1,144 research outputs found
Defining the Termination of the Asymptotic Giant Branch
I suggest a theoretical quantitative definition for the termination of the
asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase and the beginning of the post-AGB phase. I
suggest that the transition will be taken to occur when the ratio of the
dynamical time scale to the the envelope thermal time scale, Q, reaches its
maximum value. Time average values are used for the different quantities, as
the criterion does not refer to the short time-scale variations occurring on
the AGB and post-AGB, e.g., thermal pulses (helium shell flashes) and magnetic
activity. Along the entire AGB the value of Q increases, even when the star
starts to contract. Only when a rapid contraction starts does the value of Q
start to decrease. This criterion captures the essence of the transition from
the AGB to the post AGB phase, because Q is connected to the stellar effective
temperature, reaching its maximum value at T~4000-6000 K, it is related to the
mass loss properties, and it reaches its maximum value when rapid contraction
starts and envelope mass is very low.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letter
An intrinsic nonlinear scale governs oscillations in rapid fracture
When branching is suppressed, rapid cracks undergo a dynamic instability from
a straight to an oscillatory path at a critical velocity . In a systematic
experimental study using a wide range of different brittle materials, we first
show how the opening profiles of straight cracks scale with the size
of the nonlinear zone surrounding a crack's tip. We then show, for
all materials tested, that is both a fixed fraction of the shear speed
and, moreover, that the instability wavelength is proportional to .
These findings directly verify recent theoretical predictions and suggest that
the nonlinear zone is not passive, but rather is closely linked to rapid crack
instabilities.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures + supplementary informatio
Overexpression of branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases rescues the growth defects of cells lacking the Barth syndrome-related gene TAZ1.
The yeast protein Taz1 is the orthologue of human Tafazzin, a phospholipid acyltransferase involved in cardiolipin (CL) remodeling via a monolyso CL (MLCL) intermediate. Mutations in Tafazzin lead to Barth syndrome (BTHS), a metabolic and neuromuscular disorder that primarily affects the heart, muscles, and immune system. Similar to observations in fibroblasts and platelets from patients with BTHS or from animal models, abolishing yeast Taz1 results in decreased total CL amounts, increased levels of MLCL, and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the biochemical mechanisms underlying the mitochondrial dysfunction in BTHS remain unclear. To better understand the pathomechanism of BTHS, we searched for multi-copy suppressors of the taz1Δ growth defect in yeast cells. We identified the branched-chain amino acid transaminases (BCATs) Bat1 and Bat2 as such suppressors. Similarly, overexpression of the mitochondrial isoform BCAT2 in mammalian cells lacking TAZ improves their growth. Elevated levels of Bat1 or Bat2 did not restore the reduced membrane potential, altered stability of respiratory complexes, or the defective accumulation of MLCL species in yeast taz1Δ cells. Importantly, supplying yeast or mammalian cells lacking TAZ1 with certain amino acids restored their growth behavior. Hence, our findings suggest that the metabolism of amino acids has an important and disease-relevant role in cells lacking Taz1 function. KEY MESSAGES: Bat1 and Bat2 are multi-copy suppressors of retarded growth of taz1Δ yeast cells. Overexpression of Bat1/2 in taz1Δ cells does not rescue known mitochondrial defects. Supplementation of amino acids enhances growth of cells lacking Taz1 or Tafazzin. Altered metabolism of amino acids might be involved in the pathomechanism of BTSH
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance features of caseous calcification of the mitral annulus
We present two cases of caseous calcification of the mitral annulus studied by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance; the diagnostic feature of this rare cardiac mass are described
Shaping bipolar Planetary Nebulae : How mass loss leads to waistline development
Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars generally have spherically symmetric
envelopes, whereas most post-AGB stars and Planetary Nebulae (PNe) show
axisymmetric circumstellar envelopes. While various mechanisms for axisymmetric
circumstellar structures may explain the shapes of PNe, they do not address how
the shape of the circumstellar shell evolves. Here we address the temporal
changes in the axisymmetry of AGB star envelopes, and in particular the
development of the torus required in the Generalized Interacting Stellar Winds
(GISW) model. Assuming (1) an AGB star rotates with sufficient angular speed at
the start of the AGB phase; and (2) that the rotational angular momentum of the
AGB star is conserved, we demonstrate that some very important observational
features of AGB star axisymmetry evolution can be reproduced. We find that,
compared to the star's increasing luminosity and decreasing effective
temperature, the decreasing mass of the star primarily affects the axisymmetry
of the envelope. When a representative mass loss history is adopted, where most
of the mass is lost near the end of the AGB phase, the envelope's axisymmetry
increases over time, with the strongest increase occurring near the end of the
AGB phase. This may naturally explain why most AGB stars have spherically
symmetric envelopes, while axisymmetry seems common-place in the post-AGB/PNe
phase. The degree of axisymmetry at the end of the AGB phase is found to
increase with increasing main sequence mass, and the onset of axisymmetry
occurs only after the onset of the superwind (SW) phase, in good agreement with
the observations.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Ap
The Galactic Population of Low- and Intermediate-Mass X-ray Binaries
(abridged) We present the first study that combines binary population
synthesis in the Galactic disk and detailed evolutionary calculations of low-
and intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (L/IMXBs). We show that the formation
probability of IMXBs with initial donor masses of 1.5--4 Msun is typically >~5
times higher than that of standard LMXBs, and suggest that the majority of the
observed systems may have descended from IMXBs. Distributions at the current
epoch of the orbital periods, donor masses, and mass accretion rates have been
computed, as have orbital-period distributions of BMPs. Several significant
discrepancies between the theoretical and observed distributions are discussed.
The orbital-period distribution of observed BMPs strongly favors cases where
the envelope of the neutron-star progenitor is more easily ejected during the
common-envelope phase. However, this leads to a >~100-fold overproduction of
the theoretical number of luminous X-ray sources relative to the total observed
number of LMXBs. X-ray irradiation of the donor star may result in a dramatic
reduction in the X-ray active lifetime of L/IMXBs, thus possibly resolving the
overproduction problem, as well as the long-standing BMP/LMXB birthrate
problem.Comment: 12 pages, emulateapj, submitted to Ap
Annotation analysis for testing drug safety signals using unstructured clinical notes
BackgroundThe electronic surveillance for adverse drug events is largely based upon the analysis of coded data from reporting systems. Yet, the vast majority of electronic health data lies embedded within the free text of clinical notes and is not gathered into centralized repositories. With the increasing access to large volumes of electronic medical data-in particular the clinical notes-it may be possible to computationally encode and to test drug safety signals in an active manner.ResultsWe describe the application of simple annotation tools on clinical text and the mining of the resulting annotations to compute the risk of getting a myocardial infarction for patients with rheumatoid arthritis that take Vioxx. Our analysis clearly reveals elevated risks for myocardial infarction in rheumatoid arthritis patients taking Vioxx (odds ratio 2.06) before 2005.ConclusionsOur results show that it is possible to apply annotation analysis methods for testing hypotheses about drug safety using electronic medical records
Mitral regurgitation due to caseous calcification of the mitral annulus: two case reports
Caseous calcification is a rare variant of mitral annular calcification, occurring in about 0.06% of echocardiographic studies performed. It is usually a benign lesion, but it should be differentiated by abscess and tumors. Echocardiography is the most sensitive method to identify caseous calcification which appears typically as a round, calcified mass with an echo-lucent, liquid-like inner part
Bankrupting terrorism: the role of US anti-terrorism litigation in the prevention of terrorism and other hybrid threats: a legal assessment and outlook
Global terrorist networks are dependent on receiving financial support from a variety of sources, including individuals, charities and corporations. Also known as terrorist financing, the potential of terrorism finance to resemble a global threat has been recognised and also its closeness to other international crimes such as money laundering and organized crime. As a result, possible responses have to constitute co-ordinated, multi-lateral and multi faceted actions under the umbrella of a wide range of international stakeholders such as the United Nations Security Council and the Financial Action Task Force. Combating terrorism requires a ‘holistic’ approach which allows for a mix of possible responses. Besides “kinetic” security operations (such as targeted killings) and the adoption of criminal prosecution measures another possible response could be the use of US styled transnational civil litigation by victims of terrorism against both, terrorist groups and their sponsors. Corporations, both profit and non profit, such as banks and other legal entities, as well as individuals, are often complicit in international terrorism in a role of aiders and abettors by providing financial assistance to the perpetrators (cf. UN Al-Qaida Sanctions List: The List established and maintained by the 1267 Committee with respect to individuals, groups, undertakings and other entities associated with Al-Qaida). Such collusion in acts of terrorism gains additional importance against the background of so called “Hybrid Threats”, NATO’s new concept of identifying and countering new threats arising from multi-level threat scenarios. This article discusses the potential impact of US terrorism lawsuits for the global fight against terrorism
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