Modelling the Galactic bar using OGLE-II Red Clump Giant Stars

Red clump giant stars can be used as distance indicators to trace the mass distribution of the Galactic bar. We use RCG stars from 44 bulge fields from the OGLE-II microlensing collaboration database to constrain analytic tri-axial models for the Galactic bar. We find the bar major axis is oriented at an angle of 24 - 27 degrees to the Sun-Galactic centre line-of-sight. The ratio of semi-major and semi-minor bar axis scale lengths in the Galactic plane x_0, y_0, and vertical bar scale length z_0, is x_0 : y_0 : z_0 = 10 : 3.5 : 2.6, suggesting a slightly more prolate bar structure than the working model of Gerhard (2002) which gives the scale length ratios as x_0 : y_0 : z_0 = 10 : 4 : 3 .Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Supplementary material available online: 10 pages, 10 figure

Constraining the Location of Microlensing Objects by using the Finite Source Effect in EAGLE events

We propose a new method to constrain the location of microlensing objects using EAGLE (Extremely Amplified Gravitational LEnsing) events. We have estimated the rate of EAGLE events by taking the finite-source effect in to account. We found that the EAGLE event rate for using a 1-m class telescope w hose limiting magnitude is $V \sim 21$ is the same as or higher than that of the ordinary microlensing events which have been found to date. We have also found that the fraction of transit EAGLE events is large enough to detect: between $4 \sim 80$ depending on the lens location. Since the lens proper motion can be measured for a transit event, one can distinguish whether the lens is a MACHO (MAssive Compact Halo Object) in our hal o or one of the known stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) from the proper motion measurement for each transit EAGLE event. Moreover, we show that the fraction of transit EAGLEs in all EAGLE events signif icantly depends on the lensing locations: the transit EAGLE fraction for the sel f-lensing case is $2 \sim 15$ times larger than that for halo MACHOs. Thus, one can constrain the location of lens objects by the statistics of the tr ansit events fraction. We show that we can reasonably expect $0 \sim 6$ transit events out of 21 EAGLE events in 3 years. We can also constrain the lens population properties at a gre ater than 99% confidence level depending on the number of transit events de tected. We also present the duration of EAGLE events, and show how an hourly ob servational mode is more suitable for an EAGLE event search program.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Frequency Coded Chipless RFID Tag using Spurline Resonators

A novel compact chipless RFID tag using spurline resonators is discussed in this paper. The detection of the tag's ID is using the spectral signature of a spurline resonator circuit. The tag has a data capacity of 8-bits in the range 2.38 to 4.04 GHz. The tag consists of a spurline multiresonating circuit and two cross polarised antennas. The prototype of the tag is fabricated on a substrate C-MET/LK4.3 of dielectric constant 4.3 and loss tangent 0.0018. The measured results show that group delay response can also be used to decode the tag’s identity

Blending in Gravitational Microlensing Experiments: Source Confusion And Related Systematics

Gravitational microlensing surveys target very dense stellar fields in the local group. As a consequence the microlensed source stars are often blended with nearby unresolved stars. The presence of `blending' is a cause of major uncertainty when determining the lensing properties of events towards the Galactic centre. After demonstrating empirical cases of blending we utilize Monte Carlo simulations to probe the effects of blending. We generate artificial microlensing events using an HST luminosity function convolved to typical ground-based seeing, adopting a range of values for the stellar density and seeing. We find that a significant fraction of bright events are blended, contrary to the oft-quoted assumption that bright events should be free from blending. We probe the effect that this erroneous assumption has on both the observed event timescale distribution and the optical depth, using realistic detection criteria relevent to the different surveys. Importantly, under this assumption the latter quantity appears to be reasonably unaffected across our adopted values for seeing and density. The timescale distribution is however biased towards smaller values, even for the least dense fields. The dominant source of blending is from lensing of faint source stars, rather than lensing of bright source stars blended with nearby fainter stars. We also explore other issues, such as the centroid motion of blended events and the phenomena of `negative' blending. Furthermore, we breifly note that blending can affect the determination of the centre of the red clump giant region from an observed luminosity function. This has implications for a variety of studies, e.g. mapping extinction towards the bulge and attempts to constrain the parameters of the Galactic bar through red clump giant number counts. (Abridged)Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. MNRAS (in press

Circadian patterns of Wikipedia editorial activity: A demographic analysis

Wikipedia (WP) as a collaborative, dynamical system of humans is an appropriate subject of social studies. Each single action of the members of this society, i.e. editors, is well recorded and accessible. Using the cumulative data of 34 Wikipedias in different languages, we try to characterize and find the universalities and differences in temporal activity patterns of editors. Based on this data, we estimate the geographical distribution of editors for each WP in the globe. Furthermore we also clarify the differences among different groups of WPs, which originate in the variance of cultural and social features of the communities of editors

High precision microlensing maps of the Galactic bulge

We present detailed maps of the microlensing optical depth and event density over an area of 195 sq. deg towards the Galactic bulge. The maps are computed from synthetic stellar catalogues generated from the Besancon Galaxy Model, which comprises four stellar populations and a three-dimensional extinction map calibrated against the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey. The optical depth maps have a resolution of 15 arcminutes, corresponding to the angular resolution of the extinction map. We compute optical depth and event density maps for all resolved sources above I=19, for unresolved (difference image) sources magnified above this limit, and for bright standard candle sources in the bulge. We show that the resulting optical depth contours are dominated by extinction effects, exhibiting fine structure in stark contrast to previous theoretical optical depth maps. Optical depth comparisons between Galactic models and optical microlensing survey measurements cannot safely ignore extinction or assume it to be smooth. We show how the event distribution for hypothetical J and K-band microlensing surveys, using existing ground-based facilities such as VISTA, UKIRT or CFHT, would be much less affected by extinction, especially in the K band. The near infrared provides a substantial sensitivity increase over current I-band surveys and a more faithful tracer of the underlying stellar distribution, something which upcoming variability surveys such as VVV will be able to exploit. Synthetic population models offer a promising way forward to fully exploit large microlensing datasets for Galactic structure studies.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to MNRA

Automated single-cell sorting system based on optical trapping.

We provide a basis for automated single-cell sorting based on optical trapping and manipulation using human peripheral blood as a model system. A counterpropagating dual-beam optical-trapping configuration is shown theoretically and experimentally to be preferred due to a greater ability to manipulate cells in three dimensions. Theoretical analysis performed by simulating the propagation of rays through the region containing an erythrocyte (red blood cell) divided into numerous elements confirms experimental results showing that a trapped erythrocyte orients with its longest axis in the direction of propagation of the beam. The single-cell sorting system includes an image-processing system using thresholding, background subtraction, and edge-enhancement algorithms, which allows for the identification of single cells. Erythrocytes have been identified and manipulated into designated volumes using the automated dual-beam trap. Potential applications of automated single-cell sorting, including the incorporation of molecular biology techniques, are discussed

In silico identification, characterization and expression analysis of miRNAs in Cannabis sativa L.

AbstractCannabis sativa L. is an annual herb and economically important as a source of fiber, oil, food and for its medicinal and intoxicating properties. MicroRNAs are a class of short (~21nt), non-coding regulatory RNAs that play a major role in post-transcriptional gene silencing. By in silico analysis of the publically available Transcript Sequence Assemblies (TSA) and Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) of C. sativa, a total of 18 conserved miRNAs belonging to 9 independent families were identified. To validate the predicted miRNAs, SYBR green based assay of qPCR was applied to detect the tissue-specific (young and mature leaf) expression of 6 putative miRNAs (csa-miR156, csa-miR159a, csa-miR171b, csa-miR172a, csa-miR5021a, csa-miR6034) in C. sativa. A total of 80 target genes were also recognized for the newly identified miRNAs, and subsequently assigned to three broad functional categories: biological processes, cellular components and molecular functions as defined for the Arabidopsis proteome. The potential target genes consist of transcription factors (33.75%), transporters (5%), kinase and other enzymes (20%) as well as signaling and other functional proteins (32.50%). The findings in this study on C. sativa miRNA precursors, mature miRNAs, and miRNA targets will be helpful for future research on miRNA-mediated gene regulation in this important plant species

MOA-2011-BLG-293Lb: First Microlensing Planet possibly in the Habitable Zone

We used Keck adaptive optics observations to identify the first planet discovered by microlensing to lie in or near the habitable zone, i.e., at projected separation $r_\perp=1.1\pm 0.1\,$AU from its $M_{L}=0.86\pm 0.06\,M_\odot$ host, being the highest microlensing mass definitely identified. The planet has a mass $m_p = 4.8\pm 0.3\,M_{\rm Jup}$, and could in principle have habitable moons. This is also the first planet to be identified as being in the Galactic bulge with good confidence: $D_L=7.72\pm 0.44$ kpc. The planet/host masses and distance were previously not known, but only estimated using Bayesian priors based on a Galactic model (Yee et al. 2012). These estimates had suggested that the planet might be a super-Jupiter orbiting an M dwarf, a very rare class of planets. We obtained high-resolution $JHK$ images using Keck adaptive optics to detect the lens and so test this hypothesis. We clearly detect light from a G dwarf at the position of the event, and exclude all interpretations other than that this is the lens with high confidence (95%), using a new astrometric technique. The calibrated magnitude of the planet host star is $H_{L}=19.16\pm 0.13$. We infer the following probabilities for the three possible orbital configurations of the gas giant planet: 53% to be in the habitable zone, 35% to be near the habitable zone, and 12% to be beyond the snow line, depending on the atmospherical conditions and the uncertainties on the semimajor axis.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 21 pages, 4 figure