25,818 research outputs found

    A 2 h periodic variation in the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1

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    Spectroscopy of the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1 using the Gran Telescopio Canarias have revealed a ?2 h periodic variability that is present in the three strongest emission lines. We tentatively interpret this variability as due to orbital motion, making it the first indication of the orbital period of Ser X-1. Together with the fact that the emission lines are remarkably narrow, but still resolved, we show that a main-sequence K dwarf together with a canonical 1.4 M? neutron star gives a good description of the system. In this scenario, the most likely place for the emission lines to arise is the accretion disc, instead of a localized region in the binary (such as the irradiated surface or the stream-impact point), and their narrowness is due instead to the low inclination (?10°) of Ser X-1

    Evaluation of initial cryptoasset offerings: the state of the practice

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    Initial Cryptoasset Offering (ICO), also often called Initial Coin Offering or Initial Token Offering (ITO) is a new means of fundraising through blockchain technology, which allows startups to raise large amounts of funds from the crowd in an unprecedented speed. However it is not easy for ordinary investors to distinguish genuine fundraising activities through ICOs from scams. Different websites that gather and evaluate ICOs at different stages have emerged as a solution to this issue. What remains unclear is how these websites are evaluating ICOs, and consequently how reliable and credible their evaluations are. In this paper we present the first findings of an analysis of a set of 28 ICO evaluation websites, aiming at revealing the state of the practice in terms of ICO evaluation. Key information about ICOs collected by these websites are categorised, and key factors that differentiate the evaluation mechanisms employed by these evaluation websites are identified. The findings of our study could help a better understanding of what entails to properly evaluate ICOs. It is also a first step towards discovering the key success factors of ICOs

    Alternative Fundraising: Success Factors for Blockchain-Based vs. Conventional Crowdfunding

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    Blockchain-based crowdfunding is an emerging economic phenomenon and a state-of-the-art strategy to finance ventures. It bears similarity to conventional crowdfunding, but has its own unique characteristics. Therefore the success factors that affect the outcome of traditional crowdfunding may have a different impact on blockchain-based crowdfunding. Despite that the number of blockchain-based crowdfunding campaigns has increased drastically in the past few years, there is a lack of good understanding of what the success factors are for them in comparison to the ones for conventional crowdfunding. Such understanding is crucial for companies to design their blockchain-based fundraising initiatives properly and facilitate potential investors to seek main signals and drivers of outstanding projects. Furthermore it could help regulators and market participants to understand how the existing regulatory framework applies to blockchain-based crowdfunding. Due to specific characteristics of blockchain-based crowdfunding, regulatory frameworks may require potential re-interpretation of requirements to allow an effective application of regulations. To fill this knowledge gaps, we have reviewed a set of relevant literature on success factors for conventional and blockchain-based crowdfunding. The result of this literature review sheds light on the directions for future research and development. The contribution of our work is a better understanding of the distinctions and similarities of blockchain-based crowdfunding compared to traditional crowdfunding

    Relations between x-ray timing features and spectral parameters of galactic black hole x-ray binaries

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    We present a study of correlations between spectral and timing parameters for a sample of black hole X-ray binary candidates. Data are taken from GX 339-4, H 1743-322, and XTE J1650-500, as the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observed complete outbursts of these sources. In our study we investigate outbursts that happened before the end of 2009 to make use of the high-energy coverage of the HEXTE detector and select observations that show a certain type of quasi-periodic oscillations (type-C QPOs). The spectral parameters are derived using the empirical convolution model simpl to model the Comptonized component of the emission together with a disc blackbody for the emission of the accretion disc. Additional spectral features, namely a reflection component, a high-energy cut-off, and excess emission at 6.4 keV, are taken into account. Our investigations confirm the known positive correlation between photon index and centroid frequency of the QPOs and reveal an anti-correlation between the fraction of up-scattered photons and the QPO frequency. We show that both correlations behave as expected in the “sombrero” geometry. Furthermore, we find that during outburst decay the correlation between photon index and QPO frequency follow a general track, independent of individual outbursts

    Testing protoplanetary disc dispersal with radio emission

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    We consider continuum free–free radio emission from the upper atmosphere of protoplanetary discs as a probe of the ionized luminosity impinging upon the disc. Making use of previously computed hydrodynamic models of disc photoevaporation within the framework of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray irradiation, we use radiative transfer post-processing techniques to predict the expected free–free emission from protoplanetary discs. In general, the free–free luminosity scales roughly linearly with ionizing luminosity in both EUV- and X-ray-driven scenarios, where the emission dominates over the dust tail of the disc and is partial optically thin at cm wavelengths. We perform a test observation of GM Aur at 14–18?GHz and detect an excess of radio emission above the dust tail to a very high level of confidence. The observed flux density and spectral index are consistent with free–free emission from the ionized disc in either the EUV- or the X-ray-driven scenario. Finally, we suggest a possible route to testing the EUV- and X-ray-driven dispersal model of protoplanetary discs, by combining observed free–free flux densities with measurements of mass-accretion rates. On the point of disc dispersal one would expect to find an M?2? scaling with free–free flux in the case of EUV-driven disc dispersal or an ?* scaling in the case of X-ray-driven disc dispersa

    Logarithmic variance profiles and the corresponding f-1 spectra of temperature fluctuations in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection

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    We report experimental results for the temperature variance 2(z) and the corresponding frequency spectra P(f) in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) in a cylindrical sample of aspect ratioT= D/L = 1:00 (D = 1:12 m is the diameter and L = 1:12 m the height). The measurements were conducted in the Rayleigh-number range 1011 < Ra < 1:35 1014 and Pr ' 0:8. For Ra = 1:35x1014, 2(z) could be described well by a logarithmic dependence on the vertical position z in a range of z 1 < z < z 2 with z 1 ' 70 and z 2 = 0:1L. Here L=(2Nu) is the thickness of a thin thermal sublayer adjacent to the horizontal plate where the heat flux (denoted by the Nusselt number Nu) is carried mostly by thermal diffusion. In the log layer, we found that the temperature spectra had a significant frequency range over which P(f) f with close to 1. As Ra decreased, increased so that the log layer became thinner. At Ra = 2:05 1011, z 2 < z 1 and therefore there was no range for a log layer. Correspondingly, the temperature spectrum near the horizontal plate did not have the f1 scaling form either

    Der Unsterblichkeitstrank

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    DER UNSTERBLICHKEITSTRANK Neue Novellen / von Leopold Schefer (-) Der Unsterblichkeitstrank (Erster Band) (1) Cover (1) Titelblatt (5) Der Unsterblichkeitstrank (7) I. Mutter [und Kind.] (9) II. Die Räuber. (30) III. Die Könige aus Erde. (54) IV. Die Reise zu den Vorfahren. (77) V. Tschao-Kong. (102) VI. Die lange Nacht. (136) VII. Der Traumtempel. (161) VIII. Die Lichtprobe. (172) IX. Die Ueberschwemmung. (233) X. Der erwachte Vulkan. (261) Chapter (300) Der Seelenmarkt. (301) Verbesserungen zum ersten Bande von Schefers Novellen. (439) Fotodokumentation (446

    Non-invasive characterization through X-ray fluorescence and neutron radiography of an ancient Japanese lacquer

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    Oriental lacquer artefacts represent very interesting objects of investigation, involving a huge variety of materials and manufacturing techniques. Lacquers are very attractive not only for their stylistic features but also for understanding the variety of production processes, time evolution, use and artistic applications involved in their manufacturing. Till recently, the research activity on these materials has been mainly based on standard, more or less invasive, analytical methods. With the aim to characterise a nineteenth century Japanese lacquer in a totally non-invasive and non-destructive way, in situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and neutron radiography (NR) have been employed. While XRF suggested an identification of the pigments embedded into superficial layers, NR allowed revealing, in a single measurement, the average bulk properties of the sample. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

    Confirmation and Reduction: A Bayesian Account

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    Various scientific theories stand in a reductive relation to each other. In a recent article, we have argued that a generalized version of the Nagel-Schaffner model (GNS) is the right account of this relation. In this article, we present a Bayesian analysis of how GNS impacts on confirmation. We formalize the relation between the reducing and the reduced theory before and after the reduction using Bayesian networks, and thereby show that, post-reduction, the two theories are confirmatory of each other. We then ask when a purported reduction should be accepted on epistemic grounds. To do so, we compare the prior and posterior probabilities of the conjunction of both theories before and after the reduction and ask how well each is confirmed by the available evidence

    On the periodic orbits of the Third-order differential equation x ' ' '- x ' ' x'- x= F(x,x',x ' ')

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    Agraïments: The second author is partially supported by CAPES/MECD-DGU 222/2010 Brazil and SpainIn this paper we study the periodic orbits of the third-order differential equation x''' − µx'' + x' − µx = εF(x, x', x''), where ε is a small parameter and the function F is of class C2
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