The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a new observatory for very high-energy (VHE) gamma rays. CTA has ambitions science goals, for which it is necessary to achieve full-sky coverage, to improve the sensitivity by about an order of magnitude, to span about four decades of energy, from a few tens of GeV to above 100 TeV with enhanced angular and energy resolutions over existing VHE gamma-ray observatories. An international collaboration has formed with more than 1000 members from 27 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. In 2010 the CTA Consortium completed a Design Study and started a three-year Preparatory Phase which leads to production readiness of CTA in 2014. In this paper we introduce the science goals and the concept of CTA, and provide an overview of the project. ?? 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The relative magnitudes of mineral, organic and water contents of dense mammalian bone are calculated by a new theory based on recent findings: (1) The neutron diffraction studies of mineralized tissues with different densities demonstrated an inverse relationship between wet density and the equatorial diffraction spacing of the collagen. (2) The neutron studies showed there was very little mineral within the collagen fibrils. (3) A generalized packing model for collagen has been advanced to show how the equatorial spacing can be varied depending on tissue type, water content, and mineral content. (4) The water content of collagen fibrils when calculated from the generalized packing model matches the experimentally determined values for rat tail tendon fibers, bone matrix, and fully mineralized bone. A computational model was developed based on the generalized packing model. It provides a unifying approach to explain many features of mineralized fibrous collagenous tissues. The results are presented as estimates of the mineralized collagen fibril density, the volume fraction of collagen in bone, the density of the extrafibrillar space, the fraction of the e.f. space occupied by mineral and the ratio of mineral within collagen to total mineral content, each expressed as a function of wet bone density. A useful data base, available from previous studies, related mineral, organic and water weight fractions to wet bone density, for a density range from 1.7 g/cc for deer antler to 2.7 g/cc for porpoise petrosal. A second order polynomial was found for each weight fraction component, with bone density as the input variable, with a standard deviation less than 2% of total bone weight. This permits the bone properties to be related to a single variable, the wet bone density. It is seen that compacting the collagen fibrils as well as reducing the organic component weight fraction are two important factors determining the structure of the mineralized osteoid. It was concluded that voids and pore spaces may occupy at least 5% of the bone volume.

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We have used the atomic force microscope (AFM) to measure the local rigidity modulus at points on the surface of a section of hydrated cow tibia. These data are obtained either from contrast changes that occur as the contact force is altered, or from force versus distance curves obtained at fixed points. These two methods yield the same values for rigidity modulus (at a given point). At low resolution, the elastic morphology and topography mirror the features seen in optical and electron micrographs. At high resolution we see dramatic variations in elastic properties across distances as small as 50 nm.

Transmission electron micrographs of fully mineralized turkey leg tendon in cross-section show the ultrastructure to be more complex than has been previously described. The mineral is divided into two regions. Needlelike-appearing crystallites fill the extrafibrillar volume whereas only platelike crystallites are found within the fibrils. When the specimen is tilted through a large angle, some of the needlelike-appearing crystallites are replaced by platelets, suggesting that the needlelike crystallites are platelets viewed on edge. If so, these platelets have their broad face roughly parallel to the fibril surface and thereby the fibril axis, where the intrafibrillar platelets are steeply inclined to the fibril axis. The projection of the intrafibrillar platelets is perpendicular to the fibril axis. The extrafibrillar volume is at least 60% of the total, the fibrils occupying 40%. More of the mineral appears to be extrafibrillar than within the fibrils. Micrographs of the mineralized tendon in thickness show both needlelike-appearing and platelet crystallites. Stereoscopic views show that the needlelike-appearing crystallites do not have a preferred orientation. From the two-dimensional Fourier transform of a selected area of the cross-sectional image, the platelike crystallites have an average dimension of 58 nm. The needlelike-appearing crystallites have an average thickness of 7 nm. The maximum length is at least 90 nm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of unstained, unmineralized turkey leg tendon shows collagen fibrils very much like shadow replicas of collagen in electron micrographs. AFM images of the mineralized tendon show only an occasional fibril. Mineral crystallites are not visible. Because the collagen is within the fibrils, the extrafibrillar mineral must be embedded in noncollagenous organic matter. When the tissue is demineralized, the collagen fibrils are exposed. The structure as revealed by the two modalities is a composite material in which each component is itself a composite. Determination of the properties of the mineralized tendon from the properties of its elements is more difficult than considering the tendon to be just mineral-filled collagen.

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Compact calcified tissues from a wide variety of species were used in a study of the dependence of sonic plesio-velocity on physical parameters. A linear dependence of velocity on wet density has been found for each of three categories of wet mineralized tissue: compact long bone measured in the axial direction, compact long bone measured in the radial direction, and hyperpycnotic mineralized tissues. A similar linear dependency was found for dry calcified tissue using the dry density. In addition to these three parameters (density, orientation, and water content) two other factors were identified. The bone fibers in long bone matrix are ordered with respect to the bone axis and the anisotropy of long bone matches that of its matrix. There is no corresponding order to the fibers in hyperpycnotic tissue matrix. The fifth parameter is believed to be the porosity. Fish bone is much more porous than other compact bone from long bone and the sonic velocity in fish bone is much lower than for other bone. These parameters are not independent.