Large space telescope control moment gyro test program

The underlying theory and design of test instrumentation and computer techniques used to determine the power spectral density (PSD) of the third generation gyro are described in detail. Acceptance test results on the completed instrument are presented as well as composite PSD plots. The measured RMS noise over the frequency band 0.0025 - 10 Hz was 0.012 arc seconds. Results obtained at Martin Company indicate an RMS noise of 0.009 arc seconds (0.05 - 10 Hz). The results obtained showed the TGG performance was close to the proposed LST requirements but that additional development work would be needed to reduce the TGG noise to within more desirable limits

Negotiating over mobile phones: calling or being called can make the difference

Mobile phones pervade our everyday life like no other technology, but the effects they have on one-to-one conversations are still relatively unknown. This paper focuses on how mobile phones influence negotiations, i.e., on discussions where two parties try to reach an agreement starting from opposing preferences. The experiments involve 60 pairs of unacquainted individuals (120 subjects). They must make a “yes” or “no” decision on whether several objects increase the chances of survival in a polar environment or not. When the participants disagree about a given object (one says “yes” and the other says “no”), they must try to convince one another and reach a common decision. Since the subjects discuss via phone, one of them (selected randomly) calls while the other is called. The results show that the caller convinces the receiver in 70 % of the cases ( p value = 0.005 according to a two-tailed binomial test). Gender, age, personality and conflict handling style, measured during the experiment, fail in explaining such a persuasiveness difference. Calling or being called appears to be the most important factor behind the observed result

Intense high-quality medical proton beams via laser fields

During the past decade, the interaction of high-intensity lasers with solid targets has attracted much interest, regarding its potential in accelerating charged particles. In spite of tremendous progress in laser-plasma based acceleration, it is still not clear which particle beam quality will be accessible within the upcoming multi petawatt (1 PW = 10$^{15}$ W) laser generation. Here, we show with simulations based on the coupled relativistic equations of motion that protons stemming from laser-plasma processes can be efficiently post-accelerated using crossed laser beams focused to spot radii of a few laser wavelengths. We demonstrate that the crossed beams produce monoenergetic accelerated protons with kinetic energies $> 200$ MeV, small energy spreads ($\approx$ 1$$) and high densities as required for hadron cancer therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first scheme allowing for this important application based on an all-optical set-up.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Detecting patterns of species diversification in the presence of both rate shifts and mass extinctions

Recent methodological advances are enabling better examination of speciation and extinction processes and patterns. A major open question is the origin of large discrepancies in species number between groups of the same age. Existing frameworks to model this diversity either focus on changes between lineages, neglecting global effects such as mass extinctions, or focus on changes over time which would affect all lineages. Yet it seems probable that both lineages differences and mass extinctions affect the same groups. Here we used simulations to test the performance of two widely used methods, under complex scenarios. We report good performances, although with a tendency to over-predict events when increasing the complexity of the scenario. Overall, we find that lineage shifts are better detected than mass extinctions. This work has significance for assessing the methods currently used for estimating changes in diversification using phylogenies and developing new tests.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figure

Hungarian Efforts to Mainstream Territorial Cohesion in Development Policy: Signs of Europeanisation of Domestic Spatial Planning

The paper analyses the Hungarian efforts towards the approach of territorial cohesion from a spatial planning perspective. Since 2009 territorial cohesion is not only a new legitimate priority of the EU policies, especially that of Cohesion Policy, but also an important impetus of European spatial planning and thus the key driving force of the Europeanisation process of domestic spatial planning of member states. Although Hungary, just like the other Eastern and Central European Member States, had not had a significant role for a long time before 2011 in the elaboration and discourse of territorial cohesion and European spatial planning, some of its related policy innovations had a pioneer character in the European scale. In 2011, Hungarian took a coordinator role in the preparation of the definitive strategic document of the European spatial planning and territorial cohesion, that is, the Territorial Agenda 2020 (TA2020). The paper collects and reviews the main Hungarian policy initiatives, which directly connect to notion of territorial cohesion in a European understanding of spatial planning and development. Early formation of legislative framework for the EU oriented regional development in the 1990s; the emerging approaches in national level spatial planning, spatial strategies, and the pioneer introduction of integrated urban development strategies and methodological innovations of development system to implement territorial cohesion are the main steps in this process. Several relevant Hungarian innovations emerged during or even before the explicit EU level discussion and political acceptance of territorial cohesion