1,531 research outputs found
Characterizing the transition from diffuse atomic to dense molecular clouds in the Magellanic clouds with [CII], [CI], and CO
We present and analyze deep Herschel/HIFI observations of the [CII] 158um,
[CI] 609um, and [CI] 370um lines towards 54 lines-of-sight (LOS) in the Large
and Small Magellanic clouds. These observations are used to determine the
physical conditions of the line--emitting gas, which we use to study the
transition from atomic to molecular gas and from C^+ to C^0 to CO in their low
metallicity environments. We trace gas with molecular fractions in the range
0.1<f(H2)<1, between those in the diffuse H2 gas detected by UV absorption
(f(H2)<0.2) and well shielded regions in which hydrogen is essentially
completely molecular. The C^0 and CO column densities are only measurable in
regions with molecular fractions f(H2)>0.45 in both the LMC and SMC. Ionized
carbon is the dominant gas-phase form of this element that is associated with
molecular gas, with C^0 and CO representing a small fraction, implying that
most (89% in the LMC and 77% in the SMC) of the molecular gas in our sample is
CO-dark H2. The mean X_CO conversion factors in our LMC and SMC sample are
larger than the value typically found in the Milky Way. When applying a
correction based on the filling factor of the CO emission, we find that the
values of X_CO in the LMC and SMC are closer to that in the Milky Way. The
observed [CII] intensity in our sample represents about 1% of the total
far-infrared intensity from the LOSs observed in both Magellanic Clouds.Comment: 32 pages, 21 figures, Accepted to Ap
Brownian motion with dry friction: Fokker-Planck approach
We solve a Langevin equation, first studied by de Gennes, in which there is a
solid-solid or dry friction force acting on a Brownian particle in addition to
the viscous friction usually considered in the study of Brownian motion. We
obtain both the time-dependent propagator of this equation and the velocity
correlation function by solving the associated time-dependent Fokker-Planck
equation. Exact results are found for the case where only dry friction acts on
the particle. For the case where both dry and viscous friction forces are
present, series representations of the propagator and correlation function are
obtained in terms of parabolic cylinder functions. Similar series
representations are also obtained for the case where an external constant force
is added to the Langevin equation.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures (in color
Analysis of the In Vivo Transcriptome of Bordetella pertussis during Infection of Mice
Bordetella pertussis causes the disease whooping cough through coordinated control of virulence factors by the Bordetella virulence gene system. Microarrays and, more recently, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) have been used to describe in vitro gene expression profiles of B. pertussis and other pathogens. In previous studies, we have analyzed the in vitro gene expression profiles of B. pertussis, and we hypothesize that the infection transcriptome profile in vivo is significantly different from that under laboratory growth conditions. To study the infection transcriptome of B. pertussis, we developed a simple filtration technique for isolation of bacteria from infected lungs. The work flow involves filtering the bacteria out of the lung homogenate using a 5-ÎŒm-pore-size syringe filter. The captured bacteria are then lysed to isolate RNA for Illumina library preparation and RNA-seq analysis. Upon comparing the in vitro and in vivo gene expression profiles, we identified 351 and 255 genes as activated and repressed, respectively, during murine lung infection. As expected, numerous genes associated with virulent-phase growth were activated in the murine host, including pertussis toxin (PT), the PT secretion apparatus, and the type III secretion system. A significant number of genes encoding iron acquisition and heme uptake proteins were highly expressed during infection, supporting iron acquisition as critical for B. pertussis survival in vivo. Numerous metabolic genes were repressed during infection. Overall, these data shed light on the gene expression profile of B. pertussisduring infection, and this method will facilitate efforts to understand how this pathogen causes infection
A low density of 0.8 g/cc for the Trojan binary asteroid 617 Patroclus
The Trojan population consists of two swarms of asteroids following the same
orbit as Jupiter and located at the L4 and L5 Lagrange points of the
Jupiter-Sun system (leading and following Jupiter by 60 degrees). The asteroid
617 Patroclus is the only known binary Trojan (Merline et al. 2001). The orbit
of this double system was hitherto unknown. Here we report that the components,
separated by 680 km, move around the system centre of mass, describing roughly
a circular orbit. Using the orbital parameters, combined with thermal
measurements to estimate the size of the components, we derive a very low
density of 0.8 g/cc. The components of Patroclus are therefore very porous or
composed mostly of water ice, suggesting that they could have been formed in
the outer part of the solar system.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Real-world and natural history data for drug evaluation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: suitability of the North Star Ambulatory Assessment for comparisons with external controls
Using external controls based on real-world or natural history data (RWD/NHD) for drug evaluations in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is appealing given the challenges of enrolling placebo-controlled trials, especially for multi-year trials. Comparisons to external controls, however, face risks of bias due to differences in outcomes between trial and RWD/NHD settings. To assess this bias empirically, we conducted a multi-institution study comparing mean 48-week changes in North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) total score between trial placebo arms and RWD/NHD sources, with and without adjustment for baseline prognostic factors. Analyses used data from three placebo arms (235 48-week intervals, NâŻ=âŻ235 patients) and three RWD/NHD sources (348 intervals, NâŻ=âŻ202 patients). Differences in mean ÎNSAA between placebo arms and RWD/NHD sources were small before adjustment (-1.2 units, 95% CI: [-2.0 -0.5]) and were attenuated and no longer statistically significant after adjustment (0.1 units (95% CI: [-0.6, 0.8]). Results were similar whether adjusting using multivariable regression or propensity score matching. This consistency in ÎNSAA between trial placebo arms and RWD/NHD sources accords with prior findings for the six-minute walk distance, provides a well-validated framework for baseline adjustment of prognostic factors, and supports the suitability of RWD/NHD external controls for drug evaluations in ambulatory DMD
Integer Quantum Hall Effect in Double-Layer Systems
We consider the localization of independent electron orbitals in double-layer
two-dimensional electron systems in the strong magnetic field limit. Our study
is based on numerical Thouless number calculations for realistic microscopic
models and on transfer matrix calculations for phenomenological network models.
The microscopic calculations indicate a crossover regime for weak interlayer
tunneling in which the correlation length exponent appears to increase.
Comparison of network model calculations with microscopic calculations casts
doubt on their generic applicability.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures included, RevTeX 3.0 and epsf. Additional
reference
The superconductor-insulator transition in 2D dirty boson systems
Universal properties of the zero temperature superconductor-insulator
transition in two-dimensional amorphous films are studied by extensive Monte
Carlo simulations of bosons in a disordered medium. We report results for both
short-range and long-range Coulomb interactions for several different points in
parameter space. In all cases we observe a transition from a superconducting
phase to an insulating Bose glass phase. {}From finite-size scaling of our
Monte Carlo data we determine the universal conductivity and the
critical exponents at the transition. The result for bosons with long-range Coulomb interaction is roughly consistent
with experiments reported so far. We also find for bosons with short-range interactions.Comment: Revtex 3.0, 54 pages, 17 figures included, UBCTP-93-01
Fish Oil Supplementation During Late Pregnancy Does Not Influence Plasma Lipids or Lipoprotein Levels in Young Adult Offspring
Nutritional influences on cardiovascular disease operate throughout life. Studies in both experimental animals and humans have suggested that changes in the peri- and early post-natal nutrition can affect the development of the various components of the metabolic syndrome in adult life. This has lead to the hypothesis that n-3 fatty acid supplementation in pregnancy may have a beneficial effect on lipid profile in the offspring. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of supplementation with n-3 fatty acids during the third trimester of pregnancy on lipids and lipoproteins in the 19-year-old offspring. The study was based on the follow-up of a randomized controlled trial from 1990 where 533 pregnant women were randomized to fish oil (n = 266), olive oil (n = 136) or no oil (n = 131). In 2009, the offspring were invited to a physical examination including blood sampling. A total of 243 of the offspring participated. Lipid values did not differ between the fish oil and olive oil groups. The relative adjusted difference (95% confidence intervals) in lipid concentrations was â3% (â11; 7) for LDL cholesterol, 3% (â3; 10) for HDL cholesterol, â1% (â6; 5) for total cholesterol,â4% (â16; 10) for TAG concentrations, 2%(â2; 7) for apolipoprotein A1, â1% (â9; 7) for apolipoprotein B and 3% (â7; 15) in relative abundance of small dense LDL. In conclusion, there was no effect of fish oil supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy on offspring plasma lipids and lipoproteins in adolescence
Giant Molecular Clouds in the Early-type Galaxy NGC 4526
D. Utomo, et al., âGiant Molecular Clouds in the Early-Type Galaxy NGC 4526â, The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 803(1), April 2015. © 2015. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.We present a high spatial resolution (â20 pc) of 12CO(2 â1) observations of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4526. We identify 103 resolved giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and measure their properties: size R, velocity dispersion Ïv, and luminosity L. This is the first GMC catalog of an early-type galaxy. We find that the GMC population in NGC 4526 is gravitationally bound, with a virial parameter α ⌠1. The mass distribution, dN/dM â Mâ2.39 ± 0.03, is steeper than that for GMCs in the inner Milky Way, but comparable to that found in some late-type galaxies. We find no sizeâline width correlation for the NGC 4526 clouds, in contradiction to the expectation from Larsonâs relation. In general, the GMCs in NGC 4526 are more luminous, denser, and have a higher velocity dispersion than equal-size GMCs in the Milky Way and other galaxies in the Local Group. These may be due to higher interstellar radiation field than in the Milky Way disk and weaker external pressure than in the Galactic center. In addition, a kinematic measurement of cloud rotation shows that the rotation is driven by the galactic shear. For the vast majority of the clouds, the rotational energy is less than the turbulent and gravitational energy, while the four innermost clouds are unbound and will likely be torn apart by the strong shear at the galactic center. We combine our data with the archival data of other galaxies to show that the surface density ÎŁ of GMCs is not approximately constant, as previously believed, but varies by âŒ3 orders of magnitude. We also show that the size and velocity dispersion of the GMC population across galaxies are related to the surface density, as expected from the gravitational and pressure equilibrium, i.e., Ïv Râ1/2 â ÎŁ1/2.Peer reviewe
Submicron Structures Technology and Research
Contains reports on ten research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-83-K-0003)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAL03-86-K-0002)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS82-05701)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS85-06565)Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (Subcontract 2069209)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS85-03443)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-85-0154)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGL22-009-638)National Science Foundation (through KMS Fusion, Inc.)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-79-C-0908
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