61 research outputs found
Exponentially growing bubbles around early super massive black holes
We addressed the so far unexplored issue of outflows induced by exponentially
growing power sources, focusing on early supermassive black holes (BHs). We
assumed that these objects grow to by z=6 by
Eddington-limited accretion and convert 5% of their bolometric output into a
wind. We first considered the case of energy-driven and momentum-driven
outflows expanding in a region where the gas and total mass densities are
uniform and equal to the average values in the Universe at . We derived
analytic solutions for the evolution of the outflow, finding that, for an
exponentially growing power with e-folding time , the late time
expansion of the outflow radius is also exponential, with e-folding time of
and in the energy-driven and momentum-driven limit,
respectively.
We then considered energy-driven outflows produced by QSOs at the center of
early dark matter halos of different masses and powered by BHs growing from
different seeds. We followed the evolution of the source power and of the gas
and dark matter density profiles in the halos from the beginning of the
accretion until . The final bubble radius and velocity do not depend on
the seed BH mass but are instead smaller for larger halo masses. At z=6, bubble
radii in the range 50-180 kpc and velocities in the range 400-1000 km s
are expected for QSOs hosted by halos in the mass range
.
By the time the QSO is observed, we found that the total thermal energy
injected within the bubble in the case of an energy-driven outflow is
erg. This is in excellent agreement with the value
of erg measured through the detection of
the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect around a large population of luminous QSOs
at lower redshift. [abridged]Comment: 17 pages and 14 figures. Typos corrected. It matches the version
published in A&
Wind from the black-hole accretion disk driving a molecular outflow in an active galaxy
Powerful winds driven by active galactic nuclei (AGN) are often invoked to
play a fundamental role in the evolution of both supermassive black holes
(SMBHs) and their host galaxies, quenching star formation and explaining the
tight SMBH-galaxy relations. Recent observations of large-scale molecular
outflows in ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) have provided the
evidence to support these studies, as they directly trace the gas out of which
stars form. Theoretical models suggest an origin of these outflows as
energy-conserving flows driven by fast AGN accretion disk winds. Previous
claims of a connection between large-scale molecular outflows and AGN activity
in ULIRGs were incomplete because they were lacking the detection of the
putative inner wind. Conversely, studies of powerful AGN accretion disk winds
to date have focused only on X-ray observations of local Seyferts and a few
higher redshift quasars. Here we show the clear detection of a powerful AGN
accretion disk wind with a mildly relativistic velocity of 0.25c in the X-ray
spectrum of IRAS F11119+3257, a nearby (z = 0.189) optically classified type 1
ULIRG hosting a powerful molecular outflow. The AGN is responsible for ~80% of
the emission, with a quasar-like luminosity of L_AGN = 1.5x10^46 erg/s. The
energetics of these winds are consistent with the energy-conserving mechanism,
which is the basis of the quasar mode feedback in AGN lacking powerful radio
jets.Comment: Revised file including the letter, methods and supplementary
information. Published in the March 26th 2015 issue of Natur
Participatory-deliberative processes and public policy agendas:Lessons for policy and practice
open access journalParticipatory and deliberative processes have proliferated over
recent decades in public administration. These seek to increase
the effectiveness and democratic quality of policy making by
involving citizens in policy. However, these have mainly operated
at local levels of governance, and democratic theorists and practitioners
have developed an ambition to scale these up in order to
democratize higher tiers of government. This paper draws policy
lessons from research on a “multi-level” process that held a similar
ambition. The Sustainable Communities Act sought to integrate
the results of various locally organized citizen deliberations within
the policy development processes of central UK government. In
doing so, it aimed to democratize central government problem
definition and agenda-setting processes. The paper distinguishes
between achievements and failures explained by process design,
and more fundamental obstacles to do with broader contextual
factors. As such, it identifies lessons for the amelioration of design
features, while recognizing constraints that are often beyond the
agency of local practitioners. The findings offer practical insights
for policy workers and democratic reformers seeking to institutionalize
participatory and deliberative innovations
Gas reservoir of a hyper-luminous quasar at z= 2.6
Understanding the relationship between the formation and evolution of galaxies and their central super massive black holes (SMBH) is one of the main topics in extragalactic astrophysics. Links and feedback may reciprocally affect both black hole and galaxy growth. Observations of the CO line at redshifts of 2-4 are crucial to investigate the gas mass, star formation activity and accretion onto SMBHs, as well as the effect of AGN feedback. Potential correlations between AGN and host galaxy properties can be highlighted by observing extreme objects. Despite their luminosity, hyper-luminous QSOs at z=2-4 are still little studied at mm wavelengths. We targeted CO(3-2) in ULAS J1539+0557, an hyper-luminos QSO (Lbol> 10^48 erg/s) at z=2.658, selected through its unusual red colors in the UKIDSS Large Area Survey (ULAS). We find a molecular gas mass of 4.1+-0.8 10^10 Msun, and a gas fraction of 0.4-0.1, depending mostly on the assumed source inclination. We also find a robust lower limit to the star-formation rate (SFR=250-1600 Msun/yr) and star-formation efficiency (SFE=25-350 Lsun/(K km s-1 pc2) by comparing the observed optical-near-infrared spectral energy distribution with AGN and galaxy templates. The black hole gas consumption timescale, M(H_2)/dM(accretion)/dt, is ~160 Myr, similar or higher than the gas consumption timescale. The gas content and the star formation efficiency are similar to those of other high-luminosity, highly obscured QSOs, and at the lower end of the star-formation efficiency of unobscured QSOs, in line with predictions from AGN-galaxy co-evolutionary scenarios. Further measurements of the (sub)-mm continuum in this and similar sources are mandatory to obtain a robust observational picture of the AGN evolutionary sequence.32912
The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of
white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and
BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves
(GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact
binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered
by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current
understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are
discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar
remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common
envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary
NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of
binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given
to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by
another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are
thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure
Protein disulphide isomerase-mediated grafting of cysteine-containing peptides onto over-bleached hair
The ability of Protein disulphide isomerase (PDI) to promote the grafting of two cysteine-containing peptides onto hair was investigated in order to develop an alternative treatment for over-bleached hair. The studied peptides were designed based on human keratin and human lung surfactant proteins and were linked to a fluorescent dye to facilitate visualisation of the grafting process and to assess hair penetration. The ability of the peptides to restore mechanical and thermal properties lost by repeated bleaching treatments was also studied. After eight bleaching treatments, hair samples displayed 42% less mechanical resistance, coupled with a decrease in α-helix denaturation enthalpies and temperatures. Hair surface damage following bleaching was visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Addition of PDI to the treatment formulations promoted peptide attachment to the hair via disulphide bonds, facilitating their penetration into the hair cortex, as observed by fluorescence microscopy. The proposed peptide treatment resulted in an increase in α-helix denaturation enthalpy in over-bleached hair, as well as an increase in both Young's modulus and tensile strength. Thus, mechanical and thermal properties were improved after the peptide treatment in the presence of PDI; suggesting that the formulations presented in this work are promising candidates for hair-care applications
Altered T Cell Memory and Effector Cell Development in Chronic Lymphatic Filarial Infection That Is Independent of Persistent Parasite Antigen
Chronic lymphatic filarial (LF) infection is associated with suppression of parasite-specific T cell responses that persist even following elimination of infection. While several mechanisms have been implicated in mediating this T cell specific downregulation, a role for alterations in the homeostasis of T effector and memory cell populations has not been explored. Using multiparameter flow cytometry, we investigated the role of persistent filarial infection on the maintenance of T cell memory in patients from the filarial-endemic Cook Islands. Compared to filarial-uninfected endemic normals (EN), microfilaria (mf) positive infected patients (Inf) had a reduced CD4 central memory (TCM) compartment. In addition, Inf patients tended to have more effector memory cells (TEM) and fewer effector cells (TEFF) than did ENs giving significantly smaller TEFF ∶ TEM ratios. These contracted TCM and TEFF populations were still evident in patients previously mf+ who had cleared their infection (CLInf). Moreover, the density of IL-7Rα, necessary for T memory cell maintenance (but decreased in T effector cells), was significantly higher on memory cells of Inf and CLInf patients, although there was no evidence for decreased IL-7 or increased soluble IL7-Rα, both possible mechanisms for signaling defects in memory cells. However, effector cells that were present in Inf and CLInf patients had lower percentages of HLA-DR suggesting impaired function. These changes in T cell populations appear to reflect chronicity of infection, as filarial-infected children, despite the presence of active infection, did not show alterations in the frequencies of these T cell phenotypes. These data indicate that filarial-infected patients have contracted TCM compartments and a defect in effector cell development, defects that persist even following clearance of infection. The fact that these global changes in memory and effector cell compartments do not yet occur in infected children makes early treatment of LF even more crucial
A centralidade das políticas sociais no modelo de desenvolvimento britânico do Novo Trabalhismo
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