257 research outputs found
Molecular Line Observations of Carbon-Chain-Producing Regions L1495B and L1521B
We present the first comprehensive study on physical and chemical properties
of quiescent starless cores L1495B and L1521B, which are known to be rich in
carbon-chain molecules like the cyanopolyyne peak of TMC-1 and L1521E. We have
detected radio spectral lines of various carbon-chain molecules such as CCS,
CS, CH, HCN, and HCN. On the other hand, the NH
lines are weak and the NH lines are not detected. According to our
mapping observations of the HCN, CCS, and CS lines, the dense cores
in L1495B and L1521B are compact with the radius of 0.063 and 0.044 pc,
respectively, and have a simple elliptical structure. The distributions of CCS
seem to be different from those of well-studied starless cores, L1498 and
L1544, where the distribution of CCS shows a shell-like structure. Since the
HCO, HNC, and CS lines are detected in L1495B and
L1521B, the densities of these cores are high enough to excite the NH and
NH lines. Therefore, the abundances of NH and NH
relative to carbon-chain molecules are apparently deficient, as observed in
L1521E. We found that longer carbon-chain molecules such as HCN and
CH are more abundant in TMC-1 than L1495B and L1521B, while those of
sulfur-bearing molecules such as CS, CCS, and CS are comparable.
Both distributions and abundances of the observed molecules of L1495B and
L1521B are quite similar to those of L1521E, strongly suggesting that L1495B
and L1521B is in a very early stage of physical and chemical evolution.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, accepted to The Astrophysical Journa
Delineation between different components of chronic pain using dimension reduction - an ASL fMRI study in hand osteoarthritis
DK was supported by grants from GENIEUR
COST action and the ‘Sint Annadal’ Foundation
Maastricht. MAH and SW are supported
by a Medical Research Council Experimental
Medicine Challenge Grant award (MR/
N026969/1) and the NIHR Biomedical
Research Centre for Mental Health at the
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. The
data collected for this study were part of an
academic–industrial collaboration between
King’s College London and the study sponsor,
Pfizer Global Research and Development,
UK. All data collection was performed
by King’s College London scientists only
Exact results for hydrogen recombination on dust grain surfaces
The recombination of hydrogen in the interstellar medium, taking place on
surfaces of microscopic dust grains, is an essential process in the evolution
of chemical complexity in interstellar clouds. The H_2 formation process has
been studied theoretically, and in recent years also by laboratory experiments.
The experimental results were analyzed using a rate equation model. The
parameters of the surface, that are relevant to H_2 formation, were obtained
and used in order to calculate the recombination rate under interstellar
conditions. However, it turned out that due to the microscopic size of the dust
grains and the low density of H atoms, the rate equations may not always apply.
A master equation approach that provides a good description of the H_2
formation process was proposed. It takes into account both the discrete nature
of the H atoms and the fluctuations in the number of atoms on a grain. In this
paper we present a comprehensive analysis of the H_2 formation process, under
steady state conditions, using an exact solution of the master equation. This
solution provides an exact result for the hydrogen recombination rate and its
dependence on the flux, the surface temperature and the grain size. The results
are compared with those obtained from the rate equations. The relevant length
scales in the problem are identified and the parameter space is divided into
two domains. One domain, characterized by first order kinetics, exhibits high
efficiency of H_2 formation. In the other domain, characterized by second order
kinetics, the efficiency of H_2 formation is low. In each of these domains we
identify the range of parameters in which, the rate equations do not account
correctly for the recombination rate. and the master equation is needed.Comment: 23 pages + 8 figure
Representational ethical model calibration
Equity is widely held to be fundamental to the ethics of healthcare. In the context of clinical decision-making, it rests on the comparative fidelity of the intelligence – evidence-based or intuitive – guiding the management of each individual patient. Though brought to recent attention by the individuating power of contemporary machine learning, such epistemic equity arises in the context of any decision guidance, whether traditional or innovative. Yet no general framework for its quantification, let alone assurance, currently exists. Here we formulate epistemic equity in terms of model fidelity evaluated over learnt multidimensional representations of identity crafted to maximise the captured diversity of the population, introducing a comprehensive framework for Representational Ethical Model Calibration. We demonstrate the use of the framework on large-scale multimodal data from UK Biobank to derive diverse representations of the population, quantify model performance, and institute responsive remediation. We offer our approach as a principled solution to quantifying and assuring epistemic equity in healthcare, with applications across the research, clinical, and regulatory domains
Sequential and Spontaneous Star Formation Around the Mid-Infrared Halo HII Region KR 140
We use 2MASS and MSX infrared observations, along with new molecular line
(CO) observations, to examine the distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs)
in the molecular cloud surrounding the halo HII region KR 140 in order to
determine if the ongoing star-formation activity in this region is dominated by
sequential star formation within the photodissociation region (PDR) surrounding
the HII region. We find that KR 140 has an extensive population of YSOs that
have spontaneously formed due to processes not related to the expansion of the
HII region. Much of the YSO population in the molecular cloud is concentrated
along a dense filamentary molecular structure, traced by C18O, that has not
been erased by the formation of the exciting O star. Some of the previously
observed submillimetre clumps surrounding the HII region are shown to be sites
of recent intermediate and low-mass star formation while other massive starless
clumps clearly associated with the PDR may be the next sites of sequential star
formation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 8 pages, 10 figure
Chemistry and Dynamics in Pre-Protostellar Cores
We have compared molecular line emission to dust continuum emission and
modeled molecular lines using Monte Carlo simulations in order to study the
depletion of molecules and the ionization fraction in three preprotostellar
cores, L1512, L1544, and L1689B. L1512 is much less dense than L1544 and
L1689B, which have similar density structures. L1689B has a different
environment from those of L1512 and L1544. We used density and temperature
profiles, calculated by modeling dust continuum emission in the submillimeter,
for modeling molecular line profiles. In addition, we have used molecular line
profiles and maps observed in several different molecules toward the three
cores. We find a considerable diversity in chemical state among the three
cores. The molecules include those sensitive to different timescales of
chemical evolution such as CCS, the isotopes of CO and HCO+, DCO+, and N2H+.
The CO molecule is significantly depleted in L1512 and L1544, but not in
L1689B. CCS may be in the second enhancement of its abundance in L1512 and
L1544 because of the significant depletion of CO molecules. N2H+ might already
start to be depleted in L1512, but it traces very well the distribution of dust
emission in L1544. On the other hand, L1689B may be so young that N2H+ has not
reached its maximum yet. The ionization fraction has been calculated using
H13CO+ and DCO+. This study suggests that chemical evolution depends on the
absolute timescale during which a core stays in a given environment as well as
its density structure.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, accepted to Ap
On the Influence of Uncertainties in Chemical Reaction Rates on Results of the Astrochemical Modelling
With the chemical reaction rate database UMIST95 (Millar et al. 1997) we
analyze how uncertainties in rate constants of gas-phase chemical reactions
influence the modelling of molecular abundances in the interstellar medium.
Random variations are introduced into the rate constants to estimate the
scatter in theoretical abundances. Calculations are performed for dark and
translucent molecular clouds where gas phase chemistry is adequate. Similar
approach was used by Pineau des Forets & Roueff (2000) for the study of
chemical bistability. All the species are divided into 6 sensitivity groups
according to the value of the scatter in their model abundances computed with
varied rate constants. It is shown that the distribution of species within
these groups depends on the number of atoms in a molecule and on the adopted
physical conditions. The simple method is suggested which allows to single out
reactions that are most important for the evolution of a given species.Comment: 4 pages. To appear in the proceedings of the 4th Cologne-Bonn Zermatt
Symposiu
Density of states in random lattices with translational invariance
We propose a random matrix approach to describe vibrational excitations in
disordered systems. The dynamical matrix M is taken in the form M=AA^T where A
is some real (not generally symmetric) random matrix. It guaranties that M is a
positive definite matrix which is necessary for mechanical stability of the
system. We built matrix A on a simple cubic lattice with translational
invariance and interaction between nearest neighbors. We found that for certain
type of disorder phonons cannot propagate through the lattice and the density
of states g(w) is a constant at small w. The reason is a breakdown of affine
assumptions and inapplicability of the elasticity theory. Young modulus goes to
zero in the thermodynamic limit. It strongly reminds of the properties of a
granular matter at the jamming transition point. Most of the vibrations are
delocalized and similar to diffusons introduced by Allen, Feldman et al., Phil.
Mag. B v.79, 1715 (1999).Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Dust Dynamics in Compressible MHD Turbulence
We calculate the relative grain-grain motions arising from interstellar
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. The MHD turbulence includes both fluid
motions and magnetic fluctuations. While the fluid motions accelerate grains
through hydro-drag, the electromagnetic fluctuations accelerate grains through
resonant interactions. We consider both incompressive (Alfv\'{e}n) and
compressive (fast and slow) MHD modes and use descriptions of MHD turbulence
obtained in Cho & Lazarian (2002). Calculations of grain relative motion are
made for realistic grain charging and interstellar turbulence that is
consistent with the velocity dispersions observed in diffuse gas, including
cutoff of the turbulence from various damping processes. We show that fast
modes dominate grain acceleration, and can drive grains to supersonic
velocities. Grains are also scattered by gyroresonance interactions, but the
scattering is less important than acceleration for grains moving with
sub-Alfv\'{e}nic velocities. Since the grains are preferentially accelerated
with large pitch angles, the supersonic grains will be aligned with long axes
perpendicular to the magnetic field. We compare grain velocities arising from
MHD turbulence with those arising from photoelectric emission, radiation
pressure and H thrust. We show that for typical interstellar conditions
turbulence should prevent these mechanisms from segregating small and large
grains. Finally, gyroresonant acceleration is bound to preaccelerate grains
that are further accelerated in shocks. Grain-grain collisions in the shock may
then contribute to the overabundance of refractory elements in the composition
of galactic cosmic rays.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figure
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