Canadian ERTS program progress report

Progress of the Canadian ERTS program is provided along with statistics on the production and role of ERTS images both from the CCRS in Ottawa and from the Prince Albert Saskatchewan satellite station. The types of products, difficulties of production and some of the main applications in Canada are discussed

Near-infrared Detection of WD 0806-661 B with the Hubble Space Telescope

WD 0806-661 B is one of the coldest known brown dwarfs (T=300-345 K) based on previous mid-infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In addition, it is a benchmark for testing theoretical models of brown dwarfs because its age and distance are well-constrained via its primary star (2+/-0.5 Gyr, 19.2+/-0.6 pc). We present the first near-infrared detection of this object, which has been achieved through F110W imaging (~Y+J) with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We measure a Vega magnitude of m110=25.70+/-0.08, which implies J~25.0. When combined with the Spitzer photometry, our estimate of J helps to better define the empirical sequence of the coldest brown dwarfs in M4.5 versus J-[4.5]. The positions of WD 0806-661 B and other Y dwarfs in that diagram are best matched by the cloudy models of Burrows et al. and the cloudless models of Saumon et al., both of which employ chemical equilibrium. The calculations by Morley et al. for 50% cloud coverage differ only modestly from the data. Spectroscopy would enable a more stringent test of the models, but based on our F110W measurement, such observations are currently possible only with Hubble, and would require at least ~10 orbits to reach a signal-to-noise ratio of ~5

African Higher Education: Researching Absences, Equalities and Aspirations

No description supplie

Gene loss and lineage specific restriction-modification systems associated with niche differentiation in the Campylobacter jejuni Sequence Type 403 clonal complex

Campylobacter jejuni is a highly diverse species of bacteria commonly associated with infectious intestinal disease of humans and zoonotic carriage in poultry, cattle, pigs, and other animals. The species contains a large number of distinct clonal complexes that vary from host generalist lineages commonly found in poultry, livestock, and human disease cases to host-adapted specialized lineages primarily associated with livestock or poultry. Here, we present novel data on the ST403 clonal complex of C. jejuni, a lineage that has not been reported in avian hosts. Our data show that the lineage exhibits a distinctive pattern of intralineage recombination that is accompanied by the presence of lineage-specific restriction-modification systems. Furthermore, we show that the ST403 complex has undergone gene decay at a number of loci. Our data provide a putative link between the lack of association with avian hosts of C. jejuni ST403 and both gene gain and gene loss through nonsense mutations in coding sequences of genes, resulting in pseudogene formation

Phase Transition in a Stochastic Forest Fire Model and Effects of the Definition of Neighbourhood

We present results on a stochastic forest fire model, where the influence of the neighbour trees is treated in a more realistic way than usual and the definition of neighbourhood can be tuned by an additional parameter. This model exhibits a surprisingly sharp phase transition which can be shifted by redefinition of neighbourhood. The results can also be interpreted in terms of disease-spreading and are quite unsettling from the epidemologist's point of view, since variation of one crucial parameter only by a few percent can result in the change from endemic to epidemic behaviour.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure

An L Band Spectrum of the Coldest Brown Dwarf

The coldest brown dwarf, WISE 0855, is the closest known planetary-mass, free-floating object and has a temperature nearly as cold as the solar system gas giants. Like Jupiter, it is predicted to have an atmosphere rich in methane, water, and ammonia, with clouds of volatile ices. WISE 0855 is faint at near-infrared wavelengths and emits almost all its energy in the mid-infrared. Skemer et al. 2016 presented a spectrum of WISE 0855 from 4.5-5.1 micron (M band), revealing water vapor features. Here, we present a spectrum of WISE 0855 in L band, from 3.4-4.14 micron. We present a set of atmosphere models that include a range of compositions (metallicities and C/O ratios) and water ice clouds. Methane absorption is clearly present in the spectrum. The mid-infrared color can be better matched with a methane abundance that is depleted relative to solar abundance. We find that there is evidence for water ice clouds in the M band spectrum, and we find a lack of phosphine spectral features in both the L and M band spectra. We suggest that a deep continuum opacity source may be obscuring the near-infrared flux, possibly a deep phosphorous-bearing cloud, ammonium dihyrogen phosphate. Observations of WISE 0855 provide critical constraints for cold planetary atmospheres, bridging the temperature range between the long-studied solar system planets and accessible exoplanets. JWST will soon revolutionize our understanding of cold brown dwarfs with high-precision spectroscopy across the infrared, allowing us to study their compositions and cloud properties, and to infer their atmospheric dynamics and formation processes.Comment: 19 pages, 21 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

On the Relative Strength of Electric and Magnetic ULF Wave Radial Diffusion During the March 2015 Geomagnetic Storm

In this paper, we study electron radial diffusion coefficients derived from Pc4‐Pc5 ultralow frequency (ULF) wave power during the intense geomagnetic storm on 17–18 March 2015. During this storm the population of highly relativistic electrons was depleted within 2 hr of the storm commencement. This radial diffusion, depending upon the availability of source populations, can cause outward radial diffusion of particles and their loss to the magnetosheath, or inward transport and acceleration. Analysis of electromagnetic field measurements from Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite (GOES), Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) satellite, and ground‐based magnetometers shows that the main phase storm‐specific radial diffusion coefficients do not correspond to statistical estimates. Specifically, during the main phase, the electric diffusion ( urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0001) is reduced, and the magnetic diffusion ( urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0002) is increased, compared to empirical models based on Kp. Contrary to prior results, the main phase magnetic radial diffusion cannot be neglected. The largest discrepancies, and periods of dominance of urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0003 over urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0004, occur during intervals of strongly southward IMF. However, during storm recovery, both magnetic and electric diffusion rates are consistent with empirical estimates. We further verify observationally, for the first time, an energy coherence for both urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0005 and urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0006 where diffusion coefficients do not depend on energy. We show that, at least for this storm, properly characterizing main phase radial diffusion, potentially associated with enhanced ULF wave magnetopause shadowing losses, cannot be done with standard empirical models. Modifications, associated especially with southward IMF, which enhance the effects of urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54863:jgra54863-math-0007 and introduce larger main phase outward transport losses, are needed

On the cause and extent of outer radiation belt losses during the 30 September 2012 dropout event

Abstract On 30 September 2012, a flux dropout occurred throughout Earth\u27s outer electron radiation belt during the main phase of a strong geomagnetic storm. Using eight spacecraft from NASA\u27s Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) and Van Allen Probes missions and NOAA\u27s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites constellation, we examined the full extent and timescales of the dropout based on particle energy, equatorial pitch angle, radial distance, and species. We calculated phase space densities of relativistic electrons, in adiabatic invariant coordinates, which revealed that loss processes during the dropout were \u3e 90% effective throughout the majority of the outer belt and the plasmapause played a key role in limiting the spatial extent of the dropout. THEMIS and the Van Allen Probes observed telltale signatures of loss due to magnetopause shadowing and subsequent outward radial transport, including similar loss of energetic ring current ions. However, Van Allen Probes observations suggest that another loss process played a role for multi-MeV electrons at lower L shells (L\u3c ∼4). Key Points Dropout events can encompass the entire outer radiation belt Dropouts can result in \u3e90% losses and be a hard reset on the system Loss at L \u3e ∼4 is dominated by MP shadowing and outward transport

Ultimate behavior of idealized composite floor elements at ambient and elevated temperature

This paper is concerned with the ultimate behavior of composite floor slabs under extreme loading situations resembling those occurring during severe building fires. The study focuses on the failure state associated with rupture of the reinforcement in idealized slab elements, which become lightly reinforced in a fire situation due to the early loss of the steel deck. The paper describes a fundamental approach for assessing the failure limit associated with reinforcement fracture in lightly reinforced beams, representing idealized slab strips. A description of the ambient-temperature tests on isolated restrained elements, carried out to assess the influence of key material parameters on the failure conditions, is firstly presented. The results of a series of material tests, undertaken mainly to examine the effect of elevated temperature on ductility, are also described. A simplified analytical model is employed, in conjunction with the experimental findings, to assess the salient material parameters and their implications on the ultimate response at both ambient and elevated temperature. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC