1,678 research outputs found
S5 0716+714 : GeV variability study
The GeV observations by Fermi-LAT give us the opportunity to characterize the
high-energy emission (100 MeV - 300 GeV) variability properties of the BL Lac
object S5 0716+714. In this study, we performed flux and spectral analysis of
more than 3 year long (August 2008 to April 2012) Fermi-LAT data of the source.
During this period, the source exhibits two different modes of flux variability
with characteristic timescales of ~75 and ~140 days, respectively. We also
notice that the flux variations are characterized by a weak spectral hardening.
The GeV spectrum of the source shows a clear deviation from a simple power law,
and is better explained by a broken power law. Similar to other bright Fermi
blazars, the break energy does not vary with the source flux during the
different activity states. We discuss several possible scenarios to explain the
observed spectral break.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in Advances in Space
Research journa
Inhibition of NK cell-mediated Cytotoxicity by Tubular Epithelial Cell Expression of Clr Proteins
Cytotoxic effector cells can target and kill parenchymal cells of the kidney which results in injury and loss of function. Endogenous regulatory systems may exist to attenuate Natural Killer (NK) and other effector cell activation and cytotoxicity in diverse conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion injury associated with kidney transplantation. Understanding these mechanisms will direct new therapeutic strategies. Kidney tubular epithelial cells (TEC), the predominant cell type in kidneys, may negatively regulate NK cell activation by surface expression of C-type lectin-related proteins (Clr). Clr-b and -f were found to be expressed by wild type (WT) TEC. Clr-b was upregulated by TNFα+IFNγ in vitro. Elimination of both Clr-b and Clr-f expression with siRNA resulted in increased NK killing of TEC compared to individual silencing of Clr-b or Clr-f TEC (p\u3c0.01), or WT control TEC (p\u3c0.001). NK cells treated in vitro with soluble Clr-b and Clr-f reduced their capacity to kill Clr-b/-f -/- TEC as compared to untreated NK cells (p\u3c0.05). NK cells therefore are regulated by proteins expressed by TEC and thus may represent an important endogenous regulatory system in the kidney to limit organ injury. As no current drugs exist to specifically target NK cells, Clr-b and Clr-f soluble proteins that bind to NK cells may represent a novel and clinically feasible strategy to protect organs from NK cell-mediated inflammation during ischemia-reperfusion and other kidney injury models
Nanoscale tunnel field effect transistor based on a complex oxide lateral heterostructure
We demonstrate a tunnel field effect transistor based on a lateral
heterostructure patterned from an electron gas.
Charge is injected by tunneling from the /
contacts and the current through a narrow channel of insulating
is controlled via an electrostatic side gate. Drain-source
I/V-curves have been measured at low and elevated temperatures. The transistor
shows strong electric-field and temperature-dependent behaviour with a steep
sub-threshold slope %of up to as small as and a
transconductance as high as . A fully
consistent transport model for the drain-source tunneling reproduces the
measured steep sub-threshold slope.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Supplementary material: 4 pages, 2 figure
Connection between inner jet kinematics and broadband flux variability in the BL Lac object S5 0716+714
We present a high-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI)
kinematical study of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 over the time period of
September 2008 to October 2010. The aim of the study is to investigate the
relation of the jet kinematics to the observed broadband flux variability. We
find significant non-radial motions in the jet outflow of the source. In the
radial direction, the highest measured apparent speed is \sim37 c, which is
exceptionally high, especially for a BL Lac object. Patterns in the jet flow
reveal a roughly stationary feature \sim0.15 mas downstream of the core. The
long-term fits to the component trajectories reveal acceleration in the sub-mas
region of the jet. The measured brightness temperature, T_{B}, follows a
continuous trend of decline with distance, T_B \propto
r_{jet}^{-(2.36\pm0.41)}, which suggests a gradient in Doppler factor along the
jet axis. Our analysis suggest that a moving disturbance (or a shock wave) from
the base of the jet produces the high-energy (optical to \gamma-ray) variations
upstream of the 7 mm core, and then later causes an outburst in the core.
Repetitive optical/\gamma-ray flares and the curved trajectories of the
associated components suggest that the shock front propagates along a bent
trajectory or helical path. Sharper \gamma-ray flares could be related to the
passage of moving disturbances through the stationary feature. Our analysis
suggests that the \gamma-ray and radio emission regions have different Doppler
factors.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
On the Radii of Close-in Giant Planets
The recent discovery that the close-in extrasolar giant planet, HD209458b,
transits its star has provided a first-of-its-kind measurement of the planet's
radius and mass. In addition, there is a provocative detection of the light
reflected off of the giant planet, Boo b. Including the effects of
stellar irradiation, we estimate the general behavior of radius/age
trajectories for such planets and interpret the large measured radii of
HD209458b and Boo b in that context. We find that HD209458b must be a
hydrogen-rich gas giant. Furthermore, the large radius of close-in gas giant is
not due to the thermal expansion of its atmosphere, but to the high residual
entropy that remains throughout its bulk by dint of its early proximity to a
luminous primary. The large stellar flux does not inflate the planet, but
retards its otherwise inexorable contraction from a more extended configuration
at birth. This implies either that such a planet was formed near its current
orbital distance or that it migrated in from larger distances (0.5 A.U.),
no later than a few times years of birth.Comment: aasms4 LaTeX, 1 figure, accepted to Ap.J. Letter
Young Globular Clusters and Dwarf Spheroidals
Most of the globular clusters in the main body of the Galactic halo were
formed almost simultaneously. However, globular cluster formation in dwarf
spheroidal galaxies appears to have extended over a significant fraction of a
Hubble time. This suggests that the factors which suppressed late-time
formation of globulars in the main body of the Galactic halo were not operative
in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Possibly the presence of significant numbers of
``young'' globulars at R_{GC} > 15 kpc can be accounted for by the assumption
that many of these objects were formed in Sagittarius-like (but not
Fornax-like) dwarf spheroidal galaxies, that were subsequently destroyed by
Galactic tidal forces. It would be of interest to search for low-luminosity
remnants of parental dwarf spheroidals around the ``young'' globulars Eridanus,
Palomar 1, 3, 14, and Terzan 7. Furthermore multi-color photometry could be
used to search for the remnants of the super-associations, within which outer
halo globular clusters originally formed. Such envelopes are expected to have
been tidally stripped from globulars in the inner halo.Comment: 18 pages, with 2 figures, in LaTeX format; to appear in the
Astrophysical Journal in February 200
- …