The Metallicity Distribution Function of Field Stars in M31's Bulge

We have used Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations to construct a color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for the bulge of M31 at a location ~1.6 kpc from the galaxy's center. Using scaled-solar abundance theoretical red giant branches with a range of metallicities, we have translated the observed colors of the stars in the CMD to abundances and constructed a metallicity distribution function (MDF) for this region. The MDF shows a peak at [M/H]~0 with a steep decline at higher metallicities and a more gradual tail to lower metallicities. This is similar in shape to the MDF of the Milky Way bulge but shifted to higher metallicities by ~0.1 dex. As is the case with the Milky Way bulge MDF, a pure closed box model of chemical evolution, even with significant pre-enrichment, appears to be inconsistent with the M31 bulge MDF. However, a scenario in which an initial infall of gas enriched the bulge to an abundance of [M/H] ~ -1.6 with subsequent evolution proceeding as a closed box provides a better fit to the observed MDF. The similarity between the MDF of the M31 bulge and that of the Milky Way stands in stark contrast to the significant differences in the MDFs of their halo populations. This suggests that the bulk of the stars in the bulges of both galaxies were in place before the accretion events that occurred in the halos could influence them.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal, October 200

On the globular cluster formation history of NGC 5128

We deduce the globular cluster formation history of the nearby elliptical NGC 5128 by using a phenomenological chemical enrichment model to reproduce its observed metallicity distribution function (MDF). We derive the observed MDF using recently obtained U and B photometry of the NGC 5128 GC system, with (U-B) used as the metallicity indicator. We test whether the observed MDF can be reproduced using a single starburst at high redshift followed by passive evolution (monolithic scenario). Our results strongly indicate that this scenario is incapable of reproducing the observed MDF of the NGC 5128 GC system. At least one more major starburst is required. A persistent feature of our best-fit models is a strong GC formation episode in the first 1-2 Gyrs, followed by a second formation episode typically after 10-12 Gyrs. Roughly one-third of the stellar mass in the GC system is created in this late starburst, producing clusters that are potentially less than 1 Gyr old. Although we do not have adequate resolution in the model or in the observed MDF to make a reliable claim about the possibility of additional GC formation episodes, our results suggest that the GCs in this galaxy did not form solely in a monolithic collapse and seem to support observational evidence which indicates that NGC 5128 is a merger remnant.Comment: replaced with accepted versio

Thermal Conductivity of Partially Graphitized Biocarbon Obtained by Carbonization of Medium-Density Fiberboard in the Presence of a Ni-Based Catalyst

The thermal conductivity k and resistivity ρ of biocarbon matrices, prepared by carbonizing medium-density fiberboard at Tcarb = 850 and 1500°C in the presence of a Ni-based catalyst (samples MDFC( Ni)) and without a catalyst (samples MDF-C), have been measured for the first time in the temperature range of 5–300 K. X-ray diffraction analysis has revealed that the bulk graphite phase arises only at Tcarb = 1500°C. It has been shown that the temperature dependences of the thermal conductivity of samples MDFC- 850 and MDF-C-850(Ni) in the range of 80–300 K are to each other and follow the law of k(T) ~ T1.65, but the use of the Ni-catalyst leads to an increase in the thermal conductivity by a factor of approximately 1.5, due to the formation of a greater fraction of the nanocrystalline phase in the presence of the Ni-catalyst at Tcarb = 850°C. In biocarbon MDF-C-1500 prepared without a catalyst, the dependence is k(T) ~ T1.65, and it is controlled by the nanocrystalline phase. In MDF-C-1500(Ni), the bulk graphite phase formed increases the thermal conductivity by a factor of 1.5–2 compared to the thermal conductivity of MDF-C-1500 in the entire temperature range of 5–300 K; k(T = 300 K) reaches the values of ~10 W m–1 K–1, characteristic of biocarbon obtained without a catalyst only at high temperatures of Tcarb = 2400°C. It has been shown that MDF-C-1500(Ni) in the temperature range of 40‒300 K is characterized by the dependence, k(T) ~ T1.3, which can be described in terms of the model of partially graphitized biocarbon as a composite of an amorphous matrix with spherical inclusions of the graphite phaseRussian Foundation for Basic Research 14-03- 0049

Beef meat promotion of dimethylhydrazine-induced colorectal carcinogenesis biomarkers is suppressed by dietary calcium

Red meat consumption is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. We have previously shown that haemin, Hb and red meat promote carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions: aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and mucin-depleted foci (MDF) in rats. We have also shown that dietary calcium, antioxidant mix and olive oil inhibit haemin-induced ACF promotion, and normalize faecal lipoperoxides and cytotoxicity. Here we tested if these strategies are effective also against red meat promotion in dimethylhydrazine-induced rats. Three diets with 60% beef meat were supplemented with calcium phosphate (33 g/kg), antioxidant agents (rutin and butylated hydroxyanisole, 0•05% each) and olive oil (5 %). ACF, MDF, faecal water cytotoxicity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and urinary 1,4-dihydroxynonane mercapturic acid (DHN-MA) were measured. Beef meat diet increased the number of ACF (þ30 %) and MDF (þ100 %) (P,0•001), which confirms our previous findings. Promotion was associated with increased faecal water TBARs ( £ 4) and cytotoxicity ( £ 2), and urinary DHN-MA excretion ( £ 15). Calcium fully inhibited beef meat-induced ACF and MDF promotion, and normalized faecal TBARS and cytotoxicity, but did not reduce urinary DHN-MA. Unexpectedly, high-calcium control diet-fed rats had more MDF and ACF in the colon than low-calcium control diet-fed rats. Antioxidant mix and olive oil did not normalize beef meat promotion nor biochemical factors. The results confirm that haem causes promotion of colon carcinogenesis by red meat. They suggest that calcium can reduce colorectal cancer risk in meat-eaters. The results support the concept that toxicity associated with the excess of a useful nutrient may be prevented by another nutrient

The stellar metallicity distribution of disc galaxies and bulges in cosmological simulations

By means of high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of Milky Way-like disc galaxies, we conduct an analysis of the associated stellar metallicity distribution functions (MDFs). After undertaking a kinematic decomposition of each simulation into spheroid and disc sub-components, we compare the predicted MDFs to those observed in the solar neighbourhood and the Galactic bulge. The effects of the star formation density threshold are visible in the star formation histories, which show a modulation in their behaviour driven by the threshold. The derived MDFs show median metallicities lower by 0.2-0.3 dex than the MDF observed locally in the disc and in the Galactic bulge. Possible reasons for this apparent discrepancy include the use of low stellar yields and/or centrally-concentrated star formation. The dispersions are larger than the one of the observed MDF; this could be due to simulated discs being kinematically hotter relative to the Milky Way. The fraction of low metallicity stars is largely overestimated, visible from the more negatively skewed MDF with respect to the observational sample. For our fiducial Milky Way analog, we study the metallicity distribution of the stars born "in situ" relative to those formed via accretion (from disrupted satellites), and demonstrate that this low-metallicity tail to the MDF is populated primarily by accreted stars. Enhanced supernova and stellar radiation energy feedback to the surrounding interstellar media of these pre-disrupted satellites is suggested as an important regulator of the MDF skewness.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, MNRAS, accepte

Time-Dependent Invariants and Green's Functions in the Probability Representation of Quantum Mechanics

In the probability representation of quantum mechanics, quantum states are represented by a classical probability distribution, the marginal distribution function (MDF), whose time dependence is governed by a classical evolution equation. We find and explicitly solve, for a wide class of Hamiltonians, new equations for the Green's function of such an equation, the so-called classical propagator. We elucidate the connection of the classical propagator to the quantum propagator for the density matrix and to the Green's function of the Schr\"odinger equation. Within the new description of quantum mechanics we give a definition of coherence solely in terms of properties of the MDF and we test the new definition recovering well known results. As an application, the forced parametric oscillator is considered . Its classical and quantum propagator are found, together with the MDF for coherent and Fock states.Comment: 29 pages, RevTex, 6 eps-figures, to appear on Phys. Rev.

Investigating the CO2 laser cutting parameters of MDF wood composite material

Laser cutting of medium density fibreboard (MDF) is a complicated process and the selection of the process parameters combinations is essential to get the highest quality of the cut section. This paper presents laser cutting of MDF based on design of experiments (DOE). CO2 laser was used to cut three thicknesses 4, 6 and 9 mm of MDF panels. The process factors investigated are: laser power, cutting speed, air pressure and focal point position. In this work, cutting quality was evaluated by measuring, upper kerf width, lower kerf width, ratio between the upper kerf width to the lower kerf width, cut section roughness and the operating cost. The effect of each factor on the quality measures was determined and special graphs were drawn for this purpose. The optimal cutting combinations were presented in favours of high quality process output and in favours of low cutting cost

Pathwise Performance of Debt Based Policies for Wireless Networks with Hard Delay Constraints

Hou et al have introduced a framework to serve clients over wireless channels when there are hard deadline constraints along with a minimum delivery ratio for each client's flow. Policies based on "debt," called maximum debt first policies (MDF) were introduced, and shown to be throughput optimal. By "throughput optimality" it is meant that if there exists a policy that fulfils a set of clients with a given vector of delivery ratios and a vector of channel reliabilities, then the MDF policy will also fulfill them. The debt of a user is the difference between the number of packets that should have been delivered so as to meet the delivery ratio and the number of packets that have been delivered for that client. The maximum debt first (MDF) prioritizes the clients in decreasing order of debts at the beginning of every period. Note that a throughput optimal policy only guarantees that \begin{small} \liminf_{T \to \infty} \frac{1}{T}\sum_{t=1}^{T} \mathbbm{1}\{\{client n$'s packet is delivered in frame$t} \} \geq q_{i} \end{small}, where the right hand side is the required delivery ratio for client $i$. Thus, it only guarantees that the debts of each user are $o(T)$, and can be otherwise arbitrarily large. This raises the interesting question about what is the growth rate of the debts under the MDF policy. We show the optimality of MDF policy in the case when the channel reliabilities of all users are same, and obtain performance bounds for the general case. For the performance bound we obtain the almost sure bounds on $\limsup_{t\to\infty}\frac{d_{i}(t)}{\phi(t)}$ for all $i$, where $\phi(t) = \sqrt{2t\log\log t}$