1,834 research outputs found
Detection of lipocortin 1 in human lung lavage fluid: lipocortin degradation as a possible proteolytic mechanism in the control of inflammatory mediators and inflammation.
Lipocortins are structurally related, glucocorticoid-inducible proteins that inhibit phospholipase A2 (PLA2), thereby reducing the liberation of arachidonic acid from phospholipids and so limiting the synthesis of eicosanoid inflammatory mediators. This study is the first demonstration of one lipocortin, lipocortin 1 (Lc 1; 37 kDa), in human lung lavage supernatants. In lavage fluid from healthy volunteers, a higher percentage (greater than 70%) of the detected Lc 1 was in its native form, compared to that from patients with abnormal lungs. In patients' lavage fluids, Lc 1 was more likely to be partially degraded (34 kDa). In abnormal bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), the more polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN)/lavage, the lower the proportion of Lc 1 in the native (37 kDa) form (n = 7 pairs, rs = -0.8214, p less than 0.05). Furthermore, when BALF cells were cultured and the harvested conditioned media incubated with pure human recombinant Lc 1, degradation of the 37 kDa form increased with the percentage of PMN (n = 10 pairs, s = -0.7200 after 1 hr; n = 6 pairs, rs = -0.9241 after 6 hr). These results suggest that factors released from the PMN are responsible for Lc 1 degradation in man. When recombinant human Lc 1 was incubated with human neutrophil elastase, the enzyme degraded Lc 1 in a dose-dependent way, suggesting that neutrophil elastase may be one such factor. Since PMNs are ubiquitous at sites of inflammation, it is possible that Lc 1 degradation is a permissive mechanism, which ensures that sufficient inflammation occurs to destroy the provocative stimulus. However, it is equally possible that, in some circumstances, the mechanism may be pathological and that the inactivation of Lc 1 leads to chronic, uncontrolled inflammation
Constraining the Environment of CH+ Formation with CH3+ Observations
The formation of CH+ in the interstellar medium has long been an outstanding
problem in chemical models. In order to probe the physical conditions of the
ISM in which CH+ forms, we propose the use of CH3+ observations. The pathway to
forming CH3+ begins with CH+, and a steady state analysis of CH3+ and the
reaction intermediary CH2+ results in a relationship between the CH+ and CH3+
abundances. This relationship depends on the molecular hydrogen fraction, f_H2,
and gas temperature, T, so observations of CH+ and CH3+ can be used to infer
the properties of the gas in which both species reside. We present observations
of both molecules along the diffuse cloud sight line toward Cyg OB2 No. 12.
Using our computed column densities and upper limits, we put constraints on the
f_H2 vs. T parameter space in which CH+ and CH3+ form. We find that average,
static, diffuse molecular cloud conditions (i.e. f_H2>0.2, T~60 K) are excluded
by our analysis. However, current theory suggests that non-equilibrium effects
drive the reaction C+ + H_2 --> CH+ + H, endothermic by 4640 K. If we consider
a higher effective temperature due to collisions between neutrals and
accelerated ions, the CH3+ partition function predicts that the overall
population will be spread out into several excited rotational levels. As a
result, observations of more CH3+ transitions with higher signal-to-noise
ratios are necessary to place any constraints on models where magnetic
acceleration of ions drives the formation of CH+.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Large scale grain mantle disruption in the Galactic Center
We present observations of C2H5OH toward molecular clouds in Sgr A, Sgr B2
and associated with thermal and non-thermal features in the Galactic center.
C2H5OH emission in Sgr A and Sgr B2 is widespread, but not uniform. C2H5OH
emission is much weaker or it is not detected in some molecular clouds in both
complexes, in particular those with radial velocities between 70 and 120 km/s.
While most of the clouds associated with the thermal features do not show
C2H5OH emission, that associated with the Non-Thermal Radio Arc shows emission.
The fractional abundance of C2H5OH in most of the clouds with radial velocities
between 0 and 70 km/s in Sgr A and Sgr B2 is relatively high, of few 1e-8. The
C2H5OH abundance decreases by more than one order of magnitude (aprox. 1e-9) in
the clouds associated with the thermal features. The large abundance of C2H5OH
in the gas-phase indicates that C2H5OH has formed in grains and released to
gas-phase by shocks in the last aprox. 1e5 years.Comment: In press in Astrophysical Journal Letters 7 pages, 1 table, 1 figur
Crustal Accretion in the Gulf of California: An Intermediaterate Spreading Axis
An important objective of Deep Sea Drilling Project
(DSDP) Leg 65 was to study crustal accretion at an ocean
ridge axis with an intermediate-spreading rate for comparison
with previously studied sections displaying slowand
fast-spreading rates. The southern Gulf of California
was selected for this purpose because the basement displays
high seismic velocities (comparable to those observed
for Cretaceous basement in the western North
Atlantic) and high ambient sedimentation rates, which
facilitated penetration of zero-age basement. Four sites
were drilled, forming an axial transect immediately south
of the Tamayo Fracture Zone (Figs. 1 and 2) and providing
a series of characteristic sections into the crust. This
chapter attempts to provide a brief synthesis of the results
from Leg 65, focusing particularly on the lithology,
geochemistry, and paleomagnetic properties of the
cored basement material. From these data, we present
an interpretation of the processes of magmatic evolution
and crustal accretion occurring at the Gulf of California
spreading axis
Parametrization of C-shocks. Evolution of the Sputtering of Grains
Context: The detection of narrow SiO lines toward the young shocks of the
L1448-mm outflow has been interpreted as a signature of the magnetic precursor
of C-shocks. In contrast with the low SiO abundances (<10E-12) in the ambient
gas, the narrow SiO emission at almost ambient velocities reveals enhanced SiO
abundances of 10E-11. This enhancement has been proposed to be produced by the
sputtering of the grain mantles at the first stages of C-shocks. However,
modelling of the sputtering of grains has usually averaged the SiO abundances
over the dissipation region of C-shocks, which cannot explain the recent
observations. Aims: To model the evolution of the gas phase abundances of SiO,
CH3OH and H2O, produced by the sputtering of grains as the shock propagates
through the ambient gas. Methods: We propose a parametric model to describe the
physical structure of C-shocks as a function of time. Using the known
sputtering yields for water mantles (with minor constituents like silicon and
CH3OH) and olivine cores by collisions with H2, He, C, O, Si, Fe and CO, we
follow the evolution of the abundances of silicon, CH3OH and H2O ejected from
grains. Results: The evolution of these abundances shows that CO seems to be
the most efficient sputtering agent in low velocity shocks. The velocity
threshold for the sputtering of silicon from the grain mantles is reduced by
5-10 km s-1 by CO compared to other models. The sputtering by CO can generate
SiO abundances of 10E-11 at the early stages of low velocity shocks, consistent
with those observed in the magnetic precursor of L1448-mm. Our model also
satisfactorily reproduce the progressive enhancement of SiO, CH3OH and H2O
observed in this outflow by the coexistence of two shocks with vs=30 and
60kms-1 within the same region.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Millennial-scale deep ocean ventilation and sea-surface variability during the last four glacial cycles : a new assessment for the Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet growth
AGU Fall Meeting, S. Francisco (USA), 19-14 December 2007, Suppl., Abstract PP44B-0
A Submillimeter HCN Laser in IRC+10216
We report the detection of a strong submillimeter wavelength HCN laser line
at a frequency near 805 GHz toward the carbon star IRC+10216. This line, the
J=9-8 rotational transition within the (04(0)0) vibrationally excited state, is
one of a series of HCN laser lines that were first detected in the laboratory
in the early days of laser spectroscopy. Since its lower energy level is 4200 K
above the ground state, the laser emission must arise from the inner part of
IRC+10216's circumstellar envelope. To better characterize this environment, we
observed other, thermally emitting, vibrationally excited HCN lines and find
that they, like the laser line, arise in a region of temperature approximately
1000 K that is located within the dust formation radius; this conclusion is
supported by the linewidth of the laser. The (04(0)0), J=9-8 laser might be
chemically pumped and may be the only known laser (or maser) that is excited
both in the laboratory and in space by a similar mechanism.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Star formation in disk galaxies driven by primordial H_2
We show that gaseous \HI disks of primordial composition irradiated by an
external radiation field can develop a multiphase medium with temperatures
between 10^2 and 10^4 K due to the formation of molecular hydrogen. For a given
\HI column density there is a critical value of the radiation field below which
only the cold \HI phase can exist. Due to a time decreasing quasar background,
the gas starts cooling slowly after recombination until the lowest stable
temperature in the warm phase is reached at a critical redshift .
Below this redshift the formation of molecular hydrogen promotes a rapid
transition towards the cold \HI phase. We find that disks of protogalaxies with
10^{20}\simlt N_{HI}\simlt 10^{21} cm^{-2} are gravitationally stable at
K and can start their star formation history only at z \simlt
z_{cr}\sim 2, after the gas in the central portion of the disk has cooled to
temperatures T\simlt 300 K. Such a delayed starbust phase in galaxies of low
gas surface density and low dynamical mass can disrupt the disks and cause them
to fade away. These objects could contribute significantly to the faint blue
galaxy population.Comment: 16 pages (LaTeX), 2 Figures to be published in Astrophysical Journal
Letter
Warm Molecular Gas Traced with CO J=7->6 in the Galaxy's Central 2 Parsecs: Dynamical Heating of the Circumnuclear Disk
We present an 11 arcsec resolution map of the central two parsecs of the
Galaxy in the CO J =7->6 rotational transition. The CO emission shows rotation
about Sgr A*, but also evidence for non-circular turbulent motion and a clumpy
morphology. We combine our dataset with available CO measurements to model the
physical conditions in the disk. We find that the molecular gas in the region
is both warm and dense, with T~200-300 K, n_H2~50,000-70,000 cm^-3. The mass of
warm molecular gas we measure in the central two parsecs is at least 2000
M_solar, about 20 times the UV-excited atomic gas mass, ruling out an UV
heating scenario for the molecular material. We compare the available spectral
tracers with theoretical models and conclude that molecular gas is heated with
magneto-hydrodynamic shocks with v~10-20 kms and B~0.3-0.5 mG. Using the
conditions derived with the CO analysis, we include the other important
coolants--neutral oxygen and molecular hydrogen--to estimate the total cooling
budget of the molecular material. We derive a mass to luminosity ratio of 2-3
M_solar/ L_solar, which is consistent with the total power dissipated via
turbulent decay in 0.1 pc cells with v_rms~15 kms. These size and velocity
scales are comparable to the observed clumping scale and the velocity
dispersion. At this rate, the material near Sgr A* its dissipating its orbital
energy on an orbital timescale, and cannot last for more than a few orbits. Our
conclusions support a scenario in which the features near Sgr A* such as the
CND and northern arm are generated by infalling clouds with low specific
angular momentum.Comment: 31 pages, including 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Initial Ionization of Compressible Turbulence
We study the effects of the initial conditions of turbulent molecular clouds
on the ionization structure in newly formed H_{ii} regions, using
three-dimensional, photon-conserving radiative transfer in a pre-computed
density field from three-dimensional compressible turbulence. Our results show
that the initial density structure of the gas cloud can play an important role
in the resulting structure of the H_{ii} region. The propagation of the
ionization fronts, the shape of the resulting H_{ii} region, and the total mass
ionized depend on the properties of the turbulent density field. Cuts through
the ionized regions generally show ``butterfly'' shapes rather than spherical
ones, while emission measure maps are more spherical if the turbulence is
driven on scales small compared to the size of the H_{ii} region. The
ionization structure can be described by an effective clumping factor , where is number density of the gas. The larger
the value of , the less mass is ionized, and the more irregular the
H_{ii} region shapes. Because we do not follow dynamics, our results apply only
to the early stage of ionization when the speed of the ionization fronts
remains much larger than the sound speed of the ionized gas, or Alfv\'en speed
in magnetized clouds if it is larger, so that the dynamical effects can be
negligible.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, version with high quality color images can be
found in http://research.amnh.org/~yuexing/astro-ph/0407249.pd
- âŠ