6,299 research outputs found
A Herschel Study of 24 micron-Selected AGNs and Their Host Galaxies
We present a sample of 290 24-micron-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs)
mostly at z ~ 0.3 -- 2.5, within 5.2 square degrees distributed as 25' X 25'
fields around each of 30 galaxy clusters in the Local Cluster Substructure
Survey (LoCuSS). The sample is nearly complete to 1 mJy at 24 microns, and has
a rich multi-wavelength set of ancillary data; 162 are detected by Herschel. We
use spectral templates for AGNs, stellar populations, and infrared emission by
star forming galaxies to decompose the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of
these AGNs and their host galaxies, and estimate their star formation rates
(SFRs), AGN luminosities, and host galaxy stellar masses. The set of templates
is relatively simple: a standard Type-1 quasar template; another for the
photospheric output of the stellar population; and a far infrared star-forming
template. For the Type-2 AGN SEDs, we substitute templates including internal
obscuration, and some Type-1 objects require a warm component (T > 50 K). The
individually Herschel- detected Type-1 AGNs and a subset of 17 Type-2 ones
typically have luminosities > 10^{45} ergs/s, and supermassive black holes of ~
3 X 10^8 Msun emitting at ~ 10% of the Eddington rate. We find them in about
twice the numbers of AGN identified in SDSS data in the same fields, i.e., they
represent typical high luminosity AGN, not an infrared-selected minority. These
AGNs and their host galaxies are studied further in an accompanying paper
Sustained intraatrial reentrant tachycardia: Clinical, electrocardiographic and electrophysiologic characteristics and long-term follow-up
Although intraatrial reentry has been traditionally listed as a mechanism for supraventricular tachycardia, few reports describing the clinical features of this arrhythmia exist. Nineteen patients with a clinical history of sustained supraventricular tachycardia were diagnosed as having intraatrial reentrant tachycardia. Seventeen (89%) patients of the 19 had underlying structural heart disease and 17 had echocardiographic evidence of atrial enlargement; the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 51 ± 16%. A history of concomitant atrial fibrillation or flutter was present in 13 patients (68%). The mean atrial cycle length during tachycardia was 326 ± 57 ms (range 260 to 460). Fourteen patients had 1:1 atrioventricular (AV) conduction during tachycardia, of whom 50% had an RP7RR' ratio >0.5.Intravenous adenosine (dose range 37.5 to 150 µg/kg) and verapamil (dose range 5 to 10 mg) had no effect on atrial tachycardia cycle length in 13 of 14 and 9 of 9 patients, respectively, despite induction of second degree AV block. Type la antiarrhythmic drugs achieved longterm suppression of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia in only 6 patients, whereas amiodarone (326 ± 145 mg/day) was successful in 11 patients during a 32 ± 20 month follow-up period. The remaining two patients and one patient who later developed amiodarone toxicity either progressed to (n = 1) or had (n = 2) catheter-induced high grade AV block and were treated with long-term ventricular pacing.It is concluded that intraatrial reentrant tachycardia is often associated with structural heart disease, particularly of types that cause atrial abnormalities, but left ventricular dysfunction is not a requisite finding. Other arrhythmias are frequently observed in these patients. This arrhythmia responds poorly to type la antiarrhythmic drugs, but is effectively treated with amiodarone. Catheter ablation of the AV junction offers a therapeutic option for patients who are refractory to medical therapy
Defoliation of the Invasive Tree Falcataria moluccana on Hawaii Island by the Native Koa Looper Moth (Geometridae: Scotorythra paludicola), and Evaluation of Five Fabaceous Trees as Larval Hostplants
The koa looper (Geometridae: Scotorythra paludicola) is an endemic Hawaiian moth whose caterpillars feed on Acacia koa, and experience occasional outbreaks, producing vast defoliations of forests. During an extensive and ongoing outbreak of this species on the island of Hawaii, patchy defoliation of Falcataria moluccana (“albizia”) was observed in the vicinity of Akaka Falls State Park, relatively distant from the main defoliation of koa, raising questions about the host range of the koa looper. To identify suitable host plants in the laboratory, we of- fered the koa looper foliage from five fabaceous tree species (A. koa, A. confusa, F. moluccana, Prosopis pallida, and Leucaena leucocephala), and recorded feeding and performance on these diets. Among the five tree species, only A. koa and F. moluccana were accepted as food; caterpillars on the other three species all died by the fifth day of the trial. Survival of the koa looper to pupation and adulthood on F. moluccana did not differ significantly from that on A. koa phyllodes, indicating that this tree is a suitable host, though it does not appear to be widely utilized in the field. Both oviposition preference and larval requirements are likely important determinants of the realized diet breadth for the koa looper. Additionally, develop- ment times at 19°C on A. koa and F. moluccana were nearly twice as long as at 23°C, highlighting the importance of temperature for development of this insect
Technical Note: Adjoint formulation of the TOMCAT atmospheric transport scheme in the Eulerian backtracking framework (RETRO-TOM)
A new methodology for the formulation of an adjoint to the transport component
of the chemistry transport model TOMCAT is described and
implemented in a new model, RETRO-TOM. The Eulerian backtracking method
is used, allowing the
forward advection scheme (Prather's second-order moments) to be
efficiently exploited in the backward adjoint calculations.
Prather's scheme is shown to be time symmetric,
suggesting the possibility of high accuracy. To attain this accuracy,
however, it is necessary to make a careful treatment of the "density
inconsistency" problem inherent to offline transport models. The
results are verified using a series of test experiments. These
demonstrate the high accuracy of RETRO-TOM when compared with direct
forward sensitivity calculations, at least for problems in which flux limiters in the
advection scheme are not required. RETRO-TOM therefore combines the
flexibility and stability of a "finite difference of adjoint" formulation with the
accuracy of an "adjoint of finite difference" formulation
Numerical Modelling of Instantaneous Plate Tectonics
Assuming lithospheric plates to be rigid, we systematically invert 68 spreading rates, 62 fracture zones trends and 10^6 earthquake slip vectors simultaneously to obtain a self-consistent model of instantaneous relative motions for eleven major plates. The inverse problem is linearized and solved iteratively by a maximum likelihood procedure. Because the uncertainties in the data are small, Gaussian statistics are shown to be adequate. The use of a linear theory permits (1) the calculation of the uncertainties in the various angular velocity vectors caused by uncertainties in the data, and (2) quantitative examination of the distribution of information within the data set.
The existence of a self-consistent model satisfying all the data is strong justification of the rigid plate assumption. Slow movement between North and South America is shown to be resolvable.
We then invert the trends of 20 linear island chains and aseismic ridges under the assumptions that they represent the directions of plate motions over a set of hot spots fixed with respect to each other. We conclude that these hot spots have had no significant relative motions in the last 10 My
LoCuSS: The steady decline and slow quenching of star formation in cluster galaxies over the last four billion years
We present an analysis of the levels and evolution of star formation activity
in a representative sample of 30 massive galaxy clusters at 0.15<z<0.30 from
the Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS), combining wide-field Spitzer
24um data with extensive spectroscopy of cluster members. The specific-SFRs of
massive (M>10^10 M_sun) star-forming cluster galaxies within r200 are found to
be systematically 28% lower than their counterparts in the field at fixed
stellar mass and redshift, a difference significant at the 8.7-sigma level.
This is the unambiguous signature of star formation in most (and possibly all)
massive star-forming galaxies being slowly quenched upon accretion into massive
clusters, their SFRs declining exponentially on quenching time-scales in the
range 0.7-2.0 Gyr. We measure the mid-infrared Butcher-Oemler effect over the
redshift range 0.0-0.4, finding rapid evolution in the fraction (f_SF) of
massive (M_K3M_sun/yr, of the
form f_SF (1+z)^7.6. We dissect the origins of the Butcher-Oemler effect,
revealing it to be due to the combination of a ~3x decline in the mean
specific-SFRs of star-forming cluster galaxies since z~0.3 with a ~1.5x
decrease in number density. Two-thirds of this reduction in the specific-SFRs
of star-forming cluster galaxies is due to the steady cosmic decline in the
specific-SFRs among those field galaxies accreted into the clusters. The
remaining one-third reflects an accelerated decline in the star formation
activity of galaxies within clusters. The slow quenching of star-formation in
cluster galaxies is consistent with a gradual shut down of star formation in
infalling spiral galaxies as they interact with the intra-cluster medium via
ram-pressure stripping or starvation mechanisms. We find no evidence for the
build-up of cluster S0 bulges via major nuclear star-burst episodes.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Star formation in the massive cluster merger Abell 2744
We present a comprehensive study of star-forming (SF) galaxies in the HST
Frontier Field recent cluster merger A2744 (z=0.308). Wide-field,
ultraviolet-infrared (UV-IR) imaging enables a direct constraint of the total
star formation rate (SFR) for 53 cluster galaxies, with SFR{UV+IR}=343+/-10
Msun/yr. Within the central 4 arcmin (1.1 Mpc) radius, the integrated SFR is
complete, yielding a total SFR{UV+IR}=201+/-9 Msun/yr. Focussing on obscured
star formation, this core region exhibits a total SFR{IR}=138+/-8 Msun/yr, a
mass-normalised SFR{IR} of Sigma{SFR}=11.2+/-0.7 Msun/yr per 10^14 Msun and a
fraction of IR-detected SF galaxies f{SF}=0.080(+0.010,-0.037). Overall, the
cluster population at z~0.3 exhibits significant intrinsic scatter in IR
properties (total SFR{IR}, Tdust distribution) apparently unrelated to the
dynamical state: A2744 is noticeably different to the merging Bullet cluster,
but similar to several relaxed clusters. However, in A2744 we identify a trail
of SF sources including jellyfish galaxies with substantial unobscured SF due
to extreme stripping (SFR{UV}/SFR{IR} up to 3.3). The orientation of the trail,
and of material stripped from constituent galaxies, indicates that the passing
shock front of the cluster merger was the trigger. Constraints on star
formation from both IR and UV are crucial for understanding galaxy evolution
within the densest environments.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS. 12 pages, 7 figures (high resolution versions of
Figs. 1 & 2 are available in the published PDF
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