958 research outputs found
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The Effect of Mechanical Remoulding on the compression and strength characteristics of a Mercia Mudstone
A series of laboratory tests have been undertaken as part of a larger study into the effect of continuous flight auger pile installation on the soil-pile interface in the Mercia Mudstone Group [1]. This paper reports the results of stress path triaxial tests on bulk samples of the mudstone which have been subjected to varying amounts of mechanical remoulding representing the remoulding that occurs due to the action of the auger. In addition, the water content at which remoulding takes place has been varied. The tests were undertaken to investigate whether the silt sized aggregates of clay particles that exist [2] within this soil could be broken up by the mechanical remoulding and whether this would affect the compression and strength properties of the mudstone. It was found that both mechanical remoulding and the water content at which this is carried out affect the subsequent response of the soil
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Remoulding of the Mercia Mudstone Group around CFA pile shafts
A field test has been undertaken to investigate changes to in situ Mercia Mudstone at the pile soil interface after installation of four 5.5 m long 350 mm diameter CFA piles. The test investigated whether a remoulded zone exists, the extent of the zone, changes caused by remoulding and the effect of the installation method. The piles and surrounding soil were excavated after installation to a depth of just under 2 m. The sections of pile and surrounding soil were returned to the laboratory where a variety of detailed observations at both micro and macroscopic scales were undertaken, together with chemical and mineralogical analysis. It was found that a remoulded zone existed in all piles but that this varied in thickness both laterally and vertically around a pile. Across all piles the maximum thickness observed was 55 mm. The average thickness, fabric and texture were all affected by installation method. A distinctive vertically orientated fabric was observed in which up to four vertically orientated layers could be distinguished. There was evidence of changes in texture/fabric, structure, colour, mineralogy and chemistry
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Survey of Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnants
We report the progress to date from an ongoing unbiased ultraviolet survey of
supernova remnants in the Magellanic Clouds using the Far Ultraviolet
Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite. This survey is obtaining spectra of a
random large sample of Magellanic Cloud supernova remnants with a broad range
of radio, optical, and X-ray properties. To date, 39 objects have been observed
in the survey (38 in the LMC and one in the SMC) and 15 have been detected, a
detection rate of nearly 40%. Our survey has nearly tripled the number of
UV-detected SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds (from 8 to 22). Because of the
diffuse source sensitivity of FUSE, upper limits on non-detected objects are
quite sensitive in many cases. Estimated total luminosities in O~VI span a
broad range from considerably brighter to many times fainter than the inferred
soft X-ray luminosities, indicating that O~VI can be an important and largely
unrecognized coolant in certain objects. We compare the optical and X-ray
properties of the detected and non-detected objects but do not find a simple
indicator for ultraviolet detectability. Non-detections may be due to
clumpiness of the emission, high foreground extinction, slow shocks whose
emission gets attenuated by the Magellanic interstellar medium, or a
combination of these effects.Comment: 34 pages, 26 figures in 8 separate JPG figure files; the
characteristics of individual detected supernova remnants are summarized in
an Appendi
X-ray Spectroscopy of Candidate Ultracompact X-ray Binaries
We present high-resolution spectroscopy of the neutron star/low-mass X-ray
binaries (LMXBs) 4U 1850-087 and 4U 0513-40 as part of our continuing study of
known and candidate ultracompact binaries. The LMXB 4U 1850-087 is one of four
systems in which we had previously inferred an unusual Ne/O ratio in the
absorption along the line of sight, most likely from material local to the
binaries. However, our recent Chandra X-ray Observatory LETGS spectrum of 4U
1850-087 finds a Ne/O ratio by number of 0.22+/-0.05, smaller than previously
measured and consistent with the expected interstellar value. We propose that
variations in the Ne/O ratio due to source variability, as previously observed
in these sources, can explain the difference between the low- and
high-resolution spectral results for 4U 1850-087. Our XMM-Newton RGS
observation of 4U 0513-40 also shows no unusual abundance ratios in the
absorption along the line of sight. We also present spectral results from a
third candidate ultracompact binary, 4U 1822-000, whose spectrum is well fit by
an absorbed power-law + blackbody model with absorption consistent with the
expected interstellar value. Finally, we present the non-detection of a fourth
candidate ultracompact binary, 4U 1905+000, with an upper limit on the source
luminosity of < 1 x 10^{32} erg s^{-1}. Using archival data, we show that the
source has entered an extended quiescent state.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication to the Astrophysical
Journa
Hard X-ray timing and spectral properties of PSR B0540-69
We report the hard X-ray properties of the young Crab-like LMC pulsar PSR
B0540-69, using archival RXTE PCA (2 - 60 keV) and RXTE HEXTE (15 - 250 keV)
data. Making use of the very long effective exposure of 684 ks, we derived a
very detailed master pulse profile for energies 2 - 20 keV. We confirm the
broad single-pulse shape with a dip in the middle and with a significant fine
structure to the left of the dip. For the first time pulse profiles in the 10 -
50 keV energy interval are shown. Remarkably, the coarse pulse shape is stable
from the optical up to X-ray energies analogous to the case of the Crab pulsar
(PSR B0531+21). The profiles can be described with two Gaussians with a phase
separation of ~0.2; the distribution of the ratios between the two components
from the optical to the X-ray range is consistent with being flat. Therefore we
cannot conclude that the profile consists of two distinct components. We also
derived a new total pulsed spectrum in the ~0.01 - 50 keV range in a consistent
analysis including also archival ROSAT PSPC (0.01 - 2.5 keV) data. This
spectrum cannot be described by a single power-law, but requires an additional
energy dependent term. The bending of the spectrum around 10 keV resembles that
of the Crab pulsar spectrum. Although model calculations using Outer Gap
scenarios could probably explain the high-energy characteristics of PSR
B0540-69 as they successfully do for the Crab, our measurements do not entirely
agree with the latest calculations by Zhang & Cheng (2000). The small
discrepancies are likely to be caused by uncertainties in the pulsar's
geometry.Comment: 7 pages and 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Discovery of luminous pulsed hard X-ray emission from anomalous X-ray pulsars 1RXS J1708-4009, 4U 0142+61 and 1E 2259+586 by INTEGRAL and RXTE
We report on the discovery of hard spectral tails for energies above 10 keV
in the total and pulsed spectra of anomalous X-ray pulsars 1RXS J1708-4009, 4U
0142+61 and 1E 2259+586 using RXTE PCA (2-60 keV) and HEXTE (15-250 keV) data
and INTEGRAL IBIS ISGRI (20-300 keV) data. Improved spectral information on 1E
1841-045 is presented. The pulsed and total spectra measured above 10 keV have
power-law shapes and there is so far no significant evidence for spectral
breaks or bends up to ~150 keV. The pulsed spectra are exceptionally hard with
indices measured for 4 AXPs approximately in the range -1.0 -- 1.0. We also
reanalyzed archival CGRO COMPTEL (0.75-30 MeV) data to search for signatures
from our set of AXPs. No detections can be claimed, but the obtained
upper-limits in the MeV band indicate that for 1RXS J1708-4009, 4U 0142+61 and
1E 1841-045 strong breaks must occur somewhere between 150 and 750 keV.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 19 pages; 4 Tables; 15 Figures (6
color
Guiding the Way to Gamma-Ray Sources: X-ray Studies of Supernova Remnants
Supernova remnants have long been suggested as a class of potential
counterparts to unidentified gamma-ray sources. The mechanisms by which such
gamma-rays can arise may include emission from a pulsar associated with a
remnant, or a variety of processes associated with energetic particles
accelerated by the SNR shock. Imaging and spectral observations in the X-ray
band can be used to identify properties of the remnants that lead to gamma-ray
emission, including the presence of pulsar-driven nebulae, nonthermal X-ray
emission from the SNR shells, and the interaction of SNRs with dense
surrounding material.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, To appear in the proceedings of the workshop:
"The Nature of the Unidentified Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources" held at INAOE,
Mexico, October 2000, (A.Carraminana, O. Reiner and D. Thompson, eds.
DEM L241, a Supernova Remnant containing a High-Mass X-ray Binary
A Chandra observation of the Large Magellanic Cloud supernova remnant DEM
L241 reveals an interior unresolved source which is probably an
accretion-powered binary. The optical counterpart is an O5III(f) star making
this a High-Mass X-ray Binary (HMXB) with orbital period likely to be of order
tens of days. Emission from the remnant interior is thermal and spectral
information is used to derive density and mass of the hot material. Elongation
of the remnant is unusual and possible causes of this are discussed. The
precursor star probably had mass > 25 solar masse
Feasibility of identifying amyloid and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with the use of computerized quantitative texture analysis of clinical echocardiographic data
AbstractUltrasound tissue characterization, the evaluation of certain physical properties of a tissue based on its acoustic properties, is an evolving application in echocardiography. The ability to identify acutely and chronically injured tissue has been demonstrated in a number of animal studies, but data in humans are limited. The present study tested the hypothesis that quantitative echocardiographic texture analysis, a method of evaluating the spatial pattern of echoes in echocardiographic images, would differentiate amyloid and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from normal myocardium. Routine clinical echocardiographic data were obtained on 34 subjects at the Mayo Clinic (10 normal subjects, 10 patients with amyloid heart disease, 8 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients with left ventricular hypertrophy due to hypertension). Standard videotape recordings of these echocardiograms were analyzed at the University of Iowa.Echocardiographic data were digitized with use of a calibrated, 256 gray level digitization system. Quantitative texture analysis was performed on data from the ventricular septum and posterior left ventricular wall in end-diastolic and end-systolic, short-axis and long-axis echocardiographic images. The gray level run length texture variables were able to discriminate hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and amyloid heart disease from normal myocardium and from each other (p < 0.0083 for comparisons of the quantitative texture features of amyloid versus hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus normal by multivariate analysis of variance). The texture of the myocardium in hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy not associated with amyloid or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was in general not significantly different from that of normal myocardium.On the basis of these data, it was concluded that quantitative texture analysis of clinical echocardiographic data has the potential to identify amyloid and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; false positive results occur rarely in left ventricular hypertrophy due to hypertension. Further prospective studies of this technique are needed to establish its utility in identifying the etiology of clinical cardiomyopathies
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