Seismic analysis of 70 Ophiuchi A: A new quantity proposed

The basic intent of this paper is to model 70 Ophiuchi A using the latest asteroseismic observations as complementary constraints and to determine the fundamental parameters of the star. Additionally, we propose a new quantity to lift the degeneracy between the initial chemical composition and stellar age. Using the Yale stellar evolution code (YREC7), we construct a series of stellar evolutionary tracks for the mass range $M$ = 0.85 -- 0.93 $M_{\odot}$ with different composition $Y_{i}$ (0.26 -- 0.30) and $Z_{i}$ (0.017 -- 0.023). Along these tracks, we select a grid of stellar model candidates that fall within the error box in the HR diagram to calculate the theoretical frequencies, the large- and small- frequency separations using the Guenther's stellar pulsation code. Following the asymptotic formula of stellar $p$-modes, we define a quantity $r_{01}$ which is correlated with stellar age. Also, we test it by theoretical adiabatic frequencies of many models. Many detailed models of 70 Ophiuchi A have been listed in Table 3. By combining all non-asteroseismic observations available for 70 Ophiuchi A with these seismological data, we think that Model 60, Model 125 and Model 126, listed in Table 3, are the optimum models presently. Meanwhile, we predict that the radius of this star is about 0.860 -- 0.865 $R_{\odot}$ and the age is about 6.8 -- 7.0 Gyr with mass 0.89 -- 0.90 $M_{\odot}$. Additionally, we prove that the new quantity $r_{01}$ can be a useful indicator of stellar age.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, accepted by New Astronom

Asteroseismic study of solar-like stars: A method of estimating stellar age

Asteroseismology, as a tool to use the indirect information contained in stellar oscillations to probe the stellar interiors, is an active field of research presently. Stellar age, as a fundamental property of star apart from its mass, is most difficult to estimate. In addition, the estimating of stellar age can provide the chance to study the time evolution of astronomical phenomena. In our poster, we summarize our previous work and further present a method to determine age of low-mass main-sequence star.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figures, submitted to IAUS25

Emergence of highly-designable protein-backbone conformations in an off-lattice model

Despite the variety of protein sizes, shapes, and backbone configurations found in nature, the design of novel protein folds remains an open problem. Within simple lattice models it has been shown that all structures are not equally suitable for design. Rather, certain structures are distinguished by unusually high designability: the number of amino-acid sequences for which they represent the unique ground state; sequences associated with such structures possess both robustness to mutation and thermodynamic stability. Here we report that highly designable backbone conformations also emerge in a realistic off-lattice model. The highly designable conformations of a chain of 23 amino acids are identified, and found to be remarkably insensitive to model parameters. While some of these conformations correspond closely to known natural protein folds, such as the zinc finger and the helix-turn-helix motifs, others do not resemble known folds and may be candidates for novel fold design.Comment: 7 figure

Some effects of nitrogen nutrition on caesium uptake and translocation by species in the Poaceae, Asteraceae and Caryophyllidae

There is current interest in managing and manipulating 137Cs transfer from soil to plants. We hypothesized that N source might affect Cs uptake by plants and report experiments that confirm this. Uptake experiments using hydroponics with a variety of species in the Poaceae, Asteraceae and Caryophyllid clade grown in a variety of N regimes with excess N and then acutely exposed to Cs showed that N nutrition could affect Cs uptake rates, total amounts of Cs taken up and root:shoot ratios of Cs. In general, the Caryophyllids tested produced significantly less shoot and root biomass but had higher Cs uptake rates when grown on NH4+ rather than NO3-, whilst species from the Poaceae and Asteraceae almost always produced similar shoot and root biomass and had similar Cs uptake on NH4+, NO3- or glycine as N sources. This is the first time that plants grown on an organic-N source have been demonstrated to take up Cs. Physiological experiments using N-starvation and the N-metabolism inhibitor methionine sulfoxamine (MSX) demonstrated that Cs transport into the root was inversely related to NH4+ transport, i.e. NH4+-grown plants had higher Cs uptake rates if there is no NH4+ present during uptake but lower Cs uptake rates if NH4+ is present. It is suggested that taking account of N ecophysiology might help refine predictions of soil-to-plant transfer of 137Cs and, in some instances, be useful for managing or manipulating it. It is noted that there is much recent research into N nutrition in plants that might be useful in achieving this. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Time lag between prompt optical emission and gamma-rays in GRBs

The prompt optical emission contemporaneous with the $\gamma$-rays from $\gamma$-ray bursts (GRBs) carries important information on the central engine and explosion mechanism. We study the time lag between prompt optical emission and $\gamma$-rays in GRB 990123 and GRB 041219a, which are the only two GRBs had been detected at optical wavelengths during the ascending burst phase. Assuming profiles of prompt optical light curves are the same as the prompt $\gamma$-rays, we simulate optical light curves with different time lags and compare them with the observed optical flux. Then the best fit time lag and its error are determined by chi-squared values. We find that time lags between prompt optical emission and $\gamma$-rays in GRB host galaxy rest-frames are consistent in the two GRBs, which is $5\sim7$ s for GRB 990123 and $1\sim5$ s for GRB 041219a. This result is consistent with a common origin of prompt optical and $\gamma$-ray emissions in the two GRBs. Based on synchrotron cooling model, we also derive the parameters for the two GRBs.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in A&

Multi-Modes Phonon Softening in Two-Dimensional Electron-Lattice System

Phonon dispersion in a two-dimensional electron-lattice system described by a two-dimensional square-lattice version of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger's model and having the half-filled electronic band is studied theoretically at temperatures higher than the mean field critical temperature of the Peierls transition. When the temperature is lowered from the higher region down to the critical one, softening of multi phonon modes which have wave vectors equal to the nesting vector \vv{Q}=(\pi/a,\pi/a) with $a$ the lattice constant or parallel to \vv{Q} is observed. Although both of the transverse and longitudinal modes are softened at the critical temperature in the case of the wave vector equal to \vv{Q}, only the transverse modes are softened for other wave vectors parallel to \vv{Q}. This behavior is consistent with the Peierls distortions at lower temperatures.Comment: 10 pages, 5 Figure