Photoionized HBeta Emission in NGC 5548: It Breathes!

Emission-line regions in active galactic nuclei and other photoionized nebulae should become larger in size when the ionizing luminosity increases. This 'breathing' effect is observed for the Hbeta emission in NGC 5548 by using Hbeta and optical continuum lightcurves from the 13-year 1989-2001 AGN Watch monitoring campaign. To model the breathing, we use two methods to fit the observed lightcurves in detail: (i) parameterized models and, (ii) the MEMECHO reverberation mapping code. Our models assume that optical continuum variations track the ionizing radiation, and that the Hbeta variations respond with time delays due to light travel time. By fitting the data using a delay map that is allowed to change with continuum flux, we find that the strength of the Hbeta response decreases and the time delay increases with ionizing luminosity. The parameterized breathing models allow the time delay and the Hbeta flux to depend on the continuum flux so that, the time delay is proportional to the continuum flux to the power beta, and the Hbeta flux is proportional to the continuum flux to the power alpha. Our fits give 0.1 < beta < 0.46 and 0.57 < alpha < 0.66. alpha is consistent with previous work by Gilbert and Peterson (2003) and Goad, Korista and Knigge (2004). Although we find beta to be flatter than previously determined by Peterson et al. (2002) using cross-correlation methods, it is closer to the predicted values from recent theoretical work by Korista and Goad (2004).Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Assessing the sociology of sport: On sports mega-events and capitalist modernity

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, one of the leading international scholars on sport and consumer culture, John Horne, considers the trajectory and challenges of research on sports mega-events and their place in capitalist modernity. In anchoring work on this topic in Roche’s definition of mega-events, Horne notes that sports mega-events are important symbolic, economic, and political elements in the orientation of nations to stake their place in global society. Fundamental issues about the concept of ‘mega-event’ pose challenges for scholars as questions remain over what qualifies as a sports mega-event and how ‘lived experience’ with such events transacts with media spectacularization and characterization. The essay closes by posing broader questions for further investigation about the economic, political, and social risks and benefits of sports mega-events and how these events may portend and relate to changing relations of economic and political power on a global scale

Disability Employment Policies and Practices in U.S. Federal Government Agencies

A survey of U.S. Federal agencies was initiated by the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, and 403 representatives of U.S. Federal agencies were surveyed to determine their response to the employment nondiscrimination, affirmative action, and accommodation requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended

Extending emission line Doppler tomography ; mapping modulated line flux

Emission line Doppler tomography is a powerful tool that resolves the accretion flow in binaries on micro-arcsecond scales using time-resolved spectroscopy. I present an extension to Doppler tomography that relaxes one of its fundamental axioms and permits the mapping of time-dependent emission sources. Significant variability on the orbital period is a common characteristic of the emission sources that are observed in the accretion flows of cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries. Modulation Doppler tomography maps sources varying harmonically as a function of the orbital period through the simultaneous reconstruction of three Doppler tomograms. One image describes the average flux distribution like in standard tomography, while the two additional images describe the variable component in terms of its sine and cosine amplitudes. I describe the implementation of such an extension in the form of the maximum entropy based fitting code MODMAP. Test reconstructions of synthetic data illustrate that the technique is robust and well constrained. Artifact free reconstructions of complex emission distributions can be achieved under a wide range of signal to noise levels. An application of the technique is illustrated by mapping the orbital modulations of the asymmetric accretion disc emission in the dwarf nova IP Pegasi.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in MNRA

Whiplash: the possible impact of context on diagnosis

This study explores the importance of context when diagnosing Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD). Whiplash is a complex injury and there is considerable variation in its diagnosis and treatment. Research has focussed on RTAs, whilst there is a paucity of evidence relating to WAD in sport. It is unclear whether WAD is simply not occurring in sport, or if such injuries are occurring but are not identified as WAD. In the current study, 87 postgraduate physiotherapists were asked to classify an injury reported in a short vignette. Two parallel vignettes were used, which were identical except for the context of the injury (one being an RTA and the other being within sport). Each participant responded to only one of these. It was found that, even within a sample of experienced physiotherapists, the injury environment impacted on diagnosis, despite the symptoms being identical. A significantly higher proportion of therapists diagnosed WAD within the RTA context than within the sporting context. Additionally, there were differences between the two context groups in relation to the diagnostic terminology used by participants. Most respondents had heard of the CSP whiplash guidelines but only a minority had actively used these. The majority of respondents were also aware of the litigation aspects of RTAs

Survey of the Federal Government on Supervisor Practices in Employment of People with Disabilities

In 1999, the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities (PTFEAD) funded Cornell University to conduct a survey of federal sector HR and EEO representatives regarding their experience implementing the employment disability nondiscrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. One of the recommendations from this research was to conduct a follow-up study of federal agency supervisors and managers about their experience in accommodation and employment of persons with disabilities in the federal sector, and in addition to inquire about their awareness of the series of Executive Orders issued in 2000 supporting employment and accommodation of individuals with disabilities in the Federal workforce. This report provides information on the results from this survey, which was conducted in 2001

Remote sensing of water quality in reservoirs and lakes in semi-arid climates

Overlake measurements using aerial cameras (remote sensing) combined with water truth collected from boats most economically provided wide-band photographs rather than precise spectra. With use of false color infrared film (400-950 nm), the reflected spectral signatures seen from hundreds to thousands of meters above the lake merged to produce various color tones. Such colors were easily and inexpensively obtained and could be recognized by lake management personnel without any prior training. The characteristic spectral signatures of various algal types were also recognizable in part by the color tone produced by remote sensing

Interference and complementarity for two-photon hybrid entangled states

In this work we generate two-photon hybrid entangled states (HES), where the polarization of one photon is entangled with the transverse spatial degree of freedom of the second photon. The photon pair is created by parametric down-conversion in a polarization-entangled state. A birefringent double-slit couples the polarization and spatial degrees of freedom of these photons and finally, suitable spatial and polarization projections generate the HES. We investigate some interesting aspects of the two-photon hybrid interference, and present this study in the context of the complementarity relation that exists between the visibilities of the one- and two-photon interference patterns.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Accepted in Physical Review

Disability Employment Policies and Practices in U.S. Federal Government Agencies: EEO/HR and Supervisor Perspectives

The Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities (PTFEAD) provided support to Cornell University to conduct research on the policy and practice efforts of federal agency personnel in recruiting and retaining persons with disabilities in Federal employment. A survey of U. S. federal agency HR/EEO responses to the employment disability nondiscrimination requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was completed in 1999. A follow-up study of federal agency supervisors and managers about their experience in accommodation and employment of persons with disabilities was initiated in Spring of 2001. This report is a summary of major findings from each of these surveys, and in addition includes a comparison across selected items where appropriate

Research study on high energy radiation effect and environment solar cell degradation methods

The most detailed and comprehensively verified analytical model was used to evaluate the effects of simplifying assumptions on the accuracy of predictions made by the external damage coefficient method. It was found that the most serious discrepancies were present in heavily damaged cells, particularly proton damaged cells, in which a gradient in damage across the cell existed. In general, it was found that the current damage coefficient method tends to underestimate damage at high fluences. An exception to this rule was thick cover-slipped cells experiencing heavy degradation due to omnidirectional electrons. In such cases, the damage coefficient method overestimates the damage. Comparisons of degradation predictions made by the two methods and measured flight data confirmed the above findings