442 research outputs found
Inflight magnetic characterization of the test masses onboard LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder is a science and technology demonstrator of the European
Space Agency within the framework of its LISA mission, the latter aiming to be
the first space-borne gravitational wave observatory. The payload of LISA
Pathfinder is the so-called LISA Technology Package, which is designed to
measure relative accelerations between two test masses in nominal free fall.
The diagnostics subsystem consists of several modules, one of which is the
magnetic diagnostics unit. Its main function is the assessment of the
differential acceleration noise between the test masses due to magnetic
effects. This subsystem is composed of two onboard coils intended to produce
controlled magnetic fields at the location of the test masses. These magnetic
fields couple with the remanent magnetic moment and susceptibility and produce
forces and torques on the test masses. These, in turn, produce kinematic
excursions of the test masses which are sensed by the onboard interferometer.
We prove that adequately processing these excursions, the magnetic properties
of the test masses can be estimated using classical multi-parameter estimation
techniques. Moreover, we show that special processing procedures to minimize
the effect of the multi channel cross-talks are needed. Finally, we demonstrate
that the quality of our estimates is frequency dependent. We also suggest that
using a multiple frequency experiment the global estimate can be obtained in
such a way that the results of the magnetic experiment are more reliable.
Finally, using our procedure we compute the the contribution of the magnetic
noise to the total proof-mass acceleration noise.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, Physical Review D, accepted on Feb 6th, 201
The Maximal Denumerant of a Numerical Semigroup
Given a numerical semigroup S = and n in S, we
consider the factorization n = c_0 a_0 + c_1 a_1 + ... + c_t a_t where c_i >=
0. Such a factorization is maximal if c_0 + c_1 + ... + c_t is a maximum over
all such factorizations of n. We provide an algorithm for computing the maximum
number of maximal factorizations possible for an element in S, which is called
the maximal denumerant of S. We also consider various cases that have
connections to the Cohen-Macualay and Gorenstein properties of associated
graded rings for which this algorithm simplifies.Comment: 13 Page
Theory and modeling of the magnetic field measurement in LISA PathFinder
The magnetic diagnostics subsystem of the LISA Technology Package (LTP) on
board the LISA PathFinder (LPF) spacecraft includes a set of four tri-axial
fluxgate magnetometers, intended to measure with high precision the magnetic
field at their respective positions. However, their readouts do not provide a
direct measurement of the magnetic field at the positions of the test masses,
and hence an interpolation method must be designed and implemented to obtain
the values of the magnetic field at these positions. However, such
interpolation process faces serious difficulties. Indeed, the size of the
interpolation region is excessive for a linear interpolation to be reliable
while, on the other hand, the number of magnetometer channels does not provide
sufficient data to go beyond the linear approximation. We describe an
alternative method to address this issue, by means of neural network
algorithms. The key point in this approach is the ability of neural networks to
learn from suitable training data representing the behavior of the magnetic
field. Despite the relatively large distance between the test masses and the
magnetometers, and the insufficient number of data channels, we find that our
artificial neural network algorithm is able to reduce the estimation errors of
the field and gradient down to levels below 10%, a quite satisfactory result.
Learning efficiency can be best improved by making use of data obtained in
on-ground measurements prior to mission launch in all relevant satellite
locations and in real operation conditions. Reliable information on that
appears to be essential for a meaningful assessment of magnetic noise in the
LTP.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physical Review
MTBVAC, a live TB vaccine poised to initiate efficacy trials 100 years after BCG
At its 100th birthday of its first administration to a newborn, BCG has been (and continues being) an inspiration for the construction and development of hundreds of new TB vaccine candidates in the last two and a half decades. Today, 14 candidates are in clinical development inside the global TB vaccine pipeline. MTBVAC is one of these candidates. Based on a live-attenuated Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolate, MTBVAC''s 25 years of vaccine discovery, construction and characterisation have followed Pasteur principles, and in the process, BCG has served as a reference gold standard for establishing the safety and protective efficacy of new TB vaccine candidates. MTBVAC, which contains the antigen repertoire of M. tuberculosis, is now poised to initiate Phase 3 efficacy trials in newborns in TB-endemic countries. BCG''s efficacy extends beyond that against TB, shown to confer heterologous non-specific immunity to other diseases and reduce all-cause mortality in the first months of life. Today, WHO recognises the importance that any new TB vaccine designed for administration at birth, should show similar non-specific benefits as BCG vía mechanisms of trained immunity and/or cross-reactivity of adaptive immune responses to other pathogens. Key recent studies provide strong support for MTBVAC''s ability of inducing trained immunity and conferring non-specific heterologous protection similar to BCG. Research on alternative delivery routes of MTBVAC, such as a clinically feasible aerosol route, could facilitate vaccine administration for long-term TB eradication programmes in the future. © 2021 The Author(s
The LISA PathFinder DMU and Radiation Monitor
The LISA PathFinder DMU (Data Management Unit) flight model was formally
accepted by ESA and ASD on 11 February 2010, after all hardware and software
tests had been successfully completed. The diagnostics items are scheduled to
be delivered by the end of 2010. In this paper we review the requirements and
performance of this instrumentation, specially focusing on the Radiation
Monitor and the DMU, as well as the status of their programmed use during
mission operations, on which work is ongoing at the time of writing.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, prepared for the Proceedings of the 8th
International LISA Symposium, Classical and Quantum Gravit
Use of self-organizing maps for analyzing the behavior of canines displaced towards midline under interceptive treatment
Displaced maxillary permanent canine is one of the more frequent findings in canine eruption process and it?s easy to be outlined and early diagnosed by means of x-ray images. Late diagnosis frequently needs surgery to rescue the impacted permanent canine. In many cases, interceptive treatment to redirect canine eruption is needed. However, some patients treated by interceptive means end up requiring fenestration to orthodontically guide the canine to its normal occlusal position. It would be interesting, therefore, to discover the dental characteristics of patients who will need additional surgical treatment to interceptive treatment. To study the dental characteristics associated with canine impaction, conventional statistics have traditionally been used. This approach, although serving to illustrate many features of this problem, has not provided a satisfactory response or not provided an overall idea of the characteristics of these types of patients, each one of them with their own particular set of variables. Faced with this situation, and in order to analyze the problem of impaction despite interceptive treatment, we have used an alternative method for representing the variables that have an influence on this syndrome. This method is known as Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), a method used for analyzing problems with multiple variables. We analyzed 78 patients with a PMC angulation higher than 100º. All of them were subject to interceptive treatment and in 21 cases it was necessary to undertake the above-mentioned fenestration to achieve the final eruption of the canine. In this study, we describe the process of debugging variables and selecting the appropriate number of cells in SOM so as to adequately visualize the problem posed and the dental characteristics of patients with regard to a greater or lesser probability of the need for fenestration
Pulmonary but not subcutaneous vaccination confers protection to TB susceptible mice by an IL17-dependent mechanism.
Some of the most promising novel tuberculosis vaccine strategies currently under development are based on respiratory vaccination, mimicking the natural route of infection. In this work, we have compared pulmonary and subcutaneous delivery of BCG vaccine in the tuberculosis-susceptible DBA/2 mouse strain, a model in which parenterally administered BCG vaccine does not protect against tuberculosis. Our data show that intranasally but not subcutaneously administered BCG confers robust protection against pulmonary tuberculosis challenge. In addition, our results indicate that pulmonary vaccination triggers a Mycobacterium tuberculosis–specific mucosal immune response orchestrated by interleukin 17A (IL-17A). Thus, IL-17A neutralization in vivo reduces protection and abrogates M. tuberculosis–specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion to respiratory airways and lung expression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor induced following intranasal vaccination. Together, our results demonstrate that pulmonary delivery of BCG can overcome the lack of protection observed when BCG is given parenterally, suggesting that respiratory tuberculosis vaccines could have an advantage in tuberculosis-endemic countries, where intradermally administered BCG has inefficient effectiveness against pulmonary tuberculosis
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