10,330 research outputs found
A new population of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes in the RHESSI data
Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are the most energetic photon phenomenon
occurring naturally on Earth. An outstanding question is as follows: Are these
flashes just a rare exotic phenomenon or are they an intrinsic part of
lightning discharges and therefore occurring more frequently than previously
thought? All measurements of TGFs so far have been limited by the dynamic range
and sensitivity of spaceborne instruments. In this paper we show that there is
a new population of weak TGFs that has not been identified by search
algorithms. We use the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) to
identify lightning that occurred in 2006 and 2012 within the 800 km field of
view of Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). By
superposing 740,210 100 ms RHESSI data intervals, centered at the time of the
WWLLN detected lightning, we identify at least 141 and probably as many as 191
weak TGFs that were not part of the second RHESSI data catalogue. This supports
the suggestion that the global TGF production rate is larger than previously
reported
Contribution of integrated farm management (IFM) to Defra objectives
A farming system comprises a complex of interrelated and interacting factors. Any study of an isolated part of the system will not provide adequate understanding of the behaviour of the entire system and interactions may be equally or more important than individual components. There is therefore a requirement for the development of integrated approaches and practices to help farming systems adapt to, eliminate or reduce the negative impacts of production on the environment. This must be achieved whilst maintaining the economic viability of the farm enterprise. Our analysis has confirmed that IFM techniques generally have far more beneficial than adverse effects on current Defra policy objectives. However, there are some notable âconflictsâ where a technique that has a large beneficial effect in one policy area has a large negative effect in another. Carbon footprinting is used to quantify the impact of some integrated farming practices
Characterization of the complications associated with plasma exchange for thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura and related thrombotic microangiopathic anaemias: a single institution experience.
Plasma exchange (PEX) is a life-saving therapeutic procedure in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP) and other thrombotic microangiopathic anaemias (TMAs). However, it may be associated with significant complications, exacerbating the morbidity and mortality in this patient group
WASP-1: A lithium- and metal-rich star with an oversized planet
In this paper we present our results of a comprehensive spectroscopicanalysis
of WASP-1, the host star to the exoplanet WASP-1b. We derive T_eff = 6110 +/-
45 K, log g = 4.28 +/- 0.15, and [M/H] = 0.23 +/- 0.08, and also a high
abundance of lithium, log n(Li) = 2.91 +/- 0.05. These parameters suggests an
age for the system of 1-3 Gyr and a stellar mass of 1.25-1.35 M_sun. This means
that WASP-1 has properties very similar to those of HD 149026, the host star
for the highest density planet yet detected. Moreover, their planets orbit at
comparable distances and receive comparable irradiating fluxes from their host
stars. However, despite the similarity of WASP-1 with HD 149026, their planets
have strongly different densities. This suggests that gas-giant planet density
is not a simple function of host-star metallicity or of radiation environment
at ages of ~2 Gyr.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 6 pages, 4 figure
Pattern formation by lateral inhibition with feedback: a mathematical model of Delta-Notch intercellular signalling
In many developing tissues, adjacent cells diverge in character so as to create a fine-grained pattern of cells in contrasting states of differentiation. It has been proposed that such patterns can be generated through lateral inhibitionâa type cellsâcell interaction whereby a cell that adopts a particular fate inhibits its immediate neighbours from doing likewise. Lateral inhibition is well documented in flies, worms and vertebrates. In all of these organisms, the transmembrane proteins Notch and Delta (or their homologues) have been identified as mediators of the interactionâNotch as receptor, Delta as its ligand on adjacent cells. However, it is not clear under precisely what conditions the Delta-Notch mechanism of lateral inhibition can generate the observed types of pattern, or indeed whether this mechanism is capable of generating such patterns by itself. Here we construct and analyse a simple and general mathematical model of such contact-mediated lateral inhibition. In accordance with experimental data, the model postulates that receipt of inhibition (i.e. activation of Notch) diminishes the ability to deliver inhibition (i.e. to produce active Delta). This gives rise to a feedback loop that can amplify differences between adjacent cells. We investigate the pattern-forming potential and temporal behavior of this model both analytically and through numerical simulation. Inhomogeneities are self-amplifying and develop without need of any other machinery, provided the feedback is sufficiently strong. For a wide range of initial and boundary conditions, the model generates fine-grained patterns similar to those observed in living systems
Magnetic Structure of Rapidly Rotating FK Comae-Type Coronae
We present a three-dimensional simulation of the corona of an FK Com-type
rapidly rotating G giant using a magnetohydrodynamic model that was originally
developed for the solar corona in order to capture the more realistic,
non-potential coronal structure. We drive the simulation with surface maps for
the radial magnetic field obtained from a stellar dynamo model of the FK Com
system. This enables us to obtain the coronal structure for different field
topologies representing different periods of time. We find that the corona of
such an FK Com-like star, including the large scale coronal loops, is dominated
by a strong toroidal component of the magnetic field. This is a result of part
of the field being dragged by the radial outflow, while the other part remains
attached to the rapidly rotating stellar surface. This tangling of the magnetic
field,in addition to a reduction in the radial flow component, leads to a
flattening of the gas density profile with distance in the inner part of the
corona. The three-dimensional simulation provides a global view of the coronal
structure. Some aspects of the results, such as the toroidal wrapping of the
magnetic field, should also be applicable to coronae on fast rotators in
general, which our study shows can be considerably different from the
well-studied and well-observed solar corona. Studying the global structure of
such coronae should also lead to a better understanding of their related
stellar processes, such as flares and coronal mass ejections, and in
particular, should lead to an improved understanding of mass and angular
momentum loss from such systems.Comment: Accepted to ApJ, 10 pages, 6 figure
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