959 research outputs found
Formation of Large-Scale Obscuring Wall and AGN Evolution Regulated by Circumnuclear Starbursts
By considering the radiative force by a circumnuclear starburst as well as an
AGN, we analyze the equilibrium configuration and the stability of dusty gas in
the circumnuclear regions. It is found that the radiative force by an intensive
starburst can support a stable gaseous wall with a scale-height of several
hundred parsecs. Moreover, by taking the simple stellar evolution in the
starburst into account, we find that the covering factor of the wall decreases
on a time-scale of several yr. The large-scale wall, if formed, works to
obscure the nucleus due to the dust opacity. Hence, it is anticipated that the
index of AGN type tends to shift from higher to lower in several yr
according as the circumnuclear starburst becomes dimmer. On the other hand, if
the AGN itself is brighter than the circumnuclear starburst (e.g. quasar case),
no stable large-scale wall forms. In that case, the AGN is highly probably
identified as type 1. The present mechanism may provide a physical explanation
for the putative correlation between AGN type and host properties that Sy2's
are more frequently associated with circumnuclear starbursts than Sy1's,
whereas quasars are mostly observed as type 1 regardless of star-forming
activity in the host galaxies.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, ApJ Letters in pres
A Prospective Analysis of Lesion-Symptom Relationships in Acute Vestibular and Ocular Motor Stroke
Background: Diagnosing stroke as a cause of acute vertigo, dizziness, or double vision remains a challenge, because symptom characteristics can be variable. The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate lesion-symptom relationships in patients with acute vestibular or ocular motor stroke.
Methods: Three hundred and fifty one patients with acute and isolated vestibular or ocular motor symptoms of unclear etiology were enrolled in the EMVERT lesion trial. Symptom quality was assessed by the chief complaint (vertigo, dizziness, double vision), symptom intensity by the visual analog scale, functional impairment by EQ-5D-5L, and symptom duration by daily rating. Acute vestibular and ocular motor signs were registered by videooculography. A standardized MRI (DWI-/FLAIR-/T2-/T2*-/3D-T1-weighted sequences) was recorded within 7 days of symptom onset. MRIs with DWI lesions were further processed for voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM).
Results: In 47 patients, MRI depicted an acute unilateral stroke (13.4%). The chief complaints were dizziness (42.5%), vertigo (40.4%) and double vision (17.0%). Lesions in patients with vertigo or dizziness showed a large overlap in the cerebellar hemisphere. VLSM indicated that strokes in the medial cerebellar layers 7b, 8, 9 were associated with vertigo, strokes in the lateral cerebellar layer 8, crus 1, 2 with dizziness, and pontomesencephalic strokes with double vision. Symptom intensity and duration varied largely between patients. Higher symptom intensity and longer duration were associated with medial cerebellar lesions. Hemispheric lesions of the cortex were rare and presented with milder symptoms of shorter duration.
Conclusions: Prospective evaluation of patients with acute vestibular or ocular motor stroke revealed that symptom quality, intensity and duration were not suited to differentiating peripheral from central etiologies. Lesions in the lateral cerebellum, thalamus, or cortex presented with unspecific, mild and transient symptoms prone to being misdiagnosed
X-ray Power Density Spectrum of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Akn 564
Beginning in 1999 January, the bright, strongly variable Narrow-Line Seyfert
1 (NLS1) galaxy Akn 564 has been observed by RXTE once every ~4.3 days. It was
also monitored every ~3.2 hr throughout 2000 July. These evenly-sampled
observations have allowed the first quantitative comparison of long and short
time-scale X-ray variability in an NLS1 and the derivation of an X-ray Power
Density Spectrum (PDS). The variability amplitude in the short time-scale light
curve is very similar to that in the long time-scale light curve, in marked
contrast to the stronger variability on longer time-scales which is
characteristic of "normal" broad-line Seyfert 1s (BLS1s). Furthermore, the Akn
564 PDS power law cuts off at a frequency of 8.7x10^-7 Hz corresponding to a
timescale of ~13 d, significantly shorter than that seen in the PDS of NGC
3516, a BLS1 of comparable luminosity.
This result is consistent with NLS1s showing faster (as opposed to larger
amplitude) variations than BLS1s, providing further evidence that NLS1s harbour
lower mass black holes than BLS1s of similar luminosity, accreting at a
correspondingly higher relative rate.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
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Field scale evaluation of biostimulation in the near source zone of the former S3 ponds at Oak Ridge
The primary objective of this report is to evaluate the rates and mechanisms of U(VI) reduction by microbial populations
Human Bocavirus Infection, Canada
Human Bocavirus was detected in 18 (1.5%) of 1,209 respiratory specimens collected in 2003 and 2004 in Canada. The main symptoms of affected patients were cough (78%), fever (67%), and sore throat (44%). Nine patients were hospitalized; of these, 8 (89%) were <5 years of age
Two Boosted Black Holes in Asymptotically de Sitter Space-Time - Relation between Mass and Apparent Horizon Formation -
We study the apparent horizon for two boosted black holes in the
asymptotically de Sitter space-time by solving the initial data on a space with
punctures. We show that the apparent horizon enclosing both black holes is not
formed if the conserved mass of the system (Abbott-Deser mass) is larger than a
critical mass. The black hole with too large AD mass therefore cannot be formed
in the asymptotically de Sitter space-time even though each black hole has any
inward momentum. We also discuss the dynamical meaning of AD mass by examining
the electric part of the Weyl tensor (the tidal force) for various initial
data.Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in PR
WIYN Open Cluster Study. XIX. Main Sequence Fitting Distances to Open Clusters Using V-K Color-Magnitude Diagrams
We have combined existing optical magnitudes for stars in seven open clusters
and 54 field stars with the corresponding JHKs photometry from the Two Micron
All Sky Survey (2MASS). Combining optical with near-IR photometry broadens the
color baseline minimizing the influence of photometric errors and allows better
discrimination between cluster stars and contaminating foreground and
background populations. The open clusters in this study include NGC 2516, M35,
M34, NGC 3532, M37, M67, and NGC 188. The field stars we are using possess high
quality Hipparcos parallaxes and well-determined metal abundances allowing us
to empirically determine the dependence of (V-K) color on metal abundance in
the range -0.45<=[Fe/H]<=+0.35. Using this relation along with the parallaxes
of the field stars, we are able to construct an unevolved main sequence in the
[Mv,(V-K)o] diagram for a specific abundance. These diagrams are then used to
fit to the cluster main sequences in the [V,V-K] color-magnitude diagram in
order to estimate a distance for each open cluster. We find that the resultant
distances are within the range of distances found in the literature via the
main sequence fitting technique. It is hoped that this will spur an expansion
of the current (limited) database of star clusters with high quality (V-K)
photometry down to the unevolved main sequence.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, to appear in The Astronomical Journal - February
200
Caribbean Corals in Crisis: Record Thermal Stress, Bleaching, and Mortality in 2005
BACKGROUND The rising temperature of the world's oceans has become a major threat to coral reefs globally as the severity and frequency of mass coral bleaching and mortality events increase. In 2005, high ocean temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean resulted in the most severe bleaching event ever recorded in the basin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Satellite-based tools provided warnings for coral reef managers and scientists, guiding both the timing and location of researchers' field observations as anomalously warm conditions developed and spread across the greater Caribbean region from June to October 2005. Field surveys of bleaching and mortality exceeded prior efforts in detail and extent, and provided a new standard for documenting the effects of bleaching and for testing nowcast and forecast products. Collaborators from 22 countries undertook the most comprehensive documentation of basin-scale bleaching to date and found that over 80% of corals bleached and over 40% died at many sites. The most severe bleaching coincided with waters nearest a western Atlantic warm pool that was centered off the northern end of the Lesser Antilles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Thermal stress during the 2005 event exceeded any observed from the Caribbean in the prior 20 years, and regionally-averaged temperatures were the warmest in over 150 years. Comparison of satellite data against field surveys demonstrated a significant predictive relationship between accumulated heat stress (measured using NOAA Coral Reef Watch's Degree Heating Weeks) and bleaching intensity. This severe, widespread bleaching and mortality will undoubtedly have long-term consequences for reef ecosystems and suggests a troubled future for tropical marine ecosystems under a warming climate.This work was partially supported by salaries from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program authors. NOAA provided funding to Caribbean ReefCheck investigators to undertake surveys of bleaching and mortality. Otherwise, no funding from outside authors' institutions was necessary for the undertaking of this study. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Evaluation of a proposal for reliable low-cost grid power with 100% wind, water, and solar
A number of analyses, meta-Analyses, and assessments, including those performed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the International Energy Agency, have concluded that deployment of a diverse portfolio of clean energy technologies makes a transition to a low-carbon-emission energy system both more feasible and less costly than other pathways. In contrast, Jacobson et al. [Jacobson MZ, Delucchi MA, Cameron MA, Frew BA (2015) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112(49):15060-15065] argue that it is feasible to provide low-cost solutions to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of WWS [wind, water and solar power] across all energy sectors in the continental United States between 2050 and 2055 , with only electricity and hydrogen as energy carriers. In this paper, we evaluate that study and find significant shortcomings in the analysis. In particular, we point out that this work used invalid modeling tools, contained modeling errors, and made implausible and inadequately supported assumptions. Policy makers should treat with caution any visions of a rapid, reliable, and low-cost transition to entire energy systems that relies almost exclusively on wind, solar, and hydroelectric power
Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure
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