2,761 research outputs found
A study of starting time in great hard X-ray flares
An analysis of the starting time in ten great hard X-ray bursts observed with the X-Ray Burst Spectrometer (HXRBS) is presented. It is shown that the impulsive phase of nine of them is composed of a preflash phase, during which the burst is observed up to an energy limit ranging from some tens of keV to 200 keV, followed ten to some tens of seconds afterwards by a flash phase, where the count rate rises simultaneously in all detector channels. For two events strong gamma-ray line emission is observed and is shown to start close to the onset of the flash phase
Cofactor-interaction motifs and the cooption of a homeotic hox protein into the segmentation pathway of Drosophila melanogaster
SummarySome Drosophila Hox-complex members, including the segmentation gene fushi tarazu (Dm-ftz), have nonhomeotic functions [1]. Characteristic expression in other arthropods supports an ancestral homeotic role for ftz [2, 3], indicating that ftz function changed during arthropod evolution. Dm-Ftz segmentation function depends on interaction with ftz-F1 [4–6] via an LXXLL motif [7–9] and homeodomain N-terminal arm [7]. Hox proteins interact with the cofactor Extradenticle (Exd) via their YPWM motif [10–14]. Previously, we found that Dm-ftz mediates segmentation but not homeosis [14], whereas orthologs from grasshopper (Sg-ftz) [15] and beetle (Tc-Ftz) [16], both containing a YPWM motif, have homeotic function. Tc-Ftz, which unlike Sg-Ftz contains an LXXLL motif, displays stronger segmentation function than Sg-Ftz [14, 17]. Cofactor-interaction motifs were mutated in Dm-Ftz and Tc-Ftz and effects were evaluated in Drosophila to assess how these motifs contributed to Ftz evolution. Addition of YPWM to Dm-Ftz confers weak homeotic function, which is increased by simultaneous LXXLL mutation. LXXLL is required for strong segmentation function, which is unimpeded by the YPWM, suggesting that acquisition of LXXLL specialized Ftz for segmentation. Strengthening the Ftz/Ftz-F1 interaction led to degeneration of the YPWM and loss of homeotic activity. Thus, small changes in protein sequence can result in a qualitative switch in function during evolution
Observation of a nanophase segregation in LiCl aqueous solutions from Transient Grating Experiments
Transient Grating experiments performed on supercooled LiCl, RH2O solutions
with R>6 reveal the existence of a strong, short time, extra signal which
superposes to the normal signal observed for the R=6 solution and other glass
forming systems. This extra signal shows up below 190 K, its shape and the
associated timescale depend only on temperature, while its intensity increases
with R. We show that the origin of this signal is a phase separation between
clusters with a low solute concentration and the remaining, more concentrated,
solution. Our analysis demonstrates that these clusters have a nanometer size
and a composition which are rather temperature independent, while increasing R
simply increases the number of these clusters.Comment: 19 pages+ 8 figures+ 2 table
Charge centers in CaF: Ab initio calculation of elementary physical properties
Charge centers in ionic crystals provide a channel for elementary interaction
between electromagnetic radiation and the lattice. We calculate the electronic
ground state energies which are needed to create a charge center -- namely a
- and a -center. In well agreement with common understanding the
-center results in being accompanied by a small lattice distortion whereas
the -center is accompanied by a very large lattice deformation. Opposite to
the common understanding the additional positive charge in the charge center
results rather to be localized on a F complex than on a
F-complex. From the ground states of the charge centers we derive binding
energies, diffusion barriers and agglomeration energies for -center
formation. These microscopic quantities are of fundamental interest to
understand the dynamic processes which are initiated if the crystals interact
with extreme intense deep ultra violet radiation. We further derive the
equilibrium concentrations of charge centers in grown crystals.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. B in Aug. 2006, 11 Fig
Neutralino Pair Production and 3-Body Decays at Linear Colliders as Probes of CP Violation in the Neutralino System
In the CP-invariant supersymmetric theories, the steep S-wave (slow P-wave)
rise of the cross section for any non-diagonal neutralino pair production in
annihilation, (), near threshold is accompanied by the slow P-wave (steep S-wave) decrease
of the fermion invariant mass distribution of the 3-body neutralino decay,
( or ), near the end
point. These selection rules, unique to the neutralino system due to its
Majorana nature, guarantee that the observation of simultaneous sharp S-wave
excitations of the production cross section near threshold and the lepton and
quark invariant mass distribution near the end point is a qualitative,
unambiguous evidence for CP violation in the neutralino system.Comment: 11 pages, 1 eps figure, a reference adde
Combined LHC/ILC analysis of a SUSY scenario with heavy sfermions
We discuss the potential of combined analyses at the Large Hadron Collider
and the planned International Linear Collider to explore low-energy
supersymmetry in a difficult region of the parameter space characterized by
masses of the scalar SUSY particles around 2 TeV. Precision analyses of cross
sections for light chargino production and forward--backward asymmetries of
decay leptons and hadrons at the ILC, together with mass information on chi^0_2
and squarks from the LHC, allow us to determine the underlying fundamental
gaugino/higgsino MSSM parameters and to constrain the masses of the heavy,
kinematically inaccessible sparticles. No assumptions on a specific
SUSY-breaking mechanism are imposed. For this analysis the complete spin
correlations between production and decay processes are taken into account.Comment: new figure added, updated to match the published versio
How Can Active Region Plasma Escape into the Solar Wind from below a Closed Helmet Streamer?
Recent studies show that active-region (AR) upflowing plasma, observed by the
EUV-Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), onboard Hinode, can gain access to open
field-lines and be released into the solar wind (SW) via magnetic-interchange
reconnection at magnetic null-points in pseudo-streamer configurations. When
only one bipolar AR is present on the Sun and it is fully covered by the
separatrix of a streamer, such as AR 10978 in December 2007, it seems unlikely
that the upflowing AR plasma can find its way into the slow SW. However,
signatures of plasma with AR composition have been found at 1 AU by Culhane et
al. (2014) apparently originating from the West of AR 10978. We present a
detailed topology analysis of AR 10978 and the surrounding large-scale corona
based on a potential-field source-surface (PFSS) model. Our study shows that it
is possible for the AR plasma to get around the streamer separatrix and be
released into the SW via magnetic reconnection, occurring in at least two main
steps. We analyse data from the Nan\c{c}ay Radioheliograph (NRH) searching for
evidence of the chain of magnetic reconnections proposed. We find a noise storm
above the AR and several varying sources at 150.9 MHz. Their locations suggest
that they could be associated with particles accelerated during the first-step
reconnection process and at a null point well outside of the AR. However, we
find no evidence of the second-step reconnection in the radio data. Our results
demonstrate that even when it appears highly improbable for the AR plasma to
reach the SW, indirect channels involving a sequence of reconnections can make
it possible.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures. appears in Solar Physics, 201
Width of Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet CMEs
In the present paper we report on the difference in angular sizes between
radio-loud and radio-quiet CMEs. For this purpose we compiled these two samples
of events using Wind/WAVES and SOHO/LASCO observations obtained during
1996-2005. It is shown that the radio-loud CMEs are almost two times wider than
the radio-quiet CMEs (considering expanding parts of CMEs). Furthermore we show
that the radio-quiet CMEs have a narrow expanding bright part with a large
extended diffusive structure. These results were obtained by measuring the CME
widths in three different ways.Comment: Solar Physic, in pres
Atrazine contamination at the watershed scale and environmental factors affecting sampling rates of the polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS)
AbstractPolar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were used to estimate atrazine contamination at 24 stream/river sites located across a watershed with land use ranging from 6.7 to 97.4% annual crops and surface water nitrate concentrations ranging from 3 to 5404 μg/L. A gradient of atrazine contamination spanning two orders of magnitude was observed over two POCIS deployments of 28 d and was positively correlated with measures of agricultural intensity. The metabolite desisopropyl atrazine was used as a performance reference compound in field calibration studies. Sampling rates were similar between field sites but differed seasonally. Temperature had a significant effect on sampling rates while other environmental variables, including water velocity, appeared to have no effect on sampling rates. A performance reference compound approach showed potential in evaluating spatial and temporal differences in field sampling rates and as a tool for further understanding processes governing uptake of polar compounds by POCIS
Parallel Evolution of Quasi-separatrix Layers and Active Region Upflows
Persistent plasma upflows were observed with Hinode's EUV Imaging
Spectrometer (EIS) at the edges of active region (AR) 10978 as it crossed the
solar disk. We analyze the evolution of the photospheric magnetic and velocity
fields of the AR, model its coronal magnetic field, and compute the location of
magnetic null-points and quasi-sepratrix layers (QSLs) searching for the origin
of EIS upflows. Magnetic reconnection at the computed null points cannot
explain all of the observed EIS upflow regions. However, EIS upflows and QSLs
are found to evolve in parallel, both temporarily and spatially. Sections of
two sets of QSLs, called outer and inner, are found associated to EIS upflow
streams having different characteristics. The reconnection process in the outer
QSLs is forced by a large-scale photospheric flow pattern which is present in
the AR for several days. We propose a scenario in which upflows are observed
provided a large enough asymmetry in plasma pressure exists between the
pre-reconnection loops and for as long as a photospheric forcing is at work. A
similar mechanism operates in the inner QSLs, in this case, it is forced by the
emergence and evolution of the bipoles between the two main AR polarities. Our
findings provide strong support to the results from previous individual case
studies investigating the role of magnetic reconnection at QSLs as the origin
of the upflowing plasma. Furthermore, we propose that persistent reconnection
along QSLs does not only drive the EIS upflows, but it is also responsible for
a continuous metric radio noise-storm observed in AR 10978 along its disk
transit by the Nan\c{c}ay Radio Heliograph.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
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