604 research outputs found
CO+ in M 82: A Consequence of Irradiation by X-rays
Based on its strong CO+ emission it is argued that the M 82 star-burst galaxy
is exposed to a combination of FUV and X-ray radiation. The latter is likely to
be the result of the star-burst superwind, which leads to diffuse thermal
emission at ~0.7 keV, and a compact hard, 2-10 keV, source (but not an AGN).
Although a photon-dominated region (FUV) component is clearly present in the
nucleus of M 82, and capable of forming CO+, only X-ray irradiated gas of
density 10^3-10^5 cm^-3 can reproduce the large, ~(1-4)x10^13 cm^-2, columns of
CO+ that are observed toward the proto-typical star-burst M 82. The total X-ray
luminosity produced by M 82 is weak, ~10^41 erg s^-1, but this is sufficient to
drive the formation of CO+.Comment: added discussion on more recent X-ray observation
Prevalence of Bacteria of Division TM7 in Human Subgingival Plaque and Their Association with Disease
Members of the uncultivated bacterial division TM7 have been detected in the human mouth, but little information is available regarding their prevalence and diversity at this site. Human subgingival plaque samples from healthy sites and sites exhibiting various stages of periodontal disease were analyzed for the presence of TM7 bacteria. TM7 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was found in 96% of the samples, and it accounted for approximately 0.3%, on average, of all bacterial rDNA in the samples as determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Two new phylotypes of this division were identified, and members of the division were found to exhibit filamentous morphology by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The abundance of TM7 rDNA relative to total bacterial rDNA was higher in sites with mild periodontitis (0.54% ± 0.1%) than in either healthy sites (0.21% ± 0.05%, P \u3c 0.01) or sites with severe periodontitis (0.29% ± 0.06%, P \u3c 0.05). One division subgroup, the I025 phylotype, was detected in 1 of 18 healthy samples and 38 of 58 disease samples. These data suggest that this phylotype, and the TM7 bacterial division in general, may play a role in the multifactorial process leading to periodontitis
HCN to HCO^+ Millimeter Line Diagnostics of AGN Molecular Torus I : Radiative Transfer Modeling
We explore millimeter line diagnostics of an obscuring molecular torus
modeled by a hydrodynamic simulation with three-dimensional nonLTE radiative
transfer calculations. Based on the results of high-resolution hydrodynamic
simulation of the molecular torus around an AGN, we calculate intensities of
HCN and HCO^{+} rotational lines as two representative high density tracers.
The three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations shed light on a
complicated excitation state in the inhomogeneous torus, even though a
spatially uniform chemical structure is assumed. Our results suggest that HCN
must be much more abundant than HCO^{+} in order to obtain a high ratio
() observed in some of the nearby galaxies. There is a
remarkable dispersion in the relation between integrated intensity and column
density, indicative of possible shortcomings of HCN(1-0) and HCO^{+}(1-0) lines
as high density tracers. The internal structures of the inhomogeneous molecular
torus down to subparsec scale in external galaxies will be revealed by the
forthcoming Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The
three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations of molecular lines with
high-resolution hydrodynamic simulation prove to be a powerful tool to provide
a physical basis for molecular line diagnostics of the central regions of
external galaxies.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ, For high
resolution figures see http://alma.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~masako/MS72533v2.pd
Methanogenic \u3cem\u3eArchaea\u3c/em\u3e and human periodontal disease
Archaea have been isolated from the human colon, vagina, and oral cavity, but have not been established as causes of human disease. In this study, we reveal a relationship between the severity of periodontal disease and the relative abundance of archaeal small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (SSU rDNA) in the subgingival crevice by using quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the relative abundance of archaeal small subunit rDNA decreased at treated sites in association with clinical improvement. Archaea were harbored by 36% of periodontitis patients and were restricted to subgingival sites with periodontal disease. The presence of archaeal cells at these sites was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization. The archaeal community at diseased sites was dominated by a Methanobrevibacter oralis-like phylotype and a distinct Methanobrevibacter subpopulation related to archaea that inhabit the gut of numerous animals. We hypothesize that methanogens participate in syntrophic relationships in the subgingival crevice that promote colonization by secondary fermenters during periodontitis. Because they are potential alternative syntrophic partners, our finding of larger Treponema populations sites without archaea provides further support for this hypothesis
Beyond âRememberâ and âUnderstandâ: Can Online Homework Tools Augment Studentsâ Higher Order Thinking Skills?
We studied the effectiveness of an Introductory Psychology online homework tool with questions that required lower or higher level thinking skills (Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate). Interestingly, results suggested that both student performance and attitudes are influenced by question level and question type (Matching, Multiple Choice, Drag and Drop, etc.)
The irradiated ISM of ULIRGs
The nuclei of ULIRGs harbor massive young stars, an accreting central black
hole, or both. Results are presented for molecular gas that is exposed to
X-rays (1-100 keV, XDRs) and far-ultraviolet radiation (6-13.6 eV, PDRs).
Attention is paid to species like HCO+, HCN, HNC, OH, H2O and CO. Line ratios
of HCN/HCO+ and HNC/HCN discriminate between PDRs and XDRs. Very high J (>10)
CO lines, observable with HIFI/Herschel, discriminate very well between XDRs
and PDRs. In XDRs, it is easy to produce large abundances of warm (T>100 K) H2O
and OH. In PDRs, only OH is produced similarly well.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, to appear in: IAU Symposium 242 Astrophysical
Masers and their Environment
Rate coefficients for rovibrational transitions in H_2 due to collisions with He
We present quantum mechanical and quasiclassical trajectory calculations of
cross sections for rovibrational transitions in ortho- and para-H_2 induced by
collisions with He atoms. Cross sections were obtained for kinetic energies
between 10^-4 and 3 eV, and the corresponding rate coefficients were calculated
for the temperature range 100<T<4000 K. Comparisons are made with previous
calculations.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, AAS, eps
First Detection of HCO+ Emission at High Redshift
We report the detection of HCO+(1-0) emission towards the Cloverleaf quasar
(z=2.56) through observations with the Very Large Array. This is the first
detection of ionized molecular gas emission at high redshift (z>2). HCO+
emission is a star formation indicator similar to HCN, tracing dense molecular
hydrogen gas (n(H_2) ~= 10^5 cm^{-3}) within star-forming molecular clouds. We
derive a lensing-corrected HCO+ line luminosity of L'(HCO+) = 3.5 x 10^9 K km/s
pc^2. Combining our new results with CO and HCN measurements from the
literature, we find a HCO+/CO luminosity ratio of 0.08 and a HCO+/HCN
luminosity ratio of 0.8. These ratios fall within the scatter of the same
relationships found for low-z star-forming galaxies. However, a HCO+/HCN
luminosity ratio close to unity would not be expected for the Cloverleaf if the
recently suggested relation between this ratio and the far-infrared luminosity
were to hold. We conclude that a ratio between HCO+ and HCN luminosity close to
1 is likely due to the fact that the emission from both lines is optically
thick and thermalized and emerges from dense regions of similar volumes. The
CO, HCN and HCO+ luminosities suggest that the Cloverleaf is a composite
AGN--starburst system, in agreement with the previous finding that about 20% of
the total infrared luminosity in this system results from dust heated by star
formation rather than heating by the AGN. We conclude that HCO+ is potentially
a good tracer for dense molecular gas at high redshift.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, ApJL, in press (accepted May 17, 2006
Millimeter Interferometric Investigations of the Energy Sources of Three Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, UGC 5101, Mrk 273, and IRAS 17208-0014, based on HCN to HCO+ Ratios
We present interferometric observations of three ultraluminous infrared
galaxies (ULIRGs; UGC 5101, Mrk 273, and IRAS 17208-0014) in the 3-mm
wavelength range, using the Nobeyama Millimeter Array. Both the HCN (J=1-0) and
HCO+ (J=1-0) molecular lines were observed simultaneously. HCN emission was
clearly detected at the nuclear positions of these ULIRGs, and HCO+ emission
was detected at the nuclear positions of UGC 5101 and IRAS 17208-0014. The HCN
to HCO+ brightness-temperature ratios toward the nuclei of the three ULIRGs
were derived and compared with those of lower luminosity galaxies known to be
dominated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or starbursts. In UGC 5101 and Mrk
273, where there is evidence for obscured AGNs from previous observations at
other wavelengths, we found high HCN/HCO+ ratios (>1.8) that are in the range
found for AGN-dominated galaxies. In IRAS 17208-0014, where the presence of a
powerful obscured AGN has been unclear, the ratio (1.7) is in between the
observed values for starburst- and AGN-dominated galaxies. The high HCN/HCO+
brightness-temperature ratios in UGC 5101 and Mrk 273 could be the consequence
of an HCN abundance enhancement, which is expected from chemical effects of the
central X-ray emitting AGN on the surrounding dense molecular gas. Our proposed
millimeter interferometric method based on HCN/HCO+ ratios may be an effective
tool for unveiling elusive buried AGNs at the cores of ULIRGs, especially
because of the negligible dust extinction at these wavelengths.Comment: 15 pages (emulateapj.sty), 8 figures (figures 1-5 resolution
reduced), Accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal, A PDF file with
high resolution is availble at
http://optik2.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~imanishi/Paper/HCN/HCN.pd
Advances in understanding subglacial meltwater drainage from past ice sheets
Meltwater drainage beneath ice sheets is a fundamental consideration for understanding iceâbed
conditions and bed-modulated ice flow, with potential impacts on terminus behavior and iceshelf mass balance. While contemporary observations reveal the presence of basal water
movement in the subglacial environment and inferred styles of drainage, the geological record
of former ice sheets, including sediments and landforms on land and the seafloor, aids in understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of efficient and inefficient drainage systems and their
impact on ice-sheet behavior. We highlight the past decade of advances in geological studies
that focus on providing process-based information on subglacial hydrology of ice sheets, how
these studies inform theory, numerical models and contemporary observations, and address
the needs for future research
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