AMBER on the VLTI: data processing and calibration issues

We present here the current performances of the AMBER / VLTI instrument for standard use and compare these with the offered modes of the instrument. We show that the instrument is able to reach its specified precision only for medium and high spectral resolution modes, differential observables and bright objects. For absolute observables, the current achievable accuracy is strongly limited by the vibrations of the Unit Telescopes, and also by the observing procedure which does not take into account the night-long transfer function monitoring. For low-resolution mode, the current limitation is more in the data reduction side, since several effects negligible at medium spectral resolution are not taken into account in the current pipeline. Finally, for faint objects (SNR around 1 per spectral channel), electromagnetic interferences in the VLTI interferometric laboratory with the detector electronics prevents currently to get unbiased measurements. Ideas are under study to correct in the data processing side this effect, but a hardware fix should be investigated seriously since it limits seriously the effective limiting magnitude of the instrument.Comment: 10 page

"Outside, it is snowing": Experience and finitude in the nonrepresentational landscapes of Alain Robbe-Grillet

Copyright © 2008 PionRomanillos J L, 2008. The definitive, peer-reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 26(5) 795 – 822 DOI: 10.1068/d6207This paper presents and explicates the anonymous and impersonal spatialities tentatively mapped in the novels of Alain Robbe-Grillet. Emerging from the kinds of landscapes and visualities articulated, these spatialities are at odds with the kind of anthropocentrism characteristic of phenomenological narratives of spatial experience that would start from an apparently stable human-subject position. It is argued that his body of literature dismantles the anthropocentric narratives and biographies that would produce in both the space of the world and the ‘phenomenological subject’ an unwarranted depth and naturalism. Importantly, and reflecting the theoretical turn towards the being of language, Robbe-Grillet questions the legitimacy of linguistic subjects to capture the spaces of the visible. As such, it is argued that his literature reflects an experience of the critiques of phenomenology. Importantly, this ‘critique’ goes hand in hand with the kinds of spatialities and landscapes that are rendered in the novels—the indefinite perspectives they open up, the paradoxical visualities they sustain or deny, and the disorientation they inject into the heart of spatial experience. These literary effects produce a nonanthropocentric and nonpersonal spatiality which, although contributing to an erasure of the ‘subject’, at the same time expose and open up a sociospatiality based on singularities, intensities, and finitude

Analgesic effects of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine or their combination for castration of lambs.

Abstract Objective: To analyse the effectiveness of intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin for reducing pain and signs of stress in lambs undergoing surgical castration. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: One university teaching hospital in Italy. Participants: 30 healthy male lambs, 9-12 weeks old. Intervention: Allocation to five groups: a control group (C), undergoing general anaesthesia but not castration; a surgery group (S), undergoing orchiectomy without analgesic treatment; a surgery-lidocaine group (SL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intrafunicular 2 per cent lidocaine solution; a surgery-flunixin group (SF), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving intravenous flunixin; a surgery-flunixin-lidocaine group (SFL), undergoing orchiectomy and receiving both intrafunicular lidocaine and intravenous flunixin. Main outcome measures: Nociception and stress were assessed through intraoperative indicators, serum cortisol concentration, glycaemia, behaviour, immune response and clinical evaluation of the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate and rectal temperature after surgery. Results: Groups S and SL showed increased values of intraoperative HR, mean arterial pressure and postoperative cortisol concentration. In group SFL, cortisol values were similar to those of group C. No other difference could be detected. Conclusions: The combination of intravenous flunixin and intrafunicular lidocaine reduced the pain and discomfort of lambs castrated under general anaesthesia. Intrafunicular lidocaine alone did not prevent pain or discomfort associated with castration

Benchmarking the P-MLQMC method on a geotechnical engineering problem

Problems in civil engineering are often characterized by significant uncertainty in their material parameters. Sampling methods are a straightforward manner to account for this uncertainty, which is typically modeled as a random field. A novel method developed by the authors called p-refined Multilevel Quasi-Monte Carlo (p-MLQMC), achieves a significant computational cost reduction with respect to classic Multilevel Monte Carlo (h-MLMC). p-MLQMC uses a hierarchy of p-refined Finite Element meshes, combined with a deterministic Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) sampling rule. A non-negligible part of modeling the stochastics in non-deterministic engineering problems consists in adequately incorporating the uncertainty in the Finite Element model. This is typically done by evaluating the random field at certain carefully chosen evaluation points, and assigning the resulting scalars to the different finite elements. For the h-MLMC method, these evaluation points consist of the centroids of the elements. For the p-MLQMC method, we distinguish two different approaches to select the evaluation points, the Non-Nested Approach (NNA) and the Local Nested Approach(LNA). We investigate how these approaches affect the variance reduction over the levels and the total computational cost. We benchmark the p-ML(Q)MC-LNA, p-ML(Q)MC-NNA and h-MLMC method on a slope stability problem where the uncertainty is located in the soil's cohesion. We show that the p-MLQMC-LNA method outperforms all other considered methods in terms of computational cost

Laparoscopic Ovariectomy in Standing Mule Mares

Mules are hybrids bred from the mating of a jack donkey and a horse mare, known for their strength and resistance and still used to work in agriculture. Although they have been for long considered sterile, evidence of estrus cycle has been demonstrated together with abnormal behavior related to ovarian activity. In this study, a bilateral standing laparoscopic ovariectomy technique using the LigaSure technology was applied in 10 mare mules for treating unwanted behavioral patterns. The technique was effectively performed on these animals avoiding the risk of general anesthesia, and the use of the LigaSure technology allowed good hemostasis and reduced surgical time. Owners declared to be satisfied with the resolution of the behavior

Residual Stress Determination of Cast Aluminium Benchmark Components Using Strain Relief Techniques

Background: Residual stress development in precipitation strengthened aluminium foundry alloys has seen little attention, despite the prevalence of their use over a wide array of applications. Objective: This study aims at the evaluation of the residual stress in a cast aluminium benchmark that develops during precipitation heat treatment and determines the preferable stress relaxing techniques for such applications.Methods: The stress states in the as-cast, T4 and T6 tempers of the same AlSi7Cu0.5Mg (A356 with 0.5 wt% Cu) sample were determined through a novel application of the contour method, standard hole drilling, deep hole drilling and incremental deep hole drilling. Results: The results of all measurement techniques lie within approximately 40 MPa for all regions available for comparison, with the greatest differences occurring between the contour method and deep hole drilling for the T6 component. It is shown that the peak tensile residual stresses are almost identical between the heat-treated components (75 MPa), but the distribution and magnitude of compressive residual stress are found to be significantly different. Conclusions: Among the measurement techniques evaluated, the contour method and incremental hole drilling are found to be more suitable for T6 temper, while all techniques perform equally well for T4 temper due to its relatively low strength. It is hypothesised that the difference between the as-cast and heat-treated samples is due to solution heat treatment and quenching, while the difference in T4 and T6 tempers is attributed to the response to ageing

Genetic profiling of Mycobacterium bovis strains from slaughtered cattle in Eritrea

<div><p><i>Mycobacterium bovis</i> (<i>M</i>.<i>bovis</i>) is the main causative agent for bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and can also be the cause of zoonotic tuberculosis in humans. In view of its zoonotic nature, slaughterhouse surveillance, potentially resulting in total or partial condemnation of the carcasses and organs, is conducted routinely. Spoligotyping, VNTR profiling, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) of <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> isolated from tissues with tuberculosis-like lesions collected from 14 cattle at Eritrea’s largest slaughterhouse in the capital Asmara, were conducted.The 14 <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> isolates were classified into three different spoligotype patterns (SB0120, SB0134 and SB0948) and six VNTR profiles. WGS results matched those of the conventional genotyping methods and further discriminated the six VNTR profiles into 14 strains. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> isolates suggests two independent introductions of BTB into Eritrea possibly evolving from a common ancestral strain in Europe.This molecular study revealed the most important strains of <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> in Eritrea and their (dis)similarities with the strains generally present in East Africa and Europe, as well as potential routes of introduction of <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i>. Though the sample size is small, the current study provides important information as well as platform for future in-depth molecular studies on isolates from both the dairy and the traditional livestock sectors in Eritrea and the region. This study provides information onthe origin of some of the <i>M</i>. <i>bovis</i> strains in Eritrea, its genetic diversity, evolution and patterns of spread between dairy herds. Such information is essential in the development and implementation of future BTB control strategy for Eritrea.</p></div

A catalogue of stellar diameters and fluxes for mid-infrared interferometry

We present the Mid-infrared stellar Diameters and Fluxes compilation infrared wavelengths (3-13 μm). It gathers data for half a millio stars, i.e. nearly all the stars of the Hipparcos-Tycho catalogue whos spectral type is reported in the SIMBAD data base. We cross-match 2 data bases to provide basic information, binarity elements, angula diameter, magnitude and flux in the near and mid-infrared, as well a flags that allow us to identify the potential calibrators. The catalogu covers the entire sky with 465 857 stars, mainly dwarfs and giants fro B to M spectral types closer than 18 kpc. The smallest reported value reach 0.16 μJy in L and 0.1 μJy in N for the flux, and 2 microarcsec fo the angular diameter. We build four lists of calibrator candidates fo the L and Nbands suitable with the Very Large Telescope Interferomete (VLTI) sub- and main arrays using the MATISSE instrument. We identif 1621 candidates for L and 44 candidates for N with the Auxiliar Telescopes (ATs), 375 candidates for both bands with the ATs, and 25 candidates for both bands with the Unit Telescopes (UTs). Predominantl cool giants, these sources are small and bright enough to belong to th primary lists of calibrator candidates. In the near future, we plan t measure their angular diameter with 1 per cent accurac