1,339 research outputs found
Sensitive Radio Survey of Obscured Quasar Candidates
We study the radio properties of moderately obscured quasars over a range of
redshifts to understand the role of radio activity in accretion using the
Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) at 6.0GHz and 1.4GHz. Our z~2.5 sample consists
of optically-selected obscured quasar candidates, all of which are radio-quiet,
with typical radio luminosities of [1.4 GHz] < erg
s. Only a single source is individually detected in our deep (rms~10
Jy) exposures. This population would not be identified by radio-based
selection methods used for distinguishing dusty star-forming galaxies and
obscured active nuclei. In our pilot A-array study of z~0.5 radio-quiet
quasars, we spatially resolve four of five objects on scales ~ 5 kpc and find
they have steep spectral indices. Therefore, radio emission in these sources
could be due to jet-driven or radiatively driven bubbles interacting with
interstellar material on the scale of the host galaxy. Finally, we also study
the population of ~ 200 faint (~40 Jy - 40 mJy) radio sources observed
over ~ 120 arcmin of our data. 60% of these detections are matched in the
SDSS and/or WISE and are, in roughly equal shares, active nuclei at a broad
range of redshifts, passive galaxies with no other signs of nuclear activity
and IR-bright but optically faint sources. Spectroscopically or photometrically
confirmed star-forming galaxies constitute only a small minority of the
matches. Such sensitive radio surveys allow us to address important questions
of AGN evolution and evaluate the AGN contribution to the radio-quiet sky.Comment: 18 pages, submitted to MNRA
Gaia transient detection efficiency: hunting for nuclear transients
We present a study of the detectability of transient events associated with
galaxies for the Gaia European Space Agency astrometric mission. We simulated
the on-board detections, and on-ground processing for a mock galaxy catalogue
to establish the properties required for the discovery of transient events by
Gaia, specifically tidal disruption events (TDEs) and supernovae (SNe).
Transients may either be discovered by the on-board detection of a new source
or by the brightening of a previously known source. We show that Gaia
transients can be identified as new detections on-board for offsets from the
host galaxy nucleus of 0.1--0.5,arcsec, depending on magnitude and scanning
angle. The Gaia detection system shows no significant loss of SNe at close
radial distances to the nucleus. We used the detection efficiencies to predict
the number of transients events discovered by Gaia. For a limiting magnitude of
19, we expect around 1300 SNe per year: 65% SN Ia, 28% SN II and 7% SN Ibc, and
~20 TDEs per year.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, accepted by MNRA
Facilitating return to work through early specialist health-based interventions (FRESH): protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial
Background
Over one million people sustain traumatic brain injury each year in the UK and more than 10 % of these are moderate or severe injuries, resulting in cognitive and psychological problems that affect the ability to work. Returning to work is a primary rehabilitation goal but fewer than half of traumatic brain injury survivors achieve this. Work is a recognised health service outcome, yet UK service provision varies widely and there is little robust evidence to inform rehabilitation practice. A single-centre cohort comparison suggested better work outcomes may be achieved through early occupational therapy targeted at job retention. This study aims to determine whether this intervention can be delivered in three new trauma centres and to conduct a feasibility, randomised controlled trial to determine whether its effects and cost effectiveness can be measured to inform a definitive trial.
Methods/design
Mixed methods study, including feasibility randomised controlled trial, embedded qualitative studies and feasibility economic evaluation will recruit 102 people with traumatic brain injury and their nominated carers from three English UK National Health Service (NHS) trauma centres. Participants will be randomised to receive either usual NHS rehabilitation or usual rehabilitation plus early specialist traumatic brain injury vocational rehabilitation delivered by an occupational therapist. The primary objective is to assess the feasibility of conducting a definitive trial; secondary objectives include measurement of protocol integrity (inclusion/exclusion criteria, intervention adherence, reasons for non-adherence) recruitment rate, the proportion of eligible patients recruited, reasons for non-recruitment, spectrum of TBI severity, proportion of and reasons for loss to follow-up, completeness of data collection, gains in face-to-face Vs postal data collection and the most appropriate methods of measuring primary outcomes (return to work, retention) to determine the sample size for a larger trial.
Discussion
To our knowledge, this is the first feasibility randomised controlled trial of a vocational rehabilitation health intervention specific to traumatic brain injury. The results will inform the design of a definitive trial
Implications from Late-Time X-ray Detections of Optically Selected Tidal Disruption Events: State Changes, Unification, and Detection Rates
We present Chandra X-ray observations of four optically-selected tidal
disruption events (TDEs) obtained 4-9 years after discovery. Three sources were
detected with luminosities between 9X10^40 and 3X10^42 erg/s. The spectrum of
PTF09axc is consistent with a power law of index 2.5+-0.1, whereas the spectrum
of PTF09ge is very soft. The power law spectrum of PTF09axc and prior
literature findings, provide evidence that TDEs transition from an early-time
soft state to a late-time hard state many years after disruption. We propose
that the time to peak luminosity for optical and X-ray emission may differ
substantially in TDEs, with X-rays being produced or becoming observable later.
This delay helps explain the differences in observed properties such as
L_opt/L_ X of optically and X-ray selected TDEs. We update TDE rate predictions
for the eROSITA instrument: it ranges from 3 per yr to 990 per yr, depending
sensitively on the distribution of black hole spins and the time delay between
disruption and peak X-ray brightness. We further predict an asymmetry in the
number of retrograde and prograde disks in samples of optically and X-ray
selected TDEs. The details of the observational biases can contribute to
observed differences between optically and X-ray selected TDEs (with optically
selected TDEs being fainter in X-rays for retrograde TDE disks).Comment: Accepted for publication to ApJ, 18 pages, 4 figure
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