171 research outputs found
Mixed-Morphology Supernova Remnants in X-rays: Isothermal Plasma in HB21 and Probable Oxygen-Rich Ejecta in CTB 1
(Abridged) We present an analysis of X-ray observations made of the Galactic
supernova remnants (SNRs) HB21 (G89.0+4.7) and CTB 1 (G116.9+0.2), two
well-known mixed-morphology (MM) SNRs. We find a marked contrast between the
X-ray properties of these SNRs: for HB21, the extracted ASCA spectra of the
northwest and southeast regions of the X-ray emitting plasma can be fit with a
single thermal model with marginally enhanced silicon and sulfur abundances.
For both of these regions, the derived column density and temperature are
N_H~0.3x10^22 cm^-2 and kT~0.7 keV, respectively. No significant spatial
differences in temperature or elemental abundances between the two regions are
detected and the X-ray-emitting plasma in both regions is close to ionization
equilibrium. Our Chandra spectral analysis of CTB 1 reveals that this source is
likely an oxygen-rich SNR with enhanced abundances of oxygen and neon. The
extracted ASCA spectra for the southwestern and northeastern regions of CTB 1
cannot be fit with a single thermal component. Based on our fits to these
spectra, we derive a column density N_H~0.6x10^22 cm^-2 and a temperature for
the soft thermal component of kT_soft~0.28 keV. The hard emission from the
southwest may be modeled with either a thermal component (kT_hard~3 keV) or by
a power law component (Gamma~2-3) while the hard emission from the northeast
may be modeled with a power law component (Gamma~1.4). We have also extracted
ASCA GIS spectra of the discrete X-ray source 1WGA J0001.4+6229 which is seen
in projection toward CTB 1. These spectra are best fit using a power-law model
with a photon index Gamma=2.2^{+0.5}_{-1.2} which is typical for featureless
power-law continua produced by rotation-powered pulsars. This source may be a
neutron star associated with CTB 1.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Genomic characterization and assessment of pathogenic potential of Legionella spp. isolates from environmental monitoring
Several species in the genus Legionella are known to cause an acute pneumonia when the aerosols containing the bacteria from man-made water systems are inhaled. The disease is usually caused by Legionella pneumophila, but other species have been implicated in the infection. The disease is frequently manifested as an outbreak, which means several people are affected when exposed to the common source of Legionella contamination. Therefor environmental surveillance which includes isolation and identification of Legionella is performed routinely. However, usually no molecular or genome-based methods are employed in further characterization of the isolates during routine environmental monitoring. During several years of such monitoring, isolates from different geographical locations were collected and 39 of them were sequenced by hybrid de novo approach utilizing short and long sequencing reads. In addition, the isolates were typed by standard culture and MALDI-TOF method. The sequencing reads were assembled and annotated to produce high-quality genomes. By employing discriminatory genome typing, four potential new species in the Legionella genus were identified, which are yet to be biochemically and morphologically characterized. Moreover, functional annotations concerning virulence and antimicrobial resistance were performed on the sequenced genomes. The study contributes to the knowledge on little-known non-pneumophila species present in man-made water systems and establishes support for future genetic relatedness studies as well as understanding of their pathogenic potential
Generalized Flux Vacua
We consider type II string theory compactified on a symmetric T^6/Z_2
orientifold. We study a general class of discrete deformations of the resulting
four-dimensional supergravity theory, including gaugings arising from geometric
and "nongeometric'' fluxes, as well as the usual R-R and NS-NS fluxes. Solving
the equations of motion associated with the resulting N = 1 superpotential, we
find parametrically controllable infinite families of supersymmetric vacua with
all moduli stabilized. We also describe some aspects of the distribution of
generic solutions to the SUSY equations of motion for this model, and note in
particular the existence of an apparently infinite number of solutions in a
finite range of the parameter space of the four-dimensional effective theory.Comment: 30 pages, 4 .eps figures; v2, reference adde
Reproductive Modes in Onion Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Populations from New York Onion Fields
Thrips exhibit different reproductive modes including thelytoky (females produced from unfertilized eggs), arrhenotoky (males produced from unfertilized eggs and females produced from fertilized eggs) and deuterotoky (females and males produced from unfertilized eggs). We investigated patterns of reproductive modes in onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, populations and potential effects of the bacterium Wolbachia and temperature on these modes. We also examined the possibility that male-producing T. tabaci populations were resistant to the frequently used insecticides, lambda-cyhalothrin and methomyl. In New York during 2002-2004, T. tabaci populations were sampled from 20 onion fields and reproductive mode was determined by identifying sex of progeny from virgins. Half of the populations were thelytokous and half were a mix of thelytokous, arrhenotokous and deuterotokous individuals, which we refer to as a male-producing population. In two of four cases, the reproductive mode of a population from the same onion field changed across years, suggesting that populations either mix or an external factor caused the change. To address the latter, we speculated that Wolbachia or high temperature mediated reproductive modes. Samples of T. tabaci representing each reproductive mode were examined for Wolbachia using diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but it was not detected. Cytological examination of ovaries from two additional thelytokous lines also showed no evidence of Wolbachia. Similarly, high temperature did not affect sex allocation ratios in either thelytokous or male-producing populations. Male-producing T. tabaci populations were not positively correlated with resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin, or tolerance to methomyl. The role of the different reproductive modes in T. tabaci populations in onion fields remains unclea
Nongeometric Flux Compactifications
We investigate a simple class of type II string compactifications which
incorporate nongeometric "fluxes" in addition to "geometric flux" and the usual
H-field and R-R fluxes. These compactifications are nongeometric analogues of
the twisted torus. We develop T-duality rules for NS-NS geometric and
nongeometric fluxes, which we use to construct a superpotential for the
dimensionally reduced four-dimensional theory. The resulting structure is
invariant under T-duality, so that the distribution of vacua in the IIA and IIB
theories is identical when nongeometric fluxes are included. This gives a
concrete framework in which to investigate the possibility that generic string
compactifications may be nongeometric in any duality frame. The framework
developed in this paper also provides some concrete hints for how mirror
symmetry can be generalized to compactifications with arbitrary H-flux, whose
mirrors are generically nongeometric.Comment: 26 pages, JHEP3. v3: references, minor corrections, and
clarifications added. v4: sign correcte
A Critical Assessment of the Effects of Bt Transgenic Plants on Parasitoids
The ecological safety of transgenic insecticidal plants expressing crystal proteins (Cry toxins) from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) continues to be debated. Much of the debate has focused on nontarget organisms, especially predators and parasitoids that help control populations of pest insects in many crops. Although many studies have been conducted on predators, few reports have examined parasitoids but some of them have reported negative impacts. None of the previous reports were able to clearly characterize the cause of the negative impact. In order to provide a critical assessment, we used a novel paradigm consisting of a strain of the insect pest, Plutella xylostella (herbivore), resistant to Cry1C and allowed it to feed on Bt plants and then become parasitized by Diadegma insulare, an important endoparasitoid of P. xylostella. Our results indicated that the parasitoid was exposed to a biologically active form of the Cy1C protein while in the host but was not harmed by such exposure. Parallel studies conducted with several commonly used insecticides indicated they significantly reduced parasitism rates on strains of P. xylostella resistant to these insecticides. These results provide the first clear evidence of the lack of hazard to a parasitoid by a Bt plant, compared to traditional insecticides, and describe a test to rigorously evaluate the risks Bt plants pose to predators and parasitoids
Know The Star, Know the Planet. IV. A Stellar Companion to the Host star of the Eccentric Exoplanet HD 8673b
HD 8673 hosts a massive exoplanet in a highly eccentric orbit (e=0.723).
Based on two epochs of speckle interferometry a previous publication identified
a candidate stellar companion. We observed HD 8673 multiple times with the 10 m
Keck II telescope, the 5 m Hale telescope, the 3.63 m AEOS telescope and the
1.5m Palomar telescope in a variety of filters with the aim of confirming and
characterizing the stellar companion. We did not detect the candidate
companion, which we now conclude was a false detection, but we did detect a
fainter companion. We collected astrometry and photometry of the companion on
six epochs in a variety of filters. The measured differential photometry
enabled us to determine that the companion is an early M dwarf with a mass
estimate of 0.33-0.45 M?. The companion has a projected separation of 10 AU,
which is one of the smallest projected separations of an exoplanet host binary
system. Based on the limited astrometry collected, we are able to constrain the
orbit of the stellar companion to a semi-major axis of 35{60 AU, an
eccentricity ? 0.5 and an inclination of 75{85?. The stellar companion has
likely strongly in uenced the orbit of the exoplanet and quite possibly
explains its high eccentricity.Comment: Accepted to the Astronomical Journal, 6 Pages, 5 Figure
D-branes in Nongeometric Backgrounds
"T-fold" backgrounds are generically-nongeometric compactifications of string
theory, described by T^n fibrations over a base N with transition functions in
the perturbative T-duality group. We review Hull's doubled torus formalism,
which geometrizes these backgrounds, and use the formalism to constrain the
D-brane spectrum (to leading order in g_s and alpha') on T^n fibrations over
S^1 with O(n,n;Z) monodromy. We also discuss the (approximate) moduli space of
such branes and argue that it is always geometric. For a D-brane located at a
point on the base N, the classical ``D-geometry'' is a T^n fibration over a
multiple cover of N.Comment: 29 pages; uses harvmac.tex; v2: substantial revision throughou
Apixaban for Primary Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Multiple Myeloma Receiving Immunomodulatory Therapy
Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), including thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide, have improved survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, these therapies are associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Apixaban has been approved for treatment of acute VTE and for risk reduction of recurrent VTE following initial therapy. In this phase IV single-arm study (NCT02958969), we aim to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of apixaban for primary prevention of VTE in patients with MM. The primary efficacy objective of this trial is to determine the rate of symptomatic VTE, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), over 6 months. The primary safety objective is to determine the rate of major bleeding in MM patients receiving apixaban prophylaxis. If proven safe and effective, apixaban will emerge as a promising option for oral VTE prophylaxis in MM patients
Lectures on Nongeometric Flux Compactifications
These notes present a pedagogical review of nongeometric flux
compactifications. We begin by reviewing well-known geometric flux
compactifications in Type II string theory, and argue that one must include
nongeometric "fluxes" in order to have a superpotential which is invariant
under T-duality. Additionally, we discuss some elementary aspects of the
worldsheet description of nongeometric backgrounds. This review is based on
lectures given at the 2007 RTN Winter School at CERN.Comment: 31 pages, JHEP
- …