6,341 research outputs found
Magnetic structure of Ba(TiO)Cu(PO) probed using spherical neutron polarimetry
The antiferromagnetic compound Ba(TiO)Cu(PO) contains square
cupola of corner-sharing CuO plaquettes, which were proposed to form
effective quadrupolar order. To identify the magnetic structure, we have
performed spherical neutron polarimetry measurements. Based on symmetry
analysis and careful measurements we conclude that the orientation of the
Cu spins form a non-collinear in-out structure with spins approximately
perpendicular to the CuO motif. Strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction
naturally lends itself to explain this phenomenon. The identification of the
ground state magnetic structure should serve well for future theoretical and
experimental studies into this and closely related compounds.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
The extended structure of the dwarf irregular galaxy Sagittarius
We present a detailed study of the stellar and HI structure of the dwarf
irregular galaxy Sagittarius. We use new deep and wide field photometry to
trace the surface brightness profile of the galaxy out to ~5.0' (corresponding
to ~1600 pc) and down to mag/arcsec, thus showing that
the stellar body of the galaxy is much more extended than previously believed,
and it is similarly (or more) extended than the overall HI distribution. The
whole major-axis profile is consistent with a pure exponential, with a scale
radius of pc. The surface density maps reveal that the
distribution of old and intermediate-age stars is smooth and remarkably
flattened out to its edges, while the associated HI has a much rounder shape,
is off-centred and presents multiple density maxima and a significant hole. No
clear sign of systemic rotation is detectable in the complex HI velocity field.
No metallicity gradient is detected in the old and intermediate age population
of the galaxy, and we confirm that this population has a much more extended
distribution than young stars (age Gyr).Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication on A&A. arXiv admin
note: text overlap with arXiv:1404.169
The extended structure of the dwarf irregular galaxies Sextans A and Sextans B. Signatures of tidal distortion in the outskirts of the Local Group
We present a detailed study of the stellar and HI structure of the dwarf
irregular galaxies SextansA and SextansB, members of the NGC3109 association.
We use newly obtained deep (r~26.5) and wide field g,r photometry to extend the
Surface Brightness (SB) profiles of the two galaxies down to mu_V~ 31.0
mag/arcsec^2. We find that both galaxies are significantly more extended than
what previously traced with surface photometry, out to ~4 kpc from their
centers along their major axis. Older stars are found to have more extended
distribution with respect to younger populations. We obtain the first estimate
of the mean metallicity for the old stars in SexB, from the color distribution
of the Red Giant Branch, =-1.6. The SB profiles show significant
changes of slope and cannot be fitted with a single Sersic model. Both galaxies
have HI discs as massive as their respective stellar components. In both cases
the HI discs display solid-body rotation with maximum amplitude of ~50 km/s
(albeit with significant uncertainty due to the poorly constrained
inclination), implying a dynamical mass ~10^{9}~M_sun, a mass-to-light ratio
M/L_V~25 and a dark-to-barionic mass ratio of ~10. The distribution of the
stellar components is more extended than the gaseous disc in both galaxies. We
find that the main, approximately round-shaped, stellar body of Sex~A is
surrounded by an elongated low-SB stellar halo that can be interpreted as a
tidal tail, similar to that found in another member of the same association
(Antlia). We discuss these, as well as other evidences of tidal disturbance, in
the framework of a past passage of the NGC3109 association close to the Milky
Way, that has been hypothesized by several authors and is also supported by the
recently discovered filamentary configuration of the association itself.Comment: Accepted for publication by A&A. PdfLateX, 16 pages, 11 figures, 2
appendice
The innovation potential of Islamic crowdfunding platforms in contributing to sustainable development
Purpose: This paper aims at explaining variances in the contribution of Islamic crowdfunding platforms (ICFPs) to sustainable development (SD), by adopting an institutional logic perspective (ILP). ICFPs represent a dual institutional overlap between two logics (the Western-mainstream and the Islamic logic) which have an impact on corporate social responsibility (CSR) interpretations, practices, and decisions and whose conflicts are mitigated by choosing different resolution strategies. The authors aim at showing that this choice affects SD differently. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop a conceptual typology through the following steps: (1) choice of variables and identification of corresponding variable domains, through literature review. Variables chosen are the elemental CSR dimensions related to various social and environmental corporate responsibilities to whom diverse meaning and emphasis are given under the Western-mainstream and Islamic logics. (2) Identification of three distinct ideal types of ICFPs, building on different resolution strategies to mitigate conflicts between logics; (3) development, for each ideal type, of a set of implications related to SD; (4) implementation of a first test aiming at assigning real cases to each ideal type. Findings: The authors identify Western-mimicking (platforms adopting as resolution strategy decoupling or compartmentalizing strategies), Islamic-driven (platforms focusing on one prevailing logic) and Syncretism-inspired (platforms adopting hybridizing practices) ideal-types. Originality/value: It is the first paper suggesting ILP to explain variances in crowdfunding platforms' role in addressing SD. It focuses on a specific type of CF platforms till now neglected
Myofascial trigger points alter the modular control during the execution of a reaching task: a pilot study
Myofascial trigger points (TP) constitute a conundrum in research and clinical practice as their etiopathogenesis is debated. Several studies investigating one or few muscles have shown that both active and latent TP causes an increased muscle activity, however the influence of TP on modular motor control during a reaching task is still unclear. Electromyographic signals, recorded from the muscles of the shoulder girdle and upper arm during a reaching task, were decomposed with Non-Negative Matrix Factorization algorithm. The extracted matrices of motor modules and activation signals were used to label the muscles condition as dominant or non-dominant. The presence of latent and active TP was detected in each muscle with manual examination. Despite a similar muscle activity was observed, we found that muscles with active TP had increased weighting coefficients when labeled in the dominant condition. No influences were found when muscles were in the non-dominant condition. These findings suggest that TP altered the motor control without co-contraction patterns. As a preliminary evidence, the present results suggest that the increased weighting coefficients in presence of TPs are associated with an alteration of the modular motor control without affecting the dimensionality of motor modules for each individual and reciprocal inhibition
FK Comae Berenices, King of Spin: The COCOA-PUFS Project
COCOA-PUFS is an energy-diverse, time-domain study of the ultra-fast
spinning, heavily spotted, yellow giant FK Com (HD117555; G4 III). This single
star is thought to be a recent binary merger, and is exceptionally active by
measure of its intense ultraviolet and X-ray emissions, and proclivity to
flare. COCOA-PUFS was carried out with Hubble Space Telescope in the UV
(120-300 nm), using mainly its high-performance Cosmic Origins Spectrograph,
but also high-precision Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph; Chandra X-ray
Observatory in the soft X-rays (0.5-10 keV), utilizing its High-Energy
Transmission Grating Spectrometer; together with supporting photometry and
spectropolarimetry in the visible from the ground. This is an introductory
report on the project.
FK Com displayed variability on a wide range of time scales, over all
wavelengths, during the week-long main campaign, including a large X-ray flare;
"super-rotational broadening" of the far-ultraviolet "hot-lines" (e.g., Si IV
139 nm (T~80,000 K) together with chromospheric Mg II 280 nm and C II 133 nm
(10,000-30,000 K); large Doppler swings suggestive of bright regions
alternately on advancing and retreating limbs of the star; and substantial
redshifts of the epoch-average emission profiles. These behaviors paint a
picture of a highly extended, dynamic, hot (10 MK) coronal magnetosphere around
the star, threaded by cooler structures perhaps analogous to solar prominences,
and replenished continually by surface activity and flares. Suppression of
angular momentum loss by the confining magnetosphere could temporarily postpone
the inevitable stellar spindown, thereby lengthening this highly volatile stage
of coronal evolution.Comment: to be published in ApJ
Malignant myelomonocytic cells after in vitro infection of marrow cells with Friend leukaemia virus.
Infection of long-term BDF1 marrow cultures with Friend leukaemia virus complex (FLV) induced transformed cells with myelomonocytic characteristics, which were isolated only 14 days after the viral infection. Criteria for transformation were growth in suspension cultures and high plating efficiency in agar. The lymphatic leukaemia virus (LLV) replicates in these suspension cultures, but the spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) component of the FLV complex has not been detected. Injection of the transformed cells into syngeneic neonatal or adult mice leads to the development of leukaemia which can be demonstrated to be of donor origin by the presence of two metacentric marker chromosomes which are also seen in the cultured cells
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