Polarbear is a ground-based experiment located in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. The experiment is designed to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background B-mode polarization at several arcminute resolution. The CMB B-mode polarization on degree angular scales is a unique signature of primordial gravitational waves from cosmic in ation and B-mode signal on sub-degree scales is induced by the gravitational lensing from large-scale structure. Science observations began in early 2012 with an array of 1,274 polarization sensitive antenna-couple Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometers at 150 GHz. We published the first CMB-only measurement of the B-mode polarization on sub-degree scales induced by gravitational lensing in December 2013 followed by the first measurement of the B-mode power spectrum on those scales in March 2014. In this proceedings, we review the physics of CMB B-modes and then describe the Polarbear experiment, observations, and recent results.

Most of the stars in the Galaxy are in binary systems. Binaries should be possible as the hosting stars of planets. Searching for planetary companions to binaries, especially evolved close binary stars, can provide insight into the formation and the ultimate fate of circumbinary planets and shed light on the late evolution of binary stars. In order to do this, we have chosen some post common envelope binaries including sdB-type eclipsing binaries and detached WD+dM eclipsing binaries as our targets and monitored them for several years. In this paper, we will present some of our new observations and results for three targets, NSVS 07826147, NSVS14256825 and RR Cae.

The Eclipsing Binaries Minima (BIMA) Monitoring Project is a CCD-based photometric observational program initiated by Bosscha Observatory - Lembang, Indonesia in June 2012. Since December 2012 the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) has joined the BIMA Project as the main partner. This project aims to build an open-database of eclipsing binary minima and to establish the orbital period of each system and its variations. The project is conducted on the basis of multisite monitoring observations of eclipsing binaries with magnitudes less than 19 mag. Dierential photometry methods have been applied throughout the observations. Data reduction was performed using IRAF. The observations were carried out in BVRI bands using three dierent small telescopes situated in Indonesia, Thailand, and Chile. Computer programs have been developed for calculating the time of minima. To date, more than 140 eclipsing binaries have been observed. From them 71 minima have been determined. We present and discuss the O-C diagrams for some eclipsing binary systems.

We describe a survey of nearby core-collapse supernova (SN) explosion sites using integral field spec- troscopy (IFS) techniques, which is an extension of the work described in Kuncarayakti et al. (2013). The project aims to constrain SN progenitor properties based on the study of the immediate environment of the SN. The stellar populations present at the SN explosion sites are studied by means of integral field spectroscopy, which enables the acquisition of both spatial and spectral information of the object simultaneously. The spectrum of the SN parent stellar population gives an estimate of its age and metal- licity. With this information, the initial mass and metallicity of the once coeval SN progenitor star are derived. While the survey is mostly done in optical, the additional utilization of near-infrared integral field spectroscopy assisted with adaptive optics (AO) enables us to examine the explosion sites in high spatial detail, down to a few parsecs. This work is being carried out using multiple 2-8 m class telescopes equipped with integral field spectrographs in Chile and Hawaii.

To assess actual foliage damage due to potato leaf miner, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), commercial potato pockets of Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchwok, Sindhupalchwok and Makwanpur districts of Mid-Nepal were surveyed in 2009. Percent foliage damage analysis and ANOVA (with unbalanced frequency distribution) of multiple regressions of different factors were done to evaluate the level of damage and factors significantly influencing damage. Damage level was found more in lower altitudes (790-1568 meters above sea level) than in higher altitudes (1560-2610 meters above sea level). Similarly, lower leaves were more damaged than the upper ones. So, altitude and plant age were two factors influencing damage by test insect. Since the pest is becoming severe and can withstand chemical sprays, it is imperative to develop suitable IPM technique against this insect. Similarly, strict quarantine and awareness campaign against this insect pest are crucial to check its migration to virgin potato pockets.

The breakthrough behaviour of activated charcoal cloth samples against an oxygen analogue (OA) of sulphur mustard has been studied using the modified Wheeler equation. Activated charcoal cloth samples having different surface area values in the range of 481 to 1290 m2/g were used for this purpose. Breakthrough behaviour was found to depend on the properties of the activated charcoal cloth, properties of the OA and the adsorption conditions. Activated charcoal cloth with a high surface area of 1290 m2/g, relatively large surface density of 160 g/m2 and coarser fiber structure exhibited better kinetic saturation capacity value, 0.19 g/g, against OA vapours when compared to others, thus confirming its potential use in foldable masks for protection against chemical warfare agents.

A supercritical carbon dioxide (SCC) process of dispersion of multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWCNTs) into epoxy resin has been developed to achieve MWCNT/epoxy com-posites (CECs) with improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. The synthesis of CECs has been executed at a MWCNT (phr) concentration ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 into epoxy resin (0.1 mol) at 1800 psi, 90°C, and 1500 rpm over 1 h followed by curing of the MWCNT/epoxy formulations with triethylene tetramine (15 phr). The effect of SCC treat-ment on the qualitative dispersion of MWCNTs at various concentrations into the epoxy has been investigated through spectra analyses and microscopy. The developed SCC assisted process provides a good dispersion of MWCNTs into the epoxy up to a MWCNT concentra-tion of 0.2. The effects of SCC assisted dispersion at various concentrations of MWCNTs on modificationof mechanical, thermal, dynamic mechanical thermal, and tribological proper-ties and the electrical conductivity of CECs have been investigated.

An overview of the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) deep multi-wavelength survey covering from X-ray to radio wavelengths is presented. The main science objective of this multi-wavelength project is to unveil the star-formation and AGN activities obscured by dust in the violent epoch of the Universe (z=0.5-2), when the star formation and black-hole evolution activities were much stronger than the present. The NEP deep survey with AKARI/IRC consists of two survey projects: shallow wide (8.2 sq. deg, NEP-Wide) and the deep one (0.6 sq. deg, NEP-Deep). The NEP-Deep provides us with a 15 μm or 18 μm selected sample of several thousands of galaxies, the largest sample ever made at these wavelengths. A continuous filter coverage at mid-IR wavelengths (7, 9, 11, 15, 18, and 24 μ m ) is unique and vital to diagnose the contribution from starbursts and AGNs in the galaxies at the violent epoch. The recent updates of the ancillary data are also provided: optical/near-IR magnitudes (Subaru, CFHT), X-ray (Chandra), FUV/NUV (GALEX), radio (WSRT, GMRT), optical spectra (Keck/DEIMOS etc.), Subaru/FMOS, Herschel/SPIRE, and JCMT/SCUBA-2.

The international cooperation project CIBER (Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment) is a rocket-borne instrument, of which the scientific goal is to measure the cosmic near-infrared extra-galactic background to search for signatures of primordial galaxy formation. CIBER consists of a wide-field two-color camera, a low-resolution absolute spectrometer, and a high-resolution narrow-band imaging spectrometer. Currently, all the subsystems have been built, and the integration, testing, and calibration of the CIBER system are on process for the scheduled launch in June 2008.