17,669 research outputs found
Theoretical Spectra and Light Curves of Close-in Extrasolar Giant Planets and Comparison with Data
We present theoretical atmosphere, spectral, and light-curve models for
extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) undergoing strong irradiation for which {\it
Spitzer} planet/star contrast ratios or light curves have been published (circa
June 2007). These include HD 209458b, HD 189733b, TrES-1, HD 149026b, HD
179949b, and And b. By comparing models with data, we find that a
number of EGP atmospheres experience thermal inversions and have stratospheres.
This is particularly true for HD 209458b, HD 149026b, and And b.
This finding translates into qualitative changes in the planet/star contrast
ratios at secondary eclipse and in close-in EGP orbital light curves. Moreover,
the presence of atmospheric water in abundance is fully consistent with all the
{\it Spitzer} data for the measured planets. For planets with stratospheres,
water absorption features invert into emission features and mid-infrared fluxes
can be enhanced by a factor of two. In addition, the character of near-infrared
planetary spectra can be radically altered. We derive a correlation between the
importance of such stratospheres and the stellar flux on the planet, suggesting
that close-in EGPs bifurcate into two groups: those with and without
stratospheres. From the finding that TrES-1 shows no signs of a stratosphere,
while HD 209458b does, we estimate the magnitude of this stellar flux
breakpoint. We find that the heat redistribution parameter, P, for the
family of close-in EGPs assumes values from 0.1 to 0.4. This paper
provides a broad theoretical context for the future direct characterization of
EGPs in tight orbits around their illuminating stars.Comment: Accepted to Ap. J., provided here in emulateapj format: 28 pages, 8
figures, many with multiple panel
Magnetic fields of intermediate mass T Tauri stars
Aims. In this paper, we aim to measure the strength of the surface magnetic
fields for a sample of five intermediate mass T Tauri stars and one low mass T
Tauri star from late-F to mid-K spectral types. While magnetic fields of T
Tauri stars at the low mass range have been extensively characterized, our work
complements previous studies towards the intermediate mass range; this
complementary study is key to evaluate how magnetic fields evolve during the
transition from a convective to a radiative core.
Methods. We studied the Zeeman broadening of magnetically sensitive spectral
lines in the H-band spectra obtained with the CRIRES high-resolution
near-infrared spectrometer. These data are modelled using magnetic spectral
synthesis and model atmospheres. Additional constraints on non-magnetic line
broadening mechanisms are obtained from modelling molecular lines in the K band
or atomic lines in the optical wavelength region.
Results. We detect and measure mean surface magnetic fields for five of the
six stars in our sample: CHXR 28, COUP 107, V2062 Oph, V1149 Sco, and Par 2441.
Magnetic field strengths inferred from the most magnetically sensitive
diagnostic line range from 0.8 to 1.8 kG. We also estimate a magnetic field
strength of 1.9 kG for COUP 107 from an alternative diagnostic. The magnetic
field on YLW 19 is the weakest in our sample and is marginally detected, with a
strength of 0.8 kG.
Conclusions. We populate an uncharted area of the pre-main-sequence HR
diagram with mean magnetic field measurements from high-resolution
near-infrared spectra. Our sample of intermediate mass T Tauri stars in general
exhibits weaker magnetic fields than their lower mass counterparts. Our
measurements will be used in combination with other spectropolarimetric studies
of intermediate mass and lower mass T Tauri stars to provide input into
pre-main-sequence stellar evolutionary models.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
The Far-Ultraviolet Spectra of TW Hya. II. Models of H2 Fluorescence in a Disk
We measure the temperature of warm gas at planet-forming radii in the disk
around the classical T Tauri star (CTTS) TW Hya by modelling the H2
fluorescence observed in HST/STIS and FUSE spectra. Strong Ly-alpha emission
irradiates a warm disk surface within 2 AU of the central star and pumps
certain excited levels of H2. We simulate a 1D plane-parallel atmosphere to
estimate fluxes for the 140 observed H2 emission lines and to reconstruct the
Ly-alpha emission profile incident upon the warm H2. The excitation of H2 can
be determined from relative line strengths by measuring self-absorption in
lines with low-energy lower levels, or by reconstructing the Ly-alpha profile
incident upon the warm H2 using the total flux from a single upper level and
the opacity in the pumping transition. Based on those diagnostics, we estimate
that the warm disk surface has a column density of log
N(H2)=18.5^{+1.2}_{-0.8}, a temperature T=2500^{+700}_{-500} K, and a filling
factor of H2, as seen by the source of Ly-alpha emission, of 0.25\pm0.08 (all
2-sigma error bars). TW Hya produces approximately 10^{-3} L_\odot in the FUV,
about 85% of which is in the Ly-alpha emission line. From the H I absorption
observed in the Ly-alpha emission, we infer that dust extinction in our line of
sight to TW Hya is negligible.Comment: Accepted by ApJ. 26 pages, 17 figures, 6 table
Does the taste matter? Taste and medicinal perceptions associated with five selected herbal drugs among three ethnic groups in West Yorkshire, Northern England
In recent years, diverse scholars have addressed the issue of the chemosensory perceptions associated with traditional medicines, nevertheless there is still a distinct lack of studies grounded in the social sciences and conducted from a cross-cultural, comparative perspective. In this urban ethnobotanical field study, 254 informants belonging to the Gujarati, Kashmiri and English ethnic groups and living in Western Yorkshire in Northern England were interviewed about the relationship between taste and medicinal perceptions of five herbal drugs, which were selected during a preliminary study. The herbal drugs included cinnamon (the dried bark of Cinnamomum verum, Lauraceae), mint (the leaves of Mentha spp., Lamiaceae), garlic (the bulbs of Allium sativum, Alliaceae), ginger (the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae), and cloves (the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, Myrtaceae).
The main cross-cultural differences in taste perceptions regarded the perception the perception of the spicy taste of ginger, garlic, and cinnamon, of the bitter taste of ginger, the sweet taste of mint, and of the sour taste of garlic.
The part of the study of how the five selected herbal drugs are perceived medicinally showed that TK (Traditional Knowledge) is widespread among Kashmiris, but not so prevalent among the Gujarati and especially the English samples. Among Kashmiris, ginger was frequently considered to be helpful for healing infections and muscular-skeletal and digestive disorders, mint was chosen for healing digestive and respiratory troubles, garlic for blood system disorders, and cinnamon was perceived to be efficacious for infectious diseases.
Among the Gujarati and Kashmiri groups there was evidence of a strong link between the bitter and spicy tastes of ginger, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon and their perceived medicinal properties, whereas there was a far less obvious link between the sweet taste of mint and cinnamon and their perceived medicinal properties, although the link did exist among some members of the Gujarati group.
Data presented in this study show how that links between taste perceptions and medicinal uses of herbal drugs may be understood as bio-cultural phenomena rooted in human physiology, but also constructed through individual experiences and culture, and that these links can therefore be quite different across diverse cultures
A Conspiracy Revealed: The Divine Conspiracy (by Willard, D.)
When I (Paul) first obtained Willard’s book The Divine Conspiracy, I could not help but notice the attractive painting of two ripe plums on the cover. “What a nice touch,” I thought. “A fine painting—a little color, artistic shapes, and angles. It grabs my attention.” But after feasting upon the wisdom behind this finely decorated cover, I came to appreci-ate the symbolism of fruit on the tree. In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gives maturing Christians an opportunity to reconceptualize their place in the kingdom of heaven. As a fitting completion to Willard’s wisdom-filled “trilogy on the spiritual life” (p. xvii), The Divine Conspiracy stresses discipleship to Jesus as the heart of the gospel message. He challenges the reader to set aside common misconceptions, what he calls “consumer Christianity” and “bumper-sticker faith,” to reclaim one’s present position in “the kingdom among us.
Delineating the role of βIV-Tubulins in pancreatic cancer: βIVb-tubulin inhibition sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to vinca alkaloids
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal disease which is characterized by chemoresistance. Components of the cell cytoskeleton are therapeutic targets in cancer. βIV-tubulin is one such component that has two isotypes—βIVa and βIVb. βIVa and βIVb isotypes only differ in two amino acids at their C-terminus. Studies have implicated βIVa-tubulin or βIVb-tubulin expression with chemoresistance in prostate, breast, ovarian and lung cancer. However, no studies have examined the role of βIV-tubulin in PC or attempted to identify isotype specific roles in regulating cancer cell growth and chemosensitivity. We aimed to determine the role of βIVa- or βIVb-tubulin on PC growth and chemosensitivity. PC cells (MiaPaCa-2, HPAF-II, AsPC1) were treated with siRNA (control, βIVa-tubulin or βIVb-tubulin). The ability of PC cells to form colonies in the presence or absence of chemotherapy was measured by clonogenic assays. Inhibition of βIVa-tubulin in PC cells had no effect chemosensitivity. In contrast, inhibition of βIVb-tubulin in PC cells sensitized to vinca alkaloids (Vincristine, Vinorelbine and Vinblastine), which was accompanied by increased apoptosis and enhanced cell cycle arrest. We show for the first time that βIVb-tubulin, but not βIVa-tubulin, plays a role in regulating vinca alkaloid chemosensitivity in PC cells. The results from this study suggest βIVb-tubulin may be a novel therapeutic target and predictor of vinca alkaloid sensitivity for PC and warrants further investigation
Starspot-induced optical and infrared radial velocity variability in T Tauri star Hubble 4
We report optical (6150 Ang) and K-band (2.3 micron) radial velocities
obtained over two years for the pre-main sequence weak-lined T Tauri star
Hubble I 4. We detect periodic and near-sinusoidal radial velocity variations
at both wavelengths, with a semi-amplitude of 1395\pm94 m/s in the optical and
365\pm80 m/s in the infrared. The lower velocity amplitude at the longer
wavelength, combined with bisector analysis and spot modeling, indicates that
there are large, cool spots on the stellar surface that are causing the radial
velocity modulation. The radial velocities maintain phase coherence over
hundreds of days suggesting that the starspots are long-lived. This is one of
the first active stars where the spot-induced velocity modulation has been
resolved in the infrared.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
The Magnetic Fields of Classical T Tauri Stars
We report new magnetic field measurements for 14 classical T Tauri stars
(CTTSs). We combine these data with one previous field determination in order
to compare our observed field strengths with the field strengths predicted by
magnetospheric accretion models. We use literature data on the stellar mass,
radius, rotation period, and disk accretion rate to predict the field strength
that should be present on each of our stars according to these magnetospheric
accretion models. We show that our measured field values do not correlate with
the field strengths predicted by simple magnetospheric accretion theory. We
also use our field strength measurements and literature X-ray luminosity data
to test a recent relationship expressing X-ray luminosity as a function of
surface magnetic flux derived from various solar feature and main sequence star
measurements. We find that the T Tauri stars we have observed have weaker than
expected X-ray emission by over an order of magnitude on average using this
relationship. We suggest the cause for this is actually a result of the very
strong fields on these stars which decreases the efficiency with which gas
motions in the photosphere can tangle magnetic flux tubes in the corona.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
Intrinsic Optical and Electronic Properties from Quantitative Analysis of Plasmonic Semiconductor Nanocrystal Ensemble Optical Extinction
The optical extinction spectra arising from localized surface plasmon
resonance in doped semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) have intensities and
lineshapes determined by free charge carrier concentrations and the various
mechanisms for damping the oscillation of those free carriers. However, these
intrinsic properties are convoluted by heterogeneous broadening when measuring
spectra of ensembles. We reveal that the traditional Drude approximation is not
equipped to fit spectra from a heterogeneous ensemble of doped semiconductor
NCs and produces fit results that violate Mie scattering theory. The
heterogeneous ensemble Drude approximation (HEDA) model rectifies this issue by
accounting for ensemble heterogeneity and near-surface depletion. The HEDA
model is applied to tin-doped indium oxide NCs for a range of sizes and doping
levels but we expect it can be employed for any isotropic plasmonic particles
in the quasistatic regime. It captures individual NC optical properties and
their contributions to the ensemble spectra thereby enabling the analysis of
intrinsic NC properties from an ensemble measurement. Quality factors for the
average NC in each ensemble are quantified and found to be notably higher than
those of the ensemble. Carrier mobility and conductivity derived from HEDA fits
matches that measured in the bulk thin film literature
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