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.

We identify a strong lensing galaxy in the cluster IRC 0218 that is spectroscopically confirmed to be at z = 1:62, making it the highest-redshift strong lens galaxy known. The lens is one of the two brightest cluster galaxies and lenses a background source galaxy into an arc and a counterimage. With Hubble Space Telescope (HST) grism and Keck/LRIS spectroscopy, we measure the source redshift to be zS = 2:26. Using HST imaging, we model the lens mass distribution with an elliptical power-law prole and account for the effects of the cluster halo and nearby galaxies. The Einstein radius is θE = 0.38+0.02-0.01" (3.2+0.2 -0.1 kpc) and the total enclosed mass is Mtot(< θE) = 1.8+0.2 -0.1 X 1011 M⊙. We estimate that the cluster environment contributes ~ 10% of this total mass. Assuming a Chabrier IMF, the dark matter fraction within θE is fChab DM = 0.3+0.1 -0.3, while a Salpeter IMF is marginally inconsistent with the enclosed mass (fSalp DM = -0.3+0.2 -0.5).

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.

A survey of 570 adolescents reveal that attitudes toward luxury fashion brands rely on a balance between desires for assimilation (i.e., susceptibility to peers’ influence) and individuation (i.e., need for uniqueness); innovativeness mediates these relationships and culture plays a moderated mediation effect.

The major limiting factor of the reproductive performance on many farms is the failure to detect estrus in a timely and accurate manner. The estrus detection for Hanwoo cows (Bos taurus coreanea) is generally performed by the visual observation which is estimated at about 40% detection rate only. This recurring problem among farmers has motivated the development of various estrus detection aids. The mounting event duration threshold, standing heat event frequency threshold, estrus detection algorithm and so on, are necessarily needed in order to detect the estrus of Hanwoo cows accurately when using some automatic devices. However, they are not yet investigated for Hanwoo cows. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish a mounting event duration threshold and standing heat event frequency threshold more specifically for Hanwoo breed by discriminating the duration of standing heat mounting from shorter duration spurious mountings which routinely occur in cattle herds. One hundred and fifty Hanwoo cows with an age between 2 to 5 years were used in this study. Cows that were expected to come into estrus within 3days were randomly assigned to each compartment for the estrus group (EG). The heated cows were video recorded for about 24 hours until after post estrus. The results showed that Hanwoo cows can be considered on estrus when it stand immobile during mounted by any other cow in more than or equal to 3.15s and 3.22s in chest-tail head mount (CTM) and head-above back mount (HBM) and that occurs consecutively at least three times within 876.4s interval. The algorithm was also developed using the thresholds of the mount duration, mount interval and consecutive occurrence number.

Amorphous agglomerates of carbon nanospheres (CNS) with a diameter range of 10-50 nm were synthesized using the solution combustion method. High-resolution transmission elec-tron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed a densely packed high surface area of SP2-hybridized carbon; however, there were no crystalline structural components, as can be seen from the scanning electron microscopy, HRTEM, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and ther-mal gravimetric analyses. Electrochemical and thermo catalytic decomposition study results show that the material can be used as a potential electrode candidate for the fabrication of energy storage devices and also for the production of free hydrogen if such devices are used in a fluidized bed reactor loaded with the as-prepared CNS as the catalyst bed.

Withthe increasing trend of global trades and protection of agro-ecosystem in importing and exporting countries against quarantine pest, quarantine and pre-shipment(QPS) fumigation in perishable commodities is now more important to maintain postharvest quality until delivering to end user not just eradiation of quarantine pest. However, there are limited use of MB fumigation on export fruits and vegetables due to phytotoxic damages of fumigated one. VapormateTM, alternative to methyl bromide(MB), a gas formulation of ethyl formate(EF) with carbon dioxide, is commercially in use for imported fruits fumigation such as bananas and lemon. Herein, based on previous preliminary studies, scale-up and commercial scale fumigation of ethyl formate is presented for promising export paprika and tomato. Efficacy of ethyl formate was described in terms of concentration × time (CT) products to Myzus persicae for paprika and Bemisia tabaci for tomato.

Since Montreal protocol in1989 designated MB(methyl bromide) as ozone depleting chemicals, IPPC(International Plant Protection Convention) has adopted replacing the MB with alternative chemical and reducing the rate of MB use in plant quarantine in 2008. Pineapples are one of the most frequently fumigated imported fruit with MB in Korea. However, there was no technically available replacement. Therefore, we evaluated phosphine(PH3) fumigation as alternative to MB in applying pineapples. In the preliminary test, PH3 gas in 12L desicators to calculate ranged to 0.1 from 2g/m3 was tested at 2 and 24hr exposure to target pest, citrus mealy bug(CMB, Planococcus citri). All different of stage of CMB was shown 100% mortality when 2g/m3 of PH3 applied for 24hrs at 8℃. To confirm studies designed in 0.5m3 fumigation chamber, all egg, nymph and adult stages of CMB was killed completely and there wasn’t any phytotoxic and quality damages on pineapples for 2 weeks post-fumigation periods at 8℃. In terms of commercial use, further commercial research will need to be carry out in cooperation with importers and fumigators.

The highabundance and impact on honeybees of the Asian hornet Vespa velutina var. nigrithorax have caused great concern among European public authorities and beekeepers. The species was reported for the first time in France in 2005 and spread out across 66 European districts (ca. 360 000 km 2 ) within 7 years (INPN, 2012; Rome et al., 2013). Its arrival was reported in 2010 in Northern Spain, in 2011 in Portugal and Belgium and in 2013 in Italy. Its wider expansion in Europe is soon to be expected. We discuss here the advances of the collaborative research project initiated in 2008 in France. 1. The potential invasion risk of the species was assessed using modeling tools of climatic suitability (Villemant et al., 2011, Barbet-Massin et al., 2013). Interestingly, the potential distribution of V. v. nigrithorax matches the current distribution of another invasive social wasp, the German yellow jacket, Vespula germanica (Beggs et al., 2011). 2. Apartfrom reported damages on hives, little is known on the biology of V. velutina throughout its native Asian range. In the invaded range, the impact of V. v. nigrithorax on the diversity and biomass of the invertebrate fauna is under study. Preliminary results reported a diversified diet varying among seasons and habitat types. 3. The genetic variability between individuals of V. v. nigrithorax from France and Asia was assessed in order to describe the history of its invasion. The analysis has evidenced a low variability among the invasive population, which indicates a single introduction of one or more queens. The sampling of specimens in France and in the area of origin has been extended to confirm this hypothesis and the most probable area of origin (Arca, 2012). Given the potential economic and biological impact of V. v. nigrithorax, a better understanding of its invasion dynamics is necessary to predict regions at risk, hence to help with planning dedicated control measures, a prerequisite for replacing the reactive nature of current solutions with a proactive, predictive approach.