61 research outputs found
Dynamics of gene expression and the regulatory inference problem
From the response to external stimuli to cell division and death, the
dynamics of living cells is based on the expression of specific genes at
specific times. The decision when to express a gene is implemented by the
binding and unbinding of transcription factor molecules to regulatory DNA.
Here, we construct stochastic models of gene expression dynamics and test them
on experimental time-series data of messenger-RNA concentrations. The models
are used to infer biophysical parameters of gene transcription, including the
statistics of transcription factor-DNA binding and the target genes controlled
by a given transcription factor.Comment: revised version to appear in Europhys. Lett., new titl
Optical spectrum of the post-AGB star HD56126 in the region 4010-8790 AA
We studied in detail the optical spectrum of the post-AGB star HD56126
(IRAS07134+1005). We use high resolution spectra (R=25000 and 60000) obtained
with the echelle spectrographs of the 6-m telescope. About one and a half
thousand absorptions of neutral atoms and ions, absorption bands of C_2, CN,
and CH molecules, and interstellar bands (DIBs) are identified in the 4010 to
8790 AA wavelength region, and the depths and radial velocities of these
spectral features are measured. Differences are revealed between the variations
of the radial velocities measured from spectral features of different
excitation. In addition to the well-known variability of the Halpha profile, we
found variations in the profiles of a number of FeII, YII, and BaII lines. We
also produce an atlas of the spectrum of HD56126 and its comparison staralpha
Per. The full version of the atlas is available in electronic form from
Web-address: http://www.sao.ru/hq/ssl/Atlas/Atlas.htmlComment: 42 pages, 6 figure
Helping operationalise article two (HOT): Report of phase 1 of a science-based-policy dialogue on fair and effective ways to avoid dangerous interference with the climate system and implications for Post-Kyoto policies
POLLUX : a database of synthetic stellar spectra
Synthetic spectra are needed to determine fundamental stellar and wind
parameters of all types of stars. They are also used for the construction of
theoretical spectral libraries helpful for stellar population synthesis.
Therefore, a database of theoretical spectra is required to allow rapid and
quantitative comparisons to spectroscopic data. We provide such a database
offering an unprecedented coverage of the entire Hertzsprung-Russell diagram.
We present the POLLUX database of synthetic stellar spectra. For objects with
Teff < 6 000 K, MARCS atmosphere models are computed and the program
TURBOSPECTRUM provides the synthetic spectra. ATLAS12 models are computed for
stars with 7 000 K <Teff <15 000 K. SYNSPEC gives the corresponding spectra.
Finally, the code CMFGEN provides atmosphere models for the hottest stars (Teff
> 25 000 K). Their spectra are computed with CMF_FLUX. Both high resolution
(R>150 000) optical spectra in the range 3 000 to 12 000 A and spectral energy
distributions extending from the UV to near--IR ranges are presented. These
spectra cover the HR diagram at solar metallicity. We propose a wide variety of
synthetic spectra for various types of stars in a format that is compliant with
the Virtual Observatory standards. A user--friendly web interface allows an
easy selection of spectra and data retrieval. Upcoming developments will
include an extension to a large range of metallicities and to the near--IR high
resolution spectra, as well as a better coverage of the HR diagram, with the
inclusion of models for Wolf-Rayet stars and large datasets for cool stars. The
POLLUX database is accessible at http://pollux.graal.univ-montp2.fr/ and
through the Virtual Observatory.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy ans
Astrophysic
Recommended from our members
Report of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices
The purpose of this Commission is to explore explicit carbon-pricing options and levels that would induce the change in behaviors— particularly in those driving the investments in infrastructure, technology, and equipment—needed to deliver on the temperature objective of the Paris Agreement, in a way that fosters economic growth and development, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report does not focus on the estimation and evaluation of the climate change impacts that would be avoided by reducing carbon emissions. While the Commission also covers other policies relevant and important to carbon-pricing design and delivery on the Paris agreement, its primary focus is on pricing. This report has been prepared based on the Commission’s assessment of the available evidence and literature as well as on its members’ judgment, developed through their extensive international policy experience. While the commissioners are in broad agreement on the overall thrust of the arguments presented in the report, they may not necessarily support every single assertion and conclusion
High-latitude supergiants: anomalies in the spectrum of LN Hya in 2010
High-resolution echelle spectra taken with the 6-m telescope in 2003-2011 are
used to study features of the optical spectrum and the velocity field in the
atmosphere of the semiregular variable LN Hya in detail. The weak symmetric
photospheric absorptions indicate radial velocity variations from night to
night (by as much as 3 km/s), resulting from small pulsations. Peculiarities
and profile variations were found for strong lines of FeI, FeII, BaII, SiII,
etc. The profiles of these lines were asymmetric: their short-wave wings were
extended and their cores were either split or distorted by emission. During the
2010 observing season, the position and depth of the Halpha absorption
component, the intensities of the short and long-wave emission components, and
the intensity ratio of the latter components varied from spectrum to spectrum.
Weak emissions of neutral atoms (VI, MnI, CoI, NiI, FeI) appeared in the
spectrum of June 1, 2010. All these spectral peculiarities, recorded for the
first time, suggest that we have detected rapid changes in the physical
conditions in the upper atmospheric layers of LN Hya in 2010.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 3 table
An exploration of ambigrammatic sequences in narnaviruses
Narnaviruses have been described as positive-sense RNA viruses with a remarkably simple genome of ~3 kb, encoding only a highly conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Many narnaviruses, however, are 'ambigrammatic' and harbour an additional uninterrupted open reading frame (ORF) covering almost the entire length of the reverse complement strand. No function has been described for this ORF, yet the absence of stops is conserved across diverse narnaviruses, and in every case the codons in the reverse ORF and the RdRp are aligned. The >3 kb ORF overlap on opposite strands, unprecedented among RNA viruses, motivates an exploration of the constraints imposed or alleviated by the codon alignment. Here, we show that only when the codon frames are aligned can all stop codons be eliminated from the reverse strand by synonymous single-nucleotide substitutions in the RdRp gene, suggesting a mechanism for de novo gene creation within a strongly conserved amino-acid sequence. It will be fascinating to explore what implications this coding strategy has for other aspects of narnavirus biology. Beyond narnaviruses, our rapidly expanding catalogue of viral diversity may yet reveal additional examples of this broadly-extensible principle for ambigrammatic-sequence development
The multimode pulsation of the delta Scuti star V784 Cassiopeae
We present an analysis of new Johnson and Stromgren photometric and
medium-resolution spectroscopic observations of the delta Scuti type variable
star V784 Cassiopeae. The data were obtained in three consecutive years between
1999 and 2001. The period analysis of the light curve resulted in the detection
of four frequencies ranging from 9.15 c/d to 15.90 c/d, while there is a
suggestion for more, unresolved frequency components, too. The mean Stromgren
indices and Hipparcos parallax were combined to calculate the following
physical parameters: =7100+-100 K, log g=3.8+-0.1, M_bol=1.50+-0.15 mag.
The position of the star in the HR diagram was used to derive evolutionary mass
and age yielding to a consistent picture of an evolved delta Scuti star with a
mixture of radial plus non-radial modes.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
- …