Confinement Systems Research Articles

'The god of criminals is their belly': diet, prisoner health, and prison medical officers in mid-nineteenth-century English and Irish prisons.

Existing scholarship on prison diets has emphasised the role of food and its restriction as a key aspect of the deterrent system of prison discipline introduced in the 1860s. Here we suggest that a strong emphasis was placed on dietary regulation after the establishment of the reformist, but also 'testing', separate system of confinement in the mid-nineteenth century. While the impact of diet on the physical health of prisoners was a major concern, we argue that the psychological impact of food was also stressed, and some prison administrators and doctors argued that diet had an important protective function in preserving inmates' mental wellbeing. Drawing on a wide range of prison archives and official reports, this article explores the crucial role of prison medical officers in England and Ireland in implementing prison dietaries. It highlights the importance and high level of individual adaptations to dietary scales laid down centrally, as a means of utilising diet as a tool of discipline or as an intervention to improve prisoners' health. It examines the forays of some prison doctors into dietary experiments, as they investigated the impact of different dietaries or made more quotidian adjustments to food intake, based on local conditions and food supplies. The article concludes that, despite central policies geared to establishing uniformity and interest in new scientific discourses on nutrition, a wide range of practices were pursued in individual prisons, mostly shaped by practical rather than scientific factors, with many prison medical officers asserting their autonomy in making dietary adjustments.

Critical Assessment of Novel Developments in HPGR Technology Using DEM.

Advances in high-pressure grinding roll (HGPR) technology since its first commercial application in the cement industry include new roll wear protection techniques and new confinement systems. The latter contribute to reductions in the edge effects in an attempt to reach a more homogenous product size along the rolls. Additional advances in this technology have been made in recent years, while modeling and simulation tools are also reaching maturity and can now be used to subject such novel developments to detailed scrutiny. This work applies a hybrid approach combining advanced simulations using the discrete element method, the particle replacement model and multibody dynamics to a phenomenological population balance model to critically assess two recent advances in HPGR technology: spring-loaded cheek plates and the offset roller press. Force and torque controllers, included in the EDEM 2022.1 software, were used to describe the responses of the geometries in contact with the granular material processed. Simulations showed that while the former successfully reduced the lateral bypass of the material by as much as 65% when cheek plates became severely worn, the latter demonstrated lower throughput and higher potential wear but an ability to generate a finer product than the traditional design.

Surface Heating Calculation of Composite Material Under the Influence of an Electron Beam on the Surface

Introduction. Modern plasma magnetic confinement systems use tungsten as a material in contact with plasma. Under the influence of high-density plasma irradiation, tungsten undergoes cracking, intense erosion, and macro-particle emission. High-temperature ceramics are considered a promising material for protective coating of plasma components, as they are resistant to thermal loads. One possible solution could be a boron carbide coating, which has a high melting temperature.Materials and Methods. The impact of an electron beam on samples of rolled tungsten and boron carbide and tungsten composite was studied in experiments on the BETA setup. The heat from the beam propagates into the samples, with the maximum temperature reached at the center and decreasing towards the edges. The modeling area represents a cross-section of the samples, optimal for a task with a cylindrical coordinate system. The numerical implementation is based on the correction scheme and the marching method.Results. A new model of heating the boron carbide and tungsten composite sample under the influence of surface heating by an electron beam is presented. The model is based on solving the heat conduction equation in an axially symmetric setup with constant values of specific heat capacity, density, and thermal conductivity of metals.Discussion and Conclusions. An analysis of the model of heating the composite material under the influence of surface heating by an electron beam at constant values of density, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity has been conducted. The modeling results are in demand for analyzing experimental results and planning experiments at the Beam of Electrons for Materials Test Applications (BETA) facility, created at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics SB RAS.

Confinamento e semiconfinamento de cordeiras em um sistema integrado de produção: impactos na produção, infecção por nematódeos gastrointestinais e em variáveis sanguíneas

ABSTRACT: This trial evaluated the production performance, gastrointestinal nematode infection (GIN), and selected blood analytes, in Corriedale lambs during the finishing phase in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) with 2 stocking rates. Fifty-two Corriedale lambs were divided into 4 groups: a semi confinement system with a low stocking rate (T1) for 70 days; a semi confinement system with a high stocking rate (T2) for 70 days; confinement for 28 days, followed by semi confinement with a low stocking rate (T3) for 42 days; and confinement for 28 days, followed by semi confinement with a high stocking rate (T4) for 42 days. Body weight, dry matter intake, blood collection, and faecal analysis of nematode eggs were performed for each animal. The stocking rates did not influence body weight gain for the semiconfined lambs (T1 and T2) or for the confined/semiconfined lambs (T3 and T4). All treatments had lower EPG counts at the end of the experimental period. The nematode genera identified during the experiment trial were Haemonchus and Trichostrongylus. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) for packed cell volume, total plasma protein, and eosinophil means between treatments. These results suggested that the confinement followed by semi confinement in an ICLS, was an option for lamb production during the finishing phase which could be useful in reducing GIN without affecting the production performance.

Critical role of isopotential surfaces for magnetostatic ponderomotive forces.

By producing localized wave regions at the ends of an open-field-line magnetic confinement system, ponderomotive walls can be used to differentially confine different species in the plasma. Furthermore, if the plasma is rotating, this wall can be magnetostatic in the laboratory frame, resulting in simpler engineering and better power flow. However, recent work on such magnetostatic walls has shown qualitatively different potentials than those found in the earlier, nonrotating theory. Here, using a simple slab model of a ponderomotive wall, we resolve this discrepancy. We show that the form of the ponderomotive potential in the comoving plasma frame depends on the assumption made about the electrostatic potential in the laboratory frame. If the laboratory-frame potential is unperturbed by the magnetic oscillation, one finds a parallel-polarized wave in the comoving frame, while if each field line remains equipotential throughout the perturbation region, one finds a perpendicularly polarized wave. This in turn dramatically changes the averaged ponderomotive force experienced by a charged particle along the field line, not only its scaling, but also its direction.

(Invited) Electrochemically Active Materials: Meeting the High-Energy Density Challenge

Energy storage is at a vantage state serving as the primary engine critical for an energy independent global economy currently still very much dependent on tapping into the earth’s natural reserves aided by natural oil and gas exports. The Li-ion battery chemistry has evolved over the years and is at the forefront of secondary rechargeable battery systems, witnessing burgeoning and ever-increasing research activity ever since Sony commercialized the first Li-ion battery in 1990. There have been since then transformative advances in all areas of cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes. Despite much progress, however, lithiated transition metal oxides and carbon remain the preferred typical systems that have made it into the commercial systems currently deployed in the hitherto electric vehicles (EVs). The intense research for identifying higher energy density systems has drawn the attention of Li-air and Li-S systems, of late. The Li-S systems are of particular interest due to the promise of achieving 500 Wh kg-1, a major milestone in meeting the energy density needed for next generation EVs matching and exceeding the performance metrics of the internal combustion engine (ICE).This presentation will discuss the materials challenges that need to be overcome in generating high-energy density cathodes and anodes as well as electrolyte additives to reach the grand challenge of 500 Whkg-1. Research efforts made in the areas of developing cost-effective and scalable new sulfur confinement systems with ability to confine high sulfur loadings of 4-6 mg/cm2 enabling trapping the pernicious polysulfide species combined with unique functional electrocatalysts aided by theoretical first principles calculations exhibiting the propensity to catalyze the formation of Li2S will be discussed. In tandem, progress made in generating new dendrite-free anodes and low-density current collectors exhibiting areal capacities as high as 15 mAh/cm2 with stable cycling over 100 cycles as well as electrolyte additives matching the cathode performance will be outlined.

Characterization of the Ruminal Microbiome of Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Kept in Different Ecosystems in the Eastern Amazon.

Increasing the efficiency of rumen fermentation is one of the main ways to maximize the production of ruminants. It is therefore important to understand the ruminal microbiome, as well as environmental influences on that community. However, there are no studies that describe the ruminal microbiota in buffaloes in the Amazon. The objective of this study was to characterize the rumen microbiome of the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in the eastern Amazon in the dry and rainy seasons in three grazing ecosystems: Baixo Amazonas (BA), Continente do Pará (CP), Ilha do Marajó (IM), and in a confinement system: Tomé-Açu (TA). Seventy-one crossbred male buffaloes (Murrah × Mediterranean) were used, aged between 24 and 36 months, with an average weight of 432 kg in the rainy season and 409 kg in the dry season, and fed on native or cultivated pastures. In the confinement system, the feed consisted of sorghum silage, soybean meal, wet sorghum premix, and commercial feed. Samples of the diet from each ecosystem were collected for bromatological analysis. The collections of ruminal content were carried out in slaughterhouses, with the rumen completely emptied and homogenized, the solid and liquid fractions separated, and the ruminal pH measured. DNA was extracted from the rumen samples, then sequenced using Restriction Enzyme Reduced Representation Sequencing. The taxonomic composition was largely similar between ecosystems. All 61 genera in the reference database were recognized, including members of the domains Bacteria and Archaea. The abundance of 23 bacterial genera differed significantly (p < 0.01) between the Tomé-Açu confinement and other ecosystems. Bacillus, Ruminococcus, and Bacteroides had lower abundance in samples from the Tomé-Açu system. Among the Archaea, the genus Methanomicrobium was less abundant in Tomé-Açu, while Methanosarcina was more abundant. There was a difference caused by all evaluated factors, but the diet (available or offered) was what most influenced the ruminal microbiota.

The obsolescence of detention: Versatility, expendability and plasticity in the field of immigration confinement

Studies on immigration enforcement and bordered penality frequently depict immigration detention as a system of confinement enforced in closed, relatively opaque facilities geared towards the expeditious deportation of non-citizens. This notion is actually a synecdoche of the diverse forms of containment and the varying, more or less dispensable roles played by detention practices within immigration enforcement systems. This paper challenges this perspective by considering prominent changes taking place in the detention field across Europe, which can be seen as signals of a gradual detention crisis. In this respect, it explores the versatility of detention practices, which have made the detention system particularly resilient. Despite this resilience, though, the paper unveils and maps the obsolescence of detention centric models of immigration enforcement, which manifests itself in the jurisdictions in which detention systems either are largely irrelevant or have been shrinking in the recent past. Additionally, the paper examines the consolidation of the hotspot archipelago in Mediterranean Europe, which has expanded the containment capacity of the border control apparatus and made it increasingly plastic. Yet the hotspot system is in itself an additional manifestation of the obsolescence of detention-centric models of enforcement. After having scrutinised these different dimensions, the paper concludes by exploring the promises and pitfalls of a changing detention landscape and suggesting directions for future research.

LiZn/Li2O Induced Chemical Confinement Enabling Dendrite‐Free Li‐Metal Anode

AbstractLi metal has been considered as a potential anode candidate for next‐generation high‐energy Li‐metal batteries, even though the uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites shortens their cycling lifespan. Herein, a reliable and dendrite‐free Li‐metal anode is fabricated via inducing chemical confinement based on an atomic layer deposited lithiophilic ZnO in situ generating LiZn/Li2O arrays. In a configuration, the arrays consisting of uniformly distributed LiZn and Li2O phases, the lithiophilic Li2O phases with favorable Li diffusion barrier guarantee the preferential Li nucleation and prevent the Li diffusion to some sites with uneven charge accumulation. Furthermore, these functional LiZn/Li2O configurations with satisfied localized free electron distribution can effectively decompose the Li clusters to prevent Li aggregation. Meanwhile, the electron‐conductive LiZn phases ensure efficient electron transfer throughout the configuration. Therefore, the LiZn/Li2O‐derived chemical confinement enables uniform Li deposition. Consequently, the as‐prepared Li‐metal anode presents an overpotential &lt;45 mV at 15 mA cm−2 in the symmetrical cells. Moreover, the preferable cycling stability and rate capability are delivered by the as‐assembled cells with a LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM622) cathode. It is believed that the strategy proposed here can be also beneficial to other effective chemical confinement systems for fabricating high‐performance Li metal anode.

Prediction models of carcass characteristics from non‑castrated Nellore cattle finished in the feedlot system under tropical conditions.

Our objective was to use measures of intake and productive performance to adjust prediction models for the carcass traits of non-castrated Nellore cattle finished in a feedlot. Individual data from 168 non-castrated male Nellore steers finished in feedlot between the years 2016-2021 were used. Descriptive statistical analyzes and Pearson correlation coefficients were performed. The outliers were tested by evaluating the studentized residuals in relation to the values predicted by the equations. Residues that were outside the range of -2.5 to 2.5 were removed. The goodness of fit of the developed equations was evaluated by the coefficients of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE). Models for carcass yield, subcutaneous fat thickness, ribeye area, and shear force were adjusted. Means of 53.5% carcass yield, 4.8mm subcutaneous fat thickness, 73 cm2 loin eye area, and 8.1kg shear force were observed. The observed average intakes were 9.9kg/day of dry matter, 3.3kg/day of neutral detergent fiber content, 1.5kg/day of crude protein, and 7.1kg/day of total digestible nutrients. The average confinement time was 113days, the average total weight gain was 152.2kg and the average daily gain was 1.35kg/day. Intake measures significantly correlated with shear force and subcutaneous fat thickness and ribeye area. Carcass yield was significantly correlated with total weight gain, feedlot time, and hot carcass weight. Measures of nutrient intake, performance, and confinement time can be used as predictors of carcass yield, ribeye area, fat thickness, and shear force of non-castrated Nellore cattle finished in a feedlot. The prediction equations for ribeye area, carcass yield, subcutaneous fat thickness, and shear force showed sufficient precision and accuracy for non-castrated Nellore cattle finished in confinement systems under tropical conditions. All equations can be used with caution to estimate carcass traits of cattle finished in a feedlot using measures of intake and productive performance.

Linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in InGaN/GaN quantum wells: Interplay between intense laser field and higher-order anharmonic potentials

This computational investigation delves into the electronic and optical attributes of InGaN/GaN nanostructures subjected to both harmonic and anharmonic confinement potentials, coupled with the influence of a nonresonant intense laser field (ILF). The theoretical framework incorporates higher-order anharmonic terms, specifically quartic and sextic terms. The solutions to the Schrödinger equation have been computed employing the finite element method and the effective mass theory. Moreover, linear and third-order nonlinear optical absorption coefficients are derived via a density matrix expansion. Our analysis reveals the feasibility of manipulating electronic and optical properties by adjusting confinement potential parameters, system attributes, and laser field intensity. In addition, the ILF induces remarkable modifications, characterized by reduced resonance peak amplitudes and a blue shift in absorption coefficients. Intriguingly, regardless of potential harmonicity, the impact of incident electromagnetic intensity is notably more pronounced in the absence of the ILF. These findings hold significant promise for advancing theoretical predictions, providing valuable insights into the intricate interplay between confinement potentials, laser fields, and their effects on electronic and optical behaviors within nanostructures.

1D/3D dual carbon-supported Mott-Schottky-type Co-Co2P heterojunctions for pH-universal hydrogen evolution

The rational design of low-cost, efficient, and stable heterojunction catalysts for pH-universal hydrogen evolution is attracting increasing attention towards a sustainable hydrogen economy. Herein, a sequential spatial restriction-pyrolysis route is developed to confine Mott-Schottky-type Co-Co2P heterojunctions embedded in the one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotube-modified three-dimensional (3D) N,P dual-doped carbon matrix (Co-Co2P@CNT//CM). The synergistic effect between the abundant Mott-Schottky heterointerfaces and the 1D/3D dual carbon confinement system enables fully exposed active sites and facilitated charge transfer dynamics, thus triggering favorable electronic structures of Co-Co2P@CNT//CM. As a result, Co-Co2P@CNT//CM heterojunctions exhibit excellent pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with overpotentials of 142, 205, and 262 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 1.0 M KOH, and 1.0 M phosphate buffer saline (PBS), respectively. The theoretical results demonstrated that the Mott-Schottky effect can induce an oriented interfacial charge exchange between Co and Co2P. This can lower the reactive kinetic barrier and endow Co-Co2P@CNT//CM with ideal hydrogen adsorption free energy, which efficiently drives the production of H2 from electrolytic water.

BEEF CATTLE CONFINEMENT SYSTEMS UNDER THE HIGH GRAIN DIET: a case study on a farm in the municipality of João Pinheiro/MG in the year 2023

Brazil is recognized as one of the largest beef producers in the world. However, as in any production sector, the search for improvements and innovations is constant to meet market demands and achieve higher production levels. One of the techniques that has gained prominence as a means of improving production to meet growing market demands is the confinement of beef cattle with diets based on a high grain content. The general objective of this research is to describe the methods of confinement of cattle, with emphasis on the confinement system based on a high-grain diet, through a case study carried out on a farm in the city of João Pinheiro/MG, where it was possible to compile concrete data on the topic. To achieve the general objective, it was necessary to outline the following specific objectives: prepare a brief literature review on the two types of confinement; present a case study on high grain confinement and discuss the results in accordance with the literature. This is basic research, in terms of approach it is qualitative research. As for the objectives, this is a descriptive and exploratory research. As for the procedure, it is bibliographical research and case study. The data presented in the case study revealed that the confinement system with a high grain content proved to be more profitable compared to the conventional method, due to the shorter period of stay of the animals in the confinement, which allows for a more efficient turnover. broad. The high-grain diet is beneficial because the animal gains weight quickly, there is predictability, a lower age for slaughter and a lower environmental impact.

Nanoconfined Cathodic Electrochemiluminescence for Self-Sensitized Bioimaging of Membrane Protein.

Self-enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) can be achieved via the confinement of coreactants and ECL emitters in a single nanostructure. This strategy has been used for the design of anodic ECL systems with amine compounds as coreactants. In this work, a novel confinement system was proposed by codoping positively charged ECL emitter tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)32+) and negatively charged coreactant peroxydisulfate (S2O82-) in silica nanoparticles. The codoping process could be performed by introducing S2O82- in cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) to form PDDA@S2O82- and then encapsulating it and Ru(bpy)32+ in the Triton X-100 vesicle followed by the hydrolysis of tetraethyl ortosilicate, surface modification, and demulsification. The obtained RuSSNs exhibited good homogeneity, excellent monodispersity, acceptable biocompatibility, and 2.9-fold stronger ECL emission than Ru(bpy)32+-doped silica nanoparticles at an equal amount of nanoparticles in the presence of 0.1 M K2S2O8. Thus, an in situ self-sensitized cathodic ECL imaging method was designed for the monitoring of glycoprotein on living cell membranes. This work provides a new way for the modification, enhancement, and application of nano-ECL emitters in biological analysis.

A Detailed Discourse on the Epistemology of Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

AbstractThe architecture of lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries can hold five times more charge capacity compared to Li‐ion batteries. This review emphasizes the recent research findings on the desired loading of sulfur, the electrolyte‐to‐sulfur ratio, and a detailed view of the polysulfide shuttling effect. Problems with electrolyte stability are also discussed as well as the potential remedies they provided in various systems, as Li‐S batteries have great potential to surmount these critical issues by understanding the mechanism. Future scopes of Li‐S batteries can be progressively attained by optimizing the pore structure, designing highly conductive and strong sulfur confinement systems, and thereby pairing with anode materials to explore the possibility of innovative components for commercializing Li‐S batteries.

Binding Energy Stark-Shift, Polarizability and Dipole Moment Response of Shallow Donor Impurity in GaAs Quantum Dots

In this study, we have examined, under the influence of an electric field applied along the z-direction, the binding energy Stark-shift, the dipole moment and the polarizability of a confined shallow donor impurity in GaAs conical-shaped quantum dots (CSQD). With square infinite confinement system, the calculations are based on the approximation of the effective mass by using the finite difference method. Our results show that increasing the radius of the CSQD structure and the electric field intensity increases the Stark shift binding energy and it has a mixed behavior as a function of the impurity position. Furthermore, the polarizability and the dipole moment vary in a quasi-linear way as a function of the dot radius and they follow a decreasing function as a function of the electric field intensity. These two physical parameters have a double behavior, they decrease with the position of the impurity in the strong confinement regime and they increase in the top regions of the quantum dot. These results provide a lot of information about the behavior of the electronic wave function which give more interesting ideas for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.

Realization and simulations of the new SPES Beam Cooler

One of the aim of the new project Selective Production of Exotic Species (SPES) is to produce and select new, neutron reach, isotopes [1,2,3,4]. The technique adopted to produce these species is the Isotope Selection On Line (ISOL) that postpones the separation of the isotopes after the beam production, using a High-Resolution Mass Spectrometer (HRMS).In order to allow a good separation of isotopes , the transverse emittance and the energy spread of the beam should have very low values, for this reason the Beam Cooler (BC) is located between the ISOL target, i.e. the beam source, and the HRMS.In the SPES project, where heavy isotopes are expected (mass number >100), the spectrometer resolution must be preferably higher than dm/m = 5 × 10-5 and thus the features of the beam at the entrance of the HRMS should be at least εn 95% < 8.3 × 10-3 π mm mrad and σE < 1.5 eV.BC devices are devoted to improve the beam features in terms of emittance and energy spread. A new BC has been designed and realized by the Laboratoire de Physique Corpuscolaire (LPC) at Caen, France, for the SPES facility at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL), near Padova, Italy.BCs cool down the beam thanks to a dissipative process in which the thermal energy passes from the beam ions to another medium whose constituent is typically much lighter, Helium gas in our case. This process takes place inside a confinement system that on the one hand to limit the spread of the cooling medium, and on the other to allow the beam to continue along the required trajectory, in the presented device it is a row of radio frequency quadrupoles in an almost closed chamber.Some specifications of the BC described in this document: the RFQ is 723 mm long, its internal radius is 5 mm; the RFQ is included in the gas chamber which is 730 mm×280 mm×220 mm. Before it there is the injection part composed by, following the beam trajectory, a grounded pipe (388 mm long) and three focusing electrodes. On the opposite side there is the extraction part with two focusing electrodes.This document presents the main features of the new BC together with the results of a preliminary study where the beam dynamic has been simulated. The analysis embeds also the investigation of the gas distribution inside and outside the BC.The beam dynamic simulations are based on the Simion code [5] while the estimation of the gas distribution is computed with MolFlow+ [6].Simulations show that accurately setting the BC leads to a large improvement of the emittance while the energy spread still needs to be improved. Limiting the gas pressure in the acceleration zone seems to allow the required final boost.

Experimental and Analytical Study on the Axial Behavior of Circular High-Strength Concrete Columns with Hybrid Carbon Fibers and Steel Confinement System

This paper describes a work that examines a new solution to the problem that arises from the relatively high amount of transverse reinforcement required in HSC columns. It presents an alternative to common transverse steel reinforcement, a dual system comprising steel ties and a carbon-fiber mesh (CFM) applied internally together with steel ties. The behavior of the proposed system was examined in this work in a series of twelve laboratory tests of circular stub column specimens. The experiments performed in this work focused on the columns’ load and displacement capacities. The tests were planned with the aid of an analytical model that was originally developed for a hybrid system of external fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets and internal steel, and was adapted for the current system. An analysis of the results shows that for a given amount of conventional transverse steel, the application of the carbon-fiber meshes adds efficiency to the rebar confinement system, in terms of both the load bearing capacity and the ductility, and for specimens with the hybrid confinement system, the higher the carbon fiber amount the larger the ductility improvement. Furthermore, fair to good agreement was observed between the model and the measured stress–strain curves, especially those of the peak stresses. Based on the above findings and the added benefit of fire resistance, the hybrid method appears to be promising for confining HSC columns.

Comparing neutron and helium ion irradiation damage of REBa2Cu3O coated conductor using x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Understanding the effects of high energy neutron damage on REBa2Cu3O (REBCO) coated conductor is of vital importance for the design of the magnetic confinement systems for compact nuclear fusion power plants. However, neutron irradiation campaigns can only be carried out in a few facilities, and the experiments are very slow and expensive partly because the samples become radioactive. Ion irradiation provides an easily accessible alternative route to studying the effects of radiation on high temperature superconductors, which not only increases the volume of technical data that can be obtained but also enables more complex experiments such as in situ cryogenic irradiation. The question is, does ion damage offer a good proxy for neutrons? Here we use high energy resolution fluorescence detected x-ray absorption spectroscopy to probe the effects of fast neutron irradiation on the local environment around the copper ions in the REBCO layer of coated conductor tapes. We find that the spectral changes are similar to those induced by helium ion irradiation, suggesting that both projectiles produce the same types of structural defect in the REBCO lattice, although there is some evidence of an additional type of defect present in the sample heavily damaged by He+ ion irradiation. It is also shown that the linear degradation of superconducting transition temperature (T c ) of coated conductors with the calculated number of displacements per atom occurs at the same rate for neutrons and helium ions. Together these results provide new evidence suggesting that helium ions can emulate neutron point defect damage in REBCO high temperature superconductor reasonably well, increasing confidence that helium ions could be used as a useful proxy for neutrons in future experiments.

Absorption of Microwaves During Plasma Heating at the Second Harmonic of Electron Cyclotron Resonance in Tokamaks and Stellarators: Linear Theory and Experiment

We study the microwave absorption during electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) by the extraordinary wave at second harmonic (X2 mode) in the T-10 tokamak and TJ-II stellarator in a wide range of plasma densities, and compare experiments with the classical formulas for the absorption of the injected ECR power. Empirical relations for the absorption efficiency and for the critical plasma density {{n}_{{{text{cr}}}}}, which separates the regions with full and partial absorption of the injected ECR power, are obtained using the numerical simulation of the heat transport with the transport model of canonical profiles. It is shown that in both devices, the range of densities exists, where the absorption predicted by the classical formulas is almost full, while according with the empirical formula, only a small fraction of the power is absorbed. The obtained relations allow ones to optimize the conditions of ECRH in toroidal systems for magnetic plasma confinement.