EEV CCD39 wavefront sensor cameras for AO and interferometry

SciMeasure, in collaboration with Emory University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has developed an extremely versatile CCD controller for use in adaptive optics, optical interferometry, and other applications requiring high-speed readout rates and/or low read noise. The overall architecture of this controller system will be discussed and its performance using both EEV CCD39 and MIT/LL CCID-19 detectors will be presented. Initially developed for adaptive optics applications, this controller is used in the Palomar Adaptive Optics program (PALAO), the AO system developed by JPL for the 200' Hale telescope at Palomar Mountain. An overview of the PALAO system is discussed and diffraction-limited science results will be shown. Recently modified under NASA SBIR Phase II funding for use in the Space Interferometry Mission testbeds, this controller is currently in use on the Micro- Arcsecond Metrology testbed at JPL. Details of a new vacuum- compatible remote CCD enclosure and specialized readout sequence programming will also be presented

EEV CCD39 wavefront sensor cameras for AO and interferometry

SciMeasure, in collaboration with Emory University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has developed an extremely versatile CCD controller for use in adaptive optics, optical interferometry, and other applications requiring high-speed readout rates and/or low read noise. The overall architecture of this controller system will be discussed and its performance using both EEV CCD39 and MIT/LL CCID-19 detectors will be presented. Initially developed for adaptive optics applications, this controller is used in the Palomar Adaptive Optics program (PALAO), the AO system developed by JPL for the 200' Hale telescope at Palomar Mountain. An overview of the PALAO system is discussed and diffraction-limited science results will be shown. Recently modified under NASA SBIR Phase II funding for use in the Space Interferometry Mission testbeds, this controller is currently in use on the Micro- Arcsecond Metrology testbed at JPL. Details of a new vacuum- compatible remote CCD enclosure and specialized readout sequence programming will also be presented

Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in NF1: Evidence for a More Severe Phenotype Associated with Missense Mutations Affecting NF1 Codons 844–848

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common genetic disorder with a birth incidence of 1:2,000–3,000, is characterized by a highly variable clinical presentation. To date, only two clinically relevant intragenic genotype-phenotype correlations have been reported for NF1 missense mutations affecting p.Arg1809 and a single amino acid deletion p.Met922del. Both variants predispose to a distinct mild NF1 phenotype with neither externally visible cutaneous/plexiform neurofibromas nor other tumors. Here, we report 162 individuals (129 unrelated probands and 33 affected relatives) heterozygous for a constitutional missense mutation affecting one of five neighboring NF1 codons—Leu844, Cys845, Ala846, Leu847, and Gly848—located in the cysteine-serine-rich domain (CSRD). Collectively, these recurrent missense mutations affect ∼0.8% of unrelated NF1 mutation-positive probands in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) cohort. Major superficial plexiform neurofibromas and symptomatic spinal neurofibromas were more prevalent in these individuals compared with classic NF1-affected cohorts (both p < 0.0001). Nearly half of the individuals had symptomatic or asymptomatic optic pathway gliomas and/or skeletal abnormalities. Additionally, variants in this region seem to confer a high predisposition to develop malignancies compared with the general NF1-affected population (p = 0.0061). Our results demonstrate that these NF1 missense mutations, although located outside the GAP-related domain, may be an important risk factor for a severe presentation. A genotype-phenotype correlation at the NF1 region 844–848 exists and will be valuable in the management and genetic counseling of a significant number of individuals

An Automated Visual Evacuation Planning Application.

Color poster with text, diagrams, and maps.The goal of this project is to create a user-friendly tool that will provide emergency management coordinators a means to quickly and accurately generate evacuation plans for cities or other municipalities. The application has been built as a plug-in for ArcGIS, a full-featured software package for geographic information systems.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Experimental Verification of Dispersed Fringe Sensing as a Segment Phasing Technique using the Keck Telescope

Dispersed Fringe Sensing (DFS) is an efficient and robust method for coarse phasing of segmented primary mirrors (from a quarter of a wavelength up to the depth of focus of a single segment, typically several tens of microns). Unlike phasing techniques currently used for ground-based segmented telescopes; this makes it particularly well-suited to the phasing of space-borne segmented telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescopes (JWST). In this work we validate DFS by using it to measure the pistons of the segments of one of the Keck telescopes; the results agree with those of the Shack-Hartmann based phasing scheme currently in use at Keck to within 2% over a range of initial piston errors of +/-16 microns