HOPS 361-C's Jet Decelerating and Precessing Through NGC 2071 IR

We present a two-epoch Hubble Space Telescope (HST) near-infrared (NIR) study of NGC 2071 IR highlighting HOPS 361-C, a protostar producing an arced 0.2 parsec-scale jet. Proper motions for the brightest knots decrease from 350 to 100 km/s with increasing distance from the source. The [Fe II] and Pa$\beta$ emission line intensity ratio gives a velocity jump through each knot of 40-50 km/s. We show a new [O I] 63 $\rm \mu$m spectrum taken with the German REciever for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies (GREAT) instrument aboard Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which give a low jet inclination. Proper motions and jump velocities then estimate total flow speed throughout the jet. We model knot positions and speeds with a precessing jet that decelerates within the host molecular cloud. The measurements are matched with a precession period of a few thousand years and half opening angle of 15$\rm\deg$. The [Fe II] 1.26 $\rm \mu$m to 1.64 $\rm \mu$m line intensity ratio gives the extinction to each knot ranging from 5-30 mag. Relative to $\sim$14 mag of extinction through the cloud from C$^{18}$O emission maps, the jet is well embedded at a fractional depth from 1/5 to 4/5, and can interact with the cloud. Our model suggests the jet is locally dissipated over 0.2 pc. This may be because knots sweep through a wide angle, giving the cloud time to fill in cavities opened by the jet. This contrasts with nearly unidirectional protostellar jets that puncture host clouds and can propagate significantly further than a quarter pc.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Ap

Intergenerational justice of what: welfare, resources or capabilities?

An important aspect of intergenerational justice concerns the specification of a 'currency of advantage' that can be used to evaluate distributive outcomes across time. Environmental theorists have introduced several innovative currencies of justice in recent years, such as ecological space and critical natural capital. However they have often downplayed the application of established currencies (such as welfare, resources or capabilities) to issues of futurity. After exploring the merits of a number of rival currencies, it is argued that the currency of 'capabilities to function' provides a promising basis for a theory of justice that takes seriously the rights and duties of intergenerational justice

Plasma Dynamics

Contains reports on twenty research projects split into two sections.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG75-06242-A01)U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration (Contract E(11-1)-2766)U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration (Contract E(11-1)-3070

Single particle trajectories reveal active endoplasmic reticulum luminal flow

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a network of membranous sheets and pipes, supports functions encompassing biogenesis of secretory proteins and delivery of functional solutes throughout the cell[1, 2]. Molecular mobility through the ER network enables these functionalities, but diffusion alone is not sufficient to explain luminal transport across supramicrometre distances. Understanding the ER structure–function relationship is critical in light of mutations in ER morphology-regulating proteins that give rise to neurodegenerative disorders[3, 4]. Here, super-resolution microscopy and analysis of single particle trajectories of ER luminal proteins revealed that the topological organization of the ER correlates with distinct trafficking modes of its luminal content: with a dominant diffusive component in tubular junctions and a fast flow component in tubules. Particle trajectory orientations resolved over time revealed an alternating current of the ER contents, while fast ER super-resolution identified energy-dependent tubule contraction events at specific points as a plausible mechanism for generating active ER luminal flow. The discovery of active flow in the ER has implications for timely ER content distribution throughout the cell, particularly important for cells with extensive ER-containing projections such as neurons.Wellcome Trust - 3-3249/Z/16/Z and 089703/Z/09/Z [Kaminski] UK Demential Research Institute [Avezov] Wellcome Trust - 200848/Z/16/Z, WT: UNS18966 [Ron] FRM Team Research Grant [Holcman] Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - EP/L015889/1 and EP/H018301/1 [Kaminski] Medical Research Council (MRC) - MR/K015850/1 and MR/K02292X/1 [Kaminski

Genetic association study of QT interval highlights role for calcium signaling pathways in myocardial repolarization.

The QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, is a heritable trait. QT prolongation is a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) and could indicate the presence of the potentially lethal mendelian long-QT syndrome (LQTS). Using a genome-wide association and replication study in up to 100,000 individuals, we identified 35 common variant loci associated with QT interval that collectively explain ∼8-10% of QT-interval variation and highlight the importance of calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization. Rare variant analysis of 6 new QT interval-associated loci in 298 unrelated probands with LQTS identified coding variants not found in controls but of uncertain causality and therefore requiring validation. Several newly identified loci encode proteins that physically interact with other recognized repolarization proteins. Our integration of common variant association, expression and orthogonal protein-protein interaction screens provides new insights into cardiac electrophysiology and identifies new candidate genes for ventricular arrhythmias, LQTS and SCD

PS1-10afx at z = 1.388: Pan-STARRS1 Discovery of a New Type of Superluminous Supernova

We present the Pan-STARRS1 discovery of PS1-10afx, a unique hydrogen-deficient superluminous supernova (SLSN) at redshift z = 1.388. The light curve peaked at z P1 = 21.7 mag, making PS1-10afx comparable to the most luminous known SNe, with Mu = –22.3 mag. Our extensive optical and near-infrared observations indicate that the bolometric light curve of PS1-10afx rose on the unusually fast timescale of ~12 days to the extraordinary peak luminosity of 4.1 × 1044 erg s–1 (M bol = –22.8 mag) and subsequently faded rapidly. Equally important, the spectral energy distribution is unusually red for an SLSN, with a color temperature of ~6800 K near maximum light, in contrast to previous hydrogen-poor SLSNe, which are bright in the ultraviolet (UV). The spectra more closely resemble those of a normal SN Ic than any known SLSN, with a photospheric velocity of ~11, 000 km s–1 and evidence for line blanketing in the rest-frame UV. Despite the fast rise, these parameters imply a very large emitting radius (gsim 5 × 1015 cm). We demonstrate that no existing theoretical model can satisfactorily explain this combination of properties: (1) a nickel-powered light curve cannot match the combination of high peak luminosity with the fast timescale; (2) models powered by the spindown energy of a rapidly rotating magnetar predict significantly hotter and faster ejecta; and (3) models invoking shock breakout through a dense circumstellar medium cannot explain the observed spectra or color evolution. The host galaxy is well detected in pre-explosion imaging with a luminosity near L*, a star formation rate of ~15 M ☉ yr–1, and is fairly massive (~2 × 1010 M ☉), with a stellar population age of ~108 yr, also in contrast to the young dwarf hosts of known hydrogen-poor SLSNe. PS1-10afx is distinct from known examples of SLSNe in its spectra, colors, light-curve shape, and host galaxy properties, suggesting that it resulted from a different channel than other hydrogen-poor SLSNe.Astronom

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes