Characterization of thermal effects in the Enhanced LIGO Input Optics

We present the design and performance of the LIGO Input Optics subsystem as implemented for the sixth science run of the LIGO interferometers. The Initial LIGO Input Optics experienced thermal side effects when operating with 7 W input power. We designed, built, and implemented improved versions of the Input Optics for Enhanced LIGO, an incremental upgrade to the Initial LIGO interferometers, designed to run with 30 W input power. At four times the power of Initial LIGO, the Enhanced LIGO Input Optics demonstrated improved performance including better optical isolation, less thermal drift, minimal thermal lensing and higher optical efficiency. The success of the Input Optics design fosters confidence for its ability to perform well in Advanced LIGO

14C contamination testing in natural abundance laboratories: a new preparation method using wet chemical oxidation and some experiences

Substances enriched with radiocarbon can easily contaminate samples and laboratories used for natural abundance measurements. We have developed a new method using wet chemical oxidation for swabbing laboratories and equipment to test for 14C contamination. Here, we report the findings of 18 months’ work and more than 800 tests covering studies at multiple locations. Evidence of past and current use of enriched 14C was found at all but one location and a program of testing and communication was used to mitigate its effects. Remediation was attempted with mixed success and depended on the complexity and level of the contamination. We describe four cases from different situations

A strategy to assess short and frequent skin contacts with nickel

Background. In order to protect the public health, the EU nickel regulation sets a limit for certain consumer products not to release more nickel than 0.5 μg/cm2/week. However, nickel remains the most frequent cause of skin allergy. Objectives. To design and develop an experimental strategy for assessment of short and frequent skin exposure to nickel containing consumer products in daily life. Methods. The research strategy includes: screening for nickel exposure in daily life using the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) spot test for direct qualitative detection of nickel, and assessment of nickel skin dose from relevant nickel-containing materials in two contact test models using modified skin sampling methods. Future tests for measurement of nickel release in artificial sweat were planned for in the strategy but not performed within this master thesis project. Results. In 3 different home environments, 28% of different kinds of metallic consumer products were DMG test positive. The chemical compositions of DMG positive items were mostly detected as combinations of Ni/Cu/Zn, Ni/Fe/Cu or Ni/Fe. The lowest nickel skin dose detected as DMG test positive was 0.05 μg/cm2. The presence of nickel on the skin was identified qualitatively after single contact with all the selected nickel-containing materials except for stainless steel. Conclusion. The presented strategy will provide new and important knowledge for better understanding the allergy risk from short and repetitive skin contacts with nickel-releasing materials. Such data can be used for safety assessment and more protective restriction of nickel release from items intended also for short and frequent contact with the skin.Sammanfattning Bakgrund Befolkningen i EU skyddas delvis mot problematisk hudexponering för nickel genom begränsningen av nickel i REACH (EUs kemikalielagstiftning; Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals). Föremål som avses komma i långvarig kontakt med huden får inte frisätta mer än 0.5 µg/cm2/vecka. Trots detta är nickel fortfarande den vanligaste orsaken till hudallergi (kontaktallergi). Mål Att utveckla en experimentell strategi för bedömning av betydelsen av kortvarig, upprepad hudexponering för nickel i konsumentprodukter som används dagligen. Metoder Det experimentella tillvägagångssättet innefattar dels en undersökning av vardaglig nickelexponering med hjälp av DMG-test (dimetylglyoxim-test) för en direkt, kvalitativ detektion av nickel, dels mätningar av nickel på huden från korta kontakter med relevanta nickelinnehållande material. Olika typer av kontaktmönster studeras och huddoserna fås med en modifierad hudprovtagningsmetod. Strategin innefattar även mätningar av nickelfrisättning i artificiells vett, men dessa utfördes inte inom ramen för examensarbetet. Resultat I tre olika hem var 28 % av de föremål som DMG-testats, positiva för nickel. Den kemiska sammansättningen hos dessa var mestadels kombinationer av Ni/Cu/Zn, Ni/Fe/Cu eller Ni/Fe. DMG-testet användes direkt på exponerad hud och den lägsta huddos av nickel som detekterades var 0.05 µg/cm2. Förekomsten av nickel på huden kunde påvisas kvalitativt med DMG-test efter enstaka kontakter med alla de testade nickel-innehållande materialen med undantag av rostfritt stål. Slutsats Det föreslagna experimentella tillvägagångssättet kan bidra med ny och viktig kunskap om betydelsen av många kortvariga, upprepade kontakttillfällen med nickel. Denna kunskap kan användas för riskbedömning och för en mer skyddande begränsning av nickel som får avges från konsumentprodukter och varor i kortvarig kontakt med huden

Soft Methodology for Cost-and-error Sensitive Classification

Many real-world data mining applications need varying cost for different types of classification errors and thus call for cost-sensitive classification algorithms. Existing algorithms for cost-sensitive classification are successful in terms of minimizing the cost, but can result in a high error rate as the trade-off. The high error rate holds back the practical use of those algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel cost-sensitive classification methodology that takes both the cost and the error rate into account. The methodology, called soft cost-sensitive classification, is established from a multicriteria optimization problem of the cost and the error rate, and can be viewed as regularizing cost-sensitive classification with the error rate. The simple methodology allows immediate improvements of existing cost-sensitive classification algorithms. Experiments on the benchmark and the real-world data sets show that our proposed methodology indeed achieves lower test error rates and similar (sometimes lower) test costs than existing cost-sensitive classification algorithms. We also demonstrate that the methodology can be extended for considering the weighted error rate instead of the original error rate. This extension is useful for tackling unbalanced classification problems.Comment: A shorter version appeared in KDD '1

Refurbishment cost study of the thermal protection system of a space shuttle vehicle. Phase 2: Supplement

The labor costs and techniques associated with the maintenance of a bonded-on ablator thermal protection system (TPS) concept, suitable for Space Shuttle application are examined. The baseline approach to TPS attachment involves bonding reusable surface insulation (RSI) and/or ablators to the structural skin of the vehicle. The RSI and/or ablators in the form of either flat or contoured panels can be bonded to the skin of the primary structure directly or by way of an intermediate silicone foam rubber pad. The use of foam rubber pads permits the use of buckling skins and protruding heat rivets on the primary structure, minimizing structural weight and fabrication costs. In the case of the RSI, the foam rubber pad serves as a required strain isolator. For purpose of comparison, test data were obtained for an installation with and without the use of a strain isolator. The refurbishment aspects of a bonded-on RSI concept (without a strain isolator) were examined experimentally along with several externally removable panel concepts employing both ablator and RSI TPS. The various concepts are compared

Command system study for the operation and control of unmanned scientific satellites. task ii closed-loop /feedback/ verification techniques second quarterly progress report, 30 sep. - 31 dec. 1964

Closed loop, feedback verification techniques for command system of unmanned scientific satellit

Process techniques study of integrated circuits Final scientific report

Surface impurity and structural defect analysis on thermally grown silicon oxide integrated circui

Advances in Cybercrime Prediction: A Survey of Machine, Deep, Transfer, and Adaptive Learning Techniques

Cybercrime is a growing threat to organizations and individuals worldwide, with criminals using increasingly sophisticated techniques to breach security systems and steal sensitive data. In recent years, machine learning, deep learning, and transfer learning techniques have emerged as promising tools for predicting cybercrime and preventing it before it occurs. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the latest advancements in cybercrime prediction using above mentioned techniques, highlighting the latest research related to each approach. For this purpose, we reviewed more than 150 research articles and discussed around 50 most recent and relevant research articles. We start the review by discussing some common methods used by cyber criminals and then focus on the latest machine learning techniques and deep learning techniques, such as recurrent and convolutional neural networks, which were effective in detecting anomalous behavior and identifying potential threats. We also discuss transfer learning, which allows models trained on one dataset to be adapted for use on another dataset, and then focus on active and reinforcement Learning as part of early-stage algorithmic research in cybercrime prediction. Finally, we discuss critical innovations, research gaps, and future research opportunities in Cybercrime prediction. Overall, this paper presents a holistic view of cutting-edge developments in cybercrime prediction, shedding light on the strengths and limitations of each method and equipping researchers and practitioners with essential insights, publicly available datasets, and resources necessary to develop efficient cybercrime prediction systems.Comment: 27 Pages, 6 Figures, 4 Table