4,362 research outputs found
Upgraded demonstration vehicle task report
Vehicle/battery performance capabilities and interface problems that occurred when upgraded developmental batteries were integrated with upgraded versions of comercially available electric vehicles were investigated. Developmental batteries used included nickel zinc batteries, a nickel iron battery, and an improved lead acid battery. Testing of the electric vehicles and upgraded batteries was performed in the complete vehicle system environment to characterize performance and identify problems unique to the vehicle/battery system. Constant speed tests and driving schedule range tests were performed on a chassis dynamometer. The results from these tests of the upgraded batteries and vehicles were compared to performance capabilities for the same vehicles equipped with standard batteries
Neutral gas in Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies Haro 11 and ESO 338-IG04 measured through sodium absorption
Context. The Lyman alpha emission line of galaxies is an important tool for
finding galaxies at high redshift, and thus probe the structure of the early
universe. However, the resonance nature of the line and its sensitivity to dust
and neutral gas is still not fully understood.
Aims. We present measurements of the velocity, covering fraction and optical
depth of neutral gas in front of two well known local blue compact galaxies
that show Lyman alpha in emission: ESO 338-IG 04 and Haro 11. We thus test
observationally the hypothesis that Lyman alpha can escape through neutral gas
by being Doppler shifted out of resonance.
Methods. We present integral field spectroscopy from the GIRAFFE/Argus
spectrograph at VLT/FLAMES in Paranal, Chile. The excellent wavelength
resolution allows us to accurately measure the velocity of the ionized and
neutral gas through the H-alpha emission and Na D absorption, which traces the
ionized medium and cold interstellar gas, respectively. We also present
independent measurements with the VLT/X-shooter spectrograph which confirm our
results.
Results. For ESO 338-IG04, we measure no significant shift of neutral gas.
The best fit velocity is -15 (16) km/s. For Haro 11, we see an outflow from
knot B at 44 (13) km/s and infalling gas towards knot C with 32 (12) km/s.
Based on the relative strength of the Na D absorption lines, we estimate low
covering fractions of neutral gas (down to 10%) in all three cases.
Conclusions. The Na D absorption likely occurs in dense clumps with higher
column densities than where the bulk of the Ly-alpha scattering takes place.
Still, we find no strong correlation between outflowing neutral gas and a high
Lyman alpha escape fraction. The Lyman alpha photons from these two galaxies
are therefore likely escaping due to a low column density and/or covering
fraction.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Right hemithoracic pseudocyst with splenic artery aneurysm: two rare complications of an uncommon disease
Pleural involvement is an uncommon but well recognized complication of chronic pancreatitis, mainly in the form of pleural effusion affecting the left hemithorax. Pancreatic pseudocyst extending to the posterior mediastinum with or without communication with the pleural space is another rare form of this involvement.The treatment of chronic pancreatic pleural effusions and pancreatic pseudocysts generally starts with a conservative approach including bowel rest, drainage of the pleural effusion by repeated thoracentesis or a chest tube, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for a period of time determined by the clinical course. Other treatment modalities including percutaneous drainage, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) with stenting of the pancreatic duct and surgical drainage are used if conservative approaches fail.We report a patient with a complicated pancreatic pseudocyst who showed an involvement of the posterior mediastinum and right pleural space, with conspectus sparing of the left hemithorax. The patient had a prolonged and complicated course that included recurrence of the pseudocyst with oral feedings and the development of a splenic artery aneurysm. Some of the above findings have been reported separately as uncommon complications of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic pseudcyst, but to our knowledge a single case with all these complications was not published in the English literature
Rikosten yksiköinnin ennakoitavuus vainoamista (RL 25:7 a) koskevassa oikeuskäytännössä
This article covers same-offence-identification as singular or multiple offences (same-offence-identification) pertaining to stalking. Said doctrine is a subbranch of the concurrence of offences and there are no provisions in the law concerning this phenomenon. Instead, it falls onto the courts to decide whether a conduct is to be considered a singular or multiple breach(es) of a certain criminalization. This decision is steered by legal praxis, legal literature and the so called “natural point of view” and the criteria that compose it, which have been established in legal praxis. Weighting of said criteria varies depending on the offence in question and especially its wording. Occasionally, this resolution can have a significant influence on determining the severity of punishment presently or in the future as well as time-barring of the right to bring charges. Thus, the consideration of these viable consequences already in the phase of same-offence-identification can be deemed an interesting prospect. The focus of this article is on the analysis of same-offence-identification pertaining to stalking (CCoF 25:7 a) in light of inter alia the principles of legality and equality within criminal law; if these decisions can directly influence the determining of punishment either in the present or in the future, it is paramount that said decisions are made foreseeably and justly. Hence, the main research material comprises decisions made by the courts of appeal of Helsinki, Turku and Vaasa in cases of suspected stalking between 2015 and 2019. A scrutiny of this material indicates that same-offence-identification is incoherent when convicting individuals of stalking. Worryingly, same-offence-identification practices appear haphazard and seem to follow initial identifications made by prosecutors. To harmonize these decisions, it is proposed that said rulings be reasoned more regularly.Peer reviewe
Maximum work extraction and implementation costs for nonequilibrium Maxwell's demons
We determine the maximum amount of work extractable in finite time by a demon performing continuous measurements on a quadratic Hamiltonian system subjected to thermal fluctuations, in terms of the information extracted from the system. The maximum work demon is found to apply a high-gain continuous feedback involving a Kalman-Bucy estimate of the system state and operates in nonequilibrium. A simple and concrete electrical implementation of the feedback protocol is proposed, which allows for analytic expressions of the flows of energy, entropy, and information inside the demon. This let us show that any implementation of the demon must necessarily include an external power source, which we prove both from classical thermodynamics arguments and from a version of Landauer's memory erasure argument extended to nonequilibrium linear systems
Occipital GABA correlates with cognitive failures in daily life.
The brain has limited capacity, and so selective attention enhances relevant incoming information while suppressing irrelevant information. This process is not always successful, and the frequency of such cognitive failures varies to a large extent between individuals. Here we hypothesised that individual differences in cognitive failures might be reflected in inhibitory processing in the sensory cortex. To test this hypothesis, we measured GABA in human visual cortex using MR spectroscopy and found a negative correlation between occipital GABA (GABA+/Cr ratio) and cognitive failures as measured by an established cognitive failures questionnaire (CFQ). For a second site in parietal cortex, no correlation between CFQ score and GABA+/Cr ratio was found, thus establishing the regional specificity of the link between occipital GABA and cognitive failures. We further found that grey matter volume in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL) correlated with cognitive failures independently from the impact of occipital GABA and together, occipital GABA and SPL grey matter volume statistically explained around 50% of the individual variability in daily cognitive failures. We speculate that the amount of GABA in sensory areas may reflect the potential capacity to selectively suppress irrelevant information already at the sensory level, or alternatively that GABA influences the specificity of neural representations in visual cortex thus improving the effectiveness of successful attentional modulation
Homeostatic Regulation of Marginal Zone B Cells by Invariant Natural Killer T Cells
Marginal zone B cells (MZB) mount a rapid antibody response, potently activate naïve T cells, and are enriched in autoreactive B cells. MZBs express high levels of CD1d, the restriction element for invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT). Here, we examined the effect of iNKT cells on MZB cell activation and numbers in vitro and in vivo in normal and autoimmune mice. Results show that iNKT cells activate MZBs, but restrict their numbers in vitro and in vivo in normal BALB/c and C57/BL6 mice. iNKT cells do so by increasing the activation-induced cell death and curtailing proliferation of MZB cells, whereas they promote the proliferation of follicular B cells. Sorted iNKT cells can directly execute this function, without help from other immune cells. Such MZB regulation by iNKTs is mediated, at least in part, via CD1d on B cells in a contact-dependent manner, whereas iNKT-induced proliferation of follicular B cells occurs in a contact- and CD1d-independent manner. Finally, we show that iNKT cells reduce ‘autoreactive’ MZB cells in an anti-DNA transgenic model, and limit MZB cell numbers in autoimmune-prone (NZB×NZW)F1 and non-obese diabetic mice, suggesting a potentially new mechanism whereby iNKT cells might regulate pathologic autoimmunity. Differential regulation of follicular B cells versus potentially autoreactive MZBs by iNKT cells has important implications for autoimmune diseases as well as for conditions that require a rapid innate B cell response
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