5,306 research outputs found
On the properties of the interstellar medium in extremely metal-poor blue compact dwarf galaxies: GMOS-IFU spectroscopy and SDSS photometry of the double-knot galaxy HS 2236+1344
The main goal of this study is to carry out a spatially resolved
investigation of the warm interstellar medium (ISM) in the extremely metal-poor
Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxy HS 2236+1344. Special emphasis is laid on the
analysis of the spatial distribution of chemical abundances, emission-line
ratios and kinematics of the ISM, and to the recent star-forming activity in
this galaxy. This study is based on optical integral field unit spectroscopy
data from Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at the Gemini North telescope and
archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey images. The data were obtained in two
different positions across the galaxy, obtaining a total 4 arcsec X 8 arcsec
field which encompasses most of its ISM. Emission-line maps and broad-band
images obtained in this study indicate that HS 2236+1344 hosts three Giant HII
regions. Our data also reveal some faint curved features in the BCD periphery
that might be due to tidal perturbations or expanding ionized-gas shells. The
ISM velocity field shows systematic gradients along the major axis of the BCD,
with its south-eastern and north-western half differing by ~80 km/s in their
recessional velocity. The Ha and Hb equivalent width distribution in the
central part of HS 2236+1344 is consistent with a very young (~3 Myr) burst.
Our surface photometry analysis indicates that the ongoing starburst provides
~50% of the total optical emission, similar to other BCDs. It also reveals an
underlying lower-surface brightness component with moderately red colors, which
suggest that the galaxy has undergone previous star formation. We derive an
integrated oxygen abundance of 12+log(O/H)=7.53\pm0.06 and a nitrogen-to-oxygen
ratio of log(N/O)=-1.57\pm0.19. Our results are consistent, within the
uncertainties, with a homogeneous distribution of oxygen and nitrogen within
the ISM of the galaxy. (abridged)Comment: 15 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Reappraising the Spite Lithium Plateau: Extremely Thin and Marginally Consistent with WMAP
The lithium abundance in 62 halo dwarfs is determined from accurate
equivalent widths reported in the literature and an improved infrared flux
method (IRFM) temperature scale. The Li abundance of 41 plateau stars (those
with Teff > 6000 K) is found to be independent of temperature and metallicity,
with a star-to-star scatter of only 0.06 dex over a broad range of temperatures
(6000 K < Teff < 6800 K) and metallicities (-3.4 < [Fe/H] < -1), thus imposing
stringent constraints on depletion by mixing and production by Galactic
chemical evolution. We find a mean Li plateau abundance of A(Li) = 2.37 dex
(7Li/H = 2.34 X 10^{-10}), which, considering errors of the order of 0.1 dex in
the absolute abundance scale, is just in borderline agreement with the
constraints imposed by the theory of primordial nucleosynthesis and WMAP data
(2.51 < A(Li)[WMAP] < 2.66 dex).Comment: ApJ Letters, in pres
The Distance of the First Overtone RR Lyrae Variables in the MACHO LMC Database: A New Method to Correct for the Effects of Crowding
Previous studies have indicated that many of the RR Lyrae variables in the
LMC have properties similar to the ones in the Galactic globular cluster M3.
Assuming that the M3 RR Lyrae variables follow the same relationships among
period, temperature, amplitude and Fourier phase parameter phi31 as their LMC
counterparts, we have used the M3 phi31-logP relation to identify the M3-like
unevolved first overtone RR Lyrae variables in 16 fields near the LMC bar. The
temperatures of these variables were calculated from the M3 logP-logTe relation
so that the extinction could be derived for each star separately. Since blended
stars have lower amplitudes for a given period, the period amplitude relation
should be a useful tool for identifying which stars are affected by crowding.
We find that the low amplitude stars are brighter. We remove them from the
sample and derive an LMC distance modulus 18.49+/-0.11.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Disturbances in the spontaneous attribution of social meaning in schizophrenia
Background. Schizophrenia patients show disturbances on a range of tasks that assess mentalizing or 'Theory of Mind' (ToM). However, these tasks are often developmentally inappropriate, make large demands on verbal abilities and explicit problem-solving skills, and involve after-the-fact reflection as opposed to spontaneous mentalizing.
Method. To address these limitations, 55 clinically stable schizophrenia out-patients and 44 healthy controls completed a validated Animations Task designed to assess spontaneous attributions of social meaning to ambiguous
abstract visual stimuli. In this paradigm, 12 animations depict two geometric shapes' interacting' with each other in three conditions: (1) ToM interactions that elicit attributions of mental states to the agents, (2) Goal-Directed (GO) interactions that elicit attributions of simple actions, and (3) Random scenes in which no interaction occurs. Verbal
descriptions of each animation are rated for the degree of Intentionality attributed to the agents and for accuracy.
Results. Patients had lower Intentionality ratings than controls for ToM and GO scenes but the groups did not significantly differ for Random scenes. The descriptions of the patients less closely matched the situations intended by the developers of the task. Within the schizophrenia group, performance on the Animations Task showed minimal
associations with clinical symptoms.
Conclusions. Patients demonstrated disturbances in the spontaneous attribution of mental states to abstract visual stimuli that normally evoke such attributions. Hence, in addition to previously established impairment on mentalizing tasks that require logical inferences about others' mental states, individuals with schizophrenia show disturbances in implicit aspects of mentalizing
Analysis of elliptically polarized states in vertical-cavity-surface-emitting lasers
We study the elliptically polarized states in the spin-flip model for vertical-cavity-surface-emitting lasers. The stability analysis reveals some unexpected features. In correspondence with particular values of the birefringence parameter, which are shown to scale very simply with the ratio of the spin-flip rate to the linewidth enhancement factor, the stability domain can be quite large. Moreover, in some cases two different dynamical regimes can arise from the destabilization of the elliptically polarized states, and they can coexist in a finite interval of the pump parameter. Finally, we show that the bifurcation from the lower frequency linearly polarized state to the elliptically polarized states can be subcritical when the linewidth enhancement factor is roughly smaller than 1
MOS CCDs for the wide field imager on the XEUS spacecraft
In recent years the XEUS mission concept has evolved and has been the subject of several industrial studies. The mission concept has now matured to the point that it could be proposed for a Phase A study and subsequent flight programme. The key feature of XEUS will be its X-ray optic with collecting area ~30-100x that of XMM. The mission is envisaged at an orbit around the L2 point in space, and is formed from two spacecraft; one for the mirrors, and the other for the focal plane detectors. With a focal length of 50m, the plate scale of the optic is 6.5x that of XMM, which using existing focal plane technology will reduce the effective field of view to a few arc minutes. Cryogenic instrumentation, with detector sizes of a few mm can only be used for narrow field studies of target objects, and a wide field instrument is under consideration using a DEPFET pixel array to image out to a diameter of 5 arcminutes, requiring an array of dimension 70mm. It is envisaged to extend this field of view possibly out to 15 arcminutes through the use of an outer detection ring comprised of MOS CCD
Recommended from our members
Enhancing classification performance of convolutional neural networks for prostate cancer detection on magnetic resonance images: A study with the semantic learning machine
Supporting medical decisions for treating rare diseases through genetic programming
Bakurov, I., Castelli, M., Vanneschi, L., & Freitas, M. J. (2019). Supporting medical decisions for treating rare diseases through genetic programming. In P. Kaufmann, & P. A. Castillo (Eds.), Applications of Evolutionary Computation: 22nd International Conference, EvoApplications 2019, Held as Part of EvoStar 2019, Proceedings (pp. 187-203). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 11454 LNCS). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16692-2_13. ISBN: 978-3-030-16691-5; Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16692-2Casa dos Marcos is the largest specialized medical and residential center for rare diseases in the Iberian Peninsula. The large number of patients and the uniqueness of their diseases demand a considerable amount of diverse and highly personalized therapies, that are nowadays largely managed manually. This paper aims at catering for the emergent need of efficient and effective artificial intelligence systems for the support of the everyday activities of centers like Casa dos Marcos. We present six predictive data models developed with a genetic programming based system which, integrated into a web-application, enabled data-driven support for the therapists in Casa dos Marcos. The presented results clearly indicate the usefulness of the system in assisting complex therapeutic procedures for children suffering from rare diseases.authorsversionpublishe
- …