Noise Impacts from Professional Dog Grooming Forced-Air Dryers

This study was designed to measure the sound output of four commonly used brands of forced-air dryers used by dog groomers in the United States. Many dog groomers have questions about the effect of this exposure on their hearing, as well as on the hearing of the dogs that are being groomed. Readings taken from each dryer at 1 meter (the likely distance of the dryer from the groomer and the dog) showed average levels ranging from 105.5 to 108.3 dB SPL or 94.8 to 108.0 dBA. Using the 90 dBA criterion required by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, dog groomers/bathers are at risk if exposure to the lowest intensity dryer (94.8 dBA) exceeds 4 hours per day. If the more stringent 85 dBA criterion and 3 dB tradeoff is applied, less than one hour of exposure is permissible in an 8 hour day. Cautions are recommended for any persons exposed to noise from forced-air dryers

UNSWIRF: A Tunable Imaging Spectrometer for the Near-Infrared

We describe the specifications, characteristics, calibration, and analysis of data from the University of New South Wales Infrared Fabry-Perot (UNSWIRF) etalon. UNSWIRF is a near-infrared tunable imaging spectrometer, used primarily in conjunction with IRIS on the AAT, but suitable for use as a visitor instrument at other telescopes. The etalon delivers a resolving power in excess of 4000 (corresponding to a velocity resolution ~75 km/s), and allows imaging of fields up to 100" in diameter on the AAT at any wavelength between 1.5 and 2.4 microns for which suitable blocking filters are available.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, uses psfig.sty and html.sty (included). To appear in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australi

The first high-amplitude delta Scuti star in an eclipsing binary system

We report the discovery of the first high-amplitude delta Scuti star in an eclipsing binary, which we have designated UNSW-V-500. The system is an Algol-type semi-detached eclipsing binary of maximum brightness V = 12.52 mag. A best-fitting solution to the binary light curve and two radial velocity curves is derived using the Wilson-Devinney code. We identify a late A spectral type primary component of mass 1.49+/-0.02 M_sun and a late K spectral type secondary of mass 0.33+/-0.02 M_sun, with an inclination of 86.5+/-1.0 degrees, and a period of 5.3504751+/-0.0000006 d. A Fourier analysis of the residuals from this solution is performed using PERIOD04 to investigate the delta Scuti pulsations. We detect a single pulsation frequency of f_1 = 13.621+/-0.015 c/d, and it appears this is the first overtone radial mode frequency. This system provides the first opportunity to measure the dynamical mass for a star of this variable type; previously, masses have been derived from stellar evolution and pulsation models.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, for submission to MNRAS, v2: paper size change, small typographical changes to abstrac

Ares I-X Range Safety Analyses Overview

Ares I-X was the first test flight of NASA's Constellation Program's Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle designed to provide manned access to low Earth orbit. As a one-time test flight, the Air Force's 45th Space Wing required a series of Range Safety analysis data products to be developed for the specified launch date and mission trajectory prior to granting flight approval on the Eastern Range. The range safety data package is required to ensure that the public, launch area, and launch complex personnel and resources are provided with an acceptable level of safety and that all aspects of prelaunch and launch operations adhere to applicable public laws. The analysis data products, defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710, Volume 2, consisted of a nominal trajectory, three sigma trajectory envelopes, stage impact footprints, acoustic intensity contours, trajectory turn angles resulting from potential vehicle malfunctions (including flight software failures), characterization of potential debris, and debris impact footprints. These data products were developed under the auspices of the Constellation's Program Launch Constellation Range Safety Panel and its Range Safety Trajectory Working Group with the intent of beginning the framework for the operational vehicle data products and providing programmatic review and oversight. A multi-center NASA team in conjunction with the 45th Space Wing, collaborated within the Trajectory Working Group forum to define the data product development processes, performed the analyses necessary to generate the data products, and performed independent verification and validation of the data products. This paper outlines the Range Safety data requirements and provides an overview of the processes established to develop both the data products and the individual analyses used to develop the data products, and it summarizes the results of the analyses required for the Ares I-X launch

Connective Tissue Fibroblasts from Highly Regenerative Mammals Are Refractory to ROS-Induced Cellular Senescence

A surveillance system in mammals constantly monitors cell activity to protect against aberrant proliferation in response to damage, injury and oncogenic stress. Here we isolate and culture connective tissue fibroblasts from highly regenerative mammals (Acomys and Oryctolagus) to determine how these cells interpret signals that normally induce cellular senescence in non-regenerating mammals (Mus and Rattus). While H2O2 exposure substantially decreases cell proliferation and increases p53, p21, p16, and p19 in cells from mice and rats, cells from spiny mice and rabbits are highly resistant to H2O2. Quantifying oxygen consumption and mitochondrial stability, we demonstrate that increased intracellular H2O2 is rapidly detoxified in regenerating species, but overwhelms antioxidant scavenging in cells from non-regenerative mammals. However, pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) protects mouse and rat cells from ROS-induced cellular senescence. Collectively, our results show that intrinsic cellular differences in stress-sensing mechanisms partially explain interspecific variation in regenerative ability

Accuracy threshold for concatenated error detection in one dimension

Estimates of the quantum accuracy threshold often tacitly assume that it is possible to interact arbitrary pairs of qubits in a quantum computer with a failure rate that is independent of the distance between them. None of the many physical systems that are candidates for quantum computing possess this property. Here we study the performance of a concatenated error-detection code in a system that permits only nearest-neighbor interactions in one dimension. We make use of a new message-passing scheme that maximizes the number of errors that can be reliably corrected by the code. Our numerical results indicate that arbitrarily accurate universal quantum computation is possible if the probability of failure of each elementary physical operation is below approximately 10^{-5}. This threshold is three orders of magnitude lower than the highest known.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, now with error bar

Impact of practice on quality of life of those living with an indwelling urinary catheter - an international evaluation

After completing this education activity, the learner will be able to compare the characteristics and quality of life of patients living with a long-term indwelling urinary catheter in the United Kingdom and the United States where catheter care policies differ with respect to types and routes of catheterization and timing of catheter changes

Band anticrossing in GaNxSb1–x

Fourier transform infrared absorption measurements are presented from the dilute nitride semiconductor GaNSb with nitrogen incorporations between 0.2% and 1.0%. The divergence of transitions from the valence band to E– and E+ can be seen with increasing nitrogen incorporation, consistent with theoretical predictions. The GaNSb band structure has been modeled using a five-band k·p Hamiltonian and a band anticrossing fitting has been obtained using a nitrogen level of 0.78 eV above the valence band maximum and a coupling parameter of 2.6 eV