Sample records for kernfysisch versneller instituut

  1. Detection of radioactive particles offshore by γ-ray spectrometry Part I: Monte Carlo assessment of detection depth limits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maučec, M.; de Meijer, R. J.; Rigollet, C.; Hendriks, P. H. G. M.; Jones, D. G.

    2004-06-01

    A joint research project between the British Geological Survey and Nuclear Geophysics Division of the Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, Groningen, the Netherlands, was commissioned by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority to establish the efficiency of a towed seabed γ-ray spectrometer for the detection of 137Cs-containing radioactive particles offshore Dounreay, Scotland. Using the MCNP code, a comprehensive Monte Carlo feasibility study was carried out to model various combinations of geological matrices, particle burial depth and lateral displacement, source activity and detector material. To validate the sampling and absolute normalisation procedures of MCNP for geometries including multiple (natural and induced) heterogeneous sources in environmental monitoring, a benchmark experiment was conducted. The study demonstrates the ability of seabed γ-ray spectrometry to locate radioactive particles offshore and to distinguish between γ count rate increases due to particles from those due to enhanced natural radioactivity. The information presented in this study will be beneficial for estimation of the inventory of 137Cs particles and their activity distribution and for the recovery of particles from the sea floor. In this paper, the Monte Carlo assessment of the detection limits is presented. The estimation of the required towing speed and acquisition times and their application to radioactive particle detection and discrimination offshore formed a supplementary part of this study.

  2. Cognitie Versus Sensatie: Een Paradigma Voor Herorieentatie (Cognition Versus Sensation: A Paradigm for Reorientation)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-01

    EEN PARADIGMA VOOR HERORIWNATIE 2 L.C. Boer 0 DTI ELECTE FEB 16190 WO IDISThMATO .&TfAqMnT A 1 Approved for PWbli reg 90o 02 15 053 Nederiandse...5 39 77eloonr 03463 -5 62 11 IZF 1989-20 ’COGNITIE VERSUS SENSATIE: EEN PARADIGMA VOOR HERORIENTATIE L.C. Boer 20 Niels uid daze ungave mag nworden...Dist I Special 5 Rapport nr.: IZF 1989-20 Titel: Cognitie versus sensatie: eon paradigma voor heroridntatie Auteur: Dr. L.C. Boer Instituut: Instituut

  3. Algorithme et enseignement de la grammaire (Algorithm and the Teaching of Grammar)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michiels, A.

    1975-01-01

    Binary algorithmic logic may prove useful for teaching grammar, especially in the case of 'closed-system items.' (Text is in French.) Available from Instituut voor Toegepaste Linguistiek, Vesaliusstraat 2, B. 3000 Leuven, Belgium. (TL)

  4. Digitising the Past: The Beginning of a New Future at the Royal Tropical Institute of The Netherlands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levi, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a project to digitise maps at the Royal Tropical Institute, or Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT), of The Netherlands. KIT has an extensive collection of maps and nautical charts of (sub-) tropical regions, including general maps and topographical map series, city maps, thematic maps and…

  5. Quality of Expert Systems: Methods and Techniques (Kwaliteit van Expertsystemen: Methoden en Technieken)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-12-01

    en Elektroniscb Laboratorium TNO (FEL-TNO), de Rijksuniversiteit Limburg (RL) en bet Research Instituut voor Kennis-Systemen (RIKS). In dit rapport...kwaliteitsbeheersing van kennissystemen. TNO rapport Pagina 2 report no : FEL-89-A267 bee Quality of Expert Systems: Methods and Techniques author(s) J.H.J. Lenting MA...Defence Research and Development. Participants in the project are TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory (FEL-TNO), University of Limburg (RL) and

  6. Evaporation from Sand

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-04-01

    Instituuts Advies R2ad PML Prof. dr. U.A.Th. Brinkanl~ 36. Direactur van het Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO Prof.Dr. W.R.F. Notten 37. Directeur...Grootsdialige Rampenbestrijdcing Ministerie van Binnenlandsc Zaken Drs. H. Evers 9. Adviseur van het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TWO Prot. Dr. J.M. van...Rossum, 10. Adyisew, van het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TWO Chernisdie Research Prof.Dr. G. Dijkstra 11. H~ur. NBC DMKIJOMAT/KIO Ir. AAM. Slagveer 12

  7. Preparation and Analysis of Samples for the Third Round Robin Verification Exercise

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-07-01

    Hooge 34 Lid instituuts Advies Raad PML Prof. dr. U.A. Th. Brinkman 35 Directeur van het Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO Proft dr. W.R.F. Notten 36...1991 werd uitgevoerd, heeft het Prins Maurits Laboratorium TNO de monsters aangemaakt die bestonden uit rubber, verf en beton. Deze materialen, die...Maurits Laboratorium TNO Chemische Research Prof. dr. G. Dijksrra 10 HBur. NBC-DMKIJOMATIKIO In. A.A.M. Slagveer 11 Lid van de Contact Cominissie NBC

  8. Werkbelasting Bij Verkeers-En Gevechtsleiding. Deel 2 (Workload of Air Traffic and Air Combat Personnel. Part 2)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-31

    de onderzaeker nadig had am van bet instituut naar de werkplek te reizen . Genaemde diensten waren er niet zeker van dat bet nag steeds druk zau zijn...tegen de tijd dat anderzoeker ter plaatse zau zijn. Daarap werd beslaten bij deze diensten twee midweken (dinsdag t/m donderdag) cantinu te observeren...eon onderzoek to doen. Do tijd tussen oproep en begin van het onderzoek was 30 tot 40 minuten. Hot onderzoek word afgebroken als do werkpiek vaorbij was

  9. Calculation of the Internal and External Risk of Stored Ammunition and Explosives by Means of the Computer Model RISKANAL

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-07-01

    950.0 140.0 HS8 HS 8 8 5 0 420.0 50.0 HS9 HS 9 9 2 0 190.0 -245.0 HS10 HS 10 10 1 0 10.0 -245.0 HS11 HS 11 11 1 0 -150.0 50.0 RD1 RD 12 13 1000 50...Ceelen 8 DM&P TNO-DO 9 * DM&P TNO-DQ, accountco6rdinator KL 10* TNO-FEL, Bibliotheek 11 /13 Bibliotheek KMA 14* Lid Instituuts Advies Raad PML Prof. B...Vastgesteld door Maj. Wt. Ceelen Vastgesteld d.d. 9 juni 1998 (deze rubricering wijzigt niet) Titel Ongerubriceerd Managementuittreksel Ongerubriceerd

  10. Workshop on Animal free Detection of Pertussis Toxin in Vaccines--Alternatives to the Histamine Sensitisation Test.

    PubMed

    Bache, Christina; Hoonakker, Marieke; Hendriksen, Coenraad; Buchheit, Karl-Heinz; Spreitzer, Ingo; Montag, Thomas

    2012-07-01

    The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the Nederlands Vaccin Instituut (NVI) and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) organised the international scientific workshop "Animal free Detection of Pertussis Toxin in Vaccines--Alternatives to the Histamine Sensitisation Test" at the PEI in Langen (Germany) on 09-10 June 2011. Twenty-seven experts (regulators, representatives from national control laboratories, vaccine manufacturers and academia) from 7 countries participated in this workshop. The meeting was triggered by the lack of satisfaction with the current safety testing for acellular pertussis vaccines, the "Histamine Sensitisation Test" (HIST) in mice, and the growing attention for the alternatives under development. The workshop objectives were: a) to review the current status of available alternative methods, b) to discuss the sensitivity that an alternative test needs, c) to plan experiments that allow for comparison of the alternative tests. The results of the workshop are summarised in this meeting report. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  11. Home media server content management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tokmakoff, Andrew A.; van Vliet, Harry

    2001-07-01

    With the advent of set-top boxes, the convergence of TV (broadcasting) and PC (Internet) is set to enter the home environment. Currently, a great deal of activity is occurring in developing standards (TV-Anytime Forum) and devices (TiVo) for local storage on Home Media Servers (HMS). These devices lie at the heart of convergence of the triad: communications/networks - content/media - computing/software. Besides massive storage capacity and being a communications 'gateway', the home media server is characterised by the ability to handle metadata and software that provides an easy to use on-screen interface and intelligent search/content handling facilities. In this paper, we describe a research prototype HMS that is being developed within the GigaCE project at the Telematica Instituut . Our prototype demonstrates advanced search and retrieval (video browsing), adaptive user profiling and an innovative 3D component of the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) which represents online presence. We discuss the use of MPEG-7 for representing metadata, the use of MPEG-21 working draft standards for content identification, description and rights expression, and the use of HMS peer-to-peer content distribution approaches. Finally, we outline explorative user behaviour experiments that aim to investigate the effectiveness of the prototype HMS during development.

  12. Camelid Single-Domain Antibodies: Historical Perspective and Future Outlook

    PubMed Central

    Arbabi-Ghahroudi, Mehdi

    2017-01-01

    Tremendous effort has been expended over the past two and a half decades to understand many aspects of camelid heavy chain antibodies, from their biology, evolution, and immunogenetics to their potential applications in various fields of research and medicine. In this article, I present a historical perspective on the development of camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs or VHHs, also widely known as nanobodies) since their discovery and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these unique molecules in various areas of research, industry, and medicine. Commercialization of camelid sdAbs exploded in 2001 with a flurry of patents issued to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and later taken on by the Vlaams Interuniversitair Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) and, after 2002, the VIB-founded spin-off company, Ablynx. While entrepreneurial spirit has certainly catalyzed the exploration of nanobodies as marketable products, IP restrictions may be partially responsible for the relatively long time span between the discovery of these biomolecules and their entry into the pharmaceutical market. It is now anticipated that the first VHH-based antibody drug, Caplacizumab, a bivalent anti-vWF antibody for treating rare blood clotting disorders, may be approved and commercialized in 2018 or shortly thereafter. This elusive first approval, along with the expiry of key patents, may substantially alter the scientific and biomedical landscape surrounding camelid sdAbs and pave the way for their emergence as mainstream biotherapeutics. PMID:29209322

  13. Inactivated polio vaccine development for technology transfer using attenuated Sabin poliovirus strains to shift from Salk-IPV to Sabin-IPV.

    PubMed

    Bakker, Wilfried A M; Thomassen, Yvonne E; van't Oever, Aart G; Westdijk, Janny; van Oijen, Monique G C T; Sundermann, Lars C; van't Veld, Peter; Sleeman, Eelco; van Nimwegen, Fred W; Hamidi, Ahd; Kersten, Gideon F A; van den Heuvel, Nico; Hendriks, Jan T; van der Pol, Leo A

    2011-09-22

    Industrial-scale inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) production dates back to the 1960s when at the Rijks Instituut voor de Volksgezondheid (RIV) in Bilthoven a process was developed based on micro-carrier technology and primary monkey kidney cells. This technology was freely shared with several pharmaceutical companies and institutes worldwide. In this contribution, the history of one of the first cell-culture based large-scale biological production processes is summarized. Also, recent developments and the anticipated upcoming shift from regular IPV to Sabin-IPV are presented. Responding to a call by the World Health Organization (WHO) for new polio vaccines, the development of Sabin-IPV was continued, after demonstrating proof of principle in the 1990s, at the Netherlands Vaccine Institute (NVI). Development of Sabin-IPV plays an important role in the WHO polio eradication strategy as biocontainment will be critical in the post-OPV cessation period. The use of attenuated Sabin strains instead of wild-type Salk polio strains will provide additional safety during vaccine production. Initially, the Sabin-IPV production process will be based on the scale-down model of the current, and well-established, Salk-IPV process. In parallel to clinical trial material production, process development, optimization and formulation research is being carried out to further optimize the process and reduce cost per dose. Also, results will be shown from large-scale (to prepare for future technology transfer) generation of Master- and Working virus seedlots, and clinical trial material (for phase I studies) production. Finally, the planned technology transfer to vaccine manufacturers in low and middle-income countries is discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Quantifying and Reducing Uncertainties in Estimating OMI Tropospheric Column NO2 Trend over The United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smeltzer, C. D.; Wang, Y.; Boersma, F.; Celarier, E. A.; Bucsela, E. J.

    2013-12-01

    We investigate the effects of retrieval radiation schemes and parameters on trend analysis using tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) vertical column density (VCD) measurements over the United States. Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) observations from 2005 through 2012 are used in this analysis. We investigated two radiation schemes, provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA TOMRAD) and Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (KNMI DAK). In addition, we analyzed trend dependence on radiation parameters, including surface albedo and viewing geometry. The cross-track mean VCD average difference is 10-15% between the two radiation schemes in 2005. As the OMI anomaly developed and progressively worsens, the difference between the two schemes becomes larger. Furthermore, applying surface albedo measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) leads to increases of estimated NO2 VCD trends over high-emission regions. We find that the uncertainties of OMI-derived NO2 VCD trends can be reduced by up to a factor of 3 by selecting OMI cross-track rows on the basis of their performance over the ocean [see abstract figure]. Comparison of OMI tropospheric VCD trends to those estimated based on the EPA surface NO2 observations indicate using MODIS surface albedo data and a more narrow selection of OMI cross-track rows greatly improves the agreement of estimated trends between satellite and surface data. This figure shows the reduction of uncertainty in OMI NO2 trend by selecting OMI cross-track rows based on the performance over the ocean. With this technique, uncertainties within the seasonal trend may be reduced by a factor of 3 or more (blue) compared with only removing the anomalous rows: considering OMI cross-track rows 4-24 (red).

  15. EMSO: European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Favali, P.; Partnership, Emso

    2009-04-01

    Tecnologia Marina - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (Spain, ref. Juan Jose Danobeitia); UGOT-Goteborgs Universitet (Sweden, ref. Per Hall); HCMR-Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Greece, ref. Vasilios Likousis); NOCS-National Oceanography Centre Southampton (United Kingdom, ref. Henry A. Ruhl); UiT-University of Tromsø (Norway, ref. Jürgen Mienert); FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal, ref. Jorge Miguel Alberto de Miranda); ITU-Istanbul Teknik Universitesi (Turkey, ref. Namik Çagatay); NIOZ-Stichting Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Zeeonderzoek (The Netherlands, ref. Tjeerd C.E. van Weering).

  16. EMSO: European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Favali, Paolo

    2010-05-01

    Waldmann); IMI-Irish Marine Institute (Ireland, ref. Michael Gillooly); UTM-CSIC-Unidad de Tecnologia Marina - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (Spain, ref. Juan Jose Danobeitia); UGOT-Goteborgs Universitet (Sweden, ref. Per Hall); HCMR-Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (Greece, ref. Vasilios Likousis); NOCS-National Oceanography Centre Southampton (United Kingdom, ref. Henry A. Ruhl); UiT-University of Tromsø (Norway, ref. Jürgen Mienert); FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal, ref. Jorge Miguel Alberto de Miranda); ITU-Istanbul Teknik Universitesi (Turkey, ref. Namik Çagatay); NIOZ-Stichting Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee (The Netherlands, ref. Jens Greinert).

  17. Expression of adhesion and extracellular matrix genes in human blastocysts upon attachment in a 2D co-culture system.

    PubMed

    Aberkane, A; Essahib, W; Spits, C; De Paepe, C; Sermon, K; Adriaenssens, T; Mackens, S; Tournaye, H; Brosens, J J; Van de, Velde H

    2018-05-26

    level in firmly attached 7dpf embryos. Thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) resided in the cytoplasm of embryonic cells whereas laminin subunit alpha 3 (LAMA3) and tenascin C (TNC) were expressed on the cell surface of trophectoderm cells. Incubation with a neutralizing TNC antibody did not affect the rate of embryo attachment or hCG secretion. None. This in-vitro study made use of an endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line to mimic receptive luminal epithelium. Also, the number of embryos was limited. Contamination of recovered embryos with Ishikawa cells was unlikely based on their differential gene expression profiles. Taken together, we provide a 'proof of concept' that initiation of the implantation process coincides with the induction of specific embryonic genes. Genome-wide expression profiling of a larger sample set may provide insights into the molecular embryonic pathways underlying successful or failed implantation. A.A. was supported by a grant from the "Instituut voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie" (IWT, 121716, Flanders, Belgium). This work was supported by the "Wetenschappelijk Fonds Willy Gepts" (WFWG G142 and G170, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel). The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  18. PREFACE: 31st European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dendy, Richard

    2004-12-01

    chaired by Henry Hutchinson (RAL, Chilton), and to the Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion journal team (Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol), for their work on this conference. At the 2004 European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics, plenary invited speakers whose talks spanned the entire field were followed, each day, by multiple parallel sessions which also included invited talks. Invited speakers in both these categories were asked to contribute papers to this special issue (the contributed papers at this conference, and at all recent conferences in this series, are archived at http://epsppd.epfl.ch). The Programme Committee is very grateful to the many invited speakers who have responded positively to this request. Invited papers appear here in their order of presentation during the week beginning 28 June 2004; this ordering provides an echo of the character of the conference, as it was experienced by those who took part. Programme Committee 2004 Professor Richard Dendy UKAEA Culham Division, UK Chairman and guest editor Dr Jean-Luc Dorier Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, Lausanne, Switzerland (Co-ordinator of dusty plasmas and guest editor) Professor Jürgen Meyer-ter-Vehn Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany (Co-ordinator of laser-plasma interaction and beam plasma physics and guest editor) Dr Peter Norreys Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, UK (Scientific Secretary and guest editor) Dr Emilia R Solano CIEMAT Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión, Madrid, Spain ( Co-ordinator of magnetic confinement fusion and guest editor) Dr Shalom Eliezer Soreq Nuclear Research Centre, Israel Dr Wim Goedheer FOM-Instituut voor Plasmafysica, Rijnhuizen, Netherlands Professor Henry Hutchinson Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, UK Professor John Kirk Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany Dr Raymond Koch Ecole Royale Militaire/Koninklijke Militaire School, Brussels, Belgium Professor Gerrit Kroesen Technische

  19. Stellar students win fantastic prizes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2008-05-01

    School students and teachers across Europe and around the world are discovering today who has won fantastic prizes in "Catch a Star", the international astronomical competition run by ESO and the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE). CAS2008 artwork ESO PR Photo 14/08 One of the winning artworks "We were extremely impressed by the high quality of the entries, and the number of participants was even higher than last year. We wish to congratulate everybody who took part," said Douglas Pierce-Price, Education Officer at ESO. "'Catch a Star' clearly shows astronomy's power to inspire and excite students of all ages," added Fernand Wagner, President of the EAAE. The top prize, of a week-long trip to Chile to visit the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Paranal, was won by students Roeland Heerema, Liesbeth Schenkels, and Gerben Van Ranst from the Instituut Spijker in Hoogstraten, Belgium, together with their teacher Ann Verstralen. With their "story of aged binary stars... Live and Let Die", they take us on a vivid tour of the amazing zoo of binary stars, and the life and death of stars like our Sun. The students show how state-of-the-art telescopes, particularly those at ESO's sites of La Silla and Paranal, help us understand these stars. They take as an illustrative example the binary star system V390 Velorum. In the last phases of its life, V390 Velorum will shed its outer shell of gas and dust, turning from a celestial chrysalis into a beautiful cosmic butterfly. The students also involved other pupils from their school, showing them how to test their eyesight by observing the binary star system of Alcor and Mizar. But perhaps the most important discovery they made is that, as they write in their report, "Astronomy lives! Discoveries are being made each day and there is still very much to be found and learned by astronomers!" The team will travel to Chile and visit the ESO VLT - the world's most advanced optical/infrared telescope. At Paranal, they

  20. List of Participants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2008-11-01

    Davide CassaniLaboratoire de Physique Théorique, École Normale Supérieure, Paris Alejandra CastroUniversity of Michigan Claudio Caviezel Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, München Alessio Celi Universitat de Barcelona Anna Ceresole Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Università di Torino Athanasios ChatzistavrakidisNational Technical University of Athens Wissam ChemissanyCentre for Theoretical Physics, University of Groningen Eugen-Mihaita CioroianuUniversity of Craiova Andres CollinucciTechnische Universität Wien Paul CookUniversità di Roma, Tor Vergata Lorenzo CornalbaUniversità di Milano-Bicocca Aldo CotroneKatholieke Universiteit Leuven Ben Craps Vrije Universiteit, Brussel Stefano Cremonesi SISSA, Trieste Riccardo D'AuriaPolitecnico di Torino Gianguido Dall'AgataUniversity of Padova Jose A de AzcarragaUniversidad de Valencia Jan de BoerInstituut voor Theoretische Fysica, Universiteit van Amsterdam Sophie de BuylInstitut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Bures-sur-Yvette Marius de LeeuwUtrecht University Frederik De RooVrije Universiteit, Brussel Jan De Rydt Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and CERN, Geneva Bernard de WitInstitute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University Stephane DetournayIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano Paolo Di Vecchia Niels Bohr Institute, København Eugen DiaconuUniversity of Craiova Vladimir Dobrev Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia Nick DoreyUniversity of Cambridge Hajar Ebrahim NajafabadiIPM, Tehran Federico Elmetti Università di Milano Oleg Evnin Vrije Universiteit, Brussel Francesco Fiamberti Università di Milano Davide Forcella SISSA, Trieste and CERN, Geneva Valentina Forini Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Angelos Fotopoulos Università di Torino Denis Frank Université de Neuchâtel Marialuisa Frau Università di Torino Matthias Gaberdiel Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zürich Diego Gallego SISSA/ISAS, Trieste Maria Pilar Garcia del

  1. The Most Remote Gamma-Ray Burst

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2000-10-01

    , Denmark), Johan Fynbo, Palle Møller (European Southern Observatory), Richard Marc Kippen (University of Alabama in Huntsville and NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, USA), Bjarne Thomsen (University of Århus, Denmark), Marianne Vestergaard (Ohio State University, USA), Nicola Masetti, Eliana Palazzi (Instituto Tecnologie e Studio Radiazoni Extraterresti, Bologna, Italy) Kevin Hurley (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Thomas Cline (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, USA), Lex Kaper (Sterrenkundig Instituut ``Anton Pannekoek", the Netherlands) and Andreas O. Jaunsen (formerly University of Oslo, Norway; now ESO-Paranal). [2]: Detailed reports about the early observations of this gamma-ray burst are available at the dedicated webpage within the GRB Coordinates Network website. [3]: The photometric redshift method makes it possible to judge the distance to a remote celestial object (a galaxy, a quasar, a gamma-ray burst afterglow) from its measured colours. It is based on the proportionality between the distance and the velocity along the line of sight (Hubble's law) that reflects the expansion of the Universe. The larger the distance of an object is, the larger is its velocity and, due to the Doppler effect, the spectral shift of its emission towards longer (redder) wavelengths. Thus, the measured colour provides a rough indication of the distance. Examples of this method are shown in ESO PR 20/98 (Photos 48a/00 and 48e/00). [4]: In fact, the object was so faint that the positioning of the spectrograph slit had to be done in "blind" offset, i.e. without actually seeing the object on the slit during the observation. This very difficult observational feat was possible because of excellent preparations by the team of astronomers and the very good precision of the telescope and instrument. [5]: The " Lyman-alpha forest" refers to the crowding of absorption lines from intervening hydrogen clouds, shortward of the strong Lyman-alpha spectral line at rest