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Forschungszentrum Jülich - Research in Jülich 2_2013

Research in Jülich 2|2013 The new electron cooler is installed at Jülich’s particle accelerator COSY. 4 Nuclear Physics Institute (IKP) | An electron cooler from Siberia is now boosting the performance of Jülich’s storage and accelerator ring COSY. The new device enables COSY to accel- erate electrons with a voltage as high as 2 megavolts. A maxi- mum of just 100 kilovolts was possible before. This increases the chances of detecting extremely rare high-energy decay processes. These processes play a role in the search for exotic forms of matter and effects outside the realms of the standard model of physics. The cooler was developed in cooperation with the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics in the Russian city of Novosibirsk. :: Cooling from Siberia It’s powerful, energy-effi- cient, self-learning, and self- organizing – our brain weighs less than 1.5 kg, but in terms of functionality, it outperforms any supercom- puter. For centuries, scien- tists have been endeavouring to understand the brain. Jülich scientists are meeting this chal- lenge by means of ‘human brain modelling’ with combined efforts and state-of-the-art methods: in exploring the brain, the researchers are sup- ported by supercomputers and simulations that help them to elucidate molecular processes as well as to develop new treatments for disorders of the brain. The Jülich scientists are working on a ‘navigation system’ for the brain, for example, and on new methods for treating tinnitus and other conditions. In this issue of Research in Jülich, we would like you to join us in ‘Operation Brain’. You will also learn why six cups of coffee won’t necessarily make you feel more awake than four, what difficulties are associated with climate research at a speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour, and how Jülich researchers go treasure-hunting in electronic waste. I hope that this issue makes for interesting reading. Yours sincerely, Prof. Achim Bachem Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich :: EDITORIAL Institute of Bio- and Geosciences | The German Plant Phenotyping Network (DPPN) is currently being established as a national infra- structure for plant sciences and breeding. The be- haviour, growth, and ultimately the yield of crops are determined by the interplay of their genetic properties and the environment. The DPPN is de- veloping concepts and technologies to acquire quantitative data on the relevant characteristics of plants. Finding out more about the connections will allow the researchers to breed plants with the desired characteristics. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports the pro- ject coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich with funding worth € 34.6 million. With DPPN, Germany will consolidate its leading position in the area of plant phenotyping. :: Infrastructure for Optimizing Crops How well a carrot grows depends on the inter- play between its environment and genotype.

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