CSTARS: Cryogenic CMOS Optical Star Tracking

CMOS and sCMOS image sensors are a cost-effective alternative to the more common CCD based experimental sensors. While often being less favored than CCDs at room temperature, CMOS image sensors have a better performance at lower temperatures and are the only of the two highly used technologies that is viable at cryogenic temperatures. This paper discusses development iterations of the star tracking rocket attitude regulation system (CSTARS). This includes discussions of the cryogenic operation of CMOS sensors as well as operating in and interfacing with a NASA sounding rocket as a star tracking system. Both iterations of the project have proved effective in operating sCMOS image sensors at cryogenic temperatures with low read noise. Star tracking has also been successful in the second iteration of the system, which is scheduled to fly with the CIBER-2 sounding rocket experiment. A successful flight with CIBER-2 would prove the readiness of sCMOS sensors for cryogenic operation in a real world application

Discovery of Emergent Natural Laws by Hierarchical Multi-Agent Systems

This paper defines an approach to simulation of natural systems, inspired by complex systems theory. A complex natural system is modeled as a multi-agent simulation system, agents representing living organisms, physical entities or environmental processes. Agents and their interactions can be aggregated to higher-level group agents. The properties and behavior of these group agents are determined by, or emerge from, the properties and behavior of the individual agents composing the group. Group agents discover macro-level natural laws implied by the properties and behavior of individual agents modeling micro-level natural entities. Such a system can be implemented in a distributed programming environment, exploiting emergence, hierarchy, and concurrency to perform large-scale simulations

Raman spectroscopy of brain and skin tissue in a minipig model of Huntington's disease

We applied Raman spectroscopy to brain and skin tissues from a minipig model of Huntington's disease. Differences were observed between measured spectra of tissues with and without Huntington's disease, for both brain tissue and skin tissue. There are linked to changes in the chemical composition between tissue types. Using machine learning we correctly classified 96% of test spectra as diseased or wild type, indicating that the test would have a similar accuracy when used as a diagnostic tool for the disease. This suggests the technique has great potential in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of Huntington's and other neurodegenerative diseases in a clinical setting.</p

A pseudo--spectral algorithm for the computation of transitional--mode eigenfunctions in loose transition states II: Optimized primary and grid representations

Articles you may be interested in Geometry optimization of excited valence states of formaldehyde using analytical multireference configuration interaction singles and doubles and multireference averaged quadratic coupled-cluster gradients, and the conical intersection formed by the 1 1 B 1 (σ-π * ) and 2 1 A 1 (π-π * ) states J. Chem. Phys. 114, 74

Effects of Short-Term Cattle Exclusion on Plant Community Composition: Prairie Dog and Ecological Site Influences

On the Ground Maintaining cattle and prairie dogs on rangelands is important ecologically, economically, and culturally. However, competition between these species, both actual and perceived, has led to conflict. We explored the effects of short-term (2-year) cattle exclusion on plant communities both on and off prairie dog towns and among three common ecological sites. Plant communities were different between on-town and off-town plots and among ecological sites but were similar between cattle-excluded and nonexcluded plots. Plant community composition did not differ between rangeland targeted for moderate forage utilization and that in which cattle had been excluded for 2 years

Self-Dual Supersymmetric Dirac-Born-Infeld Action

We present a self-dual N=1 supersymmetric Dirac-Born-Infeld action in three dimensions. This action is based on the supersymmetric generalized self-duality in odd dimensions developed originally by Townsend, Pilch and van Nieuwenhuizen. Even though such a self-duality had been supposed to be very difficult to generalize to a supersymmetrically interacting system, we show that Dirac-Born-Infeld action is actually compatible with supersymmetry and self-duality in three-dimensions. The interactions can be further generalized to arbitrary (non)polynomial interactions. As a by-product, we also show that a third-rank field strength leads to a more natural formulation of self-duality in 3D. We also show an interesting role played by the third-rank field strength leading to a supersymmetry breaking, in addition to accommodating a Chern-Simons form.Comment: 12 pages, no figure

Explorations, Vol. 3, No. 3

Cover: Artwork by Marcia Spencer, University of Maine art student. Articles include: Characterization of Normal and Carcinogen Induced Neoplastic Cells of Teleost Origin, by Tim Lyden Attitutdes and Opinions of Maine Dairy Farmers, by John Muth and James Leiby Background: the quest for the eighteen month oyster, by Kevin Scully The Quest for the Eighteen Month Oyster, by Kevin Scully Measurement of Surface Tension of Kraft Black Liquor, by Jayalakshmi Jaya Krishnagopalan From the former student, by Jayalakshmi Krishnagopalan From the faculty advisor, by Ivar H. Stockel Aquatic Fungal Decomposers in Two Adjacent Maine Lakes of Different Acidity, by Peter Wagner Studies on a New Mouse Mutation, by Luanne L. Peters Opportunities for Students: Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Research Programs, by Mark W. Anderson Experimental Embryogenesis in Red Pine, by Judy C. Gates The V-Notched Lobster in Maine, by Cheryl Waltz Undernutrition in a Pediatric Population, by Paula Quatromoni From the Advisor Archaeology of the Central Maine Coast, by Douglas Kellogg Marketing Strategies for Computer Consultants in Small Business, by Kimberly Dagher Our Cover Artist From the Advisor, by James Lineha

Gaugino Anomaly Mediated SUSY Breaking: phenomenology and prospects for the LHC

We examine the supersymmetry phenomenology of a novel scenario of supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking which we call Gaugino Anomaly Mediation, or inoAMSB. This is suggested by recent work on the phenomenology of flux compactified type IIB string theory. The essential features of this scenario are that the gaugino masses are of the anomaly-mediated SUSY breaking (AMSB) form, while scalar and trilinear soft SUSY breaking terms are highly suppressed. Renormalization group effects yield an allowable sparticle mass spectrum, while at the same time avoiding charged LSPs; the latter are common in models with negligible soft scalar masses, such as no-scale or gaugino mediation models. Since scalar and trilinear soft terms are highly suppressed, the SUSY induced flavor and CP-violating processes are also suppressed. The lightest SUSY particle is the neutral wino, while the heaviest is the gluino. In this model, there should be a strong multi-jet +etmiss signal from squark pair production at the LHC. We find a 100 fb^{-1} reach of LHC out to m_{3/2}\sim 118 TeV, corresponding to a gluino mass of \sim 2.6 TeV. A double mass edge from the opposite-sign/same flavor dilepton invariant mass distribution should be visible at LHC; this, along with the presence of short-- but visible-- highly ionizing tracks from quasi-stable charginos, should provide a smoking gun signature for inoAMSB.Comment: 30 pages including 14 .eps figure