Diffuse Non-thermal X-ray Emission: Evidence for Cosmic-ray Acceleration at the Shock Front in IC1262

We report the first localization of diffuse, non-thermal, X-ray emission from a nearby galaxy cluster. Using Chandra data, we have isolated a diffuse non-thermal X-ray component with a photon index, Gamma_ X = 2.21 +0.14 -0.15 and a flux of 9.5 +1.1 -2.5 x 10^-5 photons cm^-2 s^-1 keV^-1 at 1 keV, that extends from ~1'.5 to ~2'.5 to the south of the X-ray flux peak. Comparison to simulations implies that the diffuse non-thermal emission is produced by primary electrons, accelerated at shocks to relativistic velocities. Using these results and the flux and hardness maps produced with data from the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, we conclude that a smaller subclump coming from the north merged with IC1262. The offset of the cD galaxy from the X-ray peak and large peculiar velocity indicate that the subclump's impact parameter was to the west and on the near side of IC1262.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by ApJ

Cotton Mather\u27s Relationship to Science

The subject of this project is Cotton Mather\u27s relationship to science. As a minister, Mather\u27s desire to harmonize science with religion is an excellent medium for understanding the effects of the early Enlightenment upon traditional views of Scripture. Through Biblia Americana and The Christian Philosopher, I evaluate Mather\u27s effort to relate Newtonian science to the six creative days as recorded in Genesis 1. Chapter One evaluates Mather\u27s support for the scientific theories of Isaac Newton and his reception to natural philosophers who advocate Newton\u27s theories. Chapter Two highlights Mather\u27s treatment of the dominant cosmogonies preceding Isaac Newton. The Conclusion returns the reader to Mather\u27s principal occupation as a minister and the limits of science as informed by his theological mind. Through an exploration of Cotton Mather\u27s views on science, a more comprehensive understanding of this significant early American and the ideological assumptions shaping his place in American history is realized

Mining a MOOC to examine international views of the “Smart City”

Increasing numbers of cities are focussed on using technology to become “Smart”. Many of these Smart City programmes are starting to go beyond a technological focus to also explore the value of a more inclusive approach that values the input of citizens. However, the insights gained from working with citizens are typically focused around a single town or city. In this paper we explore whether it is possible to understand people’s opinions and views on the Smart City topics of Open Data, privacy and leadership by examining comments left on a Smart City MOOC that has been delivered internationally. In doing so we start to explore whether MOOCs can provide a lens for examining views on different facets of the Smart City agenda from a global audience, albeit limited to the demographic of the typical MOOC user

A Comparative Study of Physical Cinematography that Influences Layouts in Animated Production

What makes good cinematography? There are many examples of cinematogra- phy that stand out in the minds of viewers, yet many cant exactly say with certainty why these shots are considered great. Is it because they convey the visual and emo- tional content of their stories successfully, the technical brilliance of the frame, or both? Whether realistic or exaggerated, the range of cinematography tools and tech- niques are proof that creativity and an eye for detail are the most important elements in great cinematography. Cinematography includes composition, movement, lighting, and other visual information within the frame. This is true in both live-action and animated productions. The purpose of this thesis is to study cinematography on a technical and creative level with an emphasis placed on composition and camera movement for animation-related layouts. To this end, techniques from two renowned, traditional cinematographers will be analyzed to figure out why they are effective, and then create a 3D scene within Maya with cinematography inspired by these two artists using 2-3 sets of scenes, cameras and lighting setups. This thesis will also discuss the physical aspects of these techniques, how to achieve them technically in a 3D environment, and what aesthetic purpose they fulfill

Stereodivergent, Diels-Alder-initiated organocascades employing α,β-unsaturated acylammonium salts: scope, mechanism, and application.

Chiral α,β-unsaturated acylammonium salts are novel dienophiles enabling enantioselective Diels-Alder-lactonization (DAL) organocascades leading to cis- and trans-fused, bicyclic γ- and δ-lactones from readily prepared dienes, commodity acid chlorides, and a chiral isothiourea organocatalyst under mild conditions. We describe extensions of stereodivergent DAL organocascades to other racemic dienes bearing pendant secondary and tertiary alcohols, and application to a formal synthesis of (+)-dihydrocompactin is described. A combined experimental and computational investigation of unsaturated acylammonium salt formation and the entire DAL organocascade pathway provide a rationalization of the effect of Brønsted base additives and enabled a controllable, diastereodivergent DAL process leading to a full complement of possible stereoisomeric products. Evaluation of free energy and enthalpy barriers in conjunction with experimentally observed temperature effects revealed that the DAL is a rare case of an entropy-controlled diastereoselective process. NMR analysis of diene alcohol-Brønsted base interactions and computational studies provide a plausible explanation of observed stabilization of exo transition-state structures through hydrogen-bonding effects

Studying the Nature of Dark Energy with Galaxy Clusters

We report on the status of our effort to constrain the nature of dark energy through the evolution of the cluster mass function. Chandra temperature profiles for 31 clusters from a local cluster sample are shown. The X-ray appearance of the proto supermassive binary black hole at the center of the cluster Abell 400 is described. Preliminary weak lensing results obtained with Megacam@MMT for a redshift z=0.5 cluster from a distant cluster sample are given.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in: Aschenbach, B., Burwitz, V., Hasinger, G., Leibundgut, B. (eds.), Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology - Einstein's Legacy. ESO Astrophysics Symposia, Springer Verlag, Berlin, German

Assaying activity and assessing thermostability of hyperthermophilic enzymes

There is now a wide variety of intra- and extra-cellular enzymes available from organisms growing above 75°C, and having sufficient stability to allow assay well above this temperature. For some of these enzymes, to assay below even 95°C will involve measurement below the optimal growth temperature for the organism. The purpose of this chapter is to cover practical aspects of enzyme assay procedures that are specific to high temperatures. Since by far the commonest routine assessment of enzyme stability is activity loss, and because it is always unwise to measure enzyme activity without being confident of its stability during the assay, we include an outline of procedures for measuring enzyme activity loss/stability at high temperatures

Orbital Targeting Using Reduced Eccentric Anomaly Low-Thrust Coefficients

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90625/1/AIAA-51336-469.pd

The Gordon–Schowalter/Johnson–Segalman model in parallel and orthogonal superposition rheometry and its application in the study of worm-like micellular systems

Parallel and Orthogonal Superposition experiments may be employed to probe a material’s non-linear rheological properties through the rate-dependent parallel and orthogonal superposition moduli, G∗ ∥(ω, γ˙ ) and G∗ ⊥(ω, γ˙ ), respectively. In a recent series of publications, we have considered the problem of interconversion between parallel and orthogonal superposition moduli as a means of probing flow induced anisotropy. However, as noted by Yamomoto in 1971 [Yamomoto, Trans. Soc. Rheol 15 (1971) 331-344]] superposition flows may be used to assess the ability of a particular constitutive model to describe the flow of complex fluids. Herein, we derive expressions for the superposition moduli of the Gordon-Schowalter (or Johnson-Segalman) fluid. This model contains, as special cases, the corotational Maxwell model, the upper (and lower) convected Maxwell models, the corotational Jeffreys model, and the Oldroyd-B model. We also consider the conditionsunder which the superposition moduli may take negative values before studying a specific, non shear banding, worm like micellular system of cetylpyridinium chloride and sodium salicylate. We find that, using a weakly non-linear analysis (in which the model parameters are rate independent) the Gordon-Schowalter/Johnson- Segalman (GS/JS) model is unable to describe the superposition moduli. However, by permitting strong non-linearity (allowing the GS/JS parameters to become shear rate dependent), the superposition moduli, at all rates studied, are described well by the model. Based on this strongly non-linear anlaysis, the shear rate dependency of the GS/JS ‘slip parameter’, a, suggests that the onset of shear thinning in the specific worm-like micellular system studied herein is driven by a combination of microstructural modification and a transition from rotation dominated (as in the corotational Jeffreys model) to shear dominated (as in the Oldroyd-B model) deformation of the microstructural elements