The Presampler for the Forward and Rear Calorimeter in the ZEUS Detector

The ZEUS detector at HERA has been supplemented with a presampler detector in front of the forward and rear calorimeters. It consists of a segmented scintillator array read out with wavelength-shifting fibers. We discuss its desi gn, construction and performance. Test beam data obtained with a prototype presampler and the ZEUS prototype calorimeter demonstrate the main function of this detector, i.e. the correction for the energy lost by an electron interacting in inactive material in front of the calorimeter.Comment: 20 pages including 16 figure

A linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics approach to optimization of thermoelectric devices

Improvement of thermoelectric systems in terms of performance and range of applications relies on progress in materials science and optimization of device operation. In this chapter, we focuse on optimization by taking into account the interaction of the system with its environment. For this purpose, we consider the illustrative case of a thermoelectric generator coupled to two temperature baths via heat exchangers characterized by a thermal resistance, and we analyze its working conditions. Our main message is that both electrical and thermal impedance matching conditions must be met for optimal device performance. Our analysis is fundamentally based on linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics using the force-flux formalism. An outlook on mesoscopic systems is also given.Comment: Chapter 14 in "Thermoelectric Nanomaterials", Editors Kunihito Koumoto and Takao Mori, Springer Series in Materials Science Volume 182 (2013

Reply to the Comment by B. Andresen

All the comments made by Andresen's comments are replied and are shown not to be pertinent. The original discussions [ABE S., Europhys. Lett. 90 (2010) 50004] about the absence of nonextensive statistical mechanics with q-entropies for classical continuous systems are reinforced.Comment: 5 pages. This is Reply to B. Andresen's Comment on the paper entitled "Essential discreteness in generalized thermostatistics with non-logarithmic entropy", Europhys. Lett. 90 (2010) 5000

Intra-week spatial-temporal patterns of crime

Since its original publication, routine activity theory has proven most instructive for understanding temporal patterns in crime. The most prominent of the temporal crime patterns investigated is seasonality: crime (most often assault) increases during the summer months and decreases once routine activities are less often outside. Despite the rather widespread literature on the seasonality of crime, there is very little research investigating temporal patterns of crime at shorter time intervals such as within the week or even within the day. This paper contributes to this literature through a spatial-temporal analysis of crime patterns for different days of the week. It is found that temporal patterns are present for different days of the week (more crime on weekends, as would be expected) and there is a spatial component to that temporal change. Specifically, aside from robbery and sexual assault at the micro-spatial unit of analysis (street segments) the spatial patterns of crime changed. With regard to the spatial pattern changes, we found that assaults and theft from vehicle had their spatial patterns change in predictable ways on Saturdays: assaults increased in the bar district and theft from vehicles increased in the downtown and recreational car park areas

Potential loss of nutrients from different rearing strategies for fattening pigs on pasture

Nutrient load and distribution on pasture were investigated with fattening pigs that: 1) spend a proportion of or their entire life on pasture, 2) were fed either restrictively or ad libitum, and 3) were weaned at different times of the year. The N and P retention in pigs decreased the longer they were kept on pasture. The contents of soil inorganic N and exchangeable K were significantly raised compared to the soil outside the enclosures but with no differences between treatments. Pig grazing did not affect extractable soil P. Regular moving of huts, feeding and water troughs was effective in ensuring that nutrients were more evenly distributed on the paddocks. Grass cover, as determined by spectral reflectance, was not related to the experimental treatments but only to time of year. During spring and summer, grass was present in parts of the paddocks, whereas during autumn and winter the pigs kept grass cover below 10%. Fattening pigs on pasture carries a high risk of nutrient loss and it is concluded that the most environmentally acceptable way of keeping fattening pigs on pasture involves a combination of reduced dietary N intake, reduced stocking rate and seasonal rather than all year production

Design and Test of a Forward Neutron Calorimeter for the ZEUS Experiment

A lead scintillator sandwich sampling calorimeter has been installed in the HERA tunnel 105.6 m from the central ZEUS detector in the proton beam direction. It is designed to measure the energy and scattering angle of neutrons produced in charge exchange ep collisions. Before installation the calorimeter was tested and calibrated in the H6 beam at CERN where 120 GeV electrons, muons, pions and protons were made incident on the calorimeter. In addition, the spectrum of fast neutrons from charge exchange proton-lucite collisions was measured. The design and construction of the calorimeter is described, and the results of the CERN test reported. Special attention is paid to the measurement of shower position, shower width, and the separation of electromagnetic showers from hadronic showers. The overall energy scale as determined from the energy spectrum of charge exchange neutrons is compared to that obtained from direct beam hadrons.Comment: 45 pages, 22 Encapsulated Postscript figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Method

Long-term Transplant Function After Thrombolytic Treatment Ex Vivo of Donated Kidneys Retrieved 4 to 5 Hours After Circulatory Death

Background.\ua0Using a novel thrombolytic technique, we present long-term transplant function, measured by creatinine and iohexol clearance, after utilizing kidneys from porcine donors with uncontrolled donation after circulatory deaths, with 4.5–5 h of warm ischemia.Methods.\ua0Pigs in the study group were subjected to simulated circulatory death. After 2 h, ice slush was inserted into the abdomen and 4.5 h after death, the kidneys were retrieved. Lys-plasminogen, antithrombin-III, and alteplase were injected through the renal arteries on the back table. Subsequent ex vivo perfusion was continued for 3 h at 15\ub0C, followed by 3 h with red blood cells at 32\ub0C, and then transplanted into pigs as an autologous graft as only renal support. Living-donor recipient pigs that did not receive ex vivo perfusion, and unilateral nephrectomized pigs served as the controls.Results.\ua0Pigs in the study group (n = 13), surviving 10 d or more were included, of which 7 survived for 3 mo. Four animals in the living-donor group (n = 6) and all 5 nephrectomized animals survived for 3 mo. Creatinine levels in the plasma and urine, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels, Kidney Injury Marker-1 expression, and iohexol clearance at 3 mo did not differ significantly between the study and living-donor groups. Histology and transmission electron microscopy after 3 mo showed negligible fibrosis and no other damage.Conclusions.\ua0The present method salvages kidneys from extended unontrolled donation after circulatory death using thrombolytic treatment while preserving histology and enabling transplantation after ex vivo reconditioning, with clinically acceptable late function after 3 mo, as measured by creatinine and iohexol clearance

Effects of red blood cell transfusion on neonatal cerebral hemodynamics: a TD-NIRS and DCS study

Anemia is a common problem in preterm neonates, and red blood cell transfusion (RBCT) is used to improve oxygen delivery. In order to limit the risk of possible complications new strategies to minimize the need for RBCTs are needed, as assessment of hemoglobin concentration in blood ([Hb]) alone appears to be an inadequate biomarker. In this study, we search for hemodynamic and metabolic thresholds to help define the need of RBCT in anemic newborns. The effect of RBCTs on cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) and blood flow (measured as Blood Flow Index, BFI) was estimated using a non-invasive hybrid diffuse optical device that combines Time Domain NIRS (TD-NIRS) and Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy (DCS) techniques (BabyLux device). We enrolled 18 clinically stable neonates receiving RBCT at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan. Tissue oxygen extraction (TOE) and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption index (CMRO2I) were computed, the Wilkinson signed rank test for paired data was performed to compare data before and after RBCT. Preliminary results are in accordance with previous publications as regards cerebral oxygenation: a significant increase in StO2 (from 56.62 ± 5.20% to 63.85 ± 4.95%, p<0.05) and reduction in TOE (from 41.35 ± 5.9 % to 31.04 ±5.41%, p<0.05) were observed. The response in cerebral blood flow was smaller (only 10%) but also more variable, so conclusions regarding the effect of transfusion on cerebral oxygen metabolism are still uncertain

A Novel Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for Rapid Confirmation of Medium- and Very Long-Chain acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Newborns

BACKGROUND:Newborn screening for medium- and very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD and VLCAD, respectively) deficiency, using acylcarnitine profiling with tandem mass spectrometry, has increased the number of patients with fatty acid oxidation disorders due to the identification of additional milder, and so far silent, phenotypes. However, especially for VLCADD, the acylcarnitine profile can not constitute the sole parameter in order to reliably confirm disease. Therefore, we developed a new liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to rapidly determine both MCAD- and/or VLCAD-activity in human lymphocytes in order to confirm diagnosis. METHODOLOGY:LC-MS/MS was used to measure MCAD- or VLCAD-catalyzed production of enoyl-CoA and hydroxyacyl-CoA, in human lymphocytes. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:VLCAD activity in controls was 6.95+/-0.42 mU/mg (range 1.95 to 11.91 mU/mg). Residual VLCAD activity of 4 patients with confirmed VLCAD-deficiency was between 0.3 and 1.1%. Heterozygous ACADVL mutation carriers showed residual VLCAD activities of 23.7 to 54.2%. MCAD activity in controls was 2.38+/-0.18 mU/mg. In total, 28 patients with suspected MCAD-deficiency were assayed. Nearly all patients with residual MCAD activities below 2.5% were homozygous 985A>G carriers. MCAD-deficient patients with one other than the 985A>G mutation had higher MCAD residual activities, ranging from 5.7 to 13.9%. All patients with the 199T>C mutation had residual activities above 10%. CONCLUSIONS:Our newly developed LC-MS/MS method is able to provide ample sensitivity to correctly and rapidly determine MCAD and VLCAD residual activity in human lymphocytes. Importantly, based on measured MCAD residual activities in correlation with genotype, new insights were obtained on the expected clinical phenotype