1,609 research outputs found
BOOMERanG Data Suggest a Purely Baryonic Universe
The amplitudes of peaks in the angular power spectrum of anisotropies in the
microwave background radiation depend on the mass content of the universe. The
second peak should be prominent when cold dark matter is dominant, but is
depressed when baryons dominate. Recent microwave background data are
consistent with a purely baryonic universe with Omega(matter) = Omega(baryon) ~
0.03 and Omega(Lambda) ~ 1.Comment: 10 pages AASTeX with 1 color postscript figure. Accepted for
publication in ApJ Letters. And yes, the prediction was in the literature
before the dat
Transmembrane Domains of Highly Pathogenic Viral Fusion Proteins Exhibit Trimeric Association \u3cem\u3eIn Vitro\u3c/em\u3e
Enveloped viruses require viral fusion proteins to promote fusion of the viral envelope with a target cell membrane. To drive fusion, these proteins undergo large conformational changes that must occur at the right place and at the right time. Understanding the elements which control the stability of the prefusion state and the initiation of conformational changes is key to understanding the function of these important proteins. The construction of mutations in the fusion protein transmembrane domains (TMDs) or the replacement of these domains with lipid anchors has implicated the TMD in the fusion process. However, the structural and molecular details of the role of the TMD in these fusion events remain unclear. Previously, we demonstrated that isolated paramyxovirus fusion protein TMDs associate in a monomer-trimer equilibrium, using sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation. Using a similar approach, the work presented here indicates that trimeric interactions also occur between the fusion protein TMDs of Ebola virus, influenza virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV), and rabies virus. Our results suggest that TM-TM interactions are important in the fusion protein function of diverse viral families
COMPTEL upper limits for Seyfert galaxies
The gammaâray emission of Seyfert galaxies has fallen far short of preâGRO expectations. No single object of this class has been detected by either COMPTEL or EGRET, and OSSE has detected only a fraction of the Seyferts expected. To derive a more stringent upper limit to the emission from these objects in the energy ranges 0.75 to 1 and 1 to 3 MeV, we have summed a large number of COMPTEL observations acquired during Phase 1 of the GRO mission. From a total of 47 observations of 23 individual Xâray selected Seyfert galaxies, we derive preliminary upper limits of 8Ă10â8 photons/(cm2 s keV) in the 0.75â1 MeV band and 1Ă10â8 photons/(cm2 s keV) in the 1â3 MeV band
Near-field radiative heat transfer between macroscopic planar surfaces
Near-field radiative heat transfer allows heat to propagate across a small
vacuum gap in quantities that are several orders of magnitude greater then the
heat transfer by far-field, blackbody radiation. Although heat transfer via
near-field effects has been discussed for many years, experimental verification
of this theory has been very limited. We have measured the heat transfer
between two macroscopic sapphire plates, finding an increase in agreement with
expectations from theory. These experiments, conducted near 300 K, have
measured the heat transfer as a function of separation over mm to m and as
a function of temperature differences between 2.5 and 30 K. The experiments
demonstrate that evanescence can be put to work to transfer heat from an object
without actually touching it
COMPTEL Observations of AGN at MeV-Energies
The COMPTEL experiment aboard CGRO, exploring the previously unknown sky at
MeV-energies, has so far detected 10 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): 9 blazars
and the radio galaxy Centaurus A. No Seyfert galaxy has been found yet. With
these results COMPTEL has opened the field of extragalactic Gamma-ray astronomy
in the MeV-band.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures including 1 color plot, to appear in the
Proceedings of the 3rd INTEGRAL Workshop "The Extreme Universe", held in
Taormina, Italy, 14-18 September 199
Comptel observations of the quasar PKS 0528+134
During Phase I and Phase II of the CGROâmission, the quasar PKS 0528+134 was in the field of view of the COMPTEL instrument during several viewing periods. The quasar was detected by COMPTEL mainly at energies above 10 MeV. Below 10 MeV there is evidence for the source during some CGRO viewing periods, while below 3 MeV no signal is detected. The detections and nonâdetections during different viewing periods follow the trend seen by EGRET, thereby indicating a timeâvariable MEVâflux of the quasar. The COMPTEL spectral results together with the simultaneously measured EGRET spectrum, indicate a spectral break in the upper part of the COMPTEL energy range at energies between 10 MeV and 30 MeV
COMPTEL observations of the quasar PKS 0528+134 during the first 3.5 years of the CGRO mission
The COMPTEL observations of the blazar-type quasar PKS 0528+134 in the energy
range 0.75 MeV to 30 MeV carried out between April 1991 and September 1994 have
been analyzed. During the first two years PKS 0528+134 was most significantly
detected at energies above 3 MeV. During the last year there is only evidence
for the quasar at energies below 3 MeV indicating a spectral change. The
time-averaged COMPTEL energy spectrum between 0.75 MeV and 30 MeV is well
represented by a power-law shape. Spectra collected from different
observational periods reveal different power-law shapes: a hard state during
flaring observations reported by EGRET, and a soft state otherwise. The
combined simultaneous EGRET and COMPTEL spectra indicate these two spectral
states as well. During low intensisty gamma-ray phases no spectral break is
obvious from the combined COMPTEL and EGRET measurements. For the gamma-ray
flaring phases however, the combined COMPTEL and EGRET data require a spectral
bending at MeV-energies. By fitting broken power-law functions the best-fit
values for the break in photon index range between 0.6 and 1.7, and for the
break energy between ~5 MeV and ~20 MeV. Because the flux values measured by
COMPTEL below 3 MeV in both states are roughly equal, the observations would be
consistent with an additional spectral component showing up during gamma-ray
flaring phases of PKS 0528+134. Such a component could be introduced by e.g. a
high-energy electron-positron population with a low-energy cutoff in their bulk
Lorentz factor distribution. The multiwavelength spectrum of PKS 0528+134 for
gamma-ray flaring phases shows that the major energy release across the entire
electro-magnetic spectrum is measured at MeV-energies.Comment: 10 pages, 8 postscript figures, latex, to appear in: A&A 328, 33
(1997
Image processing mini manual
The intent is to provide an introduction to the image processing capabilities available at the Langley Research Center (LaRC) Central Scientific Computing Complex (CSCC). Various image processing software components are described. Information is given concerning the use of these components in the Data Visualization and Animation Laboratory at LaRC
The formation of the first galaxies and the transition to low-mass star formation
The formation of the first galaxies at redshifts z ~ 10-15 signaled the
transition from the simple initial state of the universe to one of ever
increasing complexity. We here review recent progress in understanding their
assembly process with numerical simulations, starting with cosmological initial
conditions and modelling the detailed physics of star formation. In this
context we emphasize the importance and influence of selecting appropriate
initial conditions for the star formation process. We revisit the notion of a
critical metallicity resulting in the transition from primordial to present-day
initial mass functions and highlight its dependence on additional cooling
mechanisms and the exact initial conditions. We also review recent work on the
ability of dust cooling to provide the transition to present-day low-mass star
formation. In particular, we highlight the extreme conditions under which this
transition mechanism occurs, with violent fragmentation in dense gas resulting
in tightly packed clusters.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, appeared in the conference proceedings for IAU
Symposium 255: Low-Metallicity Star Formation: From the First Stars to Dwarf
Galaxies, a high resolution version (highly recommended) can be found at
http://www.ita.uni-heidelberg.de/~tgreif/files/greif08.pd
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