557 research outputs found
Sherlock: An Automated Follow-Up Telescope for Wide-Field Transit Searches
The most significant challenge currently facing photometric surveys for
transiting gas-giant planets is that of confusion with eclipsing binary systems
that mimic the photometric signature. A simple way to reject most forms of
these false positives is high-precision, rapid-cadence monitoring of the
suspected transit at higher angular resolution and in several filters. We are
currently building a system that will perform higher-angular-resolution,
multi-color follow-up observations of candidate systems identified by Sleuth
(our wide-field transit survey instrument at Palomar), and its two twin system
instruments in Tenerife and northern Arizona.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in AIP Conf Proc: The Search for Other
Worlds, eds. S. S. Holt & D. Demin
Adding value to cull cow beef
End of project reportThis project addressed the prospects of increasing the value of cull cow beef and examined the potential of a number of different management and dietary strategies. In Ireland, the national cow herd contributes 350,000 animals to total beef production annually, which represents 22% of all cattle slaughtered (DAF, 2007). A dominant feature of beef production in Ireland is the disposal of cows from the dairy and beef industries, the time of year at which culling occurs influences the number of cows available for slaughter. Suitability of a cow for slaughter is generally not a consideration for dairy or beef farmers
Overcoming the security quagmire: behavioural science and modern technology hold the key to solving the complex issue of law firm cyber security
While all industries that handle valuable data have been subject to increasing levels of cyber
attack, there is a set of inter-related factors in the law firm cyber security ecosystem that
makes such firms more susceptible to attack and also serves to prevent them from taking
action to counteract attack vulnerability. As a result of the inter-related external and internal
factors affecting law firm cyber security, the human element of firm security infrastructure
has been neglected, thereby making humans, at once law firms’ greatest asset,
their main cyber security weakness. 1There has been some movement of late, and regulators
and clients alike are right to demand law firms do more to improve their cyber security
posture.2 However, much of the scrutiny to which their conduct has been subjected has
tended to overlook the complexities of the law firm cyber security quagmire, and unless
these issues are addressed in the context of a potential solution, meaningful change is not While all industries that handle valuable data have been subject to increasing levels of cyber
attack, there is a set of inter-related factors in the law firm cyber security ecosystem that
makes such firms more susceptible to attack and also serves to prevent them from taking
action to counteract attack vulnerability. As a result of the inter-related external and internal
factors affecting law firm cyber security, the human element of firm security infrastructure
has been neglected, thereby making humans, at once law firms’ greatest asset,
their main cyber security weakness. 1There has been some movement of late, and regulators
and clients alike are right to demand law firms do more to improve their cyber security
posture.2 However, much of the scrutiny to which their conduct has been subjected has
tended to overlook the complexities of the law firm cyber security quagmire, and unless
these issues are addressed in the context of a potential solution, meaningful change is not While all industries that handle valuable data have been subject to increasing levels of cyber
attack, there is a set of inter-related factors in the law firm cyber security ecosystem that
makes such firms more susceptible to attack and also serves to prevent them from taking
action to counteract attack vulnerability. As a result of the inter-related external and internal
factors affecting law firm cyber security, the human element of firm security infrastructure
has been neglected, thereby making humans, at once law firms’ greatest asset,
their main cyber security weakness. 1There has been some movement of late, and regulators
and clients alike are right to demand law firms do more to improve their cyber security
posture.2 However, much of the scrutiny to which their conduct has been subjected has
tended to overlook the complexities of the law firm cyber security quagmire, and unless
these issues are addressed in the context of a potential solution, meaningful change is not likely. Part 1 of this paper outlines the current threat landscape and details the integral
role of human error in successful cyber breaches before turning to discuss recent cyber security
incidents involving law firms. In Part 2, we analyse elements of law firm short-termism
and the underregulation of law firm cyber security conduct and how these, when combined,
play a key role in shaping law firm cyber security posture. Finally, in Part 3 we outline a
realistic solution, incorporating principles from behavioural science and modern technological
developments
Future Directions in Astronomy Visualisation
Despite the large budgets spent annually on astronomical research equipment
such as telescopes, instruments and supercomputers, the general trend is to
analyse and view the resulting datasets using small, two-dimensional displays.
We report here on alternative advanced image displays, with an emphasis on
displays that we have constructed, including stereoscopic projection, multiple
projector tiled displays and a digital dome. These displays can provide
astronomers with new ways of exploring the terabyte and petabyte datasets that
are now regularly being produced from all-sky surveys, high-resolution computer
simulations, and Virtual Observatory projects. We also present a summary of the
Advanced Image Displays for Astronomy (AIDA) survey which we conducted from
March-May 2005, in order to raise some issues pertitent to the current and
future level of use of advanced image displays.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Prediction of cull cow carcass characteristics from live weight and body condition score measured pre slaughter
peer-reviewedA study was conducted to provide information on the degree of carcass finish of Irish
cull cows and to investigate the usefulness of live animal measurements for the prediction beef breeds (albeit with a moderate R2 value compared to the carcass weight prediction)
using objective, non-intrusive and easily measured live animal measurements, should
be of benefit to farmers finishing cull cows in Ireland.
of cull cow carcass characteristics. Live weight (LW) and body condition score
(BCS) were recorded on cows entering an Irish commercial slaughter facility between
September and November, 2005. Data pertaining to sire breed, age and carcass characteristics
were collected and subsequently collated for each cow. For analysis, cows
(n = 2163) were subdivided into three breed categories: dairy breed sired by Holstein/
Friesian (FR), sired by early-maturing beef breeds (EM) and sired by late-maturing
beef breeds (LM). The proportion of cows slaughtered at the desired (TARGET)
carcass standard (cold carcass weight ≥ 272 kg, carcass conformation class ≥ P+ and
carcass fat class ≥ 3) was low (on average 0.30), but did differ (P < 0.001) between the
dairy and beef breed categories (0.22, 0.47 and 0.53 for FR, EM and LM categories,
respectively). Regression procedures were used to develop equations to predict cold
carcass weight, carcass conformation score, carcass fat score and proportion in the
TARGET category from LW and BCS. Equations predicting cold carcass weight had
high R2 values for all breed categories (0.81, 0.85 and 0.79 for the FR, EM and LM,
respectively). Equations predicting carcass fatness had moderate R2 values for the beef
breed categories (0.65 and 0.59 for the EM and LM, respectively). Equations predicting
carcass conformation and the TARGET category yielded lower R2 values. The successful
prediction of carcass weight for all breed categories and of carcass fatness for th
Preconception laparoscopic transabdominal cervical cerclage for the prevention of midtrimester pregnancy loss and preterm birth: a single centre experience
Background: A recent Cochrane review concluded that cervical cerclage reduces preterm birth before 37, 34 and 28 weeks of gestation and also probably reduces the risk of perinatal death. Transabdominal cerclage was developed for a subgroup in whom transvaginal cerclage had failed or was not possible. This approach appeared more effective in improving foetal survival rates or obstetric outcomes. Most commonly transabdominal cervical cerclage is placed at laparotomy (open transabdominal cerclage), but with the advance of minimal access techniques, laparoscopic transabdominal cervical cerclage is replacing the traditional open operation. The objective of this prospective case series is to explore the outcomes of pre-conception laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage procedures. Method: Data was prospectively collected from 54 women at high risk of second trimester miscarriage and preterm delivery due to cervical insufficiency undergoing pre-conception laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage by a single operator. This included demographics, obstetric and gynaecological history (including previous cervical cerclage procedures), surgical complication rates, conception and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Results: There were 36 pregnancies progressing beyond the first trimester with a "take home baby" rate of 89% (32/36), a live birth rate of 92% (33/36) and neonatal survival rate of 97% (32/33). The mid-trimester loss (MTL) rate was 8% (3/36) with delivery rates after 37 weeks of 75% (27/36) and between 34 -37 weeks of 8% (3/36) and 23-34 weeks of 8% (3/36). Conclusions: Our prospective case series provides further evidence that laparoscopic transabdominal cerclage (TAC) is feasible, safe and effective when transvaginal cerclage fails or is not possible
Absolute properties of the low-mass eclipsing binary CM Draconis
Spectroscopic and eclipsing binary systems offer the best means for
determining accurate physical properties of stars, including their masses and
radii. The data available for low-mass stars have yielded firm evidence that
stellar structure models predict smaller radii and higher effective
temperatures than observed, but the number of systems with detailed analyses is
still small. In this paper we present a complete reanalysis of one of such
eclipsing systems, CM Dra, composed of two dM4.5 stars. New and existing light
curves as well as a radial velocity curve are modeled to measure the physical
properties of both components. The masses and radii determined for the
components of CM Dra are M1=0.2310+/-0.0009 Msun, M2=0.2141+/-0.0010 Msun,
R1=0.2534+/-0.0019 Rsun, and R2=0.2396+/-0.0015 Rsun. With relative
uncertainties well below the 1% level, these values constitute the most
accurate properties to date for fully convective stars. This makes CM Dra a
valuable benchmark for testing theoretical models. In comparing our
measurements with theory, we confirm the discrepancies reported previously for
other low-mass eclipsing binaries. These discrepancies seem likely to be due to
the effects of magnetic activity. We find that the orbit of this system is
slightly eccentric, and we have made use of eclipse timings spanning three
decades to infer the apsidal motion and other related properties.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Binning is sinning: morphological light-curve distortions due to finite integration time
We explore how finite integration times or equivalently temporal binning
induces morphological distortions to the transit light-curve. These
distortions, if uncorrected for, lead to the retrieval of erroneous system
parameters and may even lead to some planetary candidates being rejected as
ostensibly unphysical. We provide analytic expressions for estimating the
disturbance to the various light-curve parameters as a function of the
integration time. These effects are particularly crucial in light of the
long-cadence photometry often used for discovering new exoplanets by, for
example, Convection Rotation and Planetary Transits (COROT) and the Kepler
Mission (8.5 and 30 min). One of the dominant effects of long integration times
is a systematic underestimation of the light-curve-derived stellar density,
which has significant ramifications for transit surveys. We present a
discussion of numerical integration techniques to compensate for the effects
and produce expressions to quickly estimate the errors of such techniques, as a
function of integration time and numerical resolution. This allows for an
economic choice of resolution before attempting fits of long-cadence
light-curves. We provide a comparison of the short- and long-cadence
light-curves of TrES-2b and show that the retrieved transit parameters are
consistent using the techniques discussed here.Comment: Long delayed upload of the MNRAS accepted version, 10 pages, 3
figure
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