Measurement of the Michel Parameter xi" in Polarized Muon Decay and Implications on Exotic Couplings of the Leptonic Weak Interaction

The Michel parameter xi" has been determined from a measurement of the longitudinal polarization of positrons emitted in the decay of polarized and depolarized muons. The result, xi" = 0.981 +- 0.045stat +- 0.003syst, is consistent with the Standard Model prediction of unity, and provides an order of magnitude improvement in the relative precision of this parameter. This value sets new constraints on exotic couplings beyond the dominant V-A description of the leptonic weak interaction.Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables; submitted to Phys. Rev.

Game species monitoring using road-based distance sampling in association with thermal imagers: a covariate analysis

Monitorización de especies cinegéticas utilizando el muestreo a distancia con base en una carretera, en combinación con imágenes termográficas: un análisis de covariables La monitorización de las poblaciones de especies cinegéticas es necesaria para evaluar adecuadamente las capturas de los cazadores, en zonas que carecen de los grandes depredadores naturales. Sin embargo, los gestores de la caza deben controlar diversas especies y a menudo carecen de un método de control con un diseño conveniente. Por lo tanto, la monitorización de diversas especies al mismo tiempo en áreas muy grandes podría ser eficaz desde el punto de vista de los costes y del tiempo. Estudiamos la influencia de diversos factores durante la monitorización de tres especies cinegéticas comunes (el jabalí, el corzo y el zorro rojo) utilizando un muestreo a distancia desde la carretera, en asociación con imágenes termográficas. Este examen piloto basado en 20 recuentos nocturnos en cinco lugares contrastantes estudió el efecto de diversas covariables (especie, termografía, observador, tamaño del grupo y tipo de hábitat) sobre las probabilidades de detección (dp). No se hallaron diferencias entre las imágenes termográficas (dpJENOPTIK: 0,186, dpFLIR: 0,193) y el tamaño de los grupos (dp1ind.: 0,243, dp2ind.: 0,259, dp> 2ind.: 0,223), pero sí entre los observadores (dpobs1: 0,207, dpobs2: 0,274, dpobs3: 0,159). También se observaron diferencias esperadas entre las especies (dpwild boar: 0,22, dproe deer: 0,35, dpred fox: 0,32) y entre los tipos de hábitat (dpforest: 0,27, dpedge: 0,74, dpopen: 0,35). Nuestros resultados demuestran que la detectabilidad de los equipos de termografía de bajo coste es similar a la de otros métodos caros, destacando nuevas posibilidades del uso de la termografía para los gestores de la caza. Aunque deberían realizarse ajustes en el diseño del estudio, nuestros hallazgos sugieren que la monitorización de múltiples especies a gran escala podría ser un método eficaz para las especies cinegéticas comunes.Monitorización de especies cinegéticas utilizando el muestreo a distancia con base en una carretera, en combinación con imágenes termográficas: un análisis de covariables La monitorización de las poblaciones de especies cinegéticas es necesaria para evaluar adecuadamente las capturas de los cazadores, en zonas que carecen de los grandes depredadores naturales. Sin embargo, los gestores de la caza deben controlar diversas especies y a menudo carecen de un método de control con un diseño conveniente. Por lo tanto, la monitorización de diversas especies al mismo tiempo en áreas muy grandes podría ser eficaz desde el punto de vista de los costes y del tiempo. Estudiamos la influencia de diversos factores durante la monitorización de tres especies cinegéticas comunes (el jabalí, el corzo y el zorro rojo) utilizando un muestreo a distancia desde la carretera, en asociación con imágenes termográficas. Este examen piloto basado en 20 recuentos nocturnos en cinco lugares contrastantes estudió el efecto de diversas covariables (especie, termografía, observador, tamaño del grupo y tipo de hábitat) sobre las probabilidades de detección (dp). No se hallaron diferencias entre las imágenes termográficas (dpJENOPTIK: 0,186, dpFLIR: 0,193) y el tamaño de los grupos (dp1ind.: 0,243, dp2ind.: 0,259, dp> 2ind.: 0,223), pero sí entre los observadores (dpobs1: 0,207, dpobs2: 0,274, dpobs3: 0,159). También se observaron diferencias esperadas entre las especies (dpwild boar: 0,22, dproe deer: 0,35, dpred fox: 0,32) y entre los tipos de hábitat (dpforest: 0,27, dpedge: 0,74, dpopen: 0,35). Nuestros resultados demuestran que la detectabilidad de los equipos de termografía de bajo coste es similar a la de otros métodos caros, destacando nuevas posibilidades del uso de la termografía para los gestores de la caza. Aunque deberían realizarse ajustes en el diseño del estudio, nuestros hallazgos sugieren que la monitorización de múltiples especies a gran escala podría ser un método eficaz para las especies cinegéticas comunes.Monitoring of game species populations is necessary to adequately assess culling by hunters in areas where natural large predators are absent. However, game managers have to control several species and they often lack of an efficient and convenient survey design method. Monitoring several species at that same time over large areas could thus be cost– and time–effective. We tested the influence of several factors during monitoring of three common game species, (wild boar, roe deer and red fox, using road–based distance sampling in association with thermal imagers. This pilot survey based on 20 night counts in five contrasting sites studied the effect of several covariates (species, thermal imaging, observer, group size, and habitat type) on the detection probabilities (= dp). No differences were observed between thermal imagers (dpJENOPTIK: 0.186, dpFLIR: 0.193) and group sizes (dp1ind.: 0.243, dp2ind.: 0.259, dp> 2ind.: 0.223), but we found differences between observers (dpobs1: 0.207, dpobs2: 0.274, dpobs3: 0.159). Expected differences were also observed between species (dpwild boar: 0.22, dproe deer: 0.35, dpred fox: 0.32) and between habitat type (dpforest: 0.27, dpedge: 0.74, dpopen: 0.35). Our results show that the detectability of low cost thermal imaging equipment is similar to that of more expensive methods, highlighting new possibilities for the use of thermal imagery by game managers. Although adjustments should be made to the study design our findings suggest that large–scale multi–species monitoring could be an efficient method for common game species

Little-Parks effect and multiquanta vortices in a hybrid superconductor--ferromagnet system

Within the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory we investigate the phase diagram of a thin superconducting film with ferromagnetic nanoparticles. We study the oscillatory dependence of the critical temperature on an external magnetic field similar to the Little-Parks effect and formation of multiquantum vortex structures. The structure of a superconducting state is studied both analytically and numerically.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Mat

Asteroids' physical models from combined dense and sparse photometry and scaling of the YORP effect by the observed obliquity distribution

The larger number of models of asteroid shapes and their rotational states derived by the lightcurve inversion give us better insight into both the nature of individual objects and the whole asteroid population. With a larger statistical sample we can study the physical properties of asteroid populations, such as main-belt asteroids or individual asteroid families, in more detail. Shape models can also be used in combination with other types of observational data (IR, adaptive optics images, stellar occultations), e.g., to determine sizes and thermal properties. We use all available photometric data of asteroids to derive their physical models by the lightcurve inversion method and compare the observed pole latitude distributions of all asteroids with known convex shape models with the simulated pole latitude distributions. We used classical dense photometric lightcurves from several sources and sparse-in-time photometry from the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Catalina Sky Survey, and La Palma surveys (IAU codes 689, 703, 950) in the lightcurve inversion method to determine asteroid convex models and their rotational states. We also extended a simple dynamical model for the spin evolution of asteroids used in our previous paper. We present 119 new asteroid models derived from combined dense and sparse-in-time photometry. We discuss the reliability of asteroid shape models derived only from Catalina Sky Survey data (IAU code 703) and present 20 such models. By using different values for a scaling parameter cYORP (corresponds to the magnitude of the YORP momentum) in the dynamical model for the spin evolution and by comparing synthetics and observed pole-latitude distributions, we were able to constrain the typical values of the cYORP parameter as between 0.05 and 0.6.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, January 15, 201

The small binary asteroid (939) Isberga

In understanding the composition and internal structure of asteroids, their density is perhaps the most diagnostic quantity. We aim here to characterize the surface composition, mutual orbit, size, mass, and density of the small main-belt binary asteroid (939) Isberga. For that, we conduct a suite of multi-technique observations, including optical lightcurves over many epochs, near-infrared spectroscopy, and interferometry in the thermal infrared. We develop a simple geometric model of binary systems to analyze the interferometric data in combination with the results of the lightcurve modeling. From spectroscopy, we classify Ibserga as a Sq-type asteroid, consistent with the albedo of 0.14$^{+0.09}_{-0.06}$ (all uncertainties are reported as 3-$\sigma$ range) we determine (average albedo of S-types is 0.197 $\pm$ 0.153, Pravec et al., 2012, Icarus 221, 365-387). Lightcurve analysis reveals that the mutual orbit has a period of 26.6304 $\pm$ 0.0001 h, is close to circular, and has pole coordinates within 7 deg. of (225, +86) in ECJ2000, implying a low obliquity of 1.5 deg. The combined analysis of lightcurves and interferometric data allows us to determine the dimension of the system and we find volume-equivalent diameters of 12.4$^{+2.5}_{-1.2}$ km and 3.6$^{+0.7}_{-0.3}$ km for Isberga and its satellite, circling each other on a 33 km wide orbit. Their density is assumed equal and found to be $2.91^{+1.72}_{-2.01}$ g.cm$^{-3}$, lower than that of the associated ordinary chondrite meteorites, suggesting the presence of some macroporosity, but typical of S-types of the same size range (Carry, 2012, P\&SS 73, 98-118). The present study is the first direct measurement of the size of a small main-belt binary. Although the interferometric observations of Isberga are at the edge of MIDI capabilities, the method described here is applicable to others suites of instruments (e.g, LBT, ALMA).Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 4 table

An Improved Protocol for N-Glycosylation Analysis of Gel-Separated Sialylated Glycoproteins by MALDI-TOF/TOF

Different glycoforms of some proteins have been identified as differential spots for certain diseases in 2-DE, indicating disease-related glycosylation changes. It is routine to determine the site-specific glycosylation of nonsialylated N-glycoproteins from a single gel spot, but some obstacles still exist in analyzing sialylated glycoproteins due to the lability and higher detection limit of acid glycans in MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis. Thus, we present an improved protocol here. Tryptic glycopeptides were separated and subjected to MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis, resulting in the identification of site-specific glycosylation of high-intensity glycopeptides. Sequential deglycosylation and desialylation were used to improve the identification of glycosylation sites and desialylated glycans. The site-specific glycosylation of large glycopeptides and low-intensity glycopeptides was deduced based on the masses of glycopeptides, deglycosylated peptides and desialylated glycans. By applying it to 2-DE separated human serum, the difference of N-glycosylation was successfully determined for α1-antitrypsin between different gel spots