22,468 research outputs found
Granulation across the HR diagram
We have obtained ultra-high quality spectra (R=180,000; S/N>300) with
unprecedented wavelength coverage (4400 to 7400 A) for a number of stars
covering most of the HR diagram in order to test the predictions of models of
stellar surface convection. Line bisectors and core wavelength shifts are both
measured and modeled, allowing us to validate and/or reveal the limitations of
state-of-the-art hydrodynamic model atmospheres of different stellar
parameters. We show the status of our project and preliminary results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; proceedings article for Joint Discussion 10 at
the IAU General Assembly, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 200
Mathematical Models for Estimating the Risk of vCJD Transmission
We present two different simple models for vCJD transmission by blood transfusion. Both models indicate that transfusions alone are unlikely to cause more than a few infections, unless the number of primary cases increases.
To improve our models, future work should pursue data collection, empirical estimation of the model parameters, and examination of the underlying assumptions of our frameworks.
Further improvements could also include examining susceptibility to vCJD infection by age group and iatrogenic infections introduced through surgical instruments. Regarding the latter, it may be worthwhile to conduct experiments to quantify the transmission of prions from an infected surgical instrument after repeated sterilization procedures
High-precision laser spectroscopy of the CO A - X (2,0), (3,0) and (4,0) bands
High-precision two-photon Doppler-free frequency measurements have been
performed on the CO A - X fourth-positive system (2,0),
(3,0), and (4,0) bands. Absolute frequencies of forty-three transitions, for
rotational quantum numbers up to , have been determined at an accuracy
of cm, using advanced techniques of two-color 2+1'
resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization, Sagnac interferometry,
frequency-chirp analysis on the laser pulses, and correction for AC-Stark
shifts. The accurate transition frequencies of the CO A - X
system are of relevance for comparison with astronomical data in the search for
possible drifts of fundamental constants in the early universe. The present
accuracies in laboratory wavelengths of may be considered exact for the purpose of such comparisons.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, The Journal of Chemical Physics (2015) accepte
Conflict, displacement, and economic revival: the case of the internally displaced minority entrepreneurs in Pakistan
This article examines entreprise activities developed by internally displaced religious minorities (IDRM) and the role that social capital plays in supporting such activities. In particular, the paper examines how social capital is linked to micro enterprise development and the economic survival/revival of internally displaced religious minorities in Pakistan and why the link between entrepreneurship and social capital is critical for contexts with absent or poorly designed enterprise development policies. A three-staged, sequential research design was adopted, which comprised the analysis of secondary data on IDRM, face-to-face survey of entrepreneurs and interviews in two selected study sites.
Our evidence shows how the role of social capital in supporting entrepreneurial activities is determined by socioeconomic inequalities as well as the characteristics of the formal enterprise support infrastructure, i.e. where formal institutions are weak, social capital is the main source of entrepreneurial support, with different types of social capital networks delivering different outcomes
Accounting for Convective Blue-Shifts in the Determination of Absolute Stellar Radial Velocities
For late-type non-active stars, gravitational redshifts and convective
blueshifts are the main source of biases in the determination of radial
velocities. If ignored, these effects can introduce systematic errors of the
order of ~ 0.5 km/s. We demonstrate that three-dimensional hydrodynamical
simulations of solar surface convection can be used to predict the convective
blue-shifts of weak spectral lines in solar-like stars to ~ 0.070 km/s. Using
accurate trigonometric parallaxes and stellar evolution models, the
gravitational redshifts can be constrained with a similar uncertainty, leading
to absolute radial velocities accurate to better than ~ 0.1 km/s.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the Joint Discussion 10, IAU General
Assembly, Rio de Janeiro, August 10-11, 200
The Solar Twin Planet Search II. A Jupiter twin around a solar twin
Through our HARPS radial velocity survey for planets around solar twin stars,
we have identified a promising Jupiter twin candidate around the star HIP11915.
We characterize this Keplerian signal and investigate its potential origins in
stellar activity. Our analysis indicates that HIP11915 hosts a Jupiter-mass
planet with a 3800-day orbital period and low eccentricity. Although we cannot
definitively rule out an activity cycle interpretation, we find that a planet
interpretation is more likely based on a joint analysis of RV and activity
index data. The challenges of long-period radial velocity signals addressed in
this paper are critical for the ongoing discovery of Jupiter-like exoplanets.
If planetary in nature, the signal investigated here represents a very close
analog to the solar system in terms of both Sun-like host star and Jupiter-like
planet.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; A&A accepted; typos corrected in this versio
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