2,350 research outputs found
The Primeval Populations of the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies
We present new constraints on the star formation histories of the ultra-faint
dwarf (UFD) galaxies, using deep photometry obtained with the Hubble Space
Telescope (HST). A galaxy class recently discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey, the UFDs appear to be an extension of the classical dwarf spheroidals
to low luminosities, offering a new front in efforts to understand the missing
satellite problem. They are the least luminous, most dark-matter dominated, and
least chemically-evolved galaxies known. Our HST survey of six UFDs seeks to
determine if these galaxies are true fossils from the early universe. We
present here the preliminary analysis of three UFD galaxies: Hercules, Leo IV,
and Ursa Major I. Classical dwarf spheroidals of the Local Group exhibit
extended star formation histories, but these three Milky Way satellites are at
least as old as the ancient globular cluster M92, with no evidence for
intermediate-age populations. Their ages also appear to be synchronized to
within ~1 Gyr of each other, as might be expected if their star formation was
truncated by a global event, such as reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Latex,
5 pages, 2 color figures, 1 tabl
A Finite Quantum Gravity Field Theory Model
We discuss the quantization of Delta gravity, a two symmetric tensors model
of gravity. This model, in Cosmology, shows accelerated expansion without a
cosmological constant. We present the transformation which
defines the geometry of the model. Then we show that all delta type models live
at one loop only. We apply this to General Relativity and we calculate the one
loop divergent part of the Effective Action showing its null contribution in
vacuum, implying a finite model. Then we proceed to study the existence of
ghosts in the model. Finally, we study the form of the finite quantum
corrections to the classical action of the model.Comment: Latex, 33 page
The Shape of Galaxy Cluster Dark Matter Haloes: Systematics of Its Imprint on Cluster Gas, and Comparison to Observations
(Abridged) We study predictions for galaxy cluster observables that can test
the statistics of dark matter halo shapes expected in a flat LCDM universe. We
present a simple analytical model for the prediction of cluster-scale X-ray
observations, approximating clusters as isothermal systems in hydrostatic
equilibrium, and dark matter haloes as ellipsoids with uniform axial ratios. We
test the model against high-resolution, hydrodynamic cluster simulations to
gauge its reliability. We find that this simple prescription does a good job of
predicting the distribution of cluster X-ray ellipticities compared to the
simulations as long as one focuses on cluster regions that are less sensitive
to recent mergers. Based on this simple model, the distribution of cluster-size
halo shapes expected in the concordance LCDM cosmology implies an X-ray
ellipticity distribution with a mean of 0.32 +- 0.01 and a scatter of 0.14 +-
0.01 for the mass range (1-4)x10^{14} Msun/h. We find it important to include
the mass dependence of halo shape to make comparisons to observational samples
that contain many, very massive clusters. We analyse the systematics of four
observational samples of cluster ellipticities and find that our results are
statistically compatible with observations. In particular, we find remarkably
good agreement between two recent ROSAT samples and LCDM predictions that DO
NOT include gas cooling. We also test how well our analytical model can predict
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich decrement maps and find that it is less successful although
still useful; the model does not perform as well as a function of flux level in
this case because of the changing triaxiality of dark matter haloes as a
function of radial distance. Both this effect and the changing alignment of
isodensity shells of dark matter haloes leave an imprint on cluster gas...Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures; corrected typo (no result affected) submitted to
MNRA
Visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis associated with Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is mainly caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) donovani and Leishmania (L.) infantum; however, other Leishmania species have been associated with VL. We report a case of a patient simultaneously diagnosed with VL caused by Leishmania (L.) amazonensis and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After treatment with liposomal amphotericin B and chemotherapy, the patient presented a clinical cure. This case report reinforces the hypothesis that other Leishmania species can cause visceral lesions mainly related to immunosuppression
Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV
The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8 TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum
Global shortage of technical agars: back to basics (resource management)
Bacteriological and technical agars are in short supply with potential consequences for research, public health, and clinical labs around the world. To diagnose bottlenecks and sustainability problems that may be putting the industry at risk, we analyzed the available time series for the global landings of Gelidium, the most important raw materials for the industry. Data on the harvest of Gelidium spp. have been reported since1912, when Japan was the only producer. After World War II the diversification of harvested species and producing countries resulted in a strong increase in global landings. Maximum harvest yields of almost 60,000 t year(-1) in the 1960s were sustained until the 1980s, after which landings decreased continuously to the present. In the 2010s, a reduction in the global production to about 25,000 t year(-1) was observed, which was lower than the yields of the 1950s. Landings by important producers such as Japan, Korea, Spain, and Portugal have collapsed. This is the ultimate cause of the present shortage of bacteriological and technical agars. However, an important factor at play is the concentration of the global landings of Gelidium in Morocco, as its relative contribution increased from 23% in the 1960s to the present 82%. Two specific bottlenecks were identified: restrictive export quotas of unprocessed Gelidium in favor of the national agar industry and resource management regulations that were apparently not enforced resulting in over-harvesting and resource decline. The global industry may well be dependent on resource management basics. Simple harvest statistics must be gathered such as the harvest effort and the variation of harvest yields along the harvest season. We discuss how this information is fundamental to manage the resource. The available harvest statistics are generally poor and limited and vary significantly among different sources of data. Probable confusions between dry and wet weight reporting and poor discrimination of the species harvested need to be resolved
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