1,315 research outputs found
Observations of the Ca II K line in Hel0830A dark points on August 3, 1985
Spectroheliograms taken in the light of He I 10830 A at the National Solar Observatory Vacuum Telescope on Kitt Peak were used to identify coronal holes and bright points (BPs). Target points were identified, coordinates calculated, and spectra recorded. For each spectrum, the difference in wavelength between the Ca II K minimum and the FeI reference line was calculated. It was noteworthy that the overall effect is a blueshift. It should be noted that if material of chromospheric density moves outward at this velocity, it could supply the mass flux of the solar wind if this chromospheric flow was concentrated in a few dozen sources, each of a diameter of a few arc seconds
From Solar and Stellar Flares to Coronal Heating: Theory and Observations of How Magnetic Reconnection Regulates Coronal Conditions
There is currently no explanation of why the corona has the temperature and
density it has. We present a model which explains how the dynamics of magnetic
reconnection regulates the conditions in the corona. A bifurcation in magnetic
reconnection at a critical state enforces an upper bound on the coronal
temperature for a given density. We present observational evidence from 107
flares in 37 sun-like stars that stellar coronae are near this critical state.
The model may be important to self-organized criticality models of the solar
corona.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted to Ap. J. Lett., February 200
Mapping warm molecular hydrogen with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
Photometric maps, obtained with Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), can
provide a valuable probe of warm molecular hydrogen within the interstellar
medium. IRAC maps of the supernova remnant IC443, extracted from the Spitzer
archive, are strikingly similar to spectral line maps of the H2 pure rotational
transitions that we obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) instrument on
Spitzer. IRS spectroscopy indicates that IRAC Bands 3 and 4 are indeed
dominated by the H2 v=0-0 S(5) and S(7) transitions, respectively. Modeling of
the H2 excitation suggests that Bands 1 and 2 are dominated by H2 v=1-0 O(5)
and v=0-0 S(9). Large maps of the H2 emission in IC433, obtained with IRAC,
show band ratios that are inconsistent with the presence of gas at a single
temperature. The relative strengths of IRAC Bands 2, 3, and 4 are consistent
with pure H2 emission from shocked material with a power-law distribution of
gas temperatures. CO vibrational emissions do not contribute significantly to
the observed Band 2 intensity. Assuming that the column density of H2 at
temperatures T to T+dT is proportional to T raised to the power -b for
temperatures up to 4000 K, we obtained a typical estimate of 4.5 for b. The
power-law index, b, shows variations over the range 3 to 6 within the set of
different sight-lines probed by the maps, with the majority of sight-lines
showing b in the range 4 to 5. The observed power-law index is consistent with
the predictions of simple models for paraboloidal bow shocks.Comment: 27 pages, including 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Making automation pay - cost & throughput trade-offs in the manufacture of large composite components
The automation of complex manufacturing operations can provide significant savings over manual processes, and there remains much scope for increasing automation in the production of large scale structural composites. However the relationships between driving variables are complex, and the achievable throughput rate and corresponding cost for a given design are often not apparent. The deposition rate, number of machines required and unit production rates needed are interrelated and consequently the optimum unit cost is difficult to predict. A detailed study of the costs involved for a series of composite wing cover panels with different manufacturing requirements was undertaken. Panels were sized to account for manufacturing requirements and structural load requirements allowing both manual and automated lay-up procedures to influence design. It was discovered that the introduction of automated tape lay-up can significantly reduce material unit cost, and improve material utilisation, however higher production rates are needed to see this benefit
Detection of Coronal Mass Ejections in V471 Tauri with the Hubble Space Telescope
V471 Tauri, an eclipsing system consisting of a hot DA white dwarf (WD) and a
dK2 companion in a 12.5-hour orbit, is the prototype of the pre-cataclysmic
binaries. The late-type component is magnetically active, due to its being
constrained to rotate synchronously with the short orbital period. During a
program of UV spectroscopy of V471 Tau, carried out with the Goddard High
Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) onboard the Hubble Space Telescope, we
serendipitously detected two episodes in which transient absorptions in the Si
III 1206 A resonance line appeared suddenly, on a timescale of <2 min. The
observations were taken in a narrow spectral region around Ly-alpha, and were
all obtained near the two quadratures of the binary orbit, i.e., at maximum
projected separation (~3.3 Rsun) of the WD and K star.
We suggest that these transient features arise when coronal mass ejections
(CME's) from the K2 dwarf pass across the line of sight to the WD. Estimates of
the velocities, densities, and masses of the events in V471 Tau are generally
consistent with the properties of solar CME's. Given our detection of 2 events
during 6.8 hr of GHRS observing, along with a consideration of the restricted
range of latitudes and longitudes on the K star's surface that can give rise to
trajectories passing in front of the WD as seen from Earth, we estimate that
the active V471 Tau dK star emits some 100-500 CME's per day, as compared to
1-3 per day for the Sun. The K dwarf's mass-loss rate associated with CME's is
at least (5-25) x 10^{-14} Msun/yr, but it may well be orders of magnitude
higher if most of the silicon is in ionization states other than Si III.Comment: 24 pages AASTeX, 4 figures. Accepted by Astrophysical Journa
Multifluid, Magnetohydrodynamic Shock Waves with Grain Dynamics II. Dust and the Critical Speed for C Shocks
This is the second in a series of papers on the effects of dust on
multifluid, MHD shock waves in weakly ionized molecular gas. We investigate the
influence of dust on the critical shock speed, v_crit, above which C shocks
cease to exist. Chernoff showed that v_crit cannot exceed the grain
magnetosound speed, v_gms, if dust grains are dynamically well coupled to the
magnetic field. We present numerical simulations of steady shocks where the
grains may be well- or poorly coupled to the field. We use a time-dependent,
multifluid MHD code that models the plasma as a system of interacting fluids:
neutral particles, ions, electrons, and various ``dust fluids'' comprised of
grains with different sizes and charges. Our simulations include grain inertia
and grain charge fluctuations but to highlight the essential physics we assume
adiabatic flow, single-size grains, and neglect the effects of chemistry. We
show that the existence of a phase speed v_phi does not necessarily mean that C
shocks will form for all shock speeds v_s less than v_phi. When the grains are
weakly coupled to the field, steady, adiabatic shocks resemble shocks with no
dust: the transition to J type flow occurs at v_crit = 2.76 v_nA, where v_nA is
the neutral Alfven speed, and steady shocks with v_s > 2.76 v_nA are J shocks
with magnetic precursors in the ion-electron fluid. When the grains are
strongly coupled to the field, v_crit = min(2.76 v_nA, v_gms). Shocks with
v_crit < v_s < v_gms have magnetic precursors in the ion-electron-dust fluid.
Shocks with v_s > v_gms have no magnetic precursor in any fluid. We present
time-dependent calculations to study the formation of steady multifluid shocks.
The dynamics differ qualitatively depending on whether or not the grains and
field are well coupled.Comment: 43 pages with 17 figures, aastex, accepted by The Astrophysical
Journa
Kramers rate theory of ionization and dissociation of bound states
Calculating the microscopic dissociation rate of a bound state, such as a
classical diatomic molecule, has been difficult so far. The problem was that
standard theories require an energy barrier over which the bound particle (or
state) escapes into the preferred low-energy state. This is not the case when
the long-range repulsion responsible for the barrier is either absent or
screened (as in Cooper pairs, ionized plasma, or biomolecular complexes). We
solve this classical problem by accounting for entropic memory at the
microscopic level. The theory predicts dissociation rates for arbitrary
potentials and is successfully tested on the example of plasma, where it yields
an estimate of ionization in the core of Sun in excellent agreement with
experiments. In biology, the new theory accounts for crowding in
receptor-ligand kinetics and protein aggregation
The periodic variations of a white-light flare observed with ULTRACAM
High time resolution observations of a white-light flare on the active star EQ PegB show evidence of intensity variations with a period of ≈10 s. The period drifts to longer values during the decay phase of the flare. If the oscillation is interpreted as an impulsively-excited,
standing-acoustic wave in a flare loop, the period implies a loop length of ≈3.4 Mm and ≈6.8 Mm for the case of the fundamental mode and the second harmonic, respectively. However, the small loop lengths imply a very high modulation depth making the acoustic interpretation unlikely. A more realistic interpretation may be that of a fast-MHD wave, with the modulation of the emission being
due to the magnetic field. Alternatively, the variations could be due to a series of reconnection events. The periodic signature may then arise as a result of the lateral separation of individual flare loops or current sheets with oscillatory dynamics (i.e., periodic reconnection)
Ten Years of Experience Training Non-Physician Anesthesia Providers in Haiti.
Surgery is increasingly recognized as an effective means of treating a proportion of the global burden of disease, especially in resource-limited countries. Often non-physicians, such as nurses, provide the majority of anesthesia; however, their training and formal supervision is often of low priority or even non-existent. To increase the number of safe anesthesia providers in Haiti, Médecins Sans Frontières has trained nurse anesthetists (NAs) for over 10 years. This article describes the challenges, outcomes, and future directions of this training program. From 1998 to 2008, 24 students graduated. Nineteen (79%) continue to work as NAs in Haiti and 5 (21%) have emigrated. In 2008, NAs were critical in providing anesthesia during a post-hurricane emergency where they performed 330 procedures. Mortality was 0.3% and not associated with lack of anesthesiologist supervision. The completion rate of this training program was high and the majority of graduates continue to work as nurse anesthetists in Haiti. Successful training requires a setting with a sufficient volume and diversity of operations, appropriate anesthesia equipment, a structured and comprehensive training program, and recognition of the training program by the national ministry of health and relevant professional bodies. Preliminary outcomes support findings elsewhere that NAs can be a safe and effective alternative where anesthesiologists are scarce. Training non-physician anesthetists is a feasible and important way to scale up surgical services resource limited settings
Welfare Challenges of Dairy Cows in India Identified Through On-Farm Observations
India has the largest population of dairy cattle in the world at over 48 million animals, yet there has been little formal assessment of their welfare reported. Through observations of dairy cows on 38 farms in Kerala, India, we aimed to investigate the welfare of these animals and the practicality of animal-based assessments within common farming systems. Substantial welfare challenges were identified. All cows were close-tied (less than 1 m length) via a halter that pierced the nasal septum when housed, which was for the entire day (50% of farms) or part thereof. When outside access was available, it was also usually restricted by close-tying, longline tether, or hobbling. Ad libitum water was only available on 22% of farms and food access was also restricted (mean of 4.3 hrs/day). Future work should focus on encouraging dairy farmers in India to improve the welfare of their dairy cattle by ceasing to tie and tether cattle or at least providing tied and tethered cattle with exercise opportunities, unlimited access to drinking water and a readier supply of food (especially quality green forage/fodder); clean housing more frequently; provide strategies to prevent heat stress; breed cattle suited to environmental conditions and with increased resistance to heat stress; carry out welfare assessments more regularly using a validated protocol; rectify the causes of poor welfare. Such changes could substantially improve the welfare of tens of millions of cattle
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