Breakthrough Initiatives Research Articles

Breakthrough Sun Diving: The Rectilinear Option

A near-term possibility for utilization of Breakthrough Initiatives Project Starshot technology is application of the sun diving maneuver as a replacement for laser acceleration of highly miniaturized photon sails to interstellar velocities. This possibility was discussed during the June 2022 Breakthrough Discuss meeting in Santa Cruz California. Here, we consider application of statite-type photon sail probes to achieve rectilinear trajectories to explore outer solar system and near-interstellar destinations. Statite-Type solar photon sails are sufficiently thin and reflective that solar radiation pressure force on the sail exactly balances the solar gravitational force. In such a force-free environment, the spacecraft exits the solar system at its pre-sail-deployment solar-orbital velocity. Here we consider departures from a circular 1 AU solar orbit, the perihelion of a 0.7-1 AU elliptical solar orbit and the perihelion of a 0.3-1 AU solar orbit. Possible outer-solar system destinations of possible interest to Breakthrough Initiatives extraterrestrial-life/artifact -search researchers include Europa, Titan, Enceladus, Methone, and Arrokoth. More distant possible objectives are ‘Oumuamua and the Sun’s inner gravitational focus. To achieve a rectilinear trajectory, the sail must be oriented normal to the Sun and spacecraft areal mass thickness is 1.46 × 10-3 kg/m2. Current sail technology is reviewed to determine whether it can achieve the required areal mass thickness.

Calculations of Particle Bombardment Due to Dust and Charged Particles in the ISM on the Project Starshot Gram-Scale Interstellar Probe

The Breakthrough Initiatives Project Starshot proposes to send a gram-scale laser driven spacecraft to the Alpha Centauri system in a 20 year mission travelling at v~0.2c. One of the challenges of this mission as the spacecraft moves through the interstellar medium is the presence of dust and gas (mostly hydrogen). The dust has a typical matter-density of 2.57 × 10-27 g/cm3 with typical particle mass being 3 × 10-13 g although some of the largest particles may be 5 × 10-9 g in mass. These dust particles will deposit ~1012-1016 MeV onto the spacecraft with an energy flux of order ~0.3 J/sm2. We consider the erosion of the spacecraft frontal area due to dust and also heating effects. We attempt to characterise the likely environment for the Starshot mission and estimate the particle bombardment shielding requirements in terms of mass and thickness of material. Current analysis estimates that the likely erosion rates are of order ~10-11-10-8 g/s and that the frontal area temperature for the models examined in this paper will be ~135.2 K depending on the ratio of frontal area to radiating area. For an assumed shielding material with atomic number range 3-13 (Lithium to Aluminium), and for spacecraft geometries with radii ~1 mm and cylindrical length ~5 mm, over a 21.5 year mission duration, this would suggest a shielding thickness of ~1.4-3 mm. This would also suggest a shielding mass in the range ~0.01-0.05 g; depending on the material choice, spacecraft size and chosen geometry. This would represent between ~1–5% of the total mass, assuming a spacecraft mass of 1g (driven by a ~102 GW laser power). We also examine the additional effects of charged particles and estimate the stopping power and penetration range for different materials. Finally, we briefly examine the potential to use the incoming energy flux as a power source for the transmission of an optical laser deep space communication system. The work presented highlights the close coupling in the Project Starshot spacecraft design between the vehicle geometry and the particle bombardment requirements.

RESULTS OF GERMANY’S CHAIRMANSHIP IN G7: ECONOMIC ASPECT

A new coalition government in Germany came into power at the end of 2021. The paper describes Germany’s 2022 G7 Presidency as a first major foreign policy priority and test. The article considers that this period gave the German government the opportunity to test diverse political initiatives. These include proposals in the economic and climate sphere, in the regulation of the labor market, the prospects for the global agro-industrial complex, and overcoming the consequences of the pandemic. The creation of the Climate Club has become the most ambitious project. In this regard the G7 will unify their environmental standards within the club. It will stimulate the entry into the club of countries that are also taking action to combat climate change. Additionally, we examine the of sectoral communiqués. Analysis showed that Olaf Scholz’s government did not propose any truly breakthrough initiatives. Many key ideas were duplicated from the Elmau summit in 2015. In each sectoral area, financial and military support for the Ukrainian regime was noted in the documents. In the author’s opinion, the strategic move of the German Presidency was to invite the leaders of India and South Africa to a key meeting, as well as to coordinate with the Indonesian G20 Presidency. The author comes to the conclusion that the results of the German presidency are twofold. On the one hand, despite the Ukrainian conflict, attempts have been made to develop the climate agenda. It is emphasized that main issue was the modernization of the WTO. Was put on the other hand, these topics constantly disappeared due to the topics of support for Ukraine. Most likely, the G7 once again demonstrated the soft nature of the organizational structure. The author concludes that main decisions to put pressure on Russia remained in the shadow of the sanctions packages of the European Union.

Communicative Proactivity in Architectural Initiatives Supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture

The paper aims to highlight the need, distinctive features and problematic issues of cultural and communicative activities in architecture field by using a case study of the projects in architecture funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture (LCC). The identification of the problems in supporting non-commercial initiatives in architecture since 2014 up to 2020 is the scope of this paper, which is developed using an analytical descriptive approach. The analysis covers scientific and professional literature, legal documents, recommendations of professional architectural organisations, information from the LCC and semi-structured interviews with 7 experts. Problems regarding the funding of projects in architecture by the LCC are identified by using statistical information from the LCC database and the dissatisfaction/satisfaction with LCC activities, project approval for funding, general issues of cultural policy expressed in interviews, and by looking for correlations between them. Analysis of the statistics of project funding reveals several problems. Funding for the projects in architecture field is particularly low, compared to the projects in other fields of culture and art. Geographical distribution of architectural projects is uneven, as majority of projects were submitted by applicants from Vilnius. Funding is mostly allocated to institutions with experience, established groups of participants and time-tested ways of operation; non-standard, breakthrough initiatives are rarely supported. The article states that problems related to the dominance of the narrowed concept of architecture, to the lack of cultural communication, and to the modest public knowledge of architecture lead to the devaluation of architecture and, consequently, to the diminishing of the quality, diversity and long-term cultural value of the surrounding environment. Architectural education of society would be the most effective way to address these problems. It is important to grow everyday users, politicians, investors, developers, activists, and preservers of local heritage able to understand and critically evaluate architecture. In order to increase the cultural significance and importance of architecture for society, architecture practitioners and theoreticians should be encouraged to make the most effective use of the opportunities offered by the LCC. Activities to be funded should be selected by the potential long-term value of their results and their impact on the public and/or the professional community. In order to balance the geographical distribution, revisions to the list of evaluation criteria and their weight should increase access to support for activities in regions, for ambitious early applicants and for innovative, out-of-the-box undertakings.

Efficiently combining α CenA multi-epoch high-contrast imaging data

Context. Keplerian-Stacker is an algorithm capable of combining multiple observations acquired at different epochs by taking into account the orbital motion of a potential planet present in the images to boost the ultimate detection limit. In 2019, a total of 100 h of observation was allocated to Very Large Telescope (VLT) Spectrometer and Imager for the mid-infrared (VISIR) instrument for the New Earths in the α Centauri Region (NEAR) survey, a collaboration between European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Breakthrough Initiatives, to search for low mass planets in the habitable zone of the α Cen AB binary system. A weak signal (S/N ~ 3) was reported around α Cen A, at a separation of ≃ 1.1 au, corresponding to the habitable zone. Aims. Our study is aimed at determining whether K-Stacker is also capable of detecting the low-mass planet candidate with similar orbital parameters, which was previously found by the NEAR team. We also aim to search for additional potential candidates around a Cen A by utilizing the orbital motion to boost the signal and by generally placing stronger constraints on the presence of other planets in the system. Methods. We re-analysed the NEAR data using K-Stacker. This algorithm is a brute-force method that is equipped to find planets in observational time series and to constrain their orbital parameters, even if they have remained undetected in a single epoch. Results. We scanned a total of about 3.5 × 105 independent orbits, among which close to 15% correspond to fast-moving orbits on which planets cannot be detected without taking into account the orbital motion. We found only a single planet candidate that matches the C1 detection reported in Wagner et al. (2021, Nat. Commun., 12, 922). However, since this constitutes a re-analysis of the same data set, more observations will be necessary to confirm that C1 is indeed a planet and not a disk or other data artifact. Despite the significant amount of time spent on this target, the orbit of this candidate remains poorly constrained due to these observations being closely distributed across 34 days. We argue that future single-target deep surveys would benefit from a K-Stacker based strategy, where the observations would be split over a significant part of the expected orbital period to better constrain the orbital parameters. Conclusions. This application of K-Stacker to high-contrast imaging data in the mid-infrared demonstrates the capability of this algorithm in aiding the search for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of the nearest stars with future instruments of the E-ELT, such as METIS.

The Impact of the COVID Crisis on the Innovative Potential of China's Internet Platforms.

Although the COVID-19 crisis has hit the Chinese economy hard, China’s Internet companies have benefited from the quarantine. However, the long-term consequences of the 2020 crisis for the development of the innovative potential of Chinese Internet corporations, primarily the largest platforms such as Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent, and JD.com as integrators of the Chinese Internet economy, are still unclear. This article provides a general overview of changes in the consumption of services of large platforms, including moderate growth in demand, strengthening of the segment of high-tech services (cloud solutions for business, digital healthcare, etc.), digitalization of small and medium enterprises, and expansion of the user audience. The innovative and technological initiatives of the platforms are analyzed. Within the framework of the announced state plans, large platforms, in partnership with regional authorities, business, and universities, intend to develop an advanced digital infrastructure (5G, data centers, etc.) and innovation infrastructure (digital clusters, technology parks, and research centers). Despite the lack of new breakthrough initiatives, the innovation capacity of the platforms is expected to strengthen in the long term.Presumably, the key role will be played by qualitative changes in the markets owing to the diffusion of digital technologies and competences, which will lead to an increase in demand for Internet innovations. The mechanisms of transforming market changes into a resource for innovative development of the platforms are associated with the expansion of market data, the emergence of a complex system of services, and unique innovative ecosystems of the platforms, making it possible to organize and coordinate the innovative activities of various entities, as well as to coopt promising start-ups able to create breakthrough innovations during the crisis.

High-accuracy short-term precipitable water-vapour operational forecast at the Very Large Telescope and perspectives for sky background forecast

ABSTRACT In this article, we present the first results ever obtained by applying the autoregressive (AR) technique to precipitable water vapour (PWV). The study is performed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT). The AR technique was proposed recently to provide forecasts of atmospheric and astroclimatic parameters on short time-scales (up to a few hours) by achieving much better performance with respect to the ‘standard forecasts’ provided in early afternoon for the coming night. The AR method uses real-time measurements of the parameter of interest to improve the forecasts performed with atmospherical models. Here, we used measurements provided by the Low Humidity And Temperature PROfiling microwave radiometer (LHATPRO), a radiometer measuring the PWV at the VLT continuously. When comparing the AR forecast at 1h with the standard forecast, we observe a gain factor of ∼8 (i.e. ∼800 per cent) in terms of forecast accuracy. In the PWV ≤ 1 mm range, which is extremely critical for infrared astronomical applications, the RMSE of the predictions is of the order of just a few hundredth of millimetres (0.04 mm). We therefore proved that the AR technique provides an important benefit to VLT science operations for all instruments sensitive to PWV. Also, we show how such an ability to predict PWV can also be useful to predict the sky background in the infrared range [extremely appealing for Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS)]. We quantify such an ability by applying this method to the New Earth in the Alpha Cen region (NEAR) project supported by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Breakthrough Initiatives.

Carbon Dioxide Uptake in the Roadmap 2050 of the Spanish Cement Industry

The European Green Deal and its endeavors will make rapid and far-reaching decisions with major implications for the European cement industry in the short- and longer-term. Accordingly, new measures should be dealt with quickly and effectively to minimize the adverse impact on global warming and global climate change by this sector. The aim of this study is to show and assess the measures to be undertaken to reach carbon neutrality by the Spanish cement industry by 2050. They may be categorized into three broad types based on the main materials: clinker, cement, and concrete. The cement sector must implement breakthrough initiatives, inventions, and technologies regarding the clinker and cement production processes. Furthermore, carbon dioxide uptake by cement-based materials must be considered to achieve the carbon neutrality objective. Accordingly, two methodologies named simplified and advanced, consistent with Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories elaborated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), were selected to model the carbon offsetting by mortars and concretes. Finally, the existing climate change mitigation technologies available in Spain are insufficient to reach the net zero carbon footprint. Therefore, breakthrough technologies such as novel and efficient carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies should be implemented by the Spanish cement industry to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions in 2050.

Mark Johnson: “Future-back” strategizing for beyond-the-core growth

PurposeInterview with Mark W. Johnson, Innosight co-founder and former consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton,an authority on the application of disruption theory. ]His latest book, Lead From the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking into Breakthrough Growth, co-authored with Innosight partner Josh Suskewicz, addresses the challenge of how to strategize for the beyond-the-core breakthrough initiatives which will be key to sustaining future growth.Design/methodology/approachHis interviewer is Brian Leavy, emeritus professor of strategy at Dublin City University Business School and a Strategy & Leadership contributing editor. The interview focuses on Future-back thinking and a set of allied processes that can help leaders think further out than the three to five years that most set as their planning horizons. Then they can identify the threats and opportunities that await them and envision their best path forward.FindingsFuture-back thinking and planning begins with exploring and envisioning–actively, intensively and imaginatively immersing yourself in your organization’s likely future and then determining what you must do to not only fit into that environment but to actively shape your enterprise to thrive in it.Practical implicationsFuture-back thinking is geared to discovery, so it is what you use when you need to develop a market-creating innovation or new business model to fill a projected gap–to explore, envision and then chart out a new path.Originality/valueThe lesson for leaders: when programming a breakthrough strategy, you need to formalize the roles and responsibilities of the senior leadership team as its champions and overseers, set up an organizational model that will protect those teams from the countervailing influences of the core and ensure that the initiative is managed with an explore, envision and discover approach.

Philanthropic Space Science: The Breakthrough Initiatives

Abstract The shape of scientific space exploration is shifting. The Breakthrough Initiatives may represent a new trend with its scientific-philanthropic search for signatures of life in the univers...

From Malala to Burka Avenger: A Few Remarks on Changing Female Role Models in Contemporary Pakistan

This paper discusses some of the breakthrough initiatives by women in Pakistan, which may have a positive influence on other women and thus lead the way to further changes in the overall situation of women. It comprises of two main parts. The first part begins with a brief study of the image of women in the Qur’an and analyses the question of how sources and religious teachings were interpreted in regard to women’s social status. This follows with an examination of the position of women in Pakistan and with the characteristics of the women’s movement and various initiatives of the women’s rights struggle. The second part discusses the work and achievements of various women’s organisations and individual women activist, in reference to the main women’s issues in the society. The study focuses on bottom‑up initiatives that arise in response to the socio‑political situation, and aims at showing how females active in the women’s rights struggle serve as a positive model for other women in Pakistan.

Where Are All the Breakthrough New Products?: Using Portfolio Management to Boost Innovation

OVERVIEW:There is a real shortage of breakthrough initiatives in businesses' development portfolios. A major challenge in developing these high-risk projects is portfolio management—how executives make R&D investment decisions. Financial approaches, such as net present value and the productivity index, are traditionally recommended to lend rigor to go/kill decisions. An overreliance on financial tools favors incremental projects whose financial forecasts are reliable, however, producing an abundance of small, low-hanging-fruit projects and a failure to allocate resources to strategic projects. Different toolsets must be used to assess high-risk breakthrough initiatives, including strategic buckets, expected commercial value, and spiral development processes. All of these must be supported by a climate and culture that provide the appetite to take on risky projects.

Dana Alexander, RN, MSN, MBA, FAAN

Dana Alexander, RN, MSN, MBA, FAAN, is the vice president for integrated care delivery and chief nurse executive at Caradigm, where she is involved with breakthrough initiatives to support new models through technologies and analytics to improve care outcomes, the patient experience, and the economics of health and wellness. She is an advocate for transforming health care to achieve the goals of the National Quality Strategy and the Triple Aim of better health, affordable care, and healthier communities. Building bridges and leveraging professional connections to impact policy, improve quality, outcomes, and patient safety are key strategies for change that she uses, and her advocacy for nursing and future patient care delivery through policy and leadership forums is unwavering.

Role of Prosthetic Hemodialysis Access Following Introduction of the Dialysis Outcome Quality and Fistula First Breakthrough Initiatives

The emphasis on increasing the use of autogenous hemodialysis access in the United States has clearly changed the practice pattern of vascular surgeons during the past decade. However, this change has also been associated with an increased use of cuffed dialysis catheter and a decrease in the autogenous access maturation rate. Future efforts to increase autogenous access use will be hampered, in part, by the characteristics and comorbidities of the aging hemodialysis population and system-wide health care delivery issues, such as late referral for vascular access. As a result, prosthetic access will continue to play an important role in providing vascular access for the US hemodialysis population. This article reviews contemporary trends and evidence-based literature related to autogenous and prosthetic access procedures, as well as factors that influence access choice.

Methods and concepts in management: significance, satisfaction and suggestions for further research ? perspectives from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Considering the number of management concepts and methods that are created, published and promoted it seems possible to create breakthrough initiatives every day. Unfortunately some of them are ephemeral fads with little effect on business success. Based on a survey of 114 German, Swiss and Austrian consultants, this paper tries to help managers to determine which concepts will be of significant importance in the coming years. The authors argue that shareholder value is out, strategic planning makes a comeback, downsizing, lean management and TQM were themes of the last century, knowledge management has to become more user-friendly to survive, and process management and CRM gain in importance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alcatraz, Wounded Knee, and Beyond: The Nixon and Ford Administrations Respond to Native American Protest

The period from 1969 to 1977 saw both unprecedented civil disobedience by Native American activists and breakthrough initiatives to advance Indian rights. This article argues that grass-roots protest helped push the executive branch to respond sympathetically to Native American concerns, replacing the policy of termination with one of tribal self-determination. After the seizure of Alcatraz Island (1969), Nixon's aides began work on a presidential statement repudiating termination and legislation to advance self-determination for Native Americans. Following the standoff at Wounded Knee (1973), Congress began to pass the President's agenda. Continuing Native American unrest kept Ford's White House on the course charted by Nixon. Whatever their shortcomings, both Presidents deserve high marks for redirecting Indian policy and for avoiding bloodshed during their many standoffs with American Indians.