Measurement of the Permanent Electric Dipole Moment of the 129^{129}Xe Atom

We report on a new measurement of the CP-violating permanent Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) of the neutral $^{129}$Xe atom. Our experimental approach is based on the detection of the free precession of co-located nuclear spin-polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe samples. The EDM measurement sensitivity benefits strongly from long spin coherence times of several hours achieved in diluted gases and homogeneous weak magnetic fields of about 400~nT. A finite EDM is indicated by a change in the precession frequency, as an electric field is periodically reversed with respect to the magnetic guiding field. Our result, $\left(-4.7\pm6.4\right)\cdot 10^{-28}$ ecm, is consistent with zero and is used to place a new upper limit on the $^{129}$Xe EDM: $|d_\text{Xe}|<1.5 \cdot 10^{-27}$ ecm (95% C.L.). We also discuss the implications of this result for various CP-violating observables as they relate to theories of physics beyond the standard model

Composition and distribution of the peracarid crustacean fauna along a latitudinal transect off Victoria Land (Ross Sea, Antarctica) with special emphasis on the Cumacea

The following study was the first to describe composition and structure of the peracarid fauna systematically along a latitudinal transect off Victoria Land (Ross Sea, Antarctica). During the 19th Antarctic expedition of the Italian research vessel “Italica” in February 2004, macrobenthic samples were collected by means of a Rauschert dredge with a mesh size of 500 m at depths between 85 and 515 m. The composition of peracarid crustaceans, especially Cumacea was investigated. Peracarida contributed 63% to the total abundance of the fauna. The peracarid samples were dominated by amphipods (66%), whereas cumaceans were represented with 7%. Previously, only 13 cumacean species were known, now the number of species recorded from the Ross Sea increased to 34. Thus, the cumacean fauna of the Ross Sea, which was regarded as the poorest in terms of species richness, has to be considered as equivalent to that of other high Antarctic areas. Most important cumacean families concerning abundance and species richness were Leuconidae, Nannastacidae, and Diastylidae. Cumacean diversity was lowest at the northernmost area (Cape Adare). At the area off Coulman Island, which is characterized by muddy sediment, diversity was highest. Diversity and species number were higher at the deeper stations and abundance increased with latitude. A review of the bathymetric distribution of the Cumacea from the Ross Sea reveals that most species distribute across the Antarctic continental shelf and slope. So far, only few deep-sea records justify the assumption of a shallow-water–deep-sea relationship in some species of Ross Sea Cumacea, which is discussed from an evolutionary point of view

Portable inhalation systemfor a dosed insulin supply

Интенсивная инсулинотерапия необходима для контроля состояния пациентов с диабетом.Несмотря на постоянное усовершенствование инсулинотерапии, все ещ? существует проблема неудобства режимов многократных инъекций инсулина. Целью данной работы является создание системы, позволяющей осуществлять ингаляцию инсулина.Intensive insulin therapy is necessary for the control of a condition diabetic patients. Despite the constant improvement of insulin therapy, there is still the problem of discomfort repeated regimes of insulin injections. The objective of this work is to create a system that allows the inhalation of insulin

Experimental analysis of sample-based maps for long-term SLAM

This paper presents a system for long-term SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) by mobile service robots and its experimental evaluation in a real dynamic environment. To deal with the stability-plasticity dilemma (the trade-off between adaptation to new patterns and preservation of old patterns), the environment is represented at multiple timescales simultaneously (5 in our experiments). A sample-based representation is proposed, where older memories fade at different rates depending on the timescale, and robust statistics are used to interpret the samples. The dynamics of this representation are analysed in a five week experiment, measuring the relative influence of short- and long-term memories over time, and further demonstrating the robustness of the approach

The Millennium Arecibo 21-CM Absorption Line Survey. II. Properties of the Warm and Cold Neutral Media

We use the Gaussian-fit results of Paper I to investigate the properties of interstellar HI in the Solar neighborhood. The Warm and Cold Neutral Media (WNM and CNM) are physically distinct components. The CNM spin temperature histogram peaks at about 40 K. About 60% of all HI is WNM. At z=0, we derive a volume filling fraction of about 0.50 for the WNM; this value is very rough. The upper-limit WNM temperatures determined from line width range upward from about 500 K; a minimum of about 48% of the WNM lies in the thermally unstable region 500 to 5000 K. The WNM is a prominent constituent of the interstellar medium and its properties depend on many factors, requiring global models that include all relevant energy sources, of which there are many. We use Principal Components Analysis, together with a form of least squares fitting that accounts for errors in both the independent and dependent parameters, to discuss the relationships among the four CNM Gaussian parameters. The spin temperature T_s and column density N(HI) are, approximately, the two most important eigenvectors; as such, they are sufficient, convenient, and physically meaningful primary parameters for describing CNM clouds. The Mach number of internal macroscopic motions for CNM clouds is typically 2.5, but there are wide variations. We discuss the historical tau-T_s relationship in some detail and show that it has little physical meaning. We discuss CNM morphology using the CNM pressure known from UV stellar absorption lines. Knowing the pressure allows us to show that CNM structures cannot be isotropic but instead are sheetlike, with length-to-thickness aspect ratios ranging up to about 280. We present large-scale maps of two regions where CNM lies in very large ``blobby sheets''.Comment: Revised submission to Ap.J. Changes include: (1) correction of turbulent Mach number in equation 16 and figure 12; the new typical value is 1.3 versus the old, incorrect value 2.5. (2) smaller typeface for the astro-ph version to conserve paper. 60 pages, 16 figure

Precise Measurement of Magnetic Field Gradients from Free Spin Precession Signals of 3^{3}He and 129^{129}Xe Magnetometers

We report on precise measurements of magnetic field gradients extracted from transverse relaxation rates of precessing spin samples. The experimental approach is based on the free precession of gaseous, nuclear spin polarized $^3$He and $^{129}$Xe atoms in a spherical cell inside a magnetic guiding field of about 400 nT using LT$_C$ SQUIDs as low-noise magnetic flux detectors. The transverse relaxation rates of both spin species are simultaneously monitored as magnetic field gradients are varied. For transverse relaxation times reaching 100 h, the residual longitudinal field gradient across the spin sample could be deduced to be$|\vec{\nabla}B_z|=(5.6 \pm 0.4)$ pT/cm. The method takes advantage of the high signal-to-noise ratio with which the decaying spin precession signal can be monitored that finally leads to the exceptional accuracy to determine magnetic field gradients at the sub pT/cm scale

A new efficient approach to fit stochastic models on the basis of high-throughput experimental data using a model of IRF7 gene expression as case study

Background: Mathematical models are used to gain an integrative understanding of biochemical processes and networks. Commonly the models are based on deterministic ordinary differential equations. When molecular counts are low, stochastic formalisms like Monte Carlo simulations are more appropriate and well established. However, compared to the wealth of computational methods used to fit and analyze deterministic models, there is only little available to quantify the exactness of the fit of stochastic models compared to experimental data or to analyze different aspects of the modeling results. Results: Here, we developed a method to fit stochastic simulations to experimental high-throughput data, meaning data that exhibits distributions. The method uses a comparison of the probability density functions that are computed based on Monte Carlo simulations and the experimental data. Multiple parameter values are iteratively evaluated using optimization routines. The method improves its performance by selecting parameters values after comparing the similitude between the deterministic stability of the system and the modes in the experimental data distribution. As a case study we fitted a model of the IRF7 gene expression circuit to time-course experimental data obtained by flow cytometry. IRF7 shows bimodal dynamics upon IFN stimulation. This dynamics occurs due to the switching between active and basal states of the IRF7 promoter. However, the exact molecular mechanisms responsible for the bimodality of IRF7 is not fully understood. Conclusions: Our results allow us to conclude that the activation of the IRF7 promoter by the combination of IRF7 and ISGF3 is sufficient to explain the observed bimodal dynamics