330 research outputs found
VLTI/PIONIER images the Achernar disk swell
Context. The mechanism of disk formation around fast-rotating Be stars is not
well understood. In particular, it is not clear which mechanisms operate, in
addition to fast rotation, to produce the observed variable ejection of matter.
The star Achernar is a privileged laboratory to probe these additional
mechanisms because it is close, presents B-Be phase variations on timescales
ranging from 6 yr to 15 yr, a companion star was discovered around it, and
probably presents a polar wind or jet. Aims. Despite all these previous
studies, the disk around Achernar was never directly imaged. Therefore we seek
to produce an image of the photosphere and close environment of the star.
Methods. We used infrared long-baseline interferometry with the PIONIER/VLTI
instrument to produce reconstructed images of the photosphere and close
environment of the star over four years of observations. To study the disk
formation, we compared the observations and reconstructed images to previously
computed models of both the stellar photosphere alone (normal B phase) and the
star presenting a circumstellar disk (Be phase). Results. The observations
taken in 2011 and 2012, during the quiescent phase of Achernar, do not exhibit
a disk at the detection limit of the instrument. In 2014, on the other hand, a
disk was already formed and our reconstructed image reveals an extended H-band
continuum excess flux. Our results from interferometric imaging are also
supported by several H-alpha line profiles showing that Achernar started an
emission-line phase sometime in the beginning of 2013. The analysis of our
reconstructed images shows that the 2014 near-IR flux extends to 1.7 - 2.3
equatorial radii. Our model-independent size estimation of the H-band continuum
contribution is compatible with the presence of a circumstellar disk, which is
in good agreement with predictions from Be-disk models
Bayesian sequential integration within a preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling framework:Lessons learned
The present manuscript aims to discuss the implications of sequential knowledge integration of small preclinical trials in a Bayesian pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) framework. While, at first sight, a Bayesian PK-PD framework seems to be a natural framework to allow for sequential knowledge integration, the scope of this paper is to highlight some often-overlooked challenges while at the same time providing some guidances in the many and overwhelming choices that need to be made. Challenges as well as opportunities will be discussed that are related to the impact of (1) the prior specification, (2) the choice of random effects, (3) the type of sequential integration method. In addition, it will be shown how the success of a sequential integration strategy is highly dependent on a carefully chosen experimental design when small trials are analyzed
Concomitant evaluation of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls via Geweke spectral causality to assess the propensity to postural syncope
The evaluation of propensity to postural syncope necessitates the concomitant characterization of the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls and a method capable of disentangling closed loop relationships and decomposing causal links in the frequency domain. We applied Geweke spectral causality (GSC) to assess cardiovascular control from heart period and systolic arterial pressure variability and cerebrovascular regulation from mean arterial pressure and mean cerebral blood velocity variability in 13 control subjects and 13 individuals prone to develop orthostatic syncope. Analysis was made at rest in supine position and during head-up tilt at 60°, well before observing presyncope signs. Two different linear model structures were compared, namely bivariate autoregressive and bivariate dynamic adjustment classes. We found that (i) GSC markers did not depend on the model structure; (ii) the concomitant assessment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls was useful for a deeper comprehension of postural disturbances; (iii) orthostatic syncope appeared to be favored by the loss of a coordinated behavior between the baroreflex feedback and mechanical feedforward pathway in the frequency band typical of the baroreflex functioning during the postural challenge, and by a weak cerebral autoregulation as revealed by the increased strength of the pressure-to-flow link in the respiratory band. GSC applied to spontaneous cardiovascular and cerebrovascular oscillations is a promising tool for describing and monitoring disturbances associated with posture modification
Categorizing the Role of Respiration in Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Variability Interactions
Objective: Respiration disturbs cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls but its role is not fully elucidated. Methods: Respiration can be classified as a confounder if its observation reduces the strength of the causal relationship from source to target. Respiration is a suppressor if the opposite situation holds. We prove that a confounding/suppression (C/S) test can be accomplished by evaluating the sign of net redundancy/synergy balance in the predictability framework based on multivariate autoregressive modelling. In addition, we suggest that, under the hypothesis of Gaussian processes, the C/S test can be given in the transfer entropy decomposition framework as well. Experimental protocols: We applied the C/S test to variability series of respiratory movements, heart period, systolic arterial pressure, mean arterial pressure, and mean cerebral blood flow recorded in 17 pathological individuals (age: 648 yrs; 17 males) before and after induction of propofol-based general anesthesia prior to coronary artery bypass grafting, and in 13 healthy subjects (age: 278 yrs; 5 males) at rest in supine position and during head-up tilt with a table inclination of 60. Results: Respiration behaved systematically as a confounder for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls. In addition, its role was affected by propofol-based general anesthesia but not by a postural stimulus of limited intensity. Conclusion: The C/S test can be fruitfully exploited to categorize the role of respiration over causal variability interactions. Significance: The application of the C/S test could favor the comprehension of the role of respiration in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular regulations
The binary system of the spinning-top Be star Achernar
Achernar, the closest and brightest classical Be star, presents rotational
flattening, gravity darkening, occasional emission lines due to a gaseous disk,
and an extended polar wind. It is also a member of a close binary system with
an early A-type dwarf companion. We aim to determine the orbital parameters of
the Achernar system and to estimate the physical properties of the components.
We monitored the relative position of Achernar B using a broad range of high
angular resolution instruments of the VLT/VLTI (VISIR, NACO, SPHERE, AMBER,
PIONIER, GRAVITY, and MATISSE) over a period of 13 years (2006-2019). These
astrometric observations are complemented with a series of more than 700
optical spectra for the period from 2003 to 2016. We determine that Achernar B
orbits the Be star on a seven-year period, eccentric orbit (e = 0.7255 +/-
0.0014) which brings the two stars within 2 au at periastron. The mass of the
Be star is found to be mA = 6.0 +/- 0.6 Msun for a secondary mass of mB = 2.0
+/- 0.1 Msun. We find a good agreement of the parameters of Achernar A with the
evolutionary model of a critically rotating star of 6.4 Msun at an age of 63
million years. We also identify a resolved comoving low-mass star, which leads
us to propose that Achernar is a member of the Tucana-Horologium moving group.
Achernar A is presently in a short-lived phase of its evolution following the
turn-off, during which its geometrical flattening ratio is the most extreme.
Considering the orbital parameters, no significant interaction occurred between
the two components, demonstrating that Be stars may form through a direct,
single-star evolution path without mass transfer. Since component A will enter
the instability strip in a few hundred thousand years, Achernar appears to be a
promising progenitor of the Cepheid binary systems.Comment: 27 pages, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press. The full set of
continuum normalized high resolution spectra of Achernar is available at
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.697730
The Astropy Problem
The Astropy Project (http://astropy.org) is, in its own words, "a community
effort to develop a single core package for Astronomy in Python and foster
interoperability between Python astronomy packages." For five years this
project has been managed, written, and operated as a grassroots,
self-organized, almost entirely volunteer effort while the software is used by
the majority of the astronomical community. Despite this, the project has
always been and remains to this day effectively unfunded. Further, contributors
receive little or no formal recognition for creating and supporting what is now
critical software. This paper explores the problem in detail, outlines possible
solutions to correct this, and presents a few suggestions on how to address the
sustainability of general purpose astronomical software
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