Confirmation of eclipses in KPD 0422+5421, a binary containing a white dwarf and a subdwarf B star

We report additional photometric CCD observations of KPD 0422+5421, a binary with an orbital period of 2.16 h which contains a subdwarf B star (sdB) and a white dwarf. There are two main results of this work. First, the light curve of KPD 0422+5421 contains two distinct periodic signals, the 2.16-h ellipsoidal modulation discovered by Koen, Orosz & Wade and an additional modulation at 7.8 h. This 7.8-h modulation is clearly not sinusoidal: the rise time is about 0.25 in phase, whereas the decay time is 0.75 in phase. Its amplitude is roughly half of the amplitude of the ellipsoidal modulation. Secondly, after the 7.8-h modulation is removed, the light curve folded on the orbital period clearly shows the signature of the transit of the white dwarf across the face of the sdB star and the signature of the occultation of the white dwarf by the sdB star. We have used the Wilson–Devinney code to model the light curve to obtain the inclination, the mass ratio and the Ω potentials, and a Monte Carlo code to compute confidence limits on interesting system parameters. We find component masses of     and     ( M _total     , 68 per cent confidence limits). If we impose an additional constraint and require the computed mass and radius of the white dwarf to be consistent with a theoretical mass–radius relation, we find     and     (68 per cent confidence limits). In this case the total mass of the system is less than 1.4 M_⊙ at the 99.99 per cent confidence level. We briefly discuss possible interpretations of the 7.8-h modulation and the importance of KPD 0422+5421 as a member of a rare class of evolved binaries.     

Design and Analysis for Modeling and Predicting Spatial Contamination

Sampling and prediction strategies relevant at the planning stage of the cleanup of environmental hazards are discussed. Sampling designs and models are compared using an extensive set of data on dioxin contamination at Piazza Road, Missouri. To meet the assumptions of the statistical model, such data are often transformed by taking logarithms. Predicted values may be required on the untransformed scale, however, and several predictors are also compared. Fairly small designs turn out to be sufficient for model fitting and for predicting. For fitting, taking replicates ensures a positive measurement error variance and smooths the predictor. This is strongly advised for standard predictors. Alternatively, we propose a predictor linear in the untransformed data, with coefficients derived from a model fitted to the logarithms of the data. It performs well on the Piazza Road data, even with no replication.     

The Meteoritical Bulletin,No. 103

Meteoritical Bulletin 103 contains 2582 meteorites including 10 falls (Ardón, Demsa, Jinju, Kri?evci, Kuresoi, Novato, Tinajdad, Tirhert, Vicência, Wolcott), with 2174 ordinary chondrites, 130 HED achondrites, 113 carbonaceous chondrites, 41 ureilites, 27 lunar meteorites, 24 enstatite chondrites, 21 iron meteorites, 15 primitive achondrites, 11 mesosiderites, 10 Martian meteorites, 6 Rumuruti chondrites, 5 ungrouped achondrites, 2 enstatite achondrites, 1 relict meteorite, 1 pallasite, and 1 angrite, and with 1511 from Antarctica, 588 from Africa, 361 from Asia, 86 from South America, 28 from North America, and 6 from Europe. Note: 1 meteorite from Russia was counted as European. The complete contents of this bulletin (244 pages) are available on line. Information about approved meteorites can be obtained from the Meteoritical Bulletin Database (MBD) available on line at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/ .     

The Meteoritical Bulletin,No. 105

Meteoritical Bulletin 105 contains 2666 meteorites including 12 falls (Aouinet Legraa, Banma, Buritizal, Ejby, Kamargaon, Moshampa, Mount Blanco, Murrili, Osceola, Sariçiçek, Sidi Ali Ou Azza, Stubenberg), with 2244 ordinary chondrites, 142 HED achondrites, 116 carbonaceous chondrites, 37 Lunar meteorites, 20 enstatite chondrites, 20 iron meteorites, 20 ureilites, 19 Martian meteorites, 12 Rumuruti chondrites, 10 primitive achondrites, 9 mesosiderites, 5 angrites, 4 pallasites, 4 ungrouped achondrites, 2 ungrouped chondrites, 1 enstatite achondrite, and 1 relict meteorite, and with 1545 from Antarctica, 686 from Africa, 245 from Asia, 147 from South America, 22 from North America, 14 from Europe, 5 from Oceania, 1 from unknown origin. Note: 5 meteorites from Russia were counted as European. It also includes a list of approved new Dense Collection Areas and a nomenclature of the Aletai (IIIE‐an) iron meteorites from Xinjiang, China.     

Preliminary landfill siting and related analysis using simple modeling techniques

The evaluation of existing and new landfills requires considerable consideration of environmental factors for the protection of groundwater resources. The initial evaluation of sites can be time-consuming and expensive depending on the assessment approach selected. General planning methods, such as the DRASTIC procedure, coupled with the use of analytical or numerical groundwater models can provide useful site selection tools by improving the quality and quantity of analysis. This paper presents an overview of some promising methods for landfill site evaluation and suggests alternative data sources where few data are present. Examples of some of the methods are given.     

IACT observations of gamma-ray bursts: prospects for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Gamma rays at rest frame energies as high as 90 GeV have been reported from gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). There is considerable hope that a confirmed GRB detection will be possible with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), which will have a larger effective area and better low-energy sensitivity than current-generation imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). To estimate the likelihood of such a detection, we have developed a phenomenological model for GRB emission between 1 GeV and 1 TeV that is motivated by the high-energy GRB detections of Fermi-LAT, and allows us to extrapolate the statistics of GRBs seen by lower energy instruments such as the Swift-BAT and BATSE on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory. We show a number of statistics for detected GRBs, and describe how the detectability of GRBs with CTA could vary based on a number of parameters, such as the typical observation delay between the burst onset and the start of ground observations. We also consider the possibility of using GBM on Fermi as a finder of GRBs for rapid ground follow-up. While the uncertainty of GBM localization is problematic, the small field-of-view for IACTs can potentially be overcome by scanning over the GBM error region. Overall, our results indicate that CTA should be able to detect one GRB every 20–30 months with our baseline instrument model, assuming consistently rapid pursuit of GRB alerts, and provided that spectral breaks below ~100 GeV are not a common feature of the bright GRB population. With a more optimistic instrument model, the detection rate can be as high as 1 to 2 GRBs per year.     

Violence and criminal order: the case of Ciudad Juarez

ABSTRACT

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, suffered an explosion of criminal violence between 2008 and 2012 that cost the lives of more than ten thousand people, earning it notoriety as the world’s “murder capital.” Just a few years later, however, levels of violence had dropped back to pre-2008 levels, decreasing by more than 85 percent. Existing political, economic, and sociological theories provide compelling narratives about the origins of Mexico’s drug-related violence, but have much more difficulty explaining why violence might suddenly decrease to normal levels again. They also fail to explain how violence itself shapes mechanisms of formal and informal order, often leaving institutional legacies that can be both negative and positive. Based on research conducted since 2008, this paper argues that criminal violence in Ciudad Juarez, while initially begetting only more violence, gradually reconstituted the criminal order in such a way that peaceful interaction among competing criminal groups became possible.     

Intersecting dilated convex polyhedra method for modeling complex particles in discrete element method

This paper describes a new method for representing concave polyhedral particles in a discrete element method as unions of convex dilated polyhedra. This method offers an efficient way to simulate systems with a large number of (generally concave) polyhedral particles. The method also allows spheres, capsules, and dilated triangles to be combined with polyhedra using the same approach. The computational efficiency of the method is tested in two different simulation setups using different efficiency metrics for seven particle types: spheres, clusters of three spheres, clusters of four spheres, tetrahedra, cubes, unions of two octahedra (concave), and a model of a computer tomography scan of a lunar simulant GRC‐3 particle. It is shown that the computational efficiency of the simulations degrades much slower than the increase in complexity of the particles in the system. The efficiency of the method is based on the time coherence of the system, and an efficient and robust distance computation method between polyhedra as particles never intersect for dilated particles. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Impact of urbanization on suspended sediment and organic matter fluxes from small catchments in Tahiti

This study provides an initial characterization of pollution associated with storm runoff in Tahiti. A thousand floodwater samples were collected from three representative catchments and subsequently analysed. The main pollution parameters chosen were total suspended sediment (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP). First, organic pollution appeared to be related closely to sediment, thus TSS could be used as a global indicator. Next, regression models between an event's TSS load and its hydrological characteristics were used to obtain annual load estimates. Great interannual variability was found to be strongly influenced by the few major floods that occur during the rainy season. Our results also emphasize the importance of the impact of urbanization on solid catchment exportation: from 60 TSS t/km²/year in a natural forested catchment, fluxes reached more than 700 TSS t/km²/year during preparatory urbanization earthworks before stabilizing at 140 TSS t/km²/year in a consolidated urbanized area. Clearly, runoff effects need to be taken into consideration for effective urban planning and for the preservation of the coastal environment in Tahiti. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.