Chandra X-Ray Imaging of the Interacting Starburst Galaxy System NGC 7714/5: Tidal ULXs, Emergent Wind, and Resolved HII Regions

We present Chandra X-ray images for the interacting galaxy pair NGC 7714/5. In addition to the unresolved starburst nucleus, a variable point source with L(X) ~ 10^40 erg/s was detected 1.5" (270 pc) northwest of the nucleus, coincident with a blue, extremely optically-luminous (M(V) ~ -14.1) point source on HST images. Eleven more candidate point-like ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are seen, two >= 10^40 erg/s. Ten of these are associated with interaction-induced features but only two with star formation. We found diffuse emission with L(X) ~ 3 X 10^40 erg/s extending 11" (1.9 kpc) to the north of the nucleus. Its spectrum can be fit with a 2-temperature Mekal function (0.6/8 keV) or a 0.6 keV Mekal function plus a power law. The hard component may be due to high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) with contributions from inverse Compton radiation, while the soft component is likely from a superwind. We also detected extended X-ray emission from four extra-nuclear HII region complexes. This emission may be due to HMXBs or to diffuse gas heated by winds from supernovae, if the X-ray production efficiency L(X)/L(mech) is high (~5%). To estimate L(X)/L(mech), we collected published data for well-studied HII regions and superbubbles in nearby galaxies. For young HII regions (<3.5 Myrs), the median L(X)/L(mech) ~ 0.02%, while for older regions, L(X)/L(mech) ~ 0.2-7%. Thus gas heating by supernovae may be sufficient to account for the HII region emission. In galaxies much more distant than NGC 7714, for example, the Cartwheel galaxy, HII region complexes similar to those in NGC 7714 will be unresolved by Chandra and will mimick ULXs.Comment: Accepted by the Astronomical Journal. Figures also available at http://www.etsu.edu/physics/bsmith/research/n7714_chandra.htm

The Role of Ethics in the Commercialization of Indigenous Knowledge

Much has been written about indigenous knowledge and intellectual property rights (IPRs) in fields like anthropology and law. However, it remains an under-examined topic in business and management literature. In this article, we review the emerging contentious discourse, definitional issues and underlying assumptions of the western IPR and indigenous knowledge management systems. We highlight the similarities and differences between the two approaches. We argue that adopting a view that law is socially constructed with ethical underpinnings helps sort out the thorny issues related to indigenous knowledge ‘expropriation’. To do this, we draw on the role of ethical norms in the historical evolution of IPRs regimes. Finally, grounded in Stakeholder Theory, we conclude with a discussion of managerial implications