Studying Millisecond Pulsars in X-rays

Millisecond pulsars represent an evolutionarily distinct group among rotation-powered pulsars. Outside the radio band, the soft X-ray range ($\sim 0.1$--10 keV) is most suitable for studying radiative mechanisms operating in these fascinating objects. X-ray observations revealed diverse properties of emission from millisecond pulsars. For the most of them, the bulk of radiation is of a thermal origin, emitted from small spots (polar caps) on the neutron star surface heated by relativistic particles produced in pulsar acceleration zones. On the other hand, a few other very fast rotating pulsars exhibit almost pure nonthermal emission generated, most probably, in pulsar magnetospheres. There are also examples of nonthermal emission detected from X-ray nebulae powered by millisecond pulsars, as well as from pulsar winds shocked in binary systems with millisecond pulsars as companions. These and other most important results obtained from X-ray observations of millisecond pulsars are reviewed in this paper, as well as results from the search for millisecond pulsations in X-ray flux of the radio-quite neutron star RX J1856.5-3754

Does the position of restraint of disturbed psychiatric patients have any association with staff and patient injuries?

The aim of this study was to examine the risk of injury among patients and staff following involvement in a restraint episode in relation to restraint position (standing, supine or prone) and other aspects of the pre-incident behaviour including perceived causation. Mixed effects logistic regression was used to estimate the relative odds of injury to staff or patient in a series of 680 restraint episodes involving 260 patients in an adult mental health service in England between 1999 and 2001. There was no statistically significant association between patient injury and restraint position in this sample, but a prone restraint position was weakly associated with staff injury. Staff injury was most likely when an actual assault had occurred prior to the incident. Patient injury was more likely when the patient had self-harmed, had been abusing substances and had used a weapon prior to the incident, and less likely when the patient was showing signs of frustration with their environment. The use of prone restraint may be weakly associated with an increased risk of injury to staff. However, other aspects of the incident are stronger predictors and should be considered when planning training for front line staff

The Discovery of an Eccentric Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Plane

Contains fulltext : 72512.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)40 Years of Pulsars: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More, 12 augustus 200