Hérésies

What kinds of communities bring people together? How are they built? Where is unity, where is the multiplicity of humanity? Men can form separate, antagonistic, violently opposing communities. Is external division necessary to build internal cohesion? Nothing is more current than these questions

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR, browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters. Finally we briefly discuss on the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, and touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation, and finally on the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. (abridged).Comment: 48 pages, 29 figures, Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy with minor editin

The Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit: a consolidated design for the system requirement review of the preliminary definition phase

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory. Athena is a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, as selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), X-IFU aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over a hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR (i.e. in the course of its preliminary definition phase, so-called B1), browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters, such as the instrument efficiency, spectral resolution, energy scale knowledge, count rate capability, non X-ray background and target of opportunity efficiency. Finally, we briefly discuss the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation and the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. The X-IFU will be provided by an international consortium led by France, The Netherlands and Italy, with ESA member state contributions from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, with additional contributions from the United States and Japan.The French contribution to X-IFU is funded by CNES, CNRS and CEA. This work has been also supported by ASI (Italian Space Agency) through the Contract 2019-27-HH.0, and by the ESA (European Space Agency) Core Technology Program (CTP) Contract No. 4000114932/15/NL/BW and the AREMBES - ESA CTP No.4000116655/16/NL/BW. This publication is part of grant RTI2018-096686-B-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. This publication is part of grant RTI2018-096686-B-C21 and PID2020-115325GB-C31 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Feedforward Mitigation of Physiological Fear Response to a Visual and Auditory Startle Stimulus

An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2015Feelings of fear serve to protect individuals from experiencing harm from their external environment. Physiological responses to fear include increased heart rate, increased respiration rate, and increased skin conductance. In this experiment, the feedforward response to fear was tested through the utilization of two videos which both included the same auditory and visual startle stimulus. The purpose of the experiment was to test whether the feedforward response mitigates the difference between the body’s baseline physiological measurements and the heightened fear response. Participants were given an expectation of fear for the first video, initiating a feedforward response. For the second video, participants were given the expectation of a neutral response; however, there was still a fear inducing image and sound. The difference in amplitude of measured physiological responses between prestartle to poststartle stimulus were compared to represent the mitigation effects of the feedforward response. The results of this study show that the feedforward response of fear expectancy increased heart rate, respiration rate, and skin conductance, allowing the body to prepare for an upcoming stimulus. However, no statistical significance was found between the difference in amplitude between the expectancy period and the postfear response period in heart rate, respiration rate, and skin conductance when comparing the first video to the second video

Hérésies

What kinds of communities bring people together? How are they built? Where is unity, where is the multiplicity of humanity? Men can form separate, antagonistic, violently opposing communities. Is external division necessary to build internal cohesion? Nothing is more current than these questions.Quelles sortes de communautés réunissent les hommes ? Comment sont-elles construites ? Où est l’unité, où est la multiplicité de l’humanité ? Les hommes peuvent former des communautés distinctes, antagonistes, s’opposant violemment. La division externe est-elle nécessaire pour bâtir une cohésion interne ? Rien n’est plus actuel que ces questions

Reprise de la discussion sur le rapport par M. le comte de La Blache sur le mémoire de la commune de Paris pour la vente de 400 millions de biens domaniaux et ecclésiastiques, lors de la séance du 16 mars 1790

Cazalès Jacques Antoine de, Le Chapelier Isaac-René-Guy, Duval d'Éprémesnil Jean-Jacques, Mirabeau Honoré-Gabriel Riquetti, comte de, Laborde de Méréville François Louis Joseph de, Gros Joseph-Marie. Reprise de la discussion sur le rapport par M. le comte de La Blache sur le mémoire de la commune de Paris pour la vente de 400 millions de biens domaniaux et ecclésiastiques, lors de la séance du 16 mars 1790. In: Archives Parlementaires de 1787 à 1860 - Première série (1787-1799) sous la direction de Jérôme Mavidal et Emile Laurent. Tome XII - Du 2 mars au 14 avril 1790. Paris : Librairie Administrative P. Dupont, 1881. pp. 196-197