135 research outputs found
Dust obscuration studies along quasar sight lines using simulated galaxies
We use the results of a set of three-dimensional SPH-Treecode simulations
which model the formation and early evolution of disk galaxies, including the
generation of heavy elements by star formation, to investigate the effects of
dust absorption in quasar absorption line systems.
Using a simple prescription for the production of dust, we have compared the
column density, zinc abundance and optical depth properties of our models to
the known properties of Damped Lyman alpha systems.
We find that a significant fraction of our model galaxy disks have a higher
column density than any observed DLA system. We are also able to show that such
parts of the disk tend to be optically thick, implying that any background
quasar would be obscured through much of the disk. This would produce the
selection effect against the denser absorption systems thought to be present in
observations.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, to be published in MNRA
The Chemical Evolution of the Universe I: High Column Density Absorbers
We construct a simple, robust model of the chemical evolution of galaxies
from high to low redshift, and apply it to published observations of damped
Lyman-alpha quasar absorption line systems (DLAs). The elementary model assumes
quiescent star formation and isolated galaxies (no interactions, mergers or gas
flows). We consider the influence of dust and chemical gradients in the
galaxies, and hence explore the selection effects in quasar surveys. We fit
individual DLA systems to predict some observable properties of the absorbing
galaxies, and also indicate the expected redshift behaviour of chemical element
ratios involving nucleosynthetic time delays.
Despite its simplicity, our `monolithic collapse' model gives a good account
of the distribution and evolution of the metallicity and column density of
DLAs, and of the evolution of the global star formation rate and gas density
below redshifts z 3. However, from the comparison of DLA observations with our
model, it is clear that star formation rates at higher redshifts (z>3) are
enhanced. Galaxy interactions and mergers, and gas flows very probably play a
major role.Comment: 36 pages, 11 figures; accepted by MNRA
Star Formation History at the Centers of Lenticular Galaxies with Bars and Purely Exponential Outer Disks from SAURON Data
We have investigated the stellar population properties in the central regions
of a sample of lenticular galaxies with bars and single-exponential outer
stellar disks using the data from the SAURON integral-field spectrograph
retrieved from the open Isaac Newton Group Archive. We have detected chemically
decoupled compact stellar nuclei with a metallicity twice that of the stellar
population in the bulges in seven of the eight galaxies. A starburst is
currently going on at the center of the eighth galaxy and we have failed to
determine the stellar population properties from its spectrum. The mean stellar
ages in the chemically decoupled nuclei found range from 1 to 11 Gyr. The
scenarios for the origin of both decoupled nuclei and lenticular galaxies as a
whole are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, a slightly edited version of the paper published
by Astronomy Letters, v. 37, no.1, 201
The New Deal: jeopardised by the geography of unemployment?
The New Deal is the Labour government's flagship programme to "end the tragic waste of youth and long-term unemployment" by getting people off welfare benefits and into work. This paper argues that the principal weakness of the New Deal is that it seeks to influence the character of labour supply (i.e. the motivation and skills of the unemployed) while neglecting the state of labour demand, which varies greatly between places. The uneven geography of unemployment in the UK is likely to have a crucial bearing on the programme's impact and effectiveness, but this has been largely ignored in its development. The paper outlines some of the practical consequences of this imbalance and suggests how it could be rectified for the programme to be more effective
Status of the GEO600 gravitational wave detector
The GEO600 laser interferometric gravitational wave detector is approaching the end of its commissioning phase which started in 1995.During a test run in January 2002 the detector was operated for 15 days in a power-recycled michelson configuration. The detector and environmental data which were acquired during this test run were used to test the data analysis code. This paper describes the subsystems of GEO600, the status of the detector by August 2002 and the plans towards the first science run
Searching for gravitational waves from known pulsars
We present upper limits on the amplitude of gravitational waves from 28
isolated pulsars using data from the second science run of LIGO. The results
are also expressed as a constraint on the pulsars' equatorial ellipticities. We
discuss a new way of presenting such ellipticity upper limits that takes
account of the uncertainties of the pulsar moment of inertia. We also extend
our previous method to search for known pulsars in binary systems, of which
there are about 80 in the sensitive frequency range of LIGO and GEO 600.Comment: Accepted by CQG for the proceeding of GWDAW9, 7 pages, 2 figure
Evaluation of alternative respiratory syndromes for specific syndromic surveillance of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus: a time series analysis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Syndromic surveillance is increasingly being evaluated for its potential for early warning of increased disease activity in the population. However, interpretation is hampered by the difficulty of attributing a causative pathogen. We described the temporal relationship between laboratory counts of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detection and alternative groupings of Emergency Department (ED) respiratory diagnoses.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>ED and laboratory data were obtained for the south-eastern area of Sydney, NSW for the period 1 June 2001 - 1 December 2006. Counts of ED visits and laboratory confirmed positive RSV and influenza cases were aggregated by week. Semi-parametric generalized additive models (GAM) were used to determine the association between the incidence of RSV and influenza and the incidence of respiratory syndrome ED presentations while controlling for temporal confounders.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For every additional RSV laboratory count, ED diagnoses of bronchiolitis increased by 3.1% (95%CI: 2.7%-3.5%) in the same week. For every additional influenza laboratory count, ED diagnoses of influenza-like illness increased by 4.7% (95%CI: 4.2%-5.2%) one week earlier.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, large increases in ED diagnoses of bronchiolitis and influenza-like illness were independent and proxy indicators for RSV and influenza activity, respectively.</p
Setting upper limits on the strength of periodic gravitational waves from PSR J1939+2134 using the first science data from the GEO 600 and LIGO detectors
Data collected by the GEO 600 and LIGO interferometric gravitational wave detectors during their first observational science run were searched for continuous gravitational waves from the pulsar J1939+2134 at twice its rotation frequency. Two independent analysis methods were used and are demonstrated in this paper: a frequency domain method and a time domain method. Both achieve consistent null results, placing new upper limits on the strength of the pulsar's gravitational wave emission. A model emission mechanism is used to interpret the limits as a constraint on the pulsar's equatorial ellipticity
Some methods for blindfolded record linkage
BACKGROUND: The linkage of records which refer to the same entity in separate data collections is a common requirement in public health and biomedical research. Traditionally, record linkage techniques have required that all the identifying data in which links are sought be revealed to at least one party, often a third party. This necessarily invades personal privacy and requires complete trust in the intentions of that party and their ability to maintain security and confidentiality. Dusserre, Quantin, Bouzelat and colleagues have demonstrated that it is possible to use secure one-way hash transformations to carry out follow-up epidemiological studies without any party having to reveal identifying information about any of the subjects – a technique which we refer to as "blindfolded record linkage". A limitation of their method is that only exact comparisons of values are possible, although phonetic encoding of names and other strings can be used to allow for some types of typographical variation and data errors. METHODS: A method is described which permits the calculation of a general similarity measure, the n-gram score, without having to reveal the data being compared, albeit at some cost in computation and data communication. This method can be combined with public key cryptography and automatic estimation of linkage model parameters to create an overall system for blindfolded record linkage. RESULTS: The system described offers good protection against misdeeds or security failures by any one party, but remains vulnerable to collusion between or simultaneous compromise of two or more parties involved in the linkage operation. In order to reduce the likelihood of this, the use of last-minute allocation of tasks to substitutable servers is proposed. Proof-of-concept computer programmes written in the Python programming language are provided to illustrate the similarity comparison protocol. CONCLUSION: Although the protocols described in this paper are not unconditionally secure, they do suggest the feasibility, with the aid of modern cryptographic techniques and high speed communication networks, of a general purpose probabilistic record linkage system which permits record linkage studies to be carried out with negligible risk of invasion of personal privacy
First upper limits from LIGO on gravitational wave bursts
We report on a search for gravitational wave bursts using data from the first
science run of the LIGO detectors. Our search focuses on bursts with durations
ranging from 4 ms to 100 ms, and with significant power in the LIGO sensitivity
band of 150 to 3000 Hz. We bound the rate for such detected bursts at less than
1.6 events per day at 90% confidence level. This result is interpreted in terms
of the detection efficiency for ad hoc waveforms (Gaussians and sine-Gaussians)
as a function of their root-sum-square strain h_{rss}; typical sensitivities
lie in the range h_{rss} ~ 10^{-19} - 10^{-17} strain/rtHz, depending on
waveform. We discuss improvements in the search method that will be applied to
future science data from LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted by Phys Rev D. Fixed a few small typos
and updated a few reference
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