1,137 research outputs found
Variability in X-ray line ratios in helium-like ions of massive stars: the radiation-driven case
Line ratios in "fir" triplets of helium-like ions have proven to be a
powerful diagnostic of conditions in X-ray emitting gas surrounding massive
stars. Recent observations indicate that these ratios can be variable with
time.
The possible causes of variation in line ratios are limited: changes in the
radiation field or changes in density, and changes in mass-loss or geometry. In
this paper, we investigate the ability of changes in the radiation field to
induce variability in the ratio R=f/i.
To isolate the radiative effect, we use a heuristic model of temperature and
radius changes in variable stars in the B and O range with low-density,
steady-state winds. We model the changes in emissivity of X-ray emitting gas
close to the star due to differences in level-pumping from available UV photons
at the location of the gas.
We find that under these conditions, variability in R is dominated by the
stellar temperature. Although the relative amplitude of variability is roughly
comparable for most lines at most temperatures, detectable variations are
limited to a few lines for each spectral type. We predict that variable values
in R due to stellar variability must follow predictable trends found in our
simulations.
Our model uses radial pulsations as a mode of stellar variability that
maximizes the amplitude of variation in R. This model is robust enough to show
which ions will provide the best opportunity for observing variability in the
f/i ratio at different stellar temperatures, and the correlation of that
variability with other observable parameters. In real systems, the effects
would be more complex than in our model, with differences in phase and
suppressed amplitude in the presence of non-radial pulsations. This suggests
that changes in R across many lines concurrently are not likely to be produced
by a variable radiation field.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Facial aesthetics: babies prefer attractiveness to symmetry
The visual preferences of human infants for faces that varied in their attractiveness and in their symmetry about the midline were explored. The aim was to establish whether infants' visual preference for attractive faces may be mediated by the vertical symmetry of the face. Chimeric faces, made from photographs of attractive and unattractive female faces, were produced by computer graphics. Babies looked longer at normal and at chimeric attractive faces than at normal and at chimeric unattractive faces. There were no developmental differences between the younger and older infants: all preferred to look at the attractive faces. Infants as young as 4 months showed similarity with adults in the 'aesthetic perception' of attractiveness and this preference was not based on the vertical symmetry of the face
Evidence cross-validation and Bayesian inference of MAST plasma equilibria
In this paper, current profiles for plasma discharges on the Mega-Ampere
Spherical Tokamak (MAST) are directly calculated from pickup coil, flux loop
and Motional-Stark Effect (MSE) observations via methods based in the
statistical theory of Bayesian analysis. By representing toroidal plasma
current as a series of axisymmetric current beams with rectangular
cross-section and inferring the current for each one of these beams,
flux-surface geometry and q-profiles are subsequently calculated by elementary
application of Biot-Savart's law. The use of this plasma model in the context
of Bayesian analysis was pioneered by Svensson and Werner on the Joint-European
Tokamak (JET) [J. Svensson and A. Werner. Current tomography for axisymmetric
plasmas. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 50(8):085002, 2008]. In
this framework, linear forward models are used to generate diagnostic
predictions, and the probability distribution for the currents in the
collection of plasma beams was subsequently calculated directly via application
of Bayes' formula. In this work, we introduce a new diagnostic technique to
identify and remove outlier observations associated with diagnostics falling
out of calibration or suffering from an unidentified malfunction. These
modifications enable good agreement between Bayesian inference of the last
closed flux-surface (LCFS) with other corroborating data, such as such as that
from force balance considerations using EFIT++ [L. Appel et al., Proc. 33rd EPS
Conf., Rome, Italy, 2006]. In addition, this analysis also yields errors on the
plasma current profile and flux-surface geometry, as well as directly
predicting the Shafranov shift of the plasma core.This work was jointly funded by the Australian Government
through International Science Linkages Grant No.
CG130047, the Australian National University, the United
Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council under Grant No. EP/G003955, and by the European
Communities under the contract of Association between EURATOM and CCFE
Understanding Leadership: an Experimental-Experiential Model
Books about leadership are dangerous to readers who fantasize about being leaders or apply leadership ideas as if they were proven formulas. As an antidote, I offer an experimental framework in which any leadership-management model can be tested to gain experiential understanding of the model. As a result one can gain reality-based insights about leadership and oneself. The experiment is described; resistances to engaging it are considered; and examples from a leadership group implementing Coveyâs âSeven Principles are summarized. In the course of discussing individualâs experiments objections were voiced against this Socratic approach to understanding leadership. Finally, I sketch a perspective for understanding the fit between leaders and followers. Overall, the experiment brought into view oneâs sense of leadership and authenticity and tested them
An X-ray Study of Two B+B Binaries: AH Cep and CW Cep
AH Cep and CW Cep are both early B-type binaries with short orbital periods
of 1.8~d and 2.7~d, respectively. All four components are B0.5V types. The
binaries are also double-lined spectroscopic and eclipsing. Consequently,
solutions for orbital and stellar parameters make the pair of binaries ideal
targets for a study of the colliding winds between two B~stars. {\em Chandra}
ACIS-I observations were obtained to determine X-ray luminosities. AH~Cep was
detected with an unabsorbed X-ray luminosity at a 90\% confidence interval of
erg s, or ,
relative to the combined Bolometric luminosities of the two components. While
formally consistent with expectations for embedded wind shocks, or binary wind
collision, the near-twin system of CW~Cep was a surprising non-detection. For
CW~Cep, an upper limit was determined with , again
for the combined components. One difference between these two systems is that
AH~Cep is part of a multiple system. The X-rays from AH~Cep may not arise from
standard wind shocks nor wind collision, but perhaps instead from magnetism in
any one of the four components of the system. The possibility could be tested
by searching for cyclic X-ray variability in AH~Cep on the short orbital period
of the inner B~stars.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, accepte
Variability in X-ray Line Ratios in Helium-Like Ions of Massive Stars: The Wind-Driven Case
Context. High spectral resolution and long exposure times are providing unprecedented levels of data quality of massive stars at X-ray wavelengths.
Aims. A key diagnostic of the X-ray emitting plasma are the fir lines for He-like triplets. In particular, owing to radiative pumping effects, the forbidden-to-intercombination line luminosity ratio, R = fâi, can be used to determine the proximity of the hot plasma to the UV-bright photospheres of massive stars. Moreover, the era of large observing programs additionally allows for investigation of line variability.
Methods. This contribution is the second to explore how variability in the line ratio can provide new diagnostic information about distributed X-rays in a massive star wind. We focus on wind integration for total line luminosities, taking account of radiative pumping and stellar occultation. While the case of a variable stellar radiation field was explored in the first paper, the effects of wind variability are emphasized in this work.
Results. We formulate an expression for the ratio of line luminosities fâi that closely resembles the classic expression for the on-the-spot result. While there are many ways to drive variability in the line ratio, we use variable mass loss as an illustrative example for wind integration, particularly since this produces no variability for the on-the-spot case. The fâi ratio can be significantly modulated owing to evolving wind properties. The extent of the variation depends on how the timescale for the wind flow compares to the timescale over which the line emissivities change.
Conclusions. While a variety of factors can ellicit variable line ratios, a time-varying mass-loss rate serves to demonstrate the range of amplitude and phased-dependent behavior in fâi line ratios. Importantly, we evaluate how variable mass loss might bias measures of fâi. For observational exposures that are less than the timescale of variable mass loss, biased measures (relative to the time-averaged wind) can result; if exposures are long, the fâi ratio is reflective of the time-averaged spherical wind
Adventures in data citation: sorghum genome data exemplifies the new gold standard
Scientific progress is driven by the availability of information, which makes it essential that data be broadly, easily and rapidly accessible to researchers in every field. In addition to being good scientific practice, provision of supporting data in a convenient way increases experimental transparency and improves research efficiency by reducing unnecessary duplication of experiments. There are, however, serious constraints that limit extensive data dissemination. One such constraint is that, despite providing a major foundation of data to the advantage of entire community, data producers rarely receive the credit they deserve for the substantial amount of time and effort they spend creating these resources. In this regard, a formal system that provides recognition for data producers would serve to incentivize them to share more of their data. The process of data citation, in which the data themselves are cited and referenced in journal articles as persistently identifiable bibliographic entities, is a potential way to properly acknowledge data output. The recent publication of several sorghum genomes in Genome Biology is a notable first example of good data citation practice in the field of genomics and demonstrates the practicalities and formatting required for doing so. It also illustrates how effective use of persistent identifiers can augment the submission of data to the current standard scientific repositories
Advanced-stage cervix cancer: rapid tumour growth rather than late diagnosis
Either diagnostic delay or tumour biology are possible factors governing the degree of spread at diagnosis of cervical cancer. To try to identify the most important parameter contributing to advanced stage, the duration of symptoms were recorded from patients scheduled for radiotherapy (n = 141) or radical hysterectomy (n = 36). In 146 cases tumour proliferation rates were evaluated following in vivo labelling with the DNA precursor BrdUrd. For symptomatic patients there was no association between duration of symptoms and stage at presentation. There was a significant trend for patients with increasing tumour stage to have more rapidly proliferating tumours with higher mean labelling index (LI) measurements (P = 0.001) and a shorter mean potential doubling time (Tpot) (P = 0.023). Socio economic deprivation may be associated with shorter Tpot values. The conclusion from this data is that stage at diagnosis is more dependent on the biological behaviour of the tumour, as expressed by proliferation rates, than delay in presentation. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
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