The First Year IceCube-DeepCore Results

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory includes a tightly spaced inner array in the deepest ice, called DeepCore, which gives access to low-energy neutrinos with a sizable surrounding cosmic ray muon veto. Designed to be sensitive to neutrinos at energies as low as 10 GeV, DeepCore will be used to study diverse physics topics with neutrino signatures, such as dark matter annihilations and atmospheric neutrino oscillations. The first year of DeepCore physics data-taking has been completed, and the first observation of atmospheric neutrino-induced cascades with IceCube and DeepCore are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, TAUP 2011 (Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JCPS)

Use of creative tools, technologies, processes and practices in the sectors of Art, Media, and Architecture: State-of the-Art and desired future scenarios

The aim of the paper is to analyse and present the preliminary findings of the EU FP7 funded CRe-AM project for the Art, Media, and Architecture sectors. This project bridges communities of technology providers and innovators with the creative industries, with the aim to build sector-specific dynamic roadmaps for the future of the European creative industries by examining the current state-of-the-art tools, technologies, processes, and practices supporting the creative process against the future scenarios envisioned by stakeholders in these sectors.This work was carried out as part of CRe-AM project, which is supported by European Commission (grant agreement n°612451)

Underemployment in Pakistan

The paper measures the degree of underemployment in Pakistan through direct and indirect approaches. In the direct approach, persons working for less than 35 hours per week are classified as underemployed. The indirect approach uses estimates of productivity per worker to determine underemployment in different sectors. The study concludes that underemployment in Pakistan is small and is largely concentrated in family organized production units in agriculture, trade and services

Techniques for measuring atmospheric aerosols at the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment

We describe several techniques developed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment for measuring aerosol vertical optical depth, aerosol horizontal attenuation length, and aerosol phase function. The techniques are based on measurements of side-scattered light generated by a steerable ultraviolet laser and collected by an optical detector designed to measure fluorescence light from cosmic-ray air showers. We also present a technique to cross-check the aerosol optical depth measurement using air showers observed in stereo. These methods can be used by future air fluorescence experiments.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics Journal 16 pages, 9 figure

Aplicações da aproximação quase-newtoniana da Relatividade Geral a problemas em astrofísica

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Programa de Pós- Graduação em Fı́sica Aplicada da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (PPGFISA-UNILA) como parte dos requisitos ncessários para obtenção do tı́tulo de Mestre em (Fı́sica). Orientador: Prof. Dr. Abraão Jessé Capistrano de Souza Coorientador: Prof. Dr. Luı́s Antonio CabralNo presente trabalho, investigamos o movimento lento na Relatividade Geral (RG) sob ação de um campo gravitacional arbitrário. Trata-se do uso de uma aproximação conhecida por aproximação quase Newtoniana (NNA). Nossa intenção é apresentar um novo paradigma para a Astrofísica, uma vez que o modelo pode auxiliar no entendimento da gravidade na cinemática e dinâmica de corpos celestes, mas não representa uma modificação da RG. Primeiro, usamos a métrica de Weyl para analisar o desvio do periastro de 34 exoplanetas. Em segundo lugar, a métrica oblata de Zipoy, em termos da solução do monopólo, também, faz parte do escopo deste trabalho. Mostramos que a métrica de Zipoy pode ser muito útil para propósitos astrofísicos, mesmo quando comparada a solução padrão de Einstein ou via formalismo pós-newtoniano parametrizado (PPN), porque satisfaz o valor da precessão observada para o periélio de Mercúrio, a solução fornece órbitas elípticas e, também, permite o estudo de precessões retrógradas.In the present work, we investigate the slow motion in General Relativity (GR) under an arbitrary gravitational field. It is about the use of an approximation known by nearly Newtonian approximation (NNA). Our intent is to present a new paradigm for Astrophy- sics, since the model can assist the understanding of gravity in kinematic and dynamics of celestial bodies but does not represent a modification of GR. First, we use Weyl’s me- tric to analyze the deviation of periastron of 34 exoplanets. Secondly, the oblate Zipoy’s metric, in terms by monopole solution, is also part of the scope of this work. We show that Zipoy’s metric may be very useful for astrophysical purposes, even when compared to Einstein’s standard solution or by formalism of parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN), because it satisfies the observed precession value for Mercury’s perihelion, the solution provides elliptical orbits and also allows the study of retrograde precessio

Does the internet promote the unregulated use of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). A potential public health issue?

Introduction: The Internet has become an increasingly popular resource for medical information. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has changed the treatment of Clostridium difficile with cure rates of 81% following one infusion of FMT, further studies have since validated these findings. The Medicines and Health care Products Regulatory Agency has classified FMT as a medicine and hence should be only utilized in strict clinical settings. Methods: We searched Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube using the words “Faecal Microbiota Transplantation” and “FMT”. We utilized the first 50 hits on each site. We analyzed the percentage of articles that fell outside regulated medical practice. We searched how many clinics in the UK advertised practice that falls outside suggested guidelines. Results: Google, YouTube, and Facebook had a variety of information regarding FMT available. Nine out of 50 (18%) of the top 50 google searches can be considered articles that fall outside regulated practice. YouTube highlighted four videos describing how to self-administer FMT, one of these was for ulcerative colitis. Fourteen percent of the top 50 YouTube videos fall outside regulated practice and 8% of the top 50 Facebook searches fall outside regulated clinical practice. There were two clinics in the UK advertising FMT for uses that fall outside regulated practice. Conclusion: Clinicians and patients need to be aware of the resources available through social media and the Internet. It should be appreciated that some websites fall outside regulated clinical practice. Private clinics offering FMT need to ensure that they are offering FMT within a regulated framework

The MIDAS experiment: A prototype for the microwave emission of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

Recent measurements suggest that extensive air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) emit signals in the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum caused by the collisions of the free-electrons with the atmospheric neutral molecules in the plasma produced by the passage of the shower. Such emission is isotropic and could allow the detection of air showers with 100% duty cycle and a calorimetric-like energy measurement, a significant improvement over current detection techniques. We have built MIDAS (MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers), a prototype of microwave detector, which consists of a 4.5 m diameter antenna with a cluster of 53 feed-horns in the 4 GHz range. The details of the prototype and first results will be presented.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 12th Topical Seminar on Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors (IPRD10), Siena, Italy, 7 - 10 June 201

Cosmic Rays at the highest energies

After a century of observations, we still do not know the origin of cosmic rays. I will review the current state of cosmic ray observations at the highest energies, and their implications for proposed acceleration models and secondary astroparticle fluxes. Possible sources have narrowed down with the confirmation of a GZK-like spectral feature. The anisotropy observed by the Pierre Auger Observatory may signal the dawn of particle astronomy raising hopes for high energy neutrino observations. However, composition related measurements point to a different interpretation. A clear resolution of this mystery calls for much larger statistics than the reach of current observatories.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, in the Proceedings of TAUP 201

Highly flexible fiber delivery of a high peak power nanosecond Nd:YAG laser beam for flexiscopic applications

Minimally invasive laser surgeries that require the use of a flexible endoscope (flexiscope) could benefit from high-energy nanosecond laser pulses delivered through fibers for real-time tissue characterization and phenotyping. The damage threshold of the fiber's glass material limits the maximum amount of deliverable peak power. To transmit high-energy pulses without damaging the fiber material, large-diameter fibers are typically used, leading to a limited bending radius. Moreover, in a large-core fiber, self-focusing can damage the fiber even if the tip remains intact. In this work, we tested a fused-end fiber bundle combined with a beam shaper capable of delivering more than 20 MW (>100 mJ/5 ns). The fiber bundle was tested over more than eight hours of operation, with different bending radiuses down to 15 mm. The results demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the highest peak power delivered through a flexible fiber, for a frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser