34,223 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Developing web services in a computational grid environment
Grid and Web services are both hot topics today. In this paper, we will present some ongoing work and planned future work at the Cambridge eScience Centre. After an introduction to these technologies in the context of Grid applications development, we describe two use-cases: a database
of results in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a small computational Grid for aircraft engineering design.
As Grid services are moving towards Web services, we continue
to make use of the Globus Toolkit v2.4 (GT2.4), without
adopting the Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA)
wholesale. In our scenario, GT2.4 integrates distributed
computing resources including HPC and clusters while Web
services wrap the scientific code as a service.Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Services Computing, Shanghai, September 200
Loss-tolerant operations in parity-code linear optics quantum computing
A heavy focus for optical quantum computing is the introduction of
error-correction, and the minimisation of resource requirements. We detail a
complete encoding and manipulation scheme designed for linear optics quantum
computing, incorporating scalable operations and loss-tolerant architecture.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Using Lyman-alpha to detect galaxies that leak Lyman continuum
We propose to infer ionising continuum leaking properties of galaxies by
looking at their Lyman-alpha line profiles. We carry out Lyman-alpha radiation
transfer calculations in two models of HII regions which are porous to ionising
continuum escape: 1) the so-called "density bounded" media, in which massive
stars produce enough ionising photons to keep the surrounding interstellar
medium transparent to the ionising continuum, i.e almost totally ionised, and
2) "riddled ionisation-bounded" media, surrounded by neutral interstellar
medium, but with holes, i.e. with a covering factor lower than unity. The
Lyman-alpha spectra emergent from these configurations have distinctive
features: 1) a "classical" asymmetric redshifted profile in the first case, but
with a small shift of the maximum of the profile compare to the systemic
redshift (Vpeak < 150 km/s); 2) a main peak at the systemic redshift in the
second case (Vpeak = 0 km/s), with, as a consequence, a non-zero Lyman-alpha
flux bluewards the systemic redshift. Assuming that in a galaxy leaking
ionising photons, the Lyman-alpha component emerging from the leaking star
cluster(s) dominates the total Lyman-alpha spectrum, the Lyman-alpha shape may
be used as a pre-selection tool to detect Lyman continuum (LyC) leaking
galaxies, in objects with well determined systemic redshift, and high spectral
resolution Lyman-alpha spectra (R >= 4000). The examination of a sample of 10
local starbursts with high resolution HST-COS Lyman-alpha spectra and known in
the literature as LyC leakers or leaking candidates, corroborates our
predictions. Observations of Lyman-alpha profiles at high resolution should
show definite signatures revealing the escape of Lyman continuum photons from
star-forming galaxies.Comment: A&A in pres
Expression of three GnRH receptors in specific tissues in male and female sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus at three distinct life stages
Two recently cloned gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors (lamprey GnRH-R-2 and lamprey GnRH-R-3) along with lamprey (l) GnRH-R-1 were shown to share similar structural features and amino acid motifs common to other vertebrate receptors. Here we report on our findings of RNA expression of these three GnRH receptors in the three major life stages (larval, parasitic, and adult phases) of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, a basal vertebrate. For each stage, we examined the expression of messenger RNA encoding the receptors in the brain, pituitary, gonad, heart, muscle, liver, eye, intestine, kidney, skin, thyroid, gill, and endostyle by RT-PCR. In adult lampreys, the spatial expression of the three receptors in the brain and pituitary was investigated by in situ hybridization. In general, the receptors were more widely expressed in adult tissues as compared to parasitic-phase tissues and least widely expressed in the larval tissues. There were noted differences in male and female lampreys in the adult and parasitic phases for all three receptors. The data showed the presence of all three receptor transcripts in brain tissues for adult and parasitic phases and all three receptor transcripts were expressed in the adult pituitaries, but not in the parasitic pituitaries. However, in the larval phase, only lGnRH-R-1 was expressed in the larval brain and pituitary. In situ hybridization revealed that lGnRH-R-2 and -3 were expressed in the pineal tissue of adult female lampreys while lGnRH-R-1 was expressed in the pineal in adult male lampreys, all restricted to the pineal pellucida. In summary, these data provide an initial comparative analysis of expression of three lamprey GnRH receptors suggesting differential regulation within males and females at three different life/reproductive stages
VLT/MUSE view of the highly ionized outflow cones in the nearby starburst ESO338-IG04
The Ly line is an important diagnostic for star formation at high
redshift, but interpreting its flux and line profile is difficult because of
the resonance nature of Ly. Trends between the escape of Ly
photons and dust and properties of the interstellar medium (ISM) have been
found, but detailed comparisons between Ly emission and the properties
of the gas in local high-redshift analogs are vital for understanding the
relation between Ly emission and galaxy properties. For the first time,
we can directly infer the properties of the ionized gas at the same location
and similar spatial scales of the extended Ly halo around ESO 338-IG04.
We obtained VLT/MUSE integral field spectra. We used ionization parameter
mapping of the [SII]/[OIII] line ratio and the kinematics of H to study
the ionization state and kinematics of the ISM of ESO338-IG04. The velocity map
reveals two outflows. The entire central area of the galaxy is highly ionized
by photons leaking from the HII regions around the youngest star clusters.
Three highly ionized cones have been identified, of which one is associated
with an outflow. We propose a scenario where the outflows are created by
mechanical feedback of the older clusters, while the highly ionized gas is
caused by the hard ionizing photons emitted by the youngest clusters. A
comparison with the Ly map shows that the (approximately bipolar)
asymmetries observed in the Ly emission are consistent with the base of
the outflows detected in H. No clear correlation with the ionization
cones is found. The mechanical and ionization feedback of star clusters
significantly changes the state of the ISM by creating ionized cones and
outflows. The comparison with Ly suggests that especially the outflows
could facilitate the escape of Ly photons [Abridged].Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters, 4 pages, 2 figure
Trident: A three-pronged galaxy survey. I. Lyman alpha emitting galaxies at z~2 in GOODS North
Context. Lyman alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) are used to probe the distant
universe and are therefore important for galaxy evolution studies and for
providing clues to the nature of the epoch of reionization, but the exact
circumstances under which Lyman alpha escapes a galaxy are still not fully
understood.
Aims. The Trident project is designed to simultaneously examine Lyman alpha,
H-alpha and Lyman Continuum emission from galaxies at redshift z~2, thus
linking together these three aspects of ionising radiation in galaxies. In this
paper, we outline the strategy of this project and examine the properties of
LAEs in the GOODS North field.
Methods. We performed a narrowband LAE survey in GOODS North using existing
and two custom made filters at the Nordic Optical Telescope with MOSCA. We use
complementary broad band archival data in the field to make a careful candidate
selection and perform optical to near-IR SED fitting. We also estimate
far-infrared luminosities by matching our candidates to detections in
Spitzer/MIPS 24{\mu}m and Herschel/PACS catalogs.
Results. We find a total of 25 LAE candidates, probing mainly the bright end
of the LAE luminosity function with L_Ly {\alpha} ~ 1-15e42 erg/s. They display
a range of masses of ~0.5-50e9 M_solar, and average ages from a few tens of Myr
to 1 Gyr when assuming a constant star formation history. The majority of our
candidates also show signs of recent elevated star formation. Three candidates
have counterparts in the GOODS-Herschel far-IR catalogue, with luminosities
consistent with ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs).
Conclusions. The wide range of parameters derived from our SED fitting, as
well as part of our sample being detected as ULIRGs, seems to indicate that at
these Lyman alpha luminosities, LAEs do not necessarily have to be young
dwarfs, and that a lack of dust is not required for Lyman alpha to escape.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures. Accepted version for publication in A&
Loss Tolerant Optical Qubits
We present a linear optics quantum computation scheme that employs a new
encoding approach that incrementally adds qubits and is tolerant to photon loss
errors. The scheme employs a circuit model but uses techniques from cluster
state computation and achieves comparable resource usage. To illustrate our
techniques we describe a quantum memory which is fault tolerant to photon loss
Isotope Ratio Monitoring Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (IRM-GCMS)
On Earth, the C-13 content of organic compounds is depleted by roughly 13 to 23 permil from atmospheric carbon dioxide. This difference is largely due to isotope effects associated with the fixation of inorganic carbon by photosynthetic organisms. If life once existed on Mars, then it is reasonable to expect to observe a similar fractionation. Although the strongly oxidizing conditions on the surface of Mars make preservation of ancient organic material unlikely, carbon-isotope evidence for the existence of life on Mars may still be preserved. Carbon depleted in C-13 could be preserved either in organic compounds within buried sediments, or in carbonate minerals produced by the oxidation of organic material. A technique is introduced for rapid and precise measurement of the C-13 contents of individual organic compounds. A gas chromatograph is coupled to an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer through a combustion interface, enabling on-line isotopic analysis of isolated compounds. The isotope ratios are determined by integration of ion currents over the course of each chromatographic peak. Software incorporates automatic peak determination, corrections for background, and deconvolution of overlapped peaks. Overall performance of the instrument was evaluated by the analysis of a mixture of high purity n-alkanes of know isotopic composition. Isotopic values measured via IRM-GCMS averaged withing 0.55 permil of their conventionally measured values
Programmed schedule holds for improving launch vehicle holds
Baseline definition and system optimization are used for the analysis of programmed holds developed through prelaunch system analysis. Identification of design specifications for ground support equipment and maintenance concepts, and design specifications are used to describe the functional utilization of the overall flow process
- …