723 research outputs found
Possible evidence for an inverted temperature-density relation in the intergalactic medium from the flux distribution of the Lyman-alpha forest
We compare the improved measurement of the Lya forest flux probability
distribution at 1.7<z<3.2 presented by Kim et al. (2007) to a large set of
hydrodynamical simulations of the Lya forest with different cosmological
parameters and thermal histories. The simulations are in good agreement with
the observational data if the temperature-density relation for the low density
intergalactic medium (IGM), T=T_0 Delta^{gamma-1}, is either close to
isothermal or inverted (gamma<1). Our results suggest that the voids in the IGM
may be significantly hotter and the thermal state of the low density IGM may be
substantially more complex than is usually assumed at these redshifts. We
discuss radiative transfer effects which alter the spectral shape of ionising
radiation during the epoch of HeII reionisation as a possible physical
mechanism for achieving an inverted temperature-density relation at z~3.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS following
minor revision. The accepted version includes an expanded discussion of the
flux power spectru
Book Reviews
Reviews of the following books: Mount Hope Cemetery of Bangor, Maine: The Complete History by Trudy Irene Scee; The Reverend Jacob Bailey, Maine Loyalist: For God, King, Country and for Self by James S. Leamon; The Barns of Maine: Our History, Our Stories by Don Perkins; Gateway to Vacationland: The Making of Portland, Maine by John F. Bauman; Maine: The Wilder Half of New England by William David Berry; The Cross of War: Christian Nationalism and U.S. Expansion in the Spanish-American War by Matthew McCullough; Omaha Beach: The Life and Military Service of a Penobscot Indian Elder by Charles Norman Shay
An Eccentric Binary Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Plane
Binary pulsar systems are superb probes of stellar and binary evolution and
the physics of extreme environments. In a survey with the Arecibo telescope, we
have found PSR J1903+0327, a radio pulsar with a rotational period of 2.15 ms
in a highly eccentric (e = 0.44) 95-day orbit around a solar mass companion.
Infrared observations identify a possible main-sequence companion star.
Conventional binary stellar evolution models predict neither large orbital
eccentricities nor main-sequence companions around millisecond pulsars.
Alternative formation scenarios involve recycling a neutron star in a globular
cluster then ejecting it into the Galactic disk or membership in a hierarchical
triple system. A relativistic analysis of timing observations of the pulsar
finds its mass to be 1.74+/-0.04 Msun, an unusually high value.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures inc Supplementary On-Line Material. Accepted for
publication in Science, published on Science Express: 10.1126/science.115758
Evidence summaries (decision boxes) to prepare clinicians for shared decision-making with patients: a mixed methods implementation study
Background: Decision boxes (Dboxes) provide clinicians with research evidence about management options for
medical questions that have no single best answer. Dboxes fulfil a need for rapid clinical training tools to prepare
clinicians for clinician-patient communication and shared decision-making. We studied the barriers and facilitators
to using the Dbox information in clinical practice.
Methods: We used a mixed methods study with sequential explanatory design. We recruited family physicians,
residents, and nurses from six primary health-care clinics. Participants received eight Dboxes covering various questions
by email (one per week). For each Dbox, they completed a web questionnaire to rate clinical relevance and cognitive
impact and to assess the determinants of their intention to use what they learned from the Dbox to explain to their
patients the advantages and disadvantages of the options, based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Following
the 8-week delivery period, we conducted focus groups with clinicians and interviews with clinic administrators
to explore contextual factors influencing the use of the Dbox information.
Results: One hundred clinicians completed the web surveys. In 54% of the 496 questionnaires completed, they
reported that their practice would be improved after having read the Dboxes, and in 40%, they stated that they
would use this information for their patients. Of those who would use the information for their patients, 89%
expected it would benefit their patients, especially in that it would allow the patient to make a decision more in
keeping with his/her personal circumstances, values, and preferences. They intended to use the Dboxes in
practice (mean 5.6 ± 1.2, scale 1â7, with 7 being âhighâ), and their intention was significantly related to social
norm, perceived behavioural control, and attitude according to the TPB (P < 0.0001). In focus groups, clinicians
mentioned that co-interventions such as patient decision aids and training in shared decision-making would facilitate
the use of the Dbox information. Some participants would have liked a clear âbottom lineâ statement for each Dbox and
access to printed Dboxes in consultation rooms.
Conclusions: Dboxes are valued by clinicians. Tailoring of Dboxes to their needs would facilitate their implementation in
practic
Arecibo Pulsar Survey Using ALFA. I. Survey Strategy and First Discoveries
We report results from the initial stage of a long-term pulsar survey of the
Galactic plane using the Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA), a seven-beam
receiver operating at 1.4 GHz with 0.3 GHz bandwidth. The search targets
Galactic latitudes |b| < 5 deg in the longitude ranges 32 deg < l < 77 deg and
168 deg < l < 77 deg. Data discussed here were collected over a 100 MHz
passband centered on 1.42 GHz using a spectrometer that recorded 256 channels
every 64 microsec. In a preliminary, standard period-DM analysis, we have
detected 29 previously known pulsars and discovered 11 new ones. One of these,
with a period of 69 ms and a low characteristic age of 82 kyr, is a plausible
candidate for association with the unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1928+1733.
Another is a non-recycled pulsar in a relativistic binary with orbital period
of 3.98 hr. We also search the data for isolated dispersed pulses, a technique
that yielded discovery of an extremely sporadic radio emitter with a spin
period of 1.2 s. Simulations we have carried out indicate that about 1000 new
pulsars will be found in the ALFA survey. In addition to providing a large
sample for use in population analyses and for probing the magnetoionic
interstellar medium, the survey maximizes the chances of finding rapidly
spinning millisecond pulsars and pulsars in compact binary systems. Our search
algorithms will exploit the multiple data streams from ALFA to discriminate
between radio frequency interference and celestial signals, including pulsars
and possibly new classes of transient radio sources.Comment: 10 pp, 9 figures, accepted by the Astrophysical Journa
Planets in Mean-Motion Resonances and the System Around HD45364
In some planetary systems, the orbital periods of two of its members present
a commensurability, usually known by mean-motion resonance. These resonances
greatly enhance the mutual gravitational influence of the planets. As a
consequence, these systems present uncommon behaviors, and their motions need
to be studied with specific methods. Some features are unique and allow us a
better understanding and characterization of these systems. Moreover,
mean-motion resonances are a result of an early migration of the orbits in an
accretion disk, so it is possible to derive constraints on their formation.
Here we review the dynamics of a pair of resonant planets and explain how their
orbits evolve in time. We apply our results to the HD 45365 planetary system.Comment: invited review, 17 pages, 6 figure
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