3,760 research outputs found
Orbital Decay of the PSR J0045-7319/B Star Binary System: Age of Radio Pulsar and Initial Spin of Neutron Star
Recent timing observations of PSR J0045-7319 reveal that the neutron star/B
star binary orbit is decaying on a time scale of |\Porb/\dot\Porb|=0.5 Myr,
shorter than the characteristic age ( Myr) of the pulsar (Kaspi et
al.~1996a). We study mechanisms for the orbital decay. The standard weak
friction theory based on static tide requires far too short a viscous time to
explain the observed \dot\Porb. We show that dynamical tidal excitation of
g-modes in the B star can be responsible for the orbital decay. However, to
explain the observed short decay timescale, the B star must have some
significant retrograde rotation with respect to the orbit --- The retrograde
rotation brings lower-order g-modes, which couple much more strongly to the
tidal potential, into closer ``resonances'' with the orbital motion, thus
significantly enhancing the dynamical tide. A much less likely possibility is
that the g-mode damping time is much shorter than the ordinary radiative
damping time. The observed orbital decay timescale combined with a generic
orbital evolution model based on dynamical tide can be used as a ``timer'',
giving an upper limit of Myr for the age of the binary system since the
neutron star formation. Thus the characteristic age of the pulsar is not a good
age indicator. Assuming standard magnetic dipole braking for the pulsar and no
significant magnetic field decay on a timescale \lo 1 Myr, the upper limit
for the age implies that the initial spin of the neutron star at birth was
close to its current value.Comment: AASTeX, 9 pages, 3 ps figures. ApJ Letters, in pres
Information content of the weak-charge form factor
Parity-violating electron scattering provides a model-independent
determination of the nuclear weak-charge form factor that has widespread
implications across such diverse areas as fundamental symmetries, nuclear
structure, heavy-ion collisions, and neutron-star structure. We assess the
impact of precise measurements of the weak-charge form factor of Ca
and Pb on a variety of nuclear observables, such as the neutron skin
and the electric-dipole polarizability. We use the nuclear Density Functional
Theory with several accurately calibrated non-relativistic and relativistic
energy density functionals. To assess the degree of correlation between nuclear
observables and to explore systematic and statistical uncertainties on
theoretical predictions, we employ the chi-square statistical covariance
technique. We find a strong correlation between the weak-charge form factor and
the neutron radius, that allows for an accurate determination of the neutron
skin of neutron-rich nuclei. We determine the optimal range of the momentum
transfer that maximizes the information content of the measured weak-charge
form factor and quantify the uncertainties associated with the strange quark
contribution. Moreover, we confirm the role of the electric-dipole
polarizability as a strong isovector indicator. Accurate measurements of the
weak-charge form factor of Ca and Pb will have a profound
impact on many aspects of nuclear theory and hadronic measurements of neutron
skins of exotic nuclei at radioactive-beam facilities.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Pharmacokinetics and antinociceptive effects of tramadol and its metabolite O-desmethyltramadol following intravenous administration in sheep
Although sheep are widely used as an experimental model for various surgical procedures there is a paucity of data on the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of analgesic drugs in this species. The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of intravenously (IV) administered tramadol and its active metabolite O-desmethyltramadol (M1) and to assess the mechanical antinociceptive effects in sheep. In a prospective, randomized, blinded study, six healthy adult sheep were given 4 and 6\u2009mg/kg tramadol and saline IV in a cross-over design with a 2-week wash-out period. At predetermined time points blood samples were collected and physiological parameters and mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) values were recorded. The analytical determination of tramadol and M1 was performed using high performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters fitted a two- and a non-compartmental model for tramadol and M1, respectively. Normally distributed data were analysed by a repeated mixed linear model. Plasma concentration vs. time profiles of tramadol and M1 were similar after the two doses. Tramadol and M1 plasma levels decreased rapidly in the systemic circulation, with both undetectable after 6\u2009h following drug administration. Physiological parameters did not differ between groups; MNT values were not statistically significant between groups at any time point. It was concluded that although tramadol and M1 concentrations in plasma were above the human minimum analgesic concentration after both treatments, no mechanical antinociceptive effects of tramadol were reported. Further studies are warranted to assess the analgesic efficacy of tramadol in sheep
Progress towards a methodology for high throughput 3D reconstruction of soot nanoparticles via electron tomography
The aim of this work is to make progress towards the development of 3D reconstruction as a legitimate alternative to traditional 2D characterisation of soot. Time constraints are the greatest opposition to its implementation, as currently reconstruction of a single soot particle takes around 5-6 hours to complete. As such, the accuracy and detail gains are currently insufficient to challenge 2D characterisation of a representative sample (e.g. 200 particles). This work is a consideration of the optimisation of the steps included within the computational reconstruction and manual segmentation of soot particles. Our optimal process reduced the time required by over 70% in comparison to a typical procedure, whilst producing models with no appreciable decrease in quality
Intense plasma discharge source at 13.5 nm for extreme-ultraviolet lithography
Includes bibliographical references (page 36).We measured an emission of 6 mJ/pulse at 13.5 nm produced by the Li2+ Lyman-α transition excited by a fast capillary discharge, using a lithium hydride capillary. 75% of the energy emanated from a spot size of 0.6 mm. The emission is narrow band and would thus be useful in extreme-ultraviolet lithography imaging systems that use Mo:Si multilayer mirrors. The output within the bandwidth of Mo:Si mirrors was comparable with that of a laser-produced plasma (LPP), and the wall plug efficiency of 0.1% was nearly an order of magnitude better than that of a LPP
Spontaneous supercurrent induced by ferromagnetic pi-junctions
We present magnetization measurements of mesoscopic superconducting niobium
loops containing a ferromagnetic (PdNi) pi-junction. The loops are prepared on
top of the active area of a micro Hall-sensor based on high mobility
GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures. We observe asymmetric switching of the loop
between different magnetization states when reversing the sweep direction of
the magnetic field. This provides evidence for a spontaneous current induced by
the intrinsic phase shift of the pi-junction. In addition, the presence of the
spontaneous current near zero applied field is directly revealed by an increase
of the magnetic moment with decreasing temperature, which results in half
integer flux quantization in the loop at low temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A mutate-and-map protocol for inferring base pairs in structured RNA
Chemical mapping is a widespread technique for structural analysis of nucleic
acids in which a molecule's reactivity to different probes is quantified at
single-nucleotide resolution and used to constrain structural modeling. This
experimental framework has been extensively revisited in the past decade with
new strategies for high-throughput read-outs, chemical modification, and rapid
data analysis. Recently, we have coupled the technique to high-throughput
mutagenesis. Point mutations of a base-paired nucleotide can lead to exposure
of not only that nucleotide but also its interaction partner. Carrying out the
mutation and mapping for the entire system gives an experimental approximation
of the molecules contact map. Here, we give our in-house protocol for this
mutate-and-map strategy, based on 96-well capillary electrophoresis, and we
provide practical tips on interpreting the data to infer nucleic acid
structure.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure
Hybridly pumped collisional soft X-ray laser in Ne-like sulphur
Includes bibliographical references (page 98).We describe an experiment demonstrating XUV amplification following collisional excitation in a discharge-created plasma waveguide irradiated by a picosecond optical laser pulse. A capillary discharge was used to generate a plasma radiation pipe with a radially concave electron density profile. Temporally resolved transmission characteristics and guiding effect have been measured. An intense short laser pulse rapidly heated the electrons, producing amplification in the 3p1S0-3s 1P1 transition of Ne-like S at 60.84 nm. The integrated gain-length product obtained within a 3 cm active medium with a laser energy of 0.46 J was ~6.8. The pump energy depletion has been analysed as well. This new, hybridly pumped soft X-ray laser with the transient gain offers a new way towards efficient tabletop coherent XUV sources
Volume extreme ultraviolet holographic imaging with numerical optical sectioning
Includes bibliographical references (pages 10622-10623).Three dimensional images were obtained using a single high numerical aperture hologram recorded in a high resolution photoresist with a table top λ = 46.9 nm laser. Gabor holograms were numerically reconstructed over a range of image planes by sweeping the propagation distance in the numerical reconstruction algorithm, allowing numerical optical sectioning. A robust three dimension image of a test object was obtained with numerical optical sectioning, providing a longitudinal resolution of approximately 2 μm and a lateral resolution of 164 nm
Recommended from our members
Interaction between galectin-3 and cystinosin uncovers a pathogenic role of inflammation in kidney involvement of cystinosis.
Inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of many disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms are often unknown. Here, we test whether cystinosin, the protein involved in cystinosis, is a critical regulator of galectin-3, a member of the β-galactosidase binding protein family, during inflammation. Cystinosis is a lysosomal storage disorder and, despite ubiquitous expression of cystinosin, the kidney is the primary organ impacted by the disease. Cystinosin was found to enhance lysosomal localization and degradation of galectin-3. In Ctns-/- mice, a mouse model of cystinosis, galectin-3 is overexpressed in the kidney. The absence of galectin-3 in cystinotic mice ameliorates pathologic renal function and structure and decreases macrophage/monocyte infiltration in the kidney of the Ctns-/-Gal3-/- mice compared to Ctns-/- mice. These data strongly suggest that galectin-3 mediates inflammation involved in kidney disease progression in cystinosis. Furthermore, galectin-3 was found to interact with the pro-inflammatory cytokine Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1, which stimulates the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages, and proved to be significantly increased in the serum of Ctns-/- mice and also patients with cystinosis. Thus, our findings highlight a new role for cystinosin and galectin-3 interaction in inflammation and provide an additional mechanistic explanation for the kidney disease of cystinosis. This may lead to the identification of new drug targets to delay cystinosis progression
- …