3,150 research outputs found
An Analysis of Missile Systems Cost Growth and Implementation of Acquisition Reform Initiatives Using a Hybrid Adjusted Cost Growth Model
This thesis examined cost growth in Department of Defense (DoD) missile systems from 1991 to 2001 using Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) data with a hybrid adjusted cost growth (ACG) model. In addition, an analysis of acquisition reform initiatives during the treatment period was conducted to determine if reform efforts impacted missile system cost growth. A pre-reform (1 January 1991 to 31 December 1996) period and post reform (1 January 1997 to 31 December 2001) period was subjectively developed to compare the mean annual ACG during each period for statistical differences. The hybrid ACG model outlined in this thesis may aid program managers and other interested parties in determining weapon systems cost growth, and the conclusion drawn from analyzing current acquisition initiatives may assist DoD leadership in assessing reform effectiveness on reducing cost growth. This research effort analyzed 135 SARs for 21 missile systems that reported a Milestone II baseline during the treatment period. Adjusted Cost Growth (ACG) calculations revealed that missile systems from 1 January 1991 to 31 December 2001 averaged 28 percent cost growth annually. The acquisition reform analysis included 76 SARs from 20 programs during the pre-reform period and 59 SARs from 13 programs in the post-reform period. A small sample t-test was used to compare the annual means of the two periods and revealed that at a 0.05 significance level, the annual average ACG for the post-reform period was higher than the annual average ACG of the pre-reform period
Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars: a window on AGB nucleosynthesis and binary evolution. II. Statistical analysis of a sample of 67 CEMP- stars
Many observed CEMP stars are found in binary systems and show enhanced
abundances of -elements. The origin of the chemical abundances of these
CEMP- stars is believed to be accretion in the past of enriched material
from a primary star in the AGB phase. We investigate the mechanism of mass
transfer and the process of nucleosynthesis in low-metallicity AGB stars by
modelling the binary systems in which the observed CEMP- stars were formed.
For this purpose we compare a sample of CEMP- stars with a grid of
binary stars generated by our binary evolution and nucleosynthesis model. We
classify our sample CEMP- stars in three groups based on the observed
abundance of europium. In CEMP stars the europium-to-iron ratio is more
than ten times higher than in the Sun, whereas it is lower than this threshold
in CEMP stars. No measurement of europium is currently available for
CEMP- stars. On average our models reproduce well the abundances observed
in CEMP- stars, whereas in CEMP- stars and CEMP- stars the
abundances of the light- elements are systematically overpredicted by our
models and in CEMP- stars the abundances of the heavy- elements are
underestimated. In all stars our modelled abundances of sodium overestimate the
observations. This discrepancy is reduced only in models that underestimate the
abundances of most of the -elements. Furthermore, the abundance of lead is
underpredicted in most of our model stars. These results point to the
limitations of our AGB nucleosynthesis model, particularly in the predictions
of the element-to-element ratios. Finally, in our models CEMP- stars are
typically formed in wide systems with periods above 10000 days, while most of
the observed CEMP- stars are found in relatively close orbits with periods
below 5000 days.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication on Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars: a window on AGB nucleosynthesis and binary evolution. I. Detailed analysis of 15 binary stars with known orbital periods
AGB stars are responsible for producing a variety of elements, including
carbon, nitrogen, and the heavy elements produced in the slow neutron-capture
process (-elements). There are many uncertainties involved in modelling the
evolution and nucleosynthesis of AGB stars, and this is especially the case at
low metallicity, where most of the stars with high enough masses to enter the
AGB have evolved to become white dwarfs and can no longer be observed. The
stellar population in the Galactic halo is of low mass () and only a few observed stars have evolved beyond the first
giant branch. However, we have evidence that low-metallicity AGB stars in
binary systems have interacted with their low-mass secondary companions in the
past. The aim of this work is to investigate AGB nucleosynthesis at low
metallicity by studying the surface abundances of chemically peculiar very
metal-poor stars of the halo observed in binary systems. To this end we select
a sample of 15 carbon- and -element-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP-) halo
stars that are found in binary systems with measured orbital periods. With our
model of binary evolution and AGB nucleosynthesis, we determine the binary
configuration that best reproduces, at the same time, the observed orbital
period and surface abundances of each star of the sample. The observed periods
provide tight constraints on our model of wind mass transfer in binary stars,
while the comparison with the observed abundances tests our model of AGB
nucleosynthesis.Comment: 18 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication on A&
Modelling the observed properties of carbon-enhanced metal-poor stars using binary population synthesis
The stellar population in the Galactic halo is characterised by a large
fraction of CEMP stars. Most CEMP stars are enriched in -elements (CEMP-
stars), and some of these are also enriched in -elements (CEMP- stars).
One formation scenario proposed for CEMP stars invokes wind mass transfer in
the past from a TP-AGB primary star to a less massive companion star which is
presently observed. We generate low-metallicity populations of binary stars to
reproduce the observed CEMP-star fraction. In addition, we aim to constrain our
wind mass-transfer model and investigate under which conditions our synthetic
populations reproduce observed abundance distributions. We compare the CEMP
fractions and the abundance distributions determined from our synthetic
populations with observations. Several physical parameters of the binary
stellar population of the halo are uncertain, e.g. the initial mass function,
the mass-ratio and orbital-period distributions, and the binary fraction. We
vary the assumptions in our model about these parameters, as well as the wind
mass-transfer process, and study the consequent variations of our synthetic
CEMP population. The CEMP fractions calculated in our synthetic populations
vary between 7% and 17%, a range consistent with the CEMP fractions among very
metal-poor stars recently derived from the SDSS/SEGUE data sample. The results
of our comparison between the modelled and observed abundance distributions are
different for CEMP- stars and for CEMP- stars. For the latter, our
simulations qualitatively reproduce the observed distributions of C, Na, Sr,
Ba, Eu, and Pb. Contrarily, for CEMP- stars our model cannot reproduce the
large abundances of neutron-rich elements such as Ba, Eu, and Pb. This result
is consistent with previous studies, and suggests that CEMP- stars
experienced a different nucleosynthesis history to CEMP- stars.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication on Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Slowly, slowly in the wind: 3D hydrodynamical simulations of wind mass transfer and angular-momentum loss in AGB binary systems
Wind mass transfer in binary systems with AGB donor stars plays a fundamental
role in the formation of a variety of objects, including barium stars and CEMP
stars. We carry out a comprehensive set of SPH simulations of wind-losing AGB
stars in binaries, for a variety of binary mass ratios, orbital separations,
initial wind velocities and rotation rates of the donor star. The initial
parameters of the simulated systems are chosen to match the expected
progenitors of CEMP stars. We find that the strength of interaction between the
wind and the stars depends on both the wind-velocity-to-orbital-velocity ratio
() and the binary mass ratio. Strong interaction
occurs for close systems and comparable mass ratios, and gives rise to a
complex morphology of the outflow and substantial angular-momentum loss, which
leads to a shrinking of the orbit. As the orbital separation increases and the
mass of the companion star decreases, the morphology of the outflow, as well as
the angular-momentum loss, become more similar to the spherically symmetric
wind case. We also explore the effects of tidal interaction and find that for
orbital separations up to 7-10 AU, depending on mass ratio, spin-orbit coupling
of the donor star occurs at some point during the AGB phase. If the initial
wind velocity is relatively low, we find that corotation of the donor star
results in a modified outflow morphology that resembles wind Roche-lobe
overflow. In this case the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss
differ from those found for a non-rotating donor. Finally, we provide a
relation for both the mass-accretion efficiency and angular-momentum loss as a
function of and the binary mass ratio that can be
easily implemented in a population synthesis code to study populations of
barium stars, CEMP stars and other products of interaction in AGB binaries.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 20 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables.
Abstract abridged due to arXiv requirement
Penetration depth for shallow impact cratering
We present data for the penetration of a variety of spheres, dropped from
rest, into a level non-cohesive granular medium. We improve upon our earlier
work [Uehara {\it et al.} Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 90}, 194301 (2003)] in three
regards. First, we explore the behavior vs sphere diameter and density more
systematically, by holding one of these parameters constant while varying the
other. Second, we prepare the granular medium more reproducibly and, third, we
measure the penetration depth more accurately. The new data support our
previous conclusion that the penetration depth is proportional to the 1/2 power
of sphere density, the 2/3 power of sphere diameter, and the 1/3 power of total
drop distance
σ2 receptor and its role in cancer with focus on a multitarget directed ligand (Mtdl) approach
Sigma-2 (σ2) is an endoplasmic receptor identified as the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) transmembrane protein TMEM97. Despite its controversial identity, which was only recently solved, this protein has gained scientific interest because of its role in the proliferative status of cells; many tumor cells from different organs overexpress the σ2 receptor, and many σ2 ligands display cytotoxic actions in (resistant) cancer cells. These properties have shed light on the σ2 receptor as a potential druggable target to be bound/activated for the diagnosis or therapy of tumors. Additionally, diverse groups have shown how the σ2 receptor can be exploited for the targeted delivery of the anticancer drugs to tumors. As the cancer disease is a multifactorial pathology with multiple cell populations, a polypharmacological approach is very often needed. Instead of the simultaneous administration of different classes of drugs, the use of one molecule that interacts with diverse pharmacological targets, namely MultiTarget Directed Ligand (MTDL), is a promising and currently pursued strategy, that may overcome the pharmacokinetic problems associated with the administration of multiple molecules. This review aims to point out the progress regarding the σ2 ligands in the oncology field, with a focus on MTDLs directed towards σ2 receptors as promising weapons against (resistant) cancer diseases
Insulin Resistance and Body Fat Distribution in South Asian Men Compared to Caucasian Men
South Asians are susceptible to insulin resistance even without obesity. We examined the characteristics of body fat content, distribution and function in South Asian men and their relationships to insulin resistance compared to Caucasians.Twenty-nine South Asian and 18 Caucasian non-diabetic men (age 27+/-3 and 27+/-3 years, respectively) underwent euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp for insulin sensitivity, underwater weighing for total body fat, MRI of entire abdomen for intraperitoneal (IP) and subcutaneous abdominal (SA) fat and biopsy of SA fat for adipocyte size.Compared to Caucasians, in spite of similar BMI, South Asians had higher total body fat (22+/-6 and 15+/-4% of body weight; p-value<0.0001), higher SA fat (3.5+/-1.9 and 2.2+/-1.3 kg, respectively; p-value = 0.004), but no differences in IP fat (1.0+/-0.5 and 1.0+/-0.7 kg, respectively; p-value = 0.4). SA adipocyte cell size was significantly higher in South Asians (3491+/-1393 and 1648+/-864 microm2; p-value = 0.0001) and was inversely correlated with both glucose disposal rate (r-value = -0.57; p-value = 0.0008) and plasma adiponectin concentrations (r-value = -0.71; p-value<0.0001). Adipocyte size differences persisted even when SA was matched between South Asians and Caucasians.Insulin resistance in young South Asian men can be observed even without increase in IP fat mass and is related to large SA adipocytes size. Hence ethnic excess in insulin resistance in South Asians appears to be related more to excess truncal fat and dysfunctional adipose tissue than to excess visceral fat
Holomorphic linearization of commuting germs of holomorphic maps
Let be germs of biholomorphisms of \C^n fixing the
origin. We investigate the shape a (formal) simultaneous linearization of the
given germs can have, and we prove that if commute and their
linear parts are almost simultaneously Jordanizable then they are
simultaneously formally linearizable. We next introduce a simultaneous
Brjuno-type condition and prove that, in case the linear terms of the germs are
diagonalizable, if the germs commutes and our Brjuno-type condition holds, then
they are holomorphically simultaneously linerizable. This answers to a
multi-dimensional version of a problem raised by Moser.Comment: 24 pages; final version with erratum (My original paper failed to
cite the work of L. Stolovitch [ArXiv:math/0506052v2]); J. Geom. Anal. 201
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