Decrease in the high energy X-ray flux from Cen XR-2. Search for X-rays from the large and small Magellanic clouds

High energy X ray sky survey data on decreased intensity of Cen XR-2, and X ray energy flux from Magellanic clouds - Mildura, Australia, October 15 and 24, 196

Mission Dependency Index of Air Force Built Infrastructure: Knowledge Discovery with Machine Learning

Mission Dependency Index (MDI) is a metric developed to capture the relative criticality of infrastructure assets with respect to organizational missions. The USAF adapted the MDI metric from the United States Navy’s MDI methodology. Unlike the Navy’s MDI data collection process, the USAF adaptation of the MDI metric employs generic facility category codes (CATCODEs) to assign MDI values. This practice introduces uncertainty into the MDI assignment process with respect to specific missions and specific infrastructure assets. The uncertainty associated with USAF MDI values necessitated the MDI adjudication process. The MDI adjudication process provides a mechanism for installation civil engineer personnel to lobby for accurate MDI values for specific infrastructure assets. The MDI adjudication process requires manual identification of MDI discrepancies, documentation, and extensive coordination between organizations. Given the existing uncertainty with USAF MDI values and the effort required for the MDI adjudication process, this research pursues machine learning and the knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) process to identify and understand relationships between real property data and mission critical infrastructure. Furthermore, a decision support tool is developed for the MDI adjudication process. Specifically, supervised learning techniques are employed to develop a classifier that can identify potential MDI discrepancies. This automation effort serves to minimize the manual MDI review process by identifying a subset of facilities for potential adjudication

Collisional cooling of ultra-cold atom ensembles using Feshbach resonances

We propose a new type of cooling mechanism for ultra-cold fermionic atom ensembles, which capitalizes on the energy dependence of inelastic collisions in the presence of a Feshbach resonance. We first discuss the case of a single magnetic resonance, and find that the final temperature and the cooling rate is limited by the width of the resonance. A concrete example, based on a p-wave resonance of $^{40}$K, is given. We then improve upon this setup by using both a very sharp optical or radio-frequency induced resonance and a very broad magnetic resonance and show that one can improve upon temperatures reached with current technologies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Bolometric luminosity variations in the Luminous Blue Variable AFGL2298

We characterise the variability in the physical properties of the luminous blue variable AFGL2298 between 1989-2008. In conjunction with published data from 1989-2001, we have undertaken a long term (2001-2008) near-IR spectroscopic and photometric observational campaign for this star and utilise a non-LTE model atmosphere code to interpret these data. We find AFGL2298 to have been highly variable during the two decades covered by the observational datasets. Photometric variations of >1.6 mag have been observed in the JHK wavebands; however, these are not accompanied by correlated changes in near-IR colour. Non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of 4 epochs of K band spectroscopy obtained between 2001-7 suggests that the photometric changes were driven by expansion and contraction of the stellar photosphere accompanied by comparatively small changes in the stellar temperature. Unclumped mass loss rates throughout this period were modest and directly comparable to those of other highly luminous LBVs. However, the bolometric luminosity of AFGL2298 appears to have varied by at least a factor of ~2 between 1989-2008, with it being one of the most luminous stars in the Galaxy during maximum. Comparison to other LBVs that have undergone non bolometric luminosity conserving `eruptions' shows such events to be heterogeneous, with AFGL2298 the least extreme example. These results - and the diverse nature of both the quiescent LBVs and associated ejecta - may offer support to the suggestion that more than one physical mechanism is responsible for such behaviour. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Community experiences of organised crime in Scotland

The research explored community experiences of serious organised crime in Scotland (SOC). The report provides information on the nature and extent of the impact of SOC on everyday life in the community, as well as offering suggestions for policy development. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1)What are the relationships that exist between SOC and communities in Scotland? 2)What are the experiences and perceptions of residents, stakeholders and organisations of the scope and nature of SOC within their local area? and 3)How does SOC impact on community wellbeing, and to what extent can the harms associated with SOC be mitigated

A Dust Twin of Cas A: Cool Dust and 21-micron Silicate Dust Feature in the Supernova Remnant G54.1+0.3

We present infrared (IR) and submillimeter observations of the Crab-like supernova remnant (SNR) G54.1+0.3 including 350 micron (SHARC-II), 870 micron (LABOCA), 70, 100, 160, 250, 350, 500 micron (Herschel) and 3-40 micron (Spitzer). We detect dust features at 9, 11 and 21 micron and a long wavelength continuum dust component. The 21 micron dust coincides with [Ar II] ejecta emission, and the feature is remarkably similar to that in Cas A. The IRAC 8 micron image including Ar ejecta is distributed in a shell-like morphology which is coincident with dust features, suggesting that dust has formed in the ejecta. We create a cold dust map that shows excess emission in the northwestern shell. We fit the spectral energy distribution of the SNR using the continuous distributions of ellipsoidal (CDE) grain model of pre-solar grain SiO2 that reproduces the 21 and 9 micron dust features and discuss grains of SiC and PAH that may be responsible for the 10-13 micron dust features. To reproduce the long-wavelength continuum, we explore models consisting of different grains including Mg2SiO4, MgSiO3, Al2O3, FeS, carbon, and Fe3O4. We tested a model with a temperature-dependent silicate absorption coefficient. We detect cold dust (27-44 K) in the remnant, making this the fourth such SNR with freshly-formed dust. The total dust mass in the SNR ranges from 0.08-0.9 Msun depending on the grain composition, which is comparable to predicted masses from theoretical models. Our estimated dust masses are consistent with the idea that SNe are a significant source of dust in the early Universe.Comment: MNRAS: accepted on June 28, 2018 and published on July 4, 201

Spectroscopic monitoring of the luminous blue variable Westerlund1-243 from 2002 to 2009

The massive post-Main Sequence star W243 in the galactic starburst cluster Westerlund 1 has undergone a spectral transformation from a B2Ia supergiant devoid of emission features in 1981 to an A-type supergiant with a rich emission-line spectrum by 2002/03. We used VLT/UVES and VLT/FLAMES to obtain high-resolution spectra on six epochs in 2003/04 (UVES) and ten epochs in 2008/09 (FLAMES). These spectra are used alongside other VLT/FLAMES and NTT/EMMI spectra to follow the evolution of W243 from 2002 to 2009. W243 displays a complex, time-varying spectrum with emission lines of Hydrogen, Helium and Lyman-pumped metals, forbidden lines of Nitrogen and Iron, and a large number of absorption lines from neutral and singly-ionized metals. Many lines are complex emission/absorption blends. The LBV has a current temperature of ~8500K (spectral type A3Ia+), and displays signs of photospheric pulsations and weak episodic mass loss. Nitrogen is highly overabundant, with Carbon and Oxygen depleted, indicative of surface CNO-processed material and considerable previous mass-loss, although current time-averaged mass-loss rates are low. The emission-line spectrum forms at large radii, when material lost by the LBV in a previous mass-loss event is ionized by an unseen hot companion. Monitoring of the near-infrared spectrum suggests that the star has not changed significantly since it finished evolving to the cool state, close to the Humphreys-Davidson limit, in early 2003. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Embedding Innovation Process And Methodology In Engineering Technology And Business Management And Marketing Courses

For many business segments, true “out of the box” innovation occurs in entrepreneurial companies where the founders aren’t hindered with the research paradigms established by mainstream businesses. The founders of these companies, many times technologists and scientists, see the application of the technology long before potential customers develop an understanding of the capabilities that the new technology can bring to the marketplace. Many times these “new technology ideas” have been developed though modifying an existing dominant design (product or service) to meet an unforeseen market need or through the development of a new design that may become the new industry standard. The competitors of tomorrow may reside in radically different markets yet have the insight to envision the application or modification of an existing technology to a market segment that they are currently not involved in. Teaching engineering technology students techniques and visioning tactics related to the innovation process has been difficult. Several of the authors have experienced, both in the classroom and in industrial settings, that many engineering and engineering technology students see innovation as the application of engineering principals resulting in small incremental changes in a process. Although these changes may result in a more efficient process through increased productivity, reduced waste, faster cycle times, etcetera; continuous improvement projects many times do not generate the dramatic market changes seen with a new dominant design. In fact in many established industries, disruptive innovation is discouraged in favor of continuous innovation because of the uncertainty of the risk/reward quotient and the impact that failed experimentation (increased research and development costs) can have on Wall Street’s perception of a company. Our university recently merged the colleges of Business and Technology and Applied Sciences resulting in a cross-pollinated faculty and the establishment of courses in the graduate and undergraduate curriculum where business and engineering technology student’s work together on class projects, many of which involve an innovation component. It is interesting that many of the faculty who incorporate a discussion or exercise related to the innovation process in their classroom have had extensive experience in an industrial setting prior to joining the university faculty. Industry seasoned faculty bring their “real-world” experience to the classroom and challenge students to move beyond continuous improvement projects. In several cases, ideas generated in the classroom or through collaborative efforts between the business and technology faculty have resulted in prototypes being built in the laboratory for further testing of the prospective innovation. The presence of a technology-centered business incubator located within walking distance from campus provides students the opportunity to observe several high technology businesses that have developed new technology niches in established market segments. These businesses provide consulting opportunities for cross-disciplinary graduate student teams to observe the challenges of introducing a new technology to address previously met market needs through introduction of a superior product. The business incubator is further linked to a sister technology-centered business incubator in Europe providing students (graduate and undergraduate) the opportunity to evaluate if a new technology should be launched initially in the United States or Europe. The creation of these learning opportunities mimic the industrial setting where graduates will be required to operate in cross-disciplinary teams that may address global manufacturing and marketing decisions. This paper discusses the pedagogical approaches several faculty members have developed to introduce and cultivate a creative innovation process to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in technology engineering and business marketing and management classes. These approaches include identifying unmet market niche opportunities, identifying technologies utilized in alternative markets that could be utilized for different market segments, classroom exercises to compel students to search existing patent literature, ideation and brainstorming exercises and researching business entities to identify their technology strategy and implementation plans

On the nature of candidate luminous blue variables in M33

Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are expected to play an important role in massive stellar evolution as well as being the progenitors of some of the most luminous supernovae known. In this paper we provide a multiwavelength study of the population of (candidate) LBVs identified within M33. New spectra provide an observational baseline of >4yr with respect to published data, which is well suited to identifying LBV outbursts. Multi-epoch optical and mid-IR surveys of M33 further constrain the variability of the sample and permit a search for dusty circumstellar ejecta. Spectroscopic and photometric variability appears common amongst the sample, although in many cases further observations will be required to determine its physical origin. Nevertheless, we report a new outburst of M33 Var C, while the transition of the WNLh star B517 to a cooler B supergiant phase between 1993-2010 confirms an LBV classification. Proof-of-concept quantitative analysis is provided for Romano's star; the results being consistent with the finding that its bolometric luminosity varies during its LBV excursions. The combination of the temperature and luminosity of two stars, the B hypergiant [HS80] 110A and the cool hypergiant B324, appears to be in violation of the empirical Humphreys-Davidson limit. Mid-IR observations demonstrate that a number of candidates appear associated with hot circumstellar dust, although no objects as extreme as Eta Carinae are identified. The combined multiwavelength dataset suggests that the population of LBVs studied is contaminated by stars demonstrating the B[e] phenomenon. Of these, a subset of optically faint, low luminosity stars associated with hot dust are of particular interest since they appear similar to the likely progenitors of SN 2008S and the 2008 NGC300 transient, albeit suffering less intrinsic extinction. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Land cover classification using multi-temporal MERIS vegetation indices

The spectral, spatial, and temporal resolutions of Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data are attractive for regional- to global-scale land cover mapping. Moreover, two novel and operational vegetation indices derived from MERIS data have considerable potential as discriminating variables in land cover classification. Here, the potential of these two vegetation indices (the MERIS global vegetation index (MGVI), MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index (MTCI)) was evaluated for mapping eleven broad land cover classes in Wisconsin. Data acquired in the high and low chlorophyll seasons were used to increase inter-class separability. The two vegetation indices provided a higher degree of inter-class separability than data acquired in many of the individual MERIS spectral wavebands. The most accurate landcover map (73.2%) was derived from a classification of vegetation index-derived data with a support vector machine (SVM), and was more accurate than the corresponding map derived from a classification using the data acquired in the original spectral wavebands