50 research outputs found
Constraints On The Delayed Transition to Detonation in Type Ia Supernovae
We investigate the possibility of a delayed detonation in a type Ia supernova
under the assumption that the transition to detonation is triggered by
turbulence only. Our discussion is based on the Zeldovich mechanism and
suggests that typical turbulent velocities present during the explosion are not
strong enough to allow this transition to occur. Although we are able to show
that in carbon-rich matter (e.g., C) the possibility of a
deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) is enhanced, even in this case the
turbulent velocities needed are larger than the expected value of on a length-scale of cm. Thus we
conclude that a DDT may not be a common event during a thermonuclear explosion
of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap
Supernova Ia: a Converging Delayed Detonation Wave
A model of a carbon-oxygen (C--O) presupernova core with an initial mass 1.33
M_\odot, an initial carbon mass fraction 0.27, and with an average mass
growth-rate 5 x 10^{-7} M_\odot/yr due to accretion in a binary system was
evolved from initial central density 10^9 g/cm^3, and temperature 2.05 x 10^8 K
through convective core formation and its subsequent expansion to the carbon
runaway at the center. The only thermonuclear reaction contained in the
equations of evolution and runaway was the carbon burning reaction 12C + 12C
with an energy release corresponding to the full transition of carbon and
oxygen (with the same rate as carbon) into 56Ni. As a parameter we take
\alpha_c - a ratio of a mixing length to the size of the convective zone. In
spite of the crude assumptions, we obtained a pattern of the runaway acceptable
for the supernova theory with the strong dependence of its duration on
\alpha_c. In the variants with large enough values of \alpha_c=4.0 x 10^{-3}
and 3.0 x 10^{-3} the fuel combustion occurred from the very beginning as a
prompt detonation. In the range of 2.0 x 10^{-3} >= \alpha_c >= 3.0 x 10^{-4}
the burning started as a deflagration with excitation of stellar pulsations
with growing amplitude. Eventually, the detonation set in, which was activated
near the surface layers of the presupernova (with m about 1.33 M_\odot) and
penetrated into the star down to the deflagration front. Excitation of model
pulsations and formation of a detonation front are described in detail for the
variant with \alpha_c=1.0 x 10^{-3}.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, to appear in Astronomy Letter
High-Resolution Simulations of Convection Preceding Ignition in Type Ia Supernovae Using Adaptive Mesh Refinement
We extend our previous three-dimensional, full-star simulations of the final
hours of convection preceding ignition in Type Ia supernovae to higher
resolution using the adaptive mesh refinement capability of our low Mach number
code, MAESTRO. We report the statistics of the ignition of the first flame at
an effective 4.34 km resolution, and general flow field properties at an
effective 2.17 km resolution. We find that off-center ignition is likely, with
radius of 50 km most favored and a likely range of 40 to 75 km. This is
consistent with our previous coarser (8.68 km resolution) simulations, implying
that we have achieved sufficient resolution in our determination of likely
ignition radii. The dynamics of the last few hot spots preceding ignition
suggest that a multiple ignition scenario is not likely. With improved
resolution, we can more clearly see the general flow pattern in the convective
region, characterized by a strong outward plume with a lower speed
recirculation. We show that the convective core is turbulent with a Kolmogorov
spectrum and has a lower turbulent intensity and larger integral length scale
than previously thought (on the order of 16 km s and 200 km,
respectively), and we discuss the potential consequences for the first flames.Comment: Accepted to ApJ. 48 pages. Some figures degraded to conserve spac
Models for Type Ia supernovae and related astrophysical transients
We give an overview of recent efforts to model Type Ia supernovae and related
astrophysical transients resulting from thermonuclear explosions in white
dwarfs. In particular we point out the challenges resulting from the
multi-physics multi-scale nature of the problem and discuss possible numerical
approaches to meet them in hydrodynamical explosion simulations and radiative
transfer modeling. We give examples of how these methods are applied to several
explosion scenarios that have been proposed to explain distinct subsets or, in
some cases, the majority of the observed events. In case we comment on some of
the successes and shortcoming of these scenarios and highlight important
outstanding issues.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, review published in Space Science Reviews as
part of the topical collection on supernovae, replacement corrects typos in
the conclusions sectio
Two transitional type~Ia supernovae located in the Fornax cluster member NGC 1404: SN 2007on and SN 2011iv
We present an analysis of ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared observations of the fast-declining Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) 2007on and 2011iv, hosted by the Fornax cluster member NGC 1404. The B-band light curves of SN 2007on and SN 2011iv are characterised by dm_15(B) decline-rate values of 1.96 mag and 1.77 mag, respectively. Although they have similar decline rates, their peak B- and H-band magnitudes differ by ~0.60 mag and ~0.35 mag, respectively. After correcting for the luminosity vs. decline rate and the luminosity vs. colour relations, the peak B-band and H-band light curves provide distances that differ by ~14% and ~9%, respectively. These findings serve as a cautionary tale for the use of transitional SNe Ia located in early-type hosts in the quest to measure cosmological parameters. Interestingly, even though SN 2011iv is brighter and bluer at early times, by three weeks past maximum and extending over several months, its B-V colour is 0.12 mag redder than that of SN 2007on. To reconcile this unusual behaviour, we turn to guidance from a suite of spherical one-dimensional Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation explosion models. In this context, 56Ni production depends on both the so-called transition density and the central density of the progenitor white dwarf. To first order, the transition density drives the luminosity-width relation, while the central density is an important second-order parameter. Within this context, the differences in the B-V color evolution along the Lira regime suggests the progenitor of SN~2011iv had a higher central density than SN~2007on
Accurate Protein Structure Annotation through Competitive Diffusion of Enzymatic Functions over a Network of Local Evolutionary Similarities
High-throughput Structural Genomics yields many new protein structures without known molecular function. This study aims to uncover these missing annotations by globally comparing select functional residues across the structural proteome. First, Evolutionary Trace Annotation, or ETA, identifies which proteins have local evolutionary and structural features in common; next, these proteins are linked together into a proteomic network of ETA similarities; then, starting from proteins with known functions, competing functional labels diffuse link-by-link over the entire network. Every node is thus assigned a likelihood z-score for every function, and the most significant one at each node wins and defines its annotation. In high-throughput controls, this competitive diffusion process recovered enzyme activity annotations with 99% and 97% accuracy at half-coverage for the third and fourth Enzyme Commission (EC) levels, respectively. This corresponds to false positive rates 4-fold lower than nearest-neighbor and 5-fold lower than sequence-based annotations. In practice, experimental validation of the predicted carboxylesterase activity in a protein from Staphylococcus aureus illustrated the effectiveness of this approach in the context of an increasingly drug-resistant microbe. This study further links molecular function to a small number of evolutionarily important residues recognizable by Evolutionary Tracing and it points to the specificity and sensitivity of functional annotation by competitive global network diffusion. A web server is at http://mammoth.bcm.tmc.edu/networks
Plasmodium parasites mount an arrest response to dihydroartemisinin, as revealed by whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq) and microarray study
Add-on cannabidiol treatment for drug-resistant seizures in tuberous sclerosis complex
Importance Efficacy of cannabidiol has been demonstrated in seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes but appears not yet to have been established in conditions with primarily focal seizures, such as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of 25-mg/kg/day and 50-mg/kg/day cannabidiol dosages vs placebo against seizures associated with TSC.Design, Setting, and Participants This double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (GWPCARE6) enrolled patients between April 6, 2016, and October 4, 2018; follow-up was completed on February 15, 2019. The trial was conducted at 46 sites in Australia, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Eligible patients (aged 1-65 years) were those with a clinical diagnosis of TSC and medication-resistant epilepsy who had had at least 8 TSC-associated seizures during the 4-week baseline period, with at least 1 seizure occurring in at least 3 of the 4 weeks, and were currently taking at least 1 antiepileptic medication.Interventions Patients received oral cannabidiol at 25 mg/kg/day (CBD25) or 50 mg/kg/day (CBD50) or a matched placebo for 16 weeks.Main Outcomes and Measures The prespecified primary outcome was the change from baseline in number of TSC-associated seizures for cannabidiol vs placebo during the treatment period.Results Of 255 patients screened for eligibility, 31 were excluded and 224 were randomized. Of the 224 included patients (median [range] age, 11.4 [1.1-56.8] years; 93 female patients [41.5%]), 75 were randomized to CBD25, 73 to CBD50, and 76 to placebo, with 201 completing treatment. The percentage reduction from baseline in the type of seizures considered the primary end point was 48.6% (95% CI, 40.4%-55.8%) for the CBD25 group, 47.5% (95% CI, 39.0%-54.8%) for the CBD50 group, and 26.5% (95% CI, 14.9%-36.5%) for the placebo group; the percentage reduction from placebo was 30.1% (95% CI, 13.9%-43.3%; P < .001) for the CBD25 group and 28.5% (95% CI, 11.9%-42.0%; nominal P = .002) for the CBD50 group. The most common adverse events were diarrhea (placebo group, 19 [25%]; CBD25 group, 23 [31%]; CBD50 group, 41 [56%]) and somnolence (placebo group, 7 [9%]; CBD25 group, 10 [13%]; CBD50 group, 19 [26%]), which occurred more frequently with cannabidiol than placebo. Eight patients in CBD25 group, 10 in CBD50 group, and 2 in the placebo group discontinued treatment because of adverse events. Twenty-eight patients taking cannabidiol (18.9%) had elevated liver transaminase levels vs none taking placebo.Conclusions and Relevance Cannabidiol significantly reduced TSC-associated seizures compared with placebo. The 25-mg/kg/day dosage had a better safety profile than the 50-mg/kg/day dosage