57,784 research outputs found
Numerical Models for the Diffuse Ionized Gas in Galaxies. II. Three-dimensional radiative transfer in inhomogeneous interstellar structures as a tool for analyzing the diffuse ionized gas
Aims: We systematically explore a plausible subset of the parameter space
involving effective temperatures and metallicities of the ionizing stellar
sources, the effects of the hardening of their radiation by surrounding leaky
HII regions with different escape fractions, as well as different scenarios for
the clumpiness of the DIG, and compute the resulting line strength ratios for a
number of diagnostic optical emission lines.
Methods: For the ionizing fluxes we compute a grid of stellar spectral energy
distributions (SEDs) from detailed, fully non-LTE model atmospheres that
include the effects of stellar winds and line blocking and blanketing. To
calculate the ionization and temperature structure in the HII regions and the
diffuse ionized gas we use spherically symmetric photoionization models as well
as state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) non-LTE radiative transfer
simulations, considering hydrogen, helium, and the most abundant metals.
Results: We provide quantitative predictions of how the line ratios from HII
regions and the DIG vary as a function of metallicity, stellar effective
temperature, and escape fraction from the HII region. The range of predicted
line ratios reinforces the hypothesis that the DIG is ionized by (filtered)
radiation from hot stars; however, comparison of observed and predicted line
ratios indicates that the DIG is typically ionized with a softer SED than
predicted by the chosen stellar population synthesis model. Even small changes
in simulation parameters like the clumping factor can lead to considerable
variation in the ionized volume. Both for a more homogeneous gas and a very
inhomogeneous gas containing both dense clumps and channels with low gas
density, the ionized region in the dilute gas above the galactic plane can
cease to be radiation-bounded, allowing the ionizing radiation to leak into the
intergalactic medium.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A&
Spatial control of irreversible protein aggregation
Liquid cellular compartments spatially segregate from the cytoplasm and can
regulate aberrant protein aggregation, a process linked to several medical
conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Yet the mechanisms
by which these droplet-like compartments affect protein aggregation remain
unknown. Here, we combine kinetic theory of protein aggregation and
liquid-liquid phase separation to study the spatial control of irreversible
protein aggregation in the presence of liquid compartments. We find that, even
for weak interactions between the compartment constituents and the aggregating
monomers, aggregates are strongly enriched inside the liquid compartment
relative to the surrounding cytoplasm. We show that this enrichment is caused
by a positive feedback mechanism of aggregate nucleation and growth which is
mediated by a flux maintaining the phase equilibrium between the compartment
and the cytoplasm. Our model predicts that the compartment volume that
maximizes aggregate enrichment in the compartment is determined by the reaction
orders of aggregate nucleation. The underlying mechanism of aggregate
enrichment could be used to confine cytotoxic protein aggregates inside
droplet-like compartments suggesting potential new avenues against aberrant
protein aggregation. Our findings could also represent a common mechanism for
the spatial control of irreversible chemical reactions in general
Anti-solar differential rotation on the active sub-giant HU Virginis
Measuring surface differential rotation (DR) on different types of stars is
important when characterizing the underlying stellar dynamo. It has been
suggested that anti-solar DR laws can occur when strong meridional flows exist.
We aim to investigate the differential surface rotation on the primary star of
the RS CVn binary HU Vir by tracking its starspot distribution as a function of
time. We also aim to recompute and update the values for several system
parameters of the triple system HU Vir (close and wide orbits). Time-series
high-resolution spectroscopy for four continuous months was obtained with the
1.2-m robotic STELLA telescope. Nine consecutive Doppler images were
reconstructed from these data, using our line-profile inversion code iMap. An
image cross-correlation method was applied to derive the surface
differential-rotation law for HU Vir. New orbital elements for the close and
the wide orbits were computed using our new STELLA radial velocities (RVs)
combined with the RV data available in the literature. Photometric observations
were performed with the Amadeus Automatic Photoelectric Telescope (APT),
providing contemporaneous Johnson-Cousins and data for approximately 20
years. This data was used to determine the stellar rotation period and the
active longitudes. We confirm anti-solar DR with a surface shear parameter
of -0.029 0.005 and -0.026 0.009, using single-term and
double-term differential rotation laws, respectively. The best fit is achieved
assuming a solar-like double-term law with a lap time of 400 d. Our
orbital solutions result in a period of 10.387678 0.000003 days for the
close orbit and 2726 7 d ( 7.5 yr) for the wide orbit. A
Lomb-Scarge (L-S) periodogram of the pre-whitened -band data reveals a
strong single peak providing a rotation period of 10.391 0.008 d.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Higher charges and regularized quantum trace identities in su(1,1) Landau-Lifshitz model
We solve the operator ordering problem for the quantum continuous integrable
su(1,1) Landau-Lifshitz model, and give a prescription to obtain the quantum
trace identities, and the spectrum for the higher-order local charges. We also
show that this method, based on operator regularization and renormalization,
which guarantees quantum integrability, as well as the construction of
self-adjoint extensions, can be used as an alternative to the discretization
procedure, and unlike the latter, is based only on integrable representations.Comment: 27 pages; misprints corrected, references adde
Combining geospatial abundance and ecological niche models to identify high-priority areas for conservation: The neglected role of broadscale interspecific competition
oai:repository.mdx.ac.uk:zxyvxEcological niche models (ENMs) have become a practical and key mechanism for filling major gaps in spatial information for targeted conservation planning, particularly when only occurrence data are available. Nonetheless, accounting for abundance patterns in the internal structure of speciesâ ranges, and the role of biotic interactions in such models across broad scales, remains highly challenging. Our study gathered baseline information on abundance data of two Endangered Amazonian primates (Ateles chamek and Lagothrix lagotricha cana) to create geospatial abundance models using two spatial interpolation methods: inverse distance weight (IDW) and Ordinary Kriging (OK). The main goals were to: (i) test whether geospatial abundance models are correlated with habitat suitability derived from correlative ENMs; (ii) compare the strength of the abundance-suitability relationships between original and interpolated abundances; (iii) test whether interspecific competition between the two target taxa constrained abundance over broad spatial scales; and (iv) create ensemble models incorporating both habitat suitability and abundance to identify high-priority areas for conservation. We found a significant positive relationship between habitat suitability with observed and predicted abundances of woolly (L. l. cana) and spider (A. chamek) monkeys. Abundance-suitability correlations showed no significant differences when using original relative abundances compared to using IDW- and OK-abundances. We also found that the association between L. l. cana abundance and habitat suitability depended on the abundance of its putative competitor species, A. chamek. Our final models combining geospatial abundance information with ENMs were able to provide more realistic assessments of hotspots for conservation, especially when accounting for the important, but often neglected, role of interspecific competition in shaping speciesâ geographic ranges at broader scales. The framework developed here, including general trends in abundance patterns and suitability information, can be used as a surrogate to identify high-priority areas for conservation of poorly known species across their entire geographic ranges
Enacting Productive Dialogue: Addressing the Challenge that Non-Human Cognition Poses to Collaborations Between Enactivism and Heideggerian Phenomenology
This chapter uses one particular proposal for interdisciplinary collaboration â in this case, between early Heideggerian phenomenology and enactivist cognitive science â as an example of how such partnerships may confront and negotiate tensions between the perspectives they bring together. The discussion begins by summarising some of the intersections that render Heideggerian and enactivist thought promising interlocutors for each other. It then moves on to explore how Heideggerian enactivism could respond to the challenge of reconciling the significant differences in the ways that each discourse seeks to apply the structures it claims to uncover
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