602 research outputs found
Wind reversals in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection
The phenomenon of irregular cessation and subsequent reversal of the
large-scale circulation in turbulent Rayleigh-B\'enard convection is
theoretically analysed. The force and thermal balance on a single plume
detached from the thermal boundary layer yields a set of coupled nonlinear
equations, whose dynamics is related to the Lorenz equations. For Prandtl and
Rayleigh numbers in the range and 10^{7} \leq
\Ra \leq 10^{12}, the model has the following features: (i) chaotic reversals
may be exhibited at Ra ; (ii) the Reynolds number based on the
root mean square velocity scales as \Re_{rms} \sim \Ra^{[0.41 ...
0.47]} (depending on Pr), and as
(depending on Ra); and (iii) the mean reversal frequency follows an effective
scaling law \omega / (\nu L^{-2}) \sim \Pr^{-(0.64 \pm 0.01)} \Ra^{0.44 \pm
0.01}. The phase diagram of the model is sketched, and the observed
transitions are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
The massive Wolf-Rayet Binary LSS1964 (=WR29), II: the V light curve
Context. WR 29 is a known WN7h+O double-lined binary system with a rather short period (3.164 days). Aims. We search for light variations to determine the inclination of the system and thus the absolute masses of both components. Methods. We observed photometrically the field of WR 29 between December, 2002, and February, 2006. Results. We find that the V light of WR 29 varies in phase with the spectroscopic period of 3.16412 days, presenting two minima corresponding to the conjunctions of the binary components. Numerical models fitted to the light curve indicate an orbital inclination of about 44◦, and masses of 53 M and 42 M for the O- and WN-type components, respectively.Fil: Gamen, Roberto Claudio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Lajus, Eduardo Eusebio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Instituto de Astrofísica La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Niemela, Virpi Sinikka. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Barba, Rodolfo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Instituto de Ciencias Astronómicas, de la Tierra y del Espacio; Argentin
Depletion of Mediator Kinase Module Subunits Represses Superenhancer-Associated Genes in Colon Cancer Cells
In cancer, oncogene activation is partly mediated by acquired superenhancers, which therefore represent potential targets for inhibition. Superenhancers are enriched for BRD4 and Mediator, and both BRD4 and the Mediator MED12 subunit are disproportionally required for expression of superenhancer-associated genes in stem cells. Here we show that depletion of Mediator kinase module subunit MED12 or MED13 together with MED13L can be used to reduce expression of cancer-acquired superenhancer genes, such as the MYC gene, in colon cancer cells, with a concomitant decrease in proliferation. Whereas depletion of MED12 or MED13/MED13L caused a disproportional decrease of superenhancer gene expression, this was not seen with depletion of the kinases cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK8) and CDK19. MED12-MED13/MED13L-dependent superenhancer genes were coregulated by beta-catenin, which has previously been shown to associate with MED12. Importantly, beta-catenin depletion caused reduced binding of MED12 at the MYC superenhancer. The effect of MED12 or MED13/MED13L depletion on cancer-acquired superenhancer gene expression was more specific than and partially distinct from that of BRD4 depletion, with the most efficient inhibition seen with combined targeting. These results identify a requirement of MED12 and MED13/MED13L for expression of acquired superenhancer genes in colon cancer, implicating these Mediator subunits as potential therapeutic targets for colon cancer, alone or together with BRD4.Peer reviewe
The first orbital solution for the massive colliding-wind binary HD93162 (=WR25)
Since the discovery, with the EINSTEIN satellite, of strong X-ray emission
associated with HD93162 (=WR25), this object has been predicted to be a
colliding-wind binary system. However, radial-velocity variations that would
prove the suspected binary nature have yet to be found. We spectroscopically
monitored this object to investigate its possible variability to address this
discordance. We compiled the largest available radial-velocity data set for
this star to look for variations that might be due to binary motion. We derived
radial velocities from spectroscopic data acquired mainly between 1994 and
2006, and searched these radial velocities for periodicities using different
numerical methods. For the first time, periodic radial-velocity variations are
detected. Our analysis definitively shows that the Wolf-Rayet star WR25 is an
eccentric binary system with a probable period of about 208 days.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A+
Coexisting Pulses in a Model for Binary-Mixture Convection
We address the striking coexistence of localized waves (`pulses') of
different lengths which was observed in recent experiments and full numerical
simulations of binary-mixture convection. Using a set of extended
Ginzburg-Landau equations, we show that this multiplicity finds a natural
explanation in terms of the competition of two distinct, physical localization
mechanisms; one arises from dispersion and the other from a concentration mode.
This competition is absent in the standard Ginzburg-Landau equation. It may
also be relevant in other waves coupled to a large-scale field.Comment: 5 pages revtex with 4 postscript figures (everything uuencoded
Attractive Interaction Between Pulses in a Model for Binary-Mixture Convection
Recent experiments on convection in binary mixtures have shown that the
interaction between localized waves (pulses) can be repulsive as well as {\it
attractive} and depends strongly on the relative {\it orientation} of the
pulses. It is demonstrated that the concentration mode, which is characteristic
of the extended Ginzburg-Landau equations introduced recently, allows a natural
understanding of that result. Within the standard complex Ginzburg-Landau
equation this would not be possible.Comment: 7 pages revtex with 3 postscript figures (uuencoded
WR bubbles and HeII emission
We present the very first high quality images of the HeII 4686 emission in
three high excitation nebulae of the Magellanic Clouds. A fourth high
excitation nebula, situated around the WR star BAT99-2, was analysed in a
previous letter. Using VLT FORS data, we investigate the morphology of the ring
nebulae around the early-type WN stars BAT99-49 & AB7. We derive the total HeII
fluxes for each object and compare them with the most recent theoretical WR
models. Using Halpha, [OIII] and HeI 5876 images along with long-slit
spectroscopy, we investigate the physical properties of these ring nebulae and
find only moderate chemical enrichment. We also surveyed seven other LMC WR
stars but we failed to detect any HeII emission but note that the nebula around
BAT99-11 shows a N/O ratio and an oxygen abundance slightly lower than the LMC
values, while the nebula around BAT99-134 presents moderate chemical enrichment
similar to the one seen near BAT99-2, 49 and AB7. The third high excitation
nebula presented in this paper, N44C, does not harbor stars hotter than mid-O
main sequence stars. It was suggested to be a fossil X-ray nebula ionized but
our observations of N44C reveal no substantial changes in the excitation
compared to previous results reported in the literature.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures (7 in jpg), accepted by A&A, also available from
http://vela.astro.ulg.ac.be/Preprints/P81/index.htm
Alternative exon definition events control the choice between nuclear retention and cytoplasmic export of U11/U12-65K mRNA
Cellular homeostasis of the minor spliceosome is regulated by a negative feed-back loop that targets U11-48K and U11/U12-65K mRNAs encoding essential components of the U12-type intron-specific U11/U12 di-snRNP. This involves interaction of the U11 snRNP with an evolutionarily conserved splicing enhancer giving rise to unproductive mRNA isoforms. In the case of U11/U12-65K, this mechanism controls the length of the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR). We show that this process is dynamically regulated in developing neurons and some other cell types, and involves a binary switch between translation-competent mRNAs with a short 3'UTR to non-productive isoforms with a long 3'UTR that are retained in the nucleus or/and spliced to the downstream amylase locus. Importantly, the choice between these alternatives is determined by alternative terminal exon definition events regulated by conserved U12-and U2-type 50 splice sites as well as sequence signals used for pre-mRNA cleavage and polyadenylation. We additionally show that U11 snRNP binding to the U11/U12-65K mRNA species with a long 3'UTR is required for their nuclear retention. Together, our studies uncover an intricate molecular circuitry regulating the abundance of a key spliceosomal protein and shed new light on the mechanisms limiting the export of non-productively spliced mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.Peer reviewe
How do parents of preverbal children with acute otitis media determine how much ear pain their child is having?
The objective of this study was to determine how parents of preverbal children determine whether their child is having otalgia. We constructed 8 cases describing a 1-year-old child with acute otitis media (AOM) using various combinations of the following 6 observable symptoms: fussiness, ear tugging, eating less, fever, sleeping difficulty, and playing less. Parents of children with a history of AOM presenting for well or sick appointments to an ambulatory clinic were asked to assign a pain level to each case on a visual analog scale. Sixty-nine parents participated in the study. Each of the 6 behaviors was associated with increased pain levels (P < .0001). Ear tugging and fussiness had the highest impact on the assigned pain levels. Higher level of parental education and private insurance were associated with higher reported pain levels (P = .007 and P = .001, respectively). Because interpretation of symptoms appears to be influenced by socioeconomic status, we question the utility of using an overall pain score from a 1-item parent scale as an outcome measure in clinical trials that include preverbal children. Perspective: Parents of preverbal children with acute otitis media use observable behaviors to determine their child's pain level. Interpretation of symptoms, however, appears to be influenced by socioeconomic status. Thus, we question the utility of using a 1-item parental pain scale in clinical trials that include preverbal children. © 2010 by the American Pain Society
The highly polarized open cluster Trumpler 27
We have carried out multicolor linear polarimetry (UBVRI) of the brightest
stars in the area of the open cluster Trumpler 27. Our data show a high level
of polarization in the stellar light with a considerable dispersion, from to . The polarization vectors of the cluster members appear to be
aligned. Foreground polarization was estimated from the data of some non-member
objects, for which two different components were resolved: the first one
associated with a dust cloud close to the Sun producing
and degrees, and a second component, the main source of
polarization for the cluster members, originated in another dust cloud, which
polarizes the light in the direction of degrees. From a detailed
analysis, we found that the two components have associated values for the first one, and for the other. Due the
difference in the orientation of both polarization vectors, almost 90 degrees
(180 degrees at the Stokes representation), the first cloud (
degrees) depolarize the light strongly polarized by the second one ( degrees).Comment: 12 Pages, 6 Figures, 2 tables (9 Pages), accepted for publication in
A
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