2,247 research outputs found
Merging of globular clusters within inner galactic regions. II. The Nuclear Star Cluster formation
In this paper we present the results of two detailed N-body simulations of
the interaction of a sample of four massive globular clusters in the inner
region of a triaxial galaxy. A full merging of the clusters takes place,
leading to a slowly evolving cluster which is quite similar to observed Nuclear
Clusters. Actually, both the density and the velocity dispersion profiles match
qualitatively, and quantitatively after scaling, with observed features of many
nucleated galaxies. In the case of dense initial clusters, the merger remnant
shows a density profile more concentrated than that of the progenitors, with a
central density higher than the sum of the central progenitors central
densities. These findings support the idea that a massive Nuclear Cluster may
have formed in early phases of the mother galaxy evolution and lead to the
formation of a nucleus, which, in many galaxies, has indeed a luminosity
profile similar to that of an extended King model. A correlation with galactic
nuclear activity is suggested.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to ApJ, main journa
Direct UV observations of the circumstellar envelope of alpha Orionis
Observations were made in the IUE LWP camera, low dispersion mode, with alpha Ori being offset various distances from the center of the Long Wavelength Large Aperture along its major axis. Signal was acquired at all offset positions and is comprised of unequal components of background/dark counts, telescope-scattered light, and scattered light emanating from the extended circumstellar shell. The star is known from optical and infrared observations to possess an extended, arc-minute sized, shell of cool material. Attempts to observe this shell with the IUE are described, although the deconvolution of the stellar signal from the telescope scattered light requires further calibration effort
ASCA and contemporaneous ground-based observations of the BL Lacertae objects 1749+096 and 2200+420 (BL Lac)
We present ASCA observations of the radio-selected BL Lacertae objects
1749+096 (z=0.32) and 2200+420 (BL Lac, z=0.069) performed in 1995 Sept and
Nov, respectively. The ASCA spectra of both sources can be described as a first
approximation by a power law with photon index Gamma ~ 2. This is flatter than
for most X-ray-selected BL Lacs observed with ASCA, in agreement with the
predictions of current blazar unification models. While 1749+096 exhibits
tentative evidence for spectral flattening at low energies, a concave continuum
is detected for 2200+420: the steep low-energy component is consistent the
high-energy tail of the synchrotron emission responsible for the longer
wavelengths, while the harder tail at higher energies is the onset of the
Compton component. The spectral energy distributions from radio to gamma-rays
are consistent with synchrotron-self Compton emission from a single homogeneous
region shortward of the IR/optical wavelengths, with a second component in the
radio domain related to a more extended emission region. For 2200+420,
comparing the 1995 Nov state with the optical/GeV flare of 1997 July, we find
that models requiring inverse Compton scattering of external photons provide a
viable mechanism for the production of the highest (GeV) energies during the
flare. An increase of the external radiation density and of the power injected
in the jet can reproduce the flat gamma-ray continuum observed in 1997 July. A
directly testable prediction of this model is that the line luminosity in
2200+420 should vary shortly after (~1 month) a non-thermal synchrotron flare.Comment: 28 pages,6 figures, 5 tables; LaTeX document. accepted for
publication in the Astrophysical Journa
INTRA-DUODENAL RELEASE OF A BITTER COMPOUND DECREASES CALORIC INTAKE IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS
Background and aim: α-gustducin and bitter taste receptors (T2R) are
expressed both in the oral cavity and in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Experimental
data showed that bitter tastants induce the release of gut hormones
from enteroendocrine cells in the gut, suggesting a possible role of bitter taste
receptors in the control of food intake and GI functions. We aimed to test the
effects of a bitter taste receptor agonist on food intake and GI feelings.
Material and methods: We enrolled 19 healthy subjects (9 males, age 27±7,
BMI 24±6) in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Each subject randomly
received an acid-resistant capsule containing placebo or 18 mg of quinine
HCl. 60 minutes after capsule administration, the subjects underwent to an ad
libitum test, until the maximum satiation. Meal test was composed by white
bread, cheese and meat cream (89 kcal/portion: 50% carbohydrate, 31% fat,
19% protein). Caloric intake, meal duration and satiation levels, scored on a
Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were calculated at the end of the meal test. A
questionnaire assessing GI sensations (bloating, fullness, nausea, epigastric
discomfort and hunger) was administered before and at the end of the test.
Data (mean ± SD) were compared by using paired t test.
Results: No oral bitter sensation or side effects was observed both with
quinine HCland placebo. No significant differences in terms of GI sensations
and hunger feelings were observed between the two sessions of the study. The
amount of calories ingested was significantly lower when subjects received
quinine HCl than placebo (564±262 vs 667±278 kcal; p=0.02). Conversely,
quinine HCl did not affect the meal duration (14.4±4.2 vs 16.6±4.6 min;
p=NS) and the satiationintensity (82 vs 82 mm; p=NS).
Conclusions: The intra-duodenal release of a bitter compound significantly decreases
caloric intake in an ad libitum test meal without affecting GI sensations
and hunger feeling. As the bitter compound does not influence meal duration,
we hypothesize that quinine HCl decreases the caloric intake by affecting the
rate of meal portions consumption. Evaluation of gut hormones kinetics and
studies with other bitter taste receptor agonist are needed to establish the role
of gastrointestinal bitter taste receptor in the control of food intak
Stem-like and highly invasive prostate cancer cells expressing CD44v8-10 marker originate from CD44-negative cells
In human prostate cancer (PCa), the neuroendocrine cells, expressing the prostate cancer stem cell (CSC) marker CD44, may be resistant to androgen ablation and promote tumor recurrence. During the study of heterogeneity of the highly aggressive neuroendocrine PCa cell lines PC3 and DU-145, we isolated and expanded in vitro a minor subpopulation of very small cells lacking CD44 (CD44neg). Unexpectedly, these sorted CD44neg cells rapidly and spontaneously converted to a stable CD44high phenotype specifically expressing the CD44v8-10 isoform which the sorted CD44high subpopulation failed to express. Surprisingly and potentially interesting, in these cells expression of CD44v8-10 was found to be induced in stem cell medium. CD44 variant isoforms are known to be more expressed in CSC and metastatic cells than CD44 standard isoform. In agreement, functional analysis of the two sorted and cultured subpopulations has shown that the CD44v8-10pos PC3 cells, resulting from the conversion of the CD44neg subpopulation, were more invasive in vitro and had a higher clonogenic potential than the sorted CD44high cells, in that they produced mainly holoclones, known to be enriched in stem-like cells. Of interest, the CD44v8-10 is more expressed in human PCa biopsies than in normal gland. The discovery of CD44v8-10pos cells with stem-like and invasive features, derived from a minoritarian CD44neg cell population in PCa, alerts on the high plasticity of stem-like markers and urges for prudency on the approaches to targeting the putative CSC
Microrheology with optical tweezers: data analysis
We present a data analysis procedure that provides the solution to a long-standing issue in microrheology studies, i.e. the evaluation of the fluids' linear viscoelastic properties from the analysis of a finite set of experimental data, describing (for instance) the time-dependent mean-square displacement of suspended probe particles experiencing Brownian fluctuations. We report, for the first time in the literature, the linear viscoelastic response of an optically trapped bead suspended in a Newtonian fluid, over the entire range of experimentally accessible frequencies. The general validity of the proposed method makes it transferable to the majority of microrheology and rheology techniques
Merging of globular clusters within inner galactic regions. I. Do they survive the tidal interaction?
The main topic of this paper is the investigation of the modes of interaction
of globular clusters (GCs) moving in the inner part of a galaxy. This is
tackled by means of high-resolution N-body simulations, whose first results are
presented in this article. Our simulations dealt with primordial very massive
(order of 10^7 solar masses) GCs that were able to decay, because of dynamical
friction, into the inner regions of triaxial galaxies on a time much shorter
than their internal relaxation time. To check the disruptive role of both tidal
forces and GC-GC collisions, we maximised the tidal interaction considering GCs
on quasi-radial orbits.
The available CPU resources allowed us to follow 8 oscillations of the GCs
along their orbits and the main findings are: i) clusters with an initial high
enough King concentration parameter (c>=1.2), preserve up to 50% of their
initial mass; ii) the inner density distribution of the survived clusters keep
a King model profile; iii) GC-GC collisions have a negligible effect with
respect to that caused by the passage through the galactic center; iv) the
orbital energy dissipation due to the tidal interaction is of the same order of
that caused by dynamical friction; v) complex sub-structures like "ripples" and
"clumps" formed, as observed around real clusters.
These findings support the validity of the hypothesis of merging of GCs in
the galactic central region, with modes that deserve further careful
investigations.Comment: LaTeX 2e, AASTeX v5.x, 23 pages with 14 figures. Accepted for
publication on the Astrophysical Journal. Final version with major change
Dynamics of the Globular Cluster System Associated with M87 (NGC 4486). II. Analysis
We present a dynamical analysis of the globular cluster system associated
with M87 (= NGC 4486), the cD galaxy near the dynamical center of the Virgo
cluster. The analysis utilizes a new spectroscopic and photometric database
which is described in a companion paper (Hanes et al. 2001). Using a sample of
278 globular clusters with measured radial velocities and metallicities, and
new surface density profiles based on wide-field Washington photometry, we
study the dynamics of the M87 globular cluster system both globally --- for the
entire cluster sample --- and separately --- for the metal-rich and metal-poor
globular cluster samples. This constitutes the largest sample of radial
velocities for pure Population II tracers yet assembled for any galaxy. We
discuss the implications of our findings for models for the formation of giant
elliptical galaxies, globular cluster systems, and the Virgo cluster.
(ABRIDGED)Comment: 28 pages, 19 postscript figures, 1 jpeg image. See
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/ast/ast-rap.html to download the manuscript
with higher quality figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Description of Atmospheric Conditions at the Pierre Auger Observatory Using Meteorological Measurements and Models
Atmospheric conditions at the site of a cosmic ray observatory must be known
well for reconstructing observed extensive air showers, especially when
measured using the fluorescence technique. For the Pierre Auger Observatory, a
sophisticated network of atmospheric monitoring devices has been conceived.
Part of this monitoring was a weather balloon program to measure atmospheric
state variables above the Observatory. To use the data in reconstructions of
air showers, monthly models have been constructed. Scheduled balloon launches
were abandoned and replaced with launches triggered by high-energetic air
showers as part of a rapid monitoring system. Currently, the balloon launch
program is halted and atmospheric data from numerical weather prediction models
are used. A description of the balloon measurements, the monthly models as well
as the data from the numerical weather prediction are presented
Fulminant myocarditis parvovirus B19 related in a young woman
We present the case of a 18-year-old female with fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis caused by Parvovirus B19 (PVB19), successfully treated using temporary LVAD. In the literature there is no consensus on the surgical strategy. While some surgeons prefer to use a single device supporting only the LV, others prefer to start immediately with a biventricular supporting. At pre-procedural ultrasound evaluation, her anatomical features were not suitable for a percutaneous device such as the Impella. Thus, a temporary paracorporeal continuous flow LVAD was inserted. The heart recovery allowed LVAD removal 9 days after the implant
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