SIGMA and XTE observations of the soft X-ray transient XTEJ1755-324

We present observations of the X-ray transient XTEJ1755-324 performed during summer 1997 with the XTE satellite and with the SIGMA hard X-ray telescope onboard the GRANAT observatory. The source was first detected in soft X-rays with XTE on July 25 1997 with a rather soft X-ray spectrum and its outburst was monitored in soft X-rays up to November 1997. On September 16 it was first detected in hard X-rays by the French soft gamma ray telescope SIGMA during a Galactic Center observation. The flux was stronger on September 16 and 17 reaching a level of about 110 mCrab in the 40-80 keV energy band. On the same days the photon index of the spectrum was determined to be alpha =-2.3 +/- 0.9 (1 sigma error) while the 40-150 keV luminosity was about 8 x 10^{36} erg/s for a distance of 8.5 kpc. SIGMA and XTE results on this source indicate that this source had an ultrasoft-like state during its main outburst and a harder secondary outburst in September. These characteristics make the source similar to X-Nova Muscae 1991, a well known black hole candidate.Comment: 19 pages LaTeX, 6 Postscript figures included, Accepted by Astrophysical Journa

Properties Of The Hard X-ray Radiation From The Black Hole Candidates: Cygnus X-1 And 1E1740.7-2942

The entire dataset of the GRANAT/SIGMA observations of Cyg X-1 and 1E1740.7-2942 in 1990-1994 was analyzed in order to search for correlations between primary observational characteristics of the hard X-ray (40-200 keV) emission - hard X-ray luminosity, hardness of the spectrum (quantified in terms of the best-fit thermal bremsstrahlung temperature kT) and the RMS of short-term flux variations. Although no strict point-to-point correlations were detected certain general tendencies are evident. It was found that for Cyg X-1 the spectral hardness is in general positively correlated with relative amplitude of short-term variability. The correlation of similar kind was found for X-ray transient GRO J0422+32 (X-ray Nova Persei 1992). For both sources an approximate correlation between kT and L_X was found. At low hard X-ray luminosity - below 10E37 erg/sec - kT increases with L_X. At higher luminosity the spectral hardness depends weaker or does not depend at all on the hard X-ray luminosity. The low luminosity end of these approximate correlations (low kT and low RMS) corresponds to extended episodes of very low hard X-ray flux occurred during SIGMA observations.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, uses mn.sty, epsf.sty, psfig.tex; Accepted for publication in MNRAS; Also available at http://hea.iki.rssi.ru/~sik/PAPERS/mnras97.ps.gz (gzipped PostScript

SIGMA Observations of the Bursting Pulsar GRO J1744-28

We present the results of the GRANAT/SIGMA hard X-/soft gamma-ray long-term monitoring of the Galactic Center (GC) region concerning the source GRO J1744-28, discovered on 1995 Dec. 2 by CGRO/BATSE. SIGMA observed the region containing the source in 14 opportunities between 1990 and 1997. In two of these observing sessions, corresponding to March 1996 and March 1997, GRO J1744-28 was detected with a confidence level greater than 5(sigma) in the 35-75 keV energy band without detection in the 75-150 keV energy band. For the other sessions, upper limits of the flux are indicated. The particular imaging capabilities of the SIGMA telescope allow us to identify, specifically, the source position in the very crowded GC region, giving us a mean flux of (73.1 +/- 5.5)E-11 and (44.7 +/- 6.4)E-11 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 in the 35-75 keV energy band, for the March 1996 and March 1997 observing sessions, respectively. Combining the March 1997 SIGMA and BATSE observations, we found evidence pointing to the type-II nature of the source bursts for this period. For the same observing campaigns, spectra were obtained in the 35 to 150 keV energy band. The best fit corresponds to an optically thin thermal Bremsstrahlung with F(50 keV)=(3.6 +/- 0.6)E-4 phot cm^-2 s^-1 keV^-1 and kT(Bremss)=28 +/- 7 keV, for the first campaign, and F(50 keV)=(2.3 +/- 0.7)E-4 phot cm^-2 s^-1 keV^-1 and kT(Bremss)=18 (+12/-7) keV, for the second. This kind of soft spectrum is typical of binary sources containing a neutron star as the compact object, in contrast to the harder spectra typical of systems containing a black hole candidateComment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 4 pages, 4 figure

A educação brasileira está melhorando? Evidências do Pisa e do Saeb

This article assesses the changes in mathematics and reading scores of socially advantaged or disadvantaged Brazilian students, in the International Student Assessment Program – Pisa – between 2000 and 2012, and the National Basic Education Assessment System – Saeb – between 1995 to 2013, in order to extract some provisional conclusions regarding the variations in the effectiveness of basic education in Brazil (1st to 8th/9th grades). Our findings show that the gains in the Pisa math test are much larger than in the reading test. The gains (or their absence), in the Saeb test, for the 1999-2013 period, are also higher in mathematics than in Portuguese. Part of the gains in the Pisa math test and most of those in the reading test result from the gradual increase in the number of years fifteen year-old students spend in school. The gains in the Pisa test for more advantaged Brazilian students are lower than for those coming from families with lower educational resources; this also applies for the Saeb test.Neste texto medimos as mudanças das pontuações em matemática e leitura dos alunos brasileiros favorecidos e desfavorecidos no Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos – Pisa – entre 2000 e 2012 e no Sistema de Avaliação da Educação Básica – Saeb – no período de 1995 a 2013, a fim de extrair algumas conclusões provisórias em relação à variação da efetividade do ensino básico brasileiro (1ª a 8ª/9ª séries). Nossos achados mostram que os ganhos no teste de matemática do Pisa são muito maiores do que no teste de leitura. Os ganhos (ou sua ausência) entre 1999 e 2013 no teste do Saeb são também maiores em matemática que em português. Parte do ganho no teste de matemática do Pisa e a maior parte do ganho no teste de leitura resultam do aumento gradual no tempo que os alunos com a idade de quinze anos passam na escola. Os ganhos no Pisa para os estudantes brasileiros mais favorecidos são menores do que entre aqueles com níveis baixos de recursos acadêmicos familiares, o que também se verifica no teste do Saeb.En este texto medimos los cambios del puntaje en matemáticas y lectura de los alumnos brasileiros favorecidos y desfavorecidos en el Programa Internacional de Evaluación de Alumnos –Pisa– entre 2000 y 2012, y en el Sistema de Evaluación de la Educación Básica –Saeb– en el periodo de 1995 a 2013, con el propósito de extraer algunas conclusiones provisorias en lo que concierne a la variación de la efectividad de la educación básica brasileña (1º a 8º /9º  años). Nuestros hallazgos muestran que las ganancias en la prueba de matemáticas del Pisa son mucho mayores que en la prueba de lectura. Las ganancias (o su ausencia) en 1999-2013 en la prueba de Saeb también son mayores en matemáticas que en portugués. Una parte de la ganancia en la prueba de matemáticas de Pisa y la mayor parte de la ganancia en la prueba de lectura resultan del aumento gradual en el número de años que los alumnos de quince años pasan en la escuela. Las ganancias en el Pisa para los estudiantes brasileños más favorecidos son menores que entre aquellos con niveles bajos de recursos académicos familiares, lo que también se verifica en la prueba de Saeb