| 1. |
- Fenstermacher, M.E., et al.
(författare)
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DIII-D research advancing the physics basis for optimizing the tokamak approach to fusion energy
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 62:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for the operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-I p steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. For the non-nuclear phase of ITER, two actuators are identified to lower the L-H threshold power in hydrogen plasmas. With this physics understanding and suite of capabilities, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q = 10 in ITER at ∼8 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-I p beam injection was coupled to a radiative divertor. The hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for anomalous current diffusion, using off-axis current drive actuators. Also, a controller to assess proximity to stability limits and regulate β N in the ITER baseline scenario, based on plasma response to probing 3D fields, was demonstrated. Finally, innovative tokamak operation using a negative triangularity shape showed many attractive features for future pilot plant operation.
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| 2. |
- Prins, J. T. H., et al.
(författare)
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Surgical stabilization versus nonoperative treatment for flail and non-flail rib fracture patterns in patients with traumatic brain injury
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1863-9933 .- 1863-9941. ; 48:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Literature on outcomes after SSRF, stratified for rib fracture pattern is scarce in patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; Glasgow Coma Scale <= 12). We hypothesized that SSRF is associated with improved outcomes as compared to nonoperative management without hampering neurological recovery in these patients. Methods A post hoc subgroup analysis of the multicenter, retrospective CWIS-TBI study was performed in patients with TBI and stratified by having sustained a non-flail fracture pattern or flail chest between January 1, 2012 and July 31, 2019. The primary outcome was mechanical ventilation-free days and secondary outcomes were in-hospital outcomes. In multivariable analysis, outcomes were assessed, stratified for rib fracture pattern. Results In total, 449 patients were analyzed. In patients with a non-flail fracture pattern, 25 of 228 (11.0%) underwent SSRF and in patients with a flail chest, 86 of 221 (38.9%). In multivariable analysis, ventilator-free days were similar in both treatment groups. For patients with a non-flail fracture pattern, the odds of pneumonia were significantly lower after SSRF (odds ratio 0.29; 95% CI 0.11-0.77; p = 0.013). In patients with a flail chest, the ICU LOS was significantly shorter in the SSRF group (beta, - 2.96 days; 95% CI - 5.70 to - 0.23; p = 0.034). Conclusion In patients with TBI and a non-flail fracture pattern, SSRF was associated with a reduced pneumonia risk. In patients with TBI and a flail chest, a shorter ICU LOS was observed in the SSRF group. In both groups, SSRF was safe and did not hamper neurological recovery.
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| 3. |
- Rudakov, D. L., et al.
(författare)
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Dust measurements in tokamaks (invited)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 79:10, s. 10F303-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dust production and accumulation present potential safety and operational issues for the ITER. Dust diagnostics can be divided into two groups: diagnostics of dust on surfaces and diagnostics of dust in plasma. Diagnostics from both groups are employed in contemporary tokamaks; new diagnostics suitable for ITER are also being developed and tested. Dust accumulation in ITER is likely to occur in hidden areas, e.g., between tiles and under divertor baffles. A novel electrostatic dust detector for monitoring dust in these regions has been developed and tested at PPPL. In the DIII-D tokamak dust diagnostics include Mie scattering from Nd:YAG lasers, visible imaging, and spectroscopy. Laser scattering is able to resolve particles between 0.16 and 1.6 mu m in diameter; using these data the total dust content in the edge plasmas and trends in the dust production rates within this size range have been established. Individual dust particles are observed by visible imaging using fast framing cameras, detecting dust particles of a few microns in diameter and larger. Dust velocities and trajectories can be determined in two-dimension with a single camera or three-dimension using multiple cameras, but determination of particle size is challenging. In order to calibrate diagnostics and benchmark dust dynamics modeling, precharacterized carbon dust has been injected into the lower divertor of DIII-D. Injected dust is seen by cameras, and spectroscopic diagnostics observe an increase in carbon line (CI, CII, C(2) dimer) and thermal continuum emissions from the injected dust. The latter observation can be used in the design of novel dust survey diagnostics.
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| 4. |
- Kemaladewi, Dwi U, et al.
(författare)
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A mutation-independent approach for muscular dystrophy via upregulation of a modifier gene
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 572:7767, s. 125-130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neuromuscular disorders are often caused by heterogeneous mutations in large, structurally complex genes. Targeting compensatory modifier genes could be beneficial to improve disease phenotypes. Here we report a mutation-independent strategy to upregulate the expression of a disease-modifying gene associated with congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A) using the CRISPR activation system in mice. MDC1A is caused by mutations in LAMA2 that lead to nonfunctional laminin-α2, which compromises the stability of muscle fibres and the myelination of peripheral nerves. Transgenic overexpression of Lama1, which encodes a structurally similar protein called laminin-α1, ameliorates muscle wasting and paralysis in mouse models of MDC1A, demonstrating its importance as a compensatory modifier of the disease1. However, postnatal upregulation of Lama1 is hampered by its large size, which exceeds the packaging capacity of vehicles that are clinically relevant for gene therapy. We modulate expression of Lama1 in the dy2j/dy2j mouse model of MDC1A using an adeno-associated virus (AAV9) carrying a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9), VP64 transactivators and single-guide RNAs that target the Lama1 promoter. When pre-symptomatic mice were treated, Lama1 was upregulated in skeletal muscles and peripheral nerves, which prevented muscle fibrosis and paralysis. However, for many disorders it is important to investigate the therapeutic window and reversibility of symptoms. In muscular dystrophies, it has been hypothesized that fibrotic changes in skeletal muscle are irreversible. However, we show that dystrophic features and disease progression were improved and reversed when the treatment was initiated in symptomatic dy2j/dy2j mice with apparent hindlimb paralysis and muscle fibrosis. Collectively, our data demonstrate the feasibility and therapeutic benefit of CRISPR-dCas9-mediated upregulation of Lama1, which may enable mutation-independent treatment for all patients with MDC1A. This approach has a broad applicability to a variety of disease-modifying genes and could serve as a therapeutic strategy for many inherited and acquired diseases.
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| 5. |
- Prins, Jonne T H, et al.
(författare)
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Outcome after surgical stabilization of rib fractures versus nonoperative treatment in patients with multiple rib fractures and moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (CWIS-TBI).
- 2021
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Ingår i: The journal of trauma and acute care surgery. - 2163-0763. ; 90:3, s. 492-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Outcomes after surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) have not been studied in patients with multiple rib fractures and traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hypothesized that SSRF, as compared to nonoperative management, is associated with favorable outcomes in patients with TBI.A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was performed in patients with rib fractures and TBI between January 2012 and July 2019. Patients who underwent SSRF were compared to those managed nonoperatively. The primary outcome was mechanical ventilation-free days. Secondary outcomes were Intensive Care Unit (ICU-LOS) and hospital length of stay (HLOS), tracheostomy, occurrence of complications, neurologic outcome, and mortality. Patients were further stratified into moderate (GCS 9-12) and severe (GCS ≤8) TBI.The study cohort consisted of 456 patients of which 111 (24.3%) underwent SSRF. SSRF was performed at a median of 3 days and SSRF-related complication rate was 3.6%. In multivariable analyses, there was no difference in mechanical ventilation-free days between the SSRF and nonoperative groups. The odds of developing pneumonia (OR 0.59 (95% CI 0.38-0.98), p=0.043) and 30-day mortality (OR 0.32 (95% CI 0.11-0.91), p=0.032) were significantly lower in the SSRF group. Patients with moderate TBI had similar outcome in both groups. In patients with severe TBI, the odds of 30-day mortality was significantly lower after SSRF (0.19 (95% CI 0.04-0.88), p=0.034).In patients with multiple rib fractures and TBI, the mechanical ventilation-free days did not differ between the two treatment groups. In addition, SSRF was associated with a significantly lower risk of pneumonia and 30-day mortality. In patients with moderate TBI, outcome was similar. In patients with severe TBI a lower 30-day mortality was observed. There was a low SSRF-related complication risk. These data suggest a potential role for SSRF in select patients with TBI.Therapeutic, level IV.
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| 6. |
- Cui, Daqing, et al.
(författare)
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Immobilization of radionuclides on iron canister material at simulated near-field conditions
- 2009
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Ingår i: Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXII. - Warrendale, Pa : Materials Research Society. - 9781605110967 ; 1124
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This work is a continuation of a long-term spent fuel leaching and radionuclides immobilization (by iron canister) experiment under simulated near-field conditions, in deoxygenated 2 mM NaHCO3 solution with 1 Gy/h γ irradiation. The corrosion of iron canister material was investigated by electrochemical and microanalytical methods. Significant amounts of radionuclides (U, Np, Tc, Sr) were found to be immobilized on the corrosion layer of iron canister material by using SEM-WDS and SIMS methods. The observation is useful for bettering our understanding of near-field chemical processes at earlier canister failure conditions.
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| 7. |
- Godinho, José R. A., et al.
(författare)
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Sintering of CaF2 pellets as nuclear fuel analog for surface stability experiments
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Nuclear Materials. - : Elsevier. - 0022-3115 .- 1873-4820. ; 419:1-3, s. 46-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To enable a detailed study of the influence of microstructure and surface properties on the stability of spent nuclear fuel, it is necessary to produce analogs that closely resemble nuclear fuel in terms of crystallography and microstructure. One such analog can be obtained by sintering CaF2 powder. This paper reports the microstructures obtained after sintering CaF2 powders at temperatures up to 1240 °C. Pellets with microstructure, density and pore structure similar to that of UO2 spent nuclear fuel pellets were obtained in the temperature range between 900 °C and 1000 °C. When CaF2 was sintered above 1100 °C the formation of CaO at the grain boundaries caused the disintegration of the pellet due to hydration occurring after sintering. First results from a novel set-up of dissolution experiments show that changes in roughness, dissolution rate and etch pit shape of fluorite surfaces are strongly dependent on the crystallographic orientation of the expose surface. Consequently, the differences observed for each orientation will affect the overall dissolution rate and will lead to uncertainties in the estimation of dissolution rates of spent nuclear fuel.
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| 8. |
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