4,092 research outputs found
Deep GMRT radio observations and a multi-wavelength study of the region around HESS J1858+020
Context. There are a number of very high energy sources in the Galaxy that remain unidentified. Multi-wavelength and variability studies, and catalogue searches, are powerful tools to identify the physical counterpart, given the uncertainty in the source location and extension. Aims. This work carries out a thorough multi-wavelength study of the unidentified, very high energy source HESS J1858+020 and its environs. Methods. We have performed Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope observations at 610 MHz and 1.4 GHz to obtain a deep, low-frequency radio image of the region surrounding HESS J1858+020. We analysed archival radio, infrared, and X-ray data as well. This observational information, combined with molecular data, catalogue sources, and a nearby Fermi gamma-ray detection of unidentified origin, are combined to explore possible counterparts to the very high energy source. Results. We provide with a deep radio image of a supernova remnant that might be related to the GeV and TeV emission in the region. We confirm the presence of an H ii region next to the supernova remnant and coincident with molecular emission. A potential region of star formation is also identified. We identify several radio and X-ray sources in the surroundings. Some of these sources are known planetary nebulae, whereas others may be non-thermal extended emitters and embedded young stellar objects. Three old, background Galactic pulsars also neighbour HESS J1858+020 along the line of sight. Conclusions. The region surrounding HESS J1858+020 is rich in molecular structures and non-thermal objects that may potentially be linked to this unidentified very high energy source. In particular, a supernova remnant interacting with nearby molecular clouds may be a good candidate, but a star forming region, or a non-thermal radio source of yet unclear nature, may also be behind the gamma-ray source. The neighbouring pulsars, despite being old and distant, cannot be discarded as candidates. Further observational studies are needed, however, to narrow the search for a counterpart to the HESS source
Warren McCulloch and the British cyberneticians
Warren McCulloch was a significant influence on a number of British cyberneticians, as some British pioneers in this area were on him. He interacted regularly with most of the main figures on the British cybernetics scene, forming close friendships and collaborations with several, as well as mentoring others. Many of these interactions stemmed from a 1949 visit to London during which he gave the opening talk at the inaugural meeting of the Ratio Club, a gathering of brilliant, mainly young, British scientists working in areas related to cybernetics. This paper traces some of these relationships and interaction
The Radiated Energy Budget of Chromospheric Plasma in a Major Solar Flare Deduced From Multi-Wavelength Observations
This paper presents measurements of the energy radiated by the lower solar
atmosphere, at optical, UV, and EUV wavelengths, during an X-class solar flare
(SOL2011-02-15T01:56) in response to an injection of energy assumed to be in
the form of nonthermal electrons. Hard X-ray observations from RHESSI were used
to track the evolution of the parameters of the nonthermal electron
distribution to reveal the total power contained in flare accelerated
electrons. By integrating over the duration of the impulsive phase, the total
energy contained in the nonthermal electrons was found to be
erg. The response of the lower solar atmosphere was measured in the free-bound
EUV continua of H I (Lyman), He I, and He II, plus the emission lines of He II
at 304\AA\ and H I (Ly) at 1216\AA\ by SDO/EVE, the UV continua at
1600\AA\ and 1700\AA\ by SDO/AIA, and the WL continuum at 4504\AA, 5550\AA, and
6684\AA, along with the Ca II H line at 3968\AA\ using Hinode/SOT. The summed
energy detected by these instruments amounted to erg;
about 15% of the total nonthermal energy. The Ly line was found to
dominate the measured radiative losses. Parameters of both the driving electron
distribution and the resulting chromospheric response are presented in detail
to encourage the numerical modelling of flare heating for this event, to
determine the depth of the solar atmosphere at which these line and continuum
processes originate, and the mechanism(s) responsible for their generation.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics
Journa
A phenomenological model of weakly damped Faraday waves and the associated mean flow
A phenomenological model of parametric surface waves (Faraday waves) is
introduced in the limit of small viscous dissipation that accounts for the
coupling between surface motion and slowly varying streaming and large scale
flows (mean flow). The primary bifurcation of the model is to a set of standing
waves (stripes, given the functional form of the model nonlinearities chosen
here). Our results for the secondary instabilities of the primary wave show
that the mean flow leads to a weak destabilization of the base state against
Eckhaus and Transverse Amplitude Modulation instabilities, and introduces a new
longitudinal oscillatory instability which is absent without the coupling. We
compare our results with recent one dimensional amplitude equations for this
system systematically derived from the governing hydrodynamic equations.Comment: Complete paper with embedded figures (PostScript, 3 Mb)
http://www.csit.fsu.edu/~vinals/mss/jmv1.p
Global Substrate Profiling of Proteases in Human Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Reveals Consensus Motif Predominantly Contributed by Elastase
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) consist of antimicrobial molecules embedded in a web of extracellular DNA. Formation of NETs is considered to be a defense mechanism utilized by neutrophils to ensnare and kill invading pathogens, and has been recently termed NETosis. Neutrophils can be stimulated to undergo NETosis ex vivo, and are predicted to contain high levels of serine proteases, such as neutrophil elastase (NE), cathepsin G (CG) and proteinase 3 (PR3). Serine proteases are important effectors of neutrophil-mediated immunity, which function directly by degrading pathogenic virulent factors and indirectly via proteolytic activation or deactivation of cytokines, chemokines and receptors. In this study, we utilized a diverse and unbiased peptide library to detect and profile protease activity associated with NETs induced by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). We obtained a "proteolytic signature" from NETs derived from healthy donor neutrophils and used proteomics to assist in the identification of the source of this proteolytic activity. In addition, we profiled each neutrophil serine protease and included the newly identified enzyme, neutrophil serine protease 4 (NSP4). Each enzyme had overlapping yet distinct endopeptidase activities and often cleaved at unique sites within the same peptide substrate. The dominant proteolytic activity in NETs was attributed to NE; however, cleavage sites corresponding to CG and PR3 activity were evident. When NE was immunodepleted, the remaining activity was attributed to CG and to a lesser extent PR3 and NSP4. Our results suggest that blocking NE activity would abrogate the major protease activity associated with NETs. In addition, the newly identified substrate specificity signatures will guide the design of more specific probes and inhibitors that target NET-associated proteases
Amplification of MHD waves in swirling astrophysical flows
Recently it was found that helical magnetized flows efficiently amplify
Alfv\'en waves (Rogava et al. 2003, A&A, v.399, p.421). This robust and
manifold nonmodal effect was found to involve regimes of transient algebraic
growth (for purely ejectional flows), and exponential instabilities of both
usual and parametric nature. However the study was made in the incompressible
limit and an important question remained open - whether this amplification is
inherent to swirling MHD flows per se and what is the degree of its dependence
on the incompressibility condition. In this paper, in order to clear up this
important question, we consider full compressible spectrum of MHD modes:
Alfv\'en waves (AW), slow magnetosonic waves (SMW) and fast magnetosonic waves
(FMW). We find that helical flows inseparably blend these waves with each other
and make them unstable, creating the efficient energy transfer from the mean
flow to the waves. The possible role of these instabilities for the onset of
the MHD turbulence, self-heating of the flow and the overall dynamics of
astrophysical flows are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication (18.03.2003) in the
"Astronomy and Astrophysics
NMRDyn: A Program for NMR Relaxation Studies of Protein Association
Self-association is an important biological phenomenon that is associated with many cellular processes. NMR relaxation measurements provide data about protein molecular dynamics at the atomic level and are sensitive to changes induced by self-association. Thus, measurements and analysis of NMR relaxation data can provide structurally resolved information on self-association that would not be accessible otherwise. Here, we present a computer program, NMRdyn, which analyses relaxation data to provide parameters defining protein self-association. Unlike existing relaxation analysis software, NMRdyn can explicitly model the monomer-oligomer equilibrium while fitting measured relaxation data. Additionally, the program is packaged with a user-friendly interface, which is important because relaxation data can often be large and complex. NMRdyn is available from http://research1t.imb.uq.edu.au/nmr/NMRdyn
Orientation of Vortices in a Superconducting Thin-Film: Quantitative Comparison of Spin-Polarized Neutron Reflectivity and Magnetization
We present a quantitative comparison of the magnetization measured by
spin-polarized neutron reflectivity (SPNR) and DC magnetometry on a 1370 \AA\
-thick Nb superconducting film. As a function of magnetic field applied in the
film plane, SPNR exhibits reversible behavior whereas the DC magnetization
shows substantial hysteresis. The difference between these measurements is
attributed to a rotation of vortex magnetic field out of the film plane as the
applied field is reduced. Since SPNR measures only the magnetization parallel
to the film plane whereas DC magnetization is strongly influenced by the
perpendicular component of magnetization when there is a slight sample tilt,
combining the two techniques allows one to distinguish two components of
magnetization in a thin film.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, It will be printed in PRB, Oct. 200
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