Top Halves Research Articles

Influence of protective clothing and masks on facial trustworthiness in an investment game: insights from a Chinese population study

Facial features are important sources of information about perceived trustworthiness. Masks and protective clothing diminish the visibility of facial cues by either partially concealing the mouth and nose or covering the entire face. During the pandemic, the use of personal protective equipment affected and redefined who trusts whom in society. This study used the classical investment game of interpersonal trust with Chinese participants to explore the impact of occlusion on interpersonal trust. Faces with moderate initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask or protective clothing in Experiment 1 and were digitally occluded by a square in Experiment 2, and faces with three levels of initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask in Experiment 3. Results showed that both undergraduates (Experiment 1a) and non-student adults (Experiment 1b) perceived the faces with protective clothing as more trustworthy than faces wearing standard masks and faces not wearing masks. Faces with the top halves showing were perceived as trustworthy as full faces, while faces with the bottom halves showing were perceived as less trustworthy. The effect of masks is weak and complex. Masks reduced participants’ trust in faces with high initial trustworthiness, had no effect on faces with low and moderate initial trustworthiness, and only slightly increased the trust of undergraduates in faces with moderate initial trustworthiness. Our findings indicate that the lack of information caused by occlusion and the social significance associated with occlusion collectively affect people’s trust behavior in Chinese society. We believe the findings of this study will be useful in elucidating the effects of personal protective equipment usage on perceptions of trustworthiness.

Microfibril-associated glycoprotein 4 forms octamers that mediate interactions with elastogenic proteins and cells

Microfibril-associated glycoprotein 4 (MFAP4) is a 36-kDa extracellular matrix glycoprotein with critical roles in organ fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disorders, including aortic aneurysms. MFAP4 multimerises and interacts with elastogenic proteins, including fibrillin-1 and tropoelastin, and with cells via integrins. Structural details of MFAP4 and its potential interfaces for these interactions are unknown. Here, we present a cryo-electron microscopy structure of human MFAP4. In the presence of calcium, MFAP4 assembles as an octamer, where two sets of homodimers constitute the top and bottom halves of each octamer. Each homodimer is linked together by an intermolecular disulphide bond. A C34S missense mutation prevents disulphide-bond formation between monomers but does not prevent octamer assembly. The atomic model, built into the 3.55 Å cryo-EM map, suggests that salt-bridge interactions mediate homodimer assembly, while non-polar residues form the interface between octamer halves. In the absence of calcium, an MFAP4 octamer dissociates into two tetramers. Binding studies with fibrillin-1, tropoelastin, LTBP4, and small fibulins show that MFAP4 has multiple surfaces for protein-protein interactions, most of which depend upon MFAP4 octamer assembly. The C34S mutation does not affect these protein interactions or cell interactions. MFAP4 assemblies with fibrillin-1 abrogate MFAP4 interactions with cells.

Shadowing in the Protoplanetary Disk of ZZ Tau IRS with HST

An inner component misaligned from an outer component in a protoplanetary disk can result in the former casting shadows on the latter. We present a new instance of shadowing on the outer disk around a very-low-mass star, ZZ Tau IRS. Through the analysis of near-infrared (NIR) archival data at λ = 1.6 μm acquired with the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope, we identified brightness asymmetries in the top and bottom halves of the highly inclined outer disk, separated by a dark lane. The brighter sides in the top and bottom halves are on the opposite sides, which we attributed to shadows cast by a misaligned inner disk. Radiative transfer modeling of the system with a misaligned angle of 15 deg between the inner and outer disks well reproduced the observations. Additionally, we found an elevated brightness temperature of 12CO (3–2) at r ∼ 30 au on the brighter side in NIR wavelengths in the top half disk, which can be explained by the shadowing effect too. While the origin of the misaligned inner disk remains unclear, future monitoring observations to search for temporal variations in brightness asymmetries will likely provide useful clues.

Clinical outcomes and recurrence patterns of high‐intermediate‐risk and high‐risk early‐stage endometrial cancer treated with postoperative intracavitary brachytherapy

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the clinical outcomes and recurrence patterns of high‐intermediate‐risk (HIR)‐ and high‐risk (HR) early‐stage endometrial cancer (EC) treated with postoperative intracavitary brachytherapy alone.MethodsWe included 152 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I‐II endometrial cancer with HIR and HR factors who received vaginal brachytherapy alone after surgery in our center between April 2008 and December 2017. The irradiation area was the top and upper halves of the vagina. The reference point was defined as 0.5 cm below the vaginal mucosa. The radiation dose was 25–30 Gy 5–6 times. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate; differences were assessed using the log‐rank test, and univariate and multivariate prognostic analyses were performed using the Cox regression model.ResultThe median follow‐up was 49.2 months (range 3–132 months). The 5‐year overall survival (OS), disease‐free survival (DFS), locoregional failure‐free survival time (LRFS), and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) rates were 93.2%, 83.4%, 87.9%, and 86.6%, respectively. Treatment failure occurred in 18 patients, locoregional recurrence in 11, and distant metastasis in 14 (four with locoregional recurrence). Distant metastasis is the main recurrence pattern in patients at HIR and HR. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age was an independent prognostic factor for OS, DFS, DMFS, and LRFS.ConclusionThe main recurrence pattern after adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy alone was distant metastasis in patients with HIR and HR early‐stage EC. Age at onset was an independent prognostic factor for survival. Vaginal brachytherapy alone is an acceptable treatment option for patients with HIR and HR early‐stage endometrial cancer.

3D magnetic field measurements and improvements at the negative ion source BATMAN Upgrade

BATMAN Upgrade is the testbed of the prototype radiofrequency-driven negative ion source, for the Heating Neutral Beams of ITER. Its extraction system corresponds roughly to one beamlet group of ITER (1/16th of ITER NBI extraction surface), from where negative ions are extracted together with undesired co extracted electrons. The latter are deflected out of the beam by a set of permanent magnets (Co-extracted Electron Suppression Magnets, CESMs) embedded in the second grid electrode. Two different configurations of CESMs are currently under investigation in the top and bottom halves of the grid system. The amount of co-extracted electrons can be reduced in the ion source by, among other means, applying a transversal magnetic filter field (MFF) to the plasma, created by either permanent magnets or a multi-kA current flowing vertically through the first grid electrode. A special device with five 3D Hall sensors has been developed and calibrated to measure the magnetic fields along each aperture axis in the grid system. The results have been compared with FEM simulations revealing very good agreement within the geometrical and material tolerances for the CESMs, but for the MFF a large discrepancy has been observed. The problem has been identified with a poor electric contact between pieces of the first grid electrode. The contact has been improved by setting annealed Cu washers as interlayer and the MFF matches the expected one. The poor electrical contact limited the maximum strength of the MFF but the results for ion source performance and beam optics are equivalent to those of the improved electrical contact. The effects of the MFF strength, its polarity and the MFF types on the ion source performance and single beamlet optics, regarding the vertical and horizontal beamlet deflection as well as the beamlet core divergence are discussed.

Effect of Cow Urine Nitrogen Rates and Moisture Conditions on Nitrogen Mineralization in Andisol from Southern Chile

Urea present in cattle urine contributes large amounts of nitrogen (N) to grazed pastures, which can be the equivalent to approximately 1000 kg N ha−1. However, there are no studies in volcanic soils of southern Chile on the effect of different concentrations of urinary N deposited in the soil, nor of the effect different wetting and drying conditions mimicking the variation in weather conditions on the nitrification process from urea to NH4+ and total oxidized nitrogen (TON) over time. In addition, the inhibition of nitrification driven by the accumulation of NH3 at high rates of N applied to Andisol has not been evaluated. Fresh cattle urine was applied at three different rates of N equivalent to 247 kg N ha−1 (Low N), 461 kg N ha−1 (Medium N), and 921 kg N ha−1 (High N), as well as deionized water as a control. Further, three moisture conditions were imposed: constant moisture (CM), drying–rewetting (DRW) cycles at 7-day intervals, and soil drying (SD). Destructive soil core samples were evaluated for top and bottom halves individually every 7 days over a 36-day period to measure changes on inorganic N and pH. There were no interaction effects for N rates and soil moisture. The main effect of the different rates of N on mineralization was significant throughout the incubation period, while the effect of the different moisture conditions was variable over time. High N was associated with elevated NH3 concentrations and could explain why total N mineralization was partially inhibited. These results suggest that the presence of different nitrifying microorganisms in soil under different chemical and physical conditions determines nitrification, and thus, the oxidation of ammonia should be studied in more detail as the first step of nitrification, specifically in volcanic soils.

Happy face advantage disappears in Chinese context: The constancy of holistic processing for emotional faces

It is well documented that facial identity is processed in a holistic manner. Chen & Cheung (2021) recently found that happy faces evoked a larger holistic face processing than angry faces in Caucasian context. Here we adopted the complete composite face paradigm to investigate how facial emotion influenced holistic processing of facial identity in Chinese context. In Experiment 1, we used Chinese faces with happy, neutral and surprise emotion. Participants judged whether the top halves of the two successively presented composite faces were same or different, while their facial emotion was always consistent in a trial. We found equal composite face effects (CFE) for the three emotional faces. In Experiment 2, either top halves or bottom halves were judged, and angry, happy, fearful and neutral faces were compared. Results showed that although judging the top half induced a larger CFE than judging the bottom half, the CFE was equal among four emotional faces. In Experiment 3, angry and happy faces with high/low emotional intensity were further compared. We also found equal CFE for angry and happy faces, which was not modulated by the emotional intensity. These results indicated that the holistic processing of facial identity is robust and constant regardless of emotion categories and emotion intensity in Chinese context. The relation between cultural difference and holistic processing of emotional faces should be considered in the future.

Association between psychological pain and suicidal ideation among men with substance use disorder: a moderated mediation model

Previous studies have found that people with substance use disorder are associated with significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation than the general population. Psychological pain and emotional regulation are considered protective factors for suicidal ideation, but the interaction process is not clear. In this study, we investigated the effects of psychological pain on suicidal ideation and constructed a moderated mediation model. 445 men with substance use disorder in China were recruited to complete the Chinese version of the Psychological Pain Scale, Regulatory Emotional Self-efficacy Scale, Suicidal Ideation Scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. The results demonstrated that psychological pain significantly and positively predicted suicidal ideation among people with substance use disorder, and that regulatory emotional self-efficacy played a mediating role between psychological pain and suicidal ideation. Intolerance of uncertainty moderated the top and bottom halves of the intermediate process paths. This study suggests that intolerance of uncertainty and regulatory emotional self-efficacy can be improved by interventions among people with substance use disorder, which in turn can reduce their suicidal ideation and improve quality of life.

Strouhal number universality in high-speed cylinder wake flows

Experiments with circular cylinders in high-speed flow reveal new universal behavior associated with coherent oscillations in the near-wake region. The Strouhal number shows invariance with respect to both the flow Reynolds number and Mach number. Further, flow disturbances in the top and bottom halves of the wake have an anti-symmetric relationship.

Moisture migration of bitumen emulsion-based cold in-place recycling pavement after compaction: Real-time field measurement and laboratory investigation

Bitumen emulsion-based cold in-place recycling (BE-CIR) has gained in popularity due to its cost-effectiveness, energy saving and environmental friendliness. Unlike hot mix asphalt (HMA), BE-CIR is manufactured at room temperature and requires a longer curing time to allow for water evaporation. However, little attention has been given to the water migration process in BE-CIR pavement. Given the difficulty of simulating field curing conditions in laboratory, a series of on-site sensors were used to continually monitor the temperature and moisture gradient inside BE-CIR pavement at different depths after compaction. After one month of curing, field cores were drilled from the experimental road, and the volumetric properties and semi-circular bending strength of both top and bottom halves were studied. The obtained humidity index (HI) was used to quantify the relative moisture content in BE-CIR mixture. Testing results show that the moisture migration over time can be divided into two stages, with the first exhibiting a quick fall and the second exhibiting a minor downward tendency. During the curing phase, a unique gradient characteristic can be identified for the initial moisture distribution and moisture movement of the BE-CIR layer in the field. Both the temperature gradient and depth location can affect the water migration process significantly. Furthermore, the final moisture content, air void content and the semi-circular bending strength of field cores also present clear gradient characteristics, indicating the importance of the moisture gradient migration process on the long-term performance of the BE-CIR pavement.

A featural account for own-face processing? Looking for support from face inversion, composite face, and part-whole tasks.

It is widely accepted that face perception relies on holistic processing. However, this holistic advantage is not always found in the processing of the own face. Our study aimed to explore the role of holistic and featural processing in the identification of the own face, using three standard, but largely independent measures of holistic face processing: the face inversion task, the composite face task, and the part-whole task. Participants were asked to identify their face, a friend’s face, and an unfamiliar face in three different experimental blocks: (a) inverted versus upright; (b) top and bottom halves of the face aligned versus misaligned; and (c) facial features presented in isolation versus whole foil face context. Inverting a face impaired its identification, regardless of the identity. However, alignment effects were only found when identifying a friend or an unfamiliar face. In addition, a stronger feature advantage (i.e., better recognition for isolated features compared to in a whole-face context) was observed for the own face compared to the friend and unfamiliar faces. Altogether, these findings suggest that the own face is processed in a more featural manner but also relies on holistic processing. This work also highlights the importance of taking into consideration that different holistic processing paradigms could tap different forms of holistic processing.

A feasibility study to test a novel approach to dietary weight loss with a focus on assisting informed decision making in food selection.

Obesity is a significant contributor to the development of chronic diseases, some of which can be prevented or reversed by weight loss. However, dietary weight loss programs have shortcomings in the success rate, magnitude, or sustainability of weight loss. The Individualized Diet Improvement Program's (iDip) objective was to test the feasibility of a novel approach that helps individuals self-select a sustainable diet for weight loss and maintenance instead of providing weight loss products or rigid diet instructions to follow. The iDip study consisted of 22 dietary improvement sessions over 12 months with six months of follow-up. Daily weights were collected, and a chart summarizing progress was provided weekly. Six 24-hour dietary records were collected, and dietary feedback was provided in the form of a protein-fiber plot, in which protein/energy and fiber/energy of foods were plotted two-dimensionally together with a target box specific to weight loss or maintenance. An exit survey was conducted at 12 months. Twelve (nine female, 46.3±3.1 years (mean±SE)) of the initial 14 participants (BMI>28 kg/m2) completed all sessions. Mean percent weight loss (n = 12) at six and 12 months was -4.9%±1.1 (p = 0.001) and -5.4%±1.7 (p = 0.007), respectively. Weight loss varied among individuals at 12 months; top and bottom halves (n = 6 each) achieved -9.7%±1.7 (p = 0.0008) and -1.0%±1.4 weight loss, respectively. The 24-hour records showed a significant increase in protein density from baseline to final (4.1g/100kcal±0.3 vs. 5.7g/100kcal±0.5; p = 0.008). Although mean fiber density showed no significant change from the first month (1.3g/100kcal±0.1), the top half had significantly higher fiber/energy intake than the bottom half group. The survey suggested that all participants valued the program and its self-guided diet approach. In conclusion, half of the participants successfully lost >5% and maintained the lost weight for 12 months without strict diet instructions, showing the feasibility of the informed decision-making approach.

Illumination and diel variation modify fish passage through an inclined grid

Fishing trials were carried out with a demersal trawl fitted with an inclined grid in the extension. Fibre optic cables were attached to the grid allowing the illumination of the top and bottom halves of the grid independently. Fish that passed through the top half of the grid entered one codend whereas those that passed through the lower half of the grid entered another. Four lighting configurations were investigated where (i) none of the grid was illuminated; (ii) the bottom-half of the grid was illuminated; (iii) the top-half of the grid was illuminated; and (iv) all of the grid was illuminated. Trials were held at night and during the day.We demonstrate that the proportion of fish that entered the top codend depends on the grid illumination and has a diel variation. Most species were less likely to enter the upper codend when the grid was illuminated and the results were similar regardless of whether the bottom-half, top-half, or the whole grid was illuminated. There was also a diel effect for all species with a lower proportion of haddock and whiting and a greater proportion of flatfish in the upper codend at night than during the day. The results are more subtle for some species and for cod, illuminating the grid had no effect during the day, whereas for common dab, there was no effect when the top-half of the grid was illuminated but there was when the bottom-half was illuminated. For long rough dab, illuminating the top-half of the grid had a greater effect than illuminating the bottom-half, and illuminating the whole grid had the greatest effect.

The Comedy of Errors

Reviewed by: The Comedy of Errors Barbara Ann Lukacs The Comedy of Errors Presented by The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey at their Outdoor Stage located in the Greek Theatre at St. Elizabeth University, Convent Station, NJ. 8 July–1 August 2021. Directed by Brian B. Crowe. Scenic Design by Baron Pugh. Costume Design by Paul Canada. Lighting Design by Jason Flamos. Sound Design by Andrew Yoder. Production Stage Manager Emma Lindemood. With Jeffrey Marc Alkins (Antipholus of Ephesus/Antipholus of Syracuse), Marcella Cox (Courtesan/The Abbess), Dino Curia (Egeon/Balthasar/Pinch’s Assistant), Kirby Davis (2nd Merchant/Pinch’s Assistant/Officer), Ellie Gossage (Adriana), Karl Hawkins (Officer/Executioner), Isaac Hickox-Young (Duke Solinus/Pinch’s Assistant/Citizen), Anthony Paglia [End Page 175] (1st Merchant/Pinch’s Assistant/Citizen), Rupert Spraul (Angelo/Dr. Pinch), Billie Wyatt (Dromio of Ephesus/Dromio of Syracuse), and Katja Yacker (Luciana). After seventeen long months of government-mandated restrictions on large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor theater productions were allowed to reopen in New Jersey in the summer of 2021. Director Brian Crowe wisely selected The Comedy of Errors to welcome audiences back to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Outdoor Stage at the Greek Theatre on the campus of St. Elizabeth University in Convent Station, New Jersey. With the theme of reuniting people after a long separation, this play was the perfect offering to all who missed attending in-person performances, and who yearned for that magical connection between actors and audience that can only occur within a live theater setting. The performance was an evening of fun and laughter for both actors and audience, delivered at what was for all but the last scene a rapid-fire pace and culminating in a shared sense of joy, so that, for two brief hours, the world seemed to be as it had been before the pandemic. The set was minimal, consisting of a back wall painted in varying shades of light blue with touches of pink and white to resemble the sky with a few clouds. At the center of this wall were double doors that formed the entrance to the abbey. On the wall to either side of these doors hung large, parchment-like sheets proclaiming that anyone who came to Ephesus from Syracuse would be killed if he could not produce the necessary money to redeem his freedom. Near either end of the wall, openings provided entrances and exits for the characters. Eight free-standing, single-width doors painted in various shades of blue with white molding were spaced across the stage in a straight line. Except for the door that served as the entry to Antipholus of Ephesus’s house, none of the other doors opened. The doors that could not open served mostly as props around which the characters would run and behind which they would hide. Antipholus of Ephesus’s door was split horizontally into separate top and bottom halves (a “half-door”), with a small peephole opening in the center of its top half. These openings were exploited for comedic effect, serving as the portals through which the heated exchange of words and of other less civil expressions of sentiment between the Dromios was conducted (3.1). There was no stage furniture but for a chair on which Luciana, reading a book, sat at one point. [End Page 176] A challenge for any outdoor production is how to deal with intrusions coming from the surroundings. In this instance, these interruptions came from the overhead noise of airplanes, including small corporate jets, taking off or landing at a nearby airport. These occurrences were handled by one of the actors yelling “Airplane!” at which point stagehands would emerge from the wings bearing signs that stated, “Flying Machine Interval,” and the actors would break into a line dance to waltz music, with the audience spontaneously clapping in time to the music. Once the noise abated, the action of the play resumed. Crowe chose to use the same actors for each of the respective pairs of twins: Jeffrey Marc Alkins to portray the Antipholuses, and Billie Wyatt, a female actor, to portray the Dromios. For all but the final...

Misaligned dynamic faces are processed holistically

It was recently proposed that both experience-driven and object-based perceptual grouping contribute to holistic face processing. We investigated whether motion—as a common fate perceptual grouping cue—could enhance the holistic processing of misaligned faces. We manipulated alignment and motion (dynamic and static) of study and test faces in a modified complete composite task in which the congruency effect was regarded as an indicator of holistic processing. Participants made same-different judgments about the top halves of two sequentially presented composite faces. We observed that when the study faces were dynamic, regardless of whether the test faces were dynamic or static, misaligned-misaligned face pairs were processed holistically. When the study faces were static, misaligned-misaligned face pairs showed no holistic processing, and neither did inverted faces. These results indicate that motion can promote the holistic processing of misaligned faces. Our findings provide important insights into different types of holistic face processing, and we discuss these types as well as their relationships with each other in depth.

Holistic face processing is influenced by non-conscious visual information.

Holistic face processing has been widely implicated in conscious face perception. Yet, little is known about whether holistic face processing occurs when faces are processed unconsciously. The present study used the composite face task and continuous flash suppression (CFS) to inspect whether the processing of target facial information (the top half of a face) is influenced by irrelevant information (the bottom half) that is presented unconsciously. Results of multiple experiments showed that the composite effect was observed in both monocular and CFS conditions, providing the first evidence that the processing of top facial halves is influenced by the aligned bottom halves no matter whether they are presented consciously or unconsciously. However, much of the composite effect for faces without masking was disrupted when bottom facial parts were rendered with CFS. These results suggest that holistic face processing can occur unconsciously, but also highlight the significance of holistic processing of consciously presented faces.

Subcortical regions of the human visual system do not process faces holistically

Face perception is considered to be evolutionarily adaptive and conserved across species. While subcortical visual brain areas are implicated in face perception based on existing evidence from phylogenetic and ontogenetic studies, whether these subcortical structures contribute to more complex visual computations such as the holistic processing (HP) of faces in humans is unknown. To address this issue, we used a well-established marker of HP, the composite face effect (CFE), with a group of adult human observers, and presented two sequential faces in a trial monocularly or interocularly using a Wheatstone stereoscope. HP refers to the finding that two identical top (or bottom) halves of a face are judged to be different when their task-irrelevant bottom (or top) halves belong to different faces. Because humans process faces holistically, they are unable to ignore the information from the irrelevant half of the composite face, and this is true to an even greater extent when the two halves of the faces are aligned compared with when they are misaligned (‘Alignment effect’). The results revealed the HP effect and also uncovered the Alignment effect, a key marker of the CFE. The findings also indicated a monocular advantage, replicating the known subcortical contribution to face perception. There was, however, no statistically significant difference in the CFE when the images were presented in the monocular versus interocular conditions. These findings indicate that HP is not necessarily mediated by the subcortical visual pathway, and suggest that further investigation of cortical, rather than subcortical, structures might advance our understanding of HP and its role in face processing.

The constancy of the holistic processing of unfamiliar faces: Evidence from the study-test consistency effect and the within-person motion and viewpoint invariance

It has been well documented that static face processing is holistic. Faces contain variant (e.g., motion, viewpoint) and invariant (race, sex) features. However, little research has focused on whether holistic face representations are tolerant of within-person variations. The present study thus investigated whether holistic face representations of faces are tolerant of within-person motion and viewpoint variations by manipulating study-test consistency using a complete composite paradigm. Participants were shown two faces sequentially and were asked to judge whether the faces' top halves were identical or different. The first face was a static face or a dynamic face rotated in depth at 30°, 60°, and 90°. The second face was either a different front-view static face (Experiment 1a, study-test inconsistent) or identical to the first face (Experiment 1b, study-test consistent). In Experiment 2, study-test consistency was manipulated within subjects, and inverted faces were included. Our results show that study-test consistency significantly enhanced the holistic processing of upright and inverted faces; this study-test consistency effect and holistic processing were not modulated by motion and viewpoint changes via depth rotation. Interestingly, we found holistic processing for moving study-test consistent inverted faces, but not for static inverted faces. What these results tell us about the nature of holistic face representation is discussed in depth with respect to earlier and current theories on face processing.

JET ILA full array and polychromatic operation

The JET ILA is an Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) antenna composed of four resonant double loops (RDLs) arranged in a 2 toroidal by 2 poloidal compact array. It has been operated in a range of frequencies from 29 to 51 MHz, but mostly on half array. Some full array pulses were achieved but without all control loops implemented.All control algorithms (first and second stage matching, toroidal and poloidal phasing, totalling 22 feedback loops) have now been implemented and recently allowed to operate the full array at 33 MHz and 42 MHz up to 4 MW. It also allowed for the first time to perform a poloidal phase scan of the antenna at 37 MHz, with dipole toroidal phasing.Although full array operation has mostly proven reliable at 33 MHz, it has proven unstable at 42 MHz in several occasions due to the high level of mutual coupling between the different RDLs inherent to a compact array. To decouple the control of the top and bottom halves, first tests were successfully performed with polychromatic – or dual frequency – operation of the ILA (operation at 2 different frequencies around a central frequency).

15% reduction in AC loss of a 3-phase 1 MVA HTS transformer by exploiting asymmetric conductor critical current

An asymmetric dependence of the critical current on the direction of an applied magnetic field in HTS coated conductors has a non-trivial influence on the AC loss of coil windings. We report the modelled influence of real conductor critical current asymmetry on the AC loss characteristics of a 1 MVA HTS transformer design previously demonstrated by the Robinson Research Institute as well as a stand-alone coil having the same geometrical and electrical parameters as the low voltage (high current) winding of the transformer. We compare two commercial HTS conductors with distinctive differences in their critical current asymmetry and show a maximum variation of 15% and 29% in the calculated AC loss of the transformer and the stand-alone coil winding, respectively, when the conductor orientation is varied in the top and bottom halves of the windings. AC loss simulation giving consideration to asymmetric conductor critical current before winding the transformer could lead to substantial AC loss reduction even using the same amount of conductor and the same transformer design.