357 research outputs found
Afterglow upper limits for four short duration, hard spectrum gamma-ray bursts
We present interplanetary network localization, spectral, and time history
information for four short-duration, hard spectrum gamma-ray bursts, GRB000607,
001025B, 001204, and 010119. All of these events were followed up with
sensitive radio and optical observations (the first and only such bursts to be
followed up in the radio to date), but no detections were made, demonstrating
that the short bursts do not have anomalously intense afterglows. We discuss
the upper limits, and show that the lack of observable counterparts is
consistent both with the hypothesis that the afterglow behavior of the short
bursts is like that of the long duration bursts, many of which similarly have
no detectable afterglows, as well as with the hypothesis that the short bursts
have no detectable afterglows at all. Small number statistics do not allow a
clear choice between these alternatives, but given the present detection rates
of various missions, we show that progress can be expected in the near future.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures; Revised version, accepted by the Astrophysical
Journa
Taking up the cudgels against gay rights? Trends and trajectories in African Christian theologies on homosexuality
Against the background of the HIV epidemic and the intense public controversy on homosexuality in African societies, this article investigates the discourses of academic African Christian theologians on homosexuality. Distinguishing some major strands in African theology, that is, inculturation, liberation, women’s and reconstruction theology, the article examines how the central concepts of culture, liberation, justice, and human rights function in these discourses. On the basis of a qualitative analysis of a large number of publications, the article shows that stances of African theologians are varying from silence and rejection to acceptance. Although many African theologians have taken up the cudgels against gay rights, some “dissident voices” break the taboo and develop more inclusive concepts of African identity and African Christianity
Spectral Cross-calibration of the Konus-Wind, the Suzaku/WAM, and the Swift/BAT Data using Gamma-Ray Bursts
We report on the spectral cross-calibration results of the Konus-Wind, the
Suzaku/WAM, and the Swift/BAT instruments using simultaneously observed
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). This is the first attempt to use simultaneously
observed GRBs as a spectral calibration source to understand systematic
problems among the instruments. Based on these joint spectral fits, we find
that 1) although a constant factor (a normalization factor) agrees within 20%
among the instruments, the BAT constant factor shows a systematically smaller
value by 10-20% compared to that of Konus-Wind, 2) there is a systematic trend
that the low-energy photon index becomes steeper by 0.1-0.2 and Epeak becomes
systematically higher by 10-20% when including the BAT data in the joint fits,
and 3) the high-energy photon index agrees within 0.2 among the instruments.
Our results show that cross-calibration based on joint spectral analysis is an
important step to understanding the instrumental effects which could be
affecting the scientific results from the GRB prompt emission data.Comment: 82 pages, 88 figures, accepted for publication in PAS
Observations of giant outbursts from Cygnus X-1
We present interplanetary network localization, spectral, and time history
information for 7 episodes of exceptionally intense gamma-ray emission from
Cygnus X-1. The outbursts occurred between 1995 and 2003, with durations up to
\~28000 seconds. The observed 15 - 300 keV peak fluxes and fluences reached
3E-7 erg /cm2 s, and 8E-4 erg / cm2 respectively. By combining the
triangulations of these outbursts we derive an ~1700 square arcminute (3 sigma)
error ellipse which contains Cygnus X-1 and no other known high energy sources.
The outbursts reported here occurred both when Cyg X-1 was in the hard state as
well as in the soft one, and at various orbital phases. The spectral data
indicate that these outbursts display the same parameters as those of the
underlying hard and soft states, suggesting that they represent another
manifestation of these states.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures. Revised version. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal, tentatively scheduled for October 20, 2003 Part
GROND coverage of the main peak of Gamma-Ray Burst 130925A
Prompt or early optical emission in gamma-ray bursts is notoriously difficult
to measure, and observations of the dozen cases show a large variety of
properties. Yet, such early emission promises to help us achieve a better
understanding of the GRB emission process(es).
We performed dedicated observations of the ultra-long duration (T90 about
7000 s) GRB 130925A in the optical/near-infrared with the 7-channel "Gamma-Ray
Burst Optical and Near-infrared Detector" (GROND) at the 2.2m MPG/ESO
telescope. We detect an optical/NIR flare with an amplitude of nearly 2 mag
which is delayed with respect to the keV--MeV prompt emission by about 300--400
s. The decay time of this flare is shorter than the duration of the flare (500
s) or its delay.
While we cannot offer a straightforward explanation, we discuss the
implications of the flare properties and suggest ways toward understanding it.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publ. in A&
Investigation of Primordial Black Hole Bursts using Interplanetary Network Gamma-ray Bursts
The detection of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) in the solar neighborhood would have
very important implications for GRB phenomenology. The leading theories for
cosmological GRBs would not be able to explain such events. The final bursts of
evaporating Primordial Black Holes (PBHs), however, would be a natural
explanation for local GRBs. We present a novel technique that can constrain the
distance to gamma-ray bursts using detections from widely separated,
non-imaging spacecraft. This method can determine the actual distance to the
burst if it is local. We applied this method to constrain distances to a sample
of 36 short duration GRBs detected by the Interplanetary Network (IPN) that
show observational properties that are expected from PBH evaporations. These
bursts have minimum possible distances in the 10^13-10^18 cm (7-10^5 AU) range,
consistent with the expected PBH energetics and with a possible origin in the
solar neighborhood, although none of the bursts can be unambiguously
demonstrated to be local. Assuming these bursts are real PBH events, we
estimate lower limits on the PBH burst evaporation rate in the solar
neighborhood.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal (9 Figures, 3 Tables
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma:long-term results from a Western cohort
Background Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is established as first-choice treatment for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) worldwide, most data are derived from Asian studies. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of ESD for patients with early ESCC in a Western cohort. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, patients with early ESCC amenable to ESD were included from four tertiary referral hospitals in the Netherlands between 2012 and 2017. All ESD procedures were performed by experienced endoscopists, after which the decision for additional treatment was made on a per-patient basis. Outcomes were curative resection rate, ESCC-specific survival, and overall survival. Results Of 68 included patients (mean age 69 years; 34 males), ESD was technically successful in 66 (97%; 95%CI 93%-100%), with curative resection achieved in 34/66 (52%; 95%CI 39%-64%). Among patients with noncurative resection, 15/32 (47%) underwent additional treatment, mainly esophagectomy (n = 10) or definitive chemoradiation therapy (n = 4). Endoscopic surveillance was preferred in 17/32 patients (53%), based on severe comorbidities or patient choice. Overall, 31/66 patients (47%) died during a median follow-up of 66 months; 8/31 (26%) were ESCC-related deaths. The 5-year overall and ESCC-specific survival probabilities were 62% (95%CI 52%-75%) and 86% (95%CI 77%-96%), respectively. Conclusion In this Western cohort with long-term follow-up, the effectiveness and safety of ESD for early ESCC was confirmed, although the rate of noncurative resections was substantial. Irrespective of curative status, the long-term prognosis of these patients was limited mainly due to competing mortality
Integrating the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor into the 3rd Interplanetary Network
We are integrating the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) into the
Interplanetary Network (IPN) of Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) detectors. With the GBM,
the IPN will comprise 9 experiments. This will 1) assist the Fermi team in
understanding and reducing their systematic localization uncertainties, 2)
reduce the sizes of the GBM and Large Area Telescope (LAT) error circles by 1
to 4 orders of magnitude, 3) facilitate the identification of GRB sources with
objects found by ground- and space-based observatories at other wavelengths,
from the radio to very high energy gamma-rays, 4) reduce the uncertainties in
associating some LAT detections of high energy photons with GBM bursts, and 5)
facilitate searches for non-electromagnetic GRB counterparts, particularly
neutrinos and gravitational radiation. We present examples and demonstrate the
synergy between Fermi and the IPN. This is a Fermi Cycle 2 Guest Investigator
project.Comment: 5 pages, 11 figures. 2009 Fermi Symposium. eConf Proceedings C09112
The Interplanetary Network Supplement to the Fermi GBM Catalog of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts
We present Interplanetary Network (IPN) data for the gamma-ray bursts in the
first Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) catalog. Of the 491 bursts in that
catalog, covering 2008 July 12 to 2010 July 11, 427 were observed by at least
one other instrument in the 9-spacecraft IPN. Of the 427, the localizations of
149 could be improved by arrival time analysis (or triangulation). For any
given burst observed by the GBM and one other distant spacecraft, triangulation
gives an annulus of possible arrival directions whose half-width varies between
about 0.4' and 32 degrees, depending on the intensity, time history, and
arrival direction of the burst, as well as the distance between the spacecraft.
We find that the IPN localizations intersect the 1 sigma GBM error circles in
only 52% of the cases, if no systematic uncertainty is assumed for the latter.
If a 6 degree systematic uncertainty is assumed and added in quadrature, the
two localization samples agree about 87% of the time, as would be expected. If
we then multiply the resulting error radii by a factor of 3, the two samples
agree in slightly over 98% of the cases, providing a good estimate of the GBM 3
sigma error radius. The IPN 3 sigma error boxes have areas between about 1
square arcminute and 110 square degrees, and are, on the average, a factor of
180 smaller than the corresponding GBM localizations. We identify two bursts in
the IPN/GBM sample that did not appear in the GBM catalog. In one case, the GBM
triggered on a terrestrial gamma flash, and in the other, its origin was given
as uncertain. We also discuss the sensitivity and calibration of the IPN.Comment: 52 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables. Revised version, resubmitted to the
Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series following refereeing. Figures of the
localizations in Table 3 may be found on the IPN website, at
ssl.berkeley.edu/ipn3/YYMMDD, where YY, MM, and DD are the year, month, and
day of the burst, sometimes with suffixes A or
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