The effects of stroboscopic training on ball-catching performance

A visual enhancement training program utilizing stroboscopic lighting was evaluated. Pre-training, training, and post-training sessions were conducted and analyzed to inspect the effects of stroboscopic lighting on catching tennis balls being propelled from a tennis ball machine. The ball catching ability of forty-one high school baseball athletes was assessed using a qualitative scale and a quantitative scale in both pre-training and post-training sessions. The subjects were matched by abilities following the pre-training session into a control group or an experimental group, based on their qualitative score. Contrary to our hypothesis, it was concluded that those athletes in the control group (no stroboscopic training) demonstrated a significantly greater improvement than the experimental group (stroboscopic training), based on the difference between their pre-training and post-training scores. Our data revealed three factors that appcar to be important in ball-catching: stereoacuity, cross dominance, and the level of competition. Future questions as to optimal training conditions under stroboscopic lighting need to be addressed

STE-QUEST - Test of the Universality of Free Fall Using Cold Atom Interferometry

In this paper, we report about the results of the phase A mission study of the atom interferometer instrument covering the description of the main payload elements, the atomic source concept, and the systematic error sources

EMC ASPECTS OF TURBULENCE HEATING OBSERVER (THOR) SPACECRAFT

Turbulence Heating ObserveR (THOR) is a spacecraft mission dedicated to the study of plasma turbulence in near-Earth space. The mission is currently under study for implementation as a part of ESA Cosmic Vision program. THOR will involve a single spinning spacecraft equipped with state of the art instruments capable of sensitive measurements of electromagnetic fields and plasma particles. The sensitive electric and magnetic field measurements require that the spacecraft-generated emissions are restricted and strictly controlled; therefore a comprehensive EMC program has been put in place already during the study phase. The THOR study team and a dedicated EMC working group are formulating the mission EMC requirements state of its EMC requirements

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding 'Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data': Myanmar amber

Recently, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has sent around a letter, dated 21st April, 2020 to more than 300 palaeontological journals, signed by the President, Vice President and a former President of the society (Rayfield et al. 2020). The signatories of this letter request significant changes to the common practices in palaeontology. With our present, multi-authored comment, we aim to argue why these suggestions will not lead to improvement of both practice and ethics of palaeontological research but, conversely, hamper its further development. Although we disagree with most contents of the SVP letter, we appreciate this initiative to discuss scientific practices and the underlying ethics. Here, we consider different aspects of the suggestions by Rayfield et al. (2020) in which we see weaknesses and dangers. It is our intent to compile views from many different fields of palaeontology, as our discipline is (and should remain) pluralistic. This contribution deals with the aspects concerning Myanmar amber. Reference is made to Haug et al. (2020a) for another comment on aspects concerning amateur palaeontologists/citizen scientists/private collectors

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding “Fossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil‑based scientific data”: Myanmar amber

Non peer reviewe

Eps8 Regulates Axonal Filopodia in Hippocampal Neurons in Response to Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

A novel signaling cascade controlling actin polymerization in response to extracellular signals regulates filopodia formation and likely also neuronal synapse formation

LISA Definition Study Report

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is the first scientificendeavour to detect and study gravitational waves from space. LISA will surveythe sky for Gravitational Waves in the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz frequency band whichwill enable the study of a vast number of objects ranging from Galacticbinaries and stellar mass black holes in the Milky Way, to distant massiveblack-hole mergers and the expansion of the Universe. This definition studyreport, or Red Book, presents a summary of the very large body of work that hasbeen undertaken on the LISA mission over the LISA definition phase.<br