1,787 research outputs found

    Investigação, desenvolvimento experimental e defesa o caso português

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    Adhesive Nanoparticles as Local Probes of Membrane Curvature

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    The redshift and broad band spectral energy distribution of NRAO 150

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    Context. NRAO 150 is one of the brightest radio and mm AGN sources on the northern sky. It has been revealed as an interesting source where to study extreme relativistic jet phenomena. However, its cosmological distance has not been reported so far, because of its optical faintness produced by strong Galactic extinction. Aims. Aiming at measuring the redshift of NRAO 150, and hence to start making possible quantitative studies from the source. Methods. We have conducted spectroscopic and photometric observations of the source in the near-IR, as well as in the optical. Results. All such observations have been successful in detecting the source. The near-IR spectroscopic observations reveal strong Hα\alpha and Hβ\beta emission lines from which the cosmological redshift of NRAO 150 (z=1.517±0.002z=1.517\pm0.002) has been determined for the first time. We classify the source as a flat-spectrum radio-loud quasar, for which we estimate a large super-massive black-hole mass 5×109M\sim5\times 10^{9} \mathrm{M_\odot}. After extinction correction, the new near-IR and optical data have revealed a high-luminosity continuum-emission excess in the optical (peaking at 2000\sim2000\,\AA, rest frame) that we attribute to thermal emission from the accretion disk for which we estimate a high accretion rate, 30\sim30\,% of the Eddington limit. Conclusions. Comparison of these source properties, and its broad-band spectral-energy distribution, with those of Fermi blazars allow us to predict that NRAO 150 is among the most powerful blazars, and hence a high luminosity -although not detected yet- γ\gamma-ray emitter.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

    Modulating vesicle adhesion by electric fields

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    We introduce an experimental setup for modulating adhesion of giant unilamellar vesicles to a planar substrate. Adhesion is induced by the application of an external potential to a transparent indium tin oxide-coated electrode (the substrate), which enables single-vesicle studies. We demonstrate tunable and reversible adhesion of negatively charged vesicles. The adhesion energy at different potentials is calculated from the vesicle shape assessed with confocal microscopy. Two approaches for these estimates are employed: one based on the whole contour of the vesicle and a second based on the contact curvature of the membrane in the vicinity of the substrate. Both approaches agree well with each other and show that the adhering vesicles are in the weak adhesion regime for the range of explored external potentials. Using fluorescence quenching assays, we detect that, in the adhering membrane segment, only the outer bilayer leaflet of the vesicle is depleted of negatively charged fluorescent lipids, while the inner leaflet remains unaffected. We show that depletion of negatively charged lipids is consistent Poisson-Boltzmann theory, taking into account charge regulation from lipid mobility. Finally, we also show that lipid diffusion is not significantly affected in the adhering membrane segment. We believe that the approaches introduced here for modulating and assessing vesicle adhesion have many potential applications in the field of single-vesicle studies and research on membrane adhesion

    Rapid TeV variability in Blazars as result of Jet-Star Interaction

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    We propose a new model for the description of ultra-short flares from TeV blazars by compact magnetized condensations (blobs), produced when red giant stars cross the jet close to the central black hole. Our study includes a simple dynamical model for the evolution of the envelope lost by the star in the jet, and its high energy nonthermal emission through different leptonic and hadronic radiation mechanisms. We show that the fragmented envelope of the star can be accelerated to Lorentz factors up to 100 and radiate effectively the available energy in gamma-rays predominantly through proton synchrotron radiation or external inverse Compton scattering of electrons. The model can readily explain the minute-scale TeV flares on top of longer (typical time-scales of days) gamma-ray variability as observed from the blazar PKS 2155-304. In the framework of the proposed scenario, the key parameters of the source are robustly constrained. In the case of proton synchrotron origin of the emission a mass of the central black hole of MBH108MM_{\rm BH}\approx 10^8 M_{\odot}, a total jet power of Lj2×1047ergs1L_{\rm j} \approx 2\times 10^{47} \, \rm erg\,s^{-1} and a Doppler factor, of the gamma-ray emitting blobs, of δ40\delta\geq 40 are required. Whilst for the external inverse Compton model, parameters of MBH108MM_{\rm BH}\approx 10^8 M_{\odot}, Lj1046ergs1L_{\rm j} \approx 10^{46} \, \rm erg\,s^{-1} and the δ150\delta\geq 150 are required.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, Submitted to Ap

    Multiwavelength Variations of 3C 454.3 during the November 2010 to January 2011 Outburst

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    We present multiwavelength data of the blazar 3C 454.3 obtained during an extremely bright outburst from November 2010 through January 2011. These include flux density measurements with the Herschel Space Observatory at five submillimeter-wave and far-infrared bands, the Fermi Large Area Telescope at gamma-ray energies, Swift at X-ray, ultraviolet (UV), and optical frequencies, and the Submillimeter Array at 1.3 mm. From this dataset, we form a series of 52 spectral energy distributions (SEDs) spanning nearly two months that are unprecedented in time coverage and breadth of frequency. Discrete correlation anlaysis of the millimeter, far-infrared, and gamma-ray light curves show that the variations were essentially simultaneous, indicative of co-spatiality of the emission, at these wavebands. In contrast, differences in short-term fluctuations at various wavelengths imply the presence of inhomegeneities in physical conditions across the source. We locate the site of the outburst in the parsec-scale core, whose flux density as measured on 7 mm Very Long Baseline Array images increased by 70 percent during the first five weeks of the outburst. Based on these considerations and guided by the SEDs, we propose a model in which turbulent plasma crosses a conical standing shock in the parsec-scale region of the jet. Here, the high-energy emission in the model is produced by inverse Compton scattering of seed photons supplied by either nonthermal radiation from a Mach disk, thermal emission from hot dust, or (for X-rays) synchrotron radiation from plasma that crosses the standing shock. For the two dates on which we fitted the model SED to the data, the model corresponds very well to the observations at all bands except at X-ray energies, where the spectrum is flatter than observed.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. 82 pages, 13 figure

    Farm management of sheep farms in extremadura: Effect of flock size

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    6 páginas, 2 tablas.-- XXXV Jornadas Científicas de la Sociedad Española para el Estudio de los Pastos (Valladolid, España, 22 al 24 de septiembre del 2010)[EN]The study aims to understand the differences among farms of different sizes on the management at different stages of reproductive cycle in real conditions of exploitation of sheep meat in Extremadura. We used the information on surveys conducted in 724 herds in Oviso, SCL between October 2009 and January 2010. The information collected included an assessment of management on: premating, mating,prelambing, lambing, postlambing and lactation. 6 groups were established in size, with a decrease in the number of farms by increasing the size of the groups. By increasing the herd size increases the number of lambing / year and shortens the duration of mating. The assessment of handling during the stages of the reproductive cycle increase as the herd size from the smallest to the group 5 (from 1200 to 2000 ewes) and decrease in the larger group. The overall rating is relatively low and only exceeded 60% of the maximum grade holdings between 1200 and 2000 heads, a size that can be considered as optimal from the standpoint of production and reproductive management of farms.[ES]El objetivo del trabajo es conocer el efecto del tamaño de los rebaños de ganado ovino de carne sobre el manejo en las distintas etapas del ciclo reproductivo en condiciones reales de explotación en Extremadura. Para ello se utilizó la información correspondiente a 724 encuestas realizadas en ganaderías de Oviso, S.C.L. entre octubre de 2009 y enero de 2010. La información recogida incluyó una valoración del manejo en: precubrición, cubrición, preparto, parto, post-parto y lactación. Se establecieron 6 grupos de tamaño, con una disminución en el número de explotaciones al aumentar el tamaño de los grupos. Al aumentar el tamaño de los rebaños aumenta el número de parideras/año y se acorta la duración de las cubriciones. La valoración del manejo durante las etapas del ciclo reproductivo aumentó (mejor manejo) al hacerlo el tamaño de los rebaños desde los más pequeños hasta el grupo 5 (de 1200 a 2000 ovejas) y disminuir en el grupo de mayor tamaño. La calificación global es relativamente baja y sólo superan el 60% de la calificación máxima las explotaciones entre 1200 y 2000 cabezas, tamaño que podemos considerar como óptimo desde el punto de vista productivo y del manejo reproductivo de las explotaciones.Peer reviewe

    The connection between radio and high energy emission in black hole powered systems in the SKA era

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    Strong evidence exists for a highly significant correlation between the radio flux density and gamma-ray energy flux in blazars revealed by Fermi. However, there are central issues that need to be clarified in this field: what are the counterparts of the about 30% of gamma-ray sources that are as yet unidentified? Are they just blazars in disguise or they are something more exotic, possibly associated with dark matter? How would they fit in the radio-gamma ray connection studied so far? With their superb sensitivity, SKA1-MID and SKA1-SUR will help to resolve all of these questions. Even more, while the radio-MeV/GeV connection has been firmly established, a radio-VHE connection has been entirely elusive so far. The advent of CTA in the next few years and the expected CTA-SKA1 synergy will offer the chance to explore this connection, even more intriguing as it involves the opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum and the acceleration of particles up to the highest energies. We are already preparing to address these questions by exploiting data from the various SKA pathfinders and precursors. We have obtained 18 cm European VLBI Network observations of E>10 GeV sources, with a detection rate of 83%. Moreover, we are cross correlating the Fermi catalogs with the MWA commissioning survey: when faint gamma-ray sources are considered, pure positional coincidence is not significant enough for selecting counterparts and we need an additional physical criterion to pinpoint the right object. It can be radio spectral index, variability, polarization, or compactness, needing high angular resolution in SKA1-MID; timing studies can also reveal pulsars, which are often found from dedicated searches of unidentified gamma-ray sources. SKA will be the ideal instrument for investigating these characteristics in conjunction with CTA. (abridged)Comment: 12 pages, to be published in the proceedings of "Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array", PoS(AASKA14)15
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