1,732 research outputs found
The R Coronae Borealis stars - carbon abundances from forbidden carbon lines
Spectra of several R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars at maximum light were
examined for the [C I] 9850 A and 8727 A absorption lines. The 9850 A line is
variously blended with a Fe II and CN lines but positive identifications of the
[C I] line are made for R CrB and SU Tau. The 8727 A line is detected in the
spectrum of the five stars observed in this wavelength region. Carbon
abundances are derived from the [C I] lines using the model atmospheres and
atmospheric parameters used by Asplund et al. (2000).
Although the observed strength of a C I line is constant from cool to hot RCB
stars, the strength is weaker than predicted by an amount equivalent to a
factor of four reduction of a line's gf-value. Asplund et al. dubbed this 'the
carbon problem' and discussed possible solutions.
The [C I] 9850 A line seen clearly in R CrB and SU Tau confirms the magnitude
of the carbon problem revealed by the C I lines. The [C I] 8727 A line measured
in five stars shows an enhanced carbon problem. The gf-value required to fit
the observed [C I] 8727 A line is a factor of 15 less than the well-determined
theoretical gf-value. We suggest that the carbon problem for all lines may be
alleviated to some extent by a chromospheric-like temperature rise in these
stars. The rise far exceeds that predicted by our non-LTE calculations, and
requires a substantial deposition of mechanical energy.Comment: 11 pages (embedded 5 figures and 3 tables), accepted for publication
in MNRA
All-optical control of ferromagnetic thin films and nanostructures
The interplay of light and magnetism has been a topic of interest since the
original observations of Faraday and Kerr where magnetic materials affect the
light polarization. While these effects have historically been exploited to use
light as a probe of magnetic materials there is increasing research on using
polarized light to alter or manipulate magnetism. For instance deterministic
magnetic switching without any applied magnetic fields using laser pulses of
the circular polarized light has been observed for specific ferrimagnetic
materials. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, optical control of
ferromagnetic materials ranging from magnetic thin films to multilayers and
even granular films being explored for ultra-high-density magnetic recording.
Our finding shows that optical control of magnetic materials is a much more
general phenomenon than previously assumed. These results challenge the current
theoretical understanding and will have a major impact on data memory and
storage industries via the integration of optical control of ferromagnetic
bits.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure
Lyapunov instability of fluids composed of rigid diatomic molecules
We study the Lyapunov instability of a two-dimensional fluid composed of
rigid diatomic molecules, with two interaction sites each, and interacting with
a WCA site-site potential. We compute full spectra of Lyapunov exponents for
such a molecular system. These exponents characterize the rate at which
neighboring trajectories diverge or converge exponentially in phase space.
Quam. These exponents characterize the rate at which neighboring trajectories
diverge or converge exponentially in phase space. Qualitative different degrees
of freedom -- such as rotation and translation -- affect the Lyapunov spectrum
differently. We study this phenomenon by systematically varying the molecular
shape and the density. We define and evaluate ``rotation numbers'' measuring
the time averaged modulus of the angular velocities for vectors connecting
perturbed satellite trajectories with an unperturbed reference trajectory in
phase space. For reasons of comparison, various time correlation functions for
translation and rotation are computed. The relative dynamics of perturbed
trajectories is also studied in certain subspaces of the phase space associated
with center-of-mass and orientational molecular motion.Comment: RevTeX 14 pages, 7 PostScript figures. Accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev.
On Unbounded Composition Operators in -Spaces
Fundamental properties of unbounded composition operators in -spaces are
studied. Characterizations of normal and quasinormal composition operators are
provided. Formally normal composition operators are shown to be normal.
Composition operators generating Stieltjes moment sequences are completely
characterized. The unbounded counterparts of the celebrated Lambert's
characterizations of subnormality of bounded composition operators are shown to
be false. Various illustrative examples are supplied
First-trimester or second-trimester screening, or both, for Down's syndrome
BACKGROUND: It is uncertain how best to screen pregnant women for the presence of fetal Down's syndrome: to perform first-trimester screening, to perform second-trimester screening, or to use strategies incorporating measurements in both trimesters.METHODS: Women with singleton pregnancies underwent first-trimester combined screening (measurement of nuchal translucency, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A [PAPP-A], and the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin at 10 weeks 3 days through 13 weeks 6 days of gestation) and second-trimester quadruple screening (measurement of alpha-fetoprotein, total human chorionic gonadotropin, unconjugated estriol, and inhibin A at 15 through 18 weeks of gestation). We compared the results of stepwise sequential screening (risk results provided after each test), fully integrated screening (single risk result provided), and serum integrated screening (identical to fully integrated screening, but without nuchal translucency).RESULTS: First-trimester screening was performed in 38,167 patients; 117 had a fetus with Down's syndrome. At a 5 percent false positive rate, the rates of detection of Down's syndrome were as follows: with first-trimester combined screening, 87 percent, 85 percent, and 82 percent for measurements performed at 11, 12, and 13 weeks, respectively; with second-trimester quadruple screening, 81 percent; with stepwise sequential screening, 95 percent; with serum integrated screening, 88 percent; and with fully integrated screening with first-trimester measurements performed at 11 weeks, 96 percent. Paired comparisons found significant differences between the tests, except for the comparison between serum integrated screening and combined screening.CONCLUSIONS: First-trimester combined screening at 11 weeks of gestation is better than second-trimester quadruple screening but at 13 weeks has results similar to second-trimester quadruple screening. Both stepwise sequential screening and fully integrated screening have high rates of detection of Down's syndrome, with low false positive rates
How Geography Curricula Tackle Global Issues
The late Doreen Massey recently urged teachers to ‘take on the world’ (Massey, 2014). Though we may see the everyday world as a mosaic of different places, nations or regions defined by their boundaries, a global understanding brings different perspectives: of flows and networks and interdependencies. If we take this seriously - if we do take on the world - then young people need ideas in order to provide new ways of seeing and thinking. Geography in this sense is a disciplinary resource that provides access to a particular form of powerful knowledge: in short, the means to be able to ‘think geographically’.
This chapter opens up and presents this argument. In the first part we provide a platform in the form of analysis of geography curricula from three countries, identifying both the potentials and the challenges that teachers face. Where is ‘the global’, we ask, and in what ways do formal curriculum documents inspire or constrain us from ‘taking on the world’? The second part seeks to develop a disciplinary view of the school subject, appealing to the sometimes beguiling notion of powerful knowledge. We end by introducing a capabilities approach to thinking about the school subject which demonstrates the responsibility that inevitably falls to well-prepared teachers to enact the curriculum
Induction of fibroblast senescence generates a non-fibrogenic myofibroblast phenotype that differentially impacts on cancer prognosis
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) remain a poorly characterized, heterogeneous cell population. Here we characterized two previously described tumor-promoting CAF sub-types, smooth muscle actin (SMA)-positive myofibroblasts and senescent fibroblasts, identifying a novel link between the two
Andreev reflections in the pseudogap state of cuprate supercondcutors
We propose that, if the pseudogap state in the cuprate superconductors can be
described in terms of the phase-incoherent preformed pairs, there should exist
Andreev reflection from these pairs even above the superconducting transition
temperature, . After giving qualitative arguments for this effect, we
present more quantitative calculations based on the Bogoliubov--de Gennes
equation. Experimental observations of the effects of Andreev reflections above
---such as an enhanced tunneling conductance below the gap along the
copper oxide plane---could provide unambiguous evidence for the preformed pairs
in the pseudogap state.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
Low-Energy Quasiparticles in Cuprate Superconductors: A Quantitative Analysis
A residual linear term is observed in the thermal conductivity of
optimally-doped Bi-2212 at very low temperatures whose magnitude is in
excellent agreement with the value expected from Fermi-liquid theory and the
d-wave energy spectrum measured by photoemission spectroscopy, with no
adjustable parameters. This solid basis allows us to make a quantitative
analysis of thermodynamic properties at low temperature and establish that
thermally-excited quasiparticles are a significant, perhaps even the dominant
mechanism in suppressing the superfluid density in cuprate superconductors
Bi-2212 and YBCO.Comment: Revised version with additional page, figure, table and reference; to
appear in Physical Review B (1 August 2000
High angular resolution N-band observation of the silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the VLTI/MIDI instrument
We present the results of N-band spectro-interferometric observations of the
silicate carbon star IRAS08002-3803 with the MID-infrared Interferometric
instrument (MIDI) at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) of the
European Southern Observatory (ESO). The observations were carried out using
two unit telescopes (UT2 and UT3) with projected baseline lengths ranging from
39 to 47 m. Our observations of IRAS08002-3803 have spatially resolved the
dusty environment of a silicate carbon star for the first time and revealed an
unexpected wavelength dependence of the angular size in the N band: the
uniform-disk diameter is found to be constant and ~36 mas (72 Rstar) between 8
and 10 micron, while it steeply increases longward of 10 micron to reach ~53
mas (106 Rstar) at 13 micron. Model calculations with our Monte Carlo radiative
transfer code show that neither spherical shell models nor axisymmetric disk
models consisting of silicate grains alone can simultaneously explain the
observed wavelength dependence of the visibility and the spectral energy
distribution (SED). We propose that the circumstellar environment of
IRAS08002-3803 may consist of two grain species coexisting in the disk:
silicate and a second grain species, for which we consider amorphous carbon,
large silicate grains, and metallic iron grains. Comparison of the observed
visibilities and SED with our models shows that such disk models can fairly --
though not entirely satisfactorily -- reproduce the observed SED and N-band
visibilities. Our MIDI observations and the radiative transfer calculations
lend support to the picture where oxygen-rich material around IRAS08002-3803 is
stored in a circumbinary disk surrounding the carbon-rich primary star and its
putative low-luminosity companion.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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