What sets the magnetic field strength and cycle period in solar-type stars?

Two fundamental properties of stellar magnetic fields have been determined by observations for solar-like stars with different Rossby numbers (Ro), namely, the magnetic field strength and the magnetic cycle period. The field strength exhibits two regimes: 1) for fast rotation it is independent of Ro, 2) for slow rotation it decays with Ro following a power law. For the magnetic cycle period two regimes of activity, the active and inactive branches, also have been identified. For both of them, the longer the rotation period, the longer the activity cycle. Using global dynamo simulations of solar like stars with Rossby numbers between ~0.4 and ~2, this paper explores the relevance of rotational shear layers in determining these observational properties. Our results, consistent with non-linear alpha^2-Omega dynamos, show that the total magnetic field strength is independent of the rotation period. Yet at surface levels, the origin of the magnetic field is determined by Ro. While for Ro<1 it is generated in the convection zone, for Ro>1 strong toroidal fields are generated at the tachocline and rapidly emerge towards the surface. In agreement with the observations, the magnetic cycle period increases with the rotational period. However, a bifurcation is observed for Ro~1, separating a regime where oscillatory dynamos operate mainly in the convection zone, from the regime where the tachocline has a predominant role. In the latter the cycles are believed to result from the periodic energy exchange between the dynamo and the magneto-shear instabilities developing in the tachocline and the radiative interior.Comment: 43 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Adventures of a tidally induced bar

Using N-body simulations, we study the properties of a bar induced in a discy dwarf galaxy as a result of tidal interaction with the Milky Way. The bar forms at the first pericentre passage and survives until the end of the evolution at 10 Gyr. Fourier decomposition of the bar reveals that only even modes are significant and preserve a hierarchy so that the bar mode is always the strongest. They show a characteristic profile with a maximum, similar to simulated bars forming in isolated galaxies and observed bars in real galaxies. We adopt the maximum of the bar mode as a measure of the bar strength and we estimate the bar length by comparing the density profiles along the bar and perpendicular to it. The bar strength and the bar length decrease with time, mainly at pericentres, as a result of tidal torques acting at those times and not to secular evolution. The pattern speed of the bar varies significantly on a time-scale of 1 Gyr and is controlled by the orientation of the tidal torque from the Milky Way. The bar is never tidally locked, but we discover a hint of a 5/2 orbital resonance between the third and fourth pericentre passage. The speed of the bar decreases in the long run so that the bar changes from initially rather fast to slow in the later stages. The boxy/peanut shape is present for some time and its occurrence is preceded by a short period of buckling instability

Size effect in the ionization energy of PAH clusters

We report the first experimental measurement of the near-threshold photo-ionization spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon clusters made of pyrene C16H10 and coronene C24H12, obtained using imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence spectrometry with a VUV synchrotron beamline. The experimental results of the ionization energy are confronted to calculated ones obtained from simulations using dedicated electronic structure treatment for large ionized molecular clusters. Experiment and theory consistently find a decrease of the ionization energy with cluster size. The inclusion of temperature effects in the simulations leads to a lowering of this energy and to a quantitative agreement with the experiment. In the case of pyrene, both theory and experiment show a discontinuity in the IE trend for the hexamer

Bayesian inference in spherical linear models: robustness and conjugate analysis

AbstractThe early work of Zellner on the multivariate Student-t linear model has been extended to Bayesian inference for linear models with dependent non-normal error terms, particularly through various papers by Osiewalski, Steel and coworkers. This article provides a full Bayesian analysis for a spherical linear model. The density generator of the spherical distribution is here allowed to depend both on the precision parameter φ and on the regression coefficients β. Another distinctive aspect of this paper is that proper priors for the precision parameter are discussed.The normal-chi-squared family of prior distributions is extended to a new class, which allows the posterior analysis to be carried out analytically. On the other hand, a direct joint modelling of the data vector and of the parameters leads to conjugate distributions for the regression and the precision parameters, both individually and jointly. It is shown that some model specifications lead to Bayes estimators that do not depend on the choice of the density generator, in agreement with previous results obtained in the literature under different assumptions. Finally, the distribution theory developed to tackle the main problem is useful on its own right

A neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis tuned inter-hemispheric communication

Purpose: This work investigates how a direct bidirectional connection between brain and hand prosthesis modifies the bi-hemispheric sensorimotor system devoted to the movement control of the lost limb. Hand prostheses are often unable to satisfy users' expectations, mostly due to the poor performance of their interfacing system. Neural Interfaces implanted inside nerves of the stump offer the advantage of using the bidirectional neural pathways 'naturally' dispatching signals to control proper hand actions and feed-back sensations. Learning to control a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis and decode sensory information was previously observed to reduce the inter-hemispheric asymmetry of cortical motor maps and the clinical symptoms of phantom limb syndrome. Methods: Electroencephalographic (EEG) data was analysed using Functional Source Separation (FSS), a semi-blind method that incorporates prior knowledge about the signal of interest into data decomposition to give access to cortical patch activities. Results: Bi-hemispheric cortices showed normalization of their activity (topographical and spectral patterns) and of functional connectivity between homologous hand controlling areas, during the delivery of the motor command to the cybernetic prosthesis. Conclusions: The re-establishment of central-peripheral communication with the lost limb induced by a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis produces beneficial plastic reorganization, not only restructuring contralateral directly-connected control areas, but also their functional balance within the bi-hemispheric system necessary for motor control

Antibacterial β-Glucan/Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Films for Wound Healing

Advanced antimicrobial biomaterials for wound healing applications are an active field of research for their potential in addressing severe and infected wounds and overcoming the threat of antimicrobial resistance. Beta-glucans have been used in the preparation of these materials for their bioactive properties, but very little progress has been made so far in producing biomedical devices entirely made of beta-glucans and in their integration with effective antimicrobial agents. In this work, a simple and eco-friendly method is used to produce flexible beta-glucan/nanostructured zinc oxide films, using glucans derived from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The properties of the films are characterized through scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared and UV–visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and water absorption tests. Finally, the antibacterial properties of the nanostructured zinc oxide and of the composite films are assessed against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli, showing a marked effectiveness against the former. Overall, this study demonstrates how a novel bionanocomposite can be obtained towards the development of advanced wound healing devices

Commutator Leavitt path algebras

For any field K and directed graph E, we completely describe the elements of the Leavitt path algebra L_K(E) which lie in the commutator subspace [L_K(E),L_K(E)]. We then use this result to classify all Leavitt path algebras L_K(E) that satisfy L_K(E)=[L_K(E),L_K(E)]. We also show that these Leavitt path algebras have the additional (unusual) property that all their Lie ideals are (ring-theoretic) ideals, and construct examples of such rings with various ideal structures.Comment: 24 page