79 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Burnup measurements with the Los Alamos fork detector
The fork detector system can determine the burnup of spent-fuel assemblies. It is a transportable instrument that can be mounted permanently in a spent-fuel pond near a loading area for shipping casks, or be attached to the storage pond bridge for measurements on partially raised spent-fuel assemblies. The accuracy of the predicted burnup has been demonstrated to be as good as 2% from measurements on assemblies in the United States and other countries. Instruments have also been developed at other facilities throughout the world using the same or different techniques, but with similar accuracies. 14 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs
A near-infrared study of AGB and red giant stars in the Leo I dSph galaxy
A near-infrared imaging study of the evolved stellar populations in the dwarf
spheroidal galaxy Leo I is presented. Based on JHK observations obtained with
the WFCAM wide-field array at the UKIRT telescope, we build a near-infrared
photometric catalogue of red giant branch (RGB) and asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) stars in Leo I over a 13.5 arcmin square area. The V-K colours of RGB
stars, obtained by combining the new data with existing optical observations,
allow us to derive a distribution of global metallicity [M/H] with average
[M/H] = -1.51 (uncorrected) or [M/H] = -1.24 +/- 0.05 (int) +/- 0.15 (syst)
after correction for the mean age of Leo I stars. This is consistent with the
results from spectroscopy once stellar ages are taken into account. Using a
near-infrared two-colour diagram, we discriminate between carbon- and
oxygen-rich AGB stars and obtain a clean separation from Milky Way foreground
stars. We reveal a concentration of C-type AGB stars relative to the red giant
stars in the inner region of the galaxy, which implies a radial gradient in the
intermediate-age (1-3 Gyr) stellar populations. The numbers and luminosities of
the observed carbon- and oxygen-rich AGB stars are compared with those
predicted by evolutionary models including the thermally-pulsing AGB phase, to
provide new constraints to the models for low-metallicity stars. We find an
excess in the predicted number of C stars fainter than the RGB tip, associated
to a paucity of brighter ones. The number of O-rich AGB stars is roughly
consistent with the models, yet their predicted luminosity function is extended
to brighter luminosity. It appears likely that the adopted evolutionary models
overestimate the C star lifetime and underestimate their K-band luminosity.Comment: MNRAS, accepte
The Dynamical and Chemical Evolution of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
We present a large sample of fully self-consistent hydrodynamical
Nbody/Tree-SPH simulations of isolated dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). It
has enabled us to identify the key physical parameters and mechanisms at the
origin of the observed variety in the Local Group dSph properties. The initial
total mass (gas + dark matter) of these galaxies is the main driver of their
evolution. Star formation (SF) occurs in series of short bursts. In massive
systems, the very short intervals between the SF peaks mimic a continuous star
formation rate, while less massive systems exhibit well separated SF bursts, as
identified observationally. The delay between the SF events is controlled by
the gas cooling time dependence on galaxy mass. The observed global scaling
relations, luminosity-mass and luminosity-metallicity, are reproduced with low
scatter. We take advantage of the unprecedentedly large sample size and data
homogeneity of the ESO Large Programme DART, and add to it a few independent
studies, to constrain the star formation history of five Milky Way dSphs,
Sextans, LeoII, Carina, Sculptor and Fornax. For the first time, [Mg/Fe] vs
[Fe/H] diagrams derived from high-resolution spectroscopy of hundreds of
individual stars are confronted with model predictions. We find that the
diversity in dSph properties may well result from intrinsic evolution. We note,
however, that the presence of gas in the final state of our simulations, of the
order of what is observed in dwarf irregulars, calls for removal by external
processes.Comment: 21 Pages, 19 figures ; Accepted for publication in A&A. Higher
resolution version may be downloaded here :
http://obswww.unige.ch/~revaz/publications/aa2009_1173
The evolved stars of Leo II dSph galaxy from near-infrared UKIRT/WFCAM observations
We present a study of the evolved stellar populations in the dwarf spheroidal
galaxy LeoII, based on JHKs observations obtained with the near-infrared array
WFCAM at the UKIRT telescope. Combining the new data with optical data, we
derived photometric estimates of the distribution of global metallicity [M/H]
of individual red giant stars from their V-Ks colours. We used the new data to
derive the properties of a nearly complete sample of asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) stars in LeoII. Using a near-infrared two-colour diagram, we were able to
obtain a clean separation from Milky Way foreground stars and discriminate
between carbon- and oxygen-rich AGB stars. We simulate the JHKs data with the
TRILEGAL population synthesis code together with the most updated thermally
pulsing AGB models, and using the star formation histories derived from
independent work based on deep HST photometry. After scaling the mass of LeoII
models to the observed number of upper RGB stars, we find that present models
predict too many O-rich TP-AGB stars of higher luminosity due to a likely
under-estimation of either their mass-loss rates at low metallicity, and/or
their degree of obscuration by circumstellar dust. On the other hand, the
TP-AGB models are able to reproduce the observed number and luminosities of
carbon stars satisfactorily well, indicating that in this galaxy the least
massive stars that became carbon stars should have masses as low as ~1 M_sun.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA
The management of acute venous thromboembolism in clinical practice. Results from the European PREFER in VTE Registry
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Data from real-world registries are necessary, as clinical trials do not represent the full spectrum of VTE patients seen in clinical practice. We aimed to document the epidemiology, management and outcomes of VTE using data from a large, observational database. PREFER in VTE was an international, non-interventional disease registry conducted between January 2013 and July 2015 in primary and secondary care across seven European countries. Consecutive patients with acute VTE were documented and followed up over 12 months. PREFER in VTE included 3,455 patients with a mean age of 60.8 ± 17.0 years. Overall, 53.0 % were male. The majority of patients were assessed in the hospital setting as inpatients or outpatients (78.5 %). The diagnosis was deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in 59.5 % and pulmonary embolism (PE) in 40.5 %. The most common comorbidities were the various types of cardiovascular disease (excluding hypertension; 45.5 %), hypertension (42.3 %) and dyslipidaemia (21.1 %). Following the index VTE, a large proportion of patients received initial therapy with heparin (73.2 %), almost half received a vitamin K antagonist (48.7 %) and nearly a quarter received a DOAC (24.5 %). Almost a quarter of all presentations were for recurrent VTE, with >80 % of previous episodes having occurred more than 12 months prior to baseline. In conclusion, PREFER in VTE has provided contemporary insights into VTE patients and their real-world management, including their baseline characteristics, risk factors, disease history, symptoms and signs, initial therapy and outcomes
Behavioral correlates of the activity of serotonergic and non-serotonergic neurons in caudal raphe nuclei
Recommended from our members
Spent-fuel verification with the Los Alamos fork detector
The Los Alamos fork detector for the verification of spent-fuel assemblies has generated precise, reproducible data. The data analyses have now evolved to the point of placing tight restrictions on a diverter's actions
- âŠ