International Facility Research Articles

Trace level detection of select opioids (fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and tramadol) in suspect pharmaceutical tablets using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with handheld devices.

The opioid crisis in the USA has resulted in over 702,000 overdose fatalities between 1999 and 2017 and can be attributed to over-prescription of opioids and abuse of synthetic opioids in combination with other illicit drugs. A rapid and sensitive SERS method has been developed for trace detection of opioids including fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and tramadol in low-dosage suspect tablets using two different handheld Raman spectrometers equipped with 785 and 1064nm lasers. The method involves a micro-extraction procedure using 10% methanol in deionized water, followed by filtration and addition of colloidal silver and aqueous KBr, resulting in a mixture that can be measured directly via a glass vial. The lowest concentration (Cmin ) of fentanyl, tramadol, oxycodone, and hydrocodone standards that yielded a positive match was 250ng/ml, 5, 10, and 10μg/ml using the 1064nm laser device and 100ng/ml, 1μg/ml, 500ng/ml, and 750ng/ml using the 785nm laser device, respectively. For the analysis of suspect tablets containing these opioids, the Cmin ranges between 5 and 75µg/ml for 1064nm laser device and 1 and 50µg/ml for 785nm laser device. The overall positive identification rate for all the opioids studied in the suspect counterfeit tablets analyzed ranged from 80% to 100%. The use of SERS for rapid chemical identification at remote sampling sites, such as international mail facilities (IMFs) and express courier hubs (ECHs), provides a rugged, simple, and practical method applicable for point-of-entry sampling and analysis.

FAIR status and the PANDA experiment

The international accelerator Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR) is the next generation accelerator complex for fundamental and applied research with antiproton and ion beams. FAIR will provide worldwide unique facilities enabling a wide spectrum of unprecedented forefront research in hadron and nuclear physics, in atomic physics and nuclear astrophysics as well as in applied sciences like materials research, plasma physics and radiation biophysics. Key features of FAIR are intense beams of antiprotons and ions up to the heaviest and even exotic nuclei covering an energy range from rest up to 30 GeV/u. We present a brief overview on the current construction status of the FAIR accelerator facilities and the associated research pillars with emphasis on PANDA . PANDA (antiProton Annihilation in Darmstadt), is the central experiment to fully exploit the physics research potential of the High Energy Storage Ring (HESR) with intense, phase-space cooled, antiprotons up to 15 GeV/c impinging on a variety of fixed targets. The PANDA detector features two spectrometers, the Target Spectrometer with a SC solenoid magnet of 2 T and the Forward Spectrometer with a 2 Tm dipole magnet. In both spectrometers the PANDA collaboration employs a multitude of modern detector technologies to provide tracking, particle identification, calorimetry and muon identification, arranged hermetically close to 4π around the interaction region with additional detectors for coverage of the forward boosted particles. Focusing on the various PANDA detector systems we present an overview of recent developments, the detector construction progress and conclude with an outline for a phased deployment of PANDA at FAIR.

Particle identification algorithms for the PANDA Barrel DIRC

The PANDA experiment at the international accelerator Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR) near GSI, Darmstadt, Germany will address fundamental questions of hadron physics. Excellent particle identification is required to achieve the PANDA physics goals. Hadronic particle identification (PID) in the barrel region of PANDA target spectrometer will be delivered by a fast focusing DIRC (Detection of Internally Reflecfted Cherenkov light) counter. The Barrel DIRC will cover the polar angle range of 22̂–140̂ and is designed to provide π/K separation for momenta up to 3.5 GeV/c with a separation power of at least 3 standard deviations. Several reconstruction algorithms have been developed to determine the performance of the detector. The “geometrical reconstruction” determines the Cherenkov angle by relying primarily on the position of the detected photons. The “time imaging”, however, utilizes both position and time measurements by directly performing the maximum likelihood fit. Simulations and experimental data from prototype tests at the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) were used to evaluate the performance of the algorithms. We will discuss both reconstruction approaches.

As-built BIM in real estate management: the change of paradigm in digital transformation of economy

International Facility Management Association (IFMA) traditionally divides the management of real estate into asset, property and facility management. The paper explores how the emergence of building information modelling (BIM) has influenced the distribution of information about the building among the stakeholders. As-built BIM in industrial buildings is a significant part of digital transformation of industrial assets and emergence of Industry 4.0. The tendency of transferring the ownership of information from facility manager to asset manager as well as the increase of transparency is analysed in the recent literature. The development of as-built BIM has given the possibility to the owners of real estate to become not only the owners of the assets themselves but also the owners of digital assets. In order to clarify current situation in the scientific community, the research interest in building information modelling among the studies mentioning facility management, asset management and property management has been analysed. The role of information about the building components as well as practical examples of operational expenditures reduction are explored and discussed.

Recommendations for burns care in mass casualty incidents: WHO Emergency Medical Teams Technical Working Group on Burns (WHO TWGB) 2017-2020

Health and logistical needs in emergencies have been well recognised. The last 7 years has witnessed improved professionalisation and standardisation of care for disaster affected communities – led in part by the World Health Organisation Emergency Medical Team (EMT) initiative.Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) resulting in burn injuries present unique challenges. Burn management benefits from specialist skills, expert knowledge, and timely availability of specialist resources. With burn MCIs occurring globally, and wide variance in existing burn care capacity, the need to strengthen burn care capability is evident. Although some high-income countries have well-established disaster management plans, including burn specific plans, many do not – the majority of countries where burn mass casualty events occur are without such established plans. Developing globally relevant recommendations is a first step in addressing this deficit and increasing preparedness to deal with such disasters.Global burn experts were invited to a succession of Technical Working Group on burns (TWGB) meetings to:1) review literature on burn care in MCIs; and2) define and agree on recommendations for burn care in MCIs.The resulting 22 recommendations provide a framework to guide national and international specialist burn teams and health facilities to support delivery of safe care and improved outcomes to burn patients in MCIs.

Conceptualization of Major Stakeholders in Emergency Management of Childcare Facilities

ABSTRACT This study aims to conceptualize the key stakeholders in emergency management of childcare facilities for applicable nations by referring to the Korean case. Qualitative content analysis is the main methodology used. Unique features are gathered from the Korean literature on childcare facilities and then summarized; however, universal principles from the English language literature on international childcare facilities are emphasized. The analysis of five major stakeholders in Korean childcare facilities, namely, governments, community personnel, parents, childcare providers, and children, shows that their current efforts are directed only at general safety management. Multi-hazard management or an integrated approach in terms of social work is thus provided as an alternative for not only Korea but also other nations.

The occurrence of tarsal injuries in male mice of C57BL/6N substrains in multiple international mouse facilities.

Dislocation in hindlimb tarsals are being observed at a low, but persistent frequency in group-housed adult male mice from C57BL/6N substrains. Clinical signs included a sudden onset of mild to severe unilateral or bilateral tarsal abduction, swelling, abnormal hindlimb morphology and lameness. Contraction of digits and gait abnormalities were noted in multiple cases. Radiographical and histological examination revealed caudal dislocation of the calcaneus and partial dislocation of the calcaneoquartal (calcaneus-tarsal bone IV) joint. The detection, frequency, and cause of this pathology in five large mouse production and phenotyping centres (MRC Harwell, UK; The Jackson Laboratory, USA; The Centre for Phenogenomics, Canada; German Mouse Clinic, Germany; Baylor College of Medicine, USA) are discussed.

Creating a diverse international user facility

The European XFEL is the first hard X-ray high-repetition-rate free-electron laser facility. Sakura Pascarelli, Serguei Molodtsov and Thomas Tschentscher, scientific directors of the European XFEL, discuss the challenges that lie ahead before the European XFEL can reach its full potential and cater for an international and diverse community of users.

Electro-thermal analysis of the superconducting dipole circuit of SIS100

The heavy ion synchrotron SIS100, the core machine of the new international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Darmstadt, is currently under construction. The 108 superconducting dipole magnets of SIS100 will be powered in series with a cycling rate up to 30kAs−1 which corresponds to 4Ts−1. The dipole magnet protection system considers 12 energy extraction resistors and two crowbars at the outputs of two power converters. As a part of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, the most critical failures of the magnet protection system are simulated. In this contribution, initial studies of the electrical and thermal behaviour of the SIS100 main dipole circuit during a quench are presented. The dipole magnet design and topology of the powering circuit (including the protection system) are described. The electro-thermal model in use is detailed. Finally, simulation of a failure mode of the magnet protection system is presented and results are discussed.

Electro–Thermal 1D model of the SIS100 superconducting dipole magnet

The FAIR Project – a new international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research is under construction in Darmstadt, Germany. The core machine at FAIR is the SIS100 synchrotron which utilises superconducting magnets in order to guide the heavy ion beam. The bending component of the magnetic field is generated by super-ferric window-frame dipole magnets symmetrically distributed over the six arc sections of the accelerator ring. The dipole coils are wound with a LTS low AC loss Nuclotron-type cable. Due to the very thick inter-turn insulation, the coil is characterized by a strong anisotropy of thermal conductivity which enables application of a 1D electro-thermal model. This work presents the latest version of the magnet model used for the simulation of magnet’s operating modes at the test facility (including quench). Since currently the series dipole magnets undergo acceptance tests at cryogenic conditions, the simulation results are compared to the available measurements.

Detection of Mitragynine in Mitragyna Speciosa (Kratom) Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Handheld Devices.

A simple, quick, selective, sensitive, and effective field-friendly method capable of being used by nonexperts has been developed for detecting mitragynine in Mitragyna speciosa (kratom) using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Over 100 samples and blanks (known to be either positive or negative for the presence of mitragynine) were examined in duplicate using five identical handheld Raman spectrometers, which provided a data set of over 1,000 examinations. Based on the results of these analyses, the method yielded a true-positive rate of 99.3%, a true-negative rate of 97.9%, a false-positive rate of 2.1%, and a false-negative rate of 0.7%. The average minimum detectable concentration (Cm ) of mitragynine that reproducibly yielded a match for one of the library spectra on all five instruments was determined to be 342 ng/mL (ppb). This Cm value is a conservative estimate considering that the extraction process was not fully optimized by this study, which was not necessary since the Cm value achieved was well below typical mitragynine concentrations in kratom (1.3-2.3%). The method is ideal (i) for prioritizing samples for additional testing using other more time-consuming laboratory-based techniques needed to detect and quantify mitragynine and (ii) for field use at international mail facility (IMF) satellite laboratories to help interdict kratom and prevent this dangerous product from reaching the U.S. supply chain.

Opportunities to search for extraterrestrial intelligence with the FAST

The discovery of ubiquitous habitable extrasolar planets, combined with revolutionary advances in instrumentation and observational capabilities, has ushered in a renaissance in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Large scale SETI activities are now underway at numerous international facilities. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is the largest single-aperture radio telescope in the world, and is well positioned to conduct sensitive searches for radio emission indicative of exo-intelligence. SETI is one of the five key science goals specified in the original FAST project plan. A collaboration with the Breakthrough Listen Initiative was initiated in 2016 with a joint statement signed both by Dr. Jun Yan, the then director of National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), and Dr. Peter Worden, Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In this paper, we highlight some of the unique features of FAST that will allow for novel SETI observations. We identify and describe three different signal types indicative of a technological source, namely, narrow band, wide-band artificially dispersed and modulated signals. Here, we propose observations with FAST to achieve sensitivities never before explored. For nearby exoplanets, such as TESS targets, FAST will be sensitive to an EIRP of 1.9 × 1011 W, well within the reach of current human technology. For the Andromeda Galaxy, FAST will be able to detect any Kardashev type II or more advanced civilization there.

Geant4 Simulations of the gSPEC Experimental Apparatus

A new setup (gSPEC) for the measurements of magnetic moments in exotic species is proposed for development at FAIR, the international nuclear facility currently under construction in Darmstadt, Germany. The experimental setup will use a few of the state–of–the–art segmented DEGAS detectors available at GSI, acquire a new large dipole magnet to induce external magnetic fields required for the application of the Time–Differential Perturbed Angular Distribution (TDPAD) technique and integrate ancillary detection systems as part of a research plan to study the properties of exotic species that will made available at FAIR. At the current stage, the envisioned gSPEC setup is still in R&D. Several configurations of the detectors are considered, but optimization relies on detailed simulations of the total efficiency in various geometries. In this work, DEGAS detectors and a split–pole superconducting magnet are studied using the latest GEANT4 simulation package. The simulations aim to offer insight on the detector setup performance before gSPEC is actually constructed.

Burden of eye disease and demand for care in the Bangladesh Rohingya displaced population and host community: A cohort study.

BackgroundThere is a growing awareness that addressing chronic as well as acute health conditions may contribute importantly to the well-being of displaced populations, but eye care service has generally not been prioritized in crisis situations. We describe a replicable model of eye care provision as delivered by Orbis International and local partners to the Rohingya and host population in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and characterize the burden of vision impairment and demand for sight-restoring services in this setting.Methods and findingsOrbis International and local secondary facility Cox’s Bazar Baitush Sharaf Hospital (CBBSH) provide eye care support to the Rohingya population and the host community of all ages in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with fixed vision screening locations established in Camps 4 and 11 of the Kutupalong refugee settlement. Structured outreach targets these camps and four surrounding local subdistricts, with referrals made as needed for refraction (glasses measurement) and cataract surgery to CBBSH. Between February 2018 and March 2019, 48,105 displaced Rohingya (70.3%, among whom 71.6% were children and 46.5% women) and 20,357 local residents (29.7%, 88.5% children, 54.4% women) underwent vision screening. Displaced Rohingya sought services from a total of 12 surrounding camps, within which coverage was 17.3%, including 43.3% (27,027/62,424) of children aged 5–11 years and 60.0% (5,315/8,857) of adults ≥ 60 years old. The prevalence of blindness (presenting acuity < 3/60) among Rohingya patients exceeded that among local residents by 3- to 6-fold in each 10-year age group between 18 and 59 years (P < 0.001 comparing vision between the two groups in this age range), and the prevalence of cataract requiring surgery was also higher in Rohingya patients (18–29 years: 4.67% versus 1.80%, P = 0.0019; 30–39: 7.61% versus 2.39%, P < 0.001; and 40–49 years: 7.91% versus 3.77%, P = 0.0014). A limitation of the study is lack of data on population prevalence of eye disease.ConclusionsThe burden of untreated eye disease is very high among the Rohingya, particularly those in their peak working years who could contribute most to the resiliency of their community. Demand for eye care service is also great among children and adults in this population with many competing healthcare priorities. Research is needed, building on strong evidence of benefit in settled populations, to explore the specific impact of vision care on the well-being of displaced populations.

The Next Generation of Facility Management: Nurturing Millennial Leadership

Workforce demographics are changing as baby-boomers approach retirement. By 2020, nearly half of the workforce will be younger than 35. This poses a challenge in industries that are dominated by older employees. This paper examines how changing workforce demographics will affect one of these at-risk industries, facility management. The authors propose that to mitigate the negative effects of an employee exodus, the FM industry (and other similar industries), will have to embrace the next generation of leadership. The authors suggest that young employees may not have the same technical training as older employees, but they can still effectively assume leadership roles if they are taught to properly integrate new technology and utilize the expertise of others. This teaching methodology is the “FM of the Future” approach. This research shows the results of implementing the “FM of the Future” approach in an International Facility Management Associate student chapter to create a pipeline of high-performing students to assume FM roles. The results of the effort reveal two key findings: college students can implement this model to effectively manage industry projects which result in significant cost avoidance ($4 million), and second, high school students can use this training to develop leadership skills to help them become less stressed, more stable, and better students. The authors recommend additional case studies with both college students and high school students.

Design of the DUNE APATF cryogenic system

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) is developing the international Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to advance neutrino science. The flagship of the DUNE project consists of a large particle detector constructed one-mile (1.6 km) beneath the surface at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. The SURF detector is the largest of its type ever built and is comprised of four cryostats totaling 70,000 tons of liquid argon (LAr) to record neutrino interactions with unprecedented precision. Each cryostat houses a detector, the first includes 150 Anode Panel Assemblies (APA) submersed within 17,500 tons of LAr. Before installing 150 APA within the SURF detector they will be cryogenically cooled to nominally 90 K at the APA Test Facility (APATF) utilizing nitrogen flows. The APATF cryogenic system is entirely located one-mile underground at the SURF facility and includes nominally 13 kW of refrigeration at 80 K, cryogenic transfer lines, APA test cryostats, a cryogenic control system, and various control and pressure safety elements to ensure performance and safety requirements are achieved. The APATF preliminary design is in progress and major considerations include an efficient, cost-effective mechanism to deliver the required refrigeration to the APATF underground, support of rigid testing intervals to support the DUNE operating schedule, temperature stability of the APA and electronics within cryostats, efficient cryogenic system operation to minimize heat leak and/or liquid nitrogen consumption, thermo-mechanical stability and flexibility of components, and pressure safety of the APATF cryogenic system. Installation and integration of the APATF cryogenic system within the footprint and to adjacent sub-systems is also discussed.

Cryogenic testing of fast ramping superconducting magnets for the SIS100 synchrotron

The international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research FAIR is currently under construction at GSI, in Darmstadt, Germany. The core component of FAIR, the superconducting SIS100 synchrotron will operate with a high repetition rate of up to 1 Hz. The SIS100 ring with a circumference of 1083 m contains 108 main dipole magnets with a maximal field of 1.9 T. The ion-optical lattice of SIS100 contains also 166 main quadrupoles and 137 corrector magnets. The quadrupole and corrector magnets are assembled in the quadrupole units that are pair-wise integrated in quadrupole doublet modules. All superconducting magnets will be tested at liquid helium temperature to assure their compliancy with the specification. The main dipole modules are being tested at the magnet test facility at GSI. Cold testing of the quadrupole doublet modules is split in the testing of the quadrupole units at JINR, Russia and in testing of fully assembled quadrupole doublet modules at INFN, Italy. The cold testing program includes dynamic AC loss measurements and hydraulic adjustment of the parallel cooling channels of SIS100 next to the training, magnetic field measurements and other tests. We present the scope of cold testing of different types of magnet modules as well as the test results.

Appied Nuclear Physics-Advanced Ion Beam Materials Analysis at small Accelerators

The ossendorf Ion Beam Laboratory has been developed to an international large scale user facility in the field of ion beam physics and ion beam materials research. The laboratory operates a large number of modern experimental equipment at three MeV accelerators, three implanters, an ECR source and a FIB which together pro- vide almost all ions species in a wide energy range from a few hundred eV to a few ten MeV. Also IBAD and PHI devices were installed for various purposes. The re- search stations at the accelerators are supplemented by complementary techniques like TEM, SEM, AUGER, AFM etc., all contributing useful information to thin film investigations. In this paper a short overview of the laboratory is given and a few recent experiments and their results are shown. Rutherford Backscattering Spec- trometry ( RBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) are well established techniques for quantitative thin film. The advantage of these methods consists in the simple physics they are basing on, namely the stopping of energetic ions in matter and the binary scattering of at the Coulomb potential of atomic nuclei. The increasing importance of ultra-thin layers for novel technologies demands quantita- tive analysis techniques with a depth resolution of atomic monolayers, which can be obtained for RBS and ERDA by magnetic spectrometers only. The magnetic spec- trometers we have installed at the 3 MV Tandetron and at the 5 MV tandem are described , recent applications are shown and a few problems to achieve high depth resolution will be discussed. Heavy ion detectors as Bragg IC, dE-Erest-telescopes and ToF spectrometers, developed for nuclear physics experiments, are now applied for ERDA, providing an efficient analysis of thin films containing light elements. The lateral position resolution of such detectors enables kinematic corrections and allows large solid angles. Thus by ERDA in situ studies during surface modification processes are possible like in the case of the nitridation of aluminum and stainless steel. At the external beam mainly objects of fine arts or of historical value are analysed. It will be shown, how the complementary application of PIXE, RBS and PIGE can help to detect the beginning corrosion of mediaeval glass objects.

FAIR: The Future European Facility for Antiproton And Ion Research

FAIR, the new international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research at GSI, will cover a broad spectrum of hadronic, nuclear, and atomic physics research and appli- cation. A system of synchrotrons will provide intense proton and heavy ion beams of intermediate energy with the option to produce secondary beams of radioactive nuclei and antiprotons. NUSTAR, NUclear STructure, Astrophysics and Reactions, will play a premier role within the FAIR research program. Nuclei at the limits of binding will become accessible and new probes for reaction studies with unstable nuclei become available.

Status of the Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment will investigate high-energy heavy-ion collisions at the international Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), which is under construction in Darmstadt, Germany. The CBM research program is focused on the exploration of QCD matter at neutron star core densities, such as study of the equation-of-state and the search for phase transitions. Key experimental observables include (multi-) strange (anti-) particles, electron-positron pairs and dimuons, particle correlations and fluctuations, and hyper-nuclei. In order to measure these diagnostic probes multi-differentially with unprecedented precision, the CBM detector and data acquisition systems are designed to run at reaction rates up to 10 MHz. This requires the development of fast and radiation hard detectors and readout electronics for track reconstruction, electron and muon identification, time-of-flight (TOF) determination and event characterization. The data are read-out by ultra-fast, radiation-tolerant, and free-streaming front-end electronics, and then transferred via radiation-hard data aggregation units and high-speed optical connections to a high-performance computing center. A fast and highly parallelized software will perform online track reconstruction, particle identification and event analysis. The components of the CBM experimental setup will be discussed and results of physics performance studies will be presented.