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Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and distributed ledger continue to transform businesses, enabling new value creation in transformative ways. Their potential social impacts create risks. These risks are not easily identified or evaluated making it difficult to address them. There are upside and downside risks. Business leaders from companies deploying these technologies are initially interviewed. Development and preliminary testing of three different risk optimization models using scenario analysis data are informed by this information. Using this analysis, we introduce the foundations for a risk model and potentially a dashboard that executives could use to consider these technologies.

Objective Rush University Medical Center nursing leadership undertook a process improvement project to revamp nursing handoff during unit transfer with the goal of improving patient throughput. The aim was to decrease assign-to-occupy time, the duration from bed assignment to bed occupancy. Background There was a lengthy lag time in admitting/transferring patients, leading to delays in patient throughput and potential threats to patient safety. In fiscal year 2016, assign-to-occupy time averaged 97 minutes. The goal was to decrease that time to 60 minutes or less. Methods Process improvement leaders held a rapid improvement event to determine viable solutions. A team then standardized handoff workflow; created an electronic tool, virtually eliminating verbal report; and implemented a new handoff process. Results Assign-to-occupy time at 1 year after go-live averaged 55 minutes, and it has been staying less than 60 minutes since the implementation. Conclusions Key success strategies included engaging stakeholders during the rapid improvement event, imploring frontline nurses to create and promote the revised process to facilitate staff engagement, and leveraging electronic health records.

The Planetary Systems Imager (PSI) is a proposed instrument for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) that provides an extreme adaptive optics (AO) correction to a multi-wavelength instrument suite optimized for high contrast science. PSI's broad range of capabilities, spanning imaging, polarimetry, integral field spectroscopy, and high resolution spectroscopy from 0.6-5 microns, with a potential channel at 10 microns, will enable breakthrough science in the areas of exoplanet formation and evolution. Here, we present a preliminary optical design and performance analysis toolset for the 2-5 microns component of the PSI AO system, which must deliver the wavefront quality necessary to support infrared high contrast science cases. PSI-AO is a two-stage system, with an initial deformable mirror and infrared wavefront sensor providing a common wavefront correction to all PSI science instruments followed by a dichroic that separates "PSI-Red" (2-5 microns) from "PSI-Blue" (0.5-1.8 microns). To meet the demands of visible-wavelength high contrast science, the PSI-Blue arm will include a second deformable mirror and a visible-wavelength wavefront sensor. In addition to an initial optical design of the PSI-Red AO system, we present a preliminary set of tools for an end-to-end AO simulation that in future work will be used to demonstrate the planet-to-star contrast ratios achievable with PSI-Red., 13 pages, 8 figures, submitted to SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications 2021, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets X

The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) is a purpose-built instrument to demonstrate technological and instrumental concepts initially developed for the exoplanet direct imaging field. Located downstream of the current Keck II adaptive optic (AO) system, KPIC contains a fiber injection unit (FIU) capable of combining the high-contrast imaging capability of the AOs system with the high dispersion spectroscopy capability of the current Keck high resolution infrared spectrograph (NIRSPEC). Deployed at Keck in September 2018, this instrument has already been used to acquire high-resolution spectra (R > 30,000) of multiple targets of interest. In the near term, it will be used to spectrally characterize known directly imaged exoplanets and low-mass brown dwarf companions visible in the northern hemisphere with a spectral resolution high enough to enable spin and planetary radial velocity measurements as well as Doppler imaging of atmospheric weather phenomena. Here, we present the design of the FIU, the unique calibration procedures needed to operate a single-mode fiber instrument and the system performance.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger, continues to be deployed in the healthcare, energy, manufacturing, financial services sectors, and retail. Blockchain advocates argue that this technology constitutes a new architectural foundation for building trust based on its unique technological characteristics (Glaser 2017). However, cybersecurity is not a function of technological architecture but, in fact, is critically bound by human elements, processes, and actors. Therefore, all emerging technologies have cyber risk. Given the disruptive nature of this technology, there is a strong business need to understand cyber risk associated with blockchain. With this in mind, this investigation posed the following research questions: What are the risks associated with blockchain? Can a risk-based approach be validated or extended by exploring cases of blockchain deployment and highlighting risk? Multiple qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and to identify trends. This analysis identified cyber risk, in the context of blockchain, using the simple and generally accepted definition of cyber security as confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA). Based on the results, a cyber-physical risk-based approach was developed and blockchain deployment was examined in specific cases to identify and analyze the breaches according to this framework. The results demonstrate that beyond technological and data architecture there a strong need to further identify and analyze the cybercriminal actors and behavior in order to address cyber risk.

Emerging Technologies such as blockchain, continue to transform businesses. Blockchain, or distributed ledger, continues to be deployed in the healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and financial services sectors. Given the disruptive nature of this technology, there is a strong business need to understand the cyber risk associated with blockchain. With this in mind, this investigation posed the following research questions: What are the risks associated with blockchain? How can these risks be evaluated and integrated into corporate decision-making? Multiple quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and to identify trends. This analysis identified cyber risk, in the context of blockchain, using the simple and generally accepted definition of cybersecurity as confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA). Based on the results, a cyber-physical risk-based approach is presented which equips executives as they develop their thinking around enterprise cyber risk, particularly with emerging technologies such as blockchain.

The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) is a purpose-built instrument to demonstrate new tech- nological and instrumental concepts initially developed for the exoplanet direct imaging field. Located downstream of the current Keck II adaptive optic system, KPIC contains a fiber injection unit (FIU) capable of combining the high-contrast imaging capability of the adaptive optic system with the high dispersion spectroscopy capability of the current Keck high resolution infrared spectrograph (NIRSPEC). Deployed at Keck in September 2018, this instrument has already been used to acquire high resolution spectra (R < 35, 000) of multiple targets of interest. In the near term, it will be used to spectrally characterize known directly imaged exoplanets and low-mass brown dwarf companions visible in the northern hemisphere with a spectral resolution high enough to enable spin and planetary radial velocity measurements as well as Doppler imaging of atmospheric weather phenomena. Here we present the design of the FIU, the unique calibration procedures needed to operate a single-mode fiber instrument and the system performance.

In this report, we present an optical design for a 3-sided reflective pyramid wavefront sensor which allows for the imaging of the pupils onto a single detector. A general approach for this reflective design is demonstrated; however, in effort to implement the optical system into the Shane Telescope’s adaptive optics module, this reflective pyramid wavefront sensor design is constrained by the module’s current specifications. Due to the physical constraints in the AO module, the developed optical design shares an undeviated optical axis with a transmissive wedge solution for discrete modulation. Pupil images were created using a lab test bench that demonstrates the design’s proof of concept. We will discuss the details of the optical design and its motivating parameters using the Shane Telescope’s adaptive optics module.

International audience; We are developing a new adaptive secondary mirror (ASM) for the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope based on a novel and very efficient hybrid variable reluctance actuator developed by TNO. The actuator technology has broad implications on the ASM design and results in an ASM with a thicker facesheet, lower power dissipation, and simple controls. We report here preparations and plans for lab testing as well as on-sky demonstration of the ASM. The lab calibrations of the ASM influence functions will use a phase measuring deflectometry setup. The on-sky tests will include the evaluation of the use of the ASM for narrow field AO observations at visible through near infrared wavelengths, for very wide fields of view ground-layer adaptive optics, and for seeing limited non-adaptive optics observations.

International audience; The study of cold or obscured, red astrophysical sources can significantly benefit from adaptive optics (AO) systems employing infrared (IR) wavefront sensors. One particular area is the study of exoplanets around M-dwarf stars and planet formation within protoplanetary disks in star-forming regions. Such objects are faint at visible wavelengths but bright enough in the IR to be used as a natural guide star for the AO system. Doing the wavefront sensing at IR wavelengths enables high-resolution AO correction for such science cases, with the potential to reach the contrasts required for direct imaging of exoplanets. To this end, a new near-infrared pyramid wavefront sensor (PyWFS) has been added to the Keck II AO system, extending the performance of the facility AO system for the study of faint red objects. We present the Keck II PyWFS, which represents a number of firsts, including the first PyWFS installed on a segmented telescope and the first use of an IR PyWFS on a 10-m class telescope. We discuss the scientific and technological advantages offered by IR wavefront sensing and present the design and commissioning of the Keck PyWFS. In particular, we report on the performance of the Selex Avalanche Photodiode for HgCdTe InfraRed Array detector used for the PyWFS and highlight the novelty of this wavefront sensor in terms of the performance for faint red objects and the improvement in contrast. The system has been commissioned for science with the vortex coronagraph in the NIRC2 IR science instrument and is being commissioned alongside a new fiber injection unit for NIRSPEC. We present the first science verification of the system-to facilitate the study of exoplanets around M-type stars.

Background Early implant placement combined with simultaneous contour augmentation was able to rebuild stable facial hard-tissue and soft-tissue contours that were esthetically pleasing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical esthetic outcome, when two different bone grafting materials were used. Methods Forty-eight patients were randomly assigned into two groups. In the control group, autogenous bone was used to cover the exposed implant surface then a layer of deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) was added. This graft combination was then combined with a collagen membrane. In the test group, the exposed implant surface was covered with a layer of freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA) in combination with the collagen membrane. Modified plaque index (mPI), modified sulcular bleeding index (mSBI), probing depth (PD), keratinized mucosa (KM), implant crown length (IC), distance from the implant shoulder radiographic bone-to-implant contact (DIB), pink esthetic score (PES), and white esthetic score (WES) were measured at 12-months post implant loading. Results All 48 implants were clinically successful, and no significant differences were observed in mPI, mSBI, PD, KM, IC, DIB, PES, and WES at 1-year implant loading. The mean mucosal recessions of test and control group were unchanged, 0 and -0.02 mm, respectively. The mean DIB were -0.32 and -0.21 mm in test and control implants, respectively. The mean totals of PES/WES were 15.29 and 15.33 for the test and control groups, respectively, with no significant difference between groups. Conclusion This study demonstrated that autogenous bone plus DBBM and FDBA each combined with a collagen membrane both resulted in stable clinical and esthetic outcomes in early implant placement with contour augmentation after 1 year.

The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) is an upgrade to the Keck II adaptive optics system enabling high contrast imaging and high-resolution spectroscopic characterization of giant exoplanets in the mid-infrared (2-5 microns). The KPIC instrument will be developed in phases. Phase I entails the installation of an infrared pyramid wavefront sensor (PyWFS) based on a fast, low-noise SAPHIRA IR-APD array. The ultra-sensitive infrared PyWFS will enable high contrast studies of infant exoplanets around cool, red, and/or obscured targets in star forming regions. In addition, the light downstream of the PyWFS will be coupled into an array of single-mode fibers with the aid of an active fiber injection unit (FIU). In turn, these fibers route light to Keck's high-resolution infrared spectrograph NIRSPEC, so that high dispersion coronagraphy (HDC) can be implemented for the first time. HDC optimally pairs high contrast imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy allowing detailed characterization of exoplanet atmospheres, including molecular composition, spin measurements, and Doppler imaging. We will provide an overview of the instrument, its science scope, and report on recent results from on-sky commissioning of Phase I. We will discuss plans for optimizing the instrument to seed designs for similar modes on extremely large telescopes.

Adaptive optics (AO) systems deliver high-resolution images that may be ideal for precisely measuring positions of stars (i.e. astrometry) if the system has stable and well-calibrated geometric optical distortions. A calibration unit, equipped with back-illuminated pinhole mask, can be utilized to measure instrumental optical distortions. AO systems on the largest ground-based telescopes, such as the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Thirty Meter Telescope require pinhole positions known to 20 nm to achieve an astrometric precision of 0.001 of a resolution element. We characterize a photo-lithographic pinhole mask and explore the systematic errors that result from different experimental setups. We characterized the nonlinear geometric distortion of a simple imaging system using the mask; and we measured 857 nm RMS of optical distortion with a final residual of 39 nm (equivalent to 20 ��as for TMT). We use a sixth order bivariate Legendre polynomial to model the optical distortion and allow the reference positions of the individual pinholes to vary. The nonlinear deviations in the pinhole pattern with respect to the manufacturing design of a square pattern are 47.2 nm +/- 4.5 nm (random) +/- 10.8 nm (systematic) over an area of 1788 mm$^2$. These deviations reflect the additional error induced when assuming the pinhole mask is manufactured perfectly square. We also find that ordered mask distortions are significantly more difficult to characterize than random mask distortions as the ordered distortions can alias into optical camera distortion. Future design simulations for astrometric calibration units should include ordered mask distortions. We conclude that photo-lithographic pinhole masks are >10 times better than the pinhole masks deployed in first generation AO systems and are sufficient to meet the distortion calibration requirements for the upcoming thirty meter class telescopes., 20 pages, 13 figures

Cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) have transformed businesses, enabling agile and costeffective IT infrastructure. The challenge is that these new opportunities create a co-mingled architecture which is difficult to secure. The complexity of this architecture is magnified with the IoT. Based on interviews with executive leadership teams and boards of directors facing these new environments, we developed the over-arching research question: How do we secure increasingly dynamic architecture in an environment while supporting and creating agile business growth? We then narrowed this down to more specific questions dealt with in this study. The research involved an in-depth exploration of this problem using a survey instrument and multiple qualitative methods involving business leaders from 59 companies between 2017 – 2018. Based on this analysis, we developed an information security framework for executives in this new environment that builds on previous work. This framework is called the Extended Risk-Based Approach and provides businesses with an approach for securing an enterprise amidst the IoT and agile architecture. Importantly, the data analyzed suggests that this approach is critically needed to address the rapidly growing complexity of enterprise architecture and the digital world we live and work.

Wavefront sensing and control are important for enabling one of the key advantages of using large apertures, namely higher angular resolutions. Pyramid wavefront sensors are becoming commonplace in new instrument designs owing to their superior sensitivity. However, one remaining roadblock to their widespread use is the fabrication of the pyramidal optic. This complex optic is challenging to fabricate due to the pyramid tip, where four planes need to intersect in a single point. Thus far, only a handful of these have been produced due to the low yields and long lead times. To address this, we present an alternative implementation of the pyramid wavefront sensor that relies on two roof prisms instead. Such prisms are easy and inexpensive to source. We demonstrate the successful operation of the roof prism pyramid wavefront sensor on a 8-m class telescope, at visible and near infrared wavelengths ---for the first time using a SAPHIRA HgCdTe detector without modulation for a laboratory demonstration---, and elucidate how this sensor can be used more widely on wavefront control test benches and instruments., Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP, 7 pages, 9 figures, 1 table

International audience

High-contrast imaging of exoplanets and protoplanetary disks depends on wavefront sensing and correction made by adaptive optics instruments. Classically, wavefront sensing has been conducted at optical wavelengths, which made high-contrast imaging of red targets such as M-type stars or extincted T Tauri stars challenging. Keck/NIRC2 has combined near-infrared (NIR) detector technology with the pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS). With this new module we observed SR~21, a young star that is brighter at NIR wavelengths than at optical wavelengths. Compared with the archival data of SR~21 taken with the optical wavefront sensing we achieved $\sim$20\% better Strehl ratio in similar natural seeing conditions. Further post-processing utilizing angular differential imaging and reference-star differential imaging confirmed the spiral feature reported by the VLT/SPHERE polarimetric observation, which is the first detection of the SR~21 spiral in total intensity at $L^\prime$ band. We also compared the contrast limit of our result ($10^{-4}$ at $0\farcs4$ and $2\times10^{-5}$ at $1\farcs0$) with the archival data that were taken with optical wavefront sensing and confirmed the improvement, particularly at $\leq0\farcs5$. Our observation demonstrates that the NIR PWFS improves AO performance and will provide more opportunities for red targets in the future., accepted for publication in AJ, 8 pages, 7 figures

With the imminent launch of the JWST, the field of thermal-infrared (TIR) astronomy will enjoy a revolution. It is easy to imagine that all areas of infrared (IR) astronomy will be greatly advanced, but perhaps impossible to conceive of the new vistas that will be opened. To allow both follow-up JWST observations and a continuance of work started on the ground-based 8m’s, we continue to plan the science cases and instrument design for a TIR imager and spectrometer for early operation on the TMT. We present the current status of our science cases and the instrumentation plans, harnessing expertise across the TMT partnership. This instrument will be proposed by the MICHI team as a second-generation instrument in any upcoming calls for proposals., Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, June 10-15, 2018, Austin, USA, Series: Proceedings of SPIE; no. 10702

A near-infrared, high order pyramid wavefront sensor will be implemented on the Keck telescope, with the aim of providing high resolution adaptive optics correction for the study of exoplanets around M-type stars and planet formation in obscured star forming regions. The pyramid wavefront sensor is designed to support adaptive optics correction of the light to an imaging vortex coronagraph and to a fiber injection unit that will feed a spectrograph. We present the opto-mechanical design of the near-infrared pyramid wavefront sensor, the optical performance, and the alignment strategy. The challenges of designing the assembly, as well as a fiber injection unit, to fit into the limited available space on the Keck adaptive optics bench, will also be discussed., Adaptive Optics Systems VI, June 10-15, 2018, Austin, TX, USA, Series: Proceedings of SPIE; no. 10703

A new real-time control system will be implemented within the Keck II adaptive optics system to support the new near-infrared pyramid wavefront sensor. The new real-time computer has to interface with an existing, very productive adaptive optics system. We discuss our solution to install it in an operational environment without impacting science. This solution is based on an independent SCExAO-based pyramid wavefront sensor realtime processor solution using the hardware interfaces provided by the existing Keck II real-time controller. We introduce the new pyramid real-time controller system design, its expected performance, and the modification of the operational real-time controller to support the pyramid system including interfacing with the existing deformable and tip-tilt mirrors. We describe the integration of the Saphira detector-based camera and the Boston Micromachines kilo-DM in this new architecture. We explain the software architecture and philosophy, the shared memory concept and how the real-time computer uses the power of GPUs for adaptive optics control. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this architecture and how it can benefit other projects. The motion control of the devices deployed on the Keck II adaptive optics bench to support the alignment of the light on the sensors is also described. The interfaces, developed to deal with the rest of the Keck telescope systems in the observatory distributed system, are reviewed. Based on this experience, we present which design ideas could have helped us integrate the new system with the previous one and the resultant performance gains.

We are building a next-generation laser adaptive optics system, Robo-AO-2, for the UH 2.2-m telescope that will deliver robotic, diffraction-limited observations at visible and near-infrared wavelengths in unprecedented numbers. The superior Maunakea observing site, expanded spectral range and rapid response to high-priority events represent a significant advance over the prototype. Robo-AO-2 will include a new reconfigurable natural guide star sensor for exquisite wavefront correction on bright targets and the demonstration of potentially transformative hybrid AO techniques that promise to extend the faintness limit on current and future exoplanet adaptive optics systems., Comment: 15 pages

Since the start of operations in 1993, the twin 10 meter W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes have continued to maximize their scientific impact and to produce transformative discoveries that keep the observing community on the frontiers of astronomical research. Upgraded capabilities and new instrumentation are provided though collaborative partnerships with Caltech and UC instrument development teams. The observatory adapts and responds to the observers’ evolving needs as defined in the observatory’s strategic plan, periodically refreshed in collaboration with the science community. This paper summarizes the performance of recently commissioned infrastructure projects, technology upgrades, and new additions to the suite of instrumentation at the observatory. We will also provide a status of projects currently in the design or development phase, and since we need to keep our eye on the future, we mention projects in exploratory phases that originate from our strategic plan. Recently commissioned projects include telescope control system upgrades, OSIRIS spectrometer and imager upgrades, and deployments of the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), the Near-Infrared Echellette Spectrometer (NIRES), and the Keck I Deployable Tertiary Mirror (KIDM3). Under development are upgrades to the NIRSPEC instrument and adaptive optics (AO) system. Major instrumentation in design phases include the Keck Cosmic Reionization Mapper and the Keck Planet Finder. Future instrumentation studies and proposals underway include a Ground Layer Adaptive Optics system, NIRC2 upgrades, the energy sensitive instrument KRAKENS, an integral field spectrograph LIGER, and a laser tomography AO upgrade. Last, we briefly discuss recovering MOSFIRE and its return to science operations.

Ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) systems offer the possibility of improving the "seeing" of large ground-based telescopes and increasing the efficiency and sensitivity of observations over a wide field-of-view. We explore the utility and feasibility of deploying a GLAO system at the W. M. Keck Observatory in order to feed existing and future multi-object spectrographs and wide-field imagers. We also briefly summarize science cases spanning exoplanets to high-redshift galaxy evolution that would benefit from a Keck GLAO system. Initial simulations indicate that a Keck GLAO system would deliver a 1.5x and 2x improvement in FWHM at optical (500 nm) and infrared (1.5 micron), respectively. The infrared instrument, MOSFIRE, is ideally suited for a Keck GLAO feed in that it has excellent image quality and is on the telescope's optical axis. However, it lacks an atmospheric dispersion compensator, which would limit the minimum usable slit size for long-exposure science cases. Similarly, while LRIS and DEIMOS may be able to accept a GLAO feed based on their internal image quality, they lack either an atmospheric dispersion compensator (DEIMOS) or flexure compensation (LRIS) to utilize narrower slits matched to the GLAO image quality. However, some science cases needing shorter exposures may still benefit from Keck GLAO and we will investigate the possibility of installing an ADC., Comment: 2018 Proceedings of the SPIE; published

Cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) have transformed businesses, enabling agile and cost-effective IT infrastructure. Both create new opportunities for entrepreneurial businesses and disruptive business models enabling growth. The challenge is that these new opportunities create a co-mingled architecture which is difficult to secure. The complexity of this architecture is magnified with the IoT. Based on interviews with executive leadership teams and boards of directors facing these new environments, we developed the over-arching research question: How do we secure increasingly dynamic architecture in an environment while supporting and creating agile business growth? We then narrowed this down to more specific questions dealt with in this study. The research involved an in-depth exploration of this problem using a survey instrument and multiple qualitative methods involving business leaders from 59 companies between 2017–2018. Based on this analysis, we developed an information security framework for executives in this new environment that builds on previous work. This framework is called the Extended Risk-Based Approach and provides businesses with an approach for securing an enterprise amidst the IoT and agile architecture. Importantly, the data analyzed suggests that this approach is critically needed to address the rapidly growing complexity of enterprise architecture and the digital world we live and work.

BackgroundLittle is known about optimisation of electronic health records (EHRs) systems in the hospital setting while adoption of EHR systems continues in the United States.ObjectiveTo understand optimisation processes of EHR systems undertaken in leading healthcare organisations in the United States.MethodsInformed by a grounded theory approach, a qualitative study was undertaken that involved 11 in-depth interviews and a focus group with the EHR experts from the high performing healthcare organisations across the United States.ResultsThe study describes EHR optimisation processes characterised by prioritising exponentially increasing requests with predominant focus on improving efficiency of EHR, building optimisation teams or advisory groups and standardisation. The study discusses 16 types of optimisation that interdependently produced 16 results along with identifying 11 barriers and 20 facilitators to optimisation.ConclusionsThe study describes overall experiences of optimising EHRs in select high performing healthcare organisations in the US. The findings highlight the importance of optimising the EHR after, and even before, go-live and dedicating resources exclusively for optimisation.

The local turbulence is the only part of the seeing degradation that we can actively improve and reduce at the source. It is often a major contribution to the overall seeing 1,2 and introduces effects that are highly localized and may be difficult to correct. For example, dome seeing is expected to be non-Kolmogorov, with a very small outer scale leading to a preponderance of high spatial frequencies. The first step in controlling the local seeing is to locate and quantify the turbulence present. This requires the development of a new type of sensor, specifically designed to sensitively measure local optical turbulence. We are in the process of developing such a sensor, based on a simple Mach-Zehnder interferometer layout. The sensor will be light and ruggedized so that it can be used to map out the turbulence inside the dome of any telescope, inside the telescope tube and even around the dome building. Eventually, such a sensor may be used to quantitatively and actively control dome vents.

We discuss the advantages of wavefront sensing at near-infrared (IR) wavelengths with low-noise detector technologies that have recently become available. In this paper, we consider low order sensing with laser guide star (LGS) adaptive optics (AO) and high order sensing with natural guide star (NGS) AO. We then turn to the application of near-IR sensing with the W. M. Keck Observatory (WMKO) AO systems for science and as a demonstrator for similar systems on extremely large telescopes (ELTs). These demonstrations are based upon an LGS AO near-IR tip-tilt-focus sensor and our collaboration to implement a near-IR pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS) for a NGS AO L-band coronagraphic imaging survey to identify exoplanet candidates.

We have carried out a trial production of the large-format (n=11) image slicer unit for a possible future mid-infrared instrument on the TMT aiming to verify its technical feasibility. The key elements in our trial production are the monolithic large-format slice mirrors and the monolithic large-format pupil mirrors. The results of our trial production of those key elements based on the ultra high-precision cutting techniques and the assembly of the large-format image slicer unit are presented in this paper.

The Hokupa'a-85 curvature adaptive optics system components have been adapted to create a new AO-corrected coud\'{e} instrument at the 3.67m Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) telescope. This new AO-corrected optical path is designed to deliver an f/40 diffraction-limited focus at wavelengths longer than 800nm. A new EMCCD-based dual-beam imaging polarimeter called InnoPOL has been designed and is presently being installed behind this corrected f/40 beam. The InnoPOL system is a flexible platform for optimizing polarimetric performance using commercial solutions and for testing modulation strategies. The system is designed as a technology test and demonstration platform as the coud\'{e} path is built using off-the-shelf components wherever possible. Models of the polarimetric performance after AO correction show that polarization modulation at rates as slow as 200Hz can cause speckle correlations in brightness and focal plane location sufficient enough to change the speckle suppression behavior of the modulators. These models are also verified by initial EMCCD scoring camera data at AEOS. Substantial instrument trades and development efforts are explored between instrument performance parameters and various polarimetric noise sources., Comment: Copyright 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2056667

We present a real-time, fully automated method to remove instrumental signatures from stellar scintillation images. The method was developed in connection with the Low Layer SCIDAR (Scintillation Detection and Ranging) (LOLAS), an instrument dedicated to the measurement of atmospheric optical-turbulence profiles, , in the first kilometre of altitude, with high altitude-resolution. By examining the scintillation images and their correlation maps we evaluate, and then correct, image deficiencies typical of a portable telescope, such as defocus, image movement, field rotation and tracking errors, prior to processing according to the SCIDAR technique. In addition, detector spreading noise is corrected for, and flux variations caused by clouds or fog are monitored. The efficiency of the methods is demonstrated by comparing double-star scintillation autocorrelations obtained with and without the use of the self-adjusting procedures. Applying those stabilization methods, LOLAS was successfully exploited to characterize the vertical profiles along the lower layer on top of Mauna Kea Observatory.

Background: Dry eye is a common problem in both elderly and the menopausal women. The conventional therapy is topical use of artificial tears, which have limited effectiveness for treating moderate-to-severe dry eye disease. Objective: The aim of this report is to demonstrate the incorporation of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of dry eye disease. Design and Patient: Two case reports—one concerns a 65-year-old man, and the other concerns a 49-year-old menopausal woman. Both patients had severe dryness and a stinging sensation in their eyes. Intervention: Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine were used in both cases. The main acupoints used were: ST 2, GB 14, KI 3, and KI 7. Chinese herbal medicine was prescribed individually based on each patient's Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcomes sought for these patients were decreases in dryness and in stinging sensation in the eyes, and less use of artificial tears. Results: In the eld...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a framework designed to assess the capacity of a knowledge management (KM) system to facilitate new knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal case study methodology, in a single company, Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), was used to test the framework.FindingsNew knowledge creation is best supported through mature KM systems that include all four modes of knowledge creation: combination, externalization, socialization, and internalization. KM systems and environments as a whole reach maturity by progressing through stages, which is presented as a KM maturity model.Research limitations/implicationsBy combining Nonaka's knowledge creation theory with Wittrock's generative learning activities, the paper illuminates both the why and how of new knowledge creation, in a way that can be applied to KM technological initiatives. One of the limitations of this study is the generalizability of the findings, which may be limited by the single case study method used.Practical implicationsThe framework provides a rubric against which both old and new KM initiatives can be assessed to determine whether they are capable of generating new knowledge. The maturity model provides a template against which organizations can map their progress towards a mature KM environment.Originality/valueMuch of the literature on KM systems has focused on capturing knowledge and disseminating it. Few studies have provided practical, theoretically based advice on how to create new knowledge and what aspects of information systems can facilitate that creation. The framework and maturity model can serve as guides in that process.

We investigated how the CIO's job has changed over the past years and found that the CIOs' role has evolved to reflect both the firm's IS infrastructure and strategy. This has led to two versions of the role: an executive-level manager focused on the firm's strategy and processes, and a technical manager focused on minimizing costs by rationalizing and leveraging the existing IS infrastructure. The degree to which a firm has standardized its IS architecture infrastructure, and the degree to which IS enables core products, services, processes, or competitive advantage of the firm impact the nature of the role.

(2009). Applying Systems Thinking To Knowledge Management Systems: The Case Of Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research: Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 43-67.

We present the results of an 18-month study to characterize the optical turbulence in the boundary layer and in the free atmosphere above the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. This survey combined the Slope-Detection and Ranging (SLODAR) and Low-Layer SCIntillation Detection And Ranging (SCIDAR) (LOLAS) instruments into a single manually operated instrument capable of measuring the integrated seeing and the optical turbulence profile within the first kilometre with spatial and temporal resolutions of 40–80 m and 1 min (SLODAR) or 10–20 m and 5 min (LOLAS). The campaign began in the fall of 2006 and observed for roughly 50–60 h per month. The optical turbulence within the boundary layer is found to be confined within an extremely thin layer (≤80 m), and the optical turbulence arising within the region from 80 to 650 m is normally very weak. Exponential fits to the SLODAR profiles give an upper limit on the exponential scaleheight of between 25 and 40 m. The thickness of this layer shows a dependence on the turbulence strength near the ground, and under median conditions the scaleheight is

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of how socially‐embedded information systems (IS), knowledge, and firm capabilities can impact the post‐merger integration efforts of a firm. In particular, this research seeks to identify, describe, and analyze how socially‐embedded resources hindered the integration of the procurement function following the merger of two telecommunications firms.Design/methodology/approachThis research was designed as a longitudinal exploratory study of a single case. The design involved multiple interviews, participant observation, and an evaluation of multiple data sources. Data were collected to develop a comprehensive and reliable understanding of events and outcomes related to the systems integration effort. Process models are used to show the development of phenomena over time.FindingsThe findings of the research are twofold. First, in line with previous findings on socially‐embedded resources, the research shows that socially‐embedded resources hindered the ability of a merged firm to integrate some resources. Previous research argued that social constraints can prevent a firm from changing the way it uses resources to establish a competitive advantage, and this research confirms those findings. Second, this research is an important contribution because it identifies two social constraints in particular – cognitive sunk costs and the reluctance to defy social traditions – that contributed to the inability of the merged firm to successfully integrate the procurement function following a merger.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study provide empirical evidence to support the theoretical argument that the socially embedded resources involved in the IS, knowledge, and firm capabilities of each of the firms prior to the merger enabled them to establish a competitive advantage in their respective market environments. Further, the data provide validation for the idea that the social context in which firms compete does, in fact, contribute to the development of competitive advantages. The RBV is also extended by showing that the same social contexts can also prevent firms from integrating important resources following a corporate merger.Originality/valueOne of the main objectives of executive management following a corporate merger is to lead the organization in skillfully integrating key resources of the merged organization. However, most firms cannot successfully engage in post‐merger integration efforts unless they fully understand how resources such as IS, knowledge, and firm capabilities can help or hinder their integration efforts. By highlighting one firm's efforts to integrate resources following a merger, the paper provides concrete examples of potential problems that can arise. Potential problems and hindrances are presented in a strategic checklist for managerial consideration.

The main inflection point of this case is that the students must jump into the "shoes" of the VP for Customer-Facing Technology, Bill, and decide whether or not to again roll-out a technology that was a complete failure when it was initially rolled-out in 1997. Importantly, this technology is customer-facing which means that a failure engenders even more risks because it could result in lost customers. Not only is there a chance of another failure, if previous mistakes aren’t corrected, but there is still the issue of timing. While the customer-base might be ready to adopt this technology, this roll-out could risk obsolescence given the rise of web-based self-service. This case uses the experiences of the Hilton Hotels Corporation to complement and extend the current understanding of technology implementation particularly in the customer-facing realm.

As of January 2007, approximately 50% of the workforce in the United States aerospace defense industry was eligible for retirement. This translated to a potential significant loss of knowledge and posed a significant threat to the longevity of, and competitiveness in, the defense industry. At the turn of the century, Aerospace firms began to use information systems to develop, retain, transfer, and reuse knowledge - a practice referred to as Knowledge Management (KM). In this case study, we highlight the KM efforts of Pratt-Whitney Rocketdyne. The firm invested $2.5 million to minimize knowledge drain in the organization, resulting in an immediate $25 million cost savings. However, the firm’s Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO) needed to determine the extent to which the company should reengineer and change the firm’s existing IT infrastructure to support the KM Team’s objectives. Several best practices for knowledge management practiced by the Southern California Aerospace Industry are presented.

The alignment between business strategies and IS resources is widely believed to aid firm performance. In this research, we review the historical development and current technological status of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in Japan over the past 50 to 60 years. Through the lens of the Resource-Based View of the Firm (RBV), we explored the role of information systems in Japanese SMEs and found that the adoption of information systems in Japanese SMEs consisted of extensive subcontracting networks which formed the basis of the Japanese production system and was an essential resource for contributing to successful implementation of global business strategies. This research also found that Japanese SMEs formulated and enacted strategies which leveraged information systems resources to enhance operations and strategic relationships and to establish dynamic capabilities.

We present high resolution optical turbulence profiles of the dome and ground-layers measured using a set of Shack- Hartmann wavefront sensors deployed over a field of view of between 0.5 and 1.0 degrees at the focal planes of the University of Hawaii 2.2-m telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. Observations with the experiment were made over the course of several nights on each telescope. We obtain estimates of the strength, distribution, and velocities of optical turbulence from the covariance matrices and maps of the measured wavefront gradients and a decomposition of the measured wavefronts into Zernike polynomials. We find agreement with previous measurements on Maunakea that the ground layer is largely confined within the first tens of meters above the ground and moves at the ground wind velocity. In addition, we spatially resolve the optical turbulence that arises from within the dome. For both facilities we find that the dome seeing is a major component of the overall turbulence strength accounting for more than half of the turbulence within the ground layer and that the dome seeing changes very slowly with a characteristic frequency of less than 1 Hz. While the variety of observing conditions sampled is low, we find that the characteristics of the dome seeing with observation elevation angle and the azimuth angle with respect to the ground wind are quite different on the two telescopes suggesting a different origin to the seeing within the two enclosures.

The corrected field of view of an adaptive optics system is thought to provide a severe limitation on the usefulness of an adaptive optics system. We show that under good seeing conditions, the useful field of view is an order of magnitude larger than the field predicted by the classical isoplanatic angle. Under excellent seeing conditions on Mauna Kea, the corrected field of view in the near-infrared of a high-order adaptive optics system is larger than current near-infrared detector arrays. The corrected field of view is experimentally shown to increase when using spatially degraded wavefront corrections. Two methods of spatially degrading the wavefront were tested: low-order modal wavefront reconstructions and the use of a low-altitude Rayleigh wavefront reference beacon. In both cases, the on-axis performance is sacrificed for an increased field of view. The optimal spatial order of the wavefront correction is shown to depend on the wavelength of the observation. In the K band, the total time to reach a fixed signal-to-noise ratio of a large field of faint objects is nearly independent of the wavefront correction order, while at shorter wavelengths the total exposure time is minimized by using increasingly higher order wavefront corrections. In this study, photometric errors due to changes in the point-spread function across the field are small even when the variations are modeled as a linear variation across the field.

A mid-infrared (MIR) imager and spectrometer is being investigated for possible construction in the early operation of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). Combined with the MIR adaptive optics (AO) system (MIRAO), the instrument will afford ~15 times higher sensitivity and ~4 times better spatial resolution (0.07”) at 10μm compared to 8m-class telescopes. Additionally, through exploiting the large collection area of the TMT, the high-dispersion spectroscopy mode will be unrivaled by other ground- and space-based facilities. These combined capabilities offer the possibility for breakthrough science, as well as ‘workhorse’ observing modes of imaging and low/moderate spectral resolution. In this paper we summarize the primary science drivers that are guiding the instrument design.

NICI, the high-contrast coronagraphic imager of Gemini observatory, primarily dedicated to planet hunting has been offered to the astronomical community since end of 2008. We present our experiences in operating and maintaining NICI's 85 element curvature adaptive optics (AO) system. A detailed study of NICI AO telemetry data is also most relevant to prepare the arrival of next generation instruments. We summarize the behavior of interaction matrices, control matrices and error transfer functions under different operational conditions; a detailed understanding of the system helps monitoring and optimizing performance. Furthermore, we describe tuning (membrane mirror stroke/extra focal distance) for non-optimal seeing conditions as well as for niche applications of NICI such as observing small moons and asteroids. We compare on-sky measurements to theory or simulations.

The IMAKA project is a ground layer corrected wide field visible imager proposed for CFHT. It consists of three processes or components: The dome and local turbulence will be controlled by ventilation; the remaining ground layer turbulence will be corrected by a GLAO system and the free atmosphere seeing will be locally reduced by using an Orthogonal Transfer CCD to correct for tip-tilt within the isokinetic angle of field stars. In designing the AO system, whether based on an adaptive secondary mirror or using pupil relay optics, it becomes apparent that the conjugation of the deformable mirror is a difficult constraint to achieve given the large field. It turns out this problem is not isolated to IMAKA, because the Lagrange Invariant for our project is in the same range as that of EAGLE on the E-ELT for example. The effects of tilting the deformable mirror with respect to the pupil or compensating for misconjugation of an adaptive secondary mirror using a tomographic reconstructor have been investigated using Monte-Carlo simulation codes, including our code developed specifically for GLAO simulations. We report on quantitative results from IMAKA simulations for a variety of realistic turbulence conditions for each topical scheme, and allude to how these results are applicable to ELTs' adaptive optics.

A mid-infrared imager and spectrometer is under consideration for construction in the first decade of the Thirty- Meter Telescope (TMT) operation (see the companion paper by Okamoto). MIRES, a mid-infrared high-spectral resolution optimized instrument, was previously proposed to provide these capabilities to the TMT community. We have revised the design in order to provide an improved optical design for the high-spectral resolution mode with R=120,000, improved imaging with sky chopping, low-spectral resolution mode with an integral field spectrograph, and polarimetry. In this paper we describe the optical design concepts currently under consideration.

The effect of measurement noise on the phase reconstruction is here analyzed for curvature sensors. It is shown, that for a fixed extra-focal distance the phase variance depends only on the number of photons and is independent of the number of sensing elements. The error propagation factor is further computed for three different sampling geometries: square and hexagonal grids and the polar geometry commonly used for curvature sensors. The error propagation factor is seen to be almost independent of the grid geometry.

The 'Imaka project is a high-resolution wide-field imager proposed for the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope (CFHT) on Mauna Kea. 'Imaka takes advantage of two features of the optical turbulence above Mauna Kea: weak optical turbulence in the free-atmosphere and boundary layer turbulence which is highly confined within a surface layer tens of meters thick and or the telescope enclosures. The combination of the two allows a groundlayer adaptive optics system (GLAO) to routinely deliver an extremely-wide corrected field of view of one-degree at an excellent free-atmosphere seeing limit at visible wavelengths. In addition, populating the focal-plane with orthogonal-transfer CCDs provides a second level of image improvement on the free-atmosphere seeing and the residual GLAO correction. The impact of such an instrument covers a broad range of science and is a natural progression of CFHT's wide-field expertise.

Social networking technologies have commanded a lot of recent attention because they have changed the manner in which individuals have traditionally and historically accessed and shared knowledge. Although these technologies provide individuals with the opportunity to access and to utilize a plethora of knowledge created by others, the knowledge still needs to be organized, interpreted, and incorporated by the user in order for it to be useful. This research sought to better understand how social networking technologies can aid a firm's efforts to establish a knowledge management and a generative learning environment. The study closely followed one of the United States leading aerospace and defense firm's efforts to utilize new information and communication technologies to facilitate knowledge exchange and communications within the organization. This investigation provided a rich source of evidence for how social networking technologies can aid a firm's ability to encourage knowledge exchange, as well as networking and communication within the firm. We provide four key research-related findings and offer practitioners several key strategies, tactics, and pitfalls to avoid that they should consider when attempting to use SNT to aid in the establishment of a knowledge management and a generative learning environment.