Preliminary design of the wavefront sensor for CCAT

CCAT1 is a submillimeter telescope currently under development that will be located at an altitude of 5600 meters in the Andes mountains of northern Chile. The atmospheric transmission at this site will allow CCAT to achieve high sensitivity over a wide field of view and a broad wavelength range to provide an unprecedented capability for deep, large area multicolor submillimeter surveys. In order to achieve high aperture efficiencies out to frequencies of ~ 1 THz, the 162 individual panels that form the 25 meter aperture of CCAT must be aligned to a tolerance of a few microns rms. The design of a wavefront sensor to achieve this goal is presented

Untangling Biocultural and Socioeconomical Drivers of African Plum Tree (Dacryodes edulis) Local Nomenclature Along a Rural-Urban Gradient in Central Cameroon

In Cameroon, the African plum tree (Dacryodes edulis [G. Don] H. J. Lam) is widely cultivated for its fruits, which contribute significantly to household food security and economy. In order to analyze the links between the social and ecological systems that result in the remarkable fruit diversity, we focused on how the important varietal diversity of African plums was perceived and named by tree owners. We conducted semi‑structured interviews in Center-Cameroon with 142 people belonging to the Beti ethnic group, in urban (Yaoundé), peri-urban and rural areas, and analyzed the data qualitatively and quantitatively. Along this urbanization gradient linking production to consumption regions, 158 different translated names were recorded. Most names (80%) were cited once, but some names based on fruit size and taste were common across the gradient. Although the highest total number of names was recorded in the rural site, many different names were also found along the urban–rural gradient. We did not detect difference in the number of named African plums between respondents with different characteristics. The local classification of African plums among the Beti was structured predominantly according to morphological and organoleptic criteria, but also to symbolic and practical criteria. African plums’ names were based on people’s fruit preferences, that favor large, oily, and blue to black fruits, and disregard pink-colored watery plums. This study is an entry point to explore the rising trade and thus ongoing domestication of the African plum tree from an often neglected perspective, that of local nomenclature

Preliminary design of the wavefront front sensor for CCAT

CCAT is a submillimeter telescope currently under development that will be located at an altitude of 5600 meters in the Andes mountains of northern Chile. The atmospheric transmission at this site will allow CCAT to achieve high sensitivity over a wide field of view and a broad wavelength range to provide an unprecedented capability for deep, large area multicolor submillimeter surveys. In order to achieve high aperture efficiencies out to frequencies of ~ 1 THz, the 162 individual panels that form the 25 meter aperture of CCAT must be aligned to a tolerance of a few microns rms. The design of a wavefront sensor to achieve this goal is presented

Pan-HA antibodies confer protection in mice against influenza

The elderly population is one of the most vulnerable groups to influenza infection and influenza-related complications. Unfortunately, vaccination exhibits reduced efficacy in this population. Immunization and treatment with passive antibody transfer could therefore be a valuable alternative. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Optomechanical design of TMT NFIRAOS Subsystems at INO

The adaptive optics system for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is the Narrow-Field InfraRed Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS). Recently, INO has been involved in the optomechanical design of several subsystems of NFIRAOS, including the Instrument Selection Mirror (ISM), the NFIRAOS Beamsplitters (NBS), and the NFIRAOS Source Simulator system (NSS) comprising the Focal Plane Mask (FPM), the Laser Guide Star (LGS) sources, and the Natural Guide Star (NGS) sources. This paper presents an overview of these subsystems and the optomechanical design approaches used to meet the optical performance requirements under environmental constraints

Optomechanical design of TMT NFIRAOS Subsystems at INO

The adaptive optics system for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is the Narrow-Field InfraRed Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS). Recently, INO has been involved in the optomechanical design of several subsystems of NFIRAOS, including the Instrument Selection Mirror (ISM), the NFIRAOS Beamsplitters (NBS), and the NFIRAOS Source Simulator system (NSS) comprising the Focal Plane Mask (FPM), the Laser Guide Star (LGS) sources, and the Natural Guide Star (NGS) sources. This paper presents an overview of these subsystems and the optomechanical design approaches used to meet the optical performance requirements under environmental constraints

Heat transfer in a swirling fluidized bed with Geldart type-D particles

A relatively new variant in fluidized bed technology, designated as the swirling fluidized bed (SFB), was investigated for its heat transfer characteristics when operating with Geldart type D particles. Unlike conventional fluidized beds, the SFB imparts secondary swirling motion to the bed to enhance lateral mixing. Despite its excellent hydrodynamics, its heat transfer characteristics have not been reported in the published literature. Hence, two different sizes of spherical PVC particles (2.61mm and 3.65mm) with the presence of a center body in the bed have been studied at different velocities of the fluidizing gas. The wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficients were measured by affixing a thin constant foil heater on the bed wall. Thermocouples located at different heights on the foil show a decrease in the wall heat transfer coefficient with bed height. It was seen that only a discrete particle model which accounts for the conduction between the particle and the heat transfer surface and the gas-convective augmentation can adequately represent the mechanism of heat transfer in the swirling fluidized bed

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/)

Les class actions, du droit américain au droit européen

Depuis le 19ème siècle, les préjudices de masse se sont multipliés. Après les préjudices corporels liés à la mécanisation des activités humaines, les dommages économiques se sont développés avec l’essor de la société de consommation, la standardisation des produits et la globalisation des rapports commerciaux. Ces changements se sont accompagnés d’une évolution des exigences des citoyens pour lesquels la réparation des dommages subis est devenue un droit. Les pouvoirs publics européens ont alors envisagé un mécanisme permettant de garantir l’effectivité de ce droit à réparation compte tenu des difficultés d’accès au juge dans ce type de litiges et se sont inspirés de la procédure de class action développée aux Etats-Unis. Le débat sur l’introduction de procédures d’actions collectives dans les pays européens civilistes est complexe car il implique plusieurs plans de raisonnement. Sous un angle technique, les modalités d’autorisation et d’exercice de l’action de groupe, issue de la Common Law, doivent être compatibles avec les principes fondamentaux qui gouvernent la procédure civile et le droit de la responsabilité dans les pays civilistes. Sous un angle plus politique, il convient de circonscrire les finalités de l’action collective et son domaine d’application afin de répondre au mieux aux besoins des justiciables européens. Il s’impose également de déterminer dans quelle mesure un outil national serait plus adapté qu’un outil communautaire pour répondre à de tels besoins. Le sujet porte in fine sur l’organisation judiciaire de demainSince the 19th century, mass torts have increased. After personal injuries caused by the mechanization of human activities, economic damages have been developed following the rise of consumerism, products standardization and globalization of trade relations. These changes have been accompanied by increased requirement of citizens for whom the compensation for damages became a right. European governments have then thought about a mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of this right because of difficulties of access to the courts in this type of litigation and were inspired by the American class action procedure. The debate on the introduction of this type of procedures in European Civil Law countries is complex because it involves several levels of reasoning. From a technical point of view, the conditions of authorization and of exercise of this procedure, based on the Common Law, must be compatible with the fundamental principles that govern civil procedure and tort law in civil law countries. On a more political point of view, it is necessary to define the goals of this collective action and its scope in order to best meet the needs of litigants in the European Union. It is also necessary to determine to what extent a national tool would be more appropriate than an EU tool to meet such needs. The subject deals ultimately with the Judiciary of the futur