5,089 research outputs found
The pre-ZAMS nature of Mol160/IRAS23385+6053 confirmed by Spitzer
Determining the timeline for the formation of massive YSOs requires the
identification and characterisation of all the phases that a massive forming
YSO undergoes. It is of particular interest to verify the observability of the
phase in which the object is rapidly accreting while not yet igniting the
fusion of hydrogen that marks the arrival on the ZAMS. One of the candidate
prototypical objects for this phase is Mol160/IRAS23385+6053, which previous
studies suggest it could be in a pre-Hot Core stage. We further investigate
this issue by means of Spitzer imaging and spectroscopy in the 5-70 micron
range. The dense core of Mol160/IRAS23385+6053, which up to now had only been
detected at submm and mm wavelenghts has been revealed for the first time at 24
and 70 micron by Spitzer. The complete 24 micron -3.4 mm continuum cannot be
fitted with a standard model of a Zero-Age Main-Sequence (ZAMS) star embedded
in an envelope. A simple greybody fit yields a mass of 220 solar masses. The
luminosity is slightly in excess of 3000 solar luminosities, which is a factor
of 5 less than previous estimates when only IRAS fluxes were available between
20 and 100 micron. The source is under-luminous by the same factor with respect
to UCHII regions or Hot-Cores of similar circumstellar mass, and simple models
show that this is compatible with an earlier evolutionary stage. Spectroscopy
between 5 and 40 microns revelas typical PDR/PIR conditions, where the required
UV illumination may be provided by other sources revealed at 24 microns in the
same region, and which can be plausibly modeled as moderately embedded
intermediate-mass ZAMS stars. Our results strengthen the suggestion that the
central core in Mol160/IRAS23385+6053 is a massive YSO actively accreting from
its circumstellar envelope and which did not yet begin hydrogen fusion.Comment: Accepted by A&
Factors influencing take-up of free school meals in primary- and secondary-school children in England.
OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to explore the factors that influence registration for free school meals and the subsequent take-up following registration in England. DESIGN: The research design consisted of two phases, a qualitative research phase followed by an intervention phase. Findings are presented from the qualitative research phase, which comprised interviews with head teachers, school administrators, parents and focus groups with pupils. SETTING: The study took place in four primary schools and four secondary schools in Leeds, UK. SUBJECTS: Participants included head teachers, school administrators, parents and pupils. RESULTS: Findings suggested that parents felt the registration process to be relatively straightforward although many secondary schools were not proactive in promoting free school meals. Quality and choice of food were regarded by both pupils and parents as significant in determining school meal choices, with stigma being less of an issue than originally anticipated. CONCLUSIONS: Schools should develop proactive approaches to promoting free school meals and attention should be given not only to the quality and availability of food, but also to the social, cultural and environmental aspects of dining. Processes to maintain pupils' anonymity should be considered to allay parents' fear of stigma
Interventions to increase free school meal take-up
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to design and implement interventions to increase free school meal (FSM) uptake in pilot schools. This paper describes the interventions, reports on acceptability (as perceived by school working parties) and explores the process of implementing change. Design/methodology/approach: The research consisted of two phases, an exploratory phase followed by an intervention phase. Findings from the latter are presented. Ten pilot schools (five primary and five secondary) in Leeds, England were recruited. Each established a working party, examined current claiming processes and implemented individualised action plans. This paper draws on the final action plans and interviews/focus groups with working parties. Findings: Interventions to improve FSM claiming process, minimise discrimination and maximise awareness were designed. The majority were implemented successfully, the exception being amending anti-bullying policies. Creative ways of delivering interventions were demonstrated. The process of change was effective, critical factors being having individualised action plans that allowed flexibility in implementation, reflecting on current claiming processes, and setting up working parties. Practical implications: Ways of working with schools to increase FSM uptake and more generally improve nutritional policies are suggested. Amending claiming systems in schools is recommended as is greater pupil and parent involvement in nutrition policies. Originality/value: An estimated 300,000 UK children do not take FSMs they are entitled to â with many schools unaware of the issue. This study worked with schools to discover how to address this issue and evaluated the perceived acceptability and feasibility of the approach
IRAS 23385+6053: a candidate protostellar massive object
We present the results of a multi-line and continuum study towards the source
IRAS 23385+6053,performed with the IRAM-30m telescope, the Plateau de Bure
Interferometer, the Very Large Array Interferometer and the James Clerk Maxwell
Telescope. The new results confirm our earlier findings, namely that IRAS
23385+6053 is a good candidate high-mass protostellar object, precursor of an
ultracompact H region. The source is roughly composed of two regions: a
molecular core pc in size, with a temperature of K
and an H volume density of the order of 10 cm, and an
extended halo of diameter 0.4 pc, with an average kinetic temperature of
K and H volume density of the order of 10 cm. The
core temperature is much smaller than what is typically found in molecular
cores of the same diameter surrounding massive ZAMS stars. We deduce that the
core luminosity is between 150 and , and we believe
that the upper limit is near the ``true'' source luminosity. Moreover, by
comparing the H volume density obtained at different radii from the IRAS
source, we find that the halo has a density profile of the type . This suggests that the source is gravitationally
unstable. Finally, we demonstrate that the temperature at the core surface is
consistent with a core luminosity of and conclude that we
might be observing a protostar still accreting material from its parental
cloud, whose mass at present is .Comment: 18 pages, 20 figure
G-quartet biomolecular nanowires
We present a first-principle investigation of quadruple helix nanowires,
consisting of stacked planar hydrogen-bonded guanine tetramers. Our results
show that long wires form and are stable in potassium-rich conditions. We
present their electronic bandstructure and discuss the interpretation in terms
of effective wide-bandgap semiconductors. The microscopic structural and
electronic properties of the guanine quadruple helices make them suitable
candidates for molecular nanoelectronics.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Applied Physics Letters (2002
Class I and Class II methanol masers in high-mass star forming regions
Among the tracers of the earliest phases in the massive star formation
process, methanol masers have gained increasing importance. The
phenomenological distinction between Class I and II methanol masers is based on
their spatial association with objects such as jets, cores, and ultracompact
HII regions, but is also believed to correspond to different pumping
mechanisms: radiation for Class II masers, collisions for Class I masers. In
this work, we have surveyed a large sample of massive star forming regions -
296 objects divided into two groups named 'High' and 'Low' according to their
[25-12] and [60-12] IRAS colours - in Class I and II methanol masers. Previous
studies indicate that the High sources are likely more evolved. Therefore, the
sample can be used to assess the existence of a sequence for the occurrence of
Class I and II methanol masers during the evolution of a massive star forming
region. We observed the 6 GHz (Class II) CH3OH maser with the Effelsberg 100-m
telescope, and the 44 GHz and 95 GHz (Class I) CH3OH masers with the Nobeyama
45-m telescope. We have detected: 55 sources in the Class II line (12 new
detections); 27 sources in the 44 GHz Class I line (17 new detections); 11
sources in the 95 GHz Class I line (all except one are new detections). Our
statistical analysis shows that the ratio between the detection rates of Class
II and Class I methanol masers is basically the same in High and Low sources.
Therefore, both masers are equally associated with each evolutionary phase. In
contrast, all maser species have about 3 times higher detection rates in High
than in Low sources. This might indicate that the phenomena that originate all
masers become progressively more active with time, during the earliest
evolutionary phases of a high-mass star forming region.Comment: 30 pages including Appendices, 11 figures, accepted for publication
in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Search for massive protostellar candidates in the southern hemisphere: I. Association with dense gas
(Abridged) We have observed CS and C17O lines, and 1.2 mm cont. emission
towards a sample of 130 high-mass protostellar candidates with DEC<-30 deg.
This is the first step of the southern extension of a project started more than
a decade ago aimed at the identification of massive protostellar candidates. We
selected from the IRAS PSC 429 sources which potentially are compact molecular
clouds. The sample is divided into two groups: the 298 sources with
[25-12]>0.57 and [60-12]>1.30 we call 'High' sources, the remaining 131 we call
'Low' sources. In this paper, we check the association with dense gas and dust
in 130 'Low' sources. We find a detection rate of ca. 85% in CS, demonstrating
a tight association with dense molecular clumps. Among the sources detected in
CS, ca. 76% have also been detected in C17O and ca. 93% in the 1.2 mm cont.
Mm-cont. maps show the presence of clumps with diameters 0.2-2 pc and masses
from a few Msun to 10^5 Msun; H2 volume densities lie between ca. 10^{4.5} and
10^{5.5} cm^{-3}. The L(bol) are 10^3-10^6 Lsun, consistent with embedded
high-mass objects. Based on our results and those found in the literature for
other samples, we conclude that our sources are massive objects probably in a
stage prior to the formation of an HII region. We propose a scenario in which
'High' and 'Low' sources are both made of a massive clump hosting a high-mass
protostellar candidate and a nearby stellar cluster. The difference might be
due to the fact that the IRAS 12mu flux, the best discriminant between the two
groups, is dominated by the emission from the cluster in 'Lows' and from the
massive protostellar object in 'Highs'.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astron. & Astroph.; 34 pages (incl. 14
figures and 8 tables
A simple model for NN correlations in quasielastic lepton-nucleus scattering
We present a covariant extension of the relativistic Fermi gas model which
incorporates correlation effects in nuclei. Within this model, inspired by the
BCS descriptions of systems of fermions, we obtain the nuclear spectral
function and from it the superscaling function for use in treating high-energy
quasielastic electroweak processes. Interestingly, this model has the
capability to yield the asymmetric tail seen in the experimental scaling
function.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings of the Twenty Seventh International
Workshop on Nuclear Theory, June 23 - 28, 2008, Rila mountains, Bulgari
Excitons in carbon nanotubes: an ab initio symmetry-based approach
The optical absorption spectrum of the carbon (4,2) nanotube is computed
using an ab-initio many-body approach which takes into account excitonic
effects. We develop a new method involving a local basis set which is symmetric
with respect to the screw symmetry of the tube. Such a method has the
advantages of scaling faster than plane-wave methods and allowing for a precise
determination of the symmetry character of the single particle states,
two-particle excitations, and selection rules. The binding energy of the
lowest, optically active states is approximately 0.8 eV. The corresponding
exciton wavefunctions are delocalized along the circumference of the tube and
localized in the direction of the tube axis.Comment: 4 pages, 1 LaTex file + 4 eps figure
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