1,383 research outputs found
Nitric oxide mediates interleukin-1 induced inhibition of glycosaminoglycan synthesis in rat articular cartilage
Interleek-1β (IL-1) is a key mediator of cartilage matrix degradation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It was found that the IL-1-induced suppression of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis in rat articular cartilage occurred simultaneously with the accumulation of nitrite (a metabolite of nitric oxide (NO) in aqueous milieu) in the culture medium. NO-synthase inhibitors, L-NMMA and L-NIO, inhibited both these IL-1 effects. Dexamethasone suppressed GAG synthesis additively to IL-1, but did not alter nitrite accumulation. Three NO-donors (GEA 3175, SNAP and SIN-1) also had an inhibitory effect on cartilage GAG synthesis. Therefore, it is concluded that IL-1 induced suppression of GAG synthesis in rat articular cartilage is mediated by the production of NO
A combined HST and XMM-Newton campaign for the magnetic O9.7 V star HD 54879: towards constraining the weak-wind problem of massive stars
Context: HD 54879 (O9.7 V) is one of a dozen O-stars for which an organized
atmospheric magnetic field has been detected. To gain insights into the
interplay between atmospheres, winds, and magnetic fields of massive stars, we
acquired UV and X-ray data of HD 54879 using the Hubble Space Telescope and the
XMM-Newton satellite. In addition, 35 optical amateur spectra were secured to
study the variability of HD 54879. A multiwavelength (X-ray to optical)
spectral analysis is performed using the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model
atmosphere code and the xspec software.
Results: The photospheric parameters are typical for an O9.7 V star. The
microturbulent, macroturbulent, and projected rotational velocities are lower
than previously suggested (<4 km/s). An initial mass of 16 and an
age of 5 Myr are inferred from evolutionary tracks. We derive a mean X-ray
emitting temperature of [K] and an X-ray luminosity of
[erg/s]. Short- and long-scale variability is seen in
the H-alpha line, but only a very long period of yr could be
estimated. Assessing the circumstellar density of HD 54879 using UV spectra, we
can roughly estimate the mass-loss rate HD 54879 would have in the absence of a
magnetic field as . The
magnetic field traps the stellar wind up to the Alfv\'en radius >
, implying that its true mass-loss rate is . Hence, density enhancements around magnetic stars
can be exploited to estimate mass-loss rates of non-magnetic stars of similar
spectral types, essential for resolving the weak wind problem.
Conclusions: Our study confirms that strongly magnetized stars lose little or
no mass, and supplies important constraints on the weak-wind problem of massive
main sequence stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A on Aug. 9, 2017, 12 + 1 pages, 15
figures. Paper replaced due to typos and missing acknowledgment
SALSA - a sectional aerosol module for large scale applications
"The sectional aerosol module SALSA is introduced. The model has been designed to be implemented in large scale climate models, which require both accuracy and computational efficiency. We have used multiple methods to reduce the computational burden of different aerosol processes to optimize the model performance without losing physical features relevant to problematics of climate importance. The optimizations include limiting the chemical compounds and physical processes available in different size sections of aerosol particles; division of the size distribution into size sections using size sections of variable width depending on the sensitivity of microphysical processing to the particles sizes; the total amount of size sections to describe the size distribution is kept to the minimum; furthermore, only the relevant microphysical processes affecting each size section are calculated. The ability of the module to describe different microphysical processes was evaluated against explicit microphysical models and several microphysical models used in air quality models. The results from the current module show good consistency when compared to more explicit models. Also, the module was used to simulate a new particle formation event typical in highly polluted conditions with comparable results to more explicit model setup.""The sectional aerosol module SALSA is introduced. The model has been designed to be implemented in large scale climate models, which require both accuracy and computational efficiency. We have used multiple methods to reduce the computational burden of different aerosol processes to optimize the model performance without losing physical features relevant to problematics of climate importance. The optimizations include limiting the chemical compounds and physical processes available in different size sections of aerosol particles; division of the size distribution into size sections using size sections of variable width depending on the sensitivity of microphysical processing to the particles sizes; the total amount of size sections to describe the size distribution is kept to the minimum; furthermore, only the relevant microphysical processes affecting each size section are calculated. The ability of the module to describe different microphysical processes was evaluated against explicit microphysical models and several microphysical models used in air quality models. The results from the current module show good consistency when compared to more explicit models. Also, the module was used to simulate a new particle formation event typical in highly polluted conditions with comparable results to more explicit model setup.""The sectional aerosol module SALSA is introduced. The model has been designed to be implemented in large scale climate models, which require both accuracy and computational efficiency. We have used multiple methods to reduce the computational burden of different aerosol processes to optimize the model performance without losing physical features relevant to problematics of climate importance. The optimizations include limiting the chemical compounds and physical processes available in different size sections of aerosol particles; division of the size distribution into size sections using size sections of variable width depending on the sensitivity of microphysical processing to the particles sizes; the total amount of size sections to describe the size distribution is kept to the minimum; furthermore, only the relevant microphysical processes affecting each size section are calculated. The ability of the module to describe different microphysical processes was evaluated against explicit microphysical models and several microphysical models used in air quality models. The results from the current module show good consistency when compared to more explicit models. Also, the module was used to simulate a new particle formation event typical in highly polluted conditions with comparable results to more explicit model setup."Peer reviewe
Winding effects on brane/anti-brane pairs
We study a brane/anti-brane configuration which is separated along a compact
direction by constructing a tachyon effective action which takes into account
transverse scalars. Such an action is relevant in the study of HQCD model of
Sakai and Sugimoto of chiral symmetry breaking, where the size of the compact
circle sets the confinement scale. Our approach is motivated by string theory
orbifold constructions and gives a route to model inhomogeneous tachyon decay.
We illustrate the techniques involved with a relatively simple example of a
harmonic oscillator on a circle. We will then repeat the analysis for the
Sakai-Sugimoto model and show that by integrating out the winding modes will
provide us with a renormalized action with a lower energy than that of
truncating to zero winding sector.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures. v3: discussion and references added, published
versio
Weak Magnetic Fields in Two Herbig Ae Systems: The SB2 AK Sco and the Presumed Binary HD 95881
We report the detection of weak mean longitudinal magnetic fields in the
Herbig Ae double-lined spectroscopic binary AK Sco and in the presumed
spectroscopic Herbig Ae binary HD95881 using observations with the High
Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher polarimeter (HARPSpol) attached to the
European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) 3.6m telescope. Employing a multi-line
singular value decomposition (SVD) method, we detect a mean longitudinal
magnetic field =-83+-31G in the secondary component of AK Sco on one
occasion. For HD95881, we measure =-93+-25G and =105+-29G at two
different observing epochs. For all the detections the false alarm probability
is smaller than 10^-5. For AK Sco system, we discover that accretion diagnostic
Na I doublet lines and photospheric lines show intensity variations over the
observing nights. The double-lined spectral appearance of HD95881 is presented
here for the first time
Measurement of the differential Drell-Yan cross section in proton-proton collisions at s√= 13 TeV
Measurements of the differential cross section for the Drell-Yan process, based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment, are presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 2.8 (2.3) fb−1 in the dimuon (dielectron) channel. The total and fiducial cross section measurements are presented as a function of dilepton invariant mass in the range 15 to 3000 GeV, and compared with the perturbative predictions of the standard model. The measured differential cross sections are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.Peer reviewe
High concentrations of sub-3nm clusters and frequent new particle formation observed in the Po Valley, Italy, during the PEGASOS 2012 campaign
The concentrations of neutral and charged sub3nm clusters and their connection to new particle formation (NPF) were investigated during the PEGASOS campaign (7 June-9 July 2012) at the San Pietro Capofiume measurement station in the Po Valley, Italy. Continuous high concentrations of sub-3nm clusters were detected during the measurement period, although the condensation sink was relatively high (median value 1.1 x 10(-2) s(-1)). The median cluster concentrations were 2140 and 7980 cm 3 in the size bins of 1.5-1.8 and 1.8-3 nm, and the majority of them were electrically neutral. NPF events were observed during the measurement period frequently, on 86% of the days. The median growth rates of clusters during the events were 4.3, 6.0 and 7.2 nm h(-1) in the size ranges of 1.5-3, 3-7 and 720 nm. The median formation rate of 1.6 nm clusters was high, 45 cm 3 s(-1), and it exceeded the median formation rate of 2 nm clusters by 1 order of magnitude. The ion-induced nucleation fraction was low; the median values were 0.7% at 1.6 nm and 3.0% at 2 nm. On NPF event days the neutral cluster concentration had a maximum around 09: 00 (local winter time), which was absent on a non-event day. The increase in the cluster concentrations in the morning coincided with the increase in the boundary layer height. At the same time radiation, temperature and SO2 concentration increased, and RH and condensation sink decreased. The concentrations of neutral and charged clusters were observed to have a positive correlation with sulfuric acid proxy, indicating the significance of sulfuric acid for the cluster formation in San Pietro Capofiume. The condensation sink had a negative correlation with the concentration of charged clusters but no clear relation to the neutral cluster concentration. This finding, together with back-trajectory analysis, suggests that the precursor vapors of the clusters and background aerosol particles, acting as their sink, have possibly originated from the same sources, including e.g., power plants and industrial areas in the Po Valley.Peer reviewe
Measurement of electroweak WZ boson production and search for new physics in WZ plus two jets events in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV
A measurement of WZ electroweak (EW) vector boson scattering is presented. The measurement is performed in the leptonic decay modes WZ -> l nu l'l', where l, l' = e, mu. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV at the LHC collected with the CMS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1) . The WZ plus two jet production cross section is measured in fiducial regions with enhanced contributions from EW production and found to be consistent with standard model predictions. The EW WZ production in association with two jets is measured with an observed (expected) significance of 2.2 (2.5) standard deviations. Constraints on charged Higgs boson production and on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in terms of dimension-eight effective field theory operators are also presented. (C) 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe
Search for additional neutral MSSM Higgs bosons in the tau tau final state in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV
A search is presented for additional neutral Higgs bosons in the tau tau final state in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. The search is performed in the context of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM), using the data collected with the CMS detector in 2016 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). To enhance the sensitivity to neutral MSSM Higgs bosons, the search includes production of the Higgs boson in association with b quarks. No significant deviation above the expected background is observed. Model-independent limits at 95% confidence level (CL) are set on the product of the branching fraction for the decay into tau leptons and the cross section for the production via gluon fusion or in association with b quarks. These limits range from 18 pb at 90 GeV to 3.5 fb at 3.2 TeV for gluon fusion and from 15 pb (at 90 GeV) to 2.5 fb (at 3.2TeV) for production in association with b quarks, assuming a narrow width resonance. In the m(h)(mod+) scenario these limits translate into a 95% CL exclusion of tan beta > 6 for neutral Higgs boson masses below 250 GeV, where tan beta is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the neutral components of the two Higgs doublets. The 95% CL exclusion contour reaches 1.6TeV for tan beta = 60.Peer reviewe
Search for resonant t(t)over-bar production in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV
A search for a heavy resonance decaying into a top quark and antiquark (tt) pair is performed using proton-proton collisions at p s = 13TeV. The search uses the data set collected with the CMS detector in 2016, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb. The analysis considers three exclusive fi nal states and uses reconstruction techniques that are optimized for top quarks with high Lorentz boosts, which requires the use of nonisolated leptons and jet substructure techniques. No signi fi cant excess of events relative to the expected yield from standard model processes is observed. Upper limits on the production cross section of heavy resonances decaying to a tt pair are calculated. Limits are derived for a leptophobic topcolor Z 0 resonance with widths of 1, 10, and 30%, relative to the mass of the resonance, and exclude masses up to 3.80, 5.25, and 6.65TeV, respectively. Kaluza-Klein excitations of the gluon in the Randall-Sundrum model are excluded up to 4.55TeV. To date, these are the most stringent limits on tt resonances.Peer reviewe
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