Noise parametric identification and whitening for LIGO 40-meter interferometer data

We report the analysis we made on data taken by Caltech 40-meter prototype interferometer to identify the noise power spectral density and to whiten the sequence of noise. We concentrate our study on data taken in November 1994, in particular we analyzed two frames of data: the 18nov94.2.frame and the 19nov94.2.frame. We show that it is possible to whiten these data, to a good degree of whiteness, using a high order whitening filter. Moreover we can choose to whiten only restricted band of frequencies around the region we are interested in, obtaining a higher level of whiteness.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication by Physical Review

Crossing borders: new teachers co-constructing professional identity in performative times

This paper draws on a range of theoretical perspectives on the construction of new teachers’ professional identity. It focuses particularly on the impact of the development in many national education systems of a performative culture of the management and regulation of teachers’ work. Whilst the role of interactions with professional colleagues and school managers in the performative school has been extensively researched, less attention has been paid to new teachers’ interactions with students. This paper highlights the need for further research focusing on the process of identity co-construction with students. A key theoretical concept employed is that of liminality, the space within which identities are in transition as teachers adjust to the culture of a new professional workplace, and the nature of the engagement of new teachers, or teachers who change schools, with students. The authors argue that an investigation into the processes of this co-construction of identity offers scope for new insights into the extent to which teachers might construct either a teacher identity at odds with their personal and professional values, or a more ‘authentic’ identity that counters performative discourses. These insights will in turn add to our understanding of the complex range of factors impacting on teacher resilience and motivation

The uses of coherent structure (Dryden Lecture)

The concept of coherent structure in turbulent flow is a revolutionary idea which is being developed by evolutionary means. The main objective of this review is to list some solid achievements, showing what can be done by using the concept of coherent structure that cannot be done without it. The nature of structure is described in terms of some related concepts, including celerity, topology, and the phenomenon of coalescence and splitting of structure. The main emphasis is on the mixing layer, as the one flow whose structure is well enough understood so that technical applications are now being made in problems of mixing and chemistry. An attempt is made to identify some conceptual and experimental obstacles that stand in the way of progress in other technically important flows, particularly the turbulent boundary layer. A few comments are included about the role of structure in numerical simulations and in current work on manipulation and control of turbulent flow. Some recent developments are cited which suggest that the time is nearly right for corresponding advances to occur in turbulence modeling

Detector Description and Performance for the First Coincidence Observations between LIGO and GEO

For 17 days in August and September 2002, the LIGO and GEO interferometer gravitational wave detectors were operated in coincidence to produce their first data for scientific analysis. Although the detectors were still far from their design sensitivity levels, the data can be used to place better upper limits on the flux of gravitational waves incident on the earth than previous direct measurements. This paper describes the instruments and the data in some detail, as a companion to analysis papers based on the first data.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures 17 Sept 03: author list amended, minor editorial change

A prospective study of infection and cardiovascular diseases: the Busselton Health Study

Background: Infectious agents might play a role in the aetiology of cardiovascular diseases. The aim was to determine the association of antibodies to implicated infectious agents with coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in a population-based prospective study. Design: This study was based on a cohort of 1612 cardiovascular disease-free adults in the 1981 Busselton Health Survey. Primary risk factors were measured from stored serum and case-cohort sampling was used to reduce costs and preserve serum. The outcomes of interest were time to first CHD or stroke event Serum antibody tests were carried out for all 218 CHD cases, all 119 stroke cases and a random subset of 451 subjects. Methods: Sera were tested for antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae (IgG and IgA), and for IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pylori and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The association between serum antibody and risk of cardiovascular diseases was analysed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: The estimated population prevalence was 24% for C. pneumoniae IgG, 7% for C. pneumoniae IgA, 58% for H. pylori and 85% had CMV antibody levels greater than 15 AU/mL. The estimated relative risk of CHD was around 1.2 for all antibodies examined, except for C. pneumoniae IgA for which it was less than one, and the estimated relative risk of stroke was around 0.85, however in all cases the 95% confidence interval included one. Conclusions: This study of an Australian population does not support an association between serum antibody levels to C. pneumoniae, H. pylori and CMV with development of cardiovascular diseases