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At least 109 records · Page 6

Divertor impurity injection using high voltage arcs for impurity transport studies on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak

The operation of next-generation fusion reactors will be significantly affected by impurity transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL). Current modelling efforts are restricted by a lack of detailed data on impurity transport in the SOL. In order to address this, a carbon injector has been designed and installed on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST). The injector creates short lived carbon plumes originating at the MAST divertor lasting less than 50 μs. High voltage capacitor banks are used to create a discharge across concentric carbon electrodes located in a probe mounted on the Divertor Science Facility in the MAST lower divertor. This results in a very short plume duration allowing observation of the evolution of the plume and precise localisation of the plume relative to the X-point on MAST. The emission from the carbon plume was imaged using fast visible cameras filtered in order to isolate the carbon II and carbon III emission lines centered around 514 nm and 465 nm.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Profile measurements in the plasma edge of mega amp spherical tokamak using a ball pen probe

The ball pen probe (BPP) technique is used successfully to make profile measurements of plasma potential, electron temperature, and radial electric field on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak. The potential profile measured by the BPP is shown to significantly differ from the floating potential both in polarity and profile shape. By combining the BPP potential and the floating potential, the electron temperature can be measured, which is compared with the Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic. Excellent agreement between the two diagnostics is obtained when secondary electron emission is accounted for in the floating potential. From the BPP profile, an estimate of the radial electric field is extracted which is shown to be of the order ∼1 kV/m and increases with plasma current. Corrections to the BPP measurement, constrained by the TS comparison, introduce uncertainty into the E{sub R} measurements. The uncertainty is most significant in the electric field well inside the separatrix. The electric field is used to estimate toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities from E × B motion. This paper further demonstrates the ability of the ball pen probe to make valuable and important measurements in the boundary plasma of a tokamak.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

First measurements of energetic protons in Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST-U)

First proton production rates from the d(d,p)t reaction in the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak Upgrade (MAST-U) are measured. The data were taken during the MAST-U experimental campaign with an upgraded version of the proton detector (PD) previously used in MAST. The new detector array consists of three collimated silicon surface barrier detectors with a depletion depth of 300 μm and a collimated 120 μm thick diamond detector, mounted on the MAST-U reciprocating probe arm. This array measures the energies of unconfined energetic 3 MeV protons and 1 MeV tritons mainly produced by beam-thermal DD reactions during neutral beam injection heating. Diamond detectors have the potential to be uniquely suited to detect charged fusion products as they promise to be much more radiation resistant and much less sensitive to temperature variations compared to silicon-based detectors. Using silicon and diamond-based detectors simultaneously allowed us to directly compare the performance of these two detector types. PD particle rates measured during different plasma scenarios are presented and compared to neutron rates measured using the neutron camera upgrade and TRANSP predictions.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

Linear gyrokinetic simulations of toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak

Linear gyrokinetic (GK) simulations using the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code (GTC) have been performed to investigate Toroidicity-driven Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAEs) driven by the neutral beam injection (NBI) induced fast ions in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) to identify the non-perturbative and kinetic effects of thermal plasma. A specific TAE in MAST discharge 26887, with an on-axis NBI power of approximately 1.5 MW and plasma current around 800 kA, exhibited frequency chirping, and the tangential soft x-ray camera array resolved the radial mode structure peaked near |q|=1.5. Various excitation methods were used in the GTC linear simulations, illustrating this code's capability to realistically represent the mechanisms and behaviors of fast ion-driven TAEs in spherical tokamaks. The radial structures from these GK simulations closely match measurements and calculations performed using the NOVA ideal MHD code, though with the frequencies approximately 10 kHz lower, likely due to various kinetic and non-perturbative effects. The simulations measured the damping rates due to continuum damping, radiative damping, and ion Landau damping, revealing that ion Landau damping has the most significant contribution to the total damping rate of the TAE. A comparison of growth rates of TAEs excited by fast ion Maxwellian and slowing-down distributions shows that the TAEs excited by a fast ion anisotropic pitch distribution (as part of the slowing-down distributions) are more unstable compared to those excited by a Maxwellian distribution with an equivalent fast ion beta. This shows that the use of fast ion anisotropy alters the number of fast ions to be in shear Alfvén resonance, and hence, it can greatly affect the stability of TAEs. These tests can be performed with the GTC but impossible with ideal MHD simulations, highlighting the necessity of kinetic simulations such as the GTC for a precise prediction of the TAE stability.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Molecular basis for the specific recognition of the metazoan cyclic GMP-AMP by the innate immune adaptor protein STING

Cyclic GMP-AMP containing a unique combination of mixed phosphodiester linkages (2'3'-cGAMP) is an endogenous second messenger molecule that activates the type-I IFN pathway upon binding to the homodimer of the adaptor protein STING on the surface of endoplasmic reticulum membrane. However, the preferential binding of the asymmetric ligand 2'3'-cGAMP to the symmetric dimer of STING represents a physicochemical enigma. In this paper, we show that 2'3'-cGAMP, but not its linkage isomers, adopts an organized free-ligand conformation that resembles the STING-bound conformation and pays low entropy and enthalpy costs in converting into the active conformation. Finally, our results demonstrate that analyses of free-ligand conformations can be as important as analyses of protein conformations in understanding protein–ligand interactions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Direct activation of a phospholipase by cyclic GMP-AMP in El Tor Vibrio cholerae

Significance Second messengers are employed by all organisms to regulate fundamental behaviors, including biofilm formation, motility, metabolism, and pathogenesis in bacteria. We have identified a phospholipase in the El Tor Vibrio cholerae biotype, responsible for the current cholera pandemic, that is directly activated by the second messenger 3′, 3′-cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP). Discovery of this proteinaceous bacterial cGAMP effector sheds light on the functions and basic principles of cGAMP signaling. Both this phospholipase and the cGAMP synthase are encoded within the VSP-1 pathogenicity island, unique to the El Tor biotype, and our findings assign a biochemical function to VSP-1 that may contribute to the epidemiological success of El Tor V. cholerae .

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Phosphorylation of Cytochrome c Threonine 28 Regulates Electron Transport Chain Activity in Kidney: IMPLICATIONS FOR AMP KINASE

Mammalian cytochrome c (Cytc) plays a key role in cellular life and death decisions, functioning as an electron carrier in the electron transport chain and as a trigger of apoptosis when released from the mitochondria. However, its regulation is not well understood. We show that the major fraction of Cytc isolated from kidneys is phosphorylated on Thr28, leading to a partial inhibition of respiration in the reaction with cytochrome c oxidase. To further study the effect of Cytc phosphorylation in vitro, we generated T28E phosphomimetic Cytc, revealing superior behavior regarding protein stability and its ability to degrade reactive oxygen species compared with wild-type unphosphorylated Cytc. Introduction of T28E phosphomimetic Cytc into Cytc knock-out cells shows that intact cell respiration, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and ROS levels are reduced compared with wild type. As we show by high resolution crystallography of wild-type and T28E Cytc in combination with molecular dynamics simulations, Thr28 is located at a central position near the heme crevice, the most flexible epitope of the protein apart from the N and C termini. Finally, in silico prediction and our experimental data suggest that AMP kinase, which phosphorylates Cytc on Thr28 in vitro and colocalizes with Cytc to the mitochondrial intermembrane space in the kidney, is the most likely candidate to phosphorylate Thr28 in vivo. We conclude that Cytc phosphorylation is mediated in a tissue-specific manner and leads to regulation of electron transport chain flux via “controlled respiration,” preventing ΔΨm hyperpolarization, a known cause of ROS and trigger of apoptosis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

AMPE

AMPE is a phase-field code. It evolves in time the Allen-Cahn equations associated with a phase­field model, coupled with the time-evolution of a composition field (in an alloy) and a temperature field which are described by diffusion equations. It can also solve the elasticity equations assuming mechanical equilibrium at every time-step. Grain orientations are described by normalized quaternions which also evolve in time according to Allen-Cahn type equations.

Wickett, Mike↗

Fiscal Year 2011 Infrastructure Refactorizations in AMP

In Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11), the AMP (Advanced MultiPhysics) Nuclear Fuel Performance code went through a thorough review and refactorization based on the lessons-learned from the previous year, in which the version 0.9 of the software was released as a prototype. This report describes the refactorization work that has occurred or is in progress during FY11.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Final Performance Progress Report for AMP! Advanced Manufacturing Prototyping Center of East Tennessee

AMP! is using funding from the DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (DOE-AMO) to support activities designed to develop, demonstrate, and exploit energy efficient, rapid, and flexible manufacturing technologies to advance U.S. competitiveness. These initiatives are designed to complement and leverage the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) User Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Total biosynthesis of the cyclic AMP booster forskolin from Coleus forskohlii

Forskolin is a unique structurally complex labdane-type diterpenoid used in the treatment of glaucoma and heart failure based on its activity as a cyclic AMP booster. Commercial production of forskolin relies exclusively on extraction from its only known natural source, the plant Coleus forskohlii , in which forskolin accumulates in the root cork. Here, we report the discovery of five cytochrome P450s and two acetyltransferases which catalyze a cascade of reactions converting the forskolin precursor 13R-manoyl oxide into forskolin and a diverse array of additional labdane-type diterpenoids. A minimal set of three P450s in combination with a single acetyl transferase was identified that catalyzes the conversion of 13R-manoyl oxide into forskolin as demonstrated by transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana . The entire pathway for forskolin production from glucose encompassing expression of nine genes was stably integrated into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and afforded forskolin titers of 40 mg/L.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Definition of Throw-Away Detectors (TADs) and VLF antenna for the AMPS laboratory

A Throw Away Detector (TAD)/subsatellite to be used as an experiment platform for the test flights to map the EMI from the shuttle and during the AMPS science flights is defined. A range of instrument platforms of varying capabilities is examined with emphasis on the EMI test vehicle. The operational support requirements of TAD/subsatellites are determined. The throw away detector is envisioned as a simple instrument package for supporting specific experiments.

Koons, H. C.↗

AMPS definition study on Optical Band Imager and Photometer System (OBIPS)

A study was conducted to define the characteristics of a modular optical diagnostic system (OBIPS) for AMPS, to provide input to Phase B studies, and to give information useful for experiment planning and design of other instrumentation. The system described consists of visual and UV-band imagers and visual and UV-band photometers; of these the imagers are most important because of their ability to measure intensity as a function of two spatial dimensions and time with high resolution. The various subsystems of OBIPS are in themselves modular with modules having a high degree of interchangeability for versatility, economy, and redundancy.

Davis, T. N.↗

Amps particle accelerator definition study

The Particle Accelerator System of the AMPS (Atmospheric, Magnetospheric, and Plasmas in Space) payload is a series of charged particle accelerators to be flown with the Space Transportation System Shuttle on Spacelab missions. In the configuration presented, the total particle accelerator system consists of an energetic electron beam, an energetic ion accelerator, and both low voltage and high voltage plasma acceleration devices. The Orbiter is illustrated with such a particle accelerator system.

Sellen, J. M., Jr.↗

Multiple detector focal plane array ultraviolet spectrometer for the AMPS laboratory

The possibility of meeting the requirements of the amps spectroscopic instrumentation by using a multi-element focal plane detector array in a conventional spectrograph mount was examined. The requirements of the detector array were determined from the optical design of the spectrometer which in turn depends on the desired level of resolution and sensitivity required. The choice of available detectors and their associated electronics and controls was surveyed, bearing in mind that the data collection rate from this system is so great that on-board processing and reduction of data are absolutely essential. Finally, parallel developments in instrumentation for imaging in astronomy were examined, both in the ultraviolet (for the Large Space Telescope as well as other rocket and satellite programs) and in the visible, to determine what progress in that area can have direct bearing on atmospheric spectroscopy.

Feldman, P. D.↗

AMPS sciences objectives and philosophy

The Space Shuttle will open a new era in the exploration of earth's near-space environment, where the weight and power capabilities of Spacelab and the ability to use man in real time add important new features. The Atmospheric, Magnetospheric, and Plasmas-in-Space project (AMPS) is conceived of as a facility where flexible core instruments can be flown repeatedly to perform different observations and experiments. The twin thrusts of remote sensing of the atmosphere below 120 km and active experiments on the space plasma are the major themes. They have broader implications in increasing our understanding of plasma physics and of energy conversion processes elsewhere in the universe.

Schmerling, E. R.↗

Atmosphere, Magnetosphere and Plasmas in Space (AMPS). Spacelab payload definition study. Volume 2: Mission support requirements document. Addendum: Flight 2

The AMPS Flight 2 payload, its operation, and the support required from the Space Transportation System (STS) are described. The definition of the payload includes the flight objectives and requirements, the experiment operations, and the payload configuration. The support required from the STS includes the accommodation of the payload by the orbiter/Spacelab, use of the flight operations network and ground facilities, and the use of the launch site facilities.

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