Time Averaged VHE Spectrum of Mrk 421 in 2005

The blazar Mrk421 was observed independently, but contemporaneously, in 2005 at TeV energies by MAGIC, the Whipple 10m telescope, and by a single VERITAS telescope during the construction phase of operations. A comparison of the time averaged spectra, in what was a relatively quiescent state, demonstrates the level of agreement between instruments. In addition, the increased sensitivity of the new generation instruments, and ever decreasing energy thresholds, questions how best to compare new observational data with archival results.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of "4th Heidelberg International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2008

Polarization experiments

Possible instrumental set--ups for the measurement of CMB polarization are reviewed in this article. We discuss existing and planned instruments, putting special emphasis on observational, instrumental, and data processing issues for the detection of very low polarization signals of prime cosmological interest. A short prospective summary is included

Digest of celestial X-ray missions and experiments

Information on instruments, the platforms that carried them, and the data they gathered is presented. Instrument selection was confined to detectors operating in the 0.20 to 300 keV range. Included are brief descriptions of the spacecraft, experiment packages and missions. Cross-referenced indexes are provided for types of instruments, energy ranges, time spans covered, positional catalogs and observational catalogs. Data sets from these experiments (NSSDC) are described

Art and Medicine: A Collaborative Project Between Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar

Four faculty researchers, two from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, and two from Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar developed a one semester workshop-based course in Qatar exploring the connections between art and medicine in a contemporary context. Students (6 art / 6 medicine) were enrolled in the course. The course included presentations by clinicians, medical engineers, artists, computing engineers, an art historian, a graphic designer, a painter, and other experts from the fields of art, design, and medicine. To measure the student experience of interdisciplinarity, the faculty researchers employed a mixed methods approach involving psychometric tests and observational ethnography. Data instruments included pre- and post-course semi-structured audio interviews, pre-test / post-test psychometric instruments (Budner Scale and Torrance Tests of Creativity), observational field notes, self-reflective blogging, and videography. This book describes the course and the experience of the students. It also contains images of the interdisciplinary work they created for a culminating class exhibition. Finally, the book provides insight on how different fields in a Middle Eastern context can share critical /analytical thinking tools to refine their own professional practices

VHE Gamma-ray Afterglow Emission from Nearby GRBs

Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the potential extragalactic sources of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays. We discuss the prospects of detecting VHE gamma-rays with current ground-based Cherenkov instruments during the afterglow phase. Using the fireball model, we calculate the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission from forward-shock electrons. The modeled results are compared with the observational afterglow data taken with and/or the sensitivity level of ground-based VHE instruments (e.g. STACEE, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, VERITAS, and Whipple). We find that modeled SSC emission from bright and nearby bursts such as GRB 030329 are detectable by these instruments even with a delayed observation time of ~10 hours.Comment: Proceeding of "Heidelberg International Symposium on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy", held in Heidelberg, 7-11 July 2008, submitted to AIP Conference Proceedings. 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Near perihelion observations of Comet Halley from Shuttle orbiter

Intercept missions and the space telescope will return unique data on Comet Halley, but will leave important gaps in the observational coverage of the comet's activity, especially around the time of perihelion passage. A small package of instruments, which could be scheduled to fly on several shuttle missions, would be an effective means of extending observational coverage of Comet Halley to include the critical part of the apparition near perihelion passage. This approach would certainly be "second best" to a dedicated orbital comet observatory. However, it would be feasible in the sense that payload space appears to be available for at least two flights during the apparition, and instruments exist, or could be modified, or are being developed, which could be integrated into a package of the required size, and which would return useful physical data on the comet

Association of plasma uric acid with ischaemic heart disease and blood pressure: mendelian randomisation analysis of two large cohorts

Objectives: To assess the associations between both uric acid levels and hyperuricaemia, with ischaemic heart disease and blood pressure, and to explore the potentially confounding role of body mass index. Design: Mendelian randomisation analysis, using variation at specific genes (SLC2A9 (rs7442295) as an instrument for uric acid; and FTO (rs9939609), MC4R (rs17782313), and TMEM18 (rs6548238) for body mass index). Setting: Two large, prospective cohort studies in Denmark. Participants: We measured levels of uric acid and related covariables in 58 072 participants from the Copenhagen General Population Study and 10 602 from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, comprising 4890 and 2282 cases of ischaemic heart disease, respectively. Main outcome: Blood pressure and prospectively assessed ischaemic heart disease. Results: Estimates confirmed known observational associations between plasma uric acid and hyperuricaemia with risk of ischaemic heart disease and diastolic and systolic blood pressure. However, when using genotypic instruments for uric acid and hyperuricaemia, we saw no evidence for causal associations between uric acid, ischaemic heart disease, and blood pressure. We used genetic instruments to investigate body mass index as a potentially confounding factor in observational associations, and saw a causal effect on uric acid levels. Every four unit increase of body mass index saw a rise in uric acid of 0.03 mmol/L (95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.04), and an increase in risk of hyperuricaemia of 7.5% (3.9% to 11.1%). Conclusion: By contrast with observational findings, there is no strong evidence for causal associations between uric acid and ischaemic heart disease or blood pressure. However, evidence supports a causal effect between body mass index and uric acid level and hyperuricaemia. This finding strongly suggests body mass index as a confounder in observational associations, and suggests a role for elevated body mass index or obesity in the development of uric acid related conditions

Stronger instruments via integer programming in an observational study of late preterm birth outcomes

In an optimal nonbipartite match, a single population is divided into matched pairs to minimize a total distance within matched pairs. Nonbipartite matching has been used to strengthen instrumental variables in observational studies of treatment effects, essentially by forming pairs that are similar in terms of covariates but very different in the strength of encouragement to accept the treatment. Optimal nonbipartite matching is typically done using network optimization techniques that can be quick, running in polynomial time, but these techniques limit the tools available for matching. Instead, we use integer programming techniques, thereby obtaining a wealth of new tools not previously available for nonbipartite matching, including fine and near-fine balance for several nominal variables, forced near balance on means and optimal subsetting. We illustrate the methods in our on-going study of outcomes of late-preterm births in California, that is, births of 34 to 36 weeks of gestation. Would lengthening the time in the hospital for such births reduce the frequency of rapid readmissions? A straightforward comparison of babies who stay for a shorter or longer time would be severely biased, because the principal reason for a long stay is some serious health problem. We need an instrument, something inconsequential and haphazard that encourages a shorter or a longer stay in the hospital. It turns out that babies born at certain times of day tend to stay overnight once with a shorter length of stay, whereas babies born at other times of day tend to stay overnight twice with a longer length of stay, and there is nothing particularly special about a baby who is born at 11:00 pm.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/12-AOAS582 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

The asteroseismic ground-based observational counterpart of CoRoT

We present different aspects of the ground-based observational counterpart of the CoRoT satellite mission. We give an overview of the selected asteroseismic targets, the numerous instruments and observatories involved, and the first scientific results.Comment: 3 pages, 2 tables, 1 figure, to be published in the conference proceedings 'Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for Theory and Observation' (31 May - 5 June, Santa Fe, New Mexico, US), publishers: American Institute of Physic

Inter-rater reliability of treatment fidelity and therapeutic alliance measures for psychological therapies for anxiety in young people with autism spectrum disorders

Objectives: This article presents work undertaken to establish inter-rater reliability for a measure of treatment fidelity and a measure of therapeutic alliance for therapies for anxiety for young people with autism spectrum disorders. The discussion and decision-making processes behind achieving consensus of raters are rarely published. Margolin et al. (1998) have highlighted this issue and called for researchers to communicate the details of their observational and rating procedures. This article is a response to their call for greater transparency so that these methods are readily accessible for comparison with other studies. Methods: Participants were young people with autism spectrum disorders receiving treatment for anxiety, clinical staff treating these young people and the independent raters assessing the treatment sessions. We report: (i) the processes involved in establishing inter-rater reliability for two instruments, (ii) the results obtained with a sample of young people with autism spectrum disorders using these instruments. Results and conclusions: Results demonstrate that it was possible to attain satisfactory inter-rater reliability with each of these two instruments with a client group with autism spectrum disorders, even though the instruments were originally designed for typically-developing populations