5,807 research outputs found
Particle Acceleration in Advection-Dominated Accretion Disks with Shocks: Green's Function Energy Distribution
The distribution function describing the acceleration of relativistic
particles in an advection-dominated accretion disk is analyzed using a
transport formalism that includes first-order Fermi acceleration, advection,
spatial diffusion, and the escape of particles through the upper and lower
surfaces of the disk. When a centrifugally-supported shock is present in the
disk, the concentrated particle acceleration occurring in the vicinity of the
shock channels a significant fraction of the binding energy of the accreting
gas into a population of relativistic particles. These high-energy particles
diffuse vertically through the disk and escape, carrying away both energy and
entropy and allowing the remaining gas to accrete. The dynamical structure of
the disk/shock system is computed self-consistently using a model previously
developed by the authors that successfully accounts for the production of the
observed relativistic outflows (jets) in M87 and \SgrA. This ensures that the
rate at which energy is carried away from the disk by the escaping relativistic
particles is equal to the drop in the radial energy flux at the shock location,
as required for energy conservation. We investigate the influence of advection,
diffusion, and acceleration on the particle distribution by computing the
nonthermal Green's function, which displays a relatively flat power-law tail at
high energies. We also obtain the energy distribution for the particles
escaping from the disk, and we conclude by discussing the spectrum of the
observable secondary radiation produced by the escaping particles.Comment: Published in Ap
3D stellar kinematics at the Galactic center: measuring the nuclear star cluster spatial density profile, black hole mass, and distance
We present 3D kinematic observations of stars within the central 0.5 pc of
the Milky Way nuclear star cluster using adaptive optics imaging and
spectroscopy from the Keck telescopes. Recent observations have shown that the
cluster has a shallower surface density profile than expected for a dynamically
relaxed cusp, leading to important implications for its formation and
evolution. However, the true three dimensional profile of the cluster is
unknown due to the difficulty in de-projecting the stellar number counts. Here,
we use spherical Jeans modeling of individual proper motions and radial
velocities to constrain for the first time, the de-projected spatial density
profile, cluster velocity anisotropy, black hole mass (), and
distance to the Galactic center () simultaneously. We find that the inner
stellar density profile of the late-type stars, to
have a power law slope , much more shallow than
the frequently assumed Bahcall Wolf slope of . The measured
slope will significantly affect dynamical predictions involving the cluster,
such as the dynamical friction time scale. The cluster core must be larger than
0.5 pc, which disfavors some scenarios for its origin. Our measurement of
and
kpc is consistent with that derived from stellar
orbits within 1 of Sgr A*. When combined with the orbit of
S0-2, the uncertainty on is reduced by 30% ( kpc).
We suggest that the MW NSC can be used in the future in combination with
stellar orbits to significantly improve constraints on .Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, ApJL accepte
A common founding clone with TP53 and PTEN mutations gives rise to a concurrent germ cell tumor and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia
We report the findings from a patient who presented with a concurrent mediastinal germ cell tumor (GCT) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Bone marrow pathology was consistent with a diagnosis of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML M7), and biopsy of an anterior mediastinal mass was consistent with a nonseminomatous GCT. Prior studies have described associations between hematological malignancies, including AML M7 and nonseminomatous GCTs, and it was recently suggested that a common founding clone initiated both cancers. We performed enhanced exome sequencing on the GCT and the AML M7 from our patient to define the clonal relationship between the two cancers. We found that both samples contained somatic mutations in PTEN (C136R missense) and TP53 (R213 frameshift). The mutations in PTEN and TP53 were present at ā¼100% variant allele frequency (VAF) in both tumors. In addition, we detected and validated five other shared somatic mutations. The copy-number analysis of the AML exome data revealed an amplification of Chromosome 12p. We also identified a heterozygous germline variant in FANCA (S858R), which is known to be associated with Fanconi anemia but is of uncertain significance here. In summary, our data not only support a common founding clone for these cancers but also suggest that a specific set of distinct genomic alterations (in PTEN and TP53) underlies the rare association between GCT and AML. This association is likely linked to the treatment resistance and extremely poor outcome of these patients. We cannot resolve the clonal evolution of these tumors given limitations of our data
A Quantitative Property-Property Relationship for Estimating Packaging-Food Partition Coefficients of Organic Compounds
Particle Acceleration and the Production of Relativistic Outflows in Advection-Dominated Accretion Disks with Shocks
Relativistic outflows (jets) of matter are commonly observed from systems
containing black holes. The strongest outflows occur in the radio-loud systems,
in which the accretion disk is likely to have an advection-dominated structure.
In these systems, it is clear that the binding energy of the accreting gas is
emitted primarily in the form of particles rather than radiation. However, no
comprehensive model for the disk structure and the associated outflows has yet
been produced. In particular, none of the existing models establishes a direct
physical connection between the presence of the outflows and the action of a
microphysical acceleration mechanism operating in the disk. In this paper we
explore the possibility that the relativistic protons powering the jet are
accelerated at a standing, centrifugally-supported shock in the underlying
accretion disk via the first-order Fermi mechanism. The theoretical analysis
employed here parallels the early studies of cosmic-ray acceleration in
supernova shock waves, and the particle acceleration and disk structure are
treated in a coupled, self-consistent manner based on a rigorous mathematical
approach. We find that first-order Fermi acceleration at standing shocks in
advection-dominated disks proves to be a very efficient means for accelerating
the jet particles. Using physical parameters appropriate for M87 and SgrA*, we
verify that the jet kinetic luminosities computed using our model agree with
estimates based on observations of the sources.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Parallel gene synthesis in a microfluidic device
The ability to synthesize custom de novo DNA constructs rapidly, accurately and inexpensively is highly desired by researchers, as synthetic genes and longer DNA constructs are enabling to numerous powerful applications in both traditional molecular biology and the emerging field of synthetic biology. However, the current cost of de novo synthesisādriven largely by reagent and handling costsāis a significant barrier to the widespread availability of such technology. In this work, we demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first gene synthesis in a microfluidic environment. The use of microfluidic technology greatly reduces reaction volumes and the corresponding reagent and handling costs. Additionally, microfluidic technology enables large numbers of complex reactions to be performed in parallel. Here, we report the fabrication of a multi-chamber microfluidic device and its use in carrying out the syntheses of several DNA constructs. Genes up to 1ākb in length were synthesized in parallel at minute starting oligonucleotide concentrations (10ā25ānM) in four 500ānl reactors. Such volumes are one to two orders of magnitude lower than those utilized in conventional gene synthesis. The identity of all target genes was verified by sequencing, and the resultant error rate was determined to be 1 per 560 bases.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Bits and AtomsNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (CBA grant CCR-0122419
Graphite Nanoeraser
We present here a method for cleaning intermediate-size (5~50nm)
contamination from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Electron beam deposition
causes a continuous increase of carbonaceous material on graphene and graphite
surfaces, which is difficult to remove by conventional techniques. Direct
mechanical wiping using a graphite nanoeraser is observed to drastically reduce
the amount of contamination. After the mechanical removal of contamination, the
graphite surfaces were able to self-retract after shearing, indicating that van
der Waals contact bonding is restored. Since contact bonding provides an
indication of a level of cleanliness normally only attainable in a high-quality
clean-room, we discuss potential applications in preparation of ultraclean
surfaces.Comment: 10 pages, two figure
SnTox3 Acts in Effector Triggered Susceptibility to Induce Disease on Wheat Carrying the Snn3 Gene
The necrotrophic fungus Stagonospora nodorum produces multiple proteinaceous host-selective toxins (HSTs) which act in effector triggered susceptibility. Here, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of the SnTox3-encoding gene, designated SnTox3, as well as the initial characterization of the SnTox3 protein. SnTox3 is a 693 bp intron-free gene with little obvious homology to other known genes. The predicted immature SnTox3 protein is 25.8 kDa in size. A 20 amino acid signal sequence as well as a possible pro sequence are predicted. Six cysteine residues are predicted to form disulfide bonds and are shown to be important for SnTox3 activity. Using heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris and transformation into an avirulent S. nodorum isolate, we show that SnTox3 encodes the SnTox3 protein and that SnTox3 interacts with the wheat susceptibility gene Snn3. In addition, the avirulent S. nodorum isolate transformed with SnTox3 was virulent on host lines expressing the Snn3 gene. SnTox3-disrupted mutants were deficient in the production of SnTox3 and avirulent on the Snn3 differential wheat line BG220. An analysis of genetic diversity revealed that SnTox3 is present in 60.1% of a worldwide collection of 923 isolates and occurs as eleven nucleotide haplotypes resulting in four amino acid haplotypes. The cloning of SnTox3 provides a fundamental tool for the investigation of the S. nodorum-wheat interaction, as well as vital information for the general characterization of necrotroph-plant interactions.This work was supported by USDA-ARS CRIS projects 5442-22000-043-00D and 5442-22000-030-00D
Nonlinear sub-cyclotron resonance as a formation mechanism for gaps in banded chorus
An interesting characteristic of magnetospheric chorus is the presence of a
frequency gap at , where is the electron
cyclotron angular frequency. Recent chorus observations sometimes show
additional gaps near and . Here we present a novel
nonlinear mechanism for the formation of these gaps using Hamiltonian theory
and test-particle simulations in a homogeneous, magnetized, collisionless
plasma. We find that an oblique whistler wave with frequency at a fraction of
the electron cyclotron frequency can resonate with electrons, leading to
effective energy exchange between the wave and particles
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