Excavations at the Viking Barrow Cemetery at Heath Wood, Ingleby, Derbyshire

The cemetery at Heath Wood, Ingleby, Derbyshire, is the only known Scandinavian cremation cemetery in the British Isles. It comprises fifty-nine barrows, of which about one-third have been excavated on previous occasions, although earlier excavators concluded that some were empty cenotaph mounds. From 1998 to 2000 three barrows were examined. Our investigations have suggested that each of the barrows contained a burial, although not all contain evidence of a pyre. A full report of the 1998-2000 excavations is provided, alongside a summary of the earlier finds. The relationship of Heath Wood to the neighbouring site at Repton is examined, in order to understand its significance for the Scandinavian settlement of the Danelaw. It is concluded that Heath Wood may have been a war cemetery of the Viking Great Army of AD 873-8

Sub-arcsecond high sensitivity measurements of the DG~Tau jet with e-MERLIN

We present very high spatial resolution deep radio continuum observations at 5 GHz (6 cm) made with e-MERLIN of the young stars DG Tau A and B. Assuming it is launched very close (~=1 au) from the star, our results suggest that the DG Tau A outflow initially starts as a poorly focused wind and undergoes significant collimation further along the jet (~=50 au). We derive jet parameters for DG Tau A and find an initial jet opening angle of 86 degrees within 2 au of the source, a mass-loss rate of 1.5x10^-8 solar masses/yr for the ionised component of the jet, and the total ejection/accretion ratio to range from 0.06-0.3. These results are in line with predictions from MHD jet-launching theories.Comment: Accepted MNRAS Letter

Monitoring of the prompt radio emission from the unusual supernova 2004dj in NGC2403

Supernova 2004dj in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC2403 was detected optically in July 2004. Peaking at a magnitude of 11.2, this is the brightest supernova detected for several years. Here we present Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) observations of this source, made over a four month period, which give a position of R.A. = 07h37m17.044s, Dec =+65deg35'57.84" (J2000.0). We also present a well-sampled 5 GHz light curve covering the period from 5 August to 2 December 2004. With the exception of the unusual and very close SN 1987A, these observations represent the first detailed radio light curve for the prompt emission from a Type II-P supernova.Comment: (1) Jodrell Bank Observatory (2) University of Valencia (3) University of Sheffield 6 pages, 1 figure. To appear in ApJ letter

Marketing an Alternate Model for Science and Mathematics Initial Teacher Education

An innovative initial teacher education undergraduate degree has been offered for the first time in 2016 at an Australian University. The degree provides for qualification as a secondary science and mathematics teacher through the completion of a four-year integrated science, mathematics and education program of study where the synergies available through concurrent, integrated study of content and teacher pedagogy are available. The paper describes the results of the analysis of data from science and mathematics school teachers and career advisors in relation to the potential market for the program and perceived advantages and barriers to students selecting the degree

Nowhere to Hide: Radio-faint AGN in the GOODS-N field. I. Initial catalogue and radio properties

(Abridged) Conventional radio surveys of deep fields ordinarily have arc-second scale resolutions often insufficient to reliably separate radio emission in distant galaxies originating from star-formation and AGN-related activity. Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) can offer a solution by identifying only the most compact radio emitting regions in galaxies at cosmological distances where the high brightness temperatures (in excess of $10^5$ K) can only be reliably attributed to AGN activity. We present the first in a series of papers exploring the faint compact radio population using a new wide-field VLBI survey of the GOODS-N field. The unparalleled sensitivity of the European VLBI Network (EVN) will probe a luminosity range rarely seen in deep wide-field VLBI observations, thus providing insights into the role of AGN to radio luminosities of the order $10^{22}~\mathrm{W\,Hz^{-1}}$ across cosmic time. The newest VLBI techniques are used to completely cover an entire 7'.5 radius area to milliarcsecond resolutions, while bright radio sources ($S > 0.1$ mJy) are targeted up to 25 arcmin from the pointing centre. Multi-source self-calibration, and a primary beam model for the EVN array are used to correct for residual phase errors and primary beam attenuation respectively. This paper presents the largest catalogue of VLBI detected sources in GOODS-N comprising of 31 compact radio sources across a redshift range of 0.11-3.44, almost three times more than previous VLBI surveys in this field. We provide a machine-readable catalogue and introduce the radio properties of the detected sources using complementary data from the e-MERLIN Galaxy Evolution survey (eMERGE).Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted in A&A. Machine-readable table available upon reques

Free radical activity of industrial fibers: role of iron in oxidative stress and activation of transcription factors.

We studied asbestos, vitreous fiber (MMVF10), and refractory ceramic fiber (RCF1) from the Thermal Insulation Manufacturers' Association fiber repository regarding the following: free radical damage to plasmid DNA, iron release, ability to deplete glutathione (GSH), and activate redox-sensitive transcription factors in macrophages. Asbestos had much more free radical activity than any of the man-made vitreous fibers. More Fe3+ was released than Fe2+ and more of both was released at pH 4.5 than at pH 7.2. Release of iron from the different fibers was generally not a good correlate of ability to cause free radical injury to the plasmid DNA. All fiber types caused some degree of oxidative stress, as revealed by depletion of intracellular GSH. Amosite asbestos upregulated nuclear binding of activator protein 1 transcription factor to a greater level than MMVF10 and RCF1; long-fiber amosite was the only fiber to enhance activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF kappa B). The use of cysteine methyl ester and buthionine sulfoximine to modulate GSH suggested that GSH homeostasis was important in leading to activation of transcription factors. We conclude that the intrinsic free radical activity is the major determinant of transcription factor activation and therefore gene expression in alveolar macrophages. Although this was not related to iron release or ability to deplete macrophage GSH at 4 hr, GSH does play a role in activation of NF kappa B

The effect of organic retarders on grout thickening and setting during deep borehole disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Deep borehole disposal (DBD) is being increasingly seen as a viable and potentially superior alternative to comparatively shallow mined repository concepts for disposal of some high-level radioactive wastes. We report here details of proof-of-concept investigations into the use of cementitious grouts as sealing/ support matrices for use in low temperature DBD scenarios. Using the cementitious grout to fill annular space within the disposal zone will not only support waste packages during placement, but will also provide a low permeability layer around them which will ultimately enhance the safety case for DBD. Grouts based on Class G oil well cement are being developed. The use of retarders to delay the accelerated onset of thickening and setting (caused by the high temperature and pressure in the borehole) is being investigated experimentally. Sodium gluconate and a polycarboxylate additive each provide suf- ficient retardation over the range 90e140 °C in order to be considered for this application. Phosphonate and sulphonate additives provide desirable retardation at 90 °C. The additives did not affect grout composition at 14 days curing and the phases formed are durable at elevated temperature and pressure