1,960 research outputs found
A radio jet drives a molecular and atomic gas outflow in multiple regions within one square kiloparsec of the nucleus of the nearby galaxy IC5063
We analyzed near-infrared data of the nearby galaxy IC5063 taken with the
Very Large Telescope SINFONI instrument. IC5063 is an elliptical galaxy that
has a radio jet nearly aligned with the major axis of a gas disk in its center.
The data reveal multiple signatures of molecular and atomic gas that has been
kinematically distorted by the passage of the jet plasma or cocoon within an
area of ~1 kpc^2. Concrete evidence that the interaction of the jet with the
gas causes the gas to accelerate comes from the detection of outflows in four
different regions along the jet trail: near the two radio lobes, between the
radio emission tip and the optical narrow-line-region cone, and at a region
with diffuse 17.8 GHz emission midway between the nucleus and the north radio
lobe. The outflow in the latter region is biconical, centered 240 pc away from
the nucleus, and oriented perpendicularly to the jet trail. The diffuse
emission that is observed as a result of the gas entrainment or scattering
unfolds around the trail and away from the nucleus with increasing velocity. It
overall extends for >700 pc parallel and perpendicular to the trail. Near the
outflow starting points, the gas has a velocity excess of 600 km/s to 1200 km/s
with respect to ordered motions, as seen in [FeII], Pa alpha, or H2 lines. High
H2 (1-0) S(3)/S(1) flux ratios indicate non-thermal excitation of gas in the
diffuse outflow.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Relativistic Disk Reflection in the Neutron Star X-ray Binary XTE J1709-267 with NuSTAR
We perform the first reflection study of the soft X-ray transient and Type 1
burst source XTE J1709-267 using NuSTAR observations during its 2016 June
outburst. There was an increase in flux near the end of the observations, which
corresponds to an increase from 0.04 L to 0.06
L assuming a distance of 8.5 kpc. We have separately examined
spectra from the low and high flux intervals, which were soft and show evidence
of a broad Fe K line. Fits to these intervals with relativistic disk reflection
models have revealed an inner disk radius of (where
) for the low flux spectrum and
for the high flux spectrum at the 90\% confidence level. The disk is likely
truncated by a boundary layer surrounding the neutron star or the
magnetosphere. Based on the measured luminosity and using the accretion
efficiency for a disk around a neutron star, we estimate that the theoretically
expected size for the boundary layer would be from the
neutron star's surface, which can be increased by spin or viscosity effects.
Another plausible scenario is that the disk could be truncated by the
magnetosphere. We place a conservative upper limit on the strength of the
magnetic field at the poles, assuming and , of
G, though X-ray pulsations have not been detected
from this source.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. arXiv
admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1701.0177
Prediction and explanation in the multiverse
Probabilities in the multiverse can be calculated by assuming that we are
typical representatives in a given reference class. But is this class well
defined? What should be included in the ensemble in which we are supposed to be
typical? There is a widespread belief that this question is inherently vague,
and that there are various possible choices for the types of reference objects
which should be counted in. Here we argue that the ``ideal'' reference class
(for the purpose of making predictions) can be defined unambiguously in a
rather precise way, as the set of all observers with identical information
content. When the observers in a given class perform an experiment, the class
branches into subclasses who learn different information from the outcome of
that experiment. The probabilities for the different outcomes are defined as
the relative numbers of observers in each subclass. For practical purposes,
wider reference classes can be used, where we trace over all information which
is uncorrelated to the outcome of the experiment, or whose correlation with it
is beyond our current understanding. We argue that, once we have gathered all
practically available evidence, the optimal strategy for making predictions is
to consider ourselves typical in any reference class we belong to, unless we
have evidence to the contrary. In the latter case, the class must be
correspondingly narrowed.Comment: Minor clarifications adde
Anthropic reasoning in multiverse cosmology and string theory
Anthropic arguments in multiverse cosmology and string theory rely on the
weak anthropic principle (WAP). We show that the principle, though ultimately a
tautology, is nevertheless ambiguous. It can be reformulated in one of two
unambiguous ways, which we refer to as WAP_1 and WAP_2. We show that WAP_2, the
version most commonly used in anthropic reasoning, makes no physical
predictions unless supplemented by a further assumption of "typicality", and we
argue that this assumption is both misguided and unjustified. WAP_1, however,
requires no such supplementation; it directly implies that any theory that
assigns a non-zero probability to our universe predicts that we will observe
our universe with probability one. We argue, therefore, that WAP_1 is
preferable, and note that it has the benefit of avoiding the inductive
overreach characteristic of much anthropic reasoning.Comment: 7 pages. Expanded discussion of selection effects and some minor
clarifications, as publishe
Parathyroid hormone 1-34 and skeletal anabolic action: The use of parathyroid hormone in bone formation
Intermittently administered parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-34) has been shown to promote bone formation in both human and animal studies. The hormone and its analogues stimulate both bone formation and resorption, and as such at low doses are now in clinical use for the treatment of severe osteoporosis. By varying the duration of exposure, parathyroid hormone can modulate genes leading to increased bone formation within a so-called ‘anabolic window’. The osteogenic mechanisms involved are multiple, affecting the stimulation of osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes and the stem cell niche, and ultimately leading to increased osteoblast activation, reduced osteoblast apoptosis, upregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, increased stem cell mobilisation, and mediation of the RANKL/OPG pathway. Ongoing investigation into their effect on bone formation through ‘coupled’ and ‘uncoupled’ mechanisms further underlines the impact of intermittent PTH on both cortical and cancellous bone. Given the principally catabolic actions of continuous PTH, this article reviews the skeletal actions of intermittent PTH 1-34 and the mechanisms underlying its effect
The influence of ion binding and ion specific potentials on the double layer pressure between charged bilayers at low salt concentrations
Measurements of surface forces between double-chained cationic bilayers adsorbed onto molecularly smooth mica surfaces across different millimolar salt solutions have revealed a large degree of ion specificity [Pashley et al., J. Phys. Chem. 90, 1637 (1986)]. This has been interpreted in terms of highly specific anion binding to the adsorbed bilayers. We show here that inclusion in the double layer theory of nonspecific ion binding and ion specific nonelectrostatic potentials acting between ions and the two surfaces can account for the phenomenon. It also gives the right Hofmeister series for the double layer pressure.M.B. thanks the Swedish Research Council and the German
Arbeitsgemeinschaft industrieller Forschungvereinigungen
Otto von Guericke e.V. AiF for financial support.
E.R.A.L. and F.W.T. thank FAPERJ and CNPq the Brazilian
Agencies for financial support
The spherical probe electric field and wave experiment
The experiment is designed to measure the electric field and density fluctuations with sampling rates up to 40,000 samples/sec. The description includes Langmuir sweeps that can be made to determine the electron density and temperature, the study of nonlinear processes that result in acceleration of plasma, and the analysis of large scale phenomena where all four spacecraft are needed
Dalbavancin is thermally stable at clinically relevant temperatures against methicillin-sensitive <i>Staphylococcus Aureus</i>
Introduction: While the rate of orthopaedic infections has remained constant
over the years, the burden on healthcare systems continues to rise with an
aging population. Local antibiotic delivery via polymethyl methacrylate bone
cement is a common adjunct in treating bone and joint infections.
Dalbavancin is a novel lipoglycopeptide antibiotic in the same class as
vancomycin that has shown efficacy against Gram-positive organisms when used
systemically but has not been investigated as a local antibiotic. This study
aims to identify whether dalbavancin is thermally stable at the temperatures
expected during the polymerization of polymethyl methacrylate cement.
Methods: Stock solutions of dalbavancin were prepared and heated using a
polymerase chain reaction machine based upon previously defined models of
curing temperatures in two clinically relevant models: a 10 mm
polymethyl methacrylate bead and a polymethyl methacrylate articulating knee
spacer model. Aliquots of heated dalbavancin were then transferred to be
incubated at core body temperature (37 ∘C) and analyzed at various
time points up to 28 d. The minimum inhibitory concentration at which
90 % of colonies were inhibited (MIC90) for each heated sample was
determined against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (American Type Culture Collection, ATCC, 0173K) using a standard
microbroth dilution assay.
Results: The average MIC90 of dalbavancin was 1.63 µg mL−1
±0.49 against 0173K S. aureus. There were no significant differences in the
relative MIC90 values after heating dalbavancin in either model
compared to unheated control dalbavancin.
Conclusions: Dalbavancin is thermally stable at the curing temperatures of
polymethyl methacrylate cement and at human core body temperature over
28 d. Future in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to further investigate the role
of dalbavancin as a local antibiotic prior to its clinical use.</p
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