Electrical Termination Research Articles

Final design of the ITER bolometer first plasma component: cable installation template

The ITER bolometer cable installation template is a first plasma component which main function is to provide a temporary fixation of the mineral insulated cables and to protect them through first plasma operation inside the vacuum vessel until the final bolometer cameras are installed in the second assembly phase. In this paper, the final design of the cable installation template will be presented, the assembly procedures and important functional design details in order to be compliant with its interfaces, the vacuum vessel, the flux loops, the electrical services, the first plasma components and the assembly. Requirements that drive the design will be explained, along with the technical solutions chosen to fulfill them. Important sub-components will be presented in more detail, such as the boss fixation, which will compensate geometrical uncertainties of the as-built boss positioning, as well as the mineral insulated cable holder, which will prepare the electrical termination and facilitate the installation of final vacuum vessel cameras during the second assembly phase of ITER. Additionally, the step-by-step assembly plan agreed with the team of ITER machine assembly and tooling will be described. A custom developed boss welding tool will be described as well. The system load specifications applicable for this first plasma component will be presented as well and an overview of the structural integrity analysis report will be given. It will be shown that most loads on the component are very limited and there is no risk of structural failure or loss of relevant system functions. The paper concludes with a summary of the work and an overview of the procurement and delivery status to ITER.

A Segmented‐Target Sputtering Process for Growth of Sub‐50 nm Ferroelectric Scandium–Aluminum–Nitride Films with Composition and Stress Tuning

Harnessing the recently discovered ferroelectricity in scandium aluminum nitride (ScxAl1−xN) for the realization of integrated electronic and electromechanical devices requires a low‐temperature growth process that enables versatile control over film thickness, stoichiometric composition, and stress. Herein, a reactive magnetron sputtering process that enables extreme scaling of film thickness and tuning of composition and residual stress is reported on. Highly crystalline ScxAl1−xN films with thicknesses of over 25–250 nm with scandium concentrations of over 22–30 at% are sputtered using a segmented target created from scandium and aluminum tiles. The residual stress in the films is widely tuned from highly compressive to tensile using a pressure‐ and gas‐flow‐independent approach based on adjusting the electrical termination of the targets. The crystallinity, texture, and ferroelectric characteristics are measured for ScxAl1−xN films with different thicknesses, compositions, and residual stresses. The results highlight the consistent crystallinity and ferroelectric properties despite extreme thickness miniaturization to sub‐50 nm, and the large dependence of the coercive field on the residual stress and Sc concentration.

Power matching to pulsed inductively coupled plasmas

Matching of power delivery to nonlinear loads in plasma processing is a continuing challenge. Plasma reactors used in microelectronics fabrication are increasingly multi-frequency and/or pulsed, producing a non-linear and, in many cases, non-steady state electrical termination that can complicate efficient power coupling to the plasma. This is particularly the case for pulsed inductively coupled plasmas where the impedance of the plasma can significantly change during the start-up-transient and undergo an E–H (capacitive-to-inductive) transition. In this paper, we discuss the results from a computational investigation of the dynamics of power matching to pulsed inductively coupled plasmas (Ar/Cl2 mixtures of tens of mTorr pressure) using fixed component impedance matching networks and their consequences on plasma properties. In this investigation, we used set-point matching where the components of the matching network provide a best-case impedance match (relative to the characteristic impedance of the power supply) at a chosen time during the pulsed cycle. Matching impedance early during the pulse enables power to feed the E-mode, thereby emphasizing capacitive coupling and large excursions in the plasma potential. This early power coupling enables a more rapid ramp-up in plasma density while being mismatched during the H-mode later in the pulse. The early match also produces more energetic ion bombardment of surfaces. Matching late in the pulse diminishes power dissipated in the E-mode at the cost of also reducing the rate of increase in plasma density.

FiniteAmplitude Power Budget Equations for Acoustic Fish Abundance Estimation

Finiteamplitude (nonlinear) sound propagation effects in seawater may cause measurement errors in fish and zooplankton abundance estimation and species identification for accessible echo sounder transmit electrical power levels and operating frequencies of about 100 kHz and higher. A sufficiently validated framework to quantify, control, and compensate for such errors in these applications is not available. The conventional power budget equations in fisheries acoustics are valid for smallamplitude signals only. The study aims to fill this “gap”. The conventional theory is generalized to account for finiteamplitude incident sound propagation, arbitrary electrical termination, and the range of electrical and acoustical echo sounder parameters. Equations for use in calibration and oceanic surveying are derived in terms of the backscattering cross section,, and the volume backscattering coefficient,. The “finiteamplitude terms” in these expressions can—for relevant transmit electrical power levels of relevant echo sounders—be measured in controlled tank experiments. Alternatively, they can be calculated using numerical models. The resulting equations enable estimation of finiteamplitude measurement errors in these applications; development of recommended upper limits for echo sounder power levels; controlled reduction of finiteamplitude errors in calibration and surveying; and development of correction factors for survey data already subjected to such measurement errors.

P6593Comparison of the termination effects between multi-segment continuous illumination and anti-tachycardia pacing on myocardial infarction ventricular arrhythmia

Abstract Introduction Anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy is an important treatment for current ICD termination of ventricular arrhythmia (VA). But there was concern about excessive frequency and voltage can cause arrhythmia, pain and damage. Optogenetic allowed modulation of electrical excitation with light in myocardium over-expressing light-sensitive protein, and optical illumination developed a non-contact and pain-free approach to research and treatment of cardiac disorder. Purpose Explore the effects of optogenetic termination and electric termination of myocardial infarction VA in vivo. Methods Rats (N=10) accepted jugular vein injection with 1×1012 vector genomes of (AAV-CAG-hChR2(H134R)-mcherry) to achieve cardiac transgenic expression of light sensitive protein Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). After thoracotomy, myocardial infarction was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and then VA was induced by electrical burst stimulation (10 v, 50 Hz, 2 s). Before the myocardial infarction operation, every heart was illuminated by 473 nm laser or electrical stimulated on the right ventricle in a train of 30 pulses at 8 HZ to test the threshold of light intensity or electrical pacing voltage. The VA termination process during 20 s after burst stimulation was investigated in different performance: optical termination, 1 s constant illumination repeated in 4 episodes with 1 s interval (470 nm, 20 times threshold intensity); electrical termination, ATP in 8 pulses of 8hz with 2ms duration in 4 times pacing threshold; natural recovery from VA, without optical or electrical intervention. Recovery time was defined as the time from the end of the burst stimulation to the recovery of sinus rhythm, and the termination rate was the percentage of sinus rhythm recovery among 11s after the end of burst stimulation with or without any intervention. Results We analyzed the recovery time and the termination rate (N=10, n=127 episodes per mode). The sequence of recovery time was optical termination (7.328±0.3623 s) < electric termination (10.31±0.4482 s) < natural recovery (12.97±0.3834 s) (figure D). We confirmed that the termination rate of optical illumination (86.14±4.145%) was higher than those of ATP (63.5±6.371%) and natural recovery (47.71±5.476%) (figure E), and there was no significant difference between the last two process (one-way of ANOVA; p=0.124). Comparison of three modes Conclusions Optogenetic manipulation shortened the recovery time and increased the termination rate in myocardial infarction ventricular arrhythmia, which may provide a potential approach for translational arrhythmia therapy. Acknowledgement/Funding The national natural science foundation of China (81772044)

Power-Budget Equations and Calibration Factors for Fish Abundance Estimation Using Scientific Echo Sounder and Sonar Systems

Acoustic methods used in fish abundance estimation constitute a key part of the analytic assessment that makes the basis for abundance estimation of marine resources. The methods rely on power-budget equations and calibrated systems. Different formulations of power-budget equations and calibration factors have been proposed for use in scientific echo sounder and sonar systems. There are unresolved questions and apparent inconsistencies in prior literature related to this field. A generic (instrument independent) and unifying theory is presented that attempts to explain the different power-budget and calibration factor formulations proposed and used in prior literature, and how these are mutually related. Deviations and apparent inconsistencies in this literature appear to be explained and corrected. This also includes different (instrument specific) formulations employed in important modern scientific echo sounder systems, and their relationship to the generic theory of abundance estimation. Prior literature is extended to provide more complete power-budget equations for fish abundance estimation and species identification, by accounting for echo integration, electrical termination, and the full range of electrical and acoustical echo sounder parameters. The expressions provide a consistent theoretical basis for improved understanding of conventional methods and instruments used today, also enabling improved sensitivity and error analyses, and correction possibilities.

Manufacture and Quality Control of Insert Coil with Real ITER TF Conductor

JAEA successfully completed the manufacture of the toroidal field (TF) insert coil (TFIC) for a performance test of the ITER TF conductor in the final design in cooperation with Hitachi, Ltd. The TFIC is a single-layer 8.875-turn solenoid coil with 1.44-m diameter. This will be tested for 68-kA current application in a 13-T external magnetic field. TFIC was manufactured in the following order: winding of the TF conductor, lead bending, fabrication of the electrical termination, heat treatment, turn insulation, installation of the coil into the support mandrel structure, vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI), structure assembly, and instrumentation. In this presentation, manufacture process and quality control status for the TFIC manufacturing are reported.

Aesthetic resources applied to burns: literature review.

Introduction: Burns are injuries to the tissue lining of the body, caused by thermal, chemical, electrical or radioactive agents, which may totally or partially destroying the skin and its annexes, and to reach deeper layers as muscles, tendons and bones. The local response to cellular injury include the release of vasoactive agents (histamine, serotonin, bradykinin, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, platelet activating factors) and an immediate increase in osmolarity of the interstitial being classified into first, second, third and fourth grade (electrical burn ) which involves the complete destruction of all tissues, the specific injury takes varying proportions, depending on the exposure time and the type of the causative agent, the extent and depth of the damaged area. Objective: To investigate and gather through literature Bibliographic aesthetic features that help in the prevention and improvement of sequelae caused by burn injuries. Method: This is a search for bibliographic and descriptive review, consisting of scientific articles and books on the subject aesthetic resources for ‘‘burn injuries’’. The realization of this research was carried out by consulting the papers, looking for topics as ''burn'' and ''aesthetic resources for burn injuries''. To survey the material searches were conducted through the portals: SCIELO; UNIFIA; HSVP; FACISA; ASSETS and PORTALBIOCURSOS and with cross between the words:Burns, injuries and aesthetic resources. Results: eight articles and fifteen books including twenty-three references in this research, published between 1967-2010 found. Ultrasound, manual therapies, Electro resources (Microcurrent, Transcutaneous electrical nerve termination, excitomotor current) and laser therapy: Among the four studies aesthetic features which have good results when applied to burn injuries, they being found. Conclusions: The findings contribute to the understanding and application of aesthetic resources in burn injuries, in order to improve the quality of scars, skin suppleness, increasing self-esteem and quality of life.

Applications of network synthesis and zero-pole analysis in transducer modeling

When a transducer is an immutable component of a larger system being simulated, it is sufficient that the transducer model correctly reproduce behavior only at the available ports of the transducer. The behavior of two-port electroacoustic transducer should be completely characterized by three transfer functions related to the electrical and acoustic termination impedance and the transfer impedance. To the extent that the transducer could be represented as a analog circuit of passive linear elements, the same circuit could be exactly represented by rational polynomials of the Laplace s, embodied as a set of poles and zeros of the transfer functions. This invites the reverse process of identifying poles and zeros by nonlinear curve fit of rational polynomials to measured transfer data, perhaps even synthesizing a circuit directly from the identified poles and zeros. Measured transducer transfer data have been fit demonstrating both the utility and the pitfalls of this method. Curve fit transfer functions can be a compact and faithful representation of complex data over frequency, but have no predictive value outside the given data. Judicious selection of the number of poles and zeros, initial values, proper constraints, and some physical insight are necessary for stable curve fits. Further investigation into the relationship among the transfer functions of a physical system may lead to a meaningful model derived from curve fits.

Water quality effects on postharvest performance of cut calla, hydrangea, and snapdragon

Effects of water quality on water uptake, change in fresh weight, vase solution pH and electrical conductivity (EC) change, termination symptoms, and longevity of cut ‘Nicole Yellow’ calla (Zantedeschia L.), ‘White Extra’ hydrangea [Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser.], and ‘Admiral Pink’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) were studied. Calla was tolerant of high water pH (8.1); vase life varied only from 9.2 d for acidic solutions (pH 3.2) to 10.1 d for solutions with intermediate pH (6.3). Calla had the longest vase life at an EC of 0.75dSm−1, whereas addition of floral preservative (Floralife Professional, Floralife, Walterboro, SC at 10mlL−1) was ineffective. Low solution pH (2.9–3.3), increasing EC (up to 2.5dSm−1), and use of floral preservative increased vase life of hydrangea. Increasing EC increased vase life of hydrangea from a low of 7.3 d to a high of 15.4 d at 2.5dSm−1, when floral preservative was used and from a low of 3.5 d to a high of 5.7 d at 4.0dSm−1 in distilled water. Vase solution pH of snapdragon had no significant effect on vase life or water uptake. Increasing EC increased vase life to a maximum of 14.8 d at 2.0dSm−1 with preservative and to 9.7 d at 3.0dSm−1 without preservative. Each species had differing responses to varying pH and EC levels; however, solution pH should be low, as high pH solutions either had no effect or reduced vase life, such as with hydrangea. EC of vase water for hydrangea and snapdragon should be approximately 2.0–2.5dSm−1, when preservatives are used and 3.0–4.0dSm−1 without, which is higher than most recommendations. Addition of preservative to vase solutions extended vase life of hydrangea and snapdragon, but did not affect calla.

Strategies for Virtual Optical Network Allocation

This paper presents Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulations to optimally allocate Virtual Optical Networks (VONs) over a transparent optical network substrate. These formulations serve the purpose of building either completely transparent VONs or opaque ones, where electrical termination capabilities are assumed at each virtual network node. In addition, a lightweight Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search (GRASP) heuristic is provided for the transparent case. The obtained results validate the accuracy of the proposed heuristic and reveal the benefits of the presented solutions against simpler shortest-path-based VON allocation strategies.

Electrical cardioversion in healthy pregnant women: safe yes, but needed?

Sustained maternal arrhythmias during pregnancy that would require an electrical intervention are rare. The incidence and mechanisms, as well as the need for intervention, depend strongly on the background disease of the mother (to be). Electrical intervention may be indicated only with severe symptoms and drug refractory arrhythmias. The two cases of attempted electrical cardioversions (and a concise review of the literature of previous cases) by Tromp et al. reported in this issue of the journal [1] illustrate not only that cardioversion can be done safely but also that this intervention is hardly ever needed in the healthy pregnant patient. In general, maternal arrhythmias are more frequent than expected and may be due to pregnancy-related haemodynamic and autonomic changes. The increase in intravascular volume may lead to stretch of the myocardium and activity of stretch-activated ion channels and hence ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. Likewise, increased adrenergic activity may provoke abnormal automaticity and even re-entry or triggered activity especially in susceptible patients, i.e. those with underlying heart disease. Diagnosis and management of these arrhythmias should take these potential mechanisms into account, especially since in many cases, an electrical intervention will not suffice or may even be futile because of non-shockability of the underlying arrhythmogenic mechanisms. Instead, arrhythmia treatment should in the first place consist of rate control. In the absence of structural heart disease, sustained arrhythmias are usually atrioventricular nodal re-entrant or atrial tachycardias, more seldomly atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia, and almost never ventricular tachycardia. These arrhythmias virtually never lead to haemodynamic compromise nor do they need an electrical intervention. Sometimes healthy pregnant patients develop troublesome atrial fibrillation, which is most likely focal and adrenergic in nature. Acute electrical termination is only needed in the very rare instance when atrial fibrillation is associated with pre-excitation and ultrarapid ventricular rate. However, focal lone adrenergic atrial fibrillation is usually self-terminating, i.e. paroxysmal in nature: if left alone with sufficient rate control, it will stop spontaneously. Even though the physical effects are negligible for the foetus, electrical cardioversion should be avoided, as in the first case of the report. This holds especially since the trigger for the paroxysm of atrial arrhythmia—although in the end self-limiting—may still be active and cause acute recurrence, notably since the trigger is generally non-shockable. In other words, the patient could have been very well managed without electrical cardioversion. The above is quite well illustrated by the second case in which electrical cardioversion even failed to terminate atrial tachycardia, which had led to tachycardiomyopathy. Adrenergic activation was essential for both tachycardia initiation as well as the development of cardiomyopathy. In such a setting, acute cardioversion may be futile. Rhythm control can only be successful after reaching control of adrenergic activation by heart failure medication including β-blockade. If electrical cardioversion is needed, precautionary measures as suggested in the report by Tromp et al. should be taken. However, although seemingly attractive and also advocated by guidelines [2], electrical cardioversion is almost never needed to control arrhythmias in healthy pregnant women.

Inter-Strand Resistance in the Termination of ITER Conductors

In large, cabled superconductors, a non-negligible level of current unbalance among the strands is unavoidable in dc operation due to non-homogeneous contact resistance distribution at the electrical connections. When the overloaded strands saturate their current carrying capability and start to develop current sharing voltage at the high field section, the excess current must be transferred to less loaded strands. The inter-strand current re-distribution takes likely place at the electrical connections, where the inter-strand resistance is lower. Two samples of electrical termination, made of large cable-in-conduit conductors, were formerly prepared and tested for contact resistance distribution at CRPP. One of these samples is now re-arranged to measure the inter-strand resistance in different combination. A discussion of the results allows ruling out speculations about the impact of current re-distribution effects on the voltage-current and voltage-temperature characteristics in short length conductor test.

Two-Stage Radio Frequency Power Generator-Amplifier Design for a TEM00 CO2 Slab Waveguide Laser

This letter presents the results of the research conducted on the design, construction and test of a two stage ra- dio frequency power generator-amplifier directed adapted to an in-house-built compact CO2 waveguide laser. The main characteristic of this power supply lies in the fact its design is based on MOSFET technology for both the oscillator and the amplifier stages. RF output power is centered at 81MHz frequency signal between 100W to 150W. The two-stage sys- tem device has a minimum electric conversion efficiency of 64%. Consequently, the laser head and RF excitation design must have an electrical termination of 50� impedance and the whole system may include a proper matching circuit. The overall test, for the entire system: RF excitation along with our CO2 laser head, is made with a typical gas mixture of CO2- N2-He with proportion of 1:1:3 correspondingly and at a final pressure of 40Torr. Under these specific conditions, a maximum optical output power of 10.7W was obtained for an input feed RF power of 147W. Regarding the optical qual- ity we measured the transverse mode of propagation TEM00 which indicate the entire system work very near the diffrac- tion limit specifications for similar laser systems.

Clinical and Electrical Performance of Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene‐Covered Defibrillator Leads in Comparison to Traditional Leads

In the event of infection, erosion, or failure, fibrosis of a defibrillation lead can make extraction difficult. In the ENDOTAK RELIANCE G defibrillation lead, coils are covered with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) to prevent tissue ingrowth. The objective of the REFLEx Study was to evaluate if RELIANCE G defibrillation leads with ePTFE-covered coils are as good as comparative defibrillation leads with respect to electrical performance and termination of spontaneous tachyarrhythmias. Patients were randomized to type of defibrillation lead--Guidant RELIANCE G lead or a non-ePTFE-covered lead of choice. Electrical performance success was defined as meeting all minimum standards in the respective manufacturer's manual for amplitude, threshold, and impedance. A noninferiority margin of 5% was prespecified. Electrical performance success at 12 months was 93.0% (280/301) for RELIANCE G and 94.5% (291/308) for comparative leads. The performance success rate for RELIANCE G did not differ significantly from study comparative (P = 0.04, noninferiority). For spontaneous episodes, first shock conversion success rate was 90% for RELIANCE G and 95% for study comparative (P = 0.89, noninferiority). Implant conversion testing was successful in 96.7% (524/542) of RELIANCE G patients and 94.3% (512/543) of comparative patients (chi-square P-value = 0.0784). About 55% (609/1115) of patients completed follow-up through month 12. Data from the REFLEx study indicate that ePTFE-covered leads are not inferior to comparative leads with respect to electrical performance and implant conversion testing. We cannot conclude that the first shock conversion efficacy of ePTFE covered leads was statistically noninferior to comparative leads.

Electrical storm and termination with propofol therapy: A case report

Electrical storm and termination with propofol therapy: A case report

Functional reentry in cultured monolayers of neonatal rat cardiac cells.

Previous studies of reentrant arrhythmias in the heart have been performed in computer models and tissue experiments. We hypothesized that confluent monolayers of cardiac cells can provide a simple, controlled, and reproducible experimental model of reentry. Neonatal rat ventricular cells were cultured on 22-mm-diameter coverslips and stained with the voltage-sensitive dye RH-237. Recordings of transmembrane potentials were obtained from 61 sites with the use of a contact fluorescence imaging system. An electrical field stimulus, followed by a point stimulus, induced 39 episodes of sustained reentry and 21 episodes of nonsustained reentry. Sustained reentry consisted of single-loop (n = 18 monolayers) or figure-of-eight (n = 4) patterns. The cycle length, action potential duration at 80% repolarization, and conduction velocity were (in means +/- SE) 358 +/- 33 ms, 118 +/- 12 ms, and 12.9 +/- 1.0 cm/s for single loop and 311 +/- 78 ms, 137 +/- 18 ms, and 7.8 +/- 1.3 cm/s for figure-of-eight, respectively. Electrical termination by 6- to 13-V/cm field pulses or 15- to 20-V point stimuli was successful in 60% of the attempts. In summary, highly stable reentry can be induced, sustained for extensive periods of time, and electrically terminated in monolayers of cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.

Soft heating element and electrical termination

Soft heating element and electrical termination

Contact fluorescence imaging of reentry in monolayers of cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes.

We present a novel contact fluorescence imaging (CFI) approach to monitor transmembrane potentials in monolayers of cultured neonatal rat ventricular cells. We apply CFI to demonstrate, for the first time, long-term recordings as well as electrical induction and termination of reentrant activity in this in vitro model. CFI was performed in confluent cell monolayers stained with di-8-ANEPPS. An anatomic obstacle (6 x 0.5 mm) was created in the center of the monolayers. Reentry was induced with a premature stimulus after pacing at 2 Hz (both via field stimulation). Seven sustained (>3 min) reentrant episodes, anchored to the anatomic obstacle, were observed in three monolayers. Field stimulation (30 V/cm) was applied to successfully terminate 6 of the 7 reentries. Analysis of reentrant activity showed similarities with anatomic reentry in tissue preparations, such as reduced conduction velocity around the core, variable conduction velocity along the reentrant pathway due to wavefront curvature effects, and field-induced activation at the obstacle borders leading to reentry termination (cardioversion). This study demonstrates the feasibility of CFI for macroscopic optical mapping of transmembrane potentials in a single layer of cultured cells. Our results suggest that the monolayer cell culture model is an attractive complement to tissue models of reentry and cardioversion.

Defibrillation and the upper limit of vulnerability to fibrillation in a transthoracic Guinea pig model

Recent studies have shown sustained tachyarrhythmias in guinea pigs. We hypothesized that guinea pigs could be used as a model of ventricular fibrillation, focusing on defibrillation waveform efficacy and the upper limit of vulnerability to fibrillation. In 10 male guinea pigs, an esophageal/apical pacing electrode configuration was used. The electrocardiogram (ECG) and arterial blood pressure were continuously monitored. T-wave and defibrillation shocks were applied transthoracically. A modified up-down protocol was used. After up-down testing was completed, a tachyarrhythmia was induced without electrical termination. All animals died of a sustained tachyarrhythmia. The monophasic DFT 50 (the 50% successful defibrillation voltage, 496 ± 176 V) was larger than the biphasic DFT 50 (364 ± 94 V, P < .005). The upper limit of vulnerability to fibrillation (ULV 50) (the 50% successful induction voltage) was correlated with the DFT 50 for both monophasic ( r = .82, P < .005) and biphasic shocks ( r = .88, P < .005). Its low cost and ease of handling may make the guinea pig a preferred model for some fibrillation and defibrillation studies.