2,700 research outputs found
Absolute diffuse calibration of IRAC through mid-infrared and radio study of HII regions
We investigate the diffuse absolute calibration of the InfraRed Array Camera
on the Spitzer Space Telescope at 8.0microns using a sample of 43 HII regions
with a wide range of morphologies near GLON=312deg. For each region we
carefully measure sky-subtracted,point-source- subtracted, areally-integrated
IRAC 8.0-micron fluxes and compare these with Midcourse Space eXperiment (MSX)
8.3-micron images at two different spatial resolutions, and with radio
continuum maps. We determine an accurate median ratio of IRAC
8.0-micron/MSX\8.3-micron fluxes, of 1.55+/-0.15. From robust spectral energy
distributions of these regions we conclude that the present 8.0-micron diffuse
calibration of the SST is 36% too high compared with the MSX validated
calibration, perhaps due to scattered light inside the camera. This is an
independent confirmation of the result derived for the diffuse calibration of
IRAC by the Spitzer Science Center (SSC).
From regression analyses we find that 843-MHz radio fluxes of HII regions and
mid-infrared (MIR) fluxes are linearly related for MSX at 8.3-microns and
Spitzer at 8.0 microns, confirming the earlier MSX result by Cohen & Green. The
median ratio of MIR/843-MHz diffuse continuum fluxes is 600 times smaller in
nonthermal than thermal regions, making it a sharp discriminant. The ratios are
largely independent of morphology up to a size of ~24 arcsec. We provide
homogeneous radio and MIR morphologies for all sources. MIR morphology is not
uniquely related to radio structure. Compact regions may have MIR filaments
and/or diffuse haloes, perhaps infrared counter- parts to weakly ionized radio
haloes found around compact HII regions. We offer two IRAC colour-colour plots
as quantitative diagnostics of diffuse HII regions.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX (aastex), incl. 31 PostScript (ps,eps) figures and 5
tables. Accepted by MNRAS (main journal). Replaced an unused file and added
this URL for people wishing to download a version with high-resolution
images: http://www.astro.wisc.edu/sirtf/martin.hii.accepted.pd
G313.3+00.3: A New Planetary Nebula discovered by the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Spitzer Space Telescope
We present a new planetary nebula, first identified in images from the
Australia Telescope Compact Array, although not recognized at that time. Recent
observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope during the GLIMPSE Legacy program
have rediscovered the object. The high-resolution radio and infrared images
enable the identification of the central star or its wind, the recognition of
the radio emission as thermal, and the probable presence of polycylic aromatic
hydrocarbons in and around the source. These lead to the conclusion that
G313.3+00.3 is a planetary nebula. This object is of particular interest
because it was discovered solely through radio and mid-infrared imaging,
without any optical (or near-infrared) confirmation, and acts as a proof of
concept for the discovery of many more highly extinguished planetary nebulae.
G313.3+00.3 is well-resolved by both the instruments with which it was
identified, and suffers extreme reddening due to its location in the
Scutum-Crux spiral arm.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX (aastex), incl. 8 PostScript (eps) figures and 1
table. Accepted by ApJ (Part 1
Photochemical pump and NMR probe : Chemically created NMR coherence on a microsecond time scale
We report pump-probe experiments employing laser-synchronized reactions of para-hydrogen (para-H2) with transition metal dihydride complexes in conjunction with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. The pump-probe experiment consists of a single nanosecond laser pump pulse followed, after a precisely defined delay, by a single radio frequency (rf) probe pulse. Laser irradiation eliminates H2 from either Ru(PPh3) 3(CO)(H)2 1 or cis-Ru(dppe)2(H)2 2 in C6D6 solution. Reaction with para-H2 then regenerates 1 and 2 in a well-defined nuclear spin state. The rf probe pulse produces a high-resolution, single-scan 1H NMR spectrum that can be recorded after a pump-probe delay of just 10 μs. The evolution of the spectra can be followed as the pump-probe delay is increased by micro- or millisecond increments. Due to the sensitivity of this para-H2 experiment, the resulting NMR spectra can have hydride signal-to-noise ratios exceeding 750:1. The spectra of 1 oscillate in amplitude with frequency 1101 ± 3 Hz, the chemical shift difference between the chemically inequivalent hydrides. The corresponding hydride signals of 2 oscillate with frequency 83 ± 5 Hz, which matches the difference between couplings of the hydrides to the equatorial 31P nuclei. We use the product operator formalism to show that this oscillatory behavior arises from a magnetic coherence in the plane orthogonal to the magnetic field that is generated by use of the laser pulse without rf initialization. In addition, we demonstrate how chemical shift imaging can differentiate the region of laser irradiation thereby distinguishing between thermal and photochemical reactivity within the NMR tube
Spitzer IRAC observations of newly-discovered planetary nebulae from the Macquarie-AAO-Strasbourg H-alpha Planetary Nebula Project
We compare H-alpha, radio continuum, and Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) images
of 58 planetary nebulae (PNe) recently discovered by the Macquarie-AAO-Strasbo-
urg H-alpha PN Project (MASH) of the SuperCOSMOS H-alpha Survey. Using InfraRed
Array Camera (IRAC) data we define the IR colors of PNe and demonstrate good
isolation between these colors and those of many other types of astronomical
object. The only substantive contamination of PNe in the color-color plane we
illustrate is due to YSOs. However, this ambiguity is readily resolved by the
unique optical characteristics of PNe and their environs. We also examine the
relationships between optical and MIR morphologies from 3.6 to 8.0um and
explore the ratio of mid-infrared (MIR) to radio nebular fluxes, which is a
valuable discriminant between thermal and nonthermal emission. MASH emphasizes
late evolutionary stages of PNe compared with previous catalogs, enabling study
of the changes in MIR and radio flux that attend the aging process. Spatially
integrated MIR energy distributions were constructed for all MASH PNe observed
by the GLIMPSE Legacy Project, using the H-alpha morphologies to establish the
dimensions for the calculations of the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), IRAC,
and radio continuum (from the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope and the
Very Large Array) flux densities. The ratio of IRAC 8.0-um to MSX 8.3-um flux
densities provides a measure of the absolute diffuse calibration of IRAC at 8.0
um. We independently confirm the aperture correction factor to be applied to
IRAC at 8.0um to align it with the diffuse calibration of MSX. The result
agrees with the recommendations of the Spitzer Science Center and with results
from a parallel study of HII regions. These PNe probe the diffuse calibration
of IRAC on a spatial scale of 9-77 arcsec.Comment: 48 pages, LaTeX (aastex), incl. 18 PostScript (eps) figures and 3
tables. Accepted by Astrophysical Journa
A Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Survey of Supernova Remnants in the Inner Galaxy
Using Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) images at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 microns
from the GLIMPSE Legacy science program on the Spitzer Space Telescope, we
searched for infrared counterparts to the 95 known supernova remnants that are
located within galactic longitudes 65>|l|>10 degrees and latitudes |b|<1
degree. Eighteen infrared counterparts were detected. Many other supernova
remnants could have significant infrared emission but are in portions of the
Milky Way too confused to allow separation from bright HII regions and
pervasive mid-infrared emission from atomic and molecular clouds along the line
of sight. Infrared emission from supernova remnants originates from synchrotron
emission, shock-heated dust, atomic fine-structure lines, and molecular lines.
The detected remnants are G11.2-0.3, Kes 69, G22.7-0.2, 3C 391, W 44, 3C 396,
3C 397, W 49B, G54.4-0.3, Kes 17, Kes 20A, RCW 103, G344.7-0.1, G346.6-0.2, CTB
37A, G348.5-0.0, and G349.7+0.2. The infrared colors suggest emission from
molecular lines (9 remnants), fine-structure lines (3), and PAH (4), or a
combination; some remnants feature multiple colors in different regions. None
of the remnants are dominated by synchrotron radiation at mid-infrared
wavelengths. The IRAC-detected sample emphasizes remnants interacting with
relatively dense gas, for which most of the shock cooling occurs through
molecular or ionic lines in the mid-infrared.Comment: Accepted 10/18/2005 for publication in "The Astronomical Journal".
The figures in this astro-ph submission are drastically reduced in quality in
order to fit within its limit
Social Value of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in England and Wales.
The U.K. government is committed to establishing a coherent network of marine protected
areas by 2012 and the recentMarine and Coastal Access Act, 2009 will designate
marine conservation zones and provide wider access rights to the coast. To fulfill these
goals, this article argues the need for a clearer, shared understanding of the social
value of protected areas in creating new designations and managing existing ones. Although
marine and coastal environments attract many people and are vitally important
in terms of realized and potential social value, the majority of the public in the United
Kingdom lacks understanding and awareness regarding them. Combined with this, the
social value of marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) have been largely ignored
relative to conservation and economics, with the latter invariably taking precedence
in environmental policymaking. Social value reflects the complex, individual responses
that people experience in a given place. Many reasons determine why one area is valued
above another, and this research investigates the social value of MCPAs from a
practitioner’s perspective through a series of interviews. Understanding why we “socially”
value MCPAs will ultimately equip managers with an informed understanding
of these spaces, influence management decisions, and, potentially, policymaking. This
article defines social value in the context of MCPAs in England and Wales from a
practitioner perspective, explores key concepts, and suggests possible improvements in
decision-making
Brain-derived proteins in the CSF, do they correlate with brain pathology in CJD?
BACKGROUND: Brain derived proteins such as 14-3-3, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S 100b, tau, phosphorylated tau and Aβ(1–42 )were found to be altered in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patients. The pathogenic mechanisms leading to these abnormalities are not known, but a relation to rapid neuronal damage is assumed. No systematic analysis on brain-derived proteins in the CSF and neuropathological lesion profiles has been performed. METHODS: CSF protein levels of brain-derived proteins and the degree of spongiform changes, neuronal loss and gliosis in various brain areas were analyzed in 57 CJD patients. RESULTS: We observed three different patterns of CSF alteration associated with the degree of cortical and subcortical changes. NSE levels increased with lesion severity of subcortical areas. Tau and 14-3-3 levels increased with minor pathological changes, a negative correlation was observed with severity of cortical lesions. Levels of the physiological form of the prion protein (PrP(c)) and Aβ(1–42 )levels correlated negatively with cortical pathology, most clearly with temporal and occipital lesions. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the alteration of levels of brain-derived proteins in the CSF does not only reflect the degree of neuronal damage, but it is also modified by the localization on the brain pathology. Brain specific lesion patterns have to be considered when analyzing CSF neuronal proteins
Livestock trade networks for guiding animal health surveillance
BACKGROUND: Trade in live animals can contribute to the introduction of exotic diseases, the maintenance and spread endemic diseases. Annually millions of animals are moved across Europe for the purposes of breeding, fattening and slaughter. Data on the number of animals moved were obtained from the Directorate General Sanco (DG Sanco) for 2011. These were converted to livestock units to enable direct comparison across species and their movements were mapped, used to calculate the indegrees and outdegrees of 27 European countries and the density and transitivity of movements within Europe. This provided the opportunity to discuss surveillance of European livestock movement taking into account stopping points en-route. RESULTS: High density and transitivity of movement for registered equines, breeding and fattening cattle, breeding poultry and pigs for breeding, fattening and slaughter indicates that hazards have the potential to spread quickly within these populations. This is of concern to highly connected countries particularly those where imported animals constitute a large proportion of their national livestock populations, and have a high indegree. The transport of poultry (older than 72 hours) and unweaned animals would require more rest breaks than the movement of weaned animals, which may provide more opportunities for disease transmission. Transitivity is greatest for animals transported for breeding purposes with cattle, pigs and poultry having values of over 50%. CONCLUSIONS: This paper demonstrated that some species (pigs and poultry) are traded much more frequently and at a larger scale than species such as goats. Some countries are more vulnerable than others due to importing animals from many countries, having imported animals requiring rest-breaks and importing large proportions of their national herd or flock. Such knowledge about the vulnerability of different livestock systems related to trade movements can be used to inform the design of animal health surveillance systems to facilitate the trade in animals between European member states. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0354-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
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