Direct mass measurements beyond the proton drip-line

First on-line mass measurements were performed at the SHIPTRAP Penning trap mass spectrometer. The masses of 18 neutron-deficient isotopes in the terbium-to-thulium region produced in fusion-evaporation reactions were determined with relative uncertainties of about $7\cdot 10^{-8}$, nine of them for the first time. Four nuclides ($^{144, 145}$Ho and $^{147, 148}$Tm) were found to be proton-unbound. The implication of the results on the location of the proton drip-line is discussed by analyzing the one-proton separation energies

Position-sensitive ion detection in precision Penning trap mass spectrometry

A commercial, position-sensitive ion detector was used for the first time for the time-of-flight ion-cyclotron resonance detection technique in Penning trap mass spectrometry. In this work, the characteristics of the detector and its implementation in a Penning trap mass spectrometer will be presented. In addition, simulations and experimental studies concerning the observation of ions ejected from a Penning trap are described. This will allow for a precise monitoring of the state of ion motion in the trap.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figure

Detecting spatial patterns of land cover and methane fluxes with remote sensing in Pallastunturi, Finland

Northern peatlands are a large source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere and can vary strongly depending on local environmental conditions. However, few studies have mapped fine-grained CH4 fluxes at the landscape-level. The aim of this study was to predict land cover and CH4 flux patterns in Pallastunturi, Finland, in a study area dominated by forests, peatlands, fells, and lakes. I used random forest models to map land cover types and CH4 fluxes with multi-source remote sensing data and upscaled CH4 fluxes based on land cover maps. The random forest classifier reliably detected the same land cover patterns as the CORINE Land Cover maps. The main differences between the land cover maps were forest type classification, misclassification between neighboring peatland types, and detection of sparsely vegetated areas on fells. The upscaled CH4 fluxes of sinks were very robust to changes in land cover classification, but shrub tundra and peatland CH4 fluxes were sensitive to the level of detail in the land cover classification. The random forest regression performed well (NRMSE 6.6%, R2 82%) and predicted similar CH4 flux patterns as the upscaled CH4 flux maps, despite predicting larger areas that act as CH4 sources than the upscaled CH4 flux maps. The random forest regressor also better predicted CH4 fluxes in peatlands due to added information about soil moisture content from the remote sensing data. Random forests are a good model choice to detect landscape patterns and predict CH4 patterns in northern peatlands based on remote sensing and topographic data

Intelligent Sensors and Components for On-Board ISHM

A viewgraph presentation on the development of intelligent sensors and components for on-board Integrated Systems Health Health Management (ISHM) is shown. The topics include: 1) Motivation; 2) Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM); 3) Intelligent Components; 4) IEEE 1451; 5)Intelligent Sensors; 6) Application; and 7) Future Direction

Nomination and Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices: Some Personal Observations

The following remarks were delivered on October 13, 1992, on the occasion of the first Frank M. Coffin Lecture on Law and Public Service, henceforth to be an annual event at the University of Maine School of Law. The speech was written by the late Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., who died a few weeks before the speech was to be given. The speech was presented by his widow, Olie Rauh, and their son, Michael Rauh

Adverbial reinforcement of demonstratives in dialectal German

In the German dialects of Rhine and Moselle Franconian, demonstratives are reinforced by locative adverbs do/lo ‘here/there’ in order to emphasize their deictic strength. Interestingly, these adverbs can also appear in the intermediate position, i.e., between the demonstrative and the noun (e.g. das do Bier ‘that there beer’), which is not possible in most other varieties of European German. Our questionnaire study and several written and oral sources suggest that reinforcement has become mandatory in demonstrative contexts. We analyze this grammaticalization process as reanalysis of do/lo from a lexical head to the head of a functional Index Phrase. We also show that a functional DP-shell can better cope with this kind of syntactic change and with certain serialization facts concerning adjoined adjectives

Detection of variable VHE gamma-ray emission from the extra-galactic gamma-ray binary LMC P3

Context. Recently, the high-energy (HE, 0.1-100 GeV) $\gamma$-ray emission from the object LMC P3 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has been discovered to be modulated with a 10.3-day period, making it the first extra-galactic $\gamma$-ray binary. Aims. This work aims at the detection of very-high-energy (VHE, >100 GeV) $\gamma$-ray emission and the search for modulation of the VHE signal with the orbital period of the binary system. Methods. LMC P3 has been observed with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.); the acceptance-corrected exposure time is 100 h. The data set has been folded with the known orbital period of the system in order to test for variability of the emission. Energy spectra are obtained for the orbit-averaged data set, and for the orbital phase bin around the VHE maximum. Results. VHE $\gamma$-ray emission is detected with a statistical significance of 6.4 $\sigma$. The data clearly show variability which is phase-locked to the orbital period of the system. Periodicity cannot be deduced from the H.E.S.S. data set alone. The orbit-averaged luminosity in the $1-10$ TeV energy range is $(1.4 \pm 0.2) \times 10^{35}$ erg/s. A luminosity of $(5 \pm 1) \times 10^{35}$ erg/s is reached during 20% of the orbit. HE and VHE $\gamma$-ray emissions are anti-correlated. LMC P3 is the most luminous $\gamma$-ray binary known so far.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in A&

Optical techniques for 3D surface reconstruction in computer-assisted laparoscopic surgery

One of the main challenges for computer-assisted surgery (CAS) is to determine the intra-opera- tive morphology and motion of soft-tissues. This information is prerequisite to the registration of multi-modal patient-specific data for enhancing the surgeon’s navigation capabilites by observ- ing beyond exposed tissue surfaces and for providing intelligent control of robotic-assisted in- struments. In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), optical techniques are an increasingly attractive approach for in vivo 3D reconstruction of the soft-tissue surface geometry. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art methods for optical intra-operative 3D reconstruction in laparoscopic surgery and discusses the technical challenges and future perspectives towards clinical translation. With the recent paradigm shift of surgical practice towards MIS and new developments in 3D opti- cal imaging, this is a timely discussion about technologies that could facilitate complex CAS procedures in dynamic and deformable anatomical regions