1,797 research outputs found
Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay - 1986
The EVIL-MC Model for Ellipsoidal Variations of Planet-Hosting Stars and Applications to the HAT-P-7 System
We present a new model for Ellipsoidal Variations Induced by a Low-Mass
Companion, the EVIL-MC model. We employ several approximations appropriate for
planetary systems to substantially increase the computational efficiency of our
model relative to more general ellipsoidal variation models and improve upon
the accuracy of simpler models. This new approach gives us a unique ability to
rapidly and accurately determine planetary system parameters. We use the
EVIL-MC model to analyze Kepler Quarter 0-2 (Q0-2) observations of the HAT-P-7
system, an F-type star orbited by a nearly Jupiter-mass companion. Our analysis
corroborates previous estimates of the planet-star mass ratio q = (1.10 +/-
0.06) x 10^(-3), and we have revised the planet's dayside brightness
temperature to 2680 +10/-20 K. We also find a large difference between the day-
and nightside planetary flux, with little nightside emission. Preliminary
dynamical+radiative modeling of the atmosphere indicates this result is
qualitatively consistent with high altitude absorption of stellar heating.
Similar analyses of Kepler and CoRoT photometry of other planets using EVIL-MC
will play a key role in providing constraints on the properties of many
extrasolar systems, especially given the limited resources for follow-up and
characterization of these systems. However, as we highlight, there are
important degeneracies between the contributions from ellipsoidal variations
and planetary emission and reflection. Consequently, for many of the hottest
and brightest Kepler and CoRoT planets, accurate estimates of the planetary
emission and reflection, diagnostic of atmospheric heat budgets, will require
accurate modeling of the photometric contribution from the stellar ellipsoidal
variation.Comment: Accepted to ApJ; minor revisions to original submission; An IDL
version of the EVIL-MC model is publicly available at
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~bjackson/idl_code/index.htm
The use of modern telemedicine technologies in an innovative optimal cardiac rehabilitation program for patients after myocardial revascularization: Concept and design of RESTORE, a randomized clinical trial
Despite proven efficacy of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in reducing the all-cause mortality in patients after myocardial revascularization, the penetration of CR, due to patient-related factors and referral rates remains limited. To improve the outcomes, home-based tele-rehabilitation (TR) has been proposed recently. In theory TR enhances the effects of standard CR procedures due to implementation of an intelligent monitoring system designed to ensure optimal training through on-demand transmission of vital signs, aimed at motivating the patients through daily schedule reminders, setting daily goals and creating a platform for mutual feedback. Several meta-analyses assessing various studies comparing these two methods (CR and TR) have proven that they are at least equally effective, with some of the research showing superiority of TR. Although there was a small sample size, lack of long-term follow-up, reporting effects of TR itself, no integration with tools designed for coaching, motivating and promoting a healthy lifestyle constitutes an important limitation. The latter carries a hopeful prognosis for improvement when utilizing a broad-spectrum approach, especially with use of dedicated technological solutions exploiting the fact of a large and yet rapidly increasing penetration of smartphones, mobile PCs and tablets in the population. The above-mentioned findings worked as the basis and rationale for commencing the RESTORE project aimed at developing and delivering state-of-the-art, comprehensive TR for patients after myocardial revascularization and evaluating its molecular aspect in view of how it influences the atherosclerosis progression attenuation. This paper presents the current state and rationale behind the project based on up-to-date TR efficacy data
Dimensionless cosmology
Although it is well known that any consideration of the variations of
fundamental constants should be restricted to their dimensionless combinations,
the literature on variations of the gravitational constant is entirely
dimensionful. To illustrate applications of this to cosmology, we explicitly
give a dimensionless version of the parameters of the standard cosmological
model, and describe the physics of Big Bang Neucleosynthesis and recombination
in a dimensionless manner. The issue that appears to have been missed in many
studies is that in cosmology the strength of gravity is bound up in the
cosmological equations, and the epoch at which we live is a crucial part of the
model. We argue that it is useful to consider the hypothetical situation of
communicating with another civilization (with entirely different units),
comparing only dimensionless constants, in order to decide if we live in a
Universe governed by precisely the same physical laws. In this thought
experiment, we would also have to compare epochs, which can be defined by
giving the value of any {\it one} of the evolving cosmological parameters. By
setting things up carefully in this way one can avoid inconsistent results when
considering variable constants, caused by effectively fixing more than one
parameter today. We show examples of this effect by considering microwave
background anisotropies, being careful to maintain dimensionlessness
throughout. We present Fisher matrix calculations to estimate how well the fine
structure constants for electromagnetism and gravity can be determined with
future microwave background experiments. We highlight how one can be misled by
simply adding to the usual cosmological parameter set
Charmless Hadronic Two-Body B Meson Decays
We report the results of a study of two-body B meson decays to the complete
set of K pi, pi pi, and K K final states. The study is performed on a data
sample of 31.7 +/- 0.3 million B B-bar events recorded on the Upsilon(4S)
resonance by the Belle experiment at KEKB. We observe significant signals in
all K pi final states and in the pi+ pi- and pi+ pi0 final states. We set
limits on the pi0 pi0 and K K final states. A search is performed for
partial-rate asymmetries between conjugate states for flavor-specific final
states.Comment: Submitted to PR
Constraints on the Synchrotron Shock Model for the Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst 090820A
Discerning the radiative dissipation mechanism for prompt emission in
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) requires detailed spectroscopic modeling that straddles
the peak in the 100 keV - 1 MeV range. Historically, empirical
fits such as the popular Band function have been employed with considerable
success in interpreting the observations. While extrapolations of the Band
parameters can provide some physical insight into the emission mechanisms
responsible for GRBs, these inferences do not provide a unique way of
discerning between models. By fitting physical models directly this degeneracy
can be broken, eliminating the need for empirical functions; our analysis here
offers a first step in this direction. One of the oldest, and leading,
theoretical ideas for the production of the prompt signal is the synchrotron
shock model (SSM). Here we explore the applicability of this model to a bright
{\it Fermi} GBM burst with a simple temporal structure, GRB {\it 090820}A. Our
investigation implements, for the first time, thermal and non-thermal
synchrotron emissivities in the RMFIT forward-folding spectral analysis
software often used in GBM burst studies. We find that these synchrotron
emissivities, together with a blackbody shape, provide at least as good a match
with the data as the Band GRB spectral fitting function. This success is
achieved in both time-integrated and time-resolved spectral fits
- …