Surface Warfare Officers Initial Training For Future Success

Science.gov (United States)

2018-03-01

9 A school is initial rating specific technical training that is given to sailors. 14 Figure 4. Less...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA MBA PROFESSIONAL REPORT SURFACE WARFARE OFFICERS— INITIAL TRAINING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS March 2018...professional report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE SURFACE WARFARE OFFICERS—INITIAL TRAINING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Arron J

Design and Implementation of Data Reduction Pipelines for the Keck Observatory Archive

Science.gov (United States)

Gelino, C. R.; Berriman, G. B.; Kong, M.; Laity, A. C.; Swain, M. A.; Campbell, R.; Goodrich, R. W.; Holt, J.; Lyke, J.; Mader, J. A.; Tran, H. D.; Barlow, T.

2015-09-01

The Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), a collaboration between the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute and the W. M. Keck Observatory, serves science and calibration data for all active and inactive instruments from the twin Keck Telescopes located near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. In addition to the raw data, we produce and provide quick look reduced data for four instruments (HIRES, LWS, NIRC2, and OSIRIS) so that KOA users can more easily assess the scientific content and the quality of the data, which can often be difficult with raw data. The reduced products derive from both publicly available data reduction packages (when available) and KOA-created reduction scripts. The automation of publicly available data reduction packages has the benefit of providing a good quality product without the additional time and expense of creating a new reduction package, and is easily applied to bulk processing needs. The downside is that the pipeline is not always able to create an ideal product, particularly for spectra, because the processing options for one type of target (eg., point sources) may not be appropriate for other types of targets (eg., extended galaxies and nebulae). In this poster we present the design and implementation for the current pipelines used at KOA and discuss our strategies for handling data for which the nature of the targets and the observers' scientific goals and data taking procedures are unknown. We also discuss our plans for implementing automated pipelines for the remaining six instruments.

Twenty Years of Precise Radial Velocities at Keck and Lick Observatories

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, J. T.

2015-10-01

The precise radial velocity survey at Keck Observatory began over 20 years ago. Its survey of thousands of stars now has the time baseline to be sensitive to planets with decade-long orbits, including Jupiter analogs. I present several newly-finished orbital solutions for long-period giant planets. Although hot Jupiters are generally ``lonely'' (i.e. they are not part of multiplanet systems), those that are not appear to often have giant companions at 5 AU or beyond. I present two of the highest period-ratios among planets in a two-planet system, and some of the longest orbital periods ever measured for exoplanets. In many cases, combining Keck radial velocities from those from other long-term surveys at Lick Observatory, McDonald Observatory, HARPS, and, of course, OHP spectrographs, produces superior orbital fits, constraining both period and eccentricity better than could be possible with any single set alone. Stellar magnetic activity cycles can masquerade as long-period planets. In most cases this effect is very small, but a loud minority of stars, including, apparently, HD 154345, show very strong RV-activity correlations.

WAVELENGTH ACCURACY OF THE KECK HIRES SPECTROGRAPH AND MEASURING CHANGES IN THE FINE STRUCTURE CONSTANT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griest, Kim; Whitmore, Jonathan B.; Wolfe, Arthur M.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Howk, J. Christopher; Marcy, Geoffrey W.

2010-01-01

We report on an attempt to accurately wavelength calibrate four nights of data taken with the Keck HIRES spectrograph on QSO PHL957, for the purpose of determining whether the fine structure constant was different in the past. Using new software and techniques, we measured the redshifts of various Ni II, Fe II, Si II, etc. lines in a damped Lyα system at z = 2.309. Roughly half the data were taken through the Keck iodine cell which contains thousands of well calibrated iodine lines. Using these iodine exposures to calibrate the normal Th-Ar Keck data pipeline output, we found absolute wavelength offsets of 500 m s -1 to 1000 m s -1 with drifts of more than 500 m s -1 over a single night, and drifts of nearly 2000 m s -1 over several nights. These offsets correspond to an absolute redshift of uncertainty of about Δz ∼ 10 -5 (Δλ ∼ 0.02 A), with daily drifts of around Δz ∼ 5 x 10 -6 (Δλ ∼ 0.01 A), and multiday drifts of nearly Δz ∼ 2 x 10 -5 (∼0.04 A). The causes of the wavelength offsets are not known, but since claimed shifts in the fine structure constant would result in velocity shifts of less than 100 m s -1 , this level of systematic uncertainty may make it difficult to use Keck HIRES data to constrain the change in the fine structure constant. Using our calibrated data, we applied both our own fitting software and standard fitting software to measure Δα/α, but discovered that we could obtain results ranging from significant detection of either sign, to strong null limits, depending upon which sets of lines and which fitting method were used. We thus speculate that the discrepant results on Δα/α reported in the literature may be due to random fluctuations coming from underestimated systematic errors in wavelength calibration and fitting procedure.

The Initial-Final Mass Relationship: Spectroscopy of White Dwarfs in NGC 2099 (M37)

Science.gov (United States)

Kalirai, Jasonjot Singh; Richer, Harvey B.; Reitzel, David; Hansen, Brad M. S.; Rich, R. Michael; Fahlman, Gregory G.; Gibson, Brad K.; von Hippel, Ted

2005-01-01

We present new observations of very faint white dwarfs (WDs) in the rich open star cluster NGC 2099 (M37). Following deep, wide-field imaging of the cluster using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, we have now obtained spectroscopic observations of candidate WDs using both the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini North and the Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Keck. Of our 24 WD candidates (all fainter than V=22.4), 21 are spectroscopically confirmed to be bona fide WDs, four or five of which are most likely field objects. Fitting 18 of the 21 WD spectra with model atmospheres, we find that most WDs in this cluster are quite massive (0.7-0.9 Msolar), as expected given the cluster's young age (650 Myr) and, hence, high turnoff mass (~2.4 Msolar). We determine a new initial-final mass relationship and almost double the number of existing data points from previous studies. The results indicate that stars with initial masses between 2.8 and 3.4 Msolar lose 70%-75% of their mass through stellar evolution. For the first time, we find some evidence of a metallicity dependence on the initial-final mass relationship. Based on observations with Gemini (run ID GN-2002B-Q-11) and Keck. Gemini is an international partnership managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

TWO EXOPLANETS DISCOVERED AT KECK OBSERVATORY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valenti, Jeff A.; Fischer, Debra; Giguere, Matt; Isaacson, Howard; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Howard, Andrew W.; Johnson, John A.; Henry, Gregory W.; Wright, Jason T.

2009-01-01

We present two exoplanets detected at Keck Observatory. HD 179079 is a G5 subgiant that hosts a hot Neptune planet with M sin i = 27.5 M + in a 14.48 days, low-eccentricity orbit. The stellar reflex velocity induced by this planet has a semiamplitude of K = 6.6 m s -1 . HD 73534 is a G5 subgiant with a Jupiter-like planet of M sin i = 1.1 M Jup and K = 16 m s -1 in a nearly circular 4.85 yr orbit. Both stars are chromospherically inactive and metal-rich. We discuss a known, classical bias in measuring eccentricities for orbits with velocity semiamplitudes, K, comparable to the radial velocity uncertainties. For exoplanets with periods longer than 10 days, the observed exoplanet eccentricity distribution is nearly flat for large amplitude systems (K > 80 m s -1 ), but rises linearly toward low eccentricity for lower amplitude systems (K > 20 m s -1 ).

Improving Undergraduate Research Experiences With An Intentional Mentoring Program: Lessons Learned Through Assessment of Keck Geology Consortium Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, K. R.; Garver, J. I.; Greer, L.; Pollock, M.; Varga, R. J.; Davidson, C. M.; Frey, H. M.; Hubbard, D. K.; Peck, W. H.; Wobus, R. A.

2015-12-01

The Keck Geology Consortium, with support from the National Science Foundation (REU Program) and ExxonMobil, is a collaborative effort by 18 colleges to improve geoscience education through high-quality research experiences. Since its inception in 1987 more than 1350 undergraduate students and 145 faculty have been involved in 189 yearlong research projects. This non-traditional REU model offers exceptional opportunities for students to address research questions at a deep level, to learn and utilize sophisticated analytical methods, and to engage in authentic collaborative research that culminates in an undergraduate research symposium and published abstracts volume. The large numbers of student and faculty participants in Keck projects also affords a unique opportunity to study the impacts of program design on undergraduate research experiences in the geosciences. Students who participate in Keck projects generally report significant gains in personal and professional dimensions, as well as in clarification of educational and career goals. Survey data from student participants, project directors, and campus advisors identify mentoring as one of the most critical and challenging elements of successful undergraduate research experiences. Additional challenges arise from the distributed nature of Keck projects (i.e., participants, project directors, advisors, and other collaborators are at different institutions) and across the span of yearlong projects. In an endeavor to improve student learning about the nature and process of science, and to make mentoring practices more intentional, the Consortium has developed workshops and materials to support both project directors and campus research advisors (e.g., best practices for mentoring, teaching ethical professional conduct, benchmarks for progress, activities to support students during research process). The Consortium continues to evolve its practices to better support students from underrepresented groups.

CHANDRA, KECK, AND VLA OBSERVATIONS OF THE CRAB NEBULA DURING THE 2011-APRIL GAMMA-RAY FLARE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weisskopf, Martin C.; Tennant, Allyn F.; O' Dell, Stephen L. [NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Office (ZP12), Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Arons, Jonathan [Astronomy Department and Theoretical Astrophysics Center, University of California, Berkeley, 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Blandford, Roger; Funk, Stefan; Romani, Roger W. [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Buehler, Rolf [DESY, Platanenallee 6, D-15738 Zeuthen (Germany); Caraveo, Patrizia; De Luca, Andrea [INAF-IASF Milano, via E. Bassini 15, I-20133 Milano (Italy); Cheung, Chi C. [National Research Council Research Associate, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC 20001 (United States); Costa, Enrico [INFN Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, I-00133 Roma (Italy); Ferrigno, Carlo [ISDC, Data Center for Astrophysics of the University of Geneva, chemin d' cogia 16, CH-1290 Versoix (Switzerland); Fu, Hai [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Habermehl, Moritz; Horns, Dieter [Institut fuer Experimentalphysik, Universitaet Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany); Linford, Justin D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, MSC07 4220, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 (United States); Lobanov, Andrei [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Max, Claire [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Mignani, Roberto [Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT (United Kingdom); and others

2013-03-01

We present results from our analysis of Chandra X-Ray Observatory, W. M. Keck Observatory, and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) images of the Crab Nebula that were contemporaneous with the {gamma}-ray flare of 2011 April. Despite hints in the X-ray data, we find no evidence for statistically significant variations that pinpoint the specific location of the flares within the Nebula. The Keck observations extend this conclusion to the 'inner knot', i.e., the feature within an arcsecond of the pulsar. The VLA observations support this conclusion. We also discuss theoretical implications of the {gamma}-ray flares and suggest that the most dramatic {gamma}-ray flares are due to radiation-reaction-limited synchrotron emission associated with sudden, dissipative changes in the current system sustained by the central pulsar.

Keck i LWS Mid-Ir Images and Photometry of 9P/TEMPEL 1

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Y. R.; Lisse, C. M.; A'Hearn, M. F.; Belton, M. J. S.

2010-01-01

This data set contains raw and reduced mid-infrared images and photometry of comet 9P/Tempel 1, the target of the Deep Impact mission. Images were acquired on the night of 21 August 2000, about 7.5 months after perihelion, by Y. Fernandez, C. Lisse, M. A'Hearn and M. Belton using the Long Wavelength Spectrometer instrument at the Keck I telescope.

Keck Spectroscopy of Globular Clusters in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610

OpenAIRE

Strader, Jay; Brodie, Jean P.; Schweizer, Francois; Larsen, Soeren S.; Seitzer, Patrick

2002-01-01

We present moderate-resolution Keck spectra of nine candidate globular clusters in the possible merger-remnant elliptical galaxy NGC 3610. Eight of the objects appear to be bona fide globular clusters of NGC 3610. We find that two of the clusters belong to an old metal-poor population, five to an old metal-rich population, and only one to an intermediate-age metal-rich population. The estimated age of the intermediate-age cluster is 1-5 Gyr, which is in agreement with earlier estimates of the...

THE W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY INFRARED VORTEX CORONAGRAPH AND A FIRST IMAGE OF HIP 79124 B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serabyn, E.; Liewer, K. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Huby, E.; Absil, O.; Carlomagno, B.; Defrère, D.; Delacroix, C.; Gonzalez, C. Gomez; Habraken, S.; Jolivet, A.; Piron, P. [Space Sciences, Technologies, and Astrophysics (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège, 19c allée du Six Août, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); Matthews, K.; Mawet, D.; Bottom, M. [California Institute of Technology, Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Femenia, B.; Wizinowich, P.; Campbell, R.; Lilley, S. [W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kamuela, HI (United States); Karlsson, M.; Forsberg, P., E-mail: gene.serabyn@jpl.nasa.gov [Department of Engineering Sciences, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala (Sweden); and others

2017-01-01

An optical vortex coronagraph has been implemented within the NIRC2 camera on the Keck II telescope and used to carry out on-sky tests and observations. The development of this new L ′-band observational mode is described, and an initial demonstration of the new capability is presented: a resolved image of the low-mass companion to HIP 79124, which had previously been detected by means of interferometry. With HIP 79124 B at a projected separation of 186.5 mas, both the small inner working angle of the vortex coronagraph and the related imaging improvements were crucial in imaging this close companion directly. Due to higher Strehl ratios and more relaxed contrasts in L ′ band versus H band, this new coronagraphic capability will enable high-contrast, small-angle observations of nearby young exoplanets and disks on a par with those of shorter-wavelength extreme adaptive optics coronagraphs.

Neptune’s zonal winds from near-IR Keck adaptive optics imaging in August 2001

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martin, S.C.; De Pater, I.; Marcus, P.

2011-01-01

We present H-band (1.4–1.8 ?m) images of Neptune with a spatial resolution of ?0.06?, taken with the W.M. Keck II telescope using the slit-viewing camera (SCAM) of the NIRSPEC instrument backed with Adaptive Optics. Images with 60-second integration times span 4 hours each on UT 20 and 21 August,

Operating a wide-area high-availability collaborative remote observing system for classically-scheduled observations at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Kibrick, Robert I.; Wirth, Gregory D.; Allen, Steven L.; Deich, William T. S.; Goodrich, Robert W.; Lanclos, Kyle; Lyke, James E.

2011-03-01

For over a decade, the W. M. Keck Observatory's two 10-meter telescopes have been operated remotely from its Waimea headquarters. Over the last 9 years, WMKO remote observing has expanded to allow observing teams at dedicated sites located across California to observe via the Internet either in collaboration with colleagues in Waimea or entirely from California; this capability was extended to Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia in 2010 and to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in early 2011. All Keck facility science instruments are currently supported. Observers distributed between as many as four sites can collaborate in the interactive operation of each instrument by means of shared VNC desktops and multipoint video and/or telephone conferencing. Automated routers at primary remote observing sites ensure continued connectivity during Internet outages. Each Keck remote observing facility is similarly equipped and configured so observers have the same operating environment. This architecture provides observers the flexibility to conduct observations from the location best suited to their needs and to adapt to last-minute changes. It also enhances the ability of off-site technical staff to provide remote support.

Addressing chronic operational issues at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Nordin, Tom; Matsuda, Richard

2016-07-01

The W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) has a good track record at addressing large critical faults which impact observing. Our performance tracking and correcting chronic minor faults has been mixed, yet this class of problems has a significant negative impact on scientific productivity and staff effectiveness. We have taken steps to address this shortcoming. This paper outlines the creation of a program to identify, categorize and rank these chronic operational issues, track them over time, and develop management options for their resolution. The success of the program at identifying these chronic operational issues and the advantages of dedicating observatory resources to this endeavor are presented.

THE TEAM KECK REDSHIFT SURVEY 2: MOSFIRE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE GOODS-NORTH FIELD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wirth, Gregory D.; Kassis, Marc; Lyke, Jim; Rizzi, Luca; Campbell, Randy; Goodrich, Robert W. [W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Trump, Jonathan R.; Barro, Guillermo; Guo, Yicheng; Koo, David C.; Liu, Fengshan; Faber, S. M., E-mail: gregory.wirth@gmail.com [University of California Observatories, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2015-11-15

We present the Team Keck Redshift Survey 2 (TKRS2), a near-infrared spectral observing program targeting selected galaxies within the CANDELS subsection of the GOODS-North Field. The TKRS2 program exploits the unique capabilities of the Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration (MOSFIRE), which entered service on the Keck I telescope in 2012 and contributes substantially to the study of galaxy spectral features at redshifts inaccessible to optical spectrographs. The TKRS2 project targets 97 galaxies drawn from samples that include z ≈ 2 emission-line galaxies with features observable in the JHK bands as well as lower-redshift targets with features in the Y band. We present a detailed measurement of MOSFIRE’s sensitivity as a function of wavelength, including the effects of telluric features across the YJHK filters. The largest utility of our survey is in providing rest-frame-optical emission lines for z > 1 galaxies, and we demonstrate that the ratios of strong, optical emission lines of z ≈ 2 galaxies suggest the presence of either higher N/O abundances than are found in z ≈ 0 galaxies or low-metallicity gas ionized by an active galactic nucleus. We have released all TKRS2 data products into the public domain to allow researchers access to representative raw and reduced MOSFIRE spectra.

Creation of an instrument maintenance program at W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, G. M.; Kwok, S. H.; Mader, J. A.; Wirth, G. D.; Dahm, S. E.; Goodrich, R. W.

2014-08-01

Until a few years ago, the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) did not have a systematic program of instrument maintenance at a level appropriate for a world-leading observatory. We describe the creation of such a program within the context of WMKO's lean operations model which posed challenges but also guided the design of the system and resulted in some unique and notable capabilities. These capabilities and the flexibility of the system have led to its adoption across the Observatory for virtually all PM's. The success of the Observatory in implementing the program and its impact on instrument reliability are presented. Lessons learned are reviewed and strategic implications discussed.

Brown dwarf distances and atmospheres: Spitzer Parallaxes and the Keck/NIRSPEC upgrade

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Emily C.

2018-01-01

Advances in infrared technology have been essential towards improving our understanding of the solar neighborhood, revealing a large population of brown dwarfs, which span the mass regime between planets and stars. My thesis combines near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic and astrometric analysis of nearby low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with instrumentation work to upgrade the NIRSPEC instrument for the Keck II Telescope. I will present results from a program using Spitzer/IRAC data to measure precise locations and distances to 22 of the coldest and closest brown dwarfs. These distances allow us to constrain absolute physical properties, such as mass, radius, and age, of free-floating planetary-mass objects through comparison to atmospheric and evolutionary models. NIR spectroscopy combined with the Spitzer photometry reveals a detailed look into the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and gaseous extrasolar planets. Additionally, I will discuss the improvements we are making to the NIRSPEC instrument at Keck. NIRSPEC is a NIR echelle spectrograph, capable of R~2000 and R~25,000 observations in the 1-5 μm range. As part of the upgrade, I performed detector characterization, optical design of a new slit-viewing camera, mechanical testing, and electronics design. NIRSPEC’s increased efficiency will allow us to obtain moderate- and high-resolution NIR spectra of objects up to a magnitude fainter than the current NIRSPEC design. Finally, I will demonstrate the utility of a NIR laser frequency comb as a high-resolution calibrator. This new technology will revolutionize precision radial velocity measurements in the coming decade.

Research report 1987-1989: Environmental Quality Laboratory and Environmental Engineering Science, W. M. Keck Laboratories

OpenAIRE

Brooks, Norman H.

1990-01-01

This research biennial report for 1987-89 covers the activities of both the Environmental Engineering Science program and the Environmental Quality Laboratory for the period October 1987-November 1989. Environmental Engineering Science is the degree-granting academic program housed in the Keck Laboratories, with associated research projects. The Environmental Quality Laboratory is a research center focusing on large scale problems of environmental quality and natural resources. All the facult...

Direct detection and orbital analysis of the exoplanets HR 8799 bcd from archival 2005 Keck/NIRC2 data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Currie, T.; Fukagawa, M.; Thalmann, C.; Matsumura, S.; Plavchan, P.

2012-01-01

We present previously unpublished 2005 July H-band coronagraphic data of the young, planet-hosting star HR 8799 from the newly released Keck/NIRC2 archive. Despite poor observing conditions, we detect three of the planets (HR 8799 bcd), two of them (HR 8799 bc) without advanced image processing.

A search for lithium in Pleiades brown dwarf candidates using the Keck hires echelle

Science.gov (United States)

Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Basri, Gibor; Graham, James R.

1994-01-01

We report Keck Observatory high-resolution echelle spectra of lithium at 670.8 nm in two of the lowest luminosity brown dwarf candidates in the Pleiades. These objects have estimated masses of 0.055 to 0.059 solar mass from their location on a color-magnitude diagram relative to theoretical isochrones. Stellar interior models predict that Li has not burned in them. However, we find no evidence of the Li line, at limits 100 to 1000 times below the initial abundance. This indicates that Li has in fact been depleted, presumably by nuclear processing as occurs in Pleiades stars. Interior models suggest that such large Li depletion occurs only for objects with M greater than 0.09 solar mass at the age of the Pleiades. Thus, it is unlikely that the candidates are brown dwarfs. The brown dwarf candidates present a conflict: either they have masses greater than suggested from their placement on the H-R diagram, or they do have the very low suggested masses but are nonetheless capable of destroying Li, in only 70 Myr. Until this dilemma is resolved, the photometric identification of brown dwarfs will remain difficult. Resolution may reside in higher T(sub eff) derived from optical and IR colors or in lower T(sub eff) in the interior models.

High-speed x-ray imaging with the Keck pixel array detector (Keck PAD) for time-resolved experiments at synchrotron sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Philipp, Hugh T., E-mail: htp2@cornell.edu; Tate, Mark W.; Purohit, Prafull; Shanks, Katherine S.; Weiss, Joel T. [Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Chamberlain, Darol; Gruner, Sol M. [Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States)

2016-07-27

Modern storage rings are readily capable of providing intense x-ray pulses, tens of picoseconds in duration, millions of times per second. Exploiting the temporal structure of these x-ray sources opens avenues for studying rapid structural changes in materials. Many processes (e.g. crack propagation, deformation on impact, turbulence, etc.) differ in detail from one sample trial to the next and would benefit from the ability to record successive x-ray images with single x-ray sensitivity while framing at 5 to 10 MHz rates. To this end, we have pursued the development of fast x-ray imaging detectors capable of collecting bursts of images that enable the isolation of single synchrotron bunches and/or bunch trains. The detector technology used is the hybrid pixel array detector (PAD) with a charge integrating front-end, and high-speed, in-pixel signal storage elements. A 384×256 pixel version, the Keck-PAD, with 150 µm × 150 µm pixels and 8 dedicated in-pixel storage elements is operational, has been tested at CHESS, and has collected data for compression wave studies. An updated version with 27 dedicated storage capacitors and identical pixel size has been fabricated.

Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition Impact through the Feed the Future Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Lidan; Pinga, Victor; Klein, Alyssa; Danton, Heather

2015-01-01

Nutrition is a multisectoral problem; current state of empirical evidence for agricultural interventions' impacts on nutrition is weak. In the past 10 years, both agriculture and nutrition have risen on the global policy agenda. Several recent international movements have created great momentum for nutrition among global political leaders and policymakers. The 2008 world food price crisis prompted larger investment pledges to agricultural development. The U.S. Government launched the Feed the Future initiative in 2009 to address global hunger and food security, with a primary goal to reduce poverty and undernutrition by simultaneously promoting inclusive agriculture sector growth and improved nutritional status for women and children. With operations in 19 focus countries, Feed the Future provides an important laboratory of learning where efforts can be effective and, once proven, taken to scale to make agriculture work for nutrition. The Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) project has been conducting a series of research on the Feed the Future initiative. This chapter will first provide a review of the nutrition narrative in relation to food and nutrition, introduce the current understanding of linkages between agriculture and nutrition and the Feed the Future initiative's efforts to strengthen the nutritional impact of agricultural and economic growth activities, and describe an extensive review of how the design and early implementation of Feed the Future activities linked agriculture and nutrition. Finally, the chapter presents an updated framework that incorporates ways to improve nutrition outcomes of agricultural programming in the broader context of food system. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling of Future Initial Teacher of Foreign Language Training, Using Situation Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryana М. Sidun

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article discloses the content of modeling of future initial teacher of foreign language, using situation analysis, defines the stages of modeling during the professional competence formation of future teacher of foreign language: preparatory, analytical and executive.

Confronting Standard Models of Proto-planetary Disks with New Mid-infrared Sizes from the Keck Interferometer

OpenAIRE

Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Che, Xiao; Monnier, John D.; Sitko, Michael L.; Russell, Ray W.; Grady, Carol A.; Day, Amanda N.; Perry, R. B.; Harries, Tim J.; Aarnio, Alicia N.; Colavita, Mark M.; Wizinowich, Peter L.; Ragland, Sam; Woillez, Julien

2016-01-01

We present near- and mid-infrared (MIR) interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the infrared telescope facilities (IRTFs) of 11 well-known young stellar objects, several of which were observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With au-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inne...

Time Evolution of Io’s volcanoes Pele and Pillan from 1996 - 2015, as derived from Galileo NIMS, Keck, Gemini, IRTF, and LBTI observations

Science.gov (United States)

de Pater, Imke

2015-11-01

We present highlights of our observations of Pele and Pillan on Io, and a multi-decade timeline of thermal emission intensities in both regions. Io was regularly observed by Galileo NIMS during 1996-2001. Since 2001 the satellite has been imaged semi-regularly with NIRC2, coupled to an adaptive optics system, on the 10-m Keck telescope. In 1997, Galileo NIMS observed a large and highly-variable eruption close to Pillan Mons; this eruption lasted several months [1]. Since that time no eruptions had been seen (but time coverage was scarce), until our Keck images on 14 August 2007 revealed an active and highly-energetic eruption at a location close to that of the 1997 eruptions. A one-temperature blackbody fit to the data revealed a (blackbody) temperature of 840 ± 40 K over an area of 17 km2, with a total power output of ~500 GW. Using Davies’ (1996) Io Flow Model [2] we find that the oldest lava present is less than 1-2 hours old, having cooled down from the eruption temperature of >1400 K to ~710 K. This young, hot lava suggests that an episode of lava fountaining was underway. Since 2007, several eruptions have been seen in the Pillan region. The 18 February 2015 eruption was discovered during a mutual occultation event with the NASA IRTF. This event was (serendipitously) subsequently imaged with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) on 8 March 2015 during a mutual event occultation, and again with the IRTF on 15 March. The site was imaged with the Keck and Gemini-N telescopes between 27 March and May 5, during which time the intensity gradually decreased. Interestingly, the precise location of the eruption had shifted to the north-west from Pillan Patera, where the initial (18 Feb) eruption had taken place. In contrast to the episodicity of Pillan, Pele has been remarkably consistent in its thermal emission during the Galileo era [1] through February 2002, when a blackbody temperature of 940 ± 40 K and an area of 6.5 km2 was measured. Since that

The Keck/OSIRIS Nearby AGN Survey (KONA). I. The Nuclear K-band Properties of Nearby AGN

Science.gov (United States)

Müller-Sánchez, F.; Hicks, E. K. S.; Malkan, M.; Davies, R.; Yu, P. C.; Shaver, S.; Davis, B.

2018-05-01

We introduce the Keck OSIRIS Nearby AGN survey (KONA), a new adaptive optics-assisted integral-field spectroscopic survey of Seyfert galaxies. KONA permits at ∼0.″1 resolution a detailed study of the nuclear kinematic structure of gas and stars in a representative sample of 40 local bona fide active galactic nucleus (AGN). KONA seeks to characterize the physical processes responsible for the coevolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies, principally inflows and outflows. With these IFU data of the nuclear regions of 40 Seyfert galaxies, the KONA survey will be able to study, for the first time, a number of key topics with meaningful statistics. In this paper we study the nuclear K-band properties of nearby AGN. We find that the K-band (2.1 μm) luminosities of the compact Seyfert 1 nuclei are correlated with the hard X-ray luminosities, implying a non-stellar origin for the majority of the continuum emission. The best-fit correlation is log L K = 0.9log L 2–10 keV + 4 over three orders of magnitude in both K-band and X-ray luminosities. We find no strong correlation between 2.1 μm luminosity and hard X-ray luminosity for the Seyfert 2 galaxies. The spatial extent and spectral slope of the Seyfert 2 galaxies indicate the presence of nuclear star formation and attenuating material (gas and dust), which in some cases is compact and in some galaxies extended. We detect coronal-line emission in 36 galaxies and for the first time in 5 galaxies. Finally, we find 4/20 galaxies that are usually classified as Seyfert 2 based on their optical spectra exhibit a broad component of Brγ emission, and one galaxy (NGC 7465) shows evidence of a double nucleus. Based on observations at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M

Deep Keck u-Band Imaging of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: A Catalog of z ~ 3 Lyman Break Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Rafelski, Marc; Wolfe, Arthur M.; Cooke, Jeff; Chen, Hsiao-Wen; Armandroff, Taft E.; Wirth, Gregory D.

2009-10-01

We present a sample of 407 z ~ 3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) to a limiting isophotal u-band magnitude of 27.6 mag in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The LBGs are selected using a combination of photometric redshifts and the u-band drop-out technique enabled by the introduction of an extremely deep u-band image obtained with the Keck I telescope and the blue channel of the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The Keck u-band image, totaling 9 hr of integration time, has a 1σ depth of 30.7 mag arcsec-2, making it one of the most sensitive u-band images ever obtained. The u-band image also substantially improves the accuracy of photometric redshift measurements of ~50% of the z ~ 3 LBGs, significantly reducing the traditional degeneracy of colors between z ~ 3 and z ~ 0.2 galaxies. This sample provides the most sensitive, high-resolution multi-filter imaging of reliably identified z ~ 3 LBGs for morphological studies of galaxy formation and evolution and the star formation efficiency of gas at high redshift.

Operating a wide-area remote observing system for the W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Gregory D.; Kibrick, Robert I.; Goodrich, Robert W.; Lyke, James E.

2008-07-01

For over a decade, the W. M. Keck Observatory's two 10-meter telescopes have been operated remotely from its Waimea headquarters. Over the last 6 years, WMKO remote observing has expanded to allow teams at dedicated sites in California to observe either in collaboration with colleagues in Waimea or entirely from the U.S. mainland. Once an experimental effort, the Observatory's mainland observing capability is now fully operational, supported on all science instruments (except the interferometer) and regularly used by astronomers at eight mainland sites. Establishing a convenient and secure observing capability from those sites required careful planning to ensure that they are properly equipped and configured. It also entailed a significant investment in hardware and software, including both custom scripts to simplify launching the instrument interface at remote sites and automated routers employing ISDN backup lines to ensure continuation of observing during Internet outages. Observers often wait until shortly before their runs to request use of the mainland facilities. Scheduling these requests and ensuring proper system operation prior to observing requires close coordination between personnel at WMKO and the mainland sites. An established protocol for approving requests and carrying out pre-run checkout has proven useful in ensuring success. The Observatory anticipates enhancing and expanding its remote observing system. Future plans include deploying dedicated summit computers for running VNC server software, implementing a web-based tracking system for mainland-based observing requests, expanding the system to additional mainland sites, and converting to full-time VNC operation for all instruments.

THE OLD, SUPER-METAL-RICH OPEN CLUSTER, NGC 6791—ELEMENTAL ABUNDANCES IN TURN-OFF STARS FROM KECK/HIRES SPECTRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merchant Boesgaard, Ann; Lum, Michael G. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai' i at Manoa, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Deliyannis, Constantine P., E-mail: boes@ifa.hawaii.edu, E-mail: mikelum@ifa.hawaii.edu, E-mail: cdeliyan@indiana.edu [Department of Astronomy, Indiana University 727 East 3rd Street, Swain Hall West 319, Bloomington, IN 47405-7105 (United States)

2015-02-01

The study of star clusters has advanced our understanding of stellar evolution, Galactic chemical evolution, and nucleosynthesis. Here we investigate the composition of turn-off stars in the intriguing open cluster, NGC 6791, which is old, but super-metal-rich with high-resolution (R = 46,000) Keck/HIRES spectra. We find [Fe/H] = +0.30 ± 0.02 from measurements of some 40 unblended, unsaturated lines of both Fe I and Fe II in eight turn-off stars. Our O abundances come from the O I triplet near 7774 Å and we perform a differential analysis relative to the Sun from our Lunar spectrum also obtained with Keck/HIRES. The O results are corrected for small nLTE effects. We find consistent ratios of [O/Fe]{sub n} with a mean of –0.06 ± 0.02. This is low with respect to field stars that are also both old and metal-rich and continue the trend of decreasing [O/Fe] with increasing [Fe/H]. The small range in our oxygen abundances is consistent with a single population of stars. Our results for the alpha elements [Mg/Fe], [Si/Fe], [Ca/Fe], and [Ti/Fe] are near solar and compare well with those of the old, metal-rich field stars. The two Fe-peak elements, Cr and Ni, are consistent with Fe. These turn-off-star abundances provide benchmark abundances to investigate whether there are any observable abundance differences with the giants that might arise from nuclear-burning and dredge-up processes. Determinations of upper limits were found for Li by spectrum synthesis and are consistent with the upper limits in similar stars in the relatively old, super-metal-rich cluster NGC 6253. Our results support the prediction from standard theory that higher-metallicity stars deplete more Li. Probably no stars in NGC 6791 have retained their initial Li.

DEEP KECK u-BAND IMAGING OF THE HUBBLE ULTRA DEEP FIELD: A CATALOG OF z ∼ 3 LYMAN BREAK GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rafelski, Marc; Wolfe, Arthur M.; Cooke, Jeff; Chen, H.-W.; Armandroff, Taft E.; Wirth, Gregory D.

2009-01-01

We present a sample of 407 z ∼ 3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) to a limiting isophotal u-band magnitude of 27.6 mag in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. The LBGs are selected using a combination of photometric redshifts and the u-band drop-out technique enabled by the introduction of an extremely deep u-band image obtained with the Keck I telescope and the blue channel of the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The Keck u-band image, totaling 9 hr of integration time, has a 1σ depth of 30.7 mag arcsec -2 , making it one of the most sensitive u-band images ever obtained. The u-band image also substantially improves the accuracy of photometric redshift measurements of ∼50% of the z ∼ 3 LBGs, significantly reducing the traditional degeneracy of colors between z ∼ 3 and z ∼ 0.2 galaxies. This sample provides the most sensitive, high-resolution multi-filter imaging of reliably identified z ∼ 3 LBGs for morphological studies of galaxy formation and evolution and the star formation efficiency of gas at high redshift.

From the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative to the Northern Eurasia Future Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Streletskiy, D. A.; Groisman, P. Y.; Shugart, H. H., Jr.; Gulev, S.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Qi, J.

2017-12-01

Since 2004, the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) - an interdisciplinary program of internationally-supported Earth systems and science research - has addressed large-scale and long-term manifestations of climate and environmental changes over Northern Eurasia and their impact on the Global Earth system. With 40 books and more than 1500 peer-reviewed journal publications to its credit, NEESPI's output can now be used to directly support decision-making for societal needs. Specifically, it was decided to shift gradually the foci of regional studies in Northern Eurasia towards applications with the following major Science Question: "What dynamic and interactive change(s) will affect societal well-being, activities, and health, and what might be the mitigation and adaptation strategies that could support sustainable development and decision-making activities in Northern Eurasia?" To answer this question requires a stronger socio-economic component in the ongoing and future regional studies focused on sustainable societal development under changing climatic and environmental conditions. The NEESPI Research Team has reorganized itself into "Northern Eurasia Future Initiative" (NEFI) and developed a new Science Plan released in June 2016. The Plan underwent a 6-month-long public review and was finalized at the end of 2016. Its description was thereafter split between two review papers: Groisman et al. (2017) and Monier et al. (2017). The first paper describes the Plan rationale and a new set of topical questions. The second paper describes a major modeling approach that will be employed in addressing the "what to do" questions of the NEFI Research (cf., presentation by Monier et al. at this Session). In the current presentation, we outline the new NEFI research foci and present latest NEFI findings including international projects in the Eurasian Arctic, boreal zone, and the Dry Land Belt of Northern Eurasia (cf., also presentations at sister

KECK NIRSPEC RADIAL VELOCITY OBSERVATIONS OF LATE-M DWARFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanner, Angelle; White, Russel [Department of Astronomy, Georgia State University, One Park Place, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Bailey, John [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 830 Dennison Building, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042 (United States); Blake, Cullen [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Peyton Hall, Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Blake, Geoffrey [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Cruz, Kelle [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 (United States); Burgasser, Adam J. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States); Kraus, Adam [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)

2012-11-15

We present the results of an infrared spectroscopic survey of 23 late-M dwarfs with the NIRSPEC echelle spectrometer on the Keck II telescope. Using telluric lines for wavelength calibration, we are able to achieve measurement precisions of down to 45 m s{sup -1} for our late-M dwarfs over a one- to four-year long baseline. Our sample contains two stars with radial velocity (RV) variations of >1000 m s{sup -1}. While we require more measurements to determine whether these RV variations are due to unseen planetary or stellar companions or are the result of starspots known to plague the surface of M dwarfs, we can place upper limits of <40 M{sub J} sin i on the masses of any companions around those two M dwarfs with RV variations of <160 m s{sup -1} at orbital periods of 10-100 days. We have also measured the rotational velocities for all the stars in our late-M dwarf sample and offer our multi-order, high-resolution spectra over 2.0-2.4 {mu}m to the atmospheric modeling community to better understand the atmospheres of late-M dwarfs.

KECK NIRSPEC RADIAL VELOCITY OBSERVATIONS OF LATE-M DWARFS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanner, Angelle; White, Russel; Bailey, John; Blake, Cullen; Blake, Geoffrey; Cruz, Kelle; Burgasser, Adam J.; Kraus, Adam

2012-01-01

We present the results of an infrared spectroscopic survey of 23 late-M dwarfs with the NIRSPEC echelle spectrometer on the Keck II telescope. Using telluric lines for wavelength calibration, we are able to achieve measurement precisions of down to 45 m s –1 for our late-M dwarfs over a one- to four-year long baseline. Our sample contains two stars with radial velocity (RV) variations of >1000 m s –1 . While we require more measurements to determine whether these RV variations are due to unseen planetary or stellar companions or are the result of starspots known to plague the surface of M dwarfs, we can place upper limits of J sin i on the masses of any companions around those two M dwarfs with RV variations of –1 at orbital periods of 10-100 days. We have also measured the rotational velocities for all the stars in our late-M dwarf sample and offer our multi-order, high-resolution spectra over 2.0-2.4 μm to the atmospheric modeling community to better understand the atmospheres of late-M dwarfs.

A Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of faint Galactic satellites: searching for the least massive dwarf galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, N. F.; Ibata, R. A.; Chapman, S. C.; Irwin, M.; Lewis, G. F.

2007-09-01

We present the results of a spectroscopic survey of the recently discovered faint Milky Way satellites Boötes, Ursa Major I, Ursa Major II and Willman 1 (Wil1). Using the DEep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph mounted on the Keck II telescope, we have obtained samples that contain from ~15 to ~85 probable members of these satellites for which we derive radial velocities precise to a few kms-1 down to i ~ 21-22. About half of these stars are observed with a high enough signal-to-noise ratio to estimate their metallicity to within +/-0.2 dex. The characteristics of all the observed stars are made available, along with those of the Canes Venatici I dwarf galaxy that have been analysed in a companion paper. From this data set, we show that Ursa Major II is the only object that does not show a clear radial velocity peak. However, the measured systemic radial velocity (vr = 115 +/- 5kms-1) is in good agreement with simulations in which this object is the progenitor of the recently discovered Orphan Stream. The three other satellites show velocity dispersions that make them highly dark matter dominated systems (under the usual assumptions of symmetry and virial equilibrium). In particular, we show that despite its small size and faintness, the Wil1 object is not a globular cluster given its metallicity scatter over -2.0 systemic velocity of -12.3 +/- 2.3kms-1 which implies a mass-to-light ratio of ~700 and a total mass of ~5 × 105Msolar for this satellite, making it the least massive satellite galaxy known to date. Such a low mass could mean that the 107Msolar limit that had until now never been crossed for Milky Way and Andromeda satellite galaxies may only be an observational limit and that fainter, less massive systems exist within the Local Group. However, more modelling and an extended search for potential extratidal stars are required to rule out the possibility that these systems have not been significantly heated by tidal interaction. The data presented herein

Metallicity and Kinematics of M31's Outer Stellar Halo from a Keck Spectroscopic Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Reitzel, David B.; Guhathakurta, Puragra

2002-07-01

We present first results from a spectroscopic survey designed to examine the metallicity and kinematics of individual red giant branch stars in the outer halo of the Andromeda spiral galaxy (M31). This study is based on multislit spectroscopy with the Keck II 10 m telescope and Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph of the Ca II near-infrared triplet in 99 M31 halo candidates in a field at R=19 kpc on the southeast minor axis with brightnesses from 20intermediate-velocity stars (-160~2 dex range over which the abundance measurement methods are calibrated. The mean/median metallicity of the M31 halo is about =-1.9 to -1.1 dex (depending on the details of metallicity calibration and sample selection) and possibly higher: the high-metallicity end of the distribution is poorly constrained by our data since the selection function for the secure M31 sample excludes over 80% of the giants in solar/supersolar metallicity range. Possible reasons are explored for the apparent discrepancy between the mean [Fe/H] found in our spectroscopic survey (corrected for metallicity selection bias) and the slightly higher mean values found in earlier photometric studies. Field halo red giants in M31 appear to be somewhat more metal-rich on average than their Milky Way counterparts. The M31 halo [Fe/H] distribution is comparable to that of M31 globular clusters, Galactic globular clusters, and Local Group dwarf satellite galaxies. The data in this 19 kpc outer halo field are broadly consistent with a scenario in which the halo is built from the accretion of small stellar subsystems. There are four stars in the secure M31 sample that have particularly strong Ca II lines, indicating solar metallicity, at a common velocity of ~-340 km s-1 close to the galaxy's systemic velocity, similar to what might be expected for M31 disk giants on the minor axis. An extrapolation of the inner disk brightness profile, however, falls far short of accounting for these four stars-the disk would instead have to

The W. M. Keck Telescope segmented primary mirror active control system software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen, R.W. (Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA) California Association for Research in Astronomy, Kamuela, HI (USA)); Andreae, S.; Biocca, A.K.; Jared, R.C.; Llacer, J.; Meng, J.D.; Minor, R.H.; Orayani, M. (Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA))

1989-07-01

The active control system (ACS) uses both parallel and distributed processing techniques to measure and control the positions of the 36 segments of the Keck Observatory Telescope primary mirror. The main function of the software is to maintain the mirror figure; to accomplish this goal the software uses a predictive, feed-forward'' mechanism which effectively increases the system bandwidth for the most important sources of perturbation. The software executes on a set of twelve 68000-family processors under the supervision of a VAX workstation. An array of nine parallel I/O processors collect and process data from 168 displacement sensors and transmit motion commands to 108 actuators. Three additional processors simultaneously compute actuator commands, monitor system performance, compute sensor control parameters and communicate with other observatory computers. The software is highly optimized for speed. 6 refs., 7 figs.

Constraints on cosmological birefringence from PLANCK and Bicep2/Keck data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruppuso, A. [INAF-IASF Bologna, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Gerbino, M.; Pagano, L.; Melchiorri, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN, Università di Roma ' ' La Sapienza' ' , P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome (Italy); Natoli, P.; Mandolesi, N.; Molinari, D., E-mail: gruppuso@iasbo.inaf.it, E-mail: martina.gerbino@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: ntlpla@unife.it, E-mail: luca.pagano@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: mandolesi@iasfbo.inaf.it, E-mail: alessandro.melchiorri@roma1.infn.it, E-mail: molinari@iasfbo.inaf.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra and INFN, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, I-44100 Ferrara (Italy)

2016-06-01

The polarization of cosmic microwave background (CMB) can be used to constrain cosmological birefringence, the rotation of the linear polarization of CMB photons potentially induced by parity violating physics beyond the standard model. This effect produces non-null CMB cross correlations between temperature and B mode-polarization, and between E- and B-mode polarization. Both cross-correlations are otherwise null in the standard cosmological model. We use the recently released 2015 PLANCK likelihood in combination with the Bicep2/Keck/Planck (BKP) likelihood to constrain the birefringence angle α. Our findings, that are compatible with no detection, read α = 0.0° ± 1.3° (stat) ± 1° (sys) for PLANCK data and α = 0.30° ± 0.27° (stat) ± 1° (sys) for BKP data. We finally forecast the expected improvements over present constraints when the PLANCK BB, TB and EB spectra at high ℓ will be included in the analysis.

KECK SPECTROSCOPY OF LYMAN-BREAK GALAXIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UV-CONTINUUM AND Lyα LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AT z > 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Linhua; Egami, Eiichi; Walth, Gregory; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Matsuda, Yuichi; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro; Nagao, Tohru; Ota, Kazuaki; Ouchi, Masami

2011-01-01

We present Keck spectroscopic observations of z > 6 Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) candidates in the Subaru Deep Field (SDF). The candidates were selected as i'-dropout objects down to z' = 27 AB magnitudes from an ultra-deep SDF z'-band image. With the Keck spectroscopy we identified 19 LBGs with prominent Lyα emission lines at 6 ≤ z ≤ 6.4. The median value of the Lyα rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) is ∼50 Å, with four EWs >100 Å. This well-defined spectroscopic sample spans a UV-continuum luminosity range of –21.8 ≤ M UV ≤ –19.5 (0.6 ∼ 5 L* UV ) and a Lyα luminosity range of (0.3-3) × 10 43 erg s –1 (0.3-3 L* Lyα ). We derive the UV and Lyα luminosity functions (LFs) from our sample at (z) ∼ 6.2 after we correct for sample incompleteness. We find that our measurement of the UV LF is consistent with the results of previous studies based on photometric LBG samples at 5 6.

Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) — a glimpse into current and future projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

With more than 170 projects successfully supported, benefiting more than 130 Member States, the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) has been an effective mechanism for raising additional resources to meet the needs of Member States. The IAEA hopes to carry on with this initiative to further expand the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in promoting broad development goals. Here is a glimpse into some of the major current and future PUI-supported projects that need additional financial contributions. For more information, see: www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/ peaceful-uses-initiative.

Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) — A glimpse into current and future projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

With more than 170 projects successfully supported, benefiting more than 130 Member States, the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) has been an effective mechanism for raising additional resources to meet the needs of Member States. The IAEA hopes to carry on with this initiative to further expand the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in promoting broad development goals. Here is a glimpse into some of the major current and future PUI-supported projects that need additional financial contributions. For more information, see: www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/ peaceful-uses-initiative

Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) — A glimpse into current and future projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-01-01

With more than 170 projects successfully supported, benefiting more than 130 Member States, the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) has been an effective mechanism for raising additional resources to meet the needs of Member States. The IAEA hopes to carry on with this initiative to further expand the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in promoting broad development goals. Here is a glimpse into some of the major current and future PUI-supported projects that need additional financial contributions. For more information, see: www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/ peaceful-uses-initiative.

The effects of initial education and training of future foreign language teachers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorđević Ana B.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The effects that initial education and training of future foreign language teachers have on their pedagogic convictions and practice have been of prime interest of numerous authors in the last three decades. In difference to previous pessimistic conclusions in which this type of intervention was assessed as weak and stressed the persistence of preconceived notions of the candidates based on personal experiences from earlier schooling, more recent studies, in the constructivistic spirit of the change of cognition of the students - future teachers is considered more widely, not only as a complete change of the contents of their convictions, i.e. a sudden turn in their attitudes on the group level, but also as a smaller or bigger level of idiosyncratic reconstruction of the existing pedagogic convictions which happens because of acquiring new information and experiences that can reflect significantly on their future work in classroom. The aim of our research was to explore, by reviewing scientific and professional literature, the effects of the initial education and training of foreign language teachers, and focusing on different aspects of the preparation for the teacher's profession (theoretical lecturing and practical training, to find out in which ways various programs can influence the cognition of foreign language teachers and to consider pedagogic implications that these information might have for the organization of initial education and training of students.

A case study in adaptable and reusable infrastructure at the Keck Observatory Archive: VO interfaces, moving targets, and more

Science.gov (United States)

Berriman, G. Bruce; Cohen, Richard W.; Colson, Andrew; Gelino, Christopher R.; Good, John C.; Kong, Mihseh; Laity, Anastasia C.; Mader, Jeffrey A.; Swain, Melanie A.; Tran, Hien D.; Wang, Shin-Ywan

2016-08-01

The Keck Observatory Archive (KOA) (https://koa.ipac.caltech.edu) curates all observations acquired at the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) since it began operations in 1994, including data from eight active instruments and two decommissioned instruments. The archive is a collaboration between WMKO and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI). Since its inception in 2004, the science information system used at KOA has adopted an architectural approach that emphasizes software re-use and adaptability. This paper describes how KOA is currently leveraging and extending open source software components to develop new services and to support delivery of a complete set of instrument metadata, which will enable more sophisticated and extensive queries than currently possible. In August 2015, KOA deployed a program interface to discover public data from all instruments equipped with an imaging mode. The interface complies with version 2 of the Simple Imaging Access Protocol (SIAP), under development by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA), which defines a standard mechanism for discovering images through spatial queries. The heart of the KOA service is an R-tree-based, database-indexing mechanism prototyped by the Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO) and further developed by the Montage Image Mosaic project, designed to provide fast access to large imaging data sets as a first step in creating wide-area image mosaics (such as mosaics of subsets of the 4.7 million images of the SDSS DR9 release). The KOA service uses the results of the spatial R-tree search to create an SQLite data database for further relational filtering. The service uses a JSON configuration file to describe the association between instrument parameters and the service query parameters, and to make it applicable beyond the Keck instruments. The images generated at the Keck telescope usually do not encode the image footprints as WCS fields in the FITS file headers. Because SIAP

C3R2 - Complete Calibration of the Color-Redshift Relation: Keck spectroscopy to train photometric redshifts for Euclid and WFIRST

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Daniel; C3R2 Team

2017-01-01

A primary objective of both WFIRST and Euclid is to provide a 3D map of the distribution of matter across a significant fraction of the universe from the weak lensing shear field, but to do so requires robust distances to billions of galaxies. I will report on a multi-semester program, expected to total approximately 40 nights with Keck over the next two years. This program, supporting both the NASA PCOS and COR science goals, will obtain the necessary galaxy spectroscopy to calibrate the color-redshift relation for the Euclid mission, and make significant progress towards the WFIRST requirements. The program, called C3R2 or Complete Calibration of the Color-Redshift Relation, already encompasses 10 allocated nights of NASA Keck Key Strategic Mission Support (PI D. Stern), 12 allocated nights from Caltech (PI J. Cohen), 3 allocated nights from the University of Hawaii (PI D. Sanders), and 1.5 allocated nights from UC-Riverside (PI B. Mobasher). We are also pursuing opportunities at additional 8- to 10-meter class telescopes, including Magellan, VLT and GCT. I will present the motivation for this program, the plans, and current results.

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online: lessons learned, initial findings and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Glueckauf, Robert L; Loomis, Jeffrey S

2003-01-01

Family caregivers of older adults with progressive dementia (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) are faced with a variety of emotional and behavioral difficulties, such as dealing with persistent, repetitive questions, managing agitation and depression, and monitoring hygiene and self-care activities. Although professional and governmental organizations have called for the creation of community-based education and support programs, most dementia caregivers continue to receive little or no formal instruction in responding effectively to these challenges. The current paper describes the development and implementation of Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Online, a Web- and telephone-based education and support network for caregivers of individuals with progressive dementia. Lessons learned from the first two years of this state-supported initiative are discussed, followed by the findings of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded strategic marketing initiative and an initial program evaluation of AlzOnline's Positive Caregiving classes. Finally, clinical implications and future directions for program development and evaluation research are proposed.

Discovery of a Highly Unequal-mass Binary T Dwarf with Keck Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics: A Coevality Test of Substellar Theoretical Models and Effective Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Michael C.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Leggett, S. K.

2010-10-01

Highly unequal-mass ratio binaries are rare among field brown dwarfs, with the mass ratio distribution of the known census described by q (4.9±0.7). However, such systems enable a unique test of the joint accuracy of evolutionary and atmospheric models, under the constraint of coevality for the individual components (the "isochrone test"). We carry out this test using two of the most extreme field substellar binaries currently known, the T1 + T6 epsilon Ind Bab binary and a newly discovered 0farcs14 T2.0 + T7.5 binary, 2MASS J12095613-1004008AB, identified with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics. The latter is the most extreme tight binary resolved to date (q ≈ 0.5). Based on the locations of the binary components on the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram, current models successfully indicate that these two systems are coeval, with internal age differences of log(age) = -0.8 ± 1.3(-1.0+1.2 -1.3) dex and 0.5+0.4 -0.3(0.3+0.3 -0.4) dex for 2MASS J1209-1004AB and epsilon Ind Bab, respectively, as inferred from the Lyon (Tucson) models. However, the total mass of epsilon Ind Bab derived from the H-R diagram (≈ 80 M Jup using the Lyon models) is strongly discrepant with the reported dynamical mass. This problem, which is independent of the assumed age of the epsilon Ind Bab system, can be explained by a ≈ 50-100 K systematic error in the model atmosphere fitting, indicating slightly warmer temperatures for both components; bringing the mass determinations from the H-R diagram and the visual orbit into consistency leads to an inferred age of ≈ 6 Gyr for epsilon Ind Bab, older than previously assumed. Overall, the two T dwarf binaries studied here, along with recent results from T dwarfs in age and mass benchmark systems, yield evidence for small (≈100 K) errors in the evolutionary models and/or model atmospheres, but not significantly larger. Future parallax, resolved spectroscopy, and dynamical mass measurements for 2MASS J1209-1004AB will enable a more

Two Massive White Dwarfs from NGC 2323 and the Initial-Final Mass Relation for Progenitors of 4 to 6.5 M

Science.gov (United States)

Cummings, Jeffrey D.; Kalirai, Jason S.; Tremblay, P.-E.; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico

2016-02-01

We observed a sample of 10 white dwarf candidates in the rich open cluster NGC 2323 (M50) with the Keck Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. The spectroscopy shows eight to be DA white dwarfs, with six of these having high signal-to-noise ratio appropriate for our analysis. Two of these white dwarfs are consistent with singly evolved cluster membership, and both are high mass ˜1.07 M⊙, and give equivalent progenitor masses of 4.69 M⊙. To supplement these new high-mass white dwarfs and analyze the initial-final mass relation (IFMR), we also looked at 30 white dwarfs from publicly available data that are mostly all high-mass (≳ 0.9 M⊙). These original published data exhibited significant scatter, and to test if this scatter is true or simply the result of systematics, we have uniformly analyzed the white dwarf spectra and have adopted thorough photometric techniques to derive uniform cluster parameters for their parent clusters. The resulting IFMR scatter is significantly reduced, arguing that mass-loss rates are not stochastic in nature and that within the ranges of metallicity and mass analyzed in this work mass loss is not highly sensitive to variations in metallicity. Lastly, when adopting cluster ages based on Y2 isochrones, the slope of the high-mass IFMR remains steep and consistent with that found from intermediate-mass white dwarfs, giving a linear IFMR from progenitor masses between 3 and 6.5 M⊙. In contrast, when adopting the slightly younger cluster ages based on PARSEC isochrones, the high-mass IFMR has a moderate turnover near an initial mass of 4 M⊙. Based on observations with the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INNER DISK AROUND HD 141569 A FROM KECK/NIRC2 L-BAND VORTEX CORONAGRAPHY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mawet, Dimitri; Bottom, Michael; Matthews, Keith [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Choquet, Élodie; Serabyn, Eugene [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Absil, Olivier; Huby, Elsa; Gonzalez, Carlos A. Gomez; Wertz, Olivier; Carlomagno, Brunella; Christiaens, Valentin; Defrère, Denis; Delacroix, Christian; Habraken, Serge; Jolivet, Aissa [Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège, 19 Allée du Six Août, B-4000 Liège (Belgium); Femenia, Bruno [W. M. Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy., Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Lebreton, Jérémy [NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, California Institute of Technology, 770 South Wilson Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Forsberg, Pontus; Karlsson, Mikael [Department of Engineering Sciences, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala (Sweden); Milli, Julien, E-mail: dmawet@astro.caltech.edu [European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordóva 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile); and others

2017-01-01

HD 141569 A is a pre-main sequence B9.5 Ve star surrounded by a prominent and complex circumstellar disk, likely still in a transition stage from protoplanetary to debris disk phase. Here, we present a new image of the third inner disk component of HD 141569 A made in the L ′ band (3.8 μ m) during the commissioning of the vector vortex coronagraph that has recently been installed in the near-infrared imager and spectrograph NIRC2 behind the W.M. Keck Observatory Keck II adaptive optics system. We used reference point-spread function subtraction, which reveals the innermost disk component from the inner working distance of ≃23 au and up to ≃70 au. The spatial scale of our detection roughly corresponds to the optical and near-infrared scattered light, thermal Q , N , and 8.6 μ m PAH emission reported earlier. We also see an outward progression in dust location from the L ′ band to the H band (Very Large Telescope/SPHERE image) to the visible ( Hubble Space Telescope ( HST )/STIS image), which is likely indicative of dust blowout. The warm disk component is nested deep inside the two outer belts imaged by HST-NICMOS in 1999 (at 406 and 245 au, respectively). We fit our new L ′-band image and spectral energy distribution of HD 141569 A with the radiative transfer code MCFOST. Our best-fit models favor pure olivine grains and are consistent with the composition of the outer belts. While our image shows a putative very faint point-like clump or source embedded in the inner disk, we did not detect any true companion within the gap between the inner disk and the first outer ring, at a sensitivity of a few Jupiter masses.

Development of a state machine sequencer for the Keck Interferometer: evolution, development, and lessons learned using a CASE tool approach

Science.gov (United States)

Reder, Leonard J.; Booth, Andrew; Hsieh, Jonathan; Summers, Kellee R.

2004-09-01

This paper presents a discussion of the evolution of a sequencer from a simple Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) based sequencer into a complex implementation designed utilizing UML (Unified Modeling Language) methodologies and a Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool approach. The main purpose of the Interferometer Sequencer (called the IF Sequencer) is to provide overall control of the Keck Interferometer to enable science operations to be carried out by a single operator (and/or observer). The interferometer links the two 10m telescopes of the W. M. Keck Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The IF Sequencer is a high-level, multi-threaded, Harel finite state machine software program designed to orchestrate several lower-level hardware and software hard real-time subsystems that must perform their work in a specific and sequential order. The sequencing need not be done in hard real-time. Each state machine thread commands either a high-speed real-time multiple mode embedded controller via CORBA, or slower controllers via EPICS Channel Access interfaces. The overall operation of the system is simplified by the automation. The UML is discussed and our use of it to implement the sequencer is presented. The decision to use the Rhapsody product as our CASE tool is explained and reflected upon. Most importantly, a section on lessons learned is presented and the difficulty of integrating CASE tool automatically generated C++ code into a large control system consisting of multiple infrastructures is presented.

Automatic Image Processing Workflow for the Keck/NIRC2 Vortex Coronagraph

Science.gov (United States)

Xuan, Wenhao; Cook, Therese; Ngo, Henry; Zawol, Zoe; Ruane, Garreth; Mawet, Dimitri

2018-01-01

The Keck/NIRC2 camera, equipped with the vortex coronagraph, is an instrument targeted at the high contrast imaging of extrasolar planets. To uncover a faint planet signal from the overwhelming starlight, we utilize the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) library, which carries out principal component analysis to model and remove the stellar point spread function. To bridge the gap between data acquisition and data reduction, we implement a workflow that 1) downloads, sorts, and processes data with VIP, 2) stores the analysis products into a database, and 3) displays the reduced images, contrast curves, and auxiliary information on a web interface. Both angular differential imaging and reference star differential imaging are implemented in the analysis module. A real-time version of the workflow runs during observations, allowing observers to make educated decisions about time distribution on different targets, hence optimizing science yield. The post-night version performs a standardized reduction after the observation, building up a valuable database that not only helps uncover new discoveries, but also enables a statistical study of the instrument itself. We present the workflow, and an examination of the contrast performance of the NIRC2 vortex with respect to factors including target star properties and observing conditions.

KECK-I MOSFIRE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE z {approx} 12 CANDIDATE GALAXY UDFj-39546284

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capak, P. [Spitzer Science Center, 314-6 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Faisst, A.; Tacchella, S.; Carollo, M. [Institute for Astronomy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Vieira, J. D.; Scoville, N. Z. [California Institute of Technology, 314-6 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2013-08-10

We report the results of deep (4.6 hr) H-band spectroscopy of the well studied z {approx} 12 H-band dropout galaxy candidate UDFj-39546284 with MOSFIRE on Keck-I. These data reach a sensitivity of 5-10 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -19} erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -2} per 4.4 A resolution element between sky lines. Previous papers have argued that this source could either be a large equivalent width line emitting galaxy at 2 < z < 3.5 or a luminous galaxy at z {approx} 12. We find a 2.2{sigma} peak associated with a line candidate in deep Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field Camera 3 Infrared grism observations, but at a lower flux than expected. After considering several possibilities, we conclude these data cannot conclusively confirm or reject the previous line detection, and significantly deeper spectroscopic observations are required. We also search for low-redshift emission lines in 10 other 7 < z < 10 z, Y, and J-dropout candidates in our mask and find no significant detections.

Collection of Country-level Interim Surveys Implemented as Part of the Feed the Future Initiative

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — Led by USAID, Feed the Future is the U.S. Government?s global hunger and food security initiative, which establishes a foundation for lasting progress against global...

Collection of Country-level Baseline Surveys Implemented as Part of the Feed the Future Initiative

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — Led by USAID, Feed the Future is the U.S. Government?s global hunger and food security initiative, which establishes a foundation for lasting progress against global...

KECK SPECTROSCOPY OF LYMAN-BREAK GALAXIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UV-CONTINUUM AND Ly{alpha} LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AT z > 6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang Linhua; Egami, Eiichi; Walth, Gregory [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Kashikawa, Nobunari [Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division, National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Matsuda, Yuichi [Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Shimasaku, Kazuhiro [Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Nagao, Tohru [Research Center for Space and Cosmic Evolution, Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan); Ota, Kazuaki [Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502 (Japan); Ouchi, Masami [Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-Ha, Kashiwa City, Chiba 77-8582 (Japan)

2011-12-10

We present Keck spectroscopic observations of z > 6 Lyman-break galaxy (LBG) candidates in the Subaru Deep Field (SDF). The candidates were selected as i'-dropout objects down to z' = 27 AB magnitudes from an ultra-deep SDF z'-band image. With the Keck spectroscopy we identified 19 LBGs with prominent Ly{alpha} emission lines at 6 {<=} z {<=} 6.4. The median value of the Ly{alpha} rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) is {approx}50 A, with four EWs >100 A. This well-defined spectroscopic sample spans a UV-continuum luminosity range of -21.8 {<=} M{sub UV} {<=} -19.5 (0.6 {approx} 5 L*{sub UV}) and a Ly{alpha} luminosity range of (0.3-3) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 43} erg s{sup -1} (0.3-3 L*{sub Ly{alpha}}). We derive the UV and Ly{alpha} luminosity functions (LFs) from our sample at (z) {approx} 6.2 after we correct for sample incompleteness. We find that our measurement of the UV LF is consistent with the results of previous studies based on photometric LBG samples at 5 < z < 7. Our Ly{alpha} LF is also generally in agreement with the results of Ly{alpha}-emitter surveys at z {approx} 5.7 and 6.6. This study shows that deep spectroscopic observations of LBGs can provide unique constraints on both the UV and Ly{alpha} LFs at z > 6.

A Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopic survey of the faint M31 satellites AndIX, AndXI, AndXII and AndXIII†

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, M. L. M.; Chapman, S. C.; Irwin, M. J.; Martin, N. F.; Ibata, R. A.; Zucker, D. B.; Blain, A.; Ferguson, A. M. N.; Lewis, G. F.; McConnachie, A. W.; Peñarrubia, J.

2010-10-01

We present the first spectroscopic analysis of the faint M31 satellite galaxies, AndXI and AndXIII, as well as a re-analysis of existing spectroscopic data for two further faint companions, AndIX (correcting for an error in earlier geometric modelling that caused a misclassification of member stars in previous work) and AndXII. By combining data obtained using the Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) mounted on the Keck II telescope with deep photometry from the Suprime-Cam instrument on Subaru, we have identified the most probable members for each of the satellites based on their radial velocities (precise to several down to i ~ 22), distance from the centre of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and their photometric [Fe/H]. Using both the photometric and spectroscopic data, we have also calculated global properties for the dwarfs, such as systemic velocities, metallicities and half-light radii. We find each dwarf to be very metal poor ([Fe/H] ~ -2 both photometrically and spectroscopically, from their stacked spectrum), and as such, they continue to follow the luminosity-metallicity relationship established with brighter dwarfs. We are unable to resolve dispersion for AndXI due to small sample size and low signal-to-noise ratio, but we set a 1σ upper limit of σv financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. ‡ E-mail: mlmc2@ast.cam.ac.uk

HDE 245059: A WEAK-LINED T TAURI BINARY REVEALED BY CHANDRA AND KECK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baldovin-Saavedra, C.; Audard, M.; Duchene, G.; Guedel, M.; Skinner, S.L.; Paerels, F. B. S.; Ghez, A.; McCabe, C.

2009-01-01

We present the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer and Keck observations of HDE 245059, a young weak-lined T Tauri star (WTTS), member of the pre-main-sequence group in the λ Orionis Cluster. Our high spatial resolution, near-infrared observations with Keck reveal that HDE 245059 is in fact a binary separated by 0.''87, probably composed of two WTTS based on their color indices. Based on this new information we have obtained an estimate of the masses of the binary components; ∼3 M sun and ∼2.5 M sun for the north and south components, respectively. We have also estimated the age of the system to be ∼2-3 Myr. We detect both components of the binary in the zeroth-order Chandra image and in the grating spectra. The light curves show X-ray variability of both sources and in particular a flaring event in the weaker southern component. The spectra of both stars show similar features: a combination of cool and hot plasma as demonstrated by several iron lines from Fe XVII to Fe XXV and a strong bremsstrahlung continuum at short wavelengths. We have fitted the combined grating and zeroth-order spectrum (considering the contribution of both stars) in XSPEC. The coronal abundances and emission measure distribution for the binary have been obtained using different methods, including a continuous emission measure distribution and a multi-temperature approximation. In all cases we have found that the emission is dominated by plasma between ∼8 and ∼15 MK a soft component at ∼4 MK and a hard component at ∼50 MK are also detected. The value of the hydrogen column density was low, N H ∼ 8 x 10 19 cm -2 , likely due to the clearing of the inner region of the λ Orionis cloud, where HDE 245059 is located. The abundance pattern shows an inverse first ionization potential effect for all elements from O to Fe, the only exception being Ca. To obtain the properties of the binary components, a 3-T model was fitted to the individual zeroth-order spectra

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative: Facing the Challenges of Global Change in the 21st century

Science.gov (United States)

Groisman, Pavel; Gutman, Garik; Gulev, Sergey; Maksyutov, Shamil; Qi, Jiaguo

2016-04-01

During the past 12 years, the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) - an interdisciplinary program of internationally-supported Earth systems and science research - has addressed large-scale and long-term manifestations of climate and environmental changes over Northern Eurasia and their impact on the Global Earth system. With more than 1500 peer-reviewed journal publications and 40 books to its credit, NEESPI's activities resulted in significant scientific outreach. This created a new research realm through self-organization of NEESPI scientists in a broad research network, accumulation of knowledge while developing new tools (observations, models, and collaborative networks) and producing new, exciting results that can be applied to directly support decision-making for societal needs. This realm was summed up at the Synthesis NEESPI Workshop in Prague, Czech Republic (April 9-12, 2015) where it was decided to shift gradually the foci of regional studies in Northern Eurasia towards applications with the following major Science Question: " What dynamic and interactive change(s) will affect societal well-being, activities, and health, and what might be the mitigation and adaptation strategies that could support sustainable development and decision-making activities in Northern Eurasia?". To answer this question requires a stronger socio-economic component in the ongoing and future regional studies focused on sustainable societal development under changing climatic and environmental conditions, especially, under conditions when societal decision-making impacts and feeds back on the environment. This made the NEESPI studies closer to the ICSU research initiative "Future Earth". Accordingly, the NEESPI Research Team decided to reorganize in the nearest future NEESPI into "Northern Eurasia Future Initiative" (NEFI) and began development of its Programmatic White Paper (in preparation at the time of this abstract submission). The NEFI research

Creativity and connections: the future of nursing education and practice: the Massachusetts Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Sroczynski, Maureen; Gravlin, Gayle; Route, Paulette Seymour; Hoffart, Nancy; Creelman, Patricia

2011-01-01

Education and practice partnerships are key to effective academic program design and implementation in a time of decreasing supply and increasing demands on the nursing profession. An integrated education/practice competency model can positively impact patient safety, improve patient care, increase retention, and ensure a sufficient and competent nursing workforce, which is paramount to survival of the health care system. Through the contributions of nursing leaders from the broad spectrum of nursing and industry organizations within the state, the Massachusetts Nurse of the Future project developed a competency-based framework for the future design of nursing educational programs to meet current and future practice needs. The Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies(©) expand on the Institute of Medicine's core competencies for all health care professionals and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies for quality and safety to define the expectations for all professional nurses of the future. The Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies define the knowledge, attitude, and skills required as the minimal expectations for initial nursing practice following completion of a prelicensure professional nursing education program. These competencies are now being integrated into new models for seamless, coordinated nursing curriculum and transition into practice within the state and beyond. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neutral Hydrogen Optical Depth near Star-forming Galaxies at z ≈ 2.4 in the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Rakic, Olivera; Schaye, Joop; Steidel, Charles C.; Rudie, Gwen C.

2012-06-01

We study the interface between galaxies and the intergalactic medium by measuring the absorption by neutral hydrogen in the vicinity of star-forming galaxies at z ≈ 2.4. Our sample consists of 679 rest-frame UV-selected galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts that have impact parameters advantage of all available Lyman series lines. The median optical depth, and hence the median density of atomic hydrogen, drops by more than an order of magnitude around 100 kpc, which is similar to the virial radius of the halos thought to host the galaxies. The median remains enhanced, at the >3σ level, out to at least 2.8 Mpc (i.e., >9 comoving Mpc), but the scatter at a given distance is large compared with the median excess optical depth, suggesting that the gas is clumpy. Within 100 (200) kpc, and over ±165 km s-1, the covering fraction of gas with Lyα optical depth greater than unity is 100+0 - 32% (66% ± 16%). Absorbers with τLyα > 0.1 are typically closer to galaxies than random. The mean galaxy overdensity around absorbers increases with the optical depth and also as the length scale over which the galaxy overdensity is evaluated is decreased. Absorbers with τLyα ~ 1 reside in regions where the galaxy number density is close to the cosmic mean on scales >=0.25 Mpc. We clearly detect two types of redshift space anisotropies. On scales 3σ significance), an effect that we attribute to large-scale infall (i.e., the Kaiser effect). Based on data obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, and was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

SPATIALLY RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPY OF EUROPA’S LARGE-SCALE COMPOSITIONAL UNITS AT 3–4 μ m WITH KECK NIRSPEC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, P. D.; Brown, M. E.; Trumbo, S. K. [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Hand, K. P., E-mail: pfischer@caltech.edu [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)

2017-01-01

We present spatially resolved spectroscopic observations of Europa’s surface at 3–4 μ m obtained with the near-infrared spectrograph and adaptive optics system on the Keck II telescope. These are the highest quality spatially resolved reflectance spectra of Europa’s surface at 3–4 μ m. The observations spatially resolve Europa’s large-scale compositional units at a resolution of several hundred kilometers. The spectra show distinct features and geographic variations associated with known compositional units; in particular, large-scale leading hemisphere chaos shows a characteristic longward shift in peak reflectance near 3.7 μ m compared to icy regions. These observations complement previous spectra of large-scale chaos, and can aid efforts to identify the endogenous non-ice species.

KECK II OBSERVATIONS OF HEMISPHERICAL DIFFERENCES IN H2O2 ON EUROPA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hand, K. P.; Brown, M. E.

2013-01-01

We present results from Keck II observations of Europa over four consecutive nights using the near-infrared spectrograph. Spectra were collected in the 3.14-4.0 μm range, enabling detection and monitoring of the 3.5 μm feature due to hydrogen peroxide. Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer results first revealed hydrogen peroxide on Europa in the anti-Jovian region of the leading hemisphere at a percent by number abundance of 0.13% ± 0.07% relative to water. We find comparable results for the two nights over which we observed the leading hemisphere. Significantly, we observed a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (∼0.04%) during observations of Europa's anti-Jovian and sub-Jovian hemispheres. Almost no hydrogen peroxide was detected during observations of just the trailing hemisphere. We conclude that the Galileo observations likely represent the maximum hydrogen peroxide concentration, the exception potentially being the cold water ice regions of the poles, which are not readily observable from the ground. Our mapping of the peroxide abundance across Europa requires revisions to previous estimates for Europa's global surface abundance of oxidants and leads to a reduction in the total oxidant delivery expected for the subsurface ocean if an exchange of surface material with the ocean occurs.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Brown dwarf surface gravities with Keck/NIRSPEC (Martin , 2017)

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, E. C.; Mace, G. N.; McLean, I. S.; Logsdon, S. E.; Rice, E. L.; Kirkpatrick, J. D.; Burgasser, A. J.; McGovern, M. R.; Prato, L.

2017-10-01

In this paper, we follow up on prior NIR spectroscopy by our group and use a modified Allers & Liu (A13, 2013ApJ...772...79A) method to determine surface gravities for 228 M, L, and T dwarfs. We present medium-resolution (R~20000) J-band spectra of 85 M dwarfs, 92 L dwarfs, and 51 T dwarfs obtained as part of the Keck NIRSPEC Brown Dwarf Spectroscopic Survey (BDSS). Ninety-seven spectra were published previously in McLean+ (2003ApJ...596..561M), Burgasser+ (2003ApJ...592.1186B), McGovern+ (2004ApJ...600.1020M), Rice+ (2010ApJS..186...63R), Kirkpatrick+ (2010, J/ApJS/190/100), Luhman (2012ARA&A..50...65L), Thompson+ (2013PASP..125..809T), Mace+ (2013, J/ApJS/205/6), Mace+ (2013ApJ...777...36M), and Kirkpatrick+ (2014, J/ApJ/783/122), and the remaining 131 are presented here for the first time. Observation information (spanning 1999 Apr to 2015 Mar) for all of the targets in our sample is listed in Table 1. (4 data files).

A DEEP KECK/NIRC2 SEARCH FOR THERMAL EMISSION FROM PLANETARY COMPANIONS ORBITING FOMALHAUT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Currie, Thayne; Cloutier, Ryan [University of Toronto, 50 St George St., Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 (Canada); Debes, John H. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Kenyon, Scott J. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Kaisler, Denise [Citrus College, 1000 West Foothill Boulevard, Glendora, CA 91741 (United States)

2013-11-01

We present deep Keck/NIRC2 1.6 and 3.8 μm imaging of Fomalhaut to constrain the near-infrared brightness of Fomalhaut b, recently confirmed as a likely planet, and search for additional planets at r {sub proj} = 15-150 AU. Using advanced/novel point spread function subtraction techniques, we identify seven candidate substellar companions Fomalhaut b-like projected separations. However, multi-epoch data show them to be background objects. We set a new 3σ upper limit for Fomalhaut b's H-band brightness of m(H) ∼23.15 or 1.5-4.5 M{sub J} . We do not recover the possible point source reported from Spitzer/IRAC data: at its location detection limits are similar to those for Fomalhaut b. Our data when combined with other recent work rule out planets with masses and projected separations comparable to HR 8799 bcde and M > 3 M{sub J} planets at r {sub proj} > 45 AU. The James Webb Space Telescope will likely be required to shed substantial further light on Fomalhaut's planetary system in the next decade.

Climate Change, Glacier Response, and Vegetation Dynamics in the Himalaya: Contributions Toward Future Earth Initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Shea

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Reviewed: Climate Change, Glacier Response, and Vegetation Dynamics in the Himalaya: Contributions Toward Future Earth Initiatives. Edited by R. B. Singh, Udo Schickhoff, and Suraj Mal. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2016. xvi + 399 pp. Hardcover: US$ 179.00, ISBN 978-3-319-28975-5. E-book: US$ 139.00, ISBN 978-3-319-28977-9.

Resourcing Future Generations - Challenges for geoscience: a new IUGS initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Oberhänsli, Roland; Lambert, Ian

2014-05-01

In a world with rapidly increasing population and technological development new space based remote sensing tools allowed for new discoveries and production of water, energy- and mineral-resources, including minerals, soils and construction materials. This has impact on politics, socio-economic development and thus calls for a strong involvement of geosciences because one of humanities biggest challenges will be, to rise living standards particularly in less developed countries. Any growth will lead to an increase of demand for natural resources. But especially for readily available mineral resources supply appears to be limited. Particularly demand for so called high-tech commodities - platinum group or rare earth elements - increased. This happened often faster than new discoveries were made. All this, while areas available for exploration decreased as the need for urban and agricultural use increased. Despite strong efforts in increasing efficiency of recycling, shortage in some commodities has to be expected. A major concern is that resources are not distributed evenly on our planet. Thus supplies depend on political stability, socio-economic standards and pricing. In the light of these statements IUGS is scoping a new initiative, Resourcing Future Generations (RFG), which is predicated on the fact that mining will continue to be an essential activity to meet the needs of future generations. RFG is aimed at identifying and addressing key challenges involved in securing natural resources to meet global needs post-2030. We consider that mineral resources should be the initial focus, but energy, soils, water resources and land use should also be covered. Addressing the multi-generational needs for mineral and other natural resources requires data, research and actions under four general themes: 1. Comprehensive evaluation and quantification of 21st century supply and demand. 2. Enhanced understanding of subsurface as it relates to mineral (energy and groundwater

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): Presentation and Justification of the NEFI Science Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Groisman, P. Y.; Gutman, G.; Gulev, S.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Qi, J.; Shugart, H. H., Jr.

2016-12-01

Since 2004, the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) - an interdisciplinary program of internationally-supported Earth systems and science research - has addressed large-scale and long-term manifestations of climate and environmental changes over Northern Eurasia and their impact on the Global Earth system. With more than 1500 peer-reviewed journal publications and 40 books to its credit, NEESPI's activities resulted in significant scientific outreach. This created a new research realm through self-organization of NEESPI scientists in a broad research network, accumulation of knowledge while developing new tools (observations, models, and collaborative networks) and producing new, exciting results that can be applied to directly support decision-making for societal needs. At the Synthesis NEESPI Workshop in Prague, Czechia (April 9-12, 2015) it was decided to shift gradually the foci of regional studies in Northern Eurasia towards applications with the following major Science Question: "What dynamic and interactive change(s) will affect societal well-being, activities, and health, and what might be the mitigation and adaptation strategies that could support sustainable development and decision-making activities in Northern Eurasia?". To answer this question requires a stronger socio-economic component in the ongoing and future regional studies focused on sustainable societal development under changing climatic and environmental conditions. The NEESPI Research Team has reorganized itself into "Northern Eurasia Future Initiative" (NEFI) and began development of the NEFI Programmatic White Paper released at http://neespi.org in June 2016. Presentation will provide justification of the new NEFI research foci and approach examples addressing them. The societal challenges, particularly the socio-economic challenges are the top priority in most of them. Throughout the NEESP Initiative duration, support for it studies has been provided by

Multi-model and multi-scenario assessments of Asian water futures: The Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Satoh, Yusuke; Kahil, Taher; Byers, Edward; Burek, Peter; Fischer, Günther; Tramberend, Sylvia; Greve, Peter; Flörke, Martina; Eisner, Stephanie; Hanasaki, Naota; Magnuszewski, Piotr; Nava, Luzma Fabiola; Cosgrove, William; Langan, Simon; Wada, Yoshihide

2017-07-01

This paper presents one of the first quantitative scenario assessments for future water supply and demand in Asia to 2050. The assessment, developed by the Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) initiative, uses the latest set of global climate change and socioeconomic scenarios and state-of-the-art global hydrological models. In Asia, water demand for irrigation, industry, and households is projected to increase substantially in the coming decades (30-40% by 2050 compared to 2010). These changes are expected to exacerbate water stress, especially in the current hotspots such as north India and Pakistan, and north China. By 2050, 20% of the land area in the Asia-Pacific region, with a population of 1.6-2 billion, is projected to experience severe water stress. We find that socioeconomic changes are the main drivers of worsening water scarcity in Asia, with climate change impacts further increasing the challenge into the 21st century. Moreover, a detailed basin-level analysis of the hydro-economic conditions of 40 Asian basins shows that although the coping capacity of all basins is expected to improve due to gross domestic product (GDP) growth, some basins continuously face severe water challenges. These basins will potentially be home to up to 1.6 billion people by mid-21st century.

Improved Constraints on Cosmology and Foregrounds from BICEP2 and Keck Array Cosmic Microwave Background Data with Inclusion of 95 GHz Band.

Science.gov (United States)

Ade, P A R; Ahmed, Z; Aikin, R W; Alexander, K D; Barkats, D; Benton, S J; Bischoff, C A; Bock, J J; Bowens-Rubin, R; Brevik, J A; Buder, I; Bullock, E; Buza, V; Connors, J; Crill, B P; Duband, L; Dvorkin, C; Filippini, J P; Fliescher, S; Grayson, J; Halpern, M; Harrison, S; Hilton, G C; Hui, H; Irwin, K D; Karkare, K S; Karpel, E; Kaufman, J P; Keating, B G; Kefeli, S; Kernasovskiy, S A; Kovac, J M; Kuo, C L; Leitch, E M; Lueker, M; Megerian, K G; Netterfield, C B; Nguyen, H T; O'Brient, R; Ogburn, R W; Orlando, A; Pryke, C; Richter, S; Schwarz, R; Sheehy, C D; Staniszewski, Z K; Steinbach, B; Sudiwala, R V; Teply, G P; Thompson, K L; Tolan, J E; Tucker, C; Turner, A D; Vieregg, A G; Weber, A C; Wiebe, D V; Willmert, J; Wong, C L; Wu, W L K; Yoon, K W

2016-01-22

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2 and Keck Array cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season. This includes the first Keck Array observations at 95 GHz. The maps reach a depth of 50 nK deg in Stokes Q and U in the 150 GHz band and 127 nK deg in the 95 GHz band. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available maps from WMAP and Planck at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz. An excess over lensed ΛCDM is detected at modest significance in the 95×150 BB spectrum, and is consistent with the dust contribution expected from our previous work. No significant evidence for synchrotron emission is found in spectra such as 23×95, or for correlation between the dust and synchrotron sky patterns in spectra such as 23×353. We take the likelihood of all the spectra for a multicomponent model including lensed ΛCDM, dust, synchrotron, and a possible contribution from inflationary gravitational waves (as parametrized by the tensor-to-scalar ratio r) using priors on the frequency spectral behaviors of dust and synchrotron emission from previous analyses of WMAP and Planck data in other regions of the sky. This analysis yields an upper limit r_{0.05}<0.09 at 95% confidence, which is robust to variations explored in analysis and priors. Combining these B-mode results with the (more model-dependent) constraints from Planck analysis of CMB temperature plus baryon acoustic oscillations and other data yields a combined limit r_{0.05}<0.07 at 95% confidence. These are the strongest constraints to date on inflationary gravitational waves.

The Tourism Education Futures Initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dredge, Dianne; Schott, Christian; Daniele, Roberto

2015-01-01

. Simultaneously, rapid socio-cultural and economic changes are afoot, which are rendering the future increasingly uncertain. The jobs of today are markedly different from those of yesterday, and it seems certain that those of tomorrow will be different still. Students entering the tourism sector, with its high...... levels of volatility and rapid globalization, are going to need different skills and understandings in order to achieve meaningful and successful professional lives. It was in recognition of this landscape of change, and the demand it drives to rethink tourism education, that the Tourism Education...

THE INNER KILOPARSEC OF Mrk 273 WITH KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

U, Vivian; Sanders, David; Kewley, Lisa [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Dr., Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Medling, Anne; Max, Claire [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Armus, Lee [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Iwasawa, Kazushi [ICREA and Institut del Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona (IEEC-UB), Martí i Franquès, 1, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Evans, Aaron [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, 530 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Fazio, Giovanni, E-mail: vivianu@ucr.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2013-10-01

There is X-ray, optical, and mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopic evidence that the late-stage ultraluminous infrared galaxy merger Mrk 273 hosts a powerful active galactic nucleus (AGN). However, the exact location of the AGN and the nature of the nucleus have been difficult to determine due to dust obscuration and the limited wavelength coverage of available high-resolution data. Here we present near-infrared integral-field spectra and images of the nuclear region of Mrk 273 taken with OSIRIS and NIRC2 on the Keck II Telescope with laser guide star adaptive optics. We observe three spatially resolved components, and analyze the nuclear molecular and ionized gas emission lines and their kinematics. We confirm the presence of the hard X-ray AGN in the southwest nucleus. In the north nucleus, we find a strongly rotating gas disk whose kinematics indicate a central black hole of mass 1.04 ± 0.1 × 10{sup 9} M{sub ☉}. The H{sub 2} emission line shows an increase in velocity dispersion along the minor axis in both directions, and an increased flux with negative velocities in the southeast direction; this provides direct evidence for a collimated molecular outflow along the axis of rotation of the disk. The third spatially distinct component appears to the southeast, 640 and 750 pc from the north and southwest nuclei, respectively. This component is faint in continuum emission but shows several strong emission line features, including [Si VI] 1.964 μm which traces an extended coronal-line region. The geometry of the [Si VI] emission combined with shock models and energy arguments suggest that [Si VI] in the southeast component must be at least partly ionized by the SW AGN or a putative AGN in the northern disk, either through photoionization or through shock-heating from strong AGN- and circumnuclear-starburst-driven outflows. This lends support to a scenario in which Mrk 273 may be a dual AGN system.

KECK/LRIS SPECTROSCOPIC CONFIRMATION OF COMA CLUSTER DWARF GALAXY MEMBERSHIP ASSIGNMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiboucas, Kristin; Tully, R. Brent; Marzke, Ronald O.; Trentham, Neil; Ferguson, Henry C.; Hammer, Derek; Carter, David; Khosroshahi, Habib

2010-01-01

Keck/LRIS multi-object spectroscopy has been carried out on 140 of some of the lowest and highest surface brightness faint (19 < R < 22) dwarf galaxy candidates in the core region of the Coma Cluster. These spectra are used to measure redshifts and establish membership for these faint dwarf populations. The primary goal of the low surface brightness sample is to test our ability to use morphological and surface brightness criteria to distinguish between Coma Cluster members and background galaxies using high resolution Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys images. Candidates were rated as expected members, uncertain, or expected background. From 93 spectra, 51 dwarf galaxy members and 20 background galaxies are identified. Our morphological membership estimation success rate is ∼100% for objects expected to be members and better than ∼90% for galaxies expected to be in the background. We confirm that low surface brightness is a very good indicator of cluster membership. High surface brightness galaxies are almost always background with confusion arising only from the cases of the rare compact elliptical (cE) galaxies. The more problematic cases occur at intermediate surface brightness. Many of these galaxies are given uncertain membership ratings, and these were found to be members about half of the time. Including color information will improve membership determination but will fail for some of the same objects that are already misidentified when using only surface brightness and morphology criteria. cE galaxies with B-V colors ∼0.2 mag redward of the red sequence in particular require spectroscopic follow up. In a sample of 47 high surface brightness, ultracompact dwarf candidates, 19 objects have redshifts which place them in the Coma Cluster, while another 6 have questionable redshift measurements but may also prove to be members. Redshift measurements are presented and the use of indirect means for establishing cluster membership is

Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery: current status and future prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richter GM

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Grace M Richter,1,2 Anne L Coleman11UCLA Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 2USC Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery aims to provide a medication-sparing, conjunctival-sparing, ab interno approach to intraocular pressure reduction for patients with mild-to-moderate glaucoma that is safer than traditional incisional glaucoma surgery. The current approaches include: increasing trabecular outflow (Trabectome, iStent, Hydrus stent, gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy, excimer laser trabeculotomy; suprachoroidal shunts (Cypass micro-stent; reducing aqueous production (endocyclophotocoagulation; and subconjunctival filtration (XEN gel stent. The data on each surgical procedure for each of these approaches are reviewed in this article, patient selection pearls learned to date are discussed, and expectations for the future are examined. Keywords: MIGS, microincisional glaucoma surgery, trabecular stent, Schlemm’s canal, suprachoroidal shunt, ab interno

KECK OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALACTIC CENTER SOURCE G2: GAS CLOUD OR STAR?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phifer, K.; Meyer, L.; Ghez, A. M.; Witzel, G.; Yelda, S.; Boehle, A.; Morris, M. R.; Becklin, E. E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Do, T. [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H4 (Canada); Lu, J. R. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Matthews, K., E-mail: ghez@astro.ucla.edu [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2013-08-10

We present new observations and analysis of G2-the intriguing red emission-line object which is quickly approaching the Galaxy's central black hole. The observations were obtained with the laser guide star adaptive optics systems on the W. M. Keck I and II telescopes (2006-2012) and include spectroscopy (R {approx} 3600) centered on the hydrogen Br{gamma} line as well as K' (2.1 {mu}m) and L' (3.8 {mu}m) imaging. Analysis of these observations shows the Br{gamma} line emission has a positional offset from the L' continuum. This offset is likely due to background source confusion at L'. We therefore present the first orbital solution derived from Br{gamma} line astrometry, which, when coupled with radial velocity measurements, results in a later time of closest approach (2014.21 {+-} 0.14), closer periastron (130 AU, 1600 R{sub s}), and higher eccentricity (0.9814 {+-} 0.0060) compared to a solution using L' astrometry. It is shown that G2 has no K' counterpart down to K' {approx} 20 mag. G2's L' continuum and the Br{gamma} line emission appears unresolved in almost all epochs, which implies that the bulk of the emission resides in a compact region. The observations altogether suggest that while G2 has a gaseous component that is tidally interacting with the central black hole, there is likely a central star providing the self-gravity necessary to sustain the compact nature of this object.

Clermont Preferred Future: Stakeholder Reflections on a Community Foresight and Planning Initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Parsons

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper demonstrates the potential of the mining industry to contribute to social development (community building, resilience and wellbeing and to economic transitioning post-mining. A number of factors may facilitate the realisation of this potential, in particular community engagement activities that build community resilience and capacity to adapt to changing environments. This paper reviews a community foresight initiative, named Clermont Preferred Future (CPF, which is associated with a coal mine development in the town of Clermont in Queensland, Australia. The purpose of CPF, which was adopted in 2008 and is intended to continue to 2020, is to facilitate a transition to a prosperous and sustainable future by leveraging opportunities from coal mining while reducing dependence on the industry. CPF has been cited as a successful model of engagement and community development, and was highly commended in the Community Economic Development category at the 2011 Australian National Awards for Economic Development Excellence. This review draws on the experiences of stakeholders involved in CPF, and on foresight, community engagement, and community development literature. It identifies what has worked well, what has fallen short of the project’s rhetorical aspirations, and how processes and outcomes might be improved. It also trials artwork as an engagement tool. The findings are valuable for Clermont specifically, but also for the mining industry and mining communities more broadly, as well as for other industries in the context of community engagement and strategic planning.

Proteomics Standards Initiative: Fifteen Years of Progress and Future Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Deutsch, Eric W; Orchard, Sandra; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Bittremieux, Wout; Eisenacher, Martin; Hermjakob, Henning; Kawano, Shin; Lam, Henry; Mayer, Gerhard; Menschaert, Gerben; Perez-Riverol, Yasset; Salek, Reza M; Tabb, David L; Tenzer, Stefan; Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Walzer, Mathias; Jones, Andrew R

2017-12-01

The Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) has now been developing and promoting open community standards and software tools in the field of proteomics for 15 years. Under the guidance of the chair, cochairs, and other leadership positions, the PSI working groups are tasked with the development and maintenance of community standards via special workshops and ongoing work. Among the existing ratified standards, the PSI working groups continue to update PSI-MI XML, MITAB, mzML, mzIdentML, mzQuantML, mzTab, and the MIAPE (Minimum Information About a Proteomics Experiment) guidelines with the advance of new technologies and techniques. Furthermore, new standards are currently either in the final stages of completion (proBed and proBAM for proteogenomics results as well as PEFF) or in early stages of design (a spectral library standard format, a universal spectrum identifier, the qcML quality control format, and the Protein Expression Interface (PROXI) web services Application Programming Interface). In this work we review the current status of all of these aspects of the PSI, describe synergies with other efforts such as the ProteomeXchange Consortium, the Human Proteome Project, and the metabolomics community, and provide a look at future directions of the PSI.

Next Generation Virgo Survey Photometry and Keck/DEIMOS Spectroscopy of Globular Cluster Satellites of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster

Science.gov (United States)

Guhathakurta, Puragra; Toloba, Elisa; Peng, Eric W.; Li, Biao; Gwyn, Stephen; Ferrarese, Laura; Cote, Patrick; Chu, Jason; Sparkman, Lea; Chen, Stephanie; Yagati, Samyukta; Muller, Meredith; Next Generation Virgo Survey Collaboration

2015-01-01

We present results from an ongoing study of globular cluster (GC) satellites of low-luminosity dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies in the Virgo cluster. Our 21 dE targets and candidate GC satellites around them in the apparent magnitude range g ~ 20-24 were selected from the Next Generation Virgo Survey (NGVS) and followed up with medium-resolution Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy (resolving power: R ~ 2000; wavelength coverage: 4800-9500 Angstrom). In addition, the remaining space available on the nine DEIMOS multi-slit masks were populated with "filler" targets in the form of distant Milky Way halo star candidates in a comparable apparent magnitude range. A combination of radial velocity information (measured from the Keck/DEIMOS spectra), color-color information (from four-band NGVS photometry), and sky position information was used to sort the sample into the following categories: (1) GC satellites of dEs, (2) other non-satellite GCs in the Virgo cluster (we dub them "orphan" GCs), (3) foreground Milky Way stars that are members of the Sagittarius stream, the Virgo overdensity, or the field halo population, and (4) distant background galaxies. We stack the GC satellite population across all 21 host dEs and carry out dynamical modeling of the stacked sample in order to constrain the average mass of dark matter halos that these dEs are embedded in. We study rotation in the system of GC satellites of dEs in the handful of more populated systems in our sample - i.e., those that contain 10 or more GC satellites per dE. A companion AAS poster presented at this meeting (Chu, J. et al. 2015) presents chemical composition and age constraints for these GC satellites relative to the nuclei of the host dEs based on absorption line strengths in co-added spectra. The orphan GCs are likely to be intergalactic GCs within the Virgo cluster (or, equivalently, GCs in the remote outer envelope of the cluster's central galaxy, the giant elliptical M87).This project is funded in part by the

Interpreting future physics teachers reflections on their professional practice during initial formation: the search for teaching autonomy construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodolfo Langhi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This research intends to answer the following main question: which traces of teacher autonomy construction are possible to achieve during reflective formative processes in disciplines like Methodology and Physics Teaching Practice carried out during three semesters, in an undergraduate program designed to physics teachers´ initial education? Using an analytical device based on teachers education research assumptions, which we called convergent formative triangulation for progressive teaching autonomy, we had as a main objective the search for the chance to achieve progressive levels of teachers autonomy, according to its three teacher professionalization models, present in a critical and transformative perspective, relating them to the current formative paradigms: the contents based one, the humanist, the activist, the reflective and the technical (approaches we called CHART. Taking into consideration future physics teachers´ collective reflections about their own teaching practice, this research was supported by the following methodological instruments: focus group, coaching, self-confrontation and formative assessment, taking the discourse analysis as background. The outcomes of this research, which followed a sample of 40 future High School physics teachers during three semesters, through the use of five formative steps (planning, implementation, reflection, socialization, involvement and continuity, revealed the evidences of teachers autonomy construction, probably provided by their own teaching practice collective reflections, according to the analytical device used. This research showed that the reflections brakes provided during the process can allow the future teachers to position themselves critically in relation to their future pedagogical activities, even after their initial training. This experience leads us to rethink how subjects like Methodology and Teaching Practice have been teaching in the teachers’ education programs at

Tall Buildings Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Initiative 2017 TBI Guidelines Version 2.03 Now Available Screen Shot 2017-10-10 at 3.05.10 PM PEER has just initiative to develop design criteria that will ensure safe and usable tall buildings following future earthquakes. Download the primary product of this initiative: Guidelines for Performance-Based Seismic Design

Origins of Sinuous and Braided Channels on Ascraeus Mons, Mars - A Keck Geology Consortium Undergraduate Research Project

Science.gov (United States)

de Wet, A. P.; Bleacher, J. E.; Garry, W. B.

2012-01-01

Water has clearly played an important part in the geological evolution of Mars. There are many features on Mars that were almost certainly formed by fluvial processes -- for example, the channels Kasei Valles and Ares Vallis in the Chryse Planitia area of Mars are almost certainly fluvial features. On the other hand, there are many channel features that are much more difficult to interpret -- and have been variously attributed to volcanic and fluvial processes. Clearly unraveling the details of the role of water on Mars is extremely important, especially in the context of the search of extinct or extant life. In this project we built on our recent work in determining the origin of one channel on the southwest rift apron of Ascraeus Mons. This project, funded by the Keck Geology Consortium and involving 4 undergraduate geology majors took advantage of the recently available datasets to map and analyze similar features on Ascraeus Mons and some other areas of Mars. A clearer understanding of how these particular channel features formed might lead to the development of better criteria to distinguish how other Martian channel features formed. Ultimately this might provide us with a better understanding of the role of volcanic and fluvial processes in the geological evolution of Mars.

MODELS OF THE η CORVI DEBRIS DISK FROM THE KECK INTERFEROMETER, SPITZER, AND HERSCHEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebreton, J.; Beichman, C.; Millan-Gabet, R. [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bryden, G.; Mennesson, B. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107 (United States); Defrère, D. [Department of Astronomy, University of Arizona, 993 N. Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85721 (United States); Boccaletti, A., E-mail: lebretoj@gmail.com [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, University Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6 and University Denis Diderot Paris 7, 5 place Jules Janssen, F-92195 Meudon (France)

2016-02-01

Debris disks are signposts of analogs to small-body populations of the solar system, often, however, with much higher masses and dust production rates. The disk associated with the nearby star η Crv is especially striking, as it shows strong mid- and far-infrared excesses despite an age of ∼1.4 Gyr. We undertake constructing a consistent model of the system that can explain a diverse collection of spatial and spectral data. We analyze Keck Interferometer Nuller measurements and revisit Spitzer and additional spectrophotometric data, as well as resolved Herschel images, to determine the dust spatial distribution in the inner exozodi and in the outer belt. We model in detail the two-component disk and the dust properties from the sub-AU scale to the outermost regions by fitting simultaneously all measurements against a large parameter space. The properties of the cold belt are consistent with a collisional cascade in a reservoir of ice-free planetesimals at 133 AU. It shows marginal evidence for asymmetries along the major axis. KIN enables us to establish that the warm dust consists of a ring that peaks between 0.2 and 0.8 AU. To reconcile this location with the ∼400 K dust temperature, very high albedo dust must be invoked, and a distribution of forsterite grains starting from micron sizes satisfies this criterion, while providing an excellent fit to the spectrum. We discuss additional constraints from the LBTI and near-infrared spectra, and we present predictions of what James Webb Space Telescope can unveil about this unusual object and whether it can detect unseen planets.

Functional Annotation of All Salmonid Genomes (FAASG): an international initiative supporting future salmonid research, conservation and aquaculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Macqueen, Daniel J; Primmer, Craig R; Houston, Ross D; Nowak, Barbara F; Bernatchez, Louis; Bergseth, Steinar; Davidson, William S; Gallardo-Escárate, Cristian; Goldammer, Tom; Guiguen, Yann; Iturra, Patricia; Kijas, James W; Koop, Ben F; Lien, Sigbjørn; Maass, Alejandro; Martin, Samuel A M; McGinnity, Philip; Montecino, Martin; Naish, Kerry A; Nichols, Krista M; Ólafsson, Kristinn; Omholt, Stig W; Palti, Yniv; Plastow, Graham S; Rexroad, Caird E; Rise, Matthew L; Ritchie, Rachael J; Sandve, Simen R; Schulte, Patricia M; Tello, Alfredo; Vidal, Rodrigo; Vik, Jon Olav; Wargelius, Anna; Yáñez, José Manuel

2017-06-27

We describe an emerging initiative - the 'Functional Annotation of All Salmonid Genomes' (FAASG), which will leverage the extensive trait diversity that has evolved since a whole genome duplication event in the salmonid ancestor, to develop an integrative understanding of the functional genomic basis of phenotypic variation. The outcomes of FAASG will have diverse applications, ranging from improved understanding of genome evolution, to improving the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production, supporting the future of fundamental and applied research in an iconic fish lineage of major societal importance.

DRAMA IN SCHOOL. AN EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR THE FUTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvia ROTTER

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to highlight experiences and benefits of drama in education that have been developed through the project „The National Educational Initiative – Drama in education”. The project was carried out in 2014 in Romanian secondary schools by the Vienna Theatre for Children Association. The initiative addressed to children, teens and teachers alike. The starting point of the project lies in the research and methodology that were developed within the “School for Life” initiative of the Vienna Theatre for Children in 2008. The focal point consists in exploring the impact of play in education and learning. The two projects that are mentioned in the paper identified and evaluated the skills of the children and youth who got involved in the drama activities. The results showed cognitive, emotional and interpersonal progress in acquisition.

A KECK HIRES DOPPLER SEARCH FOR PLANETS ORBITING METAL-POOR DWARFS. II. ON THE FREQUENCY OF GIANT PLANETS IN THE METAL-POOR REGIME

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sozzetti, Alessandro; Torres, Guillermo; Latham, David W.; Stefanik, Robert P.; Korzennik, Sylvain G.; Boss, Alan P.; Carney, Bruce W.; Laird, John B.

2009-01-01

We present an analysis of three years of precision radial velocity (RV) measurements of 160 metal-poor stars observed with HIRES on the Keck 1 telescope. We report on variability and long-term velocity trends for each star in our sample. We identify several long-term, low-amplitude RV variables worthy of followup with direct imaging techniques. We place lower limits on the detectable companion mass as a function of orbital period. Our survey would have detected, with a 99.5% confidence level, over 95% of all companions on low-eccentricity orbits with velocity semiamplitude K ∼> 100 m s -1 , or M p sin i ∼> 3.0 M J (P/yr) (1/3) , for orbital periods P ∼ p p ≅ 1%. Our results can usefully inform theoretical studies of the process of giant-planet formation across two orders of magnitude in metallicity.

HIGH-REDSHIFT DUST OBSCURED GALAXIES: A MORPHOLOGY-SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION CONNECTION REVEALED BY KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melbourne, J.; Matthews, K.; Soifer, B. T.

2009-01-01

A simple optical to mid-IR color selection, R - [24]>14, i.e., f ν (24 μm)/f ν (R) ∼> 1000, identifies highly dust obscured galaxies (DOGs) with typical redshifts of z ∼ 2 ± 0.5. Extreme mid-IR luminosities (L IR > 10 12-14 ) suggest that DOGs are powered by a combination of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star formation, possibly driven by mergers. In an effort to compare their photometric properties with their rest-frame optical morphologies, we obtained high-spatial resolution (0.''05-0.''1) Keck Adaptive Optics K'-band images of 15 DOGs. The images reveal a wide range of morphologies, including small exponential disks (eight of 15), small ellipticals (four of 15), and unresolved sources (two of 15). One particularly diffuse source could not be classified because of low signal-to-noise ratio. We find a statistically significant correlation between galaxy concentration and mid-IR luminosity, with the most luminous DOGs exhibiting higher concentration and smaller physical size. DOGs with high concentration also tend to have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) suggestive of AGN activity. Thus, central AGN light may be biasing the morphologies of the more luminous DOGs to higher concentration. Conversely, more diffuse DOGs tend to show an SED shape suggestive of star formation. Two of 15 in the sample show multiple resolved components with separations of ∼1 kpc, circumstantial evidence for ongoing mergers.

HUBBLE AND KECK TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF ACTIVE ASTEROID 288P/300163 (2006 VW139)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Jessica; Jewitt, David; Weaver, Harold; Mutchler, Max; Larson, Stephen

2016-01-01

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Keck 10 m telescope observations of active asteroid 288P/300163 (2006 VW139) taken to examine ejected dust. The nucleus is a C-type object with absolute magnitude H V = 17.0 ± 0.1 and estimated diameter ∼2.6 km (for assumed visual geometric albedo p V = 0.04). Variations in the brightness of the nucleus at the 10%–15% level are significant in both 2011 December and 2012 October but we possess too few data to distinguish variations caused by activity from those caused by rotation. The dust scattering cross-section in 2011 December is ∼40 km 2 , corresponding to a dust mass ∼9 × 10 6 kg (88 μm mean particle radius assumed). The FWHM of the debris sheet varies from ∼100 km near the nucleus to ∼1000 km 30″ (40,000 km) east of it. Dust dynamical models indicate ejection speeds between 0.06 and 0.3 m s −1 , particle sizes between 10 and 300 μm and an inverse square-root relation between particle size and velocity. Overall, the data are most simply explained by prolonged, low velocity ejection of dust, starting in or before 2011 July and continuing until at least 2011 October. These properties are consistent with the sublimation of near-surface ice aided by centrifugal forces. The high spatial resolution of our HST images (52 km pixel −1 ) reveals details that remained hidden in previous ground-based observations, such as the extraordinarily small vertical extent of the dust sheet, ejection speeds well below the nucleus escape speed, and the possibility of a binary nucleus

HUBBLE AND KECK TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF ACTIVE ASTEROID 288P/300163 (2006 VW139)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agarwal, Jessica [Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Jewitt, David [Department Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, UCLA, 595 Charles Young Drive East, Box 951567 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567 (United States); Weaver, Harold [The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Mutchler, Max [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Larson, Stephen, E-mail: agarwal@mps.mpg.de [Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E. University Blvd. Tucson AZ 85721-0092 (United States)

2016-01-15

We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Keck 10 m telescope observations of active asteroid 288P/300163 (2006 VW139) taken to examine ejected dust. The nucleus is a C-type object with absolute magnitude H{sub V} = 17.0 ± 0.1 and estimated diameter ∼2.6 km (for assumed visual geometric albedo p{sub V} = 0.04). Variations in the brightness of the nucleus at the 10%–15% level are significant in both 2011 December and 2012 October but we possess too few data to distinguish variations caused by activity from those caused by rotation. The dust scattering cross-section in 2011 December is ∼40 km{sup 2}, corresponding to a dust mass ∼9 × 10{sup 6} kg (88 μm mean particle radius assumed). The FWHM of the debris sheet varies from ∼100 km near the nucleus to ∼1000 km 30″ (40,000 km) east of it. Dust dynamical models indicate ejection speeds between 0.06 and 0.3 m s{sup −1}, particle sizes between 10 and 300 μm and an inverse square-root relation between particle size and velocity. Overall, the data are most simply explained by prolonged, low velocity ejection of dust, starting in or before 2011 July and continuing until at least 2011 October. These properties are consistent with the sublimation of near-surface ice aided by centrifugal forces. The high spatial resolution of our HST images (52 km pixel{sup −1}) reveals details that remained hidden in previous ground-based observations, such as the extraordinarily small vertical extent of the dust sheet, ejection speeds well below the nucleus escape speed, and the possibility of a binary nucleus.

The Past, Present, and Future of the Air Force's Future Total Force

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Duffy, Dennis P

2004-01-01

This project examines the history of the Total Force policy since its inception in 1970 through its implementation today in an effort to determine a future direction for the Air Force's Future Total Force initiative...

Future use of mitocans against tumour-initiating cells?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Morrison, B.J.; Anděra, Ladislav; Reynolds, B.A.; Ralph, S.J.; Neužil, Jiří

2009-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 1 (2009), s. 147-153 ISSN 1613-4125 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50520514; CEZ:AV0Z50520701 Keywords : mitocans * tumour-initiating cells * metastasis Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.356, year: 2009

A hazy nuclear renaissance [Global initiatives call for developing advanced reactors and promoting nuclear education. The future is far from clear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murogov, V.M.

2007-01-01

As energy issues rise on the global agenda, what role is foreseen for nuclear power over the coming decades? Is enough being done to bring new reactors - and the knowledge to run them safely - on line when they are needed, especially in developing countries where energy demand is growing fastest? There are no easy answers, though some directions are emerging. Important developments are influencing the changing nuclear workforce, nuclear power technology, and the education of the next generation of leaders. A prime challenge is to preserve the knowledge and experience already acquired in nuclear fields so as to have a solid foundation from which to achieve safe and secure solutions. Fortunately, some global initiatives can help to pave the road to nuclear power's future and its contributions to sustainable development. They include steps taken by the IAEA, such as the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) and the World Nuclear University (WNU). Both initiatives are helping to raise awareness about education and knowledge management and the need for advanced nuclear technologies. Regrettably in Russia, as in the USA, Western Europe and developing nuclear countries, more attention and support is needed for nuclear education and training - and in preserving decades of nuclear experience that has fed such international initiatives. According to this author, opportunities are being lost in his view, leading to a hazy nuclear future

Combined Lidar-Radar Remote Sensing: Initial Results from CRYSTAL-FACE and Implications for Future Spaceflight Missions

Science.gov (United States)

McGill, Matthew J.; Li, Li-Hua; Hart, William D.; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Hlavka, Dennis L.; Vaughan, Mark A.; Winker, David M.

2003-01-01

In the near future NASA plans to fly satellites carrying a multi-wavelength backscatter lidar and a 94-GHz cloud profiling radar in formation to provide complete global profiling of cloud and aerosol properties. The CRYSTAL-FACE field campaign, conducted during July 2002, provided the first high-altitude colocated measurements from lidar and cloud profiling radar to simulate these spaceborne sensors. The lidar and radar provide complementary measurements with varying degrees of measurement overlap. This paper presents initial results of the combined airborne lidar-radar measurements during CRYSTAL-FACE. The overlap of instrument sensitivity is presented, within the context of particular CRYSTAL-FACE conditions. Results are presented to quantify the portion of atmospheric profiles sensed independently by each instrument and the portion sensed simultaneously by the two instruments.

A DETAILED GRAVITATIONAL LENS MODEL BASED ON SUBMILLIMETER ARRAY AND KECK ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING OF A HERSCHEL-ATLAS SUBMILLIMETER GALAXY AT z = 4.243 {sup ,} {sup ,}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bussmann, R. S.; Gurwell, M. A. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Fu Hai; Cooray, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Smith, D. J. B.; Bonfield, D.; Dunne, L. [Centre for Astrophysics, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Dye, S.; Eales, S. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Auld, R. [Cardiff University, School of Physics and Astronomy, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom); Baes, M.; Fritz, J. [Sterrenkundig Observatorium, Universiteit Gent, Krijgslaan 281 S9, B-9000 Gent (Belgium); Baker, A. J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019 (United States); Cava, A. [Departamento de Astrofisica, Facultad de CC. Fisicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040 Madrid (Spain); Clements, D. L.; Dariush, A. [Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Coppin, K. [Department of Physics, McGill University, Ernest Rutherford Building, 3600 Rue University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T8 (Canada); Dannerbauer, H. [Universitaet Wien, Institut fuer Astronomie, Tuerkenschanzstrasse 17, 1180 Wien, Oesterreich (Austria); De Zotti, G. [Universita di Padova, Dipto di Astronomia, Vicolo dell' Osservatorio 2, IT 35122, Padova (Italy); Hopwood, R., E-mail: rbussmann@cfa.harvard.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom); and others

2012-09-10

We present high-spatial resolution imaging obtained with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) at 880 {mu}m and the Keck adaptive optics (AO) system at the K{sub S}-band of a gravitationally lensed submillimeter galaxy (SMG) at z = 4.243 discovered in the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey. The SMA data (angular resolution Almost-Equal-To 0.''6) resolve the dust emission into multiple lensed images, while the Keck AO K{sub S}-band data (angular resolution Almost-Equal-To 0.''1) resolve the lens into a pair of galaxies separated by 0.''3. We present an optical spectrum of the foreground lens obtained with the Gemini-South telescope that provides a lens redshift of z{sub lens} = 0.595 {+-} 0.005. We develop and apply a new lens modeling technique in the visibility plane that shows that the SMG is magnified by a factor of {mu} = 4.1 {+-} 0.2 and has an intrinsic infrared (IR) luminosity of L{sub IR} = (2.1 {+-} 0.2) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 13} L{sub Sun }. We measure a half-light radius of the background source of r{sub s} = 4.4 {+-} 0.5 kpc which implies an IR luminosity surface density of {Sigma}{sub IR} (3.4 {+-} 0.9) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} L{sub Sun} kpc{sup -2}, a value that is typical of z > 2 SMGs but significantly lower than IR luminous galaxies at z {approx} 0. The two lens galaxies are compact (r{sub lens} Almost-Equal-To 0.9 kpc) early-types with Einstein radii of {theta}{sub E1} 0.57 {+-} 0.01 and {theta}{sub E2} = 0.40 {+-} 0.01 that imply masses of M{sub lens1} = (7.4 {+-} 0.5) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun} and M{sub lens2} = (3.7 {+-} 0.3) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }. The two lensing galaxies are likely about to undergo a dissipationless merger, and the mass and size of the resultant system should be similar to other early-type galaxies at z {approx} 0.6. This work highlights the importance of high spatial resolution imaging in developing models of strongly lensed galaxies

FutureCoast: "Listen to your futures"

Science.gov (United States)

Pfirman, S. L.; Eklund, K.; Thacher, S.; Orlove, B. S.; Diane Stovall-Soto, G.; Brunacini, J.; Hernandez, T.

2014-12-01

Two science-arts approaches are emerging as effective means to convey "futurethinking" to learners: systems gaming and experiential futures. FutureCoast exemplifies the latter: by engaging participants with voicemails supposedly leaking from the cloud of possible futures, the storymaking game frames the complexities of climate science in relatable contexts. Because participants make the voicemails themselves, FutureCoast opens up creative ways for people to think about possibly climate-changed futures and personal ways to talk about them. FutureCoast is a project of the PoLAR Partnership with a target audience of informal adult learners primarily reached via mobile devices and online platforms. Scientists increasingly use scenarios and storylines as ways to explore the implications of environmental change and societal choices. Stories help people make connections across experiences and disciplines and link large-scale events to personal consequences. By making the future seem real today, FutureCoast's framework helps people visualize and plan for future climate changes. The voicemails contributed to FutureCoast are spread through the game's intended timeframe (2020 through 2065). Based on initial content analysis of voicemail text, common themes include ecosystems and landscapes, weather, technology, societal issues, governance and policy. Other issues somewhat less frequently discussed include security, food, industry and business, health, energy, infrastructure, water, economy, and migration. Further voicemail analysis is examining: temporal dimensions (salient time frames, short vs. long term issues, intergenerational, etc.), content (adaptation vs. mitigation, challenges vs. opportunities, etc.), and emotion (hopeful, resigned, etc. and overall emotional context). FutureCoast also engaged audiences through facilitated in-person experiences, geocaching events, and social media (Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube). Analysis of the project suggests story

Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI): facing the challenges and pathways of global change in the twenty-first century

Science.gov (United States)

Groisman, Pavel; Shugart, Herman; Kicklighter, David; Henebry, Geoffrey; Tchebakova, Nadezhda; Maksyutov, Shamil; Monier, Erwan; Gutman, Garik; Gulev, Sergey; Qi, Jiaguo; Prishchepov, Alexander; Kukavskaya, Elena; Porfiriev, Boris; Shiklomanov, Alexander; Loboda, Tatiana; Shiklomanov, Nikolay; Nghiem, Son; Bergen, Kathleen; Albrechtová, Jana; Chen, Jiquan; Shahgedanova, Maria; Shvidenko, Anatoly; Speranskaya, Nina; Soja, Amber; de Beurs, Kirsten; Bulygina, Olga; McCarty, Jessica; Zhuang, Qianlai; Zolina, Olga

2017-12-01

During the past several decades, the Earth system has changed significantly, especially across Northern Eurasia. Changes in the socio-economic conditions of the larger countries in the region have also resulted in a variety of regional environmental changes that can have global consequences. The Northern Eurasia Future Initiative (NEFI) has been designed as an essential continuation of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI), which was launched in 2004. NEESPI sought to elucidate all aspects of ongoing environmental change, to inform societies and, thus, to better prepare societies for future developments. A key principle of NEFI is that these developments must now be secured through science-based strategies co-designed with regional decision-makers to lead their societies to prosperity in the face of environmental and institutional challenges. NEESPI scientific research, data, and models have created a solid knowledge base to support the NEFI program. This paper presents the NEFI research vision consensus based on that knowledge. It provides the reader with samples of recent accomplishments in regional studies and formulates new NEFI science questions. To address these questions, nine research foci are identified and their selections are briefly justified. These foci include warming of the Arctic; changing frequency, pattern, and intensity of extreme and inclement environmental conditions; retreat of the cryosphere; changes in terrestrial water cycles; changes in the biosphere; pressures on land use; changes in infrastructure; societal actions in response to environmental change; and quantification of Northern Eurasia's role in the global Earth system. Powerful feedbacks between the Earth and human systems in Northern Eurasia (e.g., mega-fires, droughts, depletion of the cryosphere essential for water supply, retreat of sea ice) result from past and current human activities (e.g., large-scale water withdrawals, land use, and governance

The Breakthrough Listen Initiative and the Future of the Search for Intelligent Life

Science.gov (United States)

Enriquez, J. Emilio; Siemion, Andrew; Croft, Steve; Hellbourg, Greg; Lebofsky, Matt; MacMahon, David; Price, Danny; DeBoer, David; Werthimer, Dan

2017-05-01

Unprecedented recent results in the fields of exoplanets and astrobiology have dramatically increased the interest in the potential existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy. Additionally, the capabilities of modern Searches for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) have increased tremendously. Much of this improvement is due to the ongoing development of wide bandwidth radio instruments and the Moore's Law increase in computing power over the previous decades. Together, these instrumentation improvements allow for narrow band signal searches of billions of frequency channels at once.The Breakthrough Listen Initiative (BL) was launched on July 20, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, UK with the goal to conduct the most comprehensive and sensitive search for advanced life in humanity's history. Here we detail important milestones achieved during the first year and a half of the program. We describe the key BL SETI surveys and briefly describe current facilities, including the Green Bank Telescope, the Automated Planet Finder and the Parkes Observatory. We also mention the ongoing and potential collaborations focused on complementary sciences, these include pulse searches of pulsars and FRBs, as well as astrophysically powered radio emission from stars targeted by our program.We conclude with a brief view towards future SETI searches with upcoming next-generation radio facilities such as SKA and ngVLA.

On Detecting New Worlds: The Art of Doppler Spectroscopy with Iodine Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sharon Xuesong

2016-08-01

20-50 cm/s. The strategies proposed and tested in this thesis will improve the RV precision of HET/HRS and Keck/HIRES, including their decade worth of archival data. This thesis also documents my work on characterizing exoplanet orbits using RV data and the discovery of HD 37605c. It concludes with a summary of major findings and an outline of future plans to use future precise Doppler spectrometers to move towards the goal of 10 cm/s and detecting Earth 2.0.

Confronting Standard Models of Proto-planetary Disks with New Mid-infrared Sizes from the Keck Interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Che, Xiao; Monnier, John D.; Sitko, Michael L.; Russell, Ray W.; Grady, Carol A.; Day, Amanda N.; Perry, R. B.; Harries, Tim J.; Aarnio, Alicia N.; Colavita, Mark M.; Wizinowich, Peter L.; Ragland, Sam; Woillez, Julien

2016-08-01

We present near- and mid-infrared (MIR) interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the infrared telescope facilities (IRTFs) of 11 well-known young stellar objects, several of which were observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With au-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and MIR disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the MIR disk sizes after using near-infrared data to remove the contribution from the inner rim. We then use a semi-analytical physical model to also find that the very widely used “star + inner dust rim + flared disk” class of models strongly fails to reproduce the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spatially resolved MIR data simultaneously; specifically a more compact source of MIR emission is required than results from the standard flared disk model. We explore the viability of a modification to the model whereby a second dust rim containing smaller dust grains is added, and find that the 2-rim model leads to significantly improved fits in most cases. This complexity is largely missed when carrying out SED modeling alone, although detailed silicate feature fitting by McClure et al. recently came to a similar conclusion. As has been suggested recently by Menu et al., the difficulty in predicting MIR sizes from the SED alone might hint at “transition disk”-like gaps in the inner au; however, the relatively high correlation found in our MIR disk size versus stellar luminosity relation favors layered disk morphologies and points to missing disk model ingredients instead.

CONFRONTING STANDARD MODELS OF PROTO-PLANETARY DISKS WITH NEW MID-INFRARED SIZES FROM THE KECK INTERFEROMETER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Millan-Gabet, Rafael [California Institute of Technology, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Che, Xiao; Monnier, John D.; Aarnio, Alicia N. [University of Michigan Astronomy Department, 1085 S. University Avenue 303B West Hall University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107 (United States); Sitko, Michael L.; Day, Amanda N. [Department of Physics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221 (United States); Russell, Ray W. [The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90009 (United States); Grady, Carol A. [Eureka Scientific, 2452 Delmer, Suite 100, Oakland, CA 96002 (United States); Perry, R. B. [NASA Langley Research Center, MS 160, Hampton, VA 23681 (United States); Harries, Tim J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL (United Kingdom); Colavita, Mark M. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Wizinowich, Peter L.; Ragland, Sam; Woillez, Julien, E-mail: R.Millan-Gabet@caltech.edu [Keck Observatory, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States)

2016-08-01

We present near- and mid-infrared (MIR) interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the infrared telescope facilities (IRTFs) of 11 well-known young stellar objects, several of which were observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With au-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and MIR disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the MIR disk sizes after using near-infrared data to remove the contribution from the inner rim. We then use a semi-analytical physical model to also find that the very widely used “star + inner dust rim + flared disk” class of models strongly fails to reproduce the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spatially resolved MIR data simultaneously; specifically a more compact source of MIR emission is required than results from the standard flared disk model. We explore the viability of a modification to the model whereby a second dust rim containing smaller dust grains is added, and find that the 2-rim model leads to significantly improved fits in most cases. This complexity is largely missed when carrying out SED modeling alone, although detailed silicate feature fitting by McClure et al. recently came to a similar conclusion. As has been suggested recently by Menu et al., the difficulty in predicting MIR sizes from the SED alone might hint at “transition disk”-like gaps in the inner au; however, the relatively high correlation found in our MIR disk size versus stellar luminosity relation favors layered disk morphologies and points to missing disk model ingredients instead.

CONFRONTING STANDARD MODELS OF PROTO-PLANETARY DISKS WITH NEW MID-INFRARED SIZES FROM THE KECK INTERFEROMETER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Che, Xiao; Monnier, John D.; Aarnio, Alicia N.; Sitko, Michael L.; Day, Amanda N.; Russell, Ray W.; Grady, Carol A.; Perry, R. B.; Harries, Tim J.; Colavita, Mark M.; Wizinowich, Peter L.; Ragland, Sam; Woillez, Julien

2016-01-01

We present near- and mid-infrared (MIR) interferometric observations made with the Keck Interferometer Nuller and near-contemporaneous spectro-photometry from the infrared telescope facilities (IRTFs) of 11 well-known young stellar objects, several of which were observed for the first time in these spectral and spatial resolution regimes. With au-level spatial resolution, we first establish characteristic sizes of the infrared emission using a simple geometrical model consisting of a hot inner rim and MIR disk emission. We find a high degree of correlation between the stellar luminosity and the MIR disk sizes after using near-infrared data to remove the contribution from the inner rim. We then use a semi-analytical physical model to also find that the very widely used “star + inner dust rim + flared disk” class of models strongly fails to reproduce the spectral energy distribution (SED) and spatially resolved MIR data simultaneously; specifically a more compact source of MIR emission is required than results from the standard flared disk model. We explore the viability of a modification to the model whereby a second dust rim containing smaller dust grains is added, and find that the 2-rim model leads to significantly improved fits in most cases. This complexity is largely missed when carrying out SED modeling alone, although detailed silicate feature fitting by McClure et al. recently came to a similar conclusion. As has been suggested recently by Menu et al., the difficulty in predicting MIR sizes from the SED alone might hint at “transition disk”-like gaps in the inner au; however, the relatively high correlation found in our MIR disk size versus stellar luminosity relation favors layered disk morphologies and points to missing disk model ingredients instead.

Ten Years of Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI): Results and Future Plans

Science.gov (United States)

Groisman, P. Y.; Gutman, G.; Gulev, S.; Maksyutov, S. S.

2014-12-01

During recent decades, Northern Eurasia was affected by unprecedented climate and environmental changes. Several droughts and heat waves alternated with hazardous extreme precipitation and flood events. Permafrost thaw, retreating Arctic sea ice, increasing areas of forest fire, and dramatic regional warming buffeted this region, tossing northern Eurasia from one extreme condition to the next. The region stores nearly half of the Earth's terrestrial carbon in permafrost, wetlands, and forested land, so ecosystem changes that release stored carbon could profoundly affect the world's climate. Furthermore, changes to climate and to hydrological and biogeochemical cycles are starting to affect daily life. For example, infrastructure is collapsing as permafrost thaws, severe winter storms increasingly bring businesses to a halt, and a growing water deficit is beginning to strain agricultural production and forestry. To pool resources and facilitate research, the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI, http://neespi.org) was launched in 2004. With its multidisciplinary focus, the internationally funded NEESPI (more than165 individual international projects during the past decade) has challenged participants to research climate-ecosystem interactions, societal impacts from extreme events in Northern Eurasia, and the feedbacks of these interactions and impacts to the global Earth system. Among the numerous Institutional and private sponsors from the United States, European Union, Russia, China, and Japan, the cornerstone support for the NEESPI studies was provided by the NASA Land Cover and Land Use Change Program and the Russian Academy of Sciences. At this presentation we shall overview the environmental studies conducted by the NEESPI community, brief the audience about the main achievements of the NEESPI researchers, and lay down the plans for the future studies. At the side event of the Meeting, we are going to initiate preparation of the book

CONTAMINATION OF BROADBAND PHOTOMETRY BY NEBULAR EMISSION IN HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES: INVESTIGATIONS WITH KECK'S MOSFIRE NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schenker, Matthew A; Ellis, Richard S; Konidaris, Nick P; Stark, Daniel P

2013-01-01

Earlier work has raised the potential importance of nebular emission in the derivation of the physical characteristics of high-redshift Lyman break galaxies. Within certain redshift ranges, and especially at z ≅ 6-7, such lines may be strong enough to reduce estimates of the stellar masses and ages of galaxies compared with those derived assuming the broadband photometry represents stellar light alone. To test this hypothesis at the highest redshifts where such lines can be probed with ground-based facilities, we examine the near-infrared spectra of a representative sample of 28 3.0 < z < 3.8 Lyman break galaxies using the newly commissioned MOSFIRE near-infrared spectrograph at the Keck I telescope. We use these data to derive the rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) of [O III] emission and show that these are comparable with estimates derived using the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting technique introduced for sources of known redshift by Stark et al. Although our current sample is modest, its [O III] EW distribution is consistent with that inferred for Hα based on SED fitting of Stark et al.'s larger sample of 3.8 < z < 5 galaxies. For a subset of survey galaxies, we use the combination of optical and near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify kinematics of outflows in z ≅ 3.5 star-forming galaxies and discuss the implications for reionization measurements. The trends we uncover underline the dangers of relying purely on broadband photometry to estimate the physical properties of high-redshift galaxies and emphasize the important role of diagnostic spectroscopy

Deep Imaging Search for Planets Forming in the TW Hya Protoplanetary Disk with the Keck/NIRC2 Vortex Coronagraph

Science.gov (United States)

Ruane, G.; Mawet, D.; Kastner, J.; Meshkat, T.; Bottom, M.; Femenía Castellá, B.; Absil, O.; Gomez Gonzalez, C.; Huby, E.; Zhu, Z.; Jenson-Clem, R.; Choquet, É.; Serabyn, E.

2017-08-01

Distinct gap features in the nearest protoplanetary disk, TW Hya (distance of 59.5 ± 0.9 pc), may be signposts of ongoing planet formation. We performed long-exposure thermal infrared coronagraphic imaging observations to search for accreting planets, especially within dust gaps previously detected in scattered light and submillimeter-wave thermal emission. Three nights of observations with the Keck/NIRC2 vortex coronagraph in L‧ (3.4-4.1 μm) did not reveal any statistically significant point sources. We thereby set strict upper limits on the masses of non-accreting planets. In the four most prominent disk gaps at 24, 41, 47, and 88 au, we obtain upper mass limits of 1.6-2.3, 1.1-1.6, 1.1-1.5, and 1.0-1.2 Jupiter masses (M J), assuming an age range of 7-10 Myr for TW Hya. These limits correspond to the contrast at 95% completeness (true positive fraction of 0.95) with a 1% chance of a false positive within 1″ of the star. We also approximate an upper limit on the product of the planet mass and planetary accretion rate of {M}{{p}}\\dot{M}≲ {10}-8 {M}{{J}}2 {{yr}}-1 implying that any putative ˜0.1 M J planet, which could be responsible for opening the 24 au gap, is presently accreting at rates insufficient to build up a Jupiter mass within TW Hya’s pre-main-sequence lifetime.

AN INTERFEROMETRIC STUDY OF THE FOMALHAUT INNER DEBRIS DISK. II. KECK NULLER MID-INFRARED OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mennesson, B.; Serabyn, E.; Colavita, M. M. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109-8099 (United States); Absil, O. [Departement d' Astrophysique, Geophysique et Oceanographie, Universite de Liege, 17 Allee du Six Aout, B-4000 Sart Tilman (Belgium); Lebreton, J.; Augereau, J.-C. [IPAG, UMR 5274, CNRS and Universite Joseph Fourier, BP 53, F-38041 Grenoble (France); Millan-Gabet, R. [Michelson Science Center, California Institute of Technology, 770 South Wilson Avenue, Pasadena CA 91125 (United States); Liu, W. [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Mail Code 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Hinz, P. [Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Thebault, P. [Observatoire de Paris, Section de Meudon, F-92195 Meudon Principal Cedex (France)

2013-02-15

We report on high-contrast mid-infrared observations of Fomalhaut obtained with the Keck Interferometer Nuller (KIN) showing a small resolved excess over the level expected from the stellar photosphere. The measured null excess has a mean value of 0.35% {+-} 0.10% between 8 and 11 {mu}m and increases from 8 to 13 {mu}m. Given the small field of view of the instrument, the source of this marginal excess must be contained within 2 AU of Fomalhaut. This result is reminiscent of previous VLTI K-band ({approx_equal}2{mu}m) observations, which implied the presence of a {approx}0.88% excess, and argued that thermal emission from hot dusty grains located within 6 AU from Fomalhaut was the most plausible explanation. Using a parametric two-dimensional radiative transfer code and a Bayesian analysis, we examine different dust disk structures to reproduce both the near- and mid-infrared data simultaneously. While not a definitive explanation of the hot excess of Fomalhaut, our model suggests that the most likely inner few AU disk geometry consists of a two-component structure, with two different and spatially distinct grain populations. The 2-11 {mu}m data are consistent with an inner hot ring of very small ({approx_equal}10-300 nm) carbon-rich grains concentrating around 0.1 AU. The second dust population-inferred from the KIN data at longer mid-infrared wavelengths-consists of larger grains (size of a few microns to a few tens of microns) located further out in a colder region where regular astronomical silicates could survive, with an inner edge around 0.4 AU-1 AU. From a dynamical point of view, the presence of the inner concentration of submicron-sized grains is surprising, as such grains should be expelled from the inner planetary system by radiation pressure within only a few years. This could either point to some inordinate replenishment rates (e.g., many grazing comets coming from an outer reservoir) or to the existence of some braking mechanism preventing the grains

The future store initiative : shopping for knowledge / knowledge for shopping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Man, de A.P.; Graczewski, T.; Man, de A.P.

2008-01-01

Building the retail store of the future with widely different partners requires much attention to the governance of knowledge and innovation processes. The German supermarket chain METRO did so effectively. This case highlights the importance of informal solution concepts, in combination with a

The Future SSC Pacific Civil Service Workforce

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Shigley, P; Pennoyer, G; Carreno, J

2008-01-01

.... This study supports strategic leadership decisions on future recruitment and retention initiatives by providing visibility into future hiring, providing understanding of the make-up and availability...

One carbon cycle: Impacts of model integration, ecosystem process detail, model resolution, and initialization data, on projections of future climate mitigation strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Fisk, J.; Hurtt, G. C.; le page, Y.; Patel, P. L.; Chini, L. P.; Sahajpal, R.; Dubayah, R.; Thomson, A. M.; Edmonds, J.; Janetos, A. C.

2013-12-01

Integrated assessment models (IAMs) simulate the interactions between human and natural systems at a global scale, representing a broad suite of phenomena across the global economy, energy system, land-use, and carbon cycling. Most proposed climate mitigation strategies rely on maintaining or enhancing the terrestrial carbon sink as a substantial contribution to restrain the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, however most IAMs rely on simplified regional representations of terrestrial carbon dynamics. Our research aims to reduce uncertainties associated with forest modeling within integrated assessments, and to quantify the impacts of climate change on forest growth and productivity for integrated assessments of terrestrial carbon management. We developed the new Integrated Ecosystem Demography (iED) to increase terrestrial ecosystem process detail, resolution, and the utilization of remote sensing in integrated assessments. iED brings together state-of-the-art models of human society (GCAM), spatial land-use patterns (GLM) and terrestrial ecosystems (ED) in a fully coupled framework. The major innovative feature of iED is a consistent, process-based representation of ecosystem dynamics and carbon cycle throughout the human, terrestrial, land-use, and atmospheric components. One of the most challenging aspects of ecosystem modeling is to provide accurate initialization of land surface conditions to reflect non-equilibrium conditions, i.e., the actual successional state of the forest. As all plants in ED have an explicit height, it is one of the few ecosystem models that can be initialized directly with vegetation height data. Previous work has demonstrated that ecosystem model resolution and initialization data quality have a large effect on flux predictions at continental scales. Here we use a factorial modeling experiment to quantify the impacts of model integration, process detail, model resolution, and initialization data on projections of

An Observatory to Enhance the Preparation of Future California Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Connolly, L.; Lederer, S.

2004-12-01

With a major grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation, California State University, San Bernardino is establishing a state-of-the-art teaching astronomical observatory. The Observatory will be fundamental to an innovative undergraduate physics and astronomy curriculum for Physics and Liberal Studies majors and will be integrated into our General Education program. The critical need for a research and educational observatory is linked to changes in California's Science Competencies for teacher certification. Development of the Observatory will also complement a new infusion of NASA funding and equipment support for our growing astronomy education programs and the University's established Strategic Plan for excellence in education and teacher preparation. The Observatory will consist of two domed towers. One tower will house a 20" Ritchey-Chretien telescope equipped with a CCD camera in conjunction with either UBVRI broadband filters or a spectrometer for evening laboratories and student research projects. The second tower will house the university's existing 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain optical telescope coupled with a CCD camera and an array of filters. A small aperture solar telescope will be attached to the 12" for observing solar prominences while a milar filter can be attached to the 12" for sunspot viewing. We have been very fortunate to receive a challenge grant of \\600,000 from the W. M. Keck Foundation to equip the two domed towers; we continue to seek a further \\800,000 to meet our construction needs. Funding also provided by the California State University, San Bernardino.

Future internet concepts for demand management

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Madhoo, H

2015-04-01

Full Text Available research and experimental initiative linked to the Future Internet (TRESCIMO) which facilitates the validity of using these technologies as base for energy demand management. The initiative utilises a philosophy of informing customers about their energy...

Keck-I MOSFIRE spectroscopy of compact star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 2: high velocity dispersions in progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barro, Guillermo; Koo, David C.; Faber, Sandra M.; Guo, Yicheng; Toloba, Elisa; Fang, Jerome J.; Trump, Jonathan R.; Dekel, Avishai; Kassin, Susan A.; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Kocevski, Dale D.; Van der Wel, Arjen; Pérez-González, Pablo G.; Pacifici, Camilla; Simons, Raymond; Campbell, Randy D.; Goodrich, Bob; Kassis, Marc; Ceverino, Daniel; Finkelstein, Steven L.

2014-01-01

We present Keck-I MOSFIRE near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 13 compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at redshift 2 ≤ z ≤ 2.5 with star formation rates of SFR ∼ 100 M ☉ yr –1 and masses of log(M/M ☉ ) ∼10.8. Their high integrated gas velocity dispersions of σ int =230 −30 +40 km s –1 , as measured from emission lines of Hα and [O III], and the resultant M * -σ int relation and M * -M dyn all match well to those of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2, as measured from stellar absorption lines. Since log(M * /M dyn ) =–0.06 ± 0.2 dex, these compact SFGs appear to be dynamically relaxed and evolved, i.e., depleted in gas and dark matter (<13 −13 +17 %), and present larger σ int than their non-compact SFG counterparts at the same epoch. Without infusion of external gas, depletion timescales are short, less than ∼300 Myr. This discovery adds another link to our new dynamical chain of evidence that compact SFGs at z ≳ 2 are already losing gas to become the immediate progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies by z ∼ 2.

Personalized telehealth in the future

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dinesen, B.; Nonnecke, B.; Lindeman, David

2016-01-01

of telehealth services and benefits, presents fundamental principles that must be addressed to advance the status quo, and provides a framework for current and future research initiatives within telehealth for personalized care, treatment, and prevention. A broad, multinational research agenda can provide...... research agenda for future telehealth applications within chronic disease management....

Renewable energies: an initiation guidebook to the energies of the future; Les energies renouvelables: un guide d'initiation sur les energies du futur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walisiewicz, M.

2003-07-01

This book reveals the economical, political and environmental dimensions of the present day energy situation and makes a status of the available technical solutions and of the future prospects. Content: energy addiction; reserves distribution; growth limits; technical problems; nuclear energy: a false promise?; the renewable resources; hydraulic energy; wind power; sun light for lighting; green generators; ground energy; alternative realities; glossary, index. (J.S.)

Modeling Global Water Use for the 21st Century: Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) Initiative and Its Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Y.; Florke, M.; Hanasaki, N.; Eisner, S.; Fischer, G.; Tramberend, S.; Satoh, Y.; van Vliet, M. T. H.; Yillia, P.; Ringler, C.;

American Society of Clinical Oncology Obesity Initiative: Rationale, Progress, and Future Directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ligibel, Jennifer A; Wollins, Dana

2016-12-10

Obesity is increasingly being linked to the risk of developing and dying from cancer. In recognition of the growing contribution of obesity to cancer risk and outcomes, ASCO made obesity and cancer one of its core initiatives in 2014. The goals of this initiative included raising awareness of the relationship between obesity and cancer, providing tools and resources to oncology providers and patients to help encourage conversations regarding weight management in cancer survivors, fostering a robust research agenda, and advocating for access to evidence-based weight management programs for cancer survivors. Efforts to date have included developing patient and provider toolkits focused on weight management and physical activity, publishing a policy statement outlining ASCO's initiatives in this area, and hosting a summit focused on obesity research in cancer populations. As ASCO has defined its priorities in the area of obesity and cancer, it has become increasingly clear that obesity is a problem that extends far beyond its impact on cancer risk and outcomes. Many groups, including those focused on heart disease, diabetes, and endocrinology, have been developing, testing, and implementing obesity prevention and treatment strategies for years. As ASCO moves forward with its obesity initiative, the next steps will focus on forging collaboration with groups working on obesity-related initiatives both within and outside of the field of cancer to learn from their efforts and to partner with them on efforts to increase the education of medical professionals; raising awareness in lay populations regarding the negative health consequences of obesity and effective strategies to foster weight loss; developing collaborative research initiatives; and working together to advocate for the societal changes that will be needed to combat the obesity epidemic in the United States and beyond.

THE CIRCUMNUCLEAR STAR FORMATION ENVIRONMENT OF NGC 6946: Br γ AND H{sub 2} RESULTS FROM KECK INTEGRAL FIELD SPECTROSCOPY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Chao-Wei [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Turner, Jean L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); Beck, Sara C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv (Israel); Meier, David S. [Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Wright, Shelley A., E-mail: Chao-Wei.Tsai@jpl.nasa.gov [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2013-10-20

We present a three-dimensional data cube of the K-band continuum and the Br γ, H{sub 2} S(0), and S(1) lines within the central 18.''5 × 13.''8 (520 pc × 390 pc) region of NGC 6946. Data were obtained using OSIRIS, a near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph at Keck Observatory, with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics. The 0.''3 resolution allows us to investigate the stellar bulge and the forming star clusters in the nuclear region on 10 pc scales. We detect giant H II regions associated with massive young star clusters in the nuclear spiral/ring (R ∼ 30 pc) and in the principal shocks along the nuclear bar. Comparisons of the Br γ fluxes with Pa α line emission and radio continuum indicate A{sub K} ∼ 3, A{sub V} ∼ 25 for the nuclear star-forming regions. The most luminous H II regions are restricted to within 70 pc of the center, despite the presence of high gas columns at larger radii (R ∼ 200 pc). H{sub 2} emission is restricted to clouds within R ∼ 60 pc of the center, resembling the distribution of HCN line emission. We propose that gas-assisted migration of the young star clusters is contributing to the buildup of the nuclear bar and nuclear star cluster (R < 30 pc) in this galaxy.

Why Do We Need Future Ready Librarians? That Kid.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, Mark

2018-01-01

In this article, the author examines the need of the Future Ready Librarians (FRL) initiative. The FRL Framework helps define how librarians might lead, teach, and support schools based on the core research-based components defined by Future Ready. The framework and initiative are intended to be ways to change the conversation about school…

Where to Go Next? Identifying Target Areas in the North Atlantic for Future Seafloor Mapping Initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Woelfl, A. C.; Jencks, J.; Johnston, G.; Varner, J. D.; Devey, C. W.

2017-12-01

Human activities are rapidly expanding into the oceans, yet detailed bathymetric maps do not exist for most of the seafloor that would permit governments to formulate sensible usage rules. Changing this situation will require an enormous international mapping effort. To ensure that this effort is directed towards the regions most in need of mapping, we need to know which areas have already been mapped and which areas are potentially most interesting. Despite various mapping efforts in recent years, large parts of the Atlantic still lack detailed bathymetric information. To successfully plan for future mapping efforts to fill these gaps, knowledge of current data coverage is imperative to avoid duplication of effort. While certain datasets are publically available online (e.g. NOAA's NCEI, EMODnet, IHO-DCDB, LDEO's GMRT), many are not. However, with the limited information we do have at hand, the question remains, where should we map next? And what criteria should we take into account? In 2016, a study was taken on as part of the efforts of the International Atlantic Seabed Mapping Working Group (ASMIWG). The ASMIWG, established by the Tri-Partite Galway Statement Implementation Committee, was tasked to develop a cohesive seabed mapping strategy for the Atlantic Ocean. The aim of our study was to develop a reproducible process for identifying and evaluating potential target areas within the North Atlantic that represent suitable sites for future bathymetric surveys. The sites were selected by applying a GIS-based suitability analysis that included specific user group-based parameters of the marine environment. Furthermore, information regarding current data coverage were gathered to take into account in the selection process. The results reveal the suitability of sites within the North Atlantic based on the selected criteria. Three potential target sites should be seen as flexible suggestions for future mapping initiatives rather than a rigid, defined set of areas

Sun Grant Initiative : great strides toward a sustainable and more energy-independent future

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

The Sun Grant Initiative publication, developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, offers a glimpse of how the Sun Grant Initiative Centers are advancing alternative fuels research. Transportation plays a significant role in biofuels research,...

Keck-I MOSFIRE spectroscopy of compact star-forming galaxies at z ≳ 2: high velocity dispersions in progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barro, Guillermo; Koo, David C.; Faber, Sandra M.; Guo, Yicheng; Toloba, Elisa; Fang, Jerome J. [University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Trump, Jonathan R. [Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA 16802 (United States); Dekel, Avishai [Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Kassin, Susan A.; Koekemoer, Anton M. [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Kocevski, Dale D. [University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 (United States); Van der Wel, Arjen [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Pérez-González, Pablo G. [Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. de Sneca, 2 Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid (Spain); Pacifici, Camilla [Yonsei University Observatory, Yonsei University 50, Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Simons, Raymond [Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2683 (United States); Campbell, Randy D.; Goodrich, Bob; Kassis, Marc [W. M. Keck Observatory, California Association for Research in Astronomy, 65-1120 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Ceverino, Daniel [Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Finkelstein, Steven L. [The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); and others

2014-11-10

We present Keck-I MOSFIRE near-infrared spectroscopy for a sample of 13 compact star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at redshift 2 ≤ z ≤ 2.5 with star formation rates of SFR ∼ 100 M {sub ☉} yr{sup –1} and masses of log(M/M {sub ☉}) ∼10.8. Their high integrated gas velocity dispersions of σ{sub int} =230{sub −30}{sup +40} km s{sup –1}, as measured from emission lines of Hα and [O III], and the resultant M {sub *}-σ{sub int} relation and M {sub *}-M {sub dyn} all match well to those of compact quiescent galaxies at z ∼ 2, as measured from stellar absorption lines. Since log(M {sub *}/M {sub dyn}) =–0.06 ± 0.2 dex, these compact SFGs appear to be dynamically relaxed and evolved, i.e., depleted in gas and dark matter (<13{sub −13}{sup +17}%), and present larger σ{sub int} than their non-compact SFG counterparts at the same epoch. Without infusion of external gas, depletion timescales are short, less than ∼300 Myr. This discovery adds another link to our new dynamical chain of evidence that compact SFGs at z ≳ 2 are already losing gas to become the immediate progenitors of compact quiescent galaxies by z ∼ 2.

Robot Futures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Anja; Grindsted Nielsen, Sally; Jochum, Elizabeth Ann

Robots are increasingly used in health care settings, e.g., as homecare assistants and personal companions. One challenge for personal robots in the home is acceptance. We describe an innovative approach to influencing the acceptance of care robots using theatrical performance. Live performance...... is a useful testbed for developing and evaluating what makes robots expressive; it is also a useful platform for designing robot behaviors and dialogue that result in believable characters. Therefore theatre is a valuable testbed for studying human-robot interaction (HRI). We investigate how audiences...... perceive social robots interacting with humans in a future care scenario through a scripted performance. We discuss our methods and initial findings, and outline future work....

CONTAMINATION OF BROADBAND PHOTOMETRY BY NEBULAR EMISSION IN HIGH-REDSHIFT GALAXIES: INVESTIGATIONS WITH KECK'S MOSFIRE NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schenker, Matthew A; Ellis, Richard S; Konidaris, Nick P [Department of Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Stark, Daniel P, E-mail: schenker@astro.caltech.edu [Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2013-11-01

Earlier work has raised the potential importance of nebular emission in the derivation of the physical characteristics of high-redshift Lyman break galaxies. Within certain redshift ranges, and especially at z ≅ 6-7, such lines may be strong enough to reduce estimates of the stellar masses and ages of galaxies compared with those derived assuming the broadband photometry represents stellar light alone. To test this hypothesis at the highest redshifts where such lines can be probed with ground-based facilities, we examine the near-infrared spectra of a representative sample of 28 3.0 < z < 3.8 Lyman break galaxies using the newly commissioned MOSFIRE near-infrared spectrograph at the Keck I telescope. We use these data to derive the rest-frame equivalent widths (EWs) of [O III] emission and show that these are comparable with estimates derived using the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting technique introduced for sources of known redshift by Stark et al. Although our current sample is modest, its [O III] EW distribution is consistent with that inferred for Hα based on SED fitting of Stark et al.'s larger sample of 3.8 < z < 5 galaxies. For a subset of survey galaxies, we use the combination of optical and near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify kinematics of outflows in z ≅ 3.5 star-forming galaxies and discuss the implications for reionization measurements. The trends we uncover underline the dangers of relying purely on broadband photometry to estimate the physical properties of high-redshift galaxies and emphasize the important role of diagnostic spectroscopy.

State nuclear initiatives in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, P.L.; Stoiber, C.R.

1977-01-01

The paper deals with State nuclear initiatives regarding the role of nuclear power in the energy future of the United States. The question of whether and under what circumstances nuclear facilities should be used to generate electricity was put to the popular vote in several States in 1976. Some general principles of Federal-State relations are discussed with specific reference to nuclear regulations. The initiative mechanism itself is described as well as its legal form and background. The parallel developments in the State and Federal legislative consideration of nuclear issues is reviewed and the suggested reasons for the defeat of the proposals in the seven States concerned are discussed. Finally, the author draws some conclusions on the effects of the 1976 initiatives on future decision-making in the US on energy policy in general and nuclear power in particular. (NEA) [fr

17 CFR 10.105 - Review by Commission on its own initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... own initiative. 10.105 Section 10.105 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING... initiative. The Commission may on its own initiative, within 30 days after the initial decision has been... the Commission has directed review on its own initiative shall be served on all parties by the...

Transnational Higher Education and Sustainable Development: Current Initiatives and Future Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Koehn, Peter H.

2012-01-01

Tertiary educational institutions increasingly are relied upon for sustainable development initiatives. This policy research note analyzes newly available data regarding seven key dimensions of 295 transnational sustainable development projects involving US universities. Comparative regional analysis of the projects profiled in the APLU/AAU…

Renewable Electricity Futures Study Executive Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mai, Trieu [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sandor, Debra [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schneider, Thomas [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2012-12-01

The Renewable Electricity Futures Study (RE Futures) provides an analysis of the grid integration opportunities, challenges, and implications of high levels of renewable electricity generation for the U.S. electric system. The study is not a market or policy assessment. Rather, RE Futures examines renewable energy resources and many technical issues related to the operability of the U.S. electricity grid, and provides initial answers to important questions about the integration of high penetrations of renewable electricity technologies from a national perspective. RE Futures results indicate that a future U.S. electricity system that is largely powered by renewable sources is possible and that further work is warranted to investigate this clean generation pathway.

World Energy Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forbes, A.; Van der Linde, C.; Nicola, S.

2009-01-01

In the section World Energy Future of this magazine two articles, two interviews and one column are presented. The article 'A green example to the world' refers briefly to the second World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, which was held from 18-21 January, 2009. The second article, 'Green Utopia in the desert' attention is paid to the Abu Dhabi government-driven Masdar Initiative. The two interviews concern an interview with BP Alternative Energy ceo Vivienne Cox, and an interview with the founder and CEO of New Energy Finance Michael Liebreich. The column ('An efficient response') focuses on the impact of the economic crisis on energy policy

Integrated Initiating Event Performance Indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

S. A. Eide; Dale M. Rasmuson; Corwin L. Atwood

2005-01-01

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Industry Trends Program (ITP) collects and analyses industry-wide data, assesses the safety significance of results, and communicates results to Congress and other stakeholders. This paper outlines potential enhancements in the ITP to comprehensively cover the Initiating Events Cornerstone of Safety. Future work will address other cornerstones of safety. The proposed Tier 1 activity involves collecting data on ten categories of risk-significant initiating events, trending the results, and comparing early performance with prediction limits (allowable numbers of events, above which NRC action may occur). Tier 1 results would be used to monitor industry performance at the level of individual categories of initiating events. The proposed Tier 2 activity involves integrating the information for individual categories of initiating events into a single risk-based indicator, termed the Baseline Risk Index for Initiating Events or BRIIE. The BRIIE would be evaluated yearly and compared against a threshold. BRIIE results would be reported to Congress on a yearly basis

Initial Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Ozoroski, L. P.; Geiselhart, K. A.; Padula, S. L.; Li, W.; Olson, E. D.; Campbell, R. L.; Shields, E. W.; Berton, J. J.; Gray, J. S.; Jones, S. M.;

World Energy Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forbes, A.; Van der Linde, C.; Nicola, S.

2009-03-15

In the section World Energy Future of this magazine two articles, two interviews and one column are presented. The article 'A green example to the world' refers briefly to the second World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, which was held from 18-21 January, 2009. The second article, 'Green Utopia in the desert' attention is paid to the Abu Dhabi government-driven Masdar Initiative. The two interviews concern an interview with BP Alternative Energy ceo Vivienne Cox, and an interview with the founder and CEO of New Energy Finance Michael Liebreich. The column ('An efficient response') focuses on the impact of the economic crisis on energy policy.

Digital imaging - future visions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanford, L.

1993-01-01

The reality of a filmless future in medicine is closer in the UK than in the US. The initiative with digital data processing, however, is not. Despite the glowing promises in the literature of such visionware', there is as yet no filmless system anywhere in the World. This article examines research in this field. (Author)

Technology for Future NASA Missions: Civil Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) and Pathfinder

Science.gov (United States)

1988-01-01

SEPTEMBER 1988 PACE Space Research and Technology Overview 1 Frederick P. Povinelli Civil Space Technology Initiative 15 Judith H. Ambrus...Peterson Peterson Pierson Pietsch Pilcher Pistole Piszczor Pittian Plotkin Portnoy Poucher Povinelli Povell Pozarovski Priebe Prior Pyle

Prospects for Future Collider Physics

CERN Document Server

Ellis, John

2016-10-20

One item on the agenda of future colliders is certain to be the Higgs boson. What is it trying to tell us? The primary objective of any future collider must surely be to identify physics beyond the Standard Model, and supersymmetry is one of the most studied options. it Is supersymmetry waiting for us and, if so, can LHC Run 2 find it? The big surprise from the initial 13-TeV LHC data has been the appearance of a possible signal for a new boson X with a mass ~750 GeV. What are the prospects for future colliders if the X(750) exists? One of the most intriguing possibilities in electroweak physics would be the discovery of non-perturbative phenomena. What are the prospects for observing sphalerons at the LHC or a future collider?

Future land use plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) changing mission, coupled with the need to apply appropriate cleanup standards for current and future environmental restoration, prompted the need for a process to determine preferred Future Land Uses for DOE-owned sites. DOE began the ''Future Land Use'' initiative in 1994 to ensure that its cleanup efforts reflect the surrounding communities' interests in future land use. This plan presents the results of a study of stakeholder-preferred future land uses for the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), located in central Long Island, New York. The plan gives the Laboratory's view of its future development over the next 20 years, as well as land uses preferred by the community were BNL ever to cease operations as a national laboratory (the post-BNL scenario). The plan provides an overview of the physical features of the site including its history, topography, geology/hydrogeology, biological inventory, floodplains, wetlands, climate, and atmosphere. Utility systems and current environmental operations are described including waste management, waste water treatment, hazardous waste management, refuse disposal and ground water management. To complement the physical descriptions of the site, demographics are discussed, including overviews of the surrounding areas, laboratory population, and economic and non-economic impacts

Future land use plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-31

The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) changing mission, coupled with the need to apply appropriate cleanup standards for current and future environmental restoration, prompted the need for a process to determine preferred Future Land Uses for DOE-owned sites. DOE began the ``Future Land Use`` initiative in 1994 to ensure that its cleanup efforts reflect the surrounding communities` interests in future land use. This plan presents the results of a study of stakeholder-preferred future land uses for the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), located in central Long Island, New York. The plan gives the Laboratory`s view of its future development over the next 20 years, as well as land uses preferred by the community were BNL ever to cease operations as a national laboratory (the post-BNL scenario). The plan provides an overview of the physical features of the site including its history, topography, geology/hydrogeology, biological inventory, floodplains, wetlands, climate, and atmosphere. Utility systems and current environmental operations are described including waste management, waste water treatment, hazardous waste management, refuse disposal and ground water management. To complement the physical descriptions of the site, demographics are discussed, including overviews of the surrounding areas, laboratory population, and economic and non-economic impacts.

FutureGen Project Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabe, Jim; Elliott, Mike

2010-09-30

This report summarizes the comprehensive siting, permitting, engineering, design, and costing activities completed by the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, the Department of Energy, and associated supporting subcontractors to develop a first of a kind near zero emissions integrated gasification combined cycle power plant and carbon capture and storage project (IGCC-CCS). With the goal to design, build, and reliably operate the first IGCC-CCS facility, FutureGen would have been the lowest emitting pulverized coal power plant in the world, while providing a timely and relevant basis for coal combustion power plants deploying carbon capture in the future. The content of this report summarizes key findings and results of applicable project evaluations; modeling, design, and engineering assessments; cost estimate reports; and schedule and risk mitigation from initiation of the FutureGen project through final flow sheet analyses including capital and operating reports completed under DOE award DE-FE0000587. This project report necessarily builds upon previously completed siting, design, and development work executed under DOE award DE-FC26- 06NT4207 which included the siting process; environmental permitting, compliance, and mitigation under the National Environmental Policy Act; and development of conceptual and design basis documentation for the FutureGen plant. For completeness, the report includes as attachments the siting and design basis documents, as well as the source documentation for the following: • Site evaluation and selection process and environmental characterization • Underground Injection Control (UIC) Permit Application including well design and subsurface modeling • FutureGen IGCC-CCS Design Basis Document • Process evaluations and technology selection via Illinois Clean Coal Review Board Technical Report • Process flow diagrams and heat/material balance for slurry-fed gasifier configuration • Process flow diagrams and heat/material balance

New Developments At The Science Archives Of The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute

Science.gov (United States)

Berriman, G. Bruce

2018-06-01

The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at Caltech/IPAC is the science center for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program and as such, NExScI operates three scientific archives: the NASA Exoplanet Archive (NEA) and Exoplanet Follow-up Observation Program Website (ExoFOP), and the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA).The NASA Exoplanet Archive supports research and mission planning by the exoplanet community by operating a service that provides confirmed and candidate planets, numerous project and contributed data sets and integrated analysis tools. The ExoFOP provides an environment for exoplanet observers to share and exchange data, observing notes, and information regarding the Kepler, K2, and TESS candidates. KOA serves all raw science and calibration observations acquired by all active and decommissioned instruments at the W. M. Keck Observatory, as well as reduced data sets contributed by Keck observers.In the coming years, the NExScI archives will support a series of major endeavours allowing flexible, interactive analysis of the data available at the archives. These endeavours exploit a common infrastructure based upon modern interfaces such as JuypterLab and Python. The first service will enable reduction and analysis of precision radial velocity data from the HIRES Keck instrument. The Exoplanet Archive is developing a JuypterLab environment based on the HIRES PRV interactive environment. Additionally, KOA is supporting an Observatory initiative to develop modern, Python based pipelines, and as part of this work, it has delivered a NIRSPEC reduction pipeline. The ensemble of pipelines will be accessible through the same environments.

Characterizing costs and benefits of uncertain future regulatory requirements on the U.S. natural gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godec, M.L.; Smith, G.E.; Fitzgibbon, T.

1995-01-01

Environmental regulatory requirements at both the state and federal level are constantly changing, making it difficult for industry and R ampersand D program managers to project future compliance requirements and costs. Even if a company is trying to keep abreast of various proposed regulatory initiatives, the number of possible combinations of initiatives that could occur in the future seems virtually limitless. Uncertainty associated with potential future environmental compliance requirements makes the identification and evaluation of future investment and R ampersand D opportunities exceedingly difficult, and makes the process of systematic strategic planning increasingly complex. This paper describes a methodology for accounting for uncertain future environmental compliance costs in a systematic, comprehensive manner. Through analysis of proposed initiatives for making future environmental requirements more stringent, forecasting the likelihood of occurrence and potential timing of each initiative, and estimating potential future compliance costs associated with each initiative, a thorough process for incorporating regulatory uncertainty into strategic planning and project evaluation is described. This approach can be used for evaluating R ampersand D opportunities to determine where development of new technologies or assessment of risks posed by industry operations may have the greatest impact on future industry costs of compliance. This approach could also be used to account for the uncertainty of future environmental costs in corporate strategic planning or for factoring future compliance costs into project evaluation. This approach could also be enhanced through use in conjunction with other modeling and forecasting systems that could consider a broad range of impacts, including impacts on gas production, industry activity levels, and tax revenues

Future-dependent Flow Policies with Prophetic Variables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Ximeng; Nielson, Flemming; Nielson, Hanne Riis

2016-01-01

future-dependent flow policies- policies that can depend on not only the current values of variables, but also their final values. The final values are referred to using what we call prophetic variables, just as the initial values can be referenced using logical variables in Hoare logic. We develop...... and enforce a notion of future-dependent security for open systems, in the spirit of "non-deducibility on strategies". We also illustrate our approach in scenarios where future-dependency has advantages over present-dependency and avoids mixtures of upgradings and downgradings....

The future of the oceans past: towards a global marine historical research initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwerdtner Máñez, Kathleen; Holm, Poul; Blight, Louise; Coll, Marta; MacDiarmid, Alison; Ojaveer, Henn; Poulsen, Bo; Tull, Malcolm

2014-01-01

Historical research is playing an increasingly important role in marine sciences. Historical data are also used in policy making and marine resource management, and have helped to address the issue of shifting baselines for numerous species and ecosystems. Although many important research questions still remain unanswered, tremendous developments in conceptual and methodological approaches are expected to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the global history of human interactions with life in the seas. Based on our experiences and knowledge from the "History of Marine Animal Populations" project, this paper identifies the emerging research topics for future historical marine research. It elaborates on concepts and tools which are expected to play a major role in answering these questions, and identifies geographical regions which deserve future attention from marine environmental historians and historical ecologists.

Initiative and responsibility; Veranlassung und Verantwortung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loewer, Wolfgang (ed.)

2012-07-01

The 6th Bonner Dialogue to energy law picks up the trend of increasing regulation of the energy sector on a more fundamental level. Under this aspect, the book under consideration contains four contributions: (1) Initiative and responsibility from a constitutional point of view (Hans-Jueergen Papier); (2) Obligations to invest in the development of transmission networks between initiative and responsibility (Juergen Kuehling); (3) Antitrust unbundling of companies from comparative law perspective (Wulf-Henning Roth); (4) Unbundling of companies outside of fusion control according to valid and future law (Andreas Roehling).

Antimicrobial stewardship in long-term care facilities in Belgium: a questionnaire-based survey of nursing homes to evaluate initiatives and future developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François Kidd

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of antimicrobials is intense and often inappropriate in long-term care facilities. Antimicrobial resistance has increased in acute and chronic care facilities, including those in Belgium. Evidence is lacking concerning antimicrobial stewardship programmes in chronic care settings. The medical coordinator practicing in Belgian nursing homes is a general practitioner designated to coordinate medical activity. He is likely to be the key position for effective implementation of such programmes. The aim of this study was to evaluate past, present, and future developments of antimicrobial stewardship programmes by surveying medical coordinators working in long-term care facilities in Belgium. Methods We conducted an online questionnaire-based survey of 327 Belgian medical coordinators. The questionnaire was composed of 33 questions divided into four sections: characteristics of the respondents, organisational frameworks for implementation of the antimicrobial stewardship programme, tools to promote appropriate antimicrobial use and priorities of action. Questions were multiple choice, rating scale, or free text. Results A total of 39 medical coordinators (12 % completed the questionnaire. Past or present antimicrobial stewardship initiatives were reported by 23 % of respondents. The possibility of future developments was rated 2.7/5. The proposed key role of medical coordinators was rated <3/5 by 36 % of respondents. General practitioners, nursing staff, and hospital specialists are accepted as important roles. The use of antimicrobial guidelines was reported by only 19 % of respondents. Education was considered the cornerstone for any future developments. Specific diagnostic recommendations were considered useful, but chest x-rays were judged difficult to undertake. The top priority identified was to reduce unnecessary treatment of asymptomatic urinary infections. Conclusions Our study shows that the implementation of

Our future energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-11-15

The Danish Government's plan ''Our Future Energy'' seeks to create green growth and help the country convert to 100 percent renewable energy use by 2050. The Danish Government in November 2011 presented its plan for how the country can secure its energy future. Titled ''Our Future Energy'', the strategy presents specific measures for fulfilling the Government's goal of stimulating green growth. The plan is based on the previous government's Energy Strategy 2050, but raises the bar higher. The long-term goal of the plan is to implement an energy and transport network that relies solely on renewable energy sources. By 2020, the initiatives will lead to extensive reductions in energy consumption, making it possible for half of the country's electricity consumption to be covered by wind power. Coal is to be phased out of Danish power plants by 2030. And by 2035, all electricity and heating will be generated using renewable sources. (Author)

Gene therapy for inherited retinal degenerations: initial successes and future challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Priya R.; Huckfeldt, Rachel M.

2017-10-01

Inherited retinal degenerations are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of conditions that have historically shared an untreatable course. In recent years, however, a wide range of therapeutic strategies have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical studies and entered clinical trials with a common goal of improving visual function for patients affected with these conditions. Gene therapy offers a particularly elegant and precise opportunity to target the causative genetic mutations underlying these monogenic diseases. The present review will provide an overview of gene therapy with particular emphasis on key clinical results to date and challenges for the future.

Neural precursors of future liking and affective reciprocity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zerubavel, Noam; Hoffman, Mark Anthony; Reich, Adam; Ochsner, Kevin N; Bearman, Peter

2018-04-24

Why do certain group members end up liking each other more than others? How does affective reciprocity arise in human groups? The prediction of interpersonal sentiment has been a long-standing pursuit in the social sciences. We combined fMRI and longitudinal social network data to test whether newly acquainted group members' reward-related neural responses to images of one another's faces predict their future interpersonal sentiment, even many months later. Specifically, we analyze associations between relationship-specific valuation activity and relationship-specific future liking. We found that one's own future (T2) liking of a particular group member is predicted jointly by actor's initial (T1) neural valuation of partner and by that partner's initial (T1) neural valuation of actor. These actor and partner effects exhibited equivalent predictive strength and were robust when statistically controlling for each other, both individuals' initial liking, and other potential drivers of liking. Behavioral findings indicated that liking was initially unreciprocated at T1 yet became strongly reciprocated by T2. The emergence of affective reciprocity was partly explained by the reciprocal pathways linking dyad members' T1 neural data both to their own and to each other's T2 liking outcomes. These findings elucidate interpersonal brain mechanisms that define how we ultimately end up liking particular interaction partners, how group members' initially idiosyncratic sentiments become reciprocated, and more broadly, how dyads evolve. This study advances a flexible framework for researching the neural foundations of interpersonal sentiments and social relations that-conceptually, methodologically, and statistically-emphasizes group members' neural interdependence. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Service-Learning Initiatives in Nursing Education

Science.gov (United States)

O'Shea, Eileen; Planas, Jessica; Quan, Melissa; Greiner, Lydia; Kazer, Meredith; Babington, Lynn

2013-01-01

In response to the changing demands of the U.S. healthcare system and the needs of the nursing profession, the Institute of Medicine, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, spearheaded a two-year initiative to develop recommendations for the future of nursing. Discussions of these recommendations within nursing education led to…

Future directions for QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjorken, J.D.

1996-10-01

New directions for exploring QCD at future high-energy colliders are sketched. These include jets within jets. BFKL dynamics, soft and hard diffraction, searches for disoriented chiral condensate, and doing a better job on minimum bias physics. The new experimental opportunities include electron-ion collisions at HERA, a new collider detector at the C0 region of the TeVatron, and the FELIX initiative at the LHC

Naval S and T Strategy: Innovations for the Future Force

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-20

collectively paint a picture of the future naval force that today’s initiatives will help build. Scientists and engineers at the Naval Research...breakthrough solutions that shape the future force (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS), radar, autonomous systems, graphene , QuikClot and many more

Winning relationships through customer service: initial contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, R P

1994-08-01

First impressions last, and can have an impact on all future contact with a new patient. By using each initial contact with a new patient to begin building a strong relationship, a practice can be positioned for success. This article explores relationship building techniques.

Cascadia Initiative Ocean Bottom Seismograph Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Evers, B.; Aderhold, K.

2017-12-01

The Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Pool (OBSIP) provided instrumentation and operations support for the Cascadia Initiative community experiment. This experiment investigated geophysical processes across the Cascadia subduction zone through a combination of onshore and offshore seismic data. The recovery of Year 4 instruments in September 2015 marked the conclusion of a multi-year experiment that utilized 60 ocean-bottom seismographs (OBSs) specifically designed for the subduction zone boundary, including shallow/deep water deployments and active fisheries. The new instruments featured trawl-resistant enclosures designed by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) for shallow deployment [water depth ≤ 500 m], as well as new deep-water instruments designed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). Existing OBSIP instruments were also deployed along the Blanco Transform Fault and on the Gorda Plate through complementary experiments. Station instrumentation included weak and strong motion seismometers, differential pressure gauges (DPG) and absolute pressure gauges (APG). All data collected from the Cascadia, Blanco, and Gorda deployments is available through the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Management Center (DMC). The Cascadia Initiative is the largest amphibious seismic experiment undertaken to date, encompassing a diverse technical implementation and demonstrating an effective structure for community experiments. Thus, the results from Cascadia serve as both a technical and operational resource for the development of future community experiments, such as might be contemplated as part of the SZ4D Initiative. To guide future efforts, we investigate and summarize the quality of the Cascadia OBS data using basic metrics such as instrument recovery and more advanced metrics such as noise characteristics through power spectral density analysis. We also use this broad and diverse

Policies and Initiatives for Carbon Neutrality in Nordic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Qiuwei; Møller, Jakob Glarbo; Østergaard, Jacob

2013-01-01

Policies and initiatives promoting carbon neutrality in the Nordic heating and transport systems are presented. The focus within heating systems is the promotion of HPs (heat pumps) while the focus within transport systems is initiatives regarding EVs (electric vehicles). It is found...... for the future heating and transport systems with the ambition of realizing carbon neutrality...... that the conversion to HPs in the Nordic region relies on both private economic and national economic incentives. Initiatives toward carbon neutrality in the transport system are mostly concentrated on research, development and demonstration for deployment of a large number of EVs. All Nordic countries have plans...

Heavy Ion Physics in the Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagamiya, Shoji [RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama, 351-0198 (Japan); KEK, 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-0801 (Japan)

2016-12-15

Bevalac started its operation in 1970, which was an initiation of this field. Then, 15 years later (in 1985) both AGS and SPS started their operations. After further 15 or 25 years, RHIC (in 2000) and then LHC (in 2010) started operating. Present highlights are centered at these two facilities. However, how about the future direction in this field? Here, firstly the past achievements of RHIC and LHC are reviewed, and then the current and future issues are considered. Finally, the scope on the lower-energy region, in which I am currently involved, is described.

European initiatives for modeling emissions from transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joumard, Robert; Hickman, A. John; Samaras, Zissis

1998-01-01

In Europe there have been many cooperative studies into transport emission inventories since the late 80s. These cover the scope of CORINAIR program involving experts from seven European Community laboratories addressing only road transport emissions at national level. These also include the latest...... covered are the composition of the vehicle fleets, emission factors, driving statistics and the modeling approach. Many of the European initiatives aim also at promoting further cooperation between national laboratories and at defining future research needs. An assessment of these future needs...... is presented from a European point of view....

Professional-applied pedagogical teaching of junior school future teachers to working activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kozhevnikova L.K.

2012-03-01

Full Text Available A purpose of work is determination of maintenance and most meaningful features of activity of teachers of initial classes in the after hours forms of work with students on a section «physical culture». The program is presented professionally-applied preparations and directions of forming professional readiness of students to their future professional activity. 323 students of pedagogical faculty and 253 students - future teachers of initial classes took part in the questionnaire questioning. The most essential sides of preparation of students are selected: motivation, awareness of the future profession as a process of decision of pedagogical tasks, independent participating in the real process of teaching.

View all initiatives | IDRC - International Development Research ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Initiative. The Cultivate Africa's Future research partnership is designed to support applied research to combat hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by harnessing the potential for innovation among the region's smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. We fund researchers driving global change. Careers · Contact Us ...

A new equilibrium torus solution and GRMHD initial conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Penna, Robert F.; Kulkarni, Akshay; Narayan, Ramesh

2013-11-01

Context. General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations are providing influential models for black hole spin measurements, gamma ray bursts, and supermassive black hole feedback. Many of these simulations use the same initial condition: a rotating torus of fluid in hydrostatic equilibrium. A persistent concern is that simulation results sometimes depend on arbitrary features of the initial torus. For example, the Bernoulli parameter (which is related to outflows), appears to be controlled by the Bernoulli parameter of the initial torus. Aims: In this paper, we give a new equilibrium torus solution and describe two applications for the future. First, it can be used as a more physical initial condition for GRMHD simulations than earlier torus solutions. Second, it can be used in conjunction with earlier torus solutions to isolate the simulation results that depend on initial conditions. Methods: We assume axisymmetry, an ideal gas equation of state, constant entropy, and ignore self-gravity. We fix an angular momentum distribution and solve the relativistic Euler equations in the Kerr metric. Results: The Bernoulli parameter, rotation rate, and geometrical thickness of the torus can be adjusted independently. Our torus tends to be more bound and have a larger radial extent than earlier torus solutions. Conclusions: While this paper was in preparation, several GRMHD simulations appeared based on our equilibrium torus. We believe it will continue to provide a more realistic starting point for future simulations.

The Dynamics of Initiative in Communication Networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anders Mollgaard

Full Text Available Human social interaction is often intermittent. Two acquainted persons can have extended periods without social interaction punctuated by periods of repeated interaction. In this case, the repeated interaction can be characterized by a seed initiative by either of the persons and a number of follow-up interactions. The tendency to initiate social interaction plays an important role in the formation of social networks and is in general not symmetric between persons. In this paper, we study the dynamics of initiative by analysing and modeling a detailed call and text message network sampled from a group of 700 individuals. We show that in an average relationship between two individuals, one part is almost twice as likely to initiate communication compared to the other part. The asymmetry has social consequences and ultimately might lead to the discontinuation of a relationship. We explain the observed asymmetry by a positive feedback mechanism where individuals already taking initiative are more likely to take initiative in the future. In general, people with many initiatives receive attention from a broader spectrum of friends than people with few initiatives. Lastly, we compare the likelihood of taking initiative with the basic personality traits of the five factor model.

US Department of Energy nuclear energy research initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, F.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) that has been established to address and help overcome the principal technical and scientific issues affecting the future use of nuclear energy in the United States. (author)

CT colonography: current status in Europe and future perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefere, P.; Gryspeerdt, S.; Yoshida, H.

2007-01-01

In this article, we review the current status of CT colonography (CTC) in Europe and future perspectives of CTC including fecal tagging and CAD. There are several large multi-centre studies that have been initiated. Fecal tagging has gradually become a prerequisite to perform state-of-the-art CTC. However, CAD for fecal-tagging CTC remains a subject for future research. (orig.)

Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative Education Program

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

A NASA engineer with the Commercial Remote Sensing Program (CRSP) at Stennis Space Center works with students from W.P. Daniels High School in New Albany, Miss., through NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative Program. CRSP is teaching students to use remote sensing to locate a potential site for a water reservoir to offset a predicted water shortage in the community's future.

Codes of Professional Conduct and Ethics Education for Future Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Bruce

2017-01-01

This paper argues that the way future teachers are being initiated into the ethical dimensions of their future profession is largely out of step with the movement to professionalize teaching. After recalling the role that codes of professional conduct play in the ecology of professional self-regulation, and arguing that familiarizing students with…

Multi-Wavelength Interferometric Observations of YSO Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Ragland, Sam; Akeson, R.; Armandroff, T.; Colavita, M.; Cotton, W.; Danchi, W.; Hillenbrand, L.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Ridgway, S. T.; Traub, W.; Wizinowich, P.

2010-01-01

We initiated a multi-color interferometric study of YSO disks in the K, L and N bands using the Keck Interferometer. The initial results on two Herbig Ae/Be stars will be presented. Our observations are sensitive to the radial distribution of temperature in the inner region of the YSO disks. The geometric models show that the apparent size increases linearly with wavelength, suggesting that the disk is extended with a temperature gradient. We will discuss our results in conjunction with the previous measurements of these targets.

Thermodynamic Calculations of Hydrogen-Oxygen Detonation Parameters for Various Initial Pressures

Science.gov (United States)

Bollinger, Loren E.; Edse, Rudolph

1961-01-01

Composition, temperature, pressure and density behind a stable detonation wave and its propagation rate have been calculated for seven hydrogen-oxygen mixture at 1, 5, 25 and 100 atm initial pressure, and at an initial temperature of 40C. For stoichiometric mixtures that calculations also include an initial temperature of 200C. According to these calculations the detonation velocities of hydrogen-oxygen mixtures increase with increasing initial pressure, but decrease slightly when the initial temperature is raised from 40 to 200 C. The calculated detonation velocities agree satisfactorily with values determined experimentally. These values will be published in the near future.

Valuing Initial Teacher Education at Master's Level

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Clare; Brant, Jacek; Abrahams, Ian; Yandell, John

2012-01-01

The future of Master's-level work in initial teacher education (ITE) in England seems uncertain. Whilst the coalition government has expressed support for Master's-level work, its recent White Paper focuses on teaching skills as the dominant form of professional development. This training discourse is in tension with the view of professional…

Initial report of the osteogenesis imperfecta adult natural history initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Tosi, Laura L; Oetgen, Matthew E; Floor, Marianne K; Huber, Mary Beth; Kennelly, Ann M; McCarter, Robert J; Rak, Melanie F; Simmonds, Barbara J; Simpson, Melissa D; Tucker, Carole A; McKiernan, Fergus E

2015-11-14

A better understanding of the natural history of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) in adulthood should improve health care for patients with this rare condition. The Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation established the Adult Natural History Initiative (ANHI) in 2010 to give voice to the health concerns of the adult OI community and to begin to address existing knowledge gaps for this condition. Using a web-based platform, 959 adults with self-reported OI, representing a wide range of self-reported disease severity, reported symptoms and health conditions, estimated the impact of these concerns on present and future health-related quality of life (QoL) and completed a Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) survey of health issues. Adults with OI report lower general physical health status (p report generally similar mental health status. Musculoskeletal, auditory, pulmonary, endocrine, and gastrointestinal issues are particular future health-related QoL concerns for these adults. Numerous other statistically significant differences exist among adults with OI as well as between adults with OI and the referent PROMIS® population, but the clinical significance of these differences is uncertain. Adults with OI report lower general health status but are otherwise more similar to the general population than might have been expected. While reassuring, further analysis of the extensive OI-ANHI databank should help identify areas of unique clinical concern and for future research. The OI-ANHI survey experience supports an internet-based strategy for successful patient-centered outcomes research in rare disease populations.

Governance and Vision: Visions of Cities towards a low-energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pares-Ramos, Isabel K.; Dupas, Stephane

2010-07-01

The overall aim of this report was to identify and review the process by which different cities have built visionary plans for the long-term sustainable development of their territory for a low-energy, climate-resilient future. We used a case studies approach to describe different methods used by cities to build their visionary plans and address present energy and climate change challenges. The purpose of this report is as well to contribute to the debate on the future of cities in the post-carbon society and to inspire further initiatives for a low-energy future. The first step towards understanding the visioning/planning process of cities for a low-energy future was to identify several initiatives were cities have developed a plan or statement to address energy and climate change issues in the next 20 to 50 years. These plans and documents were then reviewed in search of diverse and innovative methods and process for visioning, design and planning towards a low-carbon future. After these preliminary assessments and observations, we selected 4 cities based on the use of different methodologies for visioning, planning and development of the action plan and projects. Afterwards, we focused on the description of the visioning/planning process per city, based on information obtained from official plans and documents, and from interviews with local authorities and other personnel working for projects in each of the cities selected. The content of the interviews varied according to the local context of the initiative, but in general contained questions regarding methods and tools used to build their visions and action plans, as well as enquiries about the visioning steps and process, the role of stakeholders, and implementation strategies used to drive forward this initiatives

Three solar urban futures: characterization of a future community under three energy-supply scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milne, M; Adelson, M; Corwin, R

1979-10-01

This study examines a hypothetical city of 100,000 people in the year 2025 based on three initially given energy-supply scenarios: Future 1 specifying approximately 6% of the city's demand being met by solar technologies; Future 2 specifying about 25%; and Future 3 seeking maximum use of solar technologies. These three versions of the hypothetical city are to be identical in terms of population, goods and services produced, and energy demand. Their differences are compared in terms of physical layout, environmental quality, socio-economics, and quality of life. It is concluded that in Future 1 and Future 2, the city's residential, commercial, and industrial sectors can easily meet the on-site energy-collection requirements of the given supply scenarios. In Future 3, the Solar City, the residential sector can be totally energy self-sufficient (collecting all needed energy on-site), and the commercial sector can collect 59.7% of its energy requirement. Passive design of buildings plays a large part in these results. The industrial sector can collect on-site only 18.2% of its energy needs. In what is called Future 3A, all three sectors of the hypothetical city can be 100% energy self-sufficient if the land area available for various types of solar collectors is increased 34.5%; the commercial sector needs 650 additional acres, while the industrial sector needs 2800 acres, provided that moderate temperature energy (250/sup 0/F to 600/sup 0/F) is adequate to meet industrial process needs.

Cancer Control: A Look to the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Judith Mackay, MB ChB, FRCP (Edin), FRCP (Lon), an international expert from Hong Kong in tobacco control, with posts as a senior advisor for the World Lung Foundation and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, presented "Cancer Control: A Look to the Future".

Credibility of management earnings forecasts and future returns

OpenAIRE

Norio Kitagawa; Akinobu Shuto

2015-01-01

This study investigates the effect of managerial discretion over their initial earnings forecasts on future performance. First, by estimating the discretionary portion of initial management earnings forecasts (defined as discretionary forecasts) based on the findings of fundamental analysis research, we find that firms with higher discretionary forecasts are more likely to miss their earnings forecast at the end of the fiscal year and revise their forecasts downward to meet their earnings for...

NASA Ames Sustainability Initiatives: Aeronautics, Space Exploration, and Sustainable Futures

Science.gov (United States)

Grymes, Rosalind A.

2015-01-01

In support of the mission-specific challenges of aeronautics and space exploration, NASA Ames produces a wealth of research and technology advancements with significant relevance to larger issues of planetary sustainability. NASA research on NexGen airspace solutions and its development of autonomous and intelligent technologies will revolutionize both the nation's air transporation systems and have applicability to the low altitude flight economy and to both air and ground transporation, more generally. NASA's understanding of the Earth as a complex of integrated systems contributes to humanity's perception of the sustainability of our home planet. Research at NASA Ames on closed environment life support systems produces directly applicable lessons on energy, water, and resource management in ground-based infrastructure. Moreover, every NASA campus is a 'city'; including an urbanscape and a workplace including scientists, human relations specialists, plumbers, engineers, facility managers, construction trades, transportation managers, software developers, leaders, financial planners, technologists, electricians, students, accountants, and even lawyers. NASA is applying the lessons of our mission-related activities to our urbanscapes and infrastructure, and also anticipates a leadership role in developing future environments for living and working in space.

Testing chirality of primordial gravitational waves with Planck and future CMB data: no hope from angular power spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerbino, Martina [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Gruppuso, Alessandro [INAF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Natoli, Paolo [Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra and INFN, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, I-44100 Ferrara (Italy); Shiraishi, Maresuke [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, 277-8583 (Japan); Melchiorri, Alessandro, E-mail: martina.gerbino@fysik.su.se, E-mail: gruppuso@iasfbo.inaf.it, E-mail: paolo.natoli@gmail.com, E-mail: maresuke.shiraishi@ipmu.jp, E-mail: alessandro.melchiorri@roma1.infn.it [Physics Department and INFN, Università di Roma ' La Sapienza' , P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome (Italy)

2016-07-01

We use the 2015 Planck likelihood in combination with the Bicep2/Keck likelihood (BKP and BK14) to constrain the chirality, χ, of primordial gravitational waves in a scale-invariant scenario. In this framework, the parameter χ enters theory always coupled to the tensor-to-scalar ratio, r , e.g. in combination of the form χ ⋅ r . Thus, the capability to detect χ critically depends on the value of r . We find that with present data sets χ is de facto unconstrained. We also provide forecasts for χ from future CMB experiments, including COrE+, exploring several fiducial values of r . We find that the current limit on r is tight enough to disfavor a neat detection of χ. For example, in the unlikely case in which r ∼0.1(0.05), the maximal chirality case, i.e. χ = ±1, could be detected with a significance of ∼2.5(1.5)σ at best. We conclude that the two-point statistics at the basis of CMB likelihood functions is currently unable to constrain chirality and may only provide weak limits on χ in the most optimistic scenarios. Hence, it is crucial to investigate the use of other observables, e.g. provided by higher order statistics, to constrain these kinds of parity violating theories with the CMB.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Sustainable Landscapes Initiative 2020

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gardner, Leah [Environmental Landscape Design Associates; Rogers, Sam [Environmental Landscape Design Associates; Sipes, James L. [Sand County Studios

2012-09-01

The goal of the ORNL Sustainable Landscapes Initiative 2020 is to provide a framework that guides future environmental resources and sustainable landscape practices on the ORNL campus. This document builds on the 2003 ORNL Conceptual Landscape Plan and is presented in the context of embracing new opportunities.

Status of NIF mirror technologies for completion of the NIF facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stolz, C.J.

2008-01-01

The 1600 mirrors required for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are now coated with the last optics currently being installed. The combined surface area of the NIF mirrors is almost 450 square meters, roughly 3.4 times greater than the surface area of the two Keck primary mirrors. Additionally, the power handling specification of NIF mirrors is 19 orders of magnitude greater than that of the Keck mirrors. The NIF laser will be at least 40x greater energy than the previous LLNL fusion laser called NOVA. To manufacture these mirrors, a number of new technologies (electrolytic in-situ dressing, ion figuring, source stabilization) were used that were not available for previous fusion laser optics. Post deposition technologies designed to increase laser resistance (off-line laser conditioning, solarization, air knives) have also been utilized. This paper summarizes the differences in technologies used to manufacture NIF mirrors from those used for previous fusion lasers and examines potential future technologies that would enable higher fluence operations and extend lifetimes

Concepts for Future Large Fire Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

A. P. Dimitrakopoulos; R. E. Martin

1987-01-01

A small number of fires escape initial attack suppression efforts and become large, but their effects are significant and disproportionate. In 1983, of 200,000 wildland fires in the United States, only 4,000 exceeded 100 acres. However, these escaped fires accounted for roughly 95 percent of wildfire-related costs and damages (Pyne, 1984). Thus, future research efforts...

The Lyα properties of faint galaxies at z ∼ 2-3 with systemic redshifts and velocity dispersions from Keck-MOSFIRE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erb, Dawn K. [Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, 1900 East Kenwood Boulevard, Milwaukee, WI 53211 (United States); Steidel, Charles C.; Trainor, Ryan F.; Strom, Allison L.; Konidaris, Nicholas P.; Matthews, Keith [Cahill Center for Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, 1216 East California Boulevard, MS 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bogosavljević, Milan [Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11060 Belgrade (Serbia); Shapley, Alice E.; Nestor, Daniel B.; Mace, Gregory; McLean, Ian S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, 430 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Kulas, Kristin R. [NASA Ames Research Center, Bldg. 211, Room 112, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 (United States); Law, David R. [Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H4 (Canada); Rudie, Gwen C. [Carnegie Observatories, 813 Santa Barbara Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (United States); Reddy, Naveen A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Pettini, Max, E-mail: erbd@uwm.edu [Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA (United Kingdom)

2014-11-01

We study the Lyα profiles of 36 spectroscopically detected Lyα-emitters (LAEs) at z ∼ 2-3, using Keck MOSFIRE to measure systemic redshifts and velocity dispersions from rest-frame optical nebular emission lines. The sample has a median optical magnitude R=26.0, and ranges from R≃23 to R>27, corresponding to rest-frame UV absolute magnitudes M {sub UV} ≅ –22 to M {sub UV} > –18.2. Dynamical masses range from M {sub dyn} < 1.3 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉} to M {sub dyn} = 6.8 × 10{sup 9} M {sub ☉}, with a median value of M {sub dyn} = 6.3 × 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}. Thirty of the 36 Lyα emission lines are redshifted with respect to the systemic velocity with at least 1σ significance, and the velocity offset with respect to systemic Δv {sub Lyα} is correlated with the R-band magnitude, M {sub UV}, and the velocity dispersion measured from nebular emission lines with >3σ significance: brighter galaxies with larger velocity dispersions tend to have larger values of Δv {sub Lyα}. We also make use of a comparison sample of 122 UV-color-selected R<25.5 galaxies at z ∼ 2, all with Lyα emission and systemic redshifts measured from nebular emission lines. Using the combined LAE and comparison samples for a total of 158 individual galaxies, we find that Δv {sub Lyα} is anti-correlated with the Lyα equivalent width with 7σ significance. Our results are consistent with a scenario in which the Lyα profile is determined primarily by the properties of the gas near the systemic redshift; in such a scenario, the opacity to Lyα photons in lower mass galaxies may be reduced if large gaseous disks have not yet developed and if the gas is ionized by the harder spectrum of young, low metallicity stars.

Preparing for the future today: The findings of the NEA RK and M initiative for the short term (This period covers several decades and likely more than 100 years. The actual duration will vary across national programmes)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, Jantine

2015-01-01

The NEA initiative on Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK and M) across Generations is an initiative that expresses, supports and aims to answer to an evolution in long-term radioactive waste management (RWM) thinking over the past decades. In the earlier days, the vision seems to have been that waste management ends with the closure of disposal sites. Oversight after closure was not an issue that was studied, (tacitly) assuming safe oblivion of geological repositories, or that archives, markers and other similar tools would suffice, e.g. to avoid human intrusion and/or to understand the nature of the underground facility. Today, it is recognised that oversight should take place for as long as practicable. The new vision includes the preservation of information to be used by future generations. In this paper we want to highlight that such a vision shift with regard to the future requires an accompanying shift with regard to present thinking and practices. To this aim, we will outline some of the studies undertaken within the RK and M initiative that substantiate this finding that the future starts today, and offer suggestions to support its concretization. societal oversight as long as practicable, we should acknowledge the fact that RK and M loss takes place rapidly if it is not acted upon in a conscious and ongoing manner that involves various actors and does more than dumping records into archives. The success of RK and M preservation cannot be judged today by whether they will last for one or ten thousand years. Instead, it lies in establishing and maintaining awareness of the need and responsibility for RK and M preservation in the minds of regulators, operators, stakeholders and, especially in the longer term, the local and regional authorities and general public. Therefore, we should not only think about future activities, but act upon the idea that the long term starts today, and that RK and M preservation needs to be prepared for in the present, while the

Optimizing interactive performance for long-distance remote observing

Science.gov (United States)

Kibrick, Robert; Allen, Steven L.; Conrad, Al; Wirth, Gregory D.

2006-06-01

Remote observing is the dominant mode of operation for both Keck Telescopes and their associated instruments. Over 90% of all Keck observations are carried out remotely from the Keck Headquarters in Waimea, Hawaii (located 40 kilometers from the telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea), and this year represents the tenth anniversary of the start of Keck remote observing from Waimea. In addition, an increasing number of observations are now conducted by geographically-dispersed observing teams, with some team members working from Waimea while others collaborate from Keck remote observing facilities located in California. Such facilities are now operational on four campuses of the University of California and at the California Institute of Technology. Details of the motivation and planning for those facilities and the software architecture on which they were originally based are discussed in several previous reports. The most recent of those papers reported the results of various measurements of interactive performance as a function of alternative networking protocols (e.g., ssh, X, VNC) and software topologies. This report updates those results to reflect performance improvements that have occurred over the past two years as a result of upgrades to hardware, software, and network configurations at the respective sites. It also explores how the Keck remote observing effort has evolved over the past decade in response to the increased number and diversity of Keck instruments and the growing number of mainland remote observing sites.

Guam Initial Technical Assessment Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baring-Gould, I.; Conrad, M.; Haase, S.; Hotchkiss, E.; McNutt, P.

2011-04-01

Under an interagency agreement, funded by the Department of Interior's (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was tasked to deliver technical assistance to the island of Guam by conducting an island initial technical assessment that would lay out energy consumption and production data and establish a baseline. This assessment will be used to conduct future analysis and studies by NREL that will estimate energy efficiency and renewable energy potential for the island of Guam.

Predicting future protection of respirator users: Statistical approaches and practical implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Chengcheng; Harber, Philip; Su, Jing

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe a statistical approach for predicting a respirator user's fit factor in the future based upon results from initial tests. A statistical prediction model was developed based upon joint distribution of multiple fit factor measurements over time obtained from linear mixed effect models. The model accounts for within-subject correlation as well as short-term (within one day) and longer-term variability. As an example of applying this approach, model parameters were estimated from a research study in which volunteers were trained by three different modalities to use one of two types of respirators. They underwent two quantitative fit tests at the initial session and two on the same day approximately six months later. The fitted models demonstrated correlation and gave the estimated distribution of future fit test results conditional on past results for an individual worker. This approach can be applied to establishing a criterion value for passing an initial fit test to provide reasonable likelihood that a worker will be adequately protected in the future; and to optimizing the repeat fit factor test intervals individually for each user for cost-effective testing.

Denmark`s energy futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-06-01

The stated aim of the document published by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Danish Energy Agency is that it should form the basis for a broad public debate on the country`s future energy policy. The report has four main objectives: 1. To describe, with emphasis on the environment and the market, challenges that the energy sector will have to face in the future. 2. To illustrate the potentials for saving energy and for utilising energy sources and supply systems. 3. To present two scenarios of extreme developmental positions; the first where maximum effort is expended on increasing energy efficiency and the utilization of renewable energy and the second where no new initiative is taken and change occurs only when progress in available technology is exploited and 4. To raise a number of questions about our future way of living. Following the extensive summary, detailed information is given under the headings of: Challenges of the energy sector, Energy consumption and conservation, Energy consumption in the transport sector, Energy resources, Energy supply and production, Development scenario, and Elements of Strategy. The text is illustrated with maps, graphs and coloured photographs etc. (AB)

NIR Imaging Spectroscopy of the Inner Few Arcseconds of NGC 4151 with OSIRIS at Keck

Science.gov (United States)

Iserlohe, Christof; Krabbe, Alfred; Larkin, James E.; Barczys, Matthew; McElwain, Michael W.; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Weiss, Jason; Wright, Shelley A.

2013-01-01

We present H- and K-band data from the inner arcsecond of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 4151 obtained with the adaptive optics assisted near-infrared imaging field spectrograph OSIRIS at the Keck Observatory. The angular resolution is about a few parsecs on-site and thus competes easily with optical images taken previously with the Hubble Space Telescope. We present the morphology and dynamics of most species detected but focus on the morphology and dynamics of the narrow line region (as traced by emission of [FeII]?1.644 µm), the interplay between plasma ejected from the nucleus (as traced by 21 cm continuum radio data) and hot H2 gas and characterize the detected nuclear HeI?2.058 µm absorption feature as a narrow absorption line (NAL) phenomenon. Emission from the narrow line region (NLR) as traced by [FeII] reveals a biconical morphology and we compare the measured dynamics in the [FeII] emission line with models proposing acceleration of gas in the NLR and simple ejection of gas into the NLR. In the inner 2.5 arcseconds the acceleration model reveals a better fit to our data than the ejection model.We also see evidence that the jet very locally enhances emission in [FeII] at certain positions in our field-of-view such that we were able to distinct the kinematics of these clouds from clouds generally accelerated in the NLR. Further, the radio jet is aligned with the bicone surface rather than the bicone axis such that we assume that the jet is not the dominant mechanism responsible for driving the kinematics of clouds in the NLR. The hot H2 gas is thermal with a temperature of about 1700 K. We observe a remarkable correlation between individual H2 clouds at systemic velocity with the 21 cm continuum radio jet. We propose that the radio jet is at least partially embedded in the galactic disk of NGC 4151 such that deviations from a linear radio structure are invoked by interactions of jet plasma with H2 clouds that are moving into the path of the jet because of

The triaxial ellipsoid size, density, and rotational pole of asteroid (16) Psyche from Keck and Gemini AO observations 2004-2015

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Jack D.; Merline, William J.; Carry, Benoit; Conrad, Al; Reddy, Vishnu; Tamblyn, Peter; Chapman, Clark R.; Enke, Brian L.; Pater, Imke de; Kleer, Katherine de; Christou, Julian; Dumas, Christophe

2018-05-01

We analyze a comprehensive set of our adaptive optics (AO) images taken at the 10 m W. M. Keck telescope and the 8 m Gemini telescope to derive values for the size, shape, and rotational pole of asteroid (16) Psyche. Our fit of a large number of AO images, spanning 14 years and covering a range of viewing geometries, allows a well-constrained model that yields small uncertainties in all measured and derived parameters, including triaxial ellipsoid dimensions, rotational pole, volume, and density. We find a best fit set of triaxial ellipsoid diameters of (a,b,c) = (274 ± 9, 231 ± 7, 176 ± 7) km, with an average diameter of 223 ± 7 km. Continuing the literature review of Carry (2012), we find a new mass for Psyche of 2.43 ± 0.35 × 1019 kg that, with the volume from our size, leads to a density estimate 4.16 ± 0.64 g/cm3. The largest contribution to the uncertainty in the density, however, still comes from the uncertainty in the mass, not our volume. Psyche's M classification, combined with its high radar albedo, suggests at least a surface metallic composition. If Psyche is composed of pure nickel-iron, the density we derive implies a macro-porosity of 47%, suggesting that it may be an exposed, disrupted, and reassembled core of a Vesta-like planetesimal. The rotational pole position (critical for planning spacecraft mission operations) that we find is consistent with others, but with a reduced uncertainty: [RA;Dec]=[32°;+5°] or Ecliptic [λ; δ]=[32∘ ; -8∘ ] with an uncertainty radius of 3°. Our results provide independent measurements of fundamental parameters for this M-type asteroid, and demonstrate that the parameters are well determined by all techniques, including setting the prime meridian over the longest principal axis. The 5.00 year orbital period of Psyche produces only four distinct opposition geometries, suggesting that observations before the arrival of Psyche Mission in 2030 should perhaps emphasize observations away from opposition

Fast Initialization of Bubble-Memory Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Looney, K. T.; Nichols, C. D.; Hayes, P. J.

1986-01-01

Improved scheme several orders of magnitude faster than normal initialization scheme. State-of-the-art commercial bubble-memory device used. Hardware interface designed connects controlling microprocessor to bubblememory circuitry. System software written to exercise various functions of bubble-memory system in comparison made between normal and fast techniques. Future implementations of approach utilize E2PROM (electrically-erasable programable read-only memory) to provide greater system flexibility. Fastinitialization technique applicable to all bubble-memory devices.

Manitoba: path to a hydrogen future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, R.V.; Crone, J.

2003-01-01

A hydrogen economy is not just about future clean energy but is also about future economic development. It is about new products, new services, new knowledge, and renewable energy sources that will be ultimately used by consumers in the future, and thus represent potential new economic opportunities. The concept of achieving important environmental and health goals through a cleaner energy economy, based on hydrogen, is not new. Similarly, the desire of individual jurisdictions to seek out and develop economic development opportunities is not new. The key question today becomes one of how to plot directions on hydrogen that will yield appropriate economic development gains in the future. While hydrogen offers significant promise, the prospect benefits are recognized to be still largely long-term in nature. In addition, the ability to identify appropriate future directions is clouded by a degree of 'hydrogen hype' and by a variety of major technical and market uncertainties. During 2002, a unique process was initiated within Manitoba combining these elements to work toward a Hydrogen Economic Development Strategy, a strategy that is ultimately intended to lead the province as a whole to determining our future economic niches for hydrogen. This paper describes the nature of the assessment process undertaken within Manitoba, the outcomes achieved and general insights of relevance to a broader audience. (author)

The Influence of Power and Individualism-Collectivism on Negotiation Initiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roger Volkema

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Negotiation is an essential business process, with the initiation of a negotiation likely to affect how the process unfolds. Despite the fact that opportunities are often lost when one or more parties fail to initiate, initiation has until recently been overlooked in negotiation process models and research. This paper reports findings from a study that examines the effects situational/contextual factors and culture have on the initiation process (engaging a prospective counterpart, making a request, and optimizing that request, focusing specifically on relative bargaining power (a situational factor and individualism-collectivism. Higher bargaining power was found to increase the likelihood of initiation intentionality in general as well as the requesting and optimizing phases more specifically. In addition, individualism/collectivism was also found to affect initiation, with individualists more likely than collectivists to initiate a negotiation. Further, this effect was enhanced when individualists had high relative bargaining power. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, with suggestions for future research.

New Models for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland

Science.gov (United States)

Kibble, Bob

2012-01-01

In this article, the author responds to the recent article by Lynne Bianchi commenting on the Donaldson report, "Teaching Scotland's future" (Donaldson, 2011). He agrees that the Donaldson report has indeed been a catalyst to drive change across the entire landscape of initial teacher education (ITE) in Scotland. In fact, not only ITE:…

Global peatland initiation driven by regionally asynchronous warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Paul J; Swindles, Graeme T; Valdes, Paul J; Ivanovic, Ruza F; Gregoire, Lauren J; Smith, Mark W; Tarasov, Lev; Haywood, Alan M; Bacon, Karen L

2018-05-08

Widespread establishment of peatlands since the Last Glacial Maximum represents the activation of a globally important carbon sink, but the drivers of peat initiation are unclear. The role of climate in peat initiation is particularly poorly understood. We used a general circulation model to simulate local changes in climate during the initiation of 1,097 peatlands around the world. We find that peat initiation in deglaciated landscapes in both hemispheres was driven primarily by warming growing seasons, likely through enhanced plant productivity, rather than by any increase in effective precipitation. In Western Siberia, which remained ice-free throughout the last glacial period, the initiation of the world's largest peatland complex was globally unique in that it was triggered by an increase in effective precipitation that inhibited soil respiration and allowed wetland plant communities to establish. Peat initiation in the tropics was only weakly related to climate change, and appears to have been driven primarily by nonclimatic mechanisms such as waterlogging due to tectonic subsidence. Our findings shed light on the genesis and Holocene climate space of one of the world's most carbon-dense ecosystem types, with implications for understanding trajectories of ecological change under changing future climates.

CALCULATION OF INITIALS OPTIMAL PRODUCTION CAPACITIES CONSIDERING UNCERTAINTY ELEMENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hilda Oquendo Ferrer

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In diversification, an attractive variant constitutes the projection of ethanol plants due to all the advantages that this represents and a crucial element for this to be effective is the existence of cane as a fundamental raw material for the sugar industry and therefore the derived productions. To project the initials optimal capacity of the plant, uncertainty in the raw material was considered. Mathematical models of capacity in time are obtained, choosing those that best fit, being the linear the simplest for future calculations. The initial capacity the plant should have is determined, also the time at which the first extension and the capacity of the plant should be done, which allows, considering other criteria, to make decisions about what should be the capacity of an ethanol plant in response to the current and future availability of sugar cane. It is presented a general method that can be used considering other tax sugar companies in a province or a region.

Robo-AO M Dwarf Multiplicity Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Lamman, Claire; Baranec, Christoph; Berta-Thompson, Zachory K.; Law, Nicholas M.; Ziegler, Carl; Schonhut-Stasik, Jessica

2018-06-01

We analyzed close to 7,000 observations from Robo-AO’s field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1m Kitt Peak telescope. Results will help determine the total multiplicity fraction and multiplicity functions of M dwarfs, which are crucial steps towards understanding their evolution and formation mechanics. Through its robotic, laser-guided, and automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive-optics M dwarf survey to date. I developed a graphical user interface to quickly analyze this data. Initial data analysis included assessing data quality, checking the result from Robo-AO’s automatic reduction pipeline, and determining existence as well as the relative position of companions through a visual inspection. This program can be applied to other datasets and was successfully tested by re-analyzing observations from a separate Robo-AO survey. After a conservative initial cut for quality, over 350 companions were found within 4” of a primary star out of 2,746 high quality Robo-AO M dwarf observations, including four triple systems. Further observations were done with the Keck II telescope by using its NIRC2 imager to follow up on ten select targets for the existence and physical association of companions. Future research will yield insights into low-mass stellar formation and provide a database of nearby M dwarf multiples that will potentially assist ongoing and future surveys for planets around these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission.

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative: building sustainable collaboration.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakewell-Sachs, Susan; Mertz, Lynn M; Egreczky, Dana; Ladden, Maryjoan

2011-01-01

The New Jersey Nursing Initiative was publically launched in 2009 as a 5-year, $22 million program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation. It was reauthorized in 2011 through 2016 for an additional $8.5 million. The initiative includes a faculty preparation program and strategic tracks of work focusing on building education capacity, increasing current faculty capacity, making nurse faculty a preferred career, leading policy initiatives, creating sustainable funding in support of nursing education, and ultimately, building local, regional, and statewide collaborative networks. The tagline, "So a Nurse will be there for You," emphasizes both the reality of an aging nursing workforce needing replacement and the expected health care transformation that will result in the need for new knowledge and skills in the future nursing workforce. The purpose of this article was to describe the New Jersey Nursing Initiative, emphasizing the partnerships that have resulted from the project to date. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interstellar Initiative Web Page Design

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Alkesh

1999-01-01

This summer at NASA/MSFC, I have contributed to two projects: Interstellar Initiative Web Page Design and Lenz's Law Relative Motion Demonstration. In the Web Design Project, I worked on an Outline. The Web Design Outline was developed to provide a foundation for a Hierarchy Tree Structure. The Outline would help design a Website information base for future and near-term missions. The Website would give in-depth information on Propulsion Systems and Interstellar Travel. The Lenz's Law Relative Motion Demonstrator is discussed in this volume by Russell Lee.

Combat Wound Initiative program.

Science.gov (United States)

Stojadinovic, Alexander; Elster, Eric; Potter, Benjamin K; Davis, Thomas A; Tadaki, Doug K; Brown, Trevor S; Ahlers, Stephen; Attinger, Christopher E; Andersen, Romney C; Burris, David; Centeno, Jose; Champion, Hunter; Crumbley, David R; Denobile, John; Duga, Michael; Dunne, James R; Eberhardt, John; Ennis, William J; Forsberg, Jonathan A; Hawksworth, Jason; Helling, Thomas S; Lazarus, Gerald S; Milner, Stephen M; Mullick, Florabel G; Owner, Christopher R; Pasquina, Paul F; Patel, Chirag R; Peoples, George E; Nissan, Aviram; Ring, Michael; Sandberg, Glenn D; Schaden, Wolfgang; Schultz, Gregory S; Scofield, Tom; Shawen, Scott B; Sheppard, Forest R; Stannard, James P; Weina, Peter J; Zenilman, Jonathan M

2010-07-01

The Combat Wound Initiative (CWI) program is a collaborative, multidisciplinary, and interservice public-private partnership that provides personalized, state-of-the-art, and complex wound care via targeted clinical and translational research. The CWI uses a bench-to-bedside approach to translational research, including the rapid development of a human extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) study in complex wounds after establishing the potential efficacy, biologic mechanisms, and safety of this treatment modality in a murine model. Additional clinical trials include the prospective use of clinical data, serum and wound biomarkers, and wound gene expression profiles to predict wound healing/failure and additional clinical patient outcomes following combat-related trauma. These clinical research data are analyzed using machine-based learning algorithms to develop predictive treatment models to guide clinical decision-making. Future CWI directions include additional clinical trials and study centers and the refinement and deployment of our genetically driven, personalized medicine initiative to provide patient-specific care across multiple medical disciplines, with an emphasis on combat casualty care.

The NEA Nuclear Innovation 2050 Initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rayment, Fiona; ); Deffrennes, Marc; )

2017-01-01

The NEA launched its Nuclear Innovation 2050 (NI2050) Initiative with the aim of identifying research and development (R and D) strategies and associated priorities to achieve commercial readiness of innovative, sustainable nuclear fission technologies in a fast and cost-effective way. As defined at the beginning of the process, these R and D strategies would be elaborated with NEA stakeholders at large, in particular involving nearly all NEA committees, nuclear research organisations, industry, regulators and technical safety organisations. The NI2050 Initiative has evolved over the last year to become an NEA incubator for the selection and development of a number of large nuclear fission R and D programs (and infrastructures) that can support the role of nuclear energy in a low carbon future, mainly by accelerating innovation and the market deployment of technologies. This article provides a brief overview and the next steps of the initiative, which has reached the stage where more concrete outcomes might now be expected, in particular in terms of programs of action to be proposed for co-operative implementation

Utilization management in radiology, part 2: perspectives and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Duszak, Richard; Berlin, Jonathan W

2012-10-01

Increased utilization of medical imaging in the early part of the last decade has resulted in numerous efforts to reduce associated spending. Recent initiatives have focused on managing utilization with radiology benefits managers and real-time order entry decision support systems. Although these approaches might seem mutually exclusive and their application to radiology appears unique, the historical convergence and broad acceptance of both programs within the pharmacy sector may offer parallels for their potential future in medical imaging. In this second installment of a two-part series, anticipated trends in radiology utilization management are reviewed. Perspectives on current and future potential roles of radiologists in such initiatives are discussed, particularly in light of emerging physician payment models. Copyright © 2012 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Future Earth Health Knowledge-Action Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Shrivastava, Paul; Raivio, Kari; Kasuga, Fumiko; Tewksbury, Joshua; Haines, Andy; Daszak, Peter

Future Earth is an international research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate our transformations to a sustainable world. Future Earth 2025 Vision identified eight key focal challenges, and challenge #6 is to "Improve human health by elucidating, and finding responses to, the complex interactions amongst environmental change, pollution, pathogens, disease vectors, ecosystem services, and people's livelihoods, nutrition and well-being." Several studies, including the Rockefeller Foundation/Lancet Planetary Health Commission Report of 2015, the World Health Organization/Convention on Biological Diversity report and those by oneHEALTH (former ecoHEALTH), have been conducted over the last 30 years. Knowledge-Action Networks (KANs) are the frameworks to apply Future Earth principles of research to related activities that respond to societal challenges. Future Earth Health Knowledge-Action Network will connect health researchers with other natural and social scientists, health and environmental policy professionals and leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to provide research-based solutions based on better, integrated understanding of the complex interactions between a changing global environment and human health. It will build regional capacity to enhance resilience, protect the environment and avert serious threats to health and will also contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to the initial partners, Future Earth Health Knowledge-Action Network will further nourish collaboration with other on-going, leading research programmes outside Future Earth, by encouraging them in active participation.

A Review of Future and Ethical Perspectives of Robotics and AI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jim Torresen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, there has been increased attention on the possible impact of future robotics and AI systems. Prominent thinkers have publicly warned about the risk of a dystopian future when the complexity of these systems progresses further. These warnings stand in contrast to the current state-of-the-art of the robotics and AI technology. This article reviews work considering both the future potential of robotics and AI systems, and ethical considerations that need to be taken in order to avoid a dystopian future. References to recent initiatives to outline ethical guidelines for both the design of systems and how they should operate are included.

Expensive blood safety initiatives may offer less benefit than we think

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamper-Jørgensen, Mads; Hjalgrim, Henrik; Edgren, Gustaf

2010-01-01

Various blood safety initiatives have ensured a historically low risk of infection transmission through blood transfusion. Although further prevention of infection transmission is possible through, for example, nucleic acid testing and future introduction of pathogen inactivation, such initiative...... are very costly in relation to the benefit they offer. Although estimation of the cost-effectiveness requires detailed information about the survival of transfusion recipients, previous cost-effectiveness analyses have relied on incorrect survival assumptions....

Initiation devices, initiation systems including initiation devices and related methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniels, Michael A.; Condit, Reston A.; Rasmussen, Nikki; Wallace, Ronald S.

2018-04-10

Initiation devices may include at least one substrate, an initiation element positioned on a first side of the at least one substrate, and a spark gap electrically coupled to the initiation element and positioned on a second side of the at least one substrate. Initiation devices may include a plurality of substrates where at least one substrate of the plurality of substrates is electrically connected to at least one adjacent substrate of the plurality of substrates with at least one via extending through the at least one substrate. Initiation systems may include such initiation devices. Methods of igniting energetic materials include passing a current through a spark gap formed on at least one substrate of the initiation device, passing the current through at least one via formed through the at least one substrate, and passing the current through an explosive bridge wire of the initiation device.

Pulling the Trigger or Not: Factors Affecting Behavior of Initiating a Position in Derivatives Markets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pennings, J.M.E.

2002-01-01

The behavior of managers in initiating a derivatives market position brings to the surface an interesting phenomenon: sometimes managers initiate a position in derivatives markets (i.e., futures and options markets) and sometimes they do not, even though the price volatility of the underlying asset

The SPIRIT Telescope Initiative: six years on

Science.gov (United States)

Luckas, Paul

2017-06-01

Now in its sixth year of operation, the SPIRIT initiative remains unique in Australia, as a robust web-enabled robotic telescope initiative funded for education and outreach. With multiple modes of operation catering for a variety of usage scenarios and a fully supported education program, SPIRIT provides free access to contemporary astronomical tools for students and educators in Western Australia and beyond. The technical solution itself provides an excellent model for low cost robotic telescope installations, and the education program has evolved over time to include a broad range of student experiences-from engagement activities to authentic science. This paper details the robotic telescope solution, student interface and educational philosophy, summarises achievements and lessons learned and examines the possibilities for future enhancement including spectroscopy.

Regional Photonics Initiative at the College of Lake County

Science.gov (United States)

Dulmes, Steven; Kellerhals, William

2017-01-01

The College of Lake County Regional Photonics Initiative project was motivated in part by the hiring of out-of-state technicians for local Photonics industry positions. Fifteen high paying employment opportunities during the recent recession could not be filled from the locally available workforce. Research on the current demand and future growth…

Influence of changes in initial conditions for the simulation of dynamic systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotyrba, Martin [Department of Informatics and Computers, University of Ostrava, 30 dubna 22, Ostrava (Czech Republic)

2015-03-10

Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including meteorology, sociology, physics, engineering, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions—a paradigm popularly referred to as the butterfly effect. Small differences in initial conditions field widely diverging outcomes for such dynamical systems, rendering long-term prediction impossible in general. This happens even though these systems are deterministic, meaning that their future behavior is fully determined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved. In this paperinfluence of changes in initial conditions will be presented for the simulation of Lorenz system.

Future of external beam irradiation as initial treatment of rectal cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papillon, J.

1987-06-01

The authors' protocol consists of a split-course regimen with a short course of cobalt-60 arc rotation (3000 c/Gy in 12 days). After 2 months rest, the second stage treatment depends upon the pressure of residual disease and the tumour site. It consists of either radical surgery (82 cases) or conservative treatment by intracavitary irradiation in the event of a favourable initial response or in the case of poor risk patients (73 cases). In the radiotherapy-surgical group, the subsequent operative specimens were tumour free in 17% of cases and assigned to Dukes' A category in 32% of cases. Of 91 patients with T/sub 2/ or T/sub 3/ tumour involving the lower third of the rectum (followed up for more than 3 years) 72(84%) had no recurrence. Thirty-three of these patients (46%) underwent a colostomy while 39 (54%) has normal anal function. These results demonstrate the major place that a properly planned external beam irradiation can have in the curative management of cancers of the low rectum.

Back or to the future? Preferences of time travelers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralph Hertwig

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Popular culture reflects whatever piques our imagination. Think of the myriad movies and books that take viewers and readers on an imaginary journey to the past or the future (e.g., Gladiator, The Time Machine. Despite the ubiquity of time travel as a theme in cultural expression, the factors that underlie people's preferences concerning the direction of time travel have gone unexplored. What determines whether a person would prefer to visit the (certain past or explore the (uncertain future? We identified three factors that markedly affect people's preference for (hypothetical travel to the past or the future, respectively. Those who think of themselves as courageous, those with a more conservative worldview, and---perhaps counterintuitively---those who are advanced in age prefer to travel into the future. We discuss implications of these initial results.

Diagnosis of the Initial State of Formation of Research Competence of a Future Social Pedagogue

Science.gov (United States)

Zhexembinova, Ainur K.; Shah, Saeeda; Taubayeva, Sharkul T.

2016-01-01

The article presents the results of the first series of practical research within the scope of an adopted program of pilot testing on "The Technology of Formation of Exploratory Competence in Future Social Teachers within the System of University Education." A set of questionnaires offered to students made it possible to identify the…

Time perspective and volunteerism: The importance of focusing on the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, Alexander; Dwyer, Patrick C; Snyder, Mark

2016-01-01

Because volunteerism is a planned activity that unfolds over time, people who more frequently focus on the future might also be more likely to initiate volunteerism and sustain it over time. Using longitudinal (Study 1) and experimental (Study 2) paradigms, we investigated whether time perspective, and in particular a person's orientation toward the future, is related to volunteers' beliefs and behavior. In Study 1, a person's dispositional level of future time perspective was closely linked to volunteer beliefs and behavior. In Study 2, people who wrote about the future reported higher intentions to volunteer, and this was particularly true for infrequent volunteers and those with lower levels of dispositional future time perspective. Across two studies, we found evidence that future time perspective, whether a chronic disposition or a pattern of thought elicited by someone else, is linked to volunteer beliefs and behavior.

Programmatic and Teaching Initiatives for Ethnically Diverse Nursing Students: A Literature Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marivic B. Torregosa, PhD, RN, FNP-BC

2012-06-01

Conclusion: Although positive student outcomes were reported about programmatic and teaching initiatives for EDS, the evidence remained inconclusive. Recommendations for policy and future research in this area of nursing education research were provided.

Factors That Facilitate Or Hinder Fuel-Saving Initiatives and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

more battery density. (Securing America’s Future Energy, 2013) Initially, the Fuel Sense program was met with much skepticism and pushback . The...59 example, when implementing electronic maps in earlier years, there was pushback from drivers who were used to paper maps. FedEx was able to

Toward an acceptable nuclear future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinberg, A.M.

1977-11-01

The nuclear option is in danger of being foreclosed. The trend toward antinuclearism may be reversed if concerns about low-level radiation insult can be shown ultimately to be without foundation; evidence for this speculation is presented. Nevertheless it is suggested that the nuclear enterprise itself must propose new initiatives to increase the acceptability of nuclear energy. A key element of an acceptable nuclear future is cluster siting of reactors. This siting plan might be achieved by confining new reactors essentially to existing sites

Opportunity for America: Mexico`s coal future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loose, V.W.

1993-09-01

This study examines the history, current status and future prospects for increased coal use in Mexico. Environmental implications of the power-generation capacity expansion plans are examined in general terms. Mexican environmental law and regulations are briefly reviewed along with the new sense of urgency in the cleanup of existing environmental problems and avoidance of new problems as clearly mandated in recent Mexican government policy initiatives. It is expected that new capital facilities will need to incorporate the latest in process and technology to comply with existing environmental regulation. Technology developments which address these issues are identified. What opportunities have new initiatives caused by the recent diversification of Mexico`s energy economy offered US firms? This report looks at the potential future use of coal in the Mexican energy economy, examining this issue with an eye toward identifying markets that might be available to US coal producers and the best way to approach them. Market opportunities are identified by examining new developments in the Mexican economy generally and the energy economy particularly. These developments are examined in light of the current situation and the history which brought Mexico to its present status.

Journalism Meets Interaction Design: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Teaching Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Angus, Daniel; Doherty, Skye

2015-01-01

As the media industry moves to a post-industrial model, there is a need for journalists--current and future--to have a deeper understanding of the ways that technology impacts their work and how best to produce journalism for mobile and networked devices. This article examines a teaching initiative designed to introduce journalism students to…

THE HALO MASSES AND GALAXY ENVIRONMENTS OF HYPERLUMINOUS QSOs AT z ≅ 2.7 IN THE KECK BARYONIC STRUCTURE SURVEY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trainor, Ryan F.; Steidel, Charles C.

2012-01-01

We present an analysis of the galaxy distribution surrounding 15 of the most luminous (∼> 10 14 L ☉ ; M 1450 ≅ –30) QSOs in the sky with z ≅ 2.7. Our data are drawn from the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey, which has been optimized to examine the small-scale interplay between galaxies and the intergalactic medium during the peak of the galaxy formation era at z ∼ 2-3. In this work, we use the positions and spectroscopic redshifts of 1558 galaxies that lie within ∼3' (4.2 h –1 comoving Mpc; cMpc) of the hyperluminous QSO (HLQSO) sight line in 1 of 15 independent survey fields, together with new measurements of the HLQSO systemic redshifts. By combining the spatial and redshift distributions, we measure the galaxy-HLQSO cross-correlation function, the galaxy-galaxy autocorrelation function, and the characteristic scale of galaxy overdensities surrounding the sites of exceedingly rare, extremely rapid, black hole accretion. On average, the HLQSOs lie within significant galaxy overdensities, characterized by a velocity dispersion σ v ≅ 200 km s –1 and a transverse angular scale of ∼25'' (∼200 physical kpc). We argue that such scales are expected for small groups with log (M h /M ☉ ) ≅ 13. The galaxy-HLQSO cross-correlation function has a best-fit correlation length r GQ 0 = (7.3 ± 1.3) h –1 cMpc, while the galaxy autocorrelation measured from the spectroscopic galaxy sample in the same fields has r GG 0 = (6.0 ± 0.5) h –1 cMpc. Based on a comparison with simulations evaluated at z ∼ 2.6, these values imply that a typical galaxy lives in a host halo with log (M h /M ☉ ) = 11.9 ± 0.1, while HLQSOs inhabit host halos of log (M h /M ☉ ) = 12.3 ± 0.5. In spite of the extremely large black hole masses implied by their observed luminosities [log (M BH /M ☉ ) ∼> 9.7], it appears that HLQSOs do not require environments very different from their much less luminous QSO counterparts. Evidently, the exceedingly low space density of

Futuring for Future Ready Librarians

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa, Miguel A.

2018-01-01

Futurists and foresight professionals offer several guiding principles for thinking about the future. These principles can help people to think about the future and become more powerful players in shaping the preferred futures they want for themselves and their communities. The principles also fit in well as strategies to support the Future Ready…

The price path due to order imbalances: evidence from the Amsterdam agricultural futures exchange.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pennings, J.M.E.; Kuiper, W.E.; Hofstede, ter F.; Meulenberg, M.T.G.

1998-01-01

The lack of sufficient market depth particularly in many newly initiated futures markets results in relatively high hedging costs, and this inhibits the growth of futures contract volume. In this article the price path due to order imbalances is analyzed and a two-dimensional market depth measure is

New Internet Business Initiatives in the Context of Change Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Sofronijević

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the changing role of the Internet as a framework of several new business initiatives. In the last five years the Internet has evolved from being just a useful tool to a force shaping business strategies and influencing long-term managerial decision making. The paper presents an analysis of several cutting edge business initiatives and relates the success opportunities they have with evolving features of the Internet. The growth of importance of the Internet stresses the need to evaluate the state of local ICT development and precise data in this area for successful new business initiatives and meaningful change management. The paper presents the importance of such an evaluation for engaging change management that may be the crucial factor for the future of business initiatives in the era of ubiquitous, smart Internet.

The SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and Galaxies survey (SLUGGS): sample definition, methods, and initial results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brodie, Jean P.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Jennings, Zachary G.; Pota, Vincenzo; Kader, Justin; Roediger, Joel C.; Villaume, Alexa; Arnold, Jacob A.; Woodley, Kristin A. [University of California Observatories, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Strader, Jay [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Forbes, Duncan A.; Pastorello, Nicola; Usher, Christopher; Blom, Christina; Kartha, Sreeja S. [Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, VIC 3122 (Australia); Foster, Caroline; Spitler, Lee R., E-mail: jbrodie@ucsc.edu [Australian Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670 (Australia)

2014-11-20

We introduce and provide the scientific motivation for a wide-field photometric and spectroscopic chemodynamical survey of nearby early-type galaxies (ETGs) and their globular cluster (GC) systems. The SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and GalaxieS (SLUGGS) survey is being carried out primarily with Subaru/Suprime-Cam and Keck/DEIMOS. The former provides deep gri imaging over a 900 arcmin{sup 2} field-of-view to characterize GC and host galaxy colors and spatial distributions, and to identify spectroscopic targets. The NIR Ca II triplet provides GC line-of-sight velocities and metallicities out to typically ∼8 R {sub e}, and to ∼15 R {sub e} in some cases. New techniques to extract integrated stellar kinematics and metallicities to large radii (∼2-3 R {sub e}) are used in concert with GC data to create two-dimensional (2D) velocity and metallicity maps for comparison with simulations of galaxy formation. The advantages of SLUGGS compared with other, complementary, 2D-chemodynamical surveys are its superior velocity resolution, radial extent, and multiple halo tracers. We describe the sample of 25 nearby ETGs, the selection criteria for galaxies and GCs, the observing strategies, the data reduction techniques, and modeling methods. The survey observations are nearly complete and more than 30 papers have so far been published using SLUGGS data. Here we summarize some initial results, including signatures of two-phase galaxy assembly, evidence for GC metallicity bimodality, and a novel framework for the formation of extended star clusters and ultracompact dwarfs. An integrated overview of current chemodynamical constraints on GC systems points to separate, in situ formation modes at high redshifts for metal-poor and metal-rich GCs.

Systems scale assessment of the sustainability implications of emerging green initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiwary, Abhishek; Namdeo, Anil; Fuentes, Jose; Dore, Anthony; Hu, Xiao-Ming; Bell, Margaret

2013-01-01

This paper demonstrates a systems framework for assessment of environmental impacts from ‘green initiatives’, through a case study of meso-scale, anthropogenic–biogenic interactions. The following cross-sectoral green initiatives, combining the emerging trends in the North East region of the United Kingdom, have been considered – increasing the vegetation cover; decarbonising road transport; decentralising energy production through biomass plants. Two future scenarios are assessed – Baseline 2 020 (projected emissions from realisation of policy instruments); Aggressive 2 020 (additional emissions from realisation of green initiatives). Resulting trends from the Aggressive 2 020 scenario suggest an increase in emissions of pollutant precursors, including biogenic volatile organic compounds and nitrogen dioxide over the base case by up to 20% and 5% respectively. This has implications for enhanced daytime ozone and secondary aerosols formation by up to 15% and over 5% respectively. Associated land cover changes show marginal decrease of ambient temperature but modest reductions in ammonia and ambient particulates. -- Highlights: • A systems scale assessment framework for emerging green initiatives is proposed. • Interactions between urban greenspace, greener vehicles and bioenergy system examined. • Altering future emissions profile enhances synthesis of photochemical precursors. • Incorporating whole-system evaluation deemed vital for well-rounded sustainability. -- Systems scale implication for air pollution was assessed across three sectors of emerging green initiatives-energy, transport and ecosystem

The Massive Progenitor of the Type II-linear Supernova 2009kr

Science.gov (United States)

Elias-Rosa, Nancy; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Li, Weidong; Miller, Adam A.; Silverman, Jeffrey M.; Ganeshalingam, Mohan; Boden, Andrew F.; Kasliwal, Mansi M.; Vinkó, József; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Steele, Thea N.; Bloom, Joshua S.; Griffith, Christopher V.; Kleiser, Io K. W.; Foley, Ryan J.

2010-05-01

We present early-time photometric and spectroscopic observations of supernova (SN) 2009kr in NGC 1832. We find that its properties to date support its classification as Type II-linear (SN II-L), a relatively rare subclass of core-collapse supernovae (SNe). We have also identified a candidate for the SN progenitor star through comparison of pre-explosion, archival images taken with WFPC2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope with SN images obtained using adaptive optics plus NIRC2 on the 10 m Keck-II telescope. Although the host galaxy's substantial distance (~26 Mpc) results in large uncertainties in the relative astrometry, we find that if this candidate is indeed the progenitor, it is a highly luminous (M 0 V = -7.8 mag) yellow supergiant with initial mass ~18-24 M sun. This would be the first time that an SN II-L progenitor has been directly identified. Its mass may be a bridge between the upper initial mass limit for the more common Type II-plateau SNe and the inferred initial mass estimate for one Type II-narrow SN. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc., under NASA contract NAS 05-26555; the 6.5 m Magellan Clay Telescope located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile; various telescopes at Lick Observatory; the 1.3 m PAIRITEL on Mt. Hopkins; the SMARTS Consortium 1.3 m telescope located at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Chile; the 3.6 m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France, and the University of Hawaii; and the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and NASA, with

Forget about the future - let's get on with the past!

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McQuaid, Sara Dybris

'Forget about the Future - Let's get on with the Past! Trails of truth recovery and provisional justice in Northern Ireland' Abstract: In Northern Ireland an agreed and comprehensive framework for ‘dealing with the past’ has yet to be worked out. In this policy vacuum a bricolage of different met...... demonstrate how initiatives conceived to serve a particular function can often transmute to serve other or additional functions with severe consequences for both the peace process and future policies for the past....

Naval S&T Strategy: Innovations For The Future Force

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

promote fundamental knowledge expansion to collectively paint a picture of the future naval force that today’s initiatives will help build. Scientists and... graphene , QuikClot and many more). In fiscally austere times like today, there is great pressure to tie S&T more closely to R&D technology

CONFIRMATION OF ENHANCED DWARF-SENSITIVE ABSORPTION FEATURES IN THE SPECTRA OF MASSIVE ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES: FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR A NON-UNIVERSAL INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Conroy, Charlie

2011-01-01

We recently found that massive cluster elliptical galaxies have strong Na I λ8183, 8195 and FeH λ9916 Wing-Ford band absorption, indicating the presence of a very large population of stars with masses ∼ sun . Here we test this result by comparing the elliptical galaxy spectra to those of luminous globular clusters associated with M31. These globular clusters have similar metallicities, abundance ratios, and ages as massive elliptical galaxies but their low dynamical mass-to-light ratios rule out steep stellar initial mass functions (IMFs). From high-quality Keck spectra we find that the dwarf-sensitive absorption lines in globular clusters are significantly weaker than in elliptical galaxies and consistent with normal IMFs. The differences in the Na I and Wing-Ford indices are 0.027 ± 0.007 mag and 0.017 ± 0.006 mag, respectively. We directly compare the two classes of objects by subtracting the averaged globular cluster spectrum from the averaged elliptical galaxy spectrum. The difference spectrum is well fit by the difference between a stellar population synthesis model with a bottom-heavy IMF and one with a bottom-light IMF. We speculate that the slope of the IMF may vary with velocity dispersion, although it is not yet clear what physical mechanism would be responsible for such a relation.

Project setup and learning processes in participative systems oriented research initiatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langeveld, J W A; Crawford, A; Paine, M

2006-01-01

makers and administrators, grassroots movements and research staff. It is expected that such a coordinated research initiative can revitalize the contribution of farming to rural development and yield important insight to be used by the individual farmer in coping with future challenges....

VizieR Online Data Catalog: HI-selected Lyman limit systems metallicities (Lehner+, 2016)

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, N.; O'Meara, J. M.; Howk, J. C.; Prochaska, J. X.; Fumagalli, M.

2018-04-01

All the new data presented here are from our Keck Observatory Database of Ionized Absorption toward Quasars (KODIAQ) database as part of our new KODIAQ Z survey (Lehner+ 2014, J/ApJ/788/119 ; O'Meara+ 2015, J/AJ/150/111). In short, these data were acquired with the HIgh Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) on the Keck I telescope on Maunakea. These data were obtained by different PIs from different institutions with Keck access, and hundreds of spectra of QSOs at 0

Detectability of molecular gas signatures on Jupiter’s moon Europa from ground and space-based facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Paganini, Lucas; Villanueva, Geronimo Luis; Hurford, Terry; Mandell, Avi; Roth, Lorenz; Mumma, Michael J.

2017-10-01

Plumes and their effluent material could provide insights into Europa’s subsurface chemistry and relevant information about the prospect that life could exist, or now exists, within the ocean. In 2016, we initiated a strong observational campaign to characterize the chemical composition of Europa’s surface and exosphere using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. While several studies have focused on the detection of water, or its dissociation products, there could be a myriad of complex molecules released by erupting plumes. Our IR survey has provided a serendipitous search for several key molecular species, allowing a chemical characterization that can aid the investigation of physical processes underlying its surface. Since our tentative water detection, presented at the 2016 DPS meeting, we have continued the observations of Europa during 2017 covering a significant extent of the moon’s terrain and orbital position (true anomaly), accounting for over 50 hr on source. Current analyses of these data are showing spectral features that grant further investigation. In addition to analysis algorithms tailored to the examination of Europan data, we have developed simulation tools to predict the possible detection of molecular species using ground-based facilities like the Keck Observatory, NASA’s Infrared Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). In this presentation we will discuss the detectability of key molecular species with these remote sensing facilities, as well as expected challenges and future strategies with upcoming spacecrafts such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR), and a possible gas spectrometer onboard an orbiter.This work is supported by NASA’s Keck PI Data Award (PI L.P.) and Solar System Observation Program (PI L.P.), and by the NASA Astrobiology Institute through funding awarded to the Goddard Center for Astrobiology (PI M.J.M.).

Revised hypothesis and future perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Norsk, P; Drummer, C; Christensen, N J

2001-01-01

Results from space have been unexpected and not predictable from the results of ground-based simulations. Therefore, the concept of how weightlessness and gravity modulates the regulation of body fluids must be revised and a new simulation model developed. The main questions to ask in the future...... are the following: Does weightlessness induce a diuresis and natriuresis during the initial hours of space flight leading to an extracellular and intravascular fluid volume deficit? Can sodium in excess be stored in a hitherto unknown way, particularly during space flight? Why are fluid and sodium retaining systems...

Initiative Games in Physical Education: A Practical Approach for Teaching Critical Thinking Skills--Part 1

Science.gov (United States)

Maina, Michael P.; Maina, Julie Schlegel; Hunt, Kevin

2016-01-01

As teachers prepare children for the future, the need for developing critical thinking skills in students becomes clearly evident. One way to promote this process is through initiative games. Initiative games are clearly defined problems that a group must find a solution to through cooperation, physical effort and cognitive functioning. The…

Policies and initiatives for carbon neutrality in nordic heating and transport systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muller, Jakob Glarbo; Wu, Qiuwei; Ostergaard, Jacob

2012-01-01

Policies and initiatives promoting carbon neutrality in the Nordic heating and transport systems are presented. The focus within heating systems is the propagation of heat pumps while the focus within transport systems is initiatives regarding electric vehicles (EVs). It is found that conversion...... to heat pumps in the Nordic region rely on both private economic and national economic incentives. Initiatives toward carbon neutrality in the transport system are mostly concentrated on research, development and demonstration for deployment of a large number of EVs. All Nordic countries have plans...... for the future heating and transport systems with the ambition of realizing carbon neutrality....

Westinghouse accident tolerant fuel program. Current results and future plans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ray, Sumit; Xu, Peng; Lahoda, Edward; Hallstadius, Lars; Boylan, Frank [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Hopkins, SC (United States)

2016-07-15

This paper discusses the current status, results from initial tests, as well as the future direction of the Westinghouse's Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) program. The current preliminary testing is addressed that is being performed on these samples at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) test reactor, initial results from these tests, as well as the technical learning from these test results. In the Westinghouse ATF approach, higher density pellets play a significant role in the development of an integrated fuel system.

Workshop on initiation of stress corrosion cracking under LWR conditions: Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.L.; Cubicciotti, D.; Licina, G.J.

1988-05-01

A workshop titled ''Initiation of Stress Corrosion Cracking under LWR Conditions'' was held in Palo Alto, California on November 13, 1986, hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute. Participants were experts on the topic from nuclear steam supply and component manufacturers, public and private research laboratories, and university environments. Presentations included discussions on the definition of crack initiation, the effects of environmental and electrochemical variables on cracking susceptibility, and detection methods for the determination of crack initiation events and measurement of critical environmental and stress parameters. Examination of the questions related to crack initiation and its relative importance to the overall question of cracking of LWR materials from these perspectives provided inputs to EPRI project managers on the future direction of research efforts designed to prevent and control cracking. Thirteen reports have been cataloged separately

From the past to the future: Integrating work experience into the design process.

Science.gov (United States)

Bittencourt, João Marcos; Duarte, Francisco; Béguin, Pascal

2017-01-01

Integrating work activity issues into design process is a broadly discussed theme in ergonomics. Participation is presented as the main means for such integration. However, a late participation can limit the development of both project solutions and future work activity. This article presents the concept of construction of experience aiming at the articulated development of future activities and project solutions. It is a non-teleological approach where the initial concepts will be transformed by the experience built up throughout the design process. The method applied was a case study of an ergonomic participation during the design of a new laboratory complex for biotechnology research. Data was obtained through analysis of records in a simulation process using a Lego scale model and interviews with project participants. The simulation process allowed for developing new ways of working and generating changes in the initial design solutions, which enable workers to adopt their own developed strategies for conducting work more safely and efficiently in the future work system. Each project decision either opens or closes a window of opportunities for developing a future activity. Construction of experience in a non-teleological design process allows for understanding the consequences of project solutions for future work.

Future Computing Technology (1/3)

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2015-01-01

Computing of the future will be affected by a number of fundamental technologies in development today, many of which are already on the way to becoming commercialized. In this series of lectures, we will discuss hardware and software development that will become mainstream in the timeframe of a few years and how they will shape or change the computing landscape - commercial and personal alike. Topics range from processor and memory aspects, programming models and the limits of artificial intelligence, up to end-user interaction with wearables or e-textiles. We discuss the impact of these technologies on the art of programming, the data centres of the future and daily life. Lecturer's short bio: Andrzej Nowak has 10 years of experience in computing technologies, primarily from CERN openlab and Intel. At CERN, he managed a research lab collaborating with Intel and was part of the openlab Chief Technology Office. Andrzej also worked closely and initiated projects with the private sector (e.g. HP and Go...

Pediatric hospital medicine: a strategic planning roundtable to chart the future.

Science.gov (United States)

Rauch, Daniel A; Lye, Patricia S; Carlson, Douglas; Daru, Jennifer A; Narang, Steve; Srivastava, Rajendu; Melzer, Sanford; Conway, Patrick H

2012-04-01

Given the growing field of Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) and the need to define strategic direction, the Society of Hospital Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Academic Pediatric Association sponsored a roundtable to discuss the future of the field. Twenty-one leaders were invited plus a facilitator utilizing established health care strategic planning methods. A "vision statement" was developed. Specific initiatives in 4 domains (clinical practice, quality of care, research, and workforce) were identified that would advance PHM with a plan to complete each initiative. Review of the current issues demonstrated gaps between the current state of affairs and the full vision of the potential impact of PHM. Clinical initiatives were to develop an educational plan supporting the PHM Core Competencies and a clinical practice monitoring dashboard template. Quality initiatives included an environmental assessment of PHM participation on key committees, societies, and agencies to ensure appropriate PHM representation. Three QI collaboratives are underway. A Research Leadership Task Force was created and the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS) network was refocused, defining a strategic framework for PRIS, and developing a funding strategy. Workforce initiatives were to develop a descriptive statement that can be used by any PHM physician, a communications tool describing "value added" of PHM; and a tool to assess career satisfaction among PHM physicians. We believe the Roundtable was successful in describing the current state of PHM and laying a course for the near future. Copyright © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Haiti Breast Cancer Initiative: Initial Findings and Analysis of Barriers-to-Care Delaying Patient Presentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ketan Sharma

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. In Haiti, breast cancer patients present at such advanced stages that even modern therapies offer modest survival benefit. Identifying the personal, sociocultural, and economic barriers-to-care delaying patient presentation is crucial to controlling disease. Methods. Patients presenting to the Hôpital Bon Sauveur in Cange were prospectively accrued. Delay was defined as 12 weeks or longer from initial sign/symptom discovery to presentation, as durations greater than this cutoff correlate with reduced survival. A matched case-control analysis with multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors predicting delay. Results. Of N=123 patients accrued, 90 (73% reported symptom-presentation duration and formed the basis of this study: 52 patients presented within 12 weeks of symptoms, while 38 patients waited longer than 12 weeks. On logistic regression, lower education status (OR = 5.6, P=0.03, failure to initially recognize mass as important (OR = 13.0, P<0.01, and fear of treatment cost (OR = 8.3, P=0.03 were shown to independently predict delayed patient presentation. Conclusion. To reduce stage at presentation, future interventions must educate patients on the recognition of initial breast cancer signs and symptoms and address cost concerns by providing care free of charge and/or advertising that existing care is already free.

FUTURE KAON INITIATIVES AT BNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Littenberg, L.

1999-01-01

Although the Brookhaven AGS will become an injector to RHIC, it will still be available for external proton beam experiments. I discuss a number new K decay experiments which have been proposed for this facility

Dynamic Business Collaboration in Supply Chains with Future Internet technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sundmaeker, H.; Verdouw, C.N.

2014-01-01

The European Future Internet Initiative, called FIWARE, targets in its final and third phase at acceleration of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME). The ‘FInish’ accelerator provides grants for realisation of intelligent systems and specifically business to business (B2B) oriented apps for

The Stellar Initial Mass Function in Early-type Galaxies from Absorption Line Spectroscopy. I. Data and Empirical Trends

Science.gov (United States)

van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Conroy, Charlie

2012-11-01

The strength of gravity-sensitive absorption lines in the integrated light of old stellar populations is one of the few direct probes of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) outside of the Milky Way. Owing to the advent of fully depleted CCDs with little or no fringing it has recently become possible to obtain accurate measurements of these features. Here, we present spectra covering the wavelength ranges 0.35-0.55 μm and 0.72-1.03 μm for the bulge of M31 and 34 early-type galaxies from the SAURON sample, obtained with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Keck. The signal-to-noise ratio is >~ 200 Å-1 out to 1 μm, which is sufficient to measure gravity-sensitive features for individual galaxies and to determine how they depend on other properties of the galaxies. Combining the new data with previously obtained spectra for globular clusters in M31 and the most massive elliptical galaxies in the Virgo cluster, we find that the dwarf-sensitive Na I λ8183, 8195 doublet and the FeH λ9916 Wing-Ford band increase systematically with velocity dispersion, while the giant-sensitive Ca II λ8498, 8542, 8662 triplet decreases with dispersion. These trends are consistent with a varying IMF, such that galaxies with deeper potential wells have more dwarf-enriched mass functions. In a companion paper, we use a comprehensive stellar population synthesis model to demonstrate that IMF effects can be separated from age and abundance variations and quantify the IMF variation among early-type galaxies.

THE STELLAR INITIAL MASS FUNCTION IN EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES FROM ABSORPTION LINE SPECTROSCOPY. I. DATA AND EMPIRICAL TRENDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Conroy, Charlie

2012-01-01

The strength of gravity-sensitive absorption lines in the integrated light of old stellar populations is one of the few direct probes of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) outside of the Milky Way. Owing to the advent of fully depleted CCDs with little or no fringing it has recently become possible to obtain accurate measurements of these features. Here, we present spectra covering the wavelength ranges 0.35-0.55 μm and 0.72-1.03 μm for the bulge of M31 and 34 early-type galaxies from the SAURON sample, obtained with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer on Keck. The signal-to-noise ratio is ∼> 200 Å –1 out to 1 μm, which is sufficient to measure gravity-sensitive features for individual galaxies and to determine how they depend on other properties of the galaxies. Combining the new data with previously obtained spectra for globular clusters in M31 and the most massive elliptical galaxies in the Virgo cluster, we find that the dwarf-sensitive Na I λ8183, 8195 doublet and the FeH λ9916 Wing-Ford band increase systematically with velocity dispersion, while the giant-sensitive Ca II λ8498, 8542, 8662 triplet decreases with dispersion. These trends are consistent with a varying IMF, such that galaxies with deeper potential wells have more dwarf-enriched mass functions. In a companion paper, we use a comprehensive stellar population synthesis model to demonstrate that IMF effects can be separated from age and abundance variations and quantify the IMF variation among early-type galaxies.

Evaluation of the effect of initial texture on the development of deformation texture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leffers, Torben; Juul Jensen, Dorte

1986-01-01

The authors describe a computer procedure which allows them to introduce experimental initial textures as starting conditions for texture simulation (instead of a theoretical random texture). They apply the procedure on two batches of copper with weak initial textures and on fine-grained and coarse......-grained aluminium with moderately strong initial textures. In copper the initial texture turns out to be too weak to have any significant effect. In aluminium the initial texture has a very significant effect on the simulated textures-similar to the effect it has on the experimental textures. However......, there are differences between the simulated and the experimental aluminium textures that can only be explained as a grain-size effect. Possible future applications of the procedure are discussed...

Engineering bacterial translation initiation - Do we have all the tools we need?

Science.gov (United States)

Vigar, Justin R J; Wieden, Hans-Joachim

2017-11-01

Reliable tools that allow precise and predictable control over gene expression are critical for the success of nearly all bioengineering applications. Translation initiation is the most regulated phase during protein biosynthesis, and is therefore a promising target for exerting control over gene expression. At the translational level, the copy number of a protein can be fine-tuned by altering the interaction between the translation initiation region of an mRNA and the ribosome. These interactions can be controlled by modulating the mRNA structure using numerous approaches, including small molecule ligands, RNAs, or RNA-binding proteins. A variety of naturally occurring regulatory elements have been repurposed, facilitating advances in synthetic gene regulation strategies. The pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms governing translation initiation provides the framework for future engineering efforts. Here we outline state-of-the-art strategies used to predictably control translation initiation in bacteria. We also discuss current limitations in the field and future goals. Due to its function as the rate-determining step, initiation is the ideal point to exert effective translation regulation. Several engineering tools are currently available to rationally design the initiation characteristics of synthetic mRNAs. However, improvements are required to increase the predictability, effectiveness, and portability of these tools. Predictable and reliable control over translation initiation will allow greater predictability when designing, constructing, and testing genetic circuits. The ability to build more complex circuits predictably will advance synthetic biology and contribute to our fundamental understanding of the underlying principles of these processes. "This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Biochemistry of Synthetic Biology - Recent Developments" Guest Editor: Dr. Ilka Heinemann and Dr. Patrick O'Donoghue. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier

Accessible tourism futures: the world we dream to live in and the opportunities we hope to have

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleni Michopoulou

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose – Accessible tourism is evolving as a field of academic research and industry practice, set within a dynamic social context. The field is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary. The purpose of this paper is to examine key concepts and global initiatives that will shape accessible tourism futures. Design/methodology/approach – Three of the authors have extensive academic experience in the area and the fourth author is the Managing Director of the pre-eminent European Network for Accessible Tourism. In taking a limited Delphi approach to canvassing key areas likely to shape accessible tourism futures, the following concepts and policy initiatives were examined: motivations, dreams and aspirations of people with disability; demography; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; destination competitiveness; universal design (UD; and the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Findings – A discussion of each of the above areas was placed in context to accessible tourism futures and to contextualise the papers that were selected for the special issue. The latter part of the paper outlines the contribution of each empirical paper to the issue discussing the approach, findings and implications. Stakeholder collaboration was identified as the key common theme of the papers and the factor for developing accessible tourism solutions, recognising the value of the market and capitalising on it. A collaborative approach is required to recognise the complementary nature of the different paradigms; to re-shape and transform the future of the accessible tourism industry. To assist in the development of accessible tourism futures, UD principles should provide a foundation to enhance the future competitiveness of tourism destinations and organisations. Originality/value – The paper's examination of the concepts and global policy considerations provides a strong academic and practitioner foundation for

The SPIRIT Telescope Initiative: Six Years On (Abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

Luckas, P.

2017-12-01

(Abstract only) Now in its sixth year of operation, the SPIRIT initiative remains unique in Australia, as a robust web-enabled robotic telescope initiative funded for education and outreach. With multiple modes of operation catering for a variety of usage scenarios and a fully supported education program, SPIRIT provides free access to contemporary astronomical tools for students and educators in Western Australia and beyond. The technical solution itself provides an excellent model for low cost robotic telescope installations, and the education program has evolved over time to include a broad range of student experiences - from engagement activities to authentic science. This paper details the robotic telescope solution, student interface, and educational philosophy, summarizes achievements and lessons learned, and examines the possibilities for future enhancement including spectroscopy.

Space reactors, a prospective for the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahlquist, E.; Voss, S.S.

1989-01-01

The power requirements for future space missions are increasing and alternate power systems will be required to meet these needs. Therefore, in the early 1980's a tri-agency space reactor program, the SP-100, was initiated that is capable of meeting the higher power requirements. To understand the current space reactor program, it is important to review it in the context of past space nuclear programs - including radioisotopes, nuclear rockets and reactors. Initial effort on these programs began in the mid-1950's. Radioisotope generators have been flown on a variety of missions and are continuing to be used. The space reactor and nuclear rocket programs were technically successful but were both terminated in 1973. The current SP-100 program builds on those earlier programs

ANSTO's future plans for nuclear science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackburne, I.

2003-01-01

There are four key themes in ANSTO's future plans for nuclear science and technology: 1) ANSTO plans for the future - within its established 'core business areas', following a rigorous process, and incorporating extensive interaction with organisations around Australia and overseas. 2) The replacement research reactor (RRR) - a Major National Research Facility and the cornerstone of ANSTO's future activities. 3) A number of business development initiatives that have been launched by ANSTO over the past year, under the banner of Good science is good business at ANSTO. 4) ANSTO involvement in the national research priorities that the Prime Minister announced last December, in particular, by pursuing new research in the security and forensics area; its contribution to the 'Safeguarding Australia' national research priority. The Replacement Research Reactor now under construction will make an enormous difference to the work that ANSTO can undertake, and that others can perform using ANSTO's facilities

Enhancing Expectations of Cooperative Learning Use through Initial Teacher Training

Science.gov (United States)

Duran Gisbert, David; Corcelles Seuba, Mariona; Flores Coll, Marta

2017-01-01

Despite its relevance and evidence support, Cooperative Learning (CL) is a challenge for all educational systems due to the difficulties in its implementation. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of Primary Education initial teacher training in the prediction of future CL use. Two groups of 44 and 45 students were conceptually…

On analyzing poblems of distributed systems and current internet in front of the future internet architectures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Marcos Alberti

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there are hundreds of underway worldwide projects to redesign both com- munication protocols and architecture of the Internet. These initiatives are collectively called “future Internet” research. Most of these initiatives rely on existing distributed systems, which often limit or even prevent the development of “clean slate” solutions. The main reason is that the great majority of distributed systems are tightly-linked with the TCP/IP protocol stack. In this article, we provide a first glance discussion on the relationships between future Internet and distributed systems research, focusing on dependencies and similar requirements among these areas. From this analysis, it beco- mes evident that many of the future Internet requirements (and open challenges are repeated in the distributed systems landscape. Although there are many studies on both research fronts individually, the study of the key challenges of future Internet when addressing distributed systems requirements is a topic yet not explored in our contemporary research. This paper aims at determining the gaps and requirements future Internet must fulfill in order to support future distributed systems. To support this objective, a set of design metrics are identified and a convergent design space is proposed.

America's Languages: The Future of Language Advocacy

Science.gov (United States)

Rivers, William P.; Brecht, Richard D.

2018-01-01

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of "Foreign Language Annals," and recognizing the seminal role this journal has in informing the language education profession about policies and programs, we sketch a future for advocacy for language education in the United States. Drawing on the Languages for All initiative and the work of the…

Initial treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarsy, Daniel

2006-05-01

Initial treatment of early idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) begins with diagnosis based on clinical evaluation supplemented by laboratory studies and brain imaging to exclude causes of secondary parkinsonism. In most cases, testing is normal and the diagnosis of PD rests on clinical criteria. In patients with mild symptoms and signs, the diagnosis of PD may not initially be apparent, and follow-up evaluation is needed to arrive at a diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is made, pharmacologic treatment may not be the first step. First, patient education is essential, especially because PD is a high-profile disease for which information and misinformation are readily available to patients and families. Counseling concerning prognosis, future symptoms, future disability, and treatment must be provided. Questions from patients concerning diet, lifestyle, and exercise are especially common at this point. The decision of when to initiate treatment is the next major consideration. Much controversy but relatively little light has been brought to bear on this issue. L-dopa was the first major antiparkinson medication to be introduced and remains the "gold standard" of treatment. Next in efficacy are the dopamine agonists (DAs). A debate has raged concerning whether initial dopaminergic treatment should be with L-dopa or DAs. Physicians have been concerned about forestalling the appearance of dyskinesias and motor fluctuations, whereas patients have incorrectly understood that L-dopa and possibly other antiparkinson drugs have a finite duration of usefulness, making it important to defer treatment for as long as possible. This has created "L-dopa phobia," which may stand in the way of useful treatment. In spite of this controversy, there is uniform agreement that the appropriate time to treat is when the patient is beginning to be disabled. This varies from patient to patient and depends on age, employment status, nature of job, level of physical activity, concern about

Numerical Simulation of the SVS 13 Microjet and Bow Shock Bubble

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Carl L.; Jones, Jeremiah R.; Hodapp, Klaus W.

2016-10-01

Numerical simulations of the SVS 13 microjet and bow shock bubble are performed using the WENO method that reproduces the main features and dynamics of data from the Keck Telescope/OSIRIS velocity-resolved integral field spectrograph: an expanding, cooler bow shock bubble, with the bubble center moving at approximately 50 km s-1 with a radial expansion velocity of 11 km s-1, surrounding the fast, hotter jet, which is propagating at 156 km s-1. Contact and bow shock waves are visible in the simulations both from the initial short jet pulse that creates the nearly spherical bow shock bubble and from the fast microjet, while a terminal Mach disk shock is visible near the tip of the continuous microjet, which reduces the velocity of the jet gas down to the flow velocity of the contact discontinuity at the leading edge of the jet. At 21.1 years after the launch of the initial bubble pulse, the jet has caught up with and penetrated almost all the way across the bow shock bubble of the slower initial pulse. At times later than about 22 years, the jet has penetrated through the bubble and thereafter begins to subsume its spherical form. Emission maps from the simulations of the jet—traced by the emission of the shock-excited 1.644 μm [Fe II] line—and the bow shock bubble—traced in the lower excitation 2.122 μm H2 1-0 S(1) line—projected onto the plane of the sky are presented, and are in good agreement with the Keck observations.

Current indirect fitness and future direct fitness are not incompatible.

Science.gov (United States)

Brahma, Anindita; Mandal, Souvik; Gadagkar, Raghavendra

2018-02-01

In primitively eusocial insects, many individuals function as workers despite being capable of independent reproduction. Such altruistic behaviour is usually explained by the argument that workers gain indirect fitness by helping close genetic relatives. The focus on indirect fitness has left open the question of whether workers are also capable of getting direct fitness in the future in spite of working towards indirect fitness in the present. To investigate this question, we recorded behavioural profiles of all wasps on six naturally occurring nests of Ropalidia marginata , and then isolated all wasps in individual plastic boxes, giving them an opportunity to initiate nests and lay eggs. We found that 41% of the wasps successfully did so. Compared to those that failed to initiate nests, those that did were significantly younger, had significantly higher frequency of self-feeding behaviour on their parent nests but were not different in the levels of work performed in the parent nests. Thus ageing and poor feeding, rather than working for their colonies, constrain individuals for future independent reproduction. Hence, future direct fitness and present work towards gaining indirect fitness are not incompatible, making it easier for worker behaviour to be selected by kin selection or multilevel selection. © 2018 The Author(s).

The physics in our future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramakrishnan, T.V.

1992-01-01

Three principle areas of future growth in physics are identified as the 'small' comprising high energy physics, the 'large' comprising astronomy and astrophysics and the 'complex' comprising condensed matter physics, optical physics, plasma physics and nuclear physics. The broad outlines of India's position (or state-of-the-art) in these areas are given. Investments made in them are briefly indicated. It is pointed out that support by way of investment in many areas of condensed matter physics is marginal due to lack of effective and sustained advocacy. Initiatives in these areas are urgently needed. (M.G.B.)

Distributed technologies in California's energy future. Volume I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, M.; Craig, P.; McGuire, C.B.; Simmons, M. (eds.)

1977-09-01

This interim report contains eight of the eighteen chapters included in the complete report. In Chapter I, pertinent data, facts, and observations are made following an initial summary. Chapter II is an introduction, citing especially the writings of Amory Lovins. The criteria used in defining distributed systems, suggested by Lovins, are that the technologies be renewable, environmentally benign, local, subject to graceful failure, foolproof, flexible, comprehensible, and matched in energy quality. The following chapters are: The Energy Predicament; The California Setting; Energy Resources for California's Future; Alternative Energy Futures for California; Issues and Problems; and Directions for Future Work. Six appendices deal with residential heating loads and air conditioning, allocations, co-generation, population projections, and the California wind energy resource. (MCW)

Radiology education: a glimpse into the future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scarsbrook, A.F. [Department of Radiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: andyscarsbrook1@aol.com; Graham, R.N.J. [Department of Radiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford (United Kingdom); Perriss, R.W. [Department of Radiology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford (United Kingdom)

2006-08-15

The digital revolution in radiology continues to advance rapidly. There are a number of interesting developments within radiology informatics which may have a significant impact on education and training of radiologists in the near future. These include extended functionality of handheld computers, web-based skill and knowledge assessment, standardization of radiological procedural training using simulated or virtual patients, worldwide videoconferencing via high-quality health networks such as Internet2 and global collaboration of radiological educational resources via comprehensive, multi-national databases such as the medical imaging resource centre initiative of the Radiological Society of North America. This article will explore the role of e-learning in radiology, highlight a number of useful web-based applications in this area, and explain how the current and future technological advances might best be incorporated into radiological training.

Radiology education: a glimpse into the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarsbrook, A.F.; Graham, R.N.J.; Perriss, R.W.

2006-01-01

The digital revolution in radiology continues to advance rapidly. There are a number of interesting developments within radiology informatics which may have a significant impact on education and training of radiologists in the near future. These include extended functionality of handheld computers, web-based skill and knowledge assessment, standardization of radiological procedural training using simulated or virtual patients, worldwide videoconferencing via high-quality health networks such as Internet2 and global collaboration of radiological educational resources via comprehensive, multi-national databases such as the medical imaging resource centre initiative of the Radiological Society of North America. This article will explore the role of e-learning in radiology, highlight a number of useful web-based applications in this area, and explain how the current and future technological advances might best be incorporated into radiological training

A taxonomy of prospection: introducing an organizational framework for future-oriented cognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Szpunar, Karl K; Spreng, R Nathan; Schacter, Daniel L

2014-12-30

Prospection--the ability to represent what might happen in the future--is a broad concept that has been used to characterize a wide variety of future-oriented cognitions, including affective forecasting, prospective memory, temporal discounting, episodic simulation, and autobiographical planning. In this article, we propose a taxonomy of prospection to initiate the important and necessary process of teasing apart the various forms of future thinking that constitute the landscape of prospective cognition. The organizational framework that we propose delineates episodic and semantic forms of four modes of future thinking: simulation, prediction, intention, and planning. We show how this framework can be used to draw attention to the ways in which various modes of future thinking interact with one another, generate new questions about prospective cognition, and illuminate our understanding of disorders of future thinking. We conclude by considering basic cognitive processes that give rise to prospective cognitions, cognitive operations and emotional/motivational states relevant to future-oriented cognition, and the possible role of procedural or motor systems in future-oriented behavior.

Futures Brokerages Face uncertain Future

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG PEI

2006-01-01

@@ 2005 was a quiet year for China's futures market.After four new trading products, including cotton, fuel oil and corn, were launched on the market in 2004, the development of the market seemed to stagnate. The trade value of the futures market totaled 13.4 trillion yuan (US$ 1.67 trillion) in 2005, down 8.5 percent year-on-year. Although the decrease is quite small and the trade value was still the second highest in the market's history, the majority of futures brokerage firms were running in the red. In some areas, up to 80 percent of futures companies made losses.

Initial postbuckling analysis of elastoplastic thin-shear structures

Science.gov (United States)

Carnoy, E. G.; Panosyan, G.

1984-01-01

The design of thin shell structures with respect to elastoplastic buckling requires an extended analysis of the influence of initial imperfections. For conservative design, the most critical defect should be assumed with the maximum allowable magnitude. This defect is closely related to the initial postbuckling behavior. An algorithm is given for the quasi-static analysis of the postbuckling behavior of structures that exhibit multiple buckling points. the algorithm based upon an energy criterion allows the computation of the critical perturbation which will be employed for the definition of the critical defect. For computational efficiency, the algorithm uses the reduced basis technique with automatic update of the modal basis. The method is applied to the axisymmetric buckling of cylindrical shells under axial compression, and conclusions are given for future research.

Control of adverse effects of explosive blasting in mines by using shock tube (non-electric) initiation systems and its future challenges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, P.D. [Maharashtra Explosives Ltd., Nagpur (India)

2000-04-01

Every kind of blasting in mines produces some adverse effects on environment, such as ground vibration, noise, fly rock etc. Presently, for restricting these adverse effects, use of shock tube (non-electric) initiation systems are gaining momentum. There are some inherent shortcomings of this initiation system regarding chances of misfires. This paper discusses the various adverse effects of blasting, advantages of shock tube initiation system and the shortcomings of shock tube initiation system regarding chances of misfire and how misfire arises out of failure of shock tube initiation system is different and more dangerous than the misfire occurring due to failure of conventional system (with detonating fuse and cord relays). 1 tab.

Critical Experience Amidst Bureaucratic Structures: Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Educational Futures.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Robin; Crawford, Jeffrey

The public schools of today are pictured as rigid bureaucratic structures, unresponsive to dynamic change, and stultifying to individual initiative and growth. A discussion is presented on the future needs of education that will meet expanding demands for greater freedom for the individual in a democracy to make intelligent decisions. Proposals…

Exploring Partial School Autonomy: What Does It Mean for the Cypriot School of the Future?

Science.gov (United States)

Theodorou, Theodoros; Pashiardis, Petros

2016-01-01

This paper examines the school of the future, aiming to identify and aid the implementation of the most desired version of school autonomy in Cyprus. More specifically, the study initially forecasts the areas of financial decisions that the school of the future might autonomously manage, identifies the negative effects that may appear along the…

War-gaming application for future space systems acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Tien M.; Guillen, Andy T.

2016-05-01

Recently the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) released the Defense Innovation Initiative (DII) [1] to focus DOD on five key aspects; Aspect #1: Recruit talented and innovative people, Aspect #2: Reinvigorate war-gaming, Aspect #3: Initiate long-range research and development programs, Aspect #4: Make DOD practices more innovative, and Aspect #5: Advance technology and new operational concepts. Per DII instruction, this paper concentrates on Aspect #2 and Aspect #4 by reinvigorating the war-gaming effort with a focus on an innovative approach for developing the optimum Program and Technical Baselines (PTBs) and their corresponding optimum acquisition strategies for acquiring future space systems. The paper describes a unified approach for applying the war-gaming concept for future DOD acquisition of space systems. The proposed approach includes a Unified Game-based Acquisition Framework (UGAF) and an Advanced Game-Based Mathematical Framework (AGMF) using Bayesian war-gaming engines to optimize PTB solutions and select the corresponding optimum acquisition strategies for acquiring a space system. The framework defines the action space for all players with a complete description of the elements associated with the games, including Department of Defense Acquisition Authority (DAA), stakeholders, warfighters, and potential contractors, War-Gaming Engines (WGEs) played by DAA, WGEs played by Contractor (KTR), and the players' Payoff and Cost functions (PCFs). The AGMF presented here addresses both complete and incomplete information cases. The proposed framework provides a recipe for the DAA and USAF-Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to acquire future space systems optimally.

Automation, Computerisation and Future Employment in Singapore

OpenAIRE

Lee, King Fuei

2016-01-01

Digitalization is expected to radically change the prospects of the types of occupations that will be needed in the future. This research note examines the susceptibility of jobs to computerization and automation in Singapore by drawing on the methodology and initial data in Frey and Osborne (2013). We find that about one-quarter of Singaporean employment is at high risk of computerization. This places the country as having one of the lowest proportions of jobs under high risk internationally...

Desirable and undesirable future thoughts call for different scene construction processes.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vito, S; Neroni, M A; Gamboz, N; Della Sala, S; Brandimonte, M A

2015-01-01

Despite the growing interest in the ability of foreseeing (episodic future thinking), it is still unclear how healthy people construct possible future scenarios. We suggest that different future thoughts require different processes of scene construction. Thirty-five participants were asked to imagine desirable and less desirable future events. Imagining desirable events increased the ease of scene construction, the frequency of life scripts, the number of internal details, and the clarity of sensorial and spatial temporal information. The initial description of general personal knowledge lasted longer in undesirable than in desirable anticipations. Finally, participants were more prone to explicitly indicate autobiographical memory as the main source of their simulations of undesirable episodes, whereas they equally related the simulations of desirable events to autobiographical events or semantic knowledge. These findings show that desirable and undesirable scenarios call for different mechanisms of scene construction. The present study emphasizes that future thinking cannot be considered as a monolithic entity.

Entrepreneurial Choices of Initial Human Capital Endowments and New Venture Success

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rocha, Vera; Van Praag, Mirjam; B. Folta, Timothy

The founder (team)'s human capital is a vital determinant of future firm performance. This is a stylized fact. Less is known about the effect of the human capital of the initial workforce hired by the founder(s). We study the performance consequences of a founder's choice of the initial workforce......'s human capital (quantity and quality), besides the human capital of the founder(s). The analysis is based on matched employer-employee data and covers about 5,300 startups in manufacturing industries founded by individuals coming from employment between 1992 and 2007. We acknowledge that initial hiring...... decisions are endogenous and correlated with the human capital of the founders and the ownership structure of startups (single founder versus team of founders). Given the stickiness of initial choices, human capital decisions at entry turn out to be a close to irreversible matter with significant...

Energy efficiency initiatives: Indian experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dey, Dipankar [ICFAI Business School, Kolkata, (IBS-K) (India)

2007-07-01

India, with a population of over 1.10 billion is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. As domestic sources of different conventional commercial energy are drying up, dependence on foreign energy sources is increasing. There exists a huge potential for saving energy in India. After the first 'oil shock' (1973), the government of India realized the need for conservation of energy and a 'Petroleum Conservation Action Group' was formed in 1976. Since then many initiatives aiming at energy conservation and improving energy efficiency, have been undertaken (the establishment of Petroleum Conservation Research Association in 1978; the notification of Eco labelling scheme in 1991; the formation of Bureau of Energy Efficiency in 2002). But no such initiative was successful. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze the changing importance of energy conservation/efficiency measures which have been initiated in India between 1970 and 2005.The present study tries to analyze the limitations and the reasons of failure of those initiatives. The probable reasons are: fuel pricing mechanism (including subsidies), political factors, corruption and unethical practices, influence of oil and related industry lobbies - both internal and external, the economic situation and the prolonged protection of domestic industries. Further, as India is opening its economy, the study explores the opportunities that the globally competitive market would offer to improve the overall energy efficiency of the economy. The study suggests that the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) - the newly formed nodal agency for improving energy efficiency of the economy may be made an autonomous institution where intervention from the politicians would be very low. For proper implementation of different initiatives to improve energy efficiency, BEE should involve more the civil societies (NGO) from the inception to the implementation stage of the programs. The paper also

Attention during memory retrieval enhances future remembering.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudukovic, Nicole M; Dubrow, Sarah; Wagner, Anthony D

2009-10-01

Memory retrieval is a powerful learning event that influences whether an experience will be remembered in the future. Although retrieval can succeed in the presence of distraction, dividing attention during retrieval may reduce the power of remembering as an encoding event. In the present experiments, participants studied pictures of objects under full attention and then engaged in item recognition and source memory retrieval under full or divided attention. Two days later, a second recognition and source recollection test assessed the impact of attention during initial retrieval on long-term retention. On this latter test, performance was superior for items that had been tested initially under full versus divided attention. More importantly, even when items were correctly recognized on the first test, divided attention reduced the likelihood of subsequent recognition on the second test. The same held true for source recollection. Additionally, foils presented during the first test were also less likely to be later recognized if they had been encountered initially under divided attention. These findings demonstrate that attentive retrieval is critical for learning through remembering.

DIAGNOSTICS OF LEVELS OF FORMATION OF FUTURE MUSIC TEACHERS’ ART REFLECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Jingjing

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Features of diagnostics of levels of formation of art reflection are justified in the article. Four levels of future music teachers’ art reflection are defined. These levels are based on the research measures of desire to master art reflection; the degree of understanding the nature and characteristics of art reflection; measures of the emotional involvement into art reflection; degree of possession of the necessary skills for art reflection; formation of professionalism in music and performing activities. They are initial, satisfactory, sufficient and optimal. The importance of formation of future music teachers’ art reflection is considered as the basis for professional development, self-regulation on the acquisition of implementing art knowledge. The formation of art reflection requires the creation and implementation of specific methods of diagnostics of future music teachers’ art reflection. The article is dedicated to the problem of developing and testing diagnostic methods of formation of future music teachers’ art reflection. While writing the article there methods of analysis, synthesis, method of systematization of the material, the principles of objectivity and scientific character are being used. Diagnostics and analysis of the levels of future music teachers’ art reflection shows that the vast majority of students have art reflection at a satisfactory level (67.24%. 22.41% of students are found to have the initial level of formation of art reflection. Only 10.34% of students are found to have the sufficient level of art reflection. There are no students having the optimal level of art reflection. The author concluded that educational and behavior tasks, which the future music teachers have, are identified while testing the features of formation of future music teachers’ art reflection. They cause picking out the most appropriate areas and focus on the most prospective and effective methods of formation in the course of

Preschool life skills: Recent advancements and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahmie, Tara A; Luczynski, Kevin C

2018-01-01

Over the past decade, researchers have replicated and extended research on the preschool life skills (PLS) program developed by Hanley, Heal, Tiger, and Ingvarsson (2007). This review summarizes recent research with respect to maximizing skill acquisition, improving generality, evaluating feasibility and acceptability, and testing predictions of the initial PLS study. For each area, we suggest directions for future research. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Intensity changes in future extreme precipitation: A statistical event-based approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Manola, Iris; van den Hurk, Bart; de Moel, Hans; Aerts, Jeroen

2017-04-01

Short-lived precipitation extremes are often responsible for hazards in urban and rural environments with economic and environmental consequences. The precipitation intensity is expected to increase about 7% per degree of warming, according to the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relation. However, the observations often show a much stronger increase in the sub-daily values. In particular, the behavior of the hourly summer precipitation from radar observations with the dew point temperature (the Pi-Td relation) for the Netherlands suggests that for moderate to warm days the intensification of the precipitation can be even higher than 21% per degree of warming, that is 3 times higher than the expected CC relation. The rate of change depends on the initial precipitation intensity, as low percentiles increase with a rate below CC, the medium percentiles with 2CC and the moderate-high and high percentiles with 3CC. This non-linear statistical Pi-Td relation is suggested to be used as a delta-transformation to project how a historic extreme precipitation event would intensify under future, warmer conditions. Here, the Pi-Td relation is applied over a selected historic extreme precipitation event to 'up-scale' its intensity to warmer conditions. Additionally, the selected historic event is simulated in the high-resolution, convective-permitting weather model Harmonie. The initial and boundary conditions are alternated to represent future conditions. The comparison between the statistical and the numerical method of projecting the historic event to future conditions showed comparable intensity changes, which depending on the initial percentile intensity, range from below CC to a 3CC rate of change per degree of warming. The model tends to overestimate the future intensities for the low- and the very high percentiles and the clouds are somewhat displaced, due to small wind and convection changes. The total spatial cloud coverage in the model remains, as also in the statistical

Teen camp: a unique approach to recruit future nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Redding, Donna A; Riech, Sandy; Prater, Marsha A

2004-01-01

A collaborative and unique approach to interest high school students in nursing. To inform educators and nursing departments about an innovative approach to recruit future nurses. Professional literature and authors' experience. All students related positive experiences. The initial camp evaluation produced innovative input from the students, and each camp met its goal of creating career interest in the nursing profession.

A taxonomy of prospection: Introducing an organizational framework for future-oriented cognition

Science.gov (United States)

Szpunar, Karl K.; Spreng, R. Nathan; Schacter, Daniel L.

2014-01-01

Prospection—the ability to represent what might happen in the future—is a broad concept that has been used to characterize a wide variety of future-oriented cognitions, including affective forecasting, prospective memory, temporal discounting, episodic simulation, and autobiographical planning. In this article, we propose a taxonomy of prospection to initiate the important and necessary process of teasing apart the various forms of future thinking that constitute the landscape of prospective cognition. The organizational framework that we propose delineates episodic and semantic forms of four modes of future thinking: simulation, prediction, intention, and planning. We show how this framework can be used to draw attention to the ways in which various modes of future thinking interact with one another, generate new questions about prospective cognition, and illuminate our understanding of disorders of future thinking. We conclude by considering basic cognitive processes that give rise to prospective cognitions, cognitive operations and emotional/motivational states relevant to future-oriented cognition, and the possible role of procedural or motor systems in future-oriented behavior. PMID:25416592

Corporate social responsibility of future radiology professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Sandra K; Collins, Kevin S

2011-01-01

Plagued by difficult economic times, many radiology managers may find themselves faced with ethical dilemmas surrounding ongoing organizational pressures to maintain high levels of productivity with restricted resources. This often times tests the level of moral resilience and corporate social consciousness of even the most experienced radiology professionals. A study was conducted to determine what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) orientation and viewpoint future radiology professionals may have. The results of the study indicate that these study participants may initially consider patient care more important than profit maximization. Study results indicate that these specific future radiology professionals will not need laws, legal sanctions, and intensified rules to force them to act ethically. However,they may need ongoing training as to the necessity of profit maximization if they seek the highest quality of care possible for their patients.

Ensuring America's Future by Increasing Latino College Completion: Latino College Completion in 50 States. Executive Summary

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Deborah; Soliz, Megan

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. This initiative included the release of a benchmarking guide for projections of degree attainment disaggregated by race/ethnicity that offered multiple metrics to track…

Between initial familiarity and future use – a case of Collocated Collaborative Writing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne; Polli, Anna Maria

2014-01-01

these with the three above forms of practice. The initial familiarity leads to two different early practices that get in the way of each other, and the collaborative writing idea. They point instead towards a discursive sharing of individual feelings, a different kind of past experiences than anticipated in design.......This paper reports on a design experiment in an art gallery, where we explored visitor practices of commenting on art, and how they were shaped in interaction with a newly designed collocated, collaborative writing technology. In particular we investigate what potentials previous practices carry...... with them that may affect early use and further development of use. We base our analyses on interviews in the art gallery and on socio-cultural theories of artefactmediated learning and collaboration. The analyses help identify three forms of collaborative writing, which are placed in the space between...

Fostering of Less Commonly Taught Language Initiatives — The Minnesota Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonard Anthony Polakiewicz

2007-01-01

Full Text Available First, let me express my sincere gratitude to NCOLCTL for awarding me this prestigious recognition bearing the name of a man who was responsible for many important initiatives and contributions relating to the promotion of the interests of LCTLs. Although for the past 36 years I have been teaching Russian and Polish, in my discussion today I will focus mainly on Polish, the less common of my less commonly taught languages. We can view the future of LCTLs in two ways: paraphrasing Anton Chekhov—one is the view that everything passes and nothing matters; the other view is that nothing passes and everything matters. If we are guided by the first outlook in assessing the present and future status of LCTLs we will conclude that despite all of our initiatives to promote and safeguard the interests of LCTLs, in the final analysis developments beyond our control will threaten the survival of LCTLs as part of institutionalized curriculum at many institutions. Thus, all of our efforts will prove to be in vain.

Future directions for radiological physics: An interface with molecular biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braby, L.A.

1987-01-01

Recent experiments with low energy x-rays and fast molecular ions have shown that the products of the interaction of several ionizations within a few nanometers dominate radiation effects. However, the authors still can only make assumptions about the physical and chemical nature of this initial damage. Enzymatic repair of DNA damage is another key factor, but they have little idea of what governs the success or failure (misrepair) of these processes. Unresolved problems like these dictate the future direction of radiological physics. Molecular biology techniques are being applied to determine molecular alterations which result in observed damage. Interpretation of these experiments will require new data on the physics of energy transfer to macromolecules and the stochastics of energy deposition in time. Future studies will attempt to identify the initial damage, before biological processes have amplified it. This will require a detailed understanding of the role of chromatin structure in governing gene expression, the transport of energy within macromolecules, the transport of ions and radicals in the semiordered environment near DNA strands, and many other physical characteristics within the living cell

Teachers’ perceptions of their own initiative: Collective initiative vs. personal initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Džinović Vladimir

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Current trends in education demand from teachers to exhibit proactive behaviour and assume responsibility for the implementation of changes in school practice. In that sense, it is important to study how teachers perceive their own initiative and to gain insight into the activities where such initiative is demonstrated. This study has been conceived as a mixed-methods research. The qualitative study implied forming four focus groups with subject teachers and class teachers (N=38, while the quantitative study entailed surveying 1441 teachers in forty primary schools in Serbia using the questionnaire constructed based on qualitative data. Data from focus groups were processed by qualitative thematic analysis, while the questionnaire data were processed by principal component analysis and univariate analysis of variance. The findings of the study have shown that teachers mostly demonstrate initiative through co­operative activities that include planning of joint teaching as well as conducting joint projects within school and with the local community actors. Teachers are least ready to demonstrate personal initiative and the initiative aimed at accomplishing considerable changes in school work. The concluding part includes the recommendations for encouraging teachers’ personal initiative and building organizational culture that would support such initiative. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. br. 47008: Unapređivanje kvaliteta i dostupnosti obrazovanja u procesima modernizacije Srbije i br. 179034: Od podsticanja inicijative, saradnje i stvaralaštva u obrazovanju do novih uloga i identiteta u društvu

Major issues associated with DOE commercial recycling initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motl, G.P.; Burns, D.D.; Rast, D.M.

1994-01-01

Major initiatives are underway within DOE to recycle large volumes of scrap material generated during cleanup of the DOE Weapons Complex. These recycling initiatives are driven not only by the desire to conserve natural resources, but also by the recognition that shallow level burial is not a politically acceptable option. The Fernald facility is in the vanguard of a number of major DOE recycling efforts. These early efforts have brought issues to light that can have a major impact on the ability of Fernald and other major DOE sites to expand recycling efforts in the future. Some of these issues are; secondary waste deposition, title to material and radioactive contaminants, mixed waste generated during recycling, special nuclear material possession limits, cost benefit, transportation of waste to processing facilities, release criteria, and uses for beneficially reused products

Biofuel Development Initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick T. Sekoai

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years, biofuels have emerged as a suitable alternative to hydrocarbon fuel due to their foreseen potential of being a future energy resource. Biofuel development initiatives have been successfully implemented in countries like Brazil, United States of America, European Union, Canada, Australia, and Japan. However, such programmes have been stagnant in Africa due to various constraints, such as financial barriers, technical expertise, land availability, and government policies. Nonetheless, some countries within the continent have realized the potential of biofuels and have started to introduce similar programmes and initiatives for their development. These include the bioethanol production initiatives and the plantation of jatropha oil seeds in most Sub-Saharan African countries for biodiesel production. Therefore, this paper examines the biofuel development initiatives that have been implemented in several countries across Sub-Saharan Africa over the past few years. It also discusses the opportunities and challenges of having biofuel industries in the continent. Finally, it proposes some recommendations that could be applied to accelerate their development in these Sub-Saharan African countries.

Global polio eradication initiative: lessons learned and legacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cochi, Stephen L; Freeman, Andrew; Guirguis, Sherine; Jafari, Hamid; Aylward, Bruce

2014-11-01

The world is on the verge of achieving global polio eradication. During >25 years of operations, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has mobilized and trained millions of volunteers, social mobilizers, and health workers; accessed households untouched by other health initiatives; mapped and brought health interventions to chronically neglected and underserved communities; and established a standardized, real-time global surveillance and response capacity. It is important to document the lessons learned from polio eradication, especially because it is one of the largest ever global health initiatives. The health community has an obligation to ensure that these lessons and the knowledge generated are shared and contribute to real, sustained changes in our approach to global health. We have summarized what we believe are 10 leading lessons learned from the polio eradication initiative. We have the opportunity and obligation to build a better future by applying the lessons learned from GPEI and its infrastructure and unique functions to other global health priorities and initiatives. In so doing, we can extend the global public good gained by ending for all time one of the world's most devastating diseases by also ensuring that these investments provide public health dividends and benefits for years to come. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Facilitators of community participation in an Aboriginal sexual health promotion initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Hulme Chambers, Alana; Tomnay, Jane; Stephens, Kylie; Crouch, Alan; Whiteside, Mary; Love, Pettina; McIntosh, Leonie; Waples Crowe, Peter

2018-04-01

Community participation is a collaborative process aimed at achieving community-identified outcomes. However, approaches to community participation within Aboriginal health promotion initiatives have been inconsistent and not well documented. Smart and Deadly was a community-led initiative to develop sexual health promotion resources with young Aboriginal people in regional Victoria, Australia. The principles of community-centred practice, authentic participatory processes and respect for the local cultural context guided the initiative. The aim of this article is to report factors that facilitated community participation undertaken in the Smart and Deadly initiative to inform future projects and provide further evidence in demonstrating the value of such approaches. A summative evaluation of the Smart and Deadly initiative was undertaken approximately 2 years after the initiative ended. Five focus groups and 13 interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 32 participants who were involved with Smart and Deadly in one of the following ways: project participant, stakeholder or project partner, or project developer or designer. A deductive content analysis was undertaken and themes were compared to the YARN model, which was specifically created for planning and evaluating community participation strategies relating to Aboriginal sexual health promotion. A number of factors that facilitated community participation approaches used in Smart and Deadly were identified. The overarching theme was that trust was the foundation upon which the facilitators of community participation ensued. These facilitators were cultural safety and cultural literacy, community control, and legacy and sustainability. Whilst the YARN model was highly productive in identifying these facilitators of community participation, the model did not have provision for the element of trust between workers and community. Given the importance of trust between the project team and the Aboriginal

Closing Symposium of the German Research Initiative ComFliTe

CERN Document Server

Radespiel, Rolf; Burg, Jan; Sørensen, Kaare

2013-01-01

This book reports on the German research initiative ComFliTe (Computational Flight Testing), the main goal of which was to enhance the capabilities of and tools for numerical simulation in flight physics to support future aircraft design and development. The initiative was coordinated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and promoted collaboration between the aircraft industry and academia. Activities focused on improving physical modeling for separated flows, developing advanced numerical algorithms for series computations and sensitivity predictions, as well as surrogate and reduced order modeling for aero data production and developing robust fluid-, structure- and flight mechanics coupling procedures. Further topics included more efficient handling of aircraft control surfaces and improving simulation methods for maneuvers, such as gust encounter. The important results of this three-year initiative were presented during the ComFliTe closing symposium, which took place at the DLR in Braunschweig, Germany, ...

The North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative. Initial Findings. Final Report. Working Group 1 - Grid Configuration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-15

This report focuses on the tasks and results from Working Group 1 (WG1), grid configuration and integration, chaired jointly by representatives from Denmark and the Netherlands. The methodology, assumptions concerning generation portfolio, load situation, available technology and results are presented. This report presents the WG1 Offshore Grid Study that supports the North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI) final report. The information contained in this report aims to evaluate the long-term development of an offshore grid structure in the North Seas by providing a view on how such a grid may possibly develop in the future, based on the assumptions made for this study. The report aims to compare and evaluate the possible advantages and disadvantages of the long term development of an optimised, integrated (or meshed) offshore grid in the North Seas by providing a view of how that possible grid might develop in the future against changes to the electricity energy requirements. To evaluate basic variants, different transmission design topologies (radial and meshed) were compared and analysed with respect to various aspects, such as cost/benefits, import and export levels and the systems' CO2 emissions.

Initial teacher training. His musical impact on children in terms of refuge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Rita Castañeda-de Liendo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The initial teacher training was the cultivation of teacher preparation in order to be the executors of government projects drive enacted by social groups of power in the historical development of Venezuela This article analyzes the initial teacher training in Venezuela, with the help of the logical place to unveil what characterizes the initial training of teachers historical method, specifically the working conditions of temporary shelter, and develops the axiological dynamics through musical training, which determine the current and future behavior regarding the formation of these. There is insufficient number of documents that allow raising the methodological work in the preparation of teachers of children of preschool age who are in temporary shelter provided, this work contributes to the improvement of such problems.

Past and future ice age initiation: the role of an intrinsic deep-ocean millennial oscillation

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, R. G.

2014-05-01

This paper offers three interdependent contributions to studies of climate variation: (1) the recognition and analysis of an intrinsic millennial oceanic oscillation that affects both Northern and Southern high latitude climates, (2) The recognition of an oceanographic switch to ice-free seas west of Greenland that explains the initiation of the Last Ice Age, and (3) an analysis of the effect of increasing salinity in the seas east of Greenland that suggests the possibility of the initiation of an ice age threshold climate in the near future. In the first contribution the millennial oscillation in the flow of the North Atlantic Drift reported by Bond et al. (1997) is proposed to be part of a 1500 yr intrinsic deep ocean oscillation. This oscillation involves the exchange of North Atlantic intermediate-level deep water (NADW) formed in the seas east of Greenland with Antarctic Bottom Water formed in a shallow-water zone at the edge of the Antarctic continent. The concept of NADW formation is already well known, with details of the sinking water flowing out of the Greenland Sea observed by Smethie et al. (2000) using chlorofluorocarbon tracers. The concept of Antarctic Bottom Water formation is also already well established. However, its modulation by the changing fraction of NADW in the Southern Ocean, which I infer from the analysis of Weyl (1968), has not been previously discussed. The modulated lower-salinity Antarctic Bottom Water that reaches the northern North Atlantic then provides negative feedback for the cyclic variation of NADW formation as proposed here. This causes the 1500 yr bipolar oscillation. The feedback suggests the possible sinusoidal character of the proposed oscillation model. The model is consistent with the cooling of the Little Ice Age (Lamb, 1972, 1995), and it also correctly predicts NASA's observation of today's record maximum area of winter sea ice on the Southern Ocean and the present observed record low rate of Antarctic Bottom Water

76 FR 9329 - Efficiency Initiative Effort To Reduce Non-Value-Added Costs Imposed on Industry by Department of...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-17

... Department of Defense as part of the first stage of Undersecretary Carter's Better Buying Power Initiative... capacity for current and projected future levels of demand. DoD will use these submissions as part of its internal deliberations on the Better Buying Power Initiative. We expect to seek further industry comment at...

What benefits do initiatives such as Industry 4.0 offer for production locations in high-wage countries?

OpenAIRE

Schönsleben, Paul; Fontana, Filippo; Duchi, Aldo

2017-01-01

According to claims made by the proponents of initiatives such as Industry 4.0, information technologies will in the future play a substantially more significant role in production processes both for the service sector and for the production of physical goods than they do today. This paper starts by discussing the origins, essence and expectations of initiatives such as Industry 4.0. It then proceeds to outline concepts and examples around such initiatives. Finally, it offers a realistic view...

Detectability of periodic gravitational waves by initial interferometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, Benjamin J

2006-01-01

I review three recent theoretical developments in neutron star physics predicting that rotating neutron stars could be very strong emitters of periodic gravitational waves. These imply a small but nonzero chance that ground-based interferometers could detect their first periodic signal in the next few years rather than after advanced upgrades. They also imply that upper limits will become astrophysically interesting before advanced upgrades. I discuss the implications for near-future searches and for the astrophysical payoffs of proposed small upgrades to initial interferometers

Oak policy and management in California: Spanish origins and future considerations

Science.gov (United States)

James W. Bartolome; Lynn. Huntsinger

2015-01-01

The development of goals and policies for Californian oak woodlands is reviewed; then some important considerations for future policy development are highlighted. California and Spain share long and illuminating histories of human interaction with oak woodlands. The Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program, initiated about 1985, was a focal point for Californian...

On Using Home Networks and Cloud Computing for a Future Internet of Things

Science.gov (United States)

Niedermayer, Heiko; Holz, Ralph; Pahl, Marc-Oliver; Carle, Georg

In this position paper we state four requirements for a Future Internet and sketch our initial concept. The requirements: (1) more comfort, (2) integration of home networks, (3) resources like service clouds in the network, and (4) access anywhere on any machine. Future Internet needs future quality and future comfort. There need to be new possiblities for everyone. Our focus is on higher layers and related to the many overlay proposals. We consider them to run on top of a basic Future Internet core. A new user experience means to include all user devices. Home networks and services should be a fundamental part of the Future Internet. Home networks extend access and allow interaction with the environment. Cloud Computing can provide reliable resources beyond local boundaries. For access anywhere, we also need secure storage for data and profiles in the network, in particular for access with non-personal devices (Internet terminal, ticket machine, ...).

The Future of Multicultural Social Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rowena Fong

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Multicultural social work has been evolving over the last forty years despite challenges in limited knowledge, insufficient resources, and inadequate infusion into the curriculum. Discussions continue about appropriate conceptual frameworks, culturally sensitive terms, traditional and indigenous practice approaches and treatments, and relevant outcome measures and evaluation methods. Future directions foster the inclusion of cultural values as strengths. Intersectionality guides practice approaches and systems of care. Service learning requirements, national ethnic resource centers, and ethnic resource centers, and ethnic studies dual degree programs are innovative initiatives yet to be fully integrated into social work curriculum.

Discovery of a Color-selected Quasar at Z = 5.50

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Daniel; Spinrad, Hyron; Eisenhardt, Peter; Bunker, Andrew J.; Dawson, Steve; Stanford, S. A.; Elston, Richard

2000-04-01

We present observations of RD J030117+002025, a quasar at z=5.50 discovered from deep, multicolor, ground-based observations covering 74 arcmin2. This is the most distant quasar or active galaxy currently known. The object was targeted as an R-band dropout, with RAB>26.3 (3 σ limit in a 3" diameter region), IAB=23.8, and zAB=23.4. The Keck/Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer spectrum shows broad Lyα/N V λ1240 emission and sharp absorption decrements from the highly redshifted hydrogen forests. The fractional continuum depression due to the Lyα forest is DA=0.90. RD J030117+002025 is the least luminous high-redshift quasar known (MB~-22.7). Based on observations at the W. M. Keck Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, and Palomar Observatory. Keck Observatory is operated as a scientific partnership among the University of California, the California Institute of Technology, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE SVS 13 MICROJET AND BOW SHOCK BUBBLE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, Carl L.; Jones, Jeremiah R.; Hodapp, Klaus W.

2016-01-01

Numerical simulations of the SVS 13 microjet and bow shock bubble are performed using the WENO method that reproduces the main features and dynamics of data from the Keck Telescope/OSIRIS velocity-resolved integral field spectrograph: an expanding, cooler bow shock bubble, with the bubble center moving at approximately 50 km s −1 with a radial expansion velocity of 11 km s −1 , surrounding the fast, hotter jet, which is propagating at 156 km s −1 . Contact and bow shock waves are visible in the simulations both from the initial short jet pulse that creates the nearly spherical bow shock bubble and from the fast microjet, while a terminal Mach disk shock is visible near the tip of the continuous microjet, which reduces the velocity of the jet gas down to the flow velocity of the contact discontinuity at the leading edge of the jet. At 21.1 years after the launch of the initial bubble pulse, the jet has caught up with and penetrated almost all the way across the bow shock bubble of the slower initial pulse. At times later than about 22 years, the jet has penetrated through the bubble and thereafter begins to subsume its spherical form. Emission maps from the simulations of the jet—traced by the emission of the shock-excited 1.644 μ m [Fe ii] line—and the bow shock bubble—traced in the lower excitation 2.122 μ m H 2 1–0 S(1) line—projected onto the plane of the sky are presented, and are in good agreement with the Keck observations.

Pre-capacity building in loosely-coupled collaborations: Setting the stage for future initiatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheryl A. Hyde

2012-08-01

Full Text Available This article examines the benefits and limitations of ‘loosely-coupled’ research collaborations between university faculty and 12 grassroots community-based organisations (CBOs. The authors assert that community-based research projects that develop the knowledge base within CBOs, and can be described as ‘pre-capacity building’ work, can be an important stepping stone to the subsequent development of more formal and strategic capacity-building partnership ventures. However, such projects must be approached carefully with a clear understanding of the ‘threshold dimensions’ that must be met before proceeding with any collaboration. Written as a cautionary tale, the authors identify some of the problems that arise when the threshold stage is poorly executed, and more generally speak to the dangers of initiating even loosely-coupled collaborations in the absence of an explicit and well-established campus commitment to and support for community engagement and partnerships. Keywords: Community capacity-building, community-university partnerships, community research, collaboration

Women and development: future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

In 1995 the UN celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was held. INSTRAW's acting director, Martha Duenas-Loza, gives her overview of INSTRAW's future role and identifies some major issues regarding the advancement of women. INSTRAW is mandated as a UN group to accomplish research on and training of women. Some initial findings are now becoming available. The delay was due to the attention given to pressing problems of health care, nutrition, and education. In the future the international community will not have the option of neglecting women's status issues, which currently are secondary concerns. Some urgent issues are identified as the impact of rapid population growth on the elderly in the world, particularly the majority of elderly women. Migration will have an increasing impact on economic and social infrastructures of all countries. Problems of the elderly must be addressed as individual components within development plans and programs. Other articles in this issue of "INSTRAW News" discuss the situation of elderly women and women migrants. New efforts focus on a new phase of research on women's access to credit. The research aim is to analyze the experiences of current credit mechanisms, to assess the impact on individuals and families, and to consider gender effects. A progress report is available in this issue on gender statistics and a valuation of unpaid work by women. A new module is available for training women in environmental management; a description of this module is available in this issue. The new model is based on prior modules on energy and water, but includes improvements. The future agenda reflects the complexity of problems and solutions today and in the future.

Self-esteem and the initiation of substance use among adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Chris G; Kwon, Jae-Young; Ratner, Pamela A

2012-11-08

To investigate differences in the relationship between self-esteem and the initiation of substance use (tobacco, alcohol and marijuana) among male and female secondary school students in British Columbia. The data were collected in the 2010 fall and 2011 spring cycles of the British Columbia Adolescent Substance Use Survey (BASUS). The sample consisted of 1,267 adolescents (57% female) in Grades 8 and 9. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the extent to which self-esteem and gender, and their interaction, influenced the odds of having initiated substance use at baseline and at follow-up 6 months later. For each one-point increase on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, there was a reduction in the odds of initiating substance use by up to 9% for tobacco, 3% for alcohol, and 7% for marijuana. The relationships between self-esteem and the initiation of tobacco and alcohol use varied by gender, with boys having slightly less robust associations at the baseline assessment. The results suggest that self-esteem is protective against the initiation of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Researchers are advised to consider the interactive effects of gender in future longitudinal research examining the relationship between self-esteem and the initiation of substance use, including implications related to the development of substance use prevention programs.

European nuclear education initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glatz, Jean-Paul

2011-01-01

Whatever option regarding their future nuclear energy development is chosen by European Union Member States, the availability of a sufficient number of well trained and experienced staff is key for the responsible use of nuclear energy. This is true in all areas including design, construction, operation, decommissioning, fuel cycle and waste management as well as radiation protection. Given the high average age of existing experts leading to a significant retirement induce a real risk of the loss of nuclear competencies in the coming years. Therefore the demand of hiring skilled employees is rising. The challenge of ensuring a sufficient number of qualified staff in the nuclear sector has been acknowledged widely among the different stakeholders, in particular the nuclear industry, national regulatory authorities and Technical Support Organisations (TSOs). Already the EURATOM Treaty refers explicitly to the obligation for the Commission to carry out training actions. Recently initiatives have been launched at EU level to facilitate and strengthen the efforts of national stakeholders. The European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN) Association aims at preservation and further development of expertise in the nuclear field by higher education and training. The goal of the European Nuclear Energy Leadership Academy (ENELA) is to educate future leaders in the nuclear field to ensure the further development of sustainable European nuclear energy solutions The European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) is a platform operated by the European Commission for a broad discussion on the opportunities and risks of nuclear energy. The nuclear programs under investigation in the Joint Research Center (JRC) are increasingly contributing to Education and Training (E and T) initiatives, promoting a better cooperation between key players and universities as well as operators and regulatory bodies in order to mutually optimise their training programmes. Another objective is to increase

The cosmic microwave background: past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silk, Joseph

2007-01-01

The cosmic microwave background has provided an unprecedented cosmological window on the very early universe for probing the initial conditions from which structure evolved. Infinitesimal variations in temperature on the sky, first predicted in 1967 but only discovered in the 1990s, provide the fossil fluctuations that seeded the formation of the galaxies. The cosmic microwave background radiation has now been mapped with ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite telescopes. I describe its current status and future challenges

Technical Assessments of Future European Space Transportation Options

OpenAIRE

Sippel, Martin; van Foreest, Arnold; Dutheil, Jean-Philippe; Philip, Peter

2007-01-01

The paper describes some of the most recent activities in Germany in the technical assessment of future European launcher architecture. In focus is a joint effort of DLR-SART with German launcher industry in the definition of a next generation upper-medium class expendable TSTO with an initial operational capability after 2020. Involved companies are EADS astrium and MT Aerospace. This DLR-agency funded study WOTAN investigates fully cryogenic launchers as well as those with a com...

Ways to Prepare Future Teachers to Teach Science in Multicultural Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Billingsley, Berry

2016-01-01

Roussel De Carvalho uses the notion of superdiversity to draw attention to some of the pedagogical implications of teaching science in multicultural schools in cosmopolitan cities such as London. De Carvalho makes the case that if superdiverse classrooms exist then Science Initial Teacher Education has a role to play in helping future science…

Predicting Translation Initiation Rates for Designing Synthetic Biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeve, Benjamin; Hargest, Thomas; Gilbert, Charlie; Ellis, Tom

2014-01-01

In synthetic biology, precise control over protein expression is required in order to construct functional biological systems. A core principle of the synthetic biology approach is a model-guided design and based on the biological understanding of the process, models of prokaryotic protein production have been described. Translation initiation rate is a rate-limiting step in protein production from mRNA and is dependent on the sequence of the 5′-untranslated region and the start of the coding sequence. Translation rate calculators are programs that estimate protein translation rates based on the sequence of these regions of an mRNA, and as protein expression is proportional to the rate of translation initiation, such calculators have been shown to give good approximations of protein expression levels. In this review, three currently available translation rate calculators developed for synthetic biology are considered, with limitations and possible future progress discussed.

Volcano Geodesy: Recent developments and future challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Jose F.; Pepe, Antonio; Poland, Michael; Sigmundsson, Freysteinn

2017-01-01

Ascent of magma through Earth's crust is normally associated with, among other effects, ground deformation and gravity changes. Geodesy is thus a valuable tool for monitoring and hazards assessment during volcanic unrest, and it provides valuable data for exploring the geometry and volume of magma plumbing systems. Recent decades have seen an explosion in the quality and quantity of volcano geodetic data. New datasets (some made possible by regional and global scientific initiatives), as well as new analysis methods and modeling practices, have resulted in important changes to our understanding of the geodetic characteristics of active volcanism and magmatic processes, from the scale of individual eruptive vents to global compilations of volcano deformation. Here, we describe some of the recent developments in volcano geodesy, both in terms of data and interpretive tools, and discuss the role of international initiatives in meeting future challenges for the field.

A View of the Future: A Statement of Position to Stimulate Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Gage, Robert W.

1977-01-01

In the future health educators must acknowledge the interrelationship between health and education; understand the changes both are undergoing; and take initiative in managing resources creatively, take an active part in the calculus of change, and accept and adapt to external forces that cannot be changed. (JD)

Assessing the impact of a future volcanic eruption on decadal predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Illing, Sebastian; Kadow, Christopher; Pohlmann, Holger; Timmreck, Claudia

2018-06-01

The likelihood of a large volcanic eruption in the future provides the largest uncertainty concerning the evolution of the climate system on the timescale of a few years, but also an excellent opportunity to learn about the behavior of the climate system, and our models thereof. So the following question emerges: how predictable is the response of the climate system to future eruptions? By this we mean to what extent will the volcanic perturbation affect decadal climate predictions and how does the pre-eruption climate state influence the impact of the volcanic signal on the predictions? To address these questions, we performed decadal forecasts with the MiKlip prediction system, which is based on the MPI-ESM, in the low-resolution configuration for the initialization years 2012 and 2014, which differ in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) phase. Each forecast contains an artificial Pinatubo-like eruption starting in June of the first prediction year and consists of 10 ensemble members. For the construction of the aerosol radiative forcing, we used the global aerosol model ECHAM5-HAM in a version adapted for volcanic eruptions. We investigate the response of different climate variables, including near-surface air temperature, precipitation, frost days, and sea ice area fraction. Our results show that the average global cooling response over 4 years of about 0.2 K and the precipitation decrease of about 0.025 mm day-1 is relatively robust throughout the different experiments and seemingly independent of the initialization state. However, on a regional scale, we find substantial differences between the initializations. The cooling effect in the North Atlantic and Europe lasts longer and the Arctic sea ice increase is stronger in the simulations initialized in 2014. In contrast, the forecast initialized in 2012 with a negative PDO shows a prolonged cooling in the North Pacific basin.

The initiating events in the Loviisa nuclear power plant history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoblom, K.

1987-01-01

During the 16 reactor years of Loviisa nuclear power plant operation no serious incident has endangered the high level of safety. The initiating events of plant incidents have been analyzed in order to get a view of plant operational safety experience. The initiating events have been placed in categories similar to those that EPRI uses. However, because of the very small number of scrams the study was extended to also cover transients with a relatively low safety importance in order to get more comprehensive statistics. Human errors, which contributed to 15% of the transients, were a special subject in this study. The conditions under which human failures occurred, and the nature and root causes of the human failures that caused the initiating events were analyzed. For future analyses it was noticed that it would be beneficial to analyze incidents immediately, to consult with the persons directly involved and to develop an international standard format for incident analyses

Changes in Convective Rainfall in future climates over Western Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadian, A.; Burton, R.; Blyth, A. M.; Mobbs, S.; Warner, J.; Groves, J.; Holland, G. J.; Bruyere, C. L.; Done, J.; Tye, M. R.; Thielen, J.

2016-12-01

This project aims to analyse extreme convective weather events over the European domain in a future climate scenario using the Weather Research Forecasting model (WRF). Climate models have insufficient resolution to properly simulate small meso-scale precipitation events which are critical in understanding climate change. Use of a weather model is specifically designed to resolve small (and large) scale processes and in particular to be convection permitting. Changes in extreme weather events in the future climate can be represented as small scale processes and regional meso-scale precipitation events. A channel outer domain (D01), with a resolution of 20km at +/-300 N/S and 8km at 680N, drives a one way nested inner domain resolution which is a factor of 5:1 smaller. For calibration purposes, the outer domain is driven at the Northern / Southern boundaries either by ERA-interim or bias corrected data CCSM for 1989-1995. For the future simulations, the outer domain is driven by CCSM data for 2020-2025 and 2030-2035. An initial analysis for the inner domain convection over Western Europe will be presented. This presentation will provide details of the project. An inter-comparison of the simulations driven for 1990-1995 will provide information on the applicability of using the climate data driven results for the analysis of the future years. Initial plots of changes in precipitation over the future decades will focus on the summer precipitation, providing mean and standard deviation changes. The results indicate that the summer months are dryer, the wet events become shorter, with longer dry periods. The peak precipitation for the events does not increase, but the average rainfall and the amount of heavy rain (>7.6mm / hour) does increase. Future plans for use of the data will be discussed. Use the output data to drive the EFAS (European Flood model) to examine the predicted changes in quantity and frequency of severe and hazardous convective rainfall events and

The Innovative Medicines Initiative moves translational immunology forward.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, Michel; Wittelsberger, Angela; De Magistris, Maria-Teresa

2013-02-01

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) was established in 2008 as a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations with the mission to promote the development of novel therapies through collaborative efforts based on the concept of pre-competitive research. Several consortia supported by IMI are dedicated to immuno-inflammatory disorders, immune-based biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. Herein, we present the key principles underlying IMI, briefly review the status of projects related to translational immunology, and present future topics of interest to immunologists.

[Initiation, promotion, initiation experiments with radon and cigarette smoke: Lung tumors in rats]. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moolgavkar, S.H.

1994-01-01

During the past several years, the authors have made considerable progress in modeling carcinogenesis in general, and in modeling radiation carcinogenesis, in particular. They present an overview of their progress in developing stochastic carcinogenesis models and applying them to experimental and epidemiologic data sets. Traditionally, cancer models have been used for the analysis of incidence (or prevalence) data in epidemiology and time to tumor data in experimental studies. The relevant quantities for the analysis of these data are the hazard function and the probability of tumor. The derivation of these quantities is briefly described here. More recently, the authors began to use these models for the analysis of data on intermediate lesions on the pathway to cancer. Such data are available in experimental carcinogenesis studies, in particular in initiation and promotion studies on the mouse skin and the rat liver. If however, quantitative information on intermediate lesions on the pathway to lung cancer were to be come available at some future date, the methods that they have developed for the analysis of initiation-promotion experiments could easily be applied to the analysis of these lesions. The mathematical derivations here are couched in terms of a particular two-mutation model of carcinogenesis. Extension to models postulating more than two mutations is not always straightforward

Exploring Substellar Evolution with the Coldest Brown Dwarfs

Science.gov (United States)

Dupuy, Trent J.

2017-01-01

The coldest brown dwarfs are our best analogs to extrasolar gas-giant planets, representing the lowest mass products of star formation. Our view of such objects has been transformed over the last few years as new observations have revealed that the solar neighborhood is populated by much colder objects than previously recognized. At the center of efforts to discover and characterize these coldest substellar objects have been observations from NASA missions (WISE, Spitzer, HST) and the Keck Telescopes. I will review the tremendous progress made in this field over just the last few years thanks to major community efforts to overcome observational challenges in obtaining spectroscopy, photometry, and astrometry of these infrared-faint, optically invisible objects. Spectra from HST and Keck were key in establishing the much anticipated "Y" spectral type, extending the classic stellar classification scheme to atmospheres as cool as 300-400 K. Parallaxes and photometry from Spitzer and Keck have provided absolute fluxes, enabling robust temperature determinations and critical tests of model atmopheres. High-resolution imaging with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) has been the most prolific resource for revealing tight companions among the coldest brown dwarfs. In fact, with continued orbit monitoring with Keck LGS AO and HST, these binary systems will ultimately provide dynamical masses that will allow the strongest tests of models and reveal if the coldest brown dwarfs are indeed "planetary mass" (less than about 13 Jupiter masses) as is currently thought.

ROBO-AO M DWARF MULTIPLICITY SURVEY

Science.gov (United States)

Lamman, Claire; Berta-Thompson, Zachory; Baranec, Christoph; Law, Nicholas; Schonhut, Jessica

2018-01-01

We analyzed over 7,000 observations from Robo-AO’s field M dwarf survey taken on the 2.1m Kitt Peak telescope. Results will help determine the multiplicity fraction of M dwarfs as a function of primary mass, which is a crucial step towards understanding their evolution and formation mechanics. Through its robotic, laser-guided, and automated system, the Robo-AO instrument has yielded the largest adaptive-optics M dwarf survey to date. I developed a graphical user interface to quickly analyze this data. Initial data analysis included assessing data quality, checking the result from Robo-AO’s automatic reduction pipeline, and determining existence as well as the relative position of companions through a visual inspection. This program can be applied to other datasets and was successfully tested by re-analyzing observations from a separate Robo-AO survey. Following the preliminary results from this data analysis tool, further observations were done with the Keck II telescope by using its NIRC2 imager to follow up on ten select targets for the existence and physical association of companions. After a conservative initial cut for quality, 356 companions were found within 4” of a primary star out of 2,746 high quality Robo-AO M dwarf observations, including four triple systems. We will present a preliminary estimate for the multiplicity rate of wide M dwarf companions after accounting for observation limitations and the completeness of our search. Future research will yield insights into low-mass stellar formation and provide a database of nearby M dwarf multiples that will potentially assist ongoing and future surveys for planets around these stars, such as the NASA TESS mission.

Future Research in Health Information Technology: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemmat, Morteza; Ayatollahi, Haleh; Maleki, Mohammad Reza; Saghafi, Fatemeh

2017-01-01

Currently, information technology is considered an important tool to improve healthcare services. To adopt the right technologies, policy makers should have adequate information about present and future advances. This study aimed to review and compare studies with a focus on the future of health information technology. This review study was completed in 2015. The databases used were Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Ovid Medline, and PubMed. Keyword searches were used to identify papers and materials published between 2000 and 2015. Initially, 407 papers were obtained, and they were reduced to 11 papers at the final stage. The selected papers were described and compared in terms of the country of origin, objective, methodology, and time horizon. The papers were divided into two groups: those forecasting the future of health information technology (seven papers) and those providing health information technology foresight (four papers). The results showed that papers related to forecasting the future of health information technology were mostly a literature review, and the time horizon was up to 10 years in most of these studies. In the health information technology foresight group, most of the studies used a combination of techniques, such as scenario building and Delphi methods, and had long-term objectives. To make the most of an investment and to improve planning and successful implementation of health information technology, a strategic plan for the future needs to be set. To achieve this aim, methods such as forecasting the future of health information technology and offering health information technology foresight can be applied. The forecasting method is used when the objectives are not very large, and the foresight approach is recommended when large-scale objectives are set to be achieved. In the field of health information technology, the results of foresight studies can help to establish realistic long-term expectations of the future of health information

The North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative. Initial Findings. Final Report. Working Group 1 - Grid Configuration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-15

This report focuses on the tasks and results from Working Group 1 (WG1), grid configuration and integration, chaired jointly by representatives from Denmark and the Netherlands. The methodology, assumptions concerning generation portfolio, load situation, available technology and results are presented. This report presents the WG1 Offshore Grid Study that supports the North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative (NSCOGI) final report. The information contained in this report aims to evaluate the long-term development of an offshore grid structure in the North Seas by providing a view on how such a grid may possibly develop in the future, based on the assumptions made for this study. The report aims to compare and evaluate the possible advantages and disadvantages of the long term development of an optimised, integrated (or meshed) offshore grid in the North Seas by providing a view of how that possible grid might develop in the future against changes to the electricity energy requirements. To evaluate basic variants, different transmission design topologies (radial and meshed) were compared and analysed with respect to various aspects, such as cost/benefits, import and export levels and the systems' CO2 emissions.

Bioinformatics tools and database resources for systems genetics analysis in mice-a short review and an evaluation of future needs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Durrant, Caroline; Swertz, Morris A.; Alberts, Rudi; Arends, Danny; Moeller, Steffen; Mott, Richard; Prins, Pjotr; van der Velde, K. Joeri; Jansen, Ritsert C.; Schughart, Klaus

During a meeting of the SYSGENET working group 'Bioinformatics', currently available software tools and databases for systems genetics in mice were reviewed and the needs for future developments discussed. The group evaluated interoperability and performed initial feasibility studies. To aid future

The future of nuclear deterrence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quester, G.H.

1986-01-01

Nuclear deterrence has been in existence for almost four decades. Yet, analysts from the left and the right keep reemphasizing the dangers and problems with deterrence without always remembering its purpose-the prevention of nuclear war or the prevention of all war. In this book. George Quester analyzes the future of nuclear deterrence in light of its past, and discovers that the fundamental tenets of nuclear deterrence remain unchanged. George Quester considers the overwhelming tensions present in a society threatened by the prospect of a nuclear holocaust and a lingering nuclear winter. But he also acknowledges that nuclear deterrence has prevented a great deal of global and local warfare that otherwise would have occurred. He spotlights the basic military problems facing the world today, including the shadow cast on all levels of strategic planning by the threat of nuclear war. Quester warns against charging forth with radical new alternatives, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative and deep-cut disarmament. He argues that initiatives such as these reflect a return to traditional military thinking about waging and winning wars that pose serious possibilities for a breakdown in deterrence policy.

Investigating Initial Disclosures and Reactions to Unexpected, Positive HPV Diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Rachel A; Hernandez, Rachael; Catona, Danielle

2014-07-01

Initial disclosures of health conditions are critical communication moments. Existing research focuses on disclosers; integrating confidants into studies of initial disclosures is needed. Guided by the disclosure decision-making model (DD-MM; Greene, 2009), this study examined what diagnosed persons and confidants may say when faced with unexpected test results and unexpected disclosures, respectively. Participants ( N = 151) recorded an audio-visual message for another person, after imagining that they or the other person had just received unexpected, positive HPV test results. The qualitative analysis revealed four themes: (1) impression management and social distance, (2) invisible symptoms and advice regarding future disclosures, (3) expressing and acknowledging emotional reactions, and (4) misunderstandings and lacking knowledge about HPV. These findings suggested that DD-MM may be a relevant framework for understanding not only when disclosers share, but what disclosers and confidants say in early conversations about new diagnoses. While disclosers' and confidants' messages showed marked similarities, important differences appeared. For example, confidants focused on assuaging disclosers' fear about the consequences, whereas disclosers expressed distress related to their uncertainty about the prognosis of an HPV infection and how to prepare for next steps. The discussion highlighted implications for the DD-MM, HPV disclosures, and future interventions.

A Futures Orientation in the Australian Curriculum: Current Levels of Teacher Interest, Activity and Support in Western Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Paynter, Mark; Bruce, Neville

2014-01-01

The soon to be implemented Australian Curriculum aims to integrate a futures orientation across subject areas. Guidelines and support for this specific initiative are being finalized. Only a little is known about the current teaching of a futures orientation or of secondary teacher interest, understanding and support for this important but…

Using futures methods to create transformative spaces: visions of a good Anthropocene in southern Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura M. Pereira

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The unique challenges posed by the Anthropocene require creative ways of engaging with the future and bringing about transformative change. Envisioning positive futures is a first step in creating a shared understanding and commitment that enables radical transformations toward sustainability in a world defined by complexity, diversity, and uncertainty. However, to create a transformative space in which truly unknowable futures can be explored, new experimental approaches are needed that go beyond merely extrapolating from the present into archetypal scenarios of the future. Here, we present a process of creative visioning where participatory methods and tools from the field of futures studies were combined in a novel way to create and facilitate a transformative space, with the aim of generating positive narrative visions for southern Africa. We convened a diverse group of participants in a workshop designed to develop radically different scenarios of good Anthropocenes, based on existing "seeds" of the future in the present. These seeds are innovative initiatives, practices, and ideas that are present in the world today, but are not currently widespread or dominant. As a result of a carefully facilitated process that encouraged a multiplicity of perspectives, creative immersion, and grappling with deeply held assumptions, four radical visions for southern Africa were produced. Although these futures are highly innovative and exploratory, they still link back to current real-world initiatives and contexts. The key learning that arose from this experience was the importance of the imagination for transformative thinking, the need to capitalize on diversity to push boundaries, and finally, the importance of creating a space that enables participants to engage with emotions, beliefs, and complexity. This method of engagement with the future has the potential to create transformative spaces that inspire and empower people to act toward positive

The future of Earth's oceans: consequences of subduction initiation in the Atlantic and implications for supercontinent formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duarte, J.C.; Schellart, W.P.; Rosas, F.M.

2016-01-01

Subduction initiation is a cornerstone in the edifice of plate tectonics. It marks the turning point of the Earth's Wilson cycles and ultimately the supercycles as well. In this paper, we explore the consequences of subduction zone invasion in the Atlantic Ocean, following recent discoveries at the

ASPECTS OF THE MANAGER ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE FUTURE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GHEORGHE FLORIN BUŞE

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The first decade of this century was unsettled regarding the management concepts and instruments. From the points of view of the total quality projects, product development time, product power, adapting management, behaviors and values, teams, networks and alliances, this incertitude represents a permanent seek of the ways to deal with the significant competitive discontinuities. Although every initiative may contain important elements which go through the essence of things, until now there was no consensus related to the managerial changing nature. The sole conclusion after these studies is that the managerial work will be different in the future. This paper underlines the most important competitive discontinuities and draws a model of the future managerial work.

Formation of communicational and informational competence of future professionals of physical education and sport.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kudin A.P.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The technology of formation communication information competency of the future experts of physical training and sports is presented. 240 students of 4 rates of two institutes participated in research. Data of questionnaire of the future experts are used. Importance of use of new information technologies in educational process is exhibited. Milestones of introduction of computer and multimedia means are defined. Necessity of initiating for educational process of discipline «Sports - pedagogical computer science» is justified.

X-ray diffraction study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels: Role of the initial dislocation structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinheiro, B.; Lesage, J.; Pasqualino, I.; Bemporad, E.; Benseddiq, N.

2013-01-01

The present work is the second part of an ongoing study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels [B. Pinheiro et al., Mat. Sci. Eng., A 532 (2012) 158–166]. Microdeformations and residual stresses (macrostresses) are evaluated by X-ray diffraction during alternating bending fatigue tests on samples taken from an API 5L X60 grade steel pipe. Microdeformations are evaluated from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peak and residual stresses are estimated from the peak shift. Here, to understand the role of the initial dislocation structure, annealed samples are considered. As previously found for as-machined samples, the evolution of microdeformations shows three regular successive stages, but now with an increase during the first stage. The amplitude of each stage is accentuated with increasing stress amplitude, while its duration is reduced. Residual stresses show a similar trend, with stages of the same durations than those observed for FWHM, respectively. Additionally, changes in density and distribution of dislocations are observed by transmission electron microscopy combined with the technique of focused ion beam. The results are very encouraging for the development of a future indicator of fatigue damage initiation for pipe steels based on microstructural changes measured by X-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels: Role of the initial dislocation structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinheiro, B., E-mail: bianca@lts.coppe.ufrj.br [Laboratory of Mechanics of Lille (LML), UMR CNRS 8107, University Lille 1, Boulevard Paul Langevin, Cité Scientifique, 59655 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France); Lesage, J. [Laboratory of Mechanics of Lille (LML), UMR CNRS 8107, University Lille 1, Boulevard Paul Langevin, Cité Scientifique, 59655 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France); Pasqualino, I. [Subsea Technology Laboratory (LTS), Ocean Engineering Department, COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68508, Cidade Universitária, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro/RJ (Brazil); Bemporad, E. [University of Rome “ROMA TRE”, Mechanical and Industrial Eng. Dept., Via Vasca Navale 79, 00146 Rome (Italy); Benseddiq, N. [Laboratory of Mechanics of Lille (LML), UMR CNRS 8107, University Lille 1, Boulevard Paul Langevin, Cité Scientifique, 59655 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France)

2013-09-15

The present work is the second part of an ongoing study of microstructural changes during fatigue damage initiation in pipe steels [B. Pinheiro et al., Mat. Sci. Eng., A 532 (2012) 158–166]. Microdeformations and residual stresses (macrostresses) are evaluated by X-ray diffraction during alternating bending fatigue tests on samples taken from an API 5L X60 grade steel pipe. Microdeformations are evaluated from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction peak and residual stresses are estimated from the peak shift. Here, to understand the role of the initial dislocation structure, annealed samples are considered. As previously found for as-machined samples, the evolution of microdeformations shows three regular successive stages, but now with an increase during the first stage. The amplitude of each stage is accentuated with increasing stress amplitude, while its duration is reduced. Residual stresses show a similar trend, with stages of the same durations than those observed for FWHM, respectively. Additionally, changes in density and distribution of dislocations are observed by transmission electron microscopy combined with the technique of focused ion beam. The results are very encouraging for the development of a future indicator of fatigue damage initiation for pipe steels based on microstructural changes measured by X-ray diffraction.

Do educators in initial training have stereotypes about adult education?

OpenAIRE

Moreno-Crespo Pilar; Moreno-Fernández Olga

2017-01-01

The initial training that future educators receive must be prepared for the education of adults, which includes knowing the characteristics of the group and overcoming the stereotypes towards them. However, not always achieved. The purpose of this communication is to approximate the stereotypes that early educators (elementary school teachers and social educators) have about adult education. To this end, 110 students of teachers in the specialty of Primary Education and 151 of social educatio...

The European UV/VUV storage ring FEL at ELETTRA: first operation and future prospects

CERN Document Server

Walker, R P; Couprie, Marie Emmanuelle; Dattoli, Giuseppe; Eriksson, M; Garzella, D; Giannessi, L; Marsi, M; Poole, M W; Renault, E; Roux, R; Trovò, M; Werin, S; Wille, K

2001-01-01

A European project to develop the first storage ring free-electron laser on a third-generation synchrotron radiation facility is presented, including a description of the main features, initial performance at 350 and 220 nm and future prospects.

The BRAIN Initiative: developing technology to catalyse neuroscience discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgenson, Lyric A.; Newsome, William T.; Anderson, David J.; Bargmann, Cornelia I.; Brown, Emery N.; Deisseroth, Karl; Donoghue, John P.; Hudson, Kathy L.; Ling, Geoffrey S. F.; MacLeish, Peter R.; Marder, Eve; Normann, Richard A.; Sanes, Joshua R.; Schnitzer, Mark J.; Sejnowski, Terrence J.; Tank, David W.; Tsien, Roger Y.; Ugurbil, Kamil; Wingfield, John C.

2015-01-01

The evolution of the field of neuroscience has been propelled by the advent of novel technological capabilities, and the pace at which these capabilities are being developed has accelerated dramatically in the past decade. Capitalizing on this momentum, the United States launched the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative to develop and apply new tools and technologies for revolutionizing our understanding of the brain. In this article, we review the scientific vision for this initiative set forth by the National Institutes of Health and discuss its implications for the future of neuroscience research. Particular emphasis is given to its potential impact on the mapping and study of neural circuits, and how this knowledge will transform our understanding of the complexity of the human brain and its diverse array of behaviours, perceptions, thoughts and emotions. PMID:25823863

The future of learning disabilities nursing in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Clapham, Anthony

2014-07-02

This article appraises the report Strengthening the Commitment, which is a UK-wide review of learning disabilities nursing by the UK's four chief nursing officers. Strengthening the Commitment has strategic importance in reviewing progress in the care of people with learning disabilities in the UK. It also has a role in helping to guide future strategies and initiatives addressing the continuing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities throughout the UK.

Where there's a will: can highlighting future youth-targeted marketing increase support for soda taxes?

Science.gov (United States)

Roh, Sungjong; Schuldt, Jonathon P

2014-12-01

Amid concern about high rates of obesity and related diseases, the marketing of nutritionally poor foods to young people by the food industry has come under heavy criticism by public health advocates, who cite decades of youth-targeted marketing in arguing for reforms. In light of recent evidence that the same event evokes stronger emotional reactions when it occurs in the future versus the past, highlighting youth-targeted marketing that has yet to occur may evoke stronger reactions to such practices, and perhaps, greater support for related health policy initiatives. In a between-subjects experiment, Web participants (N = 285) read that a major soda company had already launched (past condition) or was planning to launch (future condition) an advertising campaign targeting children. Measures included support for a soda tax and affective responses to the company's actions. Greater support for the soda tax was observed in the future condition than in the past condition. Moreover, participants in the future condition reported heightened negative emotions about the company's actions, which mediated the observed effect on soda tax support. The same action undertaken by the food industry (here, marketing soda to children) may evoke stronger negative emotions and greater support for a health policy initiative when it is framed prospectively rather than retrospectively.

JINR: the initiator of future discoveries

Science.gov (United States)

Matveev, V. A.

2016-03-01

On 26 March 2016, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) will mark its 60th anniversary as an internationally known research center that is a unique example of how fundamental theoretical and experimental studies can be integrated with the development and application of cutting-edge technologies and with university education. JINR member states number 18, of which Hungary, Germany, Egypt, Italy, Serbia, and the Republic of South Africa are each under a government-level cooperation agreement with the institute. Three factors combine to form a solid foundation on which JINR bases its work: commitment to traditions of internationally renowned research schools; unique performance hardware capable of solving problems of current interest in various fields of modern physics; and status as a UN intergovernmental body. Ranked high within the world's scientific community, the institute has conducted a wide range of research and trained high quality research personnel for its member states over the 60-years period since its foundation. In accordance with its Charter, JINR is open to participation by all interested states and ensures equal and mutually beneficial cooperation among them.

Funding Initiatives | Women in Science | Initiatives | Indian Academy ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Initiatives; Women in Science; Funding Initiatives ... The Fellowship Scheme for Women Scientists for societal programmes is initiative of the ... at a young age of 52, after a valiant battle with cancer, today on 29th March 2016 in Delhi.

Ocean Bottom Seismograph Performance during the Cascadia Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Aderhold, K.; Evers, B.

2015-12-01

The Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Pool (OBSIP) provides instrumentation and operations support for the Cascadia Initiative community experiment. This experiment investigates geophysical processes across the Cascadia subduction zone through a combination of onshore and offshore seismic data. The recovery of Year 4 instruments in September 2015 marks the conclusion of a multi-year experiment that utilized 60 ocean-bottom seismographs (OBSs) specifically designed for the subduction zone boundary, including shallow/deep water deployments and active fisheries. The new instruments feature trawl-resistant enclosures designed by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) for shallow deployment [water depth ≤ 500 m], as well as new deep-water instruments designed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). Existing OBSIP instruments were also deployed along the Blanco Transform Fault and on the Gorda Plate through complementary experiments. Stations include differential pressure gauges (DPG) and absolute pressure gauges (APG). All data collected from the Cascadia, Blanco, and Gorda deployments will be freely available through the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Management Center (DMC). The Cascadia Initiative is the largest amphibious seismic experiment undertaken to date and demonstrates an effective structure for community experiments through collaborative efforts from the Cascadia Initiative Expedition Team (CIET), OBSIP (institutional instrument contributors [LDEO, SIO, WHOI] and Management Office [IRIS]), and the IRIS DMC. The successes and lessons from Cascadia are a vital resource for the development of a Subduction Zone Observatory (SZO). To guide future efforts, we investigate the quality of the Cascadia OBS data using basic metrics such as instrument recovery and more advanced metrics such as noise characteristics through power spectral density analysis. We also use this broad and

Energy futures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treat, J.E.

1990-01-01

This book provides fifteen of the futures industry's leading authorities with broader background in both theory and practice of energy futures trading in this updated text. The authors review the history of the futures market and the fundamentals of trading, hedging, and technical analysis; then they update you with the newest trends in energy futures trading - natural gas futures, options, regulations, and new information services. The appendices outline examples of possible contracts and their construction

Portfolio Diversification with Commodity Futures: Properties of Levered Futures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woodard, J.D.; Egelkraut, T.M.; Garcia, P.; Pennings, J.M.E.

2005-01-01

Portfolio Diversification with Commodity Futures: Properties of Levered Futures This study extends previous work on the impact of commodity futures on portfolio performance by explicitly incorporating levered futures into the portfolio optimization problem. Using data on nine individual commodity

Use of cyclotrons in medical research: Past, present, future

Science.gov (United States)

Smathers, James B.; Myers, Lee T.

1985-05-01

The use of cyclotrons in medical research started in the late 1930s with the most prominent use being neutron irradiation in cancer therapy. Due to a lack of understanding of the biological effect of neutrons, the results were less than encouraging. In the 1940s and 1950s, small cyclotrons were used for isotope production and in the mid 60s, the biological effect of neutrons was more thoroughly studied, with the result that a second trial of neutron therapy was initiated at Hammersmith Hospital, England. Concurrent with this, work on the use of high energy charged particles, initially protons and alphas, was initiated in Sweden and Russia and at Harvard and Berkeley. The English success in neutron therapy led to some pilot studies in the USA using physics cyclotrons of various energies and targets. These results in turn lead to the present series of machines presently being installed at M.D. Anderson Hospital (42 MeV), Seattle (50 MeV) and UCLA (46 MeV). The future probably bodes well for cyclotrons at the two extremes of the energy range. For nuclear medicine the shift is away from the use of multiple isotopes, which requires a large range of particles and energies to 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F, which can be incorporated in metabolic specific compounds and be made with small 8-10 MeV p+ "table top" cyclotrons. For tumor therapy machines of 60 MeV or so will probably be the choice for the future, as they allow the treatment of deep seated tumors with neutrons and the charged particles have sufficient range to allow the treatment of ocular tumors.

Two Future Ready Librarians Explore Advocacy in and outside of the Library

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Shannon McClintock; Ray, Mark

2018-01-01

As part of the national Future Ready Librarians initiative at the Alliance for Excellent Education, Mark Ray and Shannon McClintock Miller serve as national advocates for school library programs and librarians. Mark and Shannon began their library advocacy careers in school libraries. For eight years, Shannon was the district librarian in Van…

Organic marketing initiatives and rural development - lessons learned for the organic industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Niels Heine; Kujala, Jouni

2005-01-01

Kujala J, Kristensen NH, (2005): Organic marketing initiatives and rural development - lessons learned for the organic industry. Article in "Organic farming for a new millennium - status and future challenges". Published by Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists (NJF). Swedish University...... of Agricultural Sciences Alnarp, Sweden. NJF-Seminar 369, June 15-17, 2005. Electronic version available at www.njf.nu. ISSN 1653-2015...

How Agile Methods Inspire Project Management - The Half Double Initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Svejvig, Per; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

Increased complexity in projects has forced new project management initiatives. In software development several agile methods have emerged and are today highly implemented in practice. Observations of general project management practice show how it has been inspired by agile software development......, but very little research addresses the issue of agile project management. In order to understand and to provide suggestions for future practice on how agility can be incorporated in general project management, this paper provides an analysis which compares ten characteristics of agile software development...... (identified in theory) and the Half Double Methodology developed by the Danish Project Half Double initiative; a Methodology developed with practitioners and tested in seven Danish case companies. The analysis shows how the general project management to a great extent has been inspired by agile methods...

A qualitative study of determinants of PTSD treatment initiation in veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayer, Nina A; Friedemann-Sanchez, Greta; Spoont, Michele; Murdoch, Maureen; Parker, Louise E; Chiros, Christine; Rosenheck, Robert

2009-01-01

Although there are effective treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), many PTSD sufferers wait years to decades before seeking professional help, if they seek it at all. An understanding of factors affecting treatment initiation for PTSD can inform strategies to promote help-seeking. We conducted a qualitative study to identify determinants of PTSD treatment initiation among 44 U.S. military veterans from the Vietnam and Afghanistan/Iraq wars; half were and half were not receiving treatment. Participants described barriers to and facilitators of treatment initiation within themselves, the post-trauma socio-cultural environment, the health care and disability systems, and their social networks. Lack of knowledge about PTSD was a barrier that occurred at both the societal and individual levels. Another important barrier theme was the enduring effect of experiencing an invalidating socio-cultural environment following trauma exposure. In some cases, system and social network facilitation led to treatment initiation despite individual-level barriers, such as beliefs and values that conflicted with help-seeking. Our findings expand the dominant model of service utilization by explicit incorporation of factors outside the individual into a conceptual framework of PTSD treatment initiation. Finally, we offer suggestions regarding the direction of future research and the development of interventions to promote timely help-seeking for PTSD.

Imagining the future: evidence for a hippocampal contribution to constructive processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaesser, Brendan; Spreng, R Nathan; McLelland, Victoria C; Addis, Donna Rose; Schacter, Daniel L

2013-12-01

Imagining future events and remembering past events rely on a common core network, but several regions within this network--including the hippocampus--show increased activity for imagining future events compared to remembering past events. It remains unclear whether this hippocampal activity reflects processes related to the demands of constructing details retrieved across disparate episodic memories into coherent imaginary events, encoding these events into memory, novelty detection, or some combination of these processes. We manipulated the degree of constructive processing by comparing activity associated with the initial construction of an imagined scenario with the re-construction of an imagined scenario (imagine vs. re-imagine). After accounting for effects of novelty and subsequent memory, we found that a region in the hippocampus was preferentially activated for newly constructed imagined events compared with re-imagined events. Our results suggest that the hippocampus may support several distinct but related processes that are critical for imagining future events, and they also indicate that a particular region within posterior hippocampus may uniquely contribute to the construction of imagined future events. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intermittent hypoxia, respiratory plasticity and sleep apnea in humans: present knowledge and future investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Mateika, Jason H; Syed, Ziauddin

2013-09-15

This review examines the role that respiratory plasticity has in the maintenance of breathing stability during sleep in individuals with sleep apnea. The initial portion of the review considers the manner in which repetitive breathing events may be initiated in individuals with sleep apnea. Thereafter, the role that two forms of respiratory plasticity, progressive augmentation of the hypoxic ventilatory response and long-term facilitation of upper airway and respiratory muscle activity, might have in modifying breathing events in humans is examined. In this context, present knowledge regarding the initiation of respiratory plasticity in humans during wakefulness and sleep is addressed. Also, published findings which reveal that exposure to intermittent hypoxia promotes breathing instability, at least in part, because of progressive augmentation of the hypoxic ventilatory response and the absence of long-term facilitation, are considered. Next, future directions are presented and are focused on the manner in which forms of plasticity that stabilize breathing might be promoted while diminishing destabilizing forms, concurrently. These future directions will consider the potential role of circadian rhythms in the promotion of respiratory plasticity and the role of respiratory plasticity in enhancing established treatments for sleep apnea. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Intermittent hypoxia, respiratory plasticity and sleep apnea in humans; present knowledge and future investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Mateika, Jason H.; Syed, Ziauddin

2013-01-01

This review examines the role that respiratory plasticity has in the maintenance of breathing stability during sleep in individuals with sleep apnea. The initial portion of the review considers the manner in which repetitive breathing events may be initiated in individuals with sleep apnea. Thereafter, the role that two forms of respiratory plasticity, progressive augmentation of the hypoxic ventilatory response and long-term facilitation of upper airway and respiratory muscle activity, might have in modifying breathing events in humans is examined. In this context, present knowledge regarding the initiation of respiratory plasticity in humans during wakefulness and sleep is addressed. Also, published findings which reveal that exposure to intermittent hypoxia promotes breathing instability, at least in part, because of progressive augmentation of the hypoxic ventilatory response and the absence of long-term facilitation, are considered. Next, future directions are presented and are focused on the manner in which forms of plasticity that stabilize breathing might be promoted while diminishing destabilizing forms, concurrently. These future directions will consider the potential role of circadian rhythms in the promotion of respiratory plasticity and the role of respiratory plasticity in enhancing established treatments for sleep apnea. PMID:23587570

The future of nuclear engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beeden, Jeffrey

2003-01-01

Today, nuclear power refers to the splitting of large uranium atoms into smaller atoms with a net release of energy. Tomorrow, nuclear power will refer to the combining of hydrogen into larger atoms with a net release of energy. Nuclear power's future is fusion. The Mechanical Engineers of tomorrow will need to be familiar with the process of creating and harnessing the energy from a fusion reaction. During the oil shortage in the 1970's, America scrambled to initiate alternative methods of producing power. Nuclear fusion was one of them. As time passes, the solution to the world's energy crisis presses the countries of the world to find alternative forms of energy; nuclear fusion may contain the answer. In the near future, the field of fusion will open up and a new wave of engineers will flood into this field. Mechanical engineers will lead the way with advances in materials, computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis for thermal and structural systems, and heat transfer designs to optimize nuclear fusion reactors and power plants. All this effort is in anticipation of creating a sustained fusion reaction that can generate enough heat to transfer to steam in order to generate electric power to sustain the fusion reaction and introduce power to the grid. (author)

Space station evolution: Planning for the future

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Alphonso V.; Askins, Barbara S.

1987-06-01

The need for permanently manned presence in space has been recognized by the United States and its international partners for many years. The development of this capability was delayed due to the concurrent recognition that reusable earth-to-orbit transportation was also needed and should be developed first. While the decision to go ahead with a permanently manned Space Station was on hold, requirements for the use of the Station were accumulating as ground-based research and the data from unmanned spacecraft sparked the imagination of both scientists and entrepreneurs. Thus, by the time of the Space Station implementation decision in the early 1980's, a variety of disciplines, with a variety of requirements, needed to be accommodated on one Space Station. Additional future requirements could be forecast for advanced missions that were still in the early planning stages. The logical response was the development of a multi-purpose Space Station with the ability to evolve on-orbit to new capabilities as required by user needs and national or international decisions, i.e., to build an evolutionary Space Station. Planning for evolution is conducted in parallel with the design and development of the baseline Space Station. Evolution planning is a strategic management process to facilitate change and protect future decisions. The objective is not to forecast the future, but to understand the future options and the implications of these on today's decisions. The major actions required now are: (1) the incorporation of evolution provisions (hooks and scars) in the baseline Space Station; and (2) the initiation of an evolution advanced development program.

Space station evolution: Planning for the future

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Alphonso V.; Askins, Barbara S.

1987-01-01

The need for permanently manned presence in space has been recognized by the United States and its international partners for many years. The development of this capability was delayed due to the concurrent recognition that reusable earth-to-orbit transportation was also needed and should be developed first. While the decision to go ahead with a permanently manned Space Station was on hold, requirements for the use of the Station were accumulating as ground-based research and the data from unmanned spacecraft sparked the imagination of both scientists and entrepreneurs. Thus, by the time of the Space Station implementation decision in the early 1980's, a variety of disciplines, with a variety of requirements, needed to be accommodated on one Space Station. Additional future requirements could be forecast for advanced missions that were still in the early planning stages. The logical response was the development of a multi-purpose Space Station with the ability to evolve on-orbit to new capabilities as required by user needs and national or international decisions, i.e., to build an evolutionary Space Station. Planning for evolution is conducted in parallel with the design and development of the baseline Space Station. Evolution planning is a strategic management process to facilitate change and protect future decisions. The objective is not to forecast the future, but to understand the future options and the implications of these on today's decisions. The major actions required now are: (1) the incorporation of evolution provisions (hooks and scars) in the baseline Space Station; and (2) the initiation of an evolution advanced development program.

Nuclear energy research initiative, an overview of the cooperative program for the risk-informed assessment of regulatory and design requirements for future nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritterbusch, Stanley E.

2000-01-01

EPRI sstudies have shown that nuclear plant capital costs will have to decrease by about 35% to 40% to be competitive with fossil-generated electricity in the Unite States. Also, the ''first concrete'' to fuel load construction schedule will have to be decreased to less than 40 months. Therefore, the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiate the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) and ABB CENP proposed a cooperative program with Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) and Duke Engineering and Services (DE and S) to begin an innovative research effort to drastically cut the cost of new nuclear power plant construction for the U. S. de-regulated market place. This program was approved by the DOE through three separate but coordinated ''cooperative agreements.'' They are the ''Risk-Informed Assessment of Regulatory and Design Requirements for Future Nuclear Power Plants'' (Risk-Informed NPP), the ''Smart Nuclear Power Plant Program'' (Smart-NPP), and ''Design, Procure, Construct, Install and Test'' (DPCIT) Program. DOE funded the three cooperative agreements at a level of $2.6 million for the first year of the program. Funding for the complete program is durrently at a level $6.9 million, however, ABB CENP and all partners anticipate that the scope of the NERI program will be increased as a result of the overall importance of NERI to the U. S. Government. The Risk-Informed NPP program, which is aimed at revising costly regularory and design requirements without reducing overall plant safety, has two basic tasks: ''development of Risk-Informed Methods'' and ''strengthening the Reliability Database.'' The overall objective of the first task is to develop a scientific, risk-informed approach for identifying and simplifying deterministic industry standards, regulatory requirements, and safety systems that do not significantly contribute to nuclear power plant reliability and safety. The second basic task is to develop a means for strengthening the reliability database

Bioinformatics tools and database resources for systems genetics analysis in miceça short review and an evaluation of future needs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Durrant, M.C.; Swertz, M.A.; Alberts, R.; Arends, D.; Möller, S.; Mott, R.; Prins, J.C.P.; Velde, van der K.J.; Jansen, R.C.; Schughart, K.

2012-01-01

During a meeting of the SYSGENET working group ‘Bioinformatics’, currently available software tools and databases for systems genetics in mice were reviewed and the needs for future developments discussed. The group evaluated interoperability and performed initial feasibility studies. To aid future

Cross-validated detection of crack initiation in aerospace materials

Science.gov (United States)

Vanniamparambil, Prashanth A.; Cuadra, Jefferson; Guclu, Utku; Bartoli, Ivan; Kontsos, Antonios

2014-03-01

A cross-validated nondestructive evaluation approach was employed to in situ detect the onset of damage in an Aluminum alloy compact tension specimen. The approach consisted of the coordinated use primarily the acoustic emission, combined with the infrared thermography and digital image correlation methods. Both tensile loads were applied and the specimen was continuously monitored using the nondestructive approach. Crack initiation was witnessed visually and was confirmed by the characteristic load drop accompanying the ductile fracture process. The full field deformation map provided by the nondestructive approach validated the formation of a pronounced plasticity zone near the crack tip. At the time of crack initiation, a burst in the temperature field ahead of the crack tip as well as a sudden increase of the acoustic recordings were observed. Although such experiments have been attempted and reported before in the literature, the presented approach provides for the first time a cross-validated nondestructive dataset that can be used for quantitative analyses of the crack initiation information content. It further allows future development of automated procedures for real-time identification of damage precursors including the rarely explored crack incubation stage in fatigue conditions.

NEPTUNE'S DYNAMIC ATMOSPHERE FROM KEPLER K2 OBSERVATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BROWN DWARF LIGHT CURVE ANALYSES.

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, Amy A; Rowe, Jason F; Gaulme, Patrick; Hammel, Heidi B; Casewell, Sarah L; Fortney, Jonathan J; Gizis, John E; Lissauer, Jack J; Morales-Juberias, Raul; Orton, Glenn S; Wong, Michael H; Marley, Mark S

2016-02-01

Observations of Neptune with the Kepler Space Telescope yield a 49 day light curve with 98% coverage at a 1 minute cadence. A significant signature in the light curve comes from discrete cloud features. We compare results extracted from the light curve data with contemporaneous disk-resolved imaging of Neptune from the Keck 10-m telescope at 1.65 microns and Hubble Space Telescope visible imaging acquired nine months later. This direct comparison validates the feature latitudes assigned to the K2 light curve periods based on Neptune's zonal wind profile, and confirms observed cloud feature variability. Although Neptune's clouds vary in location and intensity on short and long timescales, a single large discrete storm seen in Keck imaging dominates the K2 and Hubble light curves; smaller or fainter clouds likely contribute to short-term brightness variability. The K2 Neptune light curve, in conjunction with our imaging data, provides context for the interpretation of current and future brown dwarf and extrasolar planet variability measurements. In particular we suggest that the balance between large, relatively stable, atmospheric features and smaller, more transient, clouds controls the character of substellar atmospheric variability. Atmospheres dominated by a few large spots may show inherently greater light curve stability than those which exhibit a greater number of smaller features.

European Community initiatives and experience in scientific and technical information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steven, G.

1990-05-01

Scientific and technical information (STI) is an increasingly important resource for R and D and industrial development. The rapid development of the market for electronic information and the increasing potential offered through new information technologies require new approaches for the collection and dissemination of STI. Activities of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) in this area are reviewed. More recent CEC initiatives in the areas of biotechnology information and factual materials data banks have proved the need for international collaboration and for the implementation of infrastructural measures as a basis for such collaboration. The implementation of the EC Demonstrator Programme on materials property data systems has evaluated the potential of eleven European materials data banks against the market requirements and has helped to launch wide international collaboration. The concluding European workshop on materials data systems has developed a set of recommendations for future initiatives. These are shortly reviewed together with initial findings of a study aimed at developing a business plan for the establishment of a biotechnology information infrastructure for the bio-industries and research base in Europe. (author). 3 refs

European Community initiatives and experience in scientific and technical information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steven, G [Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

1990-05-01

Scientific and technical information (STI) is an increasingly important resource for R and D and industrial development. The rapid development of the market for electronic information and the increasing potential offered through new information technologies require new approaches for the collection and dissemination of STI. Activities of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) in this area are reviewed. More recent CEC initiatives in the areas of biotechnology information and factual materials data banks have proved the need for international collaboration and for the implementation of infrastructural measures as a basis for such collaboration. The implementation of the EC Demonstrator Programme on materials property data systems has evaluated the potential of eleven European materials data banks against the market requirements and has helped to launch wide international collaboration. The concluding European workshop on materials data systems has developed a set of recommendations for future initiatives. These are shortly reviewed together with initial findings of a study aimed at developing a business plan for the establishment of a biotechnology information infrastructure for the bio-industries and research base in Europe. (author). 3 refs.

PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS IMPLEMENTATION PERSONALLY ORIENTED APPROACH WHILE PREPARING TEACHERS FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olena Shuryn

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The pedagogical aspects of the implementation of the personality oriented approach in training future technology teachers are considered. The theoretical analysis of scientific studies in the area of professional training of the future teacher, the technology teacher in particular, is carried out. The dictionary interpretation of the personality oriented approach is analyzed. The study of the substantiation of this method in scientific works has been carried out. The main positions for understanding of the essence of personality oriented education are outlined, namely ensuring the disclosure of the individuality of each student, his abilities, inclinations, interests, value orientations and subjective experience; Realization of the educational process taking into account personal abilities of students; Creation of conditions for self-development, self-expression and self-improvement of future specialists; Deeper, holistic understanding of the student's personality in the educational process. The features of personality oriented education are determined. The emphasis is made on the principle of natural conformity as the basic principle of personality oriented education. There have been determined the basic tasks and the initial provisions of the construction of the personality oriented system of education, which envisages the creation of a suitable educational environment, democratization of the teacher-student relations, as well as the activation of each student in order to develop his personal and professional abilities and qualities, strengthening his subjective functions. The criteria of effective organization of personality oriented education are outlined. The approaches of personality oriented education, namely individual, social-psychological, age, activity, system-psychological, multilevel, differentiated and subjective-personal, are defined. There have been highlighted the main methodical components of the personality oriented training

Orographic cirrus in a future climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Joos

2009-10-01

Full Text Available A cloud resolving model (CRM is used to investigate the formation of orographic cirrus clouds in the current and future climate. The formation of cirrus clouds depends on a variety of dynamical and thermodynamical processes, which act on different scales. First, the capability of the CRM in realistically simulating orographic cirrus clouds has been tested by comparing the simulated results to aircraft measurements of an orographic cirrus cloud. The influence of a warmer climate on the microphysical and optical properties of cirrus clouds has been investigated by initializing the CRM with vertical profiles of horizontal wind, potential temperature and equivalent potential temperature, respectively. The vertical profiles are extracted from IPCC A1B simulations for the current climate and for the period 2090–2099 for two regions representative for North and South America. The influence of additional moisture in a future climate on the propagation of gravity waves and the formation of orographic cirrus could be estimated. In a future climate, the increase in moisture dampens the vertical propagation of gravity waves and the occurring vertical velocities in the moist simulations. Together with higher temperatures fewer ice crystals nucleate homogeneously. Assuming that the relative humidity does not change in a warmer climate the specific humidity in the model is increased. This increase in specific humidity in a warmer climate results in a higher ice water content. The net effect of a reduced ice crystal number concentration and a higher ice water content is an increased optical depth. However, in some moist simulations dynamical changes contribute to changes in the ice water content, ice crystal number concentration and optical depth. For the corresponding dry simulations dynamical changes are more pronounced leading to a decreased optical depth in a future climate in some cases.

Implementation of a quality improvement initiative in Belgian diabetic foot clinics: feasibility and initial results.

Science.gov (United States)

Doggen, Kris; Van Acker, Kristien; Beele, Hilde; Dumont, Isabelle; Félix, Patricia; Lauwers, Patrick; Lavens, Astrid; Matricali, Giovanni A; Randon, Caren; Weber, Eric; Van Casteren, Viviane; Nobels, Frank

2014-07-01

This article aims to describe the implementation and initial results of an audit-feedback quality improvement initiative in Belgian diabetic foot clinics. Using self-developed software and questionnaires, diabetic foot clinics collected data in 2005, 2008 and 2011, covering characteristics, history and ulcer severity, management and outcome of the first 52 patients presenting with a Wagner grade ≥ 2 diabetic foot ulcer or acute neuropathic osteoarthropathy that year. Quality improvement was encouraged by meetings and by anonymous benchmarking of diabetic foot clinics. The first audit-feedback cycle was a pilot study. Subsequent audits, with a modified methodology, had increasing rates of participation and data completeness. Over 85% of diabetic foot clinics participated and 3372 unique patients were sampled between 2005 and 2011 (3312 with a diabetic foot ulcer and 111 with acute neuropathic osteoarthropathy). Median age was 70 years, median diabetes duration was 14 years and 64% were men. Of all diabetic foot ulcers, 51% were plantar and 29% were both ischaemic and deeply infected. Ulcer healing rate at 6 months significantly increased from 49% to 54% between 2008 and 2011. Management of diabetic foot ulcers varied between diabetic foot clinics: 88% of plantar mid-foot ulcers were off-loaded (P10-P90: 64-100%), and 42% of ischaemic limbs were revascularized (P10-P90: 22-69%) in 2011. A unique, nationwide quality improvement initiative was established among diabetic foot clinics, covering ulcer healing, lower limb amputation and many other aspects of diabetic foot care. Data completeness increased, thanks in part to questionnaire revision. Benchmarking remains challenging, given the many possible indicators and limited sample size. The optimized questionnaire allows future quality of care monitoring in diabetic foot clinics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Long-Term Benefits of Positive Self-Presentation via Profile Pictures, Number of Friends and the Initiation of Relationships on Facebook for Adolescents' Self-Esteem and the Initiation of Offline Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, Anna; Scheithauer, Herbert

2017-01-01

Social networking sites are a substantial part of adolescents' daily lives. By using a longitudinal approach the current study examined the impact of (a) positive self-presentation, (b) number of friends, and (c) the initiation of online relationships on Facebook on adolescents' self-esteem and their initiation of offline relationships, as well as the mediating role of positive feedback. Questionnaire data were obtained from 217 adolescents (68% girls, mean age 16.7 years) in two waves. Adolescents' positive self-presentation and number of friends were found to be related to a higher frequency of receiving positive feedback, which in turn was negatively associated with self-esteem. However, the number of Facebook friends had a positive impact on self-esteem, and the initiation of online relationships positively influenced the initiation of offline relationships over time, demonstrating that Facebook may be a training ground for increasing adolescents' social skills. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

The Long-Term Benefits of Positive Self-Presentation via Profile Pictures, Number of Friends and the Initiation of Relationships on Facebook for Adolescents’ Self-Esteem and the Initiation of Offline Relationships

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, Anna; Scheithauer, Herbert

2017-01-01

Social networking sites are a substantial part of adolescents’ daily lives. By using a longitudinal approach the current study examined the impact of (a) positive self-presentation, (b) number of friends, and (c) the initiation of online relationships on Facebook on adolescents’ self-esteem and their initiation of offline relationships, as well as the mediating role of positive feedback. Questionnaire data were obtained from 217 adolescents (68% girls, mean age 16.7 years) in two waves. Adolescents’ positive self-presentation and number of friends were found to be related to a higher frequency of receiving positive feedback, which in turn was negatively associated with self-esteem. However, the number of Facebook friends had a positive impact on self-esteem, and the initiation of online relationships positively influenced the initiation of offline relationships over time, demonstrating that Facebook may be a training ground for increasing adolescents’ social skills. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided. PMID:29187827

The Long-Term Benefits of Positive Self-Presentation via Profile Pictures, Number of Friends and the Initiation of Relationships on Facebook for Adolescents’ Self-Esteem and the Initiation of Offline Relationships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Metzler

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Social networking sites are a substantial part of adolescents’ daily lives. By using a longitudinal approach the current study examined the impact of (a positive self-presentation, (b number of friends, and (c the initiation of online relationships on Facebook on adolescents’ self-esteem and their initiation of offline relationships, as well as the mediating role of positive feedback. Questionnaire data were obtained from 217 adolescents (68% girls, mean age 16.7 years in two waves. Adolescents’ positive self-presentation and number of friends were found to be related to a higher frequency of receiving positive feedback, which in turn was negatively associated with self-esteem. However, the number of Facebook friends had a positive impact on self-esteem, and the initiation of online relationships positively influenced the initiation of offline relationships over time, demonstrating that Facebook may be a training ground for increasing adolescents’ social skills. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Disposable bioprocessing: the future has arrived.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Govind; Moreira, Antonio; Brorson, Kurt

2009-02-01

Increasing cost pressures are driving the rapid adoption of disposables in bioprocessing. While well ensconced in lab-scale operations, the lower operating/ validation costs at larger scale and relative ease of use are leading to these systems entering all stages and operations of a typical biopharmaceutical manufacturing process. Here, we focus on progress made in the incorporation of disposable equipment with sensor technology in bioprocessing throughout the development cycle. We note that sensor patch technology is mostly being adapted to disposable cell culture devices, but future adaptation to downstream steps is conceivable. Lastly, regulatory requirements are also briefly assessed in the context of disposables and the Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD) initiatives.

Edible vaccines: Current status and future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lal P

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Edible vaccines hold great promise as a cost-effective, easy-to-administer, easy-to-store, fail-safe and socioculturally readily acceptable vaccine delivery system, especially for the poor developing countries. It involves introduction of selected desired genes into plants and then inducing these altered plants to manufacture the encoded proteins. Introduced as a concept about a decade ago, it has become a reality today. A variety of delivery systems have been developed. Initially thought to be useful only for preventing infectious diseases, it has also found application in prevention of autoimmune diseases, birth control, cancer therapy, etc. Edible vaccines are currently being developed for a number of human and animal diseases. There is growing acceptance of transgenic crops in both industrial and developing countries. Resistance to genetically modified foods may affect the future of edible vaccines. They have passed the major hurdles in the path of an emerging vaccine technology. Various technical obstacles, regulatory and non-scientific challenges, though all seem surmountable, need to be overcome. This review attempts to discuss the current status and future of this new preventive modality.

Orbit and Dynamical Mass of the Late-T Dwarf GL 758 B

Science.gov (United States)

Bowler, Brendan P.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Endl, Michael; Cochran, William D.; MacQueen, Phillip J.; Fulton, Benjamin J.; Petigura, Erik A.; Howard, Andrew W.; Hirsch, Lea; Kratter, Kaitlin M.; Crepp, Justin R.; Biller, Beth A.; Johnson, Marshall C.; Wittenmyer, Robert A.

2018-04-01

Gl 758 B is a late-T dwarf orbiting a metal-rich Sun-like star at a projected separation of ρ ≈ 1.″6 (25 au). We present four epochs of astrometry of this system with NIRC2 at Keck Observatory spanning 2010 to 2017 together with 630 radial velocities (RVs) of the host star acquired over the past two decades from McDonald Observatory, Keck Observatory, and the Automated Planet Finder at Lick Observatory. The RVs reveal that Gl 758 is accelerating with an evolving rate that varies between 2 and 5 m s‑1 yr‑1, consistent with the expected influence of the imaged companion Gl 758 B. A joint fit of the RVs and astrometry yields a dynamical mass of {42}-7+19 M Jup for the companion with a robust lower limit of 30.5 M Jup at the 4-σ level. Gl 758 B is on an eccentric orbit (e = 0.26–0.67 at 95% confidence) with a semimajor axis of a = {21.1}-1.3+2.7 au and an orbital period of P = {96}-9+21 yr, which takes it within ≈9 au from its host star at periastron passage. Substellar evolutionary models generally underpredict the mass of Gl 758 B for nominal ages of 1–6 Gyr that have previously been adopted for the host star. This discrepancy can be reconciled if the system is older—which is consistent with activity indicators and recent isochrone fitting of the host star—or alternatively if the models are systematically overluminous by ≈0.1–0.2 dex. Gl 758 B is currently the lowest-mass directly imaged companion inducing a measured acceleration on its host star. In the future, bridging RVs and high-contrast imaging with the next generation of extremely large telescopes and space-based facilities will open the door to the first dynamical mass measurements of imaged exoplanets. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible

Critical appraisal of the role of glucosamine and chondroitin in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven J Narvy

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Steven J Narvy1, C Thomas Vangsness Jr21Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USAAbstract: Osteoarthritis (OA is the most common musculoskeletal disease in the United States, with rising prevalence. Medical management of OA involves acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other analgesics, all of which are of variable efficacy and are associated with significant side effects and toxicities. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the efficacy of glucosamine and chondroitin, both as single agents and in combination, for the treatment of knee OA. Also evaluated were the level of evidence and funding support of the included articles. Almost every included trial of glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, and chondroitin sulfate has found the safety of these compounds to be equal to that of placebo, though their therapeutic efficacy in decreasing knee OA pain and improving joint function is variable. Additionally, there are data to support a role of these agents in reducing radiographic progression of knee OA. Industry involvement, however, remains prominent. Further, more comprehensive study by independent researchers free of industry ties is necessary to identify a subset of patients in whom the use of glucosamine and/or chondroitin would be most beneficial. These agents may be safely tried as an initial therapy in select OA patients prior to initiating therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, and other traditional medications.Keywords: glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin sulfate, knee osteoarthritis, nutritional supplement, nutraceutical

Innovation projects and visions on the future : Ambition and commitment in the Agropark case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoes, Anne Charlotte; Regeer, Barbara; Zweekhorst, Marjolein

2012-01-01

Since the 1980s, Dutch agricultural policy focuses on changing the agricultural sector into a more sustainable sector. In this article we explore an Agropark visioning initiative and four Agropark innovation projects to provide further understanding in how visions on the future influence innovation

Fit between Future Thinking and Future Orientation on Creative Imagination

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Fa-Chung

2012-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of future thinking, and the fit between future thinking and future orientation on creative thinking. In Study 1, 83 undergraduates were randomly assigned to three groups: 50-year future thinking, 5-year future thinking, and the present-day thinking. First, the priming tasks, in which…

Communication technologies to improve HPV vaccination initiation and completion: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Diane B; Cates, Joan R; Wagner, Kyla P Garrett; Zola, Tracey; Fitter, Jenny E; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera

2017-07-01

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of communication technology interventions on HPV vaccination initiation and completion. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify existing randomized controlled trials testing the impact of computer-, mobile- or internet-based interventions on receipt of any dose of the HPV vaccine. Twelve relevant studies were identified with a total of 38,945 participants. The interventions were delivered using several different methods, including electronic health record (i.e. recall/reminder) prompts, text messaging, automated phone calls, interactive computer videos, and email. Vaccine initiation and completion was greater for technology-based studies relative to their control conditions. There is evidence that interventions utilizing communication technologies as their sole or primary mode for HPV vaccination intervention delivery may increase vaccination coverage. Communication technologies hold much promise for the future of HPV vaccination efforts, especially initiatives in practice-based settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A critical knowledge pathway to a sustainable future in an urbanizing planet

Science.gov (United States)

Romero-Lankao, P.

2014-12-01

The pace and scale of contemporary urbanization is a defining feature of the Anthropocene, which characterizes the dominance of human influence on the global environment. Although urban areas occupy less than three percent of the global land surface, they have global-scale impacts on natural resources, social dynamics, human wellbeing and the environment. The global environmental changes already underway are profound and in some ways irreversible. Altogether, these have serious implications for future human and environmental health, and social wellbeing. Despite considerable research and policy attention to cities, efforts are strongly needed towards integration that builds upon this and facilitates intensive interactions among disciplines in developing new perspectives, theory and methods for understanding urbanizations and urban systems as they drive and are affected by global environmental change, and for exploring options to achieve sustainability and resilience in an urbanizing world. I will present initial outcomes from a 2014 NSF/Future Earth-funded activity to develop a co-designed and interdisciplinary urban initiative within the Future Earth framework. The complexity of urban systems and the global sustainability challenges we face require inter- and trans-disciplinary research approaches that adopt a contextual approach to finding solutions. I will synthesize perspectives spanning multiple urban research and practice communities from workshops that took place over 2014 including the 2104 UGEC Conference, where emphasis was given to exploring: knowledge gaps and key urban research and socially-relevant questions moving forward; major challenges and opportunities for developing conceptual and methodological frameworks that support the global transformation to sustainability in the context of an urbanizing planet; operational mechanisms that must be in place for a successful interdisciplinary urban project that fits within Future Earth.

Overview of US nuclear energy initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McFarlane, H.

2006-01-01

The United States has embraced nuclear as an important component of its energy future. Triggered by successful passage of the Energy Policy Act in November 2005, four federal initiatives are enjoying some measure of initial success. The first energy authorization act in 13 years, the new legislation contains incentives for up to six new nuclear plants comparable to those for other clean energy sources. Once these incentives were codified, US utilities began to express interest in expanding the nuclear fleet. The Department of Energy's (DOE) push for new nuclear plants, called the 2010 Initiative, has been underway since 2002. Prior to last November, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had no official expressions of interest in building new nuclear plants. Since November, the NRC has been notified of interest in building at least 26 new advanced light water reactors, concentrated at existing nuclear sites in the rapidly growing Southeastern United States. In addition, most of the 103 currently operating plants are expected to obtain 20 year life extensions. Utilities, suppliers and the regulator have been increasing their staffs in anticipation of the new plant orders. Undergraduate nuclear engineering enrollment has surged to its highest level in more than 15 years. The Department of Energy is also moving ahead with its licensing application for a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. Because exiting legislation limits the amount of spent fuel and nuclear waste that could be stored in the mountain, Congress, DOE and the nuclear industry have become interested in alternative management schemes for the repository. The major DOE initiative is the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), which would close the fuel cycle and introduce advanced fast reactors to manage the long-lived actinides. GNEP also has a major international component, with partnerships to provide reliable fuel supply worldwide to any nation with valid nonproliferation credentials. The United

Debating Futures in Flemish Deaf Parliament: Deaf Epistemologies, Participatory Citizenship, and Sustainable Development

Science.gov (United States)

De Clerck, Goedele A.M.

2017-01-01

More than 350 deaf/sign language community members gathered at six local deaf clubs in Flanders in 2014 to share perspectives about the future and formulate proposals for policymaking. This initiative, Flemish Deaf Parliament, serves as a platform of deliberative democracy developed through cooperation between Ghent University and the Flemish…

Does dogma have a future?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C.J. Wethmar

2002-08-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the question whether the negative connotation that the term dogma has developed in its present-day usage poses a threat to the future validity and relevance of doctrine in the church. In an attempt to answer this question an analysis is made of the development of the notion of dogma since its initial appearance in Greek thinking up to its function in the contemporary ecclesiastical context. The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that the negative connotation currently attached to this notion can be ascribed to its reduction either to intellectualism or to legalism. This reduction can be obviated by rediscovering the integrative character of dogma that characterised the praesymbola in the New Testament and is furthermore implied by the Reformed doctrine of the clarity of Holy Scripture.

Reaching the Future Teachers in Your Classroom: New Directions in Pre-Service Education

Science.gov (United States)

Grier, Jennifer A.; Ruberg, L.

2006-09-01

We will present results and progress from initiatives seeking to improve the experiences of future teachers in college level science classes. A future teacher (pre-service teacher) is inspired to teach science based on personal experiences with college science classes. The most critical opportunity to make a real difference in science education in schools comes when the teachers themselves are first being educated. Given the difficulties in identifying future teachers and the wide variations in their needs, how can we best help future teachers in training? What critical thinking skills are most important for them to absorb from their exposure to science as undergraduates and graduate students? What teaching and learning experiences can we offer that will help science teachers in training confidently assess the relationship between evidence and explanations and then bring that understanding and experience effectively into their own classroom? Recent initiatives in pre-service education have identified several key strategies for improving teacher preparation at the post-secondary level: - Using a constructivist approach to teach physical science concepts and guided inquiry - Knowing common misconceptions about key scientific concepts that students bring to college-level science classrooms - Applying documented strategies for identifying and addressing student misconceptions; and - Knowing how to select and adapt curriculum materials based on common preconceptions held by students. The challenge of reaching these outcomes is complex and cannot be addressed with simple solutions. Teaching strategies that help prepare future teachers include modeling effective teaching of science, understanding the relationship between student/teacher misconceptions, designing and implementing evaluation and assessment, appropriate use of technology tools, and tapping into the existing community of learners to provide ongoing education opportunities and support as the pre

Arousal and exposure duration affect forward step initiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniëlle eBouman

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Emotion influences parameters of goal-directed whole-body movements in several ways. For instance, previous research has shown that approaching (moving toward pleasant stimuli is easier compared to approaching unpleasant stimuli. However, some studies found that when emotional pictures are viewed for a longer time, approaching unpleasant stimuli may in fact be facilitated. The effect of viewing duration may modulate whole-body approach movement in previous research but this has not been investigated before. In the current study, participants initiated a step forward after viewing neutral, high-arousal pleasant and high-arousal unpleasant stimuli. The viewing duration of the stimuli was set to 7 different durations, varying from 100 to 4000ms. Valence and arousal scores were collected for all stimuli.The results indicate that both viewing duration and the arousal of the stimuli influence kinematic parameters in forward gait initiation. Specifically, longer viewing duration, compared to shorter viewing duration, (a diminished the step length and peak velocity in both neutral and emotional stimuli, (b increased reaction time in neutral stimuli and, (c decreased reaction time in pleasant and unpleasant stimuli. Strikingly, no differences were found between high-arousal pleasant and high-arousal unpleasant stimuli. In other words, the valence of the stimuli did not influence kinematic parameters of forward step initiation. In contrast, the arousal level (neutral: low; pleasant and unpleasant: high explained the variance found in the results. The kinematics of forward gait initiation seemed to be reflected in the subjective arousal scores, but not the valence scores. So it seems arousal affects forward gait initiation parameters more strongly than valence. In addition, longer viewing duration seemed to cause diminished alertness, affecting GI parameters. These results shed new light on the prevailing theoretical interpretations regarding approach

Direct and indirect land use changes issues in European sustainability initiatives: State-of-the-art, open issues and future developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Stappen, Florence; Brose, Isabelle; Schenkel, Yves

2011-01-01

Facing climate change and growing energy prices, the use of bioenergy is continuously increasing in order to diminish greenhouse gas emissions, secure energy supply and create employment in rural areas. Because the production of biomass or biofuels, wherever it takes place, comes along with externalities, positive or negative, the need for biomass and bioenergy sustainability criteria is more than ever felt. Research on sustainability criteria and certification systems has started through several national and international initiatives. Considering the benefits of an increased use of bioenergy but also the urge for limiting potential negative environmental and socio-economic impacts, the aim of these initiatives was to make the first move regarding bioenergy sustainability, while waiting for the European legislation to regulate this crucial issue. Land use changes, whether direct or indirect, are one of the most important consequences of bioenergy production. While direct land use changes are more easily assessed locally, indirect land use changes exceed the company level and need to be considered at a global scale. Methodologies for dealing with direct and indirect land use changes are proposed among others in the European, Dutch, British and German sustainability initiatives. This paper aims at presenting and comparing those four European initiatives, with a focus on their propositions for direct and indirect land use changes assessment. Key issues are discussed and recommendations are made for steps to overcome identified difficulties in accurately assessing the effects of indirect land use change due to bioenergy production.

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl: Overview of the French-German initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biesold, H.; Friederichs, H.G.; Pretzsch, G. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (GRS), Dept. International Programmes, Berlin (Germany); Deville-Cavelin, G.; Lhomme, V.; Rutschkowsky, N.; Tirmarche, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire (IRSN), Dept. International Relations, 92 - Clamart (France); Bazyka, D.; Chabanyuk, V.; Seleznev, A. [Chornobyl Center (CC), Kiev regoin (Ukraine); Kellerer, A.M. [Munchen Univ., Strahlenbiologisches Institut (Germany)

2006-07-01

- Purpose: The main purpose of the French-German Initiative is to assist in the collection and validation of the existing data in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia for developing a reliable and objective basis useful for the planning of counter-measures, for information of the public, and for future work. - Coordination: GRS (Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit), supported in programme 3 by SBI (Strahlenbiologisches Institut der Universitaet Muenchen) and IRSN (Institut de radioprotection et de surete nucleaire) are coordinating the projects on the Western side. The CC (Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology) as Eastern coordinator is also the beneficiary. German Support by Bundesministerium fuer Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (BMU), Vereinigung Deutscher Elektrizitaetswerke (VDEW) e.V.; French Support by Institut de radioprotection et de surete nucleaire (IRSN), Electricite de France (EdF). - Programmes: Three scientific and technical co-operation programmes are financed with a total budget of about 6 million Euro within the frame work of the French- German Initiative: Programme 1: SARCOPHAGUS: Safety of the Chernobyl 'Sarcophagus', Programme 2: RADIOECOLOGY: Study of the radioecological consequences of the accident,Programme 3: HEALTH: Study of health effects. - Background: At the IAEA conference in Vienna in April 1996 - 10 years after the Chernobyl accident - the French and German Environment Ministers jointly announced their co-operation initiative with the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia over scientific programmes concerning the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted in the affected republics of the former USSR with and without the participation of international organisations, but largely with insufficient real co-ordination. For some of the studies, results have never been publicly documented. There are still incoherent or even contradictory reports on the

Procrastination, consideration of future consequences, and episodic future thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebetez, Marie My Lien; Barsics, Catherine; Rochat, Lucien; D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Van der Linden, Martial

2016-05-01

Despite the intrinsic temporal nature of procrastination, little research has examined the link between this form of self-regulatory failure and the consideration of future consequences, and no study has addressed the link between procrastination and episodic future thinking. The aim of the present study was to explore these relationships. Participants were asked to project themselves into possible future events and to rate the amount of sensory-perceptual details and autonoetic consciousness associated with their representations. They were also asked to complete questionnaires that assessed procrastination, the consideration of future consequences, and negative affect. Results showed that both the consideration of future consequences and episodic future thinking were associated with procrastination, and in particular with procrastination-related decision making abilities and procrastination-related motivational dispositions, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Milestone Educational Planning Initiatives in Veterinary Medical Education: Progress and Pitfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Elizabeth A; Reimann, Jessica; Greenhill, Lisa M; Dewey, Cate E

2017-11-29

Three milestone educational planning initiatives engaged the veterinary medical profession in the United States and Canada between 1987 and 2011, namely the Pew National Veterinary Education Program, the Foresight Project, and the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium. In a quantitative study, we investigated the impact of these initiatives on veterinary medical education through a survey of academic leaders (deans, previous deans, and associate deans for academics from veterinary medical schools that are members of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges) to assess their perspectives on the initiatives and eight recommendations that were common to all three initiatives. Two of the recommendations have in effect been implemented: enable students to elect in-depth instruction and experience within a practice theme or discipline area (tracking), and increase the number of graduating veterinarians. For three of the recommendations, awareness of the issues has increased but substantial progress has not been made: promote diversity in the veterinary profession, develop a plan to reduce student debt, and develop a North American strategic plan. Lastly, three recommendations have not been accomplished: emphasize use of information more than fact recall, share educational resources to enable a cost-effective education, and standardize core admissions requirements. The educational planning initiatives did provide collaborative opportunities to discuss and determine what needs to change within veterinary medical education. Future initiatives should explore how to avoid and overcome obstacles to successful implementation.

A Gompertz population model with Allee effect and fuzzy initial values

Science.gov (United States)

Amarti, Zenia; Nurkholipah, Nenden Siti; Anggriani, Nursanti; Supriatna, Asep K.

2018-03-01

Growth and population dynamics models are important tools used in preparing a good management for society to predict the future of population or species. This has been done by various known methods, one among them is by developing a mathematical model that describes population growth. Models are usually formed into differential equations or systems of differential equations, depending on the complexity of the underlying properties of the population. One example of biological complexity is Allee effect. It is a phenomenon showing a high correlation between very small population size and the mean individual fitness of the population. In this paper the population growth model used is the Gompertz equation model by considering the Allee effect on the population. We explore the properties of the solution to the model numerically using the Runge-Kutta method. Further exploration is done via fuzzy theoretical approach to accommodate uncertainty of the initial values of the model. It is known that an initial value greater than the Allee threshold will cause the solution rises towards carrying capacity asymptotically. However, an initial value smaller than the Allee threshold will cause the solution decreases towards zero asymptotically, which means the population is eventually extinct. Numerical solutions show that modeling uncertain initial value of the critical point A (the Allee threshold) with a crisp initial value could cause the extinction of population of a certain possibilistic degree, depending on the predetermined membership function of the initial value.

75 FR 70738 - Gulf Oil Limited Partnership; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-18

... Limited Partnership; Supplemental Notice That Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... proceeding of Gulf Oil Limited Partnership's application for market-based rate authority, with an... CFR Part 34, of future issuances of securities and assumptions of liability. Any person desiring to...

Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER). The Future of Interprofessional Education Is Here!

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Ming-Chuan; Ball, Marion; Skiba, Diane J; Marin, Heimar; Shaw, Toria; Chang, Polun

2018-01-01

This session will describe the TIGER Initiative journey, its evolution and accomplishments nationally and internationally. A powerful demonstration of the TIGER Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) will be highlighted along with case studies from around the world, with emphasis on global competencies and opportunities for engagement in all current TIGER activities and future plans.

Oil prices, speculation, and fundamentals. Interpreting causal relations among spot and futures prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufmann, Robert K.; Ullman, Ben

2009-01-01

A consensus that the world oil market is unified begs the question, where do innovations in oil prices enter the market? Here we investigate where changes in the price of crude oil originate and how they spread by examining causal relationships among prices for crude oils from North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on both spot and futures markets. Results indicate that innovations first appear in spot prices for Dubai-Fateh and spread to other spot and futures prices while other innovations first appear in the far month contract for West Texas Intermediate and spread to other exchanges and contracts. Links between spot and futures markets are relatively weak and this may have allowed the long-run relationship between spot and future prices to change after September 2004. Together, these results suggest that market fundamentals initiated a long-term increase in oil prices that was exacerbated by speculators, who recognized an increase in the probability that oil prices would rise over time. (author)

Future steps toward a Danish power system with 50% wind power

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Jacob; Ackermann, Thomas; Bach, Poul-Frederik

.dk. The objective of EcoGrid work package 5 is to suggest future research and development activities in EcoGrid.dk. The future activities will consist of related activities of which some should be directed within an EU framework (EcoGridEU). The delivery of phase 1 work package 5 is a packet of proposals to be used......This report is part of the EcoGrid.dk project phase 1 initiated by Energinet.dk and the result of work package 5 dealing with proposals for future steps toward a Danish power system with 50% wind power. The EcoGrid.dk project has the objective to develop new long term technologies and market...... power system with increased volumes of RE. - Phase 2: Specific projects, analyses and recommendations to Energinet.dk with main focus on research activities - Phase 3: Technologies are implemented in real environment and demonstrated with subsequent adoption and implementation in Energinet...

The current and future state of companion diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Amit; Ressler, Dan; Snyder, Glenn

2015-01-01

Companion diagnostics are an indispensable part of personalized medicine and will likely continue to rapidly increase in number and application to disease areas. The first companion diagnostics were launched in the 1980s and in the face of significant initial skepticism from drug developers as to whether segmenting a drug’s market through a diagnostic was advisable. The commercial success of drugs such as Herceptin® (trastuzumab) and Gleevec® (imatinib), which both require testing with companion diagnostics before they can be prescribed, has moved the entire companion diagnostic field forward. From an initial start of a handful of oncology drugs with corresponding diagnostics, the field has expanded to include multiple therapeutic areas, and the number of combinations has grown by 12-fold. Based on drugs in clinical trials, the rapid growth will likely continue for the foreseeable future. This expansion of companion diagnostics will also have a global component as markets in Europe will evolve in a similar but not identical pattern as the US. One of the greatest challenges to future growth in companion diagnostics is aligning the incentives of all stakeholders. A major driver of growth will continue to be the economic incentives for drug developers to pair their products with diagnostics. However, diagnostic companies are caught between the conflicting demands of two major stakeholders, pharmaceutical companies on one hand and payers/providers on the other. Regulators are also becoming more demanding in aligning development time lines between drugs and diagnostics. In order to survive and prosper, diagnostic companies will need to think more broadly about companion diagnostics than the historical match between a specific drug and a single diagnostic. They will also have to continue the process of consolidation and global expansion that the industry has already begun. Despite these potential obstacles, companion diagnostics have become one of the hottest areas

Dread and the disvalue of future pain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giles W Story

Full Text Available Standard theories of decision-making involving delayed outcomes predict that people should defer a punishment, whilst advancing a reward. In some cases, such as pain, people seem to prefer to expedite punishment, implying that its anticipation carries a cost, often conceptualized as 'dread'. Despite empirical support for the existence of dread, whether and how it depends on prospective delay is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear whether dread represents a stable component of value, or is modulated by biases such as framing effects. Here, we examine choices made between different numbers of painful shocks to be delivered faithfully at different time points up to 15 minutes in the future, as well as choices between hypothetical painful dental appointments at time points of up to approximately eight months in the future, to test alternative models for how future pain is disvalued. We show that future pain initially becomes increasingly aversive with increasing delay, but does so at a decreasing rate. This is consistent with a value model in which moment-by-moment dread increases up to the time of expected pain, such that dread becomes equivalent to the discounted expectation of pain. For a minority of individuals pain has maximum negative value at intermediate delay, suggesting that the dread function may itself be prospectively discounted in time. Framing an outcome as relief reduces the overall preference to expedite pain, which can be parameterized by reducing the rate of the dread-discounting function. Our data support an account of disvaluation for primary punishments such as pain, which differs fundamentally from existing models applied to financial punishments, in which dread exerts a powerful but time-dependent influence over choice.

Dread and the disvalue of future pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Story, Giles W; Vlaev, Ivaylo; Seymour, Ben; Winston, Joel S; Darzi, Ara; Dolan, Raymond J

2013-01-01

Standard theories of decision-making involving delayed outcomes predict that people should defer a punishment, whilst advancing a reward. In some cases, such as pain, people seem to prefer to expedite punishment, implying that its anticipation carries a cost, often conceptualized as 'dread'. Despite empirical support for the existence of dread, whether and how it depends on prospective delay is unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear whether dread represents a stable component of value, or is modulated by biases such as framing effects. Here, we examine choices made between different numbers of painful shocks to be delivered faithfully at different time points up to 15 minutes in the future, as well as choices between hypothetical painful dental appointments at time points of up to approximately eight months in the future, to test alternative models for how future pain is disvalued. We show that future pain initially becomes increasingly aversive with increasing delay, but does so at a decreasing rate. This is consistent with a value model in which moment-by-moment dread increases up to the time of expected pain, such that dread becomes equivalent to the discounted expectation of pain. For a minority of individuals pain has maximum negative value at intermediate delay, suggesting that the dread function may itself be prospectively discounted in time. Framing an outcome as relief reduces the overall preference to expedite pain, which can be parameterized by reducing the rate of the dread-discounting function. Our data support an account of disvaluation for primary punishments such as pain, which differs fundamentally from existing models applied to financial punishments, in which dread exerts a powerful but time-dependent influence over choice.

ISR corrections to associated HZ production at future Higgs factories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Greco

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We evaluate the QED corrections due to initial state radiation (ISR to associated Higgs boson production in electron–positron (e+e− annihilation at typical energies of interest for the measurement of the Higgs properties at future e+e− colliders, such as CEPC and FCC–ee. We apply the QED Structure Function approach to the four-fermion production process e+e−→μ+μ−bb¯, including both signal and background contributions. We emphasize the relevance of the ISR corrections particularly near threshold and show that finite third order collinear contributions are mandatory to meet the expected experimental accuracy. We analyze in turn the rôle played by a full four-fermion calculation and beam energy spread in precision calculations for Higgs physics at future e+e− colliders.

ISR corrections to associated HZ production at future Higgs factories

Science.gov (United States)

Greco, Mario; Montagna, Guido; Nicrosini, Oreste; Piccinini, Fulvio; Volpi, Gabriele

2018-02-01

We evaluate the QED corrections due to initial state radiation (ISR) to associated Higgs boson production in electron-positron (e+e-) annihilation at typical energies of interest for the measurement of the Higgs properties at future e+e- colliders, such as CEPC and FCC-ee. We apply the QED Structure Function approach to the four-fermion production process e+e- →μ+μ- b b bar , including both signal and background contributions. We emphasize the relevance of the ISR corrections particularly near threshold and show that finite third order collinear contributions are mandatory to meet the expected experimental accuracy. We analyze in turn the rôle played by a full four-fermion calculation and beam energy spread in precision calculations for Higgs physics at future e+e- colliders.

AREVA Logistics Business Unit Transportation Risk Management Initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anne, C.

2009-01-01

A safe, secure and reliable transportation organization is a key component for the success of the nuclear industry. With the forecasted increase of radioactive material transport flows in future and the changing environment, AREVA Logistic Business Unit (L-BU) must ensure that safety and security risks are minimized but also ensure of the chain supply for its various facilities (mines, conversion, enrichment, fuel manufacturing, reprocessing, etc). AREVA L-BU Unit is implementing a transportation risk management initiative for the radioactive shipments of the AREVA group across all the Business Unit involved in shipments of radioactive and nuclear materials. The paper will present the four main components of the risk management. (authors)

The Methodology of Foreign Language Integrative Teaching at the Initial Stage of Interpreter Training

Science.gov (United States)

Vedishenkova, Marina V.; Mironina, Anna Y.

2016-01-01

The topicality of the research is connected with the modern requirements to the education of future interpreters who are to speak a foreign language within the professional context. For this purpose, it is necessary to focus their language training at the initial stage of learning on forming their professional thinking. This raises the need for…

Future Circular Collider Study FCC-he Baseline Parameters

CERN Document Server

Bruning, Oliver; Klein, Max; Pellegrini, Dario; Schulte, Daniel; Zimmermann, Frank

2017-01-01

Initial considerations are presented on the FCC-he, the electron-hadron collider con guration within the Future Circular Collider study. This note considers arguments for the choice of the electron beam energy based on physics, ep scattering kinematics and cost. The default con guration for the electron accelerator, as for the LHeC, is chosen to be a multi-turn energy recovery linac external to the proton beam tunnel. The main accelerator parameters of the FCC-he are discussed, assuming the concurrent operation of ep with the 100TeV cms energy pp collider. These are compared with the LHeC design concept, for increased performance as for a Higgs facility using the HL-LHC, and also the high energy HE-LHC ep collider configuration. Initial estimates are also provided for the luminosity performance of electron-ion colliders for the 60 GeV electron ERL when combined with the LHC, the HE-LHC and the FCC ion beams.

Seasonal Drought Prediction: Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Zengchao; Singh, Vijay P.; Xia, Youlong

2018-03-01

Drought prediction is of critical importance to early warning for drought managements. This review provides a synthesis of drought prediction based on statistical, dynamical, and hybrid methods. Statistical drought prediction is achieved by modeling the relationship between drought indices of interest and a suite of potential predictors, including large-scale climate indices, local climate variables, and land initial conditions. Dynamical meteorological drought prediction relies on seasonal climate forecast from general circulation models (GCMs), which can be employed to drive hydrological models for agricultural and hydrological drought prediction with the predictability determined by both climate forcings and initial conditions. Challenges still exist in drought prediction at long lead time and under a changing environment resulting from natural and anthropogenic factors. Future research prospects to improve drought prediction include, but are not limited to, high-quality data assimilation, improved model development with key processes related to drought occurrence, optimal ensemble forecast to select or weight ensembles, and hybrid drought prediction to merge statistical and dynamical forecasts.

Accounting for future redesign to balance performance and development costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villanueva, D.; Haftka, R.T.; Sankar, B.V.

2014-01-01

Most components undergo tests after they are designed and are redesigned if necessary. Tests help designers find unsafe and overly conservative designs, and redesign can restore safety or increase performance. In general, the expected changes to the performance and reliability of the design after the test and redesign are not considered. In this paper, we explore how modeling a future test and redesign provides a company an opportunity to balance development costs versus performance by simultaneously designing the design and the post-test redesign rules during the initial design stage. Due to regulations and tradition, safety margin and safety factor based design is a common practice in industry as opposed to probabilistic design. In this paper, we show that it is possible to continue to use safety margin based design, and employ probability solely to select safety margins and redesign criteria. In this study, we find the optimum safety margins and redesign criterion for an integrated thermal protection system. These are optimized in order to find a minimum mass design with minimal redesign costs. We observed that the optimum safety margin and redesign criterion call for an initially conservative design and use the redesign process to trim excess weight rather than restore safety. This would fit well with regulatory constraints, since regulations usually impose minimum safety margins. - Highlights: • Modeling future tests and redesign allows balancing performance and development cost. • We optimize safety margins and redesign criteria for desired balance. • We design with safety margins, with probabilistic optimization to decide the margins. • Redesign also allowed the trade-off of conservativeness and performance. • In our case it paid to be conservative initially but redesign for more

The Windscale piles - past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, J.M.; Adams, A.L.

1987-01-01

The paper concerns the Windscale reactor piles, in which a fire occurred in the core of pile 1 thirty years ago. A description is given of the two Windscale piles, along with the events leading up to the accident, and the state of the piles following shutdown. The surveillance and maintenance to ensure that the pile and associated buildings were in a safe condition is outlined. The present state of the core, water ducts and pile chimneys is described. The present and future programme of work to ensure long term safety is discussed. This includes the initial steps in decommissioning of the piles. (U.K.)

Anticipating Change, Sparking Innovation: Framing the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Finnegan, John R.; Spencer, Harrison C.

2015-01-01

As the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Welch-Rose report approaches, the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) has been pursuing two initiatives to spark innovation in academic partnerships for enhancing population health: (1) Framing the Future: The Second 100 Years of Education for Public Health and (2) Reconnecting Public Health and Care Delivery to Improve the Health of Populations. We describe how ASPPH-member schools and programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, along with their extraordinarily diverse array of partners, are working to improve education that better prepares health professionals to meet 21st-century population health needs. PMID:25706017

ECO-INNOVATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RATIU Mariana

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Eco-innovation is any form of innovation resulting in or aiming at significant and demonstrable progress towards the goal of sustainable development, through reducing impacts on the environment, enhancing resilience to environmental pressures, or achieving a more efficient and responsible use of natural resources. States and governments of the world, different institutions and organizations actively involved and aware in public policies, strategies and actions, reaffirm their commitments and reassess actions in order to achieve a truly sustainable development. In the common vision and the resolutions and other documents of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, the words "environment", "innovation", "green economy" appear very often and almost always along the same context, to achieve the objectives of the sustainable development. The objectives of EU's Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, are being implemented through a number of Flagship Initiatives addressing the main challenges, like “Innovation for a sustainable Future - The Eco-innovation Action Plan (EcoAP”. Eco-innovation Observatory developed the Eco-Innovation index, the first tool to assess and illustrate eco-innovation performance across the EU Member States. Like in all fields, in textiles and leather field, eco-innovation is present and there are a lot of tools available that measure environmental damage and help manufacturers and brands become more sustainable. Eco-innovation is not just a trendy concept but a reality and a necessity nowadays, a way to achieve a sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

CERN's PS Booster LLRF renovation : plans and initial beam tests

CERN Document Server

Angoletta, ME; Butterworth, A; Findlay, A; Leinonen, PM; Molendijk, JC; Pedersen, F; Sanchez-Quesada, J; Schokker, M

2010-01-01

In 2008 a project was started to renovate the CERN's PS Booster (PSB) low-level RF (LLRF). Required LLRF capabilities include frequency program, beam phase, radial and synchronization loops. The new LLRF will control the signals feeding the three RF cavities present in each ring; it will also shape the beam in a dual harmonic mode, operate a bunch splitting and create a longitudinal blow-up. The main benefits of this new LLRF are its full remote and cycle-to-cycle controllability, built-in observation capability and flexibility. The overall aim is to improve the robustness, maintainability and reliability of the PSB operation and to make it compatible with the injection from the future Linac4. This paper outlines the main characteristics of the software and hardware building blocks. Initial beam test results and hints on the main milestones and future work are also given.

The Future Multiple

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spaniol, Matthew Jon; Rowland, Nicholas James

2015-01-01

/value – The original contribution is in demonstrating how plural futures and the singular future co-exist in practice. Thus, an eclipse of the future by futures can only ever be partial. For “futures” to be conceptually potent, “the future” must be at least provisionally believable and occasionally useful. Otherwise......, if “the future” were so preposterous an idea, then “futures” would cease to be a critical alternative to it. Futures needs the future; they are relationally bound together in a multiplicity. This paper considers what such a logical reality implies for a field that distances itself from the future and self......). Multiplicity, as a post-ANT sensibility, helps one make sense of the empirical materials. This paper examines the possibility that rather than being alternatives to one another, plural futures and the singular future might co-exist in practice, and, thus, constitute a multiplicity. Design...

Initiation of a European Radiation Protection Training and Education Plataforma (EUTERP Platform)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steen, J. van der; Fraaisma, F. S.; Marco Arboli, M.

2004-01-01

The European Commission, D.-G. Transport and Energy, has launched an initiative to establish a European Radiation Protection Training and Education Platform. To this end, a feasibility study is being carried out at the moment. The objective of this feasibility study is to initiate the necessary steps towards the creation of the Platform. It will make recommendations, based on the summary and conclusions obtained as a result of the exchange of information and experience between all involved radiation protection training and education bodies. The project will identify how the future Platform should be initiated and developed in order to achieve the expected results. This paper describes the objectives of the study and the objectives, composition and possible structure of the EUTERP Platform. A workshop will be held from 20-21 May at CIEMAT, Madrid, to identify the work programme and possibilities for the structure of the Platform. The preliminary results of the workshop will be presented in this presentation. (Author)

STELLAR POPULATIONS IN THE CENTRAL 0.5 pc OF THE GALAXY. II. THE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, J. R. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Do, T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Ghez, A. M.; Morris, M. R.; Yelda, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); Matthews, K., E-mail: jlu@ifa.hawaii.edu, E-mail: tuan.do@uci.edu, E-mail: ghez@astro.ucla.edu, E-mail: morris@astro.ucla.edu, E-mail: kym@caltech.edu [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, MC 301-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2013-02-20

The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way plays host to a massive, young cluster that may have formed in one of the most inhospitable environments in the Galaxy. We present new measurements of the global properties of this cluster, including the initial mass function (IMF), age, and cluster mass. These results are based on Keck laser-guide-star adaptive optics observations used to identify the young stars and measure their Kp-band luminosity function as presented in Do et al. A Bayesian inference methodology is developed to simultaneously fit the global properties of the cluster utilizing the observations and extensive simulations of synthetic star clusters. We find that the slope of the mass function for this cluster is {alpha} = 1.7 {+-} 0.2, which is steeper than previously reported, but still flatter than the traditional Salpeter slope of 2.35. The age of the cluster is between 2.5 and 5.8 Myr with 95% confidence, which is a younger age than typically adopted but consistent within the uncertainties of past measurements. The exact age of the cluster is difficult to determine since our results show two distinct age solutions (3.9 Myr and 2.8 Myr) due to model degeneracies in the relative number of Wolf-Rayet and OB stars. The total cluster mass is between 14,000 and 37,000 M {sub Sun} above 1 M {sub Sun} and it is necessary to include multiple star systems in order to fit the observed luminosity function and the number of observed Wolf-Rayet stars. The new IMF slope measurement is now consistent with X-ray observations indicating a factor of 10 fewer X-ray emitting pre-main-sequence stars than expected when compared with a Salpeter IMF. The young cluster at the Galactic center is one of the few definitive examples of an IMF that deviates significantly from the near-universal IMFs found in the solar neighborhood.

The application of future workshops in a healthcare setting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Natasha Lee; Johansen, Simon Kristoffer; Hansen, Louise

to promote the working process, and creativity tools are applied to promote a creative thinking process. No in-depth descriptions of the use of FW in a Danish healthcare setting have been found. Objective: Investigation of the applicability and value of using FW to create visions in a problem-solving process......Introduction: The future workshop (FW) is a method designed in the seventies by the Austrian Robert Jungk, and developed to create visions for the future in a problem-solving process. Initially, FW was applied as a tool in a political context to create social fantasies, and recently, FW has been...... with a critical approach. In the fantasy phase, the participants are instructed to describe a utopia to solve the problem. Lastly, the implementation phase evaluates ideas attained in the fantasy phase concerning potential implementation in everyday practice. Throughout all three phases, facilitation is necessary...

Ensuring New Zealand's Future Prosperity: A Professional Learning Development Initiative to Bridge the Gap between Theory and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, I.; Smith, P.; Sexton, S. S.

2015-01-01

This paper reports on a study investigating the effectiveness of a new professional learning development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand, The Sir Paul Callaghan Science Academy (The Academy). The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate (students aged 5 to 13) classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for…

17th International Workshop on Neutrino Factories and Future Neutrino Facilities Search

CERN Document Server

2015-01-01

NuFact15 is the seventeenth in a series that started in 1999 as an important yearly workshop with emphasis on future neutrino projects. This will be the first edition in Latin America, showing the scientific growth of this field. The main goals of the workshop are to review the progress on studies of future facilities able to improve on measurements of the properties of neutrinos and charged lepton flavor violation as well as new phenomena searches beyond the capabilities of presently planned experiments. Since such progress in the neutrino sector could require innovation in neutrino beams, the role of a neutrino factory within future HEP initiatives will be addressed. The workshops are not only international but also interdisciplinary in that experimenters, theorists and accelerator physicists from the Asian, American and European regions share expertise with the common goal of designing the next generation of experiments.

Programmed initiation of hemodialysis for systemic amyloidosis patients associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuroda, Takeshi; Tanabe, Naohito; Kobayashi, Daisuke; Sato, Hiroe; Wada, Yoko; Murakami, Shuichi; Sakatsume, Minoru; Nakano, Masaaki; Narita, Ichiei

2011-09-01

Reactive amyloidosis is a serious systemic disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Amyloid protein can be deposited in kidneys, heart or gastrointestinal tract leading to organ failure. Renal involvement is a well-known complication in amyloidosis as this may culminate in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Hemodialysis (HD) is always considered the treatment of choice for such patients; however, the prognosis is usually poor due to a large number of sudden deaths immediately following HD therapy. To circumvent the problem of HD initiation while instituting HD safety, we devised a plan to start HD and compare patient's survival with our previous data. Sixty-three patients were treated with HD. They were categorized according to the initiation of first dialysis. All patients were divided into planned, unplanned and programmed initiation groups. First dialysis that had been initiated as not urgent was considered 'planned' (20 patients). First dialysis that had been performed urgently for life-threatening renal insufficiency was considered 'unplanned' (31 patients). First dialysis that had been initiated as not urgent and according to our dialysis program was considered 'programmed' (12 patients). Survival of these 63 patients from the initiation of HD at 38 days was 75%, at 321 days was 50% and at 1,784 days was 25%. Patients with unplanned initiation of HD showed a significant poor survival compared with those of both planned and programmed initiation. Additionally, patients with planned and programmed initiation of HD showed no significant difference for the patients' survival. Our study demonstrates that patients with amyloidosis have a higher mortality rate. Nevertheless, programmed initiation of HD will improve the prognosis of patients with ESRD. Such possibility needs to be considered in more detail in the future.

Stirling to Flight Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Hibbard, Kenneth E.; Mason, Lee S.; Ndu, Obi; Smith, Clayton; Withrow, James P.

2016-01-01

NASA has a consistent need for radioisotope power systems (RPS) to enable robotic scientific missions for planetary exploration that has been present for over four decades and will continue into the foreseeable future, as documented in the most recent Planetary Science Decadal Study Report. As RPS have evolved throughout the years, there has also grown a desire for more efficient power systems, allowing NASA to serve as good stewards of the limited plutonium-238 (238Pu), while also supporting the ever-present need to minimize mass and potential impacts to the desired science measurements. In fact, the recent Nuclear Power Assessment Study (NPAS) released in April 2015 resulted in several key conclusion regarding RPS, including affirmation that RPS will be necessary well into the 2030s (at least) and that 238Pu is indeed a precious resource requiring efficient utilization and preservation. Stirling Radioisotope Generators (SRGs) combine a Stirling cycle engine powered by a radioisotope heater unit into a single generator system. Stirling engine technology has been under development at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) since the 1970's. The most recent design, the 238Pu-fueled Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), was offered as part of the NASA Discovery 2010 Announcement of Opportunity (AO). The Step-2 selections for this AO included two ASRG-enabled concepts, the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) and the Comet Hopper (CHopper), although the only non-nuclear concept, InSight, was ultimately chosen. The DOE's ASRG contract was terminated in 2013. Given that SRGs utilize significantly less 238Pu than traditional Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) - approximately one quarter of the nuclear fuel, to produce similar electrical power output - they provide a technology worthy of consideration for meeting the aforementioned NASA objectives. NASA's RPS Program Office has recently investigated a new Stirling to

Association of low non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopic measurements during initial trauma resuscitation with future development of multiple organ dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicks, Bret A; Campons, Kevin M; Bozeman, William P

2015-01-01

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) non-invasively monitors muscle tissue oxygen saturation (StO2). It may provide a continuous noninvasive measurement to identify occult hypoperfusion, guide resuscitation, and predict the development of multiple organ dysfunction (MOD) after severe trauma. We evaluated the correlation between initial StO2 and the development of MOD in multi-trauma patients. Patients presenting to our urban, academic, Level I Trauma Center/Emergency Department and meeting standardized trauma-team activation criteria were enrolled in this prospective trial. NIRS monitoring was initiated immediately on arrival with collection of StO2 at the thenar eminence and continued up to 24 hours for those admitted to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU). Standardized resuscitation laboratory measures and clinical evaluation tools were collected. The primary outcome was the association between initial StO2 and the development of MOD within the first 24 hours based on a MOD score of 6 or greater. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed; numeric means, multivariate regression and rank sum comparisons were utilized. Clinicians were blinded from the StO2 values. Over a 14 month period, 78 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 40.9 years (SD 18.2), 84.4% were male, 76.9% had a blunt trauma mechanism and mean injury severity score (ISS) was 18.5 (SD 12.9). Of the 78 patients, 26 (33.3%) developed MOD within the first 24 hours. The MOD patients had mean initial StO2 values of 53.3 (SD 10.3), significantly lower than those of non-MOD patients 61.1 (SD 10.0); P=0.002. The mean ISS among MOD patients was 29.9 (SD 11.5), significantly higher than that of non-MODS patients, 12.1 (SD 9.1) (P<0.0001). The mean shock index (SI) among MOD patients was 0.92 (SD 0.28), also significantly higher than that of non-MODS patients, 0.73 (SD 0.19) (P=0.0007). Lactate values were not significantly different between groups. Non-invasive, continuous StO2 near-infrared spectroscopy

[Health-Promoting Schools Regional Initiative of the Americas].

Science.gov (United States)

Ippolito-Shepherd, Josefa; Cerqueira, Maria Teresa; Ortega, Diana Patricia

2005-01-01

In Latin America, comprehensive health promotion programmes and activities are being implemented in the school setting, which take into account the conceptual framework of the Health-Promoting Schools Regional Initiative of the Pan American Health Organization, Regional office of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). These programmes help to strengthen the working relationships between the health and education sectors. The Health-Promoting Schools Regional Initiative, officially launched by PAHO/WHO in 1995, aims to form future generations to have the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary for promoting and caring for their health and that of their family and community, as well as to create and maintain healthy environments and communities. The Initiative focuses on three main components: comprehensive health education, the creation and maintenance of healthy physical and psychosocial environments, and the access to health and nutrition services, mental health, and active life. In 2001, PAHO conducted a survey in 19 Latin American countries to assess the status and trends of Health-Promoting Schools in the Region, for the appropriate regional, subregional, and national planning of pertinent health promotion and health education programmes and activities. The results of this survey provided information about policies and national plans, multisectoral coordination mechanisms for the support of health promotion in the school settings, the formation and participation in national and international networks of Health-Promoting Schools and about the level of dissemination of the strategy. For the successful development of Health-Promoting Schools is essential to involve the society as a whole, in order to mobilise human resources and materials necessary for implementing health promotion in the school settings. Thus, the constitution and consolidation of networks has been a facilitating mechanism for the exchange of ideas, resources and experiences to strengthen

An ESARDA view of future implementation of science and modern technology for safeguards following recent ESARDA and INMM initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guardini, Sergio; Stein, Gotthard

2001-01-01

Full text: The new challenges posed by integrated safeguards, ensuring correctness and completeness without cost increase, may require that new techniques are employed or existing techniques modified to cope with the new requirements. Conscious of this new scenario, ESARDA decided to undertake a thorough review of current Science and Technology initiatives aimed, in particular, at identifying new techniques not yet applied in Safeguards that could help in increasing efficiency and effectiveness at no additional cost. To that purpose ESARDA organized, together with the INMM, a series of workshops on 'Science and Modem Technology for Safeguards' with the aim 'to inform the safeguards community about selected sciences and advanced technologies that are currently available or that will become available in the next few years and that could be used to support needed advances in international safeguards' and to 'stimulate interchange amongst experts in the various technologies and in safeguards'. Three Workshops have been held, the first in Arona in October 1996, then at Albuquerque, September 1998 and the third in Tokyo, November 2000. In 1998 ESARDA also dedicated an annual meeting, in Helsinki, to the topic, 'Modem Verification Regimes: Similarities, Synergies and Challenges'. The ESARDA Co-ordinators have examined the outcome of these Workshops to establish whether the aims were achieved, analyzing the status of the development of those techniques and methods presented that may have an application for Safeguards and suggesting future directions for the ESARDA activities and for Safeguards R and D. Following the main format followed by the Workshops, the Co-ordinators' analysis has been structured along the following areas: 1. 'hard' sciences (instruments, C and S); 2. 'soft' sciences (data and information treatment, knowledge building); 3. nontechnical (or socio-political) aspects; 4. the role of the Regional Systems of Accountancy and Control (RSAC) and of the State

Estimating the cost of blood: past, present, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shander, Aryeh; Hofmann, Axel; Gombotz, Hans; Theusinger, Oliver M; Spahn, Donat R

2007-06-01

Understanding the costs associated with blood products requires sophisticated knowledge about transfusion medicine and is attracting the attention of clinical and administrative healthcare sectors worldwide. To improve outcomes, blood usage must be optimized and expenditures controlled so that resources may be channeled toward other diagnostic, therapeutic, and technological initiatives. Estimating blood costs, however, is a complex undertaking, surpassing simple supply versus demand economics. Shrinking donor availability and application of a precautionary principle to minimize transfusion risks are factors that continue to drive the cost of blood products upward. Recognizing that historical accounting attempts to determine blood costs have varied in scope, perspective, and methodology, new approaches have been initiated to identify all potential cost elements related to blood and blood product administration. Activities are also under way to tie these elements together in a comprehensive and practical model that will be applicable to all single-donor blood products without regard to practice type (e.g., academic, private, multi- or single-center clinic). These initiatives, their rationale, importance, and future directions are described.

Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI): Future Perspectives and Need for a New Generation of Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

OpenAIRE

VASHISHTHA, Vipin; NAVEEN, Thacker

2010-01-01

More than two decade-old Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has finally tasted success and wild poliovirus is now on the verge of eradication. The pre-eradication era was full of challenges and a great learning experience for all those involved with this tedious process. Many new phenomena emerged and new information about poliovirus learned during this campaign. Many new developments such as vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) were not anticipated and resulted in serious thinking re...

Monitoring Million Trees LA: Tree performance during the early years and future benefits

Science.gov (United States)

E. Gregory McPherson

2014-01-01

Million Trees LA (MTLA) is one of several large-scale mayoral tree planting initiatives striving to create more livable cities through urban forestry. This study combined field sampling of tree survival and growth with numerical modeling of future benefits to assess performance of MTLA plantings. From 2006 to 2010 MTLA planted a diverse mix of 91,786 trees....

The French-German initiative for Chernobyl (FGI)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biesold, H.; Friederichs, H.G.; Pretzsch, G. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH, GRS, Schwertnergasse 1, D - 50667 Koeln (Germany); Deville-Cavelin, G.; Lhomme, V.; Rutschkowsky, N.; Tirmarche, M. [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, IRSN, B.P. 17, F - 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex (France); Bazyka, D.; Chabanyuk, V.; Seleznev, A. [Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, Department Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Chernobylsk (Ukraine); Kellerer, A.M. [Strahlenbiologisches Institut der Universitaet Muenchen, Muenchen (Germany)

2003-07-01

Three scientific and technical co-operation programmes are financed with a total budget of about 6 million EURO within the framework of the French-German initiative: - Programme 1 - SARCOPHAGUS, referring to the safety of the Chernobyl 'SARCOPHAGUS'; - Programme 2 - RADIOECOLOGY, concerning the study of the radioecological consequences of the accident; - Programme 3 - HEALTH regarding the study of health effects. At the IAEA conference in Vienna in April 1996 - 10 years after the Chernobyl accident - the French and German Environment Ministers jointly announced their co-operation initiative with the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia over scientific programmes concerning the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted in the affected republics of the former USSR with and without the participation of international organisations, but largely with insufficient real coordination. For some of the studies, results have never been publicly documented. There are still incoherent or even contradictory reports on the ecological and medical consequences of the accident. The main purpose of the French-German initiative is to assist in the collection and validation of the existing data in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia for developing a reliable and objective basis useful for the planning of counter-measures, for information of the public, and for future work. GRS supported in program 3 by SBI (Strahlenbiologisches Institut der Universitaet Muenchen) and IRSN are coordinating the projects on the Western side. The CC (Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, Department Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety) as Eastern coordinator is also the beneficiary.

Crew and Thermal Systems Strategic Communications Initiatives in Support of NASA's Strategic Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Heather L.; Lamberth, Erika Guillory; Jennings, Mallory A.

2012-01-01

NASA has defined strategic goals to invest in next-generation technologies and innovations, inspire students to become the future leaders of space exploration, and expand partnerships with industry and academia around the world. The Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) at the NASA Johnson Space Center actively supports these NASA initiatives. In July 2011, CTSD created a strategic communications team to communicate CTSD capabilities, technologies, and personnel to external technical audiences for business development and collaborative initiatives, and to students, educators, and the general public for education and public outreach efforts. This paper summarizes the CTSD Strategic Communications efforts and metrics through the first half of fiscal year 2012 with projections for end of fiscal year data.

Crew and Thermal Systems Strategic Communications Initiatives in Support of NASA's Strategic Goals

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Heather L.

2012-01-01

NASA has defined strategic goals to invest in next-generation technologies and innovations, to inspire students to become the future leaders of space exploration, and to expand partnerships with industry and academia around the world. The Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) at the NASA Johnson Space Center actively supports these NASA initiatives. In July 2011, CTSD created a strategic communications team to communicate CTSD capabilities, technologies, and personnel to internal NASA and external technical audiences for business development and collaborative initiatives, and to students, educators, and the general public for education and public outreach efforts. This paper summarizes the CTSD Strategic Communications efforts and metrics through the first nine months of fiscal year 2012.

Multifactor valuation models of energy futures and options on futures

Science.gov (United States)

Bertus, Mark J.

The intent of this dissertation is to investigate continuous time pricing models for commodity derivative contracts that consider mean reversion. The motivation for pricing commodity futures and option on futures contracts leads to improved practical risk management techniques in markets where uncertainty is increasing. In the dissertation closed-form solutions to mean reverting one-factor, two-factor, three-factor Brownian motions are developed for futures contracts. These solutions are obtained through risk neutral pricing methods that yield tractable expressions for futures prices, which are linear in the state variables, hence making them attractive for estimation. These functions, however, are expressed in terms of latent variables (i.e. spot prices, convenience yield) which complicate the estimation of the futures pricing equation. To address this complication a discussion on Dynamic factor analysis is given. This procedure documents latent variables using a Kalman filter and illustrations show how this technique may be used for the analysis. In addition, to the futures contracts closed form solutions for two option models are obtained. Solutions to the one- and two-factor models are tailored solutions of the Black-Scholes pricing model. Furthermore, since these contracts are written on the futures contracts, they too are influenced by the same underlying parameters of the state variables used to price the futures contracts. To conclude, the analysis finishes with an investigation of commodity futures options that incorporate random discrete jumps.

Current training initiatives at Nuclear Electric plc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fowler, C.D.

1993-01-01

Nuclear Electric, one of the three generating companies to emerge from the demise of the U.K.'s Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), owns and operates the commercial nuclear power stations in England and Wales. The U.K. government proscribed further construction beyond Sizewell B, the United Kingdom's first pressurized water reactor (PWR) station, pending the outcome of a review of the future of nuclear power to be held in 1994. The major challenges facing Nuclear Electric at its formation in 1990 were therefore to demonstrate that nuclear power is safe, economical, and environmentally acceptable and to complete the PWR station under construction on time and within budget. A significant number of activities were started that were designed to increase output, reduce costs, and ensure that the previous excellent safety standards were maintained. A major activity was to reduce the numbers of staff employed, with a recognition from the outset that this reduction could only be achieved with a significant human resource development program. Future company staff would have to be competent in more areas and more productive. This paper summarizes some of the initiatives currently being pursued throughout the company and the progress toward ensuring that staff with the required competences are available to commission and operate the Sizewell B program in 1994

Intelligent Glazed Facades for Fulfilment of Future Energy Regulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Winther, Frederik Vildbrad; Heiselberg, Per; Jensen, Rasmus Lund

2010-01-01

This project aims at testing technologies for control of heat transfer, irradiation, mass transport and energy storage in order to investigate the potential of a intelligent dynamic glazed facade. Furthermore a development of algorithms for control of the technologies included in the facade......, for use in the design phase, is done. The methods used are initially based on thermal building calculations. This analysis shows that a dynamic adaptive facade is the only way in which future office buildings can fulfil the energy regulations. By designing the facade according to the usage...

Developing the School of the Future Based on Quality Principles

Science.gov (United States)

Doukas, Constantinos I.; Kotsanis, Yannis; Economu, Vassilis; Riviou, Katerina

Our school's vision is to deliver a more attractive, qualitative and technologically equipped school to our students in order to prepare them to be active 21st Century citizens. In this paper we present the on-going effort that we have made during the last years, towards this direction. Our initial step towards building the "School of the Future" is the implementation of a "Classroom of the Future", as well as the experience gained through our participation in the homonym project. In this classroom our students have a light-weight portable "electronic schoolbag" (Tablet PC) and are connected wirelessly to the interactive whiteboard of their classroom and their teacher's "electronic" tools. This schoolbag contains all of their books and sheets as well as virtual labs, simulations, multimedia material, their schoolwork and every tool related to the educational process.

Challenging Futures Studies To Enhance Participatory River Basin Management

Science.gov (United States)

van der Helm, R.

implementation. However, critical conceptual and design requirements have to be met in order to realise futures research potentials. Since the beginning of the 1990s futures studies are becoming (again) more and more widespread in many different domains (technology, education, urban development, agriculture, environment, etc.). Recently, experiences have been launched and are currently being launched in the water sector (of which the World Water Vision is a well -known - but not necessarily the most representative - example). Although futures studies on a river basin level are still scarce, they will offer already sufficient material for empirical analysis. The research, effectuated within a larger framework study on the implications of futures studies for environmental research, offers at this stage initially a conceptual understanding.

What Factors are Associated with Consumer Initiation of Shared Decision Making in Mental Health Visits?

Science.gov (United States)

Matthias, Marianne S; Fukui, Sadaaki; Salyers, Michelle P

2017-01-01

Understanding consumer initiation of shared decision making (SDM) is critical to improving SDM in mental health consultations, particularly because providers do not always invite consumer participation in treatment decisions. This study examined the association between consumer initiation of nine elements of SDM as measured by the SDM scale, and measures of consumer illness self-management and the consumer-provider relationship. In 63 mental health visits, three SDM elements were associated with self-management or relationship factors: discussion of consumer goals, treatment alternatives, and pros and cons of a decision. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.

Adolescence and Later Life Disease Burden: Quantifying the Contribution of Adolescent Tobacco Initiation From Longitudinal Cohorts.

Science.gov (United States)

Viner, Russell M; Hargreaves, Dougal S; Motta, Janaina Vieira Dos Santos; Horta, Bernardo; Mokdad, Ali H; Patton, George

2017-08-01

Adolescence is a time of initiation of behaviors leading to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). We use tobacco to illustrate a novel method for assessing the contribution of adolescence to later burden. Data on initiation of regular smoking during adolescence (10-19 years) and current adult smoking were obtained from the 1958 British Birth Cohort, the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), the Pelotas 1982 Birth Cohort, and the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study. We estimated an "adolescent attributable fraction" (AAF) by calculating the proportion of persisting adult daily smoking initiated 155 countries using contemporary surveillance data. In the 1958 British Birth Cohort, 81.6% of daily smokers at age 50 years initiated adolescent initiation. The adjusted AAF was 69.1. Proportions of smokers initiating Adolescent Health Cohort Study; and 70.9%, 5.8%, and 56.9% in Pelotas males and 89.9%, 6.4%, and 75.9% in females. Initiation adolescent smoking initiation to adult smoking burden is high, suggesting a need to formulate and implement effective actions to reduce smoking initiation in adolescents. Similar trends in other NCD risks suggest that adolescents will be central to future efforts to control NCDs. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extracting Information about the Initial State from the Black Hole Radiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lochan, Kinjalk; Padmanabhan, T

2016-02-05

The crux of the black hole information paradox is related to the fact that the complete information about the initial state of a quantum field in a collapsing spacetime is not available to future asymptotic observers, belying the expectations from a unitary quantum theory. We study the imprints of the initial quantum state contained in a specific class of distortions of the black hole radiation and identify the classes of in states that can be partially or fully reconstructed from the information contained within. Even for the general in state, we can uncover some specific information. These results suggest that a classical collapse scenario ignores this richness of information in the resulting spectrum and a consistent quantum treatment of the entire collapse process might allow us to retrieve much more information from the spectrum of the final radiation.

Mobilizing cities towards a low-carbon future: Tambourines, carrots and sticks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azevedo, Isabel; Delarue, Erik; Meeus, Leonardo

2013-01-01

In the transition towards a low-carbon future in Europe, cities' actions are of major importance due to the prominence of urbanization, both in terms of population and in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a result, we need city authorities to act, by using their competences as policy makers as well as energy users. However, cities are still not moving as fast as one might expect, indicating the need for additional incentives to prompt local action. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present an overview of external incentives that might prompt cities to act and to highlight good practices that could be used in future initiatives. This paper first discusses how to evaluate the climate and energy performance of a city and how local authorities can contribute to its improvements. Moreover, it analyses the disincentives that local governments are confronted with, categorizing them as simple market failures, institutional failures and multi-agent failures. The paper then presents a survey of initiatives at national and EU levels to promote local action towards a low-carbon future; grouping them into tambourines, carrots and sticks. We focus on Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden because they are pioneering countries regarding energy policies for cities. - Highlights: • CO 2 and energy consumption could be used to evaluate the performance of cities. • Simple market, institutional and multi-agent failures are hampering local action. • National and EU actions use mainly tambourines and carrots, rather than sticks. • Covenant of Mayors is one of the most noteworthy tambourine type of instruments. • Carrots notable features are: use of competition and involvement of third-parties

Eying the future: Eye movement in past and future thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

El Haj, Mohamad; Lenoble, Quentin

2017-06-07

We investigated eye movement during past and future thinking. Participants were invited to retrieve past events and to imagine future events while their scan path was recorded by an eye-tracker. Past thinking triggered more fixation (p thinking. Past and future thinking triggered a similar duration of fixations and saccades, as well as a similar amplitude of saccades. Interestingly, participants rated past thinking as more vivid than future thinking (p thinking seems to be accompanied by an increased number of fixations and saccades. Fixations and saccades in past thinking can be interpreted as an attempt by the visual system to find (through saccades) and activate (through fixations) stored memory representations. The same interpretation can be applied to future thinking as this ability requires activation of past experiences. However, future thinking triggers fewer fixations and saccades than past thinking: this may be due to its decreased demand on visual imagery, but could also be related to a potentially deleterious effect of eye movements on spatial imagery required for future thinking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Summary of NRR future licensing activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

In response to a renewed interest in building nuclear power plants, the NRC has created organizations within its major program offices to prepare the NRC staff for new applications (early site permits [ESPs], design certifications, and combined licenses) and to manage special task groups and pro-application reviews of new reactor designs. Activities planned in FY2001 and FY2002 include: (1) evaluating the ability of the NRC staff to support future application reviews under 10 CFR Parts 50 and 52; (2) performing pre-application reviews of the API 000 (a light-water reactor design with passive safety systems), Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR - a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design), ESPs, IRIS (an advanced light-water reactor design), and GT-MHR (a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design); (3) initiating and/or performing related rulemakings that will update 10 CPR Part 52 to reflect lessons learned from certifying three nuclear plant designs, update Tables S-3 and S-4 of 10 CFR Part 51 to address higher burnup fuel considerations and non-LWR advanced designs, and address alternative siting considerations; (4) reactivating the construction inspection program; and, (5) interacting with stakeholders to ensure there is a clear understanding of upcoming activities related to future applications and to solicit stakeholder input. In FY2002 and FY200S, activities are expected to include: (1) managing the reviews of fine new applications resulting from the pre-application reviews (including one design certification, one combined license, and three ESP reviews); (2) managing two pre-application reviews (IRIS and QT-MHR); (3) updating regulatory and review guidance for new applications, i.e., Standard Review Plans (SRPs), Regulatory Guides, and referenced codes and standards, and identifying where enhancements are needed; (4) developing independent codes to analyze the safety of non-LWR designs, with supporting validation testing; and, (5) addressing regulatory

Initialized Fractional Calculus

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzo, Carl F.; Hartley, Tom T.

2000-01-01

This paper demonstrates the need for a nonconstant initialization for the fractional calculus and establishes a basic definition set for the initialized fractional differintegral. This definition set allows the formalization of an initialized fractional calculus. Two basis calculi are considered; the Riemann-Liouville and the Grunwald fractional calculi. Two forms of initialization, terminal and side are developed.

Structure life prediction at high temperature: present and future capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaboche, J.L.

1987-01-01

The life prediction techniques for high temperature conditions include several aspects which are considered successively in this article. Crack initiation criteria themselves, defined for the isolated volume element (the tension-compression specimen for example), including parametric relationships and continuous damage approaches and calculation of local stress and strain fields in the structure and their evolution under cyclic plasticity, which poses several difficult problems to obtain stabilized cyclic solutions are examined. The use of crack initiation criteria or damage rules from the result of the cyclic inelastic analysis and the prediction of crack growth in the structure are considered. Different levels are considered for the predictive tools: the classical approach, future methods presently under development and intermediate rules, which are already in use. Several examples are given on materials and components used either in the nuclear industry or in gas turbine engines. (author)

Integral Field Spectroscopy of the Extended Emission-Line Region of 4C 37.43

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Hai; Stockton, Alan

2007-09-01

We present Gemini integral field spectroscopy and Keck II long-slit spectroscopy of the extended emission-line region (EELR) around the quasar 4C 37.43. The velocity structure of the ionized gas is complex and cannot be explained globally by a simple dynamical model. The spectra from the clouds are inconsistent with shock or ``shock + precursor'' ionization models, but they are consistent with photoionization by the quasar nucleus. The best-fit photoionization model requires a low-metallicity [12+log(O/H)Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil), and CONICET (Argentina). Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Impact of Advocacy Initiatives on Nurses' Motivation to Sustain Momentum in Public Policy Advocacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Melissa R S

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to elicit insight from the public policy leaders of 2 regional professional nursing organizations on key qualities of their current advocacy initiatives that motivate nurses to sustain momentum in public policy advocacy beyond a single episode. The goal is to inform quality improvement in the development of future advocacy initiatives to increase sustained engagement of nurses. Social cognitive theory was used as the rationale for this qualitative, descriptive study. A purposive convenience sample of executive leadership and board committee members from 2 regional professional nursing organizations were recruited to complete an initial Web-based electronic survey, followed by separate semistructured interview focus groups. One organization was composed primarily of advanced practice registered nurses, and the other group composed of diverse, multispecialty nursing members with varied educational levels. Nine themes emerged, categorized as facilitators or challenges to the positive impact of advocacy initiatives on nurses' motivation. Highlighting and marketing facilitators to the positive impact of advocacy initiatives on nurses' motivation to sustain momentum in public policy advocacy, while designing and testing new initiatives that address the challenges, may increase the number of nurses who sustain engagement in the policy advocacy process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Now...and the Future: A Guide for Families with Handicapped Children and Adults. First Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedgecock, Henry H.; And Others

Intended for parents of disabled children, the handbook addresses issues of estate planning and other legal matters concerning the child's future. An initial section on guardianship covers such aspects as how to obtain guardianship, duties, and alternatives to guardianships. Wills and trusts are examined in separate chapters which include…

Flexible Pedagogies: Employer Engagement and Work-Based Learning. Flexible Pedagogies: Preparing for the Future Series

Science.gov (United States)

Kettle, Jane

2013-01-01

This publication focuses on national and international policy initiatives to develop a better understanding of work-based learners and the types of flexibility that may well enhance their study especially pedagogically. As part of our five-strand research project "Flexible Pedagogies: preparing for the future" it: (1) highlights the…

Immersive Visual Data Analysis For Geoscience Using Commodity VR Hardware

Science.gov (United States)

Kreylos, O.; Kellogg, L. H.

2017-12-01

Immersive visualization using virtual reality (VR) display technology offers tremendous benefits for the visual analysis of complex three-dimensional data like those commonly obtained from geophysical and geological observations and models. Unlike "traditional" visualization, which has to project 3D data onto a 2D screen for display, VR can side-step this projection and display 3D data directly, in a pseudo-holographic (head-tracked stereoscopic) form, and does therefore not suffer the distortions of relative positions, sizes, distances, and angles that are inherent in 2D projection. As a result, researchers can apply their spatial reasoning skills to virtual data in the same way they can to real objects or environments. The UC Davis W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCAVES, http://keckcaves.org) has been developing VR methods for data analysis since 2005, but the high cost of VR displays has been preventing large-scale deployment and adoption of KeckCAVES technology. The recent emergence of high-quality commodity VR, spearheaded by the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, has fundamentally changed the field. With KeckCAVES' foundational VR operating system, Vrui, now running natively on the HTC Vive, all KeckCAVES visualization software, including 3D Visualizer, LiDAR Viewer, Crusta, Nanotech Construction Kit, and ProtoShop, are now available to small labs, single researchers, and even home users. LiDAR Viewer and Crusta have been used for rapid response to geologic events including earthquakes and landslides, to visualize the impacts of sealevel rise, to investigate reconstructed paleooceanographic masses, and for exploration of the surface of Mars. The Nanotech Construction Kit is being used to explore the phases of carbon in Earth's deep interior, while ProtoShop can be used to construct and investigate protein structures.

Gambling and the Reasoned Action Model: Predicting Past Behavior, Intentions, and Future Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahl, Ethan; Tagler, Michael J; Hohman, Zachary P

2018-03-01

Gambling is a serious concern for society because it is highly addictive and is associated with a myriad of negative outcomes. The current study applied the Reasoned Action Model (RAM) to understand and predict gambling intentions and behavior. Although prior studies have taken a reasoned action approach to understand gambling, no prior study has fully applied the RAM or used the RAM to predict future gambling. Across two studies the RAM was used to predict intentions to gamble, past gambling behavior, and future gambling behavior. In study 1 the model significantly predicted intentions and past behavior in both a college student and Amazon Mechanical Turk sample. In study 2 the model predicted future gambling behavior, measured 2 weeks after initial measurement of the RAM constructs. This study stands as the first to show the utility of the RAM in predicting future gambling behavior. Across both studies, attitudes and perceived normative pressure were the strongest predictors of intentions to gamble. These findings provide increased understanding of gambling and inform the development of gambling interventions based on the RAM.

Making the future palpable: Notes from a major incident Future Laboratory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Büscher, Monika; Kristensen, Margit; Mogensen, Preben Holst

2008-01-01

In this paper we describe experiences from a Future Laboratory. Future laboratories allow users to experiment with prototypes of future technologies in as realistic as possible conditions. We have devised this method because, to realize the potential of advanced ubiquitous computing technologies...... it is essential to anticipate and design for future practices, but for prospective users it is often difficult to imagine and articulate future practices and provide design specifications. However, they readily invent new ways of working in engagement with new technologies and, by facilitating realistic use...... of prototype technologies in Future Laboratories, designers and users can define and study both opportunities and constraints for design. We present 11 scenes from a Major Incidents Future Laboratory held in September 2005. Many raise tough questions rather than provide quick answers. In addition, many also...

Future planning - utopia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boernke, F.

1978-01-01

Our life develops as the anticipation of future. Everything we wish, hope, plan and carry out and think is or should be related to future and will have its effects in future. The certainty may spread that it is a necessary obligation to learn to find out our actual being more clearly to be able to develop a thinking and acting that is directed to future that has also a total of responsability as its essence. We will later atone for the failed outlooks into future or for only moderate or uncompleted starts of planning. For this reason we should consider that future does not come for its own, not without our demands, not without our acting. Only if our reflection and aspiration, thinking and acting is done with moderate and circumspect sense in the right way it will be a good fundamental for the future. (orig.) [de

Interpreting future physics teachers reflections on their professional practice during initial formation: the search for teaching autonomy construction

OpenAIRE

Rodolfo Langhi; Roberto Nardi

2012-01-01

This research intends to answer the following main question: which traces of teacher autonomy construction are possible to achieve during reflective formative processes in disciplines like Methodology and Physics Teaching Practice carried out during three semesters, in an undergraduate program designed to physics teachers´ initial education? Using an analytical device based on teachers education research assumptions, which we called convergent formative triangulation for progressive teaching ...

Can conservation funding be left to carbon finance? Evidence from participatory future land use scenarios in Peru, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Ravikumar, Ashwin; Larjavaara, Markku; Larson, Anne; Kanninen, Markku

2017-01-01

Revenues derived from carbon have been seen as an important tool for supporting forest conservation over the past decade. At the same time, there is high uncertainty about how much revenue can reasonably be expected from land use emissions reductions initiatives. Despite this uncertainty, REDD+ projects and conservation initiatives that aim to take advantage of available or, more commonly, future funding from carbon markets have proliferated. This study used participatory multi-stakeholder workshops to develop divergent future scenarios of land use in eight landscapes in four countries around the world: Peru, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Mexico. The results of these future scenario building exercises were analyzed using a new tool, CarboScen, for calculating the landscape carbon storage implications of different future land use scenarios. The findings suggest that potential revenues from carbon storage or emissions reductions are significant in some landscapes (most notably the peat forests of Indonesia), and much less significant in others (such as the low-carbon forests of Zanzibar and the interior of Tanzania). The findings call into question the practicality of many conservation programs that hinge on expectations of future revenue from carbon finance. The future scenarios-based approach is useful to policy-makers and conservation program developers in distinguishing between landscapes where carbon finance can substantially support conservation, and landscapes where other strategies for conservation and land use should be prioritized.

Clustering excellence to exert transformative change: the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI).

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, Angela Barron; Watman, Rachael; Escobedo, Marcus; Beilenson, John

2011-01-01

This paper describes how the John A. Hartford Foundation sought to maximize the influence of its various geriatric nursing projects by organizing and managing them collectively as the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI). This initiative aimed to develop a shared identity, encouraged cross-pollination of efforts, convened project leaders to address opportunities and problems, launched across-project collaborations, and created tools and resources to support overall efforts. This paper ends with some reflections on the processes implemented to maximize HGNI effectiveness, particularly the importance of forging a common identity in order to encourage expanded solutions. The HGNI can serve as an example of how intersecting interests can fuel new ideas, thus helping others think more strategically about change efforts in the future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Privacy-Enhancing Security Protocol in LTE Initial Attack

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uijin Jang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Long-Term Evolution (LTE is a fourth-generation mobile communication technology implemented throughout the world. It is the communication means of smartphones that send and receive all of the private date of individuals. M2M, IOT, etc., are the base technologies of mobile communication that will be used in the future cyber world. However, identification parameters, such as International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI, Radio Network Temporary Identities (RNTI, etc., in the initial attach section for accessing the LTE network are presented with the vulnerability of being exposed as clear text. Such vulnerability does not end in a mere identification parameter, but can lead to a secondary attack using the identification parameter, such as replication of the smartphone, illegal use of the mobile communication network, etc. This paper proposes a security protocol to safely transmit identification parameters in different cases of the initial attach. The proposed security protocol solves the exposed vulnerability by encrypting the parameters in transmission. Using an OPNET simulator, it is shown that the average rate of delay and processing ratio are efficient in comparison to the existing process.

Intended Use of Proceeds and the Performance of Initial Public Offerings (IPO)

OpenAIRE

Adanan Siti Azrina; Sani A’ieshah Abdullah; Bustamam Khair Syakira; Saidin Amilia

2017-01-01

Other than debt financing, Initial Public Offerings (IPO) become a common method of capital raising among firms for various purposes. Prospectus is issued on the pre-issuance of the IPO disclosing various mandatory and non-mandatory voluntary information to help the potential investors in their decision making process. Other than financial information on previous and forecasted future performance, the intended use of the IPO’s proceeds information is one of the crucial information for the sta...

Teaching smoking cessation to future nurses: Quebec educators' beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepage, Mario; Dumas, Louise; Saint-Pierre, Chantal

2015-03-01

Smoking cessation strategies are barely discussed in nursing education programs, even though initial education shapes how future professionals practice their profession. The aim of this research is to describe the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of nursing educators of Quebec with regard to smoking cessation strategies in initial nursing education. A descriptive design was chosen along with an online questionnaire. A total of 278 educators (20.8%) participated in the survey. Although educators recognize the importance of incorporating smoking cessation strategies into their teaching practice, they allocate an average of only one hour per year to the topic. Tobacco use is addressed mostly in terms of risk factors, with little focus on how to help patients quit. The perceived obstacles are related to false beliefs and a lack of knowledge. The results of this study demonstrate the need to raise educators' awareness of the importance of incorporating smoking cessation strategies into classroom teaching. © The Author(s) 2013.

A Reduction in Delay Discounting by Using Episodic Future Imagination and the Association with Episodic Memory Capacity.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiaochen; Kleinschmidt, Helena; Martin, Jason A; Han, Ying; Thelen, Manuela; Meiberth, Dix; Jessen, Frank; Weber, Bernd

2016-01-01

Delay discounting (DD) refers to the phenomenon that individuals discount future consequences. Previous studies showed that future imagination reduces DD, which was mediated by functional connectivity between medial prefrontal valuation areas and a key region for episodic memory (hippocampus). Future imagination involves an initial period of construction and a later period of elaboration, with the more elaborative latter period recruiting more cortical regions. This study examined whether elaborative future imagination modulated DD, and if so, what are the underlying neural substrates. It was assumed that cortical areas contribute to the modulation effect during the later period of imagination. Since future imagination is supported by episodic memory capacity, we additionally hypothesize that the neural network underlying the modulation effect is related to individual episodic memory capacity. Twenty-two subjects received an extensive interview on personal future events, followed by an fMRI DD experiment with and without the need to perform elaborative future imagination simultaneously. Subjects' episodic memory capacity was also assessed. Behavioral results replicate previous findings of a reduced discount rate in the DD plus imagination condition compared to the DD only condition. The behavioral effect positively correlated with: (i) subjective value signal changes in midline brain structures during the initial imagination period; and (ii) signal changes in left prefrontoparietal areas during the later imagination period. Generalized psychophysiological interaction (gPPI) analyses reveal positive correlations between the behavioral effect and functional connectivity among the following areas: right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left hippocampus; left inferior parietal cortex (IPC) and left hippocampus; and left IPC and bilateral occipital cortices. These changes in functional connectivity are also associated with episodic memory capacity. A hierarchical

Freeing Crop Genetics through the Open Source Seed Initiative.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claire H Luby

2016-04-01

Full Text Available For millennia, seeds have been freely available to use for farming and plant breeding without restriction. Within the past century, however, intellectual property rights (IPRs have threatened this tradition. In response, a movement has emerged to counter the trend toward increasing consolidation of control and ownership of plant germplasm. One effort, the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI, www.osseeds.org, aims to ensure access to crop genetic resources by embracing an open source mechanism that fosters exchange and innovation among farmers, plant breeders, and seed companies. Plant breeders across many sectors have taken the OSSI Pledge to create a protected commons of plant germplasm for future generations.

Freeing Crop Genetics through the Open Source Seed Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Luby, Claire H; Goldman, Irwin L

2016-04-01

For millennia, seeds have been freely available to use for farming and plant breeding without restriction. Within the past century, however, intellectual property rights (IPRs) have threatened this tradition. In response, a movement has emerged to counter the trend toward increasing consolidation of control and ownership of plant germplasm. One effort, the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI, www.osseeds.org), aims to ensure access to crop genetic resources by embracing an open source mechanism that fosters exchange and innovation among farmers, plant breeders, and seed companies. Plant breeders across many sectors have taken the OSSI Pledge to create a protected commons of plant germplasm for future generations.

Personalized medicine: CCO's vision, accomplishments and future plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jennifer; Kamel-Reid, Suzanne; Rutherford, Michael; Hart, Jennifer; Melamed, Saul; Pollett, Aaron

2015-01-01

Personalized medicine is a rapidly expanding field, with the potential to improve patient care. Its benefits include increasing efficiency in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment through early detection, targeted therapy and identifying individuals with an underlying genetic risk for cancer or adverse outcomes. Through the work of Cancer Care Ontario (CCO)'s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Program, a number of initiatives have been undertaken to support developments in personalized medicine. In keeping with the momentum of recent accomplishments, CCO has led the formation of the Personalized Medicine Steering Committee to develop a comprehensive provincial genetics strategy for the future of cancer care. Copyright © 2014 Longwoods Publishing.

LOSP-initiated event tree analysis for BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Norio; Kondo, Masaaki; Uno, Kiyotaka; Chigusa, Takeshi; Harami, Taikan

1989-03-01

As a preliminary study of 'Japanese Model Plant PSA', a LOSP (loss of off-site power)-initiated Event Tree Analysis for a Japanese typical BWR was carried out solely based on the open documents such as 'Safety Analysis Report'. The objectives of this analysis are as follows; - to delineate core-melt accident sequences initiated by LOSP, - to evaluate the importance of core-melt accident sequences in terms of occurrence frequency, and - to develop a foundation of plant information and analytical procedures for efficiently performing further 'Japanese Model Plant PSA'. This report describes the procedure and results of the LOSP-initiated Event Tree Analysis. In this analysis, two types of event trees, Functional Event Tree and Systemic Event Tree, were developed to delineate core-melt accident sequences and to quantify their frequencies. Front-line System Event Tree was prepared as well to provide core-melt sequence delineation for accident progression analysis of Level 2 PSA which will be followed in a future. Applying U.S. operational experience data such as component failure rates and a LOSP frequency, we obtained the following results; - The total frequency of core-melt accident sequences initiated by LOSP is estimated at 5 x 10 -4 per reactor-year. - The dominant sequences are 'Loss of Decay Heat Removal' and 'Loss of Emergency Electric Power Supply', which account for more than 90% of the total core-melt frequency. In this analysis, a higher value of 0.13/R·Y was used for the LOSP frequency than experiences in Japan and any recovery action was not considered. In fact, however, there has been no experience of LOSP event in Japanese nuclear power plants so far and it is also expected that offsite power and/or PCS would be recovered before core melt. Considering Japanese operating experience and recovery factors will reduce the total core-melt frequency to less than 10 -6 per reactor-year. (J.P.N.)

Highlights of the round table discussion on trends and future developments of the application of pressure to high Tc materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, C.W.; Ayache, C.; Fietz, W.J.; Kourouklis, G.K.; Liarokapis, E.; Wijngaarden, R.

1991-01-01

A discussion of current trends and the future development of the application of pressure to high T c materials was initiated by a brief presentation by each panel member and followed by an active exchange among all participants in the Workshop. The current status of the study of high temperature superconductivity and the past, current, and future roles of pressure in that study were discussed

Africa’s Role in Chinese People's Republic Initiative “One Belt and One Road”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Кристина Михайловна Михайличенко

2018-12-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the role, place and forms of African countries’ participation in the new China’s strategy “One Belt and One Road”. The author describes the existing partnership between China and African countries and their future interaction within the New Silk Road. China’s initiative pays special attention to identification of positive and negative sides of China-Africa cooperation.

The shear-free condition and constant-mean-curvature hyperboloidal initial data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, Paul T; Allen, Iva Stavrov; Isenberg, James; Lee, John M

2016-01-01

We consider the Einstein–Maxwell-fluid constraint equations, and make use of the conformal method to construct and parametrize constant-mean-curvature hyperboloidal initial data sets that satisfy the shear-free condition. This condition is known to be necessary in order that a spacetime development admit a regular conformal boundary at future null infinity; see (Andersson and Chruściel 1994 Commun. Math. Phys. 161 533–68). We work with initial data sets in a variety of regularity classes, primarily considering those data sets whose geometries are weakly asymptotically hyperbolic , as defined in (Allen et al 2015 arXiv:1506.03399). These metrics are C 1,1 conformally compact, but not necessarily C 2 conformally compact. In order to ensure that the data sets we construct are indeed shear-free, we make use of the conformally covariant traceless Hessian introduced in (Allen et al 2015 arXiv:1506.03399). We furthermore construct a class of initial data sets with weakly asymptotically hyerbolic metrics that may be only C 0,1 conformally compact; these data sets are insufficiently regular to make sense of the shear-free condition. (paper)

Grassroots Initiatives as Sustainability Transition Pioneers: Implications and Lessons for Urban Food Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Gernert

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This review explores the current evidence on the role and success factors of grassroots initiatives in sustainability transitions, with special attention given to social innovations and the transformation of urban food systems, a field that is still rather scantly dealt with in literature compared to technological innovations in other sectors such as energy. In addition to their contributions to get the necessary transformation towards sustainable futures off the ground, the preconditions for grassroots initiatives to thrive are presented—as well as limitations regarding their possibilities and the challenges they face. Increasingly, the importance of civil society and social movements in facilitating societal transformation is recognized by both researchers and policy makers. Within their radical niches, grassroots initiatives do not have to adhere to the logics of the wider systems in which they are embedded. This allows them to experiment with diverse solutions to sustainability challenges such as local food security and sovereignty. By means of democratic, inclusive and participatory processes, they create new pathways and pilot a change of course. Nevertheless, upscaling often comes at the loss of the transformative potential of grassroots initiatives.

Securing India's energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raghuraman, V.

2009-01-01

India's development aspirations are challenged by energy security and climate change considerations. The integrated energy policy clearly deliberates the need to intensify all energy options with emphasis on maximizing indigenous coal production, harnessing hydropower, increasing adoption of renewables, intensifying hydrocarbon exploration and production and anchoring nuclear power development to meet the long-term requirements. The report also emphasizes the need to secure overseas hydrocarbon and coal assets. Subsequently the National Action Plan on climate change has underscored the need to wean away from fossil fuels, the ambitious National Solar Mission is a case in point. Ultimately securing India's energy future lies in clean coal, safe nuclear and innovative solar. Coal is the key energy option in the foreseeable future. Initiatives are needed to take lead role in clean coal technologies, in-situ coal gasification, tapping coal bed methane, coal to liquids and coal to gas technologies. There is need to intensify oil exploration by laying the road-map to open acreage to unlock the hydrocarbon potential. Pursue alternate routes based on shale, methane from marginal fields. Effectively to use oil diplomacy to secure and diversify sources of supply including trans-national pipelines and engage with friendly countries to augment strategic resources. Technologies to be accessed and developed with international co-operation and financial assistance. Public-Private Partnerships, in collaborative R and D projects need to be accelerated. Nuclear share of electricity generation capacity to be increased 6 to 7% of 63000 MW by 2031-32 and further to 25% (300000 MW) capacity by 2050 is to be realized by operationalizing the country's thorium programme. Nuclear renaissance has opened up opportunities for the Indian industry to meet not only India's requirements but also participate in the global nuclear commerce; India has the potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub

Supply Chains in the Apparel Industry: Do Transnational Initiatives for Social Sustainability Improve Workers’ Situation?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claude Meier

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Non-state driven Transnational Initiatives for Social Sustainability (TISSs have increasingly attempted to approach social issues like labour laws in global supply chains. The reason is that state-laws are territorially confined. But can TISSs contribute to effective solutions of issues on which they are focused? This examination presents a theoretical framework explaining the effectiveness of TISSs. For the empirical case study, the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI and the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF were selected. Data was collected from expert interviews and documents. The results led to the conclusion that stakeholder-involving approaches are adequate to support social sustainability in the future.

Shanghai Futures Exchange Published Draft of Tin and Nickel Futures Contract

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2015-01-01

Shanghai Futures Exchange published draft for soliciting opinions for tin and nickel futures contract on its official website on January 19,which implies the marketing time of the long awaited tin and nickel futures is drawing near.According to the draft for soliciting opinions,the transaction unit of tin futures contract is 1tonne/lot,minimum variation unit is 10 yuan/tonne,daily maximum price fluctuation shall

Future-Oriented LCA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Stig Irving; Borup, Mads; Andersen, Per Dannemand

2018-01-01

LCA is often applied for decision-making that concerns actions reaching near or far into the future. However, traditional life cycle assessment methodology must be adjusted for the prospective and change-oriented purposes, but no standardised way of doing this has emerged yet. In this chapter some...... challenges are described and some learnings are derived. Many of the future-oriented LCAs published so far perform relatively short-term prediction of simple comparisons. But for more long-term time horizons foresight methods can be of help. Scenarios established by qualified experts about future...... technological and economic developments are indispensable in future technology assessments. The uncertainties in future-oriented LCAs are to a large extent qualitative and it is important to emphasise that LCA of future technologies will provide a set of answers and not ‘the’ answer....

Transportation Energy Futures Series. Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvement Beyond the Light-Duty-Vehicle Sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vyas, A. D. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Patel, D. M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bertram, K. M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2013-02-01

Considerable research has focused on energy efficiency and fuel substitution options for light-duty vehicles, while much less attention has been given to medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, aircraft, marine vessels, trains, pipeline, and off-road equipment. This report brings together the salient findings from an extensive review of literature on future energy efficiency options for these non-light-duty modes. Projected activity increases to 2050 are combined with forecasts of overall fuel efficiency improvement potential to estimate the future total petroleum and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to current levels. This is one of a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency project initiated to pinpoint underexplored strategies for abating GHGs and reducing petroleum dependence related to transportation.

Transportation Energy Futures Series: Potential for Energy Efficiency Improvement Beyond the Light-Duty-Vehicle Sector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vyas, A. D.; Patel, D. M.; Bertram, K. M.

2013-03-01

Considerable research has focused on energy efficiency and fuel substitution options for light-duty vehicles, while much less attention has been given to medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, aircraft, marine vessels, trains, pipeline, and off-road equipment. This report brings together the salient findings from an extensive review of literature on future energy efficiency options for these non-light-duty modes. Projected activity increases to 2050 are combined with forecasts of overall fuel efficiency improvement potential to estimate the future total petroleum and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to current levels. This is one of a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures (TEF) project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency project initiated to pinpoint underexplored strategies for abating GHGs and reducing petroleum dependence related to transportation.

Control Towers in Supply Chain Management - Past and Future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Trzuskawska-Grzesińska

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The global economy requires global supply chain management which relies on visibility and responsiveness. Determinants such as: information technology tools, process knowledge, sales and operations planning experiences, etc., enable the formation of theory and practice for the supply chain control tower concept. The goal of the research paper is to identify business examples of different approaches to the supply chain control tower in the past and initiate a discussion on their future. This paper synthesizes past control tower practices and identifies possible future trends. The author performed: literature analysis, three selected companies' case studies and comparative analyses. As the control towers evolve, while supply chains are transforming continuous, update from the market is needed. The research findings showed the selected companies, in the future, perceived control tower's activities as a potential source of revenue not just solely a source of cost and time optimization as well as a source of value added to customer. The researched control towers were built and still they are developed. The business frequently changes and requires control towers to be adjusted, reengineered and adaptive. The researched control towers are needed to keep control over supply chain while it is transforming. There is a differentiation between the supply chain control towers, logistic services control towers and reverse supply chain control towers. An integration mechanism between the control towers would be necessary to assure entire supply chain visibility and orchestration. The research also shows the knowledge gap regarding the control towers in supply chain, specially their possible configurations and future.

Initial conditions for slow-roll inflation in a random Gaussian landscape

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masoumi, Ali; Vilenkin, Alexander; Yamada, Masaki, E-mail: ali@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu, E-mail: Masaki.Yamada@tufts.edu [Institute of Cosmology, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 (United States)

2017-07-01

In the landscape perspective, our Universe begins with a quantum tunneling from an eternally-inflating parent vacuum, followed by a period of slow-roll inflation. We investigate the tunneling process and calculate the probability distribution for the initial conditions and for the number of e-folds of slow-roll inflation, modeling the landscape by a small-field one-dimensional random Gaussian potential. We find that such a landscape is fully consistent with observations, but the probability for future detection of spatial curvature is rather low, P ∼ 10{sup −3}.

Towards a comparable carbon footprint for local initiatives: The FP7 project TESS

Science.gov (United States)

Reusser, Dominik E.; Kropp, Jürgen P.

2014-05-01

TESS (Towards European Societal Sustainability -- www.tess-transition.eu) is a three-year, European-wide research project. It aims to reach an understanding of the potential for community-led initiatives to help deliver a truly sustainable, low-carbon future. Transitions to low-carbon societies take place at multiple and complementary scales. Transition processes are highly dependent on the innovative potential of community-based initiatives and their articulation with appropriate institutional architecture. Community-based initiatives are potentially more adaptable and less constrained by current structural circumstances than top-down policies and can give impetus to large-scale and technology driven changes. TESS will provide an understanding on the upscaling possibilities of such high-potential community-based initiatives by addressing two main questions: What is the impact of community-based initiatives in terms of carbon reduction potential and economic effect? What institutional structures (values, policies and mechanisms) support these initiatives in persisting beyond the initial phase and moving into an acceleration phase, spreading desired impacts? Answers will be provided through (1) a novel measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) framework for benchmarking community-based initiatives. This will enable quantifiable, comparable and standardised evaluation, and (2) the identification of success factors for the emergence, persistence and diffusion of promising initiatives, including online initiatives. We will identify these initiatives through case studies across regions and sectors and produce a systemic understanding of their impact on societal transitions towards sustainability. Our research will be integrated and transdisciplinary, with the unique opportunity to bring together social and natural scientists to foster a transition towards European societal sustainability. Our work will feed into and extend the Climate Adapt database to facilitate

USDOE applied R ampersand D private sector initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lien, S.C.T.

1990-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently consolidated its Environmental Restoration and Waste Management activities. Within that new organization, DOE has committed to conduct Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation (RDDT ampersand E) activities within the Office of Technology Development (OTD) to reduce cost, reduce risk, and otherwise improve the technologies to meet its cleanup goals. Currently available technology is not adequate to assess environmental contamination, take permanent remedial action, and to eliminate or minimize the environmental impact of future operations. To focus private sector capabilities on the high-priority needs of DOE, a series of competitive solicitations will be issued starting in FY 1990. This paper describes the range and scope of the DOE initiatives for private sector involvement in Applied R ampersand D. 2 tabs

Respiratory neuroplasticity - Overview, significance and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, David D; Mitchell, Gordon S

2017-01-01

Neuroplasticity is an important property of the neural system controlling breathing. However, our appreciation for its importance is still relatively new, and we have much to learn concerning different forms of plasticity, their underlying mechanisms, and their biological and clinical significance. In this brief review, we discuss several well-studied models of respiratory plasticity, including plasticity initiated by inactivity in the respiratory system, intermittent and sustained hypoxia, and traumatic injury to the spinal cord. Other aspects of respiratory plasticity are considered in other contributions to this special edition of Experimental Neurology on respiratory plasticity. Finally, we conclude with discussions concerning the biological and clinical significance of respiratory motor plasticity, and areas in need of future research effort. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Optical High-resolution Spectroscopy of 14 Young α-rich Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuno, Tadafumi; Yong, David; Aoki, Wako; Ishigaki, Miho N.

2018-06-01

We report chemical abundances of 14 young α-rich stars including neutron-capture elements based on high-quality optical spectra from HIRES/Keck I and differential line-by-line analysis. From a comparison of the abundance patterns of young α-rich stars to those of nearby bright red giants with a similar metallicity range (‑0.7 branch stars plays an important role in the formation of young α-rich stars. The high frequency of radial velocity variation (more than 50%) is also confirmed. We argue that mass transfer from low-mass red giants is the likely dominant formation mechanism for young α-rich stars. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Spectroscopy of Six Red Giants in the Draco Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Graeme H.; Siegel, Michael H.; Shetrone, Matthew D.; Winnick, Rebeccah

2006-10-01

Keck Observatory LRIS-B (Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) spectra are reported for six red giant stars in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy and several comparison giants in the globular cluster M13. Indexes that quantify the strengths of the Ca II H and K lines, the λ3883 and λ4215 CN bands, and the λ4300 G band have been measured. These data confirm evidence of metallicity inhomogeneity within Draco obtained by previous authors. The four brightest giants in the sample have absolute magnitudes in the range -2.6intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars to enrich the interstellar medium while star formation was still occurring. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 1. Exploration of High-Penetration Renewable Electricity Futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hand, M. M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Baldwin, S. [U.S. Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States); DeMeo, E. [Renewable Energy Consulting, Chicago, IL (United States); Reilly, J. M. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Mai, T. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Arent, D. [Joint Inst. for Strategic Energy Analysis, Boulder, CO (United States); Porro, G. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Meshek, M. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sandor, D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2012-06-15

The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. grid with high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a future through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energy futures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%–90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growth assumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Learn more at the RE Futures website. http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/re_futures/

The halo bispectrum in N-body simulations with non-Gaussian initial conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Sefusatti, E.; Crocce, M.; Desjacques, V.

2012-10-01

We present measurements of the bispectrum of dark matter haloes in numerical simulations with non-Gaussian initial conditions of local type. We show, in the first place, that the overall effect of primordial non-Gaussianity on the halo bispectrum is larger than on the halo power spectrum when all measurable configurations are taken into account. We then compare our measurements with a tree-level perturbative prediction, finding good agreement at large scales when the constant Gaussian bias parameter, both linear and quadratic, and their constant non-Gaussian corrections are fitted for. The best-fitting values of the Gaussian bias factors and their non-Gaussian, scale-independent corrections are in qualitative agreement with the peak-background split expectations. In particular, we show that the effect of non-Gaussian initial conditions on squeezed configurations is fairly large (up to 30 per cent for fNL = 100 at redshift z = 0.5) and results from contributions of similar amplitude induced by the initial matter bispectrum, scale-dependent bias corrections as well as from non-linear matter bispectrum corrections. We show, in addition, that effects at second order in fNL are irrelevant for the range of values allowed by cosmic microwave background and galaxy power spectrum measurements, at least on the scales probed by our simulations (k > 0.01 h Mpc-1). Finally, we present a Fisher matrix analysis to assess the possibility of constraining primordial non-Gaussianity with future measurements of the galaxy bispectrum. We find that a survey with a volume of about 10 h-3 Gpc3 at mean redshift z ≃ 1 could provide an error on fNL of the order of a few. This shows the relevance of a joint analysis of galaxy power spectrum and bispectrum in future redshift surveys.

Bioregenerative Life Support System Research as part of the DLR EDEN Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Bamsey, Matthew; Schubert, Daniel; Zabel, Paul; Poulet, Lucie; Zeidler, Conrad

In 2011, the DLR Institute of Space Systems launched a research initiative called EDEN - Evolution and Design of Environmentally-closed Nutrition-Sources. The research initiative focuses on bioregenerative life support systems, especially greenhouse modules, and technologies for future crewed vehicles. The EDEN initiative comprises several projects with respect to space research, ground testing and spin-offs. In 2014, EDEN’s new laboratory officially opened. This new biological cleanroom laboratory comprises several plant growth chambers incorporating a number of novel controlled environment agriculture technologies. This laboratory will be the nucleus for a variety of plant cultivation experiments within closed environments. The utilized technologies are being advanced using the pull of space technology and include such items as stacked growth systems, PAR-specific LEDs, intracanopy lighting, aeroponic nutrient delivery systems and ion-selective nutrient sensors. The driver of maximizing biomass output per unit volume and energy has much application in future bioregenerative life support systems but can also provide benefit terrestrially. The EDEN laboratory also includes several specially constructed chambers for advancing models addressing the interaction between bioregenerative and physical-chemical life support systems. The EDEN team is presently developing designs for containerized greenhouse modules. One module is planned for deployment to the German Antarctic Station, Neumayer III. The shipping container based system will provide supplementation to the overwintering crew’s diet, provide psychological benefit while at the same time advancing the technology and operational readiness of harsh environment plant production systems. In addition to hardware development, the EDEN team has participated in several early phase designs such as for the ESA Greenhouse Module for Space System and for large-scale vertical farming. These studies often utilize the

Model of unplanned smoking initiation of children and adolescents: an integrated stage model of smoking behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Kremers, S P J; Mudde, A N; De Vries, H

2004-05-01

Two lines of psychological research have attempted to spell out the stages of adolescent smoking initiation. The first has focused on behavioral stages of smoking initiation, while the second line emphasized motivational stages. A large international sample of European adolescents (N = 10,170, mean age = 13.3 years) was followed longitudinally. Self-reported motivational and behavioral stages of smoking initiation were integrated, leading to the development of the Model of Unplanned Smoking Initiation of Children and Adolescents (MUSICA). The MUSICA postulates that youngsters experiment with smoking while they are in an unmotivated state as regards their plans for smoking regularly in the future. More than 95% of the total population resided in one of the seven stages distinguished by MUSICA. The probability of starting to smoke regularly during the 12 months follow-up period increased with advanced stage assignment at baseline. Unique social cognitive predictors of stage progression from the various stages were identified, but effect sizes of predictors of transitions were small. The integration of motivational and behavioral dimensions improves our understanding of the process of smoking initiation. In contrast to current theories of smoking initiation, adolescent uptake of smoking behavior was found to be an unplanned action.

The future of the brain essays by the world's leading neuroscientists

CERN Document Server

Freeman, Jeremy

2015-01-01

An unprecedented look at the quest to unravel the mysteries of the human brain, The Future of the Brain takes readers to the absolute frontiers of science. Original essays by leading researchers such as Christof Koch, George Church, Olaf Sporns, and May-Britt and Edvard Moser describe the spectacular technological advances that will enable us to map the more than eighty-five billion neurons in the brain, as well as the challenges that lie ahead in understanding the anticipated deluge of data and the prospects for building working simulations of the human brain. A must-read for anyone trying to understand ambitious new research programs such as the Obama administration's BRAIN Initiative and the European Union’s Human Brain Project, The Future of the Brain sheds light on the breathtaking implications of brain science for medicine, psychiatry, and even human consciousness itself.

Money market futures

OpenAIRE

Anatoli Kuprianov

1992-01-01

Virtually all financial innovation in the U.S. money market during the past 20 years has centered on interest rate derivatives, including futures and swaps. Furthermore, money market futures--especially futures contracts on Eurodollar time deposits--have been at the vanguard of the recent explosion of trading activity in interest rate derivatives. While futures markets traditionally have been viewed as markets for the transfer of price risk, recent research shows that they may serve other imp...

Science for a sustainable future

CERN Multimedia

2013-01-01

Today we had a visit from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations. This is Mr Ban’s second visit to our laboratory, but his first since CERN was granted Observer status at the United Nations General Assembly last December. It therefore gave us our first opportunity to discuss joint initiatives already under way.   Our discussions focused on CERN’s contribution to science-related UN activities, and in particular those of the UN’s Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, whose focus for 2013 is on leveraging science, technology, innovation and culture for a sustainable future. CERN will be taking part in ECOSOC meetings in Geneva in July, and we will be contributing on the theme of young women in science to ECOSOC’s Youth Forum on 27 March. Mr Ban and I also discussed the role of the Secretary-General’s recently established science advisory board. During his brief visit, Mr Ban became one of our first visitors to see some of the underg...

Hydrogen, fuel of the future?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bello, B.

2008-01-01

The European project HyWays has drawn out the road map of hydrogen energy development in Europe. The impact of this new energy vector on the security of energy supplies, on the abatement of greenhouse gases and on the economy should be important in the future. This article summarizes the main conclusions of the HyWays study: CO 2 emissions, hydrogen production mix, oil saving abatement, economic analysis, contribution of hydrogen to the development of renewable energies, hydrogen uses, development of regional demand and of users' centers, transport and distribution. The proposals of the HyWays consortium are as follows: implementing a strong public/private European partnership to reach the goals, favoring market penetration, developing training, tax exemption on hydrogen in the initial phase for a partial compensation of the cost difference, inciting public fleets to purchase hydrogen-fueled vehicles, using synergies with other technologies (vehicles with internal combustion engines, hybrid vehicles, biofuels of second generation..), harmonizing hydrogen national regulations at the European scale. (J.S.)

Future accelerators (?)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John Womersley

2003-08-21

I describe the future accelerator facilities that are currently foreseen for electroweak scale physics, neutrino physics, and nuclear structure. I will explore the physics justification for these machines, and suggest how the case for future accelerators can be made.

Future Remains: Industrial Heritage at the Hanford Plutonium Works

Science.gov (United States)

Freer, Brian

This dissertation argues that U.S. environmental and historic preservation regulations, industrial heritage projects, history, and art only provide partial frameworks for successfully transmitting an informed story into the long range future about nuclear technology and its related environmental legacy. This argument is important because plutonium from nuclear weapons production is toxic to humans in very small amounts, threatens environmental health, has a half-life of 24, 110 years and because the industrial heritage project at Hanford is the first time an entire U.S. Department of Energy weapons production site has been designated a U.S. Historic District. This research is situated within anthropological interest in industrial heritage studies, environmental anthropology, applied visual anthropology, as well as wider discourses on nuclear studies. However, none of these disciplines is really designed or intended to be a completely satisfactory frame of reference for addressing this perplexing challenge of documenting and conveying an informed story about nuclear technology and its related environmental legacy into the long range future. Others have thought about this question and have made important contributions toward a potential solution. Examples here include: future generations movements concerning intergenerational equity as evidenced in scholarship, law, and amongst Native American groups; Nez Perce and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation responses to the Hanford End State Vision and Hanford's Canyon Disposition Initiative; as well as the findings of organizational scholars on the advantages realized by organizations that have a long term future perspective. While these ideas inform the main line inquiry of this dissertation, the principal approach put forth by the researcher of how to convey an informed story about nuclear technology and waste into the long range future is implementation of the proposed Future Remains clause, as

Influence of initial pH on thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure and maize stalk.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tong; Mao, Chunlan; Zhai, Ningning; Wang, Xiaojiao; Yang, Gaihe

2015-01-01

The contradictions between the increasing energy demand and decreasing fossil fuels are making the use of renewable energy the key to the sustainable development of energy in the future. Biogas, a renewable clean energy, can be obtained by the anaerobic fermentation of manure waste and agricultural straw. This study examined the initial pH value had obvious effect on methane production and the process in the thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion. Five different initial pH levels with three different manure ratios were tested. All digesters in different initial pH showed a diverse methane production after 35 days. The VFA/alkalinity ratio of the optimum reaction condition for methanogens activity was in the range of 0.1-0.3 and the optimal condition that at the 70% dung ratio and initial pH 6.81, was expected to achieve maximum total biogas production (146.32 mL/g VS). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unilateral initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1988-01-01

This paper reports on arms control which is generally thought of in terms of formal negotiations with an opponent, with the resulting agreements embodied in a treaty. This is not surprising, since arms control discussions between opponents are both important and politically visible. There are, however, strong reasons for countries to consider and frequently take unilateral initiatives. To do so is entirely consistent with the established major precepts of arms control which state that arms control is designed to reduce the risk of war, the costs of preparing for war, and the death and destruction if war should come. Unilateral initiatives on what weapons are purchased, which ones are eliminated and how forces are deployed can all relate to these objectives. There are two main categories of motives for unilateral initiatives in arms control. In one category, internal national objectives are the dominant, often sole, driving force; the initiative is undertaken for our own good

Bioengineering the Uterus: An Overview of Recent Advances and Future Perspectives in Reproductive Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Campo, Hannes; Cervelló, Irene; Simón, Carlos

2017-07-01

Since the initial in vitro attempts to more complex models, research on uterine regeneration is moving towards the creation of a functional bioengineered uterus with possible clinical applications. We describe here the most relevant advances in bioengineering of the uterus published in the last decades considering the use of stem cells and biomaterials as well as future developing techniques in Regenerative Medicine.

Quantifying and Understanding Effects from Wildlife, Radar, and Public Engagement on Future Wind Deployment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tegen, Suzanne

2017-05-24

This presentation provides an overview of findings from a report published in 2016 by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, An Initial Evaluation of Siting Considerations on Current and Future Wind Deployment. The presentation covers the background for research, the Energy Department's Wind Vision, research methods, siting considerations, the wind project deployment process, and costs associated with siting considerations.

Exploring the Diversity of Exoplanet Atmospheres Using Ground-Based Transit Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Bean, Jacob

This is a proposal to fund an observational study of the atmospheres of exoplanets in order to improve our understanding of the nature and origins of these mysterious worlds. The observations will be performed using our new approach for ground-based transit spectroscopy measurements that yields space-telescope quality data. We will also carry out supporting theoretical calculations with new abundance retrieval codes to interpret the measurements. Our project includes a survey of giant exoplanets, and intensive study of especially compelling exoplanets. For the survey, optical and near-infrared transmission spectra, and near-infrared emission spectra will be measured for giant exoplanets with a wide range of estimated temperatures, heavy element abundance, and mass. This comprehensive characterization of a large sample of these planets is now crucial to investigate such issues for their atmospheres as the carbon-to-oxygen ratios and overall metallicities, cause of thermal inversions, and prevalence and nature of high-altitude hazes. The intensive study of compelling individual planets will focus on low-mass (M spectroscopy, and leveraging its particular sensitivity to the atmospheric scale height. Observations for the project will be carried out with Magellan, Keck, Gemini, and VLT. The team has institutional access to Magellan and Keck, and a demonstrated record of obtaining time on Gemini and VLT for these observations through public channels. This proposal is highly relevant for current and future NASA projects. We are seeking to understand the diversity of exoplanets revealed by planet searches like Kepler and the Eta-Earth survey. Our observations will complement, extend, and provide context for similar observations with HST and Spitzer. We will investigate the fundamental nature of the closest kin to Earth-size exoplanets, and this is an important foundation that must be laid down before studying habitable planets with JWST and a future TPF-like mission.

Central and Eastern European countries between the 16+1 platform and Chinese OBOR - One Belt, One Road - Initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Cornel Dumitrescu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at analysing the projects and the initiatives of the Central and Eastern European countries that have been finalised, are in progress or will be developed in the near future with the help of the existing or future financial instruments specific to the 16+1 platform and the One Belt, One Road complex program. For our research we selected four countries, namely: Poland, Romania, Serbia and Hungary, the group being relevant from the perspective of the transportation corridors connected to the ”One Belt, One Road” initiative: (1 - Piraeus, Skopje, Belgrade, Budapest, Western Europe; (2 - Suez Canal, Constanta and then Danube, Western Europe, or through Moldova towards Ukraine and Poland; (3 – Constanta, through the Black Sea and Caspian Sea and then the corridors mentioned at the previous point. We based our analysis on the data provided by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China-CEEC think-tank network and the literature in the field.

From the Editors: The present and future of the scientific communication system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Maria Sallan

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Scientific progress today is a collective task. Faculty working in different institutions collaborate, directly or using extant research published by their colleagues, on the development of the body of knowledge of a scientific paradigm. The scientific communication system (SCS allows that invisible college to communicate; therefore we consider it a cornerstone of the research system, and a key resource for the advance of science. In that editorial note we show the main threats for the future of the SCM. We describe the evolution of the roles of the main agents involved: publishers, academics, suppliers of bibliometric information and the public sector. We argue that initiatives such as SPARC or the creation of open access journals can contribute to the development of an effective SCS in the future.

Ongoing Initiatives to Improve the Quality and Efficiency of Medicine Use within the Public Healthcare System in South Africa; A Preliminary Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna C. Meyer

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: South Africa has an appreciable burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as high maternal, neonatal, and child morbidity. In recent years there have been significant strides with improving the public health system, and addressing current inequalities, with the right to health a constitutional provision in South Africa. Initiatives include the introduction of National Health Insurance, programmes to enhance access to medicines for patients with chronic diseases, as well as activities to improve care in hospitals, including improving pharmacovigilance. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to review ongoing initiatives within the public healthcare sector in South Africa and their influence to provide future direction.Method: Principally a structured review of current and planned activities.Results: There have been a number of major activities and initiatives surrounding the availability and access to medicines in the public system in recent years in South Africa. This includes a National Surveillance Centre and an innovative early warning system for the supply of medicines as well as the development of a National Health Care Pricing Authority and initiatives to improve contracting. There have also been developments to improve the supply chain including instigating Medicine Procurement Units in the provinces and enhancing forecasting capabilities. Access to medicines is improving though the instigation of stable chronic disease management initiatives to increase the number of external pick-up points for medicines. There are also ongoing programmes to enhance adherence to medicines as well as enhance adherence to the Standard Treatment Guidelines and the Essential Medicines List with their increasing availability. In addition, there is a movement to enhance the role of health technology assessment in future decision making. Hospital initiatives include increased focus on reducing antimicrobial resistance

Renewable Electricity Futures Study. Volume 1: Exploration of High-Penetration Renewable Electricity Futures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mai, T.; Wiser, R.; Sandor, D.; Brinkman, G.; Heath, G.; Denholm, P.; Hostick, D.J.; Darghouth, N.; Schlosser, A.; Strzepek, K.

2012-06-01

The Renewable Electricity Futures (RE Futures) Study investigated the challenges and impacts of achieving very high renewable electricity generation levels in the contiguous United States by 2050. The analysis focused on the sufficiency of the geographically diverse U.S. renewable resources to meet electricity demand over future decades, the hourly operational characteristics of the U.S. grid with high levels of variable wind and solar generation, and the potential implications of deploying high levels of renewables in the future. RE Futures focused on technical aspects of high penetration of renewable electricity; it did not focus on how to achieve such a future through policy or other measures. Given the inherent uncertainties involved with analyzing alternative long-term energy futures as well as the multiple pathways that might be taken to achieve higher levels of renewable electricity supply, RE Futures explored a range of scenarios to investigate and compare the impacts of renewable electricity penetration levels (30%-90%), future technology performance improvements, potential constraints to renewable electricity development, and future electricity demand growth assumptions. RE Futures was led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The International Space Station: A Pathway to the Future

Science.gov (United States)

Kitmacher, Gary H.; Gerstenmaier, William H.; Bartoe, John-David F.; Mustachio, Nicholas

2004-01-01

Nearly six years after the launch of the first International Space Station element, and four years after its initial occupation, the United States and our 16 international partners have made great strides in operating this impressive Earth orbiting research facility. This past year we have done so in the face of the adversity of operating without the benefit of the Space Shuttle. In his January 14, 2004, speech announcing a new vision for America's space program, President Bush affirmed the United States' commitment to completing construction of the International Space Station by 2010. The President also stated that we would focus our future research aboard the Station on the longterm effects of space travel on human biology. This research will help enable human crews to venture through the vast voids of space for months at a time. In addition, ISS affords a unique opportunity to serve as an engineering test bed for hardware and operations critical to the exploration tasks. NASA looks forward to working with our partners on International Space Station research that will help open up new pathways for future exploration and discovery beyond low Earth orbit. This paper provides an overview of the International Space Station Program focusing on a review of the events of the past year, as well as plans for next year and the future.

Generation of political priority for global health initiatives: a framework and case study of maternal mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiffman, Jeremy; Smith, Stephanie

2007-10-13

Why do some global health initiatives receive priority from international and national political leaders whereas others receive little attention? To analyse this question we propose a framework consisting of four categories: the strength of the actors involved in the initiative, the power of the ideas they use to portray the issue, the nature of the political contexts in which they operate, and characteristics of the issue itself. We apply this framework to the case of a global initiative to reduce maternal mortality, which was launched in 1987. We undertook archival research and interviewed people connected with the initiative, using a process-tracing method that is commonly employed in qualitative research. We report that despite two decades of effort the initiative remains in an early phase of development, hampered by difficulties in all these categories. However, the initiative's 20th year, 2007, presents opportunities to build political momentum. To generate political priority, advocates will need to address several challenges, including the creation of effective institutions to guide the initiative and the development of a public positioning of the issue to convince political leaders to act. We use the framework and case study to suggest areas for future research on the determinants of political priority for global health initiatives, which is a subject that has attracted much speculation but little scholarship.

Radiation safety without borders initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dibblee, Martha; Dickson, Howard; Krieger, Ken; Lopez, Jose; Waite, David; Weaver, Ken

2008-01-01

that HPS members can provide with very little effort. Such items as refurbished hand-held survey instruments and professional journals expand the scope of many programs that lack the vital radiation protection infrastructure we take for granted. Although the HPS with its RSWB initiative has no requirement to fill infrastructure voids, a visit from a HPS volunteer professional sometimes can form a bridge that will help build the infrastructure. Even a short visit could provide valuable information about the status of a country's infrastructure. HPS Chapter volunteers then can proceed to help their professional counterparts, providing the much-needed support for the eventual buildup of their radiation protection infrastructure. It is anticipated that RSWB's long term vision to support developing countries' health physics infrastructure, and eventual IRPA Associate membership, will continue to be supported by this and future HPS administrations. (author)

Four faint T dwarfs from the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Southern Stripe

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Kuenley; Liu, Michael C.; Jiang, Linhua; Allers, Katelyn N.; Stark, Daniel P.; Bunker, Andrew; Fan, Xiaohui; Glazebrook, Karl; Dupuy, Trent J.

2008-03-01

We present the optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy of four faint T dwarfs newly discovered from the UKIDSS first data release. The sample, drawn from an imaged area of ~136 deg2 to a depth of Y = 19.9 (5σ, Vega), is located in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Southern Equatorial Stripe, a region of significant future deep imaging potential. We detail the selection and followup of these objects, three of which are spectroscopically confirmed brown dwarfs ranging from type T2.5 to T7.5, and one is photometrically identified as early T. Their magnitudes range from Y = 19.01 to 19.88 with derived distances from 34 to 98 pc, making these among the coldest and faintest brown dwarfs known. The T7.5 dwarf appears to be single based on 0.05-arcsec images from Keck laser guide star adaptive optics. The sample brings the total number of T dwarfs found or confirmed by UKIDSS data in this region to nine, and we discuss the projected numbers of dwarfs in the future survey data. We estimate that ~240 early and late T dwarfs are discoverable in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey (LAS) data, falling significantly short of published model projections and suggesting that initial mass functions and/or birth rates may be at the low end of possible models. Thus, deeper optical data have good potential to exploit the UKIDSS survey depth more fully, but may still find the potential Y dwarf sample to be extremely rare.

The development of a gender identity psychosocial clinic: treatment issues, logistical considerations, interdisciplinary cooperation, and future initiatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Leibowitz, Scott F; Spack, Norman P

2011-10-01

Few interdisciplinary treatment programs that tend to the needs of youth with gender nonconforming behaviors, expressions, and identities exist in academic medical centers with formal residency training programs. Despite this, the literature provides evidence that these youth have higher rates of poor psychosocial adjustment and suicide attempts. This article explores the logistical considerations involved in developing a specialized interdisciplinary service to these gender minority youth in accordance with the existing treatment guidelines.Demographic data will be presented and treatment issues will be explored. The impact that a specialized interdisciplinary treatment program has on clinical expansion, research development, education and training, and community outreach initiatives is discussed.

Personalized Telehealth in the Future: A Global Research Agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Dinesen, Birthe; Nonnecke, Brandie; Lindeman, David; Toft, Egon; Kidholm, Kristian; Jethwani, Kamal; Young, Heather M; Spindler, Helle; Oestergaard, Claus Ugilt; Southard, Jeffrey A; Gutierrez, Mario; Anderson, Nick; Albert, Nancy M; Han, Jay J; Nesbitt, Thomas

2016-03-01

As telehealth plays an even greater role in global health care delivery, it will be increasingly important to develop a strong evidence base of successful, innovative telehealth solutions that can lead to scalable and sustainable telehealth programs. This paper has two aims: (1) to describe the challenges of promoting telehealth implementation to advance adoption and (2) to present a global research agenda for personalized telehealth within chronic disease management. Using evidence from the United States and the European Union, this paper provides a global overview of the current state of telehealth services and benefits, presents fundamental principles that must be addressed to advance the status quo, and provides a framework for current and future research initiatives within telehealth for personalized care, treatment, and prevention. A broad, multinational research agenda can provide a uniform framework for identifying and rapidly replicating best practices, while concurrently fostering global collaboration in the development and rigorous testing of new and emerging telehealth technologies. In this paper, the members of the Transatlantic Telehealth Research Network offer a 12-point research agenda for future telehealth applications within chronic disease management.

Transforming Future Teaching through ‘Carpe Diem’ Learning Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gilly Salmon

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Academic staff in Higher Education (HE need to transform their teaching practices to support more future-orientated, digital, student-centered learning. Promoting, enabling and implementing these changes urgently requires acceptable, meaningful and effective staff development for academics. We identify four key areas that are presenting as barriers to the implementation of successful staff development. We illuminate the Carpe Diem learning design workshop process and illustrate its impact on academic staff as a viable, constructive alternative to traditional staff development processes. The Carpe Diem model directly exposes and addresses the irony that educational institutions expect their academic staff to learn to design and deliver personalized, mobile and technology-enhanced learning to students, whilst wedded to ‘one size fits all’ face-to-face interventions…or worse, ‘page turning’ e-learning that masquerades as staff development. To avoid further frustrations and expensive, inappropriate initiatives, the spirit and practice of Carpe Diem could act as a ‘pathfinder beacon’, and be more widely adopted to enable fast, effective and fully embedded, learner-ready, future-proofed learning.

Towards Narrative Futuring in Psychology: Becoming Resilient by Imagining the Future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sools, Anna Maria; Mooren, J.H.M.

2012-01-01

In this article we develop a narrative psychological approach to futuring (imagining the future). We explore how this approach addresses the question of how people can become resilient in order to anticipate (social) crisis and change. Firstly, we bring to the fore how futuring takes shape in