Oscillation Phenomena in the disk around the massive black hole Sagittarius A*

We report the detection of radio QPOs with structure changes using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43 GHz. We found conspicuous patterned changes of the structure with P = 16.8 +- 1.4, 22.2 +- 1.4, 31.2 +- 1.5, 56.4 +- 6 min, very roughly in a 3:4:6:10 ratio. The first two periods show a rotating one-arm structure, while the P = 31.4 min shows a rotating 3-arm structure, as if viewed edge-on. At the central 50 microasec the P = 56.4 min period shows a double amplitude variation of those in its surroundings. Spatial distributions of the oscillation periods suggest that the disk of SgrA* is roughly edge-on, rotating around an axis with PA = -10 degree. Presumably, the observed VLBI images of SgrA* at 43 GHz retain several features of the black hole accretion disk of SgrA* in spite of being obscured and broadened by scattering of surrounding plasma.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures, revised version submitted to MN main journal (2010, Jan., 12th

Nutritional quality of silver beet and tomatoes grown in secondary treated wastewater

With decrease rainfall in parts of the world, increase in population and an increase in demand for fresh foods, water conservation is becoming one of the biggest challenges today. A possible solution to this is wastewater reuse. However, one of the biggest challenges with wastewater reuse in food production is the uncertainty of the nutritional quality of produce. Combining the hydroponics method of growing edible food crops while using secondary treated domestic wastewater requires less space than traditional agricultural methods. This also aids in water conservation by reusing the treated effluent. The nutritional quality of tomatoes and silver beet growing in secondary treated domestic wastewater were compared to those grown in a commercially available hydroponics solution, as well as, produce purchased from a local supermarket. The tomatoes and silver beet were analysed for total caroteniods, total soluble solids and ascorbic acid concentrations. The nutritional quality of the wastewater grown tomatoes and silver beet was comparable to those grown in the hydroponic solution and those purchased

Slow relaxation to equipartition in spring-chain systems

In this study, one-dimensional systems of masses connected by springs, i.e., spring-chain systems, are investigated numerically. The average kinetic energy of chain-end particles of these systems is larger than that of other particles, which is similar to the behavior observed for systems made of masses connected by rigid links. The energetic motion of the end particles is, however, transient, and the system relaxes to thermal equilibrium after a while, where the average kinetic energy of each particle is the same, that is, equipartition of energy is achieved. This is in contrast to the case of systems made of masses connected by rigid links, where the energetic motion of the end particles is observed in equilibrium. The timescale of relaxation estimated by simulation increases rapidly with increasing spring constant. The timescale is also estimated using the Boltzmann-Jeans theory and is found to be in quite good agreement with that obtained by the simulation

Differentiation of Cardiac from Noncardiac Pleural Effusions in Cats using Second-Generation Quantitative and Point-of-Care NT-proBNP Measurements

BACKGROUND: Pleural effusion is a common cause of dyspnea in cats. N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) measurement, using a first‐generation quantitative ELISA, in plasma and pleural fluid differentiates cardiac from noncardiac causes of pleural effusion. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine whether NT‐proBNP measurements using second‐generation quantitative ELISA and point‐of‐care (POC) tests in plasma and pleural fluid distinguish cardiac from noncardiac pleural effusions and how results compare to the first‐generation ELISA. ANIMALS: Thirty‐eight cats (US cohort) and 40 cats (UK cohort) presenting with cardiogenic or noncardiogenic pleural effusion. METHODS: Prospective cohort study. Twenty‐one and 17 cats in the US cohort, and 22 and 18 cats in the UK cohort were classified as having cardiac or noncardiac pleural effusion, respectively. NT‐proBNP concentrations in paired plasma and pleural fluid samples were measured using second‐generation ELISA and POC assays. RESULTS: The second‐generation ELISA differentiated cardiac from noncardiac pleural effusion with good diagnostic accuracy (plasma: sensitivity, 95.2%, specificity, 82.4%; pleural fluid: sensitivity, 100%, specificity, 76.5%). NT‐proBNP concentrations were greater in pleural fluid (719 pmol/L (134–1500)) than plasma (678 pmol/L (61–1500), P = 0.003), resulting in different cut‐off values depending on the sample type. The POC test had good sensitivity (95.2%) and specificity (87.5%) when using plasma samples. In pleural fluid samples, the POC test had good sensitivity (100%) but low specificity (64.7%). Diagnostic accuracy was similar between first‐ and second‐generation ELISA assays. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurement of NT‐proBNP using a quantitative ELISA in plasma and pleural fluid or POC test in plasma, but not pleural fluid, distinguishes cardiac from noncardiac causes of pleural effusion in cats

Long lasting instabilities in granular mixtures

We have performed experiments of axial segregation in the Oyama's drum. We have tested binary granular mixtures during very long times. The segregation patterns have been captured by a CCD camera and spatio-temporal graphs are created. We report the occurence of instabilities which can last several hours. We stress that those instabilities originate from the competition between axial and radial segregations. We put into evidence the occurence of giant fluctuations in the fraction of grain species along the surface during the unstable periods.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, (2002

Understanding the dynamics of segregation bands of simulated granular material in a rotating drum

Axial segregation of a binary mixture of grains in a rotating drum is studied using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. A force scheme leading to a constant restitution coefficient is used and shows that axial segregation is possible between two species of grains made of identical material differing by size. Oscillatory motion of bands is investigated and the influence of the frictional properties elucidated. The mechanism of bands merging is explained using direct imaging of individual grains

Electrochromic orbit control for smart-dust devices

Recent advances in MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) technology are leading to spacecraft which are the shape and size of computer chips, so-called SpaceChips, or ‘smart dust devices’. These devices can offer highly distributed sensing when used in future swarm applications. However, they currently lack a feasible strategy for active orbit control. This paper proposes an orbit control methodology for future SpaceChip devices which is based on exploiting the effects of solar radiation pressure using electrochromic coatings. The concept presented makes use of the high area-to-mass ratio of these devices, and consequently the large force exerted upon them by solar radiation pressure, to control their orbit evolution by altering their surface optical properties. The orbital evolution of Space Chips due to solar radiation pressure can be represented by a Hamiltonian system, allowing an analytic development of the control methodology. The motion in the orbital element phase space resembles that of a linear oscillator, which is used to formulate a switching control law. Additional perturbations and the effect of eclipses are accounted for by modifying the linearized equations of the secular change in orbital elements around an equilibrium point in the phase space of the problem. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated in a test case scenario