300 research outputs found
Impact of flying qualities on mission effectiveness for helicopter air combat, volume 1
A computer simulation to investigate the impact of flying qualities on mission effectiveness is described. The objective of the study was to relate the effects of flying qualities, such as precision of flight path control and pilot workload, to the ability of a single Scout helicopter, or helicopter team, to accomplish a specified anti-armor mission successfully. The model of the actual engagement is a Monte Carlo simulation that has the capability to assess the effects of helicopter characteristics, numbers, tactics and weaponization on the force's ability to accomplish a specific mission against a specified threat as a function of realistic tactical factors. A key feature of this program is a simulation of micro-terrain features and their effects on detection, exposure, and masking for nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flight
Relating jet structure to photometric variability: the Herbig Ae star HD 163296
Herbig Ae/Be stars are intermediate-mass pre-main sequence stars surrounded
by circumstellar dust disks. Some are observed to produce jets, whose
appearance as a sequence of shock fronts (knots) suggests a past episodic
outflow variability. This "jet fossil record" can be used to reconstruct the
outflow history. We present the first optical to near-infrared (NIR)
VLT/X-shooter spectra of the jet from the Herbig Ae star HD 163296. We
determine physical conditions in the knots, as well as their kinematic "launch
epochs". Knots are formed simultaneously on either side of the disk, with a
regular interval of ~16 yr. The velocity dispersion versus jet velocity and the
energy input are comparable in both lobes. However, the mass loss rate,
velocity, and shock conditions are asymmetric. We find Mjet/Macc ~ 0.01-0.1,
consistent with magneto-centrifugal jet launching models. No evidence for dust
is found in the high-velocity jet, suggesting it is launched within the
sublimation radius (<0.5 au). The jet inclination measured from proper motions
and radial velocities confirms it is perpendicular to the disk. A tentative
relation is found between the structure of the jet and the photometric
variability of the source. Episodes of NIR brightening were previously detected
and attributed to a dusty disk wind. We report for the first time significant
optical fadings lasting from a few days up to a year, coinciding with the NIR
brightenings. These are likely caused by dust lifted high above the disk plane;
this supports the disk wind scenario. The disk wind is launched at a larger
radius than the high-velocity atomic jet, although their outflow variability
may have a common origin. No significant relation between outflow and accretion
variability could be established. Our findings confirm that this source
undergoes periodic ejection events, which may be coupled with dust ejections
above the disk plane.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury. Progression of Large-Scale Star Formation across Space and Time in M31
We investigate the clustering of early-type stars younger than 300 Myr on
galactic scales in M31. Based on the stellar photometric catalogs of the
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury program that also provides stellar
parameters derived from the individual energy distributions, our analysis is
focused on the young stars in three star-forming regions, located at
galactocentric distances of about 5, 10, and 15 kpc, corresponding to the inner
spiral arms, the ring structure, and the outer arm, respectively. We apply the
two-point correlation function to our selected sample to investigate the
clustering behavior of these stars across different time- and length-scales. We
find that young stellar structure survives across the whole extent of M31
longer than 300 Myr. Stellar distribution in all regions appears to be
self-similar, with younger stars being systematically more strongly clustered
than the older, which are more dispersed. The observed clustering is
interpreted as being induced by turbulence, the driving source for which is
probably gravitational instabilities driven by the spiral arms, which are
stronger closer to the galactic centre.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. To appear in "LESSONS FROM THE LOCAL GROUP - A
Conference in Honour of David Block and Bruce Elmegreen" eds. Freeman, K.C.,
Elmegreen, B.G., Block, D.L. & Woolway, M. (Springer: New York
Revealing the Structure of a Pre-Transitional Disk: The Case of the Herbig F Star SAO 206462 (HD 135344B)
SAO 206462 (HD 135344B) has previously been identified as a Herbig F star with a circumstellar disk with a dip in its infrared excess near 10 mum. In combination with a low accretion rate estimated from Br gamma, it may represent a gapped, but otherwise primordial or pre-transitional disk. We test this hypothesis with Hubble Space Telescope coronagraphic imagery, FUV spectroscopy and imagery and archival X-ray data, and spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling constrained by the observed system inclination, disk outer radius, and outer disk radial surface brightness (SB) profile using the Whitney Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Code. The essentially face-on (i lsim 20°) disk is detected in scattered light from 0farcs4 to 1farcs15 (56-160 AU), with a steep (r -9.6) radial SB profile from 0farcs6 to 0farcs93. Fitting the SB data requires a concave upward or anti-flared outer disk, indicating substantial dust grain growth and settling by 8 ± 4 Myr. The warm dust component is significantly variable in near to mid-IR excess and in temperature. At its warmest, it appears confined to a narrow belt from 0.08 to 0.2 AU. The steep SED for this dust component is consistent with grains with a\u3c= 2.5 mum. For cosmic carbon to silicate dust composition, conspicuous 10 mum silicate emission would be expected and is not observed. This may indicate an elevated carbon to silicate ratio for the warm dust, which is not required to fit the outer disk. At its coolest, the warm dust can be fit with a disk from 0.14 to 0.31 AU, but with a higher inclination than either the outer disk or the gaseous disk, providing confirmation of the high inclination inferred from mid-IR interferometry. In tandem, the compositional and inclination difference between the warm dust and the outer dust disk suggests that the warm dust may be of second-generation origin, rather than a remnant of a primordial disk component. With its near face-on inclination, SAO 206462\u27s disk is a prime location for planet searches
Targets and genomic constraints of ectopic Dnmt3b expression
DNA methylation plays an essential role in mammalian genomes and expression of the responsible enzymes is tightly controlled. Deregulation of the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B is frequently observed across cancer types, yet little is known about its ectopic genomic targets. Here, we used an inducible transgenic mouse model to delineate rules for abnormal DNMT3B targeting, as well as the constraints of its activity across different cell types. Our results explain the preferential susceptibility of certain CpG islands to aberrant methylation and point to transcriptional state and the associated chromatin landscape as the strongest predictors. Although DNA methylation and H3K27me3 are usually non-overlapping at CpG islands, H3K27me3 can transiently co-occur with DNMT3B-induced DNA methylation. Our genome-wide data combined with ultra-deep locus-specific bisulfite sequencing suggest a distributive activity of ectopically expressed Dnmt3b that leads to discordant CpG island hypermethylation and provides new insights for interpreting the cancer methylome
PHAT Stellar Cluster Survey I. Year 1 Catalog and Integrated Photometry
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) survey is an on-going
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) multi-cycle program to obtain high spatial
resolution imaging of one-third of the M31 disk at ultraviolet through
near-infrared wavelengths. In this paper, we present the first installment of
the PHAT stellar cluster catalog. When completed, the PHAT cluster catalog will
be among the largest and most comprehensive surveys of resolved star clusters
in any galaxy. The exquisite spatial resolution achieved with HST has allowed
us to identify hundreds of new clusters that were previously inaccessible with
existing ground-based surveys. We identify 601 clusters in the Year 1 sample,
representing more than a factor of four increase over previous catalogs within
the current survey area (390 arcmin^2). This work presents results derived from
the first \sim25% of the survey data; we estimate that the final sample will
include \sim2500 clusters. For the Year 1 objects, we present a catalog with
positions, radii, and six-band integrated photometry. Along with a general
characterization of the cluster luminosities and colors, we discuss the cluster
luminosity function, the cluster size distributions, and highlight a number of
individually interesting clusters found in the Year 1 search.Comment: 26 pages, 22 figures, Accepted by Ap
Distinct p53 acetylation cassettes differentially influence gene-expression patterns and cell fate
The activity of the p53 gene product is regulated by a plethora of posttranslational modifications. An open question is whether such posttranslational changes act redundantly or dependently upon one another. We show that a functional interference between specific acetylated and phosphorylated residues of p53 influences cell fate. Acetylation of lysine 320 (K320) prevents phosphorylation of crucial serines in the NH2-terminal region of p53; only allows activation of genes containing high-affinity p53 binding sites, such as p21/WAF; and promotes cell survival after DNA damage. In contrast, acetylation of K373 leads to hyperphosphorylation of p53 NH2-terminal residues and enhances the interaction with promoters for which p53 possesses low DNA binding affinity, such as those contained in proapoptotic genes, leading to cell death. Further, acetylation of each of these two lysine clusters differentially regulates the interaction of p53 with coactivators and corepressors and produces distinct gene-expression profiles. By analogy with the “histone code” hypothesis, we propose that the multiple biological activities of p53 are orchestrated and deciphered by different “p53 cassettes,” each containing combination patterns of posttranslational modifications and protein–protein interactions
Macrophage Epithelial Reprogramming Underlies Mycobacterial Granuloma Formation and Promotes Infection
High-Contrast NIR Polarization Imaging of MWC480
One of the key predictions of modeling from the IR excess of Herbig Ae stars is that for protoplanetary disks, where significant grain growth and settling has occurred, the dust disk has flattened to the point that it can be partially or largely shadowed by the innermost material at or near the dust sublimation radius. When the self-shadowing has already started, the outer disk is expected to be detected in scattered light only in the exceptional cases that the scale height of the dust disk at the sublimation radius is smaller than usual. High-contrast imaging combined with the IR spectral energy distribution allow us to measure the degree of flattening of the disk, as well as to determine the properties of the outer disk. We present polarimetric differential imaging in H band obtained with Subaru/HiCIAO of one such system, MWC 480. The HiCIAO data were obtained at a historic minimum of the NIR excess. The disk is detected in scattered light from 0".2-1"0 (27.4-137 AU). Together with the marginal detection of the disk from 1998 February 24 by HST / NICMOS, our data constrain the opening half angle for the disk to lie between 1.3 <= Theta <=2.2 deg. When compared with similar measures in CO for the gas disk from the literature, the dust disk subtends only approx 30% of the gas disk scale height (H/R approx 0. 03). Such a dust disk is a factor of 5-7 flatter than transitional disks, which have structural signatures that giant planets have formed
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