879 research outputs found
A stepped wedge cluster randomized control trial of dried blood spot testing to improve the uptake of hepatitis C antibody testing within UK prisons
Background: The prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) is elevated within prison populations, yet diagnosis in prisons remains low. Dried blood spot testing (DBST) is a simple procedure for the detection of HCV antibodies; its impact on testing in the prison context is unknown. Methods: We carried out a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized control trial of DBST for HCV among prisoners within five male prisons and one female prison. Each prison was a separate cluster. The order in which the intervention (training in use of DBST for HCV testing and logistic support) was introduced was randomized across clusters. The outcome measure was the HCV testing rate by prison. Imputation analysis was carried out to account for missing data. Planned and actual intervention times differed in some prisons; data were thus analysed by intention to treat (ITT) and by observed step times. Results: There was insufficient evidence of an effect of the intervention on testing rate using either the ITT intervention time (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.68�1.03; P = 0.088) or using the actual intervention time (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.71�1.06; P = 0.153). This was confirmed by the pooled results of five imputed data sets. Conclusions: DBST as a stand-alone intervention was insufficient to increase HCV diagnosis within the UK prison setting. Factors such as staff training and allocation of staff time for regular clinics are key to improving service delivery. We demonstrate that prisons can conduct rigorous studies of new interventions, but data collection can be problematic. Trial registration: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register (ISRCTN number ISRCTN05628482)
Substructure in the Andromeda Galaxy Globular Cluster System
In the most prominent current scenario of galaxy formation, galaxies form
hierarchically through the merger of smaller systems. Such mergers could leave
behind dynamical signatures which may linger long after the event. In
particular, the globular cluster system (GCS) of a merging satellite galaxy may
remain as a distinct sub-population within the GCS of a massive galaxy. Using
the latest available globular cluster velocities and metallicities, we present
the results of a search for grouping in the GCS of our nearest large spiral
galaxy neighbor, M31. A modified friends-of-friends algorithm is used to
identify a number of possible merger remnants in projected position, radial
velocity and [Fe/H] parameter space. Numerical simulations are used to check
that such merger remnants are indeed plausible over the timescales of interest.
The identification of stellar streams associated with these groups is required
in order to confirm that they represent merger remnants.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap
The primary cosmic ray spectrum above 10 to the 19th power eV
Progress on a re-evaluation of the spectrum of cosmic rays determined with the Haverah Park shower array is described. Particular attention is paid to the reality of some giant showers
SiFTO: An Empirical Method for Fitting SNe Ia Light Curves
We present SiFTO, a new empirical method for modeling type Ia supernovae (SNe
Ia) light curves by manipulating a spectral template. We make use of
high-redshift SN observations when training the model, allowing us to extend it
bluer than rest frame U. This increases the utility of our high-redshift SN
observations by allowing us to use more of the available data. We find that
when the shape of the light curve is described using a stretch prescription,
applying the same stretch at all wavelengths is not an adequate description.
SiFTO therefore uses a generalization of stretch which applies different
stretch factors as a function of both the wavelength of the observed filter and
the stretch in the rest-frame B band. We compare SiFTO to other published
light-curve models by applying them to the same set of SN photometry, and
demonstrate that SiFTO and SALT2 perform better than the alternatives when
judged by the scatter around the best fit luminosity distance relationship. We
further demonstrate that when SiFTO and SALT2 are trained on the same data set
the cosmological results agree.Comment: Modified to better match published version in Ap
Two superluminous supernovae from the early universe discovered by the Supernova Legacy Survey
We present spectra and lightcurves of SNLS 06D4eu and SNLS 07D2bv, two
hydrogen-free superluminous supernovae discovered by the Supernova Legacy
Survey. At z = 1.588, SNLS 06D4eu is the highest redshift superluminous SN with
a spectrum, at M_U = -22.7 is one of the most luminous SNe ever observed, and
gives a rare glimpse into the restframe ultraviolet where these supernovae put
out their peak energy. SNLS 07D2bv does not have a host galaxy redshift, but
based on the supernova spectrum, we estimate it to be at z ~ 1.5. Both
supernovae have similar observer-frame griz lightcurves, which map to restframe
lightcurves in the U-band and UV, rising in ~ 20 restframe days or longer, and
declining over a similar timescale. The lightcurves peak in the shortest
wavelengths first, consistent with an expanding blackbody starting near 15,000
K and steadily declining in temperature. We compare the spectra to theoretical
models, and identify lines of C II, C III, Fe III, and Mg II in the spectrum of
SNLS 06D4eu and SCP 06F6, and find that they are consistent with an expanding
explosion of only a few solar masses of carbon, oxygen, and other trace metals.
Thus the progenitors appear to be related to those suspected for SNe Ic. A high
kinetic energy, 10^52 ergs, is also favored. Normal mechanisms of powering
core- collapse or thermonuclear supernovae do not seem to work for these
supernovae. We consider models powered by 56Ni decay and interaction with
circumstellar material, but find that the creation and spin-down of a magnetar
with a period of 2ms, magnetic field of 2 x 10^14 Gauss, and a 3 solar mass
progenitor provides the best fit to the data.Comment: ApJ, accepted, 43 pages, 15 figure
Gemini Spectroscopy of Supernovae from SNLS: Improving High Redshift SN Selection and Classification
We present new techiques for improving the efficiency of supernova (SN)
classification at high redshift using 64 candidates observed at Gemini North
and South during the first year of the Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS). The SNLS
is an ongoing five year project with the goal of measuring the equation of
state of Dark Energy by discovering and following over 700 high-redshift SNe Ia
using data from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey. We achieve an
improvement in the SN Ia spectroscopic confirmation rate: at Gemini 71% of
candidates are now confirmed as SNe Ia, compared to 54% using the methods of
previous surveys. This is despite the comparatively high redshift of this
sample, where the median SN Ia redshift is z=0.81 (0.155 <= z <= 1.01). These
improvements were realized because we use the unprecedented color coverage and
lightcurve sampling of the SNLS to predict whether a candidate is an SN Ia and
estimate its redshift, before obtaining a spectrum, using a new technique
called the "SN photo-z." In addition, we have improved techniques for galaxy
subtraction and SN template chi^2 fitting, allowing us to identify candidates
even when they are only 15% as bright as the host galaxy. The largest
impediment to SN identification is found to be host galaxy contamination of the
spectrum -- when the SN was at least as bright as the underlying host galaxy
the target was identified more than 90% of the time. However, even SNe on
bright host galaxies can be easily identified in good seeing conditions. When
the image quality was better than 0.55 arcsec the candidate was identified 88%
of the time. Over the five-year course of the survey, using the selection
techniques presented here we will be able to add approximately 170 more
confirmed SNe Ia than would be possible using previous methods.Comment: ApJ, accepted, 19 pages, 9 figure
Photometric selection of high-redshift type Ia supernovae
We present a method for selecting high-redshift type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia)
located via rolling SN searches. The technique, using both color and magnitude
information of events from only 2-3 epochs of multi-band real-time photometry,
is able to discriminate between SNe Ia and core collapse SNe. Furthermore, for
the SNe Ia, the method accurately predicts the redshift, phase and light-curve
parameterization of these events based only on pre-maximum-light data. We
demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique on a simulated survey of SNe Ia
and core-collapse SNe, where the selection method effectively rejects most
core-collapse SNe while retaining SNe Ia. We also apply the selection code to
real-time data acquired as part of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Supernova
Legacy Survey (SNLS). During the period May 2004 to January 2005 in the SNLS,
440 SN candidates were discovered of which 70 were confirmed spectroscopically
as SNe Ia and 15 as core-collapse events. For this test dataset, the selection
technique correctly identifies 100% of the identified SNe II as non-SNe Ia with
only a 1-2% false rejection rate. The predicted parameterization of the SNe Ia
has a precision of |delta_z|/(1+z_spec)<0.09 in redshift, and +/- 2-3
rest-frame days in phase, providing invaluable information for planning
spectroscopic follow-up observations. We also investigate any bias introduced
by this selection method on the ability of surveys such as SNLS to measure
cosmological parameters (e.g., w and omega matter), and find any effect to be
negligible.Comment: Accepted for publication in A
Constraining Type Ia Supernovae progenitors from three years of SNLS data
While it is generally accepted that Type Ia supernovae are the result of the
explosion of a carbon-oxygen White Dwarf accreting mass in a binary system, the
details of their genesis still elude us, and the nature of the binary companion
is uncertain. Kasen (2010) points out that the presence of a non-degenerate
companion in the progenitor system could leave an observable trace: a flux
excess in the early rise portion of the lightcurve caused by the ejecta impact
with the companion itself. This excess would be observable only under favorable
viewing angles, and its intensity depends on the nature of the companion. We
searched for the signature of a non-degenerate companion in three years of
Supernova Legacy Survey data by generating synthetic lightcurves accounting for
the effects of shocking and comparing true and synthetic time series with
Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Our most constraining result comes from noting that
the shocking effect is more prominent in rest-frame B than V band: we rule out
a contribution from white dwarf-red giant binary systems to Type Ia supernova
explosions greater than 10% at 2 sigma, and than 20% at 3 sigma level.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figures, resubmitted to ApJ, figure 15 modifie
Galaxy Zoo Supernovae
This paper presents the first results from a new citizen science project:
Galaxy Zoo Supernovae. This proof of concept project uses members of the public
to identify supernova candidates from the latest generation of wide-field
imaging transient surveys. We describe the Galaxy Zoo Supernovae operations and
scoring model, and demonstrate the effectiveness of this novel method using
imaging data and transients from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). We
examine the results collected over the period April-July 2010, during which
nearly 14,000 supernova candidates from PTF were classified by more than 2,500
individuals within a few hours of data collection. We compare the transients
selected by the citizen scientists to those identified by experienced PTF
scanners, and find the agreement to be remarkable - Galaxy Zoo Supernovae
performs comparably to the PTF scanners, and identified as transients 93% of
the ~130 spectroscopically confirmed SNe that PTF located during the trial
period (with no false positive identifications). Further analysis shows that
only a small fraction of the lowest signal-to-noise SN detections (r > 19.5)
are given low scores: Galaxy Zoo Supernovae correctly identifies all SNe with >
8{\sigma} detections in the PTF imaging data. The Galaxy Zoo Supernovae project
has direct applicability to future transient searches such as the Large
Synoptic Survey Telescope, by both rapidly identifying candidate transient
events, and via the training and improvement of existing machine classifier
algorithms.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, accepted MNRA
The Rise Time of Type Ia Supernovae from the Supernova Legacy Survey
We compare the rise times of nearby and distant Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia)
as a test for evolution using 73 high-redshift spectroscopically-confirmed SNe
Ia from the first two years of the five year Supernova Legacy Survey (SNLS) and
published observations of nearby SN. Because of the ``rolling'' search nature
of the SNLS, our measurement is approximately 6 times more precise than
previous studies, allowing for a more sensitive test of evolution between
nearby and distant supernovae. Adopting a simple early-time model (as in
previous studies), we find that the rest-frame rise times for a fiducial SN
Ia at high and low redshift are consistent, with values
and
days, respectively; the statistical significance of this difference is only 1.4
\sg . The errors represent the uncertainty in the mean rather than any
variation between individual SN. We also compare subsets of our high-redshift
data set based on decline rate, host galaxy star formation rate, and redshift,
finding no substantive evidence for any subsample dependence.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ; minor changes (spelling and
grammatical) to conform with published versio
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