541 research outputs found
Southern Hemisphere Observations of a eV Cosmic Ray Source Near the Direction of the Galactic Centre
We report on an analysis of data from the southern hemisphere SUGAR cosmic
ray detector. We confirm the existence of an excess of eV cosmic rays
from a direction close to the Galactic Centre, first reported by the AGASA
group. We find that the signal is consistent with that from a point source, and
we find no evidence for an excess of cosmic rays coming from the direction of
the Galactic Centre itself.Comment: 14 pages including 5 postscript figures, corrected the title
(replaced "Cosmic Ray Source" instead of "Cosmic Ray"
Natural abundance 14N and 15N solid-state NMR of pharmaceuticals and their polymorphs
14N ultra-wideline (UW), 1H{15N} indirectly-detected HETCOR (idHETCOR) and 15N dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state NMR (SSNMR) experiments, in combination with plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) calculations of 14N EFG tensors, were utilized to characterize a series of nitrogen-containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including HCl salts of scopolamine, alprenolol, isoprenaline, acebutolol, dibucaine, nicardipine, and ranitidine. A case study applying these methods for the differentiation of polymorphs of bupivacaine HCl is also presented. All experiments were conducted upon samples with naturally-abundant nitrogen isotopes. For most of the APIs, it was possible to acquire frequency-stepped UW 14N SSNMR spectra of stationary samples, which display powder patterns corresponding to pseudo-tetrahedral (i.e., RRâ˛Râ˛â˛NH+ and RRâ˛NH2+) or other (i.e., RNH2 and RNO2) nitrogen environments. Directly-excited 14N NMR spectra were acquired using the WURST-CPMG pulse sequence, which incorporates WURST (wideband, uniform rate, and smooth truncation) pulses and a CPMG (Carr-Purcell Meiboom-Gill) refocusing protocol. In certain cases, spectra were acquired using 1H â 14N broadband cross-polarization, via the BRAIN-CP (broadband adiabatic inversion â cross polarization) pulse sequence. These spectra provide 14N electric field gradient (EFG) tensor parameters and orientations that are particularly sensitive to variations in local structure and intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions. The 1H{15N} idHETCOR spectra, acquired under conditions of fast magic-angle spinning (MAS), used CP transfers to provide 1Hâ15N chemical shift correlations for all nitrogen environments, except for two sites in acebutolol and nicardipine. One of these two sites (RRâ˛NH2+ in acebutolol) was successfully detected using the DNP-enhanced 15N{1H} CP/MAS measurement, and one (RNO2 in nicardipine) remained elusive due to the absence of nearby protons. This exploratory study suggests that this combination of techniques has great potential for the characterization of solid APIs and numerous other organic, biological, and inorganic systems
A new species of the lenticel fungal genus Claviradulomyces (Ostropales) from the Brazilian Atlantic forest tree Xylopia sericea (Annonaceae)
Claviradulomyces xylopiae sp. nov. is introduced for a fungus occurring in association with abnormal (enlarged, spongy) lenticels of Xylopia sericea (Annonaceae), a common tree of the Atlantic forest and Cerrado ecosystems in Brazil. This is the second species described in the genus and, although it is morphologically distinct from the type species, C. dabeicola from West Africa, it possesses the same characteristics. Apothecial ascomata have periphysoids and paraphyses that are inflated apically (clavate), and ornamented with denticles (raduliform). Furthermore, similar to the type species, it also has long-cylindric or acerose, aseptate ascospores and conidia. An additional asexual morph was produced in culture and is described. Molecular studies of C. dabeicola and the new species confirmed a placement in Ostropales, although a relationship to Odontotremataceae was not supported. Both species were consistently in association with abnormal lenticular development on their woody hosts. It remains to be ascertained, however, if these are the causal agents of the bark disorders, or, simply, opportunistic colonisers. The finding of the second species in the genus Claviradulomyces on a plant from a distantly related family to that of the host of C. dabeicola (Erythroxylaceae) for the genus on a different continent suggests that fungi in this genus may be common on lenticels of other woody plants, and could even have a pantropical distribution. It is possible that fungi in the genus have remained unreported until now because lenticels have remained neglected as a habitat surveyed by mycologists
Wave packet revivals and the energy eigenvalue spectrum of the quantum pendulum
The rigid pendulum, both as a classical and as a quantum problem, is an
interesting system as it has the exactly soluble harmonic oscillator and the
rigid rotor systems as limiting cases in the low- and high-energy limits
respectively. The energy variation of the classical periodicity () is
also dramatic, having the special limiting case of at the
'top' of the classical motion (i.e. the separatrix.) We study the
time-dependence of the quantum pendulum problem, focusing on the behavior of
both the (approximate) classical periodicity and especially the quantum revival
and superrevival times, as encoded in the energy eigenvalue spectrum of the
system. We provide approximate expressions for the energy eigenvalues in both
the small and large quantum number limits, up to 4th order in perturbation
theory, comparing these to existing handbook expansions for the characteristic
values of the related Mathieu equation, obtained by other methods. We then use
these approximations to probe the classical periodicity, as well as to extract
information on the quantum revival and superrevival times. We find that while
both the classical and quantum periodicities increase monotonically as one
approaches the 'top' in energy, from either above or below, the revival times
decrease from their low- and high-energy values until very near the separatrix
where they increase to a large, but finite value.Comment: 27 pages, 8 embedded .eps figures; to appear, Annals of Physic
Thermodynamic Properties of the Dimerised and Frustrated S=1/2 Chain
By high temperature series expansion, exact diagonalisation and temperature
density-matrix renormalisation the magnetic susceptibility and the
specific heat of dimerised and frustrated chains are computed.
All three methods yield reliable results, in particular for not too small
temperatures or not too small gaps. The series expansion results are provided
in the form of polynomials allowing very fast and convenient fits in data
analysis using algebraic programmes. We discuss the difficulty to extract more
than two coupling constants from the temperature dependence of .Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures, 4 table
Spatial competition and agglomeration in the visitor attraction sector
This paper provides a theoretical and empirical contribution to understanding spatial competition by examining visitor attractions in two contrasting clusters of lower and higher levels of agglomeration of businesses in Cornwall, the UK. The study found that competition is mainly for customers and labour and is related differently to the levels of agglomeration, spatial proximity and thematic product similarity between visitor attractions at the local compared to the regional scale. Location can be used differently for employing âweakâ and âstrongâ competitive strategies. The study contributes to the knowledge on the spatiality of competition and the locational strategies of service businesses
Giant pulses of pulsar radio emission
Review report of giant pulses of pulsar radio emission, based on our
detections of four new pulsars with giant pulses, and the comparative analysis
of the previously known pulsars with giant pulses, including the Crab pulsar
and millisecond pulsar PSR B1937+21.Comment: Proceedings of the 363. WE-Heraeus Seminar on: Neutron Stars and
Pulsars (Posters and contributed talks) Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, Germany,
May.14-19, 2006, eds. W.Becker, H.H.Huang, MPE Report 291, pp.72-7
An integrated approach to determine threeâdimensional accretion geometries of tidal point bars: Examples from the Venice Lagoon
Low rates of lateral migration (centimetres to decimetres per year) combined with relatively high rates of vertical accretion (millimetres to centimetres per year) recorded in microtidal channels of the Venice Lagoon (Italy) give rise to pointâbar geometries and internal facies arrangements that differ substantially from widely accepted models of pointâbar sedimentary architecture. In this study, field data from the Venice Lagoon are combined with a threeâdimensional forward stratigraphic model, the âPointâBar Sedimentary Architecture Numerical Deductionâ (PBâSAND), to predict the stratal geometries of point bars formed in aggradational settings. The PBâSAND uses a combined geometric and stochastic modelling approach that can be constrained by field evidence. The model applied determines the geometry of four point bars generated by 9 to 11 m wide channels cutting through salt marshes. An iterative bestâfit modelling approach has been used to obtain multiple simulations for each caseâstudy, each of which fits the observations derived from the analysis of timeâseries historical aerial photographs and 44 sedimentary cores. Results demonstrate how the geometry of the bars is determined by the development of two key stratal surfaces: the pointâbar brink and channelâthalweg surfaces. These surfaces are defined by the progressive translation and vertical shift of the pointâbar brink (i.e. break of slope between bar top and bar slope) and the channel thalweg (i.e. deepest part of the channel) during bar evolution. The approach is used to: (i) reconstruct threeâdimensional pointâbar geometries; (ii) propose alternative reconstructions; (iii) provide insight to drive the acquisition of additional data to better constrain the proposed models; and (iv) provide insight into the mechanism of bar growth for slowly migrating channels in settings subject to relatively high rates of aggradation. This study highlights how interaction between styles of planform transformation and lateroâvertical shifts of meandering channels can determine the geometry of related sedimentary bodies
High-time Resolution Astrophysics and Pulsars
The discovery of pulsars in 1968 heralded an era where the temporal
characteristics of detectors had to be reassessed. Up to this point detector
integration times would normally be measured in minutes rather seconds and
definitely not on sub-second time scales. At the start of the 21st century
pulsar observations are still pushing the limits of detector telescope
capabilities. Flux variations on times scales less than 1 nsec have been
observed during giant radio pulses. Pulsar studies over the next 10 to 20 years
will require instruments with time resolutions down to microseconds and below,
high-quantum quantum efficiency, reasonable energy resolution and sensitive to
circular and linear polarisation of stochastic signals. This chapter is review
of temporally resolved optical observations of pulsars. It concludes with
estimates of the observability of pulsars with both existing telescopes and
into the ELT era.Comment: Review; 21 pages, 5 figures, 86 references. Book chapter to appear
in: D.Phelan, O.Ryan & A.Shearer, eds.: High Time Resolution Astrophysics
(Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Springer, 2007). The original
publication will be available at http://www.springerlink.co
The Murchison Widefield Array Transients Survey (MWATS):A search for low-frequency variability in a bright Southern hemisphere sample
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