5,457 research outputs found
The effects of short-lived radionuclides and porosity on the early thermo-mechanical evolution of planetesimals
The thermal history and internal structure of chondritic planetesimals,
assembled before the giant impact phase of chaotic growth, potentially yield
important implications for the final composition and evolution of terrestrial
planets. These parameters critically depend on the internal balance of heating
versus cooling, which is mostly determined by the presence of short-lived
radionuclides (SLRs), such as aluminum-26 and iron-60, as well as the heat
conductivity of the material. The heating by SLRs depends on their initial
abundances, the formation time of the planetesimal and its size. It has been
argued that the cooling history is determined by the porosity of the granular
material, which undergoes dramatic changes via compaction processes and tends
to decrease with time. In this study we assess the influence of these
parameters on the thermo-mechanical evolution of young planetesimals with both
2D and 3D simulations. Using the code family I2ELVIS/I3ELVIS we have run
numerous 2D and 3D numerical finite-difference fluid dynamic models with
varying planetesimal radius, formation time and initial porosity. Our results
indicate that powdery materials lowered the threshold for melting and
convection in planetesimals, depending on the amount of SLRs present. A subset
of planetesimals retained a powdery surface layer which lowered the thermal
conductivity and hindered cooling. The effect of initial porosity was small,
however, compared to those of planetesimal size and formation time, which
dominated the thermo-mechanical evolution and were the primary factors for the
onset of melting and differentiation. We comment on the implications of this
work concerning the structure and evolution of these planetesimals, as well as
their behavior as possible building blocks of terrestrial planets.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in Icarus;
for associated video files, see http://timlichtenberg.net/2015_porosity.html
or http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2016.03.00
Impact splash chondrule formation during planetesimal recycling
Chondrules are the dominant bulk silicate constituent of chondritic
meteorites and originate from highly energetic, local processes during the
first million years after the birth of the Sun. So far, an astrophysically
consistent chondrule formation scenario, explaining major chemical, isotopic
and textural features, remains elusive. Here, we examine the prospect of
forming chondrules from planetesimal collisions. We show that intensely melted
bodies with interior magma oceans became rapidly chemically equilibrated and
physically differentiated. Therefore, collisional interactions among such
bodies would have resulted in chondrule-like but basaltic spherules, which are
not observed in the meteoritic record. This inconsistency with the expected
dynamical interactions hints at an incomplete understanding of the planetary
growth regime during the protoplanetary disk phase. To resolve this conundrum,
we examine how the observed chemical and isotopic features of chondrules
constrain the dynamical environment of accreting chondrite parent bodies by
interpreting the meteoritic record as an impact-generated proxy of
planetesimals that underwent repeated collision and reaccretion cycles. Using a
coupled evolution-collision model we demonstrate that the vast majority of
collisional debris feeding the asteroid main belt must be derived from
planetesimals which were partially molten at maximum. Therefore, the precursors
of chondrite parent bodies either formed primarily small, from sub-canonical
aluminum-26 reservoirs, or collisional destruction mechanisms were efficient
enough to shatter planetesimals before they reached the magma ocean phase.
Finally, we outline the window in parameter space for which chondrule formation
from planetesimal collisions can be reconciled with the meteoritic record and
how our results can be used to further constrain early solar system dynamics.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in Icarus;
associated blog article at goo.gl/5bDqG
Mechanokatalytische partielle Depolymerisation von lignocellulosischen Rohstoffen zu funktionellen Glycanen
Die jährlich weltweit, in großen Mengen produzierten lignocellulosischen Rohstoffe aus der Natur und der Landwirtschaft besitzen das Potenzial, fossile Rohstoffe zu ersetzen. Die Herausforderung besteht dabei im Aufschluss dieser Rohstoffe, um sie anschließend weiterzuverarbeiten. Hierbei hat sich in den letzten Jahren die mechanokatalytische partielle Depolymerisation als vielversprechend erwiesen. Mit Hilfe dieser Aufschlussmethode werden wasserlösliche Glycane als Wertprodukte gewonnen, welche weiter funktionalisiert werden können. In dieser Arbeit konnten durch die mechanokatalytische partielle Depolymerisation ausgehend von lignocellulosischen Rohstoffen und die anschließende Aminierung von Glycanen mit Ammoniak als Aminierungsreagenz funktionelle Glycane hergestellt werden. Der Einsatz in einem kommerziellen Epoxidharz zeigt zudem, dass die aminierten Glycane als Härter verwendet werden können und damit eine Alternative basierend auf nachwachsenden Rohstoffen darstellen
Observation of genuine three-photon interference
Multiparticle quantum interference is critical for our understanding and
exploitation of quantum information, and for fundamental tests of quantum
mechanics. A remarkable example of multi-partite correlations is exhibited by
the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state. In a GHZ state, three particles
are correlated while no pairwise correlation is found. The manifestation of
these strong correlations in an interferometric setting has been studied
theoretically since 1990 but no three-photon GHZ interferometer has been
realized experimentally. Here we demonstrate three-photon interference that
does not originate from two-photon or single photon interference. We observe
phase-dependent variation of three-photon coincidences with 90.5 \pm 5.0 %
visibility in a generalized Franson interferometer using energy-time entangled
photon triplets. The demonstration of these strong correlations in an
interferometric setting provides new avenues for multiphoton interferometry,
fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and quantum information applications in
higher dimensions.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Systemic thrombolytic therapy for acute pulmonary embolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Aim Thrombolytic therapy induces faster clot dissolution than anticoagulation in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) but is associated with an increased risk of haemorrhage. We reviewed the risks and benefits of thrombolytic therapy in the management of patients with acute PE. Methods and results We systematically reviewed randomized controlled studies comparing systemic thrombolytic therapy plus anticoagulation with anticoagulation alone in patients with acute PE. Fifteen trials involving 2057 patients were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with heparin, thrombolytic therapy was associated with a significant reduction of overall mortality (OR; 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36-0.96). This reduction was not statistically significant after exclusion of studies including high-risk PE (OR; 0.64, 95% CI: 0.35-1.17). Thrombolytic therapy was associated with a significant reduction in the combined endpoint of death or treatment escalation (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.22-0.53), PE-related mortality (OR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.14-0.60) and PE recurrence (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.27-0.94). Major haemorrhage (OR; 2.91, 95% CI: 1.95-4.36) and fatal or intracranial bleeding (OR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.25-8.11) were significantly more frequent among patients receiving thrombolysis. Conclusions Thrombolytic therapy reduces total mortality, PE recurrence, and PE-related mortality in patients with acute PE. The decrease in overall mortality is, however, not significant in haemodynamically stable patients with acute PE. Thrombolytic therapy is associated with an increase of major and fatal or intracranial haemorrhag
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