21,210 research outputs found
The evolution of the stellar populations in low surface brightness galaxies
We investigate the star formation history and chemical evolution of low
surface brightness (LSB) disk galaxies by modelling their observed
spectro-photometric and chemical properties using a galactic chemical and
photometric evolution model incorporating a detailed metallicity depen dent set
of stellar input data. For a large fraction of the LSB galaxies in our sample,
observed properties are best explained by models incorporating an exponentially
decreasing global star formation rate (SFR) ending at a present-day gas
fraction (M_{gas}/(M_{gas}+M_{stars}) = 0.5 for a galaxy age of 14 Gyr. For
some galaxies small amplitude star formation bursts are required to explain the
contribution of the young (5-50 Myr old) stellar population to the galaxy
integrated luminosity. This suggests that star formation has proceeded in a
stochastic manner.
The presence of an old stellar population in many late-type LSB galaxies
suggests that LSB galaxies roughly follow the same evolutionary history as HSB
galaxies, except at a much lower rate. In particular, our results imply that
LSB galaxies do not form late, nor have a delayed onset of star formation, but
simply evolve slowly.Comment: To be published in A&
A Morphological-type dependence in the mu_0-log(h) plane of Spiral galaxy disks
We present observational evidence for a galaxy `Type' dependence to the
location of a spiral galaxy's disk parameters in the mu_0-log(h) (central disk
surface-brightness - disk scale-length) plane. With a sample of ~40 Low Surface
Brightness galaxies (both bulge- and disk-dominated) and ~80 High Surface
Brightness galaxies, the early-type disk galaxies (<=Sc) tend to define a
bright envelope in the mu_0-log(h) plane, while the late-type (>=Scd) spiral
galaxies have, in general, smaller and fainter disks. Below the defining
surface brightness threshold for a Low Surface Brightness galaxy (i.e. more
than 1 mag fainter than the 21.65 B-mag arcsec^(-2) Freeman value), the
early-type spiral galaxies have scale-lengths greater than 8-9 kpc, while the
late-type spiral galaxies have smaller scale-lengths. All galaxies have been
modelled with a seeing-convolved Sersic r^(1/n) bulge and exponential disk
model. We show that the trend of decreasing bulge shape parameter (n) with
increasing Hubble type and decreasing bulge-to-disk luminosity ratio, which has
been observed amongst the High Surface Brightness galaxies, extends to the Low
Surface Brightness galaxies, revealing a continuous range of structural
parameters.Comment: To be published in ApJ. Inc. three two-part figure
The Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relation
We explore the Tully-Fisher relation over five decades in stellar mass in
galaxies with circular velocities ranging over 30 < Vc < 300 km/s. We find a
clear break in the optical Tully-Fisher relation: field galaxies with Vc < 90
km/s fall below the relation defined by brighter galaxies. These faint galaxies
are however very gas rich; adding in the gas mass and plotting baryonic disk
mass Md = M* + Mg in place of luminosity restores a single linear relation. The
Tully-Fisher relation thus appears fundamentally to be a relation between
rotation velocity and total baryonic mass of the form Md = A Vc^4.Comment: 10 pages including 1 color figure. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Letter
The Effects of Starburst Activity on Low Surface Brightness Disk Galaxies
Although numerous simulations have been done to understand the effects of
intense bursts of star formation on high surface brightness galaxies, few
attempts have been made to understand how localized starbursts would affect
both the color and surface brightness of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies.
To remedy this, we have run 53 simulations involving bursts of star formation
activity on LSB galaxies, varying both the underlying galaxy properties and the
parameters describing the starbursts. We discovered that although changing the
total color of a galaxy was fairly straightforward, it was virtually impossible
to alter a galaxy's central surface brightness and thereby remove it from the
LSB galaxy classification without placing a high (and fairly artificial)
threshold for the underlying gas density. The primary effect of large amounts
of induced star formation was to produce a centralized core (bulge) component
which is generally not observed in LSB galaxies. The noisy morphological
appearance of LSB galaxies as well as their noisy surface brightness profiles
can be reproduced by considering small bursts of star formation that are
localized within the disk. The trigger mechanism for such bursts is likely
distant/weak tidal encounters. The stability of disk central surface brightness
to these periods of star formation argues that the large space density of LSB
galaxies at z = 0 should hold to substantially higher redshifts.Comment: 38 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, tarred and compressed Also available
on http://guernsey.uoregon.edu/~kare
Enhanced sensitivity of postsynaptic serotonin-1A receptors in rats and mice with high trait aggression
Individual differences in aggressive behaviour have been linked to variability in central serotonergic activity, both in humans and animals. A previous experiment in mice, selectively bred for high or low levels of aggression, showed an up-regulation of postsynaptic serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) receptors, both in receptor binding and in mRNA levels, in the aggressive line. The aim of this experiment was to study whether similar differences in 5-HT1A receptors exist in individuals from a random-bred rat strain, varying in aggressiveness. In addition, because little is known about the functional consequences of these receptor differences, a response mediated via postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors (i.e., hypothermia) was studied both in the selection lines of mice and in the randomly bred rats. The difference in receptor binding, as demonstrated in mice previously, could not be shown in rats. However, both in rats and mice, the hypothermic response to the 5-HT1A agonist alnespirone was larger in aggressive individuals. So, in the rat strain as well as in the mouse lines, there is, to a greater or lesser extent, an enhanced sensitivity of postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors in aggressive individuals. This could be a compensatory up-regulation induced by a lower basal 5-HT neurotransmission, which is in agreement with the serotonin deficiency hypothesis of aggression.
Developing health enhancing physical activity modules for higher and vocational education
Health enhancing physical inactivity is a growing concern leading to health problems in Europe and nationwide. WHO (2017) stated that the current levels of physical inactivity are the consequence of insufficient participation in physical activity and an increase in sedentary behavior. The British Heart Foundation (2015) also reported that 13 to 15 years in England were sedentary for six hours or more for both genders (boys = 24%, girls = 16%) on weekdays, and there was a spike of sedentary behaviour on weekend days with 43% of boys and 37% for this age group.
The "Sport, Physical Education and Coaching for Health" (SPEACH) project, is an Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (2015-2017). The key purpose of the project to prepare professional practitioners in higher and vocational education in the areas of Physical Education, Sports and Physical Activity to change behaviors of the citizens of Europe and increase physical activity. To achieve this, the project culminated in developing, validating, piloting and evaluating five Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) related modules, which may be embedded into existing education structures in the areas of Physical Education, Sports and Physical Activity.
The design of the HEPA modules attempts to test a cutting edge multidisciplinary approach that bridges the gap between research / theory and practice (Armour, 2014). The needs analysis phase of the project comprised survey responses of 660 students in higher and vocational education studying Physical Education, Sports and Physical Activity from seven European countries; 14 interviewees with subject experts; and a focus group with professional and academic field experts.
The results demonstrated that students in particular welcome a multidisciplinary approach for module content. The combination of “dual” content themes in modules was a key innovation that students responded favourably to, therefore HEPA modules covered themes such as changing behavior; personal leadership; physical activity for special target groups; health policy; linked to young people, their families and sport; management; nutrition, walking sports and healthy aging; and so on.. Surveyed students’ views of desirable pedagogy / didactics for these modules were practice oriented; training; internship / work based; group-and classroom based teaching. Three HEPA modules were piloted in a real-life setting in an intensive week of teaching (20 hours) each module to three groups of undergraduate students from Physical Education, Sports and Physical Activity from Europe that opted to participate in the pilot study. The developed HEPA modules were evaluated by students and staff; and the findings demonstrated relevance, enjoyment, flexibility and differentiated levels of instruction that will facilitate the embedding of any of these modules at vocational, bachelor as well as master level. These modules will be available online in an open resource that will facilitate free access, collaboration and cooperation of stakeholders in higher and vocational education in the areas of Physical Education, Sports and Physical Activity
Clinical supervision for counsellors in areas of armed conflict
This article describes clinical supervision of counsellors as a structured process that encompasses emotional support, education and monitoring of professional performance. It is based on the experiences of the authors while supervising counsellors with limited professional education in areas of armed conflict
Simulations of Dust in Interacting Galaxies I: Dust Attenuation
A new Monte-Carlo radiative-transfer code, Sunrise, is used in conjunction
with hydrodynamic simulations of major galaxy mergers to calculate the effects
of dust in such systems. The simulations are in good agreement with
observations of dust absorption in starburst galaxies, and the dust has a
profound effect on their appearance. The dust attenuation increases with
luminosity such that at peak luminosities ~90% of the bolometric luminosity is
absorbed by dust. In general, the detailed appearance of the merging event
depends on the stage of the merger and the geometry of the encounter. The
fraction of bolometric energy absorbed by the dust, however, is a robust
quantity that can be predicted from the intrinsic properties bolometric
luminosity, baryonic mass, star-formation rate, and metallicity of the system.
This paper presents fitting formulae, valid over a wide range of masses and
metallicities, from which the absorbed fraction of luminosity (and consequently
also the infrared dust luminosity) can be predicted. The attenuation of the
luminosity at specific wavelengths can also be predicted, albeit with a larger
scatter due to the variation with viewing angle. These formulae for dust
attenuation appear to be valid for both isolated and interacting galaxies, are
consistent with earlier studies, and would be suitable for inclusion in
theoretical models, e.g. semi-analytic models of galaxy formation.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Ap
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