527 research outputs found
Oscillator Strengths for B-X, C-X, and E-X Transitions in Carbon Monoxide
Band oscillator strengths for electronic transitions in CO were obtained at
the Synchrotron Radiation Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our
focus was on transitions that are observed in interstellar spectra with the Far
Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer; these transitions are also important in
studies of selective isotope photodissociation where fractionation among
isotopomers can occur. Absorption from the ground state (X ^1Sigma^+ v'' = 0)
to A ^1Pi (v'= 5), B ^1Sigma^+ (v' = 0, 1), C ^1Sigma^+ (v' = 0, 1), and E ^1Pi
(v' = 0) was measured. Fits to the A - X (5, 0) band, whose oscillator strength
is well known, yielded the necessary column density and excitation temperature.
These parameters were used in a least-squares fit of the observed profiles for
the transitions of interest to extract their band oscillator strengths. Our
oscillator strengths are in excellent agreement with results from recent
experiments using a variety of techniques. This agreement provides the basis
for a self-consistent set of f-values at far ultraviolet wavelengths for
studies of interstellar (and stellar) CO.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, ApJS (in press
Glioma infiltration of the corpus callosum: early signs detected by DTI
The most frequent primary brain tumors, anaplastic astrocytomas (AA) and glioblastomas (GBM): tend to invasion of the surrounding brain. Histopathological studies found malignant cells in macroscopically unsuspicious brain parenchyma remote from the primary tumor, even affecting the contralateral hemisphere. In early stages, diffuse interneural infiltration with changes of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) is suspected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of DTI as a possible instrument of depicting evidence of tumor invasion into the corpus callosum (CC). Preoperatively, 31 patients with high-grade brain tumors (8 AA and 23 GBM) were examined by MRI at 3 T, applying a high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) sequence. ADC- and FA-values were analyzed in the tumor-associated area of the CC as identified by fiber tracking, and were compared to matched healthy controls. In (MR-)morphologically normal appearing CC the ADC values were elevated in the tumor patients (n = 22; 0.978 × 10(−3) mm²/s) compared to matched controls (0.917 × 10(−3) mm²/s, p < 0.05), and the corresponding relative FA was reduced (rFA: 88 %, p < 0.01). The effect was pronounced in case of affection of the CC visible on MRI (n = 9; 0.978 × 10(−3) mm²/s, p < 0.05; rFA: 72 %, p < 0.01). Changes in diffusivity and anisotropy in the CC can be interpreted as an indicator of tumor spread into the contralateral hemisphere not visible on conventional MRI
Elemental nitrogen partitioning in dense interstellar clouds
Many chemical models of dense interstellar clouds predict that the majority
of gas-phase elemental nitrogen should be present as N2, with an abundance
approximately five orders of magnitude less than that of hydrogen. As a
homonuclear diatomic molecule, N2 is difficult to detect spectroscopically
through infrared or millimetre-wavelength transitions so its abundance is often
inferred indirectly through its reaction product N2H+. Two main formation
mechanisms each involving two radical-radical reactions are the source of N2 in
such environments. Here we report measurements of the low temperature rate
constants for one of these processes, the N + CN reaction down to 56 K. The
effect of the measured rate constants for this reaction and those recently
determined for two other reactions implicated in N2 formation are tested using
a gas-grain model employing a critically evaluated chemical network. We show
that the amount of interstellar nitrogen present as N2 depends on the
competition between its gas-phase formation and the depletion of atomic
nitrogen onto grains. As the reactions controlling N2 formation are
inefficient, we argue that N2 does not represent the main reservoir species for
interstellar nitrogen. Instead, elevated abundances of more labile forms of
nitrogen such as NH3 should be present on interstellar ices, promoting the
eventual formation of nitrogen-bearing organic molecules.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences of the United States of America - published online since June 11,
201
MRI and clinical syndrome in dura materrelated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Objective : Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) is mainly associated with dura mater (DM) grafts and administration of human growth hormones (hGH). Data on disease course in DM-CJD are limited. We describe the clinical and diagnostic findings in this patient group with special emphasis on MRI signal alterations. Methods : Ten DM-CJD patients were studied for their clinical symptoms and diagnostic findings. The MRIs were evaluated for signal increase of the cortical and subcortical structures. Results : DM-CJD patients had a median incubation time of 18 years and median disease duration of 7 months. The majority of patients were MM homozygous at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) and presented with gait ataxia and psychiatric symptoms. No correlation between the graft site and the initial disease course was found. The MRI showed cortical and basal ganglia signal increase each in eight out of ten patients and thalamic hyperintensity in five out of ten cases. Of interest, patients with thalamic signal increase were homozygous for methionine. Conclusion : The MRI findings in DM-CJD largely resemble those seen in sporadic CJD, as the cortex and basal ganglia are mainly affecte
Observation of interstellar lithium in the low-metallicity Small Magellanic Cloud
The primordial abundances of light elements produced in the standard theory
of Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) depend only on the cosmic ratio of baryons to
photons, a quantity inferred from observations of the microwave background. The
predicted primordial 7Li abundance is four times that measured in the
atmospheres of Galactic halo stars. This discrepancy could be caused by
modification of surface lithium abundances during the stars' lifetimes or by
physics beyond the Standard Model that affects early nucleosynthesis. The
lithium abundance of low-metallicity gas provides an alternative constraint on
the primordial abundance and cosmic evolution of lithium that is not
susceptible to the in situ modifications that may affect stellar atmospheres.
Here we report observations of interstellar 7Li in the low-metallicity gas of
the Small Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy with a quarter the Sun's
metallicity. The present-day 7Li abundance of the Small Magellanic Cloud is
nearly equal to the BBN predictions, severely constraining the amount of
possible subsequent enrichment of the gas by stellar and cosmic-ray
nucleosynthesis. Our measurements can be reconciled with standard BBN with an
extremely fine-tuned depletion of stellar Li with metallicity. They are also
consistent with non-standard BBN.Comment: Published in Nature. Includes main text and Supplementary
Information. Replaced with final title and abstrac
Religion and religious education : comparing and contrasting pupils’ and teachers’ views in an English school
This publication builds on and develops the English findings of the qualitative study of European teenagers’ perspectives on religion and religious education (Knauth et al. 2008), part of ‘Religion in Education: A contribution to dialogue or a factor of conflict in transforming societies of European countries?’ (REDCo) project. It uses data gathered from 27 pupils, aged 15-16, from a school in a multicultural Northern town in England and compares those findings with data gathered from ten teachers in the humanities faculty of the same school, collected during research for the Warwick REDCo Community of Practice. Comparisons are drawn between the teachers’ and their pupils’ attitudes and values using the same structure as the European study: personal views and experiences of religion, the social dimension of religion, and religious education in school. The discussion offers an analysis of the similarities and differences in worldviews and beliefs which emerged. These include religious commitment/observance differences between the mainly Muslim-heritage pupils and their mainly non-practising Christian-heritage teachers. The research should inform the ways in which the statutory duties to promote community cohesion and equalities can be implemented in schools. It should also facilitate intercultural and interreligious understanding between teachers and the pupils from different ethnic and religious backgrounds
An Ultra-High-Resolution Survey of the Interstellar ^7Li-to-^6Li Isotope Ratio in the Solar Neighborhood
In an effort to probe the extent of variations in the interstellar ^7Li/^6Li
ratio seen previously, ultra-high-resolution (R ~ 360,000), high
signal-to-noise spectra of stars in the Perseus OB2 and Scorpius OB2
Associations were obtained. These measurements confirm our earlier findings of
an interstellar ^7Li/^6Li ratio of about 2 toward o Per, the value predicted
from models of Galactic cosmic ray spallation reactions. Observations of other
nearby stars yield limits consistent with the isotopic ratio ~ 12 seen in
carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. If this ratio originally represented the gas
toward o Per, then to decrease the original isotope ratio to its current value
an order of magnitude increase in the Li abundance is expected, but is not
seen. The elemental K/Li ratio is not unusual, although Li and K are formed via
different nucleosynthetic pathways. Several proposals to account for the low
^7Li/^6Li ratio were considered, but none seems satisfactory.
Analysis of the Li and K abundances from our survey highlighted two sight
lines where depletion effects are prevalent. There is evidence for enhanced
depletion toward X Per, since both abundances are lower by a factor of 4 when
compared to other sight lines. Moreover, a smaller Li/H abundance is observed
toward 20 Aql, but the K/H abundance is normal, suggesting enhanced Li
depletion (relative to K) in this direction. Our results suggest that the
^7Li/^6Li ratio has not changed significantly during the last 4.5 billion years
and that a ratio ~ 12 represents most gas in the solar neighborhood. In
addition, there appears to be a constant stellar contribution of ^7Li,
indicating that one or two processes dominate its production in the Galaxy.Comment: 54 pages, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
The laurentian record of neoproterozoic glaciation, tectonism, and eukaryotic evolution in Death Vally, California
Neoproterozoic strata in Death Valley, California contain eukaryotic microfossils and glacial deposits that have been used to assess the severity of putative Snowball Earth events and the biological response to extreme environmental change. These successions also contain evidence for syn-sedimentary faulting that has been related to the rifting of Rodinia, and in turn the tectonic context of the onset of Snowball Earth. These interpretations hinge on local geological relationships and both regional and global stratigraphic correlations. Here we present new geological mapping, measured stratigraphic sections, carbon and strontium isotope chemostratigraphy, and micropaleontology from the Neoproterozoic glacial deposits and bounding strata in Death Valley. These new data enable us to refine regional correlations both across Death Valley and throughout Laurentia, and construct a new age model for glaciogenic strata and microfossil assemblages. Particularly, our remapping of the Kingston Peak Formation in the Saddle Peak Hills and near the type locality shows for the first time that glacial deposits of both the Marinoan and Sturtian glaciations can be distinguished in southeastern Death Valley, and that beds containing vase-shaped microfossils are slump blocks derived from the underlying strata. These slump blocks are associated with multiple overlapping unconformities that developed during syn-sedimentary faulting, which is a common feature of Cyrogenian strata along the margin of Laurentia from California to Alaska. With these data, we conclude that all of the microfossils that have been described to date in Neoproterozoic strata of Death Valley predate the glaciations and do not bear on the severity, extent or duration of Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth events
Josephson array of mesoscopic objects. Modulation of system properties through the chemical potential
The phase diagram of a two-dimensional Josephson array of mesoscopic objects
is examined. Quantum fluctuations in both the modulus and phase of the
superconducting order parameter are taken into account within a lattice boson
Hubbard model. Modulating the average occupation number of the sites in
the system leads to changes in the state of the array, and the character of
these changes depends significantly on the region of the phase diagram being
examined. In the region where there are large quantum fluctuations in the phase
of the superconducting order parameter, variation of the chemical potential
causes oscillations with alternating superconducting (superfluid) and normal
states of the array. On the other hand, in the region where the bosons interact
weakly, the properties of the system depend monotonically on . Lowering
the temperature and increasing the particle interaction force lead to a
reduction in the width of the region of variation in within which the
system properties depend weakly on the average occupation number. The phase
diagram of the array is obtained by mapping this quantum system onto a
classical two-dimensional XY model with a renormalized Josephson coupling
constant and is consistent with our quantum Path-Integral Monte Carlo
calculations.Comment: 12 pages, 8 Postscript figure
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