1,178 research outputs found
Converging Horror: analyzing the importance of Convergence Culture on a digital audience through an examination of the conventions and politics of the horror genre
This thesis draws attention to the genre of horror in new media through a close examination of various digital texts, arguing that these new texts, while built on traditional horror narratives used in cinema, are also examples of Convergence Culture, a mobile, multiplatform, participatory medium that engages professionals and amateur content creators. The thesis begins with a review of scholarly work about horror as a genre, continues with a close analysis of several digital horror texts and their online communities, and ends with the argument that these new texts are good examples of how horror has accommodated Convergence culture, morphing into a post-national space characterized by mobility, transnationalism and participation. And most importantly, this new iteration of horror continues the classical horror film tradition of mirroring inter-personal and cultural anxieties
Late-Time Circumstellar Interaction in a Spitzer Selected Sample of Type IIn Supernovae
Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) are a rare (< 10%) subclass of core-collapse
SNe that exhibit relatively narrow emission lines from a dense, pre-existing
circumstellar medium (CSM). In 2009, a warm Spitzer survey observed 30 SNe IIn
discovered in 2003 - 2008 and detected 10 SNe at distances out to 175 Mpc with
unreported late-time infrared emission, in some cases more than 5 years
post-discovery. For this single epoch of data, the warm-dust parameters suggest
the presence of a radiative heating source consisting of optical/X-ray emission
continuously generated by ongoing CSM interaction. Here we present
multi-wavelength follow-up observations of this sample of 10 SNe IIn and the
well-studied Type IIn SN 2010jl. A recent epoch of Spitzer observations reveals
ongoing mid-infrared emission from nine of the SNe in this sample. We also
detect three of the SNe in archival WISE data, in addition to SNe 1987A,
2004dj, and 2008iy. For at least five of the SNe in the sample, optical and/or
X-ray emission confirms the presence of radiative emission from ongoing CSM
interaction. The two Spitzer nondetections are consistent with the forward
shock overrunning and destroying the dust shell, a result that places upper
limits on the dust-shell size. The optical and infrared observations confirm
the radiative heating model and constrain a number of model parameters,
including progenitor mass-loss characteristics. All of the SNe in this sample
experienced an outburst on the order of tens to hundreds of years prior to the
SN explosion followed by periods of less intense mass loss. Although all
evidence points to massive progenitors, the variation in the data highlights
the diversity in SN IIn progenitor evolution. While these observations do not
identify a particular progenitor system, they demonstrate that future,
coordinated, multi-wavelength campaigns can constrain theoretical mass-loss
models.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted to AJ (with comments
Moving forward in circles: challenges and opportunities in modelling population cycles
Population cycling is a widespread phenomenon, observed across a multitude of taxa in both laboratory and natural conditions. Historically, the theory associated with population cycles was tightly linked to pairwise consumer–resource interactions and studied via deterministic models, but current empirical and theoretical research reveals a much richer basis for ecological cycles. Stochasticity and seasonality can modulate or create cyclic behaviour in non-intuitive ways, the high-dimensionality in ecological systems can profoundly influence cycling, and so can demographic structure and eco-evolutionary dynamics. An inclusive theory for population cycles, ranging from ecosystem-level to demographic modelling, grounded in observational or experimental data, is therefore necessary to better understand observed cyclical patterns. In turn, by gaining better insight into the drivers of population cycles, we can begin to understand the causes of cycle gain and loss, how biodiversity interacts with population cycling, and how to effectively manage wildly fluctuating populations, all of which are growing domains of ecological research
Total energy calculation of high pressure selenium: The origin of incommensurate modulations in Se-IV and the instability of proposed Se-II
We present calculation of the high pressure crystal structures in selenium,
including rational approximants to the recently reported incommensurate phases.
We show how the incommensurate phases can be intuitively explained in terms of
imaginary phonon frequencies arising from Kohn anomalies in the putative
undistorted phase. We also find inconsistencies between the calculated and
experimental Se-II phase - the calculations show it to be a metastable metal
while the experiment finds a stable semiconductor. We propose that the
experimentally reported structure is probably in error.Comment: 4 pages 4 figure
The Very Young Type Ia Supernova 2013dy: Discovery, and Strong Carbon Absorption in Early-Time Spectra
The Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2013dy in NGC 7250 (d ~ 13.7 Mpc) was
discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search. Combined with a
prediscovery detection by the Italian Supernova Search Project, we are able to
constrain the first-light time of SN 2013dy to be only 0.10 +/- 0.05 d (2.4 +/-
1.2 hr) before the first detection. This makes SN 2013dy the earliest known
detection of an SN Ia. We infer an upper limit on the radius of the progenitor
star of R_0 < 0.25 R_sun, consistent with that of a white dwarf. The light
curve exhibits a broken power law with exponents of 0.88 and then 1.80. A
spectrum taken 1.63 d after first light reveals a C II absorption line
comparable in strength to Si II. This is the strongest C II feature ever
detected in a normal SN Ia, suggesting that the progenitor star had significant
unburned material. The C II line in SN 2013dy weakens rapidly and is undetected
in a spectrum 7 days later, indicating that C II is detectable for only a very
short time in some SNe Ia. SN 2013dy reached a B-band maximum of M_B = -18.72
+/- 0.03 mag ~17.7 d after first light.Comment: Accepted for Publication in ApJ Letter
The Berkeley Sample of Stripped-Envelope Supernovae
We present the complete sample of stripped-envelope supernova (SN) spectra
observed by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) collaboration over the
last three decades: 888 spectra of 302 SNe, 652 published here for the first
time, with 384 spectra (of 92 SNe) having photometrically-determined phases.
After correcting for redshift and Milky Way dust reddening and reevaluating the
spectroscopic classifications for each SN, we construct mean spectra of the
three major spectral subtypes (Types IIb, Ib, and Ic) binned by phase. We
compare measures of line strengths and widths made from this sample to the
results of previous efforts, confirming that O I {\lambda}7774 absorption is
stronger and found at higher velocity in Type Ic SNe than in Types Ib or IIb
SNe in the first 30 days after peak brightness, though the widths of nebular
emission lines are consistent across subtypes. We also highlight newly
available observations for a few rare subpopulations of interest.Comment: 13 pages; 14 figures; 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Characteristics of outdoor falls among older people: A qualitative study
Background Falls are a major threat to older people’s health and wellbeing. Approximately half of falls occur in outdoor environments but little is known about the circumstances in which they occur. We conducted a qualitative study to explore older people’s experiences of outdoor falls to develop understanding of how they may be prevented. Methods We conducted nine focus groups across the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). Our sample was from urban and rural settings and different environmental landscapes. Participants were aged 65+ and had at least one outdoor fall in the past year. We analysed the data using framework and content analyses. Results Forty-four adults aged 65 – 92 took part and reported their experience of 88 outdoor falls. Outdoor falls occurred in a variety of contexts, though reports suggested the following scenarios may have been more frequent: when crossing a road, in a familiar area, when bystanders were around, and with an unreported or unknown attribution. Most frequently, falls resulted in either minor or moderate injury, feeling embarrassed at the time of the fall, and anxiety about falling again. Ten falls resulted in fracture, but no strong pattern emerged in regard to the contexts of these falls. Anxiety about falling again appeared more prevalent among those that fell in urban settings and who made more visits into their neighbourhood in a typical week. Conclusions This exploratory study has highlighted several aspects of the outdoor environment that may represent risk factors for outdoor falls and associated fear of falling. Health professionals are recommended to consider outdoor environments as well as the home setting when working to prevent falls and increase mobility among older people
Mitochondrial redox environments predict sensorimotor brain-behavior dynamics in adults with HIV.
Despite virologic suppression, people living with HIV (PLWH) remain at risk for developing cognitive impairment, with aberrations in motor control being a predominant symptom leading to functional dependencies in later life. While the neuroanatomical bases of motor dysfunction have recently been illuminated, the underlying molecular processes remain poorly understood. Herein, we evaluate the predictive capacity of the mitochondrial redox environment on sensorimotor brain-behavior dynamics in 40 virally-suppressed PLWH and 40 demographically-matched controls using structural equation modeling. We used state-of-the-art approaches, including Seahorse Analyzer of mitochondrial function, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure superoxide levels, antioxidant activity assays and dynamic magnetoencephalographic imaging to quantify sensorimotor oscillatory dynamics. We observed differential modulation of sensorimotor brain-behavior relationships by superoxide and hydrogen peroxide-sensitive features of the redox environment in PLWH, while only superoxide-sensitive features were related to optimal oscillatory response profiles and better motor performance in controls. Moreover, these divergent pathways may be attributable to immediate, separable mechanisms of action within the redox environment seen in PLWH, as evidenced by mediation analyses. These findings suggest that mitochondrial redox parameters are important modulators of healthy and pathological oscillations in motor systems and behavior, serving as potential targets for remedying HIV-related cognitive-motor dysfunction in the future
Performance-based financing as a health system reform : mapping the key dimensions for monitoring and evaluation
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
SN 2011hw: Helium-Rich Circumstellar Gas and the Luminous Blue Variable to Wolf-Rayet Transition in Supernova Progenitors
We present optical photometry and spectroscopy of the peculiar Type IIn/Ibn
supernova SN2011hw. Its light curve exhibits a slower decline rate than normal
SNeIbc, with a peak absolute magnitude of -19.5 (unfiltered) and a secondary
peak of -18.3 mag (R). Spectra of SN2011hw are unusual compared to normal SN
types, most closely resembling the spectra of SNeIbn. We center our analysis on
comparing SN 2011hw to the well-studied TypeIbn SN2006jc. While the two SNe
have many important similarities, the differences are quite telling: compared
to SN2006jc, SN2011hw has weaker HeI and CaII lines and relatively stronger H
lines, its light curve has a higher luminosity and slower decline rate, and
emission lines associated with the progenitor's CSM are narrower. One can
reproduce the unusual continuum shape of SN2011hw with equal contributions of a
6000K blackbody and a spectrum of SN2006jc. We attribute this emission
component and many other differences between the two SNe to extra opacity from
a small amount of additional H in SN2011hw, analogous to the small H mass that
makes SNeIIb differ from SNeIb. Slower speeds in the CSM and elevated H content
suggest a connection between the progenitor of SN2011hw and the class of
Ofpe/WN9 stars, which have been associated with LBVs in their hot quiescent
phases between outbursts, and are H-poor - but not H-free like classical
Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. We conclude that the similarities and differences
between SN2011hw and SN2006jc can be largely understood if their progenitors
exploded at different points in the transitional evolution from an LBV to a WR
star.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to MNRA
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