Misaligned snowplough effect and the electromagnetic counterpart to black hole binary mergers

We estimate the accretion rates produced when a circumprimary gas disc is pushed into the primary supermassive black hole (SMBH) by the tidal force of the decaying secondary during a SMBH merger. Using the 3D Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) code PHANTOM, we extend previous investigations of co-planar discs to the case where the disc and binary orbital planes are misaligned. We consider a geometrically thin disc with inclination angles varying from 1 18 to 180 18 and a binary with mass ratio q = 10 123. We find that discs with small inclination angles (<10 18) produce an increase in luminosity exceeding the Eddington rate. By contrast, discs with inclinations between 20 18 and 30 18 show a less pronounced rise in the accretion rate, whilst discs inclined by 180 18 show no peak in the mass accretion rate. While previous analytic work predicted that the effective tidal torque drops with increasing inclination angle, we show that the misaligned snowplough effect remains important even for angles larger than the disc aspect ratio. The rise in the accretion rate produced by discs inclined at small angles to the binary orbit can produce an electromagnetic counterpart to the gravitational wave signal emitted from final stages of the binary orbital decay

Anurans Of The Municipality Of Barão De Monte Alto, State Of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)We present a list of the anuran amphibians from municipality of Barão de Monte Alto, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. This region is part of the remaining Atlantic Forest and the studied environments are represented by forest patches and open habitats. We recorded 29 anuran species, many of these typical and/or endemic to the Atlantic Forest. None of the species registered was considered under threat of extinction in state, national or international red-lists. It is worth noting, however, the presence of the tree frogs Dendropsophus pseudomeridianus, the first record of this species in the state of Minas Gerais, and D. Bipunctatus, marking its expanded distribution in various locations of Minas Gerais. The present list examines zoogeography and conservation of anurans in the Brazilian southeast and broadens the knowledge of the anuran fauna in this region. © 2016 Check List and Authors.125CAPES, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Standard single and basal crop coefficients for field crops. Updates and advances to the FAO56 crop water requirements method

ReviewThis study reviews the abundant research on FAO56 crop coefficients, published following introduction of the FAO56 paper in 1998. The primary goal was to evaluate, update, and consolidate the mid-season and end-season single (Kc) and basal (Kcb) crop coefficients, tabulated for many field crops in FAO56. The review found that the prevalent approach for estimating crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is the FAO56 Kc-ETo approach, i.e., the product of the Kc and reference evapotranspiration (ETo). The FAO56 Kc-ETo approach requires use of the FAO56 PM-ETo grass reference equation with appropriate crop-specific Kc and/or Kcb. Reviewed research provided various approaches to determine Kc and Kcb and used a variety of actual crop ET (ETc act) measurements. Significant attention was placed on accessing the accuracy of the field measurements and models used in these studies. Accuracy requirements, upper limits for Kc values, and related causal errors are discussed. Conceptual approaches relative to Kc transferability requirements are provided with focus on standard crop conditions and use of the FAO56 segmented Kc curve. Papers selected to update Kc∕Kcb used the FAO56 PM-ETo, provided accurate measurements to determine and partition ETc act, and satisfied transferability requirements. Selected observed Kc and Kcb values were converted to standard, sub-humid climate as adopted in FAO56. Observed values, with respect to tabulated FAO56 Kc and Kcb, were used in consolidating updated values for crops within general categories of grain legumes, fiber crops, oil crops, sugar crops, small grain cereals, maize and sorghum, and rice. Ancillary data, e.g., maximum root depth and crop height, were also collected from selected literature and tabulated. Results showed good agreement between updated and original tabulated FAO56 Kc and Kcb, confirming the reliability of the FAO56 values. This indicates change in the Kc (ETc/ETo ratio) of crops has not occurred due to climate change during the past ≈sixty years. New Kc∕Kcb data for crops, not included in FAO56, are also now presented for several oil crops and pseudocereals. The approach adopted for rice differs from FAO56 because consideration was given to the numerous rice water management practices currently used and, thus, Kc∕Kcb values for the initial season of rice were also presented. The review also observed that many research papers did not satisfy the adopted requirements in terms of ETo method and/or the accuracy of ETc act determinations and, therefore, could not be used. Thus, emphasis is placed on adopting improved accuracy and quality control in future research aimed at determining Kc data comparable to presented values. The transferability of standard Kc and Kcb has been assured for the values tabulated herein. Improved future applications of the FAO56 Kc-ETo method should consider remote sensing observations when available, particularly in defining crop growth stages at given locationsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Standard single and basal crop coefficients for vegetable crops, an update of FAO56 crop water requirements approach

ReviewMany research papers on crop water requirements of vegetables have been produced since the publication of the FAO56 guidelines in 1998. A review of this literature has shown that determination of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) using the Kc-ETo approach, i.e., the product of the specific crop coefficient (Kc) by the reference evapotranspiration (ETo), is the most widely-used method for irrigation water management. Consequently, a review was made to provide updated information on the Kc values for these crops. The reviewed research provided various approaches to determine Kc in its single and dual versions. With this purpose, actual crop ET (ETc act ) was determined with lysimeters, or by performing the soil water balance using measured soil water content and computational models, or by using Bowen ratio energy balance and eddy covariance measurements, or by using remote sensing applications. When determining the basal Kc(Kcb), the partitioning of ETc act was evaluated using different approaches, though mainly using the FAO56 dual Kc method. Since the accuracy of experimentally-determined Kc and Kcb values depends upon the procedure used to compute ETo, as well as accuracy in determining and partitioning of ETc act , the adequacy of the measurement requirements for each approach was carefully reviewed. The article discusses in detail the conceptual methodology relative to crop coefficients and the requirements for transferability, namely distinguishing between actual and standard Kc and the need to appropriately use the FAO segmented Kc curve. Hence, the research papers selected to update and consolidate mid-season and end-season standard Kc and Kcb were those that computed ETo with the FAO56 PM-ETo equation; and that also used accurate approaches to determine and partition ETc act for pristine, non-stressed cropping conditions. Under these experimental conditions, the reported Kc and Kcb values relative to the mid- and end-season could be considered as transferable standard Kc and/or Kcb values after adjustment to the standard climate adopted in FAO56, where average RHmin = 45% and average u2 = 2 m s−1 over the mid-season and late season growth stages. For each vegetable crop, these standard values were then compared with the FAO56 tabulated Kc and Kcb values to define the updated values tabulated in the current article. In addition, reported ancillary data, such as maximum root zone depth, maximum crop height, and soil water depletion fraction for no water stress, were also collected from selected papers and tabulated in comparison with those given for the crops in FAO56. The presentation of updated crop coefficient results is performed by grouping the vegetables differently than in FAO56, where distinction is made according to their edible parts: (1) roots, tubers, bulbs and stem vegetables; (2) leaves and flowers vegetables; (3) fruit and pod vegetables; and (4) herbs, spices and special crops, with most of them being newly introduced herein. The updated Kc and Kcb of vegetable crops based on this review are generally coincident with those in FAO56, although slightly lower for several crops. Close agreement of selected paper values with FAO56 values provides good evidence of their quality and also confirms the reliability of the original FAO56 tabulated values. It is noteworthy that many papers surveyed from the past 20 years did not satisfy the adopted Kc requirements in terms of ETo computation method nor provide solid evidence of measurement accuracy for ETc act . It is recommended that future Kc research of vegetables should sufficiently address these issues with objectives broadened to provide more transferable data to other regions. Also, new data on vegetable Kc and Kcb values should be carefully scrutinized in the context of these results and those provided in FAO56info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chirped polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensors

We report chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) photo-inscribed in undoped PMMA polymer optical fibre (POF) for the first time. The chirped polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (CPOFBGs) were inscribed using an UV KrF excimer laser operating at 248 nm. The rectangular gauss laser beam was expanded to 25 mm in horizontal direction along the fiber core by a cylindrical lens, giving a total of 25 mm grating length. A 25 mm long chirped phase mask chosen for 1550 nm grating inscription was used. The laser frequency was 1 Hz with an energy of 5 mJ per exposure, exposing few pulses for each grating inscription. The reflection amplitude spectrum evolution of a CPOFBG is investigated as a function of the applied strain and temperature. Also, some results regarding to group delay are collected and discussed. These results pave the way to further developments in different fields, where POFs could present some advantages preferably replacing their silica counterparts

Forming parts over small radii

Stamping simulations usually make the plane stress simplifying assumption. However, this becomes less valid when material draws around features with radius to sheet thickness ratios less than 20. Pereira, Yan & Rolfe (Wear, Vol.265, p.1687 (2008)) predicted that out-of-plane stress equivalent to material yield can occur because a line contact forms briefly at the start of the draw process. The high transient stress can cause high rates of tool wear and may cause the \u27die impact line\u27 cosmetic defect. In this work, we present residual strain results of a channel section that was drawn over a small radius. Using the neutron source at the Institut Laue-Langevin, in-plane and out-of-plane strains were measured in the channel part to show some support for the conclusions of Pereira et. al

Networks of noisy oscillators with correlated degree and frequency dispersion

We investigate how correlations between the diversity of the connectivity of networks and the dynamics at their nodes affect the macroscopic behavior. In particular, we study the synchronization transition of coupled stochastic phase oscillators that represent the node dynamics. Crucially in our work, the variability in the number of connections of the nodes is correlated with the width of the frequency distribution of the oscillators. By numerical simulations on Erd\"os-R\'enyi networks, where the frequencies of the oscillators are Gaussian distributed, we make the counterintuitive observation that an increase in the strength of the correlation is accompanied by an increase in the critical coupling strength for the onset of synchronization. We further observe that the critical coupling can solely depend on the average number of connections or even completely lose its dependence on the network connectivity. Only beyond this state, a weighted mean-field approximation breaks down. If noise is present, the correlations have to be stronger to yield similar observations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis comparing surgical and endoscopic drainage in patients with obstructive chronic pancreatitis

Objective: Published evidence indicates that surgical drainage of the pancreatic duct was more effective than endoscopic drainage for patients with chronic pancreatitis. This analysis assessed the cost-effectiveness of surgical versus endoscopic drainage in obstructive chronic pancreatitis. Design: This trial-based cost-utility analysis (ISRCTN04572410) was conducted from a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective and during a 79-month time horizon. During the trial the details of the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and pancreatic insufficiency were collected. The resource use was varied in the sensitivity analysis based on a review of the literature. The health outcome was the Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY), generated using EQ-5D data collected during the trial. There were no pancreas-related deaths in the trial. All-cause mortality from the trial was incorporated into the QALY estimates in the sensitivity analysis. Setting: Hospital. Participants: Patients with obstructive chronic pancreatitis. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Costs, QALYs and cost-effectiveness. Results: The result of the base-case analysis was that surgical drainage dominated endoscopic drainage, being both more effective and less costly. The sensitivity analysis varied mortality and resource use and showed that the surgical option remained dominant in all scenarios. The probability of cost-effectiveness for surgical drainage was 100% for the base case and 82% in the assessed most conservative case scenario. Conclusions: In obstructive chronic pancreatitis, surgical drainage is highly cost-effective compared with endoscopic drainage from a UK NHS perspective

Updates and advances to the FAO56 crop water requirements method

This study reviews the abundant research on FAO56 crop coefficients, published following introduction of the FAO56 paper in 1998. The primary goal was to evaluate, update, and consolidate the mid-season and end-season single (Kc) and basal (Kcb) crop coefficients, tabulated for many field crops in FAO56. The review found that the prevalent approach for estimating crop evapotranspiration (ETc) is the FAO56 Kc-ETo approach, i.e., the product of the Kc and reference evapotranspiration (ETo). The FAO56 Kc-ETo approach requires use of the FAO56 PM-ETo grass reference equation with appropriate crop-specific Kc and/or Kcb. Reviewed research provided various approaches to determine Kc and Kcb and used a variety of actual crop ET (ETc act) measurements. Significant attention was placed on accessing the accuracy of the field measurements and models used in these studies. Accuracy requirements, upper limits for Kc values, and related causal errors are discussed. Conceptual approaches relative to Kc transferability requirements are provided with focus on standard crop conditions and use of the FAO56 segmented Kc curve. Papers selected to update Kc∕Kcb used the FAO56 PM-ETo, provided accurate measurements to determine and partition ETc act, and satisfied transferability requirements. Selected observed Kc and Kcb values were converted to standard, sub-humid climate as adopted in FAO56. Observed values, with respect to tabulated FAO56 Kc and Kcb, were used in consolidating updated values for crops within general categories of grain legumes, fiber crops, oil crops, sugar crops, small grain cereals, maize and sorghum, and rice

Expanding and Collapsing Scalar Field Thin Shell

This paper deals with the dynamics of scalar field thin shell in the Reissner-Nordstr$\ddot{o}$m geometry. The Israel junction conditions between Reissner-Nordstr$\ddot{o}$m spacetimes are derived, which lead to the equation of motion of scalar field shell and Klien-Gordon equation. These equations are solved numerically by taking scalar field model with the quadratic scalar potential. It is found that solution represents the expanding and collapsing scalar field shell. For the better understanding of this problem, we investigate the case of massless scalar field (by taking the scalar field potential zero). Also, we evaluate the scalar field potential when $p$ is an explicit function of $R$. We conclude that both massless as well as massive scalar field shell can expand to infinity at constant rate or collapse to zero size forming a curvature singularity or bounce under suitable conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure