22,230 research outputs found
The long-term evolution of photoevaporating transition discs with giant planets
Photo-evaporation and planet formation have both been proposed as mechanisms
responsible for the creation of a transition disc. We have studied their
combined effect through a suite of 2d simulations of protoplanetary discs
undergoing X-ray photoevaporation with an embedded giant planet. In a previous
work we explored how the formation of a giant planet triggers the dispersal of
the inner disc by photo-evaporation at earlier times than what would have
happened otherwise. This is particularly relevant for the observed transition
discs with large holes and high mass accretion rates that cannot be explained
by photo-evaporation alone. In this work we significantly expand the parameter
space investigated by previous simulations. In addition, the updated model
includes thermal sweeping, needed for studying the complete dispersal of the
disc. After the removal of the inner disc the disc is a non accreting
transition disc, an object that is rarely seen in observations. We assess the
relative length of this phase, to understand if it is long lived enough to be
found observationally. Depending on the parameters, especially on the X-ray
luminosity of the star, we find that the fraction of time spent as a
non-accretor greatly varies. We build a population synthesis model to compare
with observations and find that in general thermal sweeping is not effective
enough to destroy the outer disc, leaving many transition discs in a relatively
long lived phase with a gas free hole, at odds with observations. We discuss
the implications for transition disc evolution. In particular, we highlight the
current lack of explanation for the missing non-accreting transition discs with
large holes, which is a serious issue in the planet hypothesis.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures; accepted by MNRA
The interplay between X-ray photoevaporation and planet formation
We assess the potential of planet formation instigating the early formation
of a photoevaporation driven gap, up to radii larger than typical for
photoevaporation alone. For our investigation we make use of hydrodynamics
models of photoevaporating discs with a giant planet embedded. We find that, by
reducing the mass accretion flow onto the star, discs that form giant planets
will be dispersed at earlier times than discs without planets by X-ray
photoevaporation. By clearing the portion of the disc inner of the planet
orbital radius, planet formation induced photoevaporation (PIPE) is able to
produce transition disc that for a given mass accretion rate have larger holes
when compared to standard X-ray photoevaporation. This constitutes a possible
route for the formation of the observed class of accreting transition discs
with large holes, which are otherwise difficult to explain by planet formation
or photoevaporation alone. Moreover, assuming that a planet is able to filter
dust completely, PIPE produces a transition disc with a large hole and may
provide a mechanism to quickly shut down accretion. This process appears to be
too slow however to explain the observed desert in the population of transition
disc with large holes and low mass accretion rates.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted by MNRAS on 31/12/201
Urine metabolomic analysis to detect metabolites associated with the development of contrast induced nephropathy.
ObjectiveContrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is a result of injury to the proximal tubules. The incidence of CIN is around 11% for imaging done in the acute care setting. We aim to analyze the metabolic patterns in the urine, before and after dosing with intravenous contrast for computed tomography (CT) imaging of the chest, to determine if metabolomic changes exist in patients who develop CIN.MethodsA convenience sample of high risk patients undergoing a chest CT with intravenous contrast were eligible for enrollment. Urine samples were collected prior to imaging and 4 to 6 hours post imaging. Samples underwent gas chromatography/mass spectrometry profiling. Peak metabolite values were measured and data was log transformed. Significance analysis of microarrays and partial least squares was used to determine the most significant metabolites prior to CT imaging and within subject. Analysis of variance was used to rank metabolites associated with temporal change and CIN. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine level of ≥ 0.5 mg/dL or ≥ 25% above baseline within 48 hours after contrast administration.ResultsWe sampled paired urine samples from 63 subjects. The incidence of CIN was 6/63 (9.5%). Patients without CIN had elevated urinary citric acid and taurine concentrations in the pre-CT urine. Xylulose increased in the post CT sample in patients who developed CIN.ConclusionDifferences in metabolomics patterns in patients who do and do not develop CIN exist. Metabolites may be potential early identifiers of CIN and identify patients at high-risk for developing this condition prior to imaging
Reversible Mode Switching in Y coupled Terahertz Lasers
Electrically independent terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are
optically coupled in a Y configuration. Dual frequency, electronically
switchable emission is achieved in one QCL using an aperiodic grating, designed
using computer-generated hologram techniques, incorporated directly into the
QCL waveguide by focussed ion beam milling. Multi-moded emission around 2.9 THz
is inhibited, lasing instead occurring at switchable grating-selected
frequencies of 2.88 and 2.92 THz. This photonic control and switching behaviour
is selectively and reversibly transferred to the second, unmodified QCL via
evanescent mode coupling, without the transfer of the inherent grating losses
Y coupled terahertz quantum cascade lasers
Here we demonstrate a Y coupled terahertz (THz) quantum cascade laser (QCL)
system. The two THz QCLs working around 2.85 THz are driven by independent
electrical pulsers. Total peak THz output power of the Y system, with both arms
being driven synchronously, is found to be more than the linear sum of the peak
powers from the individual arms; 10.4 mW compared with 9.6 mW (4.7 mW + 4.9
mW). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the emission spectra of this coupled
system are significantly different to that of either arm alone, or to the
linear combination of their individual spectra.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
The Far-Infrared/Radio Correlation in Nearby Abell Clusters
A comprehensive study of the effect of the cluster environment on the far-
infrared (FIR)/radio correlation in nearby Abell clusters is presented. Using
the cluster radio galaxy database from Miller & Owen (2001) and optical
spectroscopy and high resolution radio images to remove AGN, we assess the
FIR/radio correlation of cluster galaxies from the centers of the clusters out
well past the classical Abell radius. The FIR/radio correlation is shown to
hold quite well for star forming galaxies, and the FIR and radio fluxes for
cluster AGN are also well correlated. In the case of AGN, the relative radio-
to-FIR fluxes are greater and the scatter in the correlation is larger than
those seen for star forming galaxies. We also find that there is a rare but
statistically significant excess of star forming galaxies with enhanced radio
emission in the centers of the clusters, and that the degree of this
enhancement is typically a factor of two or three. The FIR/radio correlation
for cluster star forming galaxies is also tested against line-of-sight velocity
relative to the cluster systemic velocities, but no significant correlation is
found. While the radial dependence of the FIR/radio correlation is consistent
with the model wherein ram pressure increases the cluster galaxies' magnetic
field strengths through compression, the velocity data do not confirm this
model. Although a contribution from ram pressure can not be ruled out, the
thermal pressure due to the ICM alone is an equally viable alternative. The
high resolution radio images largely reject the hypothesis that the increased
radio emission arises from an AGN component, strengthening the claim that the
change in the correlation is caused by a change in the environment of the
galaxies.Comment: 26 pages, including 5 figures (uses AASTeX 5.0). Accepted for
publication in the Astronomical Journa
Unbiased Comparative Evaluation of Ranking Functions
Eliciting relevance judgments for ranking evaluation is labor-intensive and
costly, motivating careful selection of which documents to judge. Unlike
traditional approaches that make this selection deterministically,
probabilistic sampling has shown intriguing promise since it enables the design
of estimators that are provably unbiased even when reusing data with missing
judgments. In this paper, we first unify and extend these sampling approaches
by viewing the evaluation problem as a Monte Carlo estimation task that applies
to a large number of common IR metrics. Drawing on the theoretical clarity that
this view offers, we tackle three practical evaluation scenarios: comparing two
systems, comparing systems against a baseline, and ranking systems. For
each scenario, we derive an estimator and a variance-optimizing sampling
distribution while retaining the strengths of sampling-based evaluation,
including unbiasedness, reusability despite missing data, and ease of use in
practice. In addition to the theoretical contribution, we empirically evaluate
our methods against previously used sampling heuristics and find that they
generally cut the number of required relevance judgments at least in half.Comment: Under review; 10 page
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