Tracing the sites of obscured star formation in the Antennae galaxies with Herschel-PACS

FIR imaging of interacting galaxies allows locating even hidden sites of star formation and measuring of the relative strength of nuclear and extra-nuclear star formation. We want to resolve the star-forming sites in the nearby system of the Antennae. Thanks to the unprecedented sharpness and depth of the PACS camera onboard ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, it is possible for the first time to achieve a complete assessment of individual star-forming knots in the FIR with scan maps at 70, 100, and 160 um. We used clump extraction photometry and SED diagnostics to derive the properties related to star-forming activity. The PACS 70, 100, and 160 um maps trace the knotty structure of the most recent star formation along an arc between the two nuclei in the overlap area. The resolution of the starburst knots and additional multi-wavelength data allow their individual star formation history and state to be analysed. In particular, the brightest knot in the mid-infrared (K1), east of the southern nucleus, exhibits the highest activity by far in terms of dust heating and star formation rate, efficiency, and density. With only 2 kpc in diameter, this area has a 10-1000 um luminosity, which is as high as that of our Milky Way. It shows the highest deficiency in radio emission in the radio-to-FIR luminosity ratio and a lack of X-ray emission, classifying it as a very young complex. The brightest 100 and 160 um emission region (K2), which is close to the collision front and consists of 3 knots, also shows a high star formation density and efficiency and lack of X-ray emission in its most obscured part, but an excess in the radio-to-FIR luminosity ratio. This suggests a young stage, too, but different conditions in its interstellar medium. Our results provide important checkpoints for numerical simulations of interacting galaxies when modelling the star formation and stellar feedback.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables (A&A Herschel special issue

Modellregionen Elektromobilität: Umweltbegleitforschung Elektromobilität

Im Zentrum dieser Untersuchung steht die Aufbereitung der Erfahrungen mit den Elektrofahrzeugen in Einzelprojekten der Modellregionen Phase I hinsichtlich der energiebezogenen Parameter und der nach Fahrzeugsegmenten differenzierte Vergleich mit herkömmlichen Fahrzeugen. In der Literatur finden sich für die Klimabilanz von Elektrofahrzeugen unterschiedliche Bewertungsmethoden, deren Ergebnisse kurzfristig stark streuen und sich erst mittel- bis längerfristig perspektivisch annähern. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung werden drei Varianten zur Bilanzierung der klimarelevanten Emissionen gerechnet: a) Werden Elektrofahrzeuge mit Strom aus erneuerbaren Energien betrieben, ist ihre Klimabilanz deutlich besser als diejenige fossil betriebener Pkw. Wann, inwieweit und unter welchen Voraussetzungen (Herkunftsnachweis) eine direkte Zuordnung des Fahrstroms zu einer Stromerzeugung aus erneuerbaren Energien möglich ist, ist heute allerdings umstritten. b) Unter pragmatischen Gesichtspunkten bietet die Strommixmethode eine gute Orientierung für die klimabezogene Bewertung von Elektrofahrzeugen. Aufgrund der auf der Zeitachse planungsgemäß zunehmenden Anteile erneuerbarer Energien im Strommix führt dies für die Zeiten, in denen eine signifikante Durchdringung mit Elektrofahrzeugen zu erwarten ist, zu einer gegenüber heute deutlichen Verbesserung der spezifischen CO2-Emissionen und respektive Vorteilen gegenüber mit fossilen Kraftstoffen betriebenen Fahrzeugen. c) Legt man dem Kraftwerkseinsatz Merit Order als Regel des ökonomischen Betriebs zugrunde und betrachtet den Stromverbrauch von Elektrofahrzeugen als "zusätzlichen" Verbrauch gegenüber einem Zustand ohne Elektrofahrzeuge, stellt sich die Klimabilanz nicht so günstig dar.This study focuses on the analysis of experiences with electric vehicles within several single projects of the model regions programme, part 1. Main issues are terms of energy-related parameters and the comparison with conventional vehicles (differentiated according to vehi- cles segments). There are various methods of estimating the carbon footprint of electric vehicles in literature. In short-time considerations their results scatter, but perspectively at middle- and long-time considerations they converge. The present study respects three variations of calculating the climate-relevant emissions: a) If electric vehicles are operated from renewable energy sources, their carbon footprint is significant better than fossil fuel cars. When, how and on what conditions (proof of origin) a direct correlation of the "driving-energy" to a power generation from renewable energies is possible, is currently in discussion. b) Under pragmatic aspects the "energy-mix-method" offers a good guide to a climate-related assessment of electric vehicles. Due to the planned growth of the ratio of renewable energies in the electricity mix according to the time-axis, this leads, in times where a significant penetration supply of electric vehicles is expected, to a serious improvement of specific CO2-emissions compared to today. So electric vehicles might have benefits in contrast to vehicles with internal combustion engines. c) If one takes the merit order rule as a basis for the economic power plant operation and considers the power consumption of electric vehicles as an "additional" consumption compared to a state without electric vehicles, the carbon footprint is not that convenient anymore

Spectral Properties of the Overlap Dirac Operator in QCD

We discuss the eigenvalue distribution of the overlap Dirac operator in quenched QCD on lattices of size 8^{4}, 10^{4} and 12^{4} at \beta = 5.85 and \beta = 6. We distinguish the topological sectors and study the distributions of the leading non-zero eigenvalues, which are stereographically mapped onto the imaginary axis. Thus they can be compared to the predictions of random matrix theory applied to the \epsilon-expansion of chiral perturbation theory. We find a satisfactory agreement, if the physical volume exceeds about (1.2 fm)^{4}. For the unfolded level spacing distribution we find an accurate agreement with the random matrix conjecture on all volumes that we considered.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, final version published in JHE

Classical swine fever virus detection: results of a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction ring trial conducted in the framework of the European network of excellence for epizootic disease diagnosis and control

&lt;p&gt;The current study reports on a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) ring trial for the detection of Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) genomic RNA undertaken by 10 European laboratories. All laboratories were asked to use their routine in-house real-time RT-PCR protocols and a standardized protocol commonly used by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) on a panel of well-characterized samples. In general, all participants produced results within the acceptable range. The FLI assay, several in-house assays, and the commercial kits had high analytical sensitivity and specificity values. Nevertheless, some in-house systems had unspecific reactions or suboptimal sensitivity with only a single CSFV genotype. Follow-up actions involved either improvement of suboptimal assays or replacement of specific laboratory assays with the FLI protocol, with or without modifications. In conclusion, the ring trial showed reliability of classical swine fever diagnosis on an international level and helped to optimize CSFV-specific RT-PCR diagnostics.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Subretinal electronic chips allow blind patients to read letters and combine them to words

A light-sensitive, externally powered microchip was surgically implanted subretinally near the macular region of volunteers blind from hereditary retinal dystrophy. The implant contains an array of 1500 active microphotodiodes (‘chip’), each with its own amplifier and local stimulation electrode. At the implant's tip, another array of 16 wire-connected electrodes allows light-independent direct stimulation and testing of the neuron–electrode interface. Visual scenes are projected naturally through the eye's lens onto the chip under the transparent retina. The chip generates a corresponding pattern of 38 × 40 pixels, each releasing light-intensity-dependent electric stimulation pulses. Subsequently, three previously blind persons could locate bright objects on a dark table, two of whom could discern grating patterns. One of these patients was able to correctly describe and name objects like a fork or knife on a table, geometric patterns, different kinds of fruit and discern shades of grey with only 15 per cent contrast. Without a training period, the regained visual functions enabled him to localize and approach persons in a room freely and to read large letters as complete words after several years of blindness. These results demonstrate for the first time that subretinal micro-electrode arrays with 1500 photodiodes can create detailed meaningful visual perception in previously blind individuals

Structure-Function Correlation of the Human Central Retina

The impact of retinal pathology detected by high-resolution imaging on vision remains largely unexplored. Therefore, the aim of the study was to achieve high-resolution structure-function correlation of the human macula in vivo.To obtain high-resolution tomographic and topographic images of the macula spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO), respectively, were used. Functional mapping of the macula was obtained by using fundus-controlled microperimetry. Custom software allowed for co-registration of the fundus mapped microperimetry coordinates with both SD-OCT and cSLO datasets. The method was applied in a cross-sectional observational study of retinal diseases and in a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of intravitreal ranibizumab in macular telangietasia type 2. There was a significant relationship between outer retinal thickness and retinal sensitivity (p<0.001) and neurodegeneration leaving less than about 50 µm of parafoveal outer retinal thickness completely abolished light sensitivity. In contrast, functional preservation was found if neurodegeneration spared the photoreceptors, but caused quite extensive disruption of the inner retina. Longitudinal data revealed that small lesions affecting the photoreceptor layer typically precede functional detection but later cause severe loss of light sensitivity. Ranibizumab was shown to be ineffective to prevent such functional loss in macular telangietasia type 2.Since there is a general need for efficient monitoring of the effectiveness of therapy in neurodegenerative diseases of the retina and since SD-OCT imaging is becoming more widely available, surrogate endpoints derived from such structure-function correlation may become highly relevant in future clinical trials

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase&nbsp;1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation&nbsp;disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age&nbsp; 6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score&nbsp; 652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc&nbsp;= 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N&nbsp;= 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in&nbsp;Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Commissioning and performance of the CMS silicon strip tracker with cosmic ray muons

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPDuring autumn 2008, the Silicon Strip Tracker was operated with the full CMS experiment in a comprehensive test, in the presence of the 3.8 T magnetic field produced by the CMS superconducting solenoid. Cosmic ray muons were detected in the muon chambers and used to trigger the readout of all CMS sub-detectors. About 15 million events with a muon in the tracker were collected. The efficiency of hit and track reconstruction were measured to be higher than 99% and consistent with expectations from Monte Carlo simulation. This article details the commissioning and performance of the Silicon Strip Tracker with cosmic ray muons.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)