Magnetic Field Generation in Stars

Enormous progress has been made on observing stellar magnetism in stars from the main sequence through to compact objects. Recent data have thrown into sharper relief the vexed question of the origin of stellar magnetic fields, which remains one of the main unanswered questions in astrophysics. In this chapter we review recent work in this area of research. In particular, we look at the fossil field hypothesis which links magnetism in compact stars to magnetism in main sequence and pre-main sequence stars and we consider why its feasibility has now been questioned particularly in the context of highly magnetic white dwarfs. We also review the fossil versus dynamo debate in the context of neutron stars and the roles played by key physical processes such as buoyancy, helicity, and superfluid turbulence,in the generation and stability of neutron star fields. Independent information on the internal magnetic field of neutron stars will come from future gravitational wave detections. Thus we maybe at the dawn of a new era of exciting discoveries in compact star magnetism driven by the opening of a new, non-electromagnetic observational window. We also review recent advances in the theory and computation of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence as it applies to stellar magnetism and dynamo theory. These advances offer insight into the action of stellar dynamos as well as processes whichcontrol the diffusive magnetic flux transport in stars.Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures. Invited review chapter on on magnetic field generation in stars to appear in Space Science Reviews, Springe

The Influence of Age and Sex on Genetic Associations with Adult Body Size and Shape : A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Interaction Study

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 genetic variants contributing to BMI, a measure of body size, or waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHRadjBMI), a measure of body shape. Body size and shape change as people grow older and these changes differ substantially between men and women. To systematically screen for age-and/or sex-specific effects of genetic variants on BMI and WHRadjBMI, we performed meta-analyses of 114 studies (up to 320,485 individuals of European descent) with genome-wide chip and/or Metabochip data by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium. Each study tested the association of up to similar to 2.8M SNPs with BMI and WHRadjBMI in four strata (men 50y, women 50y) and summary statistics were combined in stratum-specific meta-analyses. We then screened for variants that showed age-specific effects (G x AGE), sex-specific effects (G x SEX) or age-specific effects that differed between men and women (G x AGE x SEX). For BMI, we identified 15 loci (11 previously established for main effects, four novel) that showed significant (FDR= 50y). No sex-dependent effects were identified for BMI. For WHRadjBMI, we identified 44 loci (27 previously established for main effects, 17 novel) with sex-specific effects, of which 28 showed larger effects in women than in men, five showed larger effects in men than in women, and 11 showed opposite effects between sexes. No age-dependent effects were identified for WHRadjBMI. This is the first genome-wide interaction meta-analysis to report convincing evidence of age-dependent genetic effects on BMI. In addition, we confirm the sex-specificity of genetic effects on WHRadjBMI. These results may providefurther insights into the biology that underlies weight change with age or the sexually dimorphism of body shape.Peer reviewe

Accurate and portable weigh-in-motion system for manifesting air cargo

An automated and portable weigh-in-motion system has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the purpose of manifesting cargo onto aircraft. The system has an accuracv range of {plus_minus} 3.0% to {plus_minus} 6.0% measuring gross vehicle weight and locating the center of balance of moving vehicles at speeds of 1 to 5 mph. This paper reviews the control/user interface system and weight determination algorithm developed to acquire, process, and interpret multiple sensor inputs. The development effort resulted in a self-zeroing, user-friendly system capable of weighing a wide range of vehicles in any random order. The control system is based on the STANDARD (STD) bus and incorporates custom-designed data acquisition and sensor fusion hardware controlled by a personal computer (PC) based single-board computer. The user interface is written in the ``C`` language to display number of axles, axle weight, axle spacing, gross weight, and center of balance. The weighing algorithm developed will function with any linear weight sensor and a set of four axle switches per sensor

Phenotypic and genotypic profiling of antimicrobial resistance in enteric Escherichia coli communities isolated from finisher pigs in Australia

Propagating epizootics due to Pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) occurred in the Australian population of pilchard, Sardinops sagax neopilchardus (Steindachner) (Clupeidae), in 1995 and 1998-99, with up to 60% losses. No mortality events have been evident in the ensuing 7 years, one reason for which could be that PHV is now endemic. During 2004, a survey was conducted to establish if PHV was present in pilchards in Australia. The pilchard is a highly active, pelagic schooling fish which is found in subpopulations, creating difficulties for the conduct of surveys. It occurs in Australian coastal waters and embayments below about 25°S latitude, feeds on plankton and is predated by birds, mammals and larger fish. It reaches sexual maturity at 2 years of age, spawns at sea, enters embayments when about 5 months old and returns to sea when about 1 year old. It may live for 6-9 years, reaching a maximum length of 200 mm. It forms schools and may travel up to 30 km per day. Pilchards aggregate in mobile shoals of fish containing large highly mobile schools, which interact randomly and exchange individuals. Four subpopulations were defined for the purposes of this survey based on differences in biological characteristics: south-eastern Queensland/northern New South Wales (NSW), Victoria/South Australia (SA), south coast Western Australia (SWA) and west coast Western Australia (WWA). Specimens were obtained from the catch of commercial fishermen using random sampling where possible. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of PHV was performed after appraising the suitability of all available tests according to their impact on sample size requirements, total survey costs and logistical constraints. In the analysis, estimates of true prevalence (TP) of infection and 95% confidence limits were adjusted from the apparent prevalence estimates provided by PCR results. Percentage TP of PHV and corresponding 95% confidence intervals for the four subpopulations: NSW, SA, SWA and WWA were thus estimated as 0 (0-1.5), 31 (22-43), 42 (31-55) and 29 (20-41), respectively. PHV is now endemic in Australian populations of pilchard. Implications of the findings for fisheries management are discussed