The broad-line region and dust torus size of the Seyfert 1 galaxy PGC50427

We present the results of a three years monitoring campaigns of the $z = 0.024$ type-1 active galactic nucleus (AGN) PGC50427. Through the use of Photometric Reverberation Mapping with broad and narrow band filters, we determine the size of the broad-line emitting region by measuring the time delay between the variability of the continuum and the H$\alpha$ emission line. The H$\alpha$ emission line responds to blue continuum variations with an average rest frame lag of $19.0 \pm 1.23$ days. Using single epoch spectroscopy we determined a broad-line H$\alpha$ velocity width of 1020 km s$^{-1}$ and in combination with the rest frame lag and adoption a geometric scaling factor $f = 5.5$, we calculate a black hole mass of $M_{BH} \sim 17 \times 10^{6} M_{\odot}$. Using the flux variation gradient method, we separate the host galaxy contribution from that of the AGN to calculate the rest frame 5100\AA~ luminosity at the time of our monitoring campaign. The rest frame lag and the host-subtracted luminosity permit us to derive the position of PGC50427 in the BLR size -- AGN luminosity diagram, which is remarkably close to the theoretically expected relation of $R \propto L^{0.5}$. The simultaneous optical and NIR ($J$ and $K_{s}$) observations allow us to determine the size of the dust torus through the use of dust reverberation mapping method. We find that the hot dust emission ($\sim 1800K$) lags the optical variations with an average rest frame lag of $46.2 \pm 2.60$ days. The dust reverberation radius and the nuclear NIR luminosity permit us to derive the position of PGC50427 on the known $\tau - M{V}$ diagram. The simultaneus observations for the broad-line region and dust thermal emission demonstrate that the innermost dust torus is located outside the BLR in PGC50427, supporting the unified scheme for AGNs. (Abstract shortened, see the manuscript.)Comment: 11 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Star formation in z>1 3CR host galaxies as seen by Herschel

We present Herschel (PACS and SPIRE) far-infrared (FIR) photometry of a complete sample of z>1 3CR sources, from the Herschel GT project The Herschel Legacy of distant radio-loud AGN (PI: Barthel). Combining these with existing Spitzer photometric data, we perform an infrared (IR) spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis of these landmark objects in extragalactic research to study the star formation in the hosts of some of the brightest active galactic nuclei (AGN) known at any epoch. Accounting for the contribution from an AGN-powered warm dust component to the IR SED, about 40% of our objects undergo episodes of prodigious, ULIRG-strength star formation, with rates of hundreds of solar masses per year, coeval with the growth of the central supermassive black hole. Median SEDs imply that the quasar and radio galaxy hosts have similar FIR properties, in agreement with the orientation-based unification for radio-loud AGN. The star-forming properties of the AGN hosts are similar to those of the general population of equally massive non-AGN galaxies at comparable redshifts, thus there is no strong evidence of universal quenching of star formation (negative feedback) within this sample. Massive galaxies at high redshift may be forming stars prodigiously, regardless of whether their supermassive black holes are accreting or not.Comment: 30 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in A&

Costs and effects of a 'healthy living' approach to community development in two deprived communities: findings from a mixed methods study

Background: Inequalities in health have proved resistant to 'top down' approaches. It is increasingly recognised that health promotion initiatives are unlikely to succeed without strong local involvement at all stages of the process and many programmes now use grass roots approaches. A healthy living approach to community development (HLA) was developed as an innovative response to local concerns about a lack of appropriate services in two deprived communities in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. We sought to assess feasibility, costs, benefits and working relationships of this HLA. Methods: The HLA intervention operated through existing community forums and focused on the whole community and its relationship with statutory and voluntary sectors. Local people were trained as community researchers and gathered views about local needs though resident interviews. Forums used interview results to write action plans, disseminated to commissioning organisations. The process was supported throughout through the project. The evaluation used a multi-method before and after study design including process and outcome formative and summative evaluation; data gathered through documentary evidence, diaries and reflective accounts, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and costing proformas. Main outcome measures were processes and timelines of implementation of HLA; self reported impact on communities and participants; community-agency processes of liaison; costs. Results: Communities were able to produce and disseminate action plans based on locally-identified needs. The process was slower than anticipated: few community changes had occurred but expectations were high. Community participants gained skills and confidence. Cross-sector partnership working developed. The process had credibility within service provider organisations but mechanisms for refocusing commissioning were patchy. Intervention costs averaged £58,304 per community per annum. Conclusions: The intervention was feasible and inexpensive, with indications of potential impact at individual, community and policy planning levels. However, it is a long term process which requires sustained investment and must be embedded in planning and service delivery processes.12 page(s

The MERL motion detector dataset

Looking into the future of residential and office building Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs (MERL) has been collecting motion sensor data from a network of over 200 sensors for a year. The data is the residual traces of year in the life of a research laboratory. It contains interesting spatio-temporal structure ranging all the way from the seconds of individuals walking down hallways, the minutes in the lobbies chatting with colleagues, the hours of dozens of people attending talks and meetings, the days and weeks that drive the patterns of life, to the months and seasons with their ebb and flow of visiting employees. This document describes that dataset, which contains well over 30 million raw motion records, spanning a calendar year and two floors of our research laboratory, as well as calendar, weather, and some intermediate analytic results

The Security Implications of VeriChip Cloning

The VeriChip™ is a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag produced commercially for implantation in human beings. Its proposed uses include identification of medical patients, physical access control, contactless retail payment, and even the tracing of kidnapping victims.As the authors explain, the VeriChip is vulnerable to simple, over-the-air spoofing 1 The VeriChip should serve exclusively for identification, and not authentication or access control. 2 Paradoxically, for bearer safety, a VeriChip should be easy to spoof; an attacker then has less incentive to coerce victims or extract VeriChips from victims’ bodies