Filamentation of a relativistic proton bunch in plasma

We show in experiments that a long, underdense, relativistic proton bunch propagating in plasma undergoes the oblique instability, which we observe as filamentation. We determine a threshold value for the ratio between the bunch transverse size and plasma skin depth for the instability to occur. At the threshold, the outcome of the experiment alternates between filamentation and self-modulation instability (evidenced by longitudinal modulation into microbunches). Time-resolved images of the bunch density distribution reveal that filamentation grows to an observable level late along the bunch, confirming the spatiotemporal nature of the instability. We provide a rough estimate of the amplitude of the magnetic field generated in the plasma by the instability and show that the associated magnetic energy increases with plasma density.

Hosing of a Long Relativistic Particle Bunch in Plasma

Experimental results show that hosing of a long particle bunch in plasma can be induced by wakefields driven by a short, misaligned preceding bunch. Hosing develops in the plane of misalignment, self-modulation in the perpendicular plane, at frequencies close to the plasma electron frequency, and are reproducible. Development of hosing depends on misalignment direction, its growth on misalignment extent and on proton bunch charge. Results have the main characteristics of a theoretical model, are relevant to other plasma-based accelerators and represent the first characterization of hosing.

Vertical electron cyclotron emission diagnostic on the tokamak à configuration variable

In this paper, a diagnostic for the measurement of the electron cyclotron emission (ECE) from non-thermal electrons in magnetically confined fusion plasmas is presented. The diagnostic employs a vertical viewing line of sight that allows us to directly infer the energy of the emitting electrons. Previous incarnations of this diagnostic on other machines have been limited by refraction, which can cause stray radiation to enter the line of sight, polluting the signal. By tuning the toroidal magnetic field on the Tokamak à Configuration Variable, TCV, and by carefully selecting the range of frequencies that are used to measure the ECE spectrum, refraction can be mitigated and background radiation power reduced to below the noise power of the instrumentation. A novel technique for calibrating the diagnostic based on plasma measurements and modeling has been developed. The paper will describe the Vertical ECE (V-ECE) diagnostic on TCV, the calibration method, and the first results from the measurements.

An analog-AI chip for energy-efficient speech recognition and transcription

Models of artificial intelligence (AI) that have billions of parameters can achieve high accuracy across a range of tasks1,2, but they exacerbate the poor energy efficiency of conventional general-purpose processors, such as graphics processing units or central processing units. Analog in-memory computing (analog-AI)3-7 can provide better energy efficiency by performing matrix-vector multiplications in parallel on 'memory tiles'. However, analog-AI has yet to demonstrate software-equivalent (SWeq) accuracy on models that require many such tiles and efficient communication of neural-network activations between the tiles. Here we present an analog-AI chip that combines 35 million phase-change memory devices across 34 tiles, massively parallel inter-tile communication and analog, low-power peripheral circuitry that can achieve up to 12.4 tera-operations per second per watt (TOPS/W) chip-sustained performance. We demonstrate fully end-to-end SWeq accuracy for a small keyword-spotting network and near-SWeq accuracy on the much larger MLPerf8 recurrent neural-network transducer (RNNT), with more than 45 million weights mapped onto more than 140 million phase-change memory devices across five chips.

Regulation of beige adipocyte thermogenesis by the cold-repressed ER protein NNAT

OBJECTIVE

Cold stimuli trigger the conversion of white adipose tissue into beige adipose tissue, which is capable of non-shivering thermogenesis. However, what process drives this activation of thermogenesis in beige fat is not well understood. Here, we examine the ER protein NNAT as a regulator of thermogenesis in adipose tissue.

METHODS

We investigated the regulation of adipose tissue NNAT expression in response to changes in ambient temperature. We also evaluated the functional role of NNAT in thermogenic regulation using Nnat null mice and primary adipocytes that lack or overexpress NNAT.

RESULTS

Cold exposure or treatment with a β3-adrenergic agonist reduces the expression of adipose tissue NNAT in mice. Genetic disruption of Nnat in mice enhances inguinal adipose tissue thermogenesis. Nnat null mice exhibit improved cold tolerance both in the presence and absence of UCP1. Gain-of-function studies indicate that ectopic expression of Nnat abolishes adrenergic receptor-mediated respiration in beige adipocytes. NNAT physically interacts with the ER Ca²⁺-ATPase (SERCA) in adipocytes and inhibits its activity, impairing Ca²⁺ transport and heat dissipation. We further demonstrate that NHLRC1, an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase implicated in proteasomal degradation of NNAT, is induced by cold exposure or β3-adrenergic stimulation, thus providing regulatory control at the protein level. This serves to link cold stimuli to NNAT degradation in adipose tissue, which in turn leads to enhanced SERCA activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study implicates NNAT in the regulation of adipocyte thermogenesis.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II associates with the K+ channel isoform Kv4.3 in adult rat optic nerve

Spikes are said to exhibit "memory" in that they can be altered by spikes that precede them. In retinal ganglion cell axons, for example, rapid spiking can slow the propagation of subsequent spikes. This increases inter-spike interval and, thus, low-pass filters instantaneous spike frequency. Similarly, a K+ ion channel blocker (4-aminopyridine, 4AP) increases the time-to-peak of compound action potentials recorded from optic nerve, and we recently found that reducing autophosphorylation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) does too. These results would be expected if CaMKII modulates spike propagation by regulating 4AP-sensitive K+ channels. As steps toward identifying a possible substrate, we test whether (i) 4AP alters optic nerve spike shape in ways consistent with reducing K+ current, (ii) 4AP alters spike propagation consistent with effects of reducing CaMKII activation, (iii) antibodies directed against 4AP-sensitive and CaMKII-regulated K+ channels bind to optic nerve axons, and (iv) optic nerve CaMKII co-immunoprecipitates with 4AP-sensitive K+ channels. We find that, in adult rat optic nerve, (i) 4AP selectively slows spike repolarization, (ii) 4AP slows spike propagation, (iii) immunogen-blockable staining is achieved with anti-Kv4.3 antibodies but not with antibodies directed against Kv1.4 or Kv4.2, and (iv) CaMKII associates with Kv4.3. Kv4.3 may thus be a substrate that underlies activity-dependent spike regulation in adult visual system pathways.

Controlled Growth of the Self-Modulation of a Relativistic Proton Bunch in Plasma

A long, narrow, relativistic charged particle bunch propagating in plasma is subject to the self-modulation (SM) instability. We show that SM of a proton bunch can be seeded by the wakefields driven by a preceding electron bunch. SM timing reproducibility and control are at the level of a small fraction of the modulation period. With this seeding method, we independently control the amplitude of the seed wakefields with the charge of the electron bunch and the growth rate of SM with the charge of the proton bunch. Seeding leads to larger growth of the wakefields than in the instability case.

Synergistic FRET assays for drug discovery targeting RyR2 channels

A key therapeutic target for heart failure and arrhythmia is the deleterious leak through sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) calcium release channels. We have previously developed methods to detect the pathologically leaky state of RyR2 in adult cardiomyocytes by monitoring RyR2 binding to either calmodulin (CaM) or a biosensor peptide (DPc10). Here, we test whether these complementary binding measurements are effective as high-throughput screening (HTS) assays to discover small molecules that target leaky RyR2. Using FRET, we developed and validated HTS procedures under conditions that mimic a pathological state, to screen the library of 1280 pharmaceutically active compounds (LOPAC) for modulators of RyR2 in cardiac SR membrane preparations. Complementary FRET assays with acceptor-labeled CaM and DPc10 were used for Hit prioritization based on the opposing binding properties of CaM vs. DPc10. This approach narrowed the Hit list to one compound, Ro 90-7501, which altered FRET to suggest increased RyR2-CaM binding and decreased DPc10 binding. Follow-up studies revealed that Ro 90-7501 does not detrimentally affect myocyte Ca²⁺ transients. Moreover, Ro 90-7501 partially inhibits overall Ca²⁺ leak, as assessed by Ca²⁺ sparks in permeabilized rat cardiomyocytes. Together, these results demonstrate (1) the effectiveness of our HTS approach where two complementary assays synergize for Hit ranking and (2) a drug discovery process that combines high-throughput, high-precision in vitro structural assays with in situ myocyte assays of the pathologic RyR2 leak. These provide a drug discovery platform compatible with large-scale HTS campaigns, to identify agents that inhibit RyR2 for therapeutic development.

CaMKII Serine 280 O-GlcNAcylation Links Diabetic Hyperglycemia to Proarrhythmia

[Figure: see text].

Determining 1D fast-ion velocity distribution functions from ion cyclotron emission data using deep neural networks

The relationship between simulated ion cyclotron emission (ICE) signals s and the corresponding 1D velocity distribution function fv_⊥ of the fast ions triggering the ICE is modeled using a two-layer deep neural network. The network architecture (number of layers and number of computational nodes in each layer) and hyperparameters (learning rate and number of learning iterations) are fine-tuned using a bottom-up approach based on cross-validation. Thus, the optimal mapping gs;θ of the neural network in terms of the number of nodes, the number of layers, and the values of the hyperparameters, where θ is the learned model parameters, is determined by comparing many different configurations of the network on the same training and test set and choosing the best one based on its average test error. The training and test sets are generated by computing random ICE velocity distribution functions f and their corresponding ICE signals s by modeling the relationship as the linear matrix equation Wf = s. The simulated ICE signals are modeled as edge ICE signals at LHD. The network predictions for f based on ICE signals s are on many simulated ICE signal examples closer to the true velocity distribution function than that obtained by 0th-order Tikhonov regularization, although there might be qualitative differences in which features one technique is better at predicting than the other. Additionally, the network computations are much faster. Adapted versions of the network can be applied to future experimental ICE data to infer fast-ion velocity distribution functions.

Transition between Instability and Seeded Self-Modulation of a Relativistic Particle Bunch in Plasma

We use a relativistic ionization front to provide various initial transverse wakefield amplitudes for the self-modulation of a long proton bunch in plasma. We show experimentally that, with sufficient initial amplitude [≥(4.1±0.4)  MV/m], the phase of the modulation along the bunch is reproducible from event to event, with 3%-7% (of 2π) rms variations all along the bunch. The phase is not reproducible for lower initial amplitudes. We observe the transition between these two regimes. Phase reproducibility is essential for deterministic external injection of particles to be accelerated.

Proton Bunch Self-Modulation in Plasma with Density Gradient

We study experimentally the effect of linear plasma density gradients on the self-modulation of a 400 GeV proton bunch. Results show that a positive or negative gradient increases or decreases the number of microbunches and the relative charge per microbunch observed after 10 m of plasma. The measured modulation frequency also increases or decreases. With the largest positive gradient we observe two frequencies in the modulation power spectrum. Results are consistent with changes in wakefields' phase velocity due to plasma density gradients adding to the slow wakefields' phase velocity during self-modulation growth predicted by linear theory.

Persistent random walks of charged particles across magnetic field lines

We investigate the time evolution of the mean location and variance of a charged particle subject to random collisions that are Poisson distributed. The particle moves on a plane and is subject to a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the plane, so it is constrained to move in circles in the absence of collisions. We develop a procedure that yields analytic expressions of the mean and variance. These results are valid for arbitrary times after the start of the walk, including early on when, on average, less than one collision is expected. As an example of their applicability, we use these expressions to model experimental results and simulations of suprathermal ions propagating in a turbulent plasma in TORPEX (the TORoidal Plasma EXperiment).

Cathodoluminescent screen imaging system for seeded blob detection in toroidal plasma experiment

We designed and built a diagnostic based on a cathodoluminescent screen for the detection of turbulent plasma structures with high spatial resolution. The screen is coated with a low threshold energy cathodoluminescent powder that emits light when exposed to a plasma. The emitted light is imaged with a fast frame camera combined with an image intensifier and an optical bandpass filter. The diagnostic is used to study turbulent structures and seeded blobs. The results are analyzed with pattern recognition algorithms to track the turbulent structures and study their evolution in time.

Truncated Lévy motion through path integrals and applications to nondiffusive suprathermal ion transport

Fractional Levy motion has been derived from its generalized Langevin equation via path integrals in earlier works and has since proven to be a useful model for nonlocal and non-Markovian processes, especially in the context of nondiffusive transport. Here, we generalize the approach to treat tempered Lévy distributions and derive the propagator and diffusion equation of truncated asymmetrical fractional Levy motion via path integrals. The model now recovers exponentially tempered tails above a chosen scale in the propagator, and therefore finite moments at all orders. Concise analytical expressions for its variance, skewness, and kurtosis are derived as a function of time. We then illustrate the versatility of this model by applying it to simulations of the turbulent transport of fast ions in the TORPEX basic plasma device.

Particle transport at arbitrary timescales with Poisson-distributed collisions

We develop a model to investigate the time evolution of the mean location and variance of a random walker subject to Poisson-distributed collisions at constant rate. The collisions are instantaneous velocity changes where a new value of velocity is generated from a model probability function. The walker is persistent, which means that it moves at constant velocity between collisions. We study three different cases of velocity transition functions and compute the transport properties from the evolution of the variance. We observe that transport can change character over time and that early times show features that, in general, depend on the initial conditions of the walker.

Time intermittency in nondiffusive transport regimes of suprathermal ions in turbulent plasmas

Intermittent phenomena have long been studied in the context of nondiffusive transport across a variety of fields. In the TORPEX device, the cross-field spreading of an injected suprathermal ion beam by electrostatic plasma turbulence can access different nondiffusive transport regimes. A comprehensive set of suprathermal ion time series has been acquired, and time intermittency quantified by their skewness. Values distinctly above background level are found across all observed transport regimes. Intermittency tends to increase toward quasi- and superdiffusion and for longer propagation times of the suprathermal ions. The specific prevalence of intermittency is determined by the meandering motion of the instantaneous ion beam. We demonstrate the effectiveness of an analytical model developed to predict local intermittency from the time-average beam. This model might thus be of direct interest for similar systems, e.g., in beam physics, or meandering flux-rope models for solar energetic particle propagation. More generally, it illustrates the importance of identifying the system-specific sources of time-intermittent behavior when analyzing nondiffusive transport.

Anionic Glycoproteins and their Hexosamine Content in Neoplastic Patients: Relationships with the Clinical Stage and the Course of the Disease

In 40 healthy subjects, in 47 non-cancer patients, and in 142 cancer patients, perchloric acid-soluble glycoproteins (PASG) and hexosamines were determined to investigate their tumor specificity and correlation with the tumor mass. Cancer patients were divided into three subgroups: CI, no evidence of cancer (after radical surgery); CII, locoregional disease; CIII, widespread metastatic disease. There was no statistically significant difference in PASG among normals, non-cancer and CI patients; hexosamines in non-cancer and in CI patients were higher (P < 0.002) than in normals; both PASG and hexosamines were significantly higher in CII and CIII patients than in normals (P < 0.001). In the CI group, 62% of patients who relapsed within 10 months after surgery had high hexosamine values, whereas 69% of patients who did not relapse showed normal levels (P < 0.05). PASG and hexosamines significantly increased with cancer progression and decreased when objective response to treatment was achieved. They are not tumor specific, but seem to be related to the tumor burden; hexosamines seem to have some prognostic value.

Cholestasis is the Main Determinant of Abnormal CA 19–9 Levels in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Background/Aims

Altered CA19–9 levels are commonly found in patients with liver cirrhosis though a clear explanation for this finding has not yet been given. The aim of this study was to investigate whether CA19–9 levels might be related to alterations in biochemical parameters and/or to functional impairment in cirrhotic patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: We studied 126 patients with liver cirrhosis, 60 of whom also had hepatocellular carcinoma. CA19–9 values were related to clinical, biochemical and functional parameters. In half of the patients CA19–9 levels were related to the monoethylglycinexylidide test, which is a dynamic liver function test.

Results

In more than half the cases CA19–9 values were above the upper limit. Liver function worsening as assessed by Child-Pugh's score and monoethylglycinexylidide test did not seem to influence the alteration of the marker. By contrast, in univariate analysis CA19–9 correlated with aminotransferases, γ-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase. Multivariate analysis showed that besides alkaline phosphatase also the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma might influence the alteration of CA19–9, although the marker was of no use for the diagnosis of liver cancer in patients with altered though not diagnostic α-fetoprotein levels.

Conclusions

In our study we confirmed the correlation of CA19–9 levels with cholestasis and cytolysis parameters. Moreover, we found no association between CA19–9 levels and impaired liver function as assessed by means of the Child-Pugh's score and the monoethylglycinexylidide test, which is cholestasis-independent and explores liver metabolic and clearance activities. The cholestatic picture that characterizes liver cirrhosis might enhance the expression and passage of the marker from the bile to the blood. The addition of CA19–9 assessment is not useful for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with non-diagnostic levels of α-fetoprotein. Caution should therefore be used when evaluating CA19–9 in cirrhotic patients with cholestasis, since false positive results may occur.