290 research outputs found
Alexander Cuthbertson (1901-1942): from Scotland to Rhodesia, a dipterist’s journey
No abstract available
A comparison of braking and differential control of road vehicle yaw-sideslip dynamics
Two actuation mechanisms are considered for the comparison of performance capabilities
in improving the yaw–sideslip handling characteristics of a road vehicle. Yaw moments are generated
either by the use of single-wheel braking or via driveline torque distribution using an overdriven active
rear differential. For consistency, a fixed reference vehicle system is used, and the two controllers are
synthesized via a single design methodology. Performance measures relate to both open-loop and
closed-loop driving demands, and include both on-centre and limit handling manoeuvres
Grazing protozoa and the evolution of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 Shiga toxin-encoding prophage
Humans play little role in the epidemiology of Escherichia coli O157:H7, a commensal bacterium of cattle. Why then does E. coli O157:H7 code for virulence determinants, like the Shiga toxins (Stxs), responsible for the morbidity and mortality of colonized humans? One possibility is that the virulence of these bacteria to humans is coincidental and these virulence factors evolved for and are maintained for other roles they play in the ecology of these bacteria. Here, we test the hypothesis that the carriage of the Stx-encoding prophage of E. coli O157:H7 increases the rate of survival of E. coli in the presence of grazing protozoa, Tetrahymena pyriformis. In the presence but not the absence of Tetrahymena, the carriage of the Stx-encoding prophage considerably augments the fitness of E. coli K-12 as well as clinical isolates of E. coli O157 by increasing the rate of survival of the bacteria in the food vacuoles of these ciliates. Grazing protozoa in the environment or natural host are likely to play a significant role in the ecology and maintenance of the Stx-encoding prophage of E. coli O157:H7 and may well contribute to the evolution of the virulence of these bacteria to colonize humans
Analytical time-like geodesics
Time-like orbits in Schwarzschild space-time are presented and classified in
a very transparent and straightforward way into four types. The analytical
solutions to orbit, time, and proper time equations are given for all orbit
types in the form r=r(\lambda), t=t(\chi), and \tau=\tau(\chi), where \lambda\
is the true anomaly and \chi\ is a parameter along the orbit. A very simple
relation between \lambda\ and \chi\ is also shown. These solutions are very
useful for modeling temporal evolution of transient phenomena near black holes
since they are expressed with Jacobi elliptic functions and elliptic integrals,
which can be calculated very efficiently and accurately.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted by General Relativity and Gravitatio
A Compact Beam Stop for a Rare Kaon Decay Experiment
We describe the development and testing of a novel beam stop for use in a
rare kaon decay experiment at the Brookhaven AGS. The beam stop is located
inside a dipole spectrometer magnet in close proximity to straw drift chambers
and intercepts a high-intensity neutral hadron beam. The design process,
involving both Monte Carlo simulations and beam tests of alternative beam-stop
shielding arrangements, had the goal of minimizing the leakage of particles
from the beam stop and the resulting hit rates in detectors, while preserving
maximum acceptance for events of interest. The beam tests consisted of
measurements of rates in drift chambers, scintilation counter hodoscopes, a gas
threshold Cherenkov counter, and a lead glass array. Measurements were also
made with a set of specialized detectors which were sensitive to low-energy
neutrons, photons, and charged particles. Comparisons are made between these
measurements and a detailed Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: 39 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Method
Rapid-response radio observations of short GRB 181123B with the Australia Telescope Compact Array
We introduce the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) rapid-response mode
by presenting the first successful trigger on the short-duration gamma-ray
burst (GRB) 181123B. Early-time radio observations of short GRBs may provide
vital insights into the radio afterglow properties of Advanced LIGO- and
Virgo-detected gravitational wave events, which will in turn inform follow-up
strategies to search for counterparts within their large positional
uncertainties. The ATCA was on target within 12.6 hr post-burst, when the
source had risen above the horizon. While no radio afterglow was detected
during the 8.3 hr observation, we obtained force-fitted flux densities of and Jy at 5.5 and 9 GHz, respectively. Afterglow
modelling of GRB 181123B showed that the addition of the ATCA force-fitted
radio flux densities to the Swift X-ray Telescope detections provided more
stringent constraints on the fraction of thermal energy in the electrons
(log rather than log derived without the inclusion of the ATCA values), which
is consistent with the range of typical derived from GRB afterglow
modelling. This allowed us to predict that the forward shock may have peaked in
the radio band days post-burst, producing detectable radio emission
days post-burst. Overall, we demonstrate the potential for
extremely rapid radio follow-up of transients and the importance of triggered
radio observations for constraining GRB blast wave properties, regardless of
whether there is a detection, via the inclusion of force-fitted radio flux
densities in afterglow modelling efforts.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
A straw drift chamber spectrometer for studies of rare kaon decays
We describe the design, construction, readout, tests, and performance of
planar drift chambers, based on 5 mm diameter copperized Mylar and Kapton
straws, used in an experimental search for rare kaon decays. The experiment
took place in the high-intensity neutral beam at the Alternating Gradient
Synchrotron of Brookhaven National Laboratory, using a neutral beam stop, two
analyzing dipoles, and redundant particle identification to remove backgrounds
Murchison Widefield Array rapid-response observations of the short GRB 180805A
Abstract
Here we present stringent low-frequency (185 MHz) limits on coherent radio emission associated with a short-duration gamma-ray burst (SGRB). Our observations of the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) 180805A were taken with the upgraded Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) rapid-response system, which triggered within 20s of receiving the transient alert from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope, corresponding to 83.7 s post-burst. The SGRB was observed for a total of 30 min, resulting in a
persistent flux density upper limit of 40.2 mJy beam–1. Transient searches were conducted at the Swift position of this GRB on 0.5 s, 5 s, 30 s and 2 min timescales, resulting in
limits of 570–1 830, 270–630, 200–420, and 100–200 mJy beam–1, respectively. We also performed a dedispersion search for prompt signals at the position of the SGRB with a temporal and spectral resolution of 0.5 s and 1.28 MHz, respectively, resulting in a
fluence upper-limit range from 570 Jy ms at DM
pc cm–3 (
) to 1 750 Jy ms at DM
pc cm–3 (
, corresponding to the known redshift range of SGRBs. We compare the fluence prompt emission limit and the persistent upper limit to SGRB coherent emission models assuming the merger resulted in a stable magnetar remnant. Our observations were not sensitive enough to detect prompt emission associated with the alignment of magnetic fields of a binary neutron star just prior to the merger, from the interaction between the relativistic jet and the interstellar medium (ISM) or persistent pulsar-like emission from the spin-down of the magnetar. However, in the case of a more powerful SGRB (a gamma-ray fluence an order of magnitude higher than GRB 180805A and/or a brighter X-ray counterpart), our MWA observations may be sensitive enough to detect coherent radio emission from the jet-ISM interaction and/or the magnetar remnant. Finally, we demonstrate that of all current low- frequency radio telescopes, only the MWA has the sensitivity and response times capable of probing prompt emission models associated with the initial SGRB merger event.</jats:p
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