3 research outputs found
The Fermi GBM Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Catalog: Four Years Of Data
In this catalog we present the updated set of spectral analyses of GRBs
detected by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) during its first four years
of operation. It contains two types of spectra, time-integrated spectral fits
and spectral fits at the brightest time bin, from 943 triggered GRBs. Four
different spectral models were fitted to the data, resulting in a compendium of
more than 7500 spectra. The analysis was performed similarly, but not
identically to Goldstein et al. 2012. All 487 GRBs from the first two years
have been re-fitted using the same methodology as that of the 456 GRBs in years
three and four. We describe, in detail, our procedure and criteria for the
analysis, and present the results in the form of parameter distributions both
for the observer-frame and rest-frame quantities. The data files containing the
complete results are available from the High-Energy Astrophysics Science
Archive Research Center (HEASARC).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
Increased core body temperature in astronauts during long-duration space missions
Humans’ core body temperature (CBT) is strictly controlled within a narrow range. Various studies
dealt with the impact of physical activity, clothing, and environmental factors on CBT regulation
under terrestrial conditions. However, the effects of weightlessness on human thermoregulation are
not well understood. Specifically, studies, investigating the effects of long-duration spaceflight on
CBT at rest and during exercise are clearly lacking. We here show that during exercise CBT rises higher
and faster in space than on Earth. Moreover, we observed for the first time a sustained increased
astronauts’ CBT also under resting conditions. This increase of about 1 °C developed gradually over
2.5 months and was associated with augmented concentrations of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist,
a key anti-inflammatory protein. Since even minor increases in CBT can impair physical and cognitive
performance, both findings have a considerable impact on astronauts’ health and well-being during
future long-term spaceflights. Moreover, our findings also pinpoint crucial physiological challenges for
spacefaring civilizations, and raise questions about the assumption of a thermoregulatory set point in
humans, and our evolutionary ability to adapt to climate changes on Earth