17,567 research outputs found
Automated Classification of Periodic Variable Stars detected by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
We describe a methodology to classify periodic variable stars identified
using photometric time-series measurements constructed from the Wide-field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) full-mission single-exposure Source Databases.
This will assist in the future construction of a WISE Variable Source Database
that assigns variables to specific science classes as constrained by the WISE
observing cadence with statistically meaningful classification probabilities.
We have analyzed the WISE light curves of 8273 variable stars identified in
previous optical variability surveys (MACHO, GCVS, and ASAS) and show that
Fourier decomposition techniques can be extended into the mid-IR to assist with
their classification. Combined with other periodic light-curve features, this
sample is then used to train a machine-learned classifier based on the random
forest (RF) method. Consistent with previous classification studies of variable
stars in general, the RF machine-learned classifier is superior to other
methods in terms of accuracy, robustness against outliers, and relative
immunity to features that carry little or redundant class information. For the
three most common classes identified by WISE: Algols, RR Lyrae, and W Ursae
Majoris type variables, we obtain classification efficiencies of 80.7%, 82.7%,
and 84.5% respectively using cross-validation analyses, with 95% confidence
intervals of approximately +/-2%. These accuracies are achieved at purity (or
reliability) levels of 88.5%, 96.2%, and 87.8% respectively, similar to that
achieved in previous automated classification studies of periodic variable
stars.Comment: 48 pages, 17 figures, 1 table, accepted by A
Q-band electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and X-band EPR of the sulfobetaine 12 heat-treated cytochrome c oxidase complex
Heat treatment of the bovine cytochrome c oxidase complex in the zwitterionic detergent sulfobetaine 12 (SB-12) results in loss of subunit III and the appearance of a type II copper center as characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Previous authors (Nilsson, T., Copeland, R. A., Smith, P. A., and Chan, S. I. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 8254-8260) have interpreted this type II copper center as a modified version of the CuA site. By using electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopy, it is found that the CuA proton and nitrogen resonances remain present in the SB-12 heat-treated enzyme and that three new nitrogen resonances appear having hyperfine coupling constants consistent with histidine ligation. These hyperfine coupling constants correlate well with those recently found for the CuB histidines from the cytochrome aa3-600 quinol oxidase from Bacillus subtilis (Fann, Y. C., Ahmed, I., Blackburn, N. J., Boswell, J. S., Verkhovskaya, M. L., Hoffman, B. M., and Wikström, M. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 10245-10255). In addition, the total EPR-detectable copper concentration per enzyme molecule approximately doubles upon SB-12 heat treatment. Finally, the observed type II copper EPR spectrum is virtually indistinguishable from the EPR spectrum of CuB of the as-isolated cytochrome bo3 complex from Escherichia coli. These data indicate that the type II copper species that appears results from a breaking of the strong antiferromagnetic coupling of the heme a3-CuB binuclear center
Long-term Variability of HCO Masers in Star-forming Regions
We present results of a multi-epoch monitoring program on variability of
6cm formaldehyde (HCO) masers in the massive star forming region
NGC7538IRS1 from 2008 to 2015 conducted with the GBT, WSRT, and
VLA. We found that the similar variability behaviors of the two formaldehyde
maser velocity components in NGC7538IRS1 (which was pointed out by
Araya and collaborators in 2007) have continued. The possibility that the
variability is caused by changes in the maser amplification path in regions
with similar morphology and kinematics is discussed. We also observed
12.2GHz methanol and 22.2GHz water masers toward
NGC7538IRS1. The brightest maser components of CHOH and HO
species show a decrease in flux density as a function of time. The brightest
HCO maser component also shows a decrease in flux density and has a similar
LSR velocity to the brightest HO and 12.2GHz CHOH masers. The line
parameters of radio recombination lines and the 20.17 and 20.97GHz CHOH
transitions in NGC7538IRS1 are also reported. In addition, we
observed five other 6cm formaldehyde maser regions. We found no evidence of
significant variability of the 6cm masers in these regions with respect to
previous observations, the only possible exception being the maser in
G29.960.02. All six sources were also observed in the HCO
isotopologue transition of the 6cm HCO line; HCO absorption
was detected in five of the sources. Estimated column density ratios
[HCO]/[HCO] are reported.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figure
Planes of satellite galaxies and the cosmic web
Recent observational studies have demonstrated that the majority of satellite
galaxies tend to orbit their hosts on highly flattened, vast, possibly
co-rotating planes. Two nearly parallel planes of satellites have been
confirmed around the M31 galaxy and around the Centaurus A galaxy, while the
Milky Way also sports a plane of satellites. It has been argued that such an
alignment of satellites on vast planes is unexpected in the standard
({\Lambda}CDM) model of cosmology if not even in contradiction to its generic
predictions. Guided by {\Lambda}CDM numerical simulations, which suggest that
satellites are channeled towards hosts along the axis of the slowest collapse
as dictated by the ambient velocity shear tensor, we re-examine the planes of
local satellites systems within the framework of the local shear tensor derived
from the Cosmicflows-2 dataset. The analysis reveals that the Local Group and
Centaurus A reside in a filament stretched by the Virgo cluster and compressed
by the expansion of the Local Void. Four out of five thin planes of satellite
galaxies are indeed closely aligned with the axis of compression induced by the
Local Void. Being the less massive system, the moderate misalignment of the
Milky Way's satellite plane can likely be ascribed to its greater
susceptibility to tidal torques, as suggested by numerical simulations. The
alignment of satellite systems in the local universe with the ambient shear
field is thus in general agreement with predictions of the {\Lambda}CDM model.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables. Accepted by MNRAS, 9 June 201
Variability Flagging in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Preliminary Data Release
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Preliminary Data Release Source Catalog contains over 257 million objects. We describe the method used to flag variable source candidates in the Catalog. Using a method based on the chi-square of single-exposure flux measurements, we generated a variability flag for each object, and have identified almost 460,000 candidate sources that exhibit significant flux variability with greater than ~7Ï confidence. We discuss the flagging method in detail and describe its benefits and limitations. We also present results from the flagging method, including example light curves of several types of variable sources including Algol-type eclipsing binaries, RR Lyr, W UMa, and a blazar candidate
Potential of observations from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer to constrain continental sources of carbon monoxide
Topological Transitions in Metamaterials
The ideas of mathematical topology play an important role in many aspects of
modern physics - from phase transitions to field theory to nonlinear dynamics
(Nakahara M (2003) in Geometry, Topology and Physics, ed Brewer DF (IOP
Publishing Ltd, Bristol and Philadelphia), Monastryskiy M (1987) in Riemann
Topology and Physics, (Birkhauser Verlag AG)). An important example of this is
the Lifshitz transition (Lifshitz IM (1960) Anomalies of electron
characteristics of a metal in the high-pressure region, Sov Phys JETP 11:
1130-1135), where the transformation of the Fermi surface of a metal from a
closed to an open geometry (due to e.g. external pressure) leads to a dramatic
effect on the electron magneto-transport (Kosevich AM (2004) Topology and
solid-state physics. Low Temp Phys 30: 97-118). Here, we present the optical
equivalent of the Lifshitz transition in strongly anisotropic metamaterials.
When one of the components of the dielectric permittivity tensor of such a
composite changes sign, the corresponding iso-frequency surface transforms from
an ellipsoid to a hyperboloid. Since the photonic density of states can be
related to the volume enclosed by the iso-frequency surface, such a topological
transition in a metamaterial leads to a dramatic change in the photonic density
of states, with a resulting effect on every single physical parameter related
to the metamaterial - from thermodynamic quantities such as its equilibrium
electromagnetic energy to the nonlinear optical response to
quantum-electrodynamic effects such as spontaneous emission. In the present
paper, we demonstrate the modification of spontaneous light emission from
quantum dots placed near the surface of the metamaterial undergoing the
topological Lifshitz transition, and present the theoretical description of the
effect
OH (1720 MHz) Masers: A Multiwavelength Study of the Interaction between the W51C Supernova Remnant and the W51B Star Forming Region
We present a comprehensive view of the W51B HII region complex and the W51C
supernova remnant (SNR) using new radio observations from the VLA, VLBA,
MERLIN, JCMT, and CSO along with archival data from Spitzer, ROSAT, ASCA, and
Chandra. Our VLA data include the first 400 cm (74 MHz) continuum image of W51
at high resolution (88 arcsec). The 400 cm image shows non-thermal emission
surrounding the G49.2-0.3 HII region, and a compact source of non-thermal
emission (W51B_NT) coincident with the previously-identified OH (1720 MHz)
maser spots, non-thermal 21 and 90 cm emission, and a hard X-ray source.
W51B_NT falls within the region of high likelihood for the position of TeV
gamma-ray emission. Using the VLBA three OH (1720 MHz) maser spots are detected
in the vicinity of W51B_NT with sizes of 60 to 300 AU and Zeeman effect
magnetic field strengths of 1.5 to 2.2 mG. The multiwavelength data demonstrate
that the northern end of the W51B HII region complex has been partly enveloped
by the advancing W51C SNR and this interaction explains the presence of W51B_NT
and the OH masers. This interaction also appears in the thermal molecular gas
which partially encircles W51B_NT and exhibits narrow pre-shock (DeltaV 5 km/s)
and broad post-shock (DeltaV 20 km/s) velocity components. RADEX radiative
transfer modeling of these two components yield physical conditions consistent
with the passage of a non-dissociative C-type shock. Confirmation of the
W51B/W51C interaction provides additional evidence in favor of this region
being one of the best candidates for hadronic particle acceleration known thus
far.Comment: Accepted to Ap
Chapter: âHealth Law and Ethicsâ
Law and ethics are both essential attributes of a high-functioning health care system and powerful explainers of why the existing system is so difficult to improve. U.S. health law is not seamless; rather, it derives from multiple sources and is based on various theories that may be in tension with one another. There are state laws and federal laws, laws setting standards and laws providing funding, laws reinforcing professional prerogatives, laws furthering social goals, and laws promoting market competition. Complying with law is important, but health professionals also should understand that the legal and ethical constraints under which health systems operate must themselves adapt if health systems science is to advance
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