Discovery of a Hard X-Ray Source, SAX J0635+0533, in the Error Box of the Gamma-Ray Source 2EG 0635+0521

We have discovered an x-ray source, SAX J0635+0533, with a hard spectrum within the error box of the GeV gamma-ray source in Monoceros, 2EG J0635+0521. The unabsorbed x-ray flux is 1.2*10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1 in the 2-10 keV band. The x-ray spectrum is consistent with a simple powerlaw model with absorption. The photon index is 1.50 +/- 0.08 and we detect emission out to 40 keV. Optical observations identify a counterpart with a V-magnitude of 12.8. The counterpart has broad emission lines and the colors of an early B type star. If the identification of the x-ray/optical source with the gamma-ray source is correct, then the source would be a gamma-ray emitting x-ray binary.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, 8 page

Infrared Studies of Molecular Shocks in the Supernova Remnant HB21: I. Thermal Admixture of Shocked H_2 Gas in the North

We present near- and mid-infrared observations on the shock-cloud interaction region in the northern part of the supernova remnant HB21, performed with the InfraRed Camera (IRC) aboard AKARI satellite and the Wide InfraRed Camera (WIRC) at the Palomar 5 m telescope. The IRC 7 um (S7), 11 um (S11), and 15 um (L15) band images and the WIRC H2 v = 1 -> 0 S(1) 2.12 um image show similar shock-cloud interaction features. We chose three representative regions, and analyzed their IRC emissions through comparison with H2 line emissions of several shock models. The IRC colors are well explained by the thermal admixture model of H2 gas--whose infinitesimal H2 column density has a power-law relation with the temperature T, dN ~ T^-b dT--with n(H2) ~ 10^3 cm^-3, b ~ 3, and N(H2 ;T > 100K) ~ 3x10^20 cm^-2. The derived b value may be understood by a bow shock picture, whose shape is cycloidal (cuspy) rather than paraboloidal. However, this picture raises another issue that the bow shocks must reside within ~0.01 pc size-scale, smaller than the theoretically expected. Instead, we conjectured a shocked clumpy interstellar medium picture, which may avoid the sizescale issue while explaining the similar model parameters. The observed H2 v = 1 -> 0 S(1) intensities are a factor of ~17 - 33 greater than the prediction from the power-law admixture model. This excess may be attributed to either an extra component of hot H2 gas or to the effects of collisions with hydrogen atoms, omitted in our power-law admixture model, both of which would increase the population in the v = 1 level of H2.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, ApJ accepted, higher resolution @ http://astro.snu.ac.kr/~jhshinn/ms.pd

Medieval Irish Chronicles Reveal Persistent Volcanic Forcing of Severe Winter Cold Events, 431–1649 CE

Explosive volcanism resulting in stratospheric injection of sulfate aerosol is a major driver of regional to global climatic variability on interannual and longer timescales. However, much of our knowledge of the climatic impact of volcanism derives from the limited number of eruptions that have occurred in the modern period during which meteorological instrumental records are available. We present a uniquely long historical record of severe short-term cold events from Irish chronicles, 431–1649 CE, and test the association between cold event occurrence and explosive volcanism. Thirty eight (79%) of 48 volcanic events identified in the sulfate deposition record of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice-core correspond to 37 (54%) of 69 cold events in this 1219 year period. We show this association to be statistically significant at the 99.7% confidence level, revealing both the consistency of response to explosive volcanism for Ireland's climatically sensitive Northeast Atlantic location and the large proportional contribution of volcanism to historic cold event frequencies here. Our results expose, moreover, the extent to which volcanism has impacted winter-season climate for the region, and can help to further resolve the complex spatial patterns of Northern Hemisphere winter-season cooling versus warming after major eruptions.Earth and Planetary Science

The C-Band All-Sky Survey: Instrument design, status, and first-look data

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS) aims to produce sensitive, all-sky maps of diffuse Galactic emission at 5 GHz in total intensity and linear polarization. These maps will be used (with other surveys) to separate the several astrophysical components contributing to microwave emission, and in particular will allow an accurate map of synchrotron emission to be produced for the subtraction of foregrounds from measurements of the polarized Cosmic Microwave Background. We describe the design of the analog instrument, the optics of our 6.1 m dish at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, the status of observations, and first-look data.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, published in Proceedings of SPIE MIllimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy V (2010), Vol. 7741, 77411I-1 - 77411I-1

C-Band All-Sky Survey: A First Look at the Galaxy

We present an analysis of the diffuse emission at 5 GHz in the first quadrant of the Galactic plane using two months of preliminary intensity data taken with the C-Band All Sky Survey (C-BASS) northern instrument at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, California. Combining C-BASS maps with ancillary data to make temperature-temperature plots we find synchrotron spectral indices of $\beta = -2.65 \pm 0.05$ between 0.408 GHz and 5 GHz and $\beta = -2.72 \pm 0.09$ between 1.420 GHz and 5 GHz for $-10^{\circ} < |b| < -4^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ} < l < 40^{\circ}$. Through the subtraction of a radio recombination line (RRL) free-free template we determine the synchrotron spectral index in the Galactic plane ($|b| < 4^{\circ}$) to be $\beta = -2.56 \pm 0.07$ between 0.408 GHz and 5 GHz, with a contribution of $53 \pm 8$ per cent from free-free emission at 5\,GHz. These results are consistent with previous low frequency measurements in the Galactic plane. By including C-BASS data in spectral fits we demonstrate the presence of anomalous microwave emission (AME) associated with the HII complexes W43, W44 and W47 near 30 GHz, at 4.4 sigma, 3.1 sigma and 2.5 sigma respectively. The CORNISH VLA 5 GHz source catalogue rules out the possibility that the excess emission detected around 30\;GHz may be due to ultra-compact HII regions. Diffuse AME was also identified at a 4 sigma level within $30^{\circ} < l < 40^{\circ}$, $-2^{\circ} < b < 2^{\circ}$ between 5 GHz and 22.8 GHz.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRAS, referee's corrections made, awaiting for final approval for publicatio

Astronomical Receiver Modelling Using Scattering Matrices

Proper modelling of astronomical receivers is vital: it describes the systematic errors in the raw data, guides the receiver design process, and assists data calibration. In this paper we describe a method of analytically modelling the full signal and noise behaviour of arbitrarily complex radio receivers. We use electrical scattering matrices to describe the signal behaviour of individual components in the receiver, and noise correlation matrices to describe their noise behaviour. These are combined to produce the full receiver model. We apply this approach to a specified receiver architecture: a hybrid of a continous comparison radiometer and correlation polarimeter designed for the C-Band All-Sky Survey. We produce analytic descriptions of the receiver Mueller matrix and noise temperature, and discuss how imperfections in crucial components affect the raw data. Many of the conclusions drawn are generally applicable to correlation polarimeters and continuous comparison radiometers.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

A Study of 3CR Radio Galaxies from z = 0.15 to 0.65. II. Evidence for an Evolving Radio Structure

Radio structure parameters were measured from the highest quality radio maps available for a sample of 3CR radio galaxies in the redshift range 0.15 < z < 0.65. Combined with similar data for quasars in the same redshift range, these morphology data are used in conjunction with a quantification of the richness of the cluster environment around these objects (the amplitude of the galaxy-galaxy spatial covariance function, Bgg) to search for indirect evidence of a dense intracluster medium (ICM). This is done by searching for confinement and distortions of the radio structure that are correlated with Bgg. Correlations between physical size and hot spot placement with Bgg show evidence for an ICM only at z 0.4, suggesting an epoch of z ~ 0.4 for the formation of an ICM in these Abell richness class 0-1, FR2-selected clusters. X-ray selected clusters at comparable redshifts, which contain FR1 type sources exclusively, are demonstrably richer than the FR2-selected clusters found in this study. The majority of the radio sources with high Bgg values at z < 0.4 can be described as ``fat doubles'' or intermediate FR2/FR1s. The lack of correlation between Bgg and bending angle or Bgg and lobe length asymmetry suggests that these types of radio source distortion are caused by something other than interaction with a dense ICM. Thus, a large bending angle cannot be used as an unambiguous indicator of a rich cluster around powerful radio sources. These results support the hypothesis made in Paper 1 that cluster quasars fade to become FR2s, then FR1s, on a timescale of 0.9 Gyrs (for H0 = 50 km s^-1 Mpc^-1).Comment: 44 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; to be published in the September 2002 issue of The Astronomical Journa

Analysis of the Intrinsically Disordered N-Terminus of the DNA Junction-Resolving Enzyme T7 Endonuclease I:Identification of Structure Formed upon DNA Binding

This work was supported by grants from The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Basic Technology EP/F039034/1, The Wellcome Trust, 099149/Z/12/Z, and Cancer Research UK (CRUK), C28/A18604.The four-way (Holliday) DNA junction of homologous recombination is processed by the symmetrical cleavage of two strands by a nuclease. These junction-resolving enzymes bind to four-way junctions in dimeric form, distorting the structure of the junction in the process. Crystal structures of T7 endonuclease I have been determined as free protein, and the complex with a DNA junction. In neither crystal structure was the N-terminal 16-amino acid peptide visible, yet deletion of this peptide has a marked effect on the resolution process. Here we have investigated the N-terminal peptide by inclusion of spin-label probes at unique sites within this region, studied by electron paramagnetic resonance. Continuous wave experiments show that these labels are mobile in the free protein but become constrained on binding a DNA junction, with the main interaction occurring for residues 7-10 and 12. Distance measurements between equivalent positions within the two peptides of a dimer using PELDOR showed that the intermonomeric distances for residues 2-12 are long and broadly distributed in the free protein but are significantly shortened and become more defined on binding to DNA. These results suggest that the N-terminal peptides become more organized on binding to the DNA junction and nestle into the minor grooves at the branchpoint, consistent with the biochemical data indicating an important role in the resolution process. This study demonstrates the presence of structure within a protein region that cannot be viewed by crystallography.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Randomised phase III trial of trabectedin versus doxorubicin-based chemotherapy as first-line therapy in translocation-related sarcomas

Abstract Aim This randomised phase III trial evaluated first-line trabectedin versus doxorubicin-based chemotherapy (DXCT) in patients with advanced/metastatic translocation-related sarcomas (TRS). Methods Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive trabectedin 1.5mg/m 2 24-h intravenous (i.v.) infusion every 3weeks (q3wk) ( Arm A ), or doxorubicin 75mg/m 2 i.v. q3wk, or doxorubicin 60mg/m 2 i.v. plus ifosfamide (range, 6–9g/m 2 ) i.v. q3wk ( Arm B ). Progression-free survival (PFS) by independent review was the primary efficacy end-point. Results One hundred and twenty-one patients were randomised; 88 of them had TRS confirmed by central pathology review (efficacy population). Twenty-nine PFS events were assessed by independent review (16 with trabectedin; 13 with DXCT). PFS showed non-significant difference between arms (stratified log rank test, p =0.9573; hazard ratio=0.86, p =0.6992). At the time of this analysis, 63.9% and 58.3% of patients were alive in trabectedin and DXCT arms, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in survival curves. Response rate according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) v.1.0 was significantly higher in DXCT arm (27.0% versus 5.9%), but response according to Choi criteria showed fewer differences between treatment arms (45.9% versus 37.3%). Safety profile was as expected for both arms, with higher incidence of severe neutropenia, alopecia and mucositis in the DXCT arm. Conclusion Neither trabectedin nor doxorubicin-based chemotherapy showed significant superiority in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced translocation-related sarcoma