743 research outputs found
Can Maxwell's equations be obtained from the continuity equation?
We formulate an existence theorem that states that given localized scalar and
vector time-dependent sources satisfying the continuity equation, there exist
two retarded fields that satisfy a set of four field equations. If the theorem
is applied to the usual electromagnetic charge and current densities, the
retarded fields are identified with the electric and magnetic fields and the
associated field equations with Maxwell's equations. This application of the
theorem suggests that charge conservation can be considered to be the
fundamental assumption underlying Maxwell's equations.Comment: 14 pages. See the comment: "O. D. Jefimenko, Causal equations for
electric and magnetic fields and Maxwell's equations: comment on a paper by
Heras [Am. J. Phys. 76, 101 (2008)].
Gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries with magnetic dipole moments
We investigate the effects of the magnetic dipole-dipole coupling and the
electromagnetic radiation on the frequency evolution of gravitational waves
from inspiralling binary neutron stars with magnetic dipole moments. This study
is motivated by the discovery of the superstrongly magnetized neutron stars,
i.e., magnetar. We derive the contributions of the magnetic fields to the
accumulated cycles in gravitational waves as , where denotes the strength of the polar magnetic
fields of each neutron star in the binary system. It is found that the effects
of the magnetic fields will be negligible for the detection and the parameter
estimation of gravitational waves, if the upper limit for magnetic fields of
neutron stars are less than G, which is the maximum magnetic
field observed in the soft gamma repeaters and the anomalous X-ray pulsars up
to date. We also discuss the implications of electromagnetic radiation from the
inspiralling binary neutron stars for the precursory X-ray emission prior to
the gamma ray burst observed by the Ginga satellite.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Repetitive elements in parasitic protozoa
A recent paper published in BMC Genomics suggests that retrotransposition may be active in the human gut parasite Entamoeba histolytica. This adds to our knowledge of the various types of repetitive elements in parasitic protists and the potential influence of such elements on pathogenicity
Helmholtz theorem and the v-gauge in the problem of superluminal and instantaneous signals in classical electrodynamics
In this work we substantiate the applying of the Helmholtz vector
decomposition theorem (H-theorem) to vector fields in classical
electrodynamics. Using the H-theorem, within the framework of the two-parameter
Lorentz-like gauge (so called v-gauge), we show that two kinds of magnetic
vector potentials exist: one of them (solenoidal) can act exclusively with the
velocity of light c and the other one (irrotational) with an arbitrary finite
velocity (including a velocity more than c . We show also that the
irrotational component of the electric field has a physical meaning and can
propagate exclusively instantaneously.Comment: This variant has been accepted for publication in Found. Phys.
Letter
Engineering the Controlled Assembly of Filamentous Injectisomes in E. coli K-12 for Protein Translocation into Mammalian Cells.
Bacterial pathogens containing type III protein secretion systems (T3SS) assemble large needle-like protein complexes in the bacterial envelope, called injectisomes, for translocation of protein effectors into host cells. The application of these molecular syringes for the injection of proteins into mammalian cells is hindered by their structural and genomic complexity, requiring multiple polypeptides encoded along with effectors in various transcriptional units (TUs) with intricate regulation. In this work, we have rationally designed the controlled expression of the filamentous injectisomes found in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in the nonpathogenic strain E. coli K-12. All structural components of EPEC injectisomes, encoded in a genomic island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), were engineered in five TUs (eLEEs) excluding effectors, promoters and transcriptional regulators. These eLEEs were placed under the control of the IPTG-inducible promoter Ptac and integrated into specific chromosomal sites of E. coli K-12 using a marker-less strategy. The resulting strain, named synthetic injector E. coli (SIEC), assembles filamentous injectisomes similar to those in EPEC. SIEC injectisomes form pores in the host plasma membrane and are able to translocate T3-substrate proteins (e.g., translocated intimin receptor, Tir) into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells reproducing the phenotypes of intimate attachment and polymerization of actin-pedestals elicited by EPEC bacteria. Hence, SIEC strain allows the controlled expression of functional filamentous injectisomes for efficient translocation of proteins with T3S-signals into mammalian cells
Role of the satiety factor oleoylethanolamide in alcoholism
Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is a satiety factor that controls motivational responses to dietary fat. Here we show that alcohol administration causes the release of OEA in rodents, which in turn reduces alcohol consumption by engaging peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α). This effect appears to rely on peripheral signaling mechanisms as alcohol self-administration is unaltered by intracerebral PPAR-α agonist administration, and the lesion of sensory afferent fibers (by capsaicin) abrogates the effect of systemically administered OEA on alcohol intake. Additionally, OEA is shown to block cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior (an animal model of relapse) and reduce the severity of somatic withdrawal symptoms in alcohol-dependent animals. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a homeostatic role for OEA signaling in the behavioral effects of alcohol exposure and highlight OEA as a novel therapeutic target for alcohol use disorders and alcoholism
A Double-peaked Outburst of A 0535+26 Observed with INTEGRAL, RXTE, and Suzaku
The Be/X-ray binary A 0535+26 showed a normal (type I) outburst in 2009 August. It is the fourth in a series of normal outbursts associated with the periastron, but is unusual because it presented a double-peaked light curve. The two peaks reached a flux of ~450 mCrab in the 15-50 keV range. We present results of the timing and spectral analysis of INTEGRAL, RXTE, and Suzaku observations of the outburst. The energy-dependent pulse profiles and their evolution during the outburst are studied. No significant differences with respect to other normal outbursts are observed. The centroid energy of the fundamental cyclotron line shows no significant variation during the outburst. A spectral hardening with increasing luminosity is observed. We conclude that the source is accreting in the sub-critical regime. We discuss possible explanations for the double-peaked outburst
Primary angioplasty vs. fibrinolysis in very old patients with acute myocardial infarction: TRIANA (TRatamiento del Infarto Agudo de miocardio eN Ancianos) randomized trial and pooled analysis with previous studies
The Spitzer Spectroscopic Survey of S-type Stars
S-type AGB stars are thought to be in the transitional phase between M-type
and C-type AGB stars. Because of their peculiar chemical composition, one may
expect a strong influence of the stellar C/O ratio on the molecular chemistry
and the mineralogy of the circumstellar dust. In this paper, we present a large
sample of 87 intrinsic galactic S-type AGB stars, observed at infrared
wavelengths with the Spitzer Space Telescope, and supplemented with
ground-based optical data. On the one hand, we derive the stellar parameters
from the optical spectroscopy and photometry, using a grid of model
atmospheres. On the other, we decompose the infrared spectra to quantify the
flux-contributions from the different dust species. Finally, we compare the
independently determined stellar parameters and dust properties. For the stars
without significant dust emission, we detect a strict relation between the
presence of SiS absorption in the Spitzer spectra and the C/O ratio of the
stellar atmosphere. These absorption bands can thus be used as an additional
diagnostic for the C/O ratio. For stars with significant dust emission, we
define three groups, based on the relative contribution of certain dust species
to the infrared flux. We find a strong link between group-membership and C/O
ratio. We show that these groups can be explained by assuming that the
dust-condensation can be cut short before silicates are produced, while the
remaining free atoms and molecules can then form the observed magnesium
sulfides or the carriers of the unidentified 13 and 20 micron features.
Finally, we present the detection of emission features attributed to molecules
and dust characteristic to C-type stars, such as molecular SiS, hydrocarbons
and magnesium sulfide grains. We show that we often detect magnesium sulfides
together with molecular SiS and we propose that it is formed by a reaction of
SiS molecules with Mg.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Exploring X-ray and radio emission of type 1 AGN up to z ~ 2.3
X-ray emission from AGN is dominated by the accretion disk around a SMBH. The
radio luminosity, however, has not such a clear origin except in the most
powerful sources where jets are evident. The origin (and even the very
existence) of the local bi-modal distribution in radioloudness is also a
debated issue. By analysing X-ray, optical and radio properties of a large
sample of type 1 AGN up to z>2, where the bulk of this population resides, we
aim to explore the interplay between radio and X-ray emission in AGN, in order
to further our knowledge on the origin of radio emission, and its relation to
accretion. We analyse a large (~800 sources) sample of type 1 AGN and QSOs
selected from the 2XMMi X-ray source catalogue, cross-correlated with the SDSS
DR7 spectroscopic catalogue, covering a redshift range from z~0.3 to z~2.3.
SMBH masses are estimated from the Mg II emission line, bolometric luminosities
from the X-ray data, and radio emission or upper limits from the FIRST
catalogue. Most of the sources accrete close to the Eddington limit and the
distribution in radioloudness does not appear to have a bi-modal behaviour. We
confirm that radioloud AGN are also X-ray loud, with an X-ray-to-optical ratio
up to twice that of radioquiet objects, even excluding the most extreme
strongly jetted sources. By analysing complementary radio-selected control
samples, we find evidence that these conclusions are not an effect of the X-ray
selection, but are likely a property of the dominant QSO population. Our
findings are best interpreted in a context where radio emission in AGN, with
the exception of a minority of beamed sources, arises from very close to the
accretion disk and is therefore heavily linked to X-ray emission. We also
speculate that the RL/RQ dichotomy might either be an evolutionary effect that
developed well after the QSO peak epoch, or an effect of incompleteness in
small samples.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 16 pages, 5 tables, 10 figures;
tables 3-5 are only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp
to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via
http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A
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