Next-generation air-navigation displays

Future airplanes could be fitted with several short-throw wide-angle LED projectors to create a seamless tiled cockpit interactive air-navigation display

Feeding sainfoin to goats – influence on milk and cheese quality and yield

Although the administration of sainfoin is associated with anthelmintic effects, information on the consequences of feeding this legume on product quality is scarce. In the present study we looked at milk quality and yield of goats fed either sainfoin or a non-tanniferous control forage. Twelve lactating goats of the alpine breed were used for the study. They received grass/clover hay for a period of 15 days (grass clover feeding period, GCFP). Then the feed was switched to sainfoin hay (approx. 90 % of daily intake) for another 15 days (sainfoin feeding period, SFP). Both feeds were supplemented with concentrates in order to guarantee isoproteic and isoenergetic feeding throughout the trial. Milk yield and quality (fat, protein, energy and urea) were determined for every goat at day 10 of the respective feeding periods. Furthermore, the milk of the animals from day 4 to 15 of the respective feeding periods (i.e. hay/grass, sainfoin) was transformed to cheese. There was no difference in milk yield between GCFP and SFP (1.54 and 1.37 kg for GCFP and SFP respectively, p=0.17). Sainfoin feeding was associated with a significantly higher (P<0.001) milk protein concentration when compared to grass/clover feeding. Also, compared to GCFP, milk fat content was significantly lower in SFP (p<0.05). Cheese yield was numerically higher for SP when compared to GCP. A sensory panel evaluated the taste of the cheese produced from ‘sainfoin milk’ to be significantly different from cheese produced from ‘grass/clover milk’ (p<0.05). However, both types of cheese were judged to be equally tasty. We conclude that sainfoin feeding to goats has no negative influence on milk yield and has a positive effect on milk protein content

Linear study of the precessional fishbone instability

The precessional fishbone instability is an m = n = 1 internal kink mode destabilized by a population of trapped energetic particles. The linear phase of this instability is studied here, analytically and numerically, with a simplified model. This model uses the reduced magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) equations for the bulk plasma and the Vlasov equation for a population of energetic particles with a radially decreasing density. A threshold condition for the instability is found, as well as a linear growth rate and frequency. It is shown that the mode frequency is given by the precession frequency of the deeply trapped energetic particles at the position of strongest radial gradient. The growth rate is shown to scale with the energetic particle density and particles energy while it is decreased by continuum damping

An Empirical Relation between Sodium Absorption and Dust Extinction

Dust extinction and reddening are ubiquitous in astronomical observations and are often a major source of systematic uncertainty. We present here a study of the correlation between extinction in the Milky Way and the equivalent width of the NaI D absorption doublet. Our sample includes more than 100 high resolution spectra from the KECK telescopes and nearly a million low resolution spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We measure the correlation to unprecedented precision, constrain its shape, and derive an empirical relation between these quantities with a dispersion of order 0.15 magnitude in E(B-V). From the shape of the curve of growth we further show that a typical sight line through the Galaxy, as seen within the SDSS footprint, crosses about three dust clouds. We provide a brief guide on how to best estimate extinction to extragalactic sources such as supernovae, using the NaI D absorption feature, under a variety of circumstances.Comment: MNRAS accepte

Latent gammaherpesvirus 68 infection induces distinct transcriptional changes in different organs

Previous studies identified a role for latent herpesvirus infection in cross-protection against infection and exacerbation of chronic inflammatory diseases. Here, we identified more than 500 genes differentially expressed in spleens, livers, or brains of mice latently infected with gammaherpesvirus 68 and found that distinct sets of genes linked to different pathways were altered in the spleen compared to those in the liver. Several of the most differentially expressed latency-specific genes (e.g., the gamma interferon [IFN-γ], Cxcl9, and Ccl5 genes) are associated with known latency-specific phenotypes. Chronic herpesvirus infection, therefore, significantly alters the transcriptional status of host organs. We speculate that such changes may influence host physiology, the status of the immune system, and disease susceptibility

Charge-state distribution of Li ions from the β\beta decay of laser-trapped 6^{6}He atoms

Background: The accurate determination of atomic final states following nuclear $\beta$ decay plays an important role in many experiments. In particular, the charge state distributions of ions following nuclear $\beta$ decay are important for determinations of the $\beta-\nu$ angular correlation with improved precision. Purpose: Our measurement aims at providing benchmarks to test theoretical calculations. Method: The kinematics of Li$^{n+}$ ions produced following the $\beta$ decay of $^6{\rm He}$ within an electric field were measured using $^6{\rm He}$ atoms in the metastable $(1s2s,~{^3S_1})$ and in the $(1s2p,~{^3P_2})$ states confined by a magneto-optical trap. The electron shake-off probabilities were deduced including their dependence on ion energy. Results: We find significant discrepancies on the fractions of Li ions in the different charge states with respect to a recent calculation and discuss a plausible explanation. We also point out that there is no explanation for a large discrepancy between the same calculation and a previous measurement of the Li-ion energy dependence of the charge distribution from decays of the electronic ground state

ATG5 regulates plasma cell differentiation

Autophagy is a conserved homeostatic process in which cytoplasmic contents are degraded and recycled. Two ubiquitin-like conjugation pathways are required for the generation of autophagosomes, and ATG5 is necessary for both of these processes. Studies of mice deficient in ATG5 reveal a key role for autophagy in T lymphocyte function, as well as in B cell development and B-1a B cell maintenance. However, the role of autophagy genes in B cell function and antibody production has not been described. Using mice in which Atg5 is conditionally deleted in B lymphocytes, we showed here that this autophagy gene is essential for plasma cell homeostasis. In the absence of B cell ATG5 expression, antibody responses were significantly diminished during antigen-specific immunization, parasitic infection and mucosal inflammation. Atg5-deficient B cells maintained the ability to produce immunoglobulin and undergo class-switch recombination, yet had impaired SDC1 expression, significantly decreased antibody secretion in response to toll-like receptor ligands, and an inability to upregulate plasma cell transcription factors. These results build upon previous data demonstrating a role for ATG5 in early B cell development, illustrating its importance in late B cell activation and subsequent plasma cell differentiation

Strategic global supply chain network design – how decision analysis combining MILP and AHP on a Pareto front can improve decision-making

Integrating a broad range of information types and finding trade-offs between conflicting goals is achallenge in global supply chain network design (GSCND). Effective decision support systems (DSS)should be user-friendly, provide transparency, and support human judgement. There is a wide range of optimisation models that aim to improve the out come of network design decisions. However, their practical performance often remains unknown, as their implementation into the managerial decision process is largely neglected. Such theory-driven models usually focus on single aspects of the decision, without being able to accommodate the practical problem comprehensively. We employthe CIMO approach to resolve the issue and contribute by showing how an integration involving these methods can be useful for managers once the proper knowledge transfer has been effectuated. An innovative decision support framework, which combines mixed-integer linear programming, the Analytical Hierarchy Process, and the Pareto front is created and analysed during a case study in themed-tech industry. Results show that the framework accommodates managerial experience, integrates qualitative as well as quantitative criteria, and provides transparency over the entire range ofefficient solutions. The framework and application results contribute towards the development of more flexible and easy-to-use decision support systems for GSCND