5,721 research outputs found
Hydration of a B-DNA Fragment in the Method of Atom-atom Correlation Functions with the Reference Interaction Site Model Approximation
We propose an efficient numerical algorithm for solving integral equations of
the theory of liquids in the Reference Interaction Site Model (RISM)
approximation for infinitely dilute solution of macromolecules with a large
number of atoms. The algorithm is based on applying the nonstationary iterative
methods for solving systems of linear algebraic equations. We calculate the
solvent-solute atom-atom correlation functions for a fragment of the B-DNA
duplex d(GGGGG).d(CCCCC) in infinitely dilute aqueous solution. The obtained
results are compared with available experimental data and results from computer
simulations.Comment: 9 pages, RevTeX, 9 pages of ps figures, accepted for publications in
JC
Investigation of the New Local Group Galaxy VV 124
We present the results of our stellar photometry and spectroscopy for the new
Local Group galaxy VV 124 (UGC 4879) obtained with the 6-m BTA telescope. The
presence of a few bright supergiants in the galaxy indicates that the current
star formation process is weak. The apparent distribution of stars with
different ages in VV 124 does not differ from the analogous distributions of
stars in irregular galaxies, but the ratio of the numbers of young and old
stars indicates that VV 124 belongs to the rare Irr/Sph type of galaxies. The
old stars (red giants) form the most extended structure, a thick disk with an
exponential decrease in the star number density to the edge. Definitely, the
young population unresolvable in images makes a great contribution to the
background emission from the central galactic regions. The presence of young
stars is also confirmed by the [O III] emission line visible in the spectra
that belongs to extensive diffuse galactic regions. The mean radial velocity of
several components (two bright supergiants, the unresolvable stellar
population, and the diffuse gas) is v_h = -70+/-15 km/s and the velocity with
which VV 124 falls into the Local Group is v_LG = -12+/-15 km/s. We confirm the
distance to the galaxy D = 1.1+/-0.1 Mpc and the metallicity of red giants
([Fe/H] = -1.37) found by Kopylov et al. (2008).VV 124 is located on the
periphery of the Local Group approximately at the same distance from M 31 and
our Galaxy and is isolated from other galaxies. The galaxy LeoA nearest to it
is 0.5 Mpc away.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letters
(2010, Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 309-318
Condensation of Silica Nanoparticles on a Phospholipid Membrane
The structure of the transient layer at the interface between air and the
aqueous solution of silica nanoparticles with the size distribution of
particles that has been determined from small-angle scattering has been studied
by the X-ray reflectometry method. The reconstructed depth profile of the
polarizability of the substance indicates the presence of a structure
consisting of several layers of nanoparticles with the thickness that is more
than twice as large as the thickness of the previously described structure. The
adsorption of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine molecules at the
hydrosol/air interface is accompanied by the condensation of anion silica
nanoparticles at the interface. This phenomenon can be qualitatively explained
by the formation of the positive surface potential due to the penetration and
accumulation of Na+ cations in the phospholipid membrane.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
The motion of two masses coupled to a massive spring
We discuss the classical motion of a spring of arbitrary mass coupled to two
arbitrary massive blocks attached at its ends. A general approach to the
problem is presented and some general results are obtained. Examples for which
a simple elastic function can be inferred are discussed and the normal modes
and normal frequencies obtained. An approximation procedure to the evaluation
of the normel frequencies in the case of uniform elastic function and mass
density is also discussed.Comment: Standard Latex file plus three eps figure
Variability of signal to noise ratio and the network analysis of gravitational wave burst signals
The detection and estimation of gravitational wave burst signals, with {\em a
priori} unknown polarization waveforms, requires the use of data from a network
of detectors. For determining how the data from such a network should be
combined, approaches based on the maximum likelihood principle have proven to
be useful. The most straightforward among these uses the global maximum of the
likelihood over the space of all waveforms as both the detection statistic and
signal estimator. However, in the case of burst signals, a physically
counterintuitive situation results: for two aligned detectors the statistic
includes the cross-correlation of the detector outputs, as expected, but this
term disappears even for an infinitesimal misalignment. This {\em two detector
paradox} arises from the inclusion of improbable waveforms in the solution
space of maximization. Such waveforms produce widely different responses in
detectors that are closely aligned. We show that by penalizing waveforms that
exhibit large signal-to-noise ratio (snr) variability, as the corresponding
source is moved on the sky, a physically motivated restriction is obtained that
(i) resolves the two detector paradox and (ii) leads to a better performing
statistic than the global maximum of the likelihood. Waveforms with high snr
variability turn out to be precisely the ones that are improbable in the sense
mentioned above. The coherent network analysis method thus obtained can be
applied to any network, irrespective of the number or the mutual alignment of
detectors.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Image Restoration Using One-Dimensional Sobolev Norm Profiles of Noise and Texture
This work is devoted to image restoration (denoising and deblurring) by variational models. As in our prior work [Inverse Probl. Imaging, 3 (2009), pp. 43-68], the image (f) over tilde to be restored is assumed to be the sum of a cartoon component u (a function of bounded variation) and a texture component v (an oscillatory function in a Sobolev space with negative degree of differentiability). In order to separate noise from texture in a blurred noisy textured image, we need to collect some information that helps distinguish noise, especially Gaussian noise, from texture. We know that homogeneous Sobolev spaces of negative differentiability help capture oscillations in images very well; however, these spaces do not directly provide clear distinction between texture and noise, which is also highly oscillatory, especially when the blurring effect is noticeable. Here, we propose a new method for distinguishing noise from texture by considering a family of Sobolev norms corresponding to noise and texture. It turns out that the two Sobolev norm profiles for texture and noise are different, and this enables us to better separate noise from texture during the deblurring process.open0
Stellar Subsystems of the Galaxy NGC 2366
Hubble Space Telescope archive data are used to perform photometry of stars
in seven fields at the center and periphery of the galaxy NGC2366. The
variation of the number density of stars of various ages with galactocentric
radius and along the minor axis of the galaxy are determined. The boundaries of
the thin and thick disks of the galaxy are found. The inferred sizes of the
subsystems of NGC2366 ( kpc and kpc for the thin
and thick disks, respectively) are more typical for spiral galaxies. Evidence
for a stellar halo is found at the periphery of NGC2366 beyond the thick disk
of the galaxy.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, Astronomy Reports, 2008,v. 52, n.1, p. 1
Optical monitoring of the z=4.40 quasar Q 2203+292
We report Cousins R-band monitoring of the high-redshift (z=4.40) radio quiet
quasar Q 2203+292 from May 1999 to October 2007. The quasar shows maximum
peak-to-peak light curve amplitude of ~0.3 mag during the time of our
monitoring, and ~0.9 mag when combined with older literature data. The rms of a
fit to the light curve with a constant is 0.08 mag and 0.2 mag, respectively.
The detected changes are at ~3-sigma level. The quasar was in a stable state
during the recent years and it might have undergone a brightening event in the
past. The structure function analysis concluded that the object shows
variability properties similar to those of the lower redshift quasars. We set a
lower limit to the Q 2203+292 broad line region mass of 0.3-0.4 M_odot.
Narrow-band imaging search for redshifted Ly_alpha from other emission line
objects at the same redshift shows no emission line objects in the quasar
vicinity.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Current and universal scaling in anomalous transport
Anomalous transport in tilted periodic potentials is investigated within the
framework of the fractional Fokker-Planck dynamics and the underlying
continuous time random walk. The analytical solution for the stationary,
anomalous current is obtained in closed form. We derive a universal scaling law
for anomalous diffusion occurring in tilted periodic potentials. This scaling
relation is corroborated with precise numerical studies covering wide parameter
regimes and different shapes for the periodic potential, being either symmetric
or ratchet-like ones
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