WorldWideScience

Sample records for next-generation microlensing surveys

  1. Results from the EROS microlensing survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beaulieu, JP; Lamers, HJGLM; Chu, YH; Suntzeff, NB; Hesser, JE; Bohlender, DA

    1999-01-01

    We present a status report of the original EROS and the on-going EROS-2 microlensing surveys, which were created to search for dark matter in the Galactic halo via microlensing effects on LMC/SMC stars. Microlensing surveys provide long-term systematic observations of millions of stars in both

  2. Cluster cosmology with next-generation surveys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ascaso, B.

    2017-03-01

    The advent of next-generation surveys will provide a large number of cluster detections that will serve the basis for constraining cos mological parameters using cluster counts. The main two observational ingredients needed are the cluster selection function and the calibration of the mass-observable relation. In this talk, we present the methodology designed to obtain robust predictions of both ingredients based on realistic cosmological simulations mimicking the following next-generation surveys: J-PAS, LSST and Euclid. We display recent results on the selection functions for these mentioned surveys together with others coming from other next-generation surveys such as eROSITA, ACTpol and SPTpol. We notice that the optical and IR surveys will reach the lowest masses between 0.3next-generation surveys and introduce very preliminary results.

  3. Synthesizing exoplanet demographics from radial velocity and microlensing surveys. I. Methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clanton, Christian; Gaudi, B. Scott

    2014-01-01

    Motivated by the order of magnitude difference in the frequency of giant planets orbiting M dwarfs inferred by microlensing and radial velocity (RV) surveys, we present a method for comparing the statistical constraints on exoplanet demographics inferred from these methods. We first derive the mapping from the observable parameters of a microlensing-detected planet to those of an analogous planet orbiting an RV-monitored star. Using this mapping, we predict the distribution of RV observables for the planet population inferred from microlensing surveys, taking care to adopt reasonable priors for, and properly marginalize over, the unknown physical parameters of microlensing-detected systems. Finally, we use simple estimates of the detection limits for a fiducial RV survey to predict the number and properties of analogs of the microlensing planet population such an RV survey should detect. We find that RV and microlensing surveys have some overlap, specifically for super-Jupiter mass planets (m p ≳ 1 M Jup ) with periods between ∼3-10 yr. However, the steeply falling planetary mass function inferred from microlensing implies that, in this region of overlap, RV surveys should infer a much smaller frequency than the overall giant planet frequency (m p ≳ 0.1 M Jup ) inferred by microlensing. Our analysis demonstrates that it is possible to statistically compare and synthesize data sets from multiple exoplanet detection techniques in order to infer exoplanet demographics over wider regions of parameter space than are accessible to individual methods. In a companion paper, we apply our methodology to several representative microlensing and RV surveys to derive the frequency of planets around M dwarfs with orbits of ≲ 30 yr.

  4. Space based microlensing planet searches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tisserand Patrick

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The discovery of extra-solar planets is arguably the most exciting development in astrophysics during the past 15 years, rivalled only by the detection of dark energy. Two projects unite the communities of exoplanet scientists and cosmologists: the proposed ESA M class mission EUCLID and the large space mission WFIRST, top ranked by the Astronomy 2010 Decadal Survey report. The later states that: “Space-based microlensing is the optimal approach to providing a true statistical census of planetary systems in the Galaxy, over a range of likely semi-major axes”. They also add: “This census, combined with that made by the Kepler mission, will determine how common Earth-like planets are over a wide range of orbital parameters”. We will present a status report of the results obtained by microlensing on exoplanets and the new objectives of the next generation of ground based wide field imager networks. We will finally discuss the fantastic prospect offered by space based microlensing at the horizon 2020–2025.

  5. Detection of planets in extremely weak central perturbation microlensing events via next-generation ground-based surveys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Sun-Ju; Lee, Chung-Uk; Koo, Jae-Rim

    2014-01-01

    Even though the recently discovered high-magnification event MOA-2010-BLG-311 had complete coverage over its peak, confident planet detection did not happen due to extremely weak central perturbations (EWCPs, fractional deviations of ≲ 2%). For confident detection of planets in EWCP events, it is necessary to have both high cadence monitoring and high photometric accuracy better than those of current follow-up observation systems. The next-generation ground-based observation project, Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), satisfies these conditions. We estimate the probability of occurrence of EWCP events with fractional deviations of ≤2% in high-magnification events and the efficiency of detecting planets in the EWCP events using the KMTNet. From this study, we find that the EWCP events occur with a frequency of >50% in the case of ≲ 100 M E planets with separations of 0.2 AU ≲ d ≲ 20 AU. We find that for main-sequence and sub-giant source stars, ≳ 1 M E planets in EWCP events with deviations ≤2% can be detected with frequency >50% in a certain range that changes with the planet mass. However, it is difficult to detect planets in EWCP events of bright stars like giant stars because it is easy for KMTNet to be saturated around the peak of the events because of its constant exposure time. EWCP events are caused by close, intermediate, and wide planetary systems with low-mass planets and close and wide planetary systems with massive planets. Therefore, we expect that a much greater variety of planetary systems than those already detected, which are mostly intermediate planetary systems, regardless of the planet mass, will be significantly detected in the near future.

  6. WFIRST: The Exoplanet Microlensing Survey Tells Us Where We Can Find the Cool Planets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, David; Gaudi, B. Scott; WFIRST Microlensing Science Investigation Team

    2018-01-01

    The WFIRST Exoplanet microlensing survey will complete a demographic survey of all types of planets ranging from ~0.5 AU to planets that have become unbound from the stellar systems of their birth. WFIRST's sensitivity extends down below the mass of Mars (or 0.1 Earth masses,and it is sensitive to analogs of all the planets in the Solar System, except for Mercury. When combined with Kepler's statistical census of hot and warm planets in short period orbits, WFIRST's exoplanet microlensing survey will give us a complete picture the mass and separation distribution of all types of planets. The current plans for this survey are presented, and recent developments relating to the WFIRST exoplanet microlensing survey will be presented, including recent ground-based microlensing results that challenge current theories of planet formation. Opportunities for community involvement in the WFIRST exoplanet microlensing survey will be mentioned.

  7. The POINT-AGAPE Survey: Comparing Automated Searches of Microlensing Events toward M31

    CERN Document Server

    Tsapras, Y; Weston, M J; Kerins, E; Baillon, P; Gould, A; Paulin-Henriksson, S

    2010-01-01

    Searching for microlensing in M31 using automated superpixel surveys raises a number of difficulties which are not present in more conventional techniques. Here we focus on the problem that the list of microlensing candidates is sensitive to the selection criteria or "cuts" imposed and some subjectivity is involved in this. Weakening the cuts will generate a longer list of microlensing candidates but with a greater fraction of spurious ones; strengthening the cuts will produce a shorter list but may exclude some genuine events. We illustrate this by comparing three analyses of the same data-set obtained from a 3-year observing run on the INT in La Palma. The results of two of these analyses have been already reported: Belokurov et al. (2005) obtained between 3 and 22 candidates, depending on the strength of their cuts, while Calchi Novati et al. (2005) obtained 6 candidates. The third analysis is presented here for the first time and reports 10 microlensing candidates, 7 of which are new. Only two of the cand...

  8. Next-Generation Tools For Next-Generation Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, S. G.

    2017-04-01

    The next generation of large-scale galaxy surveys, across the electromagnetic spectrum, loom on the horizon as explosively game-changing datasets, in terms of our understanding of cosmology and structure formation. We are on the brink of a torrent of data that is set to both confirm and constrain current theories to an unprecedented level, and potentially overturn many of our conceptions. One of the great challenges of this forthcoming deluge is to extract maximal scientific content from the vast array of raw data. This challenge requires not only well-understood and robust physical models, but a commensurate network of software implementations with which to efficiently apply them. The halo model, a semi-analytic treatment of cosmological spatial statistics down to nonlinear scales, provides an excellent mathematical framework for exploring the nature of dark matter. This thesis presents a next-generation toolkit based on the halo model formalism, intended to fulfil the requirements of next-generation surveys. Our toolkit comprises three tools: (i) hmf, a comprehensive and flexible calculator for halo mass functions (HMFs) within extended Press-Schechter theory, (ii) the MRP distribution for extremely efficient analytic characterisation of HMFs, and (iii) halomod, an extension of hmf which provides support for the full range of halo model components. In addition to the development and technical presentation of these tools, we apply each to the task of physical modelling. With hmf, we determine the precision of our knowledge of the HMF, due to uncertainty in our knowledge of the cosmological parameters, over the past decade of cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. We place rule-of-thumb uncertainties on the predicted HMF for the Planck cosmology, and find that current limits on the precision are driven by modeling uncertainties rather than those from cosmological parameters. With the MRP, we create and test a method for robustly fitting the HMF to observed

  9. KMTNet: A Cold Exoplanet Census Through a Global Microlensing Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Calen B.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Han, Cheongho; Nataf, David; Skowron, Jan; Penny, Matthew; Gould, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    The unique sensitivity of gravitational microlensing to low-mass planets near and beyond the snow line makes it an indispensable tool for understanding the distribution and formation mechanisms of exoplanets. The Korean Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) consists of three 1.6m telescopes each with a 4 deg2 field of view and will be dedicated to monitoring the Galactic Bulge in order to detect exoplanets via gravitational microlensing. With its relatively large aperture, large field of view, high (~10-minute) cadence, and near-complete longitudinal coverage of the Galactic Bulge for 8 months a year, KMTNet is expected to increase the the annual detection rate of exoplanets via microlensing by a factor of ~5 over current surveys, pushing down to the mass of Earth for bound and unbound planets. I will summarize the predicted yields of KMTNet's survey based on detailed simulations, highlighting its sensitivity to low-mass planets and its expected haul of free-floating planets. I will also describe the prospects for characterization of the exoplanetary systems KMTNet will detect, focusing on the variety of techniques current and future high-resolution facilities such as VLT, GMT, and JWST can use to measure the flux from the host stars and ultimately derive planet masses.

  10. Preparing for the WFIRST Microlensing Survey: Simulations, Requirements, Survey Strategies, and Precursor Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudi, Bernard

    As one of the four primary investigations of the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission, the microlensing survey will monitor several square degrees of the Galactic bulge for a total of roughly one year. Its primary science goal is to "Complete the statistical census of planetary systems in the Galaxy, from the outer habitable zone to free floating planets, including analogs of all of the planets in our Solar System with the mass of Mars or greater.'' WFIRST will therefore (a) measure the mass function of cold bound planets with masses greater than that of roughly twice the mass of the moon, including providing an estimate of the frequency of sub-Mars-mass embryos, (b) determine the frequency of free-floating planets with masses down to the Earth and below, (c) inform the frequency and habitability of potentially habitable worlds, and (d) revolutionize our understanding of the demographics of cold planets with its exquisite sensitivity to, and large expected yield of, planets in a broad and unexplored region of parameter space. In order for the microlensing survey to be successful, we must develop a plan to go from actual survey observations obtained by the WFIRST telescope and hardware to the final science products. This plan will involve many steps, the development of software, data reduction, and analysis tools at each step, and a list of requirements for each of these components. The overarching goal of this proposal is thus to develop a complete flowdown from the science goals of the microlensing survey to the mission design and hardware components. We have assembled a team of scientists with the breadth of expertise to achieve this primary goal. Our specific subgoals are as follows. Goal 1: We will refine the input Galactic models in order to provide improved microlensing event rates in the WFIRST fields. Goal 2: We will use the improved event rate estimates, along with improvements in our simulation methodology, to provide higher

  11. Statistical searches for microlensing events in large, non-uniformly sampled time-domain surveys: A test using palomar transient factory data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price-Whelan, Adrian M.; Agüeros, Marcel A. [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 W 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Fournier, Amanda P. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Street, Rachel [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc., 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (United States); Ofek, Eran O. [Benoziyo Center for Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot (Israel); Covey, Kevin R. [Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States); Levitan, David; Sesar, Branimir [Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Laher, Russ R.; Surace, Jason, E-mail: adrn@astro.columbia.edu [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, Mail Stop 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2014-01-20

    Many photometric time-domain surveys are driven by specific goals, such as searches for supernovae or transiting exoplanets, which set the cadence with which fields are re-imaged. In the case of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF), several sub-surveys are conducted in parallel, leading to non-uniform sampling over its ∼20,000 deg{sup 2} footprint. While the median 7.26 deg{sup 2} PTF field has been imaged ∼40 times in the R band, ∼2300 deg{sup 2} have been observed >100 times. We use PTF data to study the trade off between searching for microlensing events in a survey whose footprint is much larger than that of typical microlensing searches, but with far-from-optimal time sampling. To examine the probability that microlensing events can be recovered in these data, we test statistics used on uniformly sampled data to identify variables and transients. We find that the von Neumann ratio performs best for identifying simulated microlensing events in our data. We develop a selection method using this statistic and apply it to data from fields with >10 R-band observations, 1.1 × 10{sup 9} light curves, uncovering three candidate microlensing events. We lack simultaneous, multi-color photometry to confirm these as microlensing events. However, their number is consistent with predictions for the event rate in the PTF footprint over the survey's three years of operations, as estimated from near-field microlensing models. This work can help constrain all-sky event rate predictions and tests microlensing signal recovery in large data sets, which will be useful to future time-domain surveys, such as that planned with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

  12. A Neptune-mass Free-floating Planet Candidate Discovered by Microlensing Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mróz, Przemek; Ryu, Y.-H.; Skowron, J.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Szymański, M. K.; Soszyński, I.; Poleski, R.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Kozłowski, S.; Pawlak, M.; Ulaczyk, K.; OGLE Collaboration; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Jung, Y. K.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration

    2018-03-01

    Current microlensing surveys are sensitive to free-floating planets down to Earth-mass objects. All published microlensing events attributed to unbound planets were identified based on their short timescale (below two days), but lacked an angular Einstein radius measurement (and hence lacked a significant constraint on the lens mass). Here, we present the discovery of a Neptune-mass free-floating planet candidate in the ultrashort (t E = 0.320 ± 0.003 days) microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-1540. The event exhibited strong finite-source effects, which allowed us to measure its angular Einstein radius of θ E = 9.2 ± 0.5 μas. There remains, however, a degeneracy between the lens mass and distance. The combination of the source proper motion and source-lens relative proper motion measurements favors a Neptune-mass lens located in the Galactic disk. However, we cannot rule out that the lens is a Saturn-mass object belonging to the bulge population. We exclude stellar companions up to ∼15 au.

  13. The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheatley, Peter J.; West, Richard G.; Goad, Michael R.; Jenkins, James S.; Pollacco, Don L.; Queloz, Didier; Rauer, Heike; Udry, Stéphane; Watson, Christopher A.; Chazelas, Bruno; Eigmüller, Philipp; Lambert, Gregory; Genolet, Ludovic; McCormac, James; Walker, Simon; Armstrong, David J.; Bayliss, Daniel; Bento, Joao; Bouchy, François; Burleigh, Matthew R.; Cabrera, Juan; Casewell, Sarah L.; Chaushev, Alexander; Chote, Paul; Csizmadia, Szilárd; Erikson, Anders; Faedi, Francesca; Foxell, Emma; Gänsicke, Boris T.; Gillen, Edward; Grange, Andrew; Günther, Maximilian N.; Hodgkin, Simon T.; Jackman, James; Jordán, Andrés; Louden, Tom; Metrailler, Lionel; Moyano, Maximiliano; Nielsen, Louise D.; Osborn, Hugh P.; Poppenhaeger, Katja; Raddi, Roberto; Raynard, Liam; Smith, Alexis M. S.; Soto, Maritza; Titz-Weider, Ruth

    2018-04-01

    We describe the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), which is a ground-based project searching for transiting exoplanets orbiting bright stars. NGTS builds on the legacy of previous surveys, most notably WASP, and is designed to achieve higher photometric precision and hence find smaller planets than have previously been detected from the ground. It also operates in red light, maximizing sensitivity to late K and early M dwarf stars. The survey specifications call for photometric precision of 0.1 per cent in red light over an instantaneous field of view of 100 deg2, enabling the detection of Neptune-sized exoplanets around Sun-like stars and super-Earths around M dwarfs. The survey is carried out with a purpose-built facility at Cerro Paranal, Chile, which is the premier site of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). An array of twelve 20 cm f/2.8 telescopes fitted with back-illuminated deep-depletion CCD cameras is used to survey fields intensively at intermediate Galactic latitudes. The instrument is also ideally suited to ground-based photometric follow-up of exoplanet candidates from space telescopes such as TESS, Gaia and PLATO. We present observations that combine precise autoguiding and the superb observing conditions at Paranal to provide routine photometric precision of 0.1 per cent in 1 h for stars with I-band magnitudes brighter than 13. We describe the instrument and data analysis methods as well as the status of the survey, which achieved first light in 2015 and began full-survey operations in 2016. NGTS data will be made publicly available through the ESO archive.

  14. Gravitational microlensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zakharov, Aleksandr F [Russian Federation State Scientific Center ' A.I. Alikhanov Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics' , Moscow (Russian Federation); Sazhin, Mikhail V [P.K. Shternberg State Astronomical Institute at the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    1998-10-31

    The foundations of standard microlensing theory are discussed as applied to stars in the Galactic bulge, Magellanic Clouds or other nearby galaxies and gravitational microlenses assumed to lie in-between these stars and the terrestrial observer. In contrast to the review article by Gurevich et al. [48], microlensing by compact objects is mainly considered. Criteria for the identification of microlensing events are discussed as also are microlensing events not satisfying these criteria, such as non-symmetrical light curves and chromatic and polarization effects. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Galactic bulge microlensing data of the MACHO group are discussed in detail and also the LMC data of EROS and the Galactic bulge data of OGLE are presented. A detailed comparison of theoretical predictions and observations is given. (reviews of topical problems)

  15. Gravitational microlensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zakharov, Aleksandr F; Sazhin, Mikhail V

    1998-01-01

    The foundations of standard microlensing theory are discussed as applied to stars in the Galactic bulge, Magellanic Clouds or other nearby galaxies and gravitational microlenses assumed to lie in-between these stars and the terrestrial observer. In contrast to the review article by Gurevich et al. [48], microlensing by compact objects is mainly considered. Criteria for the identification of microlensing events are discussed as also are microlensing events not satisfying these criteria, such as non-symmetrical light curves and chromatic and polarization effects. The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Galactic bulge microlensing data of the MACHO group are discussed in detail and also the LMC data of EROS and the Galactic bulge data of OGLE are presented. A detailed comparison of theoretical predictions and observations is given. (reviews of topical problems)

  16. Free-floating planets from microlensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sumi, Takahiro

    2014-06-01

    Gravitational microlensing has an unique sensitivity to exoplanets at outside of the snow-line and even exoplanets unbound to any host stars because the technique does not rely on any light from the host but the gravity of the lens. MOA and OGLE collaborations reported the discovery of a population of unbound or distant Jupiter-mass objects, which are almost twice (1.8_{-0.8}^{+1.7}) as common as main-sequence stars, based on two years of gravitational microlensing survey observations toward the Galactic Bulge. These planetary-mass objects have no host stars that can be detected within about ten astronomical units by gravitational microlensing. However a comparison with constraints from direct imaging suggests that most of these planetary-mass objects are not bound to any host star. The such short-timescale unbound planetary candidates have been detected with the similar rate in on-going observations and these groups are working to update the analysis with larger statistics. Recently, there are also discoveries of free-floating planetary mass objects by the direct imaging in young star-forming regions and in the moving groups, but these objects are limited to massive objects of 3 to 15 Jupiter masses.They are more massive than the population found by microlensing. So they may be a different population with the different formation process, either similar with that of stars and brown dwarfs, or formed in proto-planetary disks and subsequently scattered into unbound or very distant orbits. It is important to fill the gap of these mass ranges to fully understand these populations. The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is the highest ranked recommendation for a large space mission in the recent New Worlds, New Horizons (NWNH) in Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey. Exoplanet microlensing program is one of the primary science of WFIRST. WFIRST will find about 3000 bound planets and 2000 unbound planets by the high precision continuous survey 15 min

  17. Introductory study of super survey (next generation underground exploration technology); Super survey (jisedai chika tansa gijutsu) no sendo kenkyu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-03-01

    An investigational study was conducted on the R and D trend of innovative technology aiming at high-accuracy/high-efficiency next generation underground exploration technology (super survey technology). Paying attention to the seismic survey and electromagnetic survey, the study was made on technical characteristics, the utilization status and the needs at sites, the R and D trend, etc. As to the present R and D, the development is proceeded with of the time domain method in the electromagnetic survey, the effective quantity data processing/analysis method and the indication method using the reflection method in the elastic survey. As new technology to be noticed, the following are cited: SQUID magnetometer, underground analysis using magnetic deviation data, electromagnetic migration, ACROSS, rotating seismometer, laser Doppler vibrator, etc. Concerning the course of the next generation underground survey technology, a system of the integrated underground exploration theory is considered which is based on a combination of the electromagnetic survey and seismic exploration. In the study, a plan is worked out for research/development of a technology of analyzing the different data obtained. 49 figs., 13 tabs.

  18. Polarimetry Microlensing of Close-in Planetary Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sajadian, Sedighe; Hundertmark, Markus

    2017-01-01

    A close-in giant planetary (CGP) system has a net polarization signal whose value varies depending on the orbital phase of the planet. This polarization signal is either caused by the stellar occultation or by reflected starlight from the surface of the orbiting planet. When the CGP system is located in the Galactic bulge, its polarization signal becomes too weak to be measured directly. One method for detecting and characterizing these weak polarization signatures due to distant CGP systems is gravitational microlensing. In this work, we focus on potential polarimetric observations of highly magnified microlensing events of CGP systems. When the lens is passing directly in front of the source star with its planetary companion, the polarimetric signature caused by the transiting planet is magnified. As a result, some distinct features in the polarimetry and light curves are produced. In the same way, microlensing amplifies the reflection-induced polarization signal. While the planet-induced perturbations are magnified whenever these polarimetric or photometric deviations vanish for a moment, the corresponding magnification factor of the polarization component(s) is related to the planet itself. Finding these exact times in the planet-induced perturbations helps us to characterize the planet. In order to evaluate the observability of such systems through polarimetric or photometric observations of high-magnification microlensing events, we simulate these events by considering confirmed CGP systems as their source stars and conclude that the efficiency for detecting the planet-induced signal with the state-of-the-art polarimetric instrument (FORS2/VLT) is less than 0.1%. Consequently, these planet-induced polarimetry perturbations can likely be detected under favorable conditions by the high-resolution and short-cadence polarimeters of the next generation.

  19. Polarimetry Microlensing of Close-in Planetary Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sajadian, Sedighe [Department of Physics, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hundertmark, Markus, E-mail: s.sajadian@cc.iut.ac.ir [Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg (ZAH), D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

    2017-04-01

    A close-in giant planetary (CGP) system has a net polarization signal whose value varies depending on the orbital phase of the planet. This polarization signal is either caused by the stellar occultation or by reflected starlight from the surface of the orbiting planet. When the CGP system is located in the Galactic bulge, its polarization signal becomes too weak to be measured directly. One method for detecting and characterizing these weak polarization signatures due to distant CGP systems is gravitational microlensing. In this work, we focus on potential polarimetric observations of highly magnified microlensing events of CGP systems. When the lens is passing directly in front of the source star with its planetary companion, the polarimetric signature caused by the transiting planet is magnified. As a result, some distinct features in the polarimetry and light curves are produced. In the same way, microlensing amplifies the reflection-induced polarization signal. While the planet-induced perturbations are magnified whenever these polarimetric or photometric deviations vanish for a moment, the corresponding magnification factor of the polarization component(s) is related to the planet itself. Finding these exact times in the planet-induced perturbations helps us to characterize the planet. In order to evaluate the observability of such systems through polarimetric or photometric observations of high-magnification microlensing events, we simulate these events by considering confirmed CGP systems as their source stars and conclude that the efficiency for detecting the planet-induced signal with the state-of-the-art polarimetric instrument (FORS2/VLT) is less than 0.1%. Consequently, these planet-induced polarimetry perturbations can likely be detected under favorable conditions by the high-resolution and short-cadence polarimeters of the next generation.

  20. Difference Image Analysis of Galactic Microlensing. II. Microlensing Events

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D.; Axelrod, T. S.; Becker, A. C.; Bennett, D. P.; Cook, K. H.; Drake, A. J.; Freeman, K. C.; Griest, K. (and others)

    1999-09-01

    The MACHO collaboration has been carrying out difference image analysis (DIA) since 1996 with the aim of increasing the sensitivity to the detection of gravitational microlensing. This is a preliminary report on the application of DIA to galactic bulge images in one field. We show how the DIA technique significantly increases the number of detected lensing events, by removing the positional dependence of traditional photometry schemes and lowering the microlensing event detection threshold. This technique, unlike PSF photometry, gives the unblended colors and positions of the microlensing source stars. We present a set of criteria for selecting microlensing events from objects discovered with this technique. The 16 pixel and classical microlensing events discovered with the DIA technique are presented. (c) (c) 1999. The American Astronomical Society.

  1. Astrometric vs. photometric microlensing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dominik, M; Brainerd, TG; Kochanek, CS

    2001-01-01

    I discuss the differences between the properties of astrometric and photometric microlensing and between the arising prospects for survey and follow-up experiments based on these two different signatures. In particular, the prospects for binary stars and extra-solar planets are considered.

  2. Blending in gravitational microlensing experiments : source confusion and related systematics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smith, Martin C.; Wozniak, Przemyslaw; Mao, Shude; Sumi, Takahiro

    2007-01-01

    Gravitational microlensing surveys target very dense stellar fields in the local group. As a consequence, the microlensed source stars are often blended with nearby unresolved stars. The presence of 'blending' is a cause of major uncertainty when determining the lensing properties of events towards

  3. Matching microlensing events with X-ray sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sartore, N.; Treves, A.

    2012-03-01

    Aims: The detection of old neutron stars and stellar mass black holes in isolation is one of the most sought after goals of compact object astrophysics. Microlensing surveys may help in achieving this aim because the lensing mechanism is independent of the emission properties of the lens. Several black hole candidates have indeed been detected by means of microlensing observations have been reported in the literature. The identification of counterparts, especially in the X-rays, would be a strong argument in favor of the compact nature of these lenses. Methods: We perform a cross-correlation between the catalogs of microlensing events produced by the OGLE, MACHO, and MOA teams, and those of X-rays sources from the data acquired by the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites. On the basis of our previous work, we select only microlensing events with durations longer than one hundred days, which should contain a large fraction of lenses as compact objects. Our matching criterion takes into account the positional coincidence on the sky. Results: We find a single match between a microlensing event, OGLE-2004-BLG-081 (tE ~ 103 days), and the X-ray source 2XMM J180540.5-273427. The angular separation is ~0.5 arcsec, i.e. well within the 90% error box of the X-ray source. The hardness ratios reported in the 2XMM catalog imply that it has a hard spectrum with a peak between 2 keV and 4.5 keV or it has a softer but highly absorbed spectrum. Moreover, the microlensing event is not fully constrained, and other authors propose a possible association of the source star with either a flaring cataclysmic variable or a RS Canum Venaticorum-like star. Conclusions: The very small angular separation (within uncertainties) is a strong indicator that 2XMM J180540.5-273427 is the X-ray counterpart of the OGLE event. However, the uncertainties in the nature of both the lensed system and the lens itself challenge the interpretation of 2XMM J180540.5-273427 as the first confirmed isolated black

  4. PLANETESIMAL DISK MICROLENSING

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heng, Kevin; Keeton, Charles R.

    2009-01-01

    Motivated by debris disk studies, we investigate the gravitational microlensing of background starlight by a planetesimal disk around a foreground star. We use dynamical survival models to construct a plausible example of a planetesimal disk and study its microlensing properties using established ideas of microlensing by small bodies. When a solar-type source star passes behind a planetesimal disk, the microlensing light curve may exhibit short-term, low-amplitude residuals caused by planetesimals several orders of magnitude below Earth mass. The minimum planetesimal mass probed depends on the photometric sensitivity and the size of the source star, and is lower when the planetesimal lens is located closer to us. Planetesimal lenses may be found more nearby than stellar lenses because the steepness of the planetesimal mass distribution changes how the microlensing signal depends on the lens/source distance ratio. Microlensing searches for planetesimals require essentially continuous monitoring programs that are already feasible and can potentially set constraints on models of debris disks, the progeny of the supposed extrasolar analogues of Kuiper Belts.

  5. RoboTAP: Target priorities for robotic microlensing observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hundertmark, M.; Street, R. A.; Tsapras, Y.; Bachelet, E.; Dominik, M.; Horne, K.; Bozza, V.; Bramich, D. M.; Cassan, A.; D'Ago, G.; Figuera Jaimes, R.; Kains, N.; Ranc, C.; Schmidt, R. W.; Snodgrass, C.; Wambsganss, J.; Steele, I. A.; Mao, S.; Ment, K.; Menzies, J.; Li, Z.; Cross, S.; Maoz, D.; Shvartzvald, Y.

    2018-01-01

    Context. The ability to automatically select scientifically-important transient events from an alert stream of many such events, and to conduct follow-up observations in response, will become increasingly important in astronomy. With wide-angle time domain surveys pushing to fainter limiting magnitudes, the capability to follow-up on transient alerts far exceeds our follow-up telescope resources, and effective target prioritization becomes essential. The RoboNet-II microlensing program is a pathfinder project, which has developed an automated target selection process (RoboTAP) for gravitational microlensing events, which are observed in real time using the Las Cumbres Observatory telescope network. Aims: Follow-up telescopes typically have a much smaller field of view compared to surveys, therefore the most promising microlensing events must be automatically selected at any given time from an annual sample exceeding 2000 events. The main challenge is to select between events with a high planet detection sensitivity, with the aim of detecting many planets and characterizing planetary anomalies. Methods: Our target selection algorithm is a hybrid system based on estimates of the planet detection zones around a microlens. It follows automatic anomaly alerts and respects the expected survey coverage of specific events. Results: We introduce the RoboTAP algorithm, whose purpose is to select and prioritize microlensing events with high sensitivity to planetary companions. In this work, we determine the planet sensitivity of the RoboNet follow-up program and provide a working example of how a broker can be designed for a real-life transient science program conducting follow-up observations in response to alerts; we explore the issues that will confront similar programs being developed for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and other time domain surveys.

  6. The Next Generation Sky Survey and the Quest for Cooler Brown Dwarfs

    OpenAIRE

    Kirkpatrick, J. Davy

    2002-01-01

    The Next Generation Sky Survey (NGSS) is a proposed NASA MIDEX mission to map the entire sky in four infrared bandpasses - 3.5, 4.7, 12, and 23 um. The seven-month mission will use a 50-cm telescope and four-channel imager to survey the sky from a circular orbit above the Earth. Expected sensitivities will be half a million times that of COBE/DIRBE at 3.5 and 4.7 um and a thousand times that of IRAS at 12 and 23 um. NGSS will be particularly sensitive to brown dwarfs cooler than those present...

  7. WFIRST Microlensing Exoplanet Characterization with HST Follow up

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharya, Aparna; David Bennett, Jay Anderson, J.P. Beaulieu.

    2018-01-01

    More than 50 planets are discovered with the different ground based telescopes available for microlensing. But the analysis of ground based data fails to provide a complete solution. To fulfill that gap, space based telescopes, like Hubble space telescope and Spitzer are used. My research work focuses on extracting the planet mass, host star mass, their separation and their distance in physical units from HST Follow-up observations. I will present the challenges faced in developing this method.This is the primary method to be used for NASA's top priority project (according to 2010 decadal survey) Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) Exoplanet microlensing space observatory, to be launched in 2025. The unique ability of microlensing is that with WFIRST it can detect sub-earth- mass planets beyond the reach of Kepler at separation 1 AU to infinity. This will provide us the necessary statistics to study the formation and evolution of planetary systems. This will also provide us with necessary initial conditions to model the formation of planets and the habitable zones around M dwarf stars.

  8. A Spectroscopic and Photometric Study of Gravitational Microlensing Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kane, Stephen R.

    2000-08-01

    Gravitational microlensing has generated a great deal of scientific interest over recent years. This has been largely due to the realization of its wide-reaching applications, such as the search for dark matter, the detection of planets, and the study of Galactic structure. A significant observational advance has been that most microlensing events can be identified in real-time while the source is still being lensed. More than 400 microlensing events have now been detected towards the Galactic bulge and Magellanic Clouds by the microlensing survey teams EROS, MACHO, OGLE, DUO, and MOA. The real-time detection of these events allows detailed follow-up observations with much denser sampling, both photometrically and spectroscopically. The research undertaken in this project on photometric studies of gravitational microlensing events has been performed as a member of the PLANET (Probing Lensing Anomalies NETwork) collaboration. This is a worldwide collaboration formed in the early part of 1995 to study microlensing anomalies - departures from an achromatic point source, point lens light curve - through rapidly-sampled, multi-band, photometry. PLANET has demonstrated that it can achieve 1% photometry under ideal circumstances, making PLANET observations sensitive to detection of Earth-mass planets which require characterization of 1%--2% deviations from a standard microlensing light curve. The photometric work in this project involved over 5 months using the 1.0 m telescope at Canopus Observatory in Australia, and 3 separate observing runs using the 0.9 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile. Methods were developed to reduce the vast amount of photometric data using the image analysis software MIDAS and the photometry package DoPHOT. Modelling routines were then written to analyse a selection of the resulting light curves in order to detect any deviation from an achromatic point source - point lens light curve. The photometric

  9. pyLIMA: An Open-source Package for Microlensing Modeling. I. Presentation of the Software and Analysis of Single-lens Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachelet, E.; Norbury, M.; Bozza, V.; Street, R.

    2017-11-01

    Microlensing is a unique tool, capable of detecting the “cold” planets between ˜1 and 10 au from their host stars and even unbound “free-floating” planets. This regime has been poorly sampled to date owing to the limitations of alternative planet-finding methods, but a watershed in discoveries is anticipated in the near future thanks to the planned microlensing surveys of WFIRST-AFTA and Euclid's Extended Mission. Of the many challenges inherent in these missions, the modeling of microlensing events will be of primary importance, yet it is often time-consuming, complex, and perceived as a daunting barrier to participation in the field. The large scale of future survey data products will require thorough but efficient modeling software, but, unlike other areas of exoplanet research, microlensing currently lacks a publicly available, well-documented package to conduct this type of analysis. We present version 1.0 of the python Lightcurve Identification and Microlensing Analysis (pyLIMA). This software is written in Python and uses existing packages as much as possible to make it widely accessible. In this paper, we describe the overall architecture of the software and the core modules for modeling single-lens events. To verify the performance of this software, we use it to model both real data sets from events published in the literature and generated test data produced using pyLIMA's simulation module. The results demonstrate that pyLIMA is an efficient tool for microlensing modeling. We will expand pyLIMA to consider more complex phenomena in the following papers.

  10. The Next-Generation U.S. Retail Electricity Market with Customers and Prosumers—A Bibliographical Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Chen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Due to the rapidly-changing technologies in the power industry, many new references addressing the frameworks and business models of the next-generation retail electricity market are entering the research community. In particular, considering new customers with considerable demand response awareness and so-called prosumers with localized power generation based on distributed energy resources (DERs, the next-generation retail electricity market infrastructure will be a level playing field for local energy transactions, strategic pricing scheme design, new business model design and building an innovative energy ecosystem. Consequently, there is an urgent need to keep track of international experiences and activities taking place in the field of the market mechanism design problem at the distribution level. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of recent technology developments and aims to inspire awareness of the further deregulation of the electricity market, especially in areas close to customers. We mainly bring attention to the more than 90 articles published during the past five years. The collected literature has been divided into different sections to discuss different aspects of the next-generation retail electricity market under the deregulated power industry.

  11. A giant planet beyond the snow line in microlensing event OGLE-2011-BLG-0251

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kains, N.; Street, R.A.; Choi, J.-Y.

    2013-01-01

    Aims. We present the analysis of the gravitational microlensing event OGLE-2011-BLG-0251. This anomalous event was observed by several survey and follow-up collaborations conducting microlensing observations towards the Galactic bulge. Methods. Based on detailed modelling of the observed light cu...

  12. Liquid Crystal Microlenses for Autostereoscopic Displays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Francisco Algorri

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Three-dimensional vision has acquired great importance in the audiovisual industry in the past ten years. Despite this, the first generation of autostereoscopic displays failed to generate enough consumer excitement. Some reasons are little 3D content and performance issues. For this reason, an exponential increase in three-dimensional vision research has occurred in the last few years. In this review, a study of the historical impact of the most important technologies has been performed. This study is carried out in terms of research manuscripts per year. The results reveal that research on spatial multiplexing technique is increasing considerably and today is the most studied. For this reason, the state of the art of this technique is presented. The use of microlenses seems to be the most successful method to obtain autostereoscopic vision. When they are fabricated with liquid crystal materials, extended capabilities are produced. Among the numerous techniques for manufacturing liquid crystal microlenses, this review covers the most viable designs for its use in autostereoscopic displays. For this reason, some of the most important topologies and their relation with autostereoscopic displays are presented. Finally, the challenges in some recent applications, such as portable devices, and the future of three-dimensional displays based on liquid crystal microlenses are outlined.

  13. THE MICROLENSING PROPERTIES OF A SAMPLE OF 87 LENSED QUASARS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosquera, A. M.; Kochanek, C. S.

    2011-01-01

    Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool for probing the physical properties of quasar accretion disks and properties of the lens galaxy such as its dark matter fraction and mean stellar mass. Unfortunately, the number of lensed quasars (∼90) exceeds our monitoring capabilities. Thus, estimating their microlensing properties is important for identifying good microlensing candidates as well as for the expectations of future surveys. In this work, we estimate the microlensing properties of a sample of 87 lensed quasars. While the median Einstein radius crossing timescale is 20.6 years, the median source crossing timescale is 7.3 months. Broadly speaking, this means that on ∼10 year timescales roughly half the lenses will be quiescent, with the source in a broad demagnified valley, and roughly half will be active with the source lying in the caustic ridges. We also found that the location of the lens system relative to the cosmic microwave background dipole has a modest effect on microlensing timescales, and in theory microlensing could be used to confirm the kinematic origin of the dipole. As a corollary of our study we analyzed the accretion rate parameters in a sub-sample of 32 lensed quasars. At fixed black hole mass, it is possible to sample a broad range of luminosities (i.e., Eddington factors) if it becomes feasible to monitor fainter lenses.

  14. GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING EVENTS AS A TARGET FOR THE SETI PROJECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahvar, Sohrab, E-mail: rahvar@sharif.edu [Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365–9161, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-09-01

    The detection of signals from a possible extrasolar technological civilization is one of the most challenging efforts of science. In this work, we propose using natural telescopes made of single or binary gravitational lensing systems to magnify leakage of electromagnetic signals from a remote planet that harbors Extraterrestrial Intelligent (ETI) technology. Currently, gravitational microlensing surveys are monitoring a large area of the Galactic bulge to search for microlensing events, finding more than 2000 events per year. These lenses are capable of playing the role of natural telescopes, and, in some instances, they can magnify radio band signals from planets orbiting around the source stars in gravitational microlensing systems. Assuming that the frequency of electromagnetic waves used for telecommunication in ETIs is similar to ours, we propose follow-up observation of microlensing events with radio telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the Low Frequency Demonstrators, and the Mileura Wide-Field Array. Amplifying signals from the leakage of broadcasting by an Earth-like civilization will allow us to detect them as far as the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Our analysis shows that in binary microlensing systems, the probability of amplification of signals from ETIs is more than that in single microlensing events. Finally, we propose the use of the target of opportunity mode for follow-up observations of binary microlensing events with SKA as a new observational program for searching ETIs. Using optimistic values for the factors of the Drake equation provides detection of about one event per year.

  15. OGLE-2016-BLG-0168 Binary Microlensing Event: Prediction and Confirmation of the Microlens Parallax Effect from Space-based Observations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, I.-G.; Yee, J. C.; Jung, Y. K. [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Udalski, A.; Skowron, J.; Mróz, P.; Soszyński, I.; Poleski, R.; Szymański, M. K.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M. [Warsaw University Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie 4,00-478 Warszawa (Poland); Novati, S. Calchi [IPAC, Mail Code 100-22, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Han, C. [Department of Physics, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 371-763 (Korea, Republic of); Albrow, M. D. [University of Canterbury, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8020 (New Zealand); Gould, A. [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 W. 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Chung, S.-J.; Hwang, K.-H.; Ryu, Y.-H. [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Collaboration: OGLE Collaboration; KMTNet Group; Spitzer Team; and others

    2017-11-01

    The microlens parallax is a crucial observable for conclusively identifying the nature of lens systems in microlensing events containing or composed of faint (even dark) astronomical objects such as planets, neutron stars, brown dwarfs, and black holes. With the commencement of a new era of microlensing in collaboration with space-based observations, the microlens parallax can be routinely measured. In addition, space-based observations can provide opportunities to verify the microlens parallax measured from ground-only observations and to find a unique solution to the lensing light-curve analysis. Furthermore, since most space-based observations cannot cover the full light curves of lensing events, it is also necessary to verify the reliability of the information extracted from fragmentary space-based light curves. We conduct a test based on the microlensing event OGLE-2016-BLG-0168, created by a binary lens system consisting of almost equal mass M-dwarf stars, to demonstrate that it is possible to verify the microlens parallax and to resolve degeneracies using the space-based light curve even though the observations are fragmentary. Since space-based observatories will frequently produce fragmentary light curves due to their short observing windows, the methodology of this test will be useful for next-generation microlensing experiments that combine space-based and ground-based collaboration.

  16. Searching for habitable exoplanets by using combined microlensing and radial velocity facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joergensen, Uffe Graae

    2008-01-01

    The habitable planetary regime, where life as we know it from the Earth in principle can exist, has long been among the technically most difficult to search for the existence of exoplanets. It spans the inner and outer orbital range, where liquid water in principle can exist on a planetary surface (the habitable zone), and the planetary mass range from the lowest mass where an atmosphere is bound over biological timescales to the upper mass limit where a nebula gas-collapse transforms a solid planet into a gas planet. With a prober equipment, microlensing is sensitive to this regime for most stellar types, including solar-type stars, while the radial velocity technique complements the detection regime by being sensitive to such planets around the lowest mass stars. By combining microlensing with radial velocity measurements, it is possible to cover the complete habitable region from the ground. I outline here the theory that in principle will make it possible to perform an efficient survey throughout the habitable regime of the most common types of stars in our galaxy over the next few years, and describe how it can be done in practise for a relatively low cost

  17. THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY (NGVS). I. INTRODUCTION TO THE SURVEY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrarese, Laura; Côté, Patrick; Gwyn, S. D. J.; MacArthur, Lauren A.; McConnachie, Alan W.; Blakeslee, John P.; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Peng, Eric W.; Duc, Pierre-Alain; Boselli, A.; Mei, Simona; Erben, Thomas; Durrell, Patrick R.; Christopher Mihos, J.; Jordán, Andrés; Puzia, Thomas H.; Lançon, Ariane; Emsellem, Eric; Balogh, Michael L.; Van Waerbeke, Ludovic

    2012-01-01

    The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a program that uses the 1 deg 2 MegaCam instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to carry out a comprehensive optical imaging survey of the Virgo cluster, from its core to its virial radius—covering a total area of 104 deg 2 —in the u*griz bandpasses. Thanks to a dedicated data acquisition strategy and processing pipeline, the NGVS reaches a point-source depth of g ≈ 25.9 mag (10σ) and a surface brightness limit of μ g ∼ 29 mag arcsec –2 (2σ above the mean sky level), thus superseding all previous optical studies of this benchmark galaxy cluster. In this paper, we give an overview of the technical aspects of the survey, such as areal coverage, field placement, choice of filters, limiting magnitudes, observing strategies, data processing and calibration pipelines, survey timeline, and data products. We also describe the primary scientific topics of the NGVS, which include: the galaxy luminosity and mass functions; the color-magnitude relation; galaxy scaling relations; compact stellar systems; galactic nuclei; the extragalactic distance scale; the large-scale environment of the cluster and its relationship to the Local Supercluster; diffuse light and the intracluster medium; galaxy interactions and evolutionary processes; and extragalactic star clusters. In addition, we describe a number of ancillary programs dealing with 'foreground' and 'background' science topics, including the study of high-inclination trans-Neptunian objects; the structure of the Galactic halo in the direction of the Virgo Overdensity and Sagittarius Stream; the measurement of cosmic shear, galaxy-galaxy, and cluster lensing; and the identification of distant galaxy clusters, and strong-lensing events.

  18. Machine learning and next-generation asteroid surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nugent, Carrie R.; Dailey, John; Cutri, Roc M.; Masci, Frank J.; Mainzer, Amy K.

    2017-10-01

    Next-generation surveys such as NEOCam (Mainzer et al., 2016) will sift through tens of millions of point source detections daily to detect and discover asteroids. This requires new, more efficient techniques to distinguish between solar system objects, background stars and galaxies, and artifacts such as cosmic rays, scattered light and diffraction spikes.Supervised machine learning is a set of algorithms that allows computers to classify data on a training set, and then apply that classification to make predictions on new datasets. It has been employed by a broad range of fields, including computer vision, medical diagnoses, economics, and natural language processing. It has also been applied to astronomical datasets, including transient identification in the Palomar Transient Factory pipeline (Masci et al., 2016), and in the Pan-STARRS1 difference imaging (D. E. Wright et al., 2015).As part of the NEOCam extended phase A work we apply machine learning techniques to the problem of asteroid detection. Asteroid detection is an ideal application of supervised learning, as there is a wealth of metrics associated with each extracted source, and suitable training sets are easily created. Using the vetted NEOWISE dataset (E. L. Wright et al., 2010, Mainzer et al., 2011) as a proof-of-concept of this technique, we applied the python package sklearn. We report on reliability, feature set selection, and the suitability of various algorithms.

  19. Microlensing of quasar ultraviolet iron emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guerras, E.; Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Vía Láctea S/N, La Laguna 38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jimenez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Física Teórica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, 18071 Granada (Spain); Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy and the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 4055 McPherson Lab, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States); Muñoz, J. A. [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Falco, E. [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Motta, V.; Rojas, K. [Departamento de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de Valparaíso, Avda. Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso (Chile)

    2013-12-01

    We measure the differential microlensing of the UV Fe II and Fe III emission line blends between 14 quasar image pairs in 13 gravitational lenses. We find that the UV iron emission is strongly microlensed in four cases with amplitudes comparable to that of the continuum. Statistically modeling the magnifications, we infer a typical size of r{sub s}∼4√(M/M{sub ⊙}) light-days for the Fe line-emitting regions, which is comparable to the size of the region generating the UV continuum (∼3-7 light-days). This may indicate that a significant part of the UV Fe II and Fe III emission originates in the quasar accretion disk.

  20. Next generation toroidal devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshikawa, Shoichi

    1998-10-01

    A general survey of the possible approach for the next generation toroidal devices was made. Either surprisingly or obviously (depending on one's view), the technical constraints along with the scientific considerations lead to a fairly limited set of systems for the most favorable approach for the next generation devices. Specifically if the magnetic field strength of 5 T or above is to be created by superconducting coils, it imposes minimum in the aspect ratio for the tokamak which is slightly higher than contemplated now for ITER design. The similar technical constraints make the minimum linear size of a stellarator large. Scientifically, it is indicated that a tokamak of 1.5 times in the linear dimension should be able to produce economically, especially if a hybrid reactor is allowed. For the next stellarator, it is strongly suggested that some kind of helical axis is necessary both for the (almost) absolute confinement of high energy particles and high stability and equilibrium beta limits. The author still favors a heliac most. Although it may not have been clearly stated in the main text, the stability afforded by the shearless layer may be exploited fully in a stellarator. (author)

  1. Next generation toroidal devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshikawa, Shoichi [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

    1998-10-01

    A general survey of the possible approach for the next generation toroidal devices was made. Either surprisingly or obviously (depending on one`s view), the technical constraints along with the scientific considerations lead to a fairly limited set of systems for the most favorable approach for the next generation devices. Specifically if the magnetic field strength of 5 T or above is to be created by superconducting coils, it imposes minimum in the aspect ratio for the tokamak which is slightly higher than contemplated now for ITER design. The similar technical constraints make the minimum linear size of a stellarator large. Scientifically, it is indicated that a tokamak of 1.5 times in the linear dimension should be able to produce economically, especially if a hybrid reactor is allowed. For the next stellarator, it is strongly suggested that some kind of helical axis is necessary both for the (almost) absolute confinement of high energy particles and high stability and equilibrium beta limits. The author still favors a heliac most. Although it may not have been clearly stated in the main text, the stability afforded by the shearless layer may be exploited fully in a stellarator. (author)

  2. Campaign 9 of the K2 Mission: Observational Parameters, Scientific Drivers, and Community Involvement for a Simultaneous Space- and Ground-based Microlensing Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henderson, Calen B.; Poleski, Radoslaw; Penny, Matthew; Street, Rachel A.; Bennett, David P.; Hogg, David W.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Zhu, W.; Barclay, T.; Barentsen, G.; hide

    2016-01-01

    K2's Campaign 9 (K2C9) will conduct a approximately 3.7 sq. deg survey toward the Galactic bulge from 2016 April 22 through July 2 that will leverage the spatial separation between K2 and the Earth to facilitate measurement of the microlens parallax Pi(sub E) for approximately greater than 170 microlensing events. These will include several that are planetary in nature as well as many short-timescale microlensing events, which are potentially indicative of free-floating planets (FFPs). These satellite parallax measurements will in turn allow for the direct measurement of the masses of and distances to the lensing systems. In this article we provide an overview of the K2C9 space- and ground-based microlensing survey. Specifically, we detail the demographic questions that can be addressed by this program, including the frequency of FFPs and the Galactic distribution of exoplanets, the observational parameters of K2C9, and the array of resources dedicated to concurrent observations. Finally, we outline the avenues through which the larger community can become involved, and generally encourage participation in K2C9, which constitutes an important pathfinding mission and community exercise in anticipation of WFIRST.

  3. A Window Into Clinical Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Oncology Testing Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagarajan, Rakesh; Bartley, Angela N; Bridge, Julia A; Jennings, Lawrence J; Kamel-Reid, Suzanne; Kim, Annette; Lazar, Alexander J; Lindeman, Neal I; Moncur, Joel; Rai, Alex J; Routbort, Mark J; Vasalos, Patricia; Merker, Jason D

    2017-12-01

    - Detection of acquired variants in cancer is a paradigm of precision medicine, yet little has been reported about clinical laboratory practices across a broad range of laboratories. - To use College of American Pathologists proficiency testing survey results to report on the results from surveys on next-generation sequencing-based oncology testing practices. - College of American Pathologists proficiency testing survey results from more than 250 laboratories currently performing molecular oncology testing were used to determine laboratory trends in next-generation sequencing-based oncology testing. - These presented data provide key information about the number of laboratories that currently offer or are planning to offer next-generation sequencing-based oncology testing. Furthermore, we present data from 60 laboratories performing next-generation sequencing-based oncology testing regarding specimen requirements and assay characteristics. The findings indicate that most laboratories are performing tumor-only targeted sequencing to detect single-nucleotide variants and small insertions and deletions, using desktop sequencers and predesigned commercial kits. Despite these trends, a diversity of approaches to testing exists. - This information should be useful to further inform a variety of topics, including national discussions involving clinical laboratory quality systems, regulation and oversight of next-generation sequencing-based oncology testing, and precision oncology efforts in a data-driven manner.

  4. The MACHO Project HST Follow-Up: The Large Magellanic Cloud Microlensing Source Stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelson, C.A.; /LLNL, Livermore /UC, Berkeley; Drake, A.J.; /Caltech; Cook, K.H.; /LLNL, Livermore /UC, Berkeley; Bennett, D.P.; /Caltech /Notre Dame U.; Popowski, P.; /Garching, Max Planck Inst.; Dalal, N.; /Toronto U.; Nikolaev, S.; /LLNL, Livermore; Alcock, C.; /Caltech /Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. Astrophys.; Axelrod, T.S.; /Arizona U.; Becker, A.C. /Washington U., Seattle; Freeman, K.C.; /Res. Sch. Astron. Astrophys., Weston Creek; Geha, M.; /Yale U.; Griest, K.; /UC, San Diego; Keller, S.C.; /LLNL, Livermore; Lehner, M.J.; /Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. Astrophys. /Taipei, Inst. Astron. Astrophys.; Marshall, S.L.; /SLAC; Minniti, D.; /Rio de Janeiro, Pont. U. Catol. /Vatican Astron. Observ.; Pratt, M.R.; /Aradigm, Hayward; Quinn, P.J.; /Western Australia U.; Stubbs, C.W.; /UC, Berkeley /Harvard U.; Sutherland, W.; /Oxford U. /Oran, Sci. Tech. U. /Garching, Max Planck Inst. /McMaster U.

    2009-06-25

    We present Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 photometry of 13 microlensed source stars from the 5.7 year Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) survey conducted by the MACHO Project. The microlensing source stars are identified by deriving accurate centroids in the ground-based MACHO images using difference image analysis (DIA) and then transforming the DIA coordinates to the HST frame. None of these sources is coincident with a background galaxy, which rules out the possibility that the MACHO LMC microlensing sample is contaminated with misidentified supernovae or AGN in galaxies behind the LMC. This supports the conclusion that the MACHO LMC microlensing sample has only a small amount of contamination due to non-microlensing forms of variability. We compare the WFPC2 source star magnitudes with the lensed flux predictions derived from microlensing fits to the light curve data. In most cases the source star brightness is accurately predicted. Finally, we develop a statistic which constrains the location of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) microlensing source stars with respect to the distributions of stars and dust in the LMC and compare this to the predictions of various models of LMC microlensing. This test excludes at {approx}> 90% confidence level models where more than 80% of the source stars lie behind the LMC. Exotic models that attempt to explain the excess LMC microlensing optical depth seen by MACHO with a population of background sources are disfavored or excluded by this test. Models in which most of the lenses reside in a halo or spheroid distribution associated with either the Milky Way or the LMC are consistent which these data, but LMC halo or spheroid models are favored by the combined MACHO and EROS microlensing results.

  5. Primordial black hole detection through diffractive microlensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naderi, T.; Mehrabi, A.; Rahvar, S.

    2018-05-01

    Recent observations of gravitational waves motivate investigations for the existence of primordial black holes (PBHs). We propose the observation of gravitational microlensing of distant quasars for the range of infrared to the submillimeter wavelengths by sublunar PBHs as lenses. The advantage of observations in the longer wavelengths, comparable to the Schwarzschild radius of the lens (i.e., Rsch≃λ ) is the detection of the wave optics features of the gravitational microlensing. The observation of diffraction pattern in the microlensing light curve of a quasar can break the degeneracy between the lens parameters and determine directly the lens mass as well as the distance of the lens from the observer. We estimate the wave optics optical-depth, also calculate the rate of ˜0.1 to ˜0.3 event per year per a quasar, assuming that hundred percent of dark matter is made of sublunar PBHs. Also, we propose a long-term survey of quasars with the cadence of almost one hour to few days to resolve the wave optics features of the light curves to discover PBHs and determine the fraction of dark matter made of sublunar PBHs as well as their mass function.

  6. Fast, inexpensive, diffraction limited cylindrical microlenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Synder, J.J.; Reichert, P.

    1991-01-01

    We have developed a technique for fabricating fast, well corrected cylindrical microlenses. With this technique we have made a number of different microlenses with dimensions and focal lengths in the range of few hundred μm, and diffraction limited numerical apertures as high as 0.9. The microlenses are specifically designed for applications where they can increase the radiance or otherwise enhance the optical characteristics of laser diode light. The fabrication method we use is very versatile, and the microlenses produced this way would be very inexpensive in production quantities. 6 refs., 4 figs

  7. GERLUMPH DATA RELEASE 1: HIGH-RESOLUTION COSMOLOGICAL MICROLENSING MAGNIFICATION MAPS AND eResearch TOOLS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vernardos, G.; Fluke, C. J.; Croton, D.; Bate, N. F.

    2014-01-01

    As synoptic all-sky surveys begin to discover new multiply lensed quasars, the flow of data will enable statistical cosmological microlensing studies of sufficient size to constrain quasar accretion disk and supermassive black hole properties. In preparation for this new era, we are undertaking the GPU-Enabled, High Resolution cosmological MicroLensing parameter survey (GERLUMPH). We present here the GERLUMPH Data Release 1, which consists of 12,342 high resolution cosmological microlensing magnification maps and provides the first uniform coverage of the convergence, shear, and smooth matter fraction parameter space. We use these maps to perform a comprehensive numerical investigation of the mass-sheet degeneracy, finding excellent agreement with its predictions. We study the effect of smooth matter on microlensing induced magnification fluctuations. In particular, in the minima and saddle-point regions, fluctuations are enhanced only along the critical line, while in the maxima region they are always enhanced for high smooth matter fractions (≈0.9). We describe our approach to data management, including the use of an SQL database with a Web interface for data access and online analysis, obviating the need for individuals to download large volumes of data. In combination with existing observational databases and online applications, the GERLUMPH archive represents a fundamental component of a new microlensing eResearch cloud. Our maps and tools are publicly available at http://gerlumph.swin.edu.au/

  8. GERLUMPH DATA RELEASE 1: HIGH-RESOLUTION COSMOLOGICAL MICROLENSING MAGNIFICATION MAPS AND eResearch TOOLS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vernardos, G.; Fluke, C. J.; Croton, D. [Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122 (Australia); Bate, N. F. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics, A28, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006 (Australia)

    2014-03-01

    As synoptic all-sky surveys begin to discover new multiply lensed quasars, the flow of data will enable statistical cosmological microlensing studies of sufficient size to constrain quasar accretion disk and supermassive black hole properties. In preparation for this new era, we are undertaking the GPU-Enabled, High Resolution cosmological MicroLensing parameter survey (GERLUMPH). We present here the GERLUMPH Data Release 1, which consists of 12,342 high resolution cosmological microlensing magnification maps and provides the first uniform coverage of the convergence, shear, and smooth matter fraction parameter space. We use these maps to perform a comprehensive numerical investigation of the mass-sheet degeneracy, finding excellent agreement with its predictions. We study the effect of smooth matter on microlensing induced magnification fluctuations. In particular, in the minima and saddle-point regions, fluctuations are enhanced only along the critical line, while in the maxima region they are always enhanced for high smooth matter fractions (≈0.9). We describe our approach to data management, including the use of an SQL database with a Web interface for data access and online analysis, obviating the need for individuals to download large volumes of data. In combination with existing observational databases and online applications, the GERLUMPH archive represents a fundamental component of a new microlensing eResearch cloud. Our maps and tools are publicly available at http://gerlumph.swin.edu.au/.

  9. Microlensing Signature of Binary Black Holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnittman, Jeremy; Sahu, Kailash; Littenberg, Tyson

    2012-01-01

    We calculate the light curves of galactic bulge stars magnified via microlensing by stellar-mass binary black holes along the line-of-sight. We show the sensitivity to measuring various lens parameters for a range of survey cadences and photometric precision. Using public data from the OGLE collaboration, we identify two candidates for massive binary systems, and discuss implications for theories of star formation and binary evolution.

  10. Korea Microlensing Telescope Network Microlensing Events from 2015: Event-finding Algorithm, Vetting, and Photometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Hwang, K.-H.; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Jung, Y. K.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; The KMTNet Collaboration

    2018-02-01

    We present microlensing events in the 2015 Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) data and our procedure for identifying these events. In particular, candidates were detected with a novel “completed-event” microlensing event-finder algorithm. The algorithm works by making linear fits to a ({t}0,{t}{eff},{u}0) grid of point-lens microlensing models. This approach is rendered computationally efficient by restricting u 0 to just two values (0 and 1), which we show is quite adequate. The implementation presented here is specifically tailored to the commission-year character of the 2015 data, but the algorithm is quite general and has already been applied to a completely different (non-KMTNet) data set. We outline expected improvements for 2016 and future KMTNet data. The light curves of the 660 “clear microlensing” and 182 “possible microlensing” events that were found in 2015 are presented along with our policy for their public release.

  11. NASA's Next Generation Space Geodesy Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merkowitz, S. M.; Desai, S. D.; Gross, R. S.; Hillard, L. M.; Lemoine, F. G.; Long, J. L.; Ma, C.; McGarry, J. F.; Murphy, D.; Noll, C. E.; hide

    2012-01-01

    survey system to measure inter-technique vectors for co-location; and (5) Develop an Implementation Plan to build, deploy and operate a next-generation integrated NASA SGN that will serve as NASA's contribution to the international global geodetic network. An envisioned Phase 2 (which is not currently funded) would include the replication of up to ten such stations to be deployed either as integrated units or as a complement to already in-place components provided by other organizations. This talk will give an update on the activities underway and the plans for completion.

  12. Probing Extragalactic Planets Using Quasar Microlensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Xinyu; Guerras, Eduardo

    2018-02-01

    Previously, planets have been detected only in the Milky Way galaxy. Here, we show that quasar microlensing provides a means to probe extragalactic planets in the lens galaxy, by studying the microlensing properties of emission close to the event horizon of the supermassive black hole of the background quasar, using the current generation telescopes. We show that a population of unbound planets between stars with masses ranging from Moon to Jupiter masses is needed to explain the frequent Fe Kα line energy shifts observed in the gravitationally lensed quasar RXJ 1131–1231 at a lens redshift of z = 0.295 or 3.8 billion lt-yr away. We constrain the planet mass-fraction to be larger than 0.0001 of the halo mass, which is equivalent to 2000 objects ranging from Moon to Jupiter mass per main-sequence star.

  13. AGAPEROS Searches for microlensing in the LMC with the Pixel Method; 2, Selection of possible microlensing events

    CERN Document Server

    Melchior, A.L.; Ansari, R; Aubourg, E.; Baillon, P.; Bareyre, P.; Bauer, F.; Beaulieu, J.-Ph.; Bouquet, A.; Brehin, S.; Cavalier, F.; Char, S.; Couchot, F.; Coutures, C.; Ferlet, R.; Fernandez, J.; Gaucherel, C.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.; Glicenstein, J.-F.; Goldman, B.; Gondolo, P.; Gros, M.; Guibert, J.; Hardin, D.; Kaplan, J.; de Kat, J.; Lachieze-Rey, M.; Laurent, B; Lesquoy, E; Magneville, Ch.; Mansoux, B.; Marquette, J.-B.; Maurice, E.; Milsztajn, A.; Moniez, M.; Moreau, O.; Moscoso, L.; Palanque-Delabrouille, N.; Perdereau. O.; Prevot, L.; Renault, C.; Queinnec, F.; Rich, J.; Spiro, M.; Vidal-Madjar, A.; Vigroux, L.; Zylberajch, S.; Magneville, Ch.

    1998-01-01

    We apply the pixel method of analysis (sometimes called ``pixel lensing'') to a small subset of the EROS-1 microlensing observations of the bar of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The pixel method is designed to find microlensing events of unresolved source stars and had heretofore been applied only to M31 where essentially all sources are unresolved. With our analysis optimised for the detection of long-duration microlensing events due to 0.01-1 Mo Machos, we detect no microlensing events and compute the corresponding detection efficiencies. We show that the pixel method should detect 10 to 20 times more microlensing events for M>0.05 Mo Machos compared to a classical analysis of the same data which latter monitors only resolved stars. In particular, we show that for a full halo of Machos in the mass range 0.1 -- 0.5 Mo, a pixel analysis of the three-year EROS-1 data set covering 0.39 deg^2 would yield 4 events.

  14. Towards Next Generation BI Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Varga, Jovan; Romero, Oscar; Pedersen, Torben Bach

    2014-01-01

    Next generation Business Intelligence (BI) systems require integration of heterogeneous data sources and a strong user-centric orientation. Both needs entail machine-processable metadata to enable automation and allow end users to gain access to relevant data for their decision making processes....... This framework is based on the findings of a survey of current user-centric approaches mainly focusing on query recommendation assistance. Finally, we discuss the benefits of the framework and present the plans for future work....

  15. Next-generation phylogenomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chan Cheong Xin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Thanks to advances in next-generation technologies, genome sequences are now being generated at breadth (e.g. across environments and depth (thousands of closely related strains, individuals or samples unimaginable only a few years ago. Phylogenomics – the study of evolutionary relationships based on comparative analysis of genome-scale data – has so far been developed as industrial-scale molecular phylogenetics, proceeding in the two classical steps: multiple alignment of homologous sequences, followed by inference of a tree (or multiple trees. However, the algorithms typically employed for these steps scale poorly with number of sequences, such that for an increasing number of problems, high-quality phylogenomic analysis is (or soon will be computationally infeasible. Moreover, next-generation data are often incomplete and error-prone, and analysis may be further complicated by genome rearrangement, gene fusion and deletion, lateral genetic transfer, and transcript variation. Here we argue that next-generation data require next-generation phylogenomics, including so-called alignment-free approaches. Reviewers Reviewed by Mr Alexander Panchin (nominated by Dr Mikhail Gelfand, Dr Eugene Koonin and Prof Peter Gogarten. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers’ comments section.

  16. NASA's Next Generation Space Geodesy Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, S. D.; Gross, R. S.; Hilliard, L.; Lemoine, F. G.; Long, J. L.; Ma, C.; McGarry, J. F.; Merkowitz, S. M.; Murphy, D.; Noll, C. E.; hide

    2012-01-01

    NASA's Space Geodesy Project (SGP) is developing a prototype core site for a next generation Space Geodetic Network (SGN). Each of the sites in this planned network co-locate current state-of-the-art stations from all four space geodetic observing systems, GNSS, SLR, VLBI, and DORIS, with the goal of achieving modern requirements for the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). In particular, the driving ITRF requirements for this network are 1.0 mm in accuracy and 0.1 mm/yr in stability, a factor of 10-20 beyond current capabilities. Development of the prototype core site, located at NASA's Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory at the Goddard Space Flight Center, started in 2011 and will be completed by the end of 2013. In January 2012, two operational GNSS stations, GODS and GOON, were established at the prototype site within 100 m of each other. Both stations are being proposed for inclusion into the IGS network. In addition, work is underway for the inclusion of next generation SLR and VLBI stations along with a modern DORIS station. An automated survey system is being developed to measure inter-technique vectorties, and network design studies are being performed to define the appropriate number and distribution of these next generation space geodetic core sites that are required to achieve the driving ITRF requirements. We present the status of this prototype next generation space geodetic core site, results from the analysis of data from the established geodetic stations, and results from the ongoing network design studies.

  17. WFIRST: Microlensing Analysis Data Challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Street, Rachel; WFIRST Microlensing Science Investigation Team

    2018-01-01

    WFIRST will produce thousands of high cadence, high photometric precision lightcurves of microlensing events, from which a wealth of planetary and stellar systems will be discovered. However, the analysis of such lightcurves has historically been very time consuming and expensive in both labor and computing facilities. This poses a potential bottleneck to deriving the full science potential of the WFIRST mission. To address this problem, the WFIRST Microlensing Science Investigation Team designing a series of data challenges to stimulate research to address outstanding problems of microlensing analysis. These range from the classification and modeling of triple lens events to methods to efficiently yet thoroughly search a high-dimensional parameter space for the best fitting models.

  18. Report on preceding surveys and researches in fiscal 1999. Surveys and researches on the next generation cold emission technology; 1999 nendo jisedai cold emission gijutsu no chosa kenkyu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    The cold emission (CE) technology must be developed as the base technology to realize the next generation flat panel displays, fluorescent display tubes, communication use microwave tubes, electron microscopes, electric power conversion elements, image photographing tubes, and different kinds of sensors. Therefore, this paper describes surveys and researches performed on technological problems and technological seeds in a hyperfine processing technology for cold emitters, and technologies to control, evaluate and simulate solid surface of cold emitters. Different kinds of applied devices that can be realized by using the CE technology are also surveyed and researched. Section 1 summarizes the progress in information communicating technologies and the changes in terminal utilization environment. Section 2 describes the application of a display technology for information terminals and a cold cathode. Section 3 investigates elementary technologies for developing electric field radiation display. Section 4 investigates physics and an evaluation technology for the next generation cold cathode. Section 5 describes the result of the investigations re-commissioned to Tsukuba University for measuring microscopic work function on solid surface by using the scanning probe process. Section 6 proposes a research and development project for the 'next generation CE technology'. (NEDO)

  19. Influence of chemical processing on the imaging properties of microlenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasiljevic, Darko; Muric, Branka; Pantelic, Dejan; Panic, Bratimir

    2009-01-01

    Microlenses are produced by irradiation of a layer of tot'hema and eosin sensitized gelatin (TESG) by using a laser beam (Nd:YAG 2nd harmonic; 532 nm). All the microlenses obtained are concave with a parabolic profile. After the production, the microlenses are chemically processed with various concentrations of alum. The following imaging properties of microlenses were calculated and analyzed: the root mean square (rms) wavefront aberration, the geometric encircled energy and the spot diagram. The microlenses with higher concentrations of alum in solution had a greater effective focal length and better image quality. The microlenses chemically processed with 10% alum solution had near-diffraction-limited performance.

  20. Estimating Finite Source Effects in Microlensing Events due to Free-Floating Planets with the Euclid Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lindita Hamolli

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years free-floating planets (FFPs have drawn a great interest among astrophysicists. Gravitational microlensing is a unique and exclusive method for their investigation which may allow obtaining precious information about their mass and spatial distribution. The planned Euclid space-based observatory will be able to detect a substantial number of microlensing events caused by FFPs towards the Galactic bulge. Making use of a synthetic population algorithm, we investigate the possibility of detecting finite source effects in simulated microlensing events due to FFPs. We find a significant efficiency for finite source effect detection that turns out to be between 20% and 40% for a FFP power law mass function index in the range [0.9, 1.6]. For many of such events it will also be possible to measure the angular Einstein radius and therefore constrain the lens physical parameters. These kinds of observations will also offer a unique possibility to investigate the photosphere and atmosphere of Galactic bulge stars.

  1. Astrometric Observation of MACHO Gravitational Microlensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boden, A. F.; Shao, M.; Van Buren, D.

    1997-01-01

    This paper discusses the prospects for astrometric observation of MACHO gravitational microlensing events. We derive the expected astrometric observables for a simple microlensing event assuming a dark MACHO, and demonstrate that accurate astrometry can determine the lens mass, distance, and proper motion in a very general fashion.

  2. Next generation initiation techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Tom; Derber, John; Zupanski, Milija; Cohn, Steve; Verlinde, Hans

    1993-01-01

    Four-dimensional data assimilation strategies can generally be classified as either current or next generation, depending upon whether they are used operationally or not. Current-generation data-assimilation techniques are those that are presently used routinely in operational-forecasting or research applications. They can be classified into the following categories: intermittent assimilation, Newtonian relaxation, and physical initialization. It should be noted that these techniques are the subject of continued research, and their improvement will parallel the development of next generation techniques described by the other speakers. Next generation assimilation techniques are those that are under development but are not yet used operationally. Most of these procedures are derived from control theory or variational methods and primarily represent continuous assimilation approaches, in which the data and model dynamics are 'fitted' to each other in an optimal way. Another 'next generation' category is the initialization of convective-scale models. Intermittent assimilation systems use an objective analysis to combine all observations within a time window that is centered on the analysis time. Continuous first-generation assimilation systems are usually based on the Newtonian-relaxation or 'nudging' techniques. Physical initialization procedures generally involve the use of standard or nonstandard data to force some physical process in the model during an assimilation period. Under the topic of next-generation assimilation techniques, variational approaches are currently being actively developed. Variational approaches seek to minimize a cost or penalty function which measures a model's fit to observations, background fields and other imposed constraints. Alternatively, the Kalman filter technique, which is also under investigation as a data assimilation procedure for numerical weather prediction, can yield acceptable initial conditions for mesoscale models. The

  3. Light-focusing human micro-lenses generated from pluripotent stem cells model lens development and drug-induced cataract in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Patricia; Kabir, Md Humayun; Srivastava, Tarini; Mason, Michele E; Dewi, Chitra U; Lim, Seakcheng; Yang, Andrian; Djordjevic, Djordje; Killingsworth, Murray C; Ho, Joshua W K; Harman, David G; O'Connor, Michael D

    2018-01-09

    Cataracts cause vision loss and blindness by impairing the ability of the ocular lens to focus light onto the retina. Various cataract risk factors have been identified, including drug treatments, age, smoking and diabetes. However, the molecular events responsible for these different forms of cataract are ill-defined, and the advent of modern cataract surgery in the 1960s virtually eliminated access to human lenses for research. Here, we demonstrate large-scale production of light-focusing human micro-lenses from spheroidal masses of human lens epithelial cells purified from differentiating pluripotent stem cells. The purified lens cells and micro-lenses display similar morphology, cellular arrangement, mRNA expression and protein expression to human lens cells and lenses. Exposing the micro-lenses to the emergent cystic fibrosis drug Vx-770 reduces micro-lens transparency and focusing ability. These human micro-lenses provide a powerful and large-scale platform for defining molecular disease mechanisms caused by cataract risk factors, for anti-cataract drug screening and for clinically relevant toxicity assays. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  4. Launching the Next Generation IODP Site Survey Data Bank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, S. P.; Helly, J.; Clark, D.; Eakins, B.; Sutton, D.; Weatherford, J.; Thatch, G.; Miville, B.; Zelt, B.

    2005-12-01

    The next generation all-digital Site Survey Data Bank (SSDB) became operational on August 15, 2005 as an online resource for Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) proponents, reviewers, panels and operations, worldwide. There are currently 123 active proposals for drilling at sites distributed across the globe, involving nearly 1000 proponents from more than 40 countries. The goal is to provide an authoritative, persistent, secure, password-controlled and easily-used home for contributed data objects, as proposals evolve through their life cycle from preliminary phases to planned drilling expeditions. Proposal status can be monitored graphically by proposal number, data type or date. A Java SSDBviewer allows discovery of all proposal data objects, displayed over a basemap of global topography, crustal age or other custom maps. Data can be viewed or downloaded under password control. Webform interfaces assist with the uploading of data and metadata. Thirty four different standard data types are currently supported. The system was designed as a fully functioning digital library, not just a database or a web archive, drawing upon the resources of the SIOExplorer Digital Library project. Blocks of metadata are organized to support discovery and use, as appropriate for each data type. The SSDB has been developed by a UCSD team of researchers and computer scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, under contract with IODP Management International Inc., supported by NSF OCE 0432224.

  5. Fabrication of polymer-based reflowed microlenses on optical fibre ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. Thermal reflow of polymer to generate spherical profile has been used to fabricate microlenses in this paper. A simple model based on the volume conservation (before and after reflow) and geometrical consideration of lens profile, shows that the focal length of the microlens produced by reflow technique is a.

  6. Theory of dispersive microlenses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herman, B.; Gal, George

    1993-01-01

    A dispersive microlens is a miniature optical element which simultaneously focuses and disperses light. Arrays of dispersive mircolenses have potential applications in multicolor focal planes. They have a 100 percent optical fill factor and can focus light down to detectors of diffraction spot size, freeing up areas on the focal plane for on-chip analog signal processing. Use of dispersive microlenses allows inband color separation within a pixel and perfect scene registration. A dual-color separation has the potential for temperature discrimination. We discuss the design of dispersive microlenses and present sample results for efficient designs.

  7. Big Data Perspective and Challenges in Next Generation Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kashif Sultan

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available With the development towards the next generation cellular networks, i.e., 5G, the focus has shifted towards meeting the higher data rate requirements, potential of micro cells and millimeter wave spectrum. The goals for next generation networks are very high data rates, low latency and handling of big data. The achievement of these goals definitely require newer architecture designs, upgraded technologies with possible backward support, better security algorithms and intelligent decision making capability. In this survey, we identify the opportunities which can be provided by 5G networks and discuss the underlying challenges towards implementation and realization of the goals of 5G. This survey also provides a discussion on the recent developments made towards standardization, the architectures which may be potential candidates for deployment and the energy concerns in 5G networks. Finally, the paper presents a big data perspective and the potential of machine learning for optimization and decision making in 5G networks.

  8. A Survey on 5G: The Next Generation of Mobile Communication

    OpenAIRE

    Panwar, Nisha; Sharma, Shantanu; Singh, Awadhesh Kumar

    2015-01-01

    The rapidly increasing number of mobile devices, voluminous data, and higher data rate are pushing to rethink the current generation of the cellular mobile communication. The next or fifth generation (5G) cellular networks are expected to meet high-end requirements. The 5G networks are broadly characterized by three unique features: ubiquitous connectivity, extremely low latency, and very high-speed data transfer. The 5G networks would provide novel architectures and technologies beyond state...

  9. Gravitational microlensing in Verlinde's emergent gravity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei-Hua Liu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We propose gravitational microlensing as a way of testing the emergent gravity theory recently proposed by Eric Verlinde [1]. We consider two limiting cases: the dark mass of maximally anisotropic pressures (Case I and of isotropic pressures (Case II. Our analysis of perihelion advancement of a planet shows that only Case I yields a viable theory. In this case the metric outside a star of mass M⁎ can be modeled by that of a point-like global monopole whose mass is M⁎ and a deficit angle Δ=(2GH0M⁎/(3c3, where H0 is the Hubble rate and G the Newton constant. This deficit angle can be used to test the theory since light exhibits additional bending around stars given by, αD≈−πΔ/2. This angle is independent on the distance from the star and it affects equally light and massive particles. The effect is too small to be measurable today, but should be within reach of the next generation of high resolution telescopes. Finally we note that the advancement of periastron of a planet orbiting around a star or black hole, which equals πΔ per period, can be also used to test the theory.

  10. Next generation light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Omoto, Akira

    1992-01-01

    In the countries where the new order of nuclear reactors has ceased, the development of the light water reactors of new type has been discussed, aiming at the revival of nuclear power. Also in Japan, since it is expected that light water reactors continue to be the main power reactor for long period, the technology of light water reactors of next generation has been discussed. For the development of nuclear power, extremely long lead time is required. The light water reactors of next generation now in consideration will continue to be operated till the middle of the next century, therefore, they must take in advance sufficiently the needs of the age. The improvement of the way men and the facilities should be, the simple design, the flexibility to the trend of fuel cycle and so on are required for the light water reactors of next generation. The trend of the development of next generation light water reactors is discussed. The construction of an ABWR was started in September, 1991, as No. 6 plant in Kashiwazaki Kariwa Power Station. (K.I.)

  11. Centroid vetting of transiting planet candidates from the Next Generation Transit Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Günther, Maximilian N.; Queloz, Didier; Gillen, Edward; McCormac, James; Bayliss, Daniel; Bouchy, Francois; Walker, Simon. R.; West, Richard G.; Eigmüller, Philipp; Smith, Alexis M. S.; Armstrong, David J.; Burleigh, Matthew; Casewell, Sarah L.; Chaushev, Alexander P.; Goad, Michael R.; Grange, Andrew; Jackman, James; Jenkins, James S.; Louden, Tom; Moyano, Maximiliano; Pollacco, Don; Poppenhaeger, Katja; Rauer, Heike; Raynard, Liam; Thompson, Andrew P. G.; Udry, Stéphane; Watson, Christopher A.; Wheatley, Peter J.

    2017-11-01

    The Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), operating in Paranal since 2016, is a wide-field survey to detect Neptunes and super-Earths transiting bright stars, which are suitable for precise radial velocity follow-up and characterization. Thereby, its sub-mmag photometric precision and ability to identify false positives are crucial. Particularly, variable background objects blended in the photometric aperture frequently mimic Neptune-sized transits and are costly in follow-up time. These objects can best be identified with the centroiding technique: if the photometric flux is lost off-centre during an eclipse, the flux centroid shifts towards the centre of the target star. Although this method has successfully been employed by the Kepler mission, it has previously not been implemented from the ground. We present a fully automated centroid vetting algorithm developed for NGTS, enabled by our high-precision autoguiding. Our method allows detecting centroid shifts with an average precision of 0.75 milli-pixel (mpix), and down to 0.25 mpix for specific targets, for a pixel size of 4.97 arcsec. The algorithm is now part of the NGTS candidate vetting pipeline and automatically employed for all detected signals. Further, we develop a joint Bayesian fitting model for all photometric and centroid data, allowing to disentangle which object (target or background) is causing the signal, and what its astrophysical parameters are. We demonstrate our method on two NGTS objects of interest. These achievements make NGTS the first ground-based wide-field transit survey ever to successfully apply the centroiding technique for automated candidate vetting, enabling the production of a robust candidate list before follow-up.

  12. A Survey on Next-generation Power Grid Data Architecture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    You, Shutang [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Zhu, Dr. Lin [University of Tennessee (UT); Liu, Yong [ORNL; Liu, Yilu [ORNL; Shankar, Mallikarjun (Arjun) [ORNL; Robertson, Russell [Grid Protection Alliance; King Jr, Thomas J [ORNL

    2015-01-01

    The operation and control of power grids will increasingly rely on data. A high-speed, reliable, flexible and secure data architecture is the prerequisite of the next-generation power grid. This paper summarizes the challenges in collecting and utilizing power grid data, and then provides reference data architecture for future power grids. Based on the data architecture deployment, related research on data architecture is reviewed and summarized in several categories including data measurement/actuation, data transmission, data service layer, data utilization, as well as two cross-cutting issues, interoperability and cyber security. Research gaps and future work are also presented.

  13. Liquid as template for next generation micro devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charmet, Jerome; Haquette, Henri; Laux, Edith; Keppner, Herbert; Gorodyska, Ganna; Textor, Marcus; Durante, Guido Spinola; Portuondo-Campa, Erwin; Knapp, Helmut; Bitterli, Roland; Noell, Wilfried

    2009-01-01

    Liquids have fascinated generations of scientists and engineers. Since ancient Greece, the perfect natural shape of liquids has been used to create optical systems. Nowadays, the natural shape of liquid is used in the fabrication of microlens arrays that rely on the melting of glass or photoresist to generate high quality lenses. However shrinkage normally associated to the liquid to solid phase transition will affect the initial shape and quality of the liquid structure. In this contribution, a novel fabrication technique that enables the encapsulation and replication of liquid templates without affecting their natural shape is presented. The SOLID (SOlid on LIquid Deposition) process allows for a transparent solid film to be deposited and grown onto a liquid template (droplet, film, line) in a way that the liquid shapes the overgrowing solid layer. The resulting configuration of the SOLID devices is chemically and mechanically stable and is the base of a huge variety of new micro-nano systems in the field of microfluidics, biomedical devices and micro-optics among others. The SOLID process enables in a one step process the encapsulation of liquid microlenses, fluidics channels, drug reservoir or any naturally driven liquid structure. The phenomenon and solid-liquid interface resulting from the SOLID process is new and still unexploited. The solid layer used for the SOLID process chosen in this paper is poly-para-xylylene called Parylene, a transparent biocompatible polymer with excellent mechanical and chemical properties. Moreover, as the solid layer is growing over a liquid template, atomically smooth surfaces channels can be obtained. The polymerization of Parylene does not exert stress and does not change the shape of the liquid; this latter aspect is particularly interesting for manufacturing naturally driven liquid structures. In this paper the authors explore the limits of this new method by testing different designs of SOLID encapsulated structures and

  14. Optimal survey strategies and predicted planet yields for the Korean microlensing telescope network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henderson, Calen B.; Gaudi, B. Scott; Skowron, Jan; Penny, Matthew T.; Gould, Andrew P.; Han, Cheongho; Nataf, David

    2014-01-01

    The Korean Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) will consist of three 1.6 m telescopes each with a 4 deg 2 field of view (FoV) and will be dedicated to monitoring the Galactic Bulge to detect exoplanets via gravitational microlensing. KMTNet's combination of aperture size, FoV, cadence, and longitudinal coverage will provide a unique opportunity to probe exoplanet demographics in an unbiased way. Here we present simulations that optimize the observing strategy for and predict the planetary yields of KMTNet. We find preferences for four target fields located in the central Bulge and an exposure time of t exp = 120 s, leading to the detection of ∼2200 microlensing events per year. We estimate the planet detection rates for planets with mass and separation across the ranges 0.1 ≤ M p /M ⊕ ≤ 1000 and 0.4 ≤ a/AU ≤ 16, respectively. Normalizing these rates to the cool-planet mass function of Cassan et al., we predict KMTNet will be approximately uniformly sensitive to planets with mass 5 ≤ M p /M ⊕ ≤ 1000 and will detect ∼20 planets per year per dex in mass across that range. For lower-mass planets with mass 0.1 ≤ M p /M ⊕ < 5, we predict KMTNet will detect ∼10 planets per year. We also compute the yields KMTNet will obtain for free-floating planets (FFPs) and predict KMTNet will detect ∼1 Earth-mass FFP per year, assuming an underlying population of one such planet per star in the Galaxy. Lastly, we investigate the dependence of these detection rates on the number of observatories, the photometric precision limit, and optimistic assumptions regarding seeing, throughput, and flux measurement uncertainties.

  15. Domestic and foreign trends in the prevalence of heart failure and the necessity of next-generation artificial hearts: a survey by the Working Group on Establishment of Assessment Guidelines for Next-Generation Artificial Heart Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatsumi, Eisuke; Nakatani, Takeshi; Imachi, Kou; Umezu, Mitsuo; Kyo, Shun-Ei; Sase, Kazuhiro; Takatani, Setsuo; Matsuda, Hikaru

    2007-01-01

    A series of guidelines for development and assessment of next-generation medical devices has been drafted under an interagency collaborative project by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The working group for assessment guidelines of next-generation artificial hearts reviewed the trend in the prevalence of heart failure and examined the potential usefulness of such devices in Japan and in other countries as a fundamental part of the process of establishing appropriate guidelines. At present, more than 23 million people suffer from heart failure in developed countries, including Japan. Although Japan currently has the lowest mortality from heart failure among those countries, the number of patients is gradually increasing as our lifestyle becomes more Westernized; the associated medical expenses are rapidly growing. The number of heart transplantations, however, is limited due to the overwhelming shortage of donor hearts, not only in Japan but worldwide. Meanwhile, clinical studies and surveys have revealed that the major causes of death in patients undergoing long-term use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) were infection, thrombosis, and mechanical failure, all of which are typical of VADs. It is therefore of urgent and universal necessity to develop next-generation artificial hearts that have excellent durability to provide at least 2 years of event-free operation with a superior quality of life and that can be used for destination therapy to save patients with irreversible heart failure. It is also very important to ensure that an environment that facilitates the development, testing, and approval evaluation processes of next-generation artificial hearts be established as soon as possible.

  16. Microlensing discovery of a population of very tight, very low mass binary brown dwarfs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Choi, J.-Y.; Han, C.; Udalski, A.

    2013-01-01

    the discovery via gravitational microlensing of two very low mass, very tight binary systems. These binaries have directly and precisely measured total system masses of 0.025 M ☉ and 0.034 M ☉, and projected separations of 0.31 AU and 0.19 AU, making them the lowest-mass and tightest field BD binaries known....... The discovery of a population of such binaries indicates that BD binaries can robustly form at least down to masses of ~0.02 M ☉. Future microlensing surveys will measure a mass-selected sample of BD binary systems, which can then be directly compared to similar samples of stellar binaries....

  17. Microlensing by multiple planets in high-magnification events

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gaudi, BS; Sackett, PD

    1998-01-01

    Microlensing is increasingly gaining recognition as a powerful method for the detection and characterization of extrasolar planetary systems. Naively, one might expect that the probability of detecting the influence of more than one planet on any single microlensing light curve would be small.

  18. WEAVE: the next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope : The next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dalton, Gavin; Trager, Scott C.; Abrams, Don Carlos; Carter, David; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; Aguerri, J. Alfonso L.; MacIntosh, Mike; Evans, Chris; Lewis, Ian; Navarro, Ramon; Agocs, Tibor; Dee, Kevin; Rousset, Sophie; Tosh, Ian; Middleton, Kevin; Pragt, Johannes; Terrett, David; Brock, Matthew; Benn, Chris; Verheijen, Marc; Cano Infantes, Diego; Bevil, Craige; Steele, Iain; Mottram, Chris; Bates, Stuart; Gribbin, Francis J.; Rey, Jürg; Rodriguez, Luis Fernando; Delgado, Jose Miguel; Guinouard, Isabelle; Walton, Nic; Irwin, Michael J.; Jagourel, Pascal; Stuik, Remko; Gerlofsma, Gerrit; Roelfsma, Ronald; Skillen, Ian; Ridings, Andy; Balcells, Marc; Daban, Jean-Baptiste; Gouvret, Carole; Venema, Lars; Girard, Paul

    We present the preliminary design of the WEAVE next generation spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), principally targeting optical ground-based follow up of upcoming ground-based (LOFAR) and spacebased (Gaia) surveys. WEAVE is a multi-object and multi-IFU facility utilizing

  19. Application of tot’hema eosin sensitized gelatin film for adaptive microlenses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murić Branka D.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we showed that tot’hema eosin sensitized gelatin (TESG film can be used for adaptive microlenses fabriacation. The mechanical properties of a pure gelatin film were improved by adding tot’hema solution. We found that the elasticity of TESG film depend on the tot’hema concentration. By stretching the film, the microlenses were deformed uniaxially, and microlenses focal length can be tuned. The achieved microlenses focal lengths range from 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

  20. Difference Image Analysis of Galactic Microlensing. I. Data Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alcock, C.; Allsman, R. A.; Alves, D.; Axelrod, T. S.; Becker, A. C.; Bennett, D. P.; Cook, K. H.; Drake, A. J.; Freeman, K. C.; Griest, K. (and others)

    1999-08-20

    This is a preliminary report on the application of Difference Image Analysis (DIA) to Galactic bulge images. The aim of this analysis is to increase the sensitivity to the detection of gravitational microlensing. We discuss how the DIA technique simplifies the process of discovering microlensing events by detecting only objects that have variable flux. We illustrate how the DIA technique is not limited to detection of so-called ''pixel lensing'' events but can also be used to improve photometry for classical microlensing events by removing the effects of blending. We will present a method whereby DIA can be used to reveal the true unblended colors, positions, and light curves of microlensing events. We discuss the need for a technique to obtain the accurate microlensing timescales from blended sources and present a possible solution to this problem using the existing Hubble Space Telescope color-magnitude diagrams of the Galactic bulge and LMC. The use of such a solution with both classical and pixel microlensing searches is discussed. We show that one of the major causes of systematic noise in DIA is differential refraction. A technique for removing this systematic by effectively registering images to a common air mass is presented. Improvements to commonly used image differencing techniques are discussed. (c) 1999 The American Astronomical Society.

  1. Characterizing low-mass binaries from observation of long-timescale caustic-crossing gravitational microlensing events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shin, I.-G; Han, C.; Choi, J.-Y

    2012-01-01

    solution by follow-up radial-velocity observation. For both events, the caustic-crossing parts of the light curves, which are critical for determining the physical lens parameters, were resolved by high-cadence survey observations and thus it is expected that the number of microlensing binaries...

  2. PERIODIC SIGNALS IN BINARY MICROLENSING EVENTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Xinyi; Stefano, Rosanne Di; Esin, Ann; Taylor, Jeffrey

    2015-01-01

    Gravitational microlensing events are powerful tools for the study of stellar populations. In particular, they can be used to discover and study a variety of binary systems. A large number of binary lenses have already been found through microlensing surveys and a few of these systems show strong evidence of orbital motion on the timescale of the lensing event. We expect that more binary lenses of this kind will be detected in the future. For binaries whose orbital period is comparable to the event duration, the orbital motion can cause the lensing signal to deviate drastically from that of a static binary lens. The most striking property of such light curves is the presence of quasi-periodic features, which are produced as the source traverses the same regions in the rotating lens plane. These repeating features contain information about the orbital period of the lens. If this period can be extracted, then much can be learned about the lensing system even without performing time-consuming, detailed light-curve modeling. However, the relative transverse motion between the source and the lens significantly complicates the problem of period extraction. To resolve this difficulty, we present a modification of the standard Lomb–Scargle periodogram analysis. We test our method for four representative binary lens systems and demonstrate its efficiency in correctly extracting binary orbital periods

  3. Next Generation NASA Initiative for Space Geodesy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merkowitz, S. M.; Desai, S.; Gross, R. S.; Hilliard, L.; Lemoine, F. G.; Long, J. L.; Ma, C.; McGarry J. F.; Murphy, D.; Noll, C. E.; hide

    2012-01-01

    Space geodesy measurement requirements have become more and more stringent as our understanding of the physical processes and our modeling techniques have improved. In addition, current and future spacecraft will have ever-increasing measurement capability and will lead to increasingly sophisticated models of changes in the Earth system. Ground-based space geodesy networks with enhanced measurement capability will be essential to meeting these oncoming requirements and properly interpreting the sate1!ite data. These networks must be globally distributed and built for longevity, to provide the robust data necessary to generate improved models for proper interpretation ofthe observed geophysical signals. These requirements have been articulated by the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS). The NASA Space Geodesy Project (SGP) is developing a prototype core site as the basis for a next generation Space Geodetic Network (SGN) that would be NASA's contribution to a global network designed to produce the higher quality data required to maintain the Terrestrial Reference Frame and provide information essential for fully realizing the measurement potential of the current and coming generation of Earth Observing spacecraft. Each of the sites in the SGN would include co-located, state of-the-art systems from all four space geodetic observing techniques (GNSS, SLR, VLBI, and DORIS). The prototype core site is being developed at NASA's Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory at Goddard Space Flight Center. The project commenced in 2011 and is scheduled for completion in late 2013. In January 2012, two multiconstellation GNSS receivers, GODS and GODN, were established at the prototype site as part of the local geodetic network. Development and testing are also underway on the next generation SLR and VLBI systems along with a modern DORIS station. An automated survey system is being developed to measure inter-technique vector ties, and network design studies are being

  4. Augmenting WFIRST Microlensing with a Ground-Based Telescope Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Wei; Gould, Andrew

    2016-06-01

    Augmenting the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) microlensing campaigns with intensive observations from a ground-based network of wide-field survey telescopes would have several major advantages. First, it would enable full two-dimensional (2-D) vector microlens parallax measurements for a substantial fraction of low-mass lenses as well as planetary and binary events that show caustic crossing features. For a significant fraction of the free-floating planet (FFP) events and all caustic-crossing planetary/binary events, these 2-D parallax measurements directly lead to complete solutions (mass, distance, transverse velocity) of the lens object (or lens system). For even more events, the complementary ground-based observations will yield 1-D parallax measurements. Together with the 1-D parallaxes from WFIRST alone, they can probe the entire mass range M > M_Earth. For luminous lenses, such 1-D parallax measurements can be promoted to complete solutions (mass, distance, transverse velocity) by high-resolution imaging. This would provide crucial information not only about the hosts of planets and other lenses, but also enable a much more precise Galactic model. Other benefits of such a survey include improved understanding of binaries (particularly with low mass primaries), and sensitivity to distant ice-giant and gas-giant companions of WFIRST lenses that cannot be detected by WFIRST itself due to its restricted observing windows. Existing ground-based microlensing surveys can be employed if WFIRST is pointed at lower-extinction fields than is currently envisaged. This would come at some cost to the event rate. Therefore the benefits of improved characterization of lenses must be weighed against these costs.

  5. Generation Next

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, B. Denise

    2010-01-01

    There is a shortage of accounting professors with Ph.D.s who can prepare the next generation. To help reverse the faculty deficit, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) has created the new Accounting Doctoral Scholars program by pooling more than $17 million and soliciting commitments from more than 70 of the nation's…

  6. Next Generation Microshutter Arrays Project

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop the next generation MicroShutter Array (MSA) as a multi-object field selector for missions anticipated in the next two decades. For many...

  7. Project control - the next generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iorii, V.F.; McKinnon, B.L.

    1993-01-01

    The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) second largest Major System Acquisition Project. We have developed an integrated planning and control system (called PACS) that we believe represents the 'Next Generation' in project control. PACS integrates technical scope, cost, and schedule information for over 50 participating organizations and produces performances measurement reports for science and engineering managers at all levels. Our 'Next Generation' project control too, PACS, has been found to be in compliance with the new DOE Project Control System Guidelines. Additionally, the nuclear utility oversight group of the Edison Electric Institute has suggested PACS be used as a model for other civilian radioactive waste management projects. A 'Next Generation' project control tool will be necessary to do science in the 21st century

  8. Predicting the 4th caustic crossing in Gaia16aye binary microlensing event

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mroz, P.; Wyrzykowski, L.; Rybicki, K.; Altavilla, G.; Bakis, V.; Bendjoya, P.; Birenbaum, G.; Blagorodnova, N.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Bonanos, A.; Bozza, V.; Britavskiy, N.; Burgaz, U.; Butterley, T.; Capuozzo, P.; Carrasco, J. M.; Chruslinska, M.; Damljanovic, G.; Dennefeld, M.; Dhillon, V. S.; Dominik, M.; Esenoglu, H.; Fossey, S.; Gomboc, A.; Hallokoun, N.; Hamanowicz, A.; Hardy, L. K.; Hudec, R.; Khamitov, I.; Klencki, J.; Kolaczkowski, Z.; Kolb, U.; Leonini, S.; Leto, G.; Lewis, F.; Liakos, A.; Littlefair, S. P.; Maoz, D.; Maund, J. R.; Mikolajczyk, P.; Palaversa, L.; Pawlak, M.; Penny, M.; Piascik, A.; Reig, P.; Rhodes, L.; Russell, D.; Sanchez, R. Z.; Shappee, B.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Sitek, M.; Sniegowska, M.; Sokolovsky, K.; Steele, I.; Street, R.; Tomasella, L.; Trascinelli, L.; Wiersema, K.; Wilson, R. W.; Zharkov, I.; Zola, S.; Zubareva, A.

    2016-11-01

    Gaia16aye, nicknamed Ayers Rock (19:40:01.13 +30:07:53.4, J2000) is a spectacular binary microlensing event in the Northern Galactic Plane. The event has been observed by Gaia, ASAS-SN survey and a network of follow-up telescopes, coordinated by the Time Domain WP of the EC's OPTICON grant.

  9. Structure formation and microlensing with axion miniclusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairbairn, Malcolm; Marsh, David J. E.; Quevillon, Jérémie; Rozier, Simon

    2018-04-01

    If the symmetry breaking responsible for axion dark matter production occurs during the radiation-dominated epoch in the early Universe, then this produces large amplitude perturbations that collapse into dense objects known as axion miniclusters. The characteristic minicluster mass, M0, is set by the mass inside the horizon when axion oscillations begin. For the QCD axion M0˜10-10 M⊙, however, for an axionlike particle, M0 can approach M⊙ or higher. Using the Press-Schechter formalism we compute the mass function of halos formed by hierarchical structure formation from these seeds. We compute the concentrations and collapse times of these halos and show that they can grow to be as massive as 1 06M0. Within the halos, miniclusters likely remain tightly bound, and we compute their gravitational microlensing signal taking the fraction of axion dark matter collapsed into miniclusters, fMC, as a free parameter. A large value of fMC severely weakens constraints on axion scenarios from direct detection experiments. We take into account the non-Gaussian distribution of sizes of miniclusters and determine how this affects the number of microlensing events. We develop the tools to consider microlensing by an extended mass function of nonpointlike objects, and we use microlensing data to place the first observational constraints on fMC. This opens a new window for the potential discovery of the axion.

  10. The nature of parallax microlensing events towards the Galactic bulge

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smith, MC; Belokurov, [No Value; Evans, NW; Mao, SD; An, JH

    2005-01-01

    Perhaps as many as 30 parallax microlensing events are known, thanks to the efforts of the Massive Compact Halo Object (MACHO), Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), Experience pour la Recherche d'Objets Sombres (EROS) and Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) experiments

  11. Low-cost, high-precision micro-lensed optical fiber providing deep-micrometer to deep-nanometer-level light focusing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Sy-Bor; Sundaram, Vijay M; McBride, Daniel; Yang, Yu

    2016-04-15

    A new type of micro-lensed optical fiber through stacking appropriate high-refractive microspheres at designed locations with respect to the cleaved end of an optical fiber is numerically and experimentally demonstrated. This new type of micro-lensed optical fiber can be precisely constructed with low cost and high speed. Deep micrometer-scale and submicrometer-scale far-field light spots can be achieved when the optical fibers are multimode and single mode, respectively. By placing an appropriate teardrop dielectric nanoscale scatterer at the far-field spot of this new type of micro-lensed optical fiber, a deep-nanometer near-field spot can also be generated with high intensity and minimum joule heating, which is valuable in high-speed, high-resolution, and high-power nanoscale detection compared with traditional near-field optical fibers containing a significant portion of metallic material.

  12. Dynalight Next Generation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard; Ottosen, Carl-Otto; Dam-Hansen, Carsten

    2016-01-01

    The project aims to develop the next generation of energy cost-efficient artificial lighting control that enables greenhouse growers to adapt their use of artificial lighting dynamically to fluctuations in the price of electricity. This is a necessity as fluctuations in the price of electricity c...

  13. Generation 'Next' and nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sergeev, A.A.

    2001-01-01

    My generation was labeled by Russian mass media as generation 'Next.' My technical education is above average. My current position is as a mechanical engineer in the leading research and development institute for Russian nuclear engineering for peaceful applications. It is noteworthy to point out that many of our developments were really first-of-a-kind in the history of engineering. However, it is difficult to grasp the importance of these accomplishments, especially since the progress of nuclear technologies is at a standstill. Can generation 'Next' be independent in their attitude towards nuclear power or shall we rely on the opinions of elder colleagues in our industry? (authors)

  14. Application of Compressive Sensing to Gravitational Microlensing Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korde-Patel, Asmita; Barry, Richard K.; Mohsenin, Tinoosh

    2016-01-01

    Compressive Sensing is an emerging technology for data compression and simultaneous data acquisition. This is an enabling technique for significant reduction in data bandwidth, and transmission power and hence, can greatly benefit spaceflight instruments. We apply this process to detect exoplanets via gravitational microlensing. We experiment with various impact parameters that describe microlensing curves to determine the effectiveness and uncertainty caused by Compressive Sensing. Finally, we describe implications for spaceflight missions.

  15. The Next Great Generation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownstein, Andrew

    2000-01-01

    Discusses ideas from a new book, "Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation," (by Neil Howe and William Strauss) suggesting that youth culture is on the cusp of a radical shift with the generation beginning with this year's college freshmen who are typically team oriented, optimistic, and poised for greatness on a global scale. Includes a…

  16. Development of technology for next generation reactor - Development of next generation reactor in Korea -

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jong Kyun; Chang, Moon Heuy; Hwang, Yung Dong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); and others

    1993-09-01

    The project, development of next generation reactor, aims overall related technology development and obtainment of related license in 2001. The development direction is to determine the reactor type and to build up the design concept in 1994. For development trend analysis of foreign next generation reactor, level-1 PSA, fuel cycle analysis and computer code development are performed on System 80+ and AP 600. Especially for design characteristics analysis and volume upgrade of AP 600, nuclear fuel and reactor core design analysis, coolant circuit design analysis, mechanical structure design analysis and safety analysis etc. are performed. (Author).

  17. Tailoring next-generation biofuels and their combustion in next-generation engines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gladden, John Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wu, Weihua [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Taatjes, Craig A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Scheer, Adam Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Turner, Kevin M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Yu, Eizadora T. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); O' Bryan, Greg [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Powell, Amy Jo [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Gao, Connie W. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Increasing energy costs, the dependence on foreign oil supplies, and environmental concerns have emphasized the need to produce sustainable renewable fuels and chemicals. The strategy for producing next-generation biofuels must include efficient processes for biomass conversion to liquid fuels and the fuels must be compatible with current and future engines. Unfortunately, biofuel development generally takes place without any consideration of combustion characteristics, and combustion scientists typically measure biofuels properties without any feedback to the production design. We seek to optimize the fuel/engine system by bringing combustion performance, specifically for advanced next-generation engines, into the development of novel biosynthetic fuel pathways. Here we report an innovative coupling of combustion chemistry, from fundamentals to engine measurements, to the optimization of fuel production using metabolic engineering. We have established the necessary connections among the fundamental chemistry, engine science, and synthetic biology for fuel production, building a powerful framework for co-development of engines and biofuels.

  18. Microlensing and Its Degeneracy Breakers: Parallax, Finite Source, High-Resolution Imaging, and Astrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Hsiu Lee

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available First proposed by Paczynski in 1986, microlensing has been instrumental in the search for compact dark matter as well as discovery and characterization of exoplanets. In this article, we provide a brief history of microlensing, especially on the discoveries of compact objects and exoplanets. We then review the basics of microlensing and how astrometry can help break the degeneracy, providing a more robust determination of the nature of the microlensing events. We also outline prospects that will be made by on-going and forth-coming experiments/observatories.

  19. Microlensing Binaries Discovered through High-magnification Channel

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shin, I.-G.; Choi, J.-Y.; Park, S.-Y.

    2012-01-01

    Microlensing can provide a useful tool to probe binary distributions down to low-mass limits of binary companions. In this paper, we analyze the light curves of eight binary-lensing events detected through the channel of high-magnification events during the seasons from 2007 to 2010. The perturba......Microlensing can provide a useful tool to probe binary distributions down to low-mass limits of binary companions. In this paper, we analyze the light curves of eight binary-lensing events detected through the channel of high-magnification events during the seasons from 2007 to 2010...

  20. Fabrication of high performance microlenses for an integrated capillary channel electrochromatograph with fluorescence detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wendt, J. R.; Warren, M. E.; Sweatt, W. C.; Bailey, C. G.; Matzke, C. M.; Arnold, D. W.; Allerman, A. A.; Carter, T. R.; Asbill, R. E.; Samora, S.

    1999-01-01

    We describe the microfabrication of an extremely compact optical system as a key element in an integrated capillary channel electrochromatograph with fluorescence detection. The optical system consists of a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), two high performance microlenses, and a commercial photodetector. The microlenses are multilevel diffractive optics patterned by electron beam lithography and etched by reactive ion etching in fused silica. The design uses substrate-mode propagation within the fused silica substrate. Two generations of optical subsystems are described. The first generation design has a 6 mm optical length and is integrated directly onto the capillary channel-containing substrate. The second generation design separates the optical system onto its own substrate module and the optical path length is further compressed to 3.5 mm. The first generation design has been tested using direct fluorescence detection with a 750 nm VCSEL pumping a 10 -4 M solution of CY-7 dye. The observed signal-to-noise ratio of better than 100:1 demonstrates that the background signal from scattered pump light is low despite the compact size of the optical system and is adequate for system sensitivity requirements. (c) 1999 American Vacuum Society

  1. Next Generation Inverter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Zilai [General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (United States); Gough, Charles [General Motors LLC, Detroit, MI (United States)

    2016-04-22

    The goal of this Cooperative Agreement was the development of a Next Generation Inverter for General Motors’ electrified vehicles, including battery electric vehicles, range extended electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. The inverter is a critical electronics component that converts battery power (DC) to and from the electric power for the motor (AC).

  2. Technical presentation: Next Generation Oscilloscopes

    CERN Multimedia

    PH Department

    2011-01-01

      Rohde & Schwarz "Next Generation Oscilloscopes" - Introduction and Presentation Agenda: Wednesday 23 March  -  09:30 to 11:30 (open end) Bldg. 13-2-005 Language: English 09.30 Presentation "Next Generation Oscilloscopes" from Rohde & Schwarz RTO / RTM in theory and practice Gerard Walker 10.15 Technical design details from R&D Dr. Markus Freidhof 10.45 Scope and Probe Roadmap (confidential) Guido Schulze 11.00 Open Discussion Feedback, first impression, wishes, needs and requirements from CERN All 11.30 Expert Talks, Hands on All Mr. Dr. Markus Freidhof, Head of R&D Oscilloscopes, Rohde & Schwarz, Germany; Mr. Guido Schulze, ...

  3. Genome survey of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) by next generation sequencing: Development of novel SSR markers and genetic diversity in Pistacia species

    OpenAIRE

    Ziya Motalebipour, Elmira; Kafkas, Salih; Khodaeiaminjan, Mortaza; ?oban, Nergiz; G?zel, Hatice

    2016-01-01

    Background Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is one of the most important nut crops in the world. There are about 11 wild species in the genus Pistacia, and they have importance as rootstock seed sources for cultivated P. vera and forest trees. Published information on the pistachio genome is limited. Therefore, a genome survey is necessary to obtain knowledge on the genome structure of pistachio by next generation sequencing. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are useful tools for germplasm cha...

  4. Measuring the Microlensing Parallax from Various Space Observatories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachelet, E.; Hinse, T. C.; Street, R.

    2018-05-01

    A few observational methods allow the measurement of the mass and distance of the lens-star for a microlensing event. A first estimate can be obtained by measuring the microlensing parallax effect produced by either the motion of the Earth (annual parallax) or the contemporaneous observation of the lensing event from two (or more) observatories (space or terrestrial parallax) sufficiently separated from each other. Further developing ideas originally outlined by Gould as well as Mogavero & Beaulieu, we review the possibility of measuring systematically the microlensing parallax using a telescope based on the Moon surface and other space-based observing platforms, including the upcoming WFIRST space-telescope. We first generalize the Fisher matrix formulation and present results demonstrating the advantage for each observing scenario. We conclude by outlining the limitation of the Fisher matrix analysis when submitted to a practical data modeling process. By considering a lunar-based parallax observation, we find that parameter correlations introduce a significant loss in detection efficiency of the probed lunar parallax effect.

  5. A Next Generation BioPhotonics Workstation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glückstad, Jesper; Palima, Darwin; Tauro, Sandeep

    2011-01-01

    We are developing a Next Generation BioPhotonics Workstation to be applied in research on regulated microbial cell growth including their underlying physiological mechanisms, in vivo characterization of cell constituents and manufacturing of nanostructures and meta-materials.......We are developing a Next Generation BioPhotonics Workstation to be applied in research on regulated microbial cell growth including their underlying physiological mechanisms, in vivo characterization of cell constituents and manufacturing of nanostructures and meta-materials....

  6. THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. XV. THE PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFT ESTIMATION FOR BACKGROUND SOURCES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raichoor, A.; Mei, S.; Huertas-Company, M.; Licitra, R.; Erben, T.; Hildebrandt, H.; Ilbert, O.; Boissier, S.; Boselli, A.; Ball, N. M.; Côté, P.; Ferrarese, L.; Gwyn, S. D. J.; Kavelaars, J. J.; Chen, Y.-T.; Cuillandre, J.-C.; Duc, P. A.; Durrell, P. R.; Guhathakurta, P.; Lançon, A.

    2014-01-01

    The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is an optical imaging survey covering 104 deg 2 centered on the Virgo cluster. Currently, the complete survey area has been observed in the u*giz bands and one third in the r band. We present the photometric redshift estimation for the NGVS background sources. After a dedicated data reduction, we perform accurate photometry, with special attention to precise color measurements through point-spread function homogenization. We then estimate the photometric redshifts with the Le Phare and BPZ codes. We add a new prior that extends to i AB = 12.5 mag. When using the u* griz bands, our photometric redshifts for 15.5 mag ≤ i ≲ 23 mag or z phot ≲ 1 galaxies have a bias |Δz| < 0.02, less than 5% outliers, a scatter σ outl.rej. , and an individual error on z phot that increases with magnitude (from 0.02 to 0.05 and from 0.03 to 0.10, respectively). When using the u*giz bands over the same magnitude and redshift range, the lack of the r band increases the uncertainties in the 0.3 ≲ z phot ≲ 0.8 range (–0.05 < Δz < –0.02, σ outl.rej ∼ 0.06, 10%-15% outliers, and z phot.err. ∼ 0.15). We also present a joint analysis of the photometric redshift accuracy as a function of redshift and magnitude. We assess the quality of our photometric redshifts by comparison to spectroscopic samples and by verifying that the angular auto- and cross-correlation function w(θ) of the entire NGVS photometric redshift sample across redshift bins is in agreement with the expectations

  7. THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. XV. THE PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFT ESTIMATION FOR BACKGROUND SOURCES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raichoor, A.; Mei, S.; Huertas-Company, M.; Licitra, R. [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 61 Avenue de l' Observatoire, F-75014 Paris (France); Erben, T.; Hildebrandt, H. [Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, University of Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Ilbert, O.; Boissier, S.; Boselli, A. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille, UMR 7326, F-13388 Marseille (France); Ball, N. M.; Côté, P.; Ferrarese, L.; Gwyn, S. D. J.; Kavelaars, J. J. [Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Chen, Y.-T. [Insitute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Cuillandre, J.-C. [Canada-France-Hawaïi Telescope Corporation, Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Duc, P. A. [Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/IRFU/SAp, CNRS/INSU, Université Paris Diderot, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Durrell, P. R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 44555 (United States); Guhathakurta, P. [UCO/Lick Observatory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Lançon, A., E-mail: anand.raichoor@obspm.fr [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); and others

    2014-12-20

    The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is an optical imaging survey covering 104 deg{sup 2} centered on the Virgo cluster. Currently, the complete survey area has been observed in the u*giz bands and one third in the r band. We present the photometric redshift estimation for the NGVS background sources. After a dedicated data reduction, we perform accurate photometry, with special attention to precise color measurements through point-spread function homogenization. We then estimate the photometric redshifts with the Le Phare and BPZ codes. We add a new prior that extends to i {sub AB} = 12.5 mag. When using the u* griz bands, our photometric redshifts for 15.5 mag ≤ i ≲ 23 mag or z {sub phot} ≲ 1 galaxies have a bias |Δz| < 0.02, less than 5% outliers, a scatter σ{sub outl.rej.}, and an individual error on z {sub phot} that increases with magnitude (from 0.02 to 0.05 and from 0.03 to 0.10, respectively). When using the u*giz bands over the same magnitude and redshift range, the lack of the r band increases the uncertainties in the 0.3 ≲ z {sub phot} ≲ 0.8 range (–0.05 < Δz < –0.02, σ{sub outl.rej} ∼ 0.06, 10%-15% outliers, and z {sub phot.err.} ∼ 0.15). We also present a joint analysis of the photometric redshift accuracy as a function of redshift and magnitude. We assess the quality of our photometric redshifts by comparison to spectroscopic samples and by verifying that the angular auto- and cross-correlation function w(θ) of the entire NGVS photometric redshift sample across redshift bins is in agreement with the expectations.

  8. The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey. XXVIII. Characterization of the Galactic White Dwarf Population

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fantin, Nicholas J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy,University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 1A1 (Canada); Côté, Patrick; Gwyn, S. D. J.; Ferrarese, Laura; McConnachie, Alan [National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Program, 5071 W. Saanich Road, Victoria, BC, V9E 2E7 (Canada); Hanes, David A. [Queen’s University, Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Bianchi, Luciana [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Cuillandre, Jean-Charles [CEA/IRFU/SAp, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CNRS/INSU, Université Paris Diderot, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Starkenburg, Else, E-mail: nfantin@uvic.ca [Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam (Germany)

    2017-07-01

    We use three different techniques to identify hundreds of white dwarf (WD) candidates in the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) based on photometry from the NGVS and GUViCS, and proper motions derived from the NGVS and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Photometric distances for these candidates are calculated using theoretical color–absolute magnitude relations, while effective temperatures are measured by fitting their spectral energy distributions. Disk and halo WD candidates are separated using a tangential velocity cut of 200 km s{sup −1} in a reduced proper motion diagram, which leads to a sample of six halo WD candidates. Cooling ages, calculated for an assumed WD mass of 0.6 M {sub ⊙}, range between 60 Myr and 6 Gyr, although these estimates depend sensitively on the adopted mass. Luminosity functions for the disk and halo subsamples are constructed and compared to previous results from the SDSS and SuperCOSMOS survey. We compute a number density of (2.81 ± 0.52) × 10{sup −3} pc{sup −3} for the disk WD population—consistent with previous measurements. We find (7.85 ± 4.55) × 10{sup −6} pc{sup −3} for the halo, or 0.3% of the disk. Observed stellar counts are also compared to predictions made by the TRILEGAL and Besançon stellar population synthesis models. The comparison suggests that the TRILEGAL model overpredicts the total number of WDs. The WD counts predicted by the Besançon model agree with the observations, although a discrepancy arises when comparing the predicted and observed halo WD populations; the difference is likely due to the WD masses in the adopted model halo.

  9. Next Generation Microchannel Heat Exchangers

    CERN Document Server

    Ohadi, Michael; Dessiatoun, Serguei; Cetegen, Edvin

    2013-01-01

    In Next Generation Microchannel Heat Exchangers, the authors’ focus on the new generation highly efficient heat exchangers and presentation of novel data and technical expertise not available in the open literature.  Next generation micro channels offer record high heat transfer coefficients with pressure drops much less than conventional micro channel heat exchangers. These inherent features promise fast penetration into many mew markets, including high heat flux cooling of electronics, waste heat recovery and energy efficiency enhancement applications, alternative energy systems, as well as applications in mass exchangers and chemical reactor systems. The combination of up to the minute research findings and technical know-how make this book very timely as the search for high performance heat and mass exchangers that can cut costs in materials consumption intensifies.

  10. RES-E-NEXT: Next Generation of RES-E Policy Instruments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, M.; Bird, L.; Cochran, J.; Milligan, M.; Bazilian, M. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO (United States); Denny, E.; Dillon, J.; Bialek, J.; O’Malley, M. [Ecar Limited (Ireland); Neuhoff, K. [DIW Berlin (Germany)

    2013-07-04

    The RES-E-NEXT study identifies policies that are required for the next phase of renewable energy support. The study analyses policy options that secure high shares of renewable electricity generation and adequate grid infrastructure, enhance flexibility and ensure an appropriate market design. Measures have limited costs or even save money, and policies can be gradually implemented.

  11. New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hutsemékers, Damien; Braibant, Lorraine; Sluse, Dominique [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, Liège (Belgium); Anguita, Timo [Departamento de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Goosmann, René, E-mail: hutsemekers@astro.ulg.ac.be [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France)

    2017-09-29

    Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

  12. New Constraints on Quasar Broad Absorption and Emission Line Regions from Gravitational Microlensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Damien Hutsemékers

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Gravitational microlensing is a powerful tool allowing one to probe the structure of quasars on sub-parsec scale. We report recent results, focusing on the broad absorption and emission line regions. In particular microlensing reveals the intrinsic absorption hidden in the P Cygni-type line profiles observed in the broad absorption line quasar H1413+117, as well as the existence of an extended continuum source. In addition, polarization microlensing provides constraints on the scattering region. In the quasar Q2237+030, microlensing differently distorts the Hα and CIV broad emission line profiles, indicating that the low- and high-ionization broad emission lines must originate from regions with distinct kinematical properties. We also present simulations of the effect of microlensing on line profiles considering simple but representative models of the broad emission line region. Comparison of observations to simulations allows us to conclude that the Hα emitting region in Q2237+030 is best represented by a Keplerian disk.

  13. Progress on next generation linear colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruth, R.D.

    1989-01-01

    In this paper, I focus on reviewing the issues and progress on a next generation linear collider with the general parameters of energy, luminosity, length, power, technology. The energy range is dictated by physics with a mass reach well beyond LEP, although somewhat short of SSC. The luminosity is that required to obtain 10 3 /minus/ 10 4 units of R 0 per year. The length is consistent with a site on Stanford land with collisions occurring on the SLAC site. The power was determined by economic considerations. Finally, the technology was limited by the desire to have a next generation linear collider before the next century. 25 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

  14. Next generation of accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richter, B.

    1979-01-01

    Existing high-energy accelerators are reviewed, along with those under construction or being designed. Finally, some of the physics issues which go into setting machine parameters, and some of the features of the design of next generation electron and proton machines are discussed

  15. Prospects for next-generation e+e- linear colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruth, R.D.

    1990-02-01

    The purpose of this paper is to review progress in the US towards a next generation linear collider. During 1988, there were three workshops held on linear colliders: ''Physics of Linear Colliders,'' in Capri, Italy, June 14--18, 1988; Snowmass 88 (Linear Collider subsection) June 27--July 15, 1988; and SLAC International Workshop on Next Generation Linear Colliders, November 28--December 9, 1988. In this paper, I focus on reviewing the issues and progress on a next generation linear collider. The energy range is dictated by physics with a mass reach well beyond LEP, although somewhat short of SSC. The luminosity is that required to obtain 10 3 --10 4 units of R 0 per year. The length is consistent with a site on Stanford land with collision occurring on the SLAC site; the power was determined by economic considerations. Finally, the technology as limited by the desire to have a next generation linear collider by the next century. 37 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs

  16. Speeding up low-mass planetary microlensing simulations and modeling: The caustic region of influence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penny, Matthew T.

    2014-01-01

    Extensive simulations of planetary microlensing are necessary both before and after a survey is conducted: before to design and optimize the survey and after to understand its detection efficiency. The major bottleneck in such computations is the computation of light curves. However, for low-mass planets, most of these computations are wasteful, as most light curves do not contain detectable planetary signatures. In this paper, I develop a parameterization of the binary microlens that is conducive to avoiding light curve computations. I empirically find analytic expressions describing the limits of the parameter space that contain the vast majority of low-mass planet detections. Through a large-scale simulation, I measure the (in)completeness of the parameterization and the speed-up it is possible to achieve. For Earth-mass planets in a wide range of orbits, it is possible to speed up simulations by a factor of ∼30-125 (depending on the survey's annual duty-cycle) at the cost of missing ∼1% of detections (which is actually a smaller loss than for the arbitrary parameter limits typically applied in microlensing simulations). The benefits of the parameterization probably outweigh the costs for planets below 100 M ⊕ . For planets at the sensitivity limit of AFTA-WFIRST, simulation speed-ups of a factor ∼1000 or more are possible.

  17. BULK FLOWS FROM GALAXY LUMINOSITIES: APPLICATION TO 2MASS REDSHIFT SURVEY AND FORECAST FOR NEXT-GENERATION DATA SETS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nusser, Adi; Branchini, Enzo; Davis, Marc

    2011-01-01

    We present a simple method for measuring cosmological bulk flows from large redshift surveys, based on the apparent dimming or brightening of galaxies due to their peculiar motion. It is aimed at estimating bulk flows of cosmological volumes containing large numbers of galaxies. Constraints on the bulk flow are obtained by minimizing systematic variations in galaxy luminosities with respect to a reference luminosity function measured from the whole survey. This method offers two advantages over more popular bulk flow estimators: it is independent of error-prone distance indicators and of the poorly known galaxy bias. We apply the method to the Two Micron All Sky Survey redshift survey to measure the local bulk flows of spherical shells centered on the Milky Way (MW). The result is consistent with that obtained by Nusser and Davis using the SFI++ catalogue of Tully-Fisher distance indicators. We also make an assessment of the ability of the method to constrain bulk flows at larger redshifts (z = 0.1-0.5) from next-generation data sets. As a case study we consider the planned EUCLID survey. Using this method we will be able to measure a bulk motion of ∼200 km s -1 of 10 6 galaxies with photometric redshifts, at the 3σ level for both z ∼ 0.15 and z ∼ 0.5. Thus, the method will allow us to put strong constraints on dark energy models as well as alternative theories for structure formation.

  18. Overview of NASA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swenson, Harry N.

    2009-01-01

    This slide presentation is an overview of the research for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Included is a review of the current air transportation system and the challenges of air transportation research. Also included is a review of the current research highlights and significant accomplishments.

  19. Next Generation Social Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Lene Tolstrup; Skouby, Knud Erik

    2008-01-01

    different online networks for communities of people who share interests or individuals who presents themselves through user produced content is what makes up the social networking of today. The purpose of this paper is to discuss perceived user requirements to the next generation social networks. The paper...

  20. Next generation CANDU plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedges, K.R.; Yu, S.K.W.

    1998-01-01

    Future CANDU designs will continue to meet the emerging design and performance requirements expected by the operating utilities. The next generation CANDU products will integrate new technologies into both the product features as well as into the engineering and construction work processes associated with delivering the products. The timely incorporation of advanced design features is the approach adopted for the development of the next generation of CANDU. AECL's current products consist of 700MW Class CANDU 6 and 900 MW Class CANDU 9. Evolutionary improvements are continuing with our CANDU products to enhance their adaptability to meet customers ever increasing need for higher output. Our key product drivers are for improved safety, environmental protection and improved cost effectiveness. Towards these goals we have made excellent progress in Research and Development and our investments are continuing in areas such as fuel channels and passive safety. Our long term focus is utilizing the fuel cycle flexibility of CANDU reactors as part of the long term energy mix

  1. Optical Subsystems for Next Generation Access Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lazaro, J.A; Polo, V.; Schrenk, B.

    2011-01-01

    Recent optical technologies are providing higher flexibility to next generation access networks: on the one hand, providing progressive FTTx and specifically FTTH deployment, progressively shortening the copper access network; on the other hand, also opening fixed-mobile convergence solutions...... in next generation PON architectures. It is provided an overview of the optical subsystems developed for the implementation of the proposed NG-Access Networks....

  2. Microlensing observations rapid search for exoplanets: MORSE code for GPUs

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDougall, Alistair; Albrow, Michael D.

    2016-02-01

    The rapid analysis of ongoing gravitational microlensing events has been integral to the successful detection and characterization of cool planets orbiting low-mass stars in the Galaxy. In this paper, we present an implementation of search and fit techniques on graphical processing unit (GPU) hardware. The method allows for the rapid identification of candidate planetary microlensing events and their subsequent follow-up for detailed characterization.

  3. Building next-generation converged networks theory and practice

    CERN Document Server

    Pathan, Al-Sakib Khan

    2013-01-01

    Supplying a comprehensive introduction to next-generation networks, Building Next-Generation Converged Networks: Theory and Practice strikes a balance between how and why things work and how to make them work. It compiles recent advancements along with basic issues from the wide range of fields related to next generation networks. Containing the contributions of 56 industry experts and researchers from 16 different countries, the book presents relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest research. It investigates new technologies such as IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6L

  4. Key thrusts in next generation CANDU. Annex 10

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shalaby, B.A.; Torgerson, D.F.; Duffey, R.B.

    2002-01-01

    Current electricity markets and the competitiveness of other generation options such as CCGT have influenced the directions of future nuclear generation. The next generation CANDU has used its key characteristics as the basis to leap frog into a new design featuring improved economics, enhanced passive safety, enhanced operability and demonstrated fuel cycle flexibility. Many enabling technologies spinning of current CANDU design features are used in the next generation design. Some of these technologies have been developed in support of existing plants and near term designs while others will need to be developed and tested. This paper will discuss the key principles driving the next generation CANDU design and the fuel cycle flexibility of the CANDU system which provide synergism with the PWR fuel cycle. (author)

  5. Probing the gravitational Faraday rotation using quasar X-ray microlensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bin

    2015-11-17

    The effect of gravitational Faraday rotation was predicted in the 1950s, but there is currently no practical method for measuring this effect. Measuring this effect is important because it will provide new evidence for correctness of general relativity, in particular, in the strong field limit. We predict that the observed degree and angle of the X-ray polarization of a cosmologically distant quasar microlensed by the random star field in a foreground galaxy or cluster lens vary rapidly and concurrently with flux during caustic-crossing events using the first simulation of quasar X-ray microlensing polarization light curves. Therefore, it is possible to detect gravitational Faraday rotation by monitoring the X-ray polarization of gravitationally microlensed quasars. Detecting this effect will also confirm the strong gravity nature of quasar X-ray emission.

  6. Simulations of the Fe K α Energy Spectra from Gravitationally Microlensed Quasars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krawczynski, H. [Physics Department and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, CB 1105, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Chartas, G., E-mail: krawcz@wustl.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424 (United States)

    2017-07-10

    The analysis of the Chandra X-ray observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar RX J1131−1231 revealed the detection of multiple and energy-variable spectral peaks. The spectral variability is thought to result from the microlensing of the Fe K α emission, selectively amplifying the emission from certain regions of the accretion disk with certain effective frequency shifts of the Fe K α line emission. In this paper, we combine detailed simulations of the emission of Fe K α photons from the accretion disk of a Kerr black hole with calculations of the effect of gravitational microlensing on the observed energy spectra. The simulations show that microlensing can indeed produce multiply peaked energy spectra. We explore the dependence of the spectral characteristics on black hole spin, accretion disk inclination, corona height, and microlensing amplification factor and show that the measurements can be used to constrain these parameters. We find that the range of observed spectral peak energies of QSO RX J1131−1231 can only be reproduced for black hole inclinations exceeding 70° and for lamppost corona heights of less than 30 gravitational radii above the black hole. We conclude by emphasizing the scientific potential of studies of the microlensed Fe K α quasar emission and the need for more detailed modeling that explores how the results change for more realistic accretion disk and corona geometries and microlensing magnification patterns. A full analysis should furthermore model the signal-to-noise ratio of the observations and the resulting detection biases.

  7. Next generation HOM-damping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marhauser, Frank

    2017-06-01

    Research and development for superconducting radio-frequency cavities has made enormous progress over the last decades from the understanding of theoretical limitations to the industrial mass fabrication of cavities for large-scale particle accelerators. Key technologies remain hot topics due to continuously growing demands on cavity performance, particularly when in pursuit of high quality beams at higher beam currents or higher luminosities than currently achievable. This relates to higher order mode (HOM) damping requirements. Meeting the desired beam properties implies avoiding coupled multi-bunch or beam break-up instabilities depending on the machine and beam parameters that will set the acceptable cavity impedance thresholds. The use of cavity HOM-dampers is crucial to absorb the wakefields, comprised by all beam-induced cavity Eigenmodes, to beam-dynamically safe levels and to reduce the heat load at cryogenic temperature. Cavity damping concepts may vary, but are principally based on coaxial and waveguide couplers as well as beam line absorbers or any combination. Next generation energy recovery linacs and circular colliders call for cavities with strong HOM-damping that can exceed the state-of-the-art, while the operating mode efficiency shall not be significantly compromised concurrently. This imposes major challenges given the rather limited damping concepts. A detailed survey of established cavities is provided scrutinizing the achieved damping performance, shortcomings, and potential improvements. The scaling of the highest passband mode impedances is numerically evaluated in dependence on the number of cells for a single-cell up to a nine-cell cavity, which reveals the increased probability of trapped modes. This is followed by simulations for single-cell and five-cell cavities, which incorporate multiple damping schemes to assess the most efficient concepts. The usage and viability of on-cell dampers is elucidated for the single-cell cavity since it

  8. Discovery of a Jupiter/Saturn analog with gravitational microlensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudi, B S; Bennett, D P; Udalski, A; Gould, A; Christie, G W; Maoz, D; Dong, S; McCormick, J; Szymanski, M K; Tristram, P J; Nikolaev, S; Paczynski, B; Kubiak, M; Pietrzynski, G; Soszynski, I; Szewczyk, O; Ulaczyk, K; Wyrzykowski, L; Depoy, D L; Han, C; Kaspi, S; Lee, C-U; Mallia, F; Natusch, T; Pogge, R W; Park, B-G; Abe, F; Bond, I A; Botzler, C S; Fukui, A; Hearnshaw, J B; Itow, Y; Kamiya, K; Korpela, A V; Kilmartin, P M; Lin, W; Masuda, K; Matsubara, Y; Motomura, M; Muraki, Y; Nakamura, S; Okumura, T; Ohnishi, K; Rattenbury, N J; Sako, T; Saito, To; Sato, S; Skuljan, L; Sullivan, D J; Sumi, T; Sweatman, W L; Yock, P C M; Albrow, M D; Allan, A; Beaulieu, J-P; Burgdorf, M J; Cook, K H; Coutures, C; Dominik, M; Dieters, S; Fouqué, P; Greenhill, J; Horne, K; Steele, I; Tsapras, Y; Chaboyer, B; Crocker, A; Frank, S; Macintosh, B

    2008-02-15

    Searches for extrasolar planets have uncovered an astonishing diversity of planetary systems, yet the frequency of solar system analogs remains unknown. The gravitational microlensing planet search method is potentially sensitive to multiple-planet systems containing analogs of all the solar system planets except Mercury. We report the detection of a multiple-planet system with microlensing. We identify two planets with masses of approximately 0.71 and approximately 0.27 times the mass of Jupiter and orbital separations of approximately 2.3 and approximately 4.6 astronomical units orbiting a primary star of mass approximately 0.50 solar mass at a distance of approximately 1.5 kiloparsecs. This system resembles a scaled version of our solar system in that the mass ratio, separation ratio, and equilibrium temperatures of the planets are similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn. These planets could not have been detected with other techniques; their discovery from only six confirmed microlensing planet detections suggests that solar system analogs may be common.

  9. THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. XIX. TOMOGRAPHY OF MILKY WAY SUBSTRUCTURES IN THE NGVS FOOTPRINT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lokhorst, Deborah; Starkenburg, Else; Navarro, Julio F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 1A1, Canada (Canada); McConnachie, Alan W.; Ferrarese, Laura; Côté, Patrick; Gwyn, Stephen D. J. [National Research Council, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Liu, Chengze [Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Peng, Eric W. [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Cuillandre, Jean-Charles [CEA/IRFU/SAP, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CNRS/INSU, Université Paris Diderot, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Guhathakurta, Puragra, E-mail: dml@uvic.ca [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

    2016-03-10

    The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a deep u*giz survey targeting the Virgo Cluster of galaxies at 16.5 Mpc. This survey provides high-quality photometry over an ∼100 deg{sup 2} region straddling the constellations of Virgo and Coma Berenices. This sightline through the Milky Way is noteworthy in that it intersects two of the most prominent substructures in the Galactic halo: the Virgo overdensity (VOD) and Sagittarius stellar stream (close to its bifurcation point). In this paper, we use deep u*gi imaging from the NGVS to perform tomography of the VOD and Sagittarius stream using main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars as a halo tracer population. The VOD, whose centroid is known to lie at somewhat lower declinations (α ∼ 190°, δ ∼ −5°) than is covered by the NGVS, is nevertheless clearly detected in the NGVS footprint at distances between ∼8 and 25 kpc. By contrast, the Sagittarius stream is found to slice directly across the NGVS field at distances between 25 and 40 kpc, with a density maximum at ≃35 kpc. No evidence is found for new substructures beyond the Sagittarius stream, at least out to a distance of ∼90 kpc—the largest distance to which we can reliably trace the halo using MSTO stars. We find clear evidence for a distance gradient in the Sagittarius stream across the ∼30° of sky covered by the NGVS and its flanking fields. We compare our distance measurements along the stream with those predicted by leading stream models.

  10. THE NEXT GENERATION VIRGO CLUSTER SURVEY. XIX. TOMOGRAPHY OF MILKY WAY SUBSTRUCTURES IN THE NGVS FOOTPRINT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lokhorst, Deborah; Starkenburg, Else; Navarro, Julio F.; McConnachie, Alan W.; Ferrarese, Laura; Côté, Patrick; Gwyn, Stephen D. J.; Liu, Chengze; Peng, Eric W.; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles; Guhathakurta, Puragra

    2016-01-01

    The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS) is a deep u*giz survey targeting the Virgo Cluster of galaxies at 16.5 Mpc. This survey provides high-quality photometry over an ∼100 deg 2 region straddling the constellations of Virgo and Coma Berenices. This sightline through the Milky Way is noteworthy in that it intersects two of the most prominent substructures in the Galactic halo: the Virgo overdensity (VOD) and Sagittarius stellar stream (close to its bifurcation point). In this paper, we use deep u*gi imaging from the NGVS to perform tomography of the VOD and Sagittarius stream using main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) stars as a halo tracer population. The VOD, whose centroid is known to lie at somewhat lower declinations (α ∼ 190°, δ ∼ −5°) than is covered by the NGVS, is nevertheless clearly detected in the NGVS footprint at distances between ∼8 and 25 kpc. By contrast, the Sagittarius stream is found to slice directly across the NGVS field at distances between 25 and 40 kpc, with a density maximum at ≃35 kpc. No evidence is found for new substructures beyond the Sagittarius stream, at least out to a distance of ∼90 kpc—the largest distance to which we can reliably trace the halo using MSTO stars. We find clear evidence for a distance gradient in the Sagittarius stream across the ∼30° of sky covered by the NGVS and its flanking fields. We compare our distance measurements along the stream with those predicted by leading stream models

  11. Accessing the dark exciton spin in deterministic quantum-dot microlenses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heindel, Tobias; Thoma, Alexander; Schwartz, Ido; Schmidgall, Emma R.; Gantz, Liron; Cogan, Dan; Strauß, Max; Schnauber, Peter; Gschrey, Manuel; Schulze, Jan-Hindrik; Strittmatter, Andre; Rodt, Sven; Gershoni, David; Reitzenstein, Stephan

    2017-12-01

    The dark exciton state in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) constitutes a long-lived solid-state qubit which has the potential to play an important role in implementations of solid-state-based quantum information architectures. In this work, we exploit deterministically fabricated QD microlenses which promise enhanced photon extraction, to optically prepare and read out the dark exciton spin and observe its coherent precession. The optical access to the dark exciton is provided via spin-blockaded metastable biexciton states acting as heralding states, which are identified by deploying polarization-sensitive spectroscopy as well as time-resolved photon cross-correlation experiments. Our experiments reveal a spin-precession period of the dark exciton of (0.82 ± 0.01) ns corresponding to a fine-structure splitting of (5.0 ± 0.7) μeV between its eigenstates |↑ ⇑ ±↓ ⇓ ⟩. By exploiting microlenses deterministically fabricated above pre-selected QDs, our work demonstrates the possibility to scale up implementations of quantum information processing schemes using the QD-confined dark exciton spin qubit, such as the generation of photonic cluster states or the realization of a solid-state-based quantum memory.

  12. Imprints of the quasar structure in time-delay light curves: Microlensing-aided reverberation mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sluse, D.; Tewes, M.

    2014-11-01

    The advent of large area photometric surveys has raised a great deal of interest in the possibility of using broadband photometric data, instead of spectra, to measure the size of the broad line region of active galactic nuclei. We describe here a new method that uses time-delay lensed quasars where one or several images are affected by microlensing due to stars in the lensing galaxy. Because microlensing decreases (or increases) the flux of the continuum compared to the broad line region, it changes the contrast between these two emission components. We show that this effect can be used to effectively disentangle the intrinsic variability of those two regions, offering the opportunity to perform reverberation mapping based on single-band photometric data. Based on simulated light curves generated using a damped random walk model of quasar variability, we show that measurement of the size of the broad line region can be achieved using this method, provided one spectrum has been obtained independently during the monitoring. This method is complementary to photometric reverberation mapping and could also be extended to multi-band data. Because the effect described above produces a variability pattern in difference light curves between pairs of lensed images that is correlated with the time-lagged continuum variability, it can potentially produce systematic errors in measurement of time delays between pairs of lensed images. Simple simulations indicate that time-delay measurement techniques that use a sufficiently flexible model for the extrinsic variability are not affected by this effect and produce accurate time delays.

  13. Next Generation Biopharmaceuticals: Product Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathaes, Roman; Mahler, Hanns-Christian

    2018-04-11

    Therapeutic proteins show a rapid market growth. The relatively young biotech industry already represents 20 % of the total global pharma market. The biotech industry environment has traditionally been fast-pasted and intellectually stimulated. Nowadays the top ten best selling drugs are dominated by monoclonal antibodies (mABs).Despite mABs being the biggest medical breakthrough in the last 25 years, technical innovation does not stand still.The goal remains to preserve the benefits of a conventional mAB (serum half-life and specificity) whilst further improving efficacy and safety and to open new and better avenues for treating patients, e.g., improving the potency of molecules, target binding, tissue penetration, tailored pharmacokinetics, and reduced adverse effects or immunogenicity.The next generation of biopharmaceuticals can pose specific chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) challenges. In contrast to conventional proteins, next-generation biopharmaceuticals often require lyophilization of the final drug product to ensure storage stability over shelf-life time. In addition, next-generation biopharmaceuticals require analytical methods that cover different ways of possible degradation patterns and pathways, and product development is a long way from being straight forward. The element of "prior knowledge" does not exist equally for most novel formats compared to antibodies, and thus the assessment of critical quality attributes (CQAs) and the definition of CQA assessment criteria and specifications is difficult, especially in early-stage development.

  14. Wide-Field Astronomical Surveys in the Next Decade

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strauss, Michael A.; /Princeton U.; Tyson, J.Anthony; /UC, Davis; Anderson, Scott F.; /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept.; Axelrod, T.S.; /LSST Corp.; Becker, Andrew C.; /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept.; Bickerton, Steven J.; /Princeton U.; Blanton, Michael R.; /New York U.; Burke, David L.; /SLAC; Condon, J.J.; /NRAO, Socorro; Connolly, A.J.; /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept.; Cooray, Asantha R.; /UC, Irvine; Covey, Kevin R.; /Harvard U.; Csabai, Istvan; /Eotvos U.; Ferguson, Henry C.; /Baltimore, Space Telescope Sci.; Ivezic, Zeljko; /Washington U., Seattle, Astron. Dept.; Kantor, Jeffrey; /LSST Corp.; Kent, Stephen M.; /Fermilab; Knapp, G.R.; /Princeton U.; Myers, Steven T.; /NRAO, Socorro; Neilsen, Eric H., Jr.; /Fermilab; Nichol, Robert C.; /Portsmouth U., ICG /Harish-Chandra Res. Inst. /Caltech, IPAC /Potsdam, Max Planck Inst. /Harvard U. /Hawaii U. /UC, Berkeley, Astron. Dept. /Baltimore, Space Telescope Sci. /NOAO, Tucson /Carnegie Mellon U. /Chicago U., Astron. Astrophys. Ctr.

    2011-11-14

    Wide-angle surveys have been an engine for new discoveries throughout the modern history of astronomy, and have been among the most highly cited and scientifically productive observing facilities in recent years. This trend is likely to continue over the next decade, as many of the most important questions in astrophysics are best tackled with massive surveys, often in synergy with each other and in tandem with the more traditional observatories. We argue that these surveys are most productive and have the greatest impact when the data from the surveys are made public in a timely manner. The rise of the 'survey astronomer' is a substantial change in the demographics of our field; one of the most important challenges of the next decade is to find ways to recognize the intellectual contributions of those who work on the infrastructure of surveys (hardware, software, survey planning and operations, and databases/data distribution), and to make career paths to allow them to thrive.

  15. OGLE-2017-BLG-0482Lb: A Microlensing Super-Earth Orbiting a Low-mass Host Star

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, C.; Hirao, Y.; Udalski, A.; Lee, C.-U.; Bozza, V.; Gould, A.; and; Abe, F.; Barry, R.; Bond, I. A.; Bennett, D. P.; Bhattacharya, A.; Donachie, M.; Evans, P.; Fukui, A.; Itow, Y.; Kawasaki, K.; Koshimoto, N.; Li, M. C. A.; Ling, C. H.; Matsubara, Y.; Miyazaki, S.; Munakata, H.; Muraki, Y.; Nagakane, M.; Ohnishi, K.; Ranc, C.; Rattenbury, N.; Saito, T.; Sharan, A.; Sullivan, D. J.; Sumi, T.; Suzuki, D.; Tristram, P. J.; Yamada, T.; Yonehara, A.; The MOA Collaboration; Mróz, P.; Poleski, R.; Kozłowski, S.; Soszyński, I.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Skowron, J.; Szymański, M. K.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; Rybicki, K.; Iwanek, P.; The OGLE Collaboration; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Hwang, K.-H.; Jung, Y. K.; Kim, D.; Kim, W.-T.; Kim, H.-W.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, S.-L.; Kim, D.-J.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; The KMTNet Collaboration

    2018-05-01

    We report the discovery of a planetary system in which a super-Earth orbits a late M-dwarf host. The planetary system was found from the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2017-BLG-0482, wherein the planet signal appears as a short-term anomaly to the smooth lensing light curve produced by the host. Despite its weak signal and short duration, the planetary signal was firmly detected from the dense and continuous coverage by three microlensing surveys. We find a planet/host mass ratio of q ∼ 1.4 × 10‑4. We measure the microlens parallax {π }{{E}} from the long-term deviation in the observed lensing light curve, but the angular Einstein radius {θ }{{E}} cannot be measured because the source trajectory did not cross the planet-induced caustic. Using the measured event timescale and the microlens parallax, we find that the masses of the planet and the host are {M}{{p}}={9.0}-4.5+9.0 {M}\\oplus and {M}host}={0.20}-0.10+0.20 {M}ȯ , respectively, and the projected separation between them is {a}\\perp ={1.8}-0.7+0.6 au. The estimated distance to the lens is {D}{{L}}={5.8}-2.1+1.8 kpc. The discovery of the planetary system demonstrates that microlensing provides an important method to detect low-mass planets orbiting low-mass stars.

  16. Next Generation Solar Collectors for CSP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molnar, Attila [3M Company, St. Paul, MN (United States); Charles, Ruth [3M Company, St. Paul, MN (United States)

    2014-07-31

    The intent of “Next Generation Solar Collectors for CSP” program was to develop key technology elements for collectors in Phase 1 (Budget Period 1), design these elements in Phase 2 (Budget Period 2) and to deploy and test the final collector in Phase 3 (Budget Period 3). 3M and DOE mutually agreed to terminate the program at the end of Budget Period 1, primarily due to timeline issues. However, significant advancements were achieved in developing a next generation reflective material and panel that has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of CSP systems.

  17. NEXT GENERATION TURBINE SYSTEM STUDY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frank Macri

    2002-02-28

    Rolls-Royce has completed a preliminary design and marketing study under a Department of Energy (DOE) cost shared contract (DE-AC26-00NT40852) to analyze the feasibility of developing a clean, high efficiency, and flexible Next Generation Turbine (NGT) system to meet the power generation market needs of the year 2007 and beyond. Rolls-Royce evaluated the full range of its most advanced commercial aerospace and aeroderivative engines alongside the special technologies necessary to achieve the aggressive efficiency, performance, emissions, economic, and flexibility targets desired by the DOE. Heavy emphasis was placed on evaluating the technical risks and the economic viability of various concept and technology options available. This was necessary to ensure the resulting advanced NGT system would provide extensive public benefits and significant customer benefits without introducing unacceptable levels of technical and operational risk that would impair the market acceptance of the resulting product. Two advanced cycle configurations were identified as offering significant advantages over current combined cycle products available in the market. In addition, balance of plant (BOP) technologies, as well as capabilities to improve the reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) of industrial gas turbine engines, have been identified. A customer focused survey and economic analysis of a proposed Rolls-Royce NGT product configuration was also accomplished as a part of this research study. The proposed Rolls-Royce NGT solution could offer customers clean, flexible power generation systems with very high efficiencies, similar to combined cycle plants, but at a much lower specific cost, similar to those of simple cycle plants.

  18. The chemical evolution of the Galactic Bulge seen through micro-lensing events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucatello S.

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Galactic bulges are central to understanding galaxy formation and evolution. Here we report on recent studies using micro-lensing events to obtain spectra of high resolution and moderately high signal-to-noise ratios of dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge. Normally this is not feasible for the faint turn-off stars in the Galactic bulge, but micro-lensing offers this possibility. Elemental abundance trends in the Galactic bulge as traced by dwarf stars are very similar to those seen for dwarf stars in the solar neighbourhood. We discuss the implications of the ages and metallicity distribution function derived for the micro-lensed dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge.

  19. Next generation PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Toshihiko; Fukuda, Toshihiko; Usui, Shuji

    2001-01-01

    Development of LWR for power generation in Japan has been intended to upgrade its reliability, safety, operability, maintenance and economy as well as to increase its capacity in order, since nuclear power generation for commercial use was begun on 1970, to steadily increase its generation power. And, in Japan, ABWR (advanced BWR) of the most promising LWR in the world, was already used actually and APWR (advanced PWR) with the largest output in the world is also at a step of its actual use. And, development of the APWR in Japan was begun on 1980s, and is at a step of plan on construction of its first machine at early of this century. However, by large change of social affairs, economy of nuclear power generation is extremely required, to be positioned at an APWR improved development reactor promoted by collaboration of five PWR generation companies and the Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. Therefore, on its development, investigation on effect of change in social affairs on nuclear power stations was at first carried out, to establish a design requirement for the next generation PWR. Here were described on outline, reactor core design, safety concept, and safety evaluation of APWR+ and development of an innovative PWR. (G.K.)

  20. Applications and Case Studies of the Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies in Food, Nutrition and Agriculture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Next-generation sequencing technologies are able to produce high-throughput short sequence reads in a cost-effective fashion. The emergence of these technologies has not only facilitated genome sequencing but also changed the landscape of life sciences. Here I survey their major applications ranging...

  1. MICROLENSING OF QUASAR BROAD EMISSION LINES: CONSTRAINTS ON BROAD LINE REGION SIZE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guerras, E.; Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Via Lactea S/N, La Laguna E-38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jimenez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Fisica Teorica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada (Spain); Kochanek, C. S. [Department of Astronomy and the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, The Ohio State University, 4055 McPherson Lab, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43221 (United States); Munoz, J. A. [Departamento de Astronomia y Astrofisica, Universidad de Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain); Falco, E. [Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Motta, V. [Departamento de Fisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valparaiso, Avda. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso (Chile)

    2013-02-20

    We measure the differential microlensing of the broad emission lines between 18 quasar image pairs in 16 gravitational lenses. We find that the broad emission lines are in general weakly microlensed. The results show, at a modest level of confidence (1.8{sigma}), that high ionization lines such as C IV are more strongly microlensed than low ionization lines such as H{beta}, indicating that the high ionization line emission regions are more compact. If we statistically model the distribution of microlensing magnifications, we obtain estimates for the broad line region size of r{sub s} = 24{sup +22} {sub -15} and r{sub s} = 55{sup +150} {sub -35} lt-day (90% confidence) for the high and low ionization lines, respectively. When the samples are divided into higher and lower luminosity quasars, we find that the line emission regions of more luminous quasars are larger, with a slope consistent with the expected scaling from photoionization models. Our estimates also agree well with the results from local reveberation mapping studies.

  2. Integration of polystyrene microlenses with both convex and concave profiles in a polymer-based microfluidic system

    KAUST Repository

    Fan, Yiqiang

    2013-12-20

    This paper reports a new technique of fabricating polystyrene microlenses with both convex and concave profiles that are integrated in polymer-based microfluidic system. The polystyrene microlenses, or microlens array, are fabricated using the free-surface thermal compression molding method. The laser fabricated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sheet is used as the mold for the thermal compression molding process. With different surface treatment methods of the PMMA mold, microlenses with either convex or concave profiles could be achieved during the thermal molding process. By integrating the microlenses in the microfluidic systems, observing the flow inside the microchannels is easier. This new technique is rapid, low cost, and it does not require cleanroom facilities. Microlenses with both convex and concave profiles can be easily fabricated and integrated in microfluidic system with this technique. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

  3. Real-Time Optimization and Control of Next-Generation Distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    -Generation Distribution Infrastructure Real-Time Optimization and Control of Next-Generation Distribution developing a system-theoretic distribution network management framework that unifies real-time voltage and Infrastructure | Grid Modernization | NREL Real-Time Optimization and Control of Next

  4. Hacking the next generation

    CERN Document Server

    Dhanjani, Nitesh; Hardin, Brett

    2009-01-01

    With the advent of rich Internet applications, the explosion of social media, and the increased use of powerful cloud computing infrastructures, a new generation of attackers has added cunning new techniques to its arsenal. For anyone involved in defending an application or a network of systems, Hacking: The Next Generation is one of the few books to identify a variety of emerging attack vectors. You'll not only find valuable information on new hacks that attempt to exploit technical flaws, you'll also learn how attackers take advantage of individuals via social networking sites, and abuse

  5. Gravitational microlensing in Verlinde's emergent gravity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Leihua; Prokopec, Tom

    2017-01-01

    We propose gravitational microlensing as a way of testing the emergent gravity theory recently proposed by Eric Verlinde [1]. We consider two limiting cases: the dark mass of maximally anisotropic pressures (Case I) and of isotropic pressures (Case II). Our analysis of perihelion advancement of a

  6. Fabrication and characterization of InP fresnel microlenses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diadiuk, V.; Walpole, J.N.; Liau, Z.L.

    1987-01-01

    Since diode lasers typically have a beam divergence of a few tens of degrees, collimating the laser outputs leads to greatly far-field patterns, which, in turn translates into more power in the main lobe of the combined output. Achieving this collimation in the case of a diode laser array, with its small device-to-device distance, requires an array of similarly spaced microlenses with very short focal length, small diameter and small F number. In this paper, the authors describe the fabrication and performance of a Fresnel microlens array etched directly in InP wafers; these microlenses have been used successfully to collimate the output of GainAsP/InP buried-heterostructure (BH) diode lasers

  7. Spectroscopic Characterisation of Microlensing Events: Towards a New Interpretation of OGLE-2011-BLG-0417

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santerne, A.; Beaulieu, J.-P.; Rojas Ayala, B.; Boisse, I.; Schlawin, E.; Almenara, J.-M.; Batista, V.; Bennett, D.; Diaz, R. F.; Figueira, P.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The microlensing event OGLE-2011-BLG-0417 is an exceptionally bright lens binary that was predicted to present radial velocity variation at the level of several km s1. Pioneer radial velocity follow-up observations with the UVES spectrograph at the ESOVLT of this system clearly ruled out the large radial velocity variation, leaving a discrepancy between the observation and the prediction. In this paper, we further characterise the microlensing system by analysing its spectral energy distribution (SED) derived using the UVES spectrum and new observations with the ARCoIRIS (CTIO) near-infrared spectrograph and the Keck adaptive optics instrumentNIRC2 in the J, H, and Ks-bands. We determine the mass and distance of the stars independently from the microlensing modelling. We find that the SED is compatible with a giant star in the Galactic bulge and a foreground star with a mass of 0.94 +/- 0.09 M solar mass at a distance of 1.07 +/- 0.24 kpc. We find that this foreground star is likely the lens. Its parameters are not compatible with the onespreviously reported in the literature (0.52 +/- 0.04 M solar mass at 0.95 +/- 0.06 kpc), based on the microlensing light curve. A thoughtful reanalysis of the microlensing event is mandatory to fully understand the reason of this new discrepancy. More importantly, this paper demonstrates that spectroscopic follow-up observations of microlensing events are possible and provide independent constraints on the parameters of the lens and source stars, hence breaking some degeneracies in the analysis. UV-to-NIR low-resolution spectrographs like X-shooter (ESOVLT) could substantially contribute to this follow-up efforts, with magnitude limits above all microlensing events detected so far.

  8. The NASA Next Generation Stirling Technology Program Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schreiber, J. G.; Shaltens, R. K.; Wong, W. A.

    2005-12-01

    NASAs Science Mission Directorate is developing the next generation Stirling technology for future Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) for surface and deep space missions. The next generation Stirling convertor is one of two advanced power conversion technologies currently being developed for future NASA missions, and is capable of operating for both planetary atmospheres and deep space environments. The Stirling convertor (free-piston engine integrated with a linear alternator) produces about 90 We(ac) and has a specific power of about 90 We/kg. Operating conditions of Thot at 850 degree C and Trej at 90 degree C results in the Stirling convertor estimated efficiency of about 40 per cent. Using the next generation Stirling convertor in future RPS, the "system" specific power is estimated at 8 We/kg. The design lifetime is three years on the surface of Mars and fourteen years in deep space missions. Electrical power of about 160 We (BOM) is produced by two (2) free-piston Stirling convertors heated by two (2) General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) modules. This development is being performed by Sunpower, Athens, OH with Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, CA under contract to Glenn Research Center (GRC), Cleveland, Ohio. GRC is guiding the independent testing and technology development for the next generation Stirling generator.

  9. Rhamnolipids--next generation surfactants?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Markus Michael; Kügler, Johannes H; Henkel, Marius; Gerlitzki, Melanie; Hörmann, Barbara; Pöhnlein, Martin; Syldatk, Christoph; Hausmann, Rudolf

    2012-12-31

    The demand for bio-based processes and materials in the petrochemical industry has significantly increased during the last decade because of the expected running out of petroleum. This trend can be ascribed to three main causes: (1) the increased use of renewable resources for chemical synthesis of already established product classes, (2) the replacement of chemical synthesis of already established product classes by new biotechnological processes based on renewable resources, and (3) the biotechnological production of new molecules with new features or better performances than already established comparable chemically synthesized products. All three approaches are currently being pursued for surfactant production. Biosurfactants are a very promising and interesting substance class because they are based on renewable resources, sustainable, and biologically degradable. Alkyl polyglycosides are chemically synthesized biosurfactants established on the surfactant market. The first microbiological biosurfactants on the market were sophorolipids. Of all currently known biosurfactants, rhamnolipids have the highest potential for becoming the next generation of biosurfactants introduced on the market. Although the metabolic pathways and genetic regulation of biosynthesis are known qualitatively, the quantitative understanding relevant for bioreactor cultivation is still missing. Additionally, high product titers have been exclusively described with vegetable oil as sole carbon source in combination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Competitive productivity is still out of reach for heterologous hosts or non-pathogenic natural producer strains. Thus, on the one hand there is a need to gain a deeper understanding of the regulation of rhamnolipid production on process and cellular level during bioreactor cultivations. On the other hand, there is a need for metabolizable renewable substrates, which do not compete with food and feed. A sustainable bioeconomy approach should

  10. Physical Configuration of the Next Generation Home Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terada, Shohei; Kakishima, Yu; Hanawa, Dai; Oguchi, Kimio

    The number of broadband users is rapidly increasing worldwide. Japan already has over 10 million FTTH users. Another trend is the rapid digitalization of home electrical equipment e. g. digital cameras and hard disc recorders. These trends will encourage the emergence of the next generation home network. In this paper, we introduce the next generation home network image and describe the five domains into which home devices can be classified. We then clarify the optimum medium with which to configure the network given the requirements imposed by the home environment. Wiring cable lengths for three network topologies are calculated. The results gained from the next generation home network implemented on the first phase testbed are shown. Finally, our conclusions are given.

  11. Fabrication of Polydimethylsiloxane Microlenses Utilizing Hydrogel Shrinkage and a Single Molding Step

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bader Aldalali

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available We report on polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS microlenses and microlens arrays on flat and curved substrates fabricated via a relatively simple process combining liquid-phase photopolymerization and a single molding step. The mold for the formation of the PDMS lenses is fabricated by photopolymerizing a polyacrylamide (PAAm pre-hydrogel. The shrinkage of PAAm after its polymerization forms concave lenses. The lenses are then transferred to PDMS by a single step molding to form PDMS microlens array on a flat substrate. The PAAm concave lenses are also transferred to PDMS and another flexible polymer, Solaris, to realize artificial compound eyes. The resultant microlenses and microlens arrays possess good uniformity and optical properties. The focal length of the lenses is inversely proportional to the shrinkage time. The microlens mold can also be rehydrated to change the focal length of the ultimate PDMS microlenses. The spherical aberration is 2.85 μm and the surface roughness is on the order of 204 nm. The microlenses can resolve 10.10 line pairs per mm (lp/mm and have an f-number range between f/2.9 and f/56.5. For the compound eye, the field of view is 113°.

  12. Microlensing planets in M 22: Free-floating or bound?

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Fuente Marcos, R.; de la Fuente Marcos, C.

    2001-12-01

    We use detailed numerical simulations and theoretical estimates to show that, if confirmed, the unusually brief microlensing events observed by Sahu et al. (\\cite{Sahu01}) in the field of the globular cluster M 22 might be explained as a result of microlensing by a population of clustered MACHOs, a dark cluster or RAMBO, not associated with the globular cluster. If real, this dark cluster would be located between M 22 and the Galactic bulge and could include at least 106 substellar members with a typical size of 1-3 pc. Bound planets in wide or/and eccentric orbits are also able to reproduce the observed microlensing behaviour, but only if multiplanet systems (including large Kuiper-belt-like objects) are abundant, although, our calculations argue against the latter scenario as the ionization rate in M 22 is very high. Dynamically ejected or lone planets are, in principle, incompatible with the observational findings as they either escape their parent cluster in a relatively short time-scale after ejection or segregate toward the outskirts of the cluster. We discuss additional implications of the dark cluster scenario, including the existence of a population of RAMBOs toward the Galactic bulge.

  13. Next generation vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedmann, Eva M

    2011-07-01

    In February this year, about 100 delegates gathered for three days in Vienna (Austria) for the Next Generation Vaccines conference. The meeting held in the Vienna Hilton Hotel from 23rd-25th February 2011 had a strong focus on biotech and industry. The conference organizer Jacob Fleming managed to put together a versatile program ranging from the future generation of vaccines to manufacturing, vaccine distribution and delivery, to regulatory and public health issues. Carefully selected top industry experts presented first-hand experience and shared solutions for overcoming the latest challenges in the field of vaccinology. The program also included several case study presentations on novel vaccine candidates in different stages of development. An interactive pre-conference workshop as well as interactive panel discussions during the meeting allowed all delegates to gain new knowledge and become involved in lively discussions on timely, interesting and sometimes controversial topics related to vaccines.

  14. NOAA NEXt-Generation RADar (NEXRAD) Products

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset consists of Level III weather radar products collected from Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) stations located in the contiguous United States, Alaska,...

  15. The Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruitt, Stephen L.

    2015-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) were released almost two years ago. Work tied to the NGSS, their adoption, and implementation continues to move forward around the country. Stephen L. Pruitt, senior vice president, science, at Achieve, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit education reform organization that was a lead…

  16. Limits on compact halo objects as dark matter from gravitational microlensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jetzer Philippe

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Microlensing started with the seminal paper by Paczyński in 1986 [1], first with observations towards the Large Magellanic Cloud and the galactic bulge. Since then many other targets have been observed and new applications have been found. In particular, it turned out to be a powerful method to detect planets in our galaxy and even in the nearby M31. Here, we will present some results obtained so far by microlensing without being, however, exhaustive.

  17. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations for the next generation protein therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Dhaval K

    2015-10-01

    Increasingly sophisticated protein engineering efforts have been undertaken lately to generate protein therapeutics with desired properties. This has resulted in the discovery of the next generation of protein therapeutics, which include: engineered antibodies, immunoconjugates, bi/multi-specific proteins, antibody mimetic novel scaffolds, and engineered ligands/receptors. These novel protein therapeutics possess unique physicochemical properties and act via a unique mechanism-of-action, which collectively makes their pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) different than other established biological molecules. Consequently, in order to support the discovery and development of these next generation molecules, it becomes important to understand the determinants controlling their PK/PD. This review discusses the determinants that a PK/PD scientist should consider during the design and development of next generation protein therapeutics. In addition, the role of systems PK/PD models in enabling rational development of the next generation protein therapeutics is emphasized.

  18. IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    addressing, new generation internet. 2. ... required the creation of the next generation of Internet ... IPv6 standards have defined the following Extension headers ..... addresses are represented as x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x, where each x is the hexadecimal ...

  19. Microlensing and the physics of stellar atmospheres

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sackett, PD; Menzies, JW; Sackett, PD

    2001-01-01

    The simple physics of microlensing provides a well understood tool with which to probe the atmospheres of distant stars in the Galaxy and Local Group with high magnification and resolution. Recent results in measuring stellar surface structure through broad band photometry and spectroscopy of high

  20. Next-generation wireless technologies 4G and beyond

    CERN Document Server

    Chilamkurti, Naveen; Chaouchi, Hakima

    2013-01-01

    This comprehensive text/reference examines the various challenges to secure, efficient and cost-effective next-generation wireless networking. Topics and features: presents the latest advances, standards and technical challenges in a broad range of emerging wireless technologies; discusses cooperative and mesh networks, delay tolerant networks, and other next-generation networks such as LTE; examines real-world applications of vehicular communications, broadband wireless technologies, RFID technology, and energy-efficient wireless communications; introduces developments towards the 'Internet o

  1. The OGLE view of microlensing towards the Magellanic Clouds - I. A trickle of events in the OGLE-II LMC data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyrzykowski, Ł.; Kozłowski, S.; Skowron, J.; Belokurov, V.; Smith, M. C.; Udalski, A.; Szymański, M. K.; Kubiak, M.; Pietrzyński, G.; Soszyński, I.; Szewczyk, O.; Żebruń, K.

    2009-08-01

    We present the results from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment II (OGLE-II) survey (1996-2000) towards the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which has the aim of detecting the microlensing phenomena caused by dark matter compact objects in the Galactic halo [massive compact halo objects (MACHOs)]. We use high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope images of the OGLE fields and derive the correction for the number of monitored stars in each field. This also yields blending distributions which we use in `catalogue-level' Monte Carlo simulations of the microlensing events in order to calculate the detection efficiency of the events. We detect two candidates for microlensing events in the All Stars Sample, which translates into an optical depth of 0.43 +/- 0.33 × 10-7. If both events were due to MACHO, the fraction of mass of compact dark matter objects in the Galactic halo would be 8 +/- 6 per cent. This optical depth, however, along with the characteristics of the events seems to be consistent with the self-lensing scenario, i.e. self-lensing alone is sufficient to explain the observed microlensing signal. Our results indicate the non-detection of MACHOs lensing towards the LMC with an upper limit on their abundance in the Galactic halo of 19 per cent for M = 0.4Msolar and 10 per cent for masses between 0.01 and 0.2Msolar. Based on observations obtained with the 1.3-m Warsaw Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. E-mail: wyrzykow@ast.cam.ac.uk ‡ Name pronunciation: Woocash Vizhikovsky.

  2. Screening for SNPs with Allele-Specific Methylation based on Next-Generation Sequencing Data

    OpenAIRE

    Hu, Bo; Ji, Yuan; Xu, Yaomin; Ting, Angela H

    2013-01-01

    Allele-specific methylation (ASM) has long been studied but mainly documented in the context of genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation. Taking advantage of the next-generation sequencing technology, we conduct a high-throughput sequencing experiment with four prostate cell lines to survey the whole genome and identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with ASM. A Bayesian approach is proposed to model the counts of short reads for each SNP conditional on its genotypes of multip...

  3. Next Generation of Photovoltaics New Concepts

    CERN Document Server

    Vega, Antonio; López, Antonio

    2012-01-01

    This book presents new concepts for a next generation of PV. Among these concepts are: Multijunction solar cells, multiple excitation solar cells (or how to take benefit of high energy photons for the creation of more than one electron hole-pair), intermediate band solar cells (or how to take advantage of below band-gap energy photons) and related technologies (for quantum dots, nitrides, thin films), advanced light management approaches (plasmonics). Written by world-class experts in next generation photovoltaics this book is an essential reference guide accessible to both beginners and experts working with solar cell technology. The book deeply analyzes the current state-of-the-art of the new photovoltaic approaches and outlines the implementation paths of these advanced devices. Topics addressed range from the fundamentals to the description of state-of-the-art of the new types of solar cells.

  4. Next generation biofuel engineering in prokaryotes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gronenberg, Luisa S.; Marcheschi, Ryan J.; Liao, James C.

    2014-01-01

    Next-generation biofuels must be compatible with current transportation infrastructure and be derived from environmentally sustainable resources that do not compete with food crops. Many bacterial species have unique properties advantageous to the production of such next-generation fuels. However, no single species possesses all characteristics necessary to make high quantities of fuels from plant waste or CO2. Species containing a subset of the desired characteristics are used as starting points for engineering organisms with all desired attributes. Metabolic engineering of model organisms has yielded high titer production of advanced fuels, including alcohols, isoprenoids and fatty acid derivatives. Technical developments now allow engineering of native fuel producers, as well as lignocellulolytic and autotrophic bacteria, for the production of biofuels. Continued research on multiple fronts is required to engineer organisms for truly sustainable and economical biofuel production. PMID:23623045

  5. Next generation of photovoltaics. New concepts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cristobal Lopez, Ana Belen; Marti Vega, Antonio; Luque Lopez, Antonio (eds.) [Univ. Politecnica de Madrid (Spain). Inst. de Energia Solar E.T.S.I. Telecomunicacion

    2012-07-01

    This book presents new concepts for a next generation of PV. Among these concepts are: Multijunction solar cells, multiple excitation solar cells (or how to take benefit of high energy photons for the creation of more than one electron hole-pair), intermediate band solar cells (or how to take advantage of below band-gap energy photons) and related technologies (for quantum dots, nitrides, thin films), advanced light management approaches (plasmonics). Written by world-class experts in next generation photovoltaics this book is an essential reference guide accessible to both beginners and experts working with solar cell technology. The book deeply analyzes the current state-of-the-art of the new photovoltaic approaches and outlines the implementation paths of these advanced devices. Topics addressed range from the fundamentals to the description of state-of-the-art of the new types of solar cells. (orig.)

  6. Integration of polystyrene microlenses with both convex and concave profiles in a polymer-based microfluidic system

    KAUST Repository

    Fan, Yiqiang; Li, Huawei; Foulds, Ian G.

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports a new technique of fabricating polystyrene microlenses with both convex and concave profiles that are integrated in polymer-based microfluidic system. The polystyrene microlenses, or microlens array, are fabricated using the free

  7. A survey on the human reliability analysis methods for the design of Korean next generation reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong Hee; Lee, J. W.; Park, J. C.; Kwack, H. Y.; Lee, K. Y.; Park, J. K.; Kim, I. S.; Jung, K. W.

    2000-03-01

    Enhanced features through applying recent domestic technologies may characterize the safety and efficiency of KNGR(Korea Next Generation Reactor). Human engineered interface and control room environment are expected to be beneficial to the human aspects of KNGR design. However, since the current method for human reliability analysis is not up to date after THERP/SHARP, it becomes hard to assess the potential of human errors due to both of the positive and negative effect of the design changes in KNGR. This is a state of the art report on the human reliability analysis methods that are potentially available for the application to the KNGR design. We surveyed every technical aspects of existing HRA methods, and compared them in order to obtain the requirements for the assessment of human error potentials within KNGR design. We categorized the more than 10 methods into the first and the second generation according to the suggestion of Dr. Hollnagel. THERP was revisited in detail. ATHEANA proposed by US NRC for an advanced design and CREAM proposed by Dr. Hollnagel were reviewed and compared. We conclude that the key requirements might include the enhancement in the early steps for human error identification and the quantification steps with considerations of more extended error shaping factors over PSFs(performance shaping factors). The utilization of the steps and approaches of ATHEANA and CREAM will be beneficial to the attainment of an appropriate HRA method for KNGR. However, the steps and data from THERP will be still maintained because of the continuity with previous PSA activities in KNGR design

  8. A survey on the human reliability analysis methods for the design of Korean next generation reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yong Hee; Lee, J. W.; Park, J. C.; Kwack, H. Y.; Lee, K. Y.; Park, J. K.; Kim, I. S.; Jung, K. W

    2000-03-01

    Enhanced features through applying recent domestic technologies may characterize the safety and efficiency of KNGR(Korea Next Generation Reactor). Human engineered interface and control room environment are expected to be beneficial to the human aspects of KNGR design. However, since the current method for human reliability analysis is not up to date after THERP/SHARP, it becomes hard to assess the potential of human errors due to both of the positive and negative effect of the design changes in KNGR. This is a state of the art report on the human reliability analysis methods that are potentially available for the application to the KNGR design. We surveyed every technical aspects of existing HRA methods, and compared them in order to obtain the requirements for the assessment of human error potentials within KNGR design. We categorized the more than 10 methods into the first and the second generation according to the suggestion of Dr. Hollnagel. THERP was revisited in detail. ATHEANA proposed by US NRC for an advanced design and CREAM proposed by Dr. Hollnagel were reviewed and compared. We conclude that the key requirements might include the enhancement in the early steps for human error identification and the quantification steps with considerations of more extended error shaping factors over PSFs(performance shaping factors). The utilization of the steps and approaches of ATHEANA and CREAM will be beneficial to the attainment of an appropriate HRA method for KNGR. However, the steps and data from THERP will be still maintained because of the continuity with previous PSA activities in KNGR design.

  9. Galaxy LIMS for next-generation sequencing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scholtalbers, J.; Rossler, J.; Sorn, P.; Graaf, J. de; Boisguerin, V.; Castle, J.; Sahin, U.

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY: We have developed a laboratory information management system (LIMS) for a next-generation sequencing (NGS) laboratory within the existing Galaxy platform. The system provides lab technicians standard and customizable sample information forms, barcoded submission forms, tracking of input

  10. Next-generation Digital Earth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodchild, Michael F; Guo, Huadong; Annoni, Alessandro; Bian, Ling; de Bie, Kees; Campbell, Frederick; Craglia, Max; Ehlers, Manfred; van Genderen, John; Jackson, Davina; Lewis, Anthony J; Pesaresi, Martino; Remetey-Fülöpp, Gábor; Simpson, Richard; Skidmore, Andrew; Wang, Changlin; Woodgate, Peter

    2012-07-10

    A speech of then-Vice President Al Gore in 1998 created a vision for a Digital Earth, and played a role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth, that achieved many but not all the elements of this vision. The technical achievements of Google Earth, and the functionality of this first generation of virtual globes, are reviewed against the Gore vision. Meanwhile, developments in technology continue, the era of "big data" has arrived, the general public is more and more engaged with technology through citizen science and crowd-sourcing, and advances have been made in our scientific understanding of the Earth system. However, although Google Earth stimulated progress in communicating the results of science, there continue to be substantial barriers in the public's access to science. All these factors prompt a reexamination of the initial vision of Digital Earth, and a discussion of the major elements that should be part of a next generation.

  11. Special Issue: Next Generation DNA Sequencing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Richardson

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Next Generation Sequencing (NGS refers to technologies that do not rely on traditional dideoxy-nucleotide (Sanger sequencing where labeled DNA fragments are physically resolved by electrophoresis. These new technologies rely on different strategies, but essentially all of them make use of real-time data collection of a base level incorporation event across a massive number of reactions (on the order of millions versus 96 for capillary electrophoresis for instance. The major commercial NGS platforms available to researchers are the 454 Genome Sequencer (Roche, Illumina (formerly Solexa Genome analyzer, the SOLiD system (Applied Biosystems/Life Technologies and the Heliscope (Helicos Corporation. The techniques and different strategies utilized by these platforms are reviewed in a number of the papers in this special issue. These technologies are enabling new applications that take advantage of the massive data produced by this next generation of sequencing instruments. [...

  12. Next-Generation Sequencing of Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDaniel, Andrew S; Stall, Jennifer N; Hovelson, Daniel H; Cani, Andi K; Liu, Chia-Jen; Tomlins, Scott A; Cho, Kathleen R

    2015-11-01

    High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most prevalent and lethal form of ovarian cancer. HGSCs frequently arise in the distal fallopian tubes rather than the ovary, developing from small precursor lesions called serous tubal intraepithelial carcinomas (TICs, or more specifically, STICs). While STICs have been reported to harbor TP53 mutations, detailed molecular characterizations of these lesions are lacking. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue from 4 women, 2 with HGSC and 2 with uterine endometrioid carcinoma (UEC) who were diagnosed as having synchronous STICs. We detected concordant mutations in both HGSCs with synchronous STICs, including TP53 mutations as well as assumed germline BRCA1/2 alterations, confirming a clonal association between these lesions. Next-generation sequencing confirmed the presence of a STIC clonally unrelated to 1 case of UEC, and NGS of the other tubal lesion diagnosed as a STIC unexpectedly supported the lesion as a micrometastasis from the associated UEC. We demonstrate that targeted NGS can identify genetic alterations in minute lesions, such as TICs, and confirm TP53 mutations as early driving events for HGSC. Next-generation sequencing also demonstrated unexpected associations between presumed STICs and synchronous carcinomas, providing evidence that some TICs are actually metastases rather than HGSC precursors.

  13. Next-generation fiber lasers enabled by high-performance components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kliner, D. A. V.; Victor, B.; Rivera, C.; Fanning, G.; Balsley, D.; Farrow, R. L.; Kennedy, K.; Hampton, S.; Hawke, R.; Soukup, E.; Reynolds, M.; Hodges, A.; Emery, J.; Brown, A.; Almonte, K.; Nelson, M.; Foley, B.; Dawson, D.; Hemenway, D. M.; Urbanek, W.; DeVito, M.; Bao, L.; Koponen, J.; Gross, K.

    2018-02-01

    Next-generation industrial fiber lasers enable challenging applications that cannot be addressed with legacy fiber lasers. Key features of next-generation fiber lasers include robust back-reflection protection, high power stability, wide power tunability, high-speed modulation and waveform generation, and facile field serviceability. These capabilities are enabled by high-performance components, particularly pump diodes and optical fibers, and by advanced fiber laser designs. We summarize the performance and reliability of nLIGHT diodes, fibers, and next-generation industrial fiber lasers at power levels of 500 W - 8 kW. We show back-reflection studies with up to 1 kW of back-reflected power, power-stability measurements in cw and modulated operation exhibiting sub-1% stability over a 5 - 100% power range, and high-speed modulation (100 kHz) and waveform generation with a bandwidth 20x higher than standard fiber lasers. We show results from representative applications, including cutting and welding of highly reflective metals (Cu and Al) for production of Li-ion battery modules and processing of carbon fiber reinforced polymers.

  14. The Impact of Microlensing on the Standardisation of Strongly Lensed Type Ia Supernovae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foxley-Marrable, Max; Collett, Thomas E.; Vernardos, Georgios; Goldstein, Daniel A.; Bacon, David

    2018-05-01

    We investigate the effect of microlensing on the standardisation of strongly lensed Type Ia supernovae (GLSNe Ia). We present predictions for the amount of scatter induced by microlensing across a range of plausible strong lens macromodels. We find that lensed images in regions of low convergence, shear and stellar density are standardisable, where the microlensing scatter is ≲ 0.15 magnitudes, comparable to the intrinsic dispersion of for a typical SN Ia. These standardisable configurations correspond to asymmetric lenses with an image located far outside the Einstein radius of the lens. Symmetric and small Einstein radius lenses (≲ 0.5 arcsec) are not standardisable. We apply our model to the recently discovered GLSN Ia iPTF16geu and find that the large discrepancy between the observed flux and the macromodel predictions from More et al. (2017) cannot be explained by microlensing alone. Using the mock GLSNe Ia catalogue of Goldstein et al. (2017), we predict that ˜ 22% of GLSNe Ia discovered by LSST will be standardisable, with a median Einstein radius of 0.9 arcseconds and a median time-delay of 41 days. By breaking the mass-sheet degeneracy the full LSST GLSNe Ia sample will be able to detect systematics in H0 at the 0.5% level.

  15. AugerNext: innovative research studies for the next generation ground-based ultra-high energy cosmic ray experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haungs Andreas

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The findings so far of the Pierre Auger Observatory and also of the Telescope Array define the requirements for a possible next generation experiment: it needs to be considerably increased in size, it needs a better sensitivity to composition, and it should cover the full sky. AugerNext aims to perform innovative research studies in order to prepare a proposal fulfilling these demands. Such R&D studies are primarily focused in the following areas iconsolidation of the detection of cosmic rays using MHz radio antennas; iiproof-of-principle of cosmic-ray microwave detection; iiitest of the large-scale application of a new generation photo-sensors; ivgeneralization of data communication techniques; vdevelopment of new ways of muon detection with surface arrays. These AugerNext studies on new innovative detection methods for a next generation cosmic-ray experiment are performed at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The AugerNext consortium consists presently of fourteen partner institutions from nine European countries supported by a network of European funding agencies and it is a principal element of the ASPERA/ApPEC strategic roadmaps.

  16. Deep learning—Accelerating Next Generation Performance Analysis Systems?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heike Brock

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Deep neural network architectures show superior performance in recognition and prediction tasks of the image, speech and natural language domains. The success of such multi-layered networks encourages their implementation in further application scenarios as the retrieval of relevant motion information for performance enhancement in sports. However, to date deep learning is only seldom applied to activity recognition problems of the human motion domain. Therefore, its use for sports data analysis might remain abstract to many practitioners. This paper provides a survey on recent works in the field of high-performance motion data and examines relevant technologies for subsequent deployment in real training systems. In particular, it discusses aspects of data acquisition, processing and network modeling. Analysis suggests the advantage of deep neural networks under difficult and noisy data conditions. However, further research is necessary to confirm the benefit of deep learning for next generation performance analysis systems.

  17. New materials for next-generation commercial transports

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Committee on New Materials for Advanced Civil Aircraft, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council

    ... civil aircraft throughout their service life. The committee investigated the new materials and structural concepts that are likely to be incorporated into next generation commercial aircraft and the factors influencing application decisions...

  18. Preparation of next generation set of group cross sections. 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaneko, Kunio

    2002-03-01

    This fiscal year, based on the examination result about the evaluation energy range of heavy element unresolved resonance cross sections, the upper energy limit of the energy range, where ultra-fine group cross sections are produced, was raised to 50 keV, and an improvement of the group cross section processing system was promoted. At the same time, reflecting the result of studies carried out till now, a function producing delayed neutron data was added to the general-purpose group cross section processing system , thus the preparation of general purpose group cross section processing system has been completed. On the other hand, the energy structure, data constitution and data contents of next generation group cross section set were determined, and the specification of a 151 groups next generation group cross section set was defined. Based on the above specification, a concrete library format of the next generation cross section set has been determined. After having carried out the above-described work, using the general-purpose group cross section processing system , which was complete in this study, with use of the JENDL-3. 2 evaluated nuclear data, the 151 groups next generation group cross section of 92 nuclides and the ultra fine group resonance cross section library for 29 nuclides have been prepared. Utilizing the 151 groups next generation group cross section set and the ultra-fine group resonance cross-section library, a bench mark test calculation of fast reactors has been performed by using an advanced lattice calculation code. It was confirmed, by comparing the calculation result with a calculation result of continuous energy Monte Carlo code, that the 151 groups next generation cross section set has sufficient accuracy. (author)

  19. Project overview and update on WEAVE: the next generation wide-field spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dalton, Gavin; Trager, Scott; Abrams, Don Carlos; Bonifacio, Piercarlo; López Aguerri, J. Alfonso; Middleton, Kevin; Benn, Chris; Dee, Kevin; Sayède, Frédéric; Lewis, Ian; Pragt, Johan; Pico, Sergio; Walton, Nic; Rey, Juerg; Allende Prieto, Carlos; Peñate, José; Lhome, Emilie; Agócs, Tibor; Alonso, José; Terrett, David; Brock, Matthew; Gilbert, James; Ridings, Andy; Guinouard, Isabelle; Verheijen, Marc A.W.; Tosh, Ian; Rogers, Kevin; Steele, Iain; Stuik, Remko; Tromp, Neils; Jasko, Attila; Kragt, Jan; Lesman, Dirk; Mottram, Chris; Bates, Stuart; Gribbin, Frank; Rodriguez, Luis Fernando; Delgado, José M.; Martin, Carlos; Cano, Diego; Navarro, Ramón; Irwin, Mike; Lewis, Jim; Gonzalez Solares, Eduardo; O'Mahony, Neil; Bianco, Andrea; Zurita, Christina; ter Horst, Rik; Molinari, Emilio; Lodi, Marcello; Guerra, José; Vallenari, Antonella; Baruffolo, Andrea

    We present an overview of and status report on the WEAVE next-generation spectroscopy facility for the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). WEAVE principally targets optical ground-based follow up of upcoming ground-based (LOFAR) and space-based (Gaia) surveys. WEAVE is a multi-object and multi-IFU

  20. Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penuel, William R.; Harris, Christopher J.; DeBarger, Angela Haydel

    2015-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards embody a new vision for science education grounded in the idea that science is both a body of knowledge and a set of linked practices for developing knowledge. The authors describe strategies that they suggest school and district leaders consider when designing strategies to support NGSS implementation.

  1. Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mardis, Elaine R.

    2013-06-01

    Automated DNA sequencing instruments embody an elegant interplay among chemistry, engineering, software, and molecular biology and have built upon Sanger's founding discovery of dideoxynucleotide sequencing to perform once-unfathomable tasks. Combined with innovative physical mapping approaches that helped to establish long-range relationships between cloned stretches of genomic DNA, fluorescent DNA sequencers produced reference genome sequences for model organisms and for the reference human genome. New types of sequencing instruments that permit amazing acceleration of data-collection rates for DNA sequencing have been developed. The ability to generate genome-scale data sets is now transforming the nature of biological inquiry. Here, I provide an historical perspective of the field, focusing on the fundamental developments that predated the advent of next-generation sequencing instruments and providing information about how these instruments work, their application to biological research, and the newest types of sequencers that can extract data from single DNA molecules.

  2. Predictions for microlensing planetary events from core accretion theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Wei; Mao, Shude; Penny, Matthew; Gould, Andrew; Gendron, Rieul

    2014-01-01

    We conduct the first microlensing simulation in the context of a planet formation model. The planet population is taken from the Ida and Lin core accretion model for 0.3 M ☉ stars. With 6690 microlensing events, we find that for a simplified Korea Microlensing Telescopes Network (KMTNet), the fraction of planetary events is 2.9%, out of which 5.5% show multiple-planet signatures. The numbers of super-Earths, super-Neptunes, and super-Jupiters detected are expected to be almost equal. Our simulation shows that high-magnification events and massive planets are favored by planet detections, which is consistent with previous expectation. However, we notice that extremely high-magnification events are less sensitive to planets, which is possibly because the 10 minute sampling of KMTNet is not intensive enough to capture the subtle anomalies that occur near the peak. This suggests that while KMTNet observations can be systematically analyzed without reference to any follow-up data, follow-up observations will be essential in extracting the full science potential of very high magnification events. The uniformly high-cadence observations expected for KMTNet also result in ∼55% of all detected planets not being caustic crossing, and more low-mass planets even down to Mars mass being detected via planetary caustics. We also find that the distributions of orbital inclinations and planet mass ratios in multiple-planet events agree with the intrinsic distributions.

  3. Predictions for microlensing planetary events from core accretion theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Wei; Mao, Shude [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20A Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012 (China); Penny, Matthew; Gould, Andrew [Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, 140 W. 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Gendron, Rieul, E-mail: weizhu@astronomy.ohio-state.edu [Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, Alan Turing Building, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

    2014-06-10

    We conduct the first microlensing simulation in the context of a planet formation model. The planet population is taken from the Ida and Lin core accretion model for 0.3 M {sub ☉} stars. With 6690 microlensing events, we find that for a simplified Korea Microlensing Telescopes Network (KMTNet), the fraction of planetary events is 2.9%, out of which 5.5% show multiple-planet signatures. The numbers of super-Earths, super-Neptunes, and super-Jupiters detected are expected to be almost equal. Our simulation shows that high-magnification events and massive planets are favored by planet detections, which is consistent with previous expectation. However, we notice that extremely high-magnification events are less sensitive to planets, which is possibly because the 10 minute sampling of KMTNet is not intensive enough to capture the subtle anomalies that occur near the peak. This suggests that while KMTNet observations can be systematically analyzed without reference to any follow-up data, follow-up observations will be essential in extracting the full science potential of very high magnification events. The uniformly high-cadence observations expected for KMTNet also result in ∼55% of all detected planets not being caustic crossing, and more low-mass planets even down to Mars mass being detected via planetary caustics. We also find that the distributions of orbital inclinations and planet mass ratios in multiple-planet events agree with the intrinsic distributions.

  4. Unbundling in Current Broadband and Next-Generation Ultra-Broadband Access Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaudino, Roberto; Giuliano, Romeo; Mazzenga, Franco; Valcarenghi, Luca; Vatalaro, Francesco

    2014-05-01

    This article overviews the methods that are currently under investigation for implementing multi-operator open-access/shared-access techniques in next-generation access ultra-broadband architectures, starting from the traditional "unbundling-of-the-local-loop" techniques implemented in legacy twisted-pair digital subscriber line access networks. A straightforward replication of these copper-based unbundling-of-the-local-loop techniques is usually not feasible on next-generation access networks, including fiber-to-the-home point-to-multipoint passive optical networks. To investigate this issue, the article first gives a concise description of traditional copper-based unbundling-of-the-local-loop solutions, then focalizes on both next-generation access hybrid fiber-copper digital subscriber line fiber-to-the-cabinet scenarios and on fiber to the home by accounting for the mix of regulatory and technological reasons driving the next-generation access migration path, focusing mostly on the European situation.

  5. Mobile e-Learning for Next Generation Communication Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tin-Yu; Chao, Han-Chieh

    2008-01-01

    This article develops an environment for mobile e-learning that includes an interactive course, virtual online labs, an interactive online test, and lab-exercise training platform on the fourth generation mobile communication system. The Next Generation Learning Environment (NeGL) promotes the term "knowledge economy." Inter-networking…

  6. Gravitational microlensing by low-mass objects in the globular cluster M22.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahu, K C; Casertano, S; Livio, M; Gilliland, R L; Panagia, N; Albrow, M D; Potter, M

    2001-06-28

    Gravitational microlensing offers a means of determining directly the masses of objects ranging from planets to stars, provided that the distances and motions of the lenses and sources can be determined. A globular cluster observed against the dense stellar field of the Galactic bulge presents ideal conditions for such observations because the probability of lensing is high and the distances and kinematics of the lenses and sources are well constrained. The abundance of low-mass objects in a globular cluster is of particular interest, because it may be representative of the very early stages of star formation in the Universe, and therefore indicative of the amount of dark baryonic matter in such clusters. Here we report a microlensing event associated with the globular cluster M22. We determine the mass of the lens to be 0.13(+0.03)(-0.02) solar masses. We have also detected six events that are unresolved in time. If these are also microlensing events, they imply that a non-negligible fraction of the cluster mass resides in the form of free-floating planetary-mass objects.

  7. Limits on the Mass and Abundance of Primordial Black Holes from Quasar Gravitational Microlensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Vía Láctea S/N, La Laguna E-38200, Tenerife (Spain); Jiménez-Vicente, J.; Calderón-Infante, J. [Departamento de Física Teórica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada (Spain); Muñoz, J. A.; Vives-Arias, H. [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad de Valencia, E-46100 Burjassot, Valencia (Spain)

    2017-02-20

    The idea that dark matter can be made of intermediate-mass primordial black holes (PBHs) in the 10 M {sub ⊙} ≲ M ≲ 200 M {sub ⊙} range has recently been reconsidered, particularly in the light of the detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO experiment. The existence of even a small fraction of dark matter in black holes should nevertheless result in noticeable quasar gravitational microlensing. Quasar microlensing is sensitive to any type of compact objects in the lens galaxy, to their abundance, and to their mass. We have analyzed optical and X-ray microlensing data from 24 gravitationally lensed quasars to estimate the abundance of compact objects in a very wide range of masses. We conclude that the fraction of mass in black holes or any type of compact objects is negligible outside of the 0.05 M {sub ⊙} ≲ M ≲ 0.45 M {sub ⊙} mass range and that it amounts to 20% ± 5% of the total matter, in agreement with the expected masses and abundances of the stellar component. Consequently, the existence of a significant population of intermediate-mass PBHs appears to be inconsistent with current microlensing observations. Therefore, primordial massive black holes are a very unlikely source of the gravitational radiation detected by LIGO.

  8. Microlensing Binaries with Candidate Brown Dwarf Companions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shin, I.-G; Han, C.; Gould, A.

    2012-01-01

    masses of the brown dwarf companions are 0.02 ± 0.01 M⊙ and 0.019 ± 0.002 M⊙ for MOA-2011-BLG-104/OGLE-2011-BLG-0172 and MOA-2011-BLG-149, respectively, and both companions are orbiting low-mass M dwarf host stars. More microlensing brown dwarfs are expected to be detected as the number of lensing events...

  9. Next-generation mammalian genetics toward organism-level systems biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susaki, Etsuo A; Ukai, Hideki; Ueda, Hiroki R

    2017-01-01

    Organism-level systems biology in mammals aims to identify, analyze, control, and design molecular and cellular networks executing various biological functions in mammals. In particular, system-level identification and analysis of molecular and cellular networks can be accelerated by next-generation mammalian genetics. Mammalian genetics without crossing, where all production and phenotyping studies of genome-edited animals are completed within a single generation drastically reduce the time, space, and effort of conducting the systems research. Next-generation mammalian genetics is based on recent technological advancements in genome editing and developmental engineering. The process begins with introduction of double-strand breaks into genomic DNA by using site-specific endonucleases, which results in highly efficient genome editing in mammalian zygotes or embryonic stem cells. By using nuclease-mediated genome editing in zygotes, or ~100% embryonic stem cell-derived mouse technology, whole-body knock-out and knock-in mice can be produced within a single generation. These emerging technologies allow us to produce multiple knock-out or knock-in strains in high-throughput manner. In this review, we discuss the basic concepts and related technologies as well as current challenges and future opportunities for next-generation mammalian genetics in organism-level systems biology.

  10. Data Analysis and Next Generation Assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pon, Kathy

    2013-01-01

    For the last decade, much of the work of California school administrators has been shaped by the accountability of the No Child Left Behind Act. Now as they stand at the precipice of Common Core Standards and next generation assessments, it is important to reflect on the proficiency educators have attained in using data to improve instruction and…

  11. Achieving universal access to next generation networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Falch, Morten; Henten, Anders

    The paper examines investment dimensions of next generation networks in a universal service perspective in a European context. The question is how new network infrastructures for getting access to communication, information and entertainment services in the present and future information society...

  12. Next generation breeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barabaschi, Delfina; Tondelli, Alessandro; Desiderio, Francesca; Volante, Andrea; Vaccino, Patrizia; Valè, Giampiero; Cattivelli, Luigi

    2016-01-01

    The genomic revolution of the past decade has greatly improved our understanding of the genetic make-up of living organisms. The sequencing of crop genomes has completely changed our vision and interpretation of genome organization and evolution. Re-sequencing allows the identification of an unlimited number of markers as well as the analysis of germplasm allelic diversity based on allele mining approaches. High throughput marker technologies coupled with advanced phenotyping platforms provide new opportunities for discovering marker-trait associations which can sustain genomic-assisted breeding. The availability of genome sequencing information is enabling genome editing (site-specific mutagenesis), to obtain gene sequences desired by breeders. This review illustrates how next generation sequencing-derived information can be used to tailor genomic tools for different breeders' needs to revolutionize crop improvement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Next-Generation Sequencing: From Understanding Biology to Personalized Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Meder

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Within just a few years, the new methods for high-throughput next-generation sequencing have generated completely novel insights into the heritability and pathophysiology of human disease. In this review, we wish to highlight the benefits of the current state-of-the-art sequencing technologies for genetic and epigenetic research. We illustrate how these technologies help to constantly improve our understanding of genetic mechanisms in biological systems and summarize the progress made so far. This can be exemplified by the case of heritable heart muscle diseases, so-called cardiomyopathies. Here, next-generation sequencing is able to identify novel disease genes, and first clinical applications demonstrate the successful translation of this technology into personalized patient care.

  14. Next Generation Drivetrain Development and Test Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keller, Jonathan; Erdman, Bill; Blodgett, Doug; Halse, Chris; Grider, Dave

    2015-11-03

    This presentation was given at the Wind Energy IQ conference in Bremen, Germany, November 30 through December 2, 2105. It focused on the next-generation drivetrain architecture and drivetrain technology development and testing (including gearbox and inverter software and medium-voltage inverter modules.

  15. Studying the microlenses mass function from statistical analysis of the caustic concentration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mediavilla, T; Ariza, O [Departamento de Estadistica e Investigacion Operativa, Universidad de Cadiz, Avda de Ramon Puyol, s/n 11202 Algeciras (Spain); Mediavilla, E [Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Avda Via Lactea s/n, La Laguna (Spain); Munoz, J A, E-mail: teresa.mediavilla@ca.uca.es, E-mail: octavio.ariza@uca.es, E-mail: emg@iac.es [Departamento de Astrofisica y Astronomia, Universidad de Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia (Spain)

    2011-09-22

    The statistical distribution of caustic crossings by the images of a lensed quasar depends on the properties of the distribution of microlenses in the lens galaxy. We use a procedure based in Inverse Polygon Mapping to easily identify the critical and caustic curves generated by a distribution of stars in the lens galaxy. We analyze the statistical distributions of the number of caustic crossings by a pixel size source for several projected mass densities and different mass distributions. We compare the results of simulations with theoretical binomial distributions. Finally we apply this method to the study of the stellar mass distribution in the lens galaxy of QSO 2237+0305.

  16. Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars

    OpenAIRE

    Bensby, T.; Johnson, J. A.; Cohen, J.; Feltzing, S.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Huang, W.; Thompson, I.; Simmerer, J.; Adén, D.

    2009-01-01

    Aims. Our aims are twofold. First we aim to evaluate the robustness and accuracy of stellar parameters and detailed elemental abundances that can be derived from high-resolution spectroscopic observations of microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. We then aim to use microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars to investigate the abundance structure and chemical evolution of the Milky Way Bulge. Contrary to the cool giant stars, with their extremely crowded spectra, the dwarf stars are hotter, their spe...

  17. Heterogeneous next-generation wireless network interference model-and its applications

    KAUST Repository

    Mahmood, Nurul Huda

    2014-04-01

    Next-generation wireless systems facilitating better utilisation of the scarce radio spectrum have emerged as a response to inefficient and rigid spectrum assignment policies. These are comprised of intelligent radio nodes that opportunistically operate in the radio spectrum of existing primary systems, yet unwanted interference at the primary receivers is unavoidable. In order to design efficient next-generation systems and to minimise the adverse effect of their interference, it is necessary to realise how the resulting interference impacts the performance of the primary systems. In this work, a generalised framework for the interference analysis of such a next-generation system is presented where the nextgeneration transmitters may transmit randomly with different transmit powers. The analysis is built around a model developed for the statistical representation of the interference at the primary receivers, which is then used to evaluate various performance measures of the primary system. Applications of the derived interference model in designing the next-generation network system parameters are also demonstrated. Such approach provides a unified and generalised framework, the use of which allows a wide range of performance metrics can be evaluated. Findings of the analytical performance analyses are confirmed through extensive computer-based Monte-Carlo simulations. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Search for black matter through the detection of gravitational micro-lenses in differential photometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Guillou, L.

    2003-09-01

    The nature of dark matter is an open question. The search for gravitational microlensing effects is an interesting tool because this effect is strongly dependent on the mass of objects whether they are luminous or not, however this detection method is only sensitive to compact forms of dark matter (MACHOS - massive astronomical halo compact objects), and as a consequence no-baryonic matter like neutrinos or WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles) can not be detected this way. In the first chapter the author reviews the plausible candidates to black matter. The use of the microlensing effect as a probe of the galactic halo is presented in the second chapter. The third chapter is dedicated to the series of experiments worldwide that focus on the detection of MACHOS. In the fourth chapter the author shows how the DIA (difference image analysis) method may be promising in the study of gravitational microlensing effects. The main part of this work has been the use of the DIA method to process five-year data set collected by the Eros experiment in the small Magellanic cloud (SMC). The data processing line and the results are presented in the fifth and sixth chapters. The results are consistent with previous results given by Eros and they confirm the disparity of the durations of micro-lenses detected in the large and small Magellanic clouds. (A.C.)

  19. 76 FR 49776 - The Development and Evaluation of Next-Generation Smallpox Vaccines; Public Workshop

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-11

    ...] The Development and Evaluation of Next-Generation Smallpox Vaccines; Public Workshop AGENCY: Food and... Evaluation of Next-Generation Smallpox Vaccines.'' The purpose of the public workshop is to identify and discuss the key issues related to the development and evaluation of next-generation smallpox vaccines. The...

  20. Genome survey sequencing and genetic background characterization of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Rhodophyta) based on next-generation sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Wei; Hu, Yiyi; Sui, Zhenghong; Fu, Feng; Wang, Jinguo; Chang, Lianpeng; Guo, Weihua; Li, Binbin

    2013-01-01

    Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis has a high economic value and is one of the most important aquaculture species in China. Despite it is economic importance, it has remained largely unstudied at the genomic level. In this study, we conducted a genome survey of Gp. lemaneiformis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. In total, 18.70 Gb of high-quality sequence data with an estimated genome size of 97 Mb were obtained by HiSeq 2000 sequencing for Gp. lemaneiformis. These reads were assembled into 160,390 contigs with a N50 length of 3.64 kb, which were further assembled into 125,685 scaffolds with a total length of 81.17 Mb. Genome analysis predicted 3490 genes and a GC% content of 48%. The identified genes have an average transcript length of 1,429 bp, an average coding sequence size of 1,369 bp, 1.36 exons per gene, exon length of 1,008 bp, and intron length of 191 bp. From the initial assembled scaffold, transposable elements constituted 54.64% (44.35 Mb) of the genome, and 7737 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified. Among these SSRs, the trinucleotide repeat type was the most abundant (up to 73.20% of total SSRs), followed by the di- (17.41%), tetra- (5.49%), hexa- (2.90%), and penta- (1.00%) nucleotide repeat type. These characteristics suggest that Gp. lemaneiformis is a model organism for genetic study. This is the first report of genome-wide characterization within this taxon.

  1. Genome Survey Sequencing and Genetic Background Characterization of Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Rhodophyta) Based on Next-Generation Sequencing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sui, Zhenghong; Fu, Feng; Wang, Jinguo; Chang, Lianpeng; Guo, Weihua; Li, Binbin

    2013-01-01

    Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis has a high economic value and is one of the most important aquaculture species in China. Despite it is economic importance, it has remained largely unstudied at the genomic level. In this study, we conducted a genome survey of Gp. lemaneiformis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. In total, 18.70 Gb of high-quality sequence data with an estimated genome size of 97 Mb were obtained by HiSeq 2000 sequencing for Gp. lemaneiformis. These reads were assembled into 160,390 contigs with a N50 length of 3.64 kb, which were further assembled into 125,685 scaffolds with a total length of 81.17 Mb. Genome analysis predicted 3490 genes and a GC% content of 48%. The identified genes have an average transcript length of 1,429 bp, an average coding sequence size of 1,369 bp, 1.36 exons per gene, exon length of 1,008 bp, and intron length of 191 bp. From the initial assembled scaffold, transposable elements constituted 54.64% (44.35 Mb) of the genome, and 7737 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified. Among these SSRs, the trinucleotide repeat type was the most abundant (up to 73.20% of total SSRs), followed by the di- (17.41%), tetra- (5.49%), hexa- (2.90%), and penta- (1.00%) nucleotide repeat type. These characteristics suggest that Gp. lemaneiformis is a model organism for genetic study. This is the first report of genome-wide characterization within this taxon. PMID:23875008

  2. Applications of nanotechnology, next generation sequencing and microarrays in biomedical research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elingaramil, Sauli; Li, Xiaolong; He, Nongyue

    2013-07-01

    Next-generation sequencing technologies, microarrays and advances in bio nanotechnology have had an enormous impact on research within a short time frame. This impact appears certain to increase further as many biomedical institutions are now acquiring these prevailing new technologies. Beyond conventional sampling of genome content, wide-ranging applications are rapidly evolving for next-generation sequencing, microarrays and nanotechnology. To date, these technologies have been applied in a variety of contexts, including whole-genome sequencing, targeted re sequencing and discovery of transcription factor binding sites, noncoding RNA expression profiling and molecular diagnostics. This paper thus discusses current applications of nanotechnology, next-generation sequencing technologies and microarrays in biomedical research and highlights the transforming potential these technologies offer.

  3. Next generation surveillance system (NGSS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aparo, Massimo

    2006-01-01

    Development of 'functional requirements' for transparency systems may offer a near-term mode of regional cooperation. New requirements under development at the IAEA may provide a foundation for this potential activity. The Next Generation Surveillance System (NGSS) will become the new IAEA remote monitoring system Under new requirements the NGSS would attempt to use more commercial components to reduce cost, increase radiation survivability and further increase reliability. The NGSS must be available in two years due to rapidly approaching obsolescence in the existing DCM family. (author)

  4. Status and subjects of thermal-hydraulic analysis for next-generation LWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-03-01

    The status and subjects on thermal-hydraulic analysis for next-generation light water reactors (LWRs) with passive safety systems were surveyed through about 5 years until March 1999 by subcommittee on improvement of reactor thermal-hydraulic analysis codes under the nuclear code committee in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Based on the survey results and discussion, the status and subjects on system analysis for various types of proposed reactor were summarized in 1998 and those on multidimensional two-phase flow analysis were also reviewed, since the multidimensional analysis was recognized as one of the most important subjects through the investigation on system analysis. In this report, the status and subjects for the following were summarized from the survey results and discussion in 1998 and 1999; (1) BWR neutronic/thermal-hydraulic coupled analysis, (2) Evaluation of passive safety system performance and (3) Gas-liquid two-phase flow analysis. The contents in this report are the forefront of thermal-hydraulic analysis for LWRs including test results from several large-scale facilities. We expect that the contents can offer a guideline to improve reactor thermal-hydraulic analysis codes in future. (author)

  5. Optimizing the next generation optical access networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amaya Fernández, Ferney Orlando; Soto, Ana Cardenas; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

    2009-01-01

    Several issues in the design and optimization of the next generation optical access network (NG-OAN) are presented. The noise, the distortion and the fiber optic nonlinearities are considered to optimize the video distribution link in a passive optical network (PON). A discussion of the effect...

  6. IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 8; Issue 3. IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol - IPv4 and its Shortcomings. Harsha Srinath. General Article Volume 8 Issue 3 March 2003 pp 33-41. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

  7. IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 8; Issue 4. IPv6: The Next Generation Internet Protocol - New Features in IPv6. Harsha Srinath. General Article Volume 8 Issue 4 April 2003 pp 8-16. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

  8. Next-Generation Sequencing for Binary Protein-Protein Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernhard eSuter

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The yeast two-hybrid (Y2H system exploits host cell genetics in order to display binary protein-protein interactions (PPIs via defined and selectable phenotypes. Numerous improvements have been made to this method, adapting the screening principle for diverse applications, including drug discovery and the scale-up for proteome wide interaction screens in human and other organisms. Here we discuss a systematic workflow and analysis scheme for screening data generated by Y2H and related assays that includes high-throughput selection procedures, readout of comprehensive results via next-generation sequencing (NGS, and the interpretation of interaction data via quantitative statistics. The novel assays and tools will serve the broader scientific community to harness the power of NGS technology to address PPI networks in health and disease. We discuss examples of how this next-generation platform can be applied to address specific questions in diverse fields of biology and medicine.

  9. Next Generation Safeguards Initiative: Human Capital Development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scholz, M.; Irola, G.; Glynn, K.

    2015-01-01

    Since 2008, the Human Capital Development (HCD) subprogramme of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) has supported the recruitment, education, training, and retention of the next generation of international safeguards professionals to meet the needs of both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United States. Specifically, HCD's efforts respond to data indicating that 82% of safeguards experts at U.S. Laboratories will have left the workforce within 15 years. This paper provides an update on the status of the subprogramme since its last presentation at the IAEA Safeguards Symposium in 2010. It highlights strengthened, integrated efforts in the areas of graduate and post-doctoral fellowships, young and midcareer professional support, short safeguards courses, and university engagement. It also discusses lessons learned from the U.S. experience in safeguards education and training as well as the importance of long-range strategies to develop a cohesive, effective, and efficient human capital development approach. (author)

  10. The First Simultaneous Microlensing Observations by Two Space telescopes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shvartzvald, Y.; Li, Z.; Udalski, A.

    2016-01-01

    study the region of microlensing parameter space to which Swift is sensitive, finding that though Swift could not measure the microlens parallax with respect to ground-based observations for this event, it can be important for other events. Specifically, it is important for detecting nearby brown dwarfs...

  11. Bright Single-Photon Sources Based on Anti-Reflection Coated Deterministic Quantum Dot Microlenses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Schnauber

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available We report on enhancing the photon-extraction efficiency (PEE of deterministic quantum dot (QD microlenses via anti-reflection (AR coating. The AR-coating deposited on top of the curved microlens surface is composed of a thin layer of Ta2O5, and is found to effectively reduce back-reflection of light at the semiconductor-vacuum interface. A statistical analysis of spectroscopic data reveals, that the AR-coating improves the light out-coupling of respective microlenses by a factor of 1.57 ± 0.71, in quantitative agreement with numerical calculations. Taking the enhancement factor into account, we predict improved out-coupling of light with a PEE of up to 50%. The quantum nature of emission from QDs integrated into AR-coated microlenses is demonstrated via photon auto-correlation measurements revealing strong suppression of two-photon emission events with g(2(0 = 0.05 ± 0.02. As such, these bright non-classical light sources are highly attractive with respect to applications in the field of quantum cryptography.

  12. Next Generation Sequencing of Ancient DNA: Requirements, Strategies and Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Knapp

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The invention of next-generation-sequencing has revolutionized almost all fields of genetics, but few have profited from it as much as the field of ancient DNA research. From its beginnings as an interesting but rather marginal discipline, ancient DNA research is now on its way into the centre of evolutionary biology. In less than a year from its invention next-generation-sequencing had increased the amount of DNA sequence data available from extinct organisms by several orders of magnitude. Ancient DNA  research is now not only adding a temporal aspect to evolutionary studies and allowing for the observation of evolution in real time, it also provides important data to help understand the origins of our own species. Here we review progress that has been made in next-generation-sequencing of ancient DNA over the past five years and evaluate sequencing strategies and future directions.

  13. NOAA Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level 3 Products

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset consists of Level 3 weather radar products collected from Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) stations located in the contiguous United States, Alaska,...

  14. Fluorescent sensing with Fresnel microlenses for optofluidic systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siudzińska, Anna; Miszczuk, Andrzej; Marczak, Jacek; Komorowska, Katarzyna

    2017-05-01

    The concept of fluorescent sensing in a microchannel equipped with focusing light Fresnel lenses has been demonstrated. The concept employs a line or array of Fresnel lenses generating a line or array of focused light spots within a microfluidic channel, to increase the sensitivity of fluorescent signal detection in the system. We have presented efficient methods of master mold fabrication based on the lithography method and focused ion beam milling. The flexible microchannel was fabricated by an imprint process with new thiolene-epoxy resin with a good ability to replicate even submicron-size features. For final imprinted lenses, the measured background to peak signal level shows more than nine times the increase in brightness at the center of the focal spot for the green part of the spectrum (532 nm). The effectiveness of the microlenses in fluorescent-marked Escherichia coli bacteria was confirmed in a basic fluoroscope experiment, showing the increase of the sensitivity of the detection by the order of magnitude.

  15. Next generation sensors and systems

    CERN Document Server

    2016-01-01

    Written by experts in their area of research, this book has outlined the current status of the fundamentals and analytical concepts, modelling and design issues, technical details and practical applications of different types of sensors and discussed about the trends of next generation of sensors and systems happening in the area of Sensing technology. This book will be useful as a reference book for engineers and scientist especially the post-graduate students find will this book as reference book for their research on wearable sensors, devices and technologies.  .

  16. Diagnostics of Primary Immunodeficiencies through Next Generation Sequencing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vera Gallo

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Recently, a growing number of novel genetic defects underlying primary immunodeficiencies (PID have been identified, increasing the number of PID up to more than 250 well-defined forms. Next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies and proper filtering strategies greatly contributed to this rapid evolution, providing the possibility to rapidly and simultaneously analyze large numbers of genes or the whole exome. Objective: To evaluate the role of targeted next-generation sequencing and whole exome sequencing in the diagnosis of a case series, characterized by complex or atypical clinical features suggesting a PID, difficult to diagnose using the current diagnostic procedures.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed genetic variants identified through targeted next-generation sequencing or whole exome sequencing in 45 patients with complex PID of unknown etiology. Results: 40 variants were identified using targeted next-generation sequencing, while 5 were identified using whole exome sequencing. Newly identified genetic variants were classified into 4 groups: I variations associated with a well-defined PID; II variations associated with atypical features of a well-defined PID; III functionally relevant variations potentially involved in the immunological features; IV non-diagnostic genotype, in whom the link with phenotype is missing. We reached a conclusive genetic diagnosis in 7/45 patients (~16%. Among them, 4 patients presented with a typical well-defined PID. In the remaining 3 cases, mutations were associated with unexpected clinical features, expanding the phenotypic spectrum of typical PIDs. In addition, we identified 31 variants in 10 patients with complex phenotype, individually not causative per se of the disorder.Conclusion: NGS technologies represent a cost-effective and rapid first-line genetic approaches for the evaluation of complex PIDs. Whole exome sequencing, despite a moderate higher cost compared to targeted, is

  17. Examination of concept of next generation computer. Progress report 1999

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higuchi, Kenji; Hasegawa, Yukihiro; Hirayama, Toshio

    2000-12-01

    The Center for Promotion of Computational Science and Engineering has conducted R and D works on the technology of parallel processing and has started the examination of the next generation computer in 1999. This report describes the behavior analyses of quantum calculation codes. It also describes the consideration for the analyses and examination results for the method to reduce cash misses. Furthermore, it describes a performance simulator that is being developed to quantitatively examine the concept of the next generation computer. (author)

  18. Next-Generation Pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caie, Peter D; Harrison, David J

    2016-01-01

    The field of pathology is rapidly transforming from a semiquantitative and empirical science toward a big data discipline. Large data sets from across multiple omics fields may now be extracted from a patient's tissue sample. Tissue is, however, complex, heterogeneous, and prone to artifact. A reductionist view of tissue and disease progression, which does not take this complexity into account, may lead to single biomarkers failing in clinical trials. The integration of standardized multi-omics big data and the retention of valuable information on spatial heterogeneity are imperative to model complex disease mechanisms. Mathematical modeling through systems pathology approaches is the ideal medium to distill the significant information from these large, multi-parametric, and hierarchical data sets. Systems pathology may also predict the dynamical response of disease progression or response to therapy regimens from a static tissue sample. Next-generation pathology will incorporate big data with systems medicine in order to personalize clinical practice for both prognostic and predictive patient care.

  19. Potential of OFDM for next generation optical access

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritzsche, Daniel; Weis, Erik; Breuer, Dirk

    2011-01-01

    This paper shows the requirements for next generation optical access (NGOA) networks and analyzes the potential of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) for the use in such network scenarios. First, we show the motivation for NGOA systems based on the future requirements on FTTH access systems and list the advantages of OFDM in such scenarios. In the next part, the basics of OFDM and different methods to generate and detect optical OFDM signals are explained and analyzed. At the transmitter side the options include intensity modulation and the more advanced field modulation of the optical OFDM signal. At the receiver there is the choice between direct detection and coherent detection. As the result of this discussion we show our vision of the future use of OFDM in optical access networks.

  20. Neutronics activities for next generation devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gohar, Y.

    1985-01-01

    Neutronic activities for the next generation devices are the subject of this paper. The main activities include TFCX and FPD blanket/shield studies, neutronic aspects of ETR/INTOR critical issues, and neutronics computational modules for the tokamak system code and tandem mirror reactor system code. Trade-off analyses, optimization studies, design problem investigations and computational models development for reactor parametric studies carried out for these activities are summarized

  1. THE TRAINING OF NEXT GENERATION DATA SCIENTISTS IN BIOMEDICINE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garmire, Lana X; Gliske, Stephen; Nguyen, Quynh C; Chen, Jonathan H; Nemati, Shamim; VAN Horn, John D; Moore, Jason H; Shreffler, Carol; Dunn, Michelle

    2017-01-01

    With the booming of new technologies, biomedical science has transformed into digitalized, data intensive science. Massive amount of data need to be analyzed and interpreted, demand a complete pipeline to train next generation data scientists. To meet this need, the transinstitutional Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative has been implemented since 2014, complementing other NIH institutional efforts. In this report, we give an overview the BD2K K01 mentored scientist career awards, which have demonstrated early success. We address the specific trainings needed in representative data science areas, in order to make the next generation of data scientists in biomedicine.

  2. A two-stage flow-based intrusion detection model for next-generation networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umer, Muhammad Fahad; Sher, Muhammad; Bi, Yaxin

    2018-01-01

    The next-generation network provides state-of-the-art access-independent services over converged mobile and fixed networks. Security in the converged network environment is a major challenge. Traditional packet and protocol-based intrusion detection techniques cannot be used in next-generation networks due to slow throughput, low accuracy and their inability to inspect encrypted payload. An alternative solution for protection of next-generation networks is to use network flow records for detection of malicious activity in the network traffic. The network flow records are independent of access networks and user applications. In this paper, we propose a two-stage flow-based intrusion detection system for next-generation networks. The first stage uses an enhanced unsupervised one-class support vector machine which separates malicious flows from normal network traffic. The second stage uses a self-organizing map which automatically groups malicious flows into different alert clusters. We validated the proposed approach on two flow-based datasets and obtained promising results.

  3. Radio resource management for next generation mobile communication systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Hua

    The key feature of next generation (4G) mobile communication system is the ability to deliver a variety of multimedia services with different Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements. Compared to the third generation (3G) mobile communication systems, 4G mobile communication system introduces several...

  4. Energy and luminosity requirements for the next generation of linear colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaldi, U.

    1987-01-01

    In order to gain new knowledge ('new physics') from 'next generation' linear colliders energy and luminosity are important variables when considering the design of these new elementary particle probes. The standard model of the electroweak interaction is reviewed and stipulations for postulated Higgs particle, a new neutral Z particle, and a new quark and a neutral lepton searches with next generation colliders are given

  5. Dependable Hydrogen and Industrial Heat Generation from the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charles V. Park; Michael W. Patterson; Vincent C. Maio; Piyush Sabharwall

    2009-03-01

    The Department of Energy is working with industry to develop a next generation, high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (HTGR) as a part of the effort to supply the US with abundant, clean and secure energy. The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project, led by the Idaho National Laboratory, will demonstrate the ability of the HTGR to generate hydrogen, electricity, and high-quality process heat for a wide range of industrial applications. Substituting HTGR power for traditional fossil fuel resources reduces the cost and supply vulnerability of natural gas and oil, and reduces or eliminates greenhouse gas emissions. As authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, industry leaders are developing designs for the construction of a commercial prototype producing up to 600 MWt of power by 2021. This paper describes a variety of critical applications that are appropriate for the HTGR with an emphasis placed on applications requiring a clean and reliable source of hydrogen. An overview of the NGNP project status and its significant technology development efforts are also presented.

  6. Perspectives on the development of next generation reactor systems safety analysis codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, H.

    2015-01-01

    'Full text:' Existing reactor system analysis codes, such as RELAP5-3D and TRAC, have gained worldwide success in supporting reactor safety analyses, as well as design and licensing of new reactors. These codes are important assets to the nuclear engineering research community, as well as to the nuclear industry. However, most of these codes were originally developed during the 1970s', and it becomes necessary to develop next-generation reactor system analysis codes for several reasons. Firstly, as new reactor designs emerge, there are new challenges emerging in numerical simulations of reactor systems such as long lasting transients and multi-physics phenomena. These new requirements are beyond the range of applicability of the existing system analysis codes. Advanced modeling and numerical methods must be taken into consideration to improve the existing capabilities. Secondly, by developing next-generation reactor system analysis codes, the knowledge (know how) in two phase flow modeling and the highly complex constitutive models will be transferred to the young generation of nuclear engineers. And thirdly, all computer codes have limited shelf life. It becomes less and less cost-effective to maintain a legacy code, due to the fast change of computer hardware and software environment. There are several critical perspectives in terms of developing next-generation reactor system analysis codes: 1) The success of the next-generation codes must be built upon the success of the existing codes. The knowledge of the existing codes, not just simply the manuals and codes, but knowing why and how, must be transferred to the next-generation codes. The next-generation codes should encompass the capability of the existing codes. The shortcomings of existing codes should be identified, understood, and properly categorized, for example into model deficiencies or numerical method deficiencies. 2) State-of-the-art models and numerical methods must be considered to

  7. Perspectives on the development of next generation reactor systems safety analysis codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, H., E-mail: Hongbin.Zhang@inl.gov [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2015-07-01

    'Full text:' Existing reactor system analysis codes, such as RELAP5-3D and TRAC, have gained worldwide success in supporting reactor safety analyses, as well as design and licensing of new reactors. These codes are important assets to the nuclear engineering research community, as well as to the nuclear industry. However, most of these codes were originally developed during the 1970s', and it becomes necessary to develop next-generation reactor system analysis codes for several reasons. Firstly, as new reactor designs emerge, there are new challenges emerging in numerical simulations of reactor systems such as long lasting transients and multi-physics phenomena. These new requirements are beyond the range of applicability of the existing system analysis codes. Advanced modeling and numerical methods must be taken into consideration to improve the existing capabilities. Secondly, by developing next-generation reactor system analysis codes, the knowledge (know how) in two phase flow modeling and the highly complex constitutive models will be transferred to the young generation of nuclear engineers. And thirdly, all computer codes have limited shelf life. It becomes less and less cost-effective to maintain a legacy code, due to the fast change of computer hardware and software environment. There are several critical perspectives in terms of developing next-generation reactor system analysis codes: 1) The success of the next-generation codes must be built upon the success of the existing codes. The knowledge of the existing codes, not just simply the manuals and codes, but knowing why and how, must be transferred to the next-generation codes. The next-generation codes should encompass the capability of the existing codes. The shortcomings of existing codes should be identified, understood, and properly categorized, for example into model deficiencies or numerical method deficiencies. 2) State-of-the-art models and numerical methods must be considered to

  8. Applications and Security of Next-Generation, User-Centric Wireless Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danfeng Yao

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Pervasive wireless systems have significantly improved end-users’ quality of life. As manufacturing costs decrease, communications bandwidth increases, and contextual information is made more readily available, the role of next generation wireless systems in facilitating users’ daily activities will grow. Unique security and privacy issues exist in these wireless, context-aware, often decentralized systems. For example, the pervasive nature of such systems allows adversaries to launch stealthy attacks against them. In this review paper, we survey several emergent personal wireless systems and their applications. These systems include mobile social networks, active implantable medical devices, and consumer products. We explore each system’s usage of contextual information and provide insight into its security vulnerabilities. Where possible, we describe existing solutions for defendingagainst these vulnerabilities. Finally, we point out promising future research directions for improving these systems’ robustness and security

  9. Synchronization System for Next Generation Light Sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zavriyev, Anton [MagiQ Technologies, Inc., Somerville, MA (United States)

    2014-03-27

    An alternative synchronization technique – one that would allow explicit control of the pulse train including its repetition rate and delay is clearly desired. We propose such a scheme. Our method is based on optical interferometry and permits synchronization of the pulse trains generated by two independent mode-locked lasers. As the next generation x-ray sources will be driven by a clock signal derived from a mode-locked optical source, our technique will provide a way to synchronize x-ray probe with the optical pump pulses.

  10. A closer look at the quadruply lensed quasar PSOJ0147: spectroscopic redshifts and microlensing effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chien-Hsiu

    2018-04-01

    I present a timely spectroscopic follow-up of the newly discovered, quadruply lensed quasar PSOJ0147 from the Pan-STARRS 1 survey. The newly acquired optical spectra with GMOS onboard the Gemini North Telescope allow us to pin down the redshifts of both the foreground lensing galaxy and the background lensed quasar to be z = 0.572 and 2.341, providing a firm basis for cosmography with future high-cadence photometric monitoring. I also inspect difference spectra from two of the quasar images, revealing the microlensing effect. Long-term spectroscopic follow-ups will shed lights on the structure of the active galactic nucleus and its environment.

  11. Mobility Models for Next Generation Wireless Networks Ad Hoc, Vehicular and Mesh Networks

    CERN Document Server

    Santi, Paolo

    2012-01-01

    Mobility Models for Next Generation Wireless Networks: Ad Hoc, Vehicular and Mesh Networks provides the reader with an overview of mobility modelling, encompassing both theoretical and practical aspects related to the challenging mobility modelling task. It also: Provides up-to-date coverage of mobility models for next generation wireless networksOffers an in-depth discussion of the most representative mobility models for major next generation wireless network application scenarios, including WLAN/mesh networks, vehicular networks, wireless sensor networks, and

  12. Precision medicine for cancer with next-generation functional diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Adam A; Letai, Anthony; Fisher, David E; Flaherty, Keith T

    2015-12-01

    Precision medicine is about matching the right drugs to the right patients. Although this approach is technology agnostic, in cancer there is a tendency to make precision medicine synonymous with genomics. However, genome-based cancer therapeutic matching is limited by incomplete biological understanding of the relationship between phenotype and cancer genotype. This limitation can be addressed by functional testing of live patient tumour cells exposed to potential therapies. Recently, several 'next-generation' functional diagnostic technologies have been reported, including novel methods for tumour manipulation, molecularly precise assays of tumour responses and device-based in situ approaches; these address the limitations of the older generation of chemosensitivity tests. The promise of these new technologies suggests a future diagnostic strategy that integrates functional testing with next-generation sequencing and immunoprofiling to precisely match combination therapies to individual cancer patients.

  13. One or more bound planets per Milky Way star from microlensing observations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassan, A; Kubas, D; Beaulieu, J-P; Dominik, M; Horne, K; Greenhill, J; Wambsganss, J; Menzies, J; Williams, A; Jørgensen, U G; Udalski, A; Bennett, D P; Albrow, M D; Batista, V; Brillant, S; Caldwell, J A R; Cole, A; Coutures, Ch; Cook, K H; Dieters, S; Prester, D Dominis; Donatowicz, J; Fouqué, P; Hill, K; Kains, N; Kane, S; Marquette, J-B; Martin, R; Pollard, K R; Sahu, K C; Vinter, C; Warren, D; Watson, B; Zub, M; Sumi, T; Szymański, M K; Kubiak, M; Poleski, R; Soszynski, I; Ulaczyk, K; Pietrzyński, G; Wyrzykowski, L

    2012-01-11

    Most known extrasolar planets (exoplanets) have been discovered using the radial velocity or transit methods. Both are biased towards planets that are relatively close to their parent stars, and studies find that around 17-30% (refs 4, 5) of solar-like stars host a planet. Gravitational microlensing, on the other hand, probes planets that are further away from their stars. Recently, a population of planets that are unbound or very far from their stars was discovered by microlensing. These planets are at least as numerous as the stars in the Milky Way. Here we report a statistical analysis of microlensing data (gathered in 2002-07) that reveals the fraction of bound planets 0.5-10 AU (Sun-Earth distance) from their stars. We find that 17(+6)(-9)% of stars host Jupiter-mass planets (0.3-10 M(J), where M(J) = 318 M(⊕) and M(⊕) is Earth's mass). Cool Neptunes (10-30 M(⊕)) and super-Earths (5-10 M(⊕)) are even more common: their respective abundances per star are 52(+22)(-29)% and 62(+35)(-37)%. We conclude that stars are orbited by planets as a rule, rather than the exception.

  14. Next-generation storm tracking for minimizing service interruption

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sznaider, R. [Meteorlogix, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

    2002-08-01

    Several technological changes have taken place in the field of weather radar since its discovery during World War II. A wide variety of industries have benefited over the years from conventional weather radar displays, providing assistance in forecasting and estimating the potential severity of storms. The characteristics of individual storm cells can now be derived from the next-generation of weather radar systems (NEXRAD). The determination of which storm cells possess distinct features such as large hail or developing tornadoes was made possible through the fusing of various pieces of information with radar pictures. To exactly determine when and where a storm will hit, this data can be combined and overlaid into a display that includes the geographical physical landmarks of a specific region. Combining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and storm tracking provides a more complete, timely and accurate forecast, which clearly benefits the electric utilities industries. The generation and production of energy are dependent on how hot or cold it will be today and tomorrow. The author described each major feature of this next-generation weather radar system. 9 figs.

  15. Revived STIS. II. Properties of Stars in the Next Generation Spectral Library

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heap, Sara R.; Lindler, D.

    2010-01-01

    Spectroscopic surveys of galaxies at high redshift will bring the rest-frame ultraviolet into view of large, ground-based telescopes. The UV-blue spectral region is rich in diagnostics, but these diagnostics have not yet been calibrated in terms of the properties of the responsible stellar population(s). Such calibrations are now possible with Hubble's Next Generation Spectral Library (NGSL). The NGSL contains UV-optical spectra (0.2 - 1.0 microns) of 374 stars having a wide range in temperature, luminosity, and metallicity. We will describe our work to derive basic stellar parameters from NGSL spectra using modern model spectra and to use these stellar parameters to develop UV-blue spectral diagnostics.

  16. Educating the next generation of nature entrepreneurs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judith C. Jobse; Loes Witteveen; Judith Santegoets; Daan van der Linde

    2015-01-01

    With this paper, it is illustrated that a focus on entrepreneurship training in the nature and wilderness sector is relevant for diverse organisations and situations. The first curricula on nature entrepreneurship are currently being developed. In this paper the authors describe a project that focusses on educating the next generation of nature entrepreneurs, reflect...

  17. The Next Generation: Students Discuss Archaeology in the 21st Century

    OpenAIRE

    Sands, Ashley; Butler, Kristin

    2010-01-01

    The Next Generation Project is a multi-agent, multi-directional cultural diplomacy effort. The need for communication among emerging archaeologists has never been greater. Increasingly, archaeological sites are impacted by military activity, destroyed through the development of dams and building projects, and torn apart through looting. The Next Generation Project works to develop communication via social networking sites online and through in-person meetings at international conferences. As ...

  18. NIRS report of investigations for the development of the next generation PET apparatus. FY 2000

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-03-01

    This is a summary of study reports from representative technology fields for the development of the next generation PET apparatus directing to 3-D images, and is hoped to be useful for future smooth cooperation between the fields. The investigation started from April 2000 in National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) with cooperation of other facilities, universities and companies. The report involves chapters of: Detector volume and geometrical efficiency- Design criterion for the next generation PET; Scintillator for PET; An investigation of detector and front-end electronics for the next generation PET; A measurement system of depth of interaction; Detector simulator; Development of an evaluation system for PET detector; On the signal processing system for the next generation PET; List-mode data acquisition method for the next generation PET; List-mode data acquisition simulator; Image reconstruction; A Monte Carlo simulator for the next generation PET scanners; Out-of-field of view (FOV) radioactivity; and Published papers and presentations. (N.I.)

  19. The next generation of power reactors - safety characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Modro, S.M.

    1995-01-01

    The next generation of commercial nuclear power reactors is characterized by a new approach to achieving reliability of their safety systems. In contrast to current generation reactors, these designs apply passive safety features that rely on gravity-driven transfer processes or stored energy, such as gas-pressurized accumulators or electric batteries. This paper discusses the passive safety system of the AP600 and Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR) designs

  20. A ROBUST DETERMINATION OF THE SIZE OF QUASAR ACCRETION DISKS USING GRAVITATIONAL MICROLENSING

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiménez-Vicente, J.; Mediavilla, E.; Muñoz, J. A.; Kochanek, C. S.

    2012-01-01

    Using microlensing measurements for a sample of 27 image pairs of 19 lensed quasars we determine a maximum likelihood estimate for the accretion disk size of an average quasar of r s = 4.0 +2.4 –3.1 lt-day at rest frame (λ) = 1736 Å for microlenses with a mean mass of (M) = 0.3 M ☉ . This value, in good agreement with previous results from smaller samples, is roughly a factor of five greater than the predictions of the standard thin disk model. The individual size estimates for the 19 quasars in our sample are also in excellent agreement with the results of the joint maximum likelihood analysis.

  1. Next generation solar energy. From fundamentals to applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2011-07-01

    Within the International Conference between 12th and 14th December, 2011 in Erlangen (Federal Republic of Germany) the following lectures were presented: (1) The opto-electronic physics required to approach the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit (E. Yablonovitch); (2) The Shockley-Queisser-limit and beyond (G.H. Bauer); (3) Designing composite nanomaterials for photovoltaic devices (B. Rech); (4) Light-Material interactions in energy conversion (H. Atwater); (5) Functional imaging of hybrid nanostructures - Visualizing mechanisms of solar energy utilization (L. Lauhon); (6) Are photosynthetic proteins suitable for PV applications (Y. Rosenwaks); (7) Detailed balance limit in photovoltaic systems (U. Rau); (8) Plasmonics and nanophotonics for next generation photovoltaics (E. Garnett); (9) Dispersion, wave propagation and efficiency analysis of nanowire solar cells (B. Witzigmann); (10) Application of nanostructures to next generation photovoltaics - Opportunities and challenges from an industrial research perspective (L. Tsakalakos); (11) Triplet states in organic and organometallic photovoltaic cells (K.S. Schanze); (12) New photoelectrode architectures (J.T. Hupp); (13) Dendrimers for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications (P. Ceroni); (14) Photon management with luminescent materials (J. Goldschmidt); (15) Economical aspects of next generation solar cell technologies (W. Hoffmann); (16) Scalability in solar energy conversion - First-row transition metal-based chromophores for dye-sensitized solar cells (J. McCusker); (17) Designing organic materials for photovoltaic devices (A. Harriman); (18) Molecular photovoltaics - What can we learn from model studies (B. Albinsson); (19) Porphyrin-sensitised titanium dioxide solar cells (D. Officer); (20) Light-harvesting: Charge separation, and charge-transportation properties of novel materials for organic photovoltaics (H. Imahori); (21) Phthalocyanines for molecular photovoltaics (T. Torres); (22) Photophysics of

  2. Next Generation, Si-Compatible Materials and Devices in the Si-Ge-Sn System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-09

    and conclusions The work initially focused on growth of next generation Ge1-ySny alloys on Ge buffered Si wafers via UHV CVD depositions of Ge3H8...Abstract The work initially focused on growth of next generation Ge1-ySny alloys on Ge buffered Si wafers via UHV CVD depositions of Ge3H8, SnD4. The...AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0044 Next generation, Si -compatible materials and devices in the Si - Ge -Sn system John Kouvetakis ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Final

  3. HLA typing: Conventional techniques v.next-generation sequencing

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The existing techniques have contributed significantly to our current knowledge of allelic diversity. At present, sequence-based typing (SBT) methods, in particular next-generation sequencing. (NGS), provide the highest possible resolution. NGS platforms were initially only used for genomic sequencing, but also showed.

  4. FY1998 report on the surveys and studies on developing next generation chemical process technologies; 1998 nendo jisedai kagaku process gijutsu kaihatsu ni kansuru chosa kenkyu hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    For further resource and energy conservation and environmental load reduction, development is necessary on innovative chemical reaction technologies. This paper describes surveys on next generation chemical processes. As non-halogen processes subject to development of new catalysts, new processes were investigated and searching experiments and discussions were given on isocyanate, propylene oxide, and phenol. Technological progress in the C1 chemistry was investigated. Problems in hydrocarbon compound oxidation, hydroxylation, and decomposition by utilizing microorganisms were put into order as application of environmentally friendly technologies. Marine biotechnical possibilities were surveyed. The surveys were given on new processes utilizing the phase transfer catalyst forming a third phase, manufacture of biodegradable plastics, and a novel reaction system combined with self-separation process using molecular assembly. Possibilities were searched on designing a truly simple production system of highly energy saving type. Such fundamental common technologies as structure analysis, property control and reaction engineering were investigated for methods to manufacture functional micro-powder chemical materials. Development was discussed on a system for technology assessment over whole product life cycle to structure a technology assessment basis. (NEDO)

  5. Next-generation sequencing for endocrine cancers: Recent advances and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suresh, Padmanaban S; Venkatesh, Thejaswini; Tsutsumi, Rie; Shetty, Abhishek

    2017-05-01

    Contemporary molecular biology research tools have enriched numerous areas of biomedical research that address challenging diseases, including endocrine cancers (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, testicular, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers). These tools have placed several intriguing clues before the scientific community. Endocrine cancers pose a major challenge in health care and research despite considerable attempts by researchers to understand their etiology. Microarray analyses have provided gene signatures from many cells, tissues, and organs that can differentiate healthy states from diseased ones, and even show patterns that correlate with stages of a disease. Microarray data can also elucidate the responses of endocrine tumors to therapeutic treatments. The rapid progress in next-generation sequencing methods has overcome many of the initial challenges of these technologies, and their advantages over microarray techniques have enabled them to emerge as valuable aids for clinical research applications (prognosis, identification of drug targets, etc.). A comprehensive review describing the recent advances in next-generation sequencing methods and their application in the evaluation of endocrine and endocrine-related cancers is lacking. The main purpose of this review is to illustrate the concepts that collectively constitute our current view of the possibilities offered by next-generation sequencing technological platforms, challenges to relevant applications, and perspectives on the future of clinical genetic testing of patients with endocrine tumors. We focus on recent discoveries in the use of next-generation sequencing methods for clinical diagnosis of endocrine tumors in patients and conclude with a discussion on persisting challenges and future objectives.

  6. The next generation CANDU 6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopwood, J.M.

    1999-01-01

    AECL's product line of CANDU 6 and CANDU 9 nuclear power plants are adapted to respond to changing market conditions, experience feedback and technological development by a continuous improvement process of design evolution. The CANDU 6 Nuclear Power Plant design is a successful family of nuclear units, with the first four units entering service in 1983, and the most recent entering service this year. A further four CANDU 6 units are under construction. Starting in 1996, a focused forward-looking development program is under way at AECL to incorporate a series of individual improvements and integrate them into the CANDU 6, leading to the evolutionary development of the next-generation enhanced CANDU 6. The CANDU 6 improvements program includes all aspects of an NPP project, including engineering tools improvements, design for improved constructability, scheduling for faster, more streamlined commissioning, and improved operating performance. This enhanced CANDU 6 product will combine the benefits of design provenness (drawing on the more than 70 reactor-years experience of the seven operating CANDU 6 units), with the advantages of an evolutionary next-generation design. Features of the enhanced CANDU 6 design include: Advanced Human Machine Interface - built around the Advanced CANDU Control Centre; Advanced fuel design - using the newly demonstrated CANFLEX fuel bundle; Improved Efficiency based on improved utilization of waste heat; Streamlined System Design - including simplifications to improve performance and safety system reliability; Advanced Engineering Tools, -- featuring linked electronic databases from 3D CADDS, equipment specification and material management; Advanced Construction Techniques - based on open top equipment installation and the use of small skid mounted modules; Options defined for Passive Heat Sink capability and low-enrichment core optimization. (author)

  7. Bioinformatics for Next Generation Sequencing Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Magi

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS platforms imposes increasing demands on statistical methods and bioinformatic tools for the analysis and the management of the huge amounts of data generated by these technologies. Even at the early stages of their commercial availability, a large number of softwares already exist for analyzing NGS data. These tools can be fit into many general categories including alignment of sequence reads to a reference, base-calling and/or polymorphism detection, de novo assembly from paired or unpaired reads, structural variant detection and genome browsing. This manuscript aims to guide readers in the choice of the available computational tools that can be used to face the several steps of the data analysis workflow.

  8. Next Generation HeliMag UXO Mapping Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Ancillary instrumentation records aircraft height above ground and attitude. A fluxgate magnetometer is used to allow for aeromagnetic compensation of... Magnetometer System WWII World War II WAA wide area assessment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Next Generation HeliMag Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Mapping...for deployment of seven total-field magnetometers on a Kevlar reinforced boom mounted on a Bell 206L helicopter. The objectives of this

  9. Application of Next Generation Sequencing on Genetic Testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Jian

    The discovery of genetic factors behind increasing number of human diseases and the growth of education of genetic knowledge to the public make demands for genetic testing increase rapidly. However, traditional genetic testing methods cannot meet all kinds of the requirements. Next generation seq...

  10. HLA typing: Conventional techniques v. next-generation sequencing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background. The large number of population-specific polymorphisms present in the HLA complex in the South African (SA) population reduces the probability of finding an adequate HLA-matched donor for individuals in need of an unrelated haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Next-generation sequencing ...

  11. NGSS and the Next Generation of Science Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bybee, Rodger W.

    2014-01-01

    This article centers on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) and their implications for teacher development, particularly at the undergraduate level. After an introduction to NGSS and the influence of standards in the educational system, the article addresses specific educational shifts--interconnecting science and engineering…

  12. Next-generation sequencing offers new insights into DNA degradation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Overballe-Petersen, Søren; Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre; Willerslev, Eske

    2012-01-01

    The processes underlying DNA degradation are central to various disciplines, including cancer research, forensics and archaeology. The sequencing of ancient DNA molecules on next-generation sequencing platforms provides direct measurements of cytosine deamination, depurination and fragmentation...... rates that previously were obtained only from extrapolations of results from in vitro kinetic experiments performed over short timescales. For example, recent next-generation sequencing of ancient DNA reveals purine bases as one of the main targets of postmortem hydrolytic damage, through base...... elimination and strand breakage. It also shows substantially increased rates of DNA base-loss at guanosine. In this review, we argue that the latter results from an electron resonance structure unique to guanosine rather than adenosine having an extra resonance structure over guanosine as previously suggested....

  13. Are Final Comments in Web Survey Panels Associated with Next-Wave Attrition?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cynthia McLauchlan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Near the end of a web survey respondents are often asked whether they have further comments. Such final comments are usually ignored, in part because open-ended questions are challenging to analyse. We explored whether final comments are associated with next-wave attrition in survey panels. We categorized a random sample of final comments in the Longitudinal Studies for the Social Sciences (LISS panel and Dutch Immigrant panel into one of eight categories (neutral, positive, six subcategories of negative and regressed the indicator of next-wave attrition on comment length, comment category and socio-demographic variables. In the Immigrant panel we found shorter final comments (55 words with decreased next-wave attrition relative to making no comment. Comments about unclear survey questions quadruple the odds of attrition and “other” (uncategorized negative comments almost double the odds of attrition. In the LISS panel, making a comment (vs. not and comment length are not associated with attrition. However, when specifying individual comment categories, neutral comments are associated with half the odds of attrition relative to not making a comment.

  14. Next-generation mid-infrared sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, D.; Bank, S.; Lee, M. L.; Wasserman, D.

    2017-12-01

    to provide a survey of the current state of the art for mid-IR sources, but instead looks primarily to provide a picture of potential next-generation optical and optoelectronic materials systems for mid-IR light generation.

  15. NOAA Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level 2 Base Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset consists of Level II weather radar data collected from Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) stations located in the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii,...

  16. Strong chromatic microlensing in HE0047–1756 and SDSS1155+6346

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rojas, K.; Motta, V. [Instituto de Física y Astronomía, Universidad de Valparaíso, Avda. Gran Bretaña 1111, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2360102 (Chile); Mediavilla, E. [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Avda. Vía Lactea s/n, La Laguna, E-38200 Tenerife (Spain); Falco, E. [Whipple Observatory, Smithsonian Institution, 670 Mt. Hopkins Road, PO Box 6369, Amado, AZ 85645 (United States); Jiménez-Vicente, J. [Departamento de Física Teórica y del Cosmos, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva, E-18071 Granada (Spain); Muñoz, J. A., E-mail: karina.rojas@uv.cl, E-mail: veronica.motta@uv.cl, E-mail: emg@iac.es, E-mail: falco@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jjimenez@ugr.es, E-mail: jmunoz@uv.es [Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Universidad de Valencia, Burjassot, E-46100 Valencia (Spain)

    2014-12-10

    We use spectra of the double-lensed quasars HE0047–1756 and SDSS1155+6346 to study their unresolved structure through the impact of microlensing. There is no significant evidence of microlensing in the emission line profiles except for the Lyα line of SDSS1155+6346, which shows strong differences in the shapes for images A and B. However, the continuum of the B image spectrum in SDSS1155+6346 is strongly contaminated by the lens galaxy, and these differences should be considered with caution. Using the flux ratios of the emission lines for image pairs as a baseline to remove macro-magnification and extinction, we have detected strong chromatic microlensing in the continuum measured by CASTLES (www.cfa.harvard.edu/castles/) in both lens systems, with amplitudes 0.09(λ16000) ≲ |Δm| ≲ 0.8(λ5439) for HE0047–1756, and 0.2(λ16000) ≲ |Δm| ≲ 0.8(λ5439) for SDSS1155+6346. Using magnification maps to simulate microlensing and modeling the accretion disk as a Gaussian source (I ∝ exp(–R {sup 2}/2r {sub s}{sup 2})) of size r {sub s} ∝ λ {sup p}, we find r {sub s} = 2.5{sub −1.4}{sup +3.0} √(M/0.3M{sub ⊙}) lt-day and p = 2.3 ± 0.8 at the rest frame for λ = 2045 for HE0047–1756 (log prior) and r {sub s} = 5.5{sub −3.3}{sup +8.2} √(M/0.3M{sub ⊙}) lt-day and p = 1.5 ± 0.6 at the rest frame of λ = 1398 for SDSS1155+6346 (log prior). Contrary to other studied lens systems, the chromaticity detected in HE0047–1756 and SDSS1155+6346 is large enough to fulfill the thin disk prediction. The inferred sizes, however, are very large compared to the predictions of this model, especially in the case of SDSS1155+6346.

  17. 76 FR 77939 - Proposed Provision of Navigation Services for the Next Generation Air Transportation System...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Parts 91, 121, 125, 129, and 135 Proposed Provision of Navigation Services for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (Next...) navigation infrastructure to enable performance-based navigation (PBN) as part of the Next Generation Air...

  18. Cloud Sourcing – Next Generation Outsourcing?

    OpenAIRE

    Muhic, Mirella; Johansson, Björn

    2014-01-01

    Although Cloud Sourcing has been around for some time it could be questioned what actually is known about it. This paper presents a literature review on the specific question if Cloud Sourcing could be seen as the next generation of outsourcing. The reason for doing this is that from an initial sourcing study we found that the sourcing decisions seems to go in the direction of outsourcing as a service which could be described as Cloud Sourcing. Whereas some are convinced that Cloud Sourcing r...

  19. Securing Networks from Modern Threats using Next Generation Firewalls

    OpenAIRE

    Delgiusto, Valter

    2016-01-01

    Classic firewalls have long been unable to cope with modern threats that ordinary Internet users are exposed to. This thesis discusses their successors - the next-generation firewalls. The first part of the thesis describes modern threats and attacks. We described in detail the DoS and APT attacks, which are among the most frequent and which may cause most damage to the system under attack. Then we explained the theoretical basics of firewalls and described the functionalities of next gen...

  20. Next generation of energy production systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rouault, J.; Garnier, J.C.; Carre, F.

    2003-01-01

    This document gathers the slides that have been presented at the Gedepeon conference. Gedepeon is a research group involving scientists from Cea (French atomic energy commission), CNRS (national center of scientific research), EDF (electricity of France) and Framatome that is devoted to the study of new energy sources and particularly to the study of the future generations of nuclear systems. The contributions have been classed into 9 topics: 1) gas cooled reactors, 2) molten salt reactors (MSBR), 3) the recycling of plutonium and americium, 4) reprocessing of molten salt reactor fuels, 5) behavior of graphite under radiation, 6) metallic materials for molten salt reactors, 7) refractory fuels of gas cooled reactors, 8) the nuclear cycle for the next generations of nuclear systems, and 9) organization of research programs on the new energy sources

  1. Novel nanostructures for next generation dye-sensitized solar cells

    KAUST Repository

    Té treault, Nicolas; Grä tzel, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Herein, we review our latest advancements in nanostructured photoanodes for next generation photovoltaics in general and dye-sensitized solar cells in particular. Bottom-up self-assembly techniques are developed to fabricate large-area 3D

  2. OGLE-III MICROLENSING EVENTS AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE GALACTIC BULGE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wyrzykowski, Łukasz; Rynkiewicz, Alicja E.; Skowron, Jan; Kozłowski, Szymon; Udalski, Andrzej; Szymański, Michał K.; Kubiak, Marcin; Soszyński, Igor; Pietrzyński, Grzegorz; Poleski, Radosław; Pietrukowicz, Paweł; Pawlak, Michał, E-mail: lw@astrouw.edu.pl [Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa (Poland)

    2015-01-01

    We present and study the largest and most comprehensive catalog of microlensing events ever constructed. The sample of standard microlensing events comprises 3718 unique events from 2001-2009 with 1409 events that had not been detected before in real-time by the Early Warning System of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. The search pipeline uses machine learning algorithms to help find rare phenomena among 150 million objects and to derive the detection efficiency. Applications of the catalog can be numerous, from analyzing individual events to large statistical studies of the Galactic mass, kinematics distributions, and planetary abundances. We derive maps of the mean Einstein ring crossing time of events spanning 31 deg{sup 2} toward the Galactic center and compare the observed distributions with the most recent models. We find good agreement within the observed region and we see the signature of the tilt of the bar in the microlensing data. However, the asymmetry of the mean timescales seems to rise more steeply than predicted, indicating either a somewhat different orientation of the bar or a larger bar width. The map of events with sources in the Galactic bulge shows a dependence of the mean timescale on the Galactic latitude, signaling an increasing contribution from disk lenses closer to the plane relative to the height of the disk. Our data present a perfect set for comparing and enhancing new models of the central parts of the Milky Way and creating a three-dimensional picture of the Galaxy.

  3. Preparing the Next Generation of Educators for Democracy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Embry-Jenlink, Karen

    2018-01-01

    In the keynote address of the 42nd annual meeting of the Southeastern Regional Educators Association (SRATE), ATE President Karen Embry-Jenlink examines the critical role of teacher educators in preparing the next generation of citizens and leaders to sustain democracy. Drawing from historic and current events and personal experience,…

  4. Next Generation Science Standards: All Standards, All Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Okhee; Miller, Emily C.; Januszyk, Rita

    2014-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer a vision of science teaching and learning that presents both learning opportunities and demands for all students, particularly student groups that have traditionally been underserved in science classrooms. The NGSS have addressed issues of diversity and equity from their inception, and the NGSS…

  5. Toward green next-generation passive optical networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Anand

    2015-01-01

    Energy efficiency has become an increasingly important aspect of designing access networks, due to both increased concerns for global warming and increased network costs related to energy consumption. Comparing access, metro, and core, the access constitutes a substantial part of the per subscriber network energy consumption and is regarded as the bottleneck for increased network energy efficiency. One of the main opportunities for reducing network energy consumption lies in efficiency improvements of the customer premises equipment. Access networks in general are designed for low utilization while supporting high peak access rates. The combination of large contribution to overall network power consumption and low Utilization implies large potential for CPE power saving modes where functionality is powered off during periods of idleness. Next-generation passive optical network, which is considered one of the most promising optical access networks, has notably matured in the past few years and is envisioned to massively evolve in the near future. This trend will increase the power requirements of NG-PON and make it no longer coveted. This paper will first provide a comprehensive survey of the previously reported studies on tackling this problem. A novel solution framework is then introduced, which aims to explore the maximum design dimensions and achieve the best possible power saving while maintaining the QoS requirements for each type of service.

  6. Elemental abundances in the Galactic bulge from microlensed dwarf stars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bensby, T.; Feltzing, S.; Johnson, J.A.; Gould, A.; Sana, H.; Gal-Yam, A.; Asplund, M.; Lucatello, S.; Melendez, J.; Udalski, A.; Kubas, D.; James, G.; Adén, D.; Simmerer, J.

    2010-01-01

    We present elemental abundances of 13 microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars in the Galactic bulge, which constitute the largest sample to date. We show that these stars span the full range of metallicity from Fe/H= −0.8 to +0.4, and that they follow well-defined abundance trends, coincident with

  7. Next generation advanced nuclear reactor designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turgut, M. H.

    2009-01-01

    Growing energy demand by technological developments and the increase of the world population and gradually diminishing energy resources made nuclear power an indispensable option. The renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal may be suited to meet some local needs. Environment friendly nuclear energy which is a suitable solution to large scale demands tends to develop highly economical, advanced next generation reactors by incorporating technological developments and years of operating experience. The enhancement of safety and reliability, facilitation of maintainability, impeccable compatibility with the environment are the goals of the new generation reactors. The protection of the investment and property is considered as well as the protection of the environment and mankind. They became economically attractive compared to fossil-fired units by the use of standard designs, replacing some active systems by passive, reducing construction time and increasing the operation lifetime. The evolutionary designs were introduced at first by ameliorating the conventional plants, than revolutionary systems which are denoted as generation IV were verged to meet future needs. The investigations on the advanced, proliferation resistant fuel cycle technologies were initiated to minimize the radioactive waste burden by using new generation fast reactors and ADS transmuters.

  8. Next-Generation Sequencing in the Mycology Lab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zoll, Jan; Snelders, Eveline; Verweij, Paul E; Melchers, Willem J G

    New state-of-the-art techniques in sequencing offer valuable tools in both detection of mycobiota and in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of resistance against antifungal compounds and virulence. Introduction of new sequencing platform with enhanced capacity and a reduction in costs for sequence analysis provides a potential powerful tool in mycological diagnosis and research. In this review, we summarize the applications of next-generation sequencing techniques in mycology.

  9. Fiber to the home: next generation network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chengxin; Guo, Baoping

    2006-07-01

    Next generation networks capable of carrying converged telephone, television (TV), very high-speed internet, and very high-speed bi-directional data services (like video-on-demand (VOD), Game etc.) strategy for Fiber To The Home (FTTH) is presented. The potential market is analyzed. The barriers and some proper strategy are also discussed. Several technical problems like various powering methods, optical fiber cables, and different network architecture are discussed too.

  10. Next generation multi-particle event generators for the MSSM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reuter, J.; Kilian, W.; Hagiwara, K.; Krauss, F.; Schumann, S.; Rainwater, D.

    2005-12-01

    We present a next generation of multi-particle Monte Carlo (MC) Event generators for LHC and ILC for the MSSM, namely the three program packages Madgraph/MadEvent, WHiZard/O'Mega and Sherpa/Amegic++. The interesting but difficult phenomenology of supersymmetric models at the upcoming colliders demands a corresponding complexity and maturity from simulation tools. This includes multi-particle final states, reducible and irreducible backgrounds, spin correlations, real emission of photons and gluons, etc., which are incorporated in the programs presented here. The framework of a model with such a huge particle content and as complicated as the MSSM makes strenuous tests and comparison of codes inevitable. Various tests show agreement among the three different programs; the tables of cross sections produced in these tests may serve as a future reference for other codes. Furthermore, first MSSM physics analyses performed with these programs are presented here. (orig.)

  11. Next-Generation Thermal Infrared Multi-Body Radiometer Experiment (TIMBRE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenyon, M.; Mariani, G.; Johnson, B.; Brageot, E.; Hayne, P.

    2016-10-01

    We have developed an instrument concept called TIMBRE which belongs to the important class of instruments called thermal imaging radiometers (TIRs). TIMBRE is the next-generation TIR with unparalleled performance compared to the state-of-the-art.

  12. Next generation ATCA control infrastructure for the CMS Phase-2 upgrades

    CERN Document Server

    Smith, Wesley; Svetek, Aleš; Tikalsky, Jes; Fobes, Robert; Dasu, Sridhara; Smith, Wesley; Vicente, Marcelo

    2017-01-01

    A next generation control infrastructure to be used in Advanced TCA (ATCA) blades at CMS experiment is being designed and tested. Several ATCA systems are being prepared for the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) and will be installed at CMS during technical stops. The next generation control infrastructure will provide all the necessary hardware, firmware and software required in these systems, decreasing development time and increasing flexibility. The complete infrastructure includes an Intelligent Platform Management Controller (IPMC), a Module Management Controller (MMC) and an Embedded Linux Mezzanine (ELM) processing card.

  13. What can next generation sequencing do for you? Next generation sequencing as a valuable tool in plant research

    OpenAIRE

    Bräutigam, Andrea; Gowik, Udo

    2010-01-01

    Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have opened fascinating opportunities for the analysis of plants with and without a sequenced genome on a genomic scale. During the last few years, NGS methods have become widely available and cost effective. They can be applied to a wide variety of biological questions, from the sequencing of complete eukaryotic genomes and transcriptomes, to the genome-scale analysis of DNA-protein interactions. In this review, we focus on the use of NGS for pla...

  14. Targeted enrichment strategies for next-generation plant biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard Cronn; Brian J. Knaus; Aaron Liston; Peter J. Maughan; Matthew Parks; John V. Syring; Joshua. Udall

    2012-01-01

    The dramatic advances offered by modem DNA sequencers continue to redefine the limits of what can be accomplished in comparative plant biology. Even with recent achievements, however, plant genomes present obstacles that can make it difficult to execute large-scale population and phylogenetic studies on next-generation sequencing platforms. Factors like large genome...

  15. Next Generation Science Standards: Adoption and Implementation Workbook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltzman, Alissa; Rodriguez, Nick

    2013-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent the culmination of years of collaboration and effort by states, science educators and experts from across the United States. Based on the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and developed in partnership with 26 lead states, the NGSS, when…

  16. Framework for Leading Next Generation Science Standards Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stiles, Katherine; Mundry, Susan; DiRanna, Kathy

    2017-01-01

    In response to the need to develop leaders to guide the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Carnegie Corporation of New York provided funding to WestEd to develop a framework that defines the leadership knowledge and actions needed to effectively implement the NGSS. The development of the framework entailed…

  17. Mobility management techniques for the next-generation wireless networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Junzhao; Howie, Douglas P.; Sauvola, Jaakko J.

    2001-10-01

    The tremendous demands from social market are pushing the booming development of mobile communications faster than ever before, leading to plenty of new advanced techniques emerging. With the converging of mobile and wireless communications with Internet services, the boundary between mobile personal telecommunications and wireless computer networks is disappearing. Wireless networks of the next generation need the support of all the advances on new architectures, standards, and protocols. Mobility management is an important issue in the area of mobile communications, which can be best solved at the network layer. One of the key features of the next generation wireless networks is all-IP infrastructure. This paper discusses the mobility management schemes for the next generation mobile networks through extending IP's functions with mobility support. A global hierarchical framework model for the mobility management of wireless networks is presented, in which the mobility management is divided into two complementary tasks: macro mobility and micro mobility. As the macro mobility solution, a basic principle of Mobile IP is introduced, together with the optimal schemes and the advances in IPv6. The disadvantages of the Mobile IP on solving the micro mobility problem are analyzed, on the basis of which three main proposals are discussed as the micro mobility solutions for mobile communications, including Hierarchical Mobile IP (HMIP), Cellular IP, and Handoff-Aware Wireless Access Internet Infrastructure (HAWAII). A unified model is also described in which the different micro mobility solutions can coexist simultaneously in mobile networks.

  18. Designing Next Generation Massively Multithreaded Architectures for Irregular Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tumeo, Antonino; Secchi, Simone; Villa, Oreste

    2012-08-31

    Irregular applications, such as data mining or graph-based computations, show unpredictable memory/network access patterns and control structures. Massively multi-threaded architectures with large node count, like the Cray XMT, have been shown to address their requirements better than commodity clusters. In this paper we present the approaches that we are currently pursuing to design future generations of these architectures. First, we introduce the Cray XMT and compare it to other multithreaded architectures. We then propose an evolution of the architecture, integrating multiple cores per node and next generation network interconnect. We advocate the use of hardware support for remote memory reference aggregation to optimize network utilization. For this evaluation we developed a highly parallel, custom simulation infrastructure for multi-threaded systems. Our simulator executes unmodified XMT binaries with very large datasets, capturing effects due to contention and hot-spotting, while predicting execution times with greater than 90% accuracy. We also discuss the FPGA prototyping approach that we are employing to study efficient support for irregular applications in next generation manycore processors.

  19. Next Generation Summer School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eugenia, Marcu

    2013-04-01

    On 21.06.2010 the "Next Generation" Summer School has opened the doors for its first students. They were introduced in the astronomy world by astronomical observations, astronomy and radio-astronomy lectures, laboratory projects meant to initiate them into modern radio astronomy and radio communications. The didactic programme was structure as fallowing: 1) Astronomical elements from the visible spectrum (lectures + practical projects) 2) Radio astronomy elements (lectures + practical projects) 3) Radio communication base (didactic- recreative games) The students and professors accommodation was at the Agroturistic Pension "Popasul Iancului" situated at 800m from the Marisel Observatory. First day (summer solstice day) began with a practical activity: determination of the meridian by measurements of the shadow (the direction of one vertical alignment, when it has the smallest length). The experiment is very instructive and interesting because combines notions of physics, spatial geometry and basic astronomy elements. Next day the activities took place in four stages: the students processed the experimental data obtained on first day (on sheets of millimetre paper they represented the length of the shadow alignments according the time), each team realised its own sun quadrant, point were given considering the design and functionality of these quadrant, the four teams had to mimic important constellations on carton boards with phosphorescent sticky stars and the students, accompanied by the professors took a hiking trip to the surroundings, marking the interest point coordinates, using a GPS to establish the geographical coronations and at the end of the day the students realised a small map of central Marisel area based on the GPS data. On the third day, the students were introduced to basic notions of radio astronomy, the principal categories of artificial Earth satellites: low orbit satellites (LEO), Medium orbit satellites (MEO) and geostationary satellites (GEO

  20. Next-generation batteries and fuel cells for commercial, military, and space applications

    CERN Document Server

    Jha, A R

    2012-01-01

    Distilling complex theoretical physical concepts into an understandable technical framework, Next-Generation Batteries and Fuel Cells for Commercial, Military, and Space Applications describes primary and secondary (rechargeable) batteries for various commercial, military, spacecraft, and satellite applications for covert communications, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. It emphasizes the cost, reliability, longevity, and safety of the next generation of high-capacity batteries for applications where high energy density, minimum weight and size, and reliability in harsh conditions are

  1. The Next Generation of the Montage Image Mopsaic Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berriman, G. Bruce; Good, John; Rusholme, Ben; Robitaille, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    We have released a major upgrade of the Montage image mosaic engine (http://montage.ipac.caltech.edu) , as part of a program to develop the next generation of the engine in response to the rapid changes in the data processing landscape in Astronomy, which is generating ever larger data sets in ever more complex formats . The new release (version 4) contains modules dedicated to creating and managing mosaics of data stored as multi-dimensional arrays ("data cubes"). The new release inherits the architectural benefits of portability and scalability of the original design. The code is publicly available on Git Hub and the Montage web page. The release includes a command line tool that supports visualization of large images, and the beta-release of a Python interface to the visualization tool. We will provide examples on how to use these these features. We are generating a mosaic of the Galactic Arecibo L-band Feed Array HI (GALFA-HI) Survey maps of neutral hydrogen in and around our Milky Way Galaxy, to assess the performance at scale and to develop tools and methodologies that will enable scientists inexpert in cloud processing to exploit could platforms for data processing and product generation at scale. Future releases include support for an R-tree based mechanism for fast discovery of and access to large data sets and on-demand access to calibrated SDSS DR9 data that exploits it; support for the Hierarchical Equal Area isoLatitude Pixelization (HEALPix) scheme, now standard for projects investigating cosmic background radiation (Gorski et al 2005); support fort the Tessellated Octahedral Adaptive Subdivision Transform (TOAST), the sky partitioning sky used by the WorldWide Telescope (WWT); and a public applications programming interface (API) in C that can be called from other languages, especially Python.

  2. Refractive microlenses produced by excimer laser machining of poly(methyl methacrylate)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Martin Frøhling; Krühne, Ulrich; H., L.

    2005-01-01

    A method has been developed whereby refractive microlenses can be produced in poly (methyl methacrylate) by excimer laser irradiation at λ = 248 nm. The lenses are formed by a combined photochemical and thermal process. The lenses are formed as depressions in the substrate material (negative foca...

  3. Convergence of wireless, wireline, and photonics next generation networks

    CERN Document Server

    Iniewski, Krzysztof

    2010-01-01

    Filled with illustrations and practical examples from industry, this book provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to the next-generation wireless networks that will soon replace more traditional wired technologies. Written by a mixture of top industrial experts and key academic professors, it is the only book available that covers both wireless networks (such as wireless local area and personal area networks) and optical networks (such as long-haul and metropolitan networks) in one volume. It gives engineers and engineering students the necessary knowledge to meet challenges of next-ge

  4. Faint-Source-Star Planetary Microlensing: The Discovery of the Cold Gas-Giant Planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rattenbury, N. J.; Bennett, D. P.; Sumi, T.; Koshimoto, N.; Bond, I. A.; Udalski, A.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Maoz, D.; Jorgensen, U. G.; Barry, R.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We report the discovery of a planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb via gravitational microlensing. Observations for the lensing event were made by the following groups: Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics; Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment; Wise Observatory; RoboNETLas Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope; Microlensing Network for the Detection of Small Terrestrial Exoplanets; and -FUN. All analyses of the light-curve data favoura lens system comprising a planetary mass orbiting a host star. The most-favoured binary lens model has a mass ratio between the two lens masses of (4.78 +/- 0.13) 10(exp -3). Subject to some important assumptions, a Bayesian probability density analysis suggests the lens system comprises a 3.09(+1.02/-1.12) MJ planet orbiting a 0.62(+0.20/-0.22) solar mass host star at a deprojected orbital separation of 4.40(+2.16/-1.46) au. The distance to the lens system is 2.22(+0.96/-0.83) kpc. Planet OGLE-2014-BLG-0676Lb provides additional data to the growing number of cool planets discover redusing gravitational microlensing against which planetary formation theories may be tested. Most of the light in the baseline of this event is expected to come from the lens and thus high-resolution imaging observations could confirm our planetary model interpretation.

  5. Efficient Cryptography for the Next Generation Secure Cloud

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kupcu, Alptekin

    2010-01-01

    Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, and client-server type storage and computation outsourcing constitute some of the major applications that the next generation cloud schemes will address. Since these applications are just emerging, it is the perfect time to design them with security and privacy in mind. Furthermore, considering the high-churn…

  6. Rates for parallax-shifted microlensing events from ground-based observations of the galactic bulge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchalter, A.; Kamionkowski, M.

    1997-01-01

    The parallax effect in ground-based microlensing (ML) observations consists of a distortion to the standard ML light curve arising from the Earth's orbital motion. This can be used to partially remove the degeneracy among the system parameters in the event timescale, t 0 . In most cases, the resolution in current ML surveys is not accurate enough to observe this effect, but parallax could conceivably be detected with frequent follow-up observations of ML events in progress, providing the photometric errors are small enough. We calculate the expected fraction of ML events where the shape distortions will be observable by such follow-up observations, adopting Galactic models for the lens and source distributions that are consistent with observed microlensing timescale distributions. We study the dependence of the rates for parallax-shifted events on the frequency of follow-up observations and on the precision of the photometry. For example, we find that for hourly observations with typical photometric errors of 0.01 mag, 6% of events where the lens is in the bulge, and 31% of events where the lens is in the disk (or ∼10% of events overall), will give rise to a measurable parallax shift at the 95% confidence level. These fractions may be increased by improved photometric accuracy and increased sampling frequency. While long-duration events are favored, the surveys would be effective in picking out such distortions in events with timescales as low as t 0 ∼20 days. We study the dependence of these fractions on the assumed disk mass function and find that a higher parallax incidence is favored by mass functions with higher mean masses. Parallax measurements yield the reduced transverse speed, v, which gives both the relative transverse speed and lens mass as a function of distance. We give examples of the accuracies with which v may be measured in typical parallax events. (Abstract Truncated)

  7. Statistical Approaches for Next-Generation Sequencing Data

    OpenAIRE

    Qiao, Dandi

    2012-01-01

    During the last two decades, genotyping technology has advanced rapidly, which enabled the tremendous success of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the search of disease susceptibility loci (DSLs). However, only a small fraction of the overall predicted heritability can be explained by the DSLs discovered. One possible explanation for this ”missing heritability” phenomenon is that many causal variants are rare. The recent development of high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) ...

  8. Architectural and Algorithmic Requirements for a Next-Generation System Analysis Code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    V.A. Mousseau

    2010-05-01

    This document presents high-level architectural and system requirements for a next-generation system analysis code (NGSAC) to support reactor safety decision-making by plant operators and others, especially in the context of light water reactor plant life extension. The capabilities of NGSAC will be different from those of current-generation codes, not only because computers have evolved significantly in the generations since the current paradigm was first implemented, but because the decision-making processes that need the support of next-generation codes are very different from the decision-making processes that drove the licensing and design of the current fleet of commercial nuclear power reactors. The implications of these newer decision-making processes for NGSAC requirements are discussed, and resulting top-level goals for the NGSAC are formulated. From these goals, the general architectural and system requirements for the NGSAC are derived.

  9. Designing Next Generation Telecom Regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henten, Anders; Samarajiva, Rohan

    – ICT convergence regulation and multisector utility regulation. Whatever structure of next generation telecom regulation is adopted, all countries will need to pay much greater attention to the need for increased coordination of policy directions and regulatory activities both across the industries......Continuously expanding applications of information and communication technologies (ICT) are transforming local, national, regional and international economies into network economies, the foundation for information societies. They are being built upon expanded and upgraded national telecom networks...... to creating an environment to foster a massive expansion in the coverage and capabilities of the information infrastructure networks, with national telecom regulators as the key implementers of the policies of reform. The first phase of reform has focused on industry specific telecom policy and regulation...

  10. ERP II: Next-generation Extended Enterprise Resource Planning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Charles

    2004-01-01

    ERP II (ERP/2) systems is a new concept introduced by Gartner Group in 2000 in order to label the latest extensions of the ERP-systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore the next-generation of ERP systems, the Extended Enterprise Resource Planning (EERP or as we prefer to use: e...... impact on extended enterprise architecture.....

  11. ERP II - Next-generation Extended Enterprise Resource Planning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Charles

    2003-01-01

    ERP II (ERP/2) systems is a new concept introduced by Gartner Group in 2000 in order to label the latest extensions of the ERP-systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore the next-generation of ERP systems, the Extended Enterprise Resource Planning (EERP or as we prefer to use: e...... impact on extended enterprise architecture....

  12. TWO STARS TWO WAYS: CONFIRMING A MICROLENSING BINARY LENS SOLUTION WITH A SPECTROSCOPIC MEASUREMENT OF THE ORBIT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yee, Jennifer C.; Johnson, John Asher; Eastman, Jason; Vanderburg, Andrew [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Skowron, Jan [Warsaw University Observatory, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warszawa (Poland); Gould, Andrew [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Pineda, J. Sebastian [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Howard, Andrew, E-mail: jyee@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jjohnson@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: jason.eastman@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: avanderburg@cfa.harvard.edu [Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822-1839 (United States)

    2016-04-20

    Light curves of microlensing events involving stellar binaries and planetary systems can provide information about the orbital elements of the system due to orbital modulations of the caustic structure. Accurately measuring the orbit in either the stellar or planetary case requires detailed modeling of subtle deviations in the light curve. At the same time, the natural, Cartesian parameterization of a microlensing binary is partially degenerate with the microlens parallax. Hence, it is desirable to perform independent tests of the predictions of microlens orbit models using radial velocity (RV) time series of the lens binary system. To this end, we present 3.5 years of RV monitoring of the binary lens system OGLE-2009-BLG-020 L, for which Skowron et al. constrained all internal parameters of the 200–700 day orbit. Our RV measurements reveal an orbit that is consistent with the predictions of the microlens light curve analysis, thereby providing the first confirmation of orbital elements inferred from microlensing events.

  13. Next Generation Geothermal Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brugman, John; Hattar, Mai; Nichols, Kenneth; Esaki, Yuri

    1995-09-01

    A number of current and prospective power plant concepts were investigated to evaluate their potential to serve as the basis of the next generation geothermal power plant (NGGPP). The NGGPP has been envisaged as a power plant that would be more cost competitive (than current geothermal power plants) with fossil fuel power plants, would efficiently use resources and mitigate the risk of reservoir under-performance, and minimize or eliminate emission of pollutants and consumption of surface and ground water. Power plant concepts were analyzed using resource characteristics at ten different geothermal sites located in the western United States. Concepts were developed into viable power plant processes, capital costs were estimated and levelized busbar costs determined. Thus, the study results should be considered as useful indicators of the commercial viability of the various power plants concepts that were investigated. Broadly, the different power plant concepts that were analyzed in this study fall into the following categories: commercial binary and flash plants, advanced binary plants, advanced flash plants, flash/binary hybrid plants, and fossil/geothed hybrid plants. Commercial binary plants were evaluated using commercial isobutane as a working fluid; both air-cooling and water-cooling were considered. Advanced binary concepts included cycles using synchronous turbine-generators, cycles with metastable expansion, and cycles utilizing mixtures as working fluids. Dual flash steam plants were used as the model for the commercial flash cycle. The following advanced flash concepts were examined: dual flash with rotary separator turbine, dual flash with steam reheater, dual flash with hot water turbine, and subatmospheric flash. Both dual flash and binary cycles were combined with other cycles to develop a number of hybrid cycles: dual flash binary bottoming cycle, dual flash backpressure turbine binary cycle, dual flash gas turbine cycle, and binary gas turbine

  14. Environmental Information for the U.S. Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, J.; Miner, C.; Pace, D.; Minnis, P.; Mecikalski, J.; Feltz, W.; Johnson, D.; Iskendarian, H.; Haynes, J.

    2009-09-01

    It is estimated that weather is responsible for approximately 70% of all air traffic delays and cancellations in the United States. Annually, this produces an overall economic loss of nearly 40B. The FAA and NASA have determined that weather impacts and other environmental constraints on the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) will increase to the point of system unsustainability unless the NAS is radically transformed. A Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is planned to accommodate the anticipated demand for increased system capacity and the super-density operations that this transformation will entail. The heart of the environmental information component that is being developed for NextGen will be a 4-dimensional data cube which will include a single authoritative source comprising probabilistic weather information for NextGen Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems. Aviation weather constraints and safety hazards typically comprise meso-scale, storm-scale and microscale observables that can significantly impact both terminal and enroute aviation operations. With these operational impacts in mind, functional and performance requirements for the NextGen weather system were established which require significant improvements in observation and forecasting capabilities. This will include satellite observations from geostationary and/or polar-orbiting hyperspectral sounders, multi-spectral imagers, lightning mappers, space weather monitors and other environmental observing systems. It will also require improved in situ and remotely sensed observations from ground-based and airborne systems. These observations will be used to better understand and to develop forecasting applications for convective weather, in-flight icing, turbulence, ceilings and visibility, volcanic ash, space weather and the environmental impacts of aviation. Cutting-edge collaborative research efforts and results from NASA, NOAA and the FAA which address these phenomena are summarized

  15. The contribution of next generation sequencing to epilepsy genetics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Rikke S.; Dahl, Hans A.; Helbig, Ingo

    2015-01-01

    During the last decade, next generation sequencing technologies such as targeted gene panels, whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing have led to an explosion of gene identifications in monogenic epilepsies including both familial epilepsies and severe epilepsies, often referred to as ...

  16. Converged Wireless Networking and Optimization for Next Generation Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Rodriguez

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The Next Generation Network (NGN vision is tending towards the convergence of internet and mobile services providing the impetus for new market opportunities in combining the appealing services of internet with the roaming capability of mobile networks. However, this convergence does not go far enough, and with the emergence of new coexistence scenarios, there is a clear need to evolve the current architecture to provide cost-effective end-to-end communication. The LOOP project, a EUREKA-CELTIC driven initiative, is one piece in the jigsaw by helping European industry to sustain a leading role in telecommunications and manufacturing of high-value products and machinery by delivering pioneering converged wireless networking solutions that can be successfully demonstrated. This paper provides an overview of the LOOP project and the key achievements that have been tunneled into first prototypes for showcasing next generation services for operators and process manufacturers.

  17. Cost and schedule reduction for next-generation Candu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopwood, J.M.; Yu, S.; Pakan, M.; Soulard, M.

    2002-01-01

    AECL has developed a suite of technologies for Candu R reactors that enable the next step in the evolution of the Candu family of heavy-water-moderated fuel-channel reactors. These technologies have been combined in the design for the Advanced Candu Reactor TM1 (ACRTM), AECL's next generation Candu power plant. The ACR design builds extensively on the existing Candu experience base, but includes innovations, in design and in delivery technology, that provide very substantial reductions in capital cost and in project schedules. In this paper, main features of next generation design and delivery are summarized, to provide the background basis for the cost and schedule reductions that have been achieved. In particular the paper outlines the impact of the innovative design steps for ACR: - Selection of slightly enriched fuel bundle design; - Use of light water coolant in place of traditional Candu heavy water coolant; - Compact core design with unique reactor physics benefits; - Optimized coolant and turbine system conditions. In addition to the direct cost benefits arising from efficiency improvement, and from the reduction in heavy water, the next generation Candu configuration results in numerous additional indirect cost benefits, including: - Reduction in number and complexity of reactivity mechanisms; - Reduction in number of heavy water auxiliary systems; - Simplification in heat transport and its support systems; - Simplified human-machine interface. The paper also describes the ACR approach to design for constructability. The application of module assembly and open-top construction techniques, based on Candu and other worldwide experience, has been proven to generate savings in both schedule durations and overall project cost, by reducing premium on-site activities, and by improving efficiency of system and subsystem assembly. AECL's up-to-date experience in the use of 3-D CADDS and related engineering tools has also been proven to reduce both engineering and

  18. Next-Generation Sequencing of Antibody Display Repertoires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romain Rouet

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In vitro selection technology has transformed the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Using methods such as phage, ribosome, and yeast display, high affinity binders can be selected from diverse repertoires. Here, we review strategies for the next-generation sequencing (NGS of phage- and other antibody-display libraries, as well as NGS platforms and analysis tools. Moreover, we discuss recent examples relating to the use of NGS to assess library diversity, clonal enrichment, and affinity maturation.

  19. Next-generation digital information storage in DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Church, George M; Gao, Yuan; Kosuri, Sriram

    2012-09-28

    Digital information is accumulating at an astounding rate, straining our ability to store and archive it. DNA is among the most dense and stable information media known. The development of new technologies in both DNA synthesis and sequencing make DNA an increasingly feasible digital storage medium. We developed a strategy to encode arbitrary digital information in DNA, wrote a 5.27-megabit book using DNA microchips, and read the book by using next-generation DNA sequencing.

  20. Popular Imagination and Identity Politics: Reading the Future in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ott, Brian L.; Aoki, Eric

    2001-01-01

    Analyzes the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Theorizes the relationship between collective visions of the future and the identity politics of the present. Argues that "The Next Generation" invites audiences to participate in a shared sense of the future that constrains human agency and (re)produces the…

  1. Next Generation Life Support (NGLS): Rapid Cycle Amine Swing Bed

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) swingbed has been identified as a technology with high potential to meet the stringent requirements for the next generation spacesuit's...

  2. Modelling of control system architecture for next-generation accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Shi-Yao; Kurokawa, Shin-ichi

    1990-01-01

    Functional, hardware and software system architectures define the fundamental structure of control systems. Modelling is a protocol of system architecture used in system design. This paper reviews various modellings adopted in past ten years and suggests a new modelling for next generation accelerators. (author)

  3. Next Generation UV Coronagraph Instrumentation for Solar Cycle-24

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2016-01-27

    Jan 27, 2016 ... New concepts for next generation instrumentation include imaging ultraviolet spectrocoronagraphs and large aperture ultraviolet coronagraph spectrometers. An imaging instrument would be the first to obtain absolute spectral line intensities of the extended corona over a wide field of view. Such images ...

  4. Power Electronics for the Next Generation Wind Turbine System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ma, Ke

    This book presents recent studies on the power electronics used for the next generation wind turbine system. Some criteria and tools for evaluating and improving the critical performances of the wind power converters have been proposed and established. The book addresses some emerging problems...

  5. Development of a framework for the neutronics analysis system for next generation (3)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokoyama, Kenji; Hirai, Yasushi; Hyoudou, Hideaki; Tatsumi, Masahiro

    2010-02-01

    Development of innovative analysis methods and models in fundamental studies for next-generation nuclear reactor systems is in progress. In order to efficiently and effectively reflect the latest analysis methods and models to primary design of commercial reactor and/or in-core fuel management for power reactors, a next-generation analysis system MARBLE has been developed. The next-generation analysis system provides solutions to the following requirements: (1) flexibility, extensibility and user-friendliness that can apply new methods and models rapidly and effectively for fundamental studies, (2) quantitative proof of solution accuracy and adaptive scoping range for design studies, (3) coupling analysis among different study domains for the purpose of rationalization of plant systems and improvement of reliability, (4) maintainability and reusability for system extensions for the purpose of total quality management and development efficiency. The next-generation analysis system supports many fields, such as thermal-hydraulic analysis, structure analysis, reactor physics etc., and now we are studying reactor physics analysis system for fast reactor in advance. As for reactor physics analysis methods for fast reactor, we have established the JUPITER standard analysis methods based on the past study. But, there has been a problem of extreme inefficiency due to lack of functionality in the conventional analysis system when changing analysis targets and/or modeling levels. That is why, we have developed the next-generation analysis system for reactor physics which reproduces the JUPITER standard analysis method that has been developed so far and newly realizes burnup and design analysis for fast reactor and functions for cross section adjustment. In the present study, we examined in detail the existing design and implementation of ZPPR critical experiment analysis database followed by unification of models within the framework of the next-generation analysis system by

  6. Next-generation Sequencing-based genomic profiling: Fostering innovation in cancer care?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo S. Fernandes

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS technologies, DNA sequencing has been increasingly utilized in clinical practice. Our goal was to investigate the impact of genomic evaluation on treatment decisions for heavily pretreated patients with metastatic cancer. METHODS: We analyzed metastatic cancer patients from a single institution whose cancers had progressed after all available standard-of-care therapies and whose tumors underwent next-generation sequencing analysis. We determined the percentage of patients who received any therapy directed by the test, and its efficacy. RESULTS: From July 2013 to December 2015, 185 consecutive patients were tested using a commercially available next-generation sequencing-based test, and 157 patients were eligible. Sixty-six patients (42.0% were female, and 91 (58.0% were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 52.2 years, and the mean number of pre-test lines of systemic treatment was 2.7. One hundred and seventy-seven patients (95.6% had at least one identified gene alteration. Twenty-four patients (15.2% underwent systemic treatment directed by the test result. Of these, one patient had a complete response, four (16.7% had partial responses, two (8.3% had stable disease, and 17 (70.8% had disease progression as the best result. The median progression-free survival time with matched therapy was 1.6 months, and the median overall survival was 10 months. CONCLUSION: We identified a high prevalence of gene alterations using an next-generation sequencing test. Although some benefit was associated with the matched therapy, most of the patients had disease progression as the best response, indicating the limited biological potential and unclear clinical relevance of this practice.

  7. Developing the next generation of nuclear workers at OPG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spekkens, P.

    2007-01-01

    This presentation is about developing the next generation of nuclear workers at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). Industry developments are creating urgent need to hire, train and retain new staff. OPG has an aggressive hiring campaign. Training organization is challenged to accommodate influx of new staff. Collaborating with colleges and universities is increasing the supply of qualified recruits with an interest in nuclear. Program for functional and leadership training have been developed. Knowledge retention is urgently required

  8. Heterogeneous next-generation wireless network interference model-and its applications

    KAUST Repository

    Mahmood, Nurul Huda; Yilmaz, Ferkan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Ø ien, Geir Egil

    2014-01-01

    Next-generation wireless systems facilitating better utilisation of the scarce radio spectrum have emerged as a response to inefficient and rigid spectrum assignment policies. These are comprised of intelligent radio nodes that opportunistically

  9. Epidemiological Studies to Support the Development of Next Generation Influenza Vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrie, Joshua G; Gordon, Aubree

    2018-03-26

    The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently published a strategic plan for the development of a universal influenza vaccine. This plan focuses on improving understanding of influenza infection, the development of influenza immunity, and rational design of new vaccines. Epidemiological studies such as prospective, longitudinal cohort studies are essential to the completion of these objectives. In this review, we discuss the contributions of epidemiological studies to our current knowledge of vaccines and correlates of immunity, and how they can contribute to the development and evaluation of the next generation of influenza vaccines. These studies have been critical in monitoring the effectiveness of current influenza vaccines, identifying issues such as low vaccine effectiveness, reduced effectiveness among those who receive repeated vaccination, and issues related to egg adaptation during the manufacturing process. Epidemiological studies have also identified population-level correlates of protection that can inform the design and development of next generation influenza vaccines. Going forward, there is an enduring need for epidemiological studies to continue advancing knowledge of correlates of protection and the development of immunity, to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of next generation influenza vaccines, and to inform recommendations for their use.

  10. Next generation multi-material 3D food printer concept

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klomp, D.J.; Anderson, P.D.

    2017-01-01

    3D food printing is a new rapidly developing technology capable of creating food structures that are impossible to create with normal processing techniques. Challenges in this field are creating texture and multi-material food products. To address these challenges a next generation food printer will

  11. Next-generation sequencing approaches to understanding the oral microbiome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zaura, E.

    2012-01-01

    Until recently, the focus in dental research has been on studying a small fraction of the oral microbiome—so-called opportunistic pathogens. With the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, researchers now have the tools that allow for profiling of the microbiomes and metagenomes at

  12. Recent progress in nanostructured next-generation field emission devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mittal, Gaurav; Lahiri, Indranil

    2014-01-01

    Field emission has been known to mankind for more than a century, and extensive research in this field for the last 40–50 years has led to development of exciting applications such as electron sources, miniature x-ray devices, display materials, etc. In the last decade, large-area field emitters were projected as an important material to revolutionize healthcare and medical devices, and space research. With the advent of nanotechnology and advancements related to carbon nanotubes, field emitters are demonstrating highly enhanced performance and novel applications. Next-generation emitters need ultra-high emission current density, high brightness, excellent stability and reproducible performance. Novel design considerations and application of new materials can lead to achievement of these capabilities. This article presents an overview of recent developments in this field and their effects on improved performance of field emitters. These advancements are demonstrated to hold great potential for application in next-generation field emission devices. (topical review)

  13. Recent progress in nanostructured next-generation field emission devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mittal, Gaurav; Lahiri, Indranil

    2014-08-01

    Field emission has been known to mankind for more than a century, and extensive research in this field for the last 40-50 years has led to development of exciting applications such as electron sources, miniature x-ray devices, display materials, etc. In the last decade, large-area field emitters were projected as an important material to revolutionize healthcare and medical devices, and space research. With the advent of nanotechnology and advancements related to carbon nanotubes, field emitters are demonstrating highly enhanced performance and novel applications. Next-generation emitters need ultra-high emission current density, high brightness, excellent stability and reproducible performance. Novel design considerations and application of new materials can lead to achievement of these capabilities. This article presents an overview of recent developments in this field and their effects on improved performance of field emitters. These advancements are demonstrated to hold great potential for application in next-generation field emission devices.

  14. Development of 3D out-of-plane SU-8 microlenses using modified micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llobera, A.; Wilke, R.; Johnson, D. W.; Büttgenbach, S.

    2006-04-01

    This paper describes a modification of the standard MIMIC technology, solving its main drawbacks, to define arrays of spherical or ellipsoidal microlenses. Perfectly symmetrical meniscuses have been obtained by using a XP SU-8 NO-2 layer beneath the PDMS mold. Moreover, the photostructurable properties of this polymer allow obtaining self-alignment structures for adequate fiber optics positioning. Microchannels ended with these meniscuses have been filled with standard SU-8 to obtain 3D microlenses. Agreement between theory and experimental results allows confirming the validity of the proposed technology.

  15. Carrier ethernet network control plane based on the Next Generation Network

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fu, Rong; Wang, Yanmeng; Berger, Michael Stubert

    2008-01-01

    This paper contributes on presenting a step towards the realization of Carrier Ethernet control plane based on the next generation network (NGN). Specifically, transport MPLS (T-MPLS) is taken as the transport technology in Carrier Ethernet. It begins with providing an overview of the evolving...... architecture of the next generation network (NGN). As an essential candidate among the NGN transport technologies, the definition of Carrier Ethernet (CE) is also introduced here. The second part of this paper depicts the contribution on the T-MPLS based Carrier Ethernet network with control plane based on NGN...... at illustrating the improvement of the Carrier Ethernet network with the NGN control plane....

  16. Development of source term evaluation method for Korean Next Generation Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Keon Jae; Cheong, Jae Hak; Park, Jin Baek; Kim, Guk Gee [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1997-10-15

    This project had investigate several design features of radioactive waste processing system and method to predict nuclide concentration at primary coolant basic concept of next generation reactor and safety goals at the former phase. In this project several prediction methods of source term are evaluated conglomerately and detailed contents of this project are : model evaluation of nuclide concentration at Reactor Coolant System, evaluation of primary and secondary coolant concentration of reference Nuclear Power Plant(NPP), investigation of prediction parameter of source term evaluation, basic parameter of PWR, operational parameter, respectively, radionuclide removal system and adjustment values of reference NPP, suggestion of source term prediction method of next generation NPP.

  17. Next generation of relativistic heavy ion accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grunder, H.; Leemann, C.; Selph, F.

    1978-06-01

    Results are presented of exploratory and preliminary studies of a next generation of heavy ion accelerators. The conclusion is reached that useful luminosities are feasible in a colliding beam facility for relativistic heavy ions. Such an accelerator complex may be laid out in such a way as to provide extractebeams for fixed target operation, therefore allowing experimentation in an energy region overlapping with that presently available. These dual goals seem achievable without undue complications, or penalties with respect to cost and/or performance

  18. Thermonuclear ignition in the next generation tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johner, J.

    1989-04-01

    The extrapolation of experimental rules describing energy confinement and magnetohydrodynamic - stability limits, in known tokamaks, allow to show that stable thermonuclear ignition equilibria should exist in this configuration, if the product aB t x of the dimensions by a magnetic-field power is large enough. Quantitative application of this result to several next-generation tokamak projects show that those kinds of equilibria could exist in such devices, which would also have enough additional heating power to promote an effective accessible ignition

  19. Next Generation Antibody Therapeutics Using Bispecific Antibody Technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Igawa, Tomoyuki

    2017-01-01

    Nearly fifty monoclonal antibodies have been approved to date, and the market for monoclonal antibodies is expected to continue to grow. Since global competition in the field of antibody therapeutics is intense, we need to establish novel antibody engineering technologies to provide true benefit for patients, with differentiated product values. Bispecific antibodies are among the next generation of antibody therapeutics that can bind to two different target antigens by the two arms of immunoglobulin G (IgG) molecule, and are thus believed to be applicable to various therapeutic needs. Until recently, large scale manufacturing of human IgG bispecific antibody was impossible. We have established a technology, named asymmetric re-engineering technology (ART)-Ig, to enable large scale manufacturing of bispecific antibodies. Three examples of next generation antibody therapeutics using ART-Ig technology are described. Recent updates on bispecific antibodies against factor IXa and factor X for the treatment of hemophilia A, bispecific antibodies against a tumor specific antigen and T cell surface marker CD3 for cancer immunotherapy, and bispecific antibodies against two different epitopes of soluble antigen with pH-dependent binding property for the elimination of soluble antigen from plasma are also described.

  20. The Semantic Web: opportunities and challenges for next-generation Web applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently there has been a growing interest in the investigation and development of the next generation web - the Semantic Web. While most of the current forms of web content are designed to be presented to humans, but are barely understandable by computers, the content of the Semantic Web is structured in a semantic way so that it is meaningful to computers as well as to humans. In this paper, we report a survey of recent research on the Semantic Web. In particular, we present the opportunities that this revolution will bring to us: web-services, agent-based distributed computing, semantics-based web search engines, and semantics-based digital libraries. We also discuss the technical and cultural challenges of realizing the Semantic Web: the development of ontologies, formal semantics of Semantic Web languages, and trust and proof models. We hope that this will shed some light on the direction of future work on this field.

  1. Feasibility and application on steam injector for next-generation reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Narabayashi, Tadashi; Ishiyama, Takenori; Miyano, Hiroshi; Nei, Hiromichi; Shioiri, Akio

    1991-01-01

    A feasibility study has been conducted on steam injector for a next generation reactor. The steam injector is a simple, compact passive device for water injection, such as Passive Core Injection System (PCIS) of Passive Containment Cooling System (PCCS), because of easy start-up without an AC power. An analysis model for a steam injector characteristics has been developed, and investigated with a visualized fundamental test for a two-stage Steam Injector System (SIS) for PCIS and a one-stage low pressure SIS for PCCS. The test results showed good agreement with the analysis results. The analysis and the test results showed the SIS could work over a very wide range of the steam pressure, and is applicable for PCIS or PCCS in the next generation reactors. (author)

  2. Results of Analyses of the Next Generation Solvent for Parsons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, T.; Washington, A.; Fink, S.

    2012-01-01

    Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) prepared a nominal 150 gallon batch of Next Generation Solvent (NGS) for Parsons. This material was then analyzed and tested for cesium mass transfer efficiency. The bulk of the results indicate that the solvent is qualified as acceptable for use in the upcoming pilot-scale testing at Parsons Technology Center. This report describes the analysis and testing of a batch of Next Generation Solvent (NGS) prepared in support of pilot-scale testing in the Parsons Technology Center. A total of ∼150 gallons of NGS solvent was prepared in late November of 2011. Details for the work are contained in a controlled laboratory notebook. Analysis of the Parsons NGS solvent indicates that the material is acceptable for use. SRNL is continuing to improve the analytical method for the guanidine.

  3. Next-generation text-mining mediated generation of chemical response-specific gene sets for interpretation of gene expression data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K.M. Hettne (Kristina); J. Boorsma (Jeffrey); D.A.M. van Dartel (Dorien A M); J.J. Goeman (Jelle); E.C. de Jong (Esther); A.H. Piersma (Aldert); R.H. Stierum (Rob); J. Kleinjans (Jos); J.A. Kors (Jan)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Availability of chemical response-specific lists of genes (gene sets) for pharmacological and/or toxic effect prediction for compounds is limited. We hypothesize that more gene sets can be created by next-generation text mining (next-gen TM), and that these can be used with

  4. The "Next Generation Science Standards" and the Life Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bybee, Rodger W.

    2013-01-01

    Publication of the "Next Generation Science Standards" will be just short of two decades since publication of the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC 1996). In that time, biology and science education communities have advanced, and the new standards will reflect that progress (NRC 1999, 2007, 2009; Kress and Barrett…

  5. Gaia16aye binary microlensing event is rising for the 5th time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyrzykowski, L.; Mroz, P.; Rybicki, K.; Altavilla, G.; Bakis, V.; Bendjoya, P.; Birenbaum, G.; Blagorodnova, N.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Bonanos, A.; Bozza, V.; Britavskiy, N.; Burgaz, U.; Butterley, T.; Capuozzo, P.; Carrasco, J. M.; Chruslinska, M.; Damljanovic, G.; Dapergolas, T.; Dennefeld, M.; Dhillon, V. S.; Dominik, M.; Esenoglu, H.; Fossey, S.; Gomboc, A.; Hallokoun, N.; Hamanowicz, A.; Hardy, L. K.; Hudec, R.; Khamitov, I.; Klencki, J.; Kolaczkowski, Z.; Kolb, U.; Leonini, S.; Leto, G.; Lewis, F.; Liakos, A.; Littlefair, S. P.; Maoz, D.; Maund, J. R.; Mikolajczyk, P.; Palaversa, L.; Pawlak, M.; Penny, M.; Piascik, A.; Reig, P.; Rhodes, L.; Russell, D.; Sanchez, R. Z.; Shappee, B.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Sitek, M.; Sniegowska, M.; Sokolovsky, K.; Steele, I.; Street, R.; Tomasella, L.; Trascinelli, L.; Wiersema, K.; Wilson, R. W.; Zharkov, I.; Zola, S.; Zubareva, A.

    2017-05-01

    Gaia16aye, nicknamed Ayers Rock (19:40:01.13 +30:07:53.4, J2000) was detected in August 2016 and continue on-going, becoming the longest microlensing event found in the Galactic Disk (ATEL #9376, #9507).

  6. Electric vehicle charge patterns and the electricity generation mix and competitiveness of next generation vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masuta, Taisuke; Murata, Akinobu; Endo, Eiichi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The energy system of whole of Japan is analyzed in this study. • An advanced model based on MARKAL is used for the energy system analysis. • The impact of charge patterns of EVs on electricity generation mix is evaluated. • Technology competitiveness of the next generation vehicles is also evaluated. - Abstract: The nuclear accident of 2011 brought about a reconsideration of the future electricity generation mix of power systems in Japan. A debate on whether to phase out nuclear power plants and replace them with renewable energy sources is taking place. Demand-side management becomes increasingly important in future Japanese power systems with a large-scale integration of renewable energy sources. This paper considers the charge control of electric vehicles (EVs) through demand-side management. There have been many studies of the control or operation methods of EVs known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and it is important to evaluate both their short-term and long-term operation. In this study, we employ energy system to evaluate the impact of the charge patterns of EVs on both the electricity generation mix and the technology competitiveness of the next generation vehicles. An advanced energy system model based on Market Allocation (MARKAL) is used to consider power system control in detail

  7. Modeling the video distribution link in the Next Generation Optical Access Networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaya, F; Cardenas, A; Tafur, I

    2011-01-01

    In this work we present a model for the design and optimization of the video distribution link in the next generation optical access network. We analyze the video distribution performance in a SCM-WDM link, including the noise, the distortion and the fiber optic nonlinearities. Additionally, we consider in the model the effect of distributed Raman amplification, used to extent the capacity and the reach of the optical link. In the model, we use the nonlinear Schroedinger equation with the purpose to obtain capacity limitations and design constrains of the next generation optical access networks.

  8. The study of methodologies of software development for the next generation of HEP detector software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Yuzheng; Wang Taijie; Dai Guiliang

    1997-01-01

    The author discusses the characteristics of the next generation of HEP (High Energy Physics) detector software, and describes the basic strategy for the usage of object oriented methodologies, languages and tools in the development of the next generation of HEP detector software

  9. Next-generation text-mining mediated generation of chemical response-specific gene sets for interpretation of gene expression data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hettne, K.M.; Boorsma, A.; Dartel, D.A. van; Goeman, J.J.; Jong, E. de; Piersma, A.H.; Stierum, R.H.; Kleinjans, J.C.; Kors, J.A.

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Availability of chemical response-specific lists of genes (gene sets) for pharmacological and/or toxic effect prediction for compounds is limited. We hypothesize that more gene sets can be created by next-generation text mining (next-gen TM), and that these can be used with gene set

  10. Next-generation text-mining mediated generation of chemical response-specific gene sets for interpretation of gene expression data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hettne, K.M.; Boorsma, A.; Dartel, van D.A.M.; Goeman, J.J.; Jong, de E.; Piersma, A.H.; Stierum, R.H.; Kleinjans, J.C.; Kors, J.A.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Availability of chemical response-specific lists of genes (gene sets) for pharmacological and/or toxic effect prediction for compounds is limited. We hypothesize that more gene sets can be created by next-generation text mining (next-gen TM), and that these can be used with gene set

  11. Multiple Access Techniques for Next Generation Wireless: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shree Krishna Sharma

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The advances in multiple access techniques has been one of the key drivers in moving from one cellular generation to another. Starting from the first generation, several multiple access techniques have been explored in different generations and various emerging multiplexing/multiple access techniques are being investigated for the next generation of cellular networks. In this context, this paper first provides a detailed review on the existing Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA related works. Subsequently, it highlights the main features and the drawbacks of various existing and emerging multiplexing/multiple access techniques. Finally, we propose a novel concept of clustered orthogonal signature division multiple access for the next generation of cellular networks. The proposed concept envisions to employ joint antenna coding in order to enhance the orthogonality of SDMA beams with the objective of enhancing the spectral efficiency of future cellular networks.

  12. Next generation science standards available for comment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asher, Pranoti

    2012-05-01

    The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is now available for public comment. Feedback on the standards is sought from people who have a stake in science education, including individuals in the K-12, higher education, business, and research communities. Development of NGSS is a state-led effort to define the content and practices students need to learn from kindergarten through high school. NGSS will be based on the U.S. National Research Council's reportFramework for K-12 Science Education.

  13. Design Principles of Next-Generation Digital Gaming for Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squire, Kurt; Jenkins, Henry; Holland, Walter; Miller, Heather; O'Driscoll, Alice; Tan, Katie Philip; Todd, Katie.

    2003-01-01

    Discusses the rapid growth of digital games, describes research at MIT that is exploring the potential of digital games for supporting learning, and offers hypotheses about the design of next-generation educational video and computer games. Highlights include simulations and games; and design principles, including context and using information to…

  14. Identification and Characterization of Key Human Performance Issues and Research in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Paul U.; Sheridan, Tom; Poage, james L.; Martin, Lynne Hazel; Jobe, Kimberly K.

    2010-01-01

    This report identifies key human-performance-related issues associated with Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) research in the NASA NextGen-Airspace Project. Four Research Focus Areas (RFAs) in the NextGen-Airspace Project - namely Separation Assurance (SA), Airspace Super Density Operations (ASDO), Traffic Flow Management (TFM), and Dynamic Airspace Configuration (DAC) - were examined closely. In the course of the research, it was determined that the identified human performance issues needed to be analyzed in the context of NextGen operations rather than through basic human factors research. The main gaps in human factors research in NextGen were found in the need for accurate identification of key human-systems related issues within the context of specific NextGen concepts and better design of the operational requirements for those concepts. By focusing on human-system related issues for individual concepts, key human performance issues for the four RFAs were identified and described in this report. In addition, mixed equipage airspace with components of two RFAs were characterized to illustrate potential human performance issues that arise from the integration of multiple concepts.

  15. The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantiello, Michele; Blakeslee, John P.; Ferrarese, Laura; Côté, Patrick; Roediger, Joel C.; Raimondo, Gabriella; Peng, Eric W.; Gwyn, Stephen; Durrell, Patrick R.; Cuillandre, Jean-Charles

    2018-04-01

    We describe a program to measure surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) distances to galaxies observed in the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS), a photometric imaging survey covering 104 deg2 of the Virgo cluster in the u*, g, i, and z bandpasses with the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope. We describe the selection of the sample galaxies, the procedures for measuring the apparent i-band SBF magnitude {\\overline{m}}i, and the calibration of the absolute Mibar as a function of observed stellar population properties. The multiband NGVS data set provides multiple options for calibrating the SBF distances, and we explore various calibrations involving individual color indices as well as combinations of two different colors. Within the color range of the present sample, the two-color calibrations do not significantly improve the scatter with respect to wide-baseline, single-color calibrations involving u*. We adopt the ({u}* -z) calibration as a reference for the present galaxy sample, with an observed scatter of 0.11 mag. For a few cases that lack good u* photometry, we use an alternative relation based on a combination of (g-i) and (g-z) colors, with only a slightly larger observed scatter of 0.12 mag. The agreement of our measurements with the best existing distance estimates provides confidence that our measurements are accurate. We present a preliminary catalog of distances for 89 galaxies brighter than B T ≈ 13.0 mag within the survey footprint, including members of the background M and W Clouds at roughly twice the distance of the main body of the Virgo cluster. The extension of the present work to fainter and bluer galaxies is in progress.

  16. 75 FR 82387 - Next Generation Risk Assessment Public Dialogue Conference

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-30

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9246-7] Next Generation Risk Assessment Public Dialogue Conference AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of Public Dialogue Conference... methods with the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences' National Toxicology Program, Center...

  17. The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XXVI. The Issues of Photometric Age and Metallicity Estimates for Globular Clusters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Powalka, Mathieu; Lançon, Ariane; Duc, Pierre-Alain [Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l’Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Puzia, Thomas H.; Muñoz, Roberto P.; Zhang, Hongxin [Institute of Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, 7820436 Macul, Santiago (Chile); Peng, Eric W. [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Liu, Chengze [Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Blakeslee, John P.; Côté, Patrick; Ferrarese, Laura; Roediger, Joel; Gwyn, S. D. J. [National Research Council of Canada, Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Program, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Sánchez-Janssen, Rúben [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Durrell, Patrick R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH (United States); Cuillandre, Jean-Charles [AIM Paris Saclay, CNRS/INSU, CEA/Irfu,Université Paris Diderot, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette cedex (France); Guhathakurta, Puragra [UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Hudelot, Patrick, E-mail: mathieu.powalka@astro.unistra.fr [Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095 CNRS and UPMC, 98bis Bd Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); and others

    2017-08-01

    Large samples of globular clusters (GC) with precise multi-wavelength photometry are becoming increasingly available and can be used to constrain the formation history of galaxies. We present the results of an analysis of Milky Way (MW) and Virgo core GCs based on 5 optical-near-infrared colors and 10 synthetic stellar population models. For the MW GCs, the models tend to agree on photometric ages and metallicities, with values similar to those obtained with previous studies. When used with Virgo core GCs, for which photometry is provided by the Next Generation Virgo cluster Survey (NGVS), the same models generically return younger ages. This is a consequence of the systematic differences observed between the locus occupied by Virgo core GCs and models in panchromatic color space. Only extreme fine-tuning of the adjustable parameters available to us can make the majority of the best-fit ages old. Although we cannot exclude that the formation history of the Virgo core may lead to more conspicuous populations of relatively young GCs than in other environments, we emphasize that the intrinsic properties of the Virgo GCs are likely to differ systematically from those assumed in the models. Thus, the large wavelength coverage and photometric quality of modern GC samples, such as those used here, is not by itself sufficient to better constrain the GC formation histories. Models matching the environment-dependent characteristics of GCs in multi-dimensional color space are needed to improve the situation.

  18. Interpreting the Strongly Lensed Supernova iPTF16geu: Time Delay Predictions, Microlensing, and Lensing Rates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    More, Anupreeta; Oguri, Masamune; More, Surhud [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8583 (Japan); Suyu, Sherry H. [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Lee, Chien-Hsiu, E-mail: anupreeta.more@ipmu.jp [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North Aohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States)

    2017-02-01

    We present predictions for time delays between multiple images of the gravitationally lensed supernova, iPTF16geu, which was recently discovered from the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF). As the supernova is of Type Ia where the intrinsic luminosity is usually well known, accurately measured time delays of the multiple images could provide tight constraints on the Hubble constant. According to our lens mass models constrained by the Hubble Space Telescope F814W image, we expect the maximum relative time delay to be less than a day, which is consistent with the maximum of 100 hr reported by Goobar et al. but places a stringent upper limit. Furthermore, the fluxes of most of the supernova images depart from expected values suggesting that they are affected by microlensing. The microlensing timescales are small enough that they may pose significant problems to measure the time delays reliably. Our lensing rate calculation indicates that the occurrence of a lensed SN in iPTF is likely. However, the observed total magnification of iPTF16geu is larger than expected, given its redshift. This may be a further indication of ongoing microlensing in this system.

  19. Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey and research concerning development of next-generation chemical process technologies; 1999 nendo jisedai kagaku process gijutsu kaihatsu ni kansuru chosa kenkyu hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    To further enhance resource/energy conservation and environmental impact reduction, it is necessary to develop innovative chemical reaction process technologies. It is for this reason that 'development of next-generation chemical reaction process technologies' is being carried out under the New Sunshine Program. The survey and research, for the fulfilment of the above goal, aim to select important technologies and put in a easy-to-study order the problems contained in associated technologies for picking out tasks for future studies for the purpose of suggesting some subjects to be taken up for future development. In addition, studies are made about how a comprehensive technology assessment system should be. In this fiscal year, propositions are compiled for research and development projects on five subjects. Studies of subjects other than these five will also continue to eventually build concrete propositions on them. The said five subjects involve 1) the development and application of nonaqueous biotechnologies, 2) biotechnology-aided polymeric material creation processes, 3) construction of high-efficiency energy conservation processes using innovative grain handling technologies in the high-temperature reaction field, 4) manufacture of high-performance polymeric materials for batteries and development of battery fabrication processes, and 5) the development of an energy conservation process maximally utilizing environmentally-friendly polyolefin. (NEDO)

  20. Fiscal 1999 survey report. Survey and research concerning development of next-generation chemical process technologies; 1999 nendo jisedai kagaku process gijutsu kaihatsu ni kansuru chosa kenkyu hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    To further enhance resource/energy conservation and environmental impact reduction, it is necessary to develop innovative chemical reaction process technologies. It is for this reason that 'development of next-generation chemical reaction process technologies' is being carried out under the New Sunshine Program. The survey and research, for the fulfilment of the above goal, aim to select important technologies and put in a easy-to-study order the problems contained in associated technologies for picking out tasks for future studies for the purpose of suggesting some subjects to be taken up for future development. In addition, studies are made about how a comprehensive technology assessment system should be. In this fiscal year, propositions are compiled for research and development projects on five subjects. Studies of subjects other than these five will also continue to eventually build concrete propositions on them. The said five subjects involve 1) the development and application of nonaqueous biotechnologies, 2) biotechnology-aided polymeric material creation processes, 3) construction of high-efficiency energy conservation processes using innovative grain handling technologies in the high-temperature reaction field, 4) manufacture of high-performance polymeric materials for batteries and development of battery fabrication processes, and 5) the development of an energy conservation process maximally utilizing environmentally-friendly polyolefin. (NEDO)

  1. Quantitative miRNA expression analysis: comparing microarrays with next-generation sequencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Willenbrock, Hanni; Salomon, Jesper; Søkilde, Rolf

    2009-01-01

    Recently, next-generation sequencing has been introduced as a promising, new platform for assessing the copy number of transcripts, while the existing microarray technology is considered less reliable for absolute, quantitative expression measurements. Nonetheless, so far, results from the two...... technologies have only been compared based on biological data, leading to the conclusion that, although they are somewhat correlated, expression values differ significantly. Here, we use synthetic RNA samples, resembling human microRNA samples, to find that microarray expression measures actually correlate...... better with sample RNA content than expression measures obtained from sequencing data. In addition, microarrays appear highly sensitive and perform equivalently to next-generation sequencing in terms of reproducibility and relative ratio quantification....

  2. RIPng- A next Generation Routing Protocal (IPv6) | Falaye | Journal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... Information Protocol Next Generation (RIPng) owing to the current depletion rate of IPv4. ... that support the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6).addressing scheme. ... A brief history is given; its various versions are discussed, and detailed ...

  3. Clinical utility of a 377 gene custom next-generation sequencing ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    JEN BEVILACQUA

    2017-07-26

    Jul 26, 2017 ... Clinical utility of a 377 gene custom next-generation sequencing epilepsy panel ... number of genes, making it a very attractive option for a condition as .... clinical value of various test offerings to guide decision making.

  4. A next generation Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO-100) for IR/optical observations of the rise phase of gamma-ray bursts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grossan, B.; Park, I.H.; Ahmad, S.

    2012-01-01

    generation of rapid-response space observatory instruments. We list science topics motivating ourinstruments, those that require rapid optical-IR GRB response, including: A survey of GRB rise shapes/times,measurements of optical bulk Lorentz factors, investigation of magnetic dominated (vs. non-magnetic) jet...... for a next generation space observatory as a secondinstrument on a low-earth orbit spacecraft, with a 120 kg instrument mass budget. Restricted to relatively modest mass,power, and launch resources, we find that a coded mask X-ray camera with 1024 cm2 of detector area could rapidlylocate about 64...

  5. AgMIP: Next Generation Models and Assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenzweig, C.

    2014-12-01

    Next steps in developing next-generation crop models fall into several categories: significant improvements in simulation of important crop processes and responses to stress; extension from simplified crop models to complex cropping systems models; and scaling up from site-based models to landscape, national, continental, and global scales. Crop processes that require major leaps in understanding and simulation in order to narrow uncertainties around how crops will respond to changing atmospheric conditions include genetics; carbon, temperature, water, and nitrogen; ozone; and nutrition. The field of crop modeling has been built on a single crop-by-crop approach. It is now time to create a new paradigm, moving from 'crop' to 'cropping system.' A first step is to set up the simulation technology so that modelers can rapidly incorporate multiple crops within fields, and multiple crops over time. Then the response of these more complex cropping systems can be tested under different sustainable intensification management strategies utilizing the updated simulation environments. Model improvements for diseases, pests, and weeds include developing process-based models for important diseases, frameworks for coupling air-borne diseases to crop models, gathering significantly more data on crop impacts, and enabling the evaluation of pest management strategies. Most smallholder farming in the world involves integrated crop-livestock systems that cannot be represented by crop modeling alone. Thus, next-generation cropping system models need to include key linkages to livestock. Livestock linkages to be incorporated include growth and productivity models for grasslands and rangelands as well as the usual annual crops. There are several approaches for scaling up, including use of gridded models and development of simpler quasi-empirical models for landscape-scale analysis. On the assessment side, AgMIP is leading a community process for coordinated contributions to IPCC AR6

  6. The Next Generation Science Standards: The Features and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pruitt, Stephen L.

    2014-01-01

    Beginning in January of 2010, the Carnegie Corporation of New York funded a two-step process to develop a new set of state developed science standards intended to prepare students for college and career readiness in science. These new internationally benchmarked science standards, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were completed in…

  7. Career Advancement: Meeting the Challenges Confronting the Next Generation of Endocrinologists and Endocrine Researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santen, Richard J; Joham, Anju; Fishbein, Lauren; Vella, Kristen R; Ebeling, Peter R; Gibson-Helm, Melanie; Teede, Helena

    2016-12-01

    Challenges and opportunities face the next generation (Next-Gen) of endocrine researchers and clinicians, the lifeblood of the field of endocrinology for the future. A symposium jointly sponsored by The Endocrine Society and the Endocrine Society of Australia was convened to discuss approaches to addressing the present and future Next-Gen needs. Data collection by literature review, assessment of previously completed questionnaires, commissioning of a new questionnaire, and summarization of symposium discussions were studied. Next-Gen endocrine researchers face diminishing grant funding in inflation-adjusted terms. The average age of individuals being awarded their first independent investigator funding has increased to age 45 years. For clinicians, a workforce gap exists between endocrinologists needed and those currently trained. Clinicians in practice are increasingly becoming employees of integrated hospital systems, resulting in greater time spent on nonclinical issues. Workforce data and published reviews identify challenges specifically related to early career women in endocrinology. Strategies to Address Issues: Recommendations encompassed the areas of grant support for research, mentoring, education, templates for career development, specific programs for Next-Gen members by senior colleagues as outlined in the text, networking, team science, and life/work integration. Endocrine societies focusing on Next-Gen members provide a powerful mechanism to support these critical areas. A concerted effort to empower, train, and support the next generation of clinical endocrinologists and endocrine researchers is necessary to ensure the viability and vibrancy of our discipline and to optimize our contributions to improving health outcomes. Collaborative engagement of endocrine societies globally will be necessary to support our next generation moving forward.

  8. "ASTRO 101" Course Materials 2.0: Next Generation Lecture Tutorials and Beyond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slater, Stephanie; Grazier, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    Early efforts to create course materials were often local in scale and were based on "gut instinct," and classroom experience and observation. While subsequent efforts were often based on those same instincts and observations of classrooms, they also incorporated the results of many years of education research. These "second generation" course materials, such as lecture tutorials, relied heavily on research indicating that instructors need to actively engage students in the learning process. While imperfect, these curricular innovations, have provided evidence that research-based materials can be constructed, can easily be disseminated to a broad audience, and can provide measureable improvement in student learning across many settings. In order to improve upon this prior work, next generation materials must build upon the strengths of these innovations while engineering in findings from education research, cognitive science, and instructor feedback. A next wave of materials, including a set of next generation lecture tutorials, have been constructed with attention to the body of research on student motivation, and cognitive load; and they are responsive to our body of knowledge on learning difficulties related to specific content in the domain. From instructor feedback, these materials have been constructed to have broader coverage of the materials typically taught in an ASTRO 101 course, to take less class time, and to be more affordable for students. This next generation of lecture tutorials may serve as a template of the ways in which course materials can be reengineered to respond to current instructor and student needs.

  9. Next generation Zero-Code control system UI

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2017-01-01

    Developing ergonomic user interfaces for control systems is challenging, especially during machine upgrade and commissioning where several small changes may suddenly be required. Zero-code systems, such as *Inspector*, provide agile features for creating and maintaining control system interfaces. More so, these next generation Zero-code systems bring simplicity and uniformity and brake the boundaries between Users and Developers. In this talk we present *Inspector*, a CERN made Zero-code application development system, and we introduce the major differences and advantages of using Zero-code control systems to develop operational UI.

  10. Beamstrahlung spectra in next generation linear colliders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barklow, T.; Chen, P. (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA (United States)); Kozanecki, W. (DAPNIA-SPP, CEN-Saclay (France))

    1992-04-01

    For the next generation of linear colliders, the energy loss due to beamstrahlung during the collision of the e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} beams is expected to substantially influence the effective center-of-mass energy distribution of the colliding particles. In this paper, we first derive analytical formulae for the electron and photon energy spectra under multiple beamstrahlung processes, and for the e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} and {gamma}{gamma} differential luminosities. We then apply our formulation to various classes of 500 GeV e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} linear collider designs currently under study.

  11. Slowing the Next Pandemic: Survey of Community Mitigation Strategies

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    During the next influenza pandemic, it will take time to develop a vaccine and there may be limited medication to treat or prevent illness. To slow the spread of disease, CDC and other public health officials will likely ask Americans to decrease contact with others through altering work schedules, school dismissals and other measures. Researchers recently surveyed the public to see whether people could follow those recommendations and what kind of impact they might have.

  12. Thermal management of next-generation contact-cooled synchrotron x-ray mirrors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khounsary, A.

    1999-10-29

    In the past decade, several third-generation synchrotrons x-ray sources have been constructed and commissioned around the world. Many of the major problems in the development and design of the optical components capable of handling the extremely high heat loads of the generated x-ray beams have been resolved. It is expected, however, that in the next few years even more powerful x-ray beams will be produced at these facilities, for example, by increasing the particle beam current. In this paper, the design of a next generation of synchrotron x-ray mirrors is discussed. The author shows that the design of contact-cooled mirrors capable of handing x-ray beam heat fluxes in excess of 500 W/mm{sup 2} - or more than three times the present level - is well within reach, and the limiting factor is the thermal stress rather then thermally induced slope error.

  13. Proceedings of the international workshop on next-generation linear colliders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riordan, M.

    1988-12-01

    This report contains papers on the next-generation of linear colliders. The particular areas of discussion are: parameters; beam dynamics and wakefields; damping rings and sources; rf power sources; accelerator structures; instrumentation; final focus; and review of beam-beam interaction

  14. C-Arc: A Novel Architecture for Next Generation Context- Aware ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this paper, the common architecture principles of context-aware systems are presented and the crucial contextaware architecture issues to support the next generation context-aware systems which will enable seamless service provisioning in heterogeneous, dynamically varying computing and communication ...

  15. Proceedings of the international workshop on next-generation linear colliders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riordan, M. (ed.)

    1988-12-01

    This report contains papers on the next-generation of linear colliders. The particular areas of discussion are: parameters; beam dynamics and wakefields; damping rings and sources; rf power sources; accelerator structures; instrumentation; final focus; and review of beam-beam interaction.

  16. Tablet—next generation sequence assembly visualization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milne, Iain; Bayer, Micha; Cardle, Linda; Shaw, Paul; Stephen, Gordon; Wright, Frank; Marshall, David

    2010-01-01

    Summary: Tablet is a lightweight, high-performance graphical viewer for next-generation sequence assemblies and alignments. Supporting a range of input assembly formats, Tablet provides high-quality visualizations showing data in packed or stacked views, allowing instant access and navigation to any region of interest, and whole contig overviews and data summaries. Tablet is both multi-core aware and memory efficient, allowing it to handle assemblies containing millions of reads, even on a 32-bit desktop machine. Availability: Tablet is freely available for Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris. Fully bundled installers can be downloaded from http://bioinf.scri.ac.uk/tablet in 32- and 64-bit versions. Contact: tablet@scri.ac.uk PMID:19965881

  17. Modeling the video distribution link in the Next Generation Optical Access Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amaya, F.; Cárdenas, A.; Tafur Monroy, Idelfonso

    2011-01-01

    In this work we present a model for the design and optimization of the video distribution link in the next generation optical access network. We analyze the video distribution performance in a SCM-WDM link, including the noise, the distortion and the fiber optic nonlinearities. Additionally, we...... consider in the model the effect of distributed Raman amplification, used to extent the capacity and the reach of the optical link. In the model, we use the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the purpose to obtain capacity limitations and design constrains of the next generation optical access networks....

  18. Validity of Short and Long Self-Administered Food Frequency Questionnaires in Ranking Dietary Intake in Middle-Aged and Elderly Japanese in the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT) Protocol Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoyama, Yuta; Takachi, Ribeka; Ishihara, Junko; Ishii, Yuri; Sasazuki, Shizuka; Sawada, Norie; Shinozawa, Yurie; Tanaka, Junta; Kato, Erika; Kitamura, Kaori; Nakamura, Kazutoshi; Tsugane, Shoichiro

    2016-01-01

    Background Longitudinal epidemiological studies require both the periodic update of intake information via repeated dietary survey and the minimization of subject burden in responding to questionnaires. We developed a 66-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (short-FFQ) for the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study for the Next Generation (JPHC-NEXT) follow-up survey using major foods from the FFQ developed for the original JPHC Study. For the JPHC-NEXT baseline survey, we used a larger 172-item FFQ (long-FFQ), which was also derived from the JPHC-FFQ. We compared the validity of ranking individuals by levels of dietary consumption by these FFQs among residents of selected JPHC-NEXT study areas. Methods From 2012 to 2013, 240 men and women aged 40–74 years from five areas in the JPHC-NEXT protocol were asked to respond to the long-FFQ and provide 12-day weighed food records (WFR) as reference; 228 also completed the short-FFQ. Spearman’s correlation coefficients (CCs) between estimates from the FFQs and WFR were calculated and corrected for intra-individual variation of the WFR. Results Median CC values for energy and 53 nutrients for the short-FFQ for men and women were 0.46 and 0.44, respectively. Respective values for the long-FFQ were 0.50 and 0.43. Compared with the long-FFQ, cross-classification into exact plus adjacent quintiles with the short-FFQ ranged from 68% to 91% in men and 58% to 85% in women. Conclusions Similar to the long-FFQ, the short-FFQ provided reasonably valid measures for ranking middle-aged and elderly Japanese for many nutrients and food groups. The short-FFQ can be used in follow-up surveys in prospective cohort studies aimed at updating diet rank information. PMID:27064130

  19. Promising Practices: Building the Next Generation of School Leaders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Jennifer Edic; Escalante, Karen; Selva, Ashley

    2017-01-01

    This study applies transformational leadership theory practices to examine the purposeful ways in which principals work to build the next generation of teacher leaders in response to the shortage of K-12 principals. Given the impact principals have on student development and the shortage of those applying for the principalship, the purpose of this…

  20. RED NOISE VERSUS PLANETARY INTERPRETATIONS IN THE MICROLENSING EVENT OGLE-2013-BLG-446

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bachelet, E.; Bramich, D. M.; AlSubai, K. [Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Qatar Foundation, P.O. Box 5825, Doha (Qatar); Han, C. [Department of Physics, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea, Republic of); Greenhill, J. [School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, TAS 7001 (Australia); Street, R. A.; Tsapras, Y. [Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 6740 Cortona Drive, Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117 (United States); Gould, A.; Batista, V. [Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, 140 W. 18th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); D’Ago, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica “E.R. Caianiello,” Università di Salerno, Via Ponte Don Melillo, I-84084-Fisciano (Italy); Dominik, M.; Jaimes, R. Figuera; Horne, K.; Hundertmark, M. [SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Kains, N. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany); Snodgrass, C. [Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, D-37077 Gttingen (Germany); Steele, I. A. [Astrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool CH41 1LD (United Kingdom); Albrow, M. D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8020 (New Zealand); Beaulieu, J.-P. [UPMC-CNRS, UMR 7095, Institut dAstrophysique de Paris, 98bis boulevard Arago, F-75014 Paris (France); Bennett, D. P., E-mail: c.botzler@auckland.ac.nz, E-mail: p.yock@auckland.ac.nz, E-mail: bennett@nd.edu, E-mail: abe@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp, E-mail: furusawa@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp, E-mail: itow@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, 225 Nieuwland Science Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Collaboration: RoboNet collaboration; PLANET collaboration; μFUN collaboration; MOA collaboration; MiNDSTEp collaboration; and others

    2015-10-20

    For all exoplanet candidates, the reliability of a claimed detection needs to be assessed through a careful study of systematic errors in the data to minimize the false positives rate. We present a method to investigate such systematics in microlensing data sets using the microlensing event OGLE-2013-BLG-0446 as a case study. The event was observed from multiple sites around the world and its high magnification (A{sub max} ∼ 3000) allowed us to investigate the effects of terrestrial and annual parallax. Real-time modeling of the event while it was still ongoing suggested the presence of an extremely low-mass companion (∼3M{sub ⨁}) to the lensing star, leading to substantial follow-up coverage of the light curve. We test and compare different models for the light curve and conclude that the data do not favor the planetary interpretation when systematic errors are taken into account.

  1. Safety reviews of next-generation light-water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kudrick, J.A.; Wilson, J.N.

    1997-01-01

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing three applications for design certification under its new licensing process. The U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) and System 80+ designs have received final design approvals. The AP600 design review is continuing. The goals of design certification are to achieve early resolution of safety issues and to provide a more stable and predictable licensing process. NRC also reviewed the Utility Requirements Document (URD) of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and determined that its guidance does not conflict with NRC requirements. This review led to the identification and resolution of many generic safety issues. The NRC determined that next-generation reactor designs should achieve a higher level of safety for selected technical and severe accident issues. Accordingly, NRC developed new review standards for these designs based on (1) operating experience, including the accident at Three Mile Island, Unit 2; (2) the results of probabilistic risk assessments of current and next-generation reactor designs; (3) early efforts on severe accident rulemaking; and (4) research conducted to address previously identified generic safety issues. The additional standards were used during the individual design reviews and the resolutions are documented in the design certification rules. 12 refs

  2. Standardization and quality management in next-generation sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endrullat, Christoph; Glökler, Jörn; Franke, Philipp; Frohme, Marcus

    2016-09-01

    DNA sequencing continues to evolve quickly even after > 30 years. Many new platforms suddenly appeared and former established systems have vanished in almost the same manner. Since establishment of next-generation sequencing devices, this progress gains momentum due to the continually growing demand for higher throughput, lower costs and better quality of data. In consequence of this rapid development, standardized procedures and data formats as well as comprehensive quality management considerations are still scarce. Here, we listed and summarized current standardization efforts and quality management initiatives from companies, organizations and societies in form of published studies and ongoing projects. These comprise on the one hand quality documentation issues like technical notes, accreditation checklists and guidelines for validation of sequencing workflows. On the other hand, general standard proposals and quality metrics are developed and applied to the sequencing workflow steps with the main focus on upstream processes. Finally, certain standard developments for downstream pipeline data handling, processing and storage are discussed in brief. These standardization approaches represent a first basis for continuing work in order to prospectively implement next-generation sequencing in important areas such as clinical diagnostics, where reliable results and fast processing is crucial. Additionally, these efforts will exert a decisive influence on traceability and reproducibility of sequence data.

  3. Towards Next Generation Internet Management:CNGI-CERNET2EXPERIENCES

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jia-Hai Yang; Hui Zhang; Jin-Xiang Zhang; Chang-Qing An

    2009-01-01

    Manageability is an important feature of next generation Internet; management and monitoring of IPv6-based networks are proving a big challenge. While leveraging current IPv4-based SNMP management scheme to IPv6 networks'management need is necessary, it is more urgent to coin a new network management architecture to accommodate the scalability and extensibility requirements of next generation Internet management. The paper proposes a novel network management architecture, IMN (Internet Management Network), which creates an overlay network of management nodes.While each management node can perform management tasks autonomously and independently, it can finish more sophis-ticated management tasks by collaboratively invoking management operations or sharing information provided by other management nodes. P2P-based communication services are introduced in IMN to enable such collaboration. The paper presents a prototyping implementation based on the Web service related technology, as well as some of the key technologies,especially solutions to those issues arising from the management practice of CERNET2. Experiences of deployment of CERNET2 operation and lessons learned from the management practice are discussed.

  4. Next-Generation Beneficial Microbes: The Case of Akkermansia muciniphila

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrice D. Cani

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Metabolic disorders associated with obesity and cardiometabolic disorders are worldwide epidemic. Among the different environmental factors, the gut microbiota is now considered as a key player interfering with energy metabolism and host susceptibility to several non-communicable diseases. Among the next-generation beneficial microbes that have been identified, Akkermansia muciniphila is a promising candidate. Indeed, A. muciniphila is inversely associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiometabolic diseases and low-grade inflammation. Besides the numerous correlations observed, a large body of evidence has demonstrated the causal beneficial impact of this bacterium in a variety of preclinical models. Translating these exciting observations to human would be the next logic step and it now appears that several obstacles that would prevent the use of A. muciniphila administration in humans have been overcome. Moreover, several lines of evidence indicate that pasteurization of A. muciniphila not only increases its stability but more importantly increases its efficacy. This strongly positions A. muciniphila in the forefront of next-generation candidates for developing novel food or pharma supplements with beneficial effects. Finally, a specific protein present on the outer membrane of A. muciniphila, termed Amuc_1100, could be strong candidate for future drug development. In conclusion, as plants and its related knowledge, known as pharmacognosy, have been the source for designing drugs over the last century, we propose that microbes and microbiomegnosy, or knowledge of our gut microbiome, can become a novel source of future therapies.

  5. Next-Generation Ultra-Compact Stowage/Lightweight Solar Array System, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Deployable Space Systems, Inc. (DSS) has developed a next-generation high performance solar array system that has game-changing performance metrics in terms of...

  6. The Dynamic Pricing of Next Generation Consumer Durables

    OpenAIRE

    Barry L. Bayus

    1992-01-01

    Learning curve effects, aspects of consumer demand models (e.g., reservation price distributions, intertemporal utility maximizing behavior), and competitive activity are reasons which have been offered to explain why prices of new durables decline over time. This paper presents an alternative rationale based on the buying behavior for products with overlapping replacement cycles (i.e., next generation products). A model for consumer sales of a new durable is developed by incorporating the re...

  7. On reactor type comparisons for the next generation of reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alesso, H.P.; Majumdar, K.C.

    1991-01-01

    In this paper, we present a broad comparison of studies for a selected set of parameters for different nuclear reactor types including the next generation. This serves as an overview of key parameters which provide a semi-quantitative decision basis for selecting nuclear strategies. Out of a number of advanced reactor designs of the LWR type, gas cooled type, and FBR type, currently on the drawing board, the Advanced Light Water Reactors (ALWR) seem to have some edge over other types of the next generation of reactors for the near-term application. This is based on a number of attributes related to the benefit of the vast operating experience with LWRs coupled with an estimated low risk profile, economics of scale, degree of utilization of passive systems, simplification in the plant design and layout, modular fabrication and manufacturing. 32 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

  8. R&D, Marketing, and the Success of Next-Generation Products

    OpenAIRE

    Elie Ofek; Miklos Sarvary

    2003-01-01

    This paper studies dynamic competition in markets characterized by the introduction of technologically advanced next-generation products. Firms invest in new product effort in an attempt to attain industry leadership, thus securing high profits and benefiting from advantages relevant for the success of future product generations. The analysis reveals that when the current leader possesses higher research and development (R&D) competence, it tends to investin R&D than rivals and to retain its ...

  9. Microlensing events by Proxima Centauri in 2014 and 2016: Opportunities for mass determination and possible planet detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sahu, Kailash C.; Bond, Howard E.; Anderson, Jay [Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States); Dominik, Martin, E-mail: ksahu@stsci.edu, E-mail: jayander@stsci.edu, E-mail: heb11@psu.edu, E-mail: md35@st-andrews.ac.uk [SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY16 9SS (United Kingdom)

    2014-02-20

    We have found that Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, will pass close to a pair of faint background stars in the next few years. Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images obtained in 2012 October, we determine that the passage close to a mag 20 star will occur in 2014 October (impact parameter 1.''6), and to a mag 19.5 star in 2016 February (impact parameter 0.''5). As Proxima passes in front of these stars, the relativistic deflection of light will cause shifts in the positions of the background stars of ∼0.5 and 1.5 mas, respectively, readily detectable by HST imaging, and possibly by Gaia and ground-based facilities such as the Very Large Telescope. Measurement of these astrometric shifts offers a unique and direct method to measure the mass of Proxima. Moreover, if Proxima has a planetary system, the planets may be detectable through their additional microlensing signals, although the probability of such detections is small. With astrometric accuracies of 0.03 mas (achievable with HST spatial scanning), centroid shifts caused by Jovian planets are detectable at separations of up to 2.''0 (corresponding to 2.6 AU at the distance of Proxima), and centroid shifts by Earth-mass planets are detectable within a small band of 8 mas (corresponding to 0.01 AU) around the source trajectories. Jovian planets within a band of about 28 mas (corresponding to 0.036 AU) around the source trajectories would produce a brightening of the source by >0.01 mag and could hence be detectable. Estimated timescales of the astrometric and photometric microlensing events due to a planet range from a few hours to a few days, and both methods would provide direct measurements of the planetary mass.

  10. Screening for SNPs with Allele-Specific Methylation based on Next-Generation Sequencing Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Bo; Ji, Yuan; Xu, Yaomin; Ting, Angela H

    2013-05-01

    Allele-specific methylation (ASM) has long been studied but mainly documented in the context of genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation. Taking advantage of the next-generation sequencing technology, we conduct a high-throughput sequencing experiment with four prostate cell lines to survey the whole genome and identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with ASM. A Bayesian approach is proposed to model the counts of short reads for each SNP conditional on its genotypes of multiple subjects, leading to a posterior probability of ASM. We flag SNPs with high posterior probabilities of ASM by accounting for multiple comparisons based on posterior false discovery rates. Applying the Bayesian approach to the in-house prostate cell line data, we identify 269 SNPs as candidates of ASM. A simulation study is carried out to demonstrate the quantitative performance of the proposed approach.

  11. Next-Generation Sequencing in Neuropathologic Diagnosis of Infections of the Nervous System (Open Access)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-13

    nervous system ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the feasibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) microbiome ap- proaches in the diagnosis of infectious...V, van Doorn HR, Nghia HD, et al. Identification of a new cyclovirus in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute central nervous system infections...Kumar, et al. system Next-generation sequencing in neuropathologic diagnosis of infections of the nervous This information is current as of June 13

  12. Conceptual design of next generation MTR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagata, Hiroshi; Yamaura, Takayuki; Naka, Michihiro; Kawamata, Kazuo; Izumo, Hironobu; Hori, Naohiko; Nagao, Yoshiharu; Kusunoki, Tsuyoshi; Kaminaga, Masanori; Komori, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Masahide; Kawamura, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Oarai Research and Development Center, Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan); Mine, M [Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd., Hitachi, Ibaraki (Japan); Yamazaki, S [Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kobe, Hyogo (Japan); Ishikawa, S [NGK Insulators, Ltd., Nagoya, Aichi (Japan); Miura, K [Sukegawa Electric Co., Ltd., Takahagi, Ibaraki (Japan); Nakashima, S [Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Yamaguchi, K [Chiyoda Technol Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

    2012-03-15

    Conceptual design of the high-performance and low-cost next generation materials testing reactor (MTR) which will be expected to construct in the nuclear power plant introduction countries, started from 2010 in JAEA and nuclear-related companies in Japan. The aims of this conceptual design are to achieve highly safe reactor, economical design, high availability factor and advanced irradiation utilization. One of the basic reactor concept was determined as swimming pool type, thermal power of 10MW and water cooled and moderated reactor with plate type fuel element same as the JMTR. It is expected that the research reactors are used for human resource development, progress of the science and technology, expansion of industry use, lifetime extension of LWRs and so on. (author)

  13. New long-range speed record with next-generation internet

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    "Scientists at CERN and the California Institute of Technology have set a new Internet2 land speed record using the next-generation Internet protocol IPv6. The team sustained a single stream Transfer Control Protocol (TCP) rate of 983 megabits per second for more than one hour between CERN and Chicago, a distance of more than 7,000 kilometres" (1 page).

  14. The construction of next-generation matrices for compartmental epidemic models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diekmann, O.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/071896856; Heesterbeek, J.A.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073321427; Roberts, M.G.

    2010-01-01

    The basic reproduction number R0 is arguably the most important quantity in infectious disease epidemiology. The next-generation matrix (NGM) is the natural basis for the definition and calculation of R0 where finitely many different categories of individuals are recognized. We clear up confusion

  15. Impact of ectopic pregnancy for reproductive prognosis in next generation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kårhus, Line Lund; Egerup, Pia; Skovlund, Charlotte Wessel

    2014-01-01

    The impact of an ectopic pregnancy in the next generation is unknown. Our aim was to compare reproductive outcomes in daughters of women with and without ectopic pregnancy. Designed as a historical prospective controlled cohort study with data collected in four Danish registries from 1977-2009, w...

  16. Statistical analysis of next generation sequencing data

    CERN Document Server

    Nettleton, Dan

    2014-01-01

    Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is the latest high throughput technology to revolutionize genomic research. NGS generates massive genomic datasets that play a key role in the big data phenomenon that surrounds us today. To extract signals from high-dimensional NGS data and make valid statistical inferences and predictions, novel data analytic and statistical techniques are needed. This book contains 20 chapters written by prominent statisticians working with NGS data. The topics range from basic preprocessing and analysis with NGS data to more complex genomic applications such as copy number variation and isoform expression detection. Research statisticians who want to learn about this growing and exciting area will find this book useful. In addition, many chapters from this book could be included in graduate-level classes in statistical bioinformatics for training future biostatisticians who will be expected to deal with genomic data in basic biomedical research, genomic clinical trials and personalized med...

  17. INL Human Resource Development and the Next-Generation Safeguards Initiative

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gouveia, Fernando; Metcalf, Richard Royce Madison

    2010-07-01

    It is the stated goal of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) to promote the development of a strengthened nuclear safeguards base, one with the potential to advance the secure and peaceful implementation of nuclear energy world-wide. To meet this goal, the initiative, among other things, has sought to develop a revitalized effort to ensure the continued availability of next generation safeguards professionals. Accordingly, this paper serves to outline the human capital building strategies taken by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in line with the NGSI. Various components are presented in detail, including INL’s efforts directed at university outreach, in particular the laboratory’s summer internship program, along with the development of various innovative training programs and long-term oriented strategies for student professional development. Special highlights include a video training series, developed by INL in cooperation with LLNL and other laboratories, which sought to expose students and entry-level professionals to the concept and practice of international nuclear safeguards.

  18. Next Generation Workload Management and Analysis System for Big Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De, Kaushik [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States)

    2017-04-24

    We report on the activities and accomplishments of a four-year project (a three-year grant followed by a one-year no cost extension) to develop a next generation workload management system for Big Data. The new system is based on the highly successful PanDA software developed for High Energy Physics (HEP) in 2005. PanDA is used by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the AMS experiment at the space station. The program of work described here was carried out by two teams of developers working collaboratively at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). These teams worked closely with the original PanDA team – for the sake of clarity the work of the next generation team will be referred to as the BigPanDA project. Their work has led to the adoption of BigPanDA by the COMPASS experiment at CERN, and many other experiments and science projects worldwide.

  19. MASS MEASUREMENTS OF ISOLATED OBJECTS FROM SPACE-BASED MICROLENSING

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Wei; Novati, S. Calchi; Gould, A.

    2016-01-01

    lies behind the same amount of dust as the Bulge red clump, we find the lens is a 45 ± 7 {M}{{J}} BD at 5.9 ± 1.0 kpc. The lens of of the second event, OGLE-2015-BLG-0763, is a 0.50 ± 0.04 {M}⊙ star at 6.9 ± 1.0 kpc. We show that the probability to definitively measure the mass of isolated microlenses...... is dramatically increased once simultaneous ground- and space-based observations are conducted....

  20. Designing Fresnel microlenses for focusing astigmatic multi-Gaussian beams by using fractional order Fourier transforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patino, A; Durand, P-E; Fogret, E; Pellat-Finet, P

    2011-01-01

    According to a scalar theory of diffraction, light propagation can be expressed by two-dimensional fractional order Fourier transforms. Since the fractional Fourier transform of a chirp function is a Dirac distribution, focusing a light beam is optically achieved by using a diffractive screen whose transmission function is a two-dimensional chirp function. This property is applied to designing Fresnel microlenses, and the orders of the involved Fourier fractional transforms depend on diffraction distances as well as on emitter and receiver radii of curvature. If the emitter is astigmatic (with two principal radii of curvature), the diffraction phenomenon involves two one-dimensional fractional Fourier transforms whose orders are different. This degree of freedom allows us to design microlenses that can focus astigmatic Gaussian beams, as produced by a line-shaped laser diode source.

  1. Spitzer Opens New Path to Break Classic Degeneracy for Jupiter-mass Microlensing Planet OGLE-2017-BLG-1140Lb

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calchi Novati, S.; Skowron, J.; Jung, Y. K.; Beichman, C.; Bryden, G.; Carey, S.; Gaudi, B. S.; Henderson, C. B.; Shvartzvald, Y.; Yee, J. C.; Zhu, W.; Spitzer Team; Udalski, A.; Szymański, M. K.; Mróz, P.; Poleski, R.; Soszyński, I.; Kozłowski, S.; Pietrukowicz, P.; Ulaczyk, K.; Pawlak, M.; Rybicki, K.; Iwanek, P.; OGLE Collaboration; Albrow, M. D.; Chung, S.-J.; Gould, A.; Han, C.; Hwang, K.-H.; Ryu, Y.-H.; Shin, I.-G.; Zang, W.; Cha, S.-M.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, H.-W.; Kim, S.-L.; Lee, C.-U.; Lee, D.-J.; Lee, Y.; Park, B.-G.; Pogge, R. W.; KMTNet Collaboration

    2018-06-01

    We analyze the combined Spitzer and ground-based data for OGLE-2017-BLG-1140 and show that the event was generated by a Jupiter-class ({m}p≃ 1.6 {M}{{J}{{u}}{{p}}}) planet orbiting a mid-late M dwarf (M≃ 0.2 {M}ȯ ) that lies {D}LS}≃ 1.0 {kpc} in the foreground of the microlensed Galactic-bar source star. The planet–host projected separation is {a}\\perp ≃ 1.0 {au}, i.e., well beyond the snow line. By measuring the source proper motion {{\\boldsymbol{μ }}}s from ongoing long-term OGLE imaging and combining this with the lens-source relative proper motion {{\\boldsymbol{μ }}}rel} derived from the microlensing solution, we show that the lens proper motion {{\\boldsymbol{μ }}}l={{\\boldsymbol{μ }}}rel}+{{\\boldsymbol{μ }}}s is consistent with the lens lying in the Galactic disk, although a bulge lens is not ruled out. We show that while the Spitzer and ground-based data are comparably well fitted by planetary (i.e., binary-lens (2L1S)) and binary-source (1L2S) models, the combination of Spitzer and ground-based data decisively favors the planetary model. This is a new channel to resolve the 2L1S/1L2S degeneracy, which can be difficult to break in some cases.

  2. Addressing Three Common Myths about the Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huff, Kenneth L.

    2016-01-01

    Although the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) were released over two years ago, misconceptions about what they are--and are not--persist. The "NGSS" provide for consistent science education opportunities for all students--regardless of demographics--with a level of rigor expected in every location and…

  3. SNAP: Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe Concept

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayanagi, K. M.; Dillman, R. A.; Atkinson, D. H.; Li, J.; Saikia, S.; Simon, A. A.; Spilker, T. R.; Wong, M. H.; Hope, D.

    2017-12-01

    We present a concept for a small, atmospheric probe that could be flexibly added to future missions that orbit or fly-by a giant planet as a secondary payload, which we call the Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP). SNAP's main scientific objectives are to determine the vertical distribution of clouds and cloud-forming chemical species, thermal stratification, and wind speed as a function of depth. As a case study, we present the advantages, cost and risk of adding SNAP to the future Uranus Orbiter and Probe flagship mission; in combination with the mission's main probe, SNAP would perform atmospheric in-situ measurements at a second location, and thus enable and enhance the scientific objectives recommended by the 2013 Planetary Science Decadal Survey and the 2014 NASA Science Plan to determine atmospheric spatial variabilities. We envision that the science objectives can be achieved with a 30-kg entry probe 0.5m in diameter (less than half the size of the Galileo probe) that reaches 5-bar pressure-altitude and returns data to Earth via the carrier spacecraft. As the baseline instruments, the probe will carry an Atmospheric Structure Instrument (ASI) that measures the temperature, pressure and acceleration, a carbon nanotube-based NanoChem atmospheric composition sensor, and an Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO) to conduct a Doppler Wind Experiment (DWE). We also catalog promising technologies currently under development that will strengthen small atmospheric entry probe missions in the future. While SNAP is applicable to multiple planets, we examine the feasibility, benefits and impacts of adding SNAP to the Uranus Orbiter and Probe flagship mission. Our project is supported by NASA PSDS3 grant NNX17AK31G.

  4. Compact 2100 nm laser diode module for next-generation DIRCM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dvinelis, Edgaras; Greibus, Mindaugas; TrinkÅ«nas, Augustinas; NaujokaitÄ--, Greta; Vizbaras, Augustinas; Vizbaras, Dominykas; Vizbaras, Kristijonas

    2017-10-01

    Compact high-power 2100 nm laser diode module for next-generation directional infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) systems is presented. Next-generation DIRCM systems require compact, light-weight and robust laser modules which could provide intense IR light emission capable of disrupting the tracking sensor of heat-seeking missile. Currently used solid-state and fiber laser solutions for mid-IR band are bulky and heavy making them difficult to implement in smaller form-factor DIRCM systems. Recent development of GaSb laser diode technology greatly improved optical output powers and efficiencies of laser diodes working in 1900 - 2450 nm band [1] while also maintaining very attractive size, weight, power consumption and cost characteristics. 2100 nm laser diode module presented in this work performance is based on high-efficiency broad emitting area GaSb laser diode technology. Each laser diode emitter is able to provide 1 W of CW output optical power with working point efficiency up to 20% at temperature of 20 °C. For output beam collimation custom designed fast-axis collimator and slow-axis collimator lenses were used. These lenses were actively aligned and attached using UV epoxy curing. Total 2 emitters stacked vertically were used in 2100 nm laser diode module. Final optical output power of the module goes up to 2 W at temperature of 20 °C. Total dimensions of the laser diode module are 35 x 25 x 16 mm (L x W x H) with a weight of 28 grams. Finally output beam is bore-sighted to mechanical axes of the module housing allowing for easy integration into next-generation DIRCM systems.

  5. Next-generation genome-scale models for metabolic engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    King, Zachary A.; Lloyd, Colton J.; Feist, Adam M.

    2015-01-01

    Constraint-based reconstruction and analysis (COBRA) methods have become widely used tools for metabolic engineering in both academic and industrial laboratories. By employing a genome-scale in silico representation of the metabolic network of a host organism, COBRA methods can be used to predict...... examples of applying COBRA methods to strain optimization are presented and discussed. Then, an outlook is provided on the next generation of COBRA models and the new types of predictions they will enable for systems metabolic engineering....

  6. Towards next-generation biodiversity assessment using DNA metabarcoding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taberlet, Pierre; Coissac, Eric; Pompanon, Francois

    2012-01-01

    Virtually all empirical ecological studies require species identification during data collection. DNA metabarcoding refers to the automated identification of multiple species from a single bulk sample containing entire organisms or from a single environmental sample containing degraded DNA (soil......, water, faeces, etc.). It can be implemented for both modern and ancient environmental samples. The availability of next-generation sequencing platforms and the ecologists need for high-throughput taxon identification have facilitated the emergence of DNA metabarcoding. The potential power of DNA...

  7. JVM: Java Visual Mapping tool for next generation sequencing read.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ye; Liu, Juan

    2015-01-01

    We developed a program JVM (Java Visual Mapping) for mapping next generation sequencing read to reference sequence. The program is implemented in Java and is designed to deal with millions of short read generated by sequence alignment using the Illumina sequencing technology. It employs seed index strategy and octal encoding operations for sequence alignments. JVM is useful for DNA-Seq, RNA-Seq when dealing with single-end resequencing. JVM is a desktop application, which supports reads capacity from 1 MB to 10 GB.

  8. Development of technology for next generation reactor - Research of evaluation technology for nuclear power plant -

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jong Kyun; Chang, Moon Heuy; Hwang, Yung Dong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)] [and others

    1993-09-01

    For development of next generation reactor, a project for evaluation technology for nuclear power plant is performed. Evaluation technology is essential to next generation reactor for reactor safety and system analysis. For design concept, detailed evaluation technologies are studied as follows: evaluation of safety margin, evaluation of safety facilities, evaluation of measurement and control technology; man-machine interface. Especially for thermal efficiency, thermal properties and chemical composition of inconel 690 tube, instead of inconel 600 tube, are measured for steam generator. (Author).

  9. Genome survey of pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) by next generation sequencing: Development of novel SSR markers and genetic diversity in Pistacia species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziya Motalebipour, Elmira; Kafkas, Salih; Khodaeiaminjan, Mortaza; Çoban, Nergiz; Gözel, Hatice

    2016-12-07

    Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is one of the most important nut crops in the world. There are about 11 wild species in the genus Pistacia, and they have importance as rootstock seed sources for cultivated P. vera and forest trees. Published information on the pistachio genome is limited. Therefore, a genome survey is necessary to obtain knowledge on the genome structure of pistachio by next generation sequencing. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are useful tools for germplasm characterization, genetic diversity analysis, and genetic linkage mapping, and may help to elucidate genetic relationships among pistachio cultivars and species. To explore the genome structure of pistachio, a genome survey was performed using the Illumina platform at approximately 40× coverage depth in the P. vera cv. Siirt. The K-mer analysis indicated that pistachio has a genome that is about 600 Mb in size and is highly heterozygous. The assembly of 26.77 Gb Illumina data produced 27,069 scaffolds at N50 = 3.4 kb with a total of 513.5 Mb. A total of 59,280 SSR motifs were detected with a frequency of 8.67 kb. A total of 206 SSRs were used to characterize 24 P. vera cultivars and 20 wild Pistacia genotypes (four genotypes from each five wild Pistacia species) belonging to P. atlantica, P. integerrima, P. chinenesis, P. terebinthus, and P. lentiscus genotypes. Overall 135 SSR loci amplified in all 44 cultivars and genotypes, 41 were polymorphic in six Pistacia species. The novel SSR loci developed from cultivated pistachio were highly transferable to wild Pistacia species. The results from a genome survey of pistachio suggest that the genome size of pistachio is about 600 Mb with a high heterozygosity rate. This information will help to design whole genome sequencing strategies for pistachio. The newly developed novel polymorphic SSRs in this study may help germplasm characterization, genetic diversity, and genetic linkage mapping studies in the genus Pistacia.

  10. Next Generation Carbon-Nitrogen Dynamics Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, C.; Fisher, R. A.; Vrugt, J. A.; Wullschleger, S. D.; McDowell, N. G.

    2012-12-01

    Nitrogen is a key regulator of vegetation dynamics, soil carbon release, and terrestrial carbon cycles. Thus, to assess energy impacts on the global carbon cycle and future climates, it is critical that we have a mechanism-based and data-calibrated nitrogen model that simulates nitrogen limitation upon both above and belowground carbon dynamics. In this study, we developed a next generation nitrogen-carbon dynamic model within the NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM). This next generation nitrogen-carbon dynamic model utilized 1) a mechanistic model of nitrogen limitation on photosynthesis with nitrogen trade-offs among light absorption, electron transport, carboxylation, respiration and storage; 2) an optimal leaf nitrogen model that links soil nitrogen availability and leaf nitrogen content; and 3) an ecosystem demography (ED) model that simulates the growth and light competition of tree cohorts and is currently coupled to CLM. Our three test cases with changes in CO2 concentration, growing temperature and radiation demonstrate the model's ability to predict the impact of altered environmental conditions on nitrogen allocations. Currently, we are testing the model against different datasets including soil fertilization and Free Air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments across different forest types. We expect that our calibrated model will considerably improve our understanding and predictability of vegetation-climate interactions.itrogen allocation model evaluations. The figure shows the scatter plots of predicted and measured Vc,max and Jmax scaled to 25 oC (i.e.,Vc,max25 and Jmax25) at elevated CO2 (570 ppm, test case one), reduced radiation in canopy (0.1-0.9 of the radiation at the top of canopy, test case two) and reduced growing temperature (15oC, test case three). The model is first calibrated using control data under ambient CO2 (370 ppm), radiation at the top of the canopy (621 μmol photon/m2/s), the normal growing temperature (30oC). The fitted model

  11. Nuclear Knowledge to the Next Generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazour, Thomas; Kossilov, Andrei

    2004-01-01

    The safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) requires that personnel possess and maintain the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes to do their jobs properly. Such knowledge includes not only the technical competencies required by the nature of the technology and particular engineering designs, but also the softer competencies associated with effective management, communication and teamwork. Recent studies have shown that there has been a loss of corporate knowledge and memory. Both explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge must be passed on to the next generation of workers in the industry to ensure a quality workforce. New and different techniques may be required to ensure timely and effective knowledge retention and transfer. The IAEA prepared a report on this subject. The main conclusions from the report regarding strategies for managing the aging workforce are included. Also included are main conclusions from the report regarding the capture an d preservation of mission critical knowledge, and the effective transfer of this knowledge to the next generation of NPP personnel. The nuclear industry due to its need for well-documented procedures, specifications, design basis, safety analyses, etc., has a greater fraction of its mission critical knowledge as explicit knowledge than do many other industries. This facilitates the task of knowledge transfer. For older plants in particular, there may be a need for additional efforts to transfer tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge to support major strategic initiatives such as plant license extensions/renewals, periodic safety reviews, major plant upgrades, and plant specific control room simulator development. The challenge in disseminating explicit knowledge is to make employees aware that it is available and provide easy access in formats and forms that are usable. Tacit knowledge is more difficult to identify and disseminate. The challenge is to identify what can be converted to

  12. Using Digital Watermarking for Securing Next Generation Media Broadcasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birk, Dominik; Gaines, Seán

    The Internet presents a problem for the protection of intellectual property. Those who create content must be adequately compensated for the use of their works. Rights agencies who monitor the use of these works exist in many jurisdictions. In the traditional broadcast environment this monitoring is a difficult task. With Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and Next Generation Networks (NGN) this situation is further complicated.

  13. High Throughput Line-of-Sight MIMO Systems for Next Generation Backhaul Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaohang; Cvetkovski, Darko; Hälsig, Tim; Rave, Wolfgang; Fettweis, Gerhard; Grass, Eckhard; Lankl, Berthold

    2017-09-01

    The evolution to ultra-dense next generation networks requires a massive increase in throughput and deployment flexibility. Therefore, novel wireless backhaul solutions that can support these demands are needed. In this work we present an approach for a millimeter wave line-of-sight MIMO backhaul design, targeting transmission rates in the order of 100 Gbit/s. We provide theoretical foundations for the concept showcasing its potential, which are confirmed through channel measurements. Furthermore, we provide insights into the system design with respect to antenna array setup, baseband processing, synchronization, and channel equalization. Implementation in a 60 GHz demonstrator setup proves the feasibility of the system concept for high throughput backhauling in next generation networks.

  14. Genetic counselors’ (GC) knowledge, awareness, and understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boland, PM; Ruth, K; Matro, JM; Rainey, KL; Fang, CY; Wong, YN; Daly, MB; Hall, MJ

    2014-01-01

    Genomic tests are increasingly complex, less expensive, and more widely available with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS). We assessed knowledge and perceptions among genetic counselors pertaining to NGS genomic testing via an online survey. Associations between selected characteristics and perceptions were examined. Recent education on NGS testing was common, but practical experience limited. Perceived understanding of clinical NGS was modest, specifically concerning tumor testing. Greater perceived understanding of clinical NGS testing correlated with more time spent in cancer-related counseling, exposure to NGS testing, and NGS-focused education. Substantial disagreement about the role of counseling for tumor-based testing was seen. Finally, a majority of counselors agreed with the need for more education about clinical NGS testing, supporting this approach to optimizing implementation. PMID:25523111

  15. About microlensing optical depth and rates for free-floating planets towards the Kepler's field of view

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hafizi, M; Hamolli, L

    2012-01-01

    In this work we examine the possibility of observing microlensing events in the Kepler space observatory field of view, caused by brown dwarfs or free-floating planets. We calculate the optical depth towards the field of view of the Kepler satellite and the rate of these events based on latest results about mass distribution of astrophysical objects from brown dwarf down to Earth mass order. With the current data, the probability of such events is insignificant, due to the small number of stars observed by this instrument compared to other experiments devoted to the microlensing method. Nevertheless, this probability may increase significantly in the case of a higher presence of free-floating planets, whose number is poorly defined so far.

  16. Generation After Next Propulsor Research: Robust Design for Embedded Engine Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arend, David J.; Tillman, Gregory; O'Brien, Walter F.

    2012-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United Technologies Research Center and Virginia Polytechnic and State University have contracted to pursue multi-disciplinary research into boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsors for generation after next environmentally responsible subsonic fixed wing aircraft. This Robust Design for Embedded Engine Systems project first conducted a high-level vehicle system study based on a large commercial transport class hybrid wing body aircraft, which determined that a 3 to 5 percent reduction in fuel burn could be achieved over a 7,500 nanometer mission. Both pylon-mounted baseline and BLI propulsion systems were based on a low-pressure-ratio fan (1.35) in an ultra-high-bypass ratio engine (16), consistent with the next generation of advanced commercial turbofans. An optimized, coupled BLI inlet and fan system was subsequently designed to achieve performance targets identified in the system study. The resulting system possesses an inlet with total pressure losses less than 0.5%, and a fan stage with an efficiency debit of less than 1.5 percent relative to the pylon-mounted, clean-inflow baseline. The subject research project has identified tools and methodologies necessary for the design of next-generation, highly-airframe-integrated propulsion systems. These tools will be validated in future large-scale testing of the BLI inlet / fan system in NASA's 8 foot x 6 foot transonic wind tunnel. In addition, fan unsteady response to screen-generated total pressure distortion is being characterized experimentally in a JT15D engine test rig. These data will document engine sensitivities to distortion magnitude and spatial distribution, providing early insight into key physical processes that will control BLI propulsor design.

  17. Looking ahead to our next generation of nurse leaders: Generation X Nurse Managers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keys, Yolanda

    2014-01-01

    The present inquiry identifies elements of professional success, and personal and professional fulfilment as defined by Generation X Nurse Managers. Although work concerning Nurse Manager preparation has been documented, there is a paucity of research specific to the generation of nurses next in line to assume leadership roles. For the purposes of this study, a qualitative approach was used to develop insight regarding Generation X Nurse Managers and their perspectives on professional success, personal and professional fulfilment, and organisational environments that are conducive to loyalty and long-term professional commitment. Findings from this study reinforced those identified in the original study in that inflexible organisational cultures, a lack of opportunities for upward mobility, the need to be available at all times, feeling stereotyped or undervalued can all be barriers to members of Generation X perceptions of professional success and professional and personal fulfilment. Study findings suggest that Generation X Nurse Managers would benefit from initiatives focused on better preparation for the Nurse Manager role, openness to innovative scheduling alternatives and tailored support and feedback. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Fetal Kidney Anomalies: Next Generation Sequencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Maria; Sunde, Lone; Nielsen, Marlene Louise

    Aim and Introduction Identification of abnormal kidneys in the fetus may lead to termination of the pregnancy and raises questions about the underlying cause and recurrence risk in future pregnancies. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of targeted next generation sequencing in fetuses...... with prenatally detected kidney anomalies in order to uncover genetic explanations and assess recurrence risk. Also, we aim to study the relation between genetic findings and post mortem kidney histology. Methods The study comprises fetuses diagnosed prenatally with bilateral kidney anomalies that have undergone...... postmortem examination. The approximately 110 genes included in the targeted panel were chosen on the basis of their potential involvement in embryonic kidney development, cystic kidney disease, or the renin-angiotensin system. DNA was extracted from fetal tissue samples or cultured chorion villus cells...

  19. Next Generation Nuclear Plant System Requirements Manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Not Listed

    2008-01-01

    System Requirements Manual for the NGNP Project. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (H.R. 6; EPAct), which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in August 2005, required the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a project to be known as the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project. According to the EPAct, the NGNP Project shall consist of the research, development, design, construction, and operation of a prototype plant (to be referred to herein as the NGNP) that (1) includes a nuclear reactor based on the research and development (R and D) activities supported by the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems initiative, and (2) shall be used to generate electricity, to produce hydrogen, or to both generate electricity and produce hydrogen. The NGNP Project supports both the national need to develop safe, clean, economical nuclear energy and the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative (NHI), which has the goal of establishing greenhouse-gas-free technologies for the production of hydrogen. The DOE has selected the helium-cooled High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) as the reactor concept to be used for the NGNP because it is the only near-term Generation IV concept that has the capability to provide process heat at high-enough temperatures for highly efficient production of hydrogen. The EPAct also names the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the DOE's lead national laboratory for nuclear energy research, as the site for the prototype NGNP

  20. The First Simultaneous Microlensing Observations by Two Space Telescopes: Spitzer and Swift Reveal a Brown Dwarf in Event OGLE-2015-BLG-1319

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shvartzvald, Y.; Li, Z.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Sumi, T.; Street, R. A.; Calchi Novati, S.; Hundertmark, M.; Bozza, V.; Beichman, C.; hide

    2016-01-01

    Simultaneous observations of microlensing events from multiple locations allow for the breaking of degeneracies between the physical properties of the lensing system, specifically by exploring different regions of the lens plane and by directly measuring the "microlens parallax". We report the discovery of a 30-65M J brown dwarf orbiting a K dwarf in the microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1319. The system is located at a distance of approximately 5 kpc toward the Galactic Bulge. The event was observed by several ground-based groups as well as by Spitzer and Swift, allowing a measurement of the physical properties. However, the event is still subject to an eight-fold degeneracy, in particular the well-known close-wide degeneracy, and thus the projected separation between the two lens components is either approximately 0.25 au or approximately 45 au. This is the first microlensing event observed by Swift, with the UVOT camera. We study the region of microlensing parameter space to which Swift is sensitive, finding that though Swift could not measure the microlens parallax with respect to ground-based observations for this event, it can be important for other events. Specifically, it is important for detecting nearby brown dwarfs and free-floating planets in high magnification events.

  1. NextGEOSS: The Next Generation Data Hub For Earth Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lilja Bye, Bente; De Lathouwer, Bart; Catarino, Nuno; Concalves, Pedro; Trijssenaar, Nicky; Grosso, Nuno; Meyer-Arnek, Julian; Goor, Erwin

    2017-04-01

    The Group on Earth observation embarked on the next 10 year phase with an ambition to streamline and further develop its achievements in building the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). The NextGEOSS project evolves the European vision of GEOSS data exploitation for innovation and business, relying on the three main pillars of engaging communities, delivering technological developments and advocating the use of GEOSS, in order to support the creation and deployment of Earth observation based innovative research activities and commercial services. In this presentation we will present the NextGEOSS concept, a concept that revolves around providing the data and resources to the users communities, together with Cloud resources, seamlessly connected to provide an integrated ecosystem for supporting applications. A central component of NextGEOSS is the strong emphasis put on engaging the communities of providers and users, and bridging the space in between.

  2. Super- and Transcritical Fluid Expansions for Next-Generation Energy Conversion Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harinck, J.

    2010-01-01

    The next generation of thermodynamic power cycles offers great potential as the conceptual basis for sustainable energy converters. Examples are the supercritical and superheated Organic Rankine cycle, the transcritical condensation cycle, the supercritical Brayton cycle, the Organic Stirling cycle

  3. The next generation Virgo cluster survey. VIII. The spatial distribution of globular clusters in the Virgo cluster

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durrell, Patrick R.; Accetta, Katharine [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH 44555 (United States); Côté, Patrick; Blakeslee, John P.; Ferrarese, Laura; McConnachie, Alan; Gwyn, Stephen [Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Research Council, 5071 West Saanich Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7 (Canada); Peng, Eric W.; Zhang, Hongxin [Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Mihos, J. Christopher [Department of Astronomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106 (United States); Puzia, Thomas H.; Jordán, Andrés [Institute of Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Av. Vicu' a Mackenna 4860, Macul 7820436, Santiago (Chile); Lançon, Ariane [Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7550, 11 rue de l' Université, F-67000 Strasbourg (France); Liu, Chengze [Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Cuillandre, Jean-Charles [Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation, Kamuela, HI 96743 (United States); Boissier, Samuel; Boselli, Alessandro [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d' Astrophysique de Marseille) UMR 7326, F-13388 Marseille (France); Courteau, Stéphane [Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queen' s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 (Canada); Duc, Pierre-Alain [AIM Paris Saclay, CNRS/INSU, CEA/Irfu, Université Paris Diderot, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette cedex (France); Emsellem, Eric [Université de Lyon 1, CRAL, Observatoire de Lyon, 9 av. Charles André, F-69230 Saint-Genis Laval (France); CNRS, UMR 5574, ENS de Lyon (France); and others

    2014-10-20

    We report on a large-scale study of the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) throughout the Virgo cluster, based on photometry from the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS), a large imaging survey covering Virgo's primary subclusters (Virgo A = M87 and Virgo B = M49) out to their virial radii. Using the g{sub o}{sup ′}, (g' – i') {sub o} color-magnitude diagram of unresolved and marginally resolved sources within the NGVS, we have constructed two-dimensional maps of the (irregular) GC distribution over 100 deg{sup 2} to a depth of g{sub o}{sup ′} = 24. We present the clearest evidence to date showing the difference in concentration between red and blue GCs over the full extent of the cluster, where the red (more metal-rich) GCs are largely located around the massive early-type galaxies in Virgo, while the blue (metal-poor) GCs have a much more extended spatial distribution with significant populations still present beyond 83' (∼215 kpc) along the major axes of both M49 and M87. A comparison of our GC maps to the diffuse light in the outermost regions of M49 and M87 show remarkable agreement in the shape, ellipticity, and boxiness of both luminous systems. We also find evidence for spatial enhancements of GCs surrounding M87 that may be indicative of recent interactions or an ongoing merger history. We compare the GC map to that of the locations of Virgo galaxies and the X-ray intracluster gas, and find generally good agreement between these various baryonic structures. We calculate the Virgo cluster contains a total population of N {sub GC} = 67, 300 ± 14, 400, of which 35% are located in M87 and M49 alone. For the first time, we compute a cluster-wide specific frequency S {sub N,} {sub CL} = 2.8 ± 0.7, after correcting for Virgo's diffuse light. We also find a GC-to-baryonic mass fraction ε {sub b} = 5.7 ± 1.1 × 10{sup –4} and a GC-to-total cluster mass formation efficiency ε {sub t} = 2.9 ± 0.5 × 10{sup –5

  4. Energy Efficient Glass Melting - The Next Generation Melter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    David Rue

    2008-03-01

    The objective of this project is to demonstrate a high intensity glass melter, based on the submerged combustion melting technology. This melter will serve as the melting and homogenization section of a segmented, lower-capital cost, energy-efficient Next Generation Glass Melting System (NGMS). After this project, the melter will be ready to move toward commercial trials for some glasses needing little refining (fiberglass, etc.). For other glasses, a second project Phase or glass industry research is anticipated to develop the fining stage of the NGMS process.

  5. MiSeq: A Next Generation Sequencing Platform for Genomic Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravi, Rupesh Kanchi; Walton, Kendra; Khosroheidari, Mahdieh

    2018-01-01

    MiSeq, Illumina's integrated next generation sequencing instrument, uses reversible-terminator sequencing-by-synthesis technology to provide end-to-end sequencing solutions. The MiSeq instrument is one of the smallest benchtop sequencers that can perform onboard cluster generation, amplification, genomic DNA sequencing, and data analysis, including base calling, alignment and variant calling, in a single run. It performs both single- and paired-end runs with adjustable read lengths from 1 × 36 base pairs to 2 × 300 base pairs. A single run can produce output data of up to 15 Gb in as little as 4 h of runtime and can output up to 25 M single reads and 50 M paired-end reads. Thus, MiSeq provides an ideal platform for rapid turnaround time. MiSeq is also a cost-effective tool for various analyses focused on targeted gene sequencing (amplicon sequencing and target enrichment), metagenomics, and gene expression studies. For these reasons, MiSeq has become one of the most widely used next generation sequencing platforms. Here, we provide a protocol to prepare libraries for sequencing using the MiSeq instrument and basic guidelines for analysis of output data from the MiSeq sequencing run.

  6. Answers to Teachers' Questions about the Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Workosky, Cindy; Willard, Ted

    2015-01-01

    K-12 teachers of science have been digging into the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") (NGSS Lead States 2013) to begin creating plans and processes for translating them for classroom instruction. As teachers learn about the NGSS, they have asked about the general structure of the standards document and how to read…

  7. The Next Generation of Science Standards: Implications for Biology Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bybee, Rodger W.

    2012-01-01

    The release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) provides the basis for the next generation of science standards. This article first describes that foundation for the life sciences; it then presents a draft standard for natural selection and evolution. Finally, there is a…

  8. Search for brown dwarfs by gravitational microlensing effect with the pixels method. Analysis of AGAPE and EROS collaborations data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melchior, Anne-Laure

    1995-01-01

    This work is involved in baryonic dark matter search in galactic halos. An important collect of observational data has been initiated to test the hypothesis that this dark mass is made of compact objects such as brown dwarfs or small mass stars. The gravitational microlensing effect allows to probe this distribution of this mass type along the line of sight of nearby galaxies such as the Large Magellanic Cloud. A new way to detect these microlensing events has been proposed by P. Baillon et al.: the pixel method. The aim is to detect the amplification of stars which are unresolved or too faint to be seen by classical analysis. First, we present this method and the simulations which allow to establish its feasibility. Then, we describe the pixel analysis of the 91-92 EROS data on the Large Magellanic Cloud. The selection of luminosity variations with a shape compatible with microlensing events allows us to study the sensitivity of this analysis. We see how these results allow us to validate the pixel method applied on a large volume of data. This also shows the possibility to find luminosity variations which escape classical analysis research. Strengthened by these results, we finally describe the analysis of the AGAPE 94 data on the Andromeda galaxy which uses the same pixel method. Being ten times farther away than the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Andromeda galaxy has very few resolved stars, making the pixel method the only way of looking for microlensing events. (author) [fr

  9. Process Improvement for Next Generation Space Flight Vehicles: MSFC Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Housch, Helen

    2008-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the lessons learned from process improvement for Next Generation Space Flight Vehicles. The contents include: 1) Organizational profile; 2) Process Improvement History; 3) Appraisal Preparation; 4) The Appraisal Experience; 5) Useful Tools; and 6) Is CMMI working?

  10. Application of next generation sequencing in clinical microbiology and infection prevention

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deurenberg, Ruud H.; Bathoorn, Erik; Chlebowicz, Monika A.; Couto, Natacha; Ferdous, Mithila; Garcia-Cobos, Silvia; Kooistra-Smid, Anna M. D.; Raangs, Erwin C.; Rosema, Sigrid; Veloo, Alida C. M.; Zhou, Kai; Friedrich, Alexander W.; Rossen, John W. A.

    2017-01-01

    Current molecular diagnostics of human pathogens provide limited information that is often not sufficient for outbreak and transmission investigation. Next generation sequencing (NGS) determines the DNA sequence of a complete bacterial genome in a single sequence run, and from these data,

  11. Towards the next generation of simplified Dark Matter models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert, Andreas; Bauer, Martin; Brooke, Jim; Buchmueller, Oliver; Cerdeño, David G.; Citron, Matthew; Davies, Gavin; de Cosa, Annapaola; De Roeck, Albert; De Simone, Andrea; Du Pree, Tristan; Flaecher, Henning; Fairbairn, Malcolm; Ellis, John; Grohsjean, Alexander; Hahn, Kristian; Haisch, Ulrich; Harris, Philip C.; Khoze, Valentin V.; Landsberg, Greg; McCabe, Christopher; Penning, Bjoern; Sanz, Veronica; Schwanenberger, Christian; Scott, Pat; Wardle, Nicholas

    2017-06-01

    This White Paper is an input to the ongoing discussion about the extension and refinement of simplified Dark Matter (DM) models. It is not intended as a comprehensive review of the discussed subjects, but instead summarises ideas and concepts arising from a brainstorming workshop that can be useful when defining the next generation of simplified DM models (SDMM). In this spirit, based on two concrete examples, we show how existing SDMM can be extended to provide a more accurate and comprehensive framework to interpret and characterise collider searches. In the first example we extend the canonical SDMM with a scalar mediator to include mixing with the Higgs boson. We show that this approach not only provides a better description of the underlying kinematic properties that a complete model would possess, but also offers the option of using this more realistic class of scalar mixing models to compare and combine consistently searches based on different experimental signatures. The second example outlines how a new physics signal observed in a visible channel can be connected to DM by extending a simplified model including effective couplings. In the next part of the White Paper we outline other interesting options for SDMM that could be studied in more detail in the future. Finally, we review important aspects of supersymmetric models for DM and use them to propose how to develop more complete SDMMs. This White Paper is a summary of the brainstorming meeting "Next generation of simplified Dark Matter models" that took place at Imperial College, London on May 6, 2016, and corresponding follow-up studies on selected subjects.

  12. DARC: Next generation decentralized control framework for robot applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjærgaard, Morten; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents DARC, a next generation control framework for robot applications. It is designed to be equally powerful in prototyping research projects and for building serious commercial robots running on low powered embedded hardware, thus closing the gab between research and industry....... It incorporates several new techniques such as a decentralized peer-to-peer architecture, transparent network distribution of the control system, and automatic run-time supervision to guarantee robustness....

  13. Slowing the Next Pandemic: Survey of Community Mitigation Strategies

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2008-04-15

    During the next influenza pandemic, it will take time to develop a vaccine and there may be limited medication to treat or prevent illness. To slow the spread of disease, CDC and other public health officials will likely ask Americans to decrease contact with others through altering work schedules, school dismissals and other measures. Researchers recently surveyed the public to see whether people could follow those recommendations and what kind of impact they might have.  Created: 4/15/2008 by Emerging Infectious Diseases.   Date Released: 4/29/2008.

  14. Bringing Next-Generation Sequencing into the Classroom through a Comparison of Molecular Biology Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowling, Bethany; Zimmer, Erin; Pyatt, Robert E.

    2014-01-01

    Although the development of next-generation (NextGen) sequencing technologies has revolutionized genomic research and medicine, the incorporation of these topics into the classroom is challenging, given an implied high degree of technical complexity. We developed an easy-to-implement, interactive classroom activity investigating the similarities…

  15. Engineered CRISPR Systems for Next Generation Gene Therapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pineda, Michael; Moghadam, Farzaneh; Ebrahimkhani, Mo R; Kiani, Samira

    2017-09-15

    An ideal in vivo gene therapy platform provides safe, reprogrammable, and precise strategies which modulate cell and tissue gene regulatory networks with a high temporal and spatial resolution. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), a bacterial adoptive immune system, and its CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), have gained attention for the ability to target and modify DNA sequences on demand with unprecedented flexibility and precision. The precision and programmability of Cas9 is derived from its complexation with a guide-RNA (gRNA) that is complementary to a desired genomic sequence. CRISPR systems open-up widespread applications including genetic disease modeling, functional screens, and synthetic gene regulation. The plausibility of in vivo genetic engineering using CRISPR has garnered significant traction as a next generation in vivo therapeutic. However, there are hurdles that need to be addressed before CRISPR-based strategies are fully implemented. Some key issues center on the controllability of the CRISPR platform, including minimizing genomic-off target effects and maximizing in vivo gene editing efficiency, in vivo cellular delivery, and spatial-temporal regulation. The modifiable components of CRISPR systems: Cas9 protein, gRNA, delivery platform, and the form of CRISPR system delivered (DNA, RNA, or ribonucleoprotein) have recently been engineered independently to design a better genome engineering toolbox. This review focuses on evaluating CRISPR potential as a next generation in vivo gene therapy platform and discusses bioengineering advancements that can address challenges associated with clinical translation of this emerging technology.

  16. Direct target NOTES: prospective applications for next generation robotic platforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atallah, S; Hodges, A; Larach, S W

    2018-05-01

    A new era in surgical robotics has centered on alternative access to anatomic targets and next generation designs include flexible, single-port systems which follow circuitous rather than straight pathways. Such systems maintain a small footprint and could be utilized for specialized operations based on direct organ target natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), of which transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is an important derivative. During two sessions, four direct target NOTES operations were conducted on a cadaveric model using a flexible robotic system to demonstrate proof-of-concept of the application of a next generation robotic system to specific types of NOTES operations, all of which required removal of a direct target organ through natural orifice access. These four operations were (a) robotic taTME, (b) robotic transvaginal hysterectomy in conjunction with (c) robotic transvaginal salpingo-oophorectomy, and in an ex vivo model, (d) trans-cecal appendectomy. Feasibility was demonstrated in all cases using the Flex ® Robotic System with Colorectal Drive. During taTME, the platform excursion was 17 cm along a non-linear path; operative time was 57 min for the transanal portion of the dissection. Robotic transvaginal hysterectomy was successfully completed in 78 min with transvaginal extraction of the uterus, although laparoscopic assistance was required. Robotic transvaginal unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with transvaginal extraction of the ovary and fallopian tube was performed without laparoscopic assistance in 13.5 min. In an ex vivo model, a robotic trans-cecal appendectomy was also successfully performed for the purpose of demonstrating proof-of-concept only; this was completed in 24 min. A flexible robotic system has the potential to access anatomy along circuitous paths, making it a suitable platform for direct target NOTES. The conceptual operations posed could be considered suitable for next generation robotics once

  17. The Next Generation Science Standards: A Focus on Physical Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krajcik, Joe

    2013-01-01

    This article describes ways to adapt U.S. science curriculum to the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) "Framework for K-12 Science Education" and "Next Generation of Science Standards" (NGSS), noting their focus on teaching the physical sciences. The overall goal of the Framework and NGSS is to help all learners develop the…

  18. Research and Development Supporting a Next Generation Germanium Double Beta Decay Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rielage, Keith; Elliott, Steve; Chu, Pinghan; Goett, Johnny; Massarczyk, Ralph; Xu, Wenqin

    2015-10-01

    To improve the search for neutrinoless double beta decay, the next-generation experiments will increase in source mass and continue to reduce backgrounds in the region of interest. A promising technology for the next generation experiment is large arrays of Germanium p-type point contact detectors enriched in 76-Ge. The experience, expertise and lessons learned from the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR and GERDA experiments naturally lead to a number of research and development activities that will be useful in guiding a future experiment utilizing Germanium. We will discuss some R&D activities including a hybrid cryostat design, background reduction in cabling, connectors and electronics, and modifications to reduce assembly time. We acknowledge the support of the U.S. Department of Energy through the LANL/LDRD Program.

  19. Genetic counselors' (GC) knowledge, awareness, understanding of clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boland, P M; Ruth, K; Matro, J M; Rainey, K L; Fang, C Y; Wong, Y N; Daly, M B; Hall, M J

    2015-12-01

    Genomic tests are increasingly complex, less expensive, and more widely available with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS). We assessed knowledge and perceptions among genetic counselors pertaining to NGS genomic testing via an online survey. Associations between selected characteristics and perceptions were examined. Recent education on NGS testing was common, but practical experience limited. Perceived understanding of clinical NGS was modest, specifically concerning tumor testing. Greater perceived understanding of clinical NGS testing correlated with more time spent in cancer-related counseling, exposure to NGS testing, and NGS-focused education. Substantial disagreement about the role of counseling for tumor-based testing was seen. Finally, a majority of counselors agreed with the need for more education about clinical NGS testing, supporting this approach to optimizing implementation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Beamstrahlung spectra in next generation linear colliders. Revision

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barklow, T.; Chen, P. [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA (United States); Kozanecki, W. [DAPNIA-SPP, CEN-Saclay (France)

    1992-04-01

    For the next generation of linear colliders, the energy loss due to beamstrahlung during the collision of the e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} beams is expected to substantially influence the effective center-of-mass energy distribution of the colliding particles. In this paper, we first derive analytical formulae for the electron and photon energy spectra under multiple beamstrahlung processes, and for the e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} and {gamma}{gamma} differential luminosities. We then apply our formulation to various classes of 500 GeV e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} linear collider designs currently under study.

  1. Semantic e-Learning: Next Generation of e-Learning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konstantinos, Markellos; Penelope, Markellou; Giannis, Koutsonikos; Aglaia, Liopa-Tsakalidi

    Semantic e-learning aspires to be the next generation of e-learning, since the understanding of learning materials and knowledge semantics allows their advanced representation, manipulation, sharing, exchange and reuse and ultimately promote efficient online experiences for users. In this context, the paper firstly explores some fundamental Semantic Web technologies and then discusses current and potential applications of these technologies in e-learning domain, namely, Semantic portals, Semantic search, personalization, recommendation systems, social software and Web 2.0 tools. Finally, it highlights future research directions and open issues of the field.

  2. Statistical improvement in detection level of gravitational microlensing events from their light curves

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim, Ichsan; Malasan, Hakim L.; Kunjaya, Chatief; Timur Jaelani, Anton; Puannandra Putri, Gerhana; Djamal, Mitra

    2018-04-01

    In astronomy, the brightness of a source is typically expressed in terms of magnitude. Conventionally, the magnitude is defined by the logarithm of received flux. This relationship is known as the Pogson formula. For received flux with a small signal to noise ratio (S/N), however, the formula gives a large magnitude error. We investigate whether the use of Inverse Hyperbolic Sine function (hereafter referred to as the Asinh magnitude) in the modified formulae could allow for an alternative calculation of magnitudes for small S/N flux, and whether the new approach is better for representing the brightness of that region. We study the possibility of increasing the detection level of gravitational microlensing using 40 selected microlensing light curves from the 2013 and 2014 seasons and by using the Asinh magnitude. Photometric data of the selected events are obtained from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). We found that utilization of the Asinh magnitude makes the events brighter compared to using the logarithmic magnitude, with an average of about 3.42 × 10‑2 magnitude and an average in the difference of error between the logarithmic and the Asinh magnitude of about 2.21 × 10‑2 magnitude. The microlensing events OB140847 and OB140885 are found to have the largest difference values among the selected events. Using a Gaussian fit to find the peak for OB140847 and OB140885, we conclude statistically that the Asinh magnitude gives better mean squared values of the regression and narrower residual histograms than the Pogson magnitude. Based on these results, we also attempt to propose a limit in magnitude value for which use of the Asinh magnitude is optimal with small S/N data.

  3. Software R&D for Next Generation of HEP Experiments, Inspired by Theano

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2015-01-01

    In the next decade, the frontiers of High Energy Physics (HEP) will be explored by three machines: the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) in Europe, the Long Base Neutrino Facility (LBNF) in the US, and the International Linear Collider (ILC) in Japan. These next generation experiments must address two fundamental problems in the current generation of HEP experimental software: the inability to take advantage and adapt to the rapidly evolving processor landscape, and the difficulty in developing and maintaining increasingly complex software systems by physicists. I will propose a strategy, inspired by the automatic optimization and code generation in Theano, to simultaneously address both problems. I will describe three R&D projects with short-term physics deliverables aimed at developing this strategy. The first project is to develop maximally sensitive General Search for New Physics at the LHC by applying the Matrix Element Method running GPUs of HPCs. The second is to classify and reconstru...

  4. SMITH: a LIMS for handling next-generation sequencing workflows

    OpenAIRE

    Venco, Francesco; Vaskin, Yuriy; Ceol, Arnaud; Muller, Heiko

    2014-01-01

    Background Life-science laboratories make increasing use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for studying bio-macromolecules and their interactions. Array-based methods for measuring gene expression or protein-DNA interactions are being replaced by RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq. Sequencing is generally performed by specialized facilities that have to keep track of sequencing requests, trace samples, ensure quality and make data available according to predefined privileges. An integrated tool helps to ...

  5. Benchmark problem suite for reactor physics study of LWR next generation fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Akio; Ikehara, Tadashi; Ito, Takuya; Saji, Etsuro

    2002-01-01

    This paper proposes a benchmark problem suite for studying the physics of next-generation fuels of light water reactors. The target discharge burnup of the next-generation fuel was set to 70 GWd/t considering the increasing trend in discharge burnup of light water reactor fuels. The UO 2 and MOX fuels are included in the benchmark specifications. The benchmark problem consists of three different geometries: fuel pin cell, PWR fuel assembly and BWR fuel assembly. In the pin cell problem, detailed nuclear characteristics such as burnup dependence of nuclide-wise reactivity were included in the required calculation results to facilitate the study of reactor physics. In the assembly benchmark problems, important parameters for in-core fuel management such as local peaking factors and reactivity coefficients were included in the required results. The benchmark problems provide comprehensive test problems for next-generation light water reactor fuels with extended high burnup. Furthermore, since the pin cell, the PWR assembly and the BWR assembly problems are independent, analyses of the entire benchmark suite is not necessary: e.g., the set of pin cell and PWR fuel assembly problems will be suitable for those in charge of PWR in-core fuel management, and the set of pin cell and BWR fuel assembly problems for those in charge of BWR in-core fuel management. (author)

  6. Full C-band Tunable MEMS-VCSEL for Next Generation G.metro Mobile Front- and Backhauling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Christoph; Zou, Shihuan Jim; Ortsiefer, Markus

    2017-01-01

    We report full C-band tunable, 10 Gbit/s capability, directly modulated MEMS-VCSEL for next generation converged mobile fronthaul and backhaul applications. Bit error rates below 10(-9) were achieved over up to 40 km SSMF.......We report full C-band tunable, 10 Gbit/s capability, directly modulated MEMS-VCSEL for next generation converged mobile fronthaul and backhaul applications. Bit error rates below 10(-9) were achieved over up to 40 km SSMF....

  7. The "Next Generation Science Standards" and the Earth and Space Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wysession, Michael E.

    2013-01-01

    The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"), due to be released this spring, represents a revolutionary step toward establishing modern, national K-12 science education standards. Based on the recommendations of the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting…

  8. A framework for QoS & mobility in the Internet next generation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rexhepi, Vlora; Karagiannis, Georgios; Heijenk, Geert; Pras, Aiko

    2000-01-01

    It is expected that the Internet next generation architecture will support applications with different quality of service requirements, independently of whether their location is fixed or mobile. However, enabling QoS in Internet is a tough challenge, and it gets even tougher when the mobile

  9. A framework for QoS & mobility in the Internet next generation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karagiannis, Georgios; Rexhepi, Vlora; Heijenk, Geert

    It is expected that the next generation Internet architecture will support applications with different quality of service requirements, independently of whether their location is fixed or movable. However, enabling QoS in Internet is a tough challenge, and it gets even tougher when the mobile

  10. Multi-Stage Admission Control for Load Balancing in Next Generation Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mihovska, Albena D.; Anggorojati, Bayu; Luo, Jijun

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes a load-dependent multi-stage admission control suitable for next generation systems. The concept uses decision polling in entities located at different levels of the architecture hierarchy and based on the load to activate a sequence of actions related to the admission...

  11. Implementation of defence in depth for next generation light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-12-01

    The publication of this IAEA technical document represents the conclusion of a task, initiated in 1995, devoted to defence in depth in future reactors. It focuses mainly on the next generation of LWRs, although many general considerations may also apply to other types of reactors

  12. Next Generation Science Partnerships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnusson, J.

    2016-02-01

    I will provide an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and demonstrate how scientists and educators can use these standards to strengthen and enhance their collaborations. The NGSS are rich in content and practice and provide all students with an internationally-benchmarked science education. Using these state-led standards to guide outreach efforts can help develop and sustain effective and mutually beneficial teacher-researcher partnerships. Aligning outreach with the three dimensions of the standards can help make research relevant for target audiences by intentionally addressing the science practices, cross-cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas of the K-12 science curriculum that drives instruction and assessment. Collaborations between researchers and educators that are based on this science framework are more sustainable because they address the needs of both scientists and educators. Educators are better able to utilize science content that aligns with their curriculum. Scientists who learn about the NGSS can better understand the frameworks under which educators work, which can lead to more extensive and focused outreach with teachers as partners. Based on this model, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) develops its education materials in conjunction with scientists and educators to produce accurate, standards-aligned activities and curriculum-based interactions with researchers. I will highlight examples of IODP's current, successful teacher-researcher collaborations that are intentionally aligned with the NGSS.

  13. Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project Technology Development Roadmaps: The Technical Path Forward

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John Collins

    2009-01-01

    This document presents the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Systems, Subsystems, and Components, establishes a baseline for the current technology readiness status, and provides a path forward to achieve increasing levels of technical maturity.

  14. Searching gravitational microlensing events in the galaxy spiral arms by EROS II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Derue, Frederic

    1999-01-01

    The EROS II experiment is searching for microlensing events due to compact massive objects passing through the line-of-sight of luminous stars. These objects are candidates to explain the baryonic component of Dark Matter in our Galaxy. EROS II was dedicated to different lines-of-sight: Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, Galactic Centre and 4 directions towards the Spiral Arms of the Galaxy. This thesis presents the first search for microlensing towards these last lines-of-sight (about 9 million stars). Simple criteria based on the search for significant fluctuations allowed one to discover a low noise sample of 7 candidates to the microlensing effect, with an average timescale of 50 days. A detailed analysis of the light curve of one candidate allows us to give a confidence interval on its mass 2.7 x 10 -3 0 0 = 50 ± 3 days. To improve the knowledge of the distance of the target stars, we have combined observations of EROS II with bibliographic sources on associations of stars linked with the spiral arm features, and we have developed a program to find variable stars. Ten cepheids have thus been found. Distances obtained with different methods are in rough agreement with each other. The average optical depth measured towards the four directions is τ-bar = 0.45 0.11 +0.23 x 10 -6 . It is compatible with expectations from simple galactic models. The long duration of most events favours interpretation of lensing by objects belonging to the disk instead of the halo. It also seems that some events due to bulge lenses have influenced measurements towards the line-of-sight which is closest to the Galactic Centre. Observation continue towards spiral arms. More accurate measurements should be obtained with increase of statistics, allowing one to estimate the disk contribution to the optical depth towards the bulge and the Magellanic Clouds. (author)

  15. The "Next Generation Science Standards" and the Earth and Space Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wysession, Michael E.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, Michael E. Wysession comments on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS), which are based on the recommendations of the National Research Council and represent a revolutionary step toward establishing modern, national K-12 science education standards. The NGSS involves significant changes from traditional…

  16. Informing the next nuclear generation - how does the Ginna plant branch do it?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saavedra, A.

    1995-01-01

    Most of us are familiar with the latest advertising phrase, ''Our children are our future.'' This phrase has been used in so many instances - from concerns about waste, Social Security, and the federal deficit to drug abuse and violence. One more area can be added to the list and advertised nuclear power. Since the establishment of the Ginna plant branch (GPB) in 1992, our target audience has been the next nuclear generation (our children), but our vehicle for dissemination has been the current generation (the adults). Have you ever thought about how often your opinions affect the children you come in contact with? One of GPB's goals is to provide as much information as possible to teachers, neighbors, and civic organizations of our community so that there is a nuclear future that can be carried on by the next generation

  17. Methods for rapidly processing angular masks of next-generation galaxy surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, M. E. C.; Tegmark, Max; Hamilton, Andrew J. S.; Hill, J. Colin

    2008-07-01

    As galaxy surveys become larger and more complex, keeping track of the completeness, magnitude limit and other survey parameters as a function of direction on the sky becomes an increasingly challenging computational task. For example, typical angular masks of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey contain about N = 300000 distinct spherical polygons. Managing masks with such large numbers of polygons becomes intractably slow, particularly for tasks that run in time with a naive algorithm, such as finding which polygons overlap each other. Here we present a `divide-and-conquer' solution to this challenge: we first split the angular mask into pre-defined regions called `pixels', such that each polygon is in only one pixel, and then perform further computations, such as checking for overlap, on the polygons within each pixel separately. This reduces tasks to , and also reduces the important task of determining in which polygon(s) a point on the sky lies from to , resulting in significant computational speedup. Additionally, we present a method to efficiently convert any angular mask to and from the popular HEALPIX format. This method can be generically applied to convert to and from any desired spherical pixelization. We have implemented these techniques in a new version of the MANGLE software package, which is freely available at http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/mangle/, along with complete documentation and example applications. These new methods should prove quite useful to the astronomical community, and since MANGLE is a generic tool for managing angular masks on a sphere, it has the potential to benefit terrestrial mapmaking applications as well.

  18. Towards identifying the next generation of superfund and hazardous waste site contaminants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ela, Wendell P.; Sedlak, David L.; Barlaz, Morton A.; Henry, Heather F.; Muir, Derek C.G.; Swackhamer, Deborah L.; Weber, Eric J.; Arnold, Robert G.; Ferguson, P. Lee; Field, Jennifer A.; Furlong, Edward T.; Giesy, John P.; Halden, Rolf U.; Henry, Tala; Hites, Ronald A.; Hornbuckle, Keri C.; Howard, Philip H.; Luthy, Richard G.; Meyer, Anita K.; Saez, A. Eduardo; vom Saal, Frederick S.; Vulpe, Chris D.; Wiesner, Mark R.

    2011-01-01

    Background This commentary evolved from a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences titled "Superfund Contaminants: The Next Generation" held in Tucson, Arizona, in August 2009. All the authors were workshop participants.

  19. Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report on BNLs Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Human Capital Development Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pepper, Susan E. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

    2014-10-10

    Brookhaven National Laboratory’s (BNL’s) Nonproliferation and National Security Department contributes to the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Nonproliferation and International Security Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) through university engagement, safeguards internships, safeguards courses, professional development, recruitment, and other activities aimed at ensuring the next generation of international safeguards professionals is adequately prepared to support the U.S. safeguards mission. This report is a summary of BNL s work under the NGSI program in Fiscal Year 2014.

  20. On the ergodic capacity of legacy systems in the presence of next generation interference

    KAUST Repository

    Mahmood, Nurul Huda

    2011-11-01

    Next generation wireless systems facilitating better utilization of the scarce radio spectrum have emerged as a response to inefficient rigid spectrum assignment policies. These are comprised of intelligent radio nodes that opportunistically operate in the radio spectrum of existing legacy systems; yet unwanted interference at the legacy receivers is unavoidable. In order to design efficient next generation systems and to minimize their harmful consequences, it is necessary to realize their impact on the performance of legacy systems. In this work, a generalized framework for the ergodic capacity analysis of such legacy systems in the presence of interference from next generation systems is presented. The analysis is built around a model developed for the statistical representation of the interference at the legacy receivers, which is then used to evaluate the ergodic capacity of the legacy system. Moreover, this analysis is not limited to the context of legacy systems, and is in fact applicaple to any interference limited system. Findings of analytical performance analyses are confirmed through selected computer-based Monte-Carlo simulations. © 2011 IEEE.

  1. Next Generation Campus Network Deployment Project Based on Softswitch

    OpenAIRE

    HU Feng; LIU Ziyan

    2011-01-01

    After analyzing the current networks of Guizhou University,we brought forward a scheme of next generation campus networks based on softswitch technology by choosing SoftX3000 switching system of HuaWei and provided the specific solution of accessing campus networks in this paper. It is proved that this scheme is feasible by using OPNET, which not only accomplished the integration of the PSTN and IP networks but also achieved the combining of voice services and data services.

  2. Applying Next Generation Sequencing to Skeletal Development and Disease

    OpenAIRE

    Bowen, Margot Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have dramatically increased the throughput and lowered the cost of DNA sequencing. In this thesis, I apply these technologies to unresolved questions in skeletal development and disease. Firstly, I use targeted re-sequencing of genomic DNA to identify the genetic cause of the cartilage tumor syndrome, metachondromatosis (MC). I show that the majority of MC patients carry heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the PTPN11 gene, which encodes a p...

  3. Next Generation Qualification: Nanometrics T120PH Seismometer Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merchant, Bion J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Slad, George William [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has tested and evaluated three seismometers, the Trillium 120PH, manufactured by Nanometrics. These seismometers measure broadband ground velocity using a UVW configuration with feedback control in a mechanically levelled borehole package. The purpose of the seismometer evaluation was to determine a measured sensitivity, response, self- noise, dynamic range, and self-calibration ability. The Nanometrics Trillium 120PH seismometers are being evaluated for the U.S. Air Force as part of their Next Generation Qualification effort.

  4. Power Electronics for the Next Generation Wind Turbine System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ma, Ke

    generation unit, are becoming crucial in the wind turbine system. The objective of this project is to study the power electronics technology used for the next generation wind turbines. Some emerging challenges as well as potentials like the cost of energy and reliability are going to be addressed. First...... conversion is pushed to multi-MW level with high power density requirement. It has also been revealed that thermal stress in the power semiconductors is closely related to many determining factors in the wind power application like the reliability, cost, power density, etc. therefore it is an important......The wind power generation has been steadily growing both for the total installed capacity and for the individual turbine size. Due to much more significant impacts to the power grid, the power electronics, which can change the behavior of wind turbines from an unregulated power source to an active...

  5. Detection of TET2, KRAS and CBL variants by Next Generation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dilara Fatma Akin

    2015-10-01

    Oct 1, 2015 ... sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), and Casitas B-cell ... AML by screening hot-spot exons of TET2, KRAS, and CBL using Next Generation Sequencing ... Methods: Eight patients who were diagnosed with pediatric AML at Losante ..... mutations in pre-leukemic stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia.

  6. Teaching the "Geo" in Geography with the Next Generation Science Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wysession, Michael E.

    2016-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; Achieve 2014, 532; Figure 1A) represent a new approach to K-12 science education that involves the interweaving of three educational dimensions: Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). Unlike most preexisting state science standards for…

  7. Next Generation Science Standards: Considerations for Curricula, Assessments, Preparation, and Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Best, Jane; Dunlap, Allison

    2014-01-01

    This policy brief provides an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), discusses policy considerations for adopting or adapting the new standards, and presents examples from states considering or implementing the NGSS. Changing academic standards is a complex process that requires significant investments of time, money, and human…

  8. Am I my Family's Keeper? : Disclosure Dilemmas in Next Generation Sequencing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wouters, Roel H P; Bijlsma, Rhodé M; Ausems, Margreet G E M; van Delden, Johannes J M; Voest, Emile E; Bredenoord, Annelien L

    2016-01-01

    Ever since genetic testing is possible for specific mutations, ethical debate has sparked on the question of whether professionals have a duty to warn not only patients but also their relatives that might be at risk for hereditary diseases. As next generation sequencing swiftly finds its way into

  9. Report on the September 2011 Meeting of the Next Generation Safegaurds Professional Network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gitau, Ernest TN; Benz, Jacob M.

    2011-12-19

    The Next Generation Safeguards Professional Network (NGSPN) was established in 2009 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory targeted towards the engagement of young professionals employed in safeguards across the many national laboratories. NGSPN focuses on providing a mechanism for young safeguards professionals to connect and foster professional relationships, facilitating knowledge transfer between current safeguards experts and the next generation of experts, and acting as an entity to represent the interests of the international community of young and mid-career safeguards professionals. This is accomplished in part with a yearly meeting held at a national laboratory site. In 2011, this meeting was held at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This report documents the events and results of that meeting.

  10. Diamond Light Source - A Next Generation SR Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Materlik, G.

    2004-01-01

    After the very successful start and the by now almost 10 years operation of the 3rd generation x-ray sources ESRF, APS and Spring-8 smaller storage rings are being planned and constructed with properties emphasising applications with photon energies around the 10 keV spectral region. In the UK the Government and the medical foundation Wellcome Trust have decided to build the Diamond Light Source Facility in the South of Oxfordshire right next to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. The joint venture company Diamond Light Source Limited has been created to plan, construct, and operate this facility. (author)

  11. Next generation framework for aquatic modeling of the Earth System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fekete, B. M.; Wollheim, W. M.; Wisser, D.; Vörösmarty, C. J.

    2009-03-01

    Earth System model development is becoming an increasingly complex task. As scientists attempt to represent the physical and bio-geochemical processes and various feedback mechanisms in unprecedented detail, the models themselves are becoming increasingly complex. At the same time, the complexity of the surrounding IT infrastructure is growing as well. Earth System models must manage a vast amount of data in heterogeneous computing environments. Numerous development efforts are on the way to ease that burden and offer model development platforms that reduce IT challenges and allow scientists to focus on their science. While these new modeling frameworks (e.g. FMS, ESMF, CCA, OpenMI) do provide solutions to many IT challenges (performing input/output, managing space and time, establishing model coupling, etc.), they are still considerably complex and often have steep learning curves. The Next generation Framework for Aquatic Modeling of the Earth System (NextFrAMES, a revised version of FrAMES) have numerous similarities to those developed by other teams, but represents a novel model development paradigm. NextFrAMES is built around a modeling XML that lets modelers to express the overall model structure and provides an API for dynamically linked plugins to represent the processes. The model XML is executed by the NextFrAMES run-time engine that parses the model definition, loads the module plugins, performs the model I/O and executes the model calculations. NextFrAMES has a minimalistic view representing spatial domains and treats every domain (regardless of its layout such as grid, network tree, individual points, polygons, etc.) as vector of objects. NextFrAMES performs computations on multiple domains and interactions between different spatial domains are carried out through couplers. NextFrAMES allows processes to operate at different frequencies by providing rudimentary aggregation and disaggregation facilities. NextFrAMES was designed primarily for

  12. Test and survey on a next generation coal liquefying catalyst. Coal molecule scientific test and survey as the base for commercializing the coal liquefying technology; Jisedai sekitan ekika shokubai shiken chosa. Sekitan ekika gijutsu shogyoka kiban to shite no sekitan bunshi kagaku shiken chosa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-03-01

    The test and survey on a next generation coal liquefying catalyst present a new proposal to raise catalytic activity in coal liquefaction, and perform demonstration experiments in a laboratory scale to search for possibility of developing a new coal liquefying catalyst from various viewpoints. To explain, discussions were given on the catalyst to perform the followings: liquefaction under extremely mild conditions by using ultra strong acids not limited only to metals; ion exchange method and swell carrying method to raise catalyst dispersion very highly, enhance the catalytic activity, and reduce the amount of catalyst to be used; mechanism of producing catalyst activating species to further enhance the activity of iron catalysts; and pursuit of morphological change in the activating species. The coal molecule scientific test and survey as the base for commercializing the coal liquefying technology performed the studies on the following items: pretreatment of coal that can realize reduction of coal liquefaction cost; configuration of the liquefaction reaction, liquefying catalysts, hydrocarbon gas generating mechanism, status of catalysts after liquefaction reaction, and reduction in gas purification cost by using gas separating membranes. Future possibilities were further searched through frank and constructive opinion exchanges among the committee members. (NEDO)

  13. Safety design philosophy of the ABWR for the next generation LWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Takashi; Akinaga, Makoto; Kojima, Yoshihiro

    2009-01-01

    The paper presents safety design philosophy of the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) to be reflected in developing the next generation light water reactors (LWRs). The basic policy of the ABWR safety design was to improve safety and reduce cost simultaneously by reflecting lessons learned of precursors, incidents and accidents that were beyond the design basis such as the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI 2) accident. The ABWR is a fully active safety plant. The ABWR enhanced redundancy and diversity of active safety systems using probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) insights. It adopted a complete three division active emergency core cooling system (ECCS) and attained a very low core damage frequency (CDF) value of less than 10 -7 /ry for internal events. Only very small residual risks, if any, rather exist in external events such as an extremely large earthquake beyond the design basis. This is because external events can constitute a common cause that disables all the redundant active safety systems. Therefore, it is useless to add one more ECCS train and make a four division active ECCS for external events. Nowadays, however, fully passive safety LWRs are already established. Incorporating some of these passive safety systems we can also establish the next generation LWRs that are truly strong against external events. We can establish a plant that can survive a giant earthquake at least three days without AC power source, SA proof safety design that enables no containment failure and no evacuation to eliminate the residual risks. The same basic policy as the ABWR to improve safety and reduce cost simultaneously is again effective for the next generation LWRs. (author)

  14. The Next Generation Fornax Survey (NGFS). IV. Mass and Age Bimodality of Nuclear Clusters in the Fornax Core Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ordenes-Briceño, Yasna; Puzia, Thomas H.; Eigenthaler, Paul; Taylor, Matthew A.; Muñoz, Roberto P.; Zhang, Hongxin; Alamo-Martínez, Karla; Ribbeck, Karen X.; Grebel, Eva K.; Ángel, Simón; Côté, Patrick; Ferrarese, Laura; Hilker, Michael; Lançon, Ariane; Mieske, Steffen; Miller, Bryan W.; Rong, Yu; Sánchez-Janssen, Ruben

    2018-06-01

    We present the analysis of 61 nucleated dwarf galaxies in the central regions (≲R vir/4) of the Fornax galaxy cluster. The galaxies and their nuclei are studied as part of the Next Generation Fornax Survey using optical imaging obtained with the Dark Energy Camera mounted at Blanco/Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and near-infrared data obtained with VIRCam at VISTA/ESO. We decompose the nucleated dwarfs in nucleus and spheroid, after subtracting the surface brightness profile of the spheroid component and studying the nucleus using point source photometry. In general, nuclei are consistent with colors of confirmed metal-poor globular clusters, but with significantly smaller dispersion than other confirmed compact stellar systems in Fornax. We find a bimodal nucleus mass distribution with peaks located at {log}({{ \\mathcal M }}* /{M}ȯ )≃ 5.4 and ∼6.3. These two nucleus subpopulations have different stellar population properties: the more massive nuclei are older than ∼2 Gyr and have metal-poor stellar populations (Z ≤ 0.02 Z ⊙), while the less massive nuclei are younger than ∼2 Gyr with metallicities in the range 0.02 < Z/Z ⊙ ≤ 1. We find that the nucleus mass ({{ \\mathcal M }}nuc}) versus galaxy mass ({{ \\mathcal M }}gal}) relation becomes shallower for less massive galaxies starting around 108 M ⊙, and the mass ratio {η }n={{ \\mathcal M }}nuc}/{{ \\mathcal M }}gal} shows a clear anticorrelation with {{ \\mathcal M }}gal} for the lowest masses, reaching 10%. We test current theoretical models of nuclear cluster formation and find that they cannot fully reproduce the observed trends. A likely mixture of in situ star formation and star cluster mergers seems to be acting during nucleus growth over cosmic time.

  15. Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. Detailed abundance analysis of OGLE-2008-BLG-209S

    OpenAIRE

    Bensby, T.; Johnson, J. A.; Cohen, J.; Feltzing, S.; Udalski, A.; Gould, A.; Huang, W.; Thompson, I.; Simmerer, J.; Adén, D.

    2009-01-01

    AIMS. Our aims are twofold. First we aim to evaluate the robustness and accuracy of stellar parameters and detailed elemental abundances that can be derived from high-resolution spectroscopic observations of microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. We then aim to use microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars to investigate the abundance structure and chemical evolution of the Milky Way Bulge. [ABRIDGED] METHODS. We present a detailed elemental abundance analysis of OGLE-2008-BLG-209S, the source star...

  16. Molecular Diagnostics in Pathology: Time for a Next-Generation Pathologist?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fassan, Matteo

    2018-03-01

    - Comprehensive molecular investigations of mainstream carcinogenic processes have led to the use of effective molecular targeted agents in most cases of solid tumors in clinical settings. - To update readers regarding the evolving role of the pathologist in the therapeutic decision-making process and the introduction of next-generation technologies into pathology practice. - Current literature on the topic, primarily sourced from the PubMed (National Center for Biotechnology Information, Bethesda, Maryland) database, were reviewed. - Adequate evaluation of cytologic-based and tissue-based predictive diagnostic biomarkers largely depends on both proper pathologic characterization and customized processing of biospecimens. Moreover, increased requests for molecular testing have paralleled the recent, sharp decrease in tumor material to be analyzed-material that currently comprises cytology specimens or, at minimum, small biopsies in most cases of metastatic/advanced disease. Traditional diagnostic pathology has been completely revolutionized by the introduction of next-generation technologies, which provide multigene, targeted mutational profiling, even in the most complex of clinical cases. Combining traditional and molecular knowledge, pathologists integrate the morphological, clinical, and molecular dimensions of a disease, leading to a proper diagnosis and, therefore, the most-appropriate tailored therapy.

  17. Data-Driven Handover Optimization in Next Generation Mobile Communication Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Po-Chiang Lin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Network densification is regarded as one of the important ingredients to increase capacity for next generation mobile communication networks. However, it also leads to mobility problems since users are more likely to hand over to another cell in dense or even ultradense mobile communication networks. Therefore, supporting seamless and robust connectivity through such networks becomes a very important issue. In this paper, we investigate handover (HO optimization in next generation mobile communication networks. We propose a data-driven handover optimization (DHO approach, which aims to mitigate mobility problems including too-late HO, too-early HO, HO to wrong cell, ping-pong HO, and unnecessary HO. The key performance indicator (KPI is defined as the weighted average of the ratios of these mobility problems. The DHO approach collects data from the mobile communication measurement results and provides a model to estimate the relationship between the KPI and features from the collected dataset. Based on the model, the handover parameters, including the handover margin and time-to-trigger, are optimized to minimize the KPI. Simulation results show that the proposed DHO approach could effectively mitigate mobility problems.

  18. Next generation redshift surveys and the origin of cosmic acceleration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acquaviva, Viviana; Hajian, Amir; Spergel, David N.; Das, Sudeep

    2008-01-01

    Cosmologists are exploring two possible sets of explanations for the remarkable observation of cosmic acceleration: dark energy fills space or general relativity fails on cosmological scales. We define a null test parameter ε(k,a)≡Ω m -γ dlnD/dlna-1, where a is the scale factor, D is the growth rate of structure, Ω m (a) is the matter density parameter, and γ is a simple function of redshift. We show that it can be expressed entirely in terms of the bias factor, b(a), measured from cross correlations with cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing, and the amplitude of redshift-space distortions, β(k,a). Measurements of the CMB power spectrum determine Ω m0 H 0 2 . If dark energy within general relativity is the solution to the cosmic acceleration problem, then the logarithmic growth rate of structure dlnD/dlna=Ω m γ . Thus, ε(k,a)=0 on linear scales to better than 1%. We show that in the class of modified gravity models known as f(R), the growth rate has a different dependence on scale and redshift. By combining measurements of the amplitude of β and of the bias, b, redshift surveys will be able to determine the logarithmic growth rate as a function of scale and redshift. We estimate the predicted sensitivity of the proposed SDSS III (BOSS) survey and the proposed ADEPT mission and find that they will test structure growth in general relativity to the percent level.

  19. High-performance ferroelectric and magnetoresistive materials for next-generation thermal detector arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Michael A.; Donohue, Paul P.; Watton, Rex; Williams, Dennis J.; Anthony, Carl J.; Blamire, Mark G.

    2002-12-01

    This paper discusses the potential thermal imaging performance achievable from thermal detector arrays and concludes that the current generation of thin-film ferroelectric and resistance bolometer based detector arrays are limited by the detector materials used. It is proposed that the next generation of large uncooled focal plane arrays will need to look towards higher performance detector materials - particularly if they aim to approach the fundamental performance limits and compete with cooled photon detector arrays. Two examples of bolometer thin-film materials are described that achieve high performance from operating around phase transitions. The material Lead Scandium Tantalate (PST) has a paraelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition around room temperature and is used with an applied field in the dielectric bolometer mode for thermal imaging. PST films grown by sputtering and liquid-source CVD have shown merit figures for thermal imaging a factor of 2 to 3 times higher than PZT-based pyroelectric thin films. The material Lanthanum Calcium Manganite (LCMO) has a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition around -20oC. This paper describes recent measurements of TCR and 1/f noise in pulsed laser-deposited LCMO films on Neodymium Gallate substrates. These results show that LCMO not only has high TCR's - up to 30%/K - but also low 1/f excess noise, with bolometer merit figures at least an order of magnitude higher than Vanadium Oxide, making it ideal for the next generation of microbolometer arrays. These high performance properties come at the expense of processing complexities and novel device designs will need to be introduced to realize the potential of these materials in the next generation of thermal detectors.

  20. Estabilishing requirements for the next generation of pressurized water reactors--reducing the uncertainty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernock, W.P.; Corcoran, W.R.; Rasin, W.H.; Stahlkopf, K.E.

    1987-01-01

    The Electric Power Research Institute is managing a major effort to establish requirements for the next generation of U.S. light water reactors. This effort is the vital first step in preserving the viability of the nuclear option to contribute to meet U.S. national electric power capacity needs in the next century. Combustion Engineering, Inc. and Duke Power Company formed a team to participate in the EPRI program which is guided by a Utility Steering committee consisting of experienced utility technical executives. A major thrust of the program is to reduce the uncertainties which would be faced by the utility executives in choosing the nuclear option. The uncertainties to be reduced include those related to safety, economic, operational, and regulatory aspects of advanced light water reactors. This paper overviews the Requirements Document program as it relates to the U.S. Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) effort in reducing these uncertainties and reports the status of efforts to establish requirements for the next generation of pressurized water reactors. It concentrates on progress made in reducing the uncertainties which would deter selection of the nuclear option for contributing to U.S. national electric power capacity needs in the next century and updates previous reports in the same area. (author)

  1. NGSUtils: a software suite for analyzing and manipulating next-generation sequencing datasets

    OpenAIRE

    Breese, Marcus R.; Liu, Yunlong

    2013-01-01

    Summary: NGSUtils is a suite of software tools for manipulating data common to next-generation sequencing experiments, such as FASTQ, BED and BAM format files. These tools provide a stable and modular platform for data management and analysis.

  2. Design Features and Technology Uncertainties for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John M. Ryskamp; Phil Hildebrandt; Osamu Baba; Ron Ballinger; Robert Brodsky; Hans-Wolfgang Chi; Dennis Crutchfield; Herb Estrada; Jeane-Claude Garnier; Gerald Gordon; Richard Hobbins; Dan Keuter; Marilyn Kray; Philippe Martin; Steve Melancon; Christian Simon; Henry Stone; Robert Varrin; Werner von Lensa

    2004-06-01

    This report presents the conclusions, observations, and recommendations of the Independent Technology Review Group (ITRG) regarding design features and important technology uncertainties associated with very-high-temperature nuclear system concepts for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The ITRG performed its reviews during the period November 2003 through April 2004.

  3. Next-Generation Bio-Products Sowing the Seeds of Success for Sustainable Agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Müller

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Plants have recently been recognized as meta-organisms due to a close symbiotic relationship with their microbiome. Comparable to humans and other eukaryotic hosts, plants also harbor a “second genome” that fulfills important host functions. These advances were driven by both “omics”-technologies guided by next-generation sequencing and microscopic insights. Additionally, these new results influence applied fields such as biocontrol and stress protection in agriculture, and new tools may impact (i the detection of new bio-resources for biocontrol and plant growth promotion, (ii the optimization of fermentation and formulation processes for biologicals, (iii stabilization of the biocontrol effect under field conditions, and (iv risk assessment studies for biotechnological applications. Examples are presented and discussed for the fields mentioned above, and next-generation bio-products were found as a sustainable alternative for agriculture.

  4. Nucleic acid reactivity : challenges for next-generation semiempirical quantum models

    OpenAIRE

    Huang, Ming; Giese, Timothy J.; York, Darrin M.

    2015-01-01

    Semiempirical quantum models are routinely used to study mechanisms of RNA catalysis and phosphoryl transfer reactions using combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods. Herein, we provide a broad assessment of the performance of existing semiempirical quantum models to describe nucleic acid structure and reactivity in order to quantify their limitations and guide the development of next-generation quantum models with improved accuracy. Neglect of diatomic diffierential overlap (...

  5. NREL Next Generation Drivetrain: Mechanical Design and Test Plan (Poster)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keller, J.; Halse, C.

    2014-05-01

    The Department of Energy and industry partners are sponsoring a $3m project for design and testing of a 'Next Generation' wind turbine drivetrain at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This poster focuses on innovative aspects of the gearbox design, completed as part of an end-to-end systems engineering approach incorporating innovations that increase drivetrain reliability, efficiency, torque density and minimize capital cost.

  6. NNSA Program Develops the Next Generation of Nuclear Security Experts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brim, Cornelia P.; Disney, Maren V.

    2015-09-02

    NNSA is fostering the next generation of nuclear security experts is through its successful NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP). NGFP offers its Fellows an exceptional career development opportunity through hands-on experience supporting NNSA mission areas across policy and technology disciplines. The one-year assignments give tomorrow’s leaders in global nuclear security and nonproliferation unparalleled exposure through assignments to Program Offices across NNSA.

  7. Next Generation Qualification: Kinemetrics STS-5A Seismometer Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Merchant, Bion John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Slad, George William [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Sandia National Laboratories has tested and evaluated two seismometers, the STS-5A, manufactured by Kinemetrics. These seismometers measure three axes of broadband ground velocity using a UVW configuration with feedback control in a mechanically levelled borehole package. The purpose of the seismometer evaluation was to determine a measured sensitivity, response, self-noise, dynamic range, and self-calibration ability. The Kinemetrics STS-5A seismometers are being evaluated for the U.S. Air Force as part of their Next Generation Qualification effort.

  8. Estimation of allele frequency and association mapping using next-generation sequencing data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kim, Su Yeon; Lohmueller, Kirk E; Albrechtsen, Anders

    2011-01-01

    Estimation of allele frequency is of fundamental importance in population genetic analyses and in association mapping. In most studies using next-generation sequencing, a cost effective approach is to use medium or low-coverage data (e.g., frequency estimation...

  9. Next Generation Agricultural System Data, Models and Knowledge Products: Introduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antle, John M.; Jones, James W.; Rosenzweig, Cynthia E.

    2016-01-01

    Agricultural system models have become important tools to provide predictive and assessment capability to a growing array of decision-makers in the private and public sectors. Despite ongoing research and model improvements, many of the agricultural models today are direct descendants of research investments initially made 30-40 years ago, and many of the major advances in data, information and communication technology (ICT) of the past decade have not been fully exploited. The purpose of this Special Issue of Agricultural Systems is to lay the foundation for the next generation of agricultural systems data, models and knowledge products. The Special Issue is based on a 'NextGen' study led by the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  10. Next-Generation Mitogenomics: A Comparison of Approaches Applied to Caecilian Amphibian Phylogeny

    OpenAIRE

    Maddock, Simon T.; Briscoe, Andrew G.; Wilkinson, Mark; Waeschenbach, Andrea; San Mauro, Diego; Day, Julia J.; Littlewood, D. Tim J.; Foster, Peter G.; Nussbaum, Ronald A.; Gower, David J.

    2016-01-01

    Mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences are being generated with increasing speed due to the advances of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and associated analytical tools. However, detailed comparisons to explore the utility of alternative NGS approaches applied to the same taxa have not been undertaken. We compared a ‘traditional’ Sanger sequencing method with two NGS approaches (shotgun sequencing and non-indexed, multiplex amplicon sequencing) on four different sequencing pla...

  11. Gravitational Microlensing of Earth-mass Planets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harpsøe, Kennet Bomann West

    It was only 17 years ago that the first planet outside of our own solar system was detected in the form of 51 Pegasi b. This planet is unlike anything in our own solar system. In fact, this planet was the first representative of a class of planets later known as “hot Jupiters”– gas giants......, i.e. it is much easier to detect high mass planets in close orbits. With these two methods it is hard to detect planets in an exo-solar system with a structure similar to our own solar system; specifically, it is hard to detect Earth-like planets in Earth-like orbits. It is presently unknown how...... common such planets are in our galaxy. There are a few other known methods for detecting exoplanets which have very different bias patterns. This thesis has been divided into two parts, treating two of these other methods. Part I is dedicated to the method of gravitational microlensing, a method...

  12. Evaluation Metrics for Intermediate Heat Exchangers for Next Generation Nuclear Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabharwall, Piyush; Kim, Eung Soo; Anderson, Nolan

    2011-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is working with industry to develop a next generation, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) as a part of the effort to supply the United States with abundant, clean, and secure energy as initiated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct; Public Law 109-58,2005). The NGNP Project, led by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), will demonstrate the ability of the HTGR to generate hydrogen, electricity, and/or high-quality process heat for a wide range of industrial applications.

  13. Astro Data Science: The Next Generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mentzel, Chris

    2018-01-01

    Astronomers have been at the forefront of data-driven discovery since before the days of Kepler. Using data in the scientific inquiry into the workings of the the universe is the lifeblood of the field. This said, data science is considered a new thing, and researchers from every discipline are rushing to learn data science techniques, train themselves on data science tools, and even leaving academia to become data scientists. It is undeniable that our ability to harness new computational and statistical methods to make sense of today’s unprecedented size, complexity, and fast streaming data is helping scientists make new discoveries. The question now is how to ensure that researchers can employ these tools and use them appropriately. This talk will cover the state of data science as it relates to scientific research and the role astronomers play in its development, use, and training the next generation of astro-data scientists.

  14. Mutation Detection in Patients with Retinal Dystrophies Using Targeted Next Generation Sequencing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weisschuh, Nicole; Mayer, Anja K; Strom, Tim M

    2016-01-01

    Retinal dystrophies (RD) constitute a group of blinding diseases that are characterized by clinical variability and pronounced genetic heterogeneity. The different nonsyndromic and syndromic forms of RD can be attributed to mutations in more than 200 genes. Consequently, next generation sequencing...

  15. A bibliometric analysis of the development of next generation active nanotechnologies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suominen, Arho; Li, Yin; Youtie, Jan; Shapira, Philip

    2016-01-01

    Delineating the emergence of nanotechnologies that offer new functionalities is an important element in an anticipatory approach to the governance of nanotechnology and its potential impacts. This paper examines the transition to next generation active nanotechnologies which incorporate functions that respond to the environment or systems concepts that combine devices and structures that are dynamic and which may change their states in use. We develop an approach to identifying these active nanotechnologies and then use bibliometric analysis to examine the extent of research papers and patents involving these concepts. We also examine references to environmental, health, and safety concepts in these papers, given that these next generation nanotechnologies are likely to have risk profiles that are different from those of first-generation passive nanomaterials. Our results show a steady growth overall in focus on active nanotechnologies in the research literature and in patents over the study period of 1990–2010. We also find an increase in consideration given to environmental, health, and safety topics. While gaps are highlighted in our understanding of research and innovation in active nanotechnologies, the results suggest that there is beginning to be a shift to active nanotechnologies, with the implication that governance processes need to be conscious of this shift and to prepare for it.

  16. A bibliometric analysis of the development of next generation active nanotechnologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suominen, Arho [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland); Li, Yin; Youtie, Jan, E-mail: jan.youtie@innovate.gatech.edu; Shapira, Philip [Georgia Institute of Technology (United States)

    2016-09-15

    Delineating the emergence of nanotechnologies that offer new functionalities is an important element in an anticipatory approach to the governance of nanotechnology and its potential impacts. This paper examines the transition to next generation active nanotechnologies which incorporate functions that respond to the environment or systems concepts that combine devices and structures that are dynamic and which may change their states in use. We develop an approach to identifying these active nanotechnologies and then use bibliometric analysis to examine the extent of research papers and patents involving these concepts. We also examine references to environmental, health, and safety concepts in these papers, given that these next generation nanotechnologies are likely to have risk profiles that are different from those of first-generation passive nanomaterials. Our results show a steady growth overall in focus on active nanotechnologies in the research literature and in patents over the study period of 1990–2010. We also find an increase in consideration given to environmental, health, and safety topics. While gaps are highlighted in our understanding of research and innovation in active nanotechnologies, the results suggest that there is beginning to be a shift to active nanotechnologies, with the implication that governance processes need to be conscious of this shift and to prepare for it.

  17. Automotive Radar and Lidar Systems for Next Generation Driver Assistance Functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. H. Rasshofer

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Automotive radar and lidar sensors represent key components for next generation driver assistance functions (Jones, 2001. Today, their use is limited to comfort applications in premium segment vehicles although an evolution process towards more safety-oriented functions is taking place. Radar sensors available on the market today suffer from low angular resolution and poor target detection in medium ranges (30 to 60m over azimuth angles larger than ±30°. In contrast, Lidar sensors show large sensitivity towards environmental influences (e.g. snow, fog, dirt. Both sensor technologies today have a rather high cost level, forbidding their wide-spread usage on mass markets. A common approach to overcome individual sensor drawbacks is the employment of data fusion techniques (Bar-Shalom, 2001. Raw data fusion requires a common, standardized data interface to easily integrate a variety of asynchronous sensor data into a fusion network. Moreover, next generation sensors should be able to dynamically adopt to new situations and should have the ability to work in cooperative sensor environments. As vehicular function development today is being shifted more and more towards virtual prototyping, mathematical sensor models should be available. These models should take into account the sensor's functional principle as well as all typical measurement errors generated by the sensor.

  18. Detection of TET2 , KRAS and CBL variants by Next Generation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Aim: In this study, we aimed to find possible genetic markers for molecular analysis in childhood AML by screening hot-spot exons of TET2, KRAS, and CBL using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis. In addition, association between found variants and mutations of Januse Kinase-2 (JAK2) and Fms Related ...

  19. Addressing Next Generation Science Standards: A Method for Supporting Classroom Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellien, Tamara; Rothenburger, Lisa

    2014-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will define science education for the foreseeable future, yet many educators struggle to see the bridge between current practice and future practices. The inquiry-based methods used by Extension professionals (Kress, 2006) can serve as a guide for classroom educators. Described herein is a method of…

  20. The next generation of Palapa satellite (Palapa-C)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setiawan, Bambang

    The Indonesian Palapa Communication Satellite System was established in Aug. 1976 when the first satellite of Palapa A series (Palapa A1) began operation. The system is owned and operated by PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), which is a state owned company. The purpose of the system was to unify the telecommunications of the nation. Many years of operation have shown that satellite technology is the best solution for improving telecommunications in Indonesia. The system was started with 2 (two) satellites, each with 12 transponders (for a total of 24), and 40 earth stations. Now the system has 3 (three) satellites, each with 24 transponders (for a total of 72 transponders), and thousands of earth stations. The services have been extended to satisfy the requirements of the region as well as the original objectives. The use of satellite transponders in the region is increasing rapidly. In the next ten years, opportunities in the satellite communications business will become even more attractive. The next generation Palapa-C will incorporate improvements in capacity, quality, and coverage. The new frequency bands (ku- and Extended-C Band) will be used to meet the new transponder capacity requirements.

  1. Next-generation approaches to the microbial ecology of food fermentations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicholas A. Bokulich1,2,3 & David A. Mills1,2,3*

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Food fermentations have enhanced human health since the dawnof time and remain a prevalent means of food processing andpreservation. Due to their cultural and nutritional importance,many of these foods have been studied in detail using moleculartools, leading to enhancements in quality and safety. Furthermore,recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologyare revolutionizing the study of food microbial ecology,deepening insight into complex fermentation systems. Thisreview provides insight into novel applications of selectmolecular techniques, particularly next-generation sequencingtechnology, for analysis of microbial communities in fermentedfoods. We present a guideline for integrated molecular analysis offood microbial ecology and a starting point for implementingnext-generation analysis of food systems.

  2. Methodology on the sparger development for Korean next generation reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hwan Yeol; Hwang, Y.D.; Kang, H.S.; Cho, B.H.; Park, J.K.

    1999-06-01

    In case of an accident, the safety depressurization system of Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR) efficiently depressurize the reactor pressure by directly discharge steam of high pressure and temperature from the pressurizer into the in-containment refuelling water storage tank (IRWST) through spargers. This report was generated for the purpose of developing the sparger of KNGR. This report presents the methodology on application of ABB-Atom. Many thermal hydraulic parameters affecting the maximum bubble could pressure were obtained and the maximum bubble cloud pressure transient curve so called forcing function of KNGR was suggested and design inputs for IRWST (bubble cloud radius vs. time, bubble cloud velocity vs. time, bubble cloud acceleration vs. time, etc.) were generated by the analytic using Rayleigh-Plesset equation. (author). 17 refs., 6 tabs., 27 figs

  3. Methodology on the sparger development for Korean next generation reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hwan Yeol; Hwang, Y.D.; Kang, H.S.; Cho, B.H.; Park, J.K

    1999-06-01

    In case of an accident, the safety depressurization system of Korean Next Generation Reactor (KNGR) efficiently depressurize the reactor pressure by directly discharge steam of high pressure and temperature from the pressurizer into the in-containment refuelling water storage tank (IRWST) through spargers. This report was generated for the purpose of developing the sparger of KNGR. This report presents the methodology on application of ABB-Atom. Many thermal hydraulic parameters affecting the maximum bubble could pressure were obtained and the maximum bubble cloud pressure transient curve so called forcing function of KNGR was suggested and design inputs for IRWST (bubble cloud radius vs. time, bubble cloud velocity vs. time, bubble cloudacceleration vs. time, etc.) were generated by the analytic using Rayleigh-Plesset equation. (author). 17 refs., 6 tabs., 27 figs.

  4. Interferometric detectors of gravitational waves on Earth: the next generations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Losurdo, G [INFN Firenze - Via G.Sansone 1, 50019 - Sesto F., Firenze (Italy)], E-mail: losurdo@fi.infn.it

    2008-05-15

    First generation long-baseline interferometric detectors of gravitational waves are now taking data. A first detection might be possible with these instruments, but more sensitive detectors will be needed to start the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Second generation interferometers will improve the sensitivity by a factor ten, allowing to explore a universe volume 1000 times larger. The technology is almost ready and the construction will start at the beginning of the next decade. The community of the physicists involved in the field has also started to make plans for third generation detectors, for which a long term technology development program will be required. The plans for the upgrades of the existing detectors and the scenario for the evolution of the field will be reviewed in this paper.

  5. OGLE‐2008‐BLG‐510: first automated real‐time detection of a weak microlensing anomaly – brown dwarf or stellar binary?★

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bozza, V.; Dominik, M.; Rattenbury, N. J.

    2012-01-01

    , efficient and sensitive, (2) rather common weak features intrinsically come with ambiguities that are not easily resolved from photometric light curves, (3) a modelling approach that finds all features of parameter space rather than just the ‘favourite model’ is required and (4) the data quality is most......The microlensing event OGLE‐2008‐BLG‐510 is characterized by an evident asymmetric shape of the peak, promptly detected by the Automated Robotic Terrestrial Exoplanet Microlensing Search (ARTEMiS) system in real time. The skewness of the light curve appears to be compatible both with binary...

  6. Reducing Risk for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John M. Beck II; Harold J. Heydt; Emmanuel O. Opare; Kyle B. Oswald

    2010-07-01

    The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project, managed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is directed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, to research, develop, design, construct, and operate a prototype forth generation nuclear reactor to meet the needs of the 21st Century. As with all large projects developing and deploying new technologies, the NGNP has numerous risks that need to be identified, tracked, mitigated, and reduced in order for successful project completion. A Risk Management Plan (RMP) was created to outline the process the INL is using to manage the risks and reduction strategies for the NGNP Project. Integral to the RMP is the development and use of a Risk Management System (RMS). The RMS is a tool that supports management and monitoring of the project risks. The RMS does not only contain a risk register, but other functionality that allows decision makers, engineering staff, and technology researchers to review and monitor the risks as the project matures.

  7. Modular EUV Source for the next generation lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sublemontier, O.; Rosset-Kos, M.; Ceccotti, T.; Hergott, J.F.; Auguste, Th.; Normand, D.; Schmidt, M.; Beaumont, F.; Farcage, D.; Cheymol, G.; Le Caro, J.M.; Cormont, Ph.; Mauchien, P.; Thro, P.Y.; Skrzypczak, J.; Muller, S.; Marquis, E.; Barthod, B.; Gaurand, I.; Davenet, M.; Bernard, R.

    2011-01-01

    The present work, performed in the frame of the EXULITE project, was dedicated to the design and characterization of a laser-plasma-produced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source prototype at 13.5 nm for the next generation lithography. It was conducted in cooperation with two laboratories from CEA, ALCATEL and THALES. One of our approach originalities was the laser scheme modularity. Six Nd:YAG laser beams were focused at the same time on a xenon filament jet to generate the EUV emitting plasma. Multiplexing has important industrial advantages and led to interesting source performances in terms of in-band power, stability and angular emission properties with the filament jet target. A maximum conversion efficiency (CE) value of 0.44% in 2π sr and 2% bandwidth was measured, which corresponds to a maximum in band EUV mean power of 7.7 W at a repetition rate of 6 kHz. The EUV emission was found to be stable and isotropic in these conditions. (authors)

  8. Reducing Risk for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, John M. II; Heydt, Harold J.; Opare, Emmanuel O.; Oswald, Kyle B.

    2010-01-01

    The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project, managed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is directed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, to research, develop, design, construct, and operate a prototype forth generation nuclear reactor to meet the needs of the 21st Century. As with all large projects developing and deploying new technologies, the NGNP has numerous risks that need to be identified, tracked, mitigated, and reduced in order for successful project completion. A Risk Management Plan (RMP) was created to outline the process the INL is using to manage the risks and reduction strategies for the NGNP Project. Integral to the RMP is the development and use of a Risk Management System (RMS). The RMS is a tool that supports management and monitoring of the project risks. The RMS does not only contain a risk register, but other functionality that allows decision makers, engineering staff, and technology researchers to review and monitor the risks as the project matures.

  9. Next generation reactor development activity at Hitachi, Ltd

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamashita, Junichi

    2005-01-01

    Developments of innovative nuclear systems in Japan have been highly requested to cope with uncertain future nuclear power generation and fuel cycle situation. Next generation reactor system shall be surely deployed earlier to be capable to provide with several options such as plutonium multi-recycle, intermediate storage of spent fuels, simplified reprocessing of spent fuels and separated storage of 'Pu+FP' and 'U', spent fuels storage after Pu LWR recycle and their combinations, while future reactor system will be targeted at ideal fuel recycle system of higher breeding gain and transmutation of radioactive wastes. Modified designs of the ABWR at large size and medium and small size have been investigated as well as a BWR based RMWR and a supercritical-pressure LWR to ensure safety and improve economics. Advanced fuel cycle technologies of a combination of fluoride volatility process and PUREX process with high decontamination (FLUOREX process) and a modified fluoride volatility process with low decontamination have been developed. (T. Tanaka)

  10. NIRS report of investigations for the development of the next generation PET apparatus. FY 2002

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-03-01

    The present status of studies conducted by representative technology fields for the development of the next generation PET apparatus, and the summary of opinions given by investigators of nuclear medicine are reported. The former involves chapters of: Summary of representative technologies for the development of the next generation PET apparatus; Count rate analysis of PET apparatuses for the whole body and small animals by PET simulator; Scintillator; DOI (depth of interaction) detector-evaluation of the detector with 256-ch fluorescence polarization-photomultiplier tubes (FP-PMT) trial apparatus etc; Examination of multi-slice DOI-MR compatible detector for PET; Development of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for processing the front-end signals; Detector simulation; Circuit for processing PET detector signals; Signal processing-coincidence circuit; Data collection system; Signal processing technology for the next generation PET; Reconstruction of statistical PET image using DOI signals; Monte Carlo simulation and Unique directions-PET for infants and for the whole body autonomic nervous systems and mental activity; and Actual design and evaluation of image reconstruction by statistical means. Opinions are: Progress of clinical PET apparatus; Desirable PET drugs and apparatuses; From clinical practice for the development of the next generation PET apparatus; From clinical psychiatric studies for the development; From application of drug development and basic researches; From brain PET practice; From clinical PET practice; and The role of National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in PET development. Also involved is the publication list. (N.I.)

  11. Next Generation Computer Resources: Reference Model for Project Support Environments (Version 2.0)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Brown, Alan

    1993-01-01

    The objective of the Next Generation Computer Resources (NGCR) program is to restructure the Navy's approach to acquisition of standard computing resources to take better advantage of commercial advances and investments...

  12. Design of a fault diagnosis system for next generation nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, K.; Upadhyaya, B.R.; Wood, R.T.

    2004-01-01

    A new design approach for fault diagnosis is developed for next generation nuclear power plants. In the nuclear reactor design phase, data reconciliation is used as an efficient tool to determine the measurement requirements to achieve the specified goal of fault diagnosis. In the reactor operation phase, the plant measurements are collected to estimate uncertain model parameters so that a high fidelity model can be obtained for fault diagnosis. The proposed algorithm of fault detection and isolation is able to combine the strength of first principle model based fault diagnosis and the historical data based fault diagnosis. Principal component analysis on the reconciled data is used to develop a statistical model for fault detection. The updating of the principal component model based on the most recent reconciled data is a locally linearized model around the current plant measurements, so that it is applicable to any generic nonlinear systems. The sensor fault diagnosis and process fault diagnosis are decoupled through considering the process fault diagnosis as a parameter estimation problem. The developed approach has been applied to the IRIS helical coil steam generator system to monitor the operational performance of individual steam generators. This approach is general enough to design fault diagnosis systems for the next generation nuclear power plants. (authors)

  13. Composite Materials under Extreme Radiation and Temperature Environments of the Next Generation Nuclear Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simos, N.

    2011-01-01

    In the nuclear energy renaissance, driven by fission reactor concepts utilizing very high temperatures and fast neutron spectra, materials with enhanced performance that exceeds are expected to play a central role. With the operating temperatures of the Generation III reactors bringing the classical reactor materials close to their performance limits there is an urgent need to develop and qualify new alloys and composites. Efforts have been focused on the intricate relations and the high demands placed on materials at the anticipated extreme states within the next generation fusion and fission reactors which combine high radiation fluxes, elevated temperatures and aggressive environments. While nuclear reactors have been in operation for several decades, the structural materials associated with the next generation options need to endure much higher temperatures (1200 C), higher neutron doses (tens of displacements per atom, dpa), and extremely corrosive environments, which are beyond the experience on materials accumulated to-date. The most important consideration is the performance and reliability of structural materials for both in-core and out-of-core functions. While there exists a great body of nuclear materials research and operating experience/performance from fission reactors where epithermal and thermal neutrons interact with materials and alter their physio-mechanical properties, a process that is well understood by now, there are no operating or even experimental facilities that will facilitate the extreme conditions of flux and temperature anticipated and thus provide insights into the behaviour of these well understood materials. Materials, however, still need to be developed and their interaction and damage potential or lifetime to be quantified for the next generation nuclear energy. Based on material development advances, composites, and in particular ceramic composites, seem to inherently possess properties suitable for key functions within the

  14. Digital Earth reloaded - Beyond the next generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehlers, M.; Woodgate, P.; Annoni, A.; Schade, S.

    2014-02-01

    Digital replicas (or 'mirror worlds') of complex entities and systems are now routine in many fields such as aerospace engineering; archaeology; medicine; or even fashion design. The Digital Earth (DE) concept as a digital replica of the entire planet occurs in Al Gore's 1992 book Earth in the Balance and was popularized in his speech at the California Science Center in January 1998. It played a pivotal role in stimulating the development of a first generation of virtual globes, typified by Google Earth that achieved many elements of this vision. Almost 15 years after Al Gore's speech, the concept of DE needs to be re-evaluated in the light of the many scientific and technical developments in the fields of information technology, data infrastructures, citizen?s participation, and earth observation that have taken place since. This paper intends to look beyond the next generation predominantly based on the developments of fields outside the spatial sciences, where concepts, software, and hardware with strong relationships to DE are being developed without referring to this term. It also presents a number of guiding criteria for future DE developments.

  15. The nuclear power industry's ageing workforce: Transfer of knowledge to the next generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-06-01

    gained its competency through the commissioning and initial operation of the plant. Methods for such knowledge/competencies transfer are provided in this report. This report was produced through distribution of a survey to NPP operating organizations in Member States and through a series of meetings, where meeting participants shared information regarding effective practices in their organizations with respect to transferring knowledge to the next generation of NPP operating organization personnel

  16. Technology Innovations from NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Stephen A.; Morris, Charles E. K., Jr.; Tyson, Richard W.

    2004-01-01

    NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology Program has been on the cutting edge of technology, improving the safety, affordability, and reliability of future space-launch-transportation systems. The array of projects focused on propulsion, airframe, and other vehicle systems. Achievements range from building miniature fuel/oxygen sensors to hot-firings of major rocket-engine systems as well as extreme thermo-mechanical testing of large-scale structures. Results to date have significantly advanced technology readiness for future space-launch systems using either airbreathing or rocket propulsion.

  17. Application of photonics in next generation telecommunication satellites payloads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anzalchi, J.; Inigo, P.; Roy, B.

    2017-11-01

    Next generation broadband telecommunication satellites are required to provide very high data throughput using complex multibeam architectures. These high throughput `Terabit/s' Satellites will incorporate payloads with very large quantity of conventional RF equipment, co-axial cables, waveguides, harnesses and ancillary equipment, making the Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) very complex. Use of `RF over Fiber' and associated photonics equipment can make the process of AIT much simpler with the added benefit of significant reduction in number of payload equipment and inherent payload mass.

  18. Precision Controlled Carbon Materials for Next-Generation Optoelectronic and Photonic Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-08

    engineer next-generation carbon-based optoelectronic and photonic devices with superior performance and capabilities. These devices include carbon...electronics; (4) nanostructured graphene plasmonics; and (5) polymer-nanotube conjugate chemistry . (1) Semiconducting carbon nanotube-based...applications (In Preparation, 2018). (5) Polymer-nanotube conjugate chemistry Conjugated polymers can be exploited as agents for selectively wrapping and

  19. Compliance uncertainty of diameter characteristic in the next-generation geometrical product specifications and verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, W L; Jiang, X; Liu, X J; Xu, Z G

    2008-01-01

    Compliance uncertainty is one of the most important elements in the next-generation geometrical product specifications and verification (GPS). It consists of specification uncertainty, method uncertainty and implementation uncertainty, which are three of the four fundamental uncertainties in the next-generation GPS. This paper analyzes the key factors that influence compliance uncertainty and then proposes a procedure to manage the compliance uncertainty. A general model on evaluation of compliance uncertainty has been devised and a specific formula for diameter characteristic has been derived based on this general model. The case study was conducted and it revealed that the completeness of currently dominant diameter characteristic specification needs to be improved

  20. Next generation platforms for high-throughput bio-dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Repin, Mikhail; Turner, Helen C.; Garty, Guy; Brenner, David J.

    2014-01-01

    Here the general concept of the combined use of plates and tubes in racks compatible with the American National Standards Institute/the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening microplate formats as the next generation platforms for increasing the throughput of bio-dosimetry assays was described. These platforms can be used at different stages of bio-dosimetry assays starting from blood collection into micro-tubes organised in standardised racks and ending with the cytogenetic analysis of samples in standardised multi-well and multichannel plates. Robotically friendly platforms can be used for different bio-dosimetry assays in minimally equipped laboratories and on cost-effective automated universal biotech systems. (authors)