409 research outputs found
Induced Nested Galactic Bars Inside Assembling Dark Matter Halos
We investigate the formation and evolution of nested bar systems in disk
galaxies in a cosmological setting by following the development of an isolated
dark matter (DM) and baryon density perturbation. The disks form within the
assembling triaxial DM halos and the feedback from the stellar evolution is
accounted for in terms of supernovae and OB stellar winds. Focusing on a
representative model, we show the formation of an oval disk and of a first
generation of nested bars with characteristic sub-kpc and a few kpc sizes. The
system evolves through successive dynamical couplings and decouplings, forcing
the gas inwards and settles in a state of resonant coupling. The inflow rate
can support a broad range of activity within the central kpc, from quasar- to
Seyfert-types, supplemented by a vigorous star formation as a by-product. The
initial bar formation is triggered in response to the tidal torques from the
triaxial DM halo, which acts as a finite perturbation. This first generation of
bars does not survive for more than 4--5 Gyr: by that time the secondary bar
has totally dissolved, while the primary one has very substantially weakened,
reduced to a fat oval. This evolution is largely due to chaos introduced by the
interaction of the multiple non-axisymmetric components.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 mpeg animation. To be published by the
Astrophysical Journal Letters. The animation can be found at
http://www.pa.uky.edu/~shlosman/research/galdyn/movies.html Replaced with an
updated version (small text corrections
Structure Formation Inside Triaxial Dark Matter Halos: Galactic Disks, Bulges and Bars
We investigate the formation and evolution of galactic disks immersed in
assembling live DM halos. Disk/halo components have been evolved from the
cosmological initial conditions and represent the collapse of an isolated
density perturbation. The baryons include gas (which participates in star
formation [SF]) and stars. The feedback from the stellar energy release onto
the ISM has been implemented. We find that (1) The growing triaxial halo figure
tumbling is insignificant and the angular momentum (J) is channeled into the
internal circulation; (2) Density response of the disk is out of phase with the
DM, thus diluting the inner halo flatness and washing out its prolateness; (3)
The total J is neathly conserved, even in models accounting for feedback; (4)
The specific J for the DM is nearly constant, while that for baryons is
decreasing; (5) Early stage of disk formation resembles the cat's cradle -- a
small amorphous disk fueled via radial string patterns; (6) The initially
puffed up gas component in the disk thins when the SF rate drops below ~5
Mo/yr; (7) About 40%-60% of the baryons remain outside the SF region; (8)
Rotation curves appear to be flat and account for the observed disk/halo
contributions; (9) A range of bulge-dominated to bulgeless disks was obtained;
Lower density threshold for SF leads to a smaller, thicker disk; Gravitational
softening in the gas has a substantial effect on various aspects of galaxy
evolution and mimics a number of intrinsic processes within the ISM; (10) The
models are characterized by an extensive bar-forming activity; (11) Nuclear
bars, dynamically coupled and decoupled form in response to the gas inflow
along the primary bars.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, accepted by the Astrophysical Journal. Minor
revisions. The high-resolution figures can be found at
http://www.pa.uky.edu/~shlosman/research/galdyn/figs07a
Nested Bars in Disk Galaxies: No Offset Dust Lanes in Secondary Nuclear Bars
Under certain conditions, sub-kpc nuclear bars form inside large-scale
stellar bars of disk galaxies. These secondary bars spend a fraction of their
lifetime in a dynamically-decoupled state, tumbling in the gravitational field
of the outer bars. We analyze the flow pattern in such nested bar systems and
find that secondary bars differ fundamentally from their large-scale
counterparts. In particular the gas flow across the bar-bar interface in these
systems can be more chaotic or more regular in nature, and, contrary to
predictions, has no difficulty in penetrating the secondary bars. The outer
parts of both short and long nuclear bars (with respect to their corotation)
appear to be depopulated of gas, while deep inside them the flow exhibits low
Mach numbers and follows ovally-shaped orbits with little dissipation. We find
that gas-dominated and star-dominated nuclear bars avoid the bar-bar interface,
making both types of bars short relative to their corotation. Furthermore, our
earlier work has shown that dynamically-coupled secondary bars exhibit a
similarly relaxed low-dissipation flow as well. Therefore, no large-scale
shocks form in the nuclear bars, and consequently, no offset dust lanes are
expected there. We find that offset dust lanes cannot be used in the search for
secondary (nuclear) bars.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, to be published in ApJ 564, January 10, 200
Evolution of Characteristic Quantities for Dark Matter Halo Density Profiles
We investigate the effect of an assembly history on the evolution of dark
matter (DM) halos of 10^{12} Msun/h using Constrained Realizations of random
Gaussian fields. Five different realizations of a DM halo with distinct merging
histories were constructed and evolved. Our main results are: A halo evolves
via a sequence of quiescent phases of a slow mass accretion intermitted by
violent episodes of major mergers. In the quiescent phases, the density is well
fitted by an NFW profile, the inner scale radius Rs and the mass enclosed
within it remain constant, and the virial radius (Rvir) grows linearly with the
expansion parameter "a". Within each quiescent phase the concentration
parameter ("c") scales as "a", and the mass accretion history (Mvir) is well
described by the Tasitsiomi etal. fitting formula. In the violent phases the
halos are not in a virial equilibrium and both Rs and Rvir grow
discontinuously. The violent episodes drive the halos from one NFW dynamical
equilibrium to another. The final structure of a halo, including "c", depends
on the degree of violence of the major mergers and on their number. Next, we
find a distinct difference between the behavior of various NFW parameters taken
as averages over an ensemble of halos and those of individual halos. Moreover,
the simple scaling relations c--Mvir do not apply to the entire evolution of
individual halos, and so is the common notion that late forming halos are less
concentrated than early forming ones. The entire evolution of the halo cannot
be fitted by single analytical expressions.Comment: 17 pages, 16 postscript figures. Accepted for publication by the
Astrophysical Journa
Anatomy of the Soft-Photon Approximation in Hadron-Hadron Bremsstrahlung
A modified Low procedure for constructing soft-photon amplitudes has been
used to derive two general soft-photon amplitudes, a two-s-two-t special
amplitude and a two-u-two-t special amplitude
, where s, t and u are the Mandelstam variables.
depends only on the elastic T-matrix evaluated at four sets
of (s,t) fixed by the requirement that the amplitude be free of derivatives
(T/s and /or T/). Likewise
depends only on the elastic T-matrix evaluated at four sets
of (u,t). In deriving these amplitudes, we impose the condition that
and reduce to and
, respectively, their tree level approximations. The
amplitude represents photon emission from a sum of
one-particle t-channel exchange diagrams and one-particle s-channel exchange
diagrams, while the amplitude represents photon
emission from a sum of one-particle t-channel exchange diagrams and
one-particle u-channel exchange diagrams. The precise expressions for
and are determined by using the
radiation decomposition identities of Brodsky and Brown. We point out that it
is theoretically impossible to describe all bremsstrahlung processes by using
only a single class of soft-photon amplitudes. At least two different classes
are required: the amplitudes which depend on s and t or the amplitudes which
depend on u and t. When resonance effects are important, the amplitude
, not , should be used. For processes with
strong u-channel exchange effects, the amplitude should be
the first choice.Comment: 49 pages report # LA-UR-92-270
Home parenteral nutrition with an omega-3-fatty-acid-enriched MCT/LCT lipid emulsion in patients with chronic intestinal failure (the HOME study):study protocol for a randomized, controlled, multicenter, international clinical trial
BACKGROUND: Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is a life-preserving therapy for patients with chronic intestinal failure (CIF) indicated for patients who cannot achieve their nutritional requirements by enteral intake. Intravenously administered lipid emulsions (ILEs) are an essential component of HPN, providing energy and essential fatty acids, but can become a risk factor for intestinal-failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). In HPN patients, major effort is taken in the prevention of IFALD. Novel ILEs containing a proportion of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) could be of benefit, but the data on the use of n-3 PUFA in HPN patients are still limited. METHODS/DESIGN: The HOME study is a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter, international clinical trial conducted in European hospitals that treat HPN patients. A total of 160 patients (80 per group) will be randomly assigned to receive the n-3 PUFA-enriched medium/long-chain triglyceride (MCT/LCT) ILE (Lipidem/LipoplusÂź 200âmg/ml, B. Braun Melsungen AG) or the MCT/LCT ILE (LipofundinÂź MCT/LCT/MedialipideÂź 20%, B. Braun Melsungen AG) for a projected period of 8 weeks. The primary endpoint is the combined change of liver function parameters (total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase) from baseline to final visit. Secondary objectives are the further evaluation of the safety and tolerability as well as the efficacy of the ILEs. DISCUSSION: Currently, there are only very few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the use of ILEs in HPN, and there are very few data at all on the use of n-3 PUFAs. The working hypothesis is that n-3 PUFA-enriched ILE is safe and well-tolerated especially with regard to liver function in patients requiring HPN. The expected outcome is to provide reliable data to support this thesis thanks to a considerable number of CIF patients, consequently to broaden the present evidence on the use of ILEs in HPN. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03282955. Registered on 14 September 2017
Female Sex and Gender in Lung/Sleep Health and Disease. Increased Understanding of Basic Biological, Pathophysiological, and Behavioral Mechanisms Leading to Better Health for Female Patients with Lung Disease
Female sex/gender is an undercharacterized variable in studies related to lung development and disease. Notwithstanding, many aspects of lung and sleep biology and pathobiology are impacted by female sex and female reproductive transitions. These may manifest as differential gene expression or peculiar organ development. Some conditions are more prevalent in women, such as asthma and insomnia, or, in the case of lymphangioleiomyomatosis, are seen almost exclusively in women. In other diseases, presentation differs, such as the higher frequency of exacerbations experienced by women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or greater cardiac morbidity among women with sleep-disordered breathing. Recent advances in -omics and behavioral science provide an opportunity to specifically address sex-based differences and explore research needs and opportunities that will elucidate biochemical pathways, thus enabling more targeted/personalized therapies. To explore the status of and opportunities for research in this area, the NHLBI, in partnership with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health and the Office of Rare Diseases Research, convened a workshop of investigators in Bethesda, Maryland on September 18 and 19, 2017. At the workshop, the participants reviewed the current understanding of the biological, behavioral, and clinical implications of female sex and gender on lung and sleep health and disease, and formulated recommendations that address research gaps, with a view to achieving better health outcomes through more precise management of female patients with nonneoplastic lung disease. This report summarizes those discussions
Parental smoking and childhood cancer: results from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study
There are strong a priori reasons for considering parental smoking behaviour as a risk factor for childhood cancer but case â control studies have found relative risks of mostly only just above one. To investigate this further, self-reported smoking habits in parents of 3838 children with cancer and 7629 control children included in the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) were analysed. Separate analyses were performed for four major groups (leukaemia, lymphoma, central nervous system tumours and other solid tumours) and more detailed diagnostic subgroups by logistic regression. In the four major groups, after adjustment for parental age and deprivation there were nonsignificant trends of increasing risk with number of cigarettes smoked for paternal preconception smoking and nonsignificant trends of decreasing risk for maternal preconception smoking (all P-values for trend >0.05). Among the diagnostic subgroups, a statistically significant increased risk of developing hepatoblastoma was found in children whose mothers smoked preconceptionally (OR=2.68, P=0.02) and strongest (relative to neither parent smoking) for both parents smoking (OR=4.74, P=0.003). This could be a chance result arising from multiple subgroup analysis. Statistically significant negative trends were found for maternal smoking during pregnancy for all diagnoses together (P<0.001) and for most individual groups, but there was evidence of under-reporting of smoking by case mothers. In conclusion, the UKCCS does not provide significant evidence that parental smoking is a risk factor for any of the major groups of childhood cancers
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