4,121 research outputs found
Atmospheric neutron measurements with the SONTRAC science model
–The SOlar Neutron TRACking (SONTRAC) telescope was originally developed to measure the energy spectrum and incident direction of neutrons produced in solar flares, in the energy range 20 - 250 MeV. While developed primarily for solar physics, the SONTRAC detector may be employed in virtually any application requiring both energy measurement and imaging capabilities. The SONTRAC Science Model (SM) is presently being operated at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) as a ground-based instrument to investigate the energy spectrum, zenith and azimuth angle dependence of the cosmic-ray induced sea-level atmospheric neutron flux. SONTRAC measurements are based on the non-relativistic double scatter of neutrons off ambient protons within a block of scintillating fibers. Using the n-p elastic double-scatter technique, it is possible to uniquely determine the neutron’s energy and direction on an event-by-event basis. The 3D SM consists of a cube of orthogonal plastic scintillating fiber layers with 5 cm sides, read out by two CCD cameras. Two orthogonal imaging chains allow full 3D reconstruction of scattered proton tracks
Gravitational collapse of thick domain walls
Numerical simulations are performed of the gravitational collapse of a scalar
field with a \lambda \phi^4 potential. Comparisons are made with the thin shell
approximation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer
I outline methods for calculating the solution of Monte Carlo Radiative
Transfer (MCRT) in scattering, absorption and emission processes of dust and
gas, including polarization. I provide a bibliography of relevant papers on
methods with astrophysical applications.Comment: To appear in the Chandra Centennial issue of the Bulletin of the
Astronomical Society of India, volume 39 (2011), eds D.J. Saikia and Virginia
Trimble; 27 pages, 1 figur
The chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 are activated during implantation and placentation in sheep
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The progression of implantation and placentation in ruminants is complex and is regulated by interplay between sex steroids and local signaling molecules, many of which have immune function. Chemokines and their receptors are pivotal factors in implantation and vascularization of the placenta. Based on known critical roles for chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) during early pregnancy in other species, we hypothesized that CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 would increase in the endometrium and conceptus in response to implantation in ewes. The objectives of the current study were to determine if CXCL12 and CXCR4 were upregulated in: endometrium from pregnant compared to non-pregnant ewes and in, conceptuses, cotyledons, caruncles and intercaruncular tissue.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Tissues were collected from sheep on Days 12, 13, 14, and 15 of either the estrous cycle or pregnancy and from pregnant ewes on Days 35 and 50. Blood samples from jugular and uterine vein were also collected on all days. Conceptuses were collected from mature ewes on Days 13, 15, 16, 17, 21 and 30 of gestation. Real time PCR was used to determine relative mRNA concentrations for CXCL12 and CXCR4 and Western blot analysis was employed to confirm protein concentration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Differences described are P < 0.05. In the endometrium, CXCR4 mRNA and protein was greater on Day 15 of pregnancy compared to the estrous cycle. CXCL12 and CXCR4 mRNA in conceptuses was greater on Days 21 and 30 compared to earlier days. CXCL12 mRNA was greater in cotyledons on Day 35 compared to Day 50. On Day 35 of gestation, CXCR4 was greater compared to Day 50 in caruncle and intercaruncular tissue. White blood cells obtained from jugular and uterine vein collection had the greatest mRNA concentration of CXCL12 on Day 35 of pregnancy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A comprehensive analysis of CXCL12 and CXCR4 expression in fetal and maternal tissues during early pregnancy is reported with noteworthy differences occurring during implantation and placentation in sheep. We interpreted these data to mean that the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway is activated during implantation and placentation in sheep and is likely playing a role in the communication between trophoblast cells and the maternal endometrium.</p
The Role of the Radial Orbit Instability in Dark Matter Halo Formation and Structure
For a decade, N-body simulations have revealed a nearly universal dark matter
density profile, which appears to be robust to changes in the overall density
of the universe and the underlying power spectrum. Despite its universality,
the physical origin of this profile has not yet been well understood.
Semi--analytic models by Barnes et al. (2005) have suggested that the density
structure of dark matter halos is determined by the onset of the radial orbit
instability (ROI). We have tested this hypothesis using N-body simulations of
collapsing dark matter halos with a variety of initial conditions. For
dynamically cold initial conditions, the resulting halo structures are triaxial
in shape, due to the mild aspect of the instability. We examine how variations
in initial velocity dispersion affect the onset of the instability, and find
that an isotropic velocity dispersion can suppress the ROI entirely, while a
purely radial dispersion does not. The quantity sigma^2/vc^2 is a criterion for
instability, where regions with sigma^2/vc^2 <~1 become triaxial due to the ROI
or other perturbations. We also find that the radial orbit instability sets a
scale length at which the velocity dispersion changes rapidly from isotropic to
radially anisotropic. This scale length is proportional to the radius at which
the density profile changes shape, as is the case in the semi--analytic models;
however, the coefficient of proportionality is different by a factor of ~2.5.
We conclude that the radial orbit instability is likely to be a key physical
mechanism responsible for the nearly universal profiles of simulated dark
matter halos.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, accepted to Ap
Controlling condensation and frost growth with chemical micropatterns
Citation: Boreyko, J. B., Hansen, R. R., Murphy, K. R., Nath, S., Retterer, S. T., & Collier, C. P. (2016). Controlling condensation and frost growth with chemical micropatterns. Scientific Reports, 6, 15. doi:10.1038/srep19131In-plane frost growth on chilled hydrophobic surfaces is an inter-droplet phenomenon, where frozen droplets harvest water from neighboring supercooled liquid droplets to grow ice bridges that propagate across the surface in a chain reaction. To date, no surface has been able to passively prevent the in-plane growth of ice bridges across the population of supercooled condensate. Here, we demonstrate that when the separation between adjacent nucleation sites for supercooled condensate is properly controlled with chemical micropatterns prior to freezing, inter-droplet ice bridging can be slowed and even halted entirely. Since the edge-to-edge separation between adjacent supercooled droplets decreases with growth time, deliberately triggering an early freezing event to minimize the size of nascent condensation was also necessary. These findings reveal that inter-droplet frost growth can be passively suppressed by designing surfaces to spatially control nucleation sites and by temporally controlling the onset of freezing events
Microstencils to generate defined, multi-species patterns of bacteria
Citation: Timm, C. M., Hansen, R. R., Doktycz, M. J., Retterer, S. T., & Pelletier, D. A. (2015). Microstencils to generate defined, multi-species patterns of bacteria. Biomicrofluidics, 9(6). doi:10.1063/1.4935938Microbial communities are complex heterogeneous systems that are influenced by physical and chemical interactions with their environment, host, and community members. Techniques that facilitate the quantitative evaluation of how microscale organization influences the morphogenesis of multispecies communities could provide valuable insights into the dynamic behavior and organization of natural communities, the design of synthetic environments for multispecies culture, and the engineering of artificial consortia. In this work, we demonstrate a method for patterning microbes into simple arrangements that allow the quantitative measurement of growth dynamics as a function of their proximity to one another. The method combines parylene-based liftoff techniques with microfluidic delivery to simultaneously pattern multiple bacterial species with high viability using low-cost, customizable methods. Quantitative measurements of bacterial growth for two competing isolates demonstrate that spatial coordination can play a critical role in multispecies growth and structure. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC
Cross-correlation Weak Lensing of SDSS Galaxy Clusters III: Mass-to-light Ratios
We present measurements of the excess mass-to-light ratio measured
aroundMaxBCG galaxy clusters observed in the SDSS. This red sequence cluster
sample includes objects from small groups with masses ranging from ~5x10^{12}
to ~10^{15} M_{sun}/h. Using cross-correlation weak lensing, we measure the
excess mass density profile above the universal mean \Delta \rho(r) = \rho(r) -
\bar{\rho} for clusters in bins of richness and optical luminosity. We also
measure the excess luminosity density \Delta l(r) = l(r) - \bar{l} measured in
the z=0.25 i-band. For both mass and light, we de-project the profiles to
produce 3D mass and light profiles over scales from 25 kpc/ to 22 Mpc/h. From
these profiles we calculate the cumulative excess mass M(r) and excess light
L(r) as a function of separation from the BCG. On small scales, where \rho(r)
>> \bar{\rho}, the integrated mass-to-light profile may be interpreted as the
cluster mass-to-light ratio. We find the M/L_{200}, the mass-to-light ratio
within r_{200}, scales with cluster mass as a power law with index 0.33+/-0.02.
On large scales, where \rho(r) ~ \bar{\rho}, the M/L approaches an asymptotic
value independent of cluster richness. For small groups, the mean M/L_{200} is
much smaller than the asymptotic value, while for large clusters it is
consistent with the asymptotic value. This asymptotic value should be
proportional to the mean mass-to-light ratio of the universe . We find
/b^2_{ml} = 362+/-54 h (statistical). There is additional uncertainty in
the overall calibration at the ~10% level. The parameter b_{ml} is primarily a
function of the bias of the L <~ L_* galaxies used as light tracers, and should
be of order unity. Multiplying by the luminosity density in the same bandpass
we find \Omega_m/b^2_{ml} = 0.02+/-0.03, independent of the Hubble parameter.Comment: Third paper in a series; v2.0 incorporates ApJ referee's suggestion
Quadrupole moments of rotating neutron stars
Numerical models of rotating neutron stars are constructed for four equations
of state using the computer code RNS written by Stergioulas. For five selected
values of the star's gravitational mass (in the interval between 1.0 and 1.8
solar masses) and for each equation of state, the star's angular momentum is
varied from J=0 to the Keplerian limit J=J_{max}. For each neutron-star
configuration we compute Q, the quadrupole moment of the mass distribution. We
show that for given values of M and J, |Q| increases with the stiffness of the
equation of state. For fixed mass and equation of state, the dependence on J is
well reproduced with a simple quadratic fit, Q \simeq - aJ^2/M c^2, where c is
the speed of light, and a is a parameter of order unity depending on the mass
and the equation of state.Comment: ReVTeX, 7 pages, 5 figures, additional material, and references adde
Innermost stable circular orbits around relativistic rotating stars
We investigate the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) of a test particle
moving on the equatorial plane around rotating relativistic stars such as
neutron stars. First, we derive approximate analytic formulas for the angular
velocity and circumferential radius at the ISCO making use of an approximate
relativistic solution which is characterized by arbitrary mass, spin, mass
quadrupole, current octapole and mass -pole moments. Then, we show that
the analytic formulas are accurate enough by comparing them with numerical
results, which are obtained by analyzing the vacuum exterior around numerically
computed geometries for rotating stars of polytropic equation of state. We
demonstrate that contribution of mass quadrupole moment for determining the
angular velocity and, in particular, the circumferential radius at the ISCO
around a rapidly rotating star is as important as that of spin.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
- …