Gamma-ray emission from globular clusters

Over the last few years, the data obtained using the Large Area Telescope (LAT) aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has provided new insights on high-energy processes in globular clusters, particularly those involving compact objects such as Millisecond Pulsars (MSPs). Gamma-ray emission in the 100 MeV to 10 GeV range has been detected from more than a dozen globular clusters in our galaxy, including 47 Tucanae and Terzan 5. Based on a sample of known gamma-ray globular clusters, the empirical relations between gamma-ray luminosity and properties of globular clusters such as their stellar encounter rate, metallicity, and possible optical and infrared photon energy densities, have been derived. The measured gamma-ray spectra are generally described by a power law with a cut-off at a few gigaelectronvolts. Together with the detection of pulsed gamma-rays from two MSPs in two different globular clusters, such spectral signature lends support to the hypothesis that gamma-rays from globular clusters represent collective curvature emission from magnetospheres of MSPs in the clusters. Alternative models, involving Inverse-Compton (IC) emission of relativistic electrons that are accelerated close to MSPs or pulsar wind nebula shocks, have also been suggested. Observations at >100 GeV by using Fermi/LAT and atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes such as H.E.S.S.-II, MAGIC-II, VERITAS, and CTA will help to settle some questions unanswered by current data.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, J. Astron. Space Sci., in pres

The NISPAcee journal of public administration and policy

This paper introduces a new approach for conducting project feasibility study by embracing the principles of sustainable development. Construction projects, in particular, infrastructures have major influence on the attainment of sustainable development, thus project sustainability needs to be considered. This becomes a pressing issue particularly in those developing countries or regions, such as China where a huge amount of construction works are currently performed and remain to happen in the future. Previous study has addressed little on the relevance of project feasibility study to project sustainability performance. The importance of incorporating sustainable development principles in conducting project feasibility study is not effectively understood by project stakeholders. This paper addresses major challenges of undertaking project feasibility study in line with sustainable construction practice with reference to the Chinese construction industry. A case study approach is the major research method in this study. The research team collected 87 feasibility study reports from various projects. Attributes are used for measuring project performance, including 18 economic performance attributes, nine social performance attributes, and eight environmental performance attributes. Research results show that economic performance is given the most concern in the current practice of project feasibility study, whilst less attention is given to the social and environmental performance. The study reveals the insufficiency of examining the performance of implementing a construction project from the perspective of sustainable development. The results also suggest the need for shifting the traditional approach of project feasibility study to a new approach that embraces the principles of sustainable development

Phylogenetic Relationships of Clawed Lobster Genera (Decapoda : Nephropidae) Based on Mitochondrial 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Approximately 350 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were used to study the phylogenetic relationships among 5 genera of the clawed lobster family Nephropidae (infraorder Astacidea), including Homarus, Homarinus, Metanephrops, Nephrops, and Nephropsis. Maximum-parsimony analysis, using a hermit crab, Pagurus pollicaris (infraorder Anomura), as an outgroup. produced a tree topology in which Homarus and Nephrops formed a well-supported clade that excluded Homarinus. The same tree topology was obtained from both neighbor-joining and maximum-likelihood analyses, Some morphological characters that appear synapomorphic for Nephrops and Metanephrops may be due to convergence rather than symplesiomorphy. The current taxonomy, therefore, does not reflect the phylogeny of this group as suggested by the molecular data. More molecular data and studies using homologous morphological characters me needed to reach a better understanding of the phylogenetic history of clawed lobsters

Phylogenetic Relationships of Clawed Lobster Genera (Decapoda : Nephropidae) Based on Mitochondrial 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Approximately 350 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were used to study the phylogenetic relationships among 5 genera of the clawed lobster family Nephropidae (infraorder Astacidea), including Homarus, Homarinus, Metanephrops, Nephrops, and Nephropsis. Maximum-parsimony analysis, using a hermit crab, Pagurus pollicaris (infraorder Anomura), as an outgroup. produced a tree topology in which Homarus and Nephrops formed a well-supported clade that excluded Homarinus. The same tree topology was obtained from both neighbor-joining and maximum-likelihood analyses, Some morphological characters that appear synapomorphic for Nephrops and Metanephrops may be due to convergence rather than symplesiomorphy. The current taxonomy, therefore, does not reflect the phylogeny of this group as suggested by the molecular data. More molecular data and studies using homologous morphological characters me needed to reach a better understanding of the phylogenetic history of clawed lobsters

A Typical Medium Dynamical Cluster Approximation for the Study of Anderson Localization in Three Dimensions

We develop a systematic typical medium dynamical cluster approximation that provides a proper description of the Anderson localization transition in three dimensions (3D). Our method successfully captures the localization phenomenon both in the low and large disorder regimes, and allows us to study the localization in different momenta cells, which renders the discovery that the Anderson localization transition occurs in a cell-selective fashion. As a function of cluster size, our method systematically recovers the re-entrance behavior of the mobility edge and obtains the correct critical disorder strength for Anderson localization in 3D.Comment: 5 Pages, 4 Figures and Supplementary Material include

A NuSTAR Observation of the Gamma-ray Emitting Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1723-2837

We report on the first NuSTAR observation of the gamma-ray emitting millisecond pulsar binary PSR J1723-2837. X-ray radiation up to 79 keV is clearly detected and the simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift spectrum is well described by an absorbed power-law with a photon index of ~1.3. We also find X-ray modulations in the 3-10 keV, 10-20 keV, 20-79 keV, and 3-79 keV bands at the 14.8-hr binary orbital period. All these are entirely consistent with previous X-ray observations below 10 keV. This new hard X-ray observation of PSR J1723-2837 provides strong evidence that the X-rays are from the intrabinary shock via an interaction between the pulsar wind and the outflow from the companion star. We discuss how the NuSTAR observation constrains the physical parameters of the intrabinary shock model.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 5 pages, 3 figure

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarisation studies in solution-state at 3.4T

Studies of Overhauser DNP in liquids are presented in this thesis, where the polarisation is achieved in-situ using TEMPO-derived radicals at a magnetic field of 3.4 T (143 MHz/94 GHz 1H NMR/EPR frequency). The dielectric heating of lossy water solvent is unavoidable at high field, and so knowledge of temperature effects is important to properly compare enhancement results. It is shown that the temperature dependent DNP enhancement of water protons can be determined provided that the 1H NMR shift is sufficiently resolved and the nuclear relaxation T1I is sufficiently fast. Considerable sensitivity gains are made at modest temperatures, e.g. [E] ~ 40 at ~40 degrees C, and much greater enhancements are achievable at elevated temperatures, e.g. [E]~ 130 at ~ 100 degrees C. Since high radical concentrations (100 mM TEMPOL) are used, the leakage and saturation factors approach 1, enabling an experimental determination of the coupling factor from the enhancement. A value of E = 0:055+0:003 is found at 25 degrees C, which agrees well with values in the literature calculated from molecular dynamics simulations. The DNP enhancement is measured as a function of temperature for three organic compounds dissolved in water: glycine, L-proline and acrylic acid; with enhancements of -17, -16 and -11 at ~40 degrees C. To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of solute molecule enhancements for direct in-situ liquid DNP at this field. Significant enhancements are obtained, however, further analysis of the results reveals significantly weaker coupling of the electron spin to the solute molecule protons than to the solvent molecule protons. Discrepancies between experimental coupling factor ratios and those calculated from a force-free hard-sphere model suggest that the classical analytical models used to describe Overhauser DNP may require refinement. In addition to these temperature studies, simultaneous saturation of two EPR hyperfine lines is investigated and achieved, resulting in an increase in observed DNP enhancement

Evolution of pairing from weak to strong coupling on a honeycomb lattice

We study the evolution of the pairing from weak to strong coupling on a honeycomb lattice by Quantum Monte Carlo. We show numerical evidence of the BCS-BEC crossover as the coupling strength increases on a honeycomb lattice with small fermi surface by measuring a wide range of observables: double occupancy, spin susceptibility, local pair correlation, and kinetic energy. Although at low energy, the model sustains Dirac fermions, we do not find significant qualitative difference in the BCS-BEC crossover as compared to those with an extended Fermi surface, except at weak coupling, BCS regime.Comment: 5 page