5,314 research outputs found
Clumpy streams in a smooth dark halo: the case of Palomar 5
By means of direct N-body simulations and simplified numerical models, we
study the formation and characteristics of the tidal tails around Palomar 5,
along its orbit in the Milky Way potential. Unlike previous findings, we are
able to reproduce the substructures observed in the stellar streams of this
cluster, without including any lumpiness in the dark matter halo. We show that
overdensities similar to those observed in Palomar 5 can be reproduced by the
epicyclic motion of stars along its tails, i.e. a simple local accumulation of
orbits of stars that escaped from the cluster with very similar positions and
velocities. This process is able to form stellar clumps at distances of several
kiloparsecs from the cluster, so it is not a phenomenon confined to the inner
part of Palomar 5's tails, as previously suggested. Our models can reproduce
the density contrast between the clumps and the surrounding tails found in the
observed streams, without including any lumpiness in the dark halo, suggesting
new upper limits on its granularity.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. A&A Letters, accepted. Top panel of Fig. A1
replaced, minor typos corrected. High resolution version available at
http://mygepi.obspm.fr/~paola/Pal5
Interaction of free fatty acids with mitochondria: Coupling, uncoupling and permeability transition
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Cooperativity and flexibility of the protonmotive activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain
AbstractFunctional and structural data are reviewed which provide evidence that proton pumping in cytochrome c oxidase is associated with extended allosteric cooperativity involving the four redox centers in the enzyme . Data are also summarized showing that the H+/e− stoichiometry for proton pumping in the cytochrome span of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is flexible. The ΔpH component of the bulk-phase membrane electrochemical proton gradient exerts a decoupling effect on the proton pump of both the bc1 complex and cytochrome c oxidase. A slip in the pumping efficiency of the latter is also caused by high electron pressure. The mechanistic and physiological implications of proton-pump slips are examined. The easiness with which bulk phase ΔpH causes, at least above a threshold level, decoupling of proton pumping indicates that for active oxidative phosphorylation efficient protonic coupling between redox complexes and ATP synthase takes place at the membrane surface, likely in cristae, without significant formation of delocalized ΔμH+. A role of slips in modulating oxygen free radical production by the respiratory chain and the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is discussed
Toward an efficient biorefining of microalgae and biomass alike. A unit operating view on how to mimick the optimisation history of the crude oil refining industry
One major hindrance to biomass deployment, and one which only benefitted from an unbalanced development, is refining into the different fractions which have a market value. Indeed, most products obtained from oil refining owe to the level of sophistication and optimisation reached by energy-integrated fractioning (mostly, distillation) networks. The separation stage of microalgal and lignocellulosic biomass could be addressed by using a converging approach employing a multipurpose solvent which may be adapted by one single and simple operation to different extractions. Such a single-solvent separation approach would lend itself to scaleup to a solvent-integrated fractionation network that might help mimicking the success story of the oil refining industry
Runway veer‐off risk analysis. An international airport case study
Runway excursions are the main risk for runway safety: operational protection areas mitigate the effects of events classified as veer‐off, overrun, and undershoot. This paper presents a methodology for the quantitative risk assessment of runway veer‐off in an international airport whose name will not be revealed for privacy reasons. The proposed methodology is based on similar principles adopted in other aviation risk analyses. The Real Level of Safety (RLS) related to the veer-off accident was calculated through the implementation of a retrospective analysis that permits to define a frequency model, a location model and a consequence model. Instead, Target Level of Safety (TLS) was defined through the risk matrix and acceptability criteria present in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Safety Management Manual. Finally, the risk of veer‐off accidents in the airport under evaluation was determined by using primary data provided by the airport management body. Risk values were calculated in more than 1300 points around the runway and they were used to assess the current level of safety. The authors present a risk map that allows identifying the areas in the strip with the highest risk of a veer‐off accident. The obtained results demonstrate that the developed methodology represents a useful tool to define TLS and to assess whether infrastructural and operational modification need to obtain the required level of safety
Towards Self-evolving Context-aware Services
The introduction of new communication infrastructures such as Beyond 3rd Generation
(B3G) and the widespread usage of small computing devices are rapidly
changing the way we use and interact with technology to perform everyday tasks.
Ubiquitous networking empowered by B3G networking makes it possible for mobile
users to access networked software services across continuously changing heterogeneous
infrastructures by resource-constrained devices. Heterogeneity and devices'
limitedness, create serious problems for the development and dynamic deployment
of mobile applications that are able to run properly on the execution context and
consume services matching with the users' expectations. Furthermore, the everchanging
B3G environment calls for applications that self-evolve according to context
changes. Out of these problems, self-evolving adaptable applications are increasingly
emerging in the software community. In this paper we describe how
CHAMELEON, a declarative framework for tailoring adaptable applications, is being
used for tackling adaptation and self-evolution within the IST PLASTIC project
Delayed or anticipated reproduction in the asp viper (Vipera aspis)? New field records
Field reports of delayed and anticipated parturition in the viperid snake Vipera aspis
Gas inflows, star formation and metallicity evolution in galaxy pairs
It has been known since many decades that galaxy interactions can induce star
formation (hereafter SF) enhancements and that one of the driving mechanisms of
this enhancement is related to gas inflows into the central galaxy regions,
induced by asymmetries in the stellar component, like bars. In the last years
many evidences have been accumulating, showing that interacting pairs have
central gas-phase metallicities lower than those of field galaxies, by {\sim}
0.2-0.3 dex on average. These diluted ISM metallicities have been explained as
the result of inflows of metal-poor gas from the outer disk to the galaxy
central regions. A number of questions arises: What's the timing and the
duration of this dilution? How and when does the SF induced by the gas inflow
enrich the circumnuclear gas with re-processed material? Is there any
correlation between the timing and strength of the dilution and the timing and
intensity of the SF? By means of Tree-SPH simulations of galaxy major
interactions, we have studied the effect that gas inflows have on the ISM
dilution, and the effect that the induced SF has, subsequently, in re-enriching
the nuclear gas. In this contribution, we present the main results of this
study.Comment: Proceedings of the IAU Symposium 277 "Tracing the Ancestry of
Galaxies", 4 pages, 2 figure
Statistical and Proactive Analysis of an Inter-Laboratory Comparison: The Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin.
We review the sampling and results of the radiocarbon dating of the archaeological cloth known as the Shroud of Turin, in the light of recent statistical analyses of both published and raw data. The statistical analyses highlight an inter-laboratory heterogeneity of the means and a monotone spatial variation of the ages of subsamples that suggest the presence of contaminants unevenly removed by the cleaning pretreatments. We consider the significance and overall impact of the statistical analyses on assessing the reliability of the dating results and the design of correct sampling. These analyses suggest that the 1988 radiocarbon dating does not match the current accuracy requirements. Should this be the case, it would be interesting to know the accurate age of the Shroud of Turin. Taking into account the whole body of scientific data, we discuss whether it makes sense to date the Shroud again
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