A Uniform Treatment of Architectures in Decentralized Discrete-Event System

Solutions to decentralized discrete-event systems problems are characterized by the way local decisions are fused to yield a global decision. A fusion rule is colloquially called an architecture. This paper provides a uniform treatment of architectures in decentralized discrete-event systems. Current approaches neither provide a direct way to determine problem solvability conditions under one architecture, nor a way to compare existing architectures. Determining whether a new architecture is more general than an existing known architecture relies on producing examples ad hoc and on individual inspiration that puts the conditions for solvability in each architecture into some form that admits comparison. From these research efforts, a method based on morphisms between graphs has been extracted to yield a uniform approach to decentralized discrete-event system architectures and their attendant fusion rules. This treatment provides an easy and direct way to compare the fusion rules -- and hence to compare the strength or generality of the corresponding architectures

A High Fraction of Ly-alpha-Emitters Among Galaxies with Extreme Emission Line Ratios at z ~ 2

Star-forming galaxies form a sequence in the [OIII]/H-beta vs. [NII]/H-alpha diagnostic diagram, with low metallicity, highly ionized galaxies falling in the upper left corner. Drawing from a large sample of UV-selected star-forming galaxies at z~2 with rest-frame optical nebular emission line measurements from Keck-MOSFIRE, we select the extreme ~5% of the galaxies lying in this upper left corner, requiring log([NII]/H-alpha) = 0.75. These cuts identify galaxies with 12 + log(O/H) <~ 8.0, when oxygen abundances are measured via the O3N2 diagnostic. We study the Ly-alpha properties of the resulting sample of 14 galaxies. The mean (median) rest-frame Ly-alpha equivalent width is 39 (36) A, and 11 of the 14 objects (79%) are Ly-alpha-emitters (LAEs) with W_Lya > 20 A. We compare the equivalent width distribution of a sample of 522 UV-selected galaxies at 2.0<z<2.6 identified without regard to their optical line ratios; this sample has mean (median) Ly-alpha equivalent width -1 (-4) A, and only 9% of these galaxies qualify as LAEs. The extreme galaxies typically have lower attenuation at Ly-alpha than those in the comparison sample, and have ~50% lower median oxygen abundances. Both factors are likely to facilitate the escape of Ly-alpha: in less dusty galaxies Ly-alpha photons are less likely to be absorbed during multiple scatterings, while the harder ionizing spectrum and higher ionization parameter associated with strong, low metallicity star formation may reduce the covering fraction or column density of neutral hydrogen, further easing Ly-alpha escape. The use of nebular emission line ratios may prove useful in the identification of galaxies with low opacity to Ly-alpha photons across a range of redshifts.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

Strong Nebular Line Ratios in the Spectra of z~2-3 Star-forming Galaxies: First Results from KBSS-MOSFIRE

We present initial results of a deep near-IR spectroscopic survey covering the 15 fields of the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey (KBSS) using MOSFIRE on the Keck 1 telescope, focusing on a sample of 251 galaxies with redshifts 2.0< z < 2.6, star-formation rates 2 < SFR < 200 M_sun/yr, and stellar masses 8.6 < log(M*/M_sun) < 11.4, with high-quality spectra in both H- and K-band atmospheric windows. We show unambiguously that the locus of z~2.3 galaxies in the "BPT" nebular diagnostic diagram exhibits a disjoint, yet similarly tight, relationship between the ratios [NII]6585/Halpha and [OIII]/Hbeta as compared to local galaxies. Using photoionization models, we argue that the offset of the z~2.3 locus relative to z~ 0 is explained by a combination of harder ionizing radiation field, higher ionization parameter, and higher N/O at a given O/H than applies to most local galaxies, and that the position of a galaxy along the z~2.3 star-forming BPT locus is surprisingly insensitive to gas-phase oxygen abundance. The observed nebular emission line ratios are most easily reproduced by models in which the net ionizing radiation field resembles a blackbody with effective temperature T_eff = 50000-60000 K and N/O close to the solar value at all O/H. We critically assess the applicability of commonly-used strong line indices for estimating gas-phase metallicities, and consider the implications of the small intrinsic scatter in the empirical relationship between excitation-sensitive line indices and stellar mass (i.e., the "mass-metallicity" relation), at z~2.3.Comment: 41 pages, 25 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. Version with full-resolution figures available at http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~ccs/mos_bpt_submit.pd

The Infrared Detection of the Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Galactic Supernova Remnant 3C 58

We present infrared observations of 3C 58 with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Using the IRAC camera, we have imaged the entire source resulting in clear detections of the nebula at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. The derived flux values are consistent with extrapolation of the X-ray spectrum to the infrared band, demonstrating that any cooling break in the synchrotron spectrum must occur near the soft X-ray band. We also detect the torus surrounding PSR J0205+6449, the 65 ms pulsar that powers 3C 58. The torus spectrum requires a break between the infrared and X-ray bands, and perhaps multiple breaks. This complex spectrum, which is an imprint of the particles injected into the nebula, has considerable consequences for the evolution of the broadband spectrum of 3C 58. We illustrate these effects and discuss the impact of these observations on the modeling of broadband spectra of pulsar wind nebulae.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Discovery and Early Evolution of ASASSN-19bt, the First TDE Detected by TESS

We present the discovery and early evolution of ASASSN-19bt, a tidal disruption event (TDE) discovered by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) at a distance of $d\simeq115$ Mpc and the first TDE to be detected by TESS. As the TDE is located in the TESS Continuous Viewing Zone, our dataset includes 30-minute cadence observations starting on 2018 July 25, and we precisely measure that the TDE begins to brighten $\sim8.3$ days before its discovery. Our dataset also includes 18 epochs of Swift UVOT and XRT observations, 2 epochs of XMM-Newton observations, 13 spectroscopic observations, and ground data from the Las Cumbres Observatory telescope network, spanning from 32 days before peak through 37 days after peak. ASASSN-19bt thus has the most detailed pre-peak dataset for any TDE. The TESS light curve indicates that the transient began to brighten on 2019 January 21.6 and that for the first 15 days its rise was consistent with a flux $\propto t^2$ power-law model. The optical/UV emission is well-fit by a blackbody SED, and ASASSN-19bt exhibits an early spike in its luminosity and temperature roughly 32 rest-frame days before peak and spanning up to 14 days that has not been seen in other TDEs, possibly because UV observations were not triggered early enough to detect it. It peaked on 2019 March 04.9 at a luminosity of $L\simeq1.3\times10^{44}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ and radiated $E\simeq3.2\times10^{50}$ ergs during the 41-day rise to peak. X-ray observations after peak indicate a softening of the hard X-ray emission prior to peak, reminiscent of the hard/soft states in X-ray binaries.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables. A machine-readable table containing the host-subtracted photometry presented in this manuscript is included as an ancillary fil

No antidepressant effects of low intensity transcranial pulsed electromagnetic fields for treatment resistant depression

Background: Noninvasive neurostimulation with transcranial Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (tPEMF) may be a promising method for treatment resistant depression (TRD). Studies shown substantial improvement of depressive symptoms in patients with TRD, but there is no information on long-term antidepressant effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the short- and long-term efficacy of tPEMF in participants with TRD. Methods: Eligible participants with TRD in this sham-controlled double-blind multicenter trial were randomly assigned to five weeks either daily active or sham tPEMF. Severity of depression and anxiety was assessed preand directly post-treatment and five and fifteen weeks post-treatment. Primary outcome was change on the 17item Hamilton depression rating scale directly post-treatment. Secondary outcome was change on the Hamilton17 during follow-up and change on the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report and the Beck Anxiety Index. Results: Of the 55 included participants, 50 completed the treatment protocol. Depressive symptoms improved over time in both groups. The improvement continued until the last follow-up measure. There was no difference in outcome between the active and the sham group on change in depression post-treatment or on any secondary measure. Conclusion: Treatment with this type of active tPEMF was not superior to sham in patients with TRD. This is in contrast to a previous study using a similar design and power calculation, but a higher magnetic field strength, that reported improvement of depression after treatment with tPEMF compared to sham. An important limitation of our study was the fact that no different dosing regimens were tried