Quasi-equilibria in one-dimensional self-gravitating many body systems

The microscopic dynamics of one-dimensional self-gravitating many-body systems is studied. We examine two courses of the evolution which has the isothermal and stationary water-bag distribution as initial conditions. We investigate the evolution of the systems toward thermal equilibrium. It is found that when the number of degrees of freedom of the system is increased, the water-bag distribution becomes a quasi-equilibrium, and also the stochasticity of the system reduces. This results suggest that the phase space of the system is effectively not ergodic and the system with large degreees of freedom approaches to the near-integrable one.Comment: 21pages + 7 figures (available upon request), revtex, submitted to Physical Review

C and N Abundances in Stars At the Base of the Red Giant Branch in M5

We present an analysis of a large sample of moderate resolution Keck LRIS spectra of subgiant (V \sim 17.2) and fainter stars in the Galactic globular cluster M5 (NGC 5904) with the goal of deriving C and N abundances. Star-to-star stochastic variations with significant range in both [C/Fe] and [N/Fe] are found at all luminosities extending to the bottom of the RGB at M_V \sim +3. Similar variations in CH appear to be present in the main sequence turnoff spectra. There is no sign of a change in the behavior of C and N with evolutionary stage over the full range in luminosity of the RGB and SGB. The C and N abundances appear strongly anti-correlated, as would be expected from the CN-cycle processing of stellar material. Yet the present stars are considerably fainter than the RGB bump, the point at which deep mixing is believed to set in. On this basis, while the observed abundance pattern is consistent with proton capture nucleosynthesis, we infer that the site of the reactions is likely not within the present sample, but rather in a population of more massive (2 -- 5 M(Sun)) now defunct stars. The range of variation of the N abundances is very large and the sum of C+N increases as C decreases. To reproduce this requires the incorporation not only of CN but also of ON-processed material. Furthermore, the existence of this correlation is quite difficult to reproduce with an external mechanism such as ``pollution'' with material processed in a more massive AGB star, which mechanism is fundamentally stochastic in nature. We therefore suggest that although the internal mixing hypothesis has serious flaws,new theoretical insights are needed and it should not be ruled out yet. (abridged)Comment: Slightly updated version to conform to that accepted by the A

Patient-maintained sedation for oral surgery using a target-controlled infusion of propofol - a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of a new patient-maintained propofol system for conscious sedation in dentistry. DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial SETTING: Department of Sedation, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, 2001 SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients scheduled for oral surgery with conscious sedation. Exclusions included ASA IV -V, inability to use the handset, opioid use and severe respiratory disease. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were given intravenous propofol to a level of 1.0 microg/ml (reducing from 1.5 microg/ml) using a target controlled infusion system, they then controlled their sedation level by double-clicking a handset which on each activation increased the propofol concentration by 0.2 microg/ml. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Oxygen saturation, patient satisfaction, and surgeon satisfaction. RESULTS: Twenty patients were recruited, 16 female and four male. Nineteen patients completed sedation and treatment successfully. Mean lowest oxygen saturation was 94%. No patients were over-sedated. All patients successfully used the system to maintain a level of sedation adequate for their comfort. Patient and surgeon satisfaction were consistently high. CONCLUSIONS: Initial experience with this novel system has confirmed safety, patient satisfaction and surgeon satisfaction

Relaxation processes in one-dimensional self-gravitating many-body systems

Though one dimensional self-gravitating $N$-body systems have been studied for three decade, the nature of relaxation was still unclear. There were inconsistent results about relaxation time; some initial state relaxed in the time scale $T\sim N\,t_c$, but another state did not relax even after $T\sim N^2\,t_c$, where $t_c$ is the crossing time. The water-bag distribution was believed not to relax after $T\sim N^2\,t_c$. In our previous paper, however, we found there are two different relaxation times in the water-bag distribution;in the faster relaxation ( microscopic relaxation ) the equipartition of energy distribution is attains but the macroscopic distribution turns into the isothermal distribution in the later relaxation (macroscopic relaxation). In this paper, we investigated the properties of the two relaxation. We found that the microscopic relaxation time is $T\sim N\,t_c$, and the macroscopic relaxation time is proportional to $N\,t_c$, thus the water-bag does relax. We can see the inconsistency about the relaxation times is resolved as that we see the two different aspect of relaxations. Further, the physical mechanisms of the relaxations are presented.Comment: 11 pages, uuencoded, compressed Postscript, no figure, figures available at ftp://ferio.mtk.nao.ac.jp/pub/tsuchiya/Tsuchiya95.tar.g

The role of insulin receptor substrate 2 in hypothalamic and beta cell function

Insulin receptor substrate 2 (Irs2) plays complex roles in energy homeostasis. We generated mice lacking Irs2 in beta cells and a population of hypothalamic neurons (RIPCreIrs2KO), in all neurons (NesCreIrs2KO), and in proopiomelanocortin neurons (POMCCreIrs2KO) to determine the role of Irs2 in the CNS and beta cell. RIPCreIrs2KO mice displayed impaired glucose tolerance and reduced P cell mass. Overt diabetes did not ensue, because beta cells escaping Cre-mediated recombination progressively populated islets. RIPCreIrs2KO and NesCreIrs2KO mice displayed hyperphagia, obesity, and increased body length, which suggests altered melanocortin action. POMCCreIrs2KO mice did not display this phenotype. RIPCreIrs2KO and NesCreIrs2KO mice retained leptin sensitivity, which suggests that CNS Irs2 pathways are not required for leptin action. NesCreIrs2KO and POMCCreIrs2KO mice did not display reduced beta cell mass, but NesCreIrs2KO mice displayed mild abnormalities of glucose homeostasis. RIPCre neurons did not express POMC or neuropeptide Y. Insulin and a melanocortin agonist depolarized RIPCre neurons, whereas leptin was ineffective. Insulin hyperpolarized and leptin depolarized POMC neurons. Our findings demonstrate a critical role for IRS2 in beta cell and hypothalamic function and provide insights into the role of RIPCre neurons, a distinct hypothalamic neuronal population, in growth and energy homeostasis

PT-symetrically regularized Eckart,Poeschl-Teller and Hulthen potentials

Version 1: The well known Eckart's singular s-wave potential is PT-symmetrically regularized and continued to the whole real line. The new model remains exactly solvable and its bound states remain proportional to Jacobi polynomials. Its real and discrete spectrum exhibits several unusual features. Version 2: Parity times time-reversal symmetry of complex Hamiltonians with real spectra is usually interpreted as a weaker mathematical substitute for Hermiticity. Perhaps an equally important role is played by the related strengthened analyticity assumptions. In a constructive illustration we complexify a few potentials solvable only in s-wave. Then we continue their domain from semi-axis to the whole axis and get the new exactly solvable models. Their energies come out real as expected. The new one-dimensional spectra themselves differ quite significantly from their s-wave predecessors.Comment: Original 10-page letter ``PT-symmetrized exact solution of the singular Eckart oscillator" is extended to a full pape

Chiral Symmetry Breaking on the Lattice: a Study of the Strongly Coupled Lattice Schwinger Model

We revisit the strong coupling limit of the Schwinger model on the lattice using staggered fermions and the hamiltonian approach to lattice gauge theories. Although staggered fermions have no continuous chiral symmetry, they posses a discrete axial invari ance which forbids fermion mass and which must be broken in order for the lattice Schwinger model to exhibit the features of the spectrum of the continuum theory. We show that this discrete symmetry is indeed broken spontaneously in the strong coupling li mit. Expanding around a gauge invariant ground state and carefully considering the normal ordering of the charge operator, we derive an improved strong coupling expansion and compute the masses of the low lying bosonic excitations as well as the chiral co ndensate of the model. We find very good agreement between our lattice calculations and known continuum values for these quantities already in the fourth order of strong coupling perturbation theory. We also find the exact ground state of the antiferromag netic Ising spin chain with long range Coulomb interaction, which determines the nature of the ground state in the strong coupling limit.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, no figure

High-Mass X-ray Binaries and the Spiral Structure of the Host Galaxy

We investigate the manifestation of the spiral structure in the distribution of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) over the host galaxy. We construct the simple kinematic model. It shows that the HMXBs should be displaced relative to the spiral structure observed in such traditional star formation rate indicators as the Halpha and FIR emissions because of their finite lifetimes. Using Chandra observations of M51, we have studied the distribution of X-ray sources relative to the spiral arms of this galaxy observed in Halpha. Based on K-band data and background source number counts, we have separated the contributions from high-mass and low-mass X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei. In agreement with model predictions, the distribution of HMXBs is wider than that of bright HII regions concentrated in the region of ongoing star formation. However, the statistical significance of this result is low, as is the significance of the concentration of the total population of X-ray sources to the spiral arms. We also predict the distribution of HMXBs in our Galaxy in Galactic longitude. The distribution depends on the mean HMXB age and can differ significantly from the distributions of such young objects as ultracompact HII regions.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures; Astronomy Letters, Vol. 33, No. 5, 2007, pp. 299-30

C and N Abundances in Stars At the Base of the Red Giant Branch in M15

We present an analysis of a large sample of moderate resolution Keck LRIS spectra of subgiants and stars at the base of the RGB in M15, most within the range 16.5 < V < 19.5 (1.2 < M_V < 4.2), with the goal of deriving C abundances (from the G band of CH) and N abundances (from the NH band at 3360 A). Star-to-star stochastic variations with significant range in both [C/Fe] and [N/Fe] are found at all luminosities extending to the subgiants at M_V ~ +3. The C and N abundances appear anti-correlated, as would be expected from the CN-cycle processing of stellar material. Yet these M15 stars are considerably fainter than the RGB bump, the point at which deep mixing is believed to set in. On this basis, while the observed abundance pattern is consistent with proton capture nucleosynthesis, we infer that the site of the reactions is likely not within the present sample. The range of variation of the N abundances is very large and the sum of C+N increases as C decreases. To reproduce this requires the incorporation not only of CN but also of ON-processed material. Combining our work with that of Trefzger et al (1983) for the brighter giants in M15, we find strong evidence for additional depletion of C among the most luminous giants. This presumably represents the first dredge up (with enhanced deep mixing) expected for such luminous cluster RGB stars in the course of normal stellar evolution as they cross the RGB bump. We compare the behavior of these patterns for C and N in globular clusters covering a wide range of metallicity and of current mass and discuss possible scenarios to reproduce the observed behavior of these key elements. (abridged)Comment: Submitted to the AJ Feb. 1, 2005. Accepted May 11, 2005. Delay due to tardy anonymous refere

The Impact of Stellar Migration on Disk Outskirts

Stellar migration, whether due to trapping by transient spirals (churning), or to scattering by non-axisymmetric perturbations, has been proposed to explain the presence of stars in outer disks. After a review of the basic theory, we present compelling, but not yet conclusive, evidence that churning has been important in the outer disks of galaxies with type II (down-bending) profiles, while scattering has produced the outer disks of type III (up-bending) galaxies. In contrast, field galaxies with type I (pure exponential) profiles appear to not have experienced substantial migration. We conclude by suggesting work that would improve our understanding of the origin of outer disks.Comment: Invited review, Book chapter in "Outskirts of Galaxies", Eds. J. H. Knapen, J. C. Lee and A. Gil de Paz, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Springer, in press 39 pages, 15 figure