The peculiarities of cross-correlation between two secondary precursors – radon and magnetic field variations, induced by tectonic activity

A model of precursor manifestation mechanisms, stimulated by tectonic activity and some peculiarities of observer strategy, whose main task is the effective measurement of precursors in the spatial area of their occurrence on the Earth’s daylight, are considered. In particular, the applicability of Dobrovolsky’s approximation is analyzed, when an unperturbed medium (characterized by the simple shear state) and the area of tectonic activity (local inhomogeneity caused by the change only of shear modulus) are linearly elastic, and perturbation, in particular, surface displacement is calculated as a difference of the solutions of two independent static problems of the theory of elasticity with the same boundary condition on the surface. Within the framework of this approximation a formula for the spatial distribution (of first component) of magnetic field variations caused by piezomagnetic effect in the case of perturbed regular medium, which is in simple shear state is derived. Cogent arguments in favor of linear dependence between the radon spatial distribution and conditional deformation are obtained. Changes in magnetic field strength and radon concentrations were measured along a tectonomagnetic profile of the total length of 11 km in the surroundings of the “Academician Vernadsky” Station on the Antarctic Peninsula (W 64°16´, S 65°15´). Results showed a positive correlation between the annual surface radon concentration and annual changes of magnetic field relative to a base point, and also the good coincidence with theoretical calculation

The peculiarities of cross-correlation between two secondary precursors - radon and magnetic field variations, induced by stress transfer changes

A model of precursor manifestation mechanisms, stimulated by tectonic activity and some peculiarities of observer strategy, whose main task is the effective measurement of precursors in the spatial area of their occurrence on the Earth's daylight, are considered. In particular, the applicability of Dobrovolsky's approximation is analyzed, when an unperturbed medium (characterized by the simple shear state) and the area of tectonic activity (local inhomogeneity caused by the change only of shear modulus) are linearly elastic, and perturbation, in particular, surface displacement is calculated as a difference of the solutions of two independent static problems of the theory of elasticity with the same boundary condition on the surface. Within the framework of this approximation a formula for the spatial distribution (of first component) of magnetic field variations caused by piezomagnetic effect in the case of perturbed regular medium, which is in simple shear state is derived. Cogent arguments in favor of linear dependence between the radon spatial distribution and conditional deformation are obtained. Changes in magnetic field strength and radon concentrations were measured along a tectonomagnetic profile of the total length of 11 km in the surroundings of the "Academician Vernadsky" Station on the Antarctic Peninsula (W 64{\deg}16', S 65{\deg}15'). Results showed a positive correlation between the annual surface radon concentration and annual changes of magnetic field relative to a base point, and also the good coincidence with theoretical calculation.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables (a substantially revised and extended edition; v3 -- some analysis of recent publications added

The multi-chord stellar occultation by (19521) Chaos on 2020 November 20

Physical properties of Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) have been of increasing interest in the last two decades, as these objects are considered to be among the least altered through the Solar System evolution, and thus preserve valuable information about its origin [1]. The study of these objects through the ground-based method of stellar occultations has risen in the last years, as this technique allows the determination of physical properties with considerably good accuracies [2,3,4]. Here we present the results of the multi-chord stellar occultation of the GAIA source 3444789965847631104 (mv≍16.8) by the TNO (19521) Chaos on 2020 November 20, which was predicted within our systematic programme on stellar occultations by TNOs and outer solar system bodies [5]. The prediction was updated with astrometric observations carried out two days before the event with the 1.23-m telescope at Calar Alto observatory in Almería, Spain, and it was favorable to the South of Europe. The campaign that we organized involved 19 observing sites and resulted in three positive detections, one of them obtained from the 4.2-m WHT telescope at La Palma, 11 negative detections, and 5 sites that could not observe due to bad weather. We derived the instantaneous limb of Chaos by fitting the extremities of the positive chords to an ellipse to determine accurate size, shape, and geometric albedo for this object. The preliminary results give a slightly smaller area-equivalent diameter than the one derived from Herschel thermal data [6], but photometric observations of this object are still under analysis to complement and improve the results. References[1] Morbidelli, A., Levison, H. F., & Gomes, R. 2008, ed. M. A. Barucci, H. Boehnhardt, D. P. Cruikshank, A. Morbidelli, R. Dotson, 275[2] Ortiz, J. L., Sicardy, B., Braga-Ribas, F., et al. 2012, Nature, 491, 566[3] Braga-Ribas, F., Sicardy, B., Ortiz, J. L., et al. 2013, ApJ, 773, 26[4] Ortiz, J.L., Santos-Sanz, P., Sicardy, B., et al. 2017, Nature, 550, 7675, pp. 219-223[5] Camargo, J. I. B., Vieira-Martins, R., Assafin, M., et al. 2014, A&A, 561, A37[6] Vilenius, E., Kiss, C., Mommert, M., Müller, T., et al. 2012, A&A, 541, A94 Acknowledgements We acknowledge financial support from the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the "Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa" award to the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (SEV-2017-0709). Part of the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's H2020 (2014-2020/ERC Grant Agreement no. 669416 "LUCKY STAR"). M.V-L. acknowledges funding from Spanish project AYA2017-89637-R (FEDER/MICINN). P.S-S. acknowledges financial support by the Spanish grant AYA-RTI2018-098657-J-I00 ``LEO-SBNAF'' (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). We are grateful to the CAHA and OSN staffs. This research is partially based on observations collected at the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by Junta de Andalucía and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IAA-CSIC). This research was also partially based on observation carried out at the Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (OSN) operated by Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC). Partially based on observations made with the Tx40 telescope at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Teruel, a Spanish Infraestructura Cientifico-Técnica Singular (ICTS) owned, managed and operated by the Centro de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Aragón (CEFCA). Tx40 is funded with the Fondos de Inversiones de Teruel (FITE)

Intelligent SpaceWire Router Design

SpaceWire je komunikacijski standard, ki se uporablja za prenos informacij med merilnimi in drugimi enotami vesoljskega plovila kot so na primer senzorji z visoko hitrostjo podatkov, procesne enote, spominske enote in telemetrične podenote. Cilj standarda je zagotoviti visoko zmogljiv sistem za ravnanje s podatki, pomagati zmanjšati ceno sistemske integracije, zagotoviti skladnost med pod-sistemi za ravnanje s podatki in spodbuditi ponovno uporabo opreme za ravnanje s podatki v več različnih misijah. SpaceWire standard dovoljuje povezave od točke do točke in omrežne povezave. Za namen povezovanja več omrežnih vozlišč znotraj omrežja so potrebni usmerjevalniki. Usmerjevalniki, ki so trenutno na voljo po večini omogočajo le dvo-nivojsko (visoka in nizka prioriteta) prioritetno razvrščanje paketkov v primeru dostopanja do istih izhodnih vrat in sploh ne omogočajo oddajanja več prejemnikom (angleško "multicast"). Zaradi omejene funkcionalnosti in odsotnosti omenjene lastnosti pri obstoječih usmerjevalnikih, je bil v sklopu magistrske naloge zasnovan in izdelan pametni usmerjevalnik za komunikacijski protokol SpaceWire. Izdelan usmerjevalnik omogoča več-nivojsko dinamično prioritetno razvrščanje in oddajanje več prejemnikom. Izdelan je kot VHDL komponenta z namenom, da je implementacija prilagodljiva in s tem omogoča enostavno dodajanje novih funkcij ter, da je usmerjevalnik mogoče vključiti v druge projekte. Za namen testiranja je usmerjevalnik prilagojen za ciljno napravo RTG4 FPGA. Pred začetkom načrtovanja usmerjevalnika so bile postavljene sledeče zahteve. Usmerjevalnik mora biti izdelan kot prilagodljiva IP komponenta. Usmerjevalnik mora zagotoviti povezavo vseh vhodnih vrat z vsemi izhodnimi vrati. Sočasen dostop do istih izhodnih vrat se mora razrešit s pomočjo več-nivojskega prioritetnega razsodnika ( angleško "arbiter"). Vrata usmerjevalnika moraj biti sposobna komunicirati z omrežnimi vozlišči na podlagi SpaceWire standarda in identificirati različne dele paketkov. Usmerjevalnik mora podpirati oba načina naslavljanja paketkov tako v obliki poti skozi omrežje kot logično naslavljanje. Usmerjevalnik mora podpirati oddajanje več prejemnikom. Kot zadnje, mora biti usmerjevalnik nastavljiv z oddaljenim dostopom. Usmerjevalnik predstavljen v tej magistrski nalogi je zasnovan na podlagi predstavljenih zahtev, arhitekture generičnega usmerjevalnik, arhitektur obstoječih usmerjevalnikov za komunikacijski protokol SpaceWire in arhitektur usmerjevalnikov s področja omrežij v integriranih vezjih. Kot osnova usmerjevalnika je izbrana "wormhole" tehnika komutacije (angleško "switching technique"). Na pram bolj poznani paketnih komutaciji iz sveta lokalnih omrežij, kjer se v usmerjevalniku shrani celoten paketek, se v primeru "wormhole" komutacije shrani le del paketka. S tem se obdelava paketka občutno pohitri in komunikacija med omrežnimi vozlišči lahko poteka hitreje. Slabost te tehnike je, da se paketki lahko raztezajo preko več različnih usmerjevalnikov. V kolikor omrežje ni pravilno zasnovano lahko pride do zaklenitve omrežja. Omenjeno je bilo, da mora biti usmerjevalnik nastavljiv z oddaljenim dostopom. V ta namen ima usmerjevalnik dodana nastavitvena vrata, ki omogočijo dekodiranje SpaceWire paketkov v ukaze notranjega vodila. Namreč vse nastavljive komponente usmerjevalnika so med seboj povezane preko notranjega vodila, kjer nastavitven vrata igrajo vlogo nadrejene naprave vodila. Za notranje vodilo je izbrano APB vodilo z enostavnimi operacijami, ki se uporablja predvsem kot periferno vodilo. Vsaka nastavljiva komponenta v usmerjevalniku z izjemo usmerjevalne table ima le nekaj registrov, zato ni potrebe po visoko zmogljivem vodilu. Registri so zasnovani tako, da imajo enako podatkovno širino kot vodilo. Za branje ali pisanje v register je tako zadosti že ena sama operacija. To vodilo je zadostno tudi za dostopanje do usmerjevalne tabele, saj se le-ta med samim delovanjem usmerjevalnika bistveno ne spreminja. Če že, se spremeni le del vnosa v usmerjevalni tabli, ki ima ravno tako podatkovno širino enako širini vodila. Za dostopanje do internih spominskih enot v omrežnih vozliščih se v SpaceWire omrežjih uporablja poseben protokol imenovan RMAP. Gre za standardiziran SpaceWire protokol, ki določa obliko paketkov glede na željeno operacijo nad spominsko enoto. Definirane so tri različne operacije: branje, pisanje in modifikacija, pri čemer je pri modifikaciji dolžina podatkov omejena saj se morajo le-ti pred modifikacijo lokalno shranit. Nastavitvena vrata so zasnovana tako, da so skladna z RMAP standardom. Omenjena usmerjevalna tabela hrani podatke o tem kam mora usmerjevalnik usmeriti prihajajoč paketek glede na njegov naslov. Dostop do usmerjevalne table se izvede le v primeru logičnega naslova. V primeru naslavljanja v obliki poti skozi omrežje, glava paketka že sama po sebi določa izhodna vrata paketka, tako dostop do usmerjevalne tabele ni potreben. Usmerjevalna tabela poleg informacije o ciljnih izhodnih vratih za pripadajoč naslov ob enem hrani podatke o prioriteti paketkov, seznam izhodnih vrat v primeru oddajanja več prejemnikom in še nekaj dodatnih parametrov. Usmerjevalna tabel je skupna vsem vhodnim vratom, ker pa v danem trenutku do tabel lahko dostopajo samo ena vhodna vrata, je za name razreševanja sočasnega dostopa do tabel potreben razsodnik. Razsodnik deluje po principu »round-robin«, torej vsa vhodna vrata imajo enako prioriteto in si krožno izmenjujejo dostop do usmerjevalne tabele. Vrata usmerjevalnika komunicirajo z omrežnimi vozlišči na podlagi SpaceWire standarda in so sposobna identificirati posamezne dele paketka. Vrata so tako sestavljena iz SpaceWire kodirnika/dekodirnika in na sprejemni strani iz enote za obdelovanje paketkov. SpaceWire kodirnik/dekodirnik omogoča kodiranje in dekodiranje znakov definiranih v SpaceWire standardu, ki so potrebni za prenos informacij med omrežnimi vozlišči in za vzpostavitve povezave. Enota za obdelavo paketkov iz paketka izlušči njegov naslov, jedro in konec paketka. Polege tega kontrolira pretok paketkov, dostopa do usmerjevalne tabele in komunicira s kontrolno logiko. Vsa vhodna vrata so povezana z vsemi izhodnimi vrati preko koordinatnega stikala (angleško "crossbar switch"). Kontrolna logika usmerjevalnika izda dovoljenje za dostop vhodnih vrat do izhodnih vrat in kontrolira pozicijo koordinatnega stikala. Zahteva po sočasnem dostopu do istih izhodnih vrat s strani več vhodnih vrat se rešuje z več-nivojskim prioritetnim razsodnikom. Prioritetni razsodnik je zasnovan kot tri stopenjski cevovod. V prvi stopnji se shranijo prioritete in vse zahteve vhodnih vrat. V drugi stopnji se poišče vhodna vrata s paketkom z najvišjo prioriteto ali skupina vhodnih vrat s paketki z najvišjo prioriteto. V tretji stopnji se izda dovoljenje za dostop do izhodnih vrat. V primeru, ko ima več vhodnih vrat paketke z najvišjo prioriteto, se dovoljenje določi po principu "round-robin". V primeru paketka z oddajanjem več prejemnikom se dostop do izhodnih vrat dovoli le v primeru, ko so vsa izhodna vrata iz seznama pripravljena na sprejem novega paketka. Za preizkus delovanja in karakterizacijo izdelanega usmerjevalnika je bilo pripravljeno testno okolje. Testno okolje sestoji iz simulacijskega okolja in laboratorijskega okolja z izbrano strojno opremo. Simulacijsko okolje je bilo uporabljeno za validacijo delovanja usmerjevalnika pred sintezo in strojno implementacijo usmerjevalnika. Laboratorijsko okolje z izbrano strojno operemoNI PXI sistem kot vir in ponor SpaceWire paketkov, RTG4 Development Kit z FMC razširitveno ploščico za SpaceWire kot strojna implementacija usmerjevalnika ter osciloskop, je bilo uporabljeno za validacijo delovanja strojne implementacije SpaceWire usmerjevalnika. S pomočjo testnega okolja sta bila določena dva ključna parametra usmerjevalnika, usmerjevalna zakasnitev in prehodni čas paketka skozi usmerjevalnik. Usmerjevalna zakasnitev določa koliko časa potrebuje usmerjevalnik, da določi izhodna vrata paketka od časa, ko pakete pride skozi vhodna vrata. Prehodni čas paketka skozi usmerjevalnik določa koliko časa potrebuje celoten paketek od vhodnih do izhodnih vrat. Oziroma, z drugimi besedami določa zakasnitev paketka zaradi prehoda skozi usmerjevalnik. Simuliran je bil pretok paketkov iz več različnih virov z enakimi in različnimi prioritetami z namenom, da se preveri delovanje kontrolne logike. Na podlagi izvedenih testov usmerjevalnik dosega zadovoljivo zmogljivost z možnostjo hitrosti prenosa do 200 Mbps. Še več, izdelani usmerjevalnik poveča zmogljivost dosedanjih satelitskih sistemov, olajša načrtovanje kompleksnejših omrežij in omogoča nove načine izdelovanja redundantnih sistemov z opcijo oddajanja več prejemnikom.SpaceWire (SpW) is a communication standard used to connect high-speed data rate sensor, processing units, memory units, and telemetry subsystem onboard a spacecraft. It supports point-to-point and network connections. In order to interconnect several network nodes within a network, SpW routers are needed. Currently available devices support only two-level priority arbitration and do not support multicast packet transmission at all. To overcome this, an intelligent SpW router was designed in the course of this thesis. This router supports dynamic multilevel priority arbitration based on a maximum finder circuit and multicast packet transmission. The SpW router was implemented as a VHDL component to have a flexible design and a possibility to include it in other projects. The implemented SpW router has an RMAP supported configuration port for remotely configuring the router. A test setup was designed to characterize and test the SpW router functionality. A routing delay and a packet router latency were determined. Simultaneous packet traffic from different sources with the same and different priority levels was emulated to demonstrate the arbitration functionality. Based on performed tests, the implemented router achieved a satisfying performance with capability of handling transmission rates up to 200 Mbps. Moreover, the designed router increases payload system functionality, eases the design of more complicated networks, and enables a new way to design redundant systems with its multicast transmission support

Photorealistic 3D design of an architectural object with an overview in virtual reality

V tem dokumentu je predstavljen celoten postopek izdelave fotorealisitčne 3D arhitekturne vizualizacije s končnim prikazom v virtualni resničnosti s pomočjo programa Blender in Unreal Engine. Z uporabo lastnosti šestkotnika in 3D modeliranja je ustvarjena osnovna struktura arhitekturnega objekta, t. i. geodezična krogla, ki je nato z inovativnim razrezom spremenjena v montažni arhitekturni objekt. Z različnimi načini ustvarjanja materialov 3D objekt pridobi fotorealisitčno podobo s prepričljivo umestitvijo v naravno okolje. Za še boljšo predstavitev je objekt postavljen v navidezni svet, v katerem ima uporabnik možnost, s pomočjo očal in ročnih krmilnikov, pregledati objekt iz različnih zornih kotov, bodisi podnevi ali ponoči. Končna aplikacija je prilagojena glede na povratne informacije testnih uporabnikov.This document presents the entire process of making a photorealistic 3D architectural visualization based on a private idea with the final display in virtual reality with the use of Unreal Engine and open source 3D program - Blender. The basic architectural structure is created using properties of hexagon and 3D modeling, resulting in the formation of a geodesic sphere. This sphere is then transformed into prefabricated architectural building, featuring an innovative hexagonal pattern cut. With different principles of creating materials the 3D object turns into photorealistic image with a suitable placement in nature. For an even better presentation, the object is placed in virtual world in which the user has the opportunity, with help of glasses and hand controllers, to view the architecture from different angles, whether during the day or at night. Final form of application is created based on feedback of test users

A European network for food-borne parasites (Euro-FBP): meeting report on ‘Analytical methods for food-borne parasites in human and veterinary diagnostics and in food matrices’

Food-borne parasites (FBPs) are a neglected topic in food safety, partly due to a lack of awareness of their importance for public health, especially as symptoms tend not to develop immediately after exposure. In addition, methodological difficulties with both diagnosis in infected patients and detection in food matrices result in under-detection and therefore the potential for underestimation of their burden on our societies. This, in consequence, leads to lower prioritization for basic research, e.g. for development new and more advanced detection methods for different food matrices and diagnostic samples, and thus a vicious circle of neglect and lack of progress is propagated. The COST Action FA1408, A European Network for Foodborne Parasites (Euro-FBP) aims to combat the impact of FBP on public health by facilitating the multidisciplinary cooperation and partnership between groups of researchers and between researchers and stakeholders. The COST Action TD1302, the European Network for cysticercosis/taeniosis, CYSTINET, has a specific focus on Taenia solium and T. saginata, two neglected FBPs, and aims to advance knowledge and understanding of these zoonotic disease complexes via collaborations in a multidisciplinary scientific network. This report summarizes the results of a meeting within the Euro-FBP consortium entitled ‘Analytical methods for food-borne parasites in human and veterinary diagnostics and in food matrices’ and of the joined Euro-FBP and CYSTINET meeting

Clinical application of a new sars-cov-2 antigen detection kit (Colloidal gold) in the detection of covid-19

The precise diagnosis of COVID-19 is of outmost importance in order to effectively treat patients and prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Herein, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the COVID-19 Antigen Detection Kit (Colloidal Gold—CG) compared with PCR in nasopharyngeal and nasal samples. A total of 114 positive and 244 negative nasopharyngeal specimens confirmed by PCR were used in this comparative study. When the PCR positive Cycle Threshold (Ct) value was ≤25, CG sensitivity was 100%. When the PCR positive Ct value was ≤33, CG sensitivity was 99%. When the PCR positive Ct value was ≤40, CG sensitivity was 89.47%. Regarding nasal swabs, a total of 109 positive and 250 negative specimens confirmed by PCR were used. When the PCR positive Ct value was ≤25, CG sensitivity was 100%. When the PCR positive Ct value was ≤33, CG sensitivity was 96.12%. When the PCR positive Ct value was ≤37, CG sensitivity was 91.74%. Specificity was above 99% regardless of the Ct value of PCR positivity for both nasopharyngeal and nasal specimens. Overall, the CG showed high sensitivity and specificity when the PCR Ct value was less than 33. Therefore, CG can be used for screening early in the disease course. Confirmatory PCR is essential when a false negative result is suspected. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland