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Abstract The JET 2019–2020 scientific and technological programme exploited the results of years of concerted scientific and engineering work, including the ITER-like wall (ILW: Be wall and W divertor) installed in 2010, improved diagnostic capabilities now fully available, a major neutral beam injection upgrade providing record power in 2019–2020, and tested the technical and procedural preparation for safe operation with tritium. Research along three complementary axes yielded a wealth of new results. Firstly, the JET plasma programme delivered scenarios suitable for high fusion power and alpha particle (α) physics in the coming D–T campaign (DTE2), with record sustained neutron rates, as well as plasmas for clarifying the impact of isotope mass on plasma core, edge and plasma-wall interactions, and for ITER pre-fusion power operation. The efficacy of the newly installed shattered pellet injector for mitigating disruption forces and runaway electrons was demonstrated. Secondly, research on the consequences of long-term exposure to JET-ILW plasma was completed, with emphasis on wall damage and fuel retention, and with analyses of wall materials and dust particles that will help validate assumptions and codes for design and operation of ITER and DEMO. Thirdly, the nuclear technology programme aiming to deliver maximum technological return from operations in D, T and D–T benefited from the highest D–D neutron yield in years, securing results for validating radiation transport and activation codes, and nuclear data for ITER.

The objective of this study was to determine if chronic ethanol consumption could modify cell populations in the Peyer's patches (PP), which could favor pathogenic or opportunistic infections in mice, as seen in chronic alcohol addicts. Young C57BL/6 mice receiving the Lieber-DeCarli diet (36% of calories as ethanol) for 5 weeks presented a significant decrease in the total number of cells in the PP. Mature FVB mice receiving the Lieber-DeCarli diet for 19 weeks presented a highly significant decrease in the total number of cells and in the absolute number of T and B cells in the PP. Young C57BL/6 mice receiving the 100% NRC (30% ethanol) or the 60% NRC (30% ethanol) diets for 7 weeks presented alterations in the T and B cell phenotype comparable with the alterations observed in mice receiving the Lieber-DeCarli diet for 19 weeks. As less alcohol for a shorter time caused similar changes to those seen with a highly micronutrient enriched diet with more alcohol for a longer consumption period, micronutrient supplementation may overcome some immune damage found in animal models of alcoholism. Our data indicated that ethanol administration altered the mucosal immune system at the level of the PP, the site for antigen presentation and induction of a mucosal immune response.

The experiment of the NA61/SHINE Collaboration at the CERN SPS is performing a unique study of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter by varying collision energy and nuclear mass number of colliding nuclei. In central Pb+Pb collisions, the experiment of the NA49 Collaboration found structures in the energy dependence of several observables in the energy range of the CERN SPS that had been predicted for the transition to a deconfined phase. New measurements of the NA61/SHINE Collaboration find intriguing similarities in p+p interactions for which no deconfinement transition is expected at the energies of the SPS. Possible implications will be discussed.

The optimization of operating times and operation modes of devices and systems that consume or generate electricity in buildings by building energy management systems promises to alleviate problems arising in today’s electricity grids. Conflicting objectives may have to be pursued in this context, giving rise to a multi-objective optimization problem. This paper presents the optimization of appliances as well as heating and air-conditioning devices in two distinct settings of smart buildings, a residential and a commercial building, with respect to the minimization of energy costs, CO2 emissions, discomfort, and technical wearout. We propose new encodings for appliances that are based on a combined categorization of devices respecting both, the optimization of operating times as well as operation modes, e.g., of hybrid devices. To identify an evolutionary algorithm that promises to lead to good optimization results of the devices in our real-world lab environments, we compare four state-of-the-art algorithms in realistic simulations: ESPEA, NSGA-II, NSGA-III, and SPEA2. The results show that ESPEA and NSGA-II significantly outperform the other two algorithms in our scenario.