Experimental demonstration of particle energy, conversion efficiency and spectral shape required for ion-based fast ignition

Research on fusion fast ignition (FI) initiated by laser-driven ion beams has made substantial progress in the last years. Compared with electrons, FI based on a beam of quasi-monoenergetic ions has the advantage of a more localized energy deposition, and stiffer particle transport, bringing the required total beam energy close to the theoretical minimum. Due to short pulse laser drive, the ion beam can easily deliver the 200 TW power required to ignite the compressed D-T fuel. In integrated calculations we recently simulated ion-based FI targets with high fusion gain targets and a proof of principle experiment [1]. These simulations identify three key requirements for the success of ion-driven fast ignition (IFI): (1) the generation of a sufficiently high-energetic ion beam (approximate to 400-500 MeV for C), with (2) less than 20% energy spread at (3) more than 10% conversion efficiency of laser to beam energy. Here we present for the first time new experimental results, demonstrating all three parameters in separate experiments. Using diamond nanotargets and ultrahigh contrast laser pulses we were able to demonstrate >500 MeV carbon ions, as well as carbon pulses with Delta E/E

Demonstration of antibodies in archival sera from Canadian seals reactive with a European isolate of phocine distemper virus

Sera from seals infected during the 1988 European epizootic of phocine distemper virus and sera from Canadian seals collected since 1972 have been tested for the presence of antibodies to morbillivirus. Approximately one third of the Canadian sera have been shown to contain anti-morbillivirus antibodies; the possibility that these populations of seals provided a source of infection for European seals is discussed.

Demonstration of laser pulse amplication by stimulated Brillouin scattering

The energy transfer by stimulated Brillouin backscatter from a long pump pulse (15 ps) to a short seed pulse (1 ps)has been investigated in a proof-of-principle demonstration experiment. The two pulses were both amplified in differentbeamlines of a Nd:glass laser system, had a central wavelength of 1054 nm and a spectral bandwidth of 2 nm, and crossedeach other in an underdense plasma in a counter-propagating geometry, off-set by 10◦. It is shown that the energy transferand the wavelength of the generated Brillouin peak depend on the plasma density, the intensity of the laser pulses, and thecompetition between two-plasmon decay and stimulated Raman scatter instabilities. The highest obtained energy transferfrom pump to probe pulse is 2.5%, at a plasma density of 0.17ncr, and this energy transfer increases significantly withplasma density. Therefore, our results suggest that much higher efficiencies can be obtained when higher densities (above0.25ncr) are used.

Design and Demonstration of an Electronically Scanned Reflectarray Antenna at 100 GHz using Multiresonant Cells Based on Liquid Crystals

The design, fabrication, and measured results are presented for a reconfigurable reflectarray antenna based on liquid crystals (LCs)which operates above 100 GHz. The antenna has been designed to provide beam scanning capabilities over a wide angular range, a large bandwidth,and reduced side-lobe level (SLL). Measured radiation patterns are in good agreement with simulations, and show that the antenna generates an electronically steerable beam in one plane over an angular range of 55◦ in the frequency band from 96 to 104 GHz. The SLL is lower than −13 dB for all the scan angles and −18 dB is obtained over 16% of the scan range. The measured performance is significantly better than previously published results for this class of electronically tunable antenna, and moreover, veri-fies the accuracy of the proposed procedure for LC modeling and antenna design.

Priming psychic and conjuring abilities of a magic demonstration influences event interpretation and random number generation biases

Magical ideation and belief in the paranormal is considered to represent a trait-like character; people either believe in it or not. Yet, anecdotes indicate that exposure to an anomalous event can turn skeptics into believers. This transformation is likely to be accompanied by altered cognitive functioning such as impaired judgments of event likelihood. Here, we investigated whether the exposure to an anomalous event changes individuals' explicit traditional (religious) and non-traditional (e.g., paranormal) beliefs as well as cognitive biases that have previously been associated with non-traditional beliefs, e.g., repetition avoidance when producing random numbers in a mental dice task. In a classroom, 91 students saw a magic demonstration after their psychology lecture. Before the demonstration, half of the students were told that the performance was done respectively by a conjuror (magician group) or a psychic (psychic group). The instruction influenced participants' explanations of the anomalous event. Participants in the magician, as compared to the psychic group, were more likely to explain the event through conjuring abilities while the reverse was true for psychic abilities. Moreover, these explanations correlated positively with their prior traditional and non-traditional beliefs. Finally, we observed that the psychic group showed more repetition avoidance than the magician group, and this effect remained the same regardless of whether assessed before or after the magic demonstration. We conclude that pre-existing beliefs and contextual suggestions both influence people's interpretations of anomalous events and associated cognitive biases. Beliefs and associated cognitive biases are likely flexible well into adulthood and change with actual life events.

Demonstration of the effectiveness of zinc in diarrhoea of children living in Switzerland.

We designed a double-blinded randomized clinical trial of zinc (10 or 20 mg of zinc sulphate for 2-5 month-old or 6-59 month-old children, respectively, during 10 days) vs. placebo in otherwise healthy children aged 2 months to 5 years who presented with acute diarrhoea (i.e. ≥3 stools/day for less than 72 h). Eighty-seven patients (median age 14 months; range 3.1-58.3) were analysed in an intention-to-treat approach. Forty-two patients took zinc and 45 placebo. There was no difference in the duration nor in the frequency of diarrhoea, but only 5% of the zinc group still had diarrhoea at 120 h of treatment compared to 20% in the placebo group (P = 0.05). Thirty-one patients (13 zinc and 18 placebo) were available for per-protocol analyses. The median (IQR) duration of diarrhoea in zinc-treated patients was 47.5 h (18.3-72) and differed significantly from the placebo group (median 76.3; IQR 52.8-137) (P = 0.03). The frequency of diarrhoea was also lower in the zinc group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: zinc treatment decreases the frequency and severity of diarrhoea in children aged 2 months to 5 years living in Switzerland. However, the intention-to-treat analysis reveals compliance issues that question the proper duration of treatment and the choice of optimal pharmaceutical formulation.

A demonstration of educational craft : an outdoor educator's autoethnography

Ellis (2004) argues that auto ethnography is a methodology that begins with the researcher as the site of study. Employing a qualitative storytelling structure shows, instead of tells. As the audience reads, they are encouraged to relate the research to their experiences, provoking reflective knowledge development. As an outdoor educator, I began to question the nature of my craft and how it was being shaped by my personal educational philosophy. So, drawing on a reflective journal I kept while employed as an outdoor educator in 2007, three outdoor educators published narratives, and a historical review of newspaper articles about Ontario-based outdoor education, conducted an autoethnographic inquiry and built a fictional story about my craft. I exposed five faultlines or areas of ideological tension, shaping my views about outdoor education and my craft.

The Demonstration Effect of Hosting a Major Games: A Case Study of Figure Skating and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Developed by Hindson, Gidlow, and Peebles (1994), the trickle-down effect and more specifically, the demonstration effect, are based on the idea that performances of a host nation’s athletes will inspire the population to become active in sport. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games presented an opportunity for Canadian sport organizations to promote sport participation. The purpose of this study was to determine if the demonstration effect occurred in Canada, and determine the reasons why or why not. The sport of figure skating was selected. Quantitative data were collected from Skate Canada on club membership rates from 2003 to 2013. Results showed small increases in participation, however there was little change following the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Qualitative data showed that already active sport participants became more active, following these Games. The findings demonstrate that the demonstration effect occurred, however only for a select group of individuals.

Postgraduate Demonstration Skills

A PowerPoint presentation used to support a skills development session for postgraduate students who wish to act as demonstrators in lab and workshop sessions.

PGR Tracker Demonstration for Students

This short video is a demonstration of the University of Southampton's Post Graduate Research (PGR) Tracker software that PGR students use for recording and tracking their post graduate progression milestones and training. Click on the 'Download' link to watch the video with a clearer image.