5,800 research outputs found
Gamma-ray burst early optical afterglows: implications for the initial Lorentz factor and the central engine
Early optical afterglows have been observed from GRB 990123, GRB 021004, and
GRB 021211, which reveal rich emission features attributed to reverse shocks.
It is expected that Swift will discover many more early afterglows. Here we
investigate in a unified manner both the forward and the reverse external shock
emission components, and introduce a straightforward recipe for directly
constraining the initial Lorentz factor of the fireball using early optical
afterglow data. The scheme is largely independent of the shock microphysics. We
identify two types of combinations of the reverse and forward shock emission,
and explore their parameter regimes. We also discuss a possible diagnostic for
magnetized ejecta. There is evidence that the central engine of GRB 990123 is
strongly magnetized.Comment: emulateapj style, 6 pages, 1 figure. Expanded version accepted for
publication in ApJ Part
Life Tables of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae): with a Mathematical Invalidation for Applying the Jackknife Technique to the Net Reproductive Rate
Life table data for the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), reared on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were collected under laboratory and simulated field conditions. Means and standard errors of life table parameters were estimated for two replicates using the jackknife technique. At 25ºC, the intrinsic rates of increase (_r_) found for the two replicates were 0.1354 and 0.1002 day-1, and the net reproductive rates (_R_~0~) were 206.3 and 66.0 offspring, respectively. When the cucumbers kept under simulated field conditions were covered with leaves, the _r_ and _R_~0~ for the two replicates were 0.0935 and 0.0909 day-1, 17.5 and 11.4 offspring, respectively. However, when similar cucumbers were left uncovered, the _r_ and _R_~0~ for the two replicates were 0.1043 and 0.0904 day-1, and 27.7 and 10.1 offspring, respectively. Our results revealed that considerable variability between replicates in both laboratory and field conditions is possible; this variability should be taken into consideration in data collection and application of life tables. Mathematical analysis has demonstrated that applying the jackknife technique results in unrealistic pseudo-_R_~0~ and overestimation of its variance. We suggest that the jackknife technique should not be used for the estimation of variability of _R_~0~
Mechanistic Basis for Control of Early Embryonic Development by a 5’ tRNA Fragment
Ancestral environmental conditions can instruct offspring development, although the mechanism(s) underlying such transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is unclear. In murine models focused on paternal dietary effects, we and others have identified tRNA fragments (tRFs) in mature sperm as potential carriers of epigenetic information. In our search for molecular targets of specific tRFs, we observed that altering the level of 5’-tRF Glycine-GCC (tRF-GG) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and preimplantation embryos modulates the expression of the endogenous retrovirus MERV-L and genes regulated by MERV-L. Intriguingly, transient derepression of MERV-L is associated with totipotency of two-cell stage embryos and a subset of two-cell-like mESCs.
Here, I reveal the mechanistic basis for tRF-GG regulation of MERV-L. I show that tRF-GG supports the production of numerous small nuclear RNAs associated with the Cajal body, in mouse and human embryonic stem cells. In particular, tRF-GG modulates the levels of U7 snRNA to ensure an adequate supply of histone proteins. This in turn safeguards heterochromatin-mediated transcriptional repression of MERV-L elements. Importantly, tRF-GG effects on histone mRNA levels, activity of a histone 3’UTR reporter, and expression of MERV-L associated transcripts can all be suppressed by appropriate manipulation of U7 RNA levels. I also show that hnRNPF and H bind directly to tRF-GG, and display a stark overlap of in vivo functions to tRF-GG. Together, this data uncovers a conserved mechanism for a 5’ tRNA fragment in the fine-tuning of a regulatory cascade to modulate global chromatin organization during pre-implantation development
Understanding molecular representations in machine learning: The role of uniqueness and target similarity
The predictive accuracy of Machine Learning (ML) models of molecular
properties depends on the choice of the molecular representation. Based on the
postulates of quantum mechanics, we introduce a hierarchy of representations
which meet uniqueness and target similarity criteria. To systematically control
target similarity, we rely on interatomic many body expansions, as implemented
in universal force-fields, including Bonding, Angular, and higher order terms
(BA). Addition of higher order contributions systematically increases
similarity to the true potential energy and predictive accuracy of the
resulting ML models. We report numerical evidence for the performance of BAML
models trained on molecular properties pre-calculated at electron-correlated
and density functional theory level of theory for thousands of small organic
molecules. Properties studied include enthalpies and free energies of
atomization, heatcapacity, zero-point vibrational energies, dipole-moment,
polarizability, HOMO/LUMO energies and gap, ionization potential, electron
affinity, and electronic excitations. After training, BAML predicts energies or
electronic properties of out-of-sample molecules with unprecedented accuracy
and speed
Early photon-shock interaction in stellar wind: sub-GeV photon flash and high energy neutrino emission from long GRBs
For gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) born in a stellar wind, as the reverse shock
crosses the ejecta, usually the shocked regions are still precipitated by the
prompt MeV \gamma-ray emission. Because of the tight overlapping of the MeV
photon flow with the shocked regions, the optical depth for the GeV photons
produced in the shocks is very large. These high energy photons are absorbed by
the MeV photon flow and generate relativistic e^\pm pairs. These pairs
re-scatter the soft X-ray photons from the forward shock as well as the prompt
\gamma-ray photons and power detectable high energy emission, significant part
of which is in the sub-GeV energy range. Since the total energy contained in
the forward shock region and the reverse shock region are comparable, the
predicted sub-GeV emission is independent on whether the GRB ejecta are
magnetized (in which case the reverse shock IC and synchrotron self-Compton
emission is suppressed). As a result, a sub-GeV flash is a generic signature
for the GRB wind model, and it should be typically detectable by the future
{\em Gamma-Ray Large Area Telescope} (GLAST). Overlapping also influence
neutrino emission. Besides the 10^{15} \sim 10^{17} eV neutrino emission
powered by the interaction of the shock accelerated protons with the
synchrotron photons in both the forward and reverse shock regions, there comes
another eV neutrino emission component powered by protons interacting
with the MeV photon flow. This last component has a similar spectrum to the one
generated in the internal shock phase, but the typical energy is slightly
lower.Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in Ap
Spin interference and Fano effect in electron transport through a mesoscopic ring side-coupled with a quantum dot
We investigate the electron transport through a mesoscopic ring side-coupled
with a quantum dot(QD) in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit(SO) interaction. It
is shown that both the Fano resonance and the spin interference effects play
important roles in the electron transport properties. As the QD level is around
the Fermi energy, the total conductance shows typical Fano resonance line
shape. By applying an electrical gate voltage to the QD, the total transmission
through the system can be strongly modulated. By threading the mesoscopic ring
with a magnetic flux, the time-reversal symmetry of the system is broken, and a
spin polarized current can be obtained even though the incident current is
unpolarized.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
A comprehensive analysis of Swift/XRT data: I. Apparent spectral evolution of GRB X-ray tails
An early steep decay component following the prompt GRBs is commonly observed
in {\em Swift} XRT light curves, which is regarded as the tail emission of the
prompt gamma-rays. Prompted by the observed strong spectral evolution in the
tails of GRBs 060218 and 060614, we present a systematic time-resolved spectral
analysis for the {\em Swift} GRB tails detected between 2005 February and 2007
January. We select a sample of 44 tails that are bright enough to perform
time-resolved spectral analyses. Among them 11 tails are smooth and without
superimposing significant flares, and their spectra have no significant
temporal evolution. We suggest that these tails are dominated by the curvature
effect of the prompt gamma-rays due to delay of propagation of photons from
large angles with respect to the line of sight . More interestingly, 33 tails
show clear hard-to-soft spectral evolution, with 16 of them being smooth tails
directly following the prompt GRBs,while the others being superimposed with
large flares. We focus on the 16 clean, smooth tails and consider three toy
models to interpret the spectral evolution. The curvature effect of a
structured jet and a model invoking superposition of the curvature effect tail
and a putative underlying soft emission component cannot explain all the data.
The third model, which invokes an evolving exponential spectrum, seems to
reproduce both the lightcurve and the spectral evolution of all the bursts,
including GRBs 060218 and 060614. More detailed physical models are called for
to understand the apparent evolution effect.Comment: 13 pages in emulateapj style,6 figures, 1 table, expanded version,
matched to published version, ApJ, 2007, in press. This is the first paper of
a series. Paper II see arXiv:0705.1373 (ApJ,2007, in press
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