In Darwin’s Garden: an evolutionary exploration of augmented reality in practice

This book is part of the Springer Advanced Information and Knowledge Processing Series and will be published under Springer's Open Access policy.This chapter discusses the rapid developments in augmented reality and mixed reality technologies, from a practitioner’s perspective of making the augmented reality sculptural work In Darwin’s Garden. From its conception in 2012, to its exhibition at Carbon Meets Silicon II in 2017, the advances in augmented reality technology led to an interplay between the goal of the creators and the technological realisation of that vision. The art, design and technology involved, generated a reactive process that was mired in external influences as the accessibility to augmented reality became commercially valuable and subsequently restricted. This chapter will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand more about the possibilities, technologies and processes involved in realising mixed reality practice and about the commercial culture that supports it

A Possible Arena for Searching New Physics - the Γ(D0→ρ0γ)/Γ(D0→ωγ)\Gamma(D^0 \to \rho^0 \gamma)/\Gamma (D^0 \to \omega \gamma) Ratio

We propose to investigate flavour changing neutral currents in the $c \to u \gamma$ transition through the measurement of the difference between $\Gamma (D^0 \to \rho^0 \gamma)$ and $\Gamma (D^0 \to \omega \gamma)$. This is based on the observation that $D^0 \to (d \bar d) \gamma$ is due to long distance physics while $D^0 \to (u \bar u) \gamma$ arises from the $c \to u \gamma$ transition. The effect of $\rho - \omega$ mixing is included. A difference in the decay widths of more than about 30% would be indicative of new physics.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure include

Retroperitoneoskopische Nierenchirurgie: Indikationen, Technik und eigene Erfahrungen nach 360 Eingriffen

Zusammenfassung: Die retroperitoneoskopische Operationstechnik überzeugt durch den schnellen, direkten und einfachen Zugang ins Retroperitoneum und zu den Nierengefäßen unter Umgehung des Peritonealraums. Wir beschreiben unsere Operationstechnik und diskutieren Vor- und Nachteile der Retroperitoneoskopie. Unsere Erfahrungen mit dieser Operationstechnik bei insgesamt 360 retroperitoneoskopischen Eingriffen werden vorgestellt: Nephrektomie, Nierenteilresektion, Lebendnierenspende, Kryotherapie von Nierentumoren, Pyelonplastik sowie Adrenalektomie und weitere Indikationen werden dargestellt. Wir zeigen, welche Eingriffe sich zum Einstieg in die Technik eignen und auf was geachtet werden mus

Benigne zystische Raumforderungen des Hodens: Eine Übersicht

Zusammenfassung: Hodenzysten werden im Rahmen der skrotalen Sonographie zunehmend diagnostiziert. Grund hierfür ist u.a. die flächendeckende Verfügbarkeit moderner, hochauflösender Ultraschallgeräte. Differentialdiagnostisch und ätiologisch sind benigne und maligne Erkrankungen mit testikulärer Zystenbildung voneinander zu unterscheiden. Benigne Krankheitsbilder mit zystischen Raumforderungen des Hodens sind die tubuläre Ektasie des Rete testis, die zystische Dysplasie, Epidermoidzysten, einfache intraparenchymatöse Hodenzysten und Zysten der Tunica albuginea. Die testikuläre Dermoidzyste, die lange Zeit zu Unrecht als potentiell maligne angesehen wurde, ist ebenfalls als benigne zu klassifizieren. Bei Diagnose einer benignen zystischen Raumforderung des Hodens kann in den meisten Fällen eine organerhaltende operative Therapie oder ein abwartendes, überwachendes Procedere empfohlen werde

Breath detection algorithms affect multiple-breath washout outcomes in pre-school and school age children.

BACKGROUND Accurate breath detection is essential for the computation of outcomes in the multiple-breath washout (MBW) technique. This is particularly important in young children, where irregular breathing is common, and the designation of inspirations and expirations can be challenging. AIM To investigate differences between a commercial and a novel breath-detection algorithm and to characterize effects on MBW outcomes in children. METHODS We replicated the signal processing and algorithms used in Spiroware software (v3.3.1, Eco Medics AG). We developed a novel breath detection algorithm (custom) and compared it to Spiroware using 2,455 nitrogen (N2) and 325 sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) trials collected in infants, children, and adolescents. RESULTS In 83% of N2 and 32% of SF6 trials, the Spiroware breath detection algorithm rejected breaths and did not use them for the calculation of MBW outcomes. Our custom breath detection algorithm determines inspirations and expirations based on flow reversal and corresponding CO2 elevations, and uses all breaths for data analysis. In trials with regular tidal breathing, there were no differences in outcomes between algorithms. However, in 10% of pre-school children tests the number of breaths detected differed by more than 10% and the commercial algorithm underestimated the lung clearance index by up to 21%. CONCLUSION Accurate breath detection is challenging in young children. As the MBW technique relies on the cumulative analysis of all washout breaths, the rejection of breaths should be limited. We provide an improved algorithm that accurately detects breaths based on both flow reversal and CO2 concentration

Minimal Informationally Complete Measurements for Pure States

We consider measurements, described by a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM), whose outcome probabilities determine an arbitrary pure state of a D-dimensional quantum system. We call such a measurement a pure-state informationally complete (PSI-complete) POVM. We show that a measurement with 2D-1 outcomes cannot be PSI-complete, and then we construct a POVM with 2D outcomes that suffices, thus showing that a minimal PSI-complete POVM has 2D outcomes. We also consider PSI-complete POVMs that have only rank-one POVM elements and construct an example with 3D-2 outcomes, which is a generalization of the tetrahedral measurement for a qubit. The question of the minimal number of elements in a rank-one PSI-complete POVM is left open.Comment: 2 figures, submitted for the Asher Peres festschrif

International Illegal Trade in Wildlife: Threats and U.S. Policy

Report that focuses on the international trade in terrestrial fauna, largely excluding trade in illegal plants, including timber, and fish