Electric road vehicles - overview, concepts and research at Reutlingen university

The paper details the architecture of fully electrified vehicles as well as their new electronic systems. Examples of up-to-date electrical passenger cars are given. A very important question, that is the environmental foot-print of electrical vehicles compared to conventional ones, is examined. A research project is introduced where a fleet of two-wheeled vehicles is available for day-to-day use. Research on vehicles, software for fleet management and battery range prediction is described.В данной статье привeдены подробные сведения о принципе работы электрифицированных транспортных средств, а также описаны их новые электрические системы. Показан примеры уже существующих электрических пассажирских транспортных средств. Рассмотрено влияние электрифицированного транспорта на окружающую среду в сравнении с обычными видами транспорта. Приведен проект исследований, в рамках которого для ежедневного использования существует парк двух колесных электрифицированных транспортных средств. Описаны исследования, непосредственно связанные с электрифицированным транспортом, определением точного времени разряда батареи, а также программным обеспечением, позволяющим управлять парком таких транспортных средств.У статті наведено докладні відомості щодо принципів роботи електрифікованих транспортних засобів, а також описано їх нові електричні системи. Показано приклади вже існуючих електричних пасажирських транспортних засобів. Розглянуто вплив електрифікованого транспорту на навколишнє середовище у порівнянні із звичайними видами транспорту. На- ведено проект досліджень, у рамках якого існує парк двоколісних електрифікованих транспортних засобів для щоденного використання. Описано дослідження, безпосередньо пов'язані із електрифікованим транспортом, визначенням точного часу розряду батареї, а також програмним забезпеченням, що дозволяє керувати парком таких транспортних засобів

Partitioning of energy in highly polydisperse granular gases

A highly polydisperse granular gas is modeled by a continuous distribution of particle sizes, a, giving rise to a corresponding continuous temperature profile, T(a), which we compute approximately, generalizing previous results for binary or multicomponent mixtures. If the system is driven, it evolves towards a stationary temperature profile, which is discussed for several driving mechanisms in dependence on the variance of the size distribution. For a uniform distribution of sizes, the stationary temperature profile is nonuniform with either hot small particles (constant force driving) or hot large particles (constant velocity or constant energy driving). Polydispersity always gives rise to non-Gaussian velocity distributions. Depending on the driving mechanism the tails can be either overpopulated or underpopulated as compared to the molecular gas. The deviations are mainly due to small particles. In the case of free cooling the decay rate depends continuously on particle size, while all partial temperatures decay according to Haff's law. The analytical results are supported by event driven simulations for a large, but discrete number of species.Comment: 10 pages; 5 figure

Benchmarking high fidelity single-shot readout of semiconductor qubits

Determination of qubit initialisation and measurement fidelity is important for the overall performance of a quantum computer. However, the method by which it is calculated in semiconductor qubits varies between experiments. In this paper we present a full theoretical analysis of electronic single-shot readout and describe critical parameters to achieve high fidelity readout. In particular, we derive a model for energy selective state readout based on a charge detector response and examine how to optimise the fidelity by choosing correct experimental parameters. Although we focus on single electron spin readout, the theory presented can be applied to other electronic readout techniques in semiconductors that use a reservoir.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

Perception Of Cultural Competence in Nurse Practitioners

Purpose: Nurse practitioners are at the forefront in providing quality care to diverse populations and must become cognizant of the importance of cultural competence in caring for diverse patients. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of cultural competence and its integration in the delivery of health care in nurse practitioners practicing in a Mexican-American region of South Texas. Methodology: A descriptive, qualitative design using grounded theory and purposive sampling was utilized for this study. Sixteen nurse practitioners, fourteen females and two males, participated in the study. Qualitative data collection was elicited through individual interviews and a focus group. The selected participants included nurse practitioners who were employed for at least eight hours per week in a primary or acute care setting. The study included a demographic questionnaire and a nine-item interview guide created by the researchers to elicit thoughtful reflection on the participants’ perceptions of cultural competence and how cultural competence is integrated in their practice. Main findings: Data analysis involved grouping of response similarities until no new categories emerged. Affinity among the categories resulted in linkage into four distinct core categories or emerging themes. These themes provided a summary of what the nurse practitioners working with a Mexican-American population perceived as cultural competence and its integration in the delivery of health care. The four emerging themes include: 1) Culture as multifaceted; 2) Communication as empowerment; 3) Cultural dissonance; 4) Influence of myths, traditions, and complementary modalities. Principle conclusions: The study findings highlight the importance of advanced practice nurses’ efforts to continue to learn and increase their knowledge base and sensitivities to the culture of their clients in all dimensions of health care. The findings also support previous research and strengthen the understanding of the importance of cultural competency in the delivery of care to minority populations

Cerebral Air Embolism from Angioinvasive Cavitary Aspergillosis

Background. Nontraumatic cerebral air embolism cases are rare. We report a case of an air embolism resulting in cerebral infarction related to angioinvasive cavitary aspergillosis. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports associating these two conditions together. Case Presentation. A 32-year-old female was admitted for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Her hospital course was complicated by pulmonary aspergillosis. On hospital day 55, she acutely developed severe global aphasia with right hemiplegia. A CT and CT-angiogram of her head and neck were obtained demonstrating intravascular air emboli within the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) branches. She was emergently taken for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Evaluation for origin of the air embolus revealed an air focus along the left lower pulmonary vein. Over the course of 48 hours, her symptoms significantly improved. Conclusion. This unique case details an immunocompromised patient with pulmonary aspergillosis cavitary lesions that invaded into a pulmonary vein and caused a cerebral air embolism. With cerebral air embolisms, the acute treatment option differs from the typical ischemic stroke pathway and the provider should consider emergent HBOT. This case highlights the importance of considering atypical causes of acute ischemic stroke

Allele-specific endogenous tagging and quantitative analysis of β-catenin in colorectal cancer cells

Wnt signaling plays important roles in development, homeostasis, and tumorigenesis. Mutations in β-catenin that activate Wnt signaling have been found in colorectal and hepatocellular carcinomas. However, the dynamics of wild-type and mutant forms of β-catenin are not fully understood. Here, we genome-engineered fluorescently tagged alleles of endogenous β-catenin in a colorectal cancer cell line. Wild-type and oncogenic mutant alleles were tagged with different fluorescent proteins, enabling the analysis of both variants in the same cell. We analyzed the properties of both β-catenin alleles using immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy approaches, revealing distinctly different biophysical properties. In addition, activation of Wnt signaling by treatment with a GSK3β inhibitor or a truncating APC mutation modulated the wild-type allele to mimic the properties of the mutant β-catenin allele. The one-step tagging strategy demonstrates how genome engineering can be employed for the parallel functional analysis of different genetic variants

Effect of rapidly resorbable bone substitute materials on the temporal expression of the osteoblastic phenotype \u3cem\u3ein vitro\u3c/em\u3e

Ideally, bioactive ceramics for use in alveolar ridge augmentation should possess the ability to activate bone formation and, thus, cause the differentiation of osteoprogenitor cells into osteoblasts at their surfaces. Therefore, in order to evaluate the osteogenic potential of novel bone substitute materials, it is important to examine their effect on osteoblastic differentiation. This study examines the effect of rapidly resorbable calcium–alkali– orthophosphates on osteoblastic phenotype expression and compares this behavior to that of ß-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and bioactive glass 45S5. Test materials were three materials (denominated GB14, GB9, GB9/25) with a crystalline phase Ca2KNa(PO4)2 and with a small amorphous portion containing either magnesium potassium phosphate (GB14) or silica phosphate (GB9 and GB9/25, which also contains Ca2P2O7); and a material with a novel crystalline phase Ca10[K/Na](PO4)7 (material denominated 352i). SaOS-2 human bone cells were grown on the substrata for 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, counted, and probed for an array of osteogenic markers. GB9 had the greatest stimulatory effect on osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation, suggesting that this material possesses the highest potency to enhance osteogenesis. GB14 and 352i supported osteoblast differentiation to the same or a higher degree than TCP, whereas, similar to bioactive glass 45S5, GB9/25 displayed a greater stimulatory effect on osteoblastic phenotype expression, indicating that GB9/25 is also an excellent material for promoting osteogenesis

Perfectionism and Baldness Distress in Men: The Mediating Effect of Aging Anxiety

Introduction: Against the backdrop of increasing body image concerns among men, the present study examined two factors that might underlie men’s baldness distress: rigid perfectionism and anxiety about physical aging. Methods: An international sample of 355 men with varying degrees of baldness and an age range of 19 to 64 years were surveyed. Results: As hypothesized, participants scoring high in rigid perfectionism showed higher levels of baldness distress. This association was partially mediated by anxiety about physical aging. The mediation was not further moderated by participants’ age, degree and duration of baldness, cultural context, or racial identity, which underlines the generalizability of results. Discussion and Conclusion: The discussion centers around the partial rather than complete mediation by aging anxiety and implications of the findings for supporting balding men in the public health domain

Development and evaluation of a Gal4-mediated LUC/GFP/GUS enhancer trap system in Arabidopsis

BACKGROUND: Gal4 enhancer trap systems driving expression of LacZ and GFP reporters have been characterized and widely used in Drosophila. However, a Gal4 enhancer trap system in Arabidopsis has not been described in the primary literature. In Drosophila, the reporters possess a Gal4 upstream activation sequence (UAS) as five repeats (5XUAS) and lines that express Gal4 from tissue specific enhancers have also been used for the ectopic expression of any transgene (driven by a 5XUAS). While Gal4 transactivation has been demonstrated in Arabidopsis, wide use of a trap has not emerged in part because of the lack of detailed analysis, which is the purpose of the present study. RESULTS: A key feature of this study is the use of luciferase (LUC) as the primary reporter and rsGFP-GUS as secondary reporters. Reporters driven by a 5XUAS are better suited in Arabidopsis than those containing a 1X or 2X UAS. A 5XUAS-LUC reporter is expressed at high levels in Arabidopsis lines transformed with Gal4 driven by the full, enhanced 35S promoter. In contrast, a minimum 35S (containing the TATA region) upstream of Gal4 acts as an enhancer trap system. Luciferase expression in trap lines of the T1, T2, and T3 generations are generally stable but by the T4 generation approximately 25% of the lines are significantly silenced. This silencing is reversed by growing plants on media containing 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Quantitative multiplex RT-PCR on the Gal4 and LUC mRNA indicate that this silencing can occur at the level of Gal4 or LUC transcription. Production of a 10,000 event library and observations on screening, along with the potential for a Gal4 driver system in other plant species are discussed. CONCLUSION: The Gal4 trap system described here uses the 5XUAS-LUC and 5XUAS rsGFP-GUS as reporters and allows for in planta quantitative screening, including the rapid monitoring for silencing. We conclude that in about 75% of the cases silencing is at the level of transcription of the Gal4 transgene and is at an acceptable frequency to make the Gal4 trap system in Arabidopsis of value. This system will be useful for the isolation and comprehensive characterization of specific reporter and driver lines