17 research outputs found
Accretion Disc Wind Variability in the States of the Microquasar GRS 1915+105
Continuing our study of the role and evolution of accretion disc winds in the
microquasar GRS 1915+105, we present high-resolution spectral variability
analysis of the beta and gamma states with the Chandra High Energy Transmission
Grating Spectrometer. By tracking changes in the absorption lines from the
accretion disc wind, we find new evidence that radiation links the inner and
outer accretion discs on a range of time-scales. As the central X-ray flux
rises during the high-luminosity gamma state, we observe the progressive
over-ionization of the wind. In the beta state, we argue that changes in the
inner disc leading to the ejection of a transient 'baby jet' also quench the
highly-ionized wind from the outer disc. Our analysis reveals how the state,
structure, and X-ray luminosity of the inner accretion disc all conspire to
drive the formation and variability of highly-ionized accretion disc winds.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 11 pages, 7 figures, uses
mn2e.cls. Comments welcom
No Correlation Between Disc Scale-Height and Jet Power in GRMHD Simulations
It is now well established that changes in the X-ray spectral state of black
hole low-mass X-ray binaries are correlated with changes in the radio
properties of those systems. Assuming radio power is a proxy for jet power, we
can say that the jet is continuously present in the hard state and undetectable
(and therefore weaker) in the soft state. Since the different accretion states
are also generally assumed to be associated with different disc geometries --
the hard state with a hot, thick flow, and the soft state with a cold, thin
disc -- we investigate the possibility that these two phenomena are linked;
i.e., that the difference in disc geometry is the cause of the difference in
observed jet power. We do this by comparing various measures of jet power in
numerical simulations of accretion discs of differing temperatures and
thicknesses. We perform these simulations using the general relativistic
magnetohydrodynamic code Cosmos++ and a newly added cooling function, which
allows us to regulate the disc scale height H/r at different radii. We find no
apparent correlation between the disc scale height and jet power whenever we
normalize the latter by the mass accretion history of each simulation. We
attribute this result to the role that the "corona" plays in confining and
accelerating the jet (our corona may also be considered a failed MHD "wind").
The properties of the corona do not vary significantly from one simulation to
another, even though the scale heights of the discs vary by up to a factor of
four. If this holds true in nature, then it suggests that the correlation
between spectral state and jet power must be attributable to some other
property, possibly the topology of the magnetic field. Alternatively, it could
be that the corona disappears altogether in the soft state, which would be
consistent with observations, but has so far not been seen in simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Visible-Light Photoswitchable Benzimidazole Azo-Arenes as beta-Arrestin2-Biased Selective Cannabinoid 2 Receptor Agonists
Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Andrea Holme for excellent technical support and the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre (University of Aberdeen) for providing access to their equipment. The authors would like to thank Dr. Matthias Scheiner for his contributions towards the development of the calcium mobilization assay and Dr. ValĂ©rie Jahns for her efforts towards faster automated analysis of the obtained results. Nick Verhavert is acknowledged for his assistance with the NanoBiTÂź assay. Diego Rodriguez-Soacha is acknowledged for establishing the rCB1R radioligand binding assay in our laboratory. Special thanks to Dr. Rangan Maitra and RTI International for providing the G16 coupled hCB1 and hCB2 CHO-K1 cell lines. The authors thank Nadine YurdagĂŒl-Hemmrich and Annette Hannawacker for excellent technical support. This project was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under DFG DE1546/10-1). J. N. Hislopâs financing support was given by NHS Grampian. The research visit of S. A. M. SteinmuÌller in Dr. Hislopâs laboratory was funded by the Elite Network of Bavaria (grant N° K-BM-2013-247). J. Fender and A. Tutov were supported by the International Doctoral Program âReceptor Dynamicsâ funded within the framework of the Elite Network of Bavaria (grant N° K-BM-2013- 247). M. H. Deventer was funded by the Research FoundationFlanders (FWO; grant 1S54521N).Peer reviewe
Rapid binding and release of Hfq from ternary complexes during RNA annealing
The Sm protein Hfq binds small non-coding RNA (sRNAs) in bacteria and facilitates their base pairing with mRNA targets. Molecular beacons and a 16ânt RNA derived from the Hfq binding site in DsrA sRNA were used to investigate how Hfq accelerates base pairing between complementary strands of RNA. Stopped-flow fluorescence experiments showed that annealing became faster with Hfq concentration but was impaired by mutations in RNA binding sites on either face of the Hfq ring or by competition with excess RNA substrate. A fast bimolecular Hfq binding step (âŒ108âMâ1sâ1) observed with Cy3-Hfq was followed by a slow transition (0.5âsâ1) to a stable HfqâRNA complex that exchanges RNA ligands more slowly. Release of Hfq upon addition of complementary RNA was faster than duplex formation, suggesting that the nucleic acid strands dissociate from Hfq before base pairing is complete. A working model is presented in which rapid co-binding and release of two RNA strands from the Hfq ternary complex accelerates helix initiation 10â000 times above the Hfq-independent rate. Thus, Hfq acts to overcome barriers to helix initiation, but the net reaction flux depends on how tightly Hfq binds the reactants and products and the potential for unproductive binding interactions