A high sensitivity balloon-borne X-ray telescope system

A high sensitivity X-ray telescope system suitable for photometric type observations from balloon altitudes is described. The balloon gondola system is defined to include the performance requirements and the overall performance requirements of the balloon gondola support system. Diagrams of the gondola and the installed components are provided. The pointing and control system of the telescope is analyzed

A Multistate Manpower Projection Model

This paper describes the structure and application of a multistate projection model that was developed by the Operational Research Service of the Department of Health and Social Security, UK. The model can be used to calculate the evolution of a multistate manpower or population distribution, with each state's stock classified either by length of time in a state or by age and subdivided into up to four noninteracting population subgroups (e.g., according to sex and country of origin). Both Markov ("push") and Renewal ("pull") flows can be simulated and a wide range of different network configurations can be modeled. Medical manpower planning problems are also discussed--in particular the issue of career planning for doctors in the presence of demand constraints--to exemplify the possible uses of the model. As background, the role of manpower planning in health care planning and the sorts of problems that arise in balancing the supply of, and demand for, any manpower group are outlined. The generality of the Department of Health and Social Security model is demonstrated by highlighting its structural similarity to the multistate models that have been the subject of study at IIASA in recent years. The model's uses in detecting both potential manpower supply instabilities in market-based manpower systems and planning in feasibilities in planned systems are pointed out. A model run is discussed, based on a hypothetical situation, in which growth rates of one grade in a manpower network lead to supply problems for the whole network. The Appendix contains sample input and output files

Development of observational and instrumental techniques in hard X-ray and medium energy gamma-ray astronomy

The technical activities, scientific results, related space hardware projects and personnel of the high energy astrophysics program are reported. The development of observational and instrumental techniques in hard X-ray (0.001 to 100 keV) and medium energy gamma-ray (0.1 to 10 MeV) astronomy are examined. Many of these techniques were developed explicitly for use on high altitude balloons where most of the scientific results were obtained. The extensive observational activity using balloons are tabulated. Virtually every research activity will eventually result in a major space hardware development effort

The Spectrum of Crab Nebula X-Rays to 120 Kev

Counting rate and pulse height distribution spectral data of Crab Nebula telemetered from balloon detector

The Upper Limit Solar Gamma-ray Spectrum to 10 Mev

Balloon flight data on upper limit solar gamma ray spectrum from quiet su

Medical Examination and Poor Relief in Early Modern Germany

This article investigates the role of the medical examination in municipal poor relief programmes between 1570 and 1620. Documents from the city of Nördlingen, a community of approximately 10,000 people in 1600, suggest that municipal facilities addressed a range of serious illnesses for a wide spectrum of the population. Practitioners were influenced by their Galenic medical milieu but ultimately focused on a range of practical resource questions rather than the diagnosis of an individual's disease

Diffuse Galactic Soft Gamma-Ray Emission

The Galactic diffuse soft gamma-ray (30-800 keV) emission has been measured from the Galactic Center by the HIREGS balloon-borne germanium spectrometer to determine the spectral characteristics and origin of the emission. The resulting Galactic diffuse continuum is found to agree well with a single power-law (plus positronium) over the entire energy range, consistent with RXTE and COMPTEL/CGRO observations at lower and higher energies, respectively. We find no evidence of spectral steepening below 200 keV, as has been reported in previous observations. The spatial distribution along the Galactic ridge is found to be nearly flat, with upper limits set on the longitudinal gradient, and with no evidence of an edge in the observed region. The soft gamma-ray diffuse spectrum is well modeled by inverse Compton scattering of interstellar radiation off of cosmic-ray electrons, minimizing the need to invoke inefficient nonthermal bremsstrahlung emission. The resulting power requirement is well within that provided by Galactic supernovae. We speculate that the measured spectrum provides the first direct constraints on the cosmic-ray electron spectrum below 300 MeV.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figure, submitted to Ap

Multiple Cyclotron Lines in the Spectrum of 4U 0115+63

We report phase resolved spectroscopy of the transient accreting pulsar, 4U0115+63. For the first time, more than two cylotron resonance scattering features are detected in the spectrum of an X-ray pulsar. The shape of the fundamental line appears to be complex, and this is in agreement with predictions of Monte-Carlo models. As in other pulsars, the line energies and optical depths are strong functions of pulse phase. One possible model for this is an offset of the dipole of the neutron star magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages. To appear in "Proceedings of the 5th Compton Symposium