244 research outputs found
Berechnung der Aktivierungsenergien fĂŒr die thermische cis-trans-Isomerisierung substituierter Stilbene, Stilbazole und Stilbazolium-Salze
Die Aktivierungsenergien der thermischen cis-trans-Isome- risierung substituierter Stilbene, Stilbazole und Stilbazolium-Salze werden mittels der HMO-Methode berechnet und mit den expe- rimentellen Werten verglichen. Die Ergebnisse werden im Zusam- menhang mit dem Mechanismus der thermischen cis-trans-Isomerisierung diskutiert
Detection of a large fraction of atomic gas not associated with star-forming material in M17 SW
We probe the column densities and masses traced by the ionized and neutral
atomic carbon with spectrally resolved maps, and compare them to the diffuse
and dense molecular gas traced by [C I] and low- CO lines toward the
star-forming region M17SW. We mapped a 4.1pc x 4.7pc region in the [C I] 609
m line using the APEX telescope, as well as the CO isotopologues with the
IRAM 30m telescope. We analyze the data based on velocity channel maps that are
1 km/s wide. We correlate their spatial distribution with that of the [C II]
map obtained with SOFIA/GREAT. Optically thin approximations were used to
estimate the column densities of [C I] and [C II] in each velocity channel. The
spatial distribution of the [C I] and all CO isotopologues emission was found
to be associated with that of [C II] in about 20%-80% of the mapped region,
with the high correlation found in the central (15-23 km/s ) velocity channels.
The excitation temperature of [C I] ranges between 40 K and 100 K in the inner
molecular region of M17 SW. Column densities in 1 km/s channels between
~10 and ~10 cm were found for [C I]. Just ~20% of the
velocity range (~40 km/s) that the [C II] line spans is associated with the
star-forming material traced by [C I] and CO. The total gas mass estimated from
the [C II] emission gives a lower limit of ~4.4x10 . At least
64% of this mass is not associated with the star-forming material in M17SW. We
also found that about 36%, 17%, and 47% of the [C II] emission is associated
with the HII, HI, and H_2 regimes, respectively. Comparisons with the
H41 line shows an ionization region mixed with the neutral and part of
the molecular gas, in agreement with the clumped structure and dynamical
processes at play in M17SW. These results are also relevant to extra-galactic
studies in which [C II] is often used as a tracer of star-forming material.Comment: 21 pages + 6 pages of appendix, 32 figures in total, accepted for
publication on A&A (10/12/2014) Relevant calibrated data cubes are available
on CD
Quantitative Estimates of Environmental Effects on the Star Formation Rate of Disk Galaxies in Clusters of Galaxies
A simple model is constructed to evaluate the change of star formation rate
of a disk galaxy due to environmental effects in clusters of galaxies. Three
effects, (1) tidal force from the potential well of the cluster, (2) increase
of external pressure when the galaxy plows into the intracluster medium, (3)
high-speed encounters between galaxies, are investigated. General analysis
indicates that the star formation rate increases significantly when the
pressure of molecular clouds rises above in yr. The tidal force from the potential well of the cluster increases
pressures of molecular clouds in a disk galaxy infalling towards the cluster
center. Before the galaxy reaches the cluster center, the star formation rate
reaches a maximum. The peak is three to four times larger than the initial
value. If this is the main mechanism of the Butcher-Oemler effect, blue
galaxies are expected to be located within kpc from the center of
the cluster. However this prediction is inconsistent with the recent
observations. The increase of external pressure when the galaxy plows into the
intracluster medium does not change star formation rate of a disk galaxy
significantly. The velocity perturbation induced by a single high-speed
encounter between galaxies is too small to affect star formation rate of a disk
galaxy, while successive high-speed encounters (galaxy harassment) trigger star
formation activity because of the accumulation of gas in the galaxy center.
Therefore, the galaxy harassment remains as the candidate for a mechanism of
the Butcher-Oemler effect.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures. To be published in Ap
NH3 in the Central 10 pc of the Galaxy. II. Determination of Opacity for Gas with Large Linewidths
The 23 GHz emission lines from the NH3 rotation inversion transitions are
widely used to investigate the kinematics and physical conditions in dense
molecular clouds. The line profile is composed of hyperfine components which
can be used to calculate the opacity of the gas (Ho & Townes 1983). If the
intrinsic linewidth of the gas exceeds one half of the separation of these
quadrupole hyperfine components (~5-10 km/s) these lines blend together and the
observed linewidths greatly overestimate the intrinsic linewidths. If
uncorrected, these artificially broad linewidths will lead to artificially high
opacities. We have observed this effect in our NH3 data from the central 10 pc
of the Galaxy where uncorrected NH3 (1,1) linewidths of ~30 km/s exaggerate the
intrinsic linewidths by more than a factor of two (Genzel & Townes 1987).
Models of the effect of blending on the line profile enable us to solve for the
intrinsic linewidth and opacity of NH3 using the observed linewidth and
intensity of two NH3 rotation inversion transitions. We present the result of
the application of this method to our Galactic Center data. We successfully
recover the intrinsic linewidth and opacity of the gas. Clouds close to the
nucleus in projected distance as well as those that are being impacted by Sgr A
East show the highest intrinsic linewidths. The cores of the ``southern
streamer'' (Ho et al. 1991; Coil & Ho 1999, 2000) and the ``50 km/s'' giant
molecular cloud have the highest opacities.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Surgical Smoke and Airborne Microbial Contamination in Operating Theatres: Influence of Ventilation and Surgical Phases
Air cleanliness is a crucial factor in operating theatres (OTs), where the health of patients and staff must be preserved by controlling air contamination. Particular attention must be paid to ultrafine particles (UFPs) size range, generated for instance by electrosurgical instruments (ESTs). OT contamination is also affected by ventilation systems, medical staff and their gowning system, staff routines, instruments, etc. This comparative study is based on experimental measurements of airborne microbial contamination and UFPs carried out during real ongoing surgeries in two OTs equipped with upward displacement ventilation (UWD) and hybrid ventilation, with unidirectional airflow on the operating table and peripheral mixing (UDAF+Mixing) ventilation systems. Airborne contamination concentration at the exit grilles has been analyzed as function of four different surgical phases normally performed during an operation. Results highlight that airborne contamination is influenced by the activities carried out during the surgical phases. EST usage affects the contamination level more than staff size during operation observed. Colony forming unit (CFU) values in the protected area close to the patient\u27s wound are influenced more by the type of ventilation system than by surgical phases. CFU values decrease by 18 to 50 times from the UWD system to the hybrid one. The large airflow volumes supply together with high air velocities in OTs equipped with UDAF+Mixing systems guarantee a better and a safer airborne contamination control for patients and medical team in comparison with UWD systems
A Model of the EGRET Source at the Galactic Center: Inverse Compton Scattering Within Sgr A East and its Halo
Continuum low-frequency radio observations of the Galactic Center reveal the
presence of two prominent radio sources, Sgr A East and its surrounding Halo,
containing non-thermal particle distributions with power-law indices around
2.5-3.3 and 2.4, respectively. The central 1-2 pc region is also a source of
intense (stellar) UV and (dust-reprocessed) far-IR radiation that bathes these
extended synchrotron-emitting structures. A recent detection of gamma-rays
(2EGJ1746-2852) from within around 1 degree of the Galactic Center by EGRET
onboard the Compton GRO shows that the emission from this environment extends
to very high energies.
We suggest that inverse Compton scatterings between the power-law electrons
inferred from the radio properties of Sgr A East and its Halo, and the UV and
IR photons from the nucleus, may account for the possibly diffuse gamma-ray
source as well. We show that both particle distributions may be contributing to
the gamma-ray emission, though their relevant strength depends on the actual
physical properties (such as the magnetic field intensity) in each source. If
this picture is correct, the high-energy source at the Galactic Center is
extended over several arcminutes, which can be tested with thenext generation
of gamma-ray and hard X-ray missions.Comment: latex, 14 pages, 3 figures (accepted for publication in ApJ
Mass Spectral Fragmentation Study of Substituted 1,3-Diphenyl- 2-pyrazolines
The electron impact induced fragmentation of twenty two 1,3-
-diphenyl-2-pyrazolines mono-, di- and trisubstituted in one or in
both phenyl rings was studied by deuterium labelling, high and
low resolution mass spectrometry, and ion kinetic energy spectroscopy.
The fragmentation patterns are discussed taking into account
especially the nature of the substituent and the position of substitution.
The results, compared with those for the unsubstituted compound,
showed that in general the phenyl ring substitution does
not affect its fragmentation. The formation of stable quinoid-type
ions directs many fragmentation pathways of methoxy substituted
compounds
The Nature of the Molecular Environment within 5 pc of the Galactic Center
We present a detailed study of molecular gas in the central 10pc of the
Galaxy through spectral line observations of four rotation inversion
transitions of NH3 made with the VLA. Updated line widths and NH3(1,1)
opacities are presented, and temperatures, column densities, and masses are
derived. We examine the impact of Sgr A East on molecular material at the
Galactic center and find that there is no evidence that the expansion of this
shell has moved a significant amount of the 50 km/s GMC. The western streamer,
however, shows strong indications that it is composed of material swept-up by
the expansion of Sgr A East. Using the mass and kinematics of the western
streamer, we calculate an energy of E=(2-9)x10^{51} ergs for the progenitor
explosion and conclude that Sgr A East was most likely produced by a single
supernova. The temperature structure of molecular gas in the central ~20pc is
also analyzed in detail. We find that molecular gas has a ``two-temperature''
structure similar to that measured by Huttemeister et al. (2003a) on larger
scales. The largest observed line ratios, however, cannot be understood in
terms of a two-temperature model, and most likely result from absorption of
NH3(3,3) emission by cool surface layers of clouds. By comparing the observed
NH3 (6,6)-to-(3,3) line ratios, we disentangle three distinct molecular
features within a projected distance of 2pc from Sgr A*. Gas associated with
the highest line ratios shows kinematic signatures of both rotation and
expansion. The southern streamer shows no significant velocity gradients and
does not appear to be directly associated with either the circumnuclear disk or
the nucleus. The paper concludes with a discussion of the line-of-sight
arrangement of the main features in the central 10pc.Comment: 51 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Due to size
limitations, some of the images have been cut from this version. A complete,
color PS or PDF version can be downloaded from
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~herrnstein/NH3/paper
A 10-year study of background surface ozone concentrations on the island of Gozo in the Central Mediterranean
A 10-year study of surface ozone mixing ratios in the Central Mediterranean was conducted based on continuous ozone measurements from 1997 to 2006 by a background regional Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station on the island of Gozo. The mean annual maximum mixing ratio is of the order of 66 ppbv in AprilâMay with a broad secondary maximum of 64 ppbv in JulyâSeptember. No long-term increase or decrease in the background level of surface ozone could be observed over the last 10 years. This is contrary to observations made in the Eastern Mediterranean, where a slow decrease in the background ozone mixing ratio was observed over the past 7 years. Despite the very high average annual ozone mixing ratio exceeding 50 ppbvâin fact, the highest average background ozone mixing ratio ever measured in Europeâ, the diurnal O3 max/O3 min index of <1.40 indicates that the island of Gozo is a good site for measuring background surface ozone. However, frequent photosmog events from June to September during the past 10 years with ozone mixing ratios exceeding 90 ppbv indicate that the Central Mediterranean is prone to long-range transport of air pollutants from Europe by northerly winds. This was particularly evident during the so-called âAugust heatwaveâ of the year 2003 when the overall ozone mixing ratio was 4.6 ppbv higher than the average of all other 9 months of August since 1997. Air mass back-trajectory analysis of the August 2003 photosmog episodes on Gozo confirmed that ozone pollution originated from the European continent. Regression analysis was used to analyse the 10-year data set in order to model the behaviour of the ozone mixing ratio in terms of the meteorological parameters of wind speed, relative humidity, global radiation, temperature, month of year, wind sector, atmospheric pressure, and time of day (predictors). Most of these predictors were found to significantly affect the ozone mixing ratios. From March to November, the monthly average of the AOT40 threshold value for the protection of crops and vegetation against ozone was constantly exceeded on Gozo during the past 10 years.peer-reviewe
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