Limits to the diffuse flux of UHE tau neutrinos at EeV energies from the Pierre Auger Observatory

With the Pierre Auger Observatory we have the capability of detecting ultra-high energy neutrinos by searching for very inclined showers with a significant electromagnetic component. In this work we discuss the discrimination power of the instrument for earth skimming tau neutrinos with ultra-high energies. Based on the data collected since January 2004 an upper limit to the diffuse flux of neutrinos atEeV energies is presented and systematic uncertainties are discussed.Comment: To be published in Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference, July 3 - 11, 2007, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. 4 pages, 5 figure

Spatial distribution of bacteria associated with the marine sponge Tethya californiana

Microbial diversity and spatial distribution of the diversity within tissue of the marine sponge Tethya californiana was analyzed based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. One candidate division and nine bacterial phyla were detected, including members of all five subdivisions of Proteobacteria. Moreover, chloroplast-derived Stramenopiles- and Rhodophyta-affiliated 16S rRNA gene sequences were found and Stramenopiles represented the most abundant clones (30%) in the clone library. On the phylum-level, the microbial fingerprint of T. californiana showed a similar pattern as its Mediterranean relative T. aurantium. An interesting difference was that Cyanobacteria that were abundantly present in T. aurantium were not found in T. californiana, but that the latter sponges harbored phototrophic Stramenopiles instead. Surprisingly, the phototrophic microorganisms were evenly distributed over the inner and outer parts of the sponge tissue, which implies that they also reside in regions without direct light exposure. The other phyla were also present in both the outer cortex and the mesohyl of the sponges. These results were confirmed by analysis on the operational taxonomic unit level. This leads to the conclusion that from a qualitative point of view, spatial distribution of microorganisms in T. californiana tissue is quite homogeneous. Thirty-two percent of the operational taxonomic units shared less than 95% similarity with any other known sequence. This indicates that marine sponges are a rich source of previously undetected microbial lif

near field to far field tranfsormation of bipolar measurements by equivalent magnetic current approach

An equivalent magnetic current (EMC) approach has been proposed as an alternative method to the classical modal formulation for computing the far-field pattern of a radiating antenna from planar near-field measurements. The attractiveness of this EMC approach includes the possibility of producing the correct far-field pattern in all regions in front of a planar antenna under test (AUT), a drawback of the classical modal formulation due to its dependence on the Fourier transform and assumptions which must be made about the field outside of the measurement zone, and its adaptability to both irregularly sampled and non-canonical near-field measurement surfaces. A drawback of the EMC approach, however, is its significantly larger computational requirements. A comparison of the EMC and classical modal approaches for near-field to far-field transformation is examined in terms of the resultant far-field patterns. Measurement results for a waveguide-fed slot array using the UCLA bi-polar planar near-field measurement scanner are presented. An implementation of the EMC approach for the bi-polar geometry is described and results obtained using different subsets of the measured bi-polar near-field data are presented and compared to that obtained using the classical modal approach.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Barcelona: a glimpse into its contemporary urban transformation

Postprint (author's final draft

Youths in custody in NSW: aspirations and strategies for the future

Aim: To investigate the extent to which youths in custody 1) rate specific life goals as important and likely to eventuate; 2) have strategies to achieve their goals; and 3) can anticipate barriers to achieving their goals.Method: A total of 107 detainees drawn from NSW Juvenile Justice centres were interviewed about their life goals.Results: Most youths rated specific life goals, such as having a well-paying job and avoiding trouble with the police, as ‘quite important’ or ‘very important’ goals to achieve in the future. When youths were asked how likely it was that these specific goals would be realised, the most common response was ‘quite likely’ or ‘very likely’. The most frequently identified strategies for having a well-paying job included getting the necessary diplomas and starting in a junior position to get experience. The most frequently identified strategies for avoiding trouble with the police were resisting peer pressure and obeying the law. Commonly reported barriers to achieving these goals included associating with antisocial peers, drugs and alcohol usage. Many youths also recognised that getting into trouble with the law would also be a barrier to having a well-paying job.Conclusion: Most youths interviewed in this study placed high importance on specific life goals and were generally optimistic about achieving them. Furthermore, most youths could think of strategies that would help them achieve their goals as well as identify possible barriers to achieving them. These findings have the potential to help service providers and policy makers target their services and policies appropriately

Participant satisfaction with Youth Justice Conferencing

Aims: To evaluate offender and victim satisfaction with New South Wales (NSW) Youth Justice Conferences (YJCs) immediately after conference participation and to re-assess victim satisfaction 4 months after the conference date.Method: A self-report survey designed to assess satisfaction with YJCs was completed by 263 offenders and 141 victims immediately following their participation in a NSW YJC. Additionally, 96 victims also participated in a phone-based survey 4 months after the conference.Results: When asked immediately following the conference, more than 85 per cent of offenders and victims reported being ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with most aspects of the conference. High levels of satisfaction with conferencing were also reported by victims 4 months after the conference. For some measures, however, the percentage of victims who were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ was not as high at the 4-month follow-up, as it was in the baseline survey. The aspect of conferencing that victims at the 4-month follow-up reported the least satisfaction with was the lack of feedback they received from conference staff about the offender’s completion of the outcome plan. Fewer than half of the victims were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with this part of the conference.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that offender and victim satisfaction is high immediately following a YJC. Even 4 months after a YJC, victim satisfaction with most aspects of conferencing remains high. Satisfaction levels may be increased still further if, at some point prior to the end of the statutory time-period for completing the plan, victims were provided with feedback about the offender’s progress towards completing the outcome plan. Further research also needs to be conducted comparing victim satisfaction following a conference with victim satisfaction following a court appearance