27 research outputs found
Prospects for Constraining Cosmology with the Extragalactic Cosmic Microwave Background Temperature
Observers have demonstrated that it is now feasible to measure the cosmic
microwave background (CMB) temperature at high redshifts. We explore the
possible constraints on cosmology which might ultimately be derived from such
measurements. Besides providing a consistency check on standard and alternative
cosmologies, possibilities include: constraints on the inhomogeneity and
anisotropy of the universe at intermediate redshift ; an
independent probe of peculiar motions with respect to the Hubble flow; and
constraining the epoch of reionization. We argue that the best possibility is
as a probe of peculiar motions. We show, however, that the current measurement
uncertainty (K) in the local present absolute CMB
temperature imposes intrinsic limits on the use of such CMB temperature
measurements as a cosmological probe. At best, anisotropies at intermediate
redshift could only be constrained at a level of and peculiar
motions could only be determined to an uncertainty of km
s. If the high CMB temperature can only be measured with a precision
comparable to the uncertainty of the local interstellar CMB temperature, then
peculiar motions could be determined to an uncertainty of .Comment: 8 pages 2 Figures, PRD Submitte
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
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Catalytic mechanism of hydrogenase from Azotobacter vinelandii. Final technical report, August 1, 1994--July 31, 1997
This project is focused on investigations of the catalytic mechanism of the hydrogenase found in the aerobic, N{sub 2}-fixing microorganism Azotobacter vinelandii. This report summarizes the progress during the first two years of the current project and include the anticipated course of the research for the remaining year of the current project. Because the current proposal represents a change in direction, the authors also include a brief progress report of prior DOE-sponsored research dealing with hydrogenases
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Regulation of the genes involved in nitrification.
OAK-B135 This project focuses on the characterization of the regulation of the genes involved in nitrification in the bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. The key genes in the nitrification pathway, amo and hao, are present in multiple copies in the genome. The promoters for these genes were identified and characterized. It was shown that there were some differences in the transcriptional regulation of the copies of these genes
Recent Arctic tundra fire initiates widespread thermokarst development
Fire-induced permafrost degradation is well documented in boreal forests, but the role of fires in initiating thermokarst development in Arctic tundra is less well understood. Here we show that Arctic tundra fires may induce widespread thaw subsidence of permafrost terrain in the first seven years following the disturbance. Quantitative analysis of airborne LiDAR data acquired two and seven years post-fire, detected permafrost thaw subsidence across 34% of the burned tundra area studied, compared to less than 1% in similar undisturbed, ice-rich tundra terrain units. The variability in thermokarst development appears to be influenced by the interaction of tundra fire burn severity and near-surface, ground-ice content. Subsidence was greatest in severely burned, ice-rich upland terrain (yedoma), accounting for ~50% of the detected subsidence, despite representing only 30% of the fire disturbed study area. Microtopography increased by 340% in this terrain unit as a result of ice wedge degradation. Increases in the frequency, magnitude, and severity of tundra fires will contribute to future thermokarst development and associated landscape change in Arctic tundra regions
Transcription of the amoC, amoA and amoB genes in Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira sp. NpAV
Nitrifying bacteria such as
Nitrosomonas europaea and
Nitrosospira sp. NpAV use ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) for oxidation of their primary growth substrate, ammonia. Two polypeptides of AMO are coded for by contiguous genes,
amoA and
amoB, which are preceded by a third gene,
amoC. The
amoCAB clusters are present in multiple copies in nitrifying bacteria of the ÎČ subdivision. These bacteria also have one
amoC copy that is not adjacent to a copy of
amoAB. The seven known
amoC genes in different nitrifiers code for similar polypeptides (>68%). Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions and Northern blots indicated that
amoC from the
amoCAB cluster is contained on a transcript with
amoAB. Two other transcripts were detected with
amo probes and may be a product of processing of the
amoCAB mRNA or independent transcripts
Impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature on a boreal forest ecosystem (CLIMEX project)
To evaluate the effects of climate change on boreal forest ecosystems, both atmospheric CO2 (to 560 ppmv) and air temperature (by 3°â5°C above ambient) were increased at a forested headwater catchment in southern Norway. The entire catchment (860 m2) is enclosed within a transparent greenhouse, and the upper 20% of the catchment area is partitioned such that it receives no climate treatment and serves as an untreated control. Both the control and treatment areas inside the greenhouse receive deacidified rain. Within 3 years, soil nitrogen (N) mineralization has increased and the growing season has been prolonged relative to the control area. This has helped to sustain an increase in plant growth relative to the control and has also promoted increased N export in stream water. Photosynthetic capacity and carbonânitrogen ratio of new leaves of most plant species did not change. While the ecosystem now loses N, the long-term fate of soil N is a key uncertainty in predicting the future response of boreal ecosystems to climate change
Whole-genome analysis of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas eutropha C91: implications for niche adaptation.
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