570 research outputs found
The Footprint Database and Web Services of the Herschel Space Observatory
Data from the Herschel Space Observatory is freely available to the public
but no uniformly processed catalogue of the observations has been published so
far. To date, the Herschel Science Archive does not contain the exact sky
coverage (footprint) of individual observations and supports search for
measurements based on bounding circles only. Drawing on previous experience in
implementing footprint databases, we built the Herschel Footprint Database and
Web Services for the Herschel Space Observatory to provide efficient search
capabilities for typical astronomical queries. The database was designed with
the following main goals in mind: (a) provide a unified data model for
meta-data of all instruments and observational modes, (b) quickly find
observations covering a selected object and its neighbourhood, (c) quickly find
every observation in a larger area of the sky, (d) allow for finding solar
system objects crossing observation fields. As a first step, we developed a
unified data model of observations of all three Herschel instruments for all
pointing and instrument modes. Then, using telescope pointing information and
observational meta-data, we compiled a database of footprints. As opposed to
methods using pixellation of the sphere, we represent sky coverage in an exact
geometric form allowing for precise area calculations. For easier handling of
Herschel observation footprints with rather complex shapes, two algorithms were
implemented to reduce the outline. Furthermore, a new visualisation tool to
plot footprints with various spherical projections was developed. Indexing of
the footprints using Hierarchical Triangular Mesh makes it possible to quickly
find observations based on sky coverage, time and meta-data. The database is
accessible via a web site (http://herschel.vo.elte.hu) and also as a set of
REST web service functions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom
Exploring the Restorative Effects of Nature: Testing A Proposed Visuospatial Theory
In this thesis, the restorative effects of exposure to nature are examined through the lens of existing restoration theories. Limitations of existing theories, such as Attention Restoration Theory and Psycho-evolutionary Restoration Theory, are highlighted. To address the limitations of existing theories, an expanded theoretical framework is proposed: The expanded framework introduces a newly proposed neural mechanism and theory of restoration that build on existing theories by proposing a link to recently discovered reward systems in the ventral visual pathway. Results from six experiments provide consistent evidence to suggest that positive and negative responses to visual scenes are related to the low-level visuospatial properties of the scenes. Specifically, a discovery is made to suggest that the power of a limited visual spatial frequency range can consistently predict responses to natural, urban, and abstract scenes on measures of restoration (blink-rates, number of fixations, self-reported stress and pleasantness). This provides the first evidence to suggest that low-level visual properties of scenes may play an important role in affective and physiological responses to scenes. Furthermore, this newly discovered relationship provides a new way to objectively predict the relative restorative value of any given scene.1 yea
Physiological and Affective Responses to Immersion in Virtual Reality: Effects of Nature and Urban Settings
With the rapid advancements in technology, researchers are seeking new ways to incorporate modern high-tech solutions such as virtual reality into treatment paradigms for stress. The current experiment explores the beneficial effects of immersing an individual into virtual reality after a stressful encounter. I examined the potential restorative effects of three unique immersive virtual reality environments by inducing stress and negative affect in sixty-nine participants and then randomly assigning them to freely explore one of three environments (a virtual nature setting, a virtual urban cityscape, or a neutral environment composed of solid geometric shapes) for ten minutes. Participants who explored the nature environment were found to have significantly improved affect (as measured by a standardized questionnaire), and significantly lower stress levels (as measured by self-report and skin-conductance levels) compared to those who explored the urban and geometric environments. The results suggest that virtual nature has restorative properties similar to real nature, and that simply immersing participants into a virtual nature setting can reduce stress. These results also suggest that the content of the virtual reality experience (i.e., whether it contains nature) is important in promoting restoration, and that in the absence of nature, stress levels remain unchanged
The reversal of the SF-density relation in a massive, X-ray selected galaxy cluster at z=1.58: results from Herschel
Dusty, star-forming galaxies have a critical role in the formation and
evolution of massive galaxies in the Universe. Using deep far-infrared imaging
in the range 100-500um obtained with the Herschel telescope, we investigate the
dust-obscured star formation in the galaxy cluster XDCP J0044.0-2033 at z=1.58,
the most massive cluster at z >1.5, with a measured mass M200= 4.7x10
Msun. We perform an analysis of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 12
cluster members (5 spectroscopically confirmed) detected with >3
significance in the PACS maps, all ULIRGs. The individual star formation rates
(SFRs) lie in the range 155-824 Ms/yr, with dust temperatures of 2435 K.
We measure a strikingly high amount of star formation (SF) in the cluster core,
SFR ( 1875158 Ms/yr, 4x higher than the amount of star
formation in the cluster outskirts. This scenario is unprecedented in a galaxy
cluster, showing for the first time a reversal of the SF-density relation at
z~1.6 in a massive cluster.Comment: Letter accepted for publication in MNRAS, ESA Press Release on 18
December 201
Star formation in the cluster CLG0218.3-0510 at z=1.62 and its large-scale environment: the infrared perspective
The galaxy cluster CLG0218.3-0510 at z=1.62 is one of the most distant galaxy
clusters known, with a rich muti-wavelength data set that confirms a mature
galaxy population already in place. Using very deep, wide area (20x20 Mpc)
imaging by Spitzer/MIPS at 24um, in conjunction with Herschel 5-band imaging
from 100-500um, we investigate the dust-obscured, star-formation properties in
the cluster and its associated large scale environment. Our galaxy sample of
693 galaxies at z=1.62 detected at 24um (10 spectroscopic and 683 photo-z)
includes both cluster galaxies (i.e. within r <1 Mpc projected clustercentric
radius) and field galaxies, defined as the region beyond a radius of 3 Mpc. The
star-formation rates (SFRs) derived from the measured infrared luminosity range
from 18 to 2500 Ms/yr, with a median of 55 Ms/yr, over the entire radial range
(10 Mpc). The cluster brightest FIR galaxy, taken as the centre of the galaxy
system, is vigorously forming stars at a rate of 25670 Ms/yr, and the
total cluster SFR enclosed in a circle of 1 Mpc is 116196 Ms/yr. We
estimate a dust extinction of about 3 magnitudes by comparing the SFRs derived
from [OII] luminosity with the ones computed from the 24um fluxes. We find that
the in-falling region (1-3 Mpc) is special: there is a significant decrement
(3.5x) of passive relative to star-forming galaxies in this region, and the
total SFR of the galaxies located in this region is lower (130 Ms/yr/Mpc2) than
anywhere in the cluster or field, regardless of their stellar mass. In a
complementary approach we compute the local galaxy density, Sigma5, and find no
trend between SFR and Sigma5. However, we measure an excess of star-forming
galaxies in the cluster relative to the field by a factor 1.7, that lends
support to a reversal of the SF-density relation in CLG0218.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS. v2: minor correction
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