1,457 research outputs found
Constraining FeLoBAL outflows from absorption line variability
FeLoBALs are a rare class of quasar outflows with low-ionization broad
absorption lines (BALs), large column densities, and potentially large kinetic
energies that might be important for `feedback' to galaxy evolution. In order
to probe the physical properties of these outflows, we conducted a
multiple-epoch, absorption line variability study of 12 FeLoBAL quasars
spanning a redshift range between 0.7 and 1.9 over rest frame time-scales of
approximately 10 d to 7.6 yr. We detect absorption line variability with
greater than 8 sigma confidence in 3 out of the 12 sources in our sample over
time-scales of 0.6 to 7.6 yr. Variable wavelength intervals are associated with
ground and excited state Fe II multiplets, the Mg II 2796, 2803 doublet, Mg I
2852, and excited state Ni II multiplets. The observed variability along with
evidence of saturation in the absorption lines favors transverse motions of gas
across the line of sight (LOS) as the preferred scenario, and allows us to
constrain the outflow distance from the supermassive black hole (SMBH) to be
less than 69, 7, and 60 pc for our three variable sources. In combination with
other studies, these results suggest that the outflowing gas in FeLoBAL quasars
resides on a range of scales and includes matter within tens of parsecs of the
central source.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, 2 supplementary figures (attached at the end of
the manuscript), accepted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Societ
Quasar outflow energetics from broad absorption line variability
Quasar outflows have long been recognized as potential contributors to the
co-evolution between supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies.
The role of outflows in AGN feedback processes can be better understood by
placing observational constraints on wind locations and kinetic energies. We
utilize broad absorption line (BAL) variability to investigate the properties
of a sample of 71 BAL quasars with PV broad absorption. The
presence of PV BALs indicates that other BALs like CIV
are saturated, such that variability in those lines favours clouds crossing the
line of sight. We use these constraints with measurements of BAL variability to
estimate outflow locations and energetics. Our data set consists of
multiple-epoch spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and MDM Observatory.
We detect significant (4) BAL variations from 10 quasars in our sample
over rest frame time-scales between < 0.2-3.8 yr. Our derived distances for the
10 variable outflows are nominally < 1-10 pc from the SMBH using the
transverse-motion scenario, and < 100-1000 pc from the central source using
ionization-change considerations. These distances, in combination with the
estimated high outflow column densities (i.e. > 10
cm), yield outflow kinetic luminosities between ~ 0.001-1 times the
bolometric luminosity of the quasar, indicating that many absorber energies
within our sample are viable for AGN feedback.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, 1 supplementary figure, accepted to
MNRA
Variability of Low-ionization Broad Absorption Line Quasars Based on Multi-epoch Spectra from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey
We present absorption variability results for 134 bona fide \mgii\ broad
absorption line (BAL) quasars at 0.46~~2.3 covering days
to 10 yr in the rest frame. We use multiple-epoch spectra from the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey, which has delivered the largest such BAL-variability sample
ever studied. \mgii-BAL identifications and related measurements are compiled
and presented in a catalog. We find a remarkable time-dependent asymmetry in EW
variation from the sample, such that weakening troughs outnumber strengthening
troughs, the first report of such a phenomenon in BAL variability. Our
investigations of the sample further reveal that (i) the frequency of BAL
variability is significantly lower (typically by a factor of 2) than that from
high-ionization BALQSO samples; (ii) \mgii\ BAL absorbers tend to have
relatively high optical depths and small covering factors along our line of
sight; (iii) there is no significant EW-variability correlation between \mgii\
troughs at different velocities in the same quasar; and (iv) the EW-variability
correlation between \mgii\ and \aliii\ BALs is significantly stronger than that
between \mgii\ and \civ\ BALs at the same velocities. These observational
results can be explained by a combined transverse-motion/ionization-change
scenario, where transverse motions likely dominate the strengthening BALs while
ionization changes and/or other mechanisms dominate the weakening BALs.Comment: 24 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ
Plant Competition In Relation To Neighbor Biomass: An Intercontinental Study With Poa Pratensis
Concept development of a Mach 4 high-speed civil transport
A study was conducted to configure and analyze a 250 passenger, Mach 4 High Speed Civil Transport with a design range of 6500 n.mi. The design mission assumed an all-supersonic cruise segment and no community noise or sonic boom constraints. The study airplane was developed in order to examine the technology requirements for such a vehicle and to provide an unconstrained baseline from which to assess changes in technology levels, sonic boom limits, or community noise constraints in future studies. The propulsion, structure, and materials technologies utilized in the sizing of the study aircraft were assumed to represent a technology availability date of 2015. The study airplane was a derivative of a previously developed Mach 3 concept and utilized advanced afterburning turbojet engines and passive airframe thermal protection. Details of the configuration development, aerodynamic design, propulsion system, mass properties, and mission performance are presented. The study airplane was estimated to weigh approx. 866,000 lbs. Although an aircraft of this size is a marginally acceptable candidate to fit into the world airport infrastructure, it was concluded that the inclusion of community noise or sonic boom constraints would quickly cause the aircraft to grow beyond acceptable limits using the assumed technology levels
The Energy Density of "Wound" Fields in a Toroidal Universe
The observational limits on the present energy density of the Universe allow
for a component that redshifts like and can contribute significantly to
the total. We show that a possible origin for such a contribution is that the
universe has a toroidal topology with "wound" scalar fields around its cycles.Comment: 11 pages, 1figur
All-Sky spectrally matched UBVRI-ZY and u'g'r'i'z' magnitudes for stars in the Tycho2 catalog
We present fitted UBVRI-ZY and u'g'r'i'z' magnitudes, spectral types and
distances for 2.4M stars, derived from synthetic photometry of a library
spectrum that best matches the Tycho2 BtVt, NOMAD Rn and 2MASS JHK_{2/S}
catalog magnitudes. We present similarly synthesized multi-filter magnitudes,
types and distances for 4.8M stars with 2MASS and SDSS photometry to g<16
within the Sloan survey region, for Landolt and Sloan primary standards, and
for Sloan Northern (PT) and Southern secondary standards.
The synthetic magnitude zeropoints for BtVt, UBVRI, ZvYv, JHK_{2/S},
JHK_{MKO}, Stromgren uvby, Sloan u'g'r'i'z' and ugriz are calibrated on 20
calspec spectrophotometric standards. The UBVRI and ugriz zeropoints have
dispersions of 1--3%, for standards covering a range of color from -0.3 < V-I <
4.6; those for other filters are in the range 2--5%.
The spectrally matched fits to Tycho2 stars provide estimated 1-sigma errors
per star of ~0.2, 0.15, 0.12, 0.10 and 0.08 mags respectively in either UBVRI
or u'g'r'i'z'; those for at least 70% of the SDSS survey region to g<16 have
estimated 1-sigma errors per star of ~0.2, 0.06, 0.04, 0.04, 0.05 in u'g'r'i'z'
or UBVRI.
The density of Tycho2 stars, averaging about 60 stars per square degree,
provides sufficient stars to enable automatic flux calibrations for most
digital images with fields of view of 0.5 degree or more. Using several such
standards per field, automatic flux calibration can be achieved to a few
percent in any filter, at any airmass, in most workable observing conditions,
to facilitate inter-comparison of data from different sites, telescopes and
instruments.Comment: 36 pages, 30 figures, 3 printed tables, several electronic tables,
accepted PASP Dec 201
The emergence of the cortisol circadian rhythm in monozygotic and dizygotic twin infants: the twin-pair synchrony
OBJECTIVE: Studies on the influence of genetic factors on the ontogeny of cortisol circadian rhythm in infants are lacking. This study evaluated the influence of twinning and the heritability on the age of emergence of salivary cortisol rhythm. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: A longitudinal study was performed using salivary samples obtained during morning and night, at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks of postnatal life in 34 infants, 10 monozygotic (MZ) and 7 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. Salivary cortisol was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Zigosity was verified by DNA analysis of at least 13 short tandem repeat polymorphisms. Difference of the emergence of cortisol circadian rhythm, within each twin pair, the intraclass correlation coefficient and the heritability index (h(2)) were calculated. RESULTS: The mean (± SEM) age of emergence of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm was similar in MZ and DZ (7·8 ± 1·0 vs 7·4 ± 1·3 weeks). Seven pairs showed coincidence of the emergence of cortisol rhythm. Ten pairs were not coincident; among them the within-pair difference of emergence of salivary circadian rhythm was similar in both MZ and DZ groups. The intraclass correlation coefficients were rMZ = 0·60, P = 0·02; and rDZ = 0·65, P = 0·03, respectively. The heritability index (h(2)) was 0·21 (ns). CONCLUSIONS: Salivary circadian rhythm appeared at the same postnatal age in MZ and DZ twin infants. Although several physiological aspects might be involved, the heritability index, obtained in the present study, suggests less genetic than environmental impact on the age of the onset of the cortisol circadian rhythm. Our data also indicated that each twin-pair show synchrony because they probably shared prenatal and postnatal environmental synchronizers
Microguards and micromessengers of the genome
The regulation of gene expression is of fundamental importance to maintain organismal function and integrity and requires a multifaceted and highly ordered sequence of events. The cyclic nature of gene expression is known as âtranscription dynamicsâ. Disruption or perturbation of these dynamics can result in significant fitness costs arising from genome instability, accelerated ageing and disease. We review recent research that supports the idea that an important new role for small RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), is in protecting the genome against short-term transcriptional fluctuations, in a process we term âmicroguardingâ. An additional emerging role for miRNAs is as âmicromessengersââthrough alteration of gene expression in target cells to which they are trafficked within microvesicles. We describe the scant but emerging evidence that miRNAs can be moved between different cells, individuals and even species, to exert biologically significant responses. With these two new roles, miRNAs have the potential to protect against deleterious gene expression variation from perturbation and to themselves perturb the expression of genes in target cells. These interactions between cells will frequently be subject to conflicts of interest when they occur between unrelated cells that lack a coincidence of fitness interests. Hence, there is the potential for miRNAs to represent both a means to resolve conflicts of interest, as well as instigate them. We conclude by exploring this conflict hypothesis, by describing some of the initial evidence consistent with it and proposing new ideas for future research into this exciting topic
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O157 Strains from Brazil
We describe two serogroup O157 Escherichia coli strains from Brazilian infants with diarrhea. A variety of assays indicate that these strains belong to the enteropathogenic, not the enterohemorrhagic, pathotype. These strains possess a novel bfpA allele encoding the type IV pilin characteristic of typical enteropathogenic E. coli strains. Our results emphasize the pitfalls of classifying pathogenic E. coli by serogroup
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