17,503 research outputs found
The Chandra Fornax Survey - I: The Cluster Environment
We present the first results of a deep Chandra survey of the inner 1 degree
of the Fornax cluster of galaxies. Ten 50 ksec pointings were obtained in a
mosaic centered on the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1399 at the nominal cluster
center. Emission and temperature maps of Fornax are presented, and an initial
study of 771 detected X-ray point sources is made. Regions as small as 100pc
are resolved. The intra-cluster gas in Fornax exhibits a highly asymmetric
morphology and temperature structure, dominated by a 180 kpc extended ``plume''
of low surface brightness, cool, ~1 keV) gas to the North-East of NGC 1399 with
a sharper edge to the South West. The elliptical galaxy NGC 1404 also exhibits
a cool halo of X-ray gas within the cluster, with a highly sharpened leading
edge as it presumably falls into the cluster, and a cometary-like tail. We
estimate that some ~200-400 point sources are physically associated with
Fornax. Confirming earlier works, we find that the globular cluster population
in NGC 1399 is highly X-ray active, extending to globulars which may in fact be
intra-cluster systems. We have also found a remarkable correlation between the
location of giant and dwarf cluster galaxies and the presence of X-ray
counterparts, such that systems inhabiting regions of low gas density are more
likely to show X-ray activity. Not only does this correlate with the asymmetry
of the intra-cluster gas but also with the axis joining the center of Fornax to
an infalling group 1 Mpc to the South-West. We suggest that Fornax may be
experiencing an intergalactic ``headwind'' due to motion relative to the
surrounding large-scale structure.Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, submitted to ApJ. Most figures not included
owing to severe compression degradation - we strongly recommend downloading
the full resolution paper from
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~caleb/ms_highres.pdf (1.9Mb
Size matters: the value of small populations for wintering waterbirds
Protecting systematically selected areas of land is a major step towards biodiversity conservation worldwide. Indeed, the identification and designation of protected areas more often than not forms a core component of both national and international conservation policies. In this paper we provide an overview of those Special Protection Areas and Ramsar Sites that have been classified in Great Britain as of 1998/99 for a selection of wintering waterbird species, using bird count data from the Wetland Bird Survey.
The performance of this network of sites is remarkable, particularly in comparison with published analyses of networks elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, the current site-based approach, whilst having the great benefit of simplicity, is deliberately biased towards aggregating species at the expense of the more dispersed distribution species. To ensure that the network continues successfully to protect nationally and internationally important waterbird populations, efforts now need to concentrate on the derivation of species-specific representation targets and, in particular, the ways in which these can be incorporated into the site selection process. Although these analyses concern the performance of protected areas for waterbirds in Great Britain, the results have wide-ranging importance for conservation planning in general and the design of protected area networks
WTO accession, the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed firms and regional development in Guangdong of southern China
This paper investigates the changing competitiveness of foreign-financed manufacturing firms and its implications for regional development in Guangdong province of southern China in the run-up to World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. It is argued that transnational corporations (TNCs) and some competitive, large-scale, locally-funded firms in Guangdong will triumph after WTO accession. The crowding-out process of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong will be accelerated in the near future, as they are competing directly with TNCs, and as their competitive advantages are diminishing, due to bureaucratic red tape and the rigorous enforcement of new government policies. Due to close business linkages with local privately-funded firms, the competitiveness and vitality of foreign-financed enterprises will have profound long term effects on the economic development of Guangdong, before and after WTO accession
The EGNoG Survey: Gas Excitation in Normal Galaxies at z~0.3
As observations of molecular gas in galaxies are pushed to lower star
formation rate galaxies at higher redshifts, it is becoming increasingly
important to understand the conditions of the gas in these systems to properly
infer their molecular gas content. The rotational transitions of the carbon
monoxide (CO) molecule provide an excellent probe of the gas excitation
conditions in these galaxies. In this paper we present the results from the gas
excitation sample of the Evolution of molecular Gas in Normal Galaxies (EGNoG)
survey at the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA).
This subset of the full EGNoG sample consists of four galaxies at z~0.3 with
star formation rates of 40-65 M_Sun yr^-1 and stellar masses of ~2x10^11 M_Sun.
Using the 3 mm and 1 mm bands at CARMA, we observe both the CO(1-0) and CO(3-2)
transitions in these four galaxies in order to probe the excitation of the
molecular gas. We report robust detections of both lines in three galaxies (and
an upper limit on the fourth), with an average line ratio, r_31 = L'_CO(3-2) /
L'_CO(1-0), of 0.46 \pm 0.07 (with systematic errors \lesssim 40%), which
implies sub-thermal excitation of the CO(3-2) line. We conclude that the
excitation of the gas in these massive, highly star-forming galaxies is
consistent with normal star-forming galaxies such as local spirals, not
starbursting systems like local ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. Since the
EGNoG gas excitation sample galaxies are selected from the main sequence of
star-forming galaxies, we suggest that this result is applicable to studies of
main sequence galaxies at intermediate and high redshifts, supporting the
assumptions made in studies that find molecular gas fractions in star forming
galaxies at z~1-2 to be an order of magnitude larger than what is observed
locally.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, to appear
January 2013; 18 pages, 10 figures, 6 table
Long-term weight maintenance and cardiovascular risk factors are not different following weight loss on carbohydrate-restricted diets high in either monounsaturated fat or protein in obese hyperinsulinaemic men and women
The aim of this study was to determine after 52 weeks whether advice to follow a lower carbohydrate diet, either high in monounsaturated fat or low fat, high in protein had differential effects in a free-living community setting. Following weight loss on either a high monounsaturated fat, standard protein (HMF; 50 % fat, 20 % protein (67 g/d), 30 % carbohydrate) or a high protein, moderate fat (HP) (40 % protein (136 g/d), 30 % fat, 30 % carbohydrate) energy-restricted diet (6000 kJ/d) subjects were asked to maintain the same dietary pattern without intensive dietary counselling for the following 36 weeks. Overall weight loss was 6·2 (sd 7·3) kg (P < 0·01 for time with no diet effect, 7·6 (sd 8·1) kg, HMF v. 4·8 (sd 6·6) kg, HP). In a multivariate regression model predictors of weight loss at the end of the study were sex, age and reported percentage energy from protein (R2 0·22, P < 0·05 for the whole model). Fasting plasma insulin decreased (P < 0·01, with no difference between diets), 13·9 (sd 4·6) to 10·2 (sd 5·2) mIU/l, but fasting plasma glucose was not reduced. Neither total cholesterol nor LDL-cholesterol were different but HDL was higher, 1·19 (sd 0·26) v. 1·04 (sd 0·29) (P < 0·001 for time, no diet effect), while TAG was lower, 1·87 (sd 1·23) v. 2·22 (sd 1·15) mmol/l (P < 0·05 for time, no diet effect). C-reactive protein decreased (3·97 (sd 2·84) to 2·43 (sd 2·29) mg/l, P < 0·01). Food records showed that compliance to the prescribed dietary patterns was poor. After 1 year there remained a clinically significant weight loss and improvement in cardiovascular risk factors with no adverse effects of a high monounsaturated fat diet.Jennifer B. Keogh, Natalie D. Luscombe-Marsh, Manny Noakes, Gary A. Wittert and Peter M. Clifto
Suicide in the Northern Territory, 1981-2002
Objective: To examine trends in suicide in the Northern Territory between 1981 and 2002, and demographic and other characteristics of people completing suicide in the Top End region in 2000-2002. Design: Retrospective descriptive analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics death registration data and data from the NT Coroner's Office. Setting and participants: All residents of the NT who completed suicide between 1981 and 2002. Main outcome measures: Changes in the age-adjusted and age- and sex-specific rates of suicide in Indigenous and non-Indigenous NT residents over time; prior diagnosis of mental illness and use of alcohol or other drugs by those completing suicide. Results: The age-adjusted suicide rate in the NT increased significantly between 1981 and 2002 (P 0.05), respectively. Indigenous males aged under 45 years and non-Indigenous males aged 65 years and over were most at risk. In the Top End, a history of diagnosed mental illness was present in 49% of suicide cases, and misuse of alcohol or other drugs around the time of death was associated with 72% of suicide cases. Conclusion: Our study highlights the rising rate of suicide in the NT and suggests that suicide prevention initiatives need to specifically target Indigenous and non-Indigenous males in the age groups most at risk
The algebraic and Hamiltonian structure of the dispersionless Benney and Toda hierarchies
The algebraic and Hamiltonian structures of the multicomponent dispersionless
Benney and Toda hierarchies are studied. This is achieved by using a modified
set of variables for which there is a symmetry between the basic fields. This
symmetry enables formulae normally given implicitly in terms of residues, such
as conserved charges and fluxes, to be calculated explicitly. As a corollary of
these results the equivalence of the Benney and Toda hierarchies is
established. It is further shown that such quantities may be expressed in terms
of generalized hypergeometric functions, the simplest example involving
Legendre polynomials. These results are then extended to systems derived from a
rational Lax function and a logarithmic function. Various reductions are also
studied.Comment: 29 pages, LaTe
River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 28: The Dance Hall of the Santee Bottoms on the Fort Berthold Reservation, Garrison Reservoir, North Dakota
Published as a series sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the “River Basin Surveys Papers” are a collection of archeological investigations focused on areas now flooded by the completion of various dam projects in the United States. The River Basin Surveys Papers (numbered 1-39) were mostly published in bundles with 5-6 papers in each bundle. In collaboration with the United States (US) National Park Service and the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian Institution pulled archeological and paleontological remains from several sites prior to losing access to the sites due to flooding. The Smithsonian Institution calls this project the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program.
Paper number 28 describes the Dance Hall of Santee Bottoms, which was a standing structure at the time of investigation (1953). The author describes the hall as “in good condition” and reports that it was likely last used in 1946. The hall was built by a group of Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara led by Old Dog of Elbowoods who fractured from a local group and formed the “Santee Dancing Society.” This is a relatively short paper focused on the history and description of the dance hall. This paper includes photographs and illustrations.https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/1041/thumbnail.jp
'Dog Days' Full Employment without Depreciation: Can It Be Done?
Policy Forum: The Murray Financial System Enquir
- …