Multichromatic colour-magnitude diagrams of the globular cluster NGC 6366

We present multichromatic isochrone fits to the colour-magnitude data of the globular cluster NGC 6366, based on Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys/Wide Field Channel and Southern Astrophysical Research photometric data. We corrected the photometric data for differential reddening and calculated the mean ridge line of the colour-magnitude diagrams. We compared the isochrones of Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database and PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code both with microscopic diffusion starting on the main sequence. Bracketing all previous determinations of this cluster, we tested metallicities from [Fe/H]=-1.00 to [Fe/H]=-0.50, and ages from 9 to 13 Gyr. After determining the total to selective extinction ratio only from stars belonging to this cluster, R_V=3.06+/-0.14, we found the parameters for this cluster to be E(B-V)=0.69+/-0.02(int)+/-0.04(ext), (m-M)_V=15.02+/-0.07(int)+/-0.13(ext), Age=11+/-1.15 Gyr. Evolutionary models fail to reproduce the low-Teff sequence in multiband colour-magnitude diagrams, indicating that they still have an incomplete physics. We found that the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database isochrones better fit the subgiant branch and low main sequence than the PAdova and TRieste Stellar Evolution Code.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Analysis of dependence among size, rate and duration in internet flows

In this paper we examine rigorously the evidence for dependence among data size, transfer rate and duration in Internet flows. We emphasize two statistical approaches for studying dependence, including Pearson's correlation coefficient and the extremal dependence analysis method. We apply these methods to large data sets of packet traces from three networks. Our major results show that Pearson's correlation coefficients between size and duration are much smaller than one might expect. We also find that correlation coefficients between size and rate are generally small and can be strongly affected by applying thresholds to size or duration. Based on Transmission Control Protocol connection startup mechanisms, we argue that thresholds on size should be more useful than thresholds on duration in the analysis of correlations. Using extremal dependence analysis, we draw a similar conclusion, finding remarkable independence for extremal values of size and rate.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/09-AOAS268 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Illuminating Solutions: The Youth Violence Reduction Partnership

Over the last decade, P/PV has undertaken several studies of the Philadelphia-based Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP), an intensive collaboration that targets young people deemed at highest risk of being involved in a homicide. YVRP provides young probationers with enhanced supervision and support, with the goal of keeping them out of trouble and putting them on a path toward productive adulthood

Phenomenological Analysis of pppp and pˉp\bar{p}p Elastic Scattering Data in the Impact Parameter Space

We use an almost model-independent analytical parameterization for $pp$ and $\bar{p}p$ elastic scattering data to analyze the eikonal, profile, and inelastic overlap functions in the impact parameter space. Error propagation in the fit parameters allows estimations of uncertainty regions, improving the geometrical description of the hadron-hadron interaction. Several predictions are shown and, in particular, the prediction for $pp$ inelastic overlap function at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV shows the saturation of the Froissart-Martin bound at LHC energies.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figure

Ultrahigh Transmission Optical Nanofibers

We present a procedure for reproducibly fabricating ultrahigh transmission optical nanofibers (530 nm diameter and 84 mm stretch) with single-mode transmissions of 99.95 $\pm$ 0.02%, which represents a loss from tapering of 2.6 $\,\times \,$ 10$^{-5}$ dB/mm when normalized to the entire stretch. When controllably launching the next family of higher-order modes on a fiber with 195 mm stretch, we achieve a transmission of 97.8 $\pm$ 2.8%, which has a loss from tapering of 5.0 $\,\times \,$ 10$^{-4}$ dB/mm when normalized to the entire stretch. Our pulling and transfer procedures allow us to fabricate optical nanofibers that transmit more than 400 mW in high vacuum conditions. These results, published as parameters in our previous work, present an improvement of two orders of magnitude less loss for the fundamental mode and an increase in transmission of more than 300% for higher-order modes, when following the protocols detailed in this paper. We extract from the transmission during the pull, the only reported spectrogram of a fundamental mode launch that does not include excitation to asymmetric modes; in stark contrast to a pull in which our cleaning protocol is not followed. These results depend critically on the pre-pull cleanliness and when properly following our pulling protocols are in excellent agreement with simulations.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures, accepted to AIP Advance

Topological insulator particles as optically induced oscillators: towards dynamical force measurements and optical rheology

We report the first experimental study upon the optical trapping and manipulation of topological insulator (TI) particles. By virtue of the unique TI properties, which have a conducting surface and an insulating bulk, the particles present a peculiar behaviour in the presence of a single laser beam optical tweezers: they oscillate in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the laser propagation, as a result of the competition between radiation pressure and gradient forces. In other words, TI particles behave as optically induced oscillators, allowing dynamical measurements with unprecedented simplicity and purely optical control. Actually, optical rheology of soft matter interfaces and biological membranes, as well as dynamical force measurements in macromolecules and biopolymers, may be quoted as feasible possibilities for the near future.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Correspondence and requests for Supplementary Material should be addressed to [email protected]