454 research outputs found
Antimatter spectra from a time-dependent modeling of supernova remnants
We calculate the energy spectra of cosmic rays (CR) and their secondaries
produced in a supernova remnant (SNR), taking into account the time-dependence
of the SNR shock. We model the trajectories of charged particles as a random
walk with a prescribed diffusioncoefficient, accelerating the particles at each
shock crossing. Secondary production by CRs colliding with gas is included as a
Monte Carlo process. We find that SNRs produce less antimatter than suggested
previously: The positron/electron ratio and the antiproton/proton ratio are a
few percent and few , respectively. Both ratios do not rise
with energy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures; v2: results for time-dependent magnetic field
adde
A Multi-dimensional Code for Isothermal Magnetohydrodynamic Flows in Astrophysics
We present a multi-dimensional numerical code to solve isothermal
magnetohydrodynamic (IMHD) equations for use in modeling astrophysical flows.
First, we have built a one-dimensional code which is based on an explicit
finite-difference method on an Eulerian grid, called the total variation
diminishing (TVD) scheme. Recipes for building the one-dimensional IMHD code,
including the normalized right and left eigenvectors of the IMHD Jacobian
matrix, are presented. Then, we have extended the one-dimensional code to a
multi-dimensional IMHD code through a Strang-type dimensional splitting. In the
multi-dimensional code, an explicit cleaning step has been included to
eliminate non-zero at every time step. To estimate the
proformance of the code, one- and two-dimensional IMHD shock tube tests, and
the decay test of a two-dimensional Alfv\'{e}n wave have been done. As an
example of astrophysical applications, we have simulated the nonlinear
evolution of the two-dimensional Parker instability under a uniform gravity.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, using aaspp4.sty, 22 text pages with
10 figure
Co-Occurrence Patterns of Common and Rare Leaf-Litter Frogs, Epiphytic Ferns and Dung Beetles across a Gradient of Human Disturbance
Indicator taxa are commonly used to identify priority areas for conservation or to measure biological responses to environmental change. Despite their widespread use, there is no general consensus about the ability of indicator taxa to predict wider trends in biodiversity. Many studies have focused on large-scale patterns of species co-occurrence to identify areas of high biodiversity, threat or endemism, but there is much less information about patterns of species co-occurrence at local scales. In this study, we assess fine-scale co-occurrence patterns of three indicator taxa (epiphytic ferns, leaf litter frogs and dung beetles) across a remotely sensed gradient of human disturbance in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We measure the relative contribution of rare and common species to patterns of total richness in each taxon and determine the ability of common and rare species to act as surrogate measures of human disturbance and each other. We find that the species richness of indicator taxa changed across the human disturbance gradient but that the response differed among taxa, and between rare and common species. Although we find several patterns of co-occurrence, these patterns differed between common and rare species. Despite showing complex patterns of species co-occurrence, our results suggest that species or taxa can act as reliable indicators of each other but that this relationship must be established and not assumed
The mass and energy budget of Cassiopeia A
Further analysis of X-ray spectroscopy results recently obtained from the MOS
CCD cameras on-board XMM-Newton provides a detailed description of the hot and
cool X-ray emitting plasma in Cas A. Measurement of the Doppler broadening of
the X-ray lines is consistent with the expected ion velocities, ~1500 km/s
along the line of sight, in the post shock plasma. Assuming a constant total
pressure throughout the remnant we estimate the total remnant mass as 10 Msun
and the total thermal energy as 7E43 J. We derive the differential mass
distribution as a function of ionisation age for both X-ray emitting
components. This distribution is consistent with a hot component dominated by
swept up mass heated by the primary shock and a cool component which are
ablated clumpy ejecta material which were and are still being heated by
interaction with the preheated swept up material. We calculate a balanced mass
and energy budget for the supernova explosion giving 1E44 J in ejected mass;
approximately 0.4 Msun of the ejecta were diffuse with an initial rms velocity
of 15000 km/s while the remaining ~1.8 Msun were clumpy with an initial rms
velocity of ~2400 km/s. Using the Doppler velocity measurements of the X-ray
spectral lines we can project the mass into spherical coordinates about the
remnant. This provides quantitative evidence for mass and energy beaming in the
supernova explosion. The mass and energy occupy less than 4.5 sr (<40 % of the
available solid angle) around the remnant and 64 % of the mass occurs in two
jets within 45 degrees of a jet axis. We calculate a swept up mass of 7.9 Msun
in the emitting plasma and estimate that the total mass lost from the
progenitor prior to the explosion could be as high as ~20 Msun.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysic
An adjustable law of motion for relativistic spherical shells
A classical and a relativistic law of motion for an advancing shell are
deduced applying the thin layer approximation. A new parameter connected with
the quantity of absorbed matter in the expansion is introduced; this allows of
matching theory and observation.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures and article in press; Central European Journal
of Physics 201
Ionization front-driven turbulence in the clumpy interstellar medium
We present 3D radiation-gasdynamical simulations of an ionization front
running into a dense clump. In our setup, a B0 star irradiates an overdensity
which is at a distance of 10 pc and modelled as a supercritical 100 M_sol
Bonnor-Ebert sphere. The radiation from the star heats up the gas and creates a
shock front that expands into the interstellar medium. The shock compresses the
clump material while the ionizing radiation heats it up. The outcome of this
"cloud-crushing" process is a fully turbulent gas in the wake of the clump. In
the end, the clump entirely dissolves. We propose that this mechanism is very
efficient in creating short-living supersonic turbulence in the vicinity of
massive stars
Polymeric Nanoparticle PET/MR Imaging Allows Macrophage Detection in Atherosclerotic Plaques
Author Manuscript 2013 March 02.Rationale: Myeloid cell content in atherosclerotic plaques associates with rupture and thrombosis. Thus, imaging of lesional monocytes and macrophages could serve as a biomarker of disease progression and therapeutic intervention.
Objective: To noninvasively assess plaque inflammation with dextran nanoparticle (DNP)-facilitated hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI).
Methods and Results: Using clinically approved building blocks, we systematically developed 13-nm polymeric nanoparticles consisting of cross-linked short chain dextrans, which were modified with desferoxamine for zirconium-89 radiolabeling ([superscript 89]Zr-DNP) and a near-infrared fluorochrome (VT680) for microscopic and cellular validation. Flow cytometry of cells isolated from excised aortas showed DNP uptake predominantly in monocytes and macrophages (76.7%) and lower signal originating from other leukocytes, such as neutrophils and lymphocytes (11.8% and 0.7%, P<0.05 versus monocytes and macrophages). DNP colocalized with the myeloid cell marker CD11b on immunohistochemistry. PET/MRI revealed high uptake of [superscript 89]Zr-DNP in the aortic root of apolipoprotein E knock out (ApoE[superscript −/−]) mice (standard uptake value, ApoE[superscript −/−] mice versus wild-type controls, 1.9±0.28 versus 1.3±0.03; P<0.05), corroborated by ex vivo scintillation counting and autoradiography. Therapeutic silencing of the monocyte-recruiting receptor C-C chemokine receptor type 2 with short-interfering RNA decreased [superscript 89]Zr-DNP plaque signal (P<0.05) and inflammatory gene expression (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Hybrid PET/MRI with a 13-nm DNP enables noninvasive assessment of inflammation in experimental atherosclerotic plaques and reports on therapeutic efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteNational Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHSN268201000044C)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (R01-HL096576)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (R01-HL095629)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (T32-HL094301
Turbulent Mixing in the Interstellar Medium -- an application for Lagrangian Tracer Particles
We use 3-dimensional numerical simulations of self-gravitating compressible
turbulent gas in combination with Lagrangian tracer particles to investigate
the mixing process of molecular hydrogen (H2) in interstellar clouds. Tracer
particles are used to represent shock-compressed dense gas, which is associated
with H2. We deposit tracer particles in regions of density contrast in excess
of ten times the mean density. Following their trajectories and using
probability distribution functions, we find an upper limit for the mixing
timescale of H2, which is of order 0.3 Myr. This is significantly smaller than
the lifetime of molecular clouds, which demonstrates the importance of the
turbulent mixing of H2 as a preliminary stage to star formation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, conference proceedings "Turbulent Mixing and
Beyond 2007
The Formation of Fragments at Corotation in Isothermal Protoplanetary Disks
Numerical hydrodynamics simulations have established that disks which are
evolved under the condition of local isothermality will fragment into small
dense clumps due to gravitational instabilities when the Toomre stability
parameter is sufficiently low. Because fragmentation through disk
instability has been suggested as a gas giant planet formation mechanism, it is
important to understand the physics underlying this process as thoroughly as
possible. In this paper, we offer analytic arguments for why, at low ,
fragments are most likely to form first at the corotation radii of growing
spiral modes, and we support these arguments with results from 3D hydrodynamics
simulations.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figur
Star Forming Dense Cloud Cores in the TeV {\gamma}-ray SNR RX J1713.7-3946
RX J1713.7-3946 is one of the TeV {\gamma}-ray supernova remnants (SNRs)
emitting synchrotron X rays. The SNR is associated with molecular gas located
at ~1 kpc. We made new molecular observations toward the dense cloud cores,
peaks A, C and D, in the SNR in the 12CO(J=2-1) and 13CO(J=2-1) transitions at
angular resolution of 90". The most intense core in 13CO, peak C, was also
mapped in the 12CO(J=4-3) transition at angular resolution of 38". Peak C shows
strong signs of active star formation including bipolar outflow and a
far-infrared protostellar source and has a steep gradient with a
r^{-2.20.4} variation in the average density within radius r. Peak C and
the other dense cloud cores are rim-brightened in synchrotron X rays,
suggesting that the dense cloud cores are embedded within or on the outer
boundary of the SNR shell. This confirms the earlier suggestion that the X rays
are physically associated with the molecular gas (Fukui et al. 2003). We
present a scenario where the densest molecular core, peak C, survived against
the blast wave and is now embedded within the SNR. Numerical simulations of the
shock-cloud interaction indicate that a dense clump can indeed survive shock
erosion, since shock propagation speed is stalled in the dense clump.
Additionally, the shock-cloud interaction induces turbulence and magnetic field
amplification around the dense clump that may facilitate particle acceleration
in the lower-density inter-clump space leading to the enhanced synchrotron X
rays around dense cores.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, to accepted in The Astrophysical Journal. A full
color version with higher resolution figures is available at
http://www.a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~sano/ApJ10/ms_sano.pd
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