Constraints on Lorentz Invariance Violation from Fermi-Large Area Telescope Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts

We analyze the MeV/GeV emission from four bright Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) observed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope to produce robust, stringent constraints on a dependence of the speed of light in vacuo on the photon energy (vacuum dispersion), a form of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) allowed by some Quantum Gravity (QG) theories. First, we use three different and complementary techniques to constrain the total degree of dispersion observed in the data. Additionally, using a maximally conservative set of assumptions on possible source-intrinsic spectral-evolution effects, we constrain any vacuum dispersion solely attributed to LIV. We then derive limits on the "QG energy scale" (the energy scale that LIV-inducing QG effects become important, E_QG) and the coefficients of the Standard Model Extension. For the subluminal case (where high energy photons propagate more slowly than lower energy photons) and without taking into account any source-intrinsic dispersion, our most stringent limits (at 95% CL) are obtained from GRB090510 and are E_{QG,1}>7.6 times the Planck energy (E_Pl) and E_{QG,2}>1.3 x 10^11 GeV for linear and quadratic leading order LIV-induced vacuum dispersion, respectively. These limits improve the latest constraints by Fermi and H.E.S.S. by a factor of ~2. Our results disfavor any class of models requiring E_{QG,1} \lesssim E_Pl.Comment: Accepted for publication by Physical Review

Development of multi-criteria decision support system (DSS) coupled with GIS for identifying optimal locations for soil aquifer treatment (SAT) facilities

Η διαχείριση του εμπλουτισμού των υδροφορέων αποτελεί μια ευρέως διαδομένη τεχνική, ιδιαίτερα σε υδρολογικά ευαίσθητες περιοχές, όπως αυτές της Μεσογειακής Λεκάνης, όπου οι υδατικοί πόροι είναι περιορισμένοι. Η επιλογή της χωροθέτησης έργων τεχνητού εμπλουτισμού (Τ.Ε.) αποτελεί μια πολύπλοκη διαδικασία το αποτέλεσμα της οποίας καθορίζει εν πολλοίς και την ίδια την αποτελεσματικότητα του έργου. Η εν λόγω διαδικασία περιπλέκεται εντονότερα όταν πρόκειται για τη χρηση νερών εμπλουτιμού υποβαθμισμένης ποιότητας. Βασικός στόχος της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η παρουσίαση ενός πρόδρομου εργαλείου πολυ-κριτιριακού Συστήματος Λήψης Αποφάσεων, το οποίο ενσωματώνει σε μια δυναμική πλατφόρμα: τόσο τις τεχνικές του Τ.Ε. όσο και τα γεωγραφικά χαρακτηριστικά που καθορίζουν την αποτελεσματικότητα του έργου. Το προτεινόμενο σύστημα αποτελεί προχωρημένο εργαλείο σύζευξης Συστημάτων Λήψης Αποφάσεων και Γεωγραφικών Πληροφοριών ικανό να αξιολογεί κρίσιμα ζητήματα που αφορούν σε έργα Τ.Ε. –γεωλογικά, υδρογεωλογικά, κλιματολογικά, νομικά, κοινωνικά, οικονομμικά κ.α. – με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση σε συστήματα Επεξεργασίας-Εδάφους- Υδροφόρου. Το συγκεκριμένο εργαλείο πρόκειται να ενσωματωθεί στο λογισμικό ArcGIS, σε περιβάλλον φιλικό προς το χρήστη, όπου η προβολή και επεξεργασία χωρικών δεδομένων μπορεί να πραγματοποιηθεί με τη χρήση Arc tools.Managed Aquifer Recharge is a wide-spread well-established groundwater engineering method which is largely seen as an alternative potential major source for water and this conclusion becomes even more pronounced in semi-arid and/or arid areas, such as the Mediterranean Basin. The process of site selection for the installation of a MAR facility is of paramount importance for the feasibility and effectiveness of the project itself, especially when the facility will include the use of waters of impaired quality as a recharge source. The main objective of this study is to present the developed framework of a multicriteria Decision Support System (DSS) that integrates within a dynamic platform: the main groundwater engineering parameters associated with MAR applications together with the general geographical features which determine the effectiveness of such a project. The proposed system will provide an advanced coupled DSS-GIS tool capable of handling local MAR-related issues -such as hydrogeology, topography, soil, climate etc., and spatially distributed variables -such as societal, economic, administrative, legislative etc., with special reference to Soil-Aquifer- Treatment technologies. The new SAT-selection tool in question is integrated in ArcGIS software -within a user friendly environment- where data can be processed and displayed using Arc tools for spatial analysis

Significance of respiratory diseases in the health management of sheep

Objectives of the present article are to review the financial significance of respiratory diseases and to indicate their relevance within the health management of sheep. In lambs, the principal adverse effects of the diseases are related to mortality, reduced carcass quality, veterinary expenses, decrease of average daily bodyweight gain and poor quality of lambs produced. In adult animals, financial losses are related to reduced production of affected sheep, need for early culling and death. Given the multi-faceted nature of these diseases, management practices (e.g., housing improvements, implementation of biosecurity provisions) need to be considered for their prevention; as environmental conditions also play a role in development of these diseases, they should be taken into account. Appropriate health measures (e.g., vaccinations) that improve animal immune response also will help control of the diseases

Connecting Those That Care: Designing for Transitioning, Talking, Belonging and Escaping

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ACM via the DOI in this record.Care provision in many nations increasingly relies on the work of informal, or non-professional, carers. Often these carers experience substantial disruptions and reductions to their own sociality, weakened social support networks and, ultimately, a heightened risk of social isolation. We describe a qualitative study, comprised of interviews, design workshops and probes, that investigated the social and community support practices of carers. Our findings highlight issues related to becoming and recognising being a carer, and feelings of being ignored by, and isolated from, others. We also note the benefits that sharing between carers can bring, and routes to coping and relaxing from the burdens of care. We conclude with design considerations for facilitating new forms of digitally mediated support that connect those that care, emphasising design qualities related to transitioning, talking, belonging and escaping

The Intrinsic Origin of Spin Echoes in Dipolar Solids Generated by Strong Pi Pulses

In spectroscopy, it is conventional to treat pulses much stronger than the linewidth as delta-functions. In NMR, this assumption leads to the prediction that pi pulses do not refocus the dipolar coupling. However, NMR spin echo measurements in dipolar solids defy these conventional expectations when more than one pi pulse is used. Observed effects include a long tail in the CPMG echo train for short delays between pi pulses, an even-odd asymmetry in the echo amplitudes for long delays, an unusual fingerprint pattern for intermediate delays, and a strong sensitivity to pi-pulse phase. Experiments that set limits on possible extrinsic causes for the phenomena are reported. We find that the action of the system's internal Hamiltonian during any real pulse is sufficient to cause the effects. Exact numerical calculations, combined with average Hamiltonian theory, identify novel terms that are sensitive to parameters such as pulse phase, dipolar coupling, and system size. Visualization of the entire density matrix shows a unique flow of quantum coherence from non-observable to observable channels when applying repeated pi pulses.Comment: 24 pages, 27 figures. Revised from helpful referee comments. Added new Table IV, new paragraphs on pages 3 and 1

Detection of Cathelicidin-1 in the Milk as an Early Indicator of Mastitis in Ewes

The objective of the study was the investigation of the behaviour of cathelicidin-1 in the milk after experimental infection with two prominent bacterial pathogens (experiment 1: Mannheimia haemolytica, experiment 2: M. haemolytica and Staphylococcus chromogenes) as a potential early indicator for diagnosis of mastitis in sheep. In two experiments, after bacterial inoculation into the udder of ewes, bacteriological and cytological examinations of milk samples as well as proteomics examinations [two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis] were performed sequentially. Cathelicidin-1 was detected and spot densities obtained from PDQuest v.8.0 were recorded. Associations were calculated between cell content and spot densities as well as between presence of mastitis in a mammary gland at a given time-point and detection of cathelicidin-1 in the respective milk sample. All inoculated mammary glands developed mastitis, confirmed by the consistent bacterial isolation from mammary secretion and increased leucocyte content therein. Spot density of cathelicidin-1 in samples from inoculated glands increased 3 h postinoculation; spot density of cathelicidin-1 in samples from inoculated glands was higher than in samples from uninoculated controls. There was clear evidence of correlation between cell content and cathelicidin-1 spot densities in milk samples. There was significant association between presence of mastitis in the mammary gland and detection of cathelicidin-1 in the respective milk sample; overall accuracy was 0.818\u2014this was significantly greater during the first 24 h postchallenge (0.903) than after the first day (0.704). In conclusion, detection of cathelicidin-1 in milk was significantly associated with presence of mastitis in ewes. The associations were stronger during the first 24 h post-infection than after the first day. Cathelicidin-1 has the advantage that it can be a non-specific biomarker, as simply a \u201cpositive\u201d / \u201cnegative\u201d assessment would be sufficient

Informing the public health response to COVID-19: a systematic review of risk factors for disease, severity, and mortality

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged public health agencies globally. In order to effectively target government responses, it is critical to identify the individuals most at risk of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), developing severe clinical signs, and mortality. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to present the current status of scientific knowledge in these areas and describe the need for unified global approaches, moving forwards, as well as lessons learnt for future pandemics. METHODS: Medline, Embase and Global Health were searched to the end of April 2020, as well as the Web of Science. Search terms were specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19. Comparative studies of risk factors from any setting, population group and in any language were included. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened by two reviewers and extracted in duplicate into a standardised form. Data were extracted on risk factors for COVID-19 disease, severe disease, or death and were narratively and descriptively synthesised. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred and thirty-eight papers were identified post-deduplication. Thirty-three met our inclusion criteria, of which 26 were from China. Six assessed the risk of contracting the disease, 20 the risk of having severe disease and ten the risk of dying. Age, gender and co-morbidities were commonly assessed as risk factors. The weight of evidence showed increasing age to be associated with severe disease and mortality, and general comorbidities with mortality. Only seven studies presented multivariable analyses and power was generally limited. A wide range of definitions were used for disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of literature generated in the short time since the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 has been considerable. Many studies have sought to document the risk factors for COVID-19 disease, disease severity and mortality; age was the only risk factor based on robust studies and with a consistent body of evidence. Mechanistic studies are required to understand why age is such an important risk factor. At the start of pandemics, large, standardised, studies that use multivariable analyses are urgently needed so that the populations most at risk can be rapidly protected. REGISTRATION: This review was registered on PROSPERO as CRD42020177714