ABSTRACT The detection of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) in the solar neighborhood would have very important implications for GRB phenomenology. The leading theories for cosmological GRBs would not be able ...to explain such events. The final bursts of evaporating primordial black holes (PBHs), however, would be a natural explanation for local GRBs. We present a novel technique that can constrain the distance to GRBs using detections from widely separated, non-imaging spacecraft. This method can determine the actual distance to the burst if it is local. We applied this method to constrain distances to a sample of 36 short-duration GRBs detected by the Interplanetary Network (IPN) that show observational properties that are expected from PBH evaporations. These bursts have minimum possible distances in the 1013-1018 cm (7-105 au) range, which are consistent with the expected PBH energetics and with a possible origin in the solar neighborhood, although none of the bursts can be unambiguously demonstrated to be local. Assuming that these bursts are real PBH events, we estimate lower limits on the PBH burst evaporation rate in the solar neighborhood.
Photoluminescence (PL) properties of Eu-doped ZnO (ZnO:Eu) grown by a sputtering-assisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technique were investigated. In PL measurements at 300
K, the samples ...annealed at 600
°C for 30
min showed clear red-emission lines due to the intra-4f shell transition of
5
D
0→
7
F
J
(
J=0–4) in Eu
3+. In photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, the PL was observed under the high-energy excitation above the band-gap energy of ZnO (indirect excitation) and the low-energy excitation resonant to the energy levels of
7
F
0–
5
D
3 and
7
F
0–
5
D
2 transitions in Eu
3+ (direct excitation). The PL lifetime under the indirect excitation was shorter than that under the direct excitations. These PL properties revealed that the energy transfer from ZnO host to Eu
3+ was accompanied under indirect excitation.
How individual-level social capital relates to adult health and well-being was examined using data from a cross-sectional interview survey in East Asia (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, five areas in ...Mainland China, and Taiwan) in 2002–2004. The number of self-reported somatic symptoms, subjective health satisfaction, life satisfaction and social capital indicators, as well as socio-economic status (SES), were analyzed by a logistic regression model. Adjusting for SES, social capital measured by belonging to organizations and weakness in “norms of reciprocity” were related to a greater number of self-reported somatic symptoms (
p
<
0.001 for both). Lack of trust in organizations (
p
<
0.001) and of a person to consult (
p
=
0.012) were related to poor health satisfaction. Lower “interpersonal trust” (
p
=
0.016),
weakness in “norms of reciprocity” (
p
<
0.001) and lack of trust in organizations (
p
<
0.001) were related to poor life satisfaction. Gender inequality was observed across countries, but the relationships varied according to the health indicator. Specifically, self-reported somatic symptoms were more numerous and health satisfaction was worse in women (
p
<
0.001), but life satisfaction was worse in men (
p
=
0.017). The analyses provide evidence that dimensions of social capital are positively associated with self-reported somatic symptoms and overall well-being in East Asian countries.
GRB 051103 is considered to be a candidate soft gamma repeater (SGR) extragalactic giant magnetar flare by virtue of its proximity on the sky to M81/M82, as well as its time history, localization and ...energy spectrum. We have derived a refined interplanetary network localization for this burst which reduces the size of the error box by over a factor of 2. We examine its time history for evidence of a periodic component, which would be one signature of an SGR giant flare, and conclude that this component is neither detected nor detectable under reasonable assumptions. We analyse the time-resolved energy spectra of this event with improved time and energy resolution, and conclude that although the spectrum is very hard its temporal evolution at late times cannot be determined, which further complicates the giant flare association. We also present new optical observations reaching limiting magnitudes of R > 24.5, about 4-mag deeper than previously reported. In tandem with serendipitous observations of M81 taken immediately before and 1 month after the burst, these place strong constraints on any rapidly variable sources in the region of the refined error ellipse proximate to M81. We do not find any convincing afterglow candidates from either background galaxies or sources in M81, although within the refined error region we do locate two UV bright star-forming regions which may host SGRs. A supernova remnant (SNR) within the error ellipse could provide further support for an SGR giant flare association, but we were unable to identify any SNR within the error ellipse. These data still do not allow strong constraints on the nature of the GRB 051103 progenitor, and suggest that candidate extragalactic SGR giant flares will be difficult, although not impossible, to confirm.
Long-term, excessive harvesting of juvenile fish could lead to significant decline in their settlement strength. In the Philippines, the exploitation of siganid juveniles forms an important ...traditional fishery but no assessment of the exploitation status of such fishery had been made. The present study is a comprehensive assessment of the siganid juvenile fishery caught by bagnet in Lagonoy Gulf (Southeastern Luzon) by analyzing the temporal trend of their catch and effort statistics. Seven species of siganid juveniles composed the catch, which was dominated by Siganus canaliculatus (78%), S. spinus (8%) and S. argenteus (3%). Total catch 2001 through 2004 was 175 tonnes (t), 154 t, 130 t and 65 t, respectively. The total catch as well as the catch-per-unit-effort declined steeply in these 4 years. Juvenile occurrences or 'runs' were observed throughout the year except in some months in the later quarters of 2003 and 2004. Catches for all 4 years were always highest in April and May, occurring on or about the new moon mostly at the Albay East Coast. Overfishing must be stopped in order to prevent the collapse of this resource.
We investigated qualitative and quantitative changes in rat hind limb muscles caused by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)‐induced knee joint pain. One week after CFA injection, muscle atrophy was ...induced only on the CFA‐injected side. Wet weight of the rectus femoris (RF) and soleus (SOL) muscles were significantly decreased by 20% and 19%, respectively. The reduction in cross‐sectional areas by CFA was similar for fast and slow muscle fibers in the RF (10% vs 15%, respectively) and SOL muscles (16% vs 16%, respectively). At the light microscopic level, pathological changes were not found in the RF muscles on both sides, although the infiltration of mononuclear cells and muscle regeneration were found in the SOL muscles on CFA‐injected and contralateral control sides. On the other hand, electron microscopy revealed degenerative changes in the RF and SOL muscles on the CFA‐injected side. Interestingly, sarcomere hypercontraction, indicating overexercise, was observed to a limited extent in the SOL muscles on the control side. In conclusions, knee joint pain can trigger the rapid development of muscle atrophy with degenerative changes not only in thigh but also calf muscles. This indicates that early interventions to inhibit joint pain or inflammation may prevent muscle atrophy.
Pseudoelasticity in Fe3Al single crystals with different Al contents was investigated focusing on the dislocation configuration and the ordered domain structure. Giant pseudoelasticity only appeared ...in the D03-ordered Fe3Al single crystals, while the B2-ordered crystals and those with the disordered a phase exhibited small strain recovery. The amount of shape recovery in the D03-ordered crystals showed a maximum near 23.Oat.%Al and decreased with increasing deviation from this Al concentration. In the D03 phase at 22.0-25.Oat.%Al, 1/4111 superpartial dislocations moved individually dragging the nearest-neighbour antiphase boundaries (NNAPB), while couplets of the superpartials were observed to bow out, dragging the next-nearest-neighbour antiphase boundaries (NNNAPB) in Fe-28.Oat.%Al. In Fe-22.0-25.Oat.%Al single crystals, the NNAPB pulled back the superpartials to decrease its energy during unloading, resulting in the giant pseudoelasticity. In contrast, the surface tension of the NNNAPB was lower than that of the NNAPB, leading to the small strain recovery in Fe-28.Oat.%Al.
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