3,516 research outputs found
Diffuse Non-thermal X-ray Emission: Evidence for Cosmic-ray Acceleration at the Shock Front in IC1262
We report the first localization of diffuse, non-thermal, X-ray emission from
a nearby galaxy cluster. Using Chandra data, we have isolated a diffuse
non-thermal X-ray component with a photon index, Gamma_ X = 2.21 +0.14 -0.15
and a flux of 9.5 +1.1 -2.5 x 10^-5 photons cm^-2 s^-1 keV^-1 at 1 keV, that
extends from ~1'.5 to ~2'.5 to the south of the X-ray flux peak. Comparison to
simulations implies that the diffuse non-thermal emission is produced by
primary electrons, accelerated at shocks to relativistic velocities. Using
these results and the flux and hardness maps produced with data from the
Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, we conclude that a smaller subclump
coming from the north merged with IC1262. The offset of the cD galaxy from the
X-ray peak and large peculiar velocity indicate that the subclump's impact
parameter was to the west and on the near side of IC1262.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted by ApJ
Responses of skeletal muscle to unloading, a review
Suspension models were used to study muscle response to reduced activity. During 6 days of tail casting, the soleus (SOL) atrophies while the extensor digitorum longus grows relatively normally. After discounting those changes in both muscles due primarily to increased secretion of adrenal hormones, the following conclusions regarding the specific responses of the SOL could be drawn: (1) Atrophy is probably due primarily to increased protein degradation; (2) Decreased synthesis of glutamine may result from reduced availability of ammonia due to diminished use of ATP; (3) Greater muscle glycogen seems to reflect an increased response to insulin of glucose uptake which leads to greater glucose metabolism; and (4) Faster catabolism of branched-chain amino acids can be attributed to enhanced flux through ketoacid dehydrogenase. Studies by others using tail casted suspended rats showed in the SOL: (1) a gradual switch from type 1 to type 2 fibers; (2) increased acid protease activity; and (3) altered muscle function and contractile duration. Using harness suspended rats, others showed in the SOL: (1) significant atrophy; (2) increased numbers of glucocorticoid receptors; and (3) no change in muscle fatigability
Response of rat hindlimb muscles to 12 hours recovery from tail-cast suspension
Previous work has shown a number of biochemical changes which accompany atrophy or reduced muscle growth in hindlimb of tail-casted, suspended rats. These results clearly show that altered muscle growth was due to changes in protein turnover. Accordingly, the rise in soleus tyrosine following unloading reflects the more negative protein balance. Other major changes we found included slower synthesis of glutamine as indicated by lower ratios of glutamine/glutamate and reduced levels of aspartate which coincide with slower aspartate and ammonia metabolism in vitro. In conjunction with the study of SL-3 rats, which were subjected to 12 h of post-flight gravity, a study of the effects of 12 h eight bearing on metabolism of 6-day unloaded hindlimb muscles was carried out
Charge separation instability in an unmagnetized disk plasma around a Kerr black hole
In almost all of plasma theories for astrophysical objects, we have assumed
the charge quasi-neutrality of unmagnetized plasmas in global scales. This
assumption has been justified because if there is a charged plasma, it induces
electric field which attracts the opposite charge, and this opposite charge
reduces the charge separation. Here, we report a newly discovered instability
which causes a charge separation in a rotating plasma inside of an innermost
stable circular orbit (ISCO) around a black hole. The growth rate of the
instability is smaller than that of the disk instability even in the unstable
disk region and is forbidden in the stable disk region outside of the ISCO.
However, this growth rate becomes comparable to that of the disk instability
when the plasma density is much lower than a critical density inside of the
ISCO. In such case, the charge separation instability would become apparent and
cause the charged accretion into the black hole, thus charge the hole up.Comment: 15pages, 1 figur
Abell 754: A Non-Head On Collision of Subclusters
We have analyzed spatially resolved spectra of A754 obtained with ASCA. The
combination of spectral and imaging capabilities of ASCA has set unprecedented
constraints on the hydrodynamical effects of a cluster merger. We find
significant gas temperature variations over the cluster face, indicating shock
heating of the atmosphere during the merger. The hottest region, >12 keV, is
located in the region of the Northwest galaxy clump though the entire region
along the cluster axis appears to be hotter than the mean cluster temperature
(~9 keV). The cool, ~5 keV gas originally found with the HEAO1-A2 experiment,
resides in the exterior of the cluster atmosphere and in plume of gas we
identify with a stripped cool atmosphere of the infalling subcluster. We have
also attempted to reconstruct an iron abundance map of this merging system.
Though poorly constrained, no significant deviations of abundance from the mean
value are apparent in the individual regions.
A754 is the only cluster so far which shows the significant temperature
pattern expected in a subcluster merger, in both the ROSAT (Henry & Briel 1995)
and ASCA data, providing the first possibility to compare it with theoretical
predictions. The observed temperature and surface brightness maps suggest that
the two colliding subunits have missed each other by about 1 Mpc, and are now
moving perpendicular to the cluster axis in the image plane (as, e.g., in the
simulations by Evrard etal 1996).Comment: Latex, 10 pages, 3 figures incl. color plate, uses aaspp4.sty,
flushrt.sty and pstricks.sty. Submitted to ApJ Letter
Muscle protein and glycogen responses to recovery from hypogravity and unloading by tail-cast suspension
Previous studies in this laboratory using the tail-bast hindlimb suspension model have shown that there are specific changes in protein and carbohydrate metabolism in the soleus muscle due to unloading. For example, 6 days of unloading caused a 27% decrease in mass and a 60% increase in glycogen content in the soleus muscle, while the extensor digitorum longus muscle was unaffected. Also, fresh tissue tyrosine and its in vitro release from the muscle are increased in the unloaded soleus, indicating that this condition causes a more negative protein balance. With these results in mind, studies to investigate the effect of hypogravity on protein and carbohydrate metabolism in a number of rat hindlimb muscles were carried out
Fluctuation spectrum of quasispherical membranes with force-dipole activity
The fluctuation spectrum of a quasi-spherical vesicle with active membrane
proteins is calculated. The activity of the proteins is modeled as the proteins
pushing on their surroundings giving rise to non-local force distributions.
Both the contributions from the thermal fluctuations of the active protein
densities and the temporal noise in the individual active force distributions
of the proteins are taken into account. The noise in the individual force
distributions is found to become significant at short wavelengths.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, minor changes and addition
New Velocity Distribution in the Context of the Eddington Theory
Exotic dark matter together with the vacuum energy (associated with the
cosmological constant) seem to dominate the Universe. Thus its direct detection
is central to particle physics and cosmology. Supersymmetry provides a natural
dark matter candidate, the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). One
essential ingredient in obtaining the direct detection rates is the density and
velocity distribution of the LSP. The detection rate is proportional to this
density in our vicinity. Furthermore, since this rate is expected to be very
low, one should explore the two characteristic signatures of the process,
namely the modulation effect, i.e. the dependence of the event rate on the
Earth's motion and the correlation of the directional rate with the motion of
the sun. Both of these crucially depend on the LSP velocity distribution. In
the present paper we study simultaneously density profiles and velocity
distributions based on the Eddington theory.Comment: 40 LaTex pages, 19 figures and one table. The previous version was
expanded to include new numerical solutions to Poisson's equation. Sheduled
to appear in vol. 588, ApJ, May 1, 300
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