Science-Technology-Industry Network The Competitiveness of Swiss Biotechnology: A Case Study of Innovation

This study proposes to analyse in an exploratory way the state of innovation and production systems in Swiss biotechnology and especially its innovative capacity and related factors. As biotechnology as such cannot be considered as an industrial sector but rather as a set of technologies developed in the field of life sciences, the direct link with science makes innovative capacity a major determinant of competitiveness. While large multinationals, such as biopharmaceuticals, may not need local technology suppliers, the presence of a local industry of research-based firms and technology suppliers is critical, because the industry is, by itself, a major source of growth and social progress. By observing how research and development (R&D) activities are organised in the field of biotechnology, we try to identify the relations existing between universities and the biotechnology industry, but also the relations between biotechnology firms among themselves.

Massive Ellipticals at High Redshift: NICMOS Imaging of Z~1 Radio Galaxies

We present deep, continuum images of eleven high-redshift (0.811 < z < 1.875) 3CR radio galaxies observed with NICMOS. Our images probe the rest-frame optical light where stars are expected to dominate the galaxy luminosity. The rest-frame UV light of eight of these galaxies demonstrates the well-known ``alignment effect''. Most of the radio galaxies have rounder, more symmetric morphologies at rest-frame optical wavelengths. Here we show the most direct evidence that in most cases the stellar hosts are normal elliptical galaxies with de Vaucouleurs law light profiles. For a few galaxies very faint traces of the UV-bright aligned component are also visible in the infrared images. We derive both the effective radius and surface-brightness for nine of eleven sample galaxies by fitting surface-brightness models to them. We find their sizes are similar to those of local FRII radio source hosts and are in general larger than other local galaxies. The derived host galaxy luminosities are very high and lie at the bright end of luminosity functions constructed at similar redshifts. The galaxies in our sample are also brighter than the rest-frame size--surface-brightness locus defined by the low-redshift sources. Passive evolution roughly aligns the z ~ 1 galaxies with the low-redshift samples. The optical host is sometimes centered on a local minimum in the rest-frame UV emission, suggesting the presence of substantial dust obscuration. We also see good evidence of nuclear point sources in three galaxies. Overall, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that these galaxies have already formed the bulk of their stars at redshifts greater than z >~ 2, and that the AGN phenomenon takes place within otherwise normal, perhaps passively evolving, galaxies. (abridged)Comment: 28 pages, 14 figures, accepted to ApJ. Uses AASTEX and emulateapj

Relic Backgrounds of Gravitational Waves from Cosmic Turbulence

Turbulence may have been produced in the early universe during several kind of non-equilibrium processes. Periods of cosmic turbulence may have left a detectable relic in the form of stochastic backgrounds of gravitational waves. In this paper we derive general expressions for the power spectrum of the expected signal. Extending previous works on the subject, we take into account the effects of a continuous energy injection power and of magnetic fields. Both effects lead to considerable deviations from the Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum. We applied our results to determine the spectrum of gravity waves which may have been produced by neutrino inhomogeneous diffusion and by a first order phase transition. We show that in both cases the expected signal may be in the sensitivity range of LISA.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figur

A multifrequency study of giant radio sources-II. Spectral ageing analysis of the lobes of selected sources

Multifrequency observations with the GMRT and the VLA are used to determine the spectral breaks in consecutive strips along the lobes of a sample of selected giant radio sources (GRSs) in order to estimate their spectral ages. The maximum spectral ages estimated for the detected radio emission in the lobes of our sources range from $\sim$6 to 36 Myr with a median value of $\sim$20 Myr using the classical equipartition fields. Using the magnetic field estimates from the Beck & Krause formalism the spectral ages range from $\sim$5 to 38 Myr with a median value of $\sim$22 Myr. These ages are significantly older than smaller sources. In all but one source (J1313+6937) the spectral age gradually increases with distance from the hotspot regions, confirming that acceleration of the particles mainly occurs in the hotspots. Most of the GRSs do not exhibit zero spectral ages in the hotspots, as is the case in earlier studies of smaller sources. This is likely to be largely due to contamination by more extended emission due to relatively modest resolutions. The injection spectral indices range from $\sim$0.55 to 0.88 with a median value of $\sim$0.6. We discuss these values in the light of theoretical expectations, and show that the injection spectral index appears to be correlated with luminosity and/or redshift as well as with linear size.Comment: 12 Pages, 13 Figures, 9 Tables, Accepted for publication in MNRA

The spectra and energies of classical double radio lobes

We compare two temporal properties of classical double radio sources: i) radiative lifetimes of synchrotron-emitting particles and ii) dynamical source ages. We discuss how these can be quite discrepant from one another, rendering use of the traditional spectral ageing method inappropriate: we contend that spectral ages give meaningful estimates of dynamical ages only when these ages are << 10^7 years. In juxtaposing the fleeting radiative lifetimes with source ages which are significantly longer, a refinement of the paradigm for radio source evolution is required. The changing spectra along lobes are explained, not predominantly by synchrotron ageing but, by gentle gradients in a magnetic field mediated by a low-gamma matrix which illuminates an energy-distribution of particles, controlled largely by classical synchrotron loss in the high magnetic field of the hotspot. The energy in the particles is an order of magnitude higher than that inferred from the minimum-energy estimate, implying that the jet-power is of the same order as the accretion luminosity produced by the quasar central engine. This refined paradigm points to a resolution of the findings of Rudnick et al (1994) and Katz-Stone & Rudnick (1994) that both the Jaffe-Perola and Kardashev-Pacholczyk model spectra are invariably poor descriptions of the curved spectral shape of lobe emission, and indeed that for Cygnus A all regions of the lobes are characterised by a `universal spectrum'. [abridged]Comment: LaTeX, 4 figures. To appear in A

3C236: Radio Source, Interrupted?

We present new HST STIS/MAMA near-UV images and archival WFPC2 V and R band images which reveal the presence of four star forming regions in an arc along the edge of the dust lane in the giant (4 Mpc) radio galaxy 3C236. Two of the star forming regions are relatively young with ages of order 1E7 yr, while the other two are older with ages of order 1E8 - 1E9 yr which is comparable to the estimated age of the giant radio source. Based on dynamical and spectral aging arguments, we suggest that the fuel supply to the AGN was interrupted for 1E7 yr and has now been restored, resulting in the formation of the inner 2 kpc scale radio source. This time scale is similar to that of the age of the youngest of the star forming regions. We suggest that the transport of gas in the disk is non-steady and that this produces both the multiple episodes of star formation in the disk as well as the multiple epochs of radio source activity. If the inner radio source and the youngest star forming region are related by the same event of gas transport, the gas must be transported from the hundreds of pc scale to the sub-parsec scale on a time scale of 1E7 yr, which is similar to the dynamical time scale of the gas on the hundreds of pc scales

KELT-6b: A P~7.9 d Hot Saturn Transiting a Metal-Poor Star with a Long-Period Companion

We report the discovery of KELT-6b, a mildly-inflated Saturn-mass planet transiting a metal-poor host. The initial transit signal was identified in KELT-North survey data, and the planetary nature of the occulter was established using a combination of follow-up photometry, high-resolution imaging, high-resolution spectroscopy, and precise radial velocity measurements. The fiducial model from a global analysis including constraints from isochrones indicates that the V=10.38 host star (BD+31 2447) is a mildly evolved, late-F star with T_eff=6102 \pm 43 K, log(g_*)=4.07_{-0.07}^{+0.04} and [Fe/H]=-0.28 \pm 0.04, with an inferred mass M_*=1.09 \pm 0.04 M_sun and radius R_star=1.58_{-0.09}^{+0.16} R_sun. The planetary companion has mass M_P=0.43 \pm 0.05 M_J, radius R_P=1.19_{-0.08}^{+0.13} R_J, surface gravity log(g_P)=2.86_{-0.08}^{+0.06}, and density rho_P=0.31_{-0.08}^{+0.07} g~cm^{-3}. The planet is on an orbit with semimajor axis a=0.079 \pm 0.001 AU and eccentricity e=0.22_{-0.10}^{+0.12}, which is roughly consistent with circular, and has ephemeris of T_c(BJD_TDB)=2456347.79679 \pm 0.00036 and P=7.845631 \pm 0.000046 d. Equally plausible fits that employ empirical constraints on the host star parameters rather than isochrones yield a larger planet mass and radius by ~4-7%. KELT-6b has surface gravity and incident flux similar to HD209458b, but orbits a host that is more metal poor than HD209458 by ~0.3 dex. Thus, the KELT-6 system offers an opportunity to perform a comparative measurement of two similar planets in similar environments around stars of very different metallicities. The precise radial velocity data also reveal an acceleration indicative of a longer-period third body in the system, although the companion is not detected in Keck adaptive optics images.Comment: Published in AJ, 17 pages, 15 figures, 6 table

Reconstructing Disturbances and Their Biogeochemical Consequences over Multiple Timescales

Ongoing changes in disturbance regimes are predicted to cause acute changes in ecosystem structure and function in the coming decades, but many aspects of these predictions are uncertain. A key challenge is to improve the predictability of postdisturbance biogeochemical trajectories at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem ecologists and paleoecologists have generated complementary data sets about disturbance (type, severity, frequency) and ecosystem response (net primary productivity, nutrient cycling) spanning decadal to millennial timescales. Here, we take the first steps toward a full integration of these data sets by reviewing how disturbances are reconstructed using dendrochronological and sedimentary archives and by summarizing the conceptual frameworks for carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic responses to disturbances. Key research priorities include further development of paleoecological techniques that reconstruct both disturbances and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. In addition, mechanistic detail from disturbance experiments, long-term observations, and chronosequences can help increase the understanding of ecosystem resilience

The Fate of Young Radio Galaxies: Decelerations Inside Host Galaxies?

We examine the evolution of variously-sized radio galaxies [i.e., compact symmetric objects (CSOs), medium-size symmetric objects (MSOs), Fanaroff-Riley type II radio galaxies (FRIIs)], by comparing the relation between the hot spot size and the projected linear size with a coevolution model of hot spots and a cocoon. We take account of the deceleration effect by the cocoon head growth. We find that the advance speed of hot spots and lobes inevitably show the deceleration phase (CSO-MSO phase) and the acceleration phase (MSO-FRII phase). This is ascribed to the change of the power-law index of ambient density profile in the MSO phase ($\sim$1 kpc). It is also found that the cocoon shape becomes nearly spherical or disrupted for MSOs, while an elongated morphology is predicted for CSOs and FRIIs. This seems to be consistent with the higher fraction of distorted morphology of MSOs than that of CSOs and FRI. Finally, we predict that only CSOs whose initial advance speed is higher than about 0.1c can evolve into FRIIs, comparing the hot spot speed with the sound speed of the ambient medium.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ; Table 1 and Table 2 are available at http://yso.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~kawakatu/Kawakatu08.pd

Reconstructing Disturbances and Their Biogeochemical Consequences over Multiple Timescales

Ongoing changes in disturbance regimes are predicted to cause acute changes in ecosystem structure and function in the coming decades, but many aspects of these predictions are uncertain. A key challenge is to improve the predictability of postdisturbance biogeochemical trajectories at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem ecologists and paleoecologists have generated complementary data sets about disturbance (type, severity, frequency) and ecosystem response (net primary productivity, nutrient cycling) spanning decadal to millennial timescales. Here, we take the first steps toward a full integration of these data sets by reviewing how disturbances are reconstructed using dendrochronological and sedimentary archives and by summarizing the conceptual frameworks for carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic responses to disturbances. Key research priorities include further development of paleoecological techniques that reconstruct both disturbances and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. In addition, mechanistic detail from disturbance experiments, long-term observations, and chronosequences can help increase the understanding of ecosystem resilienc