2,855 research outputs found
Mid-Infrared Galaxy Morphology Along the Hubble Sequence
The mid-infrared emission from 18 nearby galaxies imaged with the IRAC
instrument on Spitzer Space Telescope samples the spatial distributions of the
reddening-free stellar photospheric emission and the warm dust in the ISM.
These two components provide a new framework for galaxy morphological
classification, in which the presence of spiral arms and their emission
strength relative to the starlight can be measured directly and with high
contrast. Four mid-infrared classification methods are explored, three of which
are based on quantitative global parameters (colors, bulge-to-disk ratio)
similar to those used in the past for optical studies; in this limited sample,
all correlate well with traditional B-band classification. We suggest reasons
why infrared classification may be superior to optical classification.Comment: ApJS (in press), Spitzer Space Telescope Special Issue; 13 pages,
LaTeX (or Latex, etc); Figure 1ab is large, color plate; full-resolution
plates in .pdf format available at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/irac/publications
Radial HI Profiles at the Periphery of Galactic Disks: The Role of Ionizing Background Radiation
Observations of neutral hydrogen in spiral galaxies reveal a sharp cutoff in
the radial density profile at some distance from the center. Using 22 galaxies
with known HI distributions as an example, we discuss the question of whether
this effect can be associated exclusively with external ionizing radiation, as
is commonly assumed. We show that before the surface density reaches
(the same for
galaxies of different types), it is hard to expect the gas to be fully ionized
by background radiation. For two of 13 galaxies with a sharp drop in the HI
profile, the "steepening" can actually be caused by ionization. At the same
time, for the remaining galaxies, the observed cutoff in the radial HI profile
is closer to the center than if it was a consequence of ionization by
background radiation and, therefore, it should be caused by other factors.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
A Dust-Penetrated Classification Scheme for Bars as Inferred from their Gravitational Force Fields
The division of galaxies into ``barred'' (SB) and ``normal'' (S) spirals is a
fundamental aspect of the Hubble galaxy classification system. This ``tuning
fork'' view was revised by de Vaucouleurs, whose classification volume
recognized apparent ``bar strength'' (SA, SAB, SB) as a continuous property of
galaxies called the ``family''. However, the SA, SAB, and SB families are
purely visual judgments that can have little bearing on the actual bar strength
in a given galaxy. Until very recently, published bar judgments were based
exclusively on blue light images, where internal extinction or star formation
can either mask a bar completely or give the false impression of a bar in a
nonbarred galaxy. Near-infrared camera arrays, which principally trace the old
stellar populations in both normal and barred galaxies, now facilitate a
quantification of bar strength in terms of their gravitational potentials and
force fields. In this paper, we show that the maximum value, Qb, of the ratio
of the tangential force to the mean radial force is a quantitative measure of
the strength of a bar. Qb does not measure bar ellipticity or bar shape, but
rather depends on the actual forcing due to the bar embedded in its disk. We
show that a wide range of true bar strengths characterizes the category ``SB'',
while de Vaucouleurs category ``SAB'' corresponds to a much narrower range of
bar strengths. We present Qb values for 36 galaxies, and we incorporate our bar
classes into a dust-penetrated classification system for spiral galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (LaTex, 30
pages + 3 figures); Figs. 1 and 3 are in color and are also available at
http://bama.ua.edu/~rbuta/bars
Semi-Analytical Models for Lensing by Dark Halos: I. Splitting Angles
We use the semi-analytical approach to analyze gravitational lensing of
quasars by dark halos in various cold dark matter (CDM) cosmologies, in order
to determine the sensitivity of the prediction probabilities of images
separations to the input assumptions regarding halos and cosmologies. The mass
function of dark halos is assumed to be given by the Press-Schechter function.
The mass density profile of dark halos is alternatively taken to be the
singular isothermal sphere (SIS), the Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) profile, or the
generalized NFW profile. The cosmologies include: the Einstein-de Sitter model
(SCDM), the open model (OCDM), and the flat \Lambda-model (LCDM). As expected,
we find that the lensing probability is extremely sensitive to the mass density
profile of dark halos, and somewhat less so to the mean mass density in the
universe, and the amplitude of primordial fluctuations. NFW halos are very much
less effective in producing multiple images than SIS halos. However, none of
these models can completely explain the current observations: the SIS models
predict too many large splitting lenses, while the NFW models predict too few
small splitting lenses. This indicates that there must be at least two
populations of halos in the universe. A combination of SIS and NFW halos can
reasonably reproduce the current observations if we choose the mass for the
transition from SIS to NFW to be ~ 10^{13} solar masses. Additionally, there is
a tendency for CDM models to have too much power on small scales, i.e. too much
mass concentration; and it appears that the cures proposed for other apparent
difficulties of CDM would help here as well, an example being the warm dark
matter (WDM) variant which is shown to produce large splitting lenses fewer
than the corresponding CDM model by one order of magnitude.Comment: 46 pages, including 13 figures. Revised version with significant
improvemen
Pollen morphology in the tribe Sipaneeae (Rubiaceae, Ixoroideae)
The tribe Sipaneeae has its center of diversity on the Guiana Shield (northern South America), where 9 of the 10 genera occur, and a total of 44 species. It includes the genera Chalepophyllum (3 spp.), Dendrosipanea (3 spp.), Limnosipanea (3 spp.), Maguireothamnus (3 spp.), Neblinathamnus (2 spp.), Neobertiera (5 spp.), Pteridocalyx (1 sp.), Sipanea (17 spp.), Sipaneopsis (8 spp.), and Steyermarkia (1 sp.). The pollen morphology of all the genera of the tribe was studied. For pollen preparation, nearly mature flower buds (just before anthesis) were taken from herbarium material. Pollen grains destined for light microscope (LM) studies were mounted in Kaiserâs glycerine jelly. Pollen grains for scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies were suspended in ethanol and mounted on aluminium stubs using carbon adhesive tape and coated with a platinum palladium. Values of the length of polar and equatorial axes were based on LM-measurements. In all the genera, pollen grains are released in monads, and are 3- or 4-colporate. In most genera the number of colpi are consistently 3 or 4, which represents a significant diagnostic character. The largest pollen grains are found in Maguireothamnus, which is also the genus with the largest corollas in the tribe. The second largest grains in the tribe are found in Chalepophyllum, which is the genus with the second largest corollas in the tribe. The smallest pollen grains are found in Neobertiera, Pteridocalyx, and Sipanea, which are the genera with the smallest corollas in the tribe. The exine is externally foveolate-reticulate in Chalepophyllum, Neblinathamnus, Pteridocalyx, and Sipanea, foveolate or foveolate-reticulate in Dendrosipanea, shallowly foveolate, without perforations or finely perforated in Limnosipanea, smooth or finely foveolate in Maguireothamnus, and foveolate in Neobertiera, Sipaneopsis, and Steyermarkia. Possible pollen dimorphism was observed only in populations of S. pratensis var. pratensis, in which pollen grains dimensions and external ornamentation were found to be similar
Gravitational potential of a homogeneous circular torus: new approach
The integral expression for gravitational potential of a homogeneous circular
torus composed of infinitely thin rings is obtained. Approximate expressions
for torus potential in the outer and inner regions are found. In the outer
region a torus potential is shown to be approximately equal to that of an
infinitely thin ring of the same mass; it is valid up to the surface of the
torus. It is shown in a first approximation, that the inner potential of the
torus (inside a torus body) is a quadratic function of coordinates. The method
of sewing together the inner and outer potentials is proposed. This method
provided a continuous approximate solution for the potential and its
derivatives, working throughout the region.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 1 table; some misprints in formulae were
correcte
Trademark or patent? The effects of market concentration, customer type and venture capital financing on start-upsâ initial IP applications
We analyse the initial IP applications of 4,703 start-ups in the U.S., distinguishing between trademark and patent applications. Our empirical results show that start-ups are more likely to file for trademarks instead of patents when entering markets with a higher market concentration. Furthermore, we find that start-ups that are primarily active in business-to-consumer markets instead of business-to-business markets are more likely to file trademarks. Finally, the involvement of a venture capitalist (VC) affects the initial IP application. VC-backed start-ups are more likely than other start-ups to file initial IP in the form of trademarks rather than patents. This paper contributes to research on the use of IP rights in start-ups and to the literature on new venture strategy
Analytic models and forward scattering from accelerator to cosmic-ray energies
Analytic models for hadron-hadron scattering are characterized by analytical
parametrizations for the forward amplitudes and the use of dispersion relation
techniques to study the total cross section and the
parameter. In this paper we investigate four aspects related to the application
of the model to and scattering, from accelerator to cosmic-ray
energies: 1) the effect of different estimations for from
cosmic-ray experiments; 2) the differences between individual and global
(simultaneous) fits to and ; 3) the role of the
subtraction constant in the dispersion relations; 4) the effect of distinct
asymptotic inputs from different analytic models. This is done by using as a
framework the single Pomeron and the maximal Odderon parametrizations for the
total cross section. Our main conclusions are the following: 1) Despite the
small influence from different cosmic-ray estimations, the results allow us to
extract an upper bound for the soft pomeron intercept: ;
2) although global fits present good statistical results, in general, this
procedure constrains the rise of ; 3) the subtraction constant as
a free parameter affects the fit results at both low and high energies; 4)
independently of the cosmic-ray information used and the subtraction constant,
global fits with the odderon parametrization predict that, above GeV, becomes greater than , and
this result is in complete agreement with all the data presently available. In
particular, we infer at GeV and
at 500 GeV (BNL RHIC energies).Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, aps-revtex, wording changes, corrected typos, to
appear in Physical Review
Reduction of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis in colostrum : development and validation of 2 methods, one based on curdling and one based on centrifugation
The aim of this study was to develop and validate 2 protocols (for use on-farm and at a central location) for the reduction of Mycobacterium. avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in colostrum while preserving beneficial immunoglobulins (IgG). The on-farm protocol was based on curdling of the colostrum, where the IgG remain in the whey and the MAP bacteria are trapped in the curd. First, the colostrum was diluted with water (2 volumes colostrum to 1 volume water) and 2% rennet was added. After incubation (1 11 at 32 degrees C), the curd was cut and incubated again, after which whey and curd were separated using a cheesecloth. The curd was removed and milk powder was added to the whey. Approximately 1 log reduction in MAP counts was achieved. A reduction in total proteins and IgG was observed due to initial dilution of the colostrum. After curd formation, more than 95% of the immunoglobulins remained in the whey fraction. The semi-industrial protocol was based on centrifugation, which causes MAP to precipitate, while the IgG remain in the supernatant. This protocol was first developed in the laboratory. The colostrum was diluted with skimmed colostrum (2 volumes colostrum to 1 volume skimmed colostrum), then skimmed and centrifuged (at 15,600 x g for 30 min at room temperature). We observed on average 1.5 log reduction in the MAP counts and a limited reduction in proteins and IgG in the supernatant. To obtain a semi-industrial protocol, dairy pilot appliances were evaluated and the following changes were applied to the protocol: after 2:1 dilution as above, the colostrum was skimmed and subsequently clarified, after which the cream was heat treated and added to the supernatant. To investigate the effect of the colostrum treatment on the nutritional value and palatability of the colostrum and the IgG transfer, an animal experiment was conducted with 24 calves. Six received the dam's colostrum, 6 were given untreated purchased colostrum (control), and 2 groups of 6 calves received colostrum treated according to both of the above-mentioned methods. No significant differences were found between the test groups and the dam's colostrum group in terms of animal health, IgG uptake in the blood serum, milk; or forage uptake. Two protocols to reduce MAP in colostrum (for use on-farm or at a central location) were developed. Both methods preserve the vital IgG
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