2,201 research outputs found
Molecular gas temperature and density in spiral galaxies
We combine beam-matched CO-13, CO-12 J = 3 yields 2 and J = 2 yields 1 line data to infer the molecular gas excitation conditions in the central 500 to 1600 pc diameters of a small sample of infrared-bright external galaxies: NGC253, IC342, M 83, Maffei 2, and NGC6946. Additional observations of the J = 1 yields 0 lines of C-18O and CO-13 set limits on the opacity of the CO-13 J = 1 yields 0 line averaged over the central kiloparsec of these spiral galaxies
The effects of training interventions on inter-limbs asymmetries: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Inter-limb asymmetries have been recently investigated in athletic populations. However, the effects of training interventions on inter-limb asymmetries have been scarcely examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of training interventions on changes in inter-limb asymmetries from pre- to post-training. Furthermore, to examine the effects of training programs on intervention groups compared to control groups. A database search was completed (MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus). Eight studies were then included in the meta-analysis. Results showed small reductions in inter-limb asymmetries in single leg broad jump (SLBJ) and change of direction (COD) speed from pre- to post-training interventions, whereas moderate effects were found in single leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ) and single leg (SL) lateral jump. When comparing the training interventions to the control groups, results showed small effects in favour of the training groups for reducing inter-limb asymmetries in SLBJ and large effects in SLCMJ, and COD speed. Thus, training interventions can evoke small to moderate reductions in inter-limb asymmetries from pre- to post-training programs. Strength training performed unilaterally or bilaterally may elicit these reductions. Furthermore, training interventions showed larger effects compared to the control groups in reducing inter-limb asymmetries. However, further research is needed
The Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud from the Eclipsing Binary HV2274
The distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is crucial for the
calibration of the Cosmic Distance Scale. We derive a distance to the LMC based
on an analysis of ground-based photometry and HST-based spectroscopy and
spectrophotometry of the LMC eclipsing binary system HV2274. Analysis of the
optical light curve and HST/GHRS radial velocity curve provides the masses and
radii of the binary components. Analysis of the HST/FOS UV/optical
spectrophotometry provides the temperatures of the component stars and the
interstellar extinction of the system. When combined, these data yield a
distance to the binary system. After correcting for the location of HV2274 with
respect to the center of the LMC, we find d(LMC) = 45.7 +/- 1.6 kpc or DM(LMC)
= 18.30 +/- 0.07 mag. This result, which is immune to the metallicity-induced
zero point uncertainties that have plagued other techniques, lends strong
support to the ``short'' LMC distance scale as derived from a number of
independent methods.Comment: 6 pages, including 2 pages of figures. Newly available optical (B and
V) photometry has revealed -- and allowed the elimination of -- a systematic
error in the previously reported determination of E(B-V) for HV2274. The new
result is E(B-V) = 0.12 mag (as compared to the value of 0.083 reported in
the original submission) and produces a DECREASE in the distance modulus of
HV2274 by 0.12 mag. ApJ Letters, in pres
Constructive Wall-Crossing and Seiberg-Witten
We outline a comprehensive and first-principle solution to the wall-crossing
problem in D=4 N=2 Seiberg-Witten theories. We start with a brief review of the
multi-centered nature of the typical BPS states and recall how the
wall-crossing problem thus becomes really a bound state formation/dissociation
problem. Low energy dynamics for arbitrary collections of dyons is derived,
from Seiberg-Witten theory, with the proximity to the so-called marginal
stability wall playing the role of the small expansion parameter. We find that,
surprisingly, the low energy dynamics of n+1 BPS dyons cannot
be consistently reduced to the classical moduli space, \CM, yet the index can
be phrased in terms of \CM. We also explain how an equivariant version of
this index computes the protected spin character of the underlying field
theory, where SO(3)_\CJ isometry of \CM turns out to be the diagonal
subgroup of spatial rotation and R-symmetry. The so-called
rational invariants, previously seen in the Kontsevich-Soibelman formalism of
wall-crossing, are shown to emerge naturally from the orbifolding projection
due to Bose/Fermi statistics.Comment: 25 pages, conference proceeding contribution for "Progress of Quantum
Field Theory and String Theory," Osaka, April 201
Unusual Higgs or Supersymmetry from Natural Electroweak Symmetry Breaking
This review provides an elementary discussion of electroweak symmetry
breaking in the minimal and the next-to-minimal supersymmetric models with the
focus on the fine-tuning problem -- the tension between natural electroweak
symmetry breaking and the direct search limit on the Higgs boson mass. Two
generic solutions of the fine-tuning problem are discussed in detail: models
with unusual Higgs decays; and models with unusual pattern of soft
supersymmetry breaking parameters.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures; invited review by MPL
Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation
The research reported in this paper concerns the development of children's skills of interpreting and evaluating evidence in science. Previous studies have shown that school teaching often places limited emphasis on the development of these skills, which are necessary for children to engage in scientific debate and decision-making. The research, undertaken in the UK, involved four collaborative decision-making activities to stimulate group discussion, each was carried out with five groups of four children (10-11 years old). The research shows how the children evaluated evidence for possible choices and judged whether their evidence was sufficient to support a particular conclusion or the rejection of alternative conclusions. A mapping technique was developed to analyse the discussions and identify different "levels" of argumentation. The authors conclude that suitable collaborative activities that focus on the discussion of evidence can be developed to exercise children's ability to argue effectively in making decisions
Radial HI Profiles at the Periphery of Galactic Disks: The Role of Ionizing Background Radiation
Observations of neutral hydrogen in spiral galaxies reveal a sharp cutoff in
the radial density profile at some distance from the center. Using 22 galaxies
with known HI distributions as an example, we discuss the question of whether
this effect can be associated exclusively with external ionizing radiation, as
is commonly assumed. We show that before the surface density reaches
(the same for
galaxies of different types), it is hard to expect the gas to be fully ionized
by background radiation. For two of 13 galaxies with a sharp drop in the HI
profile, the "steepening" can actually be caused by ionization. At the same
time, for the remaining galaxies, the observed cutoff in the radial HI profile
is closer to the center than if it was a consequence of ionization by
background radiation and, therefore, it should be caused by other factors.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
A Fluctuation Analysis of the Bolocam 1.1mm Lockman Hole Survey
We perform a fluctuation analysis of the 1.1mm Bolocam Lockman Hole Survey,
which covers 324 square arcmin to a very uniform point source-filtered RMS
noise level of 1.4 mJy/beam. The fluctuation analysis has the significant
advantage of utilizing all of the available data. We constrain the number
counts in the 1-10 mJy range, and derive significantly tighter constraints than
in previous work: the power-law index is 2.7 (+0.18, -0.15), while the
amplitude is equal to 1595 (+85,-238) sources per mJy per square degree, or
N(>1 mJy) = 940 (+50,-140) sources/square degree (95% confidence). Our results
agree extremely well with those derived from the extracted source number counts
by Laurent et al (2005). Our derived normalization is about 2.5 times smaller
than determined by MAMBO at 1.2mm by Greve et al (2004). However, the
uncertainty in the normalization for both data sets is dominated by the
systematic (i.e., absolute flux calibration) rather than statistical errors;
within these uncertainties, our results are in agreement. We estimate that
about 7% of the 1.1mm background has been resolved at 1 mJy.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journal; 22 pages, 9 figure
Comments on Supergravity Description of S-branes
This is a note on the coupled supergravity-tachyon matter system, which has
been earlier proposed as a candidate for the effective space-time description
of S-branes. In particular, we study an ansatz with the maximal
ISO(p+1)xSO(8-p,1) symmetry, for general brane dimensionality p and homogeneous
brane distribution in transverse space \rho_\perp. A simple application of
singularity theorems shows that (for p \le 7) the most general solution with
these symmetries is always singular. (This invalidates a recent claim in the
literature.) We include a few general comments about the possibility of
describing the decay of unstable D-branes in purely gravitational terms.Comment: 19 pages, refs adde
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