First low-frequency Einstein@Home all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves in Advanced LIGO data

We report results of a deep all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars in data from the first Advanced LIGO observing run. This search investigates the low frequency range of Advanced LIGO data, between 20 and 100 Hz, much of which was not explored in initial LIGO. The search was made possible by the computing power provided by the volunteers of the Einstein@Home project. We find no significant signal candidate and set the most stringent upper limits to date on the amplitude of gravitational wave signals from the target population, corresponding to a sensitivity depth of 48.7 [1/root Hz]. At the frequency of best strain sensitivity, near 100 Hz, we set 90% confidence upper limits of 1.8 x 10(-25). At the low end of our frequency range, 20 Hz, we achieve upper limits of 3.9 x 10(-24). At 55 Hz we can exclude sources with ellipticities greater than 10(-5) within 100 pc of Earth with fiducial value of the principal moment of inertia of 10(38) kg m(2)

Search for intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first observing run of Advanced LIGO

During their first observational run, the two Advanced LIGO detectors attained an unprecedented sensitivity, resulting in the first direct detections of gravitational-wave signals produced by stellar-mass binary black hole systems. This paper reports on an all-sky search for gravitational waves (GWs) from merging intermediate mass black hole binaries (IMBHBs). The combined results from two independent search techniques were used in this study: the first employs a matched-filter algorithm that uses a bank of filters covering the GW signal parameter space, while the second is a generic search for GW transients (bursts). No GWs from IMBHBs were detected; therefore, we constrain the rate of several classes of IMBHB mergers. The most stringent limit is obtained for black holes of individual mass 100 M ⊙, with spins aligned with the binary orbital angular momentum. For such systems, the merger rate is constrained to be less than 0.93 Gpc−3yr−1 in comoving units at the 90% confidence level, an improvement of nearly 2 orders of magnitude over previous upper limits

e-Health in the age of paradox : A position paper

This position paper examines a critical paradox in e-health: there is a striking gap between critical information services for health care that can be implemented today using existing in information and communication technologies and those services that are actually available. Facets of this paradox are examined in the context of Canadian analyses and policy, advanced research on health care reform, and current technological developments. Hypothetical scenarios are employed as a means of discussing the paradox and, ultimately, of describing potential solutions that are feasible now.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

An "Ekistics" for Information and Communication Technologies

Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Community Informatics and Human Development

A global crisis in human development and prosperity exists. Its constituents include extreme poverty, illiteracy, gender imbalances, and armed conflict. One response has been the creation of the Millennium Development Goals. The recent United Nations World Summit on the Information Society affirmed support for linking the further development of the global information society to these goals. This paper argues that community informatics has a specific role to play in contributing to the realization of the Millennium Development goals and the improvement of human development in general.On assiste \ue0 une crise globale de la prosp\ue9rit\ue9 et du d\ue9veloppement humains. Parmi les ingr\ue9dients de cette crise, figurent la pauvret\ue9 extr\ueame, l'analphab\ue9tisme, les d\ue9s\ue9quilibres entre les sexes et les conflits arm\ue9s. Une des r\ue9actions \ue0 cette crise a \ue9t\ue9 la cr\ue9ation des Objectifs de d\ue9veloppement du mill\ue9naire. Le r\ue9cent Sommet mondial des Nations Unies sur la soci\ue9t\ue9 de l'information a confirm\ue9 son appui \ue0 l'\ue9tablissement d'un lien entre le d\ue9veloppement de la soci\ue9t\ue9 globale de l'information et ces objectifs. Le pr\ue9sent article soutient que l'informatique communautaire a un rle pr\ue9cis \ue0 jouer dans la r\ue9alisation des Objectifs de d\ue9veloppement du mill\ue9naire et dans l'am\ue9lioration du d\ue9veloppement humain, en g\ue9n\ue9ralNRC publication: Ye

An "Ekistics" for Information and Communication Technologies

Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Internet

Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Software Support for Multi-Lingual Legislative Drafting

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) face a broad spectrum of barriers to effective transnational cooperation ( 3 Siochr\ufa 2003). One critical barrier is the lack of ready access to software tools that facilitate transnational, multi-lingual, collaborative work. As an example, Civil Society's drafting processes for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) have been very complicated, tedious, and prone to error. Complicating the process further is the fact that NGO communities are now often distributed across multiple languages. There are, for example, six official languages in WSIS. Truly democratic debate over document revisions is severely hampered if translations are not available. This then negatively impacts the sustainability of such processes.A number of content management systems now exist that might be extended and adapted for this purpose, but no fully functional system as such exists that is accessible to the majority of NGOs. A critical factor here is the use of a free software model. Proprietary solutions are usually prohibitively expensive and, thus, are neither accessible nor sustainable with the NGO community. This paper will present the context in which advanced collaboration tools for NGOs is needed. It will also discuss general system requirements and provide technical background.Les organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) sont confront\ue9es \ue0 un vaste spectre d'obstacles qui nuisent \ue0 une coop\ue9ration transnationale efficace ( 3 Siochr\ufa 2003). Un obstacle critique est constitu\ue9 par l'absence d'outils logiciels destin\ue9s \ue0 faciliter les travaux collaboratifs multilingues transnationaux. \uc0 titre d'exemple, pour l'organisation de la soci\ue9t\ue9 civile, le processus de r\ue9daction des documents \ue0 l'occasion du Sommet mondial sur la soci\ue9t\ue9 de l'information s'est r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 tr\ue8s compliqu\ue9, p\ue9nible et sujet \ue0 l'erreur. La situation se complique davantage du fait que les ONG sont maintenant souvent multilingues. Ainsi, au Sommet mondial sur la soci\ue9t\ue9 de l'information, il y a six langues officielles. Il est alors extr\ueamement difficile de mener des d\ue9bats v\ue9ritablement d\ue9mocratiques sur les diverses versions des documents en l'absence de traduction de ces derniers. Cette situation a \ue0 son tour des impacts n\ue9gatifs sur la possibilit\ue9 m\ueame de ce processus. Il existe maintenant un certain nombre de syst\ue8mes de gestion de contenu qui pourraient \ueatre \ue9tendus et adapt\ue9s \ue0 cette fin, mais il n'existe pas de syst\ue8mes enti\ue8rement fonctionnels qui soient accessibles \ue0 la majorit\ue9 des ONG. La possibilit\ue9 d'utiliser un mod\ue8le logiciel gratuit constitue ici un facteur critique. Les solutions propri\ue9taires se r\ue9v\ue8lent en g\ue9n\ue9ral prohibitivement co\ufbteuses et elles ne sont par cons\ue9quent ni accessibles ni utilisables dans le contexte des ONG. Cet article pr\ue9sente le contexte dans lequel des outils de collaboration \ue9volu\ue9s pour les ONG sont n\ue9cessaires. Il pr\ue9sente \ue9galement une \ue9tude des besoins g\ue9n\ue9raux auxquels ces outils doivent satisfaire, ainsi que leur situation technique.NRC publication: Ye

Tools for Collaboration Between Transnational NGOs: Multilingual, Legislative Drafting

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) face a broad spectrum of barriers to effective transnational cooperation (y Siochr 2003). One critical barrier is the lack of ready access to software tools that facilitate transnational, multi-lingual, collaborative work. As an example, Civil Society's drafting processes for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) have been very complicated, tedious, and prone to error. Inputs are received from many NGOs or caucuses composed of NGOs. These inputs may consist of commentary or specific recommendations for language in some consensus document. All such inputs must be reconciled for inconsistencies, debated, and placed into a structure for the overall document. Complicating the process further is the fact that NGO communities are now often distribute across multiple languages. There are, for example, six official languages in WSIS. Truly democratic debate over document revisions is severely hampered until translations of a draft have been produced.The goal of strengthening transnational networks within civil society must, therefore, include the development of ICT tool sets that solve both the technical and social problems involved in managing formal or semi-formal democratic processes. A number of content management systems now exist that might be extended and adapted for this purpose, but no fully functional system as such exists. A critical factor in providing this type of tool is the use of a free software model. Proprietary solutions to various aspects of the problems of collaboration and multi-lingual drafting exist, but they are expensive for most NGOs to acquire and operate. This paper will present the context in which advanced collaboration tools for NGOs is needed. It will discuss general system requirements and provide technical background. Some current technologies that provide parts of the functionality needed to support greater collaboration among NGOs will be discussed. The paper will conclude by presenting a high-level technical architecture for such a system.Les organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) sont confront\ue9es \ue0 une multitude d'obstacles qui nuisent \ue0 une coop\ue9ration transnationale efficace ( 3 Siochr\ufa 2003). L'absence d'outils logiciels pour faciliter les travaux collaboratifs multilingues transnationaux constitue notamment un obstacle critique. \ue0 titre d'exemple, les processus de r\ue9daction des documents du Bureau de la soci\ue9t\ue9 civile, pour le Sommet mondial sur la soci\ue9t\ue9 de l'information, se sont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9s tr\ue8s compliqu\ue9s, p\ue9nibles et sujets \ue0 l'erreur. Des informations sont reues de nombreux ONG ou caucus compos\ue9s d'ONG. Ces informations peuvent consister en commentaires ou en recommandations sp\ue9cifiques concernant la langue d'un document de consensus. Il faut coordonner toutes ces informations pour en \ue9liminer les incoh\ue9rences, en discuter et les structurer aux fins du document global. La situation se complique davantage du fait que les collectivit\ue9s des ONG sont souvent r\ue9parties entre des secteurs de langues diff\ue9rentes. Ainsi, au Sommet mondial sur la soci\ue9t\ue9 de l'information compte six langues officielles. Par cons\ue9quent, tant qu'une \ue9bauche n'a pas \ue9t\ue9 traduite dans les langues voulues, il est extr\ueamement difficile de mener des d\ue9bats v\ue9ritablement d\ue9mocratiques sur les r\ue9visions du document.L'objectif de renforcement des r\ue9seaux transnationaux dans la soci\ue9t\ue9 civile doit donc inclure le d\ue9veloppement d'ensembles d'outils TIC qui r\ue9solvent aussi bien les probl\ue8mes techniques que les probl\ue8mes sociaux associ\ue9s \ue0 la gestion des processus d\ue9mocratiques formels ou semi-formels. On dispose maintenant d'un certain nombre de syst\ue8mes de gestion de contenu, que l'on pourrait \ue9tendre et adapter \ue0 cette fin, mais il n' existe pas de syst\ue8me pareil qui soit enti\ue8rement fonctionnel. Un des facteurs essentiels pour procurer ce genre d'outil est l'utilisation d'un mod\ue8le de logiciel gratuit . On trouve des solutions propri\ue9taires pour divers aspects des probl\ue8mes de collaboration et de r\ue9daction multilingue, mais leur prix et leur cot d'exploitation sont trop \ue9lev\ue9s pour la plupart des ONG.Cet article pr\ue9sentera le contexte o des outils de collaboration d'avant-garde sont n\ue9cessaires. Il traitera des exigences g\ue9n\ue9rales en mati\ue8re de syst\ue8mes et donnera des renseignements g\ue9n\ue9raux d'ordre technique. Il abordera certaines technologies modernes qui procurent certains aspects de la fonctionnalit\ue9 n\ue9cessaire \ue0 une collaboration accrue entre les ONG. Il conclura en pr\ue9sentant une architecture technique de haut niveau pour un tel syst\ue8me.NRC publication: Ye

Knowledge Creation and Collective Memory in the Era of Web 2.0 and Network Non-Neutrality

This paper examines knowledge creation and ownership issues raised by the nexus of Web 2.0 technologies and business models, changes to network neutrality policy and operation, and the advent of next generation Internet architectures.Cet article examine les questions de cr\ue9ation et de propri\ue9t\ue9 du savoir soulev\ue9es par les liens qui existent entre les technologies du Web 2.0 et les mod\ue8les op\ue9rationnels, les changements apport\ue9s \ue0 la politique de neutralit\ue9 et \ue0 l'exploitation du r\ue9seau et l'av\ue8nement des architectures Internet de la nouvelle g\ue9n\ue9ration.NRC publication: Ye