574 research outputs found
Schwarzschild models of the Sculptor dSph galaxy
We have developed a spherically symmetric dynamical model of a dwarf
spheroidal galaxy using the Schwarzschild method. This type of modelling yields
constraints both on the total mass distribution (e.g. enclosed mass and scale
radius) as well as on the orbital structure of the system modelled (e.g.
velocity anisotropy). Therefore not only can we derive the dark matter content
of these systems, but also explore possible formation scenarios. Here we
present preliminary results for the Sculptor dSph. We find that the mass of
Sculptor within 1kpc is 8.5\times10^(7\pm0.05) M\odot, its anisotropy profile
is tangentially biased and slightly more isotropic near the center. For an NFW
profile, the preferred concentration (~15) is compatible with cosmological
models. Very cuspy density profiles (steeper than NFW) are strongly disfavoured
for Sculptor.Comment: 2 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "Assembling the
Puzzle of the Milky Way", Le Grand Bornand (Apr. 17-22, 2011
Orbit-based dynamical models of the Sculptor dSph galaxy
We have developed spherically symmetric dynamical models of dwarf spheroidal
galaxies using Schwarzschild's orbit superposition method. This type of
modelling yields constraints both on the total mass distribution (e.g. enclosed
mass and scale radius) as well as on the orbital structure of the system (e.g.
velocity anisotropy). This method is thus less prone to biases introduced by
assumptions in comparison to the more commonly used Jeans modelling, and it
allows us to derive the dark matter content in a robust way. Here we present
our results for the Sculptor dwarf spheroidal galaxy, after testing our methods
on mock data sets. We fit both the second and fourth velocity moment profile to
break the mass-anisotropy degeneracy. For an NFW dark matter halo profile, we
find that the mass of Sculptor within 1 kpc is M_1kpc = 1.03 \pm 0.07 x 10^8
Msol, and that its velocity anisotropy profile is tangentially biased and
nearly constant with radius. The preferred concentration (c ~ 15) is low for
its dark matter mass but consistent within the scatter found in N-body
cosmological simulations. When we let the value of the central logarithmic
slope \alpha{} vary, we find that the best-fit model has \alpha{} = 0, although
an NFW cusp or shallower is consistent at 1 \sigma{} confidence level. On the
other hand, very cuspy density profiles with logarithmic central slopes
\alpha{} < -1.5 are strongly disfavoured for Sculptor.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRAS
http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/433/4/317
Path finding on a spherical self-organizing map using distance transformations
Spatialization methods create visualizations that allow users to analyze high-dimensional data in an intuitive manner and facilitates the extraction of meaningful information. Just as geographic maps are simpli ed representations of geographic spaces, these visualizations are esssentially maps of abstract data spaces that are created through dimensionality reduction. While we are familiar with geographic maps for path planning/ nding applications, research into using maps of high-dimensional spaces for such purposes has been largely ignored. However, literature has shown that it is possible to use these maps to track temporal and state changes within a high-dimensional space. A popular dimensionality reduction method that produces a mapping for these purposes is the Self-Organizing Map. By using its topology preserving capabilities with a colour-based visualization method known as the U-Matrix, state transitions can be visualized as trajectories on the resulting mapping. Through these trajectories, one can gather information on the transition path between two points in the original high-dimensional state space. This raises the interesting question of whether or not the Self-Organizing Map can be used to discover the transition path between two points in an n-dimensional space. In this thesis, we use a spherically structured Self-Organizing Map called the Geodesic Self-Organizing Map for dimensionality reduction and the creation of a topological mapping that approximates the n-dimensional space. We rst present an intuitive method for a user to navigate the surface of the Geodesic SOM. A new application of the distance transformation algorithm is then proposed to compute the path between two points on the surface of the SOM, which corresponds to two points in the data space. Discussions will then follow on how this application could be improved using some form of surface shape analysis. The new approach presented in this thesis would then be evaluated by analyzing the results of using the Geodesic SOM for manifold embedding and by carrying out data analyses using carbon dioxide emissions data
Dwarf Galaxy Dark Matter Density Profiles Inferred from Stellar and Gas Kinematics
We present new constraints on the density profiles of dark matter (DM) halos
in seven nearby dwarf galaxies from measurements of their integrated stellar
light and gas kinematics. The gas kinematics of low mass galaxies frequently
suggest that they contain constant density DM cores, while N-body simulations
instead predict a cuspy profile. We present a data set of high resolution
integral field spectroscopy on seven galaxies and measure the stellar and gas
kinematics simultaneously. Using Jeans modeling on our full sample, we examine
whether gas kinematics in general produce shallower density profiles than are
derived from the stars. Although 2/7 galaxies show some localized differences
in their rotation curves between the two tracers, estimates of the central
logarithmic slope of the DM density profile, gamma, are generally robust. The
mean and standard deviation of the logarithmic slope for the population are
gamma=0.67+/-0.10 when measured in the stars and gamma=0.58+/-0.24 when
measured in the gas. We also find that the halos are not under concentrated at
the radii of half their maximum velocities. Finally, we search for correlations
of the DM density profile with stellar velocity anisotropy and other baryonic
properties. Two popular mechanisms to explain cored DM halos are an exotic DM
component or feedback models that strongly couple the energy of supernovae into
repeatedly driving out gas and dynamically heating the DM halos. We investigate
correlations that may eventually be used to test models. We do not find a
secondary parameter that strongly correlates with the central DM density slope,
but we do find some weak correlations. Determining the importance of these
correlations will require further model developments and larger observational
samples. (Abridged)Comment: 29 pages, 18 figures, 10 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Stellar Kinematics and Structural Properties of Virgo Cluster Dwarf Early-Type Galaxies from the SMAKCED Project. I. Kinematically Decoupled Cores and Implications for Infallen Groups in Clusters
We present evidence for kinematically decoupled cores (KDCs) in two dwarf
early-type (dE) galaxies in the Virgo cluster, VCC 1183 and VCC 1453, studied
as part of the SMAKCED stellar absorption-line spectroscopy and imaging survey.
These KDCs have radii of 1.8'' (0.14 kpc) and 4.2'' (0.33 kpc), respectively.
Each of these KDCs is distinct from the main body of its host galaxy in two
ways: (1) inverted sense of rotation; and (2) younger (and possibly more
metal-rich) stellar population. The observed stellar population differences are
probably associated with the KDC, although we cannot rule out the possibility
of intrinsic radial gradients in the host galaxy. We describe a statistical
analysis method to detect, quantify the significance of, and characterize KDCs
in long-slit rotation curve data. We apply this method to the two dE galaxies
presented in this paper and to five other dEs for which KDCs have been reported
in the literature. Among these seven dEs, there are four significant KDC
detections, two marginal KDC detections, and one dE with an unusual central
kinematic anomaly that may be an asymmetric KDC.The frequency of occurence of
KDCs and their properties provide important constraints on the formation
history of their host galaxies. We discuss different formation scenarios for
these KDCs in cluster environments and find that dwarf-dwarf wet mergers or gas
accretion can explain the properties of these KDCs. Both of these mechanisms
require that the progenitor had a close companion with a low relative velocity.
This suggests that KDCs were formed in galaxy pairs residing in a poor group
environment or in isolation whose subsequent infall into the cluster quenched
star formation.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Asymptomatic lipofibroadenoma in a 17-year-old male:a case report and literature review of a rare entity
Background: The most common thymic tumours, thymomas, are derived from thymic epithelium and are generally low-grade neoplasm. Frankly malignant tumours, thymic carcinomas are rarer still. Exceedingly rare thymic tumours contain a mesenchymal tissue component such as fibrous connective tissue and/or mature fat. Lipofibroadenoma (LFA) is a very rare mixed epithelial-mesenchymal thymic tumour, included in the category of thymic epithelial tumors. LFA in addition to a mature adipocytic component, contains variable epithelial and mesenchymal tissue components. Owing to the presence of an epithelial component in LFA, this entity, in contrast to thymolipoma, is included in the World Health Organization (WHO) category of thymic epithelial neoplasm. Currently only 12 LFA cases have been described. The 12 previously reported cases all behaved in a benign fashion, although four cases were associated with a conventional type of thymoma. We here present a new, 13th, case of LFA. Case Description: The LFA was discovered incidentally in a previously healthy 17-year-old male after investigations for suspected pneumonia. On imaging a mass was discovered in the anterior mediastinum which was subsequently surgically removed. The resected tumour was extensively investigated, including the first instance of full molecular analysis of this rare entity and all available literature on LFA was sourced to provide a comprehensive overview. The histology of this LFA was similar to previously described cases. No gene mutations or rearrangements were identified. The patient made an uneventful recovery and after 13 months of follow-up remained well. Conclusions: An additional, 13th case of LFA is presented. Based on the available literature it appears that LFA may be considered a benign composite thymic tumour, although the combination of an additional conventional thymoma component may warrant closer follow-up.</p
An Over-Massive Black Hole in the Compact Lenticular Galaxy NGC1277
All massive galaxies likely have supermassive black holes at their centers,
and the masses of the black holes are known to correlate with properties of the
host galaxy bulge component. Several explanations have been proposed for the
existence of these locally-established empirical relationships; they include
the non-causal, statistical process of galaxy-galaxy merging, direct feedback
between the black hole and its host galaxy, or galaxy-galaxy merging and the
subsequent violent relaxation and dissipation. The empirical scaling relations
are thus important for distinguishing between various theoretical models of
galaxy evolution, and they further form the basis for all black hole mass
measurements at large distances. In particular, observations have shown that
the mass of the black hole is typically 0.1% of the stellar bulge mass of the
galaxy. The small galaxy NGC4486B currently has the largest published fraction
of its mass in a black hole at 11%. Here we report observations of the stellar
kinematics of NGC 1277, which is a compact, disky galaxy with a mass of 1.2 x
10^11 Msun. From the data, we determine that the mass of the central black hole
is 1.7 x 10^10 Msun, or 59% its bulge mass. Five other compact galaxies have
properties similar to NGC 1277 and therefore may also contain over-sized black
holes. It is not yet known if these galaxies represent a tail of a
distribution, or if disk-dominated galaxies fail to follow the normal black
hole mass scaling relations.Comment: 7 pages. 6 figures. Nature. Animation at
http://www.mpia.de/~bosch/blackholes.htm
Investigating human audio-visual object perception with a combination of hypothesis-generating and hypothesis-testing fMRI analysis tools
Primate multisensory object perception involves distributed brain regions. To investigate the network character of these regions of the human brain, we applied data-driven group spatial independent component analysis (ICA) to a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data set acquired during a passive audio-visual (AV) experiment with common object stimuli. We labeled three group-level independent component (IC) maps as auditory (A), visual (V), and AV, based on their spatial layouts and activation time courses. The overlap between these IC maps served as definition of a distributed network of multisensory candidate regions including superior temporal, ventral occipito-temporal, posterior parietal and prefrontal regions. During an independent second fMRI experiment, we explicitly tested their involvement in AV integration. Activations in nine out of these twelve regions met the max-criterion (A < AV > V) for multisensory integration. Comparison of this approach with a general linear model-based region-of-interest definition revealed its complementary value for multisensory neuroimaging. In conclusion, we estimated functional networks of uni- and multisensory functional connectivity from one dataset and validated their functional roles in an independent dataset. These findings demonstrate the particular value of ICA for multisensory neuroimaging research and using independent datasets to test hypotheses generated from a data-driven analysis
Somatiek in de ambulante psychiatrie: De toegevoegde waarde van een standaard lichamelijk onderzoek tijdens de ambulante intake
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