6,325 research outputs found
An Alternative Accurate Tracer of Molecular Clouds: The "-Factor"
We explore the utility of CI as an alternative high-fidelity gas mass tracer
for Galactic molecular clouds. We evaluate the X-factor for the 609
m carbon line, the analog of the CO X-factor, which is the ratio of the
H column density to the integrated CO(1-0) line intensity. We use
3D-PDR to post-process hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent, star-forming
clouds. We compare the emission of CI and CO for model clouds irradiated by 1
and 10 times the average background and demonstrate that CI is a comparable or
superior tracer of the molecular gas distribution for column densities up to cm. Our results hold for both reduced and full chemical
networks. For our fiducial Galactic cloud we derive an average of
cmKkms and of cmKkms.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted to MNRAS Letter
Precise toppling balance, quenched disorder, and universality for sandpiles
A single sandpile model with quenched random toppling matrices captures the
crucial features of different models of self-organized criticality. With
symmetric matrices avalanche statistics falls in the multiscaling BTW
universality class. In the asymmetric case the simple scaling of the Manna
model is observed. The presence or absence of a precise toppling balance
between the amount of sand released by a toppling site and the total quantity
the same site receives when all its neighbors topple once determines the
appropriate universality class.Comment: 5 Revtex pages, 4 figure
Genome-wide DNA hypomethylation and RNA:DNA hybrid accumulation in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome.
Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) is a severe childhood inflammatory disorder that shows clinical and genetic overlap with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). AGS is thought to arise from the accumulation of incompletely metabolized endogenous nucleic acid species owing to mutations in nucleic acid-degrading enzymes TREX1 (AGS1), RNase H2 (AGS2, 3 and 4), and SAMHD1 (AGS5). However, the identity and source of such immunogenic nucleic acid species remain undefined. Using genome-wide approaches, we show that fibroblasts from AGS patients with AGS1-5 mutations are burdened by excessive loads of RNA:DNA hybrids. Using MethylC-seq, we show that AGS fibroblasts display pronounced and global loss of DNA methylation and demonstrate that AGS-specific RNA:DNA hybrids often occur within DNA hypomethylated regions. Altogether, our data suggest that RNA:DNA hybrids may represent a common immunogenic form of nucleic acids in AGS and provide the first evidence of epigenetic perturbations in AGS, furthering the links between AGS and SLE
An unified timing and spectral model for the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars XTE J1810-197 and CXOU J164710.2-455216
Anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma repeaters (SGRs) are two small
classes of X-ray sources strongly suspected to host a magnetar, i.e. an
ultra-magnetized neutron star with $B\approx 10^14-10^15 G. Many SGRs/AXPs are
known to be variable, and recently the existence of genuinely "transient"
magnetars was discovered. Here we present a comprehensive study of the pulse
profile and spectral evolution of the two transient AXPs (TAXPs) XTE J1810-197
and CXOU J164710.2-455216. Our analysis was carried out in the framework of the
twisted magnetosphere model for magnetar emission. Starting from 3D Monte Carlo
simulations of the emerging spectrum, we produced a large database of synthetic
pulse profiles which was fitted to observed lightcurves in different spectral
bands and at different epochs. This allowed us to derive the physical
parameters of the model and their evolution with time, together with the
geometry of the two sources, i.e. the inclination of the line-of-sight and of
the magnetic axis with respect to the rotation axis. We then fitted the
(phase-averaged) spectra of the two TAXPs at different epochs using a model
similar to that used to calculate the pulse profiles ntzang in XSPEC) freezing
all parameters to the values obtained from the timing analysis, and leaving
only the normalization free to vary. This provided acceptable fits to
XMM-Newton data in all the observations we analyzed. Our results support a
picture in which a limited portion of the star surface close to one of the
magnetic poles is heated at the outburst onset. The subsequent evolution is
driven both by the cooling/varying size of the heated cap and by a progressive
untwisting of the magnetosphere.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Ethical difficulties in clinical practice : experiences of European doctors
Background: Ethics support services are growing in Europe to help doctors in dealing with ethical difficulties.
Currently, insufficient attention has been focused on the experiences of doctors who have faced ethical
difficulties in these countries to provide an evidence base for the development of these services.
Methods: A survey instrument was adapted to explore the types of ethical dilemma faced by European
doctors, how they ranked the difficulty of these dilemmas, their satisfaction with the resolution of a recent
ethically difficult case and the types of help they would consider useful. The questionnaire was translated and
given to general internists in Norway, Switzerland, Italy and the UK.
Results: Survey respondents (n = 656, response rate 43%) ranged in age from 28 to 82 years, and averaged
25 years in practice. Only a minority (17.6%) reported having access to ethics consultation in individual
cases. The ethical difficulties most often reported as being encountered were uncertain or impaired decisionmaking
capacity (94.8%), disagreement among caregivers (81.2%) and limitation of treatment at the end of
life (79.3%). The frequency of most ethical difficulties varied among countries, as did the type of issue
considered most difficult. The types of help most often identified as potentially useful were professional
reassurance about the decision being correct (47.5%), someone capable of providing specific advice
(41.1%), help in weighing outcomes (36%) and clarification of the issues (35.9%). Few of the types of help
expected to be useful varied among countries.
Conclusion: Cultural differences may indeed influence how doctors perceive ethical difficulties. The type of
help needed, however, did not vary markedly. The general structure of ethics support services would not have
to be radically altered to suit cultural variations among the surveyed countries
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