7,267 research outputs found
Spontaneously modulated spin textures in a dipolar spinor Bose-Einstein condensate
Helical spin textures in a Rb F=1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate are
found to decay spontaneously toward a spatially modulated structure of spin
domains. This evolution is ascribed to magnetic dipolar interactions that
energetically favor the short-wavelength domains over the long-wavelength spin
helix. This is confirmed by eliminating the dipolar interactions by a sequence
of rf pulses and observing a suppression of the formation of the short-range
domains. This study confirms the significance of magnetic dipole interactions
in degenerate Rb F=1 spinor gases
Design and in Vitro Evaluation of a New Nano-Microparticulate System for Enhanced Aqueous-Phase Solubility of Curcumin
Curcumin, a yellow polyphenol derived from the turmeric Curcuma longa, has been associated with a diverse therapeutic potential including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and anticancer properties. However, the poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability of curcumin have limited its potential when administrated orally. In this study, curcumin was encapsulated in a series of novel nano-microparticulate systems developed to improve its aqueous solubility and stability. The nano-microparticulate systems are based entirely on biocompatible, biodegradable, and edible polymers including chitosan, alginate, and carrageenan. The particles were synthesized via ionotropic gelation. Encapsulating the curcumin into the hydrogel nanoparticles yielded a homogenous curcumin dispersion in aqueous solution compared to the free form of curcumin. Also, the in vitro release profile showed up to 95% release of curcumin from the developed nano-microparticulate systems after 9 hours in PBS at pH 7.4 when freeze-dried particles were used.CONACYTCUPIAPharmac
Assessing equity in transport accessibility to work and study: The Bogotá region
This research was aimed at exploring levels of equity in accessibility to employment and education in the city-region of Bogotá, Colombia's capital city. Building on consolidated methodologies for the assessment of potential accessibility, we estimate accessibility indicators at the zone level, evaluate how potential accessibility varies among income groups, and present evidence related to transport mode, in order to analyze social and spatial inequalities produced by the distribution of accessibility to employment and education activities. The research incorporates a method to evaluate how accessibility varies among zones according to average income and mode of transport in order to produce evidence-based arguments that can inform transport policy in the city-region of Bogotá, and other similar contexts in the Global South. Our results show strong distributional effects of the socio-spatial and economic structure of the city-region, its transport infrastructure and services, and the effect of current transport and land-use policies for citizens of different income groups. The tools and empirical evidence in this research seek to contribute to informed policy development in Latin America and other developing contexts, and feeding current debates on the role of accessibility in addressing social and spatial inequalities stemming from urban mobility
The Education System in Mexico
Over the last three decades, a significant amount of research has sought to relate educational institutions, policies, practices and reforms to social structures and agencies. A number of models have been developed that have become the basis for attempting to understand the complex relation between education and society. At the same time, national and international bodies tasked with improving educational performances seem to be writing in a void, in that there is no rigorous theory guiding their work, and their documents exhibit few references to groups, institutions and forces that can impede or promote their programmes and projects. As a result, the recommendations these bodies provide to their clients display little to no comprehension of how and under what conditions the recommendations can be put into effect.
The Education System in Mexico directly addresses this problem. By combining abstract insights with the practicalities of educational reforms, policies, practices and their social antecedents, it offers a long overdue reflection of the history, effects and significance of the Mexican educational system, as well as presenting a more cogent understanding of the relationship between educational institutions and social forces in Mexico and around the world
The Evolution of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Disks or Spheroids?
Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) are a diverse class of galaxies
characterized by high luminosities, blue colors, and high surface brightnesses.
Residing at the high luminosity, high mass end of the blue sequence, LCBGs sit
at the critical juncture of galaxies that are evolving from the blue to the red
sequence. Yet we do not understand what drives the evolution of LCBGs, nor how
they will evolve. Based on single-dish HI observations, we know that they have
a diverse range of properties. LCBGs are HI-rich with M(HI)=10^{9-10.5} M(sun),
have moderate M(dyn)=10^{10-12} M(sun), and 80% have gas depletion timescales
less than 3 Gyr. These properties are consistent with LCBGs evolving into
low-mass spirals or high mass dwarf ellipticals or dwarf irregulars. However,
LCBGs do not follow the Tully-Fisher relation, nor can most evolve onto it,
implying that many LCBGs are not smoothly rotating, virialized systems. GMRT
and VLA HI maps confirm this conclusion revealing signatures of recent
interactions and dynamically hot components in some local LCBGs, consistent
with the formation of a thick disk or spheroid. Such signatures and the high
incidence of close companions around LCBGs suggest that star formation in local
LCBGs is likely triggered by interactions. The dynamical masses and apparent
spheroid formation in LCBGs combined with previous results from optical
spectroscopy are consistent with virial heating being the primary mechanism for
quenching star formation in these galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to appear in "Hunting for the Dark: The Hidden
Side of Galaxy Formation", Malta, 19-23 Oct. 2009, eds. V.P. Debattista &
C.C. Popescu, AIP Conf. Se
The Nature of Nearby Counterparts to Intermediate Redshift Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies I. Optical/H I Properties and Dynamical Masses
We present single-dish H I spectra obtained with the Green Bank Telescope,
along with optical photometric properties from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, of
20 nearby (D < 70 Mpc) Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs). These ~L*, blue,
high surface brightness, starbursting galaxies were selected with the same
criteria used to define LCBGs at higher redshifts. We find these galaxies are
gas-rich, with M(HI) ranging from 5*10^8 to 8*10^9 M_sun, and M(HI)/L_B ranging
from 0.2 to 2 M_sun/L_sun, consistent with a variety of morphological types of
galaxies. We find the dynamical masses (measured within R_25) span a wide
range, from 3*10^9 to 1*10^11 M_sun. However, at least half have dynamical
mass-to-light ratios smaller than nearby galaxies of all Hubble types, as found
for LCBGs at intermediate redshifts. By comparing line widths and effective
radii with local galaxy populations, we find that LCBGs are consistent with the
dynamical mass properties of Magellanic (low luminosity) spirals, and the more
massive irregulars and dwarf ellipticals, such as NGC 205.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Ap
Trajectory design strategies that incorporate invariant manifolds and swingby
Libration point orbits serve as excellent platforms for scientific investigations involving the Sun as well as planetary environments. Trajectory design in support of such missions is increasingly challenging as more complex missions are envisioned in the next few decades. Software tools for trajectory design in this regime must be further developed to incorporate better understanding of the solution space and, thus, improve the efficiency and expand the capabilities of current approaches. Only recently applied to trajectory design, dynamical systems theory now offers new insights into the natural dynamics associated with the multi-body problem. The goal of this effort is the blending of analysis from dynamical systems theory with the well established NASA Goddard software program SWINGBY to enhance and expand the capabilities for mission design. Basic knowledge concerning the solution space is improved as well
The Nature of Nearby Counterparts to Intermediate Redshift Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies II. CO Observations
We present the results of a single-dish beam-matched survey of the three
lowest rotational transitions of CO in a sample of 20 local (D < 70 Mpc)
Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs). These ~L*, blue, high surface
brightness, starbursting galaxies were selected with the same criteria used to
define LCBGs at higher redshifts. Our detection rate was 70%, with those
galaxies having Lblue<7e9 Lsun no detected. We find the H2 masses of local
LCBGs range from 6.6e6 to 2.7e9 Msun, assuming a Galactic CO-to-H2 conversion
factor. Combining these results with our earlier HI survey of the same sample,
we find that the ratio of molecular to atomic gas mass is low, typically 5-10%.
Using a Large Velocity Gradient model, we find that the average gas conditions
of the entire ISM in local LCBGs are similar to those found in the centers of
star forming regions in our Galaxy, and nuclear regions of other galaxies. Star
formation rates, determined from IRAS fluxes, are a few solar masses per year,
much higher per unit dynamical mass than normal spirals. If this rate remains
constant, the molecular hydrogen depletion time scales are short, 10-200 Myr.Comment: accepted for publication in the ApJ (vol 625
- …