4,929 research outputs found
Dynamics of Dense Cores in the Perseus Molecular Cloud
We survey the kinematics of over one hundred and fifty candidate (and
potentially star-forming) dense cores in the Perseus molecular cloud with
pointed N2H+(1-0) and simultaneous C18O(2-1) observations. Our detection rate
of N2H+ is 62%, rising to 84% for JCMT SCUBA-selected targets. In agreement
with previous observations, we find that the dense N2H+ targets tend to display
nearly thermal linewidths, particularly those which appear to be starless
(using Spitzer data), indicating turbulent support on the small scales of
molecular clouds is minimal. For those N2H+ targets which have an associated
SCUBA dense core, we find their internal motions are more than sufficient to
provide support against the gravitational force on the cores. Comparison of the
N2H+ integrated intensity and SCUBA flux reveals fractional N2H+ abundances
between 10^-10 and 10^-9. We demonstrate that the relative motion of the dense
N2H+ gas and the surrounding C18O gas is less than the sound speed in the vast
majority of cases (~90%). The point-to-point motions we observe within larger
extinction regions appear to be insufficient to provide support against
gravity, although we sparsely sample these regions.Comment: 49 pages, 20 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Impaired decidual natural killer cell regulation of vascular remodelling in early human pregnancies with high uterine artery resistance
During human pregnancy, natural killer (NK) cells accumulate in the maternal decidua, but their specific roles remain to be determined. Decidual NK (dNK) cells are present during trophoblast invasion and uterine spiral artery remodelling. These events are crucial for successful placentation and the provision of an adequate blood supply to the developing fetus. Remodelling of spiral arteries is impaired in the dangerous pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia. We studied dNK cells isolated from pregnancies at 9-14 weeks' gestation, screened by uterine artery Doppler ultrasound to determine resistance indices which relate to the extent of spiral artery remodelling. dNK cells were able to promote the invasive behaviour of fetal trophoblast cells, partly through HGF. Cells isolated from pregnancies with higher resistance indices were less able to do this and secreted fewer pro-invasive factors. dNK cells from pregnancies with normal resistance indices could induce apoptotic changes in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells in vitro, events of importance in vessel remodelling, partly through Fas signalling. dNK cells isolated from high resistance index pregnancies failed to induce vascular apoptosis and secreted fewer pro-apoptotic factors. We have modelled the cellular interactions at the maternal-fetal interface and provide the first demonstration of a functional role for dNK cells in influencing vascular cells. A potential mechanism contributing to impaired vessel remodelling in pregnancies with a higher uterine artery resistance is presented. These findings may be informative in determining the cellular interactions contributing to the pathology of pregnancy disorders where remodelling is impaired, such as pre-eclampsia. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
The Call Of The Cosy Little Home
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/3942/thumbnail.jp
Viscous diffusion and photoevaporation of stellar disks
The evolution of a stellar disk under the influence of viscous evolution,
photoevaporation from the central source, and photoevaporation by external
stars is studied. We take the typical parameters of TTSs and the Trapezium
Cluster conditions. The photoionizing flux from the central source is assumed
to arise both from the quiescent star and accretion shocks at the base of
stellar magnetospheric columns, along which material from the disk accretes.
The accretion flux is calculated self-consistently from the accretion mass loss
rate. We find that the disk cannot be entirely removed using only viscous
evolution and photoionization from the disk-star accretion shock. However, when
FUV photoevaporation by external massive stars is included the disk is removed
in 10^6 -10^7yr; and when EUV photoevaporation by external massive stars is
included the disk is removed in 10^5 - 10^6yr.
An intriguing feature of photoevaporation by the central star is the
formation of a gap in the disk at late stages of the disk evolution. As the gap
starts forming, viscous spreading and photoevaporation work in resonance.
There is no gap formation for disks nearby external massive stars because the
outer annuli are quickly removed by the dominant EUV flux. On the other hand,
at larger, more typical distances (d>>0.03pc) from the external stars the flux
is FUV dominated. As a consequence, the disk is efficiently evaporated at two
different locations; forming a gap during the last stages of the disk
evolution.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The Large and Small Scale Structures of Dust in the Star-Forming Perseus Molecular Cloud
We present an analysis of ~3.5 square degrees of submillimetre continuum and
extinction data of the Perseus molecular cloud. We identify 58 clumps in the
submillimetre map and we identify 39 structures (`cores') and 11 associations
of structures (`super cores') in the extinction map. The cumulative mass
distributions of the submillimetre clumps and extinction cores have steep
slopes (alpha ~ 2 and 1.5 - 2 respectively), steeper than the Salpeter IMF
(alpha = 1.35), while the distribution of extinction super cores has a shallow
slope (alpha ~ 1). Most of the submillimetre clumps are well fit by stable
Bonnor-Ebert spheres with 10K < T < 19K and 5.5 < log_10(P_ext/k) < 6.0. The
clumps are found only in the highest column density regions (A_V > 5 - 7 mag),
although Bonnor-Ebert models suggest that we should have been able to detect
them at lower column densities if they exist. These observations provide a
stronger case for an extinction threshold than that found in analysis of less
sensitive observations of the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. The relationship
between submillimetre clumps and their parent extinction core has been
analyzed. The submillimetre clumps tend to lie offset from the larger
extinction peaks, suggesting the clumps formed via an external triggering
event, consistent with previous observations.Comment: 38 pages, 12 figures, accepted by Astrophysical Journal slight
changes to original due to a slight 3" error in the coordinates of the SCUBA
ma
Large Area Mapping at 850 Microns. V. Analysis of the Clump Distribution in the Orion A South Molecular Cloud
We present results from a 2300 arcmin^2 survey of the Orion A molecular cloud
at 450 and 850 micron using the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array
(SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The region mapped lies directly
south of the OMC1 cloud core and includes OMC4, OMC5, HH1/2, HH34, and L1641N.
We identify 71 independent clumps in the 850 micron map and compute size, flux,
and degree of central concentration in each. Comparison with isothermal,
pressure-confined, self-gravitating Bonnor-Ebert spheres implies that the
clumps have internal temperatures T_d ~ 22 +/- K and surface pressures log
(k^-1 P cm^-3 K) = 6.0 +/- 0.2. The clump masses span the range 0.3 - 22 Msun
assuming a dust temperature T_d ~ 20 K and a dust emissivity kappa_850 = 0.02
cm^2 g^-1. The distribution of clump masses is well characterized by a
power-law N(M) propto M^-alpha with alpha = 2.0 +/- 0.5 for M > 3.0 Msun,
indicating a clump mass function steeper than the stellar Initial Mass
Function. Significant incompleteness makes determination of the slope at lower
masses difficult. A comparison of the submillimeter emission map with an H_2
2.122 micron survey of the same region is performed. Several new Class 0
sources are revealed and a correlation is found between both the column density
and degree of concentration of the submillimeter sources and the likelihood of
coincident H_2 shock emission.Comment: 44 pages, 17 figures, accepted by Ap
Chandra imaging of the X-ray core of Abell 1795
We report the discovery of a 40 arcsec long X-ray filament in the core of the
cluster of galaxies A1795. The feature coincides with an Halpha+NII filament
found by Cowie et al in the early 1980s and resolved into at least 2 U-band
filaments by McNamara et al in the mid 1990s. The (emission-weighted)
temperature of the X-ray emitting gas along the filament is 2.5-3 keV, as
revealed by X-ray colour ratios. The deprojected temperature will be less. A
detailed temperature map of the core of the cluster presented. The cD galaxy at
the head of the filament is probably moving through or oscillating in the
cluster core. The radiative cooling time of the X-ray emitting gas in the
filament is about 3x10^8 yr which is similar to the age of the filament
obtained from its length and velocity. This suggests that the filament is
produced by cooling of the gas from the intracluster medium. The filament, much
of which is well separated from the body of the cD galaxy and its radio source,
is potentially of great importance in helping to understand the energy and
ionization source of the optical nebulosity common in cooling flows.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS, high resolution version
available at http://www-xray.ast.cam.ac.uk/papers/a1795_chandra.pd
Conceptual design of a nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator for protons and carbon ions for charged particle therapy
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.The conceptual design for a nonscaling fixed field alternating gradient accelerator suitable for charged particle therapy (the use of protons and other light ions to treat some forms of cancer) is described.EPSR
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