1,179 research outputs found
The velocity peaks in the cold dark matter spectrum on Earth
The cold dark matter spectrum on earth is expected to have peaks in velocity
space. We obtain estimates for the sizes and locations of these peaks. To this
end we have generalized the secondary infall model of galactic halo formation
to include angular momentum of the dark matter particles. This new model is
still spherically symmetric and it has self-similar solutions. Our results are
relevant to direct dark matter search experiments.Comment: 12 pages including 1 table and 4 figures, LaTeX, REVTEX 3.0 versio
Probing the evolution of early-type cluster galaxies through chemical enrichment
A simple chemical enrichment model for cluster early-type galaxies is
described in which the mechanisms considered in the evolutionary model are
infall of primordial gas, outflows and a possible variation in the star
formation efficiency. We find that - within the framework of our models - only
outflows can generate a suitable range of metallicities. The chemical
enrichment tracks can be combined with the latest population synthesis models
to simulate clusters over a wide redshift range, for a set of toy models. The
color-magnitude relation of local clusters is used as a constraint, fixing the
correlation between absolute luminosity and ejected fraction of gas from
outflows. It is found that the correlations between color or mass-to-light
ratios and absolute luminosity are degenerate with respect to most of the input
parameters. However, a significant change between monolithic and hierarchical
models is predicted for redshifts z\simgt 1. The comparison between predicted
and observed mass-to-light ratios yield an approximate linear bias between
total and stellar masses: in
early-type galaxies. If we assume that outflows constitute the driving
mechanism for the colors observed in cluster early type galaxies, the
metallicity of the intracluster medium (ICM) can be linked to outflows. The
color-magnitude constraint requires faint galaxies to eject 85%
of their gas, which means that most of the metals in the ICM may have
originated in these dwarf galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Uses emulateapj.sty. 12 pages with
10 embedded EPS figure
Molecular Aspects of Secretory Granule Exocytosis by Neurons and Endocrine Cells
Neuronal communication and endocrine signaling are fundamental for integrating
the function of tissues and cells in the body. Hormones released by endocrine
cells are transported to the target cells through the circulation. By contrast, transmitter
release from neurons occurs at specialized intercellular junctions, the synapses.
Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which signal molecules are synthesized,
stored, and eventually secreted by neurons and endocrine cells are very similar.
Neurons and endocrine cells have in common two different types of secretory
organelles, indicating the presence of two distinct secretory pathways. The synaptic
vesicles of neurons contain excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters, whereas the
secretory granules (also referred to as dense core vesicles, because of their electron
dense content) are filled with neuropeptides and amines. In endocrine cells, peptide
hormones and amines predominate in secretory granules. The function and content
of vesicles, which share antigens with synaptic vesicles, are unknown for most
endocrine cells. However, in B cells of the pancreatic islet, these vesicles contain
GABA, which may be involved in intrainsular signaling.'
Exocytosis of both synaptic vesicles and secretory granules is controlled by
cytoplasmic calcium. However, the precise mechanisms of the subsequent steps,
such as docking of vesicles and fusion of their membranes with the plasma membrane,
are still incompletely understood. This contribution summarizes recent observations
that elucidate components in neurons and endocrine cells involved in
exocytosis. Emphasis is put on the intracellular aspects of the release of secretory
granules that recently have been analyzed in detail
Hydrodynamics of galactic dark matter
We consider simple hydrodynamical models of galactic dark matter in which the
galactic halo is a self-gravitating and self-interacting gas that dominates the
dynamics of the galaxy. Modeling this halo as a sphericaly symmetric and static
perfect fluid satisfying the field equations of General Relativity, visible
barionic matter can be treated as ``test particles'' in the geometry of this
field. We show that the assumption of an empirical ``universal rotation curve''
that fits a wide variety of galaxies is compatible, under suitable
approximations, with state variables characteristic of a non-relativistic
Maxwell-Boltzmann gas that becomes an isothermal sphere in the Newtonian limit.
Consistency criteria lead to a minimal bound for particle masses in the range
and to a constraint between the central
temperature and the particles mass. The allowed mass range includes popular
supersymmetric particle candidates, such as the neutralino, axino and
gravitino, as well as lighter particles ( keV) proposed by numerical
N-body simulations associated with self-interactive CDM and WDM structure
formation theories.Comment: LaTeX article style, 16 pages including three figures. Final version
to appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Twoâphoton polymerization of sugar responsive 4D microstructures
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have attracted much attention owing to the versatility of their programmed response in offering intelligent solutions for biomimicry applications, such as soft robotics, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. To achieve the complexity of biomimetic structures, two photon polymerization (2PP) has provided a means of fabricating intricate 3D structures from stimuli-responsive hydrogels. Rapid swelling hydrogel microstructures are advantageous for osmotically driven stimuli-response, where actuation speed, that is reliant on the diffusion of analytes or bioanalytes, can be optimized. Herein, the flexibility of 2PP is exploited to showcase a novel sugar-responsive, phenylboronic acid-based photoresist. This offers a remarkable solution for achieving fast response hydrogel systems that have been often hindered by the volume-dependent diffusion times of analytes to receptor sites. A phenylboronic acid-based photoresist compatible with 2PP is presented to fabricate stimuli-responsive microstructures with accelerated response times. Moreover, microstructures with programmable actuation (i.e., bending and opening) are fabricated using the same photoresist within a one-step fabrication process. By combining the flexibility of 2PP with an easily adaptable photoresist, an accessible fabrication method is showcased for sophisticated and chemo-responsive 3D hydrogel actuators
Contamination Control and Assay Results for the Majorana Demonstrator Ultra Clean Components
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment
utilizing enriched Ge-76 detectors in 2 separate modules inside of a common
solid shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The DEMONSTRATOR has
utilized world leading assay sensitivities to develop clean materials and
processes for producing ultra-pure copper and plastic components. This
experiment is now operating, and initial data provide new insights into the
success of cleaning and processing. Post production copper assays after the
completion of Module 1 showed an increase in U and Th contamination in finished
parts compared to starting bulk material. A revised cleaning method and
additional round of surface contamination studies prior to Module 2
construction have provided evidence that more rigorous process control can
reduce surface contamination. This article describes the assay results and
discuss further studies to take advantage of assay capabilities for the purpose
of maintaining ultra clean fabrication and process design.Comment: Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT May 2017, Seoul
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