The effect of patent litigation and patent assertion entities on entrepreneurial activity

This paper empirically investigates the statistical relationship between levels of patent litigation and venture capital investment in the U.S. We find that VC investment, a major funding source for entrepreneurial activity, initially increases with the number of litigated patents. However, there is a “tipping point” where further increases in the number of patents litigated are associated with decreased VC investment, which suggests an inverted U-shaped relation between patent litigation and VC investment. This appears strongest for technology patents, and negligible for products such as pharmaceuticals. Strikingly, we find evidence that litigation by frequent patent litigators, a proxy for litigation by patent assertion entities, is directly associated with decreased VC investment, with no positive effects initially

The effects of inclination, gravity darkening and differential rotation on absorption profiles of fast rotators

Mechanisms influencing absorption line profiles of fast rotating stars can be sorted into two groups; (i) intrinsic variations sensitive to temperature and pressure, and (ii) global effects common to all spectral lines. I present a detailed study on the latter effects focusing on gravity darkening and inclination for various rotational velocities and spectral types. It is shown that the line shapes of rapidly and rigidly rotating stars mainly depend on the equatorial velocity $v_{\rm e}$, not on the projected rotational velocity $v \sin{i}$ which determines the lines width. The influence of gravity darkening and spectral type on the line profiles is shown. The results demonstrate the possibility of determining the inclination angle $i$ of single fast rotators, and they show that constraints on gravity darkening can be drawn for stellar samples. While significant line profile deformation occurs in stars rotating as fast as v_{\rm e} \ga 200 km s$^{-1}$, for slower rotators profile distortion are marginal. In these cases spectral signatures induced by, e.g., differential rotation are not affected by gravity darkening and the methods applicable to slow rotators can be applied to these faster rotators, too.Comment: 7 pages, accepted by A&

OT 060420: A Seemingly Optical Transient Recorded by All-Sky Cameras

We report on a ~5th magnitude flash detected for approximately 10 minutes by two CONCAM all-sky cameras located in Cerro Pachon - Chile and La Palma - Spain. A third all-sky camera, located in Cerro Paranal - Chile did not detect the flash, and therefore the authors of this paper suggest that the flash was a series of cosmic-ray hits, meteors, or satellite glints. Another proposed hypothesis is that the flash was an astronomical transient with variable luminosity. In this paper we discuss bright optical transient detection using fish-eye all-sky monitors, analyze the apparently false-positive optical transient, and propose possible causes to false optical transient detection in all-sky cameras.Comment: 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted PAS

Singular spectrum analysis : a note on data processing for Fourier transform hyperspectral imagers

Hyperspectral remote sensing is experiencing a dazzling proliferation of new sensors, platforms, sys tems, and applications with the introduction of novel, low cost, low weight sensors. Curiously, relatively little development is now occurring in the use of Fourier Transform (FT) systems, which have the potential to operate at extremely high throughput wi thout use of a slit or reductions in both spatial and spectral resolution that thin film based mosaic sensors introduce. This study introduces a new physics - based analytical framework called Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) to process raw hyperspectral ima gery collected with FT imagers that addresses some of the data processing issues associated with FT instruments including the need to remove low frequency variations in the interferogram that are introduced by the optical system, as well as high frequency variations that lay outside the detector band pass. Synthetic interferogram data is analyzed using SSA, which adaptively decomposes the original synthetic interferogram into several independent components associated with the signal, photon and system nois e, and the field illumination pattern

Four Short-Period Algols

We have analyzed the light curves of four close binary star systems (BV 267, RU UMi, XZ CMi, and VV UMa) using the Wilson-Devinney differential corrections model. The present system geometries of these binaries is that of short-period, semi-detached systems with Roche lobe filling secondaries and main-sequence primaries. Differential coordinates in the mass-luminosity and mass-radius diagrams indicate that the secondary components lie near the main sequence, except in the case of BV 267. It is suggested that these systems are binaries with slightly overluminous and over-sized secondaries which have undergone case A mass transfer. This contention is supported by timing information and qualitatively by the period-frequency relation. These very-nearly contact binaries are likely candidates for post contact system evolution

On the Selection of Photometric Planetary Transits

We present a new method for differentiating between planetary transits and eclipsing binaries based on the presence of the ellipsoidal light variations. These variations can be used to detect stellar secondaries with masses ~0.2 M_sun orbiting sun-like stars at a photometric accuracy level which has already been achieved in transit surveys. By removing candidates exhibiting this effect it is possible to greatly reduce the number of objects requiring spectroscopic follow up with large telescopes. Unlike the usual candidate selection method, which are primarily based on the estimated radius of the orbiting object, this technique is not biased against bona-fide planets and brown dwarfs with large radii, because the amplitude of the effect depends on the transiting object's mass and orbital distance. In many binary systems, where a candidate planetary transit is actually due to the partial eclipse of two normal stars, the presence of flux variations due to the gravity darkening effect will show the true nature of these systems. We show that many of the recent OGLE-III photometric transit candidates exhibit the presence of significant variations in their light curves and are likely to be due to stellar secondaries. We find that the light curves of white dwarf transits will generally not mimic those of small planets because of significant gravitationally induced flux variations. We discuss the relative merits of methods used to detect transit candidates which are due to stellar blends rather than planets. We outline how photometric observations taken in two bands can be used to detect the presence of stellar blends.Comment: ApJ, 11 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, replaced with accepted versio

Remote oil spill detection and monitoring on ice-covered waters

The spillage of oil in Polar Regions is particularly serious due to the threat to the environment and the difficulties in detecting and tracking the full extent of the oil seepage beneath the sea ice. Development of fast and reliable sensing techniques is highly desirable. In this paper hyperspectral imaging is proposed as a potential tool to detect the presence of oil beneath the sea ice. A feasibility study project was initiated to explore the detectability of the oil under ice layer. Some preliminary results obtained during this project are discussed

A photometric and spectroscopic study of NSVS 14256825: the second sdOB+dM eclipsing binary

We present an analysis of UBVR$_{\rm C}$I$_{\rm C}$JH photometry and phase-resolved optical spectroscopy of NSVS 14256825, an HW Vir type binary. The members of this class consist of a hot subdwarf and a main-sequence low-mass star in a close orbit ($P_{\rm orb} ~ 0.1$ d). Using the primary-eclipse timings, we refine the ephemeris for the system, which has an orbital period of 0.11037 d. From the spectroscopic data analysis, we derive the effective temperature, $T_1 = 40000 \pm 500$ K, the surface gravity, $\log g_1 = 5.50\pm0.05$, and the helium abundance, $n(\rm He)/n(\rm H)=0.003\pm0.001$, for the hot component. Simultaneously modelling the photometric and spectroscopic data using the Wilson-Devinney code, we obtain the geometrical and physical parameters of NSVS 14256825. Using the fitted orbital inclination and mass ratio (i = 82\fdg5\pm0\fdg3 and $q = M_2/M_1 = 0.260\pm0.012$, respectively), the components of the system have $M_1 = 0.419 \pm 0.070 M_{\odot}$, $R_1 = 0.188 \pm 0.010 R_{\odot}$, $M_2 = 0.109 \pm 0.023 M_{\odot}$, and $R_2 = 0.162 \pm 0.008 R_{\odot}$. From its spectral characteristics, the hot star is classified as an sdOB star.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Towards a Continuous Record of the Sky

It is currently feasible to start a continuous digital record of the entire sky sensitive to any visual magnitude brighter than 15 each night. Such a record could be created with a modest array of small telescopes, which collectively generate no more than a few Gigabytes of data daily. Alternatively, a few small telescopes could continually re-point to scan and reco rd the entire sky down to any visual magnitude brighter than 15 with a recurrence epoch of at most a few weeks, again always generating less than one Gigabyte of data each night. These estimates derive from CCD ability and budgets typical of university research projects. As a prototype, we have developed and are utilizing an inexpensive single-telescope system that obtains optical data from about 1500 square degrees. We discuss the general case of creating and storing data from a both an epochal survey, where a small number of telescopes continually scan the sky, and a continuous survey, composed of a constellation of telescopes dedicated each continually inspect a designated section of the sky. We compute specific limitations of canonical surveys in visible light, and estimate that all-sky continuous visual light surveys could be sensitive to magnitude 20 in a single night by about 2010. Possible scientific returns of continuous and epochal sky surveys include continued monitoring of most known variable stars, establishing case histories for variables of future interest, uncovering new forms of stellar variability, discovering the brightest cases of microlensing, discovering new novae and supernovae, discovering new counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, monitoring known Solar System objects, discovering new Solar System objects, and discovering objects that might strike the Earth.Comment: 38 pages, 9 postscript figures, 2 gif images. Revised and new section added. Accepted to PASP. Source code submitted to ASCL.ne

Accretion disk in the eclipsing binary AU Mon

We analyze the CoRoT and V-passband ground-based light curves of the interacting close binary AU Mon, assuming that there is a geometrically and optically thick accretion disk around the hotter and more massive star, as inferred from photometric and spectroscopic characteristics of the binary. Our model fits the observations very well and provides estimates for the orbital elements and physical parameters of the components and of the accretion disk.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA