The Variable Polarization XUV Beamline P04 at PETRA III Optics, mechanics and their performance

The layout of the Variable Polarization XUV Beamline P04 at PETRAIII is described with emphasison selected examples of optics, mirrors and gratings. A precise characterization of the optics, their performance inside the holder and of the surrounding mechanics is presented. This also includes a detailed characterization of the different beamline mechanics as a whole gratingunit, exit slit unit, re focusing unit including the environmen

Tracking electricity losses and their perceived causes using nighttime light and social media

Urban environments are intricate systems where the breakdown of critical infrastructure can impact both the economic and social well-being of communities. Electricity systems hold particular significance, as they are essential for other infrastructure, and disruptions can trigger widespread consequences. Typically, assessing electricity availability requires ground-level data, a challenge in conflict zones and regions with limited access. This study shows how satellite imagery, social media, and information extraction can monitor blackouts and their perceived causes. Night-time light data (in March 2019 for Caracas, Venezuela) is used to indicate blackout regions. Twitter data is used to determine sentiment and topic trends, while statistical analysis and topic modeling delved into public perceptions regarding blackout causes. The findings show an inverse relationship between nighttime light intensity. Tweets mentioning the Venezuelan President displayed heightened negativity and a greater prevalence of blame-related terms, suggesting a perception of government accountability for the outages

MBSE Certification-Driven Design of a UAV MALE Configuration in the AGILE 4.0 Design Environment

This paper presents a certification-driven design process for an Unmanned Medium-Altitude- Long-Endurance (UAV MALE) air vehicle, including on-board system design and placements, electro-magnetic compatibility analysis, and thermal risk assessments. In literature, the preliminary aircraft design phase is mainly driven by mission performances and structural integrity aspects. However, the inclusion of other disciplines, like on-board system design or electro-magnetic compatibility, or thermal analysis, can lead to more efficient and cost- effective solutions and becomes paramount for non-conventional configurations like unmanned vehicles or highly electrified platforms. In the EC-funded AGILE 4.0 project (2019-2022), the traditional scope of the preliminary aircraft design is extended by including domains that are usually considered only in later design phases, such as certification, production and maintenance. In this paper, the AGILE 4.0 design environment supports the definition and execution of a certification-driven design process of a UAV MALE configuration, using a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach

Effect of Pimobendan in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease and Cardiomegaly: The EPIC Study - A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Pimobendan is effective in treatment of dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Its effect on dogs before the onset of CHF is unknown. Hypothesis/Objectives: Administration of pimobendan (0.4-0.6 mg/kg/d in divided doses) to dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical MMVD, not receiving other cardiovascular medications, will delay the onset of signs of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. Animals: 360 client-owned dogs with MMVD with left atrial-to-aortic ratio >= 1.6, normalized left ventricular internal diameter in diastole >= 1.7, and vertebral heart sum >10.5. Methods: Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, multicenter clinical trial. Primary outcome variable was time to a composite of the onset of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. Results: Median time to primary endpoint was 1228 days (95% CI: 856-NA) in the pimobendan group and 766 days (95% CI: 667-875) in the placebo group (P = .0038). Hazard ratio for the pimobendan group was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.47-0.87) compared with the placebo group. The benefit persisted after adjustment for other variables. Adverse events were not different between treatment groups. Dogs in the pimobendan group lived longer (median survival time was 1059 days (95% CI: 952-NA) in the pimobendan group and 902 days (95% CI: 747-1061) in the placebo group) (P = .012). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Administration of pimobendan to dogs with MMVD and echocardiographic and radiographic evidence of cardiomegaly results in prolongation of preclinical period and is safe and well tolerated. Prolongation of preclinical period by approximately 15 months represents substantial clinical benefit

Simple method for identifying interdependencies in service delivery in critical infrastructure networks

Abstract Critical infrastructure failures from natural hazard events affect the economic and social well-being of communities. This is particularly true in lower income countries, where infrastructure may be less resistant to natural hazards and disaster recovery is often limited by available resources. The interconnectivity of these systems can strongly affect the services they deliver, and the failure of one infrastructure system can result in cascade failures with wide-reaching consequences. Unfortunately, interconnectivity has been particularly difficult to measure. We present a method for identifying service-oriented interdependencies in interconnected networks. The approach uses well-established methods for network analysis and is demonstrated for healthcare services in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small island state in the Caribbean. We show that critical links in road networks necessary for healthcare service delivery are important for more than just patient access to a facility, but also on the supply chains that enable the hospitals to function (e.g., water, fuel, medicine). Once identified, the critical links can be overlaid with known hazard vulnerabilities to identify the infrastructure segments of highest priority, based on the risk and consequences of failure. An advantage of the approach presented is that it requires relatively little input data when compared to many network prioritization models and can be run using open-source geospatial data such as OpenStreetMap. The method can be expanded beyond road networks to assess the service-oriented criticality of any infrastructure network

In-vivo microvascular imaging of early squamous-cell cancer of the esophagus by confocal laser endomicroscopy

We present the case of a 63-year-old man with an early esophageal squamous-cell cancer that was visualized and analyzed by fluorescein-aided confocal laser endomicroscopic imaging. Our findings indicate that endomicroscopy is readily able to provide images of microvessels and to differentiate between normal and abnormal tumor vessels. Endomicroscopy therefore has the potential to characterize microvascular changes in early squamous-cell cancer, suggesting that this technique might have major implications for optimizing treatment strategies in modern endoscopy