9,148 research outputs found
Transient Response of Shells of Revolution by Direct Integration and Modal Superposition Methods
The results of an analytical effort to obtain and evaluate transient response data for a cylindrical and a conical shell by use of two different approaches: direct integration and modal superposition are described. The inclusion of nonlinear terms is more important than the inclusion of secondary linear effects (transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia) although there are thin-shell structures where these secondary effects are important. The advantages of the direct integration approach are that geometric nonlinear and secondary effects are easy to include and high-frequency response may be calculated. In comparison to the modal superposition technique the computer storage requirements are smaller. The advantages of the modal superposition approach are that the solution is independent of the previous time history and that once the modal data are obtained, the response for repeated cases may be efficiently computed. Also, any admissible set of initial conditions can be applied
Xenon in Mercury-Manganese Stars
Previous studies of elemental abundances in Mercury-Manganese (HgMn) stars
have occasionally reported the presence of lines of the ionized rare noble gas
Xe II, especially in a few of the hottest stars with Teff ~ 13000--15000 K. A
new study of this element has been undertaken using observations from Lick
Observatory's Hamilton Echelle Spectrograph. In this work, the spectrum
synthesis program UCLSYN has been used to undertake abundance analysis assuming
LTE. We find that in the Smith & Dworetsky sample of HgMn stars, Xe is vastly
over-abundant in 21 of 22 HgMn stars studied, by factors of 3.1--4.8 dex. There
does not appear to be a significant correlation of Xe abundance with Teff. A
comparison sample of normal late B stars shows no sign of Xe II lines that
could be detected, consistent with the expected weakness of lines at normal
abundance. The main reason for the previous lack of widespread detection in
HgMn stars is probably due to the strongest lines being at longer wavelengths
than the photographic blue. The lines used in this work were 4603.03A, 4844.33A
and 5292.22A.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society, 8 January 200
Vibration characteristics of ring-stiffened orthotropic shells of revolution
Computer program solves vibration modes and frequencies of thin shells of revolution having general meridional curvature and orthotropic elastic properties in order to evaluate the dynamic behavior of structures with thin shelled components
Stroke Quality Measures in Mexican Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites
Mexican Americans (MAs) have been shown to have worse outcomes after stroke than non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs), but it is unknown if ethnic differences in stroke quality of care may contribute to these worse outcomes. We investigated ethnic differences in the quality of inpatient stroke care between MAs and NHWs within the population-based prospective Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) Project (February 2009- June 2012). Quality measures for inpatient stroke care, based on the 2008 Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center definitions were assessed from the medical record by a trained abstractor. Two summary measure of overall quality were also created (binary measure of defect-free care and the proportion of measures achieved for which the patient was eligible). 757 individuals were included (480 MAs and 277 NHWs). MAs were younger, more likely to have hypertension and diabetes, and less likely to have atrial fibrillation than NHWs. MAs were less likely than NHWs to receive tPA (RR: 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52, 0.98), and MAs with atrial fibrillation were less likely to receive anticoagulant medications at discharge than NHWs (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58, 0.94). There were no ethnic differences in the other individual quality measures, or in the two summary measures assessing overall quality. In conclusion, there were no ethnic differences in the overall quality of stroke care between MAs and NHWs, though ethnic differences were seen in the proportion of patients who received tPA and anticoagulant at discharge for atrial fibrillation
Theoretical determination of lifetimes of metastable states in Sc III and Y III
Lifetimes of the first two metastable states in Sc^{2+} and Y^{2+} are
determined using the relativistic coupled-cluster theory. There is a
considerable interest in studying the electron correlation effects in these
ions as though their electronic configurations are similar to the neutral
alkali atoms, their structures are very different from the latter. We have made
a comparative study of the correlation trends between the above doubly ionized
systems with their corresponding neutral and singly ionized iso-electronic
systems. The lifetimes of the excited states of these ions are very important
in the field of astrophysics, especially for the study of post-main sequence
evolution of the cool giant stars.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure and 5 table
The nuclear radio structure of X-ray bright AGN
The physical nature of the X-ray/radio correlation of AGN is still an
unsolved question. High angular resolution observations are necessary to
disentangle the associated energy dynamics into nuclear and stellar components.
We present MERLIN/EVN 18cm observations of 13 X-raying AGN. The sample consists
of Seyfert 1, Narrow Line Seyfert 1, and LINER-like galaxies. We find that for
all objects the radio emission is unresolved and that the radio luminosities
and brightness temperatures are too high for star formation to play an
important role. This indicates that the radio emission in these sources is
closely connected to processes that occur in the vicinity of the central
massive black hole, also where the X-ray emission is believed to originate in.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to "The Universe under the Microscope -
Astrophysics at High Angular Resolution", Bad Honnef, German
Post common envelope binaries from SDSS. II : identification of 9 close binaries with VLT/FORS2
Context. Post common envelope binaries (PCEBs) consisting of a white dwarf and a main sequence star are ideal systems to use to calibrate current theories of angular momentum loss in close compact binary stars. The potential held by PCEBs for further development of close binary evolution could so far not be exploited due to the small number of known systems and the inhomogeneity of the sample. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey is changing this scene dramatically, as it is very efficient in identifying white dwarf/main sequence (WDMS) binaries, including both wide systems whose stellar components evolve like single stars and − more interesting in the context of close binary evolution − PCEBs.
Aims. We pursue a large-scale follow-up survey to identify and characterise the PCEBs among the WDMS binaries that have been found with SDSS. We use a two-step strategy with the identification of PCEBs among WDMS binaries in the first phase and orbital period determinations in the second phase. Here we present first results of our ESO-VLT/FORS2 pilot study that targets the identification of the PCEBs among the fainter (g >∼18.5) SDSSWDMS binaries.
Methods. From published SDSS catalogues we selected 26 WDMS binaries to be observed with ESO-VLT/FORS2 in service mode.
The design of the observations was to get two spectra per object separated by at least one night.We used the Na I λλ 8183.27, 8194.81 doublet to measure radial velocity variations of our targets and a spectral decomposition/fitting technique to determine the white dwarf
effective temperatures and surface gravities, masses, and secondary star spectral types for all WDMS binaries in our sample.
Results. Among the 26 observed WDMS binaries, we find 9 strong PCEB candidates showing clear (≥3σ) radial velocity variations, and we estimate the fraction of PCEBs among SDSS WDMS binaries to be ∼35 ± 12%. We find indications of a dependence of the relative number of PCEBs among SDSSWDMS binaries on the spectral type of the secondary star. These results are subject to small number statistics and need to be confirmed by additional observations. Using Magellan-Clay/LDSS3, we measured the orbital periods of two PCEB candidates, SDSS J1047+0523 and SDSS J1414–0132, to be 9.17 h and 17.48 h, respectively.
Conclusions. This pilot study demonstrates that our survey is highly efficient in identifying PCEBs among the SDSSWDMS binaries, and it will indeed provide the observational parameters that are needed to constrain the theoretical models of close binary evolution
The Effelsberg-Bonn HI Survey: Data reduction
Starting in winter 2008/2009 an L-band 7-Feed-Array receiver is used for a
21-cm line survey performed with the 100-m telescope, the Effelsberg-Bonn HI
survey (EBHIS). The EBHIS will cover the whole northern hemisphere for decl.>-5
deg comprising both the galactic and extragalactic sky out to a distance of
about 230 Mpc. Using state-of-the-art FPGA-based digital fast Fourier transform
spectrometers, superior in dynamic range and temporal resolution to
conventional correlators, allows us to apply sophisticated radio frequency
interference (RFI) mitigation schemes.
In this paper, the EBHIS data reduction package and first results are
presented. The reduction software consists of RFI detection schemes, flux and
gain-curve calibration, stray-radiation removal, baseline fitting, and finally
the gridding to produce data cubes. The whole software chain is successfully
tested using multi-feed data toward many smaller test fields (1--100 square
degrees) and recently applied for the first time to data of two large sky
areas, each covering about 2000 square degrees. The first large area is toward
the northern galactic pole and the second one toward the northern tip of the
Magellanic Leading Arm. Here, we demonstrate the data quality of EBHIS Milky
Way data and give a first impression on the first data release in 2011.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures; to be published in ApJ
The nuclear radio structure of X-ray bright AGN
The physical nature of the X-ray/radio correlation of AGN is still an
unsolved question. High angular resolution observations are necessary to
disentangle the associated energy dynamics into nuclear and stellar components.
We present MERLIN/EVN 18cm observations of 13 X-raying AGN. The sample consists
of Seyfert 1, Narrow Line Seyfert 1, and LINER-like galaxies. We find that for
all objects the radio emission is unresolved and that the radio luminosities
and brightness temperatures are too high for star formation to play an
important role. This indicates that the radio emission in these sources is
closely connected to processes that occur in the vicinity of the central
massive black hole, also where the X-ray emission is believed to originate in.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to "The Universe under the Microscope -
Astrophysics at High Angular Resolution", Bad Honnef, German
The nuclear radio structure of X-ray bright AGN
The physical nature of the X-ray/radio correlation of AGN is still an
unsolved question. High angular resolution observations are necessary to
disentangle the associated energy dynamics into nuclear and stellar components.
We present MERLIN/EVN 18cm observations of 13 X-raying AGN. The sample consists
of Seyfert 1, Narrow Line Seyfert 1, and LINER-like galaxies. We find that for
all objects the radio emission is unresolved and that the radio luminosities
and brightness temperatures are too high for star formation to play an
important role. This indicates that the radio emission in these sources is
closely connected to processes that occur in the vicinity of the central
massive black hole, also where the X-ray emission is believed to originate in.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to "The Universe under the Microscope -
Astrophysics at High Angular Resolution", Bad Honnef, German
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