14,958 research outputs found
New and Old Tests of Cosmological Models and Evolution of Galaxies
We describe the classical cosmological tests, such as the Log-Log,
redshift-magnitude and angular diameter tests, and propose some new tests of
the evolution of galaxies and the universe. Most analyses of these tests treat
the problem in terms of a luminosity function and its evolution which can lead
to incorrect conclusions when dealing with high redshift sources. We develop a
proper treatment in three parts. In the first part we describe these tests
based on the isophotal values of the quantities such as flux, size or surface
brightness. We show the shortcomings of the simple point source approximation
based solely on the luminosity function and consideration of the flux limit. We
emphasize the multivariate nature of the problem and quantify the effects of
other selection biases due to the surface brightness and angular size
limitations. In these considerations the surface brightness profile plays a
critical role. In the second part we show that considerable simplification over
the complicated isophotal scheme is achieved if these test are carried out in
some sort of metric scheme, for example that suggested by Petrosian (1976).
This scheme, however, is limited to well resolved sources. Finally, we describe
the new tests, which use the data to a fuller extent than the isophotal or
metric based tests, and amount to simply counting the pixels or adding their
intensities as a function of the pixel surface brightness, instead of dealing
with surface brightness, sizes and fluxes of individual galaxies. We show that
the data analysis and its comparison with the theoretical models of the
distributions and evolution of galaxies has the simplicity of the metric test
and utilizes the data more fully than the isophotal test.Comment: 29 pages including 8 figures.
http://www-bigbang.stanford.edu/~vahe/papers/finals/newtest.ps. To appear in
ApJ, Oct. 199
Balanced versus unbalanced psychological contracts in temporary and permanent employment:Associations with employee attitudes
Models of Disk Evolution: Confrontation with Observations
We present simple models for disk evolution based on two different
approaches: a forward approach based on predictions generic to hierarchical
models for structure formation (e.g., Mo, Mao, & White 1998) and a backwards
approach based on detailed modeling of the Milky Way galaxy (e.g., Bouwens,
Cayon, & Silk 1997). We normalize these models to local observations and
predict high-redshift luminosities, sizes, circular velocities, and surface
brightnesses. Both approaches yield somewhat similar predictions for size,
surface brightness, and luminosity evolution though they clearly differ in the
amount of number evolution. These predictions seem to be broadly consistent
with the high-redshift observations of Simard et al. (1999), suggesting that
the B-band surface brightness of disks has indeed evolved by ~1.5 mag from z~0
to z~1 similar to the models and is not an artifact of selection effects as
previously claimed. We also find a lack of low surface brightness galaxies in
several high redshift samples relative to model predictions based on local
samples (de Jong & van der Kruit 1994; Mathewson, Ford, & Buchhorn 1992).Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, accepted to Ap
Exposure to violence and PTSD symptoms among Somali women
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, exposure to traumatic stressors, and health care utilization were examined in 84 women attending a primary health care clinic in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Somalia-Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale was used in this active warzone to measure symptoms. Nearly all women reported high levels of confrontations with violence; half described being exposed to a potentially traumatizing event. Nearly one third had significant PTSD symptoms. Compared to those who did not, women who reported exposure to a traumatic stressor reported more confrontations with violence (7.1 vs. 3.3; p < . 001), health complaints (3.8 vs. 2.9; p = .03), and nearly 3 times as much (p = .03) health service utilization. A potentially traumatizing event was found to be a simplified proxy for assessing mental health distress in women attending a primary health care facility in highly insecure, unpredictable, resource-limited settings
Global and regional variability and change in terrestrial ecosystems net primary production and NDVI: A model-data comparison
The net primary productivity (NPP) is commonly used for understanding the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems and their role in carbon cycle. We used a combination of the most recent NDVI and model-based NPP estimates (from five models of the TRENDY project) for the period 1982–2012, to study the role of terrestrial ecosystems in carbon cycle under the prevailing climate conditions. We found that 80% and 67% of the global land area showed positive NPP and NDVI values, respectively, for this period. The global NPP was estimated to be about 63 Pg C·y−1, with an increase of 0.214 Pg C·y−1·y−1. Similarly, the global mean NDVI was estimated to be 0.33, with an increasing trend of 0.00041 y−1. The spatial patterns of NPP and NDVI demonstrated substantial variability, especially at the regional level, for most part of the globe. However, on temporal scale, both global NPP and NDVI showed a corresponding pattern of increase (decrease) for the duration of this study except for few years (e.g., 1990 and 1995–1998). Generally, the Northern Hemisphere showed stronger NDVI and NPP increasing trends over time compared to the Southern Hemisphere; however, NDVI showed larger trends in Temperate regions while NPP showed larger trends in Boreal regions. Among the five models, the maximum and minimum NPP were produced by JULES (72.4 Pg C·y−1) and LPJ (53.72 Pg C·y−1) models, respectively. At latitudinal level, the NDVI and NPP ranges were ~0.035 y−1 to ~−0.016 y−1 and ~0.10 Pg C·y−1·y−1 to ~−0.047 Pg C·y−1·y−1, respectively. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the modeled NPP generally correspond to the NDVI trends in the temporal dimension. The significant variability in spatial patterns of NPP and NDVI trends points to a need for research to understand the causes of these discrepancies between molded and observed ecosystem dynamics, and the carbon cycle
Structure of Disk Dominated Galaxies I. Bulge/Disk Parameters, Simulations, and Secular Evolution
(Abridged) A robust analysis of galaxy structural parameters, based on the
modeling of bulge and disk brightnesses in the BVRH bandpasses, is presented
for 121 face-on and moderately inclined late-type spirals. Each surface
brightness (SB) profile is decomposed into a sum of a generalized Sersic bulge
and an exponential disk. The reliability and limitations of our bulge-to-disk
(B/D) decompositions are tested with extensive simulations of galaxy brightness
profiles (1D) and images (2D). Galaxy types are divided into 3 classes
according to their SB profile shapes; Freeman Type-I and Type-II, and a third
``Transition'' class for galaxies whose profiles change from Type-II in the
optical to Type-I in the infrared. We discuss possible interpretations of
Freeman Type-II profiles. The Sersic bulge shape parameter for nearby Type-I
late-type spirals shows a range between n=0.1-2 but, on average, the underlying
surface density profile for the bulge and disk of these galaxies is adequately
described by a double-exponential distribution. We confirm a coupling between
the bulge and disk with a scale length ratio r_e/h=0.22+/-0.09, or
h_bulge/h_disk=0.13+/-0.06 for late-type spirals, in agreement with recent
N-body simulations of disk formation and models of secular evolution. This
ratio increases from ~0.20 for late-type spirals to ~0.24 for earlier types.
The similar scaling relations for early and late-type spirals suggest
comparable formation and/or evolution scenarios for disk galaxies of all Hubble
types.Comment: 78 pages with 23 embedded color figures + tables of galaxy structural
parameters. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The
interested reader is strongly encouraged to ignore some of the low res
figures within; instead, download the high resolution version from
http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/courteau/public/macarthur02_disks.ps.g
Mass Models for Spiral Galaxies from 2-D Velocity Maps
We model the mass distributions of 40 high surface brightness spiral galaxies
inside their optical radii, deriving parameters of mass models by matching the
predicted velocities to observed velocity maps. We use constant mass-to-light
disk and bulge models, and we have tried fits with no halo and with three
different halo density profiles. The data require a halo in most, but not all,
cases, while in others the best fit occurs with negligible mass in the luminous
component, which we regard as unphysical. All three adopted halo profiles lead
to fits of about the same quality, and our data therefore do not constrain the
functional form of the halo profile. The halo parameters display large
degeneracies for two of the three adopted halo functions, but the separate
luminous and dark masses are better constrained. However, the fitted disk and
halo masses vary substantially between the adopted halo models, indicating that
even high quality 2-D optical velocity maps do not provide significant
constraints on the dark matter content of a galaxy. We demonstrate that data
from longslit observations are likely to provide still weaker constraints. We
conclude that additional information is needed in order to constrain the
separate disk and halo masses in a galaxy.Comment: 41 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A
Towards a fully self-consistent spectral function of the nucleon in nuclear matter
We present a calculation of nuclear matter which goes beyond the usual
quasi-particle approximation in that it includes part of the off-shell
dependence of the self-energy in the self-consistent solution of the
single-particle spectrum. The spectral function is separated in contributions
for energies above and below the chemical potential. For holes we approximate
the spectral function for energies below the chemical potential by a
-function at the quasi-particle peak and retain the standard form for
energies above the chemical potential. For particles a similar procedure is
followed. The approximated spectral function is consistently used at all levels
of the calculation. Results for a model calculation are presented, the main
conclusion is that although several observables are affected by the inclusion
of the continuum contributions the physical consistency of the model does not
improve with the improved self-consistency of the solution method. This in
contrast to expectations based on the crucial role of self-consistency in the
proofs of conservation laws.Comment: 26 pages Revtex with 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Galactic Archeology with 4MOST
4MOST is a new wide-field, high-multiplex spectroscopic survey facility for
the VISTA telescope of ESO. Starting in 2022, 4MOST will deploy more than 2400
fibres in a 4.1 square degree field-of-view using a positioner based on the
tilting spine principle. In this ontribution we give an outline of the major
science goals we wish to achieve with 4MOST in the area of Galactic Archeology.
The 4MOST Galactic Archeology surveys have been designed to address
long-standing and far-reaching problems in Galactic science. They are focused
on our major themes: 1) Near-field cosmology tests, 2) Chemo-dynamical
characterisation of the major Milky Way stellar components, 3) The Galactic
Halo and beyond, and 4) Discovery and characterisation of extremely metal-poor
stars. In addition to a top-level description of the Galactic surveys we
provide information about how the community will be able to join 4MOST via a
call for Public Spectroscopic Surveys that ESO will launch.Comment: To be published in "Rediscovering our Galaxy", IAU Symposium 334,
Eds. C. Chiappini, I. Minchev, E. Starkenburg, M. Valentin
Why Low-Mass Black-Hole Binaries Are Transient
We consider transient behavior in low-mass X-ray binaries. In short-period
neutron-star systems (orbital period less than ~ 1d) irradiation of the
accretion disk by the central source suppresses this except at very low mass
transfer rates. Formation constraints however imply that a significant fraction
of these neutron star systems have nuclear-evolved main-sequence secondaries
and thus mass transfer rates low enough to be transient. But most short-period
low-mass black-hole systems will form with unevolved main-sequence companions
and have much higher mass transfer rates. The fact that essentially all of them
are nevertheless transient shows that irradiation is weaker, as a direct
consequence of the fundamental black-hole property - the lack of a hard stellar
surface.Comment: 13 pages (including 3 figures); accepted for publication in Ap
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