8,785 research outputs found
Two Suns in The Sky: Stellar Multiplicity in Exoplanet Systems
We present results of a reconnaissance for stellar companions to all 131
radial-velocity-detected candidate extrasolar planetary systems known as of
July 1, 2005. CPM companions were investigated using the multi-epoch DSS
images, and confirmed by matching the trigonometric parallax distances of the
primaries to companion distances estimated photometrically. We also attempt to
confirm or refute companions listed in the Washington Double Star Catalog, the
Catalogs of Nearby Stars, in Hipparcos results, and in Duquennoy & Mayor
(1991).
Our findings indicate that a lower limit of 30 (23%) of the 131 exoplanet
systems have stellar companions. We report new stellar companions to HD 38529
and HD 188015, and a new candidate companion to HD 169830. We confirm many
previously reported stellar companions, including six stars in five systems
that are recognized for the first time as companions to exoplanet hosts. We
have found evidence that 20 entries in the Washington Double Star Catalog are
not gravitationally bound companions. At least three, and possibly five, of the
exoplanet systems reside in triple star systems. Three exoplanet systems have
potentially close-in stellar companions ~ 20 AU away from the primary. Finally,
two of the exoplanet systems contain white dwarf companions. This comprehensive
assessment of exoplanet systems indicates that solar systems are found in a
variety of stellar multiplicity environments - singles, binaries, and triples;
and that planets survive the post-main-sequence evolution of companion stars.Comment: 52 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
Metastable Quantum Phase Transitions in a Periodic One-dimensional Bose Gas: Mean-Field and Bogoliubov Analyses
We generalize the concept of quantum phase transitions, which is
conventionally defined for a ground state and usually applied in the
thermodynamic limit, to one for \emph{metastable states} in \emph{finite size
systems}. In particular, we treat the one-dimensional Bose gas on a ring in the
presence of both interactions and rotation. To support our study, we bring to
bear mean-field theory, i.e., the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, and linear
perturbation or Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Both methods give a consistent
result in the weakly interacting regime: there exist \emph{two topologically
distinct quantum phases}. The first is the typical picture of superfluidity in
a Bose-Einstein condensate on a ring: average angular momentum is quantized and
the superflow is uniform. The second is new: one or more dark solitons appear
as stationary states, breaking the symmetry, the average angular momentum
becomes a continuous quantity, and the phase of the condensate can be
continuously wound and unwound
Análisis del módulo de rigidez y la resistencia a fatiga de mezclas asfálticas recicladas en frio fabricadas con betún espumado para su uso en el diseño de firmes para aeropuertos
Cold recycled bound materials (CRBMs) provide an economic and environmental advantage for pavements since they decrease energy and raw material consumption. However, design methods for airfield pavements do not include key CRBM properties. In this paper an empirical-mechanistic method is used to study airfield pavement design with CRBM in order to develop design guidance. The aim of the paper is to obtain the inputs related to material properties needed for use in this method. For this purpose, CRBM containing reclaimed asphalt, with fly ash, cement and foamed bitumen as stabilising agents, was characterised. The methodology included indirect tensile stiffness modulus (ITSM) and indirect tensile fatigue tests (ITFT) in strain control mode. The inputs needed for a pavement design analysis with CRBM were then obtained. The results showed the importance of further study on CRBM fatigue to understand the behaviour of these mixes under cyclic loading.El uso de mezclas asfálticas recicladas en frío (MARF) proporciona ventajas tanto económicas como medioambientales al disminuir el consumo de energía y materias primas. Sin embargo, los métodos de diseño para firmes de aeropuertos no incluyen las propiedades de MARFs. En este artículo un método empírico-mecanístico se emplea para estudiar el diseño de firmes de aeropuertos con MARF. El objetivo es obtener los inputs relacionados con las propiedades de MARF necesarios para llevar a cabo el diseño del pavimento. Con este propósito, MARF con asfalto reciclado, ceniza volante, cemento y betún espumado ha sido caracterizado. La metodología incluye ensayo de tracción indirecta para la obtención del módulo de rigidez y ensayo de fatiga con tracción indirecta en modo de deformación controlada. Los inputs necesarios han sido obtenidos y los resultados muestran la importancia de un estudio adicional del comportamiento a fatiga de MARF para entender su comportamiento bajo cargas cíclicas
A Catalogue of Field Horizontal Branch Stars Aligned with High Velocity Clouds
We present a catalogue of 430 Field Horizontal Branch (FHB) stars, selected
from the Hamburg/ESO Survey (HES), which fortuitously align with high column
density neutral hydrogen (HI) High-Velocity Cloud (HVC) gas. These stars are
ideal candidates for absorption-line studies of HVCs, attempts at which have
been made for almost 40 years with little success. A parent sample of 8321 HES
FHB stars was used to extract HI spectra along each line-of-sight, using the HI
Parkes All-Sky Survey. All lines-of-sight aligned with high velocity HI
emission with peak brightness temperatures greater than 120mK were examined.
The HI spectra of these 430 probes were visually screened and cross-referenced
with several HVC catalogues. In a forthcoming paper, we report on the results
of high-resolution spectroscopic observations of a sample of stars drawn from
this catalogue.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. ApJS accepted. Full catalogue and all online-only
images available at
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/cthom/catalogue/index.htm
Stable States of Biological Organisms
A novel model of biological organisms is advanced, treating an organism as a
self-consistent system subject to a pathogen flux. The principal novelty of the
model is that it describes not some parts, but a biological organism as a
whole. The organism is modeled by a five-dimensional dynamical system. The
organism homeostasis is described by the evolution equations for five
interacting components: healthy cells, ill cells, innate immune cells, specific
immune cells, and pathogens. The stability analysis demonstrates that, in a
wide domain of the parameter space, the system exhibits robust structural
stability. There always exist four stable stationary solutions characterizing
four qualitatively differing states of the organism: alive state, boundary
state, critical state, and dead state.Comment: Latex file, 12 pages, 4 figure
Soft methods, hard targets: regional alcohol managers as a policy network
Regional Alcohol Managers (RAMs) was employed in the nine English health regions over 2008–2011. Their mission was to impact on the ‘hard target’ of Alcohol-Related Hospital Admissions (AHRAs) through the ‘soft methods’ of persuasion and influence: working with local partners on evidence-based interventions. Drawing on a qualitative evaluation, this article shows how a central government policy imperative (ARHAs) led to ‘government at a distance’ responses, including the introduction of RAMs. The processes involved in shaping and delivering this function bore the hallmarks of a complex, interactive policy network model, involving individuals whose bearings and roles were flexible and sometimes ambiguous. While there were overlaps and blurring of boundaries, there were three levels of policy network: central government, regional and local. As the ‘network in the middle’, the RAMs were pulled in both directions by conflicting agendas but were also able to have an impact on central and local policy
On Turing dynamical systems and the Atiyah problem
Main theorems of the article concern the problem of M. Atiyah on possible
values of l^2-Betti numbers. It is shown that all non-negative real numbers are
l^2-Betti numbers, and that "many" (for example all non-negative algebraic)
real numbers are l^2-Betti numbers of simply connected manifolds with respect
to a free cocompact action. Also an explicit example is constructed which leads
to a simply connected manifold with a transcendental l^2-Betti number with
respect to an action of the threefold direct product of the lamplighter group
Z/2 wr Z. The main new idea is embedding Turing machines into integral group
rings. The main tool developed generalizes known techniques of spectral
computations for certain random walk operators to arbitrary operators in
groupoid rings of discrete measured groupoids.Comment: 35 pages; essentially identical to the published versio
Perceptions on the role of evidence: an English alcohol policy case study
This paper explores the competing influences which inform public health policy and describes the role that research evidence plays within the policy-making process. In particular it draws on a recent English alcohol policy case study to assess the role of evidence in informing policy and practice. Semi-structured interviews with key national, regional and local policy informants were transcribed and analysed thematically. A strong theme identified was that of the role of evidence. Findings are discussed in the context of competing views on what constitutes appropriate evidence for policy-making
The alcohol improvement programme: evaluation of an initiative to address alcohol-related health harm in England
Aims: The evaluation aimed to assess the impact of The Alcohol Improvement Programme (AIP). This was a UK
Department of Health initiative (April 2008–March 2011) aiming to contribute to the reduction of alcohol-related harm as measured by a reduction in the rate of increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions (ARHAs). Methods: The evaluation (March 2010–September 2011) used a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the impact of the AIP on ARHAs, to describe and assess the process of implementation, and to identify elements of the programme which might serve as a ‘legacy’ for the future. Results: There was no evidence that the AIP had an impact on reducing the rise in the rate of ARHAs. The AIP was successfully delivered, increased the priority given to alcohol-related harm on local policy agendas and strengthened the infrastructure for the delivery of interventions. Conclusion: Although there was no measurable short-term impact on the rise in the rate of ARHAs, the AIP helped to set up a strategic response and
a delivery infrastructure as a first, necessary step in working towards that goal. There are a number of valuable elements in the AIP which should be retained and repackaged to fit into new policy contexts
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