Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows as Probes of Environment and Blastwave Physics II: The Distribution of p and Structure of the Circumburst Medium

We constrain blastwave parameters and the circumburst media of a subsample of BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Bursts. For this sample we derive the values of the injected electron energy distribution index, p, and the density structure index of the circumburst medium, k, from simultaneous spectral fits to their X-ray, optical and nIR afterglow data. The spectral fits have been done in count space and include the effects of metallicity, and are compared with the previously reported optical and X-ray temporal behaviour. Assuming the fireball model, we can find a mean value of p for the sample as a whole of 2.035. A statistical analysis Of the distribution demonstrates that the p values in this sample are inconsistent with a single universal value for p at the 3sigma level or greater. This approach provides us with a measured distribution of circumburst density structures rather than considering only the cases of k = 0 (homogeneous) and k = 2 (wind-like). We find five GRBs for which k can be well constrained, and in four of these cases the circumburst medium is clearly wind-like. The fifth source has a value of 0 less than or equal to k less than or equal to 1, consistent with a homogeneous circumburst medium

Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows as Probes of Environment and Blastwave Physics

We use a new approach to obtain limits on the absorbing columns towards an initial sample of 10 long Gamma-Ray Bursts observed with BeppoSAX and selected on the basis of their good optical and nIR coverage, from simultaneous fits to nIR, optical and X-ray afterglow data, in count space and including the effects of metallicity. In no cases is a MIV-like ext,inction preferred, when testing MW, LMC and SMC extinction laws. The 2175A bump would in principle be detectable in all these afterglows, but is not present in the data. An SMC-like gas-to-dust ratio or lower value can be ruled out for 4 of the hosts analysed here (assuming Sh4C metallicity and extinction law) whilst the remainder of the sample have too large an error to discriminate. We provide a more accurate estimate of the line-of-sight extinction and improve upon the uncertainties for the majority of the extinction measurements made in previous studies of this sample. We discuss this method to determine extinction values in comparison with the most commonly employed existing methods

ORIGIN: Metal Creation and Evolution from the Cosmic Dawn

ORIGIN is a proposal for the M3 mission call of ESA aimed at the study of metal creation from the epoch of cosmic dawn. Using high-spectral resolution in the soft X-ray band, ORIGIN will be able to identify the physical conditions of all abundant elements between C and Ni to red-shifts of z=10, and beyond. The mission will answer questions such as: When were the first metals created? How does the cosmic metal content evolve? Where do most of the metals reside in the Universe? What is the role of metals in structure formation and evolution? To reach out to the early Universe ORIGIN will use Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) to study their local environments in their host galaxies. This requires the capability to slew the satellite in less than a minute to the GRB location. By studying the chemical composition and properties of clusters of galaxies we can extend the range of exploration to lower redshifts (z approx. 0.2). For this task we need a high-resolution spectral imaging instrument with a large field of view. Using the same instrument, we can also study the so far only partially detected baryons in the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM). The less dense part of the WHIM will be studied using absorption lines at low redshift in the spectra for GRBs. The ORIGIN mission includes a Transient Event Detector (coded mask with a sensitivity of 0.4 photon/sq cm/s in 10 s in the 5-150 keV band) to identify and localize 2000 GRBs over a five year mission, of which approx.65 GRBs have a redshift >7. The Cryogenic Imaging Spectrometer, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV, a field of view of 30 arcmin and large effective area below 1 keV has the sensitivity to study clusters up to a significant fraction of the virial radius and to map the denser parts of the WHIM (factor 30 higher than achievable with current instruments). The payload is complemented by a Burst InfraRed Telescope to enable onboard red-shift determination of GRBs (hence securing proper follow up of high-z bursts) and also probes the mildly ionized state of the gas. Fast repointing is achieved by a dedicated Controlled Momentum Gyro and a low background is achieved by the selected low Earth orbit

Combining 24-Hour Continuous Monitoring of Time-Locked Heart Rate, Physical Activity and Gait in Older Adults: Preliminary Findings

Hemodynamic homeostasis is essential for adapting the heart rate (HR) to postural and physiological changes during daily activities. Traditional HR monitoring, such as 24 hour (h) Holter monitoring, provides important information on homeostasis during daily living. However, this approach lacks concurrent activity recording, limiting insights into hemodynamic adaptation and our ability to interpret changes in HR. To address this, we utilized a novel wearable sensor system (ANNE@Sibel) to capture time-locked HR and daily activity (i.e., lying, sitting, standing, walking) data in 105 community-dwelling older adults. We developed custom tools to extract 24 h time-locked measurements and introduced a “heart rate response score” (HRRS), based on root Jensen–Shannon divergence, to quantify HR changes relative to activity. As expected, we found a progressive HR increase with more vigorous activities, though individual responses varied widely, highlighting heterogeneous HR adaptations. The HRRS (mean: 0.38 ± 0.14; min: −0.11; max: 0.74) summarized person-specific HR changes and was correlated with several clinical measures, including systolic blood pressure changes during postural transitions (r = 0.325, p = 0.003), orthostatic hypotension status, and calcium channel blocker medication use. These findings demonstrate the potential of unobtrusive sensors in remote phenotyping as a means of providing valuable physiological and behavioral data to enhance the quantitative description of aging phenotypes. This approach could enhance personalized medicine by informing targeted interventions based on hemodynamic adaptations during everyday activities

Status report on sensitive lady\u27s slipper orchids (Cypripedium calceolus var. parviflorum and Cypripedium passerinum) on the Kootenai National Forest /

199

Survey of Bannack State Park and vicinity for Montana plant species of special concern /

199

Conservation assessment of sensitive moonworts (Ophioglossaceae; Botrychium subgenus Botrychium) on the Kootenai National Forest /

199

Survey for sensitive plant species on Dutchman Mountain, Beaverhead County, /

1994