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ITER diagnostic systems provide measurements to the Plasma Control System (PCS) in real-time. These measurements are used for plasma control and machine protection. Latency is an important parameter in the assessment of such systems. It is a time gap between capturing an external event by hardware and finishing the processing of acquired data. PCS requires the diagnostic systems to introduce a maximum total latency of 10 to 100 ms, therefore, the systems need to be tested if they meet the requirements. The system evaluated in this paper is a reference real-time image acquisition system developed as a base for ITER diagnostic systems. It consists of hardware based on the Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (MicroTCA) standard, developed firmware, and software. It supports cameras with various interfaces. In the paper, two cameras, with a Camera Link and 1 GigE Vision interfaces were selected to perform latency evaluation. The paper presents two methods of measuring the latency of image acquisition. The first one is based on precise time stamping consecutive stages of acquisition. This approach allows for determining which step of acquisition takes more or less time. In consequence, the software or hardware can be optimized. The other one uses LED to evaluate a particular camera, by checking the time of camera reaction to the trigger. A dedicated testing framework is developed to perform automated tests to evaluate latency. It supports collecting and analyzing the results of measurements. Besides that, a dedicated hardware is used to perform the latency tests using LED. The results and discussion of the measurements are presented in the manuscript. They show the latency evaluated using earlier proposed methods, comparing the cameras used in the image acquisition system.

Plasma diagnostics systems are becoming progressively more advanced. Contemporarily, researchers strive to achieve longer plasma pulses, and therefore, appropriate hardware is required. Analogue-to-Digital Converters are applied for data acquisition in many plasma diagnostic systems. Some diagnostic systems need data acquisition with gigahertz sampling frequency. However, gigasample digitizers working in continuous mode generate an enormous stream of data that requires suitable, high-performance processing systems. This becomes even more complicated and expensive for complex multi-channel systems. Nonetheless, numerous plasma diagnostic systems operate in a pulse mode. Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostics is a good example of a multi-channel system that does not require continuous data acquisition. Taking this into consideration, the authors decided to evaluate the CAEN DT5742 gigasample digitizer as a more cost-effective solution that would utilize the pulsed nature of the TS diagnostic system. The paper presents a complete data acquisition and processing system dedicated for plasma diagnostics based on the ITER real-time framework (RTF). Integration of RTF with real hardware is discussed. The authors of the paper have developed software including RTF function block for the CAEN DT5742 digitizer, example data processing algorithms, data archiving and publishing for plasma control system.

The European Spallation Source (ESS) accelerator is composed of superconducting elliptical cavities. When the facility is running, the cavities are fed with electrical field from klystrons. Parameters of this field are monitored and controlled by the Low-Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) system. Its main goal is to keep the amplitude and phase at a given set-point. The LLRF system is also responsible for the reference clock distribution. During machine operation the cavities are periodically experiencing strain caused by the Lorentz force, appearing when the beam is passing through the accelerating structures. Even small changes of the physical dimensions of the cavity cause a shift of its resonance frequency. This phenomenon, called detuning, causes significant power losses. It is actively compensated by the LLRF control system, which can physically tune lengths of the accelerating cavities with stepper motors (slow, coarse grained control) and piezoelements (active compensation during operation state). The paper describes implementation and tests of the software supporting various aspects of the LLRF system and cavities management. The Piezo Driver management and monitoring tool is dedicated for piezo controller device. The LO Distribution application is responsible for configuration of the local oscillator. The Cavity Simulator tool was designed to provide access to properties of the hardware device, emulating behaviour of elliptical cavities. IPMI Manager software was implemented to monitor state of MicroTCA.4 crates, which are major part of the LLRF system architecture. All applications have been created using the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) framework and built in ESS EPICS Environment (E3).

In magnetic confinement thermonuclear fusion the exhaust of heat and particles from the core remains a major challenge. Heat and particles leaving the core are transported via open magnetic field lines to a region of the reactor wall, called the divertor. Unabated, the heat and particle fluxes may become intolerable and damage the divertor. Controlled ‘plasma detachment’, a regime characterized by both a large reduction in plasma pressure and temperature at the divertor target, is required to reduce fluxes onto the divertor. Here we report a systematic approach towards achieving this critical need through feedback control of impurity emission front locations and its experimental demonstration. Our approach comprises a combination of real-time plasma diagnostic utilization, dynamic characterization of the plasma in proximity to the divertor, and efficient, reliable offline feedback controller design. The exhaust of heat and particles is an important challenge in future nuclear fusion devices. Here the authors report the use of carbon emission as indicator for plasma detachment in a tokamak and its real-time feedback control.

One of the most interesting categories of artifacts for archaeometallurgical research includes deposits of bronze items, so-called “metallurgists hoards”. They contain, aside of final products, many fragments of raw material and, moreover, metallurgical tools. An important source for the studies on the history of metallurgical technology is hoard from Przybysław, Greater Poland district. Thus, the aim of the work is the identification and interpretation of bronze-working practices and strategies adopted by prehistoric communities of the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age (ca. 600 BC). The examined objects are characterized in terms of their design, structure, and chemical composition. The methods chosen for the studies of artifacts include: metallographic macro- and microscopic observations using optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the analysis of chemical composition with the methods of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF). The thermodynamic analysis of the alloys was performed on the basis of the CALPHAD method. The experimental melts allowed to verify the theoretical considerations and to determine the characteristic temperatures of changes. The old casting technology can be analyzed basing on computer modeling and computer simulation methods. Simulations in the MAGMASOFT® software are a good example to illustrate how to fill a mould cavity with a molten bronze for a hoop ornament. It is also an appropriate tool to determine temperature distribution in a mould. The simulations also show the possible disadvantages with this old technology.

This multicenter, randomized trial showed significant benefit of propranolol for the treatment of infantile hemangiomas. Infantile hemangiomas are the most common soft-tissue tumors of childhood, occurring in 3 to 10% of infants. 1 – 4 Lesions are usually not developed at birth and are generally diagnosed during the first 4 to 6 weeks of life, with most growth during the first 5 months. 5 The characteristic evolution of nearly all infantile hemangiomas is proliferation, stabilization, and slow, spontaneous involution. Although most lesions follow an uncomplicated clinical course, approximately 12% result in complications requiring referral to a specialist. 6 , 7 Many infantile hemangiomas leave permanent sequelae, with potential psychological effects in the children and their parents. 8 , 9 Historically, systemic glucocorticoids . . .

This study aimed to compare perioperative outcomes and long-term mortality between off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy who had a left ventricle ejection fraction of ≤35%. A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from the Polish National Registry of Cardiac Surgery Procedures database, encompassing patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting in Poland between 2012 and 2022. Patients were divided into two groups: on-pump and off-pump. Propensity score matching was used to balance the groups. The primary outcome was long-term all-cause mortality following surgical revascularization. A total of 9920 patients were included, with 3116 patients in each group after propensity score matching. The median follow-up period was 4 years. The off-pump group was associated with a lower 30-day mortality rate (6.4% vs 9.1%, P = 0.002) and fewer perioperative complications. However, long-term survival analysis revealed a modest but statistically significant advantage for on-pump group at the 10-year follow-up (P = 0.047). Off-pump provides short-term benefits, including reduced early mortality and fewer complications compared to on-pump technique. However, these advantages do not translate into improved long-term survival, where on-pump demonstrates a slight benefit. The choice between off-pump and on-pump technique should be individualized based on patient-specific factors and surgical expertise.

The studied silicon bronze (CuSi3Zn3Mn1) is characterised by good strength and corrosion resistance due to the alloying elements that are present in it (Si, Zn, Mn, Fe). This study analysed the casting process in green sand moulding, gravity die casting, and centrifugal casting with a horizontal axis of rotation. The influences of Ni and Zr alloying additives as well as the casting technology that was used were evaluated on the alloy’s microstructure and mechanical properties. The results of the conducted research are presented in the form of the influence of the technology (GS, GZ, GM) and the content of the introduced alloy additives on the mechanical parameters (UTS, A10, and Proof Stress, BHN). The analysis of the tests that were carried out made it possible to determine which of the studied casting technologies had the best mechanical properties. Microstructure of metal poured into metal mould was finer than that which was cast into moulding compound. Mechanical properties of castings made in moulding compound were lower than those that were cast into metal moulds. Increased nickel content affected the BHN parameter.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a rare and deadly childhood malignancy. After 40 years of mostly single-center, often non-randomized trials with variable patient inclusions, there has been no improvement in survival. It is therefore time for international collaboration in DIPG research, to provide new hope for children, parents and medical professionals fighting DIPG. In a first step towards collaboration, in 2011, a network of biologists and clinicians working in the field of DIPG was established within the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) Brain Tumour Group: the SIOPE DIPG Network. By bringing together biomedical professionals and parents as patient representatives, several collaborative DIPG-related projects have been realized. With help from experts in the fields of information technology, and legal advisors, an international, web-based comprehensive database was developed, The SIOPE DIPG Registry and Imaging Repository, to centrally collect data of DIPG patients. As for April 2016, clinical data as well as MR-scans of 694 patients have been entered into the SIOPE DIPG Registry/Imaging Repository. The median progression free survival is 6.0 months (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.6–6.4 months) and the median overall survival is 11.0 months (95% CI 10.5–11.5 months). At two and five years post-diagnosis, 10 and 2% of patients are alive, respectively. The establishment of the SIOPE DIPG Network and SIOPE DIPG Registry means a paradigm shift towards collaborative research into DIPG. This is seen as an essential first step towards understanding the disease, improving care and (ultimately) cure for children with DIPG.

BACKGROUND Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. NBS-1, the gene defective in NBS, is located on chromosome 8q21 and has recently been cloned. The gene product, nibrin, is a novel protein, which is member of the hMre11/hRad50 protein complex, suggesting that the gene is involved in DNA double strand break repair. AIMS To study the clinical and laboratory features of NBS as well as the genotype–phenotype relation. METHODS Fifty five patients with NBS, included in the NBS registry in Nijmegen were evaluated. The majority of the patients were of eastern European ancestry. Most of them had shown a truncating 5 bp deletion 657–661 delACAAA. Four further truncating mutations have been identified in patients with other distinct haplotypes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Essential features found in NBS were microcephaly, usually without severe retardation, typical facial appearance, immunodeficiency, chromosomal instability, x ray hypersensitivity, and predisposition to malignancy. In 40% of the patients cancer was noted before the age of 21 years. Important additional features were skin abnormalities, particularly café au lait spots and vitiligo, and congenital malformations, particularly clinodactyly and syndactyly. Congenital malformations, immunodeficiency, radiation hypersensitivity, and cancer predispostion were comprehensible in case of dysfunctioning of DNA repair mechanisms. No specific genotype–phenotype relation could be found. Patients with the same genotype may show different phenotypes and patients with different genotypes may express the same phenotype. Specific mutations did not lead to specific clinical features.