3,018 research outputs found
On the use of low-cost computer peripherals for the assessment of motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease – Quantification of bradykinesia using target tracking tasks
The potential of computer games peripherals to measure the motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s diseases is assessed. Of particular interest is the quantification of bradykinesia. Previous studies used modified or custom haptic interfaces, here an unmodified force feedback joystick and steering wheel are used with a laptop. During testing an on screen cursor moves in response to movements of the peripheral, the user has to track a continuously moving target (pursuit tracking), or move to a predetermined target (step tracking). All tasks use movement in the horizontal axis, allowing use of joystick or steering wheel. Two pursuit tracking tasks are evaluated, pseudo random movement, and a swept frequency task. Two step tracking tasks are evaluated, movement between two or between two of five fixed targets. Thirteen patients and five controls took part on a weekly basis. Patients were assessed for bradykinesia at each session using standard clinical measures. A range of quantitative measures was developed to allow comparison between and within patients and controls using ANOVA. Both peripherals are capable of discriminating between controls and patients, and between patients with different levels of bradykinesia. Recommendations for test procedures and peripherals are given
Warp or lag? The ionized and neutral hydrogen gas in the edge-on dwarf galaxy UGC 1281
The properties of gas in the halos of galaxies constrain global models of the
interstellar medium. Kinematical information is of particular interest since it
is a clue to the origin of the gas. Until now mostly massive galaxies have been
investigated for their halo properties. Here we report on deep HI and H{\alpha}
observations of the edge-on dwarf galaxy UGC 1281 in order to determine the
existence of extra-planar gas and the kinematics of this galaxy. This is the
first time a dwarf galaxy is investigated for its gaseous halo characteristics.
We have obtained H{\alpha} integral field spectroscopy using PPAK at Calar Alto
and deep HI observations with the WSRT of this edge-on dwarf galaxy. These
observations are compared to 3D models in order to determine the distribution
of HI in the galaxy. We find that UGC 1281 has H{\alpha} emission up to 25"(655
pc) in projection above the plane and in general a low H{\alpha} flux. Compared
to other dwarf galaxies UGC 1281 is a normal dwarf galaxy with a slowly rising
rotation curve that flattens off at 60 km/s and a central depression in its HI
distribution. Its HI extends 70" (1.8 kpc) in projection from the plane. This
gas can be explained by either a warp partially in the line-of-sight warp or a
purely edge-on warp with rotational velocities that decline with a vertical
gradient of 10.6 \pm 3.7 km/s/kpc. The line-of-sight warp model is the
preferred model as it is conceptually simpler. In either model the warp starts
well within the optical radius.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 16 pages, 14 figure
Wavelet-based Faraday Rotation Measure Synthesis
Faraday Rotation Measure (RM) Synthesis, as a method for analyzing
multi-channel observations of polarized radio emission to investigate galactic
magnetic fields structures, requires the definition of complex polarized
intensity in the range of the negative lambda square. We introduce a simple
method for continuation of the observed complex polarized intensity into this
domain using symmetry arguments. The method is suggested in context of magnetic
field recognition in galactic disks where the magnetic field is supposed to
have a maximum in the equatorial plane. The method is quite simple when applied
to a single Faraday-rotating structure on the line of sight. Recognition of
several structures on the same line of sight requires a more sophisticated
technique. We also introduce a wavelet-based algorithm which allows us to
consider a set of isolated structures. The method essentially improves the
possibilities for reconstruction of complicated Faraday structures using the
capabilities of modern radio telescopes.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
The Parkes HI Zone of Avoidance Survey
A blind HI survey of the extragalactic sky behind the southern Milky Way has
been conducted with the multibeam receiver on the 64-m Parkes radio telescope.
The survey covers the Galactic longitude range 212 < l < 36 and Galactic
latitudes |b| < 5, and yields 883 galaxies to a recessional velocity of 12,000
km/s. The survey covers the sky within the HIPASS area to greater sensitivity,
finding lower HI-mass galaxies at all distances, and probing more completely
the large-scale structures at and beyond the distance of the Great Attractor.
Fifty-one percent of the HI detections have an optical/NIR counterpart in the
literature. A further 27% have new counterparts found in existing, or newly
obtained, optical/NIR images. The counterpart rate drops in regions of high
foreground stellar crowding and extinction, and for low-HI mass objects. Only
8% of all counterparts have a previous optical redshift measurement. A notable
new galaxy is HIZOA J1353-58, a possible companion to the Circinus galaxy.
Merging this catalog with the similarly-conducted northern extension (Donley et
al. 2005), large-scale structures are delineated, including those within the
Puppis and Great Attractor regions, and the Local Void. Several
newly-identified structures are revealed here for the first time. Three new
galaxy concentrations (NW1, NW2 and NW3) are key in confirming the diagonal
crossing of the Great Attractor Wall between the Norma cluster and the CIZA
J1324.7-5736 cluster. Further contributors to the general mass overdensity in
that area are two new clusters (CW1 and CW2) in the nearer Centaurus Wall, one
of which forms part of the striking 180 deg (100/h Mpc) long filament that
dominates the southern sky at velocities of ~3000 km/s, and the suggestion of a
further Wall at the Great Attractor distance at slightly higher longitudes.Comment: Published in Astronomical Journal 9 February 2016 (accepted 26
September 2015); 42 pages, 7 tables, 18 figures, main figures data tables
only available in the on-line version of journa
Untangling cosmic magnetic fields: Faraday tomography at metre wavelengths with LOFAR
14 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in "The Power of Faraday Tomography" special issue of GalaxiesThe technique of Faraday tomography is a key tool for the study ofmagnetised plasmas in the new era of broadband radio-polarisation observations. In particular, observations at metre wavelengths provide significantly better Faraday depth accuracies compared to traditional centimetre-wavelength observations. However, the effect of Faraday depolarisationmakes the polarised signal very challenging to detect at metre wavelengths (MHz frequencies). In this work, Faraday tomography is used to characterise the Faraday rotation properties of polarised sources found in data from the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). Of the 76 extragalactic polarised sources analysed here, we find that all host a radio-loud AGN (Active Galactic Nucleus). The majority of the sources (~64%) are large FRII radio galaxies with a median projected linear size of 710 kpc and median radio luminosity at 144 MHz of 4 × 10 26 W Hz -1 (with ~13% of all sources having a linear size > 1 Mpc). In several cases, both hotspots are detected in polarisation at an angular resolution of ~20'. One such case allowed a study of intergalactic magnetic fields on scales of 3.4 Mpc. Other detected source types include an FRI radio galaxy and at least eight blazars. Most sources display simple Faraday spectra, but we highlight one blazar that displays a complex Faraday spectrum, with two close peaks in the Faraday dispersion function.Peer reviewe
HALOGAS observations of NGC 5023 and UGC 2082: Modeling of non-cylindrically symmetric gas distributions in edge-on galaxies
In recent years it has become clear that the vertical structure of disk
galaxies is a key ingredient for understanding galaxy evolution. In particular,
the presence and structure of extra-planar gas has been a focus of research.
The Hydrogen Accretion in LOcal GAlaxieS (HALOGAS) survey aims to provide a
census on the rate of cold neutral gas accretion in nearby galaxies as well as
a statistically significant set of galaxies that can be investigated for their
extra-planar gas properties.
In order to better understand the the vertical structure of the neutral
hydrogen in the two edge-on HALOGAS galaxies NGC 5023 and UGC 2082 we construct
detailed tilted ring models. The addition of distortions resembling arcs or
spiral arms significantly improves the fit of the models to these galaxies. In
the case of UGC 2082 no vertical gradient in rotational velocity is required in
either symmetric models nor non-symmetric models to match the observations. The
best fitting model features two arcs of large vertical extent that may be due
to accretion. In the case of NGC 5023 a vertical gradient is required in
symmetric models (dV/dz = km s kpc) and its
magnitude is significantly lowered when non-symmetric models are considered
(dV/dz = km s kpc). Additionally it is shown that the
underlying disk of NGC 5023 can be made symmetric, in all parameters except the
warp, in non-symmetric models. In comparison to the "classical" modeling these
models fit the data significantly better with a limited addition of free
parameters.Comment: 27 Pages, 22 Figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Integral Field Unit Observations of NGC 891: Kinematics of the Diffuse Ionized Gas Halo
We present high and moderate spectral resolution spectroscopy of diffuse
ionized gas (DIG) emission in the halo of NGC 891. The data were obtained with
the SparsePak integral field unit at the WIYN Observatory. The wavelength
coverage includes the [NII]6548,6583, Halpha, and [SII]6716,6731 emission
lines. Position-velocity (PV) diagrams, constructed using spectra extracted
from four SparsePak pointings in the halo, are used to examine the kinematics
of the DIG. Using two independent methods, a vertical gradient in azimuthal
velocity is found to be present in the northeast quadrant of the halo, with
magnitude approximately 15-18 km/s/kpc, in agreement with results from HI
observations. The kinematics of the DIG suggest that this gradient begins at
approximately 1 kpc above the midplane. In another part of the halo, the
southeast quadrant, the kinematics are markedly different, and suggest rotation
at about 175 km/s, much slower than the disk but with no vertical gradient. We
utilize an entirely ballistic model of disk-halo flow in an attempt to
reproduce the kinematics observed in the northeast quadrant. Analysis shows
that the velocity gradient predicted by the ballistic model is far too shallow.
Based on intensity cuts made parallel to the major axis in the ballistic model
and an Halpha image of NGC 891 from the literature, we conclude that the DIG
halo is much more centrally concentrated than the model, suggesting that
hydrodynamics dominate over ballistic motion in shaping the density structure
of the halo. Velocity dispersion measurements along the minor axis of NGC 891
seem to indicate a lack of radial motions in the halo, but the uncertainties do
not allow us to set firm limits.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
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