Optical Spectral Variability of the Very-High-Energy Gamma-Ray Blazar 1ES 1011+496

We present results of five years of optical (UBVRI) observations of the very-high-energy gamma-ray blazar 1ES 1011+496 at the MDM Observatory. We calibrated UBVRI magnitudes of five comparison stars in the field of the object. Most of our observations were done during moderately faint states of 1ES 1011+496 with R > 15.0. The light curves exhibit moderate, closely correlated variability in all optical wavebands on time scales of a few days. A cross-correlation analysis between optical bands does not show significant evidence for time lags. We find a positive correlation (Pearson's r = 0.57; probability of non-correlation P(>r) ~ 4e-8) between the R-band magnitude and the B - R color index, indicating a bluer-when-brighter trend. Snap-shot optical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) exhibit a peak within the optical regime, typically between the V and B bands. We find a strong (r = 0.78; probability of non-correlation P (>r) ~ 1e-15) positive correlation between the peak flux and the peak frequency, best fit by a relation $\nu F_{\nu}^{\rm pk} \propto \nu_{\rm pk}^k$ with k = 2.05 +/- 0.17. Such a correlation is consistent with the optical (synchrotron) variability of 1ES 1011+496 being primarily driven by changes in the magnetic field.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 16 pages, including 7 figure

Liquid state properties from first principles DFT calculations: Static properties

In order to test the Vibration-Transit (V-T) theory of liquid dynamics, ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations of thermodynamic properties of Na and Cu are performed and compared with experimental data. The calculations are done for the crystal at T = 0 and T_m, and for the liquid at T_m. The key theoretical quantities for crystal and liquid are the structural potential and the dynamical matrix, both as function of volume. The theoretical equations are presented, as well as details of the DFT computations. The properties compared with experiment are the equilibrium volume, the isothermal bulk modulus, the internal energy and the entropy. The agreement of theory with experiment is uniformly good. Our primary conclusion is that the application of DFT to V-T theory is feasible, and the resulting liquid calculations achieve the same level of accuracy as does ab initio lattice dynamics for crystals. Moreover, given the well established reliability of DFT, the present results provide a significant confirmation of V-T theory itself.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, edited to more closely match published versio

Neutron generator power supply modeling in EMMA

Sandia National Laboratories has prime responsibility for neutron generator design and manufacturing, and is committed to developing predictive tools for modeling neutron generator performance. An important aspect of understanding component performance is explosively driven ferroelectric power supply modeling. EMMA (ElectroMechanical Modeling in ALEGRA) is a three dimensional compile time version of Sandia`s ALEGRA code. The code is built on top of the general ALEGRA framework for parallel shock-physics computations but also includes additional capability for modeling the electric potential field in dielectrics. The overall package includes shock propagation due to explosive detonation, depoling of ferroelectric ceramics, electric field calculation and coupling with a general lumped element circuit equation system. The AZTEC parallel iterative solver is used to solve for the electric potential. The DASPK differential algebraic equation package is used to solve the circuit equation system. Sample calculations are described

Migration depths of adult steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in relation to dissolved gas supersaturation in a regulated river system

Adult steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss tagged with archival transmitters primarily migrated through a large river corridor at depths >2 m interspersed with frequent but short (<5 min) periods closer to the surface. The recorded swimming depths and behaviours probably provided adequate hydrostatic compensation for the supersaturated dissolved gas conditions encountered and probably limited development of gas bubble disease (GBD). Results parallel those from a concurrent adult Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha study, except O. mykiss experienced greater seasonal variability and were more likely to have depth uncompensated supersaturation exposure in some dam tailraces, perhaps explaining the higher incidence of GBD in this species

Evaluation of Euler Fluxes for Hypersonic Flow Computations

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76462/1/AIAA-33735-324.pd

Comparative effectiveness and harms of antibiotics for outpatient diverticulitis two nationwide cohort studies

Background: Outpatient diverticulitis is commonly treated with either a combination of metronidazole and a fluoroquinolone (metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone) or amoxicillin-clavulanate alone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised that fluoroquinolones be reserved for conditions with no alternative treatment options. The comparative effectiveness of metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone versus amoxicillin-clavulanate for diverticulitis is uncertain. Objective: To determine the effectiveness and harms of metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone versus amoxicillin-clavulanate for outpatient diverticulitis. Design: Active-comparator, new-user, retrospective cohort studies. Setting: Nationwide population-based claims data on U.S. residents aged 18 to 64 years with private employer-sponsored insurance (2000 to 2018) or those aged 65 years or older with Medicare (2006 to 2015). Participants: Immunocompetent adults with diverticulitis in the outpatient setting. Intervention: Metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone or amoxicillin-clavulanate. Measurements: 1-year risks for inpatient admission, urgent surgery, and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and 3-year risk for elective surgery. Results: In MarketScan (IBM Watson Health), new users of metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone (n = 106 361) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (n = 13 160) were identified. There were no differences in 1-year admission risk (risk difference, 0.1 percentage points [95% CI, -0.3 to 0.6]), 1-year urgent surgery risk (risk difference, 0.0 percentage points [CI, -0.1 to 0.1]), 3-year elective surgery risk (risk difference, 0.2 percentage points [CI, -0.3 to 0.7]), or 1-year CDI risk (risk difference, 0.0 percentage points [CI, -0.1 to 0.1]) between groups. In Medicare, new users of metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone (n = 17 639) and amoxicillin-clavulanate (n = 2709) were identified. There were no differences in 1-year admission risk (risk difference, 0.1 percentage points [CI, -0.7 to 0.9]), 1-year urgent surgery risk (risk difference, -0.2 percentage points [CI, -0.6 to 0.1]), or 3-year elective surgery risk (risk difference, -0.3 percentage points [CI, -1.1 to 0.4]) between groups. The 1-year CDI risk was higher for metronidazole-with-fluoroquinolone than for amoxicillin-clavulanate (risk difference, 0.6 percentage points [CI, 0.2 to 1.0]). Limitation: Residual confounding is possible, and not all harms associated with these antibiotics, most notably drug-induced liver injury, could be assessed. Conclusion: Treating diverticulitis in the outpatient setting with amoxicillin-clavulanate may reduce the risk for fluoroquinolone-related harms without adversely affecting diverticulitis-specific outcomes

Multi-scale evolution of Kelvin–Helmholtz waves at the earth's magnetopause during southward IMF periods

At the Earth's low-latitude magnetopause, the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI), driven by the velocity shear between the magnetosheath and magnetosphere, has been frequently observed during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) periods. However, the signatures of the KHI have been much less frequently observed during southward IMF periods, and how the KHI develops under southward IMF has been less explored. Here, we performed a series of realistic 2D and 3D fully kinetic simulations of a KH wave event observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission at the dusk-flank magnetopause during southward IMF on September 23, 2017. The simulations demonstrate that the primary KHI bends the magnetopause current layer and excites the Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI), leading to penetration of high-density arms into the magnetospheric side. This arm penetration disturbs the structures of the vortex layer and produces intermittent and irregular variations of the surface waves which significantly reduces the observational probability of the periodic KH waves. The simulations further demonstrate that in the non-linear growth phase of the primary KHI, the lower-hybrid drift instability (LHDI) is induced near the edge of the primary vortices and contributes to an efficient plasma mixing across the magnetopause. The signatures of the large-scale surface waves by the KHI/RTI and the small-scale fluctuations by the LHDI are reasonably consistent with the MMS observations. These results indicate that the multi-scale evolution of the magnetopause KH waves and the resulting plasma transport and mixing as seen in the simulations may occur during southward IM

Oxygen-rich disk in the V778 Cyg system resolved

Various scenarios have been proposed to explain the presence of silicate features associated with carbon stars, such as V778 Cyg. We have attempted to constrain these theories by means of mapping water maser mission from V778 Cyg. The 22 GHz water maser emission from this star has been mapped using MERLIN with an astrometric accuracy of 25 mas. The spatially- and kinematically-resolved maser complex is displaced by about 190 mas from the position of the C-star as measured 10 years earlier using Tycho. Our simulations and analysis of available data show that this position difference is unlikely to be due to proper motion if V778 Cyg is at the assumed distance of 1.4 kpc. The maser components seem to form a distorted S-shaped structure extended over 18 mas with a clear velocity gradient. We propose a model which explains the observed water maser structure as an O-rich warped disk around a companion of the C-star in V 778 binary system, which is seen almost edge-on. Analysis of observational data, especially those obtained with MERLIN, suggests that V778 Cyg (and, by implication, other silicate carbon stars) are binary systems composed of a C-rich star and a companion which stores circumstellar O-rich material.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, A&A in pres

Multi-scale evolution of Kelvin–Helmholtz waves at the Earth's magnetopause during southward IMF periods

At the Earth's low-latitude magnetopause, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), driven by the velocity shear between the magnetosheath and magnetosphere, has been frequently observed during northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) periods. However, the signatures of the KHI have been much less frequently observed during southward IMF periods, and how the KHI develops under southward IMF has been less explored. Here, we performed a series of realistic 2D and 3D fully kinetic simulations of a KH wave event observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission at the dusk-flank magnetopause during southward IMF on September 23, 2017. The simulations demonstrate that the primary KHI bends the magnetopause current layer and excites the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI), leading to penetration of high-density arms into the magnetospheric side. This arm penetration disturbs the structures of the vortex layer and produces intermittent and irregular variations of the surface waves which significantly reduces the observational probability of the periodic KH waves. The simulations further demonstrate that in the non-linear growth phase of the primary KHI, the lower-hybrid drift instability (LHDI) is induced near the edge of the primary vortices and contributes to an efficient plasma mixing across the magnetopause. The signatures of the large-scale surface waves by the KHI/RTI and the small-scale fluctuations by the LHDI are reasonably consistent with the MMS observations. These results indicate that the multi-scale evolution of the magnetopause KH waves and the resulting plasma transport and mixing as seen in the simulations may occur during southward IMF

ALEGRA -- code validation: Experiments and simulations

In this study, the authors are providing an experimental test bed for validating features of the ALEGRA code over a broad range of strain rates with overlapping diagnostics that encompass the multiple responses. A unique feature of the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian Grid for Research Applications (ALEGRA) code is that it allows simultaneous computational treatment, within one code, of a wide range of strain-rates varying from hydrodynamic to structural conditions. This range encompasses strain rates characteristic of shock-wave propagation (10{sup 7}/s) and those characteristic of structural response (10{sup 2}/s). Most previous code validation experimental studies, however, have been restricted to simulating or investigating a single strain-rate regime. What is new and different in this investigation is that the authors have performed well-instrumented experiments which capture features relevant to both hydrodynamic and structural response in a single experiment. Aluminum was chosen for use in this study because it is a well characterized material--its EOS and constitutive material properties are well defined over a wide range of loading rates. The current experiments span strain rate regimes of over 10{sup 7}/s to less than 10{sup 2}/s in a single experiment. The input conditions are extremely well defined. Velocity interferometers are used to record the high strain-rate response, while low strain rate data were collected using strain gauges