FermiFermi GBM Observations of V404 Cyg During its 2015 Outburst

V404 Cygni was discovered in 1989 by the $Ginga$ X-ray satellite during its only previously observed X-ray outburst and soon after confirmed as a black hole binary. On June 15, 2015, the Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) triggered on a new outburst of V404 Cygni. We present 13 days of GBM observations of this outburst including Earth occultation flux measurements, spectral and temporal analysis. The Earth occultation fluxes reached 30 Crab with detected emission to 100 keV and determined, via hardness ratios, that the source was in a hard state. At high luminosity, spectral analysis between 8 and 300 keV showed that the electron temperature decreased with increasing luminosity. This is expected if the protons and electrons are in thermal equilibrium during an outburst with the electrons cooled by the Compton scattering of softer seed photons from the disk. However, the implied seed photon temperatures are unusually high, suggesting a contribution from another source, such as the jet. No evidence of state transitions is seen during this time period. The temporal analysis reveals power spectra that can be modeled with two or three strong, broad Lorentzians, similar to the power spectra of black hole binaries in their hard state

Disordered proteins and network disorder in network descriptions of protein structure, dynamics and function. Hypotheses and a comprehensive review

During the last decade, network approaches became a powerful tool to describe protein structure and dynamics. Here we review the links between disordered proteins and the associated networks, and describe the consequences of local, mesoscopic and global network disorder on changes in protein structure and dynamics. We introduce a new classification of protein networks into ‘cumulus-type’, i.e., those similar to puffy (white) clouds, and ‘stratus-type’, i.e., those similar to flat, dense (dark) low-lying clouds, and relate these network types to protein disorder dynamics and to differences in energy transmission processes. In the first class, there is limited overlap between the modules, which implies higher rigidity of the individual units; there the conformational changes can be described by an ‘energy transfer’ mechanism. In the second class, the topology presents a compact structure with significant overlap between the modules; there the conformational changes can be described by ‘multi-trajectories’; that is, multiple highly populated pathways. We further propose that disordered protein regions evolved to help other protein segments reach ‘rarely visited’ but functionally-related states. We also show the role of disorder in ‘spatial games’ of amino acids; highlight the effects of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) on cellular networks and list some possible studies linking protein disorder and protein structure networks

Integrated pest management of major pests and diseases in eastern Europe and the Caucasus

This book promotes Integrated Pest Management, to contribute to reduced reliance on pesticides and the avoidance of adverse impacts from pesticide use on the health and safety of farming communities, consumers and the environment. Through the IPM approach, technical advice is provided to help plan methods and measures to control major pests and diseases occurring or expected to occur in the countries of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The specific descriptions contain a short summary of the biology of the species, completed with information on methods and tools of monitoring and control. Preventive control methods are also discussed

Analysis of Sub-threshold Short Gamma-ray Bursts in Fermi GBM Data

The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) is currently the most prolific detector of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). Recently the detection rate of short GRBs (SGRBs) has been dramatically increased through the use of ground-based searches that analyze GBM continuous time tagged event (CTTE) data. Here we examine the efficiency of a method developed to search CTTE data for sub-threshold transient events in temporal coincidence with LIGO/Virgo compact binary coalescence triggers. This targeted search operates by coherently combining data from all 14 GBM detectors by taking into account the complex spatial and energy dependent response of each detector. We use the method to examine a sample of SGRBs that were independently detected by the Burst Alert Telescope on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, but which were too intrinsically weak or viewed with unfavorable instrument geometry to initiate an on-board trigger of GBM. We find that the search can successfully recover a majority of the BAT detected sample in the CTTE data. We show that the targeted search of CTTE data will be crucial in increasing the GBM sensitivity, and hence the gamma-ray horizon, to weak events such as GRB 170817A. We also examine the properties of the GBM signal possibly associated with the LIGO detection of GW150914 and show that it is consistent with the observed properties of other sub-threshold SGRBs in our sample. We find that the targeted search is capable of recovering true astrophysical signals as weak as the signal associated with GW150914 in the untriggered data.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, submitted to Ap

Nano-sized phase inclusions in As₂S₃ glass, films and fibers based on this glass

In this report, the comparative analysis using Raman spectroscopy of the short-range order in amorphous As₂S₃ films deposited with different evaporation rates, volume glass and fiber based on this glass is presented. With increasing the film deposition rate, their structure becomes more non-uniform as compared to that of glass. Raman spectra excited by laser radiation with energy bigger than the width of the optical gap indicate photomodification of the structure of As₂S₃ glass and fiber based on it

Energy dependence of kaon-to-proton ratio fluctuations in central Pb+Pb collisions from sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 6.3 to 17.3 GeV

Kaons and protons carry large parts of two conserved quantities, strangeness and baryon number. It is argued that their correlation and thus also fluctuations are sensitive to conditions prevailing at the anticipated parton-hadron phase boundary. Fluctuations of the $(\mathrm{K}^+ + \mathrm{K}^-)/(\mathrm{p}+\bar{\mathrm{p}})$ and $\mathrm{K}^+/\mathrm{p}$ ratios have been measured for the first time by NA49 in central Pb+Pb collisions at 5 SPS energies between $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$= 6.3 GeV and 17.3 GeV. Both ratios exhibit a change of sign in $\sigma_{\mathrm{dyn}}$, a measure of non-statistical fluctuations, around $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 8 GeV. Below this energy, $\sigma_{\mathrm{dyn}}$ is positive, indicating higher fluctuation compared to a mixed event background sample, while for higher energies, $\sigma_{\mathrm{dyn}}$ is negative, indicating correlated emission of kaons and protons. The results are compared to UrQMD calculations which which give a good description at the higher SPS energies, but fail to reproduce the transition to positive values.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure