2,625 research outputs found
Observations of the Optical Afterglow of GRB 050319 : Wind to ISM transition in view
The collapse of a massive star is believed to be the most probable progenitor
of a long GRB. Such a star is expected to modify its environment by stellar
wind. The effect of such a circum-stellar wind medium is expected to be seen in
the evolution of a GRB afterglow, but has so far not been conclusively found.
We claim that a signature of wind to constant density medium transition of
circum-burst medium is visible in the afterglow of GRB 050319. Along with the
optical observations of the afterglow of GRB 050319 we present a model for the
multiband afterglow of GRB 050319. We show that the break seen in optical light
curve at 0.02 day could be explained as being due to wind to constant
density medium transition of circum-burst medium, in which case, to our
knowledge, this could be the first ever detection of such a transition at any
given frequency band. Detection of such a transition could also serve as a
confirmation of massive star collapse scenario for GRB progenitors, independent
of supernova signatures.Comment: 11 pages, 3 tables, 1 figure
The Night and Cultural Benefit : The Case for a Holistic Approach to Licensing
This research article critically engages with the Licensing Act (2003), arguing for a more holistic approach to licensing. Drawing on primary research conducted in London for the Greater London Authority (GLA), the article considers the positive benefits of licensed venues and the possibility of extending the licensing objectives to include their role in sustaining urban vitality. The current licensing objectives are steered towards minimising negative outcomes, with the assumption being that licensing is primarily a tool of control and minimising harm. The argument developed here is based on two alternative conceptions of the role of licensing. Firstly, licensing has a key role to play in developing sites for sociability and community cohesion. Though focused around alcohol, licensing is central to enabling or constraining more traditional as well as emerging spaces which combine entertainment, dining and other experimental forms of leisure. Second, the article argues that by addressing urban vitality and cultural benefit, the Act could be more attuned to the positive influence of licensed premises at a broader scale. The need for planning and licensing to work more cooperatively is considered in light of how licensing decisions reach beyond individual venues and impact on entire neighbourhoods or areas. Focusing on two London boroughs, Croydon and Lambeth, the paper examines how the current approach by local authorities to licensing could therefore be re-framed in more positive terms to acknowledge the wider cultural benefits and social good of licensed premises
On the nature of the progenitors of three type II-P supernovae: 2004et, 2006my and 2006ov
The pre-explosion observations of the type II-P supernovae 2006my, 2006ov and
2004et, are re-analysed. In the cases of supernovae 2006my and 2006ov we argue
that the published candidate progenitors are not coincident with their
respective supernova sites in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope
observations. We therefore derive upper luminosity and mass limits for the
unseen progenitors of both these supernovae, assuming they are red supergiants:
2006my (log L/Lsun = 4.51; mass < 13Msun) and 2006ov (log L/Lsun = 4.29; mass <
10Msun). In the case of supernova 2004et we show that the yellow-supergiant
progenitor candidate, originally identified in Canada France Hawaii Telescope
images, is still visible ~3 years post-explosion in observations from the
William Herschel Telescope. High-resolution Hubble Space Telescope and Gemini
(North) adaptive optics late-time imagery reveal that this source is not a
single yellow supergiant star, but rather is resolved into at least three
distinct sources. We report the discovery of the unresolved progenitor as an
excess of flux in pre-explosion Isaac Newton Telescope i'-band imaging.
Accounting for the late-time contribution of the supernova using published
optical spectra, we calculate the progenitor photometry as the difference
between the pre- and post-explosion, ground-based observations. We find the
progenitor was most likely a late K to late M-type supergiant of 8 +5/-1 Msun.
In all cases we conclude that future, high-resolution observations of the
supernova sites will be required to confirm these results.Comment: 43 pages (pre-print format), 12 figures, 10 tables. Significant
revision following referee's comments. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Excessive gas exchange impairment during exercise in a subject with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and high altitude pulmonary edema
A 27-year-old male subject (V(O2 max)), 92% predicted) with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and a clinically documented case of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) was examined at rest and during exercise. Pulmonary function testing revealed a normal forced vital capacity (FVC, 98.1% predicted) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D(L(CO)), 91.2% predicted), but significant airway obstruction at rest [forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)), 66.5% predicted; forced expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (FEF(50)), 34.3% predicted; and FEV(1) /FVC 56.5%] that was not reversible with an inhaled bronchodilator. Gas exchange worsened from rest to exercise, with the alveolar to arterial P(O2) difference (AaD(O2)) increasing from 0 at rest to 41 mmHg at maximal normoxic exercise (VO(2) = 41.4 mL/kg/min) and from 11 to 31 mmHg at maximal hypoxic exercise (VO(2) = 21.9 mL/kg/min). Arterial P(O2) decreased to 67.8 and 29.9 mmHg at maximal normoxic and hypoxic exercise, respectively. These data indicate that our subject with a history of BPD is prone to a greater degree of exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia for a given VO(2) and F(I(O2)) than healthy age-matched controls, which may increase the subject's susceptibility to high altitude illness
Coping with Persistent Pain, Effectiveness Research into Self-management (COPERS): statistical analysis plan for a randomised controlled trial
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis Version 2.1: construction, observational verification and new results
The Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) suite of binary stellar
evolution models and synthetic stellar populations provides a framework for the
physically motivated analysis of both the integrated light from distant stellar
populations and the detailed properties of those nearby. We present a new
version 2.1 data release of these models, detailing the methodology by which
BPASS incorporates binary mass transfer and its effect on stellar evolution
pathways, as well as the construction of simple stellar populations. We
demonstrate key tests of the latest BPASS model suite demonstrating its ability
to reproduce the colours and derived properties of resolved stellar
populations, including well- constrained eclipsing binaries. We consider
observational constraints on the ratio of massive star types and the
distribution of stellar remnant masses. We describe the identification of
supernova progenitors in our models, and demonstrate a good agreement to the
properties of observed progenitors. We also test our models against photometric
and spectroscopic observations of unresolved stellar populations, both in the
local and distant Universe, finding that binary models provide a
self-consistent explanation for observed galaxy properties across a broad
redshift range. Finally, we carefully describe the limitations of our models,
and areas where we expect to see significant improvement in future versions.Comment: 69 pages, 45 figures. Accepted for publication in PASA. Accompanied
by a full, documented data release at http://bpass.auckland.ac.nz and
http://warwick.ac.uk/bpas
Identification of the determinants for the specific recognition of single-strand telomeric DNA by Cdc13
The single-strand overhang present at telomeres plays a critical role in mediating both the capping and telomerase regulation functions of telomeres. The telomere end-binding proteins, Cdc13 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pot1 in higher eukaryotes, and TEBP in the ciliated protozoan Oxytricha nova, exhibit sequence-specific binding to their respective single-strand overhangs. S. cerevisiae telomeres are composed of a heterogeneous mixture of GT-rich telomeric sequence, unlike in higher eukaryotes which have a simple repeat that is maintained with high fidelity. In yeast, the telomeric overhang is recognized by the essential protein Cdc13, which coordinates end-capping and telomerase activities at the telomere. The Cdc13 DNA-binding domain (Cdc13-DBD) binds these telomere sequences with high affinity (3 pM) and sequence specificity. To better understand the basis for this remarkable recognition, we have investigated the binding of the Cdc13-DBD to a series of altered DNA substrates. Although an 11-mer of GT-rich sequence is required for full binding affinity, only three of these 11 bases are recognized with high specificity. This specificity differs from that observed in the other known telomere end-binding proteins, but is well suited to the specific role of Cdc13 at yeast telomeres. These studies expand our understanding of telomere recognition by the Cdc13-DBD and of the unique molecular recognition properties of ssDNA binding. © 2006 American Chemical Society
Operation speed of polariton condensate switches gated by excitons
We present a time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) study in real- and
momentum-space of a polariton condensate switch in a quasi-1D semiconductor
microcavity. The polariton flow across the ridge is gated by excitons inducing
a barrier potential due to repulsive interactions. A study of the device
operation dependence on the power of the pulsed gate beam obtains a
satisfactory compromise for the ON/OFF-signal ratio and -switching time of the
order of 0.3 and ps, respectively. The opposite transition is
governed by the long-lived gate excitons, consequently the OFF/ON-switching
time is ps, limiting the overall operation speed of the device
to GHz. The experimental results are compared to numerical
simulations based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, taking into
account incoherent pumping, decay and energy relaxation within the condensate.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
The type IIb SN 2008ax: the nature of the progenitor
A source coincident with the position of the type IIb supernova (SN) 2008ax
is identified in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field
Planetary Camera 2 observations in three optical filters. We identify and
constrain two possible progenitor systems: (i) a single massive star that lost
most of its hydrogen envelope through radiatively driven mass loss processes,
prior to exploding as a helium-rich Wolf-Rayet star with a residual hydrogen
envelope, and (ii) an interacting binary in a low mass cluster producing a
stripped progenitor. Late time, high resolution observations along with
detailed modelling of the SN will be required to reveal the true nature of this
progenitor star.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, resolution of figure 1 reduced, figure 2 revised,
some revision following referee's comments, accepted for publication in MNRAS
letter
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