Improved Limits on Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter using Full-Sky Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Data

A sterile neutrino of ~keV mass is a well motivated dark matter candidate. Its decay generates an X-ray line that offers a unique target for X-ray telescopes. For the first time, we use the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) onboard the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope to search for sterile neutrino decay lines; our analysis covers the energy range 10-25 keV (sterile neutrino mass 20-50 keV), which is inaccessible to X-ray and gamma-ray satellites such as Chandra, Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and INTEGRAL. The extremely wide field of view of the GBM enables a large fraction of the Milky Way dark matter halo to be probed. After implementing careful data cuts, we obtain ~53 days of full sky observational data. We observe an excess of photons towards the Galactic Center, as expected from astrophysical emission. We search for sterile neutrino decay lines in the energy spectrum, and find no significant signal. From this, we obtain upper limits on the sterile neutrino mixing angle as a function of mass. In the sterile neutrino mass range 25-40 keV, we improve upon previous upper limits by approximately an order of magnitude. Better understanding of detector and astrophysical backgrounds, as well as detector response, will further improve the sensitivity of a search with the GBM.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, references added, discussion expanded, some typos fixed, matches the published versio

Problematizing Payne and Understanding Poverty: An Analysis with Data from the 2000 Census

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed. - Herman Melville, “Poor Man’s Pudding,” 1854 Poverty is a problem with important educational implications. Poor children, for example, often struggle academically in school, pose unique disciplinary problems for teachers and administrators, and may require additional resources to be successful (Byrne, 2008; Jackson, 2008). Given these challenges, school districts have devoted considerable time and money to professional development intended to better prepare educators to work with children from poor backgrounds. Perhaps the most visible contemporary spokesperson on poverty and education to whom districts have turned is Dr. Ruby Payne, author of A Framework for Understanding Poverty (2005)

The 'lost' Peranakan Reimagined: Creating new interpretation of lost Peranakan objects through contemporary artistic imagination

This research project aims to explore new interpretations from 'lost' objects of the Peranakan-Chinese, through contemporary artistic interpretation and reimagination. The Peranakan-Chinese community can be traced back to the early 17th century, when Chinese traders travelled to Southeast Asia, formed unions with the native women, and settled in the regions. The offspring of such intermarriages were referred to as the “Baba Chinese” or the “Straits-born Chinese”, and later, the “Peranakan-Chinese”. The changing reference to this community is synonymous not only to their shifting identity, but it also signifies the decline of the community over time. With the decline, the objects used and treasured by this community have been ‘lost’. The notion of ‘lost’, explored in this research, is layered and complex. ‘Lost' refers not only to physical loss of objects, but also loss in a cultural sense, particularly, in their diminishing relevance and significance among the Peranakans today. The term ‘lost’, may be applied to objects that have been misplaced or forgotten over time, or objects that have vanished, and are now absent. It may also suggest objects that lack strong physical presence in that they have not disappeared completely. Instead, they are being considered ‘invisible’, meaning that the objects are physically present, but for some reasons they are not noticeable, seen, or even considered present. Objects are 'lost' through different causes, for example, through extensive and repetitive representations, that desensitises our reaction towards them, through the lack of critical attention on them, contributing to their waning significance and value, which further compounds their lacking symbolic presence, resulting in their presumed archaic status. In this research, I explore from the position of a Peranakan-Chinese today, who experiences material dispossession and cultural estrangement. With reference to Merleau Ponty’s discussion of 'embodiment’, Jacques Derrida’s notion of the ‘spectre’ and Homi Bhabha’s ‘third space’, I explore the implications and paradoxes of absent cultural inheritance. Using contemporary art practice, phenomenological and cultural theoretical lenses, I seek to offer an alternative approach to examine, reinvigorate, and expand the understanding of Peranakan cultural objects

Trends in racial/ethnic and income disparities in foods and beverages consumed and purchased from stores among US households with children, 2000–2013

Background: It is unclear whether racial/ethnic and income differences in foods and beverages obtained from stores contribute to disparities in caloric intake over time

Improving hydraulic excavator performance through in line hydraulic oil contamination monitoring

It is common for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of high value products to provide maintenance or service packages to customers to ensure their products are maintained at peak efficiency throughout their life. To quickly and efficiently plan for maintenance requirements, OEMs require accurate information about the use and wear of their products. In recent decades, the aerospace industry in particular has become expert in using real time data for the purpose of product monitoring and maintenance scheduling. Significant quantities of real time usage data from product monitoring are commonly generated and transmitted back to the OEMs, where diagnostic and prognostic analysis will be carried out. More recently, other industries such as construction and automotive, are also starting to develop capabilities in these areas and condition based maintenance (CBM) is increasing in popularity as a means of satisfying customers’ demands. CBM requires constant monitoring of real time product data by the OEMs, however the biggest challenge for these industries, in particular construction, is the lack of accurate and real time understanding of how their products are being used possibly because of the complex supply chains which exist in construction projects. This research focuses on current dynamic data acquisition techniques for mobile hydraulic systems, in this case the use of a mobile inline particle contamination sensor; the aim was to assess suitability to achieve both diagnostic and prognostic requirements of Condition Based Maintenance. It concludes that hydraulic oil contamination analysis, namely detection of metallic particulates, offers a reliable way to measure real time wear of hydraulic components

Culture moderates the relationship between interdependence and face recognition

Recent theory suggests that face recognition accuracy is affected by people’s motivations, with people being particularly motivated to remember ingroup versus outgroup faces. In the current research we suggest that those higher in interdependence should have a greater motivation to remember ingroup faces, but this should depend on how ingroups are defined. To examine this possibility, we used a joint individual difference and cultural approach to test (a) whether individual differences in interdependence would predict face recognition accuracy, and (b) whether this effect would be moderated by culture. In Study 1 European Canadians higher in interdependence demonstrated greater recognition for same-race (White), but not cross-race (East Asian) faces. In Study 2 we found that culture moderated this effect. Interdependence again predicted greater recognition for same-race (White), but not cross-race (East Asian) faces among European Canadians; however, interdependence predicted worse recognition for both same-race (East Asian) and cross-race (White) faces among first-generation East Asians. The results provide insight into the role of motivation in face perception as well as cultural differences in the conception of ingroups