Neptune Odyssey: A Flagship Concept for the Exploration of the Neptune–Triton System

The Neptune Odyssey mission concept is a Flagship-class orbiter and atmospheric probe to the Neptune-Triton system. This bold mission of exploration would orbit an ice-giant planet to study the planet, its rings, small satellites, space environment, and the planet-sized moon Triton. Triton is a captured dwarf planet from the Kuiper Belt, twin of Pluto, and likely ocean world. Odyssey addresses Neptune system-level science, with equal priorities placed on Neptune, its rings, moons, space environment, and Triton. Between Uranus and Neptune, the latter is unique in providing simultaneous access to both an ice giant and a Kuiper Belt dwarf planet. The spacecraft - in a class equivalent to the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft - would launch by 2031 on a Space Launch System or equivalent launch vehicle and utilize a Jupiter gravity assist for a 12 yr cruise to Neptune and a 4 yr prime orbital mission; alternatively a launch after 2031 would have a 16 yr direct-to-Neptune cruise phase. Our solution provides annual launch opportunities and allows for an easy upgrade to the shorter (12 yr) cruise. Odyssey would orbit Neptune retrograde (prograde with respect to Triton), using the moon's gravity to shape the orbital tour and allow coverage of Triton, Neptune, and the space environment. The atmospheric entry probe would descend in ~37 minutes to the 10 bar pressure level in Neptune's atmosphere just before Odyssey's orbit-insertion engine burn. Odyssey's mission would end by conducting a Cassini-like "Grand Finale,"passing inside the rings and ultimately taking a final great plunge into Neptune's atmosphere

Adeus Maio! Salve Junho!: narrativas e representações dos festejos juninos em Belém do Pará nos anos de 1950

This study aims to analyze the narratives and representations of June festivities in Belém of Pará in the 1950s. These festivities won highlights in the pages of books, newspapers and magazines circulating in Belém from the period in question, where it was possible to find ads, chronicles and novels that deal with this festive time. The June festivals of great importance to a significant portion of belenense society, counted on the participation of several musical ensembles, “juninos” groups and audio equipment animating these events performed in various spaces of the suburbs and the city center. In addition, several were the views of journalists and intellectuals on this festive celebration, these being analyzed from the distribution of roles of values and behavior standards proposed for them in his writings. In this sense, the concept of representation, proposed by the French historian Roger Chartier, permeate the dissertation in question, in which the author points out that the speeches are interspersed strategies and practices that tend to impose authority and even induce the other the choices and they are built dialogically a game that includes interests, conflicts and negotiations. The research presented included aid supplies taken from the newspaper O Liberal, Folha do Norte, A Província do Pará, O Estado do Pará, A Vanguarda and the magazine Amazônia, published in the 1950s, as well as memoirs novels that talk about the subject worked here in the second half of the twentieth century.CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorO presente trabalho busca analisar as narrativas e representações dos festejos juninos de Belém do Pará nos anos de 1950. Esses festejos ganharam destaques nas páginas de livros, jornais e revistas que circulavam em Belém no período em questão, onde era possível encontrar anúncios, crônicas e romances que versavam sobre esse momento festivo. As festas juninas, de grande importância para parcela significativa da sociedade belenense, contavam com a participação de diversos conjuntos musicais, grupos juninos e de aparelhos sonoros animando esses eventos realizados em diversos espaços do subúrbio e do centro da cidade. Além disso, vários eram os pontos de vistas de jornalistas e intelectuais sobre essa celebração festiva, sendo esses analisados a partir dos papeis de difusão de valores e de padrões de comportamentos propostos por eles em seus escritos. Nesse sentido, o conceito de representação, proposto pelo historiador francês Roger Chartier, permeará a dissertação em questão, no qual esse autor assinala que os discursos estão entremeados de estratégias e práticas que tendem a impor autoridade e até mesmo induzirem o outro a escolhas e que são construídos dialogicamente num jogo que inclui interesses, embates e negociações. A pesquisa apresentada contou com auxílio de fontes retiradas dos jornais O Liberal, Folha do Norte, A Província do Pará, O Estado do Pará, A Vanguarda e da Revista Amazônia, publicados na década de 1950, assim como romances memorialísticos que falam sobre a temática aqui trabalhada, na segunda metade do século XX

Development and Validation of a Melanoma Risk Score Based on Pooled Data from 16 Case-Control Studies

Background: We report the development of a cutaneous melanoma risk algorithm based upon seven factors; hair color, skin type, family history, freckling, nevus count, number of large nevi, and history of sunburn, intended to form the basis of a self-assessment Web tool for the general public. Methods: Predicted odds of melanoma were estimated by analyzing a pooled dataset from 16 case–control studies using logistic random coefficients models. Risk categories were defined based on the distribution of the predicted odds in the controls from these studies. Imputation was used to estimate missing data in the pooled datasets. The 30th, 60th, and 90th centiles were used to distribute individuals into four risk groups for their age, sex, and geographic location. Cross-validation was used to test the robustness of the thresholds for each group by leaving out each study one by one. Performance of the model was assessed in an independent UK case–control study dataset. Results: Cross-validation confirmed the robustness of the threshold estimates. Cases and controls were well discriminated in the independent dataset [area under the curve, 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.73–0.78]. Twenty-nine percent of cases were in the highest risk group compared with 7% of controls, and 43% of controls were in the lowest risk group compared with 13% of cases. Conclusion: We have identified a composite score representing an estimate of relative risk and successfully validated this score in an independent dataset. Impact: This score may be a useful tool to inform members of the public about their melanoma risk

A CVD diamond beam telescope for charged particle tracking

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond is a radiation-hard sensor material that may be used for charged particle tracking near the interaction region in experiments at high-luminosity colliders. The goal of the work described in this paper is to investigate the use of several detector planes made of CVD diamond strip sensors for charged particle tracking. Toward this end, a tracking telescope composed entirely of CVD diamond planes has been constructed. The telescope was tested in muon beams, and its tracking capability has been investigated

Genome-wide association study of prostate cancer identifies a second risk locus at 8q24.

Recently, common variants on human chromosome 8q24 were found to be associated with prostate cancer risk. While conducting a genome-wide association study in the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility project with 550,000 SNPs in a nested case-control study (1,172 cases and 1,157 controls of European origin), we identified a new association at 8q24 with an independent effect on prostate cancer susceptibility. The most significant signal is 70 kb centromeric to the previously reported SNP, rs1447295, but shows little evidence of linkage disequilibrium with it. A combined analysis with four additional studies (total: 4,296 cases and 4,299 controls) confirms association with prostate cancer for rs6983267 in the centromeric locus (P = 9.42 times 10-13; heterozygote odds ratio (OR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (c.i.): 1.13–1.41; homozygote OR: 1.58, 95% c.i.: 1.40–1.78). Each SNP remained significant in a joint analysis after adjusting for the other (rs1447295 P = 1.41 times 10-11; rs6983267 P = 6.62 times 10-10). These observations, combined with compelling evidence for a recombination hotspot between the two markers, indicate the presence of at least two independent loci within 8q24 that contribute to prostate cancer in men of European ancestry. We estimate that the population attributable risk of the new locus, marked by rs6983267, is higher than the locus marked by rs1447295 (21% versus 9%)

The Solar Orbiter SPICE instrument: An extreme UV imaging spectrometer

Aims. The Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument is a high-resolution imaging spectrometer operating at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. In this paper, we present the concept, design, and pre-launch performance of this facility instrument on the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission. Methods. The goal of this paper is to give prospective users a better understanding of the possible types of observations, the data acquisition, and the sources that contribute to the instrument’s signal. Results. The paper discusses the science objectives, with a focus on the SPICE-specific aspects, before presenting the instrument’s design, including optical, mechanical, thermal, and electronics aspects. This is followed by a characterisation and calibration of the instrument’s performance. The paper concludes with descriptions of the operations concept and data processing. Conclusions. The performance measurements of the various instrument parameters meet the requirements derived from the mission’s science objectives. The SPICE instrument is ready to perform measurements that will provide vital contributions to the scientific success of the Solar Orbiter mission