secondary site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein tyrosine phosphatase A (MptpA) was characterized in order to validate the assay concept. Finally by covalently linking the secondary fragment to a phosphotyrosine mimetic, a moderately active but highly specific inhibitor of MptpA was obtained.     

A flow cell for transient voltammetry and in situ grazing incidence X-ray diffraction characterization of electrocrystallized cadmium(II) tetracyanoquinodimethane

An easy to fabricate and versatile cell that can be used with a variety of electrochemical techniques, also meeting the stringent requirement for undertaking cyclic voltammetry under transient conditions in in situ electrocrystallization studies and total external reflection X-ray analysis, has been developed. Application is demonstrated through an in situ synchrotron radiation-grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (SR-GIXRD) characterization of electrocrystallized cadmium (II)-tetracyanoquinodimethane material, Cd(TCNQ)₂, from acetonitrile (0.1 mol dm⁻³ [NBu₄][PF₆]). Importantly, this versatile cell design makes SR-GIXRD suitable for almost any combination of total external reflection X-ray analysis (e.g., GIXRF and GIXRD) and electrochemical perturbation, also allowing its application in acidic, basic, aqueous, non-aqueous, low and high flow pressure conditions. Nevertheless, the cell design separates the functions of transient voltammetry and SR-GIXRD measurements, viz., voltammetry is performed at high flow rates with a substantially distended window to minimize the IR (Ohmic) drop of the electrolyte, while SR-GIXRD is undertaken using stop-flow conditions with a very thin layer of electrolyte to minimize X-ray absorption and scattering by the solution.     

Impedance of blocking electrodes having parallel cylindrical pores with distributed radii

The impedance of blocking porous electrodes having parallel cylindrical pores with a lognormal distribution of their radii, identical pore depth and identical pore volume is calculated. Electrodes with size distribution of variable width, defined by different standard deviation (σ) values, are compared. The effect of varying σ is illustrated for the following cases: (i) the number of pores per unit surface (n) varies with σ while the median of the pore radius distribution (r_μ) remains constant; (ii) r_μ varies with σ while n remains constant; (iii) both n and r_μ vary with σ. It is shown that, although the general shape of the impedance plots is similar in all cases, the assumptions concerning n and r_μ have a major effect on the calculated frequency dependence. All impedance plots exhibit porous behaviour at high frequency and capacitive behaviour at low frequency, the transition being smoother for larger σ values. However, the frequency around which the porous-to-capacitive transition occurs depends on the additional assumptions: it increases as σ increases in cases (i) and (ii) but, in accordance with other authors’ calculations, decreases as σ increases for case (iii).     

Electrodeposition of porous Co layers and their conversion to electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation by spontaneous deposition of Pd

Electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation were prepared through a two stage deposition process: porous cobalt layers were deposited, by cathodic reduction of Co²⁺ ions, and then modified by spontaneous deposition of Pd. A basic sulphate solution and a mildly acid chloride solution were compared as media for the electrodeposition of Co. Deposits with the highest surface roughness were obtained in the chloride solution, at large current densities. Pd was deposited onto the Co porous layers by immersing them in acid deaerated PdCl₂ solutions, at open circuit. The Pd loading and the Pd surface area were estimated by UV–visible spectroscopy and by cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The Pd-modified Co electrodes were tested as anodes for methanol oxidation and compared to the similarly prepared Pd-modified Ni electrodes. The former exhibited better stability of performance and higher methanol oxidation peak currents per unit Pd mass, ca. 200 A g⁻¹.