The SPARC tokamak is a critical next step towards commercial fusion energy. SPARC is designed as a high-field ($B_0 = 12.2$ T), compact ($R_0 = 1.85$ m, $a = 0.57$ m), superconducting, D-T tokamak with the goal of producing fusion gain $Q>2$ from a magnetically confined fusion plasma for the first time. Currently under design, SPARC will continue the high-field path of the Alcator series of tokamaks, utilizing new magnets based on rare earth barium copper oxide high-temperature superconductors to achieve high performance in a compact device. The goal of $Q>2$ is achievable with conservative physics assumptions ($H_{98,y2} = 0.7$) and, with the nominal assumption of $H_{98,y2} = 1$, SPARC is projected to attain $Q \approx 11$ and $P_{\textrm {fusion}} \approx 140$ MW. SPARC will therefore constitute a unique platform for burning plasma physics research with high density ($\langle n_{e} \rangle \approx 3 \times 10^{20}\ \textrm {m}^{-3}$), high temperature ($\langle T_e \rangle \approx 7$ keV) and high power density ($P_{\textrm {fusion}}/V_{\textrm {plasma}} \approx 7\ \textrm {MW}\,\textrm {m}^{-3}$) relevant to fusion power plants. SPARC's place in the path to commercial fusion energy, its parameters and the current status of SPARC design work are presented. This work also describes the basis for global performance projections and summarizes some of the physics analysis that is presented in greater detail in the companion articles of this collection.

Owing to its high magnetic field, high power, and compact size, the SPARC experiment will operate with divertor conditions at or above those expected in reactor-class tokamaks. Power exhaust at this scale remains one of the key challenges for practical fusion energy. Based on empirical scalings, the peak unmitigated divertor parallel heat flux is projected to be greater than 10 GW m−2. This is nearly an order of magnitude higher than has been demonstrated to date. Furthermore, the divertor parallel Edge-Localized Mode (ELM) energy fluence projections (~11–34 MJ m−2) are comparable with those for ITER. However, the relatively short pulse length (~25 s pulse, with a ~10 s flat top) provides the opportunity to consider mitigation schemes unsuited to long-pulse devices including ITER and reactors. The baseline scenario for SPARC employs a ~1 Hz strike point sweep to spread the heat flux over a large divertor target surface area to keep tile surface temperatures within tolerable levels without the use of active divertor cooling systems. In addition, SPARC operation presents a unique opportunity to study divertor heat exhaust mitigation at reactor-level plasma densities and power fluxes. Not only will SPARC test the limits of current experimental scalings and serve for benchmarking theoretical models in reactor regimes, it is also being designed to enable the assessment of long-legged and X-point target advanced divertor magnetic configurations. Experimental results from SPARC will be crucial to reducing risk for a fusion pilot plant divertor design.

Jahnsite-(CaMnZn), CaMn2+Zn2Fe3+2(PO4)4(OH)2⋅8H2O, is a new jahnsite-group mineral associated with alteration of phosphophyllite at the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Bavaria. It forms as thin yellow crusts and brown epitactic growths on altered phosphophyllite, both of which comprise lath-like crystals in orthogonal orientation, up to 100 μm long. The crystals contain intergrowths of jahnsite-(CaMnZn) and jahnsite-(CaMnMn) on a scale of ~50 μm. The calculated density is 2.87 g cm−3 based on the empirical formula. Optically it is biaxial (–), with α = 1.675(2), β = 1.686(2) and γ = 1.691(2) (white light). The calculated 2V is 68°. Dispersion could not be observed, and the optical orientation is Z = b. Pleochroism was imperceptible. Electron microprobe analyses together with results from Mössbauer spectroscopy gives the formula (Ca0.59Mn0.24)Σ0.83Mn(Zn0.74Mn2+0.48Mg0.18Fe2+0.13Fe3+0.47)Σ2Fe3+2(P0.995O4)4(OH)2.03(H2O)7.97.

Jahnsite-(CaMnZn) is monoclinic, P2/a, with a = 15.059(1), b = 7.1885(6), c = 10.031(2) Å, β = 111.239(8)° and V = 1012.1(2) Å3. The recent International Mineralogical Association approved nomenclature system for jahnsite-group minerals was applied to establish jahnsite-(CaMnZn) from the empirical formula. The structural flexibility of jahnsite-group minerals to accommodate cations of quite different sizes in the X and M1 sites is discussed in terms of rotations about the 7 Å axis of two independent octahedra centred at the M3 sites.

Granular flows occur in a wide range of situations of practical interest to industry, in our natural environment and in our everyday lives. This paper focuses on granular flow in the so-called inertial regime, when the rheology is independent of the very large particle stiffness. Such flows have been modelled with the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I),\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F7}(I)$-rheology, which postulates that the bulk friction coefficient $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$ (i.e. the ratio of the shear stress to the pressure) and the solids volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$ are functions of the inertial number $I$ only. Although the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I),\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F7}(I)$-rheology has been validated in steady state against both experiments and discrete particle simulations in several different geometries, it has recently been shown that this theory is mathematically ill-posed in time-dependent problems. As a direct result, computations using this rheology may blow up exponentially, with a growth rate that tends to infinity as the discretization length tends to zero, as explicitly demonstrated in this paper for the first time. Such catastrophic instability due to ill-posedness is a common issue when developing new mathematical models and implies that either some important physics is missing or the model has not been properly formulated. In this paper an alternative to the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I),\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F7}(I)$-rheology that does not suffer from such defects is proposed. In the framework of compressible $I$-dependent rheology (CIDR), new constitutive laws for the inertial regime are introduced; these match the well-established $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(I)$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F7}(I)$ relations in the steady-state limit and at the same time are well-posed for all deformations and all packing densities. Time-dependent numerical solutions of the resultant equations are performed to demonstrate that the new inertial CIDR model leads to numerical convergence towards physically realistic solutions that are supported by discrete element method simulations.

Flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) is an invasive aquatic and wetland plant capable of developing monotypic stands in emergent and submersed sites. This plant can rapidly outcompete native vegetation and impede human practices by reducing recreation (boating, fishing, and skiing) and disrupting agricultural use of water resources (irrigation canals). Mechanical removal practices occurring biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, and once per growing season were compared with chemical control with diquat applied sequentially at 0.19 ppmv ai for two consecutive months over 2 yr (2016 and 2017). Biweekly removal gave the most consistent control of B. umbellatus biomass and propagules. Diquat application along with monthly and bimonthly clippings gave varying degrees of B. umbellatus control. Clipping once per growing season did not control B. umbellatus when compared with reference plants, while clipping B. umbellatus every 2 wk (biweekly) controlled rush propagules most effectively. However, it is unlikely this method will be sufficient as a stand-alone control option due to the slow speed of harvester boats, the potential these boats have to spread B. umbellatus propagules to more sites, and the expense of mechanical operations. However, clipping could be used as part of an integrated strategy for B. umbellatus control.

Filamentary structures can form within the beam of protons accelerated during the interaction of an intense laser pulse with an ultrathin foil target. Such behaviour is shown to be dependent upon the formation time of quasi-static magnetic field structures throughout the target volume and the extent of the rear surface proton expansion over the same period. This is observed via both numerical and experimental investigations. By controlling the intensity profile of the laser drive, via the use of two temporally separated pulses, both the initial rear surface proton expansion and magnetic field formation time can be varied, resulting in modification to the degree of filamentary structure present within the laser-driven proton beam.

The spatial-intensity profile of light reflected during the interaction of an intense laser pulse with a microstructured target is investigated experimentally and the potential to apply this as a diagnostic of the interaction physics is explored numerically. Diffraction and speckle patterns are measured in the specularly reflected light in the cases of targets with regular groove and needle-like structures, respectively, highlighting the potential to use this as a diagnostic of the evolving plasma surface. It is shown, via ray-tracing and numerical modelling, that for a laser focal spot diameter smaller than the periodicity of the target structure, the reflected light patterns can potentially be used to diagnose the degree of plasma expansion, and by extension the local plasma temperature, at the focus of the intense laser light. The reflected patterns could also be used to diagnose the size of the laser focal spot during a high-intensity interaction when using a regular structure with known spacing.

An adverse early life environment is associated with increased cardiovascular disease in offspring. Work in animal models has shown that maternal undernutrition (UN) during pregnancy leads to hypertension in adult offspring, with effects thought to be mediated in part via altered renal function. We have previously shown that growth hormone (GH) treatment of UN offspring during the pre-weaning period can prevent the later development of cardiometabolic disorders. However, the mechanistic basis for these observations is not well defined. The present study examined the impact of GH treatment on renal inflammatory markers in adult male offspring as a potential mediator of these reversal effects. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a chow diet fed ad libitum (CON) or at 50% of CON intake (UN) during pregnancy. All dams were fed the chow diet ad libitum during lactation. CON and UN pups received saline (CON-S/UN-S) or GH (2.5 µg/g/day; CON-GH/UN-GH) from postnatal day 3 until weaning (p21). Post-weaning males were fed a standard chow diet for the remainder of the study (150 days). Histological analysis was performed to examine renal morphological characteristics, and gene expression of inflammatory and vascular markers were assessed. There was evidence of renal hypotrophy and reduced nephron number in the UN-S group. Tumour necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular adhesion molecular-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 gene expression was increased in UN-S offspring and normalized in the UN-GH group. These findings indicate that pre-weaning GH treatment has the potential to normalize some of the adverse renal and cardiovascular sequelae that arise as a consequence of poor maternal nutrition.

Sepsis – syndrome of infection complicated by organ dysfunction – is responsible for over 750 000 hospitalisations and 200 000 deaths in the USA annually. Despite potential nutritional benefits, the association of diet and sepsis is unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine the association between adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (Med-style diet) and long-term risk of sepsis in the REasons for Geographic Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. We analysed data from REGARDS, a population-based cohort of 30 239 community-dwelling adults age ≥45 years. We determined dietary patterns from a baseline FFQ. We defined Med-style diet as a high consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, cereal and low consumption of meat, dairy products, fat and alcohol categorising participants into Med-style diet tertiles (low: 0–3, moderate: 4–5, high: 6–9). We defined sepsis events as hospital admission for serious infection and at least two systematic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine the association between Med-style diet tertiles and first sepsis events, adjusting for socio-demographics, lifestyle factors, and co-morbidities. We included 21 256 participants with complete dietary data. Dietary patterns were: low Med-style diet 32·0 %, moderate Med-style diet 42·1 % and high Med-style diet 26·0 %. There were 1109 (5·2 %) first sepsis events. High Med-style diet was independently associated with sepsis risk; low Med-style diet referent, moderate Med-style diet adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0·93 (95 % CI 0·81, 1·08), high Med-style diet adjusted HR=0·74 (95 % CI 0·61, 0·88). High Med-style diet adherence is associated with lower risk of sepsis. Dietary modification may potentially provide an option for reducing sepsis risk.

Schmidite, Zn(Fe3+0.5Mn2+0.5)2ZnFe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)8 and wildenauerite, Zn(Fe3+0.5Mn2+0.5)2Mn2+Fe3+(PO4)3(OH)3(H2O)8 are two new oxidised schoonerite-group minerals from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Hagendorf, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany. Schmidite occurs as radiating sprays of orange–brown to copper-red laths on and near to altered phosphophyllite in a corroded triphylite nodule, whereas wildenauerite forms dense compacts of red laths, terminating Zn-bearing rockbridgeite. The minerals are biaxial (+) with α = 1.642(2), β = 1.680(1), γ = 1.735(2) and 2Vmeas = 81.4(8)° for schmidite, and with α = 1.659(3), β = 1.687(3), γ = 1.742(3) and 2Vmeas = 73(1)° for wildenauerite. Electron microprobe analyses, with H2O from thermal analysis and FeO/Fe2O3 from Mössbauer spectroscopy, gave FeO 0.4, MgO 0.3, Fe2O3 23.5, MnO 9.0, ZnO 15.5, P2O5 27.6, H2O 23.3, total 99.6 wt.% for schmidite, and FeO 0.7, MgO 0.3, Fe2O3 25.2, MnO 10.7, ZnO 11.5, P2O5 27.2, H2O 24.5, total 100.1 wt.% for wildenauerite. The empirical formulae, scaled to 3 P and with OH– adjusted for charge balance are Zn1.47Mn2+0.98Mg0.05Fe2+0.04Fe3+2.27(PO4)3(OH)2.89(H2O)8.54 for schmidite and Zn1.11Mn2+1.18Mg0.05Fe2+0.08Fe3+2.47(PO4)3(OH)3.25(H2O)9.03 for wildenauerite. The two minerals have orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pmab and Z = 4. The unit-cell parameters from refinement of powder X-ray diffraction data are a = 11.059(1), b = 25.452(1) and c = 6.427(1) Å for schmidite, and a = 11.082(1), b = 25.498(2) and c = 6.436(1) Å for wildenauerite. The crystal structures of schmidite and wildenauerite differ from that of schoonerite in having minor partitioning of Zn from the [5]Zn site to an adjacent vacant tetrahedral site [4]Zn, separated by ~1.0 Å from [5]Zn. The two minerals are distinguished by the cation occupancies in the octahedral M1 to M3 sites. Schmidite has M1 = M2 = (Fe3+0.5Mn2+0.5) and M3 = Zn and wildenauerite has M1 = M2 = (Fe3+0.5Mn2+0.5) and M3 = Mn2+.

In this study, we report the characterization of a 304L stainless steel cylindrical projectile produced by additive manufacturing. The projectile was compressively deformed using a Taylor Anvil Gas Gun, leading to a huge strain gradient along the axis of the deformed cylinder. Spatially resolved neutron diffraction measurements on the HIgh Pressure Preferred Orientation time-of-flight diffractometer (HIPPO) and Spectrometer for Materials Research at Temperature and Stress diffractometer (SMARTS) beamlines at the Los Alamos Neutron Science CEnter (LANSCE) with Rietveld and single-peak analysis were used to quantitatively evaluate the volume fractions of the α, γ, and ε phases as well as residual strain and texture. The texture of the γ phase is consistent with uniaxial compression, while the α texture can be explained by the Kurdjumov–Sachs relationship from the γ texture after deformation. This indicates that the material first deformed in the γ phase and subsequently transformed at larger strains. The ε phase was only found in volumes close to the undeformed material with a texture connected to the γ texture by the Shoji–Nishiyama orientation relationship. This allows us to conclude that the ε phase occurs as an intermediate phase at lower strain, and is superseded by the α phase when strain increases further. We found a proportionality between the root-mean-squared microstrain of the γ phase, dominated by the dislocation density, with the α volume fraction, consistent with strain-induced martensite α formation. Knowledge of the sample volume with the ε phase from the neutron diffraction analysis allowed us to identify the ε phase by electron back scatter diffraction analysis, complementing the neutron diffraction analysis with characterization on the grain level.

Maser theory continues to be driven by advances in observational techniques. Here, I consider the responses to VLBI with space-Earth baselines and cross-correlation spectroscopy (a re-consideration of coherence properties), routine observation in full-Stokes polarization (a re-casting of the polarization transfer equations), and long-term variability monitoring (3-D modelling of irregular domains).

The full theory of polarized SiO maser emission from the near-circumstellar environment of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars has been the subject of debate, with theories ranging from classical Zeeman origins to predominantly non-Zeeman anisotropic excitation or propagation effects. Features with an internal electric vector position angle (EVPA) rotation of ∼π/2 offer unique constraints on theoretical models. In this work, results are presented for one such feature that persisted across five epochs of SiO ν = 1, J = 1 − 0 VLBA observations of TX Cam. We examine the fit to the predicted dependence of linear polarization and EVPA on angle (θ) between the line of sight and the magnetic field against theoretical models. We also present results on the dependence of mc on θ and their theoretical implications. Finally, we discuss potential causes of the observed differences, and continuing work.

Outstanding problems concerning mass-loss from evolved stars include initial wind acceleration and what determines the clumping scale. Reconstructing physical conditions from maser data has been highly uncertain due to the exponential amplification. ALMA and e-MERLIN now provide image cubes for five H2O maser transitions around VY CMa, at spatial resolutions comparable to the size of individual clouds or better, covering excitation states from 204 to 2360 K. We use the model of Gray et al. 2016, to constrain variations of number density and temperature on scales of a few au, an order of magnitude finer than is possible with thermal lines, comparable to individual cloud sizes or locally almost homogeneous regions. We compare results with the models of Decin et al. 2006 and Matsuura et al. 2014 for the circumstellar envelope of VY CMa; in later work this will be extended to other maser sources.

Introduction: Effective trauma resuscitation requires a coordinated team approach, yet there is a significant risk for error. These errors can manifest from sequential system-, team- and knowledge based failures, defined as latent safety threats (LSTs). In situ simulation (ISS), a point-of-care training strategy, provides a novel prospective approach to identify factors that impact patient safety. This study quantified and formulated a hierarchy of LSTs during risk-informed ISS trauma resuscitations. Methods: At a Level 1 trauma centre, we conducted 12 multi-disciplinary, unannounced ISSs to prospectively identify trauma-related LSTs. Four, risk-informed scenarios were developed based on 5 recurring themes found within the trauma program’s morbidity and mortality process. The actual, on-call trauma team participated in the study. Simulations were video recorded with 4 cameras, each positioned at a different angle. Using a framework analysis methodology, human factors experts transcribed and coded the videos. Thematic structure was established deductively based on existing literature and inductively based on observed ISS events. All LSTs were prioritized for future patient safety, systems and ergonomic interventions using the Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) matrix. Results: We identified 893 LSTs from 12 simulations. LST analysis resulted in 8 themes subcategorized into 43 codes. Themes were associated with team-, knowledge- or system-related issues. The following themes emerged: situational awareness, provider safety, mental model alignment, team/individual responsibility, team resources, equipment considerations, workplace environment and clinical protocols. The HFMEA hazard scoring process identified 13 high priority codes that required urgent attention and intervention to mitigate negative patient outcomes. Conclusion: A prospective, video-based framework analysis represents a novel and robust approach to LST identification within trauma care. Patterns of LSTs within and between simulations provide a high degree of transparency and traceability for an inter-professional trauma program review. Hazard matrix scoring facilitates the classification and prioritization of human factors interventions intended to improve patient safety.