Polarization of high-energy emissions from the Crab pulsar

We investigate polarization of high-energy emissions from the Crab pulsar in the frame work of the outer gap accelerator, following previous works of Cheng and coworkers. The recent version of the outer gap, which extends from inside the null charge surface to the light cylinder, is used for examining the synchrotron radiations from the secondary and the tertiary pairs, which are produced outside the gap. We calculate the light curve, the spectrum and the polarization characteristics, simultaneously, by taking into account gyration motion of the particles. The polarization position angle curve and the polarization degree are calculated to compare with the Crab optical data. We demonstrate that the radiations from inside the null charge surface make outer-wing and off-pulse emissions in the light curve, and the tertiary pairs contribute to bridge emissions. The emissions from the secondary pairs explain the main features of the observed light curve and spectrum. On the other hand, both emissions from inside the null charge surface and from the tertiary pairs are required to explain the optical polarization behavior of the Crab pulsar. The energy dependence of the polarization features is expected by the present model. For the Crab pulsar, the polarization position angle curve indicates that the viewing angle of the observer measured from the rotational axis is greater than $90^{\circ}$.Comment: 32pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Characterization of Ascaris from Ecuador and Zanzibar

To shed light on the epidemiology of ascariasis in Ecuador and Zanzibar, 177 adult worms retrieved by chemo-expulsion from either people or pigs were collected, measured and subjected to polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Upon double digestion with RsaI and HaeIII, PCR-RFLP analysis revealed the presence of A. lumbricoides in people and A. suum in pigs in Ecuador. In contrast, while there are no pigs on Zanzibar, of the 56 worms obtained from people, one was genotyped as A. suum. No additional genetic variation was detected upon further PCR-RFLP analysis with several other restriction enzymes. Upon measurement, worm mass and length differed by location and by species, A. suum being lighter and longer. While there is no evidence to suggest zoonotic transmission in Ecuador, an enduring historical signature of previous zoonotic transmission remains on Zanzibar

Monte Carlo direct simulation technique user's manual

User manual for Monte Carlo direct simulation techniqu

Parabolic temperature profile and second-order temperature jump of a slightly rarefied gas in an unsteady two-surface problem

The behavior of a slightly rarefied monatomic gas between two parallel plates whose temperature grows slowly and linearly in time is investigated on the basis of the kinetic theory of gases. This problem is shown to be equivalent to a boundary-value problem of the steady linearized Boltzmann equation describing a rarefied gas subject to constant volumetric heating. The latter has been recently studied by Radtke, Hadjiconstantinou, Takata, and Aoki (RHTA) as a means of extracting the second-order temperature jump coefficient. This correspondence between the two problems gives a natural interpretation to the volumetric heating source and explains why the second-order temperature jump observed by RHTA is not covered by the general theory of slip flow for steady problems. A systematic asymptotic analysis of the time-dependent problem for small Knudsen numbers is carried out and the complete fluid-dynamic description, as well as the related half-space problems that determine the structure of the Knudsen layer and the coefficients of temperature jump, are obtained. Finally, a numerical solution is presented for both the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook model and hard-sphere molecules. The jump coefficient is also calculated by the use of a symmetry relation; excellent agreement is found with the result of the numerical computation. The asymptotic solution and associated second-order jump coefficient obtained in the present paper agree well with the results by RHTA that are obtained by a low variance stochastic method

Low Frequency of Loss and Heterozygosity At the Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Locus and Other Selected Loci in Appendageal Tumors

Previous studies of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) have revealed distinct patterns of allelic loss in some skin tumors. In basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) loss of heterozygosity is virtually restricted to chromosome 9, whereas in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and actinic keratoses loss is more widespread involving chromosomes 3, 9, 13, and 17. Because there are histological similarities between BCCs and some appendageal tumors, and because some lines of evidence suggest that BCCs are appendageal in origin, we carried out a limited allelotype in 41 appendageal tumors. The overall frequency of allelic loss was low (4 out of 247 informative loci; 1.6%). LOH was seen in a proliferating trichilemmal cyst (l7p), a sebaceous epithelioma (l7q), an eccrine porocarcinoma (17q), a trichoepithelioma (9q), and in two basal cell carcinomas showing eccrine or granular cell differentiation that were originally misdiagnosed (9q). The pattern of loss in this mixed group of appendageal tumors shows differences from both BCCs and SCCs, and further emphasizes the unique genetic profile and behavior of BCCs. The finding of 9q loss in BCCs with eccrine or granular cell differentiation shows that 9q loss occurs in different histological subtypes of BCCs

Comparison of crystal structures and effects of Co substitution in a new member of Fe-1111 superconductor family AeFeAsF(Ae = Ca and Sr): a possible candidate for higher Tc superconductor

We refined crystal structures of newly found members of the Fe-1111 superconductor family, CaFe\_{1-x}Co\_{x}AsF and SrFe\_{1-x}Co\_{x}AsF (x = 0, 0.06, 0.12) by powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis. The tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transitions were observed at ~120 K for unsubstituted CaFeAsF and at ~180 K for unsubstituted SrFeAsF, the transition temperatures agreeing with kinks observed in temperature-dependent resistivity curves. Although the transition temperature decreases, the structural phase transitions were observed below 100 K in both samples of x = 0.06, and finally they were suppressed in the doping level of x = 0.12. The refined structures reveal that distortions of the FeAs4 tetrahedron from the regular tetrahedron likely originate from mismatches in atomic radii among the constituent elements. In this system, the enlarged FeAs4 tetrahedron resulting from larger radius of Sr than that of Ca is flattened along a-b plane, whereas the smaller radius of Ca makes the tetrahedron closer to regular one, and their characteristic shapes are further enhanced by Co substitution. These results suggest that the CaFeAsF compound is a promising candidate for higher-Tc superconductor.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, Supplementary information is included at the end of the documen

On the second-order temperature jump coefficient of a dilute gas

We use LVDSMC simulations to calculate the second-order temperature jump coefficient for a dilute gas whose temperature is governed by the Poisson equation with a constant forcing term. Both the hard sphere gas and the BGK model of the Boltzmann equation are considered. Our results show that the temperature jump coefficient is different from the well known linear and steady case where the temperature is governed by the homogeneous heat conduction (Laplace) equation

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase may determine the accumulation level of (−)-rotundone in 'Syrah' grapes

(−)-Rotundone is an oxygenated sesquiterpene responsible for the peppery aroma in grapes, wines, herbs, and spices, and it was first identified in 'Syrah' wine from Australia. In this study, we demonstrated the expression profiles of genes related to (−)-rotundone biosynthesis during the maturation of 'Syrah' grapes from two different vineyards, namely, the Iwaimura and Johnohira vineyards in Japan. The α-guaiene and (−)-rotundone accumulation levels in the grape exocarp from the Johnohira vineyard, which has a cool climatic condition located at a high altitude, were extremely higher than those from the Iwaimura vineyard. Among the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway genes, the transcript levels of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase gene (DXS) in the grape exocarp from the Johnohira vineyard were higher than those from the Iwaimura vineyard after véraison. The expression levels of the mevalonate pathway genes, Vitis vinifera terpene synthase gene (VvTPS24) and cytochrome P450 gene (CYP71BE5) in the final step of (−)-rotundone biosynthesis were not significantly different between samples from the two vineyards during grape maturation. In contrast, the farnesyl diphosphate synthase gene (FPPS) expression level was considerably higher in the grape exocarp from the Johnohira vineyard than in that from the Iwaimura vineyard. Consistent with these observations, FPPS was constantly expressed at higher level in 'Syrah' grape exocarp compared with 'Merlot' grape which is a low-rotundone cultivar. These findings suggest that FPPS may play a key role in determining the accumulation level of (−)-rotundone, which can provide abundant substrates for VvTPS24 catalysis to produce α-guaiene as a precursor of (−)-rotundone. In addition, among the MEP pathway genes, DXS may have a regulatory role for a precursor supply from the plastids to (−)-rotundone biosynthesis