Hall-effect sign-inversion in a realizable 3D metamaterial

In 2009, Briane and Milton proved mathematically the existence of three-dimensional isotropic metamaterials with a classical Hall coefficient which is negative with respect to that of all of the metamaterial constituents. Here, we significantly simplify their blueprint towards an architecture composed of only a single constituent material in vacuum/air, which can be seen as a special type of porosity. We show that the sign of the Hall voltage is determined by a separation parameter between adjacent tori. This qualitative behavior is robust even for only a small number of metamaterial unit cells. The combination of simplification and robustness brings experimental verifications of this striking sign-inversion into reach.Comment: 9 figures, 7 page

Spatial vision in insects is facilitated by shaping the dynamics of visual input through behavioral action

Egelhaaf M, Boeddeker N, Kern R, Kurtz R, Lindemann JP. Spatial vision in insects is facilitated by shaping the dynamics of visual input through behavioral action. Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 2012;6:108.Insects such as flies or bees, with their miniature brains, are able to control highly aerobatic flight maneuvres and to solve spatial vision tasks, such as avoiding collisions with obstacles, landing on objects, or even localizing a previously learnt inconspicuous goal on the basis of environmental cues. With regard to solving such spatial tasks, these insects still outperform man-made autonomous flying systems. To accomplish their extraordinary performance, flies and bees have been shown by their characteristic behavioral actions to actively shape the dynamics of the image flow on their eyes ("optic flow"). The neural processing of information about the spatial layout of the environment is greatly facilitated by segregating the rotational from the translational optic flow component through a saccadic flight and gaze strategy. This active vision strategy thus enables the nervous system to solve apparently complex spatial vision tasks in a particularly efficient and parsimonious way. The key idea of this review is that biological agents, such as flies or bees, acquire at least part of their strength as autonomous systems through active interactions with their environment and not by simply processing passively gained information about the world. These agent-environment interactions lead to adaptive behavior in surroundings of a wide range of complexity. Animals with even tiny brains, such as insects, are capable of performing extraordinarily well in their behavioral contexts by making optimal use of the closed action-perception loop. Model simulations and robotic implementations show that the smart biological mechanisms of motion computation and visually-guided flight control might be helpful to find technical solutions, for example, when designing micro air vehicles carrying a miniaturized, low-weight on-board processor

NF91-46 Guidelines for Collection, Storage and Heating of Human Milk

This NebFact discusses the guidelines for collecting, storing, and heating human milk. Most important are clean conditions from washing your hands, cleaning containers and pumps thoroughly. Proper storing of human milk is important when storing either in the refrigerator or freezer. And last but not least is how to warm the milk for consumption by the baby

Imaging through turbulence with a quadrature-phase optical interferometer

We present an improved technique for imaging through turbulence at visible wavelengths using a rotation shearing pupil-plane interferometer, intended for astronomical and terrestrial imaging applications. While previous astronomical rotation shearing interferometers have made only visibility modulus measurements, this interferometer makes four simultaneous measurements on each interferometric baseline, with phase differences of π/2 between each measurement, allowing complex visibility measurements (modulus and phase) across the entire input pupil in a single exposure. This technique offers excellent wavefront resolution, allowing operation at visible wavelengths on large apertures, is potentially immune to amplitude fluctuations (scintillation), and may offer superior calibration capabilities to other imaging techniques. The interferometer has been tested in the laboratory under weakly aberrating conditions and at Palomar Observatory under ordinary astronomical observing conditions. This research is based partly on observations obtained at the Hale Telescope

The Relationship between Personality Organization and Psychiatric Classification in Chronic Pain Patients

The assessment of PO is a crucial issue for diagnosis and treatment planning in CPPs, since it represents a measure of structural impairment that is to a considerable extent independent of axis I and II diagnoses. Moreover, the STIPO dimensional rating focuses on the most salient dysfunctions at a given time. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, BaselBackground: The present study investigated the relationship between psychiatric classification and personality organization (PO) in a secondary/tertiary clinical sample of chronic pain patients (CPPs). Sampling and Methods: Forty-three patients were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID I+II) and the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO). The prevalence of axis I and axis II disorders was correlated with the STIPO level of PO. The STIPO dimensional ratings of patients without personality disorder (PD) were compared to those of patients diagnosed with one or more PDs. Results: Axis I comorbidity was high (93%), and 63% of the patients met the criteria for at least one axis II diagnosis. Twenty-five patients (58%) were diagnosed as borderline PO, with high-level impairments in the dimensions `coping/rigidity', `primitive defenses' and `identity'. Higher axis I and axis II comorbidity corresponded with greater severity of PO impairment. No difference was found between the dimensional ratings of patients without PD and those of patients with one or more PDs. Conclusions

ein Beitrag zur Globalisierung von Umweltpolitik

Thema dieses Beitrags ist die Diffusion umweltpolitischer Innovationen zwischen Nationalstaaten in ihrer Bedeutung für die globale Entwicklung von Umweltpolitik. Dabei geht es um die empirische Beobachtung, daß nationale Umweltinitiativen vielfach mit hoher Geschwindigkeit in anderen Ländern übernommen werden und sich auf diese Weise international ausbreiten. Die (explorativ verstandene) Studie geht davon aus, daß die in den letzten Jahren verstärkt zu beobachtende Globalisierung von Umweltpolitik nicht nur als Bedeutungszuwachs völkerrechtlicher Verträge und internationaler Umweltregime zu beschreiben ist, sondern ganz wesentlich auch als Ergebnis zwischenstaatlicher Politikdiffusionen zu betrachten ist. Anhand von Fallstudien zur Diffusion von Umweltministerien und -behörden, Umweltzeichen, nationalen Umweltplänen bzw. Nachhaltigkeitstrategien, CO2-/Energiesteuern und Bodenschutzgesetzen werden Erfolgsbedingungen und Restriktionen der internationalen Ausbreitung umweltpolitischer Neuerungen untersucht. Zu den zentralen Einflußfaktoren der Politikdiffusion zählen insbesondere der Grad der Institutionalisierung des Politiktransfers durch internationale Organisationen oder transnationale Netzwerke sowie die umweltpolitischen Handlungskapazitäten und politisch-institutionellen Strukturen der potentiellen Übernehmerstaaten. Darüber hinaus wird das Tempo der Diffusion regulativer Neuerungen im Umweltschutz häufig von der Struktur der zugrunde liegenden Umweltprobleme und den konkreten Charakteristika des jeweiligen Politikansatzes beeinflußt. Schließlich verweisen die Fallstudien auf die besondere Rolle „kritischer“, d.h. strategisch wichtiger Länder für die Umweltpolitikdiffusion