Demonstration of synchronised scanning Lidar measurements of 2D velocity fields in a boundary-layer wind tunnel

This paper combines the currently relevant research methodologies of scaled wind turbine model experiments in wind tunnels with remote-sensing short-range WindScanner Lidar measurement technology. The wind tunnel of the Politecnico di Milano was equipped with three wind turbine models and two short-range WindScanner Lidars to demonstrate the benefits of synchronised scanning Lidars in such experimental surroundings for the first time. The dual- Lidar system can provide fully synchronised trajectory scans with sampling time scales ranging from seconds to minutes. First, staring mode measurements were compared to hot wire probe measurements commonly used in wind tunnels. This yielded goodness of fit coefficients of 0.969 and 0.902 for the 1 Hz averaged u- and v-components of the wind speed, respectively, validating the 2D measurement capability of the Lidar scanners. Subsequently, the measurement of wake profiles on a line as well as wake area scans were executed to illustrate the applicability of Lidar scanning to measuring small scale wind flow effects. The downsides of Lidar with respect to the hot wire probes are the larger measurement probe volume and the loss of some measurements due to moving blades. In contrast, the benefits are the high flexibility in conducting both point measurements and area scanning, and the fact that remote sensing techniques do not disturb the flow while measuring. The research campaign revealed a high potential for using short-range WindScanner Lidar for accurately measuring small scale flow structures in a wind tunnel

Rank-(n – 1) convexity and quasiconvexity for divergence free fields

The CAST experiment at CERN (European Organization of Nuclear Research) searches for axions from the sun. The axion is a pseudoscalar particle that was motivated by theory thirty years ago, with the intention to solve the strong CP problem. Together with the neutralino, the axion is one of the most promising dark matter candidates. The CAST experiment has been taking data during the last two years, setting an upper limit on the coupling of axions to photons more restrictive than from any other solar axion search in the mass range below 0.1 eV. In 2005 CAST will enter a new experimental phase extending the sensitivity of the experiment to higher axion masses. The CAST experiment strongly profits from technology developed for high energy physics and for X-ray astronomy: A superconducting prototype LHC magnet is used to convert potential axions to detectable X-rays in the 1-10 keV range via the inverse Primakoff effect. The most sensitive detector system of CAST is a spin-off from space technology, a Wolter I type X-ray optics in combination with a prototype pn-CCD developed for ESA's XMM-Newton mission. As in other rare event searches, background suppression and a thorough shielding concept is essential to improve the sensitivity of the experiment to the best possible. In this context CAST offers the opportunity to study the background of pn-CCDs and its long term behavior in a terrestrial environment with possible implications for future space applications. We will present a systematic study of the detector background of the pn-CCD of CAST based on the data acquired since 2002 including preliminary results of our background simulations.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Proc. SPIE 5898, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XI

Improved interchangeability with different corneal specular microscopes for quantitative endothelial cell analysis

Introduction: During our clinical practice and research, we encountered an interchangeability problem when using the SP-2000P and SP-3000P TopCon corneal specular microscopes (CSMs) (TopCon Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan) regarding the endothelial cell count (ECC). We describe a method to improve interchangeability between these CSMs. Methods: Five consecutive good-quality endothelial cell photographs were obtained in 22 eyes of 11 subjects. An ECC comparison between the two CSMs was performed after (I) gauging and calibration by the manufacturer, (II) adjustment of the magnification, (III) correction after external horizontal and vertical calibration. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the ECC of the SP-2000P and SP-3000P at the start. The SP-2000P counted an average of 500 cells/mm2 more than the SP-3000P (p=0.00). After correction for magnification and determining a correction factor based on external calibration, the difference between the ECC of the SP-2000P and the SP-3000P was then found to be 0.4 cells/mm2 and was not statistically significant (p=0.98). Discussion: We propose a method for improving interchangeability, which involves checking magnification settings, re-checking magnification calibration with external calibration devices, and then calculating correction factors. This method can be applied to various specular or confocal microscopes and their associated endothelial cell analysis software packages to be able to keep performing precise endothelial cell counts and to enable comparison of ECCs when a CSM needs to be replaced or when results from different microscopes need to be compared

Architectural design education: in varietate unitas

A fascinating and rich landscape of personal views and approaches can be seen in architectural design and in architectural design education. This variation may be confusing for students. This paper focuses on the question: is the framework of generic elements that we developed for explicating the design process helpful to compare the differences in architectural design approaches? The results of interviewing a variety of 15 architectural, urban and landscape designers show all kinds of personal approaches that have a set of five underlying generic elements in common. Therefore, the framework may be helpful for teachers and students to describe these personal approaches and may help students in understanding differences and similarities and in finding out what their own personal approach may be.</p

Coronavirus disease 2019 and peripheral blood eosinophil counts: a retrospective study

Purpose Eosinopenia has been described in COVID-19. With this study, we aim to study the peripheral blood eosinophil counts in COVID-19 patients and to investigate whether there is an association between the peripheral blood eosinophil counts and disease severity of COVID-19. Methods We revised the electronical medical records of confirmed COVID-19 patients with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in the Groene Hart Ziekenhuis, Gouda, The Netherlands. We divided patients in mild, moderate and severe groups based on clinical severity of COVID-19. Clinical severity was based on the therapy needed and the outcome of patients. We compared clinical characteristics, laboratory results and outcome between the three groups. Results Of the 230 patients included in this study, the mild, moderate and severe groups consisted of 16.5%, 45.7% and 37.8% of the included patients, respectively. The mean age was 68 years (IQR 57-78). 63% of patients were male. A significant decrease in the peripheral eosinophil counts was found corresponding to the increase of COVID-19 severity. In the mild, moderate and severe groups, the percentage of patients with eosinopenia was 73.7%, 86.7% and 94.3%, respectively (p value 0.002). Conclusion Eosinopenia is significantly more frequent present in patients with a severe COVID-19.Clinical epidemiolog

EU Agro Biogas Project

EU-AGRO-BIOGAS is a European Biogas initiative to improve the yield of agricultural biogas plants in Europe, to optimise biogas technology and processes and to improve the efficiency in all parts of the production chain from feedstock to biogas utilisation. Leading European research institutions and universities are cooperating with key industry partners in order to work towards a sustainable Europe. Fourteen partners from eight European countries are involved. EU-AGRO-BIOGAS aims at the development and optimisation of the entire value chain – to range from the production of raw materials, the production and refining of biogas to the utilisation of heat and electricity

Stable long-term outcomes after cochlear implantation in subjects with TMPRSS3 associated hearing loss:a retrospective multicentre study

Background: The spiral ganglion hypothesis suggests that pathogenic variants in genes preferentially expressed in the spiral ganglion nerves (SGN), may lead to poor cochlear implant (CI) performance. It was long thought that TMPRSS3 was particularly expressed in the SGNs. However, this is not in line with recent reviews evaluating CI performance in subjects with TMPRSS3-associated sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) reporting overall beneficial outcomes. These outcomes are, however, based on variable follow-up times of, in general, 1 year or less. Therefore, we aimed to 1. evaluate long-term outcomes after CI implantation of speech recognition in quiet in subjects with TMPRSS3-associated SNHL, and 2. test the spiral ganglion hypothesis using the TMPRSS3-group. Methods: This retrospective, multicentre study evaluated long-term CI performance in a Dutch population with TMPRSS3-associated SNHL. The phoneme scores at 70 dB with CI in the TMPRSS3-group were compared to a control group of fully genotyped cochlear implant users with post-lingual SNHL without genes affecting the SGN, or severe anatomical inner ear malformations. CI-recipients with a phoneme score ≤ 70% at least 1-year post-implantation were considered poor performers and were evaluated in more detail. Results: The TMPRSS3 group consisted of 29 subjects (N = 33 ears), and the control group of 62 subjects (N = 67 ears). For the TMPRSS3-group, we found an average phoneme score of 89% after 5 years, which remained stable up to 10 years post-implantation. At both 5 and 10-year follow-up, no difference was found in speech recognition in quiet between both groups (p = 0.830 and p = 0.987, respectively). Despite these overall adequate CI outcomes, six CI recipients had a phoneme score of ≤ 70% and were considered poor performers. The latter was observed in subjects with residual hearing post-implantation or older age at implantation. Conclusion: Subjects with TMPRSS3-associated SNHL have adequate and stable long-term outcomes after cochlear implantation, equal to the performance of genotyped patient with affected genes not expressed in the SGN. These findings are not in line with the spiral ganglion hypothesis. However, more recent studies showed that TMPRSS3 is mainly expressed in the hair cells with only limited SGN expression. Therefore, we cannot confirm nor refute the spiral ganglion hypothesis.</p