7,909 research outputs found
The optical-ultraviolet continuum of Seyfert 2 galaxies
This paper aims to understand the continuum of Seyfert 2 galaxies. By fitting
the single galaxies in the sample of Heckman et al. (1995) with composite
models (shock+ photoionization from the active center), we show that five main
components characterize the SED of the continuum. Shocks play an important role
since they produce a high temperature zone where soft X-rays are emitted.
We show that in the optical-UV range, the slope of the NLR emission
reproduces the observed values, and may be the main component of the
featureless continuum. The presence of star forming regions cannot be excluded
in the circumnuclear region of various Seyfert galaxies. An attempt is made to
find their fingerprints in the observed AGN spectra. Finally, it is
demonstrated that multi-cloud models are necessary to interpret the spectra of
single objects, even in the global investigation of a sample of galaxies.Comment: 26 pages, LaTeX (including 5 Tables) + 17 PostScript figures. To
appear in "The Astrophysical Journal
Projectile Excitations in Reactions
It has recently been proven from measurements of the spin-transfer
coefficients and that there is a small but non-vanishing
component , in the inclusive reaction
cross section . It is shown that the dominant part of the measured
can be explained in terms of the projectile excitation
mechanism. An estimate is further made of contributions to from
s-wave rescattering process. It is found that s-wave rescattering contribution
is much smaller than the contribution coming from projectile
excitation mechanism. The addition of s-wave rescattering contribution to the
dominant part, however, improves the fit to the data.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, figures can be obtained upon reques
Analysis of contamination in cluster randomized trials of malaria interventions
BACKGROUND: In cluster randomized trials (CRTs) of interventions against malaria, mosquito movement between households ultimately leads to contamination between intervention and control arms, unless they are separated by wide buffer zones. METHODS: This paper proposes a method for adjusting estimates of intervention effectiveness for contamination and for estimating a contamination range between intervention arms, the distance over which contamination measurably biases the estimate of effectiveness. A sigmoid function is fitted to malaria prevalence or incidence data as a function of the distance of households to the intervention boundary, stratified by intervention status and including a random effect for the clustering. The method is evaluated in a simulation study, corresponding to a range of rural settings with varying intervention effectiveness and contamination range, and applied to a CRT of insecticide treated nets in Ghana. RESULTS: The simulations indicate that the method leads to approximately unbiased estimates of effectiveness. Precision decreases with increasing mosquito movement, but the contamination range is much smaller than the maximum distance traveled by mosquitoes. For the method to provide precise and approximately unbiased estimates, at least 50% of the households should be at distances greater than the estimated contamination range from the discordant intervention arm. CONCLUSIONS: A sigmoid approach provides an appropriate analysis for a CRT in the presence of contamination. Outcome data from boundary zones should not be discarded but used to provide estimates of the contamination range. This gives an alternative to "fried egg" designs, which use large clusters (increasing costs) and exclude buffer zones to avoid bias
Schwarzschild Atmospheric Processes: A Classical Path to the Quantum
We develop some classical descriptions for processes in the Schwarzschild
string atmosphere. These processes suggest relationships between macroscopic
and microscopic scales. The classical descriptions developed in this essay
highlight the fundamental quantum nature of the Schwarzschild atmospheric
processes.Comment: to appear in Gen. Rel. Gra
Transcriptional networks specifying homeostatic and inflammatory programs of gene expression in human aortic endothelial cells.
Endothelial cells (ECs) are critical determinants of vascular homeostasis and inflammation, but transcriptional mechanisms specifying their identities and functional states remain poorly understood. Here, we report a genome-wide assessment of regulatory landscapes of primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) under basal and activated conditions, enabling inference of transcription factor networks that direct homeostatic and pro-inflammatory programs. We demonstrate that 43% of detected enhancers are EC-specific and contain SNPs associated to cardiovascular disease and hypertension. We provide evidence that AP1, ETS, and GATA transcription factors play key roles in HAEC transcription by co-binding enhancers associated with EC-specific genes. We further demonstrate that exposure of HAECs to oxidized phospholipids or pro-inflammatory cytokines results in signal-specific alterations in enhancer landscapes and associate with coordinated binding of CEBPD, IRF1, and NFκB. Collectively, these findings identify cis-regulatory elements and corresponding trans-acting factors that contribute to EC identity and their specific responses to pro-inflammatory stimuli
Gravitational Collapse of Null Radiation and a String fluid
We consider the end state of collapsing null radiation with a string fluid.
It is shown that, if diffusive transport is assumed for the string, that a
naked singularity can form (at least locally). The model has the advantage of
not being asymptotically flat. We also analyse the case of a radiation-string
two-fluid and show that a locally naked singularity can result in the collapse
of such matter. We contrast this model with that of strange quark matter.Comment: RevTeX 4.0 (8 pages - no figures). submitted to Phys Rev D. Some
changes to abstract, introduction and conclusion - references update
A Second Luminous Blue Variable in the Quintuplet Cluster
H and K band moderate resolution and 4 m high resolution spectra have
been obtained for FMM#362, a bright star in the Quintuplet Cluster near the
Galactic Center. The spectral features in these bands closely match those of
the Pistol Star, a luminous blue variable and one of the most luminous stars
known. The new spectra and previously-obtained photometry imply a very high
luminosity for FMM#362, L \Lsun, and a temperature of 10,000 -
13,000 K. Based on its luminosity, temperature, photometric variability, and
similarities to the Pistol Star, we conclude that FMM#362 is a luminous blue
variable.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 4
PostScript figures, 2 table
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