The MineWolf Toolbox System: Ground Preparation to Mine Clearance

The MineWolf Toolbox System, which operates in minefields near Sarajevo, is a mine clearance device that has been used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in demining operations. This article discusses the benefits of the MineWolf Toolbox System and compares it to other demining machines and technology currently used to clear minefields

Quality Assurance for Mined and Survey Areas

Mechanical demining is an important and essential part of any demining process, and quality-assurance methods must constantly be revised to address the balance between safety and efficiency. Based on experience from the MineWolf mechanical demining experience, the tiller system would improve the demining process significantly, thereby increasing speed and reducing the costs of demining operations

MineWolf Flail and Tiller Machines: Testing the Differences between two Demining Technologies

MineWolf is the first demining concept, manufactured in Germany by Arthur Willibald Maschinenbau GmbH (AHWI), that overcomes the limitations of flail and tiller machines by combining the advantages of both systems. Extensive tests with live anti-tank and fragmentation mines were carried out at the German Army proving ground to determine whether the MineWolf meets the operational requirements for humanitarian demining. The aim was to discover the effects of detonations on the operator, MineWolf, clearing tools and cabin, and to work out instructions for reparability

Future Developments Trends in Mechanical-demining Technology

The authors argue that there is a need to turn toward cheaper and more effective mechanical demining. The future of demining technology is very important for countries with landmine-clearance needs

Die automatische Behandlung diskontinuierlicher Konstituenten im Deutschen

Die erwähnte "Syntaxgruppe" stellte 1969 den ersten Parser des Deutschen vor. Seine Funktionsweise wird hier (in einem gemeinsamen Bericht der Syntaxgruppe) am Beispiel der Bearbeitung diskontinuierlicher Konstituenten erläutert

Selektive Unkrautbekämpfung mittels Lasertechnik

In diesem Beitrag werden technische und wachstumsrelevante Aspekte des Einsatzes von Lasertechnik zur Unkrautbekämpfung vorgestellt. In der Erforschung thermischer Unkrautbekämpfung mittels Laser stand zunächst die Wechselwirkung zwischen Laserstrahl und Unkrautpflanze im Vordergrund. Nach Auswahl eines CO2-Lasers auf Basis erster Ergebnisse wurde für weitere Studien unter Berücksichtigung der Faktoren Laserenergie, Laserspotfläche, Abdeckung des Meristems, Unkrautart und Unkrautwuchsgröße die letale Schädigung modelliert. Dies wurde für die untersuchte Unkrautpflanze Amaranthus retroflexus dargestellt. Das Modell diente der Festlegung der online zu applizierenden Laserenergie. Darüber hinaus wurde die für eine wirksame Schädigung erforderliche Laserstrahlpositionierung untersucht sowie ein Testsystem entworfen. Mithilfe aktueller Bildverarbeitungssalgorithmen zur Unkrauterkennung und zur Bestimmung der Zielobjekte wurde eine Laser-Servomotor-Ansteuerung entwickelt. Das Projekt, in dessen Rahmen wesentliche Teile dieses Beitrages durchgeführt wurden, wird unter dem Titel „Untersuchungen zur Laserlichtwirkung auf der Basis von Bildanalysen auf juvenile Pflanzen zur Unkrautregulierung“ von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft gefördert.Stichwörter: Laser-Applikation, Schädigungsmodell, Unkrautbekämpfung, ZielfindungSelective weed control using laser techniquesThis contribution discusses technical and growth relevant aspects of using laser techniques for weed control. The research on thermal weed control via laser first focused on the interaction of laser beams and weed plants. Due to preliminary studies, a CO2-laser was selected for further studies with regard to the process factors laser energy, laser spot area, coverage of the weeds meristem, weed species (Amaranthus retroflexus), and weed growth stage. Thereby, the laser damage was modeled in order to control the necessary laser output power online. Furthermore, the beam positioning leading to an effective damaging of the weeds was investigated and a test device was designed. With the aid of contemporary image processing algorithms for weed recognition and meristem determination, a laser and servo-motor control was developed. Most of the studies presented in this paper were part of the project “Investigations on laser light affected weed control of juvenile plants with the aid of image processing” funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.Keywords: Damage model, laser application, targeting, weed contro

Impact of neuraminidase inhibitors on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09‐related pneumonia: an individual participant data meta‐analysis

BACKGROUND: The impact of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) on influenza‐related pneumonia (IRP) is not established. Our objective was to investigate the association between NAI treatment and IRP incidence and outcomes in patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. METHODS: A worldwide meta‐analysis of individual participant data from 20 634 hospitalised patients with laboratory‐confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 (n = 20 021) or clinically diagnosed (n = 613) ‘pandemic influenza’. The primary outcome was radiologically confirmed IRP. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using generalised linear mixed modelling, adjusting for NAI treatment propensity, antibiotics and corticosteroids. RESULTS: Of 20 634 included participants, 5978 (29·0%) had IRP; conversely, 3349 (16·2%) had confirmed the absence of radiographic pneumonia (the comparator). Early NAI treatment (within 2 days of symptom onset) versus no NAI was not significantly associated with IRP [adj. OR 0·83 (95% CI 0·64–1·06; P = 0·136)]. Among the 5978 patients with IRP, early NAI treatment versus none did not impact on mortality [adj. OR = 0·72 (0·44–1·17; P = 0·180)] or likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR = 1·17 (0·71–1·92; P = 0·537)], but early treatment versus later significantly reduced mortality [adj. OR = 0·70 (0·55–0·88; P = 0·003)] and likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR = 0·68 (0·54–0·85; P = 0·001)]. CONCLUSIONS: Early NAI treatment of patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection versus no treatment did not reduce the likelihood of IRP. However, in patients who developed IRP, early NAI treatment versus later reduced the likelihood of mortality and needing ventilatory support

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

37 pages, 15 figures, revised version, accepted by JINSTALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that have been collected during summer 2008, with the ALICE solenoidal magnet switched off.Peer reviewe

Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at s=900\sqrt{s} = 900 GeV with ALICE at the LHC

The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 900$ GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region $(|\eta|<0.8)$ over the transverse momentum range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<10$ GeV/$c$. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also studied. Results are presented for inelastic (INEL) and non-single-diffractive (NSD) events. The average transverse momentum for $|\eta|<0.8$ is $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>_{\rm INEL}=0.483\pm0.001$ (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$ and \left_{\rm NSD}=0.489\pm0.001 (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>$ than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/390

Neuraminidase Inhibitors and Hospital Length of Stay: A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data to Determine Treatment Effectiveness Among Patients Hospitalized With Nonfatal 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Infection

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected]. BACKGROUND: The effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on length of stay (LoS) in patients hospitalized with influenza is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a one-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis exploring the association between NAI treatment and LoS in patients hospitalized with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. Using mixed-effects negative binomial regression and adjusting for the propensity to receive NAI, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a LoS o