3,132 research outputs found
Large Magnetic Fields and Motions of OH Masers in W75 N
We report on a second epoch of VLBA observations of the 1665 and 1667 MHz OH
masers in the massive star-forming region W75 N. We find evidence to confirm
the existence of very strong (~40 mG) magnetic fields near source VLA 2. The
masers near VLA 2 are dynamically distinct and include a very bright spot
apparently moving at 50 km/s relative to those around VLA 1. This fast-moving
spot may be an example of a rare class of OH masers seen in outflows in
star-forming regions. Due to the variability of these masers and the rapidity
of their motions, tracking these motions will require multiple observations
over a significantly shorter time baseline than obtained here. Proper motions
of the masers near VLA 1 are more suggestive of streaming along magnetized
shocks rather than Keplerian rotation in a disk. The motions of the easternmost
cluster of masers in W75 N (B) may be tracing slow expansion around an unseen
exciting source.Comment: 7 pages including 4 figures (2 color) & 3 tables, to appear in Ap
Simulations of Spinodal Nucleation in Systems with Elastic Interactions
Systems with long-range interactions quenched into a metastable state near
the pseudospinodal exhibit nucleation that is qualitatively different than the
classical nucleation observed near the coexistence curve. We have observed
nucleation droplets in our Langevin simulations of a two-dimensional model of
martensitic transformations and have determined that the structure of the
nucleating droplet differs from the stable martensite structure. Our results,
together with experimental measurements of the phonon dispersion curve, allow
us to predict the nature of the droplet. These results have implications for
nucleation in many solid-solid transitions and the structure of the final
state
Borcherds symmetries in M-theory
It is well known but rather mysterious that root spaces of the Lie
groups appear in the second integral cohomology of regular, complex, compact,
del Pezzo surfaces. The corresponding groups act on the scalar fields (0-forms)
of toroidal compactifications of M theory. Their Borel subgroups are actually
subgroups of supergroups of finite dimension over the Grassmann algebra of
differential forms on spacetime that have been shown to preserve the
self-duality equation obeyed by all bosonic form-fields of the theory. We show
here that the corresponding duality superalgebras are nothing but Borcherds
superalgebras truncated by the above choice of Grassmann coefficients. The full
Borcherds' root lattices are the second integral cohomology of the del Pezzo
surfaces. Our choice of simple roots uses the anti-canonical form and its known
orthogonal complement. Another result is the determination of del Pezzo
surfaces associated to other string and field theory models. Dimensional
reduction on corresponds to blow-up of points in general position
with respect to each other. All theories of the Magic triangle that reduce to
the sigma model in three dimensions correspond to singular del Pezzo
surfaces with (normal) singularity at a point. The case of type I and
heterotic theories if one drops their gauge sector corresponds to non-normal
(singular along a curve) del Pezzo's. We comment on previous encounters with
Borcherds algebras at the end of the paper.Comment: 30 pages. Besides expository improvements, we exclude by hand real
fermionic simple roots when they would naively aris
Are published standards for haematological indices in pregnancy applicable across populations: an evaluation in healthy pregnant Jamaican women
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The haematological profile of the pregnant woman has an impact on the outcome of the pregnancy. Published guidelines indicate acceptable levels for haematological indices in pregnancy but they are population specific. Indicators of haemoglobin concentration are the most commonly utilized of the indices. These published international norms are used across populations, however, there is no evidence confirming their applicability to a population such as the Jamaican pregnant woman. This study was therefore undertaken with the intent of documenting the haematological profile of pregnant primigravid Jamaican women and comparing these to the established norms to determine whether the norms apply or whether there was a need to establish local norms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a longitudinal study done on a cohort of 157 healthy primigravid women ages 15 to 25 and without anaemia, and who were recruited from the antenatal clinic of the University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica. The haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, mean cell volume, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, red blood cell count and platelet count were measured on samples of blood obtained from each consenting participant during each of the three trimesters. The results were analysed using SPSS for windows (Version 11) and the data expressed as means ± S.D. Means were compared using the student's paired <it>t-test</it>. Comparison was then made with the international norms as recommended by the United States Center for Disease Control (1989). Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University Hospital of the West Indies/University of the West Indies Ethics Committee.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results showed changes by trimester in all measured variables. For most of the indices the changes achieved levels of significance across trimesters. These changes were however in keeping with the expected physiological response in pregnancy and the values were similar to the published international norms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings suggest that the international norms for haematological indices in pregnancy are applicable across populations and to the pregnant Jamaican primigravid woman. This finding may be reassuring to others with a similar population and stage of development as Jamaica.</p
Deep ACS Imaging in the Globular Cluster NGC 6397: The Cluster Color Magnitude Diagram and Luminosity Function
We present the CMD from deep HST imaging in the globular cluster NGC 6397.
The ACS was used for 126 orbits to image a single field in two colors (F814W,
F606W) 5 arcmin SE of the cluster center. The field observed overlaps that of
archival WFPC2 data from 1994 and 1997 which were used to proper motion (PM)
clean the data. Applying the PM corrections produces a remarkably clean CMD
which reveals a number of features never seen before in a globular cluster CMD.
In our field, the main sequence stars appeared to terminate close to the
location in the CMD of the hydrogen-burning limit predicted by two independent
sets of stellar evolution models. The faintest observed main sequence stars are
about a magnitude fainter than the least luminous metal-poor field halo stars
known, suggesting that the lowest luminosity halo stars still await discovery.
At the bright end the data extend beyond the main sequence turnoff to well up
the giant branch. A populous white dwarf cooling sequence is also seen in the
cluster CMD. The most dramatic features of the cooling sequence are its turn to
the blue at faint magnitudes as well as an apparent truncation near F814W = 28.
The cluster luminosity and mass functions were derived, stretching from the
turn off down to the hydrogen-burning limit. It was well modeled with either a
very flat power-law or a lognormal function. In order to interpret these fits
more fully we compared them with similar functions in the cluster core and with
a full N-body model of NGC 6397 finding satisfactory agreement between the
model predictions and the data. This exercise demonstrates the important role
and the effect that dynamics has played in altering the cluster IMF.Comment: 43 pages including 4 tables and 12 diagrams. Figures 2 and 3 have
been bitmapped. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa
When the path is never shortest: a reality check on shortest path biocomputation
Shortest path problems are a touchstone for evaluating the computing
performance and functional range of novel computing substrates. Much has been
published in recent years regarding the use of biocomputers to solve minimal
path problems such as route optimisation and labyrinth navigation, but their
outputs are typically difficult to reproduce and somewhat abstract in nature,
suggesting that both experimental design and analysis in the field require
standardising. This chapter details laboratory experimental data which probe
the path finding process in two single-celled protistic model organisms,
Physarum polycephalum and Paramecium caudatum, comprising a shortest path
problem and labyrinth navigation, respectively. The results presented
illustrate several of the key difficulties that are encountered in categorising
biological behaviours in the language of computing, including biological
variability, non-halting operations and adverse reactions to experimental
stimuli. It is concluded that neither organism examined are able to efficiently
or reproducibly solve shortest path problems in the specific experimental
conditions that were tested. Data presented are contextualised with biological
theory and design principles for maximising the usefulness of experimental
biocomputer prototypes.Comment: To appear in: Adamatzky, A (Ed.) Shortest path solvers. From software
to wetware. Springer, 201
Five-Dimensional Supersymmetric Gauge Theories and Degenerations of Calabi-Yau Spaces
We discuss five-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories. An anomaly renders
some theories inconsistent and others consistent only upon including a
Wess-Zumino type Chern-Simons term. We discuss some necessary conditions for
existence of nontrivial renormalization group fixed points and find all
possible gauge groups and matter content which satisfy them. In some cases, the
existence of these fixed points can be inferred from string duality
considerations. In other cases, they arise from M-theory on Calabi-Yau
threefolds. We explore connections between aspects of the gauge theory and
Calabi-Yau geometry. A consequence of our classification of field theories with
nontrivial fixed points is a fairly complete classification of a class of
singularities of Calabi-Yau threefolds which generalize the ``del Pezzo
contractions'' and occur at higher codimension walls of the K\"{a}hler cone.Comment: harvmac, 52 pp., 5 figures (reference added
Very High Angular Resolution Science with the Square Kilometre Array
Preliminary specifications for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) call for 25%
of the total collecting area of the dish array to be located at distances
greater than 180 km from the core, with a maximum baseline of at least 3000 km.
The array will provide angular resolution ~ 40 - 2 mas at 0.5 - 10 GHz with
image sensitivity reaching < 50 nJy/beam in an 8 hour integration with 500 MHz
bandwidth. Given these specifications, the high angular resolution component of
the SKA will be capable of detecting brightness temperatures < 200 K with
milliarcsecond-scale angular resolution. The aim of this article is to bring
together in one place a discussion of the broad range of new and important high
angular resolution science that will be enabled by the SKA, and in doing so,
address the merits of long baselines as part of the SKA. We highlight the fact
that high angular resolution requiring baselines greater than 1000 km provides
a rich science case with projects from many areas of astrophysics, including
important contributions to key SKA science.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Luminosity Functions of Spitzer Identified Protostars in Nine Nearby Molecular Clouds
We identify protostars in Spitzer surveys of nine star-forming molecular
clouds within 1 kpc: Serpens, Perseus, Ophiuchus, Chamaeleon, Lupus, Taurus,
Orion, Cep OB3, and Mon R2, which combined host over 700 protostar candidates.
Our diverse cloud sample allows us to compare protostar luminosity functions in
these varied environments. We combine photometry from 2MASS J, H, and Ks bands
and Spitzer IRAC and MIPS 24 micron bands to create 1 - 24 micron spectral
energy distributions (SEDs). Using protostars from the c2d survey with
well-determined bolometric luminosities (Lbol), we derive a relationship
between Lbol, L_MIR (integrated from 1 - 24 microns), and SED slope.
Estimations of Lbol for protostar candidates are combined to create luminosity
functions for each cloud. Contamination due to edge-on disks, reddened Class II
sources, and galaxies is estimated and removed from the luminosity functions.
We find that luminosity functions for high mass star forming clouds peak near 1
Lsun and show a tail extending toward luminosities above 100 Lsun. The
luminosity functions of the low mass star forming clouds do not exhibit a
common peak, however the combined luminosity function of these regions peaks
below 1 Lsun. Finally, we examine the luminosity functions as a function of the
local surface density of YSOs. In the Orion molecular cloud, we find a
significant difference between the luminosity functions of protostars in
regions of high and low stellar density, the former of which is biased toward
more luminous sources. This may be the result of primordial mass segregation,
although this interpretation is not unique. We compare our luminosity functions
to those predicted by models and find that our observed luminosity functions
are best matched by models which invoke competitive accretion, although we do
not find strong agreement of the high mass star forming clouds with any of the
models.Comment: 76 pages, 18 figures, 7 tables. Accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
The gravity duals of SO/USp superconformal quivers
We study the gravity duals of SO/USp superconformal quiver gauge theories
realized by M5-branes wrapping on a Riemann surface ("G-curve") together with a
Z_2-quotient. When the G-curve has no punctures, the gravity solutions are
classified by the genus g of the G-curve and the torsion part of the four-form
flux G_4. We also find that there is an interesting relation between anomaly
contributions from two mysterious theories: T_{SO(2N)} theory with SO(2N)^3
flavor symmetry and \tilde{T}_{SO(2N)} theory with SO(2N) x USp(2N-2)^2 flavor
symmetry. The dual gravity solutions for various SO/USp-type tails are also
studied.Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures; v2 minor corrections, typos corrected, Figure
13 replaced, references adde
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