2,292 research outputs found
Swift and Fermi observations of X-ray flares: the case of Late Internal Shock
Simultaneous Swift and Fermi observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer a
unique broadband view of their afterglow emission, spanning more than ten
decades in energy. We present the sample of X-ray flares observed by both Swift
and Fermi during the first three years of Fermi operations. While bright in the
X-ray band, X-ray flares are often undetected at lower (optical), and higher
(MeV to GeV) energies. We show that this disfavors synchrotron self-Compton
processes as origin of the observed X-ray emission. We compare the broadband
properties of X-ray flares with the standard late internal shock model, and
find that, in this scenario, X-ray flares can be produced by a late-time
relativistic (Gamma>50) outflow at radii R~10^13-10^14 cm. This conclusion
holds only if the variability timescale is significantly shorter than the
observed flare duration, and implies that X-ray flares can directly probe the
activity of the GRB central engine.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Constraints on Lorentz Invariance Violation from Fermi-Large Area Telescope Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts
We analyze the MeV/GeV emission from four bright Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs)
observed by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope to produce robust, stringent
constraints on a dependence of the speed of light in vacuo on the photon energy
(vacuum dispersion), a form of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) allowed by
some Quantum Gravity (QG) theories. First, we use three different and
complementary techniques to constrain the total degree of dispersion observed
in the data. Additionally, using a maximally conservative set of assumptions on
possible source-intrinsic spectral-evolution effects, we constrain any vacuum
dispersion solely attributed to LIV. We then derive limits on the "QG energy
scale" (the energy scale that LIV-inducing QG effects become important, E_QG)
and the coefficients of the Standard Model Extension. For the subluminal case
(where high energy photons propagate more slowly than lower energy photons) and
without taking into account any source-intrinsic dispersion, our most stringent
limits (at 95% CL) are obtained from GRB090510 and are E_{QG,1}>7.6 times the
Planck energy (E_Pl) and E_{QG,2}>1.3 x 10^11 GeV for linear and quadratic
leading order LIV-induced vacuum dispersion, respectively. These limits improve
the latest constraints by Fermi and H.E.S.S. by a factor of ~2. Our results
disfavor any class of models requiring E_{QG,1} \lesssim E_Pl.Comment: Accepted for publication by Physical Review
The relation between sustainability performance and stock market returns: An Empirical analysis of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe
This paper investigates the relation between corporate financial performance (CFP) and corporate sustainability performance (CSP). This is done by first analyzing a sample of European stocks that were added to or deleted from the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI Europe) over the period 2009–2013, and second by analyzing a sample of European stocks that were recognized as industry group leaders in CSP by the DJSI Europe over the same period. The impacts are measured in terms of (abnormal) stock returns. For the first analysis no strong evidence could be found that the announcement of the inclusion and exclusion events has any significant impact on stock return. However, on the day of change (CD) and in the period following CD, index inclusion (exclusion) stocks experience a significant but temporary increase (decrease) in stock return. These results seem to support Harris and Eitan’s (1986) price pressure hypothesis, which postulates that event announcement does not carry information and any shift in demand and hence the corresponding price change is temporary. From the second analysis, on industry group leaders, it can be concluded that the market rewards firms with high CSP. In the period after the day of change, industry group leader stocks experience a permanent and significant positive growth in stock returns. This conclusion can be supported by the resource based perspective, which posits that firms capable of investing heavily in CSP have greater underlying resources which in turn should produce higher financial performance (Alexander and Bucholz, 1978; Waddock and Graves, 1997; Clarkson et al., 2006)
Agriculture's prominence in the INDCs
Analysis of agriculture in countries’ climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies finds: Most Parties to the UNFCCC include agriculture in their mitigation targets (80%) and adaptation strategies (64%); Non-annex 1 Parties note the need for international financial support to implement their INDCs and raise the ambition of their contributions; For countries to meet their targets, climate finance will need to address agriculture
How countries plan to address agricultural adaptation and mitigation
Agriculture is well represented in Parties’ adaptation and mitigation strategies as communicated in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). There is much attention to conventional agricultural practices that can be climate-smart (e.g. livestock and crop management), but less to the enabling services that can facilitate uptake (e.g. climate information services, insurance, and credit). Considerable finance is needed for agricultural adaptation and mitigation by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) – in the order of USD 3 billion annually for adaptation and 2 billion annually for mitigation. Parties need better information in order to refine their finance needs. Non-Annex 1 Parties raise issues of climate justice, social inequality and food security in their INDCs
Interpreting and acting upon home blood pressure readings: A qualitative study
This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright @ 2013 Vasileiou et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Recent guidelines recognize the importance of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) as an adjunct to clinical measurements. We explored how people who have purchased and use a home blood pressure (BP) monitor make sense of, and act upon, readings and how they communicate with their doctor about the practice of home monitoring.
Methods: A qualitative study was designed and participants were purposively recruited from several areas in England, UK. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 users of home BP monitors. The transcribed data were thematically analysed.
Results: Interpretation of home BP readings is complex, and is often characterised by uncertainty. People seek to assess value normality using ‘rules of thumb’, and often aim to identify the potential causes of the readings. This is done by drawing on lay models of BP function and by contextualising the readings to personal circumstances. Based on the perceived causes of the problematic readings, actions are initiated, mostly relating to changes in daily routines. Contacting the doctor was more likely when the problematic readings persisted and could not be easily explained, or when participants did not succeed in regulating their BP through their other interventions. Most users had notified their doctor of the practice of home monitoring, but medical involvement varied, with some participants reporting disinterest or reservations by doctors.
Conclusions: Involvement from doctors can help people overcome difficulties and resolve uncertainties around the interpretation of home readings, and ensure that the rules of thumb are appropriate. Home monitoring can be used to strengthen the patient-clinician relationship
- …