6,165 research outputs found
The CRaTER Special Issue of Space Weather: Building the observational foundation to deduce biological effects of space radiation
[1] The United States is preparing for exploration beyond low-Earth Orbit (LEO). However, the space radiation environment poses significant risks. The radiation hazard is potentially severe but not sufficiently well characterized to determine if long missions outside LEO can be accomplished with acceptable risk [Cucinotta et al., 2001; Schwadron et al., 2010; Cucinotta et al., 2010]. Radiation hazards may be over- or under-stated through incomplete characterization in terms of net quantities such as accumulated dose. Time-dependent characterization often changes acute risk estimates [NCRP, 1989; Cucinotta, 1999; Cucinotta et al., 2000; George et al., 2002]. For example, events with high accumulated doses but sufficiently low dose rates (/h) pose significantly reduced risks. Protons, heavy ions, and neutrons all contribute significantly to the radiation hazard. However, each form of radiation presents different biological effectiveness. As a result, quality factors and radiation-specific weighting factors are needed to assess biological effectiveness of different forms of radiation [e.g., NCRP 116, 1993] (Figureâ1). More complete characterization must account for time-dependent radiation effects according to organ type, primary and secondary radiation composition, and acute effects (vomiting, sickness, and, at high exposures, death) versus chronic effects (such as cancer)
Evaluating detection limits of next-generation sequencing for the surveillance and monitoring of international marine pests
Most surveillance programmes for marine invasive species (MIS) require considerable taxonomic expertise, are laborious, and are unable to identify species at larval or juvenile stages. Therefore, marine pests may go undetected at the initial stages of incursions when population densities are low. In this study, we evaluated the ability of the benchtop GS Juniorâą 454 pyrosequencing system to detect the presence of MIS in complex sample matrices. An initial in-silico evaluation of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the nuclear small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU) genes, found that multiple primer sets (targeting a ca. 400 base pair region) would be required to obtain species level identification within the COI gene. In contrast a single universal primer set was designed to target the V1âV3 region of SSU, allowing simultaneous PCR amplification of a wide taxonomic range of MIS. To evaluate the limits of detection of this method, artificial contrived communities (10 species from 5 taxonomic groups) were created using varying concentrations of known DNA samples and PCR products. Environmental samples (water and sediment) spiked with one or five 160 hr old Asterias amurensis larvae were also examined. Pyrosequencing was able to recover DNA/PCR products of individual species present at greater than 0.64% abundance from all tested contrived communities. Additionally, single A. amurensis larvae were detected from both water and sediment samples despite the co-occurrence of a large array of environmental eukaryotes, indicating an equivalent sensitivity to quantitative PCR. NGS technology has tremendous potential for the early detection of marine invasive species worldwide
The Purple Haze of Eta Carinae: Binary-Induced Variability?
Asymmetric variability in ultraviolet images of the Homunculus obtained with
the Advanced Camera for Surveys/High Resolution Camera on the Hubble Space
Telescope suggests that Eta Carinae is indeed a binary system. Images obtained
before, during, and after the recent ``spectroscopic event'' in 2003.5 show
alternating patterns of bright spots and shadows on opposite sides of the star
before and after the event, providing a strong geometric argument for an
azimuthally-evolving, asymmetric UV radiation field as one might predict in
some binary models. The simplest interpretation of these UV images, where
excess UV escapes from the secondary star in the direction away from the
primary, places the major axis of the eccentric orbit roughly perpendicular to
our line of sight, sharing the same equatorial plane as the Homunculus, and
with apastron for the hot secondary star oriented toward the southwest of the
primary. However, other orbital orientations may be allowed with more
complicated geometries. Selective UV illumination of the wind and ejecta may be
partly responsible for line profile variations seen in spectra. The brightness
asymmetries cannot be explained plausibly with delays due to light travel time
alone, so a single-star model would require a seriously asymmetric shell
ejection.Comment: 8 pages, fig 1 in color, accepted by ApJ Letter
A disk inside the bipolar planetary nebula M2-9
Bipolarity in proto-planetary and planetary nebulae is associated with events
occurring in or around their cores. Past infrared observations have revealed
the presence of dusty structures around the cores, many in the form of disks.
Characterising those dusty disks provides invaluable constraints on the
physical processes that govern the final mass expulsion of intermediate-mass
stars. We focus this study on the famous M2-9 bipolar nebula, where the moving
lighthouse beam pattern indicates the presence of a wide binary. The compact
and dense dusty core in the center of the nebula can be studied by means of
optical interferometry. M2-9 was observed with VLTI/MIDI at 39-47 m baselines
with the UT2-UT3 and UT3-UT4 baseline configurations. These observations are
interpreted using a dust radiative transfer Monte Carlo code. A disk-like
structure is detected perpendicular to the lobes and a good fit is found with a
stratified disk model composed of amorphous silicates. The disk is compact,
2535 mas at 8, and 3746 mas at 13. For
the adopted distance of 1.2 kpc, the inner rim of the disk is 15 AU. The
mass represents a few percent of the mass found in the lobes. The compactness
of the disk puts strong constraints on the binary content of the system, given
an estimated orbital period 90-120yr. We derive masses of the binary components
between 0.6--1.0M_{\sun} for a white dwarf and 0.6--1.4M_{\sun} for an
evolved star. We present different scenarios on the geometric structure of the
disk accounting for the interactions of the binary system, which includes an
accretion disk as well.Comment: 9 figures, A&A accepte
Radio Polarization of the Young High-Magnetic-Field Pulsar PSR J1119-6127
We have investigated the radio polarization properties of PSR J1119-6127, a
recently discovered young radio pulsar with a large magnetic field. Using
pulsar-gated radio imaging data taken at a center frequency of 2496 MHz with
the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we have determined a rotation measure
for the pulsar of +842 +/- 23 rad m^-2. These data, combined with archival
polarimetry data taken at a center frequency of 1366 MHz with the Parkes
telescope, were used to determine the polarization characteristics of PSR
J1119-6127 at both frequencies. The pulsar has a fractional linear polarization
of ~75% and ~55% at 1366 and 2496 MHz, respectively, and the profile consists
of a single, wide component. This pulse morphology and high degree of linear
polarization are in agreement with previously noticed trends for young pulsars
(e.g., PSR J1513-5908). A rotating-vector (RV) model fit of the position angle
(PA) of linear polarization over pulse phase using the Parkes data suggests
that the radio emission comes from the leading edge of a conal beam. We discuss
PSR J1119-6127 in the context of a recent theoretical model of pulsar spin-down
which can in principle be tested with polarization and timing data from this
pulsar. Geometric constraints from the RV fit are currently insufficient to
test this model with statistical significance, but additional data may allow
such a test in the future.Comment: 9 pages, including 6 figures and 1 table. Accepted for publication in
Ap
Soybean Marketing Methods and Characteristics of Arkansas Grain Handlers
Arkansas producers should acquaint themselves with all marketing methods available to them. Of particular importance is the pervasiveness of price risk within the current economic climate. This bulletin provides insights into the current structure of the grain marketing industry, soybean handler characteristics, and the availability and use of marketing alternatives in Arkansas. Arkansas soybean handlers were surveyed in 1998 to determine the marketing practices of both handlers and producers for the 1996 crop year. Particular emphasis was placed on the types of contracting methods offered by these handlers. Both facility size and corporate structure were found to play a significant role in determining the types of marketing contracts offered as well as the frequency of usage by producers
X-ray Emission from SN 2012ca: A Type Ia-CSM Supernova Explosion in a Dense Surrounding Medium
X-ray emission is one of the signposts of circumstellar interaction in
supernovae (SNe), but until now, it has been observed only in core-collapse
SNe. The level of thermal X-ray emission is a direct measure of the density of
the circumstellar medium (CSM), and the absence of X-ray emission from Type Ia
SNe has been interpreted as a sign of a very low density CSM. In this paper, we
report late-time (500--800 days after discovery) X-ray detections of SN 2012ca
in {\it Chandra} data. The presence of hydrogen in the initial spectrum led to
a classification of Type Ia-CSM, ostensibly making it the first SN~Ia detected
with X-rays. Our analysis of the X-ray data favors an asymmetric medium, with a
high-density component which supplies the X-ray emission. The data suggest a
number density cm in the higher-density medium, which is
consistent with the large observed Balmer decrement if it arises from
collisional excitation. This is high compared to most core-collapse SNe, but it
may be consistent with densities suggested for some Type IIn or superluminous
SNe. If SN 2012ca is a thermonuclear SN, the large CSM density could imply
clumps in the wind, or a dense torus or disk, consistent with the
single-degenerate channel. A remote possibility for a core-degenerate channel
involves a white dwarf merging with the degenerate core of an asymptotic giant
branch star shortly before the explosion, leading to a common envelope around
the SN.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to MNRA
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