Measuring the star formation rate with gravitational waves from binary black holes

A measurement of the history of cosmic star formation is central to understand the origin and evolution of galaxies. The measurement is extremely challenging using electromagnetic radiation: significant modeling is required to convert luminosity to mass, and to properly account for dust attenuation, for example. Here we show how detections of gravitational waves from inspiraling binary black holes made by proposed third-generation detectors can be used to measure the star formation rate of massive stars with high precision up to redshifts of ~10. Depending on the time-delay model, the predicted detection rates ranges from ~1400 to ~16000 per month with the current measurement of local merger rate density. With three months of observations, parameters describing the volumetric star formation rate can be constrained at the few percent level, and the volumetric merger rate can be directly measured to 3% at z~2. Given a parameterized star formation rate, the characteristic delay time between binary formation and merger can be measured to ~60%.Comment: 7 pages, 1 table, 4 fig

Measuring the LISA test mass magnetic proprieties with a torsion pendulum

Achieving the low frequency LISA sensitivity requires that the test masses acting as the interferometer end mirrors are free-falling with an unprecedented small degree of deviation. Magnetic disturbances, originating in the interaction of the test mass with the environmental magnetic field, can significantly deteriorate the LISA performance and can be parameterized through the test mass remnant dipole moment $\vec{m}_r$ and the magnetic susceptibility $\chi$. While the LISA test flight precursor LTP will investigate these effects during the preliminary phases of the mission, the very stringent requirements on the test mass magnetic cleanliness make ground-based characterization of its magnetic proprieties paramount. We propose a torsion pendulum technique to accurately measure on ground the magnetic proprieties of the LISA/LTP test masses.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Effect of Corn Price on Profitability of Control Vs Phytase Enhanced Diet of Hogs

Economic Simulation model (SIMETAR) was used to investigate the effect of future corn price on profitability of control and phytase enhanced diet of hogs. The completed simulation model was used to estimate probability distribution for control vs lower excretion diet profitability under different corn prices. Data used was collected from recent field trials in Oklahoma that tested the effect of phytase enhanced diets on reducing phosphorus emission. The results showed that as the market price of corn increases control diet will be more profitable than phytase enhanced diet, given the cost of other remaining feed ingredient is constant for both the diets.profitability, SIMETAR, control diet, phytase enhanced diet, swine, Production Economics,

The Development of a Control System for a 5 Kilowatt Free Piston Stirling Engine Convertor

The new NASA Vision for Exploration, announced by President Bush in January 2004, proposes an ambitious program that plans to return astronauts to the moon by the 2018 time frame. A recent NASA study entitled "Affordable Fission Surface Power Study" recommended a 40 kWe, 900 K, NaK-cooled, Stirling convertors for 2020 launch. Use of two of the nominal 5 kW convertors allows the system to be dynamically balanced. A group of four dual-convertor combinations that would yield 40 kWe can be tested to validate the viability of Stirling technology for space fission surface power systems. The work described in this paper deals specifically with the control system for the 5 kW convertor described in the preceding paragraph. This control system is responsible for maintaining piston stroke to a setpoint in the presence of various disturbances including electrical load variations. Pulse starting of the Free Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) convertor is also an inherent part of such a control system. Finally, the ability to throttle the engine to match the required output power is discussed in terms of setpoint control. Several novel ideas have been incorporated into the piston stroke control strategy that will engender a stable response to disturbances in the presence of midpoint drift while providing useful data regarding the position of both the power piston and displacer

Improvement of irregular dtm for sph modelling of flow-like landslides

Irregular topography of real slopes largely affects the propagation stage of flowlike landslides and accurate digital terrain models (DTMs) are absolutely necessary for realistic simulations and assessments. In this paper a simple yet effective method is proposed to improve the accuracy of existing DTMs which is applied to the topographical models used in well equipped laboratory experiments. Aimed at evaluating the effects of different DTMs in the results of the propagation modelling, a depth-integrated SPH model is used to simulate two series of laboratory tests referring to a frictional rheological model while using either the available DTM or the DTM improved through the proposed procedure. The obtained results show that the proposed method provides a more accurate topographical model for all the analyzed cases. Particularly, the new topographical model allows better reproducing the laboratory evidences in terms of run-out distances, inundated areas and geometrical characteristics of the final deposits. Furthermore, SPH analyses with progressively finer topographical inputs outline the role of DTM’s precision towards the accuracy of the numerical simulations

Sun-photometric measurements of atmospheric turbidity variations caused by the Pinatubo aerosol cloud in the Himalayan region during the summer periods of 1991 and 1992

Measurements of direct solar irradiance were taken episodically on two days of September 1990 and regularly in the summer periods from July to October 1991 and from mid-July to mid-August 1992 at the Pyramid Laboratory (5050 m a.m.s.l.) situated at the foot of Mt. Everest (Nepal), using two examples of the Volz multispectral sunphotometer, model A. These sun-photometric measurements were analysed in terms of the Bouguer-Lambert-Beer law in order to determine the values of aerosol optical thickness at the three sun-photometric window-wavelengths. Examining these spectral series in terms of the well-known Ångström formula, the best-fit values of turbidity parameters a and b were calculated with great accuracy. From the measurements taken in September 1990, we found values of the aerosol optical thickness in good agreement with the mean values of the background aerosol optical depth measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii) during the four-year period from 1988 to 1991. The spectral values of the aerosol optical thickness determined during the summer of 1991 show that the mean daily values of parameter b increased abruptly from about 0.06 to more than 0.16 from July 26 to 28, 1991, and then varied between 0.09 and 0.16 during the rest of the measurement period. Simultaneously, parameter a was found to decrease from more than 1.25 to 0.39 towards the end of July and to vary between 0.40 and 0.78 during September. These large variations of both atmospheric turbidity parameters have been attributed to the growth of the aerosol particles and to the consequent changes in the size distribution curve of the Pinatubo aerosol particles. Analysing the variations of the stratospheric aerosol optical depth in terms of particle polydispersions consisting of a linear combination of a background aerosol monomodal model and a bimodal model representing the Pinatubo fresh aerosol particle size distribution, the vertical mass loading of stratospheric aerosol particles was estimated to vary between 0.037 and 0.047 g m22 from July 24 to 27 and to increase to values ranging between 0.048 and 0.074 g m22 during the rest of summer 1991, presenting a mean value of (0.063 6 0.009) g m22 for the two-month period. The measurements taken in summer 1992 show that parameter b ranged between 0.08 and 0.12, while parameter a was found to vary between 0.23 and 0.73. The stratospheric aerosol depth values were analysed through a best-fit procedure based on a linear combination of a background model of small aerosol particles and a trimodal model consisting of aged volcanic aerosol particles. Following this procedure, the vertical mass loading of Pinatubo aerosol particles was found to vary between 0.043 and 0.057 g m22 during summer 1992, the mean value being evaluated as equal to (0.047 6 0.004) g m22

On-ground tests of LISA PathFinder thermal diagnostics system

Thermal conditions in the LTP, the LISA Technology Package, are required to be very stable, and in such environment precision temperature measurements are also required for various diagnostics objectives. A sensitive temperature gauging system for the LTP is being developed at IEEC, which includes a set of thermistors and associated electronics. In this paper we discuss the derived requirements applying to the temperature sensing system, and address the problem of how to create in the laboratory a thermally quiet environment, suitable to perform meaningful on-ground tests of the system. The concept is a two layer spherical body, with a central aluminium core for sensor implantation surrounded by a layer of polyurethane. We construct the insulator transfer function, which relates the temperature at the core with the laboratory ambient temperature, and evaluate the losses caused by heat leakage through connecting wires. The results of the analysis indicate that, in spite of the very demanding stability conditions, a sphere of outer diameter of the order one metre is sufficient. We provide experimental evidence confirming the model predictions.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX2e (compile with pdflatex), sumbitted to CQG. This paper is a significant extension of gr-qc/060109

The c-terminal extension of a hybrid immunoglobulin A/G heavy chain is responsible for its Golgi-mediated sorting to the vacuole

We have assessed the ability of the plant secretory pathway to handle the expression of complex heterologous proteins by investigating the fate of a hybrid immunoglobulin A/G in tobacco cells. Although plant cells can express large amounts of the antibody, a relevant proportion is normally lost to vacuolar sorting and degradation. Here we show that the synthesis of high amounts of IgA/G does not impose stress on the plant secretory pathway. Plant cells can assemble antibody chains with high efficiency and vacuolar transport occurs only after the assembled immunoglobulins have traveled through the Golgi complex. We prove that vacuolar delivery of IgA/G depends on the presence of a cryptic sorting signal in the tailpiece of the IgA/G heavy chain. We also show that unassembled light chains are efficiently secreted as monomers by the plant secretory pathway