Kepler Transit Depths Contaminated by a Phantom Star

We present ground-based observations from the Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) of three transits of Kepler-445c---a supposed super-Earth exoplanet with properties resembling GJ 1214b---and demonstrate that the transit depth is approximately 50 percent shallower than the depth previously inferred from Kepler Spacecraft data. The resulting decrease in planetary radius significantly alters the interpretation of the exoplanet's bulk composition. Despite the faintness of the M4 dwarf host star, our ground-based photometry clearly recovers each transit and achieves repeatable 1-sigma precision of approximately 0.2 percent (2 millimags). The transit parameters estimated from the DCT data are discrepant with those inferred from the Kepler data to at least 17-sigma confidence. This inconsistency is due to a subtle miscalculation of the stellar crowding metric during the Kepler pre-search data conditioning (PDC). The crowding metric, or CROWDSAP, is contaminated by a non-existent "phantom star" originating in the USNO-B1 catalog and inherited by the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC). Phantom stars in the KIC are likely rare, but they have the potential to affect statistical studies of Kepler targets that use the PDC transit depths for a large number of exoplanets where individual follow-up observation of each is not possible. The miscalculation of Kepler-445c's transit depth emphasizes the importance of stellar crowding in the Kepler data, and provides a cautionary tale for the analysis of data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which will have even larger pixels than Kepler.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ. Transit light curves will be available from AJ as Db

Control of a bidirectional single-phase grid interface for electric vehicles

The number of electric vehicles is expected to increase exponentially in the next decade. This represents a huge potential for grid support, such as energy storage in their batteries, with advantages for grid operators and for customers. For this purpose, flexible power interfaces are required. This paper presents a simulation of a bidirectional singlephase power interface between an electric vehicle battery and the grid. The proposed system is fully simulated and counts with features such as vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home and grid-to-vehicle. All power flow and the controllers for these modes of operation are described in detail. The simulation was developed in a Software-in-the-Loop scheme to facilitate a future physical implementation with a Hardware-in-the-Loop platform. The proposed system was extensively tested via simulation, the results proving the system is stable, able to change operation modes smoothly and definition of the exchanged active and reactive powers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Image Analysis of Morphological Changes in Wiener Batters During Chopping and Cooking

Histological changes in wiener batters during chopping and cooking have often been illustrated with representative fields . The practice of selecting representative fields ignores variation and leads to word descriptions that cannot be correlated with numerical scores for functional or sensory tests . If wieners are regarded as a multi-component system, objectivity can be achieved by selecting many fields for each sample according to a rigid sampling plan. Image analysis quantified parameters of both the fat and protein components . The reduction in size of fat globules during chopping of a commercial formulation, for example, was a function of area and aggregate perimeter of several hundred globules compiled by a computer . There was no relationship between wiener firmness and any feature of the microstructure ; but even at a low magnification of 30x , several statistically different factors were exposed during this survey which require further study

Assessment of Physical, Technical, and Tactical Analysis in the Australian Football League: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Elite Australian Football (AF) match-play requires proficiency in physical, technical, and tactical elements. However, when analysing player movement practitioners commonly exclude technical and tactical considerations, failing to recognise the multifactorial nature of AF match-play and providing little context into the movement requirements of the players. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to identify the physical, technical, and tactical requirements of the Australian Football League (AFL) and to highlight the importance of integrating data from multiple sources when analysing player output. METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) was conducted from January 2009 to June 2022. Keywords relating to physical, technical, and tactical match requirements were used. RESULTS: Forty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. In isolation, physical requirements were the most analysed construct within the AFL (n = 17), followed by technical (n = 9) and then tactical (n = 6). Thirteen studies integrated physical and technical elements, one study integrated technical and tactical elements, one study integrated physical and tactical elements, and one study integrated all three elements. Movement analysis centred around average 'whole' match requirements, whereas technical and tactical match analyses focused on key performance indicators of match performance. CONCLUSION: While the physical requirements of the AFL have been well documented, there is little understanding of how player technical output and various team tactics influence player movement requirements. Knowledge of how the elements of AF match-play interact with one another could enhance our understanding of match performance and provide a greater resource for training prescription

Hubble Space Telescope Near-IR Transmission Spectroscopy of the Super-Earth HD 97658b

Recent results from the Kepler mission indicate that super-Earths (planets with masses between 1-10 times that of the Earth) are the most common kind of planet around nearby Sun-like stars. These planets have no direct solar system analogue, and are currently one of the least well-understood classes of extrasolar planets. Many super-Earths have average densities that are consistent with a broad range of bulk compositions, including both water-dominated worlds and rocky planets covered by a thick hydrogen and helium atmosphere. Measurements of the transmission spectra of these planets offer the opportunity to resolve this degeneracy by directly constraining the scale heights and corresponding mean molecular weights of their atmospheres. We present Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared spectroscopy of two transits of the newly discovered transiting super-Earth HD 97658b. We use the Wide Field Camera 3's scanning mode to measure the wavelength-dependent transit depth in thirty individual bandpasses. Our averaged differential transmission spectrum has a median 1 sigma uncertainty of 23 ppm in individual bins, making this the most precise observation of an exoplanetary transmission spectrum obtained with WFC3 to date. Our data are inconsistent with a cloud-free solar metallicity atmosphere at the 10 sigma level. They are consistent at the 0.4 sigma level with a flat line model, as well as effectively flat models corresponding to a metal-rich atmosphere or a solar metallicity atmosphere with a cloud or haze layer located at pressures of 10 mbar or higher.Comment: ApJ in press; revised version includes an updated orbital ephemeris for the plane

Dietary intake of professional Australian football athletes surrounding body composition assessment

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: Sports Dietitians aim to assist in improving performance by developing nutrition knowledge (NK), enhancing dietary intake and optimising body composition of athletes. In a high-pressure environment, it is important to identify factors that may compromise an athlete's nutrition status. Body composition assessments are regularly undertaken in sport to provide feedback on training adaptions; however, no research has explored the impact of these assessments on the dietary intake of professional athletes. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed dietary intake (7-day food diary), nutrition knowledge (Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire) and body composition (Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) of 46 professional male Australian football (AFL) athletes during a 2017 pre-season training week (7days) where body composition assessments were undertaken. Dietary intake was assessed against International Olympic Committee recommendations for professional athletes. Results: Overall, no athlete met dietary their recommended energy intake (15±1.1 vs. 9.1±1.8MJ, respectively) or carbohydrate recommendations (6-10 vs. 2.4±0.9g.kg-1.day-1). Only 54% met protein recommendations. Secondary analyses demonstrated significant associations between education status and energy intake (P<0.04) and vegetable intake (P<0.03), with higher levels of education being associated with higher intakes. A moderately positive association was observed between NK scores and meeting estimated energy requirements (r=0.33, P=0.03). NK scores were also positively associated with protein (r=0.35, P=0.02), fibre (r=0.51, P=0.001) and calcium intakes (r=0.43, P=0.004). Conclusions: This research identified that the dietary intake of professional AFL athletes during a pre-season training week where body composition assessments were undertaken did not meet current recommendations. Several factors may influence the dietary intake of AFL athletes, including lower education levels, poor NK and dietary intake restriction surrounding body composition assessment. Athletes may require support to continue with performance-based nutrition plans in periods surrounding body composition assessment