453 research outputs found
Stagnation and Infall of Dense Clumps in the Stellar Wind of tau Scorpii
Observations of the B0.2V star tau Scorpii have revealed unusual stellar wind
characteristics: red-shifted absorption in the far-ultraviolet O VI resonance
doublet up to +250 km/s, and extremely hard X-ray emission implying gas at
temperatures in excess of 10^7 K. We describe a phenomenological model to
explain these properties. We assume the wind of tau Sco consists of two
components: ambient gas in which denser clumps are embedded. The clumps are
optically thick in the UV resonance lines primarily responsible for
accelerating the ambient wind. The reduced acceleration causes the clumps to
slow and even infall, all the while being confined by the ram pressure of the
outflowing ambient wind. We calculate detailed trajectories of the clumps in
the ambient stellar wind, accounting for a line radiation driving force and the
momentum deposited by the ambient wind in the form of drag. We show these
clumps will fall back towards the star with velocities of several hundred
km/sec for a broad range of initial conditions. The infalling clumps produce
X-ray emitting plasmas with temperatures in excess of (1-6)x10^7 K in bow
shocks at their leading edge. The infalling material explains the peculiar
red-shifted absorption wings seen in the O VI doublet. The required mass loss
in clumps is 3% - 30% ofthe total mass loss rate. The model developed here can
be generally applied to line-driven outflows with clumps or density
irregularities. (Abstract Abridged)Comment: To appear in the ApJ (1 May 2000). 24 pages, including 6 embedded
figure
The Abundance of Interstellar Boron
We use new Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and archival Goddard
High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) observations to study interstellar B II
1362 and O I 1355 absorption along seven sightlines. Our new column density
measurements, combined with measurements of four sightlines from the
literature, allow us to study the relative B/O abundances over a wide range of
interstellar environments. We measure sightline-integrated relative gas-phase
abundances in the range [B/O] = -1.00 to -0.17, and our data show the B/O
abundances are anticorrelated with average sightline densities over the range
log ~ -1.3 to +0.7. Detailed comparisons of the B II and O I line shapes
show that the B/O ratio is significantly higher in warm interstellar clouds
than in cool clouds. These results are consistent with the incorporation of
boron into dust grains in the diffuse ISM. Since boron is likely incorporated
into grains, we derive a lower limit to the present-day total (gas+dust)
interstellar boron abundance of B/H > (2.5+/-0.9)x10^-10. The effects of dust
depletion and ionization differences from element to element will make it very
difficult to reliably determine 11B/10B along most interstellar sightlines.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 13 pages,
including 2 tables and 4 figures. Also available at
http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/~howk/Papers
Evolution of the Light Cone Distribution Function for a Heavy Quark
We compute the one-loop anomalous dimension for the light cone distribution
function of a heavy quark and solve the corresponding evolution equation
analytically. Some implications of the results for inclusive decays are
discussed.Comment: Latex extensions amsmath, epsfig required The complete paper,
including figures, is also available via anonymous ftp at
ftp://ttpux2.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de/ , or via www at
http://www-ttp.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de/cgi-bin/preprints
Abundances and Physical Conditions in the Warm Neutral Medium Towards mu Columbae
We present ultraviolet interstellar absorption line measurements for the
sightline towards the O9.5 V star mu Columbae obtained with the Goddard High
Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. These
archival data represent the most complete GHRS interstellar absorption line
measurements for any line of sight towards an early-type star. The 3.5 km/s
resolution of the instrument allow us to accurately derive the gas-phase column
densities of many important ionic species in the diffuse warm neutral medium
using a combination of apparent column density and component fitting
techniques, and we study in detail the contamination from ionized gas along
this sightline. The low-velocity material shows gas-phase abundance patterns
similar to the warm cloud (cloud A) towards the disk star zeta Oph, while the
component at v = +20.1 km/s shows gas-phase abundances similar to those found
in warm halo clouds. We find the velocity-integrated gas-phase abundances of
Zn, P, and S relative to H along this sightline are indistinguishable from
solar system abundances. We discuss the implications of our gas-phase abundance
measurements for the composition of interstellar dust. The relative ionic
column density ratios of the intermediate velocity components show the imprint
both of elemental incorporation into grains and (photo)ionization. The
components at v = -30 and -48 km/s along this sightline likely trace shocked
gas with very low hydrogen column densities. Appendices include a new
derivation of the GHRS instrumental line spread function, and a new very
accurate determination of the total H I column along this sightline. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 80 pages
including 19 embedded figures and 12 embedded tables. Version with higher
resolution figures can be downloaded from
http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/~howk/Papers/papers.htm
IL-23 past, present, and future: a roadmap to advancing IL-23 science and therapy
Interleukin (IL)-23, an IL-12 cytokine family member, is a hierarchically dominant regulatory cytokine in a cluster of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. We review IL-23 biology, IL-23 signaling in IMIDs, and the effect of IL-23 inhibition in treating these diseases. We propose studies to advance IL-23 biology and unravel differences in response to anti–IL-23 therapy. Experimental evidence generated from these investigations could establish a novel molecular ontology centered around IL-23–driven diseases, improve upon current approaches to treating IMIDs with IL-23 inhibition, and ultimately facilitate optimal identification of patients and, thereby, outcomes
palaeoverse: A community‐driven R package to support palaeobiological analysis
1. The open-source programming language ‘R' has become a standard tool in the
palaeobiologist's toolkit. Its popularity within the palaeobiological community
continues to grow, with published articles increasingly citing the usage of R and R
packages. However, there are currently a lack of agreed standards for data preparation and available frameworks to support the implementation of such standards.
Consequently, data preparation workflows are often unclear and not reproducible, even when code is provided. Moreover, due to a lack of code accessibility and
documentation, palaeobiologists are often forced to ‘reinvent the wheel’ to find
solutions to issues already solved by other members of the community.
2. Here, we introduce palaeoverse, a community-driven R package to aid data preparation and exploration for quantitative palaeobiological research. The package is
freely available and has three core principles: (1) streamline data preparation and
analyses; (2) enhance code readability; and (3) improve reproducibility of results.
To develop these aims, we assessed the analytical needs of the broader palaeobiological community using an online survey, in addition to incorporating our own
experiences.
3. In this work, we first report the findings of the survey, which shaped the development of the package. Subsequently, we describe and demonstrate the functionality available in palaeoverse and provide usage examples. Finally, we discuss the resources we have made available for the community and our future plans for the
broader Palaeoverse project.
4. palaeoverse is a community-driven R package for palaeobiology, developed with
the intention of bringing palaeobiologists together to establish agreed standards
for high-quality quantitative research. The package provides a user-friendly platform for preparing data for analysis with well-documented open-source code to
enhance transparency. The functionality available in palaeoverse improves code
reproducibility and accessibility, which is beneficial for both the review process
and future research
Novel SSR Markers from BAC-End Sequences, DArT Arrays and a Comprehensive Genetic Map with 1,291 Marker Loci for Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the third most important cool season food legume, cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The goal of this study was to develop novel molecular markers such as microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-end sequences (BESs) and diversity arrays technology (DArT) markers, and to construct a high-density genetic map based on recombinant inbred line (RIL) population ICC 4958 (C. arietinum)×PI 489777 (C. reticulatum). A BAC-library comprising 55,680 clones was constructed and 46,270 BESs were generated. Mining of these BESs provided 6,845 SSRs, and primer pairs were designed for 1,344 SSRs. In parallel, DArT arrays with ca. 15,000 clones were developed, and 5,397 clones were found polymorphic among 94 genotypes tested. Screening of newly developed BES-SSR markers and DArT arrays on the parental genotypes of the RIL mapping population showed polymorphism with 253 BES-SSR markers and 675 DArT markers. Segregation data obtained for these polymorphic markers and 494 markers data compiled from published reports or collaborators were used for constructing the genetic map. As a result, a comprehensive genetic map comprising 1,291 markers on eight linkage groups (LGs) spanning a total of 845.56 cM distance was developed (http://cmap.icrisat.ac.in/cmap/sm/cp/thudi/). The number of markers per linkage group ranged from 68 (LG 8) to 218 (LG 3) with an average inter-marker distance of 0.65 cM. While the developed resource of molecular markers will be useful for genetic diversity, genetic mapping and molecular breeding applications, the comprehensive genetic map with integrated BES-SSR markers will facilitate its anchoring to the physical map (under construction) to accelerate map-based cloning of genes in chickpea and comparative genome evolution studies in legumes
Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments: an analytical framework
Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES
Describing complex interactions of social-ecological systems for tipping point assessments: an analytical framework
Humans play an interconnecting role in social-ecological systems (SES), they are part of these systems and act as agents of their destruction and regulation. This study aims to provide an analytical framework, which combines the concept of SES with the concept of tipping dynamics. As a result, we propose an analytical framework describing relevant dynamics and feedbacks within SES based on two matrixes: the “tipping matrix” and the “cross-impact matrix.” We take the Southwestern Amazon as an example for tropical regions at large and apply the proposed analytical framework to identify key underlying sub-systems within the study region: the soil ecosystem, the household livelihood system, the regional social system, and the regional climate system, which are interconnected through a network of feedbacks. We consider these sub-systems as tipping elements (TE), which when put under stress, can cross a tipping point (TP), resulting in a qualitative and potentially irreversible change of the respective TE. By systematically assessing linkages and feedbacks within and between TEs, our proposed analytical framework can provide an entry point for empirically assessing tipping point dynamics such as “tipping cascades,” which means that the crossing of a TP in one TE may force the tipping of another TE. Policy implications: The proposed joint description of the structure and dynamics within and across SES in respect to characteristics of tipping point dynamics promotes a better understanding of human-nature interactions and critical linkages within regional SES that may be used for effectively informing and directing empirical tipping point assessments, monitoring or intervention purposes. Thereby, the framework can inform policy-making for enhancing the resilience of regional SES
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