Kepler Mission Stellar and Instrument Noise Properties Revisited

An earlier study of the Kepler Mission noise properties on time scales of primary relevance to detection of exoplanet transits found that higher than expected noise followed to a large extent from the stars, rather than instrument or data analysis performance. The earlier study over the first six quarters of Kepler data is extended to the full four years ultimately comprising the mission. Efforts to improve the pipeline data analysis have been successful in reducing noise levels modestly as evidenced by smaller values derived from the current data products. The new analyses of noise properties on transit time scales show significant changes in the component attributed to instrument and data analysis, with essentially no change in the inferred stellar noise. We also extend the analyses to time scales of several days, instead of several hours to better sample stellar noise that follows from magnetic activity. On the longer time scale there is a shift in stellar noise for solar-type stars to smaller values in comparison to solar values.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A

Extracellular Recordings of Field Potentials from Single Cardiomyocytes

AbstractOpen microfluidic channels were used to separate the extracellular space around a cardiomyocyte into three compartments: the cell ends and a central partition (insulating gap). The microchannels were filled with buffer solution and overlaid with paraffin oil, thus forming the cavities for the cell ends. The central part of the cardiomyocyte rested on the partition between two adjacent microchannels and was entirely surrounded by the paraffin oil. This arrangement increased the extracellular electrical resistance to >20MΩ and facilitated the recording of the time course of the change in extracellular voltage and current during subthreshold and suprathreshold stimuli. The waveform of the extracellular current and voltage in response to an extracellular depolarizing stimulus comprised an initial monophasic signal followed by a biphasic signal with a delay of 2–15ms. The latter was associated with a transient contraction and therefore caused by an action potential. The biphasic signal became monophasic after the depolarization of one cell end by raised extracellular [K+]. This form of differential recording revealed the repolarization phase of the action potential. At rest, the sarcomere length within the gap was 12%±4.8% longer than outside the gap, but intracellular Ca2+ transients occurred to the same extent as that observed in the outer pools. This data demonstrate the feasibility of the use of a microfluidic bath design to limit the extracellular resistance between two ends of an isolated cardiomyocyte

Endurance of SN 2005ip after a decade: X-rays, radio, and H-alpha like SN 1988Z require long-lived pre-supernova mass loss

SN2005ip was a TypeIIn event notable for its sustained strong interaction with circumstellar material (CSM), coronal emission lines, and IR excess, interpreted as shock interaction with the very dense and clumpy wind of an extreme red supergiant. We present a series of late-time spectra of SN2005ip and a first radio detection of this SN, plus late-time X-rays, all of which indicate that its CSM interaction is still strong a decade post-explosion. We also present and discuss new spectra of geriatric SNe with continued CSM interaction: SN1988Z, SN1993J, and SN1998S. From 3-10 yr post-explosion, SN2005ip's H-alpha luminosity and other observed characteristics were nearly identical to those of the radio-luminous SN1988Z, and much more luminous than SNe1993J and 1998S. At 10 yr after explosion, SN2005ip showed a drop in H$\alpha$ luminosity, followed by a quick resurgence over several months. We interpret this variability as ejecta crashing into a dense shell located at around 0.05 pc from the star, which may be the same shell that caused the IR echo at earlier epochs. The extreme H-alpha luminosities in SN2005ip and SN1988Z are still dominated by the forward shock at 10 yr post-explosion, whereas SN1993J and SN1998S are dominated by the reverse shock at a similar age. Continuous strong CSM interaction in SNe~2005ip and 1988Z is indicative of enhanced mass loss for about 1e3 yr before core collapse, longer than Ne, O, or Si burning phases. Instead, the episodic mass loss must extend back through C burning and perhaps even part of He burning.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figs. accepted in MNRA

Using the factors of soil formation to assess stable carbon isotope disequilibrium in late Pleistocene (MIS 3) buried soils of the Great Plains, North America

The stable carbon isotope composition of both soil organic matter (SOM) and pedogenic carbonate are widely used as paleoenvironmental proxies. This study utilizes δ13C analyses to reconstruct bioclimatic change from a series of buried soils in the central Great Plains of North America that developed between ca. 44–24 ka. Results revealed a paradoxical isotopic disequilibrium between the isotopic composition of bulk SOM (δ13CSOM) and pedogenic carbonate (δ13Ccarb). Specifically, Δ13C values are 0.1 to 6.3 per mil greater than the highest expected equilibrium value of 17 per mil in the Bk horizons. In contrast, Δ13C values are 0.1 to 4.8 per mil lower than the lowest expected equilibrium value of 14 per mil in the Ak horizons. A soil-forming factor approach was utilized to establish multiple working hypotheses regarding the influence of climate, vegetation, parent material, and time on the observed isotopic disequilibrium. Of the various hypotheses presented, we suggest that the following most likely explain the observed isotopic disequilibrium. The greater-than-expected Δ13C values in the Bk horizons most likely reflects seasonal bias in pedogenic carbonate formation, resulting in an apparent C4-biased signal. The lower-than-expected Δ13C values in the Ak horizons remains perplexing. The most likely explanation is that detrital carbonate contributions affected the δ13Ccarb record or that the δ13Ccarb and δ13CSOM records are asynchronous. Overall, it appears that different factors have affected the δ13CSOM and δ13Ccarb records independently and therefore results of this study highlight the importance of assessing pedogenic carbonates for isotopic equilibrium as well as the need to understand past environmental conditions (i.e., soil-forming factors) when interpreting isotopic trends

Embedding Innovation Process And Methodology In Engineering Technology And Business Management And Marketing Courses

For many business segments, true “out of the box” innovation occurs in entrepreneurial companies where the founders aren’t hindered with the research paradigms established by mainstream businesses. The founders of these companies, many times technologists and scientists, see the application of the technology long before potential customers develop an understanding of the capabilities that the new technology can bring to the marketplace. Many times these “new technology ideas” have been developed though modifying an existing dominant design (product or service) to meet an unforeseen market need or through the development of a new design that may become the new industry standard. The competitors of tomorrow may reside in radically different markets yet have the insight to envision the application or modification of an existing technology to a market segment that they are currently not involved in. Teaching engineering technology students techniques and visioning tactics related to the innovation process has been difficult. Several of the authors have experienced, both in the classroom and in industrial settings, that many engineering and engineering technology students see innovation as the application of engineering principals resulting in small incremental changes in a process. Although these changes may result in a more efficient process through increased productivity, reduced waste, faster cycle times, etcetera; continuous improvement projects many times do not generate the dramatic market changes seen with a new dominant design. In fact in many established industries, disruptive innovation is discouraged in favor of continuous innovation because of the uncertainty of the risk/reward quotient and the impact that failed experimentation (increased research and development costs) can have on Wall Street’s perception of a company. Our university recently merged the colleges of Business and Technology and Applied Sciences resulting in a cross-pollinated faculty and the establishment of courses in the graduate and undergraduate curriculum where business and engineering technology student’s work together on class projects, many of which involve an innovation component. It is interesting that many of the faculty who incorporate a discussion or exercise related to the innovation process in their classroom have had extensive experience in an industrial setting prior to joining the university faculty. Industry seasoned faculty bring their “real-world” experience to the classroom and challenge students to move beyond continuous improvement projects. In several cases, ideas generated in the classroom or through collaborative efforts between the business and technology faculty have resulted in prototypes being built in the laboratory for further testing of the prospective innovation. The presence of a technology-centered business incubator located within walking distance from campus provides students the opportunity to observe several high technology businesses that have developed new technology niches in established market segments. These businesses provide consulting opportunities for cross-disciplinary graduate student teams to observe the challenges of introducing a new technology to address previously met market needs through introduction of a superior product. The business incubator is further linked to a sister technology-centered business incubator in Europe providing students (graduate and undergraduate) the opportunity to evaluate if a new technology should be launched initially in the United States or Europe. The creation of these learning opportunities mimic the industrial setting where graduates will be required to operate in cross-disciplinary teams that may address global manufacturing and marketing decisions. This paper discusses the pedagogical approaches several faculty members have developed to introduce and cultivate a creative innovation process to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in technology engineering and business marketing and management classes. These approaches include identifying unmet market niche opportunities, identifying technologies utilized in alternative markets that could be utilized for different market segments, classroom exercises to compel students to search existing patent literature, ideation and brainstorming exercises and researching business entities to identify their technology strategy and implementation plans

Ariel - Volume 9 Number 5

Executive Editor Seth B. Paul Associate Editor Warren J. Ventriglia Business Manager Fredric Jay Matlin University News John Patrick Welch World News George Robert Coar Editorials Editor Steve Levine Features Mark Rubin Brad Feldstein Sports Editor Eli Saleeby Photo Editor Ken Buckwalter Circulation Victor Onufreiczuk Lee Wugofski Graphics and Art Steve Hulkower Commons Editor Brenda Peterso

Draft genome sequences of 14 Escherichia coli phages isolated from cattle slurry

The diversity of bacteriophages in slurry from dairy cows remains largely unknown. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of 14 bacteriophages isolated from dairy cow slurry using Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 as a host

SN Hunt 248: a super-Eddington outburst from a massive cool hypergiant

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN Hunt 248, a new supernova (SN) impostor in NGC 5806, which began a multi-stage outburst in 2014 May. The initial '2014a' discovery brightening exhibited an absolute magnitude of M~-12 and the spectral characteristics of a cool dense outflow, including P-Cygni lines of Fe II, H I, Na I, and strong line blanketing from metals. The source rapidly climbed and peaked near M~-15 mag after two additional weeks. During this bright '2014b' phase the spectrum became dominated by Balmer emission and a stronger blue continuum, similar to the SN impostor SN 1997bs. Archival images from the Hubble Space Telescope between 1997 and 2005 reveal a luminous (4e5 Lsun) variable precursor star. Its location on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is consistent with a massive (M_init~30 Msun) cool hypergiant having an extremely dense wind and an Eddington ratio just below unity. At the onset of the recent 2014a brightening, however, the object became super-Eddington. The subsequent boost in luminosity during the 2014b phase probably resulted from circumstellar interaction. SN Hunt 248 provides the first case of a cool hypergiant undergoing a giant eruption reminiscent of outbursts from luminous blue variable (LBV) stars. This lends support to the hypothesis that some cool hypergiants, such as Rho Cas, could be LBVs masquerading under a pseudo-photosphere created by their extremely dense winds. Moreover, SN Hunt 248 demonstrates that eruptions stemming from such stars can rival in peak luminosity the giant outbursts of much more massive systems like Eta Car.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS on 2014 Dec 1. Post-proof version. 14 pages, 9 figure