Strict Limits on the Ionizing Luminosity in NGC 1068 from Jet-axis Molecular Clouds

The radio jet axis of NGC 1068 is characterised by energetic activity from x-ray to radio wavelengths. Detailed kinematic and polarization studies have shown that this activity is confined to bipolar cones centered on the AGN which intersect the plane of the disk. Thus, molecular clouds at 1 kpc distance along this axis are an important probe of the nuclear ionizing luminosity and spectrum. Extended MIR emission coincident with the clouds is reasonably understood by dust heated to high temperatures by the nuclear radiation field. This model predicts that the nuclear spectrum is quasar-like (power law + blue excess) with a luminosity 2-5 times higher than inferred by Pier et al. Consequently, there is little or no polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission associated with the radio-axis molecular clouds. We review this model in the light of new observations. A multi-waveband collage is included to illustrate the possible orientations of the double cones to our line of sight and the galaxian plane

Partial ionization in dense plasmas: comparisons among average-atom density functional models.

Nuclei interacting with electrons in dense plasmas acquire electronic bound states, modify continuum states, generate resonances and hopping electron states, and generate short-range ionic order. The mean ionization state (MIS), i.e, the mean charge Z of an average ion in such plasmas, is a valuable concept: Pseudopotentials, pair-distribution functions, equations of state, transport properties, energy-relaxation rates, opacity, radiative processes, etc., can all be formulated using the MIS of the plasma more concisely than with an all-electron description. However, the MIS does not have a unique definition and is used and defined differently in different statistical models of plasmas. Here, using the MIS formulations of several average-atom models based on density functional theory, we compare numerical results for Be, Al, and Cu plasmas for conditions inclusive of incomplete atomic ionization and partial electron degeneracy. By contrasting modern orbital-based models with orbital-free Thomas-Fermi models, we quantify the effects of shell structure, continuum resonances, the role of exchange and correlation, and the effects of different choices of the fundamental cell and boundary conditions. Finally, the role of the MIS in plasma applications is illustrated in the context of x-ray Thomson scattering in warm dense matter

Electron-Ion Recombination on Grains and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

With the high-resolution spectroscopy now available in the optical and satellite UV, it is possible to determine the neutral/ionized column density ratios for several different elements in a single cloud. Assuming ionization equilibrium for each element, one can make several independent determinations of the electron density. For the clouds for which such an analysis has been carried out, these different estimates disagree by large factors, suggesting that some process (or processes) besides photoionization and radiative recombination might play an important role in the ionization balance. One candidate process is collisions of ions with dust grains. Making use of recent work quantifying the abundances of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules and other grains in the interstellar medium, as well as recent models for grain charging, we estimate the grain-assisted ion recombination rates for several astrophysically important elements. We find that these rates are comparable to the rates for radiative recombination for conditions typical of the cold neutral medium. Including grain-assisted ion recombination in the ionization equilibrium analysis leads to increased consistency in the various electron density estimates for the gas along the line of sight to 23 Orionis. However, not all of the discrepancies can be eliminated in this way; we speculate on some other processes that might play a role. We also note that grain-assisted recombination of H+ and He+ leads to significantly lower electron fractions than usually assumed for the cold neutral medium.Comment: LaTeX(12 pages, 8 figures, uses emulateapj5.sty, apjfonts.sty); submitted to ApJ; corrected typo

The changing pattern of domestic cannabis cultivation in the UK and its impact on the cannabis market

With improvements in both technology and information cannabis is being increasingly grown indoors for domestic use, rather than being imported. This study examines 50 cannabis farms detected by an English police force, and examines the characteristics of the 61 suspects associated with them. The study highlights a UK pattern in domestic cultivation, that is moving away from large scale commercial cultivation, at times co-ordinated by South East Asian organised crime groups, to increased cultivation within residential premises by British citizens. Offenders range from those who have no prior criminal history to those who are serious and persistent offenders. The ramifications for law enforcement agencies and policy formers are discussed

Carrier-mediated magnetoelectricity in complex oxide heterostructures

While tremendous success has been achieved to date in creating both single phase and composite magnetoelectric materials, the quintessential electric-field control of magnetism remains elusive. In this work, we demonstrate a linear magnetoelectric effect which arises from a novel carrier-mediated mechanism, and is a universal feature of the interface between a dielectric and a spin-polarized metal. Using first-principles density functional calculations, we illustrate this effect at the SrRuO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface and describe its origin. To formally quantify the magnetic response of such an interface to an applied electric field, we introduce and define the concept of spin capacitance. In addition to its magnetoelectric and spin capacitive behavior, the interface displays a spatial coexistence of magnetism and dielectric polarization suggesting a route to a new type of interfacial multiferroic

Gene silencing in tick cell lines using small interfering or long double-stranded RNA

Gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) is an important research tool in many areas of biology. To effectively harness the power of this technique in order to explore tick functional genomics and tick-microorganism interactions, optimised parameters for RNAi-mediated gene silencing in tick cells need to be established. Ten cell lines from four economically important ixodid tick genera (Amblyomma, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus including the sub-species Boophilus) were used to examine key parameters including small interfering RNA (siRNA), double stranded RNA (dsRNA), transfection reagent and incubation time for silencing virus reporter and endogenous tick genes. Transfection reagents were essential for the uptake of siRNA whereas long dsRNA alone was taken up by most tick cell lines. Significant virus reporter protein knockdown was achieved using either siRNA or dsRNA in all the cell lines tested. Optimum conditions varied according to the cell line. Consistency between replicates and duration of incubation with dsRNA were addressed for two Ixodes scapularis cell lines; IDE8 supported more consistent and effective silencing of the endogenous gene subolesin than ISE6, and highly significant knockdown of the endogenous gene 2I1F6 in IDE8 cells was achieved within 48 h incubation with dsRNA. In summary, this study shows that gene silencing by RNAi in tick cell lines is generally more efficient with dsRNA than with siRNA but results vary between cell lines and optimal parameters need to be determined for each experimental system