9,905 research outputs found
Regularity estimates up to the boundary for elliptic systems of difference equations
Regularity estimates up to the boundary for solutions of elliptic systems of finite difference equations were proved. The regularity estimates, obtained for boundary fitted coordinate systems on domains with smooth boundary, involve discrete Sobolev norms and are proved using pseudo-difference operators to treat systems with variable coefficients. The elliptic systems of difference equations and the boundary conditions which are considered are very general in form. The regularity of a regular elliptic system of difference equations was proved equivalent to the nonexistence of eigensolutions. The regularity estimates obtained are analogous to those in the theory of elliptic systems of partial differential equations, and to the results of Gustafsson, Kreiss, and Sundstrom (1972) and others for hyperbolic difference equations
Photometric identification of the periods of the first candidate extragalactic magnetic massive stars
Galactic stars belonging to the Of?p category are all strongly magnetic
objects exhibiting rotationally modulated spectral and photometric changes on
timescales of weeks to years. Five candidate Of?p stars in the Magellanic
Clouds have been discovered, notably in the context of ongoing surveys of their
massive star populations. Here we describe an investigation of their
photometric behaviour, revealing significant variability in all studied objects
on timescales of one week to more than four years, including clearly periodic
variations for three of them. Their spectral characteristics along with these
photometric changes provide further support for the hypothesis that these are
strongly magnetized O stars, analogous to the Of?p stars in the Galaxy.Comment: 9pages, accepted by A&
Orbital parameters, chemical composition, and magnetic field of the Ap binary HD 98088
HD 98088 is a synchronised, double-lined spectroscopic binary system with a
magnetic Ap primary component and an Am secondary component. We study this rare
system using high-resolution MuSiCoS spectropolarimetric data, to gain insight
into the effect of binarity on the origin of stellar magnetism and the
formation of chemical peculiarities in A-type stars. Using a new collection of
29 high-resolution Stokes VQU spectra we re-derive the orbital and stellar
physical parameters and conduct the first disentangling of spectroscopic
observations of the system to conduct spectral analysis of the individual
stellar components. From this analysis we determine the projected rotational
velocities of the stars and conduct a detailed chemical abundance analysis of
each component using both the SYNTH3 and ZEEMAN spectrum synthesis codes. The
surface abundances of the primary component are typical of a cool Ap star,
while those of the secondary component are typical of an Am star. We present
the first magnetic analysis of both components using modern data. Using
Least-Squares Deconvolution, we extract the longitudinal magnetic field
strength of the primary component, which is observed to vary between +1170 and
-920 G with a period consistent with the orbital period. There is no field
detected in the secondary component. The magnetic field in the primary is
predominantly dipolar, with the positive pole oriented approximately towards
the secondary.Comment: Accepted for publication by MNRAS, 17 pages, 12 figure
Prevalence of working smoke alarms in local authority inner city housing: randomised controlled trial
Objectives To identify which type of smoke alarm is most likely to remain working in local authority inner city housing, and to identify an alarm tolerated in households with smokers. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Two local authority housing estates in inner London. Participants 2145 households. Intervention Installation of one of five types of smoke alarm (ionisation sensor with a zinc battery; ionisation sensor with a zinc battery and pause button; ionisation sensor with a lithium battery and pause button; optical sensor with a lithium battery; or optical sensor with a zinc battery). Main outcome measure Percentage of homes with any working alarm and percentage in which the alarm installed for this study was working after 15 months. Results 54.4% (1166/2145) of all households and 45.9% (465/1012) of households occupied by smokers had a working smoke alarm. Ionisation sensor, lithium battery, and there being a smoker in the household were independently associated with whether an alarm was working (adjusted odds ratios 2.24 (95% confidence interval 1.75 to 2.87), 2.20 (1.77 to 2.75), and 0.62 (0.52 to 0.74)). The most common reasons for non-function were missing battery (19%), missing alarm (17%), and battery disconnected (4%). Conclusions Nearly half of the alarms installed were not working when tested 15 months later. Type of alarm and power source are important determinants of whether a household had a working alarm
Pseudo-marginal Bayesian inference for Gaussian process latent variable models
A Bayesian inference framework for supervised Gaussian process latent variable models is introduced. The framework overcomes the high correlations between latent variables and hyperparameters by collapsing the statistical model through approximate integration of the latent variables. Using an unbiased pseudo estimate for the marginal likelihood, the exact hyperparameter posterior can then be explored using collapsed Gibbs sampling and, conditional on these samples, the exact latent posterior can be explored through elliptical slice sampling. The framework is tested on both simulated and real examples. When compared with the standard approach based on variational inference, this approach leads to significant improvements in the predictive accuracy and quantification of uncertainty, as well as a deeper insight into the challenges of performing inference in this class of models
- …