422 research outputs found
Unidentified Galactic High-Energy Sources as Ancient Pulsar Wind Nebulae in the light of new high energy observations and the new code
In a Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN), the lifetime of inverse Compton (IC) emitting
electrons exceeds the lifetime of its progenitor pulsar (as well as its
shell-type remnant), but it also exceeds the age of those that emit via
synchrotron radiation. Therefore, during its evolution, the PWN can remain
bright in IC so that its GeV-TeV gamma-ray flux remains high for timescales
much larger (for 10^5 - 10^6 yrs) than the pulsar lifetime and the X-ray PWN
lifetime. In this scenario, the magnetic field in the cavity induced by the
wind of the progenitor star plays a crucial role. This scenario is in line with
the discovery of several unidentified or "dark" sources in the TeV gamma-ray
band without X-ray counterparts; and it is also finding confirmation in the
recent discoveries at GeV gamma rays. Moreover, these consequences could be
also important for reinterpreting the detection of starburst galaxies in the
TeV gamma-ray band when considering a leptonic origin of the gamma-ray signal.
Both theoretical aspects and their observational proofs will be discussed, as
well as the first results of our new modeling code.Comment: Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on High-Energy
Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2012
Numerical simulations of composite supernova remnants for small pulsar wind nebulae
Composite supernova remnants consist of a pulsar wind nebula located inside a
shell-type remnant. The presence of a shell has implications on the evolution
of the nebula, although the converse is generally not true. The purpose of this
paper is two-fold. The first aim is to determine the effect of the pulsar's
initial luminosity and spin-down rate, the supernova ejecta mass, and density
of the interstellar medium on the evolution of a spherically-symmetric,
composite supernova remnant expanding into a homogeneous medium. The second aim
is to investigate the evolution of the magnetic field in the pulsar wind nebula
when the the composite remnant expands into a non-uniform interstellar medium.
The Euler conservation equations for inviscid flow, together with the
magnetohydrodynamic induction law in the kinematic limit, are solved
numerically for a number of scenarios where the ratio of magnetic to particle
energy is . The simulations in the first part of the paper is
solved in a one-dimensional configuration. In the second part of the paper, the
effect of an inhomogeneous medium on the evolution is studied using a
two-dimensional, axis-symmetric configuration
Functional foods with added plant sterols for treatment of hypercholesterolaemia and prevention of ischaemic heart disease
Background. A spread with added plant sterols, Pro-activ, is marketed in South Africa as an adjunct to low-fat diets for lowering of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations and to decrease risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Objectives. The need for this functional food in South Africa, its efficacy, safety and target market, are evaluated in this review. Results. The high, and probably increasing incidence of hypercholesterolaemia and cardiovascular disease in South Africa motivates the need for appropriate functional foods. There is convincing evidence in the literature that an average daily intake of about 2 g plant sterols in about 20 g of spread significantly lowers total and LDL cholesterol concentrations by approximately 10 - 15%, without influencing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. There is some concern about the effects on absorption of lipid-soluble vitamins and pro-vitamins, but safety tests lasting for up to 3 years found no serious adverse effects. Conclusions. The target market for this spread should be nonpregnant, non-lactating adults with hypercholesterolaemia and/or increased risk of IHD. If it is considered for use in hypercholesterolaemic children, fat-soluble vitamin status should be monitored. It is recommended that post-marketing surveillance should be established to determine long-term effects and safety
Spatially resolved XMM-Newton analysis and a model of the nonthermal emission of MSH 15-52
We present an X-ray analysis and a model of the nonthermal emission of the
pulsar wind nebula (PWN) MSH15-52. We analyzed XMM-Newton data to obtain the
spatially resolved spectral parameters around the pulsar PSRB1509-58. A
steepening of the fitted power-law spectra and decrease in the surface
brightness is observed with increasing distance from the pulsar. In the second
part of this paper, we introduce a model for the nonthermal emission, based on
assuming the ideal magnetohydrodynamic limit. This model is used to constrain
the parameters of the termination shock and the bulk velocity of the leptons in
the PWN. Our model is able to reproduce the spatial variation of the X-ray
spectra. The parameter ranges that we found agree well with the parameter
estimates found by other authors with different approaches. In the last part of
this paper, we calculate the inverse Compton emission from our model and
compare it to the emission detected with the H.E.S.S. telescope system. Our
model is able to reproduce the flux level observed with H.E.S.S., but not the
spectral shape of the observed TeV {\gamma}-ray emission.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 9 pages, 15 figure
Evaluation of surface characteristics of titanium and cobalt chromium implant abutment materials
INTRODUCTION: Micro-organism adhesion and plaque formation
is affected by surface free energy (SFE), surface roughness,
hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, surface charge and
the presence of proteins.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess and compare
surface characteristics of surgical grade cobalt chromium
alloy (CCM) and of commercially pure titanium (cpTi).
METHOD: Nine metallic cylinders were machined to precise
standards from each material. Surface roughness was
measured at four different points on each sample and the
average Ra value was calculated for each material. Contact
angles were obtained using the sessile-drop method and
applied in calculating the SFE. Surface hardness was evaluated
by means of a Vickers hardness micro-indentation.
RESULTS: Surface roughness was similar for both metals,but
total SFE values and Vickers surface hardness scores
showed significant differences (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: SFE analysis showed CCM to be more hydrophobic
and that oral bacteria might therefore be less
adherent than to cpTi. The mean Vickers Hardness scores
of the cpTi were significantly lower (p<0.0001), suggesting
that CCM may be more resistant to surface modifications
and surface roughening, thus remaining smoother with less plaque accumulation than cpTi. This study demonstrated
that CCM might be a suitable alternative implant abutment
material.http://www.sada.co.zaam2013ay201
Applied Engineering and Environmental Geology
Exam paper for second semeste
Prevalence of comorbidities in women with and without breast cancer in Soweto South Africa: Results from the SABC study
Background. Comorbidities occurring concurrently in breast cancer patients can be burdensome, as they may negatively influence time and stage of presentation.Objectives. To describe the comorbid health conditions among South African (SA) black women with and without breast cancer and to determine factors associated with advanced-stage presentation of breast cancer.Methods. A population-based case-control study on breast cancer was conducted in black women in Soweto, SA, the SABC (South Africa Breast Cancer) study. Lifestyle information and blood samples were collected from 399 women with histologically confirmed new cases of invasive primary breast cancer, recruited prior to any therapy, and 399 age- and neighbourhood-matched controls without breast cancer. We compared self-reported metabolic diseases, depression, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, HIV status and point-of-care lipid and glucose levels between patients with breast cancer and the control group.Results. In the whole population, the mean (standard deviation) age was 54.6 (12.9) years, the majority (81.2%) of the participants were overweight or obese, 85.3% had abdominal adiposity, 61.3% were hypertensive, 47.1% had impaired fasting plasma glucose, 8.4% had elevated total cholesterol, 74.8% had low high-density lipoprotein and 10.9% were assessed to be depressed. Ninety-one percent of the whole cohort had at least one metabolic disease. In the breast cancer group, 72.2% had one or more metabolic diseases only (HIV-negative and no evidence of depression), compared with 64.7% of the control group. From a multivariate logistic regression adjusted model, higher household socioeconomic status conferred a 19% reduction in the odds of having advanced-stage breast cancer at diagnosis, while hypertension, dyslipidaemia and HIV were not significantly associated with stage at breast cancer diagnosis in the adjusted model.Conclusions. A large proportion of women experience several comorbidities, highlighting the need to address the chronic non-communicable disease epidemic in SA and to co-ordinate multidisciplinary primary-, secondary- and tertiary-level care in the country’s complex healthcare system for better outcome.Â
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